T h e A merican D rea m- - - Verona Area School District

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A R T S & E N T E R T A I N M E NT The Bachelor heart break By KYLIE EASON The most recent season of The Bachelor has left America in an uproar. At the end of the season, it was down to three girls: Jillian Harris, Molly Malaney, and Melissa Rycroft. With Jillian eliminated, preparing to become the new Bachelorette, popular bachelor Jason Mesnick was left to choose between the “M” ladies. Everyone expected there to be a fi nal choice, just one, and that’s the way things would be. They would either be married forever or break up, like multiple Bachelors before. But when the engagement never became a full blown wedding, one heart was broken and another pieced back together. At the fi nal elimination ceremony, with an appearance from Jason’s three year old son, Ty, it made Jason’s proposal to Melissa the most romantic proposal any girl could ask for. Melissa’s excited acceptance fooled people into believing that this one was going to last. In an interview with Ellen, Melissa said that she was suspicious. The “After the Final Rose” date had been moved up and she asked Jason before the show if anything was going to happen, if she was going to be blind-sided by anything. He told her no, that Deemed as the “funniest comedy team for the internet generation,” The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, and Andy Samberg are sweeping viewers from here to Australia. If you’ve ever seen the digital shorts on Saturday Night Live, like Laser Cats and Space Olympics, or heard songs like “Lazy Sunday,” or “I’m on a Boat,” then you know of the Lonely Island. Schaffer, Taccone, and Samberg, or The Dudes as they are sometimes called, all hail from Berkeley, California. Schaffer and Taccone are currently working as writers for SNL, and Samberg as an actor. One of their fi rst videos was for the song “Lazy Sunday”, which premiered on SNL as a digital short. “I love the song “Lazy Sunday” with Chris Parnell, just because they’re rapping about cupcakes and Narnia...It’s so funny,” added sophomore Mercedes Kirk. Another well known song they did was when Natalie Portman was hosting for SNL. It was their fi rst time working with her, so they weren’t sure how she would take it, but she was really excited about it. So, Portman and the Dudes worked together to make the most explicit and inappropriate rap she was going to be fi ne. But right before she went to go onstage he tapped her on her knee and said, “P.S it’s Molly,” and on her way she went. Junior Anthony Amacci thinks “that the whole thing was scripted and a huge joke.” Yet, Miree Walter is genuinely upset: “He told her he loved her and that he wanted to spend of the rest of his life. That’s such a joke! You don’t do that.” A valid question to ponder in recalling this tragic event is: why did he wait? After choosing Melissa it was said he felt instant regret, but couldn’t bring himself to break it off. “That’s so bogus. Why wouldn’t he choose the one he really wanted originally? It was worse that he dumped her on T.V,” states senior Tiffany Bambrough, feeling that that was a dumb move on his part. The Lonely Island’s iTunes debut By CLAIRE MILLER Akiva, Andy, and Jorma pose for a photo in their rawesome pink suits. about “a day in the life of Natalie Portman.” The result was hilarious, and audiences loved it. “Natalie’s Rap,” “Lazy Sunday,” and many From break-up to make-up, Jason stands by his beloved Molly, and leaves Melissa behind. People are in general consensus that it was not a smart move on his part, and a handful of people blame ABC, saying that they just needed something to boost their ratings. more of their funny songs can be found on their new debut album, Incredibad. The Lonely Island’s music and videos may very well become cult classics. Over 30 million people have been playing their work on YouTube. Like many other avid Lonely Island fans, Kirk believes “They are hilarious! I like their videos better than the songs themselves, but their music is still really good.” In response, the Lonely Island reminded fans that “in the end, we’re comedians and not musicians.” Samberg later commented, “I don’t think many radio stations are actually playing [our music] because it’s so dirty.” Junior Alyssa Homb hasn’t listened to Incredibad, but she has seen their work all over YouTube and is very eager to get the album. She explained, “I haven’t listened to their album yet, but I defi nitely think they have the potential to be great.” Incredibad is available on iTunes for download. So if you want some interesting music to listen to, or you’re just looking for a good laugh, check them out on iTunes, or on their website, www.thelonelyisland.com. 22 T H E C A T ' S E Y E M A R C H 2 0 0 9 Photo courtesy of Google Images Photo edited by Kylie Eason
A R T S & E N T E R T A I N M E N T Iconic Obama image plagiarized? By LAYLI AMERSON Artist Shepard Fairey’s iconic HOPE image of Barack Obama graced buttons, T-shirts, posters, and stickers across America during the Presidential Election. That seemingly innocent graphic is now embroiled in a legal dispute. Fairey referenced a photo taken by Associated Press (AP) photographer Mannie Garcia in 2006 when he created the image. The photo was taken before Obama announced his candidacy for president. When the source of the photo was discovered last month, the AP requested that Fairey pay the license fee as well as damages, claiming that they own the original photo and are entitled to credit and payment for the image. Fairey agreed to pay the license fee and was “perfectly willing to give Mannie Garcia the credit,” but he was repulsed by what he saw as the AP bullying an artist. According to Fairey, the AP printed a piece in the national press “basically saying I stole the photo.” The AP defends their stance, stating that “it is crucial to protect photographers, who are creators and artists. Their work should not be misappropriated by others.” Interestingly, Mannie Garcia was working as a freelance photographer in 2006, and believes that he owns the rights to the photo, not the AP. Garcia commented, “Simply because it’s on the Internet, doesn’t mean it’s free for the taking.” Fairey struck back at the AP with a lawsuit, claiming that his use of the image is protected under the fair use section of copyright law. Senior Maggie Richardson supported Fairey’s stance, claiming, “A photo and artwork are completely different.” According to Fairey’s lawsuit, the artist “transformed the literal depiction contained in the Garcia photograph into a stunning, abstracted and idealized visual image that creates powerful new meaning and conveys a radically different message.” Fairey cropped out George Clooney (originally next to Obama) from the photo, rotated the angle of Obama’s face, altered the direction of his eyes, and broke Obama’s face into red, white, and blue blocks of shadow and light. Fairey’s appropriation of an image from American culture echoes the Pop Art movement and the work of Andy Warhol. The art that Warhol created was taken from popular culture—Campbell’s soup cans, Coca Cola bottles, Marilyn Monroe—and was intended to transform commercialism into an artistic statement. Warhol wasn’t sued by the companies and newspapers that he took his images from. Imagine if Campbell’s had (Above) The Associated Press image Fairey says he referenced for his art (Left) Fairey’s HOPE image decided to send Warhol a cease-and-desist order for appropriating their soup can design. Would Warhol have been stopped from making his famous art? That’s why the Fairey case is so important. Its outcome will determine what artists can and can’t use for their art, which is now a gray area. Fairey feels that he needs “to fi ght the AP not for myself only but for a whole group of artists that would probably be self-censored because they can’t afford the photos and they don’t want to be in a legal tangle.” Indeed, it often seems that American society gravitates toward an aggressive “don’t touch my stuff” mentality. While our possessiveness has protected capitalism and encouraged American innovation and invention, at times it goes too far. It’s logical to patent a design that could make millions, but is it logical to attack an artist? As the Internet Age progresses, more and more Americans will be affected by fair use. We all copy and paste images from Google. Those posting videos on YouTube, for example, are both creators and potential infringers, making a product and appropriating everything from songs to the calendar hanging in the background of the video. The sites we post on might even claim some ownership of the content. For example, Facebook attempted to change its terms of use policy so that they could claim ownership of all posted photos, but the resulting furor caused them to retract. This issue of originality versus plagiarism pervades art classes at VAHS as well as the art world. Art teacher Shannon Anderson commented, “In art classes, students should avoid using photos that they didn’t take, which leads to copyright infringement. For example, if a student did a drawing based on a photo from the Internet or a magazine, their art would infringe on the photo’s copyright. However, the educational purpose has to be taken into consideration.” You’ve probably seen one exception to this rule—the social issues collage posters—hanging in the halls. The images in those posters are nearly all taken from the Internet. Anderson doesn’t enter them in art shows and she discourages her students from using them in portfolios because they are not completely original, although she does display them in the high school. If high school art students have to follow copyright laws, is Fairey at fault? Senior Cami Kieler asserted, “Fairey used the photographer’s own work. That’s plagiarism.” Ironically, Fairey has lambasted other artists for using his images. He called one graphic designer who created and sold his own version of Fairey’s Obey Giant image a “parasite.” Others, such as junior Zoe Slattery, maintain they “think [the HOPE image] is inspiring and sends a good message.” Regardless of your opinion of Fairey, the HOPE image made an impression in American culture, bringing the artist to “Person of the Year” status (GQ Magazine). Both TIME and Esquire magazines featured his HOPE image, which is in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s Permanent Collection. That gallery recently announced plans to include a signed print of Garcia’s original photo alongside the HOPE image. Although Fairey earned accolades, he did not profi t monetarily from his grassroots distribution of the HOPE image, putting earnings into producing more election art. As Fairey’s original image was displayed as illegal street art, it wasn’t used as part of the offi cial Obama Campaign either; two similar “Vote” and “Change” images were used offi cially. The Obama campaign approved of his artistic support, however. M A R C H 2 0 0 9 T H E C A T ' S E Y E 23 Photo courtesy of (lower left) obeygiant.com; (left) npr.org
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T h e A merican D rea m- - - Verona Area School District

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