Everyone is talking about Will Ferrell's new web video, 'The Landlord'. In this 2 minute short video, Will Ferrell is leisurely kicking back at his apartment with his roommate when a knock at the door brings their good time to a screeching halt. Will Ferrell answers the door only to find his landlord, the adorable Pearl, demanding the rent money.
In a hilarious exchange that follows between the grown man and the hilarious toddler, Pearl reduces Will Ferrell to tears by not backing down from her demands and repeatedly calling him names that most kids would not ever call an adult. When Will Ferrell asks Pearl why she needs the rent money now, she answers, "I need to get my drink on."
The video ends with Will Ferrell sending Pearl on her way, beer in hand. Pearl steps out of character when she turns back and says, "Come, Mommy" to someone standing on the side of Will Ferrell's apartment, who we can only assume is her real mother.
Visit Funny or Die for the code to get this on your MySpace!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Saturday, February 03, 2007
MySpace Movie and a Profile: Smokin' Aces
Ever seen a movie that gets better the more you see it? You could see a movie in theaters and be on the fence about how you felt, but if you see it again you start to like something more, until eventually it becomes your favorite film. Well that is exactly how I felt when I saw the Joe Carnahan directed film, “Smokin’ Aces.” I originally had only a couple reasons to like this film, but after seeing it a couple more times it has become my favorite film so far. This is why the MySpace Movie and a Profile is proud to review: “Smokin’ Aces!”
The story of “Smokin’ Aces” revolves around sleazy Las Vegas magician Buddy “Aces” Israel played by Jeremy Piven. When Israel decides to testify against the last great Mafioso Primo Sparazza, a slew of hitmen come out to collect a million dollar bounty, these various characters range from a simple bail bondsman and his friends played by Ben Affleck and Martin Henderson, to a contract killer played by Alicia Keyes. All the while two FBI agents played by Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta race to get to their key witness before he’s taken out.
Now as mentioned above, I originally didn’t like “Smokin’ Aces.” In fact, my mother stands by her assertions that this movie “was horrible.” Now this film has gotten some sub par reviews, mostly for the same reasons I will state later on. Now on the pros side of the argument, “Smokin’ Aces” is an incredibly unique film. The film style and overall story is just something I hadn’t seen in a movie before. The movie itself is a fast film, at an hour an forty-eight minutes it seems to fly by.
The acting and characters is another thing that makes this movie watchable and enjoyable as well. Jeremy Piven walks away with the greatest performance in the film. I love him as Ari Gold on “Entourage” and he just nails the role of Israel. One minute he’s having a tirade that makes you bust out laughing and the next he’s giving a dramatic speech that will take your breath away. Ryan Reynolds also does amazing work in his first of many future dramatic roles. He has some amazing scenes with Ray Liotta that just makes you wish for the best.
Another surprising turn comes from the two singers making their big screen debuts in this film. Alicia Keyes starts out a string of movie roles with this film and nails it as Georgia Sykes, a contract killer who has to masquerade as a prostitute. While most female singers turned actors tend to overact, Keyes is a natural. Another natural performance comes from rapper Common as Israel’s bodyguard Ivy. Common and Piven have amazing chemistry in this film that you see as their relationship starts to decorate. Look for more film roles from these two as they gave amazing performances.
Sadly, “Smokin’ Aces” does suffer from way too many underdeveloped characters and a twist that will leave you cursing the theater. Sadly, Carnahan tries to include way too many characters in this film and ends up focusing on only four of them. Ben Affleck is barely used in this film, being only in the first half. Various characters could have had very interesting stories, including Israel, but were left by the wayside towards the end. The twist will also make you angry, I know I was and its one of the reasons I hated this film upon first viewing. The twist is unique, but could never pan out making even the stupidest person angry as they could see the holes in the twist.
Now I do stick by my fact that “Smokin’ Aces” is a movie you have to watch again to enjoy. One first viewing, you just follow the action and get disappointed with the story. The second viewing, you notice more of the story and can enjoy it for what it is, a gangster film with a lot of shooting. I would give “Smokin’ Aces” 8 out of 10, give it another shot and you might be pleasantly surprised.
Now in terms of MySpace coverage, “Smokin’ Aces” delivers in spades. There’s an official “Smokin’ Aces” soundtrack page which tells the release date of the soundtrack (Feb. 6th) and has a lot of good tracks from the movie for you to listen to. This film has an amazing soundtrack from Clint Mansell who scored “Requiem for a Dream” so stop by and give the tracks a listen. There is also a “Smokin’ Aces” page run by rapper Common that has a blog and some interesting tidbits. By far the funniest page to visit is Buddy “Aces” Israel’s MySpace. There are a lot of pictures and information on his character that just made me laugh, especially if you’ve seen his character in the film.
Overall, the MySpace pages give you a little something extra if you need a “Smokin’ Aces” fix and I’ll admit it, I’ve become a junkie for this film. It’s one of those movies that have a little something special that needs a repeat viewing to grasp it all. So, if you have a free day during the week or upcoming weekend, take in a viewing of “Smokin’ Aces.” If you’ve seen it once, be sure to see it again to enjoy it further.
Now, I know I said “Little Miss Sunshine” would be reviewed next, but this had to be mentioned before nobody saw it. So look for that next review soon. Hope you enjoyed this edition of “MySpace Movie and a Profile.” Now go out and watch a movie, but hopefully not something I wouldn’t recommend.
Links
Buddy “Aces” Israel’s page
Common’s page
Soundtrack page
The story of “Smokin’ Aces” revolves around sleazy Las Vegas magician Buddy “Aces” Israel played by Jeremy Piven. When Israel decides to testify against the last great Mafioso Primo Sparazza, a slew of hitmen come out to collect a million dollar bounty, these various characters range from a simple bail bondsman and his friends played by Ben Affleck and Martin Henderson, to a contract killer played by Alicia Keyes. All the while two FBI agents played by Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta race to get to their key witness before he’s taken out.
Now as mentioned above, I originally didn’t like “Smokin’ Aces.” In fact, my mother stands by her assertions that this movie “was horrible.” Now this film has gotten some sub par reviews, mostly for the same reasons I will state later on. Now on the pros side of the argument, “Smokin’ Aces” is an incredibly unique film. The film style and overall story is just something I hadn’t seen in a movie before. The movie itself is a fast film, at an hour an forty-eight minutes it seems to fly by.
The acting and characters is another thing that makes this movie watchable and enjoyable as well. Jeremy Piven walks away with the greatest performance in the film. I love him as Ari Gold on “Entourage” and he just nails the role of Israel. One minute he’s having a tirade that makes you bust out laughing and the next he’s giving a dramatic speech that will take your breath away. Ryan Reynolds also does amazing work in his first of many future dramatic roles. He has some amazing scenes with Ray Liotta that just makes you wish for the best.
Another surprising turn comes from the two singers making their big screen debuts in this film. Alicia Keyes starts out a string of movie roles with this film and nails it as Georgia Sykes, a contract killer who has to masquerade as a prostitute. While most female singers turned actors tend to overact, Keyes is a natural. Another natural performance comes from rapper Common as Israel’s bodyguard Ivy. Common and Piven have amazing chemistry in this film that you see as their relationship starts to decorate. Look for more film roles from these two as they gave amazing performances.
Sadly, “Smokin’ Aces” does suffer from way too many underdeveloped characters and a twist that will leave you cursing the theater. Sadly, Carnahan tries to include way too many characters in this film and ends up focusing on only four of them. Ben Affleck is barely used in this film, being only in the first half. Various characters could have had very interesting stories, including Israel, but were left by the wayside towards the end. The twist will also make you angry, I know I was and its one of the reasons I hated this film upon first viewing. The twist is unique, but could never pan out making even the stupidest person angry as they could see the holes in the twist.
Now I do stick by my fact that “Smokin’ Aces” is a movie you have to watch again to enjoy. One first viewing, you just follow the action and get disappointed with the story. The second viewing, you notice more of the story and can enjoy it for what it is, a gangster film with a lot of shooting. I would give “Smokin’ Aces” 8 out of 10, give it another shot and you might be pleasantly surprised.
Now in terms of MySpace coverage, “Smokin’ Aces” delivers in spades. There’s an official “Smokin’ Aces” soundtrack page which tells the release date of the soundtrack (Feb. 6th) and has a lot of good tracks from the movie for you to listen to. This film has an amazing soundtrack from Clint Mansell who scored “Requiem for a Dream” so stop by and give the tracks a listen. There is also a “Smokin’ Aces” page run by rapper Common that has a blog and some interesting tidbits. By far the funniest page to visit is Buddy “Aces” Israel’s MySpace. There are a lot of pictures and information on his character that just made me laugh, especially if you’ve seen his character in the film.
Overall, the MySpace pages give you a little something extra if you need a “Smokin’ Aces” fix and I’ll admit it, I’ve become a junkie for this film. It’s one of those movies that have a little something special that needs a repeat viewing to grasp it all. So, if you have a free day during the week or upcoming weekend, take in a viewing of “Smokin’ Aces.” If you’ve seen it once, be sure to see it again to enjoy it further.
Now, I know I said “Little Miss Sunshine” would be reviewed next, but this had to be mentioned before nobody saw it. So look for that next review soon. Hope you enjoyed this edition of “MySpace Movie and a Profile.” Now go out and watch a movie, but hopefully not something I wouldn’t recommend.
Links
Buddy “Aces” Israel’s page
Common’s page
Soundtrack page
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
How To Delete Spam Comments On MySpace
Ugh, I logged into my MySpace account and saw this stupid comment on my profile:
Hey, I can track who visits my profile!
Now you can see everyone who looks at your MySpace page!
1) Go to your profile and click on the "View All" link at the top of your comment section.
2) Go the comment directly below the one you want to delete and place your cursor on the "Delete Comment" link.
3) Right-click on "Delete Comment" and select "Copy Link Location" - left-click.
4) Now go to your address bar (where you type in web addresses) and right-click then select "Paste". It should look something like this:
javascript:__doPostBack('ctl00$Main$PagedComments$viewComments$commentRepeater$ctl55$deleteLinkButton','')
5) Don't hit enter just yet, because there's one more thing you have to do -- look in the address bar for "ctl---" (in bold above). You want to change the number so that it reads one number lower than the number there. By changing the number you will delete the comment above (which should be the spam comment). So if the number reads ctl55, change it to read ctl54. Pretty easy, right?
6) Now hit Enter. If you've done everything right, the spam comment should now be gone.
7) Do a little celebratory dance here -- or point your finger at the now deleted spam comment and say, "IN YOUR FACE SUCKA"
If you're wondering how this whole thing works... well I don't really know. All I can tell you is that you're re-creating the delete comment button that the spammer has altered and hidden from you. But if you want a more technical answer, you'll have to ask Jeremy, our resident MySpace tech expert. ;)
Hope this helps!!!
Hey, I can track who visits my profile!
Now you can see everyone who looks at your MySpace page!
Click here to start tracking your profile visitors!
The worst part was that I COULDN'T DELETE IT! The "Delete Comment" button was oversized and when I tried to click on it, it just brought me back to the same page. The stupid comment would not go away!!
My first thought was, "Oh great, someone's going to hack into my profile." so I changed my password and logged back out again. Then I started searching on Google for some way to delete the stupid spam comment.
1) Go to your profile and click on the "View All" link at the top of your comment section.
2) Go the comment directly below the one you want to delete and place your cursor on the "Delete Comment" link.
3) Right-click on "Delete Comment" and select "Copy Link Location" - left-click.
4) Now go to your address bar (where you type in web addresses) and right-click then select "Paste". It should look something like this:
javascript:__doPostBack('ctl00$Main$PagedComments$viewComments$commentRepeater$ctl55$deleteLinkButton','')
5) Don't hit enter just yet, because there's one more thing you have to do -- look in the address bar for "ctl---" (in bold above). You want to change the number so that it reads one number lower than the number there. By changing the number you will delete the comment above (which should be the spam comment). So if the number reads ctl55, change it to read ctl54. Pretty easy, right?
6) Now hit Enter. If you've done everything right, the spam comment should now be gone.
7) Do a little celebratory dance here -- or point your finger at the now deleted spam comment and say, "IN YOUR FACE SUCKA"
If you're wondering how this whole thing works... well I don't really know. All I can tell you is that you're re-creating the delete comment button that the spammer has altered and hidden from you. But if you want a more technical answer, you'll have to ask Jeremy, our resident MySpace tech expert. ;)
Hope this helps!!!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Celebrities and MySpace: An Obsession Waiting to Happen
Before I start the article today I just hope that everybody enjoyed what I hope will become a semi-regular topic, The MySpace or Yours Movie and a Profile. I only mention this because I want some reader input on what movies/profiles you would like to see reviewed. Any suggestions would be great just leave an idea in the comment section. Thanks so much and we return you to your regularly scheduled article.
Celebrity crushes make the world go round; I know I have many an obsession when it comes to celebrities. It started with Leonard DiCaprio and moved to Ben Affleck, Orlando Bloom, etc. While I have matured (albeit not by much) with the advent of MySpace, tracking a celebrity has become so much easier, downright scary. With recent stories such as Hilary Duff’s recent stalker, MySpace could be the new tool for celeb stalkers to have even more access to their obsessions.
Celebrity MySpace profiles are popping up everyday. Typing in the name “Britney Spears” can yield you over fifty profiles, although being able to tell which one is really hers, if she even has one, and is the problem. An article in TMZ.com tackled the topic of which main super stars have actual profiles. Some of these profiles can range from the intricate to the bare bones. A profile supposedly made by “Last Kiss” actress Rachel Bilson has pictures of her grandfather and accurately names her dog. While Rachel Bilson’s reps deny she has a profile it shows how far fans go to make a MySpace in their idol’s image.
When a celeb has a profile they can choose to keep their profiles private, only allowing people they know specifically. Brody Jenner of “The Hills” is one of those stars who keep their MySpace to themselves. Some celebrities are more open such as Paris Hilton, allowing thousands of fans to follow her. MySpace has also come to forefront when celebs want to communicate with their fan base. This came into the news recently when former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and his ex-wife Shanna Moakler started bashing each other on their MySpace blog. Or when Nicole Richie slammed her former stylist Rachel Zoe.
By having these celebrities be so open and accessible to their fans brings up the danger of how easily a stalker can track them. A potential stalker can send threats to a celeb through their MySpace mail or in scarier instances make a MySpace discussing how they could harm the celebrity. What is to stop a random MySpace troll from latching onto a celebrity MySpace and forming a disturbing relationship with the person? I myself have a character profile devoted to Ellen Pompeo’s character Meredith Grey from “Grey’s Anatomy.” While I list a disclaimer stating that I am not Ellen Pompeo and do not have any access or relationship with her, I have gotten some disturbing messages from older men thinking Meredith Grey is a real person and wanting to meet me.
Further harassment can come to a celebrity’s family as well if they have a MySpace. I recently stumbled upon the profile of a prominent actor’s sister recently, by looking up the actors IMDB profile I was able to find the sister on MySpace simply by typing in her name. Her MySpace isn’t intricate but it does have personal pictures with her and her famous sibling on there. Now it is unclear whether this sibling wants it known that her and her famous sibling has MySpaces but due to the fact that they both don’t have very many friends it seems that they keep their profiles downplayed. But how scary would it be to have thousands of people harassing you to gain knowledge on your famous family member?
Currently, no celebrity has come forward and said that their profiles have led to them having a stalker but the opportunity is definitely out there. All it takes is a person obsessed with a celebrity and a little time, before a floodgate can be opened leading them to an interaction with their obsession.
Celebrity crushes make the world go round; I know I have many an obsession when it comes to celebrities. It started with Leonard DiCaprio and moved to Ben Affleck, Orlando Bloom, etc. While I have matured (albeit not by much) with the advent of MySpace, tracking a celebrity has become so much easier, downright scary. With recent stories such as Hilary Duff’s recent stalker, MySpace could be the new tool for celeb stalkers to have even more access to their obsessions.
Celebrity MySpace profiles are popping up everyday. Typing in the name “Britney Spears” can yield you over fifty profiles, although being able to tell which one is really hers, if she even has one, and is the problem. An article in TMZ.com tackled the topic of which main super stars have actual profiles. Some of these profiles can range from the intricate to the bare bones. A profile supposedly made by “Last Kiss” actress Rachel Bilson has pictures of her grandfather and accurately names her dog. While Rachel Bilson’s reps deny she has a profile it shows how far fans go to make a MySpace in their idol’s image.
When a celeb has a profile they can choose to keep their profiles private, only allowing people they know specifically. Brody Jenner of “The Hills” is one of those stars who keep their MySpace to themselves. Some celebrities are more open such as Paris Hilton, allowing thousands of fans to follow her. MySpace has also come to forefront when celebs want to communicate with their fan base. This came into the news recently when former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and his ex-wife Shanna Moakler started bashing each other on their MySpace blog. Or when Nicole Richie slammed her former stylist Rachel Zoe.
By having these celebrities be so open and accessible to their fans brings up the danger of how easily a stalker can track them. A potential stalker can send threats to a celeb through their MySpace mail or in scarier instances make a MySpace discussing how they could harm the celebrity. What is to stop a random MySpace troll from latching onto a celebrity MySpace and forming a disturbing relationship with the person? I myself have a character profile devoted to Ellen Pompeo’s character Meredith Grey from “Grey’s Anatomy.” While I list a disclaimer stating that I am not Ellen Pompeo and do not have any access or relationship with her, I have gotten some disturbing messages from older men thinking Meredith Grey is a real person and wanting to meet me.
Further harassment can come to a celebrity’s family as well if they have a MySpace. I recently stumbled upon the profile of a prominent actor’s sister recently, by looking up the actors IMDB profile I was able to find the sister on MySpace simply by typing in her name. Her MySpace isn’t intricate but it does have personal pictures with her and her famous sibling on there. Now it is unclear whether this sibling wants it known that her and her famous sibling has MySpaces but due to the fact that they both don’t have very many friends it seems that they keep their profiles downplayed. But how scary would it be to have thousands of people harassing you to gain knowledge on your famous family member?
Currently, no celebrity has come forward and said that their profiles have led to them having a stalker but the opportunity is definitely out there. All it takes is a person obsessed with a celebrity and a little time, before a floodgate can be opened leading them to an interaction with their obsession.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Grey's Anatomy MySpace Layouts
This week an all new Grey's Anatomy premieres on Thursday! No more reruns -- well at least not for awhile anyway. So for those of you MySpacers who are die-hard fans of Meredith, Cristina, McDreamy, Izzie and George... here is a compilation of Grey's Anatomy MySpace layouts. Seriously...
Starry Grey's Anatomy MySpace Layout
Grey's Anatomy MySpace Layout (available with or without matching Extended Network banner)
I Love Grey's Anatomy MySpace Layout
Pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me - Grey's Anatomy MySpace Layout
Starry Grey's Anatomy MySpace Layout
Grey's Anatomy MySpace Layout (available with or without matching Extended Network banner)
I Love Grey's Anatomy MySpace Layout
Pick Me, Choose Me, Love Me - Grey's Anatomy MySpace Layout
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Hello Myspace or Yours!
Hello readers! Let me introduce myself. My name is Alma. I will be joining this lovely family of bloggers so I may bring you my insights and observations about the jabberwocky of a site that is Myspace.
Myspace and I have a love-hate relationship. It's like chocolate....I don't need it, but I crave it...and I notice if I go a day without it. I love Myspace because it keeps me connected to long-lost friends and allows me to make new friends. I can also "spy" on those people who are not so much my friends...("Oh my God, that kid I grew up next to sure lost a lot of weight!" or "That creepy kid in middle school runs her own adult website?!" You know what I'm talking about...) I also love it, because it helps me network and promote my art. I have met many people and learned valuable lessons from some of the individuals I have encountered on Myspace.
But I also hate Myspace. Why? Because it has brought a whole new sense of cliquishness to the web. ("Oh God, she's so not on my top 8 anymore!") It also has brought another level of creepiness to the web. IE, child predators, freaky stalkers, and mom's that are way too old to be posting pictures of themselves in bikinis. But mostly I hate Myspace because it is unavoidable. You can't go anywhere in the US without overhearing somebody talking about their Myspace page. It's a cultural phenomenon. Instead of asking for people's phone numbers, we 'Myspace' them. Telephones and letters have lost out to messaging and comments. I guess I don't really hate Myspace because it's everywhere...but it does get annoying. What makes me really hate it though, is that fact that even after all of this complaining about how absurd it is....I will go check my own page. In a way, Myspace owns a big chunk of the communication and social sector of my life. Which of course, is secretly why I love it.:)
So you may be wondering what a kooky person like myself has to contribute to the Myspace or Yours blog. Well I will tell you: I will be writing my rants and raves about the things I love and hate about Myspace. Are you surprised? Most likely not... But, I will also be writing something useful ll. I will write about "Myspace Safety" as well. These will be the serious articles about how kids and grown-ups alike can stay safe on Myspace. (No one likes a stalker or a hacker.)
So there's my brief, slightly messy introduction. I look forward to writing articles and building a reader base.
Until next time,
Your classy lassy in the Rainy City,
Alma
Myspace and I have a love-hate relationship. It's like chocolate....I don't need it, but I crave it...and I notice if I go a day without it. I love Myspace because it keeps me connected to long-lost friends and allows me to make new friends. I can also "spy" on those people who are not so much my friends...("Oh my God, that kid I grew up next to sure lost a lot of weight!" or "That creepy kid in middle school runs her own adult website?!" You know what I'm talking about...) I also love it, because it helps me network and promote my art. I have met many people and learned valuable lessons from some of the individuals I have encountered on Myspace.
But I also hate Myspace. Why? Because it has brought a whole new sense of cliquishness to the web. ("Oh God, she's so not on my top 8 anymore!") It also has brought another level of creepiness to the web. IE, child predators, freaky stalkers, and mom's that are way too old to be posting pictures of themselves in bikinis. But mostly I hate Myspace because it is unavoidable. You can't go anywhere in the US without overhearing somebody talking about their Myspace page. It's a cultural phenomenon. Instead of asking for people's phone numbers, we 'Myspace' them. Telephones and letters have lost out to messaging and comments. I guess I don't really hate Myspace because it's everywhere...but it does get annoying. What makes me really hate it though, is that fact that even after all of this complaining about how absurd it is....I will go check my own page. In a way, Myspace owns a big chunk of the communication and social sector of my life. Which of course, is secretly why I love it.:)
So you may be wondering what a kooky person like myself has to contribute to the Myspace or Yours blog. Well I will tell you: I will be writing my rants and raves about the things I love and hate about Myspace. Are you surprised? Most likely not... But, I will also be writing something useful ll. I will write about "Myspace Safety" as well. These will be the serious articles about how kids and grown-ups alike can stay safe on Myspace. (No one likes a stalker or a hacker.)
So there's my brief, slightly messy introduction. I look forward to writing articles and building a reader base.
Until next time,
Your classy lassy in the Rainy City,
Alma
Friday, January 05, 2007
MixMap MySpace Tracking
Well, once again, there has been a surge in the number of MySpace trackers as of late, and one of the biggest contenders in the ring has been MixMap. It's a pretty novel concept- you create a profile, and it will track your visitors using pins on a virtual map (default uses Yahoo! maps I do believe.) MixMap tracks the time the visitors visit, their IP, and will list their MixMap username if they have an account. If the visitor does not have an account, it will list them as an anonymous user.
Today I decided to try MixMap out, seeing it rising in popularity and hearing some things about it. I created an account, created a map and requested that a friend of mine view my profile. The time I viewed my profile was listed, and his was listed after he viewed. I know where my friend lives, so I figured I'd check the map out and see if it was accurate. It was in the range of five miles off. I was puzzled. I took a look at mine. My pinpoint was over a mile off. I decided that I'd create another MixMap account and associate with it a different MySpace profile of mine, for two reasons. First, I'd see if the pinpoint was dynamic to the user or the IP and I'd compare the two codes I used to see where exactly they get their tracking power from.
Right off the bat, the pinpoint on the map was different when I accessed from a different account. It was about 400 yards West of the other pinpoint.. for the exact same computer on the exact same IP. At this point, my suspicions on how MixMap does its job were confirmed. Rather than accurately tracking where the IP is static (your house or wireless network area,) it tracks from your connection hub. There are thousands of connection hubs in my medium-sized city of 500,000 alone. My connection can obviously run through multiple hubs, and changes it at times. My friend's connection seems to run through one hub, about five miles away from his home. Therefore, the tracking on the map is extremely inaccurate and worthless if you're trying to get real answers to who's viewing your profile. Not only that, but what good would someone's house do if that was the only information about who visited your profile? What are you going to do, drive to everyone's house who visits your profile? Yeah, right.
So, after the dismal display of accuracy, I decided to find out how MixMap works. I quickly recognized only two differences between the two codes I had. Two numbers were different, in the image location and the link. The link was to each MixMap profile, so you could view the map, and the image said "you have been tracked." On my profile, I chose to hide it. If you weren't to hide it, I'm sure it'd be clickable and would link to the MixMap profile. Right. So, it seems that when I only visit the url of the image, I'm still tracked. The image itself, and only the image, is the actual tracker. You could have just the image and it'd still track.
They also seemed to put about eight lines of extraneous code in their tracker. Perhaps the author of the code was unaware that he didn't need the rest of it. Anyway, I do believe I've figured out exactly how the image and only the image tracks you. It's actually quite simple, more simple than I figured. The image is hosted on an FTP server (will host files that can be downloaded.) When you connect to download files off of an FTP server, it will track your IP. When you create a profile with MixMap, it associates an IP address to your profile. When that IP address visits your MySpace profile, it searches the MixMap database for the profile associated with that IP. If there is none, it records it as an anonymous user. It's quite more simple than I thought it'd be.
All in all, MixMap is very disappointing in my opinion. It promises to track the location of your visitors but does so poorly. Unless you want a general demographic of who views your profile, that's pretty worthless. It doesn't tell you who visited your profile with any MySpace links, so again, no worth. It's very simplistic and anybody with an FTP server could very easily implement this strategy, so I'm unimpressed by the methodology. To be honest, I've viewed a true MySpace tracker. I once worked with a gentleman on making one, and we were successful. We used a back door of MySpace's coding and it gave you visit time, who visited you, which link they clicked to visit you and their IP address. It was flawless, but in the end, MySpace closed the back door we used. My point is that this is what profile trackers should be shooting for... to show you who visited your profile, when, and more, all without them having to register for some site. After all, those who you want to know are viewing your profile aren't going to sign up for the website. MixMap seems to me a poor attempt to try to offer you something unique. It's much like all of the other trackers.. registered viewers only and consistently buggy. Some day, we'll probably see another tracker like the one I made, but until then, I really can't say sites like MixMap are overly worth it. I guess the map can be kind of fun to look at, but it's not much more than entertainment. My overall score for MixMap: 4/10.
Today I decided to try MixMap out, seeing it rising in popularity and hearing some things about it. I created an account, created a map and requested that a friend of mine view my profile. The time I viewed my profile was listed, and his was listed after he viewed. I know where my friend lives, so I figured I'd check the map out and see if it was accurate. It was in the range of five miles off. I was puzzled. I took a look at mine. My pinpoint was over a mile off. I decided that I'd create another MixMap account and associate with it a different MySpace profile of mine, for two reasons. First, I'd see if the pinpoint was dynamic to the user or the IP and I'd compare the two codes I used to see where exactly they get their tracking power from.
Right off the bat, the pinpoint on the map was different when I accessed from a different account. It was about 400 yards West of the other pinpoint.. for the exact same computer on the exact same IP. At this point, my suspicions on how MixMap does its job were confirmed. Rather than accurately tracking where the IP is static (your house or wireless network area,) it tracks from your connection hub. There are thousands of connection hubs in my medium-sized city of 500,000 alone. My connection can obviously run through multiple hubs, and changes it at times. My friend's connection seems to run through one hub, about five miles away from his home. Therefore, the tracking on the map is extremely inaccurate and worthless if you're trying to get real answers to who's viewing your profile. Not only that, but what good would someone's house do if that was the only information about who visited your profile? What are you going to do, drive to everyone's house who visits your profile? Yeah, right.
So, after the dismal display of accuracy, I decided to find out how MixMap works. I quickly recognized only two differences between the two codes I had. Two numbers were different, in the image location and the link. The link was to each MixMap profile, so you could view the map, and the image said "you have been tracked." On my profile, I chose to hide it. If you weren't to hide it, I'm sure it'd be clickable and would link to the MixMap profile. Right. So, it seems that when I only visit the url of the image, I'm still tracked. The image itself, and only the image, is the actual tracker. You could have just the image and it'd still track.
They also seemed to put about eight lines of extraneous code in their tracker. Perhaps the author of the code was unaware that he didn't need the rest of it. Anyway, I do believe I've figured out exactly how the image and only the image tracks you. It's actually quite simple, more simple than I figured. The image is hosted on an FTP server (will host files that can be downloaded.) When you connect to download files off of an FTP server, it will track your IP. When you create a profile with MixMap, it associates an IP address to your profile. When that IP address visits your MySpace profile, it searches the MixMap database for the profile associated with that IP. If there is none, it records it as an anonymous user. It's quite more simple than I thought it'd be.
All in all, MixMap is very disappointing in my opinion. It promises to track the location of your visitors but does so poorly. Unless you want a general demographic of who views your profile, that's pretty worthless. It doesn't tell you who visited your profile with any MySpace links, so again, no worth. It's very simplistic and anybody with an FTP server could very easily implement this strategy, so I'm unimpressed by the methodology. To be honest, I've viewed a true MySpace tracker. I once worked with a gentleman on making one, and we were successful. We used a back door of MySpace's coding and it gave you visit time, who visited you, which link they clicked to visit you and their IP address. It was flawless, but in the end, MySpace closed the back door we used. My point is that this is what profile trackers should be shooting for... to show you who visited your profile, when, and more, all without them having to register for some site. After all, those who you want to know are viewing your profile aren't going to sign up for the website. MixMap seems to me a poor attempt to try to offer you something unique. It's much like all of the other trackers.. registered viewers only and consistently buggy. Some day, we'll probably see another tracker like the one I made, but until then, I really can't say sites like MixMap are overly worth it. I guess the map can be kind of fun to look at, but it's not much more than entertainment. My overall score for MixMap: 4/10.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
MySpace or Yours Movie and a Profile:The Last Kiss
Due to the great response I got from the “Top 10” I thought you might like to get my thoughts on movies that aren’t exactly considered “blockbusters” or “must see’s.” While I’m at it I’ll also give a short review of the movie’s MySpace page. If you enjoy these leave a comment and let me know so I know I’m not boring you. So to start this off right we’ll begin with a recent new indie release: “The Last Kiss.” Note: There are some spoilers in here, be aware.
Now “The Last Kiss” stars Zach Braff, Rachel Bilson, Jacinda Barrett, and Blythe Danner. The film revolves around Braff’s character, Michael, a man who’s about to turn thirty and seems to be living the high life. He’s about to have a child with the woman he loves (Barrett) and has amazing friends played by Casey Affleck and Eric Christian Olsen. As thirty slowly approaches Michael begins to think that “they’re no surprises.” It seems that his entire life is predetermined, until he meets Kim (Bilson). Kim is a college sophomore and free spirit who thinks Michael is wonderful, eventually the two begin a relationship that makes Michael question his life, while his friends deal with personal issues of their own.
I originally rented “The Last Kiss” after Braff made his directorial debut with the hit “Garden State.” Sadly, this is no “Garden State” in the slightest, although it tries incredibly hard to be “Garden State 2.” The story itself is very basic, what happens when you hit thirty and you feel something is missing. That would be a great story except not only did Braff already tell that story, but his character is totally unlikable. Michael seems to be an overgrown man child who really can’t make up his mind. It seems that as soon as he comes to the realization that he loves his girlfriend Jenna, after him and Kim have already consummated their relationship, he just drops his mistress never to be seen again. The ending of the film is also incredibly rushed and feels totally out of place.
Rachel Bilson gives an odd performance as Kim. I loved her as Summer on “The OC” and it just seems like she’s rehashing that dippy hot girl performance. She becomes instantly obsessed with Braff’s character, even after she finds out he has a girlfriend. When Michael tells her that he is having a child she becomes so upset, but what is the difference? She contributed to the overall dislike of Braff and his story.
What make this film special are the supporting characters and their story arcs. Blythe Danner and Tom Wilkinson give great performances as Jenna’s parents going through their own marital strife. Jacinda Barrett, not normally known for good performances delivers as the pregnant Jenna, but it is truly Michael’s two friends who make “The Last Kiss” worth seeing. Casey Affleck, the younger brother to actor Ben, turns in a heart tugging performance as Chris. Chris is married to a girl he’s known forever and they have a young child. But after going through his life with his wife under appreciating him he makes a decision to leave. Now what could have turned into a real jerk of a character, it’s what Affleck brings to the character. What he does in the end of the film will definitely bring a tear to your eye. Olsen also turns in a great performance as Michael’s friend who isn’t ready to settle down but doesn’t know what to do with his life.
All in all I would give “The Last Kiss” 7 out of 10. See it for the great side performances, but don’t get too wrapped up in the main story. The movie’s MySpace page also lacks anything amazing, since it’s marketed towards the film’s soundtrack. There is video from the movie’s premier and link to the podcasts made for the film. There is some good music on the site but nothing you can’t listen to on iTunes.
So there you have it, the first MySpace or Yours Movie and a Profile. Sounds catchy don’t it? If you like it let me know, if you hate it….let me know I guess. Hope you enjoyed this trial idea. See you all later.
Links
The Last Kiss soundtrack profile
Now “The Last Kiss” stars Zach Braff, Rachel Bilson, Jacinda Barrett, and Blythe Danner. The film revolves around Braff’s character, Michael, a man who’s about to turn thirty and seems to be living the high life. He’s about to have a child with the woman he loves (Barrett) and has amazing friends played by Casey Affleck and Eric Christian Olsen. As thirty slowly approaches Michael begins to think that “they’re no surprises.” It seems that his entire life is predetermined, until he meets Kim (Bilson). Kim is a college sophomore and free spirit who thinks Michael is wonderful, eventually the two begin a relationship that makes Michael question his life, while his friends deal with personal issues of their own.
I originally rented “The Last Kiss” after Braff made his directorial debut with the hit “Garden State.” Sadly, this is no “Garden State” in the slightest, although it tries incredibly hard to be “Garden State 2.” The story itself is very basic, what happens when you hit thirty and you feel something is missing. That would be a great story except not only did Braff already tell that story, but his character is totally unlikable. Michael seems to be an overgrown man child who really can’t make up his mind. It seems that as soon as he comes to the realization that he loves his girlfriend Jenna, after him and Kim have already consummated their relationship, he just drops his mistress never to be seen again. The ending of the film is also incredibly rushed and feels totally out of place.
Rachel Bilson gives an odd performance as Kim. I loved her as Summer on “The OC” and it just seems like she’s rehashing that dippy hot girl performance. She becomes instantly obsessed with Braff’s character, even after she finds out he has a girlfriend. When Michael tells her that he is having a child she becomes so upset, but what is the difference? She contributed to the overall dislike of Braff and his story.
What make this film special are the supporting characters and their story arcs. Blythe Danner and Tom Wilkinson give great performances as Jenna’s parents going through their own marital strife. Jacinda Barrett, not normally known for good performances delivers as the pregnant Jenna, but it is truly Michael’s two friends who make “The Last Kiss” worth seeing. Casey Affleck, the younger brother to actor Ben, turns in a heart tugging performance as Chris. Chris is married to a girl he’s known forever and they have a young child. But after going through his life with his wife under appreciating him he makes a decision to leave. Now what could have turned into a real jerk of a character, it’s what Affleck brings to the character. What he does in the end of the film will definitely bring a tear to your eye. Olsen also turns in a great performance as Michael’s friend who isn’t ready to settle down but doesn’t know what to do with his life.
All in all I would give “The Last Kiss” 7 out of 10. See it for the great side performances, but don’t get too wrapped up in the main story. The movie’s MySpace page also lacks anything amazing, since it’s marketed towards the film’s soundtrack. There is video from the movie’s premier and link to the podcasts made for the film. There is some good music on the site but nothing you can’t listen to on iTunes.
So there you have it, the first MySpace or Yours Movie and a Profile. Sounds catchy don’t it? If you like it let me know, if you hate it….let me know I guess. Hope you enjoyed this trial idea. See you all later.
Links
The Last Kiss soundtrack profile
Monday, January 01, 2007
MySpace: The most effective advertisement?
This evening I was reading the first post by our new writer, Kristen, when I suddenly recollected something that had run through my mind a few months back. Her article was about movies having MySpaces. Here's what I've noticed: hundreds of profiles are popping up to advertise TV shows, movies, radio shows and organizations. Think about this: these groups are putting up MySpaces, and putting information about them on them. They might not necessarily be directly telling you to buy something, watch something or join something, but in the end, that's most likely the effect. These people want your attention from their flashy profiles with often excellent layouts... and they do it to try to get you involved with them. This seems to be like one of the biggest trends in advertisement today, and I actually believe it to be the most effective advertisement tool.
Let's first take a look at an organization that you may not figure to be on MySpace: The United States Army. I visited their profile by stumbling through things, and I'll be honest, it was an excellent profile. From doing some gathering over the Internet, I've found out that MySpace is at the least the second most effective advertising tool for the Army, perhaps only falling to television advertisements. That's big. The best part for these advertisers is that they don't even have to pay to try to sell their product. Rather than paying television stations or radio stations to air advertisements, they might hire a person to run their MySpace and to add as many friends as possible in order to spread their word. It seems to me like MySpace is actually benefiting groups just by them creating a profile.
Many movies have made MySpaces, and one of the first I saw was X-Men 3. But they went yet another step further than just adding people and spreading themselves- they gave you an option to add a top 24, even before MySpace had implemented it itself. However, in order to get this benefit, you had to add them and view their profile (spectacular as well.) They were trying to get you to visit their profile- even more advertisement. So I guess what I'm trying to portray here is that MySpace profiles themselves are tools for advertisement and are extremely effective when you add friends en mass. With no money spent, a few minutes can take you a long way in getting your product out there- be that the army, music, or anything else in particular. With that, I'll leave it to you to decide if this is good or bad, what you might want to do with it, what you could do with it, or anything else in particular. I'm here to give you knowledge, not to try to persuade you :)
Let's first take a look at an organization that you may not figure to be on MySpace: The United States Army. I visited their profile by stumbling through things, and I'll be honest, it was an excellent profile. From doing some gathering over the Internet, I've found out that MySpace is at the least the second most effective advertising tool for the Army, perhaps only falling to television advertisements. That's big. The best part for these advertisers is that they don't even have to pay to try to sell their product. Rather than paying television stations or radio stations to air advertisements, they might hire a person to run their MySpace and to add as many friends as possible in order to spread their word. It seems to me like MySpace is actually benefiting groups just by them creating a profile.
Many movies have made MySpaces, and one of the first I saw was X-Men 3. But they went yet another step further than just adding people and spreading themselves- they gave you an option to add a top 24, even before MySpace had implemented it itself. However, in order to get this benefit, you had to add them and view their profile (spectacular as well.) They were trying to get you to visit their profile- even more advertisement. So I guess what I'm trying to portray here is that MySpace profiles themselves are tools for advertisement and are extremely effective when you add friends en mass. With no money spent, a few minutes can take you a long way in getting your product out there- be that the army, music, or anything else in particular. With that, I'll leave it to you to decide if this is good or bad, what you might want to do with it, what you could do with it, or anything else in particular. I'm here to give you knowledge, not to try to persuade you :)
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Top 10 Movies of 2006
As 2006 draws to a close, thousands of websites devote column space to their top ten films of the year. Most of these lists are fairly predictable, they list “deep” movies and independent films garnering Oscar buzz as the best of the best. Now while this list is solely the opinion of the author, you will find a film for you. So happy New Year and enjoy a great year of new movies.
10. Thank You for Smoking-This dark comedy from first time director Jason Reitman, son of acclaimed director Ivan, shows the inner workings of the tobacco industry. As the film follows the trials and tribulations of a tobacco lobbyist played brilliantly by Aaron Eckhart, you see that not only is this incredibly smart but has an amazing story to go with it. Amazing performance notwithstanding, probably one of the most intelligent films all year.
9. Mini’s First Time-A very little known dark comedy, this film came and went without any fanfare. Starring Nikki Reed of the indie drama “Thirteen,” Reed plays teenager Mini living with her drugged out mother and new stepfather (Alec Baldwin). When Mini turns to prostitution for fun and ends up seducing her stepfather they conspire to murder her mother. It’s an extremely funny movie with a rare amazing performance from Baldwin. Definitely a great revenge comedy.
8. Brick-The crime noir is alive and well, expertly captured in the indie film “Brick.” A crime drama/film noir set in a high school setting is nothing short of brilliant. A twist and turn thriller involving drugs, murder, and Joseph Gorden Levitt all brought to a wonderful conclusion. The movie is worth a viewing just for the great 50’s dialogue alone.
7. The Departed-So far “The Departed” has shown up on every best of list this year, this list is no exception. This film holds you on the edge of your seat until the very last minute. I’m not one who considers myself a Scorsese fan by nature, but this film definitely made me want to take a look at more of his films. Wonderful performances abound by Matt Damon, Leonardo Dicaprio, Jack Nicholsen, and Mark Wahlberg.
6. The Prestige-The first appearance on this list by Australian actor Hugh Jackman, I adored “The Prestige.” While the second film of the year about magicians, the first being “The Illusionist,” this was definitely the better of the two. Featuring great performances from Jackman and Christian Bale, playing rival magicians, they exuded amazing chemistry. A compelling story involving one of the more ingenious twists in recent years, I personally can’t wait for the DVD.
5. Hollywoodland-As a follower of the George Reeve murder/suicide story, I waited almost two years for this movie to be made. Told in flashback and showing all the different theories surrounding George Reeves death, this is a very tight true crime thriller. Diane Lane steals the show though as Toni Mannix, the jilted studio girlfriend and Ben Affleck walks away with his comeback. The film itself is ironic in the fact that Ben Affleck’s career is revived from playing an actor who supposedly killed himself after losing his career. Some call this film melodramatic, I call it Oscar gold.
4. United 93-The film-going public was divided between whether it was the appropriate time to show a film like this or not. Watching “United 93” makes you cringe, cry, and get angry all in one film. This film is so powerful it’s almost too much. Depicting the final moments of the final plane involved in 9/11 is enough to take you back to where you were when that fateful day was shown. With unknown actors in the roles and improve throughout, it is probably one of the most realistic film of the last five years.
3. The Fountain-I feel like I’m in the minority by saying this is one of the top three movies of the year, but I have never thought about a movie almost a month after I saw it. Another film starring Hugh Jackman, the film calls for him to play three separate characters all trying to save the love of their lives (Rachel Weisz). I could talk about this movie all day, but I sadly don’t expect a lot of Oscar buzz for this since not a lot of people understand the plot and the twist. But this film has so much going for it, an innovate story, beautiful imagery, haunting score, all of it. When the film comes to DVD, this is one that comes highly recommended.
2. Happy Feet-Who has seen this movie and hasn’t loved it, I mean “Happy Feet” is probably one of the most creative animated film ever, and fun for adults and kids to boot. Revolving around a little penguin with a special talent for dancing, it featured great vocal work from Brittany Murphy, Nicole Kidman, and Hugh Jackman (yes him again, but the last time I promise). The animation is top-notch, so much so you can’t always differentiate between what’s animation and what’s live action. Robin Williams is one of the main highlights of the film, especially as Latin penguin Ramon, whoever doesn’t laugh during his rendition of “My Way” is heartless in my book.
1. Half Nelson-The number one film of my 2006 was the little indie film “Half Nelson.” Starring Ryan Gosling as an inner city teacher addicted to cocaine, this film has a lot of heart and a truly touching story. Watching Gosling’s character Dan Dunne spiral out of control due to not only his drug addiction, but his idea that he can’t make a difference, is a performance worthy of an Oscar. Newcomer Shareeka Epps is also brilliant as the student who discovers Dunne’s addiction. As the two become connected by this secret, the line between teacher and student becomes blurred, and comes together to make a film that everybody should see.
So yes “Half Nelson” is the must see film of 2006. But there were five movies worthy of an honorable mention, they were: “Down in the Valley,” “Scoop,” “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” “The Quiet,” “The Libertine.”
Links
Thank You for Smoking
Mini’s First Time
The Departed
Hollywoodland
Happy Feet
Half Nelson
10. Thank You for Smoking-This dark comedy from first time director Jason Reitman, son of acclaimed director Ivan, shows the inner workings of the tobacco industry. As the film follows the trials and tribulations of a tobacco lobbyist played brilliantly by Aaron Eckhart, you see that not only is this incredibly smart but has an amazing story to go with it. Amazing performance notwithstanding, probably one of the most intelligent films all year.
9. Mini’s First Time-A very little known dark comedy, this film came and went without any fanfare. Starring Nikki Reed of the indie drama “Thirteen,” Reed plays teenager Mini living with her drugged out mother and new stepfather (Alec Baldwin). When Mini turns to prostitution for fun and ends up seducing her stepfather they conspire to murder her mother. It’s an extremely funny movie with a rare amazing performance from Baldwin. Definitely a great revenge comedy.
8. Brick-The crime noir is alive and well, expertly captured in the indie film “Brick.” A crime drama/film noir set in a high school setting is nothing short of brilliant. A twist and turn thriller involving drugs, murder, and Joseph Gorden Levitt all brought to a wonderful conclusion. The movie is worth a viewing just for the great 50’s dialogue alone.
7. The Departed-So far “The Departed” has shown up on every best of list this year, this list is no exception. This film holds you on the edge of your seat until the very last minute. I’m not one who considers myself a Scorsese fan by nature, but this film definitely made me want to take a look at more of his films. Wonderful performances abound by Matt Damon, Leonardo Dicaprio, Jack Nicholsen, and Mark Wahlberg.
6. The Prestige-The first appearance on this list by Australian actor Hugh Jackman, I adored “The Prestige.” While the second film of the year about magicians, the first being “The Illusionist,” this was definitely the better of the two. Featuring great performances from Jackman and Christian Bale, playing rival magicians, they exuded amazing chemistry. A compelling story involving one of the more ingenious twists in recent years, I personally can’t wait for the DVD.
5. Hollywoodland-As a follower of the George Reeve murder/suicide story, I waited almost two years for this movie to be made. Told in flashback and showing all the different theories surrounding George Reeves death, this is a very tight true crime thriller. Diane Lane steals the show though as Toni Mannix, the jilted studio girlfriend and Ben Affleck walks away with his comeback. The film itself is ironic in the fact that Ben Affleck’s career is revived from playing an actor who supposedly killed himself after losing his career. Some call this film melodramatic, I call it Oscar gold.
4. United 93-The film-going public was divided between whether it was the appropriate time to show a film like this or not. Watching “United 93” makes you cringe, cry, and get angry all in one film. This film is so powerful it’s almost too much. Depicting the final moments of the final plane involved in 9/11 is enough to take you back to where you were when that fateful day was shown. With unknown actors in the roles and improve throughout, it is probably one of the most realistic film of the last five years.
3. The Fountain-I feel like I’m in the minority by saying this is one of the top three movies of the year, but I have never thought about a movie almost a month after I saw it. Another film starring Hugh Jackman, the film calls for him to play three separate characters all trying to save the love of their lives (Rachel Weisz). I could talk about this movie all day, but I sadly don’t expect a lot of Oscar buzz for this since not a lot of people understand the plot and the twist. But this film has so much going for it, an innovate story, beautiful imagery, haunting score, all of it. When the film comes to DVD, this is one that comes highly recommended.
2. Happy Feet-Who has seen this movie and hasn’t loved it, I mean “Happy Feet” is probably one of the most creative animated film ever, and fun for adults and kids to boot. Revolving around a little penguin with a special talent for dancing, it featured great vocal work from Brittany Murphy, Nicole Kidman, and Hugh Jackman (yes him again, but the last time I promise). The animation is top-notch, so much so you can’t always differentiate between what’s animation and what’s live action. Robin Williams is one of the main highlights of the film, especially as Latin penguin Ramon, whoever doesn’t laugh during his rendition of “My Way” is heartless in my book.
1. Half Nelson-The number one film of my 2006 was the little indie film “Half Nelson.” Starring Ryan Gosling as an inner city teacher addicted to cocaine, this film has a lot of heart and a truly touching story. Watching Gosling’s character Dan Dunne spiral out of control due to not only his drug addiction, but his idea that he can’t make a difference, is a performance worthy of an Oscar. Newcomer Shareeka Epps is also brilliant as the student who discovers Dunne’s addiction. As the two become connected by this secret, the line between teacher and student becomes blurred, and comes together to make a film that everybody should see.
So yes “Half Nelson” is the must see film of 2006. But there were five movies worthy of an honorable mention, they were: “Down in the Valley,” “Scoop,” “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” “The Quiet,” “The Libertine.”
Links
Thank You for Smoking
Mini’s First Time
The Departed
Hollywoodland
Happy Feet
Half Nelson
Thursday, December 28, 2006
"Alpha Dog:" From the Courtroom to the Screen
In researching movies, or just following the goings-on of the film world, there is always a time when you see a movie’s release and say “Hey wasn’t that movie already out or supposed to come out?” Movies usually get their release dates pushed if special effects aren’t finished, as seen with the film “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,” or if the movie isn’t good as seen by the supposed rumblings coming from the Karl Urban movie “Pathfinder.” That movie has gone to many bad test screenings causing the film’s release to be pushed till April. Then there is the special movie that has extenuating circumstances, a specific reason why it hasn’t been released, so goes the story of the film “Alpha Dog.”
“Alpha Dog” stars Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake and Ben Foster. The film revolves around local drug dealer Johnny Truelove played by Hirsch. Truelove lives in the suburbs of LA with his motley crew of friends including a friend played by Timberlake. When local client Jake Mazursky (Foster) can’t pay Truelove back, the gang decides to kidnap Jack’s brother Zack. After showing Zack the life of excess that the teens live, it becomes apparent to Truelove and his group that they have a problem. How the kids go about getting rid of Zack becomes the crux of this thriller.
Now a lot of comparisons have been made between this movie and the dark comedy “The Chumscrubber.” How this actually differs is that “Alpha Dog” is a true story, revolving around a true case that shocked California. Due to recent events, the story of “Alpha Dog” will hit the big screen January 12th 2007, a whole three years after it was filmed.
Now the actual story behind “Alpha Dog” revolves around drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood and his kidnapping of Nick Markowitz. Now trying not to go into details is difficult and it will subsequently ruin the movie. Suffice to say that Hollywood was finally arrested for his actions in 2005. Now while events and names have been changed this movie has faced a long uphill battle to make it to the screen.
Originally director Nick Cassavetes, director of “The Notebook,” had to reshoot the ending of the film to reflect Hollywood being arrested. Then Cassavetes was subpoenaed after it was revealed he had access to actual court documents. An injunction, trying to bar the film’s release, was ultimately rejected but the court proceedings kept pushing the film’s release. If one looks at the official Alpha Dog website, you can find in the “Making Of” section no mention whatsoever about the court proceedings or the real story behind the film. This could be because of the ongoing litigation with Hollywood.
Now three years is a long time between filming. Usually fans give up hope of the movie being released or end up not seeing it in theaters. This is not the case with “Alpha Dog,” a large group of fans actively promoted and talked about this film on the IMDB.com message boards. Production people close to the film, even director Cassavetes was on IMDB talking to fan and discussing the progress of the film. A large campaign of fans could be good for the movie, to actively promote. Having the director talk to fans to keep them in the know is also showing how much help this film needs.
In the end, how “Alpha Dog” does in theaters is all based on word of mouth, since the movie was made so long ago. Check out the film January 12th, a movie that has this much controversy around it has to have something special, don’t you think?
Links
Larry has promoted this film extensivly since it's start
“Alpha Dog” stars Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake and Ben Foster. The film revolves around local drug dealer Johnny Truelove played by Hirsch. Truelove lives in the suburbs of LA with his motley crew of friends including a friend played by Timberlake. When local client Jake Mazursky (Foster) can’t pay Truelove back, the gang decides to kidnap Jack’s brother Zack. After showing Zack the life of excess that the teens live, it becomes apparent to Truelove and his group that they have a problem. How the kids go about getting rid of Zack becomes the crux of this thriller.
Now a lot of comparisons have been made between this movie and the dark comedy “The Chumscrubber.” How this actually differs is that “Alpha Dog” is a true story, revolving around a true case that shocked California. Due to recent events, the story of “Alpha Dog” will hit the big screen January 12th 2007, a whole three years after it was filmed.
Now the actual story behind “Alpha Dog” revolves around drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood and his kidnapping of Nick Markowitz. Now trying not to go into details is difficult and it will subsequently ruin the movie. Suffice to say that Hollywood was finally arrested for his actions in 2005. Now while events and names have been changed this movie has faced a long uphill battle to make it to the screen.
Originally director Nick Cassavetes, director of “The Notebook,” had to reshoot the ending of the film to reflect Hollywood being arrested. Then Cassavetes was subpoenaed after it was revealed he had access to actual court documents. An injunction, trying to bar the film’s release, was ultimately rejected but the court proceedings kept pushing the film’s release. If one looks at the official Alpha Dog website, you can find in the “Making Of” section no mention whatsoever about the court proceedings or the real story behind the film. This could be because of the ongoing litigation with Hollywood.
Now three years is a long time between filming. Usually fans give up hope of the movie being released or end up not seeing it in theaters. This is not the case with “Alpha Dog,” a large group of fans actively promoted and talked about this film on the IMDB.com message boards. Production people close to the film, even director Cassavetes was on IMDB talking to fan and discussing the progress of the film. A large campaign of fans could be good for the movie, to actively promote. Having the director talk to fans to keep them in the know is also showing how much help this film needs.
In the end, how “Alpha Dog” does in theaters is all based on word of mouth, since the movie was made so long ago. Check out the film January 12th, a movie that has this much controversy around it has to have something special, don’t you think?
Links
Larry has promoted this film extensivly since it's start
Thursday, December 21, 2006
MySpace at the Movies
How many people have a least one movie or movie character’s profile on their friends list? I know I have the whole cast of characters from the recently released film “John Tucker Must Die” and the entire cast from “Clerks 2” on my MySpace. It seems that the easiest way to promote your teen oriented films nowadays is to create a giant MySpace campaign.
MySpace profiles have popped up in the last year for virtually any and all movies coming to theaters. Indie films such as the Dixie Chicks documentary “Shut Up and Sing” has a MySpace, along with the horror franchise of “Saw” movies. MySpace profiles, in some cases, have become the “official websites” of a particular film, such as the New Line teen thriller “The Invisible.”
How many people have signed up for MySpace’s “Black Carpet” project? This is where you, along with a printout of your MySpace profile, are eligible to get into free movie screenings. This recently happened to great acclaim with the movies “Borat” and “Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny.”
Other recent ways movies, conjoined with MySpace, are getting awareness out is through contests. I entered a contest for the film “Marie Antoinette” where I had to use pre-approved images and layouts to create the best “Marie” themed profile in order to win a shopping spree. While I didn’t win, that profile stayed up for a good month, allowing me to slowly absorb the fact that the movie was coming, and showing everybody who visited my site that the movie was coming as well.
And this is where the brilliance from this type of marketing comes from. Thousands of teens visit MySpace every second. Ask any movie promoter and they’ll probably say that the core demographic in terms of movie viewer ship is 16-25 and mostly female. Last August, a hard core campaign for the dance movie “Step Up” played out on MySpace. Not only did this allow the movie to become number one at the box office, something that none of the box office predictors counted on, but made thousands more aware of the film. Little known films such as “Shut up and Sing” have gathered awareness through grassroots MySpace campaigns.
It is also incredibly easy to promote a movie yourself. I know my MySpace profile has become an unintentional Mecca to the movie “The Invisible.” For those who don’t know, this film is a teen thriller starring “War of the Worlds” actor Justin Chatwin. After he’s attacked and left for dead, his body is in limbo and he must solve his own attempted murder before he dies himself. Now after seeing this film in theaters I knew I wanted to see it. Without my knowing it I have unintentionally made every person in my friends list, all ninety four of them, aware that this movie comes out January 26th.
How exactly did I pull this off? I have the movie’s profile on my Top Friends list; I have the trailer on my page along with a music video from the band Sparta cut with clips to the film. This is how easy it is to get viral marketing out to thousands of people. Any person who visits my page will now be inundated with info about this movie.
Fans can do this anytime they want, you don’t necessarily have to make a page in the name of the film. If you like a particular film, you can simply stick the movie’s poster on your page, or link to the trailer. With this type of marketing true dogs such as “Little Man” can become number two at the box office, something that actually happened with the help of MySpace. Or you can become like me and become obsessed with a film and hope that one day New Line will acknowledge how you helped make their movie number one…hint, hint.
Links to check out
The John Tucker profile
Clerks II profile
Shut up and Sing profile
Saw 2 profile
The Invisible profile
Step Up profile
Little Man profile
My "Invisible"-ed profile
MySpace profiles have popped up in the last year for virtually any and all movies coming to theaters. Indie films such as the Dixie Chicks documentary “Shut Up and Sing” has a MySpace, along with the horror franchise of “Saw” movies. MySpace profiles, in some cases, have become the “official websites” of a particular film, such as the New Line teen thriller “The Invisible.”
How many people have signed up for MySpace’s “Black Carpet” project? This is where you, along with a printout of your MySpace profile, are eligible to get into free movie screenings. This recently happened to great acclaim with the movies “Borat” and “Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny.”
Other recent ways movies, conjoined with MySpace, are getting awareness out is through contests. I entered a contest for the film “Marie Antoinette” where I had to use pre-approved images and layouts to create the best “Marie” themed profile in order to win a shopping spree. While I didn’t win, that profile stayed up for a good month, allowing me to slowly absorb the fact that the movie was coming, and showing everybody who visited my site that the movie was coming as well.
And this is where the brilliance from this type of marketing comes from. Thousands of teens visit MySpace every second. Ask any movie promoter and they’ll probably say that the core demographic in terms of movie viewer ship is 16-25 and mostly female. Last August, a hard core campaign for the dance movie “Step Up” played out on MySpace. Not only did this allow the movie to become number one at the box office, something that none of the box office predictors counted on, but made thousands more aware of the film. Little known films such as “Shut up and Sing” have gathered awareness through grassroots MySpace campaigns.
It is also incredibly easy to promote a movie yourself. I know my MySpace profile has become an unintentional Mecca to the movie “The Invisible.” For those who don’t know, this film is a teen thriller starring “War of the Worlds” actor Justin Chatwin. After he’s attacked and left for dead, his body is in limbo and he must solve his own attempted murder before he dies himself. Now after seeing this film in theaters I knew I wanted to see it. Without my knowing it I have unintentionally made every person in my friends list, all ninety four of them, aware that this movie comes out January 26th.
How exactly did I pull this off? I have the movie’s profile on my Top Friends list; I have the trailer on my page along with a music video from the band Sparta cut with clips to the film. This is how easy it is to get viral marketing out to thousands of people. Any person who visits my page will now be inundated with info about this movie.
Fans can do this anytime they want, you don’t necessarily have to make a page in the name of the film. If you like a particular film, you can simply stick the movie’s poster on your page, or link to the trailer. With this type of marketing true dogs such as “Little Man” can become number two at the box office, something that actually happened with the help of MySpace. Or you can become like me and become obsessed with a film and hope that one day New Line will acknowledge how you helped make their movie number one…hint, hint.
Links to check out
The John Tucker profile
Clerks II profile
Shut up and Sing profile
Saw 2 profile
The Invisible profile
Step Up profile
Little Man profile
My "Invisible"-ed profile
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Protecting your MySpace from phishing..
Good day! One of the reasons MySpace has been so successful is the ability for users to customize their pages. Granted, in order to customize your page, you need codes and sometimes back doors to change it drastically, but it's still something that drives MySpace usage. Recently, a friend of mine completely redid her page, changing her layout (including background, divs, text and more,) and it looked absolutely amazing. There was just one little problem when I checked out her page: all of the links on the page were changed to phishing links.
Before going further, I'll define phishing since the term isn't overly abound. Phishing is when links are changed to websites that try to steal your data, be it your password, your E-mail, personal information like social security numbers, credit card numbers or something else. Usually these sites will make mock-ups of other sites in order to trick users into thinking that it's still that site. Many phishing sites phish on MySpace by creating MySpace login look-alike pages. These pages closely resemble where you'd type your login E-mail and your password, and they're highly successful because MySpace users simply aren't educated about phishing.
Whenever you visit one of the MySpace layout websites, you're sure to find numerous pre-made layouts. These layouts look superb and professional, and are very attractive to users are looking for the newest, most fashionable layout for their page. Usually associated with these are numerous links to the site where you obtained the layout, often at the top left corner of your page, but as well there can be some extra baggage, such as phishing links. These links are there to trick people into hitting them and logging in (a repeat occurrence is that the top links to home, browse, search, etc. will be phishing links.) Your friends are at risk of having their information stolen if you leave the links like that.
So, how do you protect yourself and your friends from phishing on MySpace? If you use pre-made layouts, check all of the links on your page to see if they lead to a site that is NOT MySpace, even though it might look like it. Check the address bar; if the URL does not contain myspace.com, it is likely a phishing site. If these links are on your page, ask a knowledgeable friend to make you a profile or find a different layout and test that one as well. Also, phishing comes in the form of bulletins that entice you to click a link, such as free laptops, cell phones and more. If those bulletins are being sent from your profile, change your password immediately. If those bulletins are coming from your friends' profiles, advise them to change their password. Don't click any links to sites from bulletins advertising anything free, and tell your friends not to as well.
If you add anything new to your profile that contains links, such as glitter graphics or add-ons like falling text, check your profile to see if any of those links take you to something resembling a phishing website. These can add links around your page to phishing websites, so be sure to check your whole page. Always be on the lookout for suspicious things on your profile, and if your friends have them on theirs, be sure to alert them. The most obvious target for phishers is the populous that is unaware of phishing and won't know the difference. The most important things for you to do to avoid phishing are to know what it is and to be vigilant and to spread that knowledge and vigilance. Feel free, as always, to E-mail me personally with any questions at bluestar42 at gmail DOT com.
Before going further, I'll define phishing since the term isn't overly abound. Phishing is when links are changed to websites that try to steal your data, be it your password, your E-mail, personal information like social security numbers, credit card numbers or something else. Usually these sites will make mock-ups of other sites in order to trick users into thinking that it's still that site. Many phishing sites phish on MySpace by creating MySpace login look-alike pages. These pages closely resemble where you'd type your login E-mail and your password, and they're highly successful because MySpace users simply aren't educated about phishing.
Whenever you visit one of the MySpace layout websites, you're sure to find numerous pre-made layouts. These layouts look superb and professional, and are very attractive to users are looking for the newest, most fashionable layout for their page. Usually associated with these are numerous links to the site where you obtained the layout, often at the top left corner of your page, but as well there can be some extra baggage, such as phishing links. These links are there to trick people into hitting them and logging in (a repeat occurrence is that the top links to home, browse, search, etc. will be phishing links.) Your friends are at risk of having their information stolen if you leave the links like that.
So, how do you protect yourself and your friends from phishing on MySpace? If you use pre-made layouts, check all of the links on your page to see if they lead to a site that is NOT MySpace, even though it might look like it. Check the address bar; if the URL does not contain myspace.com, it is likely a phishing site. If these links are on your page, ask a knowledgeable friend to make you a profile or find a different layout and test that one as well. Also, phishing comes in the form of bulletins that entice you to click a link, such as free laptops, cell phones and more. If those bulletins are being sent from your profile, change your password immediately. If those bulletins are coming from your friends' profiles, advise them to change their password. Don't click any links to sites from bulletins advertising anything free, and tell your friends not to as well.
If you add anything new to your profile that contains links, such as glitter graphics or add-ons like falling text, check your profile to see if any of those links take you to something resembling a phishing website. These can add links around your page to phishing websites, so be sure to check your whole page. Always be on the lookout for suspicious things on your profile, and if your friends have them on theirs, be sure to alert them. The most obvious target for phishers is the populous that is unaware of phishing and won't know the difference. The most important things for you to do to avoid phishing are to know what it is and to be vigilant and to spread that knowledge and vigilance. Feel free, as always, to E-mail me personally with any questions at bluestar42 at gmail DOT com.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Want To Make Some Extra Cash?
Want a fun, easy way to make extra cash? Check out Cash Duck. You only need to be 13 or older and live in the US.
Read a tutorial on how to make cash on Cash Duck here.
Sign up by clicking the image below.
Read a tutorial on how to make cash on Cash Duck here.
Sign up by clicking the image below.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Free Ipods: Fact or Fiction?
Hey Myspacer's! So what do you all think about the Free Ipod sites that are all over the place? Can people really get an Ipod for nothing? Well... maybe.
Some people actually have actually been successful in getting their free ipods. Here's how most sites work.
You register (usually using someone's referral link) then complete one offer. Offers vary from site to site, but they include things like Blockbuster, Netflix, Video Professor, True.com, etc. Usually they just want you to sign up for a free trial where you pay S/H or for a one month thing and then you can cancel.
After you've completed your offer, you get a certain amount of friends (varies from site to site) to sign up under you, complete an offer and then submit boom, your Ipod's in the mail. Or something like that. ;-)
Anyway, so yours truly decided to sign up as well. Just to see if it was really true.
Here's my referral link: YourFreeVideoIpods
Let's see if it'll actually work. If you sign up under my referral link and complete an offer - I'll replace my link with yours after mine has been completed... and leave it up until yours is completed as well.
If anyone has any ideas or tips, feel free to comment. Thanks!
Some people actually have actually been successful in getting their free ipods. Here's how most sites work.
You register (usually using someone's referral link) then complete one offer. Offers vary from site to site, but they include things like Blockbuster, Netflix, Video Professor, True.com, etc. Usually they just want you to sign up for a free trial where you pay S/H or for a one month thing and then you can cancel.
After you've completed your offer, you get a certain amount of friends (varies from site to site) to sign up under you, complete an offer and then submit boom, your Ipod's in the mail. Or something like that. ;-)
Anyway, so yours truly decided to sign up as well. Just to see if it was really true.
Here's my referral link: YourFreeVideoIpods
Let's see if it'll actually work. If you sign up under my referral link and complete an offer - I'll replace my link with yours after mine has been completed... and leave it up until yours is completed as well.
If anyone has any ideas or tips, feel free to comment. Thanks!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Any Bloggers On MySpace?
If you're a blogger you should check out Payperpost. Payperpost is a cool and easy way for bloggers to make money blogging. They pay you to blog about products and services that YOU want to. Want to learn more? Check out this article written by a Payperposter that made it's way on to digg.
Can You Really Get A Free Ipod? YES!!
Can You Really Get A Free Ipod? YES!!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
MySpace or Yours is still here!
Just a quick note to let you know that MySpace or Yours is still around. I (Becky) have been extremely busy and Jeremy is back in school now and busy as well. I'm working on getting some new posts written up and continuing to keep you informed about the latest on MySpace. Thanks for your patience!
Can You Really Get A Free Ipod? YES!!
Can You Really Get A Free Ipod? YES!!
Friday, August 11, 2006
10 Tips for Promoting Your Blog or Website on MySpace
Are you lost when it comes to promoting your blog/website on MySpace? Check out 10 Tips for Promoting Your Blog or Website on MySpace to find out how to best utilize your MySpace for promotional purposes. Whether you're a blogger, band, celebrity, business, etc... these tips can help you take full advantage of your MySpace profile.
If you have your own website, you know how confusing online marketing terms can be - especially if you're new to this. That's why I love Apogee Search! They have an awesome online marketing glossary with every conceivable term you could think of. If you're involved in any kind of online venture, reading through this glossary is a must!
Can You Really Get A Free Ipod? YES!!
If you have your own website, you know how confusing online marketing terms can be - especially if you're new to this. That's why I love Apogee Search! They have an awesome online marketing glossary with every conceivable term you could think of. If you're involved in any kind of online venture, reading through this glossary is a must!
Can You Really Get A Free Ipod? YES!!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Check out these MySpace articles!!
Just published a bunch of new MySpace articles on Associated Content!
MySpace Comedy: Where The Comedians Are - click to read!
My Favorite Blogs About MySpace - click to read!
MySpace Codes: How To Hide Anything In Your Profile - click to read!
Where to Find the Hottest MySpace Layouts - click to read!
Where to Find Free MySpace Trackers - click to read!
Top 5 Most Popular MySpace Groups - Film/Television - click to read!
If you're 18 or over and interested in writing for Associated Content - sign up today!
Can You Really Get A Free Ipod? YES!!
MySpace Comedy: Where The Comedians Are - click to read!
My Favorite Blogs About MySpace - click to read!
MySpace Codes: How To Hide Anything In Your Profile - click to read!
Where to Find the Hottest MySpace Layouts - click to read!
Where to Find Free MySpace Trackers - click to read!
Top 5 Most Popular MySpace Groups - Film/Television - click to read!
If you're 18 or over and interested in writing for Associated Content - sign up today!
Can You Really Get A Free Ipod? YES!!
Saturday, August 05, 2006
The Multiple Personalities of Tom...
Here's a fun group where group members post pics of different "Tom's":
 | The Multiple Personalities of Tom Have you seen Tom lurking around on profiles, but it wasn't Tom? Then you've seen one of his multiple personalities. This is a group with many different Toms. | |
Visit the group for more pics and links to profiles with pictures of Tom!
Can You Really Get A Free Ipod? YES!!
Can You Really Get A Free Ipod? YES!!
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