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A look at North Korea send-ups in pop culture

By WTOP Staff

DERRIK J. LANG
AP Entertainment Writer

North Korea’s foreign ministry is declaring that the upcoming release of “The Interview,” a comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as a talk show twosome recruited to assassinate Kim Jong Un, would be an act of war. This is not the first time the nation’s leadership has been poked at in pop culture. Some examples:

— “Die Another Day”: At the beginning of this 2002 installment of the 007 series, James Bond is captured by North Korean forces. After his release, he pursues a North Korean terrorist (played by Rick Yune) across the globe. At the time, North Korea’s state-run news agency called the movie “a dirty and cursed burlesque aimed to slander.”

— “Team America: World Police”: This 2004 farcical marionette musical from the “South Park” creators featured a puppet Kim Jong Il (voiced by Trey Parker) as a lonely bad guy. The “Dear Leader” croons about his pain in an equally painful broken English ditty.

— “MADtv”: Throughout his tenure on the Fox sketch comedy series, Bobby Lee would pop up as Kim Jong Il in parodies of dating shows and music videos. Lee most notably appeared as the leader in “The Kim Jong Il Show,” where the talk show host dictator would fire missiles from behind his desk and shoot audience members who didn’t laugh.

— “The Pacifier”: In this 2005 comedy film, “Fast & Furious” star Vin Diesel played a U.S. Navy Seal who unwittingly becomes baby sitter to five children under siege from a pair of masked assailants. The baddies turn out to be the couple next door: undercover North Korean military agents searching for a government secret in the garage.

— “30 Rock”: Margaret Cho impersonated Kim Jong Il in the fifth and sixth seasons of the NBC comedy series. The comedienne was nominated for an Emmy for the part, a zany rendition of the dictator who moonlights as a weatherman, delivering the forecast: “North Korea, everything sunny all the time, always, good time, beach party.”

— “Red Dawn”: Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson played teenagers who combated invading North Korean forces in Spokane, Washington. The adversaries in this 2012 remake of the 1984 film weren’t always North Korean. They were changed from Chinese in post-production for fear of offending China and its important movie-going market. Hollywood movies aren’t generally distributed in North Korea.

— “Olympus Has Fallen”: In this 2013 action film, a band of North Korean terrorists (once again led by Rick Yune) swiftly capture the White House and kidnap the president in hopes of compelling the U.S. to withdraw military forces from the Korean peninsula. The guerillas’ plan is foiled by a burly secret service agent played by Gerard Butler.

— “Glorious Leader!”: While popular shoot-’em-up video games like “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2” and “Homefront” have cast North Korea as the adversary, this retro-style run-and-gun game set for release later this year flips the script. Players portray a unicorn- and narwhal-riding Kim Jong Un, who must battle waves of “American imperialist hordes.”

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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