When you wanna get down...

Cocaine. A dangerously addictive drug... and an energy drink? That's right, but not for long. The relatively new energy drink, "Cocaine," was pulled off the shelves at 7-11 late last week after an uproar from parents claiming the drink "glamorizes illegal drugs."

I say who cares what it's called, it's the caffeine that's killing us, not the name. I recently saw this video on MSNBC. The story says this popular array of energy drinks contains three to FOUR times the amount of caffeine found in a regular coffee drink. It's ridiculous, this stuff is a drug and there's NO limit to how much can be sold.

Teens and young adults tend to be turning to caffeine more and more when they just don't have time for sleep. Completely unhealthy, and not very smart, the consumption of these energy drinks has seen an insane growth in popularity over the past year alone. What is it that makes us crave this stuff? Is the the caffeine alone, or the image that comes along with a hard, fast-paced, party-filled life?

Most energy drink companies name their products accordingly, Rockstar, Monster, Superman, No Fear, and now Cocaine.

One thing's for sure though, without my daily dose of caffeine, there would most definitely be days I wouldn't make it out of bed.

Whatcha know about music?

What ever happened to good music. When did it all start sucking so hard? Sure, you'll find some bands here and there that spark your interest... but it's nothing like the days of classic rock, where bands like the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osbourne, and the like were touring the world all at the same time. Am I the only one who sees this as a problem?

Styles of music have become so largely diverse, that it has created a sort of ridiculous plethora of horrible bands. I hear some of these newer bands on David Letterman or SNL and I feel like I want to puke. I find myself asking two questions. First of all, how would ANYone find satisfaction in listening to this untalented mess of noise; and secondly, why would an awesome first rate show even hire these guys to play?

Another trend I've noticed with new music is EVERYONE is depressed! I'm sorry, but did I miss the turning point in our society where life started sucking? Because I'm pretty sure we still live in the raddest country in the world, the sun still shines everyday I wake up in the morning, and as a band... you're allowed to frickin' ROCK! SO DO IT!

The message I commonly hear in classic rock, and other music coming out of that era, is "Let's have fun!" We're young, we're stoked, so let's party! Today in music it's "I'm so sad. I'm so depressed. I wanna give up. Why is it all so hard? I hate my life." Two words: LIGHTEN UP!

With an abundance of music coming through the airwaves, the message of the music is going to be heard... and it is being heard. I don't know about you... but when I hear music that's lame and depressing, I feel lame and depressed. (I'm sure it's the same for a lot of people). But when I hear music that's killer and rocking... I feel killer and wanna rock!

These bands portraying such a negative light on society today, believe it or not, do not hold the majority viewpoint of the youth in this generation. For some reason they're just the ones getting the spotlight, and who knows for what reason. The way this can change is by supporting bands you like. Don't put up with crap, there's SO much good stuff out there. It just needs to be brought to light. Let's have another era like the 60s and 70s, let's hear GOOD music on the radio again, but most of all... let's ROCK!

The Internet Is RAD!

One of the greatest things about the growing popularity of the Internet is that it allows virtually anyone to share their creations, opinions, and talents. It doesn't take a whole lot of money to start your own website, and depending on who you know and how well you market yourself, it doesn't take too much time to gain a little popularity.

The Internet is a dream come true for those who thrive on information. Magazines have been said to market themselves to very unique and particular audiences, creating a readership that will be loyal and consistent. Well, the internet takes this theory of specified marketing a whole step further with user based content. You'll see new sites and blogs popping up nearly every day containing information about nearly every subject under the sun.

"How does this benefit me," you may ask? Well, there's more content coming at you, more conveniently, from many different sources.

One such site is the fast-growing blog site "theRADreport.com."

Created towards the beginning of September '06, theRadreport reports on current fashion trends, rock n' roll news, and celebrity gossip.

Founder, and current SJSU student, Eddie DaRoza describes the site: "Rad is a hard thing to pinpoint. What is rad today might be lame tomorrow. Media, culture, California: here is rad from the youth perspective."

The increasingly popular sight provides unique perspectives on news ranging from Paris Hilton's pot obsession to recently created rock star group, Supernova. There really is no limit to what you might come across on this site. One of it's hugest advantages over more mainstream blog sites is that there's nothing controlling or censoring what is or isn't posted on the page.

It's new creations like theRadreport that provide news and information that many twenty somethings find more relevant for their lifestyle than most other sources. Sure we'll still watch the news and glance at the paper from time to time, but when we're bored of the same old stuff, we'll log on to see... "What's rad today?"

Finally...

I'm up on Technorati, here's my profile: Technorati Profile

Insurgent Sniper Video

This video is chilling, to say the least. Chilling. Long running in our profession has been the question of what is, and what is not, okay to show on television. I believe many would argue this is one of those things that should not. It's graphic, terrifying, and yet extremely informative. I know without a doubt this is sure to at least raise some eyebrows, it may even spark more of a response than that. Take a look for yourself with the question in mind, "If I were faced with the choice of airing this piece or not, what would I do? Why?" I did the same for myself, and found it to be a tougher decision than I originally had thought.

My "Top 3" List

Television is everywhere you look. Like it or not. Nearly every minute of everyday, no matter where you are, you can find a nearby remote and click it on. A very powerful medium, television provides content as meaningless as game shows like "The Price is Right," and yet can still give us programming as inherently relevant as in-depth news shows.

Nearly everyone will define "important" programming differently. But in my opinion, there's only 3 that really matter...
3. Family Guy

Now, this one is sure to raise some eyebrows. How can this show be one of the most important of all time? Well, to me it redefined humor as I knew it. Sure there were shows before Family Guy like The Simpson's, South Park, and King of the Hill. But really, they all pale in comparison.

With the off-the-wall, and sometimes offensive ideas this cartoon brings to life, nothing else could even come close to matching its humor and quick whit.

Created in 1999 for FOX by comic genius Seth MacFarlane, Family Guy, to this day, continues to push the boundaries of television, and it never accepts the status quo.

Offensive by many standards, Family Guy has taken nearly everything that is considered politically correct and essentially flipped it upside down, something all the other cartoons I previously named only pretend to do.

One of only a handful of shows ever to be canceled and then resurrected by the same network that canceled it, Family Guy makes it to my Top 3 without even the blink of an eye.

2. SNL - Saturday Night Live

Bringing countless television and movie stars to light, Saturday Night Live was an easy pick for my top three.

Containing sketches from some of America's funniest actors, debuting bands from all over the world, and boasting an amazing line-up of hosts, SNL is considered by many to be one of the greatest shows on television.

Since its debut in 1975, SNL has won 18 Emmys, a Peabody Award, and been inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame by the National Association of Broadcasters. Spanning over 30 years, Saturday Night Live continues to grow and build on the amazing reputation it already has.

1. 60 Minutes

From the moment the show begins, you, as the viewer, hear the instantly recognizable "tick, tick, tick, tick." From square one, your interest is sparked. Whether you're cooking in the kitchen, doing the laundry, or on the other side of the house reading a book - you know "This...... is 60 Minutes."

The show was created in 1968 by John Hewitt and premiered on CBS, where it continues to air to this day.

Even with an ever-changing team of reporters, this show never fails to provide some of the most compelling in-depth stories spanning nearly every topic you can imagine. The news magazine won four Emmys during the '05-'06 season alone. It is the most successful broadcast in television history, reaching "Number 1" status five times.

It's shows like this, in my opinion, that we need to see more of on TV - a commitment to professional journalism, and always refusing to offer anything less than the full story. With an average of 14 million viewers a week and 78 total Emmy Awards, 60 Minutes ranks number one in my top three.

Howard Stern........ is a giant tool.

Yeah, so he's one of the highest paid radio personalties in the United States. Who cares. Personally I don't even know why people are interested in what this guy has to say. Who is he? Is he a former rockstar? Does he have some kind of background in anything that should give him credit? Is he a person that has vast, detailed, and profound views on ANYthing? NO! He's a friggin' radio DJ. Who even cares what he has to say. Unfortunately for the world, enough people to give him his own 24 hour a day Satellite radio show, apparently.

Approaching 30 years of radio experience, Stern knows the business. He has connections with some of radio and televisions largest names. He can literally talk about anything he wants on his show, especially now - since he's moved to a subscription-based and censorship-free medium. But the sad thing is - he talks about garbage all the time. And I'm not just referring to the offensive material that turns so many listeners away. I'm talking about nearly all of the extremely vacuous topics that the show covers. His show, in my opinion, is extremely mindless, and shows a huge lack of planning and forethought. The whole thing, from start to finish, is a giant waste of time.

Personally, if I'm gonna listen to a radio show, especially one as mind-numbing as Howard Stern's, I would rather be listening to someone with some character - like David Lee Roth (former front man of Van Halen) or Steven Tyler (Aerosmith). Howard Stern is essentially a nobody who, somehow, made it big. But this is America. And the fact that such a giant tool, such as Howard Stern, can make it big, is just one of the many things that makes this Country so rad.

Kazan Hits the Road with Lonesome Rhodes...

Coming up on it's 50th Anniversary, the beloved tale about a hobo who makes it big time will be released as a special edition DVD by this holiday season. "A Face in the Crowd." The movie tells us a story about a humble roots jail bird, Larry Rhodes, who doesn't need much but his friends and his trusty guitar, "A guitar beats a woman every time," he'd sing out.

A simple man, without need for much of anything, Larry was suddenly "discovered" by media savvy woman Marcia Jeffries during one of his stays in Jail. She had a plan for him and there wasn't anything that was going to get in her way.

"Lonesome Rhodes," as he so fondly came to be called, was an overnight media sensation. The radio audience loved him. He could talk for hours and ladies and gents alike would sit and listen, loving every minute of it. He began airing in commercials, supporting various products... whatever he put his name behind succeeded. Wherever he went, the crowd was sure to follow.

In no time, he graduated from radio to television - bringing himself even more success. Standing behind larger companies, such as VitaJex - a brand that wasn't selling much of anything until Rhodes began endorsing it, writing a song about "VitaJex! What are you doing to me!" He sold people on a pill that really had no effect whatsoever. He had the power to persuade and he knew it. He knew it all too well. "This whole country's just like my flock of sheep! Hillbillies, hausfraus - everybody that's got to jump when someone else blows a whistle! They're mine!"

You could tell by the start of his fame, it was only a matter of time before the whole thing went straight to his head. And not too much longer before his true self would be exposed to the public. And that's just what did happen, with the simple slide of a volume control, his life would change forever...

Update News

I recently finished this story for my Journalism 164 class. The story is about students who commute to San Jose State from various locations. Our school has been labled by many as a 'commuter school.' Some think this is a good thing - providing diversity. However, some students feel that if they had a choice - they would drop the commuting in a second.

Simply Entitled

When deciding which magazine I wanted to review for today's post, I felt like I wanted something that would be different. I wanted something that would not be filled with tons of ads. I wanted something that would be extremely specific, yet unobtrusively unique. I stumbled upon the magazine you see here to the right amongst my ever growing magazine collection. It's simply entitled "BMW Magazine."

Now, obviously most everything in here is extremely biased writing. In a sense it's a magazine full of reasons why you should buy a BMW. Some may even call it a large advertisement in a strange way. There's information about the cars, the racing team, designers, merchandise, and even a piece on their sailing team.

However, contrary to what one may think, it's more than just one large smorgasbord of BMW propaganda.

Some of the writing you will read between the covers of this magazine will blow your mind. Vivid imagery, fluid transitions, and poetic descriptions are only a few of the many things that seem to bring these pages to life.

The quarterly publication is clearly aimed at BMW enthusiasts, but most everyone can benefit from reading merely a few of these pages... especially those who enjoy brilliant writing.

BMW Magazine is sent out free to its subscribers, and is mostly self-funded. However, unlike most magazines the advertising is done much differently. Today, most periodicals, quarterlies, and even weeklies are laden with full page advertisements - some with as much as 70%. I counted 13 ads in this 100 page quarterly. That's a mere 13%. BMW has obviously focused on this magazine as an advertising expense for the company, and doesn't want it peppered with countless other ads to take away from their show. From the readers viewpoint, the is most definitely a plus.