2007 Academy Awards

I normally don't watch award shows, but this Sunday I did catch almost the entirety of the Academy Awards. I have to admit, it was the biggest sham-production ever. I mean there was literally like 3 hours of "pre-Oscar" broadcast before the ceremony, and afterwards all the L.A. news stations seemed to cover was the after-parties. I mean really, did nothing else happen on Sunday that actually constitutes news? And the ceremony itself--it dragged on and on and on... I'm pretty sure it ended about an hour late. It's not that I was particularly opposed to which films and who won. I think it is just the overall gradiose production of award ceremonies that bugs me. Enough is enough--award season is over right?

Orisinal

I was sitting in class a bit bored watching a girl in front of me play games on her computer, and I noticed her on a website called Orisinal. Its got a ton of really fun games on it. The graphics have a distinct "child-like" quality to them for lack of a better word, and the music is often really good too. I recommend the first game that comes up (top left corner with a picture of a bell). Its this really odd game where you make a rabbit bounce up in the sky on bells. Its simple but very addicting. Explore them all, let me know what you think.

Come Into My World

Here's another one by Gondry. It's "Come Into My World" by Kylie Minogue. This one is significantly harder to figure out how the video was made/"what is going on." I had to watch it numerous times to really pinpoint it because you understand at first but you can't quite explain it.

Pope Blesses KFC

So I just heard that a KFC (I missed where) wants the Pope to bless a new fish sandwich product they are offering in order to attract Catholics during the season of Lent. Are you serious? Does the Pope really need to do that (I doubt he will). Why not just bless every non meat product during the month of Lent. That is ridiculous KFC.

Around the World, Part 2

Ok so no one responded to the preceeding question but I am still going to provide the answer. There are five instruments in the song "Around the World" and as Gondry began thinking about how to make a video for it, he started to envision each instrument as a type of person. Here is what he had to say: "Bass: athletes with small heads and big legs, because they are hysical, move constantly, and have no time to think; Guitar: skeletons, because it sounds scratchy; Synthesizer: disco girls, because it sounds feminine; Vocoder (the vocals): Robots, its obvious why; Drum machine: Mummies, please don't ask why, but its a very removed meaning of association between M. Jackson (my hero) and what he did to himself." From here, he combined these characters into dance moves that both mimiced their sounds and intertwined with the other characters in a way to make them all overlap.

Around the World

So I decided that half the fun with Michel Gondry videos (and really music in general) is trying to figure out "just what is going on." So from now on I am going to post a video and ask you, the viewers, to tell me what is going on. It may be simple, it may be complex, but there will always be something in the video that you in some sort of way have to figure out. For example, in "Star Guitar," you had to determine that each passing object was going with a certain beat. This next one, "Around the World" by Daft Punk is both obvious and hard to articulate at the same time. I will give you a hint: there is a reason there are 5 different "types" of people/dancers. Any guess will do, but remember, the music and the video coincide in some way. The person that is the closest or most specific wins. Good luck. Oh and folks, I consider the internet a cheap cop out to finding the real answer so try not to use it.

Michel Gondry: Star Guitar

Michel Gondry is probably one of my favorite directors, but I feel he is perhaps a bit unknown. He directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (probably his most mainstream work), but I think I like him best for the work he has done on music videos (which honestly put any MTV video award winner to shame). A personal favorite is "Star Guitar" by the Chemical Brothers. The premise is that someone is riding on a train looking outside through the window. With every repeating beat, there are different objects outside which roll past the window to their respective beats (there are many beats layered on top of each other hence multiple objects). The first video is the finished one, and I was able to find "the making of the video" as well (shown in the second video). If you like this, there are plenty more to come. (I do recommend getting his dvd though for quality of video purposes among other things).

Pigeon Lady

So for the past few months I have noticed this woman on campus who always feeds pigeons and squirrels on Monday around 1pm (or near lunch time) in the park right across from the bookstore behind Bovard (I think its called Associate's Park). It's really strange because I am almost certain she is not a USC student but she is always in the same place at the same time doing the same thing. If anyone knows who I am talking about or would like to take the time to investigate this and confirm my observances, it would be greatly appreciated.

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin Fact #1: John Bonham, the bands drummer, became severely depressed while touring because he missed his family. This led him to drink. On September 25, 1980, before going to rehearsal, he downed two quadruple vodkas and continued to drink after that. He died not because of alcohol poisoning but because he choked on his own vomit.

Below is really early footage of Led Zeppelin Performing "Dazed and Confused." I've seen and heard the song tons of times, but I still get goose bumps when Page bows it.

YKK on Your Zipper

So maybe I'm a bit nieve, but until about 10 minutes ago I had no idea what YKK meant despite the fact that it is on all of my zippers. I always thought it was just some wierd thing that all the zipper companies conspired to do--perhaps some secret occult sign of the zipper tycoons. In fact the explanation for the "ancient runes" is really nothing more than branding. YKK is the largest zipper manufacturer in the world and, being Japanese based, the YKK stands for the company name: Yoshida Kōgyō-sho.

Geocaching

I just learned about this new online trend called geocashing-- here is a pretty good beginners guide to what geocaching is all about realeased by the official geocaching website. The concept seems pretty interesting as it basically is one big worldwide scavenger hunt prompted by posting tracking coordinates on the internet. You can limit the areas of where you want to track to stay within areas near you or expand globally. If I had a GPS reciever I would partake in the fun. (I did register with the site so if anyone has GPS in their car let me know.)

Law and Order: SVU

I have alway been one of the biggest supporters of Law and Order: SVU, but lately, at least starting with the new season, episodes just haven't been up to par. I could understand when the first few episodes were slacking because Mariska Hagarty was on maternity leave and the chemistry between her and Christopher Meloni (Benson and Stabler) often drives the show. I was even willing to accept the shows pace when she returned because they had to re-establish the acting relationship. But now, about 3 months into the season, I can not make exuses anymore. The plots aren't as complicated or full of twists, they never use the assistant D.A. (in essence eliminating the order I love so much), and I am getting bored--which really bothers me. Any Law and Order fans have an opinion?

Call on Me

Because I like it

Boys vs. Girls Bikes

Having ridden a bike for the past 16 years of my life, I have always been bothered by the fact that boy bikes have a horizontal crossbar from the seat to the handlebars while girl bikes do not. What is the deal with this? On the one hand, it does distinguish between a boy bike and a girl bike, but why do you need this distinction. I have heard the reason girl bikes do not have the bar is because the bike, back when it was first created, was developed practically for girls. The absence of a crossbar prevented a girl's skirt from being propped up, thus keeping her undergarments concealed. This makes sense to me, but at the same time, the crossbar for boys can become a precarious risk indeed. For any guy who has, for lack of a better word, been "nutted" on the crossbar, you can certainly see how it can be a source of anguish. That being said, perhaps bikes for both sexes should be the same--and crossbar free. One more step toward egalitarian society right?