Life in the 21st century
Nov 04 2008
Last week, we saw Kobe Bryant, Michael Phelps, Tony Hawk, and Alex Rodriguez doing Tom Cruise in Risky Business to promote the release of Guitar Hero World Tour. This week, we get another version of this commercial with Heidi Klum.
Clearly a step-up in quality!
Nov 03 2008
The Saturday Night Live battle for ratings supremacy is over and the winner is Governor Sarah Palin. Palin’s appearance on SNL topped that of running-mate Senator John McCain’s.
McCain’s appearance drew a rough estimate of 12 million viewers Saturday night, while Palin’s appearance was watched by more than 15 million when she appeared on Oct. 18.
In the end, both scored well, but Palin came out on top. You can watch them both here by using the SNL topic link and judge for yourself.
Oct 31 2008
Exciting news for Beatles fans:
According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple Corps Ltd (the Beatles’ recording company) and MTV Networks are expected to announce today that the Beatles have licensed songs to the popular video game Rockband, a 4-person game which allows you to emulate your favorite bands with 2 guitars, drums and a microphone.
There are a lot of missing details, but it sounds interesting:
“This game is not just a Rock Band expansion pack. It is a new, full game title production built from the ground up,” Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopulos said during a Thursday morning conference call.
Giles Martin, son of Beatles’ record producer Sir George Martin and co-producer of the Beatles Love project, will serve as music producer.
The songs will be based on the U.K. versions, Giles said. “The thing we’re trying to keep to is for people to play the songs as if they’re playing the originals [and] preserve the sound quality as much as possible.”
I love the fact that they are planning to stay “true” to the original versions of these songs. I hate the ones that are butchered in some games systems. Even the two surviving Beatles are getting into the mix:
Starr and McCartney, the two surviving Beatles, talked up the game in a press release. “The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out,” said McCartney. “The Beatles continue to evolve with the passing of time and how wonderful that The Beatles’ legacy will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerized world we live in,” said the fan-averse Ringo Starr.
You have to admire a band whose music remains relevant even after 4 decades. I know from experience what Guitar Hero has done for reviving old songs; this Rock Band Beatles version will undoubtedly extend The Beatles’ music for generations to come.
Oct 31 2008
Guitar Hero World Tour has been released and they have hired some big name stars to promote the game. Kobe Bryant, Michael Phelps, Tony Hawk, and Alex “A-Rod” Rodriguez all do their best Tom Cruise:
Can’t say this makes we want to buy the game more, but I’m sure it will be a hit with others!
Oct 14 2008
You knew it was only a matter of time before your little escape from the world was invaded by politics. While driving in Burnout Paradise, gamers get hit with a political ad from the Obama camp
“I can confirm that the Obama campaign has paid for in-game advertising in Burnout,” Holly Rockwood, director of corporate communications at Electronic Arts, the game’s publisher, told me via email, noting that EA regularly allows ad placements in their online games. “Like most television, radio and print outlets, we accept advertising from credible political candidates,” she continued. “Like political spots on the television networks, these ads do not reflect the political policies of EA or the opinions of its development teams.”
Great idea, but this seems to be a little bit over the top. Most gamers buy games to escape from every-day pressures and now those games are being invaded by politics. Seems to be bitting the hand that is feeding Obama and not a very wise strategy.
May 22 2008
We watched the American Idol Finale on our flaky little Comcast DVR last night right up to the big moment. “And the Winner of American Idol is, David…” and then the recording stopped. What!?!? I knew it was going to be a David, that’s all we had. Which David?!?! Here’s what it looked like for DVR users.
Yes, Fox ran long with their American Idol Finale and the DVR stopped as scheduled.
According to Nielsen Media Research, Idol’s numbers were down; Wednesday’s finale drew an audience of 30.7 million, compared with last year’s 36.4 million. However online chat groups and other fan sites were sprinkled with complaints yesterday because the megahit ran several minutes over its scheduled two hours of programming, causing many DVR and TiVo users to miss recording the selection of Sparks as the next American Idol.
Should have seen that one coming a mile away. That’s one way to make sure people are watching your shows live, mess-up their recorders. Ironically, the FOX plan may backfire. To find out what happened, I’m sure most DVR users turned to the Internet which is exactly what the networks want to avoid. Maybe they out-FOXed themselves.
May 22 2008
The most karaoke season of American Idol ended last night with, in my opinion, the least karaoke-like singer winning the prize.
David Cook, a sometimes sullen 25-year-old rocker from Blue Springs, Mo., was named the winner of “American Idol” on Wednesday, receiving 56 percent of the 97.5 million votes cast after Tuesday’s performances, easily defeating David Archuleta, a 17-year-old balladeer from Murray, Utah.
It was in many ways a surprise victory. During Tuesday’s competition, all three of the program’s judges seemed to endorse Mr. Archuleta as the winner. To many in the 7,000-seat Nokia Theater here, Mr. Archuleta’s final performances were more electric. Simon Cowell, the sometimes petulant judge who rarely is at a loss for words, seemed to speak for the other judges at the end of Tuesday’s show when he said Mr. Archuleta “came out here to win” and did so by “a knockout.”
Oops. Yes, it was a knockout (by 12,000 votes allegedly) by the “underdog” and not by the media favorite. Frankly, I thought it was going the other way as well. Here you have a cute boy-band-in-the-making kid who pulls in that 10-15 year-old demographic with all those mothers poised to buy his music just sitting there waiting for the producers to leverage the New Backstreet ‘N Sync Machine for all they are worth and it all goes away. Well, they will still proceed with plans for the runnier-up, it’s just not going to be as big.
The music and television industry are facing increased competition from Internet sources and have to work on different ways to gather and maintain audiences. American Idol has been a consistent performer, but the winds may be changing:
With network television and the music industry both up against a fractured audience and new forms of media, Cook and runner-up Archuleta became standard-bearers for today’s broad-based popular culture.
“Idol” remains the only show able to consistently deliver vast numbers of viewers, eclipsing even the Oscars.
However, after a season in which the series came under fire for various offstage controversies and suffered a midseason sag in ratings, television’s titan stands at a crossroads. It remains to be seen whether this year’s dip in popularity is a one-year phenomenon or the first step on the inevitable downward spiral all successful TV shows eventually face.
I have been a casual watcher of American Idol over the years and firmly believe this year was highlighted by the most brutal untalented singers in the history of the show. Having said that, I always considered David Cook to be the most talented of the bunch. Last night you could see how a performer like Seal completely out-classed the Idols. I guess this is what you get when you try to artificially create a star to fit the mold.
Look for changes next season in the Idol format to reach a younger crowd. I suspect having Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and even Maria Carie will not be back in the future. Let’s face it, those artists don’t resonate with the target demographic.
Oh well, with David Cook, a good kid has won the prize:
Asked what went through his head when he heard his name called: “That my music teacher, Mrs. (Fredalyn) Gentry, made me sing in the Christmas pageant in second grade. Now I’m here. The ride has been pretty nuts.”
Cook’s journey was made more emotionally difficult by the illness of his older brother, Adam, who has terminal cancer. Cook kept his personal story out of the “Idol” process as much as he could. But several times, including Wednesday night, his emotions overcame him.
Good for him and I wish him the best.
Jan 11 2008
I have to be honest, I’m not really all that interested in the Britney Spears soap opera or Dr. Phil’s request constant quest for higher ratings, but I could not resist the chance to compare these two:
The latest on this saga from the AP:
Britney Spears’ family says “Dr. Phil” McGraw crossed the line by not keeping his mouth shut after making a house call on the singer last week.
Lou Taylor, a business manager for Spears’ mother, Lynne, and younger sister, Jamie Lynn, appeared on NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday and said McGraw had betrayed the family’s trust by talking to the media about Spears’ mental health after showing up at the 26-year-old pop star’s hospital room on Saturday for a visit.
Does anyone really have any doubts as to the mental health of this woman?
Jun 08 2007
Wow, that was fast. According to Paris Hilton was just ordered back to jail in Lynwood to serve out the remainder of her sentence! She’ll get credit for at least 5 days already served.TMZ.com, Paris Hilton is heading back to jail:
Paris Hilton was just ordered back to jail in Lynwood to serve out the remainder of her sentence! She’ll get credit for at least 5 days already served.
Hilton left the courtroom in tears, screaming, “Mom, Mom, Mom.” Hilton was also heard saying “It’s not right.”
Well, maybe celebrities are not above the law after all…
Jun 08 2007
I would like to think something like this can only happen in LA.
At 1:30 p.m. ET she [Paris Hilton] was on her way to the courthouse, which is about 11 miles away from her home.
Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer’s decision to have Hilton brought to court was announced by court spokesman Allan Parachini shortly before the hearing had been scheduled to start at noon ET.
“Judge Sauer has instructed the Sheriff’s Department to go to Ms. Hilton’s residence, pick her up and bring her here. That is happening now,” Parachini told reporters outside the courthouse.
Earlier, the court announced that Hilton would not physically appear in a Los Angeles courthouse as she was ordered to do, but would attend the hearing via telephone.
Apparently, she can’t phone this one in…
With cameras focusing on all aspects of her neighborhood and following every police car, one is reminded of another escorted celebrity as they made their way through LA. Perhaps this court case will end differently than that one.
