Share
-
A MySpace Comeback?
Think you saw the end of MySpace? According to new owners Justin Timberlake and brothers Tim and Chris Vanderhook, you’ve only seen the beginning. The revamp is going to be extensive, but in the words of the conglomerate’s newly appointed entertainment chief, “the revolution is coming.”
If you’re like me, you remember MySpace in what (I had assumed) was its peak. All the cool kids had one, and it was the perfect platform for posting good pictures of yourself, bad pictures of your enemies and whatever songs you wanted to with no regard for copyright infringement. Then Facebook came along, and all of those things became easier, so we all migrated away from MySpace and it became a ghost town of a social network… like Friendster.
But in the mid-2000’s, something started happening on MySpace. Music artists—popular ones, indie ones and undiscovered ones—all started using MySpace as the method of choice for sharing new music and connecting with fans. It became something of an arts community for the rest of us.
Last summer, the “new” MySpace began rolling out, with an updated music player to better facilitate this type of musical community. But, there’s more, we’re assured by the new management.
It’s also rumored that MySpace will begin hosting original video content as well as expanding its current music sharing capacity.
How to Watch Your Favorite Shows
When I was a kid, the way to watch television was to be home at the time the show aired and sit down at the television and watch it. If you were lucky, you had the cable hookup you needed to see it or it was on a local station. And if you were really lucky, then maybe your family was on the one of the block that had a recording VHS player. If this was the case, you didn’t even have to be home. You could watch the show whenever you wanted as long as the show was short enough to fit on a VHS tape.
Now, catching you favorite shows is a little easier.
There are three main methods for watching television that I can think of. Let’s discuss which you need and which create redundancies.
- Cable/Satellite/DVR
If you have a cable or satellite hookup, you’ve got access to LOTS of channels and probably also a DVR to record the shows so you can come back to them later. If this is the case, you can easily view current episodes and whatever episodes happen to be re-running. But if you want to see the past episodes of your fave shows, in order? That’s going to be a different service. One of the ones below, depending on the show. - Netflix
And here, of course, there are two sub-categories. They have the DVDs, and they have streaming. There are more and more shows and movies available via streaming all the time, but for some shows you’ll need the DVD service to catch up on past seasons. This means waiting for a couple days between disks (usually every few episodes) but it isn’t a bad service for the price. If you’re lucky enough to find the show you want to watch on the streaming service, watch out because it’s likely that you’ll get sucked it and end up watching entire seasons in one or two sittings. This is a major threat to productivity, so don’t say you weren’t warned. - Hulu
Hulu is a great source for past episodes of some shows, but not all, and usually you need to pay for Hulu Plus if you’re going to try to watch old episodes. The real bummer with Hulu is that even if you pay for Hulu Plus, you still have to watch ads during every commercial break. Yuck. That being said, it is streaming, so you don’t have to wait for disks to arrive like you do with Netflix. It’s a trade off.
If you have some kind of direct delivery service like Cable or Satellite, you may want to supplement it with Netflix or Hulu to get movies and past episodes, but if you have Hulu Plus and Netflix, it’s pretty easy to get by without Cable. My vote? Ditch the cable company and steep cable bill and just stick with a Hulu Plus subscription and a DVD subscription from Netflix.
And throw away that VHS recorder in the basement… It looks like you don’t need it anymore.
Madonna delivers a jab at Lady Gaga
Madonna told ABC News just last week that “I certainly think [Lady Gaga] references me a lot in her work. And sometimes I think it’s amusing and flattering and well done.” But when it comes to the recent Gaga single, “Born This Way,” which was critiqued by many immediately upon its release as being unusually similar to Madonna’s 1989 hit “Express Yourself,” Madonna commented that, ““When I heard it on the radio, I said, ‘that sounds very familiar. It feels reductive.”
Although the idea that Gaga’s song is “reductive” (meaning crude or simplified) is quite the jab by Madonna at Lady Gaga’s style and skill, Madonna did note that she thinks Gaga is a “very talented artist.”
Although the world seems to be siding with Madonna on this one, Lady Gaga sticks with her original claim that the only similarity between the songs is the chord progression—that the melody is entirely unique.
Madonna, however, told Newsweek that those same chord changes were the first thing she noticed about the song that tipped her off to the fact that Gaga’s work was simply a redo of her own 80’s hit, calling it, “a wonderful way to redo my song. I mean, I recognized the chord changes. I thought it was…interesting.”
Ouch!
If any of this seems harsh to you, we imagine it might be even harsher for Lady Gaga, who has claimed to be Madonna’s biggest fan, both personally and professionally. Her music, style and videos constantly reference Madonna, but, Gaga would have us believe, aren’t direct copies of Madonna’s work.
“”I will look in your eyes and tell you that I’m not dumb enough or moronic enough to think that you are dumb or moronic enough not to see that I would have stolen a melody,” Lady Gaga told NME Magazine last year. What do you think? Is “Born This Way” the modern reincarnation of “Express Yourself” or just similar in certain ways?
Madonna will be the performer for the upcoming Super Bowl.
A National Youth Orchestra for America
The last time American had a National Youth Orchestra was in 1940—but it was disbanded when the youth were called away to WWII. In an age when youth orchestras are common all over the world, the question should be asked: why doesn’t the great nation of American have one? The good news for young prodigies and music lovers is that we’ll have one, starting in 2013.
Next summer, musicians between the ages of 16 and 19 will be able to audition for a National Youth Orchestra, established by Carnegie Hall, via video. If accepted to the orchestra, the students will be orchestra members for the year and will have their lodging and travel expenses paid as they spend two weeks in New York rehearsing and then travel around the nation—and world.
Noted conductor Valery Gergiev will be conducting and will lead the orchestra as they rehearse on the campus of Purchase College of the State University of New York and then as they perform at legendary locations like the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and international arts centers like London and St. Petersburg.
Students accepted to the orchestra can expect the prestige that comes with competitive programs like this one will be, but not a free ticket back into the program the following year. To play for the orchestra again, students will need to submit a new audition video and will, of course, need to still be in the proper age range. It’s a one-year gig for the conductor, as well (although I’m guessing they won’t have to send in audition videos.)
Students who are within the age range but already enrolled in undergraduate music conservatories or undergraduate music programs at other institutions won’t be eligible to play. The program will only run between the end of June until the end of July and will make its premier in the summer of 2013. Although the program is being run by Carnegie Hall, the new orchestra will not perform there until the following summer after renovations have been completed.
NBC Confirms New Seasons of Community, Law & Order: SVU
Bob Greenblatt, the new entertainment president at NBC admitted that the network had a “really ball fall” on 2011, but reiterated his hopes for a better year this year as new shows like “Whitney” and “Up All Night” continue to grow in popularity and as new programming like the network’s new show “Smash” that is scheduled to premier mid-season this year.
But NBC is also hoping to hold onto the viewer base it has left with shows that have been around for a while—after cancelling Law & Order, one of the network’s longest running series, fans were left with Law & Order SVU, a Law & Order spinoff starring Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay. But there’s no reason to worry about the cancellation of this show, which has also been running for a significant number of seasons. Hargitay says she’ll stay on the show and NBC has confirmed not only that there will be a new season of SVU, but also that Harry Connick Jr. will be appearing in multiple episodes as a love interest of Hargitay’s character.
Faithful viewers of NBC’s relatively new comedy series, “Community” were alarmed when a mid-season cancellation was followed by the rumor that the show was going to be gone for good—a rumor that Greenblatt dispelled during the same press conference. He reassured viewers that Community will be back, though he did not disclose when we can expect to see new episodes of the show.
Although the year has been rough for NBC in terms of ratings and corresponding income from sponsors, the network has dramatically outspent competitors in the area of new series development—an investment the network is hoping will pay off long-term. NBC is currently the 4th most popular network after being recently purchased by Comcast.
Hallmark is ditching “The Martha Stewart Show”
After a lengthy run on the Hallmark Channel, Martha Stewart’s daytime show is being cancelled, effective this summer. The show has been on the air for seven years, but has been reportedly declining in ratings over the last few seasons. The show’s current format is Martha and guests participating in crafts and at-home activities, like cooking and decorating. The rumor is that the network is in discussions with Stewart’s branding department about possible new formats and show subjects that might be more appealing to daytime audiences.
Stewart is now 70 years old and has been a central figure to America’s media outlets for years—she has authored books, been featured on television and even enjoyed a stint on the evening news in 2004 when she was sentenced for financially-related crimes and spent five months in prison. Since then, she has rebuilt her brand with considerable success. She was even given a spinoff of The Apprentice (“Martha Stewart Edition”) on NBC.
But, now the Hallmark channel is telling Stewart, “you’re fired,” although the possibility of another network picking up her show or a reformatting of the show, whether on Hallmark or elsewhere, is possible.
“We love working with the Hallmark Channel and are talking to them about daytime programming in the future as well,” Stewart told the Boston Herald. However, it’s questionable whether Martha Stewart can return to the favor of the public once she breaks from the classic daytime lifestyle format she’s been known for. Is it possible that the internet has replaced the need for lifestyle programming? Instead of waiting for a program to air, crafters can easily look up instructions and tutorials on the web, instantly—and often get more than one method of instruction. Could this be the end for Martha Stewart’s creative-arts centered conglomerate?
LeBron James “Rings” in the New Year
Lebron James and longtime girlfriend (now fiance!) Savannah Brinson
Former Cleveland Cavalier’s player LeBron James spent New Year’s Eve with his family, enjoying dinner at a nightclub in South Beach. But he made the night memorable by proposing to his long-time girlfriend Savannah Brinson. The two have two children, Lebron Jr. (Age 7) and Bryce (Age 4), both of whome were able to be there for the proposal and who, when Savannah said yes, were picked up and spun around by their father in a joyful celebration of the moment.
Fellow Miami Heat player Dwayne Wade was hosting the party as a birthday party for James, who celebrated his 27th birthday on the 30th. Sixty friends and family members, including fellow Heat player Chris Bosh and Queen Latifah attended the party.
This sweet and down-to-earth news sounds like a more authentic celebration than the way some other celebrities rung in the new year—It’s reported that Kim Kardashian was paid over $600,000 just to attend one party.
Other celebrities also celebrated engagements over the holiday, including Aretha Franklin, who is now anticipating marrying her “longtime friend and confidant” William ‘Willie’ Wilkerson next summer.
How did you celebrate the New Year? It’s one of the most popular times of the year for engagements, even for the rest of us—not just NBA stars and music icons.
Katy Perry and Russell Brand Split
Pop Star Katy Perry and Comedian Russel Brand Are Filing for Divorce
We were all sad to hear it: Katy Perry and Russell Brand were one of those couples we all loved—because we thought they were a little different. There was something lovably and related about the eccentric couple—the Russel Brand, the British comedian and Katy Perry, the pop artist with a quirky and upbeat style seemed to be happier and, in a strange way, more stable than all the flimsy Hollywood relationships that plaster the front of the tabloids.
But, in the end, it’s not so. Katy and Russell have decided to file for divorce after 14 months of marriage and a whirlwind courtship. Russell just filed for divorce after the couple spent the last month denying rumors of a split.
The couple was married in a traditional Hindu ceremony on October 23, 2010. Other than her participation in the wedding ceremony, Katy admitted that she hasn’t ever been “really involved” in Russell’s Hinduism. Katy comes from an evangelical Christian family with very strict values and beliefs, and she says that despite her strict fundamentalist upbringing she’s “very accepting” when it comes to religion and that she supported Russell in his religious beliefs.
The couple seems to have arrived at the decision to split after months of speculation and rumors. “Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage,” Russell said in a press release on Friday, “I’ll always adore her and I know we’ll remain friends.” This is good news for all of us who feel that Katy and Russell make a great couple—they can continue to grace our entertainment headlines as friends despite their split—we hope.
What’s next for Katy and Russell? Time will tell. Katy recently told Barbara Walters on the news legend’s yearly “most interesting people” episode that she’d like to have children and that wanting a family is one of the best reasons to get married.
New Movies Join Film Registry
The Library of Congress has an official Film Registry on which they include films that are a notable part of American culture and have played a lasting and meaningful role in the development of American film.
Each year twenty-five titles are chosen for inclusion in the registry, though most are not well-known. This year’s better-known films include “Forrest Gump,” “Bambi,” and “Silence of the Lambs.” American classics like Charlie Chaplin’s “The Kid” and John Ford’s “Iron Horse.”
“Each year, we do try to pick one of the titles that the public nominated the most, and ‘Forrest Gump’ was way up there on that list,” said Stephen Leggett, program coordinator for the National Film Preservation Board told AP. “Everything on the list is subject to dissenting opinion.”
More than 22,000 films were nominated this year before being pared down by the National Film Preservation Board. Final decisions, based on the Board’s short-list, are made by Librarian of Congress, currently James H. Billington.
Billington comments to AP, “”These films are selected because of their enduring significance to American culture…Our film heritage must be protected because these cinematic treasures document our history and culture and reflect our hopes and dreams.”
The registry currently includes 575 films, which are not intended to represent the “best” of American film, but those films that have had the broadest influence or most cultural significance in terms of innovation, artistic development or social movements. Some films are silent, some of the films are home video and some are rarely-watched but groundbreaking production innovations, like one of this year’s inductees: “A Computer Animated Hand” by Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull—produced in 1972, and representing the first documented computer animation.
These films are set aside for preservation and the honor that comes with being one of the few chosen each year.
Christmas CDs We’re Listening To Tonight
It’s Christmas Eve! We’re celebrating in style at my house with our yearly tradition of fondue (three courses: cheese, fondue in oil and chocolate… guess which one’s my fave?) and Christmas tunes by the tree. Every year we have our standby favorite Christmas music—Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, etc—but we also like to add some new music each year to make things current and festive. This year we have some new favorites that might just make it into the rotation as newfound classics in years to come!
A Very She & Him Christmas by She & Him
This has a vintage, classic sound with a modern, upbeat track by legendary guitarist M. Ward and vocals by the sweet and savory Zooey Deschanel. The duo is great in all of their albums—Namely She & Him Vol. 1 and Vol. 2—but they’re beyond perfect as Christmas artists, pairing what can be best described as “mid-mod” era sounds with all the beauty of modern recording.
Christmas Songs by Diana Krall
She’s a favorite of mine and although I love her albums, nothing can beat seeing her live. If you ever get the chance, don’t pass it up. But even if you don’t, definitely invest in her holiday album, Christmas Songs. It’s certainly not new, in fact it was released in 2005, but we continue to indulge in its classic jazz tempos and Krall’s deep, soothing voice each year around the holiday time. It’s not just good holiday music, it’s actually good music… something I feel gets lost in a world of “Jingle Bell Rock” and “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” type Christmas-flavored bubblegum pop.
Not really Christmas music, but it’s something that was on our local NPR station today and I think I’ll buy it and make it part of our Christmas Eve traditions. An audio recording of A Christmas Carol with some audio drama elements and some straight-from-the-book passages of the classic Dickens tale. It was the perfect balance of traditional and off-beat and I personally love A Christmas Carol because the combination of Christmas and a spooky half-horror bit of fiction is really a great idea.
So, that’s the Christmas playlist at our house this year… what’s yours like?
