While the whole world mourns over the passing of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, a good number have expressed concern over the outcome of the pedophilia allegations being launched against the performer.

Shia LaBoeuf-lookalike Jordan "Jordy" Chandler

Take for instance the recent announcement of 30-year-old Jordan Chandler, who admitted that he was coerced by his father, Evan, into confessing detailed acts of sexual molestation committed to him back then as a 13-year-old visitor to Jackson’s Neverland ranch.

Here are the links to Jordan’ s testimony:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/mjdec1.html
(initial encounter leading to invitation)

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/mjdec2.html
(the friendship deepens)

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/mjdec3.html
(kissing, masturbation)

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/mjdec4.html
(keep it a secret!!)

Apparently,  Jordan had allowed himself to be the conduit of lies concocted by his father,  Evan, in order to exploit the possible financial windfall that a lawsuit might bring.  Another accuser,  Gavin Arvizo, has been exposed as being manipulated similarly by his own mother for the same said expectations.

Gavin & the King of Pop

Heck, even former child star Macaulay Culkin has had his friendship with Jackson scrutinised by the media for possible pedophilic elements.

It really sickens me to my stomach that even as we gloss over his numerous eccentricities and egomaniac quirks (after all, he is the King of Pop™), there are still those out there who look at MJ like a piñata all set to be broken in a Mexican fiesta.

As I have posted in a previous article, can MJ’s seeming unnatural closeness to children be attributed to his having no “typical” childhood to speak of?  After all, while other kids his age would be playing ball on the streets or dealing with school stress, he and his brothers were touring the world, hitting one soundstage after another, growing up so fast in the company of mostly older folk (most of them with bad habits of their own).

Apparently, no one is perfect…sure, it has always been mass media’s failing to mitigate the continuous cannibalization of ages-old (and largely spurious) claims even out of respect for the dead.

Now let us look in one of the most defining moments of MJ’s career…

Motown 25th anniversary: Yesterday, Today & Forever – the first “moonwalk” aired on US national TV since Neil Armstrong’s

A Sampla-delic Tribute to the One and Only Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

As of now, the shockwaves reverberating around the blogosphere as well as in the real world generated by the sudden announcement of Michael Jackson’s death earlier today due to cardiac arrest complications at a Los Angeles hospital shows no signs of abating.

It cannot be doubted for a fact that no major pop artist since Elvis Presley has left his impression not just on music but also in culture as much as Michael Jackson.  Shortly before his death, he was in the middle of intense rehearsals leading to his scheduled live comeback in London, England later this year, where tickets have already been sold out.

Here is a partial listing of songs that have prominently sampled from tracks performed by Michael Jackson or the (Michael Jackson-led) Jackson 5/Jacksons.  Album titles in black boldface are credited to The Jackson 5/Jacksons while those in green boldface are solo Michael Jackson recordings.

Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (Motown 1970)

“I Want You Back”

Blackstreet ft Mya & Ma$e’s “Take Me There”
Eric B and Rakim’s “I Know You Got Soul”

Check their use of that dope intro…that’s the way it’s done!!!
Jay-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U”

Instrumental version – spot the break if you can
Jay-Z’s “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)”

snippet of  2008 live performance at Milton Keynes, UK
Kris Kross’s “Jump”

“the Mack Daddy’ll make you – JUMP, jump!!!”
Tamia’s “Imagination”

“Who’s Lovin’ You?”

En Vogue’s “Hold On”

Early live performance of New Jack era soul classic

Betcha didn’t know…the girls lifted that immortal opening line from this nugget (with no less than MJ on lead duty here!!!)

ABC (Motown 1970)

“A.B.C.”

Naughty by Nature’s “O.P.P.”

Jersey boys got da flow!!!

“One More Chance”

Doug E Fresh’s “Ev’ry Body Loves a Star”

Another old-skool nugget enhanced with a J5 break!!!

“I’ll Bet You”

Beastie Boys’s “Car Thief”

Yes,  I have “Paul’s Boutique” on cassette!!

Ludacris/Jackson 5 mashup, “Do Your Time/I’ll Bet You” lifting the squealing guitar sample previously employed in “Car Thief”

Third Album (Motown 1970)

“Ready or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide Love)”

Blackalicious’s “Deception”

Everyone may associate “Ready or Not Here I Come” with the Delfonics’ version (as sampled by Timbaland in Missy Elliott’s “Sock It To Me”) but producer Chief Xcel opted for the J5’s version

Maybe Tomorrow (Motown 1971)

“It’s Great to Be Here”

A peerless original…
Mariah Carey’s “Honey”

The Bad Boy remix feat. Ma$e, the Lox and (of course) Puff Daddy
Puff Daddy’s “All about the Benjamins”

Original version as featured in DJ Clue’s Holiday Holdup mixtape

“Maybe Tomorrow”

Ghostface Killah ft Mary J. Blige’s “All That I Got is You”

Tkeitha takes over MJB’s vocal duties in this heart-touching autobiographical video

Ben (Motown 1972)

“Ben”

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s “Rock the House”

See how The Fresh Prince aka Will “Big Willie” Smith was a real skilful rapper back in the day before he got all Hollywood soft…pay attention to the initial flow

Got to Be There (Motown 1972)

“I Wanna Be Where You Are”

MC Lyte’s “Poor Georgie”

That song is usually associated with now-defunct MOR stalwarts Toto’s “Georgie Porgie” but pay attention to 1:00 when MJ shows his li’l fro’d head.

Dancing Machine (Motown 1974)

“Dancing Machine”

MC Hammer’s “Dancin’ Machine”

From his “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em” album, the baggy-pantsed one pays tribute to the Jackson 5 with his take on their ‘74 hit

Off the Wall (Epic 1979)

“I Can’t Help It”

De la Soul’s “Breakadawn”

Lead track from their underrated “Buhloone Mind State” CD

Take a listen…isn’t it canny the way the producers of the abovementioned De La Soul joint just let it slip in?

Triumph (Epic 1980)

“Heartbreak Hotel” aka “This Place Hotel”

Heavy D & the Boyz’ “Peaceful Journey”

The Overweight Lover pays tribute to fellow Boyz member Troy “Trouble T-Roy” Dixon, who died prior to the release of this 1991 CD. Backing vocals on this one by K-Ci & Jojo of Jodeci.

“Can You Feel It”

Tamperer ft Maya’s “Feel It”

Nearly 10 years after the original, the 2009 remix is all set to ignite dancefloors around the world…be warned!!!

Bow down before the sheer fucking majesty of the ‘79 original!!!

Thriller (Epic 1983)

“Thriller”

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s “Rhythm Trax – House Party Style”

Uptempo partee jam from the “He’s the DJ…I’m the Rapper” CD (which also gave “Parents Don’t Just Understand”)
NWA’s “100 Miles and Runnin’”

Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and MC Ren firin’ on all cylinders in this West Coast classic
Public Enemy’s “911 is a Joke”

From their masterpiece “Fear of a Black Planet” (which I also own on cassette – hah!!! Those were the days….).  Check out that familiar-sounding devilish cackle at 1:21 and 2:24.

“Human Nature”

Nas’s “It Ain’t Hard to Tell”

“…half-man, half-amazin’…”
SWV’s “Right Here”

Take a listen and observe how that song sample holds both tracks together

Now listen to MJ’s original version, recorded from his Dangerous concert tour…btw, that song was co-written by Toto’s Steve Porcaro.

“Lady in My Life”

LL Cool J’s “Hey Lover”

James Todd Smith + Boyz II Men’s crisp harmonies = a supple jam that manages to withstand the test of time.

The original “Lady In My Life” which is proof that if he was given the chance, MJ could give Usher and Jamie Foxx a run for their ‘tween-the-sheets money.

“Billie Jean” (Drums)

Aaliyah ft Slick Rick’s “Got to Give it Up”

The drum intro is unmistakably “Billie Jean”…
ODB’s “Got Your Money”

Neptunes-produced instrumental version highlighting those “BJ” drums

“P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)”

Monica’s “All Eyez On Me”

Live performance of title track from her 2008 CD from Jay Leno
Kanye West ft T-Pain’s “Good Life”

Behind the scenes in the making of the rotoscope-animated video
along with guests T-Pain & Lupe Fiasco

The original song from MJ…I could picture li’l Justin Timberlake & Ne-Yo listening to that song and setting their future career paths to the beat.

Bad (Epic 1991)

“Liberian Girl”

Tupac’s “Letter to My Unborn”

Yet another classic from the pen of the late Tupac Shakur.

Video with an all-star cast including Whoopi Goldberg, Carl Weathers, Paula Abdul, Cheech Marin, John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John…and directed by no less than Steven Spielberg!

For the complete list  – as well as info regarding the origins of most of today’s sampled beats across a wide range of genres, go on over to

http://the-breaks.com/perl/full.pl?genre=1&page=J

Music

Warning: may contain spoilers.

What made Michael Bay’s initial live-action adaptation of Hasbro’s toy line- turned-80’s-era-cartoon series Transformers so (guilt-pleasuringly) enjoyable was not just the way he managed to have real-life vehicles transform on-screen into humanoid robots (and vice versa) look so convincing,  he even gets these verbose hunks o’ metal to show a comic side.  Sure enough, the multi-million ka-chings in box offices around the world have not only made the world safe for giant-robot movies (hmmm…where’s Tobey Maguire’s mulled Robotech adaptation????) but also turned Disney-channel alum Shia LaBoeuf into a bonafide teen idol (not to mention making Megan Fox a self-minted sex symbol for the geek set)

This time around, in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it seems that chinks are already showing in the armor.  Continuing from the first movie, Sam Witwicky (LaBoeuf) is seen off to college, but not after nearly ripping up his folks’ home to shreds once again when his keepsake shard of the Allspark falls into the kitchen, turning the home appliances into mini-Transformers.  Reveling in his newly-found independence, Sam proceeds to distance himself from Mikaela (Fox), whose way with engines makes her useful in her father’s custom-bike shop.  There he gets himself a roommate in Leo (Ramon Rodriguez,  looking like Matthew McConaughey’s kid brother),  a self-styled online mini-mogul trafficking in cute-kitty calendars and caught-on-video conspiracies, as well as the (unwanted) attraction of the campus hot chick (Aussie newcomer Isabel Lucas)

As Bumblebee has to contend with a lower profile in Sam’s college life, his Autobot allies had to content with the collateral damage from a Shanghai skirmish that has their Diego Garcia-based joint exercises (with a US military contingent led by Josh Duhamel’s Cpl. Lennox character) censured by a senior bureaucrat.

Meanwhile, back at Cybertron, The Fallen gets restless and maps out his plan to seek vengeance upon Optimus Prime for what he had done to Megatron.  He sends the panther-like Ravager to Earth (through Soundwave -  now an orbiting satellite -  a clever nod to the cartoon series, where Ravager was a cassette tape), where he finds out that Sam holds the key in unlocking a device built millenia ago when Cybertron troops first attempted to colonise the Earth – an immense gun concealed in one of Egypt’s Pyramids, intent on destroying our Sun to mine Energon, a mineral upon which Cybertron’s inhabitants get their sustenance from.

Soon enough, a reluctant Witwicky (along with his even more reluctant parents) find themselves dragged into the Autobots vs. Decepticons conflict part deux.  Along the way, they meet up with former Decepticon Jetfire (a SR-71 with the voice and posture of a British WWI veteran) and  Simmons (John Turturro) who has fallen from heading a high-security-clearance government agency to schlepping out at his mom’s butcher shop (while carrying on with his X-files paranoid ramblings).

The evolution of JetFire (original Transformers cartoon, Transformers Armada version and artist rendering of final film version)

The Autobots may have missed Jazz (who was knocked off in one of the first film’s climactic battles) but they have able replacement(s) in the form of “the Twins” – aka Skid and Mudflap, whose “ghetto-kid” banter have unfortunately drawn comparisons with the infamous Gungan “pseudo-Rastafarian” Jar Jar Binks from George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels.   Sure, Jazz was also protrayed with a characteristic African-American “cool” ‘tude, but The Twins come off a tad too stereotypical with the jug ears and Skid’s gold tooth (good thing they did not go as far as putting thick lips or king-sized bling bling).

The "Twins" - Skid (green) and Mudflap (red-brown)

Needless to say, the robot fights are just as impressive as in the initial installment, particularly the forest fight where Optimus Prime nearly pawns Starscream with his arm-mounted blades (as well as in the aforementioned Shanghai skirmish).

The new robots are just as impressive (especially Autobots Sideswipe and Arcee) but definitely owning them is Devastator – formed from the union of all five Constructicons;  it’s a pity he gets pawned big-time by a ship-mounted railgun.  Can’t help but notice how Decepticon Wheelie – taking the form of a R/C 4X4 truck – resembles the titular hero of Disney/Pixar’s Wall-E when he takes on ‘bot form.

Separated at birth (or is it creation?)

Unfortunate racial stereotypes aside, I was a bit surprised that there were a number of cuss words (including references to Devastator’s “balls” as well as females of the canine specie) in a movie whose primary aim is to draw a whole lot of kids into cinema seats.  Let’s not get into the dorm scene where Leo’s leggy hot chick gets poor Sam into bed (much to the horror of a visiting Mikaela).  Maybe it was just a way to up the “eewww” count from the first (who couldn’t forget Bumblebee “pissing” on Agent Simmons???) but a similar scene turns up where Mamma Witwicky unwittingly helps herself to the contents of a dimebag on her son’s new campus.

Character-wise…well, this is a Transformers film,  so definitely,  humans are officially an afterthought (even if they prove to be valuable allies to the Autobots’ battle against the Decepticons.)   Somehow,  much missed in the whole affair is Anthony Anderson’s small-time hacker as well as Jon Voight’s US President (this installment recognizes the current Obama leadership, so Voight’s absence is all moot.)   Michael Bay, ever the conscious hack, never seems to have learned his lesson from Pearl Harbor, so he proceeds to slather cheese all over Sam & Mikaela’s relationship (cue in sun-backlit shot of Mikaela as she implores a near-dying Sam not to give up).

What made the first Transformers film memorable was the budding sense of cooperation between the humans and the robots (not to mention the latter picking up human characteristics).  Then again, if Skid and Mudflap are any indicator,  maybe Optimus Prime may change his mind and consider taking his whole troop back to Cybertron.

moviesMovie reviews

Again, it’s this time of the year when we officially welcome the Summer Blockbuster™ season – it’s that time when the event pictures all come rolling out, over here more or less day-to-date with the US (you know, piracy is such a pain the ass for Hollywood).

I can say, though, that the first real rays of hope came with last month’s Star Trek release, which not only warmed critics’ hearts with its rejuvenated and slicked-up take on the classic line-up but also forged arguments with “Trekkies” of all stripes regarding the narrative conveniences set up by filmmaker J. J. Abrams.   Chris Pine’s cocksure Captain Kirk nearly replaced Twilight bloodsucker Robert Pattinson as teen-age girls “geek” hunk du jour, while the likes of Anton Yelchin and Simon Pegg got to steal the show with their interpretations of fan favourites Chekhov and Scotty.

Terminator: Salvation was good in parts, but a tad too long and a bit too serious for its own good.  Where was the McG whose sly retro-wink humor turned both Charlie’s Angels movies into high-octane guilty pleasures???  Sad to say, X-Men Origins: Wolverine left me a lot wanting action-wise (could it be because I was expecting a lot more from Deadpool??)  What baffled me even more was that the Hugh Jackman starrer grossed more over here than the latest iteration of Gene Roddenberry’s legacy.

By the way, titles in orange are Tagalog releases while those in italics are must-sees.

June 3

Drag Me to Hell

International Trailer

Behind the scenes

I have already said my piece regarding my enthusiasm for Sam Raimi’s return to the horror fold.  Please feel free to read & comment on my review here.

Notorious

Trailer

Not the Hitchcock classic starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, but a biopic of slain rapper Christopher Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G., whose career rise and untimely death set the tone for hip-hop’s  continuing flirtation with sybaritic decadence and mortality.

From Within

Trailer

Baby Angelo
Dalaw

June 10

Shinjuku Incident

Trailer (w/ translations for us non-Mandarin Chinese speakers)

Say what you want regarding Jackie Chan’s foot-in-mouth statements regarding the state of freedom in China (dude, leave the politicking to…well, the politicians) but Chan can always be called upon to turn in a good performance.

Audiences in the West are used to seeing Jackie in comic or fantastic vehicles where he gets to highlight his martial-arts prowess,  so  Shinjuku Incident – where he plays a rather Everyman role as a Chinese immigrant going up against the Yakuza in the titular Tokyo district – should be quite difficult to get used to.   Likewise,  non- Japanese film productions usually find it hard to lens in downtown Tokyo, but with Chan’s favourable profile especially among the Japanese, the production were given carte blanche to run the streets.

Blood: The Last Vampire

US trailer

FYI, Gianna Jun (which kinda sounds like a well-known Harrison Ford character) is the Western screen name of Korean superstar Jeon Ji-Hyun (best known as the titular character in the original Korean My Sassy Girl film) who plays the burusera-clad, katana-wielding vampire slayer Saya in the live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime series directed by Chris (Kiss of the Dragon) Nahon.

Kamoteng Kahoy
UPCAT

Trailer

Thank the heavens for little blessings…a slice-of-life coming-of-age comedy about taking the entrance exams at the University of the Philippines.   No dewy Koreanovela-esque camera angles here, but solid, earnest portrayals and a dry, witty script should remind cynics (including moi) out there that there is still hope in Pinoy cinema.

Even if its heart beats to the bouncy beat of a Parokya ni Edgar ditty.

June 12

The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3

New trailer

Denzel Washington and John Travolta face off (hah, baaad pun alert!!!) in this remake of the Walter Matthau/Robert Shaw-starring 1973 thriller directed by Tony Scott (reuniting with his Man on Fire star) from a script by Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Payback)

Ending of the original film – look ma, no CGI!!!

June 24

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Clip of  “Wheelie” w/ Mikaela (Megan Fox) – ach, it’s in German!!!

“Demolisher” in Deutsch!!!

You can count on me lining up on the first day of this.  The first Transformers really exceeded my expectations, with its realistic robot battles and well-executed shape-shifting capabilities.  Nevertheless, director and pyrotechnic junkie Michael Bay manages to sneak in some humor – who couldn’t forget Optimus Prime and his Autobots trying to play inconspicuous around the unsuspecting Witwicky home? – while paying respect to the classic series by casting original Optimus Prime voice Peter Cullen to lend his mechanical basso profundo to his big-screen incarnation.

Speaking of robots, here are some of these making their big-screen bow this time around.

• Arcee, a pink Autobot motorbike ridden by Megan Fox (whose character Mikaela works in a custom bike shop) in the film
  
  

  Arcee in bike and robot forms

• Skids & Mudflap – aka “The Twins”;  the Autobots’ resident Zack & Cody are based upon the Chevrolet Beat and Trax concept cars.
  

  Skids & Mudflap in robot mode

  
  
  

  Skids (green) & Mudflap (red) flanking Bumblebee

• Jetfire – a former Decepticon who uses his inside knowledge to help out his new friends.  He takes on the form of  an SR-71 Blackbird.
  

  Jetfire in robot mode

  Interesting enough,  the Jetfire in the original animated series  resembled the Valkyrie robots in the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross anime series (aka Robotech: the Macross saga)

• Ravage, a Decepticon who takes on the form of a jaguar (the animal, not the automobile)
  
  

  Ravage in humanoid (biped) and jaguar forms

• Wheelie, a Decepticon spy who looks a helluva like Wall-E (whatta sideswipe -  bad pun alert!!! – to Disney/Pixar) and takes the form of a R/C 4WD truck (see above trailer)
• Devastator, the combined form of all five Constructicons – Scavenger, Scrapper, Longhaul, Hightower, Rampage, Overload and Mixmaster – who all pledge their service to the Decepticons under Starscream.
  

  Devastator in attack mode - run for your lives!!!

  Now that’s one totally baaad-aaaasssss bunch of ‘bots!!!

The Coffin

International trailer

More Thai horror coming our way…with a cast including HK star Karen Mok and Ananda Everingham (from the Pang Bros. original “Shutter”).

Mother of Tears

US trailer

It isn’t often that a film by Italian horrormeister Dario Argento sneaks by our shores (given that it gets the all-important oh-khay from the sticks-up-the-arses that is our MTRCB) but even then, the prognosis doesn’t look too good.

Makes you want to think (and ponder) – why is it all of the counter-programming to the impending Hollywood summer blockbuster deluge happens to be horror-oriented?   It would be nice if a comedy or two gets to sneak in…Pinoys would need a laugh or even a chuckle to get by all that political and economic uncertainty facing them, not gory, gruesome fare which makes them all the more morbid.

Which reminds me, whatever happened to “Paul Blart: Mall Cop”?  “Role Models”?  Judging from the trailers, it seems that “Adventureland” and “Year One” look promising.  It’s bad enough that “The Hangover”’s Philippine release has been pushed to August (along with “Up” and even “Land of the Lost”).

Anyway, here’s to the start of the Summer Blockbuster™ season this 2009!!!!

moviesmovie releases

In Poptopia, everyone’s a bitch!!!

Taken from this NME article.  Pardon me for my occasional kibitzing insides, but you just have to hand it especially to UK artists for polishing the fine art of unsubtle putting-down to new heights!

Bono on Chris Martin: “[He's] a completely dysfunctional character and a cretin. But he happens to be a great melodist.” (Radio 1, 2009)

Ian McCulloch on U2: “It was like, ‘Wanted: spud-peeler who can sing.’ And they were like, ‘Yes! I can peel the spuds, and you can tune the guitars’.” (Flaunt magazine, 2008)

Faris Badwan (The Horrors) on The Enemy: “You’ve got to hand it to these boys. They’re hungry, young and they’ve defied natural selection.” (NME Awards, 2008)

Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips) on Arcade Fire: “They have good tunes, but they’re pricks, so fuck ‘em.” (Rolling Stone, 2009)

Win Butler (Arcade Fire) on Wayne Coyne: “I hope I was less of a ‘prick’ than telling Rolling Stone that a bunch of people I don’t know at all are really assholes.” (Arcadefire.com, 2009)

Alan McGee to Brian Eno: “Was it your idea to dress Coldplay up as The Beatles? And when are you going to make a decent record again? The last one was in 1972, cunt.”

Brian Eno to Alan McGee: “Fuck off, wanker.” (Twitter, 2009)

Miley Cyrus on Radiohead (after being  ’snubbed’ by the band at the Grammys): “I was so upset. I wasn’t going to watch. Stinkin’ Radiohead! I’m gonna ruin them, I’m going to tell everyone.” (Johnjay and Rich radio show, 2009)

Radiohead on Miley Cyrus: “When Miley grows up, she’ll learn not to have such a sense of entitlement.” (Manager’s press statement, 2009)

(serves her right)

Richey Edwards (Manic Street Preachers) on shoegaze bands: “I will always hate Slowdive more than Hitler.” (NME, 1991)

Pete Doherty on Razorlight: “Johnny Borrell is a poisonous snake.” (NME 2005)

Cheryl Cole on Pete Doherty: “[He] is not a poet. He writes shit. He is a waste of fresh air.” (The Sun, 2007)

Lily Allen on Cheryl Cole: “I may not be as pretty as you but at least I write and sing my own songs without the aid of autotune. I must say taking your clothes off, doing sexy dancing and marrying a rich footballer must be very gratifying, your mother must be so proud, stupid bitch.” (Myspace blog, 2007)

Lily Allen on Victoria Beckham: “The Beckhams are sickening. Everyone knows Victoria is a monster. I’d rather shoot myself between the eyes than be a WAG (Wives And Girlfriends – referring to footballers’ significant others)” (SoFoot Magazine, 2009)

(owww…Wayne Rooney ditched you???)

Noel Gallagher on Kaiser Chiefs: “I did drugs for 18 years and I never got that bad as to say, ‘You know what? I think the Kaiser Chiefs are brilliant’.” (BBC Newsbeat, 2008)

Beth Ditto on Katy Perry: “['I Kissed A Girl' is] a boner dyke anthem for straight girls who like to turn guys on by faking gay. She’s just riding on the backs of [lesbian] culture.” (The London Paper, 2009)

Katy Perry on Beth Ditto: “I’m not impressed. I’ve learned in the past year that one artist should never insult another artist’s music — it’s tacky.” (The London Paper, 2009)

(soooo professional…but then what can one expect from a frustrated Christian-pop artist)

Paul Weller on Freddie Mercury.”He said he wanted to bring ballet to the working classes. What a cunt.” (Uncut, 2006)

Trent Reznor on Chris Cornell: “You know that feeling you get when somebody embarrasses themselves so badly YOU feel uncomfortable? Heard Chris Cornell’s record? Jesus.” (Twitter, 2009)

Chris Cornell on Trent Reznor: “Has anyone seen Judas? He was here a minute ago.”

Morrissey on Robert Smith: “A fat clown with make up weeping over a guitar.” (NME, 1989)

Robert Smith on Morrissey: “Morrissey’s so depressing… if he doesn’t kill himself soon, I probably will.” (NME, 1990)

Brandon Flowers on Fall Out Boy: “Emo is dangerous. There’s a creature inside me that wants to beat all those bands to death.” (NME, 2006)

Noel Gallagher on Jack White: “[He] did a song for Coca-Cola. He’s meant to be the posterboy for the alternative way of thinking. And he looks like Zorro on doughnuts.” (NME, 2005)

Eminem on Moby: “You thirty-six year-old bald-headed fag, blow me!” (’Without Me’, 2002)

Moby on Eminem: “He should lighten up. I mean, my mom was a bitch too, but I don’t go writing songs about it.” (MTV, 2003)

Corey Taylor (Slipknot) on Coldplay: “['Viva La Vida'] is one of the most self-celebratory pieces of shit I’ve ever fucking heard in my entire life. It’s music to wipe your ass to.” (MTV2, 2008)

Noel Gallagher on Keane: “Traditionally speaking, the three biggest twats in any band are the singer, the keyboardist and the drummer. I don’t need to say anything else.” (NME, 2008)

Patrick Wolf on La Roux: “The week I was dropped they signed her, and all the money that had been going into me was going into her. It was like they took Patrick Wolf and put it into a girl. Where I’m from, it’s not challenging.” (The London Paper, 2009)

Jon Bon Jovi on Axl Rose: “That motherfucker hasn’t made a record in 13 years and he gets all that attention. You know what I’ve done in 13 years? A lot.” (New York Post, 2006)

(yeah,  if you can own up to John Carpenter’s Vampires:  Los Muertos)

Kurt Cobain on Axl Rose: “Ever since the beginning of rock and roll, there’s been an Axl Rose. And it’s just boring. It’s totally boring to me. He’s such an egotistical person that he thinks that the whole world owes him something.” (Melody Maker, 1991)

(given the market reception to Chinese Democracy,  it’s open season for bashing the Rosemeister)

Courtney Love on Dave Grohl: “Dave gets to walk away unscathed and be the happy guy in rock, when he’s one of the biggest jerks. He’s been taking money from my child for years.” (Spin, 2005)

Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic on Courtney Love: “Irrational, mercurial, self-centered, unmanageable, inconsistent and unpredictable… a greedy prima donna with a waning recording and acting career.” (Lawsuit, 2003)

Sharon Osbourne on (Iron Maiden’s) Bruce Dickinson: “[He] has a chip on his shoulder. The bottom line is, it’s not my fault that his solo records are shit.” (Attitude, 2005)

Bruce Dickinson on Sharon Osbourne: “In her world, facelifts are really important. In my world, I don’t give a fuck. I get old and I get wrinkly. Who gives a shit?” (Close-Up magazine, 2006)

Josh Homme on Sharon Osbourne: “The question is, do I actually care if Sharon likes me? It’s like, ‘Hitler doesn’t like you.’ Big deal. What’s she going to do, breathe on me?” (KTVU.COM, 2007)

50 Cent on Kanye West: “It’s not possible for Kanye to beat me. It’s like the teddy bear versus the gorilla. Kanye sucks.” (AJ’s Playhouse, 2007)

Kanye West on 50 Cent: “It’s almost like if a little kid walks up to you at the airport and is like, ‘Man, I love you so much’ – and then you spit on him.” (MTV, 2007)

Etta James on Beyonce. “She’s gonna get her ass whupped. I can’t stand her. She has no business up there, on a big ol’ President day, singing my song (’At Last’) that I’ve been singing forever.” (TMZ, 2009)

(now that is what I call a bitchfest, pt. I)

Tom Clarke (The Enemy) on Arctic Monkeys: “[The first album] was top. And then I was bitterly disappointed when I got the second – just dull.” (The Mirror, 2008)

Liam Fray on The Enemy: “That band are a bunch of little fucking pricks.” (NME, 2007) Pic: PA Photos

Liam Gallagher on The Enemy (who were originally lined up to support Oasis at Heaton Park): “Having read an interview with Tom Clarke apparently Oasis are past it? Do you want to go on first or what, you little fucker?” (Twitter, 2009)

(fits their name – The Enemy sure knows how to make lots of them)

My Chemical Romance on Marilyn Manson: “If Elvis Costello said we sucked we would think about it a bit – but usually it is comments from someone with a new record to promote, so the remarks ring hollow.” (Rock Sound, 2007)

Christina Aguilera on Fred Durst: “You didn’t get no nookie! Screw you! He made such an ass out of himself and looks like a scumbag to everyone. End of story.” (MTV, 2003)

Perez Hilton on Lily Allen: “She has no sense of humour. She takes herself way too seriously.” (PerezHilton.com, 2009)

Mike Patton on Red Hot Chili Peppers: “They had us [Mr Bungle] kicked off several festival bills. That’s so fucking pathetic! I mean, this guy’s selling a million records, we are not even a speck of dust on this guy’s ass. What’s the fucking problem?” (The Onion, 1999)

Sammy Hagar on David Lee Roth (pictured), who preceded him as vocalist in Van Halen: “He’s half the singer and half the performer he used to be. He spray paints his hair on, and acts like it’s 1982. It’s like Liberace. It’s a joke.”

Frank Carter (Gallows) on Sex Pistols: “They were a bunch of junkies. They mean nothing to me. They were intent on destroying everything, themselves first.” (ShockHound.com, 2008)

Mark ‘E’ Everett on The Beatles: “John Lennon sings about peace because he’s a woman-beater. Hippies are so full of shit.” (Uncut Magazine, 2009)

Morrissey on Elton John: “He is pushing his face in all the time and telling us about his private life. Nobody’s interested. He should just go away.” (NME, 1987)

(now that is what I call a bitchfest, pt. II)

Lars Ulrich on Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine: “He was in our band (Metallica) for a year, and it was 22 years ago. It’s sad and pathetic that [being kicked out] still can be that big a deal.” (So What!, 2006)

Music

David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine

RIP, David Carradine (1936-2009)

The 72-year-old actor was found dead at a hotel room closet in Bangkok, Thailand where he was close to wrapping up his shoot for the action film “Stretch”.  According to Thai police, the cause of death was accidental strangulation brought about by autoerotic arousal, as there was rope knotted around his neck and his genitalia.

I still have fond memories of Carradine roaming the Old West and taking on gun-slingin’ cowboys with his Shaolin-trained moves and stoic calm in the original Kung Fu series (which used to air over at IBC 13 locally).   What also baffled me, even at that time, was not just how a gweilo like Carradine can pull it off playing a half-American Shaolin disciple but also carry out these intricate moves with great conviction (well,  it helps that Carradine was – and still is – a practicing martial artist with a background in dance).  Interestingly, there was a persistent rumour (boosted by the biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) that Bruce Lee himself pitched the idea of the Kung Fu series as a starring vehicle for himself (who felt that playing Kato in the Green Hornet reinforced negative Asian stereotypes)

Part 4 of pilot telefilm for the original Kung Fu series

The Tao of Caine (also from the pilot episode)

In its original run (there were a total of three Kung Fu series, including Kung Fu: The Next Generation starring Brandon Lee – yet another one who has been taken so young,  just like his old man – and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, which had Carradine playing Kwai’s own grandson) the series boasted of guest apprearances from Don Johnson, Pat Morita, Leslie Nielsen and even Harrison Ford and Jodie Foster.

It was also quite surprising to find out that Carradine has had over 100 feature films in his CV,  not to mention innumerable TV series guest appearances.  On the big screen, he has worked alongside the likes of directors Martin Scorsese, Hal Ashby (who cast Carradine as celebrated folk singer Woody Guthrie in Bound for Glory), Ingmar Bergman and Quentin Tarantino, who originally wanted Warren Beatty to play the titular character in both Kill Bill movies.  Tarantino suggested that Beatty attack the character just like Carradine’s Caine, so Beatty suggested he hire Carradine himself.

After all, this tough motherfucker took on Chuck Norris once – and no one, NO ONE, in his right frame of mind, ever messes with Chuck Norris!!!

Carradine faces off against the Chuck Norris

David Carradine as "Bill" in Kill Bill

David Carradine faces Uma Thurman in Kill Bill vol. 2

Can’t forget this particular monologue:

Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there’s the superhero and there’s the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he’s Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red “S”, that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears – the glasses, the business suit – that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent. He’s weak… he’s unsure of himself… he’s a coward. Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race.

Ever the tireless professional,  Carradine kept himself active with appearances on both big screen and small…whether it was in the Rob Schneider comedy Big Stan or the high-octane Jason Statham actioner Crank: High Voltage.

Just before leaving for Thailand, Carradine filmed a guest appearance for an episode of the new Fox psychiatric drama Mental.

His zest for life and prodigious spirit shall be greatly missed.

moviestelevision

Just last week, I got to finish viewing the oh-so-obviously-titled “Bruce Campbell vs. Army of Darkness: The Director’s Cut”. Apparently enough, that installment has Bruce’s “boomstick”-wieldin’ hero Ash literally exiled to the Middle Ages thanks to that cursed book The Necronomicon. He finds himself the reluctant hero and saviour of a village being threatened by a skeletal zombie army straight out of Ray Harryhausen’s workshop.

Apparently so, Sam Raimi’s latest film  – and his return into the horror field after winning the hearts of critics and audiences (rabid fanbois and otherwise) worldwide with the Spider-Man trilogy – comes into our shores a week after opening in the US to generally rave reviews  (at last count, 93% in Rotten Tomatoes).  Even as it is rated PG-13 Stateside, it is likewise rated R-13 over here with relatively minor alterations…which puzzles me since it doesn’t relish in the gratuitous bloodthirstiness or over-the-top T&A of recent horror excursions.

Yes, it is an original story from director Sam & his brother/writing partner Ivan; now that’s refreshing in an age which has seen ripping off Asian titles and the mercifully-short-lived “torture-porn” craze being replaced by strip-mining ’80s classics, with reimaginings of the Betamax-era icons like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger up the pipeline.   Sad to say, that trend has made much of recent Hollywood horror look so po-faced silly;  so Team Raimi here gives us Drag Me To Hell.

For the record, I’m not a horror fan (at least most of what passes for that post-Saw) but I do have a soft spot for horror films that never forget to inject humour to leaven out the atmosphere without using dead bodies for cheap gags.

Alison Lohman (looking a lot like Anna Paquin circa True Blood, albeit without the Suthhun acsint) is Christine Brown, an Iowa farm girl made good in sunny California as a bank loan officer.  Like many in her position, she lusts after the assistant manager’s chair, not so much for her own career satisfaction but also to please the richie-rich parents of her shrink boyfriend, Clay (Justin Long); she faces opposition in the form of Stan Rubin (Reggie Lee) whose compulsive brown-nosing and expertise with numbers makes him the manager’s choice to fill that seat.

One day, an old woman comes and requests for a loan; Christine denies, then the gran goes totally bat-shit on the bank floor, prompting her to call security.  After her shift, as Christine is about to drive herself home, the old woman – Mrs. Ganush, a Romani true and true – viciously attacks her, snatching one of her coat buttons and uttering a curse on it, which promises on the third day to…well, you know why the film is so titled.

UK trailer

The next three days may as well seem to be the longest for Christine as she runs to her boyfriend for help;  a tension-relieving date brings them to a spiritualist, while a “Meet the Parents” scenario nearly becomes a recipe for relationship disaster no thanks to the actions of an ordinary housefly.   All along the way, Clay displays a remarkable amount of fortitude and resolve which would have sent lesser men scampering out the door.  Christine, on the other hand, practically morphs into the female version of Bruce Campbell’s Ash character from the Evil Dead trilogy, with the abovementioned cursed button becoming the new Necronomicon along the process (interestingly, Christine was supposed to be played by Juno star Ellen Page, who doesn’t come off too convincing as a loan arranger, though)

True enough, there are a number of sly winks to Raimi’s Evil Dead trilogy, particularly in Mrs. G’s choice of wheels; that should more than compensate for the seeming absence of his usual repertory players such as Campbell and J. K. Simmons.   In keeping to the PG-13 rating, Raimi makes use of proper comic timing and a whole lot of tongue-in-cheek to punctuate the scares; Christine’s encounters with the old gypsy (and her handkerchief) recall Ash’s Three Stooges-inspired war with the mini-Ashes from Army of Darkness.

Can’t find the scene with the mini-Ashes, but this really bony scene should be equally up the alley

It has yet to be seen if Drag Me To Hell may prompt me to dig out the scary treats from my Betamax’d youth,  but this sure got this certified horror-averse moviegoer (who has sworn not to see any of the Saw movies or its derivatives/rip-offs over my dead body) squirming on his cinema seat.

Looks like Shaun of the Dead is bound to have some company in my DVD rack eventually…

movies Movie reviews

Terminator Salvation, honestly, got me sleeping in some parts (in spite of the THX-enhanced sound).  Could it be because what that film really needed was a sense of humor, one that was present (surprisingly enough) in the first two Terminator films headlining Austrian-born muscleman-turned-actor Arnold Schwarzenegger (before he swore allegiance to Uncle Sam and governorship to the State of Calfornia).

No doubt about it, Joseph McGinty “McG” Nichol is a competent action director with a weakness for eye candy, which is not surprising given his background doing music videos.  Nevertheless, he also managed to prove himself capable in period character-driven dramas like the uplifting football flick We Are Marshall.

In Terminator: Salvation, we are presented with the aftermath of Judgement Day, triggered by the battle between Ah-Nuld™’s Terminator and T-X (Kristianna Loken).  Skynet, the omniscient AI dominating the future, has dispatched mechanical constructs called Terminators, programmed for one and only one purpose: kill any bipedal, sentient being on the battle-scarred future world.

In this self-same world,  John Connor walks, searching for his missing father Kyle Reese (played, head-scratchingly, by Anton Yelchin – yep, the hyper-caffeinated scene-stealer Chekhov from Star Trek) upon hearing old cassette tapes left by his late mother (voice courtesy of the one and only Linda Hamilton).  Before long, his paths cross with Marcus Wright (played by a I-can’t-believe-he’s-a-vegemite-munchin’-rugby-lovin’-Aussie Sam Worthington), an ex-con driven to redemption – even when it means being implanted with cyborg parts.

The FX work is stupendous, no less, especially with the design of the giant robots that detach from their airborne units and pluck humans from their habitats like strawberries at harvest time.  Apparently the PDs must have been brushing up to the latest Japanese mecha anime titles.

Underneath all these explosions and (relatively mild) violence, McG forgot to provide characters that we could possibly sympathize with.  Maybe it is because he’s preoccupied with setting up the requisite fanboy buttons (you guessed it, these cameo appearances by canon characters.)   It is evident that Bale did manage to pull production strings to the extent of diminishing Worthington’s otherwise pivotal role of Wright.

What the FUCK are you doing?  Are you professional – or not??

Helena Bonham Carter (??) and even Common are left with not too much to chew on, character-wise.  Moon Bloodgood provides much needed potential T & A appeal, but sadly, she stays rather clothed much of the time.

moviesMovie reviews

As I have posted in my previous column, our good ol’  Department of Finance has gone through and amended Order 17-09 calling for taxation of all reading materials imported into this country last April 27.

Vlog posted by Youtube subscriber Komikero

Please sign up here:  No to the Philippine Book Blockade!!!

(I’m #833 on the petition list)

My humble bookshelf

Let us not flag with our determination just because some silly “sex video” scandal is presently occupying so much print and blog space (see related post) over here.   Remember, we are not just talking about millions  of Filipinos who find themselves immediately denied access to the latest Dan Brown, Stephanie Meyer or J. K. Rowling titles no thanks to the shortsightedness of some government officials who definitely must know better.

We are talking about the slow, painful death of reading in this country.

If you ever try catching a US TV show or movie in, let’s say, Japan, Thailand or India, you may notice that they generally provide subtitles for their respective local audiences.  It is also the same way whenever Star Movies would broadcast French films on their “French Kiss” time slot (Fridays, 9:00 pm TWN/PHL).  As a matter of preference, when I catch Japanese anime, I prefer subtitles to dubs (whether it be in English or even Tagalog).

It is sad to hear that reading is becoming a dying art over here…it is even getting more and more difficult to bump casually into friends whose libraries carry more than just the abovementioned Brown, Meyer and Rowling (no offense, though, to Harry Potter and Twilight fans).  I have always considered myself a voracious reader ever since I first got turned to Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew by a couple of elementary-school classmates.  Not long after, I discovered Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the works of Enid Blyton… and my reading habits have never been the same again.

By the time I discovered fantasy in college (while roasting my ass in the sun as required by ROTC), instead of J. R. R. Tolkien or Robert E. Howard, I went straight for Michael Moorcock’s baroque, atmopspheric tales.  Later, I would go for Fritz Leiber which has since turned me on to H. P.  Lovecraft.  I just felt that I didn’t have the patience for Tolkien’s somewhat simplistic pastoral take on the genre (even if I have seen all 3 Lord of the Rings films) or Howard’s muscle-headed prose of the adventures of the mighty-thewed Conan.

As per UNESCO Senior Legal Officer John Donaldson’s statement in the UNACOM (Unesco Action Commission) position re the taxation of imported books in this country, “The Philippines, as a Party to the Florence Agreement, must respect the principle…that treaties in force are binding upon the parties and must be performed in good faith…it(the Philippines) will be in breach of its obligations under the Agreement“

We should not be bowed int0 complacency or apathy in the face of the inevitable.   We don’t need publicity-hound starlets or attention-craving do-nothing senators to let our voices be heard.

By the way, thanks Mr. Quezon for including my blogsite on your list.

Philippine politics
Pinoy culture

A Brief, Concise History of White Rappers

Contrary to popular belief, white rappers have always been around for just as long as hip-hop has been.   Many contemporary music historians cite The Clash’s seminal 1980 single “The Magnificent Seven” from their ambitious “triple” LP Sandinista! to be the first-ever attempt by a rock act to incorporate hip-hop rhythms and cadences.

The Clash – “The Magnificent 7 (album version)” video courtesy of shark3dx

However, Blondie’s 1981 release “Rapture” to be the very first “white” hip-hop record to top the US charts,  even if the “rap” part is confined to Debbie Harry’s bridge freestyle (which was – and still is – a essential component in most crossover singles, whether be R&B or rock) with its “shout-outs” to NYC graffiti-art pioneer Fab 5 Freddy.

Blondie, “Rapture” live in Louisville, KY  June 24, 2008

Incidentally, both “Rapture” and the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” (which was released also simultaneously, with Fab 5 Freddy on board) borrowed a lick from Chic’s 1979 hit “Good Times”.

Excerpt: white suit solo from the “Rapture” video

A few years later, just a stone’s throw away from where Blondie shot the clip for “Rapture”, three Jewish boys from the thriving punk/hardcore scene came together and formed The Beastie Boys.  Under the tutelage of Rick Rubin, whose work with Run-DMC got him the attention of Def Jam Records, this trio unleashed “Licensed to Ill” to the world in 1986.

Rap has indeed gone mainstream in the US as well as much of the rest of the world as the crossover promised by Run-DMC & Aerosmith in “Walk This Way” has reached its acme in “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)”; the Beasties crystallised much of early hip-hop’s anti-authoritarian attitude on that single, buoyed up by Slayer axeman Kerry King’s monster riffs.  “…Fight for Your Right…” has since gone down in history as a major frat-house anthem.

The Beastie Boys would follow up with the ambitious, sample-heavy 1998 release “Paul’s Boutique”, whose sheer sonic density would have Rolling Stone magazine comparing it to such landmark rock albums as Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” and The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds”.    That was going to be their initial release after departing Def Jam (which was then distributed by CBS) for EMI/Capitol.  In their place, erstwhile labelmates 3rd Bass (which had 2 white MCs and an African-American DJ) dropped “The Cactus Album” where they engaged in verbal beefs with the Beasties as well as MC Hammer, whose flashy dance moves and “balloon trousers” gave a minstrel-show ignominy to hip-hop.

Nothing could compare, however, to the breakout success – and eventual backlash – in the scene that would be attributed to one Robert Van Winkle, aka Vanilla Ice.  Born in Dallas, Texas but raised in Miami, Florida, Robert was propped up to be hip-hop’s “Elvis” by an overzealous manager, who managed to cook up a “street cred” for his fair-skinned protege.  That landed him a record deal with EMI affiliate SBK records and a global No. 1 album “To The Extreme”.   Just as the real King of Rock ‘n’ Roll appropriated the efforts of African-American scene pioneers like Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley and sold it to impressionable suburban (ergo, white) teens, Vanilla Ice aped MC Hammer’s (already obnoxious) stage presence (and outsized pants) – and topped it off with an Elvis-ian coif.

OMFG, indeed…go ninja go ninja go!!!

Jim Carrey shows up Vanilla Ice for the asshat that he really is

Yet another white guy would find similar success in the field at about the same time.   Not just content with seeing big brother Donnie taste fame as part of New Kids On The Block,  Mark Wahlberg flexed his pecs and dropped a CD -  nope, make that two – with The Funky Bunch:

Live performance of “Good Vibrations”

As Vanilla Ice’s fabricated “street life” gimmick was blowing up in his – and his handlers’ – faces, 3rd Bass were quick to the draw with their video for “Pop Goes the Weasel”.   Featuring a Peter Gabriel sample (”Sledgehammer”), this video would give this trio their only US Top 40 hit.   As for Mark, he dropped his trousers for Calvin Klein…Hollywood came a-calling, and the rest is history.

Check out Henry Rollins as a Vanilla Ice look-alike with a Stars ‘n’ Stripes bike jacket and Johnny Bravo hair

By the early 1990s, The Beastie Boys managed to distance themselves from the Vanilla Ice meltdown by unleashing the rock-influenced “Check Your Head” and “Ill Communication”.  Both albums are notable for seeing the Beasties try out funk and jazz influences as well.  Meanwhile, House of Pain would enjoy considerable success with “Jump Around” which name-checked stereotypes associated with their Irish-American heritage; they received enthusiastic support from the likes of DJ Muggs and Pete Rock.

The Beastie Boys, meanwhile, manage to soldier on in the new millenium with stunning releases such as “Hello Nasty” and “To The Five Boroughs” which saw them pay tribute to past masters of the genre while keeping their rhymes relevant.   Meanwhile, the likes of El-P and Atmosphere manage to thrive primarily because their “backpack”  fanbase would not permit them to prance around on stage like total douchebags.

El-P  – “Flyentology” (f. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails)

El-P – “Smithereens (Stop Cryin’)”

Atmosphere – “God Loves Ugly”

Atmosphere – “Sunshine”

It would however take one Marshall Mathers, whom the world will now know as Eminem, to restore the bankability of Caucasian talent on the hip-hop scene.   Eminem came out bursting from Detroit, once the birthplace of the Motown sound, now a graveyard for the Great American Dream.  Refining the formula etched by El-P and his cronies from the Definitive Jux school of underground hip-hop,  he was a hungry, homicidal mofo who doesn’t flinch when describes murdering his wife in sight of their own daughter.   The brutal honesty of his lyrics caught the attentive ear of hip-hop producer/label boss Dr. Dre, who was initially met with skepticism among insiders when he unveiled “Rap’s Great White Hope”.

These haters wound up eating their words, as that partnership has led to 5 multi-platinum albums,  equally plentiful Grammy nods and an Academy Award nomination (for “Lose Yourself” from the semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile, where he also received rave reviews for his acting performance), as well as his own imprint/label and clothing line.

Now, as Eminem is about to drop his latest release, Relapse, yet another promising white guy is coming up to bat.  Unlike his labelmate, Asher Roth grew up in a middle-class suburban household, but he is managing to come out on his own with the singles “I Love College” and “As I Em” from his debut CD “Asleep in the Bread Aisle” (a not-too-subtle dig at his “white”-ness).

Asher breaks it down on how he first started listening to hip-hop

Asher on those Eminem comparisons

“Sour Patch Kids” & “She Don’t Want A Man” live at the Key Club in Los Angeles

What really matters, though, is that these rappers are just being themselves, having fun spittin’ out rhymes and keepin’ the crowds movin’.   When you listen to the radio, the first thing that should come in mind is not whether he/she is white, black, brown or even yellow but whether he/she is being true to him/herself.

Music