Lost In Translation

If you're anything like me, you've always wanted to hear Scarlett Johansson cover Tom Waits. I'm really stoked that she read my mind and made an entire record of her singing his songs. About fucking time I say!

(Shoegaze + Johan + J & Mary Chain + Tom Waits) - Talent + Totally Unnecessary = This Record

Watch this amazingly crafted cinematic masterpiece:

Does above 'plot' seem familiar?
(Director: Got it? You *love* whiskey. It's *Suntory* time. OK?)

Here is the original TW version:

Who emerges the victor in this battle royal of 'Falling Down'?

I recommend purchasing this record, it is sure to age like a fine wine in your cellar, developing into yet another priceless celebrity recording, like this gem:

If only Scottie B recorded an album of Joy Division tunes....I can hope.

Cheers & Love

Facebook Chat Attack

Finally, an additional reason to spend/waste time on the internet.

In a matter of weeks Facebook will be implementing an instant messaging chat feature. The social networking giant will also be providing additional security measures for users, enabling each to have more control over who sees what on your personal profile.

Will Facebook be twice as addictive now that it is integrating the ability to instant message your friends and manage your content more efficiently? I suppose only time will tell...

Will you read more here?

Only time will tell...

DS: Spike Jonze

Spike Jonze is one of my favorite directors, he has this uncanny ability to make the simple, incredible. His videos add an additional dimension to the auditory exhibits of the artists he works with. Spike Jonze has been one of the most relevant and influential music video directors over the last 16 years and has single handedly pushed the boundaries and capacity of the everyday music video (especially in the mid-90's). Spike has spawned several of my favorite videos ever, most notably "Buddy Holly" by Weezer, "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim and "Sabatoge" by the Beastie Boys.

In addition to consistently creating noteworthy music videos, Jonze has also directed several feature length films, including 1999's Being John Malkovich and 2002's Adaptation, and has directed several commercials that I actually do not despise, like this Ikea ad:

The Future of Facebook?

How will Facebook age? Will your own death be mini-feed material? Will we be tagged in various photo galleries during our ruckus residences in retirement homes?

The Vegetable Orchestra

Ever wanted to hear an ensemble perform on instruments entirely composed of vegetables? Then the Vegetable Orchestra is for you! I stumbled upon them quite randomly last week and elected to acquire as many of their tunes as I possibly could.

Here is a brief background courtesy of Wikipedia followed by a an intriguing video of their live show:

Super Bowl XLII

I hail from the great state of New York. I grew up a New York Giants fan, mainly due to the influence of my family, which largely resides in the Empire State to this day. Last evening I enjoyed watching one of the biggest upsets in sports history. The undefeated New England Patriots, who were 18-0 coming into last evenings game, lost to the 5th seeded wild card New York Giants. The Giants have been underdogs in every game they have played this postseason, but have found a way to win, usually on the last drive of the game. The cocky nature of the Patriots and lack of coverage on the Giants over the course of the last two weeks leading up to this game made the victory all the sweeter.

DS: Tim Hope

I don't know much about director Tim Hope, all I recall about him is that he directed a few videos back when I was in high school and then vanished into the night, never to be heard from again. So basically, Tim Hope is a ninja. If he has directed a music video since 2001 I sure as hell don't know about it.

I wish Mr. Hope rocked a few more videos or elected to direct a full length motion picture before riding into the sunset. I think his contributions to the music video should be considered quite significant considering how advanced his techniques were for ol' primitive'01. I watched these videos which were considered fairly groundbreaking during their day and it made me wonder what Tim Hope would be capable of today with the capabilites of modern day technology that has advanced considerably since 2001. Alas, to the videos we tread:

"Trouble," a tune off of Coldplay's first record Parachutes, is my favorite video out of the very minimal bunch Mr. Hope created although the Jimmy Eat World and 1 Giant Leap videos are interesting as well.

Beware...in the third video Robbie Williams raps:

Ugh....Myspace

I haven't logged into my MySpace account for about a month now. I wanted to see what it would be like to take something that was normally routine out of my everyday routine. I must say I have not necessarily missed the site but plan on continuing my membership. Why? Well, namely to stay in touch with old friends and family, but also for the ability to edit CSS, being able to add a song to my page, and the community of band's / artist's which are featured more prevalently MySpace than Book Face. Those three reasons, and those alone, are the only reasons keeping me from converting to a sole Facebook existence.

The thing I dislike the most about MySpace is the f'ing adds. It's gotten to be fairly excessive. Granted, I understand a site needs to generate income but there has to be a threshold of what a user will tolerate before jumping ship, and I feel MySpace has exceeded that threshold.

With Facebook there is a single ad, usually to the left of your profile and it does not feel nearly as invasive as the plethora of ads featured during the average MySpace experience.

So here are a few snapshots of the ads I encountered while breaking my MySpace boycott and signing on this evening:

DS: Shynola

Good music videos are sweet. Remember when you could actually watch a few good ones on your television set? Those were the days, eh? Unless you enjoy your weekends Sucker Free on MTV2, or the lite musical stylings featured on the various VH1 channels, the only place to find quality music videos anymore is the internet.

Thus, I have elected to delve into the cauldrons of TubeYou and said internet to showcase the work of some of my favorite musical directors, it shall be called: Director's Showcase!!! Shynola shall be the first of many...Excellent...

I consider the collaborative efforts of Shynola to pretty touchdowntacious. They make some pretty killer videos. According to their website, Shynola.com, the story of their existence goes like this:

We studied illustration and film at college in Maidstone, Kent, during which time we collaborated to make paintings, books, comics, illustrations, music and poetry. In 1996, we organised a show of work with friends from college at a London gallery, and the show was called "Shinola".

The name Shynola refers to a line in the Steve Martin movie, The Jerk, that line being:

"All you need to know in life is the difference between shit and Shinola."

Behold, some of Shynola's finest musical videos:

Mac Users More Likely To Pay For Music Than PC Users

According to the NPD Group this is true:

Mac Users More Likely To Pay For Music Than PC Users

Glow In The Dark Cats?

Finally, the world has glow in the dark cats?

2008 Grammy Nominees Revealed!!!!!!!!!

Nothing like a fresh batch of Grammy Nominees to freshen up your outlook on life! Behold, the class of '08!

Pirates vs. Ninja Dodgeball

This evening I found myself pondering a question of the utmost philosophical importance:

If Ninjas and Pirates were pitted against one another in a ferocious game of dodgeball, who would emerge the victor?

Gamecock Studios/Blazing Lizard will finally put an end to this timeless debate come early 2008 on Mircosoft's Xbox360.

In Rainbows Discbox

So I ordered the ol' In Rainbows discbox on October 8th and should be getting in....a....minute.......now.....errrr.

A purchase of foolishness? Perhaps. Perhaps not. It was quite a bit of cash for a record thing, but I wanted to show my support for what Radiohead was doing and I also greatly enjoy records and b-sides, so it killed several birds with a single stone.

The MySpace Feed

So I logged onto a MySpace account today to find that "a place for friends" has added a new feature! Friend Updates! What does that entail? Well: