Sunday, November 30, 2008

Hip hop splinters into the future

Music critic for the New Yorker and my personal idol teaches me a lot about new artists and music trends. His recent article December 1 issue talks of 

Steven Ellison, LA based producer, works under the name Flying Lotus and released an album this year entitled "Los Angeles." I own this album and I love it. Perfect mix of electronic and psychedelic beats with hip hop rhythms. Ellison has worked with a variety of artists including A Tribe Called Quest and Erykah Badu. Frere-Jones points out the song "The Reckoner" as a highlight featured on the above myspace page. Click the link! 

Mike Slott  and Hudson Mohawke (song Zoo000oom) from the LuckyMe collective in Glasgow are also mentioned. 

From a previous column: 
Megasoid: Party music from Montreal. 

And from Jamie's recommendation of this Milwaukee hip hop act: 

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Television Shows to Watch NOW

Mad Men- AMC, Sundays at 10pm. Two seasons of NYC ad men circa 1960s. A critically acclaimed if slow to catch on drama. Also inspiring many fashion trends this season. Stars Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Elisabeth Moss and January Jones. 

True Blood- HBO, Sundays at 9pm. At the end of season one we see vampires and humans co-existing in the backwoods of Louisiana and beyond. Blood, sex, vampires, murder - what more could you want out of a television show. Plus anything Alan Ball creates you know will be good!
Stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer.

Brotherhood-  Sundays at 8pm. A Showtime original series. A mob drama about redemption that follows the lives of two brothers- one in politics and one in the mafia whose lives are entwined at every step. Stars Jason Isaacs, Jason Clarke, Annabeth Gish and Ethan Embry. 

The Riches- Tuesdays at 10pm on FX but recently canceled. You can still catch two seasons of Wayne and Dahlia Malloy as con artist travelers trying to steal the American dream. Stars Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver.  

The Wire- HBO. Whether you're interested in sociology, education, criminal justice system or you just love great television, the Wire is a highly acclaimed narrative about inner city Baltimore. Five seasons of wondering- wow, are they actors or is this real? Stars Dominic West, Sonja Sohn and Lance Reddick. 

Friday Night Lights- NBC, Fridays at 9pm. Returning January 16, FNL is an extended version of the film by the same name. It is a drama about football and the surrounding culture in small town Texas. Stars Scott Porter, Zach Gilford and Minka Kelly.  

Gossip Girl- CW, Mondays at 8pm. Huge buzz about this show in NY and amongst teens and 30 somethings alike. Fashion, backstabbing, sex and drama abounds with spoiled Upper East Side teens wheeling and dealing to get into college and each others pants. Stars Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick. 

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia- FX, Thursday nights at 10pm. Hilarious comedy about 4 awful, heartless glue sniffing, alcoholics running a bar in Philadelphia. One of the funniest things on tv. Stars Danny DeVito, Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton and Kaitlin Olson. 




Tuesday, November 25, 2008

How to get a media job when the market is down and nobody loves you

I went to a forum at the NY Press Club last night that involved the editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, an Executive Producer from NY1 News and the founder of Mediabistro.com. Here are some tips they provided...

1. Continuing Education: Always be teaching yourself new skills like design, page layout, html.

2. Get a flip camera: http://www.theflip.com - a high definition version just came out too. Get this, mess around, jump into the future.

3. Build your own brand: have a direction, distill yourself down to who you are and what you care about, don't abuse networking * don't always ask people to give you a job, schedule informational phone or in person (if they have the time) interviews.

3a. Informational interviews: Should ask for 15 minutes and stick to that time frame, send a thank you note in an email and card

4. Build a brand online: Blog, Yelp, Facebook, Myspace, your own web site, podcast! 

5. Network: Network, network. And not just the 1970s movie about media. Create an E newsletter once a month to send to people with my clips and what I'm working on, send to friends to pass on to friends of friends, be authentic!!

6. Be mindful of job description: Use key words in job description in your resume and cover letter to avoid automatic filtering process

7. Don't leave 2 minute phone messages with your number at the end: Be clear and articulate on the phone. Leave number at beginning and end and keep it brief!

8. Web sites: newschallenge.org 
                        paidcontent.org
http://typepad.com
bailout@sixapart.com
poynter institute 
cgr

9. Important media terms (for understanding audience on web): BAW- Bored at Work
   CCT- Conference Call Time 

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

All for the Love of Music and Art

ALMA parties in NYC celebrate "neo-brasilian fusion." Apparently these parties get crazy and I was sad to have missed the last one on November 14 because I was in Florida. Next time around I'm definitely at Sullivan Room in the village to get down and discuss City of Men. 

In yet another striking blow that I don't live in Brazil, Forro in the Dark played at Joe's Pub by Astor Place on Friday, November 13. This genre embodies a conglomeration of jazz and techno music- think DANCING! I'm getting my ticket now for $15 for their next show- January 9 at 11:30pm at Joe's Pub. 

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

What's your Vice?

Vice magazine co-founder Gavin McInnes spoke recently on a Black 20 news package about hipsters. I first saw the piece from Brooklyn Vegan blog but it led me to McInnes new site Street Carnage. Awesome. More irreverent urban street culture.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Music News from New Orleans

Thanks Jenna. YUM YUM YUM... Candy Girl by G eazy featuring Greg Banks.  

Love the Jamaican rythmes. Totally caribbean moves. 

Hold Up Wait a Minute

Girl Talk, aka Greg Gillis, killed it Sunday night 11/16 at Terminal Five in NYC. People were sweaty and dancing and there were machines hurling toilet paper and confetti into the crowd. I must be getting old because midway through I had to leave the elbow fest for some fresh air and more dancing room but eventually I returned to bump and grind with my crazy neighbors once again. SO FUN but I just don't think I have the energy to see his third show this Tuesday, aka tomorrow, 11/18. 

I missed True Blood for this, that says a lot. 

Friday, November 14, 2008

Welcome to the rap Bizzle

Miami rapper Bizzle, also known as Chowtime, is making waves in South Florida and around the country with his stripper anthem "Naked Hustle."  Notice the new dance move for this song called the Wu Tang. According to the Metro Mix paper it derives from Wudangquan, a form of Chinese martial arts where your moves are meant to taunt your opponent.  I haven't been as pumped about dances like this since The Cupid Shuffle in 2007.  He's also got another single: "Lip Biting Animal."

Southern Florida, and Miami in particular, is finally representing on the hip hop scene with artists like Trick Daddy, Flo Rida and Rick Ross. It looks like Bizzle is coming up. 

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

My Jewish Mother Recommends: Great Money Saving Travel Tips

How appropriate to travel with my Jewish mother from suburban Long Island, NY to god's waiting room, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. for a week of sun and tasks to help renovate my late grandfather's condo.  We turned this chore into a vacation and, a cheap vacation, at that. Want to know how? At every step of the way, from flights to meals to accommodations, my mother recommends awesome tips to help save money. So don't think you can't travel because of the downward economy. You can still bask in sunny environments and eat like gods with these money saving hints.

1. Fly into a different city. Our destination was Ft. Lauderdale but my mother discovered we would save $30 on each of our tickets if we flew into W. Palm Beach, an airport merely 40 minutes away. We had to rent a car anyway and my mother doesn't mind driving in different states so the quick drive was worth the extra money in our pockets. 

2. Avoid weekend and holiday air travel. Prices are always higher for flights when you travel on weekends or popular holiday times (Warning: Think December and February for Florida, when all the teachers from NY are itching for a break from winter and have time off.) If you're flexible with when you can vacation, leave on a Monday! You'll feel great mid week knowing everyone else is at work. 

3. Bargain with your rental car company. Rental car companies constantly change their prices from day to day or as little as from hour to hour. If you book a car two weeks before your trip, check back online a few days later to see if they're offering any new discounts. Then let your inner Jewish mother out and call them to ask for the current rate. My mother managed to save $32 (From $215 to $183) by simply calling and asking for the best rate. 

4. Zipcar. Forget taxis and drive yourself.  If you're in an area where public transportation is outstanding and you don't need to drive every day all day then consider a local car sharing company in your vacation city or join Zipcar. You become a member and then can have access to cars in 13 major cities- including Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and even London. Gas and insurance is included and the going rate is about $11/hr or $70/day. 

5. Pre-select your restaurants: Obviously a lot of the fun of vacationing comes from trying the various restaurants and cuisines in your new spot. With web sites like Restaurant.com you can choose restaurants in the area you'll be visiting and buy gift certificates that will save you money. For $10, you receive a $25 gift certificate. Want to save even more? Sign up and the web site will send you emails with discount codes. We spent $12 for $75 in food certificates for upscale, quality establishments in Coral Springs and Miami Beach. 

6. Visit long lost friends: You'll stalk people you haven't seen in years on social networking sites but when it comes to real life, there's nothing like seeing your old friend from summer camp or high school live and in person. Forget spending ridiculous amounts of money on fancy hotels and trying activities you would never do at home. Save money by staying with friends and family you haven't seen in a while and doing activities the locals recommend. You'll have a richer, authentic experience without spending more. 
 


Sunday, November 9, 2008

True Love

I've found my true love and it's on HBO Sunday nights at 9pm. Alan Ball is a genius and HBO works for him- first with Six Feet Under and then True Blood

There are only two episodes left in this first season and it just keeps getting better.  

Vampires are the new pop culture icons. First with Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Book series, then True Blood and now Twilight the movie. Awesome. 

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Cable Takes Over My Life

So I've recently been watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Hulu.com. This is a hilarious show now in it's fourth season featuring four friends that own a bar in Philly. Danny Devito is genius on the show so you should catch it Thursday nights at 10pm and re-run at 11pm on Fx. 

I was watching Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart's election coverage Tuesday night and thought about how Colbert was amazing in Strangers With Candy. A friend reminded me that both Colbert and Office star Steve Carrel both got their start on the Dana Carvey Show.. a prime time sketch comedy review back in 1996. Well the one and only season of the DC show is on Hulu too. Check out crazy hairstyles and denim jackets, OJ Simpson jokes and Ross Perot and Strom Thurmond impressions. 

I've also been watching more and more television since moving to the suburbs. However, it can't be helped with shows like The Office and 30 Rock. At least I'm only watching on one night, Thursday. This reminds me of high school when I would wait for Seinfeld on Thursdays.  

I wish Arrested Development was still on the air!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Obama Victory in Times Square

As I sat on the Upper West Side last night watching thousands of revelers in Times Square, a mere 40 blocks away, I thought- why am I not there? When my children ask me, "Mom, where were you when B.O. was elected?" would I really have to respond "82nd street." So I went to Times Square. And as I exited the A subway train I discovered horns honking, people screaming with joy, complete strangers high fiving each other... I knew I made the right decision. For at that second, Barack Obama was declared the 44th president of the U.S.A. Damn it felt good to be an American last night. 

Halloween in NYC

I took to the streets of NYC for Halloween as a glow stick figure and joined the crowds of thousands in the 7th avenue parade. Surrounded by drag queen Sarah Palin's, naughty cats and sexy cowboys, we followed three lit up Zipcars in the joyous celebration. Next year, I'm not wearing a mask!