I am once again tardy in linking to my latest Spot-on column. It’s called Hip-Hop for the Long Haul and it focuses on the supposed conflict between 50 Cent and Kanye West. My point was that while the competition made for a great marketing angle for their respective new albums, the hip-hop genre is struggling [...]
The Polar Bear Plunge
The remains of veteran reporter John Higgins were finally laid to rest last weekend at Hillside Cemetery in Lyndhurst, NJ. Higgins died suddenly last November of a heart attack at age 45. His gravesite sits on a hill, with an excellent view. Straight ahead of you, in the distance, sits the Empire State Building, symbol [...]
Headlines I Never Expected to See
From Billboard: Bob Marley Ringtone Dispute Heating Up Tags: Bob Marley, ringtones
“Everything I’m Not, Made Me Everything I Am”
The new Kanye dropped on Tuesday. Longtime readers will recall that I am quite enamored with both the hip-hop genre and with Mr. Kanye West. You may recall my earlier post about the official mixtape, which previewed the Graduation album and also included a couple tracks featuring raps over indie rock, specifically Thom Yorke and [...]
What YouTube Is Really Good For
Yes, there’s a lot of cool stuff on YouTube. Some of it is illegal, posted by people who don’t hold the copyright. Some of it is amateur; much of that stuff is boring. But there is much that is interesting. Here’s one example of how YouTube excels: Crank Dat videos. Here’s the background. Hip-hop artist [...]
Stewart Back to the Oscars
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is apparently bringing back Jon Stewart to host the next Oscars, according to a story in the Times. I thought he did a good job (see here and here) and I welcome his return. Which brings to mind Lee Siegel’s admonition of Stewart in 2006 prior to [...]
Sweet Scandal & Schadenfreude
My new Spot-on column is up and it deals with the cases of Sen. Larry Craig and actor Owen Wilson. One of these is heart-breakingly tragic and the other is gut-bustingly hilarious. To tell which is which, you need to know The Scandal Rules. Entertainment Weekly recently examined this issue from the angle of how [...]