Hello World!

Hello, World

As I was watching the KTLA news this morning, I shook my head as I watched a facialist apply a 24 Karat Gold Leaf Facial to a woman.  My first though was ‘Why?’  Why would someone pay to have gold rubbed into their face when they could spend the money elsewhere? Tuition, loans, travel, the list goes on and on.  As a frugal and arguably defined ‘cheap’ college student, when I hear that an individual is paying over $500 for a facial, I scoff. 

This beauty package was advertised as an example of the preparation for the entertainment industry’s big finale: 

The Academy Awards.

Film and television celebrities pay to have gold rubbed into their skin as a way to “reduce wrinkles and fine lines” and to “brighten and hydrate your skin.”  Last year I watched the Oscars and listened to how woman used diamonds to exfoliate their skin. 

I rolled my eyes and muttered, “Are you kidding me?”

But then, I realize that is what our society has come down to.  This is what people watch.

Hell, this is what I’m watching.  Regardless of my critiques, I continue to sit and watch as the women go in depth as to why they use their own blood to help a facelift.   Honestly, that’s where I have to stop. 

“A tube full of blood is taken from the patient’s body and mixed with dermal fillers and injected back into the skin of the face,” a gossip site eagerly recounts.  

I cringe because who in their right mind would do something like this? 

And yet, here I sit, typing away as I count down the days until I receive my BA in Critical Studies in Film.  I am choosing to study the entertainment industry.  I am acknowledging the fact that I spent three and a half years taking courses to study film and television.  The entertainment industry is a beast that a majority of people tend to underestimate.  I underestimated its influence when I first applied to the film school. 

As I traversed through the mandatory courses for my major, I realized just how unhappy I was with a substantial amount of my studies.  I love the entertainment industry, but I dislike it.  As a double-edged sword it brings out the childish wonder in us all, and it can simultaneously drag us down to the depths of lunacy.  This is my attempt to come to terms with everything happening in this industry, both the good and the bad.  Using my own personal experiences and what I’ve been taught, I’m going to attempt to bring some semblance of understanding within the ‘Industry.’

The city of Los Angeles has become the center for worldwide entertainment.  As a native Los Angelino, I have always possessed an interest in its rich history, and its connection to the Hollywood mythology.    Future posts would include discussion about Hollywood’s history and how it relates to its present.  This blog will also discuss the current happenings in the entertainment industry. 

Feel free to come along for the ride.  Here are a few other blogs that might be of some use:

http://filmbabble.blogspot.com: A site dedicated to film reviews and general musings surrounding films and their directors

http://themovieblog.com: A blog that is seasonally dedicated to award season.  It also includes webcasts and podcasts 

http://bloggingmoviesrus.blogspot.com: A blog that begins to discuss the ethics in films

http://underthehollywoodsign.wordpress.com: A blog dedicated to documenting the preservation of Hollywood’s history