M Is FOR MASHUP - December 22nd, 2010
Christmas Mashup Wishes Granted
By DJ Useo
Through a secretive Seasonal manouvre, I have gained access to leaked letters from children to Santa, all pertaining to mashups. Let's take a gander at a few. It's highly enlightening regarding the behind the scenes matters revealed.
Dear Santa -
I have been good all year long if you don't count shoplifting. Please can you make sure that lazy sod DJ BC puts out another new collection of Christmas mashups? Just because he's already given us five previous years worth is no reason to slack off now. There's a c-note in it for you if you deliver.
-Mugsy Collins.7 years old.
Dear Mugsy
Happy to hear from you again. How is the appeal going? Of course I can 'deliver' on your bootleg request. I'll leave it in the 'usual' place, behind the ductwork. Make sure Mrs. Claus is unharmed!
Here you go. Sixteen
new Christmas mashups a la Boston.
( santastic4.com/V/ )
-Santa
Dearest O dearest Santa -
Why do you allow people like DJ BC to not do more than their fair share of Christmas bootleg albums? Surely after my proven dedication to your organization you can see your way fit to 'persuade' DJ BC to cut loose with some more Yuletide mixing?
Thanks all the same,
Margie Bargie.6 years old.
Dear Margie
Wow, you kids really have it in for
DJ BC this Christmas season, don't you? Well, he didn't write me a thank you letter last year when I suggested he mash Bing Crosby with Master P.,so I'll do it. I bet it would be great fun to 'get' DJ BC to add hip hop beats to classical Christmas tunes. There, it's done now. I hope you also enjoy the sweater. It's real alpaca!
( djbc.net/recomposition/ )
-Santa
To my close friend Santa & all the many Clauses -
Me & my buddies were drinking & playing poker when we thought of a great title for a bootleg Christmas album - 'Christmas Midgets'. Perhaps you can force the Found Sound Orchestra to mix a full album of Christmas mashups & call it that? They sure do some great mixing. Oh, & a full house would also be quite useful at the moment. I'll leave you a full plate of freshly-baked Christmas raisin cookies for you, as thanks.
Bye for now.
Don't tell my mom.
Skeg Ness.Age 44.
Dear Skeg
You kids sure are easy to please. A little new mashup music & you're good until at least July.it was very easy to 'coax'
a full album from FSO. Let me know if you want any remixes for New Years. I think FSO are still good for at least an ep. As for the full house,here's something better. Roy on your left is dealing from the bottom of the deck. Hope you like the new Found Sound Orchestra record.
( www.foundsoundorchestra.com/2010/11/xmas/ )
-Santa
Dearest Santa who we are not worthy to shovel his walk -
I know you gave me the links to the BOOTIE Christmas albums last year, but my older brother made me eat them. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease can you re-send them? Life is too short to miss them another year.
Lil' Georgie.Age unknown.
Hey there Georgie
Sigh.Ok, here they are again, coated in powdered sugar to help them go down this time. You should just go to
BOOTIE, they give them out as door prizes, I think. I do approve of your taste in Christmas mashups, though.
( www.bootiemashup.com/xmas/ )
-Santa T.O.A.L. (tired of answering letters)
Hope you enjoyed this peek behind the correspondence of Kringle & kids.
Mix Of The Week
Many more exquisite new Christmas mixes available at
B00mB0x, the long mix site. BONG has 'A Wayne Ina Manger', Lenodd has 'Have Yourself A Very Lenodd Christmas', & Warvadal has 'Street Corner Apologetics'.
All are super Christmas long mixes of the highest calibre. Perfect for entertaining relatives, guests & hostile visting police.
( www.bmbx.org/ )
Latest Useo Thing
I did a Christmas mashup! Big surprise! It's '
The Comfortable Christmas Song' (Mel Torme vs Kinobe). It's one chilled Yuletide track & sounds like a cross between las vegas & the south seas.
( groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2010/12/comfortable-christmas-song-mel-torme-vs.html )
Mashup Tip : Nog & Ableton go together like whiskey & Acid (the mixing program, not the chemical).
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Scott Burns: What's In a Word? (assetbuilder.com)
The insurance product expert argues that since the industry hasn't called equity indexed annuities by that name for nearly a decade; neither should Mr. Roth or any other journalist. We should only use the chosen vocabulary of the sales force. This is not "a failure to communicate." This is marketing euphemism at work. In the world of product marketing, if a word becomes a problem, the solution is to change it with skilled euphemism.
Doctoral Degrees: The Disposable Academic (Economist)
One thing many PhD students have in common is dissatisfaction. Some describe their work as "slave labour". Seven-day weeks, ten-hour days, low pay and uncertain prospects are widespread.
Todd Farley: "Standardized Testing: The New Wild West" (Huffington Post)
I've watched people fired from one testing company immediately getting rehired by another. I've witnessed tiny, Mom & Pop test?development vendors celebrating their first contract by immediately posting job listings on Craigslist, hoping to find someone, anyone, out there on the great, big Internets that might be able to help them write "rigorous," national tests.
MIRIAM JORDAN: Van, Stolen in '74, Returns Home With a Little Help From Its Friends (Wall Street Journal)
Back in Spokane, Mikey's VW Microbus Is Feted With Tie-Dye and Peace Signs.
ROSS DOUTHAT: A Tough Season for Believers (New York Times)
Christmas is hard for everyone. But it's particularly hard for people who actually believe in it.
Kim Marie Wood: The Write Stuff (irascibleprofessor.com)
I loved college. I love to learn, I love to read and I love to write. I actually would get excited when an instructor handed out the directions for an essay, research project or paper. Let me at it! I confess I spent countless hours in the library, as this was in the 1970's and actual books were involved. It also meant that all papers were typed, edited and revised on an IBM Selectric typewriter and included gallons of "white-out," as word processing did not yet exist.
Henry Rollins: LA WEEKLY COLUMN #17
This last trip to Uganda and Southern Sudan was perhaps the most impacting of the eleven times I have journeyed to the African continent. ... Time spent there forces me to deal with myself on a level that is so in-your-face as it were, that I am always humbled. Anything I have ever strived for seems to be dwarfed by the efforts of people I encounter there in a seemingly endless succession.
roger ebert's journal: This is a dog
Does a dog know how it looks? It knows how another dog looks, certainly. It can tell friends from foes from strangers at a distance, aided greatly by smell.
GRETCHEN REYNOLDS: "Phys Ed: The Benefits of Exercising Before Breakfast" (New York Times)
… a new study published in 'The Journal of Physiology' suggests a more reliable and far simpler response. Run or bicycle before breakfast. Exercising in the morning, before eating, the study results show, seems to significantly lessen the ill effects of holiday Bacchanalias.
Chuck Norris: Pillar No. 8: Feed Yourself Spiritually (Creators Syndicate)
Being one week away from Christmas, there couldn't be a better time to emphasize my last pillar to build a better you: Feed yourself spiritually.
Peter Rainer: Ten best movies of 2010 (Christian Science Monitor)
Even middling years can yield marvelous movies. Despite all the frazzled franchises and star-studded misfires of 2010, there were still wonders to behold ...
Richard Roeper's top films of 2010
1. "Inception"
David Bruce has 39 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $39 you can buy 9,750 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," and "Maximum Cool."
The Weekly Poll
The Weekly Poll returns December 28th with a 'Year in Review' sorta Poll. Until then, I wish you all a Merry Christmas
(Can I say that? Is it OK?... Sure, why not...)
BadToTheBoneBob
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
Yep. More rain!
"Praises" Tax Cuts For Rich In NY Times
Larry David
"Festivus" has come early for Larry David, the multimillionaire brains behind "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
The liberal television icon took to the editorial pages of the New York Times on Tuesday to declare -- sarcastically -- that his life was finally getting better now that the Obama administration has extended Bush-era tax cuts for two years.
"There is a God! It passed! The Bush tax cuts have been extended two years for the upper bracketeers, of which I am a proud member, thank you very much ... This is a life changer," David wrote in a missive headlined "Thanks for the Tax Cut!"
David's seven-paragraph tract contained 10 exclamation points, which would surely appeal to one of his "Seinfeld" characters. Elaine Benes, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, once broke up with a boyfriend because he was averse to using the punctuation mark. In another episode, the characters celebrated "Festivus" as a noncommercial alternative to Christmas.
Larry David
Inspires New Scalping Law In Canada
Leonard Cohen
Canada's most populous province is cracking down on scalpers, passing a new law that forbids Ticketmaster and other ticket vendors from selling and reselling seats to the same sporting and entertainment events in Ontario through related websites.
The Ticket Speculation Act aims to stop Ticketmaster from overcharging on event tickets purchased on resale sites.
Ontario first took Ticketmaster to task in April 2009 when Leonard Cohen fans complained that tickets to his Canadian concerts were being sold at inflated prices through a Ticketmaster subsidiary, TicketsNow.
Provincial attorney general Chris Bentley complained that sellers were taking tickets for Ontario events available on the primary market and were reselling them on the secondary market at inflated prices. The new Ontario law means anyone caught selling tickets at above their face value can now be slapped with fines.
Leonard Cohen
Like To Be LA Mayor
George Lopez
Comedian George Lopez says he's not joking about wanting to be mayor of Los Angeles.
Lopez told the Fox 11 news show "Good Day L.A." on Tuesday that he doesn't think he could pass the background check right now, but he wants to run for mayor in eight years.
Lopez says if actor Arnold $chwarzenegger can become California's governor, there's no reason he can't be LA's mayor.
The comedian says he'll be a sort of a "Lo-bama" instead of an Obama. He won't want to make change - he'll just want change, especially all those coins people stash in empty water-cooler bottles at home.
George Lopez
Like To Be LA Mayor - NOT
George Lopez
Comedian George Lopez caused a stir when he told a TV news program Tuesday that he wanted to be mayor of Los Angeles, but his municipal political ambitions were a joke.
Lopez insisted he was serious when told the Fox 11 news show "Good Day L.A." on Tuesday that he wants to run for mayor.
Lopez said that if actor Arnold $chwarzenegger could become California's governor, there's no reason he couldn't be LA's mayor. He added he'd be a sort of a "Lo-bama," instead of an Obama.
Fox put out a press release about the announcement. But Lopez's spokeswoman, Ina Treciokas, late in the day had the punch line: Lopez was kidding.
George Lopez
Tough Week For ABC And Fox
Ratings
It only seems like ABC and Fox were impersonating cable networks last week.
The two broadcasters had a depressing week in the Nielsen Co.'s ratings report. Combined, their average viewership in prime time didn't match what top-rated CBS had. CBS has won every week but one in the current TV season, Nielsen said.
The most-watched show on ABC last week was the movie "The Santa Clause 3," with 6.4 million viewers. It ranked No. 31 on Nielsen's list, behind 18 programs broadcast on CBS.
Fox's most popular show came in at No. 38, "Hell's Kitchen," with 5.9 million viewers.
Two versions of Univision's Spanish-language telenovela, "Soy Tu Duena," had more viewers than anything on either ABC or Fox, Nielsen said. The week was dominated by reruns and holiday programming.
Ratings
'A Charlie Brown Christmas' Music
Jerry Granelli
A few days ago, Jerry Granelli found himself idly flipping TV channels in a New York hotel room when he stopped on a familiar holiday favourite: "A Charlie Brown Christmas."
There was a time when the Halifax resident would have simply kept on flipping. You see, the 69-year-old drummer is the only surviving member of the Vince Guaraldi Trio, which wrote and performed the holiday special's memorable soundtrack.
In the 45 years since, Granelli has at times downplayed his connection to the beloved special, mainly because he felt it was a world away from his accomplishments as a seriously daring jazz percussionist.
But this time, he stopped, and he watched. And he dug it.
"It was great!" the affable Granelli said over the line from Halifax on Tuesday. "I enjoyed it, man. I was like: 'Wow, that's cool work.'
Jerry Granelli
Zsa Zsa's Husband Glues Own Eye Shut
von Anhalt
The husband of ailing Hollywood socialite and actress Zsa Zsa Gabor was hospitalized after accidentally gluing one of his own eyes shut.
Gabor, 93, has been in and out of hospital in recent months. But this time, it was self-proclaimed Prince Frederic Von Anhalt who was rushed to hospital after he mistakenly picked up a bottle of nail glue he mistook for eye drops and sealed his eye shut, according to celebrity website TMZ.com.
The colorful 66-year-old German socialite underwent a procedure at a Beverly Hills clinic to unstick his eye. One of his representatives told TMZ he was in good spirits.
Just two months ago, von Anhalt -- who says he was adopted as an adult by a German princess -- was hospitalized for swallowing a bee while sunbathing in his backyard.
von Anhalt
Most Pirated Film Of 2010
"Avatar"
Drumroll please ... "Avatar" is the most pirated film of the year, according to data released by a file-sharing blog.
The biggest film in history was downloaded from torrent websites 16.6 million times, according to TorrentFreak. That represents a 33% increase in download activity from last year's top-pirated film, "Star Trek," which was downloaded just under 11 million times.
Surprisingly, second on the list was "Kick-Ass," with 11.4 million downloads off torrent web sites. The kiddie superhero film underperformed at the worldwide box office with sales of about $96 million.
"Inception" followed with 9.7 million downloads, "Shutter Island" with 9.5 million, and "Iron Man 2" with 8.8 million.
"Avatar"
Bid For New Trial Rejected
'Millionaire'
A federal judge refused Tuesday to order a new trial in a lawsuit that resulted in a $319 million judgment against Walt Disney Co. over profits from the TV show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips wrote in a 54-page ruling that evidence supported the jury verdict in favor of London-based Celador International.
The company sued in 2004, accusing Disney of using creative accounting to hide profits.
Celador won a $269.2 million jury verdict in July, and the companies later agreed that a $50 million interest payment to the show's creators was warranted.
'Millionaire'
Rapper Confesses To '93 Murder
G. Dep
The 1993 killing of a man outside a housing complex was a cold case for years until a suspect appeared on detectives' doorstep last week.
Apparently haunted by his secret, once-promising rapper G. Dep walked into a police precinct to confess to the shooting, authorities said. The rapper is being held without bail after surprised investigators matched the details he provided to the unsolved slaying of John Henkel. Initially charged with murder, he was indicted Tuesday on a charge that won't be disclosed until a court date next month.
For the 36-year-old G. Dep, the case marks a nadir in his long fall from rapper on the rise. After scoring a couple of hits in the early 2000s, he has been mired in drug and legal problems in recent years, though he was attempting a comeback with an album released online this year.
But the shooting case also represents his determination to turn a troubled life around, his lawyer said Tuesday.
G. Dep
Betty Ford Altercation
Lindsay Lohan
A day that began with authorities confirming Lindsay Lohan was being investigated for battery on a female staffer at a California rehab facility treating the starlet ended with the worker fired after giving an interview about the incident.
Riverside County sheriff's detectives said Tuesday they are investigating the "Mean Girls" star for an alleged altercation with a worker at a Betty Ford Center facility in Palm Desert that occurred after 1 a.m. on Dec. 12.
Betty Ford spokesman Russ Patrick said the staffer was fired for identifying patients at the center in an interview and "disclosing a privileged document."
Although Betty Ford and the sheriff's department did not identify the worker, she appeared in an interview on celebrity website TMZ on Tuesday afternoon and was promptly fired. She claims the 24-year-old Lohan and two other girls had sneaked out of the facility.
While the fallout for Holland was swift, Lohan's situation remains unclear. A judge has ordered her to remain at Betty Ford until Jan. 3 and remain out of trouble until Feb. 25. He also ordered her to submit to all drug and alcohol screenings or face up to six months in jail for violating her probation on a 3-year-old drunk driving case.
Lindsay Lohan
Bishop Looking For Cheap Publicity
St. Joseph's Hospital
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix stripped a major hospital of its affiliation with the church Tuesday because of a surgery that ended a woman's pregnancy to save her life.
Bishop Thomas Olmsted called the 2009 procedure an abortion and said St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center - recognized internationally for its neurology and neurosurgery practices - violated ethical and religious directives of the national Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"In the decision to abort, the equal dignity of mother and her baby were not both upheld," Olmsted said at a news conference announcing the decision. "The mother had a disease that needed to be treated. But instead of treating the disease, St. Joseph's medical staff and ethics committee decided that the healthy, 11-week-old baby should be directly killed."
Linda Hunt, president of St. Joseph's, said doctors performed a necessary procedure on a patient who was getting worse by the minute and was in imminent danger of death.
"If we are presented with a situation in which a pregnancy threatens a woman's life, our first priority is to save both patients. If that is not possible, we will always save the life we can save, and that is what we did in this case," Hunt said. "Morally, ethically, and legally, we simply cannot stand by and let someone die whose life we might be able to save."
St. Joseph's Hospital
23 Percent Can't Pass
Military Exam
Nearly one-fourth of the students who try to join the military fail its entrance exam, painting a grim picture of an education system that produces graduates who can't answer basic math, science and reading questions.
The report by The Education Trust found that 23 percent of recent high school graduates don't get the minimum score needed on the enlistment test to join any branch of the military. The study, released exclusively to The Associated Press on Tuesday, comes on top of Pentagon data that shows 75 percent of those aged 17 to 24 don't qualify for the military because they are physically unfit, have a criminal record or didn't graduate high school.
The effect of the low eligibility rate might not be noticeable now - the Department of Defense says it is meeting its recruitment goals - but that could change as the economy improves, said retired Navy Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett.
The Education Trust study shows wide disparities in scores among white and minority students. Nearly 40 percent of black students and 30 percent of Hispanics don't pass, compared to 16 percent of whites.
Military Exam
Judge Tosses Claims
Paris Hilton
A judge has dismissed several claims against Paris Hilton by a hair extension maker that sued the celebrity socialite for $35 million over an endorsement deal.
Court records show Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory Alarcon agreed with Hilton's attorneys that Hairtech International Inc.'s lawsuit did not properly plead several key claims, including fraud.
Alarcon's ruling also removes Hilton's father, Rick Hilton, from the case and strikes numerous references to the 29-year-old wearing competitor's hair extensions.
Hairtech sued the reality TV star in August, and she has since countersued claiming the company owes her $1.7 million.
Paris Hilton
Selling Costa Rica Estate
Mel "Sugar Tits" Gibson
Mel Gibson has listed his roughly 500-acre Costa Rica estate for sale for $35 million. The actor is selling because the oceanfront property is no longer private.
"He bought it for a getaway. Now he goes there and paparazzi follow him," says listing agent Sandra Miller of brokerage Engel & Volkers.
The property, known as Hacienda Dorada, includes a seven-bedroom main house and a pair of two-bedroom homes, each with a private pool, and fronts a beach on the country's Nicoya peninsula. The estate includes hundreds of acres of jungle, and is staffed full-time.
Mel "Sugar Tits" Gibson
Results In Mall Evacuation
'Flash Mob'
Fire officials say a Northern California mall was evacuated after nearly 5,000 holiday revelers showed up for a "flash mob" organized by a local choral society.
Fire Inspector Tom Dodaro tells KXTV that the spontaneous holiday musical performance at the Roseville Galleria drew a huge crowd.
Officials say there were reports of the floor and foundation moving and creaking near the food court, which spurred the evacuation.
The group Monday was there to sing Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" in an event organized by the Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra.
'Flash Mob'
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by the Nielsen Co. for Dec. 13-19. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. NFL Football: Green Bay at New England, NBC, 24.17 million.
2. "NCIS," CBS, 19.87 million.
3. "60 Minutes," CBS, 18.73 million.
4. "Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick," NBC, 17.11 million.
5. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 16.82 million.
6. "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 13.95 million.
7. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 13.77 million.
8. "Survivor: Nicaragua Finale," CBS, 13.59 million.
9. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 13.24 million.
10. "Survivor: Nicaragua," CBS, 12.32 million.
11. "Mike & Molly," CBS, 11.96 million.
12. "The Good Wife," CBS, 11.84 million.
13. "Football Night in America," NBC, 11.65 million.
14. "Survivor: Nicaragua Reunion," CBS, 11.19 million.
15. "The Biggest Loser," NBC, 11.05 million.
16. "Hawaii Five-0," CBS, 10.91 million.
17. "(Bleep) My Dad Says," CBS, 10.3 million.
18. "The Defenders," CBS, 10.29 million.
19. "The Mentalist," CBS, 10.1 million.
20. "How I Met Your Mother," CBS, 9.7 million.
Ratings
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