Looks like Mr. Self-Destruct has been busy. Nine Inch Nails just released *another* new album called "The Slip". I don't know when it came out, I'm only hearing about it through the grapevine, and I'm a registered member at nin.com!

Go to this website and enter your e-mail, you will receive a download link that once activated is good for one hour. Tell Trent I sent you. And ask him if he's cleaning out the studio or something, because with the Ghosts double album coming out LAST MONTH, that's quite a bit of music in a damn short period of time.

Did I mention it's free?

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: music, NIN, Ubercool, Viral Marketing

No one knows what this is about

http://www.scarletseries.tv/

On the surface, it looks like an ad for a TV show called Scarlet.

Or, is it? There's NO listing in the TV guide, even though the show is supposed to air this week (either tonight 28 Apr according to the website, or 30 Apr according to the trailer).

An ad for Scarlet also appears in the lastest Entertainment magazine. But none of the press mentions a station affiliation. Better yet, the commercial for Scarlett is appearing on MULTIPLE TV stations.

Strangeness.

The consipiracy thickens when you check the Yahoo Groups Discussion of Scarlet. Some people suggest there is a connection to the release of a series of LG televisions with the same name, but there's no proof.

Smells like some kind of viral marketing to me. Keep your eyes peeled, and comment back if you find anything...

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Viral Marketing

Getting your book printed is easy. I just did a blog post about Print On Demand technology, and you can read about that here.

Getting the book printed is easy. Getting it to the people, you are gonna need some help. For marketing and distribution of books today, Amazon.com is king - and according to Writers Weekly, the King just laid down the law:

Thou shalt have no other POD service providers before me.

Now if you want to release your POD book on Amazon, it must be printed on *their* POD service provider, called BookSurge. Of course, the whole POD industry is in a fucking uproar because Amazon realized they could in-source the POD publishing themselves.

No.
Fucking.
Shit.
Sherlock.

Let's see, people step up and start offering POD, and a route to Amazon for independent authors. They start making a bazillion dollars, proving a huge ROI. Amazon says, "Thanks for verifying there's a market, now we'll do it ourselves. Blow us."

The only surprise here is that anyone is surprised.

You can listen to Amazon.com corporate execs blow smoke up your ass here. They claim it's all about making the process faster which is complete and utter bullshit. PODs can take the order from Amazon and ship direct to the customer, so 'making the process faster' is a flat-out lie. But there's no lie about how much $kaching$ Amazon is going to make.

Be careful, some people are mistakenly proclaiming that this means you have an "Exclusive" agreement with Amazon, (meaning you can't release your book through other POD publishers or other distribution methods) which is NOT true. Mark Jeffrey at the Huffington Post, for example, clearly DID NOT read the entire release from amazon which can be found here.

The agreement is Non-Exclusive, meaning you can still send your POD works through other POD presses, but if you want to sell those copies through Amazon, you will have to have a minimum quantity (as few as five copies) printed and sent to Amazon for stocking through Amazon's "Advantage Program". You can also release POD through Amazon/BookSurge, AND through as many other POD or traditional publishers as you like. You just can't tie Amazon orders to your POD publisher anymore. You wanna do POD on Amazon? You gotta use BookSurge, and you are going to pay whatever they want.

Sounds evil, but it's just a smart business move for Amazon to eliminate the middleman. A clever businessperson would see this as the opportunity to step in and take the place of the Old Amazon business model. Those people who were riding the POD gravytrain and are out of business because they put all their eggs in the Amazon basket can shut the fuck up and take this time of unemployment to take a class on simple business economics and examining market trends...

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Authors, Business Phenomena

It was about ten years ago that Anna Lee and her sister moved in next door. Xtina and I were living in South Minneapolis at the time, and I remember looking out the window, and seeing these two young and industrious former Fargoians hauling furniture into their new place. I helped them with the bedframe as Xtina put together some kind of neighborly gift for the "new kids on the block". Candles so they would always have light, Wine so they would always have drink, and Bread, so they would always have food, Condoms so they would...well, I don't remember exactly, but something like that.

Well, that was ages ago, and now look, our little Anna, all grown up...on the cover of the Star Tribune and Vita.mn...[sniffle]... I proclaimed Anna Lee as Fashion Maven of Minneapolis long ago, and its high time the rest of the world found out. But since no one reads my blog, at least now she's finally getting the press she deserves.

Now, before any of you mock my rock-hard hard-rock sensibilities because I've attended every Voltage fashion show...be not fooled. Voltage is a mash-up of a fashion show and a 'best new bands' night, and I'm mostly interested in the bands, but I'm all for Anna's vision, and I want to see her succeed, so color me supportive. Just keep in mind that my own wardrobe hasn't changed much since the 90's so I'm not really any kind of fashion authority, and my opinion should be considered more Proletariat than Bourgeoisie.

Here are the bands that played at Voltage 2008:

ZibraZibra - Listening to this band was like being trapped inside an Atari 2600 that was run by the Village People. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, unless it lasts longer than 4.8 seconds. Their outfits were designed by Ivan Idland, and were an accurate representation of the band's music: gaudy, stunning, silly, and outlandish.

The Haves Have It - Impressive. Think Jagged Spiral crossed with Heart. Three-piece band with female lead guitar/vocals, female bass player and male drummer. Catchy, punchy pop. Their new release "Friction" just came out last month, and I Have to Have it. I voted The Haves Have It as my pick for "Audience Choice Awards". Maybe they'd be interested in playing a show with Jagged Spiral down the road... Their outfits by EM/MA were cut as high as the price of gasoline, and smokin' hot.

Bella Koshka - I've seen Bella Koshka a few times before, and purchased their aptly named debut, "Slow Dancing on the Ocean Floor", so I already knew they were good. Unfortunately, they had technical problems during the show, it seemed like their computer audio loop got lost, which brought their set to a halt. They learned the hard way what Greazy Meal meant when they said, "...get on stage and push Play? No Way!" Funny thing is, the Owls learned this same lesson at the first Voltage show when their drum CD skipped and completely wrecked their song. Aside from the glitch which held them up for a tense minute or two, their show was top-notch. Strangely, their outfit design by Ann Alyse Clothing was quite boring. What happened to the cool outfits they were wearing on the cover of Vita.mm?

MC/VL - I think it's poetic justice that the Beastie Boys get ripped off like this. Lots of fun N-R-G and running around, including running into the audience. Xtina even got to participate in one of the songs! Their outfits by Erin Smith were a nod to the Licensed to Ill era just like the music; Members Only Jackets?!! Ha! and oversized fake 'bling' before it was even called that. Good times. If you didn't like Early Beasties, you won't like MC/VL. I thought they were great fun.

White Light Riot - The Minneapolis Darlings who made the "Best New Bands of 2006". I hadn't heard from WLR since they held an industry party for the record labels to come paw at them. They were by far the Best Dressed Band of the evening, looking quite dapper (and warm) in Olde English Velvet outfits designed by Elizabeth Chesney. Their performance at Voltage started with the lead singer falling flat on his back about 5 seconds after the curtain went up. I think it took some of his energy away, but he got it back towards the end of their set. I can't help comparing them to Soul Asylum, and since they aren't quite as good as Soul Asylum, and we all know what happened to Soul Asylum.... hey, what did happen to Soul Asylum? Exactly...

Birthday Suits and only "Birthday Suits", not "The Birthday Suits". Had I *not* seen Gay Witch Abortion earlier this year, I might have been impressed. A two-piece band; drummer and guitarist playing minimalist pseudo-punk. While Birthday Suits guitarist made better use of the stage than GWA, the guitarist's tone and singing voice were both tinny. When you choose not to have a bass player in the band, you need something on the bottom end to hold it together, and the kick drum isn't enough. GWA know this and dial in some wicked tone on the guitar (Check out "Action Cop" on their myspace), Birthday Suits provide some overdubbed bass on their recorded works (check out "Cherry Blue" and "Flying Man Y2K" on their myspace) but their live show doesn't, and suffers for lack thereof. I can't recall their outfits by Dan Patrick, other than they truly were wearing clothing and not their birthday suits....

Overall, the band choices were all pretty safe, a good mix of musical styles to go with the various fashions. I would say this was the best production for Voltage yet, but since there's only been three of them, that's not a huge honor. The honor is that Voltage is still going strong, and still turns a crowd and a ton of sponsors. Anna Lee knows that Voltage on it's own isn't enough to shake the foundations of the local fashion industry, so she's been quick to tie it to other MNFashion events: the "Fashion Weekend" and the "MNFashion Flash" contest. Voltage is a stepping stone to an even bigger vision from the fashion maven, and it should be interesting to see how it all pans out.

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Concert, Fashion, Minneapolis Event, Ubercool

Care to play a game?

http://www.clowntravelagency.com/

Easy sure, and been done better before, but still...

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Viral Marketing

Before you think I'm about to rail on the group POD (Short for Payable On Death) I'm not. They are P.O.S., but they aren't my subject here.

The POD I'm talking about is Print On Demand and sometimes incorrectly called "Publish On Demand", this is the replacement for what used to be called the "Vanity Press".

Back in the day, anyone with personal issues, a typewriter, and a couple grand to blow could become a 'published' author. Simply take your maysterpeasce to the printer, and pay them to make you a book. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, right?

Right.

So, you ended up with a truckfull of books that sat in your garage. You gave one to your mom, sold a handful to any friends and family you could guilt into a purchase, gave away more copies as Christmas Presents, and a year or two later you had....

...a truckfull of books sitting in your garage.

Fast-Forward to 2008, and although we don't have any fucking flying cars yet, we have made some fabulous advances in print technology. Some printers decided to make short runs of books available, as little as ONE copy. Submit your book over the interwebs, and order as many as you need, as often as you like, when you need them. And thus, POD was born.

So now anyone with personal issues, a personal computer and a couple hundred to blow can become a 'published' author, and they still have room in the garage for their car.

Now, authors ('real' authors, mind you) who went through the traditional route of agent > publisher > editor > marketing... would argue the self-published author is as much an "Author" as someone who purchases a medical degree online is a "Doctor".

And publishers? Wow, don't even get them started.

I attended the Authors Book Fair as the Bloomington Art Center last weekend, and got to hear a panel of publishers rail on POD publishing. You can imagine what they had to say. They railed on the quality, and their mantra was, "You get what you pay for." They cried about how the POD business is cutting into the Publishers market.

But then they proceeded to tell us how our books weren't going to be published without some sort of track record, and a marketing plan, and some visionary (or what *they* thought was visionary) manuscript.

What I didn't hear was the side of the POD businesses, who likely weren't invited to attend the presentation.

So, let's add this up - Independent artists, working around the existing system, directly targeting their audience through the internet with crappy quality product, and undercutting an industry which makes money by selling someone else's work?

Whoa! I thought we were talking about books, but it seems we've ended up talking about the music industry...

So getting a book deal with a publisher is pretty much like getting a record deal with a major label. Even the contracts and advances are based on the same business model. Because they have the money and distribution connections, they make the rules, and they pick what they think will sell. The hand full of successes cover the losses of the hundreds of other artists who "fail".

Meanwhile, the internet comes along, and I discovered that the Major Publishers are simply another middleman. Indie Publishers might be a different story, the way there are still some Indie Record Labels that are worth their salt.

For a while there, I was torn about how to proceed with The Demonslayer's Handbook, I was waffling about getting an agent and all that, but making the mental connection between the publishers and the RIAA made this decision a little easier.

I still need more info, but I don't think I need an agent. My options now are a little clearer.

I can choose to Print On Demand. This would be like running my own business, something I continue to do, so invoicing, book keeping, and filling out a Schedule C don't frighten me. This is probably the best option for me at this time.

I can choose to approach smaller Independent Publishers on my own. I'm not likely to find one interested enough in my book, but it's worth getting a couple form rejection letters to put up.

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Authors, Business Phenomena

No one should be surprised that Emo's have come under attack.

It appears that Emos in Mexico are falling prey to ALL other subgroups, or more correctly, mankind as a whole; "...punks, rockabillies, goths, metalheads and basically anyone who’s not emo."

If you got Rockabillies picking on you, you're pretty low on the totem pole.

I think it's some kind of strange quirk of human nature to group together against anyone who is different, and the Emo's "helpless and hopeless" attitude certainly qualifies. I don't really want to empathize with them, but I've been on the receiving end of the violence, so I know what it's like to take the long way home just so you don't run into 'trouble'.

Perhaps it's part of the Earth's natural healing system? Perhaps humans just have an innate need to act out aggression towards others, and what safer target than Emo kids? It could even be as simple as Jagged Spiral say in their latest song, "God Hates Emo".

Regardless, as much as I rip on Emo, I'm taking this opportunity to clarify my position: I've nothing against Emo Kids. I'll continue to make fun of them the way I would make fun of anyone else, and the way they are free to make fun of me; the way my sister and I continue to harass each other to this day.

HOWEVER(part 1)

I don't endorse violence against Emos. They are free to dress and act however they like. You are free to make fun of them. They are free to tell you to fuck off if you don't like it. Ad nauseum...

HOWEVER (Part 2)

Before you think Mr. Zero has grown a bit soft, let me lay your fears to rest. The Emo genre of music, and it's brother Screamo, are atrocities not only to music, but humanity. Therefore, the War against Emo stops here, and starts anew as The War On Emo Music.

Thanks to J-man for the story link.

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Cultural Observation, Emo Sucks

This film is one of the "Films to Die For" from the 2007 Horrorfest. The main character, the aptly named Ian Stone, dies over and over, eventually realizing that each of his bleak existences (and deaths) are being arranged by some outside force. It's a Gothic cross between Groundhogs Day and The Jacket, with a splash of The Matrix for good measure.

Not really a must-see, pretty much average in all respects, although the sfx were well-done, and more importantly, not overdone. (Except maybe the masks towards the end...)

I tried watching the "Miss Horrorfest 2007 Pagent" in the DVD bonus features, but it's all apparently online for free, and I'd say it's hardly worth the price. Like hockey or football, it's something I'd rather experience than watch.

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: movie reviews

Don't believe the mediocre rating on imdb.com, Gabriel is a pretty amazing film. Great storyline, and fantastic set design, on a budget and tight schedule no less. Ah well, what movie doesn't cry about budget restrictions when they *only* have two-hundred grand to make a feature film? Ha! In Australia, no less.

The story takes place in Purgatory, where a group of angels is sent from heaven to battle against a group of demons for dominance of this middle-ground. The angel Gabriel arrives only to find that the angels who came before him are doing Very Poorly: those who haven't succumbed to their pathetic humanity have disappeared completely, and several powerful demons are in complete control of purgatory.

Fans of gothic films like Blade Runner and The Crow should definitely see this film. And filmmakers will want to watch the "behind the scenes" on the DVD, which are Real Behind The Scenes, and not Production Crew Kissing The Director's Ass.

It was great to see the guy who wrote the music score for the film whine about getting ONLY ten grand and a year to do it! They should have talked to me, I scored a feature film in a month, on a budget one-ten-thousandth of his!

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: indie movies, movie reviews

Once upon a time, there was a young man named Stuart Davis. He played acoustic folk music at coffee shops in Minneapolis and St. Paul. And once upon a time, I stumbled across his first recording, "My Baby Is A Snake".

Once upon a time, I was hooked.

I loved the music he made. It was intelligent AND catchy, style AND substance, ying AND yang. I became his biggest fan. Rarely missed a show, and snapped up every new release: "Big Energy Dream", "Self Untitled", "Nomen Est Numen"...

What inspired me most was that he did it all himself. He had occasional guest musicians join him onstage, but it was just spice, he certainly didn't need them. He was able to write great songs with just his voice and an acoustic guitar. Stuart Davis was one of the people who inspired me to become a singer/songwriter. I had lunch with him on two separate occasions, once at Fabulous Ferns and once at Sgt Prestons, each time trying to tap into the secret of what he was doing.

Once upon a time, Stuart Davis moved to California and shaved his head.

These things happen, and I didn't feel bad about it. We weren't friends, and there were other local heroes waiting to be discovered. I did feel bad for Stuart, thinking that there was no place in Hollywood for a Bald-Coffeeshop-Folk-Singer-Songwriter, and I doubted I would ever hear from him again, but he would surprise me with the occasional "Anti-Christmas" show at the Fine Line.

When I saw the show listing for a Stuart Davis CD Release "Something Simple" at the Varsity Theatre, I was surprised. Turns out one of his songs was used in the soundtrack for the new "Drillbit Taylor" movie. When I saw him perform live, I was even more surprised.

There he was, the Stuart Davis I knew from years ago (sans hair) wielding his acoustic guitar with as much energy as he ever did before, and full of his trademark witty banter between songs. Only now he was accompanied by a drummer, bassist, and lead guitarist. A full-on, overcompressed band.

While his songs still had all the hook and energy of his early days, the band steamrolled over any intricate nuances in his work. Saddest of all was the song "Universe Communion" which might be Stuart's best song, involving some amazing guitar work lost beneath the din; a glittering jewel packed in mud. People were surprised when I Booed after the song was finished. They'd obviously never heard the original. It was like eating a Wolfgang Puck Frozen Pizza; after having the real thing. I suddenly sympathized with the people who booed Bob Dylan offstage for using an electric guitar.

So did Stuart 'sell out'? Or did his music evolve into this?

I'm happy for Stuart, seems he finally got his big break. The room was packed, and I can't say his songs sucked. I'd like to think the full-backing-band was his own idea. But I'm sad for the people who will hear Stuart Davis for the first time, and write him off as a lite version of "Foo Fighters", because he is so much better than that.

Interested parties can read about Stuart's sordid past on his blog: http://www.stuartdavis.com/blog?page=1

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Concert, Hollywood, music reviews, new release

You might be tired of me going on and on about how visionary and cool Trent Reznor is...

...I'll stop going on about him when he stops giving me reasons. Case in point:



Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Call To Action, indie movies, NIN, Ubercool

This Friday, March 14th is a holiday known by math geeks as "PI Day".

Um... 3-14. Get it? Don't feel too bad if you don't. You also won't understand why 1:59:26PM is called the "PI Minute" (although it should be AM if you ask me)

Anyway, check here for the official website and here for the wikipedia entry.

Does anyone know what the hell we're supposed to do on PI Day? Drinking I suppose, maybe 3.14159 Litres of beer? I will be studying for a Computer Networking Exam, doesn't get much geekier than that.

Well, except maybe this:



Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: holidays

When my monitor of almost ten freaking years went kitty-wompus, I saved my pennies and splurged on a nice 22-inch LCD monitor. Of course I was eager for something to test it out.

Sifting through my pile of unfinished video games, I came across Portal, a member of Valve's Orange Box. Wicked addictive fun, it was; and from what I read after completing the game, it drew higher praise than the other components of the Orange Box.

Portal is a puzzle-style game. Your character doesn't have a truly offensive weapon, simply a Portal Gun, which opens teleport planes to allow you to move things (most importantly yourself) from place to place. The physics of the game are great fun, and often necessary to solve the puzzles and advance to the next test area.

The best part of the game is the dialog of the computer construct which tutors you as you go through the various 'tests'. The dialog for the game is as quotable as any good movie. Reprinting it here does not do it justice. The affect and tone are just as important as the lines. The promises of "cake" for completing puzzles is hysterical.

I won't spoil the ending, and I won't tell you if there truly is cake at the end, but there is a song that is quite funny. The game took me about 6 hours total to finish.

Thanks much to Saveau for the Portal tip. It was a great distraction and a good test for my new monitor.

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Video Games

A Vote for Jagged Spiral is a vote for an Alpine Stereo System for Colin's Truck! Honestly, the man has a portable CD player connected via a cassette-tape-adapter-thingy! What's that? You haven't heard of cassette tape? Let's just say, he could use a new car music system from Alpine, and there is a simple, easy, (and free) way you can help!

Alpine has agreed to give Colin a brand-spanking-new car stereo system! We just need a few cool Jagged Spiral Fans to vote for our songs in Alpine's Rock The Dash contest. It's easy, just a couple mouse clicks, and no registration is required.

Simply go to http://www.rockthedash.com, use the remote to play the Jagged Spiral songs: "Let It Out" or "Not Enough Bullets", then click the "Vote For This Track" button. It's that easy. You can vote for as many songs as you want, every day until the end of May! If you're a real fan (or a psychotic, stalker fan...not that we mind) you can vote once per day from each computer you have access to.

Both our songs have been moving steadily up the charts! We just entered "Let It Out" and "Not Enough Bullets" two days ago, and they have already moved from their start at 320th place to their current location: tied at 126th Place!

The contest ends on March 31. If Jagged Spiral ends up in the top 5, BAM! Colin has a new car stereo, and our weekly trips to Chipotle can be uninterrupted by CD disk changes! Remember, less interruption while driving means less chance of Jagged Spiral exploding in a fiery crash while changing CDs on the way to our practice sessions!

So make it part of your daily internet-fix-routine thingy:

• check e-mail


• update myspace profile


• check www.vita.mn for cool things to do


• check/reply to latest blog posts at www.conradzero.com


• vote for Jagged Spiral at www.rockthedash.com

Jagged Spiral thanks you for your support!

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Call To Action, Contest, Jagged Spiral

In case you missed it, a few years ago the recording industy (known as the RIAA, and more specificly comprised of Warner, EMI and Universal) sued the shit out of file-sharing companies like Napster, Kazaa, etc. Last year, they settled for Hundreds of Millions of dollars of royalties they swore up and down were owed to their artists.

But the artists are still wondering where their money is.

Of course, the RIAA swears they are 'working on it' and that much of the money was used up in legal fees.

So, when the landlord asks for the rent, artists can simply say they're 'working on it'?

It's the hypocryphal system I've made fun of for years. Anyone who has half a brain can follow this anti-logic:

-Fans (via retailers, natch) pay money to the Recording Industry
-The Recording Industry keeps the money
-Artists get squat, with the few exceptions of those who are uber-famous, or smart enough to hire their own attorney.

So tell me again how the music industry is faltering, and then cry me a fucking river. They are a parasite that people had to tolerate before, but we don't need them anymore. If I want the new Jagged Spiral album, I'll buy it from them directly, and the money goes to the artist where it belongs.

In the American Music Business, those who make the product (artists) need to recognize the RIAA for what they are: the middleman, someone who gets inbetween the artist and the consumer, takes all the profit, and provides little by way of value.

Time to downsize, and let them go. Make sure to sue them first.

Once those corporate execs at the RIAA are penniless and living under a bridge, and they come up to you asking for change, just tell them you're 'working on it'...

The moral of the story is that the only winners in this system are the lawyers.

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Business Phenomena, Music Industry

Wow.

Production Army is a great idea. It provides a place for indie film producers to reach out for the resources they need to finish their projects. For the most part, it allows indie film producers to beg for money or talent.

A great idea, really.

But the projects listed there are a SHITLOAD of SHIT.

Really, go check for yourself. Most of the projects I can't even IMAGINE in a watchable state. I mean, the best talent in the world isn't going to make your shitty idea into a good movie! No wonder you're begging for funding and talent.

Why in the hell would I flip you ten bucks to get listed in the credits of your shitty movie about a character who is molested as a child and grows up to be a mass murderer?

I've got a better idea. How about I flip you ten bucks you put towards a fucking psychoanalyst to find out why you are so fucked up? How about I flip you ten bucks towards some rope to hang yourself with?

Oh well, that isn't Production Army's fault. They just provide another method for indie producers to scare up some funding/talent. It isn't their fault that the majority of indie producers are whack jobs....

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Business Phenomena, Cool Website, indie movies, Movie News

Nor did I meet her at the now infamous hangout, which I won't mention here, or people will start asking me to give tours.

I am tired of people asking though.

A: "Hey Conrad, I hear Diablo Cody wrote the screenplay for Juno at [undisclosed location near my house]! That's right near your house, right?"

Me: Sigh. "Yeah."

A: (Excitedly) "Did you ever see her?"

Me: (Not Excitedly At All) "Oh, all the time."

A: (Really Excitedly) "Really?

Me: "Yeah, at The Skyway Lounge..."


What bothers me is that people aren't able to separate "Diablo Cody, The Screenwriter" from "Diablo Cody, The Former Stripper From Minnesota Who Hung Out At [undisclosed location near my house]".

It's like people are having a hard time realizing that any talent could come from Minnesota. It's like saying she's from Atlantis or something. I hope for her sake that she's able to break away from her own history, and the rest of the world can realize that there are talented people in every state, in every occupation. I suppose this *would* be news to Hollywood.

I also can't help but to think that the media coverage of Diablo Cody is designed to get a bunch of Would-Be Screenwriters down to Hollywood to flush out all those Whining Screenwriters who dared to go on strike. Nothing against Diablo Cody, she is talented and deserves credits and kudos. But it does seem strange, the timing of it.

It's like Hollywood saying, "Who needs You! We can pick a Former Stripper From....(looks at map of U.S.)... Minnesota who can writer better than you! So there!"

For the record; if Minneapolis becomes the new Hollywood, I'm moving to Atlantis.

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Hollywood

It's sad when we have to create laws simply to keep people and businesses from doing things that are intuitively evil and wrong.

Props to savetheinternet.com. They are trying to push a bill called the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, which would stop Big Businesses from twisting the existing system of internet to their own design, and screw over independant artists and labels.

Data service providers are pressuring Congress to allow them to create different levels of internet access speed; not to the music and media consumers, but to the providers. Media providers willing to pay more money would have their content moved through the internet at a preferred/faster rate. We can also look at this from another point of view: those who cannot or will not pay extra get their data traffic slopped into the slow lane.

So it won't matter if you have a full-blown 25GBPS connection, if you aren't accessing sites that can afford "Premier Platnum Top-Shelf Delivery" you're going to be remembering what it was like when you had a 28.8 dial-up modem. OK, maybe that's a bit harsh, but not impossible. But the problem is worse than simply an issue of speed, and it goes deeper than just music.

The phone companies should not be allowed to monitor your voice communication and edit out swear words, or political phrases they don't agree with, right?

Internet Service Providers should not be allowed to block blog posts that are anti-Republican, or Anti-Anything, right?

But we've already seen AT&T censor political statements during their web broadcasts. If the Republican Party can afford to pay AT&T more money, their messages get premium (read: unfiltered) service. If the Green Party can't.... well, without some intervention this is where the system is headed.

Comparing this to the way the cable company works is not an accurate analogy. The cable company decides their own content, and they can make you pay more for better content. This makes sense; you pay for content. Data service providers have NOTHING to do with the content coming through them. They are a service, and they have no right to tamper with the data going through their pipes, unless they would like to be held responsible. Do you think AT&T could be held responsible for providing data service to terrorists? Could your internet service provider be held responsible for allowing you access to illegal pornography, or allowing somone to send e-mails about how to construct an atomic bomb?

This is the very reason the FCC exists, to stop nonsense like this from happening. Otherwise, the services might just as well be deregulated, shut down the FCC and save the taxpayers a few billion.

Thank goodness a more reasonable solution was devised, a bill called The Internet Freedom Preservation Act or HR5353, which basicly tells data service providers to leave the system the way it is, and let the data flow "...without unreasonable interference or discrimination..."

What you can to do help is make your representative aware of this bill, savetheinternet.com provides a simple way for you to get in contact with your rep and a prepared text to make him/her aware of the situation, and hopefully get the bill passed into law.

Props (as always) the Future of Music Coalition for the linkage and their ongoing efforts to maintain Net Neutrality.

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: Business Phenomena, Call To Action, Cool Website, Good Cause, political

Blame Xtina. After hearing the never-ending thrashing my friends and I have given to the movie Bloodrayne and its director Uwe Boll, I finally decided that she shouldn't take our word for it, and experience it for herself firsthand.

So I paid a couple bucks to rent Bloodrayne, The Directors Cut (James suggested it might be better than the original, "Maybe they put the plot back in!" he suggested, which did not make me more enthusiastic to see it...) It took some coaxing on my part (and some bad television) to make Xtina agree to watch it. I was laughing before I loaded the disk into the player.

Oh, the horror! The horrible accents, I mean. Michael Madsen sounded like he was from New York!

Oh the horrible acting! Kristanna Loken wasn't even able to act Stoic!

Oh, the Bad Bad Bad ADR!

Oh, the horrible delivery of lines that sounded like they were read off pieces of paper handed to the actor one word at a time!

Oh, MEATLOAF ADAY!

And lets not forget that somehow Uwe Boll started with this and ended up with this!

Oh the plot LEAPS of faith that were Jet-Propelled-Across-Time-And-Relative-Dimensions-In-Space!

...and yet...a strange thing happened.

I did not find it as bad as I did at the theatre. Not remotely. Somehow, watching Bloodrayne on a TV set instead of a big screen, it seemed more like a bad episode of Xena Warrior Princess. Reviewing it as a B-Movie instead of a $10 Blockbuster, put it in a more acceptable perspective.

The movie had some large-scale sweeping shots, clearly done from a helicopter. There were some large scenes of mounted cavalry, and decent sets. It had Ben Kingsly in it. (Who I had Just seen the previous day as "The Rabbi" in Lucky Number Sleven ) Hell, he wasn't even half bad. The CG was B-Movie quality, and the props were ridiculously B-Movie funny.

Don't get me wrong; there's a reason the movies inital release was cut from 2500 theatres down to 985. There is a reason it went from release to cable in less than a year, bypassing HBO entirely.

The reason is that it sucked. As a real Theatre-Release-Type movie, it sucked.

But hand to Dog, as a B-Movie, its fine. If it cost 50K to make, and went straight to DVD I never would have been so hard on it.

After the movie, we watched the bonus feature, "Dinner with Uwe Boll" where a couple ass-kissing fans got to eat dinner and speak with the man, the myth, the legend himself, Uwe Boll. After seeing it, I think I understand Uwe better. I think he knows what he is, and he isn't deluded about the kinds of movies he is making. He knows that the public views him as a hack filmmaker, cutting as many corners as possible (including hiring prostitutes as actors, because they are cheap and will do Anything, compared to people in the Actors Guild.) and no doubt pocketing as much as he can.

He also explained why all his previous movies sucked; the writers. And that plural is no mistake, because Uwe Boll seems to send scripts through several different people for re-re-rewriting, which no doubt contributes to his disjointed and convoluted plotlines.

But don't worry, for his upcoming masterpiece, "Postal" he will be writing the script himself.

And keep your eyes out for Bloodrayne II (set in the Wild West!) which went straight to DVD, and the rumored Bloodrayne III which might actually have something to do with video game it was based on.

Oh, the horror...

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: indie movies, movie reviews

Stop reading this now, and go see Fido!

Imagine an alternate reality where a comet passes by the Earth and space dust descends on the planet, bringing the dead back to life as your classic mindless zombies, with the desire for human flesh. Done to death, right?

Not like this!

This film is a zombidy mashup of "Terminator", "Shaun of the Dead" and "Leave it to Beaver", and Extremely well-set in the 1950s.

The zombies are controlled by electrical collars made by the giant corporation "Zombicon". The collars turn the walking dead into passive robots who obey simple orders, and are sold as household slaves. One family gets a zombie(played by Billy Connolly), who has more personality then the dad (played by Dylan Baker) and the son (Played by K'Sun Ray) befriends the zombie and names him Fido. There is even some interesting chemestry between the zombie and the wife (Played excellently by Carrie-Anne Moss).

It was more funny than anything I've seen in some time now, and a handful of zombie-gore, but not the least bit frightening. An absolute surprise, because I wouldn't have picked the movie based on the cover (and I *didn't*...) but I give it a 10.

Art Is Resistance
-Zero

Labels: movie reviews