Mariachi El Bronx, a side project of LA based The Bronx rock band, have a very unique appeal. We saw them open for Canadian hardcore band, Fucked Up, and covered interviews for both bands at Nike’s venue, The Wonder Ballroom for this years MFNW. We loved both bands (El and The) interaction with fans, it was very clear to us, that the band really loves to perform. Check out their The Bronx recent video release, “Inveigh”, and some really nice photos of them live at MFNW in Portland this year.

This is NOT your typical Mariachi band out of LA, at least not the kind that serenades you on the patio of your local Mexican restaurante..!

The band collaborated with The Killers, who they set out on tour with post MFNW this year, with the video/single for Christmas “Happy Birthday Guadalupe!” which if you missed it, must see here!

check out iTunes for a recent Mariachi El Bronx own Christmas song here

For this we missed Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Orange County” Thursday night?

Yes, we could not resist watching the premiere of MTV’s “Jersey Shore.” We’ve seen just five minutes, and we don’t know whether to laugh, cry or get a weapon and find the MTV executive who greenlit this ridiculous piece of crap.

“Jersey Shore” has caused a flap in the Garden State already with UNICO, an Italian American group, charging that the show stereotypes their ethic group. The show’s “cast” of three guys and three girls are self-proclaimed “guidos” and “guidettes” who flocked to Seaside Heights, N.J., this summer.

UNICO is wrong. “Jersey Shore” doesn’t defame Italian Americans or the Garden State. It defames humanity.

MTV's "Jersey Shore" Morons

For those in the Cornhusker states, “guido” is a derogatory term for Italian guys with jelled-hair, ripped muscles, tight T-shirts and no brains. But Midwesterners, please don’t believe everyone in Jersey is like the “govones” on this reality show.

Here are a few of the insightful quotes from the “Jersey Shore” cast, before we see their stomach-turning sexual exploits, hot-tub stripteases, excessive drinking, macho bragging and loud vomiting.

Pauly D — “I was born and raised a guido. It’s being an Italian.”

Sammi — “The shorter the shorts, the better…If you’re not a guido, you can get out of my f—king face.”

Jenni — “I’m like a praying mantis. After I have sex I’ll rip their heads off.”

Ronnie — “The whole thing is about getting laid…I can’t be with a girl if she isn’t prettier than me.”

First of all, in defense of New Jersey, only one of the upstanding youths in “Jersey Shore” is actually from New Jersey, Sammi. Hazlet, N.J., should be very proud of her. The rest of the crew is from Rhode Island, Staten Island, the Bronx, Long Island and upstate New York.

In our youth, we spent many a weekend at the “Shore,” as we natives call it. We stayed in the Irish area, Sea Girt, and a lot of Italian Americans roosted in Belmar. We hung in places like Bar “A” and the Parker House.

Along the way those summers. we may have seen a few characters who might have fit the description of a “guido.” And we saw drunk guys — of all ethnic backgrounds — say and do some pretty stupid things. In fact, we said and did some pretty stupid things after a few shots of tequila. (We’re not like that anymore. We drink martinis.)

But down at the Shore we never came across anything like the collection of “stunads” that are on this show.

The New York Post did a story on the show last Sunday, headlined, “‘Shore Thing: New Jersey Gets Its Day In The Sun, Thanks To A Guido Invasion,’ and profiled the cast.

We enjoyed reading some of the comments on the story.

Here is one from vtx13cnj: “So if this show is OK, then when do the Amos n Andy reruns start? How about a reality show starring drunken Irishmen beating up their wives? We can follow it up with a reality show based in a Chinese laundry. What, we can’t do that? But its OK to stereotype Italian Americans. Great country we live in.”

Manhead wrote this, verbatim: “I grew up on the Jersey shore and this is exactly what all italians are like. Thats why they call the show True Life. They’re not exagerating.”

The Star-Ledger has done several stories about “Jersey Shore” and the controversy around the show, with the latest headlined “‘Jersey Shore’ Celebrates ‘Guidos.’”

Jersey has become a popular setting for reality shows, such as Bravo’s hit “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and Style Network’s “Jerseylicious,” which is shooting now in Green Brook, N.J.

As you may have noticed, we are not writing about home shopping in this blog.

But as we told you from the start, our passions include TV programming and New Jersey. So we can’t not talk about “Jersey Shore.” But we will not watch it again. We hope other viewers do the same.

Oh no, we just learned that MTV is running another new episode of “Jersey Shore” at 11. We are going to get a weapon, any weapon.

Jenn sent out a tweet this weekend staking a flag in “Take Me With U” as the most romantic song ever.

I’m in the “I Would Die 4 U” camp.

“All I really need is to know that u believe…”

You read that right. After a several-week hiatus, the Tuesday Night Roundup is back with plenty of stuff to talk about, make fun of, and shower praise/snark upon!

=Just a few short hours ago Chris Brown’s new album Graffiti leaked ahead of its release date next week. I’m listening through it for the first time as I type this, but I’m not too impressed. It doesn’t sound like an album from a guy who got taken about back behind public opinion’s woodshed. There’s a surprising amount of swagger and bravado for a guy that the masses still seem a bit uncomfortable around. I’m not saying he should be making an album full of apologetic self-deprecation, but this sounds almost out of touch sometimes, especially on the sure-to-get-people-talking “Famous Girl”.

=Also out ahead of its street date is This is War, the third album from 30 Seconds to Mars. I’m going to have a full blown review by week’s end, but it in many ways reminded me of a hot air balloon; big and pretty and majestic from afar, but inside there isn’t a whole lot going on. This Is War also marks the debut of “Hurricane”, the song 30STM did with Kanye West and Brandon Flowers a few months back. The purist “rawkers” will trash this just on principle, but anyone willing to give the notion of a rapper being musically valid will probably appreciate the song.

30 Seconds to Mars – Hurricane (YSI)

=In my continuing attempts to hear all the good music released in 2009 I found a bit of a gem in an unlikely place: Shakira’s She Wolf has plenty of great things to offer. It’s got some great rhythms and beats that beckon listeners to the dancefloor, and stops well short of getting predictable or boring. My only real bone to pick with the album is in the bonus tracks on the American release. She Wolf didn’t need collaborations with Lil Wayne and Kid Cudi for this album to work. In fact, this obvious pander to Top 40 radio kind of undermines the record in some spots. But so long as you stop the album after “Anos Luz” it’s a great listen.

Shakira – Gypsy [iTunes] (YSI)

=The Killers released their annual Christmas single to iTunes today. “¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe!” features Wild Light and Mariachi El Bronx, the south-of-the-border alter egoes of blast punkers The Bronx. It’s probably the most enjoyable of all their Christmas singles to date, and the choice to give the song a Latin flavor over the tired holiday theme makes it all the more worthwhile.

The Killers, et al – ¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe! [iTunes] (YSI)

That’s all for tonight. Plenty of cool stuff to come later this week though.

==TJ==

Few Rules for City Residents

Happy Thanksgiving from the Boogiedown! I’m currently trying to convince my stomach that a fifth piece of the tuna pot pie my tia made special for me is a good idea. The recipe for the pie, which is filled with tuna and fresh mozzarella, hails from her native Mendoza, Argentina. I’ve attached some photos of my “nephews” (my cousin’s two pitbulls). Even though they’re completely docile, they’re also unaware of their strength. Even the little one (in his crate) Pastelito is super strong. I’m kind of worried they’ll make a squeeze toy out of my Andi. Anyway, happy thanksgiving from the birthplace of hip hop!

After an afternoon of consecutive downers, the following exchange with my cousin made my day.

Unconventional families with atypical–or perhaps very Latino–rituals like a Scarface screening and complementing the usual Thanksgiving staples with pernil and rice FTW.

After two fairly solid support bands (The Elrics, the bastard child of Oasis and LostProphets and Jaakko and Jay, shambolic anarchists from Finland playing a particularly raw brand of punk rock) the venue was still disappointingly empty by the time The Bronx as Mariachi El Bronx took to the stage. Donned in black & white Mariachi costumes they played the majority of the songs from the album Mariachi El Bronx and a couple of covers in such a sincere way that it was easy to forget that their past albums were closer to hardcore punk rock than the sound of traditional Mexican music that filled the venue.

It was a completely different type of experience than seeing bands playing more conventional types of music, instead of dancing or moving along to the music the crowd were content to merely enjoy the music being played for them, showing their appreciation between songs with loud applause and the occasional over-enthusiastic heckle.

Due to the small size of venue it would have been classed as ‘intimate’ by many, but what really made it deserve such a description was the warm, engaging stage banter between songs, it gave you the impression that this was something they genuinely wanted to share with everyone in the room, instead of merely just putting in the hour sweating on stage to pay the bills. They captured the true purpose of seeing a band live, to feel like you’re a part of something you love, even if only for an evening.

I was curious about how exactly such a band would pull something like this off, and after tonight’s show I am not only convinced that they are having great success in playing such a different genre of music from their day jobs, but they are also loving every minute of it.

Set List

Cell Mates
Litigation
Despretador
Slave Labor
Holy
Silver Or Lead
I Would Die 4 You (Prince)
Carmelita (Warren Zevon)
Lady Rosales
My Brother the Gun
Quinceniera
Clown Powder

I don’t disagree, but I’d go farther and say he is a baby. Or rather, a child.

This whole episode has saddened me, especially because it feels like it’s on an endless loop. Gun violence has plagued the Bronx for as long as I can remember. (When I was in the 8th grade, a classmate lost his life playing Russian Roulette.) The abundance of unsupervised, idle hands (due to the absence of over-worked parents, as well as just plain ol’ absentee ones, and lack of teen enrichment opportunities) coupled with readily available guns at their reach, turn teenage bravado and beefs that seem life-or-death into such with the click of a trigger.

Leaving for Mexico this weekend so I wanted to share some Mariachi El Bronx. Good stuff.

Silver or Lead by Mariachi El Bronx

Buy this song here.

Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese (born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. He is the founder of the World Cinema Foundation, a recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to the cinema and has won awards from the Oscars, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Directors Guild of America. Scorsese is president of the Film Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to film preservation and the prevention of the decaying of motion picture film stock.

Scorsese’s body of work addresses such themes as Italian American identity, Roman Catholic concepts of guilt and redemption, machismo, and violence. Scorsese is widely considered to be one of the most significant and influential American filmmakers of his era, directing landmark films such as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas; all of which he collaborated on with actor Robert De Niro. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for The Departed and earned an MFA in film directing from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Trivia:

Listed as one of 50 people barred from entering Tibet. Disney clashed with Chinese officials over the film Kundun (1997), which Scorsese directed. [19 December 1996]

Awarded third annual John Huston Award for Artists Rights by the Artists Rights Foundation. [1995]

Presented with a special tribute at the 1976 Telluride Film Festival. It was presented by Michael Powell. [1976]

He is a longtime friend and was once a housemate of The Band’s Robbie Robertson. He directed The Last Waltz (1978), the documentary of their supposedly last gig which Robertson produced. Robertson later produced the soundtrack for Scorsese’s The Color of Money (1986).

Good friends with editor Thelma Schoonmaker & cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. Scorsese introduced Thelma to her husband Michael Powell and he often quotes Powell as an influence.

His name is pronounced “Scor-sez-see”.

He directed Michael Jackson’s Bad (1987) (V) music video. The full length video runs 16 minutes and is in both black & white and color. It is usually shortened down to just the color segment for television.

He appears as attached to his pet white Bichon Frise Zoe as he was to his beloved parents – except Zoe is right beside Marty every day in the office.

Daughter Francesca Scorsese born. [16 November 1999]

John Woo dedicated his action film Dip huet seung hung (1989) (“The Killer”) to Scorsese on a commentary he did for the movie’s DVD.

Daughter Domenica Cameron-Scorsese with Julia Cameron.

Taught both Oliver Stone and Spike Lee at NYU.

Was at one point going to make a movie about the life of comedian Richard Pryor.

He was an altar boy at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was used in his early films I Call First (1967) and Mean Streets (1973). Old St. Patrick’s is also where the baptism scene in The Godfather (1972) took place.

Was at one point slated to direct Clockers (1995), but for reasons that are not entirely clear, handed the directing chores to his onetime NYU student Spike Lee, while staying on as producer. He was also at one point going to direct Little Shop of Horrors (1986) for David Geffen, with Steven Spielberg as the executive producer. He was ultimately uninvolved, but claims that he wanted to shoot the movie in 3-D. It no doubt would have been a loving homage to Roger Corman, for whom he directed Boxcar Bertha (1972).

He took a cameo in his film Taxi Driver (1976) (as a man about to kill his wife) only because the actor who was supposed to play the role was sick on the day the scene was to be shot. Says he is generally uncomfortable in front of the camera.

Has a dog named Silas.

Is the subject of the song “Martin Scorsese” by alternative band King Missile.

Father of actress Cathy Scorsese from his first marriage.

Is of Italian-Sicilian descent.

Has asthma.

Of the three films he’s been trying to make since the mid-1970s, he has done two: The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Gangs of New York (2002). The third film, a biopic of Dean Martin called “Dino”, has been on hiatus at Warner Brothers since the late 1990s. Scorsese has a very specific all A-list cast in mind, probably why it has yet to be produced. He wants Tom Hanks to star as Martin, Jim Carrey to play Jerry Lewis, John Travolta to play Frank Sinatra, Hugh Grant to play Peter Lawford, and Adam Sandler to play Joey Bishop.

Was voted the 4th greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly, making him the only living person in the top 5 and the only working film director in the top 10 (Ingmar Bergman being retired as a filmmaker).

Appeared on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (2000) as a shrill version of himself who comes to regret his decision to cast Larry David as a violent gangster in a movie after David repeatedly ruins the suit he needs to wear as the character.

Several characters in his films refer to the legendary (noir) actor John Garfield, star of the original The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), which is also mentioned.

He was one of three major directors to have been offered the opportunity to direct Schindler’s List (1993) by producer Steven Spielberg, the other two being Roman Polanski and Billy Wilder. Scorsese thought a Jewish filmmaker should direct it; Polanski wasn’t yet ready to deal with the painful subject (having lost his mother in the Holocaust); and Wilder (who was retired and who lost his mother and grandmother in the Holocaust) finally told Spielberg that he should do it himself.

Because so many of his actors win or are nominated for awards, actors are dying to work with him. The film With Friends Like These… (1998) pokes fun at this very real desire.

Both The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Gangs of New York (2002) were personal passions of his that he had wanted to make since the 1970s. When he first starting considering them, Robert De Niro was in his mind to play the lead characters in both (Jesus Christ in “Temptation” and Bill Cutting in “Gangs”). De Niro ultimately turned down the part in “Temptation” and it was decided he was too old to play Cutting by the time that “Gangs” finally went into production.

He has famously collaborated with Robert De Niro in 8 films. Scorsese has said that his creative collaboration with De Niro is very deep and that they can often understand each other without even talking. Their collaboration has had many dry spells (including recently), but Scorsese says he shows almost every script he writes or considers directing to De Niro to see what the actor’s thoughts on them are even when De Niro ultimately has no involvement the film.

Appeared in an “American Express” ad where he goes to pick up photos of his nephew’s birthday party at a drug store, and then proceeds to nervously pick through what’s wrong with each picture while trying to get the clueless photo-lab clerk’s opinion on them. He proceeds to buy more film with an American Express card and calls the people on the pictures saying they need to reshoot. Scorsese says this funny ad is probably the closest he’s come to accurately “playing” himself.

Apart from his legendary work as a filmmaker, he has been a vocal supporter of film preservation for almost three decades. His efforts to create a strong public awareness for the work of film archives include The Film Foundation, a non-profit organisation which he started together with other filmmakers. The Film Foundation regularly partners with the American film archives on the restoration of “lost” or endangered films. With this background he has agreed to serve as Honorary President of the Austrian Film Museum in Vienna.

Personally spurns the notion of the “director’s cut” feeling that once a film has been completed, it should not be further altered in any way.

He lost three best director – and best picture – Oscars to leading-man actors turned directors: Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, and Clint Eastwood (Raging Bull (1980) lost to Redford’s Ordinary People (1980); Goodfellas (1990) to Costner’s Dances with Wolves (1990); The Aviator (2004) to Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby (2004)). On the only two occasions when he was Oscar-nominated as Best Director in years ending in zero, he was beaten by actors making their directorial debuts (Redford and Costner).

In 1975, he accepted the Oscar for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” on behalf of Ellen Burstyn, who wasn’t present at the awards ceremony. She won for her performance in Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)

President of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998.

Has mentioned that he thought Robert De Niro’s best performance under his direction was as Rupert Pupkin in The King of Comedy (1982).

Ranked #3 in Empire (UK) magazine’s “The Greatest directors ever!” [2005]

His favorite films include: Citizen Kane (1941), The Red Shoes (1948) and Il gattopardo (1963) (“The Leopard”).

Was friend, protégé, and employee of actor-director John Cassavetes.

When asked where audiences would find the next Martin Scorsese, he said to look to Wes Anderson, the young director of Rushmore (1998).

Has directed, as of 2008, 6 biopics: Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), Kundun (1997) and The Aviator (2004).

He received a Degree ad honorem in “Cinema, TV and Multimedia Production” from the University of Bologna on 26 November 2005.

Served as mentor to Georgia Lee and invited her to apprentice for Gangs of New York (2002) in Europe.

The 1912 American Mutoscope & Biograph Company short The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) heavily influenced Scorsese in the making of his own gangster films Goodfellas (1990), and Gangs of New York (2002). The film was picked by Scorcese for his 2005 tribute at Beaubourg, centre d’art et de culture Georges Pompidou (1977) in Paris, France. Biograph is the oldest movie company in America and in existence today, headed by producer/director Thomas R. Bond II.

Scorsese and Taxi Driver (1976) are, among others, named as inspiration for the Massive Attack debut “Blue Lines”.

He signed a four-year, first-look deal to develop projects with studio executives of Paramount. [November 2006]

The Departed (2006) is the highest-grossing movie of his 40-year career ($132,373,442 (USA)).

The Aviator (2004) was his first movie to gross over $100 million in the U.S.

He has worked with big names of music business: Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, ‘Michael Jackson (I)’ and David Bowie.

Directed 17 different actors in Oscar nominated performances: Jodie Foster, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis , Cate Blanchett, Winona Ryder, Ellen Burstyn, Sharon Stone, Diane Ladd,Cathy Moriarty, Juliette Lewis, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Newman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Alan Alda and Mark Wahlberg. (Burstyn, De Niro, Newman, Pesci and Blanchett won Oscars for their roles in one of Scorsese’s movies).

When he won his Best Director Oscar for The Departed (2006), he received the award from legendary directors, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg. The four were part of the “New Hollywood” movement of the 1970s and combined have 9 Academy Awards and 38 Nominations.

As a teenager in the Bronx, Scorsese frequently rented Michael Powell’s The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) from a store that only had one copy of the reels. When it wasn’t available the owner told him, “that Romero kid has it,” referring to George A. Romero who was also a big fan of the film. Today, both directors cite the film as a major influence.

Says he was happy with the fact that it took so long for him to win Best Director, because if he had won it earlier, it would have affected his directing and films.

Recipient of the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors. Other recipients that year were Leon Fleisher, Steve Martin, Diana Ross, and Brian Wilson.

Says the only thing he regrets in his career is that he was only able to make The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) on a small budget although he imagined it to be a grand version.

Was originally going to direct The Honeymoon Killers (1969), but was replaced after a week of shooting.

Served as a guest critic on “Siskel & Ebert & the Movies” (1986) following the death of ‘Gene Siskel’. The episode was “The Best Films of the 90s” in which Roger Ebert cited Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990) as one of the best films of the 90s (#3). Scorsese’s full list of his favorite films of the 1990s: 10.) Tie: Malcolm X (1992) and Heat (1995), 9.) Fargo (1996), 8.) Crash (1996), 7.) Bottle Rocket (1994), 6.) Breaking the Waves (1996), 5.) Bad Lieutenant (1992), 4.) Eyes Wide Shut (1999), 3.) Duo sang (1994) (“A Borrowed Life”), 2.) The Thin Red Line (1998), 1.) Dao ma zei (1986) (“Horse Thief”).

He was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of his outstanding contribution to film culture.

Resides in New York City. His production offices are located on W. 57th Street in Manhattan.

Attended Cardinal Hayes high school in the Bronx as a young man. Fellow alumni included George Carlin, George Dzundza, Regis Philbin and Jamal Mashburn.

Is a fan of the British Hammer Films series.

A huge fan of Fawlty Towers (1975). He describes the episode “The Germans” as “so tasteless, its hilarious.”.

In the 5th edition of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (edited by Steven Jay Schneider), 7 of Scorsese’s films are listed: Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1982), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995) and The Departed (2006).

Haig Manoogian was Scorsese’s mentor at NYU. He eventually produced Scorsese’s first film (I Call First (1967)) and when he died in 1980, Scorsese dedicated Raging Bull (1980) to Manoogian.

Roger Ebert is a great admirer of Scorsese’s work. 14 of Scorsese’s films were given four stars by Ebert (Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), After Hours (1985), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), The Age of Innocence (1993), Casino (1995), Kundun (1997), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), Shine a Light (2008)), seven of his films are in Ebert’s Great Movies list (“Mean Streets”, “Taxi Driver”, “Raging Bull”, “After Hours”, “The Last Temptation Of Christ”, “Goodfellas”, and “The Age of Innocence”), and Ebert has written an entire book of his reviews, interviews and essays on Scorsese’s work simply titled “Scorsese By Ebert”.

As of November 10th 2009, five of his films are on the IMDb’s Top 250 Films list: Goodfellas (1990), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), The Departed (2006), and Casino (1995).

Amazon Specials!

Le Queens / New-York

Le district de Queens se partage Long Island avec Brooklyn et s’étale aussi sur les autres îles de la Jamaica Bay. Il est relié à Manhattan par le pont de Queensboro.

Le comté de Queens fut originellement créé 1er novembre 1683, et ainsi nommé en l’honneur de la reine Catherine de Bragance, épouse de Charles II d’Angleterre.

Queens fut l’épicentre de l’activité cinématographique américaine avec qu’Hollywood ne lui vole la vedette. Mais, depuis la fin du XXe siècle, les studios de cinémas réinvestissent dans le quartier, notamment dans les productions TV.

Un musée célèbre tout cela : American Museum of the Moving Image

www.ammi.org  AMMI : 35th Ave. at 36th St.

Directions : R, G trains jusqu’à Steinway Street ou le train N train jusqu’à Broadway….

LIRE LA SUITE DE CE GUIDE DE VOYAGE COMPLET ET GRATUIT SUR

LE QUEENS / NEW-YORK

Le Bronx / New-York

 

Il s’agit de l’un des 5 borough de New-York. Tout comme le quartier de Harlem, il a été considérablement amélioré et vaut désormais le détour. Un colon Suédois, Jonas Bronck, s’y établit le premier en territoire des indiens Lenapes. Le territoire du nommé Bronck’s Farm, puis Bronx. L’embourgeoisement progressif de Manhattan après la seconde guerre mondiale a provoqué un afflux de population pauvre dans le Bronx. Le Bronx est sillonné par les lignes du métro aérien. Certains quartiers sont assez riches, comme par exemple Riverdale ou le Country Club Estates…

LIRE LA SUITE DE CE GUIDE DE VOYAGE COMPLET ET GRATUIT SUR

LE BRONX NEW-YORK

This is a fascinating novel by Min Jin Lee, but then it would have to be to pull a reader through its 560 pages.   The telling of the story, though, has its faults which helps to explain the divergent reviews upon its initial release.   One reviewer found it to be “extraordinary,” another found it to be the “best novel” he’d read in a long time, and another said it was “a pleasure” to read.   But Kirkus Reviews decided that it was “fitfully entertaining but not extraordinary.”   Well, perhaps this is a story that the reader simply loves or can do without…

Millionaires is set within the multi-generational Korean-American community that inhabits the Bronx and Manhattan boroughs of New York City.   This is primarily the story of one Casey Han who graduates from Princeton and may serve as the alter ego of the author, a Yale and Georgetown Law graduate.   Casey finds that her Ivy League degree fails to open the doors of success for her, and she knows and believes that she’s seen as a failure by her parents.   She’s also unlucky in love which calls forth one of the issues with this initial novel from author Lee.   There’s far more soap opera than needed, and it seems that every adult who occupies the story cheats on a loved one (spouse or partner) and then feels compelled to confess his/her infidelity.   This seems just a bit over the top.

To her credit, Lee inhabits the tale with numerous fascinating characters, about equally divided between Korean-Americans and non-Koreans.   The main character, Casey, works on Wall Street – underemployed for her level of education – and comes into contact with Type A Caucasians and super-ambitious Korean-Americans.   One would think, however, that in the real business world some of the Asians in the city would happen to be Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, etc.

Then there’s the conflict and tension that the author seems to feel about her own people.   There are many – probably too many – negative statements made about Koreans; some stereotypes, some quite troubling.   Here’s a sampling:

“Everything with Koreans, Casey thought, was about avoiding shame…”

“Korean people like her mother and father didn’t talk about love, about feelings…”

“… Casey was an American, too – she had a strong desire to be happy and to have love, and she’d never considered such wishes to be Korean ones.”

“… she came from a culture where good intentions and clear talk wouldn’t cover all wounds.”

“This is why I never work with Koreans.   They are so goddam stuck.   You must choose yourself over the group.”

There’s also an instance where Casey thinks about Korean weddings and the “five hundred uninvited guests” who show up at them.   Ah, well, maybe Lee felt the need to include some material to get the novel some attention.   In this respect, it probably worked.

The story is actually much more about the conflict between the “old country” family members, and the younger “new country” and “American” relatives who view the world very differently.   In this respect, it could have been set among any multi-generational ethnic group.   In the end, both love and forgiveness – massive doses of each – are required to get past the intra-family differences that exist.

The author is talented and I look forward to her next work, which hopefully will be less narrow in scope.   Free Food for Millionaires…   flawed…   recommended…  but just barely.

Note:   Thank you to Daniel D. Holt, co-author of Korean At A Glance: Second Edition, for providing technical assistance on this review.

Hardcore punk band, The Bronx, has taken an interesting side project.

They’ve gone mariachi, a distinct kind of music from Mexico, and have managed to make one of the most dynamic albums of the year: Mariachi El Bronx. By blending the raspy vocals of lead man Matt Caughthran with the mexican musical stylings something unexpectedly catchy happens.

Their video is the best way to visualize what a hardcore punk band looks like when performing mariachi music.

Take a look:

]]> http://hiphopsalon.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/q-tip-dj-gravy-and-vahtie-santos-party-house-on-fridays/ Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:37:47 +0000 connecticutmuse http://hiphopsalon.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/q-tip-dj-gravy-and-vahtie-santos-party-house-on-fridays/

Q-Tip, DJ Gravy, and Va$htie @ Santos Party House on Fridays

OPEN Hosted By Va$htie Featuring Resident DJ Q-Tip and Special Guests

Q-Tip of the legendary group A Tribe Called Quest, not only a talented MC, but also a DJ and producer. Join Q-Tip and Special Guests Every Friday @ Santos Party House.

Ongoing Every Friday @ 10 p.m.

Tickets – Advanced – Unavailable / Day of Show – $15

General Admission / 21 & Over

VIP Table Reservations – tables@santospartyhouse.com

Featuring Special Guests –

DJ Scratch and Iron Lyon on November 13, 2009

Legendary DJ Grandmaster Flash on November 20, 2009

Hip Hop legend Grandmaster Flash, the first artist to use the turntable as a musical instrument, played a pivotal role in the birth of hip hop during the 1970’s. Grandmaster Flash was also the DJ for the classic group, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, one of the first hip hop groups in history.

Questlove of The Roots on November 27, 2009

Questlove of The Roots – also known as ?uestlove and Questo – this pioneering artist from Philadelphia continues to prove his longevity as drummer for critically acclaimed group, The Roots, whose live performances are among the best in hip hop.

D-Nice on December 4, 2009

Santos Party House
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New York, NY 10013
1.212.584.5492
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I never thought I’d find myself sitting down to listen to an entire album of mariachi music on purpose, but I guess that was before I gave Mariachi El Bronx a couple of listens.

“His copy of Theodore Tilton’s volume of poems, Thou and I, contains the following note in his hand: ‘Tilton brought me to see the old room where Poe wrote “The Raven”, on Friday, Nov. 10 [1882]. An old wooden house over the Hudson, low rooms, fine chimney piece, very dull Corot day, clergyman with reminiscences of Poe, about chickens’.”

.built of books: how reading defined the life of oscar wilde by thomas wright.

I’ve spent a lot of time covering the struggle of the now-former employees of the Stella D’Oro Cookie Factory in the Bronx.

My new piece, for The Bronx Ink, can be read here.

This Tuesday, November 3, was the New York City General Election. My RW1 Class was dispatched into the Bronx for some exit polling. I hopped on the train at 7 a.m. to head to Riverdale, a wealthy, white and Jewish Democratic stronghold in the Northwestern Bronx to see how people were voting for mayor. The polls were stationed at PS 81, the local elementary school.

The poll was very informal, but Riverdale looked like it was going to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. More importantly, more than half the people I polled were registered democrats that went for Bloomberg.

Elsewhere in the Bronx, William Thompson Jr., the Democratic candidate was dominating. In the end, he took 51 percent of the Bronx vote. Our class broke down all of our polling into an excellent summary piece, which can be read over at The Bronx Ink.

I headed down to the Hilton in Midtown for Thompson’s and the Democratic party’s election night party. It was my first political event. Basically, its a lot of hurry-up-and-wait. Supporters from across the city trickled into the third-floor Trianon lounge where a podium was set up for Thompson to deliver his speech. As I wandered the room, interviewing supporters and snapping photos, I saw a young man stationed off to the side with two laptops. As I walked behind him, I saw two screens. One labeled “Victory,” and the other, “Concession.”

The crowd watched the TVs on the sides of the lounge as the first poll results trickled in. The pundits had been calling a Bloomberg blowout, but many of these supporters had hope after witnessing firsthand a strong showing at the polls.

The air became electric as the early reports showed that Thompson was only trailing by one percentage point. Disbelief and excitement mixed as strangers embraced, fists were pumped and even a few tears were shed.

A series of whos-who from the New York City Democratic Party pumped the crowd up as the polls continued to roll in. Highlights included, the Bronx’s own Ruben Diaz Jr. who delivered a rousing three-minute speech in the manner of a Latin American populist, Reverend Al Sharpton, whose speech made my fellow classmate say, “I hope they didn’t pay him for that two-minute air fart that he called a speech” and Governor David Paterson, who, despite his awkward stage presence, spoke powerfully and directly to the crowd.

Bloomberg started to pull away from Thompson in the polls and word went around that Bloomberg was declaring victory.

at 11:40 p.m., Thompson took the stage to much fanfare and announced his concession. His speech was brief and positive. I’m not much of a gambler, but I might put money on Thompson being the next mayor in four years.

He put an excellent spin on the evening. The Democrats had much to celebrate with the election of John Liu to Comptroller and Bill de Blasio for Public Advocate.

Afterwards, I spoke with assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, whose district includes Kingsbridge and Riverdale, both neighborhoods where most of my stories from the Bronx originate.

“It’s pretty obvious that $100 million dollars made a difference,” he said, referring to Bloomberg’s personal spending for the 2009 race.

Not exactly, a positive approach to the night’s outcome, I went to find someone with something nicer to say.

“If Bill Thompson can spend $6 million against $85-100 million and come as close as six percent (it was actually five), not all is lost,” Reverend Clinton Miller from Brown Memorial Baptist Church in Brooklyn told me.

Good call, Reverend. I bet a lot of the city’s Democrats are wishing they hadn’t counted Thompson out. That’s a lot of money to spend for just a 5-point margin.

Please read my Bronx Ink story, for which all of this party-going was necessary, here.

So after the party, I hopped back on the 1 train and headed home. I got in around 1 a.m. and my evening was only just beginning. My classmate Maia and I put together the story via google docs and at 4:45 a.m., I finally laid my head on the pillow, only to awaken hours later to start on the next story. Oh, J-school.

While navigating the crowded streets of New York City, most people (at least non-tourists and non-architecture enthusiasts) tend to pay little, if any, attention to the buildings around them. In addition to talking on cell phones, using PDAs, listening to i-pods, and thinking about their busy schedules, New Yorkers seem to view the city’s, skyscrapers, highrises, and other buildings as pretty standard and uninteresting (with the exception of a few noteworthy landmarks, i.e. the Flatiron building, the Guggenheim, the Chrysler Building, etc). However, this may soon change, as the city revamps the architecture of certain neighborhoods.

As an article from NY Magazine highlights,

In the Bronx, a shiny new firehouse stands out on its block of Washington Avenue like a bright plastic bucket on a rainy day. It’s not just the flame-colored aluminum façade, or the jaunty way the zinc cladding is slung across the roof, that makes it distinctive; it’s a combination of toughness, efficiency, and whimsy. Instead of the classic rowhouse with a big red door, the architects at Polshek Partnership have made Rescue Company 3 a showpiece of logistical economy, a tightly organized locker for equipment, vehicles, and men. The upper story looks as if it were hinged to the ground floor; you want to flip up the top and pop out the trucks.

Mayor Bloomberg’s  commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction, David Burney, a British-born architect, is responsible for the city’s additions and changes in architecture. Even prior to 2004, when Bloomberg appointed Burney, the architect has played a role in advocating for architects and devoting time to public projects.

The article continues,

Burney’s record as an architects’ advocate predates his current job. A few blocks from the Bushwick firehouse, the Saratoga Avenue Community Center is the delayed result of his tenure as design director at the New York City Housing Authority. The lovingly detailed golden-brick annex, by George Ranalli, enlivens a standard-drear housing project. Inside, sunlight drops in through clerestory windows onto hardwood floors, and indestructible cement panels encircle the space like ramparts, making the room feel at once warm, safe, and grand. The building has an aura of protective dignity—nearly a year after completion, the high outside wall remains free of the graffiti that has metastasized across the street.

Click here to read Justin Davidson’s entire NY Magazine article.

Christian: In Your Minds and In Your Face

Joe Stern-McGovern, global agent and President of Universal Artists, Interntional,  and Shaka of Shaka Productions, have made of their smarter moves to date by bringing into the fold a young, quick tongued genius named Christian Levi, or simply put, Christian. Hailing from Bessemer, Alabama by way of Brooklyn, New York, Christian’s venture into the world of hip hop and Dirty South has certainly spanned polar opposites. He’s played both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line, while sitting on the fence of neither, proving victorious on all accounts, in spite of his youth of only 24 years.

A short locked, tall young man, Christian cuts a handsome, light skinned figure fresh and ready for the cover of Gentleman’s Quarterly in a suit by Hugo Boss. While his looks are striking, it’s his deadly placement of vocabulary which stands out so poignantly, as he takes to the microphone like a young hellion fresh out of the nest, wings spread wide and ready to soar. Who will fall the next victim to this classic bird of prey?

While the idle and foolish of Birmingham, Alabama, rest on their laurels, Christian is fastidious in his consumption of language, a proverbial, “Walking thesaurus”, arming himself with the arsenal he will require for future hurdles, future battles, and the unwary opponent he will so easily bring to bow his head in shame with adept delivery and a curious, beguiling smile, as if to say, “Yes, you’ve just been handed your ass.”

You Talkin' to Me?

Featured on several of the Black Flock Gang’s soon to be released CD, BFG, as well as Universal Artists, International’s personal brainchild, World Mixtape: Artists Against AIDS, which can be found shortly at www.endhivaids.com, young Christian is proud to devastate the competition and rise like cream on such singles as, “Put Me in Coach,” and, “This is How Money Sounds”, where his language coupled with delivery crack the skin and skulls of his opponents like a bull whip.

Like Wyatt Earp at the OK Corral, Christian is more than prepared to mess up your day should you call him out or look at him sideways. Like the old serpent flag said, “Don’t Tread on Me”. To the adventurous MC, Don’t be unwittingly fooled by his casual manner or disarming smile, this double agent lives to shame the boisterous, scramble the brains of the thoughtless, and level the stage with his clarity and epic bounce.

For all the bounty of his labor and toils, or his stature as hip hop royalty, Christian is surprisingly down to earth, so to all of his fans, should you happen to come across this icon, feel free to approach him with a smile and expect one in return.

Again, make sure to look for Christian Levi to be prominently featured as he helps in the fight against HIV/AIDS on our coming site, www.endhivaids.com. You can also find more information about young Christian at www.myspace.com/universalartists as well as our main site, www.universalartists.net.

Don't Let the Glasses Fool You...

To book Christian for a show domestically,  please write to shaka@universalartists.net, and for all international matters, please write to joe@universalartists.net, or feel free to call our San Diego/LA Metro office at 1(619)757-1301.

For the latest in Universal Artists, International’s videos, please visit us at www.youtube.com/universalartistsintl. To donate funds to the cause of building the www.endhivaids.com site for future generations, please go to www.paypal.com and submit your donation of $5 and up in increments of $5 to payments@universalartists.net. Your help in fighting the world’s plague known as HIV/AIDS is greatly appreciated and recognized.

Christian with Ms. Kesha Lee

OK, Yankees. You held up your end of the deal, and it’s time for me to do my part. Now that you’ve shown those obnoxious Phillies how it feels to come up short at the end, and now that you’ve shown those obnoxious Phillies that REAL world champs don’t spend time at their celebration being sore winners who mock the teams that didn’t get there, I will officially bury the hatchet I’ve been carrying since that time you hurt me in 2000, and we can be friends again. Not BFF, but, you know, we can say Hi when we see each other at parties. I’ll even stop criticizing you for buying championships and admit that I wish my high-payroll team were as good at buying championships as you are.

But don’t get too cocky. I may not be mad anymore but if you start blathering about the Yankee Way and the Yankee tradition of excellence, I will have no choice but to remind you of the Bronx Zoo ’70s, the fruitless ’80s, and all the other times that your precious history wasn’t so pristine.

Congratulations, guys.

DALE JANKEES!

Even if you know nothing about BEISBOL, we are almost positive you’re aware of the New York Yankee’s 27th World Series Victory that took place last night in the Bronx! We are sitting here wondering how people who were traveling on the Major Deegan,or down 161 street, or anywhere in the Bronx managed to make it through all the chaos that took place in the Bronx last night. The Bronx Bombers caused a massive Roar in NY  beating the Phillies 7-3 in game 6.

Hideki Matsui (who still can’t speak English)tied a World Series record with six RBIs,oh, an lets not forget his 13 at-bats for the Series which marked the fewest by a position player to ever win the award. making him the MVP!

3  years back to back 98′,99′ 00 & finally 09!

Thank God it was about time!

Take that, take that !

IDDY VOICE:

Now let’s paint the city with pin stripes !
See some of yall at the parade on Friday!

NO CEILINGS!