Tuesday, February 03, 2009
American Pop Culture 101
I was sitting in a conference room with my coworkers today and the topic turned to television. They talked about shows like Gossip Girl, House and 24 and discussed the characters as if they were real people. The discussion goes on for 5 minutes or so. The entire time I have no idea what they're talking about. Finally one of them asks me if I watch these shows. I had to answer no.
I don't watch much television because I find it's usually a waste of my time. I'd rather spend it creating something. If I do watch TV, it's usually Masterpiece Theater, or some show with people wearing costumes and speaking with British accents. I guess this makes me out of touch with the mainstream.
Anyhow, I feel like I need a primer on American pop culture, so I did some online research on the shows mentioned. It's still not a priority of mine to follow these shows, but at least I know what the youngsters are watching these days.
Another aspect of American culture I needed to catch up on was the Superbowl, especially the advertisements. I found a good website that shows all the ads in the 4 quarters. Some of the more talked about ads are as follows:
1st quarter
1. Pepsi Forever Young
2. Doritos snow globe
3. Go Daddy
2nd quarter
1. E-trade babies
2. Teleflora rude flowers
3rd quarter
1. Coke picnic
2. Monster - moose
To view all the commercials, you need to click on each of the quarters (1st, 2nd, etc.) My favorite was the Coke picnic commercial with the Monster - moose coming in second.
Okay, now I'm more culturally informed.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Labels
- $2
- $500K
- 101 California
- 2009
- 39 Steps
- 5:30ish
- 90%
- 9x
- accents
- accident
- achtung
- Acme Bread Company
- Adobe Lightroom
- advent
- adventure
- adventures on the bus
- Affe
- African American woman
- AIG
- air conditioning
- airborne
- airline
- airport
- Alameda
- Alcatraz
- alien
- allergies
- American
- American flag
- American outrage
- American pop culture
- Americans
- Analyze
- Angel Island
- Angel Island fire
- Angela Merkel
- Anglophile
- angst
- anniversary
- annoying
- anonymous
- Apfelschorle
- Applebees
- April Fools Day
- archaeologist
- architecture
- ARD
- art glass
- article
- arts
- ASCEND
- Asian Art Museum
- Asian disease
- Asian guy
- Asians
- Asians wine tasting
- assembly
- assignment
- at night
- Atlanta
- attorney
- Attorney General
- Australian
- authenticity
- autobahn
- autumn
- avatar
- avoid
- Aztec
- baby
- bacchanalia
- backpack
- bad hair day
- baerentreff
- bagels
- balance board
- balloons
- ballot
- bamboo
- bamboo leaves
- Ban Ki-Moon
- bank of california
- banking
- banks
- banner
- banquet
- baptism
- baptism by fire
- barbed wire
- bargains
- Bark and blooms
- Basel
- bask
- bathroom
- battered
- Bay Area Ski Bus
- Bay Bridge
- Bay to Breakers
- beach volleyball
- bear fur
- beat
- Beijing
- bell peppers
- bells
- Berlin
- Berlusconi
- best friend
- bias
- bibimbap
- bicyclists
- big
- bikinis
- Bilder
- binder clip
- Bingo
- binoculars
- birds sing
- birth rate
- birthdays
- Bistro Burger
- bizarre
- Black Friday
- BlackBerry Bold
- blast
- blood orange
- Blue Angels
- blue collar
- blur
- Blurb
- bmw
- boats
- bombshell
- bonus
- bookcase
- books
- Bose
- Boston
- Boston Common
- Botanical gardens
- Botantical Skin Resurfacing
- bottle
- Bourne Ultimatum
- boxing
- boycott
- bragging
- brands
- bread
- British
- broken engagement
- Buddhism
- Bumble and Bumble
- burning midnight oil
- bus
- bus riding
- Bush
- business
- business administration
- business men
- buttons
- buy one get one free
- buying advice
- buying property
- buzzword
- by the word
- c
- Cable Car
- Cable Car Museum
- cable cars
- Cafe Madeleine
- Cairo speech
- California
- California Academy of Sciences
- California street
- callused
- Caltrain
- camcorder
- camera
- CAMS
- candles
- candy
- candy bar
- Canon
- Canon G11
- Cantonese
- Car
- car accident
- Carl Sandburg
- Carmel
- carnival
- carpool
- cartoon
- casket
- cast
- Casual Friday
- cat nap
- cat person
- catamaran
- caterwaul
- Catonese opera
- cattle
- caution
- CCSF
- Cédric Klapisch
- ceiling
- celebration
- celebrity
- Celia's Mexican Restaurant
- cello
- cereal
- CFE
- Chai
- chair
- change in career
- charisma
- chatty seatmate
- cheery blossoms
- chemistry
- cherry blossoms
- Chihuly
- children
- Chilis
- chimp
- China
- China Basin
- China people baby
- Chinatown
- chinese
- Chinese character
- Chinese chess
- Chinese New Year
- Chinese people
- Chinese woman
- Chris Brown
- Christmas duties
- Christmas gift for mother
- ciao bella
- cinderella project
- Cinta Aveda Institute
- Citibank
- City College
- City College of San Francisco
- City Guides from Economist
- city hall
- Civic center
- civic duty
- clam shell
- class
- classes in San Francisco
- clean sheet
- clean up
- Clinton
- Clones
- clothes
- clothing
- coast
- cockroach
- Coffe Bean
- coffee
- Coit Tower
- cold
- Color
- colors
- comment
- commentary
- common courtesy
- commuter school
- comparison of cities
- composition
- conference
- confused tourists
- Cons
- Conservatory of Flowers
- constructive feedback
- Contemporary Jewish Museum
- contest
- copier
- corporate america
- corporate veil
- corporations
- corportation
- cost basis
- cost of
- costumes
- countdown
- Couric
- court decision
- CPA
- cranky
- crazy
- creativity
- crime rate
- crimes
- crimson
- crimson rose
- Crissy Field
- Critical Mass
- critique
- crooked smile
- crookedest
- crosswalk
- crowds
- cruise
- culture
- cup
- Cupid's Span
- custom white balance
- customer service
- dachshund
- Daffodil Hill
- daffodils
- DailyCandy
- dance
- dancing
- dandelion
- danger
- darkroom
- daydream
- Daylight Savings
- De Young Museum
- deaths
- debate
- debit and credit
- Debussy
- decoration
- Democrats
- dentist
- deposition
- desire
- detention camp
- Deutsch
- Deutsche Welle
- Deutschland
- Diamond Head
- diamond lane
- differences
- dim sum
- dim sum guide
- dinner
- dirndl
- discussion
- disgusting
- diversity
- dog person
- doggie diner
- dogs
- Dolores Park
- dome
- domestic US travel
- don't get old
- downtown
- Downtown LA
- drama
- dream
- dream job
- dress shoe
- dried urine
- dried urine smells
- dripping sandwich
- drobo
- drowsy
- du bist so schoen
- due diligence
- dummies
- dumped
- dumplings
- dusk
- DVD
- Earth Hour
- earthquake
- economic situation
- edgy
- editor
- educated
- education
- Egg holder
- Eigenbroetler
- elections
- Elevation
- Elf
- email overload
- embaracadero
- embarcadero
- Embarcadero Center
- endorphins
- engagement
- engagement ring
- English
- enlargement
- entrepreneur
- EOS 5D
- error
- escape
- etymology
- eureka
- Europe
- European world cup
- euros
- event
- event photography
- events
- Evolver
- excel
- executive pay cap
- exercise
- exercising
- exhibitionism
- exhibitionists
- existential angst
- existential questions
- expert witness
- external storage
- eyeballs
- facial
- factory
- fall festival
- fare increase
- Farmer's Market
- fashions
- faust
- fear of balls
- Feast Days
- Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
- feedback
- fence
- fern
- Ferry Building
- field trip
- fight on the bus
- filming locations
- financial cost
- financial crisis
- Financial District
- Finanzkrise
- fire
- fire engine
- firefighter
- fireman
- first day
- first day of school
- fischerman
- fish
- Fisherman's Wharf
- flash mob
- flashlight
- Flatiron
- Fleet Week
- flex
- flight
- flights
- flip phone
- Flood Building
- Florence
- Flower
- flower basket
- flower pavilion
- Flowers
- fluffy
- fly
- flying monkeys
- fog
- Food
- food chronicle
- foot
- for love or money
- forensic accounting
- forensics lab
- format
- forms galore
- Fotografie
- frame
- framed art work
- frames
- France
- Frank-Walter Steinmeier
- Frankfurt am Main
- free museums
- free things
- Freedom Trail
- frei wille
- French
- Fridays
- fried
- friendship
- Fritz
- Fritzchen
- fruit juice
- fruits of summer
- furniture
- GAAP
- GABA
- games
- Gandhi
- Gap
- Garmin Nuevi
- Gatsby
- gender
- gender communication
- Georgia
- geriatrics
- German
- German American Business Association
- German Christmas pyramid
- German exam
- German language
- German pillows
- German restaurants in San Francisco
- Germania
- Germanophile
- germany
- Gesundheit
- GEZ fees
- GGP
- glamour shots
- glow
- godot
- going home
- gold; vienna
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Golden Gate Park
- golden hour
- golden parachute
- golf
- golfing
- good daughter
- goody good gumdrops
- GPS
- Grace Cathedral
- Graduation
- grammar
- grand opening
- Grand Palace
- Grant Ave
- green
- green tea
- greeting cards
- groceries
- grocery stores
- growing pains
- gummi bears
- hair cut
- haircut
- Half Dome
- Halloween
- hamster
- handout
- hands
- happy
- happy face
- Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
- hare krishna
- Harvard
- Harvard Business Review
- harvest
- Hawaii
- HBR
- HDR images
- he said
- head
- headache
- headphones
- headquarters
- heart
- heart locket
- hearts in San Francisco
- heat
- heels
- helmet
- hidden beauty
- high heels
- high school
- highlight
- highway patrol
- hike
- hippies
- historical figures
- Hitchcock
- Holder
- hole in the wall
- holiday
- home
- home sweet home
- homeless
- homemade lunch
- homeward bound
- homework
- Hornblower
- horses
- hot weather
- Hotel
- house brands
- how to
- how to tell the difference
- how to travel
- how to unwind
- hula
- hunchback
- Hungary
- ice cream
- ice skating
- idealist
- If You're Out There
- Ikea
- ikebana picture
- impressions
- improving your brain
- in my dreams
- inauguration
- increase
- India
- indian summer
- industrial
- info overload
- interests
- interpretation
- interview
- Introvert
- invention
- inverse
- Invisible Man
- IOU
- ISO
- Italian class
- italiano
- Italophile
- Italy
- itinerary
- J. Crew
- jack-in-the-box
- jaded
- jamba juice
- Japanese
- Japanese Tea Garden
- Japantown
- jeans
- Jeff Weston
- Jennifer Aniston
- job
- John Edwards
- John Legend
- John Mayer
- joong
- July 4th
- jump
- jump on the bandwagon
- Justin Herman Plaza
- JW Marriott
- karaoke
- karma
- Katie Holmes
- keeping up with the Joneses
- Kettle
- keychain
- kiddies
- kids
- kill fly
- King Kalakaua
- Kleenex
- Koi Palace
- Kopfkissen
- Korean food
- lab
- lack of acknowledgement
- ladybug
- laidbackness
- landfill
- lantern
- laptop
- law
- leafy
- lederhosen
- leftovers
- lens
- lessons learned
- letters
- life is unfair
- light
- light bulb
- light switch
- Lightroom
- linguistics
- little monkey
- logic
- logo
- Lombard Street
- lone Cypress
- lone star
- loneliness
- Los Angeles
- lose Chinese market share
- Lost in Translation
- love letter
- lunch
- Lyon Arboretum
- lyrics
- macs
- Mad Men
- Mad Men DVD
- made in China
- magic
- magnifying glass
- Magnolia
- Malen mit Licht
- man and dog
- man and woman
- man in the box
- Mandarin at CCSF
- Mandarin Chinese
- Mandarin collar
- Mandarin for Speakers of Other Dialects
- MandM
- mania
- mannequins
- March Madness
- markets crash
- marriage
- marshmallow
- Martin Luther King
- Massachusetts
- Mastrelli's Delicatessen
- matrimonial harmony
- Maultaschen
- McCain
- medal
- medicine
- Medvedev
- meet up
- melancholy
- Mercedes
- Mercury
- message from President
- MFA
- Michael Buble
- middle seat
- milk
- mindfulness
- minefield
- Mirror Lake
- mission
- mission accomplished
- Mission Dolores
- misspellings
- mist
- MIT
- MLK day
- Moana Surfrider
- mobile phone
- model minority
- modern art
- modesty
- Mona Lisa
- money
- money laundering
- monkey
- monkey energy
- Monterey
- Monty Python
- mooncakes
- moonlighting
- moose
- moose head
- more fun than a barrel full of monkeys
- morning
- moth
- movie review
- movies
- Mpix review
- muffin top
- mug
- muni
- Musee Mecanique
- Museum Day
- Museum of Fine Arts
- music
- musical education
- Muslim
- must see films
- mutiny
- MyPublisher
- mystery
- Nancy Drew
- nat king cole
- Natasha Richardson
- nation of cowards
- nature
- Naval base
- Neighborhood
- neon.de
- networking
- new chapter
- new employer
- new job
- New Orleans
- new page
- new president
- New York
- New York City
- New York Times
- New Zealand
- newspaper
- ni hao ma
- night
- night photography
- nightmare
- Nikon
- no dinner
- No line on the Horizon
- no notice
- Nob Hill
- noodle vortex
- NorCal
- North Beach sandwich
- North by Northwest
- North End
- Northface
- Nose
- nose picking
- note cards
- notebooks
- Nunchuk
- NYC
- NYSE
- NYT
- Oahu
- oars
- Obama
- Obamania
- Oberammergau
- October 25
- office
- office sketches
- Office Space
- Oktoberfest
- old restaurant
- Old World
- older recruits
- olive bread
- Olympic torch
- One Market
- optometrist
- orange
- Orlando
- Outdoor photographer
- Outrigger
- overeating
- overworked
- Oxenrose
- pack light
- pagoda
- painful
- painiting with light
- Painting with light
- paintings
- paints
- Palace Hotel
- Palin
- palms
- panda
- panning
- paparazzi
- paper cuts
- paper jam
- paradise
- paranoid
- Paris
- party
- passion play
- passport
- pay
- PBS
- peace
- Peace Plaza
- peach
- peaches
- pear
- Pearls
- pearly whites
- peet's
- pent up monkey energy
- people watching
- personals ad
- pet peeve
- photo book comparision
- photobooks
- photobooks. homemade lunch
- photographers I admire
- photographic rebel
- photography
- photography gig
- photography instructor
- Photography meetup
- photojojo
- photojournalism
- physical education
- picnic
- picture
- pig
- piggy bank
- Pike Place
- pillows
- pills
- pinball
- pinch
- pink
- Piperade
- pivot tables
- Pixar
- pixie cut
- plants
- playing with fire
- pledge of allegiance
- poetry
- points
- polarizing filter
- political
- politics
- polka dots
- poll
- polls
- pollution
- porcelain throne
- portfolio
- portrait
- posing
- post office
- postcards
- potato chips
- potluck
- potsticker
- POTUS
- Poway
- power walking
- powerpoint
- preening
- president
- prime minister
- prism
- products
- profane
- professional facade
- professional women
- prom dresses
- pros
- Provence
- Prudential Center
- psychedelic
- public library
- public nose picking
- public promenade
- public television
- public toilet
- public transportation
- puff of air eye test
- pungent
- put a ring on it
- random acts of violence
- rat race
- RAW
- Rayko
- Reaching for the light
- reading
- reality show
- recurring dream
- red
- red egg
- red fence
- red room
- red sign
- Red Sox
- redact
- redeem
- REI
- renewal
- Renoir
- restaurant
- reunion
- review
- reward
- rice cooker
- Ring
- rinse
- rising tide
- risky business
- rite of passage
- Ritter Sport
- River Bubble
- robot
- Roger Cicero
- Rome
- rooftop garden
- root
- root of all suffering is desire
- rose
- rose garden
- routing
- rubber duckies
- ruckus
- rude
- rush
- sacred
- sad clown
- salad bowl
- sale
- Salon
- Saloon
- Samovar tea lounge
- San Bruno Mountain
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Francisco Asian Art Museum
- San Francisco Bay
- San Francisco Japantown
- San Francisco MUNI
- San Francisco Musuem of Modern Art
- San Jose
- sandals
- sandwich
- Saudi Arabia
- Sausalito
- save money
- scales
- scene
- Schlage
- schmooze
- school festivals
- Schroeders
- scissor
- seat neighbor
- Seattle
- Seattle Public Library
- secret
- secret garden
- secret mission
- Secretary of State
- seedling
- self portrait
- sensitive teeth
- sensory overload
- September
- Sequoia
- Servicewueste
- Seville
- SFMoma
- SFO
- shadow play
- she said
- sheep
- Sheraton
- shirts
- shoe
- shoe rack
- shoes
- shoeshine
- shopping
- short notice
- shortage
- Sightseeing
- silhouette
- silk
- Singtao
- Sitting
- sketchy
- skiing
- skirts
- skyline
- Slanted Door
- sleep
- sleep deprived
- small town
- Smart car
- Smithsonian
- snapshots
- sneeze
- SNL
- SNL spoof
- snob
- snow
- snowboard
- snowboarding
- SoCal
- soccer
- social butterfly
- social commentary
- social life
- Sofft
- solar power
- soldier
- Somali pirates
- song
- sore
- Sound of Music
- South San Francisco
- Spain
- Spanish
- SPE West
- speed
- speed of pedestrians
- speeding
- spendthrift
- spider
- spiral
- spring
- spring cleaning
- spring rolls
- springtime
- squirrels
- St. Anthony
- St. Mary's Square
- St. Patrick's Day
- St. Stupid Day
- stagnant
- stains
- starbucks
- State House
- Statue of Liberty
- Stern Grove
- stockmarket
- stone
- stores
- stories
- Stow Lake
- straw hat
- street names
- street photography
- strike a pose
- Studio Lagorio
- studio lighting
- Stuttgart
- stylist
- subscription
- suffer
- Summer
- sun worshiper
- Sunday
- sunset
- Superbowl ads 2009
- Suppenkueche
- sushi
- Sutro Baths
- swat
- sweaters
- swine flu mask
- swing
- Switzerland
- SWR3 web radio
- tables
- tabula rasa
- Tahiti
- Tahoe
- Taschenlampe
- tax dollars at work
- taxes
- taxi
- Teamwork
- teapot
- teeth
- Tekka Sushi
- terrorism
- Thanksgiving
- Thanksgiving Eve
- The Artist's Way
- the Bus
- the cost of having a social life
- the film
- the modern man
- The Office
- theater majors
- theme tree
- things to do
- three decades angst
- thrillers
- thumbs up
- Tiffany
- timberlake
- time exposure
- Times Square
- Tina Fey
- tiny people
- tips
- tiramisu
- toilet
- toilet humor
- toilet seat covers
- toilets
- Tokio Hotel
- TomTom GO 730 review
- torture
- tourism
- tourist
- tourists
- Toyota
- toys
- Tracht
- Trader Joe's
- traditions
- training
- training the eye
- trams
- translation
- transportation
- Trauma
- travel
- travel magazine
- travel photographer
- travel tips
- Travel wish list
- travelogue
- Treasure Island
- tres cool
- trick or treat
- Tuolumne Grove
- turkey
- Turlock
- TV
- TV debate
- TV show
- twilight
- twilight zone
- twisted
- U2
- ubercool
- ugly Americans
- umbrellas
- uncomfortable
- undisclosed location
- unemployment
- unfriending someone
- United States Postal Service
- Universal Studios
- unsafe
- unwind
- Up the movie
- upside down happiness
- urban renewal
- urinal
- urine smells
- US
- US Airways
- US Army
- USA
- USPS
- utilikilts
- vacation
- Valentine's Day
- Valentines Eve
- values
- Vanity Fair
- vase
- vegetables
- veil
- vending machine
- Veranda
- Vertigo
- verweile doch
- vice
- victory
- video
- video game
- Vietnamese
- Virgin of Guadalupe
- vogue
- Volcano
- volunteer work
- volunteering
- vote
- voting
- VW bug
- Wahlsieg
- waiting for godot
- walkable
- walking
- Wall Street
- Wall Street Journal
- Walmart
- Walzwerk
- wanderlust
- wardrobe
- warning sign
- water
- water bottle
- waterfalls
- Weather
- wedding
- Wednesday
- weeding
- Weihnachtspyramide
- Western
- Westfield
- Westminster Abbey
- whack a mole
- what goes around comes around
- wheel
- when I fall in love
- why
- Wide angle
- Wii
- Wii Fit
- wikipedia
- wildflower
- Wilhemina
- Will Ferrell
- William Dobbin
- wind chimes
- windmill
- wine
- wishful thinking
- wobbly egg
- woman
- women
- wonton
- work
- work at night
- workshop
- World Affairs Council
- Worldwide Moment of Peace
- WSJ
- Yahoo
- Yerba Buena
- yin and yang
- yoga
- Yosemite
- yuppies
- yuppy
- ZDF
- zebra
- Zen
- Zicam
- zone
1 comment:
See, there are benefits to watching more trashy shows. Be more like me. You'll be popular in no time.
Post a Comment