Six Words

The Moon Shall Shine Bright Tonight.

Telepopmusik – Just Breath

Here’s a really cool vid I came across.  The dancing is actually really good. Perfect song to have playing in the background while one studies.

Six Words

Just when we thought we knew…

Six Word Story

Out of shear luck, I came across a unique page  on the McGill University website.  Its called One Life Six Words.

The jist of it is this:  Hemingway once wrote, “For sale. Baby shoes.  Never worn.”  He claimed that it was a six word story.  How it is widely accepted as a literary form.  McGill has taken this literary form and has allowed its students and faculty as well as anyone else to write a six word story and submit it for all to see.

So for example, someone wrote, “Everything my father said was true.”  Someone else wrote, “When bombs fell, I found myself.”

To me, this is such an amazing concept.  I discovered this a few nights ago and I wished I had found out about this long before.  I just find it amazing that one is able to tell a tale in only six words.  Some of the stories on the site are so profound, its amazing how a few words can have such great impact.

I thought about it, and I think I am going to employ this literary form on my blog from time to time.  Lets see how far I can take this.

Here is the link to the McGill website I was talking about.

Start Wearing Purple!

So I got lost yesterday in the Youtubes of the Internets and I happened to stumble upon the Urban Prankser/Improve Everywhere website.  These are the guys that do live public art all over the world.  Anyways, one of the guys from Improve Everywhere was approached by Yahoo to do an ad for their ‘Start Wearing Purple’ website.  The jist of this add is that a women (an actor or agent as IE terms them) gets on an elevator and begins singing “start wearing purple” by Gogol Bordello.  Meanwhile there’s another agent in the elevator that tries to stir a light reaction from the other two strangers in the elevator.  She sing is kinda aloud to herself until they hit the next floor where another agent gets on seeing that the first agent is singing the song.  Before you know it both the agents begin singing.  By the time the third floor comes there’s a young guy (agent) who’s listening to the song on his IPod very loudly.  All of a sudden all three of these agents begin singing the song and dancing.  The forth floor surprises the strangers in the elevator when a guitarist and a drummer add to the festivities on this weird elevator ride.  As soon the 5th floor (what I am assuming to be the main floor of the building) arrives, all the agents stop abruptly and get off the elevator.  The strangers (and the actor agent stirring them up) are literally floored as they don’t know what just happened.  As they get off the elevator, four other agents get on to the elevator wearing nothing but purple. 

Watch the video below and you’ll get a better sense of the ad.  Its actually a very creative and brilliant idea on the part of IE.  Not only is the song catchy and sticks to your brain like glue, but the fact that they did it live with hidden cameras to total strangers made it all the better.  They ended up doing the same bit 15 other times to various people who were fortunate enough to step into that elevator that day.  You can find the rest of the videos and behind the scenes stuff at www.startwearingpurple.com

This sorta stuff only happens in New York City.

(P.S For all you Y! purists out there, here is the original link to the vid, playing in a yahoo video player which I don’t know how to embed into my blog: Yahooooo!

What I Have Learned This Week

Aside from learning (semester after semester) what a pain it is to write essays hours before they are due, I have come to the complete realization that I am absolutely in love with television.  During my times of procrastination, I would frequently be surfing youtube for clips of various shows.  I am really starting to believe that those that work on television are extremely lucky and I assume they are happy. 

Right now, I am in the midst of downloading three shows that have since departed: Felicity, Freaks and Geeks, and Undeclared.  I was always intrigued by the ladder two shows but never really got into Felicity.  But lately, I don’t know, for some reason, it seems like a very intriguing show and very interesting story.  I will probably spend the majority of my Christmas holidays watching this show.  And after Superbad came out, I am starting to realize just how creative Seth Rogan and his crew really are. 

So what is it about television that captures me?  Now that I look back, I have always been into tv.  Ever since I was a kid, I was always glued to the TV.  Whether it was watching the news, or kids shows or prime time, I always found television to be fascinating.  As I grew older, I became intrigued with the beauty that is prime time television.  I think what really gets me is what television truly is: art.  Everything about television makes me intrigued.  The lighting, the angles, dialogue, the writing, the acting, music….everything.  I even find myself sitting there critiquing commercials. 

Even when I am doing homework at home, I’ll be sitting at my desk with the TV on the Weather Network or something with the volume muted.  Its almost like as if its some sort of companion, an imaginary friend.  The biggest thing about television though is the escapism.  Its like this constant escape from the reality of a not so wonderful life.  Just the fact that I can get away from it all with literally a click of a button is like the most amazing thing to me.  And now that television is on the net and on DVD, its even better.  You can actually watch shows that came to and end long ago or got cancelled.  Ive got all the Greg The Bunny Episodes on my computer!  And its only getting better.  Tivo, hi def, flat screens and all that great stuff is only enhancing the whole television experience.  I can’t even imagine what it will be like 10 years from now. 

I think that if I were not into what I am, I would probably seek a career in television.  The only downside to it is that it seems like the whole industry is very volatile with respect to jobs, especially for actors.  But nevertheless, it just seems like some of the greatest creative potential comes out on television.  And it also seems like because television is so readily available, many of us take this art for granted and don’t realize all the hard work that goes into creating these shows that we watch every day and the beauty that materializes out this work. 

I am literally the only person that I have met that feels this passionately about TV.  Mind you, I am the audience so I have a completely different perspective on it. Those that actually work in the industry may be able to pick out the flaws in what I have said.  And I can admit, there is a hint of romanticism in my perspective.  But even so, I honestly think, and I know this may sound lame, TV is one of the better things in my life and I am so glad to have it.  I wouldn’t give it up for anything. 

I love television.