RE: Sick of all the Crap on the DML

["Bykowski, Richard J D" <richard-bykowski@uiowa.edu>]

I think the point you're missing about Hollywood is that we all know its fake.  
Taking a break from the "real" to go laugh at the "junk" with friends is just 
fun. I don't know if I speak for all paleontology on this, but I myself enjoy 
the comedy (although its probably not meant to be comedy)  in many of these 
movies.  Now, my opinion of Will Ferrell as a paleontologist in "Land of the 
Lost" is that I would like to see him reenact that most famous scene from 
"Jurassic Park" involving a T.rex and an attorney (with Mr. Ferrell being the 
attorney).  What concerns all of us is not really Hollywood, but the blurring 
of the line between Hollywood sensational fiction and informative TV.  
Hollywood is good entertainment.  I go to see a dinosaur movie, I go for 
special effects, explosions, and cheesy one-liners.  Now I don't know you're 
background or how much time you have spent teaching outside the college level 
on matters of paleontology (I've spent the last three summers doing it).  The 
vast majority of the public can separate Hollywood from science but will accept 
what they see on Discovery, History, etc because of HOW its presented.  And for 
me, having to spend time "detoxing" students from the junk that's passing as 
"educational" is stupid.  People like dinosaurs; dinosaurs lead people to 
science so more dinosaur shows on TV can be a good thing.  But they cross the 
line between being sensational to grab viewers and being informative.  That is 
the primary: the information being so watered down or so cut up or so made-up 
that the public cannot distinguish facts from fiction.

I don't want to get into the last issue at all for personal reasons.
-----------------------
Richard Bykowski
M.S. Geoscience/Vertebrate Paleontology (2009)
University of Iowa
121 Trowbridge Hall
Iowa City, IA 52242

-I used to watch "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and always wondered 
why Charlie Brown was so upset over his trick-or-treat bag full of rocks. I 
always thought it would be a great thing to get!
________________________________________
From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu] On Behalf Of Scott Fisher 
[shfisher24@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, June 05, 2009 5:19 PM
To: dinosaur@usc.edu
Subject: Sick of all the Crap on the DML

This is the first time I have posted, so I don't know if it will work.

     As  for the movies everyone seems to love to bash - they are products
of Hollywood !!!!  People !!!!!  They are not documentaries or anything else
but entertainment !!!!!!   Get over yourselves and just enjoy.  I don't
think anyone goes to the theater and expects that all things depicted are
true and factual.  If so you need to get a life.
     As for Nate Murphy - I am tired of everyone saying that it is a crime
to take fossils commercially.  I would be willing to wager that the next 80
to 90% of the newest revelations in Dino discovery will be in finally
prepping all the Dino stuff that is littered all over the US in museums, or
colleges  that don't have the funding to do the research to find out what
they have in their stashes.  So is this a case of the pot calling the kettle
black?
     Get a grip !!!!