Organge is the new black is back??

'Orange is the New Black' will be back in june. If you didm't know, well now you do. Season 3 of "Orange is the New Black" will be premiering on netflix june 6th and available to stream june 12th. If you didn't see the first two seasons, I suggest you get right on that. There is so much to see, literally and figuratively. Unless you don't like drama, love, comedy and just a good story then don't watch it. You probably won't even be reading this if you weren't interested. Anyways….  I don't want to spoil all the fun so I won't go in details. So here is a,little bit of what you might expect to watch.

The first season it mainly follows Piper, the main character. She was arrested and put in jail because of old drug relations with her ex-girlfriend. She was drawn into the life of drug dealing and then had to pay the price. Piper is faced with a lot of obstacles ranging from ex-girlfriend drama to possible new girlfriend problems..key word possible. One of the inmates decides that she wants to date piper. Piper has to learn to deal with life in prison nd the ability to stand on her own.

In the second season, it explores the lives of the other inmates. It gives light on the struggles of life in prison and even the life before prison. We sometimes forget that others live cry different lives than us and people across the country face problems that others only have seen in the movies. People can't choose the cards they have been dealt. And unforunitly some people are thrown into a life of being in prison that could've been avoided. 

I am really excited for the next season because I can't wait for the characters to develop more. Despite it's vulgarity sometimes, if you look past it the story is actually a beautiful story. 

Transgenders in the Media

Over the years, there have been controversies with depicting transgender people in the media. Many people are not accepting of the fact that some people cannot strictly identify with being male or female, and people are very discriminatory against this. In the media, transgender people have hit many milestones and have been celebrating their acceptance coming to life. Teen YouTube star, Jazz Jennings is getting her own TV show called "All That Jazz" which will give us an insight through the eyes of a transgender youth. This teen drama will be appearing on TLC, according to an announcement made last week. Jazz may be young, but she is an author and an activist for transgender people that is turning heads to how people view them. Even though Jazz was born a boy, she knew from the beginning that she was meant to be a girl. Having gender dysphoria at such a young age was obviously a struggle but Jazz made the most out of her childhood by not letting the teasing get her down, and became a very important advocate for the debate on transgender youth. She was even signed on as Clean & Clear's face for the "See the Real Me" campaign which shares a touching video describing the trials of being a transgender youth.

In addition to Jazz's incredible accomplishments, transgender people have been portrayed significantly more often on television than in the past. There are many shows that feature transgender actors such as Orange Is The New Black, and Discovery Life's New Girls on the Block. There are also shows where actors play transgender people such as in ABC Family's My Transparent Life or the Golden-Globe winning comedy, Transparent. Even though there has been a significant shift in the way some people view the lives of transgender humans, there is still a long way to go. There will always be hateful comments against people that are seen as different or out of place, but they deserve just as equality as everyone else does. The shows where actors are playing transgender people are great, but there are plenty of real transgender actors in the field that could have taken on those specific roles. Overall, the advocacy campaigns that have been pointed towards transgender awareness should be taken seriously, and even though they have completed certain milestones, there are many more mountains to climb for equal representation in the media.

The rise of Netflix

Netflix is sure uping the antis with increasing its number of "netflix original series" with the success of orange is the new black. Netflix is sure being smart and creating their very own market. 

Now that Netflix has its own series, it is really putting a stress on TV networks. More and more people are turning to Netflix, hulu and other online streaming sites. What is next to come? Hulu original series? If networks were smart they would be doing the same thing and creating a place to stream their shows easier and more efficient. If its cheaper, people will sure flock to their site.

In 2015, Netflix will be releasing 9 new original sees and I'm sure there is more to come. Instead of wanting to work for a station, I much rather work for Netflix or Hulu with the rate this is going. 

Not only is Netflix spreading across the United States, but it is also spreading around the word. Soon it will be launching in Japan in the fall as well. Currently Netflix is the WORLDS leading TV network with over 57 million members and over 50 countries. It is crazy to think about. I know where I want to apply when I graduate.

(https://pr.netflix.com/WebClient/getNewsSummary.do?newsId=1871)

Netflix Original Content

     Netflix is a provider of on demand video streaming over the internet and a by mail DVD distribution service. The company was established in 1997 with its headquarters in Los Gatos, California. Just ten years later Netflix announced that it had delivered its billionth DVD. And then in 2011 Netflix had 23.6 million subscribers in the United States and 26 million worldwide. According to a 2013 report by Sandvine, Netflix is the biggest source of North American downstream web traffic, at 32.3%, and registered 28.8% of aggregate traffic.
     Netflix's online streaming is so popular that it has started to create it's own content for it's site. In March 2011 Netflix released its plan to start airing it's original content beginning with the political drama House of Cards which debuted February 2013. Since then Netflix has picked up two seasons of Lillyhammer a season of Arrested Development (with talks of doing another), and two more original shows Hemlock Grove and Orange is the New Black. All three of Netflix's original shows have been approved for more seasons.
     The state of television certainly is taking an interesting turn with full series being created or revived solely for viewing on the internet. This system seems to be going well, but everything could change for the better or worse once Amazon makes its play at the online TV and Movie streaming business.    

Orange is the New Black

"Orange is the New Black" is a Netflix original series based on Piper Kerman's memoir Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison.  The show follows Piper Chapman, who is sent to prison for carrying drug money for her ex-girlfriend many years ago.  Piper acknowledges her fault and tries to keep an open, positive mind in the facility.  But by the end of season 1, the injustice and severity of the prison causes Piper to snap, leaving the audience with an excellent cliff hanger.

The show's initial success has set high standards for the upcoming season.  It's anticipated that season 2 will have even more drama and will introduce new characters.  Lori Petty was added to the cast, although there are no details on her role.  In fact, OITNB has barely released any details about the second season.  According to Jason Biggs (Larry Bloom), this season will be "better than the first."

The show presents the audience with a multitude of different cultures, lifestyles, and women. Each character comes with a unique and realistic backstory, and being in a prison allows the audience to see the characters in their rawest form.  Creator Jenji Kohan truly outdid himself with this series.  I personally can't wait for season 2 to finally be released.

Orange Is The New Black Opening Credits

Recently, I’ve used my free time to re-watch one of my favorite new television series, Orange Is The New Black. I’ve always enjoyed its hilarious use of situational comedy to portray an environment that is usually avoided in sitcoms, the woman’s section of prison. The show, created by Jenji Kohan, as well as the same individuals who created Weeds, has done a beautiful job of capturing all different types of emotional moments. The show was filmed with more creativity and technique than anyone expected from a new series that can only be found on Netflix. Upon doing more research about the cinematography that was used during this show, I discovered some amazing information about the opening credits.

Overall, I find that the opening credits are one of the most emotional parts of this show. The opening credits go along to the sing "You've Got Time" by Regina Spektor. The song is fast-paced and the lyrics are very meaningful and symbolic to the content of the show. In an interview with Rolling Stones, Spektor says, "It's such a great show and such a cool look". This isn't the first time Spektor has worked with Kohan to create a song that perfectly described the plot of the show. In the past, Spektor had worked with Kohan to create the well-known song for the opening credits of Weeds, "Little Boxes". In the interview, Spektor stated that when she first brought the music to Kohan she was nervous that she wouldn't like it. She goes on to say, "She was listening on headphones and then she just turned to me: "This kicks ass! I love it! This is awesome! This is perfect." As the song plays, images of different parts of woman’s face flash among the screen, casually pausing to show images of a prison. The faces include a quick montage of woman smiling, laughing, frowning and glaring.

The most amazing part about this sequence is that the faces are not merely the faces of actresses, but actual woman who had been incarcerated.  Actress Natasha Lyonne who plays one of the main characters, Nickles, states in an online interview, “I think we got so used to seeing botax faces that this show is going to feel like such a relief”. I believe that this montage, which shows faces that display all different ranges of emotions and types of faces, can support her statement. Netflix went on to confirm the fact that the credits do not feature actresses but in fact, woman who had been incarcerated. I believe that by using incarcerated woman the show brings a refreshing, realistic outlook that is not typically seen on popular shows.

The montage is one that catches your attention because of its new approach. The title sequence is created by Thomas Cobb Group, the same people who created the sequence for the popular series, “Homeland”. Executive producer of TCG stated that the original meaning of the sequence was to simply present the credits at each character’s personal point of view.  However, Kohan intervened during the creating process in order to change the idea behind the credits entirely by personally talking to the woman. Bryman explained in the following, "Thomas directed each woman to visualize in their mind three emotive thoughts: Think of a peaceful place, think of a person who makes you laugh, and think of something that you want to forget. He apologized ahead of time for the last question but found it was incredibly effective in evoking a wide range of unfortunate memories".

I believe these questions evoked the correct amount of emotion and efficiently told a story without words. However, I also believe that the music had a lot to do with this emotion. My favorite lyrics from this song which I believe help to convey a message are, “remember all their faces, remember all their voices, everything is different the second time around and you’ve got time.”

Source: Huffpost TV
Source: Rolling Stone

The Uncommon Opinion of Orange is the New Black

I've recently (recently being yesterday) begun Orange is the New Black, Netflix's new original series. I heard about it way too much this summer, so I thought I would give it a chance. To preface, I have a three episode rule for television. Before I can make any judgement, I have to watch the first three episodes of a show to give it a chance to show me what it's got. I implemented this rule, because I've been told that I am way too harsh on television shows, specifically female characters. Despite my rule, I went in with a sour taste in mouth, because the trailer showed some poorly written lines and sub-par acting bits. The good part about jumping into a show with low expectations is that it leaves a lot of room to be surprised. And that I was to find I somewhat enjoyed the first three episodes. Still, I have yet to figured out why people are so obsessed with it. Perhaps the premise is just not my cup of tea?

It does really bother me that this show is getting high praise for things that have definitely been done before. I've heard people call OITNB groundbreaking in television for having a protagonist, Piper Chapman, that doesn't run the show or monopolize the story. The show does dive deeper into the past of the secondary inmates through flashbacks, but this is not the first time we've seen this story structure or ensemble style. Lost, anyone? Remember that gem? Jack was our "protagonist," I suppose you could say. But I've never met anyone who would consider him their favorite character. And frankly, the flashbacks in Lost are done much more effectively. The score sets each flashbacks up and brings the audience back to the present afterwards so effortlessly. And in my opinion, those characters were a lot more compelling. Of course, I have only seen the first three episodes. It's possible they'll impress me as time goes on. The point is, Lost is simply an example. Ensemble shows and flashbacks have been done before. And frankly, I'm not impressed by OITNB's use of them.

I will say that one thing I love about OITNB is how much freedom the writers have since it is not a network television show. Especially given the show's premise, it would lack a lot of it's realness if the writers were restricted from talking about sexuality and abortion as opening as they do. This is prison. There is no censorship in prison. I also think the show really sheds light on issues that too much of society is ignorant towards. For instance, the struggles of being transgender and the effects your decision to be who you are has on your family and your entire life. Hopefully, this aspect of the show enlightens those who can be so quick to judge.

So there it is. My opinion after a fair three episodes to win me over. In the end, I have decided to continue watching Orange is the New Black -- not because I am addicted, but I am curious to discover what all the hype is about.