Unhappy 50th Birthday, Moz: Heaven Knows You’re Miserable Now
That’s right friends, everyone’s favourite queen of morose yet beautiful pop tunes, Morrissey, turns 50 today.
To celebrate his melancholic glory…
We’ve come to wish him an Unhappy Birthday
‘Cause he’s evil
And he lies
And if he should die
We may feel slightly sad
(But we won’t cry)
Moz is celebrating the half-century anniversary of his beloved, dreary crooning with a sold-out show in his Manchester hometown tonight — but there are plenty of other ‘unhappy’ Moz love-ins scheduled to honour his highness.
To all the Smiths and Morrissey fans, tis a day to wipe away the tears and mascara and sing along with the man Pitchfork has hailed as “one of the most singular figures in Western pop culture from the last 20 years.”
The well-aged, well-coiffed British singer is celebrating the milestone with a concert in his hometown of Manchester. (It sold out in 15 minutes.) The UK Guardian pays tribute to the performer, who “has retained his provocative, spiky quality. ” NME.com offers a photo gallery of Moz through the years. Over at the Times Online, the publication shares news of an intriguing academic study that calls Morrissey a romantic hero and “approvingly ranks him alongside some of the greats of literature: Philip Larkin, John Betjeman and Oscar Wilde.” Hey, I won’t argue with that.
A few Moz-themed events are planned across the country this weekend, including Pittsburgh’s “Unhappy Birthday: Morrissey 50th B-Day Tribute and Dance Party,” which will feature an evening of Smiths and Morrissey covers.
‘Where The Wild Things Are’ Movie Trailer Storms the Internet
In what is sure to be the one of the most anticipated film events in years, the first trailer for the rabidly anticipated, Spike Jonze-directed movie adaptation of the classic children’s book Where The Wild Things Are stormed onto the internet on Wednesday.
Notoriously quick-on-the-draw social media sites are afire with posts, reblogs, and retweets of the trailer on YouTube, Twitter and Tumblr — but it’s bound to go further than that as mainstream media taps into this all-out fan feeding frenzy.
Admittedly, this is not the first look at the film. In recent weeks, production stills were leaked online – followed by the first official poster for the film.
But this is the first bona fide official video clip of the movie — and it looks and feels true to the book.
The only questionable element, it would seem, was the studio’s decision to set the trailer to The Arcade Fire’s music. As triumphant and rousing as “Wake Up” is, it feels oddly out of synch with the film’s visuals.
This post originally appeared on NowPublic
Redux Deluxe: Early 90s Hip-Hop Classics
From the Department of True Classics…
Big ups to @shappy, The Aesthetic Poetic, and James Chutter.
Keep it movin’, y’all.
Gang Starr – “Mass Appeal”
Lords of the Underground – “Chief Rocka”
Das EFX – “Real Hip-Hop”
Common – “Resurrection”
The East Flatbush Project – “Tried by 12″
Blahzay Blahzay – “Danger”
Crooklyn Dodgers – “Crooklyn”
Brand Nubian – “Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down”
Jeru – “Come Clean”
Ice Cube – “It Was A Good Day”
Raekwon – “Incarcerated Scarfaces”
Artifacts – “Wrong Side of the Tracks”
De La Soul – “Ego Trippin”
Digable Planets – “Blackitolism”
Boogiemonsters – “Recognized Thresholds Of Negative Stress”
Group Home – “Living Proof”
O.C. – “Time’s Up”
Outkast – “Benz or Beamer”
EPMD – “Da Joint”
Keith Murray – “The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World”
Smif-N-Wessun – “Bucktown”
Geto Boys – “Mind Playin’ Tricks on Me”
Notorious B.I.G. – “Juicy”
Casual – “That’s How It Is”
Craig Mack – “Flava in Ya Ear”
Dream Warriors – “California Dreamin’”
Method Man – “You’re All I Need” (ft. Mary J Blige)
Easy-E – “Real Muthaphuckin G’s”
MC Eiht – “Straight Up Menace”
L.O.N.S. – “Classic Material”
MC Lyte – “Poor Georgie”
Freestyle Fellowship – “Innercity Boundaries”
Black Sheep – “The Choice is Yours”
DJ Shadow – “In Flux”
2009 Oscar Nominations to be Announced Thursday
Nominations for the 2009 Oscars — officially known as the 81st Annual Academy Awards — will be announced on Thursday, January 22nd by Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker and Academy President Sid Ganis.
Will Slumdog Millionaire sweep the nominations? Will Benjamin Button make the cut? Will Mickey Rourke’s comeback continue with a nomination for The Wrestler? Coul Wall-E take another step closer to becoming the first animated featured to be named Best Picture of the Year?
NowPublic will be updating this post as the nominations are announced.
This year’s Academy Award ceremony will be held on Sunday, February 22nd in Hollywood, California at the Kodak Theatre and broadcast live on ABC.
The 81st Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22, by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis and Oscar-winning actor and Academy member Forest Whitaker.
Ganis and Whitaker will unveil the nominations in 10 of the 24 award categories at a 5:30 a.m. news conference at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, where hundreds of media representatives from around the world will be gathered. Nominations information for all categories will be distributed simultaneously to news media in attendance and via the Internet on the official Academy Awards Web site, www.oscar.com.
Tags: Culture | Movies | Entertainment | hollywood | Celebrity | Film | Academy Awards | forest whitaker | oscar nominations | oscars 2008 | 2008 oscar nominations | academy awards 2009
Animal Collective Announce ‘Merriweather’ World Tour Dates
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Animal Collective are quickly establishing themselves as the de facto blog buzzband of 2009 with the release of their new much-hyped album Merriweather Post Pavilion.
The band have announced world tour dates that will include an appearance at the New York edition of the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in September.
Animal Collective 2009 Tour Dates
1/20, New York, NY (Grand Ballroom)
1/21, New York, NY (Bowery Ballroom)
1/22, Chicago, IL (Metro)
1/23, Los Angeles, CA (Henry Fonda Theatre)
1/24, Los Angeles, CA (Troubadour)
5/11, Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
5/12, Philadelphia, PA (Electric Factory)
5/13, New York, NY (Terminal 5)
5/14, Boston, MA (House of Blues)
5/15, Montreal, Quebec (Metropolis)
5/16, Toronto, Ontario (Sound Academy)
5/18, Royal Oak, MI (Royal Oak Music Hall)
5/19, Milwaukee, WI (Turner Hall Ballroom)
5/20, Minneapolis, MN (First Avenue)
5/24, Vancouver, British Columbia (Commodore Ballroom)
5/25, Portland, OR (Roseland Theater)
5/26, Oakland, CA (Fox Theatre)
5/27, Big Sur, CA (Henry Miller Memorial Library)
5/29, Los Angeles, CA (Wiltern)
5/30, Las Vegas, NV (House of Blues)
5/31, Tucson, AZ (Rialto Theater)
6/1, Albuquerque, MN (Sunshine Theater)
6/2, Boulder, CO (Boulder Theatre)
6/4, Dallas, TX (House of Blues)
6/5, Austin, TX (Stubbs)
6/6, Oxford, MS (The Library)
6/8, St. Petersburg, FL (State Theatre)
6/9, Fort Lauderdale, FL (Culture Room)
6/10, Orlando, FL (Club Firestone)
9/12, Monticello, NY (All Tomorrow’s Parties)
Tags: New York | Culture | Music | United States | Tour | album | animal collective | merriweather post pavilion | animal collective tour dates
Inauguration Overloads Cellular & Wireless Networks in Washington
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Despite the 100+ posts per second volume on Twitter during Obama’s swearing-in ceremony, millions of cell phone users and would-be wireless Twitter users weren’t able to call, post, text, or tweet due to cellular and wireless networks being completely overloaded with traffic.
Twitter itself has been cracking due to the huge volume of updates, but social media sites like Facebook and Tumblr have maintained live updates and steady streams of information.
How long will it take for DC residents and visitors to get back up and running — and will we see a delayed tsunami of inaugural updates later in the day?
Don’t Twitter via cell phone. Don’t send photos or videos using your mobile. And don’t hold your breath waiting to make or receive a call if you’re in the D.C. area. You’re going to be frustrated. And you may have to wait.
As anticipated, wireless networks, despite preparation, are getting crushed with traffic from an estimated 2 million people who have come to the nation’s capital for the inauguration of Barack Obama.
“The general consensus is that cell phones aren’t working. Text messages are working; it’s just the calls that aren’t working out so well,” said Matthew Schlesinger, 22, a D.C. resident who was in the Mall crowd this morning.
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Tags: Washington | internet | Web | Obama | social media | twitter | Tech & Biz | Obama Inauguration
Pres. Obama to Use Whitehouse.gov for ‘Open Sourced Democracy’
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UPDATED: Jan 20 | 15:15pm EST — In the wide world of the web, nothing stays the same for long — domains are bought and sold, sites are overhauled and updated, and new applications and technologies are lauded and discarded in the same breath.
But despite shifting technological sands, Barack Obama and his team have proven masterful in their ability to engage the American (and arguably world’s) population online.
By using every available means and mechanism of disseminating information and distributing their message, Obama has successful mobilized a new generation of American netizens to, at least, pay attention to the change that is coming to the White House.
Now, that President Obama has officially taken office as the 44th President of the United States of America on Jan. 20th, change has begun to take place not only in his administration but also in his digital identity and web presence.
As of 12:01pm EST, Change.gov has officially become Whitehouse.gov and, from this moment on, Obama’s team has pledged to expand its use of the web to promote a strategy of “open sourced democracy” that will allow unprecedented access, insight and, most importantly, input from everyone in the United States with access to an internet connection.
According to the Macon Phillips, the newly appointed Director of New Media for the White House, the Obama administration will focus on three key priorities: Communication, Transparency, and Participation.
Is this the digital future of democratic governance? On this historic day, it certainly feels that way.
For live updates, follow the White House on Twitter @whitehouse_gov or subscribe to the first-ever White House blog: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/
Here’s more from the White House’s official statement:
I’m Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media for the White House and one of the people who will be contributing to the blog.
A short time ago, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States and his new administration officially came to life. One of the first changes is the White House’s new website, which will serve as a place for the President and his administration to connect with the rest of the nation and the world.
Millions of Americans have powered President Obama’s journey to the White House, many taking advantage of the internet to play a role in shaping our country’s future. WhiteHouse.gov is just the beginning of the new administration’s efforts to expand and deepen this online engagement.
Just like your new government, WhiteHouse.gov and the rest of the Administration’s online programs will put citizens first. Our initial new media efforts will center around three priorities:
Communication — Americans are eager for information about the state of the economy, national security and a host of other issues. This site will feature timely and in-depth content meant to keep everyone up-to-date and educated. Check out the briefing room, keep tabs on the blog (RSS feed) and take a moment to sign up for e-mail updates from the President and his administration so you can be sure to know about major announcements and decisions.Transparency – President Obama has committed to making his administration the most open and transparent in history, and WhiteHouse.gov will play a major role in delivering on that promise. The President’s executive orders and proclamations will be published for everyone to review, and that’s just the beginning of our efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government. You can also learn about some of the senior leadership in the new administration and about the President’s policy priorities.
Participation — President Obama started his career as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, where he saw firsthand what people can do when they come together for a common cause. Citizen participation will be a priority for the Administration, and the internet will play an important role in that. One significant addition to WhiteHouse.gov reflects a campaign promise from the President: we will publish all non-emergency legislation to the website for five days, and allow the public to review and comment before the President signs it.
In addition, Whitehouse.gov has embraced Creative Commons licensing for all 3rd party content that will be featured on the site.
Except where otherwise noted, third-party content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Visitors to this website agree to grant a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license to the rest of the world for their submissions to Whitehouse.gov under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
PREVIOUSLY —
At exactly one minute after noon on Tuesday change.gov is coming to the White House.
That’s the moment when whitehouse.gov — the website for the past eight years of President George W. Bush — changes hands and the savvy young New Media webmasters of freshly sworn-in President Barack Obama take over.
The new whitehouse.gov is expected to be the window for what is being touted as a bold experiment in interactive government based largely on lessons learned during the most successful Internet-driven election campaign in history.
“The White House is going to be a very exciting place,” said Macon Phillips, director of New Media for Obama’s transition team. “We’re pushing the envelope here.”
Since the November 4 election, the transition team has been “looking at government, how we can open it up, how we can engage citizens,” he said.
The goal is to “continue the same spirit, participation and energy that was so essential to us during the campaign,” Phillips said. “But more than that, to continue to expand it.”
The Web will be the laboratory for what some are calling “open sourced democracy” and a glimpse of what the new whitehouse.gov may look like can be found at change.gov, the official transition website.
Tags: Technology | Washington | internet | Web | Obama | social media | Tech & Biz | President Obama | Obama Inauguration | change.gov | whitehouse.gov | open sourced democracy
Joaquin Phoenix, Actor Turned Rapper, Kicks a Funky Rhyme
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It’s “Bye! Good” actin’ and hello rappin’ for Joaquin Phoenix.
Or is it? Could this possibly be real?
Recently retired actor Joaquin Phoenix may be moving his talents into the world of music with a debut Hip-Hop album.
Last October, Phoenix officially announced his retirement from acting, after a 24-year career.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Phoenix’s first Hip-Hop show will commence tonight at an undetermined Las Vegas club.
Chronicling Phoenix’s music aspirations will be friend and To Die For co-star Casey Affleck.
The footage is expected to be compiled for a full length documentary detailing Phoenix’s transition from actor to musician.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is rumored to be the executive producer for Phoenix’s pending debut.
UPDATE | Jan. 19 — Joaquin Rappin’ is No Joke
Despite the guffaws and confusion of most of his fans, Joaquin is unapologetic about his transition from acting to hip-hop.
We’ll see where this ends up. I’m wondering if it just might be possible that Phoenix is pulling a Baron-Cohen on all of us, and may yet reveal how easy it is to fool the Hollywood gossip world with just a few funky rhymes — and a little help from P. Diddy and Casey Affleck.
“This is me saying this is who I am,” Phoenix declared before hopping on stage for his hip-hop set.
“This is my story.”
And in case you can’t make it, brother-in-law Casey Affleck (married to Summer Phoenix) is shooting a documentary of Joaquin’s evolution.
“Are there people out there who think I’m a joke? I’m sure there will be. Are there people who think it’s going to suck? Probably, but I can’t worry about that,” Phoenix told press
Tags: Culture | Movies | Music | hollywood | hip-hop | rapper | United States | P Diddy | joaquin phoenix | rap album
‘Watchmen’ War is Over: Film to be Released March 6th
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Fox and Warner Bros. have finally settled their dispute over the Watchmen film — whose spring 2009 release had been put in limbo, as the studios fought over revenue sharing agreements.
But now that an agreement has been reached, the much-anticipated Watchmen movie now has the offical go-ahead for its widespread March 6th release.
The war over Watchmen between Fox and Warner Bros. is over. The settlement, finalized late Thursday, has Warner Bros. forking over a chunk of change (including old development costs, plus interest) and a portion of the film’s theatrical revenues. The L.A. Times reports the cash figure at $1.5 million (though Variety says it could be as much as $10 million), while multiple reports say Warner Bros. might be ceding as much as 8.5 percent of the box office receipts. Fox will also get a piece of future sequels or spin-offs (which are unlikely), but it does not appear that the company will be sharing in revenues generated from DVD sales and licensed merchandise.
And so ends months of enormous free publicity for Watchmen, which not so long ago was deemed a marketing-challenged gamble, being that it’s an R-rated, 2 hour-plus superhero epic based on characters nobody knows. But director Zack Snyder’s dark opus now enjoys intense Must See buzz thanks to the mainstream media’s intense interest in Fox’s dogged pursuit of justice, not to mention Warner Bros.’ decision not resolve the matter until six weeks prior to the movie’s March 6 release, just as billboards and TV ads begin flooding the national mediasphere.
Tags: Culture | Movies | TV | hollywood | Film | Fox | Warner Bros | watchmen | watchmen movie
