Moving on

So as you probably noticed, I actually forgot to do a new Monday Moves. But I thought long and hard about it and decided I will not continue the segment, as the first entry was easy, but that it's more difficult and time consuming to continue it. I'm not saying I couldn't find any new moves, just that it would take longer than I care to spend on it.

That being said, I'm sure I could figure out another series for Mondays. Right now though, let's look at the new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises.



I'd like to speak about Teaser Trailers. Obviously the point is to keep you wanting more. Once the trailer is over, you're left saying " What the f...!" or "Why the f.." or "Where the f.." Basically you can't even finish the swear word because you have nothing to go on. I think these kinds of trailers are not just ridiculously smart on the part of the studio, but also healthy for the audience. In an age where...ok I won't start that way. But, in a time where...ah crap. No matter what, I sound like I'm starting a rant that has some piece of wisdom I've noticed from being a film major.

Anyway, I just think it's good to keep people guessing. In a far fetched comparison, it's why we wrap gifts! If your brand new life size transformer was just sitting in the living room on a late December morning, it would take the excitement and pleasure out of not knowing what you're unwrapping. Although to be realistic, I think you'd probably know by the shape that it was a transformer, no matter how many bows are on it. And I know people who hate surprises..but I think those people lack a certain human gene.

The last thing I will say on the matter, (besides how crazy awesome the movie is gonna be!!) is that enjoy the guessing game now, because once the curtain comes off and there are 3 minute long trailers where you saw the ending and all the actions scenes, you'll be aching for the time where you didn't know exactly what it looked like. That's what she said.

Trojan Horse..Saturday?

As my grandma would say...Wowee! I can't apologize enough for lacking on my Trojan Horse Thursday. Both my Thursday and Friday were jam packed with interviews, happy hours, working on a film shoot and helping my dad pack for a trip. This is probably why I don't have a big following because people like stability in their blogs..especially people who have stability in their jobs. So for that I say, my bad.

Because this post is delayed, I decided to make up for it big time by doubling this week's cover songs! Like I stated before, cover songs are a tricky maneuver. I think sometimes it would be a great honor to have your song covered, and other times, a great travesty. Depending on who takes on the delicate feat of re-making somebody's art.

I recently got into Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. Not because of their popular single "Paris," but because I saw a video of them at Bonnaroo this year and was their great performance. I love women with huge voices, and Grace Potter has not just that, but also an edginess and unabashed sex appeal that sets her apart. I found that they've done tons of live covers and was really excited to see an Otis Redding (an all time favorite) gem in there. Although nobody can top Otis in my book, Potter lends a very different but still raw and emotional touch to this song. This version starts part way into the song, but I chose it because it has the best sound with which to hear her voice. Perfection.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: Pain In My Heart (Otis Redding Cover)


The second cover chosen was just found today and it's definitely not your typical cover to say the least, but I found it pretty funny and I figured if there were going to be two covers, they had to be pretty opposite. The band is called Red Band, but also goes by the name of the The Puppet Folk Revival. Now apparently this group has their own TV show in their home country of Israel and they tour around the country as well..hence the puppet in the beginning of the video talking about where their next show was going to be. My favorite part is the mouse saying "Ka-Ching!"

Puppet Folk Revival: Paper Planes (M.I.A. Cover)

Can He Move it Like This?

Welcome to the first addition of Monday Moves! If you forgot what it is, Monday Moves is a new Monday series where I find the next great dance move/artist and bring it to you first on here. Don't worry, this isn't code for me making up dance moves and showing my videos on here. I wouldn't do that because I have enough sense to know it probably wouldn't be that good.

As you may remember two Mondays ago, I featured a video on here called "Lemme Smang It" and brought up the possibility of making this a Monday tradition where I find new dance moves and bring them right to you in your own little cubicle. Well, this Monday I'm actually going to feature a music video from the same record label that produced "Lemme Smang It." This gem is called "Can He Move it Like This," and it features the same guest rapper Flynt Flossy, and he still looks like he's trying to be Charlie Murphy.

When you watch this, please take into account the vibrant suits that this man somehow acquired, and his ability to dye his minimal amount of hair. Also here's special a tip for the GUYS: If you see a girl eating lunch with her boyfriend, and you stare at her while drinking ice tea and then start gyrating...you had her at your red suit. We'd all drop the boyfriend immediately. IMMEDIATELY. This is spot on. Enjoy!

Pretty Raheem ft. Flynt Flossy: Can He Move it Like This

Trojan Horse Thursdays

Welcome back to almost another weekend. It's been proven that I'm horrible with keeping up this blog, as I wasn't able to kick start "The Monday Moves," my new Monday series where I find a new dance move that is about to take the world by storm. Which is not to be confused with your Monday bowel movements.

But I have a good excuse which was the 4th of July weekend, and obviously everybody was entranced by fireworks on Monday so I will continue it next week.

Anyways: Trojan Horse Thursdays. The title for this comes from looking up the word 'cover' on good 'ole Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Underneath the entries there were Synonyms and Related Words. Synonyms were things like blanket, cover, curtain, veil and penumbra (what??). The related words however, started with 'Trojan Horse.' Thus, I picked the one that has almost nothing to do with this NEW segment.

Trojan Horse Thursdays is going to delve into vast the world of cover songs. But do not fear, I will not pick these covers lightly, for I am fully aware of how bad cover songs can be. These will be chosen with much thought and care...or in a pinch, something with a good beat. This first one comes to you from a homeless man (hear me out) who was singing at a mall in Denver, CO. The white man in the beginning is sort of annoying for how he seems to take credit for the singer, but the actual song is really great. The artist, Dred Scott, has a great throaty voice and more of a rock cover of 'Purple Rain.' Also, his Live EP is now on iTunes and will help pay for food and clothing.

Dred Scott: Purple Rain


p.s. Don't tell me you don't love his Teva sandals and socks. So in right now.

Pod

I'm proud to say I've been so busy job hunting that I've been unable to post until now. Some might say that it shows a lack of dedication to my blog and others might say why have a blog if you won't update it everyday? To those critics (who by the way probably have jobs and are just stupidly bored) I politely say you can suck it.

It's easy to sit around in your fancy shmancy cubicles with your income and 'work friends' and berate me for not providing you with entertainment during your workday, but don't hate that I want to be in your situation so badly that I'll dedicate a majority of my time to get to sit where you're sitting. Well not literally since I probably don't have the necessary skills or education to get your job, and being that my major was creative I probably wouldn't enjoy it either.

Nevertheless, I was perusing my usual sites this evening and slightly chuckled when I saw this image, especially surrounded by an average backyard.

There could be multiple options for this Pod in your backyard. For example, if there's no room in your actual apartment or house, make your Pod the man cave! Or maybe your craft room? Or even your bedroom if your sweet new pool table takes up most of the space in your studio apartment. Although I guess if you had a studio you probably wouldn't have a backyard...but hey, many things are possible.

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone! Or for my Canadian friends..Happy 1st!

Smang IT.

For this wonderful Monday post, I've found a new dance move that is sure to take off in clubs around the world! I'm tempted to make this a Monday tradition where I find new dance moves that are sure to make it big..let alone the artists (they truly are) who create them and make epic songs that in their own right should be remembered forever.

This video was made aware to me by someone who probably won't ever read this, and who tried various times to imitate this dance move but sadly failed. Please appreciate everything in this video..from the light wash jeans to the experimentation in video production. Also, watch the expression of the woman in the black dress throughout the video and see if she ever stops loving what she's doing.

Young Humma ft. Flynt Flossy: Lemme Smang It

You Can Call Me Al

This is a hump day double whammy! I was driving home listening to this song and remembered how great the music video is. Then I thought, why not share it with my fellow cubicle lovers to bring joy to their eyes and ears.

Enjoy this uplifting video, and play it right when you get home to celebrate the ending of another workday.



Note: My favorite lyric in this song has always been: "He ducked back down the alley, with some roly-poly little bat-faced girl." I never knew you had that in you Paul Simon, but I admire your honesty.

El Arbol de la Vida

Hopefully the use of Spanish in the title threw you all a bit. But of course you'll see the photo and understand what this post will be about. It came out May 27th, a film by director Terrance Malick, The Tree of Life.

A good preview to this film would be to watch any of Malick's previous films, as you'll understand that his style is unlike any other filmmaker. This will prepare you for what The Tree of Life might be like. Don't worry, I won't give any key plot points or surprises away, I just wanted to let audiences know what they will be in for with this film. I went into this film not specifically knowing what to expect, but knowing that the film had great actors and a great director.

If you just want to know generally whether or not to spend money seeing this film (that's normally how I base my theater trips), I would say see it. Definitely. If nothing else, the film will open your mind up to the endless possibilities of what films can be. What I will say is be patient with this film. If you know Terrence Malick then you know what that means, but if not, don't be quick to judge and just let the film run its course. You don't have to be a film major or a pretentious arty film lover to appreciate the shots of nature that flood the beginning of the film, or the family dynamic and struggles the characters visibly go through.

You may need to be a film major or pretentious arty film lover to appreciate the way in which Malick chose to film his subjects..where the camera follows a character, mostly with extreme close up shots, rather than the character standing in one place for the camera, which is all too common.

If you have not watched the trailer, do so here, and spend your movie-going moolah on something worthwhile, this like film.

Old School Light Switch

For those of you that like a little fun and vibrancy in your household, you may like my newest gadget find. This new idea that can be purchased here, looks pretty awesome to me. Think about it, every time you go to turn your lights on or off, you'll feel, if just for a second, that you're back in school at the arcade slamming around machines until they either take all your money or you finally beat the final level!

Now I'm fully aware this would not be present in a posh, clean, minimalist, chic, elegant, classy, modern abode. BUT, since most of you do not live in a bourgeois area and are hopefully not trying to impress rich people with your wannabe interior design skills, I urge you to at least consider how cool these would look. Just think about how fun it would be to push those. All the time. Think about it.

Can't Tell Me Nothing (Remix)

WARNING: If you're currently nestled in your comfortable, warm cubicle, then put in your earphones ASAP so you can fully appreciate the video in this post.

I'd like to think this video appeals to almost everyone. Those that love Kanye, those that love Z.Gal, and those that love farms in the south. Very rarely do these categories overlap. But today is a new day, and I just hope that this brings you an ounce of entertainment in an otherwise stale and serious world.

Enjoy my little blueberries, enjoy.



Note: If you went to high school with me, you know that my friend Madelyn and I dabbled in the lip-synching industry. We had a couple of hits..mainly our largely popular Michelle Branch "Everywhere," which was filmed without editing and somewhat botched lyrics. Seeing as I have endless amounts of time now, I'd like to one-up Zach on this...who's with me?

Back in Action

Apologies to the small but exclusive readers of this blog, I was on a week-long trip with my family, a much needed break away from the monotony of unemployment.

Never fear all you die hard cubicle lovers, I'm back with a vengeance..not like Die Hard Bruce Willis style, but still. Check this amazing invention out:

Now there's good news and potentially bad news. The bad news is that we're gonna have to all pitch in for this, which means we have to establish something along the lines of a timeshare. After that, the good news is I checked the website and it's still in stock! Yay! Thankfully they haven't sold out yet (which honestly I'm surprised about) and this aids our chances of being the only ones on the block to have a pool table IN a pool. Get back to me about how much you'd like to pitch in and I'll make a timeshare spreadsheet for this bad boy.

Your Girlfriend..

I meant to get this post up earlier, so that those of you counting down the minutes until you can escape the cubicle could take your mind off the clock and enjoy something. But alas, I had a surprisingly busy day that concluded with packing up for my annual camping trip with my Mom, Grandma and Aunt. Yes, my Grandma goes with us. She's 81, still looks like she's 60, and could probably out-hike a majority of the population. I'm hoping to get those genes.

So this post is referring to a song I came across from a mix that a blogger I follow posted. I didn't even fully listen to it the first time, but once I heard the chorus I was chuckling and had to listen again. I'm not claiming this is an innovative, groundbreaking piece of music. Just a fun listen, and I think some clever lyrics. And isn't their band name pretty clever too? It will get stuck in your head, that much I can promise you.

Happy weekend everyone!

Desmond & The Tutus: Your Girlfriend

Hungover?

Did you have too much fun at the happy hour with your co-workers? Did you let off too much steam last weekend because you work hard and thus play hard? It looks like there's a cure for that. And probably an app but I'm not app savvy so you're on your own in that department.

This book has covered all the bases and can't help but kick you while you're down. I was stone cold sober and didn't even realize the tricky title upon first glance. It's available on Amazon, the only problem is that you can't click through. Maybe a good old book store is in need.

The Tickets are Now Diamonds!

For those of you who have not seen the truly amazing Old Spice commercials with Isaiah Mustafa, there's been a hole in your life and now you can fill it. I will grace you with the first commercial he did for Old Spice:



He's done many an Old Spice commercial, but it appears that he will now switch roles to a Marvel Comics character by the name of Luke Cage. Does that ring a bell? Probably not if you're a girl since we all know girls aren't into comic books, GI Joes, or anything else that boys like because they have cooties and we don't want to get them. I saw a quick preview of Isaiah Mustafa as Luke Cage but it's now copyrighted and unavailable. Just trust me.

Now, what I'd like to focus on isn't really Isaiah playing Luke Cage or Old Spice commercials. It's that from the Luke Cage preview on the video website I frequent, explanation said that they don't want Isaiah to leave Old Spice, and suggested this unknown actor who made a video proving he could play Luke Cage. Check this out:



This is a homemade video by this guy and his daughter and it's priceless. My first thought was why didn't he take those photos outside? He's trying to look tough while standing next to a pink garbage can and a TV. Basically anywhere besides his daughter's room would have looked better. But the comments on the video just proved how articulate the younger generation has become. Many people were like "OMGGGG yo dad IS Luke Cage!!!!!! Get this to Marvel asap!" And there were the gems such as "he would make an awesome luke cage. i'm not just saying that cause i'm gay." And someone wrote "GTFOOH" which I couldn't figure out. Thankfully some people did point out the many grammatical errors and that by making this, his daughter probably hurt his non-career more than helped.

All in all, I'd like Isaiah to stay on Old Spice and I hope they at least give this unknown man a chance to do something other than flex his muscles in tight tank tops, while posing in his daughter's room.

Bridesmaids

Now this is a movie I would spend my money to go see. Mainly because I have no money so I can rarely justify spending it on B average films. But Bridesmaids was amazing. And I don't use that word lightly. Actually I say it all the time to describe mostly everything. The KEY to this film though, is that you cannot, I repeat canNOT, watch too many of the different trailers. It turns out there are tons of clips and trailer of the film, and they will only ruin it for the viewer. Mark my words.

So I will not put a trailer up, I will simply say go watch it. Then I'll say I told ya so.

I Wish

I don't know if it would help me get a job, but I ran across this oldie-but-goodie and I can't help wishing...I was a baller. You have my permission to turn this up and dance.

Skee-Lo: I Wish

The End of an Era

As everyone should know, the Queen "O" has officially ended her reign on television. I think we all can agree that it was a sad day when news broke that our beloved Oprah decided to move in a different direction with her life. How could she leave an hour long program every week where she elongates every guest's name and gives away more than the average person owns?

Well, in honor of the Big O, I decided to name this new blogging adventure after one of her segments. Now, just to clarify, this will have almost nothing to do with Oprah. If by chance there happens to be something on here that she also at one time mentioned on her show, then so be it. This blog will mainly be about random things I find during my endless amounts of time working in the unemployment sector. Let's just say business is slow right now. The beauty of this is that my main Followers will be those who possess jobs, but are somehow bored and need fun, ridiculous distractions from the ever-mundane task of making money.

I encourage your thoughts and feedback, unless it involves disagreeing with my choice of favorite things, in which case: Don't tell me, I don't care. Don't read it if it offends your bourgeois taste.

Other than that...let the money making begin! (On your end).