Welcome to a round table discussion by members of the Collegian Staff about various entertainment issues of the last year. I came up with three questions that I hope touched on the major pop culture news of 2000, and space constraints prohibited printing everyone’s full responses, but everyone who participated is represented here. -Mike Delano
1. Is there an explanation for why 2000 was the worst year for movies in recent memory?
Katie Landers
Well the big news for actors this year was their big strike. Something about no one wanting to make movies because of… wait…take a guess…MONEY. Guess the Beverly Hills mansion’s mortgage is at an all-time high. Maybe all actors should get second jobs like waiting tables or babysitting. We did get to see Pokemon 2000 this year… I mean….
Adam Martignetti
I don’t know if there is any one explanation why there were so many bad movies this year, but I think it’s just Hollywood not taking a chance. I mean last year we had such things as American Beauty and Being John Malcovich and Three Kings and even The Matrix. Those were all movies that pushed the envelope at least a little bit. Just look at the movies that made a lot of money this year. Scream 3, a sequel. Erin Brockovich, fairly tame true story with a lot of Julia Roberts’ cleavage. Gladiator was probably the best of this bunch. Mission Impossible 2, a sequel. Perfect Storm, Meet the Parents, The Grinch. I mean, these are not great movies by any standards. It just shows that the best movies are the ones that are different, that make audiences alter their perception somewhat. I think the best movies of the year: Almost Famous, Wonder Boys and The Virgin Suicides all did this.
Nicholas Pizzolato
It might not necessarily mean that there were just bad movies out there, but it was what Hollywood chose to advertise. Don’t get me wrong, I agree that this is one of the worst years for films, but I think the biggest culprit is the advertising and selling of movies to the public. Like Adam said, as good as Almost Famous, Wonder Boys and The Virgin Suicides were critically, they received almost no press or support from the box office. Instead they give us The Sixth Day, Coyote Ugly, and Loser.
Bryan McAllister
The summer set the tone for this year – usually when Hollywood has a good summer some pretty good independent films sneak out as well. But this summer was completely devoid of anything worthwhile, and Hollywood took a big hit when The Perfect Storm, The Patriot, and Mission Impossible 2 all failed to really ignite an audience like previous blockbusters did. Sure, they all made money, but all were second-rate big movies. Even Gladiator was a just a well-done rip-off of Braveheart. The reason for this trend is pretty simple. This is the year when all the rip-offs of previously successful movies came out – so the Perfect Storm is really just a Titanic takeoff and The Patriot is another Braveheart take-off. Luckily, I don’t think we’ve seen the best movies of the year yet. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is supposed to be breathtaking and there is always the chance that Cast Away, re-teaming Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis, will be the front-running Oscar nominee we’re looking for. But I think we’re really waiting for the next two years for the big directors to come back with movies – Spielberg, Scorcese, Lucas, and new offerings from Wes Anderson and Spike Jonze. This was a rebuilding year, like the last four Patriots seasons.
David Troupes
At the risk of sounding too jaded, and along the lines of what Nick was saying, I think that Hollywood moneymakers are figuring out that there isn’t necessarily any correlation between a movie looking good in a clever and manipulative ad campaign and a movie actually being good. We should all feel lucky that we live so close to Northampton and its small art-house cinemas that get most of the notable independent films, the sort of movies you’d never see playing at one of the 15-screen corporate megaplexes.
Ryan Benharris
Dave’s right, the films this year that have looked the best were the worst movies of the year. Mission Impossible 2 is a perfect example of this. They spent so much time making extravagant outrageous scenes that they forgot to actually write a story. The better films of the year, like High Fidelity and Almost Famous did not have any distinct visual appeal, but instead a much more well crafted plot.
Adam Martignetti
Well let’s not be so quick to completely separate the Oscars and money. Until last year, when The Insider was nominated for Best Picture, the lowest box office total for any Best Picture nominee was $32 million by Annie Hall in 1977! The films nominated for the big Oscar categories make a lot of money. American Beauty ($130 million), Shakespeare in Love ($100 million), Titanic ($601 million), Braveheart ($75.6 million), Forrest Gump ($329 million). And those are just the Best Picture winners. If you look at the runner-ups, there are things like As Good as It Gets, Good Will Hunting, The Sixth Sense, etc.
Sam Wilkinson
You people are a bunch of cynics. A bad year happens and reading this thing is like reading a death notice – we’re all saying boo hoo, there weren’t many good movies this year, and no, we aren’t going to repeat the last couple of years. But with Croupier (my pick o’ da year) and Virgin Suicides among others, it isn’t like we just got bitch-slapped by Hollywood. They came up maybe two movies short of what they should and there are a lot of good possibilities around the corner: Traffic? Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? We don’t get good movies for a year and you sound like you’re ready to give up – we’ll get some in the next month that will make up for this year’s slight shortcoming. (And honestly people, Urban Legend: Final Cut?)
Adam Martignetti
It’s not like we’re two movies short of what we had last year. We’re like ten or twelve short of last year. Off the top of my head: Cider House Rules, American Beauty, Fight Club, Three Kings, The Insider, Boys Don’t Cry, Girl Interrupted, Being John Malcovich, The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, Eyes Wide Shut, Green Mile and that’s without thinking. Beyond Almost Famous, Wonder Boys and The Virgin Suicides, I wouldn’t place any other movie this year even in the same vicinity as the ones from last year.
Katie Landers
This summer did have The Patriot and Scary Movie (the funniest movie to come out since Airplane). A great film that I think everyone is forgetting, probably the greatest movie of all 2000, was Magnolia. The film didn’t get nearly as much credit as it deserved. Everyone should sit down and watch this movie. The whole movie pulls together so well and has awesome stories within.
Sam Wilkinson
Woah woah woah. Ignoring this Katie Landers claim that Magnolia is the greatest anything (other than a movie with frogs raining from the heavens) is ridiculous. As the Managing Editor, you are lucky not to have been fired for that, Katie.
Katie Landers:
Gee, Sam. I’m sorry to hear that you disagree with me. Perhaps I could take a pay cut, a demotion to less than writer. But wait, I don’t get paid….
2. Was Eminem, Reality TV or Napster the biggest story of the year, and what does it say about the year 2000.
Katie Landers
Napster takes the lead in the most covered entertainment tool this year. Poor college students rely on such a web site to provide some form of free music. Entertainers got their shorts all in a knot because the free distribution of their work might have caused their capital to come down some. There were the greedy Dr. Dre and Metallica who got people booted off the network, such as myself, because their music is such a gold mine and they couldn’t afford to lose any more sales. The only freaking song I had was “Nothing Else Matters.” With Napster looking like it might be taken over by capitalism, another freedom of the World Wide Web has gone out the door.
Adam Martignetti
I think as college stude
nts we’re all bound to say Napster. If you looked at the U-Wire or any college newspaper, it seemed like there was always a story about Napster being banned or not or something about Napster. I think we’re also all pop-culture savvy. I’m not sure how many people outside our age bracket really got into the whole Eminem situation. If you don’t watch MTV, then I don’t think you cared. But, he was undoubtedly a master of manipulating the media this year. His album was huge. His image, though, became much bigger. The guy became the male version of Madonna. He managed to stir up so much controversy with the media. Everyday he had a new image. But like I said, I’m not sure he ever made it much beyond people out age. My dad doesn’t know Eminem. I’d have to say Reality TV is the biggest story, though. That’s what mainstream America fell in love with, which is weird because we’ve had Real World for a long time now.
Nick Pizzolato
I saw maybe two episodes of Survivor when it first aired during the summer, giving CBS popularity and ratings (two things that it desperately needs) but I wasn’t too impressed. But it didn’t matter that I didn’t see it because everyone was talking about it. Maybe because I have been stuck watching the last eight or so years of Road Rules and The Real World so I wasn’t too impressed by the show. Now maybe that’s why it was so big, because people weren’t able to see the whining and complaining that has existed on both of the MTV shows. I think that this trend shows that our society says that being voyeuristic is creepy and forbidden so all of these shows are sprouting up and succeeding.
As for Slim Shady, as far as I’m concerned despite his great ability to create this alter ego and sell it better than Milli Vanilli, he is perhaps the most overrated artist of this year. Yes, I admit that I like some of his songs. Some of them show great maturity for a sophomore album and also Marshall’s ability to tell everyone that he’s selling his imagination, acting like a disclaimer for his own album. Songs like “The Way I Am” “Stan”, “Drug Ballad”, and to an extent his happy pop sounding “The Real Slim Shady” talk about his experience has a role model, a superstar, and a human being. I think that Eminem talks the talk but kind of trips when he tries to walk the walk. He has issues with his own popularity and I think in the next year, if he doesn’t get shot you will see him transform more as a free speech advocate as he produces more albums, that are still offensive to his critics but to those that don’t hate him with a passion will without a doubt continue to buy and support him.
Bryan McAllister
Wow, tough call. All three were pretty big even if I’m sick and tired of Eminem and “Survivor.” In that case, I’m going with Napster. First of all, I just like saying Napster. It’s one of those words you can say over and over and never get tired of, like “elongate.” Elongate elongate elongate. See what I mean? In all seriousness, Napster represents the take-over of the Internet into our lives. It almost has seamlessly been integrated into our culture. Ten years ago – maybe less – you never heard of email. Now, I check my mail like 18 times a day. The passing of information electronically is not only the story of the year, it’s a cultural revolution, and the argument over the cost and management of this tool will dominate our culture in the next few years.
David Troupes
I’ve never liked Metallica’s music and their massive egoism doesn’t give me much of a reason to like them as people, but I give them my total support in trying to put an end to the trading of copyrighted music, theirs and other artists’. The argument that they already have truckfulls of money is worthless; although the gesture would be nice, they have no obligation to start giving their music away after some arbitrary income level has been met. Many critics say that Napster has the potential to open up unknown artists to large new audiences, and I couldn’t agree more. It should be up to the artist, however, and not some kid with a CD-to-mp3 ripping program. If a small-time band wants to spread some songs around the net for publicity, they should be able to do so, and if an established band wants to sell their music in stores, and only in stores, they should also be able to do so.
It is reality-based television, however, that most frightens me, and which I therefore choose as the largest news item of the year. Simply put, voyeurism should not be getting this sort of legitimacy. Live your own lives, America.
Adam Martignetti
And to coincide with what Bryan was saying, it was the Internet that started all this stuff. I mean web cams and porn sites and what not. The Internet is just filled with this kind of stuff and being able to view it online, in the privacy of one’s own home, only increased its consumption. Really, the Internet is all about inconspicuous voyeurism. This Reality TV thing is just a way to polish, package and sell it to mainstream America.
Sam Wilkinson
Dave Troupes, I love you to death, but for you to rail against Metallica’s massive ego while being a balls-to-the-wall supporter of the Smashing Pumpkins amounts to being, as one Ben Affleck put it, “suspect.” Honestly. But biggest and best entertainment of the year? Presidential election. Think Napster, Reality TV and Eminem got press? It doesn’t even compare.
3. How does the rise of female stars like Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and others relate to the increasingly misogynist rap and rock music?
Katie Landers
I can see how Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears attract the attention that they do. Although some females disagree with the look and sound of the teeny-bopper movement, they do represent the Barbie Doll image that America pressures its girls to be. They become prime targets for musical attack by rappers such as Eminem. Rap and Rock music with its misogynistic tone can exist because, hell, if Dre is in the background throwing a beat, it sounds good so there’ll be listeners. Just don’t try and get his music off Napster.
Adam Martignetti
Wow, that’s a tough question. I didn’t expect to be delving deep into social commentary for this thing. I think the way that these teenybopper idols like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera are held up becomes sickening for some people. They’re splashed across every dumb teen magazine, they’re on MTV 24-7, they’re all over the place. I think that was really what Eminem was trying to say. I think to some degree the misogynist rap and rock is kind of the backlash to that. Of course, that doesn’t make it excusable. I just think that people like Fred Durst and Eminem are angry white teenagers in adult bodies. I hate to make this comparison, but a lot of what caused the Columbine shooting and these other suburban white middle class shootings can be seen in their music. There are people in that social strata that are seriously discontented and it’s being expressed either by shootings or, in this case, misogynist lyrics. I also think it comes down to sex. I mean the main media message coming out of the Britney/Christina thing is that sex sells. And unfortunately, these lyrics coincide with that message. It’s unfortunate. In addition, I’m not sure if I made this clear before, but Magnolia is a triumph of American cinema.
Bryan McAllister
I agree with Adam in a sense, although I don’t agree that misogynist rap and rock is a backlash to the teen girl singers. In fact, I think Adam hits the nail on the head when he says the misogynist lyrics coincide with the Britney/Christina message. That’s what’s so disturbing. They’re working together on this. Maybe not literally, but it’s no secret that the creators behind Britney (and probably Christina) are men. They’re carrying out their little schoolgirl fantasies about how girls should be like.
David Troupes
The music being, as Brian says, largely orchestrated or influenced by record company execs and dollar-sign-eyed producers, offers teenagers hyperbolic versions of what they think they should
be. Christina is an ultra-feminized, ultra-sexualized teenage girl, and Fred Durst is an ultra-masculinized, ultra-jockified teenage boy.
Nick Pizzolato
I agree, the way that Britney and Christina allow themselves to be advertised to pre-teen and young teenage girls is more terrible than the one song that Eminem might sing implicating them in a sexual act. Everyday on every show and in every song they both sell themselves as the dream girl, what every girl wants or should aspire to be and what every boy fantasies about. I think it’s ironic that the same parents that claim that Limp Bizkit, Eminem, Dr. Dre, and other rap and rock acts objectify women (and whose to say they don’t) are the same parents that are looking for more music like Britney and Christina, who are telling their kids to be sexual even if they are not saying it.
However, I don’t agree that the music this year or recently has been increasingly misogynist when it comes to popular rock and rap acts. Perhaps even more offensive are hair bands like Guns ‘N Roses, Warrant, Alice Cooper, and Poison. Songs like “Cherry Pie,” “I Loved Her That’s Why I Had to Kill Her,” “Feed my Frankenstein,” and “Skinny Bop” were way more offensive than songs (that weren’t written by Eminem) released this year. I’m not saying it’s all right or acceptable, but comparatively I wouldn’t say that music is becoming more misogynistic.
Sam Wilkinson
Suggesting, even for a moment, that Britney and Christina represent some sort of artistic or female nadir is ridiculous – they are both images, like Brian said. They are pipedreams, racks of meat for young men, horrific role models for young women. The fact that they are the “representatives” of women’s music is insulting by it’s very nature.
At the same time, suggesting music is somehow more misogynistic now than before? Ridiculous. Music has always been misogynistic in one way or another. The Pizz is absolutely right – there are always songs that are embarrassing to the male gender and down right insulting to women. That’s part of music, unfortunately.
Ryan Benharris
I think Sam is overlooking something very important about Christina and Brittney. To their audience, which is made up of four billion young girls, they are not only the most artistic artists around, but also their role models. In comparison to that, we see the same idolization of teenage boys to people like Eminem, Limp Bizkit and Korn. The fact that both fads are co-existing is quite remarkable. I think it says a lot about Christina and Brittney’s ability to act as legitimate artists. Overlooking the fact that their music sucks, they are redefining what it means to be a female musician in a dangerously violent male dominated music world.
Sam Wilkinson
As critiques Ryan, we have no obligation to support what is popular – we have an obligation to review what is good. Hence, Christina and Britney? They are awful. And don’t give them credit Ryan. They are two girls who are half popular because they are bathroom entertainment for men. That isn’t redefinition or a fight against a dangerous male world – it’s playing right into it.
Katie Landers (the FINAL WORD)
Now me being the lone female of this whole conversation, and an added bonus that I am always right, I will get the last word here. Magnolia was the best film of the year, even though it came out in the end of last December. I am most grateful that this year has come to an end, and this semester is finally over. Hopefully next year will have some better choices of entertainment. Good luck with Finals!!!
– Though I would love to give the final word away, I learned from Clerks that my title dictates my behavior. As the Arts ‘ Living Editor, I can honestly say that it has been a packed year of issues in entertainment. Thank you very much to all of the participants.
– Ryan Benharris
