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Tuesday, November 30, 2004
here are some facts based mostly in fact...
- Ray-Ray and Jen got married yesterday in Punta Cana. I have no details about their day as of yet, but if it's anything like our trip to Punta Cana, it's shimmering with awesomeness.
- If you like New Zealand-based boy & girl bands who play pretty little lo-fi indie pop-rock songs, you'll most likely like The Brunettes. You can listen to their CD here.
- I'm feeling the latest Destiny's Child single. Stop laughing at me... that beat is hot.
- Hotter's website and blog are featured in this month's issue of Oxygen Magazine.
- I'm on a hella-fied winning streak - this weekend I got a free haircut and free downtown parking. You can't beat that with a bat. Also, my team in the MBA-equivalent-of-POEN-591 internal case competition took first place in the semi-finals. Hot-damn, the finals are on Saturday. Note: Only nerds need care about this.
- Speaking of school - the next 11 days will perhaps the biggest academic test of pushing the limits of my sanity / ability to function for days without sleep or proper feeding ever. I've got something like 3 major projects due, a final, plus a mountain of marking to get through with winning style. I'm determined to rock this, but my immune system and my eternal love of procrastination may get the best of me... All I know is that on December 12, I'm rewarding myself by checking out Arcade Fire in concert. Yes, that's right the celebration of my struggle will be manifested by watching hipster indie types play the accordion. During this time, I will freak out / dance around / and then knock back the biggest sleeping pill known to man with a shot of Jauger the second I get home from the show.
Best. Plan. Ever.
elsewhere
this messes with my head | condensed letters to penthouse forum
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Friday, November 26, 2004
fashion-nation, population: 0
Because we're all about love and support and supportive love, last night we hit up SPF's ultra-exclusive launch party for her little venture. Since the nature of her business, Vitamin V, is all things hip / progressive / fancy / fashionable, I spent about 97% of my time people watching the guests (I spent the remainder of my time making circular trips from our corner of the room to the wine bar).
While the event was a huge success, and I had a wonderful time, I quickly realized that all of the men in attendance - who apparently worked in fashion and / or fashion related industries - were very obviously and very purposefully wearing fitted blazers with collars and lapels up and with skii sweaters underneath, paired with beat-up $300 jeans and insanely pointy dress shoes which have athletic shoe soles. Apparently, this is the look for fall 2004.
I'm putting serious thought on giving up trying to be fashionable.
In other news, continuing with supportive love theme, here are some live pre-weekend mp3's for your collective asses.
- The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl (Acoustic)
- Howie Day - Madrigals -> Sweet (Live in NYC)
elsewhere
adam riff is giving away christmas CD's
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Thursday, November 25, 2004
For those of you who don't have crippling interweb addictions and don't spent all your live long day bouncing around from blog to blog... allow me to be the one who tells you that Cord Mag just pumped out a bunch more content.
Head over to Cord Mag to check out a crap-load of '10 questions' features with the likes of Melissa Auf Der Maur, Ron Sexsmith, and The Futureheads.
Plus, we've just addes full length interviews with guys like Wil.
Plus, we've got a bunch of new streaming audio, annnnnnd we've got a bunch of contests going where you can easily win free stuff, like Anthony Kedis' (from the Red Hot Chili Peppers) new book.
Hot damn... less talk, more action... get over to Cord now!
elsewhere
an open letter to lenny kravitz | golden fiddle
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Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Adam Brody needs to step off my playlist...
Apparently, last week The Walkmen made a cameo appearance on The OC. The band performed a horribly forced and faux live rendition of “Little House of Savages” (arguably, one of the most badass tunes to come rattling out of my car speakers this year) as Seth Cohen pined and moaned for some… uh… skinny broad at the Peach Pit Bait Shop. In addition to The Walkmen, other indie-ish bands including Death Cab For Cutie, AC Newman, Sufjan Stevens, Jem, and Iron And Wine have all been purposefully and explicitly featured in episodes of The OC.
Congratulations, hipsters. You’ve been cool hunted.
Despite the fact that featuring these relatively unknown and organic bands creates a positive increase in record sales for these artists, there’s something creepy about The OC’s obvious grasp at credibility through the inclusion of indie bands.
In the last 2 - 3 years there’s been a huge increase in interest in indie music – both from the listener and from the major record labels’ (and big business as a whole) point of view (1, 2). Arguably, the listener’s interest can be tied to the little things like the ability to legally download and share free mp3’s from these bands, and also tied to a consumer revolt from… say… heavy rotation of Hoobastank on the radio. Likewise, the labels have noticed this increase in interest and sales, and have scooped up some of the more successful indie acts - but still try to market the bands based on their indie roots. Take this a step further, and we could argue that through the commercialization of independent music… the whole idea of an indie band becomes a caricature of itself.
And that might be the problem, yo. The alternative / grunge movement took off over a decade ago, some of the reasons for this were listener’s dissatisfaction with corporate hairbands, and the attraction to what was perceived as a more legitimate and in-touch style of music. Once the major labels got their teeth into the genre and started creating faux-grunge acts to cash in on the trend, the alternative movement fell to pieces… and literally came to a halt.
So will The OC’s weekly serving of teen angst single handedly be the death of all things good and unspoiled in rawk? I doubt it… but, damn skippy, it's driving me fucking bonkers!
elsewhere
the do’s rule | world beard championships | deftone is back
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Monday, November 22, 2004
I don't love REM...
But I do love these pictures Tk took of those weirdos as they came through Vancouver last night. Tk has become quite the little rock-star-photographer-ista this fall doing press work for Cord Mag. These are some of my favorite pics she's snapped up more recently (mouse-over the images if you have no idea about the subject of the picture)...
Meh. Compressing these pics to 400 pixels doesn't do it justice. But you get the idea.
elsewhere
an open letter to my 22 year-old self | the wired mixtape
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Thursday, November 18, 2004
Regarding Kiefer…
My top secret sources (read: google searchs on the internets) have tipped me off on a whole bunch of 24 related goodness. Keep in mind that 24 is teh greatest bunch awesomeness in the history of all things tv, and is the single tv show out there (that isn’t on comedy central) that doesn’t send me into fits of rage due to dreary intelligence insulting content. Furthermore, since falling in love with the show and day dreaming that I know Jack Bauer personally; the 24 addiction has spread to the likes of DB, Julie, Kate, Mike, Carpet, Melissa, and DT. Clearly, this post is of great importance.
Apparently, season THREE of 24 is being released on DVD on December 7th. The importance of this release is that the argument of weather or not Season 3 was composed of a lesser plotline will finally end. I’m certain that if season three is watched in wreckless marathon fashion like the other seasons were, the experience will be just as intense and nerve wracking… uhhh… in a good way. For reals, y’all(s)… season 3 has some seriously shocking deaths you did not see coming plot twists.
The 6 disk season three DVD set will retail for $69.99 CDN, and I’d assume you can rent it from Rogers etc. The thing is… you’ve only got one month to watch the entire 16.8 hours of season three programming content. Season FOUR of 24 starts on Jan 9th with a 2 hour season premiere. In the summer I was tipped off by a source (read: annoying guy with an accent who worked at the Future Shop) who told me that in season four Jack Bauer and David Palmer would be private citizens fighting crime / saving the world, with the rest of the regular cast members removed. The latest press counters that:
"Season four will once again take place over the course of a single day. CTU is now run by Erin Driscoll (Alberta Watson), an agent who fired Jack when she took over on the job. Jack is now working for the Secretary of Defence (William Devane) and dating his married daughter (Kim Raver), but after the explosion of a commuter train, Jack finds himself back at CTU."
I should point out that there were spoilers in that last paragraph.
So yeah, for those of you not totally caught up on your 24 watching, it’s time to fake the flu and have a sick day or 3 just to get up to speed.
Also, if you read this post and none of it made sense, you should realize that your life is lesser for not knowing the pleasures of real time tv drama staring David from The Lost Boys. Fix that.
elsewhere
vanmega now has an atom feed | ipod zealot
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Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Media round up...
(Because it's easier to link to other people's content, than create your own)
A ninja pays half my rent - This short film which apparently played at Sundance, and is rightintheface funny. Everyone who I've showed it to, loves it (in part because there are super-fucking-awesome ninjas in the film), except for Dave. Apparently, he's anti-ninjite.
The grey video - Apparently, the hipsters won't let Dj Danger Mouse's now-overhyped Beatles / Jay-Z mash-up album go. A video for his remix of Encore is now online... and it's kinda cool and really well done, even if it does make a caricature of the whole mash-up concept.
(More) GI Joe Remixed - Remember how we were gushing about these messed up and redubbed GI Joe PSA's a year ago? Apparently, since then more have surfaced on the web. I just realized this now. Yes, I'm out of touch. What of it?!?
Sidebar: Don't even get me started about these glorious t-shirts.
Happy viewing, you beautiful jerks. If you need me, I'll be looking for more rich-media ways I can procrastinate doing homework. Woo!
elsewhere
In Medias Res - I saw this band on the weekend and they blew me away. Go discover now.
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Monday, November 15, 2004
Dave flew in for the long weekend and we went off... assuming your definition of going off consists of making a pig of yourself and widespread competitive napping.
Like Kim Mitchell, I am a wild party.
Instead of creating a hastily assembled post detailing the details, I've whipped up a tony pierce styled photo journal for your asses.
photo journal: tour de food and booze
elsewhere
gothamist interviews arcade fire | the sampler
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Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Alert: Free stuff!!
Get you ass over to Cord Mag, nevermind the most awesome rock journalism and commentary we usually offer, nevermind the streaming media and such, get over to the site and enter the contests we've got running for all kinds of free rock and roll swag (read: t-shirts, CD's, books with big pictures). Right now we've got give-a-ways from The Waking Eyes and Motion Soundtrack. As always, the data you submit is never resold etc, and as always we have quick turnover on the contests - meaning - your chance of winning is pretty reasonable.
Get on it. (and then tell a friend or blog it)
elsewhere
world's longest email address | the postal service give up
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Monday, November 08, 2004
WTF?!?!?!
vanmega turns four (4!) today.
What's mindblowing / mindnumbing is that we've posted over 25,000 posts in this time. I'm not kidding... look:
Anyhoo... happy birthday to the epicentre of unproductivity on the interweb. Go have some cake, celebrate, and then browse the archives.
Do it.
elsewhere
air supply | super mario quilt
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Saturday, November 06, 2004
Get ur wookie on...
Apparently, there's a new teaser trailer floating around online for the latest Star Wars movie, Revenge of The Sith.
And just like the teaser trailers for the last 2 Star Wars movies, the clip is highly over-stimulating to watch (assuming you're a 20-something male, who ate, breathed, and slept Star Wars as a child). I now fear, as with the last 2 Star Wars movies, that this next installment will play out nothing like the trailer and will be total suckage. Yes, these are the important things I worry about.
I guess you'll have to see the trailer and make your own judgment and prediction about the flick. Like I said, it's pretty cool to watch. The only thing I don't get is why they've made the Darth Vader costume look like... well... a $6.99 Darth Vader Halloween costume you'd find at Wall-Mart. I understand that they're trying to create some continuities between the latest Star Wars flick (part 3) and the original Star Wars flick (part 4). But seriously, homeboy looks lo-fi. They really should fix that up before the movie's release in spring 2005. However, Lucas does get 10 points for giving Natalie Portman a princess leah style cinna-bun hair-do.
What the hell... let's kill some bandwidth...
Episode III - Revenge of the Sith Trailer [mov]
elsewhere
catbirdseat has another Ep 3 preview | the new 60 gb ipod is dope
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Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Dear America, seriously, what the fuck??!
On rare occasion you realize that everyone everywhere knows that things aren’t right. Last night was a prime example. I’m no social psychologist, but I believe the entire population of Canada held their breath, hoping in vain, that their collective concern would some how change the outcome of the US elections. How do I know this? Because the homeless people on Granville Street weren’t going up to people asking for spare change, they were asking for hourly updates of the developing elections results.
Yesterday, I interviewed Ron Sexsmith (pictured above) for Cord Magazine. He’s a pretty nice guy, but seems to have a bit of a dark side. He mentioned that, “There’s kind of a perverse side of [him] that wants to know what will happen if Bush is re-elected.” Well pal… I guess you got your wish.
As I’ve mentioned before, vanmega isn’t about shoving politics down your throat… it’s more about shoving flavoured vodka down your throat. But… man-o-man… it drives me nuts that Bush and his completely destructive agenda get 4 more years AND it drives me nuts that I feel a concern and need to spend more time fixated on American politics rather than on Canadian.
Anyhoo... just to difuse and dumb down this post, I feel the need to post the most... uhhh... decadent picture of Britney Spears that google image search could find for me (prior to her burn-out white trash-phase):
Whoomp! There it is.
elsewhere
post-election mixtape | ImNotThatAdamLevine.org
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