Category Archives: Media & Entertainment

The Night Of

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If the first episode is any indication, HBO has another hit with The Night Of. No shortage of good reviews out there but I’ll make a couple of personal observations.

Never has a innocent guy had such a mountain of incriminating evidence piled on him. And I think I might actually like John Turturro in this series. His usual bug-eyed, crazy guy intensity is a turn-off for me. A more laid back character, at least in this first episode. Richard Price (The Wire, Clockers, The Color of Money) is a producer and writer.

Thriller

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I just finished a book (Lexicon by Max Barry) described by Amazon as a “thriller.” The more I thought about it the more I realized I wasn’t sure what that designation meant. What makes a book a “thriller?” And now I know.

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film and television, having numerous subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. Successful examples of thrillers are the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Thrillers generally keep the audience on the “edge of their seats” as the plot builds towards a climax. The cover-up of important information from the viewer is a common element. Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists, and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is usually a villain-driven plot, whereby he or she presents obstacles that the protagonist must overcome.

And don’t miss the sub-genres. Whenever Wikipedia asks for some financial support, I kick in.

Curated music playlists

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I’m a big fan of curated playlists (Apple Music for me) and have been curious about how and by whom these lists are created. This longish article is the best look at this I’ve read to date.

“Spotify says 50% of its more than 100 million users globally are listening to its human-curated playlists (not counting those in the popular, algorithmically personalized “Discover Weekly”), which cumulatively generate more than a billion plays per week. According to an industry estimate, 1 out of every 5 plays across all streaming services today happens inside of a playlist.”

“Music fans […] can smell the difference between a service where much of the product is dictated by algorithms or charts and one that is guided by more knowledgeable but equally passionate versions of themselves.”

Secretive as always, “Apple declined to share how many of those users are going to its playlists and how often.”

Seeing the music (Playing for Change)

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There is something deeply satisfying about watching talented musicians, as opposed to just listening to the music. This occurred to me while watching the Playing for Change videos, especially the “live outside” performances, which I find far more moving and satisfying than the highly produced ‘music videos’ that a big record label might create for a popular artist.

I got a brief glimpse of this a few years ago when I visited John Walkenbach and Bisbo Nian. I got to watch each of them jamming with with some of their musician buddies and came away thinking it was more than just playing their instruments. It was playing with other musicians. One of those sum-of-the-parts things.

In conclusion, I’m wondering if our brains process music differently if we’re watching the musicians. I assume different parts of the brain will “light up” in response to the visual but what I’m wondering is are we hearing differently when we see the music being made. This seems like a question that should have been asked and answered.

The Cell

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A little horror/sci-fi/thriller from 2000, staring Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn. For my money this was one of only two J.Lo I liked. She was really good in Out of Site but that had great characters/story thanks to the late Elmore Leonard. But, as is so often the case, the star of The Cell was the serial killer played by a young Vincent D’Onofrio. D’Onofrio gave us the bonkers Pvt. Pyle from Full Metal Jacket but I’ll always remember him as Edgar, the alien bug many from Men In Black. For a simple little movie, The Cell had some spectacular visual effects.

People still listening to radio. Even for news.

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“91% of Americans ages 12 and older had listened to traditional AM/FM radio in the week before they were surveyed in 2015, according to Nielsen Media Research. […] In research asking about how people are learning about the U.S. presidential election, 44% of adults said they learned about it from radio in the past week. Radio outpaced both national (23%) and local (29%) print newspapers, although it trailed local TV news (57%) and cable TV news (54%).”

Pew Research State of the News Media 2016