Pieces of Pop - November 2005
11-18-2005
by Aaron Dicer

Pieces of Pop
Random thoughts on the culture around us.

November is already half over, are you kidding me? Time flies when you’re having kids, er… I mean fun, yeah fun, that’s it. I’m sure your year has had its share of life changing, time altering events as well, which always make it seem like the end of the year is hiding around a corner waiting for you to walk by so it can jump out and say “gotcha!” before you even know what hit you. I figure with the end of the year reviews and lists coming up, this is as good of a time as any to take a step back and briefly touch on some things going on in the world of pop culture.

The not so Amazing Race – Is it just me or has “The Amazing Race” been a let down this season. I’m all for exploring the family dynamic with the new 4 person teams, but somehow trips to “the worlds biggest office chair” or “Pete’s Bar and Grille” don’t have the same expansive and culture stretching feel as previous editions. Plus, the Weavers (the token Christian family) are a weekly example of the hypocritical stereotype we all fight against (Nothing against them, it could be editing that chooses to highlight the negative, but it’s there none the less.) CBS, please bring back the old style race, you know, the one that won 3 consecutive Emmys.

The Lion, the Wizard, and the Giant Monkey – Holiday movie time is just around the corner, and the Lion’s share (pardon the pun) of attention is on three movies. Potter will show up first, then the Lewis classic, then Kong. The truth is, I’m not sure which movie I’m most excited about. I’ve never been a huge Harry Potter fan, but I have to admit the movies are a blast on the big screen, and the saliva from seeing the latest preview for Kong about shorted my keyboard. But I think the edge goes to Narnia, just for the fact that I’ve been dreaming about that world for over 20 years. Aslan on the big screen will simply be surreal.

Deeeeetroit Baaaassketbaaaaall – Sorry couldn’t resist, and, oh yeah, go Wings! (They play this new sport called hockey, long sticks, played on ice, looks like a lot of fun)

Martha, Arrested - It’s also the time of year where the networks lose patience with their underperforming shows. Martha Stewart’s already been told she’s fired (though I doubt she’ll get a nice parting letter from NBC), and Arrested Development has been given the old “You’re not cancelled, but please don’t make us any more episodes and we aren’t airing your show in sweeps, but really you’re not cancelled…. yet”. Fox did the same thing to Futurama, which hasn’t aired new episodes in like three years, but never really did get an official cancellation (Rumor has it they still have a half dozen unaired episodes they might get to some day). The point is, I wish the networks would give these young show’s a chance to find their audience, and since when is 4 million people watching a failure? You’re telling me you can’t find someone to pay to advertise to 4 million people a week?

The DS stands for Dominating System – Mario Kart DS is out this week for the little handheld that could, Nintendo’s DS. Mario Kart edges Zelda as my favorite video game franchise of all time and the DS version will be an immediate add to my collection. Plus it introduces the new Nintendo Wi-Fi where you can play against anyone else in the world using your home router or hot spot, for FREE! Nintendo’s commitment to excellence and fun over edgy content and uber-graphics has already won them the war against the PSP (Last check the DS was outselling the PSP by 3-1 in Japan). Nintendogs, Meteos, Wario Ware, and now Mario Kart are all must own games, and somewhere in the near future I sense a Revolution coming. Ok, I’ll admit, I’m a Nintendo fanboy, but the truth is I’ve always appreciated their stance that it doesn’t take Rated M games to sell a system, and that video games are intended to bring families together, not separate them into demographics.

I know TV is called the “Small Screen” but this is ridiculous – Apple released the Ipod with video recently and by all the fuss you’d think it was the first of its kind. Personal media players have been around for several years, yet Apple pulls the trigger and everyone acts like it’s groundbreaking. Not that this should be a surprise; the same was true of MP3 players (The Ipod hit the scene long after others were already out) . I’m not sure the price point is right for the content ($1.99 for a low resolution version of a show I can get free over the airwaves?), but you can guarantee this will start the movement on pay per view video downloads, just as the original Ipod did with MP3s. Why? Influence. Apple has built a foundation of believers based on previous success and elegant design. Simply put, when Apple speaks, people listen. Apple’s knack for marketing got me thinking about how each of us has influence and how we use it. A movie like Napoleon Dynamite is just another flop when it fails to make any money it’s first week out, unless you continue to drag your friends to it, and talk about catching each other a “delicious bass”. Homestarrunner is just another stupid cartoon that no one has seen, until you start wearing your Trogdor T-shirt around and sending the link to your friends through IM. The point is we all have influence in the circle around us. To live your life in a way that speaks well of Jesus and to talk about Him in an intriguing, relevant way to your friends can have a major impact in your circle. I’ll take God’s marketing plan over Apple’s any day (Though there may not be a need to separate the two. This just about makes you laugh and cry at the same time doesn’t it?) Just remember, you are God’s greatest invention, and he designed you to point back at him.

Aaron Dicer is Program Director and does the morning show at 101.7 “The Fuse”, in Saginaw, Michigan. He has also spoken around the country at youth events and seminars on how a Christian can interact with culture in a positive way. Every Week he will offer a new review or a TV show, Movie, or other piece of pop culture. You can hear him at wprj.org, read more articles at hookedonsiphonics.com, or be his friend at myspace.com/aarondicer.

Questions, comments, opinions, ideas? Email him at dice@cmcentral.com