Emerald City: No typical Dorothy and Toto story
NBC’s original series "Emerald City” is not the typical story of Dorothy Gale who falls into the land of Oz with her faithful dog toto in an attempt to find good before evil reaches her.
Although there are many variations in Emerald City from the original L. Frank Baum stories, a few differences to highlight include the following. Dorothy appears older than the 20 year old girl portrayed in the books, and has established herself in her career as a nurse. Dorothy and her Aunty Em and Uncle Henry have Hispanic roots, as they shift between speaking English and Spanish to each other. The Munchkins, called the “Munjacan Village” also has their own culture native to their tribe.
The story of the witches is one of the biggest differences. In the pilot, the Witch of the West isn’t necessarily viewed as wicked. West gives off a sort of hippy personality in the beginning. Shw states that there is "too much love" to still have. West also appears to be very fragile, more concerned with emotions than with power.
Additionally, the witch Glinda is emotionally distraught over the death of her sister, the witch of the East, which deviates from the original tale. The only two witches that remain now are Glinda, the Witch of the North, and West. In the television series, the witch of the South is killed by a "beast” before the series begins. In Emerald City, this view of the witches presents a sisterhood of a coven of witches; rather than good witches attempting to defeat evil magic that “bad” witches possess.
Apart from the comparison to the original story, here are some highlights from NBC’s Emerald City. The pacing seemed appropriate for telling a story of this magnitude, with a story most of us already know. A story that many of us know and love, any characters that stand out on their own against the original story need to be explained in detail. I believe this was accomplished in the pilot of Emerald City.
The blurred line between good and evil among the witches and the Wizard of Oz presented an interesting theme. Everyone has their limits and everyone’s morality is placed on a spectrum.
Emerald City shows the reality of what it is like to be trapped in a foreign place, even if that foreign place appears to be in your own mind. This concept of the mind is shown through examples such as Dorothy and the Scarecrow, Lucas. Dorothy uses her cleverness and cunning edge of her modern tricks to kill the witch of the East.
Additionally, it is a clever idea to use the scarecrow’s memory loss, originating from Baum's stories in which the scarecrow “doesn’t have a brain." The scarecrow, also known as Lucas in Emerald City, implicates his possible identity through the violent actions that he takes. This is a great example of revealing a piece of the character that is not only to the audience; but also a discovery to the other characters in the story and even himself.
Tip’s story, a featured character in Emerald City, actually emanates from one of Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum's original stories, “The Marvelous Land of Oz.” By incorporating this piece of Baum’s vision, the story adds more than the two dimensional view of Dorothy, the witches, and the Wizard of Oz’s perspectives.
The story of Emerald City presents an interesting premise of making this world it's own, rather than a re-telling of the original story. However, the story seemed to fall flat.
The story’s ability to grab the audience’s attention was average. The two hour special seemed to drag on. The focus on Dorothy’s mission is put on the back burner. There is a constant shift and division of the characters in the scenes in the first episode.
The plot twist at the end of the pilot is a concept originally presented in Baum's “The Marvelous Land of Oz.” However, using this revelation to shock the audience at the end seems like a cheap way to bait viewers. The creator's vision seems to be focus on audience appeal, rather than focusing on telling this story over time. Additionally, hinting at an intimate connection between the scarecrow and Dorothy distorts the nature of the original story in an attempt to draw viewers in. Especially considering this happened so early in the show’s establishment.
Overall, Emerald City’s pilot is not comparable to the original film adaptation of the Wizard of Oz. However, this mature version of the story highlights some of the original content used in Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum’s stories. Viewers shouldn't expect Emerald City to be the same story of Dorothy Gale and the journey she takes to Oz. This is not the same story you grew up watching on a black and white screen transformed into color. Yet, because this story emanates from the original book series The Wizard of Oz, it's difficult to imagine anything different.
Femdot "to(u)"
A very dope EP is out right now and you need to get your ears around it. It's from an artist named Femdot and his EP is titled to(u). This is a follow up EP, from his last two projects titled fo(u)r. and thr(we). that dropped in 2016 under the brand "Pigeons and Planes". The Chicago native lets you into his outlook on relationships, and shows a bountiful mix of confidence, self reflection, and nostalgia. This is jammed packed into four songs, each written with a special person in mind.
This project is laced with a lot of classic R&B samples and real life relationship situations. It's infectious and the lyrics stay solid from start to finish. Femdot is a "new to me" artist, so I'm definitely going to get up to speed after listening to to(u). I absolutely think you should do the same.
[iframe id="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/277507653&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true"]
Follow the artist @femdotdotcom
Follow the producers of to(u):
D.Phelps (@dphelps94), Shaan Mehta (@NewZealandShaan), & Mike Wavvs (@mikewavvs)
Follow the creator of the Cover art: Shiv Narandas - @ssalltt_
More features here.
Television: The Transition Into Online Streaming
Online streaming has greatly impacted the world of television over the past 10 years.
The majority of television shows still continues to expand over the course of months, with weekly episodes. Yet platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Xfinity TV, HBO Now, Amazon and even YouTube have changed the game for television. Among this list also includes television networks that have created online websites which viewers can access and stream tv shows. These companies allow viewers to binge watch entire seasons of episodes on their own time. This concept is known as binge watching, or the binge watching culture, which we have adapted into our society.
Two of the most well-known platforms that allow access to online streaming include Hulu and Netflix. Hulu was established in March of 2007, while Netflix was first founded in August of 1997. During the late 1990s and early 2000s in it's formative years, Netflix was originally created to rent movies on DVD. By 2007, Netflix moved into online streaming. In the 2010s, Netflix grew into a network, airing original content and television series. The network began hosting it's own series in early 2013, with the first Netflix original House of Cards. Now, even YouTube hosts their own original television series that consumers have access to with a subscription to Youtube Red.
Access to binge watching allows audience members the privilege of catching up on their favorite shows if they fall behind. Viewers also have the option to watch multiple episodes if available on programing sites such as Netflix or Hulu.
I remember growing up, sitting down at 4 o’clock on the dot to watch Full House or Gilmore Girls. As a teen, I recall watching whatever was on MTV, even if I wasn't interested in the program. MTV established one of the few channels that offered programs free from infomercials at 2:30 a.m. It kept viewers mildly entertained, namely audience members in their teens and early 20s during. This period of the early 2000s was before the convenience of Netflix and Hulu became available through devices such as laptops and iPads.
Now, individuals have the ability to access their favorite shows anytime, day or night, at the cost of $7 per month. This also offers economic benefits as well as convenience, providing viewers with a cheaper option than cable packages.
This new age of binge watching questions whether there is a loss of climatic build-up for viewers. Could the lack of on-screen suspense be the result of having access to watch a whole season any time the individual chooses? Audience members can now set their own pace, establishing a sense of control while watching their favorite shows.
However, this new age of total access to constantly watch our favorite programs also brings into question the quantity of television produced.
Is there a greater need to produce more because viewers have accessibility to watch more? How many television shows are produced now compared to 30 years ago? Reports state that television networks such as HBO and MTV aimed to diversify their programming during the 1990s. HBO, also known as home box office, originally intended to offer movies exclusively to viewers. Their aim was to provide individuals with the appeal of a home theater. Similarly, MTV, known as music television, also produced one type of content during the network’s establishment: music videos. MTV strictly aired music videos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It was the primary content and intent of the network’s programing that monopolized the 1980s.
One example of a booming area in television that continues to produce numerous shows is the crime/investigative genre in television. Some examples of crime-related television shows originating over the past 20 years that sustains programming with new episodes include: The Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Bones, Criminal Minds, Chicago P.D., NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Hawaii Five-O, Law and Order: SVU.
However, according to britannica.com, the criminal genre in television was considered to be inappropriate at the time. During the 1990s, NYPD Blue received criticism by adult figures.
“Parents, teachers, and religious groups complained that network television was no longer appropriate for family viewing. This became a major on-going refrain in the 1990s.”
At that point, television was evolving. The shared, family-friendly experience that television originally intended to be during the 1940s and 1950s was changing.
Networks welcomed the diversification of programming and television content. As a result, viewers could see the real, raw words and actions that mimic the world around us. Television is no longer set in this dream land that falsely portrayed perfect lives, as seen in the Cleaver clan and the Anderson family.
Now, the diversification of television is shown through its platforms in addition to its content.
The accessibility and convenience of online streaming is a privilege that we just can't deny.
WGCI Big Jam brings Chris Brown, Young Thug, and more
WGCI’s Big Jam returned this year to the United Center featuring performances by some of the biggest names in business. Big Jam was the best place in Chicago to celebrate the end of 2016.
Stellar showings from Trey Songz, Chris Brown, Young Thug and many more made for an unforgettable night.Local Chicago talent represented their city strongly with G-Herbo, Lil Bibby, and Dreezy rocking the Big Jam stage. Opening to a strong early crowd these local favorites represented Chicago well.
G-Herbo | Lil Bibby | Dreezy
Sharing the stage G-Herbo and Lil Bibby joined forces and started off Big Jam strong. The only female artist on the lineup was Chicago’s own Dreezy. Dreezy a force to reckon with held her own and showed the Big Jam crowd why she’s one of the most talked about new artists.
Lil Yatchy | Desiigner
Fan favorite Lil Yatchy played to the crowd performing hits like “Night”, “Minnesota”, and “Broccoli”. One of the most talked about sets came from Desiigner. His outside-the-box performance took him all over the stage. Having the crowd in complete awe, Desiigner put on a show those in attendance won't soon forget.
Trey Songs
Owning every inch of the Big Jam stage, Trey Songz had the crowd in a complete frenzy. Songz, a crowd pleaser, matched his signature vocals with his just as impressive dance moves. The roaring was matched with Songz’ charismatic performance. There was some speculation as to whether or not Songz was going to perform due to an onstage breakdown of stage equipment last week. Songz didn’t disappoint the United Center with his stellar performance.
Chris Brown
Co-heading Big Jam was R&B juggernaut Chris Brown. Brown a true showman used every inch of the platform to dance every single of his signature hits. Brown led the United Center in the ultimate dance party. Without skipping a beat Brown didn’t stop giving one second of a showstopper performance.
Youg Thug
Young Thug ended the night with some of his crowd favorites. Young Thug’s performance was unfortunately cut short due to his allotted set time. The strict set time definitely created some confusion with the Big Jam crowd. Without proper good byes and final songs, the transitions were a bit off. Regardless of the time mix up, the sold out United Center crowd didn’t let the biggest house in Chicago slow down. WGCI DJ’s kept the crowd in a roar with classic Chicago juke jams. The atmosphere from the sold out crowd seemed homely. The dance friendly crowd made WGCI’s Big Jam the biggest house party in Chicago. There wasn’t a better way to close off 2016 then seeing some of the best in hip-hop and R&B.