A comment about Das Racist being 'deported' from the UK.
Hey, didn’t you guys go to Wesleyan? Doesn’t that school cost over $50,000 a year? Maybe you should play down the kids from Queens with an agenda angle a little and play up the privledged extreme upper class people without the proper papers angle a little more
Yamaha, the same corporation that has brought you everything from drum sets to motorcycles, has over the past six years slowly started a musical revolution that no one asked for or wanted, and more importantly is relatively unknown to anyone living outside of Japan - but with my frequency of 4chan for the hilarious antics that can be found there, I stumbled upon the inane and absurd nature that are vocaloids.
Developed in conjunction with the Pompeau Fabra University located in Spain of all places, Vocaloids are an application for creating entirely synthesized music - essentially a piece of software that realizes the dream of the 2004 Disney Channel Original Movie 'Pixel Perfect,' or Simone (from the Al Pacino Movie) in the creation of an artificial identity... that sings.
The vocaloid software enjoyed relative success when it was released in 2004, but it wasn't until the second version of the program and the introduction of a 'Pop Star' that vocaloids entered the mainstream. Initially released in 2007, Hatsune Miku - The Pop Star image behind one of the voice options offered, spawned the beginning of absurdity and a strange manufactured brand of ultra-saccarine pop that could only come from an unholy alliance of Japanese artists and one of the countries largest corporations.
If there is one thing that the Japanese have got down to a science, it's marketing and the exploitation of an image and ideal as opposed to reality. A rise in popularity from an upswell of content that became heavily viewed on Japan's equivalent of Youtube lead to albums, sponsorships, concerts, video games, and just about every kind of consumer merchandise that could be imagined.
Hatsune Miku's likeness is even on the recently failed (Well we'll know for sure in 6 years as it tries to enter the orbit of Venus) Venus Probe, Akatsuki, and it is on there not once, not twice, but three damn times.
In terms of sound, it lies somewhere under a heavily auto tuned melody and somewhere above the super deformed sounds that are created with a vocoder. While the manufacturing of pop music is nothing new, to see it actually take the singer out of the picture entirely is great in theory, but a tad less enticing in practice. This could be partly due to the fact that the music that is predominantly created due to the actual technical limitations of the software (fast pop music handed down from the devil himself - and by that I mean it would be my definition of a level of hell) is insufferable.
Subsequent 'Pop Stars' have been created which all feature an animated avatar to accompany the software.
English versions of the software are available, but don't seem to work as well as their Japanese counterparts due to the difference in flow between the two languages, creating somewhat of an uncanny valley as opposed to the Japanese version. A third iteration of the software is forthcoming and it has been rumored that english has been made a larger focus, so it may make an impact sooner rather then later in the States.
A song about vegetable juice... idk it has almost 1.7 million youtube views
Following in the footsteps of Gorillaz as far as technology goes (Certainly not in the quality of music) the concerts utilize 3D Hologram technology to project the character on stage. I shutter to think of the strange possibilities that both this technology and the introduction of a real english version of the software could create. It's rather an odd thing to try and predict what kind of impact the software could/will have in the states, especially with no real national affection for Anime styled characters. In all likelihood if the software were to catch on in the US it would be a much more 'Pixel Perfect' like scenario with the likeness of an actual person used to promote the music and brand - which is scary, yet somehow awesome at the same time.
Will pop stars like Ke$ha disappear in favor of computerized programs? Probably not (although in Ke$ha's case one could hope), but there remains that tinge of morbid curiosity that will keep me tuned into vocaloids, if simply to laugh at how terrible and absurd they become.
Well its that time of the year, and by that time I mean I looked at the list only after seeing a tweet from Marcus talking about Janelle probably loosing to Ceelo (although I think she'll take Best Contemporary R&B Album).
So here we go. Go to the website to follow along, I don't want to copy and paste everything. Record of the Year:
Should and Will Win - Empire State of Mind
Album of the Year:
Should Win - Arcade Fire Will Win - The Gaga
Song of the Year: All of these nominations are stupid.
Ceelo I guess?
Best New Artist:
Once again stupid at the lack of legitimate nominations, but The Bieber will probably win.
Off the top of my head Gayngs and Best Coast come to mind.
Also, who the fuck is Esperanza Spalding?
Ok I looked her up, Vocal Jazz, hmm way to be obscure in a way that no one under 50 cares about.
Best Female Pop Performance:
Seriously, a Beyonce live performance...? I'm sorry that is stupid, she won the same category last year with the same damn song, give someone else a chance Grammy committee.
Should and Will Win - Lady Gaga: Bad Romance
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance:
Will Win: Micheal Buble Should Win: Couldn't care less.
With the caveat that Micheal Jackson might win, but that would be stupid. Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
This category is just depressing.
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Should Win - Gaga: Telephone Will Win - B.O.B.: Airplanes, Part II
Best Pop Vocal Album:
Should Win - The Fame Monster Will Win - Really have no clue, it could go anyway except John Mayer... No one likes him. I think it may go crazy and go to Katy Perry, we'll see.
Best Dance Recording:
Should Win - Konichiwa Bitches Will Win - Rihanna
Best Rock Album:
Should Win - Muse (I've had my ups and downs with this album, but lets just say it has a tad more creativity then the other 'rockers') Will Win - Who cares, it'll be either Tom Petty or Neil Young
Best Alternative Music Album:
Should and Will Win - Arcade Fire
Best Rap Solo Performance
Should and Will Win - Kanye West: Power
Best Rap Performance by a Group or Duo
Should Win - Big Boi: Shutterbug Will Win - Jay Z: On To the Next One
Best Rap Song
Should Win - Empire State of Mind Will Win - Love the Way You Lie
Best Rap Album
Weak, but judging at the number of nominations I would guess Eminem.
Hmm a lot of country...scrolling scrolling scrolling... Producer of the Year
Should Win - Danger Mouse (See Dark Night of the Soul) Will Win - Dr. Luke
Hmm, I guess there is a bunch that I am skipping over, but just thought I go through quickly.
A few that will probably make my top albums of the year list left high and dry.
Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma Spoon - Transference Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz & All Delighted People Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (Did get a few noms, but where was R&B performance for Stylo? Hell where was the nomination for Album of the Year?) Sage Francis - Life
Tons of others, but we'll wait for my list to give my best stuff of the year.
By these awards it sure makes it look like nothing but absolute GARBAGE came out this year.
The seminal auto show from the UK has finally made it's way to the United States after making stops pretty much everywhere else (Germany, Australia, Russia) when it premiered yesterday on the History Channel. Most of America was probably watching the AMA's (God help us) or The Walking Dead (Can't blame you) or The SNF game (Which I had my eye on and seemed to be a pretty good game until Eli choked), but with the British version of the program being quite possibly the best reality/documentary style show currently airing I had to see if Top Gear USA was worth the time of day.
The pre-release buzz surrounding this new iteration has been pretty dismissive, especially from fans of the British series. It's understandable when fans of a certain series (such as The Office) have concerns about an Americanized version, but the life of Top Gear doesn't hinge on the presenters, as much as fans of the original trio of James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond would like to disagree. Top Gear will always be about the cars and treating them with dignity and respect; Closer to a work of art then as a preferably alternative to walking or riding the bus. To this end the premier was quite successful and has me excited for future episodes.
The three on-air hosts, Tanner Foust (Drift and Rally Car Driver), Adam Ferrara (Actor/Comedian), and Ruthledge Wood (Some sort of analyst that has been on Speed TV a lot) struggle to find their footing, but this is to be expected. So much of what people love about the British show is how self referential and pandering it is, and the interactions between the three make it seem as if there is a good possibility of creating a similar feel.
The high production values that have come to be expected by fans of the original are thankfully intact. Camera angles and shots are dynamicand echo the stylistic approach that has become the standard for automotive shows.
From the outset of the show which featured an homage to the Dodge Viper (A model thats current iteration is being phased out and replaced in the 2012 model year) it's clear that this isn't going to be a second fiddle that echos the opinions of the UK presenters. While the Brit's wouldn't touch the Viper with a 10 foot pole, the Americans gave it a proper send off as opposed to a string of jokes about it being like an American (big, loud and stupid looking). An interview with Buzz Aldrin was short and a bit weak with the role probably being Ferrara's biggest challenge as he seems by far the most comfortable on camera.
The big test segment came in the form of each picking a Lamborghini and putting it through it's paces with standing miles. The trash talk was good, if a bit forced (although once again, it's a tad difficult to build an onscreen report immediately). While it might become apparent to the contrary latter in the series, at least for the moment it seems as if the presenters have license to criticize to their hearts content, especially with Ferrara calling the $650 cup holder option in his chosen Lambo 'Bull Shit.'
Although I was apprehensive about History Channel picking up the series, the thought and planning for a successful series are in place. While it will still probably be a companion to the British version (Which History Channel should right out license from BBC America) the pieces are falling into place far better then I thought that they would.
Yup, Too lazy to write anything intelligent, maybe a little something about CERN will happen this weekend, but I am once again, reaaaalllllllyyyyy lazy right now.
Katherine Jumped Off Me (Franz Ferdinand + Lil Kim)
Last Saturday night I spent some of my extra hour attending the Minneapolis/St. Paul Asian Film Festival at the St. Anthony Main Theater and a showing of the anime racing film, Redline. Now I've harped on anime and animation on this blog with quite regular frequency so go ahead and skim if you will but I promise I have a FEW NEW POINTS to make.
The crowd was kind of what you would expect at a showing of a niche anime title, with the obvious stereotypes showing up in droves - I shouldn't make too many derogatory statements because with my long unkept hair and patchy beard I fit in just fine.
Redline is essentially a pretty par for the course racing story which sees a protagonist entering a dangerous "The only rule is that the is no rules" race. The conflict in the film comes from holding the race on a planet dubbed hilariously as 'Roboworld' where the racers have to contend with the military as well as the other racers. Added conflict and plot development comes from the tacked on love story, which despite it's incredibly shallow and unnecessary nature actually worked in an odd roundabout way.
Besides the incredibly fluid and stylized animation, it is Redline's cast of characters and expertly paced dialogue that provide the film's greatest strengths. My buddy Andrew accompanied me to see the film and mentioned that the way the film introduced it's cast was incredibly well done, a sentiment I echo completely, especially for a racing title whose genre tends to favor action in opposition to any meaningful exposition. A news segment format introduced each racer, but slight differences in each profile highlighted the superb dialogue and quirky nature of the writing. Aiding the dialogue was the great translation, which seemingly captured the feel and narrative that it's creators intended. Plot dead ends and a lack of any significant conclusion could be seen as a criticism from serious cinema-goers, but by my standards didn't detract from the film in the least.
Redline once again proved why animation, and especially hand drawn animation, proves to be just as compelling of a medium to tell a story as live action or CG. It's sad that consumer expectations have all but dismissed traditional animation, forcing them into special one night events that are kind of a one and done thing.
OK, so really I had no new points, and you read it ALL... HA! Or else you skimmed to this point and it didn't matter at all!
'Ke$ha's new song just debuted at number one. I just feel hopeless.'
The above statement was written by a friend on Facebook referencing the new single from the musical cockroach known as Ke$ha.
Being that I have been listening to a glut of sports radio in my daily automobile time, I couldn't say that I had heard the new song, entitled "We R Who We R" and after seeking a listen I wish I hadn't for a few reasons - Lyrically it is pretty par for the course for appealing to Ke$ha's audience, and since I'm not a club kid or a 14 year old girl with ambitions of prostitution, it's safe to say that contextually this song wasn't intended for me - or was it?
"I was really affected by the suicides that have been happening, having been subject to very public hatred [myself]. I have absolutely no idea how these kids felt. What I'm going through is nothing compared to what they had to go through. Just know things do get better and you need to celebrate who you are. Every weird thing about you is beautiful and makes life interesting. Hopefully the song really captures that emotion of celebrating who you are."
The above quote was taken from a Rolling Stone Interview with the star explaining the motivations and lyrical musings of the new single.
Lets take a look at the lyrics shall we?
The Chorus, probably the portion she felt 'captures that emotion of celebrating who you are' - mainly because it is literal in it's execution -
Tonight we're going hard
Just like the world is ours
We're tearin' it apart
You know we're superstars
We are who we are
So not the most intelligent thing I have ever read or heard, nor the worst, but I think coming out and stating that she was affected by the recent string of teen suicides, and dedicating this song to them feels shallow and cheap. Lets now take a look at some of the verses:
Hot and dangerous
If you’re one of us, then roll with us
‘Cause we make the hipsters fall in love
And we’ve got hot-pants on enough
And yes of course we does we’re running this town just like a club
And no, you don’t wanna mess with us
Got Jesus on my necklace
I’ve got that glitter on my eyes
Stockings ripped all up the side
Looking sick and sexy-fied
So let’s go-o-o (Let’s go!)
Hmmmm, what part of that is meant to make me celebrate who I am, as opposed to who Ke$ha is? At least with the terribly bad Tik Tok, Ke$ha wasn't trying to sell it is a piece speaking out against a war or human trafficking or one of the other numerous societal problems in the world today.
Musically it is pretty boring, the singular drum beat and synth sample will get your toe tapping and provide the top 40 appeal, but beyond that it is becoming apparent that ghostwriters seem to be phoning it in at this point.
Why hasn't Ke$ha disappeared?!?!
Simple, The music industry has killed one hit wonders.
While it has always been around, it has become increasingly more apparent that the industry is run with spreadsheets as opposed to the artists and talent (or lack thereof). Hits seem no longer like they can be earned simply through fan support, but instead act like a commoditized item, bought and sold no differently then any other consumer product.
Producer groups have become so numerous (Stargate, The Neptunes etc) that each song produced is bet on like the stock market in hopes of scoring a number one hit, which usually ends up being the case. Growing an artist to have mass appeal isn't something new, but with these producer groups, keeping a star relevant for far longer has become as simple as writing a check. If you know me and my taste in music it will become clear that I like a number of producers, but in becoming crutches for the industry they have outgrown their welcome.
If 'We R Who We R' has proved anything to me, it's that Ke$ha needs to stop getting bailed out like an entity deemed 'too big to fail' by the government.
I'm heading to the Minneapolis Asian Film Festival on Saturday for a showing of what looks to be an incredible piece of animation, Redline. Anyone else want to go? The ever great Andrew Carlson is accompanying me in the festivities.
Alright so I spread the word about Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt about a month ago and after watching the first 4 episodes I feel like I am able to give a bit more insight about the show for the 0 people out there that are curious on the subject. P&S notably goes beyond just the aesthetic similarities by actually adopting many of the tropes often associated with american cartoons. For one, each episode is split into 2 distinct and separate stories, similar to Sponge Bob, Power Puff Girls, Dexter's Lab etc.. and in classic cartoon fashion has really bad puns for titles, I mean really bad (High School Nudical, Vomiting Point, Catfight Club - All which feature matching title cards).
One thing Panty and Stocking has going for it? Nineteen Thousand different animation styles.
Strictly from an animation perspective, P&S manages to go beyond my lofty expectations by creating pretty slick fight scenes and fluid hand drawn visuals (3D is becoming ever more prevalent throughout most japanese and american animation), but everything else is a complete and utter mess. The writing is crass without a purpose, and every episode seems to get lost as it stumbles through it's loosely defined narrative. Character development is non-existent to this point that calling them one dimensional seems generous (Panty - Likes Sex, Stocking - Likes Cake, Garterbelt - Has an afro and likes dudes) and makes Garfield seem like a Shakespearean character.
Sound design is alright, but the music is pretty hit or miss. Fight scenes are punctuated with driving electronica, but everything else has an odd sheen to it, lessening the impact of some of the well drawn visuals. The voice acting is serviceable, but it would have been much more bold to just go all the way and hire American voice actors for the parts - Sam Jackson will do anything... just sayin. It'll be interesting to see if P&S ever makes it to the states in a dubbed form and the changes that are made for an American audience. I'm not a huge fan of censorship, but I would have to think that certain aspects that will be altered for the localization may end up benefitting the product as a whole.
P&S showed a lot of promise, and still manages to shine in certain spots, but it has a ton of problems. All GAINEX shows have had issues, but P&S's may prove to be too glaring for most people.
On the other hand we have Sym-Bionic Titan, the latest show from Dexter's Lab/PowerPuff Girls/Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky. Anyone familiar with Samurai Jack or the Clone Wars shorts will recognize the animation style, with notable use of 3D modeling in the rendering of the title giant mecha robot dubbed Titan. Following the exploits of a Princess and her assigned bodyguard (as well as a robot companion for good measure) as they escape their besieged home planet to take refuge on Earth, Titan relies on a number of tried and true sci-fi devices in the telling of it's story, but still offers a significant amount of room to play around with (There has already been an episode featuring street racing).
If Titan has one strength it is it's expertly designed direction. Titan carries on Jack's tradition of superb story-boarding that makes every single second feel deliberate and planned. The voice acting is pretty top notch and notably features Brian Posehn as the Robot AI, and John DiMaggio as an ever present Army General.
In contrast to P&S, Titan shows that if you want to make an American cartoon styled like a Tartakovsky creation, look no further then Tartakovsky himself. Also the Wonder Twins homage is appreciated.
Alright enough about that, now for a few music picks since I haven't kept to my goal of a mixtape every month (I'm trying to do some mixing and picking the right stuff is taking a tad more time then I would have liked, but maybe that'll happen? Who Knows.
1. Maki Nomiya and Fernanda Takai: Maki-Takai No Jetlag
Great mini album from Pizzicato 5 singer Maki Nomiya and Brazillian Singer Fernanda Takai (Singer in the somewhat known Pato Fu). Not too much of a departure for either but an interesting and fun collab nonetheless.
2. Sam Prekop - Old Punch Card
A lot of elctronic noises that somehow manage to come together into something that shouldn't be good, but is.
3. Royksopp - Junior
Senior was a bit of a disappointment, but Junior? Still Good.
4. Robyn - Body Talk(s)
I can not wait to see her live, should be an insane show.
5. GO!GO!7188 - Go!!GO!GO!Go!!
GO!
I watched a preair of AMC's new Zombie Apocalypse drama 'The Walking Dead' and all I can say is that AMC continues to pick incredible projects.
Also here is me with a puppy to up the cute factor of this post:
The transitions are rough, the chorus doesn't quite fit, the intro is too long (But I kind of want people to hear it because of the awesomeness of it) Remix of 'All I Do is Win' and a T-Pain verse from a Ciara song, backed by Hidden Orchestra and their track 'The Wandering'
And the Interview is Dave Brubeck talking about the future of Jazz in the 60's
My Mom and I stopped by the furniture store Caron-Fabre Furniture which is located on Rice Street where I found this chair (one of two) that I bought for it's sheer awesomeness. One of the owners stated that they had just "found" them.
Here is an article in the Pioneer Press about the store's history and closing information.
And yes the black dude with the afro is named Garterbelt.
I honestly feel like it will be weird watching this with a Japanese voice cast, everything about it seems so American.
Edit:
So upon digging a little further to find out more about the plot and associated characters Panty and Stocking are angels sent from heaven to hunt ghosts....huh. Panty makes guns appear from her um panties I guess, and stocking as you can guess makes swords from her stockings...
Also It seems from people reading translations that Panty is a sex addict* but Stocking simply likes to eat cake. Also the seemingly ripped off version of Grr from Invader Zim named Chuck was given a blessing by Zim creator Jhonen Vasquez, so thats pretty cool.
October 1st is now circled on my calender.
*You may be thinking oh Sex Addict, only in Japan, but both Family Guy (In Quagmire) and Two and a Half Men (Charlie) both which garner huge ratings feature sex addicts, but they are both male, does that make it somehow different then a female angel sex addict?
Monday, September 6, 2010
YUP.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Maybe one of the coolest vintage NASA pictures I have ever seen was released with a bunch of others via NASA Flickr, yep NASA is one hip group of scientists.
With the collaboration of Eau Claire native Justin Vernon and Kanye West, I made the bold statement that the next big thing for the Music industry is going to be the all-star cross genre collaboration, here is a few collabs that will/should/need to happen..
Madonna + Danger Mouse
While it would be more accurate to say that this would simply be an album Produced and co-written by the Gnarls Barkley and Broken Bells member, a collaboration between Esther and Danger Mouse would seem to be a good fit for both. A joint performance at the Grammy awards a couple years ago mashing Hung Up with the Gorillaz Feel Good Inc adds to the case for a heavier, funkier Madonna.
Martina Topley-Bird - Phoenix (Danger Mouse Produced)
Justin Timberlake + Ratatat
I'm not sure why Justin is so reluctant to reenter the music space with an album of his own but teaming up with Ratatat would ensure great beats and stellar production for Timberlake's falsetto laden vocals to reign supreme. If anything has held Ratatat back, it is the lack of any vocals, instrumentals are great but it's often hard for me to think up a 'memorable' track, Timberlake would act as the cherry on-top of the ever so tasty electro-pop sundae.
Ratatat - Falcon Jab
MF Doom + Vampire Weekend
While this might seem like a ridiculous idea, I think that combining these two artists would create something utterly compelling. The big problem with MF is that he has overstayed or more accurately ran out of ideas with Madvillian and needs something to reinvigorate his musical sensibilities and I think the lighter tones and song writing of Vampire Weekend could provide an interesting backdrop for Doom.
MF Doom - That's That
Animal Collective + The Dream
Self Explanatory: Floaty electronic beats, a song writing direction that would make Animal Collective songs feel complete, and most importantly HATS!
Animal Collective - What Would I Want Sky*
*More towards the end of the song with the 'traditional' song part
Gorillaz + Blur
So I guess this is kind of cheating since it is really the same guy behind both of the groups, but a little more pop combined with the batshit insane ideas of Gorillaz is something i'd like to see. That and all of the meta humor that would happen in the music videos.
UNKLE + Rihanna
UNKLE is the kind of producer/artist that always seems to be on the verge of something great yet seems to fall short every time. I don't want to say I've disliked what Rihanna has done in recent years, but a departure from Eminem collaborations would be appreciated.Half of UNKLE's problem is that he chooses awful contributers, not awful in the sense of their performances, but in the sense of growing his popularity, or pushing himself as an artist.
Not sure what to post as an example as I think it would be a pretty big departure for both, but one I think both would be capable of.
Prince + Mark Ronson (But anyone would work)
I know that my love of Ronson is probably pushing this, but seriously, Prince needs to get with a real producer STAT.
While there is no shortage of television programs that show off the “best,” and of course by best I really mean worst, of America (I don’t write this with the intent of perpetuating the disdain of individuals with anti reality show sentiments, as every reality television show ever created is preferable to anything scripted on CBS) but I really have beef with the offerings and programming schedule of three channels, Discovery, TLC, and History – Yet much like any other American I watch them nonetheless.
I suppose I’ll start with TLC since it is the most easily lampooned, as little of the content is focused on appealing to me. I guess my major beef is simply what TLC pretends to be, and that is a channel all about ‘Family’ continually seems to try and one-up itself with dysfunction. I wouldn’t say that this strategy has necessarily gone very far in hurting their brand, but whenever I’m watching it just feels so fake and cheap. Every time I flip past ‘Toddlers and Tiaras’ I die a little inside, but who am I to judge? TLC makes me feel bad for my snap judgments, as they manage to humanize any action to a certain extent. Droves of women line up to watch ‘Say Yes to the Dress,’ to recapture the lost excitement of that time in their life, but underneath the surface, the show just seems like a huge middle finger to poor people – who I guess aren’t watching because Comcast doesn’t accept EBT.
‘What Not to Wear’ is also possibly the DUMBEST premise for a television show ever: Lets take someone with no fashion skills, criticize them, throw away their wardrobe, educate them as to how they should be dressing, throw them money for a shopping spree in New York City, give them a makeover, then finally throw a party for their closest friends to debut a vastly better dressed and looking individual. Am I missing something? What happens when the cameras move onto the next person that wears unitards or sequenced bath robs in public? Although it would probably make for less compelling television, wouldn’t it prove far more effective to educate the American public as to how to dress within their means? Providing a ten thousand dollar wardrobe consisting of four outfits isn’t realistic for the average consumer, especially the one watching the show in the first place. Throwing a new coat of paint on a car doesn’t change the engine or performance.
Discovery Channel has Cash Cab – Awesome. The three survival shows + The Post Apocalyptic scenario program, The Colony, not so much. Bear Grylls is quite possibly the manliest man around, and I thoroughly enjoy Man Vs Wild, but his show, much like the others on the channel are far too unrealistic. Bear regularly scales vertical cliff faces and repels down waterfalls like it’s as routine as brushing your teeth, yet for the average person, who is most likely to get stranded, it is out of the realm of possibility. Bravo, E!, MTV, and VH1 know that the television they make isn’t compelling, but these channels try and operate behind the guise of being informative, when in reality they aren’t.
Pawn Stars exemplifies this point better then any other. It and Antiques Roadshow pretty much appear on the surface to be one in the same, yet as an end result Pawn Stars is far less compelling. Trading the understated road show for an in your face “I’m a biker/intimidating dude” vibe seems to have paid off for History, but at the cost of credibility. Pawn Stars, as opposed to the Roadsbow, is all about the hustle, which can and does expose the point at which money is more valued over a family heirloom.
I suppose this wasn’t the most organized criticism of these channels, but you get what you pay for.
"A German student created a major traffic jam in Bavaria after making a rude gesture at a group of Hell's Angels motorcycle gang members, hurling a puppy at them and then escaping on a stolen bulldozer.
German police said on Monday that after making his getaway from the Hell's Angels club, the 26-year-old dumped the bulldozer, causing a 5 km (3 miles) traffic jam near the southern town of Allershausen, local police said. He then fled to his home nearby where he was apprehended by the police." Reuters
The place that the retail chain Forever 21 exists in is an odd one, it features bible quotes on the bottom of its bags as a "demonstration of the owners faith" but at the same time sells incredibly poor quality merchandise thus perpetuating the already problematic throw away society that America has evolved to become. If the line between corporate message and reality had already been thin, now it has become virtually non-existent with the announcement of amaternity clothing line.
'The Newest Addition to our Family" - Is Forever 21 also educating teen girls that you can't throw away a baby like a ripped V-neck that they bought last week?
I understand that a company has a bottom line that they have to constantly be worried about (especially within the current economic climate) but I'm not sure this is the way that a company who caters to a younger teen demographic should go about business. Despite thinking it was an odd direction, I really wasn't that up in arms about the Love 21 maternity line untilI found out that they were rolling out the new line in states with high teenage birthrates. It makes sense if you look at it from a financial stand point, but from an ethical standpoint they might as well show their models taking bong hits and chugging 1.75s of Smirnoff (as teen mothers 15-17 are over 10 percent more likely to have engaged in these activities then their peers).
It should go with out saying, as it's pretty apparent that a baby bump is a pretty chic accessory for the trendster on the go, but the real issue at hand isn't the marketing of teen motherhood to the youths of America, but the fact that the clothes bought by teen mothers will only be useful for 9 months and they'll eventually have to replace their maternity wardrobe for everysubsequent pregnancy.
I'd love to see the teen mothers bowling league, obviously they exist if the Manhattan Bowling Bag is an essential
It's time to boycott Forever 21 for this outrageous inevitability. It should be every American's policy to not shop at this selfish and soulless retailer until every piece of maternity wear is guaranteed for at LEAST 3 pregnancies.
Certifiable nutjob Fred Phelp's church (Westboro Baptist) decided to protest outside of comicon in San Diego this past weekend, the geeks threw a protest of their own.
An interview with Maggie Phelps from the event (scroll down to the bottom).
So hey, it’s the 41st anniversary of the first moon landing, so I thought I’d take a few minutes to jot some of my thoughts about the current space exploration quandary that the US has found itself in.
On February 1st of this year, President Obama announced the cancellation of NASA’s Constellation program. For those not in the know, the Constellation Program, an initiative started by Former President Bush, was created with the ultimate goal of landing a man on Mars. Ares, the rocket platform designed for Constellation and the base for other planned missions, although not cancelled, has found itself in a dire situation because without Constellation, there is really no point to it’s existence.
Unfortunately, the plan that is being implemented by Obama in place of Constellation is completely and utterly nonsensical. Contrary to common sense, over the next five years the NASA budget is being expanded by over 2 billion dollars for the creation of a NEW heavy lift platform that will be ready for construction by 2015 (Of which 6 billion dollars of additional capital was promised beyond the NASA budget increase) and to explore more commercial private launch solutions. In addition to scraping the Constellation program, Obama also denied an extension of Shuttle service beyond the final scheduled missions to complete the International Space Station, subsequently leaving the United States no way to get into low earth orbit.
The Ares I-X Rocket Inaugural Test Flight - 10/28/2009
When will a space shuttle replacement be ready?
Why does NASA still exist?
Why kill a project only to then throw more money to start over again?
The goal of starting construction on a new heavy lift platform by 2015 and having a manned mission to Mars by 2030 is probably the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard. Even with an unlimited budget, there is no way that a platform could be designed and tested for production over a 4-5 year period. The Ares V, which yes was over budget and behind schedule (Mainly due to the fact that the program was under funded to begin with) wouldn’t have been ready for realistic use for another 10 years, and that uses much of our existing technology.
Space X's Falcon 9 Payload Launch Platform
The focus on private enterprise seems like a great idea in theory, but it creates the same problems with little benefit besides a relative decrease in costs. The current front runner for Heavy lift is Space X, who’s Falcon 9 Heavy Lift design could theoretically lift 59,000 pounds to LEO (In comparison to the 350,000 pounds of Ares V). The potential of using existing Orion (The manned space capsule designed for Constellation to sit on top of the Ares I rocket) designs are being explored, but are years from testing and practical use. I don't quite think Obama knows the amount of work that goes into the design of a launch system, it's not a toaster for gods sake, it isn't an automobile that you can recall if there is a detrimental design flaw.
Space exploration is no joke; if something goes wrong, people die.
I could talk about this subject ad nauseum but the ultimate point that I wanted to get across on this historic anniversary is that I used to dream of the day that I would see a human step foot on Mars, and sadly I think it’ll remain a dream for many decades to come.
For anyone not in the know, God Of War, the long running Greek epic which has spanned 4 games on the PS2, PSP and now PS3 has long rumored to be getting a live action film adaptation, much like any successful video game franchise. As rumors of early script leaks have said it will be pretty close to the narrative of the game here is what it might look like (A Trailer from God of War 3)
But here is an equally great alternative:
I suppose this also says something about the state of indie filmmaking and how stale it has become when this trailer actual seems plausible. Then again, maybe not.
Since moving home back with my parents and not having cable television in my room, I have been spending a lot of time in the living room watching television with my Mother. This communal situation has led to the watching of more then my fair share of television fluff ie HGTV and The Food Network. House Hunters is naturally one of the go to programs that my Mother and I settle upon and with that has come the realization that just about every House Hunters episode has an absurd title. Unlike most programs, House Hunters episode titles are all encompassing and usually pretty funny.
Here are a few of my favorites - And remember these are the actual titles of each episode, not the episode description.
'Selling Soap and Settling Down'
'Californian Teacher Wants to Get in Touch with Her Roots and Buy a Vacation Home in Calabria, Italy'
'After 40 Years in her Suburban Home in New Jersey, Barbara is Relocating to New Orleans to be With the Love of her Life'
'A Dietician Has a Small Budget But Big Dreams for Her Starter Home'
'A Neglected Home in Foreclosure Tempts Atlanta Buyers with a Pool and More Space Than the Other Homes in Their Price Range'
And the episode title that inspired me to look with eager anticipation at every subsequent episode's title:
'After Surviving The Painful Break Up Of Her 33 Year Marriage, A Woman Decides To Buy A House In Gulfport Mississippi'
Also does anyone like David Bromstad? He is all kinds of annoying to me.
Mark Ronson is amazing. From his 2003 hip hop album, which despite middling reviews and even worse sales I still rock in my car every occasion I get, to his UK triple platinum 2007 cover album Version, Mark Ronson has proven that he is one of the most stylish producers out there. The first single for his upcoming third album, Record Collection, Bang Bang Bang is just one more example of the man's greatness. Featuring MNDR's Amanda Warner and Ronson favorite Q-Tip, Bang Bang Bang should make a splash in America following it's rise to the top of the charts in the UK. Check out the video which melds a Japanese and French talk show with a fever dream from the 1980's.
Over the past few months (mainly with the advent of summer vacation and lack of a full-time job) I have been watching a ton of animated stuff in a sort of homage to the wasted days of my youth where I spent more time in front of the tv then is probably recommended. Upon really looking what the purveyors of childhood entertainment (Nickelodeon, Disney, Cartoon Network) offer in the way of animated programs, it seems like a cruel joke at some point as it relates to someone like me. When looked through the forgiving lense of nostalgia, the programs that I watched as a child were much the same, but it honestly feels as if something has been lost along the way (Although Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends is pretty solid).
This point is perfectly illustrated in the way that the Star Wars: Clone Wars television series was handled. The original Clone Wars shorts, created by Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter’s Lab, Power Puff Girls), featured stunning animation, a serviceable voice cast, and frankly didn’t suck at all. Coming off the success of Samurai Jack, which I would argue is by far the best American produced animated series ever, Clone Wars took everything that Tartakovsky had learned about pacing and implemented it into the best Star Wars narrative and execution since Return of the Jedi. Doing what he does best, Lucas threw out the best pieces of the animated series (mainly Tartakovsky’s involvement) and replaced it with a 3D animated style that seems to pale in comparison to the original.
Traditional animated features have become all but extinct in the US in favor of CGI animation, which has become somewhat of a bore. There are definitely quality films that are wholly computer animated, but the shear number of titles released over the last five years is out of control. Pixar has retained a high level of standard compared to the vast majority of other studios, and I think it may be time, especially after being acquired by Disney, to put the minds and talents at Pixar into developing a traditionally animated feature. Unfortunately if a film like Ponyo can’t make money in the US, Pixar will probably continue riding the CGI train well into the foreseeable future.
Cartoons that seem specifically aimed at adults in America really seem to vary in quality and relevance; I would even go as far as saying that Seth MacFarlane (Although this trend is nothing new, it just seems to have grown since his march to prominence) has contributed greatly to the weird and possibly irreversible stigma in the US that, as far as animated programs go, comedy is the only subject matter appropriate for consumption. I wholeheartedly enjoy Futurama and will occasionally get a good chuckle from Fox’s Sunday ‘Animation Domination,’ but after a while I’m continually left with an overload of jokes and no substance to accompany them. With the exception of the Boondocks, Adult Swim’s programming block provides little difference from its mainstream brethren as it recycles the same material in differing packages year after year.
The Boondocks is probably my prime go-to example of what animation created for adults should strive to be (I need to see more of it but Archer seems on the right path as well). Although still a comedy, The Boondocks presents it's humor in such a more intelligent way. Riley’s speech about the use of the term ‘No Homo’ makes this point loud and clear:
Well said Riley, well said indeed.
So I suppose that leads me naturally to where I’ll begin this little run down, as I have had to turn to Japan and it’s overly crowded and incredibly bloated animation scene. Don’t get me wrong, Japan has ten times the amount of garbage and pointless programming as compared to the US, but because of the shear amount of shows being produced, a few Boondocks-esque level of quality programs make there way to the surface. Some of these shows I’m quite new to and others I’ve known about for awhile, but I’m just gonna throw them out there in no particular order.
Cencoroll
The first piece I’m going to talk about is not actually a series (well not yet at least) and represents a one off piece of animation almost entirely made up of the efforts of one individual, Atsuya Yuki. Consisting of one 30 minute feature, created, animated, and directed by Yuki, Cencoroll follows the story of a boy who can control a shape shifting being and what happens when a classmate discovers this secret. The background animation of Cencoroll borders on the surreal in what seems to be a combination of photography and traditional animation in a style fit for the Photoshop generation. There has been talk about producing a full series (Usually 12-15 episodes) but nothing concrete has been announced, if I were running SyFy I would be throwing money at this immediately.
Bakemonogatari & Katanagatari
Next up is kind of a double feature with Bakemonogatari (Ghost Story) and Katanagatari (Sword Story), with both animated adaptations coming from works created by Nisio Isin. Both encompass really fantastic (yet completely different) art styles, great character development, and strangely compelling dialogue that takes center stage above action.
Bakemonogatari
Senjogahara: I wanted you to see these clothes first if possible, Araragi-kun.
Araragi: Hey, if you wanted to show them to me first...Well, uh, that makes it sound like a stroke of luck or an honor.
Senjogahara: I didn't want to show you them, Araragi-kun. I wanted you to see them. The nuance is completely different.
It’s a little hard to understand the context of the quote but in all honesty the writing in both of these shows draw comparisons to how Tarantino uses dialogue in much more conversational tones (Madonna– Reservoir Dogs, Royale with Cheese – Pulp Fiction) thus exposing narrative through character interactions as opposed to more in your face approaches to storytelling. Bakemonogatari is not a great starting point as it tends to pander to it's audience far more then necessary, but the good still outweighs it's negative aspects.
Katanagatari
Michiko to Hatchin
Michiko to Hatchin, somewhat of a spiritual successor to Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo (Both of which are fantastic, especially Bebop, which is one of my favorite television series ever), sees an escaped convict liberate the daughter of a former boyfriend from an abusive foster family with the hope of tracking him down. The sticking point to Michiko to Hatchin comes in the form of it’s Latin American setting, and although the Japanese dialogue somewhat breaks the illusion, fantastic voice acting from the series leads (Yoko Maki – The Grudge, and Suzuka Ohgo – Memoirs of a Geisha) and music from Brazilian musician Alexandre Kassin (Who was also on my latin playlist from yesterday...SYNERGY!) make what could have been a disaster into a great series.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Lastly, and although pretty well known - I’m mentioning it only because it is a decent launching point for those unfamiliar with Japanese animation, or individuals with little interest due to the subculture that anime and manga fans in the US represent – is the Japanese cultural phenomenon, I’m talking Lunch Boxes, Figurines, Video Games, Music CD’s, Radio Plays, Body Pillows, a Macarena-esque accompanying dance phenomenon (Even the ever active and well choreographed Indonesian prisoners know it)...is it apparent that Japan digs it?
In what I would call Fringe/The X-Files meets Scooby Doo, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya follows the title character as she assembles a club at her high school to search for the paranormal and unexplained. Unbeknownst to her, Haruhi harbors the power to unconsciously manipulate reality, which sees a psychic, time traveler and cyborg all become members of her club, as well as the reluctant narrator. So a tad confusing to sum up in a single sentence, and although it doesn't break any new ground, Huruhi represents a lighter approach from the usual science fiction narratives that can feel overly heavy and convoluted at times.
Other Quick Recommendations:
Pretty much anything by Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers) is an enjoyable watch as they have a tad more meat and are much more serious then most animated films in the US. From what I’ve seen of trailers and a simple plot synopsis, Paprika and the upcoming film Inception seem to share similar themes and imagery as both deal with exploring individuals dreams and the consequences associated with manipulating the unconscious mind.
Akira- A cult classic - see this video for a specific example for the absurd level of detail.
Of course it goes with out saying, but anything Miyazaki is great, for one of his films that is under the radar for most fans, check out Castle of Cagliostro, a film he directed set in the Lupin the III universe.
Eve No Jikan – Miniseries examining the possible outcomes for human and android social interactions.
Grave of the Fireflies – Quite possibly the most gut-wrenching piece of cinema ever created, I’m not embarrassed to say I cried… Roger Ebert's take on the film
I suppose FLCL should go on here too as it was my first exposure way back in 8th grade to anime that wasn't Pokemon or Dragonball. FLCL is weird, Really weird. If I could think of something similar I would mention it, but it is pretty far out there.
Notice there are no giant robot suggestions? Well thats because they tend to be horribly awful, Evangelion is probably of the highest quality and best regarded, but while watching it you'll realize that it loves itself far too much.
Japanese animation shouldn't be intimidating, nor should watching it lead to a sense of embarrassment. Often times those unfamiliar with anime and manga tend to lump everything together in some sort of nebulous ball made up from whatever limited experiences they have had - Believe me, if it was all like Pokemon I wouldn't be watching either. Fanatics of any subculture tend to be annoying, weird, and just plain strange to the uninitiated or ignorant, be it anime, Twilight (Can you say creepy Twilight body pillow? I sure can!), or LOST.
BONUS TIME!
Clip from the Japanese DUB of The Boondocks... Amazing?
While there is no shortage of television programs that show off the “best,” and of course by best I really mean worst, of America (I don’t write this with the intent of perpetuating the disdain of individuals with anti reality show sentiments, as every reality television show ever created is preferable to anything scripted on CBS) but I really have beef with the offerings and programming schedule of three channels, Discovery, TLC, and History – Yet much like any other American I watch them nonetheless.
