M Is FOR MASHUP - RERUN from - October 5th, 2011
Negotiating DJ Maez Mashups
By DJ Useo
(This week's column is given by a fine German DJ, so first the article appears in German & then repeats in my own mangled form of English)
German/Deutsch:
Es ist immer wieder erfrischend, wenn man auf jemanden stößt, der es schafft, souveräne, kraftvolle Mashups zu produzieren und sich gleichzeitig nicht zu Schade ist, sich in der Szene zu engagieren. Natürlich gibt es viele Talente, die sich ihrer selbst sicher genug sind, um sich der Öffentlichkeit zu präsentieren. Leider ist es aber so, dass der Großteil der User großer Internetforen zu den - wie sie in der Szene genannt werden - "Schleichern" (original engl.: "lurker") gehört. Ein Schleicher erfreut sich an der Arbeit der anderen User und liest kräftig mit, beteiligt sich aber nie. Natürlich sind auch solche Nutzer willkommen, noch mehr würde man sich aber über sie freuen, wenn sie auch etwas zu den täglichen Themen beitragen würden. Mashup-Produzenten ("Masher") sind häufig wie Schleicher, sie posten ihre eigene Arbeit, geben aber nie eine Meinung zu den Produktionen anderer preis. Vor kurzem aber wurde mir ein Ehrenmann der Szene vorgestellt: DJ Maez ( mixblick.wordpress.com/ ). Schon vorher hatte mich seine Arbeit beeindruckt, ich hatte aber nie richtigen Kontakt, man kann sich einfach nicht mit jedem austauschen.
Aber in diesem Fall, kam er erfreulicherweise auf mich zu. Ich habe mich schon immer an den Rat von DJ Petrushka gehalten und die Menschen für wichtiger befunden als die Musik. Also habe ich diesen neuen Kontakt genutzt und ohne viel zu überlegen, gleich nach einem Interview gefragt. Was sich dann ergab begeistert mich: Ein großartiger Text über eine interessante Person zusammen mit ein paar tollen Mashups als Begleitung zum Lesen. DJ Maez versteht es, bekannte Künstler unter einem Dach zu vereinen und Tranks zu schaffen, die nicht nur gut klingen, sondern vom Kontrast der Künstler leben. Sein Erfolg zeichnet sich durch Tunes aus, die so klingen als wären sie schon immer so gewesen - obwohl sie vollständig durchgemixt sind. Wenn ihr euch neuere ('Shake That Blade' (Eminem ft. Nate Dogg vs Fedde le Grand ft. Ida Corr vs Mastiksoul vs Major Lazer vs Harold Faltermeyer vs Ali Payami vs Warp Brothers)) und ältere Tracks ('3 Monsta Names' (Britney Spears vs Culcha Candela vs Deichkind vs The Ting Tings), 'Numb Love Game' (Linkin Park & Jay-Z vs Lady Gaga vs French Fries)) von ihm anhört, werdet ihr schnell feststellen, wie durchdringend seine Art zu mixen ist. Folgendes sagt DJ Maez selbst über seine Mashups:
"Zu allererst: es geht um den Spaß, Mashups geben einem die Möglichkeit, Dinge zu erschaffen, die nie möglich gewesen wären; eine Hardrock Band vereint mit einer Jazz-Combo oder Elvis Presley und Britney Spears vereint in einem Duett.
Außerdem sind Mashups eine Methode, um aufzuzeigen, wie einfallslos ein Großteil zeitgenössischer Popmusik ist (und ein Weg dies zu ändern) und die Leute dazu anzuregen, über Innovation nachzudenken. Eines meiner Mashups beschäftigt sich sogar genau mit diesem Thema: Katy Perry vs. TaTu - All the Futuristin lover Said. Jeder hört sofort, dass "E.T. (futuristic lover)" musikalisch Tatus "All the things she said" sehr ähnlich, wenn nicht sogar davon geklaut ist. Ich habe beide Songs zu einem Mashup vereint und an dessen Beginn einen Ausschnitt einer Rede John F. Kennedys gestellt. Diese Rede ist aus dem Jahre 1962 und beschäftigt sich damit, neue Wege zu gehen und neue Dinge zu wagen - "not because they are easy but because they are hard". Diesen Pioniergeist scheinen viele Leute 50 Jahre später vergessen zu haben. Mein Mashup mit Katy Perry und TaTu soll das verdeutlichen. Gleichzeitig bringt das Mashup eine neue Art des Nachmachens mit sich, indem es selbst als (dritter) Song nicht mal mehr neue Instrumente oder Vokals hinzufügt, sondern nur noch bereits vorhandenes Material neu kombiniert, um etwas gänzlich Neuartiges zu erschaffen. Das nennt man Recycling und ist seit Jahren ein angesagtes Thema. Neue Ideen können aus der Rekombination alter Ideen entstehen und trotzdem innovativ sein. Wenn man sich Projekte wie "Everything is a Remix" anschaut, könnte man auf den Gedanken kommen, dass es nahezu unmöglich ist, heutzutage "etwas Neues" zu erfinden. Je länger man aber darüber nachdenkt, desto eher versteht man, dass jede jemals gedachte Idee eine "Mutter-Idee" oder so etwas Ähnliches hat und auch diese wieder eine ihr zugrundeliegende Idee usw. Nun stellen sich folgende Fragen: Was ist "original"?; Was ist Innovation und innovativ (Nein, "futuristic lover" mit Sicherheit nicht)?; und schießlich: Kann man wirklich zwischen originalen und nicht-originalen Ideen unterscheiden?"
Interview:
01 - Die meisten Bootlegger werden durch eine intensive Liebe zur Musik zum Mixen gebracht. Wie und durch welche Künstler drückt sich diese Liebe in deinem Leben aus?
Es gibt einige Künstler, die mich der Musik sehr nahe gebracht haben, um nur ein paar zu nennen: Runrig, Shantel, Mark Knopfler und Ottmar Liebert. Sie sind dafür verantwortlich, dass ich Unmengen Musikequipment und eine große Musiksammlung aller Stilrichtungen besitze, das meiste auf CD und Vinyl, manches sogar als Tape. Jede Woche verbringe ich einige Stunden damit, meine Sammlung durchzuhören, zu ergänzen und regionale Konzerte zu besuchen, um mehr Musik kennenzulernen. Außerdem probiere ich gerne mit verschiedenen Stilen und Künstlern in meiner DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) herum.
02 - Was hat dich veranlasst, Mashups zu produzieren?
Als Meteora rauskam, habe ich angefangen Linken Park Tracks zu remixen. Irgendwie bin ich zu dieser Zeit dann auch in die ganze Remix-Szene reingerutscht. Ich habe viel Zeit damit verbracht, mir die Mixes anderer Leute anzuhören und dabei bin ich auch auf Mashups gestoßen. Einige waren toll, andere dafür schlecht produziert - was schade war - und ich entschied mich, diese Tunes selbst noch einmal neu zu produzieren, sodass sie mir besser gefielen. Jahre später habe ich dann meine ersten eigenen Mashups produziert.
03 - Die besten Masher haben ein großes Interesse an Soundproduktion. Wenn man deine Arbeit anhört, bekommt man den Eindruck, dass du eine ausführliche Ausbildung im Bereich der Produktion durchlaufen hast. Stimmt das?
Danke, ich denke, es gibt immer noch viel zu lernen für mich. Ich habe mit 12 Jahren angefangen digital Musik zu produzieren. Seit dem versuche ich Woche für Woche meine Arbeit zu verbessern und professioneller zu werden. Das meiste habe ich mir selbst beigebracht, indem ich mir die Mixes von anderen angehört, Bücher gelesen, das Internet durchforstet und andere Künstler oder Produzenten getroffen habe. Außerdem lerne ich bei meinem Radiojob viel über Musik und habe es leichter, die richtigen Leute kennenzulernen.
04 - Wenn man sich deine Mixes anhört, denkt man schnell, dass dir vor allem der aktuelle Mainstream gefällt. Gibt es auch andere Stile, die du magst?
Tatsächlich mag ich sehr viele verschiedene Genres. Wenn ich mich für eines entscheiden müsste, wäre es wahrscheinlich Balkan-Musik oder Alternative Rock. Ich arbeite viel mit Mainstream-Pop, höre ihn selber aber kaum. Beim Radio und als DJ kommt man aber trotzdem viel damit in Kontakt.
05 - Nicht alle Bootlegger kennen sich mit dem Rest der Szene aus, schaust du dir gerne die Arbeit anderer an oder sind es mehr die vermixten Künstler, die dich an anderen Tracks interessieren?
Ich würde gerne die Arbeit aller Produzenten verfolgen, leider ist das bei dieser Vielzahl an großartigen Musikern einfach nicht möglich. Ich konzentriere mich also auf die Websites meiner Lieblingsproduzenten und schaue jede Woche, was es Neues auf GYBO gibt. Letzte Woche habe ich zufällig ein schönes, neues Nightwish-Mashup gehört und wollte sofort unbedingt sehen, was der Produzent noch so gemacht hat; manche Bands wirken auf mich einfach wie Magneten.
06 - Gibt es Mashup-Projekte oder Collections, die deine Aufmerksamkeit erregt haben? Würdest du gerne an Mashup-Sammlungen mitwirken oder sogar deine eigenen veröffentlichen?
Ich muss zugeben, dass ich nicht so viele solche Projekte kenne. Ich denke mal, nur die bekanntesten: Mash-Up Your Bootz, die GYBO challenge und MashupMonday. Trotzdem würde ich gerne an solchen Projekten mitarbeiten, besonders wenn sie sich mit bestimmten Themen wie französischer Musik oder so etwas beschäftigen. Diese Arbeit würde mich interessieren.
07 - Wenn man bedenkt, dass Foren gerade für Feedback da sind, dann fällt die Rückmeldung zu neuen Mashups häufig sehr knapp aus. Ohne Online-Kumpels oder eine interessierte Familie ist es schwierig, direktes Feedback zu bekommen. Die meiste Rückmeldung bekomme ich zumindest durch die tanzenden Zuhörer. Wie sind da deine Erfahrungen?
Meistens bekomme ich nicht sehr viel Online-Feedback in den einschlägigen Foren. Ich würde sagen, die Hälfte der Resonanz kommt von Freunden. Zu sehen, dass die Leute sich freuen, wenn du deinen neuen Track spielst oder viele Views auf Youtube zu bekommen ist allerdings auch eine schöne Art Rückmeldung zu bekommen. Aber brauchbare Kritik von anderen Künstlern ist leider wirklich selten.
08 - Mir wurde in meiner Zeit in der Mashup-Szene schon vorgehalten, zu ernst und ebenso zu albern zu sein, meist von den gleichen Leuten zugleich. Beeinflusst der Kontakt zu anderen Bootleggern dein Mixen?
Das kommt darauf an. Natürlich möchte ich meine Arbeit verbessern und habe ein offenes Ohr für Kritik. Andererseits muss ich meinen eigenen Stil beibehalten und möchte nicht, dass jemand mir reinredet. Jedem gefällt eben etwas anderes.
09 - (Leserfrage) Welches ist deine Lieblingstonart? D-Dur?
(lacht) Sehr gute Frage. Natürlich ist sie das.
10 - Vielleicht ist das ja offensichtlich, aber woher kommt dein DJ-Name?
Eine Freundin hat mich früher in der Schule immer "Maez" genannt - ich weiß nicht wieso - irgendwie habe ich mich daran gewöhnt. Allgemein benutze ich verschiedene Namen für meine verschiedenen musikalischen Identitäten: DJ Maez als Bootlegger, Midnighttwist für alle anderen Musikprojekte und Shadowcase als DJ.
11 - Fällt es dir schwer, neue Ideen für Mashups zu bekommen? Woher nimmst du die Acapellas und Instrumentals?
Normalerweise kommen mir die Ideen ganz von allein. Manchmal mache ich die Arbeit anderer nach auf eine Weise, die mir besser gefällt. Die meisten Acapellas und Instrumentals hierfür kann man direkt im Internet oder als Vinyl kaufen. Andernfalls muss ich DIY (do it yourself) Versionen verwenden.
12 - Könntest du uns bitte ein paar Künstler nennen, die du in Zukunft vermixen willst?
Klar: Shantel, Taio Cruz, Deadmau5, Wiz Khalifa und einige andere. Außerdem plane ich mit verschieden Rock- und Metal-Bands, sowie mit einigen unbekannteren deutschen Künstlern zu arbeiten.
13 - Wirst du so lange mashen bis sich der verdiente Erfolg einstellt oder tust du das alles aus Liebe zur Musik?
Ich denke, dass Erfolg einem immer hilft, die Dinge weiterzumachen, die man liebt. Erfolg sollte aber nie der Grund für die Arbeit sein, die man macht. Ich werde weiterhin mit Musik arbeiten, unabhängig davon, wie erfolgreich diese Arbeit sein mag.
…das Gespräch dauerte natürlich noch weit in den Abend an und wir haben uns hier auf eine Auswahl an Fragen beschränkt. Vielen Dank an DJ Maez für das Interview. Wenn euch der Artikel oder seine Arbeit gefallen, dann besucht ihn doch auf seiner Website und hinterlasst einen Kommentar ( mixblick.wordpress.com/ ) .
English:
You know, it's refreshing to come across someone whose mashup work is stong enough to speak for itself, but still goes that extra mile & communicates with words as well. Of course, there's plenty of talented individuals who feel secure enough personally to dwell in the public sphere. A sad fact of many forums is that the majority of readers are what we in the bootleg biz call 'lurkers'. A lurker enjoys the posts & the links, but never logs in & makes themselves known. They're still welcome at the forums, but we'd rather they shared of themselves, too, even if just in words. Mashers often are a similar type of lurker, when they only post & don't comment. One gentleman of the scene I've been introduced to is DJ Maez ( mixblick.wordpress.com/ ). I'd already been impressed from hearing his work. I don't recall if I'd commented, though, as I try to not dominate forums with my comments like I used to. You just can't get to everyone.
Well, in this case, one of them came to me. Joy! I've always valued the people more than the music, in following the wise advice of DJ Petrushka, who was an actual dj long before I was. Well, I took advantage of this new communicative contact, & being a bit pushy, I suppose, in nature, I boldly asked for an interview. What manifested next pleases me to no end. A great read about an interesting person and subject, along with some excellent mashups to listen to while you read. DJ Maez has a strong ability in bringing well-known artists together in one track in a way that not only works, but becomes sronger through the contrast. He thrives through release of tracks that sound like they were always that way, despite being quite mixed. Listen to his latest '3 Monsta Names' (Britney Spears vs Culcha Candela vs Deichkind vs The Ting Tings) or even older mixes like 'Numb Love Game' (Linkin Park & Jay-Z vs Lady Gaga vs French Fries) and 'Shake That Blade' (Eminem ft. Nate Dogg vs Fedde le Grand ft. Ida Corr vs Mastiksoul vs Major Lazer vs Harold Faltermeyer vs Ali Payami vs Warp Brothers) & you'll witness the occurring success of DJ Maez's mixing. Let's begin now the interview with a statement about mashups from DJ Maez & then his replies to my posed inquiries.
DJ Maez : First and foremost: it's all about the fun. Mashups give you the opportunity of creating things that would have never been possible: a hard rock band featuring a jazz combo or Elvis and Britney singing a duet.
On the other hand, mashing is a way to show how unimaginative popular music nowadays is (and a way to change that too)... and a method to make people think about innovation. One of my mashups deals exactly with this topic. It's Katy Perry vs tatu: all the futuristic lover said. Everyone knew that e.t. (futuristic lover) is just completely stolen from tatu's all the things she said. What I did was combining them and adding a John F Kennedy speech snippet in the beginning. It's from 1962 and it's all about achieving and daring new things - "not because they are easy but because they are hard". 50 years later people seem to have forgotten about that spirit of daring new things. The mashup of katy and tatu is a way to show that, but by the same token this mashup tries to take it all to another level of duplication, making a third song that doesnt even use a new instrument or vocal part but just combines the old things and still tries to be different. Now the whole conflict unfolds: new things can be created by using old things. Thats what we call recycling and we've been doing that for years now. New ideas can originate from the combination of old thoughts and can still be innovative and daring. When looking at projects like "everything is a remix" you might tend to believe that it's impossible to come up with new ideas nowadays. The longer you think about it you step by step understand that every idea has a "mother-idea" (that again has a mother-idea and so on) or something like that. That's the point where everybody should start thinking about the following questions: What does "original" mean? What is innovation (no, "futuristic lover" isn't)? and finally: Is it really possible to tell which idea is original and which isn't?"
01 - Bootleggers all have an intense love of music that drives them to mix. How did this love of music manifest in your life?,and through which musical artists?
There are several artists that made me fall in love with music, just to name a few: Runrig, Shantel, Mark Knopfler and Ottmar Liebert. They are responsible for the fact, that I own tons of musical equipment and a huge collection of all kinds of music, most on CD or vinyl and even as tape. I spend several hours a week just listening to my collection or visiting concerts by local artists to get to know music. I also love playing around with different musical ideas and artists in my 'DAW'.
02 - What were the circumstances that led to you taking up the mashing mantle?
I started remixing Linkin Park tracks just when Meteora came out, because I loved LP's music and wanted to work with it. By that time I somehow got involved in the whole remix scene. I spent many days just listening to other people's mixes back then and also came across some mashup-music; some of the mashes were awesome but also some were produced sloppily - which was a pity - so I decided to recreate these tracks to have a version that suits my fancy. Years later I produced my first own mashup.
03 - The best mashers have a strong interest in sound production. Your work gives the impression you've had extensive production training. Is this the case, or did you work it all out on your own?
Thank you, I think there's still a lot I should learn. I started producing music digitally when I was 12 years old. Since then I've tried really hard to improve my style and get a more professional workflow every week. I figured most of the stuff out on my own learning from other people's tunes, looking for online material, reading literature and meeting with other producers or artists. Additionally my radiojob helps me learn about music and get to know the right people.
04 - From hearing your mixes,I get the impression your first musical love is mainstream popular music.Is this so,& do you also enjoy other musical styles,like dubstep,chill,or rock?
Actually, there are a lot of genres I like. If I had to decide on one favourite style it would probably be alternative rock or balkanmusic. Mainstream pop is just the music I mostly work with, but I normally don't listen to it too much. Working at a radio station and as DJ gets me in contact with popular music a lot though.
05 - Not all bootleggers are into the rest of the scene. Do you enjoy following any other mixers' work,or is it mainly the source artists that they use in their tracks that draws you in?
I'd love to follow all of them. But there are just way too many great producers out there, so I have to concentrate on seeing what's new on "gybo" and checking the websites of my favourite mixers. Last week I discovered a new Nightwish mashup by chance and just couldn't resist to check out the producer's other stuff as well - there are certain artist that just pull me in.
06 - Are there any mashup projects,or compilations that have garnered your attention? Are you interested in participating in mashup compilations,including releasing collections of your own?
I have to admit that I do not know too many projects, I guess I only know the most common ones like Mash-Up Your Bootz, the gybo challenges and MashupMonday. Nevertheless I would really be interested in becoming a part of less known projects that focus on certain topics like fear or French music or something like that. That would be an interesting thing to work on.
07 - Mashup feedback can be surprisingly scarce given that forums are set up for that very purpose.Without a few good online pals,or interested family, direct response can be problematic.Most of my own feedback comes from actual audience dancing & cheering.What's the state of your feedback experience?
In most cases I don't get too much feedback on my new tracks in online forums. I would say half of the resonance I get is delivered by friends. Seeing how people react when dropping your tunes or getting numerous views on youtube is a common way to get feedback too. But useful responses from other artists are rare, unfortunately true.
08 - In my personal experiences with the 'mashup scene',I've been taken to task for being too serious,& correspondingly criticized for not being serious enough,often by the same people.Does your interaction with other bootleggers affect your mixing?
It depends. I want to improve my work and therefore listen to critiques. On the other hand I have to stick to my own style and I do not want people to tell me what to do. Different people like different things, that's just normal.
09 - (reader contributed question) What is your favorite key? D major?
(laughs) That's a good one. Of course it is.
10 - This may seem obvious,but how did you come upon your DJ name?
A good friend back in school used to call me "Maez" - no idea why - and I somehow got familiar with it. In general I use different names for my musical identities, DJ Maez as bootlegger, Midnighttwist for all other music production projects and Shadowcase as a DJ.
11 - Do you have any trouble devising new track combinations? Where do you get your mixing fodder such as instrumentals & acapellas from?
New combinations normally just come to my mind every other day. Sometimes I just imitate mashes others have done before but remake them in a way that I like better. Most instrumentals and acapellas can be purchased either on the internet or as vinyl. In other cases I have to use DIY versions.
12 - Can you please share with us some of the artists you crave mixing with in future?
Definetly: Shantel, Taio Cruz, Deadmau5, Wiz Khalifa and some others. Furthermore I'm planning on working with different rock/metal bands and some less known German artists.
13 - Do you expect to continue mashing till some deserved success results,or are you in it for the love alone?
I think success helps you carry on the things you love and of course success is always appreciated. But it should never be the one reason for your work. I will continue working with music in all ways no matter how successful that work might be.
...and of course the talk continued far into the evening. Big thanks to DJ Maez for the interview. If you enjoyed the article, or his mixes, please drop him a comment on
his site ( mixblick.wordpress.com/ ) .
Mix Of The Week
Rusty Egan has released 'Chilled Electro Mix Sep 2011 We Come One' and it's a positive occurence. As Rusty states "(It's a) Chilled mix of some current mixs of classic and some new chilled mixs of favourite tracks this year. "It's an hour well-spent,I say.
( soundcloud.com/rusty-egan/2011-08-30-22h35m55 )
Mashup Tip : If you can operate itunes media player, you can manage most dj mix programs. So get to it!
Latest Useo Thing
My monthly long mix as hosted on B00mB0x for many years now is '
DJ Useo-Eff Up The Volume (Modern Dubstep Mix). It's only the latest, hottest tracks all mixed extremely by yours truly. Have fun with it
here ( www.bmbx.org/2011/09/eff-up-the-volume/ )
... g-mix.html ( groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.co/
Podgornio, The Mashup Psychic Predicts
In exactly 2 days Geraldo will reveal on live Fox television a newly-found, long-lost cache of Motown acapellas leading to an immediate resurgence in Smokey Robinson mashups. Wow!
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Perspective on the Deal (New York Times)
To make sense of what just happened, we need to ask what is really at stake, and how much difference the budget deal makes in the larger picture.
As told to Laura Barnett: AL Kennedy on her first book, 'Night Geometry and the Garscadden Trains' (Guardian)
'I do recall the unwise excursion into magical realism.'
Rob Bricken: "New Year's resolutions you need to make in 2013 (and I don't)" (io9)
A fun dumb movie is one that doesn't force you to constantly think about how stupid it is. "Turn off your brain" movies means that you have to completely stop comprehending the images you see on the screen to een get through watching it, because if any of your synapses were firing you'd be completely distracted by how awful it is. Whether they're smart or dumb, you should be able to enjoy movies, not force yourself to keep from paying attention.
Jeff Ryan: "366 Days, 366 Books" (Slate)
I made a New Year's resolution to read a book a day in 2012. In 2013, you can too.
Jeff Ryan Books List
These are the books he read in 2012.
Uninvited Guest: 17-Foot Python Invades Florida Picnic
Forget the ants. This guy won't stop with your picnic basket.
Terrastro
Here you can explore Australian nature and landscape images taken at night under the light of the Moon or the Milky Way, read articles about interesting places and keep up to date with news and travel plans.
Adam Green: A PICKPOCKET'S TALE (New Yorker)
The spectacular thefts of Apollo Robbins.
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Lulu Storefront
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog
David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
wrote:
said:
answered:
Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
David E Suggests
10 Desks
Thanks, David!
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Clear, cold & windy.
Disaster Relief
Robin Hood Foundation
Some of the biggest names in rock 'n' roll were on the bill for the nationally televised "12-12-12" concert benefiting victims of Superstorm Sandy, but the charity in charge of distributing donations has been thinking small when it comes to doling out the $50 million-plus raised by Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones and other stars.
More than 160 organizations and counting have gotten shares of the Sandy relief funds collected so far by the Robin Hood Foundation, and many have been the type of small, grass-roots groups that seemed to be everywhere on the devastated New York and New Jersey coastlines in the initial weeks after the storm.
Some of the grants have been small, too, but the foundation's staff said each has been designed to make a difference on a human scale.
The list of grant recipients includes places like the Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church, of Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, which got $25,000 so it could install showers and beds for the stream of volunteers it has been deploying to help rebuild damaged homes.
Numerous food pantries got grants to help serve thousands of hot meals. Another group got $25,000 for making storage space available to families that need a temporary place to put salvaged possessions.
Robin Hood Foundation
Key Battle Artifacts
Hatfield-McCoy
The Hatfield clan New Year's attack on Randolph McCoy's cabin marked a turning point in America's most famous feud - the homestead was set ablaze, and two McCoys were gunned down. Hatfield family members and supporters were soon thrown in jail.
Artifacts recently unearthed appear to pinpoint the location of the 1888 ambush in the woods of Pike County in eastern Kentucky. Excavators found bullets believed to have been fired by the McCoys in self-defense, along with fragments of windows and ceramic from the family's cabin.
The property is owned by Bob Scott, a Hatfield descendant who has suspected for years that the hilly land was the site of the brutal attack. He grew up listening to stories from his parents and grandparents about the 19th-century feud.
"My father told me years ago that someday this well would talk," Scott said, referring to the well on the site where Randolph McCoy's daughter Alafair died while trying to flee the attackers.
Scott's home is about 75 yards from where the cabin stood. The McCoys moved to nearby Pikeville after the homestead was burned.
Hatfield-McCoy
Wedding News
Harris - Hefner
Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner has tied the knot for the third time, marrying a former Playmate 60 years his junior in an intimate New Year's Eve ceremony at the Playboy Mansion.
Hefner, 86, and Crystal Harris, 26, announced the nuptials on their Twitter feeds -- @hughhefner and @crystalhefner -- and posted pictures of the wedding.
"Happy New Year from Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Hefner!" Hefner said in a message accompanied by a picture of the octogenarian sporting purple pajamas and a captain's hat and the blonde Harris in her wedding dress.
Harris posted a picture on her own Twitter feed of the ceremony conducted under an archway of red, pink, purple and white flowers.
Harris - Hefner
Wedding News
Barrett - Goodman
Strictly Come Dancing (and Dancing With The Stars) judge Len Goodman has taken to the floor for his own wedding dance after tying the knot in a quiet ceremony.
The 68-year-old kept the marriage secret from the invited guests - including Strictly's Anton Du Beke - who thought they were attending a lunch at the weekend.
His new bride, Sue Barrett, 47, is a dance teacher who runs his school and the couple have been together for more than a decade.
Len told the Daily Mail: "I wanted it to be a low-key affair so we didn't tell anyone except my 96-year-old mum as I didn't want her having a heart attack with the surprise."
Barrett - Goodman
'One Small Step'
Neil Armstrong
It's one of the most famous lines in human history: "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." Whether Neil Armstrong - who died in August at age 82 - actually included the "a" has been the subject of debate for decades (he claims it was lost in transmission). And now, thanks to a new BBC documentary, Neil Armstrong - First Man on the Moon, we might finally have our answer.
Brother Dean Armstrong says in the doc that the line wasn't thought up on the spot like the Apollo 11 mission commander long suggested. Instead, the astronaut allegedly wrote the phrase down weeks before the mission, slipping it to his brother on a piece of paper as they played a game of Risk. "Before he went to Cape, he invited me down to spend a little time with him," said Dean. "[Neil] said, 'Why don't you and I, once the boys go to bed, why don't we play a game of Risk.'"
I said I'd enjoy that. We started playing Risk and then he slipped me a piece of paper and said "read that." I did. On that piece of paper there was "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." He says, "What do you think about that?" I said "fabulous." He said, "I thought you might like that, but I wanted you to read it.'"
Armstrong always claimed he thought up the line after touching down on the moon, but "he gave it a bit more thought than that," Dr. Christopher Riley, the documentary's director, tells the Telegraph. "I think the reason he always claimed he'd thought it up after landing was that he was bombarded by suggestions in the run up to the mission, and found them a distraction to the business of landing on the moon." In the end, "it was probably easier to just say that he'd thought it up after landing, thus dodging the issue of where the words came from." Well, that makes sense, says Dina Spector at Business Insider. Armstrong "was known for his modesty and camera-shy persona. He avoided the press and relished his privacy, despite being hailed as a hero."
Neil Armstrong
Denied Bid
F. Lee Bailey
F. Lee Bailey, the attorney who represented O.J. Simpson and Patty Hearst, had been denied his request to practice law in Maine.
The 79-year-old Bailey passed the Maine bar exam last winter. He was previously licensed in Massachusetts and Florida, but was disbarred in those states for mishandling $6 million worth of stock for a client.
In a 5-4 decision, the Maine Board of Bar Examiners wrote that Bailey hadn't demonstrated by "clear and convincing evidence that he possesses the requisite honesty and integrity" to practice law in Maine. The four dissenting board members recommended that he be allowed to practice in Maine.
Bailey has a home in Maine. A phone listing for him could not be found.
F. Lee Bailey
Rimonim Rift
Touro Synagogue
A disagreement over the ownership of a set of Torah finial bells from Colonial times that is worth millions has led to dueling lawsuits between leaders of the nation's first Jewish congregation and the nation's oldest synagogue.
The dispute started after leaders of the nearly 250-year-old Touro Synagogue in Newport, R.I., agreed to sell the bells, called rimonim, for $7.4 million to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The sale is opposed by leaders of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City, who say it owns Touro and the rimonim.
They argue the sale violates religious practice and will remove ownership of the bells from the Jewish community. They're seeking to remove the Newport congregation from practicing at Touro, which was named a National Historic Site in 1946 and is visited by tens of thousands of people every year.
Both sides have sued in federal court in Rhode Island, and Congregation Shearith Israel has also sued in federal court in New York. U.S. District Judge William Smith in Providence is scheduled to hold a settlement conference Thursday.
Congregation Shearith Israel, which overlooks Central Park in New York City's Upper West Side, was first established in 1654 by Jews of Spanish and Portuguese descent. It is the nation's first and oldest Jewish congregation.
Touro Synagogue
Cracks Down On Knowledge Smugglers
North Korea
The warning came from Kim Jong Un, the North Korean ruler who sees his isolated nation, just across the border from this busy Chinese trading town, as under siege. The attack, he said, must be stopped.
Over the past year, Kim has intensified a border crackdown that has attempted to seal the once-porous 1,420-kilometer (880-mile) frontier with China, smugglers and analysts say, trying to hold back the onslaught.
The assault that he fears? It's being waged with cheap televisions rigged to receive foreign broadcasts, and with smuggled mobile phones that - if you can get a Chinese signal along the border - can call the outside world. Very often, it arrives in the form of wildly popular South Korean soap operas smuggled in on DVDs or computer thumb drives.
In North Korea, a country where international phone calls and Internet connections exist only for a tiny fraction of a tiny elite, and televisions and radios must be permanently preset to receive only state broadcasts, it's Korean-language TV heartache they crave.
North Korea
War of 1812 Relic
Ticonderoga
The upstate New York village that bills itself as the birthplace of the U.S. Navy hasn't done much to preserve one of the service's oldest warship relics: the hull of a schooner that was the first in a long line of American vessels to carry the name Ticonderoga.
The wooden remains of the War of 1812 ship are displayed in a long, open-sided shed on the grounds of the Skenesborough Museum in Whitehall. They've been stored there since being raised from the southern end of Lake Champlain by a local historical group more than 50 years ago. Now, with the approach of 200th anniversary of the battle at which the first Ticonderoga gained its fame, a maritime historian is hoping something can be done to stem the deterioration of a rare naval artifact.
"It was recovered for all the right reasons but before we knew all the implications of a shipwreck and bringing it up into an air environment," said Arthur Cohn, senior adviser and special projects developer at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vt.
In 1776, during the American Revolution, Benedict Arnold oversaw the building of a small fleet of vessels in what is now Whitehall. That October, Arnold led this ragtag flotilla north to Valcour Island off Plattsburgh, where the outgunned Americans were defeated but forced the British to put off their invasion of New York until the following year. Roadside signs in Whitehall tout the village's claim as the birthplace of the U.S. Navy, a distinction that's been claimed by several New England communities.
The Ticonderoga started out as a merchant steamer before the U.S. Navy bought it while it was still under construction. The Navy completed it as a schooner, armed it with more than a dozen heavy cannon and launched the vessel as the Ticonderoga in May 1814.
Ticonderoga
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