Bloggy Style

MOVED

2011-06-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

Guys, I just got out of jail and am ready to blog again.

This is to be continued at www.calvinmaphoto.com/blog

So go on.....

THE BEST SHIT EVER

2010-07-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

I promise you think is better than anything you have seen in the past one million years.

Let's put metal on top of this metal

2010-07-28T15:21:00.001-07:00

i can imagine rza being a real life kramer.

Sucker Punch

2010-07-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

Zach Snyder was like the new, trendy restaurant in town. He served up a new dish that everyone loved, those people demanded more, but he didn't put out. Why? He knew he was a one-trick pony. But he also knew it's a damn good trick. As a professional one-trick pony myself, I know the best way to milk that shit is to not do your one trick often. Haven't you ever did a funny ass impression of something, and everyone asked you to do it over and over and over? It's sort of like that.

Anyway, see that picture above? It's Apple's trailer site's splash page of Sucker Punch. How the fuck are you NOT wanting to see more after a still like that? I mean, really. Really? Really.

Zach Snyder, I commend you, Mr. One Trick, for not selling your soul too fast, and to keep us wanting more (ahem, M. Night Shamaladicka). You can show a blue man's balls all you want in IMAX, but we'll still keep shelling out $15 to see more.

Valhalla Rising

2010-07-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

300

minus Hollywood storyline template

plus extraordinary cinematography

minus Hollywood actors

plus a gory, blood-soaked trailer (hence, the "international" trailer) in HD

equals just watch this shit

Meet Hayabusa, the real gangster

2010-06-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) sent a spacecraft to land on a comet to collect data that might lead us to answers on the origin of the universe. It re-entered Earth on June 13th.

Did you read what I just wrote? Human beings built a robot that left our planet to travel 1.25 billion miles to land on something that's 585 yards wide, traveling in space at 56,000mph. Michael Bay couldn't even sell that to Paramount. If I told you it's the equivalent of shooting a dove in Moscow from Daly City, I'd be lying because that would be a million times easier.

Before you start worrying about whether what kind of bagel to have for breakfast, peep this video. It's a recording from a plane that shows the re-entry of Hayabusa, the big-dicked spaceship that made this all possible.

Mark Ronson- Bang Bang Bang

2010-06-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

w/ Tip and MNDR

My bad for not sharing this earlier

2010-06-11T22:55:00.000-07:00

Have a GREAT day, everyone!

2010-06-08T15:30:00.001-07:00

Weekend Music: The Cool Kids- Tacklebox

2010-06-04T00:23:00.001-07:00

DOWNLOAD

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

2010-06-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

I have a very good friend and his name is Arnold. This blog post is only relevant if you know him.

But friends and acquaintances of Arnold, I ask you this: isn't this trailer totally an Arnold-romantic-daydream?

Major Lazer & La Roux: Lazerproof

2010-05-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

DOWNLOAD

Iron Baby

2010-05-30T22:59:00.001-07:00

This is pretty fucking cool.

You don't need to know about Lost to watch this

2010-05-26T15:44:00.001-07:00

Sizzle Alert: LOST with Sarah Silverman! from Sarah Silverman

@kevd00d Camera Obscura at Ocean Beach in SF

2010-05-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

Camera Obscura - Forests & Sands from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Camera Obscura did a little song (Forests and Sands, my fave off Maudlin Career) outside the Cliff House in SF. Why the significance? Well, A- the song is awesome, B- Tracyanne Campbell's dreamy vocals, and C- the Cliff House is home to the very last camera obscura in the country. These hippies are G's.

A camera obscura is a super old school device that works like a projector that shoots out image of its surroundings. It basically led to the invention of the camera. It'll soon be popular again because it's what the military is using for invisibility technology. No joke, dude.

Nike Football and the World Cup

2010-05-20T23:29:00.001-07:00

This year, the biggest thing in the world is also the biggest thing the world needs right now, and that's the World Cup.

I post a lot of Nike shit, but that's only a few of the many pieces of creative work they put out. But... by far, the best piece of advertising that Nike has ever put together (including print, online, interactive, displays, etc) is in this 3-minute video here.

The only shame is that 3-minute videos only last as long as a Lincecum E.R.A. in this A.D.D. era. The shame lies in the fact that the best part of this 3-minute video starts around 1:40. Nike understands that this reach is beyond just North America, who I think only counts .01% of the collective global interest in the World Cup anyway.

If you HAVE to, and if you're THAT busy, fast forward to 1:45. Homer is in it. Kobe is in it. Ronaldo is in it.

Please, please, please, watch it.

Go ahead, have a good weekend

2010-05-14T21:43:00.001-07:00

The internet is private and you can do anything you want by yourself. Indulge.

The Riot Dog

2010-05-12T00:08:00.000-07:00

Nope, it's not Ice Cube's newest album. It's a real fucking riot dog!

It's been in the news that Greece declared bankruptcy, then didn't, then did, and some people are upset and yada, yada, yada... there are riots.

Now, according to The Guardian, there's been one hardcore dog that's been at the front lines of a bunch of these street parties. A David Lewis, of sorts, but in canine form- letting his actions do the talking. His name is Kaneloss, and he's a busta.

He's got a Facebook page. I'm trying to follow it, but it seems as though most of the comments have too many consecutive constants in it. According to everyone's screennames, they're all NYC taxi drivers.

Happy Star Wars Day!

2010-05-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Being that you've been on the internet all day now, there's no chance that you were able to avoid the fact that today, May 4th, is Star Wars Day. This is one of the best things I've seen all day. Kudos to... TomTom??

XX

2010-04-23T00:23:00.000-07:00

XX. If this is the first time you've heard about them, you're already way too late. They're 19. They're talented.

With the exception of The Intro, every track on XX is equally superb. (Only reason I say that is it's my favorite track.) If you wake up to The Intro every day for the next 30 years, it's equivalent to that green line in the Fidelity commercials.

I'm rambling. Video for "Islands" came out recently, and it's a fucking quality video. If you can tolerate extreme vertigo, definitely watch it (only 2:45) and then think about it the entire weekend.

Side note:

These days, it's hard to have a good old fashioned quality video that's not "OK GO viral". (I just found out recently that OK GO is a band. I thought they were videographers who just produced viral 4-5 minute clips online.) Who has the money to do it, let alone fans who have time to watch a 5-min video online? (You sure as hell don't see music videos on TV, I tell you that.) When was the last time you fully watched a 3-min video on this blog? Seriously.

PS22 just did Beach House

2010-04-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

This is probably the 3rd time I have ever posted about PS22. You're a crapload of a human being if you don't like them. Inner city kids juxtaposed against genres of music beyond what most adults even know... you gotta love them. It's like that episode of Friends where Chandler revealed he doesn't like puppies and Ross didn't like ice cream. People just look at you weird.

Anyway, artists on varying levels of success these days consider it an honor when PS22 covers one of their songs. And recently, I discovered they did ZEBRA by BEACH HOUSE. This caught me by surprise because these are elementary school kids from Staten Island singing a folky make-out-music song from a band from Baltimore. Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, even Journey I can understand. But Beach House?

Shit, I thought only I knew about Beach House. Guess not. Either way, they do it complete justice.

Hilarious note: at about 1:18, one kid woke up and realized what the hell was going on: "12 YO black kids don't sing Beach House, WTF". That alone is worth watching.

Best Cry Ever

2010-04-15T01:04:00.001-07:00

Burger King is fucking cool

2010-03-29T21:22:00.001-07:00

She and Him's In the Sun

2010-03-10T22:57:00.000-08:00

ZOOEY DESCHANEL and M. Ward released She and Him's new video for In the Sun from their upcoming album, Volume 2 (I think they think they're Quentin Tarantino).

When white guys can't dance = hilarity. It's a socially accepted ha-ha-ha. But when a white girl can't dance, ooh, mama.... it don't look pretty. Like a naked person trying to open a pickle jar (thanks, Seinfeld, season 9, episode 9). And that's kinda what you see in this video.

You can't hate Zooey D, yo! But you CAN hate her sister, Emily Deschanel, because she's uglier and on a stupid show called 'Bones'. I hella hate Bones.

Young talent

2010-03-05T22:32:00.000-08:00

You know what kind of people intimidate me? Talented people. Really talented people intimidate me and sometimes, their work is so good that I lose all appreciation for it, and it's a horrible thing.

Young talent is the worst. Like Lebron James and Nirrimi Joy Hakanson. Nirrimi has been doing photography since she was 14 years old. As of writing this blog post, she is 17 years old. Damn it.

Check out her blog HERE. It's way better than her portfolio.

Bloodz vs Wolvez

2010-03-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

Just came across this movie, its poster art, and plot description and it completely made my day. I want to meet the man who decided to cut a check to fund this project and shake his hand. Because he has balls. This is soooo a movie I imagine Joey Tribbiani to be excited about.

"Prepare for the ultimate battle of evil when two rival supernatural gangs wage war on the streets of New York City. The Bloodz are affluent Vampires who rule downtown - controlling real estate, blood banks and financial institutions. The Wolvez are the Werewolves who rule the night in the New York's uptown ghetto. Now, it's a battle to the death to determine who will run the city in the day, the night, and for all eternity..."

IMDB link

Mr. Richardson

2010-03-01T17:44:00.000-08:00

That date stamp ruins it, but what a photo.

Just the best one

2010-03-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

New to me, but old to you?

2010-02-25T00:30:00.000-08:00

I don't care if it is. Because it's cool.

I've seen my share of Mike Relm Youtube clips, but somehow, this one slipped through my cracks (pun intended). And once again, this dude is able to make me laugh multiple times through original uses of otherwise forgettable .5-sec snippets of audio and glasses adjustments with the index finger.

Geeks rule.

BTW- don't bother watching this unless you have audio.

My favorite is the Naomi Watts one- totally Chungking Express

2010-02-18T18:58:00.001-08:00

I love portrait photography. I mean, I LOVE portrait photography. Do you know what it takes to have a great image? It takes great lighting and one of the following two: a moving subject or a celebrity. Rarely do the two co-exist.

See, photographers who shoot high-profile fashion or celebrities have it made. They worked their tails off to make it to that level and they very well deserve it. But if, for example, I shoot you doing a goofy "bitter beer face," it'd be a picture of you doing a goofy bitter beer face. But if I shot Brad Pitt doing a goofy bitter beer face, I'd have it on the cover of my portfolio for the next 25 years. You know what I mean?

Don't get me wrong: shooting the socially elite is not easy. If given the chance, you still have to make it shine. For example, see this behind-the-scenes photo of Alicia Keys' Vogue shoot on Feb. 18. Vogue had a big ass team of designers and editors conceptualize, conference call, and build a team for the set with a photographer for about.. oh.... 30 minutes of time w/ Keys. Which means you have to get it done and get it done fast.

OK, before I go on and on... see some photos by celebrity photographer Greg Williams. It's not a bunch of celebrities doing goofy bitter beer faces. They're pictures of actors in fictitious settings, but mostly, they're pictures of eyes telling a story. Each picture is a story, and it's amazing of him to do this without a storyboard style. He seriously has no more than 30 minutes with each of these subjects, but in that short time, he warms them, convinces them, and has them execute exactly the way he wants. And he then presses the button at the perfect time.

Darts Meet Heart

2010-02-16T18:21:00.000-08:00

There's a new blog out there that's going to be super awesome. It's really for the ladies, though. But I know these two girls and they've been talking and planning this for a long time. Give it a visit and bookmark this beezy- they have a lot planned for everyone.

dartsmeetheart.com

2 videos and you

2010-02-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

Not sure which you want to do first. Press the Vimeo one if you need a workout or artistic inspiration, the Youtube one if you're in need of a laugh. You probably need both, you sad, out-of-shape loser.

*Note, be wary of searching the Steve Nash one on Youtube. Though this video is spreading like wildfire, someone spelled "Ridiculous" wrong in the title, making it nearly impossible to search for those with an education. It's sooooo 2010 to have incorrect spelling and yet be able to embed a video player into your custom weblog, am I right people?!

Human Chain from NikeSportswear on Vimeo.

Nike Human Chain & Steve Nash for Vitamin Water

2010-02-10T17:23:00.000-08:00

This is part of Vivienne Westwood's 2010 spring campaign shot by Juergen Teller. I don't know anything about the brand and I'm not claiming to. Just wanted to share a fantastic image. I think that's Pam Anderson.

Cudderisback

2010-01-29T00:41:00.000-08:00

What you know about Cudi and Amanda Bynes?

KiD CuDi "cudderisback" - Directed by Jason Goldwatch - DatNewCudi.com from DP on Vimeo.

PS22 kids again but doing Empire State of Mind

2010-01-18T20:18:00.000-08:00

These kids always crack me up. That little boy rapping, though, super awesome.

Topless Robot is right: NERD BONER

2010-01-15T01:12:00.000-08:00

Just a touch is all you need. Beckham, Storm Troopers, break dancers, tie fighters, Snoop Dogg, DJ Neil Armstrong, Darth Vader, a beat behind the Empire's theme song,, and a foggy 1-second shot of the Daft Punk helmets: BONER.

Seriously, though. The Daft Punk shot is plain cheating. You can show Daft Punk in a cardboard commercial and it'd help push millions in sales. That's because Daft Punk is the best thing on Earth.

Thanks, @kevd00d for the heads up.

So Conan....

2010-01-12T18:37:00.001-08:00

This is as close to a "fuck you" as Conan can come to that's FCC-compliant.

Is it called a "cake topper"?

2010-01-05T18:31:00.001-08:00

Marc Jacobs and Lorenzo Martone got married this weekend. Is that the most hilarious cake topper ever? That was probably the funnest wedding in history.

Lula Topshop short video

2009-12-31T14:05:00.002-08:00

Maximilla Lukacs and Sarah Sophie Flicker directed a shortie for Lula and Topshop. Please, if you got time and speakers, give this thing a 5-minute chance. The very surreal look of it gives a very dreamy, timeless feel until about 2:40 where things go horribly awry. It's terrifying and BALLER. If anyone knows the source of the music, please let me know. I've been listening to so much Beach House that everything sounds like them.

Check out what beauty really means, yo

2009-12-31T00:32:00.001-08:00

Erin Mulville, photographer.

Yelena Yemchuk

2009-12-30T22:19:00.001-08:00

Yelena Yemchuk is one of the best photographers alive. Straight up, man. Her images are all terrifying and beautiful at the same time. Below is a mix of personal projects and advertising. I bet you can't tell which is what. That's why she's a gangster.

No one can make this up

2009-12-17T17:36:00.001-08:00

The story basically boils down to this: a 4 YO boy gets up in the middle of the night, goes downstairs, drinks a beer, breaks the childproof lock on the front door, goes down the block and breaks into the neighbor's house to steal Christmas presents. All while wearing a brown dress. Don't believe me? See for yourself.

Kid's father is in jail. And yeah, it said the kid is doing what his "daddy does" to get in trouble to see his father in jail- sweet and sad... but the kid didn't get hurt, so that's why we can all laugh and go back to coffee.

Chanel Iman is

2009-12-16T20:57:00.000-08:00

...the hottest model out right now. She has a very natural connection with the camera that emanates no matter who is shooting.

God bless Youtube

2009-12-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

This is the funniest fight scene I have ever seen.

Thanks, Kev.

Only the best

2009-12-08T15:22:00.001-08:00

Here's the funniest skits from this past Saturday Night Live. The episode netted another mediocre score, but these are the cream of the crop. The weekend update, sans Kenan Thompson, was money. Jason Sudeikis is the Scotty Pippen to the Jordan that is Kristen Wiig.

2009-12-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

Say what you want about Michael Bay, but dude is all sorts of mainstream awesome. This is his Victoria's Secret commercial.

Shots and Misses sucked

2009-11-24T01:33:00.000-08:00

I had a photoblog a while ago but I deleted it and all the associated pictures. It was part of a Friday Meltdown where I realized I'm doing a lot of things wrong. Everything, in fact. I was way too caught up with equipment and technical stuff and ignored composition. So I'm starting fresh.

This is what I'll be going forward with. Be kind...

http://ilovepeterlindbergh.blogspot.com

Just the good one (part 2)

2009-11-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

SNL sucked this weekend. With Joseph Gordon-Levitt set to host with Dave Matthew's Band performing, it sounded like a guaranteed hit . But JGL was really awkward the entire time and DMB was redundant and boring.

One entirely shitty episode can only be saved by only one thing: What Up With That. I've said it once and I'll say it again: this is the best original skit on SNL in a really long time. So long I can't remember what was the last (maybe Jeopardy?)

A lot of people might not find this funny, but instead, stupid. I can see that. It's a whole lot of random ridiculousness. This is the 2nd one they did, and I bet this time around, the writers were just asking cast members to do whatever they want in a cameo.

But two staples were there: Jason Sudeikis and Fred Armisen.

JUST WATCH HOW JASON SUDEIKIS WALKS OFF SCREEN EACH TIME HE'S DONE DANCING. That alone is worth watching this clip. Hope it made you laugh as much as I did.

Have a happy Thanksgiving work week, everyone!

The result of teamwork

2009-11-20T00:13:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when an artist has a concept, translates it with nothing lost to their team of artists and executes it perfectly. Much like any Tarantino movie, basically. Models Juliet Wesley and Brandon Wilson bring to life Baldovino Barani's editorial inspired by human mental combustion. It's going to appear in November's MILK X magazine. Styled by Holly Susan Gray. See more pictures HERE.

OBSESSED

2009-11-19T01:29:00.001-08:00

LA ROUX- I'M NOT YOUR TOY

La Roux- "I'm Not Your Toy" from tucker gerrick on Vimeo.

Where'd these guys get the budget to do a kick-ass video like this? I thought only I knew about them....

2009-11-18T21:30:00.000-08:00

This is how the human profile looks like through an X-Ray when a male says "PION".

I really hope the animation works for you guys.

Gay club music just got a lot more real

2009-11-16T22:01:00.000-08:00

Pop rocks. I've said it once, and I'll say it again.

GaGa is everywhere and chances are you hate her. I hated her, too, but I've learned to embrace. GaGa to me is like e-mail to my mom. It's so frustrating to get along with, but it's everywhere. It's the future. Adapt to like/use it or live miserably. Aleza listens to her non-stop and it's become one with my brain now through osmosis. But it's OK, you know? Because her songs are actually pretty damn catchy.

Do what I do: listen to some GaGa, then clean your palate by listening to some hipster ass indie shit. Like Arcade Fire. Instant cred.

I'll be nice and share her upcoming album (2 CDs, mostly remixes but 8 new songs). Don't laugh at the URL. It's a legit site.

http://rapgodfathers.com/download/10290-lady-gaga-the-fame-monster-deluxe-edition

You know I'm gonna read this

2009-11-16T21:56:00.001-08:00

Even though it's totally biggity-barf (copyright pending).

Video Review Monday!!

2009-11-16T21:23:00.001-08:00

Bringing you pop music's biggest videos and giving you the bottom line so you don't have to watch it.

Beyonce and Lady GaGa- Video Phone

Beat: HARD. Video: HARD. Hype Williams' best since 'Can't Tell Me Nothing'. Not that that's his all time best, but it's been his recent best. ANYWAY, this song's beat is so damn good. Nothing complicated, like Lollipop, but enough juice to make your head bob a minimum of 1.5'. Need to know who came up with the costume concepts. Hype even made GaGa look semi-pretty. Enough lighting and a brilliant make-up artist can make anything happen.

But... the dancing. Beyonce is an OK dancer. I mean, she gets it done. She's no Mya. But GaGa makes Bey look like Janet (circa Rhythm Nation- Janet). Oh, and I really wish girls would really learn how to hold a gun. Makes things a bit less cheesy.

Alicia Keys- Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart

Get your muthafuckin' lighters up, yo, because this is hit central. Seriously though, hit central. Another basic beat that'll swing your arms in the air with full extension. That's just the song.

The video... is OK. Nothing special, which is a shame because it's a great fucking track. I think the director just got his first crane and steady-cam and it's just camera-pan overdose. Alicia has never been one to hide her figure (which makes her much more appealing in the fact that she's real, or at least as real as a pop star gets) and these panning shots made me think this was Jordin Sparks (Jordan Sparks, Jordin Sparx, Jordan Sparx.... or variation of).

Shakira feat. Lil' Wayne- Give It Up to Me

Let me make this clear. I like Shakira. No, I don't have any of her albums, though. She's like the Spice Girls to me. They sold 65 million records, but I have never met someone who admitted to buying one.

I figured Shakira out. Her voice is distinct. Her dancing style is original. BUT IT'S TOTALLY SOMETHING ANYONE CAN DO. It's not a skill. But no one does it, so it's exclusively her.

Anyway, I posted recently Shakira's super-uber-catchy-ass hook (term copyright pending) two weeks ago with no shame. And I'm doing it now.

To add some more street cred to my name after admitting liking Shakira songs, Kid Cudi liked Did It Again so much he did a remix with her on it and Wayne liked this enough to show his face in a video with her. So I'm on Cudi/Wayne level. Glad we agree on that.

Oh yeah, the review. Wayne clearly sipped sizzurp before the shoot and Shakira is again wearing a one-piece bathing suit with tights, bending her knees at shoulder length, and swinging her arms along the plane of her hips. That's all.

It's like prunes to your workout constipation

2009-11-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

The trailer for Clash of the Titans is out, and if this 1-minute video doesn't have you in running shoes by the ending, then you're not human.

Also, Sam Worthington is going to be a big ass star. Lock.

2,000 frames per second

2009-11-09T16:46:00.000-08:00

This is how a drop of water looks like when it hits a larger pool of water, in slow motion, recorded at 2,000 frames per second. It's nothing special, but completely special at the same time.

This is the video of the day.

Days With My Father by Phillip Toledano

2009-11-08T21:56:00.000-08:00

Photographer Phillip Toledano creates a photo-essay about his 98 year-old father who is suffering from memory loss. Among the challenges his father faces on a daily basis, one stands out most painful: having to remind him, often several times a day, that his wife is passed. Imaging having to relive the experience of hearing your wife of 50+ years is gone multiple times a day and the toll it takes on everyone around.

Called Days With My Father.

This is powerful stuff.

http://www.dayswithmyfather.com

The navigation on it is pretty gnarly, but put your cursor near the bottom of the photo and click on it.

Saving a life is nothing to joke about, so remember some code

2009-11-07T22:46:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, next time you're piss drunk, just remember the golden rule: #-T-A-X-I. Use it to call yourself a taxi, OK?

Again, next time you're embarrassingly drunk off your ass, dial:

POUND-T-A-X-I

Pound is the one to the right of "ZERO". Of course you know left and right when you're seeing double.

For those who have a QWERTY keyboard, that's:

POUND (right of zero)-EIGHT-TWO-NINE-FOUR

Sorry to all T-Mobile customers. If you're lucky enough to remember all this shit when half your face is in the toilet, it'll cost you an extra $1.29 to $1.79 (depending on your local area) to save your life.

CocoRosie's Noah's Ark- BAM! And I'm done..

2009-11-07T17:13:00.000-08:00

Of all the albums in the world, there is not a cover where the artwork looks exactly how the album sounds more than CocoRosie's Noah's Ark.

So, yup. Noah's Ark sounds like a unicorn (with fake eyelashes, I presume) fucking a mule (with eye shadow) who's giving it to a zebra (also with eye shadow) with a fake horn, throwing up a rainbow shower of barf. Before a watercolored pasture. And it's good!

Check out a track below, and if you like it, GET IT.

Last.fm:

CocoRosie is a duo from North America that was formed by Sierra Casady (Rosie) and Bianca Casady (Coco) in 2003. Sierra and Bianca Casady are North American half-Cherokee sisters. Sierra, the older of the two, was born in Iowa, and Bianca was born in Hawaii. Their mother nicknamed them Rosie and Coco, respectively, from which their musical act takes its name.

Noahs Ark - Coco Rosie

all Muni buses in real time

2009-11-03T21:17:00.000-08:00

San Francisco Public Transit Data Visualization from Jeevan Kalanithi on Vimeo.

Taco Lab, an engineering and designing firm in San Francisco, used real-time data (from Nextbus) using GPS locations of Muni buses to create this 3D visualization. It's kinda cool.

2009-11-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

Isn't it weird to see Bush in a Giants jacket? Yeah, it's the Yomiuri Giants, but still. And they have cheerleaders for baseball games in Japan?

Speaking of Japan, I can't leave you guys without a funny ass gameshow clip. In this edition, it's a prank where they lead people falling into hot ass water and watch them freak out. Falling in water alone is enough, but they use hot-tub temp water to make them freak out even more. We got to learn a lot from these guys. It's the little things that do it.

If you're in a rush, fast forward to 2:40. Bald Asian guy? In a bikini? Falling backwards into hot water? And this is all for free? Harumaski udin!

Shakira- Dit It Again

2009-11-02T02:50:00.000-08:00

Shakira is pulling one of those I-did-fairly-well-before-but-I'm-gonna-lay-low-a-bit-and-come-back-and-reinvent-my-artistic-self things and so far, so good.

Song is aight, but the choreography for the dance and the video shoot are pretty original in this.

Oh, and she totally looks like a Latin Beyonce, no?

La Roux (la ROO)

2009-10-27T22:28:00.000-07:00

There are some subtle pleasures in life that are often overlooked, like a new pair of socks or sweatpants or getting seriously enraptured by a new album. The latter (at least for me) comes a lot less frequently than the former. And when it happens, followed by the actual realization of it, life is good.

And when life is good, it's best to share.

La Roux.

Last.fm has them as: La Roux are an English electropop "synth duo" band made up of singer and synth player Elly Jackson and co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Elly found a book of baby names in a bin. Within the book was the name "La Roux". 'La Roux' comes from the French for 'red-haired one' ('la rouge') referring to Jackson's distinctive hairstyle. Their music is largely influenced by 1980s pop music including Eurythmics, Depeche Mode, The Human League, Yazoo and Prince.

Tags: electropop, electronic, synthpop, dance, indietronica (did NOT know THAT was a genre)

Similar artists: Little Boots, Frankmusik, Florence + The Machine, Ladyhawke (way off, Last.fm dude, way off) See if this song below, Armour Love, will not blow your (hopefully new) socks off.

Armour Love - La Roux

I have a photo blog, too

2009-10-22T00:47:00.001-07:00

I have a photo blog. It's been up for a few months, collecting content, and it's kinda ready to be shared. If you dare visit it, and you're a solid friend of mine, I want you to e-mail me two things you hate about my photography. Nothing good, you can keep that in your pocket.

Thanks!

shotsandmisses.blogspot.com

P.S. Kevin, you can share now.

Just the good ones

2009-10-21T13:47:00.001-07:00

SNL has been consistently bad the last several seasons, but this year, the guests have been really good and the skits have been extremely good or extremely cheesy. This past week's episode was the most extreme of the season. Here's two good ones in case you missed it. Laugh.

THIS IS SO ERIC!!!!

2009-10-17T01:09:00.000-07:00

Of course, they used Justice to the intro of DJ Hero. I can't wait for this game.

At about :10 into this video, Eric would have had his eyes and mouth wide open, looked at you, then the screen, then you again, then back at the screen. At about :20, he'd throw his right hand in the air and cover his mouth with his left. At around 1:00 he'd give the loudest "OOOOOOOH!" and at the end of the video, he'd say, "Damn, blad. That shit changed my life, mayn."

Pebble Toad: the Amazing... Pebble Toad

2009-10-17T00:34:00.000-07:00

Remember how breathtaking Planet Earth was when it first aired on Discovery? Crazy ass press surrounding it, mostly about the cinematography and its near-impossibility of certain shots?

Well, the BBC is going to one-up that motherf**ker by showing their version called "Life". They released a snippet of the 10-episode series today and don't mess around. Watch this shit. It's about the Pebble Toad. I'm not going to mention much, but after watching this clip, I guarantee your socks will be blown right off your feet.

When you're done, ask yourself HOW THE HELL DID THEY GET THAT FOOTAGE?! That's nuts, dude. Check it out!

From the BBC:

"Filming the bouncing toad was very challenging; the remote mountain plateau is one mile high and 26 square miles in area, whilst the toad is one inch long and very elusive. The tarantulas which prey on them are also very hard to find. To give the crew the best chance of finding and filming them, the expert on these creatures came on the shoot. He searched for a week before the crew's arrival to find both species and a location where they could come together and where the toad would demonstrate its bouncing-ball method of escape. This allowed the cameraman to set up his slow-motion camera in the right place. The scientist was able to ensure that the toad was never in danger of being harmed by the tarantula as a result of us filming them. The technique was a total success - the toad tucked its legs in, rolled and bounced, allowing the crew to film its method of escape in slow-motion detail."

2009-10-12T02:08:00.001-07:00

The Magnetic Fields

2009-10-12T02:05:00.000-07:00

I feel like crap because no one has ever told me about The Magnetic Fields. Why is the best stuff always from NY?

Come Back from San Francisco - The Magnetic Fields

Nissan Glide

2009-10-09T00:29:00.000-07:00

Enio, Arn, Kev: why didn't someone think of this before?!

Love the 1990's version-of-the-future music, hate the front of the car that seems to be giving me the evil eye the whole time.

Chanel-O!

2009-10-06T23:45:00.000-07:00

Chanel's turn at Paris Fashion Week is the talk of the town. The set was inspired by Marie Antoinette’s farm. Chanel's got skrillaz, that's for sure.

Now, I don't agree with much: the appetizer, the entree, the music. But it all blended together so extremely and unexpectedly well.

Lily Allen, she's aight, but it just seemed to have paired so cooly with the whole barn theme. I want to be that person who does the music selection to these things (to everything, really).

And at the end, the man, the myth: the walking enigma that is The Lagerfeld.

2009-10-04T03:04:00.001-07:00

Did you guys hear Jay-Z on Oprah (satellite radio)

2009-10-01T13:40:00.001-07:00

Jay-Z really matured/cleaned up (temporary-tattoo-style) for this interview. Mogul.

But when Oprah was told she was referred to on Blueprint 3, her reaction was priceless. She tries to maintain a positive facial expression, but you can clearly see she's thinking in her head, "Ah fuck, this shit is live. He better not have said some shit about me."

After they cued the clip, Oprah gets the fakest/confusingest look on her face because she has 0.0% clue what the hell Jay was talking about.

BTW, if I had the money and power Oprah had, I'd too have my own magazine called "C" and put my own damn self on every single cover of every issue.

Yo EA, James, Nando, Arn, Enio, B Easy

2009-10-01T13:30:00.001-07:00

Nike Free Run Supernatural from Joseph Cartman on Vimeo.

You guys ready!?

Sesame Street is so cool

2009-10-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

Innocent parodies: brilliant. Good for the kids, good for the parents, and good for the guy who stays home to watch Sesame Street.

Emotional Movie Channel, haha.

Levi's European F/W

2009-09-23T00:57:00.000-07:00

Levi's is starting to become one of my favorite brands. The brand and most of their pieces are timeless- when will a pair of Levi's jeans ever be out of style? All while being truly American without being too "Tommy" or "Nautica". They've achieved a niche in the original/affordable/wearable/street-credited/Ralph Lauren market.

Chadwick Tyler photographs Levi's latest campaign for their European market in an abandoned Brooklyn naval yard.

The video is semi-awesome only because of the fact that they're using Ladytron.

P.S.- Sorry, this is turning into a fashion photography blog, but I promise, I won't do it much more.

John Paul Gaultier doing kids now

2009-09-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

John Paul Gaultier's kids collection. Awesome photos! Shooting kids is definitely a skill.*

When I was young my mom made me wear Esprit stuff my older sister wore. Yes, I got girls' hand-me-downs. I once had to thug it out in Guess jeans.... with the RED logo. Not the guys' green ones, but the women's red ones. Pimpin' never was easy.

Anyway, JPG has a kids' line, and to that, I say: what recession!?

*I'm talking about kids, not babies. Babies are easy, like Tracy Raver (who uses OTC drugs to knock out the babies to pose them). Examples below. Kids are not.

My daily alarm

2009-09-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

LeBron in France. from Good Produce on Vimeo.

I think it's really important that we all wake up to something inspiring in the morning. I used to have a playlist that I wake up to that takes me from the bed to the second I walk out the door. Beats the hell out of a buzzing sound.

Recently, I superimposed my face on Lebron's body in this video. And my TV automatically tunes to it at 8AM.

Feel free to ask me for the MPEG. But the catch is you have to wake up to my face.
P.S.- Drake can't spit worth crap. Weezy, on the other hand, rules everything.

Petrou Men's Collection Spring 2010

2009-09-21T22:23:00.000-07:00

Styled by Robbie Spencer, fashion editor for Dazed and Confused.

F the clothes, man. Robbie Spencer killed it on this one.

Check out more info HERE.

DAFT PUNK DJ HERO!?!?!

2009-09-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Holy motherfuckin' shitballs. The DJ Hero trailer with Daft Punk just made me literally yell out loud.

Where can I preorder this? I am at a lost for words.

Eric, this is ALL you, brother!

So the Obama/Kanye thing is out

2009-09-15T21:45:00.001-07:00

Wow, can't believe it. Everyone was saying that Obama called Kanye a jackass (off the record, of course), but in this day and age, is anything really "off the record"?

The answer is no. And the above is President Cool-pants Obama calling the bitch-ass Kanye West a jackass.

President Obama. That's G.

2009-09-14T15:51:00.001-07:00

Buried by wild card races, Serena Williams and NFL Week 1 yesterday, everyone seems to have forgotten about the dudes in the U.S. Open.

Here's a clip of Federer just being fuckin' ridiculous.

Who's excited for the VMA's?

2009-09-13T14:55:00.001-07:00

I am! This MJ tribute thing'll be good.

Also, I wonder how Crumbs made it into this commercial.

Format Presents: No Homer

2009-09-12T00:05:00.000-07:00

I love that title: No Homer.

Format does that hip-hop cutesy thing again. This time, hip hop artists Simpsonized.

2009-09-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

Fever Ray- Seven

Video for my favorite song off the CD. What cinematography! How often can you say that about a music video?

I hope you guys are ready for this

2009-09-05T00:24:00.001-07:00

I went to go brush my teeth after writing my entry below and decided to share with the world my alien theory.

Kevin, if I go missing after publishing this theory, tell the world my story.

OK, it goes without bragging that I'm quite the amateur astronomer. I mean, I dare you to challenge me with any mathematical question regarding distances between objects in space. I will blow your mind, man. There's no way to explain a scientific theory without math, so let me hold your hand through this:

a- light travels at 186,282 mph

+

b- Promixa Centari, our closest star, is 4.22 light years away, meaning you have to travel at 186,282 mph to reach that star

+

c- no physical matter can travel that fast. Einstein proved it. Your body will literally disintegrate.

=

d- let's be real, y'all. NO physical body can travel from one star to another, let alone stars/planets/E.T. are all billions of light years away. It would take too long and there's no source of energy that can sustain a species to travel billions of years to reach anything.

So the conclusion is this: aliens are real, but they have never visited us and they never will.

But what about all those "alien encounter" stories from Alaska and shit? We can't discount that. Don't you find it fishy how every single one of these shit-kickers report the same story? It's always little beings, all white, big heads, huge dark eyes, no/little mouths.

We've already scratched out space travel in large distances, but we haven't ruled out TIME TRAVEL. Before you hop on over to Perez Hilton, hear me out. Now, we can't travel into the future (hasn't been written yet, see: Back to the Future), but we can surely travel to the past. In fact, it's proven. Long story short, Einstein predicted you can travel through the past if enough gravity allowed it. NASA proved it several years ago with atomic clocks (swear to! just ask me for the article).

So, in conclusion, the "aliens" that these people have reported seeing are in fact: us from the future. We used to be apes with muscles and claws to hunt, hair to keep us warm. As we evolved, we got smarter so our brains got bigger. We have Aeropostale to keep us warm so no more need for back hair. We don't need claws to hunt, we use tranquilizer guns and meat mills.

Evolution, man. In the future, we need huge brains. We don't need muscles any more. We won't need big mouths to eat since we'll be taking meals in pill form. We'll communicate with telepathy. We'll all be white because 100% of us will work indoors. See where I'm going? And ask yourself this: if you had the chance to travel back in time to study Jesus Christ, King Tut and Calvin Coolidge, wouldn't you? That's exactly what they're doing to us.

I rest my case.

Sorry Courtney and Steph...

2009-09-05T00:12:00.000-07:00

In alien-talk, the "First Kind" refers to a UFO sighting, a "Second Kind" refers to an incident in which evidence is collected. "Third Kind" is an actual encounter while "Fourth Kind" is the worst-case scenario: an abduction.

Shitloads of vampire and alien movies have been released (out of nowhere) as of late, but in terms of motion pictures, the aliens sure are the more artistic and original. With District 9's release several weeks ago (decent picture, but extremely original- I mean, never during this movie about aliens, a redundant movie theme, do you say "Seen that before"), alien movies sure are becoming more entertaining.

Continuing on my point about originality and entertainment value, the trailer for The Fourth Kind was released this week.

Now, get this. The movie is not a documentary, it is not really a reenactment of a documentary, but is fully a narrative. BUT... the premise of the movie is to reenact actual (see: real) footage of interviews of people who were supposedly abducted by aliens and, well, without giving away the farm, the consequences of such.

Not since Fire in the Sky have I been so excited about an alien abduction movie.

Apologies to Courtney who is completely freaked out of aliens and Steph who I know has had it with alien conspiracy theories in the government.

2009-09-04T22:12:00.000-07:00

So there's a fashion magazine in France called Purple and they had some dude travel with and shoot Stefano Pilati. In the featured article, Pilati supposedly goes on and on about what's wrong with menswear today. Well, it's OK because he's an Italian artist working in France (enough said, eh?) in fashion.

Anyway, look at these freakin' photos. In it, Pilati wears maternity pants with facial hair that's begging for a cameo in D*ick in a Box. But all in all, the spread is BAD FREAKIN' ASS because that's what good photographers do: make you look another way. Good shot, whoever shot this.

(BTW, Pilati is a designer for YSL)

Nike AW77

2009-09-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Nike is releasing a new series of hoodies dubbed the "AW77" in October and they got some big names to promote it. Shot by David Sims.

2009-09-02T00:00:00.001-07:00

I got these two really good photos of my parents with my two nephews and I had to make a video out of it.

2009-08-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

Alrighty!

Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc.

2009-08-27T16:23:00.001-07:00

Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc. from Chris Cairns on Vimeo.

Teenagersintokyo

2009-08-27T00:27:00.000-07:00

They're called Teenagersintokyo and they're sooooo badass. Here's a single. If you like it, I can give you their EP.

Have a great teenagersintokyo day.

SONG HERE NOW CLICK OK

Demo reel done right

2009-08-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

I-REEL SHOWREEL 2008-2009 from Simon Ravet on Vimeo.

I haven't seen as many demo reels as some of you people, but I've seen my share. And never have I watched beyond 30 seconds of any of them because, frankly, they're cheesy and they suck.

But I came across Simon Ravet's demo reel today and it blew me away to know that one guy did all this. He's a graphic designer for digital films. Give it a chance and watch a few seconds of it. Preferably in HD, but I'm not going to sue you if you don't.

Pic of the day

2009-08-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

A walking vagina.

Just kidding! But really, though- check out these pictures of Zoe Saldana from Vanity Fair, shot by Michael Roberts. In Harlem. Gorgeous!

Makes me happy

2009-08-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

AND

Two very random things.

2009-08-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

Twiggy, shot by Melvin Sokolsky. FAO Schwartz, NYC, 1967.

Behind her is actually the Apple store, now.

Everyone in NYC has to check out the Model as Muse exhibit at The Met. It'll change your life.

Last night's Conan

2009-07-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

For one reason or another, Conan hasn't really honed in the real comedy that made Late Night... Late Night. But once in a while, the new Tonight Show has flashes of old brilliance.

Like last night. With real professionals.

Urban Prankster .com

2009-07-25T18:57:00.001-07:00

Homeless Robot

Came upon this site today and it's nice to share. Most of the good stuff has already been flooded into your daily reads. Nonetheless, it's still a nice rest stop on the internet. A few here are my faves.

Check out the site: www.urbanprankster.com

If you like it, check out: www.pictureisunrelated.com

Todd Selby again

2009-07-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Australian Jonathan Zawada created a mural of some sorts in honor of The Selby, the project by Todd Selby where he shoots artists throughout the world in their homes. Think celebrity segment of Better Homes and Gardens but without the Better Homes and Gardens.

Check out his site again as he's recently uploaded a whole ton of new work.

Anyway, the poster is limited to 275 in its initial run and is all numbered and signed and is only $25 at The Selby Store.