Capitalogix

"Imagine" - A New Song Around the World, by Playing For Change

Here is something worth sharing for the holiday season and new year. It is a video of different musicians, playing around the globe, combining their talents to create a new version of of John Lennon's classic, "Imagine".  Here is the video.

 

Imagine from Playing For Change Foundation on Vimeo.

Here is a link to "Stand By Me".  And here are more Playing For Change videos. 

Song Around the World.

It toook almost a year for the Playing For Change crew to complete John Lennon's "Imagine." Like other Song Around the World productions, it is played by various musicians from around the world.

Creating this piece took the crew from the favelas of Brazil to the shrines of southern India, from villages in Nepal to the glittering urban landscape of Tokyo and New York, and beyond.

The filmmakers asked musicians to record their version of the song by themselves. The finished project combines these performances to create an a "music video" of these artists playing together.

The Playing For Change Foundation and Yoko Ono joined together to launch the Power to the People campaign. The campaign seeks to advance John Lennon’s vision of peace by engaging artists and audiences to contribute to music education programs worldwide. Proceeds raised will help build music schools, support teachers and music programs, purchase instruments, and connect schools for cross-cultural learning and conflict resolution across borders.  As they say "Music IS the power: Power to the People."

Find out more at Playing For Change.

Related Articles

• John Lennon's 10 Best Songs, as chosen by Yoko Ono (current.com)
• Playing for Change Connects the World Through Music (abcnews.go.com)
• Playing For Change Foundation and Theatre Within Advance John Lennon's Vision for Peace With POWER TO THE PEOPLE Campaign (prnewswire.com)
• Street Musicians From Across The World Play For Change (npr.org)

Adam Sandler's Thanksgiving Song Video

With Thanksgiving coming this week, I thought this would help you get in the holiday spirit.  In case you forgot, Thanksgiving is an annual tradition of observing how people used to communicate before the Internet.

Click the image below to watch "Adam Sandler's Thanksgiving Song".

 

 

This Thanksgiving, cherish the time spent with your family as a reminder of why you moved very far away from your family.

My belt is already unbuckled.

Related articles

• Anecdotal Evidence: Shoppers Out in Full Force (ritholtz.com)
• What Are You Thankful For? (lifehack.org)

Laurel and Hardy Meet Santana

This video has virtually nothing to do with business or trading, other than being creative.

Still, smiling is good  ... and laughing is better.  Hopefully, you will enjoy this as much as I did. 

Watch Laurel and Hardy dance with Santana's "Oye Como Va" as the music track.  It fits surprisingly well.

 

 

The Internet Is Apparently for Porn

My Internet provider recently doubled the speed of service in our area.  Seemingly everyone I tell makes a joke about quicker access to porn.  In that spirit, here are two videos poking fun at that.

First, the Onion jokes that Congress passed the Pornographic Media Concealment Act, to hide this generation's porn habit from future generations. 

Congress Announces Plan To Hide Nation's Porn From Future Generations

And here is "The Internet Is For Porn", a number from Avenue Q. Here are the lyrics.

That was a funny show, and worth seeing if you get the chance.

Related articles by Zemanta

• How Big Is the SEC's Porn Problem? (abcnews.go.com)
• Library of Congress to store all tweets since 2006? (broadstuff.com)
• South Park creators to debut Broadway musical (cbc.ca)

Un-Plugged ... So You Can Hear the Talent.

Back to a Simpler Time ... and Sound.

I miss real music.  Recently, a lot of what's popular seems technologically-enhanced, over-produced, and auto-tuned.

That's why I like VH-1's Unplugged site.  It is showcases talent stripped of the pyrotechnics and glossy production. What's left are the artist and the art.

Here are a couple examples.

Daughtry.

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

Adam Lambert.

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

Sara Bareilles.

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

Helping Haiti Videos - Everybody Hurts and We Are the World 25

Here are two videos worth watching, in part for the music ... and in part for their larger purpose.  They were made to draw attention and raise funds to support humanitarian efforts in Haiti.

The first is a remake of the R.E.M. classic, “Everybody Hurts”.  Simon Cowell-produced it; and it is very well done.

Here is the link if you want to watch the Making of Helping Haiti - Everybody Hurts documentary.  And here is the link to read the story behind the video.  And, here is a longer version.

The second is a re-make of We Are the World.  Quincy Jones is at again, with a different list of stars and a different cause.  Here is the video.

And here are links to the We Are the World website. and the story behind the re-make.

Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night ... in the Market

The length and staying power of the recent market rally says something about how crowds work, and why the majority of traders are often wrong at turning points in the market.  The following video makes the same point, a different way. 

This video was filmed during a live taping of Oprah. It shows the Black-Eyed Peas, performing "I Gotta Feeling". It starts with a lone dancer (and I suspect some of it was planned). Yet, it is fascinating to watch what happens when other people feel the urge to get in on the fun ... and it doesn't take long until the animal spirits spread through the mob.

Pretty cool ... 

Here is the original version of that music video.

Related Info.

• Here is a link to the band's website.
• Here is a link to other Black-Eyed Pea Videos.
• Here is a site that has some song samples.

A Bohemian Rhapsody in Three Parts

Compare the original to the Muppets' version and a parody. Some things are classic. Some things are good enough to stand-up no matter who performs it.  You be the judge. 

A Little Background.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song written by Freddie Mercury, originally recorded by the band Queen for their 1975 album A Night at the Opera.

The song is a parody of a rock opera and has a very unusual musical structure for a piece of popular music. Its three different sections have no chorus but both a cappella and heavy metal arrangements. Despite this, it was released as a single and became a huge commercial success, marking a decisive point in Queen's career.

The single was accompanied by a groundbreaking "promotional video", which helped establish the visual language of the modern music (and helped make the music video a must have accessory for any performer).

Muppets - Video of Bohemian Rhapsody:

The Muppets have created their own version of Queen's classic song and video.  This version has very quickly gone viral, as people around the world flock to see it.

The Muppets released their version of Bohemian Rhapsody as a funny and endearing tribute marking the 18th anniversary of Freddie Mercury's untimely death. 

While there will never be another Freddy Mercury, neither will there be another Gonzo, Fozzie Bear nor Miss Piggy.  Here is their attempt at rock opera:

Bohemian Bankruptcy - A Tragedy by Drag Queen.

This, completely different, take on the classic is a witty parody of our economic times.

The Original: I Saved the Best for Last.

Here is the original.  After all this time, it still speaks for itself.

Here is a link to that video with the lyrics superimposed.

Here's a List of Fun iPhone Apps Worth Using

I wanted to create a list of the coolest iPhone apps. However, cool doesn't necessarily mean useful. Instead, this is a list of the applications that I use most.

This week I'm listing the lighter and more fun iPhone apps.  Here is the link to the list the business and productivity apps that I use most.

I limited myself to the top two applications per category.  Hope you find some cool stuff in here.

Social Media

• Facebook
• TweetDeck

Food & Fun Finders

• Yelp
• IWant

Games: Strategy

• Flood-It
• Block-Out

Games: Puzzle

• Sudoku
• DropSum

Games: Pattern Matching

• Moonlight Mahjong
• Triazzle

Games: Text

• TextTwist Turbo
• Scramble

Music

• Pandora
• Rhapsody

Photo Fun

• Photo fx
• ColorSplash

Health & Fitness

• iFitness
• Lose It!

Relaxation

• Pzizz Relax
• Ambiance

Sports News

• Sportacular
• Plusmo Football Plus

Shopping

• SnapTell
• Amazon.com

Even if you don't have an iPhone, check-out the links to see what is available.  I am amazed at how much of my computing and basic research are now done on a Smartphone.

That's it for now.  Let me know if I forgot your favorite or you found something worth sharing.

Timeless

Listen to the clever word-play in this Louis Armstrong and Danny Kaye duet and you'll hear the seeds from which a bunch of modern music sprouted from ...

If this doesn't make you feel better after you watch it, please contact me and I will send the fun police by your house!

(hat tip to Perro Grande)

Click here for more Louis Armstrong music videos.