Doctor Who Special Commemorates 50 Years on Television

By: Rob Brown

BLUE BELL, PA--Saturday, November 23, 2013, was the day of the Doctor, when the British Broadcasting Corporation finally aired, after months of intense anticipation amongst the millions of Whovians, a 75-minute special episode that length-wise was “bigger on the inside” than a normal, 45-minute episode, referencing past characters and on-screen events and locations, all the while focusing on the ongoing storyline of the episode.

In the official trailer for the special, Matt Smith, the current actor to play the series’ main character, the Doctor, says, “I’ve had many faces, many lives. But there is one I’ve tried so hard to forget.”  The special will feature his incarnation of the character which will be joined by his predecessor, played by actor David Tennant, as well as a previously-unseen Doctor played by veteran actor John Hurt. Together, all three Doctors must solve the problem that is square and center to the special.

     For fifty years, the world’s longest-running science fiction television series, Doctor Who, has been shown around the world, inspiring two generations of children and adults who wish that they were travelling in time and space.

 The series itself follows the adventures of a mysterious alien traveler known only as “the Doctor,” whose home looks like a British Police Telephone Box from the 1950s – in reality a spaceship that is bigger on the inside – that can go anywhere in time and space. For as long as the show has been running, the Doctor has always been, and continues to be accompanied by supporting characters called “companions,” whose main purpose is to give viewers an insight into the Doctor’s adventures, interpreting and piecing together the problem or conflict that the character faces.  Together, he and they visit distant planets and time periods, fighting monsters, righting wrongs and defending the universe from anyone who tries to conquer it for evil purposes.  The Doctor also has the ability to change his appearance and personality when injured or dying of old age; in that sense, the main actor and the show itself has constantly “regenerated” over the years.  This “passing of the torch” from one actor to another has since resulted in the Doctor being played by eleven, soon to be twelve, different actors. 

Since the show first aired on November 23, 1963 (the day after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated), its “classic series,” as it is known, ran for 26 seasons before being cancelled in 1989.  After a one-night comeback in the form of a television movie in 1996, the show returned to episodic form in 2005, and has since enjoyed tremendous success with a new generation of viewers as well as fans of the classic series.  And that success will be sure to multiply even after the building anticipation that made 2013 a “fantastic” anniversary year for Doctor Who.

Movie Ratings: A Change in Standards or People?

By: Rob Brown

BLUE BELL, PA--A study conducted since the 1980s, which found that PG-13 rated movies today contain more violence than R-rated movies released when this study was first conducted, made headlines across every news outlet earlier this month.  As the Philadelphia Inquirer put it, if Thor: The Dark World, a superhero movie just recently released, “was released in the ‘80s, it might have earned an R rating.”

In comparing the Inquirer to the New York Times and USA Today, all three print publications came out with the same story, all giving the same findings and the effects they can have on moviegoers, but all told in slightly different ways. 

The New York Times’ reporting of the study is pretty much straightforward, except it doesn’t mention the intensifying violence in PG-13 movies over the last 30 years; these results, which found that violence in films has doubled since 1950, and gun violence in PG-13 movies has tripled since 1985, are not even hinted at in the article.  No movie examples are given, but they do bring up the study’s authors and the message they hope to send to the Motion Picture Association of America, demanding changes to its rating system. But where did the New York Times find this study?

The answer lies in USA Today and the Inquirer’s coverage – the online journal Pediatrics, which will feature the study in next month’s issue.  These two publications go further with specific sources and information, with notable and significant mentions that since the PG-13 rating was first introduced in 1984, violence dropped in movies rated PG and lower, while R rated movies were flatline.  That was, of course, until 2009, when the level of violence in PG movies shot up.

But in terms of overall coverage of this story by all three publications, the New York Times, USA Today and the Inquirer covered most, if not all, bases, from what the study revealed, to the implications of Hollywood’s implied motto that, in the words of Daniel Romer of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, “violence sells.”  These newspapers, in their continuing efforts to cover all sides of the story, reported on the need for change as said by the researchers behind the study.  Except for the New York Times, which fails to mention that violence in today’s PG-13 movies has not only increased over the last 30 years, but that it skyrocketed.

"Thor: The Dark World" Even Better Than the First

By: Danielle Ruch 

BLUE BELL, PA--Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World, the sequel to 2011’s Thor was released in theaters on November 8th, 2013 and grossed over $85 million in its opening weekend.  Directed by Alan Taylor, this film picks up where The Avengers left off.  The main antagonist, Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) is being held prisoner in the dungeons of Asgard, as punishment for his crimes inflicted on Earth.  We find Loki’s brother, Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) busy with establishing peace among the nine realms, which leaves little time for the woman he loves on Earth, Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman. 

Thor: The Dark World was one of the better Marvel films and was even better than its predecessor.  The cinematography was superior to the first, and the animation looked a lot less cheesy, as the audience actually got a better glimpse into the world of Asgard, and all its amenities.  The plot was also a bit more interesting that the first Thor film.  The cliché of the destruction of the universe may be overdone, but for this film, it works. The characters also have a lot more depth, and the relationships are more complicated, as one of the more notable performances comes from Tom Hiddleston, who delivers just the right amount of insanity that Loki requires.

There aren’t many major differences between this film and other Super Hero movies, but for fans who can’t get enough of the Marvel universe, this film will not disappoint.  Sprinkled with just the right amount of humor, romance, action and suspense, Thor: The Dark World continues along the path of massive success from the world of Marvel’s comics.

Montco's Preparations for Public Relations

By: Danielle Ruch 

BLUE BELL, PA--Montgomery County Community College is preparing to expand its academic opportunities, starting with establishing Specialty Certificates, one in particular being Public Relations.  One of many new Specialty Certificates, Public Relations is defined as the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization and the public.  The aim of public relations by a company is to persuade the public, investors, partners, and employees to maintain a certain view about its leadership, and products.  The new program at Montco includes new classes such as SPC 125: Introduction to Public Relations, and SPC 225: Writing for Public Relations Campaigns. These classes are designed so that students learn the basic concepts necessary to understand what public relations is and how it is practiced in a variety of settings.  The Public Relations Specialty Certificate has a tuition fee of $3,297.00 and may be completed with just six classes over a period of a year or less.  These certificates were designed to give students an advantage professionally, and help them advance in their careers.  Students at Montgomery County Community College seem enthusiastic about this new program developing on campus and how it may benefit them professionally, and allow them to obtain a more specific degree.  For more information, contact Tom Donlan or visit mc3.edu.

The Legacy Steve Jobs Left Behind

By: Daniele Ruch 

BLUE BELL, PA--Steve Jobs helped design and develop modern devices that are still used all over the world today. He was an Entrepreneur, and the Chairman, Co-founder, and CEO of Apple Inc. Jobs met Steve Wozniak while in high school, and the two connected immediately.  When he was 21 years old, Jobs, along with his friend Wozniak started Apple Computers in the Jobs’ family garage.  Jobs and Wozniak created computers that were smaller and cheaper for the everyday customer.  In 1980, The Apple Computer became a publicly traded company, with a market value of $1.2 billion on the first day.  However, with the release of newer products, consumers grew disappointed, and as IBM became Apple’s newest competition.  In 1985, Jobs was kicked out as Apple’s CEO by his closest friends, and founded a new software company called NeXT, Inc.  Jobs then purchased an animation company from George Lucas, which later became Pixar Animation Studios.  Jobs invested $50 million into the company, and Pixar’s films have since acquired over $4 billion.  Apple eventually purchased NeXT Inc., for $429 million in 1997, the same year Jobs returned as the CEO for Apple.  Since that time, Apple has introduced revolutionary products such as the MacBook, iPod and iPhone, all of which helped shape modern technology.  On October 5th, 2011, Jobs passed away at the age of 56 after battling Pancreatic Cancer for almost a decade.  Despite this loss, Steve Jobs’ spirit still lives on through all of his contributions to modern technology as Apple still remains one of the world’s most powerful companies with a net worth of $185 billion.  

Montco Loves To Binge Watch

By: Danielle Ruch 

BLUE BELL, PA--Students at Montgomery County Community College love catching up on their favorite shows by binge watching.  Of the students asked at Montco, all stated that they have binge-watched a series at least once in their lives.  For some students, binging is second nature.  Second year Montco student Matt Hawkins stated, “I love binge watching.  It’s actually kind of unhealthy because I will literally just spend hours in front of my computer watching shows, and I end up getting nothing done all day, but I continue to do it.”  Binge watching is watching television shows for long periods of time, usually hours at a time.  This is a phenomenon and has become popular with the rise of online media services such as Hulu and Netflix, because these websites make full seasons of popular TV shows available online.  Some of the most popular series Montco Students watch include Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Modern Family, and Game of Thrones. 

Netflix was founded in 1997 and grossed over 2 billion dollars in 2012, while Hulu-founded 10 years later- only grossed 100 million.  According to the Piksel Binge Viewing Survey, 62% of people prefer a combination of binge watching and catching up a few days later, 17% regularly binge, 16% watch an episode or two every few days, and 6% never binge watch.  These percentages however, don’t prove true on Montco’s campus.  Third year Montco Student, Steve Levine said, “I binge watch shows all the time.  I’ll waste my entire weekend just catching up on a series.  It’s so addicting and you don’t even realize how much time is going by while binge watching.”  This seems to be the “norm” at Montco, wasting many a weekend just by watching TV shows.  I think it’s a lot more common nowadays because our generation is so immersed in technology and we love keeping up with whatever’s current.”

Majority of Montco Students Listen To Advertisements to Get Their Music

By: Danielle Ruch

BLUE BELL, PA--Seventy-five percent of students at Montgomery County Community College prefer free music streaming services and do not mind listening to commercials.  According to a survey of 12 students at Montgomery County College, 25% don’t mind paying a subscription fee to avoid advertisements interfering with their music-listening experiences.

There are three basic business models when it comes to obtaining music online.  First there is paying for music, then there is stealing it, and finally there is “borrowing” it.  The first model is found in programs such as iTunes.  The second can be from stealing audio from the internet.  The third comes from programs like Spotify, where one streams the music, and listens to commercials every now and then.  Music streaming services were founded in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the first of many being Napster.  These services grew rapidly, as with their connection to social media, and virtually replaced the need for physical CD copies of music.  The program Spotify was developed in 2006 and was launched in October of 2008.  Spotify allows users to gather playlists of the favorite music, but they cannot take those playlists on the go with them, without paying a fee.  Music Streaming Services such as Spotify and Pandora allow users to listen to their favorite artists whenever they want.  However, there is a catch: users can listen to their favorite songs as much as they want for free, with occasional advertisements.  If users wish to listen to music without the interruption, they can choose to pay a subscription fee, and listen without commercials.  Second year Montco student Alyson Wernly says, “I love Spotify.  I get to listen to all different types of artists, and listen to every album they’ve ever made.  I really don’t mind having to listen to commercials because on Spotify, they aren’t so frequent that it takes away from my music listening experience.” This system seems to be the business model that is winning at Montco.  Other students agreed and the majority does not mind listening to a few commercials while using these programs.