Joe Biden vs. Sarah Palin
versus
mon 10/6/2008
| name | Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. | Sarah Louise Heath Palin. |
| birthdate | November 20, 1942 (65 years old). | February 11, 1964 (44 years old). |
| born in | Scranton, Pennsylvania. | Sandpoint, Idaho. |
| religion | Catholic. | Christian. |
| current job | U.S. Senator (Delaware). | Governor (Alaska). |
| married to | English professor Jill Tracy Jacobs. | Oil field production operator Todd Palin. |
| education | B.A. in History and Political Science (University of Delaware), Law Degree (Syracuse University College of Law). | B.A. in Communications-Journalism (University of Idaho). |
| started out as | Attorney. | Sports reporter. |
| family drama | His first wife and one-year-old daughter were killed in a car accident. | Her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant. |
| also known for | Taking the train to work everyday. | Competing in the 1984 Ms. Alaska beauty pageant. |
| self-described | Survivor. | Hockey mom. |
| questionable quote | "Make no mistake about this, Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America." | "I'll tell you, I still can't answer that question until somebody answers for me, what is it exactly that the VP does every day?" |
| critics say | He loves to put his foot in his mouth. | She loves to put her foot in her mouth. |
| foot in mouth | Told a paraplegic man to "stand up." Once said: "You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking.” Called Obama “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.” | Once said she had foreign policy experience because Russians are her "next door neighbors." Did not know the meaning of "The Bush Doctrine." Could not name a single source of where she gets her world news. Couldn't name a Supreme Court ruling she disagrees with aside from Roe v. Wade. |
| close to home | Son Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III is fighting in Iraq war. | Son Track Palin is fighting in Iraq war. |
| on abortion | “My position is that I am personally opposed to abortion, but I don't think that I have the right to impose my views on the rest of society.” | Against abortion, even in cases of rape. |
| on the war in Iraq | Voted in favor of Iraq war as a Senator. Has pledged to initiate a phased withdrawal of troops. | “I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq.” |
| on immigration | Voted in favor of the U.S.-México border fence. Voted in favor of the Bush-backed immigration reform bill. | Positions are unclear. Tightened restrictions on drivers licenses for illegal immigrants in Alaska. |
| on global warming | "To deal with global warming, you have to change the attitude of the world, particularly China and India, the two largest developing nations. But in order to do that, to have any credibility, you have to begin here in the United States." | “A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made.” |
| webprops | 22,611 friends on official MySpace. | 58,878 friends on official MySpace. |
| the kind of veep they'd like to be | "I've never seen a time when Washington has watched so many people get knocked down without doing anything to help them get back up. Almost every night, I take the train home to Wilmington, sometimes very late. As I look out the window at the homes we pass, I can almost hear what they're talking about at the kitchen table after they put the kids to bed." | "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening." |
Mr. Capone-E vs. Sick Jacken
versus
mon 9/29/2008
| name | Fahad Azam. | Jack González. |
| hometown | Los Angeles' San Gabriel Valley. | Los Angeles' Pico-Union district. |
| age | Thirty-ish. | Thirty-ish. |
| 10 years ago | In and out of jail for gang-related activities. | Half of Psycho Realm with his brother Duke. |
| the look | Bald and beautiful. | Bald and beautiful. |
| self-described style | "Sureño Hip hop." | Hip hop. |
| gangsta lean | For parties. | For funerals. |
| label | Hi-Power Entertainment. | Sick Symphonies and Ruff House Records. |
| homies | Mr. Criminal, Lil Rob, Fingazz, MC Magic. | Mr. Cartoon, Esteban Oriol, DJ Muggs, Immortal Technique. |
| debut album | Mr. Capone-E & The Southsiders. | The Psycho Realm. |
| signature track | You Should Be a Model. | In This Lifetime. |
| killer collab | I Like It with Nate Dogg. | Stone Garden with B-Real. |
| headlines | Concert promoter cancels Mr.Capone-E concert due to fear of gang violence. | Psycho Realm forced into hiatus after Duke is shot and later paralyzed from the neck down. |
| in their own words | "I now see ex-gangsters trying to start a clothing line or a magazine or a car businesses or they're into graphics. Ten years ago, when I got my start, there was none of that. They looked at people like me and said, 'Damn, you're doing that, I'm going to do this.'" - Mr. Capone-E | "We don't have day jobs so this is what helps us make the music you like to hear. If you like something that you know an artist is bringing, invest in that artist and let him keep making that music you like to hear. All-Star shit aside, you guys help us eat." - Sick Jacken |
| most recent release | Dedicated 2 The Fans. | The Legend Of The Mask & The Assassin (with DJ Muggs). |
| the critics | Music Reviewer: "What separates Mr. Capone-E from the pack is his ability to continue to fashion intriguing arrangements which add, rather than overwhelm, intriguing beats, and laying everything with interesting lyrics." |
Remix Magazine: "If Sick Jacken isn't well known above ground, he will be. His biographical sketches and poignant calls to squash street violence are in a class of their own. Hear the sound of legends being made." |
| webprops | 139,035 friends on official MySpace. | 18,506 friends on official MySpace. |
| best video moment | Pleading love to his girl in Let Me Love You Girl. | Traveling to the other side in Land Of Shadows. |
Metallica vs. Avenged Sevenfold
versus
sun 9/21/2008
| name | Metallica. | Avenged Sevenfold. |
| hometown | Los Angeles, California. | Huntington Beach, California. |
| formed in | 1981. | 1999. |
| current members | James Hetfield, Kirk Hammet, Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo. | M. Shadows, The Rev, Zacky Vengance (sic), Johnny Christ and Synyster Gates. |
| style | Thrash metal and heavy metal. | Metalcore and heavy metal. |
| the look | Black jeans, black T-shirts and black leather jackets. | Dark jeans and T-shirts. Emo-ish eyeliner and tattoos. |
| how they got together | Drummer Ulrich placed a classified ad. | Attended high school together. |
| what's in a name? | Named after a metal fanzine made by a friend. | A reference to Genesis 4:24 in the Bible. |
| first record label | Indie Metal Blade Records. | Indie Good Life Records. |
| ex-members | Dave Mustaine, Jason Newsted, Cliff Burton and Ron McGovney. | Justin Sane, Daemon Ash and Matt Wendt. |
| debut album | Kill 'Em All in 1983. | Sounding The Seventh Trumpet in 2001. |
| latest album | Death Magnetic. | Live In The LBC & Diamonds In The Rough. |
| breakthrough track | Enter Sandman. | Bat Country. |
| in their own words | "We're in pretty good shape for 40-plus headbangers. It's possible to be the Rolling Stones at 65. It may not be possible to be Metallica at 65." - Lars Ulrich. | "When Warped Tour lets us blow sh-- up, you'll probably find us there. They probably wouldn't want us 'cuz we would clean house on all the chicks and scare the emo kids." - Zacky Vengance |
| bragging rights | Sold nearly 90 million albums worldwide. | Toured with metal pioneers Iron Maiden. |
| the critics | Allmusic: "Metallica was easily the best, most influential heavy metal band of the '80s, responsible for bringing the music back to Earth. Instead of playing the usual rock star games of metal stars of the early '80s, the band looked and talked like they were from the street." | Rolling Stone: "A7X thrive on their contradictions: their politics are pretty conservative, but they are just as staunch in their belief that "the good life" includes access to large supplies of strippers, sports cars and controlled substances." |
| webprops | 957,720 friends on official MySpace. | 765,313 friends on official MySpace. |
| best video moment | Playing in front of inmates from San Quentin penitentiary in St. Anger. | Regretting past mistakes while in prison in Seize The Day. |
corn tortillas vs. flour tortillas
versus
tue 9/16/2008
| name | Tortillas de maíz (corn). | Tortillas de harina (flour). |
| origin | Oaxaca in central México. | Sonora and Chihuahua in northern México. |
| introduced in | Between 1800 and 300 BC. | After 1492. |
| main ingredients | Nixtamalized maize, which is prepared with corn and lime water. | Wheat, water, vegetable oil and butter or lard (depending on the region). |
| eaten in | México, U.S., Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. | México, U.S. and Spain. |
| the look | Thick and yellowish. | Flat, thin and off-white. |
| often used for | Tacos. | Burritos. |
| makes frequent appearances at | Dinner. | Breakfast. |
| can also become | Chips or tostadas. | Buñuelos. |
| essential ingredient for | Quesadillas, enchiladas and chilaquiles. | Quesadillas and fajitas. |
| calories | 90. | 140. |
| grams of fat | One. | Three. |
| different colors | Black, purple and green. | Green, brown and red. |
| roll your own | "Use masa harina that is only corn and lime (calcium hydroxide) for corn tortilla making." - Elise.com. | "Use just enough flour to prevent dough from sticking." - Gourmet.com. |
| bet you didn't know | "Chemists at the U.S Department of Agriculture say the aroma of a tortilla is mostly due to 2-ameno-acephenone, a compound which develops when corn is soaked in lime water, the traditional treatment for producing corn masa." | "Flour tortillas are a favorite bread item of the Shuttle astronauts. Tortillas provide an easy and acceptable solution to the bread crumb and microgravity handling problem, and have been used on most Shuttle missions since 1985." |
| sometimes features the face of | Hello Kitty. | Jesus and Mao Zedong. |
| as seen in | The movie Tortilla Soup with Hector Elizondo. | The movie Tortilla Heaven with George Lopez. |
Jaguares vs. The Cure
versus
mon 9/8/2008
| name | Jaguares. | The Cure. |
| hometown | México City. | London. |
| formed in | 1989. | 1976. |
| current members | Saúl Hernández, Alfonso André, César "Vampiro" López and Marco Rentería. | Robert Smith, Porl Thompson, Simon Gallup and Jason Cooper. |
| sounds like | Alternative rock with new wave and goth influences. | New wave and goth rock. |
| lead singer's look | Long, wavy hair is now short and punky. Rocked eyeliner in the early '90s. | Wild hair and panda bear make-up featuring red lipstick and lots of eyeliner. |
| likely influenced | Allison and MonteNegro. | My Chemical Romance and Interpol. |
| previously known as | Insólitas Imágenes De Aurora and Caifanes. | Easy Cure. |
| ego trippin' | Saúl Hernández and guitarist Alejandro Marcovich became bitter enemies after fistfights and trademark disputes. |
Childhood friends Robert Smith and ex-drummer Lol Tolhurst had a love-hate relationship. |
| other members, other bands | Guitarist Vampiro López played with Maná and Azul Violeta |
Guitarist Porl Thompson played with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. |
| most celebrated albums | El Equilibrio de los Jaguares and El Diablito(Caifanes). | Disintegration and Wish. |
| latest album | 45. | 4:13 Dream. |
| new single with black and white music video | Entre Tus Jardines. | The Perfect Boy. |
| about the new album | "[I]t was born out of a number that appeared in the newspaper that impacted everyone – the 45 million people living in poverty in México" - Saúl Hernández. | "People will be surprised how stripped-down and in-your-face the record is." – Robert Smith |
| the critics | Allmusic: "Their first album … built a solid fan base in a time when it was difficult for Mexican rock bands to get airplay or venues to play in: the genre was frowned upon because of violence during the late '60s at Woodstock-like events." | Allmusic: "As one of the bands that laid the seeds for goth rock, the group created towering layers of guitars and synthesizers, but by the time goth caught on in the mid-'80s, the Cure had moved away from the genre." |
| webprops | 643 friends on new official MySpace. Official website features political content. | 204,328 friends on MySpace. Official website features live concert feeds. |
| best video moment | Becoming one with the Mayan jungle in Dime Jaguar. | Trapped inside a falling closet in Close To Me. |
The Game vs. T.I.
versus
mon 9/1/2008
| name | Jayceon Terrell Taylor. | Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. |
| hometown | Los Angeles, California. | Atlanta, Georgia. |
| birthdate | November 29, 1979. | September 25, 1980. |
| style | West Coast hip hop. | Southern hip hop. |
| also known as | Hurricane Game, Murda Game and Chuck Taylor. | T.I.P., Rubberband Man and King of the South. |
| got nickname from | His grandmother. | His grandfather. |
| powered by | Dr. Dre. | L.A. Reid. |
| signature look | Fitted hat, tank top and Converse All-Stars. | Sunglasses, slick jacket and dog tags. |
| debut album | The Documentary (2005). | I'm Serious (2001). |
| killer collab | Hate It Or Love It with 50 Cent. | What's Yo Name with Pharrell. |
| as seen in | Street Kings. | American Gangster. |
| beef | Rivalries with Death Row Records, Roc-A-Fella Records and 50 Cent. | Dissed Lil' Flip, Shawty Lo, 50 Cent and punched Ludacris' manager. |
| legal troubles | Charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. | Under house arrest for posession of illegal firearms (machine guns). |
| most recent release | LAX. | Paper Trail. |
| the critics | Hip Hop DX: "The Game is 50 Cent. He's Tupac, Biggie, Jay-Z, Nas, or Jadakiss. He's the gangsta rapper of right NOW for a generation that demands its own ghetto soldier, someone who has lived a life to which they can escape." |
Rolling Stone: "T.I. rhymes about the perks and pains of megastardom, and flashes Glocks in order to remind us he's still street, all the while darkening and amping up his sound with a king's ransom of keyboard-driven bangers." |
| webprops | 685,099 friends on official MySpace. | 2,066,292 friends on official MySpace. |
| best video moment | Living the hard life with Lil Wayne in My Life. | Offering the world to a girl in Whatever You Like. |
Karina vs. Kat DeLuna
versus
tue 8/26/2008
| name | Karina Paisan. | Kat Emperatriz de Luna. |
| hometown | Washington Heights, New York. | The Bronx, New York . |
| birthdate | July 18, 1991. | November 17, 1987. |
| style | R&B and Latin pop. | R&B and Latin pop. |
| roots | Dominican and Armenian. | Dominican. |
| early start | Competed on Star Search at 13. | Performed with merengue singer Milly Quezada at 12. |
| could be the next | Alicia Keys. | Beyonce. |
| backed by | Def Jam. | Sony. |
| proteges of | Her godfather, Quincy Jones. | Tyrone Edmond. |
| breakthrough track | 16 @ War. | Whine Up. |
| killer collab | Chris Brown | Omarion. |
| in their own words | "I definitely respect myself, and I wanna show that females should respect themselves also, and just showing that we shouldn’t degrade ourselves just to feel like we’re cool or whatever.” - Karina | "Sometimes you have to – how you say it? ‘Take charge.’ You have to take charge. When I wanted to add Don Omar to the Spanish version of ‘Run the Show,’ I paid for it out of my own pocket." - Kat. | most recent album | First Love. | 9 Lives. |
| the critics | DJ Booth: “[I]t’s no surprise that her debut album, the aptly named First Love, is an intensely mature work. Karina’s as close to musical perfection as you’re going to get at that age, and that’s why someone, somewhere is falling in love for the first time through her music.” | Popmatters: “She’s not trying to impress us with her depth, her indie cred, or her awesome record collection. In fact, it actually seems like she and producer RedOne are only interested in turning good hooks and memorable choruses into pop songs for teenagers and other people who like their music to be 'fun.'" |
| webprops | 95,201 friends on official MySpace. | 111,056 friends on official MySpace. |
| best video moment | Slowly fallin' in love in Can't Find The Words. | Holding her own with Busta Rhymes in Run The Show. |
Santogold vs. M.I.A.
versus
mon 8/18/2008
| name | Santi White. | Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam. |
| hometown | Philadelphia, PA. | Hounslow, London. |
| born in | 1976. | 1977. |
| what's in a name | Taken from an infamous '80s infomercial selling "Santo Gold" jewelry. | Stands for Missing In Acton and Missing In Action. |
| style | New wave, pop, electro and dub fusion. | World beat, hip hop and electro fusion. |
| previous gig | A&R representative for Epic Records and lead singer of punk band Stiffed. | Visual artist and music video director. |
| breakthrough track | L.E.S. Artistes. | Galang. |
| as heard on | Converse and Bud Light Lime beer commercials. | Pineaple Express movie trailer and soundtrack. |
| young poets | "Me, I'm a creator, thrill is to make it up, the rules I break, got me a place, up on the radar, me, I'm a taker, know what the stakes are, can't roll it back, it's understood, got to play our cards." - Creator. | "I fly like paper, get high like planes, if you catch me at the border I got visas in my name,If you come around here, I make 'em all day, I get one down in a second if you wait." - Paper Planes. |
| killer collabo | Julian Casablancas and N.E.R.D. | Missy Elliot |
| produced by | Mark Ronson, Diplo, John Hill and Switch. | Richard X, Diplo, Timbaland and Switch. |
| in their own words | "It's racist (laughs). It's totally racist. Everyone is just so shocked that I don't like R&B. Why does R&B keep coming into my interviews? It's pissing me off." - Santogold | "And I love hip-hop. I grew up on that shit. I don't wanna say anything bad about it. But by the time I got to it I felt like it was too late. I wanted realism but that was difficult." - M.I.A. |
| most recent release | Santogold. | Kala. |
| the critics | The Onion's A.V. Club: "Santogold manages to weave together a strange amalgam of tracks that sound almost nothing alike, yet are unmistakably part of the same whole. Santogold's relentless disregard for genre boundaries in the service of a stellar pop song is the real glue that holds the album together." | Rolling Stone: "There's a resolute sarcasm, a weariness and defiant determination, a sense of pleasure carved out of work – articulated by the lyrics, embodied by the music. A riot of human, musical and mechanical sounds bubbles underneath these tracks." |
| webprops | 69,279 friends on official MySpace. | 331,768 on official MySpace. |
| best video moment | Becoming digital wallpaper in Lights Out. | Dancing in front of digital wallpaper in Boyz. |
Akwid vs. Crooked Stilo
versus
mon 8/11/2008
| name | Sergio and Francisco Gomez. | Victor and Johnny Lopez. |
| nicknames | Wikid and Ak. | Lunatiko and El Duke. |
| origin | México. | El Salvador. |
| hometown | East Los Angeles. | East Los Angeles. |
| formed in | 2000. | 1993. |
| a family affair | Brothers. | Brothers. |
| classified as | Urban regional hip hop. | Urban regional hip hop. |
| what’s in a name | Combined each of their nicknames. | Their style is "chueco." |
| the look | Matching jerseys, baggy pants and black gloves. | Baggy shirts, sunglasses and Jesus pieces. |
| love to sample | Mexican regional sounds. | Tropical and Caribbean sounds. | in their own words | "We crossed over as 'wetbacks' ... but it's not something that kept us from doing what we wanted to do. I'm proud of being who I am and where I come from." | "We came from El Salvador and the situation was so bad there, we got to the projects, and to us it was Beverly Hills." |
| killer collab | Los Tucanes De Tijuana. | Daddy Yankee. | most recent album | La Novela. | Cumbia Urbana: The Album. |
| the critics | Allmusic: "Sure, there's nothing especially revolutionary about the urban regional sound trademarked here by Akwid, but it hadn't really been done this well to date, which makes these brothers the first of their kind to break this style into the Latin music mainstream." | Allmusic: "The two Salvadoran brothers who comprise L.A.'s Crooked Stilo bring a lot of West Coast influences to Puro Escandalo, which is mindful of Cypress Hill and Funkdoobiest, as well as the more pop-friendly Mellow Man Ace." |
| webprops | 60,569 friends on official MySpace. | 13,677 friends on official MySpace. |
| best video moment | Pimpin' and partying in No Hay Manera. | Flirting with college girls in Mis Colegialas. |
M.J. vs. Baby Boy
versus
mon 8/4/2008
| name | José A. Matos Negrón. | Roberto Borrero. |
| hometown | Born in Puerto Rico. Grew up in Pennsylvania. | Born in Puerto Rico. Grew up in New Jersey and Florida. |
| age | 23. | 27. |
| style | Pop, bachata and reggaetón. | Pop and R&B. |
| the look | Stunna shades-loving pretty boy. | Stunna shades-loving pretty boy. |
| former day job | Sound engineer. | Restauranteur and owner of cell phone store chain. |
| before going solo | Worked with Luny Tunes. | Member of bachata-pop group Afixiao. |
| could be the next | Zion. | Flex. |
| in their own words | "Yes, there are many new young artists in our genre and all of us have a lot of dreams. But I'm ready to work and leave my footprint in music." | "In my album there is no reggaetón, but that's not a bad thing… it doesn't mean I won't do reggaetón again." |
| breakthrough track | He Venido. | Ya No Llores (Let Me Love You). |
| most recent release | Mi Sentimiento. | Ya No Llores: Let Me Love You. |
| the critics | Real Talk Reggaetón: "[M.J.'s] CD is fire!! It is definately worth a download. There is no reason to say that M.J. isn't good. This guy is going to blow up in the next few months." | El Corillord.com: “A month after releasing his debut album … [Baby Boy] has created a group of followers in and outside the U.S. that are propelling him little by little to the center of the universe of urban latin music.” |
| webprops | 10,911 friends on official MySpace. | 5,301 friends on official MySpace. |
| best video moment | Trying to win over a girl who has a BF in Dile. | Reminding a girl she's too young for love in Tus Quince Años. |
Monterrey es el pais lo d.. Says:
