Tag Archives: Champion Idealist

Entertainment, Famous personality

Dimwitted Homecoming

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The classless morons from MTV‘s pop-culture phenomenon Jersey Shore returned this past Thursday for their last season as a cast together.  Returning home from Florence Italy, the cast shot back-to-back seasons ending in their ‘home turf’ city of Seaside Heights. Though the cast is calling it quits as a collective, MTV recently signed lucrative spin-off deals with cast members ‘J-Woww’, ‘Snooki’, and ‘Pauly D’.  Jennifer Farley (J-Woww) and Nicole Polizzi (Snooki)’s show will follow their moronic exploits moving in a house together, while Paul Delvecchio (Pauly D)’s show will follow his burgeoning career as an international DJ.  Originally it was thought that Mike “the Situation” Sorrentino would also get his own full spin-off series but it seems that his specific brand of idiocy only warranted a “series-development deal”.  Regardless of who’s idiocy is superior let’s take a look at the two remaining Jersey Shore stars who will continue to bless America with quality television programming.

DJ Pauly Delvecchio is a very young, loud, energetic and entertaining disc jockey from Rhode Island.  Pauly D is responsible for a slew of wildly popular catch phrases and has a current twitter following of almost 3 million. Indeed Delvecchio is constantly making his roommates laugh and is by far the most entertaining of the group.  Pauly’s endless line of witty quips and jokes have caught-on nationally among young adults, and his popularity has spawned a set of business-ventures for the young reality star.  Dirty Couture is a clothing line “inspiring a lifestyle for an underground generation who seeks individuality through a musically infused self expressive style.”  The young DJ also recently signed a record deal with rapper 50-Cent‘s G-unit Records, saying “I’m focusing on music.  That’s my passion.”  Outspoken, playful, fun-loving, and highly entertaining DJ Pauly D is undoubtedly a Performer Artisan.  Indeed Pauly D has a strict “no drama” policy, as most Performers do, and will always try to lighten the mood when his roommates get into conflicts.

Playful and fun-loving, these expressive Artisans’ primary social interest lies in stimulating those around them, arousing their senses and their pleasurable emotions–charming them, in a sense, to cast off their concerns and lighten up.  Such performers radiate warmth and festivity, and whether on the job, with friends, or with their families, they are able to lift others’ spirits with their contagious good humor and irrepressible joy of living.  Please Understand Me II, p. 69

Nicole Elizabeth Polizzi was born in Santiago, Chile and was adopted when she was six months old by an Italian American couple. Growing up in New York among so many Italian Americans Nicole embraced the “Guido” culture despite not actually being of Italian heritage.  Nicole was said to be the “breakout” star of Jersey Shore and her actions on the show have made her both wildly popular and the subject of public disdain.  Polizzi burst into the Jersey Shore house with the phrase “Party’s Here!” and proceeded to act accordingly.  After being shunned for a short period of time Polizzi wanted to make it clear that she was a genuine and warm-hearted person, and eventually won over her cast mates.  Confident, outspoken, vivacious, but highly diplomatic Nicole Polizzi is undoubtedly a Champion Idealist.  Indeed Snooki brings a warm enthusiasm to her occupation of being a “meatball”, and is a hopeless (albeit new-age) romantic.  Certainly Snooki has “championed” the Guido culture and the ‘Jersey Shore’ lifestyle.

Champions have a wide range and variety of emotions, and a great passion for novelty, and so can become bored rather quickly with both situations and people, and resist repeating experiences.  Also, they can never quite shake the feeling that a part of themselves is split off, uninvolved in their experience.  Thus, while they strive for emotional intensity, Champions often see themselves in some danger of losing touch with their real feelings.  Please Understand Me II, p. 155

Quote1.png I’m over here trying to clean my sneaks, I can’t concentrate with all this fighting .. like they’re talkin’ about f*ckin’ relationships and my sneakers are dirty!Quote2.png

—Pauly D

Quote1.png I love food.  I love drinking, boys, dancing until my feet swell.  I love my family, my friends, my job, my boss.  And I love my body, especially the badonk.Quote2.png

—Snooki

Jersey Shore airs Thursdays 10/9c on MTV.

Entertainment

Abstract Conflict

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Thor 2 has finally found a new director after firing Patty Jenkins (Monster) over ‘creative differences’.  Director Alan Taylor, best known for his work on HBO’s Game of Thrones, will reportedly step in and take Jenkins’ place.  Jenkins got canned in early December reportedly because of a “lack of clarity in her [creative] choices”.  Marvel Studios of course has an infamous reputation for doing whatever they want after getting into rough financial negotiations with Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson, Terrence Howard, and Scarlett Johansson while having both Kenneth Branagh and Jon Favreau opt out of directing sequels.  Jenkins would have been the first female to direct a major superhero tentpole film and Natalie Portman, who is a close friend of Jenkins’, is reportedly very upset at the way things panned out.  It seems Marvel Studios even though they’ve only put out five independent films so far is already getting big-headed when it comes to managing talent.  Welcome to Hollywood.  Given Marvel’s fine display of hubris let’s take a look at the excessive arrogance of one of their most beloved characters Thor the God of Thunder and his mischievous half-brother Loki.

Thor Odinson is the Crown Prince of the mystical realm of Asgard.  Thor is based off of the Norse God of Thunder, and acts accordingly.  A brave and mighty warrior Thor won many battles as a child, growing headstrong and proud.  In his arrogance, Thor put his realm and people on the brink of war after breaking a truce with Asgard‘s enemies the Frost Giants.  Teaching his son a lesson in humility, Thor’s father Odin banished him to earth, and stripped him of his powers.  Thor came back humble, gentle, empathetic, and sympathetic to his fellow man.  Altruistic, enthusiastic, inspirational, and yet fiercely independent, Thor is undoubtedly a Champion Idealist.  Indeed Thor’s high-spirited attitude and warm enthusiasm for defending his realm is often mistaken for arrogance, a typical problem with most Champions.  Thor was only able to wield his hammer Mjolnir ‘the day that great deeds of selfless valor had proved him worthy of it’.  Indeed only those ‘pure of heart‘ are able to wield Thor’s mystical hammer.  A hopeless romantic, Thor fell deeply in love with the Goddess Sif before the age of 20.  Thor has undoubtedly proven himself as self-sacrificing over the years, most notably in the subject of his mischievous kid-brother Loki.  Indeed Loki has made countless attempts at Thor’s life, but Thor however always spares Loki, hoping (to no avail) that Loki has learned his lesson.  Indeed Thor has tireless faith in his fellow man, and time and time again Thor is sacrificing himself to save innocent people from Loki or any other dangers for that matter, as he will no doubt do in The Avengers.

Thor’s villainous step-brother Loki aptly named after the Norse God of Mischief starts off as a resentful and jealous Asgardian Prince but evolves into a truly loathsome and malevolent evil genius.  Growing up step-brother to the Mighty Thor indeed  left Loki with a tragic sense of inferiority and not belonging.  What he lacked in physical strength and bravery however, he eventually made up for in cunning and malice.  Always strategizing and conceiving ingenious schemes and plots, The Asgardian God of Mischief is undoubtedly a Mastermind Rational.  Diabolically ingenious, highly pragmatic, outstandingly intelligent, and a powerful sorcerer, Loki finds ‘difficulties highly stimulating’, as do other Masterminds, as he loves responding to a problem that requires a ‘creative solution’.  Being the God of Mischief, Loki indeed seems to thoroughly enjoy creating problems for himself, and is well-equipped to solve them.  Finding out that he was actually an adopted Frost Giant, Loki became wrought with feelings of abandonment.  Indeed Loki’s malicious and malevolent behavior are quite reminiscent of David Keirsey‘s ‘distracting rituals’ that serve as defense mechanisms for hiding one’s shame.  Loki’s arch-villainy and ascension into madness can be seen in Marvel’s upcoming The Avengers.

Quote1.png My, my, my… a world for the taking. Quote2.png

—Loki Laufeyson
Quote1.png Even the life of a Thunder God can offer no greater satisfaction than this! For I have helped a fellow man! Quote2.png

—Thor Odinson

These Idealist-Rational relationships do not always remain harmonious, of course.  Conflicts of NF emotional expressiveness against NT self-control, of NF intuition against NT logic, and of NF ethical or humanitarian concerns against NT technical pragmatics can prove challenging.  — Please Understand Me II, p. 238

Thor 2 is set to hit theaters on November 15, 2013 with a script from Don Payne.  Chris Hemsworth will return as the title star in The Avengers, which will arrive on May 4, 2012.

Entertainment, Famous personality

Romantic Diplomacy

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The nominees for the 54th annual Grammy awards were announced Wednesday night and Kanye West (middle) leads the pack with 7 nods.  Adele (left), the Foo Fighters, and Bruno Mars followed close behind with 6 nominations each, while Lil’ Wayne and Skrillex both earned 5.  Full list of nominations here.  Squaring off for the award shows top honor of album of the year will be Adele (21), Foo Fighters (Wasting Light), Lady Gaga (Born This Way), Bruno Mars (Doo-Wops & Hooligans) and Rihanna (Loud).  Notable snubs include Taylor Swift‘s Speak Now for Album of the Year, Beyonce in general, and Lady Gaga‘s Born This Way for Song of the Year.  Looking on the bright side however for the Album of the Year award we will definitely be spared one of Taylor Swift‘s infamous over-the-top “oh my god I can’t believe it” speeches that she keeps pulling out of her ass.  Idiocy aside let’s take a look at rising star and hopeless romantic Bruno Mars.

Peter Gene Hernandez a.k.a Bruno Mars is a Filipino-American singer and songwriter who was born in Honolulu, Hawaii into a family of musicians.  Mars began making music at a young age, and after graduating high-school moved to LA to pursue a career in music.  A talented producer with a great voice and a charming smile, Mars drew from a wide variety of styles and influences, and quickly found his place in the music industry.  Using his childhood nickname Bruno, Hernandez added Mars because “a lot of girls say that I’m out of this world, so I was like I guess I’m from Mars.”  Mars’ debut album Doo Wops and Hooligans was released this October and gave him 6 grammy nominations.  The album is riddled with altruism, romance, and intense emotional experiences.   A hopeless romantic, highly in-touch with his feelings, extremely expressive, and fiercely independent Bruno Mars is undoubtedly a Champion Idealist.  Indeed Bruno exudes a kind of “spontaneous personal authenticity”, and communicates such through his unique musical style.  Bruno is characteristically positive in his outlook, and is surprised when people or events do not turn out as anticipated, as evidenced by his somewhat somber ‘trophy song’ Grenade.  Despite seemingly having his heart broken something tells me Bruno is gonna be ok:

Often their [Champions’] confidence in the innate goodness of life and human nature is a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Please Understand Me II, p. 156

The 54th annual Grammy awards airs February 12th on CBS.

Quote1.png We just hope that it touched people.  And we can’t wait to work on album two!Quote2.png

—Bruno Mars
Entertainment

Thunderous Diplomacy

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The Avengers Trailer (released last week) was downloaded over 10 million times in a 24 hour period, smashing previous records for trailers.apple.com.  The Marvel Team followed up such exciting fan-fare with a strong presence at New York Comic Con, where they discussed filming and shot some never-before-seen footage.  If you’re a closet nerd like I am, or just a straight-up nerd, you can watch the full NYCC Avengers panel here.
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Tom Hiddleston somewhat dominates the panel as people seem to really love his portrayal of supervillain Loki.  The panel ends with Kevin Fiege (Marvel’s President) talking about Marvel moving into what he refers to as ‘phase two‘.
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While a DC/Warner Bros. Justice League of America film is a looming threat for Marvel, The Dark Knight rises is an immediate one, as many predict that it will beat out the Avengers at the summer box office.  Many argue that Chris Nolan’s ‘rooted-in-reality‘ darker, more gritty tone is much more accessible to audiences than the sci-fi otherworldly aspects of the Avengers.
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If this be true, Marvel’s woes with DC/Warner Bros. would seemingly be over after The Dark Knight Rises seeing as Batman is the only ‘superhero’ without any actual superpowers.  Indeed it would be difficult to make a gritty, ‘rooted-in-reality’ film about Superman.  DC/Warner Bros. however, is trying.
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Christopher Nolan is undoubtedly the biggest power player that DC/Warner Bros. has access to, and although he’s done with Batman after TDKR, he is artistically and financially attached to other DC/Warner Bros. projects, including Man of Steel.  It seems obvious that if DC/Warner Bros. wants to actually beat out Marvel in Hollywood it is absolutely paramount that they stick to the realistic tone that has been wildly successful for Christopher Nolan and The Dark Knight franchise.
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That being said, let’s take a look at Marvel’s most otherworldly superhero, the Asgardian God of Thunder: Thor.
Thor Odinson is the Crown Prince of the mystical realm of Asgard.  Our dear friend Thor is based off of the Norse God of Thunder, and acts accordingly.  A brave and mighty warrior Thor won many battles as a child, growing headstrong and proud.  In his arrogance, Thor put his realm and people on the brink of war after breaking a truce with Asgard’s enemies the Frost Giants.  Teaching his son a lesson in humility, Thor’s father Odin banished him to earth, and stripped him of his powers.  Thor came back humble, gentle, empathetic, and sympathetic to his fellow man.  Altruistic, enthusiastic, inspirational, and yet fiercely independent, Thor is undoubtedly a Champion Idealist.  Indeed Thor’s high-spirited attitude and warm enthusiasm for defending his realm is often mistaken for arrogance, a typical problem with most Champions.  In true Idealist fashion, Thor was only able to wield his hammer Mjolnir ‘the day that great deeds of selfless valor had proved him worthy of it’.  Indeed only those ‘pure of heart‘ are able to wield Thor’s mystical hammer.  A hopeless romantic, Thor fell deeply in love with the Goddess Sif before the age of 20.  Certainly Thor has several deep love interests over his Godly life span (including that of Jane Foster seen in the film) Sif however being his main squeeze.  Thor has undoubtedly proven himself as self-sacrificing over the years, most notably in the subject of his mischievous kid-brother Loki.  Indeed Loki has made countless attempts at Thor’s life, but Thor however always spares Loki, hoping (to no avail) that Loki has learned his lesson.  Indeed Thor has tireless faith in his fellow man, and time and time again Thor is sacrificing himself to save innocent people from Loki or any other dangers for that matter, as he will no doubt do in The Avengers.
Quote1.png Even the life of a Thunder God can offer no greater satisfaction than this! For I have helped a fellow man! Quote2.png

—Thor Odinson (Earth-616)
Quote1.png We are gods, ’tis our purpose to set aright the path of lesser beings. Quote2.png

—Thor Odinson (Earth-616)
Spoilerish: Marvel head honcho Kevin Fiege discussed Loki’s purported ‘alien army‘ saying that “it’ll be extremely extremely large and something that links not only into the movies we’ve made but the movies we’re going to make.  So it’s a big play that we’re not quite ready to talk about.”
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This hint/suggestion of course goes hand-in-hand with theories that Loki’s army will indeed be the Skrull army from the comics.  If you don’t know what that is, then you’re probably normal.  Anyway this goes hand-in-hand with the ‘otherworldiness‘ described above.
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The question is will such ‘alien army’, otherwordly concepts ultimately win over audiences or disconnect them?  Which would you rather see, a team of superheroes battling alien armies?  Or a vigilante billionaire fight a bad-ass prison-escapee on drugs?  Stay tuned as the Marvel/Disney vs. DC/Warner Bros. battle for Hollywood dominance rages on.
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