M Is FOR MASHUP - February 23rd, 2011
The Wheel Of Mashups
By DJ Useo
Sorry,I missed last weeks' column, but I had surgery. I only went in for a hernia, but they found lots more to cut, so, hey! Why not? Meanwhile, my assistants, the Useoettes, finished building the new 'WHEEL OF MASHUPS'. It's finely-crafted & polished wood, with slots that let you change the mashups. All you got'ta do is spin the wheel & it lands on a mashup, including cover & link.
Let's give it a few spins & see what we get.-
01 -...and 'round & 'round, it goes & it comes up THC! Yes,it's the Homogenic Chaos & his new mix with Metric & New Order. 'Stay Sympathy' is a worthy bootleg to continue the excellent heritage of tracks crafted by THC. Take even a brief look around his site. It's chock-full of years of imaginative, well-made bootlegs.
( thehomogenicchaos.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-mash-stay-sympathy.html )
02-...And the second track on the wheel is...FLYING WHITE DOTS! With an exclusive release on
AUDIOPORNCENTRAL FWD's new mashup 'Hold On For Your Lives' includes major parts of Lisa Stansfield's 'People Hold On' & Vitalic's 'Second Lives'. As Party Ben is wont to say, "I didn't do much', but as with P-Ben's tracks, Flying White Dots has done plenty enough.
( audioporncentral.com/2010/11/world-premiere-flying-white-dots-hold-on-for-your-lives.html )
03 -...and the number three mashup from the mashup wheel is...OMG! It's actually Party Ben. This proves my theory about deejays & magnetism. lol. Party Ben's 'What's My Name Jack' (John Cougar Mellencamp vs Rihanna & Drake) hits the spot like only a few mashups can. It's like chugging 3 large carbonated drinks within seconds. Except without the burping.
( www.mashuptown.com/2011/02/new-party-ben-mash-up-mixing-up-some-80s-classic-with-fresh-rihanna-vocals-sources-john-coucar-mellencamp-jack-diane.html )
04-...and the 4th track is G3rst! He's gone & done a stunner of a track by having Lady Gaga sing 'Bad Romance' over the addictive Electric Light Orchestra track 'Don't Bring me Down'. I do realize most of us don't know that ELO song, but I understand it was the bee's knees, once. The way they sound mixed like this is quite a revival for both tracks. A sure-pleaser, as the kids say.
( www.g3rst.com/ )
05-...Just time for one more spin, & it's FISSUNIX! His new track celebrating the Tron revival is a total blast. 'Heart Shaped Tron' (Nirvana vs Daft Punk) is all that & more as far as an aural mashup experience. I hope there's a video version soon. Fissunix says 'It's the launch of Tron Legacy today in France. So let's have a mashup to celebrate. It's dark & a bit unusual but i wish you like it.'
( bootleg.fissunix.com )
Crud! The wheel is developing a serious wobble. I'll get to repairs right away so we can spin it again soon. Have fun with those links.
Mix Of The Week
KrazyBen's 'Good Mashups Make Good DJs' is 2 incredible bootleg sets of goodness.
KB speaks of the mixes - 'I came up with the idea came to make a mashup/remix version of it for the Pure Trax ::Reloaded:: mashup and remixes show, so I contacted the host of the show, Vincent Cayeux (ViC), and we started working on two one hour shows based on the compilation. The two mixes include 4 exclusive mashups I did, and one exclusive mashup by ViC.'
Believe me, this is a must-not-miss musical chance. Tell your friends & they'll thank you!
( www.mashup-industries.com/ )
Latest Useo Thing
A double A-Side of mashups with Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention. One with Zappa vs Donovan & a second with Cream singing over the Mothers. Hear why one guy thought I must be on 'dope'. lmao.
( groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2011/02/double-side-mothers-reinventions.html )
Mashup Tip : Carrots & peas are sure to please. :)
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Farhad Manjo: Why Passwords Aren't Enough (Slate)
We need better security for our online accounts. Could Gmail lead the way?
Scott Burns: Making Things Right (assetbuilder.com)
The biggest theft of investment assets was not done by Bernard Madoff. It was done by the Congress of the United States. It was not done by Democrats alone, nor was it done by Republicans alone. It was a concert of malignant bipartisanship.
Jim Hightower: EXPLAINING CONGRESSIONAL MORALITY
It's always interesting to see Congress in action - though "interesting" can also be appalling.
LEV GROSSMAN: "2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal" (TIME)
On Feb. 15, 1965, a diffident but self-possessed high school student named Raymond Kurzweil appeared as a guest on a game show called 'I've Got a Secret.'
ALICE PARK: How to Live 100 Years (TIME)
A century of life was once a rare thing, but that is changing. Science is slowly unraveling the secrets of the centenarians.
DR. MEHMET OZ: LIVING LONG AND LIVING WELL (Time)
A century of life was once a rare thing, but that is changing. Science is slowly unraveling the secrets of the centenarians.
Robert Lloyd: Critic's Notebook: The value of public broadcasting (Los Angeles Times)
You may have heard that there are several bills now being floated in Congress -- most notably the budget plan issued Friday by the GOP-run House Appropriations Committee -- that propose entirely to defund public broadcasting. These are political, not practical, proposals: ...
Roger Ebert's Journal: The Best Art Films of 2010
This is the last of my lists of the best films of 2010, and the hardest to name. Call it the Best Art Films. I can't precisely define an Art Film, but I knew I was seeing one when I saw these. I could also call them Adult Films, if that term hadn't been devalued by the porn industry.
Greg Kot: Gang of Four's attack still bites (Chicago Tribune)
If Gang of Four had a dollar for every band that it influenced, the members wouldn't necessarily be rich, but they'd probably be able to make a hefty down payment on a new house.
Henry Rollins: The Column! Rollins on Being an Angeleno in New York (and Missing Joey Ramone) (Los Angeles Weekly)
This week, I am in freezing New York City for five shows. It's been going great so far. I used to live here in the '90s. I am sure many of you have visited. If you have not, you should. Actually, you'd better. Everyone should. Of all the cities I have ever been to, New York City is the most amazing one I know.
Randies - "I Thought I Could Change" (YouTube)
Frank Sinatra: My Way (YouTube)
David Bruce: Wise Up! Eccentrics (Athens News)
Fred Astaire's sister Adele had a strange habit: Whenever she got mad at someone, she would write that person's name down on a piece of paper, then stick it in her shoe.
David Bruce has 40 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $40 you can buy 10,000 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," and "Maximum Cool."
wrote:
answered:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Mostly sunny, but cold.
Class Of 2011
Songwriters Hall of Fame
Garth Brooks is being immortalized for his songwriting skills.
The country superstar is one of five acts to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 16. The announcement was made Tuesday by the group's chairman, Jimmy Webb. He says the songwriters have "forever enriched our world's music."
Leon Russell is also part of the inductee class, making it the second hall of fame honor for him this year; next month, he'll be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fellow piano man Allen Toussaint will be inducted as well, along with John Bettis, who wrote "Human Nature" and "Crazy for You," and the team of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who wrote songs including "Like A Virgin" and "True Colors."
Songwriters Hall of Fame
September Release For Palin Book
Joe McGinniss
The author accused of helping leak an unpublished tell-all on Sarah Palin is releasing his own book on the former Alaska governor this summer.
Amazon.com lists a Sept. 20 release date for author Joe McGinniss' "The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin."
McGinniss made headlines last year when he moved next to the Palins in Wasilla while researching the book. The move prompted complaints by Palin, who extended the fence between their properties.
More recently, McGinniss has been accused of helping leak a draft of an unpublished tell-all by former Palin aide Frank Bailey.
Joe McGinniss
Acquires Big Band Tapes
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado's Glenn Miller Archive has acquired hundreds of hours of recordings of big band radio broadcasts along with photos, magazines, documents and other memorabilia from a private collection.
The CU American Music Research Center, which contains the archive, said Tuesday the collection has about 1,400 reel-to-reel tapes of jazz and big band musicians including Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman.
The recordings, photos and documents were purchased from the collection of Florida resident Ed Burke, who founded and operated the independent recording companies Fanfare, Jazz Hour and Soundcraft.
The cost wasn't disclosed. CU officials say all the money came from private donations.
University of Colorado
Books Found In University Library
Thomas Jefferson
Dozens of Thomas Jefferson's books, some including handwritten notes from the nation's third president, have been found in the rare books collection at Washington University in St. Louis.
Now, historians are poring through the 69 newly discovered books and five others the school already knew about, and librarians are searching the collection for more volumes that may have belonged to the founding father.
Even if no other Jefferson-owned books are found, the school's collection of 74 books is the third largest in the nation after the Library of Congress and the University of Virginia.
"It is so out of the blue and pretty amazing," said Washington University's rare books curator Erin Davis of the discovery that was announced on President's Day.
Thomas Jefferson
Top Movie Product Placement
Apple
Apple was deemed top of the product placement charts on Tuesday after getting its computers, iPads, iPods and other items featured in 30 percent of the top movies at the U.S. box office in 2010.
But the single movie with the most placements was "Iron Man 2" -- which featured 64 identifiable products, according to Brandchannel, the website of global brand consultancy Interbrand.
Brandchannel said it identified 591 brands or products in 33 films that reached No.1 at the box office in 2010, an average of 17.9 per film. This was a slight increase from the 17.5 per film average of 2009.
Apple had roles in movies last year ranging from "Kick Ass" to "The Other Guys" and "Toy Story 3." Total Apple product placements beat those of runners-up Chevrolet, Ford and Nike.
Apple
Broadway's Best Earners
"The Lion King"
Last week's biggest earning show on Broadway wasn't the usual suspects - "Wicked" or "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark." It was an old show that proves it can still roar.
"The Lion King," now in its 14th year, took in $1,534,779 for the week ending Sunday. "Wicked," the show about the witches in "The Wizard of Oz," was next with $1,526,036, and the much-delayed "Spider-Man" musical took third place with $1,476,828 in eight preview performances.
"Wicked" and "Spider-Man" both reported increases over the previous week's box office, but "The Lion King" took in $252,228 more than the week before.
"The Lion King," with music by Elton John and Tim Rice, became the seventh-longest running show in Broadway history on Jan. 2 when it played its 5,462nd performance. Producers say 17 productions of the show have been seen by more than 54 million people and grossed more than $4.2 billion to date.
"The Lion King"
Oink. Oink. Oink.
Pigboy
Radio host/propagandist Rush Limbaugh (R-Draft Dodger) poked fun at Michelle Obama's waistline Monday; the latest entry in a string of conservative attacks on the First Lady's anti-obesity campaign.
During his show yesterday, Limbaugh pounced on a report that the Obama family (minus the president) had dined on ribs while vacationing in Vail, Colo.:
Limbaugh's comments come on the heels of those from several other right-leaning critics, who have decried the "nanny-state" mentality of the First Lady's "Let's Move" campaign.
This is the second time in a week the First Lady's weight was the butt of a conservative joke. Conservative pundit and noted liar Andrew Breitbart's Big Government website published a cartoon depicting Michelle Obama as overweight and hypocritical, eating hamburgers while talking to the president about "Let's Move."
Pigboy
Lawsuit To Go To Trial
Mel "Sugar Tits" Gibson
A judge refused Tuesday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who arrested Mel "Sugar Tits" Gibson on suspicion of drunk driving in 2006 and subsequently alleged he was retaliated against for not removing the actor's anti-Semitic slurs from an initial arrest report, the deputy's attorney said.
Attorneys representing the county had filed the motion requesting dismissal. Deputy James Mee says that in the years since the incident he has been passed over for promotions and had his job performance unfairly scrutinized. Because the deputy is Jewish, his attorneys have said, he is unfairly suspected of leaking details of Gibson's tirade to the media.
Sheriff's officials have vigorously denied the allegations of retaliation and ethnic discrimination.
Mee, 56, said he was planning to write the arrest report on another day because it was already late in his shift but was told by a supervisor that department higher-ups were waiting. Gibson, Mee's attorneys said, was of special interest to sheriff's officials because he was a friend of Sheriff Lee Baca and had appeared in a public service announcement for a department-administered nonprofit.
Mel "Sugar Tits" Gibson
Found Guilty
Buju Banton
Grammy-winning reggae singer Buju Banton was convicted Tuesday of conspiring to set up a cocaine deal in 2009.
A federal jury returned their verdict after deliberating for 11 hours over two days on the fate of Banton, who won a Grammy last week for best reggae album for his work entitled "Before the Dawn." He was found guilty of three of the four charges he faced.
The 37-year-old Banton remains wildly popular in his native Jamaica, and his trial was packed with supporters that included other well known reggae artists.
The singer, whose given name is Mark Myrie, was on trial on accusations that he conspired with two other men in setting up a drug deal in December of 2009.
Buju Banton
Report Won't End Suspicions
Ruben Salazar
As officials formally released a report Tuesday on the slaying of journalist Ruben Salazar, people who knew the newsman applauded the review but said it will not end the suspicions that have clouded the case for the last 40 years.
Salazar was killed by a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who fired a tear-gas projectile into a darkened bar where the newsman was taking a break from reporting on rioting that had broken out on L.A.'s Eastside, said Michael Gennaco, head of the Office of Independent Review, which prepared the report.
If deputies had intended to kill Salazar, Gennaco told reporters at a packed news conference, "they could have chosen a strategy that had a better chance of succeeding rather than taking a blind shot in the dark."
At the time of his death, Salazar was a Times columnist and news director at Spanish-language KMEX-TV. The newsman's forceful columns and aggressive TV coverage had sharply criticized law enforcement actions in Mexican American neighborhoods on Los Angeles' Eastside.
Raul Ruiz, a Cal State Northridge professor who read the report, said it was limited by its analysis of department records that only provide a partial picture. He said it won't end the speculation that has shadowed Salazar's slaying.
Ruben Salazar
Case Against Russia Lodged
European Court of Human Rights
A member of a Russian art group detained since November lodged a case against Moscow at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Tuesday, the group's representatives said.
The group Voina drew attention last year by painting a huge phallus on a drawbridge near offices of Russia's top security services. They have pulled other similarly confrontational stunts aimed at Russia's notoriously corrupt security forces.
Police detained three of members of the group, Leonid Nikolayev, Oleg Vorotnikov and Natalia Kozlenok, in mid-November after police cars were overturned in a demonstration to protest against abuse of power by the force.
Nikolayev's lawyer Pavel Chikov said authorities had failed to provide sufficient evidence against his client. He added that they were not justified in holding the artist in pre-trial detention and had failed to submit the detention order to an appellate court.
The two artists are charged with hooliganism, a crime that could land them in prison for five year. Neither has commented on the accusations.
European Court of Human Rights
Facebook Announcement
Michel Polnareff
A 66-year-old French pop star who delivered his first child with his 27-year-old partner unaided at home in December announced on social networking site Facebook on Tuesday that the child was not his.
Michel Polnareff, a singer noted for his striking curly mop of blond hair and big white sunglasses, said that his partner had admitted he was not the father of her son Volodia, who was born at their home in Los Angeles on December 28.
"It is with immense sadness that I must announce that the baby is not mine. Faced with my insistence on a DNA test, Danyellah told me the truth which the test confirmed," Polnareff wrote.
The singer, who was hugely successful from the 1960s to the 1980s, later posted another message saying that his partner "has disappeared with the baby".
Michel Polnareff
1 In 4 Are Dying
US Counties
In all, roughly 760 of the nation's 3,142 counties are fading away, stretching from industrial areas near Pittsburgh and Cleveland to the vineyards outside San Francisco to the rural areas of east Texas and the Great Plains. Once-booming housing areas, such as retirement communities in Florida, have not been immune.
West Virginia was the first to experience natural decrease statewide over the last decade, with Maine, Pennsylvania and Vermont close to following suit, according to the latest census figures. As a nation, the U.S. population grew by just 9.7 percent since 2000, the lowest decennial rate since the Great Depression.
"Natural decrease is an important but not widely appreciated demographic phenomenon that is reshaping our communities in both rural and urban cores of large metro areas," said Kenneth Johnson, a sociology professor and demographer at the University of New Hampshire's Carsey Institute who analyzed the census numbers.
Johnson said common threads among the dying counties are older whites who are no longer having children, and an exodus of young adults who find little promise in the region and seek jobs elsewhere. The places also have fewer Hispanic immigrants, who on average are younger and tend to have more children than other groups.
US Counties
In Memory
Dwayne McDuffie
Comic and television writer Dwayne McDuffie, perhaps best known as the co-creator of Emmy Award winning animated TV series "Static Shock," has died, his publisher DC Comics said on Tuesday. He was 49 years-old.
McDuffie died on Monday due to complications in surgery, according to a report on the website Comic Book Resources, but the cause of death could not immediately be confirmed.
McDuffie, a native of Detroit, Michigan, was the co-founder and creator of Milestone Media, and a story editor and co-creator of "Static Shock." He won the 2003 Humanitas Prize for his "Static Shock" script "Jimmy," about gun violence in schools.
McDuffie created or co-created more than a dozen comic series including "Damage Control," "Icon" and "Xombi." He wrote stories for numerous other comics including, "Spider-Man," "Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight" and "The Tick." He also was nominated for two of TV's Emmy Awards for "Static Shock," according to his biography on his website, dwaynemcduffie.com.
Dwayne McDuffie
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