TOW #24 Inside “Empire,” The Most Talked-About Show On Television

http://www.buzzfeed.com/kelleylcarter/fox-empire-interview#.rxMwlmzzb

Empire, the musical drama show that centers around a hip-hop and entertainment company, is a riveting, interesting show that grabs its viewers and captivates even the most unwilling of viewers. This Buzzfeed article goes in depth on what it is like to work on and create such a diverse show that delves into hard American stories that are about real people, not caricatures. The main characters of the show are Lucious Lyon, a former drug dealer turned hip hop mogul, Cookie Lyon, his outspoken ex wife, and a host of other characters like Andre Lyon, Jamal Lyon, Hakeem Lyon, Anika Calhoun, Vernon Turner, and Rhonda Lyon. The article goes into depth about the racial undertones in the show and how it mirrors what African-Americans are dealing with today. The head of the show say, “This story is not just the African-American dream, But the American dream.” However, it is clearly focusing on the African-american dream. Rhetorical devices used in this article was direct quotes, like when the stars of the show and the writers of the show were quoted, and also predictions for the future. For example, "Considering its massive midseason success, Empire is clearly ready for the big time. The show will likely return in the fall with a full 22-episode season, though Fox has yet to confirm.The writers go back to work on Season 2 in the middle of April, and, despite adding a few more staff writers, Chaiken said, little will change." and For Season 2, they’re hoping to snag more legendary directors like Spike Lee (“I can’t say anyone else, but think that way,” Daniels said) and actors like Oprah Winfrey (“Cross your fingers,” Daniels said) and Oscar winner Denzel Washington (who, Daniels revealed, “was supposed to be on the first season. He was going to be the crippled guy in the third episode — the homeless witness,” but scheduling prevented it from happening)."

TOW #22 TEXT

The Hunter, The Hoaxer, And The Battle Over Bigfoot by Tim Stelloh is an in depth informative article comparing and contrasting two very different sides of the Bigfoot myth. On one side are the never ending hoaxers, profiting from an urban legend by essentially lying for a living. On the other side is the serious scientists that truly believe Bigfoot exists and have put their very careers on the line trying to prove it to the world. Tim Stelloh, an accomplished journalist, traveled with each side trying to figure out why they do the things they do, whether the motivation is money or knowledge. Bigfoot is something people have debated for years and many people actually do believe in this colossal human-like creature, so this article reaches out to anyone the least bit curious about Bigfoot. The audience would be people that aren't in this world of searching for Bigfoot because it offers an in depth look into it. Stelloh's purpose was to show the different sides of the Bigfoot hunt and he did that extremely effectively by using compare and contrast. First he painted a portrait of a man that makes his living off of lying to people that he has killed a Bigfoot., then he showed a man who was a respected scientist and spends a lot of money and time in the hope that Bigfoot is real. Contrasting these two clearly showed how some people in the Bigfoot game just want money, but others are passionate for knowledge about this creature they believe exists. However, Stelloch also compared the two men, showing how their true purpose was really the same, both, " seeking to advance, in their own peculiar way, the mystery of Sasquatch." This showed that this subculture may be deeply divided between true scientists and lowly hoaxers but they're all push a similar agenda. Stelloch's purpose was to inform about the world of Bigfoot hunters and he did that very well using compare and contrast.

TOW #21 Bossypants IRB Pt. 1

Bossypants by Tina Fey is an autobiography, but I didn't realize that at first because it's so funny and seems more like a self help book about how to be more like Tina Fey, which is what we all want. The audiobook was actually nominated for a Grammy, which I didn't know audiobooks could be. The first chapter was about an attack she survived, but which left her with a scar on her chin. People would react very badly to it and for a while, Fey knew how disabled people and people that are supposedly "different" live because everyone was always staring at her scar. She said this taught her a lot about how sh lived life for a while from a different perspective and how that was very valuable to how she would live her life after the scar was healed. Most of Fey's book is little anecdotes like this, anecdotes that taught her life lessons that she would take on with her and use in later situations in life. These anecdotes show how your childhood does really affect your experiences, and what you know, and that it was very important for Fey to remember the hard experiences she went through when she was young. I was surprised to learn that Fey grew up in Upper Darby, PA, because that is relatively not that far away from where I grew up. I think it's smart for Fey to do this because it makes her relate to a lot of her audience. She has these little facts scattered around the book a lot because she wants the audience to empathize with her, feel her pain, and feel like she's a real down-to-earth person and not a mega star. Aside from the anecdotes and little facts about herself, she also uses humor very effectively because she is a comedian and that is what she knows best. I really liked the first half of this book and I'm excited to keep reading.