Virtuality Paranoia – How do we know what is real?

I am amused and encouraged by the infiltration of one of the show’s main themse ( how do we know what is real?) into the discussion of the series’ non-existent future. It’s almost as if critics refuse to believe that something that looks so amazing would get put in the garbage by FOX. If there is some ulterior motive to airing that program on a Friday in the middle of the summer (basically the network cutting it’s losses and filling up otherwise dead space ), and the
Inexplicable sinking of a small fortune into marketing and promoting something that’s not there. It is strange.

The show is dead. There will be no series. And, as if to drive the point home, the reason that the show is dead is because the ratings were a disaster. And the reason for that was that Virtuality aired aginst specials about major celebrities who had just … died.

Even more musical microblogging

Read more about this one here.  The barnyard animals are FBdN and an unknown talent who may wish to stay unknown after he hears this interpretation of his creativity.  We just keep cranking them out!

[audio:http://mpomy.com/Music/duet.mp3]

I’m working on putting the ‘mental’ back in instruMENTAL.

Pirate Bay – show’s over?

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According to this headline from Engadget, the site is going legit.  If that’s the way it has to be, ther’s nothing I can do to stop it.  The current owners are selling out for just a few million (US), but it will probably be nice to not get hauled into court anymore.  They claim that the site will continue to operate in much the same fashion, only with copyright holders getting some share of the revenue.  I can get behind that idea, in theory.  Let’s see how it looks in practice.

It’s been a good run for me and Pirate Bay.  Hence the sad puppy dog eyes above.

Ronald D. Moore’s Virtuality – Fox ain’t buyin’ it

I just finished watching Virtuality, and I have to say that I loved it. It’s way past my bedtime and I’ll give a fuller review tomorrow. I can definitely see why Fox is passing on the series, but to get to see just two hours of the madness that might have been is still pretty satisfying.

Shirt version: if this thing gets green lit ( and I hope it does), Moore has given himself a massive canvas to work with. It may yet happen and it may even be profitable, but this is Moore looking to cash in on some hard earned Battlestar cred. If Virtuality happens, there is a risk of self-indulgence. Moore would proudly say that it is his intention to push the envelope of narrative to it’s outer limits.

Based on what we see in this two-hour pilot, he may hve gone beyond the limit.

Double murder… at the Piazza!

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I was no fan before yesterday, when a young woman and a man from out of town were gunned down in cold blood in the hallways of these apartments.  The project is little more than a monument to Mr. Blatstein, the developer who thinks that creating a walled community is, somehow, integrating into the neighborhood.

Well, for the residents of these buildings, this is an horrific story.  For Blatstein and his crew, it’s a PR nightmare, especially since The Piazza just opened.  Was it a drug deal?  Was it a serial killer?  Blatstein’s people have apparently conducted a detailed investigation that has revelaed that this is ‘an isolated incident’.  Wow!  Thanks.  I feel so much better now.  I’ll bet the hundreds (thousands?) of tenants feel a lot better too.

You’ll see in the Inquirer article that the whole thing was caught on camera.  That’s great too.  Were those security cameras?  If so, they were intended to help keep the residents safe.  Which means that the landlord undertook certain measures to protect the safety of tenants, which means… (wait for it) CIVIL LIABILITY!!  Pretty soon some smart plaintiff’s lawyer will own that shithole and Blatstein will be living at the old State Office Building, waiting for his next loan to come through.

The other thing about the security cameras and the murder footage is that Blatstein can show it on the massive TV.  Fun for the whole family.

Short stuff…

I’m very pleased to have wrapped up the Squarepuser / Artist of the Week project.  It was great to go through all of that stuff, especially the ’97 show from Shinjuku Liquid Lounge.  I’ve never seen that one posted, except for the torrent i got a year or two ago.  The torrent is long gone (off the Dime tracker, anyway) and I’ve never seen the show posted elsewhere.  The best part is that it came with no track listing.  That forced me to listen to these jams over and over again to get the song titles right.  Hopefully this whole exercise will tide me over until August.

The Fretbuzz.net project is coming along nicely.  FBDN himself has proven a capable and attentive webmaster and the resource is really stimulating our collective creative juices.  The best part is that the sight is active, even if not terribly well visited.  We’re not exactly counting hits, but a quick google search this morning revealed that if you just put in the ‘fretbuzz’ we come up tenth – first page, baby!  That’s pretty strong, considering the (most likely) scanty readership.  This means that our updating (sometimes a few times per day!) is paying off.

I recently found an Aimee Mann bootleg from the Bachelor No. 2 / Magnolia era.  It’s a superb recording and there is a sense of commitment and passion in her performance.  So, that will get posted this week, along with my comments on this troubling artist.

The work week ended with an aggrieved father who attempted to strangle his daughters killer during sentencing.  I was waiting for me cases to be called when, on this other case, the Judge consented to hearing from the victim’s family prior to sentencing.  Big mistake.  Now, that’s what I call Courtroom Drama.  Everything was put under control quickly by the highly skilled (and much appreciated) Camden Sheriffs.  Nice work, people.

The next work week begins with the deposition of an officer that killed a 15-year-old boy who allegedly threatened him with a clothes iron.  Cop shot that boy dead.  I’ve go the kid’s mom as a client in a wrongful death / Civil Rights / Excessive Force (yuh think?) case.  So, I’ve got a lot of work to do today to get ready for this clown.  He’ll be well prepared.

Sci-Fi stuff of note includes Ronald D. Moore’s Virtuality which was on Friday night.  I haven’t checked it out yet, but maybe tonight if the work goes well.  I’m excited about sci-fi that is strongly connected to this world and this planet.  It’s a nice break from faraway planets and alien races.  Another project that appears to work along similar lines is Moon, which is getting a UK release next month.  I’m not sure if we’ll be getting this one in the U.S.

And, speaking of movies, we went with my mom to see The Proposal yesterday afternoon.  Betty White was HUGE!

A Band of Bees – Horsemen

This is from the 2004’s Free The Bees. In their UK home, the band is just called The Bees. My nextdoor neighbor turned me on to this. I love learning about new music!! And this stuff is pretty good.

[audio:http://mpomy.com/Music/04%20Horsemen.mp3]