Aha! Blogolicious! Musings and Meanings of Non-Sensical Events...and Japan??

Nintendo's loss, Apple's stupidity (or the public's), SciFi DVICE's idiocy and Kudos to the Movies and Kids

2011-12-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

Soapbox on
Nintendo is losing it's head. Will it survive and continue to innovate? I hope so. Thumbs Sideways. The Wii finally gave the rest of us something to look forward to in games.

Apple is apparently assuming that the media and most of the public is stupid (or just willing to believe anything Apple says) since it's claiming that Siri's ban on results for the word 'abortion' is just a glitch, even though 'Viagra' and 'strip club' have no problems whatsoever. Anyone that knows programming knows that something like this is deliberate - not an accident. Only real question is whether it had manager approval or not. Thumbs Down.

The SciFi channel and many others in the media make it out to be a joke - and then eagerly push a new video of a female brain registering an orgasm. Big Thumbs Down SciFi DVICE, and grow up. You're getting as bad as those managers on Adult Swim that think their apps are hilarious.

Kid's entertainment at the theatre is up. Apparently Hollywood is finally realizing that making dark, brown-tinted, oily tech-monster movies with little plot and stereotypes galore isn't really a big seller anymore - or the idea that all animation must be gritty, dark, grimy, and done in shades of browns. Thumbs Sideways but Almost Up. I just wish the games industry would figure that out as well. And with Nintendo losing its leader, maybe things will only get worse!

SoapBox off
Happy Holidays Folks
And Wishing Everyone a Job if they want one, and for it to be a job that they can love!

BOYCOTT WSU Football! SEXIST LEACH WRONG IMAGE

2011-12-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

Well, WSU just lost any more donations from me, for any department.
Apparently, hiring a sexist, egomaniac like Leach for football makes the WSU admin's think that they will rake in the Alumni money -- that's what it's all about, even they admit it. Not football even, just money. So why not hire a guy that abuses his players and calls women 'fat little girlfriends' -- it's not about academics, education or even teaching kids about fair play and the good aspects of sports, and enjoying the game. It's about profit and burn the kids as they are just the slave labor, to be used and thrown aside -- their futures ruined as the administration turns a public university into a profit making center.

Good for you WSU Alum. This is what you're building by supporting these assholes. Congrats. Never mind trying to fix the economy, which means fixing the whole rotten system -- just keep teaching your wives, mothers and daughters that they are scum, good for you, you rotten apples.

And what does Bill Wixey of Q13 Fox News say about Leach's comments "he's colorful" he laughed this morning on the News, obviously having no problem with Leach's attitudes towards women, or his abuse of players.
The usual balanced reporting we've come to expect from a Fox affiliate.

At least he's in agreement with the WSU administration -- abuse, fine, sexism, fine, no problem as long as we get our money from those sucker alums that don't care about anything but football game stats.

I guess that's how far we've come...not far at all. First we honor torturers and claim because we do it, it's OK (despite the military itself saying No, don't do this), and now we just move closer to that cruel, slave-state mentality which so characterized the Roman Empire (not a democracy).

So our country still winks at the idea of women being equal
...but then tells little girls that they are just supposed to be pretty and shut up -- and even then it won't help since they're just "fat little girlfriends". And WSU goes and pays millions to the man that defends sexism and abuse as 'good' for the program.

So much for the idea of getting this country into a tech future and out of recession, since we can't even get past the idea that girls and women deserve the same respect as boys and men. And they're have the workforce and expected by the Federal government to be part of the solution to our problems and future tech workforce needs.

For that matter, given people like Leach and Wixey, perhaps we should give girls and women MORE respect than boys and men.

New 8 second Animation Cartoon Funny - Happy Chinese Year of Rabbit 2011 (end of Year of Tiger 2010) youtube link

2011-02-01T16:57:00.000-08:00

My own 8 second contribution to welcome the Year of the Rabbit.

Not as good as many, or as long, but again, it's a learning curve. That I could go from zero to this in 2.5 days using 3D cameras, bones/IK, squash/stretch and detailed rendering is pretty amazing though. Kudos to a fantastic interface for Anime Studio. I wish Flash or the 3D tools were this intuitive.

Or you can search "Chinese New Year Rabbit Kicks Tiger" and that should find it, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2iyWasz1DQ

Ta! Have a good one!

Tea Party Mambo - cartoon, political parody (here is YouTube link)

2010-12-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6gTmfRYGRA

As promised, here is the link to my parody. Yes I made it myself - all save for the photographs. A bit rushed, only had a month and had to do it all myself, but still fun and I quite like how the static political cartoons turned out. The Flash animations needed more work but that is life. We had a deadline for our grad presentation and I just had to finish up and go.

FUNNY TEA PARTY PARODY VIDEO - cartoon/animation political parody (Beck, Palin, Colbert, Jon Stewart, etc)

2010-11-30T10:23:00.000-08:00

Hi,
Sorry I haven't had time to post. But hopefully you'll think what I have been doing is worthwhile. I just finished this political parody animation/cartoon musical video of the Tea Party Movement (starring Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Rand Paul, George Soros and others).

I did it for a graduate class presentation on the Tea Party, but I thought I'd share it with you.

I'll post the embed later. I'm still buried in finals week right now and research papers.

But to see it GO TO YouTube and SEARCH for "Tea Party Mambo". That's it's title and it's open viewing.

It's in English (sorry no time to add Japanese or Chinese or other language options) but I'm sure you'll get the humor regardless.

Best and later!
CG

most hilarious video clip removed (sorry, just couldn't find out who to credit)

2010-09-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

I still think it is the funniest video clip I have ever seen, but since I can't locate the source and give credit to the show and make sure it is ok with them to promote their show this way (it's just a short clip from the show), I won't continue to show it here. sorry.

if someone does have a lead to the show, then let me know. I think this show deserves recognition and I'd love to do a review of them, but if I can't find them, I can't.

For other shows out there who might want to get reviewed, I'm always open to reviewing you as well. Normally, I stick with musical groups since I know they want the publicity and know when I see music sites of them, they are likely legit. But if a show promotes itself by using YouTube or something similar, then I'd be happy to review them too and point to the clips posted.

CG

Is Google Losing Its Search Influence? (Is this a sign of lower stock price and increased loss of market share?)

2010-09-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

With all the talk of Facebook becoming the next big search engine (in the US), and Google being run out of China, leaving the ever-expanding Chinese market open to Baidu, it makes you wonder if Google has peaked?

For those that don't know what I do when I'm not writing about music or art, I'm an analyst (and currently a graduate student, too!) One company I analyzed 6 years ago was Google and how exactly it managed to takeover the search industry and dominate the market, from a "come from behind" position against the current dominant engines of the time. (For those that don't realize, doing such a thing in the Internet space is rare, usually the first into a new space becomes dominant and stays dominant -- unless they 'let' the competition run them over. ala Netscape versus Internet Explorer)

I've recently been looking at Google again, especially with their new Instant Search. Instant Search doesn't impress me, and unlike other folks analyzing it, I think it shows a Google feeling very vulnerable right now. Instant Search obviously has other reasons for being, one of which may be to promote Google in the mobile market, another might be the usual Google 'presentation' to make users think it is being somehow more innovative and unlike any other search company out there. (Actually, as you can tell from my writing, I found this 'presentation' to the public to be counter to the actual available facts.)

Recently, Google pretty much lost its confrontation with China...and I say it really didn't have a chance in the first place. Foreign American/European companies in Asia face issues they don't in America or Europe (or not as much). Now that vacuum will be filled (most likely) by Baidu or another Chinese-based search engine -- and with the majority of Chinese fully supporting the change as a point in national pride.

It's also important to note that in Japan, Google is not king, though it manages to be the secret advisor to the king. In 2008, it was Yahoo on top with Google second (http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2008/11/Japan_Search_Engine_Rankings)
and this hasn't changed in 2010, though Yahoo Japan has agreed to use the Google engine instead of the Bing engine, when offered a very, very sweet deal by Google in order to freeze Bing out. As Japan is ranked 3rd in search market size (after the US and China), this is significant. But since there are several Japanese search engines out there, from Rakuten to Goo, one has to wonder if Yahoo-Google days are numbered in Japan as well. And it also shows (potentially) a fear of Bing.

Add to that, that Google is just a blip in South Korea with Naver the dominant engine, and Russia? forget it. Google does still dominate in Western Europe. Apparently there isn't really a homegrown European search engine that can satisfy that region.

Perhaps it is business as usual, but Google's influence does not seem to be as dominate (and as automatic) as it used to be. In fact, while Google still has 65% market share of the US market, its global market share of the search arena has dropped, losing ground to Yahoo, Bing and Ask. Much of this is because of the China loss, where Baidu gained as a result, but Bing has been on a hotstreak of growth this year, something which neither Google nor Yahoo can easily claim.

Here's a map showing Google across the globe:
http://www.labnol.org/internet/google-market-share/13939/

This is actually quite serious, because unlike Microsoft (Bing), Google is heavily reliant on search money (advertisers). Google also still dominates in Enterprise level search, a subarea of search, but again, Yahoo and Bing are narrowing the gap. If Google continues to lose ground, even if it is a slow decline, you can expect the stock to peak*** and begin to slide as well, signalling that Google as a growth company is done. However, it does present great opportunities for local national seach engines to reassert their dominance in their home markets (just like Baidu did), and for new search engines (companies, or divisions of a bigger company) to take over some of Google's traditional territory or reclaim some of their own.

Anyway, thought I'd share this, especially as good search is invaluable to little companies or bands or singers or artists...so what these big players do does affect you as well. Google's new Instant Search may make it harder for the little players to get noticed, while making it easier for the big names to continue to dominate. But again, if the competitors to Google realize this, then they may turn out to be a better bet for the little guy now.

You can read more about what I do in my 'real life' here: (sort of an info site, for 'quick' summaries of some outstanding strategic/policy issues...select the Policy Analysis button. If you want to punish yourself by looking at a lot of stats -- an example of ad placement evaluation -- then click Web Analytics.)

CG's Strategy Portfolio Info Site:
http://students.washington.edu/cganders/StrategyPortfolio/

My take: Google is still dominate in the US and Western Europe, but if Yahoo and Bing are smart, especially Bing, this gap will continue to narrow. Google is either not dominant or else vulnerable elsewhere, especially Asia, and may completely lose traction in that area as local search engines assert themselves. Google has relied on how it is 'perceived' by users (and advertisers alike), but that doesn't mean longterm loyalty. So if this perception is revealed as just smoke and mirrors, and/or Google is no longer 'cool', then the slide effects could be exponential. So far, this hasn't happened, but Google is no longer an up-and-coming startup. It is a mature company now and is seeing more and more criticism of its policies, its abusive interview style and arrogance (which by reports was worse than Microsoft's in its day), its acquisitions and other things. Some of these are mainly just allegations, and some, while true, may be intermittant and not reflective of the company or the people as a whole, but all of it affects Google's 'perception' by the public and therefore its popularity with users.

And in the search market, popularity and perception matter.

Additional Note: I should add that a company (or any entity) that feels threatened, especially when it has become accustomed to a place of dominance, is very likely to become more aggressive in order to protect that status. So Google's deal with Yahoo Japan may be one example of an increased need to protect its position, and there will likely be more such bold, aggressive moves -- which for companies doing business with Google means that it may be more willing to negotiate better deals for you than it has in the past, or buyout takeovers could be more lucrative for the acquired company as Google may feel more desperate to stay ahead of the competition. However, this may lead to lower revenues for Google itself, which would negatively affect its stock price and its perception in the financial markets.

***update: my mistake in wording, I rechecked Google's stock history. The stock has already peaked once and has lost almost a third of its value in the last few years. This is expected because of the recession. What I mean to address, is post-recession, when companies should be on the rise again, Google's perception in the market, if perceived as weakening, will lead to a more permanent slide that it may not be able to recover from -- rather like many dot coms post the dot com bust.

Politics, Music, Bono, U2 -- building bridges in Istanbul, Turkey

2010-09-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

Just a short note.
With Apple trying to be Facebook and MySpace combined, and Facebook trying to be MySpace, and MySpace, well, just trying to stay alive these days, it reminds me of how much music and politics are intertwined. (And big business, but we already knew that. And we also knew that music choice plays an important role in political image -- can you say Republican Country Western and not Rock and Roll?)

So instead of raging against censorship, or celebrities that push a cause as a public relations ploy, I'll simply applaud the continuing efforts of Bono from U2. Yes, this is a plug for Bono. I like U2, always have, but I respect Bono. He isn't just involved in political action for the glory or headlines. He really cares about issues.

The latest event is U2's recent concert in Istanbul. Turkish fans online and at that concert were quite upset at Bono's meeting with the Prime Minister and State Minister Egemen Bağış, but Bono realizes that bridge building involves more than rages against the machine. In this case, he received boos from the crowd when he thanked the minister for "helping his band fulfill its dream of walking on the Bosphorus Bridge between two continents, Asia and Europe". Despite this, his dedication of a song to Fehmi Tosun, who had disappeared while in state custody, reminded fans, subliminally, that not only was he and the band for human rights, (after all, they mentioned Tosun on their 1997 album "Pop"), but bridges of all kinds need to be created in order to bring about positive change.

"Then came the surprising moment: Turkish protest singer, columnist and one-time Istanbul mayoral candidate Zülfü Livaneli was invited to the stage to sing a similar elegy. Bono joined Livaneli to sing “Yiğidim Aslanım Burada Yatıyor” (“My hero, the lion, lies here”), a song that was also sung during the funerals for murdered journalists and political activists during the 1990s, to a thunderous response from the crowd." --hurriyet daily news

The evening had more in store and all and all, we should be thankful that some rich, famous people, in the even unliklier form of a rock star, are willing to fight the good fight -- and build bridges so that real change can happen.

For the full story please see,
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=politics-on-focus-at-u2s-unforgettable-istanbul-show-as-usual-2010-09-07

America is a Torture Worshiping Culture? Data says "yes"! We need to stop this trend.

2010-06-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

They do use the torture word, Mr. Rumsfeld. And that's something you, Bush, Cheney, Addington, all of you but also President Obama need to learn - especially regarding how dangerous that is. Shame on all of you, but also on American media, Americans and anyone else that thinks that torture isn't a big deal. It is and it is destroying all of us, including our kids.

Are we the hero of this story? Or are we the monster?

Frankly, after 10 weeks of study in my graduate class on "torture and ideology", I'm pretty pessimistic. This is saying something, as with my background I've always tended to be more the scientist, doing my best to be objective and avoid politics. It's important to note that this isn't my first time in grad school, nor am I your average grad student. I've already got bachelor degrees in Physics, Math and Communications (where I focused on media effects, not journalism). I've even got half a masters in Computer Science, doing grad work there - I got sidetracked by a better job, I admit it, so I never finished that degree. I worked five years as a scientist for the Navy, five years as a programmer at Microsoft and have been on my own since then. So I'm not like some young, inexperienced grad student, like the recent NYT OpEd one, who rants about stuff they really don't know anything about - and shame on the NYT for publishing that, but I suppose that's also indicative of the research I'm seeing. The NYT is now pro-torture, too, I guess - or just being economical, after all, if that's what the public wants - media obliges.

After a long while, I'm back on track academically and studying ways to do Media Effects research using data mining. I've come full circle, you might say, combining my hard science background with my need to understand human behavior. My government years plus the creed to stay objective kept me on the sidelines. I've tried to stay neutral. I'm a data person, not a political science major. Frankly, I'd rather just work on my media research and work on my children's and YA novels. Those are my real loves, and where, fictionally at least, my heroes stay heros, always act like heros, and good wins over evil in the end. That's what I hope to leave as a legacy to children - lessons about doing good in the world.

But when the data is telling you something awful is happening, you have to speak up - even if no one is listening. Don't you? Else, by doing nothing, by saying nothing, you are as guilty as the ones commiting the crimes.

Mind you, I'm against terrorism. Hurting innocent people is criminal. That's the difference, I suppose. It's a crime and should be dealt with by laws, not vigilantes, even if they are at the upper levels of government. And the laws shouldn't be purposely twisted into something ugly and monstrous - killing the ethical thought that went into them, the American ideals we were taught to uphold. So any crime should be prosecuted, but it's up to the law to determine what is the crime, what is a convenient label, and who is criminal - even in the military and even in the government. That's why they are called war CRIMES, not war "oopsie I did evil but it was in the best intentions" and certainly not "if the president does it, it's not a crime." War crimes and international law apply to anyone - and there are no "best intentions" when talking about torture. All our government teaches the public and the media in that case, is that we are a torture culture, that torture is fun, and that everyone should do it. That isn't the message I want my government sending, is it yours? But that's what I'm finding in my research. And that frightens me.

I'm not alone here. Rejali et al did a survey of American public opinion, correcting for typical errors made by media and the uninformed, and found that the majority of Americans are not pro-torture but they did find a mean of 40% who did. That is still frightening, especially as it put the U.S. 9th in pro-torture out of the 31 countries Rejali and company looked at.

The data I'm talking about was my research project for my "torture ideology" class. I looked at blog and search trends (2000-2009) regarding the use of the word "torture", along with its sidekicks "Abu Ghraib", "Guantanamo" and of course the despicable "Jack Bauer". Language use is often seen by researchers as a key indicator of current or potential behavior. Was America becoming a torture culture? Were we desensitized to "torture" and using it in trivial ways, even glorifying in its use? Unfortunately, the answer I found was a conditional "yes" - conditional because there are hazards to using Internet research, with its ever changing landscape, and to using imprecise tools like Google as your search mechanism. You can't ever forget that about the Internet, that relative numbers are the best measurement, not absolute numbers! (My paper goes into great detail on the potential errors and pitfalls.) But even relatively speaking, a terrifying increase in torture-word usage was there - and there is a lot of research out there that talks about "what we say" indicating what we "are really thinking" or even "thinking about DOING!"

Raw Blog Search Results - numbers for "torture WITH" listed inside graph

But the trends were there, and note, I wasn't studying all the political blogs that have popped up in exponential numbers over the last 10 years. I was looking at average Americans - at search trends and at blog trends. I was looking at an alarming increase in the use of the word "torture" (from less than 25 blogs in 2000 to around 100,000 in 2006 and then over 1 million in 2009) and the word's use in everyday life - beyond trivialized use, but use indicating that the behavior trend has already started. I saw how Barbie dolls are being tortured by little girls and how they think that is 'cool', how there are torture games and toys out on the market, how many Americans abhor torture but many applaud it and condone its use - even if it doesn't save lives. .

Data above is self-normalized over range, not normalized between categories. This means each color is independent and the height is not in relation to any other color. This is just a way to show several trends on the same graph. For a relative measurement, who stacks up to who, see the Raw data graph (previous.)

And I found lots of disturbing quotes from "average" bloggers, this in spite of the fact that 2008-2009 began a huge climb in political blogs that shut out most average blogs from the top results in Google's search algorithm. To be clear, many obviously hated the idea of torture. It's just that many did not.

Some blog quotes:

"Have you all seen Shrek yet? In one of the film's funniest scenes Lord Farquaad mercilessly tortures The Gingerbread Man, who in my opinion steals the movie."

"The girls we spoke to see Barbie torture as a legitimate play activity, and see the torture as a 'cool' activity in contrast to other forms of play with the doll."(blogger is quoting a news article where a researcher was interviewed)

"If lighting a detainees hands on fire isn't torture, I don't know what is."

I give it two years until there’s a reality tv show that includes a waterboarding challenge,"

" VooDude: a torture app The newly released VooDude app lets users create and manipulate their own personal, portable Voodoo doll on an iPhone or iPod Touch. Users can use any photo for the head of the doll and then use the accelerometer and touch screen to shake, poke, burn and toss the doll. The voodoo doll is cornered in a dark setting. He reacts to poking, burning or pricking by writhing in pain with sound effects. It's actually quite disturbing - or effective, depending on how you see things."

"They're torturing people, except we can't call it torture. And there's a purpose to all this not-torture, except apparently they get a little sidetracked, and maybe the details and the supposed intelligence-gathering isn't really that important after all."

"The one surprising thing about this episode was not that it was occurring, but how Republicans reacted to it. Rather than condemning the use of secret prisons, Messieurs Frist and Hastert initiated an inquiry into how news of the detention facilities was leaked to the press. They expressed no outrage about the facilities themselves."

"Calling this administration "sadistic" insults thousands of sane, decent, kinky sexual perverts."

"But really, what I like about Torture Game 2 is not so much that it lets you hurt a guy with nails, rope, spikes, a chainsaw, etc. – the actual gore is pretty campy, in my opinion. No, what I like is that you can use his body to make macabre art! The game even provides a little paintbrush for you to paint on him with."

"Waterboarding as torture? Not so much Let's be clear, XXXX is pro-waterboarding if the technique gets a jihadi to spill his guts and reveal operational details that will (or at least may) save lives. Obviously, per Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, it does. Obviously, per the KSM interrogation, it works quickly, effectively and can save lives. Indeed, according to the New Yorker (in a piece highly critical of CIA's tactics), KSM cracked in seconds."

[XXXX is the blogger's alias, blacked out]

According this last blogger, it doesn't even have to save lives...just "may" save lives. In other words, fishing trips are just fine. And it's highly doubtful that KSM revealed vital information under torture that wasn't already available through non-torture means - a number of journalists and lawyers have already pretty much killed that little fantasy.

The blogs were full of torture-word usage from the political to the trivial to the banal, where torture is "fun." I saw it most disturbingly in a mother encouraging her daughter to "torture" her little brother. It was teasing, but 1) she didn't stop the behavior and in fact 2) she had her daughter do it over and over again, as a "photo op."

What I saw made me very pessimistic, and very sad. So I decided to take the commentary section from my paper, and a couple of graphs, and write this letter. It may be nothing more than one more silent scream, a shout into the darkness - American deafness, in media and in average conversations, having already passed its point of no return. But if I don't say something, then I'm as guilty as them - and I won't be one of those deaf mutes, purposely ignorant, and embracing the liar's fantasy.

Torture is about power, through the infliction of pain on a helpless, powerless victim. There is no torture at its best, as those that justify completely imaginary situations that never occur in real life always try to propose. There is no real ticking time bomb, it's a fiction created to make a fireside story told ever so much more exciting - the heroic Mountie (or singing cowboy) about to save the maiden from the train, the Knight saving the princess from the fiery dragon, the Dirty Harry fighting the evil vigilantes, not recognizing that he himself is a vigilante, the True Lies hero interrogating his own wife to discover the extent of her affair, the licensed-to-kill 007. They are all fiction, exciting yarns and not real life, as is the latest version, the out-of-control secret agent able to break international and national law just because he, personally, has decided it's justified and no one else's opinion matters - including the experts, who know that such behavior generates more villains, kills more innocents, and causes more violence, death and suffering for all, including those who are supposedly being defended. The ticking time bomb is a fiction already disproved over and over by researchers who don't listen to fairy tales.

There is only torture at its worst, a reflection of our own base desires and insecurities, in conflict with our idealized sense of who we are. A person on their blog might say that wearing those shoes was torture. That is not torture. If someone forces you to wear those shoes, knowing that they will cause you pain but also knowing they can force you to endure it - yes, that is torture. Standing for eight hours, Mr. Rumsfeld, if you choose to do it voluntary, as you say do you for your job (never mind that you probably have never actually stood in one position for eight hours straight with no respite), is not torture. Being forced to do it by another, that other proving they have power to humiliate you, and you without power to fight back - yes, that is indeed torture.

The Bush Administration liked to frame the issue this way - that their "taking the gloves off" [i.e. torture] policies prevented further attacks and Obama put the gloves back on, therefore, if we have another 9/11, it will be Obama's fault. They carefully avoided the obvious alternative frame that that same mentalty concludes - that 9/11 was Bush's fault - after all, he was president at the time and the "buck stops there". He didn't prevent it and the "gloves were on" then, too. You can't have it both ways, Mr. President. So howabout a little reality and honesty. The terrorist attacks happened, period. We need to look at 'why', as Roosevelt did in World War II - when Pearl Harbor was attacked with the current Administration caught napping - Roosevelt assumed responsibility as a good leader should. In contrast, the Bush Administration decided to use the incident to expand presidential powers, deflect any blame away from themselves and put the United States into greater peril by breaking international law, incensing our partner nations, insulting the world itself including recent strides toward world peace, and causing trauma, injury and death to hundreds of thousands innocent civilians through war - not to mention creating a fertile breeding ground for more terrorists, those who might not have become terrorists before and who, through our example, also see no need to "keep the gloves on", or see any reason "not to become" a terrorist now, given that their worst fears of the Imperial West are revealed true. And cost us economically too, for those only concerned about dollars. Great work, guys, real impressive - NOT.

America is a violent culture. Our history proves that fact, as does our sports, our business practices, our media entertainment and even our words. We can see it especially in our media, which reflects our societal attitudes. Why do so many movies and television shows now feature dark, cynicism? We even see this it the cartoon we show to children. Critics condemn simple, happy and positive shows like Pokemon, because they aren't "dark and real" enough, where instead, they acclaim shows like The Clone Wars where Darth Vader is now the hero - and allowed to torture, and we see how the Empire kills and destroys (and is rewarded as a result.) We also see it in supposedly lighter fare like The Secret Saturdays, where the 11-year old hero not only sees his 11-year old double KILLED by the villain, but also others killed. He, himself, is tortured by the villain. The Incredibles went the same route - and was hailed by critics for its more "mature" view of life. When exactly did torturing and killing children become children's entertainment? Why exactly are we listening to critics that want everything dark, deadly and bitter, where the hero must be a torturer and a killer? Face it; we are worshiping torture and darkness. Does that sound like a hero to you? Violence may be a part of culture, but how far we let that violence influence our ethics is up to us.

This is the same media, by the way, that now features a lot of borderline-torture in reality shows and outright torture scenes in fictional shows. This is the same media that wanted to broadcast the execution of American terrorist, Timothy McVeigh. The government in that case said "no", but I have to wonder if they still would nowadays. Even the media is pro-torture because it won't do its job and criticize the government. It won't guard American ideals and the public interest, or be the voice of the public - no profit in that, I suppose. If our public is now a torture culture, the media is just as guilty as the government, and us, too, for some of us at least, don't stop to think about what we are doing. We teach our kids and neighbors to cultivate the "right" attitude.

We can see it in the mundane, the parent who posted pictures of her young daughter "torturing" her sleeping (and bound in his car seat) baby brother. In fact, that parent had the daughter do it over and over again, seeing it as a hilarious "photo-op". She didn't stop it, she encouraged it, while the entire family drove home from church and the other 3 small children watched. It's likely that parent wasn't thinking about what her obvious approval was teaching that daughter. Even if you don't see the humiliation of a small boy by his older sister, the boy unable to fight back, as torture, think about the effect it had on the daughter that her parent was approving of the conduct. Imagine that girl grown up and now smiling over the corpse of a tortured-to-death prisoner. As news media continue to report, school bullying is rampant and the effects of bullying on children is traumatic, and even dramatically tragic as witnessed by the Columbine shooting - those shooters were bullied as well, as were many other incidents where extreme violence was finally used. In fact, think about the recent news about a returning soldier (from Iraq) who waterboarded his young daughter as punishment for not learning her "ABC's".

Still think teasing isn't torture? Still think bullying isn't torture? Still think "enhanced interrogations" isn't torture. Some people died as a result and most were picked up randomly because of profitable bounties, held years without charge, humiliated and helpless. They were brutalized every step of way with many to the point of wanting to commit suicide to escape the pain (and some being murdered because of that suicidal desire, and where even their suicide was framed as a way to "attack America?!"). Those innocents and their families are people just like us save for being unfortunately stuck in a war zone, or looking like an Arab. Those people will be traumatized for the rest of their lives - still think that isn't torture? Still think America is not a torture culture?

We are a torture culture. Still, the fact that online debate, at the very least, has increased is a good sign, even if traditional media and politicians have avoided the issue for the most part. The fact that blog discussions have increased, including those specifically political and talking about the recent torture America has committed but also those which are more general discussion by average, not politically focused bloggers, it is a good sign, at least in my view. If we can recognize the issue and talk about it, rather than ignore it and show our indifference, then we may still create change - both in ourselves and in our government and its disconnected power-oriented policies.

But my personal conclusion is that, right now, and likely for most of our past, we have been and are a torture culture, needing to hurt others in order to prove our own worth - needing to hurt others so that we can hide our own insecurities and fears of inadequacy. Guilt, innocence, information - rationalizations have nothing to do with it, unless it's the rationale of using terror to intimidate and humiliate - the rationale of imperialists and fascist regimes used throughout history.

Disagree? Outraged? So prove me wrong, America. For starters, end the current state of emergency (state of exception), which has NOT been officially ended since it began almost ten years ago. Next, have President Obama state publicly and put into law, that torture including any convenient name for it is absolutely prohibited - no exceptions, not even for the fictitious ticking time bomb idiocy. Third, law always looks back in time, since law must judge crimes already committed in the past - so, yes, we need a trial of those "at the top" who not only broke international and U.S. law, but also broke our avowed ethical codes. We need a spectacle of our own, a ritual, like the trials at Nuremberg, in order to end this nightmare and set us back on the track to which we aspire. We need to look back, not forward ... not yet.

And for good measure, write a final episode of "24", (cancelled or not) where Jack Bauer is arrested, tried and convicted of war crimes - but not out of retribution for the terrible example this show set, which "apparently" encouraged our troops and leaders to commit war crimes as well, but to show our children that this is not how Americans are supposed to behave, and that bad people, villains, like this, in spite of pretending to be heroes, are in fact, nothing of the kind. (And tell the darkness-worshiping critics to shut up already.)

A strong counter response is the only hope in stopping our continual path toward our actions of violence and torture, and away from our American ideals of being "good, just people". If you don't want your child or grandchild to end up the next Hitler or Charlie Manson, the next Jeffrey Dahmer or Caligula, then recognizing that your own behavior is suspect is key to a solution, as is recognizing the behavior of your chosen leadership, regardless of the excuses they give or the attempts at fear mongering that they use to scare you into submission. That is your best hope to be the person that others will admire, and your subsequent actions may be our country's best hope to truly be the champion of this global story - rather than the alternative, that we are the monster lurking in the darkness, torturing helpless victims, and waiting for the real hero of the story to come and vanquish us.

Of course, if the idea appeals to you, that you want a Nazi Germany, and the CIA turned into the new SS, and all those easy ways to rid yourself of your feelings of insecurity and inadequacy by simply humiliating, hurting and "showing your enemies who's boss", whether those enemies happen to be across the world or right next door - you know, that guy with the better job or more money that you secretly envy because he's doing better than you - then go ahead, embrace your role as torturer and monster.

The choice - for indeed, it is a choice that every human being has, and has regardless of the circumstance - the choice is yours. The harder choice of course, is to choose to be the hero.

Contact Info:
CG Anderson

Cynthia is a graduate student at the University of Washington, Tacoma campus, in the Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences program. She is working on a masters (to be followed by a PhD) in the cross-over area of media/cultural effects research using Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning techniques, for macro-trend/behavior prediction and game simulation for event prediction (cyberwar, policy issues, etc). Frankly, Cynthia has three loves: writing, drawing and AI/prediction trend research - and would prefer to just quietly work on her research, as well as her YA novels and Children's books where (in her case!) the hero may face darkness and evil, but always stays a hero, acts like a hero, and wins in the end. Sadly, that doesn't seem to be reflective of the world anymore.

new post coming soon

2010-04-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am back. I will still be doing music reviews. However, I will also be adding in results from trend research that I am doing now as a graduate student (data mining, Internet research, machine learning, artificial intelligence, prediction of trends.)

The first up will be a couple of graphs from some recent research on this question:

Is America becoming a Torture Culture?

Frankly, I was hoping the answer was "no", but I'm sorry to say that I was apparently wrong.

I have done commentary before regarding American's love of violence. I have made the parallel with the Roman Empire.

But I honestly thought Americans would be against torture.
Most of them still are, but a series of polls (and a slew of very impressive researchers looking at those scientific polls -- these polls were the scientific ones, not the stupid, media or political ones) has shown that a mean of approximately 40% SUPPORT TORTURE!

This is scary. The researchers work also ranked U.S.A. as 9th of 31 countries that were studied/polled for citizen support for torture. As in 9th highest for citizens' support of torture!

The research that I personally and recently did, looked at the use of the word "torture" in blogs and searches. It also looked at the use of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, both sites of American torture and alleged murder of detainees.

Anyway, it was disturbing. It was especially so for me since I was very naive about this, and I also like to stay neutral. But this one is something I have to speak out against.

Anyway, once I figure out how to publish Excell graphs, I will add the graphs that show the trends and give more information about the research.

Internet Research is tricky, so this may not be absolute fact, and of course, even if it is, people can always change. So remember, with any research that looks at opinion, culture or the Internet, take it with a grain of salt. Science needs reproducibility, and a lot of people finding the same results over time and finding those same results through multiple methods. Scientists aren't being wimps when they won't say a definite yes or no --- they are being good, sensible, responsible scientists. So this isn't the last word.

But it is a cautionary one!

Best,
CG

SCANDAL! the most powerful Japanese Girl Band...

2009-06-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

That's what their website says. Well, I don't know if they are the most powerful Japanese girl band, but I do know that they are a lot of fun to listen to.

If you went to SAKURA.CON in the US, you might have heard them before. They toured here recently. This group out of Osaka, Japan is hot and rising fast!

I admit it. I like Japanese J-POP. And I am always amused by the personas that J-POP bands will take on. SCANDAL is a girl rock/pop band. The four of them appear complete in Japanese school girl outfits -- the kind in male fantasies, rather than the reality. They all do their makeup so that they tend to look like clones of each other too! The male fantasy continues!

But beyond the hype, the music is fun and bouncy and the vocals are good.

Even beyond that, they really are part ROCK! You can definitely hear rock vibes and strong guitar musings threaded among the bouncy, girlish J-POP tunes.

That might actually qualify them for the most 'powerful Japanese girl band'...these J-POP fantasy dolls really can hit a rock beat and make it stick.

So give them a look and a listen...you might find yourself getting addicted to J-POP.

Their Myspace music site is at:
www.myspace.com/scandal4

Have fun!
CG Anderson

JPOP singer RayRi (RayLi) aka 玲里

2009-06-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long a wait but time for a music review. Between work, studying and new music players (MySpace) that didn't work well as well as buggy MySpace itself, it took a while!! I almost gave up on doing MySpace music reviews...I mean MySpace has gotten really really buggy and the new music player is even slower than the last one!

Time for a little JPOP again. Nothing outrageous. Just a great voice and some standard POP tunes. RayLi out of Japan fits the bill. Lovely to look at, in an almost androgynous way, and with a great voice, great range of voice and wonderful emotional delivery.

The only thing that really bothered me was the choice of tunes. RayLi has a great voice and knows how to deliver a compelling song. But, the tunes themselves were rather ordinary. Nothing really grabbed me.

I want the songs and melodies to match the power of this singer and this great clear voice with its clear, bright vocal range. I hope RayLi is put together with a really good songwriter and a great producer.

If that happens, I think another great JPOP star will be born. Not that 200,000+ listeners are wrong. I just think that that number could go way way way way way up!

Judge for yourself, RayRi (RayLi/ 玲里) is at:

http://www.myspace.com/rayri

Cheers!
CG

The ARC goes online. (ARChive of Contemporary Music puts catalog online.)

2009-04-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

The ARChive of Contemporary Music (known as ARC or ARChive) is going online. It will make its catalog of popular music, the largest in the world, available online to the public. The ARC also has the largest collection of sound tracks as well as film scores in the world.

Unfortunately, you won't be able to listen to the recordings online, but you will have access to the information about the recordings. There are more than 2 million recordings in the ARC, as well as millions of photographs, press kits, books, videos and other memorabilia.

The ARChive is physically located in Tribeca (New York.) According to the Associated Press, this public access is tied to an agreement with Columbia University.

The site location is here:
http://www.arcmusic.org/begin.html

For music fans, this opens up an invaluable treasure trove waiting to be explored.

CG Anderson

AP news article on ARChive announcement
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j0LmTZQby952R7jj7smCCZXCEV8wD97IFTDG0

Help President Obama WHACK those pesky Bailout Babies from Wall Street and Beyond (free GAME) -- 自由なゲーム -- WHACK WALLSTREET

2009-04-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

This is just a little, 30-second fun game I adapted from another game of mine. I couldn't resist. It needs Flash version 5 or above.

Help the Obama clones whack all those undeserving BailOut dudes. (Not the ones that deserve a hand, of course!) Use the fly swatter. You gain points if you whack the money grubbers. You lose points if you whack the clones. The clones and the grubbers are trying to whack each other as well (who wins is random when they hit.)

Just in good fun! Have a great weekend.

http://megaswf.com/view/06a933d3d91c3a3e8173e7bd5ffd4d12.html

Later!
CG

In Japanese:
これは楽しむためだけです。
これはただ少量、速い、面白いゲームです。私は私が作ったもう１つのゲームからそれを改造しました。私はそれを作ることに抵抗することができませんでした。それは「Flash5」を必要とするか、あるいはより大きいです。

その Obama クローンがそれらすべての undeserving 緊急援助男をぴしゃりと打つのに役立ってください。その蝿 swatter を使ってください。もしあなたがその守銭奴をぴしゃりと打つなら、あなたはポイントを得ます。もしあなたがそのクローンをぴしゃりと打つなら、あなたはポイントを失います。そのクローンとその grubbers は同様にお互いをぴしゃりと打とうとしています（誰が勝つかが、彼らが打ったとき、任意です。)

ただ良い楽しみで！素晴らしい週末を持ってください。

Amazing Illustrator: Mike Correiro

2009-04-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

As promised, links to great art by well-known to little known artists.

Check out the link to the Art of Mike Correiro. You may not know his name but you've probably seen his artwork. And if you do know his name, you know his artwork is fantastic.

http://www.mikecorriero.com/index/Top/default.htm

Check him out!

すべてを MANGA 、アニメとイラストレーター芸術家と呼びます！

2009-03-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

すべてを MANGA 、アニメとイラストレーター芸術家と呼びます！

私はこのごろ私の新しい新規操業のゲームベンチャーに取り組むことで非常に忙しいです。そのために、私は新しいミュージシャンを再検討するより少ない時間を持っています。私はまだ音楽レビューをしているでしょう、しかしより低度にしばしば。

それで、私は AhaBlogolicious を広げています。最初に、新しい声がその Web サイトのために書くことであるでしょう。これは Soothsayer117 です。この人は将来のために Soothsayer117 の占い師予測を論じている短い論文をしているでしょう。この人（Soothsayer117）はこれを非常にまじめに受けとめます。 (この配属の後に公表されるこの人間とのそのインタビューを見てください。)

しかしながら、この場所は娯楽目的のみために意図されます。そのために、あなたが占い師予測を信じるかどうかにかかわらず、どうかこれらの予測が娯楽のために目的のみであると想定してください。彼らは未来か、あるいは現在の出来事の保証を暗示しないはずです。

第二に、私はすべての芸術家に私に彼らのオンラインのアートワークへのリンクを送ってくれるように要請します。これは彼らが見せて欲しいアートワークです。レビューがされないでしょう。しかしながら、素晴らしい仕事への善が選ばれるでしょう。これらの仕事はその Web サイトに対して示されるでしょう。その芸術家と彼らのサイトへのリンクについてのインフォメーションが同じく示されるでしょう。これはその芸術家の仕事のさらに多くを見ることに興味を持った人たちがそうすることができるようにです。これは芸術家がそこ（に・で）彼らの仕事が気付かれるようにするのを手伝うはずです。このサイトは、多くによって読まれて、もう１つの開催場所を提供します。 AhaBlogolicious は常に芸術家とダンサーとミュージシャンを支援することに集中させられました。この Web サイトは彼らの仕事がそのいつものサークルの外で気付かれるようにするのを手伝います。

これをする料金はなしです。これをするための補償はなしです。私は芸術家が彼らの仕事が気付かれるようにするのを手伝う方法としてあなたの仕事を見せることを望みます。それで終わりです。ただあなたのサイトへの URL リンクそして／あるいはその特定のイラストへの URL リンクを送ってください。アタッチメントを送らないでください！ただ URL リンクを送ってください。アタッチメントが削除されるでしょう。 (すみません。)

ご多幸を祈りつつ！あなたから便りをもらうことを楽しみにします！
シン・アンダーソン
(電子メールインフォメーションが私のプロフィールページにあります)

Calling All: MANGA/COMIC, ANIME and Illustrator Artists!

2009-03-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

Calling All: MANGA/COMIC, ANIME and Illustrator Artists!

Because I'm very busy these days working on my new startup game venture, I find that I have less time to track down and review new bands. I still will be doing music reviews, but just not as frequently as I would like.

So, I am expanding AhaBlogolicious. First, a new voice will be contributing -- Soothsayer117. Soothsayer117 will be doing short articles discussing Soothsayer117's own psychic predictions for the future. Soothsayer117 takes this very seriously. (See interview to be posted after this posting.) However, this site is intended for entertainment purposes only, so regardless of whether you believe in psychic predictions or not, please assume Soothsayer117's are for entertainment purposes and are not to imply any guarantee of future or current events.

Second, I invite all artists to send me links to online artwork they would like showcased. No reviews will be done, but good to fantastic works will be selected and shown on AhaBlogolicious with information about the artist and links to their site for those interested in seeing more of their work.

This is to help artists out there get their work noticed by offering another venue, read by many. AhaBlogolicious has always been focused on supporting artists of all kinds, dancers and musicians -- and helping get their work noticed outside of the usual circles.

No fees to do this but also no compensation. I want to showcase your work as a way to help artists get their work out there, that's all. Just send an URL link to your site and/or a link to the particular illustration. Do not send attachments, just URL links! Attachments will be deleted (for safety's sake.)

Best and hope to see your work!
CG Anderson
(email in profile info)

Flumpool: J-POP foursome out of Osaka, Japan -- Flumpool: 大阪からの４人のＪＰＯＰ男

2009-02-26T15:26:00.000-08:00

Flumpool

My romance with J-POP music groups continues. Four cute guys that can sing. They aren't the kind of J-POP musicians that run around wearing bunny suits in order to get attention. Nor do they need to.

These guys are great. Well-paced music. Emotional. Fun. The music had a slight 'tinny' sound reminding me of the 1960s music scene. To set the scene, think of a small club in Liverpool. The sound quality isn't that good. Yet the foursome on stage definitely have a special quality. So instead of leaving, you stay and listen to the band.

Fast, driving beats. Great musicality. Great vocals. Great tunes. That keeps you in your seat -- wanting more!

Find their MySpace site here:

www.myspace.com/flumpool

Have some fun -- check out these four musicians from Osaka.

C.G. Anderson

Machine Translation (with some human intervention to clean up the translation a bit):

機械翻訳（その翻訳をきれいにするためのいずれかの人間の仲裁で):

Flumpool

Ｊポップ・ミュージックグループと一緒の私のロマンスは継続します。歌うことができる４人のキュートな男。彼らは注意を得るためにうさぎスーツを着る走り回る種類のＪＰＯＰミュージシャンではありません。同様に彼らはそうする必要がありません。

これらの男は素晴らしいです。うまくペース配分された音楽。情緒です。楽しみ。その音楽は私にその１９６０年代の音楽のシーンを思い出させているわずかな「ブリキかんを叩くような」音を持っていました。その現場を設定するために、リバプールで小さいクラブについて考えてください。その音品質はそれほど良くありません。それでもステージ上のその４人グループは確かに特別な特質を持っています。それで、去る代わりに、あなたは滞在して、そしてそのバンドに耳をかたむけます。

速い、運転の打つこと。素晴らしい音楽。素晴らしいボーカル。素晴らしい曲。それはあなたをあなたの席に置いておきます－さらに多くを欲して！

ここで彼らの MySpace 場所を見いだしてください:

www.myspace.com/flumpool

若干の楽しみを持ってください－大阪からこれらの４人のミュージシャンをチェックしてください。

シン・アンダーソン

California's Champagne Blvd and Japan's Orange Stones, Acoustic Rock Meets Soft Moog Kickin Rock

2009-01-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

Time for music!

Any band that says Pink Floyd is one of its major influencers will definitely get my attention. On the other hand, I'll also be ready to criticize as well since Pink Floyd is one of the most innovative groups to come out of music. So if a band makes that kind of claim (even as only an influence) I want to make sure that they can live up to it. Pink Floyd wasn't their only influence listed but it was the first one listed. (I'll forgive them for also listing Michael Jackson.)

Champagne Blvd doesn't disappoint. Their sound, a mix of acoustic and rock with a bit of the adventurer thrown in, is an fluid and easy listen. So soft rock, yes, but with the unerring musicality and the melodious vocals, they represent the best of soft rock -- from bouncy to darker and 'moog'-ier, depending on...well...their mood, I guess.

Give them a listen and see what you think:
www.myspace.com/champagneblvd

Orange Stones

Then again, when I got a quick listen of Orange Stones, out of Japan, there was nothing easy or soft rock-ish about them. This rock band may be 'moog' as well, but it runs polar opposition to soft acoustic rock bands. Hot, vital and pushing the speed limit is how I would describe this vibrant and energetic rock band. POPOUT was my favorite as the jumpiest, but the 60's moog feel with rounded tones and deep vibes in the other songs was just as welcome. This band is a mix of hard and soft and psychedelic experimental fun.

Give them a listen and enjoy the ride:

http://www.myspace.com/orangestones

Enjoy!
CG Anderson
cganders1@yahoo.com

Rise and Fall of the American Empire ?

2009-01-11T12:10:00.000-08:00

OK, winter break is over and soon I'll be filling up the blog with music reviews again...but for a moment a slight digression, if I may...skip to the end if you want to see where I'm going with this.

I spend a good portion of my time watching television, though notably I spend a very high percentage of that time watching documentaries and educational programs like those on the History Channel. I try to avoid the reality shows that masquerade as documentaries.

I spend more of my time watching channels like the History Channel and National Geographic (avoiding all the horrific animal-attack shows) as well as a lot of cartoons and anime (though I avoid Adult Swim and its toilet-humor, unfunny, imbecilic, cheap to produce stuff.) Anime like Bleach and Moribito I do watch.

However, I do watch the commercials for all the prime time shows and I'm sickened to note that reality shows are still alive and kicking (kicking us when we're down, I mean.) They are still cheap to produce (and show it), go for cheap laughs (and show it) and are still voyeuristic, sensatinalistic and even more cruel. Howie's new show is a prime example -- let's play cruel jokes on people, really make them cry or feel horrible, and then laugh at them. It's a new low NBC (not ABC, sorry).

I had high hopes for NBC's (not ABC, sorry) new international dance competition show -- showcasing the best from around the world -- and I was soon disappointed, mostly by the obvious bias in judging that even the dancers noticed...and the obvious manipulation by some of the judges to help their teams by downgrading major competitors, not to mention their self-centric attitude. Do they really think that the only thing called dance involves Western ballet and ballroom based moves? Do they really think that dissing 2 time world champions and calling them inferior, or other champions, saying they need to 'improve'...really makes us think that they are being unbiased, fair and for that matter, knowledgable?

Interestingly enough, to me the fairest judge was the one from China, in spite of the abuse he and his country was taking (one judge even rolled her eyes when asked to judge a Chinese dancer of national fame--time to hit China because you can, is it?) The back row, minus India, all lost my respect within an hour of watching their childish and obvious tactics.

Needless to say, I'm not watching it anymore. I'd love to see more of some of these performers, especially China, but I'm not sitting through anymore "We're better than you and I'm the expert" bull anymore.

Given the economic times and my penchant for watching the History Channel, I did notice one thing that bothers me more. A program called the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire detailed the Roman empire and how it turned to greater acts of cruelty as entertainment -- this done to entertain its populace and keep them from rebelling. It also began to have a leadership that didn't earn the right to rule but was given the throne. I noticed two trends:

1) cruelty became entertainment and accepted as 'fun'
2) corruption increased when people were given privileges without having to earn them (leaders that were given their position -- as emperor -- abused their power in ever increasingly extravagent ways)

I looked at the Greeks, too, from Classical to Helenistic (where the Helenistic age all went into greater cruelty entertainment and greater excesses as people didn't earn their power.) They fell to the Romans.

What happened when Rome fell? (at an unimaginable height of cruelty and excess and corruption)...the dark ages began.

The 'Holy' Roman Empire began and eventually that fell when the Renaissance (and then the Age of Reason and Enlightenment, the split of church and state --though not entirely) began and people began to rebel against the abuse, cruelty and extravagence of the church.

(Along the same lines of things I never knew: Did you know that priests used to be able to marry? And the reason the church changed to celibacy - with abuses allowed -- was because they didn't want the priest's property to go to his family? They wanted to keep it --i.e. isn't that greed? envy? ) It fits with the items I noted about the fall of a civilization.

Only now are we realizing that stuff we think we invented during the Renaissance and afterwards, was actually previously invented by the Romans, the Greeks, the lost Minoans, ancient China, etc. Things like water engines, flush toilets, complete gearing systems including computers as well as engineering that actually could shear mountain faces off and drill systems that went through moutains to create a way to 'drain' a lake! And yes, China did know about gunpowder as something other than a fireworks thingy -- they had landmines, torpedos, missiles and even firing systems that fired off multiple missiles (arrows to explosive missiles) at one time.

So what, you ask?

Imagine how far civilization could have come if such knowledge hadn't been lost -- or supressed by the new fanatic intolent religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam (all based off the same god and prophets and basic belief system and all three systems encouraging supression of spirit and knowledge -- while encouraging a strict hierarchy where a few control the masses.) (This was why so many leaders liked the idea -- it gave them power. Ask Denmark, Norway and Sweden...they'll tell you.)

I know I sound severe about those religions, but I'm looking at it from the perspective of what shaped those religions and what religious leaders did while in charge of those religions. It's just plain disturbing. It's the basic tenets of some of that justification for doing harm and the organized power structure that I really worry about.

The British Empire Fell, the India Empire (s) fell, China fell, Japan fell, Soviet Union fell, Germany fell and so on and on and on -- they all seem to have corruption, excess, abuse of power, lack of worthwhile earned leadership and cruelty to others and their own, not to mention a sense of privilege, 'we're better than you' and arrogance.

I see a lot of reality television where cruelty is the entertainment. I see a lot of power and excess and people abusing that power. I see a lot of good ol' boy insider situations where people get their power without really deserving it, without earning it. I see this reflected in television, politics, institutions and average people defending their abusive actions.

So perhaps the American Empire (sorry, let's be precise...the American Republic) is about to fall as well very soon, if it's not already falling...

Will we see another dark age? And which religion will try to keep us in the dark this time? How much knowledge will be lost and how much life?

Who exactly will emerge as the next great empire, I wonder? China maybe? Successors have always needed vision, drive, intelligence, natural resources and unfortunately, a strong military -- but with leaders that earned their position that don't abuse that power.

I'm researching and compiling a list of things the new empire will likely need in order to reach dominance, and adjusted it for modern views and realities....right now, no one is in a good position to achieve empire status...but tolerance, innovation, intelligence over fanaticism still are requirements...other items like resources, vision, power and so forth are lacking in those that might be the next big empire...

Maybe the three big (organized hierarchy) religions with the common me-only-me base will be supplanted as well? (and yes, as I noted before, I was researching a bit....check your real history, all of them were reacting to political events around them, Roman occupation, war, cruelty-as-entertainment, slavery...so they had a good reason to believe others outside their group were bad and to be killed -- still carry that attitude to excess and you get what? How much blood needs to be spilled?)

I wonder.

So while there's still time before the end of it all, I'll just focus on talking about music and for the most part, keep my mouth shut about the rest. (After all, in all those situations, those that tried to point out the problem found themselves discounted, disparaged and killed off.) I'd rather not be killed, thank you very much...nor disparaged. Discounted, I'm not sure. :)

So I won't do this type of off-the-cuff, unedited, unplanned editorial very often. I'll stick to music and trying to make people laugh (but without abuse and cruelty -- or toilet humor -- if at all possible. No guarantees, even I occasionally like that stuff...I'll admit that I like the anime Shin Chan, but in small doses!)

But for the few of you that read this, in agreement or not, thank you for taking the time to do so.
OK, I'll shut up now. :) (thanks)

CG Anderson
very tired and sad at the moment, 2008 has been a very sad year for me...but music does make me happy, so I'll be back to doing that soon...thank goodness for musicians, artists and writers, you keep me sane(r)!

cganders1@yahoo.com

Blacktop Mourning - When a Counting Crows Legend Listens to MySpace, a NEW Star Band Is Born! (Yes, it does happen!)

2008-11-28T17:36:00.001-08:00

Blacktop Mourning

Are they rock, punk or alternative? You might ask but not be able to answer. Neither can I but I don't care. I found this band on MySpace over a year ago and thought they were amazing then, with amazing vocals in particular. Some reviewers have already found them, including a contract with MTV and a record deal with Tyrannosaurus Records (Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows started this label and discovered the band on MySpace.)

Oh dear, mention MTV and that's usually enough for me to think twice about reviewing them -- after all, if a band goes commercial that quickly, I have to wonder if they will maintain the magic that attracted me in the first place, or will they go downhill as the newest victims of 'committee' and 'marketable mainstream' good intentions?

Still, I waited and came back after awhile to see how they were progressing. Some reviewers have called them similar to Fall Out Boy, especially around the vocal chords. I'm not sure it was meant as a compliment (sarcasm!), but I happen to LOVE Fall Out Boy and love their vocals, so as far as I'm concerned that is a big plus.

Can they stay a mix of rock punk and alternative and still be a hit (Fall Out Boy comparisons notwithstanding)? I think so. Complex and hard driving musicality emanate from this band. Angst driven vocals and adventurous lyrics compliment but don't overshadow the inventiveness and aggressiveness needed for hard-core rock and metal endeavors, not to mention the needed guitar riffs!

But you decide, as you are the folks they really need to please in order to prove that they can go the distance as a major music force that proves that you can mix and meld music genres.

You can find their MySpace site at http://www.myspace.com/blacktopmourning

Enjoy and happy holidays!
CG Anderson
cganders1@yahoo.com

Kirk Kirkland Oregon's Own Master SongMeister

2008-11-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

Kris Kirkman
This rock and pop singer has the most amazing voice. Hailing from Portland, Oregon and so a Northwest native just like me, Kris probably isn’t known much outside of his own hometown - though his former band Perusa might be. Still...he should be. This singer/songwriter is a good example of how having a MySpace Music page can bring his talent to a wider and just-as-appreciative audience. While Kris’ band Purusa broke apart under the stress of actually being a hit, looks like the musician in Kris hasn’t given up on music. Kris’ haunting, fluid vocals emote raw feeling and echo infinitely onward carried gently through on waves of simple acoustic meaning. Translation: a good listen.

You can find Kris at http://www.myspace.com/kriskirkman

I think you’ll like him.

CG Anderson

MUSIC REVIEW: A Bamboo Orchestra and rock band 'four To three'

2008-10-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

Bamboo Orchestra

Yes, it is not a typo. For a lovely fusion percussion, acoustic and experimental with not a small amount of naturalism thrown in, do head over to MySpace and visit the Bamboo Orchestra. The band itself is a blend of France and Japan musicality. Sound rhythms, haunting tunes and perfect beats. My only compliant was the shortness of the samples.

Still, if you want to relax a bit, then transport yourself to a world of bamboo...

You can find them at http://www.myspace.com/bambooorchestra

four To three

Want something a bit peppier but not over the top? How about four to three? This rock band out of New York has a lot of potential. Snappy tunes and good raw rocker-sounding vocals, backed up by simple yet clean beats and rhythms. One or two songs that really catch on and this group could find itself in the upper rungs the rock/pop ladder. I'd say they are a band to watch, especially as they continue to mature in musicality and lyric composition.

Check them out for yourself at http://www.myspace.com/fourtothree

CG Anderson

(please excuse typos..I've been tired lately...my apologies!)

MUSIC REVIEW: Quickie-- And Speaking of Great Fusion, Give AJO a Listen

2008-09-30T10:41:00.001-07:00

One quick note about a different kind of fusion and an excellent one.

AJO

He only has one song on his Myspace site but it is worth it to hear it.

Check out Ajo and his fusion of Japanese Classical (and drums) and Alternative/Experimental.

I loved it. I hope he puts up more songs soon!

Find him at http://www.myspace.com/ajoheavensdust

Ta!

CG Anderson

MUSIC REVIEW: Japan & Korea's version of Justin Timberlake -- SE7EN

2008-09-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

I finally decided to listen to SE7EN, since he's been staying near the top of Japan's MySpace Music rankings for quite awhile. SE7EN is a Korean J-POP and R&B singer living in Japan, signed by a major label there and I suspect, quite popular with girls.

Listening to him, I can hear some R&B smoothness, with an emphasis on romantic ballads. And although his Myspace site says he also is Hip-Hop, I don't really hear that in the samples of music provided--or what I did hear didn't really sound too hip-hop (or rap) to me, rather a weak attempt.

His voice is pleasant, though his vocal range seems limited, but he knows how to stay within that range (most of the time) and avoid any musical issues -- and he's got pop star/male model looks, which undoubtably pleases his fan club no end.

He actually reminds me of Justin Timberlake, and not just his voice and pop-star looks. But also his presentation reminds me of Timberlake and the fact that he is trying to fuse musical genre's -- and like Timberlake, not really doing it that well. Timberlake keeps trying to add rap and hip-hop into his pop-oriented voice and delivery (and failing to really do it well.) SE7EN seems to be trying to do the same thing. I think both of them somehow think it will make them 'cool' to be more rapper-like. It doesn't.

Both SE7EN and Timberlake are good at ballads and soft pop, romantic tunes and there is nothing wrong with that. I applaud both for trying to mix it up a bit and to stretch themselves musically, but in both cases, I don't think the mix worked well.

In fact, I think SE7EN did a better job at adding R&B and a bit of rap and hip-hop influences into his music than Timberlake did in his last album, so kudos to SE7EN. Perhaps he succeeded because he wasn't trying to be as ambitious as Timberlake in the fusion.

Or perhaps the song selection on MySpace didn't show the 'bad tries'...either way, if you want some eye-candy with a pleasant voice and easy-listening songs, give SE7EN a try.

What do you think? Is he a Japan-Korean version of Timberlake? Or is that unfair? Perhaps Timberlake is an American version of him? heh! heh!

You can find SE7EN's Myspace Music site at http://www.myspace.com/se7enhello7

Cheers!
CG Anderson

Definitely time to start looking for rock and metal bands again...enough J-POP and pop for awhile! But I need pointers, folks! Got a fav? email the band's or singer's name and site to me! My email is on my profile here.

MUSIC REVIEW: J-POP time with Ikimono Gakari, TM Network and E-rockers(?) Ayabie (sort of!)

2008-09-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

This week, I am offering up three to choose from (two J-POP and one, well...see for yourself!)

Yes, it's time for another J-POP band. This time the pick is newcomer, Ikimono Gakari, an unsigned group very new to the MySpace Music scene. Yet MySpace music fans are already discovering them with over two thousand hits to their site (in only a couple of weeks of being online.)

Despite the language barriers to English-speaking listeners (lyrics are in Japanese), this group sounds just like a European-American pop band with a nice balance between slower ballads and preppy, upbeat tunes.

The sound is very professional, major props to the producer of their music! Musicality is complex yet pleasant, very easy on the ear. Vocals are well done, though there is room for growth there as the band matures (and the female lead vocalist matures and grows in experience.) Nice selection of songs.

As things stand now, the orchestrations and instrumentals are far more complex, professional and challenging than the lead singer, who still sounds reasonable but not as interesting nor as passionate. She needs to really feel the music and stop playing it safe vocally and psychologically. When she finally began to cut loose on the song, Hanabi, I finally heard something really worth listening to. However, I wanted to hear that kind of energy and passion on every song, even the ballads.

Still, if this band can break out of 'safe' and really take the risk and challenge themselves, I think that given their impressive raw talent, you'll have an amazing final result.

Decide for yourself, you can find them at http://www.myspace.com/ikimonogakarifansite

Ayabie
Second up, is an indie label band and while they aren't J-POP, I had to include them because it is actually very difficult to merge Electronica and Rock and do it successfully. This band actually does do a good fusion of the two...then add in their J-POP like visual look...and you have quite a unique bunch of singer/musicians.

Hyperactive and fast paced, with metal/rock-like frenetic and driven vocals, this group takes off in surprising ways. One minute they are the usual beeping and tooting of electronica and then suddenly metal deep-throat vocals cut loose followed up by the 'wang' of guitars singing rock and roll dreams.

They are perhaps a bit too scattered and need to collect themselves and focus on what they really are trying to accomplish. Perhaps that will come in time as they continue to work on their fusion of rock/electronica. And perhaps it will show better with more than two songs to sample (the third wasn't available and the fourth was a comment from the band.)

No matter what, they weren't boring and definitely worth a listen.

Find them at http://www.myspace.com/ayabieusa

TM Network

For this last one, I have to admit I'm a bit bemused. The band made me smile so I'm including it here. I honestly didn't realize that Japan was so into 80's Disco music? That's what the sound of these guys struck me as, stuff from the 1980s, right down to the their hairstyles and the soft tones of their vocal delivery, not to mention the wider, rounder vibes from their synthesizers.

It's not quite the music choice I would usually make, but it was professionally done (and by a major label) and kind of fun to hear. I like that Japan embraces so many musical styles.

Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/tmnetwork

Best,
CG Anderson

MUSIC REVIEW: Japan's Indie Rockers, Sangreal

2008-09-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

Another week, another chance to rock and roll.

This week I was once again in the mood for some rock and I was still hunting around old sites and new sites in Japan.

An indie rock band named Sangreal caught my eye and ear. While I still can't speak, much less understand, much Japanese, this band's musicality, vocals, tonality, passion and professionalism made me take quick note.

The lead singer, omi, has pleasant vocals with great tonality, pacing and passion. The song choices were fun yet still with driving rock beats. Think a mix of pop and rock, rather than grunge or metal. But even if you prefer metal or heavier beats, give this band a try. The ability of the musicians is apparent, from their perfect timing to their virtuosity on delicate and complicated riffs.

These guys can play; better yet, they're fun to listen to...and that makes them good performers as well. I love it when a band is not only fun to listen to, but also able to carry off complicated musical feats...and if they have passion as well (which you can hear in the music and the vocals), then I'm sold. And these guys have that.

Only complaint, they have three full songs on their MySpace site...but I wanted a lot more than three!

Give them a try...their site is at http://www.myspace.com/sangrealive

And don't forget to send me pointers to your favorite bands and singers! My email is on my profile and yes, I do read it!

Best,
CG Anderson

MUSIC REVIEW: Japan's JPOP girl - Ranka

2008-09-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

Ranka

OK, today we slow down a bit from yesterday's rock fest.

Easy on the ears and easy on the heart; that is the voice and music of Ranka, another JPOP gem out of Japan.

Less the usual, more expected frenetic sound of JPOP and more the easy ballads of which American audiences are typically more fond. Her voice has a lovely quality and clear tones. Her musicians are quality as well, with the overall production sounding very relaxed but well-paced.

This is very quiet relaxing music, that you might find in a dark lounge or a moonlight night. The type of music to enjoy with a glass of wine when you get home from work and want to unwind.

...or you want mood music for a hot date.

My only complaint would be that all her music is of a type. There is nothing to show any faster, more dynamic tempos--nothing to stretch her abilities or generate higher energy.

Still, a glass of wine and a moonlit night is still nothing to sneeze at.

You can enjoy her sweet and soothing tones at http://www.myspace.com/rankaranka

Cheers!

CG Anderson

MUSIC REVIEW: Japan's LOW IQ 01 and France's PLEASURE ADDICTION

2008-09-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

Time for some music. How about some Rock?

Well, I decided to check out some new faces and some bands I spotted months ago. As a result, on today's menu are two choice picks -- Japan's LOW IQ 01 and France's Pleasure Addiction.

LOW IQ 01

This rock band is definitely a rock band. Even though they only offer up short snippets of play on their MySpace site, you can hear the rampaging beats and driving vocals. As with any good rock band, you don't need caffeine after hearing them. Complex yet fun, I liked their stuff. I would have written more, but since I only had snippets to work with, I really couldn't get a better feel for the depth or reach of their music.

Still, if you like rock, check them out.

Their site is at http://www.myspace.com/lowiq01

PLEASURE ADDICTION

The other band is also a rock band. This time the band hails from France. A number of months ago, I put this band on my personal 'watch and check back in a few months list' because the comments I had (for myself, not public) was that it showed great promise. However, I wanted to give them a few months and check back to see how they were sounding a bit later.

Great tunes, clear and expressive vocals and a demanding rock beat that backs up the vocals and drives the music forward. This is an exciting and charismatic group with a lot of promise and...I'm glad to see...the internal drive to keep at it and really go for the top levels of the music industry.

Not many songs on their site, but at least they aren't 10 second snippets!

Check them out for yourself, they are at:
http://www.myspace.com/pleasureaddiction

Have a great day! Coming up soon, a review that includes Japan's up and coming JPOP girl, Ranka, but since she's JPOP, I thought I would wait and cover her separately. Today was for Rockers.

CG Anderson

It's a J-POP kind of day: Buono Fan Club and Kat McDowell

2008-08-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Two posts in two days? I know, strange for me, eh? Well, it was just a J-POP kind of day and I happened to find some gems I wanted to share with you (...before I forgot.)

First up, Kat McDowell, out of Tokyo, Japan. Yes, you heard me right, she's in Japan. How this songbird ended up in Japan, I do not know, but it's Japan's gain and now it's ours as well.

Kat McDowell

Lovely voice and good delivery of lyrics (in both English and Japanese.) Her musicians are first rate professionals, as is the overall production. Whether she's doing J-POP, acoustical or even soft rock with a bit of rap thrown in, Kat is a pleasure to listen to.

My only complaint was that her sample selection was too short -- as regular readers know, I really hate getting just 'snippets' of songs to listen to, I want full songs people!

Still, check her out for yourself...I think you'll like her.

Her site is located at

http://www.myspace.com/katmcdowell

Buono Fan Club

Second but only in order, some "brand new to MySpace" cuties out of Japan as well.

If you love the J-POP look and sound, complete with Japanese school girl outfits, rocking beats and bouncy melodies that just ricochet around the room, then check out Buono Fan Club. These three cuties have got the J-POP thing down pat. They are fun and lively and definitely lifted my day, especially when my energy began to wane. I loved 'em. I've got a personal bookmark on their page for whenever I need extra bounce in my step or a good cheering up.

Have some fun and give them a listen.

Their site is at

http://www.myspace.com/buonobuono

Enjoy!

CG "Shin" Anderson

Music Review: Japan's American songbird, Olivia Ong

2008-08-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

OK, the Olympics are over. They were spectacular, weren't they? I think China did a great job and from what I understand China spared no expense in order to make these Olympics one of the best ever. (40 billion dollars, I heard, was the amount they spent overall.) I hope China continues to progress and become a great world partner.

But now time to get back to music...

Today was a bit stressful for me, so I was in the mood for something to calm down the day.

I found her in Japan's "fluent-English" jazz soloist, Olivia Ong. She's unsigned but her voice is lovely and the musicians accompanying her were first-rate, especially the resonant, fluid tones emanating from the saxophonist.

She sings American easy jazz classics and does a nice job with them, too. Her voice fits quite well with classical jazz. For some reason, as I listened and relaxed, instead of being transported back to the heyday of the forties and fifties, the world of Mack the Knife, smoke-filled lounges, black ties and cocktail dresses,. I found myself on a beach in Hawaii. It was sunset. It was warm with a light breeze that smelled of flowers I couldn't identify, and the sound of the ocean rolling in my ears.

Go figure. I didn't realize that I associated jazz with Hawaii. But who cares? It made me relax and that was what I really needed today.

So thank you, Miss Ong. I hope you get signed soon. I'd like to hear you tackle some original songs as well as the classics next time.

Give her a try. What exotic locale will you end up at, I wonder?

Her site is at

http://www.myspace.com/oliviaongsongs

She hasn't logged on to her site since May, so I hope she is well and I hope someone out there who knows her sends her a message that she got reviewed (and favorably too!) (I wish I could but I can't create a comment on her site, only send her a friendly message that she won't see if she doesn't log on.) Ah, the joys of MySpace!

Aloha!

CG "Shin" Anderson

No Music Review this week: Call for suggestions from readers! 今週の音楽レビューはなし：読者から提案を要求しなさい！

2008-08-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

I'm too fascinated with the Beijing Olympics right now. I totally haven't been looking for bands to review or singers to review. My apologies, but the Olympics only happen once every four years (or two years, rather, if you count Winter. So the seasonal Olympics only happen every four.) :)

But I'd like to hear from readers...

Who are your top five or ten favorite bands or singers?

Any country. Any genre. Famous or Unknown. I want to know.

If I get any responses, I'll summarize the results and review some of the top contenders.

So let me know!

Email your list to cganders1 "at" yahoo.com

Looking forward to hearing from you!

CG Anderson

---and now in Japanese----I hope-------そして今日本語で----私は希望する----

私はちょうど今北京オリンピックであまりにも魅せられている。私はまったく再検討するべき音楽のグループあるいは再検討するべき歌手を探していなかった。私の謝罪、しかしオリンピックは４年ごとに１度ただ起きるだけである。

けれども私は読者から便りをもらいたい・・・。

あなたの５あるいは１０人の大好きなミュージシャンあるいは歌手は誰であるか？

どんな国でも。どんなジャンルでも。有名である。有名でない。あるいは未知である。私は知ることを望む。

もし私が回答を受けとるなら、私は結果を要約して、そしてトップの競争相手の若干を再検討するであろう。

それで私に知らせなさい！

あなたのリストを電子メールで送るから cganders1 <@> yahoo.com

あなたから便りをもらうことを楽しみにする！

CG 「シン・」アンダーソン

Japan's GLAY (東京都), Japan and France's KOKIA and Beijing, China's TOOKOO!

2008-07-31T11:11:00.001-07:00

OK, I wandered back to Japan, a bit off course of my world tour, but I'm glad I did. I happened to find a group that is a bit rock and a bit roll (ok and bit J-POP too!)

GLAY (東京都)
Aside from the messed up MySpace layout which covered up the audio player (at least on my machine, using Firefox, it was covered up) and aside from the little snippets of songs rather than full songs, I really liked this band.

I hate it when they don't put up at least one or two full length songs but instead only put up soundbites. It's like watching a movie preview when you were expecting a movie. You can tell they are signed; I expect some marketing bigwig thinks that he or she knows best and doesn't want the public to have anything for free...sad. Personally, if I like what I hear online, I go out and buy a CD...I'd much rather have a professionally made and guaranteed CD over a wonky download everyday. Can you tell I don't use iTunes??? :)

Anyway, GLAY (東京都) is robust and energetic with driving beats, great musicality and impassioned vocals. Here's another band whose music you might expect to find on anime shows like the fun but edgy Bleach, Ghost in the Shell, DeathNote and so forth. Except this isn't a grunge, goth or metal band, it is a rock J-POP blend, but in a great way. Think rock band with hits that span into and appeal to pop fans as well.

I just wish they'd put up some full samples on their MySpace page and do something about the wonky layout...but listen to them anyway, I think you'll like them.

You can find their MySpace page here (and other links I didn't visit) at
http://www.myspace.com/glayofficial

KOKIA
And if a Tokyo, Japan group is actually based in France, does that count as part of my world tour? The MySpace page is generated and written in French, the band is Japanese J-POP/Pop and a bit of Opera in style.

KOKIA, when I first started to listen didn't impress me. As I listened to the echoing overlayed soprano-like vocals, I thought I was going to listen to yet another singer and group that spent too much time showing off their vocal range and other tricks and not enough time showing that they could execute a song with passion and timing.

I was wrong.

Those fragile, self-indulgent vocals suddenly transformed into a grandiose theme with reach and power. The song, Follow the Nightingale, was mesmorizing, building in drama and intensity until it crescendoed and exploded.

Frankly, it reminded me of Alanis Morisette's song 'One', the complexity, the sense of a lone singer that is suddenly surrounded yet not overwhelmed by a powerful symphony of musicians and intricate music--it was there in this song.

So I listened to the other songs. I liked them as well. Some were playful and simplistic, like the songs children sing in complete innocence, some were complex but with rather annoying voice-over bits that I could do without, but happily others were deeper and complex.

Great vocals, intensely impressive instrumentals and composition and best of all, entertaining and powerful--enough to sweep you away to distant worlds only available in movies or your own imagination. Grand, sweeping, overwhelming -- give them a listen and see what you think.

And I'm counting France as part of my world tour with this group--regardless of it being a Japanese group. :)

Find KOKIA at
http://www.myspace.com/kokiavoice

TOOKOO
Finally, I stopped off in China and after wading through some popular bands (according to their stats) that didn't sound so special to me, I did happen upon a very Rock band called TOOKOO. They say they are a blend of Emo, Indie and Rock. I would place them more firmly on the Rock side with a bit 70's psychedelic and right on the edge of being Metal, but not quite.

Wild, fun and off the wall -- what more can you say except listen to those driving beats and irrepressible energies yourself.

Really, they were a blast to listen to -- just plain fun!

They are at
http://www.myspace.com/tookoo

Enjoy, gotta go!
CG Anderson

You Decide--Nell (Korea) vs. Art of Dying (Canada) Quickie Music Review

2008-07-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I couldn't decide to go west toward Korea or east, across the Pacific, back to Canada and the US.

So I went both ways.
Isn't Internet travel just so much easier and convenient? !!

Nell is out of South Korea. They are an alternative/indie rock band. They are very easy on the ears, so think of them as more the easy-listening type of alternative band, rather than the hard driving rocker type.

The music was a bit tinny but I blame the upload to MySpace. The vocals are very nice and the musicality good. The samples I listened to tended to the ballad-like and I would have preferred some that were a bit more passionate and intense, but then that is me.

Decide for yourself. A nice group to listen to, especially after a hard days work or while studying for a midterm. At least that was my impression.

You can find their MySpace page at
http://www.myspace.com/bandnell

Don't want easy listening? Not interesting in studying but would rather dance around your room pretending to be a rock star?

OK, try the wildly popular, yet unsigned?, grunge band out of Canada -- Art of Dying.

Raucous, wild, over the top, energetic, evocative, emotional, you name it. It's a grunge band. Good emotive, angst-ridden vocals, good musicality, driving beats without 'over-amping' -- it is no surprise why this band is so popular.

The only complaint was the overdone MySpace site that slowed down the download and made me wait in order to sample their songs. I almost gave up waiting, but still...I'm glad I hung in there and gave them a listen.

Check them out at
http://www.myspace.com/theartofdying

So there you have it. East and West by going west and east!

Enjoy!
CG Anderson

Got an idea for a band I should review? Let me know at cganders1@yahoo.com

くるり / Quruli (Kururi) serves up some easy listening with a bit of kick

2008-07-08T13:34:00.000-07:00

Travelling a bit to the east today (from China) we are back in Japan. I'm in an easy, slow mood today since the sun is shining and it is actually warm here in the Northwest (Seattle, WA, USA.)

So perusing through Japan MySpace music sites I find くるり or Quruli by their spelling (Kururi by other Romanji spellings of Japanese Hiragana characters.)

This duo is an easy-listening group, and yes, it's pop music but again not necessarily the outrageous J-POP that most think of when thinking of the pop music scene of Japan. This duo is simply easy to listen to, with a focus on ballads. The musical orchestrations also tend to the ballad-like side, but with complexity and emotive overtones that I also hear with ballad-pop songs of Alanis Morissette.

I like pop tunes that have musical complexity and intricacy. It's one reason I love the work of Alanis. And these guys definitely have some of that same spark.

Vocally, they seem to stay in a safe range and their music tends to be a bit more controlled than American counterparts, but it could just be the selection of tunes that I heard.

Why not see for yourself. Kick back and listen to some Japanese pop for awhile (especially if you aren't into Japanese Metal. Though the two metal bands I found, see previous reviews, are really superb.)

Their MySpace music page is at http://www.myspace.com/quruliofficial

Have an easy, "slow riding in the sun" day!

Where shall I go next on this pre-Olympics musical tour? Continue WEST to Korea, perhaps? or EASTward toward Canada and the West Coast of the US?
Hmmm...

Cheers!
CG Anderson

Alex Fong and Stephy Tang Prove Hong Kong Knows Pop Music

2008-06-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

OK, sorry it's been awhile but as life would have it, things came up that had to be dealt with right away.

But enough of the boring details of my life.......Let's start a summer international tour, in honor of the international cooperation surrounding the Olympics. In this case, surrounding the Beijing Olympics.

And let's start with Hong Kong!
And Alex Fong ...

No headbanging this time, just some easy listening pop. The singer? Probably unknown outside of Hong Kong, maybe known in Asia, but likely not much beyond that area. Alex Fong, aka Siu Fong, aka "Little Flying Fish". He's a pop singer, a Hong Kong swimming medalist, an actor and pretty darn cute to look at, too!

As a singer, he has a nice voice, well suited to easy pop tunes as well as romantic ballads.

Do I need to know Chinese to appreciate him or his voice? Of course not, I'm always listening to more than lyrics. I listen to voice quality, which is good here, delivery and emotional impact, which is GREAT here, musicality, instrumentation and in general, how it's all put together. He is signed by a major label, so as expected, the quality is good, and the band members are first rate professionals, as is the producer.

Even given those advantages, Mr. Fong doesn't just rest on the hard work of others to make him look good. He delivers a quality song with emotional impact--and that is why I'm reviewing him today.

So if you're curious to see how pop is done in China, and done well, take a listen and look at Alex Fong.

His myspace page is

http://www.myspace.com/alexfongls

Cute Pop guys aren't your thing? Well, what about cute Pop girls?

Stephy Tang

Stephy Tang, aka Tang Lai Yun, could easily fit into the cutie-girl JPOP group, except that she is Chinese.

This "model turned singer" is unsigned but has obviously got what it takes to make it big--and I mean successful beyond her obvious visual appeal!

This girl has a lovely voice and better yet, delivers songs with emotion and impact. I like that. It tells me that the singer really feels the music and the intent of the song (and the songwriter.)

It's hard to tell her range (as difficult as it was with Alex Fong), but despite that, it's obvious that she's had some good people helping her refine her voice, her presentation and her delivery--making sure that she doesn't overextend herself AND doing that without deadening the impact of her emotive delivery.

Stephy, unsigned, has just as many MySpace hits as Alex Fong, who is signed, so once again, MySpace proves that it can be a great equalizer.

It's up to viewers (listeners) to decide if they like what the singer has to offer.

In my case, I liked both--very much--in spite of the harsh start to some of the songs.

Check them out for yourself, compare them (minus the language issues) to other singers you like, and see what you think.

Stephy's myspace page is at
http://www.myspace.com/stephytg

And if you like them, let them know!

Never mind if you don't speak Mandarin or Cantonese or English or even Martian, for that matter! Just letting a singer or band know that you like their work is an encouragement that they need.

It's the kind of acknowledgment that we all need, no matter who and no matter what we do. So why not drop a line of encouragement if you like them?
Don't just lurk -- reach out and connect!

Cheers!
CG Anderson

A Tale of Two Goth Bands - Japan's "X Japan" and "Suicide Ali"

2008-05-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

I think that the one genre that truly transcends language barriers is Metal, even more so than Rock. Why? To be harsh but humorous, the lyrics of Metal bands with their overamped, hoarse and screaming vocals often can't be understood anyway. So if it's in another language, who cares?

Those reading my blog semi-regularly know that I find Metal bands the hardest to evaluate and I liken them to Opera. There is a lot of complexity to Metal, like Opera and it's easy to for a bad band to get away with bad lyrics, music, singing and playing by overamping and pretending that that was the original intent.

So I find a lot of really bad Metal bands out there. But occasionally I find some really good ones as well; so good that I forgive them if they overuse the 'Deep Throat' vocals now and then.

Surprisingly, especially to me, I found two Metal bands in Japan that I really like. JAPAN?? I look for them all the time and I find not one but two off the bat--IN JAPAN??
Anyway, I like them.
I'm not the only one either. One is signed by a major label with over a million views on its MySpace profile and the other is unsigned but still with 100+ views on its profile.

Not surprisingly, I enjoyed the unsigned one much better than the signed one.

A tale of two Goth Metal bands:

I'll start my review with the lesser known but unsigned group, Suicide Ali. Suicide Ali bills themselves as a combination of Rock, Industrial and Metal. I would put them closer to Goth Metal with a hint of Experimental and a touch of Rock. Their music is powerful, surreal, dark and edgy. Good vocals and great instrumentals. With only one-tenth the profile views of their major-label rivals, they aren't as well known in Japan (or here) but definitely worth it.
Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to find their work used in everything from Anime like Bleach or Death Note to regular TV dramas (the dark edgy ones) or movies. They add a unique edginess that I liked the more that I listened.

You can find them at:
http://www.myspace.com/suicidealirock

Give them a listen and see what you think. After all, it's your personal taste that really counts with music, and smart groups know that.

X Japan has over a million profile views on its MySpace Music page and who knows how many on its Japan main site. Since I can sample their music on MySpace, that is where I tend to go and what I base my review on.
Can a million profile views be wrong?
Unlike their unsigned, lesser known cousin, X Japan seems tamer and more conservative. They are more predictable. Just what I might expect from a band signed by a major label. That label filled with corporate executives wanting to avoid risk, avoid offending anyone and maximize return on investment. (If you want to avoid risk, signing a Goth Metal band is already a mistake!)
Still, their vocals show better quality and a better vocal range and their musical ability is excellent. Having a song used in a popular horror movie definitely helps with popularity, too. (And with getting a label. And with keeping a label!)
I just wonder what their music was like before that major label got a hold of them? Was it edgier? Did the label corporate heads strike again and tone down yet another group?

You can check them out for yourself at:
http://www.myspace.com/xjapanofficial

Enjoy!
CG Anderson

China earthquake

2008-05-12T10:20:00.001-07:00

And if you're reading this blog, please send your 'good thoughts', prayers (any religion) and 'hope for the best' to the people of China and especially hope for the ones caught in the central China earthquake.

Be safe and well.

Link to AP story from Google News site below:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gBr_dOzJ9Pnc_U9gSgtTgE-cR-KwD90K62E80

CG Anderson

MUSIC REVIEW: Hinata and Over Limit hidden and not-so-hidden Japan Music Gems

2008-05-12T07:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the wait! Better late than never, of course!
Happily, I found two offerings that I think will please the palate. One is another J-POP singer, minus the pink pig outfit. The other is a Indie Rock band, though the band does have some pop-like overtones.

Hinata

Hinata is a J-POP and easy-listening vocalist. Though she calls herself J-POP, again, I would typically disagree from what I heard. She would be more akin to a ballad singing pop artist and vocalist in the US and Europe, ala Celine. Perhaps the category of J-POP has nuances that I don't understand, or perhaps, it just seems more convenient for most Japanese singers to list J-POP to help get them some recognition. After all, at its base, J-POP means POP, aka popular style music. Music that doesn't neatly fit into other genres and has a more ballad and/or trendy feel to it.

Regardless, Hinata's voice is lovely. It is a blend of breathy, fragile melodies and raw, exposed feelings, almost husky at times when she is hitting the lower registers. She is wonderful in the arrangements with a full instrumental backing, but I found I liked her best during her LIVE performance. The exposed fragility and vulnerability was particularly apparent in the live mix and lent a gentle hand to the delicate songs she so beautifully captured.

Hinata is easy on the ears and as you can see from her picture, just as easy on the eyes. (This is always helpful to a vocalist but especially in the competitive J-POP arena, where standing out from the crowd is a daily struggle.)

However, it is her voice that captured me. If you'll forgive my maudlin next lines...
Hinata is like Cherry Blossoms floating on a gentle breeze -- flowing, delicate and heartfelt.

Check her out at (sorry for the earlier typo on the myspace address!)
www.myspace.com/hinatacom

Over Limit
Then again, perhaps Cherry blossoms on a gentle breeze aren't your thing?

How about some Rock then?

This indie band's translated bio said that they 'touch the heart' and 'transcend boundaries.' Would I feel that way when I listened to them? Hmm...

From their (unfortunately limited short version) musical offerings, I would agree that this is a definite rock band with promise.

My biggest criticism is that their quick snippets of music aren't really enough to fully enjoy this band or figure out whether they are worth buying. Hopefully, they will recognize that fact and post some full length songs on Myspace. Especially since they wish to reach a worldwide audience.

What I did hear was professional and dynamic. Good vocals, good musicality, catchy melodies and driving rock beats that get your blood pumping and send your adrenal glands into overdrive. They were exceptional, in fact; in both instrumentals and vocals as well as the song choices (even though I can't understand Japanese lyrics). It was a perfect rock/pop/indie blend.

I include indie and a bit of alternative in here because the vocals do show that remarkable 'alternative-esque' searing, heart-rending quality that is so often found in bands that tend to break out of conventional genre molds.

Lots of emotion and catchy tunes--but without losing that "driving, intense" quality of rock.

Worth a listen...but also worth a scolding since they don't include complete songs. In fact, if you like them, let them know it, but chide them as well for holding out on us. Put up some full length songs, Over Limit, so we can decide whether or not we want to buy your CD or download you on iTunes.

But no matter what, keep up the good work!

Over Limit is at
www.myspace.com/ovlmcjr

Enjoy!
CG Anderson

歓迎される日本のbloggers!

2008-05-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

歓迎されるブログ作成者仲間!
Iは、私の悪い和訳が時々読まれると推測します。
ブログ作成者スペース、ガル氏へ非常に歓迎されます。

http://musicfever555.blogspot.com/
.....(そのブロッグ上の日本語のすべて。)

他のものがそこにあることを知るのによい。
IはIが望んだほど多くの電子メールやコメントを受け取りません。
また、Iも多数として得ません「heads-up」Iが望むだろうとして。
そのように、歓迎、隣人!

CGアンダーソン

Welcome fellow bloggers, I guess my bad Japanese translations are read occasionally.

2008-05-06T08:13:00.001-07:00

Well, I wasn't sure they were out there, you see.
So welcome to the blogger space, Mr Galle,
at,
http://musicfever555.blogspot.com/

(all in Japanese on that blog, folks.)

Nice to know others are out there. I don't get as many emails or comments as I would wish, nor as many heads-ups as I would wish.
So welcome, neighbor!

CG Anderson

修士ウェッブカメラ・プロジェクト。この驚くべきサイトはウェッブカメラへのリンクでいっぱいです。単なる日本ではない、しかしどこでも。Fantastic! Cool!

2008-05-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

楽しく素晴らしい。
ウェブカム・ネットワーク。
Iは日本のウェッブカメラを捜していました。
しかし、それらはもっと(これほど多くの)持っています。
さらに、それらは都市とエリアをアルファベット順に並べます。
その後、1つ選びます。

結果は、それらがあなたにそのエリアへの最も近いウェッブカメラを示すということです。
Iはsekigaharaとosakaを捜していました。
面白い。
非常に涼しい。
チェック・イット・アウト。

http://www.the-webcam-network.com/countries/Japan/s.html

ニュー・ミュージック調査は今週末記入されるでしょう。
CGアンダーソン

And I've found the Master WebCam Links Project Page, not just Japan, but

2008-05-02T07:49:00.001-07:00

Pretty cool. The Webcam-Network.
I was looking for Japan webcams, but they have so much more. They also alphabetize the cities and areas. Then you choose one. The result is that they show you the nearest webcams to that area. I was looking for sekigahara and osaka. Interesting.

Very cool. Check it out.

http://www.the-webcam-network.com/countries/Japan/s.html

New music review will be posted this weekend.
CG Anderson

Yes, another cool Japan webcam link (traffic/city cams, nothing more!)

2008-04-29T07:27:00.001-07:00

Well, yes, I admit I'm still on a tear about Japan "stuff." I haven't found any more musical gems yet, but I promise I'll report on some soon.

(Pointers ALWAYS appreciated! They don't have to be Myspace pages, just a safe page that has actual music of the group/individual on it; so readers can listen for themselves.)

In the meantime, I've found another great link to 6 different cams around Tokyo...all safe...and all likely near each other as best I can tell. And these links, if you click on the 'live' control, then choose a camera (click again) are controllable. Even if you are halfway across the world like me, the control settings to see different views, still work! As always, the higher bandwidth connection you have, the better--obviously.

Very cool!

Mind that, for me at least, it is halfway across the world, so afternoon here is middle of the night there and not much happening...beyond watching a lot of taxis running around the city all night.

Enjoy.... Here is the link.

Tokyo Street Channel located at...
http://www.nabit-ch.jp/street/

Later!
Cynthia CG Anderson

Three Gems from Japan--semi-polished but promising. The Pillows, Tamurapan and rockers Oboro!

2008-04-12T12:16:00.001-07:00

Ahhh!
Where do I start? Music in Japan! Oh yes! It's there!

I promised you a music review. So yes, here it is. I decided to take a broader look at Japan bands and singers on MySpace. I wanted to compare what I found to what I'm typically finding among new talent in the US and Canada.

In many ways, criticisms of Japan's music scene may be justified. It's been called backward or scattered as well as less flattering things. I do see a wide diversity of music there, true. However, since I use MySpace as way to judge the new talent out there, or undiscovered talent out there, I'm not just basing my views on music dictated by big media companies.

Most people are limited to listening to what corporate heads and 'insider' people have decided is 'hot' or 'cool.' That's why we get stuck with garbage like Heiress Paris Hilton--Singer Wannabe.

Go out to MySpace, the Internet, other sites across the Web to get a feel for the real diversity of talent (and lack of talent) out there.

So what I find with Japan is interesting--and really no different than what I find with the US or Europe or Canada or Latin America.

There is a lot of variety. Some of it isn't very good. Others are OK (and often they are the big stars!) Some is VERY VERY GOOD and UNDISCOVERED. Those are the gems I like to find--and I find them in a wide range of genres. The fact that many do not fit the corporate media view of what is marketable is one reason why so many great talents are relatively unknown.

Japan is no different (at least on MySpace.)

I'm going to show you three selections today. I want you to notice how each is different. Each has weaknesses; I won't overlook that, but each also is a gem in its own way. I'm guessing that two are relatively well known in Japan; and one band is an unknown but with a lot of potential, like Treasure Beauty, the singer I found earlier and posted about earlier.

Like her, this unknown band has some issues to deal with. Treasure Beauty's weakness, in my opinion which is only my opinion, is her stage presentation. She doesn't have much presence. She could learn a lot about how to give a more dynamic performance from other J-POP style artists; and learn about presentation from them even if she decides to NOT be as 'out there' as J-POP artists.

But let's look at these three Japan gems first in context.

Tamurapan (Tamura Ayumi)
With half a million profile views, she is definitely known, though likely only in Japan. Here we have a great example of a J-POP style singer. Her vocals are pleasant and enjoyable. She needs to watch her choice of music, as it often shows the limits of her vocal range, but when she stays within her range; her voice is lovely. Likewise, the song choices and music choices are generally well chosen. The instrumentation is flawless. The production is exceptional. The J-POP persona is evident--did you see her in the pink piglet outfit?

Give her a listen at
http://www.myspace.com/tamurapan

The Pillows
Got a hankering for the 1950s USA and old style Rock and Roll? This band evokes the same sound as the bands of old. Save for the use of Japanese, you could literally assume this band came right out of England or the US, circa 1955. I expected to suddenly hear Dick Clark doing a commercial break. The sound is professional. The vocals clear, distinct and fun. You literally forget that you can't understand a word, assuming you don't speak Japanese. This group, given their high profile numbers, is also likely well known in Japan. I guess Japan likes the Sock Hop. Still, every now and then, a bit of the 70s and 90s heavier rock sound sneaks in, complete with the screaming, emotional tears of teen angst. For example, I heard it in their songs "Hybrid Rainbow and Scarecrow." I quite liked the mix. These guys make it work.

Take a listen and don't forget your poodle skirt!
http://www.myspace.com/thepillows

Oboro
Here is the lesser known of the three today, but a group that shows a lot of promise. They are still a little uneven; some songs work and some, to my mind, fail badly. Their vocals are probably their weakness. Their instrumentals and songs are definitely their strength. As musicians, I was impressed by the skill shown here. They have decent MySpace profile numbers but nothing that would indicate that they are in the well known range, even in Japan.

Aside from the weaknesses I saw, which can always be improved by hard work and a clever understanding of how to play to their strengths, this group proves the fact that Japan is diverse but just as 'able to rock' as any other country. These guys definitely fall within the rock and alternative range--and they have the potential to be just as big or bigger as many famous bands.

No poodle skirts or roller skates here. These guys are at home with dissonance and social unrest--just want you want in an alternative rock band!

Give them a try and see if you agree with my assessment or not:
http://www.myspace.com/oborojp

So there you have it. Three very different types of music and musicians out of Japan. Each with its own unique take on the world; and the world of music. Each with strengths and weaknesses. Some well known in Japan. Some unknown but improving.

All in all, the music scene in Japan seems rich and diverse, humorous yet perverse?, rocking and rolling, subtle yet screaming, backward and forward and always moving....yet never boring.

In other words, par for the course in the world of music.

I wouldn't have it any other way!
What about you?

CG Anderson
As for translating this into Japanese, via Machine aided translation and lots of hard work with revisions, I haven't decided yet.
This is a long review and a lot is lost when I try to do a translation.
If I get a lot of emails from Japanese speakers who want the translation, then I'll give it a try. (email listed in profile)
If not, then enjoy the bad Google Machine Translation!

I shudder to think what it will turn out, given my winding sentences!

ウェッブカメラによる日本のいくつかの大きな実際の視界

2008-04-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

数日、ニュー・ミュージック調査で...

私のコンピューターは再び協力しています。私の体はそうではありません。私はひどい風邪をひきました。更に、私は、ひどい風邪と行く悪い生命観を持っています。
。一方、ここに、2つの大きなウェッブカメラ・サイトがあります。1台のカメラは東京をダウンタウンへ示します。さらに、それは水を示します。
。他方は、富士山の視界を示します。両方のサイトは誤用から安全に見えます。

私はカメラ・コントロールを提供するサイト上のどんなカメラ・コントロールも得るほどは局所的ではありません。しかしながら、あなたが試してみれば、私は見つけました、dropdownを使用し、次に、スナップ写真をとることができます。

実際のウェッブカメラ発射を見ません。代わりに、実際のカメラからのイメージが現われるでしょう。また、カメラが見ているものを見ることができます。(天候が悪い場合、これは霧だけを見ることを含んでいます。あるいは、雨は同様に落ちます!)

東京(ル・メリディアンのホテルの壮大な太平洋ウェブカム)

富士山(静岡インターネット・オフィス視界ウェブカム)

楽しんでください!
気を付けてください!
CGアンダーソン

Some great live views of Japan via webcam

2008-04-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

In a few days, a new music review...my computer is cooperating again, but my body isn't. I've got a bad cold and the bad attitude that goes with a bad cold. :)

In the meantime, a couple of great (and safe, as best I can tell...no weird sites or bad behavior type situations) webcam sites. One shows views of downtown Tokyo, near the water, and the other shows a view of Mt. Fuji.

I'm not local enough to get any camera control on the one that offers it, but I found if you get the timer after clicking the icon, you can use the dropdown and then take a snapshot. You don't see the live webcam shot, but an image from the live cam will come up and you can see whatever the cam is seeing. (This includes seeing nothing but fog or rain drops, too, if the weather is bad!)

Tokyo (Le Meridien Hotel Grand Pacific Webcam)

Mt. Fuji (Shizuoka Internet Office View Webcam)

Have fun!
Take care!
CG Anderson

「ヤフー」ニュースのオオイカのビデオ...

2008-03-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

おはよう!

私はオオイカに興味を持っています。更に、あなたがそうである場合、このビデオクリップを参照してください。それは「Yahoo」ニュースからです。オオイカがつかまれました。その身体は保存しました。外観に関しては、それが、どのようにこの世でだったかに似ています。

オオイカ。

氷棚上のビデオは同様に面白かった。ビデオの前にコマーシャルに耐えなければなりません。すみません。それはインターネットです!

さよなら!
C.G.アンダーソン

And for those interested in Giant Squids...another online video...

2008-03-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

If you are like me and fascinated by Giant Squids, then check out this video clip off of Yahoo News about a Giant Squid they caught and preserved so that you can see it almost the way it appeared when it was alive.

Yes, they have caught baby Giant Squids and managed to raise them alive in captivity for a while, but I don't think they've managed to raise one to adulthood yet or capture an adult alive (and keep it that way.)

Still, it's interesting. Oh, you have to suffer through a video commercial first, but it's not too bad (could be shorter.) You'll need a Flash player in your browser.

Link to Squid

It was even interesting without sound (yes, my machine is still mad at me.)

The ice shelf one was interesting, too.

CG Anderson

DancerUniverse Enters Internet Frontier AND Shizouka, Japan (静岡(日本)) & WorldSkills Competition...something you've never heard of in the States, eh??

2008-03-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

I'm having some troubles with my sound card right now, so no music review until that gets resolved. I have some ideas though...a mix of Japan and Vancouver rock, though not literally!

My sound situation? Apparently, machines around me are going petulant for some reason. I wonder if I offended them in some way?

However, a couple of items of interest.

Item one, Katie Farhat of DancerUniverse.com gave me a heads up about her relatively new site dedicated to dance. She saw my 'old now' review of Movmnt magazine and my decrying of good dance websites in that review. :)

In her own words...fair game, Katie!...

"We publish all articles from the print edition of magazine on the website each month and have an archive that dates back to 2002 (maybe 2000?) with full articles online in the (mostly) appropriate "portals".

The website is for everybody who cherishes dance. Danceruniverse.com is basically an information and networking site. We have directories/calendars for industry companies/organizations to put their information in the "right place" as to not interfere with regard to promotion and advertising. We of course, have regular ad serving to pay the bills. My Dance Place on Danceruniverse.com is also the only dance specific news source indexed by Google (that is new and we are really excited about it)......

This is our attempt at creating a REAL community for dance on the web.

Just want to give you a heads up that we are here and that there IS a place for everything dance on the web! (well that is what we are trying to do anyway)."

I took a quick peek and it looks promising. I'll check it out more later but I'd like to hear what other people think, first. Oh, and keep in mind that website is "Dance...R...universe" with an R, not Danceuniverse...type the wrong one and you go to one of those search sites that tries to redirect you to somewhere you likely don't want to go.

Item two is for Japanese fans and curious alike. I found some video footage on a Japanese Government site of the WorldSkills Competition held in Shizuoka, Japan (静岡(日本)) last December 2007.

Pretty cool stuff and this particular video is subtitled--bits of art, fashion, landscaping, and so forth, you name it. Other videos as well..the "Nursing Care Robots" got my attention as well! Not to mention the video on aquariums. And don't miss the one entitled "Communicating Japan's Pop Culture to the World!"

A government that wants to communicate POP culture to the world? Aren't governments usually trying to suppress silly stuff like that? :) Oh wait, maybe that's just neo-conservatives in our government!?

Anyway....
Not something you generally get to see in 10 second sound bites on local TV around here, especially stuff that is world-view oriented...not these days in local or national news, or even US world news which is more concerned about politics at home and body counts abroad!

And this stuff is definitely something that has NOTHING TO DO with the US Presidential Race. HURRAH!

What? Do I sound petulant now? :)

Back to negotiating with petulant machines,
Ta!
CG Anderson
cganders1@yahoo.com

quickie note: Why make a public big-deal about Obama's passport blunder?

2008-03-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

I know it's an invasion of privacy, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it was right. What did grab my interest was the fact that the Republican Administration made a big deal about it, publicized it, got a lot press, had RICE even PUBLICLY apologize on TV.

Then we find that the same thing happened to Clinton (Mr) when he was running for President (however, I don't recall any big fuss and apology made then...does anybody? maybe I missed that day?)....AND we find out that Clinton (Senator) ALSO had her passport stuff breached last year and only now is being informed of it AS AN AFTERTHOUGHT ALMOST.

Am I really off base here in thinking that maybe the Republicans WANT you to feel sorry for Obama? Maybe they WANT you to pick him as the Democratic Presidential Candidate (and not Senator Clinton) because they've got something on him or they KNOW that against McCain he will lose. Are they trying to help get the weaker candidate (the one they know they can beat, even if he is seen as the more popular candidate?) into a sympathetic position with the public?

Then again, perhaps I'm totally off base and it's pure coincidence?

Just a thought...
CG

音楽公演の調査: 宝美 -- 日本自身のセリーヌあるいはマライアー?

2008-03-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

音楽公演の調査:
宝美 -- 日本自身のセリーヌあるいはマライアー?

ここで、それは私のテキストの和訳です。Iは機械語翻訳に支援されました。しかしながら、Iはそれを非常に修正しました。(My attempt at writing in Japanese..with the help of Machine Treanslation, but going back and forth to see how it comes back out as English after the translation. Any pointers to a better method...yes, I am studying...are welcome.)

ここに、彼女の音楽を聞くために、リンク(醜いバージョンおよびよいバージョンの両方、しかし両 a.同じMySpaceページに)があります。

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=000799482
あるいは、試みます
www.myspace.com/keyweb

宝美が彼女の名前かどうかは知られていません。彼女のサイトの名前でも、それも知られていません。Iが言ったので、Iは、日本人歌手、バンドおよび他の芸術家を捜すでしょう。私の探索はMySpaceで始まります。有名な歌手および有名なバンドはMySpaceに行きます。更に、まだ知られていない歌手およびバンドは同様に行くでしょう。

探索することおよび宝美サイトと分かられたIに少しです。Iは単一の単語を理解しません。しかし、Iがそれを聞く場合、Iは才能を知っています。この若い女性の声は壮観です。それは明らかで、生命で輝いています。それは、感情(意味を理解するために歌詞を理解する必要がないで非常に十分)でいっぱいです。彼女の音声の範囲は素晴らしい。実際驚かすこと。

彼女の歌はすべて美しく行なわれます。それは特性においてロマンチックです。彼女のMySpaceの音楽はポップであると言われています。私のために、彼女の材料は、フォークソング・スタイルへの傾向を持っています。彼女のスタイルはセリーヌまたはマライアーに似ています。音楽は素晴らしく上演されます。音楽家は優れています。彼女のプロデューサーは、彼において優れていた作品で確かに祝われるべきです。

彼女のMySpaceサイトは、彼女が音楽ラベルによって署名されないと宣言します。音楽が優れていて、それが素晴らしく上演されるので、信じることがそれにとって難しいことが理解されます。彼女の音声録音は優れています。彼女が署名されないと信じるのは難しい。Iはなぜかを尋ねます?

もしこの少女が、ヨーロッパ、カナダあるいはアメリカに急に現われていれば、彼女はセリーヌまたはマライアーへの法定推定相続人であると考えられるでしょう。彼女の声はそれらの歌手と同じくらい美しい。

日本語を話さなくても、彼女の音楽を聞いてください。Iは、美だけでなくこの少女にそれらが何という宝を持つのか日本が知っていることを望みます。

私が得た宝美の翻訳は「宝美」でした。彼女は確かにそうです!!!

来るのにより多くです。
CGアンダーソン

ところで、IはもはやMySpaceページを持っていません。したがって、Iはサイトへ電子メールを送ることができません。また、Iもコメント・ページを増すことができません。誰かがこれを読み、彼女のサイトへ行く場合、彼女にIが彼女の材料が素晴らしいと考えるというメッセージを残してください。ありがとう!!!!!

MUSIC REVIEW: 宝美 The Treasure Beauty--Japan's own Celine, Mariah or Sade?

2008-03-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

宝美

To listen to her music, here are the links (both the ugly version and the nice version but both to the same MySpace page.)

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=1000799482
or try
www.myspace.com/keyweb

Whether 宝美 is her name or a name being used for her site, I don't know. As I said, I would be looking more into Japanese singers, bands and other artists. Well, I decided to start with MySpace, since I know that well known, as well as unknown, singers will post their music there.

A bit of searching and I found 宝美 site. I don't understand a single word, but I know talent when I hear it. This young lady's voice is spectacular. It is clear and sparkling with life. It is full of emotion--so full that you don't need to understand the lyrics to understand the meaning. Her vocal range is wonderful. Amazing, in fact.

The songs are laid back and romantic in nature. The genre is pop/j-pop/acoustic, but I would say her stuff tends more toward acoustic ballads ala early Mariah, as well as Sade and Celine. The music is superbly done as well, the musicians should be congratulated and the producer given a big, gold star for the overall production.

Her MySpace site says she is unsigned. I have to wonder if that is true or not. I wonder because the sound is so professional and her voice is so amazing that I find it hard to believe that such a talent is left to fend for herself.

If this girl had popped up in Europe, Canada or America, as an English speaking equivalent, with that voice of hers (and her natural beauty), then she would be the heir apparent to Celine or Sade or Mariah.

I hope you all give her a listen, whether you speak Japanese or not. And I hope Japan knows what a treasure they have in this girl, not just a beauty.

The translation of 宝美 that I got was "The Treasure Beauty".
She certainly is!

More to come.
CG Anderson

By the way, I don't have a MySpace page anymore, so I can't comment sites or send them email. If someone reads this and goes to her site, leave a message to her that I think her stuff is wonderful. Thanks!

Time to get back to work...

2008-03-06T08:13:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been awhile. I had to go off and do some real work and frankly, that takes a lot of time. While I prefer working for myself, I have to admit, a steady paycheck is a priceless thing! However, the time it sucks down and the energy it takes (since in my case, it means a long, long commute every day, each way) drains me and makes it hard to think about anything else.

But I'm adjusting...

Little Dogs Media is no more, unfortunately. Like so many other small businesses, it ran for two years (plus or minus) and just didn't make it. However, this blog is still alive and kicking (barely) and so I'll continue to do write ups and reviews, even if I can't spend the amount of time I could before researching new bands, dance groups and artists.

So the name of the site will be changing and it will be undergoing a face lift.

Since I don't have as much time to spend, I'll have to spend it wisely and on things I think are important (to me.) Comments telling me that I should be doing 'this' or 'that' are welcome, because it's no fun writing stuff that no one wants to read.

How will the site change? Well, there will me more creative writing scattered among the band reviews, and more commentary--though it will be short opinion pieces since I don't have a lot of time anymore.

And since I'm learning Japanese, there will be a shift toward all things Japanese as well. Meaning, I'll be trying to track down Japanese bands and artistic groups and other things art/music related that trace back to Japan.

And, depending on how Google blogs work, I may even try to post some (likely poorly written) commentary or creative pieces in JAPANESE! It will be good practice for me, even if for those that read it, it may turn out to be painful...or perhaps ludicrous (My Dog Purple Flavor Returns and other such inanities.) I hope not, but I welcome those that speak/write/read fluent Japanese to add any constructive comments and help me not embarrass myself (as much!)

I also welcome any pointers to Japanese based bands, artists, dancers, art events and so forth...preferably to dual-English/Japanese sites so that when I talk about them, they can reach a wider audience.

And much much later, after I've learned the 2000 daily use Kanji for Japan, I plan on tackling Chinese (Mandarin, I suspect.)

Anyway, as said, things are changing. The Myspace page is gone now, so you can't reach me that way, you need to use my yahoo email address or post a comment here.

Besides, I need to get back to doing this...even if I'm tired all the time...between the work grind and watching the horror that is now American politics and politicians, I need something better in my life. (I'm soooo disenfranchised now, it's not funny. I didn't even bother voting in the primary. I don't trust Obama, he comes off slimy to me, like a stereotypical used car salesman who thinks he knows better than you, but I don't think Hilary has a good chance either and only because I think the country is still prejudiced against the idea of a woman president...just my feeling, you don't have to agree...if McCain wasn't anti-abortion, I think I'd cross party lines and vote for him, but he is and I don't think his desire to 'go green' will last much longer either. I think he will bend to the party will and special interests faster than you can say 'green'.)

So I'm disenfranchised and I didn't used to be. Maybe that's why I have more interest right now in countries like Canada and Japan, who may not be any better in a lot of ways, but at least they are different. (And in Japan, they don't just talk about doing something to be prepared for this or that natural disaster, like in the US, they actually do something about it. Tsunamis come to mind and how they actually build protections against them...while in the US, we have the early warning system, yes, but the towns on the coast really talk a lot but do nothing to prepare.)

Here in Washington (state), we have tsunamis, earthquakes, mudslides, high winds, volcanoes, you name it...but it's politics as usual and nothing seems to get done. sigh... just like the rest of the country, it seems...

Ah, well... perhaps I'm just tired and imagining it all.

Anyway, write you soon!
C.G.

Westcott & Rodway Release New CD

2007-11-17T11:12:00.000-08:00

Last year, they were one of the winners of the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Innovation Awards, earning it for their amazing fusion of flamenco and classical music, creating something that transcends both worlds of music and puts them into the mainstream.

They've returned from a European tour and have released their first CD.

These guys are definitely taking off!

Check it out, these guys are worth it.

their site:
http://www.myspace.com/westcottandrodway

CG

OK, OK, so I'm behind on Music Reviews...here's a game as an alternative

2007-10-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

OK, yes, I'm still not back to a weekly schedule of music offerings, but as said before, work and projects take precedence over things done in my free time. And lately, I've had to get a lot of designs up and running, and update some skills in Flash, Actionscript, Illustrator and PhotoShop...or more like learn Actionscript 3 (not really that difficult, as things turn out, since I spent years and years as a C++ multimedia developer) and apply it to new projects using Flash Video, XML, and some very fractal recursive animations I want to do in a more OOP way.

So as a peace offering to those that miss their weekly fix of MySpace Music pointers...and since this blog is also about Design as well as Artists and also about Humor...here is a link to a recent Flash minigame I wrote. It's backward compatible to Flash 5 and even downloads quickly over a modem...sort of humorous take on an old Flash 5 tutorial called Mosquito, which I dearly loved when I first saw it. This one is much more complicated in logic and behavior, and more designed in that it actually cares about backgrounds and visuals, but not too much more complex...it's still as fun as the original that inspired it.

Have fun!

here is the link:

http://home.myuw.net/cganders/FoodFight.html

and yes, you need the entire path (and it is case sensitive.)

Now back to my studying...and my manga reading...maybe I'll do a minigame/demonstration project with manga as the focus...sort a living manga. hmm.... that would be a good project to keep me interested in learning the ins and outs of Actionscript 3.0 (just looking at code bores the socks off me)...I prefer the design side...but with a twist, I like to find ways to make the stuff come alive in surprising ways...hence, the reason to update to 3.0, and explore the fun of Flash Video. As for Illustrator, well, that's more because I want to get my cartooning skills up to par via electronic means---I can do fine with pencil and paper, or charcoal or whatever, but trying to get a tablet pc to "feel" the same way (esp. since I don't have a pressure sensitive pen device) is a bit more difficult...and I can't just twist the pencil around to use the side, the edge, you know...feel the texture of the paper...

All those things you take for granted as an artist...the feel of the media just isn't there with a computer.

Bye!
CG Anderson

Music Review: Vancouver's own rockers, Neurosonic

2007-09-25T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, time for some rock. Time to wake up. And definitely time for something other than calm interviews and angst plagued dance shows. OK, so I meant to post this last Friday, but hey, I really was sick and down for the count this past month and ramping back up is hard to do. You don't want me whining because I'm feeling rotten and spoiling the commentary on some great new or up and coming band, do you? (Don't answer that! For all I know, you may like a little whine with your Friday music serving!)

On today's menu (can you tell I haven't eaten lunch yet?) is a rocking Vancouver band called Neurosonic. Their sound is both demanding and intriguing, their delivery professional but still raw and driving. And as for the foursome themselves, they are out of the country doing an international tour currently.

The beat is driving without losing its melody nor its edge. The vocals are sometimes just short of what is more commonly angst driven Metal, but is also just as apparent in some of today's best Alternative Rockers. The lyrics vary from the usual ballad storytelling to the more introspective self-expressive type seen in great alternative anti-establishment songs. And if you aren't happy with that, throw in a little over the top techno to complicate things when least expected and you have something that occasionally alludes back to the great rock operas of the 70's and 80's. (I love "So Many People".)

A band worth listening and better still, songs worth buying and keeping around for awhile.

You can find them at
http://www.myspace.com/neurosonic

Nuff said.

Signing off and still alive (for now),
CG
Little Dogs Media
AHA! Blogolicious!

An Unexpected Month Long Hiatus

2007-09-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

Well, between dealing with tonsilitus (sp?) the homeopathic way and several other projects and deadlines, something had to give...meaning, after the interview with Gordon was finally posted, only several months after the awards unfortunately, I needed to let the website and MySpace site rest for awhile.

I'm hoping to change that soon, but it may take another week or two to get my crap back in gear. I still have several bands on MySpace to review (on the list) but I need to make sure they are still there in the first place.

As for interviews with Movmnt Magazine David Benaym and Americans for the Arts, those may not happen. After saying they would do interviews, it's been black hole city since then. It happens, but that doesn't change the disappoint when it does.

At least all was not lost, I spent a lot of time watching anime that was new to me if not new to others, like Saiyuki and Gokusen and Bleach and Samurai Deeper Kyo (and even Naruto). It helped keep me sane and got my creative juices flowing again--as opposed to all the disappoint I had at this summer's television offerings, esp. the second season offerings of last year's hot freshman shows (all disappointed me.)

But, deadlines are still looming and there is a lot of work to be done yet, so I'll sign off for now and hope to write again real soon...assuming anyone is still reading (not that I would blame you, that's just how the internet and blogs can be.)

Take care,
CG

INTERVIEW: Gordon Michael Woolvett and the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards

2007-08-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

Canadian-born actor, Gordon Michael Woolvett, inspires creative innovation award

Who knew a spoof could turn into reality? Canadian-born actor, Gordon Michael Woolvett, inadvertently inspires an award for up and coming musicians, dancers and other artists.

In January of 2007, the first ever Aha! Blogolicious! Media Innovation Awards were given out for year 2006 by Seattle/Federal Way, Washington based Little Dogs Media which authors an online blog of the same name. The focus of this award is to illuminate and recognize little known or previously unknown emerging talent in all the creative fields, including but not limited to music, dance, theatre, art, filmmaking and writing.

The 2006 awards included musical groups out of Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, Washington, Exeter, England and New York City, New York as well as a short filmmaker out of Vancouver, B.C. in addition to Hamilton-born, Vancouver/Toronto based actor, Gordon Michael Woolvett.

Recipients are selected based on their showcased work on a MySpace page and are eligible only if they have been previously reviewed on the Aha! Blogolicious! Blogsite. Having a MySpace page is required and is partly an homage to the impressive impact that MySpace has had on showcasing new talent and allowing artists to reach millions of potential fans that they might otherwise never touch.

Yet the reason the awards were started in the first place is much more amusing and one of those stranger than fiction stories. The blog typically did more spoof (humor) articles prior to that time, alternating with music and art reviews of MySpace artists.

One spoof article was about Hamilton-born, Canadian actor Gordon Michael Woolvett, currently working in Vancouver, B.C., Canada and best known for his roles as Harper in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda as well as the teen horror film, Bride of Chucky.

The article discussed a fictional Aha! Blogolicious! MediaMaker Award and the current "undead" nominee, Mr. Woolvett, poking fun at the often strange and sometimes suspicious award nomination processes common to Hollywood as well as many other major award groups.

As it turned out, several fans of Mr. Woolvett didn't realize the award was a spoof--and were understandably disappointed. It also highlighted the fact that MySpace in particular has become a welcome Mecca for music fans, as well as filmmakers, with YouTube becoming more of an influence in the short film venue as well.

The blog author, CG Anderson, was also finding many talented yet unknown musicians, dancers and other artists on MySpace and wanted to do something more than simply write about them on a weekly blog. Hence, the awards were born and a special award (with the same name as the spoof award) was given to Gordon Michael Woolvett. Unlike the Media Innovator awards, which are the ones awarded to the promising up and comers, it is the only one of the group that does not require a MySpace page.

The 2006 winners of the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Innovator Awards were the following: Summit Avenue (band, Seattle/LA), Marianas Trench (band, Vancouver, B.C.), Westcott & Rodway (musical duo, Exeter, England), Karen Nielsen (Blue Finn Productions, Vancouver, B.C.) for her short film Perceptions and Three Second Delay (band, New York City.)

Mr. Woolvett was awarded the 2006 Aha! Blogolicious! MediaMaker Lifetime Achievement Nominee Award.

Mr. Woolvett was gracious enough to grant an interview in which he discusses his career, his plans for the future and his personal take on the industry, both online and offline. The interview, after months of waiting, finally happened.

Full transcript (unaltered, except where noted, so any misspells are left in...) of interview with Gordon Michael Woolvett:

CGA: You've had a very successful acting career as well as a good start as a writer, director and producer. What do you feel your work (overall) is about? (Both at the surface, then deeper and even personally...) I know it's a bit philosophical, but I'm trying to get at what drives you in this field.

Gordon: ...Great question! Mi mind instantly jumps back to grade 10 English, studying the basis of all conflict in fiction or drama. The root of all conflict can be traced back to one of three scenarios: man against man, man against nature, man against himself / herself (please excuse my using "man" instead of "person;" that is just how it was presented back then.) For some reason I always gravitate -- whether directing, acting or writing-- toward 'man against himself'. I am fascinated by inner demons that people have to overcome and the silent struggles we don't even know are going on all around us. In Abridging the Devil's Divide Harper had to struggle with desire and power. These battles, waged against our darkest selves, are always the juiciest to me.

CGA: Where do you want to go as an artist? If you just want to be successful and buy matching mansions for you and your mum, that's ok. It's just that most artists I've met usually also have other, deeper goals for what they want to do with their work and what effects they have on the world.

Gordon: It is such a tough road and business if you truly think of yourself as an artist. There is so much involved that has nothing to do with art; and yet without all that business you wouldn't have a chance to exercise your craft. Where do I want to go? I have a number of projects that I am trying to get going. Ultimately directing-- with writing a close second-- is where my heart lies.

CGA: How did you get started? Did you always know that this was what you wanted to do?

Gordon: I started very young, around the age of 8, in theatre. I went to a theatre summer school program for a few years in a row and branched out from there. I loved it. It was such a blast. Some of my friends were like "you have to go to summer school?" But as the regular school year wound down I would be counting down the days for theatre school to start. It was so much fun!

CGA: What is your inspiration for your work? How do you stay inspired in such a tough business?

Gordon: It is tough to say where my inspiration comes from. I find more and more my respect grows for all those actors that I know and meet at auditions or functions etc. whom I can attest are brilliant; and whom struggle year after year chasing the acting dream. It is a horrible business and for every one actor you can name, there are about 1,000 you have never heard of who are probably ten times better than the one you named... just maybe not as pretty or tall or whatever. Most of the actors who have truly inspired me are ones I have worked with or met and who have achieved very little or no fame at all.

CGA: You have obvious talents in comedy, but also great dramatic appeal. You may not remember this movie, but one of my favorite scenes from you came in a little known movie called Elvis Meets Nixon. The movie itself didn't do much for me, but your short scene as a Vietnam soldier almost broke my heart--it was so quiet, clean, vulnerable, perfectly done and powerful that I never forgot it. So it begs the question, what is your favorite genre and type of work?

Gordon: My favourite genre has always been camp. I know its not a genre, but anything that has an element of camp to it really turns my crank. Favourite movie? Army of Darkness. No wait... Paper Moon. No wait... Sin City. No wait... better yet, ask me in ten minutes. I'll change my mind again.

CGA: On a related note, if you could have any part (TV, Film, Theater) past or present or future, what would it be? Or what would they be? And why? If you have a favorite actor or director or writer that you want to emulate (or exceed), then this is a good place for that, too.

Gordon: I would love to play Elric of Melnibone from the Eternal Champion series by Michael Moorcock. Actually, I heard they are making the Sword of Shannarah into a movie. I would play anything they gave me in that. Are you listening Terry Brooks? Are you an Andromeda fan?

CGA: Who are you? Who do you want to be? Who are you afraid to be? Why?

Gordon: Who am I? Um... Gordon Michael Woolvett....? Who do I want to be?...But I just want to be me! Who am I afraid to be? Um... a mime. I would be afraid to be a mime. Or maybe Lindsay Lohan.

CGA: What do you want out of life? Out of your industry? Perhaps not even just for yourself, but something that you want, in general, to happen.

Gordon: I want Canadians to go see Canadian movies. I want Canadian distributors to distribute Canadian movies so Canadians have Canadian movies to go see. And I want the government of Canada to friggin do something to make Canadian exhibitors show Canadian movies so Canadian distributors have a reason to distribute Canadian movies and Canadians have Canadian movies to go see. Then maybe I'll get to make my movie.

CGA: What are you planning next? More of a focus on acting, writing, directing or producing--and why? A focus on traditional film/TV storytelling, a particular genre or type of work, or something more radical?

Gordon: Definitely radical. I want to get my films off the ground and I want to reach people. So I am trying to take an aggressive approach. I think maybe I have an attitude problem and so I think that comes out in my writing and directing. I made a short film and I am very proud of it; but short films do not create opportunities for producers to make money, so your masterpiece rarely gets to reach a big audience. Right now I have a comedy and a very dark surf film with some serious radical action.

CGA: Anything you want to say to your fans about anything, this award, your work, anything?

Gordon: Thank you very blog-much for my blogalicious award. I am sorry I took so long to address this. But anyone who has spent anytime on my board will tell you I am at least being true to form. I don't get much time to log on. Also, to my fans: "live long and prosper!" Wait... that wasn't my line... oh here it is: "Nanoo-nanoo!" ...No that was Mork... um.... Oh yeah: "By the power of Grapthars hammer, I will avenge you!!".... um no... Trust in the hooper? Trust in the hopper? Now what was it again....

CGA: Anything else you might want to say...completely open here.

Gordon: I answer your question with another question: what is the difference between a rock? Oh yeah... I'm going to Dragoncon in Atlanta this August (the end of the month). I think Kevin and I might be hosting some late night naughty costume contest?? Don't miss it!!

CGA: OK, what is the deal with Fab Filippo and the film Canadian Bacon? At first, I thought that Fab was an alias actor name used whenever someone didn't want a credit, but now I find out he's real. Yet you were the male candy striper in the film? (Nice tan in that movie, by the way.)

Gordon: Did he get my credit?? That weasel. That downright weasel. Now that explains a very weird experience I had with a casting director years ago. She asked me about some script I was writing (which I wasn't) with some guy who I had never heard of and she kept calling me Fab. I have to admit I was quite fab back then but I had no idea what she was talking about! ;)

CGA: Optional question, do not answer if you think it might cause you problems in the industry...It seems the internet offers a lot of new opportunities for filmmakers and musicians, from having MySpace showcase your work (and be searchable by 100s of millions of people) to helping the thousands of film festivals for budding filmmakers find them, and visa versa. The only real closed option still seems to be for writers (books or film/TV)...where even the idea of self-publishing (book) is still condemned by the community (which is unlike online film work or putting your music online, where it seems to be accepted as good practice) and getting a foot in the door in the film/TV writing (scriptwriting) world is just as difficult as book publishing with few alternatives for getting material in front of audiences.

(Clarification post Gordon's response: It's easier for filmmakers and musicians to get their work in front of fans, than it is for writers, because of the nature of the work and the acceptance of alternatives like online and self-CD/DVD-publishing. Or at least that seems to be the case. There is less prejudice for self-publishing in music and film and more options for those that do, than for those involved purely in writing.)

You've been involved in the industry in a number of roles, and also use the internet as a platform for your work, what is your take on the situation--from musicians, to filmmakers, to writers?

Gordon: I am not exactly sure what you are asking but I will say this: barring obvious exceptions like disease and misfortune etc., on average God gave us each around 70 years to do whatever it is we want to do on this little ol' planet here. If you want to be a musician, if you want to be a writer, if you want to be a filmmaker... just do it. If you have an idea and you want to self publish it. Do it. If you want to make a short and upload it on you tube; do it. Because sooner or later you're going to die and you'll regret not having tried. And bigger schmucks have tried and succeeded... so why can't you?

CGA: As you may or may not know, I spend a great deal of time looking for new musical talent (and other artists, like dance groups) to review on my blog. I just recently saw on YouTube a short clip of you riffing on the guitar and improvising a song...I was surprised, you are quite good (and obviously a quick wit.) So are you a musician as well? What is your musical focus, favorites, influences?

Gordon: Man oh man. When I started acting my plan was just to use it as a way to pay for my instruments. I always wanted to be a rock star first. Then I just wanted to compose, but I kept getting work so here I am. I start ed on piano at around 4 years old. In high school I branched out to all the band instruments and now pretty much limit myself to my acoustic Dobro copy ( a steel guitar). I play a lot of slide in blues. That's the one in the clip there. I write a lot of music. I have a few synthesizers and guitars, used to have drums, etc. Sometimes I set up a little studio and write (not so often now with the kidlets around). I wrote and performed most of the music for my short, Fracture (I titled mine before the movie).

CGA: What other surprising talents might you be hiding? (Uh, remember is this a PG rated blog!) ;)

Gordon: I can rotate my tongue all the way upside down (twisting). Insert lewd joke here.

CGA: I thought about asking a silly, inane type question at the end, like what color shoes do you buy or what type of tree are you, but decided...not. ; )

Gordon: Don't worry, instead I provided silly and inane answers! ;)

Thank you again, Gordon, for this interview and without realizing it, for inspiring the creation of the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Innovation Awards. Best luck in the future, to not just you, but to all who endeavor to create and entertain, in spite of the odds.

INTERVIEW with Morgan Davis of Rallytime Records

2007-08-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

An Interview With Morgan Davis, Owner/Founder of Rallytime Records!
Subject--the Online World and the Music Industry.

Hi, today I'm talking (via email interview) with Morgan Davis. He's the owner and founder of Rallytime Records and also performs as Esio Trot. He graciously agreed to be interviewed and share his opinions on his label, Rallytime, as well as his views on the music industry, the online world and online music.

QUESTION (CG): "Why don't we start with the basics? Could you please tell me a little bit about your label? (History, size, number of clients, location)"

MORGAN: Rallytime Records was formed in April of 2006 by myself and Gord Myren. The idea had been around since 2003, but due to time and resource issues, it wasn't until that year that anything started. Although we formed it then in order to release an EP by our friends the Terrordactyls, who we had been recording for quite some time at our studio, we have always been interested in starting a multimedia organization and the record label seemed like the best branch to start with.

Currently we have 5 artists on our roster, Animal Nation (who are from Whistler, BC), Esio Trot (who are based out of Vancouver, BC), John Dye (who is based out of Vancouver, BC), Jeremy Nischuk (who is from Edmonton, Alberta) and the Terrordactyls (who are now based out of New York City, New York). Most of our acts are from Vancouver or the general area, and we have a headquarters in the city as well as a studio we use in Langley, which is a little south of Vancouver. We also have a headquarters in Seattle, Washington. We're currently a relatively small regional label, with most of our print runs being in the 10,000 range.

CG: What made you decide to get into this business? Isn't there a lot of competition?

MORGAN: We decided to get into this business because we saw a need for better label representation in Canada and felt that there was a definite place for an organization that could offer artists fair and just treatment. I've been in the music industry for about 7 years now, playing in bands of my own, working in various studios, and also doing merchandise management. When I moved to Seattle in 2003, I worked as the booking manager and director of a youth center called the Crux (which was operated by the Vashon Youth Council), on Vashon Island. While there, I truly realized what an impact music had on people and how difficult some entities, be they corporate, government, or otherwise, made it for artists to get their work to people. It was also at that time that I got to know two artists (Pete Droge and Ian Moore) who had been through the major label process and had come out of it feeling like they had been exploited and abused. Even though these artists had been relatively successful, they remained massively in debt to their labels and had made little off of their careers.

The idea for Rallytime came out of this experience, with my intention being to form an organization that would operate in every aspect of the arts (music, film, theatre, etc.) and help artists not only succeed at what they do, but also make a living off of it and never have to deal with third parties wishing to exploit them. So, while there is a lot of competition in this industry, and a lot of people who have a very different of how things should run, we are a pretty unique operation (on the independent circuit) in that as well as running the label, we also run the management firm that represents all of our artists, the studio they record in, and we are heavily involved in film, theatre, graphic design, and show promotion. Within the next five years, we expect our presence in areas outside of music to be at least equal to our presence within this field.

CG: How has your label fared so far in the business? Successes? Setbacks?

MORGAN: The label has fared at least as well as we expected it to. We make enough in our various branches to continue putting out music we love, but it will still probably be a few years until we obtain the level of notice of someone such as, say, Barsuk. Our biggest setbacks have mainly been the level of apathy the city of Vancouver has towards its independent music scene, particularly towards hip-hop. Animal Nation and ourselves have both been incredibly frustrated with the unwillingness of the city to recognize this scene or support it, especially the booking agents in Vancouver and the media. Papers here don't review or acknowledge much of anything that isn't already successful, and venues just don't book much in the way of hip-hop period. Even national acts that come through are often forced to be on clumsily formed bills, with hip-hop acts opening for punk bands opening for alt-country bands.

Even more discouraging has been the recent (and nearly secretive) acquisition of Vancouver's largest independent promoter (Sealed with a Kiss Productions) with the Clearchannel/Livenation subsidiary House of Blues. Vancouver's apathy towards its music community has caused the city to lose many great artists who leave the city for places like Montreal, and we've been forced to encourage our artists to look towards places like Seattle for the bulk of their shows. Also, as a result, we've had to become a promoter in the city a lot earlier than we had anticipated, or wanted.

CG: When did you decide to get an online presence? And why?

MORGAN: We made this decision immediately because, quite frankly, anyone who ignores the internet now is setting themselves up for failure. The internet has had as large an, if not larger, impact on music as the punk movement did. It has shortened the divide between consumer and artist, independent and major, considerably, allowing people to experience music instantaneously and at their disclosure and to discover artists from places they may never even visit physically with minimal effort.

For labels it has meant increased exposure at almost no cost and it has also meant that they can discover artists and fans in areas they may never have been able to reach otherwise. The existence of internet-only labels, such as what 5 Rue Christine/Kill Rock Stars have been up to lately, has been especially noteworthy, as it has allowed previously impossible to sustain forms of music (such as the experimental field, which has been exploding lately) to reach wider audiences at no cost, with printing now entirely eliminated from the picture. Even five years ago, this idea would be laughable at best.

CG: Why choose to have a MySpace presence? Was there a particular reason? Or is it just one of many online presences you have, each being no better than another?

MORGAN: MySpace, regardless of what you might personally think of it, has become another necessity. We had MySpace from the moment we formed because we knew that it was a resource that could not be ignored. We've had the conversation with our artists about traditional websites versus MySpace, and despite aesthetics, it's difficult to ignore the fact that our MySpace (and those of other, larger labels) gets more hits per day than our website may get in a month...and it's free. Of course everyone hates the constant glitching, the spam, the poor fidelity of the audio, the mallrats but MySpace (and whatever replaces it) will always be more visible than an actual site, because people check their MySpace every day.

I mean, when was the last time you checked an artist or label site just because?

CG: Has the Web/Internet made any difference to your effectiveness and success as a label? If so, why? If not, why do you think not?

MORGAN: I think the easiest way to tell that it has made a difference is that we get people sending us demos from places like Brazil, or Japan, or Spain...and none of us have ever been to any of those places. Without the internet, no one outside of Vancouver or Seattle would have heard of any of our artists or the label.

CG: Tell me about some of your musical group clients. Ones you are particularly proud of and why?

MORGAN: Honestly, we're proud of all of our groups. Everyone on the label makes music I honestly love, and I will do whatever I can to get their work out there, even if no one buys it until 100 years from now. Animal Nation continue to amaze me by how much they grow with each release, their most recent EP (Timezone, which you can listen to for free on our site) floored me the first time I heard it; John Dye is easily one of the best performers I've ever seen and he puts more into shows with attendances you can count on one hand than most groups put into sold out events, and his band is one of the tightest I've ever worked with, the release he has coming this September is one we expect to make some major waves; Jeremy Nischuk is without a doubt the most innovative musician I've ever worked with and I feel that he has the potential to become one of the most influential Canadian artists in decades, we can't wait to rerelease his incredible debut, Copies of Copies, later this year; and the Terrordactyls continue to be the most imaginative duo the world has ever seen. Now if only Esio Trot weren't such bastards.

CG: Of your clients, do they also have online pages, either on MySpace or elsewhere? What has been your impressions or feedback from your clients regarding having an online presence--good or bad--and why?

MORGAN: They all have MySpaces, but none of them have websites they actually use. They just tell us how they think ours should look, haha. But I'm pretty sure they all spend more time on MySpace than they do interacting with people in real life, which is a good or bad sign, depending on how you want to look at things.

CG: Do you believe that social sites like MySpace make it easier or harder for indie or small labels to compete with bigger labels in the industry? Why? Do you think it's just having an online presence anyway or having a presence on social sites geared for music fans (like MySpace Music and how it allows users to search and listen to new bands.)

MORGAN: It definitely makes it easier to compete, but I think the main accomplishment is that it makes it easier for music that major labels will never touch reach a pretty good size audience (although how the Rupert Murdoch factor will affect things, who knows). Having a site like MySpace take an interest in music has also been a huge help, because social gathering sites will always attract people in a way stationary websites cannot. Having music available in a place that people visit daily (or in some cases even hourly) will have a much larger impact than any other form of advertising could have.

CG: If you could change anything about having an online presence, MySpace or other, what would it be and why? (If it's an issue with the technical aspects please try to be specific about what you think would improve the experience.)

MORGAN: Really it's just the technical aspect of things. I'm not personally a fan of the constant epileptic fit that MySpace can be, or the onslaught of webcam girls it often is, but I understand why that happens. I do wish they would improve their glitchy-as-hell music player, though, both in the fidelity department and in its determination to make HAL look like the epitome of zen. But I understand that when you have hundreds of millions of users logging in as often as they do, it's probably already a nightmare for your servers, and using decent quality audio/video would only make that even more awful to deal with.

CG: If you responded to the previous question with a technically oriented change, then also think about and answer here about some non-technical aspect you'd like to see modified or changed...something that you think would make having an online experience for your label and your clients more worthwhile, or more competitive.

MORGAN: I would like to see MySpace use its power to focus on "new" artists that aren't just reformed rap groups or massively popular emo bands. It aggravates me when their artist of the week section is always bands that I believe most of Earth's population have at least heard of or bigger indie bands that are already well on their towards obtaining a level of media saturation that will put them on the pop culture map. I mean, really, can anyone say they aren't at least passingly aware of the Arcade Fire by now? Or Rilo Kiley?

CG: What are your general impressions about the state of the music industry, online and offline? Do you believe that it's getting tougher to succeed in this business? Is it getting more concentrated or more expansive, allowing for more voices or making it tougher for a greater diversity of talent to succeed?

MORGAN: It has always been incredibly difficult to succeed in this business. I don't believe it has ever been an issue of talent, so much as it has always been an issue of drive and determination. I have had this discussion with every single one of my artists and unfortunately this will never change: if you are not willing to cope with constant failure, struggle at the absolute bottom for possibly the entire length of your career, and watch as other, less talented artists pull ahead of you, this is not the industry for you.

Eventually it may be possible to "succeed" in this business without losing the vast majority of your soul, and we're hoping that we will eventually be able to be a major force in making that happen, but realistically, that will not happen today or tomorrow or even this year or this decade. I do, however, believe that people in this industry need to stop clinging to the idea of the album as a means of profit. Album sales are not going to recover until the majority of the population once again are willing to devote a large amount of time to listening to one work. MySpace is certainly not going to lead to that happening, as, by definition, its existence is structured around the ADHD our generation suffers as a whole and the single (or iTunes track) is best at satisfying that.

If you are an artist and you want to make a living off of what you do, it is now increasingly more important that you focus on things like merchandise and music licensing as a way to accomplish that. The major labels are refusing to acknowledge this, but I think the independent scene in general are grasping this and no longer pretending otherwise.

I also believe that our model of business, branching out into related fields as well as operating our own studio (because people will always need to record, regardless of format) and doing our own, will become increasingly more common, because these are areas where it is not only easier to make a steady income but also areas that will continue to exist regardless of what happens to the idea of how music is listened to.

People in the industry should embrace the internet not for its ability to sell records in more places, but because it allows your music to be heard by more people in more areas, people who could book shows for you or who could be in the business of buying songs to be used in films or on tv or who could ask you to tour with their much larger band. It is important to note that all the internet has done is make this happen faster, though, and in more areas, because music has always been discovered through communication.

CG: What could be done in your opinion to make the industry better, more successful (financially and artistically), and more innovative and open to new, emerging or smaller niche talent?

MORGAN: Quite honestly, the only thing that will make this happen is if people start wanting more innovative things, if they stop listening to mass commercialized "safe" radio and demanding different, more unknown talents.

So many people I know, including so many artists, complain about how much better music was in the '60's, or in punk's heyday, or even in the '80's, and the reason why that music did so well, why weird things like Laurie Anderson's "O Superman" or the Butthole Surfer's "Pepper" managed to top charts was because people at that time were more receptive to strange ideas and were more willing to take risks. It isn't that music of that caliber or that odd is no longer being made, it's just that people as a whole don't care about music the way they used to.

Albums used to be fetish objects, they used to be important happenings. Now, music is what goes on on your iPod while you are doing other things; the things that succeed are those that don't require a lot of attention, that don't interfere with everyone's daily lives and that can just blend in with everything else.

If you want music to once again be ruled by weirdos and innovators, you have to care about it and be willing to make sacrifices to make that happen. You need to start promoting shows in your town, you need to start writing your own blog, hosting your own podcast, forming your own label, fronting your own band.

If you aren't willing to do that, to put something in even if it's just occasionally taking a risk on iTunes, or at a shop, then you can't complain. Because right now, as things are going, albums do not have much longer to live because almost no one is willing to devote that energy and effort to them anymore.

CG: Thank you so much, Morgan, for your time. I know how busy you are and I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. I'm sure the readers of this blog will agree, especially the aspiring and working musicians out there.

MORGAN: Cheers! (Morgan Davis, Founder, Rallytime Records www.rallytime.org)

CG:
Well, it's a pity that Barsuk decided they couldn't do the interview, especially since their perspective would have been slightly different (or perhaps not) from Rallytime's...with possibly additional useful insight to musicians and MySpace (if MySpace is listening.) (Barsuk initially agreed to be interviewed but then backed out, claiming scheduling issues. It happens...a lot of interviewees suddenly delay or back out entirely because of other issues, it's just part of the business.)

Still, I hope to bring you other interviews that deal with the usefulness (or not) of the online space as it applies to artistic endeavors, whether those endeavors be music, filmmaking, acting, writing, art, dance or what-have-you. The national non-profit Americans for the Arts has tentatively agreed to be interviewed as well--their mission is to promote the arts and so their opinions on how the online world plays into that mission should be quite illuminating.

As for next week, a long awaited interview. Last January, I award the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards to several up and coming artists/musicians with one special award going to actor/writer/director Gordon Michael Woolvett. Mr. Woolvett had been a favorite actor of mine for some time, showing quite a bit of versatility. I wrote a spoof article, satirizing the way Hollywood often "appears" to choose award nominees, with Mr. Woolvett as the subject. Well, to my surprise, a number of people thought the award was real and were disappointed to find out it wasn't. It got me to thinking that up and coming artists in all venues need recognition, if for no other reason than to keep them motivated in such a tough, sometimes even degrading business. So I created a real award this time to acknowledge those efforts, but kept the focus on the online space, since I believed that is where a great deal of opportunity for innovation will arise, and made having a MySpace page the initial entry point (since MySpace is doing more, even with its problems, for promoting new artists, than any other current online venue.) Hence, thanks to Gordon, the awards were born.

Well, Mr. Woolvett finally got his interview back to me and discusses his career, the online world and what he sees for the future.

That interview will be posted next Friday.

Thank you for reading! Hope you continue to!

CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media
Aha! Blogolicious! Musings and Meanings of Non-Sensical Events.....and Canada!
(what exactly does that title mean? what it says and it includes Canada in the mix, even though I'm not Canadian...life is confusing enough and full of non-sensical events, so the only thing one can do sometimes is muse it over and try to glean some meaning from the madness.)

Music Reviews and Others Will Continue Soon

2007-07-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

CG came down ill with tonsillitis last week and hasn't had the energy to do the "So You Think You Can Dance" and Friday Music/Arts Review either last week or this week.

Music Reviews and other interviews/profiles will continue, probably starting next Friday.

Thank you to those that read this blog regularly and CG apologizes for the downtime.

Little Dogs Media

So You Think You Can Dance -- Tantalizing Twelve About To Be Ten

2007-07-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

So You Think You Can Dance -- The Tantalizing Twelve Battle To Be The Top Ten

Well, we've had Dannygate now, as Fox and the New York Times get into Mudslinging, which may or may not have anything to do with Fox/Murdoch's continuing efforts to buy the Dow Jones, incensing the NYT, rather than anything to do with dance-snobs versus reality-show viewers. Not surprisingly, too much that is, Shauna and Cedric were eliminated last week. Shauna is off to a promising career and Cedric is off to Debbie Allen's dance school, on scholarship, if she keeps her promise.

From the crowd's opening screams, completely subjective on my part, I'd say that Pasha, Kameron, Hok and Lacey are the audience favorites on an individual level, which is trifle surprising since the screams didn't really increase in volume when Neil was introduced. Perhaps Neil will only continue to stay a contender if he and his partner provide continuing showstoppers to compensate for any lacking lovesick fans. Or perhaps the sound editor was manipulating the crowd noise?

So let's recap tonight's action. Special note: Cat looked lovely in pink.

Sabra and Dominic -- jive -- After Dominic's fainting spell at learning they got the jive, when he woke up he described the dance as 'uh?' Meaning, it's another challenge for Dominic, but hopefully a good learning experience and one where Sabra won't need to worry about any more headbanging! I hope the show pays for the dancer's medical needs, considering the potential for serious headwounds here. Sabra's dress was hot and the energy was high. It was fun to watch, especially with the last bit of Sabra kicking Dominic right off the stage--which surely engaged the audience if their minds had begun to wander a bit. The judges liked them and especially liked them as partners, Nigel calling Dominic 'gold.'

Jaimie and Hok -- Broadway -- Did Hok really say that Jaimie's hair was soft like a dog's? And British-accent Hok is more than able to speak Japanese, rather putting Jaimie's comments about him looking Japanese but speaking like a Brit and cooking Italian into a strange light. And who was the fellow with Tyce, he looked rather familiar or am I mistaken? Done to Fosse's original Mr. Bojangles, the emotional impact of the song was present, the lyricism combined with athleticism was there, which pleased the crowd no end. According to Wade, Hok didn't connect well with his character, more little boy than old man. Be careful what you say in interviews, dancers, it can come back to bite you with the judges expectations and the audience's beliefs. Hok was essentially raked over the coals, while Jaimie was not, though being elegant and lyrical constantly may not sit too well with the fans--who may just prefer energy to ultra-smooth technique. Still, Hok was gracious under the pressure, making him likable in spite of the criticism, which may help him with fans.

Sara and Pasha -- jazz-- Pasha is definitely emerging as one of the main heartthrobs for the female fans, the kind of sweetie many would likely want to take home to mom and dad...though obviously a sweetie with just enough bad boy to make him more than a doormat. B-girl Sara makes for a good mix since she already has a cool and hip factor to her that the other female dancers find hard to match, including Lacey, who probably will never come off in the same way, no matter how much she might try, it's just a personality thing. Jazz hands live! This was a routine that you couldn't take your eyes off. Both b-girl and ballroom boy can do much more than you might expect. There was sex appeal as well as character appeal, both staying completely in character, where you were watching not just the routine, but their faces as well. Mary got booed and Nigel said they were straight-faced, but their faces weren't stone by any means through the lens of the camera...so perhaps the judges weren't in a good position to see their faces...I got plenty of style, performance and emotion from these two and I couldn't look away. So we'll see if the fans think so too.

Lauren and Neil -- contemporary -- Mia Michaels is at the helm again, this time on behalf of Lauren and Neil, who last week performed yet another showstopper with the theme of good and evil (or more accurately, to be fair, perhaps we should call last week's performance 'hot versus hotter.' ) This week, practice sessions with Mia looked liked survival boot camp in Death Valley. The performance of the completed choreography was a bit different, strange and oddly antiseptic...and I don't mean the yellow and green gloves. The studio audience loved it. I found it interesting but stayed a bit disconnected when I watched it. I wonder if the audience will connect with it and by derivation, the dancers. The judges appreciated it and the degree of difficulty, but also seemed to find themselves a bit disconcerted by it as well. Suffice it to say, it was very abstract, so will fans appreciate the abstract at this point in the competition?

Anya and Danny -- fox trot -- Anya is nursing a physical injury and Danny a much more public and psychic one, both of which obviously must weigh heavily on these two talented dancers. With a demanding fox trot and both dancers giving it their all, it was an obviously fantastic routine. This time I think the audience appreciated it for both its emotional appeal in addition to its technique. It made a connection, a real connection with the audience. Wade said this time he was moved by Danny, that Danny's guard was finally down and the veil removed. Mary loved it and her signature scream was there. Nigel said it was the best fox trot he had ever seen (on the show) and agreed with Wade about it being a Danny breakthrough moment. Will it finally be enough to break through with the fan base as well?

Lacey and Kameron -- hip hop -- Kameron's sex appeal, in spite of his sweating, hasn't abated and Lacey has proved herself a contender as well, even though part of that fan base may still be because of the influence of her big bro. If these two move through to the top ten, which seems likely based on past fan voting behavior, then all bets will be off as this dynamic duo is finally broken up and must sink or swim on their own merits. Given a role reversal hip hop routine, the duo found themselves as the final couple of the night. With costuming that looked like it was stolen from last year's Tranji routine, or rather Tranji meets the dirty cheerleader...with Kameron going for a audience member instead of the cheerleader in the end (which worked with the female audience fans, of course) the routine wasn't the best of the night--something was lacking. Wade commented that Kameron was ahead of the dance too much and that Lacey was too one-dimensional in character, too removed in some ways (which we've heard before with other dancers, now haven't we?) Mary decided to continue to be a Lacey booster and a Kameron detracter, her bias obviously showing. Nigel was the same way. I almost find their attitude toward Lacey too contrived. Strangely, I still find Kameron the more watchable and Lacey too one-dimensional. Nigel expects them to be in the bottom three this week, in spite of his booster attitude toward Lacey. It may be good for them to finally have to face the audience as soloists; it may help them grow which they will need if they want to continue as contenders.

Unfortunately, I was called away right after the last dance and missed whatever commentary Nigel made right before the end of the show, so I can only imagine what he might have said and whether it addressed any current issues brewing with the show.

The Top Ten slots await and with it, new partner's every week, for the good or the bad and a guaranteed spot for the LIVE show, with at least 50 performance dates and all the acclaim and fan appreciation that comes with the tour...and if it's like last year, it will be 50 'sold out' dates and very, very appreciative and screaming fans that are 'awaiting.'

Tomorrow will tell.

Take care,

CG
Little Dogs Media
Aha! Blogolicious! Musings and Meanings of Non-Sensical Events...and Canada!

MUSIC REVIEW: The Click Five is a Band to Watch!

2007-07-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

Atlantic Records has yet another Winner in The Click Five

OK, so this time I'm reviewing a band that is probably not all that unknown, but there's a reason. They're good! They also show that a PowerPop band can make it big, especially in a music industry that still seems dominated these days by rap and hip hop, with rock and roll only recently beginning to reemerge as a contender (and often, under the guise of being an Alternative band.)

With Jenny, The Click Five blend pop sentiments with the wonderful retro-feel of what we now call Powerpop. Headlight Disco (don't cringe at the name) heartens at first more to a 70's groove but adds in a modern twist by rotating and bending the expected beats and rhythms with definite leanings toward what in the 70's might be confused with punk influences, or even with anthem or epic rock, but now might be more recognizable as rap influences. Counter to the others offered up on MySpace, Happy Birthday shifts the focus away from grandiose themes or retro sensibilities and moves instead into a more alternative/pop vibe.

All in all, the songs are all impeccably produced, perfectly played and with vocals that are both vibrant yet subtle (as a Powerpop band should be, by the way.) The three offerings also hang together in spite of their different influences and changes in emphasis--that is the sign of a great band as well as a great producer. Everything fits, yet the variety is there to keep you interested.

If you haven't heard of The Click Five, then definitely check them out at www.myspace.com/theclick5

And put a little Power in your Pop.

Have a great weekend!

CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media
Aha! Blogolicious! Musings and Meanings of Non-Sensical Events...and Canada!

New York Times and Fox Go To War With "So You Think You Can Dance" and Danny Tidwell in the Middle

2007-07-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

Danny Tidwell Gets to be Cannon Fodder in the War Of Words Between Fox and the New York Times...
Good for Business but Bad for the Dancers Putting Themselves on the Line

So You Think You Can Dance is about America's Favorite dancer, not America's most technically proficient dancer. I even say 'technically proficient' because I don't want that confused with being America's 'best' dancer. I'm sure that lots of dancers of the time thought that Alvin Ailey was full of it and that they were better, and that lots of critics agreed. BEST implies the combination of intriguing dance, natural talent to move your body like a dancer (note: I didn't say classical training now did I?), hard work to train yourself to move the way your vision dictates (note: I didn't say ballet now did I?) and the charismatic IT factor that makes people, not just critics or other dancers, WANT to watch your every move.

So it's very sad when an established and generally respectable paper like the New York Times decides to declare war on a competing media outlet under the guise of defending true dance, though I'm sure that the controversary and war of words with Fox will help it get some free press!

The July 11th commentary about Danny Tidwell and the Fox Television show, So You Think You Can Dance, declared SYTYCD and all connected with it as cheesy and stereotyping. The critic seemed to hold ballet in a class by itself, with any other form of dance, from hip hop to contemporary being nothing more than second citizens and substandard. As for the show, it was declared pointless and stereotyping.

In doing this, the critic only demonstrated another vile stereotype--that of the snobbery of classical dancers and ballet-officianados versus other forms, especially street evolved forms like hiphop, placing them as lesser compared to dance instructed classical techniques. Hip hop instructors are probably in a rage at the implication that they don't teach real dance, or teach at all, and that hip hop and other forms just spring magically and substandardly from thin air.

The critic insulted the choreographers on the show as well with the implication that their choreography was just 'slight choreography' implying no work involved in it at all and little creativity to boot, this included the contemporary choreographers like Mia Michaels.

Does this person actually watch the show? Or have any clue about why dance is often put into a niche? Into a rarified world? They probably think TV or film is beneath real dancers and real choreographers. Twyla Tharp wouldn't ever have touched such common things and never left a true ballet stage! (Wait! She did! Horrors!) Balanchine doing Broadway or direct a film? Never! Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire were probably sell-outs along with anyone else who doesn't do ballet and only ballet. Harlem Dance, hang your head in shame and leave the city immediately!

Obviously that's not true, and I note that even within ballet, some dancers stand out not because they are the most technically perfect or the most aesthetically beautiful, but because they have that something special, that IT, that charisma that makes you want to watch them, regardless of any lack of technical or physical perfection.

The NYT should read "People Who Dance" by John Gruen... It focuses on classical but it immediately proves that it's something other than technique that really grabs one's attention and carries form beyond function. Pay special note, NYT, to the part dealing with Mark Morris, Heather Watts and Murray Louis--not to mention the amazing and now lost forever Michael Bennett. Oh wait, Bennett was Broadway, so I guess he wouldn't count for much from the NY Times' point of view, now would he?

Passion for dance counts more than simple technical perfection. Charisma, that ability to draw an audience in, identify with it, and project emotion outward, counts the most.

True beauty lies often in the flaws...

And judges are judges, it's their experience they draw upon and their opinions are based on that experience. You may not like their opinions, you may not like them, but the same will probably be said by others--about you and your opinions. Nigel is a successful producer and knows what works and what doesn't...and while I don't always agree with him, as I don't always agree with any judge on any show, I respect his opinion because he's proven that he knows what he's doing...and the NY Times hasn't proven anything beyond a lack of understanding of television, a snobbery about technical classical ballet being the best and only worthwhile form of dance, and a general bias toward reality shows, competition shows, television viewers, television and even film, considering the NY Times' comments regarding Shankman, in general...but then that's just MY opinion. :)

There is no doubt that reality shows try to create drama, and that what you are seeing may not be the REAL reality. Viewers can count on two things, one, that they and not the judges and not the critics, create the rankings and two, that the dances are real since editing a dance sequence to make it look better or worse than reality is quite difficult. Also, keep in mind that that studio audience sees all...and they talk, and press are in that audience as well, so any obvious fiddling on stage by producers and editors would be exposed for the chicanery it is rather quickly.

The real victim here is Danny Tidwell. The NY Times probably did him more harm than good in their so called 'defense' of him. Likewise, Fox hasn't done him any favors either, especially with their thinly disguised rebuttal as freelance piece about him and Paula (American Idol.)

I looked over all the footage I could find on Danny and I know what editing can do to a show, or a person. I even mentioned earlier that Faina's personality being portrayed was only based on what was being shown by the producers. Danny is an incredible dancer and yes, we haven't necessarily seen that amazing spark that is pure unadulterated charisma, but we also know how draining a reality show can be on the participants. American Idol ex's have often spoke about how they were purposely portrayed badly or at least differently than the way they really are in real life. So don't assume that the same thing doesn't happen on SYTYCD.

My conclusion about Danny is he is an extraordinary dancer and likely a very nice person, but a shy, reserved person who wants to be perfect when he dances, not just for himself but to show how beautiful dance can be, show that beauty to the world.

I don't see arrogance, I see reserve and while I think he might have thought that he was the best contender for the the crown originally, I quickly saw any hint of that belief evaporate as the realities of the show took their toll.

I saw that happen to ALL the dancers, in fact. Performing perfectly for the camera, with little rehearsal time, and still needing to up their game every week and not only dance perfectly, but WIN over fans that don't necessarily understand the complexities of the dance is difficult--to say the least.

I've often spoken about the emotional effect they need to achieve. Non-dancers won't necessarily get how hard this dance stuff is, but they do GET emotion and they do GET a full story-laden, passion filled, fully committed to dance, performance.

The judges do believe Danny one of the best dancers they have ever seen but they recognize that they may have set him up too high, as the 'dream team' and that the fans may be misreading him as arrogant or too self-assured, and that they, too, may have misread him initially.

It's always hard to believe that someone so effortless on stage, might be shy underneath and uncomfortable speaking or reaching out for affection, perhaps afraid that rejection is all they will get for being vulnerable.

It's also very true that this is often the case with people in the spotlight, including actors--who when buried in their character are lively and talkative, but in person are quite intensely shy and needing of emotional support from a friendly face. I've come upon it a lot, and I know a lot of artists, actors and the like. In fact, this is common across all types and all professions. I've met many people that withdraw into their work under stress and their fear of personal rejection--including many in the public eye who literally HAVE EVERYTHING...or everything as the rest of us might judge it, but we forget that sometimes that is just an illusion.

The judges' advice is the same as mine, to find a way to connect with the fans in a way the fans will recognize since obviously a lot of people are misreading him. This is the growth he needs to experience, whereas many of the other dancers, their growth and progression lies in building their technique. Both roads are challenging.

I'd say he wants this and wants this very badly, and unlike the NY Times, I recognize that someone that supposedly has it all, since he was in the Corps of American Ballet Theatre, which NYT thinks is having it all, but chooses instead to move on to a SHUDDER! Contemporary Dance company and also chooses to co-found a magazine (Movmnt) to PROMOTE dance, music and pop culture....well, a person like that is all about blazing new trails and connecting with people. A person like that wants something MORE to life than the safe and easy existence.

So I believe that he isn't arrogant, nor is he thinking he's got it all locked up. I think he does respect the fans, the choreographers, the judges and the show itself, since it and they all are part of promoting dance to a new audience.

I think the same can be said for most of those connected with this show--there are easier things to do than produce a dance show, and one that for the most part, takes the high road when so many other REALITY shows dive deep into the mud.

Right now, he's being used as cannon fodder by both the NY Times and Fox in their petty little media war, and if it hadn't been him, it would have been someone else on the show.

Putting yourself into such an intense spotlight is terrifying and all the dancers should be respected for their courage in doing so.

It's hard to leave your safe comfort zone and face your fears or your demons, but it shows a great strength of character to do just that--and do it in front of millions of viewers, sitting safe within their comfort zones but perhaps also wishing for a trail blazer to show them that it's possible to exceed one's own expectations and to conquer one's own fears.

I believe the challenge to Mr. Tidwell, is to rise above it, not shut down and withdraw as probably every cell in his body is screaming to do, nor to just shut down and focus on the technical elements of the dance to avoid feeling the emotions that must be raging within him, and to instead, reach out and show his love of dance to the fans, hoping that they will see through the reality show gimics, the hype, the NY Times and Fox war-waging and see the real him--the one that loves to dance and wants to share that love.

Take Reality Shows with a huge lump of SALT, folks...
And...
Take the Road Less Travelled.

And I sincerely hope that the producers of So You Think You Can Dance read this article.

Tommorow I will do the music review...

Take care and have a good weekend,

CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media

So You Think You Can Dance -- The Fab Fourteen Perform!

2007-07-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

So You Think You Can Dance -- The Fabulous Fourteen Return From Break

So the remaining fourteen had a week off, so to speak, while the Fourth of July filled their timeslot. Last week, Jessi and Jesus lost their battle to win the judges favor but Cedric managed to rally a fan base and keep out of the bottom three. Lacey and Kameron stayed strong, as did Jaimie and Hok, and Sabra and Dominic--even though apparently Benji is finding it necessary to defend his sister's right to be on the show, rallying to her defense on his MySpace blog, insisting that favoritism wasn't part of the judging or the selection of the original twenty. It seems his protests are unwarranted, since Lacey and Kameron have stayed out of the bottom three so far--and that is based purely on fan rankings, not judges.

It may not remain that way, since last elimination proved that no dancer or dance team is safe, as witnessed not just by Jessi and Jesus, but also by previous fan favorites, Lauren, Neil, Anya and Danny.

So let's recap tonight's action. Special note: sometimes it's just worth watching the show to see what outfit Cat wears!

Adam Shankman (Hairspray) was the guest judge for the night. Nigel stood his ground, in spite of a Jessi petition, on having Jessi be in the bottom three and the female dancer to leave. Until the top ten, he said, that's what the judges job is--but he was happy that the fans were taking such a strong and passionate interest. (As a producer, he probably loves the fact that the fans are getting so involved--it's a good sign and good for business.)

Lacey and Kameron - Hustle - I can see the blogs now! And almost hear Benji bracing to defend his sister some more. Still, you have to believe in the fairness of the draw...and it isn't daredevil, skydiver Kameron's specialty, even if weave-wearing, hair model Lacey finds a lot in it in common with swing, so that, as usual, makes it a challenge for the couple as a couple. It was exciting and fun, Kameron once again pulling out the big tricks and flips, and Lacey proving she can spin like a top whether on one foot or when she was being lifted and spun by Kameron. Very entertaining and Herr Shankman was impressed. Mary is still critical of Kameron, seeing things the rest of us don't but a complete booster for Lacey. Nigel agreed while the audience didn't. Nigel is also a Lacey booster, saying she is better at technique than her brother (but also defending last season's winner as well from criticism on the whole Benji vs Travis debate.) Frankly, I don't see what Mary and Nigel are seeing, but then again, I don't see the technique. Unless it's an obvious flub, I won't likely see it. What I see is Kameron, rather than Lacey, as the one who is more personable and watchable.

It will be interesting to see what happens to both Kameron and Lacey in the fan rankings once their partnership is broken up. Who has the bigger fan base? In fact, once all the partnerships are changed, we'll probably get a better idea of who the fans are really voting for, and who, as partner is just along for the ride. Frankly, it's hard to tell right now--and since the viewership is steadily growing each week, it is also likely to change regardless of who dances with who and who is popular right now.

Shauna and Cedric - Mambo -- Snowboarder Shauna and School Mascot Cedric both have their work cut out for them, since the judges are still down on them and a spicy, hot latin dance like Mambo is nothing to sneeze at--Cedric got insulted once more since Alex added 'help' since he found out he was 'getting' Cedric this week. Frankly, Shauna was great, but the dance lacked sizzle and sizzle is a necessity here. It was slow and awkward, full of the right moves but not really full of the zest of life so common to Latin dances. No heat. Personally, my opinion only, I'm afraid unless the fans save them, this couple is destined for a breakup. Mary though thought Cedric showed growth and liked the dance. Nigel loved Shauna and was actually proud of Cedric, too.

Anya and Danny -- contemporary -- Sunglass obsessed Danny and Legally Blond Anya got contemporary and Tyce, a dance about a 'man and a woman' says Tyce, not a 'boy and a girl.' Again, this emphasis on these two being mature or even old may not work in their favor, but this dance is Danny's element if not Anya's. The audience was strangely silent during their routine, even muted when the big tricks came out, which might be a worry...but then the dance ended and the audience did react positively, possibly just mesmerized by the lyrical beautiful performance. Adam had some reservations about Danny disconnecting from Anya occasionally, but Danny's technical skill was unmatched. Mary agreed as well. My worry is that perhaps the fans didn't realize how incredibly difficult and amazing the routine was--and making things look 'so easy' and 'effortless' may cause the fans to overlook these abilities. Nigel and Adam both came down on Danny a bit, saying he needed to find something inside himself that fans will connect with and resonate with--both were unable to really pin down what that special factor is, which may only cause Danny some frustration, but perhaps Nigel came closest when he said that Anya kept the 'emotion' and Danny kept the technique, meaning you watched Anya more than Danny.

I watched them both, big tricks (leaps, spins, etc) being very eye catching and impressive, but I agree that emotion wins over most people. It's a critical factor. Danny has it in him, but I think his ballet background and need for perfection in form may be causing him to shutdown the feelings that would naturally come otherwise. If he allows himself to feel the dance, and allows himself to be vulnerable by showing those feelings while performing, I think he will connect with fans and be nigh unstoppable. The hard part of course, is opening up and allowing yourself to show your feelings to the world--it's not easy by any means and frightening if you are unused to the experience. Perhaps if he just allows himself to 'want' to please the audience, never mind being perfect, but wanting to share the joy he must feel when he dances...that will help with a breakthrough with the fans.

Sara and Pasha -- West Coast Swing -- Figure skater yet still b-girl breaker Sara and computer geek Pasha are working together for the first time. Benji was there, (and Heidi) with Benji promoting that West Coast swing, in his opinion, is the most difficult dance to do and being their teacher/choreographer. Benji the clown was in full form, mugging for the camera during practice and stealing the spotlight. Pasha did the Benji signature slide, and the couple did the Gyrate Tranji move, and the routine had a 'coolness' factor, but something seemed to be lacking. It seemed to be slightly slow, but perhaps that is what West Coast Swing is all about. It must be, since the judges liked it. It was fun to watch and they were definitely a 'couple,' which is nice. For me though, I like these two, but wasn't as blown away as the judges were--but it may just be a personal preference issue. They may face the same issue as Anya and Danny if their highly complicated and hard to learn techniques aren't appreciated for what they are, because the fans don't recognize the effort and reward it.

Sabra and Dominic -- hip hop -- Sabra was a background dancer for Disney's hit movie, High School Musical, and Dominic has a secret crush on Cat, seven feet tall, white teeth and french accent Cat, yes that Cat--the lad has ambition. French accent? Shane wanted to show that hip hop could be sensitive as well as kicking. Shane wanted hot and Cat is keeping her eye on Dominic. Did you catch Sabra loosing her earring during the performance? Adam, Mary and Nigel liked it. It was sensitive and seductive, believable hip hop storytelling. Mary screamed so loud that only those in Tokyo could hear her silent chorus. The audience liked it, but seemed to like it more once the judges got through praising the duo, which worries me. The energy in the room was not high, but that could be said for most of the night, so perhaps it is less about the dancers and more about the general feel for the night.

Jaimie and Hok -- waltz -- Five foot three yet still with basketball dreams Jaimie and violin player Hok last week danced probably one of the best routines of the season, if not one of the best from all the seasons. This week they got American Smooth waltz and choreography about a dying young man whose lover is unwilling to let him go. Jaimie is a giggler which didn't help her case during the practice sessions shown, but the waltz was lovely, dreamy and heartbreaking. It was a challenge though to Hok, but playing a dying young man meant you didn't have to be happy or suave, in fact, a serious face worked with the theme quite well. Adam thought Jaimie was magnificient, but saw how unsuited Hok was to the dance but liked Hok's hands and the way he supported Jaimie. Mary, the ballroom expert, wanted a better quality of movement but did note that Jaimie helped bring the dance full circle. Nigel's comments were similar, with the same notes about Jaimie and Hok--meaning that Jaimie did help Hok carry through, just as Hok helped Jaimie weeks earlier with hip hop. So the balance of the dancers is there, each truly being a partner to the other, being the strength when the other is weak. They deserve to stay, so hopefully their fan base will continue to be strong, allowing them more time to grow, learn and perform beautifully.

Lauren and Neil -- jazz -- "Misha" aka Lauren and Wookie-impersonator Neil (it was impressive, actually!) did the tango last week but ended up in the bottom three and were determined this week to dance their hearts out and not be there again. Wade, choreographer, had a good (Lauren angel) versus evil (Neil dark) theme going, though both dancers laughed, thinking perhaps the reverse might be better if they were going true to nature. Wade is definitely a gifted choreographer. It was entertaining, fun, and energetic. According to Adam, it was a full performance and OFF THE CHARTS! Mary apologized for not believing in Neil because she said he (and they) really pulled it off. Nigel said they saved the best til last! It was brilliant, he said. I thought so, too, because it was fun as well, full of character, dance, storyline, humor and the kitchen sink. I hope the fans agree.

So there you have it, not necessarily the highest energy night, but full of great performances by great dancers. Biggest question, who will be in the bottom three this week? And will those there take full advantage of the opportunity presented when 'dancing for their lives?' Were the dances this week too cerebral, too sensitive, too delicate? Will those dancers that need to work on their audience-connection skills have more time to get the balance right?

Or did the fans move over to watch America's Top Model reruns instead?

We'll see.

Take care,
CG
Little Dogs Media
Aha! Blogolicious! Musings and Meanings of Non-Sensical Events...and Canada!

MUSIC REVIEW: Shallow rocks! (Together or Apart, they're Good!) And What's With All the Mud SYTYCD Fans? Summer TV IS HOT!

2007-07-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

Shallow, It Isn't--SHALLOW is a rockers rock band.
Television in the Summer Heats Up and
..."So You Think You Can Dance" Once Again Begins to Generate Controversy and Mudslinging!

Their MySpace page says that they are broken up, yet apparently they just recently played a show together. Hence, it's confusing, but this rock/pop band out of Livermore, California, definitely is worth a listen. Any Place To Say is a powerful mix of anthem lyrics, rounded vibes and angst-driven vocals--in other words, a ROCK song. Bleed starts as a ballad but quickly morphs into something demanding and driven, a ballad with a bad-boy side. How Far pushes you to the edge and Ever Absent isn't, rather it's full of alternative based vocals, soothing but moving melodies and dips into pregnant pauses that suddenly explode into full-bodied, overarching beats, riffs, bass thrums and about-to-burst drums--in the best tradition of rock.

Shallow is anything but...I hope they do decide to get back together, stay together or whatever is going on with them--this group belongs on stage. Check them out at
http://www.myspace.com/shallowrock

In other news--the world of television:

On the SYTYCD side of things, this week the dancers had time off (or so one can hope!) Meaning of course, that with the Fourth of July on their regular time slot, the show was pushed out a week. The fabulous fourteen will battle it out on the dance floor next week. And apparently, the mud is already slinging on the various message boards--as fans trash or testify for their favorite dancers against their least favorites.

It's gotten bad enough that Benji Schwimmer felt the need to defend his sister's talent on his blog and scold the naysayers. I don't follow the mudslinging, beyond what is commented on by those I watch and stay in touch with (like Nigel's comments last week on the show) but I agree that all the dancers are immensely talented and whatever advantage some of the siblings had has probably evaporated by now. Now it's up to their talent and their ability to win and keep a fan base, as we witnessed with the upsets last week.

For my part, my opinion is still that no one is safe. None of the dancers have built up enough of a fan base to really break out as a number one contender (much like last year during the midpoint.) In fact, since I judge by audience reactions and my own impressions on their emotional appeal (the dancers, that is) and image on the show, I'd say that so far, no 'stars' have emerged from the mix yet.

I mean, no dancer really has hit a level where they are so unbelievable in personality, image, dance, performance that you only focus on him or her (likely, it will be a him, considering the demographics of the show) when they are on stage--unable to take your eyes off them, even if they are with a partner.

This 'star' would be someone suddenly getting a lot of press and media attention, much like Ivan did near the end of the show, indicating that the person has some special quality that just hits right with media and public alike. It doesn't mean they are going to win, but it certainly helps--and will continue to help the dancer after they leave the show and continue to pursue their career. (You don't have to win the contest, to become the most successful! Ask any number of American Idol types...)

I haven't seen that person yet, though sadly, I saw glimpses of that quality in both Ricky and Jesus. I still see glimpses of it in many of the current dancers, but nothing that is full fledged media frenzy level yet.

I won't tell you my picks of that quality right now, since it might bias you or perhaps hurt them in some odd sort of backlash...but you can probably get an idea from how I've talked about various dancers over the course of my SYTYCD season 2 reviews.

Next week should be interesting on the show. As for upcoming things, Eureka! premiers, another fav of mine from last year (and hopefully, it won't go lame and jump the shark like Kyle XY did in its opener.) Also PainKiller Jane has fast become a fav, as has Blood Ties (Lifetime) and yes, I'm also hooked on Disney's Jetix's GET ED now, after finally having had a chance to see it. Grey's Anatomy has gotten kind of lame, especially with all the trash talk but also from the wimpy performances and whining from the characters--and so, I don't have a good feeling about next season. And the other new summer offerings from ABC, NBC and CBS (and Fox) haven't been that inspiring--some seem downright stupid, cruel or voyeuristic, especially these new reality game shows. Ugly Betty has definitely been a consistent winner though, even in reruns, they can manage to make any preposterous-looking-on-the-surface plot hang together and make perfect sense! (Kyle XY should take notes.)

I definitely like this new trend of putting on new (and often edgy or risky) shows during the summer months. The west and southwest are currently experiencing a heatwave...luckily, the stuff that's hot isn't just coming from outside...but coming from the networks, too!

Anyway, also upcoming later this summer, interviews with industry movers and shakers about the state of music, art and other things both offline and online, as well as profiles and coverage of more musicians, dancers and television shows. (Who knows, maybe Gordon Michael Woolvett will even finally get his interview responses back to me from his winning of the award, you never know!) ;)

In other words, lots of great stuff coming...hope you stick around to read some of it!

On that note, time for something cold to drink, it's already sweltering here...bye!

Have a great weekend!

CG Anderson
Aha! Blogolocious! Musings and Meanings of Non-Sensical Events...and Canada! (a music/art/dance/media review site)

MUSIC REVIEW: FABER DRIVE, Hands Down, A WINNER!

2007-06-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

FABER DRIVE! B.C.'s got a Superstar in the Making Here!

Well, back to beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Faber Drive is a new discovery by major label, Universal Records, but likely is not a surprise to fans in B.C. and anywhere else this foursome plays. The rock group with an amazing hit like Second Chance is both poignant and powerful. It's a band with a sense of mission rather than entitlement or selfish whim. From the tearjerking Sleepness Nights, which focuses on a child's too up close and personal view of abuse, to the band's own honest surprise at its success to the band's amazing blend of songwriting, singing and instrumentals, this group is consistently surprising and extraordinary.

Is Faber Drive the next U2? I think so!

If I were deciding the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Innovation Awards right now (which I'm not, that's not until October), but if I were, I'd be giving the Overall title to this group, hands down. They are THAT good. Universal got it right and I'll bet the label is patting themselves on the back that they got a hold of this group before anyone else did. I've made the comment before that there are some great unknown, or relatively unknown bands out there--that all they need to take them to the very top is that ONE song, that ONE song that gets everyone's attention...worldwide attention. This group has not just that ONE song, but a WHOLE SLEW OF THEM!!

Amazing vocals, amazing songs, amazing musicality from the entire band. Scariest thing is that this is a very young and new group, not having been together very long--what's to come promises to be even more than what currently is--which is great songs, catchy tunes, heartfelt, penetrating lyrics and insight, and all of it delivered with energy, hope and passion. I wish I had the adjectives to properly describe the music, but as is usual when I find a group this above-and-beyond, I find myself hunting fruitlessly for an appropriately deserving description.

I'm always looking for the next Blue October or Nickelback or Fall Out Boy. I think I just found them.

In a word, just plain fricking AMAZING! If you're in Canada, consider yourself lucky and get to one of their concert dates right now!

Check them out for yourself...I mean it, do it right now!
http://www.myspace.com/faberdrive

I was going to review a second band in this article...but now, I'm not going to--it wouldn't be fair to another band to go head to head with this group. I'll save it for next week.

Have a great weekend! Darn it, amazing band...wow, still can't get over it.

CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media
Aha! Blogolicious! Musings and Meanings of Non-Sensical Events...and Canada!

SYTYCD Notes: Saying Farewell to Jesus and Jessi

2007-06-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

Last night was full of surprises on So You Think You Can Dance, from both the audience and the judges.

The biggest questions of the night were
1) Was Pasha going to be kept safe by the fans, out of the bottom three, since he was forced to dance with a substitute partner as his, Jessi, was in the hospital with possible heart problems?
2) Did Cedric win over the fans, knowing that without that, Nigel and Mary would be booting him for sure this time if he ended up in the bottom?
3) Would Jessi be healthy enough to dance for her life tonight in order to remain in the competition?

With the caliber of talent so high now, it really is up to the audience to decide who stays safe and who gets judged by the judges. It's not about a bad dancer being eliminated. It's about who the fans chose to vote for at the end of the show--who can keep and grow a loyal fan base and who cannot. With the numbers of votes going up each week (from a million in the beginning to 5 million Wednesday night), just like last season, the viewership is picking up each week and it's important for the dancers to continually bring out the big moves, the big personalities and win over the audience. Failing that, they will have to 'dance for their life' and try to impress the judges, which is difficult at this level of performance with this troupe of expert dancers.

Pasha was safe. The fans rallied and kept him out of the bottom three, though Jessi would still be forced to dance to save her spot. I'm sure everyone wondered what would have happened had she danced as scheduled. She and Pasha got to finally show off their routine, as a couple, and it was a SHOWSTOPPER. So one can only wonder what could have been...

The surprises kept coming, previous fan favorite Neil and his partner Lauren were in the bottom three, as were previous favorites, Sara and Jesus and even Anya and Danny. Cedric's impassioned speech, Mia's fan base, and Debbie Allen's praise of Cedric probably helped keep him and partner Shauna out of the inevitable boot from Nigel and Mary. (Boot Cedric, I mean. Shauna has been stellar.)

It only proves that fans do respond to the dance itself, the choreographer responsible, the judge's reactions and most of all, the pleas of a sympathetic dancer. Personally, I'm not sure Cedric should have stayed...but it makes good drama, and I definitely want Shauna to stay.

It also proves that all the dancers must, absolutely MUST, come out swinging each and every time, AND win the fans hearts each and every time.

My guess as to who would be sent home from the bottom group (3 guys, 4 girls) would have been Jesus and either Anya or Lauren. None of the ladies were that great in their solos, but I thought that Sara really was giving it her all, going for it and I think the audience reacted positively in response. I was surprised when Jessi was chosen to go home, since I think her solo (and earlier performance with Pasha) was better than either Lauren or Anya. But the judges sent her home, in spite of assurances that her heart was fine.

I was right about Jesus, though sorry to see him go. Often, the judges are comparing apples to oranges during the solos, as the artists come from different dance backgrounds with different specialties (i.e. hip hop versus contemporary) but in this case, all three gentlemen had the same specialties, so it was easier for the judges. They would simply choose the best two performances of the three (and all three were fantastic.) Neil was big trick heaven and the crowd went wild. He was electrifying to watch. Danny wasn't as electrifying (nor was Jesus) as Neil, but Danny's obvious mastery came through clearly. Against these two, Jesus was simply not as competitive--against other dancers in the group, it probably would have been a much different story.

Again, even Nigel said it, this wasn't a decision they were happy with, and had nothing to do with being a bad dancer. It just was.

And so the drama continues...
Will cuddly, sympathetic (you should have heard Cat and the audience when they found out that Pasha stayed in the hospital holding Jessi's hand) Pasha win over the fans again--and with a new partner?
Will Cedric end up in the bottom three, unable to talk his way out again--and without a judge or Mia on his side making him look better than he is at styles not his own?
Will Neil and Lauren regain the fans approval and get out of the bottom?
Will Danny and Anya find the right mix of technical mastery, entertainment value and audience connection and finally, truly become the Dream Team that the judges think they are?

It should be noted that none of the dancers have the clear crowd advantage yet. It should also be noted that being in the bottom three can be a blessing in disguise---it gives the dancers a chance to do solos. Those solos aren't just selling the judges, they are an opportunity to really cut loose and show the fans what a dancer can do, showing all their talent, just as THEY wish to show it, in one fell swoop (without the handicap of choreography and a dance style different from one's strength.) Neil took full advantage of that. Danny and Jesus less so, but they were still very strong.

Notably, it was guest performer, Fergie, who got the biggest audience reaction of the night. I was happy, too, since I love it when she actually sings and doesn't just rap. When she's rapping, it's good, but you can't hear that amazing voice of hers--when she cuts loose and actually sings--watch out! The girl has the pipes!

Stay tuned...it's down to the fabulous fourteen now!

Take care...
Next post later today, as I'm working on it right now...a music review of some lesser known or unknown bands that you might like to hear...

CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media
Aha! Blogolicious! Musings and Meanings of Non-Sensical Events...and Canada!

So You Think You Can Dance -- The Sweet Sixteen and Life Or Death for One Dancer--Literally?

2007-06-27T22:02:00.000-07:00

So You Think You Can Dance -- Ah, the Sweet Sixteen
And a Heavy Dose of DRAMA! Dancing for your Life Takes On New Meaning!

Sixteen left until tomorrow, when it's down to fourteen. Neil, Pasha, Kameron and Lacey seem to still be the hottest as far as the studio audience is concerned, with Hok and Cedric in the near hot mix as well, judging by the increased screams of the audience. Guest judge Debbie Allen (Fame) was instantly recognized and cheered by the crowd. Mary commented that she loved Dominic, his commitment, his versatility and his personality--she was very impressed by him. Nigel gave the choreographers their due, for how much they work hard and how much they bring to the show. (And I was NOT the one that called him an old guy with a cat on his head! I have no idea who said that...must have been on the Fox blog...Nigel, I think you aren't old and your hair is great and...really? You wear dentures???)

Sara and Jesus -- krumping -- Last week, Queen was the music but classic was the dance. It split the judges but not the fans. What will this week bring? It brings on the krumping! Jesus says he wants to give back to the community, to kids, Sara wants to be a journalist writing about dance. Again, PR wise, good move. LiL'C did the choreography and challenged the dancers--krumping ain't as easy as it looks, folks! In fact, camera wise, I'd say LiL'C stole the limelight. Everytime he was on camera (during the backstage portion), he was unforgettable and highly watchable. However, come time to dance, the angry, popping vibe of krumping came out beautifully, especially in the opener and especially with Jesus. The crowd loved it and the dancers managed to bring the energy back up near the end (it had faded a bit midstream.) Strangely, Jesus (contemporary) was the one you watched, even though Sara should have been the one to shine. I think Jesus is finding a way to totally commit to every dance he performs and it shows, which is exactly what a winner needs to do.

Shauna and Cedric -- contemporary -- Cedric has a lot of pressure now and therefore, so does his new partner, Shauna, since she lost hers last week, as did Cedric his. The duo was asked to do a Mia Michaels piece--no pressure there, huh? Techno singer wannabe Shauna--eh? Well, that's different (and very European.) I have to admit it--I wouldn't have guessed it of her. Cedric wants to be a toy maker--I wonder what kind of toys he envisions. He said he had some ideas but I wish he would have elaborated--then again, perhaps that's the hook? Mia was Cedric's supporter last week but isn't there to save him this week if he fails to 'be the dance.' His fluidity helped and Shauna was in her element, but Shauna dominated the dance--was that intentional, with Cedric sitting in a corner and crying through a good portion of the piece? I don't know. The studio audience liked it. I liked Cedric's painful expression and liked Shauna's dancing (and Cedric's, too, especially near the end of the piece.) Debbie liked it and the symbolism that she said Cedric represented. Mary liked Shauna and recognized the work, but still felt Cedric let Shauna down (letting Cedric sit down through the piece) and said Cedric showed no growth. She felt the long pauses of Cedric's dance were manipulation by Mia to help him skirt by. Cedric's response to Mary was sincere and heartfelt and definitely a bid to the fans to keep him, which may help him with the fans, but not with Mary nor Nigel at this point. Cedric is proving a master of speaking to the fans--his platform, this show. It gained him an invitation, a scholarship, to Debbie's academy--bringing the drama of the night to a fever pitch! (No one knowing yet that the real drama would happen at the end of the show!!!) Suddenly, we were at an old fashioned revival! Let me hear you say it! Dance, people! Joy to the Dance! Praise the Dance! Do you FEEL it! Go Debbie Go!

Lacey and Kameron -- quick step -- Lacey proved that she is all grown up and out of big brother's shadow. Kameron is drop dead sexy. (Note: I'm spelling his name with a K now, since that's how it's now being shown on screen...maybe I'm going senile...it wouldn't be the first time...but I thought originally it was being spelled with a 'C'...ah well...sorry Kameron...or Cameron...hell, if he wins, he probably won't mind anyone spelling his name any way they want!) Lacey may have the sympathy vote since she lost a friend, but judging by audience reaction, she doesn't need it. Then again, they got the quick step...whew! That is a hard, tricky dance and harder to make entertaining since their previous dances have been much more dramatic. However, the feet were flying, the assisted lifts added some excitement, as did Kameron's big moves, and the two are fan favs, so it went quite well. Luckily, Kam looks like Kam even with the Mohawk slicked down.

Anya and Danny -- hip hop -- Called the most grown up of the dancers, will being 'old' work against these two in a youth obsessed fanbase, where hip and energetic is more important than elegant and mature? Dreams were the theme of the night. Anya wants to open an animal shelter. Danny (ABT principal dancer and co-founder Movmnt Magazine) wants to be in production, whether in front or behind the camera. Danny and Anya both admitted to nerves--this would be a test for both of them, even with the brilliant choreographer, Dan Karaty, guiding them and music by the amazing Timbaland (not to mention the Justin Timberlake SexyBack costuming.) It was interesting, maybe too fluid for me for a hip hop routine, where I expect much sharper stops and edges to the dance--I'm not into the more fluid forms that Dan obviously picked to complement these dancers. Are they the Dream Team, as Debbie believes? Danny's flip was impressive and it definitely showed his amazing physical abilities, as did the fact that he picked up the dance so quickly. Nigel and Mary both picked up on the almost too fluid, less staccato moves as well, and cautioned the dynamic duo that, as impressive as they are, they still need to show as much improvement (relative improvement to their progressive performances, not to others) as the rest of the troupe. I say they also need to keep the fans happy--so more smiles, mischievous winks and definitely big moves like that backflip!

Sabra and Dominic -- rumba -- Dominic shaved his toes and the duo were a fan fav. What about this week? This week they've got the dance of 'love', the very classic, very sexy (but not sexual) rumba. Was Dominic joking? Doing headspins naked---but with no one there....and Sabra, the funny girl?...and stand-up comedy...meeting Ellen? Maybe the camera crews should give these two a few takes, so that they can change their answers or at least pause for breath and get some oxygen back into their heads, so that they phrase their answers better. Ah well, it takes all types...and meeting Ellen is a worthwhile goal...and dancing naked on your head...well...hmmm. Anyway, a rumba to the Pussycat Dolls, it fits quite well actually. It was sexy and seductive and fluid, just as it should be, even if Sabra can't pronounce it. It's a slow dance and therefore more challenging than some other classical ballroom dances, but these two made it look flawless. And the audience went wild!! As Debbie said, 'that was hot!' Better still, Mary, the expert, liked it--and they got the infamous SCREAM from her. Nigel said this was the first rumba ever done on the show and these two made him proud--even as he tried to recover some of his hearing after Mary's scream in his ear. Will the fans at home agree with the judges and the studio audience and keep them safe?

Lauren and Neil -- tango -- A crowd pleaser every time so far, can they do it again? Lauren wants to go to space and be in NASA and study that stuff after dance. Uh...OK...but I'm not convinced that NASA is ready for Lauren. Neil has stars in his eyes as well, but they are of the Hollywood and Broadway type--he wants to sing and act as well as dance. The chemistry is there with these two, the humor is there, and no donuts allowed on this fat free couple. This is the tango, the love you-hate you dance--the fat cat and the mouse, but still no donuts allowed. It was traditional music, if not a traditional opening or regulation tango. It was entertaining--though not with as much heat as one might expect from this sizzling, smoldering dance style. The passion was in the opening and was great, as Mary noted, but a bit too hoppy and less connected, she said, than she would have wanted during the rest. Nigel thought Neil overdanced it. Debbie felt it was off but nice. Nigel was happy that the guys on the show 'dance like dudes.' Keep in mind though, that all the judges realize that the criteria is high now and the dancers must keep upping their game. So will Neil's and Lauren's fanbase keep them out of the clutches of the judges tomorrow night?

Jaimie and Hok -- jazz -- Last week their samba sizzled in spite of some technical mistakes. For now, Hok is focused on dancing, but then he'll go back to his art. Jaimie writes, like her Mom, and wants to carry on her mother's legacy and tell her mother's life story--in loving tribute, since her mother's voice is now forever silenced. Wade Robson is their choreographer and in this case, it's the story of a hummingbird and a flower, a jazz-ballet like entity. Is this jazz or contemporary? Is there a difference? Odd, lyrical, eccentric, fluid, staccato, birdlike, organic and even a bit of Japanese theater in the mix--and a bit erotic when you come right down to it, more theater than dance. The audience was appreciative...if perhaps a bit bemused about what to think about it. Very mature work from these two, showing a lot of depth. Like Debbie, I thought of Cirque de Soleil as well, especially with the makeup and hair. Nigel was stunned by the choreographer, the choreography and the dancers execution of the choreography. Wade looked like he was ready to cry from the experience and the judges' reaction to his work--or perhaps by them calling him 'genius.'

Jessi and Pasha -- cha cha -- Last week they were in the bottom three but came out intact. Pasha simply wants to see his mom and his brother again, separated now for over a decade. Jessi wants to be a well rounded performer, like Judy Garland, and try to hit that level of ability and perhaps legend. Tony Meredith did the choreography of the cheeky, spicy, almost krumping-like dance. Pasha's not a safe prom date tonight folks! Lock up your daughters! The drama was provided earlier by Jessi, with pain in her chest and a hospital trip. So Jessi couldn't do the dance. Pasha danced with a sub, Melanie, a past US champion. It didn't have the same effect as Jessi, but Pasha was definitely on Latin overload, even dancing with a partner that he'd just been assigned the same day. The audience seemed clearly on his side and the judges were standing! But will it be enough to keep Pasha out of the bottom three?

And more drama, what does this mean for Jessi's hopes, especially with her potential heart problems?

Nigel summed it up. If Jessi can't dance for her life tomorrow night, she's out.

Pasha's fate depends on what the fans vote--as normal, dancing for his life if he's in the bottom three...but not, if he's not--meaning, he will still end up with a new partner if he stays out of the low three but Jessi can't dance, and only keep Jessi if she dances and wins over the judges--who will probably be concerned anyway now for her health even if the doctors clear her, and that may affect their decision even if she dances.

And so we move on to tomorrow, with the stakes and the pressure getting higher as the weeks progress. Will anyone start to break under the pressure--have we seen the first break? How much can you keep upping your game before you burn out?

Maybe we are seeing only a taste of what's to come?

Take care, all of you, and get well, Jessi...

CG
Little Dogs Media
Aha! Blogolicious! Musings and Meanings of Non-Sensical Events...and Canada!

QUICKIE REVIEW: SYTYCD Notes and FEFF is Back

2007-06-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

QUICKIE REVIEW: SYTYCD Notes and FEFF is Back
Assuming FEFF Ever Left??

Well, surprises and not-surprises last night on So You Think You Can Dance. I wasn't surprised to see the bottom three and not because I think any of them did that badly, but more because from now on, great teams are going to find themselves in the bottom three each week. When the dance caliber is so high, then it's really down to whether the voting fans liked the performance or liked the dancers, personally. My opinion is that fans are taking performances, interviews and overall performances across the entire season into account. So a bad performance from the past can hurt a duo's chances as much as an off comment or uninteresting solo.

In the case of Pasha and Jessi, I personally think it was likeability of the dancers that weakened them. Not Pasha, but rather Jessi. I think Pasha's fan rating is probably quite high--he's funny, cute and lovable--and this show undoubtedly skews more toward a female demographic. So all the guys in the competition have an edge in popularity over the gals--the guys just need to be sexy and funny, someone the girls would like to date. The gals have it tougher--they need to be someone that the female fans will like, admire and ultimately want to emulate.

I don't think the three ladies at the bottom three this week had that rapport with the fans, especially Faina. Shauna seems to be improving that through her big tricks and "I'm not so sweet and nice but I can be a b-girl, too" performances. Jessi can't rely on fan sympathy anymore though--or being cute or with that special feel for dance that the judges like. She needs to show the fans that she can entertain and be someone that they want to hang with.

The best way to stay on this show is to stay out of the bottom three--and that's done via the fans, not the judges. The best way to survive the bottom three is to please the judges (and the fans, in case the judges are noticing audience reactions.) A much tougher gig all around when you have to please multiple masters.

However, I was surprised the judges let Faina go, since she's been a judge favorite, if not a fan favorite. Maybe the judges decided that her being in the bottom twice now was enough pushing from the fans and they yielded. Then again, her solo wasn't very strong, so the judges may simply have been reacting to that.

Keeping Cedric was another surprise, considering that the judges (Nigel) had pretty much told him outright that he was going home. His solo was exceptional though, probably borne more of a desire to do a great farewell performance than anything else. Jimmy's 'niceness' factor may also have worked against him in the rankings. Anyway, the judges decided to keep Cedric yet again. We'll just have to see if he brings down another partner next week. Shauna will have to pull out all the stops to keep the fans happy, especially if Cedric doesn't step it up and show that he can compete at this caliber of competition, with this high level of dancer talent, and outside his own 'unique' style.

All the dancers need to pull out the big tricks for every performance and they need to project to the fans that 'they' are the ones to vote for and believe in. Now, all the dancers need to grow their fan base. As said earlier, with this caliber of dance talent, being in the bottom three isn't about being a bad dancer--it's about not having enough fans voting for you versus the other dancers. The ones that can continue to grow fan support will be the ones heading into the finals in less than ten weeks, and likely the one with the biggest fan base will be the winner as well.

In the MySpace music scene, I'm just doing a quickie update on a band this week. FEFF band, reviewed last year, is a Metal band out of New York. I think Metal is probably the hardest music genre to review, harder than Opera. When it's good, it's very very good, when it's bad, it sucks. The problem often is that it's hard to tell, since so much of what makes Metal good can also, if done even slightly wrong, make it suck. FEFF was an exception. I think they are great and was even going to give them a 2006 Aha! Blogolicious! Media Innovation Award.

Problem was, when I went back in December and looked for them, they were gone. The link to their site led to a personal page instead suddenly and a keyword search yielded nothing. So, they didn't get the award. You have to be on MySpace and I need to find and re-evaluate you when I'm deciding the awards.

Recently, I got an Add Request. I was from FEFF. I don't know if the site is new, old, had problems of some kind, or what, but it was FEFF. With almost 400,000 friends strong now and over a million views, they've definitely been up to something (I don't know if that means they're site was still up, or whether they paid to get past the 500/day request limit)--and apparently they've got Howard Stern on their side as well, promoting them, so they are definitely making some waves in New York and beyond.

Anyway, kudos to them. I still think they are an awesome Metal band. So if you are into Metal, and haven't heard of them, you might want to slide on over to their MySpace page and check them out. The only diss I have is that they want you to join their newsletter in order to see Comments...uh...no, thank you.

FEFF is at http://www.myspace.com/189018085
Note the number ID rather than the previous feffband sitename.

Have a great weekend! Keep those heads ups coming. I really do read all my mail and do check out the bands, artists, dance companies and others that are brought to my notice.

CG Anderson
owner & chief bottle washer
Little Dogs Media
blog: http://ahablogolicious.blogspot.com/ Aha! Blogolicious! Musings and Meanings of Non-Sensical Events and Canada... (a music/art/dance/media review site with a bit of humor to mix it up)

Remember, Obstacles are Actually Opportunities...look at the WHY behind the WHAT...that will help you understand that all that has happened is meant to be...and will help you decide what is right for you, true for you, and therefore right for others you love as well...even if it goes against convention or expectation...

So You Think You Can Dance -- The Essential Eighteen Hit the Dance Floor!

2007-06-20T22:02:00.000-07:00

So You Think You Can Dance -- The Essential Eighteen Perform,
Nine by Nine Step in Time

The Judges, save for Nigel, blamed America for not picking the right dancers, or rather the right male dancers, claiming that the best male dancers were in the bottom three and how dare we, America, not get off our keisters and save them. Uh huh. Nigel, the producer in him showing, pointed out that you don't need years of experience to be a great dancer and that yes, they do try to keep the unique dancers--obviously aware of criticisms and comments from his judging partners and others (perhaps even me for saying I was surprised Cedric stayed and Ricky left? Though I wasn't judging by uniqueness or years of dance training.) :) Then again, I judge on emotional appeal--how entertaining the routine (and the dancing duo themselves) are, and how likable, so that I want to root for them. I appreciate hard work, but like Nigel, I don't necessarily believe it comes from ballet training--hip hop training, modern, and so forth are all just as hard and require desire, determination and belief in oneself. I believe in entertainment, charisma and sincerity of performance.

Cat pointed out that winning over the fans is just a tad important as well. What a concept, eh?

The level of talent in this season is exceptional, so it looks like everyone is constantly upping their game each week--or at least that is the hope, since one stumble among this crowd of talent could spell disaster (without fan help, that is, to keep the favorites safe in the rankings.)

Lauren and Neil -- hiphop routine -- Neil is obviously (from the studio audience reaction) very very popular and I agree. He's cute, talented, does the big moves (the jump dive he did for one got your attention) and connects with the crowd. A big grin that sparkles certainly helps. Wonderful, fun routine from both of them, though Neil obviously dominated--but Lauren's popularity with the studio audience was also very high. Judges watch out if you diss her.

Jessi and Pasha -- jazz -- Tyce decides to go African, no jazz hands this time. Pasha still cracks me up with his silly humor and amazing skills--not to mention his very likable personality. The quirky, feathered costumes were a hoot! (Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun.) Winning over Mia was a big step for Pasha. As for Jessi, the African number with its odd disjointed yet smooth movements turn out to be a good fit for someone more comfortable with hiphop, though admits, Jessie, she dabbles in it all. Good for her and good for her for not dissing the dance this time. Loved the routine, very entertaining and the two carried equal weight in the performance.

Jaimie and Hok -- samba -- I'd say along with Neil, Hok is one of the fan favorites...again, I agree, especially since he also has the determination story working for him. He meant to get on this show and has never let previous rejections by the judges stop him from trying again. That's determination. Since his look is also very unique and his dance ability is exceptional, the fact that he connects so well with the fans is just icing on the cake. Jamie is cute and bubbly, though I'm not sure that will be enough to make her a fan favorite--though being paired with Hok should help. Not a perfect samba, even I could tell that something was right on some of the traveling moves. However, for new territory I was impressed and it was full of entertaining tricks and the hip action was hot. I'd say that Hok still outperforms Jaimie, meaning he was much more fun to watch and seemed to stand out more and connect with the audience more. Still, great performance and I hope the fans keep them around for a long time.

Sabra and Dominic -- contemporary -- Become a b-boy and get the ladies! Or not, according to Dominic. Oh well, it got him on television and there are likely lots of ladies out there of all ages that will be out to get his attention now! Silly and fun personalities, the both of them. The creature and the bird routine--uh, ok--creature and bird? Lots of technical requirements in this one, so a major test for this duo. The emotional connection to each other was there and the audience picked up on it. You'll remember that last week I didn't see that emotional connection with Lacey's contemporary performance. These two 'felt' the routine and because of it, we 'felt' it, too. Mia liked it, which says a lot for the quality level they reached. Dominic should shave his toes more often!

Faina and Cedric -- fox trot -- Cedric is still more personable and relate-able than Faina and he looks good in 1920's black with a fedora. Faina was more in her element and it showed. However, it still seemed a bit stiff to me, or perhaps just not as smooth--with slight awkward breaks in movement--than I would like. It didn't seem to have the same kind of flair and pizazz that the earlier couples showed. The judges, who understand technical, seemed to think so, as well. Still, Cedric is likable and Faina, well, she loves this dance and shows off, but it seemed like she didn't really care that she was dancing with a partner--at least last week Cedric definitely looked like he was dancing 'with' his partner, that they were in it together, for better or worse. Partnering skills work both ways--technically and emotionally, but then, that's just me and my impressions. It's up to the fans now.

Lacey and Cameron -- broadway -- In the locker room with Cameron, a win-win situation. Time for the jazz hands! Cameron is sexy without trying and pulls out the big tricks, the kind that make the crowds go wild. Big back flips--I love them and I think there was lots of spice to it. Can Lacey keep up, much less do sexy, rather than girlie sweet? Yes, she can, even if she doesn't pull out the showstoppers like Cameron. Some parts seemed a bit slow to me, almost out of sync a bit? Then again, I saw Chicago, so I'm judging against the masters of the trade. This definitely was not Lacey, Benji's "little goofy copycat riding his coattails" sister. This was Lacey and Cameron--all grown up. "Adults Only!"

Anya and Danny -- Viennese Waltz -- Danny, in interviews, is still very stiff and remote--shall we instead say cautious? Danny during rehearsal, much looser and more fun and personable, if a bit forced ham at points, when he's 'trying' to be funny and thinks he needs to make silly over the top expressions. OK, so he's not a natural actor or TV personality, you can't have everything but if he continues to relax and show more of his natural personality, even if it's more muted than some of the others, then he should win over a lot more fans. Given that, a reserved, serious tone actually works well with the waltz as long as you can make it seem serious romantic in nature, rather than just serious & detached. Plus, ballet and waltz work well together--smooth and gliding. Occasionally, the connection seemed lost between them or maybe a bit fake, like it was a part to be played rather than a real human moment. Mary though liked it, so technically it must have been fabulous and it was definitely lovely to watch. Personally, I didn't think it was the routine of the night though, but I'm a lot happier with Danny's more relaxed personality now. These two are obvious Judge favorites--which should help keep them safe if the fans turn against them (or rather than 'turn against,' simply prefer some of the others more.)

Shauna and Jimmy -- hiphop -- You realize watching the pre-dance interview/profile that choreographers get as nervous as the dancers. They want their routine to be loved as much as the dancers want to be loved and approved of by the judges and audience. Nice to know actually, since you realize that the choreographers are definitely invested heavily in the success of the dancers. The routine was high energy, full of attitude, fun, synchronized and STOMPING, with both bringing out some big tricks near the end, especially hard to do when you're already tired and out of breath. The audience loved it. The judges were happy, especially Nigel. These two seem to have energy to burn, with high energy personalities to match. I especially like seeing Shauna showing so much attitude--she isn't all sugar and spice, there's a bit of street punk in there, too!

Sara and Jesus -- Paso Doble -- This is one of my favorite ballroom dances--intense, almost violent, passionate and with every breath taken, alive and vibrant. Can a b-girl become a cape to Jesus' matador? I love watching these two, whether they are dancing or not. They're just fun and likable, the kind of people you want to just hang with. To have the Paso Doble done to Queen was inspired and almost surreal, especially since the Paso Doble requires a certain attitude. I loved it and think it was a great way to end the show. And I loved that they stayed in character even to the end. However, with Queen involved, I wondered if the judges would like it. Mia didn't like the music or Sara, but liked Jesus. Mary appreciated the unique choreography and use of Queen, and gave Sara credit for someone completely foreign to this dance and to high heels. And she loved Jesus, he had the attitude required for the matador, which is critical. Nigel liked the dance since it was done in the classic style and loved Jesus, and also admitted that he was stunned by Sara's transformation from b-girl to ballroom diva. Freddy Mercury, eat your heart out!

So who will win fan approval? Who will be the favs? Who will be in the bottom three? It's a tough one, since being the bottom three may have more to do with being just a few votes shy of...rather than any lack of talent involved. Every one of these dancers deserves to be here, every one of them is trying to get fan approval and minding their manners better, and every one of them has immense talent and drive.

...and I hope they realize that, no matter who goes home tomorrow night.

Take care,
CG
Aha! Blogolicious!
Little Dogs Media