And the Creative Arts Emmy Goes to…

As awards season gets closer, many start looking forward to the Emmys, the Golden Globes or the Oscars. Honestly I don’t really care much about any of them. I mean, it’ll be different when I’m a staff writer and my network show is nominated…

Right. Let’s stay in reality here.

For the most part I’m not really into the whole celebrity scene. Don’t get me wrong, I like certain actors or singers, follow them on Twitter, etc. Plus admittedly it’s fun to see all the dresses and look for the trends. But as for who will win the big awards? It probably isn’t anyone I’m a particular fan of so I can take them or leave them.

However, there is one award show that draws my attention every year. It’s not the Teen Choice, MTV Music or People’s Choice Awards (do those even count?!). It’s the Primetime Creative Arts Emmys. You can’t even watch it live since only highlights are shown the week after. I spent a good part of my night constantly refreshing my Twitter timeline and searching for red carpet pictures as they rolled in.

What has me and others so riveted? The “Outstanding Children’s Program” category. Yup, you read that right. It’s no secret that while I’m not exactly the target demographic, I still have an active interest in Disney, Nickelodeon, etc. I don’t know why exactly. True, many of their shows are loved by older viewers. But it’s probably more that I’ve been watching these channels since childhood. Now that I’m old enough and into TV analysis, it’s fun to look at their programming choices, critique the new shows and generally keep up with all the latest news. Like how most people are about adult Hollywood.

As for teens, this is their night. Their favorite shows are nominated, their favorite stars are all dressed up and walking the red carpet. An Emmy means so much more than a Kid’s Choice Award. If your fanbase takes the Outstanding Children’s Program category, you have ultimate bragging rights.

This year’s nominees were Wizards of Waverly Place, iCarly, Victorious and Good Luck Charlie. Since the first three have been canceled, no one really expected GLC to win (they didn’t anyway). iCarly fans wanted it bad since their show was finally ending after five seasons, while Victorious fans wanted vengeance on Nickelodeon for cutting the show short. Besides, WOWP already had two Emmys, one for the first season and one for the movie. Plus two other nominations. Someone else “should” win for a change, especially when this is such a big year.

But nope! Wizards of Waverly Place got the Emmy again. Myself and other fans were so thrilled that his happened:

And we got some great victory pics. Here’s a good one:

At least Victorious and iCarly are eligible  for another Emmy since new episodes were produced in 2012. This was WOWP’s last year. Taping ended May 2011 and the finale already aired nine months ago. This was an amazing way to say good-bye!

Side note: I was bummed that Phineas and Ferb lost the Short-Form Animation category, while @DanPovenmire (co-creator and voice of Dr. Doofenshmirtz) lost the voice-over category. Fingers crossed for next year!

Distant Media Memories

Most people have a special place in their heart for childhood shows and hit songs of their decade. Sometimes it amazes me how much they linger on the fringes of our minds, easily accessed by the slightest trigger. For instance, the other night my sister had her first real English assignment of the school year – a worksheet where she had to label parts of speech. Before I knew it, “Conjunction junction, what’s your function!” was stuck in my head on a continuous loop. I didn’t even watch Schoolhouse Rock that much as a kid! At most I think teachers played various videos to go along with lessons.

Then earlier today, my coworker randomly asked what the new mnemonic device for remembering the planets was since Pluto was demoted. You know, “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies.” Whatever your variation is. We were trying to think of foods that started with N – hers was nightcaps, but since that’s not so good for kids I thought of Nesquik. Apparently the commonly accepted substitutions are noodles or nachos. Oddly enough neither of those occurred to us. Anyway the point here is our conversation led me to remember, word for word, the Planet Song from Blues Clues.

This is a baffling concept to me because my memory has always been terrible. Family members ask all time time if I remember a fun outing we did or a trip we took when I was really little, and sadly there’s no recollection whatsoever. But TV shows and songs I haven’t seen or heard in ten years are recognizable to me the instant someone mentions them. What is that?!

In addition to actually remembering these things, they give me that warm, fuzzy nostalgic feeling that inspires many people to demand their return. Now we can look up these maddening earworms on Youtube or other video-sharing websites (yup, there are others) to cure our condition. There have been many times where an old TV show or movie will pop in my head for no apparent reason. Thanks to Youtube we can now watch (most of) our childhood memories online with no downloading involved. There isn’t even a length limit anymore, which used to  force uploaders to break a movie into eight or more segments. Of course many lost episodes go un-uploaded but I can’t get too upset when there are so many other nostalgia-tripping options.

Well, even if they’re not the most useful bits of stored information to carry around with us, I’m glad some early media influences never completely go away. I like that they’re always in the back of my mind, readily accessed whenever we need to know why a certain phrase or topic sounds so familiar. At the very least, I’ll remember what conjunctions are.

A Not-So-Traditional Milestone

On most family sitcoms, there’s an an episode where the teenage son or daughter has to learn how to drive. This will usually cause a rift between the parents. They must come to terms with their baby growing up and leaving the nest, while the “baby bird” just wants to fly away. Wizards of Waverly Place used this literally in one of their first season episodes:

But my case is very different from the teenagers in those wholesome family sitcoms. I’m 24-years-old and just got my permit not even two months ago. At 16 I had no desire to get behind the wheel of a car or pay for gas/insurance/etc (that’s a BIG etc). So my situation was more like Tori’s in this Victorious episode. In fact even though I have my permit, I’m still explaining why I can’t drive yet when “most people” get their licenses years earlier. There’s an ongoing debate in my family over who will get their license first, me or my 17-year-old cousin. How embarrassing is that?!

Yet no matter how many rides I had to ask for or how much I longed to run errands on my own, there was never enough reason to risk my life by driving. As a native New Yorker there was always a bus, train or even cab I could take if necessary. And I was terrified. There are so many ways to get into an accident, I can’t possibly avoid them all! Looking in all directions at once for oncoming cars, remembering to put signals on, maintaining the right speed…it seemed like too much!

Frankly I’m still terrified but at this age I just need a license. There’s no going around it when jobs might require me to drive, and asking my friends for rides all the time makes me feel lower than low. At least now my job should cover insurance and gas, plus I have considerable savings to buy a used car. What really made me go to the DMV and take the permit test was that I can potentially get more hours at work if I was able to stay later.

We’ll see if I actually do get more hours, but at least I’ll be able to drive even if it doesn’t happen. Meanwhile terror courses through my veins and I fear for anyone on the road during my first lesson.

The Dangers of Social Media Oversharing

If you’ve been on a social network for a long time, you were probably tempted to overshare at some point. You’ve managed to build up a following who will actually listen. This becomes tempting when you’re in desperate need of a sympathetic ear or an appreciative laugh. And it seems harmless since these aren’t people you will actually have to face in real life. Why not?

Based on personal experience, I strongly suggest you start building up an internal filter early on. Okay sure, I’ve never been publically embarrassed for revealing something particularly inappropriate. But there have been quite a few “blogging hangovers.” Once in a while I’ll get a little moody and vent, with the hope that people will respond favorably. P.S., it usually has the opposite effect and I instantly regret it the next day. When I’m looking for some appreciation, sympathy or even an ego boost, there’s a bigger chance that I will be misunderstood since tone can’t be detected online.

A burst of arrogance – or neediness – while blogging is a dangerous thing. It’s easy to get an inflated ego when most of your followers don’t know your life story and are more likely to be impressed by your attempt at wit. Then later, when you’ve revealed too much with expectation that your “fans” will care…you’re let down. Then you feel humiliated for telling a personal story, only to have it swiftly rejected.

Now I don’t think sharing in general should be avoided at all costs. Like if you’re trying to create a deeper relationship with someone. It’s worth taking the emotional risk in this scenario because you only have to worry about one reaction that probably won’t be too scarring. In cases when you’re oversharing to a trusted friend, they either accept it as part of your personality or laugh it off. No harm, no foul.

With social media, you could potentially share something you can’t take back to hundreds of people who just don’t want to hear it. I’m sorry but a majority of your followers most likely don’t care about your personal issues. Think of most social networks as a constant party atmosphere. Everyone wants to have a good time. They don’t want to be brought down or made to feel awkward when they’re escaping their own problems. Maybe your rant that spans several tweets will be ignored, but you probably won’t win any new followers.

As for me, I like throwing in some tidbits from my life, especially if they’re writing-related. But the majority of my followers are there because I’m TV fan. Social networks exist so people can follow their interests. And usually, their interests don’t include a stranger’s life story.

Unless the stranger is a celebrity…but that’s another post.

Amazon’s Tablet Attack

Right now, Twitter is buzzing about Amazon’s onslaught of new Kindle Fires. Exhibit A:

You’d think this would interest me. Given the subject of this blog, I should have a list of pros and cons about every single tablet currently on the market. Honestly though, I’m still deciding if it makes me feel any differently about Amazon. Somehow I doubt any improvements would convince me to give Kindle Fire another try.

All I know is the Kindle Fire I got last Christmas doesn’t make anything easy. Uploading books from my own collection doesn’t work unless it’s in Amazon’s personal format. There are ways around this of course (“Calibre” usually does the trick), but still, it’s a pain. The graphics aren’t impressive and the device itself isn’t particularly comfortable to hold.  I don’t enjoy typing on it either, but in general I prefer regular keyboards over any smaller version.

Confession time. While I love media and technology, I don’t use my tablet often except to or check email if I’m away for the weekend. I’ll also read on it if I’ve recently downloaded a new e-book. Other than that I mostly do without mobile Internet access. Nothing is so important that it can’t wait until I’m back home on my laptop. I’ve thought about eventually getting an iPhone, but why bother paying for a data plan every month when I don’t really need it? Sure, there have been a few times where I’ve wanted to send a tweet or check my email in a no-WiFi zone. But I lived.

Besides, I’m almost on my laptop anyway. Tablets are more for reading, watching videos and playing games. Well…I write. Every single day. Those tiny keyboards don’t do it for me. Maybe the day will come when I’m constantly out of the house and desperately in need of portable Internet access. Until then, my HP laptop is good enough. If anything I wish my free-with-the-family-plan Samsung Flight II had more text memory.

That said, I do look forward to eventually buying a better laptop. And yes, maybe even a smartphone. I’m not implying that I’ll never need one since a future job might require it. But right now I’m perfectly fine with unplugging whenever I leave the house…which probably means I won’t test out a new Kindle any time soon.

My Soap Opera Dilemma

I am not a fan of soap operas. Or at least, I didn’t think I was. My mother, aunt, grandma and now little sister all got hooked on traditional ones like Days of Our Lives. Not me. I’m only partial to DOOL because Joey Tribbiani starred in it on Friends. Otherwise I’m perfectly fine with occasionally catching Young and the Restless while having tea at my aunt’s house. Though I was “forced” to watch an afternoon’s worth of new episodes, I couldn’t care less about generic storylines and shallow characters. How can anyone get hooked on that?

Then Hollywood Heights entered my life.

(I used this video because they list the Twitter name for each cast member. And it’s fun! For some reason I still think “Call Me Maybe” is a cute song after hearing it a billion times. Oh by the way, the show is on Teen Nick now at 8 every weeknight. They moved it around a bunch of times, ugh.)

This show is adorable. That might not have been what they were going for, but it is. The overall quality isn’t spectacular but the cast makes their best effort, the storyline is somewhat unique and they actually develop the characters. One of the reasons I tuned in was because it seemed like one big parody of the Justin Bieber phenomenon. That really amused me. Ordinary high school senior Loren Tate is supposed to represent all the Beliebers out there who fantasize being with their popstar idol. Eddie Duran embodies the nice guy rockstar image, while Chloe Carter is the typical bitchy model girlfriend.

(More on the Bieber parallel – I do not think Selena Gomez is like Chloe in any way, shape or form. But there probably are some Beliebers who do!)

What grabs my interest are the increasingly complex characters. Chloe isn’t just a lying, two-faced gold-digger. She’s crazy. Not in a harmless way either – she’s completely delusional and excessively manipulative. I would not be surprised if the season ended with her in a mental hospital. Loren’s best friend Mel is one of my favorite characters, quirky comedic relief on the surface but victim of an extremely dysfunctional family underneath. Little details like this keep me watching every night, or at least whenever I can.

So now here’s my problem – am I a soap opera fan? Hollywood Heights didn’t seem like the type of show I’d stick with since I usually can’t stand “juicy” teen dramas. Yet I make the effort to watch every day, so maybe I am a soap fan as long as the core concept appeals to me. But I still won’t sit through an episode of Young and the Restless if I can help it.

“Bad for Me” is Good for Macy’s

I’ve been seeing this commercial for the past few weeks. While I wanted to dismiss it as an annoying “music video ad” created for teens…the song is stuck in my head! So now I have to give Macy’s its due credit.

At first it didn’t even register that this was for Macy’s, the traditional department store that’s been around for over a hundred years. When I first looked for the song online I started with Aeropostale and American Eagle. “Mstylelab” is a clever way to market their junior’s department to teens who might associate Macy’s with an older clientle, like Nordstrom and “BP” (short for “Brass Plum”). Another rebranding example that comes to mind would be famous romance novelist Nora Roberts. Did you know she uses the name “J.D. Robb” when writing futuristic murder mysteries? It’s all about appealing to a new demographic, and Macy’s latest campaign seems to do that very well.

The entire video is pure teen start to finish. You’ve got a likeable singing duo mixed in with both girls and boys doing everyday things – texting, trying on clothes, writing in a notebook. Plus dancing around to the catchy song in Macy’s clothes, of course.

But that’s not the only way Macy’s fits in with the younger crowd. For the record, I research everything thanks to my journalism degree. Naturally I had to look up who these new singers were, and maybe find out why two relatively unknowns were featured so heavily on a Macy’s commercial. I got my answer after some minimal Youtube searching.

“Megan & Liz” are 19-year-old fraternal twin pop singers. Their Youtube channel has over 175 million views, and they’ve performed with many of today’s Top 40 pop artists. 50 songs are available on iTunes. They also won Macy’s iHeartRadio Rising Star Campaign. In addition to starring in their own commercial, Megan & Liz earned an entire prize package that includes performing at the iHeartRadio Music Festival.

This is a much more innovative tactic than picking a spokesperson from the usual teen A-listers. In my opinion, the move pays off in more ways than one. Macy’s is now associated with an “underground” pop act. Some of their Youtube fans will be grateful to Macy’s for supporting musicians who deserved to be discovered (others might resent Macy’s for making them mainstream, but that’s beside the point). Meanwhile, Macy’s will seem “cool” or “in the know” to teens who maybe haven’t heard of Megan & Liz but like the song and look them up online.

When done effectively, rebranding can breathe new life into an established company. Reaching out to the Youtube generation will help Macy’s introduce “mstylelab” to teenage customers.

Spoiler Alert

In the TV world, late August is comparable to the month before Christmas. Premiere dates have been set and commercials are aired every break. Fans eagerly count down the days until the next season of a show they’ve had to live without for a few months. Some waited much longer than others if networks ordered less than a full season.

Then, while fans are speculating about the fate of their favorite characters, spoilers begin to surface. These tantalizing tidbits of information can come from anywhere – interviews, trailers, bloggers, anyone who has a reliable source. Viewers react with both outrage and celebration, then try to figure out more based on what they were given. Going back to the Christmas analogy, it’s  like when kids turn the house upside down looking for where their presents are hidden. Part of the fun is decoding the cryptic clues and finally knowing some answers to last season’s cliffhangers.

But many fans don’t want to know. They refuse to even visit chat boards, fearing next season’s surprises will be ruined.

I never understood how spoilers could “ruin” anything. Even big ones, like if a character is pregnant or if a long-estranged couple finally gets together. While it would’ve been a major shock to experience the big reveal live, there are so many other factors that contribute to an enjoyable TV experience. Even if I know whether a character’s first child will be a boy or a girl, I still can’t wait to see how the episode is executed, what leads up to that point and what happens after.  Does anyone really watch a show just for the shock factor? Why bother when most dramatic shake-ups can be seen from a mile away, even without spoilers?

It takes a lot for a TV show to genuinely shock me. I’m not bragging since I wish this happened more often. In recent memory, one of the biggest shake-ups was on Disney Channel’s Good Luck Charlie. I think this made such an impact because you never really expect to be jolted by anything in these shows, where much of the “very special episodes” are predictable or  end in the usual sappy, feel-good-moment way.

Well, my little sister and I were both wide-eyed when the mom confessed she was pregnant in the hit “GLC” Christmas movie. I couldn’t believe Disney would do something like this when they never had before. In my 10+ years of watching Disney Channel I can’t remember a mother character who not only got pregnant during the show’s run, but would go on to give birth Full House-style next season. The perfectly-executed show-changing twist was both a bonding moment with my sister and a wonderful way for Disney Channel to advance its programming.

I don’t look for this to happen all the time though, so it’s no disappointment to read spoilers. In fact most of the time I read as many as I can because it’s fun to imagine them in-context. So what if someone “spoils” the next season for you? TV shows are about the entire package, not just the overhyped ratings-grabbers.

How GetGlue Stands Out

For the past few months, I’ve been adjusting to GetGlue. Admittedly when it first started appearing on my timeline, I wasn’t bursting with new social network enthusiasm. Why was this any different from a chat board or live-tweeting? On the surface it seemed like nothing more than an adaptation of IMDB.

Of course I’d heard about the stickers. Even now I can’t see myself actually ordering any of the 72 I’ve earned. Sure, it would be cool to have them since the cast pictures are unique memorabilia. But I’m not a student with a folder to decorate, and I’m pretty sure my little sister wouldn’t want any except for the one Victorious sticker. They can all stay virtual.

What got me hooked on GetGlue was that people stick to the topic. Posts are actually about the episode they’re watching, even if it’s a rerun! Discussions center around characters and storylines, not which cast member is more attractive or a network issue that doesn’t really involve the show itself. The atmosphere impressed me when I noticed and it still does now. Chat boards are not always so welcoming to fans who only want to express their appreciation and maybe start a friendly chat over a related detail.

At the height of my involvement I used to post on IMDB almost every day, which is what usually happens with social networks/chat rooms. A major reason I left was because threads got old fast. Either a question would quickly disappear to the second page or you would see the same ones for over a week. This was in addition to drama between posters, arguments over old unanswered questions and gossip about the actors. If you wanted to chat about minor details that bugged you, or a recent scene, moment, etc…no one noticed!  When there was too much interest,  the debate would inevitably lead to personal insults and name-calling.

I don’t post there at all now. That’s how I feel about all social media. If it’s not fun anymore, why bother?

So I was happy to find that GetGlue is different from the typical fan board. Very different.

To start off with, the pages are visited by actual fans. So far I’ve seen very little hate or negative attitude. I don’t know why that is, since there’s just as much opportunity for it as anywhere else. Maybe this will be a problem when the website becomes popular, so hopefully GetGlue users will be able to remain civil when/if they become mainstream. Not to jinx myself but so far my experience with GetGlue has been troll-free and very pleasant.

Immediacy is also a big part of GetGlue’s appeal. During a new episode there will be a good number of fans commenting with you. The response to an amazing scene or dialogue will be instant, along with a few people who “agree,” think it’s “cool” or find it “funny.” To me this is much better feedback than a simple “like.” What’s even better is you can send out a post that’s as short as a tweet, or fill several lines with character theory.

All along I’ve been talking about shows, but it should be noted that you can check into music, movies and other interests too. I just haven’t explored that aspect of the site yet since I’m still getting used to it. But that’s just one more example of GetGlue versatility. It’s almost like Twitter, Facebook and your average chat board rolled into one.

Plus you get stickers!

They Know We’re Here: Twitter Hashtags and TV Networks

Live-tweeting a show has always been my favorite part of Twitter. Finding great tweets and chatting about a new episode is one giant ice breaker. Two people might only have their fandom in common and nothing else.

To easily contribute to the conversation, tweeters use hashtags. Usually it’s the title of the show with a # in front. Sometimes this can vary if a show has more than one word or a common acronym, but getting involved isn’t a problem if there isn’t a uniform hashtag. Really all you have to do is type in the show title to get a list of related tweets.

(Not familiar with live-tweeting? This article does a good job of explaining it.)

The reason I bring this up is ABC Family’s Wednesday night comedy block. I love traditional sitcoms so I’ve often watched an episode of Melissa & Joey or recent addition Baby Daddy. Much like when Food Network started putting hashtags on their competition shows, I was surprised to see them displayed here.

Actually the phenomenon offended me a little. As in thank you networks, but I’ve been at this for three years now and don’t need you to make an official hashtag.  Stop pretending you’re “hip to the social media lingo.”

Not embellishing. That was my knee-jerk reaction. I’m still not exactly sure why. While I know it’s an overreaction to something that’s really not a big deal, for some reason it just…irks me. I feel like networks are trying to capitalize on a grassroots outpouring of fan excitement. They’re only supposed to produce the shows we love, not tell us how to watch them.

Now, I’m not calling for networks to stop this. There are probably more fans out there who feel included and appreciated. Many new tweeters, or those who haven’t tried live-tweeting before, might be intrigued enough to check out the current conversation. It’s a good thing. We all want our favorite show to succeed. Making viewers more active online helps our cause. This article discusses why hashtags should stick around.

But what about TV watchers who don’t have a Twitter account? Those people exist.

By slapping a hashtag on their hit shows, networks are advertising Twitter to a new demographic – those who aren’t familiar with social networks at all. How are they supposed to understand what the # sign next to a word means? Those who have no idea what a hashtag is most likely won’t join Twitter because of it, even if someone explains it to them later.

To me, official network hashtags seem useless. Fans who have a Twitter account, for the most part, already see them as a trending topic or on their timelines. And fans who don’t probably won’t make one  because they found out what hashtags are while watching their favorite show.

What’s the point?