Sunday, December 7, 2008

Wikipedia again (attempt at creating an article after suceeding with editing one)

In my attempts at trying to add onto an existing Wikipedia article I also tried to create a new Wikipedia article. This is my first attempt at creating a new article about a comic book guide called Slings and Arrows. I met with an attempt to delete this article because of biased language that wouldn't fit in an encyclopedia and altered it, which seems to have stopped its deletion. Check it out at

Slings And Arrows

Wikipedia and The Wire part two

I have tried a second time at contributing to a Wikipedia article after the last time I tried to edit the page on the HBO series, The Wire. This time I decided to contribute to the description of the soundtrack to the show. I had recently bought the album, loved it, and saw that the section devoted to its description was not completed. I attached the track listing and added to this page. You can find it at:

The Wire...and all the pieces matter

Theatre of the Mind

Ludacris' new album Theatre of the Mind was another solid release by everybody's favorite rapper of the South. In an album jam-packed with guest rappers Ludacris still stood out in every track. And speaking of guest artists, Luda managed to bring high quality talent to every song. Industry greats Nas and Jay-Z join together again to light up a track the way they did on "Black Republican" and "Success", on Nas' Hip Hop is Dead and Jay-Z's American Gangster, respectively. Concerned artists Spike Lee and Common join Luda for a socially aware "Do the Right Thang". These are only the tip of the creative talent that help boost Ludacris' new titanic album.

As expected, Ludacris provides many fun and funny tracks on this album, most notably "One More Drink" and "Everybody Hates Chris". This entire album isn't all light material though. As already, mentioned Luda and Common spark up a hot track that is incendiary in its material and message. Overall, Ludacris released an entertaining album full of creative rhymes, beats, and stories...as he promised in the opening track and through his consistent repoirtoir that could "fill up a CD-changer" as the Southern Gangster would put it.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Mixtape Madness

Recently a friend of mine made me aware of a great site for downloading free mixtapes of hip-hop artists. There is a great variety of artists, from the popular Weezy, Jay-Z, and Kanye West to the more obscure artists, such as the rising D.C. artist, Wale. I would heartily endorse Wale as an artist to watch. He combines a blend of hip-hop and go-go music to create a unique sound that will soon take the nation by storm.

You can find these mixtapes at

Datpiff

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Wikipedia, The Wire, Barack Obama, Omar Little, and Robin Hood

Recently I came across a quote by Barack Obama comparing the Wire character, Omar Little, to Robin Hood. Obama also said that Omar was his favorite character on the Wire, possibly because he fights for the poor, little man. I added this tidbit to the Wikipedia article concerning The Wire. You can find this article at:

The Wire

A brief excerpt of my addition also follows:

Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), a renowned Baltimore stick-up man robbing drug dealers for a living, was a frequent thorn in the side of the Barksdale clan. In an interview with The Las Vegas Sun, when asked who his favorite character was on 'The Wire' Barack Obama quickly answered, Omar, saying

"he's a fascinating character...he's sort of a Robin Hood."

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

A Touch of Evil

For those of you who haven't seen Orson Welles' Touch of Evil, you should check it out. It's a great film noir with Welles, Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh. I recently wrote a review for it on Amazon under the title:

Welles and film noir: a perfect combination

It's one of the best films ever. Check it out.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

A Song of Ice and Fire

One of the more popular ongoing epic fantasy series that has caught my interest is the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. It takes the fantasy elements normally associated with epic fantasies (such as magic, dragons, otherworldly creatures, quests, etc..) and pushes these ideas into the background, if they are incorporated at all. Instead the plot focuses more on creating a believable political, geographical, and historical reality for the realm of Westeros. In order to do this, Martin draws heavily on medieval and other historical events (the War of the Roses) to create a story that focuses more on political intrigue, competition between noble families, and competition over the throne of Westeros. While there are still some fantasy elements spread throughout, most of the novel deals with the fighting that occurs between rival factions and their armies. Basically it's Lord of the Rings meets Braveheart/any Shakespeare play about royalty. Recently I joined a forum that focuses on this series which can be found at:

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?act=idx


Check it out if you're interested.