17 research outputs found
Macaulay Culkin and child stardom in the 1990s
Macaulay Culkin was one of the most famous and highly paid child stars in the history of Hollywood cinema. He secured global fame through his leading role in Home Alone (1990), one of the highest-grossing comedies of all time. A major beneficiary of U.S. film industryâs increased investment in family entertainment during the early 1990s, Culkin was the first child star to be paid a million dollars for one movie. The major Hollywood studios and various other non-media companies, including Coca-Cola, used Culkinâs image and performances, as both âobjectifiedâ and âembodiedâ capital, to sell a variety of products to children. Moreover, through the narratives of his movies, product endorsements and various off-screen activities, Culkin became a âidol of consumptionâ for nineties pre-teens. While the child star can exercise some agency through their performances, they have limited power over the formation and circulation of their identity and image in a wider context.Â
Drawing on an array of previously unexamined primary materials, I explore the ways in which Culkin, his father and the U.S. media industry tried to regulate and exploit his star image. Through consideration of press coverage of his career, I demonstrate that the selling of Culkin as âbrandâ was inseparable from a discussion of childhood and, also, of his peculiar status as child star. In particular, I discuss how representations of, and reactions to, Culkinâs star image drew attention to issues of innocence and knowingness. The chapter concludes with an examination of the rapid decline of Culkinâs Hollywood career, evaluating how his transition into adolescence distanced him from his established image and, thus, eroded his brand value
Mainstream maverick? John Hughes and new Hollywood cinema
My thesis explores debates on the commercial and textual priorities of New
Hollywood cinema through examination of the career of John Hughes. I argue that
scrutiny of Hughesâ career and the products associated with him expose the inadequacy of
established approaches to cinematic authorship and New Hollywood cinema. By mounting
a historically grounded investigation of Hughesâ career, his status within the cinema
industry, and his work as a commercially successful and agenda-setting filmmaker, I aim to
reevaluate existing perspectives on post-1970s mainstream popular U.S. media.
Drawing on an extensive array of previously unexamined primary materials, the
thesis focuses on Hughesâ shifting status as a âcreative producerâ within the U.S. film
industry, as well as on the construction of the John Hughes âbrandâ during the 1980s and
1990s. I explore how Hughes secured considerable industrial power by exploiting
opportunities presented by expanding ancillary markets and changing production agendas.
I argue that established models for conceptualising industrial trends, such as Justin Wyattâs
âhigh conceptâ, fail to capture the complexities of Hollywoodâs commercial strategies in
this period. I conclude that historical research can challenge previous assumptions and
contribute to a more detailed and precise understanding of the operations of the U.S. film
industry in this period.
By scrutinizing the films that Hughes wrote, produced and/or directed, I consider
how Hughesâ films are complexly determined industrial productions that are shaped both
by a set of radically fluctuating commercial imperatives, as well as by Hollywoodâs
standardized formats and frameworks. The production of Hollywood cinema may be a
collaborative enterprise, but I argue that certain individuals and institutions can exert
greater control over aspects of the process.
In conclusion, I suggest that such a historical methodology can illuminate not just
the work of one particular filmmaker but can shed new light on the broader operations of
Hollywood as a commercial culture industry
âGive People What They Expectâ: John Hughesâ Family Films and Seriality in 1990s Hollywood
This article explores serial production strategies and textual seriality in Hollywood cin- ema during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Focusing on John Hughesâ âhigh conceptâ family comedies, it examines how Hughes exploited the commercial opportunities offered by serial approaches to both production and film narrative. This article first considers why Hughesâ production set-up enabled him to standardise his movies and respond quickly to audience demand. The analysis then explores how the Home Alone films (1990â97), Dennis the Menace (1993) and Babyâs Day Out (1994) balanced demands for textual repetition and novelty
âHollywoodâ Hulk Hogan: Stardom, Synergy and Field Migration
During the late 1980s, World Wrestling Federation star Hulk Hogan embarked on a career as a Hollywood movie star, through roles in several modestly-budgeted films produced by New Line Cinema. Building on recent examinations of âcelebrity migrationâ between fields and studies of âpromotional cultureâ, we explore how Hoganâs celebrity persona adapted to various economies and structures of fame in a changing media marketplace. This article explores how Hogan negotiated of codes and conventions of different popular cultural fields and media subfields. By doing so, we identify key tensions in the wrestlerâs celebrity image during the late 1980s and early 1990s and reflect on the difficulties celebrities face when trying to become film stars
Measurement of cortisol in saliva: a comparison of measurement error within and between international academic-research laboratories
Objective: Hundreds of scientific publications are produced annually that involve the measurement of cortisol in saliva. Intra- and inter-laboratory variation in salivary cortisol results has the potential to contribute to cross- study inconsistencies in findings, and the perception that salivary cortisol results are unreliable. This study rigor- ously estimates sources of measurement variability in the assay of salivary cortisol within and between established international academic-based laboratories that specialize in saliva analyses. One hundred young adults (Mean age: 23.10 years; 62 females) donated 2 mL of whole saliva by passive drool. Each sample was split into multiple- 100 ”L aliquots and immediately frozen. One aliquot of each of the 100 participantsâ saliva was transported to academic
laboratories (N = 9) in the United States, Canada, UK, and Germany and assayed for cortisol by the same commercially available immunoassay.
Results: 1.76% of the variance in salivary cortisol levels was attributable to differences between duplicate assays of the same sample within laboratories, 7.93% of the variance was associated with differences between laboratories, and 90.31% to differences between samples. In established-qualified laboratories, measurement error of salivary cortisol is minimal, and inter-laboratory differences in measurement are unlikely to have a major influence on the determined values
BHPR research: qualitative1.âComplex reasoning determines patients' perception of outcome following foot surgery in rheumatoid arhtritis
Background: Foot surgery is common in patients with RA but research into surgical outcomes is limited and conceptually flawed as current outcome measures lack face validity: to date no one has asked patients what is important to them. This study aimed to determine which factors are important to patients when evaluating the success of foot surgery in RA Methods: Semi structured interviews of RA patients who had undergone foot surgery were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of interviews was conducted to explore issues that were important to patients. Results: 11 RA patients (9 â, mean age 59, dis dur = 22yrs, mean of 3 yrs post op) with mixed experiences of foot surgery were interviewed. Patients interpreted outcome in respect to a multitude of factors, frequently positive change in one aspect contrasted with negative opinions about another. Overall, four major themes emerged. Function: Functional ability & participation in valued activities were very important to patients. Walking ability was a key concern but patients interpreted levels of activity in light of other aspects of their disease, reflecting on change in functional ability more than overall level. Positive feelings of improved mobility were often moderated by negative self perception ("I mean, I still walk like a waddling duckâ). Appearance: Appearance was important to almost all patients but perhaps the most complex theme of all. Physical appearance, foot shape, and footwear were closely interlinked, yet patients saw these as distinct separate concepts. Patients need to legitimize these feelings was clear and they frequently entered into a defensive repertoire ("it's not cosmetic surgery; it's something that's more important than that, you know?â). Clinician opinion: Surgeons' post operative evaluation of the procedure was very influential. The impact of this appraisal continued to affect patients' lasting impression irrespective of how the outcome compared to their initial goals ("when he'd done it ... he said that hasn't worked as good as he'd wanted to ... but the pain has goneâ). Pain: Whilst pain was important to almost all patients, it appeared to be less important than the other themes. Pain was predominately raised when it influenced other themes, such as function; many still felt the need to legitimize their foot pain in order for health professionals to take it seriously ("in the end I went to my GP because it had happened a few times and I went to an orthopaedic surgeon who was quite dismissive of it, it was like what are you complaining aboutâ). Conclusions: Patients interpret the outcome of foot surgery using a multitude of interrelated factors, particularly functional ability, appearance and surgeons' appraisal of the procedure. While pain was often noted, this appeared less important than other factors in the overall outcome of the surgery. Future research into foot surgery should incorporate the complexity of how patients determine their outcome Disclosure statement: All authors have declared no conflicts of interes
Give People What They Expect: John Hughes Family Films and Seriality in 1990s Hollywood
This article explores serial production strategies and textual seriality in Hollywood cin- ema during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Focusing on John Hughesâ âhigh conceptâ family comedies, it examines how Hughes exploited the commercial opportunities offered by serial approaches to both production and film narrative. This article first considers why Hughesâ production set-up enabled him to standardise his movies and respond quickly to audience demand. The analysis then explores how the Home Alone films (1990â97), Dennis the Menace (1993) and Babyâs Day Out (1994) balanced demands for textual repetition and novelty