Friday Flashback - Happy Birthday! Naked Swimming Baby Edition

Nirvana - "In Bloom"

The 20th anniversary of Nirvana's quintessential album has come and gone. In honor of Nevermind's (belated) bday, here is one of my fave cuts "In Bloom", complete with a rad video. 

(Photo via badmoon.co.uk

For all of you Cobain heads out there, the Super Deluxe edition of Nevermind comes complete with 4 CDs and a DVD. The CDs include the original release remastered with B-sides, The Boombox Rehearsals recorded before to the final product and the Devonshire Mixes by Butch Vig. The DVD is a previously unreleased concert recorded at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, accompanied by a CD of the live show. This special box set will run you about $130 as it's limited to 10,000 copies in North America, with another 30K for the rest of the world.

Vinyl is also available if you want to wax your memories back.

Click here and here for previous P&B posts about Nirvana.

Your homework for the weekend: throw your copy of Nevermind in your stereo and remember when rock/alternative made a massive impression on the 90s and beyond. Heroin optional. Headbanging required.

-Paqman

The Detroit Lions' Return to Respectability

photo via gridirongrit.com

The Detroit Lions are off to a blistering start this 2011-12 NFL season; they've started 3-0 for the first time since 1980.

Detroit joins division rivals the Green Bay Packers, and the Buffalo Bills as the only teams to start the season undefeated; their latest victory coming over the Minnesota Vikings.  It was the first time since 1997 that the Lions had beaten the Vikes in Minnesota.

Kindle Tablet Set To Fire Up The Portable PC Game

(Photo via eurodroid.com)

Amazon put on a press conference today announcing their foray into the tablet market. The Kindle Fire will be available to the masses in mid to late November. If you're really excited (you might be after reading this), you can sign up to pre-order the device in the US. The measuring stick for success is gauged by the size of the bite that can be taken out of the Apple. Is this finally the iPad killer?

Life Imitates Art: Kevin Dillon Lands Network TV Show

photo via filmsfix.com

Much like his character Johnny Drama on the now concluded hit series Entourage, actor Kevin Dillon has landed a network television show in which he'll play a major character. 

VICTORY!!

How to be a Gentleman will premiere on Thursday Sept 29 at 8:30 PM on CBS (US) and on Global TV in Canada.

And judging by the preview vid, the show looks .... terrible.

I don't think this one will last too long, folks.  But let's hope I'm wrong.

I'm pulling for ya, Drama!



-Turnbull

Jay-Z Announces The Brooklyn Nets

photo via ap.org

Jay-Z announced this week that the New Jersey Nets will officially become the "Brooklyn Nets" as of the start of the 2012-13 NBA season.

Hov also announced that to celebrate the opening of the new Barclays Center that the Nets will call home, he will perform a series of concerts.

Click the jump for highlights of the press conference:

Whipped: The BMW i8 Concept Car

(All photos via bmw-i.com)

I'm not a big car guy, but I keep seeing the commercial for this BMW i8 concept car and I'm digging it! This car is so ill in so many ways. 0 to 100 km/h in under 5 seconds, under 3 litres of gas consumption per 100 km, and up to 35 km on a single charge (any outlet will do).

An eco friendly ride for the daily commute and a beast on the highway. I would have a hard time affording one of the rims on this car! Kevin Flynn would kill to get his hands on this epic ride.

More pics after the jump

The (J.J.) Abrams is All Right

(Photo via g-tou.com)

J.J. Abrams week has come to past. It's not an official celebration or parade of recognition for my nouveau, fave purveyor of Sci-Fi goods. It all came together in a neat coincidence. I watched quite a bit of his work with the fall TV season kicking off and the release of Super 8 (well...at least for the Mile High Viewing Club). The new season of Fringe kicked off and Person Of Interest inauguraly hit the airwaves cablewaves....and I couldn't be more geeked out than I am now.

The Dayz of Wayback: N.W.A. Biopic Finally In the Works?

Pre-gansta pic of N.W.A.(Photo via arkitipintel.com)

Word is that John Singleton and Ice Cube are talking about getting this N.W.A. flick off the ground after years of rumors (even though this in itself is a rumor).

Here's what Singleton told the Playlist about the potential biopic:

“I can’t talk about it too prematurely about the stuff I’m doing because nothing’s come to fruition yet, but Cube and I are talking about doing the N.W.A. story. The script is really, really good, and so we’re just figuring it out. New Line really wants to make it.”

In case you don't know (and if you don't, what is wrong with you??!!), Singleton directed many classic flicks including Boyz N The Hood (Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr), Poetic Justice (Janet Jackson and Tupac), Higher Learning (Omar Epps, Jennifer Connelly, Busta Rhymes to name a few) and Four Brothers (Mark Wahlberg, Andre Benjamin aka Andre 3000). This N.W.A. movie would be a reunion of sorts for Cube and Singleton as they have worked together quite a bit in the past.

Let the casting rumors begin!!! Who would you like to see portrait Ice Cube, Dr Dre, MC Ren, Eazy-E and DJ Yella? Throw your wishlist in the comments.

-Paqman

The Surge of Frank Ocean

photo via hiphop-n-more.com

If you read the P&B blog on the regular, you've seen Paqman's recent posts about Tyler, the Creator; the undisputed leader of hip hop's most shocking and envelope-pushing youth group, Odd Future (aka OFWGKTA - Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All).

And yes, Tyler is certainly the most visible of the group's members, especially following his recent MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist.

However....there's another kid in his crew that deserves some immediate attention.

His name is Frank Ocean.

Friday Flashback - One and Done Edition

-Spacehog "In The Meantime"

Do you remember this band called Spacehog?

This was the one big single they had off of their debut record Resident Alien.  And if I recall correctly, their lead singer, Royston Langdon, is now married (or was married) to Liv Tyler.

I remember seeing these guys live at an outdoor festival called Edenfest, which was held outside Toronto in '96 (I think?)

Wanna send this one out to an old friend, Tony Ashbee, who had this tune on a killer mix CD he used to play when we worked together a few years back!

-Turnbull

Hands Down The Best Show on Network TV: Fringe Season 4 Preview Brings More Questions, Hurts Brain

(Photo via fringesciencedivision.blogspot.com)

My favorite non HBO or AMC show is coming back with a vengeance! All of you Fringers out in the world buckle up starting Friday, September 23rd for what will be an incredible ride this season.

*****SPOILER ALERT....WELL IT'S A SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED SEASON 3 OR ANY OF THE PREVIOUS SEASONS FOR THAT MATTER. IF YOU DO CHECK OUT THE SEASON 4 PREVIEW, YOU'LL PROBABLY BE AS CONFUSED AS ALL OF US THAT HAVE WATCHED THIS SHOW SINCE EPISODE 1*****

You have less than a week to get caught up for the series premier (it's actually the season premier,  but FOX cleverly branded it a series premier since the Fringe world has dramatically changed) and find out what the hell is up with Peter Bishop. I'm assuming that the Bishop mystery will not immediately be resolved, which is so J.J. Abrams. Here is the extended preview for your viewing pleasure:

-Paqman

Ron Artest Now Known as Metta World Peace?

This is just plain WEIRD:



-Turnbull

Sarah Palin Fakes Baseline, Steps Back And Hits the Trey. Celebrates With Cocaine. Did Not Inhale.

(photo via washingtontimes.com)

From the Toronto Star:

McGinniss unearthed some of the details about the former U.S. vice-presidential candidate’s alleged affair with Rice in 1987 during his time living next to the Palin in Wasillia, Alaska last summer.

Rice, the former Miami Heat player, was in Anchorage for the college basketball tournament Great Alaska Shootout while Palin was working as a sports reporter for TV station KTUU at the time of the alleged hookup, the tabloid says.

McGinniss, who says he spoke with Rice, who confirmed the tryst, claims Palin had a “fetish” for black men during that time, the Enquirer says.
...
The book also details how Palin allegedly had a six-month affair with Todd’s friend and business partner Brad Hanson and how Palin and Todd experimented with cocaine use, adding that Palin was seen snorting cocaine off an overturned oil drum while snowmobiling, the tabloid reports.

HAHAHAHAHA!!!! That shit cray! That shit....CRAY!!

-Paqman

Five Things We've Learned from NFL Week 1

photo via ca.ibtimes.com

These are 5 things we've learned after Week 1 of the 2011-12 National Football League season:

#5 - The Buffalo Bills look like they'll be a competitive team this season:

Incumbent starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is continuing to display great leadership skills for this squad, and he has them starting the season with a lot of confidence.  Sure, it is only the first game of the year, but I like how the franchise made a commitment to sticking with Fitzpatrick, as they did not draft a quarterback to compete for his job this season.

Sick Kicks: Limited Edition Nike Mag From Back to the Future

(Photo via blog.gesteves.com)

Every dude that watched Back to the Future II wanted a pair of these futuristic sneakers. Nike and the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Disease have teamed up to bring the Nike Mag from the screen to the streets.

From Compton to Consciousness: Kendrick Lamar Enters the Game

(Photo via zatoonblog.com)

When you think of West Coast hip hop, NWA and Snoop come to mind. How can we forget "Straight Outta Compton"? This song was the West's coming out party: times are tough out here and we are sick of it. Gangsta rap made it's presence felt with it's aggressive social "tell all" and the Game changed (Note: I'm not talking about the Game the rapper, but the hip hop Game to make this clear. Game the rapper thinks he's a player in the Game but he's not. He's more like a name dropping, whining water/towel boy). Dre, Snoop and Ice Cube (Sans the "Are We Wherever Yet Againing?") are synonymous with the West Coast sound, with Jay Rock coming up the ranks. But a cat from the aforementioned Compton is breaking the mold by delivering West Coast consciousness instead of aggressiveness: a potential rookie of the year in the Game, Kendrick Lamar.

Friday Flashback - Straight Out Of The 80s Edition

N.W.A. - "Straight Outta Compton"

Ahhhh yeah!! This is one of my favorite cuts from the 80s! Such a raw track from such a synthesized decade.

This is the premier video from the N.W.A. that we all know and love; a heavily jheri curled Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, MC Ren and Eazy-E. FUN PAQMAN FACT: I listened to N.W.A. as a young lad while delivering the local newspaper.

And on a much more selfish tip, the intent of this week's FF is to create a bit of foreshadowing for my Kendrick Lamar post coming at you very soon.

Enjoy the power of street knowledge!

-Paqman

Pearl Jam Twenty to Debut at 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

photo via seenandheard.com.au

Pearl Jam are set to premiere Pearl Jam Twenty at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.  

The documentary film will be released as a part of the band's 20th Anniversary celebration.

Directed by filmmaker Cameron Crowe (Singles, Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire), the film will also receive a wider theatrical release in select locations beginning September 20th.

Other plans for the film include a television premiere in October as part of the PBS American Masters series, and a DVD release of the movie later that month.

Check out the trailer for a sneak peek:

-Turnbull

Black Keys Announce Plans for Blakroc 2 Release

photo via blog.urmusic.ca

Having already completed their seventh album and follow-up to 2010's Brothers, which will be released later this year, the Black Keys have announced that another Blakroc project is forthcoming, entitled Blakroc 2.

Details on an actual release date have not been announced.

Damon Dash is once again overseeing the project, and the list of reported guest MCs includes Talib Kweli, U-God, Jim Jones, Jay Electronica, Curren$y, Sean Price, The Cool Kids, OC, and Wiz Khalifa.

What do you think of the announced collaborations?  Be sure to leave us your comments/thoughts.

Take the jump to check out the teaser video:

Next Up: John West

photo via licensedtoill.com

John West is a newly signed Mercury/Island Def Jam recording artist.

Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, apparently West has been around for a minute, having cut his teeth on the Southern California street music scene, and he also released a couple of independent records back in 2007

"Lovely" featuring Pusha T (video below) is one of the cuts available on his newest 3-track EP, which you can get on iTunes.

Details on his major label full-length LP will be announced shortly.



-Turnbull

When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong: Don Cheadle As Captain Planet

I watched Captain Planet as a kid and, in retrospect, it was a cheesy show with an honorable message. Leave it to funnyordie.com to turn a childhood memory right on it's head!

Featuring Don Cheadle as Captain Planet, this hilarious video shows a harder edged defender of the environment with an F U gangsta attitude. One of my favorite parts is the power hip thrusting! Brilliant! The clip also features Gillian Jacobs (Community), Brenda Song (The Social Network), William Moseley (The Chronicles of Narnia) and the dude that played Pedro in Napolean Dynamite.

Enjoy this comedy gem and throw your thoughts in the comments section.

-Paqman

Friday Flashback - Turning Over A New Pepper Edition

Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Give It Away"

This video stunned me when I first saw it cause it was so visually innovative. Released in 91 and directed by noted French fashion photographer and director Stéphane Sednaoui, "Give It Away" won a few MTV VMAs in 92 including "Breakthrough Video" and "Best Art Direction". Well deserved.

We are dedicating this Rick Rubin produced track to former band member John Frusciante and the release of their new album "I'm With You" featuring new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, who played in a few bands but is know as a session musician. He worked with Gnarls Barkley, Beck, PJ Harvey and the Butthole Surfers.

Click play and get your freak on!

-Paqman

GLAAD Hate On Tyler, the Creator; Claims to Enjoy Any Hateration Thrown His Way

(Photo via okmagazine.com)

2011 is shaping up to be one hell of a year for Tyler and his Odd Future posse. Crooner Frank Ocean is on the brink of super stardom. And now the outspoken Creator is a household name thanks to an MTV VMA win for Best New Artist for "Yonkers" (if you haven't seen it yet, click here). The kid seemed genuinely overwhelmed when he accepted the Moon Man trophy, as evident by his improvised speech and his awkwardness.