Conclusion? (My oral presentation)

There is no real conclusion to this project there are so many different directions and new arguments that can take this project into different directions.


So I will sum up what I learned.

Many Icons had untimely deaths like Marilyn Monroe, Micheal Jackson, John Lennon and many others I did not get the chance to research like James Dean. The media seems to idolize celebrities when they die before their time. For example, Marilyn died at the age of 37 in 1962,but she is more recognized then Liz Taylor who is still living. She is worth more dead than she was alive. Same goes for Michael Jackson and Elvis.

My Bono vs Don Cherry Theory, is that people don't take Bono seriously because he is a multimillionaire rock star and he should just stick to music and donate the money himself.
People like Don Cherry because he tells it like it is and isn't afraid to be out spoken. Also I think people are annoyed at Bono because he is pointing the finger at them to do something about poverty, it is like he is criticising them for not doing anything. While Don Cherry bashes hockey players or politicians, people like to watch other people get criticized.

Finally most cartoon icons have persona's that people can connect with, like Bugs as a persona with dry wit or Homer Simpson with his stereotypical average American character.

But whatever the reason we have Pop Icons, the media is the driving force that makes them.
The media coverage on a certain celebrity makes them idolized and therefore a pop icon.

BONO

Bono (Paul David Hewson) was born in Dublin Ireland May 10, 1960. He is the lead singer of one of the most popular bands U2. He writes most of the lyrics to U2’s songs using religion, political, and social themes. One of U2’s most popular; “Pride in the Name of Love” was written for the late Martin Luther King. The lyric “Early evening April 4, shot rings out in the Memphis sky, free at last, they took your life, they could not take your pride,” is reference to the day that Martin Luther got assassinated. Along with his great music career Bono is a big humanitarian and activist when it comes to Africa. He runs many organizations to raise money to help starving and sick people in Africa and other 3rd world countries. He runs the ONE Campaign, DATA, EDUN and Project Red. He has also meet with many politicians like George Bush and even meet Pope John Paul the 2nd, ( he usually wears a rosary which the Pope gave him) People either love him or hate him, but he always portrays himself as having a big ego but using his star status in helping others. He will always speak out for what he believes in.

What I never understood was why people don’t like him? He wants to help the poor and sick in underdeveloped countries so why do people hate him.
On Google I found an article about a petition that wants Bono to retire, they raised $400 in 2005 to get Bono to retire as a media figure and stop speaking out for AIDS in Africa. People are annoyed by him and want him to stop doing the Africa campaigning and donate himself because he’s a multimillionaire. Well in my view I think that’s kind of harsh, but that’s what some people think. I guess because of his status of being a rock star makes people feel that he should just play his music and shut up about political business. But he is using his star power to get across his millions of fans and get more people involved in helping others less fortunate in the world.

Bono is known as a pop icon because of the great achievements he and his band U2 have made throughout the years and also the image he portrays himself he isn’t afraid to say what he believes in, and his lyrics reflect that. He uses his status power to get the message across to his fans and people across the world. At his Zoo TV Tour in 92/93 he made three on stage personas, The Fly, Mirror Ball Man, and Mr. Macphisto. In one on stage performance he is Mr. Macphisto, a devil who is a retired rock star, his speech was a humoristic sarcastic view of the world with a lot of irony.

This is his big speech which he did at the U2 concert in Sydney in 1993.

Look what you've done to me..... you've made me very famous, and I thank you. I know you like your pop stars to be exciting, so I bought these (gestures to his shoes). Now, my time among you is almost at an end; the glory of Zoo TV must ascend and take its place with all the other satellites. Don't fear, for I will be watching you. I leave behind video cameras for each of you. So many listening tonight, I have a list... People of America, I gave you Bill Clinton—I put him on CNN, NBC, C-SPAN. Too tall to be a despot, but watch him closely. People of Asia, your time is coming—without your tiny transistors, none of this [gestures to Zoo TV stage set] would be possible. People of Europe—when I came among you, you were squabbling like children. Now you're all hooked up to one cable, as close together as stations on a dial. People of the former Soviet Union—I gave you capitalism, so now you can all dream of being as wealthy and glamorous as me.
People of Sarajevo, count your blessings... There are people all over the world who have food, heat and security, but they're not on TV like you are. Frank Sinatra, I give you the MTV demographic; Salman Rushdie, I give you decibels. Goodbye "Squidgy," I hope they give you Wales; goodbye Michael. Goodbye all you neo-nazis, I hope they give you Auschwitz.

Video of the speech.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJQQFxzYWFc

I was just thinking

Well all know the Beatles were the first band to be exported from England and have their music played in the USA. They shocked people in the sixties their their long hair(yeah the bowl cut was concidered long in the 60's). But that open the door for the Rolling Stones who were even more out there then the Beatles. Then came Frank Zappa in 1966 with his debute Album "Freak Out". He had long unkept hair, unshaven, he had more of the 70's psychedelic look. So the Beatles came out first with the longer hair. the the Stones had even longer hair n looked a little less sophisticated then the Beatles,and then Frank Zappa came with his sloppy look. But When the Beatles last Album "Abbey Road" came out, George and Lennon are sporting long hair and facial hair. It seems the leaders of the trend became the followers in the end.

Don Cherry

Don Stewart Cherry a Canadian hockey commentator voted "Greatest Canadian." Oh and he's the dude with the weird suits. He was born Febuary 5th,1934. In his earlier days he was a Hockey Player and couch, later on he became a hockey commentator running the intermission segment "Hockey Night in Canada".

But through his television career of being a TV personality, He sparked a lot of controversy. In 2004 when he was asked about helmet visors he stated that "Most guys that wear them are European and French guys," this showed that he was claiming that players that wear visors have less respect on the ice then men who don't wear them. This triggered a federal investigation of the official language commissioner and french Canadians protested. But in a research study it did show that mostly french and europeans players wear the visors. Don Cherry spoke out against Alex Ovechkin for celebrating after he does a goal. He says he wants to teach the kids the Canadian way of celebrating a goal and not act like "those goofey soccer guys." People found that ridiculous how he can rant and rave about how a player should act after scoring a goal. It is also predijuce against soccer players, making them sound less manly than a Canadian Hockey player.

But he doesn't only make controversy in sports commentating but also in politics. In 2003 he made a statement for his support of the Iraq invasion,"You have to realize the CBC is government owned, You have to say the government was against the invasion of Iraq and I'm for it and I'm on a government program."

He says a lot of controvesail comments and doesn't care who is offended. But he's still voted "Greatest Canadian." Why??

To figure out why people love Don Cherry I went on his Facebook fansite

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&viewas=0&gid=2215190246

Most of his fans find him awesome because of his suits and critism towards players. They also love him for his support for the Canadian troops. Fans of hockey love his respect of the game and veteran players. But most of the fans love his tell it like it is attitude.

But I think the reason is people love controversial figures that hold importance in the media. They love the out spokeness and how the public will react.

Don Cherry on Ovechkin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wPkX3gLiEA

Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde are two well known bank robbers from the 1930's who caputred the American public's attention in the the newspapers when the readership was high for the Public Enemie era(1931-1934). Clyde Chestnut Barrow was born March 4, 1909 and died at the age of 25 on May 23, 1934. Bonnie Elizabeth Parker was born October 1 , 1910 and died with Cylde at the age of 23.

They were iconic because they weren't criminal masterminds, they weren't even reliable criminals and their reign of terror was more of a reign of erroes. They were misfits, but the media made them seem like they were the most experienced young bank robbers of the time. Also through a gag picture for the press, Bonnie was portrayed as a cigar chain smoking gun mole, even though she never fired a shot and only smoked cigerettes.That made them icons, because fans of theirs loved the idea of being young rebels sticking it to banks and cops.

Of course when they died from being ambushed by the Lousiana law force,they still remained popular, novels and books were made of the young criminals lives.

Icons who inspired other icons

James brown inspired Michael Jackson

Micheal Jackson stated that he would be woken up by his mom late at night when he was a young kid to watch his idol dance, sing and perform on stage. MJ was inspired to be great like James Brown as an entertainment and performer.

New Icons pushing older icons limits
Marilyn was a glamorous, beautiful and stylish women, then along came Madonna who took it a step further and now we have Lady Gaga taking it even more further with her futuristic out of this world outfits.

Marilyn Monroe VS Elizabeth Taylor: Did Marilyn's death make her more interesting?

Thanks to an article from Phil Vitone, I read an interesting article about Marilyn and Elizabeth Taylor. They were competing against each other on the big screen, they were both beauties. But Liz Taylor was the one viewed as more classy and sophisticated even though she was 6 years younger than Marilyn. Liz Taylor is still alive but it seems that Marilyn's name is heard more than Taylor's.Why is that?

Well the theories are death is a celebrities best friend. When Marilyn died she had only a couple of thousands to her name. But 50 years after her death, her estate earned 8 million a year for the use of her name and image.

Why do you think people are more interested in celebrities that are dead? Why do we become obsessed with an image of what they were in life?

I think it is the media that keep hammering down on the subject of a celebrity, and exploiting their death to the general public that makes them more appealing to us. It doesn't matter whose the better actress ( I saw Cleopatra and Liz was the better actor in my view) or who carried themselves better in public. Its about how much exposure you get from the media. Like Paris Hilton, she is a girl whose rich because of her parents. She has done nothing for society, but a sex tap leaked on the Internet has made her a celebrity because of the media always exploiting her, following her bad girl days. But know that she is quiet and away from the limelight it seems that she's not a celebrity anymore. That's why celebrities best friends is controversy and sadly their deaths.