Thursday, December 30, 2010
Anna Paquin, star of HBO's hit series, True Blood, based on the novel series of Sookie Stackhouse, written by Charlene Harris, on The Late Show with David Letterman.Anna discusses life in California, filming True Blood and being the second youngest Oscar winner. Disclaimer:No Copyright infringement intended.All footage belongs to respective owners.
True Blood star Anna Paquin introduces her shape-shifting new castmate Joe Manganiello in this special. For more information, log onto HBO.com.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Album: No Said Date Year: 2004 Track: 16 Track Produced By: Baby Dooks Samples: Bruce Lee interview with Pierre Berton Lyrics: [Intro: sample (Masta Killa)] You are watching a master at work.. (Haha, haha, yeah, haha...) [Masta Killa] Steppin' live in the place, smackin' blood out his face It's the principal, don't get it wrong What I do to eat, is nothing in comparison To what I do to keep, self up, write and exact Sway the mac' if I have to defend the castle Slang lasso, ropin' them til they recoup Pass the keys to the Coupe, it's cute for wiz to scoot off, '95 north Cut from the cloth of king, who bare struggle In this life line, theology of time Move with our major motion to the mic The recite the dart that I have written Light exists in the darkness, instant gratification How far can you travel the mic spar? [Interlude: Bruce Lee sample (Masta Killa)] Water is the softest substance in the world At yet, it can penetrate the hardest, rock Or, anything granite, you name it Umm.. water also is insubstantial; by that I mean You cannot grasp hold of it, you cannot punch it and hurt it (Yeah, yeah, yeah...) [Masta Killa] See the God light gleam so bright, I gain birth to That you attract you, heart so fuller Make you wanna pull your trigger and get rid a Shiny bald militant head like Lou Gassid He's walkin' with the shiner's lamp of knowledge Glory be the law, with the justice sword Supreme being, all I seeing, radiant son Imperishable absolute, ya'll salute Approximately ...
I didn't want to write this article. In fact, I've held back the temptation for the last 5 months (since Cam'ron appeared on 60 minutes). My hope was that the hypocrisy would die down quickly. But with the recent upsurge of the "Stop Snitchin" campaign in the media, I felt it necessary that I put an end to the nonsense once and for all.
It is absolutely ABSURD for anyone to insinuate that the concept of not snitchin' came from Hip-Hop. This is simply NOT TRUE. The truth is, "not snitchin" is a very deeply ingrained aspect of our nation's cultural fabric. Here are a few areas that demonstrate the No Snitchin' Code. None of them have a thing to do with Hip-Hop.
Anyone who ever watched the movie, The Godfather caught at least a glimpse of the very real ITALIAN Mafia. The Mafia was notorious for having a code of silence when dealing with the police. I can't count how many times I've heard the terms "rat" or "stool pigeon" used in Casino, Goodfellas or even the popular HBO series The Sopranos. We are all very familiar with the "no snitchin" code in this context AND the severe punishment for breaking this rule. Is the media trying to claim that these movies were purely fictional?
Right now, in elementary schools across the United States, teachers can be heard saying, "Stop tattling" or "Don't be a tattle tale" to their students. Is this some new trend started by Hip-Hop? NO! I'm sure all of us can remember being instructed to stop "ratting" on classmates at least once in our younger days.
Even children have their own "no snitchin" code. Or am I the only one who has ever had a classmate who was infamous for being a tattle tale? No one wanted to play with that child; he/she was often ostracized by his/her peers. Why does the media blame this "phenomenon" amongst our youth on Hip-Hop?
It is true, that we as Black Folk in America have had a history of avoiding contact/ communication with the police; but this is mainly out of distrust and fear. Need I remind the media of the innumerable atrocities inflicted upon us by our own "Justice Department"?
On top of that, anyone who watches Law and Order as much as I do has seen the police regularly trapping, abusing, coercing and otherwise bullying witnesses. After watching a couple episodes, even the most straight-laced citizen (Black OR White) would think twice about getting involved in a criminal case.
Yes, the thuggish, ultra-violent and misogynistic elements of American Culture have infiltrated (and now seem to dominate) the positive elements of Hip-Hop music. But let's not forget, the same is VERY TRUE of every other aspect of our society.
Over the last 20 years, video games, songs, movies, TV shows and computer programs have all suffered from a severe morale decline. Back in 1987, Nintendo's Super Mario Brothers ruled the video game world and The Cosby Show was one of the top TV programs. Compare this to the R-rated video games and the common use of the words "Ass" and "Bitch" in T.V. shows of 2007. It is plain to see that today's image of Hip-Hop is only reflecting the same changes the American macrocosm is witnessing. Why then, does Hip-Hop always seem to be the blame for our society's ills?
The media purposely distorts our perception of reality and diverts our attention from the true problem..... greed! Our country is run by CORPORATIONS, not government. These corporations practice extreme capitalism, which has no moral regulations. They did it! Their love of money is root of all their evils. They did it! They OWN & DISTRIBUTE the super-violent video games, sexually explicit songs/ movies and morally depraved TV shows that plague our minds. They did it! These corporations also own the very same media that we rely on for our daily information, which targets Hip-Hop as the scapegoat for our country's biggest problems.
Put simply, in the words of the revolutionary Hip-Hop group Public Enemy, "Don't' believe the hype!"
(P.S. How's that for snitchin'?)
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Music video by Norah Jones performing Young Blood. (C) 2010 Blue Note Records
Friday, December 17, 2010
True Blood Season 3 ep 10 ... in this episode Sookie and Eric kissing really .... Team Eric ......ahahah ^___^
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Jarmaine Santiago PO Box 440 Simi Vally Ca, 93062
Track 6 from Return To The 36 Chambers. The Dirty Version. Produced by RZA and features Raekwon and Method Man
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Have you ever had the misfortune of having a close encounter with a bat? Don't get me wrong - I think they are absolutely adorable little creatures - but that is from a distance. There are many bats in the house superstitions that have lasted for centuries and can scare almost anyone.
A while ago I did have a bat visit my home. The little bugger flew in through a window I had cracked open just a bit. He visited every room on the first floor of my home by usually flying in circles with an occasionally swoop downwards.
Even though I'm not a naive 5 year old, I still watched one too many vampire movies in my younger years to let go of the old "blood sucking bat" superstition. Or the one that states that vampires turn into bats. Granted, I'm a huge fan of the "True Blood" HBO series and some of those vampires do seem a bit appealing.
Then there are those scenes in the movies where the bat swoops down and gets stuck in a woman's hair. I certainly did not want a blood-sucking little monster attaching itself to my scalp. I managed to call several friends pleading for help with removing the flying varmint from my domain. They all were unable to assist me with the bat removal. Perhaps they too believed in some bat superstitions and were fearful of having the blood sucked out of them.
With no assistance from friends, my bat stake out (no pun intended) began. Armed with a broom, I proceeded to army-crawl my way around my house for the next 2 hours until he flew back out the window. After my harrowing encounter I researched some old bats in the house superstitions from the 1800's. Here are a few of my favorite bat superstitions:
If a bat flies into the kitchen and at once hangs on to the ceiling, it is lucky; but if it circles around twice before alighting, it is bad.
If, in trying to drive a bat out of the room, the creature should fly against a light or candle and put it out, it is a very bad omen.
If a bat flies into your house, look out for bedbugs.
If a bat circles around your head three times, it presages a death.
As you can see, according to several of these old superstitions about bats, I will have bad luck, bed bugs and perhaps meet my demise earlier than planned. I wonder if that means my death will be caused by bed bugs?
Old superstitions can be entertaining to read through. Be them about bats, cats, witches or any of a number of topics. Even though bat superstitions are pure folklore, I'll still probably be army-crawling around my home should another bat decide to pay a visit.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
It goes without saying that friendship plays an important part in our social relationship. To some extent, friendship is to us what blood is to our body. And there has been a hot discussion on whether the friendship is affected by the financial disparity. Some people believe that friendship is based on the financial status. While others hold the view that financial disparity can't affect friendship. As far as I am concerned, I agree with the latter view. That's to say the true friendship will not be affected by financial disparity. The reasons are as follows.
First and foremost, the true friendship should be based on mutual-respect, ignoring the financial disparity.
Just as Catherine Pulsifer ever put it: "To be a friend means encourage strengths in others and accepting their weaknesses; in other words, accepting them for who they are." The friendship shouldn't be broken down just because of the money. And the mutual-respect calls for respecting and accepting each other's situation, including the financial situation. For instance, although Marx and Engels have great disparities in finance, they become lifelong friends. That's because Engels respects Marx instead of looking down upon him. He has given Marx much help in finance for many years. And Marx appreciates Engels instead of hitting him. Besides, Marx cooperates with him in work and trusts him in daily life. Therefore, true friendship will not be affected by money.
Secondly, true friends should not only share good times, but also share pain.
Just as an old saying goes: A friend in need is a friend indeed. True friends should share sadness and happiness with each other. And when one is in trouble, the friends will give a hand without hesitation. But sometimes the fact is when you are in fortune's lap, you have many friends, but when you are in trouble, only few friends back up you. And these few ones are actually your true friends. They encourage you and lift you up in spirits and make that dark and empty world become bright and full. They will not leave you just because you are poor. On the contrary, they will accompany you all the time.
On the other hand, if the friendship is affected by financial disparity, then the friendship cannot be called friendship.
For example, if someone wants to keep a friendship with you just because you are a guy that can afford Tiffany jewelry or any other luxuries, will you accept? I believe that none of you want such person to appear in your life.
All in all, from what we have discussed above, it is not hard for us to draw a conclusion that the true friendship is not affected by financial disparity; instead, it can bear all kinds of tests since it is based on mutual respect and will shares both good times and hard times.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1925, Robert Altman was raised Roman Catholic and Attended Jesuit schools. After serving in the military as a bomber pilot, he studied mathematics and engineering, but left these behind to move to Hollywood to sell scripts. Finding little success, Altman returned to Kansas City for six years, where he made industrial motion pictures as well as a low-budget feature, The Delinquents (1957), produced on local funding. United Artists bought the rights to this social problem melodrama about troubled youth, and on the strength of this success, Altman was able to return to Hollywood, where he made more moving pictures including the documentary style movie, The James Dean Story (1957), and worked extensively in television, making episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Bonanza, Bus Stop, Kraft Mystery Theater and Kraft Suspense Theater.
In 1963 he started a film company, Lion's Gate Films, to develop his own films and projects, but studios expressed little interest in having Altman direct. When Altman did persuade Warner Bros to let him direct Countdown in 1966, the studio found the overlapping dialogue incomprehensible, and recut the movie. After working with little recognition, Altman directed the phenomenally successful MASH (1970), which brought him notoriety and greater liberty in realizing his own projects. A long run of motion pictures in the early 1970s attracted much critical acclaim, reaching a climax with the movie Nashville (1975), Altman's signature multi-character, multi-story portrait of a few days in the life of the South's country musical capital.
Subsequent motion pictures were less successful, culminating in 1980, with Popeye, which failed to live up to the studio's blockbuster expectations. Altman sold his company Lion's Gate, and his Hollywood career languished. During this period of Hollywood rejection, Altman directed a series of moving pictures based on successful plays, as well as shooting plays for television and staging operas, often working outside Hollywood and on small budgets. Among this work, his 1988 series for HBO, Tanner '88 (1988), is a particularly noteworthy for mixing Altman's penchant for semi-documentary portraits of places with fictional characters. Vincent and Theo (1990), his movie based on the life of Vincent Van Gogh and his brother, again earned Altman critical attention, and he was eventually hired to direct The Player (1992), a wicked satire of Hollywood, based on Michael Tolkin's novel. The Player was highly successful, both critically and at the box-office, and Altman once again became one of Hollywood's darling gifts as he had been twenty years earlier - despite the fact that The Player criticized Hollywood motion pictures in its form as well as its content.
The success of The Player allowed Altman to film his long-time dream project Short Cuts (1993), based on several stories and a poem by Raymond Carver. The Project became a three-hour-plus movie which used Altman's characteristic multiple story-lines, testifying to his continued desire to rework Hollywood narrative structures. His influence in Hollywood continues to be seen in the work of his friends and former assistants such as Alan Rudolph and Michael Ritchie.
Altman's moving pictures are distinguished by innovations of technique as well as structure. Early on he developed techniques for recording live sound with actors' voices on separate tracks, thus expanding the aural space and complexity of movie sound, as well as capturing the haphazard rhythms of his actors performances. Whether diegetic or extradiegetic, music and voice-overs often function in Altman's motion pictures to tie together seemingly disparate narratives and images, as do Leonard Cohen's songs in McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), the music of Nashville, and the singing of Annie Ross in Short Cuts.
The visuals of Altman's movies are equally inventive. His use of a telephoto lens flattens the visual space of his films, giving the images a pictorial quality not unlike pointillism. His camera floats freely, the camera operator improvising new compositions as the actors explore their roles. The motion pictures that result are often a collage of ever-changing angels and drifting camera movement.
Altman has also challenged the form of traditional Hollywood genres. He has made westerns like McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Buffalo Bill and the Indians (1976), and crime movies like Thieves Like Us (1974), The Long Goodbye (1973) and The Player. But in each of these films, the conventions of the genre are turned inside out: in McCabe and Mrs. Miller, the hero is neither a gunslinger nor a lawman but a pimp and entrepreneur; in The Player, the criminal is never caught, and the Hollywood happy ending discussed by the character becomes the ending of the movie we are watching.
Altman repeatedly examines communities through the fragmentation of the desperate and irreconcilable lives of their individuals, giving a prismatic portrait of an individualistic society. He has refused to create heroes and has consistently poked holes in the way such heroes are manufactured, whether by politics, the press, or cinema itself. Altman's portraits of particular places thus turn back on themselves and become self-portraits of the culture industry, documentary moving pictures about themselves as fiction. Altman's upending of Hollywood cinema form seems to be his way of staying in exile from Hollywood even while it embraces him.
As promised, this is the Q&A session I had with the Discovery Institute at the recent SMU sponsored event, "4 Nails in Darwin's Coffin". For best results, I recommend using the interactive transcript. The full high resolution video of the entire event is available at www.mediafire.com for download. You are free to do with this video, and the other videos of the event, as you wish. Note that some of the downloadable files were too large, and are available as file-spanning .rar archive files. I apologize for the wordy, too-fast slides that I included. There was a lot of information that needed to be presented to understand why their technical arguments fail on a basic level. You may find that you need to pause the video, or watch it multiple times to get the full effect. The articles I cited/used: 1. My favorite, it refutes Doug Axe's 2004 JMB paper very clearly (free full text): www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 2. I borrowed very heavily from Arthur Hunt's analysis of Doug Axe's work on Panda's Thumb: pandasthumb.org 3. Doug Axe's 2004 JMB paper that he bases most of his argument on: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov I recorded the Q&A session with my Android phone in my pocket. Audio quality is a bit low, and you'll hear the creak of people's chairs as they got up to leave. Everyone was a bit tired of listening to these clowns. A viewer brought these sites to my attention, and I want to make it clear that the SMU Biology faculty generally oppose Intelligent Design: SMU Biology Professors Speak ...
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
You can watch True Blood streaming all the episodes for free .True Blood is an American television drama series created and produced by Alan Ball, who also created Six Feet Under preview promo new season part 1 Season episode tvshow se3 HQ serie watch online complete full length hd part 1 part1
Friday, December 3, 2010
[INFO] All details at the end of the video. Editing program : Sony Vegas Pro 9.0 [SUB&ADD MY BACKUP ACCOUNT] www.youtube.com www.youtube.com www.youtube.com _____________________________________ [ABOUT] Another preview done! It's short I know :/ I have so many projects already started I wanna finish them before I start another new one! But anyway some multifandom hotness on a song I love! ;) My next video will be a Lost video I think! ENJOY! _____________________________________ [VOICEOVERS] - "Don't use words I don't understand." (Eric/True Blood) _____________________________________ [DOWNLOAD LINK] www.sendspace.com _____________________________________ NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED JUST MADE FOR FUN, NO PROFITS
I also added in another promo of Sam mentioning that there are two weeks left until the 3rd season.
