The Amazing Spider-Man

Play the "spider-pig" song from The Simpson's movie to someone and there is a high chance that they will sing along. Play them the original version of that song from the old Spider-Man cartoons and you might get a couple of blank looks. But believe it or not, Spider-Man has been around for a very long time. In fact, even longer than Doctor Who. 

Stan Lee first bought the character to life in the comic extravaganza, Amazing Fantasy. A comic in which the whimsical hero, Spider-Man, was only supposed to make an appearance. He was added in later because Stan Lee was doubtful that the comic would sell. "Nobody cares about what you put in a book that's going to die," said Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-Man and the beloved Marvel Universe, "so I threw in Spider-Man. Featured him on the cover and then forgot about him." Martin Goodman, the publisher of the Marvel comics, didn't want to publish it as he was convinced that the audience would find the spider aspect of the boy-hero to be "distateful". But Spider-Man and his legacy went on to spawn hundreds of comics, several television series' and two movie franchises. Not bad for a hero who was supposed to be a "one-shot experiment". 

Spider-Man in the Marvel Universe.

The tale of the hero, Spider-Man is not only a classic, but easily relate able to almost anyone. Unlike the other heroes in the Marvel universe, young Peter Parker doesn't get caught up in the hysteria of having powers. In fact, at first he doesn't even know what to do with them. Later on he uses them for revenge. 

Although there are several different Spider-Man verses (including Ultimate Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man), they all contain the same event which pushes Peter to become Spider-man. *SPOILER ALERT* His beloved Uncle Ben is shot by a robber which Peter let slip by him earlier. Although the details are changed minutely throughout the different universes, the results are the same. The birth of the superhero known as Spider-Man. 

The latest franchise of Spider-Man movies is based on The Amazing Spider-Man comics, with Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker and Emma Stone

Andrew Garfield (LEFT) and Emma Stone (RIGHT)
in the 2012 film, The Amazing Spider-Man.

playing Peter's love interest, Gwen Stacy. Although it was originally rumored that a fourth installment of the Sam Raimi franchise starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst was going to be the newest Spider-Man film, it was later announced that the films would be receiving a reboot. Garfield and Stone were chosen out of the hundreds that auditioned. They are currently filming the second installment: The Amazing Spider-Man 2. 

Photoshop: the good, the bad and the ugly

Photoshop gone wrong... Jennifer Lawrence before photoshop (LEFT), and after (RIGHT)

Photos have always been a way of telling a story. From the cave drawings in prehistoric times to the GIFs we have now, photography is just another element to news stories and story telling in general. Often a photographer will photoshop their work to get rid of any minor inconsistencies in the photo. However, sometimes they go too far. Particularly in media publications like fashion magazines.

This is a GIF.

Far too often you see a magazine cover with an unrecognizable celebrity gracing the cover. They've had their lips plumped, their skin retouched and their noses scaled down so much that even they're biggest fans would have a hard time recognizing their favourite celebrity. Although men do fall victim to this issue, it is mainly women who suffer the consequences. They're told that in order to fit in they have to: be skinny but fit, have a nice golden tan, long flowing hair, big breasts and luscious curves all at the same time. So, pretty much look like a barbie doll. Although scientists have already proven that Barbie would not be able to survive due to her inconsistent and out of whack bod proportions, it doesn't stop girls from trying to look like her.

Thirteen per cent of girls in Australia are reported to have an eating disorder each year, along with seven percent of boys. From a young age children are bombarded with images of what "perfect" looks like. By the time they're in their teens, they've already been convinced that they're not good enough. That's when the dieting begins.

 Although photo-shopping in magazines has been known to get out of hand, that doesn't eliminate the use of photography in journalism. When used correctly, a photo can add a touch of sorrow or joy to an otherwise lacking story. Techniques such as the framing, focus and exposure in the photo, when used correctly, can make or break the story. As Eddie Adams once said, "If it makes you laugh, it it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, that's a good picture."

Reporting War and Trauma

Journalist, Christina Lamb reporting from Afghanistan.

War and trauma are two of the hardest topics for a journalist to cover. In week eight of JN1001, we learnt about reporting in war zones and on trauma. As is it was such a sensitive topic, I  - and I'm sure a couple of other students - probably felt a little bit uncomfortable. But nonetheless it needed to be discussed.

 Whether it be writing about it for a newspaper or talking about it to a class of journalism students, the effects are always there. War, death, natural disasters and acts of terrorism are just some of the topics which come under the somewhat broad umbrella of war and trauma. From a local car accident to 9/11, trauma is always prevalent in society. Although most people prefer to be avert to trauma, some chase it, surrounding their life in it. These people do this by going to war zones for long periods of time to report on the tragedy on behalf of their news paper or country.

As a person who is not comfortable hearing about or seeing violence, it is hard for me to imagine wanting to have such a career. But alas, my opinions are not the most important and they certainly aren't the only ones. Many people who cover topics such as war face many challenges. Some of these are psychological problems. When faced with continuous violence and unspeakable acts day after day, it can affect a person in ways that are unimaginable. Our lecturer, Marie, reminded us that if any of us go on to be war reporters, that we must remember what our job is. That is to be a journalist and nothing else. 

To be a journalist reporting in a war zone or on a tragedy, one must be able to do several things. Maintaining your professionalism and empathy is one of those things. The other important thing is to be able to remove yourself from the situation. After all, you're a reporter. Not a medic, not a counselor and not a soldier. These are some of the abilities that one would need to possess if one chose to report on war and trauma. Whether or not one would choose this career path is up to you and you alone. After all, you only get one life. You may as well live it the way you want to.

Steven Moffat: Misogynist or Genius?

Steven Moffat: Writer or ex-term-in-ator of "Doctor Who"?

When the words "strong female character" are uttered aloud, the imagery one might produce might be that of a young woman with a couple of battle scars holding a gun and/or some other type of weaponry. At least, that's what Steven Moffat, the current show runner of the BBC's popular sci-fi show, Doctor Who, seems to think of. Many people could argue, "But Steven is a brilliant writer of female characters! Look at Amy Pond and River Song!" While he may be a perfectly talented writer who is capable of stringing together some of the most popular and well-written episodes of the sci-fi giant, that doesn't excuse the sexist and misogynistic writing that has befallen the audiences ever since Moffat has been at the helm of Doctor Who.

For years, female characters have received the same old story lines and roles in film and television; be the "annoying wife", console the male or spend the entire movie chasing after one. Whereas their male counterparts can spend an entire movie saving lives or simply just being with their friends without so much as a whisper from a female. These representations by the media translate over to real life, telling women everywhere that they're not worth anything unless they have a boyfriend or husband. And that's exactly what happened to Doctor Who's seemingly fiesty companion, Amy Pond and her daughter, River Song.

Karen Gillan as Amy Pond.

Both characters start out with a seemingly interesting story ahead, only for the stories to fall flat on their faces. Amy's story, although it starts out with just her and the Doctor's adventures, ends up mainly revolves around her relationship with Rory Williams. She is disguised as a strong woman by throwing quick quips at Rory and being the "dominant" one in the relationship. This is, however, thrown out the window in series seven when Amy decides that she and Rory are over. All because Amy can't give Rory what he wants; children. (Because if a woman can't have children, what good is she, right?! *sarcasm*). This right here is a perfect example of Moffat's misogynistic ways. 

Alex Kingston as River Song/Melody Pond.

River Song is another character who showed great promise only to be stuck in the same story line over and over again.  She first appeared in the series four episode, "Silence in the Library" and came across as a witty, interesting character from the Doctor's future. Unbeknown to the Doctor, she was to be his wife. In the end, that's all she becomes. Throughout the series' she spend numerous amounts of time tracking down the Doctor and flirting with him. Most of that time she is carrying a gun on her person. It is a well-known fact that the Doctor hates violence, in particular guns, and has been quoted on several occasions stating his strong dislike for them. A good example of this is a quote from the sixth episode of the fourth series, “The Doctor’s Daughter”.

THE DOCTOR: Call me old fashioned, but if you really wanted peace couldn't you just stop fighting?

 LIEUTENENT COBB: Only when we have the Source. It will give us the power to erase every stinking Hath off the face of this planet. 

THE DOCTOR: Hang on, a second ago it was peace in our time and now you're talking about genocide!

LIEUTENENT COBB: For us, that means the same thing! 

THE DOCTOR: Then you need to get yourself a better dictionary. When you do, look up genocide. You'll see a little picture of me there and the caption'll read 'over my dead body!' 

(Series 4, Episode 6 – The Doctor’s Daughter)

This character development is, however, thrown away in the later seasons in favour of a quick flirting session with River Song.

THE DOCTOR: Oh and this is my friend River.  Nice hair, clever, has her own gun and unlike me she really doesn’t mind shooting people.  I shouldn’t like that, kinda do a bit.

RIVER SONG: Thank you sweetie. 

Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, channeling "Bad Wolf".

It seems that in Moffat’s eyes, all women can be are smart, sassy and typically beautiful. This is a startling comparison to the companions who were featured in Russell T Daives’ era of Doctor Who. The characters were all relatable and shockingly imperfect (in a good way). Although they had their sass and their intelligence, they also had story lines which allowed them to grow and become better people, rather than just spend two seasons running around chasing the Doctor. Another startling difference between the female characters in Moffat’s era and RTD’s era is the companion’s abilities to be the hero without the Doctor. In the two-part finale of the first series, Rose (with the help of Mickey) opens the heart of the TARDIS and soaks up the time vortex, becomes Bad Wolf and single handedly destroys the Daleks and the Dalek Emperor. Whereas when Amy is faced with danger in “The Girl Who Waited”, she sits and cries whilst waiting for the Doctor to save her. See the difference?

Although there is evidence that Moffat can write (The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances and Blink), it appears that when at the helm of a television show, being in charge of character arcs and plotlines, he is somewhat hopeless as to what real women are actually capable of (other than flirting and being sassy, I mean). This is evident in his shallow portrayal of women on the show Doctor Who, particularly in the characters River Song and Amy Pond. To Moffat, it seems that women are no more than an accessory. Here’s to hoping that Moffat’s writing improves in the coming seasons.

Boston Bombings: A Day of Terror

Marathoners reaching the finish line as the first bomb goes off.

It was supposed to be a day of celebration and achievement. Instead, the Boston Marathons of 2013 will go down in history as a day of terror for the United States and the world. 

It had been three hours since the first runner had crossed the line. Then, at 2:56pm, a massive explosion was heard. With debris flying everywhere and people running in every direction, it was unclear what had caused the explosion. Then just fifteen seconds later, another bomb went off at the JFK Library right down the road. At 3:15pm, the Boston police department released a statement, saying that the two explosions took place at the on Boyleston Street near the finish line of the marathon. At this point in time the number of casualties and injuries was unknown.   

As it turned out, this was the beginning of a saga that would keep the world captivated for two weeks. As the number of injuries became clear, the country mourned for the loss of the two victims who died at the scene. An eight year old boy and a women who’a age is unknown. The number of injuries at the time was ninety-nine, with most of them suffering severe burns or severed limbs. It was reported by the Boston Hospital that “multiple amputations” were among those injured at the marathons.

The two victims: Dzokhar Tsarvaev (Right) and his brother (Left).

As the suspense and terror rose in the US, so did the body count. By 8:03pm that same day, it was reported that one hundred and fifteen people were injured and another person was amongst the dead. More than ever, the public wanted answers. Over the next few days the Boston Police were under immense pressure to find the culprits who were behind this dreadful attack. Countless hours were spent tracking the suspects down, until much to the relief of the public, they were in custody.

The chase lasted a total of 24 hours and shut down the entire city of Boston. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured on Friday, after gunfire from both him and the police was exchanged. It is alleged that he had been hiding in the stern of a boat in the suburb of Watertown, according to police. A resident called the police after discovering blood on the boat. The suspect, Tsarnaev, was taken to hospital in a “serious condition” due to the injuries he had suffered. It is alleged that he had tried to kill himself by putting a gun into his mouth and firing. A failed attempt had left the police doubting he would be able to talk. He is, however, communicating via writing.

Fundamentals of Reporting

As a journalist, certain skills are expected of you. These are the fundamentals of reporting. On the 3rd of April 2013, the JN1001 class of James Cook University learnt about these values and how to correctly and incorrectly apply them to our careers as journalists. As a future journo, it is my hope that I shall be able to report the news in an appropriate manner effectively using these fundamentals.

When it comes to interviewing someone, our lecturer, Marie, was adamant about the rule of letting the interviewee know whether the interview being held was on or off the record. "On the record" meaning that anything they say can and will be included in the article  "off the record" means the opposite, that the interviewee is free to say whatever they want to without it being printed. As a person who believes that everyone should have the right to their own privacy, I believe that this is an important fundamental to incorporate into my job as a journalist. This ties in with another of the fundamentals, which is to be curious, not nosey.

The difference between being curious and nosey can be a fine line. Curiosity (in my eyes at least), is asking someone when their baby is due. Nosey is digging through all of their private files and ultra-sounds to find out what the sex of child is. Nosey is something that, as a journalist and human being, I hope never to be.

Being a journalist for me has been something that I've always been able to picture my self doing one day (If I'm being honest, my inspiration to get into journalism was Chloe on the television show "Smallville"). Whilst it wasn't always my first choice, I always believed that I would one day be doing it. This course has pushed me to learn more about the subject and has made me realize that this is what I want to be doing with my life. I want to be able to make difference in the world.

The classes are enabling me do this by helping me become the person I want to be. Particularly JN1001. In my first week of university I thought that Effective Writing would be my favourite class. English is something that I've always thought be quite good at. (How wrong was I!) To be frank, the Journalist and Society scared me. A lot. But over the past couple of weeks I've found myself looking forward to going to the lectures (even though the lecture is at 8am) and tutorials. I think I enjoy the class because it teaches us about the fundamentals of journalism in a way that doesn't make me feel like I'm being swept away in a tsunami of information (Which how I felt in my first week. Too much information, too fast). 

For now, I am quite enjoying this ride. Although I know it's only the beginning. I hope that one day I am able to look back at this and know that I got the best out of it and became the best journalist that I could be.  

Badwolf is back!

David Tennant and Billie Piper as the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler in the second series of Doctor Who.

With Matt Smith still at the reigns of the TARDIS, many were sceptical of the return of Rose Tyler for the fiftieth anniversary of the cult science fiction show, Doctor Who. Fans were delighted, however, when they heard that the previous Doctor, David Tennant, as well as fan favourite, Billie Piper would in fact be returning for the 50^th Anniversary special that is airing this November, in 3D nonetheless.

Earlier on in 2012, Billie Piper, who played the companion Rose Tyler to Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant’s Doctors respectively, denied any claims that she would be returning for the special this year on the Graham Norton Show. “I wasn’t asked, no…” she replied in answer to whether she had been asked to return.

From 2005 to 2006, Piper graced our screens as the feisty, yet lovely companion. For two years she travelled through time and space, fighting daleks, cybermen, slitheen and even a werewolf. She left in the heart shattering episode, “Doomsday” in 2006, only to make a return two years later in the fourth series.

Filming for the 50th Anniversary special began this week on the 3rd of April. So far, Piper has not been spotted on set. Although David Tennant along with the tenth Doctor's TARDIS has been sighted, sparking speculation that it will be the tenth Doctor that Tennant will be playing, not the meta-crisis Doctor who was created in the fourth series finale, "Journey's End" and was living in the parallel universe with Rose Tyler. 

Along with Rose, the eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith), John Hurt and new companion, Clara Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman) are also scheduled to appear. 

Currently the seventh series of the newly revamped Doctor who, which began airing in 2005, is halfway through with the eighth episode, "The Rings of Akhaten" airing on ABC2 at 7:30pm on Sunday the 7th of April.

Agenda Setting: Is it really that great?

A popular example of agenda setting; the case of OJ Simpson.

Whether or not you want to admit it, the media often control what news we see and hear, and any opinions we have. This is part of a theory called agenda setting. Journalists play a big part in this as they are often who the public rely on to get their news from. Usually, the information that the public is exposed to is portrayed accurately and fairly. Public media usually does a good job of reporting the news that would be deemed more beneficial for the public. Commercial media are more focused on revenue and ratings and are a good example of agenda setting gone wrong.Situations which involve bad agenda setting where facts are twisted around or omitted completely can be, and usually are, damaging. Particularly when there are people’s lives involved.

A recent example of this is the Steubenville rape case. Many news stations, in particular CNN, were only telling the rapists' sides of the story and portraying them as the victims in the situation. Not one mention of the girl whom was raped was made. This particular case is a part of a bigger situation which, through the media and agenda setting, has now become a huge problem in western society: rape culture.

Agenda setting can be broken down into two different parts: First Level Agenda Setting (FLA) and Second Level Agenda (SLA) setting. FLA is described as, “the transfer of the salience of […] issues”, and is for the most part suggesting what the public should focus on through coverage. SLA is how the media focuses on the attributes of the issues at hand.

Sometimes agenda setting can be misleading or misplace the attention. For example; Justin Bieber’s new haircut trumped the topic of AIDs in the news a while back as this was what the media knew the public would be interested in it. This is referred to agenda cutting. Noam Chomsky once commented on this, “The real mass media are basically trying to divert people,” he said, “[…] let everybody be crazed about professional sports or sex scandals or the personalities and their problems.”

Generally, unless it is of extreme import, newspapers and news channels will publish stories about celebrities or news stories with a news value of entertainment  newspaper about curing cancer. This is most commonly done in commercial media stations. The public are, however, very susceptible to the opinions the media give us about certain people, places and things. 

It is the opinion of one journalist, who wishes to remain anonymous, that agenda setting has more of a negative impact on society and journalism than positive. This is because they believe that the  media keeps the public in the dark on certain issues too frequently, or put a less important story ahead of a really important one, depending on which the  think the public will respond to better. 

What is your opinion on agenda setting? Do you think it has a positive impact on society or a negative one? Leave your comments below.

R.I.P Richard Griffiths, 1974 - 2013

He was the man that terrified a whole generation of children. Richard Griffiths breathed life into the horrible Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter series, and boy, was he amazing. It is alleged that Griffiths passed away on the 28th of March from heart complications after a surgery, leaving behind a legacy throughout the British film industry that few can triumph.

Although Griffiths was most notably known by youngsters as Uncle Vernon, he had a vast resume in the acting world. From the television screen, to Broadway and the big screen. He covered it all. From his role as Uncle Monty in the film, Withnail and I (1987) to playing Hector in Alan Bennet’s play, The History Boys (2004), Griffiths was loved by many.

Daniel Radcliffe, who played the boy wizard, Harry alongside Griffith’s Vernon Dursley has nothing but praise for the late actor. “Richard was by my side during two of the most important moments of my career,” he said in a statement.

The first moment Radcliffe is referring to is the filming of the first Harry Potter film back in August 2000, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. “I was nervous and he made me feel at ease,” Radcliffe recalls.

The second moment being the Broadway show Equus, which sparked controversy when the then eighteen year old Radcliffe performed on stage naked. “It was my first time doing a play but, terrified as I was, his encouragement, tutelage and humour made it joy.”

Radcliffe is not the only high profile actor letting the world know of the sorrow he is feeling. Richard Grant, who starred alongside Griffiths in the film, Withnail and I tweeted saying, “My beloved ‘Uncle Monty’ Richard Griffiths died last night. Chin-chin my dear friend.”

Griffiths has won many an award over the past couple of decades, including several for his theatre role as the inspirational teacher in The History Boys, which played in London and New York. He also was awarded an OBE for his services to drama in 2007.

Griffiths was 65 when he passed away, leaving millions with nothing but gratitude for gracing us with his amazing talent and charisma. He will be sorely missed.