M Is FOR MASHUP - May 25th, 2011
Getting Brutal On Mashups
By DJ Useo
Hey, Peeps. How ya doin'? Things are improving for me as I get going with the annual SUMMER BOOTY Summer Mashup compilation. Interacting with all the creative types is a big kick for me, so I'm a happier camper than I've been just lately. One of the things ya gotta do to work up a mashup comp is to crack down on your musical standards. What that means is you get BRUTAL (as they say) in your reviews & tweak suggestions. For instance in the last few years of SUMMER BOOTY albums, there's generally been around an hour of tracks that didn't make it onto the record for some reason or another. It seems harsh & it propably is, but you make that sacrifice in the name of quality.
Naturally, being in a more 'critical' frame of mind rubs off on your other listening habits. I always feel more picky about label music at this time too. Most groups do their thing okay, but production issues always crop up for me. As I hear a lot of new records I say out loud, 'Drokk it! I could produce this record better.'.
Now,with a reminder that these reviews are intended to be the most BRUTAL, let's take a look at four spanking new mashups. Each was chosen because it had received no posted comments.
Mashup Number One
1 - 10 Rating System For Mashups
DJ MikeA - Light My Mother (The Doors vs Danzig)
Mix - 9
Production Sound - 9
Musical Appeal - 10
Tweak Advice - I am certain the vocal is a hair flat.
Lower the instrumental the least bit possible to correct this.
Final Score - 8
Comment - One hell of a fun listen. Well done even as is.
( djmikealegre.blogspot.com/ )
Mashup Number Two
ENTYME- C'mon N' Ride It (The Time) (B.E.P. vs Quad City DJ's)
1 - 10 Rating System For Mashups
Mix - 8
Production Sound - 7
Musical Appeal - 7
Tweak Advice - The warping music effect detracted from my enjoyment.
Final Score - 7
Comment - Generally one fine appealing track.
( djtymenathanscot.com/ )
Mashup Number Three
DJ Protesta - Another One Bites The Pull Up (Queen vs Mr Vegas)
1 - 10 Rating System For Mashups
Mix - 8
Production Sound - 8
Musical Appeal - 8
Tweak Advice - not applicable
Final Score - 8
Comment - I liked the vocals to the music here. A direct track that works well. Good job.
( djprotesta.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/queen-vs-mr-vegas-another-one-bites-the-pull-up-protesta-mash-up-bootleg-remix/ )
Mashup Number Four
Frail Pimb Purity - Matty G v. The Game
1 - 10 Rating System For Mashups
Mix - 8
Production Sound - 8
Musical Appeal - 8
Tweak Advice - not applicable
Final Score - 8
Comment - I was hoping for more genre clash, but it was good for me anyway.
( fraillimbpurity.wordpress.com/ )
So in light of being brutal in reviewing, & pretending these are intended for a mashup project, I would deffo accept two of these, with the other two being good after very slight changes had been made. Yes, there's some personal tastes involved with reviews like this,, but it all works toward the overall betterment of a comp if one persons' vision prevails. Experience reveals that time & again.
Try reviewing mashups (or any music) this way.
Mix Of The Week
See above for your choice of MANY!
DJ Lionel B electro Mix is tha bomb. It's sick, & all those new hip phrases. It's got Swedish House Mafia, Etienne,& Super Meat Freeze among many others. Grab your listen
here
( blog4dj.org/2011/05/dj-mix-dj-lionel-b-electro-mix-tracklist/ )
Mashup Tip : Never mash any Weird Al Yankovic,as mashup fans hate polkas.
Latest Useo Thing
I'm caught between releasing a Devo vs Diesel techno mashup or a Rolling Stones vs Mott The Hoople all classic rock track. Send me your preference at
useo8@yahoo.com
Podgornio, The Mashup Psychic Predicts
Some kid in Ohio named Tod will hear his first mashup in 3...2...1...now! Congrats,Tod, it's Aerosmith vs Justin Bieber!
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: When Austerity Fails (New York Times)
Unfortunately, the confidence fairy keeps refusing to make an appearance. And a dispute over how to handle inconvenient reality threatens to make Europe the flashpoint of a new financial crisis.
Noam Chomsky: When Did America Completely Jettison the Rule of Law? (Alternet)
In societies that profess some respect for law, suspects are apprehended and brought to fair trial.
Daniel J. Solove: Why Privacy Matters Even if You Have 'Nothing to Hide' (Chronicle of Higher Education)
What if the government thinks your financial transactions look odd-even if you've done nothing wrong-and freezes your accounts? What if the government doesn't protect your information with adequate security, and an identity thief obtains it and uses it to defraud you? Even if you have nothing to hide, the government can cause you a lot of harm.
Andrew Tobias: Daily Column
This is America: Republicans believe we should make it as difficult as possible to vote.
Russell Bell: Guns (Andrewtobias.com)
"The First Amendment doesn't grant freedom of religion to well-regulated churches or freedom of speech to well-regulated debating societies but to everyone. The Second Amendment refers specifically to well-regulated militias. States ought to be required to organize militias to which any mentally-capable, non-felonious citizen can belong as long as s/he participates in well-regulation - and strictly regulate gun ownership by those who refuse to join the militia."
Time for a Frosty Farewell to Cupcakes (Wall Street Journal)
Joe Queenan, in his Moving Targets column, hopes for the demise of a culinary fashion.
Editors of Encyclopedia Brittanica: "A Man in Motion: 5 Questions for Punk Rock Icon (and Much, Much More) Henry Rollins"
Britannica: You're a singer, songwriter, poet, disk jockey, television host, prose writer, spoken-word performer, actor, publisher … what's the secret of your productivity?
Henry Rollins: I am angry and curious. These two things propel me forward. I come from the minimum-wage working world. I have no illusions as to where I should have ended up. I have really nothing to lose, and so I go.
Nathan Heller: "Saturday Night Live" (Slate)
The frustrations of watching 'SNL' today are the frustrations of seeing cowed and formulaic work broadcast under the premises of fearlessness and risk. In answer to the show's longstanding claims of creative daring, we viewers are inspired to offer a simple plea: try harder.
Sam Richards: Iggy Pop (Guardian)
The sinewy rock'n'roll survivor's played on through tornados and tsunamis - a little rain's not going to stop him.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Husbands and Wives (Athens News)
Carole Lombard's second husband was William Powell. On her honeymoon, she sent this telegram to her friends: "Nothing new to report."
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
The (Occasional) Weekly Poll Presents...
New Question(s)
The "That Was The Week That Was' Edition...
This past week we had a number of marvelously eclectic stories to captivate one's attention and give us some distractions to our otherwise hum-drum lives (haha) ...
Which, if any, of these stories piqued your interest the most this past week?
1.) Ah-nuld's 'Living Loving Maid' and 'Love Child'... (Why am I not amazed?)
2.) The Oprah 'I'll Always Love You' Fan-Fest count-down to her last show...(OMG! What to do? What to watch?... p.s. is she really a 'closet' Scientologist?)
3.) Saturday's 'Apocalypse Now' fizzle... (Good excuse fer a party, though, I'm sayin'...)
4.) Lizzie does Dublin... (No Sex Pistols singin', 'God Save the Queen', more's the pity...)
5.) Obama lectures Israel (Israel sez, "Get real, Dude") Obama then sings, 'We are Family' to AIPAC...
6.) 'When the Levee Breaks'..or, the Great American Flood, as it were...(Gators and snakes and bears, Oh My!)
7.) The 'Helter Skelter' hilarity of GOP presidential candidates doin' the 'You're Hot and then You're Cold' shuffle (featuring 'Newt the Hoot', so much the better...)
8.) Your pick... (Give us a thrill, would ya now, maybe?)
Well, then, Poll-fans... Have at it!
Send your response to
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responded:
Reader Suggestions
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Foggy morning, fairly sunny afternoon.
Seeks Iran's Release Of US Hikers
Muhammad Ali
Legendary boxing champion Muhammad Ali came to Washington Tuesday supporting a call for Iran's supreme leader to free two American hikers imprisoned in the Islamic republic since 2009.
"The people of Iran are good people... and I can assure you they love this man," Lonnie Ali said of her boxing husband sitting at her side at a press conference with several US Muslim organizations.
"It's based on their compassion, the love of Allah and the love of Mohamed that we ask them to be released."
Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both 28, were arrested along with Sarah Shourd, 32, on the unmarked border between Iran and Iraq on July 31, 2009. They have pleaded not guilty to spying charges.
Muhammad Ali
DWTS
Hines Ward
Hines Ward can add a disco-ball trophy to his Super Bowl shelf.
The Steelers wide receiver and former Super Bowl MVP won the "Dancing With the Stars" title Tuesday, besting actresses Kirstie Alley and Chelsea Kane to become the season 12 champ.
Ward and professional partner Kym Johnson came into the season finale tied for first place with Kane. The couple added another 30 points to their total Tuesday.
The 35-year-old Ward is the second professional football player to win the "Dancing" crown. Emmitt Smith won in 2006.
Hines Ward
Leaving "Swift Justice"
Nancy Grace
Nancy Grace is departing the syndicated legal show "Swift Justice" after one season.
Las Vegas Judge Jackie Glass, who presided over the case that sent O.J. Simpson to jail for his role in an armed robbery at a Las Vegas hotel in 2008, will replace her as host for Season 2.
Grace said she's leaving the show partly due to the fact that production is relocating from Atlanta to Los Angeles and also to spend more time with her family.
Grace also hosts HLN's weeknight show "Nancy Grace," which is based in Atlanta. At the beginning of the year, she signed a new multiyear deal to stay at the network. The show is averaging 583,000 viewers this, according to Nielsen.
Nancy Grace
Wins Big At Drama Desk Awards
'Book of Mormon'
The profane show "The Book of Mormon" snagged five Drama Desk Awards on Monday night, adding to its pre-Tony Award critical haul and making it the musical to beat when the biggest prizes in theater are handed out next month.
The Drama Desk, an organization of theater journalists and critics, called "The Book of Mormon" the season's best musical and gave it awards for best lyrics, music, director and orchestrations.
The Drama Desk also honored the Cole Porter romp "Anything Goes" with five awards, including best musical revival, set design, sound design, choreography and Sutton Foster as outstanding actress.
The awards for outstanding acting in a play went to Bobby Cannavale in "The Motherf---- With the Hat" and Frances McDormand for "Good People." In the musical category, the lead male acting award went to Norbert Leo Butz from "Catch Me If You Can."
In the featured acting play categories, Brian Bedford in "The Importance of Being Earnest" and Edie Falco of "The House of Blue Leaves" won, while John Larroquette in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and Laura Benanti from "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" won in the musical categories.
'Book of Mormon'
Not Returning To 'Law & Order'
Christopher Meloni
Christopher Meloni isn't coming back to NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" when it returns this fall.
The actor and Universal Media Studios were unable to come to terms on a new contract, according to a person familiar with the situation, who spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because NBC and the studio had not authorized public comment.
Meloni's co-star, Mariska Hargitay, will be back for the upcoming season, the show's 13th, the person said.
Meloni portrayed Detective Elliot Stabler, a family man and veteran of an elite squad that investigates crimes with a sexual aspect. Hargitay was his partner, Detective Olivia Benson, who joined the squad because she was conceived in a rape. The show features Dann Florek, Tamara Tunie, Richard Belzer, B.D. Wong and Ice-T.
Christopher Meloni
Voting To Be Done Online
Oscars
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is planning to change its voting system to allow members to make their picks electronically, rather than through mailed, paper ballots the way they have for years.
The approximately 6,000 members of the Academy received a letter recently, asking that they provide updated email addresses. No exact timetable for the shift is in place, but this is the first step, Academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger said Tuesday.
The change, which The New York Times first reported, could result in an earlier Oscar ceremony. The show usually takes place in late February.
Oscars
Two Crew Members Injured
"The Hobbit"
Two people working on Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" were hospitalized after an incident on the movie's New Zealand set.
The film's publicist, Ceris Price, told The Sydney Morning Herald that the incident occurred Tuesday morning in a production workshop when "a couple of the guys" were drilling on a statue and suffered "mild burns but nothing serious." To call the incident an explosion was a "slight overstatement," she added.
Price said one of the workers "had some burned nostril hairs and, apparently if that's the case, there is always the risk of inhalation so they get checked out."
Following months of delays, filming on the two-part film adaptation started in March after months of delays due to a labor dispute with the actors' unions there. Jackson also underwent emergency surgery for a stomach ulcer earlier this year, halting production.
"The Hobbit"
Judge Denies Bid To Halt
"Hangover 2"
A federal judge has declined to halt the release on Thursday of "The Hangover: Part II" as part of a copyright infringement lawsuit over a distinctive tattoo worn by actor Ed Helms.
Victor Whitmill, the tattoo artist who created the original tattoo for boxer Mike Tyson, who appears in both "Hangover" films, sued on April 28 seeking an injunction and damages for copyright infringement.
Warner Bros. executives Dan Fellman and Sue Kroll testified at a hearing on Monday that issuing an injunction against the film's release would inflict irreparable harm on the studio, which has spent more than $80 million to market the film.
U.S. District Court Judge Catherine D. Perry. agreed with the studio, denying the injunction but allowing the case to move forward.
She did say that Whitmill had a strong likelihood of ultimately succeeding on the merits of the case but that the hardship on the studio and the third-party theater owners who planned to screen the film this weekend would simply be too great.
"Hangover 2"
Busy Night
Estella Warren
Actress Estella Warren is facing a slew of charges after a late-night crash that led to her allegedly assaulting a Los Angeles police officer then trying to escape custody.
Officer Sarah Faden said Tuesday that Warren, famed for her roles in "Planet of the Apes" and "Kangaroo Jack," crashed into three separate cars parked in the city's Wilshire area. A resident heard the crashes, called police then pursued Warren and forced her to stop.
Faden says when police arrived, Warren was arrested on suspicion of DUI. She then allegedly assaulted an officer so was re-arrested for felony battery.
At the police station, Warren allegedly slipped out her handcuffs then ran out of a holding area before being recaptured.
Estella Warren
Files Countersuit
Tim McGraw
As expected, Tim McGraw has filed a countersuit against Curb Record (R-Eater Of Souls) in response to the breach of contract suit Curb filed May 13 relating to McGraw's "Emotional Traffic" album. McGraw's counter breach suit seeks advance payment and recording-fund reimbursement, unspecified damages, and a jury trial.
The suit also asks that "Traffic" be deemed McGraw's last album due the label and for McGraw to be "free to begin recording for himself or any other party as of July 23, 2011."
In the expansive response filed May 23 in Davidson County Chancery Court in Nashville, McGraw says the material for "Traffic" was recorded and mastered in early 2009-2010 and Curb is holding the album "hostage from country music fans for the purpose of compelling Tim McGraw to serve perpetually under a contract that he has already fully and faithfully completed."
The suit adds that Curb's "repeated serial releases of what it characterizes as greatest hits albums is obviously a naked attempt to create a perpetual recording contract, forcing Tim McGraw into a repressive environment of indefinite duration."
Between 2006 and 2010, Curb put out six compilations or variations on hits packages, the latest being "Number One Hits" last November. Curb has released a total of seven compilations on McGraw.
Tim McGraw
Jurors Reject Lawsuit
Feld Family
A bitter assault case between members of the family behind the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus ended Tuesday with jurors deciding that neither side proved its case.
The jury rejected Karen Feld's $110 million claim that her brother, circus CEO Kenneth Feld, had his security guards assault her at a memorial service for their late aunt. They also rejected Kenneth Feld's counterclaim that his sister trespassed at the 2007 shiva by shouting anti-Semitic obscenities that disrupted the service.
Karen Feld, a 63-year-old Washington resident, said she has a history of brain injuries that cause seizures. She testified she couldn't control what she was saying when she went into one of her episodes at the penthouse apartment where her aunt's memorial service was held and where she lived with her brother as a youth. She said her brother's guards harmed her by dragging her out of the service and she eventually needed to have a tumor removed because of their assault and battery.
But the jurors did not agree after a two-week trial in which three security guards contradicted her version of events.
Kenneth Feld, a 62-year-old resident of Tampa, Fla., smiled broadly and hugged his lawyers in response to the verdict. He said afterward he was happy with the outcome, but he felt it was a shame their feud had to go so far.
The case is the culmination of decades of estrangement between the Feld siblings, the only children of former circus owner Irvin Feld. Irvin Feld died in 1984 and passed his ownership of Feld Entertainment and most of his wealth to his son, leading Karen Feld to file her first lawsuit against her brother. She won a settlement from that case and reached an agreement with her brother earlier this year in another suit over their uncle's estate.
Feld Family
Album Demand Overwhelms Amazon Servers
Lady Gaga
Much like the caller in the Lady Gaga hit song "Telephone," some visitors to Amazon's site received a busy signal Monday when they tried to download the digital version of the artist's latest album, "Born This Way," which the online retailer was selling for 99 cents on its release date.
Spokeswoman Sally Fouts said Amazon experienced a high volume of traffic that caused delays for those downloading the album - echoing a posting on the album's product page on Amazon.com. Customers who ordered the MP3 version of "Born This Way" on Monday will get it for 99 cents, she said.
An early evening attempt to buy the album on Amazon and use its new server-based storage system went seamlessly. The album appeared instantly on Amazon Cloud Drive and could be streamed online right away. The album downloaded in a few minutes to a computer. The user's storage space also registered the promotional 20 gigabytes of cloud storage that came with the album.
Lady Gaga
NZ's Planned Sign Sparks Protest
'Wellywood'
The New Zealand capital of Wellington is to have a giant "Wellywood" sign emblazoned across a hillside despite criticism and threats of legal action for the blatant copy of the famed Hollywood symbol.
Wellywood was first mooted 15 months ago, prompting Hollywood Chamber of Commerce chief executive Leron Gubler to challenge the idea saying the world famous Hollywood lettering was trademarked.
"If they do that with the Wellywood sign then I would think that would be a violation of our trademark ... I am checking that with our attorney," he said.
But Wellington Airport announced Saturday it will erect an eight-by-30 metre (26x100 foot) Wellywood sign on a hillside it owns overlooking the city.
'Wellywood'
Prime-Time Nielsens
Ratings
Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by the Nielsen Co. for May 16-22. Listings include the week's ranking and viewership.
1. "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 23.56 million.
2. "Dancing With the Stars," ABC, 21.96 million.
3. "American Idol" (Thursday), Fox, 21.76 million.
4. "NCIS," CBS, 18.62 million.
5. "Dancing With the Stars Results," ABC, 18.11 million.
6. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 15.61 million.
7. "The Mentalist," CBS, 14.11 million.
8. Movie: "Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost," CBS, 13.93 million.
9. "Dancing With the Stars" (Tuesday, 8 p.m.), ABC, 13.8 million.
10. "Castle," ABC, 12.93 million.
11. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 12.84 million.
12. "The Good Wife," CBS, 12.58 million.
13. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 11.3 million.
14. "60 Minutes" (Sunday, 8 p.m.), CBS, 10.79 million.
15. "Hawaii Five-0," CBS, 10.41 million.
16. "60 Minutes," CBS, 10.39 million.
17. "Body of Proof," ABC, 10.33 million.
18. "Modern Family," ABC, 10.3 million.
19. "The Voice," NBC, 10.01 million.
20. "Grey's Anatomy," ABC, 9.89 million.
Ratings
In Memory
Phyllis Avery
Phyllis Avery, who played the wife of Ray Milland in 75 episodes of the 1953-55 CBS comedy "Meet Mr. McNulty," died May 19 of heart failure at her home in Los Angeles. She was 88.
In "McNulty" (later called "The Ray Milland Show"), Milland played a professor at a college for girls, with Avery as his wife, Peggy.
During her 50-year career, the petite blonde also co-starred in the 1960-62 CBS soap opera "The Clear Horizon" and on such shows as "Peter Gunn," "Have Gun -- Will Travel," "The Rifleman," "The Millionaire," "Rawhide" and "Perry Mason."
In the mid-'60s, Avery went on to a career selling real estate in West Los Angeles but continued on TV with stints on "All in the Family," "Maude," "Charlie's Angels" and "Baretta." Later she appeared on the 1990s series "Coach" and in the 1993 film "Made in America."
Born in New York to screenwriter Stephen Morehouse Avery (1948's "Every Girl Should Be Married," starring Cary Grant) and Evelyn Martine, Avery made her Broadway debut in the 1937 production of "Orchids Preferred." After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she played one of the featured ingenues in the 1940 stage hit "Charley's Aunt" with Jose Ferrer.
In the morale-boosting World War II-era production of "Winged Victory," Avery appeared opposite actor Don Taylor (the husband of Elizabeth Taylor in the two "Father of the Bride" movies), to whom she was married a year later. They divorced in 1955.
Avery made her movie debut in "Queen for a Day" (1951) and also appeared in the films "Ruby Gentry" (1952) and "The Best Things in Life Are Free" (1956).
Survivors include daughters Avery and Anne and granddaughter Martine.
Phyllis Avery
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