DJ Caruso premieres the first installment of “Inside”
It’s July 25th, which means the first installment of director DJ Caruso’s experiment in social media filmmaking hits the Internet today.
The movie’s website is currently overloaded, but the full episode is available on Youtube. So far the main character Christina, played by Emmy Rossum, has woken up to find she’s been trapped in a room. She tries to get some photos of her location uploaded to Facebook, and then her internet connection dies. Story of my life, really.
Hypem.com unveils ‘Fast Forward,’ a music blog sample plate
Have you tried Fast Forward yet?
I’ve always enjoyed The Hype Machine because it allows me to play through new music and popular favorites with a little more personalized context than a service like Pandora. If I want to know more about specific tracks, I can click through to blogs, and then also discover whole new corners of the music blogging abyss. Their newest experiment, Fast Forward, takes that idea and gives it a meth addiction.
Here’s how the new service works, according to Hype Machine:
From the latest, popular, or genre channels of blogged music, we show you screenshots of related blog posts, while playing short samples of the songs being discussed. Want to read the whole post? Click the big image on your screen. Like the song? Click the heart to add it to your Hype Machine favorites. Use your arrow keys, space bar, or the > button to skip to the next sample.
And it moves really fast. Fast Forward is micro-blogging in an almost purely auditory form. It may end up helping bloggers simply because users end up opening tab after tab just to hold on to a song before it gets lost in the wealth of sound bites.
Fast Forward doesn’t work well for prolonged periods of listening for the same reason. There’s no time to settle into anything. Still, when I hit that “I hate everything on my iPod” wall, it’s a really consuming, fun way to get a barrage of tastes and possibilities in very little time.
Imagine any CD sampler ever created but free and seemingly endless. Try it out, and then let The Hype Machine know what you think.
DJ Caruso and Emmy Rossum invite users ‘Inside’ one of the first social films
If you like thrillers, the internet, the idea of being in a movie and have been looking for a way to combine these interests for a long time, then wait no more. Director DJ Caruso has the vanity project for you: his new social media film experiment ‘Inside.’
The premise is relatively simple. Emmy Rossum stars as Christina, a 20-something who finds herself trapped in a room with nothing but a computer. Viewers and internet users then get to play a key role in her attempts to free herself. DJ Caruso and team will cast real social media users, and those people will get to interact with and influence Rossum’s character.
Almost every crime procedural TV show or movie has done some episode where a killer broadcasts a murder via untraceable web connection, has hits kill victims faster, some super computer uses wireless to direct electronics to kill us, and so on. DJ Caruso even got in on the technology thriller game with 2008’s ‘Eagle Eye,’ but ‘Inside’ will challenge him, Rossum, writers and crew to execute a story that actually calls upon and engages ordinary social media and internet users live.
Social media users can audition to play a role in ‘Inside’ now. Then, on Monday, July 25th, pieces of the film will be released on various social media platforms until the film’s conclusion. All parts will be collected and edited together after that and released as a single project on August 14, 2011. Judging whether or not the film works or sucks will, of course, happen concurrently.
For all updates related to ‘Inside,’ keep an eye on TheInsideExperience.com.
Karmin Covers Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” with Questlove
Questlove knows everybody. That isn’t the point here, but I always forget that, and then he does things like pop up on semi-random covers of Nicki Minaj singles to remind folks. At least the artists he works with are usually deserving.
Right now, Karmin are known more for their YouTube covers than their original songs, but I’m curious to see where they go. Amy Renee has a retro-pop flavor of cuteness about her, but her voice is fuller than I might have expected. There’s a soulful element that adds something to the sunshine cover of a track that’s already upbeat. This is perfect for a sunny Saturday.
(Source: youtube.com)
From popculturebrain:
First listen: Patrick Stump’s new single “This City” feat. Lupe Fiasco | The A.V. Club
This is the first of Stump’s solo tracks that could be a huge hit.
I love how this is poised to be anthemic, and then Lupe drops a verse about socio-political problems in the middle real quick. Never change, Lupe.
Before seeing him perform the songs live, I kind of hated Patrick Stump’s solo EP, “Truant Wave.” There’s something about how intricately the songs are laid down that made it interesting but not a whole lot of fun to listen leisurely. Good for me, but not good to me, perhaps. After sitting with for some time, I’ve found tracks getting stuck in my head, so now I’m curious about what the full-length album will bring.
That is, if it ever gets an official release date. “Soul Punk” is currently later for late summer. AKA eventually.
(via thispopculture)
JJ Abrams and Jonathan Nolan team up for ‘Person of Interest’
I’m only just picking my way through news about the Upfronts this year. So far, the shows listed as top contenders by different media outlets have me thinking that this year fall television will be suited to my interests. It’s almost eerie how appealing shows like ‘Awake’ and ‘Up All Night’ are to me in very particular ways. I’ll need to investigate whether someone has been sneaking into my room at night and stealing my dreams, but before that, let’s talk about ‘Person of Interest.’
I somehow missed that JJ Abrams and Jonathan Nolan are working together. JJ Abrams loves to use magical realism and supernatural concepts to build suspense. Jonathan “Jonah” Nolan is director Christopher Nolan’s brother (although, for some reason, Chris Nolan is British and Jonah is sort of an American bro) who cowrote ‘The Dark Knight.’ This fall, JJ Abrams’ penchant for subtly creepy world-building self is producing a show Nolan’s created that brings those elements into reality.
As Abrams describes it in the video above:
“That idea of having people who are very much human and very real, and yet at the same that doing things that are without questions very heroic—that was a very exciting prospect.”
Aka Batman is Jim Caviezel but crazier and actually kills people. AKA Happy Birthday to me!
I’ve somehow developed a weird aversion to Jim Caviezel, but now I can’t remember why. Perhaps my general annoyance at ‘The Passion of the Christ’ as a film has fallen on his shoulders in part. That’s unfortunate, but Caviezel was also in ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ and excelled at revenge. Now I can’t wait to see him spend several episodes punishing people for potential crimes and then inevitably having some moral dilemmas later, since Caviezel’s also talented portraying characters who cry about personal responsibility. LOST’s Michael Emerson also gets his disturbing on again, and IMDB tells me that Taraji P. Henson, the Oscar-nominated BAMF of heart (yes, that is a thing) will play the lead female, but she must not show up in the pilot much since she hasn’t been featured in any of the press materials.
I can’t wait. Don’t let me down, Jonah and JJ! There are too many gold elements here.
‘Person of Interest’ will air Thursdays this fall and is among the preview pilots scheduled for the 2011 Comic-con in San Diego.
Rob Zombie directs “Torturer” commercial for Woolite
Not even the Clorox song about mama’s magic can withstand the coolness of this new laundry detergent ad.
I’m not sure what’s more amazing: that Woolite asked Rob Zombie to create a commercial for them or they he agreed. Although Zombie doesn’t seem too sure either.
“It’s a very bizarre TV commercial for a product like this,” said Zombie. “Honestly, I was shocked when they called me to do it.”
[via thedailywhat]
(Source: youtube.com)
