Hip-hop superstar Consequence — who happens to be an artist on Kanye West’s GOOD record label — will be making an appearance at Pop Life tonight. So you need to bring your ass.
The event is free, starts at 6 p.m. and is going down at Apostrophe Lounge (1440 S. Tryon).
And in case you’ve never heard of the cat, check out this videos of him in action:
The Atlanta-based singer Algebra is in town tonight; she’s set to play Tempo’s 4th anniversary party (9 p.m. 4809 Wilkinson Blvd.)
Never heard of Algebra? She’s dope. Trust me. Just take a look at these videos of her in action and judge for yourself. (Oh and Joi is hosting the show!)
The Sonia Sotomayor hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee keep bringing the rightwing crazies out of the shadows and into the light of day. Earlier, we told you about Sen. Jeff Sessions, who has the gall to imply that Sotomayor is a racist when his own racist behavior has been public knowledge for years and caused him to be rejected for a federal judgeship. Now, an organization which Sessions has praised, the rightwing nut, oops, activist group Citizens for Justice, has put out an anti-Sotomayor ad in which it claims that the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund — which Sotomayor belongs to (or “led,” as the ad erroneously claims) — “supports violent Puerto Rican terrorists.” The PRLDEF is, in fact, a well-known, completely mainstream civil rights advocacy group that focuses on things like employment discrimination and bilingual education. The CFJ ad really goes off the deep end when it also tries to link Sotomayor with “Obama’s buddy Bill Ayers, the unrepentant terrorist who bombed American buildings in the seventies.” It’s so ludicrous, you’d think people would be ashamed to put out this kind of pure crap. But no. As ThinkProgress.com points out, Sen. Orrin Hatch, another member of the Judiciary Committee who has been critical of Sotomayor, supports the group, and was “a featured guest” at a fundraiser that collected $50,000 for CFJ, allowing the group to continue producing its outrageous commercials.
As the American right wing continues its ongoing mental breakdown, it seems that everyone they disagree with is now destined to be called a “terrorist,” or at least a “supporter of terrorism.” There’s sometimes a thin line between political zealotry and insanity (see: Nazi Germany). I’d say that unless the CFJ is the most cynical political organization in the U.S., its members are really getting close to crossing that line. Here’s the ad in question:
— John Grooms
Beyoncé performed last week in Atlanta, and she brought local radio guy/stuntman Cubby (from 96.1’s Brotha Fred’s AM Mayhem) on stage to show off a little of his moves. Here’s the video:
If you’re wondering WHY Cubby was chosen to get up on stage with Beyoncé, you obviously haven’t seen THIS video (which to date has had 3,455,678 hits):
To help you sort through the myriad of junk that is scattered throughout the web, we’ve consolidated a few choice virals that we found particularly watchable for whatever reason. From the funny and the interesting, to the just plain sad, here are our virals of the week.
First up, Bro. Franklin gives his offering to the church … after busting a serious move, that is.
What makes this next video so shit-your-pants funny is the half-punch/half-slap combo the reporter puts on the drunk. It’s like he couldn’t commit to all-out violence, yet, at the same time, he wanted to teach the intruder a lesson.
It’s a little old by now, but this video still captivates me. This is one of the most elaborate pranks ever. Kudos to all those who were involved.
This simply hasn’t been a good week for celebrities. Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and now, Billy Mays (celebrity is bit of a stretch, but we still include him). Here is a rap tribute to the indomitable spirit of the infomercial icon. The synchronization of Mays’ moves to the music is perfect.
Dunno if you heard the news, but Michael Jackson is dead. I write that with a lot of sarcasm because by now, everybody has heard the news. And it is sad news.
Now, from a musical perspective, the saddest aspect of his death is that the guy died being known as a weirdo.
I mean, if you’re 25 years old, or even 30, and under you probably only know Mike as an eccentric, alleged child molester with bleached skin and an addiction to plastic surgery. But back before all that shit, Mike was really one of the most incredible soul/R&B performers ever.
I’m talkin’ back before even Thriller.
I was born and raised in Jackson’s hometown of Gary, Ind., so growing up I heard a lot about the guy. We’d drive by his house and kind of laugh at the weirdness that such a legendary icon was from our town. Him appearing on shows like Soul Train and Motown 25 was a big deal for folks in the city. And, taking a look back at some of those old performances, you can see that Jackson’s vocal skills and dancing abilities were — even today — ahead of its time.
I guess I can’t describe how amazing the dude was with words, so I found some video clips — arranged in no particular order — to illustrate my point. Forget the cheese of his later years, and listen to the vocals and arrangements. Fuck “pop.” This is real soul music:
And here’s the last one live from Gary. Rest in peace Mike:
So, you may know that RuPaul is coming to Charlotte this week. But you may not know that everyone’s favorite drag queen got her start starring in bizarre made-for-TV movies that aired on public access. Check out a few of said films right here:
As the struggle for power in Iran continues, street protests have remained steady. Here are some clips of protests that have taken place since the disputed elections on the 12th of June.
The final clip is a video that has been making headlines, as the victim, Neda, has become a symbol of solidarity for Iranian reformists.
Whatchu know about Billy Jack? Hippie/Native American/kung fu cinema at its best!
Evil Dead: The Musical hits the Actor’s Theatre stage tomorrow (June 11). Today, however, take a gander at a scene from Evil Dead 2 — on of the sick-ass films that inspired the off-beat stage play:
