M Is FOR MASHUP - RERUN - February 6th, 2013
Bootleggers Celebrate Worlds' Greatest Divas!
By DJ Useo
One of the best features of the SoundUnsound mashup forum
( sound-unsound.com/ ) is that it releases 4 or 5 mashup collections a year. Me, Chocomang, and mARKYbOY, acting under our authority as moderators take turns picking a theme for the album, and then we coordinate the release in conjunction with the pre-release team. We feel it works out for the best to have as much input as possible on issues like pitching and timing. I'm sure it would be different if at least one of us was omnipotent, but since that would raise the bar to an unreasonable level, we share the praise and the blame. After past successes like
the 70s album
( www.groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2012/04/sus-70s.html ),
two complete volumes of 80s mashups
( groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2011/04/all-new-sound-unsounds-uk-80s-mashed.html ),
( www.groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2012/09/soundunsound-80s-mashed-2.html ),
a punk collection
( groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2012/01/never-mash-punk-rock-mashup-album.html ), and many more over the past 5 years, I chose the latest theme of DIVAS.
Divas struck me as a very appealing theme, much more so than the wonderful, but not so widespread appeal of the
SURF mashup album
( groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2011/10/sus-mash-wave-new-surf-mashups-album.html ) . I still adore that one and play it plenty, but I was looking to pull in more listeners with a DIVAS comp. I've heard from a good batch of listeners that they'd like to hear more tracks featuring the best of the female performers. I've also seen some very popular blogs devoted to exposing us to more DIVAS music. So, I dropped my thought of doing an electro-themed comp, and boldly declared the DIVAS theme. I may be pushing it, or not, but I set a normal deadline (for me) of six weeks. It's not a problem if we need to extend it, as I suspected we might, since the deadline period fell over Christmas and New Years. The response surprised me, though, because the DIVAS theme really got a great response from the potential mixers. It seems many of us bootleggers hold the divas music in high regard, and welcomed the chance to honor them.
Within days of the DIVAS comp announcement, I began to get GREAT tracks. Pilchard, a long-time favorite bootlegger of mine dropped an instant classic right away with his Shirley Bassey/Prodigy mix. My instructions to use the DIVAS singing over any kind of music was perfect for Pilchards' purposes, resulting in a track that set a high standard for everyone following him. Some contributors, like Chocomang, Sjoersie, and mARKYbOY found themselves right at home to such an extent that they delivered as many as 5 tracks! Meanwhile, I quickly discovered that doing a DIVA mashup takes hard work. My problem was I normally start any mix with the music and then decide on the vocals later. In this case, I was required to start with the vocals, and then finish by adding the instrumental music.
It didn't take long for me to abandon a Barbara Streisand / Donna Summers acapella. I just couldn't get the 'feel' for it. Next up, I thought I was on the right path with Destiny's Child singing "Bootylicious" over the Doors "Touch Me". Unfortunately, the pitching gave me some probs, so I moved on to newer tracks that seemed to click effortlessly.
Over the next few weeks, I came up with seven terrific mashups that I felt very confident about. I dropped two of them, & we went with the five best. I was knocked out during much of the deadline period with that badass flu we all caught, but luckily, Chocomang was thriving so he picked up tons of loose slack resulting in 2 complete discs of finestkind mixes. The final record features awesome mixes by topnotch talent like ToTom, Rappy, DRA' man, Oki, Alan Black, and Tweylo. There's even wonderful tracks by some skilled 'newbies' (at least to me) like Ayee Mashup, and MashupBambi. On top of that there's tracks by DJ Mashup, DJ MXR, 2 of the most experienced, and gifted bootleggers out there.
Do yourself a favour and check out the large, full playlist here
( chocomang.org/mashup/NeverMashADiva.htm )
There's mirrored links for both discs, and also for Chocomang's two long mix versions. No charge!
Remember, it's 'SoundUnsounds' "NEVER MASH A DIVA".
Mix Of The Week
DJs From Mars do EXCELLENT mashups, but they also excel at long mixes. 'Djs From Mars - Alien Selection 2012 09 27' shows them at their gosh darn best. It's chock full of mashups, bootleg remixes, & the best modern pop you'll hear.
Listen, or stream here
( soundcloud.com/djsfrommars/djs-from-mars-alien-5 )
Mashup Tip
Don't concern yourself about what others want. Mix tracks according to what you want.
Latest Useo Thing
'Misery For Me' (James Talk, Ridney Feat. Max'C vs Good Charlotte vs Steve Aoki)
Dancey electro with gripping vocals.
( groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2013/01/good-charlotte-vs-james-talk.html )
Podgornio, The Mashup Psychic Predicts
Next Month, French bootlegger ToTom will make a track so good, that it will actually blow up!
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
David Wong: 5 Manly Things That Are Going Away Forever (Cracked)
There are some staples of "manliness" that are absolutely going bye-bye, never to return. I don't know how soon (people who write about future trends are not in fact claiming to be time-traveling wizards), but they are going away. I'm talking about things like ...
Paul Krugman: Envy Versus Anger (NY Times)
Suddenly, or so it seems, inequality has surged into public consciousness - and neither the one percent nor its reliable defenders seems to know how to cope.
Heather Havrilesky: Freedom is Good, Dude (Slate)
Jonathan Livingston Seagull and the rise of simpleton wisdom.
Richard Metzger: 'Your Mamma Won't Like Me': Suzi Quatro, the original Riot grrrl (Dangerous Minds)
In her native America, pioneering female rocker Suzi Quatro is best remembered for her role as "Leather Tuscadero" on Happy Days, but in the rest of the world, Quatro was known-at least for a short time-as a chart-topping bubblegum/glam-rock superstar who sold 50 million records.
Interviews by Kate Abbot: How we made Wallace and Gromit (Guardian)
Gromit was a cat, Wallace had a moustache, and their first adventure was meant to be like Star Wars - but with cheese. Nick Park and Peter Lord on creating a British classic.
Jennifer M. Wood: 15 Things You Might Not Know About This Is Spinal Tap (Mental Floss)
1. THIS IS SPINAL TAP WASN'T AN IMMEDIATE HIT.
Leo Bendictus: "In praise of procrastination: five reasons why it pays to wait" (Guardian)
Jennifer Saunders is having hypnotherapy to help her stop procrastinating - but putting off work isn't always a bad thing.
Chris Kirk and Jim Festante: The Adele Dazeem Name Generator (Slate)
When John Travolta called Idina Menzel "Adele Dazeem" at the Oscars, he created a new standard for superstardom: You're no one until you've had your name mangled by a confused, squinting John Travolta. What's your Travoltified name? Find out with our handy widget!
David Bruce: Wise Up! Names (Athens News)
Joseph Heller, author of "Catch-22," once got to meet anti-nuclear weapons activist Bertrand Russell, who was then in his nineties. The meeting did not go well. At Russell's home in Wales, Heller introduced himself, and Russell told him, "Go away, damn you! Never come back here again!" Fortunately, a servant came running after Heller and explained that Russell had thought that Heller was Edward Teller, aka the father of the atomic bomb.
David Bruce's Amazon Author Page
David Bruce's Smashwords Page
David Bruce's Blog
David Bruce's Lulu Storefront
David Bruce's Apple iBookstore
David Bruce has approximately 50 Kindle books on Amazon.com.
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
Team Coco
Conan
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Gare Says...
Astrology
A Sassy Overview Regarding All Signs For the Month of March Spilling a Tad Into April
Thanks, Gare!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and seasonal.
New Contestants
'Dancing With the Stars'
Olympic ice dancing gold medallists Charlie White and Meryl Davis will try a less slick surface and new partners as contestants in the next edition of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."
ABC said Tuesday that game show host Drew Carey, actor Billy Dee Williams and long distance swimmer Diana Nyad will also be on the show, which begins a new season on March 17.
Other celebrity contestants include former pro hockey player Sean Avery, "Full House" actress Candace Cameron Bure, "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star NeNe Leakes, James Maslow of the TV show and music group Big Time Rush, actress Danica McKellar of "The Wonder Years" and "The West Wing," Paralympic athlete Amy Purdy and pop star Cody Simpson.
'Dancing With the Stars'
New Inductees
TV Hall of Fame
After passing on the "Tonight Show" torch, host Jay Leno is receiving one of the highest of accolades in television - a spot in the TV Hall of Fame.
The Television Academy announced the inductees into the 23rd Hall of Fame. Last year's Emmy winner for Best Actress in a Comedy, "Veep" and "Seinfeld" star Julia Louis-Dreyfus joins Leno in the prestigious lineup.
Along with the two stars, veteran producer David E. Kelley - the creator of "Picket Fences," "Chicago Hope," "The Practice," "Ally McBeal," "Boston Legal," and "The Crazy Ones" - is receiving the honor.
The other three inductees are on the executive and technical side. Sound pioneer Ray Dolby, ABC executive Brandon Stoddard, and Fox Broadcasting Company founder Rupert Murdoch (R-Evil Incarnate) are all getting inducted.
TV Hall of Fame
Big Fan of Al Jazeera America
Mel Brooks
It's the kind of spontaneous testimonial that any new outlet dreams of. For The Stream, Al Jazeera America recently dialed up Mel Brooks via satellite from Los Angeles. At one point, the 87-year-old comedy legend took a moment to praise the instrument of his interview:
"Let me say something about Al Jazeera. I'm doing this because when Al Jazeera was first on the air, and I first heard about it, I thought it was probably Arab, Muslim, you know, slanted and maybe a little anti-Semitic, I didn't know. And then I got to see it on my local station in Santa Monica and it was like a breath of fresh air."
"It was like the New York Times of [TV] news. It was either MSNBC on the left or FOX on the right. It was giving me the news as earnestly and as honestly as I ever got it, and that's why I salute Al Jazeera, and that's why I'm happy to be here doing this even though the money is very small."
Brooks also talked during the conversation about today's insanely high threshholds for political correctness and male prejudice against female comedians, but it's the Al Jazeera America endorsement that will be the keeper. Brooks is the first celebrity to speak up in such a fashion on behalf of the channel launched last summer. Senator John McCain has previously commended the network for its coverage of the ongoing unrest in Egypt.
Mel Brooks
Original Series Marathon
'Cosmos'
Get ready for billions and billions - or at least a whole lot - of episodes of "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage."
The National Geographic channel will air a two-day marathon of the original "Cosmos" series this weekend, leading up to the premiere of Seth MacFarlane's reboot of the series - "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey."
Starting Saturday at noon, the National Geographic Channel will air all 13 episodes of the Carl Sagan series, which premiered on PBS in 1980.
The new series, which counts MacFarlane among its writers and executive producers and will be hosted by renowned astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, will premiere March 9 at 9 p.m. on multiple networks, including Fox, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, FX, FXX, FXM, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2 and Fox Life.
'Cosmos'
Retiring From NPR
Carl Kasell
Carl Kasell, a signature voice of NPR News for decades, is stepping down from the comedy news quiz show "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me!" and retiring from the network this spring.
Kasell has been a recognizable voice on NPR for decades. He was a newscaster for 30 years on "Morning Edition" until 2009. His radio career spans half a century, starting as a morning deejay and newscaster at WGBR-AM in Goldsboro, N.C.
NPR announced Kasell's retirement Tuesday. After three decades as a newscaster, Kasell became the official judge and scorekeeper of the Chicago-based show "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me!"
Kasell says his time on "Wait, Wait" has been his favourite years at NPR because he could meet and talk to the audiences he felt he knew.
Carl Kasell
Couple Pleads Guilty To Fraud
"Real Housewives of NJ"
A "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star and her husband face prison time after they pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal fraud charges for concealing income and lying during bankruptcy proceedings.
In contrast to their often raucous on-screen personas, Teresa and Giuseppe "Joe" Giudice stood solemnly in front of U.S. Magistrate Esther Salas in Newark, speaking in barely audible tones as they admitted engaging in financial fraud.
Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and three types of bankruptcy fraud. Joe Giudice also pleaded guilty to failing to file a tax return for 2004, though he acknowledged he didn't file taxes on income of approximately $1 million between 2004 and 2008.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, Joe Giudice faces a potential sentence of 37 to 46 months and Teresa Giudice could get 21 to 27 months, though Salas could deviate up or down from those ranges. Klingeman said after Tuesday's hearing that his client will seek probation.
"Real Housewives of NJ"
May Have Been Stolen From Mint
Gold Coins
Hey, remember that lucky couple from California who literally struck gold when they found a stash of buried gold coins valued at $10 million? Well, it turns out they might not be so lucky, after all.
Reports are now surfacing that the coins may have been stolen from the US mint in 1900 and are therefore the property of the government and must be returned.
Historian and rare coin collector, Jack Trout, was apparently the first to uncover the news. He believes the collection was created by someone who had access to the inner workings of the San Francisco Mint, such as a manager. He believes the collection never left the mint until the robbery and, upon seeing that a 'mysterious' coin collection resurfaced last April, he believes it may be the same one.
According to consumerist.com, if the collection is indeed the same collection stolen in 1900, the couple may be entitled to a finder's fee, but it is unlikely they would be able to keep the whole haul.
Gold Coins
Ex-Magistrate Censured
Lu Ann Ballew
A former Tennessee magistrate who ruled last summer that a baby could not be called "Messiah" because that name was reserved for Jesus Christ was censured on Monday for bias.
Lu Ann Ballew was found guilty of violating judicial canons regarding impartiality and bias by a six-member panel of the Tennessee Judicial Board of Conduct. She was fired in January after being cited for religious bias in her decision.
The penalty will be spelled out later in a written opinion, according to Michele Wojciechowski, spokeswoman for Tennessee's administrative office of the courts. It took the panel of four judges, one lawyer and a layperson 90 minutes to reach a unanimous decision, she said.
The child's parents, who were appearing in court to settle other issues involving their child, appealed the ruling while continuing to call the boy Messiah. Another judge later held that Ballew's ruling was unconstitutional.
Lu Ann Ballew
Shilling Discovery Could Rewrite
Canadian History
An amateur treasure hunter with a hand-held metal detector has turned Canadian history on its head after finding a 16th century shilling buried in clay on the shores of Vancouver Island.
The 435-year-old coin discovered in western-most Canada has rekindled a theory that a British explorer made a secret voyage here two centuries before it was discovered by Spanish sailors.
Official historical records show the Spanish were the first Europeans to set foot in what is now Canada's British Columbia province in 1774, followed four years later by British Royal Navy Captain James Cook.
Retired security systems installer Bruce Campbell found the coin in mid-December, along with a rare 1891 Canadian nickel, a 1960s dime and penny from 1900.
Canadian History
Could Follow The Dodo
Escargot
Snails, one of France's signature dishes, could be off the menu if the country fails to stem an invasion by a slimy worm from Southeast Asia, scientists warned on Tuesday.
The warning is being sounded over a voracious species called the New Guinea flatworm.
It is already on a list of the 100 most dangerous invasive species in the world as it has a relentless appetite for native snails and earthworms in places where it has been introduced.
Workers at a botanical gardens in Caen, Normandy, called in scientific help after they spotted a strange, dark, flat-as-a-pancake worm among their greenhouse plants.
Reporting in the journal PeerJ on Tuesday, a team of French experts said DNA tests had confirmed their worst fears: Platydemus manokwari has arrived in Europe.
Escargot
To Speak at South by Southwest
Edward Snowden
Edward Snowden, who has been in self-imposed exile since leaking government secrets last year, will speak at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival on Monday, the festival said Tuesday. Snowden will not be there in person, as any return to the United States would likely result in his arrest, appearing instead via videoconference.
Snowden's leaks also revealed a program called PRISM, by which the NSA was accessing information about users of Facebook, Google, Yahoo and other tech giants. Assuring user privacy is critical to all of those businesses, and SXSW is one of the most prominent forums for the technology community.
Snowden will speak with Christopher Soghoian, the principal technologist of the American Civil Liberties Union, and Ben Wizner, an ACLU director and Snowden's legal advisor.
The three will discuss how the NSA's spying has affected technology companies, and how technology can protect citizens from surveillance.
Edward Snowden
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Feb. 24-March 2. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. "The Oscars," ABC, 43.74 million.
2. "Oscars Red Carpet Live" (8 p.m.), ABC, 26.92 million.
3. "Oscars Red Carpet Live" (7:30 p.m.), ABC, 18.72 million.
4. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 17.73 million.
5. "NCIS," CBS, 17.03 million.
6. "The Voice" (Monday), NBC, 15.86 million.
7. "Oscars Red Carpet Live" (7 p.m.), ABC, 14.76 million.
8. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 13.16 million.
9. "The Voice" (Tuesday), NBC, 13.05 million.
10. "The Walking Dead," AMC, 12.61 million.
11. "Blue Bloods," CBS, 11.96 million.
12. "The Black List," NBC, 11.18 million.
13. "The Millers," CBS, 11.04 million.
14. "Person of Interest," CBS, 11 million.
15. "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 10.79 million.
16. "Hawaii Five-0," CBS, 10.61 million.
17. "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 10.03 million.
18. "American Idol" (Thursday), Fox, 10 million.
19. "Criminal Minds" (Wednesday, 10 p.m.), CBS, 9.42 million.
19. "Grey's Anatomy," ABC, 9.42 million
Ratings
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