Pacman (Arcadeless Version).

Can you say overhyped?

After watching multiple pre-fight shows on HBO featuring Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton's training methods and the life beyond fighting, I was really pumped up for the May 2nd fight between the two ring warriors.

Each representing opposite sides of the globe added another element to the entire battle.  Hatton's biggest recent fight was a loss to "Money" Mayweather who is recently coming out of retirement to fight in July.  Ironically, Hatton's trainer is Mayweather's father who barely speaks to his son at all.  On the other hand, Pacquiao pretty much ended "The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya's prolific career in his latest fight before taking on tough guy and Manchester native Hatton.

"Pacman" Pacquiao showed why his quick hands and strong work ethic has really paid off knocking down the "Hitman" Hatton down twice in the first round as it seemed that this one was not even close to what it was projected.  Pacman seemed to land everything he threw, while the much slower Hatton seemed to be out of his league.  

If you blinked around halfway through the second round like my roommate did you missed it at first glance.  Manny Pacquiao's insanely quick left hook had the "Hitman" shot down as he fell like a sack of bricks.  Man, you can feel that hit from your seat, Manchester's finest could just do nothing about it; he left himself wide open.  The only thing that looked decently good for Ricky in this fight, if you wish to call it that, was probably his flashy shorts, but that if all was it.  You just got instantly love this guy Pacquiao, he seems to be a pretty much humble and quiet guy and seems to do everything right in the ring; just an enjoyment to watch this guy work his craft.  It is definitley something you have to see to fully visualize so here is the highlights below and its a pretty raw fight and quick enough to watch, but if you want to see the thunderous knockout just fast-forward to the 6:30 mark.

Hopefully a Pacman v. Mayweather fight is in the mix for the near future. It would not dissappoint and would be a must see.

Something Fishy.

A highly anticipated collaboration with the Cool Kids' beat bounding and old school nature but need blood in the game mixed with the veteran and hard-working nature of DJ Cannon has equaled into a pretty solid mixtape known as "Gone Fishing."  This tape offers something for hip hop heads to chew on for free music while waiting for the Cool Kids duo of Chuck Inglish and Mickey Rocks to drop their album of "When Fish Ride Bicycles."

"Champions" was the first single to leak by the tag-team and seemed to stay away from the overly used sample by Queen "We are the Champions" and made the song their own and remains my favorite song off the mixtape so far after a first listen.  The beat just exemplifies what the dudes are all about something that hits hard with a mix of something at the smooth at the beginning that features something a little edgy as well.  

I can definitley relate to these guys though especially to the facet of hearing the same songs over and over on the radio as the bring up points on the depressive medium.  Also, their constant sport-like references from old school Jordans to that of Santonio Holmes.  They look to hit those past memories of times of pagers and riding bikes that have sort of changed the game of hip hop and brought upon a new flavor.  

You have to love the fact that this was for the people though, as the refer time and time again that this was for us and that just making the music gives them their enjoyment, which is real good to hear to say the least.  They could careless if it is downloaded, they are actually wanting us to do that and burn it to cds and blast it in our cars; it seems weird to hear from a mainstream artist but it's a nice breath of fresh air.

DON CANNON AND THE COOL KIDS - GONE FISHIN' from zachwolfe.com/live on Vimeo.

Getting Revenge.

Right behind the steroids problem as the most overheard and annoying sports story has to be ex-Cheesehead Brett Favre and his constant retirement confusion.  

One day he's mowing his lawn, the next day he wants to play professional football again, and the day after that he wants nothing to do with it at all.  Favre has to be one of the most indecisive people if not the most in all of the sports industry as he does not even come close to Michael Jordan's jump to baseball and back to basketball in the "45," which seemed right out of a movie script.  I know this out of retirement situation is much different from his last year trip from the frosty tundra in Green Bay to the media center of New York to play for the J-E-T-S, Jets.  This year he looks to get his "revenge" on the Packers, in which he was the face of the franchise throughout the 1990's.  But why would this Pro Bowl QB want to turn on his faithful Packers and play for the divisionial enemy Minnesota Vikings.  It just all seems so wrong, but seems so right for the NFL and its industrial looks to glorify this rivalry matchup.  

The disgruntled veteren quarterback jumped ship after retiring from his old home in Wisconsin and then tried to come back but was turned down by a team looking to move on with Aaron Rodgers at the healm.  It seemed like a sort of slap in the face at the time, but he is the one that put himself in that situation in the first place; he asked for a leave and when he changed his mind, Green Bay had changed their business plans with his departure.  It seems like artificial revenge thus, if Favre decides to the Vikes as I do think he eventually will with a top-notch running back with Adrian Peterson to dish the ball off to and lessen the weight and the stingiest run-D on the other side of the ball looks to keep the pressure off John Madden's favorite wrangler wearing quarterback.  Time will tell with Brett Favre's decision making, but the NFC North would be that much more interesting with him making a reappearance to the game of tackle football.

Goosebumps.

Arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time.  Even though I was way to young to ever see this man play one of my favorite sports, from what I have heard this guy could just straight out ball.  Eleven Championships in thirteen years of play with five MVP awards and a twelve time All-Star as well, Russell defines success and puts today's athletes to shame.

Bill Russell has left a strong impact with the NBA, but an even stronger one with the prestigious Boston Celtics.  He is just one of those historical figures that defines Boston sports in general and his humble ways have inspired many more than he will ever know.  The art of the shot block was molded by Russell and I am constantly reminded by that from my grandfather who lives for the old school.

I was watching "Jim Rome is Burning" recently on ESPN and caught a feature segment of Rome interviewing the Celtic great.  The constantly unselfish Russell just makes me appreciate being a huge Celtics fanatic and gives a history lesson to all those bandwagon jumpers after the acquistion of Ray Allen and KG.

Rome is in the middle of his end of interview review of Bill Russell... 

-Rome: "We're talking to Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell, and the book..."
-Russell cuts off Rome: "Jim Rome."
-Rome: "Yes?"
-Russell: "I apologize for interrupting you. Can you do me a favor?"
-Rome: "Absolutely. What is it?"
-Russell: "When you introduce me, can you please refer to me as the former captain of the Boston Celtics? That means way more to me then any Hall of Fame or other personal title. That was the most important thing for me."

The huge thud that occured right after this clip was my jaw hitting the ground once again.  Russell goes from saying of how good of friends he was with coaching master, Red Auerbach and how there is now a "vacuum" inside him from what he is missing from Auerbach to correcting Rome in a goosebump provoking way.  I do not know why I was amazed to hear this from a Renaissance Man in terms of Russell, but from watching recent NBA playoff action, it shows how far ahead he is beyond these active "stars."  It makes me sick to my stomach now watching the extra flashy Cleveland Lebron James's as I think they are referred to act as cocky as they do.  I do know they are crushing some slightly above average talent in their first two rounds of play and they have the mean force of James, but what have the accomplished yet?....First Seed in the East and the NBA MVP, yes that is all nice and cool, but it's all about winning in professional sports and they have yet to hoist the title in this Lebron era.  I do respect his game and what he has done at such a young age, but Russell just embarrasses guys like this with his humble statements and pro-Boston comments.  NBA history class is in session and Bill Russell is running the school.

Alright, Alright I've Heard Enough.

Alright we got it already; Manny Ramirez took performance-enhancing drugs.  This picture just says it all I think; it's like A-Rod is saying "Hey buddy, we found you and your next and good luck to you too because you can take the heat from me."

Major League Baseball is tainted. We've heard the story over and over and it has just gotten plain sickening in my opinion.  Whether it be Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, A-Rod, Rafael Palmeiro, or who ever else is featured on the Mitchell Report that took these enhancers, its the same story every time.  So why is it glamified all over ESPN and every other sports channel?  Each player that has been caught uses lie to lie to cover up the situation and try to sneakily get by with a slap on the wrist.  These PR moves have been done constantly by first denying the fact of taking the drugs then admitting and being "truly" sorry about what happened in the past.  I was watching Marion Jones's admittance to using steroids during her dominance in track and field and the Olympics and you kind of have to just laugh that they are actually trying to make the fans feel bad for them when they cheated the sport that they controlled for years.  We, as sports fans, are suckers for great athletes and giving them extra chances, but I have had enough especially after the latest case involved "Manny being Manny."  These repetitive occassions of steroid use have not only turned me away from baseball, but some other sports in general.  It makes you think if so many baseball stars are taking these enhancers who says that basketball and football players are not as well, it just seems to be too obvious to get a step ahead of other competition.  Its a sad day in sports when you have to look back and say maybe that our 2004 World Series Championship may hold a mental asterisk upon it with Ramirez on that magical squad, which Bill Simmons wrote recently in an ESPN article.  

On the other hand, Manny could care less about what we think about this so why should we.  Again he seems to be in his own little world and is saying everything right now to sort of save what is left of his image.  You kind of feel bad for the Los Angeles Dodgers for a second with them having such a great start to their season with so much young talent and potential then as a Red Sox fan you think we've been down that road and did you guys really missed how he screwed us over in Boston.  I think its time as sports fan to step our foot down finally, I've had enough hearing it everyday about steroid users admitting and asking for forgivence; the other atheletes you have to feel for now is those who are clean, but which ones are really left out there? I just hope Papi Ortiz is not the next to come out, but it seems apparent after the horrible seaon he is having so far with such a fall from greatness scenario in place.

CBS's continuous media mogul mentality.

President Obama picked it right, the North Carolina Tar Heels won the Men's Basketball National Championship last Monday in blowout fashion over through their veteran leadership over Michigan State.

The president made a correct choice here and CBS seemed to constantly make the proper choices throughout their full coverage of the national event. From switching between games at a sense of smoothness and style as well as keeping their priorities in check to the game's that were in their most important stages, CBS seem to be on point during this recent March Madness season. Throughout this hectic situation at hand, the CBS media team showed why they are destination for this popular event year in and year out.

I think another reason that set them apart was their website in terms of full media coverage surrounding the 64 Teams in contention for the title. Seeing that CBS would only be able to televise one game at a time, the option they presented on their site to watch other live games at that time seem to set them apart from other contenders such as ESPN. They as well used to option for these live games to be seen in high definition without a further cost, but only a simple download. These elements combined altogether show that CBS is a power mogul not only in sports media but in media altogether and continue to push the envelope. Hopefully, we will see a repeat performance out of this power player next March Madness.

Asher Who?

As we study audience this week, I feel that no one right now is more set on an audience than Asher Roth (Roth was actually the other member of the duo that was seen on the Kid Cudi feature that I previously posted). Yes, he is something new in the hip-hop's mainstream; how couldn't he be though has feasted off of the mindset of the college population and looks like the average white kid trying to make it big.  I do think that his first single "I Love College" is very much played out by now, but he hits his target right in the chest.  He's been able to deal with the Eminem comparisons and throw those out the window and make a name for himself as well as show that hes not just a one hit wonder.  From looking further into this dude he seems real and looks to be very easy to relate to, thus his potentially huge audience.  

I first discovered Asher Roth from a July 2008 mixtape that he was featured on with heavily known DJ Drama as well as Don Cannon.  On this tape, Roth jumped onto a variety of well known track instrumentals from John Mayer's "Waiting On The World To Change," to the new song at the time "Black Mags" by the Cool Kids, as well as the Lil' Wayne older song "Cannon" that almost everyone has a verse to by now.  Roth has taken what is relevant and known and therefore given that a ridiculous twist in terms of what is everyday hip hop.

Roth's album "Asleep In The Bread Aisle" ironically drops this 4/20 as he has dropped only a couple tracks so far in sequential order to keep fans on the edge of their seat.  His newest song to release is named "Be By Myself" and features the well-known artist Cee-Lo, member of Gnarls Barkley.  The song is real smooth and shows that he can touch another element in his music and is another eye-opener and creates much more anticipation for this upcoming album.  Asher Roth seems to be someone commitment to his work and it seems very cool that he is touch with those that have paved the way for him and seems to be in it for the right reasons so far.

Kenny Powers.

Danny McBride has really made a name for himself these last couple of years.  With Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder as his launch pads, McBride has grabbed the attention of mainstream media.  Recently, McBride has starred as Kenny Powers in the hit comedy, Eastbound & Down on HBO, in my opinion the funniest show on television as we speak.  Season One of the series has wrapped up and there has been a report that a second season should be in the mix for the near future.  

If you are unfamiliar with the show, McBride plays Kenny Powers who is a washed up professional baseball player who is forced to return home and become a middle-school gym teacher.  As it is evident, he isn't really cut out for the job as McBride has the 1990's baseball star ego down to part.  From the jerri-curled mullet and shades to the snake-skin boots, Kenny Powers is an instant hit as a character and hard not to laugh at.  This stereotypical jock has the Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams (Philadelphia Phillies' closer from 1991-1994) look and persona at a pin-point and could cause numerous comparisons to each other; a baseball career gone horribly wrong, the insanely bad hair, and the funny, but horrible people skills.  Its tough to resist this show based on the arrogant Powers in need of anger management and a reality check as our athletes today.  The comedic genius that surrounds this series has kept it fresh and allowed the actors to sometimes even work on the fly and keep the production process creative.

The show is produced by comedic great, Will Ferrell and his production team as well as him appearing in several episodes as a ridiculous car dealership owner.  The combination of Ferrell and McBride as well as a surrounding cast that fuels the comedic fire makes Eastbound and Down something to atleast change things up in the world of television.  From the reception of this past season, I think we will be seeing alot more of Kenny Powers' character as well as funny-man McBride.

Spike's Media Quest.

"Sometimes I dream, that he is me…..like Spike…if I could be like Spike?!?

For the last week before spring break I caught myself on a trip of watching movie by movie in terms of Spike Lee production. Man, can this guy make a classic of a film; Do the Right Thing, He Got Game, and most recently The Miracle at St. Anna. For the past couple of weeks, I kept being reminding to get a hold of the movie Do the Right Thing from a couple of my buddies. After a first view of it, I caught the Spike Lee movie watching fever; Lee has been able to cover a range of stories which has shown his success in a variety. In Do the Right Thing, he touches on race issues in the inner city and how far that they could be taken in a negative direction.

I remember growing up always wanting to watch "He Got Game" for the basketball element and being to young to watch when it came out. Ray Allen plays Jesus Shuttlesworth as the most heavily recruited high school basketball player and Denzel plays his father that is stuck in prison for his wife’s death. The compelling plot has many side stories that are brought together with a one-on-one final matchup.

The work that I had seen advertised on television that I was the most curious about but I had no clue about was The Miracle at St. Anna. Spike follows the 92nd infantry of American soldiers, which is an all black brigade fighting against Hitler’s forces in Germany. I’m a huge fan of learning about those before us and historical war movies, but this takes a step in a different direction. The story is surrounded by a supposedly magical Italian piece of artwork and I’ll leave it at that for those who have not seen this film yet.

I think that Spike Lee sets himself out away from most movie producers for a couple solid reasons. His camerawork is compelling and as intriguing as any other out there. Also, he chooses the topics at stories that the most will not and exposes them to the public: race, college recruiting, tough family relationship, and in the latest of the series a twist upon the normal war story.

Even though in the 1990’s everyone wanted to grow up and be a basketball star like Jordan; times have changed and being a pro basketball player seems more and more impossible of a dream. Spike Lee on the other hand has led of life of stellar movie production and one of constant rooting on the despised Knicks, which seems more in the mix for us in the Communications and media roots as a path to follow. Spike Lee came to our campus last year, but I was disappointed about the lack the input about the event; Lee is an icon in the media since his days advertising Jordan sneakers in the 90’s and he has made himself an icon in the face of film.

I think I am just a glutton for punishment with watching this cast of tear jerkers and inspirational movies this week with Milk, The Wrestler, and the Miracle at St. Anna, but they have all been at least solid four’s in my book.

Milk.

No, I am not talking about 2 % or skim or even about its nutritional values. The story of Harvey Milk is one that is heavily unknown to the public and a very powerful one. With the recent portrayal of his life in the film Milk, two Oscars were rewarded from this great battle that Harvey Milk and was as innumerable homosexuals have gone through in their life against what is seen as right in the public eye.

The struggle for homosexuals is strongly shown in this movie as well as the revolution that occurred during the late 1970’s. Harvey Milk ran as California’s first openly gay elected politician and thus led a revolution for gay rights in an active way. This was an extremely important time in history and in terms of equality in this country, which seems ridiculous that it has taken this long for a movie to cover this story in a solid manner. Milk is a hero; he was able to overcome in a proper and sometimes overly kind way. The cast is remarkable as ever, Sean Penn’s constant smile shows the undeniable character of Harvey Milk and how caring he was for those around him and for the cause for equal rights. Penn’s courageous figure is one that goes unnoticed in the light that changed the lives of those all over from the movement of rights that is undeniable.

At first I was expecting James Franco and his character just after watching him in Pineapple Express, but he turned out to give a solid performance as Milk’s significant other in and out of the movie. Lastly, an up and coming actor lately, Josh Brolin, as he was seen in American Gangster as a crooked cop, carries on the evil act. Brolin’s character again carries a figure of good to the public eye which shadows the evil backdrop known as politician Dan White.
Also, it there in points to the fact that how unrespectable the debating other side is, especially for the pressing issue of gay marriage today. It is sad that this is still an issue today and shows the unintelligence of us as a people. No matter of the sexual preference of an individual, equal rights should be given. The authentic feel that the movie has is incredible; there is minimal or no difference between recorded parts from the ‘70s and from the movie that is meshed together.

The format in which in the movie is recited back is an element that is greatly overlooked. The fact that the story is told through a recording of Milk sitting in his house, shows that he would die for the cause and he was looking for his legacy and message to carry on. The message and movement was thus kept moving through into the 1980’s by the cast around Milk and we must continue to fight against those that feel that we are not all equal and in this together.

The Sky Might Fall: Transformers 2 & Kid Cudi.

2009 has only seen a couple months so far, but we may have found the movie of the year as well as the up and coming hip hop artist of the year interconnected. 

                Hip Hop Artist new to the entire scene, Kid Cudi has made a statement right away.  His coming out single “Day ‘N Nite” has been all over YouTube and radio being that it is catchy and its smooth beat creates for an easy listen.  The video is weird, but sensational as well and with the company of Kanye West it seems oh so right.  Even though this single came out a couple months ago, Kid Cudi has not just settled other this hit. 

Kid Cudi signed with musically genius Kanye West and appeared on West’s hook to “Welcome to Heartbreak.”  Also, Kid Cudi leads a class of freshmen in the hip hop business that have continually put out good music first and hip hop second.  Others in that boat include Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton, Currency, Blu, and Wale which look to infuse the hip hop game with some young talent to carry on the torch.  The effortless way that Roth and Cudi feed off of each other in this session is truly amazing; they are able to think of a chorus and sort of piece a song together in a couple minutes.

            Cudi’s most recent song “The Sky Might Fall” is the corresponding track for the new Transformers movie’s trailer.  Both sides are looking at a potentially huge year; Kid Cudi with his second big commercial music piece and Transformers with their second blockbuster with their sequel in the series.  With the amount of success that Kid Cudi has surrounded himself with in terms of the freshmen cast, Kanye West, and the film Transformers it only looks up from here from the youthful artist.  Even though he is talking about the sky falling in his newest title, the sky is the limit for this young emcee.

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year........in sports.

March is here, Dick Vitale is screaming, and Digger Phelps is dancing; it sounds like Christmas to me.  I’m just waiting to fill out my bracket right hot out of my printer following Selection Sunday.

This is the point of the year in which practically every big time sport is in its prime time or headed towards it.  Spring Training is heating up for the Red Sox and the World Baseball Classic has featured a Netherlands team of no-names that has continued to upset talented major league talent.  Mel Kiper and Todd McShay (NFL Draft Scouts) have already had a couple fierce battles on ESPN recently over potential and skill for the NFL Draft coming up next month.  The NBA playoff race is tight as well, especially in the Western Conference with the difference among the 2^nd to the 8^th seed only pans a couple games.  And last, but not least the college basketball scene looks crazier than ever following a solid season last year led by talented freshmen O.J. Mayo, Eric Gordon, and Derrick Rose.

            Even though Spring Training, the NFL Draft, and upcoming playoff NBA basketball bode well for sports fans, March Madness and college basketball are the most anticipated.  The Big East Conference looks to be from top to bottom the most talented it’s been since the days of Allen Iverson and Ray Allen.  This conference might actually get eight seeds into the “Big Dance” this year carried in by powerhouse UConn, Louisville, and Pittsburgh.  With the Big East being packed with possible seeds, universities such as Providence that has previously upset top seeded Pittsburgh as well as a Notre Dame that has not played up to their potential may be watching from home this year. 

The ACC looks to represent the other higher seeds with rival squads, North Carolina and Duke.  Also, the hometown Boston College may go under the radar if the get a possible bid into the tourney as the have already taken off the highly touted UNC off from the top this season.  Maryland as well has faced a rollercoaster year so if they are able to make it in and get past the adversity, the fiery Gary Williams could lead with two an unsuspected run.  This is make it or break it time for many teams in their respective conferences tournaments before the cast of 64 teams are chosen to make a last impression.

            This is an exciting time for college basketball especially with the deep group looking to make it to the “Big Dance.”  The amount is really good teams is pretty shocking looking back at those who had left early to go onto the NBA.  The best player in America, forward Blake Griffin leads an Oklahoma team surrounded with young coaching, which this inexperience could hurt them in the end.  Teams that are the middle of the road type such as, Syracuse and West Virginia I feel may catch fire being back in the spotlight and the pressure situation will allow their veteran coaching staffs to shine.  Upsets and thrilling basketball are a sure thing as usual for this March Madness and I’m seeing Pittsburgh and Sam Young hoisting the title at the end of the month of constant basketball action.

The Wrestler.

            I don’t know if I would categorize this as low budget or production, but it has been pretty much unheard through the media.  The movie slash documentary “The Wrestler” brings out the lifestyle surrounding a professional wrestler from the 1980’s looking to make a comeback following his prime.  This film has been put out in limited locations, which has not allowed it to fully blow up onto the mainstream screen.

                The overall grungy feel and the reality that surrounds Randy “The Ram” in the film serve to create a genuine wrestling movie.  The side-job, the family troubles, the drugs, the rock and roll music, the pain, and the strip club getaway are all elements that serve to the real life setting.  Also, the feeling that wrestling is fake is definitely exposed in this movie as they chat about upcoming fights, but the after pain and anguish makes its extreme in sport.  The grungy feel is something to relate to as well; the popularity around wrestling during this created time was very high as the best were famous and public figures and heroes such as, Hulk Hogan and Brett Hart during that time period.

            When his life seem to crash around him Mickey Rourke’s figure as Randy looks to piece his life together and stick to wrestling because it’s the thing that has made him.  Wrestling was his life as many of those during the 1990’s as they were up there for many children viewers as sports idols and others.  “The Wrestler” solidly picks at the ups and downs to suffering wrestling career and documents it in a way that has been yet to see since now.  This is a film that is suited to those heavy fans during the eighties and nineties, but the authenticity of the film can be respected by many more than just wrestling fans.  “The Wrestler” is a prime example of a low budget film that has struggled out of that point, but with a growing crowd of viewers and with the message out, this is a very well made movie.

Terrell Owens: Media's Best Friend.

Terrell Owens is seen in the upper-echelon of professional wide receivers in the NFL. Owens is known as the biggest team cancer in the business as well. Through his career catching footballs, he has ruined the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and most recently the Dallas Cowboys. The sports media and even just media in general are in love with this guy; he always has something to say and constantly gives sports writers a story to write, whether negative or positive.
It is known that he wants to compete, but that comes with him ripping his past quarterback Donovan McNabb on the sideline a couple years ago and him mentally falling apart during an interview about his quarterback Tony Romo in Dallas. With the amount of talent, strength, and overall ability that Owens possesses, it shows that it has amounted to nothing being that he is so concerned with the media and making himself in the news.




Most recently, Owens was released by the troubled Cowboys and a couple days later signed with the unlikely Buffalo Bills. Terrell Owens had been rumored to be out of town for some time and with his release some teams again looked optimistically at the team cancer. Chemistry would be a huge issue with an Owens signing for any team, even though the talent that comes along with big frame of T.O. This signing came about a week after Bills’ great running back Thurman Thomas openly bashed the team and organization. Owens will now line up along-side the speedy and underrated wide-out Lee Evans, which combines with the powerful and mobile Marshawn Lynch out of the backfield to create a strong punch for an offense.
This now may make the AFC East the most intriguing as well as most solid; a revitalized Patriots team should easily make the playoffs, as well as the Dolphins and Jets have made tremendous steps to improve. Thus, with an Owens signing the Bills are that much more difficult to defend and have put themselves out there in terms of the media. This move is a risky one; T.O. will a create a buzz around the city, not knowing it that will be positive or negative yet and most importantly he will put people in the seats to a team that has not been to playoffs since the Jim Kelly days. From a media perspective this story will be very interesting to see how it pans out; will the young quarterback, Trent Edwards as well as a predominantly middle class city be able to handle this cocky superstar? …We’ll just have to wait and see.

Acquired Taste.

Kanye West. 

Rude, Crybaby, Obnoxious, Cocky; Creative Genius. 

Whatever you say about Kanye West in a negative context, you have to respect and appreciate what this guy is doing and has done already. West's latest album 808's & Heatbreaks was probably one of the most highly criticized that I've seen in a while. By going in a different direction as he has done in this video has led to both optimism and harsh backlash for doing so. With a first listen to most of the tracks on his most recent cd, I was with the rest and wanted the old sound and was heavily doubting what he was going for. After listening to the songs "Welcome to Heartbreak" (above) and "Say You Will (below), I took grasp to something different. With time I have seen that the message is more important to an artist like Kanye than the reception that is taken to the song. In these two songs he relays a down point in his life and even though it not the most popular thing out it touches on true life situations.

After watching Kanye on his first appearance of VH1 Storytellers a couple weeks ago, I gained a new overall feeling of his thought process. West performed several songs from his new album as well as past ones and offered his meaning to each that carries along with the Storytelling deal. Being commerical and popular was the least of his priorities at this point in his career, he was looking for produce a product that was real and something that expressed the heartbreak he has been feeling following the death of his mother. Also, he touches on the fact of the life he has missed with being continually in the limelight and the other side of being famous as well as a tough love life.

I am definitley against the entire auto-tone movement, which alters the voice through an audio processor that changes the pitch of his voice. Though looking back at it, the auto-tune element adds to the entire feeling of sadness and conveys his message with a sound that carries it as well. The whole persona he has created may seem weird and out of the ordinary to old Kanye fans, but he is one of that carries himself on outdoing the next and being out there and original. West's creative side takes another step forward with the video "Welcome to Heartbreak." No, your internet is not messing up or Youtube in not freezing; West implements an effect known as "pixelating" in computer graphics to mesh the entire flow of the video together. Yes, weird at first, but blows your mind with time. Mr. West will continue to put out jaw-drawing music, comments, and acts, but with all that he has provided this generation with much more and looks to push the envelope of the hip hop scene for many years to come.

Tyga. "Analyze and Change."

After putting out a huge flop with his first album "No Introduction," hip-hop artist Tyga has been looking to redeem himself ever since.  With hits such as "Diamond Life" and "Coconut Juice" on his premeire cd, the rest of it seemed to just be pushed to the young hip hop audience in the wrong way to be honest.  These two hits showed some promise and potential, but his talent had to be modeled and put in the right direction.  The overhype that surrounded this release combined with living up to his cousin, Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes past success combined to be too much at first for this young rapper.  

Since then, Tyga has been signed by probably the biggest name in the hip-hop world right now, Lil' Wayne and Young Money Records.  Wayne has sort of taken this prodigy under his wing and looks to be working out pretty well so far.  In November, Lil' Wayne released the mixtape "Dedication 3" and showed his thought process by placing Tyga on several songs on this very popular and well distributed tape.  Most recently, Tyga has released three solid tracks that have leaked out to the public one by one.  "Live Forever" features an older Queen sample known as "Who wants to live forever"; as well he shows his more edgy side with the songs "Sayin' This" and "La la Boom," could be instant hits through the mainstream and radio.

The main way that it seems that Tyga should build on his success is by making videos for much more of his songs as well as leaking his newest songs out one by one to listeners.  This seems to be from the advice of Wayne and if this keeps up his first flop will quickly be forgotten.  In an overall sense, this young prodigy looks to be growing up pretty quickly in the public eye and looks to make the most of his opportunity.

Scary Movies?... I'd Rather Laugh.

After finding out that we had to watch two horror movies this week, I wasn't that excited about it.  Over and over I have found myself tuning into the movies on the movie channels in the dorms instead of sitting down and watching the Ring as well as its original version.  Also, I realized I was watching the same two comedies over and over, but I always seem to catch them half way into the movie aha.  These two movies that did pretty well in the box office were Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder.  I think I am just a sucker for stupid funny movies ever since watching my favorite movie of all time, Dumb and Dumber.  Even though these two movies are on totally different sides of the comedy spectrum, I was cracking up throughout both of them, especially in Pineapple Express.  

Even though, I enjoy some horror movies like the Saw series for their creative plots, I would much rather relax and laugh any day.  On the other hand, I feel that the way these movies are made are similar.  These two genres probably would be the toughest to make in order to be a success by this media's viewers.  With all of the remakes that have been already done in both, going off on another tanget and making it work well shows production skill and in many times is seen as greatness.  I've heard its true, but it could be a myth that laughing adds years to your life, that sounds pretty good to me.

A-Roid.

I think all of us have heard enough from the entire steroid and performance-enhancing debacle in the world of professional baseball.  Well, another huge twist came out this week which was covered in all aspects of sports media in a forceful manner.  Alex Rodriguez, considered one the top players in today's MLB and probably one of the most hated players by Boston Red Sox fans, was caught and thus admitted to using steroids from 2001 to 2003.  Even though I am sick and tired of hearing about steroids and negativity the media as so many more that are true baseball fans, the truth must be heard.  The interesting part of it all is who out of the so called 144 that tested positive in the Mitchell Report that come clean and address the media to clear up their overall image to their fanbase.  It has to be sickening for these journalists and sports writers that have to address these faulty actions again and again.  

After watching some of Alex Rodriguez's interview with ESPN's baseball writer Peter Gammons, it is evident that it is truly impossible to trust the integrity of the MLB and the media surrounding it.  It is sad to see that he had to prove his worth after signing a huge contract with the Texas Rangers by taking these substanes to improve his game.  The integrity of the game has been thrashed totally as many of us already knew years ago, but this is just another link in the chain of great players that have turned for the worst.  The numbers that these players have put up and the players that have been hurt by not taking these enhancers has turned a huge group of viewers away from this country's pastime.  I'm just looking forward to the reception that Boston and its media gives at the first Yankees, Red Sox game at the Friendly Fenway Park. 

 

Media Genius.

Many in the music media see as him as awkward, dresses funny, and as altogether pretty nerdy, but the select few that have listened to this musical genius have been in shock to see him as one of the most influential young hip hop artists in the business today.  His pink clothes and a fascination with the video game Sonic has turned many hardcore hip-hop fans away without a listen.  With his latest mixtape, “Well Isn’t that Awkward” dropping on most sites today, Charles Hamilton aka Sonic the Hedgehog has embraced what is known as weird in the hip-hop world and made it his own.  The creative Hamilton describes himself as this class video game character in terms of being surrounded by sound and in an underground music sense of it all. 

http://www.datpiff.com/Charles_Hamilton_Well_Isnt_This_Awkward.m34089.html

            The reason that Charles Hamilton is so important to the media studies part of it all is the way his is able to manipulate the samples he uses on his very different songs.  I came across this hip hop youngster when one of my closest friends sent me one of his songs through a YouTube video and I was just amazed at the overall talent, both lyrically and in terms of his inventive side within his sample.  This song known as “Windows Media Player” shows a new side of the music business, as he was able to make the beat for this song by just blending together the noises this media program makes.  By doing so, Charles Hamilton has been able to go full circle by using the system that would play this individual track and using it to actually create the song’s instrumental.   This idea is shocking and had me confused as well as extremely impressed the first time I listened.  His lyrics carry on the same way throughout this track, talking about other computer media reference in his rhymes and it smoothly carries this theme of media studies and manipulation.

            Many in the hip hop business, who have been able to get past his awkward outside image, see that this young emcee could truly be the future for the hip hop game.  Being true to his image he has twisted the path in this genre of music and become popular and relevant in an evolving time for both rap and hip hop.  It seems to be a nice breath of fresh air for this type of media and away from all the crime and degrading talk that is seen by other artists in this and other hardcore genres.

What a week for ESPN.

ESPN must have been anticipating this week in sports for some time now.  The weekly lineup of games from across the board of sports had sports fans drooling by their television sets. The lineup for this sports mogul included International Soccer Friendlies, World Cup Qualifiying Mathes,College Basketball and NBA rivalries revisted, as well as Buzzer Beaters and wild finishes across the sports world.  ESPN definitley proved why they are on top of the sports media world this week and continue to outwork the other competitors. 

This past sunday ESPN kicked off with two possible NBA final matchups with the defending champion Celtics facing the veteran squad of the Spurs as well as the head to head battle of Lebron and Kobe in the following game.  The first game left many in Boston in shock as the Spurs handed the Celtics their second straight loss on their home floor.  The unlikely hero, Matt Bonner from San Antonio came out of no where to score 23 points, leaving the Boston faithful in a state of frustrated awe.  The later game did not dissapoint as well as even though the superstar matchup did not live up to expectations, the game was well worth it.  The Western Conference Champion Lakers proved to much for Lebron's Cavaliers with a 101-91 victory.  ESPN very intelligently chose these two games to televise, especially following Super Bowl Sunday. 

The week carried on forward with a variety of solid college basketball matchups that would lead of to the sports biggest rivalry.  The build-up for the men's North Carolina Duke rivalry in the middle of the week, featured several solid games.  The former #1 ranked, Pittsburg Panthers took a late comeback to overtake the underrated Big East contending West Virginia squad.  Led by small forward Sam Young, this veteran Pittsburg team will most likely playing deep into March Madness and in several more ESPN televised games.  Following that Big East matchup, ESPN switched it up and covered another solid game, but looked to capture the Midwestern audience, with the powerhouse Kansas taking on unranked Missouri at the time.  Missouri pulled the upset on their home court led by the effort of forward, DeMarre Carroll and gave some momentum into one of the greatest rivalries in sport.  

ESPN set the stage for this "Wild Wednesday" and the performance on both North Carolina and Duke's sides lived up to expectations.  In a packed Duke University, the Tar Heels of North Carolina were able to comeback from eight point half-time deficeit and beat an overall solid Duke team that is led some of the best shooters in America.  Dick Vitale, the great voice of college basketball, led the ESPN telecast and gave a classic animated performance.

In the mean while of all of this hectic college basketball action, ESPN key in on as many know as the most popular world sport, soccer; which is highly unappreciated here in the states.  The mix of exhibition as well as extremely important World Cup qualifying games looked to up the exposure of soccer to the USA and create a group of new fans and followers.  ESPN2 took coverage upon two of the most pressing matches as international power Argentina took care of an aging French team.  As well, the Mexico v. United States rivalry game later that night was full of bad blood between the two sides as well as being highly competitive.  The USA took a 2-0 World Cup Qualifiying victory as a spring board for further success in the states for this mainly international sports.

ESPN, as the head honcho in the sports media industry, has been able to find an amazingly solid variety of sporting events to cover.  On the other hand, the are so knowledgeable of their audience that they are able to prioritize the games at hand.  By analyzing this action-packed week in sports, it is evident that sports media coverage is open to new opportunities as well as "sticking to their guns" in a way to stay on top and represent the best games.

GRAMMYS.

I was definitley impressed from the segments that I saw by supposedly the biggest night in the music media.  The Grammy's featured a cast of the familiar and popular mainstreams such as Coldplay, Lil' Wayne, and Kanye West as well as the well underpreciated that included Adele, Lupe Fiasco, and Nas as well as many others.  Even though I do not really see myself as a Coldplay fan, with seeing their iTunes commerial over and over of their hit song "Viva la Vida" it became immensely catchy through media circuits.  I also, commend them for the performing live their "Lost" remix with hip-hop great, Jay-Z.  The two sides collaborated together earlier this year with the mixtape known as "Viva la Hova," which was really an eye-opener for many, but definitley was worth it if you take a listen.   

I feel with this type of work, that the media shows that opposite sides of the business can come together to make solid and pure music and that is something to respect for sure.  The only thing that I have wrong with Coldplay in the whole Grammy process is their outfit choice.  Come on guys, the Beatles already beat you to that and did it way better too; You guys are good, but that's too far, the Beatles were great.

Alright, ...and back to the Award Show.   I felt that Lil' Wayne's "Tie My Hands" performance and the speech by the Grammy Chief aimed to President Obama stood out as the focul points.  Though I disagreed with the fact that rapper Lil' Wayne winning Best Rap Album of the Year with the competition; I feel that his Grammy performance ended his year in music of ups and down in a solid positive.  When taking a first listen to his album "The Carter III," the song he performed "Tie My Hands" with R&B artist Robin Thicke, stood out in my mind and was an instant collaboration classic.  The smooth voice of Thicke and the heartfelt Wayne lyrics about the tragedy in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina offered for a stellar performance.  The performance made the millions of viewers look back at horrific event in the South and showed that we are all in this together for change.  Also, it feel this opened our eyes to the music that goes under the radar is not all over video stations and in the mainstream, but it sends a real message. 

 On the other hand, I feel the Grammy Chief addressed a rather pressing issue in the world of media as well as used a "Yes We Can" way of getting across his point.  Music and arts in an overall sense have been overlooked and education and I felt he presented his ideas at the right time. During the speech the Grammy Chief says "And to our new President, we have a request: our finest national treasure is our culture and the arts. It's also one of our most embraced and economically significant exports all around the world. So, it's time that we acknowledge that fact with the creation of a cabinet position of Secretary of the Arts."  Even though I do not think it should be the most pressing issue on President Obama's agenda, I think it should be considered through his revamping of the education system.  

Also, it was really nice to see Blink 182 reunited again as well as drummer Travis Barker to be safe and sound in his cast after surviving an almost fatal plane crash.  I feel this Grammy's was full of lessons and appreciated the way the production staff went about the whole show.  They showed us the media can bring us together (Blink 182, Coldplay & Jay-Z), it can let our voice be heard (Lil' Wayne & Grammy Chief), as well as open our views to new media, pressing ideas, and thoughts.