The Cake Boss

Buddy Valastro, from TLC's The Cake Boss, was arrested for a DUI early Thursday morning in New York City. http://www.tmz.com/2014/11/13/cake-boss-buddy-valastro-drunk-driving-court/. TMZ.com reports that Valastro was .01 over the legal limit of alcohol consumption. The report starts by explaining how defiant the Cake Boss was during the arrest. The article is aimed viewers of Cake Boss because these are the people who understand Buddy's short temper. The second paragraph begins by saying "TMZ broke the story…" This shows that TMZ wants the reader to know this is the first place to report about this incident. The article is bias to viewers of Cake Boss in that it uses traits of Buddy that will make sense to the viewers. The report is also bias as it portrays Buddy as more of a criminal than a victim. The reporter talks about Buddy's 2014 yellow corvette he was driving which almost makes him less likable to the reader because it seems like he is showing off his money. 

The point clearly made in this article is simply informing the reader of the incident between Buddy and the New York City police. The article does not do a good job of showing both sides of the story because it only explains that he was arrested, pled not guilty, and was released without bail. There is no information about where he was, what he was doing, or his reasonings for drinking. The report only talks about the part of him being arrested. The writer does a good job of capturing the reader's attention because he uses attributes that would resonate with the reader from watching the TLC show. TMZ.com was successful in conveying the message they wanted because they got the story out before any other reports and made it attractive to the reader through the word choice. 

Totes Casual

In this post about Taylor Swift's upcoming 23 covers of Cosmo magazine, the journalist, Quinn Keaney, sounds just like one of Swift's fans. This article begins with a subtitle of "Is she even real?" This grabs the reader's attention immediately because phrases like this are often used by today's female, teenage population. The writer ends the second paragraph with, "Totes casual," after explaining that Swift will be on twenty-three magazine covers in upcoming months. Again, she is relating to the reader by using this type of language. Keaney continues by addressing the audience as "Swifties," Taylor Swift's fandom name. She also says, "hang onto your cats." This reference will make Taylor Swift fans feel special for catching it because Swift is known to love cats. By making this small remark, the writer is connecting to the audience even more. 

The norms enforced in this piece of media are that Taylor Swift is legendary; so much so that she will appear on twenty-three covers of Cosmo. In general, people like Taylor Swift. She is seen as a sweetheart with weakness for falling in love -- relatable to many teen girls. Sometimes this gets her into trouble, especially when she is seen with One Direction star Harry Styles. The point is Taylor Swift is well known and it just makes sense for her to be featured on this many covers. The message being sent by this article is that Swift deserves this. She has worked hard and the writer, along with majority of the readers, believe this is something people will want to read about once the magazines hit the shelves. The bias of this article is that of people who like Taylor Swift and her music, as well as her accomplishments as an artist. The bias is of the opinion of the fans of Taylor Swift. I think the point of this article was effectively made. Quinn Keaney got her point across by using language that relates to her audience. The way she portrayed her message made the point even more effective. 

Apple Leaks

On October 15, 2014, Apple's new iPads were inadvertently leaked. (http://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/apple-launch-new-ipad-mini-3-and-the-ipad-air-2-revealed-early/story-fnda1lbo-1227092065712) The article discusses the features that are expected to be included in the new products as well as the guesses of new features from the reporter. The article is directed at those who are interested in the "newest thing." The audience keeps up to date on the latest technology and are think that the release of information a day early is more exciting than waiting the extra 24 hours. During the entire article the reporter makes predictions about the newer versions of the iPads. These are not backed by any evidence, but merely speculations. He uses terminology that "regular" people are not necessarily aware of; therefore limiting the audience and comprehension of this article.

This piece sends the message that Apple is unable to keep their advancements under wraps. The article ends with, " Could Apple pull off a surprise? Possibly." This enforces the norm that Apple products are usually unveiled early, without Apple's intention. The reporter of this article is bias to the idea that Apple has many ideas but is incapable of keeping them secret. The point being made in this article is that Apple has difficulties keeping a secret of their ideas. The reporter pokes fun at Apple's bad luck of their products always being leaked early. 

Matthew McConaughey and Lincoln

Recently Lincoln released a new commercial featuring their new car model. The spokesperson of the advertisement is Matthew McConaughey. The thought of the commercial isn't bad. Matthew McConaughey is a likable person, (in some movies) and Lincoln produces high-class cars. However, I do not think that this commercial could have been more poorly executed. 

The only norm enforced in this media is that bulls are strong animals; most people would agree with that. As McConaughey states, or rather mumbles just loudly enough to hear, he "can respect that," that is the strength of the bull. I don't believe there was a clear message during the course of the entire commercial. It fails to tell the consumer any details about the car or what it has to do with the bull standing in the middle of the road. The bias present in this advertisement is that Lincoln cars are strong, but not strong enough to take on a bull. Lincoln wants to prove its strength and respect for the bull by leaving it alone. By the end of the commercial, I decided that Lincoln was not successful in getting their point across. 

In my opinion, Ellen's version was much better. :)

Prince Harry's Birthday Bash

According to http://www.dailymail.co.uk, on Tuesday September 16, 2014, Prince Harry celebrated his 30th birthday with a close group of friends. Seeing that his father and step-mother were out of town, Harry was able to use their residence, Clarence House, as headquarters for the celebration. Not too many 30 year-olds have the opportunity to hold their birthday party in a house the size of a museum.

Prince Harry and Prince William were both spotted driving themselves to the party in their recently purchased cars; Prince Harry in a top-of-the-line Audi, and Prince William in his brand new Range Rover. This information enforces the norm that royalty travels with expensive taste, while contradicting the idea that princes are always escorted by their chauffeurs, seeing that both men drove themselves to the party. DailyMail takes a dig at Prince Harry by suggesting from his past partying nights that he won't be driving himself back to Kensington Palace at the end of the party. The readers are reminded of Prince Harry's wild times, enforcing the idea that he is the less-responsible, younger brother of Prince William. DailyMail clearly doesn't have confidence in Prince Harry's actions maturing with his age. Also, it is said that Ellie Goulding performed at the royal shindig. This lets it be known that the birthday boy has the best of the best performers at his party - just as we would suspect. 

The point of this media is to share the events of Prince Harry's birthday with the pop culture world. DailyMail is successful in doing this by revealing the guests at the party, the location and the performer of the night. While breaking the news of the celebration, DailyMail is still able to input their two cents as to what they think of the event, especially with the insult to Prince Harry that he would not be sober enough to drive home. 

One Direction Movie Trailer

On Thursday September 4, 2014, One Direction released a short clip of a trailer for their upcoming movie. http://www.mtv.com/news/1920576/one-direction-where-we-are-movie-trailer/. 

The MTV.com reporter, Christina Garibaldi, reacted to this release very similarly to how a crazed, One Direction super-fan would. She starts the post with informal language like "Seriously," sounding like a stereotypical high school girl. Through this post, the readers are encouraged to clear their calendars for October 11th and 12th - the days they will be spending in the movie theater watching the 1D film over and over again. This implicitly implies that the teen girls believe this band to be more important than anything else they could be doing for a weekend. This piece is completely bias to fans of One Direction. Any person who isn't part of this fandom wouldn't be concerned with this news, much less the enthusiasm displayed by the writer. 

I think the point is clearly made from this article, simply informing fans of the upcoming film. I also believe that MTV.com chose a suitable person to write this article. Garibaldi does her best to relate to the audience by expressing her uncontainable excitement for the mid-October weekend. She uses "One Direction" language to connect to fans by saying "Payno" and enticing them with front row views and exclusive interviews to look forward to. MTV. com was successful in conveying the message at hand in the way that they did.