The stock market was down, way down, see-sawing, way up, topsy turvy, way down and then up again last week.
Stock futures were rising Monday morning.
You probably have a ton of questions. We've got you covered.
Well, first let's say: Markets function like a crowd of 45,000 people at a baseball game. It's impossible to know precisely what drives its movements.
That said, it's possible to see patterns.
Four reasons stand out for the current market madness: Investors are worried about inflation, higher interest rates, rising bond yields and an overheated stock market.
The first three are all related. On February 2, the U.S. Labor Department reported that workers are getting much bigger paychecks than economists had expected. When companies pay their workers more, they usually raise prices to afford the higher labor costs.
If prices start to rise too fast, the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates. When rates rise, companies have to pay more to borrow money. That makes them less profitable -- and their stocks less valuable.
When prices rise, bonds become less attractive, because inflation eats away at bond investors' returns. When bond prices fall, their yields rise. Low bond yields had been fueling the stock market -- stocks are riskier investments but were almost guaranteed to return more to investors than bonds over the past year and a half.
The U.S. Treasury will also be issuing more bonds to raise money for the recent tax cuts and budget deal, which will drive up deficits. A bond glut lowers bond prices and raises their rates. Rising yields are giving investors spooked about risk an excuse to get out of the stock market (and into bonds).
Separately, some investors believe the stock market needed a breather. Stocks were starting to look pricey after rising nonstop since the November 2016 election.
2. What's so bad about high inflation and wages?
What's good news on Main Street is sometimes bad news on Wall Street.
Inflation has remained stubbornly and mysteriously low throughout the economic expansion that began in mid-2009. That has prevented the Fed from raising its interest rates. And that made borrowing money cheap, helping people buy homes and companies to boost profits. It also juiced stocks.
Over the past year, inflation has begun to slowly creep higher, and the Fed has followed suit by gradually raising rates.
3. Why are bonds sending stocks lower?
The bond market has been incredibly quiet and boring for more than a decade.
Fearful investors poured money into government-issued bonds during the Great Recession, because they are a safe investment backed by the U.S. Treasury. Rates have remained low as the stock market roared higher. Wall Street investors figured stocks would keep rising as the economy kept expanding and companies continued to grow.
Yet growing deficits and inflation fears sent the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield to a four-year high last week. It's still low, well below 3%, but creeping higher.
If you're an investor worried about having too much exposure in the stock market, rising bond yields may start to pique your interest.
4. Why did the stock market need a breather?
Stocks have been on a tear since 2009, but their run-up since the November 2016 election was historic.
The S&P 500 hadn't fallen by as much as 3% between November 4, 2016, and February 1, 2018 -- a record streak of market calm. The VIX volatility index set a number of all-time lows during that stretch.
Stocks got expensive. S&P 500 companies' stock prices traded more than 18 times higher than their earnings forecasts -- way above the 25-year average of 16-times earnings.
The stock market was well overdue for a correction. Investors looking to enter the market like corrections, because it makes stock prices more affordable. This could be as good a buying opportunity as any.
A correction is when stocks fall 10% from a recent high.
Stocks aren't currently in a correction, but they're close.
The Dow hit an all-time high of 26,616 on January 26, and it closed at 24,190 on Friday. That's 9% lower.
Both the Dow and the S&P 500 were in a correction a few times during last week but ended the week just outside of correction territory.
6. Are computers part of the problem?
Stocks are trading lower with good reason, but computers have been responsible for some of the incredible volatility last week.
The Dow fell 800 points in 10 minutes on Monday. It opened lower on Tuesday but closed 567 points higher. The same thing happened Friday, with the Dow trading both 500 points lower and 500 points higher before closing up 330 points for the day.
Computer algorithms figure out buying and selling opportunities, which leads to some of the roller coaster rides we've seen recently. When bond yields hit a certain target, computers might start selling. When stocks hit a certain low point, they could start buying again.
7. How bad is this, really?
Last week was both unprecedented and totally normal. Stay with us.
The Dow lost more than 1,000 points on Monday and Thursday. That had never happened before (let alone twice in the same week). The VIX volatility index, which tracks short-term market turbulence, jumped 116% on Monday — the highest daily percentage increase on record.
Okay, now for some important context: The Dow lost 5.2% last week. One week in January 2016 was even worse, and you probably have no memory of it.
The Dow is still up 32% since the election and down just 9% from its all time-high.
The stock market entered its first 10% correction in two years Thursday. Corrections are totally normal events, and the market was way overdue for one.
8. Does this mean we're in a recession?
The stock market is not the economy. Stocks don't cause economic downturns, and the market is a historically lousy predictor of recessions.
One reason the stock market fell last week is that the economy is doing so well. Super-low unemployment and healthy economic growth are great for workers, but investors are getting worried about a byproduct of strong economies: inflation.
9. Has Washington caused this?
Politics and policymakers have played a role in the stock market, for good and bad.
Years of low interest rates in the beginning of the century created a housing market bubble, which burst during the Great Recession. The Fed responded by lowering rates to near zero for nearly a decade, creating an era of super-cheap borrowing and free spending.
Political gridlock during the last six years of the Obama administration exacerbated the stock market's rise. It meant that Congress was unlikely to pass new regulations. The Obama administration still enacted regulation, a lot of which business didn't like. Then a Republican-controled Congress and White House came in with a deregulation/tax cut agenda and sent stocks up even more.
But that giant tax cut and a recent budget deal will also add to the deficits. The Treasury needs to borrow money to cover a wider gap between the government's revenue and expenses -- in the form of bonds. Yields are rising, stocks are falling. So, yeah, Washington is to blame at least somewhat.
10. What does the president have to say?
President Donald Trump has tweeted about the stock market dozens of times, taking credit for its incredible run since his election. Yet he has been much quieter on Twitter about the market since it started to tumble.
In the "old days," when good news was reported, the Stock Market would go up. Today, when good news is reported, the Stock Market goes down. Big mistake, and we have so much good (great) news about the economy!
Stocks are a dangerous political billboard. They aren't a reliable barometer of good times. For instance, when investors fear that a strong economy could lead the Fed to raise rates, good news has sent stocks lower in the past. And bad economic reports have sent stocks higher for the opposite reason. Plus, millions of Americans aren't invested in stocks.
11. What's happening to stocks in the rest of the world?
Market turmoil is actually worse in some overseas markets.
The Shanghai Composite is down nearly 15% from its January peak. Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 13% over the past few weeks.
Stocks are down 16% in Argentina, 13% in Japan, 12% in Germany and 11% in South Africa.
What does U.S. inflation have to do with global stocks? Not much, except investors had little appetite for risk last week. U.S. stocks often lead other markets up or down.
12. Should I get out now?
Losing money stinks, but a buy-and-hold strategy is the best way to make money over the long haul. If fear drives your buying and selling decisions, there's a risk you will sell when the market's at the bottom and buy when it's at the top.
Investors like corrections because they make stock prices more affordable. This could be as good a buying opportunity as any.
And if you're properly diversified, your portfolio might not have taken such a big hit anyway.
Diversified? Yes, that means if you're young, you're in an especially good position to buy low. If you're nearing retirement age, you might have already started to replace your stocks with other investments.
13. How long will this last?
It could take a little while for markets to settle down. It's hard to say.
But the fundamental underpinnings of the stock market remain strong.
Corporate profits continue to rise, and they'll likely grow even bigger after companies start to realize the benefits of the new, lower corporate tax rates that kick in this year.
The economy is expected to grow strong this quarter, and inflation is still quite low.
Taken together, that's a recipe for rising stocks.
That doesn't mean they'll continue to rise in a straight line. But most Wall Street analysts believe this just a temporary pullback.
-- CNN's Julia Horowitz, Matt Egan, Danielle Wiener-Bronner, Chris Isidore, Alanna Petroff, Daniel Shane and Jethro Mullen contributed to this report.


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Q: Hadoop speculative execution testing I am working on Hadoop for my master thesis, Hadoop 1.1.2.
I am studying a new algorithm for speculative task and so in this first step i m trying to apply some changes in the code.
Sadly, also using 2 node, i cannot cause the speculative execution. I wrote some lines of code as Log in the class DefaultTaskSelector (this is the class for speculative task), but this class, after the initialization, is never called by the FairScheduler class.
I activated the option "speculative" in the config file too (mapred-site...xml) but nothing.
So the question is: How can i cause/force the speculative execution?
Regards

A: Speculative execution typically happens when there are multiple mappers running and one or more of them lag the others. A good way to get it to happen:

*

*set up hive

*set up a partitioned table

*make sure the data is big enough to cause many mappers to run. This means: at least a few dozen HDFS blocks worth of data

*enter data into the partitions: have one of the partitions with highly skewed data much more than the other partitions.

*run a select * from the table

Now you may see speculative execution run.
If not, feel free to get back here. I can provide further suggestions (e.g. making some moderately complicated queries that would likely induce SE)
EDIT
Hive may be a bit of a stretch for you. But you can apply the "spirit" of the strategy to regular HDFS files as well. Write a map/reduce program with a custom partitioner that is intentionally skewed: i.e. it causes a single mapper to do an outsized proportion of the work.
Remember to have some tens of hdfs blocks (at least) to give the task trackers some decent amount of work to chew on.

A: You should be able to cause speculative execution using the two methods called setMapSpeculativeExecution(boolean) and setReduceSpeculativeExecution(boolean) that you can specify using Job, the MapReduce job configuration.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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RAWR, it's baby tiger!
June 21, 2022 June 21, 2022 / toumemoir / Leave a comment
We experienced an insanely cute and proud moment this past weekend: Keaton had his first face painting experience ever, and he was the most adorable baby tiger!
(The kids' face painting program and festivities were in homage of the Italian Festival that was happening last weekend.)
Excited for Keaton's first face painting and bouncy castle experience — when I showed him photos of what face painting was, he, too, was looking forward to it — we arrived on site at the event early on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the wind was so strong that the bouncy castles and rides were postponed. Instead, Keaton spent an adventurous morning exerting his energy at the nearby playground and playing alongside other kids, whose parents also waited patiently for the weather to be more forgiving. Alas, the wind persisted, so we informed our little man that nap time was nearing and we'd have to go home, but that after his nap we'd try the festivities again.
By the time Keaton had woken up from his nap, it was already late in the afternoon. But he woke up with the motivation and eagerness to continue on with his day, and excitedly helped us get him ready to go have his face painted and explore. It was a sweet and heavenly moment for us dishevelled and raccoon-eyed parents, as it's customary for our little guy to scream our building down when it's time to get ready.
As the weather gods had it, when we arrived on scene, the bouncy castles were still sleeping sheepishly flat on the grass — the wind hadn't subsided. Nevertheless, face painting was our goal. The lineup wasn't too long, but lo and behold, I had waited for almost two hours. I even laughed with the mom behind me and joked that we could've napped during the whole wait time. Luckily, the organizers and volunteers had bocce ball and colouring books to keep the kids busy, which Keaton and his daddy had spent much of the time enjoying.
Keaton loved bocce ball, or rather, his own version of it. He had the idea of rolling the balls one by one along the wooden panels. When the awesome volunteer saw his plans, she immediately jumped in to help him achieve his vision and helped him line the wooden planels and pop them at an angle so that he could roll the balls down. I could see she was amused as she watched him concocting his master engineering plans.
Our little guy has always been very curious, inventive, and idea-oriented, and loves to problem-solve. Thus, seeing him orchestrate a whole setup with the help of a perceptive and eager adult, was very heartwarming. Other kids also came to play alongside him. They, too, were fascinated; and I had the pleasure of helping out and showing them how to set everything up.
We were surprised that Keaton hadn't grown too fussy after waiting for almost two hours to get his face painted. (Thankfully, he'd found and created his own entertainment!) When it was finally his turn, my husband and I expected him to sit for a few seconds and perhaps fuss or cry or run off after the first few paint strokes. After all, he's a highly energetic little man that never sits still. But to our surprise and amazement, he sat still the whole way through! He was good at listening to instructions, too, such as when our lovely artist asked him to move forward on the chair or lift his chin. We could tell he was a bit shy, but very determined to see it through at the same time. Perhaps the feeling of the brushes was relaxing for him, like an ASMR effect. Who knew!
One thing's for sure: my husband and I were flabbergasted. He was the youngest face painting client of all, and was so patient. We were deeply proud. We also felt a sense of love and community when other parents and kids gathered close to watch him get his face painted. He was just so good and cute! He was the first baby tiger, and everyone's hearts melted. Especially ours.
Events in our lives have been challenging, and everything is far from OK, but these raw and sweet moments in life are what sustain us and give us joy and hope. I'm very grateful for our talented face painter, who had a magical effect on children. Keaton felt safe in her presence. As for us parents, she brought immense joy and endless smiles to our lives from this one beautiful exchange. We loved when she showed him his face in the mirror. We could tell how proud she was of her work, and how happy she was for him to see his tiger-esque self.
At first, Keaton was a bit reserved and uncertain to see himself in the mirror. But soonafter, he adopted his new identity with pride. When it came time for a bath, he was also very accepting that it was time to let go of his face paint. He thus looked in the mirror and waved, and said, "Bye bye, Roar!" Then, he proceeded to wash off the paint himself in the bath, like a big kid. I think our hearts swelled with warmth and pride all weekend.
Cheers to our little tiger, whom we trust, and will guide, to roar through life and all adversity to become the best version of himself. We love you, Keaton.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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John Zdrojeski, Zoë Winters, Jeb Kreager, and Julia McDermott in Heroes of the Fourth Turning. Photo: Joan Marcus.
Dispatch December 14, 2019 08:00 am
A Heroes of our time
by Robert S. Erickson
On Heroes of the Fourth Turning at Playwrights Horizons.
Will Arbery's Heroes of the Fourth Turning appears to be a play of ideas. Its author described the show, which closed down last month after an off-Broadway run at Playwrights Horizons, as dealing with "the secret and shrewd force" of Christian conservatism. I might add that Arbery and I both received a Catholic education from the Cistercian monks of Our Lady of Dallas, albeit seven years apart. His treatment of religious themes reveals intimate knowledge of the subject. Whistleblower, anyone? Reviews have certainly begun under better auspices than these.
The one-act play takes its name from a 1997 political work by William Strauss and Neil Howe, The Fourth Turning. The book posits that American history is cyclical and moves through four twenty-year periods: high, awakening, unraveling, and crisis. Those born in a given period, and therefore shaped by it, share the characteristics of a particular "archetype." We thus have prophets, nomads, heroes, and artists, which more or less correspond to Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millenials, and Generation Z, respectively.
According to this scheme, the play's four protagonists—Teresa, Justin, Emily, and Kevin—are all roughly heroes, since they are all, roughly, millennials. (More on this later.) The group has reconvened at their alma mater, the remote Transfiguration College of Wyoming. The action takes place in the twilight of a party at Justin's house; earlier that day, Emily's mother has been invested as the president of the school, and the four await her arrival after the other guests have left.
They pass the time as one imagines good young Catholics do, that is, by indulging liberally in the vices permitted them and cautiously in the ones that are not. Their conversation blends the personal and the political, leading to sensational talk about abortion, homosexuality, Donald Trump, and more. They begin, slowly but surely, to coalesce around Teresa's suggestion that they are the heroes of the fourth and final turning, charged with the responsibility of leading America from a crisis to a high.
But Arbery strays from this plan. "Not everyone is a hero," Teresa clarifies. "It's just an archetype—a collective thing." Justin (Jeb Kreager) is the most conspicuously mislabeled of the group: born in 1977, he falls within the nomad cohort, attending Transfiguration on the GI Bill with students well below his age. He is pragmatic and independent, the only one to remain in Wyoming after graduation; the play begins with a long, still movement in which he shoots a deer from his back porch the morning of the party.
Jeb Kreager and Julia McDermott in Heroes of the Fourth Turning. Photo: Joan Marcus.
It makes sense that Teresa (Zoë Winters) should slip into the role of prophet, since she expounds the whole theory. The young Bannonite is also eager, between the bumps of cocaine we begin to suspect she is enjoying off stage, to wax at length about the many perils facing conservatives today, or to lecture Kevin about why the "scandal of the particular" is hampering his adoration of the Blessed Virgin. "Mommy issues" would have been more direct, but she likes the sound of her own voice.
Teresa glosses over the role of the artist in her explanations, and she shows an equal lack of interest in any of Kevin's actual problems—crippling insecurity, compulsive masturbation, and so on. Kevin (John Zdrojeski) is an endearingly miserable sort, a whipping boy with a dissolute artistic temperament. At one point he asks, with every indication of sincerity, if he should "dance" God's transgender children "to the gates of Hell and slam the gate shut behind them." He wants to move to New York, where Teresa lives, but probably wouldn't last long there.
That leaves Emily (Julia McDermott) as the hero among heroes, a perfect match in the Christian sense that suffering is strength. Her every movement is hampered by an invisible and debilitating illness. She strikes us first and foremost as a selfless, if at times dopey, minister of charity who kills with kindness. The testimony of her work for a pro-life advocacy organization in Chicago is particularly compelling.
In "The Queen of Spades," Pushkin writes: "Two fixed ideas cannot exist in the brain at the same time any more than two bodies can occupy the same point in space." He would have very much enjoyed this play. Set aside the "secret and shrewd force" Arbery hinted at. He has also given us something else: a play about four not-quite-adults who fail, miserably and repeatedly, to live up to a set of Christian values that they can hardly agree upon. At every turn, we can judge the protagonists by their aspirations, or we can judge them by their failures to live up to them. Both are vividly rendered. But it is very difficult to judge both at once.
Take the archetypal scheme above. It teases at, but never succeeds in, explaining away the whole play, just as Teresa, its progenitor, attempts and fails to explain away Kevin's scruples about the Virgin Mary or Emily's sympathy for "baby-killers." Like her friends, Teresa neither means what she says nor says what she means. We may borrow her neo-Viconian theories to make our own conclusions about the rest of the characters. We might even imagine we are making progress. But if we do, we are as surprised as she is when Gina, her mentor and idol, excoriates her for condescending to the identity-obsessed politics of the Left in her efforts to outflank them. Such labels are limited, we realize, and we start to wonder, quietly, whether inhabiting her viewpoint was a useful exercise. Teresa, too, wonders aloud at one point if empathy is worth the trouble.
Want to try another route? Tough going. It doesn't matter which of the four perspectives one begins with. All the roads cross before they get to Rome—or Babylon. Or both.
Kevin, the earnest and romantic artist, asks us to judge the characters in terms of their ambition. Give them all some credit—they're trying! He is caught up in our age's never-ending search for the authentic, which so often becomes a search for approval. He envies Justin for his apparent stolidity, oblivious to the irony of wanting to be as independent as someone else; he fantasizes, crudely, about bathing crippled Emily and having Teresa "teach [him] how to fuck." He is also blind drunk for nearly the entire play. The embodiment of a second-place finish.
Justin seeks remove from the modern world. His apparent self-reliance, however, turns out to be a crystallization of neuroses—that a "nomad" would aspire to be a priest ought to give us pause. The more we watch him agonize over the spot of blood from the deer he gutted on his patio, the more we grow suspicious of his past: it turns out that he was nearly expelled from Transfiguration for having sex with a freshman when he was a senior, which casts a new light on his admiration for Teresa's writing and his offer to see Emily home. He demonstrates what paranoiacs know well: the safer we ought to feel in a given set of circumstances, the more magnified our doubts can become.
Michele Pawk, John Zdrojeski, and Zoë Winters in Heroes of the Fourth Turning. Photo: Joan Marcus.
Teresa's scheme pegged Emily as a hero among heroes; rife with paradoxes, she's closer to an anti-hero's anti-hero. She draws us toward a notion of charity—loving what is broken, painful, and poor—which could, hypothetically, accommodate all of the viewpoints on the stage. But she becomes stuck in her own material existence, where one cannot be anything but absolutely tyrannical. Circle too close, as Justin and Kevin do, and we are sucked into a world where suffering is might and might is right.
If these heroes are all phonies and fakes, then where is the true Christian conservatism we were promised? Certainly not with president Gina (Michele Pawk), who doesn't arrive until two-thirds of the way in. Gilt with the wisdom of the ages, she serves as foil to the alumni's naiveté—until she disappoints them by arguing herself in circles and wandering off with her nose in the air. Though her dialogue is razor-sharp, her character is a bit overdetermined. Before we have the chance to size her up in one hat, she is wearing another, and so becomes a well-dressed mannequin.
Heroes has been trumpeted by partisans both Right and Left. They say it offers timely insight into a highly political subject that Broadway tends to ignore. Though Arbery surely anticipated this fascination, his play belongs neither on a dusty trophy shelf nor in a cage at the zoo. He has played both sides to get their attention, I think, and followed up with a play calculated to frustrate such reductive notions.
Like all organized religion, Catholicism is in many ways a search for the one true Scotsman, defined as much by a suspicion of the anathematic as a desire for the beautiful and good. It is impossible to circumscribe within a time and place. It is above all a love of things unseen. The artful set design emphasizes this fact: while the action takes place in Justin's backyard, a soft glow emanates from the windows of the house peeking out from stage left. It looks cozy. Warm, in the way the quartet hoped Gina would be. What we see on stage is not the destination, just out of reach, but the awkward struggling to get there. Unholy in the main but blessed in the particular. The "little space between the cup and the lip," as Gina says at one point—"just waiting a little longer to taste the wine."
Is it a Catholic play? Well, it is a play about people wanting to be right about something. This is a pretty universal sentiment—catholic with a lowercase C—but also one that has been hollowed out by the syncretic impulses of our age. As a religion, Catholicism seeks nothing less than a monolithic answer to our most profound questions. When single-mindedness is presumed synonymous with closed-mindedness, this becomes a titillating notion. As small and pathetic as the characters can seem in the elaboration of their belief, we cannot turn away: the stakes, both human and divine, are abundantly clear.
Heroes is not a one-off special-interest piece on "shrewd and secret" Christian conservatives. It has more lasting power than that. The play's goofy marketing aside, Arbery's purview extends well beyond Catholics, conservatives, or partisan affiliation in general. His proper subject is the vicissitudes of human belief. His real achievement? Sounding out the shrewd and secret nothings we whisper to ourselves.
Robert S. Erickson is the current Hilton Kramer Fellow.
Topics:Heroes of the Fourth Turning, Theater, Drama, Catholicism, Conservatism, Christianity
E-mail A Heroes of our time by Robert S. Erickson


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Two shot during domestic dispute in Norman business
NORMAN — A domestic dispute inside a business led to a co-worker being shot before the shooter was wounded with his own weapon Wednesday afternoon, police said.
About 2:30 p.m., officers responded to an active shooter call at Bergey WindPower Co., 2200 Industrial Blvd., where they found the two gunshot victims, Norman police spokeswoman Sarah Jensen said.
Neither of their names were released, and their conditions were not immediately available.
A co-worker attempted to break up the domestic dispute between a man and a woman and was shot. Another co-worker managed to disarm the shooter, who was wounded with his own weapon, Jensen said.
Officers were on scene within about a minute of the call coming out, she said.
Check NewsOK.com for updates.


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Kademlia és una manera d'implementar una taula de hash distribuïda, o DHT, per a utilitzar-se en xarxes P2P, dissenyada per Petar Maymounkov i David Mazières. S'hi especifica l'estructura de la xarxa i com intercanviar informació entre els nodes constituents. Els nodes de Kademlia parlen entre si usant el protocol UDP per motius de rendiment.

L'objectiu de Kademlia és emmagatzemar i recuperar informació a/de la xarxa. És una base de dades distribuïda.

Kademlia és molt eficient. És també molt escalable: la mida de la xarxa pot créixer enormement sense que se'n vegi afectat el rendiment.

Kademlia és molt resistent a talls, avaries i atacs, dels que es recupera per sí sola en temps molt curts. És pràcticament impossible fer caure una xarxa com aquesta ni dividir-la en subxarxes.

Diverses xarxes d'intercanvi de fitxers usen Kademlia internament.

Distància
Cada node s'identifica dins de la xarxa mitjançant la seva ID o identificació de node. L'estructura de la xarxa es basa en aquesta ID.

El coneixement que cada node té de la xarxa depèn de la distància entre aquest node i els altres nodes. La xarxa determina un concepte de distància. Gràcies a això un node sempre pot comparar la distància des de la seva ID a la de dos altres nodes i decidir quin dels dos és més a prop o més lluny. Un node té un molt bon coneixement de la xarxa de prop seu (coneix la ID de tots els nodes més propers), i un coneixement decreixent amb la distància de la resta de parts de la xarxa (coneix la ID de només uns pocs de tots els nodes existents).

La distància a kademlia es defineix sobre l'espai de ID's i no té res a veure amb les adreces IP ni amb la distància física.

Valor i Clau
La informació que s'emmagatzema s'anomena Valor, tot Valor necessita una Clau que hi apunti.

Les claus tenen el mateix format que les IDs dels nodes. Gràcies a això un node "A" pot calcular la distància entre una clau i les IDs de dos altres nodes "B" i "C" i decidir quin dels dos és el més proper a aquesta clau. Els altres nodes estaran d'acord amb aquest càlcul.

Per a emmagatzemar un valor, abans cal conèixer sota quina clau es guardarà. Normalment s'utilitza el mateix valor per a calcular un hash a partir d'ell. El hash serà la clau.

Cerca de nodes
S'utilitza la clau per a trobar els nodes amb IDs més properes a la clau. Això es fa explorant la xarxa d'una manera iterativa, on cada pas proporciona IDs de nodes més i més propers a la clau. A continuació es pot procedir a emmagatzemar o recuperar els valors als nodes més propers a la clau.

Taules d'encaminament
El coneixement que un node té de la xarxa es guarda a la seva memòria i s'actualitza constantment amb tots els nodes que va coneixent, ja sigui quan emmagatzema valors, recupera valors o simplement ajuda a altres nodes a trobar nodes propers a claus. D'aquesta manera la xarxa s'actualitza a si mateixa constantment i emmagatzema una gran quantitat de redundància sobre la seva pròpia estructura.

La memòria que un node guarda sobre l'estructura de la xarxa està organitzada en diverses llistes (taules d'encaminament). Hi ha una llista per a cada bit que tingui la ID. És a dir, si s'utilitza una ID de 160 bits, cada node mantindrà 160 taules d'encaminament diferents. Cada taula d'encaminament correspon a cada bit de distància entre el mateix node i els altres nodes. Els altres nodes es guarden a una taula d'encaminament o altra depenent de la distància amb aquest node.

La mida de cada taula d'encaminament és un paràmetre comú a tota la xarxa anomenat k. Cada taula d'encaminament pot contenir fins a k nodes. La informació que es guarda de cada node és la seva ID i les dades que cal saber per a contactar-lo, és a dir, la seva adreça IP, port, etc. Un valor típic de k pot ser 10.

La quantitat de IDs possibles és molt més gran que la població de nodes que hi haurà mai a qualsevol xarxa. Si suposem una distribució uniforme de les IDs del nodes, tindrem que a la meitat de tots els nodes de la xarxa els correspon la taula d'encaminament de la distància més llunyana. Però només en guardarem k d'aquest nodes.

A una distància un bit més propera, hi correspon una quarta part de tots els nodes de la xarxa. Per a un bit més a prop tindrem la vuitena part, etc. Com més properes són les distàncies, menor és el nombre de nodes corresponents que hi ha a la xarxa. Els k que guardem en representaran una proporció més gran; el node en tindrà un millor coneixement.

A mesura que ens anem acostant a distàncies més properes a la ID del mateix node, a cada taula d'encaminament li correspondran menys i menys possibles nodes, fins a arribar un moment en què els k nodes que s'hi poden guardar són suficients per a encabir tots els nodes que hi ha a aquesta distància. El coneixement que es té de la xarxa a aquesta distància és complet. Ara fem un pas enrere: La taula d'encaminament que hi ha només un bit més lluny (distància més gran) de l'anterior és especial. Per tal de garantir un bon coneixement de la xarxa més propera al node en casos en què la distribució no fos tan uniforme com hauria de ser, aquesta llista pot créixer més enllà de k nodes.

Les taules d'encaminament corresponents a distàncies encara més properes, estaran típicament buides. La taula d'encaminament corresponent a la distància zero contindrà la ID del mateix node, i potser de nodes amb la mateixa ID que ell.

Es produeixen IDs duplicades quan l'assignació de IDs es fa mitjançant algorismes pseudoaleatoris sense proporcionar entropia suficient. Els resultats possibles d'aquests algorismes no seran del tot aleatoris doncs només poden produir una varietat de resultats no superior a l'entropia que se'ls proporcioni.

Procés de cerca
Una cerca es fa a partir d'una clau. El node cercador llegeix dins de la seva memòria els k nodes que hi ha més propers a la clau.
A cada un d'aquest nodes se'ls demana que retornin els k nodes que ells coneguin que siguin els més propers a la clau. Els resultats rebuts s'apunten a una llista de resultats que es manté ordenada per distància a la clau.
Es torna a iterar preguntant el mateix als k nodes de la llista de resultats més propers a la clau, i es continua iterant d'aquesta manera fins que ningú no retorna cap node més proper que els que ja són a la llista de resultats. Quan la cerca s'ha acabat, els primers k nodes de la llista de resultats són el resultat de la cerca.

Com que el coneixement que un node té de la xarxa més propera a ell mateix és més precisa que la que té cap altre node sobre aquest precís tros de la xarxa, els resultats que l'algorisme de cerca va retornant són sempre més propers a la clau que els del pas anterior. Aquest algorisme és extraordinàriament eficient i depèn molt poc de la mida de la xarxa. És a dir, la xarxa pot créixer en mida tant com es vulgui sense que el rendiment se'n vegi afectat.
En finalitzar la cerca, la llista de resultats conté els k nodes més propers a la clau buscada que existeixen a tota la xarxa.

Actualització
Analitzant el comportament de les xarxes d'intercanvi de fitxers, s'ha trobat que els nodes que porten més temps connectats a la xarxa són els que amb més probabilitat romandran connectats en el futur.

Kademlia fa ús d'aquest comportament prioritzant que els nodes que s'emmagatzemen a les taules d'encaminament siguin els més "antics" possibles.

L'algorisme en concret és el següent: Cada cop que es coneix un node, s'intenta emmagatzemar en una taula d'encaminament triada en funció de la distància entre aquest node i el mateix node.
Si hi ha espai, és a dir si la llista contenia menys de k nodes, s'hi posa. Si la taula d'encaminament és plena, el nou node es posa dins una llista de reemplaçament. Cada taula d'encaminament tindrà una llista de reemplaçament associada. Llavors s'explora la taula d'encaminament començant pel node que fa més temps que no s'ha contactat. S'hi intenta contactar (se li fa ping) i si no contesta se'l substitueix per un dels nodes a la taula de reemplaçament. En altres paraules: només es guarda un node nou si hi ha un d'antic que no respon.

Una taula d'encaminament que no hagi estat usada des de fa una hora, serà automàticament refrescada. Un refresc és una cerca d'una clau aleatòria que sigui dins de l'interval d'IDs corresponent a aquesta taula d'encaminament concreta.

Emmagatzemar i recuperar valors
Un cop es tenen les IDs dels k nodes més propers a una clau, es pot procedir a emmagatzemar-hi un valor. Per motius de redundància, el valor s'emmagatzema per igual a tots els k nodes.

La lectura d'un valor procedeix de la mateixa manera, excepte que quan es contacta amb un node que coneix el valor, el retorna, i això atura la cerca.

Replicar valors
El valor es manté emmagatzemat als k nodes inicials. Al cap d'un temps, alguns d'ells hauran abandonat la xarxa, els nodes que quedin, cada cert temps, refrescaran el valor sobre la xarxa. És a dir, cada node cercarà altre cop quins són els nodes més propers a la clau en aquell moment, i els hi emmagatzemarà el valor. Per tal d'estalviar recursos, no ho farà si ell mateix ha rebut aquesta actualització dins del darrer període.

Cache
Per tal d'alleugerir la càrrega de feina dels nodes que siguen a prop d'una clau molt popular, s'afegeix un mecanisme de cache.

Un node que recupera un valor, s'haurà guardat la llista de resultats amb els nodes cada cop més propers a la clau que haurà vist durant el procés de cerca. Quan ja té el valor, mira quin era el node més proper a la clau que no tenia el valor emmagatzemat i l'hi emmagatzema.

D'aquesta manera els valors més populars queden emmagatzemats a més nodes. Quan un tercer node vulgui recuperar el mateix valor, pot trobar-se durant el procés de cerca amb el node que fa de cache i recuperarà el valor d'allí sense arribar a fer treballar els nodes encara més propers a la clau. La càrrega de feina s'escampa automàticament.

Els nodes de cache oblidaran un valor emmagatzemat (com a cache) un temps després que hi hagi estat emmagatzemat (i independentment de lo molt o poc que hagi estat consultat). El temps que es guardarà és una funció exponencial inversa de la distància d'aquest node a la clau. Això ha de ser així doncs no hi ha cap mecanisme per a actualitzar un valor en una cache.

Bootstrap
Per a entrar a formar part de la xarxa cal que el nou node conegui la informació de contacte (adreça IP) d'un node que sigui dins de la xarxa.

Posarà aquest node dins de la seva memòria i llançarà una cerca agafant la seva pròpia ID com a clau. Això farà que la seva ID quedi emmagatzemada a la memòria de tots els nodes involucrats en aquesta cerca i omplirà les seves pròpies taules d'encaminament amb els nodes contactats durant la cerca, que són els nodes que hi ha entre la seva pròpia ID i la ID del node usat per a entrar.
Per a cada una de les taules d'encaminament corresponents a distàncies més llunyanes que el node d'entrada, es llançarà un refresc.

Altres detalls de l'algorisme

Distància
La distància entre dues ID o entre una ID i una clau es defineix com el resultat de calcular un OR exclusiu (XOR) amb els dos valors i interpretar el resultat com un nombre enter en base 2 (numeració binària).

Exemple
Si suposem IDs de 10 bits, com ara 1001010100, anem a calcular la distància entre 1010101010 i 1110100101. L'OR exclusiu dona un bit "1" quan els dos bits comparats són diferents i un bit "0" quan són dos bits iguals. El resultat és 0100001111, que és una distància més gran que 0100001110 i més petita que 0100010000.

Propietats
La distància a Kademlia manté la propietat triangular: Si agafem tres IDs diferents "A", "B" i "C", la distància entre les IDs "A" i "B" és més curta que la suma de les distàncies entre "A" i "C" i entre "C" i "B".

La distància és unidireccional. Així doncs la diferència entre les distàncies "A" a "B" i "A" a "C" no és la distància de "B" a "C".

Ús en xarxes d'intercanvi de fitxers
Les xarxes d'intercanvi de fitxers tenen uns nodes que posseeixen (totalment o parcialment) un fitxer que ofereixen, uns altres nodes que volen descarregar aquest fitxer i encara uns tercers nodes que no hi estan interessats.
És necessari que els nodes que volen descarregar un fitxer puguin trobar als nodes que l'ofereixen. Kademlia s'usa per a aquest fi a diverses xarxes d'intercanvi de fitxers.

Històricament eDonkey va ser dels primers a implementar Kademlia, que va anomenar Overnet. Altres clients de la xarxa eDonkey en van copiar el protocol i per fi eMule va crear un protocol diferent (Kad) força millorat. D'aquí la idea va passar a la xarxa bittorrent on Azureus va implementar la primera xarxa trackerless. Després, la resta de clients de bittorrent es van posar d'acord en un protocol comú per a Kademlia.

Els nodes que ofereixen un fitxer usen Kademlia per a publicar la seva pròpia informació de contacte com a fonts d'aquest fitxer. La clau usada és el hash del fitxer. Qui vol descarregar el fitxer haurà primer de conèixer aquest hash per altres mitjans. Llavors consultarà Kademlia per a obtenir la informació de contacte de les fonts.

Les característiques diferenciadores de Kademlia en una xarxa d'intercanvi de fitxers són:
 Hi ha molts valors per a cada clau, per exemple moltes fonts d'un mateix fitxer.
 Es vol que la informació corresponent a un fitxer que ha desaparegut de la xarxa, desaparegui també ràpidament.

En funció d'aquestes característiques, la implementació de Kademlia no tindrà cache ni replicació de valors. En comptes d'això els nodes que publiquen la informació, la republiquen periòdicament per tal de mantenir-la actualitzada. La informació que no es republica desapareix a mesura que els nodes es desconnecten de la xarxa.
Com que els valors emmagatzemats per a una determinada clau poden doncs variar d'un node a l'altre, la recuperació dels valors no s'atura al rebre'n el primer, sinó que es llegeixen els valors a tots els k nodes localitzats.

La cerca de fitxers per nom s'implementa dividint el nom del fitxer en les paraules que hi ha. De cada paraula es calcula el seu hash i s'emmagatzema el nom i hash del fitxer com a valor i el hash de la paraula com a clau.

Un usuari que vulgui trobar un fitxer en una xarxa d'intercanvi triarà una paraula que formi part del nom del fitxer, hi afegirà altres criteris de cerca, com ara altres paraules que també han de ser al nom i enviarà aquesta consulta als k nodes que emmagatzemen els valors indexats per aquesta primera paraula clau. El receptor cercarà en el seu magatzem els fitxers que compleixin els criteris de cerca i en retornarà una llista al sol·licitant. L'usuari triarà un dels fitxers rebuts per a ser descarregat. Com que junt amb el nom complet s'haurà rebut el hash del fitxer, s'usarà aquest hash com a clau per a recuperar una llista dels nodes que ofereixen el fitxer.

Enllaços externs
"Kademlia: A Peer to peer information system Based on the XOR Metric"
"Kademlia: The optimized Peer network", http://kademlia.scs.cs.nyu.edu/ (mort?, mirror)
 Pàgina d'en Petar Maymounkov
 Yi Qiao i Fabian E. Bustamante USENIX 2006 paper amb una interessant caracterització de Overnet i Gnutella.
 Especificacions de Kademlia : http://xlattice.sourceforge.net/components/protocol/kademlia/specs.html
 Khashmir: Implementació en Python

Programari lliure d'intercanvi de fitxers

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Exploring The Emotional Structure of a Story
Max Timm
Director of Education & Outreach
International Screenwriters' Association (ISA)
You've got story structure down and know where all the plot points are supposed to land but do you know if you've nailed the emotional structure of your story? Max Timm (ISA's Director of Education & Outreach, President of The Story Farm) is going to dive deep into the emotion of scripts! Max will go over the importance of "the recurring moment", the hook of your overall concept, and the audience experience throughout a film or TV show. Max will use examples to illustrate how you can know if a story is working emotionally.
This 90-Min. Webinar Will Cover:
Broad overall checklist of emotional beats
Breaking down your hook through the recurring moment
What stakes are and why they matter to the character
Functions of the first and second act
Max Timm is the Director of Education & Outreach with the International Screenwriters' Association, with over a decade of experience in developing written material and writers' careers. His focus with the ISA is to build a creative community and bring ISA writers closer to managers, agents, and producers. He helped build the ISA Development Program, submitting writers' projects on their behalf and helping them launch their careers – ten writers have received options and representation since 2015 because of Max's assistance and support. His personal coaching, consulting, and development service, The Story Farm, develops writers and their material much like a studio executive or literary manager would, walking a writer through the rewrite process one draft at a time on a weekly basis. Max has also created multiple live and online classes, as well as a regular podcast to assist writers in their creative and business development. A screenwriter and author himself, Max's debut novel, a young adult fantasy adventure titled The WishKeeper, about a teenage fairy with broken wings, won the young adult category of the 2015 Los Angeles Book Festival and released nationwide in the Summer of 2016. He is currently writing the sequel, and most recently released his debut novel on screenwriting titled, (Not Just) Another Book on The Craft of Screenwriting, which is currently available on Amazon.


text:
Santiago de los Caballeros (Sfântul Iacob al Cavalerilor) este un oraș din provincia Santiago, din nordul Republicii Dominicane. Orașul este capitala provinciei Santiago, ocupă o suprafață de 75 km² și avea în 2005, o populație de 555.904 locuitori, cu o densitate de 7.412 loc./km². Santiago de los Caballeros este amplasat la  în valea mănoasă a râului Cibao. În regiune temperatura medie este de 26,0 °C, iar cantitatea medie de precipitații este de 952 mm/an.

Istoric
Santiago de los Caballeros a fost întemeiat de coloniștii spanioli la începutul secolului XVI. În 1562 după un cutremur puternic. așezarea este mutată la sud. Din 1953 orașul este sediul unei episcopii.

Economie

Orașul este un centru economic important în regiunea de nord a Republicii Dominicane. Printre ramurile mai importante se numără, industria tabacului, orașul este un centru universitar și are un aeroport internațional.

Personalități marcante
Aída Bonnelly de Díaz, muziciană
Armando Cabrera, compozitor
Henry Ely, cântăreț de operă
Maridalia Hernández, cântăreață
Lope Balaguer, cântăreț
Amelia Vega, fotomodel
Rafael Campos (1936-1985), actor
Rafael Colón (1918-1991), cântăreț și compozitor
Milton Cruz (1939-1998), pianist
Tony Curiel (1931-2009), cântăreț de operă
Pipí Franco (1912-1978), cântăreț și compozitor
Pedro Echevarría Lazala (1894-1967), muzician

Clima

Referințe

Bibliografie
 Baedeker Allianz Reiseführer Dominikanische Republik, Karl Baedecker Verlag, Ostfildern, Auflage 2008, 3829711646

Legături externe

 Info despre Santiago de los Caballeros la DominikanischeRepublik.net

Orașe din Republica Dominicană


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text:
Reign Over Me (2007)
Rated R. Our ratings: V- 1; L- 6; S/N-3 .
Do not human beings have a hard service on earth,
and are not their days like the days of a labourer?
Like a slave who longs for the shadow,
and like labourers who look for their wages,
so I am allotted months of emptiness,
and nights of misery are apportioned to me.
Job 7:1-3.
"Come to me, all you that are weary and are
carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."
On a busy street in Manhattan two former dental college roommates meet by chance, Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler) and Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle). African American Alan has a successful practice and lovely wife and family, whereas Charlie, looking like a street person, spends his time riding around on his small electric scooter. Having lost his wife and daughter to the terrorists of 9/11, Charlie cannot go on with his life, blocking everything out instead. He does not even recognize Alan at first.
Alan, who himself is not happy with his marriage and profession, becomes involved in trying to get his friend to reconnect with life. If it is obvious that he has been neglecting his wife Janeane (Jada Pinkett Smith), he almost abandoning her as his desire to help Charlie becomes an obsession. Matters become more complicated when he himself becomes the object of obsession. Donna, a female patient (Saffron Burrows) tries to force herself on him, and when he tries to drop her as a patient, she charges him with sexual molestation. needless to say, Alan's dental partners are upset, but because Alan started the practice and brought them in, they cannot fire him.
Some powerful, dramatic moments, interspersed with a number of moments of grace and laughter, make this an intriguing film to watch, as was director Mike Binder's last film The Upside of Anger.
A good teaching/preaching moment: Alan has persuaded the psychiatrist Angela (Liv Tyler) who lives in his building to take on Charlie as a patient, but the latter never opens up to her during his many sessions with her. Finally, she suggests that there is no point in going on, that he must tell his story to someone. As Charlie is leaving Angela's inner office he sees Alan sitting in the waiting room. He goes and joins his friend, telling him about the last day he saw his wife. We do not need the uplifting soundtrack music to realize that this is the beginning of his re-engagement with life.
"Reign Over Me" takes its title from the song "Love, Reign O'er Me," contained in The Who's rock opera "Quadrophenia's," this version performed at the request of Adam Sandler by Pearl jam. Check out the lyrics.
How does the song relate to Charlie and Alan? What do you think is the meaning of "rain" and "tears" in the song? Note the word play with "reign" and "rain. " How does Charlie especially need "a drink of cool cool rain" ? How is the song like a prayer, one of the psalms (such as Ps. 6 or 7, and many, many more)? How can we as Christians interpret the "love" that the singer wants to "reign over me" ? More than a generalized understanding of love; love enfleshed as a Person?
2) It is easy to see how Charlie is afflicted, but what about Alan? What seems to be his condition?
3) How could Alan's obsession with helping Charlie be an avoidance of dealing with his own problems? (Remember Jesus' quoting the proverb "Physician, heal yourself" in Luke 4:23?) And yet, how can helping another also be a means for healing oneself? Have you found that while helping a friend you gained as much as the friens?
4) Were you wondering throughout the film about Charlie's concern for remodeling the kitchen? What had it come to symbolize for him—his burden of guilt? Remember his telling Alan that the last time he had seen his wife she had wanted to talk about remodeling it, but he had been "busy running out the door" How is Alan standing in for Christ in this seen (see Matt. 11:28)? How has stood in for Christ for you when your life's burden grew so heavy that you sought help? When were you a sharer or reliver of another's burden?
5) At what places do you see God working in the lives of the distressed characters?
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text:
Some Halloween Required Reading
For all you youngin's out there who have their noses stuck in the pages of any novel featuring characters named Katniss, Bella, or Dumbledore, I implore you to listen to your bookworm elders and focus your attention on the literary oeuvre of R.L. Stine.
The book to your right is the eighth in a series called Fear Street. Each installment focuses on the horrific goings-on in a stateless town called Shadyside. In the fall of 1992, I happened upon this book and was introduced to its murder mysteries and supernatural mayhem when I was 12. Since then, I couldn't get enough, and I stuck with the series up until its 10-part miniseries finale in 1999 (you should see my bookshelf). I wrote about my obsession four years ago here.
Anyway, Halloween Party is about a girl who invites a particular group of her classmates to her spooky house on the titular street for a party they'll never forget. There's a dead body or two (or three) and one hell of a plot twist by the end that's reminiscent to the plot of ABC's Revenge.
And once you're done with that, check out Stine's non-Fear Street titles below. I may be a full-grown adult now, but I may just crack open one of these paperbacks tonight for the sake of 90s nostalgia.
Trick or treat, people. Don't get killed.
@TheFirstEcho
at October 31, 2012 No comments:
Labels: flashbacks, the personal crap, What I'm Reading
Why I'm Digging 'Cloud Atlas'
I knew it had the potential to be messy in some parts. I knew some of the makeup was going to be questionable. But after sitting through 3 hours of Cloud Atlas, a movie I had been anticipating ever since I laid my eyes on that oversized, M83-fueled trailer, I feel satisfied, appreciative, impressed, and grateful.
Grateful for Hollywood allowing this production to happen. Impressed that there are filmmakers who can lure big names to a risky, big-concept film. Appreciative of a movie that can speak to my emotions by daring to explore the very abstract concept of an afterlife, of human connectivity, of past lives, and of a journey one soul can take through time and space. Satisfied that a film has tapped into our collective subconscious in an attempt to explain the metaphysics of our world.
The multiple role-playing in Cloud Atlas, while a great and exciting challenge for all of the actors involved, isn't gimmicky at all. The pacing is sharp and crackling, weaving the six stories together within the epic runtime (Believe it or not, I could've watched more). Needless to say, a repeat viewing is in order; there's bound to be more that can be discovered within its intricate narrative. While there are many philosophical nuggets embedded in each story, none of them feel heavy-handed.
I'm still debating whether or not this film will be slotted in my Top 10 list of 2012, but right now I can't shake it. The score is exquisite and haunting. The set pieces are impressive. And it is a mess...but it's a mesmerizing mess, a giant puzzle that admirably mashes up genres and ties them beautifully together. If you're one of those moviegoers who doesn't want to be bothered with a film that challenges you and requires you to use your brain, then by all means, buy your tickets in advance for the final Twilight flick.
My filmmaker friend, David Kittredge may have put it best:
CLOUD ATLAS is visionary, varsity-level Cinema with a capital C that aims for the profound and hits more often than not. You can quibble, but it's smart, passionate and at times even transcendent. It not only values the viewer's intelligence, it requests active participation. I really loved it. If you're interested in supporting cinema that's risky, smart, personal and unbelievably audacious, get off your butt and buy a ticket this weekend. See it on the big screen - you won't be sorry.
Labels: movies, reviews
Superstorm Sandy Bitchslaps Halloween
Thankfully I picked the right time to leave New York after last week's visit to see friends and family.
As I write this, my parents are without power (and water), a tree has fallen on my father's Nissan, and a rollercoaster I used to ride during summer vacations in Seaside Heights, New Jersey has been washed away by the Atlantic Ocean (below).
The incoming pictures are horrifying, and although a part of me wishes I could be there to rough it out with loved ones, I'm counting blessings (no one I know has been injured).
To my friends in Manhattan, stay safe, help each other out, and be patient. I know your city's been through the ringer, but a wise American Idol winner once sang, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
To the countless kids who were excited to go out trick-or-treating tomorrow, I'm afraid Halloween might be cancelled this year. Stay inside. You're better off watching watching horror movies (if you don't have power, work those imaginations and tell ghost stories around a flashlight) and guilt-tripping your parents into letting you eat ice cream sundaes for dinner -- before it melts -- and all-you-can-eat chocolate for dessert. And hey, you may not have school the next day! Try to look on the bright, dryer side.
To those TV viewers on the East Coast who watch NBC's Revolution, I hope you took notes on how to survive a massive blackout; who knows when the power will be turned back on? I hope you're well stocked. If not, at least you'll enjoy a nice sugar rush from all the Halloween candy you bought for those trick-or-treaters who most likely won't be knocking on your door.
Labels: Holidays, Photos, random thought of the week, the personal crap
10 Hipster Halloween Costumes I'll Never Wear
Forget the sexification of ordinary Halloween costumes. Major cities like Los Angeles are starting to see a growing trend in costumes catering to those who love all things alternative. To those of you who wish to take a break from the flannel shirts and skinny jeans, I'm sure you'll come up with something that perfectly expresses your disinterest in the holiday. But in the meantime, here are a few outfits I won't be surprised to see should I find myself driving through Silverlake, Echo Park, or Los Feliz this year...
1. Intelligentsia Coffee Barista -- Comes with a shot of sarcasm and a dollop of biting rhetoric.
2. Any Character from a Wes Anderson Film -- Because hipsters like their heroes despondent and consider Anderson to be their Scorsese. And the slightly obscure reference will ironically make them popular with their own kind.
3. Pabst Blue Ribbon Truck Driver -- Even better if you make good on your disguise and deliver a few six-packs to that underground party in Williamsburg.
4. A Meta Meme -- Made from scratch, this costume not only has the lifespan of your average tweet (7 seconds), it's an exercise in ultimate irony, poking fun at one's self.
5. Any Character from Sesame Street -- Hipsters are most likely to go retro and don a colorful outfit from their favorite childhood program despite Big Bird's place in the mainstream spotlight after Mitt Romney's unfortunate comments in 2012.
6. Daria -- Green wool jacket. Black pleated skirt. Doc Martens. And a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Otherwise known as any random items pulled from the closet of a hipster who's suffering from a case of 90s nostalgia.
7. Waldo -- Yet another character whose clothes won't be hard to find...because they're probably on sale at Urban Outfitters. Where's Waldo? He's in the back smoking a joint while criticizing the new Mumford & Sons album.
8. Leftover Outfit from Burning Man -- It may still reek of patchouli, but it'll do.
9. Vegan Police -- Bravely defending the world from meat eaters and promoting the benefits of a dairy-free diet.
10. Lena Dunham/Zooey Deschanel -- If you're a guy, this is your chance to become the drag queen you were destined to become.
Happy Halloween,
I'm with the DJ
Last night was the annual Halloween Havoc bash, this time in Santa Monica, and yours truly provided some tunage for the costumed masses. As you can see, I decided to go for a Doctor Death kind of look. Or perhaps you could call me a spin doctor. Get it? Spinning records...even though I didn't touch single piece of vinyl.
It was another successful event. Once again, I got a kick out of standing behind my little station, grinding with the cardboard cutouts behind me, and watching friends and strangers throw their hands up in the air like they just don't care.
There's nothing quite like the experience of watching a crowd react when you start blaring the Crooklyn Clan remix of Faith Evans's "Love Like This" followed by some "How Many Licks" and "Dirrty."
Labels: Holidays, music, the personal crap
What I'm Reading: 'Red Rain'
A travel blogger survives a wicked hurricane off the coast of South Carolina and stumbles upon twin orphan boys in the wreckage. She adopts them, bringing them back to her home and family in Long Island, New York. Bad idea -- these innocent-looking, fair-haired kids got some evil tricks up their sleeve...
And so kicks off Part 1 of Red Rain, R.L. Stine's thrill-a-chapter novel. That's right -- R.L. Stine. The man known around the globe for terrorizing kids and teens with his Goosebumps and Fear Street series (I've read the first 16 of the former and own all 80-plus titles of the latter). This time he's clearly catering to all of his readers who came of age during the 1990s, his golden era, by penning a horror novel for them. Packed with adult themes, naughty words, and sexual overtones, this book is one that should be kept, as the cover states, "far, far away from your kids."
In all actuality, it's an easy-breezy read with just the right amount of gore, quick chapters to keep you hooked, and an ensemble of expendable characters. Perfect to please the masses.
My 12-year-old self would've never believed that this author was still prominently featured on my bookshelf 20 years later.
Labels: What I'm Reading
Labels: Photos, the personal crap
Party Politics: How the RSVP Became Irrelevant
It's one thing to turn down an Evite to a party, but it's another can of worms that's opened whenever "Maybe" is the response given.
To some party hosts, "Maybe" is that waiting room where responses dwell before eventually heading off to "No"-ville. To others, "Maybe" is a chicken-shit way of saying, "Thanks, but I'd rather stay home and pluck my nosehairs while reorganizing my spice rack...but count me in -- just in case!"
Personally, I'm all for doing away with the Maybe column on Evites. It creates confusion and unnecessary stress for the party host. Cups need to be counted. Beer bottles need to be rationed. The number of track marks need to be estimated on the freshly shampooed carpet.
And then there's Not Yet Responded, possibly the worst category to fall under. To some hosts, this means you really don't give a shit, especially when the host can see who has viewed the Evite, a feature probably unknown to those who have never written an e-mail in their life. And does one bother to include habitual Not Yetters in future Evites? Is it a waste of kilobytes for the inbox?
Why not be retro and bring back physical paper invites that you can put in the mail? Bring back the excitement of holding an actual card with your name neatly printed on a crisp white envelope. Give the folks over at Papyrus some business and invest in a box of Anne Geddes stationery! Haven't we saved enough trees?
Most Evites encourage the addition of a plus-one or -two (the plussing of 14 doesn't make you look popular or funny -- you're just an asshole). However, is there a limit? Should there be one included in the message? What number makes a posse or an entourage? Must you be the guy who has to bring his "crew" because "that's how you roll"?
At this point, some of you may be asking, "Who the hell uses Evites anymore?" Answer: those who still think it's cool to say "Totes." True, more people are now abusing the privilege of the Facebook Event Invite, further making the concept of RSVPing even more pointless. Right now we're living in a time when the democratization of invitation sending has made RSVPs somewhat irrelevant. Nowadays we're inundated with so many invites and event alerts, some of us have stopped paying attention and just move on to the next distraction in our inboxes. Does anyone care anymore? Whoever shows up will show up. Those who don't, f**k 'em.
This weekend is Halloween Havoc XII, an annual costume bash my friend Matt produces. Naturally, I play the role of DJ, something I've done for the past seven years. I'm as proud of my playlist as a father is proud of his Little League star of a son.
Regardless of the Evite replies we've gotten in the past, the parties are always ginormous successes. The expected 200-plus guests usually show up, even if the number of RSVPs may not reflect the final tally. All that matters is that there's enough alcohol to have a fun (and responsible) time.
See you under the cobwebs and strobelights this Saturday.
Today I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane
By this afternoon I will be escaping the constant sunshine and 90-degree weather of Los Angeles and embracing the foliage and autumn chill of New York.
I anticipate quality time with family (without wanting to shoot myself), an occasional rainstorm, curling up with a pumpkin latte in a cafe, and waxing nostalgic on times long gone like I always do whenever I make a trip back home. One week should do the trick. Then, like any good Angeleno, I'll start pining for my flip-flops and my bed.
Naturally, I will be taking plenty of photos -- now that I'm practically a tourist after a decade of calling L.A. my home.
Instagram followers, beware (@thefirstecho).
Looking forward to reuniting my ass with one of Virgin America's lovely seats,
Labels: the personal crap, vacation
Cornucopia II: The Bonus Tracks
Because one disc wasn't enough. And I'm a sucker for sequels.
1. "Troublemaker" by Olly Murs feat. Flo Rida -- The adorable Brit has enlisted the southern rapper in order to help him break out Stateside. Yes, it sounds like a Maroon 5 rip-off. Get over it:
2. "Catch My Breath" by Kelly Clarkson -- One of three new songs from her upcoming Greatest Hits collection. Yes, it's a decade worth of Kelly. Get over it.
3. "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself)" by Ne-Yo
4. "Beauty and a Beat" by Justin Bieber feat. Nicki Minaj -- A collaboration that is neither another sign of the Apocalypse nor a cause for ears to bleed. It's actually a harmless and catchy romp.
5. "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift -- Otherwise known as The Song That Killed Dubstep. *To be played only for ironic purposes.
6. "What About Us (Buzz Junkies Radio Edit)" by The Saturdays
7. "Top of the World" by Owl City
8. "Clarity" by Zedd feat. Foxes
9. "Turn Around" by Conor Maynard feat. Ne-Yo
10. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Darren Criss -- How dare those teenyboppers at Glee cover one of my all-time favorite songs. But guess what? It works.
11. "Standing in the Dark" by Lawson:
12. "Crying Out Your Name" by Loreen
13. "Channel 42" by Deadmau5 feat. Wolgang Gartner
14. "Lookin' Hot" by No Doubt
15. "Something New" by Girls Aloud -- The bitches are back to celebrate their 10-year anniversary (Cheryl Cole included!). Get it here.
Labels: music, playlists
What I'm Reading: 'Maryann in Autumn'
I started reading the Tales of the City series while I was in college. The PBS miniseries that was based on these books had piqued my interest with its ensemble cast (Laura Linney, Billy Campbell, Olympia Dukakis) and alternative soap opera sensibilities (Quirky plot twists! LGBT love triangles!). Naturally, being the bookworm I am, I had to read them first.
Once I picked up Armistead Maupin's first installment, I couldn't wait to move on to the next. His Dickensian approach to life in San Francisco was enchanting and introduced me to a world in which I would have loved to live.
And now, I'm finally getting around to reading the eighth book in the series, Maryann in Autumn, which chronicles a trio of characters from the original trilogy (Michael Tolliver, Anna Madrigal, and our titular heroine) as well as a handful of newbies.
Whereas the first six books celebrated the ups and downs of 70s and 80s lifestyles, subtly commenting on the societal issues at hand without being trite, this one jumps ahead to 2010 and finds our ladies and gentlemen settling into their golden years, adjusting to a new digital culture (shout outs to Facebook!), and questioning the legacies they'll eventually leave behind. With equal page time dedicated to characters like Jake, Jonah, and Shawna (Maryann's bisexual blogger daughter), it seems like Maupin is prepping readers for the next generation while continuing to carefully observe the lives of some of fiction's most beloved figures.
Utterly readable. Completely cozy. Undeniably lovable.
Guilty Pleasure of the Week: 'Girl vs. Monster'
Why am I suddenly (unabashedly) a 12-year-old girl? Because I'm actually looking forward to DVRing this tonight and enjoying some juvenile Halloween antics. There, I said it.
By the way, did anyone catch that awesome season finale of My Babysitter's a Vampire? Anyone?
Labels: Guilty Pleasure of the Week, TV
My 500th Post: A Week in Pop Culture Consumption
In order to celebrate my 500th post on this site, I thought I'd keep an e-diary of my cultural consumption over a seven-day period. Inspired by John August's latest contribution to Vulture.com, I took to my laptop and recorded one week in the life of yours truly. This is what went down...
2:18pm - Burned a mix CD featuring the new James Bond theme song, "Skyfall," by the magnificent Adele (yes, I realize this is 2012, and yes, I still make mix CDs). I plan to blare it as I drive through Santa Monica and pick up a paycheck for a treatment writing job I completed a month ago.
8:48pm - Movie Night: Popped in a DVD of the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer while dogsitting the adorable Jax at a friend's condo in Hollywood. I get a kick out of showing my friends the Ben Affleck and Ricki Lake cameos in Joss Whedon's 20-year-old horror comedy. I had brought several Blu-rays with me with the hope of pulling a marathon viewing on the couch this weekend.
11:02am - Finally started watching the Director's Cut of Watchmen. Holy crap this version is long.
2:30pm - I finish the last half of one of my favorite films of the year, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I decide that I would like Dame Judi Dench to narrate my biopic.
3:30pm - I proceed to get lost in some DirecTV channel surfing and attempt to catch up on the episodes of Homeland I've missed, but Showtime OnDemand doesn't seem to be working.
5:15pm - Realizing I've wasted a perfectly gorgeous Saturday in my friend's condo -- the view of downtown L.A. is quite hypnotizing -- I finally go outside and drive to Target to pick up some St. Ives facial scrub, and miraculously, I leave the store without any extra purchases. This is a first.
6:25pm - I drive to Melrose to get a quick haircut at Rudy's where my stylist and I discuss Halloween costume suggestions. She considers dressing up as anything she can rummage out of her closet.
7:00pm - Craving more carbs after an afternoon of inhaling nachos and popcorn, I stop at Luca on Sunset to pick up a vegetable pizza, discreetly ogle the hot trainee they got behind the register, and buy a large Black Forest at The Coffee Bean across the street.
8:30pm - I invite my friend Stephanie to come over and introduce her to the bizarre world of Richard Kelly's Southland Tales. I had recently been inspired to rewatch it after trading Facebook comments about the film with director David Kittredge. Upon my fifth viewing of the film, I still try to wrap my head around the absurdly eclectic casting choices.
9:45am - Took Jax out for his morning walk. He pooped twice. Good boy.
2:30pm - Coffee at Priscilla's in Burbank where they once filmed an episode of Desperate Housewives (I think). The coffeeshop isn't writer-friendly; there are no power outlets to recharge a laptop. #Fail.
7:05pm - Finally return to my own apartment and overheat my DVR. With Revenge, 666 Park Avenue, the RHONJ reunion, the season premiere of the new Upstairs Downstairs, the premiere of that Steel Magnolias remake, and Homeland, Sunday night has become a traffic jam of titillating television.
7:13pm - I find the recent of issue of Entertainment Weekly, which is the only print magazine I subscribe to, under a pile of mail I haven't picked up since Thursday. I see that it's the Reunions Issue, turn to the Melrose Place cast photos, and proceed to freak the f**k out.
11:12am - Published my piece for ScreenPicks entitled "9 Things to Expect at Press Junkets". It's a harmless, wannabe expose on the goings-on during celebrity interviews.
7:30pm - I attend a press screening of Sinister with Matt at The Landmark in West L.A. I enjoy watching Ethan Hawke get the shit scared out of him. Mental note: Don't move into a house where the previous inhabitants fell prey to a child-eating ghoul.
9:30am - I arrive at the gym and thankfully discover that my lucky elliptical machine isn't being monopolized by that pesky Wolf Blitzer lookalike who smells like mothballs.
11:00am - I wait in line outside Culver Studios with Kristen to attend a taping of The Ricki Lake Show. Today's topic: ambush makeovers. #FriendsOfRicki.
12:20pm - I am hating myself for not eating a substantial post-workout meal while I continue to sit and wait to go into the studio. And it kills me that I have no iPhone/Twitter/Instagram/Facebook to consult while I wait. I am officially a nomophobe (a person who fears being without a mobile phone).
1:05pm - I stand on stage in front of Ricki Lake's studio audience and accept a challenge to a dance-off. My ass busts a move while my jeans rip and bust a hole in my crotch. As a prize, I receive four tickets to the Hollywood Improv.
1:55pm - I stand in the middle of the studio audience next to Ricki herself and ask fashion gurus Lawrence Zarian and Kim Vo, "Do you guys have any fall fashion tips for the men in the audience?" Look Ma, I'm on TV!
5:12pm - I make a quick run to Target to check out all of the new releases (E.T. 30th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray!) and unabashedly purchase a copy of Rock of Ages (Extended Edition).
10:30am - I catch the music video premiere of Pink's "Try." It's possibly one of her best videos to date. And: abs for days.
1:05pm - I read on the interwebs that CBS has cancelled Made in Jersey, which, to me, looks like it was made in Hell. Seriously, I viewed the pilot two months ago and couldn't believe a network exec gave it a greenlight. Shortly afterwards, I read the news about the same network buying a script from the girl who started the popular "Hollywood Assistants" Tumblr. Naturally, I react by writing a piece about it.
2:30pm - I study Facebook's terms and conditions in order to find a way to shut down a page of an imposter posing as a client of mine. This shit is tricky.
5:30pm - I get sucked into an episode of TLC's Long Island Medium and decide that I would love to have lunch with Teresa Caputo...y'know, without the whole dead people thing.
7:00pm - I stop by Book Soup in West Hollywood to support my friend Ned Vizzini whose book, The Other Normals, has recently hit stores. He did a brief reading and signing, followed by a small reception with Sprinkles cupcakes and champagne. As I already have my own autographed copy of his book, I quickly search the shelves for R.L. Stine's latest adult horror novel, Red Rain, and compulsively buy it after I say my goodbyes to Ned.
7:50pm - I drive/soar down Sunset Boulevard towards Los Feliz to catch my friend Tim perform at Rockwell. I regrettably miss his first two numbers, but I manage to grab a seat near the stage and enjoy the show.
Day Seven
8:34am - I wish Luke Perry a happy birthday -- via Hotter in Hollywood's Facebook page.
10:00am - I edit Beth Dinkel's ScreenPicks review of Smashed, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul. Kind of makes me wish I had seen the movie myself.
1:55pm - I do some research on Bear Mountain Inn for my impending trip to New York. My parents and I plan to take my 90-year-old grandmother for a scenic autumn lunch during my visit.
2:22pm - I put in requests at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment for copies of DVDs and Blu-rays in order to host some giveaways on Hotter in Hollywood. Preferably movies that people would actually want to win.
2:45pm - I get a tweet from the folks at Virgin America, replying to my shout-out regarding my flight back east. Makes me feel all warm and tingly inside.
3:30pm - Leave my social media manager's desk for the day, hit the gym in an attempt to burn off today's lunch, and then go home where I plan to watch Iron Sky. If you have no idea what this movie is, check out the trailer. Amazeballs.
And that's about it! Cataloging my daily activities and thoughts is kind of strange, but fun nonetheless. For the three of you who have stayed tuned to this blog, thanks for sticking it out with me after these 500 chapters.
Here's to the next 500.
Labels: Hiko's Hollywood, the personal crap
Cute White Girl with Glasses Sells Sitcom to CBS
The news broke out on Wednesday morning here in L.A.: Lauren Bachelis, creator of the popular Tumblr, Hollywood Assistants, sold a TV comedy to CBS that's based on her blog. And Fred Savage is attached to direct and executive produce it! Fred. Freakin'. Savage.
It's the stuff Tinseltown dreams are made of: lowly assistant who strives to be a writer gets discovered, lands some hot representation, and is offered a sweet deal. It's also the stuff on which bitter jealousies thrive.
From Deadline: "Bachelis launched the Hollywood Assistants blog in May while working as an assistant at CAA, where she spent nearly a year before landing a job as assistant to New Girl creator/executive producer Liz Meriweather. Bachelis worked on the show for a couple of months, leaving on Aug. 3. The following week, she landed a blind script deal at CBS Studios, which led to 20-Nothings. Bachelis, who is now repped by CAA and Mosaic, started off doing internships on NBC's Heroes for NBC and at PR firm Rogers & Cowan and served as a production assistant on Judge Judy. She continues to update the Hollywood Assistants blog every day."
Let's break down the above announcement/press release, shall we? Now, while I'm happy to see Miss Bachelis "make it," I can't help thinking I was a PA when she was probably learning how to drive. Let's do the math: if she was an intern on Heroes, which ended its run in 2010, that could very well put her around the age of 24 or 25 now. Do we have the next Lena Dunham on our hands?
Next, Lauren paid her dues for a year at the soul-sucking factory that is CAA, just like any fresh-faced twentysomething out of college. It also says she got a job being an assistant to the showrunner of a hit Fox sitcom. Sweet. A definite move in the right direction.
However, this is where things get a little hazy for me. Why, after "a couple of months," did she leave such a comfy position? And how exactly did she, an assistant with (allegedly) no writing credits whatsoever, land "a blind script deal" (when a network or studio gives a writer a script deal before they even know what the idea is for the script)? Inquiring minds of writers like myself would like to know. We'd like to hear the boring details of Bachelis's success story and fully understand how this all came to be. Mainstream industry news outlets like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter seem to love skipping over the tiny details many would otherwise appreciate.
The Fempire (L-R): Dana Fox, Diablo Cody, Liz Meriweather and Lorene Scafaria
The mention of Liz Meriweather's name is interesting. For those of you who don't know, Meriweather is (or was) a member of The Fempire, a successful foursome of female film and TV writers and best friends who have navigated the Hollywood waters together, inspiring each other, supporting one another (Liz is the one wearing glasses). I wouldn't be surprised if Meriweather stuck to her help-a-sister-out philosophy and had something to do with getting Bachelis's script noticed. If that's true, then why can't they put that in the press release? Where's the shame in that? Showrunner Helps Assistant Sell Script! Would that put the pressure on other showrunners and producers to be more generous with their assistants? I'm sure Bachelis is a talented writer, but when you have a connection like that, it makes for a perfect storm of success. She happened to have a good script AND her Tory Burch-covered foot in the door. When you get down to it, it's a classic example of Who You Know.
And while we're at it, let's take a look at Lauren's headshot. It perfectly screams "I'm a writer!" The eyeglasses are a nice touch (mimicking Meriweather perhaps?). I just hope they're real. There's nothing that annoys me more than an attractive hipster type who wears spectacles without actual prescription lenses. I can hear the in-house photographer at CAA screaming, "You're a sexy blogger! Give me demure yet devilish! You're the girl next door every nerd wants to get with!"
I'm sure, in the near future -- especially if this CBS sitcom takes off -- Miss Bachelis will sit on a panel at her alma mater and speak to a crowd of college-age hopefuls about making it in the industry. I just hope she tells it like it is, that, while she worked hard to get where she is, she's also extremely fortunate to get her first TV deal when it usually takes double, even triple, the time for others to get a break like hers. While I hope this inspires students and other struggling writers, I also hope this is used as an exception, not an example, of how Hollywood works.
Labels: Hiko's Hollywood, random thought of the week, the personal crap, TV
9 Things About Press Junkets Hollywood Doesn't Want You To Know
The Press Junket is sometimes a surreal experience, mostly boring, but it is a necessary evil that keeps the ginormous bullet train that is Hollywood chugging along. Actors talk and bullshit, and journalists nod and report. You see, writers who are members of the press (online, print and TV) like to think they hold most of the power when it comes to determining the success of a movie or a television show. And for the most part, they're right. The written word is a weapon they use that either makes or breaks a project. especially those involved in it. These writers are an alert bunch; mention something in passing, and they will publish it for all to see and read -- usually in an entirely different context.
Over a year ago I wrote a blog about my first experiences at a press junket. Now, having made my rounds in the circuit for various websites and magazines throughout the past two years, I feel as if I've been exposed to a fair amount of the shenanigans and politics that exist during roundtable interviews and press conferences. A seasoned pro I am not, but I do find myself becoming well acquainted with the privilege of sitting across tables from various actors, writers, and directors while they try to sell me their big-budgeted product.
Therefore, I've distinguished nine things I've picked up on while navigating the celeb-filled waters of these promotional gatherings. And I recently shared them with the folks over at ScreenPicks...
Check them out HERE.
Labels: Hiko's Hollywood, interviews, movies, the personal crap
Cornucopia: The 2012 Fall Playlist, Vol. 2
Autumn is in full swing, except here in L.A. where early October will get you 90 degrees worth of sweat, sunburn, and sticky leather seats in your Mini Cooper convertible. So before you overdose on candy corn and pumpkin scones this month, open your ears to these tracks I've hunted and gathered for your musical feast.
Don't worry, they're gluten-free.
1. "This Kiss" by Carly Rae Jepsen -- Because this Canadian tartlet has proven that she can keep up the infectiousness. It may not be as ubiquitous as "Call Me Maybe," but it's an admirable second effort nonetheless.
2. "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Capital Cities -- Sinead O'Connor's 1990 hit gets an electro-lounge makeover...and all is well with the world:
3. "Die Young" by Ke$ha -- Congrats to Miss Glitter Tramp for making it to this list. Finally, a single of hers that doesn't make me want to put a scalpel to my ears -- yet.
4. "Try" by Pink -- The second single from the awesome The Truth About Love is an uplifting piece of pop-rock perfection.
5. "Runnin'" by Adam Lambert -- A bonus track that will never see the light of day and never be enjoyed by the masses. Shame, because this one hell of a rousing production that should be blared on the highways.
6. "How to Be a Heartbreaker" by Marina and the Diamonds -- Or, if you like watching a bunch of speedo-wearing hotties showering together, then by all means, watch the video.
7. "Take A Walk" by Passion Pit
8. "The City" by Madeon:
9. "Skyfall" by Adele -- Simply the best Bond theme song since 1995's "Goldeneye." A perfect union of vocals and orchestration. Stay classy, Miss Adkins.
10. "Radioactive" by Rita Ora
11. "Masquerade" by Nicki Minaj
12. "Sweet Nothing" by Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch:
13. "Push and Shove" by No Doubt
14. "Must Be The Love (Radio Edit)" by Arty & BT feat. Nadia Ali
15. "Flower" by Kylie Minogue
16. "Diamonds" by Rihanna
17. "Locked Out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars:
18. "Close Enemies" by Example -- I'm coining the term "emo-dubstep" for this one.
19. "We Came to Smash" by Martin Solveig feat. Dev -- If you've seen Pitch Perfect, then you probably bounced in your seat along to this techno thumper.
20. "Girl On Fire (Inferno Version)" by Alicia Keys feat. Nicki Minaj
21. "My Passion" by Akcent
22. "After Party" by Koffee Brown"
23. "Don't Stop The Party" by Pitbull feat. TJR
Happy Halloween Costume Hunting,
Jenna Dewan-Tatum Loves 'Downton Abbey'
The October issue of Bello is now available in the iTunes Newsstand, and featured on its cover is my interview with the gorgeous Jenna Dewan-Tatum from American Horror Story: Asylum (click on the above image for an excerpt). I spent some time with the actress-dancer on a hot Saturday morning inside a studio on Melrose, where I also provided some 90s jams for her photo shoot.
Naturally, I made a fool of myself while trying to match the choreography to Janet Jackson's "If" in front of her. What was I thinking?
Labels: Hiko's Hollywood, interviews, Los Angeles, starfucking, TV
The 2012 Fall TV Season Thus Far
Because the 2012-13 TV season is in full swing, my ass has gotten fully reacquainted with my couch and remote control. Therefore, I thought I'd offer my two cents on some of the newbies that are heating up my DVR and currently making me come back for more, which is subject to change of course...
1. 666 Park Avenue (ABC) - Beautiful rich people live in a ritzy New York City apartment building that may or may not be the gateway to Hell (insert housing market jokes here). The cute guy from Brothers and Sisters (Dave Annable) is the manager. The creepy bald dude from Lost (Terry O'Quinn) is the secretive landlord. And the MILF-y vixen from Desperate Housewives (Vanessa Williams) is his wife. Way to recycle your talent, ABC.
2. Nashville (ABC) - The network that brought us Dynasty and Desperate Housewives knows how to deliver a good primetime soap, and this time the suds are hitting the fan down south. Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere are rival country music divas...and that's all you really need to know. Catfight potential = high.
3. Revolution (NBC) - J.J. Abrams slapped his name on this ambitious serialized thriller about how the people of Earth are dealing 15 years after a global blackout. I'm still wary of the show's "big concept" because of many of its kind (Jericho, Flash Forward, Invasion) haven't lasted. And I have yet to find any charisma in young lead Tracy Spiridakos underneath the layers of Katniss Everdeen clothes in they've styled her in. But then there are those pesky questions: What or who caused the blackout? Will the power ever come back? Am I really going to invest my time in another cryptodrama?
4. American Horror Story: Asylum (FX) - It's the only show on this list I have yet to preview (it premieres in 2 weeks), but my hopes are high because a) it's Ryan Murphy b) there's Adam Levine -- in a wifebeater c) Jessica Lange plays a sinister nun (what other kind is there?) d) Zach Quinto returns and e) lesbians. In other words, I'm ready for a souped-up serving of insanity. By the way, did I mention I interviewed one of its stars, Jenna Dewan-Tatum?
5. Partners (CBS) - It's being touted as the new Will & Grace, probably because it comes from the masterminds behind the dearly departed 00s sitcom. One guy's straight (David Krumholtz). The other one's gay (Ugly Betty alum Michael Urie). And together, they're BFFs who also work together at their own architectural firm. Judging from the cute pilot, all the elements are there. Just feels a little too 90s right now.
6. The Mindy Project (Fox) - Mindy Kaling is a self-deprecating doctor who's single and ready to mingle. So it doesn't help that she's surrounded by handsome colleagues and enough sexual tension to power a small village.
7. Elementary (CBS) - America's attempt to remake BBC's reboot stars Jonny Lee Miller as iconic detective Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Watson (yes, she's a chick, get over it) solving crimes and swapping idiosyncratic moments in murder-filled Manhattan. Otherwise known as That New Crime Procedural Your Parents Will Love.
8. The New Normal (NBC) - The right-wing has a new show to hate! My favorite new comedy of the season is another concoction whipped up by Ryan Murphy. Here, a gay couple hire a 24-year-old single mom as their surrogate. Nitpicking at their heels is the mom's ultra-conservative, Obama-bashing grandma (the spectacular Ellen Barkin) who will do anything to make their lives a living Republican National Convention.
9. Last Resort (ABC) - Andre Braugher and Scott Speedman command the screen in this crackling action thriller about the crew of a nuclear submarine that goes rogue and is forced to create their own republic on an island after ignoring shady orders to attack Pakistan. It's like Michael Bay and J.J. Abrams had a lovechild and gave it up to network TV for adoption. Let's see how far they can go with this one.
10. Ben and Kate (Fox) - A single brother and his divorced sister bicker and banter while raising a kid. Unexpectedly LOL-worthy and a perfect addition to the network's roster of laughers.
Labels: reviews, TV
Christina Aguilera's 'Stripped' Turns 10
It was the highly anticipated album known for transforming a sugary-sweet pop princess into a feisty, cornrowed, assless chaps-wearing ho-bag who looked like she could've used a couple of STD shots.
Christina Aguilera's sophomoric follow-up to her self-titled debut, Stripped, was released this month back in 2002. From the lead single ("Dirrty") to the provocative black-and-white cover (right), it flaunted its ambition. It was the 21-year-old singer's attempt to break away from the teen pop mold that had its hold on her at the turn of the 21st century. The introductory track made the album's message abundantly clear: "Sorry you can't define me/ Sorry I break the mold/ Sorry that I speak my mind/ Sorry don't do what I'm told." Behold "Xtina" and her bold, new musical change.
Some cynics and critics were quick to dismiss the disc as a kind of schizophrenic mess, jumping from hip-hop-flavored dance anthems (the aforementioned single, which still gets club play today) to rock-tinged foot stompers ("Fighter") to inspirational ballads ("Beautiful," "Soar," "The Voice Within"). Remember though, the girl was 21. What other artist her age had the cojones to experiment with such range?
She was damned if she stayed predictable and damned if she strayed from formula. And now, in hindsight, we're glad she took the risk, showed off those piercings, and layered on the hooker makeup.
However, such reinvention wasn't entirely new at the start of the 2000s. The alumni of the Teen Pop Boom of the late 90s were all taking chances with their images and musical stylings. NSYNC's second album aimed to celebrate the boy band's break from the shady puppeteers that did them wrong; it was aptly titled No Strings Attached (2000). P!nk's Missundaztood (2001) was a refreshingly daring collection of hits that was the result of her collaboration with original Grrl Linda Perry. Mandy Moore's self-titled follow-up (2001) even experimented with Middle Eastern flavors. These were "kids" who learned a thing or two the first time around. They wanted to prove that they were far from being one-hit wonders. Call it the New Millennium Effect; not only was it a new decade, it was a new century. And there seemed to exist an air of ambition never before seen in pop music. Rules were broken, risks were taken, and record labels were defied.
But back to Christina. In retrospect, Stripped is possibly one of the most underrated pop albums to come out of the 2000s. Rather than rush through factory-made fodder after her 1999 debut, Aguilera took three years to perfect an album that she could be proud of and make her boldly stand out from the litter of like-minded GenY acts.
You know an album is great when it can be played straight through without skipping a track. Every song on Stripped had the potential to be released as a successful single. From the lesser known tracks to the chart-toppers, every musical piece of this pop puzzle deserved a chance in the spotlight...
"Can't Hold Us Down" -- This battle cry exposes the double standards in pop music and features Lil Kim, no doubt a friend Xtina must have made while working on "Lady Marmalade" the year prior to this release.
"Walk Away" -- A slow burning confessional about resisting seduction. "Your love was like candy, artificially sweet/ I was deceived by the wrapper," she coos. Perfect for those nights when you feel like performing a striptease in front of a loved one. Also works as a theme song for anyone looking to break free from the brothel business.
"Infatuation" -- Christina's excuse to capitalize on her Latin roots is also a love letter to the bad boys she tended to attract while she was whoring up her image.
"Get Mine Get Yours" -- Sexual exploration never sounded so hot. This was Xtina unabashedly demonstrating that she was down with one-night stands.
"Loving Me 4 Me" -- The R&B slo-jam Janet Jackson wished she could've produced.
"Impossible" -- An intimate jazz lounge anthem that soars with the help of one Alicia Keys on piano.
"Make Over" -- This surf rock-friendly shriekfest is brought to us by Linda Perry, who taught our girl how to both gritty up and reel in those powerhouse vocals of hers.
"Cruz" -- A harmonious power ballad made for road trips, the kind that celebrates leaving all your troubles behind.
"Soar" -- Not only did this inspiring number appear in the trailer for the Jessica Alba flop Honey (you know you remember it), it also helped a certain 22-year-old college grad adjust to a brave new world called Los Angeles. Everything about it -- it's hopeful message, its near-Mariah theatrics -- works. All in all, a definite lift-you-upper to defeat the pull-you-downers:
"I'm OK" -- Call it The Therapy Song. No one expected Christina to sing a song about domestic abuse, but here she is, confronting her childhood demons and delicately venting to the world with vocals that never sounded so vulnerable.
And now, as we eagerly await the release of Miss Aguilera's fifth major studio album, Lotus, let us remember and revisit the gift that was Stripped. Hard to believe it's been a decade since those assless chaps bounced across that boxing ring on MTV and into our collective pop consciousness.
Forever grinding in the clubs to "Dirrty" in 2012,
Labels: flashbacks, music
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