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Christmas in October

October 31st, 2011

by Kedzie Schotters

Is it just me, or has Halloween gotten a little out of hand?

Every television show has a special; every product has a horror-themed ad, and every celebrity is hosting or attending a spooky soiree (see Heidi Klum above).

Don’t get me wrong—I love watching Al Roker prance around as Superman just as much as the next person. But what makes us so obsessed with Halloween? It doesn’t have the food of Thanksgiving, or the presents of Christmas.

I guess it has to be the costumes. Crazy, gory, over-the-top costumes that no one in their right mind would wear on any other day of the year. And that’s exactly what makes Halloween so much fun to celebrate year after year. But lately, Halloween has had a little transformation of its own, from .

First there’s the advertising. Halloween is essentially an advertiser’s excuse to start talking about Christmas—the Holy Grail of holidays—in October. It kicks off the holiday season, and as such, everyone participates, regardless of how irrelevant it is for their brand. For example, Best Buy insists that this Halloween, what we really need is a new computer because how else are we going to create all of the horror films that so many of us have been working on lately? Though this commercial is obviously only relevant to some, the main goal is to get people thinking about Best Buy in preparation for holiday shopping.

Secondly, today’s costumes are becoming excessive, in both clever unfortunate ways. The evolution of costumes from pumpkins, princesses, and puppies to sexy pumpkins, sexy princesses, and sexy puppies is an acceptable reality for adults. But now, that line between children’s and adult’s costumes has blurred. Kids’ skirts are just as short, just as tight, and just as inappropriate. If at all possible, I’d like to avoid seeing a sexy Dora the Explorer this year.

But, there’s another selection of costumes this Halloween that I actually applaud. They stem from our constantly evolving technology and prove imagination and creativity aren’t quite dead. One clever man used 2 FaceTiming iPads to make it appear as though he had a hole in his stomach. This is creative and absolutely brilliant. But for us geeks who don’t happen to have two iPads lying around, the most popular costumes this year are characters from Angry Birds, the most in demand iPhone gaming app. These costumes prove that media, more than ever, is playing a role in Halloween and it’s going to continue to be this way.

All in all, Halloween will always be a time to celebrate, and I suppose wearing a ridiculous ensemble is just part of the process. So here’s to wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and Snooki-free Halloween. Tomorrow you’ll be inundated with recipes for Thanksgiving, all while trying to get Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” out of your head.

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Thanks to Public Relations, Everyday is ‘Friday’

May 31st, 2011

Social media Public relationsIt’s Friday, what tune do you have stuck in your head? You may not be a huge fan of the song (not many are) but there is no denying that even if you have not had the ‘pleasure’ of setting your ears upon the vocal stylings of Rebecca Black, more likely than not, you have heard of her in some context or another in the past few months. Search the name on Facebook and over 25 different fan pages come up. Search on Twitter and someone is saying something about her every few seconds. The official video on YouTube has 148,403,627 views and sits as number 10 on the site’s top 100. In the case of Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday,’ social media proves that talent and performance can be mutually exclusive and that, essentially it was the subtle workings of public relations that made this girl a celebrity.

Social media has added a whole new dimension to the public relations industry, allowing for outreach to groups of people to which you normally wouldn’t have access. Building a brand is about establishing trust and the quick, real-time access of social media gives us the ability to reach out unobtrusively and informally, connecting on a level where everyone is equal.

Social media unites the personal with the professional. Public relations is the business of joining the client with its customer base through use of the media. The case of Rebecca Black is a perfect example. The connectedness provided through social media channels vaulted her to what would otherwise be incomprehensible fame. Rebecca Black did not become famous because she is an unprecedented talent that has taken us all by storm. Her fame was born and is sustained through social networking. One person saw the music video, showed it to a friend who put it on their Facebook page to which hundreds have access and then someone who saw it on their friend’s profile linked it on Twitter, to which thousands more have access and almost instantaneously, Rebecca’s visibility increased exponentially. We were her PR, press, and consumers all rolled into one.

We partake in the PR field every day. I know in my personal experience, when I see something interesting or funny, the first thing that I do is include a link in my status on Facebook. Within as little as 15 minutes any number of my friends will comment or ‘like’ the post. My intentions were nothing more than to share something of interest but by posting the item, I have promoted and generated visibility, making a bigger impact simply because I’m a trusted ‘source’ within my own circle. For PR, social media is a gold mine with connections to thousands of people in as little as 140 characters.

Being as how I’m new to PR, I am fascinated by the potential for impact social media has on a professional level because of how we use it on a personal level. I realize that Rebecca Black is not a celebrity for the same reason that a young songwriter such as Taylor Swift is a celebrity, however it is interesting to examine the role that social media had in her present fame and more importantly, our role (whether willing or not) as her agents.

–Erin

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Public Access Programs – Misplaced Masterpieces?

May 6th, 2011

The dagger ShowIs watching a TV show on a television set any different than watching it on your laptop?  It’s the same program, same basic setup, but after an eye-opening experience watching Charlie Demos’ queer screen project THE DAGGER I’d say that the mere fact of consuming video on a computer as opposed to a television alters how you view it, and changes your experience.

Charlie Demos is a persistent chap, and has been diligently reminding me to review THE DAGGER on another blog I write for (thenewgay.net) for the better part of a month.  Though I have deep appreciation for this type of confidence and commitment, I wasn’t able to squeeze in watching the program and writing a review immediately.  Ok, that’s the line I used to say “hm, not so sure this is what I want to be spending my time on.”  The reasons I had reservations about THE DAGGER were all in the description: “experimental queer programming on MNN late-night.”

MNN (Manhattan Neighborhood Network) is a association of four New York public access channels, and sometimes the stuff on there can get pretty gritty.  One evening I kept flipping back and forth from the sadly formulaic crime procedural I was watching to an MNN channel which for an entire two hours showed videos taken from a variety of nightclubs exclusively featuring African American women shaking their asses.  Another evening I sat transfixed by a home-shot murder mystery in which a middle-aged gentleman with some sort of mental handicap acted out every one of the characters – it was unsettling and utterly entrancing.

So, despite Demos’ regular reminders, I did not tune in to the first episode of THE DAGGER. Nonetheless, the idea kept squirming in my head, so when Demos sent along the link to his first episode on vimeo, I gave it a peek.

Admittedly, artistic programming like this is not really my thing – I’m sure a more enlightened individual would have much more to say about the type of mood evoked in this first episode and may even appreciate some of the artistic references and choices that I’m sure flew over my uncultured cranium. Nonetheless, as I watched Demos’ carefully crafted visual poetry it struck me how different it would be to watch on television.

In the context of channel surfing, if I were to arrive on MNN and see the deliberately scratchy visuals and hear the looped audio of ragged breaths in the setting of much-maligned public access programming, my first reaction would probably be to flee to the Food Network to see if the Iron Chefs were battling with an interesting ingredient.  Online, though, the clean presentation of vimeo formatting combined with web content’s reputation for excellence in amateurism prepared me to give THE DAGGER honest consideration.

Will I be on the couch next week with popcorn bowl in hand eagerly awaiting the first glimpse of THE DAGGER’s next installment?  No.  But I have plenty of friends who I think would really enjoy experiencing Demos’ compositions, and I’ll be sending them the link rather than the air time/date.  Being on TV definitely can provide legitimacy for renegade artists like Charlie Demos, but I think they’ll find their true audience online, and in far greater numbers.

THE DAGGER: Episode One from Mathew Heggem on Vimeo.

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The Social Network: A Genius Misunderstood

September 29th, 2010

On Monday, I received a rare opportunity to see an advanced private screening of “The Social Network”, courtesy of Mashable.com. This was my first advanced screening of any film and it happened to be one of the most anticipated films of the year. While I came into the situation as a giddy PR professional pretending to play the role of a seasoned film critic, I took this advanced screening more seriously than my usual movie outings. Readers fret not, there is NO need for a spoiler alert here! Enjoy PUBLIC’s exclusive review on David Fincher’s new film, “The Social Network”.

You have seen the posters, watched the trailers, and read about all of the buzz surrounding David Fincher’s new film The Social Network; but does the film actually live up to the hype? In a time when 50% of the films Hollywood churns out are remakes, while a majority of the remaining movies are reserved for rushed projects; it is difficult to land amongst the small percentage of quality films that live up to the audience’s expectations. In my opinion,The Social Network manages to exceed expectations on multiple levels.

Upon the announcement of the film going into production, many naysayers began to question various elements of the project. Why would Fincher and Sorkin depend on former NSYNC front man Justin Timberlake to deliver a performance acceptable for one of the most anticipated films of the year? Or how is David Fincher (director of Se7ven and Fight Club) going to make the transition from action/suspense to drama? Or my personal favorite reaction, are they really making a movie about Facebook?

The film’s lead man, Jesse Eisenberg (Mark Zuckerberg), seizes his moment in the limelight and compliments the Sorkin written screenplay perfectly. Zuckerberg’s constant confrontation with internal and external conflict lead audiences on a psychological roller coaster, challenging viewers to share a wide spectrum of feelings towards the main character as soon as the film begins. The ongoing struggle for Zuckerberg to find his place in the sun among his overachieving classmates, while simultaneously dealing with his ill feelings towards social status and prestige allow for the audience to relate to the lovable computer geek and sympathize with his situation. On the other hand, the film does not shy away from portraying Zuckerberg as the elitist, socially awkward and outspoken individual that he is (in the first 20 mins of the film he gets dumped for making a snide remark about Boston University and proceeds to insult his ex via his personal blog).

While in certain situations, Zuckerberg’s cut-throat and elitist ways alienate the audience and other characters in the film, these same qualities viewed negatively within specific contexts also makes him lovable in other scenes (wearing pajamas to a corporate meeting, producing a business card that reads “I’m CEO Bitch”). His best buddy in the film Eduardo (played by Andrew Garfield) ,despite obvious flaws in Zuckerberg’s character, remains the loyal sidekick for a majority of the movie and serves as the early CFO of Facebook. While both internally struggle over being outcasts to the exclusive clubs at Harvard, Eduardo serves as the voice of reason to Zuckerberg’s emotional distress and whacky antics. The dynamic Sorkin sets up between the two best friends pays homage to the traditional good cop/bad cop scenario, but in a darker and more complex light.

The level of conflict reaches new depths when Sorkin and Fincher introduce Napster founder and habitual troublemaker Sean Parker (played by Justin Timberlake) to the film. While Parker and Zuckerberg differ on a variety of levels, their desire to shake up the system and ‘stick it to the man’ help the two find a common ground and become friends. The relationship between the two forces a wedge between Zuckerberg and Eduardo, thus muffling Zuckerberg’s lone voice of reason and only true friend. Timberlake follows suit with a brilliant performance like his other co-stars, and manages to capture the essence of Parker’s bad boy image. While watching the film it is obvious how the former pop star embraces his role, and delivers lines effortlessly and unforced, and at times stealing the show from Eisenberg and the rest of the cast. After a performance like this, Timberlake has established himself as a Hollywood mainstay.

Though many will not agree with how much I liked the movie and how I felt about the screenplay, the quality of the film cannot be denied. It is refreshing to see a major Hollywood blockbuster bring substance back to the silver screen; and finally the first film in awhile that doesn’t rely upon violence and special effects to “oooo and awww” it’s way to the winner’s circle. The Social Network is a cinematic gem, that people from all walks of life can appreciate and enjoy, it challenges audiences to think about how they feel about the main character rather than the writers figuring it out for the audience. If you are looking for a simple film, you’re obviously not familiar with Sorkin screenplays and this movie may be too rapid-fire for you. But if you are ready to be entertained start to finish and enjoy films that evoke a wide range of emotion, this film will be for you!

-Aaron

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Music in my Aeroplane

September 23rd, 2010

Have you ever been board on an airplane? Well stop your whining, because before wi-fi, direct tv, movies, and mp3 players–passengers flew with zero access to multimedia. Come to think of it, multimedia didn’t really exist when man first began utilizing airplanes as a mode of commercial transportation. Fast foward to today’s commercial flights and you will find more entertainment than your own living room. But how did we arrive at this point? How did commercial airline evolve their entertainment over time, and what are the next breakthoughs of commercial aviation entertainment?

I love live music and hate flying, but I have a strong feeling that if I were able to experience them together, I may just change my option on the latter.  Well lucky for me, an amp, a drum kit, in-flight PA system, and some all star talent is all it takes to get a rock and roll show all to yourself on your private jet.

Imagine flying at 40,000 feet and instead of watching in-flight entertainment on the back of the seat in front of you, the in-flight entertainment is performing live!

The idea of experiencing an in-flight concert is incredible when you consider what the history of in-flight entertainment has been.  Dating all the way back to pre WW1, in-flight entertainment was considered looking out the window on Zeppelin “sight seeing tours.” Soon after that in 1936 the German airship, Hindenburg offered a piano lounge on its two and half day trek to the United States.

After WW2, food and drink services were offered to passengers with the occasional projector movie on lengthy flights, however it wasn’t until the 60’s that in-flight entertainment became mainstream.  In 1961 the first ever feature film, “By Love Possessed” was shown on a regular commercial airline flight.

By 1963 pneumatic headsets were developed, which were basically hollow tubes that echoed sounds into each seat console.  These early forms of in-flight headsets were a far cry from contemporary sets, and it wasn’t until 1979 that their electronic predecessors took over.   The early 80’s touted in-flight entertainment that vaguely resembles what we see today, and by the end of the decade the first in-seat audio/video on demand system was installed- an early precursor to the beloved JetBlue TVs.

Today we see LCD screens, in-flight on demand centers, and personal entertainment options that sometimes rival those in our very own homes.  Clearly, in-flight entertainment has grown exponentially, yet only a few have approached, what could be considered, the final frontier.

In 2006 global air charter company, Air Partner embarked on that frontier when they broke into the rock-and-roll market and subsequently took in-flight entertainment to a whole new level. Operational expertise, and knowledge of the industry enabled them to pull off Korn’s mid-flight rock-and-roll show at 40,000 feet for 60 passengers, including eight US soldiers who were heading home from service overseas.

In 2010, Air Partner did it again with James Blunt’s record-breaking performance at 42,000 feet above the North Sea.  Blunt’s performance broke the Guinness World Records for highest concert performed, and was a treat to the 150-strong audience who accompanied him on the Boeing 767.

Thinking back on the history of in-flight entertainment, it truly amazes me that feats like this can even be achieved.  Regardless of my distaste for Korn and James Blunt, a live show in a Boeing 767 is pretty unbelievable when you really think about.

-Arielle

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Dancing With The Palins!

September 10th, 2010

Guess what everyone??!? ABC’s Dancing With The Stars is loading up for another season and has recently revealed the newest cast of celebrities that will be competing for ‘Ballroom Supremacy’; and like every other season–the casting producers had some pretty good surprises to keep DWTS fans coming back for more!

In my fantasy dream world, kooky politicians would star in kooky reality shows that would be loosely based on their public personas.  Sadly, my dream may never come true, but ABC ‘s “Dancing with the Stars” has come as close as we’re ever gonna get.

Enter: Bristol Palin- poster child/mother for abstinence, and daughter of one time Vice Presidential candidate, the Palinator AKA Sarah Palin (in laymen’s terms.)  Bristol takes to the stage- continuing to fight the rumors that she is NOT a fame seeker like her ex boyfriend (and now possible candidate for mayor of Alaska, Levi Johston,) but is just looking for ways to raise abstinence awareness as well as support her child (promoting abstinence as a single mother must not be very lucrative…)

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Now, there are a few things about Bristol being on DWTS that bother me: the first being the fact that the term “star” is grossly misused.  It’s not often that I agree with the ladies on the View, but Barbara really hit the nail right on the head this time.  As they introduce the new DWTS cast, Miz Walter’s asks aloud, “why is she a star? She’s a 17 year old who got pregnant and isn’t married?”
Barbra Walter Questions Bristol Palin Video

SNAP Barbara- I couldn’t have said it better myself! WHY IS SHE STAR? Well, the plain answer is that she’s not.  Which brings me to my next point, which is: are we suppose to take the Palin’s seriously?  This isn’t as much of a point but a question- that I would really appreciate some answers to.

Between Bristol’s abstinence campaign, and the call to action for “Mama Grizzly’s” I just can’t tell if the joke is on us or them?  The more I think about it, the more I think it’s on us- and the fact that Bristol is now a contestant on DWTS only further proves this theory.

As the Palin’s go to great and strange lengths to stay in the limelight, they are actually staying in the limelight.  They will be constantly relevant as long as we let them and the only thing that would make this better is if there was an entire DWTS season with just Palins- Dancing with the PALINS!  Mama Grizzly would totally approve.

-Arielle

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Which is worse: Jerry wants a smack-down vs. the U.N. overlooking mass rapes in the DRC

September 10th, 2010

So just in case you haven’t been paying attention this week, it was a HUGE week in popular culture! But don’t worry PUBLIC always has your back; here is a rundown of some of this week’s big headlines!

So Jerry Lewis wants to smack LiLo, Reggie’s might be getting his Heisman taken away, Paris’s personal safe deposit box, and Kanye wants to kiss and make up.

I love my pop-culture candy as much as the next person and it does a fabulous job of breaking up the day to see what a New Jersey housewife did or what Lady Gaga said. But, at the end of the day, in terms of news consumption, are we eating too much candy and not getting enough vegetables?

Case and point – the recent articles about the mass rapes in the Congo and the U.N. accidentally overlooking the incidents. This particular incident came to mind as a good friend of mine is down there helping victims and he actually helped break the news to the media. He’s 23 – we both graduated in May 2009 – and he was one of the first people to go help the victims while a U.N. office was 20 miles from the villages. Really U.N.? 20 miles?

Now the U.N. is in a PR sh*t storm trying to deal with the aftermath of their oversight of rebels going into villages and systematically raping 500 women. This is the organization whose main aims are international security, human rights, and world peace. Is it just me or does there need to be an organizational review about the fundamental goals?

I’m not going to go on about all the messed up things in the world that are overlooked and under-reported. But, with Twitter and Youtube, people want their news in quick, witty snippets. People want their skittles and are refusing to eat their spinach. The negative doesn’t need to be sensationalized, but at least make it equal to the amount of coverage Kanye’s apology tweets are getting.

Maybe if the U.N. sends out an “I’m sorry I f*cked up” tweet, it will finally make
cnn.com’s homepage. Probably not though.

-Amelia

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Will Viral Video/Internet Be Art’s Savior? Look No Further Than CeeLo

August 31st, 2010

R&B and seasoned Funk artist, Ceelo Green has been on the mainstream music scene for quite sometime. From his solo projects to his colloborative efforts with “Gnarls Barkely”, Ceelo is no stranger to making gigantic splashes in the music industry. However, his new hit single bravely titled “F*ck You” which may not make it to too many radio station’s rotation lists!

Yet, the quality of the song managed to garner enough hype to balloon the number of Youtube views to a bit over 4 million. When discussing popular Youtube videos with friends I like to refer to videos with over 2 million views as “Lady Gaga numbers”, and Ceelo Green has surpassed this mark with style and ease! But how can a song with no radio rotation and not available for purchase gain this much popularity? And what does this mean from an artistic stand point?

Well the first question is a given–being that this is the age of viral media and stars, that were once ordinary people but catapulted into limelight via their Youtube presence. The second question is vague enough to form your own opinion. In my eyes, the story behind Ceelo’s recent hit only gives more power to the artist. During an era, where the music industry is clawing for any sort of traction to stay afloat, record executives have been extremely picky when selecting which artists’ projects they are willing to invest money into. In other words, if your not selling, your record label probably won’t invest too many resources into your project.

An overall slump in the industry has unfortunately given record executives more control of artists, which I personally believe curtails the creatvity any musical genre is built upon. However, Ceelo’s single is a beacon of light to musical artists and demonstrates that a great song doesn’t really need an extra push from record executives.

This signifies that people still want something new, people still want quality! Ceelo didn’t have to do an apperance on all the usual promo stops (i.e. Letterman, Kimmel, Fallon, Leno, etc), instead his talent trumps ALL.

So just like his song his named, Ceelo’s new single is officially the f*ck you to controlling record executives everywhere!

-Aaron

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When Primetime Prolongs

August 30th, 2010

As we gear up for the Fall television season, viewers are excited to welcome back their favorite characters; as well as looking to become familiar with some of the new characters this season has to offer. However, there are some rather unpleasant changes being made during the Fall line-up, and PUBLIC discusses the downside to ‘extended’ programming…

Since when did network producers completely over estimate our attention spans?  Barely can I sit through a two-hour movie without looking at my watch, and now I’m expected to sit through mediocre programming WITH commercials for that long?  I don’t know who’s in charge here, but where do they get off?

First of all, I blame American Idol.  We all know that’s where this “two-hour programming” started, which, in itself is asinine to say the least.  Really? 12 45-second performances takes two hours to broadcast?  I know we have to watch Seacrest do his little song and dance, and the sponsors need their flashy airtime, but now this trend has spread to almost every network and has recently begun to infuriate me.

Watching the Bachelor, Bachelorette, and now Bachelor Pad for two hours was excruciating, although I had my routine down: cell phone out for discussion purposes, daily crossword for boredom, and fairly strong cocktail to curb my frustration.  But it’s not just the Bachelor and AI.  It’s America’s Got Talent, It’s Hell’s Kitchen, Dancing With the Stars…the list just goes on and on!

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However, my problem is this: You’re still giving me only one hour of enjoyable programming.  After factoring in all of the “last week on____, or the “coming up next,” and then THE WORST one- the replaying of what we already just saw before commercial break.  Then factor in the excessive fluff that’s there to just take up time and all you’ve got left is the original hour of programming that once graced our television screens.

So dear network producers, I beg you please.  PLEASE give me back the hour-long show. Please don’t replay what I saw before commercial break (I did JUST watch it, I promise) and puhlease get rid of the DULL, boring, just-there-to take-up-time scenes! I know I’m already wasting my time watching this (usually garbage) two-hour programming, but just don’t make me regret it more than I already do.

-Arielle

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More Reality Shows Prove Straight People Still Crazy

August 6th, 2010

Dating shows have been a staple of America’s finest art form since the television was invented. From the ‘Newlywed Show’ to the ‘Love Connection’, our obsession with on air romance has stood the test of time throughout numerous generations. However, the format of these shows have drastically adjusted their appearance since the wholesome days of the “Dating Show”; just check in with Tilla Tequilla or The Flavor of Love to see the evolution of the dating show. But what is on the horizon for this guilty pleasure for this upcoming season? PUBLIC reviews exactly what is in store for reality fans this fall!!

Starting August 9th, my Monday evenings are spoken for.  ABC must have heard how incensed I am over  what they did to Tuesdays, and decided to atone – the Alphabet Net is bringing back  Dating In The Dark for an encore season and straddling it nice and cozy next to the newest skank on the block  The Bachelor Pad.  Soon having a “case of the Mondays” will refer to getting a heaping helping of single-life-schadenfreude.

The Bachelor Pad intrigues me.  From the outside, it seems like any other lazy twist on a reunion special.  A dash of Big Brother, a dash of The Bachelor(ette), a slight touch of MTV’s Inferno, and you’re ready to go.  But with the  insanity surrounding Jake Pavelka’s pronounced spotlightophilia, I think ABC’s ready to kick up the dating game smut level.  We might not be treated to anything a lurid as A Shot at Love, with Tila Tequila but frankly I’m not even sure what regularly occured on that show was legal, much less worth repeating.

What really surprises me about The Bachelor Pad is that ABC is finally letting the Bachelor series down off the pedestal.  Until now there was a required suspension of disbelief involved with The Bachelor(ette) shows – you as the viewer were asked to imagine that no one on the show had sex with each other, no one got drunk, everyone was seeking to find true love, and one happy couple found it.  Even as the seasons started to add up and the proven track record of the show (in terms of creating happy marriages) got worse and worse, ABC still asked you to believe.

No longer!  Now rejects from the shows’ long history will compete (shirtless!) against each other for “a second chance at love” and also for TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.  The gloves are off, romance is dead, and ABC’s looking to cash in.  Rumors are that  Jake and Ali wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Dating in the Dark, on the other hand, is an old-school reality dating show at heart.  Its simple premise (people go on dates in the dark, pick their partner, and then get to see them in full light before deciding whether to go through with a real life date) and broad array of contestants (hunky, buck-toothed, the whole spectrum!) make me think of those golden old dating shows that got me hooked on the genre in the first place – 5th Wheel and  Blind Date.

The pleasure of the show lies in the genuinely interesting question it attempts to answer (do looks matter?), and in the relative everydayness of the contestants.  I think it’s pretty healthy to see average looking people get lucky on TV.  Now if we can only get Therapist Joe to do a cameo…

So get ready to see straight people – hot, homely, crazy, whorish, deluded straight people – do their best and worst to each other every Monday night.  Or you could just go to a gay club and watch the same stuff go down for real.

-Topher

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