Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Wear Good Shoes: Advice to young photographers

http://blog.magnumphotos.com/2008/11/wear_good_shoes_advice_to_young_photographers.html

my answers

When did you first get excited about photography?

First time I saw a LaChapelle photo.

What advice would you give young photographers?

Shoot less. Think more.

On a side note, they might not have been lying when they said the overall Internet will get slower. Seems to be happening. And I have the fastest connect/settings to load websites in this country.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

The kids are alright

http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12591038

"Mr Tapscott identifies eight norms that define Net Geners, which he believes everyone should take on board to avoid being swept away by the sort of generational tsunami that helped Barack Obama beat John McCain. Net Geners value freedom and choice in everything they do. They love to customise and personalise. They scrutinise everything. They demand integrity and openness, including when deciding what to buy and where to work. They want entertainment and play in their work and education, as well as their social life. They love to collaborate. They expect everything to happen fast. And they expect constant innovation."

every single one is true. speed being the most important. i want something faster than instant. ie wiki knowledge.

one thing i will say is it's a shame so many writers/journalists are losing jobs. good writing is extremely hard to do. the process is far from instant and should be paid well as such.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Lasgo - Out Of My Mind (TOTZ Performance)

2:43 performance starts. song is hype. the music vid is whatev hence live choice.

obama


i called it for certain on sept 3

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

films

hippi sh stuff

life aquatic, adulthood, smart people, ironman just for effects

Monday, November 3, 2008

cw update

stylista - this show is major win. much much better than i thought it would be. watching whole season for sure.
top model - not for me. i will tune in to a finale here and there when someone tells me to.
privileged - fail. on the fall preview they made it seem like they were mixing superficial with trying to have a meaning. those opposites make no sense. didn't even bother checking it out until last week. didn't make it through the first episode. might have something to do with very few guys in it. gg and 90210 have the dudes to go with the pretty girls. maybe some traveling pant watchers would like it or something i dunno.

Having done well with a remake of ”Beverly Hills 90210” this season, the CW network is considering a remake of that show’s spinoff, ”Melrose Place.”

hmm. could work i guess. i'll tell you what else could work. models inc. on dvd!!!

The television shows “Valentine” and “Easy Money,” which made their debuts on CW on Oct. 5, have been put on hiatus for six weeks, today’s New York Times notes.

i got a glimpse of valentine and it actually looked pretty good. it's on the list to catch up. checking out easy money right now.

(add celebrity rehab with Dr.Drew and pickup artist to the general tv update list non cw related.)

Friday, October 31, 2008

Coco futures


http://www.economist.com/people/displayStory.cfm?source=hptextfeature&story_id=12509981

chanel makes the nicest women's shoes in the world, consistently. i don't care how much jimmy choo's cost...

"But Ms Chiquet says the company will have to “get smarter and more aggressive in some ways about how we’re going to spend our money”, meaning that Chanel may no longer be able to have five advertising campaigns running at a time."

push shoes heavy

Mourning Old Media’s Decline


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/business/media/29carr.html

8000 newsroom jobs have been lost in america in the last year. 

"USA Today was made exempt from the current rounds of cuts at Gannett but even national papers, including The New York Times, have resorted to modest staff cuts over the last year."

New york times needs to NOT be downsized in any way. It is vitally important.

Nobody gives a shit if Jonny Whoever washed a car in Nowhereland, America. That's why I could care less if a paper from a small city goes from 25 staff to 8 and can't afford the latest five thousand dollar camera. 

But NYT is THE best paper in the world. 

The reason papers are failing besides the 'it's very hard to make money on web ads' reason, is because if you flip a paper, there are like two stories that are appealing. In today's world, we might read 20 articles a day. (We're in an instant information age.) So that is why we fulfill our interests with blogs and different views.

So what to do? Hire smarter people to write stories. Listen to the readers and write articles about their interests. Use more than ONE photo EVEN IN THE PAPER VERSION for an article. Make the photos look every bit as good as the Entourage advertisement in your paper. It's called sharpening.

Embrace radical new designs for paper newspapers. Make them look better. Let an art director/graphic designer have their way with an entire section. That happens with magazines and video magazines.

Find a paper that is less dirty. Reward your paper readers.

Less can be more. Filling an entire page is optional.

If it looks better, people will buy it. True story.

But the number one thing is longer stories. You are covering it anyway. If I can read a story in two minutes, it's not interesting.  NYT does this right.

ALSO: inch or inch and a half columns suck. WIDER.

Monday, October 27, 2008

bluray only

the switch to bluray is mainstream. bond movies, godfather, criterion and all that. 1080p tvs under a grand...

watching a dvd quality movie will be the exception from this point on.

indie movies step up yo game. hope to see titanic within a year.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

my movie revues #33


I don't bother finishing movies that I don't like anymore. So basically everything I mention now will be recommended. No need to mention the ones I didn't like.

la graine et le mulet - nice story. won best film at cesars. will inspire you to cook couscous for real.
harold & kumar go to white castle hd - they gotta make these films forever. always funny.
harold & kumar escape from guantanamo bay hd - too funny.
jumper hd - nice worldwind of a film.
ne le dis à personne a.k.a. tell no one hd - best film of the year maybe. huge critical reception this past summer as it hit the states.
vantage point hd - kinda cool.
what happens in vegas hd - was fun with the constant elastic chemistry between the couple.
the bank job hd - very good.
the dark knight - not bad.
boy a hd - very good. saw it in 4k. complex story about life after a horrible crime.

I think that's about all the movies I watched this past summer. But I got a lot of great obscure ones lined up.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

conan the man



i always thought someone should compile stills of conan making funny faces. if anyone ever does, here's one.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Monday, October 6, 2008

TV update

this is a long list

NEW SEASONS

90210 - great. they should make the teacher dude less desperate.

gossip girl - obviously great. i now love blake l.

one tree hill - i don't really care about the story. when i watch this, it is for other good reasons.

big bang theory - first new episode didn't disappoint.

heroes - good stuff.

family guy - always.

entourage - win.

always sunny in philadelphia - so good.

secret diary of a call girl - i didn't end up finishing season one, but i watched the first two of season two so far, and it is a high priority. really good.

hills - when you want to kill 20 minutes without having to think, this is the show to pick.

sophie - this is back. will be great.

secret life of the american teenager - almost forgot about this one.

moment of truth - whenever it's back, i'm watching. i've seen them all.

CATCHING UP

the office US - i'm in the middle of season three.

skins - almost done season two.

weeds - got like 6 more to go of the latest season.

not going out - waiting for season 2 dvd.

OF INTEREST

the o.c. - i never really saw this show and may watch it from episode one if time permits.

generation kill mini-series - i saw the first one. need to see them all.

extras - gotta catch up.

degrassi - maybe.

dexter - maybe i'll give this another go when i'm not high and it will be less creepy.

true blood - sounds like it's worth the check out.

fuck it, i'm back

after a summer of fun, it's only right to settle back into the fally routine.

the real reason to update this blog is because there is no other way to keep track of the tv shows i watch.

this blog is not a priority and i have no idea how often i will post stuff. but when i do, it will be the same kind of content as before.

Monday, March 24, 2008

the end

it's over. that was fun. learned a bunch along the way.

if you want another good blog, i recommend kanye's.

the contents of this blog will never be deleted, but never updated again either.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Lil Wayne (Feat. Static Major) - Lollipop video



hottest video of spring. hottest joint of summer. biggest selling rap album of year.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Shout Out Louds - Impossible [live] Nyhetsmorgon 2007



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjcsmdVRbAs&fmt=18

if you watch it on their site with that link, looks like you can finally fullscreen it on your widescreen laptop.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Rock by Mr Jive


random photo excellence.

Duffy - Rockferry


this is art. finally maxed out to this album. this album is best when you dedicate a listening session to it. lay back and close the eyes.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Saturday, March 15, 2008

great foreign films

http://kenru.net/movies/2007-8_academy_foreign.html

if you enjoy great foreign films, check out this list of a few mini reviews to get in tune with the current good ones.

my movie revues #32


the diving bell and the butterfly - see, this movie is elite and therefore you should watch it. many times i have considered only watching french films and nothing else. the french do it better.
the good night - see, but i dunno. it's about a guy and his sleeping dreams. relationships not working makes it a bit of a downer but it was ok.
the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford hd - see, very good.
der untergang hd - see, the film puts you in a very surviving war frame of mind.
enchanted hd - see, this had some pretty fuckin funny moments for the grown people. if you are on hard drugs. or not.
beowulf hd - pass, dumb movie about some monsterly creature attacking people in a barn which is supposed to be a castle. they only made this film so they could show coarse violence and nudity, but in animation, to get a pg-13 rating. if you have seen polar express, this is the same type of animation/realism. if you have seen 300, you have seen a much better film.
good luck chuck hd - see, although everyone says this is a really bad film, i took a liking to its crude humor. jessica alba is super hot.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Lasik Surgery: When the Fine Print Applies to You


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/fashion/13SKIN.html

good read if you ever thought about lasik.

K's Choice & Skin - Not an Addict live 1996



allow me to take you back 12 years

my march tv review


holy shit it's the middle of march

gossip girl - returns in one month for 5 more episodes. woohoo. and picked up for season two.
entourage - Season 5 will premier in September 2008 instead of June. fail. same for heroes 2008 fall. weeds is back june 16.
prison break - finished season one off bluray. debating whether to watch two and three.
breaking bad - the hottest new shit on tv. act like you know. it's about a high school teacher
turned meth dealer but better than you can imagine.
arrested development - flew through season one in days. gonna watch the rest in a timely manner.
curb your enthusiasm - still need to see seasons 3 4 5.
family guy/south park - watch them as they arrive to enjoy lolness.
the wire - best show ever. i'll be missing you.
in treatment - quite the commitment with the numerous shows but it's good.
sophie - still watching weekly. great.
saturday night live - first three new ones have been good.

that's about it.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Mister maturity


http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,2264496,00.html

interview article with harmony korine. i saw the preview for his new film. it looks cool.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Sarah Slean - The Baroness


high quality music. i didn't link the music vid but the album is excellent. the simple way to judge an album is if you sit through the whole thing on first listen. this one is bound to grow on me since the first single has after just a few listens. get it.

Spitzer's call girl


http://oddculture.com/2008/03/12/emperors-club-vip-ashley-alexandra-dupre-kristen-photo-and-myspace-page/

on very rare occasion i'll post something related to the biggest story of the day. here are pics of a "musician"

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Brain Enhancement Is Wrong, Right?


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/weekinreview/09carey.html

Is this enhancement, or a matter of removing the cloud over our better selves?

here's my take. all drugs are awesome. the problems arising from drug use are to be blamed on the user and not the drug.

How the Lord of War Was Nabbed


http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1720555,00.html

damn

Friday, March 7, 2008

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Monday, March 3, 2008

Akon - I Can't Wait feat T-Pain video



looks like a winner

Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I - IV


http://ghosts.nin.com/main/home

"Nine Inch Nails presents Ghosts I - IV, a brand new 36 track instrumental collection available right now. Almost two hours of new music composed and recorded over an intense ten week period last fall, Ghosts I - IV sprawls Nine Inch Nails across a variety of new terrain."

a lot of people that make instrumental albums come up with blandness. this is not that. it goes from loud to soft, it is made with skill. trent is making everything you could want available. from elite vinyl to 24 96 audio on bluray. which i find to be of major interest. most 24 96 stuff out there is from vinyl. this should be right from the top top studio. trent is a pioneer.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Monday, February 25, 2008

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Live on NewsdayNY



they should have turned her vocals up a bit

Estelle feat. Kanye West - American Boy video



chillin track

my movie revues #31


i'm convinced at this point that i see the very best of contemporary cinema.

a very long engagement - see, the french have a way with films. beautiful picture.
the counterfeiters - see, this oscar winner was great.
there will be blood - pass, what the fuck is wrong with society? who cares if it is good acting. am i supposed to be blown away because this film shows how ruthless a business man can be? fuck outta here.
the darjeeling limited - see, quirky film set in india. it had some great moments. be sure to see the 13 minute short film hotel chevalier before the main picture.
he was a quiet man - pass, this film stars christian slater as a psycho in a hell of a predicament. not recommended for same reason no one makes a film about a guy who plays with purple dinosaurs at the mall all day. no one cares about losers that much. plus way too much cgi is annoying to me.
run fat boy run hd - see, lol comedy from simon pegg from hot fuzz. good clean fun.
in the valley of elah hd - see, military themed picture. all i know is people will be making war and war movies into infinity.

He's Screwing Ben Affleck



epic

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Taken By Cars - Endings Of A New Kind


this is a fantastic album. it has a lady singer. they are from Manila, Philippines from what i gather. i tend to listen to a lot of indie the day after a night of drinking. don't ask me why. one of the genres used to describe the album was what sold me. dance-punk.

One Night Only - Started A Fire

this is a great album. Produced by the legendary Steve Lilywhite (U2, Morrissey) was all i needed to read to check it.

Nicole Atkins - Maybe Tonight video



pretty cool

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

cassie gq


random photo excellence.

my oscar picks

nuts to gambling or whatever.. here's my choices based on what was actually good.
all skew away from juno, michael clayton and no country because those movies were whatever.

best picture: Atonement (there will be blood is the only one i have not seen.)
best director: Julian Schnabel The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (and i haven't even seen it)
best actor: no idea, don't care
best actress: Julie Christie Away from Her
best supporting actress: Amy Ryan Gone Baby Gone (i've seen every film, cate doing bob dylan was right up there too)
best original screenplay: Ratatouille (please kill me if juno wins)
best adapted screenplay: Away From Her
best sound mixing: Transformers
best sound editing: Transformers

my movie revues #30


lars and the real girl - pass, there is nothing wrong with this film except the premise. goes from awkward to lol to pathetic really fast. main reason for not recommending is the times i said "this movie is stupid" aloud.
blackout - see, brooklyn, zoe saldana, marlo from wire, prodigy. this is a great film. check it for sure.
moving mcallister - see, mila kunis great light road trip comedy film with two crude moments.
the prisoner or how i planned to kill tony blair - see, but only if war stuff is your thing. this film points out the obvious mistreament of people with the context of war. if that's your thing, go for it.
the kingdom hd - see, this is the best kind of film hollywood money can make in my view. a ton of action with a killer ending.
blade runner hd - see, some cool stuff in this one. the photo scanning was very accurate.
michael clayton hd - see, barely. this can be described in two words: slightly boring. right from the first minute. i don't know what kind of drugs the london telegraph guy is smoking thinking this will win best picture.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Boys Will Be Boys, Girls Will Be Hounded by the Media


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/fashion/17celeb.html

quick look at coverage of celebs. this would be the most poignant sentence:
The readership of US Weekly, for example, is 70 percent female; for People, it’s more than 90 percent, according to the editors of these magazines.

Marriage Proposal - REJECTED



owned

jessica alba scream


random photo excellence.

Toshiba Announces Discontinuation of HD DVD Businesses


http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2008_02/pr1903.htm

all the stuff you hear about the format war is now over. hddvd is history. few people know exactly why bluray won so let me enlighten you. bluray took the lead when the playstation 3 came out, then most people figured they would rather have 50gb discs instead of 30gb, then there was a protection on bluray discs called bd+ introduced which is virtually uncrackable. bd+ is the ultimate reason bluray won. anyone who says different is ignorant. then bluray players went way down in price for christmas, then warner switched to bluray only, then walmart said bluray only, and that's it.

hypothetically bd+ can be cracked, but in reality i don't see that happening for at least two years. (the main guy behind bd+ worked on it for over three years.) this means the content of the studios is protected to the best of anyones ability.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Vanessa Carlton - Hands On Me video



it's cool we live in an era of at least a couple new music vids every day mon-fri. thumbs up

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

James Blunt - Carry You Home video



sad day when a james blunt video is better than new kanye and ashanti vids

marion cotillard by mark seliger


random photo excellence.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Che'Nelle - Hurry Up video



australian pop rap ftw

I Like Turtles



diplo samples this clip. the ultimate stamp of approval.

my movie revues #29


4 months 3 weeks and 2 days - pass, although technically this is a great film, i guarantee you will not enjoy it. there is not one second of anything happy, pleasant or easy-going. this is probably the most serious film i have ever seen.
the salton sea - see, very good drug movie.
set it off - see, can't go wrong. this is superb.
grandma's boy - see, i got a friend who only recommends the very best comedies. this movie is hilarious. see it.
descent - see, wow wow wow. if you decide to watch this film with rosario dawson, stick it through to the end. do not find out the plot of this movie. it will blow you away. rated nc17. you should know that. strictly for adults.
let's all hate toronto - see, funny documentary. includes the lol "toronto - if you go there, you might die." nuts to the media, everyone knows toronto is good because of hot chicks. yes the ones that now live here who used to be in the burbs. and yes, the hottest chick in the film was from toronto.
zodiac hd - see, quite the murder mystery. long and full.

Police take advantage of a Drunk Girl



the police. they're just like us!!

Monday, February 4, 2008

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Yes We Can



not gonna say anything about this video so you can be radically confused while watching it too

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Wow! That's. Amazing.



extremely convincing

Semi-Pro: "Love Me Sexy" Music Video



humorous

Sarah Silverman "I'm Fucking Matt Damon" on Jimmy Kimmel



looks like youtube is putting some technology into place that screws up copyright videos. funny vid.

Rogue Traders: Better in the Dark


this is their third album. their last one was multi-platinum in australia. i like to call this album fun rock. a little but of keys mixed in. apparently this is called electro-pop. tracks 2 opens with great humor. the title track is hype.

Aly and Aj - Like Whoa video



teenpop yay

Thursday, January 31, 2008

How Vinyl Records Are Made





highly awesome

Q&A with Kate Nash (by Actustar)



kate nash from france.. good words

Mina - How The Angels Fly video



if you are hot and you sing on some sort of pro level, i have a knack for finding you. (non stalkerishly much haha.) information on this girl in the english language is extremely scarce. album sounds very similar to the single.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Juno star has a mind of her own


http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/Movies/article/298588

lol. i was gonna write the only thing i know for sure about this ellen page is that she would never ever sleep with me (based on her letterman interview). and this solidifies that assumption "Diablo Cody, the film's screenwriter and Page's new best friend"

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Sugababes - Denial video



quality is a bit weak. cool vid tho.

Colbie Caillat - Realize video



song is good

Carrie Underwood - All-American Girl video



seems leaked

Atomic Kitten - Anyone Who Had A Heart video



word

Sheryl Crow - Detours

great album. real free vibe. check it. feb 5 store date.

Sheryl Crow is set to release her sixth studio album, DETOURS. The album marks the return of producer Bill Bottrell, who previously worked with Crow on her breakthrough debut album Tuesday Night Music Club, which earned the singer three Grammy Awards, and sold more than ten million copies worldwide. "This is the most honest record I've ever made. It's about being forced to wake up," says Crow.

Four Days, a Therapist; Fifth Day, a Patient


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/arts/television/28stan.html

In Treatment. new hbo show. first episode was good. after 10 minutes i was really into it. intense in a good way.

The Indie Singer-Harpist Who Met the Orchestra


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/arts/music/29newsome.html

Ys is a solid album. gonna check out The Milk-Eyed Mender.

Theatrical Inappropriateness of 'Cloverfield'


http://www.cinematical.com/2008/01/27/the-exhibitionist-theatrical-inappropriateness-of-cloverfield/

i have not seen the film but this article is interesting. i've heard a wide range of feedback. i don't expect anything too great but i'll watch it just cause of the model chick girl.