Author Archives: Jessica Nadel

I think by now and after the super bowl everyone knows about Beyoncé’s new single, Formation. It is a powerful new song accompanied by a powerful video where Beyoncé publicly puts herself behind the black lives matter movement. Sadly the responses to the video have been very controversial. People are for some reason upset that she has announced her support for the movement. They have even brought up things like white lives matter too, which in my opinion is an ignorant statement. This video is incredible because it perfectly illustrates the power of pop culture in things as important as social movements. The best part is that there was a follow up SNL video.

The Day Beyoncé Turned Black is an incredible satire about the public reaction to Beyoncé’s video. It was as if the public did not know she was black. The fact that she took a stand to represent herself for some reason shocked people. This video illustrates how silly it is that people were confused by Beyoncé. It also shows how important SNL as a media publication is in bringing social issues to a public audience. By making this controversy comedic it is more captivating for a large audience to view. Twitter blew up with posts and comments reacting to the video. What do you guys think about the video, the responses and SNL’s satire?

Tonight “Grease: Live” will be airing on FOX. This is the fourth live musical produced but this time a new network has taken the reigns from NBC. This new phenomenon is a live musical production that the audience watches from their very own televisions without having to pay a lot of money for Broadway theater. Kail the director “likes the idea of mixing it up between stage and screen. ‘I deeply believe that theater should be for everyone,’ he told The New York Times.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdS_yNe02vg

An article on CNN that talks about the show made me think about how media today is focused on broadcasting to a wide audience. It used to be that only people who could afford theater tickets would have the chance to view musicals and plays. Now a whole new channel has been created to bring the “live” musical experience to everyones’ homes. In this way the new experience is very positive. On the other hand are there any negative effects to creating this new media event?

These new live theater productions have created a massive spectacle. The directors have hired big name actors and actresses and they only put on one live show so the event has become a big ordeal. Has all of this extra attention detracted from the art of theater? Can watching a musical on tv even count as live even if it is being watched in real time without any editing? These are some questions I have considered and wonder what you guys think.