The NPR Radio interview I examined was the “Fresh Air” interview with Steve Carell on October 24, 2007, conducted by Terry Gross. The purpose of this interview was to promote Carell’s new move, “Dan in Real Life.” However, the interview is not limited to just his new movie but to previous movies he has done and shows he has and currently appears on. The interviewer new prior to the interview was to know what movies and types of movies he has done. Also what types of shows he has done and is currently on. Carell has been a correspondent on The Daily Show, and has also stared in the movies “Anchorman,” “The 40 Year-Old Virgin,” and currently stars in the sitcom, “The Office” on NBC. Gross built up to asking him questions by playing audio clips from his work in these shows, and asking him if those were his ideas or questions on his character. She especially asked him questions on the character, Michael Scott on the show, “The Office” because that is his most developed character and a character he has to play week after week. Other questions Gross asked were “How did you or who did you get inspiration from in your life to play Michael Scott since you never worked in an office before.” Carell answered by saying he has received much of his inspiration for that character and others from life experiences with teachers and former employers. The same strategy of building up to questions, playing an audio clip, was also used for follow up questions. For example, she would play a clip and then ask a question or after he answers, she would ask a question that went deeper into the subject. There did not seem to be any relationship between the interviewer and the interviewee. They seemed like strangers although they may have meet before. Listening to this interview, I have learned a lot about the interview process. Gross hardly asked any questions and that left Carell doing all the talking or telling. It was interesting to see that happen. Basically that means he is a good interviewee, which makes it easier on the interviewer. I found this to be interesting and a good learning tool.
Word Count: 372
Friday, October 26, 2007
Diddy...Brand Manager – Blog Post Week #9
The story, “He’s Gone By Puffy, Diddy and Now…Brand Manager” was posted on AdAge.com on October 24, 2007. The article is about Sean “Diddy” Comes is adding to his list of titles, including CEO of Bad Boy Entertainment, is adding another title of brand manager for Ciroc vodka. Diddy is responsible for all brand management decisions for the vodka including marketing, advertising, public relations, product placement and events. His plans are to turn the vodka company around and give the name more recognition much like he did for other alcohol companies like Patron, Crital, and Curvoisier. Planning to do this through his hip-hop songs and through videos, product placement, in these music videos. He has stated that Ciroc is the “official vodka for New Year’s Eve.” I found this situation to be interesting. What a great concept to place a successful hip-hop mogul in charge of all brand management. He has obviously been successful in the past with creating his own “buzz” with his career, and even helped other alcoholic companies, why not with Ciroc. As a bartender here in San Jose, I can attest that Ciroc is a vodka brand that is not that popular. Other vodkas such as Grey Goose, Belvedere, and Chopin are the front-runners in the vodka industry. In fact, we no longer carry Ciroc vodka at our location. After hearing this information, we may have to bring it back on. With Diddy behind this brand, this vodka is about to get really popular.
To read the story click here.
Word Count: 262
To read the story click here.
Word Count: 262
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Extra Credit!
Campbell Union H.S. District Creates P.R. Campaign
I saw this report on ABC 7 News on October 22, 2007. I thought this story was interesting because it involved a school district, a P.R. firm, tax payer’s money, and it raised the question of ethics.
Here is a quick summary of the details. ABC 7 News received an e-mail (basically a press release) from Mackenzie Communications – “a San Francisco public relations and marketing firm trying to promote the Campbell Union High School District,” according to the report. The release was to raise interest in the station to do back to school stories on the district. Free publicity. The news station wanted t o know how did a California school district have enough money to hire a public relations firm. The station did some investigating and found out that on June 28, 2007, “the school board approved a six-month contract with Mackenzie Communications to provide marketing communications services.” The district would use money to pay for the services from a “voter-approved parcel tax Measure M, passed in 2004.” The purpose of this measure was to restore and maintain current programs, reduce class sizes, enhance campus safety, and to recruit and retain qualified teachers.
The question is, is the district using the money correctly? The tax payers were not told that this money would be used to hire a P.R. firm so is this a stretch? The district believes that through the marketing of the firm the district will be able to get publicity and recruit more teachers.
I think in a way, the district got what it wanted, publicity. Weather the use of this tax is ethical or not they are still recieving publicity on this topic. That was the purpose of hiring the firm. At the end of the story it is mentioned that a Spanish TV station has done a story on this district and a local newspaper. “And – now us.”
To read this story click here.
Word Count: 334
I saw this report on ABC 7 News on October 22, 2007. I thought this story was interesting because it involved a school district, a P.R. firm, tax payer’s money, and it raised the question of ethics.
Here is a quick summary of the details. ABC 7 News received an e-mail (basically a press release) from Mackenzie Communications – “a San Francisco public relations and marketing firm trying to promote the Campbell Union High School District,” according to the report. The release was to raise interest in the station to do back to school stories on the district. Free publicity. The news station wanted t o know how did a California school district have enough money to hire a public relations firm. The station did some investigating and found out that on June 28, 2007, “the school board approved a six-month contract with Mackenzie Communications to provide marketing communications services.” The district would use money to pay for the services from a “voter-approved parcel tax Measure M, passed in 2004.” The purpose of this measure was to restore and maintain current programs, reduce class sizes, enhance campus safety, and to recruit and retain qualified teachers.
The question is, is the district using the money correctly? The tax payers were not told that this money would be used to hire a P.R. firm so is this a stretch? The district believes that through the marketing of the firm the district will be able to get publicity and recruit more teachers.
I think in a way, the district got what it wanted, publicity. Weather the use of this tax is ethical or not they are still recieving publicity on this topic. That was the purpose of hiring the firm. At the end of the story it is mentioned that a Spanish TV station has done a story on this district and a local newspaper. “And – now us.”
To read this story click here.
Word Count: 334
Sunday, October 21, 2007
OBIT
Marta Irene Weissenborn Newsom
June 21, 1983 – August 15, 2085
Marta Irene (Weissenborn) Newsom passed away on August 15th. Marta succumbed to the battle with her cancer late that evening in the comfort of her home. Although she was 102 years old, she was still young at heart and very physically active.
Born and raised in Fremont, California, to her parents Kenneth and Charlotte Weissenborn. Marta was the youngest of the family’s three daughters, Karin Slack (1978 – 2075) and Linnea Chapman (1980 – present). She would often remember the family’s trips across the country as a young girl.
After she graduated for San Jose State University in 2009, she moved to Los Angeles and became well known for her event planning for numerous celebrity affairs. One of the celebrity events she planned, she meet her future husband, Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. They married in July 2015 in San Francisco. Newsom ran for Governor of California in 2018 and overwhelmingly won the seat. Soon after they started to have a family. Their children, Gavin Jr., Christopher, Ava, and Jacob.
In 2030, Newsom ran for president and served two terms. Their young family was considered to be the new “Kennedy’s” during his term. Marta fought for tougher laws to protect children and people in the spotlight from publicity. She succeeded to pass three bills that protect children and others in the public eye. These bills are still in effect today. Newsom’s presidency is well known for his installment of a national health care system that is still used today. After her husband’s presidency, the family returned to California where they still remained active in politics.
Former president Newsom passed away in 2051 from heart failure. Marta is survived by her four loving children, sixteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. There will be a public viewing of the body and remembrance in San Francisco until Wednesday. A private funeral has been scheduled for Friday afternoon at St. Marks Church in San Francisco. The family asks that donations can be made to the American Cancer Society in her name.
June 21, 1983 – August 15, 2085
Marta Irene (Weissenborn) Newsom passed away on August 15th. Marta succumbed to the battle with her cancer late that evening in the comfort of her home. Although she was 102 years old, she was still young at heart and very physically active.
Born and raised in Fremont, California, to her parents Kenneth and Charlotte Weissenborn. Marta was the youngest of the family’s three daughters, Karin Slack (1978 – 2075) and Linnea Chapman (1980 – present). She would often remember the family’s trips across the country as a young girl.
After she graduated for San Jose State University in 2009, she moved to Los Angeles and became well known for her event planning for numerous celebrity affairs. One of the celebrity events she planned, she meet her future husband, Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. They married in July 2015 in San Francisco. Newsom ran for Governor of California in 2018 and overwhelmingly won the seat. Soon after they started to have a family. Their children, Gavin Jr., Christopher, Ava, and Jacob.
In 2030, Newsom ran for president and served two terms. Their young family was considered to be the new “Kennedy’s” during his term. Marta fought for tougher laws to protect children and people in the spotlight from publicity. She succeeded to pass three bills that protect children and others in the public eye. These bills are still in effect today. Newsom’s presidency is well known for his installment of a national health care system that is still used today. After her husband’s presidency, the family returned to California where they still remained active in politics.
Former president Newsom passed away in 2051 from heart failure. Marta is survived by her four loving children, sixteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. There will be a public viewing of the body and remembrance in San Francisco until Wednesday. A private funeral has been scheduled for Friday afternoon at St. Marks Church in San Francisco. The family asks that donations can be made to the American Cancer Society in her name.
Word Count: 347
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Sheild Law...Blog Post Week #8
On Tuesday, October 16, 2007, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed new legislation to protect journalists and their confidential sources. The bill was passed with bipartisan support in a 398 to 21 vote, which is far more than needed to override a veto threatened by President Bush. Recently, several high-profile cases involving journalists faced jail time if they did not reveal confidential sources. Although more than 30 states have shield laws to protect journalists in state courts, up until this point there was no protection for journalists at the federal level. The fight for a federal shield law has been on going for 30-years by media organizations to protect journalists from being forced to disclose sources in federal court. Clint Brewer, President of the Society f Professional Journalists said “today’s vote in the House is a victory for a free press and for the American people as much as journalists.” (According to the New York Times) I personally feel that this was a great step in the right direction for protecting journalists. I could not be happier that bipartisanship took place and protection for journalists was the result. Not to get too political but I feel that President Bush was going to veto the bill mainly because he is or could be scared of the skeletons in his closet. With this bill passing the House, all it has to do is pass the Senate and it will become law. With this Bush and other political figures could have many skeletons in their closet coming out to say, “boo.”
Word Count: 259
Word Count: 259
Mystery Character
You all know who I am. I am a prominent fixture in American Culture. I have been in the mainstream “spotlight” since 1993, although I have been serving the United States of America since 1976. I was born, March 31, 1948 in Washington, D.C. I spent most of my childhood between Washington, D.C. and Tennessee, which is where I now call home.
After scoring a 1355 on my SAT, I enrolled in the only college I applied for, Harvard University. I later graduated from Harvard with honors in June 1969. Although I strongly opposed the Vietnam War, I enlisted in the United States Army in August 1969. While stationed at Fort Dix, I married my wife, Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson in 1970. On January 2, 1971, I was shipped to Vietnam where I served for five months.
I became a United States Representative for Tennessee’s 4th district in 1976. I held this seat until 1982. In 1984 I became a United States Senator from Tennessee until 1993.
In 1992, a friend and colleague of mine took me on the “run” of my life that lasted until 2001. Since then, I have been seen on ballots and fought “hanging chads.”
I am usually seen wearing a suit and tie. Often I am holding my wife’s hand and waving at crowds that surround me. I usually have slicked back hair that is nicely quaffed. I am often seen behind a podium making important speeches and usually make gestures with my hands. I have a passion for “green,” you may even say an obsession. And because of this “green” obsession, I have even won an Academy Award and the Nobel Peace Prize. Who am I?
Click here to find out!
Word Count: 284
After scoring a 1355 on my SAT, I enrolled in the only college I applied for, Harvard University. I later graduated from Harvard with honors in June 1969. Although I strongly opposed the Vietnam War, I enlisted in the United States Army in August 1969. While stationed at Fort Dix, I married my wife, Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson in 1970. On January 2, 1971, I was shipped to Vietnam where I served for five months.
I became a United States Representative for Tennessee’s 4th district in 1976. I held this seat until 1982. In 1984 I became a United States Senator from Tennessee until 1993.
In 1992, a friend and colleague of mine took me on the “run” of my life that lasted until 2001. Since then, I have been seen on ballots and fought “hanging chads.”
I am usually seen wearing a suit and tie. Often I am holding my wife’s hand and waving at crowds that surround me. I usually have slicked back hair that is nicely quaffed. I am often seen behind a podium making important speeches and usually make gestures with my hands. I have a passion for “green,” you may even say an obsession. And because of this “green” obsession, I have even won an Academy Award and the Nobel Peace Prize. Who am I?
Click here to find out!
Word Count: 284
Thursday, October 11, 2007
McDeaths...Blog Post Week #7
I found an article on prwatch.org that I found to be interesting. The article is called “McDeaths” and includes an excerpt from the book Inside Spin: The Dark Underbelly of the PR Industry by Bob Burton. This excerpt basically gives the background information about an incident in Australia involving a man named Brian Page. Page took his daughter to McDonalds one night and soon became vary sick and eventually died. Further investigation concluded that Page was not the only one with similar symptoms. Twenty-two other people reported similar symptoms and six of them, including page, died. The bacteria the ultimately killed page, Legionella, is found in poorly maintained water-cooled air-conditioning systems. Officials tracked the paths of the infected individuals and later discovered that they all entered the same McDonalds. This excerpt recalls how McDonalds placed “spin” on the incident. According to the excerpt, “McDonald's got a tip-off from someone in the Fairfield City Council, stating that it had been specifically named in the Health Department's draft report on the outbreak. With the benefit of advance notice, the company scrambled its crisis management team, comprising senior executives, PPR staff including its founder Peter Lazar, its advertising agency and company lawyers.” McDonalds feared that the report would be made public and scrambled to re-word the release to shift the blame. In all this story and incident reflects how a company can influence and place spin on a report. To read this article in full, click here.
Word Count: 244
Word Count: 244
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Word of the Week #7
"Proselytizing"
Source: "Burning Rainbow Farm: How a Stoner Utopia Went Up in Smoke" by Dean Kuipers
How it was used: Pg. 80 "Tom got into cocaine, and some of his employees got into it heavily, but he saw right away how coke and booze would destroy a man and began proselytizing for using weed as a means to stay off hard drugs."
Definition: (Verb) To convert or attempt to convert as a proselyte; recruit
Sentence: The school's proselyte was vary convincing.
Source: "Burning Rainbow Farm: How a Stoner Utopia Went Up in Smoke" by Dean Kuipers
How it was used: Pg. 80 "Tom got into cocaine, and some of his employees got into it heavily, but he saw right away how coke and booze would destroy a man and began proselytizing for using weed as a means to stay off hard drugs."
Definition: (Verb) To convert or attempt to convert as a proselyte; recruit
Sentence: The school's proselyte was vary convincing.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Word of the Week #6
This week I found two words in the same sentence that I found interesting...
"Otiosity"
Source: "Burning Rainbow Farm: How a Stoner Utopia Went Up in Smoke" By Dean Kuipers
How it was used: Pg. 29 "In the shaded and halcyon otiosity of summer, it's Mayberry all over, an overgrowth of massive maples and old asphalt shingles and derelict."
Definition: (Adj.) 1. Being at leisure; idol; indolent
2. Ineffective or futile
3. Superfluous or useless
Sentence: While on vacation, the executive had an otiosity attitude.
The second word...
"Halcyon"
Source: "Burning Rainbow Farm: How a Stoner Utopia Went Up in Smoke" By Dean Kuipers
How it was used: Pg. 29 "In the shaded and halcyon otiosity of summer, it's Mayberry all over, an overgrowth of massive maples and old asphalt shingles and derelict."
Definition: 1. Calm; peaceful; tranquil
2. Rich; wealthy; prosperous
3. Happy; joyful; carefree
Sentence: California has halcyon weather.
"Otiosity"
Source: "Burning Rainbow Farm: How a Stoner Utopia Went Up in Smoke" By Dean Kuipers
How it was used: Pg. 29 "In the shaded and halcyon otiosity of summer, it's Mayberry all over, an overgrowth of massive maples and old asphalt shingles and derelict."
Definition: (Adj.) 1. Being at leisure; idol; indolent
2. Ineffective or futile
3. Superfluous or useless
Sentence: While on vacation, the executive had an otiosity attitude.
The second word...
"Halcyon"
Source: "Burning Rainbow Farm: How a Stoner Utopia Went Up in Smoke" By Dean Kuipers
How it was used: Pg. 29 "In the shaded and halcyon otiosity of summer, it's Mayberry all over, an overgrowth of massive maples and old asphalt shingles and derelict."
Definition: 1. Calm; peaceful; tranquil
2. Rich; wealthy; prosperous
3. Happy; joyful; carefree
Sentence: California has halcyon weather.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Library Scavenger Hunt #23
The Martin Luther King Jr. Library has a multitude of art instillation's. At first, this assignment seemed quite don ting. However, because of the fantastic pamphlet on art instillation's found inside the library, I was able to find the answer. There are 34 art instillation's inside the MLK library. Although these 34 pieces are permanent fixtures within the library, there are also many more pieces that are rotated.
My favorite of these pieces is located on the fifth floor. This piece is tucked away in a corner that not very many people travel to. In the corner of the fifth floor stands a tall, beehive looking book case. This beehive holds the thesis volumes written by countless alumni of San Jose State University. This piece is called "skeptical" although I am not a fan of the name, I however think it should be called beehive. I find this to be interesting because it displays the hard work of students before me. I think it is great that these thesis' are kept on display in such an intriguing for all to enjoy.
Word Count: 181
My favorite of these pieces is located on the fifth floor. This piece is tucked away in a corner that not very many people travel to. In the corner of the fifth floor stands a tall, beehive looking book case. This beehive holds the thesis volumes written by countless alumni of San Jose State University. This piece is called "skeptical" although I am not a fan of the name, I however think it should be called beehive. I find this to be interesting because it displays the hard work of students before me. I think it is great that these thesis' are kept on display in such an intriguing for all to enjoy.
Word Count: 181
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