Disney celebs: role models or no longer kid friendly?

In my journalism class I have to write a research paper on image repair. Because of my future career hopes and dreams, I decided to write about the images of Disney celebs as they transition out of the Disney Channel bubble. Specifically I am looking into Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez! I will also be assessing their use of social media and if they are using it correctly to maintain a healthy image.

Miley Cyrus left Disney Channel in May 2010. Miley is active in her Twitter, however she is known for taking long extensive breaks from twitter. In 2009 she claimed that she would perminantely leave twitter. However she did return to promote her tour and now is officially back on the site. Miley, although she has been gone from Disney the longest, has had the most negative publicity. Pictures surfaced of her smoking out of bong, "kissing" her friend who is a girl, and there have been many MANY racy pictures of her (some taken by photographers, others taken by herself) that have spread over the internet like wildfire. Miley has definitely left the Hannah Montana good girl image behind, but has she left those fans behind as well?

Demi Lovato officially left Disney in April 2011. However, she stopped filming her show in January of 2011 so technically that is when she ended her time at Disney. Demi has had a rocky time this past year. While on tour with the Jonas Brothers for the Camp Rock 2 tour in November, Demi hit one of her backup dancers and decided to check herself into rehab because she just wasn't the same person anymore. Then she came clean to the world and explained that she had been battling eating disorders for years, ever since she was bullied as a child. This led to cutting and other extreme forms of diet. During her time in rehab Demi left her Twitter account and really focused on her rehab. Once she got out she was very open about her experience in rehab and has since become the teen voice for standing up against bullying, eating disorders, and cutting. She is extremely loyal to her fans and has made every effort to be honest with them. Although this is a great tactic, Demi also has some negative images. She has starting dropping the F-bomb on twitter, has started dressing more scandalously, and has surrounded herself with friends such as the Kardashians, that are maybe not the best role models for the audience she herself is a role model for. She also recently revealed that before rehab she partied alot and drank. Demi has had both very negative and very positive images since her departure from Disney.

As for Selena Gomez, she is the most recent star to leave Disney (May 2011), so she has had less time to really make a negative impression. However, every single thing Selena has done in the year since she left Disney, has been positive. Yes she is trying to get a more mature roles and gain a new audience, but she is very aware that she is a role model to young impressionable minds. She has not had any scandals and has handled everything thrown at her with grace and poise. She received many death threats from Bieber fans when her and Justin started dating, but even with being threatened Selena turned it around my saying that she understands. She had a crazy crush on Jesse McCartney when she was young and hated every girlfriend he ever had! So she understands where the Biebs-obsessed girls are coming from. Selena is also very active in her Twitter and keeps it very clean and professional. She also recently started making "Thank You to the Fans" videos for different parts of the world who have supported her. Out of the three teen idols, Selena is the only one who has come away with keeping her younger audience happy and gaining newer older fans as well. Is this because she is genuinely a good person or just because she has been away from Disney the shortest?

Stay tuned to hear more of the research I find as I dive deeper into these 3 celebs post-Disney!

Jay Hicks!

A few days ago, my Media Programming class got the privilege of having
Jay E. Hicks come and speak to us about The Changing Media Language. (I could tell right away that I was going to like this lecture because he started with a picture of Anchorman and talking about how Anchorman was "old media".)

Jay talked about how "new media" is not about technology, it's about connecting people and telling stories. One thing he mentioned was how important writing and story telling is! He said that writing is the biggest strength you can have for any job, but especially a job in the journalism/PR/social media industry.


Jay also showed us some statistics about social media that really surprised me and impressed me at the same time! According to Hicks, on the day of Osama Bin Ladden's death there were 12.4 million tweets per hour! He also mentioned that there are 2 BILLION views on YouTube per day...TWO BILLION!!!! That is just incredible.

Something else Jay spent awhile talking to us about is how to stand out when applying for jobs!! (Always great tips to hear) Here are some of his pointers:

• Have an interactive resume
• Have a "me" blog that acts as your portfolio
• Have a "passion" blog (...done ;)
• Have a twitter list and RSS feed of major players in your job field of interest
• Conduct informal interviews
• Network network network with key industry players
• and last but not least: HAVE A GAME PLAN!

These tips were great to hear, especially from someone who has been so successful in the industry!

All in all it was a great lecture and I am glad we got to meet Jay!

Follow Jay Hicks on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jayfhicks

Campaign goals

Hello all!

Previously I mentioned that I have the privilege of working on a team this semester to do a public relations campaign for the Historic Waco Foundation! I just wanted to share a little more about my incredible team and the goals we are working towards this semester!

First of all, I should mention how absolutely wonderful my team has been! Amy, Sarah, Hunter and Amber have all gone above and beyond every step of the way. This team is so eager to help HWF that assignments are turned out within hours of being assigned. There is not been a single issue that this team has not been able to overcome. With each new assignment and step in this campaign, we  become more and more confident in our team. Without this fantastic team, the HWF campaign could easily fall by the wayside and things could be missed. I am confident that we will reach our goals and probably reach them before they are due!

So you might be wondering, what are our goals? Glad you asked :) We are working to promote HWF through their website, Facebook page, Twitter account, and brochures. Through these mediums we are promoting their events Sunday Skadoo, Kids Summer Camp, Christmas on the Brazos and Open Houses.

Our goal is to get HWF more publicity for their events and a stronger presence in Waco and the Baylor community. As well as to create a larger public awareness of their houses. Recently HWF lost a lot of their funding because they were struggling to attract as much attention to their events and to their museums. Our goal is to turn that around and get them more attention and publicity!

As a member of this incredible team, it is often hard to keep up with the rest of them! They turn things around so fast that I feel like I am not doing as much as the rest of the group! That being said, I am excited to create the videos to promote the historic homes and cannot wait to utilize my skills as they best benefit the team!





Pictures from their last
Sunday Skadoo event!

Historic Waco Foundation!!

I am currently serving on a committee that is helping the Historic Waco Foundation with their efforts in public relations!

I love this foundation, because it is one of the many unique things about Waco that makes me love my college town. The foundation has 4 historic homes in Waco as well as many events through out the year. Their main events are Kids Summer Camp, Sunday Skadoo, and Christmas on the Brazos. Even though they have a Facebook and Twitter account, it is not very effective. Their Facebook page is very clearly more beneficial then their Twitter page, but that is because they only have 21 followers and 5 tweets. One of their new target audiences is college students. Now that more and more college students are migrating towards Twitter, it is crucial that we help them develop a Twitter model.

I am working with an absolutely incredible team that is more then willing to bring their A-game to every task for this campaign. I look forward to seeing how we and the Historic Waco Foundation progress in their PR efforts during this next month!

In the meantime here are links to the Historic Waco Foundation's website, Facebook and Twitter! Enjoy!

Website: http://www.historicwaco.org/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HistoricWaco?ref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/HistoricWaco  (@HistoricWaco)

Books: They've got character.

A recent trip to Half Price Books inspired me to finally write about this topic. I love books! But probably not in the same way that one might think. I am the first to admit that I am a movie buff first and foremost. But I will say that books without a doubt are much more physically interesting than any DVD case will ever be. Books look warm and inviting, even if it is a book about something dark, it is still more physically appealing than a DVD case (or even a VHS case...old school). Think about it, a stack of books looks so much better than a stack of DVD cases! Thats why, in my future home I will have either a library or a wall of bookshelves (even though I love movies more than books).



I could sit in a bookstore for HOURS and look at old books, wonder who their previous owners were, wonder where that book had been, did it sit out for guests to see or was it tucked under a pillow for a late night read?

At the end of the day movies will come and go, but old books will always have a special place in my heart :)

Mirrors-They're so vain, they probably think this post is about them... ;)

One of my favorite HGTV shows is Divine Design with Candice Olson. I end up loving all of her designs show after show. As an addict I have seen enough shows to notice a certain trend of hers. Mirrors. I feel like I see a mirror feature in almost all of her designs! Of course they always look classy when she designs them in the room (they are usually featured like the picture to the right), but still, it got me thinking. Mirrors are so beautiful and are a GREAT way to reflect light as well as making the room look larger.  So why am I just now realizing this simple design fix?

Think about it. Whether large or small, they are in almost every room in a house. Bedroom, bathroom, dinning room, living room, hall ways, entryways, etc. (and of course TV's can act as mirrors for family rooms too!) They are such a natural part of design, but usually people notice them only when they notice themselves in one... Mirrors are such simple and understated design tools.

So here's a special tribute to my favorite mirror designs and decor!

            

 Broken mirrors are just as beautiful as whole mirrors!

Hope something here has inspired you to actually look at mirrors instead of yourself in them. But no worries, a quick hair and make up check is still ok. ;)










I do not own these photos

Life is A Gag Reel

I'm going to be honest with ya'll, if I am watching something on YouTube I almost always end up spending extra time watching bloopers and gag reels. Seriously. It does not matter what show or movie, they ALWAYS makes me laugh! My friends can attest to this, I love special features on DVD's. But out of all the amazing bonus features I have seen, gag reels and bloopers are easily my favorite. It is impossible for me not to smile and laugh while watching them.

So I got to thinking, why are they so funny? They aren't written jokes or slapstick comedy routines. So what can possibly make us laugh that much? People confidently messing up.

Think about it. These actors and actresses mess up and are able to laugh out loud at themselves. They fumble their words, drop stuff, have prop malfunctions, trip over themselves, and make funny faces when they aren't supposed to. It makes the celebrities we idolize seem more human. When they mess up, their friends (costars) laugh with them. The people we look up to and admire can say "Hakuna Matata" and laugh it off; they don't take moments so seriously. The actors and actresses we love aren't perfect and they know it. The difference is, they are able to laugh at their imperfections. And laughs are contagious.

So really, take a second and reflect. Life is like a gag reel. The people you look up to and admire fumble their words, drop things and have them malfunction, trip and fall, and make goofy faces. Family and friends (your idols) mess up, they are human too.

So how can we make our lives more like a gag reel? When you mess up, have confidence and laugh at yourself. When your family or friends have a blooper, laugh with them not at them. The difference between ourselves and celebrities is that they know they're not perfect and don't try to be. So if we stop trying to be perfect all the time, realize we have goofball moments, and don't take life too seriously, then we too can laugh at ourselves with confidence. Actors and actresses always get the job (the show or movie) done. But they have laughs along the way too. You will get your job done, but it is ok to laugh at yourself.

It's as simple as that! The only thing different is that our life gag reels aren't recorded and put on YouTube :)


But here IS a great gag reel you can find on YouTube:

Enjoy :)

"Show me that smile again"...Favorite TV shows from my childhood :)

Anyone who knows me at all knows how much I LOVE television shows. I could literally watch shows all day long. I don't think I have ever uttered the phrase: "There's nothing on TV" because there's always something on that I love!! 

So I decided to share with you a few of my favorite shows from my childhood. Hopefully you can reminisce along with me! I mean lets be honest, there is no shame in singing the theme songs we all know and love :)

Growing Pains (1985-1992)

This show...oh man, I can hardly describe how much I LOVED this show. I know the theme song by heart. I recently watched an episode while cleaning up my room and as soon as the theme song came on, I immediately started dancing around the room singing the song word for word. Not ashamed to admit it, I seriously loved this show. I loved the family and all their relationships and how they grew throughout the years. I mean, even Leo DiCaprio was in this show!! On top of that, I found this show hilarious as a kid. I never missed an episode. 

And I can't mention Growing Pains without mentioning my HUGE crush on Kirk Cameron. Mike Seaver was the coolest kid in school plus he was a great guy/brother/son. I mean that's the dream guy right there :)

7th Heaven (1996-2007)

I had a picture of the cast of 7th Heaven taped onto my nightstand as a kid...yeah a little embarrassing but I loved this show a lot! I still remember running around my house singing the theme song at the top of my lungs. I used to want a family exactly like the Camdens': A wonderful big brother like Matt, then two daughters (Mary and Lucy), another boy (Simon) and then a little Ruthie. I can remember the drama of every episode along with the tight family love seen in every member of the Camden family. This show taught me a lot about life and about seeing the best in new people. Yes, needless to say, I was obsessed with this show:)

Boy Meets World (1993-2000)

Probably one of my all time favorite shows I have ever seen. A friend of mine recently gave my roommates and I season 1 and 2 of Boy Meets World. As I watched the first few seasons every episode quickly came back to me. It was a funny show that had good family morals at the root. Cory, Shawn, Topanga, Eric, and Mr. Feeney.... Feeney.... Fee-eee-eny..... Feeney!!!!!!!!! I followed this show from start to finish. Every show from the first time Feeney taught Cory a lesson over the fence, to the episode in Disney World where Cory confessed his love for Topanga, to the Halloween episode, to the wedding, to the finale. Every episode, I remember. All 7 amazing seasons, I remember. Boy Meets World...my childhood in a nutshell.

Hope you've loved your trip down TV memory lane :) 

Latest obsession: Chalkboard paint!

Looking for a fun vintage way to spice things up? Chalkboard paint is your answer. You can paint anything and everything. And best of all, it's easy to do!

Recently my roommate had a great idea of a way to spice up our apartment. We got a large board at Home Depot and painted it with chalkboard paint. Now it sits above our couch and definitely adds fun to the room. We put wall sconces on the side of the board, but instead of flowers we filled them with chalk!

Another fun thing to do is chalkboard an entire wall! It looks unique and, unlike regular paint, if you get tired of it you can erase it for a new doodle! Here are some of my favorite chalkboard walls :)

This is a scene from the movie 500 Days of Summer. The entire wall behind his bed was chalkboard! 

This otherwise boring and small kitchen is 10 times cooler because of the chalkboard wall.

Such a neat idea to fix an awkward space!

This would make any bathroom more fun!

 If you don't want to paint an entire wall, what about a door, dresser, or even a refrigerator?

CHALKBOARD REFRIGERATORS!

This is from one of my favorite kitchen sets in a movie... Because I Said So

This is such a neat way to use chalkboard paint!

How fun is this??

 If any of these projects are too big, there is always the simple and creative framed chalkboards!

 If you don't have a frame handy...draw one out of chalk!

 Perfect in a wall collage of frames!

These are display plates with the center painted with chalkboard! Such a clever and creative way to spice up a kitchen!

Now, I have to include something that is 2 of my favorite things...

A CHALKBOARD COFFEE MUG!! 

All these ideas are simple and fun. They are great weekend projects for you to do by yourself or invite friends to have a chalkboard craft day! The beauty of chalkboard is you can create anything on it. Draw a picture, display photos, write your favorite quotes, create grocery lists, etc. And once your tired of it? Erase it and create a brand new masterpiece! I hope you saw something that inspired you!