Assignment 2-1

Trading Spaces was a hit show on TLC that helped homeowners redecorate a room with the help of an interior designer. The gimmick was that two neighbors swapped houses and redecorate a room with a $2000.00 budget. The show provided entertainment on new ideas to use and watch the revelation of the newly decorated room.
The cast of the show included Paige Davis as the host that would go back and forth to the house and chat with the designers and neighbors on their project. She would also pitch in and help with painting and assembling the room, if needed. The projects had a 2 day deadline that added tension. The main designers were Genevieve Gorder, Doug Wilson, Hildi, Frank Bielec, Vern Yip, and Laurie Hickson-Smith (Wikipedia, 2009). One designer and two carpenters were assigned to a set of neighbors to redesign the room and guide them through the project.
The show inspired do-it-yourselfers to start their own projects around the house. Trading Spaces gave homeowners new ideas on decorating all spaces in the home. The designers even had the carpenters building economical furniture that also encouraged homeowners to tackle. The unique ideas and measures of each project made the show a success. The show has been inspiring homeowners on TLC for nine years. Trading Spaces has imprinted popular culture by its diversity to outreach to both men and women of all ages, race, and social groups.


Reference
Wikipedia (2009). Trading Spaces. Retrieved May 30, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trading_Spaces.

Courtney, I completely agree with your assessment of Target as an icon. It is one of my favorite stores. There is so much to look at and it is all so trendy and reasonably priced. I must admit though that I sometimes avoid Target because I know that I will come out with more than I went in for.

Assignment 2-2

Icons of our time have influenced behavior and impacted our lives culturally. They are easily recognized and target an emotion. Starbucks has transformed America with their desirable coffee. Starbucks has made drinking coffee trendy. With a touch of sophistication and almost five bucks for a grande mocha latte, Starbucks has achieved their goal of cultural dominance. Drinking at Starbucks makes one feel a part of an elite group, because of the social recognition of finest coffee house. While lately Starbucks has seen a decline in sales due to the economy, it is still ubiquitous.

Napster paved the way of downloading music from the internet onto a computer then transferring onto devices, such as I-Pods, MP3 players, and etc. The hold up was that all the music was totally free. This made music artists and record companies irate. The billion dollar industry was taking a major hit with Napster pirating music. The term “pirating” became known as stealing music from the internet. After all said and done, the owner of Napster and music pirates were prosecuted.
Who can compare to how Target made discount shopping trendy? With their marketing tactics, Target took it to a different level. Being stylish and affordable is how they hurdled over the competition by reporting $63.4 billion dollars in revenue for 2007 (Target Annual Report, 2007). To attain their growth Target teamed up with popular designers made style affordable. Continuing with their unique advantage, Target is still everyday life with flare.

Reference:
Target Annual Report (2007). Investors. Target Corporation. Retrieved on May 28, 2009 from http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-030795

Popular Culture Blog

Popular culture is something unavoidable. It is what we do, how we act by influences on television, radio, movies, music, books, magazines, social group or geographic location. Even though all these things, collections of tangible and intangible things, we are impacted by its presence.
Being able to connect with other socially and professionally is having knowledge of popular culture. Some of the most popular topics is sports and television. When people are talking about Brett Farve or Beyonce', it can move conversations. Popular culture knowledge on these topics can strengthen communication between a group or individuals.
By the amount of impact a artifact has on society, allows all generations to relate. People magazine is hard to avoid in the checkout aisle at the grocery store. Their zinger headlines and intriguing photos draws readers in. This magazine reports on the latest news on celebrities. It keeps the stories and photos as respectable as magazines can. However, it does like to dish out whatever they can. It also inserts heartfelt stories about ordinary people that makes the magazine wholesome. I will occasionally pick one up now and then, depending on the headlines. Go figure, I am sucker for it!

Weekly Written Analysis Wk. 1

American Idol has shaped American popular culture in the twenty-first century. The “American Dream” of a small town hopeful making it big on Hollywood has become a reality. The creators of American Idol has embraced the dream and carried out eight seasons of delivering entertainment that engages people of all ages. They have given hope to everyday, ordinary people of America and beyond, that stardom is attainable.

The popularity of American Idol is also contributed by the panel of judges and host. The personalities of Ryan Secrest, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell drew the audience in every week. They are just as entertaining as the contestants.

American Idol has certainly impacted the entertainment industry that has changed how audiences watch television. The phenomenon has given hope to the American Dream of making it big. If not, they at least on television trying.