November 26, 2010
November 25, 2010
November 23, 2010
ViewSonic Show’n Go 3DV5 3D HD Camcorder
The ViewSonic Show’n Go 3DV5 3D HD Camcorder ($180) makes this futuristic dream possible thanks to its diminutive size, twin sensors, 720p video recording, 3D still image capture, SD storage, HDMI output, and autosterescopic 2.4″ screen.
Quincy Jones iView w/ US Magazine
At 77 years young, Quincy Jones is less shy than ever about giving his unbridled opinion. Thank the music gods!
I was lucky enough to chat with the legendary, 27-time Grammy winning impresario -- who gets feted by everyone from Amy Winehouse to T-Pain to Jennifer Hudson on the new tribute disc, Q: Soul Bossa Nostra (out now) -- about some of his more recent contemporaries. And he didn't hold back: praising Ludacris, taking Kanye West down a few pegs, giving props to Lady Gaga, and putting down an upcoming Michael Jackson album of unreleased material.
UsMagazine.com: Congrats on the album!
Quincy Jones: Thank you very much, man! I'm very, very excited because it's something I've never been involved in before. I've always been a hands-on producer. They told me six years ago they wanted to do a tribute to me, and I said, 'I'm not going to do that to myself, that's not my style.' Then they said they wanted to open it up to do it with all these great people, and one by one they came on board and blew me away. It's about heart and passion.
Us: Did you pick the songs?
QJ: The artists did it. They decided on what they liked and what they wanted to do.
Us: The Mary J. Blige version of "Betcha Wouldn't Hurt Me" is hot!
QJ: Oh yeah, I've known her since she was a little girl. She's the best. I opened up my mind and just let everybody play.
Us: What was it like to hear Amy Winehouse sing "It's My Party" on this disc? She still sounds amazing, and it's great to see her back.
QJ: Absolutely right. She kept her word and did the song. Everybody gave everything they had. I'm so proud of my all young brothers and sisters.
Us: "Thriller" was done by T-Pain and Robin Thicke -- in a different way, obviously.
QJ: Auto-tune! Well, we had to with T-Pain. I go back to 1963 when nobody knew what it was!
Us: Speaking of Michael Jackson, some of his old stuff is being released now as a new album. Thoughts?
QJ: I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. Somebody called me up and asked me if it was Michael, and I said it sounds like Michael. But it's backed up by so many voices where I can't really dig down deep enough or I haven't really had time to dig deep enough to identify it. But no way it should be coming out. It should have all stayed in the vault.
Us: Why?
QJ: It seems like everybody is trying to put everything out that they can with him. I don't understand it. It's all to make money. He wouldn't have wanted it to come out this way. They must just be trying to make as much money as they can. I don't know know why else they are doing it.
Us: Why? Because he was such a perfectionist?
QJ: Right. He wouldn't have wanted anything out there he didn't put his final touches on. It's a crazy time right now. We're also looking at the descent of the record business. It's a very curious time right now. I've been in the business 60 years, and I've never seen anything like this.
Us: Does it make you sad?
QJ: Yeah, it does. I think in 10 months to a year, the record industry is going to be in trouble. Big trouble. It's all 95 or 99% piracy.
Us: Is there anyone now that you think has the spark that Michael did?
QJ: Akon, Ludacris or Usher. A lot of them do, but the opportunities aren't there anymore. I'm worried about the young singers and songwriters in the business now. It really is a rough time. It doesn't mean a damn thing because they still steal everything. We're going to have to figure it out, man. I don't know what the answer is.
Us: How do you stay happy and positive?
QJ: I have six daughters from 17 to 57, and I have one son. My foundation is one of my biggest passions now too. We're working all over the world -- Cambodia and Brazil, we helped out in Hurricane Katrina. Those are the secrets in life. Love, laugh, live, and give, and that's the way I live my life.
Us: Kanye West is similar to you in that he's the producer everybody wants to work with in the last decade....
QJ: How man? No way. Did he write for a symphony orchestra? Does he write for a jazz orchestra? Come on, man. He's just a rapper. There's no comparison. I'm not putting him down or making a judgement or anything, but we come from two different sides of the planet. I spent 28 years learning my first skill. I don't rap. It's not the same thing. A producer has to have some sort of skills that enable him to be a producer. It's totally different to know what to do with 16 woodwinds you know from piccolos down to bass clarinet. It's a whole different mindset. No comparison. None.
Us: What do you think of him?
QJ: I don't think about him much. He's a great rapper, but there are a lot of good rappers. I just did The View with Ludacris, who's one of my favorites. He's a beautiful human being and college educated. I joke with him and say, 'How did 'Move Bitch Get Out The Way' come out of you?' But I was raised around the Mafia when I was a kid in Chicago in the 30s. Chicago's rough. I'm from the streets, I know what's up!
Us: What do you think of Lady Gaga?
QJ: She's great. Some guy misquoted me in some article and said I don't listen to everybody -- meaning her. I'm not listening to everybody, man. Everybody has their own thing, but it's show business. Gaga is like Madonna Jr. A lot of people follow Madonna. I don't, but I don't blame those that do. She's had a long career and done a lot. There are different strokes for different folks, man, and there is nothing right or wrong. It's what you like, you know. I'm against categories. If she can do it, do it. If she knows how to do it, just do it.
via US
November 19, 2010
Rat Pack unseen (Book)
Frank Sinatra’s legendary clique defined life in the fast lane throughout the late fifties and early sixties, dominating American culture and epitomising a life of cocktails, love affairs and Hollywood glamour.A select group of photographers, including Sid Avery and Bob Willoughby, captured the Rat Pack in their heyday. Many of the images they produced have been largely stored away, many even undeveloped. For the first time, access to these shots has been made possible to produce one deluxe, collector’s edition.
"There's a couple of pictures of Sinatra and Dean Martin - I think in the end I always like pictures of Dean Martin the best because he just seems so chummy. Sinatra's so intense; Dean's so relaxing. There's a wonderful picture near the front of the book of the two of them backstage at a TV special, I believe it was Judy Garland: they were real friends and fans and any time she had one of her myriad comebacks they supported her however they could. They're in their tuxedos and there's just a cloud of cigarette smoke between them. It's a beautiful photo. It's the sort of thing Caravaggio would have painted. In a lot of these pictures, the cigarette smoke is amazing."
It's funny. If you told people in 1960 that Frank Sinatra was running around with John Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and the head of the Chicago mafia, they would say, 'Cool! I wish I was doing that.' Today it would be a front-page scandal on every paper in the world. The time has changed. There really was a time when awful and brazen behaviour was celebrated and envied. We're much more moralistic now, ironically."
"There were images from Peter Lawford's beach house from 1960 with Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Peter Lawford, Patricia Kennedy Lawford and May Britt, Sammy Davis Jr's wife. They're all sitting around in beachwear, someone's got a Polaroid camera and they're all playing with it. Lawford's beach house is part of Rat Pack lore because that's where the Kennedys and the Rat Pack partied. But to see Marilyn Monroe among them in a picture at that time is just shocking."
$650.00
more info here
via gq
November 17, 2010
November 16, 2010
Tetris Modular Fireplace 3
Italian designer Horus teamed up with portable oven maker Fontana Forni to change that making a minimalistic modular fireplace that is sure to be the showpiece of your room. The L-shaped pieces of the Tetris Modular Fireplace can be arranged in a variety of ways to suit your entertainment plans, from a card game to an all out party.
This stainless steel and glass fireplace is lightweight and uses earth friendly ethanol as a fuel source. The unit also features glass casing around the flame so books and fixtures can sit safely nearby. Available in black/white & red/white colorways it’ll match your decor and is sure to keep you warm this season.
This stainless steel and glass fireplace is lightweight and uses earth friendly ethanol as a fuel source. The unit also features glass casing around the flame so books and fixtures can sit safely nearby. Available in black/white & red/white colorways it’ll match your decor and is sure to keep you warm this season.
Jay-Z Interview with Howard Stern
one of the best/ most personal jay-z iviews.
UPDATE:
+ Jay-Z Interview Juan Epstien [speaks on freestyle with Big L, how Takeover was 1,000 times better than Ether, getting “murdered” by Eminem on Renegade, Mobb Deep, his friendship with Biggie, Dilla, Jay Electronica’s signing and more]
UPDATE:
+ Jay-Z Interview Juan Epstien [speaks on freestyle with Big L, how Takeover was 1,000 times better than Ether, getting “murdered” by Eminem on Renegade, Mobb Deep, his friendship with Biggie, Dilla, Jay Electronica’s signing and more]
November 15, 2010
Quincy Jones on The Colbert Report
sooooo dope!!
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Quincy Jones | ||||
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