Dec
15
2010

Attack of the Little Drummer Boy!

As a kid, I heard the David Bowie/Bing Crosby duet “Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy” and loved the rendition that was done. I agree that the video was a little cheezy but if you think about the era in which it was made, it was pretty cool.

Christmas Classic:David Bowie/Bing Crosby-The Little Drummer Boy

| Myspace Video

Today has been a weird day for me that I can only refer to as The Attack of the Little Drummer boy..

This afternoon a friend, posted a link to Will Farrell and John C Reilly singing the duet on Funny or Die. I expected a slapstick rendition but instead it was a reenactment of the original Bowie/Crosby video by Farrell/Reilly.. They did throw in a little humorus ending but for the most part it was a straight remake..

Then tonight, my LA pal Chuck LaBella blows my mind by posting a link on Facebook to “Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy” sung by Jack Black & Jason Segel.

I hope you enjoyed this buffet of duets!

Dec
10
2010

All American Games and NewTek announce the 2011 All American Video Crew

All American Games and NewTek Recruit the Best Video Production Students in the U.S.

Select high school seniors will be awarded a position on the All-American Video Crew for annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl

SAN ANTONIO – November 04, 2010 – All American Games, producer of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, and NewTek, a worldwide leader in video and 3D animation products, announce the first national competition seeking the best high school video production students in the country to form the “All-American Video Crew” at the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.

High school seniors from across the country are invited to submit video entries that showcase their work in video production. A panel of expert judges will select four (4) students to participate in U.S. Army All-American Bowl event productions. These students will receive a five-day, all-expenses paid trip to San Antonio, comprehensive training on NewTek TriCaster™ portable live production system and 3PLAY™ slow motion and instant replay system, hands-on participation in the live, national webcasts of U.S. All-American Bowl events, interaction with All-American Bowl players and band members, and much more.

Students must have had a specified active role in creating their submission video. Video entries should not exceed three minutes and must be uploaded to YouTube. A full set of rules can be found at www.newtek.com/usarmybowl. The deadline to submit entries is Friday, November 19, 2010.

“All American Games continues our long-time partnership with NewTek through this unique opportunity for high school students to participate in another aspect of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl activities,” said Kate McGuinness, partner All American Games. “We have a proud tradition of producing showcases for the talents of our nation’s top athletes, marching musicians and cheerleaders.  We will now grow our All-American rosters putting the country’s talented high school seniors behind the cameras, as well.  We’ve used NewTek TriCaster to produce and live stream our behind-the-scenes activities and the Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl for the last two seasons. Now we’re going to add the amazing talents of video production students to our All-American team.”

“The students who earn a spot on the All-American Video Crew will be considered the elite high school video producers in the eyes of their peers,” said Philip Nelson, senior vice president, NewTek. “They’ll train with some of the best video production experts in the business on the same equipment currently used by MTV, NBA Development League and the New York Giants, NewTek’s award-winning TriCaster portable live production system.

About All American Games
All American Games (formerly SportsLink) is a sport management and marketing company based in Wharton, New Jersey, that produces and manages many of the nation’s premier high school and youth sporting events. All American Games’ properties include the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, U.S. Army Coaches Academy, U.S. Army National Combine, U.S. Army All-American Marching Band, Football University, Eastbay Youth All-American Bowl, FBU TOP GUN, American Baseball University and the All-American Baseball Game. In 2009, All American Games ventured into sports-television production with a new sports-reality television show “The Ride,” which garnered coverage in almost 80 million homes and airs on MTV2. For more information about All American Games please visit us at www.usarmyallamericanbowl.com or at www.allamericangames.com.

About NewTek
Benefiting producers and artists with cost-effective and groundbreaking technologies, NewTek is a worldwide leader in portable live production, video editing, 3D animation and special effects tools, including the TriCaster™ product line, 3PLAY™ and LightWave 3D®. NewTek has won numerous industry accolades, including two Emmy® Awards.

Clients include: U.S. Army All-American Bowl, All American Games, ESPN Radio, ESPN X Games, Fox Sports, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), US Department of the Interior, US Air Force, MTV, NBA Development League, New York Giants, Fox News, BBC, NHL, Nickelodeon, the Steve Harvey Morning Show, CBS Radio, USA TODAY, “Furious World.” NewTek products have been used in blockbuster films and television shows, including “Avatar,” “Repo Men, ” “Angels and Demons,” “Battle for Terra,” “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man,” “Tropic Thunder,” “V,” “FlashForward,” “Lost,” “Fringe” and more.

NewTek is privately owned and based in San Antonio, Texas.  For more information, please visit: www.newtek.com.

Dec
10
2010

Funny Commercial: He was injured.. Injured Bad

This is probably my favorite commercial that I’ve seen this year.

Note: I didn’t name this YouTube video! 😉

Dec
8
2010

10 Last minute Christmas gifts under $50.00

1.Space Pen
At any price, this is my favorite pen that I have ever owned. Writes great and is small enough to fit in front pocket unnoticed. Refills are only $4.95.. Buy this pen!

2.Emergency Radio
I gave Emergency Radios to many of my family members. Most thought it was a silly gift but that spring there was a blizzard in Northwest Arkansas and my grandmother was snowed in for 4 days without electricity. Her only connection to the outside world was her emergency radio. Every house needs one!

3. iPod Shuffle
Who doesn’t need another MP3 player? For less than $50, this is perfect for anyone who wants to listen to music while working out or running. Also good for kids!

4. Skull Candy Portable Speakers for iPod/iPhone
These are great because they allow you to share your tunes with friends… even when there is no electricity!

5. Battlestar Galactica – Season 1 (DVD)
What a well written series. BSG even appeals to non sci-fi fans! Hot girls, space battles and mystery. Good addition to any DVD collection.

6. Leatherman Blast Multitool
A multitool like the Leatherman Blast is a great gift because it can be thrown into the glove compartment of a vehicle and give the driver quick access to screw drivers, pliers or even a knife. Great gift for guys and gals!

7. Leatherman Kick/Micra Combo
The leatherman Micra didn’t seem very cool until I got one. Great little keychain knife. I have given this out as gifts to friends and everyone has commented as to how useful it is. This combo is an INSANE deal. The Leatherman Micra sells for $19.95 and the Leatherman Kick sells for around $29.95. Getting both for $34 is awesome!

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8. Firefly: The Complete Series (Blu-Ray)
I had never seen this series when it was originally on television. I caught the movie Serenity and LOVED IT. It’s basically a western set in space. Lots of humor and action! Great visual effects. Buy this series!

9.Absinthe & Flamethrowers: Projects and Ruminations on the Art of Living Dangerously (Paperback Book)
For the fire nerd in your family, this is a fun book to read. Educational experiments with a little danger involved.

10. Walking Dead Compendium (Paperback Book)
Probably one of the best comic books I’ve ever read. Warning. This is NOT for kids. Lot’s of adult situations, language, etc.

Dec
8
2010

Happy Holidays from Miss Universe

I love my friends at the Miss Universe Organization! They have really changed my view of the pageant world. Before I started working with them, I expected it to be very superficial and snobby but after my first project, I knew.. These guys are legit. They work hard and play hard.. They are probably some of the most down to earth people I’ve worked with. From the top to the bottom, these are some great people! Enjoy the Miss Universe Holiday song! 😉

Dec
2
2010

Greedo in Heels

A childhood dream has been destroyed! 😉 Never realized that Greedo was wearing heels under the table.

Image courtesy Slog.thestranger.com

Nov
27
2010

DHS begins seizing private domain names.

Yet another example that our Department of Homeland Security is more than slightly out of control. There used to be a day in America were the Government had checks and balances that made them at least jump through a few hoops before they could start seizing control of someones assets. The posts on the sites say that they are siezed under a warrant but the owners of the sites are claiming that this is basically their first notice.

Following on the heels of this week’s domain seizure of a large hiphop file-sharing links forum, it’s clear today that the U.S. Government has been very busy. Without any need for COICA, ICE has just seized the domain of a BitTorrent meta-search engine along with those belonging to other music linking sites and several others which appear to be connected to physical counterfeit goods.

“My domain has been seized without any previous complaint or notice from any court!” the exasperated owner of Torrent-Finder told TorrentFreak this morning.

“I firstly had DNS downtime. While I was contacting GoDaddy I noticed the DNS had changed. Godaddy had no idea what was going on and until now they do not understand the situation and they say it was totally from ICANN,” he explained.

Aside from the fact that domains are being seized seemingly at will, there is a very serious problem with the action against Torrent-Finder. Not only does the site not host or even link to any torrents whatsoever, it actually only returns searches through embedded iframes which display other sites that are not under the control of the Torrent-Finder owner.

Read the article HERE

Nov
25
2010

Article: Menstruating woman subjected to TSA grope because panty-liner obscured her vulva on pornoscanner

It’s interesting to see some news outlets claiming that National Opt-Out day was a flop. Reports I’ve heard from travelers is that the TSA has chosen to opt-out of using the naked scanners today. Pretty smart move on their part.

Ran across a disturbing article today on BoingBoing

A self-described “rule follower” went through an airport pornoscanner wearing a panty-liner (she was menstruating). Because the hygienic item obscured the screener’s view of her vagina vulva, she was made to endure a humiliating fondling, “so invasive that I was left crying and dealing with memories that I thought had been dealt with years ago of prior sexual assaults.”

Read the original article HERE

Nov
22
2010

Death by a Thousand Cuts: TSA pats down topless young boy.

Al Qaeda has vowed to kill America with “Death by a Thousand Cuts”. Not a big attack but slowly chipping away at our freedoms and CHANGING America through small attacks. Guess what?! It’s working! When buying an airline ticket means forfeiting your rights, the terrorists have one. This video is a bit disturbing. It shows a topless boy being patted down by the TSA.

Nov
21
2010

TSA is out of control: TSA pat-down leaves bladder cancer survivor covered in urine

TSA Naked X-Ray scans violate the 4th amendment

Something has to be done about the TSA goons and their attack on our freedoms. The terrorists truly have won when our government lives in such fear.

A retired special education teacher on his way to a wedding in Orlando, Fla., said he was left humiliated, crying and covered with his own urine after an enhanced pat-down by TSA officers recently at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
“I was absolutely humiliated, I couldn’t even speak,” said Thomas D. “Tom” Sawyer, 61, of Lansing, Mich.
Sawyer is a bladder cancer survivor who now wears a urostomy bag, which collects his urine from a stoma, or opening in his stomach. “I have to wear special clothes and in order to mount the bag I have to seal a wafer to my stomach and then attach the bag. If the seal is broken, urine can leak all over my body and clothes.”
On Nov. 7, Sawyer said he went through the security scanner at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. “Evidently the scanner picked up on my urostomy bag, because I was chosen for a pat-down procedure.”
Due to his medical condition, Sawyer asked to be screened in private. “One officer looked at another, rolled his eyes and said that they really didn’t have any place to take me,” said Sawyer. “After I said again that I’d like privacy, they took me to an office.”

Read the entire article HERE