If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Showing posts with label Vids for the Kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vids for the Kids. Show all posts
TEASER // BMS with Cocaine Mortgage
Since October this video has been in the works. It's a lengthy process to edit certain videos and this one needed some time to get everything just right. It's SO close to done now, just need to run it by the rest of the team, and the artists themselves, and then it's good to go! So for now we decided to make a short teaser video, sort of like a movie trailer, just showing you what you need to get ready for with episode 6 of the Big Meadow Sessions. Check it. Cocaine Mortgage TEASER video for their episode of Big Meadow Sessions. Enjoy.
Clay Everett Longboarding
Recently, I was contacted by a great friend of mine saying that his brother is a talented longboarder. They said they wanted to make a video of him, possibly see about sponsorship, and be able to showcase his skills and abilities. So, we got together, planned out a budget and the timeline, and filmed this fantastic video in multiple locations. It's got a story behind it, a search for the perfect place to longboard, following him the whole way on his journey. Enjoy this video of the incredibly skilled Clay Everett longboarding.
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Big Meadow Sessions // Jeff Spain Jr.
I love music. I love video. I wanted to find a fun way to combine these 2 loves other than trying to create the typical music videos you see on TV...or at least used to see on TV. I mentioned it to a few friends who have some of the same passions, they started talking, and together we came up with a great idea.
That idea is the Big Meadow Sessions.
Big Meadow Sessions started in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, where we all met each other. "Shenandoah" is the Iroquois word for "Big Meadow" so the name is a perfect way to tell some about us while giving tribute to an amazing place. Big Meadow Sessions has now created the fifth video in a series of videos. Please enjoy the video and the music.
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Big Meadow Sessions // Boxwave
I love music. I love video. I wanted to find a fun way to combine these 2 loves other than trying to create the typical music videos you see on TV...or at least used to see on TV. I mentioned it to a few friends who have some of the same passions, they started talking, and together we came up with a great idea.
That idea is the Big Meadow Sessions.
Big Meadow Sessions started in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, where we all met each other. "Shenandoah" is the Iroquois word for "Big Meadow" so the name is a perfect way to tell some about us while giving tribute to an amazing place. Big Meadow Sessions has now created the fourth video in a series of videos. Please enjoy the video and the music.
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Big Meadow Sessions // Jeremy Cowgill
I love music. I love video. I wanted to find a fun way to combine these 2 loves other than trying to create the typical music videos you see on TV...or at least used to see on TV. I mentioned it to a few friends who have some of the same passions, they started talking, and together we came up with a great idea.
That idea is the Big Meadow Sessions.
Jeremy Cowgill performs "Moonlight Stroll" (YouTube)
Jeremy Cowgill performs "Moonlight Stroll" (Vimeo)
Big Meadow Sessions in 'Chester Magazine
Big Meadow Sessions started in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, where we all met each other. "Shenandoah" is the Iroquois word for "Big Meadow" so the name is a perfect way to tell some about us while giving tribute to an amazing place. Big Meadow Sessions has now created the third video in a series of videos. Please enjoy the video and the music.
Not long ago, I went through Winchester, VA with my good friend Jess for another episode of the Big Meadow Sessions. We got together with an artist who was recommended to us, a guy named Jeremy Cowgill. He's a great musician, a great guy, and was great to work with on this video. We filmed on the downtown pedestrian mall in Winchester as Jeremy played a new version of an older song of his. It was a great day of filming and we've been able to produce this great video from that day that we hope you like. We even got written up in a Winchester magazine, explaining the Big Meadow Sessions, us as individuals, our love of music, and more. Enjoy Episode #3 of Big Meadow Sessions and please enjoy the 'Chester Magazine article about us as well.
Jeremy Cowgill performs "Moonlight Stroll" (YouTube)
Jeremy Cowgill performs "Moonlight Stroll" (Vimeo)
Big Meadow Sessions in 'Chester Magazine
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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JMU LOVE
Hello friends! Earlier this week, something amazing was revealed to the world. Some of you may not care that much. To those of you who are JMU students, JMU alums, seek that culture of involvement that is so strong at JMU, or want to give back to a school which has given so much to you...then you will most definitely care.
JMU LOVE stands for Leaders Of Volunteer Engagement, and their website explains in detail what it is that they do, and how it is that you can help. Over the past few months, I worked closely with the JMU Alumni Association in helping to film and edit a video that promoted JMU LOVE, caught the viewer's attention, filled them in just enough, and encouraged them to get involved and visit the JMU LOVE website. So, if you have interest in my video work, JMU, JMU LOVE, volunteering, or the colors purple and gold...then check this out!
JMU LOVE stands for Leaders Of Volunteer Engagement, and their website explains in detail what it is that they do, and how it is that you can help. Over the past few months, I worked closely with the JMU Alumni Association in helping to film and edit a video that promoted JMU LOVE, caught the viewer's attention, filled them in just enough, and encouraged them to get involved and visit the JMU LOVE website. So, if you have interest in my video work, JMU, JMU LOVE, volunteering, or the colors purple and gold...then check this out!
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Vids for the Kids: 8/24/11
I haven't posted anything about funny videos for a while. I apologize. But, for your viewing pleasure I now have a Japanese video for McDonald's. In case you were wondering....yes...yes it IS ridiculous.
Vids for the Kids 8/24/11
Vids for the Kids 8/24/11
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Vids for the Kids: 6/13/11
It's so simple. It's also one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. Enjoy!
Vids for the Kids: 6/13/11
Cone-ing by Alki Stevens
Vids for the Kids: 6/13/11
Cone-ing by Alki Stevens
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Big Meadow Sessions // Andrew Rohlk
I love music. I love video. I wanted to find a fun way to combine these 2 loves other than trying to create the typical music videos you see on TV...or at least used to see on TV. I mentioned it to a few friends who have some of the same passions, they started talking, and together we came up with a great idea.
That idea is the Big Meadow Sessions.
Big Meadow Sessions started in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, where we all met each other. "Shenandoah" is the Iroquois word for "Big Meadow" so the name is a perfect way to tell some about us while giving tribute to an amazing place. Big Meadow Sessions has now created the second video in a series of videos. Please enjoy the video and the music.
Andrew Rohlk performs "Conversation About You" on Big Meadow Sessions (YouTube)
Andrew Rohlk performs "Conversation About You" on Big Meadow Sessions (Vimeo)
Andrew Rohlk performs "Conversation About You" on Big Meadow Sessions (Vimeo)
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Vids for the Kids: 5/31/11
Not too long ago this awesome kid was revealed to me. His YouTube channel is strange. Yet, the best stuff that he does, in my opinion, is his dancing. He goes into Apple Stores, gets on a computer and uses the built in camera to record himself as he plays a song loudly and rocks out to it in the middle of the store. It's epic. You have to see it for yourself. My 2 favorites are Friday and Whip My Hair. Below is his Friday video. Everyone loves some Rebecca Black, right? If you really don't like that song, just click the link and find another of his Apple Store videos to watch! Now enjoy one of my favorite discoveries, on YouTube, in months!
Vids for the Kids 5/31/11
Apple Store Dance to Friday
Vids for the Kids 5/31/11
Apple Store Dance to Friday
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Big Meadow Sessions // Lights in the Fog
I love music. I love video. I wanted to find a fun way to combine these 2 loves other than trying to create the typical music videos you see on TV...or at least used to see on TV. I mentioned it to a few friends who have some of the same passions, they started talking, and together we came up with a great idea.
That idea is the Big Meadow Sessions.
Big Meadow Sessions started in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, where we all met each other. "Shenandoah" is the Iroquois word for "Big Meadow" so the name is a perfect way to tell some about us while giving tribute to an amazing place. Big Meadow Sessions has now created the first video in what we intend to be a series of videos. Please enjoy the video and the music.
Lights in the Fog performs "The Escape" on Big Meadow Sessions (YouTube)
Lights in the Fog performs "The Escape" on Big Meadow Sessions (Vimeo)
Lights in the Fog performs "The Escape" on Big Meadow Sessions (Vimeo)
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Vids for the Kids: 3/23/11
For only the second time...I will be reviewing a full-length feature film. I will promise to do my best to not give away any important plot points of the movie in this review. But, I will still be touching on the basic plot and what I thought of it all. If you don't want it to be ruined at all...stop reading. Here for you now, on today's Vids for the Kids, I present:
A few weeks ago I finally saw this movie. This is a film based on historical events, so technically I'm not really giving anything away...I'm simply teaching World History 202 right now. Yet, I think that most people today, myself included, knew NOTHING of this man and his life. To us, World War II means Hitler, FDR, Stalin, Mussolini, and from England we have Churchill. Royal family? What do they even do anymore? Well, in all honesty, not a ton, yet this film shows you how important they still are. The royal family is a symbol, an example, someone to look to, so they may not be the governing body anymore but they are still incredibly important in their own right.
So, The King's Speech begins with a man, Albert Frederick Arthur George (which I previously shortened to "A.F.A.G." but thought better of it), The Duke of York, preparing to give a speech. Fitting. He is a member of the Royal Family and it is obvious he lacks the ability to speak in public.
He isn't king. He is The Duke of York, his father is king and his older brother is prince as well and heir to the throne. The tale of how Albert, The Duke of York actually becomes king is incredibly interesting, it is the only time in the history of England that it happened in that manner, and I won't give it away. So, through whatever way it happens, he becomes King of England and is no longer Albert...he becomes known as King George VI. The story of George VI is a great one considering that he reigned during the height of World War II, chose to remain in London despite bombings, food rations, boarded up windows on the PALACE, and limited water supply that was always cold...even for the king. He even narrowly escaped death a time or two when bombs were dropped on Buckingham Palace while the King and Queen were there. His wife, the Queen, even defiantly commented "I am glad we have been bombed. We can now look the East End in the face" because they could now see the East End of London. George VI became close personal friends with Winston Churchill during the war, despite George initially not thinking Churchill to be the best pick for Prime Minister, and the Royal Family also became incredibly close with FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt. Think about that trio of men for a minute. King George VI with his speech impediment, FDR in his wheelchair, and Churchill with his speech impediment as well that most people did not know about because he was such a grand speaker. Churchill memorized every speech he ever gave, even choreographing pauses and pretended fumblings as if he was searching for the right phrase. He has a distracting lisp that made him the butt of many jokes, so his way around it was to memorize his "impromptu speeches." F. E. Smith once said, "Winston has spent the best years of his life writing impromptu speeches." So, there's your trio of men who were supposed to be protecting the world and their countries from the Axis Powers. Yet, 2 of them can barely speak properly and 1 can barely even walk. But despite all of that, they were all 3 incredible leaders.
Watching The King's Speech, knowing a little more about Albert/King George VI before I went in, made me sympathize with him much quicker. King George has a terrible stutter and finds it practically impossible to make public speeches, something which is becoming more necessary now considering the invention and prominence of the radio. His father is a marvelous speaker and his brother bullies him for his stammer. People can truly be so cruel sometimes. My brother stutters to this day, I occasionally do too because it's kind of ingrained into my speech because I remember hearing him talk like that and thinking that if my older brother did it, it must be cool. I used to have a lisp and eventually went to speech classes to get rid of it. I can't imagine being a grown man with a stutter who is literally forced to give public speeches. To me, after watching the intro to the movie and just seeing how George struggles to get a few words out, my heart ached and my muscles tensed up all over simply trying to give him some ability to speak. That was the very first sign I had that this was going to be a fantastic movie. 2 minutes in and I was already sympathizing with the main character so much that it hurt to see him struggle. The rest of the movie is incredibly interesting, but for sake of not giving away too much I'll summarize it like this: He tries to give a speech, but can't. He tries to get rid of his stutter with many doctors, but can't. His wife finds a professional who tries to help, but Albert sees no improvement and leaves. Eventually he realizes the improvements he was actually making right away, and then begins the movie's story of how Albert/King George VI began to conquer his stutter with the help of his wife, a specialist named Lionel Logue, and some support. There are many more side plot lines that happen in the film, but I won't go into those. Just know that they are all great and you should just see the movie if you haven't already.
Colin Firth's acting as Albert/George VI was incredible, believable, and talented. He played a man who had an incredible position of power, yet was so weak, sensitive, embarrassed, angry, proud, loving, and everything else in between. He WAS the King. Firth's acting was fantastic, as was Helena Bonham Carter's acting as Albert's wife. She usually plays the crazy woman, like in Sweeney Todd and Alice in Wonderland and any cooky bat-sh*t-crazy woman in a Tim Burton film. Yet, this time she took on the role of British royalty and nailed it. She marries into the Royal Family and shows that in her characterization by being a bit rough around the edges yet still prim and proper in many ways. Then, Captain Barbossa steps in, with Geoffrey Rush taking off the eye patch and playing the Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue. He plays the role amazingly as he plays the perfect combination of unorthodox and crazy (which provides a hilarious scene with Firth swearing to loosen up), yet professional and invested in his new patient and friend. I can see how Colin Firth won the Oscar for Best Actor, and I am sure it was a close race for the supporting roles for Bonham Carter and Rush, and I am not surprised at all that it won Best Picture. I wish they could have an award for most random appearance...which would definitely go to my good friend Wormtail aka Timothy Spall as he played Churchill....that was just weird.
And lastly, the small touches, such as real video and audio of King George VI speaking really made the movie hit harder and made it seem more real. I felt as though I wasn't watching a movie, but instead a close inside look behind the scenes at Albert's life as if I were just an observer, laying back and watching.
You simply need to go see this movie if you haven't already. It is fantastic. It is a great story of family, friends, love, being a father, conquering your fears, the beginnings of war, and so much more. The life of Prince Albert, later King George VI, is an incredible tale and a story that I feel was simply aching to be told in this way. Now stop reading a go see it.
The King's Speech
So, The King's Speech begins with a man, Albert Frederick Arthur George (which I previously shortened to "A.F.A.G." but thought better of it), The Duke of York, preparing to give a speech. Fitting. He is a member of the Royal Family and it is obvious he lacks the ability to speak in public.
He isn't king. He is The Duke of York, his father is king and his older brother is prince as well and heir to the throne. The tale of how Albert, The Duke of York actually becomes king is incredibly interesting, it is the only time in the history of England that it happened in that manner, and I won't give it away. So, through whatever way it happens, he becomes King of England and is no longer Albert...he becomes known as King George VI. The story of George VI is a great one considering that he reigned during the height of World War II, chose to remain in London despite bombings, food rations, boarded up windows on the PALACE, and limited water supply that was always cold...even for the king. He even narrowly escaped death a time or two when bombs were dropped on Buckingham Palace while the King and Queen were there. His wife, the Queen, even defiantly commented "I am glad we have been bombed. We can now look the East End in the face" because they could now see the East End of London. George VI became close personal friends with Winston Churchill during the war, despite George initially not thinking Churchill to be the best pick for Prime Minister, and the Royal Family also became incredibly close with FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt. Think about that trio of men for a minute. King George VI with his speech impediment, FDR in his wheelchair, and Churchill with his speech impediment as well that most people did not know about because he was such a grand speaker. Churchill memorized every speech he ever gave, even choreographing pauses and pretended fumblings as if he was searching for the right phrase. He has a distracting lisp that made him the butt of many jokes, so his way around it was to memorize his "impromptu speeches." F. E. Smith once said, "Winston has spent the best years of his life writing impromptu speeches." So, there's your trio of men who were supposed to be protecting the world and their countries from the Axis Powers. Yet, 2 of them can barely speak properly and 1 can barely even walk. But despite all of that, they were all 3 incredible leaders.
Watching The King's Speech, knowing a little more about Albert/King George VI before I went in, made me sympathize with him much quicker. King George has a terrible stutter and finds it practically impossible to make public speeches, something which is becoming more necessary now considering the invention and prominence of the radio. His father is a marvelous speaker and his brother bullies him for his stammer. People can truly be so cruel sometimes. My brother stutters to this day, I occasionally do too because it's kind of ingrained into my speech because I remember hearing him talk like that and thinking that if my older brother did it, it must be cool. I used to have a lisp and eventually went to speech classes to get rid of it. I can't imagine being a grown man with a stutter who is literally forced to give public speeches. To me, after watching the intro to the movie and just seeing how George struggles to get a few words out, my heart ached and my muscles tensed up all over simply trying to give him some ability to speak. That was the very first sign I had that this was going to be a fantastic movie. 2 minutes in and I was already sympathizing with the main character so much that it hurt to see him struggle. The rest of the movie is incredibly interesting, but for sake of not giving away too much I'll summarize it like this: He tries to give a speech, but can't. He tries to get rid of his stutter with many doctors, but can't. His wife finds a professional who tries to help, but Albert sees no improvement and leaves. Eventually he realizes the improvements he was actually making right away, and then begins the movie's story of how Albert/King George VI began to conquer his stutter with the help of his wife, a specialist named Lionel Logue, and some support. There are many more side plot lines that happen in the film, but I won't go into those. Just know that they are all great and you should just see the movie if you haven't already.
Colin Firth's acting as Albert/George VI was incredible, believable, and talented. He played a man who had an incredible position of power, yet was so weak, sensitive, embarrassed, angry, proud, loving, and everything else in between. He WAS the King. Firth's acting was fantastic, as was Helena Bonham Carter's acting as Albert's wife. She usually plays the crazy woman, like in Sweeney Todd and Alice in Wonderland and any cooky bat-sh*t-crazy woman in a Tim Burton film. Yet, this time she took on the role of British royalty and nailed it. She marries into the Royal Family and shows that in her characterization by being a bit rough around the edges yet still prim and proper in many ways. Then, Captain Barbossa steps in, with Geoffrey Rush taking off the eye patch and playing the Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue. He plays the role amazingly as he plays the perfect combination of unorthodox and crazy (which provides a hilarious scene with Firth swearing to loosen up), yet professional and invested in his new patient and friend. I can see how Colin Firth won the Oscar for Best Actor, and I am sure it was a close race for the supporting roles for Bonham Carter and Rush, and I am not surprised at all that it won Best Picture. I wish they could have an award for most random appearance...which would definitely go to my good friend Wormtail aka Timothy Spall as he played Churchill....that was just weird.
And lastly, the small touches, such as real video and audio of King George VI speaking really made the movie hit harder and made it seem more real. I felt as though I wasn't watching a movie, but instead a close inside look behind the scenes at Albert's life as if I were just an observer, laying back and watching.
You simply need to go see this movie if you haven't already. It is fantastic. It is a great story of family, friends, love, being a father, conquering your fears, the beginnings of war, and so much more. The life of Prince Albert, later King George VI, is an incredible tale and a story that I feel was simply aching to be told in this way. Now stop reading a go see it.
The King's Speech gets a 9.5 out of 10 stars from me
(with the only deduction being that Timothy Spall was a strange choice for Winston Churchill)
If you don't agree with my review, wish to leave comments, or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Vids for the Kids: 2/28/11
Thanks to my sister quoting this thing 100 times it started to rub off. I even quoted "I just HAD to go..." to my friends a few weeks ago too. So, the return of Vids for the Kids is brought to you by the one, the only, greatest hype man of all time, with a heart as big as his clocks...FLAVOR FLAV!! And does anyone else love he compares her to a gorilla? Or that he "respects" her for that? Wow...I really miss this show.
Vids for the Kids 2/28/11
Flavor of Love 2 plus #2
Vids for the Kids 2/28/11
Flavor of Love 2 plus #2
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Vids for the Kids: 1/11/11
Good afternoon kiddies! I have a VERY special video for you all today!
So...if you know anything about me, you know that Carbon Leaf is my favorite band. Which also means, you might realize that I'm pretty sure I have NEVER used one of their songs for Song of the Moment. That is because they're all so good, I would just have to do a song every day to do them justice. Ok...well maybe that's an exaggeration...but they're still freakin' awesome!
Well...today is a commercial, shown to me by Mike Smith. But wait...what's that you ask? How does Carbon Leaf relate to commercials and Mike? Well...Carbon Leaf started to get bigger when their track, The Boxer, was featured on a car commercial. Is that what this post is about? No. But it does still involve cars and Mike. How does this make sense at all?! Well, if you know who Barry is, he's the lead singer of Carbon Leaf. He's a good man. A great singer. Apparently, he is now a spokesman for VW...the VW in Harrisburg where Mike Smith's dad works. Weirddddd.
Vids for the Kids 1/11/11
VW Commercial from Harrisburg, PA
So...if you know anything about me, you know that Carbon Leaf is my favorite band. Which also means, you might realize that I'm pretty sure I have NEVER used one of their songs for Song of the Moment. That is because they're all so good, I would just have to do a song every day to do them justice. Ok...well maybe that's an exaggeration...but they're still freakin' awesome!
Well...today is a commercial, shown to me by Mike Smith. But wait...what's that you ask? How does Carbon Leaf relate to commercials and Mike? Well...Carbon Leaf started to get bigger when their track, The Boxer, was featured on a car commercial. Is that what this post is about? No. But it does still involve cars and Mike. How does this make sense at all?! Well, if you know who Barry is, he's the lead singer of Carbon Leaf. He's a good man. A great singer. Apparently, he is now a spokesman for VW...the VW in Harrisburg where Mike Smith's dad works. Weirddddd.
Vids for the Kids 1/11/11
VW Commercial from Harrisburg, PA
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Vids for the Kids: 1/6/11
2011's first Vids for the Kids! I hope y'all kids enjoy this one! I think this video is awesome, clever, unique, and has the potential to go VERY viral.
My lovely girlfriend showed me this video, and we then spent the next hour, via video chat, looking up more of his videos and songs...and they're all good. Yet, I think this one is my favorite. It's clever, sounds good, is kind of catchy, and has a good beat.
This is a video of Todrick Hall, a former American Idol contestant. He has made a bunch of videos where he (and his gang) sings about certain companies or products around the employees, or strangers, who have no idea what's going on. I'm a big fan of his Dominoes one, his 2nd McDonald's one, and his Coke song in Times Square. He's good. I could maybe make up a song about peanut butter, considering I eat it all the time, but that's about it. This guy has made multiple creative and unique songs about several different places/things. He's good. This video here is a great testament to that. So please, enjoy this video of Todrick Hall ordering at Starbucks on 2011's first...
Vids for the Kids 1/6/11
Todrick Hall Sings Starbucks
My lovely girlfriend showed me this video, and we then spent the next hour, via video chat, looking up more of his videos and songs...and they're all good. Yet, I think this one is my favorite. It's clever, sounds good, is kind of catchy, and has a good beat.
This is a video of Todrick Hall, a former American Idol contestant. He has made a bunch of videos where he (and his gang) sings about certain companies or products around the employees, or strangers, who have no idea what's going on. I'm a big fan of his Dominoes one, his 2nd McDonald's one, and his Coke song in Times Square. He's good. I could maybe make up a song about peanut butter, considering I eat it all the time, but that's about it. This guy has made multiple creative and unique songs about several different places/things. He's good. This video here is a great testament to that. So please, enjoy this video of Todrick Hall ordering at Starbucks on 2011's first...
Vids for the Kids 1/6/11
Todrick Hall Sings Starbucks
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Vids for the Kids: 12/28
For the first time...I will be reviewing a full-length feature film. I will promise to do my best to not give away any important plot points of the movie in this review. But, I will still be touching on the basic plot and what I thought of it all. If you don't want it to be ruined at all...stop reading. Here for you now, on today's Vids for the Kids (that's you all!), I present:
Black Swan
The best way that I was able to describe this film was: a beautiful confusing film.
Natalie Portman stars as the lead, Nina, alongside Mila Kunis, who plays Lily. Other notables in the film were Winona Ryder, as Beth, and Vincent Cassel as Thomas.
The basic plot of the film revolves around Nina, a dancer who still lives with her overprotective mother, in New York. Nina's mother used to be a dancer herself, but now devotes her time to Nina and her dancing. The film begins with a New York ballet company beginning a new season, trying new things, and hoping to find the right new dancer. The company decides to put on a production of the horribly overdone Swan Lake. Except, this year they search for a new lead, a young new dancer to fill the shoes of Beth, who is retiring. Yet, it appears that she is not retiring completely by her choice, as she destroys her dressing room in a fit of anger. Nina competes for the role of the Swan Queen, having the difficult task of dancing as both the pure and innocent White Swan and also the sultry and seductive Black Swan. She competes against many dancers, including Lily, and leaves the auditions thinking she has failed. In her audition, Thomas even tells her she is perfect for the White Swan, yet he does not see the Black Swan's nature inside of her, like he sees it in Lily. Yet, after a conversation with Thomas, Nina surprisingly shows him her Black Swan side. Nina gets the lead as the Swan Queen.
From this point, the movie takes off, and becomes a beautiful confusing film. Don't get me wrong though, that's not a bad thing. Things get strange, weird, sexual, freaky, and confusing (not stuff you'd want to watch with your parents). Yet, it is all for the sake of Nina becoming a better dancer, and filling the role of the Black Swan perfectly. She has the White Swan down, yet she cannot let herself go, get into the music, lose herself, and become the Black Swan like Thomas wants her to, and like Lily does. The rest of the film regards Nina's challenges in attempting to perfect her role, her strange relationship with Thomas, her overbearing mother, and her fears that her understudy, Lily, seeks to take her role as the Swan Queen. Through a strange series of events, that as a viewer you cannot tell what is real or not, you begin to see Nina take on the role. Yet, she becomes someone she is not, as well. She was such a beautiful and pure woman, a perfect person to play the White Swan. Now she is often angry, has strange rashes, hallucinates, steals, and is paranoid about the intentions of Lily. Nina may actually be turning into the Black Swan, just like Thomas wants.
Overall, it was a fantastic movie. I would say it was one of the best that I've seen this year. While it was a bit slow to start, did not pull me in like I thought it would, when it finally did grab me...I was hooked and couldn't look away. The ending, it all comes together, the confusion clears, and you see something beautiful and emotional.
Portman's face throughout the film does not change very much...and that bothers me A LOT. Yet, I have to admit that her acting was fantastic and I think she is definitely in the running for an Oscar win. Mila Kunis was a huge surprise in this film as well. While she usually plays the funny/laid back girl, she brought those attractive bits of her typical roles to this new role. While I hated her ugly stereotypical slutty ghetto 7th-grade girl streaky hair, I loved her acting. I think she was the best in the film for many reasons. She played Lily, yet played a whole 'nother person as well. Sadly, that last sentence might make no sense unless you see the film. So go see it. I will honestly say that I think the acting of Kunis should win her an Oscar...but sadly, I'm not sure she will actually win. My love, Winona Ryder, who I still find more attractive than many Hollywood actresses, even at 39, also brought so much to the table with her role.
Her character was not a main one, yet a vital one, and a very complex role to play, which she did quite well. Cassel was great in his slightly unnerving role as well, and so was Nina's mother, Barbara Hershey. Many awards will be given to this group of actors and actresses for their roles in this film.
Besides just acting though, the cinematography, editing, music, and choreography, were all fantastic. It sucks you in, gives you goosebumps down your spine, and makes your jaw drop at how amazing it all looks. Creating a film revolving around dance is incredibly hard, you can't just take a Busby Berkeley approach anymore, so they took a sort of The Red Shoes approach in showing Nina's obsession and envelopment in dancing. Black Swan was able to bring those creative elements together, make it work in their own unique way, suck in the viewer, and create a fantastic film. A fantastic film. A must-see. Now stop reading and go see it.
(With the only major deduction coming from the fact that I was confused during much of the movie. Yet, in hindsight, that kind of made the movie what it is.)
If you don't agree with my review, would like to add anything else, comment, or see older posts, please go to www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Natalie Portman stars as the lead, Nina, alongside Mila Kunis, who plays Lily. Other notables in the film were Winona Ryder, as Beth, and Vincent Cassel as Thomas.
The basic plot of the film revolves around Nina, a dancer who still lives with her overprotective mother, in New York. Nina's mother used to be a dancer herself, but now devotes her time to Nina and her dancing. The film begins with a New York ballet company beginning a new season, trying new things, and hoping to find the right new dancer. The company decides to put on a production of the horribly overdone Swan Lake. Except, this year they search for a new lead, a young new dancer to fill the shoes of Beth, who is retiring. Yet, it appears that she is not retiring completely by her choice, as she destroys her dressing room in a fit of anger. Nina competes for the role of the Swan Queen, having the difficult task of dancing as both the pure and innocent White Swan and also the sultry and seductive Black Swan. She competes against many dancers, including Lily, and leaves the auditions thinking she has failed. In her audition, Thomas even tells her she is perfect for the White Swan, yet he does not see the Black Swan's nature inside of her, like he sees it in Lily. Yet, after a conversation with Thomas, Nina surprisingly shows him her Black Swan side. Nina gets the lead as the Swan Queen.
From this point, the movie takes off, and becomes a beautiful confusing film. Don't get me wrong though, that's not a bad thing. Things get strange, weird, sexual, freaky, and confusing (not stuff you'd want to watch with your parents). Yet, it is all for the sake of Nina becoming a better dancer, and filling the role of the Black Swan perfectly. She has the White Swan down, yet she cannot let herself go, get into the music, lose herself, and become the Black Swan like Thomas wants her to, and like Lily does. The rest of the film regards Nina's challenges in attempting to perfect her role, her strange relationship with Thomas, her overbearing mother, and her fears that her understudy, Lily, seeks to take her role as the Swan Queen. Through a strange series of events, that as a viewer you cannot tell what is real or not, you begin to see Nina take on the role. Yet, she becomes someone she is not, as well. She was such a beautiful and pure woman, a perfect person to play the White Swan. Now she is often angry, has strange rashes, hallucinates, steals, and is paranoid about the intentions of Lily. Nina may actually be turning into the Black Swan, just like Thomas wants.
Overall, it was a fantastic movie. I would say it was one of the best that I've seen this year. While it was a bit slow to start, did not pull me in like I thought it would, when it finally did grab me...I was hooked and couldn't look away. The ending, it all comes together, the confusion clears, and you see something beautiful and emotional.
Portman's face throughout the film does not change very much...and that bothers me A LOT. Yet, I have to admit that her acting was fantastic and I think she is definitely in the running for an Oscar win. Mila Kunis was a huge surprise in this film as well. While she usually plays the funny/laid back girl, she brought those attractive bits of her typical roles to this new role. While I hated her ugly stereotypical slutty ghetto 7th-grade girl streaky hair, I loved her acting. I think she was the best in the film for many reasons. She played Lily, yet played a whole 'nother person as well. Sadly, that last sentence might make no sense unless you see the film. So go see it. I will honestly say that I think the acting of Kunis should win her an Oscar...but sadly, I'm not sure she will actually win. My love, Winona Ryder, who I still find more attractive than many Hollywood actresses, even at 39, also brought so much to the table with her role.
Her character was not a main one, yet a vital one, and a very complex role to play, which she did quite well. Cassel was great in his slightly unnerving role as well, and so was Nina's mother, Barbara Hershey. Many awards will be given to this group of actors and actresses for their roles in this film.
Besides just acting though, the cinematography, editing, music, and choreography, were all fantastic. It sucks you in, gives you goosebumps down your spine, and makes your jaw drop at how amazing it all looks. Creating a film revolving around dance is incredibly hard, you can't just take a Busby Berkeley approach anymore, so they took a sort of The Red Shoes approach in showing Nina's obsession and envelopment in dancing. Black Swan was able to bring those creative elements together, make it work in their own unique way, suck in the viewer, and create a fantastic film. A fantastic film. A must-see. Now stop reading and go see it.
Black Swan gets 9 out of 10 stars from me.
(With the only major deduction coming from the fact that I was confused during much of the movie. Yet, in hindsight, that kind of made the movie what it is.)
If you don't agree with my review, would like to add anything else, comment, or see older posts, please go to www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Vids for the Kids: Special Edition
Today on TBS, I think, there is going to be a show about the funniest commercials of 2010. It's hosted by the shirtless Old Spice guy. Genius commercials. Well, because of that, and recent commercials I've seen...I'm going to present you with my selection of the Greatest Commercials of 2010.
*NOTICE: Some have been selected because they are great, while others have been selected because they are just plain awful for multiple reasons. Enjoy!
Let's start off with a bang. The Snuggie Holidays commercial. I like the Christmas one because it's just terrible. Yet, I think I'll go with the mildly offensive Hanukkah commercial. Yeah...I'll go with that. Please enjoy.
Snuggie Hanukkah Commercial
Next, I'd like to share a recent favorite of mine by Mini Cooper. It essentially implies men can't handle babies. It also implies children can pee right through their pants. Apparently this baby can urinate hydrochloric acid. Regardless...hilarious commercial!
Mini Cooper Countryman Commercial
Up next we have a terrible one by Twix that seems to imply that it's ok to cheat on your spouse...as long as you eat their product...and continue to lie about that whole cheating thing you got going on. Wow. Thanks for the tip, Twix.
Twix Cheating is Ok Commercial
Here we have a Corona commercial of the couple on the beach. To me, they seem to usually portray men as idiots. If they're not shown as idiots, they're shown as jerks. In this one we finally see that she's a jerk, the guy tries to get his revenge, yet....well...just watch for yourself.
Corona She Should've Gotten Sprayed Commercial
Lastly, we have a personal favorite of mine. The Just Dance 2 video game has recently come out for the Wii. In this commercial we see beautiful people, celebrities (Kim Kardashian makes an appearance), trendy people, great dancers, and there's even an entire city square full of people dancing. And guess what...everyone in the commercial is young and beautiful. Yet, they seem to have forgotten where they came from for the original Just Dance game's commercial. The first 20 seconds are just making fun of random people's dance moves on old home videos...but we get past that easily as a simple laugh. According to that commercial after those first 20 seconds, these were the kinds of people that played their game: chubby girls, flaming gay guys, 12 year-old girls, fragile grandparents, very awkward men, and of course one group of what appears to be sexy, barely-clothed, cheerleaders for Santa. So...my question is this: is it true that playing Just Dance, the original, can turn me into someone who looks like Kim Kardashian and the Just Dance 2 crew?! Sign me up! For Just Dance 3, the commercial will actually be all super models, standing around, not dancing, but instead they are just judging the people around them for being less pretty and not as skinny. I can't wait!
Just Dance Original Commercial
Just Dance 2 Commercial
Alright! Those are my personal picks of the Greatest Commercials of 2010...for many reasons. I hope you enjoyed them for whatever reason! Thanks for tuning in!
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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*NOTICE: Some have been selected because they are great, while others have been selected because they are just plain awful for multiple reasons. Enjoy!
___________________________________________________________________
Let's start off with a bang. The Snuggie Holidays commercial. I like the Christmas one because it's just terrible. Yet, I think I'll go with the mildly offensive Hanukkah commercial. Yeah...I'll go with that. Please enjoy.
Snuggie Hanukkah Commercial
Next, I'd like to share a recent favorite of mine by Mini Cooper. It essentially implies men can't handle babies. It also implies children can pee right through their pants. Apparently this baby can urinate hydrochloric acid. Regardless...hilarious commercial!
Mini Cooper Countryman Commercial
Up next we have a terrible one by Twix that seems to imply that it's ok to cheat on your spouse...as long as you eat their product...and continue to lie about that whole cheating thing you got going on. Wow. Thanks for the tip, Twix.
Twix Cheating is Ok Commercial
Here we have a Corona commercial of the couple on the beach. To me, they seem to usually portray men as idiots. If they're not shown as idiots, they're shown as jerks. In this one we finally see that she's a jerk, the guy tries to get his revenge, yet....well...just watch for yourself.
Corona She Should've Gotten Sprayed Commercial
Lastly, we have a personal favorite of mine. The Just Dance 2 video game has recently come out for the Wii. In this commercial we see beautiful people, celebrities (Kim Kardashian makes an appearance), trendy people, great dancers, and there's even an entire city square full of people dancing. And guess what...everyone in the commercial is young and beautiful. Yet, they seem to have forgotten where they came from for the original Just Dance game's commercial. The first 20 seconds are just making fun of random people's dance moves on old home videos...but we get past that easily as a simple laugh. According to that commercial after those first 20 seconds, these were the kinds of people that played their game: chubby girls, flaming gay guys, 12 year-old girls, fragile grandparents, very awkward men, and of course one group of what appears to be sexy, barely-clothed, cheerleaders for Santa. So...my question is this: is it true that playing Just Dance, the original, can turn me into someone who looks like Kim Kardashian and the Just Dance 2 crew?! Sign me up! For Just Dance 3, the commercial will actually be all super models, standing around, not dancing, but instead they are just judging the people around them for being less pretty and not as skinny. I can't wait!
Just Dance Original Commercial
Just Dance 2 Commercial
Alright! Those are my personal picks of the Greatest Commercials of 2010...for many reasons. I hope you enjoyed them for whatever reason! Thanks for tuning in!
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Vids for the Kids: 12/9
I'll be really honest with you here...a lot of you have probably seen these videos. Then again I was surprised to find that a few friends of mine had not. So, if you haven't seen these, then you're in for a huge treat. If you like funny things, funny dancing, and Indian music...then you picked a good day to check this blog.
The first video for you is the amazing Benny Lava video. Some guy heard an Indian song, then decided to put English subtitles on it, not translating it, but simply putting what he thought it sounded like. It's genius. The subtitles are hilarious, I couldn't stop laughing after we heard what "Oliver" was planning to do. Not only that, but the video itself is ridiculous. Let's analyze seconds 23 to 30: He's pretty BA, but he's hot and needs to roll his coat sleeves up, now he's so hot he needs to begin taking his coat off, never mind...it's back on and needs the sleeves up again, wait...I guess it was off because he's putting his coat back on...and why the hell is it so foggy?! What is going on Benny Lava?! Is that even your real name?!
Well...regardless of his name, we only know that he made a great song with amazing fake subtitles.
The second video for you might not be as outright hilarious as the first one...unless you appreciate awesome dance moves. My siblings and I found this video several years ago, yet it continues to make me laugh. Just watch his dance moves, and his interactions with...himself? Imagine if So You Think You Can Dance, or some Dancing With Whatever Washed-Up, Barely-Even Celebs, Celebrities We Found Last Minute...imagine if one of those shows had a themed week based off his dance moves. Highest rating ever, if I do say so. Also, let's analyze the early stages of this video as well, knowing full well that I could REALLY have fun making fun of the graphics, the fact that he smiles while causing a devastating earthquake, or the random industrial warehouses he appears to be dancing in later in the video. For now we'll stick to seconds 17 to 30: Oh no! It appears as though Earth will be destroyed by 4, maybe 5, chunks of space crap! Wait never mind, they're just going to land in the Indian Ocean, oh wait...now they're all landing on ground..in Moscow? Weird. AH! Now a crazy man, with terrible dance moves, has burst forth from one of the space rocks! He appears to either be on fire, be made of fire, or he's a Phoenix. Either way...this video rules hard-core.
I hope you enjoy this double-decker serving of Indian culture...in a non-offensive way please.
Side note: Speaking of Indian culture...I recently discovered a picture in a yearbook, of my friend, Jithu, nursing an injured kitten back to health. Yet, as far as I knew, she was heartless and didn't like people, much less cats. So I sent her a picture text, calling her out for being nice even before I knew her. Her response was simple: "If you look closely, I'm actually CHOKING the kitten." And that's the Jithu I know and love. All is right with the world again.
On with the show...
Vids for the Kids 12/9
Benny Lava
Tunak Tunak Tan by Daler Mehndi
The first video for you is the amazing Benny Lava video. Some guy heard an Indian song, then decided to put English subtitles on it, not translating it, but simply putting what he thought it sounded like. It's genius. The subtitles are hilarious, I couldn't stop laughing after we heard what "Oliver" was planning to do. Not only that, but the video itself is ridiculous. Let's analyze seconds 23 to 30: He's pretty BA, but he's hot and needs to roll his coat sleeves up, now he's so hot he needs to begin taking his coat off, never mind...it's back on and needs the sleeves up again, wait...I guess it was off because he's putting his coat back on...and why the hell is it so foggy?! What is going on Benny Lava?! Is that even your real name?!
Well...regardless of his name, we only know that he made a great song with amazing fake subtitles.
The second video for you might not be as outright hilarious as the first one...unless you appreciate awesome dance moves. My siblings and I found this video several years ago, yet it continues to make me laugh. Just watch his dance moves, and his interactions with...himself? Imagine if So You Think You Can Dance, or some Dancing With Whatever Washed-Up, Barely-Even Celebs, Celebrities We Found Last Minute...imagine if one of those shows had a themed week based off his dance moves. Highest rating ever, if I do say so. Also, let's analyze the early stages of this video as well, knowing full well that I could REALLY have fun making fun of the graphics, the fact that he smiles while causing a devastating earthquake, or the random industrial warehouses he appears to be dancing in later in the video. For now we'll stick to seconds 17 to 30: Oh no! It appears as though Earth will be destroyed by 4, maybe 5, chunks of space crap! Wait never mind, they're just going to land in the Indian Ocean, oh wait...now they're all landing on ground..in Moscow? Weird. AH! Now a crazy man, with terrible dance moves, has burst forth from one of the space rocks! He appears to either be on fire, be made of fire, or he's a Phoenix. Either way...this video rules hard-core.
I hope you enjoy this double-decker serving of Indian culture...in a non-offensive way please.
Side note: Speaking of Indian culture...I recently discovered a picture in a yearbook, of my friend, Jithu, nursing an injured kitten back to health. Yet, as far as I knew, she was heartless and didn't like people, much less cats. So I sent her a picture text, calling her out for being nice even before I knew her. Her response was simple: "If you look closely, I'm actually CHOKING the kitten." And that's the Jithu I know and love. All is right with the world again.
On with the show...
Vids for the Kids 12/9
Benny Lava
Tunak Tunak Tan by Daler Mehndi
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Vids for the Kids: 12/3
I like Japanese shows.
Ninja Warrior. The original Iron Chef. The Unbeatable Banzuke. That old Banzai show which was actually just an American show making fun of Japanese shows. They're so terrible and ridiculous that they're awesome. One of my favorite Japanese game show moments of all time (other than my friend Cindy winning an iPod by singing on stage) is the row of girls, with steaks on their heads, hoping the iguana doesn't come to them for a bite. For some reason they replay the footage like 20 times...but it's awesome every time! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do when you set down your Tamagotchi and watch...
Vids for the Kids 12/1
Japanese Game Show: Meat Head + Iguana
Ninja Warrior. The original Iron Chef. The Unbeatable Banzuke. That old Banzai show which was actually just an American show making fun of Japanese shows. They're so terrible and ridiculous that they're awesome. One of my favorite Japanese game show moments of all time (other than my friend Cindy winning an iPod by singing on stage) is the row of girls, with steaks on their heads, hoping the iguana doesn't come to them for a bite. For some reason they replay the footage like 20 times...but it's awesome every time! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do when you set down your Tamagotchi and watch...
Vids for the Kids 12/1
Japanese Game Show: Meat Head + Iguana
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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Vids for the Kids: 11/9
First off...did anyone else know that today is "National Tell Your Girlfriend She is Beautiful Day"...because I didn't know that! Moving on...
My friend Robert sent me this video a while ago and it's pretty amazing. By using animation, playing it on an iPad, and capturing it with long-exposure photography...they created what seems to be holograms generated by an iPad. Awesome stuff. So, please enjoy National Tell Your Girlfriend She is Beautiful Day's...
Vids for the Kids 11/9
iPad Holograms
My friend Robert sent me this video a while ago and it's pretty amazing. By using animation, playing it on an iPad, and capturing it with long-exposure photography...they created what seems to be holograms generated by an iPad. Awesome stuff. So, please enjoy National Tell Your Girlfriend She is Beautiful Day's...
Vids for the Kids 11/9
iPad Holograms
If you wish to leave comments or check out older posts: www.tylerconta.blogspot.com
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