My Worst Movie Experience...Ever

I bought my ticket for Michael Jackson's This Is It as soon as they became available on Fandango. Beyond the simple perk it presented for this hardcore MJ fan to see the gloved one on the big screen one last time, it actually looked like it could be a monumental achievement for a film of its kind. This was not to be a movie that merely praised the king, it was a project that Michael himself was heavily involved with. An intimate look at an oft-misunderstood musical genius, juxtaposed from over 50 hours of footage. Captured in the process of assembling what was likely to be one of the greatest concerts ever witnessed, this was to be a story about Michael Jackson, by Michael Jackson - the mysterious, mythical man we all know of, yet do not know.

This was to be my second time seeing the moonwalker on the big screen, I attended a revival of Live in Bucharest at The Senator Theatre earlier this year; but my anticipation had reached an unprecedented height for This Is It. I got my ticket for the first available midnight showing; then my sister expressed that she wanted us to see it together this weekend, so I decided that I'd just have to see it twice. I made the movie poster my background on twitter. I got out my decorated King of Pop shirt. I burned the new MJ mixtape made by DJ Jazzy Jeff. I could see myself pulling up on the White Marsh parking lot bumping Rock With You, Human Nature, PYT, etc.. I had it all planned out.

Then disaster struck. I have been a long-time victim of the anxieties associated with running on CP Time. When I'm in a rush to leave out, something always comes up. Either my allergies will start acting up, or I will be unable to find something I need, like my wallet, or my KEYS.

I turned my junior-suite apartment upside down and inside out trying to find my keys (which happen to have a Thriller key-ring by-the-way). Misplacing my keys is a frequent occurence, so I did not panic initially. I looked every logical place they could be,.. then I looked every illogical place they could be. I checked my backpack and my hoodies: where they usually are. Then I checked my futon and my bed: where they sometimes are. Then I checked in my cabinets and in my refrigerator: where they never are. All to no avail.

When I woke up this morning, I saw that Roger Ebert had given the movie 4 stars (his highest rating). It was a bittersweet feeling, I wanted to see it myself before hearing any criticism, good or bad. But, as I type, I'm stil lookinng,.. and still waiting... to see This Is It.

Update: 7:26 AM - Eureka!

My contributions to The Rotten Tomatoes Show:

Movies That Suck!

Underrated Movies

Overrated Movies

No Filter,.. No Limits,.. No Rubber!

K. and A., friends from Baltimore's Northern High School, Class of 2003, have quickly made a big impression on Blog Talk Radio with their show No Rubber. Their first episode "Wanna Be Starin' Somethin'" aired just over two months ago on July 14th, and they have already evoked some strong reactions. Their podcast has received two 5-star ratings on iTunes. On the other hand, they have also stirred up a lot of controversy. During their second episode, which explored the divide between Africans and African Americans, Co-host A., conjured up passionate disagreements from both callers and his No Rubber main host, K. (who is of Nigerian descent) . Moreover, No Rubber engaged in a radio battle with fellow Blog Talk program, Hood To Hood, after one of their contributors called in during a No Rubber episode about religion and controversial statements were exchanged.

Kay and Adrian have created their radio broadcast with little more than their laptops and cellular phones. They each conduct the show from their homes, utilizing a switchboard program. As the show's main host, K. usually operates the program, while A. co-hosts by phone; however, they recently traded places for their episode "What's Beef", in which Adrian hosted, as he addressed their Blog Talk adversary Hood To Hood.

"No Rubber was based off of our conversations that we have, they're always raw; and we decided that we needed a show to allow people to hear it because its funny, and its about topics that people talk about all the time," A. stated.

Thus far, No Rubber has discussed topics ranging from relationships, to success, to cultural identity. K. shared that one of his favorite episodes has been "Back in the Day", when they reminisced on childhood memories from the 1980s and 90s, then contrasted their nostalgia with commentary on present-day society.

During their seventh episode, entitled "If Heaven Was a Mile Away", they were discussing religion with their guest-host Pam, when she was profanely interrupted by a caller who was accidently put through to air too early. The caller, Big Mo from Hood To Hood, criticized the Christian beliefs that were expressed earlier in the program by Pam and other callers. Then when A asked Big Mo what he believed in, he answered saying "Nothing. I'm into metaphysics." K. and A. each thanked Big Mo for contributing to the show, but A later made fun of his comments. After Big Mo hung up, A. said, "I think we just had one of those 'when keeping it real goes wrong' moments (a reference to a Chapelle's Show skit). Then referred to him as an "Angry Black Man on an Elevator" (a reference to a Rhymefest song), which Big Mo took particular offense to.

"I wasn't angry about nothing", he said. Offended that A. made the debate racial, he questioned "Why did he have to say 'angry black man on an elevator'?"

However, A was not the only one who found Mo's comments to be aggressive.

"The whole point was 'why are you calling in and being disrespectful?' when the whole idea of the show was about practicing tolerance for other people, and becoming a more respectful society, more respectful of people's beliefs," Pam commented. "So for [Big Mo] to come on the show as hostile as [he] did was just really uncalled for. Even his tone was just ridiculous."

Ladee Dase, hostess of Hood To Hood radio saw it differently. They responded to the No Rubber episode with a "battle" episode, on which they criticized No Rubber, for what they percieved to be disrespect. Since this, representatives from each of the respective shows have called in to the other, and criticisms have been sent back and forth.

"We ran with it on an educated form. We didn't run with it on a corny form", Ladee Dase said regarding A's "What's Beef" episode. "...they actually came back with nothing, and it was mad ignorant, but I feel like we squashed it and it's over."

Pam and Ladee Dase disagree about who started the beef, but they both agree that A took it too far.

"I think that its a situation that definitely could've been avoided. I think Adrian pumped it up a little too much. It's an internet radio station.", Pam added.

K. also showed disapproval of A's comments, but for different reasoning. He thought A was giving Hood To Hood too much credit.

"He was making the whole show about them, but I felt like it would have been an informative show without his call," he shared.

A. believes that everyone else has taken the situation too seriously.

"Yeah, I started it, and I finished it too. You know why I started it? Because its entertainment."

Despite the rawness indicated by the shows title, thus far, No Rubber has only had one episode that was officially deemed "explicit" on iTunes, which has left some llisteners disappointed, or at least confused.

"If they're going to be called No Rubber Nation, they need to decide what exactly they mean; if they're going to be controversial, or say the things that people are afraid to say, and I don't know if they've lived up to that yet"

Jay-Z vs. Nas...8 yrs later

With the recent release of Jay-Z's Blueprint 3, and with questions swirling about why Nas isn't featured on the album (after he was allegedly offered a guest spot); & just for the simple fact that there hasn't been a really good hip-hop battle in a long time (the best rap battle this year involves pop diva Mariah Carey, & almost involved Nick Jr.), I think now is an appropriate time to revisit the greatest battle hip-hop has ever witnessed.

Most hip-hop fans agree that the rap battle which took place between Jay-Z and Nas was one of the greatest; however when it comes to determining the champion of the bout, the decision is less than unanimous. Despite the ambiguous results, the majority of hip-hop fans seem to mistakenly believe Nas won. This misinterpretation is largely due to subconscious superficiality, sympathy, and poor lyrical examination.

To make a legitimate analysis of the battle and determine the winner, one has to understand both possible perspectives of the argument. The ultimate objective in any musical rivalry is to convince listeners that you are better than your opponent. Jay-Z was hugely successful at the time; meanwhile Nas's once-legendary reputation had drastically descended, especially after his worse-received album, "Nastradamous". Therefore, many fans were surprised and excited that Nas, who at the time was caring for his fatally-ill mother, felt inspired enough to respond at all to the challenge. His first straightforward dis, the "H to the OMO" freestyle, was a weak attack on Jay's honesty and originality. Claiming that Jay-Z copied his rhyming style, and fabricated a criminal past, yet giving no explanations or reason for such claims. The most effective line is where Nas claims to have collected money from Jay-Z sampling his voice.

However, on the 'Takeover', Jay flipped this into one of the most memorable lines of the battle. "So yeah I sampled your voice, you was usin' it wrong, You made it a hot line, I made it a hot song", Jay confessed to Nas' influence, while maintaining his superiority. Then adding insult to injury, Jay clarifies that Nas actually did not collect any money from the sample, instead his former publishing company did. Jay-Z belittled Nas's career to "a one hot album every ten year average", and made the blatant assessment, "smarten up Nas". The latter phrase became so memorable that a general hip-hop website has been named after it. The last verse contains rhymes that still pertain to Nas, yet double as timeless philosophies, such as "A wise man told me don't argue with fools, Because people from a distance can't tell who is who'".

Nas's response was not as explosive as diethyl ether, but it was just as transparent. 'Ether' was a plethora of tired battle cliches, including father-son comparisons, sellout accusations, and homosexual implications. Before, Jay made a clever subliminal allusion to involvement with the mother of Nas's daughter, warning "You know who, did you know what With you know who, but just keep that between me and you (for now)". However, since Nas did not heed the warning, and instead made harsher and more sexual disses, Jay-Z decided that detailing his affair had become fair game. Therefore 'Supa Ugly' was full of scandalous imagery which some dismissed as a desperate low blow, but it was a logical course of action that Nas could have prevented.

About a year later, Jay-Z decided to make his victory more apparent, by ending the battle with more respectable and reflective lyrics. Jay-Z responds to Nas's criticism that he traded his soul for riches, by citing his own philanthropy in contrast to Nas's lack thereof. Jay goes on to discuss the fact that people believe Nas to be more artistic, conscious, poetic, or "real", for superficial reasons. He states that Nas's fans fall for his image: he appears to be wise because he wears kufi caps, and sounds deeper because of the vagueness of his lyrics.

Jay's lyrics were more original and didactic, and they were more critical than disparaging. His trilogy of tirades redefined how rappers approach battling, both offensively and defensively. As far as the results, Jay-Z summed it up best, "I've been real all my life, they confuse it with conceit, Since I will not lose, they try to help him cheat."