Marina And The Diamonds In Stockholm
Yup. I got an invite to a Marina and the Diamonds showcase from Warner Music Scandianvia. The exclusive gig was yesterday night at a location called Södra Bar in the South side of Stockholm. The place was totally packed and Marina was surprised that many people showed up. She’s traveling around Europe and the States to promote The Family Jewels album together with two guys, one on keyboard and one on (electric) bass. They performed, I don’t remember — five or six tracks including Numb, Hollywood and Obsessions. I knew it was going to be good, and it was. When she left the stage I said “thank you” and she said “thank you” back. Luckily no one else heard since I told her when she passed by, haha.
OK, it’s time to include the mighty WordPress Audio Player in this blog, first track out is Marinas “Hollywood” recorded live on my iPhone last night.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Seems to work just fine, doesn’t it? I love WordPress.
Next up is a video I shot with my trusty Panasonic HD cam. The track is “Numb”.
Jerry, a guy I almost know (Hi Jerry!) shot the track “Obsessions” with his camera.
I took some photos but the lack of a flash on the iPhone made them really weak (I’m sad to say). But, I’m providing audio AND video – not bad, huh?
What about the album then, what do I think about it? Well, I’m not that into it actually. I think the album version of “Hollywood” is, how should I put it — wrong? The video version is better, I think it’s the extra verse in the beginning that ruins it. The tracks on the album are all good, no doubt about that but I don’t understand why she didn’t include the track “Starlight” from her rather large catalog of great songs. I love that track. I still listen to her older, previous stuff, maybe I’m used to her songs being a bit less polished than those on the album, I think she’s better when it’s more raw and not overly produced.
A woman from the record company said Marina will be coming back to Sweden in August playing the Way Out West festival in Gothenburg. Looking forward to it, I’ve never been to WoW — I might go there.
365 Project February 2010
Another month has passed. Thank you and adiós to February. My 365 Project is still going strong. As I mentioned in the January post, the artistry is not important — it’s taking one photo every day and send it to Flickr that counts. Enjoy.
Link:
My February 2010 Flickr set at Flickr.com
Sunday Night Thoughts
You know what? I just realized I can write a post even though I have nothing in particular to say. I don’t even know why I’m posting.
I bought a Werther’s product. I’m old now — I can do that without feeling weird about it. That and the fact that the wrapper was so nicely designed made me buy it. The chocolate itself was really bland and kind of tasteless. Well, sure — it tasted of chocolate but is was a senior citizen kind of taste. I guess I’m not old enough to buy any of Werther’s offerings just yet. But the packaging was nice. I think J.J. Abrams, the creator of Lost would appreciate the packaging too. He’s also into that kind of thing. Here he is talking about hidden stuff, packaging, mystery and questions. The talk is from TED.com.
I go to the TED site every now and then. You never leave the site thinking you want your 20 minutes back, it’s always worth it.
I spent a few hours waiting for the Tsunami expected to hit Hawaii last night. I knew the media was hyping the thing well above reason and that’s why I kept a close eye. I followed a live stream from CNN. Experts and idiots gave us their thoughts, no one actually knew anything — as usual — and in the end a woman came forth telling the media that there would be no Tsunami.
I absolutely hate the way modern day news media thrives on scaring viewers and readers. Just look at the “headline” in that video player window above. They tell us that the waves are hitting Hawaii and yet there are pictures of sailboats, guys standing on the shore fishing and a few surfers trying to catch waves that are so small they are better off surfing in their bathtubs back at the hotel. Mainstream media takes us for fools, sure, some of us are but I’m not and I don’t like the way they do their reporting — if you can call it that. That’s it for now, cheers.
An Open Letter To America
TV Fakery Green Screen Bonanza
It’s my birthday today, thought I’d celebrate by writing a post. It’s been a while — about 20 days. But, I’m my own boss and I post when I please. So, let’s get to it!
What made me log in to my WordPress install and start typing? Well, it’s the video above of course! Being somewhat of a tech head I already knew a LOT of stuff is shot in front of a green screen, I’ve even tried it myself on my previous blog. Everyone knows about the use of computers in TV and Movies these days, I mean — it’s not a secret only people on the inside know about.
I’ve seen a bunch of behind the scenes stuff from movie productions and TV sets but the thing is — I had no clue the use of green screen was this prolific. It seems like every damn scene, no mater how bland or insignificant, is shot with the help of computers with 3D software. When I first saw the video I was kind of upset, I felt stupid for not realizing that what I’m watching isn’t… real. Amazing stuff none the less.
Stargate Studios, the company behind this modern day witchcraft is based in Pasadena CA. Some of the TV-shows they’ve been involved in includes; Eli Stone, Mad men, Grey’s Anatomy, Lipstick Jungle, Monk and The Office. The list goes on and on forever but the thing is — these are shows without special effects, right? You know what I mean, don’t you? Sure, there are tonnes of effects in Heroes and Stargate Studios is behind that too — but that’s a thing I can understand.
I just realized that Stargate Studios is also a Visual Effects company. Maybe that’s why my brain refused to accept the fact that these effects are everywhere. They are not special, they are visual, you don’t notice them and I guess that means they did a pretty good job. Haha!
