music for relief is organized to aid more victims of the tsunamis

as a response to the horrible tsunami's that have affected all of south asia, various music groups have rallyed together to form a relief organization in conjunction with the red cross.
to find out more about this group, go here:
http://www.musicforrelief.org/

to read more about this, check out the following articles.
from mtv
from yahoo news

Asia's Tsunami help: if you want to make a difference or just find out more

with the horrible tragedy in south asia, i'm sure many of you are wondering what you can do to help (or at least find out more information). well, the UN has developed a pretty in-depth online resource of up to the minute reports for you to track info. you can even sign up for a weekly email that gives you a breakdown of the issues of the world (since you're probably not getting anything from your local news source).

to read about the latest developments in indonesia, sri lanka, india, thailand and malaysia, go here:
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf

also the following organizations are asking for help, so if you have any money to spare, please donate what you can to these places:
http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.unicef.org

for a full list of organizations that are offering help, check out this site:
http://www.interaction.org/sasia/index.html

BEST OF 2004: Pitchfork.com announces the 50 best albums of the year

one of the best alternative music websites around, pitchfork.com announced their favorite albums of 2004. though many of the albums i've yet to hear of, i am proud to say that i do own at least half of the top 20!
glad to see that the arcade fire made it to the top of the list.
to read more about the top 50, go here:
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/top/2004/index5.shtml

BEST OF 2004: music - nouvelle vague

released earlier this year, french producers Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux decided to record an album of bossa nova covers of their favorite new wave bands of the 80's. everything from joy division to modern english gets the chilled out groovy remake. but in the end, after the initial curiosity factor wears out, you realise that this debut album is actually quite a beautiful collection of wonderful songs that have stood the test of time.

to read the notes of the producers for each track, go here:
http://www.nouvellesvagues.com/english/discog.html

to hear three tracks, check this out:
http://www.nouvellesvagues.com/english/music.html

PREVIEW 2005: music - the chemical brothers "push the button"

easily one of the more anticipated albums of the new year, 2005 gets off to a wonderfully kick-ass start with the release of the chemical brothers new album 'push the button'.

starting off with the awesome 1st single 'galvanize' featuring q-tip, the middle eastern flava-ed single has one of the best breakdowns i've heard in awhile, so definitely blast this one when you're listening to it! other highlights of the album include collaborations with bloc party, mos def, kele okereke (ex-sneaker pimps) and tim burgess (the charlatans).

to find out more or just to listen and watch the single, go here:
htto://www.thechemicalbrothers.com
or here:
http://search.launch.yahoo.com/launch/search/?m=all&p=chemical+brothers&x=14&y=8

PREVIEW 2005: movies - les choristes (the chorus)

already nominated for best foriegn film at the 2005 golden globes, france's official selection for the oscars, 'les choristes', has not only been garnering good reviews worldwide, but performs solidly wherever it's been showing.

a simple story about a failed composer (gerard jugnot) who gets a job teaching wayward boys at a boarding school. the teacher soon realises that the only way to get through to these children is to not only show compassion, but to inspire his kids in the form of a choir.

reminding me of my experiences as a chorus boy growing up, the nice thing about this film is that it doesn't pile up on sentimentality (though there are elements throughout) and also shows how music can literally save lives.

to find out more go here:
http://www.leschoristes-lefilm.com/

my grade: B+

promosquad rocks!

after reading about this site in entertainment weekly, turns out this site has been working with billboard and is used in the uk and austrailia to trace the responses of new songs before they get played on the radio.

you basically sign up, listen to clips of songs and rate them afterwards. with each rating, you get points and then after awhile, you get free things. it's all pretty straightforward, but totally addictive! so when you get the chance, log on here and check out this site.

http://home.promosquad.com/referal.shtml?referer=blockheadjaxx&band=62

it's a diva catfight as george michael tells sir elton john to 'shut the f**k up'

ooowee! it's a war of the words between george michael and 2004's biggest potty mouth, elton john. it seems that the grand dame of unwanted opinions has pushed one too many buttons these days as george michael officially made some formal retaliations against elton in the very respectable HEAT magazine.
can't we all get along?
http://www.gay.com/entertainment/news/?coll=pno_entertainment&sernum=941&page=1

Best of 2004: soundtrack - wicker park

it's really rare that soundtracks are good these days. if it's not a collection of thrown out b-sides recorded by a-list artists, then it's current hits licensed to make a quick buck for record labels and their sub-standard catalog. but to my surprise, the soundtrack to the shit film 'wicker park' is a complete joy from beginning to end. comprimised of many acts that i've been listening to over the past 15 months, this could easily be a mix i put together.

with everyone from death cab for cutie to the stills to snow patrol to mazzy star to aqualung to iron and wine, this is easily the best soundtrack of 2004 (followed closely by garden state).
to listen to clips of the album, go here:
http://www.lakeshore-records.com/wickerpark/

and watch the video 'retour a vega' by the stills here:
http://launch.yahoo.com/artist/default.asp?artistID=1100065

Best of 2004: movies - the sea inside

easily one of the best films of the year, 'the sea inside' takes an unflinching non-melodramatic look at a man's quest for his right to die. based on the true story of Ramon Sampedro (played by the awesome Javier Bardem), the movie deftly shows his political and personal journey surprisingly through bedroom interactions were Ramon lies paralysed.

though the theme is a bit of downer, the ability to convey all Romon's layers of light heartedness and painful honesty by Javier Bardem is worth the price of the ticket alone.

smart, beautiful and simple, 'the sea inside' is a shoo-in during award season for both the actor and his kick ass director Alejandro Amenabar (the others). check this smart film out asap!

to find out more about this film go here:
http://www.theseainside.com/

check out stephen chow's highly anticipated film 'kung fu hustle'

if you've never seen a stephen chow film, well... you really have missed on one of the funniest filmmakers in the world. last year, western audiences finally got to see his work through 'shaolin soccer' (out on video) which gave us a teaser to the kind of non-sequitor comedy that he's known for mixed in with serious cgi.

now, with the backing of a sony pictures, stephen may finally have the resources to release the big budgeted action comedy that he's been dreaming of. easily one of the most anticipated asian films of the year, 'kung fu hustle' will finally be released in various asian countries over the xmas season (scheduled for a US release in 2005).

to watch trailers and read more about it, check out the official film site at:
http://www.sonypictures.com/intl/cn/kungfuhustle/site/index_en.php

if you want to read more then go to this very detailed site at:
http://www.monkeypeaches.com/kungfu.html
NEW NOTES AS OF DECEMBER 26:
now that i got the chance to see the film, i have to admit that i was surprised that 'kung fu hustle' wasn't as funny as i expected it to be. in fact, with gags only loosely scattered throughout, stephen chow has instead created an action genre film by making shanghai into a martial arts version of the wild west. kudos for originality and visual flair, but somehow his usual strength in storyline has disappeared underneath all the high kicks and punches.

my grade: B

check out some of moby's new track for his forthcoming album 'hotel'

moby recently went on kcrw's awesome 'morning becomes eclectic' to preview songs from his march 2005 release 'hotel'. though many of the songs are still in demo stages, if you go 27minutes 46seconds into the interview, i beg you to listen to the wonderful rendition of the classic new order track 'temptation' sung by his mate laura (approved by bernard of the new order!). if this track is a good sample of what we can expect, then i'm in!

to listen to the whole preview/interview, check out:
http://kcrw.com/cgi-bin/ram_wrap.cgi?/mb/mb041213Moby

while you're at it, check out some more amazing live performances that morning becomes eclectic has broadcasted recently (earlimart, the arcade fire and some of my other faves are all there!):
http://www.kcrw.com/show/mb

Best of 2004: music - The Arcade Fire

hailing from montreal, this four-piece (with the help of countless friends) has released one of the most exhilirating, diverse and wonderful releases of 2004. ironically, the album's main theme is of the sudden deaths of family members for each of the bandmates during '03-'04, but luckily for us, the arcade fire have spun their debut 'funeral' into something to celebrate. genius!

to check out some tracks, click here:
neighbourhood #2 (laika)
http://www.mergerecords.com/m3u.php?media_id=185&

to find out more of the band, go to:
http://www.mergerecords.com
http://www.arcadefire.com/

Best of 2004: music - Earlimart

inspired by the recent death of his friend elliot smith, lead singer aaron espinoza and his bandmates have created a wonderful lament to things never said combined with haunting dreamy orchestrations. add to that, aaron's quiet vocals and you pretty much have one of the better releases of 2004 in the form of 'treble and tremble'.

to hear selections, read their continual online blog and see how cute aaron is, check out their webpage:
http://www.earlimartmusic.com/

Damien Rice is heavily featured in the new Mike Nichols feature, 'Closer'

opening and closing the new film 'closer' by mike nichols, damien rice may finally get that widespread recognition that he deserves. amazingly, the album 'O' continues to sell two years down the line and much has to do with the word of mouth campaign that fans have been passionate about.
if you don't have this album by now, then you're just plain silly!
still amazing after two years, check out the 'blowers daughter' (closer version) below:
http://www.warnerbrosrecords.com/damienrice/

and if you want to find out more about our cutie, then go to his website here:
http://www.damienrice.com/index.html

check out project runway on bravo

once again, bravo unleashes a trashy yet totally absorbing reality contest to the masses. like an 'apprentice' with a sewing kit, 'project runway' pits 12 designers against each other as they work towards winning a $100,000 prize to start their own fashion line.
catty, dramatic and fun, host heidi klum gets to add her own version of 'you're fired' with 'Auf Wiedersehen' at the end of each show.. that alone is worth a look!

a quick review of 'bride and prejudice'

Aishwarya Rai & Martin Henderson definitely make a hot pair in this bollywood-esque remake of 'pride & prejudice'. but somewhere along the way, this light hearted clash of cultures and traditions aims completely for the surface and leaves little substance for anyone to take home with.

luckily director gurinder chadha (bend it like beckham) sprinkles enough cute quips and dance numbers to distract you from it all.

did i mention that the cast is hot hot hot? ash (as everyone calls aishwarya) is sometimes so beautiful in this film that you just end up in a daze (martin does a bit of visual damage too, looking like tom cruise circa MI2, but younger). throw in jaya bakshi (another miss india), naveen andrews (currently co-starring on 'lost') and daniel gillies and the eye candy just gives you instant cavities... but just because a movie is sweet doesn't make it good.

my grade: C+

a quick review of Veer-Zaara

Clocking in at 3 1/2 hours, this winter epic bollywood smash hit just over extends itself with its epic tale of an Indian man, Veer Pratap Singh (the superstar Shahrukh Khan) love for a Pakistani woman, Zaara Hayaat Khan (Preity Zinta) dragged out throughout decades onscreen (definitely felt like that when i was watching it).
Definitely of the old school elk, elements that make these films so enjoyable are scattered throughout, but one constantly hopes that bollywood will one day figure out the need for editing. someone... ANYONE!

my grade: C-

Degrassi - the next generation

my friends from canada have been raving about this show forever, so recently i started tivo-ing the whole series (which repeats on 'the-n' (aka noggin) all the time). i have to say after watching a marathon, i'm totally addicted!

not only is it one of the most honest shows about young teenagers, but as the promos go, the show 'goes there' with topics and storylines that NONE of the primetime youth marketed shows dare to go.

what makes it even more amazing is the fact that there's no 'lesson' learned after each issue is brought to surface. the kids just deal with it and work their daily lives around it; making 'degrassi' one of the most strangely realistic shows on television. who knew that a show aimed at teenagers can be both juicy and well written at the same time?