An awesome Bollywood version of Apple's iconic iTunes ads! Dancers are silhouetted against a vibrant green background in classic iTunes ad style, performing Bharat Natyam, Kathak, Indian Folk, Hip-Hop, and modern Bollywood dance. The song used is "Bachna Ae Haseeno" from the movie Bachna Ae Haseeno, which is actually a remix of an older song by the same name.
Sure we have known this for long how the iPod has changed the way the world listens to music, revolutionizing the way things are. The new deal between Steven Job’s Apple and Hungama.com means that Indipop music and Bollywood soundtracks can be downloaded from iTunes across America, Europe and Asia with effortless ease and reasonable rates. This will be a big help for the Music Industry in India as its struggling from piracy by opening up a whole new market.
Anyways the ad is catchy, I just wish they didnt use the word Bollywood, which in my opinion is so degrading to Indian Film Industry.
P.S. Thanks to Kiran who send me this video and brought this into my notice.
Firaaq is an Urdu word that means both separation and quest. Firaaq is an ensemble film takes place over a 24-hour period; a month after a horrific communal carnage of the 2002 Gujarat riots, where as many as 2,000 people–mostly Muslim–were killed. The riots were a Hindu backlash to the Godhra train burning where Muslims were accused of burning up a car with 58 Hindu pilgrims inside.
The film traces the emotional journeys of 'ordinary people'. A middle class housewife closes the door on a victim and struggles to overcome her guilt. The loyalties of two best friends are tested in the times of fear and suspicion. A bunch of young men having suffered the riots seeks revenge to fight their helplessness and anger. A modern-day Hindu-Muslim couple struggles between the instinct to hide their identity and the desire to assert it.
Nanditha Das, the debut director and acclaimed actress, has dealt with the human side of this sensitive issue and pulled off an incredible feat of giving it the depth it needed within a timeframe of 24 hours. Firaaq grew out of Das' persistent social engagements with human rights issues as also her own concerns about the impact of violence on all of us, our lives and our relationships.
A film which portrays the atrocities that were going on in post riot Gujarat- the hunting of Muslims by Hindus as well as Law enforcement agencies, the fear in Muslim minds, the discriminatory social injustice towards Muslims- must be shown to a broader audience, at least, to enlighten the common man about what is going on in Gujarat.
The Hindu-Muslim couple in the movie(which according to me was the most striking story along with the boy Mohsin), especially the Muslim(Samir), is divided on where to stand when it comes to his identity. He is scared to say he is a Muslim, but yet in his heart he wants to assert it. This character shows how the middle-class Muslim in India feels. He says he has to think twice about praising some Pakistani cricket player, lest he is branded as a Pakistani spy. The Hindu Fascists in India have created an atmosphere in which it is impossible for a Muslim to lead a normal undiscriminating life.
The feeling that all Muslims are Pakisthani spies, or terrorists is spreading through the Indian psyche, unconsciously, and its an alarming trend. The Muslims in India are no less Indian than all the rest of them. Just because a minority in the Muslim community resort to Jihadi ways doesn't give us the right to brand the whole Muslim community as Terrorists. The film has brought out the common Indian psyche through the character of a tea shop owner who thought Samir a Hindu. Towards the end of the film, the character decides to assert he is a Muslim. The tea shop owner who was very cordial and friendly to the character turns on his heels and became indifferent to him the moment he learned Samir is a Muslim. This is something that could very well happen in India provided the massive brainwashing going on here.
Of all the characters in the movie, the 8 year old Mohsin was probably the most heart wrenching with his sorrowful eyes which speaks more than anything. The movie brings out clearly how a 8 year old is introduced to the intricacies of religious divide and how he absorbs the calamities around him. He gets taken into a home by a housewife to take care of him and she introduces him as Mohan(a Hindu name) to her mildly Hindu Fascist family. Mohsin soon leaves the house in fear of the husband, and when confronted by some Hindu bullies in the street he tells them his name is Mohan. Can you imagine a state in which even a Muslim name is dangerous? And more importantly, a mere 8 year old knows this. That is the deteriorating condition in India(not the whole, but some parts).
The final act was actually quite chilling, and I felt it could cut either way, depending on your outlook. One, that it is of hope, that with the next generation lies opportunity to bury the past and forge a new future ahead filled with better understanding, and the appreciation that such violence should never occur again. On the other hand, it reminds of how impressionable a young mind is, and through the wandering within a camp, taking in the sights of the aftermath of atrocities committed, that the seeds of revenge could have been innately planted, and being ready for improper indoctrination for further atrocities to be committed, some time in the future.
A little discussed fact of massive violence is that it’s not over when the fighting stops. It’s just smoldering like a volcano returning to dormancy after an eruption. There’s a haze of fear and loathing still thick in the community. It happened with Jews who survived the camps trying to return home after WWII only to find they weren’t anymore wanted then they were during the war. The enduring displacement was maybe the biggest reason for establishing Israel, which shifted the war to a smoldering tension, and occasional eruption, with Palestine. It’s the same five years after the Gujarat riots between Hindu and Muslim Indians. It's extremely difficult, but not impossible, to break the stranglehold that violence begets more violence.
The coldestDecember came once again. Stars begin to appear in homes to proclaim the great arrival of X'mas. Snow begins to fall down from the heavens(where it snows :D) heralding peace and happiness. Christmas is a season of Love and Sharing. May this Christmas bring you and your family an abundance of Love and Happiness. Merry Christmas
Flo Rida released a new single Right Round and its been doing the rounds on YouTube. It is apparently a spin-off cover of Dead Or Alive's 'You Spin Me Round (Like A Record). I was familiar with another cover version by Dope that was mis-labelled as Marilyn Manson(lol). That got me into the different covers of the song and was amazed at the number of covers made of this song. Wiki names at least 14 covers of the song and looked up most of them(those are available on YouTube) and made a list of those which I like the most.
Edit:- Flo Rida announced his new album named R.O.O.T.S("Routes of Overcoming the Struggle") to be released on April 7
The Original "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" is a song by Dead or Alive on their 1985 album Youthquake. The track got a UK number-one hit and a top 20 hit in the United States.
Covers that are as good as or some even better than the original Only some covers can achieve something new from the original which is as good as or even better than the original.
Dope Dope is an American nu metal band formed in 1997. The band received some level of success in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The Dead or Alive song was covered for their debut album "Felons and Revolutionaries". Dope just made the song as a launching pad and made something that, according to me, is even better than the original one. The song is with enough differences to feel like their track but still not deviating too much from the original song.
Flo-Rida Flo Rida, is a two-time Grammy nominated American rapper. Mail on Sunday was Flo Rida's solo debut album; its lead single "Low" was a number-one hit for ten weeks in early 2008. I absolutely loved the whole album, a perfect club hip hop album with everything from great rapping to funky club sounds. The new single "Right Round" is like a spin off cover of the original song. The song has its chorus and beats similar to the original, but the rest is all Flo-Rida and its great.
Jessica Simpson I'm guessing there may not be anyone who don't know the "goog girl" Jessica Simpson. She did a cover of the track too, but with her own lyrics except for the chorus, for her fourth studio album, A Public Affair (2006). Her version reached number twenty on the U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and number ninety-five on the Billboard Pop 100, although its single release was cancelled. The song is not better than the original. but a perfect modern pop rendition of the song, with addictive beats and seductive vocals.
Gemini Five A cover of the song was recorded by Swedish rock band Gemini Five for their 2003 album Babylon Rockets. Although they may have been inspired by Dope, their rendition of the song is different from both Dope's and the original. The song has a more fast tempo than the dope song and the drums and guitar work is awesome.
Eiffel 65 Eiffel 65 was an Italian eurodance three-piece group, formed in the late 1990s and best known for their international hit "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" and "Move Your Body"(those are the only two tracks I have heard too but I loved them). In 2004, they also covered the album which gave us a dance rendering of the song, which is the best dance version of the song.
Covers which sounded nothing more than an average remix
Thalia Thalía is a Mexican singer and actress with multiple Latin Grammy and Latin Billboard nominations. She is also regarded as a "Latin Pop Diva" and "Queen Of Latin Pop" due to her Spanish songs being successful in crossing a lot of national borders, or so WIKI says. I have not heard any of her tracks till now but I should say she got a pretty good voice. This song probably stands a little higher than an average remix solely because of the beats and Thalia's voice.
Danzel Danzel is a Belgian House, Techno and Dance musician who reached the Top 10 in late 2004 with the single "Pump It Up" which is the only song I've heard of him. In 2007 he did a cover of the Dead or Alive track which is at best a below average remix which is no way near the original song.
Covers which shouldn't have produced
GiGi D'agostino GiGi D'agostino is an Italian DJ, remixer and music producer who has one, at best two, hits to speak for. The cover is not at all worthy of a listen. It sounds like a cheap remix of the original, with some lack luster beats and unnecessary cuts. Those of you who don't believe me be my guest.
Ten Masked Men Ten Masked Men is a British death metal cover band who specialize in covering pop songs, and who should stop doing that. Seriously. May be cause I'm not a fan of Death Metal, at all, I found the song annoying with his growling voice and really bad guitar and drums. Imagine a lion singing the original song, and you'll get halfway there to this cover. Specializing in covering pop songs... and that too a death metal band.. huh.
Another great track though not a cover of the song, but somehow related to it(I can't put my finger on it) is Bodyrockers' Round and Round.
BodyRockers are an electronic music act, consisting of British/Australian duo Dylan Burns (from Canterbury) and Kaz James (from Melbourne). The pair came together in early 2004 after a chance meeting between Dylan and Kaz in Australia. The pair first started with Dylan playing his guitar over Kaz's rocky DJ set. They claimed the chemistry was instant. They are mostly known for their hit song "I Like the Way (You Move)", loosely based on Billy Idol's hit "Mony Mony", released in 2005. The song reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart, and #12 on the Australian ARIAnet singles chart.
I like their brand of dance-rock (If that's a genre). Catchy guitar riffs and DJ beats- whats not to like. Round and Round is terribly addictive and you'll listen to it again and again.
The year is coming to an end and its time for the top ten lists which are bound to pop up in almost every niche. On the risk of being left out, I decided to join the party with a top ten list with a difference(or so I think). This year a lot of really good as well as bad movies released. Some movies with apparently unknown cast and crew turned out to be great and at the same time some movies with a promising crew turned out to be disasters. Here is a list of those movies.
Top 10 Bad Movies with Great Star Power(that I have had the misfortune to see.)
10. What Happens in Vegas (IMDB) At the number 10 spot its the Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher starrer "What Happened in Las Vegas". A full length sitcom which begs us to take it seriously as a film. Two outrageously stupid and selfish characters whom you can't get to like no matter how hard you try. It does have its moments here and there but no definitely worth a watch in the theaters.Its not a horrible movie but better rent it in a DVD and watch it when you have nothing else to do.
9. 10,000 B.C.(IMDB) Snatching the number 9 spot is the epic(or supposed to be epic) movie set in 10,000 B.C with woolly mammoths, saber toothed tigers, cavemen, and what nots. The director of Independence Day, Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow had a lot to live upto and fell flat on his face trying to do so. The plot and screenplay was too silly for a movie of that scale. The visual effects and costumes, one of the plus points of the movie, along with some moments here and there saved the movie from a fatal drop to the forgetful chasm of Hollywood crap.
8. The Happening(IMDB) The number 8 slot is adorned by M. Night Shyamalan's latest "scary thriller" ,The Happening. A strange, horrible and unprecedented crisis begins in Central Park. A high school science teacher, his wife and a young girl do what they can to survive it and so do we. The tagline for the movie says "We've Sensed It. We've Seen The Signs. Now... It's Happening". That is absolutely spot on about Shyamalan's film-making abilities. We sensed it with "Village", We've seen the signs in "Lady in the Water". And now its Happening. How ironic ?
7. Rambo(IMDB) Rambo snatched the no. 7 spot with Sylvester Stallone returning as Rambo to bring out the worst movie(to date?) in the series. I am not a big fan of Rambo movies except for First Blood which I loved. After First Blood it became just another American Hero blowing up foreign "terrorists" by hundreds. Rambo only needs a patch of ground where evil men terrorise women, children and hard-working peasants, before his damaged hero blows them away by the truckload. But the new Rambo sunk to even lower levels by making the movie into something that is nothing more than a mindless shoot-fest. Forget the story, forget the character, forget emotions, hell,even forget excitement. This movie got nothing except a couple of moments(one of which is a flashback to First Blood) which gave it a place ahead of Mummy 3. Little more than a cartoon, Rambo caters only for those still smitten by the rat-a-tat of continuous gunfire
6. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor(IMDB) The latest installment of the Mummy franchise settled for the number 6 spot after fighting with Babylon A.D fiercely. In the Far East, trouble-seeking father-and-son duo Rick and Alex O'Connell unearth the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin - a shape-shifting entity who was cursed by a wizard centuries ago. How many times have we seen that before? Isn't is time fictional character Rick O'Connel learned not to mess around with Mummies? Isn't it time for Brendan Fraser to say no to such movies? Rachel Weiz said no and good for her. The third Mummy entry is a headache-inducing mess that piles on unimpressive special effects to stretch a slight and often incomprehensible storyline. The only good thing in the movie is the performance by Jet-Li who absolutely sizzles the screen playing sinister emperor and saving the movie from a no. 5 spot in my list.
5. Babylon A.D.(IMDB) The latest sci-fi action thriller from Vin Diesel, Babylon A.D, well deservedly gets the no. 5 spot. Veteran-turned-mercenary Thoorop takes the high-risk job of escorting a woman from Russia to America. Little does he know that she is host to an organism that a cult wants to harvest in order to produce a genetically modified Messiah. I can name a couple of movies that this movie borrows from right off the top of my head- Children of Men, Minority Report. There may be many more. The plot makes absolutely no sense rendering a nihilistic nonsense with no particular plus points. The ending is more incomprehensible than the "meaning of life". I strongly suspect the editing team screwed up and accidentally deleted the last part of the movie. Vin Diesel should really choose better projects if he wants to stay in Hollywood.
4. Righteous Kill(IMDB) Righteous Kill bags the no. 4 spot with some really uninspiring screenplay, direction, acting, and anything that's left in making a film. Russel Gewirtz, the writer, should be ashamed of himself for bringing out such a work, especially after he has written a brilliant Inside Man. I have just one question for two of the greatest actors of all time- Why oh why did you take this project? Didn't you at least leaf through the screenplay before signing up? The movie tries to inflate itself on the iconic star power of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro but falls flat on its face.
3. You Don't Mess With the Zohan(IMDB) Adam Sandler with his latest juvenile comedy "You Don't mess with Zohan" bags the no. 3 spot. I've never really liked him nor hated him. This movie has given me a really strong motivation to hate him.A comment at Rotten Tomatoes says it all-"The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine isn’t exactly the obvious choice of topic for a comedy – which is perhaps why this film is about as funny as a suicide bombing". I saw Judd Apatow's name was on the writers list and I was like- What is a guy who has written 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Pineapple Express doing in this film?You don't mess with Zohan, You don't even mess with the film. Just leave it alone.
2. The Love Guru(IMDB) Mike Myers, the voice behind Shrek, the irresistibly funny Austin Powers, brings out Love Guru which quite easily grabbed the no. 2 spot. Mr. Myers, a writer and producer as well as the star, seems to have lost his touch, his jokes not funny anymore some bordering on obnoxious. It did get a couple of laughs at the first but soon it became a pain that I endured only cause I was with a friend and we were making fun of the movie. There is a part where Pitka(Myers) and his arch rival is shown to be in a fight with urine soaked mops, and that too as part of some Indian spiritual teaching lesson. If you find that funny, be my guest. I found the movie as a whole un-funny, and even offensive to my Indian psyche.
and finally... the movie that topped the list 1. Step Brothers(IMDB) At the no. 1 spot we find "Step Brothers" lying on the gross and repulsive shoulders of Will Ferrel and John C. Reilly with all its disgusting glory. One cannot consider Will Ferrel to be star power, but the hype it got and the popularity surely counts for something. I can't understand what made critics give this piece of (for lack of a better word) crap a 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. Who really wants to see the unbearably repulsive antics of two 40 year old adolescents who are given a leash-free romp in the movie? This is not anything remotely like 40 year old Virgin, which was a movie I enjoyed. I cannot find even one reason why anyone would enjoy the film, but still many do. If you can somehow overlook the disgusting antics of the lead characters, then comes an unimaginative plot that is so predictable that you will slap yourselves for even thinking something different can be expected.
If you have any more movies that should have been introduced in the list feel free to post a comment about it.
After a seven day cinematic extravaganza the International Film Festival of Kerala, 2008 draws to a close with the Closing Ceremony yesterday. The delectable treat of cinema was more than enough to satisfy any movie lover's tastes.With renowned Film makers from around the world, like Idrissa Ouedraogo, Lucia Murat, Sitora Alieva, Samira Makhmalbaf, Uberto Pasilini and many more, gracing the festival as a jury member or in “Meet the Directors” segment, the festival became a well organized event.
Day 1 The festival started out really slow for me with only one documentary under my belt at the end of the first day but that single documentary made my day.
Chevolution(2008) Not many people in the world doesn't know who Che Guevara is. For most he is a revolutionary hero, for some a masterful guerrilla tactician, for some a mass murderer and yet for some others the guy on T-shirts. Such is the impact made by a single man on World History. A large part of that impact and the widely spread recognition of his face is a single photograph.
Chevolution, a Cuban documentary by Luis Lopez and Trish Ziff, is a thorough and compelling investigation of the Che mythology and the essential malleability of the Che icon. Why did the image became so prevalent after 1967, and how has it meant so many things to so many different people? Chevolution asks all the right questions and gracefully allows us to answer them ourselves. In the documentary, producer/director Trisha Ziff and director Luis Lopez explore the Che phenomenon from all angles, including the revolutionary's early life, his fateful encounter with Castro, the Cuban revolution he helped make happen, to his life trying to foment revolutions in other countries. But it also examines how he crossed paths with photographer Alberto Korda, the fashion photographer/photojournalist who took the famous picture of Guevara that was the basis for the icon we know today.
The photograph taken by Alberto Korda was immortalised in World History and took up many meanings from Revolution to Rebellion to just a “fad”. The symbolic photograph was taken on March 5, 1960, in Havana, Cuba, at a memorial service for victims of the La Coubre explosion(which is believed to be the work of CIA but not solved to this date). This was an information that was new to me and made me see the photograph in a new light. I saw the meaning behind Che's eyes which shouts out his sadness, fury, determination, disappointment and action. Passed out to the occasional friend and published in a few small Cuban publications, Che’s image remained relatively unknown for 7 years. The photograph was then acquired by wealthy Italian publisher and intellectual Giangiacomo Feltrinelli in 1967. As Guevara's eventual capture or death appeared to be imminent with the CIA closing in on his whereabouts, Feltrinelli acquired the rights to publish Che's captured Bolivian Diary. Upon his return to Italy, Feltrinelli disseminated thousands of copies of the poster to raise awareness of Che's precarious situation and impending demise. Later in 1968 after his October 9, 1967 execution, Che's Bolivian Diary with Korda's photo on the cover was released worldwide. Feltrinelli also created posters to promote the book, which sold over 1 million copies. By this time, Korda's image had officially entered the public consciousness.
In 1967, Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick was also using Korda's image as a basis for creating his own stylized posters which is the start of the graphic Che image's origin.
“The first image I did of Che was psychedelic, it looks like he is in seaweed. His hair was not hair, it was shapes that I felt gave it an extra dimension. That was the image I produced for the magazine and that was done before he died and that is the important thing about that image. At first it did not print. It was considered far too strong and revolutionary. I was very inspired by Che's trip to Bolivia. He went there with the intent to overthrow the intensely corrupt government, helped by the Americans at the time, and that's where he died. I thought he was one of the greatest men who ever lived and I still do in many ways. And when he was murdered, I decided I wanted to do something about it, so I created the poster. I felt this image had to come out, or he would not be commemorated otherwise, he would go where heroes go, which is usually into anonymity.” —Jim Fitzpatrick, 2005
Soon Che became the face of every revolution across the world. His posters became kind of an inspiration to all those who were oppressed. He became the hero of the oppressed. Since in Cuba they didn't believe in copyrights on images this image became a public domain image and thus spurred thousand and millions of copies around the world. Every artist brought out their own version of the graphic. But somewhere down the line the photograph turned icon lost its initial means or rather the meaning was watered down. The iconic image of revolution was watered down to rebellion, and eventually to pop culture.
Pop culture welcomed Che with open hands and made it one of his minions and eventually lead to the hands of the capitalists who used the image shamelessly for their own profit. Those very people against whom Che fought began to use his image as a means to increase their profit. Che's image started to appear on all sorts of products including Liquor and Tobacco. It is despicable to see its derogatory use for all sorts of things Che stood up against.
But nonetheless the image doesn't loose its iconic meaning all together. The image is still seen an a symbol of revolution, a symbol of protest against the oppressors, of socialist ideologies. I have been always a little bit slanted to left ideologies for a long time and consequently I have considerable knowledge on who Che is and what he did for the people. One doesn't have to be a communist or even socialist to see what Che did was nothing short of greatness. To Throw away a life of aristocracy and to enter the revolutionary movement for the betterment of the people is a feat in itself. Most of us think about the atrocities in this world, shake our head and carry on with our daily routine. But he saw the oppression in people and dedicated his life to the cause. He did something about it. That's what makes him a hero.
A rating is really not in place here as the level of enjoyment depends on many factors like, you like documentary, you have a impartial perspective on Che, wants to know about how images travel etc. But still for the sake of it.
I'm currently participating in a Film Festival- the International Film Festival of Kerala- one of the most reputed Film Festivals in India with some great packages. They are screening about 40 cinemas a day for seven days with films from ,Iraq, Lebanon, USA, Iran, Russia and a lot of other countries. I am trying hard to watch as many great movies as possible and consequently very little time to blog about it. That is why I have been blogging movie news instead of more time consuming reviews for the past couple of days.
I have already watched a couple of gems (Chevolution, Caramel etc) and am looking forward for a lot more. I promise I'll do a post about the Film Festival and the films in it as soon as the Festival is over. Stay tuned for more.. :) .
I'm off to the morning screening of "Postcards From Leningrad" -a Venezuelan Film. Ciao.
I've been meaning to do a post on Grammy Awards right from the day the nominations were announced. I am not going to just list out all the nominees. Anyone can get those at the Grammy site. I am going to select a few categories I'm comfortable with and just tell you two of my picks if I were the one and all of Grammy's. I'm gonna omit the credits to producers, recording engineers, etc not because I don't respect them, but for convenience. Full details of all the songs including full credits are available at Grammy site
Let's start with the General Category Record of the Year 1. Chasing Pavements - Adele 2. Viva La Vida - Coldplay 3. Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis 4. Paper Planes - M.I.A 5. Please Read The Letter - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Coldplay's Viva La Vida and M.I.A's Paper Planes are my two picks from the lot. I don't care if Joe Satriani sues Coldplay for a few guitar riffs, I like "Viva La Vida" better than his "If I could fly" on any day. M.I.A deserves a win for the sheer originality of sound and music. Another mentionable performance was by Leona Lewis. Even though the song has only one catchy hook, her talent is a force to reckon with.
Album of the Year 1. La Vida Or Death And All His Friends - Coldplay 2. Tha Carter III - Lil Wayne 3. Year Of The Gentleman - Ne-Yo 4. Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss 5. In Rainbows - Radiohead
Again Coldplay and Lil Wayne are my two picks. Coldplay's La Vida or Death and all his Friends has a collection of great songs which collectively form a great album. Lil Wayne too presents us with a fresh and new album, which also has a lot of great tracks. Ne-Yo's Year of the Gentleman didn't live upto the mark. I haven't heard Raisind Sand, but heard the nomination for "Best Record" from the album and didn't like it. You can both the albums at Amazon. Viva La Vida Tha Carter III
Now we can just jump to the Rap category where I'm a bit familiar. Most of the nominees in other categories are unfamiliar to me. So can't judge if I have heard only a couple of the nominees, right?. Best Rap Solo Performance 1. Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)... - Jay-Z 2. A Milli - Lil Wayne 3. Paris, Tokyo - Lupe Fiasco 4. Nigger (The Slave And The Master) - Nas 5. Sexual Eruption - Snoop Dogg
For Best Rap Solo Performance I would have to pick Jay-Z's "Roc Boys" and Snoop Dogg's "Sexual Eruption". Roc Boys got a great rhythm and a great bacground hook over which Jay-Z raps easily. And with Sexual Eruption Snoopy Dogg shows that he still got it. Another mentionable tracks in Lupe Fiasco's Paris/Tokyo.
Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group 1. Royal Flush - Big Boi Featuring Raekwon And Andre 3000 2. Swagga Like Us - Jay-Z & T.I. Featuring Kanye West & Lil Wayne 3. Mr. Carter - Lil Wayne Featuring Jay-Z 4. Wish You Would - Ludacris Featuring T.I. 5. Put On - Young Jeezy Featuring Kanye West There is tough competition in this category. I liked 4 of these 5 tracks, and had a hard time choosing 2. Finally I decided to choose "Swagga Like Us" and "Mr. Carter" as my two picks. "Put On" came really close solely cause of Kanye's appearance at the end.
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration 1. American Boy - Estelle Featuring Kanye West 2. Low - Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain 3. Green Light - John Legend & Andre 3000 4. Got Money - Lil Wayne Featuring T-Pain 5. Superstar - Lupe Fiasco Featuring Matthew Santos
This is by far the most toughest category for me to choose from.I actually love every track in this category. If I have to choose, "Superstar" by Lupe Fiasco and Mathew Santos and "Low", by Flo Rida and T-Pain would be my choices. "American Boy" came really close, with its addictive beats, catchy hook and the Kanye factor. "Green Light" also is a great track, with John Legend's singing and Andre 3000's rapping mixed dexterously.
Best Rap Song 1. Lollipop - D. Carter, S. Garrett, D. Harrison, J. Scheffer & R. Zamor, songwriters(Lil Wayne ft T-Pain) 2. Low - T. Dillard, M. Humphrey & T-Pain, songwriters (Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain) 3. Sexual Eruption - Calvin Broadus, S. Lovejoy & D. Stewart, songwriters (Snoop Dogg) 4. Superstar - Lupe Fiasco & Soundtrakk, songwriters (Lupe Fiasco Featuring Matthew Santos) 5. Swagga Like Us - D. Carter, S. Carter, Clifford Harris & Kanye West, songwriters (M. Arulpragasam, N. Headon, M. Jones, J. Mellor, T. Pentz & P. Simonon, songwriters) (Jay-Z & T.I. Featuring Kanye West & Lil Wayne)
All these songs are embedded in previous categories. You can listen to it from there. SO coming to picking two. This is gonna be hard. This category even topped "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" category in terms of competition. "Lollipop" has such a groovy rhythm and flow to it but the only flaw I see is the lyrics. Since this is an award for the songwriter, lyrics do come into consideration. "Low" has such addictive beats and dance hip hop feel and I can't seem to get enough of that. Snoop Dogg hits the mark with "Sexual Eruption" with his unique blend of "Snoopy Dogg" and music box mixing. "Superstar", though not the best track in the album "The Cool", does deserve an award for the sheer rhythm and lyrical work. Last but not the least "Swagga Like Us" just combines all these great artists to bring out one hell of a track. Eventhough the track doesn't qualify for a nomination, if "Little Weapon" by Lupe fiasco was included in the nominations, it would have won it hands down. Anyways for this I'm gonna make an exception and pick three- Swagga Like Us, Superstar and Low.
I had no second thoughts in choosing Lupe Fiasco's " The Cool" as one of my two picks. That is one hell of an album. The second spot was well fought for by "Paper Trail" and "Tha Carter III" and finally won by Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III".
"My Rating" is gonna change to a more funky Web 2.0 style Star rating. I've been in the workshop( by workshop I mean Photoshop :D) developing a brand new rating system with Web 2.0 style. Here are the brand new system of ratings:
I'm hoping to get a more professional look with this new system. Lets hope it works. Since I was making these I wasn't about to post anything yet today. Anyways any suggestions are welsome. Feel free to post your comments on the new system.:)
Its always great to see big artists giving a helping hand to smaller ones. Its even better to see big artists bring out a new song for charity or to spread a cause. Justin Timberlake released a brand new single featuring Esmée Denters called "Follow my Lead" and it is part of a fundraising campaign for the Shriners Hospitals for Children. The Dutch-ess Esmée was an apparently unrecognized artist that used to sing covers of famous artists on Youtube. She sounds a little like Beyonce and takes charge in the song after the initial rapping by J.T by delivering a thumping chorus
"Follow my lead We’ll go where no one knows Everyone leaves We are still standing strong (standing strong) Listen to me life is a song I’ll be the melody you’ll be my drum
Australian Pop Star Kylie Minogue did a collaboration with UK based supergroup Coldplay for a new online magazine which supports HIV/AIDS project in Africa. They have released a track "Lhuna" for (RED)WIRE, a new musical venture by U2's Bono.
Its eerie, and dark putting both the artists far out of their comfort zones. But still the track got a peculiar feel hat tugs at our heart and lingers a while. (RED)WIRE delivers exclusive music from the world's greatest artists every week and gets people living with HIV in Africa the medicine they need to stay alive.Along with Kylie Minogue and Coldplay, U2(youtube), JayZ,Sheryl Crow, Death Cab for Cutie, Dixie Chicks, John Legend and a lot more artists have extendedt their helping hand to the venture. See here for more details
A collection of adorably cute Baby T-shirts that is sure to get a smile on your face. Get them from Zazzle, which is giving out offers like crazy nowadays(may be cause Google took over it).
Have you looked outside today?. I don't know if this is visible all over the world but it sure is over here in India, Australia etc. I have never seen such a thing in my life. Moon, Jupiter and Venus has arranged in such a way that the form a Smiley face that even a naked eye can see and revel in. If you miss it you will have to wait another 5 years to may be see it again. It feels like the universe is smiling down on us. I feel so happy i had to blog this.
Stargazers in Europe and Africa will miss out completely. By the time the sun sets for them the moon will appear between the planets, pushing the "mouth" between the "eyes" to create more of a Picasso-esque effect. And the most funny thing is the moon will be inverted over at the USA resulting in a frown. One can infer that the Universe is not happy with the way they is working.LOL.
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- Jay-Z
- Lil Wayne
- Lupe Fiasco
- Nas
-T.I.
and support the 
