Culture Jamming, Entertainment

Thoughts on Shark Tank (TV Series)

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I watched the new ABC show Shark Tank tonight. Here’s how it works: there are four greedy sons (and one daughter) of a bitch who are out there to steal away the ideas of prospective businessmen and women. The prospective businessmen and women (contestants) try their best to sell their product and investment offer to the five sharks. The sharks are typically hard to please, unless the products have made a decent profit and great sales. They also demand more than half of the ownership of the contestant’s company or product. The contestants are usually left with two options that look something like this: 1) sell a majority of the equity to the sharks or 2) walk away with no investment. It comes down to this: doing it yourself or having billionaire big business people run the operations for you. For instance, one contestant selling a life saving seat belt attachment rejected the sharks’ offer (which would have given them complete control his patent, his idea) because he would have “sold out” in essentially the same manner that independent rock musicians do when they sign to a major label. That’s really a core aspect of the show: does the contestant want to be completely immersed in something that he created…something that he knows what direction it should go in…OR does the contestant want somebody with more “business knowledge” to take control in the name of greed and “branding”? The first contestant was selling a line of clothing called Crooked Jaw Fashions. The sharks were only interested in the brand awareness/target audience of the clothing line. I’m probably going to keep watching this show even though I despise the sharks. And you might say well aren’t the contestants dumb for coming on to the show? Not really. They are asking for extra funding, like any investor might. When the contestant sacrifices control of the business, the operation, in my opinion, becomes unethical. Another contestant on tonight’s show made a Shakespeare rock disc collection to help students better understand the great English writer. Awesome idea! But he sold it away to the sharks. He’s only going to get 5% in royalties. Seems kind of ridiculous.

Glen

Entertainment, Femmes, Lists, Music

CD Review: Matador Singles ’08

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Artist: Jay Reatard
Title: Matador Singles ’08
Year: 2008

1) See/Saw– 10- My personal favorite from Jay Reatard. It’s heavy, catchy, funny, surely one to get stuck in your head! To me, it exemplifies everything great about Jay’s music. He creeps me out, but he creeps me in again.

2) Screaming Hand– 9.8- A nice tale about the young Reatard singer and how he was different from everyone else and started his band. I love the “You are my hero” and “oh No No No.” Extremely catchy. I find that SH goes well following See/Saw.

3) Painted Shut– 9.5- Simply Classic Reatard

4) An Ugly Death– 10- I try to avoid giving out more than one 10 on any album, but this definitely deserves it! I think this was the first Jay song I came across and it is very powerful to say the least. I love the epic guitar opener; it just makes my ears anticipate what will happen next. Even after listening to the tune a ludicrous amount of times, I still can’t get over those powerful, yet simple chords. When I’m shuffling songs and AUD pops up on my ipod, I can never muster the will to turn it down. My actual favorite part of the song is the “for you, for me, for all to see” the vocals and guitar are just perfect. I also dig the ominous lyrics meshed with the upbeat music.

5) Always Wanting More– 8.8- One of my least favorites on this compilation, but nonetheless a hooky and genuinely decent tune.

6) You Mean Nothing to Me– 9.0- Typical Reatard. It gets stuck in my dome from time to time. In terms of lyrics, People being meaningless to Jay seems to be a recurring theme.

7) Fluorescent Grey– 9.2- This is a Deerhunter cover. Having never heard the original, I don’t know how it holds up, but I enjoy it very much. Giving the nature of Deerhunter’s music, this one is a bit softer and more experimental than previous Reatard singles/songs, lacking the familiar chainsaw guitars and pop hooks. It works though and foreshadows future Reatard talents.

8) Trapped Here– 9.6- Haha, I always find myself laughing at Jay’s disturbing, malicious lyrics! Violence, particularly one villain torturing his victim and remind them that they can’t escape and that they will soon parish is a frequent theme in the long haired punk’s lyrics. Memorable lyrics include “Relax, Relax, Relax, my little victim” and “You have nowhere to hide and you have everywhere to die.” Haha, the music itself, menacing, perfectly compliments the creepy lyrics.

9) Hiding Hole– 9.4- Another signature Reatard tune. Extremely, catchy, loud, fast guitars, fast, shouted vocals.

10) DOA– 9.8- One of the more popular singles and it’s certainly easy to see why. One of the heavier and yet absolutely endearing songs from this album. It includes perhaps the best example of the classic Reatard technique of slowing down the guitars and drums and simply shouting one line over and over again till its burned into your brain. In this case “It’s No Fun! It’s No Fun! It’s No Fun!” for whoever is dying on arrival haha.

11) No Time– 10- Once again, a rare 10! I love this song so much! Completely Unreatard. One (you’ll see) of the softest Jay songs I have ever heard. When I first heard this I was confused, I thought I may have put on a different artist. In this number, we see a gentle Jay (it sounds so strange) expressing his deepest emotions. “It seems I never have the time to make my mind feel fine,” Jay’s best lyrics and one of the best lines I ever heard period!

12) You Were Sleeping– 9.8- It gets even stranger! I can picture this and the former pissing some Reatard fans off. Especially some serious Blood Visions motherfuckers. Most of the previous statements I made about “No Time” apply here. It’s a sensitive song, I couldn’t even imagine Jay playing live when I saw him.

13) I’m Watching You– 9.7- A fabulous closer to a fabulous record! Softer than most Reatard songs, but heavier than the previous two. Unlike the other two though, it’s an upbeat single, but it’s similar to them in the sense that they all violate the typical Reatard format. I always smirk whenever I hear the line “You see, to me, you always were a cunt.” Haha. This is much better than the Watch Me Fall version in my opinion.

Grade: A:One of the best albums (though it’s technically just a compilation of singles) I’ve ever heard and certainly of the past few years. Probably the best from 2008. Jay and the gang bring their roaring flying Vs with them from Blood Visions and Singles ’06- ’07 and mash them up with more pop and delve into previously unknown or unforeseen territories! Foreshadowing their next effort, Watch Me Fall. There’s a notable progression that is perfectly displayed here.

Chris

News

Fire Kills 40+ in 3 Minutes

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From AOL News:
KUWAIT CITY (Aug. 16) – The fire at a wedding tent in Kuwait that killed 41 women and children consumed the structure in a blazing inferno lasting just three minutes, the fire department chief said Sunday.
“It was a horrific scene with bodies and many shoes stuck to the ground at the only exit, they must have trampled over one another,” said Brig. Gen. Jassem al-Mansouri, the day after the disaster. Kuwaiti officials said 41 women and children died when a fire broke out at a wedding party in Kuwait City on Saturday. The inferno lasted just three minutes. Authorities said 58 injured were still in hospitals, including seven people in serious condition with severe burns. Here, burnt debris litters the area. He said Kuwaiti authorities were running DNA tests to identify the 35 women and six children killed in the fire, which left many victims unrecognizable.

Authorities were investigating the cause and al-Mansouri said it could have been faulty electrical wiring, a problem with the equipment used to keep the wedding food buffet warm or the coals used for burning incense.

He added that the fire in al-Jahra, a tribal area west of the capital, was the worst he has seen in his almost four decades of service in this small oil-rich state and close U.S. ally.

Photographs of the scene show the tent was erected in an urban area. The interior was strewn with blackened debris, including the metal frames of chairs and tables, and burnt out air conditioners, a necessity in this hot country where night temperatures in the summer are often above 100 degrees (40 degrees Celsius).

Wow. Our hearts are with the families of the victims.

Chris

Entertainment, Femmes, Lists, Music

CD Review: Blood Visions

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Artist: Jay Reatard
Title: Blood Visions
Year: 2006

1) Blood Visions– 9.5- Perfect opener: loud, fast, simple catchy, a great foreshadow to everything else Jay would later do on this album and beyond.

2) Greed, Money, Useless Children– 9.2- Quick, little catchy number. Employs the classic Reatard pop technique of slowing down the guitars and drums and simply shouting one line repeatedly, in this case- “Greed, Money, Useless Children.” It is clearly effective and we see this over and over again.

3) It’s So Easy– 9.7- Lyrically this is classic Reatard. Apathetic… to the point of not caring when your friends die haha.

4) My Shadow– 10! Arguably the band’s greatest offering (actually “See/Saw” is my favorite!) or at least a major fan favorite. And it’s not hard to see why. The song begins with simple and slow, but menacing guitars then erupts into a heavy motherfucker with Reatard hollering MY SHADOW at the top of his lungs! The best track on this album by far.

5) My Family– 9.2- Funky guitars, spooky/disturbing lyrics, it works for me! Displays Jay’s bizarre interaction with the other humans or “assholes” haha in his life. This theme continues on this album and throughout his current discography.

6) Death Is Forming– 9.0- The classic Reatard technique is exemplified on this track. See #2 I dig how he evolves “Death is Forming” into “Forming Death” haha.

7) Oh It’s Such A Shame– 8.5- Decent, nothing wrong with it, but for some reason, just doesn’t stand out.

8) Not A Substitute– 8.8- Another typical Reatard track…. actually a bit shorter, but it works here.

9) Nightmares– 9.5- Excellent Pop song, sounds more like a track off Matador Singles ’08 or Watch Me Fall. Fabulous love/hate song. The lover Jay speaks of causes him to have horrible nightmares, yet he keeps “Searching” for her. Good Stuff

10) I See You Standing There– 9.0- Jay Stalker haha. Just listen to the lyrics to understand what I’m saying. Musically, very catchy and endearing. I especially love the final line, which is shouted extremely fast: “DON’T MOVE!” ahaha.

11) We Who Wait– 9.0- Great sing along. You could march this one haha. Once again we see lyrics containing themes of isolation and generally misanthropic thoughts.

12) Fading All Away– 9.9- Amazing! Hilariously savage. Lyrically this is a extremely malevolent tune about an apparently psychopathic/sociopathic/schizophrenic miscreant who will go to no end to kill his victim because of “the voices in my head.”

13) Turning Blue– 8.2- Eh, it’s a decent track, but comparatively it’s just ok. For some reason it doesn’t do all that much for me.

14) Puppet Man– 9.2- Cool, catchy, funny, somewhat short.

15) Waiting For Something– 9.9- Sums up Jay’s outlook on the people around him and his situation at the time. Waiting for something bigger to happen and get away from all the "creeps" surrounding him. Perfect title for the brief documentary on him, which I advise all fans to check out!

Grade: A: A fantastic example of modern punk music with undeniable pop hooks and elements of noise rock. One can hear glimpses of the incredible (noisy) pop Jay and his crew unleash in their future material.

Chris

Music, News

Radiohead’s EP Wall of Ice

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From NME:
Radiohead are strongly rumoured to be releasing a new EP next week.

The move comes after a new song ‘These Are My Twisted Words leaked’ earlier this week and fansite At Ease reported that source files of the track revealed that the title ‘Wall Of Ice’ was found twice with a release date set for August 17, 2009.

The site now claims that there could be up to four tracks on the EP and that a weblink has surfaced which leads directly to Radiohead’s online merchandise store, a similar tactic the band used to release their last album ‘In Rainbows’.

Apparently it’s going to be called Wall of Ice and apparently it’s going to be released in two days. That’s just the buzz on a bunch of music sites.

And apparently this is the cover art:

WOI

Books, Drugs, economics, Entertainment, Femmes, Films, Food, Lists, Music, Politics, religion, Soccer

My Favorite Directors Sucka!

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1) Quentin Tarantino- Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994), Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill Vol.1 (2003), Kill Bill Vol.2 (2004), and Death Proof (2007)

2) Steven Spielberg- Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. (1982), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Hook (1991), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler’s List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998)

3) Stanley Kubrick- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987)

4) David Lynch- Eraser (1977), Blue Velvet (1986)

5) Martin Scorsese- Taxi Driver (1976), The Last Waltz (1978), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), Gangs of New York (2002), No Direction Home (2005)

6) Francis Ford Coppola- The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), Apocalypse Now (1979)

7) Richard Linklater- Slacker (1991), Dazed and Confused (1993), The School of Rock (2003),

8) Kevin Smith- Clerks (1994), Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008)

9) Spike Lee- Do The Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992)

10) David Fincher- Se7en (1995), Fight Club (1999)

11) Danny Boyle- Trainspotting (1996), 28 Days Later (2002), Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

12) Gus Van Sant- Good Will Hunting (1997), Elephant (2003), Milk (2008)

13) Christopher Nolan- Memento (2000), Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008)

14) John Waters- Pink Flamingos (1972), Serial Mom (1995)

15) Cameron Crowe- Almost Famous (2000)

16) Frank Capra- It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)

17) Alfred Hitchcock- Psycho (1960)

18) Brian De Palma- Carrie (1976), Scarface (1983)

19) Oliver Stone- Platoon (1986), Born On the Fourth of July (1989), JFK (1991), The Doors (1991), Natural Born Killers (1994)

20) Paul Thomas Anderson- Boogie Nights (1997)

21) The Coen Brothers- Raising Arizona (1987), Miller’s Crossing (1990), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

22) Darren Aronofsky- Pi (1997), Requiem For A Dream (2000), The Wrestler (2008)

23) Jason Reitman- Thank You For Smoking (2005), Juno (2007)

24) Sam Raimi- Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), Army of Darkness (1993), Spiderman (2002, Spiderman 2 (2004), Spiderman 3 (2007)

25) Robert Zemeckis- Back To the Future (1985), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Forrest Gump (1994), Cast Away (2000)

26) Mark Romanek- One Hour Photo (2002)

27) Rob Reiner- This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Stand By Me (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), Misery (1990)

28) Milos Forman- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Amadeus (1984), The People vs, Larry Flynt (1996), Man On the Moon (1999)

29) John Hughes- Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), Weird Science (1985) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987), Uncle Buck (1989)

30) George Lucas- American Graffiti (1973), Star Wars (1977), Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

31) Sidney Lumet- 12 Angry Men (1957)

32) Mike Nichols- The Graduate (1967)

33) Sam Mendes- American Beauty (1999)

34) John Carpenter- Halloween (1978), The Thing (1982)

35) James Mangold- Girl, Interrupted (1999), Walk the Line (2005)

36) Steven Soderbergh- Erin Brockovich (2000), Ocean’s 11 (2001),

37) Bryan Singer- The Usual Suspects (1995), X-Men (2000), X2 (2003)

38) Judd Apatow- The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Funny People (2009)

39) Todd Phillips- Hated (1994), Road Trip (2000), Old School (2002)

40) Michael Moore- Roger and Me (1989), Bowling For Columbine (2002), Sicko (2007)

41) Michel Gondry- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

42) Wes Anderson- The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

43) James Cameron- Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

44) Tony Kaye- American History X (1998)

45) Zach Braff- Garden State (2004)

46) Robert Rodriguez- Desperado (1995), Sin City (2005), Planet Terror (2007)

47) Tim Burton- Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985), Beetle Juice (1989), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Big Fish (2003)

48) Amy Heckerling- Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)

49) Larry Clark- Kids (1995)

50) Mary Harron- American Psycho (1998)

51) Richard Kelly- Donnie Darko (2001)

52) M. Night Shamylan- The Sixth Sense (1999), Signs (2002)

53) Kevin Booth- American Drug War (2007)

Eh, probably others lol.

Chris

Boston based shows/fests – DIY, punk, noise