Anthony Augustine

I’m not upgrading till Apple sorts this out.

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 10:09:58 -0500

I’m not upgrading till Apple sorts this out.

Uptown Magazine - July 29th

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Sam & Judy
The mayoral race is off to a slow, uninteresting start as both high-profile candidates for this year’s civic election have been playing it safe. On the right, Sammy (Goldeyes) Katz has been doing what he does best: not much. On the left, Judy (The Chosen One) Wasylycia-Leis has been busy handing out badges and trying to get the news media to pay attention to her, despite lacking anything in the form of a real platform (“I’m not Sam” just isn’t going to cut it). If you are on Twitter or regularly read Bartley Kives in the Winnipeg Free Press, you know a third high-profile candidate has emerged. Representing Section S, The Beer Snake has had more press in the last couple weeks than all the candidates combined. Watch for the plastic critter to steal votes from both the former owner of the Thunder and the former MP for Winnipeg Centre. In the same vein as Get Your War On, Sam & Judy uses stock cartoons to skewer the mayoral race. New comics are posted every Monday and Wednesday. Have an election topic you want covered? The creators are crowdsourcing ideas. That’s more than you can say about Sam and Judy.

Tony Hawk Does a 900
Despite being 42 years old, Tony Hawk recently landed a massive 900 at a demo event in Barcelona. The Holy Grail of skateboard tricks, only four skaters (Hawk, Giorgio Zattoni, Sandro Dias and Alex Perelson) have successfully landed the coveted 900 in competition.

Quick Hits

MP3 of the Week: LAZRtag – Paper Planes (remix)
In the electro world, you won’t find many more prolific producers than Los Angeles duo LAZRtag. Judging by tracks on Hype Machine and their Soundcloud page, these guys never sleep. LAZRtag will be rolling into town on July 29 to play at Ready Mix. Expect a hybrid DJ/live performance with a slew of unreleased tracks, on-the-fly remixes and post-rave electro anthems.

Video of the Week: Pip Skid – I Never Knew
Trippy visuals, a demented chicken with a monocle and a top hat, a space suit, dancing animals, a chopped-up Nirvana riff and the best cut from Pip Skid’s album Skid Row = Mike Maryniuk’s new video for I Never Knew. Simply brilliant.

Winnipeg Free Press - July 29th

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The 5 Biggest Cons for Getting the iPhone 4! And Why You Should Wait.

DESPITE Antennagate and Apple’s recent announcement that it will give out free protective guards to prevent dreaded dropped calls from its newest iPhone model, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is still going to roll out its latest device in Canada and 16 other countries this Friday.

If you still aren’t convinced you should hold off from upgrading to the iPhone 4, Designcookbook.com outlines the five main reasons why you should wait. Despite features likebeing able to shoot HD video and hi-res pictures, you still only can buy 16G or 32G models. If history is any indication, chances are they will roll out larger storage on these devices some time this year.

While Apple’s new video chat FaceTime sounds cool, it will only work with other iPhone 4s and when you are on a Wi-Fi network. What’s the point of having a fancy video-chat feature if nobody else can connect with you?

Along with those concerns, the fact you can’t get an unlimited data plan (this has been a major complaint from users since Day 1 in Canada) and that you can only use AT&T in the U.S. and Rogers in Canada is a major drawback for some people.

Unless you’re a diehard Apple fanboy, your best bet is to hold off until the major bugs get worked out. The 3GS phone is still a powerful multimedia device and should keep even the most picky users satisfied.

Dexter

COMIC-CON recently wrapped up in San Diego and that means that a lot of the exclusive first looks and trailers that debuted at the pop-culture-driven convention will slowly be making their way to the web.

Set to come back for a fifth season on Sept. 26, Showtime’s Dexter successfully used Comic-Con again to build a buzz for the award-winning show. Dexter Early Cuts: Dark Echo jumps back to the 1990s when serial killer Dexter (Michael C. Hall) was in university and slowly learning who he really is.

Tron: Legacy

THE second trailer from the highly anticipated Tron: Legacy film was also unveiled at Comic-Con. The sequel to 1982 sci-fi thriller Tron starring Jeff Bridges, Legacy will hit theatres Dec. 17 in Digital 3-D, IMAX 3-D and RealD 3-D.

The First Three Seasons of Mad Men in Five Minutes

THE fourth season of AMC’s hit show Mad Men debuted last Sunday. If you haven’t jumped on theMad Men bandwagon or have been too busy to diligently power-disc the first three seasons, you can quickly play catchup with this condensed five-minute recap from New York magazine’s Vulture blog.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 29, 2010 E3

Uptown Magazine - Fringe Reviews

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

B+
Breast Friends
Kimmy Zee
Venue 6, Tom Hendry Theatre at the MTC Warehouse

As you can probably guess from the title, this locally produced variety show deals with women’s love/hate relationship with their breasts. Dealing with body image issues, breast reduction surgery, puberty, mammograms, breast feeding and wrapping up the whole thing with a titillating burlesque performance by Miss La Muse, Breast Friends is a fun crowd pleaser. Along with a series of monologues from Kim Zeglinski, Alison Field and Celeste Sansregret, Winnipeg comedian Heather Witherden does a short stand-up routine, proving she is one of the funniest local women around. It’s not all fun and games though — a mid performance tribute to breast cancer survivors and victims has as much of an impact as any of the other material. Lighthearted, empowering and playful, Breast Friends won’t disappoint.

_____

B-
The Excursionists: A Matter of Seconds
Baronspieler
Venue 4, Onstage at the Playhouse

What do Back to the Future, Lost and The Excursionists all have in common? Time travel. Bending the laws of nature, Seattle’s Professor Goggins and Lord Necksycracksy jump back and forth through the ether of time trying to make history right after they cause a rip in the space time continuum. Although Professor Goggins created the crono-punctuality devices to ensure his forgetful best friend was able to give him a gift on his birthday, something went horribly wrong and it resulted in the death of King Henry VIII. Both Johan Von Spreecken and Christopher Bange are obviously skilled actors; their lighthearted interplay is both refreshing and engaging. Throw in some elaborate time travel devices, puppets, bad puns, a play within a play, Shakespeare, a sword fight and you have an entertaining, if not a slightly convoluted story of two time traveling adventure seekers.

_____

C+
Fake Life
No Snowcones
Venue 7, The Conservatory

If you have feelings for someone, the F-word can be the kiss of death. Looking back at their lifelong friendship, Edmonton actors Michael Davidson (Zip) and Katie Fornell (Rose) chart their relationship from the sandbox, through their teens and then young adult years. While Rose is busy getting her heart broken by a parade of bad boys, Zip plays the role of the nice guy best friend, even though his feelings run much deeper than he is willing to admit. Proving that in the end, every story is a love story, Fake Life never really hits any real highs or any big lows. While every story might be a love story, they all don’t have the happy Hollywood end. This relationship was obviously never meant to be.

_____

C+
Foiled by the Feathery Wife
Magic of One Productions
Venue 4, Onstage at the Playhouse

Traveling to England, Cuba, Mexico, Japan and Norway, the three storytellers in Foiled by the Feathery Wife do an adequate job spinning tales of folklore, mythical creatures and the devil over seven short stories. Loosely woven together, the strongest pieces are Tom Roche’s old-tymey sing/song style delivery on The Devil and the Feathery Wife, on which he is backed up by musicians Michael Cobus and Kevin Scott; Kay Stone’s Cuban tale of El Bizarron (The Weird One); and Roche’s tale of Urashima Taro, a simple fisherman who finds eternal life and true love, only to find out that the hefty price he paid. While those three pieces draw the audience in, it isn’t really enough to sustain your interest over the 75-minute running time. Used to bridge the pieces together, the backing musicians could have been better used to establish mood and tension.

_____

C+
Four on the Floor
Run Ragged Company
Venue 5, Son of a Warehouse

While there are entertaining moments in these four sketches, as a whole they don’t live up to their potential. Opening things up, Herschel’s Big Sale has a slick door-to-door salesman selling Moses some scrolls. As Herschel, Jeff Wahl really brings out his character, but overall something is missing from the sketch. If you watch daytime court room shows such as Judge Judy or The People’s Court, you will probably recognize a lot of the lines from Julio and Ronabette. An interesting concept and twist on the traditional story, but again the sketch comes out flat. In Sibling Ribaldry, Fringe vet Dave Pruden pulls off a convincing Freud. The best is saved for last: The Good Old Days sees two lawyers working out the details of a first date. Overall there are some laughs, but not enough to make it memorable.

_____

A-
Fucking Stephen Harper: How I Sexually Assaulted the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada
Ten Foot Pole Productions
Venue 2, MTC Up the Alley

It’s a well-known fact that Prime Minister Stephen Harper carefully controls his message with the media, so if you are a reporter for gay street paper, the chances of you landing a coveted interview with the leader of the country are about as likely as Pat Martin crossing the floor to join the Conservatives. Snarky, edgy, funny and informative, Toronto’s Rob Salerno offers a crash course in Canadian politics, exposes the battle for Queer rights, highlights the homophobic agenda of the Conservatives and even explains how Harper gets his fashion cues from Shania Twain during this well paced 60-minute long monologue. Using various quotes, articles and insight he gained working as a political reporter for Xtra during the 2008 election, Salerno’s fact-filled PowerPoint presentation and razor-sharp wit really elevate this piece. After hearing about the confrontation at Harper’s high school reunion, you can bet that Salerno and Xtra are on the Prime Minister’s permanent blacklist.

_____

B+
Gunpowder
Stars and Hearts
Venue 17, PTE - Colin Jackson Studio

Fast paced, funny and full of physical comedy, Gunpowder is an engaging one man performance by London, Ontario’s Jayson McDonald. With a 20% conviction rate and a Chief who doesn’t believe in him, Detective Thom Phox is a bumbling cop who is better known for contaminating crime scenes than he is for catching criminals. After a thespian dies on stage (every actor’s second-worst nightmare we are repeatedly told), Phox is unexpectedly given the case and spends the next hour trying to unravel the mystery. Playing everyone from a jealous actor to a cocky writer to an overzealous acting coach to Perfect Perry the Magician and even the dead actor’s adoptive father, McDonald manages to bring each suspect to life, without sacrificing the story. Throw in some twists and turns, a witty script and a skilled performer and you have a great Fringe play.

_____

C+
Kafka in Love
Naughty Sailboat
Venue 4, Onstage at the Playhouse

Kafka in Love is the the debut outing for fledgling local arts collective Naughty Sailboat. Penned by William Jordan and Kevin C. Houle, these three plays explores variations of love and the human condition against a backdrop of the apocalypse. Locked in a closet with only some peanut butter (the brand he despises), soy sauce, pickled asparagus and his paper buddy Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Ulrich (Ian Mikita) fights against feelings of lost love, boredom, isolation and delusion. The second piece really fails to deliver, even though there is a certain chemistry between Dorchester (William Jordan) and Renfrew (Yared Mehzenta). The third and strongest vignette, although totally absurd, really shines. Anchored by the carefully paced narration of Kevin Anderson, it makes you wish that he was part of all three plays. Although uneven at times, there are moments when you get the sense this rookie troupe was on to something.

_____

A+
Power
Berserkr Productions
Venue 5, Son of a Warehouse

While more high-profile politicians such as Tommy Douglas get all the historical attention for their battles against injustice, it was the the tireless work of the Independent Labour Party’s J.S. Woodsworth in the 1920s that brought about changes to Old Age Pension, expanded rights for the unemployed, fought against the futility of the First World War and who stood up for the workers involved in the Winnipeg General Strike. Explaining how a framed letter from then Prime Minister W.L. McKenzie King ended up in the offices of the CCF, Robert Johannson’s compelling performance as Woodsworth is both thought provoking and wonderfully acted. More than just a Canadian history lesson, Power touches on a number of interrelated themes (truth, pacifism, the politics of change, the fight for social justice, the role of the church) that are just as relevant today as they were during Woodsworth’s time in politics. Easily one of the best Fringe plays I have ever seen.

_____

D
Saturday Night House Party
GabelManwell Productions
Venue 6, Tom Hendry Theatre at the MTC Warehouse

You know that feeling when you show up at a party only to realize you probably should have just stayed home and watched reruns? That’s the feeling you get during Saturday Night House Party. The improv-heavy piece wasn’t without some redeeming qualities. Quinn Green managed some laughs as Chet, playing a gay guy in order to pick up girls. Nicole Sadler convincingly pulls off Jaclyn, the stuck-up pretty girl. There were also some funny references to Neil Strauss’ book The Game and some of his dating techniques that involve using “neg-hits” to break down a woman’s dating shield. After Chet tells party host Natalie that her teeth are crooked, she spends the rest of the night trying to hide them. Like a real party, no two nights are going to be the same, but I didn’t get the sense that this was just an off evening.

_____

A
Tired Clichés
Acky-Made
Venue 21, Aqua Books

First presented at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival in 1998 by “The King of Fringe”, T.J. Dawe, Tired Clichés is a hilariously funny, fast paced one man show starring Toronto’s Alex Eddington. What starts off as a seemingly unrelated string of random thoughts on a variety of subjects — pedestrian controlled cross walks, vomited cats, post modernism, boring minimum waged jobs, ghosts, working the night shift, the meaninglessness of the phrase ‘happy birthday’ and the difference between casual cyclists/wanky cyclists — all gets tied together in the last few minutes of the monologue. More than a collection of off-the-cuff comments, Dawe’s ability to weave together so many pieces into a compelling story is unmatched. Eddington’s razor sharp delivery, quirky sound effects courtesy of a pocket full of small instruments and Dawe’s thought provoking script ensure there is never a dull moment.

_____

A-
The Unlikely Sainthood of Madeline McKay
Kiss the Giraffe Productions
Venue 16, PTE Mainstage

Peddling religion can be tricky, but it can also be a very profitable business. Just ask Jim Jones, David Koresh, Jerry Falwell or any of the other televangelist out there. Claiming she is a conduit to the Virgin Mary, former fortune teller Madeline McKay and her manager/friend/partner in crime Agatha travel the country spreading the word of the mother of Jesus and peddling their CDs for 25 bucks a pop. Originally believing she is offering what the church can’t, McKay begins to question what she is really giving the mindless miracle chasers. Normally able to disengage from the people she is conning, she can’t escape what is really happening on the commune after meeting the ultra devoted Bernadette, wonderfully portrayed by Stephanie Sy. While she was originally selling salvation one town at a time, in the end McKay is the one with the spiritual awakening.

_____

D
We’ve Always Been Friends
Johnny Dingo Productions
Venue 4, Onstage at the Playhouse

First presented in 1986, Bruce McManus’ We’ve Always Been Friends hasn’t really aged very well. What might have been edgy in the ’80s comes across as irrelevant in the age of The Hills and Sex and the City. The intertwined relationships between Lee (the overstressed Mom), Shelia (the power hungry business woman) and Gia (the slutty one) have moments of believability, but that isn’t sustained over the 90- minute performance. Fighting over the same guy, you get the sense that although Robert fulfils a role in each of their lives, they all could do better. They argue, debate and eventually decide who should get him with a bean bag toss game. We’ve Always Been Friends may have been pushing boundaries 24 years ago, but it doesn’t have the cultural or sociological bite it once did.

Uptown Magazine - July 22nd

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Home Sweet House
It is widely acknowledged that Detroit was the birthplace of techno and that house music emerged from Chicago. Despite the fact that these two cities played a huge role in the development of electronic music, North America is still playing catchup to Europe. This short documentary charts the growth and development of house music in Chicago in the ’80s.

Bombers Game Day
If you’ve been losing your shirt betting on the Bombers, you can save some of your cash and still have some action on the games. With eight different categories in which you can let your opinion be known, you can still win if the Blue and Gold lose.

All the Goals
Going through World Cup withdrawal? Can’t wait for the England’s Premier League to start up in August? FIFA recently uploaded video of every goal scored during the recent month-long World Cup finals tournament. Now fans of the beautiful game only have to wait two years until the European Championship.

The Electro Wars
The Electro Wars is a new documentary by Stephen Vasquez which looks at the growing influence of post-rave electro in the United States. Featuring interviews with a who’s who of the U.S. electronic scene (Steve Aoki, Spank Rock, Armand Van Helden), it hits the theatres sometime this fall. Along with a trailer, The Electro Wars website offers up a slew of exclusive interviews.

Quick Hits

MP3 of the Week: Beauchamp – Gold Soundz (Summer Mix)
Goodform’s Mike B. drops a smooth summer mix under his new alias, Beauchamp. Packed with tracks from Crystal Castles, Air and Toro Y Moi, this mix is the perfect soundtrack to your next backyard barbecue.

Video of the Week: Tool – The Patient (Live in St. Charles, Mo.)
Despite an ultra strict no-cameras policy, video footage of Tool’s recent North American tour has been popping up on YouTube. Anyone who was at The Phone Booth July 4th knows that gig was easily one of the best shows to roll through town in the past 10 years.

Winnipeg Free Press - July 22nd

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Chatroulette Expands

WHEN Russian teen Andrey Ternovskiy launched Chatroulette last November on a shoe-string budget, nobody really knew how much impact it would have on web culture. Bringing together random strangers via web cam, Chatroulette went against the grain of the social nature of the web and sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. Instead of connecting people who already knew each other, Chatroulette was the Wild West of the web. You never really knew what you were going to get: a woman with a guitar, a man wearing a Mexican wrestling mask, a group of giggling teenage girls or some naked guy.

With over 1.5 million users and 35,000 on the site at any given time, Chatroulette quickly established itself as a major player on the Internet. As of last week, the site rolled out two new features. Along with offering a localized version where you can randomly connect with people in your area, the site is also offering channels that let you meet people based on mutual interests.

It’s no surprise that the sex channel is No. 1 and has the most active users.

Mix Turtle

META-MUSIC search engines are nothing new. Pulling streaming music content from across the web, Mix Turtle makes it easy to locate and listen to music from your favourite artists. Although you can’t download the songs you find, you can setup a custom playlist and be your own DJ.

Netflix To Launch Canadian Service

After a couple years of rumours and growing frustration from Canadians not able to access Netflix, the largest movie- and TV-streaming service in the United States, the company recently announced it would be rolling out a Canadian version this fall. While there is no word yet on if it will also offer home movie delivery service as it does in the U.S., the instant on-demand streaming of TV shows and movies is what consumers really want.

For a monthly fee, subscribers will be able to stream video content to their computers and iPads, or their TVs through devices like the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii or Playstation 3. Already around for a few years in the U.S. (with over 13 million subscribers), Netflix was a game changer when it began offering on-demand video streaming as part of a subscription.

While movie stores won’t disappear over night, the company will instantly grab a huge share of the video rental market and make a major impact when it launches this fall. Canada is the first country outside the U.S. that Netflix will be operating in.

The Social Network

CAN a movie about social-networking giant Facebook actually be worth watching? Judging by this trailer, the answer is yes. Directed by David Fincher and starring Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake, The Social Network hits theatres Oct. 1

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 22, 2010 E3

Pip Skid - I Never Knew Directed by Mike Maryniuk

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:22:29 -0500

Pip Skid - I Never Knew

Directed by Mike Maryniuk

Winnipeg Free Press - M.I.A

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

M.I.A - MAYA (Interscope/XL)

On her third release, Sri Lankan-born British-raised MC/producer/designer/visual artist Maya Arulpragasam (M.I.A.) continues down the same fierce path of global resistance she established on her critically acclaimed albums, Arular (2005) and Kala (2007).

Packed with stuttering drums, unrestrained bass, wailing sirens, blippy video game synths and plenty of impatient rhythms, M.I.A.’s latest is a cultural pastiche of sound she hopes will help tear down the walls of oppression, poverty, terrorism and the growing influence of information politics.

On Lovealot, over top some minimal drums and digital noise, she proclaims “I won’t turn my cheek like I’m Ghandi / I fight the ones that fight me.” On Meds and Feds she cops some distorted guitars from Sleigh Bells’ track Treats and lays down some big beat drums for a punked-up attack. While there are no immediate cross-over hits like her mega smash Paper Planes, this is probably on purpose. The Diplo-produced Tell Me Why, the reggae influenced It Takes a Muscle and Rusko-helmed Space offer up a slightly softer, less paranoid side, to Arulpragasam.

Expect a bit more challenging listen than her previous albums, but it’s worth the time and effort.

3.5 stars

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 17, 2010 C4

Uptown Magazine - July 15th

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:18:08 -0500

The Fabulous Blue Bomber Show
Hope was running high after the Bombers knocked off the Hamilton Tigercats in the season opener. Fans were brought back down to Earth after the lowly Toronto Argonauts managed to beat the Blue and Gold last Friday. Despite racking up almost 500 yards in offence, the team couldn’t handle basics such as tackling, blocking, place-kicking and special teams coverage. Want the scoop about what’s happening in the dressing room and behind the scenes? Back for a fifth year, The Fabulous Blue Bomber Show takes a lighthearted approach to covering the Bombers. Hosted by Hot 103 morning man Ace Burpee and Shaw TV’s Kim Babij, the first episode of the season includes interviews with new QB Buck Pierce, Ike Charlton, Glenn January, Jovon Johnson and rookie head coach Paul LaPolice. If you aren’t a Shaw subscriber, all the episodes can be viewed online. You can also follow the action at facebook.com/fabulousbluebombershow.

LeBron Watch, Day 50: What ESPN Should Have Asked LeBron James
Unless you have been living under a media blackout like a sequestered jury, chances are you heard that Cleavland’s LeBron James is jumping ship as a free agent and heading down to South Beach to play with the Heat. After weeks of speculation and rumours, one of the most coveted players in the NBA announced during an hour-long special on ESPN (TSN in Canada) that he was leaving his hometown to join a dream team with Dwayne Wade and former Raptor Chris Bosh. LeBron has been taking flack for the egotistical special and ESPN has been criticized for not asking the tough questions. Deadspin.com takes a look at what ESPN should have asked the NBA superstar.

Movement 2010
Held over the American Memorial Day long weekend, Detroit’s Movement festival — an intense three days of events, after-parties and showcases — has become the heart and soul of the North American electronic music scene over the past 1o years. Along with showcasing the Motor City’s deep ties to techno, it has also become an important outlet to connect with what’s happening in Europe. Moves.Me’s Chris Soltis documents the 10th anniversary of the festival. From Windsor/Berlin’s Richie Hawtin’s mind-bending Plastikman performance to video of live French techno artists dOp, Soltis has all the angles covered.

Quick Hits

MP3 of the Week: Jokers of the Scene
Ottawa’s Jokers of the Scene offer up their unique vision of post-rave techno on the third instalment of Pulse Radio’s podcast series.

Video of the Week: The Section S Beer Snake
While the brass at the Bombers are trying to curb drinking during games, it doesn’t look like they’re doing a very good job. Expect this to become a Section S tradition.

Winnipeg Free Press - July 15th

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:47:46 -0500

King Spencer

WITH MTV’s docu-soap The Hills wrapping up this past Tuesday, cast members are busy looking for new work. Although he hasn’t be featured as prominently in the final season, Spencer Pratt has been an important part of the show, holding down his spot as one of the most hated villains on TV. Currently separated from his wife Heidi Montag, he is engaging in a war of words on Twitter with celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton.

The brains behind Fox’s ill fated Princes of Malibu and the producer of the upcoming show Fist Pump for Love, featuring Snooki’s ex-boyfriend Emilio Masella, Pratt already has the ball rolling on a new career. Along with a number of reality shows in development, Pratt has also started up a paparazzi agency and has recently launched a new blog.

A skilled headline maker and manipulator of the media, it isn’t surprising that Pratt has started up a pap agency. Although he has a long way to go before he competes with TMZ and Perez, expect KingSpencer.com to get a lot of traffic over the next few months and become a major player in the Hollywood gossip game.

Only around for a week, the site has already posted exclusive images and video of the stars of MTV’s Jersey Shore, SNL’s Chris Kattan and Sylvester Stallone.

Mad Men Yourself is back

BACK for a fourth season, AMC’s Mad Men recently landed a whopping 17 Emmy nominations and is probably the most anticipated show of the summer TV season.

Last year, AMC came up with a unique viral marketing site where you could “Mad Men Yourself” and then upload your avatar to your favorite social-networking site. Mad Men isn’t the first program to do this (The Simpsons did it to promote its movie), but it turned out to be a real hit with fans of the show. Along with subtly promoting the series, it let users immerse themselves in the SSRq60s-era drama.

The online tool has new clothes, accessories and backgrounds. Expect to see a lot of these avatars on social-networking sites over the next couple weeks.

Mad Men returns to the air on AMC on July 25.

Diddy Blog

LOOK out, Kayne West, fellow hip-hop superstar P. Diddy has decided that he wants to be a blogger, too. Based around five categories (Inspire, Believe, Feel, Create, Love and Grow), Diddy has been posting video content and writing up interesting things he comes across on the web.

395 Photos Taken on Cellphones

CHANCES are if you have a cellphone, it has a digital camera as one of the features. While your pictures can come out dark, shaky or blurry if you don’t pay attention, this collection of 395 cellphone photos from Gizmodo.com proves that you can leave your camera at home and not worry about missing that amazing moment — if you handle things right.

Anthony Augustine is a freelance music, technology and pop culture writer who spends way too much time in front of a computer. Got a site you think he should see? Email him at anthony.siteunseen@gmail.com or follow him at twitter.com/anthonya.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 15, 2010 E3

M.I.A. - Born Free (Live on Letterman)

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:33:12 -0500

M.I.A. - Born Free (Live on Letterman)

Home Sweet House (2009) The international phenomenon of house...

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:34:26 -0500

Home Sweet House (2009)

The international phenomenon of house music owes its existence to the basement clubs of 1980’s Chicago, but many Chicagoans are unaware of their city’s underground legacy. “Home Sweet House” reveals a thriving Chicago house scene hidden in plain sight. From a footworking battle on the South Side to a night out at a legendary North Side club, the film takes viewers to the city’s most hallowed house hotspots. Interviews with DJs, promoters, producers, dancers, and record store clerks—all set to a soundtrack of authentic underground Chicago tracks—answer the ultimate question that surrounds this legendary subculture: Why Chicago?

Winnipeg Free Press - July 8th

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

100 Greatest Movie Insults

COMPILED by Harry Hanrahan, this 10-minute video includes clips ranging from Glengarry Glen Ross, Full Metal Jacket and Trading Places to Clerks, Gone with the Wind and A Clockwork Orange. As you can guess, it’s probably not safe for work.

Hanrahan also put together The 100 Cheesiest Movie Lines of All Time, which is also worth checking out.

Night Mayor

IF you are a fan of Winnipeg’s Guy Maddin, you can check out his most recent work, Night Mayor, online. Created to celebrate the National Film Board of Canada’s 70th anniversary, the 14-minute short film centres around a mad inventor who tries to harness the power of the aurora borealis. Another stunning example showing Maddin is one of the most creative filmmakers around.

The 77 Most Unforgettable Movie Songs

OVER at Spinner.com, they’ve posted a list of The 77 Most Unforgettable Movie Songs. Ranging from Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise to Harold Faltermeyer’s instantly recognizable Axel F, which appeared in Beverly Hills Cop, the list helps remind you how important a soundtrack is to filmmaking.

Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory Season 3

A few years back, professional skater Rob Dyrdek built himself a massive office complex, complete with indoor skate parks, go-karts, mini race cars, zip-lines, basketball hoops, a recording studio and a giant ball box that he and his crazy buddies launch themselves into. If that weren’t enough, he had a film crew around to film the whole thing.

Back for a third season on MTV on July 12, by the looks of this trailer Dyrdek is going to up the ante and have as much fun as possible along the way.

Kayak

FINDING the price for hotels online can be a time-consuming process. Now you can it speed up by using Kayak, a site that lets you search five different sites at once. In Canada the site pulls pricing and information from EasyClickTravel.com, Hotels.com, Priceline, Travelocity and Expedia. You can also use it for trips south of the border or to rent a car.

Pearl Jam Radio

IF you are a fan of Pearl Jam or just want to see what the band has been up to over the years, the act is streaming a range of live, rare and studio tracks on its website. The band has also announced its 2010 bootleg series.

This isn’t the first time the grunge pioneers have done a bootleg series. Judging by the sound quality of past recordings and the constantly changing set lists, they are must-haves for die-hard fans of the Seattle-based band.

In an era of declining record sales, I’m not sure why more bands don’t do this.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 8, 2010 E3

Uptown Magazine - July 8th

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Down with the GVP!
Chances are if you’re vegetarian or vegan, you have had to settle for the dreaded Grilled Vegetable Plate (or the GVP), despite being in a restaurant that should be able to accommodate you (what’s so difficult about pasta, stir-fry or pizza?). While some restaurants will go out of their way to make sure there are a range of options for their customers, some just take the easy way out. “Let’s get something straight: A vegetarian is someone who doesn’t eat meat,” writes Ezra Klein. “It’s not someone who loves vegetables. Or dislikes composed meals. Or thinks food doesn’t benefit from seasoning, and saucing, and a variety of textures and grains and cooking methods.”

The Geek’s Vacation Checklist
Heading out on a road trip this summer? Lifehacker.com breaks down exactly what you need to stay connected to the digital world and make your life a bit easier. From using travel planning sites such as TripIt to showing the best way to pack so you aren’t lugging around too many bags, some of this stuff might seem obvious, but it can help take the stress out of your travel plans.

Quick Hits

MP3 of the Week: Manitoba Electronic Music Exhibition
Anyone who attended the recent Manitoba Electronic Music Exhibition knows that it was a smashing success. Along with helping launch The Cube at the newly renovated Old Market Square, it also marked a new era for electronic music in the province. While this collection of music from the festival doesn’t include Voodeux’s amazing live P.A. (arguably the best performance of the festival), it does provide a great snapshot of the four-day event. Other highlights include Dubmatix with Stamina, Noah Pred and Joe Silva with Pucona & Flo.

Video of the Week: Peaceful G20 Protest at Queen & Spadina
While much of the early debate about the G20 summit in Toronto focused on the staggering cost of the event, now people are talking about how the police handled the mostly peaceful protesters and how there seemed to be a systematic dismissal of civil liberties. This short clip from a protest at Queen and Spadina shows police seemingly attacking a crowd without provocation.

Tool - Sober (1993) The first time I saw them was in 1994 at Le...

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:50:57 -0500

Tool - Sober (1993)

The first time I saw them was in 1994 at Le Rendez-Vous and it is still one of the best shows I have been at. Last night at The Phone Booth was even better. Didn’t think that was possible.

Tool - The Patient - Live 6/26/10 - St Charles, MO

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:14:22 -0500

Tool - The Patient - Live 6/26/10 - St Charles, MO

Winnipeg Free Press - July 1st

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

M.I.A.’s Agitprop Pop

MAYA Arulpragasam, known as M.I.A., has never been shy about her politics and when she sat down with New York Times’ writer Lynn Hirschberg it seemed like another interview. Outspoken, confident, eloquent and one of the music industry’s most thought-provoking artists, M.I.A is always controversial.

Along with a brilliant new viral video (which wasinstantly banned from YouTube, MTV and MuchMusic), she has a new son whom she gave birth to after performing nine months’ pregnant at the Grammy Awards. Maya was also engaged to Ben Bronfman, son of the Warner Music Group chief executive and Seagram’s heir Edgar Bronfman Jr., and she was working on highly anticipated new tracks with some of the hottest producers on the planet.

Right from the outset, it seemed as if Hirschberg was challenging the performer on the conflict between being someone whose music is so heavily political and who is now living a lifestyle that most people only dream out. While those topics are certainly important to discuss, Hirschberg’s piece had the tone of someone who was setting out to do hatchet job.

Yes, Maya’s music is political. Yes, she now lives in Beverly Hills. Yes, she has modelled clothes for high-end designers and cares about fashion. Yes, she might like to eat truffle-flavoured french fries and yes, she still writes about the power of the people, but she isn’t a 20-something drunk pop star, partying the night away while singing about the injustices in the world. She has been the same person from Day 1: one foot in politics, one foot in popular culture.

“Maya had all the pieces of the puzzle,” said Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Interscope Records. “When I met her, I thought, ‘Who wouldn’t want to sign her?’ Her politics didn’t matter to me. The whole game is about waiting for that moment to move popular culture. Maya can move the needle. I want to go where she’s going to take me.”

Almost immediately after the piece ran, the firestorm began. Maya wasn’t impressed with how she was depicted in the lengthy, almost 9,000-word piece and posted Hirschberg’s personal phone number on her Twitter profile. She also got to work on a diss track, Haters, that she released for free on her website.

The New York Times has added an editor’s note that elements of the author’s interview were spliced together at different parts.

This isn’t the first time an artist has attacked the writer; she is best known for the notorious Courtney Love Vanity Fair interview that got Hirschberg death threats from Love’s then-husband, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain.

Symbaloo

FOR many people, bookmarks stored on a single machine are becoming the old way of doing things. Although there are other online options like iGoogle and Delicious.com, that doesn’t mean there aren’t newcomers like Symbaloo hoping to get your attention.

Recently out of beta testing, Symbaloo is a personal online tool that will help you organize your online life, no matter what computer or device you may be using. One of its most innovative features is you can share your personal web mix with anyone you want and integrate what other people send you into your front-page look. Already 20,000 customizable combinations have been made available.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 30, 2010 E3

Uptown Magazine - July 1st

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Tuna’s End
If you are a sushi addict, chances are you eat your fair share of tuna. One of the most sought-after and expensive fish in the ocean, the Atlantic bluefin tuna stock has been depleted and is in dangerous territory right now. If Asian and North American consumers keep up the demand for the fish, they will disappear. “Tuna then are both a real thing and a metaphor. Literally they are one of the last big public supplies of wild fish left in the world,” writes The New York Times’ Paul Greenberg. “Metaphorically they are the terminus of an idea: that the ocean is an endless resource where new fish can always be found. In the years to come we can treat tuna as a mile marker to zoom past on our way toward annihilating the wild ocean or as a stop sign that compels us to turn back and radically reconsider.”

The Thriller Diaries
When it was released in 1983, the video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller was a game changer. With a huge budget, over-the-top dance sequences and film-like quality, Thriller became the metre stick to which all music videos would be measured — and still is today. It set the tone for the way videos would be made and helped make MTV a cultural touchstone. Vanity Fair’s Nancy Griffin takes a look behind the scenes of the epic 14-minute clip.

Boggs
Slugger Wade Boggs, giant beers, classic 8-bit graphics, girls in bikinis and hamburgers. What else do you need in a video game? Along with the World Cup, this addictive game is really hurting my productivity. Don’t feel bad if you waste an afternoon playing it, Boggs and Major League baseball are probably trying to shut it down right now.

MP3 of the Week: Crosstown Rivals – Exits
Although Crosstown Rivals seem to be on hiatus right now, you can still make them part of your 100 Mile Musical Diet with this cut from local digital label Better Swimmers’ debut EP. The Rivals’ indie dance-rock will sound right at home next to Tokyo Police Club and Wolf Parade on your next playlist.

Video of the Week: Free Fall
Brilliantly filmed by free diver Julie Gautier, this beautiful and simplistic clip is begging to be viewed on a massive HD TV. World champion free diver Guillaume Nery jumps into the massive Dean’s Blue Hole, located in a bay west of Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas.

I saw Llewellyn jump a bunch of times. Never disappointing. This...

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:48:00 -0500

I saw Llewellyn jump a bunch of times. Never disappointing. This post is for my Dad, Neal Brown, Garnet Butchart, JD, Davey Johnson, and everyone who ever skied at Lakers in Lac du Bonnet. Go hard or go home.

Eminem - Winnipeg Free Press

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Eminem / Recovery

(Interscope/Universal)

AFTER the thrown-together and largely forgettable Relapse album last year — and having finally conquered his personal demons — Recovery is the Detroit-born MC’s most self-aware album yet.

Like The Motor City, Marshall Mathers is reinventing and re-envisioning himself, and that comes across most evidently on Not Afraid. Eminem sings “I’m not afraid to take a stand. Everybody, Everybody take my hand. We’ll walk this road together.” This is in stark contrast to the cartoonish, video-ready, pop cultural referencing tracks that used to anchor his albums.

While those name checks still come up, this is a major leap forward for Eminem. He has always been a skilled storyteller; it just seems now he’s spending more time focusing on real experiences. He may be still figuring out who he is as an MC, father and person, but at least he has decided he can leave behind some of the things he did in the past and is putting his life together track by track.

On Talkin’ 2 Myself (featuring Kobe), he proclaims “I finally feel like I am back to me, I finally feel normal.” While Eminem’s lyrics always had personal elements to them, this may be the first time they actually mean something.

With Recovery, there is no doubt Eminem is back in the game.

4 stars