Owen
Kali
LeightonFiled under: Uncategorized
My first Guest blog post. Here’s a taste:
In war there are always those moments where it becomes abundantly clear what you’re fighting for.
Pixar, get up on it. This what 3D animation should look like. Fuck that photoreal shit.
Filed under: Music, Politics | Tags: 2008 election, alaska, daily show, hip hop, kid cudi, man on the moon, quitting, rap, sarah palin, suck, vice president
I think we’re all familiar with Sarah Palin, 2008 vice presidential candidate. One of the more compelling new political figures to emerge on the scene. She is revered by some and hated by others, but either way people are passionate about her.
Within the hip hop community Kid Cudi is just as divisive, and the similarity’s don’t end there. Lemme run down some more of the striking similarities between Mrs. Palin and The Cudder.
1. They’re both originals.
What I have to give both Mrs. Palin and Kid Cudi for is that their new. It’s rare to see big national politicians that aren’t from the American mainland, especially not female ones. Nonetheless a moose-hunting hockey MILF. And suburban film students from the American heartland don’t typically break on the rap charts. Particularly those who emo rap over techno music. So yeah, they’re “breaths of fresh air”, a refreshing departure from the norm. And they both had the courage to be themselves when I’m sure many told them that people with their perspectives don’t make it. Fortunately for them they did make it. Unfortunately for us, being new doesn’t require and skill or talent of any kind.
2. They both suck at their jobs.
Sarah Palin is an idiot. That’s an exaggeration but even those who like wouldn’t argue that she’s the brightest bulb in the drawer. She’s a moving speaker, a charming, feisty and likeable figure, and cute as hell. I’m sure these qualitites served her well in her earlier career as a sportscaster. But now, she’s a politician. And she appears to know very little, or at least be very uncomfortable, discussing actual political policy. So as nice as it would seem to be to have someone like her in a national office, she wouldn’t be capable of it. She just doesn’t have the tools to be good at it, and were all better off that she isn’t in office.
Filed under: TV | Tags: 11:30, colbert report, conan o'brien, daily show, jay leno, late night, nbc, tonight show
Dear Conan,
Last night was Jay Leno’s return to the Tonight Show. I didn’t watch it. Not out of solidarity to you, or a vindictive grudge. I just didn’t care much. I saw a bit of his monologue on Hulu this morning, and he didn’t mention you. He was charming and comfortable and it was like he had never been off the air. The transition was so smooth that in a few years it’ll probably seem like you never hosted the Tonight Show. And I wanna apologize for that, because it’s partially my fault.
Filed under: Film, Girls, Music, TV, Web | Tags: alicia keys, avatar, aziz ansari, back to the feature, ben stiller, blakroc, conan o'brien, district 9, eminem, empire state of mind, flu shot girl, forever, gorillaz, hank azaria, james cameron, jay-z, Kanye West, lady gaga, michael bay, mo'nique, mos def, night at the museum, only built for cubal linx part 2, paparazzi, parks and recreation, plastic beach, precious, raekwon, rosa acosta, star trek, stephen colbert, the ecstatic, tom haverford, tonight show, transformers 2, wale, welcome to heartbreak, wu-tang, zoe saldana
So with the passing of the Grammys, the Oscars are left as the only major award show left for 2009. Which means it’s high time for our own Year-End Awards. I know you’re thinkin’ it’s late, but really we’ve had more time for 2009 to sink in. Without further ado, here are our picks for the best and worst of 2009.
Entertainer of the Year: Stephen Colbert
This was a tough category, but really there aren’t many professions in the entertainment industry where you even have the opportunity to deliver all year long. In that respect a late night talk show gives you a bit of an advantage, but even then Colbert beat out tons of competition. Put simply this was a year fro politics. It was the first year of the first term of the first black president and the country was in a pretty shitty state. Thankfully we had Colbert’s unique brand of satirical punditry to guide us through. Without it, all of the ridiculous political posturing would have been infuriating instead of hilariously frustrating. Highlight of the year: Colbert’s gets his head shaved.
Film of the Year: District 9
My favorite kind of film. Intelligent, entertaining, unconventional, probing and badass. This is the kind of film I hope to make on day. You come for the action/coolness, stay for the social implications, and leave with questions. And it’s real as hell.
TV Show of the Year: The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien
There were better shows this year. There were certainly shows I watched more often. But in the wake of everything that’s happened at NBC over the past few weeks, it seems only right to hand this honor over to this now defunct incarnation of the Tonight Show. It was very good, and it could have been great with a little more time. That said the seven months we got were still entertaining as hell.
Album of the Year: “Only Built For Cuban Linx Part 2″ by Raekwon
If anyone was still wondering if Wu Tang was forever, here’s your answer. Raekwon delivers the best Wu album in basically a decade, and an instant classic. What’s so extraordinary about the second Purple Tape is that it’s this good without a signature cut. New Wu is the head nodder but really the whole album unravels like one intricate tapestry, songs interwoven together. It’s truly a singular piece of art.
Filed under: Music | Tags: 3rd Degree, album, andrew kitchen, apology, birthday, chris spurrier, controversy, disabled, dj hero, drinking, eminem, gay, handicapped, hip hop, JFK, jon seigler, jordan, kennedys, offensive, owl grenade project, r bar, rap, remix, retard, special olympics, taking my ball, verbal phantom, vinny valente, vp
Here’s a new track from my homeboy vP A.K.A. verbal PHANTOM, and it’s not a nice song. As a white rapper I know vP, or Vinny as I call him, has to fend off a constant slew of Eminem comparisons, but on this occasion it’s warranted.
This shit has the Em-like ability to get your head noddin’ and shaking at the same time. You enjoy it, but you feel a little guilty about it after. Plus it’s over the beat for Shady’s “Taking My Ball” and features my homeboy JFK and some other guy who’s definitely not me on the hook and first verse. Here’s “sPeshal oLimpicz” (Yes, he actually spelled it like that).
Filed under: Politics, TV | Tags: agnostic, ashley, atheist, christian, church, DC, god, mike, mtv, personal, real world, religion, ty
Filed under: Music, Politics | Tags: beatbox, freestyle, fugees, mc, Music, natasha bedingfield, noble prize, obama, party, racism, rapper's delight, toby keith, will smith, wyclef
I’ve never wanted to win a Nobel Prize until now. There is no prize for freestyling. Just a heads up.
Will Smith, Wyclef, Natasha Bedingfield and Toby Keith (Yes, Toby Keith) hold it down for the Nobel Peace Prize after party. This is one of the illest things I’ve ever seen. It’s just so hip hop. Freestyling, beatboxing, free spirited collaboration, and partyin’. Race, nationality, genre, they don’t matter. No one cares about anything except havin’ a good time. In this setting Toby Keith singing “Killin’ Me Softly”, and spitting “Rapper’s Delight” (he knows every word) seems completely natural. So does Natasha Bedingfield going in on “Ready or Not”. (more…)
Filed under: Film | Tags: bailee madison, brothers, drama, gabourey sidibe, jack gyllenhaal, jim sheridan, lee daniels, mariah carey, mo'nique, movies, natalie portman, oscars, precious, review, sam shepard, sapphire, tobey maguire
So I saw Brothers a couple weeks ago, fully expecting to walk into the best acted film I would see all year. Walking out of the theatre I was a little underwhelmed, but satisfied. The performances were strong and the film was moving.
A week later, at the urging of my parents, I walked into a film that I didn’t expect much from and saw the best acted film of the year. It was Precious: Based on the Novel by Sapphire, a film in which comedienne Mo’Nique, singer Mariah Carey and some random fat chick shit take a collective shit on any other ensemble cast I’ve seen in years. I know. I wouldn’t believe me either.
I mean the performances in Brothers are really good. Tobey Maguire is deeply affecting. His turn as a soldier on leave, suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a harrowing portrait of a broken man. Natalie Portman is effectively weepy and sweet as his high school sweetheart, and Jake Gyllenhaal is particularly enjoyable to watch as his ex-con with a heart of gold brother. The problem is everyhting I’ve just typed is the extent of their character. Maguire is JUST broken, Portman is JUST sweet and Gyllenhaal is JUST… goldhearty. There’s no nuance, no gray in their characters. (more…)
