10.07.2008
Musings and Nominations
The time has come!
I have stayed away long enough, and am now preparing to unleash another season of ICON-O-CLASH! on an unsuspecting public.
This season presents another thematic twist: all the competitors will be real-life figures, living or dead, who have achieved iconic status.
PARAMETERS:
1. All realms of notoriety will be considered. Music, Acting, Athletics, Historical/Cultural, Tabloid, pretty much anything that could be used as a category in Trivial Pursuit is valid.
2. Truly "infamous" figures will not be included. As much as Hitler or GW Bush have become iconic, not many of us would consider them "cool" in any sense. That being said, Napoleon and Genghis Khan are on my working list, (mostly because of their inclusion in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure")
3. Religious figures will also not be included. While it could be argued these folks have achieved the highest possible level of iconic status, I don't want to have to make a decision between Jesus and Buddha and upset any ideological apple carts.
4. I had included "creator" figures like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Walt Disney on my working list, but I think I am going to exclude those. It would be difficult to separate the coolness of the creator from his or her creations, and many of those creations have already battled in previous seasons.
DISCUSSION POINTS:
1. I would like input on the forum of this season. Should ICON-O-CLASH! remain a blog, or migrate over to a group on that other networking forum that rhymes with "Schmakebook"
2. Cool or Ironi-cool? I would like agreement, (or at least a discussion) on the level of "ironi-cool" that we are measuring. Strictly speaking, "ironi-cool" is achieved by being so uncool that you become cool. Therefore, characters in previous versions have advanced based on their obscurity, their esoteric nature, or a "nerd-factor" that makes them recognizable for less obvious reasons.
Both the list of competitors and their chances will depend on how we address this issue. There is a big difference in why George Washington Carver is cool, as opposed to David Bowie or James Dean.
3. Length of battle. We can probably get to the standard 128 nominated icons, but is that too much of an investment in people's time? I'm all for cutting back a level and doing 64 participants, if it results in more enthusiasm and less attrition.
THE LIST SO FAR:
Here are some highlights of my working list. I would encourage everyone to discuss these, and make additional nominations.
Ralph Nader
Chuck Norris
Bill Gates
Steve Jobs
Bruce Lee
Bob Barker
Jerry Springer
Tonya Harding
Richard Hatch
Madonna
Simon Cowell
Steve McQueen
Col. Sanders
David Suzuki
Hunter S Thompson
Cher
Bono
Britney Spears
Gary Coleman
Tony Robbins
Oprah Winfrey
Joan of Arc
Rick Mercer
Laura Secord
Benjamin Franklin
Albert Einstein
(that should be enough to get the discussion going)
Happy 'Clashing!
I have stayed away long enough, and am now preparing to unleash another season of ICON-O-CLASH! on an unsuspecting public.
This season presents another thematic twist: all the competitors will be real-life figures, living or dead, who have achieved iconic status.
PARAMETERS:
1. All realms of notoriety will be considered. Music, Acting, Athletics, Historical/Cultural, Tabloid, pretty much anything that could be used as a category in Trivial Pursuit is valid.
2. Truly "infamous" figures will not be included. As much as Hitler or GW Bush have become iconic, not many of us would consider them "cool" in any sense. That being said, Napoleon and Genghis Khan are on my working list, (mostly because of their inclusion in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure")
3. Religious figures will also not be included. While it could be argued these folks have achieved the highest possible level of iconic status, I don't want to have to make a decision between Jesus and Buddha and upset any ideological apple carts.
4. I had included "creator" figures like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Walt Disney on my working list, but I think I am going to exclude those. It would be difficult to separate the coolness of the creator from his or her creations, and many of those creations have already battled in previous seasons.
DISCUSSION POINTS:
1. I would like input on the forum of this season. Should ICON-O-CLASH! remain a blog, or migrate over to a group on that other networking forum that rhymes with "Schmakebook"
2. Cool or Ironi-cool? I would like agreement, (or at least a discussion) on the level of "ironi-cool" that we are measuring. Strictly speaking, "ironi-cool" is achieved by being so uncool that you become cool. Therefore, characters in previous versions have advanced based on their obscurity, their esoteric nature, or a "nerd-factor" that makes them recognizable for less obvious reasons.
Both the list of competitors and their chances will depend on how we address this issue. There is a big difference in why George Washington Carver is cool, as opposed to David Bowie or James Dean.
3. Length of battle. We can probably get to the standard 128 nominated icons, but is that too much of an investment in people's time? I'm all for cutting back a level and doing 64 participants, if it results in more enthusiasm and less attrition.
THE LIST SO FAR:
Here are some highlights of my working list. I would encourage everyone to discuss these, and make additional nominations.
Ralph Nader
Chuck Norris
Bill Gates
Steve Jobs
Bruce Lee
Bob Barker
Jerry Springer
Tonya Harding
Richard Hatch
Madonna
Simon Cowell
Steve McQueen
Col. Sanders
David Suzuki
Hunter S Thompson
Cher
Bono
Britney Spears
Gary Coleman
Tony Robbins
Oprah Winfrey
Joan of Arc
Rick Mercer
Laura Secord
Benjamin Franklin
Albert Einstein
(that should be enough to get the discussion going)
Happy 'Clashing!
