YouTube in 1985

I'm still waiting on my "Tight Bootyshakers" video.

Stephen Colbert's Speech at the White House Correspondent's Dinner pt. 1-3

I ran into this somehow and remembered how brave (read: gangsta) this cat had to be to pull this off . Comedian, Stephen Colbert basically gave the finger to the U.S. government and made them laugh while doing it, right in front of the President. This was history in the making to me. Plus I love stand-up. This is old, but I figured I'd put it up. If you're even semi-aware of what is going on in the world and have something resembling a vocabulary (I'll just assume you do) you'll appreciate this.

Balls? Spheres is more like it. I salute you Mr. Colbert.

In case you weren't aware, Stephen Colbert is more gangsta than any rapper ever. ... Any. ... Ever.

Hot Links

For the record, before I begin (I'm trademarking that), Current TV is probably my favorite channel. I stop by their site from time to time, and find some interesting stuff on there. They get probably thousands of links to news and entertainment stories every day. So, I just gathered a few that I thought were interesting (disturbing and scary as well). Here are some links to some of the stories. I know some of the fonts below look a little bit off, but it's 5:48 a.m. (disregard the time below), and I don't want to talk about it. I'm going to sleep. Good morning.
(I see the fonts look OK now, 6:14 p.m.)

• The first person to undergo plastic surgery - Telegraph
• Cuba rock band blasts Cuban government, charged with "social dangerousness" - Pornopararicardo (CNN Video)
• Girl set on fire for rejecting marriage proposal - Bild
• Double standard for threats on Presidential candidates - Firedoglake
• Black assault helicopters hover over Portland during Michelle Obama's DNC speech - Indymedia
• Slavery haunts America's plantation prisons - Truthout

R. City (aka Rock City) Showcase at Area

Before I begin, for the record, I think Rock City (brothers, Theron and Timothy, and I'm not calling them R. City no matter what legal papers say) will be bigger than Akon, and I think they are better musicians/songwriters than Akon. I'm not taking anything away from him at all. He's one of if not the biggest artist on Earth. ... Well, I still think Rock City are better musicians/songwriters.

I don't think I've ever had such a great time at an industry function. It was the perfect combination of celebrities, "regular people," and silicone. Anyone I've talked to on the subject knows I feel that no city in America can compete with Miami (maybe I'm biased; that's so not journalism, but we're just talking here, right?) when it comes to beautiful women, but I will say this, if Miami is Michael Phelps then Los Angeles was Milorad Cavic tonight. L.A.'s beautiful women came out on this Monday night (yes, Monday).

Another reason I had such a great time was due to publicist/event planner, Jasmine Vega. I met Jasmine about a month and a half ago, but never worked with her. I've worked with many publicists and event planners over the years, but she may have been the most pleasant to work with thus far, not to shun the other great ones.

One thing that impressed me about Jasmine was her ability to balance work and play (which is really all work in the PR world) so seamlessly. I've seen many do it but never with such cool. One minute it was drinks and small talk with labelfolk and journalists, next minute it was off to see how Raven Symone was doing, then back to entertaining labelfolk and journalists like she never left. We talked shop for a little and I found out that she did PR for The Wu-Tang Clan when they first came out. That really impressed me. I can just image that meeting.

"So, Jasmine we have a new client we want you to handle. They're a Hip Hop group from Saten Island. They're called The Wu-Tang Clan. One of them wears really pointy rings, another one wears white contacts. One is an old, dirty bastard. One is a genius and one wears a mask at all times. Oh yeah, and there's four more of them. They're great. They're really into Kung Fu flicks. You'll love them. ... How do you feel about fangs?"

Jamsine greeted me with a huge smile and hug. Next thing I was invited to a drink. I was warned that the Rock City signature drink of the night was blue and might contain an umbrella, a reasonable gesture in West Hollywood. I was told I could have that or whatever I wanted, but I was game and secure in my manhood. Bring on the umbrella. Later on I found out that the Rock City signature drink of the night may have actually been a Blue Hawaiian (in this case, coconut rum, blue Curacao and pineapple juice, topped with a cherry. ... And an umbrella). As I took the drink in my hand I remembered that I had just started the master cleanse (aka the lemonade diet) this morning. I couldn't turn my drink away now. That would be rude. I had never had a blue Hawaiian until this point. I now like Blue Hawaiians. ... And nicely tanned Hawaiians of the female sort for that matter. After the blue Hawaiian came a few more drinks courtesy of some record execs I had just met. Master cleanse? I'll start tomorrow.

Rock City took the stage around midnight if I remember correctly and performed for about half an hour (if I remember correctly). They put on a good show. Their energy was ridiculous as expected, and the crowd, for an industry crowd, was pretty into. The duo ran and jumped all over the place. I thought the bartender would have been a bit cooler and let Timothy perform on the bar when he jumped on there. ... Wrong.

I'm not a big fan of red carpet/club photography. Shooting a performance is fine, but I don't enjoy shooting people while they're partying, celebrity or not. L.A. is different from Miami in this sense. Miami has more of a "Leave me alone. I'm trying to smoke my weed" mentality. However, in L.A. people want to be seen, so it's a little easier out here. There were a lot of celebrities in the house, but I let them chill for the most part. Who am I to interrupt their inebriation process. Besides, like I said before, club photography, not my thing. A bunch of folks came out like: Evan Ross, Ben Baller, directors Jesse and Ulysses Terrero, Sean Kingston, DJ Irie and DJ Vertigo from Miami and some others. After Rock City performed Tyga jumped on stage for a few songs. I have some of the pictures at my Myspace. I would've put them here, but I thought it might have been a bit much, and Blogger didn't like me at the time anyway.

Lisa Raye was also in the house. She looked really nice with her short hair and a smile that stayed lit. On one of my final rounds around the club before leaving I walked by her and a friend she was with, some actress I recognized but whose name I couldn't remember. This was the highlight of the night for me. Why? As I walked by I heard the unidentified actress yelling out, "Gay. ... Gay, gay. ... Gay," while pointing at approximately every other guy that walked by. She then looked at me. ... "Not you," she said with a smile. She's gooood. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I helped her up some stairs about 30 minutes prior. Maybe it's the fact that I'm straight. Either way. ...

Why didn't I holler at her? ... Oh yeah; it's because I'm an idiot. She was !@#$%&* gorgeous. Honestly, sometimes it feels like you need a three-picture deal or a Grammy to talk to some of these women out here, especially at industry parties, but that's another blog. I should've rolled the dice anyway. Ah well, L.A. is a small town. I'm sure I'll see her again. What was I writing about again?

Anyway.

I left before I go into any trouble or got someone pregnant or woke up with a rash of some sort or co-signed for a car or something.

When I first got to L.A., The Highlands in Hollywood was my favorite spot, then it was Basque up the street. ...

. ... After my night at Area. ... Yeah.

Chillin' with DJ Houseshoes at Fat Beats LA

Sorry for taking so long, but Blogger was acting up, plus I just started this thing last week. Give me a break.

For the record, before I begin, I think Detroit is making the best Hip Hop music in America and has been for a few years now. I say that as a boy proud to be from the South who grew up on all types of Hip Hop, especially that New York sh-t. On a major-label level, however, the gold medal goes to Chicago.

On Saturday I stopped by Fat Beats (a legendary Hip Hop spot in case you didn't know) to chop it up with the king of Detroit (now living in L.A.), DJ Houseshoes. I've been cool with Houseshoes for a little while now, and I think his skill as a DJ and producer along with his taste for song selection will one day lead him to be an international superstar, a definite tastemaker.

Another thing I like about Shoes is that he is a super-humble, regular dude, and you'd never think he was a beat-making protege of the late, great James Yancey aka J Dilla, aka Jay-Dee, aka Pay Jay, aka arguably the best drum programmer in history, aka a guy many people consider the father of Neo Soul and one of the best to ever do it.

When I met with Shoes we talked about a few things like the Brazilian Jazz/Funk show he was going to attend shortly, the fact that he's due to be a father next March and chili cheese dogs, yeah chili cheese dogs. He had a picture on his phone of two hot dogs drowning in chili and cheese that obviously left an impression on him. He was showing the dogs off like they were his kids, perhaps practicing for next March. It's the simple things that matter. In his words, "It looks like death, but it's the best sh-t you'll ever eat." I won't pretend like I don't like hot dogs, chili or cheese. Once their powers combine, I can't resist. It's the simple things that matter.

Another thing we talked about was publishing. This was the main reason I met with him. I've been working on getting him to meet with someone in publishing, nothing incredible; there is just one particular person I want to hook him up with. If you're an artist or a songwriter/producer, publishing is something you definitely need to educate yourself on, STAT! When it comes to hard-hitting, Hip Hop beats, Houseshoes is one of the best I have ever heard, literally. He's one of those cats I definitely want to see shine, because his potential is limitless. That, coupled with the fact that he's such a people person, makes me root for him even more.

After listening to some beats and part of a set by Black Milk (Youtube link, since the Myspace wasn't working at the time) I took a few pictures of Shoes and wandered around the store and snapped a few pictures of the shop. Fat Beats is wet dream for any real Hip Hop fan. For the short amount of time I was in there I fell in love with the genre all over again and forgot how messed up it is right now on some levels.

If you want some good music in your life (and I know you do) you can check out Shoes' podcast right here.

Chris Brown/Wrigley's Gum Commercial (shot by Michael Dallatorre)

Watching Chris Brown play with gum isn't high on my to-do list. It's right before "Buy pack of Wrigley's Doublemint gum, SLIM PACK ONLY!" and "Learn how to dance so I can star in TV commercial."

The only reason I'm posting this is because it was shot by a very talented, up-and coming cinematographer named Michael Dallatorre.

As much as I enjoy the minty fresh sensation of Wrigley's Doublemint gum, not to mention the fact that it is now available in the time-stopping slim pack, I put this up, because I've worked with Mike on several projects, and I'm proud of him. This is his first national commercial, and it looks amazing.

He also did some second camera unit on the film, Hancock and has shot videos for Ziggy Marley, Mario Winans, Blu & Exile and Miss Prissy among others. Check him out here. You'll see he's top-notch and deserves the shine.

You can also check out a much better, hi-res version of the commercial here.

One Block Radius showcase at the Gibson Showroom

One Block Radius, Def Jam's newest addition, is an alternative Hip Hop trio consisting of Z-Man (emcee), Marty James (emcee/producer) and MDA (DJ/vocalist). The sounds were cool, relaxing at times. They made me think a little of Atmosphere and Gym Class Heroes. I felt like the mics could have used a little more treble in order to hear the lyrics a little better. Maybe it's the tendency for emcees to cup the mic when they rhyme, but still, come on Gibson. I know guitars are you thing, but. ... You're Gibson! One thing that was just strange for me was that the place was fully lit. I don't know if it's just me, but I think the the whole vibe of the event could have been much better if they dimmed the lights. Call me crazy, but it's little things like that that mean the most to me.

I wasn't going to write about this, because I just went to hang out after a friend of mine invited me, but then I figured if I'm going to start a blog about some of the things I do I might as well blog about some of the things I do. I saw a couple of familiar faces, and there was free food (that never ran out) and drinks (that never ran out). One Block Radius' album release date is September 16.

All in all it was a good time. I even met a beautiful, young, Puerto Rican woman who grew in the same neighborhood as me back home. After that, I went home, saw Michael Phelps win the 100-meter butterfly against Milorad Cavic of Serbia by a hair and then went out for drinks with some friends at this spot called The Griffin just north of downtown L.A. We just hung out, and I was talking with some friends about some of the film and video projects they had been working on among other things. One guy was telling me about shooting with Dolly Parton and shooting in Glasgow, UK. I really need to learn how to work pro video equipment. That stuff will take you everywhere.

Why a Blog?

I've been toying with the idea of starting a blog for a while now. I have another blog here that I haven't touched for a while, but I'll probably get back on it in a little bit. The main reason I haven't touched it lately is because I wanted it to focus more on video about things I think generation X and Y might find interesting and useful, not so much on the life and writings of a young man who fancies himself nice with words. I really just got bored with it, because I wasn't writing at all on it.

The fact of the matter is, since I've been a journalist, I've encountered some pretty interesting people and situations, and when I tell some of my friends they get really into it. I've had the opportunity to see many of the ins and outs of the entertainment industry. Now, I'm not here to put anyone's business out in public. Privacy is very important to me, which is exactly why I chose to blog using Google's blog service. ... Is this thing on?

But seriously, I just want to give people a sneak peak into the life of an entertainment journalist, because people always get to see the end product, but rarely get a glimpse of what goes into making it all possible.

Another reason I wanted to blog is, because many times I read blogs I see instances of irresponsible journalism or just some that is not up to par. However, I understand that blogging isn't necessarily journalism, but that's no excuse. Everyone has a computer or a video camera, so everyone thinks they can do everything. In some instances it's great, other times, not so much. A former co-worker of mine said it best. "Technology made it easier for the sh-t to rise to the top," which is a huge reason as to why everyone is an "artist" nowadays. Hell, I make a little music myself, but my stuff is good. At least that's what my mom says, and she knows everything.

This is not a rumor or gossip blog. Though I won't pretend I don't read (and love) some of them. This is just a young writer making his way through the industry and some of the things that happen along the way.

I'll also talk about some of my past experiences like the time I interviewed Janet Jackson on my lunch break while I was working a 9-5 at a major Internet company, the time I interviewed Cassidy and spent most of our hour on the phone talking about religion (and a couple of careers he ended before they began, an exclusive), to the time my computer was stolen which prompted my move to L.A., to coverage of events I cover from time to time.

Other times I might just write about things that I believe are relevant to us, the young, cool and upcoming. That's where the "Life" part comes in. I think it kind of gives me permission to write about whatever I want. They say blogs should focus on one subject. If I did that I'd have 50 blogs, because I'm into a bunch of different things. Enough for vanity. I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.

My name is Aurelio Mitjans, and I approve this message.