Stowe, Williams, Sandoval, Fabolous and Marcil
halfsie or fullsie
sun 11/30/2008
You may have wondered: are they? A little?
Well, yes. Yes, they are.
Madeleine Stowe
Age: 50
Actress known for roles in the movies like The Last of the Mohicans, Short Cuts and Twelve Monkeys.
Halfsie: Costa Rican mother.
Harold "Hype" Williams
Age: 38
Music video and film director known for flashy, colorful videos for Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z and Busta Rhymes.
Halfsie: Honduran mother and African-American father.
Hope Sandoval
Age: 42
Singer-songwriter who once fronted '90s rock group Mazzy Star. Most recently led Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions.
Fullsie: Both parents are Mexican-American.
John Jackson aka Fabolous
Age: 31
Brooklyn-bred rapper known for hit songs like Make Me Better, Baby Don't Go and Young'n.
Halfsie: Dominican father and African-American mother.
Vanessa Marcil
Age: 40
Actress and known for roles in TV shows like General Hospital, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Las Vegas.
Halfsie: Mexican mother and German father.
first!!!
daily dos
sun 11/30/2008
- Ne-Yo argues with his boo in a new video, "Mad." (via Concreteloop)
- Ever wonder what you can order in a fancy New York restaurant? Try broccoli and Cheetos.
- See how popular (or unpopular) your name is with Name Trends. (via Kottke)
- Paris Hilton and Britney Spears top Forbes magazine's list of the most overexposed celebrities of the year.
- Rapper Jim Jones says Obama is the new N-word.
- A Japanese man who has been living in a Mexico City airport for three months says he has no plans on leaving. Mexican authorities say the man, who has survived on fast-food restaurant donations, can't be forced to leave until his visa expires in March. (via Boing Boing)
blessthefall
let's talk
thu 11/27/2008
Mikey Frisby and Matt Traynor's high school jam sessions paid off. In 2004, the guitarist and drummer, respectively, formed blessthefall after graduating from school. Three years later, the "screamo" rockers secured a record deal and spot on the Vans Warped Tour with bands like Paramore, MxPx and Coheed and Cambria. blessthefall is currently working on the follow-up to their debut album, His Last Walk. We caught up with the Phoenix-bred band to talk about religion, going postal and their love for JT.
You recently found a new singer, Beau Bokan. Was he hard to find?
It was extremely hard. Not only were we looking for talent, but someone who had the perfect personality to match with ours. We searched for close to nine months, and were having doubts. But the key was to never give up and keep working hard. We found the perfect singer for our band, he is funny and weird just like us and has great talents to help us grow.
You've got a few hip hop inspired beats in your music, what else do you think separates you guys from the hordes of screamo bands out there?
We love the hip-hop beats, can't get enough of them. We give it our all when we hit the stage. Our energy explodes on stage so we can give the best performance possible. We never give up. There were plenty of times we could have just turned away and do something else with our time, but our situations have only made us stronger.
There are a lot of screamo and metalcore bands powered by Christian faith. Isn't rock supposed to be anything but that?
Rock can be whatever you make of it. I personally like it better when bands are faithful and don't live the sex, drugs and rock-and-roll life. I'm not into bands that sing about degrading women or smoking weed or any of that. We live our lives to the fullest, but keep out of all that garbage.
Do you ever feel you have to play down the religious aspect of your music?
We like what we do and don't plan on changing for anything. Bands have to stick to their roots. Change is good, but selling out is not.
You're working on your second album. Is there anything you would like to do that would be considered too 'out there' by your label or fans?
The next album will be a much more mature version of our last. We are very proud of what we have written so far.
In your video for "Rise Up," someone in an office snaps and breaks away from the other drones. Have any of you almost gone postal at a job?
I think we have all snapped while being in the band, things were not so peachy in the past. But we have been having so much fun lately, I can't see us going postal again anytime soon.
What would be your dream collaboration?
blessthefall and Justin Timberlake. You have his number? We would love to have him sing on a song! [Laughter.]
gobbled up
daily dos
thu 11/27/2008

(image by Justin Marty via flickr)
- Today is Black Friday. Prepare for a day of shopping with a list of retail markdowns across the country. But you're more likely to get better deals if you wait a few weeks.
- Despite increased tuition fees and a struggling economy, early applications for expensive private colleges – and less expensive public universities – are higher than expected.
- McDonalds has launched two concept restaurants in Japan called Quarter Pounder. The menu: Quarter Pounders, Double Quarter Pounders, french fries and drinks.
- A ban on fast-food TV advertising could cut child obesity by nearly 20 percent, according to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
- Joining an online community like holamun2 ppl gives you "technological skills and literacy to succeed in the contemporary world," according to a study by the MacArthur Foundation.
- Check out Behind the scenes at Iron Man, actor Jeff Bridges' photo journal from the set of the popular superhero movie. (via Metafilter)
k dicen: 10 hit songs by Chris Brown
News
wed 11/26/2008
We fed the lyrics of 10 hit songs by Chris Brown to wordle and girl got like just one kiss.
The top 15 most used words and their frequency: know (58), air (52), ever (50), like (47), wall (44), got (39), one (36), kiss (35), girl (34), diss (32), just (32), ooh (32), yeah (28, cause (27), forever (27)
The list of 10 hit songs by Chris Brown:
"Forever"
"Gimme That (Remix)" ft. Lil Wayne
"Kiss Kiss" ft. T-Pain
"No Air" ft. Jordin Sparks
"Run It!" ft. Juelz Santana
"Say Goodbye"
"Superhuman" ft. Keri Hilson
"Wall to Wall"
"With You"
"Yo (Excuse Me Miss)"
Cypress Hill
previously
tue 11/25/2008
"They're clownin' on me 'cause of my language. I have to tell 'em straight up, it's called Spanglish." - "Latin Lingo" (1991)
Formed in 1986 by Louis "B-Real" Freese, Lawrence "DJ Muggs" Muggerud and Senen "Sen Dog" Reyes, Cypress Hill emerged from the predominantly Mexican-American community of South Gate, California to become Latino hip hop's first true superstar outfit. Despite being the first Latino rap group to go platinum, Cypress Hill is best known for helping marijuana go mainstream and introducing rock audiences to hip hop.
Filled with blunted rhymes and murky beats, the trio's 1991 self-titled debut showed life on the streets through a funhouse mirror. Hits like How I Could Just Kill a Man, Hand on the Pump and Latin Lingo bridged the gap between the hardcore gangsta rap of NWA and the jazzy vibes of A Tribe Called Quest. Cypress Hill's distinctive sound – B-Real's nasal flow, Sen Dog's call-and-response choruses and especially DJ Muggs' production – would go on to influence acts as diverse as Dr. Dre, Psycho Realm and La Sinfonía.
"The Hill" released three more studio albums in the '90s – Black Sunday, Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom and IV – which spawned stoner anthems like Insane In The Membrane, I Wanna Get High and Dr. Greenthumb. In 1999, the group rewarded its loyal Latin American fan base by dropping Grandes Exitos en Español, a compilation of their greatest hits in Spanish. Over the last decade, Cypress Hill has experimented with rock and reggae on songs like (Rock) Superstar, Trouble and Ganja Bus without sacrificing its Latin flavor. Latin Thugs, a horn-drenched track featuring Tego Calderón is one of Cypress Hill's most popular joints.
When asked if Cypress Hill gets the credit it deserves for its contributions to hip hop, B-Real replies: "I think in some regards we do, but in other regards we're definitely looked over on a lot of shit. I don't really care what [critics] think, for me it's what the fans think and feel. That's what matters to me."
the go team
daily dos
tue 11/25/2008

(image by blmurch via flickr)
- The world's first Barbie store has opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina, featuring life-sized clothes and accessories for fans of the iconic 49-year-old doll.
- A day after naming the members of his economic team, including Timothy F. Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury and Lawrence H. Summers as Director of the National Economic Council, President-elect Barack Obama appointed Peter Orszag as his administration's budget director.
- A boy's world crumbles around him in Radiohead's new animated video for "15 Step." (via Stereogum)
- Over 29 million Americans are now relying on food stamps, nearly three million more than last year. The monthly benefit per person averages out to 95 dollars.
- Russian warships arrived in Venezuela to perform joint exercises with the South American country's navy. The exercises will begin today, the first day of Russian President Dimitry Medvedev's scheduled two-day visit with Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez.
- A year from now, Astronauts may finally be able to drink their own urine.
- The mutilated bodies of seven dead people were dumped in a soccer field in Ciudad Juarez, the latest in a bloody month of drug-related violence in México.
- No Doubt announced they will get back together to tour next year. The Gwen Stefani-led quartet plans on recording a new album while touring.
Spanish Harlem vs Washington Heights
versus
mon 11/24/2008
| name | Spanish Harlem. | Washington Heights. |
| aka | El Barrio. | Dominican Heights. |
| epicenter | 96th street to 116th street. | 145th street to 200th street. |
| predominantly | Puerto Rican. | Dominican. |
| historical landmark | East Harlem Firehouse. | The Cloisters. |
| where to chill | Corner bodega. | Fort Washington Park. |
| homegrown politician | Congressman Charles B. Rangel. | NYC Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs Guillermo Linares. |
| how to get there | Take the 6 train. | Take the A or C or the 1 and 9 trains. |
| hometown music heroes | Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Tito Puente and Ray Barreto. | Juelz Santana, Proyecto Uno and Kat DeLuna. |
| as heard on | Ben E. King's Spanish Harlem and Santana's Maria Maria, featuring Wyclef. | KRS-One's Washington Heights. |
| gringos like to visit | Museum of the City of New York. | The Cloisters. |
| where to eat? | La Fonda Boricua. | Caridad Restaurant. |
| what to order | Arroz con pollo. | Sancocho. |
| cultura | El Museo Del Barrio. | The Hispanic Society of America. |
| as seen on | Movies Carlito's Way and Honey. | Washington Heights The Movie and Broadway musical In The Heights. |
| school | J.H.S. 117, the Tito Puente Education Complex. | P.S. 132, Juan Pablo Duarte School. |
| saying | ¡A fuego! | ¿Que lo que? |
a million here, a million there
daily dos
mon 11/24/2008
- According to Forbes magazine, Jay-Z and Beyonce are Hollywood's richest couple ($162 million), beating out Will Smith & Jada Pinkett as well as David and Victoria Beckham.
- Here's what you look like playing video games.
- A prison riot between rival gangs in Guatemala has left seven prisoners dead – six of them beheaded.
- Listen to Young Jeezy tone things down with guest rapper Pharrell Williams in a new track, “Rumor Has It.”
- Mario Fernando Hernandez, the deputy Speaker of Congress in Honduras, was shot dead eight days before primary elections in the Central American country.
- For only $287, stay dry and break the law with the Umbuster, an umbrella-brass knuckles hybrid.
- Russian government officials are reportedly "envious" of Chinese President Hu Jintao, who recently traveled to Cuba and South America to strengthen China's economic ties with the Latin American countries.
Kerns, Prinze, Turlington, Rodriguez and Bach
halfsie or fullsie
sun 11/23/2008
You may have wondered: are they? A little?
Well, yes. Yes, they are.
Joanna Kerns
Age: 55
Actress known for playing Maggie Seaver on the popular '80s sitcom "Growing Pains."
Halfsie: Mexican-American father and Irish-American mother.
Freddie Prinze
Passed away at age 22.
Stand-up comedian who starred in the '70s hit sitcom "Chico and the Man." Father of Freddie Prinze, Jr.
Halfsie: German-Hungarian father and Puerto Rican mother.
Christy Turlington
Age: 39
Supermodel known for her work with Calvin Klein and Maybelline cosmetics. Married to director Ed Burns.
Halfsie: Salvadoran mother.
Adam Rodriguez
Age: 33
Actor known for playing Eric Delko in "CSI: Miami." Makes a cameo in the video for J. Lo's "If You Had My Love."
Fullsie: Puerto Rican father and Puerto Rican-Cuban mother.
Catherine Bach
Age: 54
Actress and sex symbol known for wearing short shorts as Daisy Duke in the '80s TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard."
Halfsie: Mexican mother and German father.

