I'm Not A Movie Critic....Just a Fan who noticed, Hollywood!

Let’s get one thing straight…I am not a movie critic.  In fact, I am the furthest from it.  When I go to the theater, I like to just show up and watch the next film that is playing.  This way, I never get disappointed because I haven’t gotten overly excited to see a particular film.  I haven’t been swayed by those movie guys on the radio that break down how funny, realistic, or action packed the film is.  Don’t get me wrong, I do love to go to the theater,  quoting lines from movies,  the popcorn, over-sized beverages and mostly watching actors portray the human element on the big screen. 

So, when I got home from work last week, sat down on the couch beside my hubby, I was thrilled when he blurted out “Let’s go see a movie.”  The cost of a movie ticket is pretty ridiculous, especially when a monthly subscription to Netflix gives us access to so many great films.  His enthusiasm to get out of the house was refreshing.  Well, the next movie playing was Thor 2: The Dark World.   He’s really into the Avengers so I thought, why the heck not!  I literally knew nothing about this movie except that, I remember enjoying the first film.

I enjoy a good number of action films with fast car/boat/plane/train/motorcycle chases as well as fires, bombs, explosions etc.  But, for me, what keeps me hooked is finding the lovable flaws in the characters and watching the growth because of having met the other characters.  The journey is endearing, raw, and when well written, relate-able.   Thor 2: The Dark World delivered all of these things.

Since the film at the time of this posting is still out in theaters, I’ll refrain from going into too much detail, but I will share my favorite overall general theme.  Natalie Portman plays Jane Foster, the main love interest to Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth.  Throughout the entire film, Thor defends Jane as a “strong, smart and brave woman.”  Over and over again, big, brawny, Thor sticks up for this woman and her character.  This is where I give director Alan Taylor a huge standing ovation because not once in the film does Jane get naked, nor is she portrayed as a mere sexual being.

I know this is probably very disheartening for many men, as there have been more than a handful of gentlemen that I know that would jump at the change to spend just 15 minutes with her.  Natalie Portman is undoubtedly a beautiful women.  So, I am still impressed that Hollywood decided to honor her character’s wit and smarts by refusing to portray her as anything other than how Thor views her.  This is a huge and risky step for Hollywood that did not go unnoticed.  I applaud the risk and really think this move paid off.

Again, I admit, I am not a movie critic and leave the critiques for the professionals; I am just a lover of movies and their flawed characters.  Thor and Jane were not without their flaws in this film, but I am  delighted to report that instead of belittling Jane’s character to a mere sexual being, we, the audience get to enjoy Jane Foster just as Thor does: a strong, smart and brave woman.  Like Thor, many men find that the women who play major roles in their lives are also strong, smart and brave and deserve to be recognized as such without also being deemed as sexual beings first.







An unusual breakdown of the film, I’m aware but,  I hope this doesn’t deter gentlemen from seeing the film.  Thor was unexpectedly funny with just as much action and a few twists and surprises as well.  I’ll recommend staying until after ALL the credits as there are a couple of scenes.

Video Killed T̶h̶e̶ ̶R̶a̶d̶i̶o̶...Us All.

Here’s a truth.  We are not excellent videographers. We have evolved as story tellers. So, why is it that whenever we see something fantastic, like a concert, or flash mob, or great dance, we feel the need to video document it?

You Sound Stupid, I'm Hanging Up Now

In the middle of an extensive job search, it feels like my skills and talent are becoming less and less desirable.  This isn’t to say that I’m not getting promising hits from station clusters all over the country.  In fact, I’ve averaged about one interview per week.  But, like any talent based job,  you have to be the whole package: talented, beautiful, hard working and smart.

Is that too much to ask from a prospective employer as well? At least the talented and hard working part?  There is nothing more painstaking than preparing for a phone interview when the boss finally calls you and he opens up with the most “puke-y” voice and most ridiculous radio name.  How am I supposed to take any coaching or advice from a person who still believes that programming philosophies from 1987 still are pertinent today?

Henry Winkler as The Fonze from "Happy Days"

There is nothing worse than answering the phone for that big interview you have been preparing for and some fake personality “Hambone Malone” introduces himself.  NOBODY TALKS LIKE THAT. Ever!  But how many of the Hambone Malone’s are still successful today? Not many, but still too many.  It is what I call the Fonzi Syndrome in show business.  Fonzi from Happy Days was so cool for who he was: hitting the jukebox, riding a motorcycle, picking up girls, but Fonzi was good at that when he was in his youth.  Fonzi as a character had no room grow up or evolve.  We fell in love with the man who hit on girls, made the jukebox work and rode motorcycles.  But how long could Fonzi keep up those things?  No one wants to see an old guy hitting on girls or trying to be cool by being a young rebel.

The most successful radio talent today are quirky because they are themselves, not just a character.  These are people who are relate-able, live their lives on the air and can keep their stories simple.  Not only are the best characters great hosts but they are even better listeners.  Longevity in a radio career lies with those who can host and entertain, but grow and evolve with society. 

So while the Hambone Malone’s  may seem cool, they are stuck in a time of radio that doesn’t keep listeners for the long term.  While continuing on the hunt, I look forward to the amazing conversations about programming and marketing philosophies with real people who love this business as much as I do.   The next Mr. Malone will get a dial tone.

For all of the Hambone Malone's, or those that just want to revisit Huey Lewis & The News take us "Back In Time." (This also happen)s to be on the sounds track to one of my all time favorite movies...

Celebrities Are People Too: It's Time For Chris Brown to Wake Up & Take Responsibility

As a radio professional, it is so important to stay on top of current events and news.  Unfortunatly, like most of the U.S., pop culture news is so much easier to digest and have an opinion on than hard news like the fact it is ELECTION DAY!  I partially blame the music business for writing songs that only have :05-:10 second introductions.  These are what we call in the radio biz “talk-overs” or “up ramps.”  When a talented and up-to-date radio professional only gets 5 or 10 seconds to share a story that has truly affected them and elaborate, it tends to be easier and more time efficient to comment of Brangelina’s brood, Renee Zellweger’s face lift, or Drew’s second baby.

Even with fluff stories of Tinseltown, it is easier to celebrate the fun things like babies on the way and scrutinize those that are different or weird (enter Miley Cyrus).  But, while we comment on Tinseltown’s wild and crazy, sometimes the follow up stories get lost.  Take Chris Brown for example; most people only know that in 2009 he committed serious domestic violence against then girlfriend Rihanna.  He has been on probation for that incident ever since and working to clear his name by doing community service and publicly apologizing.  More recently, he was accused of punching a man in the face in Washington D.C. when the man tried to photo bomb Chris and another fan. He has since checked himself into rehab for "anger issues" which is another story and a joke in and of itself which I'll address another time.  I’ve heard debates about Chris Brown and his behavior including Jenny McCarthy on The View discuss how people like Chris Brown (or remember O.J. Simpson) should get pardoned for some behaviors because of how talented they are and look to the body of work they have produced.

Are you kidding me???  I have always been a strong believer that entertainers who are adults with an above average pre-teen and teenage following have a responsibility to act decent and morally.  Now, if Justin Beiber doesn’t want any more young lady fans, then sure continue to act like a punk and see if they still like you then.  Celebrity or not, punishment should fit the crime.  If I were to domestically abuse my husband, but then plea that the judge should look at my entire body of work in the radio industry to help judge my character and allow me to be pardoned for a serious crime, Your Honor would laugh in my face and probably double the fines for my ignorance.

Chris Brown is talented.  The man is also incredibly young.  It will take time for the American people to completely trust him and unconditionally love his music again, especially since Rihanna was, and still is such a powerhouse in pop music.  Michael Vick had to endure a similar long process.  After his dog fighting charges, he served his time in jail, hired a great PR team, publicly apologized, goes on tour to talk about how what he did was wrong and why, and then came back to the NFL.  If the NFL can forgive, then heck, so can I.  Michael Vick, however, owned up to his actions, served his time (without much public complaint) and is working to become the trusted player he once was.

The point is, celebrities are just people. (I use this tactic when interviewing big stars on the air).  They are people who are easy to scrutinize because they are so public.  We compare everything they do to how we act.  They are people, nonetheless, with moms and families, so to think that because Chris Brown is talented in his work that he should be pardoned because he contributes to pop culture more than you, Jenny McCarthy or I do is outrageous.  If this were the case,  then everyone would have some sort of great body of work; “Oh but I have straight A’s this semester,” or “But, I helped unclog 50 drains last week, officer.”  They are just people who make mistakes, like me, but with a bigger platform to share their talents, which does not make them better people, just people with more fans who enjoy their work.  Celebrities just make mistakes on that bigger platform, judged by us all, and should have to take responsibility for their actions because that’s the way the world works. For everyone.

Naughty With Nature

Halloween is upon us, and with this holiday comes the nightmare after the candy hangover: Christmas season.  We’ll leave the “skipping Thanksgiving” talk for another post.  But, it is this nightmare before Christmas that makes Halloween one of my favorite holidays.

What's With Your Name?

Remember way back to freshman year English, when you were forced to read Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare.  You picked up the Cliffs Notes version because, frankly, reading iambic pentameter at 14 years old was worse than being forced to babysit your little brother on Friday night.  "What's in a name? that which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet"  Now I'm not going to make you relive high school, but the fact that we spent so much time on this particular quote means it was probably pretty important.

The point of the lecture was that it is not a name that suggests your character, rather the way you treat others that is your identity.  While this may be somewhat true about your character, times are changing.  Anyone who has signed up for a Twitter account or attempted to start a blog would know better.  Only one person in the whole world gets to be "RadioGirl" Or "Maggi On the Radio."  Dammit that there are more people than  me that identifies with that specific spelling and got to it first.

Because I have put so much time into sculpting a cool online and social media presence, it really is irritating when people disregard my identity, especially prospective employers.  Although born Margaret, my mother chose a nickname for me early on: Maggi.  Not Peggy, not Marge, not even Maggie.  When I send a prospective employer my demo, aircheck and resume all labeled exactly the same way...Maggi, I expect an appropriate response to this identity.  In fact, when it is altered in some way, not only does it make the prospective employer/buyer/client seem disrespectful, but also lazy.  I mean really, do they really think I spelled my name wrong 13 times? Come on.

Props to Eminem who got it right the first time around and ingraining that identity into our heads..."What...Who...chicka chicka...Slim Shady!"

The Who, what, when, and how of this blog....My name is Maggi.  I am a radio professional who also happens to be a runner, dog lover, feminist, pop culture junkie who can actually hold intelligent conversations about art, politics or anything you'd like.  This blog will be mostly current and all about real life.  Enjoy, share and comment away!