I've got a date with pop culture history

So, being the devout procrastinator that I am, I waited until the last possible weekend day to visit Geppi's. I was a little unsure of what to expect from this so-called "pop culture museum", and was pleased to find that it had a lot more to offer than a massive array of old comic books. From the moment I walked into the lobby, it became hard to focus my attention on any one of the many framed pictures that covered every free piece of wall space. I found myself walking slowly down the hallway at first, looking bottom to top at each picture I passed. When I finally was ready to look around the different rooms, I started from the present day and worked my way backwards, not for any specific reason other than I knew I would recognize more of the recent cultural artifacts than those from before the 1950s or so.

One of the sections that stood out to me was the corner dedicated to the emergence of The Beatles and the new era of rock and roll in America in the Revolution room (1961-1970). Some of my personal favorites were the psychedelic framed posters that I suspect were in fact furry underneath the glass. What I found to be disappointing, though, was the fact that this section was so small and did not even begin to cover the variety of musical achievements from that time period. Another thing that stood out to me while walking through the different rooms was the blantantly offensive characters from earlier American popular culture, frequently stereotyping groups like African-Americans and Native Americans (i.e. Amos and Andy and The Lone Ranger's sidekick Tanto). One particular poster in the main hallway advertising Robertson Preserves showed a cartoon black man with a bulbous head and bright red lips, the caption reading "Golly it's Good!"

I was on my way out of the museum when in the lobby I spotted a large Disney poster featuring who else but our good friend Donald Duck and some other characters. When I saw it, it reminded me of one of my favorite Disney movies of all time The Three Caballeros. For those of you that don't know, The Three Caballeros is a full-length Disney movie from 1944 in which Donald Duck celebrates his birthday and receives presents from his friends in Latin America. He then proceeds to visit Mexico and Brazil, mixing animation with live action, all the while learning about Latin American culture. There's singing and dancing and all that good Disney stuff. Now, I know that does not sound like the makings of a quality Disney movie, at least by today's standards, but growing up one of my best friends and I loved this movie. So, I decided while I was at Geppi's to find out if they had anything in the museum associated with the movie. When I went back to one particular case that had a variety of Donald Duck collectibles in it, I found what I was looking for: the book version of the movie. Honestly, I was a little surprised that they had anything at all because most people have not heard of The Three Caballeros.

Arnold

The topic I have chosen for the semester is the Terminator trilogy. I think most of us are well aware that these are movies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a robot sent from the future for various reasons, most having to do with saving the human race. The first of these movies came out in 1984, the second in '91, and it took until 2003 for the third and final installment in the series to be released. I may also use the new television show The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but as of now I've only watch one episode. I guess I picked these movies because I have seen the third and final one a handful of times, but have never watched either of the first two all the way through. I recently bought Terminator 2 (because it was $5.50 at Target) so I guess my next step is to rent the first Terminator.

Just the Beginning

Hello, my name is Susannah Parker and I transferred to UMBC this past fall from Montgomery College, and before that the University of Wisconsin - Madison. I'm originally from the D.C. area - I was born in D.C. and grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland. I'm double majoring in American Studies and Media and Communication Studies, after spending a couple of years thinking that Sociology was really where my interests lie.

As far as pop culture goes, my interests are all over the place. I don't really play many video games, or even own any kind of system, but I can't help loving Guitar Hero. I like to think that I don't watch as much television as a lot of people do, but when I do I gravitate towards shows on the Discovery Network channels, The Office, Weeds, Entourage, Fresh Prince and Family Guy reruns, Degrassi, and Also, as much as I hate to admit it, I secretly love watching makeover shows like What Not to Wear and How Do I Look? I love watching movies, especially quirky comedies and I can never resist a touching coming-of-age film. As you might be able to tell from the title of my blog, I just recently went to see Juno in theaters and (obviously) liked it a lot.

I've always been big on reading in my spare time, and when I get really into a particular book that I'm reading it's hard for me to get much else done until I can finish it. Some of my favorite authors include Gregory Maguire, Alice Sebold, and Chuck Palahniuk. I love all kinds of music, but a lot of what I listen to tends to be classic rock artists like Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, The Who, and Tom Petty. I also can't help but listen to pop music, especially when I'm in the car and listening to the radio.

I spend a good deal of time surfing the interet, and frequenting websites like addictinggames.com, IMDB when I desperately need info about what other movies I've seen a particular actor in, Facebook to stay in touch with friends that go to school around the country, and YouTube for pretty much any type of video I'm in the mood to watch.

Here are my possible topics for this semester:

1. Angelina Jolie movies - one of my roommates is obsessed and owns a good deal of movies that she's in, while I myself am not particularly a huge fan of hers.

2. Project Runway - I initially pledged hatred for this show, or at best indifference, but since then I've watched it a couple times (after various friends telling me how great it is) and come to the conclusion that maybe it possesses some redeeming qualities.

3. Pros vs. Joes - who could resist watching everyday guys getting their @$$es kicked by former pro athletes on tv?