2011 Global Year Forecast (by Astrologer Steve Judd)

Brief Movie Review for 'Baby It's You' (1983)

 Baby It's You (1983)

4/5 Stars ****

This movie is more than just your standard formula 80's teen movie. It really is a social commentary film about class and opportunity in America. The young-hot-shot guy who is filled with the confidence of youth, but comes from a poor family and neighborhood (with no real support network) goes for the pretty jewish girl, who's father is a successful Doctor, and who has a family that supports her emotionally and financially. This movie is more honest in my opinion about the two different worlds that these two come from and how that in the end, ultimately reveals how they ultimately never had a chance to begin with. Nuff said, check this one out.

Today's Song = 'Dusk Til' Dawn' by Ladyhawke

Today's featured song is Dusk Til' Dawn, by New Zealand artist Ladyhawke. Ladyhawke is a singer/song-writer/multi-instrumentalist who is now a solo artist, but who used to be a member of a Wellington-based band called Two Lane Blacktop. This song certainly is not new, as it is over 2 years old already, and it comes off of her September 2008 release self-titled album. This album peaked at #16 on the Australian albums chart, #1 on the New Zealand albums chart and #41 on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, although Ladyhawke doesn't receive much airtime here in the USA, which is a bit of shame in my opinion. Well, enjoy yourself some good Kiwi-music!

'All Day' mashup album by Girl Talk

A new mashup album by Girl Talk (the 4th to date), which includes a mashup mix of heaps of songs artists. Quite a mashup masterpiece and mos def worth mentioning here. Check it out!  Girl Talk - All Day by walt74

Today's Song = 'Take Me Away' by The Melodics

And the song of the day is....Take Me Away by Australian indie-electro-rock band The Melodics. The Melodics originate out of Melbourne, Australia and consists of members Oceans Baroque on Keyboards/Vocals, Jeremedy on Vocals,  James Tudball on Drums, Jamie Barlow on Bass, and Tarko (aka Fantastic Mr Fox) on Saxophone and synthesizers. The Melodics released their debut album, titled 4d in 2009 and it involved collaboration with over 20 other artists in its making. Take Me Away comes off of that album, which can now be found on ITunes and Amazon. The band has a mix of synth-electro with elements of rock and hip-hop that blends to make quite an interesting and almost rebellious sound. If you would like to find more info on the band check out their website HERE or if you like this song it is still available as a free and legal mp3 download on their Unearthed page HERE.

Conserving the Internet as We Have Known It!

I have posted this because it is something that will most definitely affect all bloggers and vloggers out there, as well all internet based businesses. Check out the video and come to your own conclusions.

Brief Review for 'The Lady Vanishes' (1938)

The Lady Vanishes (1938)
4/5 Stars ****

An interesting Hitchcock flick from 1938 during a dark time in Europe. An interesting group of Brits, Italians, and an American woman take a ride on a train when one of their party strangely disappears. This movie has one or two continuity issues, but other than that it is quite entertaining. Naturally it is done in the Classic Hitchcock style, and is also funny (and Margaret Lockwood was quite a looker). Check this one out! 

Song of the Day for December 25th, 2010: 'Westfield' by The Salvadors

Today's song is...Westfield, by Adelaide based Australian indie-pop group The Salvadors. The Salvadors consist of first names only Tom ( vocals/guitar), Eddy (guitar), Jeff (bass guitar), Eugine (drums), and Cat (keyboards). The Salvadors certainly are making waves in Oz, and I recommend you check out this song as well as their others, which incidentally are available on ITunes and Amazon right now. Westfield comes off of their Misspent Youth Ep, which was released in November 2009. You will have to go to their Unearthed Page HERE to listen to this song and note that is still available as a free and legal MP3 download there. Also be sure to check out their website HERE. Merry Christmas!

#34 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown: "Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol (1983)

Now presenting #34 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown, and the song is...Rebel Yell by a true British-punk-rocker and legend Billy Idol. Now, this is the second Billy Idol song to appear on the Top 100 Countdown, and like I said before, it may not be the last one. And, from my previous post:  Idol's real name is William Michael Albert Broad, and he was born on  November 30th, 1955 in Stanmore, Middlesex, England, which makes the  Brit rocker 54 this year! Idol bounced around a bit in his earlier  years, and in fact was first a member of the punk-rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1976, but before they were actually called Siouxsie and the Banshees. In 1977 he moved on to join Chelsea, and then with bandmate Tony James he quit and co-founded the band Generation X,  at which point he switched from guitar to lead vocals. In 1981 Idol  moved to New York and started up his successful solo career. Rebel Yell was released in 1983 as Idol's 2nd studio album, which produced 4 singles that appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The album itself peaked at #6 on that year's Billboard Hot 200 albums chart. MTV featured 3 of the hit videos off of this album for the songs Flesh for Fantasy, Eyes Without a Face, and Rebel Yell. This past Summer I was shocked to hear that Idol has since started doing small time gigs for Summer-fairs in relatively random and rural US cities?? Now, the reason why I was shocked, is because you look at some other bands from the 80's who are still charging over $500.00/ticket at their shows and yet Idol is playing these smalltime gigs, and he really is one of my favorite 80's artists, I guess them's the breaks, or something like that...Anyways, onwards to #33!

Song of the Day for December 23rd, 2010: 'Progress (ft. Mantra)' by Ishu

Today's song is... Progress (ft. Mantra) by Ishu. Ishu is a Melbourne-Australia-based producer, and Progress comes off of his recently released A World in Progress album, which hit stores on November 9th, 2010. This is the first single released from the album, so check it out. Not a whole lot of info on this artist, but you should check out his Myspace page HERE, and this MP3 is currently available as a free and legal MP3 download at the Triple J page HERE. Check it!   Ishu - Progress Ft. Mantra by FBi Radio 

Song of the Day for December 22nd, 2010: 'Can't See You (feat. Laneous)' by Rainman

The song for today is....Can't See You (feat. Laneous), by Australian hip-hop artist Rainman. Rainman has been out in the Australian hip-hop scene since at least 2006 or before, and he hails out of Brisbane, Australia. This song comes off his upcoming album, not yet titled or known when it will likely be released. If you like this song you can still download it as a free and legal MP3 from his Unearthed page HERE, and if you want more info on the artist etc. check out his Facebook page HERE. Triple J Hottest 100 Vol 17

Brief Movie Review for 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' (2009)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor) (2009)
**** 4/5 Stars 

This was quite an intense movie, and is not for the light-hearted. A Swedish investigative journalist gets a jail-sentence for defaming a mega-corporation with faulty documents. He then gets asked by another mega-corporate shipping company tycoon to investigate the case of his missing step-daughter, who disappeared over 40 years ago. Enter a tattooed and pierced young computer hacker with a troubled past and rapist parole officer to offer help. This movie is somewhat scattered but it flows together in the end. It is also based on a series of books, so be sure to check those out if you enjoyed the movie. I would recommend this one, and might watch it again.

Song for December 21st, 2010: 'Point the Bone' by Dubmarine

Today's song is...Point the Bone, by Australian Electronic-Indigenous group Dubmarine. Dubmarine is based out of Brisbane, Australia and consists of members D-Kazman (Rhymes & Melody), Cat Walker (Vocals), Joel Alexander (Keyboards and Vocals), Paul Donehue (Percussion and Samples), Paul Watson (Bass Guitar), Jeremie Nagabbo (Guitar and Vocals), Wayne Katz (Drums), Nick Torpy (Trombone 1), and Mikael Strand (Trombone 2). This song, and a few others are set to be featured on their debut album titled Depth of Sound, which was just released on June 16th, 2010. This album is up on ITunes and Amazon at the moment, and you can still download the free and legal MP3 from their Unearthed artist page HERE, and if you want even more info on the artists be sure to check out their website HERE.

Song of the Day for December 20th, 2010: 'Hey Boy' by Mark Ronson & The Business Intl.

Today's song is....Hey Boy, by Mark Ronson and The Business Intl. Now I have done a couple of previous posts for this artist, so to expedite this process the rest is just a simple copy and paste from a previous post:

Mark Ronson is known for working with other artists, primarily as a DJ and producer in producing hit pop-hop and electronica tracks such as his 2003 release Ooh Wee (feat. Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg & Trife) which appeared on the Hitch movie soundtrack that year. Mark Ronson has released 3 studio albums, and has won a BRIT Award for Best Male Artist in 2008. The Bike Song comes off of his still unreleased Record Collection album, due to come out sometime in this year of 2010.This song features singer Kyle Falconer from indie rock band The View and rapper Spank Rock. Hey Boy features guest artists  Rose Elinor Dougall and Theophilus London, and it was released with the album in September of 2010. I highly recommend Record Collection as an album, and in fact it is a top contender for top albums of 2010, but there are so many other good ones that I cannot really say where it will land and I will just leave that ranking to the so-called professional muscian critics. Big Ups yoself!

Vote Now in Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2010: Tell them what songs made your top 10 in 2010!

VJ Samsonite just voted in triple j's Hottest 100!

What do you think of their favouritest tracks of 2010? Hot or just lukewarm?

ADRIAN LUX - Teenage Crime, BLACK KEYS, THE - Tighten Up, DRAPHT - Rapunzel, GYPSY and THE CAT - Jona Vark, HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY - Coming Around, MARK RONSON and THE BUSINESS INTL - Somebody To Love Me {Ft. Boy George & Andrew Wyatt}, STONEFIELD - Through The Clover, WOLF GANG - The King And All Of His Men, WOMBATS, THE - Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves), URTHBOY - Your Thing

To vote now click HERE! 

((Note: I voted for 'Jona Vark' by Gypsy and the Cat as my number 1 for 2010)

The song of the day: 'Hey Somebody' by Big Scary

And the song of the day is...Hey Somebody by Australian 2-piece rock band Big Scary. Big Scary has been active since at least 2008, it consists of Tom Iansek (vocals and guitars) and Jo Syme (drums), and originates out of Melbourne, Australia. This song was released in 2009 as a single, and the band has released 2 more recent EP's since that time, so if you like this song be sure to check out their latest stuff. You can still download this song as a free and legal MP3 at their Unearthed page HERE, or you can check out their Myspace page HERE, snarf snarf! 

#35 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown: 'Working For the Weekend' by Loverboy (1981)

And #35 of the Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown is.....Working For the Weekend, by 80's Canadian rock band Loverboy! Loverboy was formed in Calgary, Alberta Canada back in the year 1980, and it consisted of members  Mike Reno (lead vocalist), Paul Dean (lead guitar), Scott Smith (bass guitar), Doug Johnson (keyboards), and Matt Frenette (drums). The band is currently based out of Vancouver, B.C. in Canada, and have since picked up member Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve. Loverboy has quite a classic 80's rock sound, and they are best known for this Working For the Weekend single and their Turn Me Loose (also 1981) single. Throughout the years Loverboy has produced 4 albums that have achieved multi-platinum status, thus selling millions of albums since their early days in the 1980's. Working For the Weekend comes off of their October 1981, 2nd studio release album titled Get Lucky.  The song peaked at #2 on the US Mainstream Rock chart and at #29 on the Pop Singles chart. The Get Lucky album itself would attain the peak spot at #7 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart, and would remain listed on the Hot 200 chart for over 2 years and sell around 4 million copies in the USA alone. This album was later remastered and re-release in 2006 with 4 bonus tracks of previously unreleased demo songs. Now, many of you will probably recognize this song from the coal-mining scene in the 2001 hit Ben Stiller comedy film Zoolander. I must say that is the scene that comes to mind when I hear this song, which also makes this the second 80's dance hit off of this Top 100 Countdown that was on the Zoolander Soundtrack, whoever produced that soundtrack sure knew their 80's music! This song was also featured in the 2003 film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, an episode of the television series Scrubs, as well as an episode of Saturday Night Live in the famous Chippendale's audition skit with Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze (RIP to them both).  I would also add that Working For the Weekend was ranked at #100 on VH1's 100 greatest songs of the 80's, so I am not the only one including it on a Top 100 80's list aye!  ;-D This post also found at http://your80smusicauthority.blogspot.com/

Song of the Day for December 17th, 2010: "Used to Be the Sensitive Type" by Grand Atlantic

Today's song is....Used to Be the Sensitive Type, by Australian indie-alternative-rock band Grand Atlantic. Grand Atlantic have been active out on the rock scene since 2005 and they come from Brisbane, Australia (aka Bris-Vegas). The band members are Phil Usher (Guitar & Lead Vocals), Mat Von Diehm (Drums), Morgan Hann (Guitar and Vocals), and Sean Bower (Bass and Vocals). They have a few albums out, and are currently working on recording their latest one over in New Zealand. Used to Be the Sensitive Type comes off of their 2009 release album (2010 in the USA) titled How We Survive. This track is not up on youtube yet, so sod it, there is no video, but there is a player tab below. If you like this track you can still get it as a free and legal MP3 download off of their Unearthed page HERE. Also, be sure to check out their myspace page HERE.

dj BC mashup: 'Shorty Shutup' Busta Rhymes vs TIng Tings vs Zombies

This mashup by dj BC is pretty sick, and the video has some video from the Bootie-Boston thing. Enjoy!

Song of the Day for December 16th, 2010: 'Love Song' by Maoli

Today's song is....Love Song, by Hawaiian Island music group Maoli. Maoli have been active on the Hawaiian music scene since 2005 or so. They are based out of the island of Maui, where the band was founded by Glenn Awong (lead vocalist, guitarist, and song-writer), and includes members Corey Lum (vocals, guitar), Hubert Kaina (vocals, keyboards), Kakana Akiu-Corpuz (bass guitar), and Matthew Casil (drums). I am told that 'Maoli' means 'Native' in the Hawaiian language, and all the band-members grew up in Hawaii, and thus the name of their band. Love Song comes off of their recently released second studio album titled Rock Easy, which was just released in August, 2010 and is now available on ITunes and Amazon. For more detailed information on the band check out their website HERE, or their myspace page HERE.

Song for December 15th, 2010: "Turtles" by Skryptcha

Today's song is....Turtles, by Australian hip-hop MC Skryptcha. Skryptcha is 22 yr-old MC from Sydney, Australia who has been active out on the hip-hop music scene since 2003 and is signed on with Obese Records. Turtles comes off of his 2009 release EP titled Left to Write. It should also be noted that he just recently released his first full length studio album titled The Numbers in August of 2010, which is up on ITunes and Amazon now, so be sure to check it out if you like what you hear. I look forward to hearing more from this MC, and I have been impressed with all of the Obese Records artists of I have come across, so check them out too.

Brief Movie Review for "The Good Heart" (2009)

The Good Heart (2009)
5/5 Stars *****

Another 5 star! Good movie, interesting characters and again, not your typical film. An old, grumpy, and rapidly declining in health bar owner takes a young homeless man he meets during a hospital visit under his wing to help run his bar and to give a chance. That said, I don't really want to give any more of it away, so you will have to go out and watch it. I would watch this movie again, and I highly recommend it.

Song for December 14th, 2010: "Follow" by Crystal Fighters

Today's song is...Follow, by English indie-folktronic band Crystal Fighters. Crystal Fighters formed in 2008, in Spain/UK, and it consists of members Laure (lead vocals), Gilbert, Graham, Sebastian, and Mimi, and they are currently based out of East London, UK. they are known for their dramatic and artful stage performances and for fusing Basque-folk music with more modern dance beats and synthesizers. For more artist info check out their Myspace page HERE, or their Last FM page HERE. Check out the video below!

Song for December 13th, 2010: "Put It All to Rest" by Vince Vega

Today's song is....Put It All to Rest, by Australian hip-hop emcee Vince Vega. According to his Unearthed page Vince Vega is 19 years old, and he hails at us out of Townsville, Queensland Australia. I am really enjoying much of the new hip-hop that has been coming out of OZ for the past decade and I reckon it would do quite well here in the USA if actually got some proper air-play. Vince Vega recently recorded and has now released a solo EP titled Since You've Been Away, which is now available on I-Tunes. This song is not up on youtube, thus there is no video for the vlog portion of this post, however you can listen to and download a free and legal mp3 version of this song and a couple other Vince Vega songs at his Unearthed page HERE, and be sure to check out his website HERE, innit!

"Someday At Christmas" by the Jackson Five (1970)

Yes Yes, another christmas tune, tis' the season after all! This one is Someday at Christmas by The Jackson Five, and it comes off of their 1970 Motown Records release Christmas Album. Be sure to check it out.

Song for December 12th, 2010: "Treehouse" by Gold Fields

Today's song is...Treehouse, by Australian Dance-Pop band Gold Fields. Gold Fields originate out of Ballarat, Victoria in Australia, and consists of band members Mark Fuller, Vin Andanar, Ryan D'Sylva, Rob Clifton, and Luke Peldys. There really isn't too much more info to report on them as of yet, but you can still download this song as a legal free mp3 from their Unearthed page HERE, and be sure to check out their website HERE.

DJ Digital Dave mashup: "Back To Cali Gurls" Notorious BIG vs Katy Perry

The Song for December 10th, 2010: "Janglin" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes

Today's song is...Janglin, by American indie-folk group Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes. Well, this is the 3rd song off of the 2009 release  Up From Below album by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes. In case you missed the last posts, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes have been out on the music scene since 2005 and are based out of Los Angeles, California, USA. They have a delightful folkish sound, and this album is highly recommended by yours truly. The band has heaps of members and musicians, but its primarily lead by vocalist Alex Ebert (also the vocalist for another pop group called Ima Robot). Be sure to check this group out, and for more info on the band and to check out a few of their other songs go to their myspace page HERE. 

Your 'Top 20' 80's Christmas Songs List!

Ho Ho Ho 80's fans...so I have been saying since Halloween that I was going to also make an 80's Christmas-songs list for your various Christmas parties. This list (like the Halloween list) is really just the starter for the dough so to speak, so add many more of your own, but keep these in mind too! So, without further ado, here is my top 20 80's Christmas Songs list (and in no particular order):

1.) Last Christmas by Wham! (1984) (claro!)

2.) Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You by Billy Squier (my personal favorite) (1981)

3.) Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC (1987) 

4.) Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight) by The Ramones (1989)

5.) Jingle Bell Rock by Daryl Hall & John Oates (1983)

6.) Christmas Time by Bryan Adams (1985) 

7.) Mistress for Christmas by ACDC (1989)

8.) I Wish Every Day Could Be Like Christmas by Bon Jovi (1987)

9.) Thank God It's Christmas by Queen (1984)

10.) Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses (1981)

11.) Christmas Vacation by Mavis Staples (1989) (from the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Soundtrack)

12.) Another Rock n' Roll Christmas by Gary Glitter (1984)

13.) Fairytale of New York by The Pogues (1987)

14.) Merry Christmas Baby by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (1987)

15.) Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by U2 (1987) 

16.) Run Rudolph Run by Bryan Adams (1987)

17.) Another Lonely Christmas by Prince & the Revolution (1984)

18.) 2000 Miles by the Pretenders (1987)

19.) Last Night I Saw Santa Claus by New Kids on the Block (1989) 

20.) Santa Baby by Madonna (1987)

-Well that about wraps up my Top 20 80's Christmas songs! If you feel that you need more for your party there is always the The Jackson Five Christmas Album, although it was released in 1970, so doesn't apply to this blog.  Also, there is a longer list I found at another website HERE. Happy Holidays Everybody!! (original post found at http://your80smusicauthority.blogspot.com/)
 

 

Brief Movie Review for "Outsourced" (2007)

Outsourced (2007)

 5/5 Stars *****

Quite a good movie if I might say so myself.  I know that this sounds like the title of a documentary, but I promise you it is not. Basic plot is that the entire job and department of an Seattle based sales-manager gets outsourced to a call-center in India, but he is asked to train the new team in India, which leads him there. The most interesting part of the movie in my opinion is his experience (realistic or not) of being immersed into East-Indian culture as well as the social commentary about "outsourcing" and some of the interesting situations that come up as well. This is one of those movies that left me feeling like I learned a little bit of something about Indian-culture that I didn't know before, and though nothing can beat first-hand experience, its still a fun movie to watch. There just aren't that many movies that I have watched that I would say I feel I got something out of, but this is one of them. I would watch this one again, be sure to check it out.

The Song for December 8th, 2010: "Rated X" by the The White Stripes

Today's song is...Rated X, by American garage/alternative-rock duo The White Stripes. The White Stripes are a well-known rock band out of Detroit, Michigan, USA and consists of members Jack White (songwriter,vocals, guitar, and keyboards) and his ex-wife Meg White (drums and occasional vocals). The White Stripes have been active in the music scene since 1997, and rose to prominence back in 2002 as a part of the garage-rock-revival scene. They are also known for their lo-fi, DIY, approach to recording and song-writing, which in my opinion is quite a refreshing change from the usual. Rated X is a single contribution made by The White Stripes to a compilation album titled Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute To Loretta Lynn, and it is actually a re-issue of their previous cover of the very same song, so its not really all that new, but it is at the same time, so there! Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute To Loretta Lynn was just released on November 10th, 2010.

Song for December 7th, 2010: "My Rescue" by Canyons

The song for today is....My Rescue, by Australian folk/psych/hard/house duo Canyons. Canyons consists of DJ/Producer duo Leo Holiday and Ryan Sea-mist who originated out of Perth, Australia but who are now based in Sydney, Australia.  My Rescue is a 2010 single release (and it is available on itunes and amazon). I haven't managed to find a whole lot more information about the duo, but you can check out their myspace page HERE, and their 

#37 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown: "All Night Long (All Night)" by Lionel Richie (1983)

#37 of the Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown is....All Night Long (All Night), by R&B-Soul Giant and American singer-songwriter-record producer Lionel Richie! Now I can admit that I am not that well versed in Lionel Richie's works, but I do know a couple of his songs, and I also knew I had to include this one on the dance hits countdown! Lionel Richie was born June 20th, 1949 in Tuskegee, Alabama USA. Now some of you may already know that Richie joined up as a member/ singer/saxophonist for the classic Motown Records soul-funk group the Commodores in 1968. Over time he would write some hit songs for Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, and latin jazz composer La Palabra. It wasn't until 1982 that he took his solo career with the release of his self-titled debut album which produced 3 hit singles including the #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit Truly. His second album, titled Can't Slow Down, included All Night Long (All Night), which would reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, R&B, Pop, and Adult Contemporary Charts, whilst the album itself would sell around 20 million copies and win 2 Grammy Awards, including Grammy for Album of the Year in 1985. All Night Long (All Night) is a classic 80's dance hit, which is known for its caribbean/latin flavor, of which a few other 80's icons (such as Gloria Estefan or Exposé) were also doing at that time. And according to wikipedia the song also contains an old Jamaican chant. Richie has made quite a few major performances over the years, including the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Norway, Australian Idol in 2007, and American Idol in 2009. We hope to see more from Lionel Richie in the years to come! That all said, I am in the process of brewing up a top 20 or 25 80's Christmas songs, but I have yet to put that together, so for now, start gearing up and watching your 80's Christmas favorites, I know I will be (Scrooged, Christmas Vacation, Die Hard, just to name a few), and then next up we are already going to be on #36!

Brief Movie Review for "Due Date" (2010)

Due Date (2010)
**** 4/5 stars

Thaat's right, I am actually doing a little review for a recent movie...I know...I finally dragged my arse to the cinema and saw something, will have to do it again soon, Tron-3D-style! But back to Due Date... actually quite a funny movie! I would say this one is definitely worth watching once, and has some quality comedy to it (whatever that means). The theme of the cross-country drive involving a comedy duo (such as Planes, Trains and Autmobiles, or Dumb and Dumber) is not a new idea or comedy movie theme, but Downey Jr. and Galifianakis manage to pull it off in a unique way which still makes it a good comedy escape. I recommend this one, and I would watch it again.

Song of the Day for December 6th, 2010: "Galaxy Train" by Dolphins

The song for today is....Galaxy Train, by Australian surf-garage-calypso band Dolphins. I recently posted another song by Dolphins, but they keep releasing new ones by the week, so this is a more recent release (probably within the last 2 weeks) by them. To quote the bio infor from their facebook page they are:

"A new 3 piece from the Gold Coast. Consisting of members from Gold Coast band ELKE, Dolphins is Simple, fun, energetic and haphazard with a 60's twang. A band for the summer."

I have also posted a few of ELKE's songs on this vlog, which I would also highly recommend checking out. This song, and their others thus far are available for listening and free downloading still at their Soundcloud page HERE. 
  Galaxy Train by Dolphinsband

 

Divide & Kreate mashup: Until It Talks (Metallica Vs. Coldplay)

http://www.divideandkreate.com/

Song for December 5th, 2010: "Slow Motion" by Little Red

And the song is...Slow Motion, by Australian rock and roll band Little Red. Little Red comes out of Melbourne, Australia, has been active on the music scene since 2005, and consists of band members Adrian Beltrame (guitar/vocals), Dominic Byrne (guitar/vocals), Quang Dinh (bass guitar/ vocals), Tom Hartney (vocals/percussion) and Taka Honda (drums). Slow Motion comes off of their 2nd studio album release titled Midnight Remember which was just released in stores in September of 2010. This song is the 4th and most recent  single release off the new album. Note that this song and album can now be purchased on itunes or amazon. Enjoy!

Brief Book Review for "Island" (1962) by author Aldous Huxley

Island (1962) by Author Aldous Huxley

"Attention, Here and Now boys!!" I am not much of a book critic or whatever its called, but I do want to add some more content to this blog so here goes another book review. I just recently finished English author/writer Aldous Huxley's Island, which was published in 1962 and actually was the last book he released before he died in November of 1963. I would definitely recommend Island to anybody who is looking for some interesting reading, although it is not a fast-paced entertainment book by any means, however, it may leave you thinking critically about society and its many structures and why they are the way they are and if there could be a better way to do many things. The story is set on a fictional utopian-island-society called Pala, where an English oil-company ambassador (main characater Will Farnaby) becomes shipwrecked, while illegally surveying the coastline. Naturally may oil-companies are vying for a shot at winning the oil/industrial development contracts for Pala, but the society is yet to conform to the industrial-western model. The locals take him in and treat him medically at first, and he gets a good look for a few weeks at the society and starts to actually fall in love with it a bit. Much of the book isn't about plot so much as a peek into what an ideal society might look, as well as how transcendental experiences (drug-induced in many of his books) can open one's mind up to new ideas and better ways of living (or shake up some of the rigid and closed-off structures at least). Now, this may sound somewhat familiar to Huxley's other books/essays, such as the renowned Brave New World, or Doors of Perception, but I would personally say that this is my favorite of his books I've read so far, although I haven't read too many others to be honest, so take my reviews with a grain of salt full-stop. Be sure to check out the wikpedia page on this book HERE if you are interested in learning more about the book. And there it is, more brief book reviews to come!

LOCK3DOWN MASHUP: "Gorilla Idol" Billy Idol vs Gorillaz

Song for December 4th, 2010: "Gilgamesh" by Gypsy and the Cat

Today's song is....Gilgamesh, by by Aussie electro-pop duo Gypsy and the Cat. Gypsy and the Cat formed back in 2008, and the duo consists of Melbourne DJ's Xavier Bacash and Lionel Towers who are currently based out of London, UK (London is where they are currently based, though they both are originally from Melbourne, Australia). I have posted a couple of their previous songs on this vlog, and now they have released their debut album titled Gilgamesh just last month (November of 2010 for those of you reading this after the fact)!! This band has a unique sound, and the more of their stuff I listen to, the more and more I am really enjoying it. It is a bit difficult to find their stuff if you aren't in Oz or the UK, and I must say here that it would be fully-sick if they would release their album in the Itunes USA store! If you like this song I would highly recommend you check out their new album for yourself, especially the singles Jona Vark, and Time to Wander. Jona Vark is still available as a free mp3 download at their Unearthed page HERE, and you can check out their other works at their myspace page HERE. Gilgamesh

Brief Movie Review for "$5 a Day (Five Dollars a Day)" (2008)

$5 a Day (Five Dollars a Day) (2008) 

3/5 Stars ***

Not a serious movie, but not total comedy either. Christopher Walken plays as the main character's hustler of a father who refuses to pay for anything by scamming, dealing, hustling, and picking up freebies of any kind he can left and right. Actually, the many ways his character finds to get free things is probably the most interesting part of this flick. Sharon Stone and Amanda Peet have very minor roles in this one so don't expect much there. It makes me wonder if all of those vehicles driving around with big adverts on them are actually just "freebies" that someone has discovered...I always thought that they were company reps driving them around, oh well. The movie is worth watching once, but I doubt I will ever watch it again.