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Promo Promo: MMJ Touch Me Part 2
Spooky animated promo up for My Morning Jacket's Touch Me, I'm Going To Scream Part 2.
4th Sep 2008 - 2 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Kick-Ass
Mark Millar's comic Kick-Ass is getting a big-screen makeover, with Superbad's McLovin' possibly in the title role - as a kid who takes his love of comics one step further and sets himself up as a superhero, with a myspace page.
Matthew Vaughn is set to direct, with shooting in Canada and the UK. Nicolas Cage is playing the retired-cop-single- father.
Mark Millar seems to be man of the moment following the big-screen adaptation of Wanted and now this. He's even been talking big about another Superman re-boot.
Links
www.kickass-themovie.com
www.kicking-arse.co.uk
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4th Sep 2008 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Boycott Viking Quest!
Turns out Johnny Drama is not happy about the Viking Quest video game - and has ranted on YouTube about how he expects to be compensated "monetarily and muscularily".
4th Sep 2008 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
London At Night
London At Night is the latest subject on killer photo website The Big Picture. It looks about ready to star in a Michael Mann movie.
3rd Sep 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
New Pods
New iPods are expected to be announced next week (September 9th), as well iTunes 8.0 and rumours of a possible iTunes music subscription service which for $130 a year would allow your to listen to about half of the tracks on the iTunes store. Presumably this kind of offering would tie in with the iPhone / iPods too - allowing you to call up new music wherever you are. Apple have been resistant to this model in the past, so it'll be interesting to see if they have changed their stance.
Nokia's "Comes With Music" service makes a similar offer, and is launching in the UK shortly.
3rd Sep 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: Zack And Miri Make A Porno
Kevin Smith smoked his last cigarette a long time ago in my book, but if anyone can spark him up again it could be Seth Rogan. Check out the trailer for Zack And Miri Make A Porno here - and I'd just like to say I don't read AskMen.com on a regular basis.
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3rd Sep 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Viking Quest!
HBO is revving up for next weekends new season of Entourage, and to get you in the mood why not step into Johhny Drama's shoes and assume the mantle of Tarvold in Viking Quest - The Video Game.
3rd Sep 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
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Chrome Dreams
Google are stepping into the browser wars later today, with a beta release of their own Internet Browser - "Chrome". It's based on Apple's WebKit engine and will be running all the latest tech under the hood - such as client side database storage and HTML 5 specifications. They've designed a fancy-pants comic to showcase it, which you can check out here.
Download the beta here (Windows only). It work fast and smooth, but is a little on the Fisher-Price tip.
UPDATE: Read Wired's thorough back-story on the development of the browser here.
2nd Sep 2008 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Play-as-you-go
The iPhone will soon be available on pay-as-you-go for all you boys on the corner that need a burner. The phones will cost £350 (8GB) and £400 (16GB), but that includes unlimited WIFI and 3G browsing for the first 12 months ....which seems like a pretty hefty concession. On top of that you get bonus minutes or texts for every £10+ you spend per month.
Available September 16th.
2nd Sep 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Incoming!
I doubt you will have reacted quickly enough for this, but there's a missile heading across Google maps. Zoom out to determine the target...
2nd Sep 2008 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Ladyhawk and The Dudes On Tour
2008 favourites Ladyhawk are hitting Europe this month, with London dates at the Windmill and the Borderline - where they are playing with The Dudes. A review of their album will be hitting these pages on Thursday.
September 23 London, The Windmill 8pm, £5
September 24 Leeds, Brudenell Social Club 7.30pm, £5
September 26 Glasgow, Nice N Sleazy w/The Dudes 7.30pm, £7.50
September 27 Dublin, Crawdaddy w/The Dudes 8pm, €14
September 28 Manchester, Roundhouse 8pm, £6
September 29 Bristol, St Bonaventure's Parish Club w/The Dudes
September 30 Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach w/The Dudes 8pm, £6
October 1 London, Borderline w/The Dudes 7.30pm, £10
Then The Dudes are back at The Windmill on October 2nd and are playing at the Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes on October 3rd.
2nd Sep 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Moon Smash!
NASA has plans to crash land a probe into the moon's polar surface in order to test for water. The March 2009 mission will hitch a ride on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - and is all part of the build-up to get humans back to the moon by 2020 so we can get used to space travel and living on other planets, before we can then push on to Mars by 2030.
It always seems strange to me how much we worry about global warning and the rise of Carbon Dioxide in our own atmosphere, yet we're dead keen to get up to a zero-atmosphere rock and then on to 95.32% Carbon Dioxide atmosphere of Mars....
1st Sep 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Dance-a-thon
Complusive dancer dipsetmuthafucka put his dedication to the test with a YouTube dance every day for six months. That's a highlights reel above, but as noted by the man himself, you should start here.
Good taste in music too. Here's Richard Hell's I'm Your Man.
1st Sep 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Skate or die: Mike Vallely
More from the skateboard nostalgia files: Mike Vallely is pretty legendary in street skating, pioneering the first double ended street boards. Essential for the huge ollies he pulls.
Here's a later, Boss-infused clip from 1995's Powell video Scenic Drive. Pulled from Vallely's own comprehensive YouTube page, which has pretty much everything you might be looking for.
BONUS FACT: Vallely was the singer with Black Flag for a small reunion run in 2003.
MUSICAL LEGACY: The clip below from Speed Freaks kick-started by Dinosaur Jr addiction.
29th Aug 2008 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: Ashes Of Time Redux
Wong Kar Wai's overblown and underdeveloped wuxia epic Ashes Of Time is getting a redux, promising to deliver the potential the original film had to offer. That seems to involve cutting some out and adding a little digital gloss to the production quality.
Unfortunately, Christopher Doyle's cinematography proved a little unsuitable for the grand scale of this story - a mistake he later rectified with his magnificent work on Hero - and the pop video colour grade they seem to have applied looks like it just makes things worse.
Watch the trailer at Apple.
29th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Email addicts?
Chimp HQ are moving towards this don't-answer-your-email-all-the-time position...
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28th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Birthday Boy
He may be getting on a bit, but Tom Cruise still has those Old Time Rock 'n Roll moves when someone sticks a bit of Bob Seger on the stereo.
28th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Crime Doesn't Pay
I think they might have missed the obvious suspect in this debacle, but the FBI have cracked down on blogger Kevin Cogill (aka Skwerl), after he posted 9 supposedly finished songs from Axl's long-in-the-tooth comeback Chinese Democracy on his website Antiquiet.com.
Skwerl wasn't exactly subtle about it though - and the blog still seem to think they haven't really done anything wrong. Crazy.
28th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Desk Space
Nice Flickr group up to round up contributions to Ping Magazine's desk project - providing a cross-section of desk spaces from around the world. But what is it with graphic designers and plastic toys?
27th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Obama Hope
Looks like Shepherd Fairey's on board the Obama train. Article up at Wired.
27th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Soundgarden
It's a bit late for our Sub Pop celebration, but rumor has it Soundgarden have been back together.
26th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Nail The Cross
New Cross has come even further into its own recently - first the Montague Arms was named best pub in Britain and now we have our own music festival.
Thanks to the folks from Domino Records and Adventures In The Beetroot Field, September 27th will see New Cross over-run with quality music from established acts like Archie Bronson Outfit, Clinic and These New Puritans - as well as newcomers like Micachu & The Shapes.
Domino is hosting a stage at the famous local university, Goldsmiths... Performing will be the miraculous talents of Archie Bronson Outfit, Clinic, These New Puritans and The Count (AKA Herve) all preaching the good word and exorcising your dance demons with an revelation of new music. There’ll also be other five others stages and numerous galleries, with arts based activities and music from the likes of during throughout the day Benga, Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man, the XX, Loefah (Digital Mystikz), Afrikan Boy and Oneman until 5am.
Tickets are £15 and available here. Check out myspace for more info.
26th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Harvey Speaks
Interesting article by celebrity blogger Harvey Weinstein over at Portfolio, discussing the struggles of trying to break an indie movie in an over-crowded marketplace. It's a hard life.
25th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
The Great Gig In The Sea
Still not booked your holidays for 2009? Why not take a cruise with Think Floyd - The Great Gig In The Sea - it's "the first Pink Floyd themed concert cruise to the Bahamas."
Friday 4:00PM - Depart from Port of Miami
Saturday 8:00AM - Arrive at Nassau, Bahamas
Sunday 5:30AM - Depart from Nassau, Bahamas
Sunday “Fun Day” at Sea
Monday 8:00 AM - Arrive at Port of Miami
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25th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Skate or die: Eric Dressen
Back when skating was still a pretty neon sport, Eric Dressen and the other skaters on the resurrected Dogtown label brought a bit of heavy metal into it. Gnarly tricks, tons of speed and a lot of concrete. As a kid in Bristol we used to skate Bedmister skate park, where the best kids would get 3 foot airs out of one of the double bowls onto the flat. When Dressen, Bill Danforth and Jeff Hartsel arrived on tour, Eric Dressen blew everyone away by smoothly pulling 6 foot airs out of one bowl and down into the other bowl - 12 feet away.
I was always a huge fan of how fast he's going at the start of this clip from the Santa Cruz video Speed Freaks (1989). Check out the massive powerslide he does as he's motoring down the hill. You can see the whole video over at the now obsolete Google Video.
BONUS FACT: Turns out he's still skating and is also a tattoo artist. Read this interview for a bit more info (conducted by an original Dogtown legend - Jay Adams).
22nd Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
In Search of Alex Holdridge
Inspriring article up on Wired behind film-maker Alex Holdridge's efforts to get In Search of a Midnight Kiss made.
22nd Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Microseinfeld
It looks like chimp favourite Jerry Seinfeld is pocketing $10 million to feature in $300 million effort to make Microsoft seem cool again. A strange choice, as Jerry is a mac guy if I ever saw one - but maybe that's the point.
Larry won't be making an appearance, leaving the straight-man role to Bill Gates himself ...although Jerry has worked with straighter straight-men before.
22nd Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
ZomBB
Charlie Brooker's written a zombie show set in the Big Brother house - Dead Set - should be on sometime after this series finishes on sep 5. insert your own "how will anyone tell the difference?" joke here
21st Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Your New Superpowers
I can't see it myself, but invisibility just got one step closer.
21st Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
More Sky HD
Area Dad will be pleased: Sky's launching another 6 HD movie channels in October (and Sky Real Lives HD... hmmm): Sky Movies Action/Thriller HD, Sky Movies Sci-Fi/Horror HD, Sky Movies Drama HD, Sky Movies Modern Greats HD, Sky Movies Family HD and Sky Movies Comedy HD
20th Aug 2008 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet
Early Word: No Heroics
enjoying this new superheroes-down-the-pub sitcom No Heroics coming soon on ITV2, w Patrick Baladi (The Office, Mistresses, Party Animals, Bodies), Nicholas Burns (Nathan Barley, Man Stroke Woman), James Lance (Moving Wallpaper, Teachers, Smack The Pony, Spaced), Claire Keelan (Sorted, Nathan Barley) and Rebekah Staton (Pulling, Mysterious Creatures, State of Play). Full report when i've powered up
20th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Shapeshifter
Came across ZAMZAR yesterday - a pretty handy site for converting file types. Good for updating those old Word Perfect files you might have hanging around, but also capable of converting image types and even delivering web video (including You Tube) to you in the format of your choice.
20th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Battle Plans
It looks like Google's Android mobile phone system might be making a November debut, after the FCC has approved the first device, details of which are under wraps until November 10th.
19th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
CSI: Fishburne
Laurence "Larry" Fishburne is taking over from William Petersen in CSI: Original for the new series...
19th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Return of Wilco
With Sky Blue Sky still maturing into awesomeness, Jeff Tweedy and the band are already lining up their follow up record, with Billboard reporting an 'early spring' timetable. Songs from the Sky Blue Sky writing sessions may make up some of the album, but we'll hopefully see a few more sonic effects a la A Ghost Is Born, as the band intend to "allow ourselves a little bit more leeway in terms of sculpting the sound in the studio and doing overdubs and using the studio as another instrument. Last time around, it was more of a document."
19th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Guns 'n Ammo?
It's not very rock 'n roll, but Billboard is reporting that Guns 'n Roses might be following the example of AC/DC and releasing the much-delayed album Chinese Democracy exclusively through Wal-mart ...or Best-buy, they're not sure yet. Whatever the outcome, the stars do seem to be aligning for a release, with 9 'finished' tracks leaking in June.
19th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
It Looks Like It's Dead
According to legendary graphic designer Peter Saville (New Order, Roxy Music etc.) the album cover is dead. I'm not so sure.
While the need for a physical album sleeve might be dwindling fast, artwork still seems to be pretty essential when it comes to marketing music - and artwork still plays a pretty important role on iPods and other mp3 players.
Albums like In Rainbows have had a pretty solid identity in an age of downloads - and with the ever-growing popularity of the collector's edition there is now a bigger market for the production of ever more fanciful covers, as seen by the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead and now Byrne / Eno - who have a limited edition designed by graphics hero Stefan Sagmeister.
19th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
More Morning Jacket
My Morning Jacket have added some more dates to their European tour, including a show in London as "special guests of the Black Keys". They will also be appearing on Later With Jools Holland on October 28th/31st.
10/29 Dublin, Ireland - Irish Museum of Modern Art
11/1 Brussels, Belgium - Cirque Royale
11/2 Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Paradiso
11/4 Copenhagen, Denmark - Small Vega
11/5 Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
11/6 Stockholm, Sweden - Berns
11/7 Lund, Sweden - Mejeriet
11/9 Berlin, Germany - Lido
11/10 Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
11/12 London, UK - Brixton Academy (as Special Guest to The Black Keys)
11/13 Manchester, UK - University
11/14 Glasgow, UK - ABC
19th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Somers Town
Creative Review has more info up on Shane Meadows' feature-length Eurostar ad - Somers Town. Looking forward to seeing the movie, whatever the motivation.
18th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
David Byrne and Brian Eno are back in action together, with new album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today hitting the airwaves ....today. The website has the details - with the whole album available for streaming via the site and purchase by download or CD, with Topspin providing the tech. Probably the first album I've come across on their platform that has interested me enough to make a buy.
18th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Freefallin'
Bill Murray jumped out of a plane to launch the recent Chicago Air and Water show. Gawker have the details.
18th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Skate or die: Rodney Mullen
Rodney Mullen was the king of tech skating, since way back in the late 70's - check him out in the Powell Peralta classic Public Domain above, when 'freestyle' was a style of it's own and required a different board. When street skaters started doing his flips in the 90's however, his currency shot up. Check out the multiple flips in the video below from Plan B's Questionable (1992).
Musical legacy: The Plan B clip has an awesome Cat Stevens song - Sing Out
Bonus fact: Rodney studied Biomedical Engineering at University. Looks like all that hard study in Public Domain paid off.
15th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Matadownload
Matador are now on the download store bandwagon, with a comparable effort to the recently announced Domino store. They offer mp3's for $0.80 and more-or-less uncompressed FLAC files for $0.99 - or $10 for an album, including whoppers like the 49 track Crooked Rain re-release.
While FLAC is marginally more fiddly than the uncompressed WAV's offered by Domino, the current exchange rate makes Matador an attractive offer - nearing my suggested £5 for an uncompressed new release.
Talking of downloads, check out iTunes for a limited 12"/Download only Oxford Collapse 5-track EP - The Hann-Byrd, which can be had in iTunes' own DRM-free 256 kbps format for £3.16.
15th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Secrets of Scientology
The Scientolgists tend to keep their back story quiet these days, but Gawker have a recording of founder Ron L. Hubbard telling the story of their Alien roots - how the humans were brought to Earth 75 million years ago in DC-8-like transport planes, lined up along the edges of volcanos and blown up with H-bombs. Fo' shiz.
15th Aug 2008 - Add Comment - Tweet
Trailer Park: Body Of Lies
From the drector of "American Gangster" and "Black Hawk Down" (uh-oh). Scott. DiCaprio. Crowe. War on terror. Done.
Di Caprio and Russell Crowe play spy and spymaster in Ridley Scott's new remake of Tony Scott's Spy Game working-for-the-C.I.A.-movie. Did you get that? C.I.A.
The jury's out until I've seen at least one 10 minute chunk, but it looks like it's a few Ridley's short of an Alien.
14th Aug 2008 - 1 comments - Add Comment - Tweet