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.
Aha! Blogolicious! Musings and Meanings of Non-Sensical Events...and Canada? In the past, it focused on music reviews, humor and satiric editorials. Now, it will concentrate on cartoons, art, and comic strips: Hypocrisy Fleas, Time Travelin' Dogs, DC Kids (with Purple Girl) and Dark Farm.
Showing posts with label gordon michael woolvett. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gordon michael woolvett. Show all posts
Friday, August 10, 2007
Friday, August 03, 2007
INTERVIEW with Morgan Davis of Rallytime Records
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.)
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.)
Friday, July 06, 2007
MUSIC REVIEW: Shallow rocks! (Together or Apart, they're Good!) And What's With All the Mud SYTYCD Fans? Summer TV IS HOT!
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)
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 athttp://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)
Friday, April 27, 2007
HUMOR: The Diary of the Dog and the Cat, plus a photo of Aha! Blogolicious! Media Innovator Award Winners, Westcott & Rodway
No music review this week, but there will be next week. I've found some more great bands--mostly alternative/rock this time.
However, I promised some humor a while back and now I'm delivering. With the news recently, I think everyone could use a light humor chuckle right about now.
I'm also including a new photo of Westcott & Rodway, one of the groups that won the 2006 Aha! Blogolicious! Media Award for Innovation. They are a musical duo that does an incredibly beautiful and compelling jazz/classical/flamenco fusion. Recently, they sent me a photo showing them holding the award--it helps ease my mind that the award made it all the way to Exeter, England without breakage--and it's nice to see the winner actually holding the award, too. Karen Nielsen, who also won for her short film, Perceptions, also sent in her photo and it was included in her recent profile and interview. Westcott and Rodway were profiled/interviewed a couple months ago before they received the trophy, so I'm only now getting a photo. Just search for their names on this blog to see the interview and check out their myspace page to hear their music (or to see Karen's film, Perceptions.)
The other winners included Summit Avenue, an amazing band that unfortunately broke up recently, so I'm still trying to figure out who gets the award in that situation (the leader of the band or the band's label...stay tuned.) Marianas Trench and Three Second Delay also won, but it's unlikely they'll get a profile/interview here, since they never responded query messages and missed all the deadlines, no matter how lenient. A pity, but they are nevertheless great bands and you should still give their music a listen.
The final winner, in a different category entirely, and the one whose award is actually responsible for inspiring me to create the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards in the first place, Gordon Michael Woolvett, is still very likely to get profiled/interviewed in the near future. No promises, since schedules and situations can always change, but I'm hopeful.
So on to the humor...
I got this humor about 10th hand, so have been unable to determine the original author. I'd like to credit him or her, if possible, so if any readers have any clues, please let me know at my public email address of cganders1@yahoo.com. Thanks.
CG
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Diary of Cats and Dogs
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
- - - THE DOG - - -
8:00 AM Dog food! My favorite thing!!
9:30 AM A car ride! My favorite thing!!
9:40 AM A walk in the park! My favorite thing!!
10:30 AM Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!!
12:00 PM Milk bones!! My favorite thing!!
1:00 PM Played in the yard! My favorite thing!!
3:00 PM Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!!
5:00 PM Dinner! My favorite thing!!
7:00 PM Got to play ball! My favorite thing!!
8:00 PM Wow! Watched TV with my people! My favorite thing!!
- - - THE CAT - - -
Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies". I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.
The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell so he is safe.
More later.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Having had cats...and dogs (currently) and a noisy bird (currently), this humor had me in stiches!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Have a good weekend!
CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media
However, I promised some humor a while back and now I'm delivering. With the news recently, I think everyone could use a light humor chuckle right about now.
I'm also including a new photo of Westcott & Rodway, one of the groups that won the 2006 Aha! Blogolicious! Media Award for Innovation. They are a musical duo that does an incredibly beautiful and compelling jazz/classical/flamenco fusion. Recently, they sent me a photo showing them holding the award--it helps ease my mind that the award made it all the way to Exeter, England without breakage--and it's nice to see the winner actually holding the award, too. Karen Nielsen, who also won for her short film, Perceptions, also sent in her photo and it was included in her recent profile and interview. Westcott and Rodway were profiled/interviewed a couple months ago before they received the trophy, so I'm only now getting a photo. Just search for their names on this blog to see the interview and check out their myspace page to hear their music (or to see Karen's film, Perceptions.)The other winners included Summit Avenue, an amazing band that unfortunately broke up recently, so I'm still trying to figure out who gets the award in that situation (the leader of the band or the band's label...stay tuned.) Marianas Trench and Three Second Delay also won, but it's unlikely they'll get a profile/interview here, since they never responded query messages and missed all the deadlines, no matter how lenient. A pity, but they are nevertheless great bands and you should still give their music a listen.
The final winner, in a different category entirely, and the one whose award is actually responsible for inspiring me to create the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards in the first place, Gordon Michael Woolvett, is still very likely to get profiled/interviewed in the near future. No promises, since schedules and situations can always change, but I'm hopeful.
So on to the humor...
I got this humor about 10th hand, so have been unable to determine the original author. I'd like to credit him or her, if possible, so if any readers have any clues, please let me know at my public email address of cganders1@yahoo.com. Thanks.
CG
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Diary of Cats and Dogs
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
- - - THE DOG - - -
8:00 AM Dog food! My favorite thing!!
9:30 AM A car ride! My favorite thing!!
9:40 AM A walk in the park! My favorite thing!!
10:30 AM Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!!
12:00 PM Milk bones!! My favorite thing!!
1:00 PM Played in the yard! My favorite thing!!
3:00 PM Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!!
5:00 PM Dinner! My favorite thing!!
7:00 PM Got to play ball! My favorite thing!!
8:00 PM Wow! Watched TV with my people! My favorite thing!!
- - - THE CAT - - -
Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies". I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.
The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell so he is safe.
More later.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Having had cats...and dogs (currently) and a noisy bird (currently), this humor had me in stiches!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Have a good weekend!
CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Image of the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards themselves
Many thanks and kudos to Greg Knoyle and Custom Trophy & Engraving (CTE) Awards of Missoula, Montana for doing such an outstanding, quick and error free job on the awards.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The 2006-2007 Janus Media Review
The 2006-2007 Janus Media Review
A Look Back To Get a Look Forward
January was named after the god, Janus, who was often depicted with two heads. This was so that Janus could always look into the past (hindsight) while simultaneously looking forward into the future (foresight.)
It’s fitting then to take stock of the past year during the beginning of the next, so that in looking back, we can get an idea of what the future may bring.
These reviews on this blog have always emphasized the positive. There’s a reason for that and I’ve said it before, but it needs to be said again. There are enough people out there in your life and mine that are bound to look for the negative, for a reason to put you down, to make you feel bad about yourself and sometimes just because that’s the only way they can feel better about themselves.
Unfortunately, just as there are too many of those type of people around, including ourselves from time to time but hopefully not constantly, there is also human nature—the tendency to pay more attention to the negative and ignore the positive. Everyone’s had a situation where they get complimented nine times out of ten, but what do you pay the most attention to? Yep, the negative, the singular time that something mean or critical was said. We focus on that and if we’re not careful, we obsess over it and begin to believe it.
That’s why I don’t do negative reviews. If you get reviewed here, it means, at least in my opinion, that you are special and I see something special and significant about you. I want you to focus on the positive, to remember those nine times and not the one. I want you to remember that only you dictate your worth and your future—that belief in yourself is the most critical element to success and happiness—and it always will be. Every time you have a setback or a failure, remember that the most successful people in the world had dozens more than you—they didn’t give up. Each failure was a learning experience, a necessary step that brought them closer to that ultimate success—a true success, by their standards rather than dictated by the whims and fears of others.
That’s why I’m so critical of degrading reality shows and critics like Simon Cowell. I don’t hate them personally, but I hate what they are doing and the kind of world they are creating. Like ripples in a pond, the damage they do extends far beyond their own borders or expectations.
Believe in yourself. Have a life with no regrets. Take risks. Failure isn’t to be feared. Being afraid to take the risk and living a life of regrets is your real enemy, your mortal enemy.
That’s what the Janus Media Review is all about.
That’s also what the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards are about.
The awards actually started because of a spoof article that I wrote some long months back, but within each spoof is always the kernel of truth and this particular article had much more than a kernel. When I discovered that some of the fans of this person thought the award was real and were disappointed to learn it was a spoof, it got me to thinking—and I thought about it a lot. I thought about all the great musicians and artists and dancers and writers and actors and filmmakers that I’d reviewed and sometimes met.
It suddenly occurred to me that being reviewed was not enough, even a blog dedicated to the positive only. People need recognition and something tangible to remind them that they are special. They need something, sometimes, to give them that extra push to keep going, to fighting the good fight, to pick themselves up and try again. They need to know that they aren’t alone and that what they do, the effort itself, matters more than they can ever imagine.
Just like the damaging effects, the positive affects they make are also like ripples in a pond—and sometimes that pond becomes an ocean.
***
Background on the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards...
The awards may not be the big awards, but then again, they aren’t full of politics, intrigue, controversy either. They also aren’t about recognizing the already successful big timers.
These awards are about recognizing those who are doing great work but even more importantly are showing the potential to do so much more—to make those big ripples in their industry. That potential to really make a difference in the world, to change it for the better, within their genre perhaps but knowing that those ripples will extend far beyond those expected borders—that’s what the awards seek to encourage. That’s also what these reviews seek. The awards are just to give those that already are showing that success and yet are still showing the potential for so much more, to give them something tangible to look at and hold.
I wish I could give awards to everyone that I’ve reviewed, but I don’t have unlimited resources. So I’ll try to pick out the ones that I see having the greatest potential to change their industry and make those all important ripples, some of those waves I hope will become tsunamis. Again, it’s only my opinion and just being reviewed means that I believe in you and see things in you that even you may not appreciate yet.
The awards may not be big or important like an Emmy or a Grammy, but they are heartfelt and sincere. They are also actual trophies—I believe people should have something tangible to hold, not just a pat on the back. No, not the silly metal cup trophy, more like the acrylic engraved block on a standard base. So, no, they aren’t vaporware, they aren’t a cheesy printed certificate, they are actual engraved awards. If the winners meet the deadline for getting back to me, that is…
The award recipients are the award recipients, but I only want to make sure that those that actually care about getting an actual trophy are the ones that get a real trophy.
Anyone who has been the subject of a review and is currently on My Friends list with a still valid and existing MySpace page is eligible (with one notable award exception.) You also stay eligible forever. So just because someone didn’t get the nod this year, doesn’t mean that they won’t in a subsequent year. Sometimes, I need to see progression since the awards are about innovation and potential for success, rather than current success.
So the winners must message my MySpace account on or before February 15, 2007 in order to receive an actual trophy. For those that don’t care, that only want the big awards, they won’t bother with the validation requirements. Oh yes, there will be a few simple hoops to jump through in order for me to be sure that the people contacting me are the actual people who won. No reps allowed, no fakes allowed. Everyone who has won has a MySpace account and I know what they look like—so the first step will be for them to use that account to send me a message (to my MySpace Account Only!) with a valid return Non-MySpace email address (since I can’t reply via MySpace still) and then I’ll give them the details.
This is the internet and I’m all too aware of how easy it is to pretend to be someone else—so I’m trying to take precautions. And the deadline is there so that the winners won’t have to wait too long while I order the custom awards. So the deadline is firm and obviously the winners would have to read this review in order to find out that they’ve won.
This review is the only notification they will receive. (Again, if they don’t care about an online review and this medium, then perhaps I’m wrong about their potential to change their industry—perhaps they’ve already bought into the politics and will go with whatever the moneymen say.)
The only exception to this is the award that started it all—the Lifetime Achievement MediaMaker award. Call it guilt if you like, since the award nominee was the subject of a spoof (and each year another nominee will be selected and subjected to a spoof), but that individual will be notified by other means—usually their agent, if I can determine their agent. In the case of the 2006 nominee winner, I have a fair idea of who his agent is.
***
It’s Been an Interesting Year
For the arts, it’s been a year of triumphs and tragedies. Dance began to come into the limelight after some warming up years where the TV world began to see that dance could be center stage rather than simply backup dancers in a music video. Music saw the domination and possible overexposure of rap, maybe signaling its demise from coolness and decent into bland and egocentric commerciality. Rock and alternative began to see a reemergence, hopefully making young fans realize that Rock is timeless—liking it doesn’t mean you are the same as your parents. Liking it means that the Age of Rock you see is unique to your generation, just as the now classic rock ages of old, were unique to their generations. Music still fills a basic need in the human soul, and driving beats and emotionally wrenching lyrics are driven not by genre but by generation. (Beethoven was a rock star of his time and his music just as controversial. We consider it tame now…but they didn’t then. Beethoven rocks…and he did rock back then, just as Blue October or Panic at the Disco! rock now. They’ll be the Beethovens of our time, as seen in the future…a little unsettling to think about, but true. No matter how cool you think you are now, the generations after will think you’re completely out of touch and ‘un’. Get used to it.)
Why do I think Rap may have peaked? Well, when it seems like 90% of the music you hear on the radio is rap, that’s not a good sign, especially when most of it is only by a few well-established names and then played ad nauseam. That means the recording companies are pushing it too hard and the raps themselves are too often trivial and pointless. When it seems like every other recording star is dressing and acting like a rapper, and even trying to do raps themselves whether it suits them or not, then perhaps you’ve got something that’s gone too commercial -- and dilution and boredom are the only result.
The rap I’m hearing on the radio isn’t striking me as cool anymore, or even inventive that much—it’s trite and egocentric and ultimately meaningless. No ripples, at least not good ones here. Some are in there trying to improve it, trying to fuse it with their own styles, though so far I haven’t seen any of the popular artists really hit that mark yet. I applaud the effort, even though I usually cringe at the result—I don’t think that the big time artists may be able to put their egos away long enough to really get the fusion right. It’s still too much about them and not anyway near enough about the music.
On the other hand, rock (the contemporary version of today that evolved by being fused or affected by all the other forms) may resurge once more, giving the ever popular ‘pop’ a run for its money. In turn, Pop may turn away from Rap, as will Hip Hop, and both be more influenced by rock, alternative, fusion, techno and other forms more commonly seen in Europe, as well as the continuing influence of African, Asian and especially, Indian music.)
We should continue to see an evolving, entertaining and interesting mix result in all forms of music, including those that practice Rap but seek to say something with their work, rather than simply be another Pop Rap or Macho I’m a Gangsta Rap. Then again, if the recording companies have their way, meaning only push the established winners no matter what they come up with or rip off, we may be subjected to a lot more of the same, regardless of quality.
It may sound like I’m down on rap, and yes, I am, but only because of the reasons already stated. When rap is done well, it’s amazing and progressive. In fact, I could say the same about all forms of music, dance, art and media. It’s ok to be entertaining, in fact, the best examples almost always are, but the best also are inventive and push us, the listener/watcher, into new territory as well. The best make ripples. The best of the best, make tsunamis.
So what am I listening to now in terms of the big names?... other than what I’m listening to and reviewing on MySpace?
Here’s some of what I’m listening to, off the top of my head:
Blue October “Hate Me”
Panic! at the Disco “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”
Nickelback “Far Away”
Fall Out Boy “Dance, Dance”
Cartel “Honestly”
The Fray “How To Save A Life”
Shakira “Hips Don’t Lie”
K.T.Tunstall (or Tunsdell?) “Suddenly I see…”
Justin Timberlake “SexyBack” (the cute masochistic version on the CD, not the creepy, sadistic version he’s been singing lately, like at the MTV Music Awards and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show…in fact, I’m almost off that song now because of those performances…maybe he and girlfriend Cameron really are having problems…)
The world of dance has seen an expansion of its audience as shows that focus on dance gain popularity, like ABC’s Dancing With the Stars and Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance. The effects of that growing popularity are harder to predict. This goes for the world of visual arts as well. Neither area is as pervasive or as broad as music, but we’ve seen (and so have media producers) a good start—and proof that dance can bring in an audience, and therefore dance shows can be profitable. Without that profit potential, you won’t get the television shows or films—that’s just how things work. Media can’t flourish without an audience. If you don’t support it, you won’t see it. It really is entirely up to you—the good and the bad of it.
Visual arts haven’t really surged into the public mind beyond where they’ve been for a long time now and I don’t really see that changing any time soon. Too many people still think of art as something for other people, not them. Still, as more artists from other fields (music, dance, TV/film, writing) are affected by the visual arts, then we’ll continue to see subtle effects in those other works. Perhaps occasionally someone major, someone famous and influential, will not do the ‘little art film’, a tokenization that is automatically categorized as something ‘less’, but will rather incorporate art into something very big, very commercial and very noticeable—not an ‘art’ film, but a film that stylistically breaks all boundaries and makes us look beyond the stereotypes. The same goes for music or dance, but likely, it will take a visual medium to really spotlight the visual arts. It's done it before. Likewise, while TV/film and books are widespread and range from experimental to ultra commercial, hopefully, the practice of copycatting will decrease and innovative, fresh works will become more appreciated. Hopefully, reality shows will fall from favor, too, since they just train the viewers to expect so little and train the moneymen in charge of production to go for the cheap rather than going for and investing in quality.
Still, in terms of what I’m seeing on the ‘Net, and especially MySpace, I’m excited about 2007. With over 100,000 bands on MySpace alone, and a growing number of artists, dance groups and filmmakers on MySpace (and YouTube), there’s a lot of innovation and potential out there. Yes, there is also a lot of crap, but why should the ‘Net be any different than the offline world of media?
The Aha! Blogolicious! Media Award Winners
To win any of these awards, you must have been a subject of either a REVIEW or (in the case of the first award) the subject of a spoof—namely a spoof of you as a nominee winner of the MediaMaker award, which only happens to one individual a year (at best.) If no candidates are considered worthy, then no awards will be given. So not all awards are guaranteed to be awarded every year, it will vary with the selection of review candidates.
The Aha! Blogolicious! MediaMaker Lifetime Achievement Nominee Award – this award goes to someone who has already achieved success in at least one media field or subfield and is showing some success in another field or subfield as well. This award is about being an up and coming multi-mediaist with the potential to achieve and rock their industry. It started as a spoof, with there only being nominees, not actual award winners, for this Lifetime Achievement Award, since the award itself can only finally be decided between the nominees post-humorously. That being the only true way to evaluate a life’s work, you see. Future nominee winners will also be the subject of a spoof specifically about this award.
2006 nominee winner – Gordon Michael Woolvett, actor/director/writer/filmmaker link to spoof article that started it all
2006 Aha! Blogolicious! Overall Media Innovator Winner – this award goes to a individual or group that I feel has the potential to not only succeed but to reinvigorate their entire genre as well as the entire industry itself. To win this award is tough and I’ll only award it if I find an individual or group that I think can really impact their ENTIRE industry. This year, I was lucky, one group was an obvious choice, because they left me wanting more when I heard them, though some of the other winners almost beat them out in the end. That group, a band, is
Summit Avenue (Alternative/Pop) related review & their myspace site is summitavenue
2006 Aha! Blogolicious! Media Innovator Winners -- this award goes to any individual or group that I feel can not only succeed but innovate their genre, bringing a fresh new perspective and new twists to their music, art, film, dance, etc., regardless of their particular genre. Any individual or group that I find that meets these requirements will win, since it isn’t about a category of media, but more about what they bring to the world of media. If I don’t find a particular type of media genre winner, then I don’t try to force it by giving it to a group in that genre. This is about innovation and potential to make an impact—not filling a slot. Some that would have been winners either dropped their sites or changed their page removing the (typically musical) innovations that attracted me in the first place, with the replacements not nearly so exciting, so they aren’t listed unfortunately, so abstract rap, a fun group with a silly prehistoric name, some experimental/electronica and a metal group that disappeared aren’t in mix this year.
There are still several winners this year, they are, in no particular order:
Three Second Delay (Alternative/Rock) related review & their myspace site is 3secdelay
Marianas Trench (Rock/Pop Punk) related review & their myspace site is marianastrench
Westcott & Rodway (Acoustic/Classical/Jazz) related review & their myspace site is westcottandrodway
Perceptions (short 5 minute online film) related review & their myspace site is perceptionsthemovie
There are no visual artists this year. I looked at some wonderful work from a few that I found, but I didn’t feel they were necessarily going to shake up the art world. I could be wrong and I hope they prove me wrong, just as I hope anyone I review goes on to great things. So the fault lies with me, but nonetheless, no visual artists this year are in the final mix. This award is about making a visual impact on the art world, as presented on the Internet. If you’re work isn’t on the ‘Net, I won’t see it. It does not mean you have to do your work electronically, just present some form of it here. Visual artists have been tougher for me to find on MySpace and the leads from readers have been few, so obviously, musicians dominate this years Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards, but that may change in future years.
As for dance, the focus is on dance, but that doesn’t imply automatically a dancer or dance company. Since we are dealing with media on the ‘Net, it’s about presenting dance in an innovative way, and about showing the potential to make an even greater impact on the genre in the future. The focus is on dance and dancing, but the presentation is via media that can translate well on the ‘Net, whether it be film clips, photographic stills, or something else.
And if you’re wondering why I didn’t choose a TV show or a magazine, well, let’s just say the jury is still out on some of the other dance related areas. Remember, innovation and potential to really impact the industry is a prime requirement. Also remember, that these awards go, not to the already big and successful who probably don’t care about a piddling little award that isn’t controlled by Hollywood or New York, but to the up and comers that are still battling to make it big. So a TV show may already be seen as successful – not always, but in this case (dance), yes. Individual dancers might be chosen, but again, it’s about their presentation on the ‘Net of their innovation and talents, so if I didn’t find enough to convince me, well, then that’s my excuse here. Send me pointers to evidence if you want to see someone considered as a future review candidate and therefore become eligible as a potential 2007 winner.
Remember, I’m looking for potential to not only succeed but to change their entire genre or industry in some significant way—to really evoke change and innovation. I’m looking for the next Blue October, or JibJab or Harlem Dance. To do that is difficult and some of the most successful artists of our time wouldn’t make the cut—they may be financially successful with large followings, but they may not really make any significant contribution that will last beyond their own lifetime or even their own fifteen minutes of fame.
Then again, as always, remember, these awards are based on subjective opinion and opinions can always be wrong, I know that. So don’t be too cross if you’re favorite isn’t here. I may have missed some important clue that you picked up on, or they may still get an award in the coming years, as I see the impact of their work and their potential come more to the fore. At least, you and I are in there trying to spot the gems now—rather than letting the moneymen decide for us. If you’re reviewed at all on this blog, at any time, then it means I believe in you and your potential. These particular awards though, are limited, so I have to try to find and pick the ones I think will go the distance and make those eventual tsunamis.
Congratulations to all the 2006 year winners.
Remember, the deadline is February 15, 2007 from the winner’s MySpace account, their MySpace account that is already on my friend list only, messaged privately via message (not comment—comments will not count) to my inbox including a valid email account for return regular email messages. The return email message will detail the validation process next steps. NO EXCEPTIONS, SORRY! (This is to ensure that the award trophy goes to the legitimate winners only.) If you miss the deadline, all you’ll get is a cheesy printed certificate.
CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media
Aha! Blogolicious!
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A Look Back To Get a Look Forward
January was named after the god, Janus, who was often depicted with two heads. This was so that Janus could always look into the past (hindsight) while simultaneously looking forward into the future (foresight.)
It’s fitting then to take stock of the past year during the beginning of the next, so that in looking back, we can get an idea of what the future may bring.
These reviews on this blog have always emphasized the positive. There’s a reason for that and I’ve said it before, but it needs to be said again. There are enough people out there in your life and mine that are bound to look for the negative, for a reason to put you down, to make you feel bad about yourself and sometimes just because that’s the only way they can feel better about themselves.
Unfortunately, just as there are too many of those type of people around, including ourselves from time to time but hopefully not constantly, there is also human nature—the tendency to pay more attention to the negative and ignore the positive. Everyone’s had a situation where they get complimented nine times out of ten, but what do you pay the most attention to? Yep, the negative, the singular time that something mean or critical was said. We focus on that and if we’re not careful, we obsess over it and begin to believe it.
That’s why I don’t do negative reviews. If you get reviewed here, it means, at least in my opinion, that you are special and I see something special and significant about you. I want you to focus on the positive, to remember those nine times and not the one. I want you to remember that only you dictate your worth and your future—that belief in yourself is the most critical element to success and happiness—and it always will be. Every time you have a setback or a failure, remember that the most successful people in the world had dozens more than you—they didn’t give up. Each failure was a learning experience, a necessary step that brought them closer to that ultimate success—a true success, by their standards rather than dictated by the whims and fears of others.
That’s why I’m so critical of degrading reality shows and critics like Simon Cowell. I don’t hate them personally, but I hate what they are doing and the kind of world they are creating. Like ripples in a pond, the damage they do extends far beyond their own borders or expectations.
Believe in yourself. Have a life with no regrets. Take risks. Failure isn’t to be feared. Being afraid to take the risk and living a life of regrets is your real enemy, your mortal enemy.
That’s what the Janus Media Review is all about.
That’s also what the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards are about.
The awards actually started because of a spoof article that I wrote some long months back, but within each spoof is always the kernel of truth and this particular article had much more than a kernel. When I discovered that some of the fans of this person thought the award was real and were disappointed to learn it was a spoof, it got me to thinking—and I thought about it a lot. I thought about all the great musicians and artists and dancers and writers and actors and filmmakers that I’d reviewed and sometimes met.
It suddenly occurred to me that being reviewed was not enough, even a blog dedicated to the positive only. People need recognition and something tangible to remind them that they are special. They need something, sometimes, to give them that extra push to keep going, to fighting the good fight, to pick themselves up and try again. They need to know that they aren’t alone and that what they do, the effort itself, matters more than they can ever imagine.
Just like the damaging effects, the positive affects they make are also like ripples in a pond—and sometimes that pond becomes an ocean.
***
Background on the Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards...
The awards may not be the big awards, but then again, they aren’t full of politics, intrigue, controversy either. They also aren’t about recognizing the already successful big timers.
These awards are about recognizing those who are doing great work but even more importantly are showing the potential to do so much more—to make those big ripples in their industry. That potential to really make a difference in the world, to change it for the better, within their genre perhaps but knowing that those ripples will extend far beyond those expected borders—that’s what the awards seek to encourage. That’s also what these reviews seek. The awards are just to give those that already are showing that success and yet are still showing the potential for so much more, to give them something tangible to look at and hold.
I wish I could give awards to everyone that I’ve reviewed, but I don’t have unlimited resources. So I’ll try to pick out the ones that I see having the greatest potential to change their industry and make those all important ripples, some of those waves I hope will become tsunamis. Again, it’s only my opinion and just being reviewed means that I believe in you and see things in you that even you may not appreciate yet.
The awards may not be big or important like an Emmy or a Grammy, but they are heartfelt and sincere. They are also actual trophies—I believe people should have something tangible to hold, not just a pat on the back. No, not the silly metal cup trophy, more like the acrylic engraved block on a standard base. So, no, they aren’t vaporware, they aren’t a cheesy printed certificate, they are actual engraved awards. If the winners meet the deadline for getting back to me, that is…
The award recipients are the award recipients, but I only want to make sure that those that actually care about getting an actual trophy are the ones that get a real trophy.
Anyone who has been the subject of a review and is currently on My Friends list with a still valid and existing MySpace page is eligible (with one notable award exception.) You also stay eligible forever. So just because someone didn’t get the nod this year, doesn’t mean that they won’t in a subsequent year. Sometimes, I need to see progression since the awards are about innovation and potential for success, rather than current success.
So the winners must message my MySpace account on or before February 15, 2007 in order to receive an actual trophy. For those that don’t care, that only want the big awards, they won’t bother with the validation requirements. Oh yes, there will be a few simple hoops to jump through in order for me to be sure that the people contacting me are the actual people who won. No reps allowed, no fakes allowed. Everyone who has won has a MySpace account and I know what they look like—so the first step will be for them to use that account to send me a message (to my MySpace Account Only!) with a valid return Non-MySpace email address (since I can’t reply via MySpace still) and then I’ll give them the details.
This is the internet and I’m all too aware of how easy it is to pretend to be someone else—so I’m trying to take precautions. And the deadline is there so that the winners won’t have to wait too long while I order the custom awards. So the deadline is firm and obviously the winners would have to read this review in order to find out that they’ve won.
This review is the only notification they will receive. (Again, if they don’t care about an online review and this medium, then perhaps I’m wrong about their potential to change their industry—perhaps they’ve already bought into the politics and will go with whatever the moneymen say.)
The only exception to this is the award that started it all—the Lifetime Achievement MediaMaker award. Call it guilt if you like, since the award nominee was the subject of a spoof (and each year another nominee will be selected and subjected to a spoof), but that individual will be notified by other means—usually their agent, if I can determine their agent. In the case of the 2006 nominee winner, I have a fair idea of who his agent is.
***
It’s Been an Interesting Year
For the arts, it’s been a year of triumphs and tragedies. Dance began to come into the limelight after some warming up years where the TV world began to see that dance could be center stage rather than simply backup dancers in a music video. Music saw the domination and possible overexposure of rap, maybe signaling its demise from coolness and decent into bland and egocentric commerciality. Rock and alternative began to see a reemergence, hopefully making young fans realize that Rock is timeless—liking it doesn’t mean you are the same as your parents. Liking it means that the Age of Rock you see is unique to your generation, just as the now classic rock ages of old, were unique to their generations. Music still fills a basic need in the human soul, and driving beats and emotionally wrenching lyrics are driven not by genre but by generation. (Beethoven was a rock star of his time and his music just as controversial. We consider it tame now…but they didn’t then. Beethoven rocks…and he did rock back then, just as Blue October or Panic at the Disco! rock now. They’ll be the Beethovens of our time, as seen in the future…a little unsettling to think about, but true. No matter how cool you think you are now, the generations after will think you’re completely out of touch and ‘un’. Get used to it.)
Why do I think Rap may have peaked? Well, when it seems like 90% of the music you hear on the radio is rap, that’s not a good sign, especially when most of it is only by a few well-established names and then played ad nauseam. That means the recording companies are pushing it too hard and the raps themselves are too often trivial and pointless. When it seems like every other recording star is dressing and acting like a rapper, and even trying to do raps themselves whether it suits them or not, then perhaps you’ve got something that’s gone too commercial -- and dilution and boredom are the only result.
The rap I’m hearing on the radio isn’t striking me as cool anymore, or even inventive that much—it’s trite and egocentric and ultimately meaningless. No ripples, at least not good ones here. Some are in there trying to improve it, trying to fuse it with their own styles, though so far I haven’t seen any of the popular artists really hit that mark yet. I applaud the effort, even though I usually cringe at the result—I don’t think that the big time artists may be able to put their egos away long enough to really get the fusion right. It’s still too much about them and not anyway near enough about the music.
On the other hand, rock (the contemporary version of today that evolved by being fused or affected by all the other forms) may resurge once more, giving the ever popular ‘pop’ a run for its money. In turn, Pop may turn away from Rap, as will Hip Hop, and both be more influenced by rock, alternative, fusion, techno and other forms more commonly seen in Europe, as well as the continuing influence of African, Asian and especially, Indian music.)
We should continue to see an evolving, entertaining and interesting mix result in all forms of music, including those that practice Rap but seek to say something with their work, rather than simply be another Pop Rap or Macho I’m a Gangsta Rap. Then again, if the recording companies have their way, meaning only push the established winners no matter what they come up with or rip off, we may be subjected to a lot more of the same, regardless of quality.
It may sound like I’m down on rap, and yes, I am, but only because of the reasons already stated. When rap is done well, it’s amazing and progressive. In fact, I could say the same about all forms of music, dance, art and media. It’s ok to be entertaining, in fact, the best examples almost always are, but the best also are inventive and push us, the listener/watcher, into new territory as well. The best make ripples. The best of the best, make tsunamis.
So what am I listening to now in terms of the big names?... other than what I’m listening to and reviewing on MySpace?
Here’s some of what I’m listening to, off the top of my head:
Blue October “Hate Me”
Panic! at the Disco “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”
Nickelback “Far Away”
Fall Out Boy “Dance, Dance”
Cartel “Honestly”
The Fray “How To Save A Life”
Shakira “Hips Don’t Lie”
K.T.Tunstall (or Tunsdell?) “Suddenly I see…”
Justin Timberlake “SexyBack” (the cute masochistic version on the CD, not the creepy, sadistic version he’s been singing lately, like at the MTV Music Awards and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show…in fact, I’m almost off that song now because of those performances…maybe he and girlfriend Cameron really are having problems…)
The world of dance has seen an expansion of its audience as shows that focus on dance gain popularity, like ABC’s Dancing With the Stars and Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance. The effects of that growing popularity are harder to predict. This goes for the world of visual arts as well. Neither area is as pervasive or as broad as music, but we’ve seen (and so have media producers) a good start—and proof that dance can bring in an audience, and therefore dance shows can be profitable. Without that profit potential, you won’t get the television shows or films—that’s just how things work. Media can’t flourish without an audience. If you don’t support it, you won’t see it. It really is entirely up to you—the good and the bad of it.
Visual arts haven’t really surged into the public mind beyond where they’ve been for a long time now and I don’t really see that changing any time soon. Too many people still think of art as something for other people, not them. Still, as more artists from other fields (music, dance, TV/film, writing) are affected by the visual arts, then we’ll continue to see subtle effects in those other works. Perhaps occasionally someone major, someone famous and influential, will not do the ‘little art film’, a tokenization that is automatically categorized as something ‘less’, but will rather incorporate art into something very big, very commercial and very noticeable—not an ‘art’ film, but a film that stylistically breaks all boundaries and makes us look beyond the stereotypes. The same goes for music or dance, but likely, it will take a visual medium to really spotlight the visual arts. It's done it before. Likewise, while TV/film and books are widespread and range from experimental to ultra commercial, hopefully, the practice of copycatting will decrease and innovative, fresh works will become more appreciated. Hopefully, reality shows will fall from favor, too, since they just train the viewers to expect so little and train the moneymen in charge of production to go for the cheap rather than going for and investing in quality.
Still, in terms of what I’m seeing on the ‘Net, and especially MySpace, I’m excited about 2007. With over 100,000 bands on MySpace alone, and a growing number of artists, dance groups and filmmakers on MySpace (and YouTube), there’s a lot of innovation and potential out there. Yes, there is also a lot of crap, but why should the ‘Net be any different than the offline world of media?
The Aha! Blogolicious! Media Award Winners
To win any of these awards, you must have been a subject of either a REVIEW or (in the case of the first award) the subject of a spoof—namely a spoof of you as a nominee winner of the MediaMaker award, which only happens to one individual a year (at best.) If no candidates are considered worthy, then no awards will be given. So not all awards are guaranteed to be awarded every year, it will vary with the selection of review candidates.
The Aha! Blogolicious! MediaMaker Lifetime Achievement Nominee Award – this award goes to someone who has already achieved success in at least one media field or subfield and is showing some success in another field or subfield as well. This award is about being an up and coming multi-mediaist with the potential to achieve and rock their industry. It started as a spoof, with there only being nominees, not actual award winners, for this Lifetime Achievement Award, since the award itself can only finally be decided between the nominees post-humorously. That being the only true way to evaluate a life’s work, you see. Future nominee winners will also be the subject of a spoof specifically about this award.
2006 nominee winner – Gordon Michael Woolvett, actor/director/writer/filmmaker link to spoof article that started it all
2006 Aha! Blogolicious! Overall Media Innovator Winner – this award goes to a individual or group that I feel has the potential to not only succeed but to reinvigorate their entire genre as well as the entire industry itself. To win this award is tough and I’ll only award it if I find an individual or group that I think can really impact their ENTIRE industry. This year, I was lucky, one group was an obvious choice, because they left me wanting more when I heard them, though some of the other winners almost beat them out in the end. That group, a band, is
Summit Avenue (Alternative/Pop) related review & their myspace site is summitavenue
2006 Aha! Blogolicious! Media Innovator Winners -- this award goes to any individual or group that I feel can not only succeed but innovate their genre, bringing a fresh new perspective and new twists to their music, art, film, dance, etc., regardless of their particular genre. Any individual or group that I find that meets these requirements will win, since it isn’t about a category of media, but more about what they bring to the world of media. If I don’t find a particular type of media genre winner, then I don’t try to force it by giving it to a group in that genre. This is about innovation and potential to make an impact—not filling a slot. Some that would have been winners either dropped their sites or changed their page removing the (typically musical) innovations that attracted me in the first place, with the replacements not nearly so exciting, so they aren’t listed unfortunately, so abstract rap, a fun group with a silly prehistoric name, some experimental/electronica and a metal group that disappeared aren’t in mix this year.
There are still several winners this year, they are, in no particular order:
Three Second Delay (Alternative/Rock) related review & their myspace site is 3secdelay
Marianas Trench (Rock/Pop Punk) related review & their myspace site is marianastrench
Westcott & Rodway (Acoustic/Classical/Jazz) related review & their myspace site is westcottandrodway
Perceptions (short 5 minute online film) related review & their myspace site is perceptionsthemovie
There are no visual artists this year. I looked at some wonderful work from a few that I found, but I didn’t feel they were necessarily going to shake up the art world. I could be wrong and I hope they prove me wrong, just as I hope anyone I review goes on to great things. So the fault lies with me, but nonetheless, no visual artists this year are in the final mix. This award is about making a visual impact on the art world, as presented on the Internet. If you’re work isn’t on the ‘Net, I won’t see it. It does not mean you have to do your work electronically, just present some form of it here. Visual artists have been tougher for me to find on MySpace and the leads from readers have been few, so obviously, musicians dominate this years Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards, but that may change in future years.
As for dance, the focus is on dance, but that doesn’t imply automatically a dancer or dance company. Since we are dealing with media on the ‘Net, it’s about presenting dance in an innovative way, and about showing the potential to make an even greater impact on the genre in the future. The focus is on dance and dancing, but the presentation is via media that can translate well on the ‘Net, whether it be film clips, photographic stills, or something else.
And if you’re wondering why I didn’t choose a TV show or a magazine, well, let’s just say the jury is still out on some of the other dance related areas. Remember, innovation and potential to really impact the industry is a prime requirement. Also remember, that these awards go, not to the already big and successful who probably don’t care about a piddling little award that isn’t controlled by Hollywood or New York, but to the up and comers that are still battling to make it big. So a TV show may already be seen as successful – not always, but in this case (dance), yes. Individual dancers might be chosen, but again, it’s about their presentation on the ‘Net of their innovation and talents, so if I didn’t find enough to convince me, well, then that’s my excuse here. Send me pointers to evidence if you want to see someone considered as a future review candidate and therefore become eligible as a potential 2007 winner.
Remember, I’m looking for potential to not only succeed but to change their entire genre or industry in some significant way—to really evoke change and innovation. I’m looking for the next Blue October, or JibJab or Harlem Dance. To do that is difficult and some of the most successful artists of our time wouldn’t make the cut—they may be financially successful with large followings, but they may not really make any significant contribution that will last beyond their own lifetime or even their own fifteen minutes of fame.
Then again, as always, remember, these awards are based on subjective opinion and opinions can always be wrong, I know that. So don’t be too cross if you’re favorite isn’t here. I may have missed some important clue that you picked up on, or they may still get an award in the coming years, as I see the impact of their work and their potential come more to the fore. At least, you and I are in there trying to spot the gems now—rather than letting the moneymen decide for us. If you’re reviewed at all on this blog, at any time, then it means I believe in you and your potential. These particular awards though, are limited, so I have to try to find and pick the ones I think will go the distance and make those eventual tsunamis.
Congratulations to all the 2006 year winners.
Remember, the deadline is February 15, 2007 from the winner’s MySpace account, their MySpace account that is already on my friend list only, messaged privately via message (not comment—comments will not count) to my inbox including a valid email account for return regular email messages. The return email message will detail the validation process next steps. NO EXCEPTIONS, SORRY! (This is to ensure that the award trophy goes to the legitimate winners only.) If you miss the deadline, all you’ll get is a cheesy printed certificate.
CG Anderson
Little Dogs Media
Aha! Blogolicious!
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Thursday, September 14, 2006
(HUMOR) Long lost CLONE of Film/TV Star Gordon Michael Woolvett finally discovered—"So You Think You Can Dance Star, " dancer Travis Wall
(HUMOR) Long lost CLONE of Film/TV Star Gordon Michael Woolvett finally discovered
—"So You Think You Can Dance Star, " dancer Travis Wall raised without knowledge of his true origins!
—"So You Think You Can Dance Star, " dancer Travis Wall raised without knowledge of his true origins!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
By Ima Spoofer
(Related Stories: Review of So You Think You Can Dance LIVE Tour Seattle Premier is below this article, see archives for articles on Seattle Seahawks Android Player Scandal and Gordon Michael Woolvett Wins Blogolicious Lifetime Achievement Nomination.)
Recently, highly unethical and secret DNA tests were performed by Secret Blogolicious Field and Stream Operatives on both men in order to confirm the rumors and recent speculation that there was some sort of genetic link between the two.
The results were positive—identical, in fact.
Sources not-so-close to Mr. Woolvett say that yes, there were times when he was about seventeen or eighteen where he claims that he had little recall of his activities. So it is possible, say experts, that Mr. Woolvett's DNA was stolen while he had been incapacitated in some way in order to take samples or perhaps when he simply had too much to drink at a party. It does not seem likely that the writer/actor/director had any knowledge of the DNA theft, nor is complicit in the actual experimentation and creation of the clone.
As for the alleged clone in question, eighteen year old jazz/lyrical/contemporary dancer, Travis Wall was the runner-up in the FOX summer hit, So You Think You Can Dance and is currently touring with the national LIVE show which sold out just thirty minutes after tickets went online. (Mr. Wall turns nineteen on September 16, 2006.)
The Wall family aggressively denies that Travis is a clone of the famous actor and that he came into the world in the traditional manner—they cite hospital records as proof. If any tampering were involved, say experts, it is possible that secret government agents from
The height, build and eerily matching appearances of both men could simply be coincidence, say sources. After all, look how many supposed clones of Pamela Anderson are running around—even the ones without extensive silicon augmenting?
Experts say that at first, considering the amazing strength, flexibility and jumping ability of Travis Wall, they wondered if perhaps the young man was not a clone but an android. This wouldn't be the first time that androids were discovered masquerading as athletes (see earlier article on the Seattle Seahawks Android Players Expose on this blog.) However, DNA tests proved otherwise. They also state that talent often emerges differently based on environment, so the original being a gifted actor doesn't negate the likelihood of a clone becoming a gifted dancer.
How many clones there are running around of the Canadian actor is currently unknown, nor why Mr. Woolvett in particular was singled out. It is possible, say sources, that this is only the beginning of a new Canadian Cultural Offensive against the
Why you may ask? Perhaps, say experts, they are trying to improve the current state of American television. After all, experts point to all the American clones of not only actors but television shows that are currently running on U.S. and World televisions—but generally not with good result. This could simply be a counterplot to the current studio cloning projects.
Let's hope so.
This is a satirical spoof, meaning, don't take it seriously.
Blog site: http://ahablogolicious.blogspot.com/
URL: http://home.myuw.net/cganders/
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Gordon Michael Woolvett nominated for BLOGOLICIOUS AWARD!
Gordon Michael Woolvett nominated for BLOGOLICIOUS AWARD!
(NOTE: This article is a spoof, but the Award...slightly altered...is now REAL. And yes, Gordon won it. To read about the Actual Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards, go to this story link. Cheers! CG)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
By Ima Spoofer
Hollyweird, CA. Gordon Michael Woolvett, actor, writer and director was nominated recently for the 2006th Blogolicious MediaMaker Award. Mr. Woolvett was nominated in the Lifetime Achievement category since that is the only category currently still funded by the Academy of Blogolicious MediaMaker Working Group. Other categories in the past included: Best Cross-Dressing Dictator, Most Musical Carpet Cleaner and Least Felonious Child Star. Since all past categories ended in fistfights between the nominees and the nominating committee, no awards were ever actually awarded but most charges were eventually dropped.
Mr. Woolvett is best known for his starring role as Seamus Harper in the Television Series Gene Roddenberry's: Andromeda. However, his work in Elvis Meets Nixon, Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion, Deepwater Black, The Highwayman, Mysterious Island, My Date With the President's Daughter, Sliders, Gator Face and Princes In Exile brought him to the attention of the nominating committee. His excellent work as a screenwriter, proving himself as blessed in talent in two areas and therefore a danger to society and Hollywood filmmaking, was not held against him--much.
His work as a director/writer in Fracture was highly praised as a brilliant opening to a promising directing career. Subsequently, those committee members voting for him solely because of his directing debut were removed because they had not actually seen the film yet and were deemed unduly influenced by a group of leprechauns masquerading as a circus troupe calling themselves, the World's Smallest Giants. Subsequently again, they and the committee members were admitted to the Betty Ford clinic and are now busy selling the movie rights to their story.
Those not having seen Fracture are encouraged to do so and may contact Mr. Woolvett at his website http://woolvettmail.netfirms.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi/YaBB.cgi or http://www.gmwoolvett.com/ in order to find out how to purchase and see the film. The remaining members of the committee have promised to actually see the film, rather than just praise it, in the near future as well.
According to the head of the nominating committee, Mr. Woolvett's nude scene in Rude was the defining moment of the film and clinched his winning of the coveted nomination.
The winner of the 2006th Blogolicious MediaMaker Award for Lifetime Achievement will be announced as usual, after all the contestants are deceased and a reasonable assessment can be made of their life's work. Contestants committing suicide, self-sacrificial or otherwise, are automatically disqualified for cheating. Murdered contestants are re-evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Contestants are not allowed to murder each other in order to increase their chances of winning and will be severely scolded.
Aha! Blogolicious! wishes to congratulated Mr. Woolvett on his nomination and wishes him the best in his future as an up and coming MediaMaker.
This is a satirical spoof, meaning, don't take it seriously.
CG Anderson is a 10 year market researcher and web strategist involved in technology, science and the online world. Also a writer, blogger and novelist. CG's comments are personal and opinionated and solely the responsibility of the author, so there. Don't like the opinions, disagree, agree, don't know? Great, make a comment—clean ones will be allowed, netiquette-challenged ones will be ignored!
Blog sites: http://ahablogolicious.blogspot.com/
URL: http://home.myuw.net/cganders/
(NOTE: This article is a spoof, but the Award...slightly altered...is now REAL. And yes, Gordon won it. To read about the Actual Aha! Blogolicious! Media Awards, go to this story link. Cheers! CG)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
By Ima Spoofer
Hollyweird, CA. Gordon Michael Woolvett, actor, writer and director was nominated recently for the 2006th Blogolicious MediaMaker Award. Mr. Woolvett was nominated in the Lifetime Achievement category since that is the only category currently still funded by the Academy of Blogolicious MediaMaker Working Group. Other categories in the past included: Best Cross-Dressing Dictator, Most Musical Carpet Cleaner and Least Felonious Child Star. Since all past categories ended in fistfights between the nominees and the nominating committee, no awards were ever actually awarded but most charges were eventually dropped.
Mr. Woolvett is best known for his starring role as Seamus Harper in the Television Series Gene Roddenberry's: Andromeda. However, his work in Elvis Meets Nixon, Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion, Deepwater Black, The Highwayman, Mysterious Island, My Date With the President's Daughter, Sliders, Gator Face and Princes In Exile brought him to the attention of the nominating committee. His excellent work as a screenwriter, proving himself as blessed in talent in two areas and therefore a danger to society and Hollywood filmmaking, was not held against him--much.His work as a director/writer in Fracture was highly praised as a brilliant opening to a promising directing career. Subsequently, those committee members voting for him solely because of his directing debut were removed because they had not actually seen the film yet and were deemed unduly influenced by a group of leprechauns masquerading as a circus troupe calling themselves, the World's Smallest Giants. Subsequently again, they and the committee members were admitted to the Betty Ford clinic and are now busy selling the movie rights to their story.
Those not having seen Fracture are encouraged to do so and may contact Mr. Woolvett at his website http://woolvettmail.netfirms.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi/YaBB.cgi or http://www.gmwoolvett.com/ in order to find out how to purchase and see the film. The remaining members of the committee have promised to actually see the film, rather than just praise it, in the near future as well.
According to the head of the nominating committee, Mr. Woolvett's nude scene in Rude was the defining moment of the film and clinched his winning of the coveted nomination.
The winner of the 2006th Blogolicious MediaMaker Award for Lifetime Achievement will be announced as usual, after all the contestants are deceased and a reasonable assessment can be made of their life's work. Contestants committing suicide, self-sacrificial or otherwise, are automatically disqualified for cheating. Murdered contestants are re-evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Contestants are not allowed to murder each other in order to increase their chances of winning and will be severely scolded.
Aha! Blogolicious! wishes to congratulated Mr. Woolvett on his nomination and wishes him the best in his future as an up and coming MediaMaker.
This is a satirical spoof, meaning, don't take it seriously.
CG Anderson is a 10 year market researcher and web strategist involved in technology, science and the online world. Also a writer, blogger and novelist. CG's comments are personal and opinionated and solely the responsibility of the author, so there. Don't like the opinions, disagree, agree, don't know? Great, make a comment—clean ones will be allowed, netiquette-challenged ones will be ignored!Blog sites: http://ahablogolicious.blogspot.com/
URL: http://home.myuw.net/cganders/
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