Entertainment Studies 2008 Abstracts
Entertainment Studies Interest Group
My Network TV: Rise and Fall of the English-Language Telenovela • Guillermo Avila-Saavedra • Through discourse analysis of the related press coverage, this essay analyzes the commercial failure of four English-language telenovela adaptations broadcast by a FOX-affiliated network between 2006 and 2007. The essay argues that press coverage was a contributing factor to the failure of these productions.
Not perfect enough? Exposure to sports and entertainment media and college women’s perceptions of ideal beauty • Kimberly Bissell, University of Alabama; Andrea Duke, University of Alabama • The objective of this project was to identify themes, patterns and predictors related to perceived attractiveness in other women among a sample of university women in the south. Literature in a variety of disciplines documents this culture’s obsession with appearance and image ideals, and further data indicate young women today are under more pressure than ever before to emulate an image of attractiveness and beauty that simply is not attainable for most.
The ‘Celebrification’ of Culture: A Content Analysis of Celebrity Gossip Blogs • Mackenzie Cato, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • According to research from Nielson Netratings, gossip sites showed a 40% increase in traffic from February of 2006 to February of 2007. The sheer prevalence of celebrity culture has never been so apparent, and with the popularity of 24/7 media coverage of celebrity’s lives it raises many cultural, epistemological, and theoretical questions. Celebrity culture is a complex arena useful in studying the relationship between fans, stars, entertainment texts, and the media industries.
Building a Better PIG: A Historical Survey of the PMRC & Its Tactics • Maria Fontenot, Texas Tech University; Chad Harriss, Alfred University • During the 1980s, there seemed to be an increased sensitivity concerning rock music lyrics. These issues particularly concerned a group of Washington wives who decided to take action by forming the Parent’s Music Resource Center (PMRC). This historical survey focuses on the tactics used by the PMRC and its influence on the recording industry.
Myth and the Carnivalesque: A Critical Analysis of HBO’s Carnivale • Michael Glassco • On September 14, 2003, over 5 million viewers tuned in to Home Box Office’s premiere of Carnivàle. Under the guise of HBO’s commitment to quality and its mission to distinguish itself from commercial broadcasting, HBO introduced Carnivàle as counter hegemonic series whose story-telling narrative was free from the formulaic structure common to commercial broadcasting. However, despite its subscription based structure, after only two seasons HBO cancelled the projected six season run.
Reporting on celebrities’ causes: Coverage of Angelina Jolie’s humanitarian work • Yoori Hwang; Se-Hoon Jeong • Despite the dramatic increase in the proportion of media content devoted to celebrities over the last decade or so, little research focused on the role of celebrity journalism in society. This study examines the potential role that celebrity journalism may play in raising public consciousness about social problems by analyzing the content and discourse of coverage of Angelina Jolie’s humanitarian work.
Taboo or Not Taboo? That is the Question: Offensive Language on Prime Time Broadcast and Cable Programming • Barbara Kaye, University of Tennessee; Barry Sapolsky, Florida State University • This investigation of offensive language on prime time broadcast and cable programs found that nine out of ten programs contained at least one incident of profanity and viewers were exposed to 12.58 cuss words per hour in 2005. Viewers of broadcast programs were exposed to slightly less than 10 objectionable words per hour compared to 15 words per hour on cable programs.
Sports Commentators and Source Credibility: Do Those Who Can’t Play…Commentate? • Justin Robert Keene, Texas Tech University; R. Glenn Cummins, Texas Tech University • Although previous research has looked at how commentators affect audience perceptions of a sporting event (e.g., Bryant, Comisky, & Zillmann, 1977), few studies have attempted to identify what characteristics of sports commentators make them believable. This study seeks to examine the effects of commentators’ previous athletic experience on the perceived credibility of sports broadcasters as well as viewers’ subjective evaluations of game play.
Constructing Reality in Documentary: Triumph of the Will • Jin Kim • With Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will serving as its primary focus, this paper will demonstrate how form and content merge to construct reality in documentary film. By directly applying Fiske’s technical codes to several scenes from Riefenstahl’s documentary, this paper will argue how cinematic techniques—such as editing, camera, lighting, sound and music—were used to represent the film’s main goals: 1) the unification of the Nazi party; 2) the praise of Adolf Hitler; and 3) the rebirth of German mythology.
User-generated content in video game Animal Crossing • Jin Kim • This paper is about how users generate content in video games with the case of a real-time simulation video game Animal Crossing: Wild World. Users do everyday life labor in this portable video game, and they develop pre-programmed narratives given by developers: user-generated narratives are co-constructive between game developers and users. I will explore the ways in which users are immersed in the game through emotional attachment, developing game narratives and collaborating with each other.
Propaganda Techniques in Early Documentary Films: An In-depth Analysis with Seven Devices • Ji Hoon Lee, University of Florida • In line with the shadow of World War II in 1937, Institute of Propaganda Analysis was formed to educate the American public about the nature of propaganda and how to recognize propaganda techniques. Based on its seven propagandistic devices and criteria, this study analyzes propaganda techniques employed by a number of early classic documentary films circa 1920s to 1930s, including “Triumph of the Will” (1935), “October” (1927), and “Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia” (1943).
Investigating the Roles of Personality and Demographic Variables in Predicting the Consumption of Fantasy Game • Wooyoung Lee, Indiana University; Dae Hee Kwak, University of Maryland; Choonghoon Lim, Indiana University; Kimberly Miloch, Indiana University • Despite its proliferation as a multibillion dollar business, fantasy games have received far less attention from scholars. Thus, little is known about fantasy game consumers beyond their demographic information. This study is the first known attempt to link consumers’ individual differences and gender to fantasy sport league attitude and intention.
An exploratory study: effects of gender and entertainment media messages on unplanned teen pregnancy prevention? • Ming Lei, Murrow School of Communication, Washington State University; Stacey Hust, Washington State University • Teen pregnancy remains a major concern in the United States. Even with declined youth pregnancy rate, the rate in the United States is still much higher than those in other developed countries. It is a troubling issue because it has negative financial, social, and psychological consequences for both young parents and their children.
Shifting frames of masculinity in Seventeen magazine: A comparative analysis of 1945-1955 and 1995-2005 • Jaime Loke, University of Texas • Among the many roles that the teen girl magazine plays, one of the most important roles is that of a boy bible for the millions of young female teenagers who read them. Teen girl magazines have consistently framed masculinity since the beginning of the publication history. This research examines Seventeen magazine (the longest and largest circulating teen girl magazine) and how frames of masculinity have transformed through a comparative discursive analysis of 1945-1955 and 1995-2005.
At “The Office”: Media Images of Gender in the Workplace • Jason Martin, Indiana University • Rarely has communication research studied entertainment media depictions of gender in the workplace. This paper analyzes the television satire The Office, which delves into important social problems that have previously not received popular media treatment in a comedy. Using the public’s understanding of workplace gender expectations as a basis for humor, the show at times questions the potential pitfalls of strict organizational policies. However, the main plot underpins conventional gender norms and sex stereotypes.
You have other friends?”: An analysis of racial representation in “Friends” • Lisa Marshall, Muskingum College • This study uses the television series Friends to analyze cultural messages regarding racial representations on screen. Race is defined as any ethnic depiction, including religion, that the series explores. The study compares and contrasts race characterizations in society, outlines racial representations from television’s history, and uses a textual analysis of Friends to locate racial representations throughout the series. The study found that Friends perpetuated dominant ideologies of race, frequently using humor to communicate these ideas.
Celebrity and Politics: Effects of Endorser Credibility and Gender on Voter Attitudes, Perceptions, and Behaviors • David Morin, Department of Communication, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Meghan P. Tubbs, Department of Communication, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; James D. Ivory, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University • While much research has examined the effects of celebrity endorsements in commercial advertising, little attention has been paid to the effects of celebrity endorsements of politicians on voter perceptions and behavior.
“I wanna be Paris’ new best friend!”: Para-social relationships in celebrity culture • Patrice Oppliger, Boston University; Jenna Baran, Boston University • Constant access to celebrities in an already celebrity obsessed culture is cause for concern. The following study explored the association between celebrity-focused media and its consumers using Horton and Wohl’s (1957) para-social interaction model. We tested the relationship between consumers’ body image and sex attitudes with scores from the para-social interest and identification scales. Conservative sex attitudes were correlated with celebrity-focused media use and para-social interest, rather than the predicted liberal sex attitudes.
A Study of Typology in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fanfiction • Marilda Oviedo, University of Iowa — School of Journalism and Mass Communication • This study looks at a sample of fanfiction written by fans of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There has yet to be a more updated look at the types of fanfiction being written by more current fanfiction writers. In addition, most research on fanfiction focuses on how writers of fanfiction use their writing to accommodate a male lead and a non-existent female lead.
Superheroes & Gender Roles, 1961-2004 • Erik Palmer, University of Oregon • Superhero comic books are nearly unique among pop culture genres for their endurance across generations of readers and their ability to adapt fluidly to changing social, cultural and ideological norms. The comic book market has traditionally been dominated by male readership and masculine concerns, but female super characters such as Wonder Woman, Phoenix, and Elektra have been relied on as sites of feminist inspiration and interrogation.
The Digitalization of Consumption: A case study of Lily Allen • Mary Elizabeth Ray • As communication technology continues to evolve, the public is offered new and varying means to digest musical media. In other words, a process of digitalization is taking place. The purpose of this article is to explore that process by examining the role digitalization plays in music consumption.
Is Ugly the New Beautiful? Investigating Young Female Viewers’ Perceptions of Beauty and Ugly Betty • Lauren M. Reichart, The University of Alabama; Robert Andrew Dunn • One hundred twenty-eight middle school girls were surveyed to determine the relationship between viewing an “ugly” lead character and their perceptions of beauty. The survey found that the more the respondents’ watched Ugly Betty, the more likely they would have respect for the unattractive character of Betty. However, the survey found that watching the show had a negative relationship with tolerance of others’ appearance.
Entertainment Television Exposure and College Students’ Beliefs in Rape Myths • Chunbo “Richard” Ren, Murrow School of Communication, Washington State University; Stacey Hust, Washington State University • The current study expands on existing knowledge by exploring whether viewing of different entertainment television genres has different effects on college students’ beliefs and perceptions about sexual assault. Three entertainment television genres are examined – prime-time television, daytime soap opera, and music television.
Perception is Everything: Examining the Cognitive Processes of Character Impression Formation and the Relationship with Viewer Enjoyment • Meghan Sanders, Louisiana State University • Social psychologists and media researchers have examined the end result of impression formation but very little media research has examined the cognitive process that takes place when viewers are forming impressions of fictional media characters. The present study attempts to lay a foundation for character impression formation applying Fiske and Neuberg’s Continuum Model of Impression Formation (1987) as the theoretical framework to determine if cognitive processing differentially affects emotional responses and enjoyment.
Singing celebrities: American Idol winner narratives • Amanda Scheiner • American Idol is undeniably one of the most popular programs on American television. Each winner of American Idol begins the season as an average person and ends as a celebrity. Audiences are connected to these winners through familiarity built through a season long acquaintanceship and interactive voting.
Beyond Face(book) Value: Debunking the Myths and Claims about Social Networking Sites • Ashleigh Shelton, University of Minnesota • The present study reveals the results of a content analysis of the descriptive, textual communication, and photo content found in 208 college student Facebook profiles. An a priori coding scheme was developed for this investigation based on (1) news reports and stories on controversies surrounding online social network use, (2) research on social uses of the Internet, and (3) insights from the author, a longtime Facebook user.
“Truthiness” and Satire News: The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Television News Credibility • Daxton Stewart, Texas Christian University; Jeremy Littau, University of Missouri • The Daily Show and The Colbert Report aim a constant stream of criticism at the news media, both by presenting themselves in a television news format and by mocking the competence of journalists. This study aimed to build theory about the potential impact of satire news programs on perceptions of media credibility. A survey (n=650) found that Daily Show/Colbert Report viewers had less positive views about credibility of television news programs.
Successful play, Surprise Value, and Enjoyment in College Football • Chang Wan Woo, The University of Alabama; Jung Kim, The University of Alabama • What do we know about how the audience receives enjoyment from watching a sports event? Or what sorts of plays in a game affect the audience’s feelings of bliss and/or dysphoria? Surprisingly, little is known about the entertainment effects of sports viewing. An experiment of 49 respondents in a live college football game revealed that successful plays of affiliated team and unsuccessful plays of contestant team influenced the level of audience enjoyment significantly.
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