Glambert

After shaking up American Idol, Adam Lambert is hard at work on his debut album!  Although there’s a lot of stigma associated with post-AI albums, Lambert’s seems to be shaping up to quiet the record!  Although Adam is new to the music scene he’s already had to overcome obstacles including an album featuring him being released without his knowledge and coming out in Rolling Stone magazine.  Despite what might be a strenuous time, Adam has stayed highly enthusiastic about releasing his album.

Most new artists don’t get to work with high profile produces, but Lambert has managed to seize Ryan Tedder (Leona Lewis), Max Martin (Britney Spears), Dr. Luke (Ke$ha), and RedOne (Lady Gaga)!  That’s a whole lot of genius (Max Martin) on one album!  Although it doesn’t surprise me that he’s using different producers, it’s smart when you’re in pop music.   He’s calling it “rock-pop-electronic-dance thing.”

I can’t tell if I’m excited or not to hear the multi-genre album.  While it sort-of, kind-of worked for Lady Gaga, can the same formula work for Adam?  His music might turn out to be too “out there.”  After all, subtly isn’t Adam’s strong point.  Just take a gander at the cover art of his album!  He’s definitely not holding back!  Cyndi Lauper called; she wants the 80s back!

His debut album comes out November 23rd.  That’s another ballsy move Glambert.  November 23rd is the day Britney Spears’s ‘The Singles Collection,’ Lady Gaga’s ‘The Fame: Monster,’ Shakira’s ‘She-Wolf,’ and Rihanna’s ‘R-Rated’ come out!  That’s a lot of competition!  Hopefully, Glambert can keep up!

 

by Adrian Garcia

Katie’s Crafts : Mr. Bluebird Sewing Project

Alright, alright, alright.  I have a couple of really fantastic projects for you readers of TMI.  I will admit, I’ve been trying to work on a mobile for a week or so now, and it’s tripping me up, but as soon as I figure out the absolute best way to execute it, I will have pictures, instructions, videos, blue prints, etc. up here so you all don’t have to learn from my many mistakes.  So that’s in the oven.  But for this week, I have a really cool twist on a cork board that’s functional and cheap, and also an interesting sewing project turned gift idea for all of you out there who consider sewing rocket science.  Because it’s not.  It’s actually very simple and friendly.  Like an affectionate baby.

To get on with it, here are your supplies for the Coffee Sac Cork Board:

-Cork board (obviously. You can find one very cheap at Michael’s)
-Burlap Coffee Bag (you can find these FO FREE at your local coffee roaster’s shop.  I know that Crimson Café roasts its own coffee and has burlap sacks to spare.  I got mine from Primavera in Birmingham)
-Staple Gun
-Scissors
-Pushpins (to hang things up with when you’re done)

1. Cut your burlap sac in half (along the seams) so that it is not too thick when you staple it to the corkboard.

2. Lay the piece of the burlap sac with the writing on it face down on the ground, and put the cork board on top of it (also face down)

3. Use the staple gun to staple burlap sac to the back of the corkboard.  (*note* be sure not to pull the sac too tight because it will warp the writing on the sac.  But you don’t want it to be loose either)

4. Hang it up and put cool stuff on it

Now, for the sewing project, I wanted to sew a very simple bird.  It ends up looking really cute, and you can wrap it up and give it to your friends (because it seems like all of my friends have their birthdays in the next 3 weeks).

Materials:

-2 different patterns of fabrics (you can find fabric samples at Michael’s or just cut up some old clothes that you don’t wear anymore)
-scissors
-needle and thread (come on, I know all of your mothers bought you that tiny sewing kit from Target)
-stuffing (You don’t have to go pro with this. I just used cotton balls)

1. I found this (<<click it) free sewing pattern of a bird on Spool .  It’s a PDF file, so to access it after you’ve gotten to the website, just click on the link called Bird Pattern located in the sidebar on the left under “Free Sewing Patterns.” Print this out.

2. Cut out the pattern of the bird from your different fabrics using the pattern you printed off of Spool.

3. Pin the pieces of the fabric together where the dots are located on the stencil.  (*note* make sure that your fabric is wrong-side-out if it is not two-sided! You will be turning this bird inside out after you sew him together, so you want the pretty side to be facing in while you sew.  ALSO: this is a three-dimensional stuffed animal, so the two pieces will not lay on top of each other perfectly, there will be a bit of slack fabric in the bird’s body.  Just pin the edges together where it is specified and you’ll be golden)

4. Start sewing the bird together.  It doesn’t really matter what color thread you use because it will barely be visible when you finish.  BE SURE TO LEAVE THE TAIL OPEN WHEN YOU ARE SEWING! You need a place to put the stuffing.

5. After you’ve finished sewing, turn the bird right-side-out (you might need a pencil to help you out with this step) and then stuff the bird with cotton balls or whatever you choose (*note* if you use cotton balls instead of store-bought stuffing, be sure to pull the balls apart so it is somewhat fluffy instead of clumped together.  You don’t want a lumpy, tumorous looking bird)

6. After your bird looks satisfyingly rotund, sew the tail pieces together.

7. As a final step, you could embellish your bird however you choose.  I put some spare buttons on mine, but you can get creative with it, or just leave him as he is.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

8. I put mine in an old cardboard box, decorated it up a bit with some patterned paper and twine and gave it away as a gift.

Piece-o-cake.

by Katie Borland

Humming

Rabbit Food and Recipes

Humming “Where have all the cowboys gone” and waiting on some carrot burfi to simmer, I realize the life we cannot see, the metaphorical life rides in an almost complete parallel highway to our physical actions. Signs, smelling the roses, and humbly but wholly opening our eyes might just save us all.

I shaved the orange sticks and chopped their heads off. I shoved them down into the powerful metal and shiny blades that separated the pulp from its beloved carrot juice. I sipped the liquidy goodness and welcomed a golden orange mustache. Peach fuzz is for pansies. I’ll stick with the brightest tones.

Too excited for my own creation, I popped the top off the juicer too early. Slices, chunks, mush catapulted in every 180 degree direction in front of the original Mr. slicer and dicer. I now stand in a realm I’ve never been before, in a room of carrot goo, gooiness under my toes and in the blonde matted hairs.

On the mirrors.

Leaving trails on the green painted walls of my mother’s kitchen.

In between Diet and Fit sappy magazines.

Dotting and decorating the windows’ blinds.

A slight cough and a look from my mother and we would have rolled on the floor laughing if it wasn’t for the field of orange baby food. I almost started to sing the Clean up song that Barney taught us as kids when we made a mess of some multi-colored legos and Barbie furniture.

After taking on a 40-day adventure in the woods this past summer. Just viewed  my friend’s photo gallery this week who whimfully went backpacking through Asia. Received a wake up call from my best friend who hasn’t been to sleep in over 24 hours due an unexpected adventure in New York City.

Life sends us spinning. Then sometimes, we are the spinners of life. Many say, “I’ll do (insert an extravagant adventure here) when pigs fly.” I’d like to see that too, but I’ll take the flying carrots as a sign.

That’ll do just fine.

Here’s the Carrot Burfi Recipe-

Kind of a sweet treat mix between peanut butter brittle and trailmix fudge with an Indian kick to it…

Carrot Burfi Recipe

by Kinsey Russell

Versus

Remember the good old days when life was simple? Our parents’ generation had cowboys and Indians (err, I mean, Native Americans). A few years ago our generation stepped it up a notch and begged the question, “Pirates versus ninjas?” And now it seems as though somebody in Hollywood is beginning a new war: vampires or zombies?

Although it is rarely phrased directly, it seems as though sides are being formed and tensions are high. The media has been swept up in a wave of television shows, books, movies, and videogames based on vampires and zombies.

The debate seems to come down to this: would you prefer the supernatural, bloodthirsty monster hunting you down to be cunning and seductive, or thoughtless and brutal? These definitions seems to also dictate why, very generally, the rival camps are giggly girls and gay men who prefer the former and nerd-tastic, overly-practical guys who prefer the latter. The nature of the two monsters explains why vampires are dominating the romance genre whereas zombies are becoming overwhelmingly popular within the comedy/satire and gore genres.

I’m not quiet sure what has added so much fuel to the fire behind these two genres recently, and to be honest I’m somewhat disappointed. I’m not saying I dislike vampires or zombies – well actually, I’d rather not meet either one down a dark alley, but, you know, as far as subject matter goes they both have a lot to offer.  Rather, it seems like the upsurge in popularity hasn’t brought much of anything new to the table other than irony. Vampires either protect humans and glitter in their spare time, or they live in Hicksville, USA. Meanwhile, zombies are being tag-teamed by Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, that is if they’re not too busy being slaughtered by comedians with formulaic plans.

All of this is fine and dandy, really. My girly side pines over Edward Cullen as much as the next chick, and the geek in me considers Sean of the Dead to be a masterpiece film. However, it seems like I am now bombarded on all sides with so much zombie comedy and vampire romance that it has become redundant. There’s always a new twist that new book or this new movie, but the subject matter has been worn out.

So, sure, I’m frantic over the fact that I haven’t seen Zombieland yet. And, yes, I’ll be seeing New Moon next month.  I’m not the only one, either; the industry will continue to pull in the big bucks with these franchises and more. But it will get to a point where the fan base will decline, numbers will drop, and we will all decide that it’s time for the next big culture debate. Anyone game for “fairies versus gnomes?” I smell an animated smash-hit.

By Katie Fraley

Ponder While They Press Play

There are several components that are involved in the release of an artist’s album or single.  Record labels go over promotional performances, track listings, and distribution.  While all those things are infinitely important, the artwork is perhaps one of the single most important aspects of any major artist’s release.  It’s the image that will forever be associated with that album or single, so it’s important to get it right.  Within the past couple of weeks, some of the hottest acts in the US have released the cover art to their music: Britney Spears, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga.

Unlike her previous greatest hits, Britney Spears has opted not to do a new photo shoot; instead she’s compiled outtakes from eight iconic photo shoots associated with eight of her major music releases (six albums, one greatest hits, and one remix album).  The artwork also features Britney’s autograph with signature heart.  It’s appropriate, simple, and classic.  You can follow the photographs to see how Britney has transformed from an innocent girl-next-door to a bona-fide pop icon.

Although Rihanna only has three albums, she’s already has one of the most iconic album covers in the past decade.  Her Good Girl Gone Bad album cover was everywhere for the better portion of ’07 and ’08.  The “Umbrella” singer’s highly anticipated fourth album’s first single, “Russian Roulette,” premiered recently along with the track’s single cover.  The entire cover reminds me of a bad 90s horror film picture, and it works!  Rihanna looks like Number Two in her eye-patch get-up with her frosted blonde hair slicked back.

Arguably the most eccentric out of the three women, Lady Gaga’s covers (standard and deluxe) for ther re-release, The Fame: Monster, have surfaced, and they are a something!  The standard version features a platinum blonde, straw-like, bobbed Lady Gaga hiding behind a latex cape; on the other hand, the deluxe version features a brunette, vulnerable, porcelain Lady Gaga.  Both versions have a cross in place of the “t” in monster.

Whether it is for a compilation, single, or album, artwork is central to the theme of the work.  What are these covers trying to tell us?  This is left up to the viewer to ponder while they press play.
by Adrian Garcia

Woke Up Dead

Anyone one up for a sweet little web series? How ‘bout one that involves zombies, oh, and the guy from Napoleon Dynamite? Yeah, that’s right, and it’s just in time for Halloween (hooray)! It’s called Woke Up Dead (check it out here) and according to our greatest known resource, Wikipedia, it’s an “American horror/comedy web series starring Jon Heder as a young man who awakes in a full bathtub after ‘drowning’ and has no heartbeat, prompting his friends to believe him to be a zombie.” Sounds fun, right? Well, yeah, it is, but I do have a few problems with it. The premise of the series is simply amazing; cash in on what’s popular and hip right now. Kids love zombies (maybe not quite as much as they love vampires, but zombies are a close second and much more badass), and a lot of young people love quirky little web series – anyone remember Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog? Throw in Mr. Dynamite and you’ve got yourself a hit just ready to explode, but, unfortunately, the execution is less than stellar. Now, don’t get me wrong here, Woke Up Dead is entertaining and lol-worthy in spots, but it could be so much more. Granted, it is web based entertainment that is brought to us in short installments and Oscar worthy acting is not necessary, but after seeing what NPH did with Dr. Horrible we’ve all come to expect more (I really do wish that Jon Heder would deliver his lines with just a little bit more comedic timing).

Okay, enough with all of this negative bologna; the series has more than enough character and heart to make up for some lousy acting from time to time. First, our protagonist, Drex (Jon Heder), plays a peculiar zombie. He doesn’t look, smell, or move like the corpse-like creatures presented in traditional zombie flicks. He’s just your average-super awkward-dude, who even denies that he is, in fact, a zombie. He continues on with his soul crushing job and searches for romance, while his heart lies dormant beneath his chest (irony?). Secondly, Wayne Knight (Newman, from Seinfeld) is one of Drex’s co-workers, and he acts just like…well…Newman. How can you beat that?! And finally, Woke Up Dead is just plain awesome. It’s a couple of actors having some fun while entertaining their fans. The plot is interesting and keeps the viewer wanting more (kind of like Lost, but without all the island craziness). Luckily, there are fifteen webisodes up right now and a new one will hit on the 21st, so go get your zombie on with Woke Up Dead!

-Tyler Marshall

Street obsession

I am obsessed with hip-hop. It is finally admitted in writing. Keep in mind that I’m a suburban white kid who loves sweaters, classy attire, and indie rock. Which means I’m probably also a cliché in that there’s a lot of white kids just like that who appreciate “street stories.” And I’m not going to get to why that is. I’m not going to get to whether or not it is a disrespect to the flavor of the culture if kids who will never live in the tough streets still love songs about those same streets. I will say that I am obsessed with how the best in the game view art.Veteran rapper and Wu Tang Clan member Raekwon released an excellent album a couple of months back called Only Built for Cuban Linx… Part 2. The simple dynamic that makes this record truly work is the emphasis on stories I likely will never live. I suspect I will never be a drug pedaler, and thus will never see the “kill-or-be-killed” culture presented in an album that tells it like it is. But then that also leads to a loaded question: Why are all the good hip-hop records centered around depressing settings?

There are a lot of great records in all genres based on the concept of lower-class settings, but literally all of hip-hop’s best records are centered around the lower-class. I can recall the greatness of Clipse’s Hell Hath No Fury, Nas’ Illmatic, or even the original Only Built For Cuban Linx… as examples of elaborate storytelling based in horrific situations. Go back a little further to Ice Cube’s “It Was A Good Day” where he’s basically praising himself for his life not ending in another’s hand on this day.

Then again, it’s probably the production. Hip-hop producers are such a wide swath of talent that the best really show when they get on a track. A notable example is the late J Dilla, who knew more about soul than most soul singers. He would throw a work like the Four Tops cover of “Eleanor Rigby” on top of a beat, which is what he did for Raekwon’s “House of Flying Daggers.” His work was usually elegant and smooth, and he was also involved with the heavily underrated Slum Village.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD-_RrocREg

But yes, that sums up my love of the genre. I won’t go any further, because obsessives have a tendency to ramble on all day about something you barely care about, and no one wants that.

by Trey Irby

The Devil you know

In Terry Gilliam’s soon to be released, soon to called a masterpiece, film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Heath Ledger gives his final performance, Christopher Plummer gets second billing, Johnny Depp, Colin Ferrel, and Jude Law are all part of the cameos replacing Ledger for the scenes he couldn’t finish (for obvious reasons), and even Verne Troyer gets billing in the trailer for his small (no pun…Okay, pun intended) role. But not Tom Waits. He’s in the trailer and on several posters, but he has a small “and” billing at the bottom. Not once do they say his name in the trailer. His role, that of the Devil, is long over due for an actor of his character and personality. And it is a perfect fit.

Waits, a singer/ songwriter by trade, and one who this writer is INCREDIBLY fond of, has had several great acting roles in his career, but never Satan. This character has been written about and performed in song by Waits for a long time. An opera he wrote with William S. Burroughs, is about the power of the devil. He seems to channel some demonic beast through his voice on the album Bone Machine, and of course, his role in Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula as the insane and proto-vampire Reinfield is one of the great character portrayals ever. The man has been primed and ready to play the Devil for a very long time.

For example, in 1989’s Cold Feet, he plays a loud, unhinged assassin who only wants to be liked, and looses his mind when he’s not, Or as the quietly frustrated Zack, or Lee Baby Sims as he prefers, in the brilliant and highly underrated Down By Law, Or even as the senior loving, gap-brained, “non-violent” weapons creator Dr. Heller in the madcap Mystery Men, he displays a sort of bubbling creepiness. Something is there, just under the surface, that says “Come close, but not too close.”

Even in cameos in such films as Domino (as a Christian tract carrying wanderer), or as the no legged veteran begging for change in The Fisher King, or even as an emissary of the Lord, Kneller in the brilliant Wristcutters, a Love Story, there is something sinister there, even as a good person. He has something behind his eyes. And if you’ve ever listened to his music, something behind his voice.

Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil to be able to play the blues, and then cheated the devil out of the dead.  Tom Waits probably gave his voice to the devil, willingly, and in turn, the devil got what he was due.

by Henri Cheramie

NaNoWriMo

I  have a confession to make:  I have not been writing as much as I should be.

I told you before that I’m writing a novel, but what with school, running, and trying to get a new job, there’s just not much time left to do something so odious as pick up the pencil again and force out a few words.  As you may have guessed, I’ve reached a dry spot.  Not quite writer’s block because I know what’s supposed to happen next, but some kind of deep lethargy that won’t let me pick up the pencil.

And to think I had planned to finish by October.  Last year, I saw a sign on the wall of my dorm for National Novel Writing Month and I walked upstairs to see what it was all about.  Perhaps you’ve heard of Chris Baty’s NaNoWriMo.  It’s a great thing for writers who just need a little motivation – a deadline – to pull that novel out of their brain they’ve been stewing on most of their lives.  In Baty’s highly entertaining guidebook for the novel contest, No Plot, No Problem!, Baty explains the whole philosophy of the event.  There are only a few rules:

1. Write a 50,000-word (or longer!) novel, between November 1 and November 30.
2. Start from scratch. None of your own previously written prose can be included in your NaNoWriMo draft (though outlines, character sketches, and research are all fine, as are citations from other people’s works).
3. Write a novel. We define a novel as a lengthy work of fiction. If you consider the book you’re writing a novel, we consider it a novel too!
4. Be the sole author of your novel. Apart from those citations mentioned two bullet-points up.
5. Write more than one word repeated 50,000 times.

And you only have 30 days to finish it.  That’s 1,667 words a day.

For me, I admit I cheated a little.  I was working on a novel that ended up being 170,000 words and I don’t think even Stephen King can do that.  To stop at 50,000 words wouldn’t do much good.  But I got to 70,000 words by Nov 30 and I had a fresh desire to finish.  I kept up with the same motivation techniques, particularly waging “word wars” against myself and treating myself to rewards after every chapter.  Paragraph.  I finished the whole thing by the end of December.  I think it counts as winning because I wrote over 50,000 words in November and finished the novel at the same breakneck pace.

This year, I decided to try to do the same contest, but in a different month and by myself.  It was hard.  I got to 30K and had to stop.  I intend to pick it up tomorrow, I swear, but things keep getting in the way.  The thing is that I tried to kill off one of my characters, and she’s just taking much too long to die and stealing the attention, besides.  I’m a little tired of her insensitivity and neediness.  But, seriously.  There were two differences between last year and this that I can think of:

Difference #1: Last year, I put in 10,000 words the first weekend and stayed in the black the whole way, even if I skipped a day or two or three.  This year, by day 5 I was in the red and so I had this huge word war with myself and only barely caught up.  The next day I was just tired out and so I was in the red again.  So I was never really ahead of the game.

Difference #2: I didn’t get much outside motivation.  No letters from respected authors in my inbox.  No check-in from Chris Baty.  No bragging to fellow NaNoWriMo contestants.  Only a lone “you can do it” from my boyfriend, which is sweet, but he says it to everything I try.  It’s in his job description.

by Stephanie Miller

“Swing on These Words”

Tuscaloosa.

Tusk-a-loosa.

Tuscaloos-ya-self in this artificial town.

ART-ificial town.

ART-official town

This town, ole Tuscaloosa, can wear on a soul sometimes. The classes and collaborations. The parties and the performances. The friends and the foes. The city limits are much closer than you think.

Cars tires screech and halt up and down University Drive as students cross the blazing white bridge, painted onto the black lake of fire that leads them safely across one side of the street to another. “It’s a jungle out there,” some would say as they arrive to class, wiping sweat from their brow after dodging the twenty-eight thousand something other students with the same mission as each one gasps for a heavy, humid piece of air.

It’s easy to get lost in the library. Filling up every block of your clock isn’t so much of a task as getting away to a quiet place away from it all. A couple of weeks ago the event, “Into the Woods,” allotted a couple hours for busy humans to do just that.

A hike. Poetry. A poetry hike. Writers, readers, listeners and hikers grouped together at the Arboretum on the first Saturday of October. Writers had their stories read aloud by readers to hikers as the poets and short story writers ventured along the trails as well. Leading the last of the four hikes, I wanted to discuss and talk about the stories and poems that were being read to us, but silence was encouraged between each designated reading spot. Instead, I wished to invent a way to paint my thoughts in the air. I would paint thick, white lines in the air that simplified my complex thoughts. That way, I could look at my thoughts as pieces of art and not think too hard about what I just thoughtfully painted.

The fall month gleamed with its expected seasonal characteristics that day. The wind blew slightly and the temperature was low enough to welcome the beaming sunlight with a few clouds. Everything surrounding the trails was still chlorophylic green, but the lack of sweat beads on my forehead reminded me that other colors would, well, show their colors soon enough.

We hiked up a few small trails and down a couple baby knolls as readers emerged from underneath small crossing bridges, a bit moldy from the moss and out from rusty dilapidating shanties. Each listener stood in silence, admiring the voice that fluently spoke the words and the “awayness” the hike brought.

It was a lovely time and I didn’t want it to end. Being around a few thousand trees and some wild flowers among pebble-trodden trails along with several delicate strings of sentences and words being spoken into the refreshing air, I wanted to rename the hike to “Lost in the Woods” (without a negative connotation).

There are high hopes and expectancies for another hike in the Spring. Until then, we must hike on our own! Take to the trails on your own initiative. It’s revitalizing and all those other “re” words that awaken the soul.

Go here!

www.trails.com/activity.aspx?area=14116www.singletracks.com/...trails/lake-lurleen-state-park-trail.html

http://www.tripleblaze.com/best/?c=4

by Kinsey Russell