The Golden Compass

While at home over Thanksgiving break I was reading an article in the local paper, The Omaha World Herald, that discribed the controversy over the movie The Golden Compass that will be released December 7 in theaters. In the article it described the boycott of the film planned by some conservative Catholics. The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is the group that is fighting for families to boycott the movie. They believe that the movie is anti-Christ and will urge children to think in the same way. I was very interested in this article because it delt with the movie business and I have read the book the movie is based on. In my opinion, I think that this is just another group of people that is over reacting to a fairy tale that is meant to entertain. Like Harry Potter, the Di Vinci Code, and even Pocahantas, the Golden Compass is another movie in a long line that has caused controversy within the church. These people seem to look at the movie industry more like the news, rather than an industry meant for entertainment. The movie is based on a book by an English author who is an athiest. But I still think that the movie which stars Nichole Kidman and Daniel Craig is meant for simple entertainment. Its a fairytale that is more complex and entertaining for the whole family.

Election Debate

Although the Election is close to a year away, canidates are already at each other's necks. The recent Democratic debate in Los Vegas left the Democratic nomination open. The top runners are Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards. Only seven weeks divide the debate and the Iowa caucus so the canidates are trying their best to be the top choice for Democrats. The article in the New York Times reflects the mood of the election, although I didn't watch it on TV, I think that a clear picture is reflected through this article. The canidates seem to attack each other on issues while still trying to make themselves look good. Clinton accuses the other canidates of using Republican like tactics to attack her. In my opinion there is no special tactic for either side. Its politics and there isn't anything in it that is entirely true. The canidates are just trying to get the vote and will stick to "their" opinions and hope that the United States people think that they are the one with the best ideas for the country. We have had some great presidents, but the debates right now seem more like an argument where everyone's fighting for glory, and not for the people of the U.S.

Hillary Clinton of course is the first woman to run for president, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. I'm sure there are a lot of women who want to see a woman in the white house and are willing to vote for her for that reason. In my opinion you have to look at the canidates and not choose on for their sex or all their opinions. Instead you have to think they will be strong enough and smart enough to run our nation the best way for the American people.

Online TV

Online TV is really taking off. There's not a major network that doesn't have a way for their viewers to watch a program online. I either have night class or end up having to work on week nights so I love being able to watch the episodes that i missed the next day, or anytime at my convienence. I love ABC.com where there are only four thirty second commercial breaks. I also love the fact that I have to click to continue because then you don't have to sit and watch the commercial. Instead you can run to the kitchen to grab something to drink or run to the bathroom. And even if you do end up watching them, its 30 seconds, not 5 minutes. Other networks that I tend to watch don't have as nice of features or video feed. On the CW website there are around six commercials per episode and they go straight into the show from the commercial. Therefore you are basically forced to watch them. It really benefits the advertisers this way, but can annoy the viewer. But either way, I love being able to watch the episodes online. I just found out you can even watch some Disney Channel shows online, which makes me so happy since my apartment thinks we're too mature to offer us the Disney Channel in our cable. Unfortunatly you can only watch the major programing of the network. So far you can't watch your local news or a local sports game online. I think that the internet is the future of TV. It will never entirely be online, but I think eventually anything you can watch on TV you will be able to watch online.