Name: Adam Bernard Home: Fairfield, Connecticut, United States About Me: Entertainment journalist w/ over a decade of experience. Lover of good music, fringe movies, day baseball & chicken shawarma. Nerdy, but awesome. See my complete profile
When you have an album named Busy Is My Best Friend it’s no surprise when your lead single is “Stayin’ Busy.” Silent Knight has been stayin busy, being an independent hip-hop artist isn’t an easy life, and he lays it all out there for listeners on this song. The video features some great footage of NYC, including a few confused passers by who probably have no idea they’re in a music video.
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from R.E.M.’s big retirement news, to Justin Bieber’s big date, to a big fight over some Schweddy Balls, and since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
* R.E.M. has announced that they’re going from rapid eye movement to a deeper sleep as the band is calling it quits after a 31 year run, during which time they lost their religion, made people shiny and happy, and stood in the place where they lived. This isn’t the end of the world as we know it, but it’s understandable if you feel a little orange crushed. For a lot of folks R.E.M. was the one they loved, but everybody hurts sometime.
* If you’ve smelled like teen spirit recently it’s not because you changed your brand of deodorant, it’s because Nirvana’s Nevermind album celebrated its 20th birthday this past week. The seminal record that put grunge not just on the map, but at the forefront of music, was originally released on September 24th, 1991. Very little from 1991 has had the kind of lasting impact Nevermind has, just look at the way we completely ignore of every anniversary of the slap bracelet.
* In news that will make you want to punch a 17 year old in the face, Justin Bieber took Selena Gomez on a date where they had the Staples Center, home to the Lakers and Clippers, all to themselves for a private screening of Titanic. The real kicker? The multimillionaire kid had to pay exactly zero dollars for the experience. Since he’d sold out the Staples Center three times, and the venue had nothing planned for the night, they just gave it to him, no rental fee required. Bieber, apparently not realizing the rest of the world doesn’t get entire arenas to themselves for free, then tweeted “romance isn’t dead. treat your lady right fellas. #REAL” Pretty big words for someone who shelled out less for the Staples Center than the rest of us have to for something off a dollar menu.
* In the current pop music scene it almost seems as though people enjoy tearing artists down as much as they like building them up. It wasn’t always this way, though, which is why it’s sad to see musical legends, those who truly earned their spot at the top, fall. Sly Stone is the latest to take that fall as the New York Post revealed that the funk pioneer is now living in a van. His history of substance abuse, and living an opulent lifestyle, took away plenty of his money, and his selling of his publishing rights to Michael Jackson for a mere $1 million took away a lot of his earning potential, but according to the Hollywood Reporter he’s now suing his manager, Jerry Goldstein, for $50 million, alleging fraud and 20 years of stolen royalty payments. Stone says he was tricked into signing a contract with Goldstein in 1989, which gave his manager control of his finances. So if you’re playing at home, Sly Stone, musical legend, is living in his van, while Justin Bieber, 17 year old multimillionaire, gets the Staples Center for an entire night for free so he can take his girlfriend on a date.
* I don’t get to talk about Schweddy Balls much while writing Pop Shots, but this week I finally have the opportunity thanks to an insane organization called One Million Moms that’s calling for a protest of the limited edition flavor of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream that’s named after the classic Alec Baldwin Saturday Night live skit. I can only imagine what trouble the kids of these one million moms are getting into while their mothers protest a flavor of ice cream. Meanwhile, the race is on in the pornographic film industry to see who can put together a “Schweddy Balls in One Million Moms” movie first.
* If you thought “Need You Now” was going to be the only time you heard from country music trio Lady Antebellum you have lost that bet in a big way. Their latest album, Own the Night, debuted at number one of the Billboard albums chart this past week with sales totaling nearly 350,000. The success of their latest effort is thanks in large part to the album’s lead single, “Just A Kiss,” and the painfully saccharine video they have for it that everybody likes, but won’t admit to liking.
And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.
When an emcee is special it doesn’t take very long to figure it out. I realized Snow Tha Product was special about a minute into hearing “Holy Shit,” which has one of the most appropriate song titles ever since the immediate reaction to hearing it is “holy shit!”
In hip-hop we are currently entering a bold new era of female emcees and Snow Tha Product, who currently resides in Texas, but is originally from California, may very well be one of the leaders of that era. She spits like a female Tech N9ne and should be able to attract both underground AND mainstream audiences. This week I caught up with Snow Tha Product, who was nursing a sore throat, to find out more about who she is and her love of breaking out of boxes, whether musical, gender, or race based. She also hinted that she may crash your prom.
Earlier this year Coolzey released an incredibly ambitious, and lengthily titled, project, Coolzey and the Search for the Hip Hop Hearts Vol. 1 He’s The DJ I’m The Rapper. Enlisting twelve producers to lace him with beats, for twelve straight weeks Coolzey created not just a new song, but a new video for each song. He then pressed up the album, and a DVD of all the videos, in a nice neat package for everyone to enjoy. I have three, count em, THREE, of these CD/DVD combos to give away. All you have to do for a chance to win one is leave a comment telling everyone why you’re cool. It can be funny, it can be random, it can be about anything. The three best comments will take home a CD/DVD combo (so leave your Twitter handle with your entry, or make sure I have a way to get in contact with you).
This contest is only open to people in the US, cuz I’m not ballin on an international shipping kinda budget right now. However, if you’re international and want me to ship it to a friend in the US, I can make that happen.
So tell me why you’re cool and take home something cool for it.
I know all the ladies out there are sick and tired of rappers calling them bitches and hoes, which is why they’re all going to love “Queen” by Steelo. “Queen,” which also features IzReal of T*Weaponz, embraces the idea that women are, in fact, beautiful, praiseworthy, human beings that are on the same level as men. Crazy concept, right? The Seattle duo of Steelo have always been big on creating positive music, and “Queen” fits right in with the rest of their catalogue.
This is pretty awesome. LeRoi Reed decided that interviewing me would be a great way to kick off the relaunch of his site, DefinitelyAmazing.com. The interview features a little bit about my past, whether or not I’ve had any dreams comes true, who inspires me, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Check it out!
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with some Billboard singles chart analysis. Yes, it's time to take a look at the charts again, see what’s hot, and dissect why we love what we’re loving right now. The chart positions I'm using are from the Billboard Hot 100 as it was listed on Billboard.com on Monday, September 19th, and since it's Pop Shots, you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
1) Maroon 5 w/ Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger
Maroon 5 didn’t just tip their collective toe into the disco waters, they completely dove in, and something funny happened when they did - it worked. “Moves Like Jagger” takes a page from Jamiroquai (could we get Jay Kay on a remix?), and although disco normally doesn’t climb up the charts in 2011, the combination of Maroon 5 being a great band, Adam Levine being a dynamic, personality-filled, lead singer, and a guest appearance by Christina Aguilera where she reminds everyone that she’s Christina f*cking Aguilera and she will blow everyone away on the mic, makes for an enormous, undeniable, hit. It also makes for me shaking my ass. Sorry for that visual. My moves aren’t quite like Jagger’s. I’m workin on it!
11) Cobra Starship w/ Sabi - You Make Me Feel
Raise your hand if you thought Cobra Starship was ever going to have another hit song after “Good Girls Go Bad.” No one? Yeah, didn’t think so. Me neither. VH1 is going to have to pull them from any “one-hit wonder” programming they may have had them slated for, though, as “You Make Me Feel” sees the boys back with something fun for the dance-pop world. The vocals are dripping with Auto-Tune, but it doesn’t matter, the chorus is catchier than herpes at the Jersey Shore’s smush room and you won’t get it out of your head until sometime next millennium. Cobra Starship were also very smart to include a female vocalist on “You Make Me Feel,” a la “Good Girls Go Bad,” which featured Leighton Meester, because a lot of the fun of their hits is the back and forth between the guy and the girl. Finally, mad props to my homegirl Erica America for her cameo in the video. Get em!
20) Dev - In The Dark
There are a lot of dance music artists out there today, but very few of them drip sex quite the way Dev does. Dev is a very attractive woman, although not necessarily in what the media might call “the traditional sense,” as with her unique hair and assortment of tattoos she shows more individual spirit than many of the women held up as “beautiful” (and yes, I realize I’m “the media,” too). When you mix that spirit, and her looks, with her voice, lyrics, and delivery of those lyrics... well, let’s just say I’m not surprised her boyfriend got her pregnant, because I sure would have! Dev is grown up dance pop for those of us who’d rather be dancing “In The Dark” than “Till The World Ends.”
Every summer has its distinctly seasonal hits, songs that only work during the time of year when the temps are hot, the drinks are cold, and all your windows are open. Every once in a while an artist makes a song that not only works for the season, but actually describes it and makes you feel the summer. Country artist Jake Owen has done that with “Barefoot Blue Jean Night.” It’s good time, summer night, vibe is infectious and makes you want to head out to the beach. Also, kudos to whomever did the casting for the video. Those are some fine women.
33) Alexandra Stan - Mr. Saxobeat
It’s a song about a horn sample with a horn sample that’s used to perfection. Yes, you read that right, the song is about the sample. The video adds a lot to “Mr. Saxobeat,” because there’s nothing like a little women in prison motif to drive home the point about the horn (no, don’t try to think about it. Everything is making less and less sense as we keep going with this). Also, apparently a roll of duct tape is all one needs to subdue an entire office full of prison employees. Honestly, who care if any of it makes sense, that damned sample is stuck in my head again! Damn you, “Mr. Saxobeat!”
And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.
Sometimes artists are put into boxes by listeners, or record labels, and sometimes artists are put into boxes due to their own fears of what might happen if they were to do anything different from what they’re known for. Tarik NuClothes, who’s rapped under a variety of monikers over the past decade-plus, knows the latter can oftentimes be the hardest kid of box to break out of. When he created the club song “Bubble Shaker,” however, which has proven to be a huge hit on MTVu.com and been featured everywhere from Jersey Shore to FOX NFL Sunday, he managed to achieve this. This week I caught up with Tarik NuClothes to find out more about his most recent transformation, the mental hurdles he had to get over in order to make it happen, and the ways in which he’s maintained his long-term relationship with music.
For the September edition of The Adam B Experience podcast I wanted to give some props to a segment of the hip-hop population that oftentimes gets ignored, or tossed to the side - the ladies. Throughout hip-hop history women have played an important role in the culture. Queen Latifah told you exactly what she felt abut the B-word, MC Lyte waxed poetic about Poor Georgie, and Canada considers Michie Mee one of their pioneers. In the 90s and early 2000s many females emcees were relegated to using their sexuality to sell records, but the underground still embraced longtime faves such as Bahamadia and Jean Grae. A new generation of dope female emcees are here now, and their music spans the entire gamut of hip-hop. There are straight up rhyme spitters, there are poetic artists, there are dance oriented acts, and they all have a place in the game. This podcast is dedicated to all of them.
Snow Tha Product - Unorthodox Hopie Spitshard - Off Tonight Dessa - Mineshaft II Dinner At The Thompson’s - It All Began Likwuid - Loose Change Angel’ A Thomas - Gimme a Minute Kreayshawn - Rich Whores V-Nasty - You Already Know Me
Being a huge fan of Buffy, as soon as I heard Sarah Michelle Gellar was returning to TV with Ringer I set my DVR to record the entire season. While her movie choices may have been less than stellar, SMG knows how to make great TV. Last week’s Ringer premier featured questions, A LOT of questions. Personally, I love TV that challenges the viewer, but judging by the fact that there are multiple shows about the Kardashians I know that’s not true of everyone. The fact that Ringer is so challenging, and challenges in a way that’s unlike almost any of its predecessors, is what makes it so interesting to me, but also what worries me. In a television world that cancelled the likes of Dollhouse but continues to keep up with the Kardashians, is Ringer going to be too smart for TV?
What we know of Ringer’s plot so far is that twin sisters Bridget and Siobhan, both played by SMG, have been leading very different lives. Bridget is a former stripper and prostitute who kicked alcoholism, but witnessed a murder. Before she was set to go against the killer in court she became fearful for her life, assaulted the person who was protecting her, took his gun, and made a dash to see the twin sister she’s had virtually no contact with for the past half a dozen years. Bridget finds her sister married and extremely wealthy. She assumes her life is perfect.
The two go on a boating trip that ends in what Bridget thinks is tragedy when it looks like Siobhan has committed suicide. Being on the run, being a twin, and having seen what she thinks is Siobhan’s perfect life, she decides to take her place. At this point we start finding out Siobhan’s life is not as straight forward as it originally seemed.
Viewers are taken on a mental and emotional trip as every move Bridget makes, every sentence she says, and every appointment she misses, can expose her as not being Siobhan. All these moves, conversations, and missed appointments also fill both Bridget, and the viewer, in as to who Siobhan is, and who the people around her are. It's still unclear as to how Bridget is supposed to act around everyone, but everything they say and do reveals another small piece of who they are. Just like the character of Bridget, the viewer is thrust into this world completely unable to straightforwardly ask “who are you?” The feeling of tension and nervousness as Bridget tries to figure out what her sister's life is all about is so great one can't help but share the feeling as a viewer.
I can’t remember the last time a TV show asked this much of its audience, and I think it’s great. We’re dropped into a world where we know nobody and we’re not told a single thing. We have to figure it all out right along with the main character. This is challenging TV. This is TV you DVR so you can rewind and analyze everything from what the characters have said to the most subtle of eye movements. The biggest question, however, is whether or not something this enigmatic is too much for a large audience to handle, at least an audience large enough to keep it on TV.
Some shows that require a lot of the viewer have lasted, but recently, with reality TV being so inexpensive to produce, and celeb-centric vanity projects being huge hits, shows that challenge have to grab an audience quickly. The good news for Ringer is that it’s on the CW, which gave Hellcats a full season, and I’m pretty sure by the end of that show not even Ashley Tisdale’s parents were watching (I was. Sue me. I don’t like all my TV challenging, sometimes I like it dressed up as a cheerleader. That’s my prerogative. #BobbyBrownHaircut). Being on the CW means Ringer should get a chance to grow and keep a regular time slot. Ringer is a show, however, that seems like it’s going to be needed to be watched every week or else the viewer will be hopelessly lost. The CW would be wise to run the occasional mini-marathon, a la what ABC Family does with Pretty Little Liars, to keep viewers up to speed and possibly attract new ones.
The premier episode of Ringer laid the groundwork for something great. Hopefully it will be allowed the chance to grow. Sarah Michelle Gellar is once again in top form and something this interesting deserves a place on television.
Metermaids have been known as one of the best party rockin hip-hop acts in NYC for years. Their rousing shows feature a ton of call and response, crowd interaction, and, by the end of each performance, general wildness filling wherever they’re playing. “8MM,” however, shows a completely different side of Swell and Sentence. It's a serious song and the imagery in the video matches the message perfectly. Metermaids aren’t getting preachy on ya, they’re just showing they have some social concern to go with their rowdy good times.
Knowing Bear Frazer (pictured above) has written an MMA themed film that he’s currently shopping, as soon as I saw the first commercial for Warrior I thought “I want to know what Bear thinks about this.” I’ve known Bear as a colleague in the journalism world, and a very good friend, for quite a while now, which is why I’ve been aware of his film, The Bam Theory, since it was just an idea. This week, on the heels of the release of Warrior, I caught up with Bear to find out his thoughts on what the big budget Hollywood release might mean for his own project. We also discussed the creation of The Bam Theory, from idea to successful Kickstarter campaign, and why he feels Lynchburg, Virginia, is the perfect setting for the film.
Adam Bernard: Does a movie like Warrior upset you because you’ve been beaten to the punch, no pun intended, or does it inspire you because it shows that movie studios are starting to embrace MMA films? Bear Frazer: Initially it concerned me. I’ve been so focused on The Bam Theory since October 2009, which was when I was putting the ideas together and writing the script, that when I first saw the trailer for Warrior back in the Spring I was a bit surprised. Judging from the preview the cinematography is unbelievable and it has a unique story. I quickly realized that this was a good thing overall because, as you said, production houses and movie studios are embracing Mixed Martial Arts. It’s great exposure for the sport and will most certainly pave the way for other MMA films like The Bam Theory. Also, the situation is similar to that of martial arts movies back in the 70s and 80s. Karate was the popular discipline, so naturally more martial arts movies were made. There have been a handful of other MMA films previously, like Fighting, Never Back Down, and a plethora of straight-to-DVD releases like Unrivaled, all of which have terrific fight scenes, but Warrior is probably the first that is more story driven. Overall, I think this will only help, and The Bam Theory is completely different from Warrior. Both movies can definitely co-exist.
Adam Bernard: Without giving too much away, what’s The Bam Theory about? Bear Frazer:The Bam Theory is a comedy-drama that follows the life of Bam Thomas, a 23 year old mixed martial artist who always dreamed about fighting in the UFC, but feels like his dream was robbed from him. He is a college dropout with a chip on his shoulder because he is surrounded by so much personal turmoil; be it his father’s suicide, his own overwhelming college loan debt, his ex-girlfriend reminding him weekly that he’s a failure, or the dead-end job he works just to help his mother pay the mortgage in a fierce foreclosure market. Simply put, he feels like God has abandoned him and dreams for small town people is just folklore. But with the support of his best-friend DeAndre, who aspires to launch a non-profit, his sexually-curious trainer Kiwi, who desires to brand his upstart gym, his art nerd of a love interest Lily Ann, who wants to become the female Van Gogh... with the ear, and his loving mother, Bam finds the motivation to compete in the regional mixed martial arts circuit. It isn’t just Bam who fights, though, it’s everyone around them who are fighting for the only thing they have left – hope for a better tomorrow.
Adam Bernard: Why did The Bam Theory need to be written by Bear Frazer? What do you bring to the table that nobody else can? Bear Frazer: Being immersed in the culture, and having a strong MMA lifestyle journalism background, I have a different view and lifestyle knowledge about the scene than most people have. By combining my knowledge about the sport and culture with everyday crises and real life issues people are struggling with today, The Bam Theory is truly a unique story that hasn’t been written before, and I’m that person who gets to tell the story.
Adam Bernard: What inspired you to write the film? Bear Frazer: I’ve been wanting to write an MMA-themed movie since 2008 because I never felt like there was an MMA movie that was powerful, compelling, and story driven. I always felt like every one I saw had to do with organized crime, fighting in some million dollar underground tournament in the back of some Chinese sweatshop, winning the tournament and then getting the girl. Like Bloodsport recycled. I wanted to write something completely different, but I didn’t exactly know what. For instance, I didn’t know if I wanted the setting in New York or California. I didn’t know if I wanted it to be a comedy or a drama. All I knew is I wanted to create an MMA movie that was completely different. I was watching UFC 104 at Buffalo Wild Wings in Lynchburg, Virginia, I’ve gone there for a while to watch the fights, and there were people from the local gyms and fight scenes watching the card, and people who were just casual fans happy just to talk about MMA. I remember going home that night thinking, “maybe I should write an MMA movie based on a small town, yet bustling fight scene, like Lynchburg.” The more I thought about it the more it sounded like a good idea. Then all these ideas came into my head and I thought about the type of stuff I experienced in this town, and in my personal life, and it really inspired me. Six days later, I started writing the script.
Adam Bernard:The Bam Theory is already a success story in that you achieved your Kickstarter.com goal. What was that goal and how did you get all the autographed schwag you gave to people who donated to the cause? Bear Frazer: The goal was to raise $3,200. I needed some reward incentives, and I absolutely hate reaching out to people for help, but, the fact is, I needed help. The first person I reached out to was my Hungarian brother Zoltan Bathory of Five Finger Death Punch. I told him what I was looking to do and he immediately was on board. Just to have his support and approval, it means the world to me. I also reached to Jake Shields and Carlos Condit, two of my favorite mixed martial artists and two guys I’ve interviewed quite a bit. They hit me back immediately and said they’d help out any way they could. A friend of mine talked to the band In This Moment, and they, too, were on board to send some autographed memorabilia. All of this still blows me away, to be quite honest. These are friends of mine and people I admire, and for them to take some time out of their day and help me out with a project like this is really just a blessing. We wouldn’t be where we’re at right now without these great individuals. Their contributions towards the cause is something that will stick with me until the day I die.
Adam Bernard: Thanks to those donations you’ve filmed the trailer for The Bam Theory. What’s the next step for you? Bear Frazer: We had a casting call back in November, shot everything in December, and we finished with the editing around April. Since then, we’ve had dialogue with folks about taking this to the next level – producers or investors who are interested in financing it, and agents who believe they can sell it to a production house.
Adam Bernard: You’ve been doing a lot of local press for this in North Carolina, and your home state of Virginia. Why do you think NC and VA are so receptive to The Bam Theory? Bear Frazer: I believe North Carolina and Virginia are so receptive to The Bam Theory because the story resonates with people in some way, shape, or form. For example, most people are suffering in this economy, the job market is horrendous and people are finding it more and more difficult to see their dreams become a reality. This is one of the struggles the main character, Bam Thomas, goes through. He’s really an underdog; not necessarily when it comes to fighting in the cage, but more so fighting to keep hope alive. So that’s one reason. Another is because of small town pride. Most people can relate to living in a small town with big dreams and few opportunities. Heck, we shot The Bam Theory in Lynchburg, Virginia, a small city in the South. That’s where the film is set and it’s like dreams can come true even if you live in a small town. Sure, you might have to leave that town in some point for a bigger pond, and that’s what most celebrities have done. That whole mentality is something I feel people from small towns, and especially in the Carolinas and Virginia, can relate to. That leads me to my final reason. The Carolinas and Virginia aren’t huge entertainment hubs like Los Angeles, New York City, or Chicago. Films aren’t really shot much in these states, so when something like The Bam Theory comes along it’s something the community can be proud of. It’s like, “this is where The Bam Theory started. Not Hollywood, not New York, but here, with a guy who is engrained in Virginia and the Carolinas.” So it’s a pride thing, and we’re very fortunate to have the support from these states because not everyone is blessed enough to have that.
Adam Bernard: Finally, your film’s star is MMA fighter Big Matt Coleman. Has he, at any point, threatened your life if this film doesn’t get made? Do we need to see this film in theaters in order to keep Bear Frazer breathing? Bear Frazer: {laughs} Nah, but Matt has been saying ever since we shot the pitch film in December that he plans to kick me in the leg. Little does he know I’m a soccer player, so I’ll kick back!
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from Justin Bieber’s wedding plans, to Broadway’s plan to embrace a pop star, to how Justin Timberlake might want to consider planning the next part of his career, and since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
* Moms, be prepared for your daughters to start planning their nuptials a little early. This after the news that Justin Bieber has said he wants to get married by the time he’s 25 or 26, at which point he hopes to be starting a family. The interview this information comes from was with Women’s Wear Daily, and no, I have no idea what conceivable connection a 17 year old boy could have with a magazine titled Women’s Wear Daily. That is, unless Bieber has been trying on Selena Gomez’s clothes, or working on a remake of “Thong Song.” In a perfect world, he’d be doing be both.
* Soulja Boy has soulja manned up and apologized for lyrics of his that slammed US troops currently at war. The lyrics in question, from the song “Let’s Be Real,” are “Fuck the FBI and fuck all the Army troops / Fighting for what? / Bitch be your own man.” I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that nothing in that set of lyrics actually rhymed, which is a pretty big aspect of rap music, but even even leaving that aside, how are you going to slam the troops when the first part of your stage name is SOULJA?!?! Up next maybe he’ll slam some boys. You can take that however you want.
* Because apparently Broadway’s new target audience is tween and teen girls, Nick Jonas, who’s already been a part of productions of Les Miserables and Hairspray, has signed on to play the lead role in the Broadway production of How to Succeed in Show Business Without Really Trying. Jonas is taking over the role from Danielle Radcliffe and his run will go from January 24th to July 1st. In a related story, the guys from O-Town will be on Broadway, as well... begging for nickels.
* True Blood fans finally something something to drink other than blood and it’s all thanks to a few alcoholics at Betty Crocker. In an effort to get people to care about Betty Crocker again the company has been creating specialty drinks based on popular TV shows and the True Blood Blood-Red Sangria Cocktail is the latest in the series. The recipe seems to mirror the show perfectly in that it takes way too long to get started (face it, season one sucked), but once it’s together it will mess with your head pretty quickly.
* Top Gun, one of the many 80s movies that made Tom Cruise a household name, and the object of countless teenage girls’ affections, is being converted to 3D for a theatrical re-release. Not only will the 3D conversions take the flight scenes from the film to a whole new level, but now it’ll feel like the Scientology is coming right at us! If that isn’t a highway to the danger zone I don’t know what is.
* Something tells me we may not be seeing Justin Timberlake return to the recording booth for a little while. This is because on Saturday night he took home two Creative Arts Emmys, one in the category of guest actor in a comedy series for his appearance on Saturday Night Live, and one for his SNL monologue. This marks the second and third Creative Arts Emmy wins for Timberlake as he also won one back in 2007 for “D*ck in a Box.” Timberlake should really consider staying with acting, at least for now, because while singing talents were always good, when he was in N*Sync he was just one of five people girls loved, when he guest stars on SNL he’s the only reason anyone watches. Plus, we need a heck of lot more of THIS
And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.
You’d figure the first emcee signed to a label named Tyrannosaurus Records would have to be a monster. Notar is that monster. With lyrical skills honed at some of NYC’s toughest weekly freestyle events, and an intense rock band backing him, Notar has been making a name for himself with his high energy live performances, and making Counting Crows frontman, and Tyrannosaurus Records owner, Adam Duritz look like a genius for signing him to a deal. Notar, who used to spend his days working at his family’s Connecticut grocery store, just released his full length debut album, Devil’s Playground, and this week I caught up with him to find out more about the album, his many Sunday and Monday nights spent at freestyle events in NYC, and the advice Duritz gave him that he’s trying to take.
This NFL came back this past weekend from a lockout that didn’t take a single game away from anyone, so it’s almost hard to say it left us. They’re hyping it like it did, but nobody actually missed any football unless they’re the type that stay glued to their seats wondering who accidentally tapped the quarterback at their respective team’s training camp (stay away from the red jersey. For the love of God stay away from the red jersey!). I’m a huge football fan. Have been for the vast majority of my life. I’m not, however, excited about the 2011 NFL season, and this is because the only issues that were resolved with the new agreement between owners and players had to do with how much of a piece of the pie each would receive, and once again the fans, the retired players, and the health of the current players, were ignored.
The NFL, along with ESPN, are pitching the new NFL season in a “we’re back for YOU” kind of way, and it upsets me. The NFL isn’t back for us, the fans, it’s back for our money. Nowhere in that $8 billion dollar agreement did the fans get anything other than the right to see more NFL football. Bear in mind that $8 billion in profit is OUR money. If you’ve ever bought a jersey, a hat, a ticket, a TV package, or something advertised during a game, you’ve contributed to that pool, and it’s a pretty big pool for the two groups to fight over. Never during the negotiations did anyone say “that’s a lot of profit. We could probably survive on $6 billion. Let’s give something back to the fans who’ve made us the most popular sport in the country. Some are spending their entire paychecks on us.” We weren’t thought of AT ALL.
As fans we’re not being given a break on regular season ticket prices, pre-season games, concessions, or parking. Although the latter two are oftentimes controlled by the venue, many NFL teams own their venues, and I know from speaking with concert organizers that venues can be bargained with, so an NFL owner could say, “here’s $400,000, make all hot dogs a buck,” and the venue will do it if they feel it will meet their profit goals. Worst of all, PSLs still exist. For those who are lucky enough to not have to deal with PSLs, they’re Personal Seating Licenses, which are something fans have to pay in order to have the right to buy season tickets. Basically, teams aren’t happy with just selling out the stadium every week, so they’re getting people to pay literally thousands of dollars extra just so they can spend thousands on season tickets, and the real kicker is the ticket holders are then made to buy the tickets to the pre-season games so the owners can make even more. Currently 14 NFL teams have PSLs, or something similar to them (and let me say it’s really ballsy for the Bengals to ask their fans to pay anything, let alone EXTRA, to watch that team play), and if they sound a little illegal, that’s because they basically are.
The Mafia has historically done something called racketeering. The most popular racket being that of the protection variety where they make a business pay them so the Mafia folks will protect the business from robbers, which, of course, would be the Mafia folks. The Wikipedia entry on racketeering explains it as such: “(it) indicates a belief that it is engaged in the sale of a solution to a problem that the institution itself creates or perpetuates, with the specific intent to engender continual patronage.” Sound just a little bit like Personal Seating Licenses? Pardon me if I don’t believe the NFL came back “for the fans.”
The retired players were also not given much of anything in the new agreement between players and owners, unless you consider a thousand to $1,500 a month for living with injuries that will never go away a fair shake. Not only is that number embarrassingly low when one considers how much profit the current players and owners are raking in, the retired players don’t even trust the NFLPA to pay it.
Finally, the active players did themselves no favors by not insisting on better health care in the labor agreement. Concussions are a part of sports, and a huge part of football. Many concussions go unreported due to players wanting to “tough it out.” Now that some of the long term effects of “toughing it out” are coming to light, it appears more than ever that ideology is akin to “being an idiot.” Seventy five retired players aren’t happy with the lack of concussion awareness, and in a lawsuit they’re claiming the NFL hid facts about concussions from them. The current players are still “toughing it out” and apparently cared less about their ability to spell their name later in life than a couple million in their bank accounts right now.
If you add to all that that the fact that two of the most popular quarterbacks in the game are a guy who’s been accused of rape more than once and a guy who’s been convicted of murdering animals, while the good guys are all but ignored, I just can’t get into this NFL.
Sorry NFL, I don’t believe you came back for the fans. I don’t believe you care about your retired players, and I don’t believe you care enough about your active players to protect them from themselves. I can’t deny that a game will probably be on in the background at my house on most Sundays, but just know I’m going to care about that game about as much as you care about me.
You have no idea how happy I am that Deathrow Tull finally have an official music video. The band, led by the dynamic duo of Dyalekt and brokeMC, whom many of you may know from the MINDSpray crew, just rocked a packed Mercury Lounge last week, leaving the stage to the sounds of the crowd shouting the lyric “Deathrow Tull will kick your ass.” The video for “Ain’t” is a small taste of their ass kicking-ness (it’s a word now, cuz I just made it one) and creativity, and why more and more people are considering them one of NYC's “can’t miss” acts.
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from what Madonna thinks people want from her, to T.I.’s incredibly short stay as an almost free man, to China banning a number of big name American artists, and since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
* If you’ve ever wondered what stardom does to the brain, delusion is high on the list. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for Madonna thinking releasing a new album next year is a good idea. Pop music’s AARP poster girl has announced a spring 2012 release date for her next effort, which will hopefully have some exclusive deal with Walmart so Madonna can do promo for it by being a greeter, which is a much more age appropriate job for her.
* Rapper, and total freakin genius, T.I., managed to find a way to land himself back in jail as he was leaving it. In what has to be some kind of a record, when he decided to take a luxury bus from his prison cell in Arkansas to his halfway house in Atlanta, which is apparently a big no-no, T.I. was essentially told to turn that bus around and head back to jail. Now in a federal prison in Atlanta, T.I. did manage to sign a ten episode deal with VH1 that will chronicle his life once he gets out of prison and the recording of his next album. Of course, at the rate he’s going that album will be titled Do Not Pass Go.
* Even if the men of Green Day have become pop stars, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong’s pants are still so punk rock they get kicked off of flights. This occurred after a Southwest flight attendant told Armstrong to pull his pants up higher and the singer said “don't you have better things to do than worry about that?” Armstrong was then immediately asked to leave the plane. Southwest was quick to apologize for the incident and get him on the next plane out, but I'm getting the feeling someone didn’t realize they just gave him plenty of ammo if he ever decided to pen a sequel to “American Idiot.”
* As portions of the south and east coast were left ravaged by hurricane Irene, some people being without electricity for upwards of a week, Rihanna decided it was a great time to complain about her leaky house in Beverly Hills. While hundreds of thousands of people were assessing the damage done to their communities, Ri Ri was filing a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Prudential California Realty and the former owner of her Beverly Hills home, alleging they should have informed her of several construction defects that made the residence conducive to flooding, after rainwater pooled on her second floor balcony and seeped into numerous rooms of the house. Something tells me she didn’t text the Red Cross to help with any of the hurricane relief efforts.
* Former Spice Girl Mel B pushed out her third kid this past week. Now that she’s had three kids from three different fathers, Scary Spice has to legally change her stage name to Hood Rat Spice.
* China’s Ministry of Culture has released a hilarious list of songs that the country has banned from their websites claiming they have “endangered national cultural safety.” The list includes a lot of Lady Gaga, a little Katy Perry, some Britney Spears and Beyonce, and the Backstreet Boys. According the Reuters, the 100 songs in question were chosen because they had not been registered with, and reviewed by, the ministry, and according to ministry guidelines all imported digital music needs to be translated into Chinese and submitted to the government before online distribution is permitted. Why is this the rule in China? Because they want it that way.
And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.
A lot of emcees can be easily described in just a few simple character traits. These artists have developed a persona that works for them and they run with it. Unity Lewis is impossible to describe in such a way as he has gone all out to embrace every aspect of himself in his work. His most recent release is an EP titled Audio VeVe Part 1, but as I learned when I sat down with the Napalm Clique emcee, the project is much more than just an album. I also found out the story behind two of the music videos from the album, including one with Dead Prez’s own stic.man, how he feels about President Obama three years after writing a song praising his candidacy for the highest office in the country, and the very interesting interactions he’s had with his fellow artist from the Bay Area, Kreayshawn.
Entourage has been one of my favorite shows during it’s eight year run. I was actually lucky enough to score an interview with Jerry Ferrara (Turtle) during season two. Now that the show is ending I want to reminisce about it a bit. Rather than focus on plots, or individual characters, or specific moments, though, I’m going to focus on what made the show so great - the relationships. Billed as being about a Hollywood star who took his friends with him for the ride, the relationships that developed throughout Entourage’s run were the most interesting aspect of the show. These are my personal top five relationships in Entourage history.
5) E & Scott Lavin
This relationship was a recent development over the past few seasons and has blossomed into a great, updated, Odd Couple. In one office we have the super serious, always trying to prove he’s more than just Vince’s boy, E, and in the other office we have the laid back, always down for a good time, Scott. I’m still not sure if deep down they even like each other, in fact, if I had to put money on it I’d say they didn’t, but they know each one has something to offer that the other doesn’t, and that combined they really can please all of the people all of the time. It’s why they could take over the management group they were working for. They also serve as a nice reminder that different working styles can be successful, even when those styles are right next door to each other in the same building.
4) Drama & Jennie (E’s Secretary)
In an otherwise brilliantly written show I consider this non-event as one of the few writing holes Entourage featured. Drama and Jennie weren’t just flirting with each other, she was the one who convinced him that Johnny’s Bananas was funny, and she was the one he called when he was having doubts about the show. What’s strange is Jennie was inspiring Drama to go for it with the cartoon one season, and then the next it was as if that never happened. Heck, Jennie’s barely been in the final season at all. When the two are in a scene together there’s light flirting, but I think the writers really missed an opportunity to give the character of Drama a final rounding out.
3) Turtle & Himself
Turtle was the member of Vince’s crew who was the most self-aware and the least Hollywood. At first he was content being the stoner hanger-on, but it didn’t take long for him to want to earn his keep. He failed numerous times before seeing success, but it was his constant want to grow as a person, and his vocalizing of that want to grow as a person, that made him so impressive. He made it clear that although he liked making money, what he really liked was working, and earning it. Actor Jerry Ferrara’s weight loss during the show’s eight year run added to his character's persona of wanting to be a better, more complete, person, as well.
2) Ari and E
The tough love paternal relationship Ari Gold had with E, who he initially had no use for whatsoever, was one of the most beautiful mentor-protege relationships in television history. They called each other some of the worst things in the book, but through it all E never lost sight of the fact that Ari was one of the kings of that town and that he was almost always right. When E started seeing real success past simply being his best friend’s manager there was a poignant moment where he was on the phone with Ari, I can’t remember if it was early in the morning or very late at night, but Ari was in bed and rather than doling out a typical Ari insult he gave E a heartfelt congratulations in a “you done growed up” kind of way.
The parallels Ari's and E’s careers had were also an awesome, unspoken, part of the show. Both went out on their own, both found a partner they weren't particularly fond of (E had Scott, Ari had Barbara Miller), both took over established companies (Ari took over his former bosses company and E took over what was his current bosses company). Although they’d never admit to being on a mentor-protege level, they were, and while Ari Gold was Darth Vader to a lot of people, he was Obi-Wan to E’s Luke Skywalker.
1) Ari and Lloyd
Pairing Ari and Lloyd was the single best move Entourage did in its eight seasons. Originally hired because Ari didn’t want E sleeping with another one of his assistants and making things awkward, Lloyd turned out to be not just the perfect assistant for Ari Gold, someone who could take his vulgarity and insults, but the perfect friend, as well. Their on-screen chemistry was amazing. When Ari was fired and Lloyd decided to leave with him to start their own agency the explanation he gave as to why, and how much he believed in Ari, wasn’t just heartfelt and beautiful, it showed him to be more loyal and understanding than Ari’s wife would turn out to be. In an interesting twist, Lloyd also seemed to understand Ari’s passion in ways that his wife never did, and understood that his family, above all, came first. Ari’s wife thought it never came first, but she didn’t see what Lloyd saw. She also wasn’t there for him nearly as much as Lloyd was. In return, Ari gave his tough love to Lloyd, much like he did to E, and in doing so taught him how to be an agent. Unlike with E, however, this wasn’t a paternal relationship, this was business turned friendship, with Lloyd eventually becoming family.
You know how when an emcee is truly on his game you can literally feel everything he’s saying? That’s the case with “Born Criminal” by Illus. The CT native spits fire over a killer beat that was produced J.J. Brown and features a dope Biggie sample (that’s actually a lyric commercial radio now edits out despite it not having a curse word in it). The intensity of the guitar and the intensity of Illus play off of each other perfectly and the way the video goes from black and white to color is also very cool.
For more on Illus check out the following features:
B-Listers are a select group of artists that were featured in my Artist Of The Week series that ran every Monday from April of '06 to April of '11. All of these artists have two things in common; extreme talent, and a flight path far too under the radar for my liking. They took on the title of B-Listers as they embraced being featured by me, Adam B. Check out the AOTW Archives for all the interviews.
