MUST SEE!

I saw this video on several television shows while I was on vacation, so you may have seen it. If not, this is worth checking out. It's a real eye-opener, especially when it comes to the millions of ads we are exposed to on a yearly basis.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

More shocking than Saw III, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe have announced they are calling it quits.

First Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, now this?

I don’t think I can take much more!

I wonder if Angelina Jolie is behind this breakup too?

Read more by clicking HERE!




AP photo.

Where the hell have you been?

I've been in Chicago. How about you?
What better way to escape the chaos of life than to go to a place more chaotic than you can possibly imagine. Chicago definitely fits the bill.
And while we had a good time eating a fancy restaurants, shopping at Ikea (the greatest store in the world), checking out the Contemporary Art Museum, avoiding beggars and so on, it's good to be back.
And, since I have basically no vacation left through the end of the year, I won't be going anywhere anytime soon.


D' oh!

Went insane, I'll be back on Oct. 30

Hey Everyone, I'm on vacation for a couple of days. I'll be back on Oct. 30 to tell you all about it. Until then, enjoy the podcast! (look below)!!!

Mad Mad Media Podcast 12

Mad Mad Media Podcast 12

Click to listen/Right click to download

Can you believe I'm up to 12 already? I can't. And I'm not sick of it at all! Take that ADD!

Here's who is on the show this week:

Amplifico

Homemade Hurricanes

Website

MySpace

Super 8

Honey Bee

Website

MySpace

The Fabrications

Turtle Doves

Website

The Lascivious Biddies

Neighbor

Website

#

Anouschka

(picture won't cooperate)

Venice Beach

Website

Dafni

"One Day"

Website

MySpace

Jolie Holland

Springtime Can Kill You

Website

MySpace

Speaking of Project Runway

Did anyone happen to notice the Orbitz commercial with the gay couple? I had to go online to make sure I was seeing things right.
The commercial starts at an airport where passengers have just learned their airplane won't be leaving until the next morning. Then is another episode of our favorite commercial game "Take On Orbitz" hosted by Wink Martindale. In it, two couples must quickly book a hotel room or be stranded at the airport.
The straight couple uses the Yellow Pages while a lesbian couple books on Orbitz.com. The lesbian couple wins and kisses each other in celebration while the straight couple are given nasty green blankets and small pillows.
I was stunned. Not because of the content, because I couldn't believe it took someone so long to think of it.
The last time I saw a commercial with an openly gay couple was years ago for Ikea, and that wasn't received very well. This could be different though.
I think Orbitz has made a bold move.I haven't see this commercial on regular TV yet, and probably won't anytime soon. But it will be intersting to see if the commercial finds a home on Bravo's broadcast television cousin, NBC.

Uli was robbed!

OK. I have to admit. I started watching Project Runway late in the season. My wife actually started watching it, and I just happened to be in the room. Also, from my years of watching American Idol and The Real World (way back) I have grown to appreciate the reality show catfight.
So when Laura accused Jeffrey of outsourcing his outfits and he was at risk of leaving the show, I felt just like I did when I thought Ryan was going to leave the OC forever. I was hooked.

But even after all of the drama, Jeffrey, even with his punk rock style, shouldn't have won. Uli's outfits were clearly better.

And could somebody tell me what Heidi Klum's job is on that show. She's there for like four seconds. I have to deal with Ryan Seacrest for 30 minutes of an hour show. That doesn't seem right.

Nikki Capra coming to Milwaukee

Nikki Capra, the Chicago-based songwriter that I featured and interviewed for my July 16 podcast, will be playing at Caroline’s Jazz Club, 401 South Second Street, in Milwaukee on Oct. 24. The show costs $10.
Nikki will of course be playing music from her newly released EP, Astronaut — which is amazing.
The disc reminds me of cross between Tori Amos Sarah McLachlan.
The title track, is just an incredibly beautiful song, with a lush musical landscape of synthesizers and piano, complemented by Capra's vocals.
In fact, I have a feeling that once Capra has a chance to sit down and record a full length CD, she will be unstoppable.

You can check out samples of her EP on Nikki’s MySpace site by clicking HERE.

You can buy Nikki’s EP Astronaut at CD Baby (for a mere $8.99) by clicking HERE.

And, you can revisit my interview with Nikki Capra and listen to her song "The Stars Have Left The Sky" on the July 16 Mad Mad Media Podcast by clicking HERE.

Editorial: Allofmp3: Too legit to quit?

“Of course, we will survive. The music industry is rapidly changing and we will change with it.”

That line was issued in a virtual press conference today by the bargain-basement Internet music store, allofmp3.com.
In the press conference, the Russian-based website that sells full CD downloads for around $2 to customers worldwide vehemently denied accusations by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the British Phonographic Industry and music labels including Universal Music Group, Warner Music Inc., SonyBMG Music Entertainment and EMI Group PLC, that the site is selling copyrighted material illegally.
“AllofMP3 is a legitimate business that is incorporated in Russia, pays taxes in Russia and pays royalties to the iTunes).
The company says it pays 15% of its sales to the Russian-based society ROMS, the Russian Multimedia and Internet Society, as royalties for the artists (the record companies have allegedly refused all attempted payments from ROMS) and the prices on its site reflect the actual cost of a CD in Russia.
So what is the truth? Good luck on this one. International copyright law is about as complicated as putting together an internal combustion engine without instructions or a working knowledge of mechanics.
Length of copyright protection varies from country to country, as does the level of enforcement.
In the US, the RIAA has lead a charge against illegal file sharing — sharing music on services like Napster — suing companies and users for copyright infringement. And, not to side with an organization that has been successfully sued for price fixing, but they are right about file sharing — it is stealing.
But allofmp3 represents a fascinating gray area. It does appear to be a legitimate company, they do appear to comply with Russian law (no matter how lax anyone says it is), they do appear to be attempting to pay artists for the legitimate sale of their music, and (without any advertising at all) have attracted a worldwide customer base.
I am in no way going to claim that I am an expert on media law — in fact, I would bet that most people who are experts in media law couldn’t say whether allofmp3 if this is breaking the law or merely bending it. I am also NOT going to recommend shopping there until they get their legal issues settled.
My opinion though is that allofmp3 may be the future business model for all legitimate music download sites. It at least raises some rather obvious concerns about the current state of the music industry:
Why do music downloads cost the same as (or more than) the cost of purchasing a physical CD — even after you strip away the expensive packaging, distribution, losses due to breakage during shipping, credit for theft, and other pricing points that cause CDs to cost between $8 and $15?
Why does it cost $2 for a CD in Russia and $15 for the same CD here?
Does international copyright law allow all countries to participate in the sale and distribution of digital music on a level playing field or is this once again an intricate international music price-fixing scheme?There is a great myth that we are moving toward an international marketplace. If this is true, businesses like allofmp3 are going to exist — legitimately, and the copyright governing agencies and online music stores are all going to have to suck it up and compete.

Fabulous having un-fabulous day

28-year-old Rapper Fabulous was shot and arrested earlier today and is in stable condition in a New York hospital, the Associated Press is reporting.

The rapper responsible for the hit Breathe, was in a Mahattan parking garage when a man approached Fabulous and his three-man posse and opened fire, hitting Fabulous in the leg.

The four men jumped in a car and fled the scene. Police stopped them and found two loaded guns in the car and all four were arrested.

Police are still searching for the shooter.

Fabulous does have a new CD hitting stores in December.

Photo courtesy of the William Morris Agency.

Jessica Simpson: Publicist

IMDb is reporting Jessica Simpson has taken over her own public relations duties after the media fallout surrounding her relationship with singer John Mayer.
In an interview with Jane magazine, Simpson said she called all of the tabloid heads and told them no one else will be speaking for her.
I imagine when Simpson starts writing her own press releases they will look something like this:

LOS ANGELAS: Jessica Simpson is announsing she will begin a ture in supporte of her lateliest CD, A Public Affair.
Simpson, the star of stage and screan, said she is very excited about the new toure, and hopes to reach out to awl of her fands.
“I really like the people who like my music,” Simpson recently said. “Ashlee stop it. This is serious. Hey, it that John in there with you.”
“No,” Ashlee - Jerk - Simpson said. “I didn’t steal your boyfriend. La La.”
“Ashlee, now look what you made me rite. Uh...,” Jessica said.
Anyway, the new Jessica Simpson tour, with no pain-in-the-butt Ashlee, will begine sune and tickets will be availableble at Turketmustar.

Jessica, maybe you should pay someone.

Photo courtesy of People.AOL.

New Podcast this Friday

Hey everybody. Mad Mad Media Podcast #12 will be available on Friday. This week the music will be a little lighter featuring groups performing cocktail pop, Americana, ehop and jazz music. I should be pretty cool. Check it out on Friday.

A geeks way to spend the weekend

So, how did you spend your weekend? Did you check out Grudge 2? Did you enjoy the nice weather?
I spent the weekend pimping out my Mac.
As I have mentioned before, I have a Blue and White G3 Mac. It's pretty cool, but I have never really like the color of my computer. Then I read a story in Macworld a month back about "Pimping Out" (customizing) your computer.
Then it hit me like a ton of memory cards. I could paint my computer whatever color I want. So I did.
When the paint dries, I will have the Ultra Amazing Orange, Blue, Green and White Mac E3 (not G3). I'll post some pictures once it's all put back together. The pieces I sanded, primed and painted should be ready to rock tomorrow.
I know, I am such a geek.

Turn Off The Stars playing in Green Bay

My friend Maya over at 60 Cycle Media recently told me about Turn Off The Stars, who just so happen to be playing at Cup O' Joy Coffee House, 1505 Emilie St., in Green Bay this weekend.
The Canadian indie group recently released their self-titled debut on Credential Records.
I checked out a couple of songs on Turn Off The Stars' Myspace site and they sound pretty good. "I Wasn't Ready" has a definite Intepol sound.
The show is free, so check it out!

PS. You can check out Turn Off The Stars' Myspace site and listen to four songs by the group by clicking HERE.

More Music For A Cloudy Day

Enjoy!

I took this off. I'll put another one up later.

Tina Fey’s 30 Rock premieres tonight

Heroes couldn’t wow me.

Ugly Betty hasn’t attracted my attention.

The return of Lost is lost on me.

But I’ll be watching 30 Rock tonight.

Tina Fey’s behind-the-scenes look at a sketch comedy show is the only new fall show that has me going hmmmm. For those of you who don’t know, Fey was a writer on Saturday Night Live for many years and scripted the 2004 Lindsay Lohan hit, Mean Girls.

I’m not looking forward to seeing 20 Good Years after 30 Rock’s premiere, but if NBC realizes it has a hit, they’ll move it to Thursday with My Name is Earl and The Office.
Now that’s Must See TV!

Editorial: It’s always television’s fault, isn’t it?

It’s a wonderful lie to blame things that have no relation to the actual problem. That’s what people are doing when they blame television for the ailments of the world.
I say this in response to an editorial that appeared in Tuesday’s editorial section of The Sheboygan Press, “Entertainment TV promotes acceptance of violence,” written by syndicated columnist Cal Thomas.
In it he talks about the recent brutal murder of several schoolgirls at a one-room Amish school in the usually peaceful Lancaster County, Pa. Charles Carl Roberts has been accused of pulling the trigger.
While Thomas accurately described the horror experienced in this sleepy community and rightfully concludes that life is uncertain, he for some reason decided to take a swipe at television—that glowing box of evil in everyone’s home.
In his column Thomas wrote: “As one who watches less and less TV, I observe a growing acceptance and promotion of violence in network “entertainment” programs,” and then went on to describe how CSI attempts to capture the necrophilia demographic by having autopsies of naked bodies (no I’m not kidding) and how local TV news “is drenched in crime and blood.”
While he stops short of actually linking it to Roberts’ actions, he quickly jumps on another television fear factor, saying: “the danger now is that other unstable people will see this horror on television and think they can replicate the carnage in their towns...”
First of all, his observations on television don’t make any sense. By applying the basic principles of logic: If you are watching less TV, and you are seeing more and more violent acts, then it’s the handful of shows you are watching.
As a person who watches, and has watched, a generous amount of television, I have seen a lot of television violence (not to mention a lot of sexual situations, innuendo, drug use, comedy, laughter, tragedy and smoking). But I have yet to see this escalating amount of violence I have been hearing about.
Maybe it’s the shows I’m watching. I’m only regularly watching two of the three Law and Orders and none of the three CSIs.
I do watch the news from several stations, including local, national and cable news coverage, and while I have seen reports on homicides in the Milwaukee area and the current nuclear unrest in Korea, I am not seeing any violent acts (plenty of aftermath though).
I would be lying to say television hasn’t changed. It has—it’s gotten better.
While I’m not a fan of CSI, the show has increased the public’s awareness of criminal investigations, and even though it has given viewers an unrealistic expectation when it comes to actual investigation techniques, it is opened up people’s eyes to the rapidly growing science of police work (let’s see Hill Street Blues do that!)
The same can be said for ER and Law and Order.
What these shows haven’t done is increase the public’s acceptance of violence, and any argument that it has is pure and simple Right Wing banter.
When the Twin Towers came down on Sept. 11, did any TV viewers laugh? Did they show no emotion? Did they feel safer? NO! It was horrifying, tragic, terrifying and sad, and still it is! And these events at the Amish school and schools across the country in the past three weeks, including Wisconsin, are not being seen as minor events. There has been no desensitization toward real events because of television.
And television has nothing to do with these tragedies.
At least when Columbine happened, people quickly blamed Marilyn Manson, The Matrix and KMFDM, because the Trench Coat Mafia seemed to enjoy these things. Has anyone linked Roberts to a television? NO. Did he even watch TV?
I know that many people wish television could go back to a simpler time, when “Leave it to Beaver” and “My Three Sons” were on the tube, but realistically those weren’t exactly great times. African Americans couldn’t vote, women earned way less than men doing the same job (if women were allowed to work—many were forced to quit working when they got married) and situation comedies lacked realistic situations and comedy (plus much, much more).
But to even bring television up and half-heartedly connect TV to events it has no relation with is appalling. I’m not saying television is the solution to all of the world’s problems, but it surely isn’t the cause of them either.

The views expressed in this editorial are mine and mine alone.

When you're right 58 percent of the time, you're wrong 42 percent of the time

So, it looks like I mixed up the box office returns this weekend. The Departed earned $26 mil while Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning earned $19 mil. (I flipped the prediction) I'm happy I was wrong in this case, I have heard nothing good about Chainsaw and I rather enjoy seening a Scorsese film on top. It probably won't be there next weekend, but it's nice right now.
But, to pat myself on the back, Employee of the Month earned 11.4 mil, I said it would be lucky to earn $12 mil, and fell behind Open Season. Next week will be interesting again with The Grudge 2, Man of the Year and The Marine opening.

Mad Mad Media Podcast 11

Mad Mad Media Podcast #11
Click to listen/Right-click to save

The Shakes

“Liberty Jones.”

Website

Myspace

The Features

“Contrast”

Website

MySpace






Korben

“Super Selfish”

Website

MySpace




My Little Radio

“Waste Another Night”

MySpace







Ana Lovelis

“Wet”

Website

MySpace







Jack in the Pulpit

“12:04”

Website

MySpace







The Rewinds

“Ghostriders”

MySpace

Oh and I completely forgot

Happy Birthday Kate Winslet.
She turned 31 yesterday.
Not like she's ever returned any of my letters, unless “cease and desist” letters count.
Otherwise, no responses.

Happy Birthday anyway!



Picture of Winslet holding the letters I wrote her courtesy of the movie, Quills.

New Podcast coming tonight

New podcast coming tonight after 10 p.m. Check it out!

Let's play a game: Who will reign at the box office?

This is going to be an interesting weekend for films. Three incredibly diverse films — Martin Scorsese’s The Departed starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson, they heavily hyped Employee of the Month starring Dane Cook (funny) and Jessica Simpson (funny looking) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning starring a bunch of people who won’t live to the end of the movie and that guy who screams all of the time (R. Lee Ermey) — will be hitting the big screen, but which will take the top of the box office?
The last Texas Chainsaw Massacre (which starred 7th Heaven’s Jessica Biel and was released in Oct. 2003) debuted at number one with $29 million in box office receipts (the original grossed $30 million during it’s run in 1974) and went on to gross more than $100 million worldwide.
While Biel’s Massacre could be seen as a good indicator for this new beginning, Texas Chainsaw sequels have been dismal at the box office. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) earned a pathetic $8 million and Leatherface: TCM3 earned $5 million and TCM:The Next Generation (1994) which starred Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey before they were famous, took three years to get released in theaters and earned only $141,000 at the box office.
The Departed has a winning combination, or does it? Scorsese is a great director, but his last couple of films have been less than box office gold. The Aviator (2004), also starring DiCaprio, earned $102 million at the box office, but it cost $116 million to make. Profit, zero. Before that, “The Gangs of New York” (which I heard labeled as a ‘hit’ over the weekend) wasn’t a hit in 2002. $97 million to make, $67 million return (OK. To be fair, it earned $190 million worldwide, but that’s with promotional costs, studio splits, payments to international distributors and so on. It probably made money, but not much). Of course, it starred DiCaprio too. You’d think he was a jinx or something, but his 1999 Brining Out The Dead only earned back half of its $32 million budget. In fact, Scorsese’s last real US “hit” was back in 1991 with Cape Fear. Not to say his movies aren’t great, he has made some truly amazing ART, but a Scorsese film doesn’t necessarily mean money-money-money-money (pause) money. His three stars have some loss of luster issues, but this is getting long.
Then there’s Employee of the Month. A year ago I saw Dane Cook on TV, and the first thing I thought was: Who the hell is Dane Cook? He’s funny, really funny, but can he carry a movie? Wait, can he carry a movie with Andy Dick and Jessica Simpson? Simpson has a pretty good track record in films, her one film — the awful remake of The Dukes of Hazzard — did well at the box office ($110 mil worldwide), but it didn’t really show her acting ability. I maintain the humble opinion that she is the less talented sister in the Simpson family. Even after (at least) a month and a half of promotion, Employee of the Month doesn’t look like it has a chance.
I’d love to say The Departed does, but it looks like it’s going to be a nice weekend so all of the adults interested in seeing may be too dead tired from painting the house to venture out. Speaking of dead, I do think the season beckons for a Massacre, and I think weekend theater goers will too.
Here’s my scientific breakdown:
TCM:The Beginning will bring in $25 million and land at number one.
The Departed will bring in around $22 million, landing at number two.
Employee of the Month will be lucky if it brings in $12 and lands at number five after Open Season ($16 mil) and The Guardian ($12.6 mil.).I wouldn’t put any money on it, because if the weather turns bad older moviegoers could push The Departed’s numbers over TCM.

I don't know what to blog about today

Seriously, I don't. I have been swamped with work today, and I really haven't thought about what I feel like writing about.
I've feeling pretty blah about music. In fact, I've been listening to a lot of Everclear lately. Yeah, that Everclear. That's what I've been in the mood (and I haven't really taken Sparkle and Fade out of my CD player for a while.)
I'm waiting for my new hard drive to arrive. It's being replaced because the one I have keeps dying on me. I have no idea how much music I've lost because of it. I'm assuming I have most of my collection backed up, but who really knows?
I'm actually getting kind of sick of my computer. I completely bought into that "it's going to make my life easier" thing, and it really hasn't. My music collection has disappeared and reapppeared. Sure I can make some awesome playlists on my iPod, but at what cost. Sleep? Sanity?
And trying to keep up with music seems like more of a job than a hobby lately. There's a lot of good music out there. Too much! Remember the 80s? How many good bands were there? Probably 10. The 90s were the same (Everclear was one of them).
I don't know if they're teaching "writing indie songs" at those fancy colleges, but the quality of music being released today by indie artists is suspicious.
Not that it was easier before. Far from it. You had to read magazines to find out about new acts — in Milwaukee there was this great magazine, Milk Magazine, which you could get at all of the local coffee houses, but it died out. The Onion, the
There was also this really cool station, 13 years ago, called The Warp (1340 AM). They played these little-known alternative acts on a looped recording. There was also a pirate radio station in Riverwest that was pretty cool, and of course WMSE.
Though, I have to say, 91.7 WSHS in Sheboygan is my favorite local station. The kids that work for it have great taste in music (though I feel pretty old listening to a high school radio station). Blah, blah, blah. Listen to me yap on. I’ll be back in full form tomorrow.

Dear Russia, We’re Sorry

Not for the whole cold war thing, that’s been over and done for a while. We’re apologizing because it’s about to get a little colder for Russia, with a healthy dose of bad American television. The Hollywood Reporter is saying Warner Bros. is developing new versions of Suddenly Susan, Step by Step, Full House and Perfect Strangers for Russian broadcasters.
CTC has committed to 40 episodes of Suddenly Susan and Step By Step — which coincidently takes place in Port Washington, Wis. — and 20 episodes of Full House.
Ren TV debuted an updated version of Perfect Strangers, with mismatched cousins — one from Moscow and the other from a remote ex-Soviet Union republic — living together in an apartment.
Apparently, they were not interested in an updated Russian version of Family Matters. Imagine Urkle saying “Did I Do That?” with a Russian accent. Funny!


Perfect Strangers pic courtesy of TV Guide online.

New Evanescence CD

If there’s one rule in music, it’s to always be wary of a group’s sophomore release. Why? Most groups who find themselves a heap of success with their first CD will choke under the pressure of fans and their record company and release a terrible follow up.
Off of the top of my head, I can think of a handful of groups — Gin Blossoms, Living Colour, The Presidents of the United States, Christina Aguilera, Nelly Furtado — who have fallen prey to the sophomore slump.
This week, two sophomore releases are hitting the street — The Killers’ Sam’s Town and Evanescence’s The Open Door. While I have only heard one song off of The Killers’ new CD (which wasn’t bad) I have heard Evanescence’s entire disc, and I’m happy to say they will not be making the list of Sophomore Slumpers.
Evanescence doesn’t hold back any punches with The Open Door, delivering a disc packed with energetically angry guitars and Amy Lee's passionate vocals. Tracks like Sweet Sacrifice and Weight of the World, have music infused with Middle Eastern influences, and while most of the disc is pretty heavy, much of the background music is classical.
When The Open Door is at its height, it’s an amazing disc.
But there are times when the disc slows down enough where it starts to collapse under its lofty expectations. Two songs, Like You and The Only One, are probably diamonds in the rough. By themselves they are fairly strong, but being buried between the loving Lithium and fervent Your Star makes them feel like dead weight.
None of the disc’s 13 tracks can compare to Lacrymosa, which features music from Mozart’s “Requiem in D Minor.” This is where Evanescence shines — combining pain and beauty in one, vigorous composition. It’s amazing. Check it out by clicking HERE.
Evanescence’s return is definitely a triumphant one. They turned what could have easily been another sophomore slump into a musical victory.