I'm not sure if this really has anything to do with editing, but I realized the other day that it seems like television shows follow an inverted pyramid style, especially reality shows with more than one segment. Broadcast news is definitely like this with the "top story" first, something that most viewers will watch first and then the less important news will come after and viewers begin to dwindle.
The same goes for television shows. For example, if you have ever seem the show "Ghost Hunters", the most interesting segment is first. The investigators usually find more evidence during this segment and it is more interesting. Some viewers might stick around for the second segment to see if what they pick up is more interesting, however, most of the time they do not find anything.
You can explore most reality shows and even some scripted shows and find this phenomena.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Poor Caesar
I have gleamed over the blog I was assigned. http://commonsensej.blogspot.com/ I have found that most of the posts are not things that I am really that interested in, however this post from Tuesday, January 27th caught my eye.
By Doug Fisher:
"AP stood its ground for years on the traditional spelling of Caesarean section, going back to the roots of the word (though as you can see from Wikipedia and alt-usage-english, those roots are mighty cloudy). No more.The wire service as of today has converted to the now more widely used cesarean section.Also note the new one is lowercase."
I wonder often how certain words get their meaning. Who decided that a c-section during a birth should be called a Caesarean? What in the world does it have to do with leaders of Rome, Augustus or Julius Caesar?
There is also Caesar dressing and Caesar salad which make a little more sense because maybe Caesar liked salad? Or was the name given to this salad because it is somewhat regal in appearance with its ingredients of croutons, shredded cheese, lettuce and a creamy dressing?
I really do not have an explanation for the salad but in the case of the C-section (for those of you that do not know what this entails, it is when an infant is cut out of the womb because of complications of the pregnancy will not allow the woman to birth the child naturally) I do have an idea. Julius Caesar was stabbed to death and I am sure that having a C-section is like being stabbed to death because a scapel cuts into the woman while she is still awake. This sounds so pleasant, doesn't it?
I wikipediaed (is that a verb) this and I know that I should not use the wiki as a reputable source, but it says that the origins of the name comes from the Latin verb caedere which means to cut a baby out of a woman before she died. Some say that Julius Caesar got his name this way because his ancestor was born by C-section.
Also with some research, I have learned that the Caesar salad was invented by a different Caesar, Caesar Cardini, in Italy in 1924. The story goes that on this day at Caesar's family restaurant, the place was packed and the cooks were running out of supplies. Caesar threw whatever he had together and supposedly gave it to the customers.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarean_section
http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/CaesarSalad/index.htm
Hope you all enjoyed this blog and I gave you something to mull over...until next time!
By Doug Fisher:
"AP stood its ground for years on the traditional spelling of Caesarean section, going back to the roots of the word (though as you can see from Wikipedia and alt-usage-english, those roots are mighty cloudy). No more.The wire service as of today has converted to the now more widely used cesarean section.Also note the new one is lowercase."
I wonder often how certain words get their meaning. Who decided that a c-section during a birth should be called a Caesarean? What in the world does it have to do with leaders of Rome, Augustus or Julius Caesar?
There is also Caesar dressing and Caesar salad which make a little more sense because maybe Caesar liked salad? Or was the name given to this salad because it is somewhat regal in appearance with its ingredients of croutons, shredded cheese, lettuce and a creamy dressing?
I really do not have an explanation for the salad but in the case of the C-section (for those of you that do not know what this entails, it is when an infant is cut out of the womb because of complications of the pregnancy will not allow the woman to birth the child naturally) I do have an idea. Julius Caesar was stabbed to death and I am sure that having a C-section is like being stabbed to death because a scapel cuts into the woman while she is still awake. This sounds so pleasant, doesn't it?
I wikipediaed (is that a verb) this and I know that I should not use the wiki as a reputable source, but it says that the origins of the name comes from the Latin verb caedere which means to cut a baby out of a woman before she died. Some say that Julius Caesar got his name this way because his ancestor was born by C-section.
Also with some research, I have learned that the Caesar salad was invented by a different Caesar, Caesar Cardini, in Italy in 1924. The story goes that on this day at Caesar's family restaurant, the place was packed and the cooks were running out of supplies. Caesar threw whatever he had together and supposedly gave it to the customers.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarean_section
http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/CaesarSalad/index.htm
Hope you all enjoyed this blog and I gave you something to mull over...until next time!
Monday, February 2, 2009
3-D commercials?
I have two topics to write about today. First, I was thinking about the News Editing lecture today and how journalists make mistakes and I can think of many instances in the newspaper that a copy editor has made a mistake when putting in a photo caption, however, it was probably mostly the fault of the reporter.
When I do Civil War Reenacting with my family, I end up having a photo in the newspaper at least some of the time. One instance I can recall is when I was with my friend Lanah and my sister walking around the battlefield in our dresses when a man asked to take our photo. He asked for our names and assumed that Lanah was our sister and did not ask for her last name. When we opened the newspaper the next day, we saw that not only was her name spelled "Lona" but it also said, From left to right Lona, Elizabeth, and Carrie Allen at the Civil War Reenactment in Waconda, Ill. What was also strange was that I was on the far left so if anyone looked at the photo they would think that I was Lanah.
On a different topic I was wondering what everyone thought about some of the commercials during the Super-Bowl being in 3-D. While it is an interesting marketing ploy, it the viewer did not have 3-D glasses, which I doubt many people had, the commercial looked tacky and the video looked animated. It was almost difficult to watch.
I have really never bought into the 3-D thing because I find it difficult to watch anything in 3-D for more than 15 minutes. This is because the viewer has to keep their head straight the entire time or they will lose the effect. This is hard on the eyes. I am sure many of you agree.
In case you missed it, check out the Sobe commercial on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slbzIP-WYhk
When I do Civil War Reenacting with my family, I end up having a photo in the newspaper at least some of the time. One instance I can recall is when I was with my friend Lanah and my sister walking around the battlefield in our dresses when a man asked to take our photo. He asked for our names and assumed that Lanah was our sister and did not ask for her last name. When we opened the newspaper the next day, we saw that not only was her name spelled "Lona" but it also said, From left to right Lona, Elizabeth, and Carrie Allen at the Civil War Reenactment in Waconda, Ill. What was also strange was that I was on the far left so if anyone looked at the photo they would think that I was Lanah.
On a different topic I was wondering what everyone thought about some of the commercials during the Super-Bowl being in 3-D. While it is an interesting marketing ploy, it the viewer did not have 3-D glasses, which I doubt many people had, the commercial looked tacky and the video looked animated. It was almost difficult to watch.
I have really never bought into the 3-D thing because I find it difficult to watch anything in 3-D for more than 15 minutes. This is because the viewer has to keep their head straight the entire time or they will lose the effect. This is hard on the eyes. I am sure many of you agree.
In case you missed it, check out the Sobe commercial on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slbzIP-WYhk
Monday, January 26, 2009
Cranes, trains and automobiles
In my first post, I will introduce myself and some interesting things about me. My name is Liz Allen and I am 22. I go to the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and am majoring in Journalism. Some random facts about me and things that I enjoy:
1. I enjoy making paper cranes. I hang them all around my apartment. I can do some other simple orgami but cranes are the only things I can do from memory.
2. I love crocheting. It is different from knitting for those of you that don't know. It is done using only one needle instead of two and the needle is more like a hook. While knitting is done vertically, crocheting is done horizontally.
3. I really like any books, television shows (Paranormal State, Ghost Hunters) and films about the paranormal.
4. One of my dreams is to write a novel that would really affect people. Maybe it would be made into a movie starring Rob Pattinson <3>
5. One goal I have is to move to Chicago and write for a magazine. I would love to eventually move to New York and work for Entertainment Weekly. I read EW cover to cover.
6. When I was younger I wanted to be an archaeologist. In fact, I would dream of living in Egypt and going on digs for artifacts. But then I realized that going on digs meant days of digging in the dusty earth and finding almost nothing.
7. I am ridiculously obsessed with Twilight and Harry Potter, but honestly who isn't? However, I liked Twilight before it was mass hysteria and even got Eclipse signed by Stephenie Meyer.
8. I really like Hanson. I know you can't get past their MMMbop days but if you give them a listen now that they are 23, 25, and 27 you may actually like them: Download-Great Divide.
9. Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love carving pumpkins, going to haunted houses, watching scary movies and dressing in costumes.
10. I have been a Civil War Re-enactor for 22 years now. My sister and I were basically forced into it because it is my parents job but I actually have enjoyed dressing like a soldier or a woman in the 1860s. It has even inspired the novel I am working on now.
11. I love old movies. I think that they are much better quality than movies that are slapped together today. Some of my favorite actors and Jimmy Stewart, Carey Grant, Gregory Peck, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Marilyn Monroe.
12. I love having jam sessions. I can play piano somewhat well and so does my sister along with other instruments. During the Christmas season we probably play and sing Christmas songs a few hours a day
13. I love riding the train more than any other means of travel. I get my best thinking done while on the train and I have met some "interesting" people.
14. If I could be anyone (which I don't recommend because you should always be yourself) I would be Tina Fey because I think that she is absolutely the funniest woman alive and she is nerd chic which is what I can be at times. However if I could be someone that has passed I would be Audrey Hepburn because she is my favorite actress and completely fabulous.
15. I'm obsessed with television shows that have mythologies for example: Lost, The X-files, Fringe, and more. They challenge my mind and make me think about possible theories.
I realize that this isn't really the assignment blog for this week but I thought that I would just write something for fun and then write a blog more with a news editing scope for next time. But for those of you reading this, I thought you may enjoy a few fun facts.
1. I enjoy making paper cranes. I hang them all around my apartment. I can do some other simple orgami but cranes are the only things I can do from memory.
2. I love crocheting. It is different from knitting for those of you that don't know. It is done using only one needle instead of two and the needle is more like a hook. While knitting is done vertically, crocheting is done horizontally.
3. I really like any books, television shows (Paranormal State, Ghost Hunters) and films about the paranormal.
4. One of my dreams is to write a novel that would really affect people. Maybe it would be made into a movie starring Rob Pattinson <3>
5. One goal I have is to move to Chicago and write for a magazine. I would love to eventually move to New York and work for Entertainment Weekly. I read EW cover to cover.
6. When I was younger I wanted to be an archaeologist. In fact, I would dream of living in Egypt and going on digs for artifacts. But then I realized that going on digs meant days of digging in the dusty earth and finding almost nothing.
7. I am ridiculously obsessed with Twilight and Harry Potter, but honestly who isn't? However, I liked Twilight before it was mass hysteria and even got Eclipse signed by Stephenie Meyer.
8. I really like Hanson. I know you can't get past their MMMbop days but if you give them a listen now that they are 23, 25, and 27 you may actually like them: Download-Great Divide.
9. Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love carving pumpkins, going to haunted houses, watching scary movies and dressing in costumes.
10. I have been a Civil War Re-enactor for 22 years now. My sister and I were basically forced into it because it is my parents job but I actually have enjoyed dressing like a soldier or a woman in the 1860s. It has even inspired the novel I am working on now.
11. I love old movies. I think that they are much better quality than movies that are slapped together today. Some of my favorite actors and Jimmy Stewart, Carey Grant, Gregory Peck, Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Marilyn Monroe.
12. I love having jam sessions. I can play piano somewhat well and so does my sister along with other instruments. During the Christmas season we probably play and sing Christmas songs a few hours a day
13. I love riding the train more than any other means of travel. I get my best thinking done while on the train and I have met some "interesting" people.
14. If I could be anyone (which I don't recommend because you should always be yourself) I would be Tina Fey because I think that she is absolutely the funniest woman alive and she is nerd chic which is what I can be at times. However if I could be someone that has passed I would be Audrey Hepburn because she is my favorite actress and completely fabulous.
15. I'm obsessed with television shows that have mythologies for example: Lost, The X-files, Fringe, and more. They challenge my mind and make me think about possible theories.
I realize that this isn't really the assignment blog for this week but I thought that I would just write something for fun and then write a blog more with a news editing scope for next time. But for those of you reading this, I thought you may enjoy a few fun facts.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
