Ke$ha’s Crazy Kids

Ke$ha with fanOne could argue that fanatics are the modern day version of tribes. They are part of different groups with different beliefs and different attitudes, but when looking at Ke$ha‘s fans, AKA Animals, it’s easy to perceive them as a tribe of their own. Adorned in neon face paint, glitter and torn clothes, they follow their pop-rock infused leader and her catchy tunes to the ends of the Earth.

In her MTV mini documentary “My Crazy Beautiful Life”, which was filmed by her brother and airs episode/part 5 tonight, a large part of her focus is on her intense fan base. In episode three, we meet Dante, a fan in his 30′s (a “Dinosaur”, a nickname from a Ke$ha song about older guys), who is pulled up on stage after Ke$ha sneaks a peak at an interview he did on camera before the concert. In episode one, a memorable fan speaks out, and makes Ke$ha choke up a bit, about how he is bullied in school and how her music gives him a place to escape.

The MTV mini doc is honest, gritty, and you are sure to walk away feeling a little more Animal-istic. Visit Ke$ha’s site and if you feel so inclined as to want to join her party in a more intimate way, become a “convert” or “missionary” on in her fan club, Ke$ha’s Family! She is touring America this summer, so be sure to catch her!

 

Songs about Fanaticism

Songs about or touching on pop culture fanaticism, the positive and negative aspects included:

  • “This One Goes Out To You” Backstreet Boys
  • “Not Afraid” Eminem
  • “Touch my Hand” David Archeletta
  • “Paparazzi” Lady Gaga
  • “Stan” Eminem
  • “The Queen” Lady Gaga
  • “Letter from a Fan” Barry Manilow
  • more from Spinner.com
  • more to be added soon!

The Death Hags

from the Dearly Departed Facebook page

from the Dearly Departed Facebook page

People of all ages and backgrounds pay billions to see movies, watch cable/satellite TV shows, or buy books having to do with murder or instances of violence. Whether they be fictional tales or re-imaginings of historical events, morbid curiosity is hard to deny.

It is worth asking then why the Dearly Departed Tour Line in Los Angeles, situated in Hollywood, gets some flak, as well as their fans, known as Death Hags. An atypical tour of Tinsel Town, the company focuses on the dark history of the film industry’s birth place. From murder to controversy and all in between, the tour’s namesake is a once-a-month Helter Skelter tour, exploring the history and locations of the Tate-LaBianca murders, or the Manson Family Murders, of 1969 (save for the Polanski-Tate house, which was torn down in the 1990′s).

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Professor Gaga

Deflem KoreaProfessor Mathieu Deflem is a great example of the American dream. He came from overseas to live and be an educator in America. Deflem definitely knows his stuff, as he gets to teach a lot of courses focused on his interests. And like any American, he is passionate about pop culture.

Team Jack

photo credit TeamJack.com

photo credit TeamJack.com

In the vast landscape of podcasting available to internet users, there is no doubt many of the these feeds are devoted to aspects and opinions on the many channels of pop culture. Standing high above all of them when it comes to the point of view of what it means to be a fanatic is Team Jack, part of the Smodco  Broadcasting family brought to you by Kevin Smith. 

Jack Morrissey, the namesake of Team Jack, was approached by film maker Smith to podcast due not only to his knowledge of pop culture, but for his radio voice, as he dubs it. Instead of focusing directly on the mediums of film or otherwise that Jack and his co-hosts Matt Cohen and Greg Yolen are interested in, his podcast became focused on the voice of, the analyzation of, and the sense of community in being a fanatic. 

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Perfectly Normal Norman Fans

Photo Credit Amanda Rosenblatt

Photo Credit Amanda Rosenblatt

The sun is beginning to set on a Sunday evening in Rhode Island, but the
temperature is dropping faster than the light. Despite the cold, a small
group of fans waits outside the stage exit of Edwards Hall of URI.

Fan-Culture.org showed up at the scene first around 4 p.m., three hours
before Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead”, “Boondock Saints”) was to show
up for a speaking engagement at the University. The fans slowly began to
trickle in, with one wearing a homemade shirt that said “go Norm go” and
another wearing a shirt that said “Keep Calm and Kill Zombies”. Everyone
was in great spirits and the quiet chattering exploded into excitement
when Norman pulled in around 5:50 p.m.

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Why ‘Warm Bodies’ Is Not ‘Twilight’

Edward vs R: Why 'Warm Bodies' is not 'Twlight'. Photo from ScreenCrush.com

Edward vs R: Why ‘Warm Bodies’ is not ‘Twlight’. Photo from ScreenCrush.com

Here we are again, dear readers. Another blog where I truly do not want to get personal, but this article is about more than the namesakes it features. This is about hopefully distinguishing some large arguments in regards to film comparisons by taking a fanatic point of view and applying it with facts as well as reasoning. Looking beyond aesthetics and dissecting the subjects at hand. Basically, in layman’s terms, I really hope after reading this, people stop whining about why “Warm Bodies” is the same thing as “Twilight”.

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