Archive for May, 2011

The Floating Island.


The world’s largest artificial floating island has finished its first week as a major new tourism attraction in Seoul, South Korea.  Seoul‘s Han River will eventually be home to a floating archipelago of three man-made “islets”, but the first island, Viva, opened to the public last week.  At 3,271 square meters, it is the second-largest of the three and is home to a three-storey structure housing a 700-seat convention hall and several other attractions such as restaurants and video games.  There are parks, outdoor terraces and viewing points surrounding the center, while at night, the exterior of the building is illuminated with brightly colored light shows.  When the next islands open in September, the 20,400 square meter complex will offer three cultural centers, featuring performances, water sports and aquatic events.  The islands can accommodate 6,200 people and are set to make the Han River, which 59 million people visited last year, an even more popular tourist spot.  While artificial islands have been constructed before, most famously in Dubai, they have generally been formed by pouring sand on the seabed to create artificial land.  Seoul’s islands take a different approach and actually float on the surface of the river using an enormous buoy secured in place by 28 mooring chains, a design which ensures it can withstand changing river levels and bad weather.  Check the method.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Trailer.


I’m not sure if I stated that I’m a massive Halo player.  (gamertag: DJStormSF on XBox Live. If your a ‘Halo: Reach’ player, come get your ass whooped… I’ll eat your lunch and wrinkle you school clothes.)  But I still have respect for the other major shooting titles out there on the current generation systems.  Call of Duty being the biggest hitter, and even recently surpassing Blizzard studio’s mega-hit World Of War Craft, C.O.D. is a monster game.  And as the game has changed forms over the years, its newest form is Modern Warfare, current scenarios, current weapons, and current technology are what now drive this subdivision of the franchise.  But Modern Warfare 3 seems to be an all new beast.  The first game to take place in the future, all I could deduce from the trailer is that the events they seem to be covering pertain to World War 3.  Check the method below and let me know what your theories are about the plot.

The Real Life Ninja Turtles?


What if Shredder, Splinter, Rocksteady and Bebop were real? What if the toxic ooze that created the 90’s action film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles spilled into the sewers today? The results would probably look a lot like the pictures above.  Now for a confession, before this post, only my immediate family knew that I had an unhealthy obsession with the Ninja Turtles.  TMNT backpacks, jackets, umbrellas, bed sheets, from the years of 3 to 5, I was all about it.  So when I saw the works of artist Dave Rapoza, it hit close to home.  Rapoza has updated the TMNT, and given them all a brand new real-life look. Even the creepy little fly villain, Baxter, from the cartoon got a makeover.  Each new piece is both gorgeous and horrifying at the same time.  And although there are no pics of the star turtles themselves, it definitely makes me yearn for the old days of the Foot Clan.

”Can You Lend A N*gga A Pencil?”


So, before I get into this, I just want to say to the readers, I love you guys, but please don’t start an email debate on the merits of the N word.  I already know people who stand on every side of every fence on this issue.  But this particular video is secondarily all about the use of the word, and weather a white teacher’s actions were racially driven not.  The story happened some time ago, and cause a semi-epic stir.  The reason I’M throwing it up, is because this is the funniest use of the N word by any white person I’ve ever seen in the history of my life.  Simply put… this n*gga is hilarious.  Check the method.

Star Wars Vs. Adidas Originals.


Star Wars and Adidas Originals teamed up back at the end of 2009 to provide a fleet of heat for your feet in the year of 2010. (Now before I explain more, my sneak-head homegirl Gabby is going to chew me out all the way from D.C. because I’m 2 years behind schedule with these.  But Gabs, you want me to post up the new sh*t, you gotta send it over first.)  The extensive Star Wars x adidas Originals Collection is categorized into three different packs: the Characters Pack, the Vehicles Pack, and the Direct Pack. Both parties draw upon their renowned imagery-characters and starships for Star Wars and grizzled silhouettes for adidas Originals-to create pairs with flair. A few of the aforementioned characters and vehicles include the TIE Fighter, Darth Vader, and the X-Wing. The adidas Originals silhouettes that serve as the respective canvases are the Nizza Hi, the ZX Runner, and the Samba.  And regardless of when they dropped, I still think their bomb.  Check the method.

Lady Leshurr Freestyle.


I work closely with many different types of musicians, and after spending so much time with some of the best, its rare that I get thoroughly impressed.  But after leaving one of my friends with my computer for too long, he put me up on a video that I’m fairly certain may put other lyricists to shame.  SBTV presents: Lady Leshurr in all her glory, spitting some of the dopest lines I’ve heard a ‘femcee’ spit since KJ.  Although her voice is a bit high pitched, and her accent makes some lyrics hard to hear, nothing can stop her true skill from shining through.  Check the method below.

The Wildest Wedding Cakes Ever.


Anyone who knows me, is pretty well aware that marriage isn’t really in my vocabulary anymore.  But that doesn’t stop me from appreciating the work it takes to make someone else’s big day. Few things are more important on a wedding day (apart from both partners turning up; the ring being secure; and nobody objecting during the ceremony) than the cake. Very few weddings are without such a centrepiece. It’s just a shame that so many couples opt for the same traditional, boring designs when there is so much opportunity to impress and surprise the guests.  Here are 20 brilliant examples, to be used as inspiration for your own big day.

Pop Them’ Thangs.


Everyone remembers the old flip books you’d try and make during a boring class in middle school.  Well apparently the marketing folks over at good old MTV Brazil have decided to ‘fill’ the idea with an interesting air.  The video below is an ad that consists of hundreds of balloons set up in a line, each with a slightly different illustration on it. They simply moved the camera forward, which caused the balloon in front to pop, and reveal the next in line.  An incredibly strenuous illustration process I’m sure, but an incredible effect at the end.  Check the method below.

Annie Cooper.


Annie’s career started at the age of three when she showed early signs of great potential in her baby ballet classes at London Studio Centre, London. Annie attended gymnastics at the age of four where she was spotted by Russian olympic coaches at the age of seven and was invited to train in Moscow twice a year at their Olympic stadium with high hopes for Annie to represent Great Britain at the Olympics.  At the age of ten a new avenue was presented to Annie when she auditioned and won a scholarship to attend the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marylebone, London. At theatre school Annie studied all round theatre studies including drama, dance, speech, singing and music studies. Throughout her time at theatre school Annie appeared in various Tv programs, films, commercials and on the West end stage.  On leaving theatre school Annie has continued to blossom and work as an actress, model and dancer, appearing in numerous dramas, comedies, soaps, music videos, Tv adds and films including Coronation Street, Doctors, Linda La Plantes Above Suspicion, The Bill, Skins, Married Single Other, Rev, The Increasingly poor decisions of Todd Margaret, and most recently the feature movie Jack Falls along side Alan Ford

Nicki Minaj – Did It On Em’ (Official Video).


So a while back I put up a post about the ‘I Am Still Music‘ tour featuring Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Travis Barker, Young Money, and of course the infamous Nicki Minaj.  But little did we who attended know, DJ Scoob Doo was filming scenes for Minaj’s single “Did It On Em”.  The (now official) video features scenes from many of the different tour locations, including Oakland.  Check the method below.

Kuwait’s Hotel Missoni.


The new Missoni Hotel in Kuwait held its official launch party this week, a timely reminder that when it comes to fashion hotels, travelers just can’t get enough.  Guests have been able to check in at Missoni since the hotel opened its doors in February, but this week’s star-studded launch saw three generations of the Missoni family on hand to launch their second property — and confirm that properties in Oman, Brazil and Turkey are in the pipeline.

The Kuwait property now features the 18th floor Luna restaurant with views of the Gulf, although it’s still not quite complete as the 1,500 Six Senses Spa still isn’t open.  All 169 of the hotel’s rooms face the sea and feature gold patterning and rich colors which the hotel describes as “unmistakably Missoni,” with a further 63 suites that feature dining and lounge quarters in addition to the bedroom.

Hotels from the world’s fashion houses are becoming commonplace in many cities now, even though the grand opening of one of the most anticipated, the Armani hotel in Dubai, was somewhat overshadowed by the country’s crippling financial crisis.

Designers are still convinced that we want to sleep in rooms from our favorite brands though, with Bulgari planning a property in London, Elisabetta Gucci planning a series of hotels (though they’re not strictly related to the Gucci brand) and Maison Moschino already open to guests in Milan.

Perhaps unsurprising, then, that even international television channel Fashion TV is getting in on the game, planning a new property in Dubai in partnership with Al Habtoor (which already operates Dubai’s luxury Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa).

The five-star hotel hotel will rise 30 storeys and will be decorated with the world’s largest LED screen, 100 meters tall, showing Fashion TV highlights.  For fashion lovers, that — and the 50,000-DVD ‘history of fashion’ film library — sounds like paradise. For everyone else, there’s always the Burj Al Arab.

Busta Rhymes ft LL Cool J – Killin Em.


Click the pic to listen.

I tend to make predictions about songs and their future popularity.  (Some wrong some right)  But I’ve predicted that ‘Look At Me Now’, ‘6 Foot 7’, and ‘Back Seat Driver’ would blow up when most of my colleagues said they’d be duds.  And I’m willing to bet that the new track ‘Killin Em’ from Bussa Bus, and LL Cool J will blow up.  Now I may be correct, I may be wrong, but take a listen to the track by clicking the pic, and let me know what you think.

Club Noble w. Above Ground.


Every so often I have to get from behind the tables, and go out and have some fun.  Mike Vegas, David Ali and the Above Ground crew hosted an event over at Club Noble last week in which I did just that.  I saw some of my favorite people, and even ran into some unexpected friends (Shout out to Quincy, Nicoletta, Derran, Ashleigh, Dom, and Sway, who I drunkenly saw that night)  I got a little (too) drunk, had a lot of fun, and enjoyed myself, so if you ever happen to be in the Bay Area, and you have a few extra dollars to spend, come through to Noble the next time Above Ground has an event.  And thank you to Ashleigh Reddy for the photos.

The 30 Minutes Or Less Trailer.


After an advanced screening of ‘The Hangover: Part II” (which was HILARIOUS by the way) I started to search the web for new comedies in the same bracket coming up this year, and I came across “30 Minutes Or Less”.  Aziz Anzari has been one of my favorite comedians for quite some time, and Jesse Eisenberg who was brilliant in “The Social Network” ads the perfect amount of comedic balance.  Check the trailer below, and the synopsis under that.

In the action-comedy “30 Minutes or Less,” Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson). The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank. With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet (Aziz Ansari). As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.

The Illegal Tour of Six Flags New Orleans.


Like little kids, we all experience a happy rush, a delighted thrill, when going to play at an amusement park. Yet when an amusement park is abandoned and an eerie silence settles over the rusty and crusty decay, the setting seems to twist the atmosphere of enthusiastic excitement into a suffocating blanket of dread. The place takes on creepy vibes and freaks people out. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and ripped the heart of fun and the amusement out of this park. Almost six years later, Six Flags in New Orleans is unnaturally silent, no lines and no laughter. This 140-acre surreal setting has morphed into a nightmarish land of twisted dreams. It seems as if the post-apocalyptic atmosphere might be the perfect place to make a zombie movie. As if lured by a distant echo of scattered screams and the ghost of good times, urban explorers venture out of curiosity and capture the moments and crumbling scenes. They share with us in a virtual urban exploration tour of this creepy abandoned amusement park – Six Flags New Orleans. Most of these photos are very recent, as in taken during 2011, nearly six years after Hurricane Katrina tried to swallow New Orleans and Six Flags. A special thank you to the urban explorers who risked arrest, and possible zombie attack, to go in and shoot these current shots of Six Flags, and then gave the guys over at LoveThesePics.com permission to use their copyright photos.

Snoop Discusses The Delay of Dr. Dre’s ‘Detox’ Album.


Snoop D-O-double-jizzle met up with Britain’s best radio host, Tim Westwood recently for an interview.  During the course of the show Snoop discussed the newest delay behind Dre’s Detox album that was set to drop when I was still in high school.  Detox keeps getting pushed back further and further, but Snoop gave some valuable insight as to why.  Check the method below.

Ikea Science Fiction.


I recently helped my assistant move into a new place in the city, and half the time, all I could think about was NOT wanting to set up some bookshelf from Ikea with its notoriously overly complicated directions.  After a while of thinking to myself, I wondered what are the most complex set of instructions one could find from Ikea…

Audemars Piguet x Four Seasons.


Audemars Piguet, the industry-leading manufacturer of high-end timepieces (a.k.a. rich people watches), will now be the official timekeeper at all Four Seasons hotels and resorts in the Americas.  Beginning immediately at locations in Buenos Aires, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Mexico City, and New York City, Audemars Piguet’s iconic Royal Oak clocks will be displayed prominently through the properties.  Each hotel will feature multiple clocks in a variety of high-profile locations including the main entrance, concierge desk, spa or business center.  In Los Angeles at Beverly Hills for example, five clocks are placed together horizontally in the front entrance while in Mexico City, the hotel’s lobby, second floor meeting room, athletic club and business center all feature Audemars Piguet clocks.  In total 106 clocks will be installed throughout the participating Four Seasons Hotels, resulting in millions of guest impressions annually.

Real Steel.


Click the pic to watch the trailer.

Everyone remembers the Rock-Em-Sock-Em robots of the 80’s/90’s, and thats exactly what came to mind when I saw the trailer for the new Hugh Jackman movie Real Steel.  Check the synopsis below, and simply click the pic to see the trailer.

A gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near-future where the sport of boxing has gone high-tech, Real Steel stars Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.

No More Jimmy Choo?


Labelux, the European private luxury group that owns Bally, has acquired Jimmy Choo for over £500m from TowerBrook Capital.  Jimmy Choo was founded in 1996 in London by Mellon, a former Vogue editor, and shoemaker Jimmy Choo, who sold his interest in 2001.  TowerBrook Capital Partners bought Jimmy Choo in 2007 for £185m. It has developed the company into a global brand.  In 2010, the company reported net sales of £150m. Its range now includes handbags, scarves, eyeware, belts, fragrance and, most recently, men’s shoes.  Founded in 2007, Labelux, based in Austria, holds such fashion brands as Bally, Derek Lam and Zagliani in its portfolio.  Ms Mellon (pictured below) and chief executive Joshua Schulman will stay on in their current jobs as part of the deal.  Reinhard Mieck, chief executive officer of Labelux, said: “Jimmy Choo is an outstanding brand with enormous growth potential and the ability to deliver material growth synergies across our group.”  The luxury industry is going through a period of intense activity, consolidating through deals and raising money in initial public offerings.  LVMH announced its 3.7 billion euro takeover of the Italian jewelry maker Bulgari in March, while Prada is slated to go public in Hong Kong next month.  Earlier this month, Hermes — itself threatened by a takeover from LVMH — sold its stake in the fashion house Jean-Paul Gaultier to the Catalan perfume maker, Puig.

The Aston Martin V12 Zagato.


Aston Martin has unveiled the new concept V12 Zagato supercar ahead of its first showing in Italy.  The V12 Zagato is an interpretation of Aston Martin’s V12 Vantage by Italian design house Zagato, the latest in a line of collaborations between the two brands.  The first Zagato premiered in 1960 and was based on the DB4 GT, beginning a series of models which included the V8 Zagato, the DB7 Zagato and the DB AR1.  The latest model, which will be on show at the Villa D’Este Concours from May 21 “to gauge customer interest,” takes cues from previous models and applies them to the newest and most powerful model in the Vantage range.  Described as an “elegant yet brutal design,” the V12 Zagato features a handcrafted aluminium body with a “double bubble” roof formed of five separate pieces.  It holds a 6.0-liter V12 engine producing 380 kW (510bhp), set to be tested at Germany’s famous Nurburgring circuit this month, with a view to entering two cars at a 24-hour race on June 25-26.  For this reason, the new model has also been fitted with a 120 liter endurance racing fuel tank, although as performance claims haven’t been made yet it’s hard to know if this will affect the vehicle’s capabilities.  The vehicle is on show at the Villa D’Este Concours, which is open May 21-22 on the shores of Lake Como, in Italy.

Nicki Minaj Goes Back To School.


Nicki Minaj became principal for a day when she visited Chicago’s Collins Academy on Thursday. The school won the ‘Get MotivatED Challenge,’ a six-week competition to improve daily attendance rates at schools nationwide, scoring a visit from the hip-hop star.

Throughout the day, Nicki, who graduated from LaGuardia High School in New York City, stressed the importance of education. “I am a young, female mogul before I am an artist,” she said. “As a business woman there isn’t a single day where I don’t use my education or acquire new knowledge to ensure my success.”
She continued, “Regardless of where you are today, with education you can take yourself where you want to be. That’s why I am working with the Get Schooled Foundation. They are finding innovative and exciting ways to bring that message to schools like the Collins Academy.”

In an all-school assembly, the rapper presented three exemplary students — Amanda Chaney, Rachael Pillot and Japone Johnson — with $10,000 college scholarships, courtesy of Comcast. The singer also took over a freshman English class and helped teach a lesson.

According to Get Schooled, if students have more than 10 absences in a year, their likelihood of graduating on time drops significantly. On the other hand, students who are more involved in school activities, are more likely to attend school regularly and graduate on time. In the case of Collins Academy, the 400-student school saw an almost 7 percent increase in attendance over the course of the last six weeks, making it the winner of the challenge.

The ‘NEW’ Black Card. Go Get One.


Money isn’t something I like to talk about all too often, and many of my affluent friends are the same way.  So I’m not going to rat anyone out, but I know a few people with Black Cards.  Almost a year ago, I heard from someone that Black Cards were no longer being distributed, and I was a bit perplexed.  But now, the world’s richest individuals can now shop and swipe in style with the new release of the JP Morgan Palladium credit card.  The card is made of palladium—a rare silvery metal that resembles platinum—and 23 karats of gold.

The JP Palladium credit card itself is worth a whopping $1,000.  The JP Morgan Palladium credit card offers benefits and features unlike any other credit cards currently on the market.  The typical JP Morgan Palladium cardholder will have an estimated 30 million dollars in savings and can only become a cardholder if he or she belongs to a private bank.  The annual fee to use this new credit card is just short of $600, a price that seems rather small considering that the credit card bears no limit.  But all in all hopefully this shiny new ‘proof of wealth’ will bring a little bit more… class, to the non CEO’s who have money.  Unlike some folks with the Black Card.

The Adventures of TinTin.


So before I start on about the trailer of the Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson team up, I feel like I should address those readers a bit less knowledgeable on Tintin.  Tintin is a young Belgian reporter who becomes involved in dangerous cases in which he takes heroic action to save the day. Almost every adventure features Tintin hard at work in his investigative journalism, but he is seldom seen actually turning in a story without first getting caught up in some misadventure.  (He’s a steezy blend of James Bond and Sherlock Holmes.)  So when this new adaptation of the classic cartoon got a facelift, the best of the best of (mainstream) movie makers had to be called in.  The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn drops this winter, but check the first trailer below.

James Gilford Photography.


Many photographers have specialties when it comes to the subject matter, or way the choose to shoot.  It’s not too often I come across a photographer who’s portfolio is so extensive, I have to pic a certain style to display, but James Anthony Gilford’s work has always been unique.  Some of my favorite photos of his are his portrait style photos.  An exquisit mastery of lighting, both natural and artificial bring his photos to life, and bring a sense of connection with the people in the pictures.  A creative perspective on photography itself guides his concepts and ideas in directions that most other photographers seldom conceive.  And if skill wasn’t enough to make James Gilford’s collections incredible, he also has been able to get his hands on some pretty hot models.

Shouts out to my homegirls Katrina R. (Above) and Sarah Jane A. (Below).