Showing posts with label Entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Entertainment. Show all posts
Rock the Bells '09
Another dope line-up for this year's Rock the Bells... and if you're on the left coast, perhaps the last time you can catch The Roots here live before their much deserved touring hiatus.
It's also pretty tight to see Supernat kick a free like that in person.
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Tweeters: Newsies Of The New Century
I think people are too quick to judge Twitter. For most tweeters (people who use twitter), yes, it is nothing more than Facebook status messages. For news organizations, blogs, and websites, it is the Newsboy of the new century. In Newsies they had the time it took for someone to pass by them to sell a paper, in twitter, they have 140 characters. It was said by Jack, in the movie, "headlines don't sell papes, Newsies sell papes!" This holds true for blogs and news feeds on twitter as well. A publication's ability to generate traffic via twitter is based on their ability to generate interest in 140 characters or less.
People are so quick to jump on the next hottest thing in hopes of being on top of what's hot, and for a lot of people that's Twitter. But though there are people quick to jump on every new bandwagon, there's even more people just as quick to jump on the hater hearse (Officially coined CollectiveCo 2009, I googled it). I think that it is a little premature. While I agree with some points against the usefulness of a message conveyed in 140 characters and the lack of manners some seem to demonstrate in public (it's quite a bit like texting), they might want to ponder the importance of twitter as a tool to spread ideas. Yes, it may have been a flop as a tool to generate questions for Jimmy Fallon to interview Cameron Diaz, but it's a great tool to find out quick news headlines from the BBC, get music selections by the likes of Q.Tip and ?uestlove, or get pics from a friend.
Now don't get me wrong, do I want to shoot myself from boredom when someone tweets "eating"? Maybe, but hell, I think I am guilty of the same things and much of this is due to the fact that twitter isn't an established medium. It's not a chat program, it's not a social networking site, it's not a blog, it's not Posterous (I just learned about this one today from Rainn Wilson, it's perfect for you Crackberry and iPhone addicts). The thing about twitter is that it is so vague. The very basis and reason for many people's gripes (the brevity of 140 characters) is exactly what allows it to stay versatile. Twitter will be tough to define or confine into a category such as blog or social networking site. People complain about Twitter but what they should be complaining about is the people they follow. Because twitter is different things to different people, find people that use it how you use or find useful and follow them, if you can't find them, try to redefine the way twitter is used (or better yet, don't even mess with it).
As I mentioned in my post about my plunge into twitter, ?uestlove had coined twitter as the new blog, and in a way he's right. For many people who DO blog, it's the medium for things that are not blog worthy, the one sentence epiphany that's not worth flushing out into a post, the cultural observation while sitting on a bus, the quick message to a friend, or the outreach for another person's opinion (usually for a quick response). Due to the fact that the internet is almost everywhere now (including our phones), Twitter enters into unknown territory as a medium (I won't even say what type because I am unsure). Twitter is somehow information and communication all at the same time, all while not being too time consuming for our increasingly busier lives.
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Art Galleries Are So 3 Years Ago
A good friend of mine passed this along to me today and it reminded me a lot of something I remember from a while back:
While much of youtube's bandwidth is used on funny TV clips, clips from people with too much time on their hands, and random funny stuff, every once in a while you will find some really good original content on there. While, youtube is usually thought of as a giant waste of time, it also serves as an outlet for people without the connects, know-how, or, in some cases, the want to get their art or personal projects out for people to see them. While some will become internet phenomenons, others will just be shared with friends and enjoyed by the random passer by.
So maybe youtube isn't such a waste of time after all, then again...maybe it is..(ahhhhh white people...).
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The Legendary Roots Crew... oh yeah, and Jimmy Fallon Too
If it weren't for The Roots, I probably wouldn't give Fallon's show a chance. I mean, alright, the guy's not terrible; he's cracked a few good jokes here and there on SNL (no examples currently come to mind...) but I wouldn't give him his very own show. However, the thought that I could actually watch The Roots perform five nights a week was kind of appealing. I've seen them live a handful of times and there's a definite reason why they are called "The Legendary Roots Crew." For this reason alone, I hulu'd Late Night with Jimmy Fallon...
So far, I've only seen one full episode (the very first one) along with snippets from the second and third. Dude has an amazing line up of guests for this week (Justin Timberlake, Tina Fey, Santigold & Spank Rock, Jon Bon Jovi, Serena Williams) which seemed kind of promising. His very first opening monologue was decent. He had one joke that I thought was exceptional. But as I got further into the episode, it become a little painful to watch. At times Fallon and his skits were so awkward I couldn't look... I even started to feel kinda bad for the guy. You could tell he was real nervous (I think he might have even said that 3 or 4 times) and his guests easily stole his spotlight (i.e. Justin Timberlake). At least his suit looked good.I have yet to be convinced that this whole thing was a good idea. Yes, it's pretty damn cool to see the Roots do their thang Monday through Friday, but I wonder if Fallon's show will become something great (dare I say, legendary) or if he'll just end up buckling from the pressure. I mean, srsly, I've read way more blogs and boards discussing the future of the Roots after this move, not Jimmy, and I'm pretty sure his show wouldn't have been so hyped up if he hadn't snagged ?uesto et al. Watching the show, you kind of feel like you're watching "Late Night with the Roots." But then again, maybe I feel that way because I'm obviously biased. It's just difficult to think that the Roots will be taking a backseat (not to mention doing cheesy late night show bits)-- that this isn't solely their stage or their show... it's Jimmy Fallon's. I guess we'll just have to see what'll happen. Here's hoping that Jimmy can hold his own.
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Twitter? Let's see
Social Networking is nothing new to the internet but ever since the sale of Facebook and Myspace for more money than I would EVER know what to do with, next to buy a country, everyone wants some of that pie.
I've been hearing about Twitter for a while now but never though much of it (as if a facebook and myspace weren't enough). Then, while listening to Talk of the Nation: Science Friday on NPR, they were talking about how they were twittering and people were asking questions via twitter. This made me a bit more curious, but not enough to join. Then a couple weeks back I was watching the video above and when asked what 2009's big blog will be, ?uestlove responded with Twitter is THE blog for 2009 because of the ADD society and people needing everything quick and right now.
Then just this last weekend I'm at my homegirl's house and notice she has twitter so I open it up to take a look and basically it is facebook updates....THAT'S IT. You can post no more than 140 characters, no pictures, no embedding, no hyperlinks, no bells and whistles, it's just news feeds from whoever you choose to follow. Depending upon who you follow you can get anything from the news (NPR shows are on there), to a link to a funny video to "I just worked out" (from one of your friends).
On top of that. Twitter can be done from your mobile phone. Twitter was actually the first source to know that the roots tour bus got in a wreck a while back (?uest twittered from the ambulance). So I figure, what the hell, let me see what this is all about, if it's whack I can drop it. So if you care to join in, create and account, find me, and let's see what's up!
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Wait Wait Don't Tell Me-An NPR Reality Check
Wait Wait Don't Tell Me is probably the best radio show on the weekend (at least in San Diego). For those of you who don't know what it is, think of it as The Daily Show meets Jeopardy meets Real Time with Bill Maher. You have got the quiz show of Jeopardy, the humor, wit, and sarcasm of The Daily Show and an intelligent, humorous panel of people like in Real Time.
By listening to the Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, you can learn a good amount of what went on in the world over the past week (some of it you probably didn't want or need to know, but it's funny none the less) while laughing almost the entire hour some shows. Besides providing an hour of infotainment, this show (and the other shows like it) provides an important service to it's listeners, SARCASM.
I might be a little biased (I got a crash course early on in Sarcasm and the like due to my mom being Australian and my dad being the King of BS) but I believe Sarcasm is an important tool for someone to posses. While it can provide entertainment at someone else's expense, possessing it also creates small voice of doubt in our heads, a useful doubt. This doubt causes us to question anything that doesn't sound plausible, or anything that might be too good to be true.
It used to be that on April fool's day, newspapers would go to great lengths to publish satirical stories of aliens landing and the like (think terrible tabloids but more believable) that would be sprinkled in with the rest of their news. As time has progressed, this tradition has become less prominent as people have become more and more dependent on being fed information without question. We, as a general public, tend to take the information that is fed to us without question, especially if we decide a source is trusted. Even growing up in the intelligent, sarcastic household I did, I find myself guilty of this more often than I would like to admit. This belief and following of information closely mirrors the partisan politics we have witnessed in recent history, and our overall rejection of the unfamiliar and outright acceptance of the comfortable can be dangerous.
The ability to question ourselves and others is an important ability to have in life and it is shows like Wait, Wait, Don't Tell me that help to not only lighten the mood of the news and world around us, but help put into perspective the information that we receive on a daily basis.
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Lil' Wayne Takes Home BET's "Joke of the Year" Award
So after a long day at work, the Bus ride home, some visiting with my incredible neighbors, and dinner, I sit down to watch TV before dinner. As I flip through, I find myself watching the BET Hip Hop Awards just in time to see Pharrell and Common perform Universal Mind Control. I'm absolutely hooked on this song. Does anyone else think they should do an album together right after Common does the Album with Q-tip and CRS finally drops an album?!
So as I am about to shut the TV off and go to bed, they announce the "Lyricist of the Year." The nominees are Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne, Nas, Kanye West, and T.I. The winner you ask? Lil' Wayne, officially making the award, not necessarily Lil' Wayne, a joke. Lil' Wayne is a great many thing but a lyricist, at least in what I would consider the classic sense, he is not (especially when you're against the likes of NAS).
Now I'll say what you're thinking, "HATER!"
On a lighter note, it was great that BET focused on voting and giving back to the community. They also had some DOPE world wide cypher sessions which you can see below
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Don't Sleep...
If you haven't already copped it, you. are. missin. out. Get up and get the new Foreign Exchange album, Leave It All Behind. Seriously, don't sleep on this one.
Check out the video for the first single off the album "Daykeeper" featuring Muhsinah.
spotted on okayplayer.com
<3.
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Q-Tip Update
The blog needed something fresh and new so here's a quickie before I finally leave work.
A new Video from Q-tip entitled Move. With a beat by J Dilla and a video reminiscent of Michael Jackson's classic Rock with You, what's not to love?!
Enjoi your weekend everyone!
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I Prefer No Reservations
About a month ago I got into a nasty accident that has resulted in me being on a liquid diet for about 2 months and unable to work for the time being. This means 2 things: I have gotten pretty creative with smoothies and soups, and I watch more TV than I would like to admit.
On the surface, these two things seem completely separate, but after 2 weeks of eating through a straw, even Homer Simpson chowing down on some fried chicken can make your mouth water. Around this same time, you begin having what I call SNACK ATTACK!! This is the complete yearning for something crunchy, sweet or savory, and all too satisfying. By week 4, an ad for a "complete pot roast" microwave dinner that doesn't look fit to be sold at Walmart can begin to look like a gourmet meal.
Knowing this, channel flipping can prove to be an excruciating task but Vicodine gives me a short attention span so I don't have much of a choice. One thing is for sure, the food network is off limits. Personally I have never been big on the food network or travel channel which is surprising since I love to cook almost as much as I like to travel. I think the reason is because I don't like cooking like Rachel Ray and I don't like travelling like Samantha Brown. But channel flipping through different times of day has led me to discover many new shows I wasn't aware of. One which I have become a big fan of is No Reservations.
No Reservations is a travel and food show by Anthony Bourdain, a long 
time cook, writer, and traveller from New York. What sets this show apart right from the start is its parental warning at the start (at least for some shows). If this doesn't set the tone of "This isn't your average travel show" (or show how conservative US TV censorship is), I don't know what does. What I enjoy the most about this show is that it focuses on the local life and the unbeaten path. Bourdain goes to many countries that most people wouldn't, such as Laos, and when he does go to a big cities, he ventures into the backstreet local markets and small towns just outside the big cities. He talks with a variety of people, from local film makers and musicians, to researchers, to cultural icons, to local icons. While the show is a travel shows and he talks about things to do and places to go, the focus is on the food.
While I have been sitting at home and healing, this show has been a blessing and a curse. While I enjoy watching the show with his witty and insightful documentation of far off places I wish to visit someday, my mouth can't help but water as he wanders down the spice market in Egypt, downs fresh oysters in homemade hot sauce on the beach in Jamaica, or chows down on a spicy local taco after a night of drinking in South Beach, Florida. Bourdain gets hope from the locals in finding the best places to eat, but what I enjoy the most is when he is invited to eat a meal with a local family. He is able to see who in the family cooks, what they eat, and their local dining traditions.
Bourdain shows an appreciation for the cultures and people that are different than his own and is genuine in the way he interacts with each human being he meets (or atleast acts like it on TV). His ability to show the inner beauty, if not, simply, the beauty that most pass over, in a country along with his knowledge of food and willingness to try new and differeent things makes this show great. While I am not one to sit down and follow a show, I always check to see if No Reservation is on when I sit down to watch TV.
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Q. Tip is Makin a Comeback!
Lately I have been falling back in love with music (especially hip hop). Some of it is slowing down and enjoying the things I used to love and some of it is the recent purchase of these cans (there's thing I never heard before!) Regardless of what music I've been into in the past, one thing has stayed consistent, if I couldn't decide what to listen to, Tribe ALWAYS sounded fresh to my ears. Their use of timeless Jazz samples mixed with their command of the English language created classics that, fiascogate aside, continue to influence all styles of music today (and don't think fiascogate was anything more than internet bull, peep the Paris, Tokyo Remix).
As Tribe's prominence slowly died out and music trends changed, many of the individuals tried to make it on their own, most successfully Q-Tip (If you don't remember Breathe and Stop, don't TELL me you don't remember the bass line from Vivrant Thing!). Tip's solo excursions were not as successful as his days with Tribe but he has been staying around and producing ever since.
Lately though Tip has been making a comeback. A couple months ago while listening to Giles Peterson's radio program online he dropped a new Joint from Q. Tip called Gettin' Up
I think I replayed it 3 times that night and have been doing so since. Then along came Rock The Bells in August and Tip came out and did a 30 min set of solo stuff, new and old, with Mos Def as back up and absolutely killed it (can we say Blackstar 2? A guy can dream...). Long story short, Q-Tip is droppin his new album The Renaissance on election day so I know what I'm doing right after casting my vote for Obama!
I'm sure we will be hearing more from the Abstract Poetic but until then, here's some vids to keep your interest
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SLACKER UPRISING - A New Film by Michael Moore
Moore has released the film for free download to anyone in the US and Canada as thanks to his fans for their support over the years and to try to get more young people out to vote for this years election. Moore stated on the website:
"You have my blanket permission to share the movie with your friends, to set up screenings in your communities or theaters, to show it on your campuses -- all at no charge. I encourage you to rally voters with it, to raise funds for your favorite candidates, to air it on your local cable access channels or web broadcasts."
I encourage you to download and check it out but most of all, register to vote, get your friends to register, and then get them to register THEIR friends. This is not vote or die but as a young person, your decision to vote this year will effect your quality of life, quite possibly, more than any other decision you have made in your life thus far.
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No one on the corner has SWAGGER LIKE PUFF!!!!!
ok ima keep this going... i went from great rapper to wack rapper... and now i go from sampled beat to sampled beat..... so here we go.... SWAGGER LIKE PUFF.... i ripped this song a few days ago.. and then see that my homie BIG C had the same shit in his away message...so why not.. lets share this with the world..... why is P DIDDY so awesome?!!?!? because of shit like this... keepin shit on top since you were baby boys..... foreals...
hahah seriously i love this man.. no homo... this dude is great..thats why hes on "forbes top 100 while you are on forbes top nothin!". and because of just recklessness like THE VIDEO REMIX PART 2... makes me love him even more.. no homo.... in true diddy fashion this is the remix (video that is).... and also the track for you to download and bump in ya whipppp.....
ps. on a side note.. how legal is it to drive around town with no doors on your car?!
lulz.... he duz it for the lulz.....
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SWAGGER LIKE PUFF!!!
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The End of an Era
For longer than I have been alive (33 years to be exact), Don LaFontaine has been a part of most people's movie going experience, yet they probably have no idea who he is. For the past 33 years, Don LaFontaine has been the voice of over 5000 movie trailers, most noticeably for the line "In a world where..."
He has been parodied by many people including Pablo Fransico:
And more recently himself:
While being one of the least visible people in Hollywood, he has stayed one of the most prominent and well known (whether you were aware of it or not).
So after 33 years of service to the movie industry, here's to you Don LaFontaine, the trailers will never be the same!
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Classic Nickelodeon : we miss you!
Ok kids... Ok fine.. we aint really kids no more.. but if thats the case then for damn sure Nickelodeon isnt Nickelodeon of the good ol days!!
Because seriously i woke up like one saturday or sunday really early...And i told myself you know what fuck it lets just watch cartoons and have some cereal (ok i had some grown ass KASHI) but still, it was the thought that counts... and i turned on the TV and BAM! im like WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED to the early morning cartoons... so then i go to NICKELODEON and was like.. ok lets see whats really good over at NICK.. and i was like WTF IS THIS CRAP!?
so this is what the post is all about here.. the good ol days.. where you stayed up all night playing video games... woke up early to watch some cartoons... and then went outside to go play... And if you are like me and like going down good ol memory lane ... Then go ahead and peep the video... (edit...now for the true kids who grew up on Nick... im talking bout you early 80s babies) some of the shows in this flick are a tad bit new school, but most were still the good ones you grew to love as a kid!
NOW.. im a little bias... and im gonnna say that "HEY DUDE!" was probably my favorite... and of course with the hot ass super hot sexy sex kitten CHRISTINE TAYLOR and where the hell is JOE TORRES?!?!
Well there was my rant... now everyone.. pout out a little liquor (because i know most of yall over 21 now) and lets just sit back and reminisce about the good ol days of good tv... and whatever that means to you...feel free to leave a comment about what you miss about tv.... thats right.. im here.. your host... the lines will be open all night... go ahead and call in with your requests..ill be taking calls all night....
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The Dark Knight: Batmobile Tumbler VS TOYOTA F1
what happens when you race the baddest f1 against the baddest crime fighting vehicle? straight up your wildest dream becoming a reality....
now the batmobile has always been like a staple for crime fighters means of transportation... it made me tempted to google/wiki older batmobiles of the past... which i came across this site.... BATMOBILEHISTORY.COM its pretty cool seems to cover quite a bit here cant wait to see this new batman movie... seriously when the dark knight returned to screens i was like.. jesus .. another one? i know the story... but it was flipped and done in such a style where i was like.. WOW.. good job.. kudos Christopher Nolan! so with just a few days away from the next one.. please believe that you will see a batman post again soon!
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AD NAUSEUM: 1-877-BE-KANYE WTF?!
Ok so im sitting here on the intrawebz.. seriously like just going thru some emails with the tv in the background on the 10pm news our local LA CW channel 5.... all of a sudden i hear this madness on tv... i guess ya boy kanye had some ghetto ass commercial/infomercial going.. it was hillarious.... i need to call the number... seriously wtf kanye.. hahahah i love it!!! kinda reminds me on ZOO YORKS copy of HEAD ON... hahaha (click more to see that one)
EDIT: so i called the 1-877-bekanye hotline... it told me to call back tomorrow or check the website HERE totally crazyness all over ... looks like a collabo with ABSOLUT VODKA
ill update more shortly
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It's Coming.....Planet Green
The Discovery Channel recently announced the beginning of a new channel they will be starting called Planet Green. The Discovery Channel said the channel “will provide entertaining, authentic and quality information for such categories as eco-design, organic food and green architecture.”
My hope is that they are able to stick with their mission that they don't cop out the cheesy reality shows like "turn my house green!" or something of that nature. Although I don't take the time to watch much TV, I am glad that something like this is coming out and I hope it catches on. I just hope that the way in which they run their offices and production is as green as their channel is promising to be.
In preparation they have released a couple of hilarious ads (my favorite being the last two):
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LIL WAYNE X The Carter 3 : A Millli SOLD 1st week!
Ima Millionaire,
Im a Young Money Millie in aire, tougher than Nigerian hair...
Just when i thought it couldn't be done..Lil Wayne's release of Tha Carter 3 hit Platinum!(actually 1,005,545 units to be exact according to Soundscan numbers) For rap/hip hop artists thats huge. 1st week Platinum for hip hop/rap artists hasn't been archived since 50 Cent's release of "The Massacre". Check out Lil Wayne thanking everyone who didn't steal the album and purchased it in the stores! Actually he didnt do anything.. the fans did.. as he said over and over again....
So big ups Weezy! Damn when i heard you on POWER 106 in LA and self predicting that you would hit 1st week platinum, i was seriously pessimistic. With the intranetz, torrents, p2p sharing, etc... I would be shocked even if you broke GOLD... but Platinum? Seriously? WOW... and for a hip hop album too? DOUBLE WOW...
So my little message to Lil Wayne... Stop being so modest right now... Everyone in their momma calling you the best rapper in the game right now, and with 1st week platinum and hit collabs and singles, you have every right to call yourself so....
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