Oh man, oh man, where to start with this one?
After all the hype and build-up for this video and Britney's subsequent comeback, I must say that the final product for this vid left a good bit to be desired. I don't want to come across as one of these bullshit bloggers that just trash and tear down something for the sake of tearing it down, I am genuinely a bit befuddled by this one.
I've really been jamming to all things Childish Gambino lately. For those who haven't come across this multi-talented gent in one of his many other roles, this is Donald Glover's hip-hop alias. Just read that, I'm sure some may be a bit skeptical but give him a good listen and you will agree that he's a really good rapper who doesn't need to rely on some sort of gimmick. That being said, the man can still be funny and clever on any given track, but no one should go into it expecting anything but solid hip-hop from a talented [and slept-on] artist. Add to that a good sense of style and what comes across as a good, well-balanced disposition and he is poised to blow up HUGE, so make sure you get on this.
Lastly, I leave you with some dope-ass tracks for your listening pleasure:
I must say that I feel like I've had this real back and forth with the iPad since before its release. Initially, it seems like such a waste of money for what seemed like a blown up version of my iPhone so I wrote off wanting any part of it...but after stopping in at the Apple store on Chicago's Magnificent Mile and actually getting tactile with it and playing around with the device itself, now I really want to get my hands on one I can call my own. Hopefully I can eventually earn up some extra scratch with some of these side projects I've been workin' on with different people but who knows. I'll keep you updated on any further developments with this as it comes up.
Following up on one of our older posts on the subject, it's time to go back into the very nerd/geek-y world of both comics and Kevin Smith, specifically his run on Batman: The Widening Gyre portion of his Batman "maxi-series" for DC. I just finished reading issue #6 and I must say that he has done a great job of weaving a very interesting story with various elements that draw you into the narrative of it all. I also like the different slant he displays for the Bruce Wayne aspect of the character, compared to other writers; in as much as he makes Wayne out to be much more awkward and seemingly not as socially developed as one would imagine in his interactions with other characters when he's not 'being' Batman. On op of that, I find that the plot point involving Bruce's love interest, Silver St. Cloud is also quite refreshing since she is one of the few characters that really seems to know, understand and accept him, going as far as calling him by the whimsical nickname of "DeeDee," something I had never really seen in a Batman book prior to this and I thought it brought a fun new dynamic to a character usually portrayed as dark and grim and gritty in either persona. I also want to take this opportunity to mention that Walt Flanagan has done a great job on the artwork for this series, taking what he first did on Cacophony and , has taken it a step further and delivered a great visual interpretation of Kevin's scripts. I know thus far his comic book work has been small, being kept to working with Kevin and childhood friend Bryan Johnson, but it'd be great to see more from Walt. But hey, at this point I might be asking too much as a fan, what with everyone having quite the busy schedule (thank you for all the SMods and Tell 'Ems). I will spare anyone reading this any spoilers but needless to say, if you haven't picked it up and you enjoy a good Bruce Wayne/Batman story, stop by your local comic shop and pick up the current and back issues and show these guys some love...and if you REALLY want to give 'em more love (short of blowing anyone...they're married), stop by Jay & Silent Bob's Secret Stash (Red Bank, NJ). Maybe it's just fandom for the sake of fandom but I think this is a good Kevin Smith take on a character who has had so many damn stories told about him that although something like this might not appeal to die-hard Batman fans who don't want to think of their hero in terms other than the aforementioned dark/grim/gritty context, I think it's a fun story worth reading for any comics fan that likes a different take. Can't wait for Volume 2.
Hmmm...where to start? I remember a time when the Movie Awards were ever so tongue-in-cheek and almost kitschy in it's appeal...but now?!? They treat it like something a bit more serious, which, to me, kinda takes all of the fun out. There were some relatively fun segments but it looks more and more like MTV is trying to manufacture scandalous/spontaneous moments but it's the truly absurd/unrehearsed moments that make it bearable. I also gotta say I like the choice of Aziz Ansari for host, he's having a hell of a year and kept it funny without having to be heavy-handed like some past hosts.
Oh, and Kristen Stewart...we get it, you're awkward...you like to act all grown up but let's try doing a better job, 'kay?
Now onto what, to me, was the biggest head scratcher of the show, yet all the media has been reporting as such a 'cool' moment...why the fuck was Tom Cruise reprising his role as Les Grossman (I think) from Tropic Thunder??? The movie is from 2008 and had absolutely no relevance to anything going on in this show, plus, anyone who hasn't seen the movie is totally left out of the joke. Nonetheless, if he [and MTV] really wanted to go there and reuse the character, why not make him a bit more relevant to 2010? Maybe a more modern Ludacris song instead of going back to the Tropic Thunder well [and 2003] with 'Stand Up'...then the big reveal of Jennifer Lopez [and a track from 2005] and the dance number didn't help matters too much but didn't hurt either. I do have to say that the rest of the musical performances were pretty good; and I see that Christina (or X-Tina again??) Aguilera is now a mish-mash of GaGa, Madonna, the 'Dirty' version of herself, the 'Back to Basics' version of herself, and a robot...we'll see how that goes...but I did like a lot of the new records she performed.
Lastly, whoever didn't like Sandy Bullock before, should at least take note of how much of a badass she is for coming up and accepting an award and whilst just slightly addressing the elephant in the room, not giving it a modicum of the attention that the media and the people have given it and being her wonderful and bubbly self. Good on you ma'am! (R.I.P. Sweet Aunt Luddy)
Suffice it to say that there have been better versions of this show in it's past but all in all, this one was still relatively entertaining and not a terrible way to kill a couple of hours on a Sunday...but MTV, you guys need to either try harder or push the envelope better...lol
Anyone who missed it and wants to see what went on can check it out here.
