Archive for May, 2010

What are Kids Watching on Satellite TV

Monday, May 31st, 2010

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Entertainment has evolved drastically over the centuries, and particularly so in the past few decades as technology has invaded and subsequently guided our lives into the 21st century. This attention to the tools and services that provide us with new forms of entertainment has created an entirely new generation of individuals fixated on their computer and television screens like never before. Whether or not this is a positive evolution in the way of personal entertainment is up to the individual to decide, but the evidence of its ceaseless growth is everywhere. From new video game consoles to satellite TV in many Americans’ homes, the relationship between people and their technological equipment is an ever-evolving one.

 

Within this new generation of technology-obsessed people, young children and even teenagers are part of the newest wave of the so-called ‘Generation X’. Many people are asking the question: What are the new ways that this generation is interacting with this new technology? And is it positive or negative for their growth? To understand this massive question, it’s probably best to focus on just one element of personal entertainment, such as home satellite TV. With this mind, a cross section of how young people are interacting with the technology will give us a better idea of how it is affecting our youth.

 

For one, the variety of programming has actually created a lot more positive ways of influencing young people via satellite TV. It has meant more educational programming across the board, with improved quality in both the programming and in the images as they’re depicted in HD on many channels. This combination of improvements is certainly one reason for the increased viewing, but also gives some indication of what many television channels are focusing on, and how they’re reaching their market. (more…)

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Keep the memory alive with a Tom and Jerry DVD collectable set

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

Whether you watch Tom and Jerry on television or you’re enjoying a Tom and Jerry DVD, this cat and mouse duo are the same, their hilarious adventures have kept audiences both young and old laughing at the edge of their seats for over 50 years. As one of the longest running cartoon series in the world it is shown in countries like Vietnam, Africa, China, Laos, Spain and Mexico, as well as hundreds more that you may have never heard of before. Whether it’s their easy to follow slapstick comedy or the lovable way that the two characters interact, no one knows why Tom and Jerry is so popular with so many people around the world. 

If you are a parent then you probably own 1 or 2 Tom and Jerry DVD box sets, there’s no doubt that children love it and you’ll catch them shouting at the television screen whenever Tom gets too close to catching Jerry. In England during the unfortunate IRA bomb scares, hundreds of people found themselves stuck indoors, afraid to leave their homes. The main television channels also had to close down at this time and decided that airing a few Tom and Jerry episodes would be a great boost to peoples moral; this worked and consequently the cartoon is now put aired each time the channel has to stop its service.

How Tom and Jerry started

Two people were responsible for these loveable cartoon characters, William Hannah and Joseph Barbara. They met in the 1940′s when mass entertainment was just starting to take a hold on the public. What made them a perfect pair was their personal abilities and how these complimented each other so well. William Hannah had strong directing skills and had already made a name in the industry, and on the other hand Joseph Barbara was an amazingly creative story teller and character designer. The duo put their heads together and came up with several classic cartoon series that also includes the Jetsons, Flintstones and Yogi Bear; plus a whole line of other titles that you will definitely be aware of.

In the many years that Tom and Jerry has been running there have been several directors and artists helping to churn out original episodes, after Hannah and Barbara the MGM studios hired a Czech director named Gene Deitch to continue working on the series, he created 13 shorts in all. Directly following Gene was Chuck Jones and iconic cartoon director and artist in his own right, he was hired in 1965 and brought the Tom and Jerry show back up to its previous popular level. The Tom and Jerry Chuck Jones DVD set was released by the studios to pay homage to this late great artist and has all of the episodes that he created while working on the cartoon.     (more…)

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