Page 3093 – That Eric Alper

Hedley, Kiesza, MAGIC!, and Shawn Mendes To Perform at 2015 JUNO AWARDS

Music

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Dec 2, 2014

Hedley, Kiesza, MAGIC!, and Shawn Mendes To Perform at 2015 JUNO AWARDS

At a press conference held today, CTV and The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) revealed the first four show-stopping artists confirmed to perform on CTV’s broadcast of THE 2015 JUNO AWARDS. Performers set to rock the JUNO stage include multi-platinum hit-makers Hedley, retro-electro dance starlet Kiesza, rock-reggae collective MAGIC!, and international breakout sensation Shawn Mendes. THE 2015 JUNO AWARDS air Sunday, March 15 on CTV and CTV GO from Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre, with additional broadcast details to follow.

Each of the artists announced today provided a video message to Canadian fans, through JUNOTV, about their upcoming JUNO Awards performance in Hamilton. To view the videos, click here.

“This list of exciting young artists at the top of their game sets the stage for an electric JUNO broadcast,” said Phil King, President – CTV, Sports, and Entertainment Programming. “With more must-see artists yet to be announced, viewers will want to start their countdown to March 15.”

“The JUNO Awards continue to attract some of Canada’s most illustrious talent,” said Allan Reid, President & CEO, CARAS, The JUNO Awards & MusiCounts. “Today’s announcement is an example of the incredible young talent exploding around the world and sets the pace for what will undoubtedly be the biggest night in Canadian music this year.”

Tickets for THE 2015 JUNO AWARDS go on sale this Friday. Tickets range from $39 to $149 (plus service charges) and are available through the FirstOntario Centre Box Office, by phone at 1-855-872-5000, and online at www.ticketmaster.ca.

Additional performer and presenter announcements will be released in the coming weeks.

2015 JUNO Week Official Venues and Ticket On Sale Announced

Music

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Dec 2, 2014

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The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) today announced the official venue details for 2015 JUNO Week celebrations to be held in Hamilton, Ontario, March 9-15.

Tickets for The 2015 JUNO Awards go on sale this Friday, December 5 at 10:00am ET. Tickets range from $39 to $149 (plus service charges) and are available through the FirstOntario Centre Box Office, by phone at 1-855-872-5000, and online at www.ticketmaster.ca.

Key JUNO Week signature events and official venue announcements include:

The Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena to host JUNO Cup on March 13. The annual celebrity hockey game pits musicians against former NHL greats in support of MusiCounts, Canada’s national music education charity. Ticket and participating artist information will be available in January 2015.
Lime Ridge Mall to host JUNO Fan Fare presented by hmv Canada on March 14. Fans will have a chance to meet their favourite artists during this afternoon autograph signing. Ticketing and participating artist information for this free event will be available in the February 2015.
The Great Hall at Hamilton Place to host JUNO Songwriters’ Circle presented by SOCAN and Yamaha on March 15. Close to 15,000 fans have attended this show that has raised over $400,000 for MusiCounts. Some of Canada’s most talented singer/songwriters share songs and stories in an intimate setting.
FirstOntario Centre to host The 2015 JUNO Awards Broadcast on March 15. A concert that brings together, for one show only, a variety of artists, performances and many high profile nominees.
Plus over 15 venues across the city to host JUNOfest presented by CBCMusic.ca on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14. A showcase of over 100 local, regional, and national acts, nightly line-ups will feature three or four acts per venue with JUNO nominees, national touring acts and the best of Hamilton sharing the stage. Venue details to be announced at a later date.

Also announced were partnerships with local cultural institutions for the 2015 JUNO Awards ancillary events, which include:

Hamilton Public Library to host Junior JUNOS, a concert with Children’s Album of the Year nominees on Saturday March 14, 2015.
Art Gallery of Hamilton to host the JUNO Photography Exhibition from January 24-April 19, 2015.
And the Art Gallery of Hamilton to also host The JUNO Tour of Canadian Art sponsored by La Piazza Allegra from January 24 to April 26, 2015.

Additional details and information about 2015 JUNO Week events, including participants, will be released in the New Year.

Foster The People’s Isolated Vocals For “Pumped Up Kicks”

Isolated Tracks

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Dec 1, 2014

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Foster The People’s Isolated Vocals For “Pumped Up Kicks”

Released originally prior to their first album as a single, “Pumped Up Kicks” was the massive hit from Foster The People’s 2011 debut release Torches. The album rose to #8 on the Billboard 200 Album charts and garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Music Album. While the album included production from such notables as Paul Epworth (who also worked with Adele), Greg Kurstin, Rich Costey, and Tony Hoffer, it was group leader Mark Foster who produced this track, which was actually the demo version. One of the most misunderstood songs of the last 20 years, the lyrics to “Pumped Up Kicks” are written from the perspective of a troubled and delusional youth with homicidal thoughts. The lines in the chorus warn potential victims to “outrun my gun” and that they “better run, better run, faster than my bullet.” Foster said in a statement to CNN.com, “I wrote ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ when I began to read about the growing trend in teenage mental illness. I wanted to understand the psychology behind it because it was foreign to me. It was terrifying how mental illness among youth had skyrocketed in the last decade. I was scared to see where the pattern was headed if we didn’t start changing the way we were bringing up the next generation.” In writing the song, Foster wanted to “get inside the head of an isolated, psychotic kid” and “bring awareness” to the issue of gun violence amongst youth, which he feels is an epidemic perpetuated by “lack of family, lack of love, and isolation.” The song’s title refers to shoes that the narrator’s peers wear as a status symbol.

For play on the television channels MTV and MTVu, the words “gun” and “bullet” were removed from the song’s chorus. Foster believes many have misinterpreted the song’s meaning, and have written letters to his record label and called radio stations to complain. He explained, “The song is not about condoning violence at all. It’s the complete opposite. The song is an amazing platform to have a conversation with your kids about something that shouldn’t be ignored, to talk about it in a loving way.”

Having Fun With Elvis On Stage

Music

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Dec 1, 2014

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The album is unique among Elvis’ recordings as it does not contain any actual songs: it consists entirely of byplay recorded between numbers, although Elvis is frequently heard humming or singing “Well…”, which during the actual performances led into songs that have been edited out of this recording. Much of the album consists of Elvis making jokes, with the material spliced in a manner that just bizarre.

The album came to be as a ploy by Colonel Tom Parker, Presley’s manager, to release an album to which RCA Records would own no rights. Parker initially released the album on his own label, Box Car Records, and it was initially sold only at Presley’s concerts. (It is the Box Car release that is illustrated at right.) The album was later packaged and marketed by RCA as a legitimate concert album, with the only warning for the buyer being the subtitle “A Talking Album Only” on the cover. Presley is credited on the back sleeve as the album’s executive producer.

The album managed to make it up to #130 on the Billboard album charts, and even as high as #9 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, even though there’s no music on it.

Amanda Palmer and I interviewing one another – here’s the video

Music

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Dec 1, 2014

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Amanda Palmer and I interviewing one another – here’s the video

Rock star, crowdfunding pioneer, and TED speaker Amanda Palmer knows all about asking. Performing as a living statue in a wedding dress, she wordlessly asked thousands of passersby for their dollars. When she became a singer, songwriter, and musician, she was not afraid to ask her audience to support her as she surfed the crowd (and slept on their couches while touring). And when she left her record label to strike out on her own, she asked her fans to support her in making an album, leading to the world’s most successful music Kickstarter.

Even while Amanda is both celebrated and attacked for her fearlessness in asking for help, she finds that there are important things she cannot ask for-as a musician, as a friend, and as a wife. She learns that she isn’t alone in this, that so many people are afraid to ask for help, and it paralyzes their lives and relationships. In her New York Times best-selling book, The Art Of Asking, she explores these barriers in her own life and in the lives of those around her, and discovers the emotional, philosophical, and practical aspects of THE ART OF ASKING.

Amanda went on a sold-out book tour (read that again, SOLD OUT? A BOOK TOUR?) and I had the honour to interview her, onstage, at Lee’s Palace in Toronto on November 25th. And yes, I brought donuts.

All Those Best Of…Music Lists of 2014

Music

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Dec 1, 2014

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It’s that time of the year again, where websites, blogs, news media outlets and generally happy people endeavor into creating their Best Of The Year lists, highlighting works that will surely stand as their choices for high-water marks for music in 2014. You’ll find a fairly diverse range of opinions, but all of their choices contain within the power, beauty and commitment to the art form, no matter how you chose to consume music these days. So, go ahead – choose a list. Many of them link up to a Spotify or Rdio or YouTube playlist so you can hear and see people’s choices. The big winners from the critics include Beck, Lana Del Rey, FKA twigs, Perfume Genius, The War On Drugs, Run the Jewels, St. Vincent, and a whole lotta Taylor Swift. But, above all, you’ll no doubt find one or two hidden gems in each critic’s choices. I’ll be updating this list daily, so if you have a list published, or want to direct me to one, please let me know!

But first, here are a few digital companies that have released their year-end data dumps on what the world was watching, listening to and searching for over the past year.

YAHOO!
No. 3: Ariana Grande
No. 6: Kim Kardashian
No. 7: Frozen
No. 8: Miley Cyrus

GOOGLE PLAY
Album of the Year: Frozen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Song of the Year: Dark Horse by Katy Perry
Song of the Summer: Fancy by Iggy Azalea
Fastest Growing Genre: Soundtracks (Frozen, Guardians of the Galaxy, Despicable Me 2, The Lego Movie and The Great Gatsby soundtracks)

BING
(Including music searches only.)
No. 1: Beyonce
No. 2: Miley Cyrus
No. 3: Katy Perry
No. 4: Britney Spears
No. 5: Justin Bieber
No. 6: Jennifer Lopez
No. 7: Selena Gomez
No. 8: Taylor Swift
No. 9: Nicki Minaj
No. 10: Carrie Underwood

SPOTIFY
Most-streamed artists in the U.S.
No 1. Eminem
No 2. Drake
No 3. Kanye West
No. 4. Lana del Rey
No. 5. Ariana Grande

Top Five Global Artists
No. 1. Ed Sheeran
No. 2. Eminem
No. 3. Coldplay
No. 4. Calvin Harris
No. 5. Katy Perry

Top Five Global Tracks
No. 1. “Happy” From Despicable Me 2 by Pharrell Williams
No. 2. “Rather Be” (feat. Jess Glynne) by Clean Bandit
No. 3. “Summer” by Calvin Harris
No. 4. “Dark Horse” Katy Perry
No. 5. “All of Me” by John Legend

RHAPSODY
Most-streamed artist: Eminem
Most-streamed album: Drake, Nothing Was the Same

Most-streamed songs:
“Happy” by Pharrell Williams
“Dark Horse” by Katy Perry
“All of Me” by John Legend
“Fancy” by Iggy Azalea
“Royals” by Lorde

VEVO
1. “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX
2. “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor
3. “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry ft. Juicy J
4. “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift
5. “Anaconda” by Nicki Minaj
6. “Problem” by Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea
7. “Chandelier” by Sia
8. “Rich Gang” Lifestyle ft. Young Thug, Rich Homie Quan
9. “Loyal” by Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne, Tyga
10. “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith

Prince Harry reveals secret for World AIDS day

Music

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Dec 1, 2014

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In a video posted to Twitter, Monday, Prince Harry revealed that he gets incredibly nervous before speaking in front of a crowd. The confession is part of the #feelnoshame campaign for his charity Sentebale.

The Only Reason Why You Should Do What You Aspire To Do

Music

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Dec 1, 2014

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John Green has written best-selling young adult novels including Looking For Alaska, Paper Towns and the recent The Fault in our Stars, which was named Time magazine’s best fiction book of 2012. Want a good cry? Go see them movie.

John and his brother, Hank, are the Vlogbrothers, helping pioneer video blogging when they communicated only through YouTube videos for a year. They’ve since produced a wide variety of video series and have attracted a devoted army of fans known as the Nerdfighters.

The amazing Zen Pencils created a cartoon based on a quote taken from a 2009 Vlogbrothers video, and is definitely a rule for life.

Canada was leading fundraising nation for Movember, with $75 million raised

Music

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Dec 1, 2014

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Canada was leading fundraising nation for Movember, with $75 million raised

Movember, the global charity that raises funds and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer research and men’s mental health, is proud to share that more than 115,000 Canadians participated and raised over $20 million in its 8^th annual campaign. Canada is the leading fundraising nation, with more than $75 million raised globally. Funds will continue to come in over the coming weeks as Mo Bros and Mo Sistas wrap up their fundraising efforts.

Tomorrow Mo Bros and Mo Sistas across Canada will make one final call for donations as part of #GivingTuesday. Support a Mo you know and donate at Movember.com.

“It’s with thanks to all our Mo Bros and Mo Sistas who donate and make their support count that Canada once again leads as the top fundraising nation,” said Pete Bombaci, Country Director, Movember Canada. “To be able to share with our community that our funds have lead to a prostate cancer research breakthrough championed right here in Canada is truly remarkable. It’s why we mo.”

MO MONEY, MO IMPACT

Movember has made more progress combating prostate cancer this year than ever before. The results of a Movember funded project, lead by researchers right here in Canada, is a game changer for men with a prostate cancer diagnosis. It means that in the future, men from around the world will have a higher chance of survival by being offered a more tailored treatment plan. And, it’s just one example of the impact funds raised by the Movember community is having.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Funds from the 2014 campaign will benefit men’s health programs and projects across the country. The Movember Foundation is incredibly proud of its world-class programs and will continue working to identify the best programs and research opportunities that align with it’s vision – to change the face of men’s health. Funds will be allocated in the months following April 2015.

CHALLENGES & PRIZING

For Mo Bros and Mo Sistas, there are still some great prizes still to be won, so keep up the good work. The close for prizing is December 9^th, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Movember’s 2014 Canadian major partners include Harry’s and Deeley Harley-Davidson®

For more information on Movember or to donate, please visit Movember.com.

Stanley Kubrick answers a question

Music

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Dec 1, 2014

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From Zen Pencils:

Growing up in the Bronx in New York, Stanley Kubrick was terrible at school and often skipped class to go to the movie theatre. He soon developed an interest in photography, teaching himself how to use the camera his father gave him as a gift. Similarly, Kubrick didn’t have any formal education in directing and taught himself all aspects of filmmaking. Kubrick on making his first short film, Day of the Fight in 1951:

“I was cameraman, director, editor, assistant editor, sound effects man—you name it, I did it. It was invaluable experience, because being forced to do everything myself I gained a sound and comprehensive grasp of all the technical aspects of filmmaking.”

By the age of 31, Kubrick had already worked as a photojournalist at Look magazine for five years (check out some of his amazing photos) and directed four feature films. In 1960, he was hired to direct the most-expensive film ever made at the time, Spartacus. Kubrick butted heads with Kirk Douglas, the leading-man and producer, over the film’s direction and the bad experience made Kubrick vow that he would have complete creative control on all of his future films.

Kubrick is often described as an eccentric thanks to the stories about his obsessive attention to detail, treatment of actors, personality quirks and reclusiveness. But these anecdotes are overshadowed by his ground-breaking movies, technical expertise and the opinions of those close to him, who described him as a warm, loving and gregarious genius of a man.

The quote used in the comic is taken from a 1968 Playboy interview Kubrick did soon after the release of 2001: A Space Odyssey. You can read the context of the question in this Brain Pickings article.