Popcorn Kernels

As a young child, I was fascinated by old films. Icons like Monroe, Hepburn, and Taylor were my idols, and I was fascinated by sex symbols like Grant, Gable, and Dean. As I was growing up, I realized I had a burning passion for cinema.

Woody Allen is my favorite producer of all time. Among his films, my favorites are:

· Play it Again, Sam
· Matchpoint
· Vicky Cristina Barcelona
· Cassandra’s Dream
· Scoop

I have always been fascinated by the wittiness of his films, along with his perfect actor choices. His muses, Diane Keaton, Dianne Wiest, Scarlett Johansson, and Mia Farrow, were more or less revealed by his films, becoming instant stars after the films in question.

Pedro Almodovar, a Spanish producer, is also one of my favorites. His most famous film in English was Volver, starring the talented Penelope Cruz, his beloved muse. Some of my favorite films from Almodovar were:

· Bad Education
· Amores Perros
· Talk to Her
· All about my Mother

Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the producer of the famous French film Amelie starring Audrey Tautou, is one of my favorite French producers. Also in his filmography is the movie A Very Long Engagement, about a young girl determined to find out if the love of her life has survived the war that tore them apart.

Martin Scorsese is an incredibly talented producer. Although my favorite is the 1976 film Taxi Driver, with Robert De Niro starring as the protagonist, he has produced many worthy films over the years. Among the recent ones are:

· Gangs of New York
· The Aviator
· The Departed
· Casino

His latest Shutter Island, coming out in 2010, is awaited by many Scorsese fans.

Finally, Alfred Hitchcock cannot be forgotten. His ability to thrill his audiences throughout the world is incredible, and even as a young child, I was captivated by his suspenseful films. Many would know him through the terrifying film The Birds.

It's a funny thing how our society works.

Last week, I woke up one morning and on CNN was an article on Marilyn Manson’s last single, and especially on the music video he directed for it. The song is called “Running to the edge of the World”, where he is seen violently beating his supposed girlfriend at the end of the video.

Critiques were outraged, and comments reproachful. According to them, the video was an encouragement to domestic abuse and violence. However, in the society we live in, they should know better than that.

Provocation. What better way to get public attention than to shock people? Marilyn Manson is the number one proof that by provoking individuals, you definitely get them talking. He is known for numerous videos, live performances, and lyrics that are shocking and repulsive, sometimes even morbid and bloody. However, by developing this style, he has been able to make people curious about his music, and whether the feedback is positive or negative, it has still boosted his career more than ever.

There are some things that must be seen and understood as fake. If you can go watch a horror movie or listen to music that is based solely on women, nice cars, and money, that is the exact same thing. Artists try to reach their audience and beyond by shocking them. Madonna, in her time, was the symbol of provocation, singing about Jesus Christ while using sex symbols at the same time.

I laughed when I saw the outraged comments about Manson. There are many things that shock me way more than fake blood and pretend punches. It was also funny to see the responses from the Manson fans, claiming that the critiques “had no idea what the lyrics meant” and that “revenge in the form of violence is the ultimate metaphor for a broken heart”. Faced with provoking acts like this one, an individual should be able to recognize that it is done just for publicity and public outrage. It is only by reacting to it that this technique actually works to perfection.