Given the opportunity, most of us would go back in time to have a chat with our younger selves. You’re never too young or too old to want to go back, warn yourself about things to come or tell yourself that things get better. Most of us might want to go back and stop our teen selves from making disastrous fashion choices, romantic choices, or picking careers that don’t exactly net us millions. We’re human, though, and our entire lives are full of moments we wish someone who understood us well was there to talk to.
Jeremiah McDonald, at 12, understood himself better than anyone. The soon-to-be actor and comedian left himself a message in the form of an open-ended conversation on tape, with a stern warning that it was only to be played by him in the future. He asks his future self questions we might ask ourselves. He wants to know if he still loves his favorite show (Doctor Who), how things panned out for him, and about his passions like drawing. Jeremiah McDonald, as it turns out, is a pretty charming little kid. He’s funny and weird in a way that reminds us a lot of ourselves when swept up in the things we like.
Yesterday afternoon, pop superstar and American Idol winner Kris Allen came to Robert Frost Middle School in Los Angeles to kick off Starburst's Music With The Masters Series; which benefits the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. The first of three events held in various cities over the coming months included Allen performing his hit single "Live Like We're Dying" with the school band and walking them on a tour through his musical history.
The presentation also featured Allen covering some of his favorite songs throughout time (including Coolio's "Gangstas Paradise" and to "keep the crowds interested," "Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears). He capped the presentation by performing his new hit "The Vision of Love." To top off the event, in conjunction with Starburst, he donated the piano used in both music video and his performance to the school. Overall, the event served as a great kick off to the series in conjunction with which Starburst is donated $250k to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.
It’s a tough world, nice guys finish last. There are plenty of sayings that are meant to prepare us for a mean world where success means being more underhanded than your predecessor. To many, there’s just no room for extra kindnesses, because kindness itself has become a weakness. This myth of kindness and generosity as things that are detrimental has kept people in fierce competition for years. The truth, however, is that people who reach out and help others are no more likely to fall behind in the world than peers who only look out for themselves. Dispelling the falsehood of self-interest getting people ahead is Good Virus, Kindness is Contagious.
A lot can be conveyed in a short amount of time. Entire stories can be told in under ten minutes. From the cartoons of our childhood to the Youtube videos and Twitter of today, we’ve become used to explored entire worlds in fractions of our leisure time. Mont Blanc, however, held a competition that rapidly reduced that time. Giving new meaning to the short film, contestants in this competition submitted videos only one second long. These videos, however, still tell entire stories.
We know you’re still recovering from the stress of a trying weekend. The comatose turkey naps, the awkward in-laws, the exhaustion of sifting through Black Friday deals on your MacBook until you find the perfect 32-inch TV. Welcome back to the real world. Here are five sweet tracks to cure your holiday edition case of the Mondays.
Drake – “Take Care”
Already making “Headlines” with his swaggering, finger-raising first single, the title track of Drizzy’s newest effort shows the softer side of Mr. Graham. Aided by the intoxicating croon of Rihanna (whose new music you can read about below), Drake delivers an honest, imperfect love story over a bouncy, club-ready beat.
For Bon Iver fans desperate for a taste of his new material, wait no more!
After releasing a flashy video teaser Kanye West has confirmed he is playing the South by Southwest Festival. The video is Kanye's second teaser video; the first was released in February.
The video is visually like West's "All of the Lights" Vide and ends with words from other songs by West: "Austin", "Vevo Power Station.
Other artists scheduled to perform this year are Calvim Harris and James Blake.
Lady Gaga has just released a video for her single "Born This Way." The seven minute plus video is pretty much what everyone has come to expect from Gaga. That's all I really can say about it...it's Gaga material to the max.
The punk rock band from Gainesville, Florida has just released a video for their single “Spanish Moss” off of their 2010 album White Crosses.
The video is mostly live footage of the band performing in various venues, and their off stage antics. It’s shot in all black and white, and fits the song pretty well.
On May 24th, the band will be releasing Total Clarity, which will feature demos and unreleased songs from their 2005 album, Searching for a Former Clarity.
New York Times journalist Melena Ryzik recently got the opportunity to tour inside Pixar’s California studio. Armed with a cameraman, she documented her glimpse into the inner workings of the studio on film and in print.
For animation fans, or even just fans of moves like the Toy Story trilogy or Monsters Inc., this was the equivalent of getting a golden ticket. The video and article showcase the whimsy inside the studio and the interior’s really fun design. There’s no doubt that there is plenty to see and play with inside, but Ryzik also gets to explore their animation process. The trip ends up being as educational as it is fun entertainment.