Angelite and the Moscow Art Trio Bulgarian Voices & other: June 2008

Wednesday, 25 June 2008

Bono, Bob Geldof plead for African aid

Present a report on financial shortfall in Paris

PARIS -- Bono, Bob Geldof and other celebrities pressed the world's wealthiest countries Wednesday to come through with more pledged financial aid for Africa.
The Irish rock stars-turned-activists presented a new report that found the Group of Eight countries have collectively donated a fraction of the $22 billion in extra funds they pledged in 2005 to be paid by 2010.
"What this big, long, exact, cold and brutal analysis shows us is that halfway to this historic date of 2010 -- halfway -- these wealthy countries ... have delivered 14%. How tragic is that?" Geldof told reporters in Paris.
"What a failure for all of us," he said.
The report by Data, an advocacy group aimed at wiping out extreme poverty and AIDS in Africa, says targeted aid is working, but countries are falling behind in their commitments.
Bono, Geldof, singer Angelique Kidjo, tennis star-turned-singer Yannick Noah and aid workers laid out the findings in Paris, partly to put pressure on France near the July 1 start of its presidency of the European Union.
The report said that 2.1 million Africans are on life-saving AIDS drugs, up from 50,000 in 2002; that 26 million children were immunized against life-threatening diseases from 2001 to 2006; and that 29 million children in Africa entered school for the first time between 1999 and 2005 because of debt relief and increased aid.
It also said that France's assistance to sub-Saharan Africa fell $66 million from 2006 to 2007; that Germany, Italy and Canada are off "track;" and that "more is needed" from Japan. The U.S. and Britain appear set to meet their targets by 2010, it said.

Friday, 13 June 2008

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Artist: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

   Genre(s):
Electronic

Discography:

Will The Circle Be Unbroken I (Disc 1)

Year: 1972
Tracks: 17

Founded in California during 1965, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has lasted longer than almost whatever other country-based rock group of their era. Younger coevals of the Byrds, they played an almost equally crucial part in the transformation from folk-rock into country-rock, and were an influence on such bands as the Eagles and Alabama. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's beginnings lay with the New Coast Two, a folk duette consisting of Jeff Hanna (guitar, vocals) and Bruce Kunkel (guitar, washtub bass), formed spell both were in high school in the early '60s. By the time the two were college students, they were having informal jams at a Santa Monica, CA, guitar shop called McCabe's. It was there that they met Ralph Barr (guitar, washtub bass part), Les Thompson (vocals, mandolin, bass, guitar, banjo, percussion), Jimmie Fadden (harp, vocals, drums, percussion), and Jackson Browne (guitar, vocals). This lineup became the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in late 1965, and began acting jugful band music at local clubs. At that time, Southern California was undergoing a melodic renascence, courtesy of the folk-rock bm and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band match in with these other folkies-turned-rockers. Browne leftfield after a few months to pursue a solo career, and was replaced by John McEuen (banjo, fiddle, mandolin, steel guitar, vocals), the younger pal of the group's new coach, Bill McEuen. With Bill McEuen's guidance, the group landed a transcription shrink with Liberty Records and released their debut album, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, in April of 1967. Their low gear single, "Buy for Me the Rain," became a modest come to and got the banding some television appearances.

A second album, Ricochet, released seven-spot months later, was a critical success simply a commercial nonstarter. The group today set up itself at an standstill over the issue of whether to go electric. During the conflict, Kunkel, wHO treasured to add an electric guitar to their level-headed, exited the lineup. He was replaced by Chris Darrow (guitar, fiddle). Ironically, by mid-1968 the grouping had gone electrical, and besides added drums to their sound. Their number one electric record album, Rare Junk, released in June of 1968, was besides a commercial failure. The band was scantily working, a far call from their succeeder of a year earlier. The band persevered, however, and released Alive! in May of 1969. The record album was another commercial calamity, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band shut up shit shortly subsequently.

The members scattered for various months, simply 6 months later the mathematical group was game for some other assay; the new lineup included McEuen, Hanna, Fadden, Thompson, and Jim Ibbotson (guitars, squeeze box, drums, percussion, forte-piano, vocals). They returned to their record company with a demand for control over their recordings and the track record fellowship in agreement. Bill McEuen became the group's producer as well as its managing director. The number one resultant role of this novel era in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's history was Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy, issued in 1970. Rooted tightly in their jug band sound, the album had a land feel just no trace of the music hall and freshness numbers game that had appeared on their before records. The record album yielded what is the group's best-known single, their cover of Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles," and of a sudden, the band had a undermentioned bigger than anything they'd known during their brief bout of success in 1967. Their next album, All The Good Times, released in early 1972, had an even more than countrified feel.

By 1972, various rock bands, most notably the Byrds and the Beau Brummels, had bygone to Nashville seeking credibleness from the land music community on that point, exclusively to be received indisposed by that biotic community and to receive their resulting forge unheeded by the squeeze and public. At the suggestion of manager Bill McEuen, however, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band went to Nashville in 1972 and recorded a natural selection of traditional land numbers with the likes of Roy Acuff, Earl Scruggs, Mother Maybelle Carter, and other members of country and blue grass music's veteran elite. Some of the veteran soldier Nashville stars were unbelieving and funny at number one of the bandmembers and their amplified instruments, merely the ice was busted when they power saw how respectful the ring was toward them and their work, and their music, as well as how serious they were about their have music. The resulting three-bagger album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, released in January of 1973, became a million-seller and evoked positive reviews from both the rock and country music press. The band had, by now, eclipsed the competition as a "crossing over" work, reaching area and bluegrass audiences even as their john Rock listeners acquired a unexampled appreciation for musicians such as Acuff and Carter. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band succeeded with Will the Circle Be Unbroken because they were uncoerced to meet country and bluegrass Region music on the price of those two branches of traditional music, kind of than as rock musicians.

During the year and a half that followed the success of Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Les Thompson left the chemical group, reduction the Dirt Band to a quartet. Their adjacent album, Stars & Stripes Forever, issued in the summer of 1974, was a special hot album, mix concert performances and dialogue. Following one more original album, Dream (1975), the group standard its number one retrospective handling, a triple-LP compilation entitled Dirt, Silver & Gold, issued late in 1976. Jim Ibbotson left the lineup at around this time, and was replaced initially by seance player Bob Carpenter. The leftover threesome of Jeff Hanna, John McEuen, and Jimmie Fadden abbreviated the band's official name to the Dirt Band. In this incarnation, the chemical group became a much more mainstream, pop/rock getup with a drum sander profound, with Jeff Hanna directing them as producer. Their records were far less oddball, although they continued to be popular. The band's adjacent albums were by all odds more laid-back than former records, and didn't appeal about as much attention. An American Dream, released in 1980, did relatively well, as did Make a Little Magic (1981). By 1982, however, they were back to their country roots, renamed the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Jim Ibbotson was playing with them once again. Let's Go, released in the middle of 1983, heralded their give to area music, as a largely acoustic band. In 1984, after 17 years with Liberty/UA/Capitol, they switched labels to Warner Bros., and that same year made some headlines as the first American rock band to tour the Soviet Union. Their Warner albums sold well, only by the end of the eighties the group was moving 'tween labels.

In 1989, both as a reflection of the changing times, and as though to stimulate sure that everyone got the point that the band was once over again minelaying its country roots, they made Volition the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 2 for MCA/Universal Records, reuniting with living land and bluegrass Region veterans from the original album and adding a hale roll of new players, including Johnny Cash, Chris Hillman, and Ricky Skaggs. This record album won the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance (twosome or grouping) and the Country Music Association's Album of the Year Award in 1989. By this time, the Dirt Band was working in their field aboard any number of country/bluegrass crossing over artists whose career paths were made easier by that commencement record, including John Hiatt, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Rosanne Cash. Their next several albums saw them ne'er swerve very far from their country/bluegrass roots. The mathematical group continued to record a new album every class or so, including a concert record album, Resilient Two Five, celebrating their 25th day of remembrance as a dance orchestra, and the self-explanatory Acoustic. In 1999, they returned with Bang Bang Bang. It was followed by the third instalment of the Will the Circle Be Unbroken trilogy in 2002 and an record album of all new substantial, Welcome to Woody Creek, in 2004.

Friday, 6 June 2008

Sydney Pollack 1934 - 2008

Oscar-winning director Sydney Pollack has died of cancer. He was 73.

Pollack died on Monday (26May08) afternoon at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles surrounded by friends and family. His death follows a ten month battle with the deadly disease.

Pollack won critical acclaim and two Academy Awards for his epic romance Out Of Africa starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. The 1985 movie garnered a staggering 11 nominations and won seven including Best Picture and Best Director.

He was also famed for directing 1973 classic The Way We Were and 1982's Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman.

While best remembered as a director, Pollack started out as an actor and continued to perform throughout his career - most recently appearing alongside George Clooney in last year's (07) Oscar-winning picture Michael Clayton and in this year's (08) Made of Honour with Patrick Dempsey.

Pollack is survived by his wife Claire, daughters Rebecca and Rachel and six grandchildren.

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Wednesday, 4 June 2008

Mooch and Dead Earnest

Artist: Mooch and Dead Earnest

   Genre(s):
Ambient

Discography:

Mooch In Search Of The Acid Metal Grille

Year: 1998
Tracks: 4

Kelsey Grammer - Kelsey Grammer Recovering After Mild Heart Attack

Actor Kelsey Grammer is recuperating after suffering a mild heart attack, according to his spokesman.

The Frasier star had been paddle-boarding off the coast of Hawaii, where he has a second home, when he experienced chest pains on May 31st.

The 53-year-old is now "resting comfortably" after being admitted to an undisclosed hospital, said his spokesman Stan Rosenfield.

Rosenfield told Star magazine the former Cheers actor had been paddle-boarding off the Kona coast of Hawaii's Big Island with his wife Camille when he experienced cardiovascular symptoms.

He was admitted to hospital where "it was determined that he had a mild heart attack".

"Kelsey is doing fine now and he will be going home tomorrow," Rosenfield added.

Grammer played Dr Frasier Crane for two decades on Cheers and in eight series of Frasier, as well as voicing the villainous Sideshow Bob on The Simpsons.

Though his success as the psychiatrist saw him becoming, at one point, the highest paid actor on US television, his latest series has not been so successful.

His Fox sitcom Back to You, in which Grammer played a lascivious anchorman, was cancelled after one season.

03/06/2008 11:33:34

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Smith dishes on lasting love

The D-word is often slung around the Hollywood Hills and now even Will Smith has been uttering the syllables.

But Smith�s got something different to say about divorce, Ananova.com reports.

The topic of nuptials came up as Ellen DeGeneres, on her talk show, noted that Will and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, have been married for 10 years � almost unheard of in Hollywood.

Will got all deep and meaningful on the subject: �What I found is divorce just can�t be an option.
�It�s really that simple. And I think that�s the problem with L.A.� there are so many options. So a huge part of the success for (Jada) and I is that we just removed the other options.�

He added: �We�re like � listen, we�re going to be together one way or the other so we might as well try to be happy.�

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Ivanka Trump Profits From Mother's Wedding

Ivana Trump ensured her daughter Ivanka Trump made a healthy profit from her recent wedding - by insisting all guests buy her gift vouchers from the socialite's jewellery store. The former wife of tycoon Donald Trump asked those who attended her April wedding to Rossano Rubicondi to buy the couple vouchers from the Madison Avenue, New York store called Ivanka Trump. She reveals, "Instead of registering at Barneys or Crate & Barrel, I registered at my daughter Ivanka's jewellery boutique. I had gift certificates made up, and our friends called and donated anything from $500 (£250)to $5,000 (£2,500), which went into a pool for us." But Trump and Rubicondi still ended up with a house full of gifts: "The 480 wedding gifts we received have filled up five rooms in our house. "With the amount of food service items I received, I could feed 3,000 people. I need to buy a new house to fit all this stuff."

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Kitaro and Far East Family Band

Artist: Kitaro and Far East Family Band

   Genre(s):
New Age

Discography:

Nipponjin

Year: 1975
Tracks: 10

Angelina Jolie Finally Opens Up About Pregnancy

Angelina Jolie has finally opened up about her pregnancy, saying she’s “loves” being an expectant mum.
The Hollywood had refused to even confirm she was pregnant until the Cannes Film Festival this week, but after news leaked out Angelina spoke to reporters at the premiere of new movie Kung Fu Panda about waiting to give birth in France.
She told the Sunday Mirror, “Unlike most women, I love being pregnant.
"You just feel like everything about your body is there for your baby. I'm sitting and talking a lot, and everybody's being very nice to me."
“Our three-year-old and our four-year-old keep saying they have animals in their bellies.”
"So our daughter keeps saying that she's got little piggies and she has to eat brownies because the piggies need to eat brownies.
"And our four-year-old says he's got monkeys. So it's become fun in the house."
Brad Pitt also confirmed that, despite a pregnancy reportedly littered health problems, his partner is looking forward to giving birth.
“Angelina is doing really good now, thanks,” he said.
Jolie is reported to be expecting twins in a fortnight’s time.

How Video Game Reviews Affect What You Play -- And What Developers Make

All week long, MTV News has been exploring the ins and outs of video game reviews — how they work and how they don't. But really, what's the point of a game review to a game creator? If a great review meant great sales, then a game called "Ico" would sell as well as "Grand Theft Auto," and the last 50 Cent game would have tanked. But that's not how it works.

Developers interviewed for this story said a review can mean a lot: a first dose of honesty, sometimes. Frustration, occasionally. Creative freedom. And money.

"It's the first true feedback we get," said Ted Price, president and CEO of Insomniac Games, the studio behind the "Ratchet & Clank" and "Resistance" series. "We don't look at them as a predictor of sales as much as we look at them as extremely helpful tools when it comes to game design." Price said his studio will sometimes even call reviewers with whom his team has good relationships and that their feedback makes future Insomniac games better.

Reviews may deliver designer notes, but they also deliver dollars. Denis Dyack, the long-tenured president of Silicon Knights, developer of upcoming Xbox 360 game "Too Human," said that a development studio's review scores, or Metacritic average, are one of the key things a publisher will look at before deciding whether to fund the creation of a game and green-light a particular studio's idea and involvement. "That's extremely important in getting a deal with a publisher," he said. "In the development world, you're only as good as your last game. ... There's two ways of determining if you were good: One is through sales, which is the most important one, and the other is through quality of title, which is generally, believe it or not, perceived as Metacritic."

A good Metacritic score can open up a world of opportunity for developers. "Knowing you got a certain Metacritic score allowed you to take bigger chances," said video game producer Pete Wanat, who has worked on "Scarface: The World Is Yours" and "The Chronicles of Riddick." "The difference between a 65 and an 85 [is that] with an 85 you have a much broader degree of freedom on your next game."

So here's the problem: Imagine a developer feels its game was reviewed unfairly — that it was docked points. All developers have stories about this. A colleague of Price's at Insomniac recalled a review of one of the studio's games that described a scenario — a battle with a certain gun in a certain mode — that was not possible in the game. Wanat still gets steamed over a review he is sure was written before the reviewer ever played his game. Some developers complain that small downloadable games and children's games are all, in their minds, marked unfairly low because hard-core game reviewers at major gaming outlets don't fully appreciate those types of games. (For more on how low scores have literally cost developers money, check out the Multiplayer blog.)

Dyack described reviews as being "about as good as polls for an election." He said they are typically written in a short time frame, with reviewers operating on deadline. He said the Metacritic averages that result are "more like a Gallup poll of how people are feeling that month rather than how they feel in the long-term about the quality of the game." (Read more about how game reviewers would solve these problems.)

There may be other ways to assess the quality of a studio. Dyack thinks "the best way to assess the value of a developer is to assess the people [who work in the studio] and how long they've been there, how long they've stayed together."

But by and large, the convenient metric of game review scores is something even Dyack, as well as Wanat, Price and other developers, say is a statistic worth considering. They say it shows the companies that fund the development of games whether a developer has been able to do something special. And if those numbers are low, at least there's a chance someone involved with the studio can argue that with more time — and a bigger budget — to make a game, that number could be higher.

And is it nice to know what people think? Does a review provide that welcome first dose of unbiased feedback that Price said his Insomniac team craves? Sometimes.

Wanat said he faces his own "constant dilemma" as to whether the way he reacts to a review — the way he learns from it or lashes out at it — is legit or, in his words, sour grapes. It's the difference between knowing "when it was not just, 'Pete's sensitive because he gave two years of his life to work on a game, and then when it came out, somebody didn't give it enough time to review it accurately,' and how much is it, 'Pete spent two years of his life, and he's really close to this. Anybody who says anything bad about his game, he gets upset about.' "

It's not easy making games, the developers all agreed. And, clearly, it's not easy getting one's work reviewed. Game reviewers, take note.

Check out the Multiplayer blog, updated daily, for even more gaming coverage.

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