Assignment 1-3, Week 3, Holcomb, Journal Artical
The article from the Journal of Popular Culture titled Sex and the City by Deborah Jermyn is an assessment of the book Jermyn wrote about the cable television show the Sex in the City. Also the author of the article Ronald Helfrich gives his view point towards the television show, and clarifies, rebuttals, and informs the reader beyond what the title suggest.
Sex in the City was a television show that aired on a cable television station called the Home Box Office (HBO). HBO was the producer of the show, and was accredited by the show’s popularity and success explains Helfrich in the article. He goes on to explain that the book Jermyn wrote was one of two published works that attempted to explore the multifaceted television show, and fell short. However he does acknowledge the fact that a book is limited by page numbers, and could not possibly address all of the aspects of the show (Helfrich).
Helfrich's language and topics throughout this article suggest that he is writing to a mature audience. He addresses the fact that the television show won over fifty awards during its six seasons of air time. Also the amount of viewers the show drew to the cable network, and compared it to titles like, I Love Lucy, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and The Mary Tyler More Show. These are all reasons why I feel the audience he is addressing is a more mature audience between the ages of twenty-eight and forty-five (Helfrich).
This article lacked a great deal of facts that I would like to know about. The article tells us how many viewers this show had, and says it was a great deal higher than any other typical cable television show has, but does not offer any comparable numbers. Also, there is no information about which viewers were the millions that tuned in weekly, and why he thought that this group of people did tune in (Helfrich).
There is much more information about the television show that can be addressed. Facts about what the author of the book was attempting to achieve in her writing would have been nice to have understood further the information we were being given. Over all the article is very well written and gives a broad view of information over a wide range of topics regarding the book, and show The Sex and the City.
Helfrich, R. (n.d.). Sex and the City. Deborah Jermyn. Detroit, MI: Wayne State. EJC: Book Reviews , pp. 662-663.
Quotes
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present, so always treasure today because u can and may lose it
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~Eleanor Roosevelt
It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else's eyes. ~Sally Field
Don't let people drive you crazy when you know it's in walking distance. ~Author Unknown
All's Well That Ends Well
A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her. ~David Brinkley
It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not. ~Author Unknown
We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies. ~Roderick Thorp, Rainbow Drive
It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to. ~W.C. Fields
Whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right. ~Henry Ford
I quit being afraid when my first venture failed and the sky didn't fall down. ~Allen H. Neuharth
If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint," then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. ~Vincent Van Gogh
Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
I am convinced all of humanity is born with more gifts than we know. Most are born geniuses and just get de-geniused rapidly. ~Buckminster Fuller
Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within. ~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable. ~Wendy Wasserstein
Success comes in cans, not cant's. ~Author Unknown
Put your future in good hands - your own. ~Author Unknown
What a fool, quoth he, am I, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty! I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle. ~John Bunyan
I am not a has-been. I am a will be. ~Lauren Bacall
The light of starry dreams can only be seen once we escape the blinding cities of disbelief. ~Shawn Purvis, ShawnPurvis.com
I'm not old enough to play baseball or football. I'm not eight yet. My mom told me when you start baseball, you aren't going to be able to run that fast because you had an operation. I told Mom I wouldn't need to run that fast. When I play baseball, I'll just hit them out of the park. Then I'll be able to walk. ~Edward J. McGrath, Jr.,
"An Exceptional View of Life," quoted in Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen, 1993
If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price. ~Author Unknown
Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong. ~Peter T. Mcintyre
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. ~Anaïs Nin, Diary, 1969
Argue for your limitations and, sure enough, they're yours. ~Richard Bach, Illusions
You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. ~Michael Jordan
It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. ~Edmund Hillary
Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered - either by themselves or by others. ~Mark Twain
Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance. ~Bruce Barton
A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage. Every day sends to their graves obscure men whose timidity prevented them from making a first effort. ~Sydney Smith
Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway. ~Mary Kay Ash
Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. ~Norman Vincent Peale
Always act like you're wearing an invisible crown. ~Author Unknown
The courage to be is the courage to accept oneself, in spite of being unacceptable. ~Paul Tillich
Of all our infirmities, the most savage is to despise our being. ~Michel de Montaigne
People are crying up the rich and variegated plumage of the peacock, and he is himself blushing at the sight of his ugly feet. ~Sa'Di
It's hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head. ~Sally Kempton, Esquire, 1970
When the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, it may be that they take better care of it there. ~Cecil Selig
Other people's opinion of you does not have to become your reality. ~Les Brown
You have brains in your head.You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.You're on your own.And you know what you know.You are the guy who'll decide where to go.~Dr. Seuss
Confidence is preparation. Everything else is beyond your control. ~Richard Kline
Knock the "t" off the "can't." ~Samuel Johnson
I do not get the big deal about Sex and the City. I watched part of one of the movies and found to be catty and shallow. I think it sad what they make women out to be. But my knowledge of the show is limited therefore I could be wrong. It is impressive the show has won so many awards.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the shows choose to compare it to were I Love Lucy, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and The Mary Tyler More Show makes me agree that the article was for an older demographic. Parly because I have never seen any of these shows!
Amy Hammel
I myself attempted to watch the show with my girlfriend and for the life of me, could not understand it. She had be watching it longer than I had so she got everything, but I will never understand the fascination with that show.
ReplyDeleteTo Brian and Amy, As with most television series people learn about the characters, and can find the depth with in the portrayal of each aspect of the program. Sex and the City is much like that, maybe even more like the hit show Grey's Anatomy. At first glance some could say the show is all about sex, but if you listen and look beyond the sex you see friendship, compassion, and every day struggles being portrayed by characters who only want to find their prince! However there is a reason why there are multiple television shows, and stations; that is because people are all different and will not always like the same things.
ReplyDeleteAs with the movies about the show you would have to have already been connected to the characters, and emotionally connected to each characters plot to understand, or even care about what was going on in the movie. Again though you have to be a fan of this type of acting to have a desire to watch. As my husband has told me numerous times I am able to relate to people on a very personal, emotional, and honest level that leads me into a characters life, and I become their cheerleader, mourner, and analyst!:)
Shelby,
ReplyDeleteSex and the City was very popular and it was known as a "chick show" by many of my guy friends. Whenever the show was on, my buddies and I would go out and have a "guys night" and let the women have their "Sex and the City" party at the house. Although I never watched the show or either movies, I benefitted from it by having a "guys night" out!
It is a shame that the author couldn't give more information to back up his claims in his article.
You did a great job with what you were given in the article!
Thank you Mr Joe!:)
ReplyDelete