A Real Club Banger

From MC Rove

definition of cute

My co-worker Nick with a baby goat in Tennessee - where I am at the airport heading to New York

We went to an Elephant Santuary today. It was amazing.

The goat above is not a normal goat - it is a breed of Tennessee Fainting Goats.

It and it's owner Leon Oliver will be on our show , The Hour The Hoursoon.

SCRATCHING IN THE KITCHEN

Grandmaster Flash is in the Hall
The group is the first – but not the last – hip-hop act to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
By LARRY McSHANE
The Associated Press
Ask Grandmaster Flash about hip-hop stars deserving of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he's quick with a list of rap icons.

"Afrika Bambaataa. Run-DMC. KRS-One," he says, barely pausing for a breath. "Big Daddy Kane. LL Cool J. Eric B and Rakim. Tribe Called Quest. The list goes on and on."

Flash left himself out, with good reason: The DJ and partners the Furious Five enter the Hall tonight as its initial rap inductees. The Bronx hip-hop pioneers are part of an otherwise traditional class: R.E.M., Van Halen and a pair of fellow New York City performers, Patti Smith and the Ronettes.

As the first citizens of hip-hop nation in the Rock Hall, the arrival of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five signals a new age at the Cleveland attraction: Smith likely marks the end of the '70s punk inductees, and the time of hip-hop is upon us.

"This announces the beginning of the rap era for the Hall," said Bill Adler, a hip-hop historian – currently editing the "Eyejammie Encyclopedia of Hip-Hop" – and member of the Hall's nominating committee. "Flash and the Furious Five are going to open the floodgates."

Adler, a publicist for the hugely influential Def Jam Records in the mid-1980s, offered his own list of rappers destined for induction: "The Beastie Boys, very quickly. Run-DMC and LL Cool J will get in pretty quickly. Slick Rick."

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five enter 25 years after their groundbreaking single, "The Message," about hard times in their native borough during the Reagan Administration. It was the first popular rap song with a social theme – "It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from going under," went the hypnotic chorus.

"One of the pivotal points in hip-hop history," said Furious Five rapper Melle Mel, who acknowledged his group initially wanted to pass on the song.

The group, which also featured Kid Creole, Cowboy, Mr. Ness and Raheim before an acrimonious 1983 split between Flash and Mel, had missed induction on two previous occasions. So when word arrived of the honor this year, Flash said he was initially skeptical.

"When it sank in that we were in, it was a good feeling for hip-hop," Flash said. "I think it's bigger than Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. To get that kind of respect is good for hip-hop."

Melle Mel recalled lying in bed – "I usually sleep with the TV on" – when he heard the news that R.E.M. and Van Halen were in. Before he could roll over, the announcer added the name of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

"The fact that we're in the Hall of Fame speaks volumes," said Melle Mel. "People try to separate hip-hop music like it stands alone, but it really doesn't. We're in with all the great groups in the history of music. It further legitimizes hip-hop."

Admitting a hip-hop group to the home of rockers from Chuck Berry through U2 is a bigger step for the Hall of Fame than it is for many rap aficionados, said Erik Parker, director of content at the hip-hop Web site SOHH.com.

"The average hip-hop fan long ago learned to live without validation," said Parker. "They realized it was already accepted as part of the mainstream culture." (VH1 started honoring rap's pioneers three years ago in a Rock Hall-like ceremony, and two years ago honored Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five).

The Hall is undeniably an equal opportunity inductor: its first class included James Brown and the Everly Brothers, while last year's group featured Miles Davis and the Sex Pistols.

But its requirement that candidates can't get inducted until 25 years after their first release kept many of rap's founding fathers from a shot at stepping inside the Hall until recent years. Unlike rock, which dates back more than a half-century, rap is a relatively young genre – about 30 years old.

Parker said the timing for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's induction was impeccable.

"This is what's really key: their 'Message' is still relevant today, 25 years later," he said. "The words in that song couldn't ring truer."

jamaica to toronto

This is a compilation of songs of soul and reggae artists who were involved in a vibrant music scene in the 70's in Toronto.

I am not sure how many people have talked to me about the Toronto via West Indies musicians who called Canada home. A few late night cab drivers have mentioned it to me, including one incredibly informed driver, who I wish I would have gotten his name from.

I was in Scarbourough today and hit one of those industrial buildings that house all kinds of businesses to Henry's Records.

I found myself being very jealous of Henry, and the fact that he gets to listen to great records all day. You could tell he loves it. I am working on a story for The Hour about this. The compilation came out in 2006. They are also working on a documentary about it. Better late than never.

Jamaica To Toronto - Light In The Attic

our Oprah moment

droppin some hour posts - this is a follow-up to the previous- pretty crazy . click the link .

bounty hunter follow -up

The Hour- we bring families together.

Bounty Hunter-From a criminal to a 'Financial Bounty Hunter'.

Recent story I did on Doug Cannon the Financial Bounty Hunter.

doug cannon a man of much character.


CLICK HERE-




read more | digg story

DRM SUCKS

DRM is an umbrella term that refers to any of several technologies used by publishers or copyright owners to control access to and usage of digital data or hardware.

I was buying tunes on Itunes until I had an experience of making some mix CD's and bam my friends needed my password to access a few tunes I had bought.

Now Apple seems to be taking a long look at DRM.

Here is a great article on Salon by Boing Boing's Cory Doctorow.

LINK TO ARTICLE

everybody wants some...........

The Van Halen saga continues - I remember working at MuchMusic we would report every couple months that Diamond Dave was back in Van Halen, only to get this note, like the one released today. Some things are just not meant to be. I was looking forward to Eddie Van Halen's kid playing bass.


Van Halen Reunion Postponed?
The Van Halen reunion tour featuring the return of former lead singer David Lee Roth has been postponed indefinitely.

Tickets for the 40-date tour, which was announced on the band's web site on February 2, were expected to go on sale this weekend.

However, a source closed to the band tells USA Today the tour has been put on hold, but declined to give a reason for the delay.

A publicist for Eddie, Alex and Wolfgang Van Halen says reports of a cancellation should be not be taken as fact until an official statement is released.

Earlier this month, Roth said he hoped the band's reunion would last beyond their summer tour.

Regardless of future tour plans, Van Halen will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12. The ceremony could feature Van Halen performing with both Roth and his replacement, Sammy Hagar.

big news

STEVEN HARPER CONCEDES LEADERSHIP TO BILL GATES!

wild news. oh, gates is American.
damn.

ok.............. then


GEORGE W. BUSH CONCEDES LEADERSHIP TO BILL GATES!
(note -that is a Bill Gates lookalike in the above pic)

Oh well, maybe Gates can run China.

Disinfo

So, I work on a show at the CBC called The Hour. One of my favorite segments is the Disinfo segment that air every Monday. I have been involved in shooting them in New York. I don't like whoring work stuff on this blog but the Disinfo stuff is so damn wild and interesting. If you are into half-truths and conspiracy, then you will enjoy these.


The MSM totally missed this. It's hard to believe but genetic engineering on humans has already begun. In March 2001 a New Jersey reproductive facility announced that they had created genetically altered children.




And to loosen you up after that -- another crew from NYC -

Hunter Not Forgotten

2 Years ago today Hunter S. Thompson died. I always thought it would have been crazy to live a day in his shoes.

'Politics is the art of controlling your environment.' That is one of the key things I learned in these years, and I learned it the hard way. Anybody who thinks that 'it doesn't matter who's President' has never been Drafted and sent off to fight and die in a vicious, stupid War on the other side of the World -- or been beaten and gassed by Police for trespassing on public property -- or been hounded by the IRS for purely political reasons -- or locked up in the Cook County Jail with a broken nose and no phone access and twelve perverts wanting to stomp your ass in the shower. That is when it matters who is President or Governor or Police Chief. That is when you will wish you had voted."
- Hunter S. Thompson

this is good

- now I migh think about getting on board.


XM, Sirius announce merger
Following months of speculation, the two satellite radio operators will combine in a merger of equals; Karmazin will be CEO.
By David Ellis and Paul R. La Monica, CNNMoney.com staff writers
February 19 2007: 5:21 PM EST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Rivals XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio announced Monday they would enter into a merger of equals, creating a satellite radio giant.

XM (Charts) and Sirius (Charts) said they would each own half of the combined company, which would offer listeners a much wider variety of programming, including sports, news and high-profile entertainers such as shock jock Howard Stern.


Shock jock Howard Stern has been widely credited for much of Sirius's success, helping the satellite radio operator finish 2006 with more than 6 million subscribers.

There's no better time to pen an ode to TV, radio and print than on Valentine's Day. Sure, new media's sexy. But old media isn't going away. (more)
Steve Jobs vs. the music industry

Apple's CEO is boldly challenging the four big record labels to change their ways. Will they listen or is this just a PR move to get people to buy more iPods? (more)
YouTube without the lip synching dudes
Sling Media wants to make it easy to post live TV to the Web. Will it fly? Only if the company gets networks on its side, says Fortune's Stephanie Mehta. (more)
As part of the deal, XM Chairman Gary Parsons would remain chairman of the combined firm, while Sirius' Mel Karmazin would assume the role of CEO. XM chief executive Hugh Panero will remain as CEO until the merger is completed.

The two companies, which have a combined 14 million subscribers, said they had not yet determined a new name for the combined company or where its headquarters would be located.

"This combination is the next logical step in the evolution of audio entertainment," Karmazin said in a statement.

The company would have a market value of roughly $13 billion, including approximately $1.6 billion in net debt.

XM shareholders would get 4.6 shares of Sirius stock for each share of XM they own.

The deal would value XM shares at $17.02, a 22 percent premium to its Friday closing price of $13.98.

Sirius and XM said as a result of the merger it hoped to offer listeners an "a la carte" option, allowing them to pick and choose the channels they wanted, such as Sirius' "Martha Stewart Living Radio" or XM's "Theme Time Radio Hour" with music legend Bob Dylan.

"The combined company will be better positioned to compete effectively with the continually expanding array of entertainment alternatives that consumers have embraced since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) first granted our satellite radio licenses a decade ago," Parsons and Panero said in a joint statement.

Speculation has run rampant on Wall Street about a possible tie-up between XM and Sirius since the beginning of the year.

Both companies, although rapidly growing, have continued to lose money despite strong revenue and subscriber growth.

No 'slam dunk'
David Bank, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said he was not surprised by the deal since the merger makes a lot of sense, but he warned the tie-up was not a "slam dunk."

Besides getting shareholder approval, XM and Sirius will also have to get the endorsement of regulators, including the FCC.

The National Association of Broadcasters, a trade group that represents local radio and TV stations, urged policymakers Monday to reject the deal, calling it an "anti-consumer proposal."

"Given the government's history of opposing monopolies in all forms, NAB would be shocked if federal regulators permitted a merger of XM and Sirius," the trade group said in a statement. "It bears mentioning that regulators summarily rejected a similar monopoly merger of the nation's only two satellite television companies - DirecTV and DISH Network - just a few years back."

Bank added that as a condition of the merger the Department of Justice might impose some sort of price caps so that the combined company can't raise monthly subscription rates by a big amount, if at all.

Right now, both Sirius and XM have tiered-payment subscription packages, which start at $12.95 per month or $142.45 per year.

Calls to both XM and Sirius about what impact the merger would have on subscription rates were not immediately returned.

Executives from both companies are planning on discussing the details of the merger on a conference call scheduled for Tuesday morning.

--A member of RBC's Bank's family owns shares of Sirius but RBC does not have a banking relationship with either Sirius or XM.

conan is funny - the iphone does everything

sadness reigns

I am 33. I am a dad. I am watching MTV's, The Hills. In fact I taped it.

Sadness Reigns.

I blame my sister who is staying with us.

Sadness Reigns.

Gilles on Jazz

Like Jazz? If not surf away. Quit reading this. Move along, as they say.

Gilles Peterson is a BBC DJ/ Record label owner with vast knowledge of jazz.

He has podcast on his website that are blowing my mind. His mix of some greats from the "Black Jazz" label is his latest. Take about some moving stuff.

Highly recommended.

PASTOR TED IS CURED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So disgraced New Life Church leader Pastor Ted Haggard has released a comment that he is no longer gay. This is weird cause I turned gay at 1pm today and by 3pm I was straight again. Oh man, I feel a gay coming on, oh it is gone. My wife will be relieved.



Disgraced pastor Ted Haggard convinced he's now 'completely heterosexual'

Canadian Press


Tuesday, February 06, 2007


DENVER (AP) - One of four ministers who oversaw three weeks of intensive counselling for Rev. Ted Haggard said the disgraced minister emerged convinced that he is "completely heterosexual."

Haggard also said his sexual contact with men was limited to the former male prostitute who came forward with sexual allegations, Rev. Tim Ralph of Larkspur told The Denver Post for a story in Tuesday's edition.

"He is completely heterosexual," Ralph said. "That is something he discovered. It was the acting-out situations where things took place. It wasn't a constant thing."

Ralph said the board spoke with people close to Haggard while investigating his claim that his only extramarital sexual contact happened with Mike Jones. The board found no evidence to the contrary.

"If we're going to be proved wrong, somebody else is going to come forward, and that usually happens really quickly," he said. "We're into this thing over 90 days (since allegations surfaced) and it hasn't happened."

Haggard resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals last year after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced. He was also forced out from the 14,000 New Life Church that he founded years ago in his basement after Jones alleged Haggard paid him for sex and sometimes used methamphetamine when they were together. Haggard, who is married, has publicly admitted to "sexual immorality."

Haggard said in an e-mail Sunday, his first communication in three months to church members, that he and his wife, Gayle, plan to pursue master's degrees in psychology. The e-mail said the family hasn't decided where to move but that they were considering Missouri and Iowa.

Another oversight board member, Rev. Mike Ware of Westminster, said the group recommended the move out of town and the Haggards agreed.

"This is a good place for Ted," Ware said. "It's hard to heal in Colorado Springs right now. It's like an open wound. He needs to get somewhere he can get the wound healed."

It was also the oversight board that strongly urged Haggard to go into secular work.

© The Canadian Press 2007a>

stephen harper believes in the urgency of changing his tunes for votes .

Harper: Global warming requires action

Embattled PM says he now accepts need for climate-change action

Jan 31, 2007 03:47 PM
Canadian Press
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper, under fire for past comments questioning climate change, said today he believes in the urgency of combatting global warming.

The prime minister also said today that he supports calls for a world conference on the issue and would attend such a meeting.

"We all recognize this is a serious environmental problem that needs immediate action," Harper told the House of Commons.

"Canada's decision to do nothing over the past decade was a mistake and we want to do better."

Harper made the comment after getting pummelled by his opponents over a 2002 letter in which he questioned the science of climate change and called the Kyoto accord a money-sucking socialist plot.

Harper also vowed in the letter to fight Liberal efforts to ratify Kyoto, which calls for cuts to greenhouse gases.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said Canada is unfortunate to have a ``climate-change denier" as a prime minister.

Liberals said that for all his talk about climate change today, the 2002 letter unmasks Harper's true opinion.

"Will he admit that this new environmental facade is just an attempt to mislead the Canadian people?" Dion asked.

One by one, Liberal MPs stood in the Commons to ask Harper what he really believes about Kyoto.

"Was the prime minister misleading Canadians then or is he misleading them now?" they asked.

Harper ignored each question, leaving it to Environment Minister John Baird to do battle.

Baird shot back with past quotes by Liberal MPs criticizing Kyoto. He also said he wished the Liberals had cut greenhouse gases while in office.

Some Tory MPs concurred when asked today about the opinions Harper espoused in 2002.

"I hear it's a dog," Tory caucus whip Jay Hill said when asked about the Kyoto accord.

Saskatchewan MP Andrew Scheer also downplayed the importance of the accord.

"The Kyoto accord itself doesn't do a whole lot – as we've seen with the Liberal record – to reduce greenhouse gases," Scheer said.

"(It's) a trading system, a transfer of wealth from one part of the world to another."

But Scheer and many other Conservatives said they agree that greenhouse gases contribute to global warming and said their party is serious about tackling the problem.

"I was (always) in favour of reducing greenhouse gases but I had serious reservations about the effectiveness of Kyoto because many of the largest polluters decided not to sign on," said multiculturalism minister Jason Kenney.

The Conservatives announced in the last election campaign that they considered Kyoto's greenhouse gas-reduction targets unattainable.

But with the environment now becoming an increasingly hot political issue, they avoid criticizing Kyoto and say they want to reverse the damage done under the Liberals.

Canada's emission levels have risen 27 per cent since 1990, while the accord calls for a six per cent cut by 2012.

Harper used that statistic to poke fun at Dion – who has named his dog Kyoto. He said the Liberal leader is in denial about his own party's track record.

"I suggest he should rename that dog for all his various denials," Harper said.

"Perhaps he could call the dog Clean Air, or perhaps he could call it Fiscal Imbalance. Or maybe he could even call his dog The Sponsorship Scandal."

van hurtsme

VAN HALEN REUNITED


So Van Halen is getting back together for a tour with David Lee Roth.

First thing. I will believe it when I see it.

Second. When I was eleven, this was my band. I loved the idea of the guitar super hero in Eddie Van Halen. Loved them. I out grew them a bit, but until I was 19, would have loved for them to get back with Diamond Dave. Instead they had success, and a lot of cheese with Sammy Hagar, and I will not even talk about Gary Cherone wiggling his butt on stage with the band.
I am not that excited now, just wondering why it took them so long.

Third. I will believe it when I see it.

Fourth. If it happens I may go see it.

snurfin' usa

I am on route from Sundance to home. Right now in Denver waiting for a transfer flight . Flying knocks the shit out of me. I think it is the canned air in the vessel.

Sundance was fun, but i was more interested in hitting the mountains with my snowboard, than watching films when I had some down time. I can watch movies in Toronto, I cannot hit mountains in Toronto.

The more I get on a mountain, the more I feel the need to move close to them.

Anyway here is an article about snowboarding, and the sport's success story.
Snurfin to Snowboarding

I also had a friend who lives in Whistler, tell me about another great snowboarding movie that is out celebrating the life of the late pro Craig Kelly. Kelly was an innovator and trendsetter who died in an avalanche in BC a few years back on this day .
The movie is called Let It Ride

The sport would not be what it is today without Kelly.

rage is back

Pretty crazy - I saw the Rage with Chris Cornell at the airport this summer and they were fighting - did not look good. these dudes are better together anyway. I am not a huge fan. but Bulls On Parade is a killer song.



Rage, Bjork, Arcade Fire to Play Coachella
Also: Interpol, Decemberists, Arctic Monkeys, Sonic Youth, Air, Roots

OK folks, stay calm. CALM LIKE A BOMB that is, because the only rap-rock band we actually remember (somewhat) fondly is back. That's right, as reported by the Los Angeles Times and confirmed by the festival's organizers, Rage Against the Machine will come out of retirement to play the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, taking place April 27-29 at Empire Polo Field in Indio, California.

Rage will headline the festival's final night, April 29, while Björk will headline on Friday, April 27 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Saturday, April 28. (Ugh Why do the Red Hot Chili Peppers always have to come around and ruin these sorts of things?)

Other awesome artists confirmed to play Coachella: the Arcade Fire, Interpol, Willie Nelson, the Roots, Manu Chao, the Decemberists, Arctic Monkeys, Sonic Youth, and Air. Other debatably awesome artists confirmed to play Coachella: Crowded House, Tiësto, and Kings of Leon.

And although the festival hasn't officially announced it yet, !!!, LCD Soundsystem, and Lupe Fiasco are also playing Coachella, as we've gathered from previous news storie