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| I've been making some changes in my life lately; one of which is to take my addiction to music and buying CDs and push it off in a new direction. To boldly go where everyone is going, I've "acquired" through still quasi-legal means, a whole slew of new music. I'm getting so bored and tired of manufactured pop and paying my hard earned $15 for crappy music. I don't think I will ever fully stop buying CDs but let's just say the other quasi-legal method is so much more convenient. I wont advocate ripping off new or up-and-coming artists but honestly, Jay-Z doesn't need that dollar of mine that he would get from me buying his CD.
I've taken a liking to a different genre of musical artist artists lately. I find myself gravitating to singer-songwriters (REAL singer-songwriters), indie-rock (although this genre is so difficult to clearly define - do we lump Mika in with The Arcade Fire?). Real people, doing really wonderful things with real instruments.
Anyway, these past 24 hours have seen me witness some really great music which I would like to share.
Last night, I went to see MEW at the hipper than hip, Mod Club Theater. Mew is a Danish indie-art-rock band who curiously share a name with a pokemon character! What a great concert they put on!!! For the low low low price of $20, I was treated to creative song arrangements, atmospheric guitar work, melodic voices, trippy visuals (done by the bad themselves) and expert musicianship. The band was so "tight" that they really blew the opening act off the stage and left them looking like the bunch of messy college students they are. (I don't mean to get all Simon on their asses but c'mon really...!!??) I'm hoping that they choose a better opener next time.
I started the evening with an open minded curiosity. I did like what I heard from one of their CDs ("And The Glass Handed Kites") and was looking forward to see what they delivered live. Suffice it to say that I left the Mod Club Theater a dedicated fan!
Next on my indie rockin random tour was a lunch time treat today.
David Usher performed at FCP! I went to see him with my friend "C".
"C" is a David Usher superfan. David was hot and cute and fun as
always. He's such a talent and pretty easy on the eyes to boot.
Afterwards, C and I queued up for an autograph. C got her picture
taken with David, she asked if I wanted one too but i declined. I
shook his hand and just got an autograph on a postcard. hahaha... C's
been giddy all day!
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Have you ever witnessed a musical performance so compelling and beautiful that you were driven to tears? Tonight, I witnessed Measha Brueggergosman's performance on the CBC of Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now. Measha is such an incredible talent, so full of soul, power, emotion and beauty in her voice that you cannot help but be moved by her. In this age of talentless manufactured pop stars, it's so wonderful to know that there is such talent to be found. I've become a huge fan of Measha's since hearing her on the CBC, and the Bravo! special she did. She's such a warm, genuine and unassuming personality and really demonstrates that in her interviews as well. Check her out on her myspace and her website. (if i could figure out how to post YouTube videos, i would do so as well... but I am sure you guys are pretty good at searching for her on YouTube!) Enjoy! | | |
| How does this dood?:  Do this (eat 54 hot dogs in 12 minutes - new world record): 
And still look like this: 
 
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| Curse of the Golden Flower dir: Zhang Yimou starring: Chow Yun Fat, Gong Li, Jay Chou 
My mother's review: "That Emperor Chow Yun Fat plays is no good!" "Gong Li looks so good but plays such a bad woman!" "I couldn't believe all the flowers and the costumes... by the way, how do you spell "chrysanthemum"? Why do they have such a difficult name for a flower?" My review: I enjoyed this film quite a bit. It plays out more like a Shakespearean historical epic than an all out kung-fu film a la Flying Daggers or Hero. Gong Li was delishiously ravishing as the scheming and conniving Empress whose plot eventually crumbles. She has taken a lot of flack in the Chinese press for showing her cleavage but honestly, isn't that the fault of the costume designers? I was grateful for Gong Li's redemption after her disasterous turn in Memoires of a Geisha and she returns to fine form in Golden Flower. Overly garish, boob-enhancing corset notwithstanding, Gong Li is incredibly good at portraying the evil Empress in all her complexity ranging from venom-spitting zeal to quiet vulnerability. Chow Yun Fat as the "no good Emperor" was as good as one expects from an accomplished actor such as him. Liu Ye as the feeble Crown Prince Wan was terrific as well. Jay Chou, the multi-talented pop star unfortunately was completely overshadowed by Gong Li and CYF and Liu Ye for that matter. That being said, he does manage to eek out a decent performance working with these giants. Overall, Curse of The Golden Flower in all of it's over-the-top splendour does much to show the nastiness that lies beneath this royal court. 4****/5 | | |
| The lists:
Favourite Movies:
Babel* - I had to really think about this movie and whether to cast it
as a favourite. It touched me and disturbed me, challenged me and
inspired me. I guess that's what great art is meant to do. It's a brilliant piece of filmmaking.
Borat
Casino Royale
The Departed
The Devil Wears Prada
The King and The Clown
Superman Returns
Favourite Music:
2006 was not a great year for full albums so i include some singles:
JT - Futuresex/Lovesounds
Tool - 10,000 Days
Ben Harper - Both Sides of the Gun
James Blunt - Back to Bedlam (ok, its last year's disc but it took a year of overplaying to get me to listen to the whole CD)
Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam
Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous Girl
Deja Vu - Beyonce ft. Jay-Z
Paris Hilton - Stars Are Blind (plus remixes)
Sean Paul - Temperature
The HOTlist 2006:
Borat: for making me bust a gut the entire year.
Gwen Stefani - for yodeling her way out of harajuku and in the stratosphere of hotness
Yul Kwon - for being the guy that I am most intensely jealous of. The guy has everything: looks, smarts, ripped hot body and now has the $1million dollars!
Brangelina - for showing us that even the uberhot can do good in the world. Say what you want to about their celebrity and question their sincerity but Mr & Mrs SmithPittJolie have done more than their share of milking the publicity machine and using it to do at least a little bit of good.
All the athletes in the 2006 World Cup.
honourable mention to Brad Virata of Survivor: GAYSIANS represent! I may have wanted to BE Yul but i would rather DO Brad; he's so freakin cute and hot!. hehehe
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