Black is the new pink. Beatboxing is the new DJ.
Mar 14I’m not sure when this emerging pattern of beatboxing began (and I mean the recent upswing in visibility, not its 80s roots – I miss The Fat Boys), but it’s about to reach a critical mass I think. I’m not prone to predictions, but I think within the next year, if not the next few months, beatboxing is about to blow up. Follow my train of thought, won’t you.
Most recently, as in today, Xeni at BoingBoing posts about a French boxer on their version of American Idol (wait, did American Idol come first?) – Joseph blew away the judges, but I’m not sure that he made it on the show. You have to sing, after all.
I found this amusing, as I’d just stumbled upon a boxer trying out for the Australian Idol show.
My journey from not-paying-attention to trading links with Xeni started a couple of months back when I discovered a YouTube video for Biz Markie’s Turn the Party Out. Song, fucking, rules. And I had to buy an expensive hip hop sampler CD to get a better version, but it was worth it.
BSG: Enjoying the Quiet
Mar 13We’re like six episodes behind on the latest season of Battlestar Galactica, and in an uncharacteristic show of restraint on my part, I’ve largely avoided detailed spoilers (although I THINK I know the big scary thing that happens in “Malestrom” just through some strange online osmosis).
So I’m in this weird position of enjoying the season, but anticipating the worst, because I sorta know things are gonna go bad in a major way, but I’m not totally sure how.
Anyway, I’m on episode two, and I’m pissed that Starbuck and Apollo don’t FINALLY hook up, cause Apollo does NOT love Dualla, I know it in my deepest of hearts. And Starbuck sure as FRAK don’t love her hunky Pyramid player.
But then, if the worst I’ve sensed does happen, the star-crossed lovers may…SPOILERS. Better stop writing, cause then I may read it, and then I may know.
300
Mar 12Visceral, violent, stirring, intense–these are words that describe 300.
Sensitive, feminist, complex, layered–these are words that describe films other than 300.
I love Frank Miller to little tiny scary pieces, but as I get older, I find his work tends to disturb me more and more. He’s at worst a virulent chauvinist who kinda hates women; at best, he’s simply ignorant of how to convey them with any level of understanding or sensitivity. The lone female in 300, King Leonidas’ wife Gorgo, has two major character beats: She is pseudo-raped by a mustache-twirling politician, and then she stabs that politician in the guts in front of the entire city council. In other words, her most delicate aspect is violently violated, and she responds with violence herself–as a man would in this distorted reality.
But of course, if you want reality, flip on MTV. If you want a heightened and madcap version of “reality,” go to the movies, where 300 delivers Gladiator on steroids. It’s a film almost completely defined by its images and action, pure cinema mainlined straight to your crotch. And that goes for the ladies as well as the gents–guys will respond to the amped-up battle sequences, gals will love the heavily-greased buff dudes in loincloths.
Whether male or female, a lack of squeamishness when confronted with absurd and graphic cartoon violence is required. I counted three heads lopped off bodies myself, but then I sorta stopped counting. I was too busy waiting for Gerard Butler as Leonidas to spit another movie tough-guy platitude at his troops, his enemies, or his wife.
Every line is shouted. Every sword and spear is true; every wound gushes CG blood all over the place. Yet nary a drop falls on the ground or the combatants. That’s the movies for ya–where else can you find a bloody bloodless war?
Captain America #25 and a speculative chronology of events.
Mar 09So, after a conversation with my local comic shop dude, in which he filled me in on the general situation surrounding the ordering of copies of Captain America #25, I would like to present the following timeline.
– Comic shops have no idea that Captain America will die in issue #25 of his titular book. This means they buy normal amounts.
– The news of Captain America’s death hits before stores are even open to offer the comic. Accounts get their copy at cover price, but by the time most stores put it out on the shelves, it’s worth $20. Wizard is offering both covers for $34.99. Speaking of Wizard…
– Comic shops immeadiately put in orders for more. They are told there are none. Wizard has bought the rest. The two cover versions are put with a third, Wizard variant, given the 9.8 CGC treatment, and offered as part of Wizard’s Death of a Dream package deal to Wizard’s World LA next week.
– Within 24 hours, anybody with copies of the comic are selling them on Ebay. A few who thought to get the CGC treatment are offering them at 9.9 for a grand and up. There are, incidentally, nine pages of just Captain America #25 for sale. Nine. Pages. Meanwhile, Wizard announces a limit on ticket purchases, so “all fans have a chance to get their copy of this once in a lifetime issue.” Apparently, according to them, demand has “skyrocketed.” No shit.
– Meanwhile, Marvel, who sold Wizard all the remaining first printings isn’t telling Diamond, who in turn isn’t telling retailers, when there will be a second printing. Marvel, it seems, doesn’t give a shit if everyone has a chance to read this… at least not right now, when it’s hot and generating more and more buzz all the time.
Joe Quesada apparently doesn’t remember that the makers of the Star Wars toys got in on the market tinkering action, releasing one Boba Fett for every million R2-D2s, only to release him en mass later, equally pissing off both fanboy collectors with poor impulse control and every small child that just wants to play in the backyard. And it didn’t go well.
Oh well. I’m with Stephen Colbert. “First they came for the X-men…”
More Starbuckin'
Mar 08A few more thoughts and some speculation. I just can’t get enough. It’s all still SPOILERY if you haven’t seen “Maelstrom.”
