Project Samo

Talk to Us, Petey

2007-07-13T06:25:00.000-04:00

"Talk to Me" is the biopic about DC radio's Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr.

It appears to not only be a good movie, but takes us back to a time before the current era of talk radio formulas and the brand-building, marketing, or ideology-driven "personalities."

Here's the Salon review.

Opus! My Penguin!

2007-06-03T19:10:00.000-04:00

O Glorious Day. Berkeley Breathed's Opus the Penguin now appears as the official Sunday comic of Salon.com.

All Hail Helvetica

2007-05-29T19:29:00.000-04:00

It’s the font Helvetica’s 50 birthday. MOMA has mounted an exhibit featuring posters and graphics proving the font is, well, everywhere. Here is a very good web essay from Slate on the origins and lasting popularity of Helvetica. It even includes the subtle differences between Helvetica and the interloper Arial. What? You didn’t know there was a difference? Now you do. Designer Mark Simonson explains everything .

I love using Helvetica because it looks clean and modern and is legible at any size. It really reads well on a web page although writers seem to lean more toward a serif type.

Can’t get enough? There’s a new documentary entitled – what else – Helvetica.

THX, M1Live.com

2007-05-28T17:18:00.000-04:00

According to Shoutcast me and about 1200 other people are listening to the waining hours of M1live.com, at least in it's current incarnation. I know that number will rise as we approach midnite of what founder Rich Cowell has entitled "The Last Dance."

And that's too bad. M1live.com presents a mix of dance that no other dance-oriented internet radio station does right now. It's New York club with a definite European feel. M1live certainly provided a music home for me at home and at work, especially after the demise of Party 93.1 in Miami, one of the few commercial broadcast stations playing dance music in the US.

Although Party 93.1 was certainly limited in playlist, it's mere existence, along with a handful of stations like Energy 92.7 in San Francisco at least kept the dance flag planted on the broadcast map.

Dance music lives well on the internet, which makes M1live all the more valuable. As the current battle over licensing fees throws the US based portion of the internet radio world into limbo this lovely little niche of the web has become most vulnerable.

So thank you, Rich. Here's to you working out what it will take to bring back m1live.com in it's next form.

And in the meantime, click on the link below to learn more about American Net Radio's imperilled future:

If the US manages to kill of its internet radio, there are lots of great European and Australian based internet stations with a dance/trance/house formats. I already have some bookmarked ...

Obama's MySpace Storylet

2007-05-03T19:04:00.000-04:00

Obama Campaign Asks: Is It MySpace or Yours?
Thursday, May 3, 2007; Page A04
The Washington Post

In the first MySpace skirmish of the 2008 presidential race, no one's come out looking good. Not MySpace, the popular social networking site. Not Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who until earlier this week had more "friends" on the site -- about 160,000 -- than almost all the other candidates combined. Not Joe Anthony, the 29-year-old paralegal who created a MySpace fan page that carried Obama's name.

In November 2004, after hearing Obama's keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, Anthony began adding friends to his Obama page. By the time Obama announced his candidacy earlier this year, he had about 30,000 friends. When MySpace started its Impact Channel as the central hub of its candidate profiles two months ago, Obama's camp used Anthony's page as its official MySpace page. For weeks, Anthony worked with Obama's online team as the senator continued to attract more friends.

Read the full Washington Post story here

Only the participants know for sure, but it seems this could have been worked out before it became a storylet with 368 news stories linking from Google News.

Whoever is at fault, the Obama Team should have formalized their deal earlier on with Mr. Anthony. They could have employed him or negotiated a buyout to compensate him for his work. Although MySpace isn’t exactly a traditional direct mail mailing list there was the potential of 160,000 “good names” there. That’s tough to rebuild.

However I do have a problem with Mr. Anthony building the MySpace page as a voluntary effort and then asking to be compensated to show “he wouldn’t be bullied.” And if 130,000 “friends” signed on after Senator Obama announced, how much did Mr. Anthony contribute?

“We wanted to work with Joe. But at the end of the day, this page is bigger than him," said campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

I cringed a little at that one. No, the page is not bigger than the volunteer even if he is being uncooperative. Work it out, avoid the story, keep the 160,000 contacts.

Of course, the name belongs to and should be the property of the candidate. I just can’t help but think they could have gotten to a resolution a little more elegantly.

PS If the primary were held today, Sen. Obama would most likely have my vote.

My Fave Podcast

2007-04-21T10:40:00.000-04:00

Holland radio station Radio 538 has announced that one of my favorite DJs (and a lot of other people on earth) Tiësto will host a new weekly show titled ‘Club Nouveau’. The show will broadcast every Friday evening, beginning April 6th, from 10 pm to Midnight and even better, you can download it from iTiunes.

http://www.radio538.nl/clubnouveau

A Disaster Movie I Would Watch

2007-03-07T15:10:00.000-05:00

From the v. talented people at Chocolate Cake City:

Book Marketing Evolution

2007-03-06T18:59:00.000-05:00

When you walk into Barnes & Noble or any other big chain bookstore, you stop and look at all those tables first, don’t you? I know I do. "New in Paperback" "New and Notable" or "Bestsellers" placards on tables stacked high with books.

Those aren’t placed by bookstore managers who love books or college age clerks majoring in literature.

The space is paid for by publishers and it works. So much so that venerable book sections of leading newspapers are losing so much revenue they are planning to merge book reviews with other sections if they keep them at all.

You can read about that along with a really good overview of current and future marketing trends within book publishing here.

Media as Omnivore

2007-02-21T19:43:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it just seems like anything that moves in the American culture is a reason for some sort of media magnet to that event. Today, topics ranging from a girl with the hiccups to a pop star in rehab create the frenzy.

Good Morning America called contacted Jennifer Mee 57 times while helicopters buzzed Britney Spears' rehab facility of choice.

Menino Ready for A New "Hoax?"

2007-02-19T18:03:00.000-05:00

"Hmm. How should I answer that question? I knew this question was coming today. And I was preparing some optional answers for this particular question. Should I say, 'I have that ball'? Or I could say, 'Which particular ball are you referring to?' Or 'Which ball are you calling a gyroball?' Overall, if I have the chance, I will pitch that ball."

- Daisuke Matsuzaka, when asked about the mysterious gyroball

If new Red Sox pitcher and auto-sensation Dice-K doesn't throw a "gyroball" will Boston Mayor Tom Menino call it a “hoax” and demand retribution and remuneration?

After all, the precedent has been set to demand payment for being made to look silly, and nobody has seen the gyroball yet.

Mayor Tommy could declare that Boston had been duped. We're well down that road since a dozen strategically placed lite-brites brought down the head of the Cartoon Network. And the two guys who installed them for CN's ad agency are still legally on the hook.

So, if the gyroball turns out to be a mythological bargaining chip to up the financial ante to the unfathomable US$52-million, six-year contract “Dice-K” landed, doesn’t that qualify as a similar hoax, the mayor might say?

Menino could say that Boston had already invested a great deal of unconditional fan love and breathless media time on the celebrity status of new pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka and that the city needed to be compensated for once again being ~~made to look silly~~ hoaxed.

Right. I think the answer from Matsuzaka’s agent, former CN head Jim Samples and yours truly would be …

So, you wanna a hit show?

2007-01-16T18:17:00.000-05:00

Outstanding insight and perspective from Marc Cherry from Desperate Housewives, Shonda Rhimes from Grey's Anatomy, Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof from Lost, Silvio Horta from Ugly Betty, Jenny Bicks from Men In Trees and Jon Robin Baitz and Greg Berlanti from Brothers & Sisters.

Keep it out of the blender ...

Full Story Here.

Poor Tom, Poor Peyton

2007-01-16T18:06:00.000-05:00

The two most successful quarterbacks in the NFL in modern times don't appear to be happy.

Peyton Manning, arguably the face of the NFL in a way that is only comparable to Michael Jordan said, "It seems like for so long it's been 'Colts win', but then 'Peyton Manning loses," ... "Either give me all the credit when we win or give the team the blame when we lose. The way it should be is Colts win or Colts lose. That's the way I always thought it was."

Poor Peyton. All the money, all the recognition, all the records. Not to mention his mug showing up on about every fourth ad during any NFL game on TV.

And then there is Tom Brady. All he is doing is living out the dream of any high school football player in America. He wins all the games, and he gets all the girls. But then he goes on 60 Minutes and is contemplative if not sad about how hard it all is.

So my question is, after this weekend's AFC championship game, who will be more sad ... the winning quarterback or the losing quarterback?

IFC Fills A Gap

2007-01-15T14:09:00.000-05:00

Three cheers for the Independent Film Channel.

We need these outlets to not only get beyond multiplex-think but to reach people sitting in front of their big-ass TVs.

Full Washington Post story here.

"Street Meat" Brings Cable News Heat

2006-10-22T15:27:00.000-04:00

Doing their bit to add to the digital Tower of Babel are all those jabbering experts on every cable TV channel. Here's some insight from the Wall Street Journal on who they are and what they are willing to do to achieve the current version of American Dream: get on camera and give opinion.

It's all about creating heat. But any old time pro wrestler could tell you that ...

At least he likes Scorsese ...

2006-10-22T15:07:00.000-04:00

"I look at movies and they're all so f@&^ing terrible. People ask, 'Why aren't movies more successful?' It's really a simple answer: It's because they stink. Three simple words: Because they f@&^ing stink. That's four words, but you can't write the f@&^ing word. They stink, they stink, they stink, what's wrong with you? They stink. Do better movies ... Finally, I saw a good movie -- 'The Departed.' And look what it took: It took Marty Scorsese, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, [screenwriter] Bill Monahan -- and it's based on another movie."
- James Woods
( from Salon via Inside SoCal via Defamer)

In addition to "The Departed" I read that Helen Mirren is good in "The Queen," although I think Scott Thompson could have made a go of it.

Watching You Watching Me

2006-10-20T10:48:00.000-04:00

While watching Euronews I saw a story about this great exhibit devoted to Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez now at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square.

One of the paintings is "Venus at Her Mirror." We see Venus' face in reflection. But we also see that she knows we are looking at her as Cupid faithfully holds a mirror.

After Nuit Blanche

2006-10-02T19:01:00.000-04:00

The Toronto Star provides a wrap up. All in all quite the success in spite of weather that didn't befit the end of September. This new accessibility in the atmosphere of night created a unique venue for art that I should hope will be extended.

But before getting to wrapped up in the value of Art, I couldn't help but laugh at the quote from the Star story, "It's all for art. Dance, child, dance! Daddy needs a grant. Daddy needs a grant." That's true, too.

Thanks to Romana for her perspective on engagement with more here.

Earl v. Betty = Unfair

2006-09-28T12:31:00.000-04:00

It is a real shame if ABC has gone and thrown a promising show like "Ugly Betty" to the wolves by putting it up against the outstanding "My Name is Earl." I grew up on quality funny shows and have been yearning for a few good scripted comedies.

I loved America Ferrera in "Real Women Have Curves." I know she is doing more film and starring on a network show will bring in a regular paycheck!

My worst nightmare would have been if the CW had kept "Everybody Hates Chris" in its original Thursday night position.

Tom Shales gives an effusive review of "Betty" in today's Washington Post, and that's usually good enough for me.

Nuit Blanche? Tres bien!

2006-09-28T06:34:00.001-04:00

It's hard to describe how cool this event is. The impact is truly visual. And I would think an appreciation of art and an urban enviornment are prerequisites.

I had heard of this Parisian invention and saw a news story about the Madrid version. That was when I was taken by the way a city can be literally cast in a different light. Too many downtowns are deserted not long after the workday ends. This abandons and ignores the opportunities for presenting a city in an arts framework.

Toronto takes it's turn at presenting Nuit Blanche ("white night" or "sleepless night") this Saturday. Here's the background from The Toronto Star. And the official site is here. Attendees won't say "bon nuit" until 7:15AM Sunday morning.

Tribute In Light

2006-09-13T05:28:00.000-04:00

From the World Trade Center Tribute in Light on Flickr. It struck me that the lights bow in toward each other the way the buildings did when you looked up at them.

Finally! Recognizing Michael Knight

2006-08-30T19:16:00.000-04:00

Nice to see an online presence from my favorite Project Runway Season Three designer: Michael Knight, now on Myspace.

He's emerged as a favorite of fans (and thankfully the judges) once he finally got some face time around episode, what, four? Why did that take so long? Long stretches of episode after episode had him completely absent. Maybe we will find out in the end and maybe it's a producers and editors secret.

Anyways, he had me at the coffee filter dress. If innovation means anything, that was a highlight of the season.

I loved Project Runway from the very first episode because of it's emphasis on displaying the creative process. Many times it was inspiring to anyone who works in creative or artsy endeavors. I also liked, and still enjoy, the friendships built among designers.

But I felt like this season had in some ways devolved back toward stale reality show devices like controversy and conflict. That made Michael Knight stand out even more as he stayed out of the stuff while consistently producing good products in each and every episode.

The September Atlanta Magazine has a feature on Mr. Michael. You can read it here at the all-inclusive all-knowing Blogging Project Runway.

Never Forget New Orleans

2006-08-29T06:31:00.000-04:00

Listen to Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans via Rhapsody performed by:

Rosemary Clooney
Earl "Fatha" Hines And His Band
Pete Fountain
Billie Holiday
N'Awlins Gumbo Kings
Louis Armstrong

The New New Orleans?

2006-08-25T20:49:00.000-04:00

I was reading a story from the fine series Black America Web has put together about the continuing impact of Katrina one year later when I saw this ad in the middle of the story:

I clicked and it took me here.

Is this the beginning of the new New Orleans?

Survivor Brings Back Segregation

2006-08-24T06:52:00.000-04:00

The PR ploy has worked because I've never watched an episode of Survivor and here I am taking the time to think about it.

So the daddy of American reality shows has revived segregation to get the buzz back and get the ratings back. The only story I've read all the way through is Lisa de Moraes' on washingtonpost.com and it does a good job getting to the point of big dumb labels that would put say, a person of Mexican descent and a person of Cuban descent on a "Hispanic" team. But it also neatly describes CBS's "The Early Show's" transparent and limp attempt to get some network buzz going.

I don't know, how about a show where "different" families try to move in to an all-white gated community. Too real? Or too close to ABC's never aired "Welcome to The Neighborhood."

All Growds Up

2006-08-22T19:48:00.000-04:00

As "T" said in Swingers, "Our little baby's all growds up." Rich Juzwiak, better know as the purveyor of the fourfour blog is getting paid now to do this stuff for VH1's Celibreality.

Rich sits in Brooklyn and provides such an acerbic wit and keen perspective on everything from pop music to America's Next Top Model. But carrying it all is a love for -- if not an obsession with -- pop culture. We can all roll with that can't we?

Congrats to Rich on getting paid to do something he enjoys. That should be everyone's goal, shouldn't it?

Building Tween Cred

2006-08-22T18:12:00.000-04:00

In reading this LA Times story, I immediately thought of the little beast Ari Gold had dispatched to Kazakhstan for a movie shoot to get him away from his daughter.

But asking a kid star (or their agent or their parent who sometimes inhabit the same body) "does she have a little brother/sister?" is as old as show business.

Rick Mercer: Brilliant

2006-08-21T19:31:00.000-04:00

The Culture Wars Are Over ...

2006-08-21T18:41:00.000-04:00

... and the trailer park people won.

K-Fed reminded me of a young unwashed Vanilla Ice at last night's Teen Choice Awards, after being introduced by wife Britney whose latest pregnancy "just kind of happened."

Kevin Federline Photograph by: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
Britney Spears Photo from MTV.com

Ms. Aguilera's Cultural Footprint

2006-08-20T16:33:00.000-04:00

My goodness. Christina Aguilera is putting out a new album and I've already been sucked into reading three stories (all good in their own right) about her pop culture standing, significance in the bigger cultural drift, and even whether the CD is any good or not.

Over at Salon.com (watch the ad to enter, Salon is always worth it) Cintra Wilson rightly points to the August attack of the blondes in record release world and how if one squints and pumps up the volume, you can't tell them apart. I've found you can also apply this test to the blond female former prosecutors commenting all over cable and the blond female Republican "political analysts" commenting all over cable.

On the New York Times site, Kelefah Sanneh uses Ms. Aguilera as a reference point for the incredible shrinking pop star who has basically been reduced to fighting for her right to, well, be a pop star.

Beyond implications for women in the music industry and the blonding of said performers, Christina's music is a mess, too. If you want it straight up, you can't beat Rich over at the foufour blog.

The Dude in the Vader Helmet?

2006-08-20T08:16:00.000-04:00

All you writers and filmmakers out there (especially anyone doing anything "fact-based") who fear going over your audience's heads: Your fears are valid. Here's the quote from DCist:

___________

American History Museum, Americans at War Exhibit:
Young tourist couple pushing baby stroller. They see a propaganda poster with a soldier in a black helmet.
Husband: "Wow, that really looks like Darth Vader."
Wife: "Whoa, that is weird..... So, did Star Wars come out before or after World War II?"
___________

And pity the hardworking people who probably spent two years developing this exhibit, too.

Imagine how confused this couple would be if they knew about or had seen "The Great Dictator."

Oh, and the Allies won World War II because they developed the light saber before the Nazis.

Because things still aren't right

2006-08-17T06:25:00.000-04:00

Spike Lee's documentary "When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" premieres on HBO on Monday August 21st. This will be very hard to watch but there is no way to not watch it.

A lot of people talk about how America should be. Mr. Lee shows us how America is in "When The Levees Broke."

I hope you can watch. As the director said in an interview, "Because things still aren't right."

Here are a couple of related stories:
Washington Post
The Times-Picayune

ANTM Writer's Reality Insight

2006-07-29T10:52:00.001-04:00

As you may have read, the writers at "America's Next Top Model" want to unionize. It's been a tradition of sorts going back to the beginnings of Reality TV that the writers, often called producers, weren't afforded the working conditions they would receive on a union set.

This long interview with ANTM writer Daniel J. Blau not only gives insight into how the show (and ANTM is a good one) is built but how he got the job for starters.

And by the way, if you haven't added it to your Read List already, you should add Television Without Pity.

Photo Credit: Writer's Guild of America

Making Kevin Smith Feel Good

2006-07-13T21:31:00.000-04:00

Here's a good article about Kevin Smith's new film "Clerks II" (!) and his enjoyment of interacting with fans online. Mr. Smith was using the web for name recognition back when Yahoo! was a quaint little directory of just a couple thousand sites. And as it turns out people saying good things about him on the web makes him feel better.

We all need to be told when we stink and when we don't in some sort of equal measure to keep ourselves real. Kevin uses the web effectively to that end, too. I did my part to make him feel good (I hope) by adding him on MySpace. :) After all, I appreciate what he went through to make "Clerks" and "Dogma" made me think.

If you want to laugh until you have a headache and learn a lot about the film business simultaneously, watch "An Evening with Kevin Smith."

In The Time Tunnel w/ Madonna

2006-07-13T21:07:00.000-04:00

Through a generous gift via my wife’s company, we ended up in the primo seats for Sunday night’s Madonna concert in Boston. I was a little ambivalent. My Madonna era pretty much stretched from “Borderline” to “True Blue” and I knew the tour concentrated on the new album which I don’t love. And sometimes I get all idealistic about her appropriating little bits of underground culture to commercialize them.

I had also read the reviews about the video walls that were sometimes disjointed or not continuous with the songs and performers.

Lucky for me, I sat at an angle that I could ignore the video walls if I wanted and further just not think about commercial intent or Kaballah or reinvention and just enjoy the show, people watch, and marvel at the technical side of the production.

Before the show I was thinking about the audience and who goes to see a Madonna show in 2006. The audience skewed a little older –not many teens – and was very white. I did notice the people on the elevator were speaking English in a French accent, and I was in line for fried shrimp (not bad since I hadn’t eaten) were talking about a recent Diana Ross show in British accent. Lots of gay couples, too -- and no, my marriage wasn’t “under attack” because of it, thank you.

So maybe you had a mixed audience in those ways, and I would dare say a number of people from NYC who could get tickets for a Boston show. (I understand Madge herself flew in and out of New York for shows.)

There were a lot of women in their mid to late thirties and I could easily imagine them dressed just like Herself at a show twenty or more years past, or at least dancing to the MTV videos they were watching while living at home. (Yes, my wife was one of them.)

I did watch the video walls more closely during the bit about AIDS. Any of us who are of a certain age would. And if it was “preachy?” Well if you don’t preach, how is anyone going to hear?

I thought about Jean-Michel Basquiat telling people in 1982 to pay attention to Madonna, that she was going to be “huge.”

The time tunnel became a theme for me through the evening as I watched roller skaters and break dancers and a nice tribute to Donna Summer at the beginning of the show. After all, if it weren’t for “I Feel Love” none of us may have been there last night, including Madonna.

Nostalgia and Survival. That was the mix that played in my head along with “Music” “Disco Inferno” and “Freakazoid” thumping onstage late in the show.

I was reliving all we’ve been through since 1982 with Madonna songs inevitably playing somewhere nearby. And there she was, still fit enough to shake her ass and get us to do the same. Telling us in her way, “I’ve lived through it and so have you. Now shut up and dance.”

Madonna photo from BBC

Media on Media

2006-07-11T06:16:00.000-04:00

Is it just me or do local anchors become most genuinely animated when the story is about someone else in the media? Especially if that someone scored a big contract. We most likely don't care as much as they do, but it's their party and we just showed up to watch, right?

Here are a couple of interesting media on media stories I found at salon.com:

Katie Couric's on a six-city tour of folksy town hall meetings this week, but according to Lowdown, CBS has banned the press from attending. (Lloyd Grove's Lowdown at NY Daily News)

When Dan Rather appeared on "Anderson Cooper 360" last week, he requested specifically not to be identified on-screen as a former CBS anchor. (Philly.com)

If you've forgotten (or never knew) the role Rather played in so many stories that defined America, take a look back at his book "The Camera Never Blinks."

Forgotten NY

2006-07-05T20:19:00.000-04:00

If you are a:

History Geek
Urban Geography Geek
New Yorker
Wannabe New Yorker

or some combo of the above, you'll love Forgotten NY. I just spent way too much time looking at how parts of Times Square looked before they became the place tourists were hearded to "see New York City."

A book version of Forgotten NY is coming out in the fall. Order it for your favorite NYC-o-phile.

My Favorite Webcam

2006-07-04T07:11:00.000-04:00

NYC July 4, 2006 7:18AM
49th & Broadway

Earthcam does a great job streaming a variety of places including eleven in New York. My favorite is Camera One in Times Square. Sure, that's the video stream but I like it best because it's where you can not only see but hear New York City. The hum of the city that comes through in the stream conveys the feeling that NYC is a living thing.

Modern Times - Modern Again

2006-06-25T20:21:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the new project Google Video, there's a ton of stuff on the web that you won't find on youtube. One of my first searches was for one of my all-time favorites, Charlie Chaplin.

Take a look at Modern Times and when you are watching the factory workers, try to picture them in front of PCs in cubicles. In many ways, the workplace has come full circle from about one hundred years ago.

TV on Internet? Bah!

2006-06-11T07:21:00.000-04:00

"A discussion paper prepared for this year's Banff World Television Film Festival, which kicks off Sunday, predicts that conventional Canadian broadcasters will weather the rise of on-demand TV and that the Internet, contrary to some soothsayers, won't become the primary way viewers watch TV." Full article

Hmmm. Don't commit to deeply to that mindset. Reminds me of when I asked for funding to take a web design class in 1996 and was told the internet "wouldn't catch on."

Jacking a Ride to Reflect My Style

2006-06-09T06:43:00.000-04:00

The annual list of the most stolen vehicles on the road is out. For the fourth year in a row, the Cadilllac Escalade leads the pack. For sure it isn’t because of gas mileage.

No, it’s because it is seen in a lot in music videos. Athletes drive them. And Tony Soprano drives one.

According to Kim Hazelbaker, senior vice president of the Highway Loss Data Institute. "It's part of our pop culture as a very large, flashy SUV."

I’ve never boosted a ride, but I think back in the old days, cars were stolen because they were easy to get into and to get your grand theft self around. Now is it about style and emulating iconic media figures?

Here's the AP story

Oh! (Network) Janice

2006-06-03T20:29:00.000-04:00

America's Next Top Model is a great concept. It's young women tricked into thinking they're in a modeling competion on TV. (OK. Exceptions are Eva, Danielle and Kim.)

But I still wanted a TV show about becoming a model. I'm thinking Oxygen (Oh!) network's The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency will deliver.

Hurrah! CNTM on YouTube

2006-06-01T22:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Meighanm I can watch Canada's Next Top Model via YouTube and so can you (if you don't get Citytv.)

Broadway Lives ... via Toronto

2006-05-17T05:27:00.000-04:00

A musical that started out as a one night event at one of my favorite (favourite) places on Earth (Toronto's legendary Rivoli) is nominated for six Tony Awards. My fondest memory of the Rivoli is watching Kevin McDonald try out new material there while Scott Thompson and friends sat at the next table.

The Rivoli also introduced me to Pad Thai. That's enough for one venue, right?

Good luck to The Drowsy Chaperone!

Makes Me Wish I Had The Dish

2006-05-04T19:24:00.000-04:00

Dish Network's Artstar looks like an interesting show if Voom does it up like Project Runway. Museum of The Moving Image (NYC) offers a preview on May 12. But is art-reality somehow an oxymoron? Or is "reality tv" the true oxymoron? And if it were 1980, would Basquiat have auditioned? Too many questions ... just watch.

The Rise of Rachael Ray

2006-05-01T19:32:00.000-04:00

I've been pondering what makes Rachael Ray so popular. Time has named her one of the 100 "People Who Shape Our World"

And all I can come up with is, she is what Ellen Degeneres and Oprah Winfrey ain't. She's white, hetero, suburban, NASCAR friendly and appears to be able to cook. She's who you would like to see hopping out of the SUV to pick up the kids. That's good comforting TV in regular America.

On The Positive Friday

2006-04-13T22:34:00.000-04:00

Loves Me Some Kaskade ...
"Steppin' Out"

2006-04-07T18:49:00.000-04:00

On The Positive Friday

Get schooled by One Soulful Negro. It's like Music Appreciation 101 through 400 level served up on a blog.

2006-04-03T18:20:00.000-04:00

The World War II documentary "The Messenger" has been pulled from the Philadelphia Film Festival because so much of it was, well, made up according to USA Today.

I had a feeling this would happen to some film eventually. "Anybody" can make a documentary now, but not everybody should. Relatively affordable digital video equipment and software are the building blocks. Theatrical and critical success of docus like "Fahrenheit 911" and "Supersize Me" made making a documentary sexy. It even looked like you could make money. That's unchartered territory for most documentarians.

The small shame is the filmmaker is squirming around and trying to employ that awful new concept of "truthiness."

And the real shame is the well-meaning producer sank $100,000 into the 16 minute long project. A lot of legitimate filmmakers could turn out two pretty nice 28 minute PBS length projects for that amount of money.

One of my veteran documentarian friends wrily observed that it's easier to get money for a reception than a film. The reception food is a little harder to swallow today, thinking about the good money wasted on this episode of phony documentary making.

Photo of the SONY DCRVX 2100 from one of my favorite tech sources: JR.com

2006-04-02T22:35:00.000-04:00

Quote of the Week ... or Month

"It's really, really hard when you are a creative person in America. Whether you're a fashion designer or a painter or a writer, it's really hard to get paid what you're worth. We have a strange structure in this country, or maybe it's just western culture in general, but art is considered somehow like play, and it's not."

-Andrae Gonzalo
The Torrid Interview

2006-04-02T07:44:00.000-04:00

I See Dead People Moving Product

Choosing the right dead celebrity can help you launch a product.

As numerous outlets including The Los Angeles Times report, the image of Chris Farley on a number of billboards around Los Angeles will promote an upstart company's commercial drug treatment clinics. They do have Farley's family's permission and the family's foundation was compensated $25,000. Um, that's not much money.

In the story, Terren S. Peizer, Hythiam's CEO and major stockholder says talks are underway with estates of "several" other dead celebrities.

But you tell me, what bothers you more? A celebrity brought back from the dead to move product? Or is it the loop-de-loop of the commercial clinics, the ad agencies, the drug companies supplying the clinics and the investors? A lot of people are going to make a lot of money while "fighting drugs."

The company that owns the clinics saw it's stock jump 20% on the NASDAQ last week based on results on test patients. Looks like everybody is set up to make out well on this one, except poor Chris Farley, who just wanted to be John Belushi.

PS And from Washington Post's Celebritology the finish I wish I had written:

"Any person -- megastar or not -- who self-medicates enough to end life deserves to be remembered, missed and retired."

2006-03-25T14:45:00.000-05:00

Devon Menendez Announces Retirement After Incident with Local Cops

And since every movie from the 1970's will be remade within the next 24 months, I was confident Mr. Menendez would soon be in line to follow Mr. Lumet and direct a remake of Dog Day Afternoon. I hope he will take some time and reconsider and not let the Fernandina Beach Police dissuade him from a career in the arts. After all, the right kind of brush with the law can help a career ...

Film Shoot Mistaken for Hostage Situation
- - - - - - - - - - - -
March 25,2006 FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- A movie set at the downtown post office turned all too real for a group of high school filmmakers. Members of the high school Spanish club were shooting a movie Thursday night when the police showed up believing a hostage crisis was going on inside the post office.

But apparently, someone saw the teens carrying toy guns into the building on Centre Street, which is the heart of the town's historical district. When they couldn't get an answer to calls placed inside the building, they assumed the worst.

Police cordoned off the block, cleared nearby buildings and surrounded the post office ready for a hostage crisis. When a group of students left the post office, they were ordered to get on the ground, face down.

Postmaster Ron Steedley had given permission for the school group to use the post office after hours to make a movie, "Rolling Thunder." Steedley said he didn't think the student's movie would frighten anyone.

Devon Menendez, the film's director, said his film career is over.
"I'm not accepting any more offers to direct a movie," he said.

Photo: The Gotham Gazette

2006-03-24T05:11:00.000-05:00

On The Positive Friday

Queens native and University of Miami graduate Lucas Prata's, "And She Said."

2006-03-22T17:05:00.000-05:00

What Sells on the Mag Covers

So you want your magazine to move off the shelves? Use a bad actress (Jessica Simpson) a lip-syncher (sister Ashlee) or, well, Tom Cruise.

Want to lose big time on the newstand? Feature an Oscar winner like Jamie Foxx.

Media Industry Newsletter lays out the layouts that sold, and the photo shoots that missed.

2006-03-19T15:10:00.000-05:00

What if the new mainstream is no mainstream?

New artists of every stripe have always found it hard to "break in" and become a "break out" artist in the mainstream. But what if there is no mainstream? We already have a world where Barry Manilow can sell about 160,000 units and be on top of the Billboard charts. Have music's fans already abandoned the traditional and are not only buying music online but aggregating in new communities online that are defined by these shared interests and are buying accordingly?

A good article that refers to the phenomenon of The Long Tail appears in the Miami Herald. Check that out. I think it particularly applies to my favorite music: dance, house, etc. which definitely has a following but you aren't going to hear it on the radio and you may not find much at a place like the already troubled Tower Records ...

... but you will find it online, on satellite, and on Amazon.

It's all about finding the sliver of audience and giving them what they like.

Aha! I think Mr. Daniel Franco is doing exactly that on the fashion side of things. He is opening an online boutique and has already cultivated a potential market through his MySpace site, all done on the platform of another niche audience: the 2,000,000 die hard fans of Project Runway.

2006-03-12T09:57:00.000-05:00

"Slivercasting" and the Return of Trio

Trio was a very cool, artsy, quirky cable channel, more like Bravo when it was Canadian-owned. Now Trio is back and rolling out content not on cable or satellite but on several websites.

I suppose there has to be a name for it, and slivercasting will do as well as anything else. As high-speed internet access and cheap(er) production equipment and software hit the market, it is easier than ever to deliver content to your audience of three or three thousand. Remember how on Max Headroom there were these one person networks?

2006-03-07T22:02:00.000-05:00

Rebuild the New Orleans Library

Much of the New Orleans Public Library system was destroyed by Katrina. For example, in the hard hit lower Ninth, there was "nothing salvageable" at the MLK Branch.

The photos are hard to look at, but important to see.

The New Orleans Public Library is asking for any and all hardcover
and paperback books for people of all ages in an effort to restock
the shelves after Katrina. The staff will assess which titles will
be designated for its collections. The rest will be distributed to
destitute families or sold for library fundraising. Please send your
books to:

Rica A. Trigs, Public Relations
New Orleans Public Library
219 Loyola Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70112

If you tell the post office that they are for the library in New
Orleans, they will give you the library rate which is slightly less
than the book rate.

2006-03-06T19:47:00.000-05:00

My Oscar Highlight

It was great to see Clooney win and it was a positive to see the social significance of "Crash" recognized (although I think it won because the Academy simply wasn't going to endorse "Brokeback" with Best Picture.) But my personal fave of the evening was the video montage celebrating that character that turns out to be as old as Hollywood ... the Gay Cowboy.

2006-02-28T09:04:00.000-05:00

New Orleans and a Battle in the Perception War

And so Mardi Gras went on. It was hard to have a party when so many died so recently. When so many have been dispersed to maybe never come home. When so many are homeless. When we don't even know -- still -- where over 2000 of our fellow Americans are. They are just gone.

But so it went on. At least for a few days in the perception war, America asked, "Is New Orleans still there?" The answer came back, "We're still here, baby, just like we've always been."

Without Mardi Gras, the perception may have been, "New Orleans really is dead."

Here's a great insight from the Voices of Katrina blog hosted by the Times-Picayune just to pull you away from the regular media template of comparing the Lower 9th with the French Quarter this week.

At my house we are going to have Jambalaya and King Cake while listening to Clifton Chenier and others tonight. We'll remember good times in New Orleans while hoping for the future. I hope you'll do something, too.

Here's a Rhapsody playlist for you. Just click on the link ...

New Orleans Rising:
1. Zydeco La Louisianne - Buckwheat Zydeco
2. Buck's Step Up - Buckwheat Zydeco
3. La Danse De La Vie - BeauSoleil
4. Give Him Cornbread - Beau Jocque & the Zydeco Hi-Rollers
5. La Danse De La Vie - BeauSoleil
6. Big Chief - Bo Dollis & The Wild Magnolias
7. Louisiana Man - Doug Kershaw
8. Home To New Orleans - Queen Ida
9. I'm Still Blinkin' - Chavis, Boozoo
10. Boozoo, That's Who - Boozoo Chavis/The Majic Sounds 11. That's What I Like About The South - The Red Stick Ramblers
12. Boppin' The Rock - Clifton Chenier
13. I'm The Zydeco Man - Clifton Chenier and His Red Hot Louisiana Band
14. Jambalaya (bonus track) - Jo-el Sonnier
15. Church Point Breakdown - Jo-el Sonnier
16. Mardi Gras Mambo - Zachary Richard
17. Louisiana Two-Step - C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band
18. Two Step Mamou - Wayne Toups & Zydecajun
19. Caravan - Dirty Dozen
20. Save The Last Dance For Me - Geno Delafose & French...
21. Johnny Can't Dance - Wayne Toups & The Zydecajun
22. J'Ai Vu Le Loup, Le Renard Et La Belette - Balfa Brothers
23. Three Keys - James Booker
24. Hometown New Orleans - Champion Jack Dupree
25. Tipitina - Professor Longhair
26. Smoke My Peacepipe - The Wild Magnolias
27. Turn The Page - Chris Ardoin/Double Clutchin'
28. La Danse De Mardi Gras - Steve Riley & The Mamou...
29. Bosco Stomp / Zarico Est Pas Sale - Steve Riley & The Mamou...

2006-02-27T18:24:00.000-05:00

You want the new Pizza Hut ad campaign? ... Let me check your DBI

Well Miss Hilton, your "notice" is high but your "influence" and "trust" are in the tank. No publicity is bad publicity? Your DBI rating says otherwise ...

From New York Magazine:
The DBI, which was introduced February 13, goes a step beyond the 41-year-old Q rating—which is based on two factors, how many people have heard of Celebrity X and how many people name him or her as one of their favorites—by surveying 1.5 million Americans to score the boldfaced on eight key attributes: “appeal,” “notice” (their pop ubiquity), “trendsetter” (their position as such), “influence” (do they have any?), “trust,” “endorsement” (spokespersonability), “aspiration” (do we want his or her life?), and “awareness” (expressed as a percentage). The scores are then cross-referenced in a database that supposedly will help advertisers decide who among a list of more than 1,500 celebrities will help them hawk their wares. Access costs $20,000 a year.

2006-02-27T18:20:00.000-05:00

You weren't like I thought ... give me my money back

---------------------------------
From Page Six:

JUST as Page Six predicted two weeks ago, some homophobic Clay Aiken fans have lodged a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission over the marketing and promotional practices of Aiken's label. They charge false advertising and misrepresentation and conspiring to market and promote Aiken - the "American Idol" contender who allegedly had a tryst with a former military man - in a false and deceptive manner. A spokesman for the group said, "As consumers, we feel ripped off. It is obvious now that the private Clay is very different from the manufactured, packaged public Clay who was marketed to us."
---------------------------------

What are the legal and entertainment industry ramifications for a nasty little move like this? The public persona and private life of entertainers usually diverges, (just as you probably don't act at home as you do at work) but until recent years it was much easier to separate one from the other. Book after book has been written about this in the Hollywood community as the examples have filled volumes for decades.

But what if a rumor of your private life creates a legal action involving the public product you produce? The public wants their stars more accessible than ever before. And when they get the access and aren't happy with what they learn they can sue? I'm just asking ...

2006-02-25T07:42:00.000-05:00

Bruce Hart and the Ability to Go Back to a Happy Place

When my friend and co-conspirator, writer/director/documentarian Mary Pat Kelly, told me about the passing of lyricist Bruce Hart, we talked a little about how one's legacy will be portrayed after their passing. In the end, it is something over which we may not have great control.

Mr. Hart will be forever known as then man who wrote the original Sesame Street lyrics. And anyone under 45 probably spent at least some time with the show that started with the forever happy lyrics, "sunny day, sweeping the clouds away... can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?"

I was reminded of an episode of the almost perfect television series "My So-called Life." Rayanne and Ricky and Angela were waiting outside a movie theater. Rayanne was clean and sober and exuberant and broke into the theme from Sesame Street for all to hear. And people responded. All these people in line, mostly in their teens and twenties smiled, laughed and joined in. Abandoning the burdens of their age for a simple time, a happy place.

And I suppose for as long as we have PBS and The Children's Television Workshop, the song lives on. And more people can be taken back to the happy place of Kermit and Fozzie and Big Bird. Lifted and carried there by the little song Bruce Hart wrote so long ago.

Bruce Hart, Lyricist
From Wire Reports
February 24 2006

Bruce Hart, 68, who wrote the lyrics for "Sesame Street" and "Free to Be … You and Me," died of lung cancer Tuesday at his home in New York City, said his wife, Carole. Hart and his wife were among the first writers on "Sesame Street" when it began in 1969. Hart, who had worked for "Candid Camera" and written lyrics to the Cass Elliott hit "One Way Ticket," was hired to write sketches and help with the theme song.

Hart and his wife left "Sesame Street" after the first season and went on to a variety of other projects for children and young people, including "Free to Be … You and Me," the groundbreaking album and television special created by Marlo Thomas that featured Mel Brooks, Harry Belafonte, Michael Jackson and others.

Born Jan. 15, 1938, in New York City, Hart earned a bachelor's degree from Syracuse University in 1959 and a law degree from Yale University in 1962.

The Harts also produced a short-lived but well-regarded 1979 television show, "Hot Hero Sandwich," and a series of educational films about psychology.

2006-02-23T19:26:00.000-05:00

On The Positive Friday

"Beautiful" is the new video by Damian Marley, now available on Yahoo! Music. This is the Good Thang from Junior Gong.

2006-02-23T13:00:00.000-05:00

" ... What we're trying to do is find a business model that works."

And that friends is Roger Ailes, chairman of a new Fox network called My Network TV. It's going to be the hot stuff, with shows like "Desire" and "Celebrity Love Island."

So, to my evangelical and conservative people who think Fox News is fair and balanced and that guys like Bill O'Reilly bring you the Truth, flip over to My Network TV and tell yourself, it's not about idealogy or saving America.

It's about money and "the business model that works" is feeding you flag icons and conservative messages with one hand while feeding everybody shows that promise "greed" "lust" and "blind ambition" with the other.

More coverage:
New York Times
Los Angeles Times

2006-02-19T16:37:00.000-05:00

The 15 Minutes of Fame Girl

The New York Times reports that "Factory Girl," directed by George Hickenlooper, is wrapping up its shoot on location in Shreveport, La.

The term "15 minutes of fame" has become so battered, so over-used, that it's origins have been rendered meaningless. Maybe this film about Edie Sedgewick will remind us of the history of the phrase while reconnecting it to the celebrity world of today.

I love to find books or movies that tell the tale of the people who went through the down side of fame in previous generations, and seeing how little things have changed today. Roscoe Arbuckle went through it and so did Edie Sedgewick. Jerry Stahl's great "I, Fatty" chronicles the parallel, and maybe "Factory Girl" will, too.

"We're living in the time of the 'It' girl, and today, because of the technology, they're spat out much faster than before." - Captain Mauzner, screenplay, "Factory Girl"

2006-02-18T18:47:00.000-05:00

What I Learned from Project Runway

- If I worked for Banana Republic I would hate dealing with Santino Rice if he were to win. And based at least on that criterion, I would choose Daniel Vosovic.

- Any type of judging can be so subjective. Zulema Griffin’s “unfinished” verdict from the judges compared to some other garments that got by is the first example that comes to mind.

- It was a pleasure to see some really inspiring TV about creative people working, watching them and vicariously going through the design process with them.

- I plan to follow the careers of several of the designers, especially Nick Verreos, Daniel Franco, and Andrae Gonzalo.

- Creative people are the best people.

- If we all could have had a Tim Gunn mentor us during our formative years …

And that’s a lot to get from a TV show! So thanks, BRAVO. I’m ready for more Blow Out and Being Bobby Brown.

2006-02-14T10:49:00.000-05:00

Tracks for the Day

A few tunes for everybody's V. Day via Rhapsody ...

1. Weak - SWV
2. Say Somethin' - Mariah Carey (with Snoop Dogg)
3. Something In Common (with Whitney Houston) - Bobby Brown

2006-02-13T08:56:00.000-05:00

"... a nation of gifted children who were parented by gifted children ..."

An intriguing take on the nature of celebrity as presented on television from yesterday's Washington Post magazine.

2006-02-09T08:13:00.000-05:00

The 2006 Grammys: A True SAMO Moment

Back in the 60's Mick Jagger wailed "What a drag it is getting old." But not any more. Now it gets you a gig at the Super Bowl or an arm full of Grammys.

If you are young and in your prime and doing some of your best work (John Legend, Kanye West, Alicia Keys) just wait 20 or so years. Then some crusty voter will remember how much they enjoyed you in their youth and you'll win lots o' Grammys. (U2 has 22 Grammys? I must have stopped paying attention long ago.)

And maybe in 30 years the Super Bowl will be in London and the NFL will shrug off the legacy of Brit Pop and let you play halftime ... kind of like how they shrugged off Motown this year for the Stones.

Maybe.

One more thing: It's a shame that USA Today's Ken Barnes referred to Kelly Clarkson as "completing her coronation as Grammy's new female pop queen."

The lesson is get old or get on a reality show. On the positive, at least Damian Marley won ... but you wouldn't know that from watching TV.

2006-02-06T11:18:00.000-05:00

Lighten Up, It's Just Fashion Week

From flickr gallery of dragonflyajt

2006-02-05T13:00:00.000-05:00

Books and Movies and Docus that Motivate

A visitor asked for some examples of books or movies or documentaries about artists that have inspired me or provided motivation. Here are some 4 u:

Movies:
Fame
Basquiat
A Man for All Seasons

Documentaries:
Scandalize My Name: Stories From the Blacklist
Unknown Chaplin: The Master at Work

Books:
I'm Just a DJ But...It Makes Sense to Me
Martin Scorsese : A Journey
Republic of Dreams : Greenwich Village: The American Bohemia, 1910-1960

2006-01-31T19:49:00.000-05:00

The Hard Right Turn to Infotainment at CNN

In her Black America Web commentary, Deborah Mathis effectively makes the case as CNN takes it's latest downward turn to compete with Fox.

2006-01-29T16:44:00.000-05:00

Artistic Motivation and Watching Artists Be Artists

Part of the pleasure of watching Bravo's Project Runway is to watch artists doing what they love. The phrase "be true to yourself" is so overused as to immediately evoke some Dr. Phil vibe, but the designers on Runway seem to mean it.

The sincerity of Daniel Franco showed through regularly and now on his MySpace account he has begun Art Star, an open dialogue about what inspires an artist. I plan to visit regularly to see what moves people to do anything creative.

I'm always quickly turned off by someone who gravitates to the arts as an avenue to simply seek fame or wealth. You see it in school a lot these days. I've heard of students in these classes whose questions are not about craft but the first thing they want to know is how much money they'll make and how fast.

Back to the Runway, I remember an interview with Nick Verreos where he complains about students who are rich kids who think that they don't have to work hard to get somewhere. I've heard of this too, as an example a student in their first hospitality class who introduces themselves with the name of the hotel chain their father owns.

But back to the positive, I've narrowed down my own style to: working fast and cheap on projects I care about for people I like. And like several people have already added on Mr. Franco's project, music that creates mood is my most consistent motivator. I also like to read books about or by artists along with watching biopics or documentaries for motivation.

2006-01-27T05:45:00.000-05:00

On The Positive Friday: The Return of Sly Stone

The Washington Post reports that negotiations are under way for a Sly and The Family Stone reunion at this year's Grammys. If Sly is looking good and feeling good and sounding good, this will be a top Grammy moment thta will honor someone who truly single-handedly did so much to shape the pop music of the last 40 years in America.

Do yourself a favor and go listen to the lyrics of "Everyday People" or immerse in the bass line of "Thank You" and feel good on Friday. It'll take you higher. Boom chaka laka laka.

2006-01-26T19:05:00.000-05:00

Why was "Welcome to the Neighborhood" Spiked?

You tell me and we'll both know. However, the NYT poses some questions and theories including ABC/Disney having a much bigger marketing target to cultivate with "Chronicles of Narnia" and the Southern Baptists.

Maybe ABC/Disney was uncomfortable with the animosity toward the gay couple shown by their potential neighbors. There was a tolerance lesson learned by at least one neighbor.

Maybe ABC/Disney didn't want to be in the position of delivering a "people can change their attitudes" message? Or more ominously, they just didn't want to show a gay couple winning.

Intrigue aside, "Neighborhood's" no-go does seem to at least fit the general trend that you can have gay people on big network TV as long as they are funny stereotypes ... or played by straight actors.

2006-01-26T12:19:00.000-05:00

What Would You Do to Get Published?

Fiction authors, particularly first time writers trying to break into the publishing world face a growing dilemma. Publishers want an author who “lived the story.” See a novel about a woman and her kids overcoming death and divorce and starting over? Flip to the author’s bio and you will see “the author recently moved to Atlanta following the death of her husband. She is the mother of three children. This is her first novel.”

James Frey was rejected fifteen times, according to the Smoking Gun expose. The story states:

“Of course, if "A Million Little Pieces" was fictional, just some overheated stories of woe, heartache, and debauchery cooked up by a wannabe author, it probably would not get published. As it was, Frey's original manuscript was rejected by 17 publishers before being accepted by industry titan Nan Talese, who runs a respected boutique imprint at Doubleday (Talese reportedly paid Frey a $50,000 advance). According to a February 2003 New York Observer story by Joe Hagan, Frey originally tried to sell the book as a fictional work, but the Talese imprint "declined to publish it as such."

And now the author Nasdijj, who says he's of Navajo descent, may be a white writer impersonating an Indian.

According to a Washington Post story, LA Weekly is, “Citing documents and interviews with scholars, Indian authors and his acquaintances and colleagues, the magazine alleges that Nasdijj is really named Timothy Barrus, a writer of gay and pornographic literature.”

We will probably get bogged down on the details of what constitutes “the truth” in many a book (not to mention juicy tidbits about Mr. Barrus' other writings.) But remember the budding fiction authors for whom simply making up an interesting tale is not enough to get onto the shelves.

2006-01-26T08:31:00.000-05:00

For those of you who never heard of Parliament ...

Mayor Nagin explains "Chocolate City" one more time ... this time in DC

Washington Post Article