Will the Spirit Snag the Statue?

The academy awards are tonight and the average viewer basically has one category in mind: Best Supporting Actor. I saw the Dark Knight this summer and really enjoyed it. We all know, however, that the Joker stole the show. Heath Ledger was great, but will the academy choose him? I feel like his nomination is overly hyped. If Heath Ledger weren't dead, would his role receive the same amount of attention? I don't think so, but basically everyone I talk to about this subject begs to differ. They think he's a great actor and that he deserves it, regardless if oxygen isn't flowing through his lungs at this point in time. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it, but it's pretty obvious that he will win tonight. I'll be sitting at home, slightly disappointed. I really hate when people hype things for me. It just ruins my outlook on the movie; I expect more than the people who saw it first, going in with little to no expectations. Especially if this hype involves a beloved dead man--an attractive man, who plays an unconventional role for a nomination: a super villain. I mean, if best supporting actor means that this actor steals the entire movie from all other characters, making the audience focus on them the entire time, then yes, Heath Ledger deserves it. Call me cynical, but this was not my favorite year for movies.

What is Race?

We attempted to answer this question in class, but I've never really thought of the answer. It just never entered my mind. I thought it was some vague definition, with ethnicity, skin color, heritage, cultural identity, and physical features of some sort included. It seems really complicated; or not. Maybe it's something that we as a society makes up for the sake of labels and stereotypes. I'm torn.
This morning, our teachers also asked how many races there were out there. Now that's impossible to answer. There must be hundreds; thousands. I remember there being a really controversial case on the Evanston School Board about Hecky (a black man who runs a really great BBQ restaurant on Green Bay) and how during a discussion about issues within the school about being black, and what it means to be "truly" black, he said "We're just a bunch of mutts anyhow. I don't know what the big deal is." He was fired afterwards, but I'm not sure why. I completely agree with him. People have not been breeding with just their own race since the dawn of man-kind. No one is "completely white"or "completely black". There are millions of variations of people, skin color, and ethnicity in the world.
Today, My friend ironically wore a "stereotypes make everything easier" shirt in school. I guess the fact that there are millions of variations on race just complicates things :)

Superbowl Ads: Relating to the Demographic

I, the 17-year-old, white female watched the super bowl this Sunday with a couple of friends. the first ad I witnessed was some sort of car ad with Mr. and Mrs. Potato head driving around. Mrs. Potato head wants to give her husband some directions, but Mr. Potato head decided to rip her plastic mouth off and throw it into the road. This ad struck me as very bizarre and didn't sit well with me and my friend. Sure, we were so shocked that we laughed, but what kind of ad is this? Is it okay to shut your wife up when she makes a mere suggestion? This ad wasn't the only semi-sexist ad, played for the demographic of 25-54 year-old white men that night.
The next commercial break sported the idea that every time you crunch a dorito, a women's clothes disappear. Next, tons of "Go Daddy" commercials, showing a choose your own adventure of pornography? (I'm not sure what they're for, but I have an idea...)
The list goes on and on. The commercials were so true to the demographic it was ridiculous.