tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post5633878003737933989..comments2023-06-30T05:06:42.335-04:00Comments on My Life, at 24 Frames Per Second: Life Update No. 14: Hallelujah!...Almost/Good Intentions/Bad IntentionsKenji Fujishimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10635553450551818306noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-72564108473570838292007-04-18T01:13:00.000-04:002007-04-18T01:13:00.000-04:00If they put you in the accounting section, you'll ...<I>If they put you in the accounting section, you'll make your Mom happy too! :)</I><BR/><BR/>Was definitely not planning on working on accounting in any form even at the Journal, but actually, my mom was pretty happy about the internship. So I guess we're on pretty good terms now.<BR/><BR/><I>Remind me to tell you about my meeting (and arguing) with Julie Salamon back when she was at the WSJ.</I><BR/><BR/>What's this about? Just curious; don't really know of Julie Salamon all that much.Kenji Fujishimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10635553450551818306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-43643080781155586712007-04-17T23:38:00.000-04:002007-04-17T23:38:00.000-04:00Belated Congratulations on the WSJ gig! I envy you...Belated Congratulations on the WSJ gig! I envy you! I'm sure you'll make one helluva copy editor. If they put you in the accounting section, you'll make your Mom happy too! :)odienatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10926978706604468636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-2672258656867090352007-04-17T20:50:00.000-04:002007-04-17T20:50:00.000-04:00I explained it here: http://mylife24fps.blogspot.c...I explained it here: http://mylife24fps.blogspot.com/2006/12/kenji-fujishima-copy-editor.html.<BR/><BR/><I>Can you make my stock go up?</I><BR/><BR/>Sorry, that ain't my thing. But hopefully I will be partly making sure that the Wall Street Journal is in good-looking shape every day.Kenji Fujishimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10635553450551818306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-33136550006252350982007-04-17T15:50:00.000-04:002007-04-17T15:50:00.000-04:00my Wall Street Journal internship (do you know abo...<I>my Wall Street Journal internship (do you know about that?)</I><BR/><BR/>HELLL NO! Is that written about somewhere on this blog? Are you holding out on me, Kenji?!! Can you make my stock go up? How did you get the internship? <BR/><BR/>Remind me to tell you about my meeting (and arguing) with Julie Salamon back when she was at the WSJ.odienatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10926978706604468636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-6045577489881913402007-04-16T22:29:00.000-04:002007-04-16T22:29:00.000-04:00That doesn't matter. I had no school spirit whatso...<I>That doesn't matter. I had no school spirit whatsoever, but I bled, sweat and cried for a piece of paper with my alma mater's name on it (and written in a dead language for which I lost the translation). That makes good ol' St. Pete's a representation of me in some fashion.</I><BR/><BR/>Well, I guess I'll feel differently about school spirit when I finally get my diploma from Rutgers---not next month, though, because I'm hoping my Wall Street Journal internship (do you know about that?) will count as the last six credits of my journalism major.Kenji Fujishimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10635553450551818306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-48107609211014176102007-04-16T20:53:00.000-04:002007-04-16T20:53:00.000-04:00What was a cop-out: the idea of transcending a dis...<I>What was a cop-out: the idea of transcending a disreputable genre or the way Tarantino went about doing it?</I><BR/><BR/>Both. It really did seem like Tarantino tossed aside the general idea of exploitation movies and tried to do something to take it to a level of "respectability." It's interesting that the critics are drooling all over Tarantino but dissing Rodriguez; it feels like Rodriguez followed the premise all the way through to its nostalgic conclusion and Tarantino did not. Like I said, I do think Tarantino's part is better overall. This is just my trash-loving split personality bitching.<BR/><BR/><I>But one of Imus' crew clearly namedropped DTRT at one point during his fateful broadcast.</I><BR/><BR/>I went back to listen to it. He said DTRT. He <I>meant</I> School Daze because that's the movie that song is in. You should definitely watch the former. The latter is Spike's biggest disappointment for me (but not even remotely his worst movie). I love the soundtrack to School Daze, though. When I finish my big Spike Lee article, I'll send it to you.<BR/><BR/><I>Speaking personally, I don't know about that, and school spirit has never really been a big part of my college life up to this point</I><BR/><BR/>That doesn't matter. I had no school spirit whatsoever, but I bled, sweat and cried for a piece of paper with my alma mater's name on it (and written in a dead language for which I lost the translation). That makes good ol' St. Pete's a representation of me in some fashion. When people ask where I got my credentials from, I can't say "Sally Struthers." <BR/><BR/>Gotta love those Jesuits.odienatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10926978706604468636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-90857888320430703752007-04-16T10:54:00.000-04:002007-04-16T10:54:00.000-04:00It's a noble effort to be sure, but part of me fel...<I>It's a noble effort to be sure, but part of me felt like it was a cop-out.</I><BR/><BR/>What was a cop-out: the idea of transcending a disreputable genre or the way Tarantino went about doing it?<BR/><BR/><I>Didn't Imus and his producer cite School Daze, not DTRT?</I><BR/><BR/>I actually have not seen <I>School Daze</I> (or, to be perfectly honest, <I>Do the Right Thing</I>, for that matter---an oversight that, I admit, needs to be rectified soon), so I'm not sure what song you're referring to. But one of Imus' crew clearly namedropped <I>DTRT</I> at one point during his fateful broadcast. I guess it was just a random reference, but it's the only one I caught.<BR/><BR/><I>And further like it or not, the college you go to is a representation of YOU.</I><BR/><BR/>Speaking personally, I don't know about that, and school spirit has never really been a big part of my college life up to this point (although of course I enjoyed the football team's moment in the sun when they beat Louisville on national television). But I see what you mean.<BR/><BR/>And I'm sure Imus will be fine, especially on satellite, if that's where he wants to go.Kenji Fujishimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10635553450551818306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-81746887696461435102007-04-15T16:36:00.000-04:002007-04-15T16:36:00.000-04:00it finally got me and my blog mentioned as a "link...<I>it finally got me and my blog mentioned as a "link for the day" on The House Next Door!</I><BR/><BR/>To quote Johnny Carson: "I did not know that!" Awesome! <BR/><BR/>I agree with you on QT trying to do something more with his part of Grindhouse than Rodriguez did, to transcend a genre that doesn't need transcendence. It's a noble effort to be sure, but part of me felt like it was a cop-out. You can't make Duck a l'Orange out of Chicken McNuggets. The critic in me appreciated Death Proof. The human being in me enjoyed Planet Terror.<BR/><BR/>Didn't Imus and his producer cite School Daze, not DTRT? They mentioned lyrics from Daze's "Straight and Nappy" number. Spike hasn't said anything to my knowledge, but while he's being quiet I wish he'd consider remaking this movie with the same musical score and a better script.<BR/><BR/>I wasn't there, but the big rally at Rutgers sounds like a show of school spirit and solidarity, not revenge. Like it or not, this is your school's team, a representation of YOUR school. And further like it or not, the college you go to is a representation of YOU. I understand completely why students were out there protesting. Having been to plenty of college games, at Rutgers, Duke, UC and my own alma mater, I know that a lot of college kids identify with their school's teams. <BR/><BR/>Where were women's organizations when all this was going on? Does NOW even exist anymore? Has NOW become LATER? The ho part of this was far more offensive than the nappy part, though I seriously question the sanity of any White person who would say "jigaboo" on the air. Where were the women complaining about this?<BR/><BR/>I do hope that people start to re-examine the depiction of women and minorities in music videos and movies--especially minority women. Like I said, I can't stop these images from appearing because they sell, and I'd be a hypocrite if I said I didn't appreciate seeing things like that Victoria's Secret fashion show thingee that the FCC got overheated over. But I'd love to see more balance. Maybe this will get the ball rolling.<BR/><BR/>I missed that South Park episode. I wanted to see it too.<BR/><BR/>Imus will be fine. He'll go on satellite and make millions, and probably be even more offensive. You make it sound like the "bloodthirsty" ended the man's career and he's going to be selling his ass (an unnappy headed ho?) on the corner of Hollywood and Vine. He just proved the economic rule: stations don't like to lose money from sponsors.<BR/><BR/><I>(and then I had to try to explain it to my mother)</I><BR/><BR/>Now THIS is a blog entry I'd love to read. :)odienatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10926978706604468636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-24391125666625205682007-04-15T14:38:00.000-04:002007-04-15T14:38:00.000-04:00odienator:Don't worry; I saw both features of Grin...odienator:<BR/><BR/>Don't worry; I saw both features of <I>Grindhouse</I> in full. I only missed a bit of Robert Rodriguez's preceding faux trailer <I>Machete</I> b/c my friend was a little late. Sorry if that wasn't clear.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure <I>Planet Terror</I> was probably closer to your experiences at those kinds of movies as a younger kid---experiences that I admittedly don't really have, since obviously I wasn't around during the 1970s. (I felt more genuine nostalgia with Eli Roth's <I>Thanksgiving</I> trailer, which reminded me of all those '80s slasher movies I used to know and love. In fact, that trailer almost tempted to check out movies like <I>Happy Birthday to Me</I> and <I>Graduation Day</I> again.) It's pretty clear that Rodriguez's film was meant to be a loving tribute. I'm also fairly sure, however, that Quentin Tarantino was trying for something a little more deconstructive in <I>Death Proof</I>, and that's probably why I enjoyed it more (even if it has its longueurs---but then don't most Tarantino films have longueurs? It's just a nature of his style, I guess). Three stars overall sounds just about right.<BR/><BR/>Don't have much to say about your comments about Imus. Absolutely he should be prepared to accept the consequences; maybe his efforts to keep himself on the air---his appearance on Al Sharpton's radio show, his supposedly booking a gospel choir as guests on his show (at least that's what I've heard somewhere), etc.---perhaps betrayed a sense that he wasn't prepared to do that.<BR/><BR/>To be perfectly honest, I didn't quite get what the big deal about his comments were until a) someone explained the meaning of "nappy-headed ho's" to me (and then I had to try to explain it to my mother); and b) I saw the whole video of his complete comments on Youtube. Then the sexism and racism of the comment became terribly clear to me, especially when he invoked Spike Lee and <I>Do the Right Thing</I>. (I wonder if Lee has publicly weighed in on this matter yet.) But yeah, the comment was certainly uncalled for. Doesn't mean Imus wasn't allowed to say it in the first place, however awful it is and however badly it reflects upon him.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I take heart the lesson offered by, of all people, Trey Parker and Matt Stone in a recent episode of <I>South Park</I> that took on the subject of racism in terms of Michael Richards, Mel Gibson, etc. Because I'm not black and not a woman, I won't pretend to totally understand how Imus's comments hurt blacks and women everywhere. Still, I can't help but feel that the campaign against Imus---there was even a highly-publicized rally on the College Ave. campus here at Rutgers to get rid of him---was just a tad on the excessive and even bloodthirsty side; I feel like most people will "wake up" and realize that, while Imus's firing might be temporarily satisfying, particularly to the Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons of the world, it won't be close to the end of the story. If you're going to go after Imus, might as well go after all forms and personifications of racism and sexism in the media (and God knows there is still plenty of both in the media, however subtle they may be). But of course maybe if I was black and female, maybe I'd feel quite differently.<BR/><BR/>Well, perhaps two good things happened here: 1) this incident perhaps brought this issue of the pervasiveness of racism and sexism in the media to the public forum full force, where now we must question how much both -isms can be tolerated anymore, and 2) it finally got me and my blog mentioned as a "link for the day" on <I>The House Next Door</I>! I was totally not expecting that.Kenji Fujishimahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10635553450551818306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27825798.post-23922405652992945252007-04-15T13:43:00.000-04:002007-04-15T13:43:00.000-04:00A 40 page thesis? That's way too short! As someone...A 40 page thesis? That's way too short! As someone who had to regularly write several 30-40 page assignments for class, I say that you are slacking, Kenji! My thesis must be at least 50 pages, and I'm sure I'll get about 70 quality pages into it with ease.<BR/><BR/>SLACKER!!!! (I'm just kidding. Congrats on your achievement.)<BR/><BR/>Regarding Grindhouse: I grew up with this kind of cinema. We went to drive-ins and the old Forty-Deuce theaters regularly, and the State and Pix Theaters in Jersey City were our neighborhood grindhouses. We would buy a ticket to something PG or G rated, then sneak into the naughty double feature. In fact, when I went to see QT & RR's flick, I purposely bought a ticket to Meet the Robinsons and snuck into Grindhouse after watching the cartoon--yet another pathetic attempt to recapture my youth. <BR/><BR/>Speaking of pathetic attempts, MTR is almost as bad as Chicken Little. <BR/><BR/>Your Grindhouse comment confused me a bit. Did you sit through the film in its entirety, or just the QT half? If the latter is true, don't you dare write a review of the movie if you only saw half of it. How you feel about what Rodriguez's piece might be strikes me as irrelevant; film critics don't get a pass on what parts of the movie they can see and critique. I've sat through every single frame of every single film I've written about, including Birth of a Nation. I expect nothing less from the reviewers I read.<BR/><BR/>QT's section is better, but Rodriguez's half is more fun and closer to my grindhouse experiences. I acknowledge that it gets tiresome and repetitive, and I would rather have seen what Rodriguez could have done with an actual B-movie budget (like the one on his best movie, El Mariachi) than $50 million, but I had fun turning my brain off and my cast iron stomach on. I was more in love with the concept of a stripper with a machine gun for a leg than the execution of it, but at least Rodriguez didn't try to do a Welcome Home, Brother Charles kind of weapon movie. (QT would have done that, actually.)<BR/><BR/>QT seemed conflicted with his part, as if he realized midway through the film that he actually had more money, but I can't be too angry at him for giving me the Kurt Russell of my adolescence. That badass from one of my favorite movies, Escape from New York, infuses Death Proof with necessary menace. That fake female dialogue sometimes became as tiresome as Rodriguez's gore effects, but it gave me that nostalgic feeling I got as a kid waiting for "the good parts" in these types of movies. <BR/><BR/>The entire movie is a nice three star package. I loved the sick (and accurate) grindhouse trailers more than both features. I'd kill to see Edgar Wright's Don't.<BR/><BR/>As for Imus, well I'd expect you to be indifferent. Nobody would call you a nappy headed ho since, well, you're a guy and your hair sure doesn't look nappy. Imus' comments were reprehensible because it was an exercise of his power, not a comedic routine. What he said wasn't as bad as about whom he said it. You can toss around the First Amendment all you want, but my response to that is: if you want to say whatever you want, you should also be willing to accept the consequence. I can go to Staten Island or "down the Shaw" with a megaphone and start screaming out slurs against Italians, but I'd better be prepared for the repercussions of my actions.<BR/><BR/>My familiarity with Imus' show goes back to B.K. times (that's "before Kenji"), when he was the first half of the "Dubya-Ennnnnn-B-C" double feature of Imus and Howard Stern. You are right--he's been saying shit like this forever, but he's been saying it about people whom I feel are more "his own size." That reporter from the NY Times certainly had the forum, the power and the maturity to rip Imus a new one if she so chose. But what did these Rutgers basketball women do to be referred to as hos? <BR/><BR/>I love that the coach and the players took the high road, appearing in their press conference as the articulate women they are, not the blatant stereotypes depicted by Imus and the media (and occasionally by the actions of our own). The fact that Imus picked on a target like Black and female college students trying to get an education, and not some celebrity, is what screwed him. He looked like an old racist and sexist bully, a good ole boy who started picking on targets who don't have the power to fight him on his own turf.<BR/><BR/>Had the advertisers not pulled out of his show, he'd still be on. I don't think the Reverends can take the credit for that pullout, even though they are.<BR/><BR/>Should Imus have lost his job? I was fine with the suspension, but that guy who accidentally called Condoleeza Rice "the other c-word" got canned during the commercial break, so I guess it's only fair Imus went too. I'm with you on the fact that Imus' dismissal won't do diddly for making race relations better. In fact, perhaps scaring Imus with the suspension might have gotten him to tone down his comments and become more self-conscious and proactive. What I'm watching for is a follow up on the promise by "the Reverends" to go after BET and other venues that show rap videos all day long. My problem isn't so much that those negative Black and female images exist; my bigger problem is the lack of images that balance out and counter them.odienatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10926978706604468636noreply@blogger.com