Chronicles of Narnia Rap Video

The most recent Saturday Night Live was largely lame, but it did feature a fantastic Chronicles of Narnia rap video.

(Via BoingBoing.)

But What About Biggie?


WorldNetDaily
:

WASHINGTON – Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-GA, has introduced a bill to provide for the “expeditious disclosure of records relevant to the life and death of Tupac Amaru Shakur,” the rapper murdered in Las Vegas in 1996.

Back Dormitory Boys: They’re So Hot Right Now!

Because my earlier post about the red hot* Chinese lipsynching teenagers is inexplicably ranked second in Google for a “Back Dormitory Boys” search, I’ve seen an explosion of visitors today — over 1.000 2,100 (and rising) of you suckers esteemed readers have landed on newley.com.

So I figured, what the hell: here’s even more info on the dorky boy-band wannabees from beyond the Great Firewall of China. (I think this uptick in BDB-related inquiries is related to the fact that they’ve been featured on Good Morning America or The Today Show or somesuch thing.)

To re-cap:
Back Dormitory Boys peform “I Want it That Way.”
BDB video compilation (several of their “hits”).
“Good Morning America” story on the BDB.
BDB Technorati search.
BDB Google Blog Search.

Knock yourselves out.

*Note to The Back Dormitory Boys: don’t let this sudden Interweb fame go to your heads. Mahir Cagri and William Hung were once big shots, too. Nothing gold can stay, my friends. Nothing gold can stay…

Back+Dormitory+Boys

Jay-Z to Buy Arsenal Football Club?

This is too cool to possibly be true. Of course, “major stake” doesn’t necessarily mean “controlling stake.”

Jay-Z, Arsenal

Uprising on Fraternity Row

The Onion:

WILLIAMSBURG, VA—In an unprecedented effort to fight injustice, reggae music legend Bob Marley, dead since 1981, rose from his grave in Jamaica early Sunday to free his most devoted followers, American college fraternity members, “from the bonds of oppression.”

Marley’s recordings, which originally raised awareness of the Rastafarian faith and the plight of underprivileged Jamaicans and Africans, have taken on an even deeper meaning as the Greek fraternal system, a maligned, misunderstood minority group itself, has fervently embraced the driving, soulful music.

(Via Ben P.)

Coldplay

Coldplay at Nissan Pavilion

I went to see Coldplay at Nissan Pavilion Friday night. Great show — I’m a Coldplay fan but I’m not a hard-core enthusiast; thus, I didn’t know what to expect from the evening. But it was really quite an amazing performance. The grand scale of it all reminded me a bit of seeing U2. And Mr. Gwyneth Paltrow — aka Chris Martin, Coldplay’s frontman — is a charismatic performer. We had great seats, and when Martin took to the audience at the end of the show I snapped this pic (as all the ladies in the house swooned):

Coldplay at Nissan Pavilion

Coldplay

Categories
Misc.

Pop Music Around the World

Here’s a delightful SF Chron article from Michael Wolgelenter about various strains of Western pop music — good and bad — he’s discovered in far-flung corners of the world.

I had a similar cross-cultural sonic experience last year in a town on the rural east coast of Taiwan. I was in a bar and listened in amazement as a Taiwanese band launched into a pitch-perfect cover of Mexican rock outfit Mana’s power ballad “Corazon Espinado.” The singer even had the Spanish lyrics down. Here’s a pic of the group:

some live music in a Hualien pub (amazingly, they played a spot-on rendition of Mana's

(Via World Hum.)

Johnny Cash: The Movie

Bring it on.

Drum Kit Made of Cheese

“Han Bennink wears wooden shoes, plays a drum kit made of cheese. Possibly the Dutchest thing ever.”

“A Very Special Concert”

Don’t miss this touching — and hilarious — essay about “the enduring bond between Huey Lewis and the developmentally disabled.”