Not typical of what I'd normally share ... But thought this was well done and timely.
Pentatonix were the winners of season 3 of NBC’s instrument-free music competition - 'The Sing-Off'.
Also, here's a link to their cover of Royals.
Television
December 18, 2013
December 06, 2013
Alec Baldwin Puts the Fear Into Christmas with Glengarry Christmas Spoof - Elf Motivation
In Glengarry Glen Ross, Alec Baldwin played a venom-spewing sales manager. His performance burned "Always Be Closing" and "Coffee is for Closers" into a generation's collective unconscious.
In the spirit of the holidays, Saturday Night Live created the spoof Glengarry Christmas - Elf Motivation ("Always Be Cobbling!"). Here it is.
Here is the original scene.
Bet that puts you in a festive mood.
December 01, 2013
The Clues to a Great Story - TED Video and Infographic
Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving.
I visited family.
One of the things that caught my attention was how attached to stories we are ... our own, and the stories of others.
They help us decide who is naughty or nice. They help us decide who to spend more time with ... and where we fit in.
Stories are emotion catalysts and amplifiers. Choose the 'right' ones, and you feel good. Focus on the 'wrong' one and you feel bad.
Well-told stories make us care. Humans use 'story' to make sense of things. If you create the narrative, the process is intentional. However, for most, the quality of our stories is not a conscious process.
How Do You Craft a Great Story?
A good story can make the gathering feel that much closer. A good story can flip a conversation at a party from completely awkward to wonderful.
A good story can glue your nose to a book. And, on screen, a good story can rivet generation after generation.
Story-telling is an important skill. So, how do you tell a good story?
Andrew Stanton, the Pixar writer and director behind both Toy Story and WALL-E, has many ideas, and he shared his expertise in his TED Talk, The clues to a great story .
Storytelling is like joke telling. It's knowing your punchline, your ending, knowing that everything you're saying, from the first sentence to the last, is leading to a singular goal, and ideally confirming some truth that deepens our understandings of who we are as human beings.
We all love stories. We're born for them. Stories affirm who we are. We all want affirmations that our lives have meaning. And nothing does a greater affirmation than when we connect through stories. It can cross the barriers of time, past, present and future, and allow us to experience the similarities between ourselves and through others, real and imagined.
Here is an infographic that sets out the basic steps to a great story.
Stories are not just for kids.
Make me care. Take me with you. Be intentional. Let me like you. Delight me.
Words to live by!
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September 27, 2013
The New Grand Theft Auto Videogame is the Fastest-Selling Entertainment Product Ever
GTA V reached the billion-dollar revenue milestone faster than any other entertainment product in history.
Read that again ... Not only does that make GTA the fastest game to reach that milestone, but the fastest-selling entertainment product of all time.
It took the game only three days to achieve what Avatar, no less than the most successful movie of all times, did in 17 days.
With an estimated production/marketing budget of $265 million, GTA V is not only the most expensive video game of all time, but also more expensive than most of today's Hollywood blockbusters.
The two highest-grossing movies in history, James Cameron's Titanic and Avatar, both took considerably longer to pull in one billion.
For what it's worth, I think is also says something good about the economy and disposable income.
August 03, 2013
July 14, 2013
'Ho Lee Fuk' - TV Station Pranked Into Reporting Fabricated Names Of Asiana Pilots
A San Francisco Fox affiliate, KTVU, is dealing with the fallout of a major error.
Their report on the deadly Asiana Airlines crash took a turn for the unintentionally offensive when they broadcast the names of pilots in charge of that flight. The mangled Asian-sounding names were, in fact, thinly-disguised expletives mocking the sentiments expressed by the crash victims and their families.
The supposed names of the crash victims broadcast on KTVU included "Sum Ting Wong," "Wi Tu Lo," "Ho Lee Fuk," and "Bang Ding Ow."
A KTVU anchor later apologized for the error. She said that the names were inaccurate in spite of the fact that a National Transpiration Safety Board spokesperson confirming them.
April 21, 2013
The Most Honest Three Minutes In Television History? [Video]
Tragedies often sound a clarion call that get people to band together and be their best selves.
But how long will the good behavior last? Like exercise or showers, while it is good to do ... it is better to repeat.
It is time to take an honest look at ourselves ... and take appropriate action.
The 3 minute video below highlights some tough issues. The hard truth is that progress starts with honesty.
Do you think this painted an accurate picture of the current United States?
January 31, 2013
A Hedge Fund Dogfight Mesmerizes Wall Street
Carl Icahn and William Ackman are longtime rivals.
Last week they put on quite a show. Alerted by the buzz of social media, the eyes of Wall Street turned to CNBC. What they witnessed was verbal fisticuffs that could rival anything on reality TV.
Here is the video of a spat between two hedge fund magnates with a decade-long grudge against each other. Apparently, name-calling is fair in battles such as this.
One step above "I'm rubber and you're glue; anything you say bounces off me and sticks to you." Fun to watch if you like things like that.
January 21, 2013
A Bad Lip Reading of the NFL
Playoff time is usually serious for the NFL. This is not.
It is kind of the opposite of one of those old Kung Fu movies where the dubbed words you hear aren't synched with the mouth movement.
Here it looks like they are saying what you hear ... it's just that someone changed the words. You could call it "So THAT'S what they were saying ..."
via YouTube
December 29, 2012
JibJab's 2012 Year in Review Video
Oh well ... crazy how fast time flies. Hopefully 2012 was good for you.
Here is JibJab's take on what happened.
Long Live 2013.
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