Bob

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/07/an-oscar-for-he.html "Possible contenders include Brad Pitt, who ages in reverse for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Angelina Jolie, playing the mother of a missing child in Clint Eastwood's Changeling; Will Smith, reteaming with Pursuit of Happyness director Gabriele Muccino, in the character study Seven Pounds; Nicole Kidman, once more under the tutelage of Moulin Rouge maestro Baz Luhrmann in the epic Australia; and the Titanic duo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, who'll reunite for the first time in the suburban drama Revolutionary Road." I'll believe it when I see it regarding Pitt or Jolie. The Hollywood critics love Kidman, DiCaprio, and Winslet for these awards. Now I don't want to sell Will short on this, but can't we get a break? I mean every year that Will puts out light-hearted or summer blockbuster films, the Oscar nominees aren't particularly 'on their game.' Yet when Ali came out, Russ Crowe and Denzel Washington wowed audiences (Washington won for Training Day). When Pursuit was the sure-fire winner, Whitaker and DiCaprio were formidable (Whitaker won). Now Will has an honest shot from all the discussion of his upcoming movie, and Ledger's career-defining performance coupled with his tragic death is going to leave Will with his most formidable competition yet. Yikes. What do you think? P.S.-I know it is quite early to talk about this, but being that Entertainment Weekly made the first jump into the discussion, I don't see why not.

I'm about to read the article, but I gotta say man, you just made me look like a fool in the office, cause I just-about spit water in laughter at the topic title (and the subsequent subtitle). :rofl:

THAT FORM IS HORRIBLE! sooo off-balance.

We are at complete odds. He has shown an ability to play many roles, sometimes at once. He can be the quirky realist, the concerned father, the selfish brother, the family man, the company man, the schemer, the dismissive family member, the wholesome guy, etc. I think what he is best at though, is that quirky character. So studios write towards that character.

ya, idk but i have no interest to see it, or the previous one. now i'm personally split on dark knight, mainly because i feel them switching marketing to ledger after his death is somewhat opportunistic. I also wanted Katie Holmes in it, and she isn't (I don't care if it was her who turned the part down).

HA-Kun-Na-MA-TA-TA....It means no worries, for the rest of your days...it's a problem-freeeeee, philosophyyyyyyyyy.......

I say every single one of us starts using it if he gives it up.

People, if you are to allow this analogy to hold, you allow soulja boy to sit in the same 'space' in 2008 that FP held in the early 90's. I don't like the analogy...especially with "Superman that ho" and the very incoherent lyrics from Soulja Boy. When did FP go that route...or even close?

Oh, ya I definitely think his support for the radical minister is what splits him from many. I just think it's awesome, in hindsight, that he gave so many good records on his mixtape: Legendary (Mike Tyson), Esco Lets Go, Be a N Too, even his freestyle on "Cops keep firing." Go listen to the album people, even you Rams! haha. Visqo, where's your critique?

the vocabulary of a new england fan.

no harm, no foul. I just still see that (1) from you on my account haah. And I didn't know anyone used anything BUT view new posts. I can see why it is annoying, being that I now am a regular. It's funny too, since I had no intention (initially) of sticking around after getting L&F bonus tracks :paperbag: ....now look at me! :thumbsup:

I remember when I did that and you gave me a nice 'heads up' haha. :stickpoke:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1590443/2...3/50_cent.jhtml Yeah, people are still talking about the Ice-T vs. Soulja Boy Tell'em flap. The issue is much larger than the two artists; it's about the generation gap. What does the man the MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trust voted the Greatest MC of All Time have to say? Jay-Z noted that it's essential to have the ying and the yang. "Well, I think there's a balance, right?" Jay said while he was in the U.K. to headline the Glastonbury music fest. "I think the newer guys have got to respect the foundation and what's been laid down for them. The older guys have got to respect what's coming up next. So, I know that sounds like a non-answer but that's just the truth. In hip-hop, it's all about balance. You've always had [Jazzy Jeff] and Fresh Prince when you had Rakim. There's always been a balance in hip-hop, and I think it's always needed. So, as long as we respect each other, 'Old school, new school, no school rules.' Doug E. Fresh, I guess." ^Really? I mean, ya FP at that point was doing light stuff, but he was consistent with material, and right from the get go was lyrically in-tune. "Wat me crank dat soulja boy and now wat me yoou" doesn't equate to Brand New Funk, etc. :thumbdown:

Album Review: "Untitled" in Stores July 15, 2008. Nasir Jones has acknowledged his album's leak, possibly implying he himself was the culprit. "You know we get leaked, you know I've been getting leaks forever. And it's so f----n exciting." ~Nas ( ) So, with this leak, the hip hop community can finally grade Mr. Jones' attempt to evoke a thoughtful, intelligent discussion regarding racial stereotypes and their societal impact. Did he do it? Did he achieve more than a controversy? Did Nas come out with material that critically examines institutionalized racial profiling, or did Nas simply create a body of semi-conscious, creative wordplay that leaves the listener with some decent rhymes, cool beats but disappointing delivery? Well, as I listen to the album titled "Untitled" but more recognizably called "N***er," I am impressed. I do feel the album is a mixture of many sounds, with a strong theme present almost completely throughout. As a production-enthusiast myself, I was quite amazed Nas would choose very unconventional instrumentals for two of his songs and a strong guitar for another pair. His love for the R&B, Blues, and Jazz genres is glaringly, yet unoffensively obvious throughout the majority of cuts. And he has some oddities that fall neither here nor there, yet are quite enjoyable. So, track by track, where does that leave us? 1. Queens Get the Money produced by Jay Electronica: The most unconventional instrumental Nas has ever used. Enjoyable, clear, concise melody. The surprise: With every rewind of the track, I wonder what these last lines mean: "And you ain't as hot as I is, all these false prophets, not messiahs...I'm the shaky hand that touched George Foreman, the same man who punched down devils who brought down the towers." 2. Can't Stop Us Now featuring Eban Thomas of The Stylistics & The Last Poets produced by Salaam Remi: With smooth individual string strokes, Nas describes the irony of murders in inner-cities receiving less media than "domestic animal abuses." He references Chinese working conditions in his connection between the remnants of America's slave history and today's poverty-stricken citizens. 3. Breathe produced by J. Myers and Dustin Moore: Strong Jazz/Soul basis for production, content seems to focus on pain, stress, frustration associated with disenchanted Americans. He settles on a relaxation, a break from worries of the economy, pensions, etc. 4. Make the World Go Round featuring Chris Brown and The Game produced by Cool & Dre and The Game: Snapping, base, and keyboard keep a high pace as Chris Brown makes his signature R&B presence felt. This song departs from the album's theme completely. It's a rich man's opportunity to ride high. Just as "Hustlers" departed from the "Hip Hop is Dead" theme, so too does "Make the World Go Round." That doesn't mean this is a poor song, by any means. It does disappoint though, interjecting in what had been a near perfect fluidity of theme, style, and rhyme complexity. The Game comes in with strong lyrics, again referencing celebrity after celebrity as per his trademark. 5. Hero featuring Keri Hilson produced by Polow Da Don: To bring the album around back on course, this song lightly returns to a semi-familiar theme. The previous track and this song stick out from the list as off-course, radio-friendly tracks. It is catchy, hip, and as some have alluded to, very "Stronger"-esque in its delivery. 6. America produced by Stargate: In channeling his younger two selfs, that of "Street's Disciple" and "Hip Hop is Dead" Nas provides a creative rhyme scheme addressing his ill-impression of the United States government and economy. He does it with an intelligent cynicism unequaled in the music profession. His discussion topics include the misogny present in government and women raped left without options. He talks of a "killed people" who founded a nation, and a wish to destroy "the covenant" the early American founders created. Nas dives into the reality our nation was economically founded and secured through free labor, or slavery. Nas furthers the conversation by expressing his frustration that a woman can be convinced she is why "sin is here" by reading the Bible (Eve taking the forbidden fruit). He accuses men of having "played her, with an apron, 'like bring me my dinner dear. She the n----r here. Ain't we in the free world?" Then, stating the "death penalty in Texas killed young boys and girls...BARBARITY" Nas affirms his outrage of the use of the death penalty. He continues his anger at the allowance of the death penalty in a first world country: "How I made out of the hood dazzled me. How far are we really from third world savagry. When the empire fall, imagine how crazy that'll be." The hook is "America, It's not what you think it is." Instrumentals rely heavily on a limited Native American-sound. Wind instruments lace the words Nas speaks, subtly expressing the oppression the first settlers wielded on the Natives of this land. 7. Sly Fox produced by stic.man of dead prez: Mr. Jones uses the metaphor of a sly fox to depict the 33rd wealthiest American. Yes, it is a direct indictment of Rupert Murdoch, majority shareholder of News Corp and a media mogul. Nas here deciphers through the corporate level of Fox Broadcasting, News Corp, and its subsidiares. The word flow is filled with alliteration, multiple rhyme schemes, and woven diction to create a very clear image. Myspace, Fox News, and the many levels of our economy are directly run or influenced by this single man, who has a very conservative outlook on the world. I am overly impressed by Nas' attack on the corporate machine that has lead to "over-stimulation" as Nas says, through Fox News' over the top graphics. He furthers his attack by accusing the corporation of "propaganda, visual cancer...[a] secret agenda, [being] Doctor Mindbender, and misinformation." In his flow, Nas recites "the fox has a bushy tale/tail, and Bush tells lies, Foxtrots, so I don't know what's real." He supplements this metaphor with others, of the Matrix, and thinking within the box, as he sees a manipulation of viewers. Then Nas continues his very personal attack on Murdoch by accusing the chairman of exploiting rap culture, and then denouncing the very genre in separate mediums (a direct explanation of the Myspace promotion of modern music, and the condemnation of modern music forms by Fox News anchors). Nas relates his own problems of titling the album with pressures placed on Universal, all that had lobbyist ties to News Corp. Stic man provides a gritty guitar rip with light snare and an overall drum set that only emphasizes the journey Nas takes through the deception prevalent within the media giant. Nas continues, and really emphatically, in a direct assault of every attempt Fox News has made to smear his character in front of its viewers. Nas rhymes "They say I'm all about murder, murder and kill, kill, but what about Grindhouse and Kill Bill," alluding to the fact Murdoch's own investments funded and promoted such films! I could continue, as you can tell I am enjoying greatly the full blown rebuttal to Fox's smear campaign of Nas when he was to perform at Virginia Tech. Just listen to the last "discussion" he adds to the end of the song, "So, Mr. Jones, I understand you've been experiencing some frustration. My guess? It may be post-traumatic stress, even post-traumatic slave syndrome. Why don't we begin this session by, letting you talk it out. Just talk." 8. Testify produced by Mark Batson: A calming, piano-bound instrumental provides a cooldown for the listener, while Nas shifts his commentary onto "hicks" and the southern right wing of America. He throws his condemnation of the Confederate flag into plain sight. Nas makes mention that white suburban America attempts to understand his struggles, but cannot. Then Jones goes at the "pop" fans, expressing his wish to rather "go gold with it" then attract their interest. 9. N.I.G.G.E.R produced by DJ Toomp: An underlying base accentuates the original instrumental. Nas refined the song's production from the single and video that was released. Regarding content, Nas shows an affront towards those within the urban communities who express complacency with the "status" given them by society. 10. Untitled (Louis Farrakhan) produced by ?: As in the intro track, this is a very unconventional instrument using a harmonica and light synthesizers. Nas does not neccessarily talk directly about Farrakhan. Instead, he uses himself as almost parallel in discussing his desire to impact society as the controversial minister has. Nas indirectly shows a support for Farrakhan, stressing that the minister's work is something that "they" could not stop. 11. Fried Chicken featuring Busta Rhymes produced by Mark Ronson: The two hip hop artists talk of metaphor upon metaphor. In some places, it is a description of their lust for women. In others, it is the direct love of the glamour of their lifestyles. And, on a quite deep note, there is an expression of sincere confusion, as to whether embrace things that do not define, but certainly are used to stereotype black culture. Does someone enjoy something branded to him in a condescending way? If a certain race is paired with certain things, such as certain foods, is it the abduction of a person's right to live without undue scorn and malice? It takes a little to get over the use of "fried chicken" as a phrase, but the clarity of the frustration expressed highlights a reality that stereotypes are alive and unfortunately, quite strong. The production includes sparse keys, a condensed drum rhythm, and a saxophone. Simple, yet effective. 12. Project Roach featuring Last of the Poets produced by Eric Hudson: Nas is in love with metaphors on this album. It really is a return to his "I gave you power" days. Nas plays the role of the word "n----r" and explains it will never go away by some kind of symbolic "burial." Instead, Nas believes it has to be a rejection that comes as society grows and matures. The music is very hotel elevator/ classy champagne room style. 13. Y'all My N----s produced by J. Meyers: In many ways, this is a conclusion-type track, one where Nas revisits, and admits the wordplay was quite deep and in need of unravelling. He rhymes in a very conversational way, unlike his usual rolling, absurdly filled style. He talks more of a positive idea that people can advance, that his words will resonate. Nas embraces the scrutiny of his character, his actions. He rhymes over a bouncing electric guitar. A bit of West coast end-sound is combined with a light rock influence to supplement the almost 70's backbone sound. Nas contends that one must understand what words mean, before one can act as if he truly grasps its impact. In many ways, this song contends that he has fulfilled bringing a meaningful discussion to his album, not just a controversial one. 14. We're Not Alone featuring Mykel produced by stic.man of dead prez: The drum sequence is reminiscent of "Let There Be Light" off of "Hip Hop is Dead." The piano provides a melody and Mykel immediately depicts a light at the end of the tunnel. Nas jumps right back into deep thought, talking about God or Evolution, Confuscius philosophy, and what science brings to our understanding of society. Nas questions whether searching for the truth creates a greater threat. He then brings the discussion to whether we are alone in the universe. It could be seen as quite a tacky thought, but Mr. Jones talks quite seriously about his thoughts on life on earth and elsewhere. At this point, Nas brings conspiracy theories some light, but then shows a respect for facts and treads between 'questioning the norm' and 'going over the top.' He stays on point, thankfully. This is truly the ending with which Nas was going to leave the album, until his addition of "Black President." The statement made at the end is truly insightful, and works perfectly into the final track of the album.... 15. Black President featuring Johny Polygon produced by DJ Green Lantern: With the notable replacement of Obama's "Change the World!" exclamation with an identical statement by a different person, I believe Nas made a smart move to not allow the right wing pundits to tie directly Obama's voice into a song by Nas. The original song leaked had Obama's voice and a speech by Obama to introduce the song. I just wonder to whom that other voice belongs, as it is quite familiar. In any case, Nas talks of his support of Obama, although he asks if Obama "will still care" once he's elected. Nas again shows his cynicism, but in this case with an admitted degree of hope. And there you have it, a song by song breakdown of the album's official tracklisting. There are two bonus tracks I have not heard yet, "Like Me" and "Proclamation." There was also "Esco Let's Go" that was dropped from the album. I guess Nas decided to give it as a treat to his fans on the mixtape. I was quite partial to the instrumental, but examining the song now, it does not really fit within the album, and the first set of verses had been leaked as early as Fall of 2007, so the material may have been seen as 'lost.' Also, the song, with an eight minute video "Be A N****r Too" was dropped from the album, which is a debatable move, but one that ultimately calms some nerves of those, like myself, who were overwhelmed by its chorus. In summary, I see this album besting any other commercial album so far this year in quality. There does not seem to be anything on the horizon either that would contend with the content of this album. Except for "Hero" and "Make the World Go Round" this album was extremely well-knit, something rare in Hip Hop. Aside from those two tracks, the whole album presented relevant discussion on politically/socially charged issues. If Nas purposely leaked the album, as I think he did, it was too provide this album to the critics, like a movie screening, so it can be analyzed and responded to before its release. After reviewing the album completely, I believe Nas wishes as many people will hear his material, with less concern for sales. So did the album live up to the hype? Yes. Was it a perfect 5/5? No. It was close. Extremely close. While "Hero" is fun and maybe the best he's done for the radio, it doesn't fit with the deep material expressed. This is an album that, in a perfect world, would have neither "Hero" nor "Make the World Go Round" to truly be a complete work of societal criticism. The reality is, Nas took on a near impossible act within the mainstream music industry: to provide social commentary on one of the most uncomfortable issues in society. And he delivered.

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Weekend-Box...tised-9423.html It speaks the truth!

I thought it was absolutely brilliant!!! You are talking about a Superhero never known to audiences before, a 'brand' never established, and yet a great mix of everything. The movie did a great job with Jason Bateman weaving together the whole thing. His acting best comes to the table as the one 'sane' person (i.e. Arrested Development!!!!!) as in this movie. The film needed to not only introduce Hancock, but keep the crowd interested, move the story along, explain his past, and have a huge cinematic finale. It did all of this, through many devices. 1. Make sure Will got the laughs, and in a different way than we are used to seeing...BRILLIANT. 2. Appease the crowd that came out for Bateman...aka fast-camera work, odd-quirky humor that is indicative of Arrested Development and so beloved by its fans. 3. Provide a foil. I won't expose the twist for those who haven't seen it, but very smartly done by the writers. There's much more, but I also think another thing to point out is what this film did not have as a luxury of most 'superhero' films. This in many ways explains what AJ called as too fast. No one knows the "Hancock" story. So you can't have a Batman Begins type of film. You can't slow things down to that point. There is no guarantee this movie will have a sequel. Second, after Pursuit of Happyness, we know that every movie Will does has a huge box-office response, so you can't down the audiences with a non-epic theme to the movie. Third, the movie goes away from the usual Northeast metropolis, creating less "mafia" ideas and thus a much more open canvas with less naturally there to work with. I think all in all, it was a GREAT film, and I think it will blow Dark Knight (in quality, hopefully also box office) out of the water. Now I came into this movie expecting a Men In Black corny film with little heroics and a lot of light laughs. What I got was an explosive, to-the-wall action thriller, with twists all over and a uncanny ability to keep the HILARITY throughout the movie. I never thought I could see a great mix between quirky humor and action thrillers. I guess I was wrong there. 2 THUMBS WAY UP!!!!!

Saw it!!!! WOOT. Sorry guys, I'm on a Will-high right now.

The High Def Music channel owned by MTV had the London show on yesterday!!! First time ever seeing Will Smith doing hip hop in HIGH DEF!!!!! AHAHA. He still rocked beyond all the other acts. It was awesome seeing him on TV without even searching for him ahha. I seriously just turned on the TV and they said "You saw him speak, now see him perform,...it's Will Smith!!" WOOT!

Ahh KEL! what's up man, you're part of the family here.

I put the Doctors Advocate over the Documentary. It felt more geniune. The Documentary felt like a balancing act between West Coast and 50 cent. I'm excited for LAX.

Why? I love it. I mean. I LOVE IT.

Ahahahaha, thanks Bob, I can always count on you for a good laugh! Seriously. I'm impressed. I really am.

But that's how the judicial system works in the U.S. If you're rich & powerful, you can get away with anything. This is the same judicial system that gave the big "ballers" at Enron a "slap on the wrist". The same judicial system where CEOs can rob a company blind and then leave with tens of millions. The same judicial system that gave George W. Bush the presidency in 2000. Yes, Bob, it's completely sick what you can get away with if you're rich & powerful. eh, those enron guys are still in jail and bush won fair (537 people in florida made the difference). The CEO's thing is right on though. in any case, I guess I'm a hopeless optimist.

dumb.

it's sick that if you're rich/famous enough, you can commit rape.