NOTE: While the images contained in the video are completely safe for work, you might want to turn the sound down if your boss is not up on his/her classic Prince. The lyrics aren’t explicit, he’s actually saying "funk" not the naughty f-word. But you’re all so cool you already knew that, right?

"Thomas Jefferson warned against the formation of an ‘unnatural’ aristocracy of men who inherited great fortunes and political office. Both
of these warnings have been overlooked in the debate over Hillary
Rodham Clinton’s 2008 presidential run. But if she secures the
Democratic nomination, wins and serves two terms, by 2017 the United
States will have been governed by either a Bush or a Clinton for 28
years. That’s three decades governed not just by the same two families
but much of the same supporting staff."

FULL STORY

EZ: You’ve been on a million TV shows. What’s Maury Povich like?

I do get recognized periodically, but it’s usually in peculiar ways. Guys tend to be a little shy, so if they don’t approach me, they usually send me an email about seeing me. It’s all rather sweet. There’s a homeless man who "lives" on the corner of my block and every time I pass by he yells "Hello, Star!" I’m not sure if he knows, but it’s quite amusing regardless.

FULL STORY

"Public performance of certain mixtape material ‘is probably good
promotion,’ Mr. Buckles said. ‘When you start selling them by the tens
and hundreds of thousands, I don’t know that anyone is saying that’s of
great promotional value.’ Even in the case of DJ Drama, whose
mixtapes have been credited with stoking the careers of artists like
Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne and last year’s best selling rap artist, T.I.,
it appears not everyone applauded inclusion on his recordings. The
police said lawyers representing an array of artists sent
cease-and-desist demands protesting the unauthorized use of their
music, though they declined to identify the artists."

On the other hand, NY Times critic Kalefa Sanneh just made a good point on WNYC radio this morning essentially saying that record labels chasing mixtape DJs would be tantamount to newspapers prosecuting blogs. Not a completely sound argument, but there’s enough there to make you think. For example, mashups are great, but if you notice, they aren’t usually for sale. Mashup artists offer them up for free, as they should, given that they have no legal right to profit from the work. In that case, sure, the promotion might be worth it to a label to leave the mashup artist alone. But if anyone is saying that DJ Danger Mouse should have been allowed to sell The Grey Album without making a deal with the associated artists–well that’s just crazy talk. Nevertheless, this sounds like what we’re being asked to accept (from some outraged fans/pundits in the hip-hop community) with many mixtape DJs. Hopefully, this episode will inspire more legitimately talented mixtape artists to go legit and stop selling unlicensed music.

*Full Disclosure: Back in 1991 I teamed up with the RIAA to release a record called "Counterfeit" which helped promote their 1-800-BADBeat anti-piracy efforts.

*BONUS VITRIOL: Let me be clear…

-Ewing was always overrated
-John Starks was always underrated
-Marbury’s game is about as valuable as his new shoe
-Steve Francis has been getting the shaft
-David Lee is actually fun to watch… when he gets minutes
-It’s obvious that someone has put a curse on the Knicks
-Spike Lee is probably part of that curse ]]> http://nypress.com/the-impossible-dream/feed/ 0 http://nypress.com/behold-the-silver-surfer/ http://nypress.com/behold-the-silver-surfer/#comments Tue, 26 Dec 2006 18:15:58 +0000 Adario Strange For the Marvel Comics fans out there–strap on your seat belts, we’ve got a doozy. Apple has just posted the trailer for the new Fantastic Four film Rise of the Silver Surfer! If you grew up always knowing in your heart that The Baxter Building was somewhere in Manhattan, and maybe, just maybe Reed Richards might actually exist somewhere in Midtown, then this is the movie you’ve been waiting for. On the down side, true Marvel fans will understand exactly how lame it is that, as cool as it is to finally see a live-action Silver Surfer, our chances of seeing the real money shot–Galactus–are mighty slim. Aarrgh!!

(And yes, I do own the original Roger Corman/Oley Sassone Fantastic Four film. Call off the Geek Police.)