Mini-Goodies Post
This is rather interesting. "ARhrrrr is an augmented reality shooter for mobile camera-phones, created at Georgia Tech Augmented Environments Lab and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD-Atlanta). The phone provides a window into a 3d town overrun with zombies. Point the camera at our special game map to mix virtual and real world content. Civilians are trapped in the town, and must escape before the zombies eat them! From your vantage point in a helicopter overhead, you must shoot the zombies to clear the path for the civilians to get out. Watch out though as the zombies will fight back, throwing bloody organs to bring down your copter. Move the phone quickly to dodge them. You can also use Skittles as tangible inputs to the game, placing one on the board and shooting it to trigger an explosion." I'm vaguely amused by it all. Especially the idea of using skittles as bombs. Corporate sponsor, anyone?
A bit more on Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland. I already linked the teaser trailer a little while ago in my mad flailing and blind exuberance over the entire thing, but there are some other goodies worth exploring. I love the 75-second short ET did "On The Set" with the costumes. Eeeeee, the costumes make me squee. I'm also glad to see some of the animatronics. I think a lot of the negative feedback on this movie centers around the CGI, which, as most of you know, has never been my favorite trick of the movie world. I'd much rather see puppetry. So, I'm glad to see that Tim is using a mix, at least. Who knows how the end result will be? Frankly, I'm just plain excited. I think I get what he was going for with the Red Queen, even if she is pretty out there. Although, I wish he had done something with Anne Hathaway's eyebrows for the White Queen. That will probably bother me.
Two weeks ago, I unexpectedly got an e-mail update from the Backstreet Boys newsletter (yes, I subscribe -- they send announcements so infrequently that I forget entirely about it, but it proves most useful in informing me of stuff I would otherwise have no clue). They are releasing a new album. From the newsletter: "The Backstreet Boys are back with a brand new studio album, This Is Us! This Is Us will include songs written and produced by the industry’s hottest creative talents including the likes of Max Martin (P!NK, Britney Spears), Emanual Kiriakou (Nick Lachey, David Archuleta) and Jim Jonsin (T.I, Lil Wayne)! The group will kick off their return with the high-energy RedOne produced single “Straight Through My Heart” which hits radio airwaves mid-August and will be available on iTunes on August 18th! Be sure to check it out!" The album itself will be released on Oct. 6th.
Before I comment on all of this, let me c&p another snippet from the latest newsletter, sent earlier today: ""Straight Through My Heart" Available At iTunes Today! The Backstreet Boys are kicking off their new album with the up-tempo, Red-One produced club banger “Straight Through My Heart.” New York’s KTU premiered the song live on-air on July 30 and the group just performed for a lively crowd at the station’s Beatstock Event in New York last weekend. Now, the infectious hit is all yours! Be sure to check it out at iTunes today!" You can hear the song on both their official site and their myspace page, of course.
Now, ya'll know I love me my Backstreet Boys. I have always enjoyed them musically, even despite the teasing and taunting of people who assumed I just enjoyed staring at 5 pretty men (I was 15 -- what pretty men wasn't I staring at? Come on, people). Thanks to my parents, I grew up on doo-wop music, a capella, 4- and 5-part harmonies... I just plain enjoy the sound. I think the BSB have fantastic harmonies. The a capella song they released on their last studio album was gorgeous.
However, I am deeply, deeply disappointed to see them take such a step backwards professionally and musically, in an utter reversion of what they could do with their talents put together. 'The up-tempo, Red-One produced club banger'? SERIOUSLY, guys? What the HELL? WHAT. THE. HELL.
At this stage in their careers, I am so, SO disappointed to see names like Max Martin and Emanual Kiriakou up there in their list of collaborators. YOU CAN WRITE YOUR OWN LYRICS, GUYS. YOU'VE DONE IT BEFORE, WITH SUCCESSFUL RESULTS! But allowing the big-wigs in charge to feed you this infantile, syrupy, pop drivel at this stage in your careers? At your age? Come on. Grow some stones, boys. I just... there is SO MUCH TALENT there, such a GREAT sound, and instead of growing musically you take a step back. This is early 90s synth crap. It's not even good synth. I just. UGH.
I'll probably download the album just to see what it sounds like, but frankly? I'm just plain disappointed. All around. Of all the directions they could have chosen to go musically, they totally sold out. And I know that the producers and the record company controls much more than what you see at first glance -- they are puppet masters, and they've stifled the careers of countless artists before for the sake of making a quick buck. They'll continue to do so in the future. But I refuse to believe that they are unwillingly shackled by their contracts, and the idea that they'd choose to record and release music like this? Grr. I want to hear those voices do something great again, not... not this.
Okay. Rant over.
*eyes length of post* And boy, can I ever rant. *whistles*
A bit more on Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland. I already linked the teaser trailer a little while ago in my mad flailing and blind exuberance over the entire thing, but there are some other goodies worth exploring. I love the 75-second short ET did "On The Set" with the costumes. Eeeeee, the costumes make me squee. I'm also glad to see some of the animatronics. I think a lot of the negative feedback on this movie centers around the CGI, which, as most of you know, has never been my favorite trick of the movie world. I'd much rather see puppetry. So, I'm glad to see that Tim is using a mix, at least. Who knows how the end result will be? Frankly, I'm just plain excited. I think I get what he was going for with the Red Queen, even if she is pretty out there. Although, I wish he had done something with Anne Hathaway's eyebrows for the White Queen. That will probably bother me.
Two weeks ago, I unexpectedly got an e-mail update from the Backstreet Boys newsletter (yes, I subscribe -- they send announcements so infrequently that I forget entirely about it, but it proves most useful in informing me of stuff I would otherwise have no clue). They are releasing a new album. From the newsletter: "The Backstreet Boys are back with a brand new studio album, This Is Us! This Is Us will include songs written and produced by the industry’s hottest creative talents including the likes of Max Martin (P!NK, Britney Spears), Emanual Kiriakou (Nick Lachey, David Archuleta) and Jim Jonsin (T.I, Lil Wayne)! The group will kick off their return with the high-energy RedOne produced single “Straight Through My Heart” which hits radio airwaves mid-August and will be available on iTunes on August 18th! Be sure to check it out!" The album itself will be released on Oct. 6th.
Before I comment on all of this, let me c&p another snippet from the latest newsletter, sent earlier today: ""Straight Through My Heart" Available At iTunes Today! The Backstreet Boys are kicking off their new album with the up-tempo, Red-One produced club banger “Straight Through My Heart.” New York’s KTU premiered the song live on-air on July 30 and the group just performed for a lively crowd at the station’s Beatstock Event in New York last weekend. Now, the infectious hit is all yours! Be sure to check it out at iTunes today!" You can hear the song on both their official site and their myspace page, of course.
Now, ya'll know I love me my Backstreet Boys. I have always enjoyed them musically, even despite the teasing and taunting of people who assumed I just enjoyed staring at 5 pretty men (I was 15 -- what pretty men wasn't I staring at? Come on, people). Thanks to my parents, I grew up on doo-wop music, a capella, 4- and 5-part harmonies... I just plain enjoy the sound. I think the BSB have fantastic harmonies. The a capella song they released on their last studio album was gorgeous.
However, I am deeply, deeply disappointed to see them take such a step backwards professionally and musically, in an utter reversion of what they could do with their talents put together. 'The up-tempo, Red-One produced club banger'? SERIOUSLY, guys? What the HELL? WHAT. THE. HELL.
At this stage in their careers, I am so, SO disappointed to see names like Max Martin and Emanual Kiriakou up there in their list of collaborators. YOU CAN WRITE YOUR OWN LYRICS, GUYS. YOU'VE DONE IT BEFORE, WITH SUCCESSFUL RESULTS! But allowing the big-wigs in charge to feed you this infantile, syrupy, pop drivel at this stage in your careers? At your age? Come on. Grow some stones, boys. I just... there is SO MUCH TALENT there, such a GREAT sound, and instead of growing musically you take a step back. This is early 90s synth crap. It's not even good synth. I just. UGH.
I'll probably download the album just to see what it sounds like, but frankly? I'm just plain disappointed. All around. Of all the directions they could have chosen to go musically, they totally sold out. And I know that the producers and the record company controls much more than what you see at first glance -- they are puppet masters, and they've stifled the careers of countless artists before for the sake of making a quick buck. They'll continue to do so in the future. But I refuse to believe that they are unwillingly shackled by their contracts, and the idea that they'd choose to record and release music like this? Grr. I want to hear those voices do something great again, not... not this.
Okay. Rant over.
*eyes length of post* And boy, can I ever rant. *whistles*