Wednesday, July 30, 2014

"The Price" by Twisted Sister


"The Price" by Twisted Sister

How long I wanted this dream to come true
And as it approaches I can't believe I'm through
I've tried, oh, how I've tried for a life
Yes a life, I thought I knew


Oh, it's the price we gotta pay
And all the games we gotta play
Makes me wonder if it's worth it to carry on
'Cause it's a game we gotta lose
Though it's a life we gotta choose
And the price is our own life until it's done


Time seems to have frozen but the mind can be fooled
As the days pass I discover destiny just can't be ruled
Hard times, oh, hard times for the prize
Yes the prize, I thought I knew



Oh, it's the price we gotta pay
And all the games we gotta play
Makes me wonder if it's worth it to carry on
'Cause it's a game we gotta lose
Though it's a life we gotta choose
And the price is our own life until it's done


Oh, it's the price we gotta pay
And all the games we gotta play
Makes me wonder if it's worth it to carry on
'Cause it's a game we gotta lose
Though it's a life we gotta choose
And the price is our own life until it's done


Oh, it's the price we gotta pay
And all the games we gotta play
Makes me wonder if it's worth it to carry on
'Cause it's a game we gotta lose
Though it's a life we gotta choose
And the price is our own life until it's done


'Cause it's the price we gotta pay
And all the games we gotta play

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Top 10 Rookie Plays Of Las Vegas Summer League 2014


Check out the best plays from the 2014 draft class during the 2014 Las Vegas Summer League

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Why ‘Game of Thrones’ Loves Porn Stars

Why ‘Game of Thrones’ Loves Porn Stars

Some say the nudity in Game of Thrones is exploitation under the guise of ‘sexposition.’ Others, namely adult film stars, call it work.
Game of Thrones is a true spectacle. Boasting the largest ensemble on television, the busy folks in the casting department certainly have their hands full bringing seemingly endless characters to life (and death). So it’s understandable why they turned to unconventional methods to find actresses to fill certain characters. The show, like George R.R. Martin’s books, is filled with lean and taut bodies quivering with arousal.
Enter the porn stars of Westeros. Sahara Knight, Masie Dee, Jessica Jensen and Samantha Bentley have all played (drumroll please) whores. But worry not, HBO isn’t merely typecasting sex workers. Sibel Kekilli, an ex-porn star and award-winning German actress, brilliantly portrays Tyrion Lannister's longtime lover, Shae who—OK, she happens to be a whore as well.
Must porn stars always be relegated to a portraying a sexual servant on the show? So far, Australian adult actress Aeryn Walker might be the only adult star on the show to not portray a sex worker.
“I got really anxious,” Walker, a huge fan of the series, tells me of the moment was cast as one of Craster’s wives. “I was like, ‘Man, I hope I do a good job,’ you know. What if people think I got this because I have nice tits? I can actually act.” The audition that won her the role wasn’t what you might expect. “I had to film a clip of my face, me crying,” she says. “They described in graphic detail exactly how I would cry, and I did.” It was that audition tape that won her the unusual porn star role of non-whore.
So why are porn stars such a perfect fit for the Seven Kingdoms? As a former adult actress myself I have a few theories.
1. A porn star is always willing to take off her clothes and there will never be a nudity clause in her contract.
2. They’ve put in their 10,000 hours and know how to fake passionate sex with the best of ’em.
3. It’s sad but true: porn stars work cheap! Since nude is their norm, they won’t ask to be paid extra to be naked.
4. In a way that mainstream actresses sometimes fail to capture, porn stars always look very comfortable sitting around nude for the duration of a scene.
5. With all of that skin-on-skin action, things, well, pop up. Porn stars aren’t squeamish about their fellow actors getting aroused. They tend to be very understanding.

When asked how the filming went, Walker tells me that she was a sexual assault victim—in Game of Thrones, she was filming a rape scene. Before Walker accepted the role she said she had to ask herself these questions: “Should I accept this role? Is this going to trigger me? Is this going to be a really scary thing? And how am I going to do this?” She ultimately decided she was OK with it and didn’t want to pass up the opportunity.
“What if people think I got this because I have nice tits? I can actually act.”
While her non-disclosure agreement kept her from saying too much about the scene itself, Walker said the filming wasn’t too hard on her because the producers were so great. “They asked three, four, five times if I was certain I was OK with this at every stage, they were so good about it without even knowing [I was a sexual assault victim]. They did the same thing for the male performer in the scene, clearly they wanted everyone to be comfortable. Which was really reassuring to me."
HBO knows the value of sex on television and is aware of its reputation for strong sexual content, as made evident by the hilarious HBO GO advertising campaign. “The best of HBO on all of your devices. Far, far away from your parents.” Exactly. Sex sells.
Some critics argue that Game of Thrones producers should be more sensitive regarding the use of sex, especially rape scenes. But given the way the series was written by George R.R. Martin, I’d argue that they already are. Sexual violence was a part of the world Martin created, and while Game of Thrones doesn’t shy away from explicit scenes, they have toned them down. It’s a meaty series based on a collection of books that are thousands of pages long. That’s a lot of material to cover in a finite time, so why not dump information during a visually stimulating sex scene. This “sexposition” is hardly an exploitation of the characters. If anything it's staying true to the spirit of the source material. In Westeros sex is a powerful tool.
Aurora Snow
Aurora Snow

The Fight That Started It All For WorldStarHipHop (WSHH)


One 2012 video, showing an Elyria, Ohio (Greater Cleveland) woman beating another woman, went viral. The name of the woman became so well known that it trended on Twitter along with the name "WorldStarHipHop". The video received about one million views in a single day.

"Tashay D. Edwards, who achieved Internet fame on Wednesday for allegedly dishing out a brutal beatdown that was captured on video and posted on WSHH (WorldStarHipHop.com), has been arrested in connection with the assault, which arose over a Twitter beef."

Mike Will Made It — Hip-Hop's #1 Producer?



Fresh as hell up-and-comer Mike Will Made It recounts his beat making philosophy.
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Biography
Mike WiLL Made It, birth name Michael Williams, was born on March 23, 1989 in Marietta, Georgia, the youngest of three children with two older sisters.

Mike WiLL's mother was in a gospel group, singing for Dottie Peoples when Mike was young, and, according to Mike WiLL, his uncle was an accomplished guitar player.

Growing up, Mike WiLL was athletic, participating in a number of sports, including basketball, baseball, and football, with dreams of becoming a professional athlete.

As a teenager, Mike WiLL first developed his talent for music by re-playing popular instrumentals that he heard on the radio while he and his friends would freestyle to them.

In a number of interviews, Mike WiLL has mentioned, in particular, re-playing the instrumental for "Still Fly," a popular song by the southern rap group Big Tymers, on a makeshift Casio brand keyboard, and has also mentioned re-playing the song "Young'n (Holla Back)" by New York rapper Fabolous on production equipment at a local music store.

At age 14, Mike WiLL began to make his own beats on a Korg ES1 beat machine, which his father purchased for him as a Christmas present from local music store Mars Music. As Mike WiLL became more accomplished, he also began to use production equipment including the Korg Triton, the Akai MPC1000, the Yamaha Motif, and the Roland Fantom.

Upon graduating high school, Mike WiLL enrolled at Georgia State to pursue undergraduate studies, but dropped out after several semesters to focus on his career as a music producer.

Real-Life Popeye: Matthias Schlitte — Arm Wrestling Champion


Meet Matthias 'Hellboy' Schlitte, Star Arm Wrestler With 'Popeye' Arm

When Matthias Schlitte was 16 years old, the German attended a local arm wrestling tournament at the suggestion of his mom. When he arrived, he got plenty of looks and laughs; after all, at 140 pounds, Schlitte was much smaller than his fellow competitors.
Matthias Schlitte: German Arm Wrestler
Robert Leeson/Newspix/Getty Images
Then the arm wrestling started. And the laughing stopped.
You see, Schlitte was born with a rare genetic defect that makes his right forearm bone 33 percent larger than his left. This left him with an enormous limb that looks strikingly like Popeye's -- and gave Schlitte an instant advantage in the sport he suddenly found himself loving.
Now Schlitte, 27 years old and a decade into his professional arm wrestling career, is a German and international champion many times over. The good-humored man they call "Hellboy" is also a commercial star and a media wonder, even appearing on an episode of the Discovery Channel's "Is It Possible?" several years ago:


Schlitte is the youngest winner of the German "Over the Top" tournament, and last year was vice champion of the Nemiroff World Cup in Warsaw, Poland. Not bad for a guy who got mocked the first time he tried the sport.
Matthias Schlitte: Arm Wrestler
Robert Leeson/Newspix/Getty Images

"Everyone has a challenge in life," Schlitte told Australia's Yahoo7 Sport. "I'm not a religious guy or anything but this was a gift from a higher power and this was my calling in life."

Transgender Model Geena Rocero's TED Talk



Transgender Model Geena Rocero on Her TED Talk

On Monday, model Geena Rocero gave a TED talk about her journey as a transgender woman. Given the size of that platform, viewers might be surprised to learn that as of December 2013, most people in Rocero's life didn't know her story. Rocero began identifying as a woman at the age of 6, and at 15 started presenting as one. At 17 she moved to the U.S., where she could finally legally identify as a woman. In 2005 she began modeling professionally.

Now the 30-year-old , who returned to modeling in 2010, is launching Gender Proud, an organization dedicated to empowerment and raising awareness of transgender issues. "I knew I had a bigger purpose," she says. "It was a disservice to my own community if I didn't do anything."

The Cut spoke to Rocero about coming out, dominating the Philippine pageant scene, and the future of Gender Proud.



You came out in December. Why then?
I’ve been afraid of telling my story for a long time. I’ve always had this conditioning in my head — like, "Oh, I’ll be ready to talk about this when I have $5 million in my bank account, just in case there’s a backlash." But about two years ago, I started becoming politically aware of the condition of the transgender community. Last year, on my 30th birthday, my boyfriend at the time asked, “G, what does 30 mean to you?" And I said, “I don’t give a fuck. I’m ready to talk about this. I’m ready to do something.” So the next day I started calling friends, close friends, and said, "I think I’m ready to start talking about this."

What was that like?
It wasn’t like Please accept me for who I am; it was This is my truth. What do you think? I’ve certainly had asshole boyfriends. I’ve experienced many, many rejections. I’ve come to the point where it’s not my problem — this is my journey that’s made me who I am. I’ve tried relationships where I first didn’t tell the guy, and that’s something I can’t do anymore.

And then you decided to do something for the community?
I still didn’t know what to focus on. Is it transgender health? Is it transgender economic empowerment? There are so many different layers. I just went back to my personal experience: There’s nothing more powerful than speaking from your own personal experience. I know that when I changed my name and gender marker on my documents, that’s what empowered me. Literally looking at my name as "Geena" and "Female," I felt like, This is the new me. I can conquer the world. You ask any transgender person that you know. Ask them: What was that moment when you saw your ID with your preferred name and your gender marker? It’s so powerful, that moment. It changes so much.

I moved to San Francisco in 2001 but didn’t become a U.S. citizen until 2006. I remember, in 2005, I was traveling from the U.S. to Tokyo — I was not a citizen yet, so I still had my Philippine passport with my male name and my male gender marker. I was going through immigration and the next thing I knew, I was being taken to the immigration office, and being questioned for hours and hours because I presented as a woman. It was embarrassing, it was dehumanizing, and I have friends still going through that.

So was legally identifying as a woman on your passport the most crucial moment for you?
That is one of the crucial moments, but everything was a journey. When I was 15, I was discovered by this woman named T.L., and she convinced me to join the beauty pageants. She taught me everything: how to dress, how to speak. That was so powerful because I was still dressing as a boy, and all of a sudden, I became this huge transgender beauty-pageant queen in the Philippines. I won the most prestigious pageant at such a young age; I know that’s something that empowered me.


Where I come from, it’s celebrated: the fluidity of gender. I’ve always been conscious of that blessing that a lot of transgender people don’t have. My mother and my family were always supportive. But while it’s part of the culture, it’s not politically recognized. There are no laws. When I moved to the United States, I observed a more rigid observation of the gender binary, and yet they had the laws that allowed me to change my name and gender marker? It was a big paradox.

When you moved to the States, did you feel as free to identify as transgender?
I was really ingrained with the transgender community in San Francisco; but in 2005, when I moved to New York to start modeling, I felt I wanted to start anew. I didn’t want people to know about the journey. It was definitely a survival thing. I just wanted to completely forget about that past and be understood for the who I was at that very moment. I wouldn’t even accept friends of mine from the past on Facebook. But I realized, Crap, that’s the community that first gave me that first opportunity. Why am I doing this to them? Part of Gender Proud is for them; this is what I can do.

Will Gender Proud work internationally?
Absolutely. All Out is our first big partner, so the next phase of the campaign is to identify countries that are at potential tipping points with their legislation. We’re forming partnerships with activists and trans-justice LGBT underground organizations all over the world. Eventually, I want to be the first transgender ambassador of the U.N.

You’re still modeling. Did you worry that this would affect your career?
When I told my agent, he said, “I fully support this.”

And he didn’t know previously?
No, he didn’t know until this past December. Some people probably had an idea, but they didn’t know. I wasn’t promoted as such. So when I told him, he said, “This is great. I fully support this; let’s continue working." Listen, I know I probably won’t be working in Middle America, but now I’m in the position to be promoted as a model with a cause.

There are more opportunities now for transgender models than ever, though. I’m sure you’re aware of the Barneys campaign?
Yes! It made me wish I'd come out earlier. [Laughs.] They did a casting for that in October; I came out in December. So close! I went to its screening at the Guggenheim, and that was so, so powerful. Very powerful moment. It shows the humanity of it, especially the support system — it doesn’t have to be blood family; it’s your friends, your support system.

How has your support system grown? Who else are you working with?
Just this past weekend I was in Chicago celebrating Trans 100. It’s a listing of 100 trans and gender-variant people all over the United States doing amazing work. Jen Richards, my dear girlfriend, is a founder, and we were staying at her place — she has a roommate named Angelica Ross, a fabulous woman. Janet Mock and Laverene Cox were there; we had a big slumber party at her place. I was like, “Do not touch that kitchen; I’ll be cooking.” I cooked pancakes in the morning. I really can’t imagine going through this by myself. It’s a sisterhood. — by Allison P. Davis

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Raekwon Is The Elder Statesman Hip-Hop Still Needs

Raekwon

Raekwon Is The Elder Statesman Hip-Hop Still Needs

It’s a late afternoon in mid-June, and Raekwon is sitting on a couch on the second floor of an apartment building next door to Frank’s Chop Shop, the renowned barbershop on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The apartment—owned, I’m told, by an artist friend of his—is so steeped in history that it’s almost suffocating: sketches and portraits line the walls; every surface holds another antique candelabra or lamp; the front door is plastered with postcards from Rome, Sydney, Cairo, San Francisco. And in one corner of it all sits the resident Mafia Don of the Wu-Tang Clan, one of the most distinctive voices hip-hop has heard in the past 20 years, and an irrefutable cornerstone in its history.


"Catalina" by Raekwon feat. Lyfe Jennings | Produced by Dr. Dre
But Raekwon isn’t here to talk about the potentially-upcoming sixth Wu-Tang album, A Better Tomorrow, nor is he here to talk about the Clan’s one-of-a-kind secret LP that will reportedly be auctioned for millions. He’s not here to talk about what he does on his off days—as one interviewer tried to find out—and he’s definitely not here to talk about his recent issues with The RZA. Also off the table is the newborn baby hoax that Rae was fooled by after seeing a post on the Internet the week before, and the former Wu-Tang affiliate who cut off his penis earlier in the year (though it’s unclear if anyone had the, well, balls, to ask about that one). Raekwon is here to talk about two things: his headlining performance at next month’s Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, and his own upcoming sixth solo album, F.I.L.A. (Fly International Luxurious Art), due out September 16.


"Get Money" by Redlight feat. Raekwon | Produced by Redlight
Which is fair enough; most people would say that a hip-hop OG with more than 20 years under his belt and multiple classics on his resume has earned the right to be choosy about what he speaks on. But Raekwon has always held himself differently from the rest of his Shaolin brethren; whereas Method Man can be aloof, Ghostface impossible to track down, RZA unbelievably busy and GZA too caught up in his pet projects, Rae has always been the most accessible of the Wu’s high-profile Gambinos (with all due respect to Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa, of course). And now, with F.I.L.A. slated for this Fall and a new generation born after 1993′s Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers had already left its mark making their own waves in the game, he’s begun looking towards collaborating with those on the come up rather than eyeing up the competition of his peers.
“I’m a coach, you know what I mean? I used to be a player, and now I’m a coach, but a coach that still plays,” he says of his influence on the younger generation, sipping from a tumbler of Hennessy and re-lighting a blunt. “I think, being in the game as long as we’ve been in it, I wanna see some of my favorites today last as long [as we have]. So even when we rapping and we getting our music, you can bet your ass that we’re talking about real life shit. We don’t just talk about music, we talk about life, we talk about direction, we talk about you getting your blessing, and I think that’s why a lot of the time a lot of these cats, they love me, because they say, ‘Yo, he don’t change. If there’s something he like, he gonna tell you, if there’s something he ain’t feeling, he gonna tell you, too.’”


"It's Yourz" by Wu-Tang | Produced by The RZA
And Raekwon doesn’t just talk the talk behind the scenes; in the past year, he’s lent verses to the likes of Rapsody, Troy Ave, Action Bronson, ScHoolboy Q and Mack Wilds, to name a handful. He’s been leading by example, something that few of his age and stature—Bun B and Scarface excluded—have done with any real consistency. And it’s paid back in small gestures; Jay Electronica turned down the headlining slot at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival this year in order to go on before Raekwon, an offering of respect to a man who paved the way for an entire sub-genre of hip-hop to thrive and flourish.
“I ain’t even know he said that,” Raekwon says when I bring it up. “For me, it don’t matter who goes first and who goes last; they coming to see us. Of course I think the same way he thinks, too—I couldn’t see myself going into an arena with a big giant and not even thinking like that—but I respect him enough for him to even look at it like that.” — Dan Rys | XXL.com

Thursday, July 24, 2014

La Roux On Sex, Sax & Struggle In New Album



La Roux On Sex, Sax & Struggle In New Album - Interview Video

La Roux talks through her brilliant new album, 'Trouble In Paradise', and dissects the lyrcs, structure and meaning, exclusively for NME.


Running time: 12:02

Otter -vs- Beaver


 Watch as a beaver and an otter discover why they can't be friends during the winter.

Otter

-vs-

Justin Beaver

INSIDE KNOWLEDGE: The Origins of the Hero Sandwich

Food for Thought: The Origins of the Hero Sandwich


Oh, a hero sandwich. Is nothing tastier than a giant, v-shaped piece of bread filled with vegetables, cheese and meat? Nope. It's about as good as it gets. But, and we're guessing that you've asked this question at least once in your life, why the heck is it called a "hero?" Other than the fact that it comes to the rescue of your hunger, how did this truly inspirational sandwich get its name?

Well, first off, it's good to remember that the hero sandwich is just one of many names that has been given to the universally known (and fast food brand reinforced) submarine sandwich. You might think it makes sense to call a sandwich that is cylindrical in shape a submarine sandwich, but that's not the only reason it got that name.

The submarine sandwich got its title during WW2 in New England. Due to a heavy naval presence in Boston (including multiple ports and shipyards), advertisers thought it might be a good idea to name this brand new sandwich after a sea vessel. In other words, if you want to sell your sandwiches to sailors, what do you call it? A boat. Well, that's not as catchy as "submarine" and there's nothing about the sandwich itself that resembles a boat whatsoever. Hence, the submarine sandwich was born.

Like with many things, New Yorkers have a different perspective about the whole submarine sandwich issue, and there are many claims that the "hero" might've actually been a term that was coined before "submarine."

The first (and much less fun) theory about how the hero sandwich got its name is that it is simply a bastardization of the word gyro. If you haven't heard of a gyro (pronounced yur-oh), it's a Greek sandwich that vaguely resembles a hero. It's a meat-filled pita with onions, tomatoes and tzatziki sauce, but you know what it’s not? Related to a hero sandwich. Gyros became popular in the US during the 1960s and the first recorded use of the "hero sandwich" was in the late 1930s. Not to mention, who's going to confuse a Greek sandwich with an Italian sandwich? Nobody.

The real way that the hero sandwich got its name was from a writer named Clementine Paddleworth (no, really). Paddleworth wrote for the New York Herald Tribune in 1936 as a food critic. And after sampling one of those magical sandwiches, he described it by saying, "you had to be a hero to eat it." And thus a hero was born.

People are still skeptical of this origin story because the Tribune Herald's archives are not easily accessible (that's what happens when your newspaper fails in 1966), but it's the coolest explanation, so we're going to stick to it.

And while many things have changed about the hero sandwich in the past 65 years - types of meat, types of bread, types of cheese and peppers - that name has stuck. So I guess the real question is, which hero was good old Clementine referring to when he said that only a hero could eat it? 


My guess is Fred Dukes (AKA Blob). — Trevor Schack | ComingSoon.com

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Unlocking The Truth - Youngest Hardcore Band From Brooklyn, NY

UNLOCKING THE TRUTH IS THE MOST BRUTAL SIXTH GRADE METAL BAND EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER

Last Thursday I took the L train to the end of the line and caught up with Unlocking the Truth, a heavy metal trio composed of three sixth graders, Malcolm Brickhouse, Jarad Dawkins and Alec Atkins. We were first made aware of these guys after we saw some of their videos on YouTube, which show the trio absolutely destroying Times Square.



Some people have referred to them as "childcore," but those people probably can't play music well enough to appreciate the epic crushiness these 11-year-olds pump out. These guys play seriously brutal metalcore, and they're better than whatever sixth grade band you were in. This is what we're talking about:



Right? Right.
Malcolm and Jarad have known eachother since day one—literally—and they met their bassist, Alec, in daycare. We met at their rehearsal lair in East Flatbush. It's in Malcolm's mom's basement, who they refer to as their "momager." Before I could say a word they handed me a fresh pack of neon green earplugs and began to maim me with what was for sure some of the heaviest sonic shrapnel ever to erupt from such small hands.
After an hour or so of photographing and listening to them rip through their set, I got a rare chance to sit down and chat with these little tykes about how rap is wack, how homework always comes first, and how Skittles are basically universal.
Noisey: I see on the wall that you guys have a lot of dates lined up for summer—Webster Hall, Lincoln Center—are those for real?
Jarad: No, those are our imaginary tour dates. Places that we want to go when we get big and successful.
Oh. Huh. Are you guys just into metal or do you like other music?
Malcolm: I'm into metal and pop.
Jarad: I'm into metal and hip hop and R&B.
Alec: I'm into metal and dubstep and pop.
What do you mean by pop?
Malcolm: Lady Gaga.
Does your mom listen to metal too?
Malcolm: No. She listens to R&B.
Jarad: She listens to house music.
Are you guys trying to educate your parents about metal? 
Jarad: No. My mom just likes the songs we make. She doesn't like the songs that we listen to.
Where do you guys get the ideas for your songs?
Jarad: Well, people judge Malcolm about… he wears nail polish and I dealt with it once and I see what Malcolm felt because everybody judged him, but I ignored it and I think he does too. Alec do you get judged?
Alec: No… I go to a weird school so, like, anything happens.
Do you feel like doing metal is different than what other kids your age are listening to at school?
Malcolm: Yep. Most of them listen to rap.
What do you guys think about rap?
Malcolm: I don't like it at all.
Alec: Rap is meaningless.
Jarad: Yeah, I mean I like it a little. I don't listen to much of it anymore because of how much I like metal now. In my phone I only have like five rap songs and everything else is probably metal.
Malcolm: They ask us why we don't listen to rap. 
And what do you tell them?
Malcolm: It's wack. Rap is wack.
Who are some of your biggest influences?
Jarad: We like to listen to Motionless in White. Malcolm and Alec like Escape the Fate, but I don't. Mainly my favorite band right about now is Chelsea Grin, a deathcore band. They haven't stopped touring since 2008, they have an EP called Evolve which I listen to almost everyday.
Malcolm: This is our interview not theirs.
Jarad: I know.
So you guys play outside a lot in Times Square. What's that even like?
Jarad: There's a lot of constructive criticism during the day. The bucket seems to get full every set from now on since Alec has joined the band and everybody's been looking for us to get a bass player. Everything's been going very good in Times square. The thing is I hate when we gotta pay for our own food and drinks and hot chocolate or whatever 'cause in Times square in April it's kind of cold but then in the afternoon it gets hot and then it goes back cold again. We had to pay for hot chocolate, it came out of our expenses.

Is hot chocolate part of your ritual? Any other rituals before you go on stage?
Jarad: I usually do paradiddles. It's a drum strategy to get my arms in shape.
Malcolm: I sweep pick. And when I perform, I get nervous and start talking to myself. I say random things to myself to make me forget about why I'm nervous. I don't know how that works. Or I sing to myself.
Alec: Before I perform I play "Seven Nation Army" to get my arm into shape because it's on a whole bunch of different frets where you have to skip so, it helps with my arm.
So do you guys totally rule at Guitar Hero and Rock Band and stuff like that?
Malcolm: I do.
What's your high score?
Malcolm. A hundred. A hundred percent. 
What song were you playing when you killed it?
Jarad: "Bat Country," by Avenged Sevenfold.
Do you think it helps you play the guitar?
Malcolm: Yeah I think so. It stretches my fingers out.
What kind of food do you guys like to eat?
Alec: Chinese food.
Malcolm: Pizza.
What about candy? I think when I was your age I was eating a lot of candy.
Jarad: We don't eat candy.
Alec: My signature candy is mint M&Ms.
I didn't even know they made mint M&Ms.
Jarad: Alec's signature cereal is Fruit Loops and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Alec: It's the mini-wheat things.
Jarad: Candy is too sour and sugary. The only candy I would probably eat now are Skittles.
What are some of your favorite classes besides music?
Jarad: I hate every other class except science. Science is so interesting and fascinating.
Malcolm: I like science and social studies. Science is interesting, all those cells, stuff like that. And social studies is like a comic book with all those wars and fights.
Alec: My two favorites are ELA and social studies. 
You got a band and also a lot of homework - how do you guys balance it all?
Jarad: Homework is always first for me.
Malcolm: I do my homework in school.
Jarad: I didn't get homework for the past three days, wonder why but..
Malcolm: I barely get homework.
Alec: Me too. Barely get homework.
Jarad: Well actually I didn't get homework for the past two weeks.
What was your first guitar?
Malcolm: My first guitar was a blue acoustic First Act guitar from Toys R' Us. 
Is it hard to play now that you're used to the big one?
Malcolm: Yeah. 
Tell me about your show at the Apollo Theater.
Malcolm: We had to audition to get on it and we got picked, then we had to go to the Apollo and compete with other people and we won the first round and lost the second round to a girl singing Adele.
You guys said you had a singer? What happened there?
Jarad: He was a very difficult person to work with so… things change, things come along. 
Singers are always hard to work with. What's your advice to younger musicians?
Malcolm: Don't give up.
Jarad: Believe in your dreams. Hard work pays off and do what you do best.
Alec: Follow your heart.

— Kevin Shea Adams

Monday, July 21, 2014

The Return Of The King — Cleveland Cavaliers' Promising Roster Potential


The Return Of The King — Cleveland Cavaliers' Roster Potential
by Kong from theKONGBLOG™

The King hath returned — before LeBron James re-shocked the world by choosing to return to his hometown team...the Cleveland Cavaliers, I am 100% proof-positive he sat down w/ Team James and tediously dissected the potential of his Cavs' young and inexperienced roster.

Although I am not LBJ, we do -however, share in the same nickname: "King" — with that being said, here is a hypothetical glimpse into the potential mindset of King James as he assessed the potency of Cleveland's line-up:
PG - Kyrie Irving (Isiah Thomas)
SG - Dion Waiters (Mitch Richmond) / Matthew Dellavedova (Goran Dragić)
G - Andrew Wiggins (Scottie Pippen) / Joe Harris (Wally Szczerbiak)
SF - LeBron James (Magic Johnson/Michael Jordan)
PF - Anderson VarejĂŁo (Poorman's Joakim Noah) / Tristan Thompson (PJ Brown) / Anthony Bennett (Larry Johnson/Elton Brand)
As you can see, this line-up is not as futile as suggested in LeBron's open letter to the sports kingdom via Sports Illustrated:
"I’m not promising a championship. I know how hard that is to deliver. We’re not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I’m realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested. I know that. I’m going into a situation with a young team and a new coach. I will be the old head. But I get a thrill out of bringing a group together and helping them reach a place they didn’t know they could go. I see myself as a mentor now and I’m excited to lead some of these talented young guys. I think I can help Kyrie Iriving become one of the best point guards in our league. I think I can help elevate Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters.  And I can’t wait to reunite with Anderson VarejĂŁo , one of my favorite teammates."

Contrary to what the average basketball fan may think, the championship pedigree in the NBA doesn't necessarily consist of a Big Three. 
What? 

Well, in-depth analysis uncovers the fact that the modern blueprint to a NBA championship roster isn't solely dependent on a trio of superstars — it is more or less a combination of superstars + chemistry + deep bench = NBA titles. [See: Celtics, Heat & Spurs of the New Millennium]
 
Now please don't get it twisted and/or misconstrued, I am sure LeBron James misses home and wants more than anything — to bring that all elusive & coveted NBA title to the city and state of Cleveland, Ohio. But perhaps one is the biggest fool if he/she didn't think the King returned home due to the organization's financial flexibility, future first round draft picks, and overall potential of this young-studded roster. The exact opposite position of his former team, the Miami Heat.
 
If you beg to differ, please submit your application for a court jester position.

Andrew Wiggins Ridiculous Pre-Game Dunk




Andrew Wiggins completes a 360 degree, behind-the-back dunk during pregame warmups of NBA Summer League.

http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/cavaliers/sites/default/files/styles/main_gallery_photo__480_tall/public/wiggins-jersey-shoot-140627-06.jpg?itok=rhxjkSx0
Andrew Wiggins | #22 | F | Cleveland Cavaliers


#1 Draft Pick of the 2014 NBA Draft


Andrew Wiggins by way of Toronto, Canada



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