Froeman's Take

Drake's "Thank Me Later" Deserves Immediate Gratitude

Months ago Aubrey Graham's (also known by his stagename, Drake) fingers tapped away at his Blackberry keys, whirling lyrics together to give birth to what would become his first official studio album Thank Me Later.  In just twelve days in the United States alone, the album sold 604,000 copies and was the number one album on the United States Billboard Chart.

Drake, Canadian actor turned rapper has seemingly come out of nowhere... because he actually has.  Just a few years ago he discovered his talent for rapping and singing in which few before him had found success (including such names as tupac).  With his producer/friend they took to putting together a mix tape.  Not long after that he recieved a call from Lil Wayne, an invitation to the group, Young Money.  Drake's discography so far includes three mixtapes, Room For Improvement, Comeback Season, and So Far Gone, his new studio album, Thank Me Later as well as various singles produced with other stars including Eminem, Kanye West, and the members of Young Money who put together the collabrative album, We Are Young Money in late 2009.

Drake is not only highly talented, but his is highly respectable as well.  Still close with his mom, Graham puts his family life as one of his top priorities and the hard working life style and morals that he professes in his raps exhibit proof of his strong family background.  In July of 2010, Drake has put his entire European tour on hold to tend to his mother's illness.  Also near the top of his priority list is his producer and friend, "40,"  40 is on the road with Drake and invloved with his music career more than anyone.  40 is who pushed Drake to exercize his musical talents in the beggining.

Many would argue that Drake is no where near the top of the rap game on this day.  But, I don't think anyone would disagree that he is climbling the ladder of success faster than anyone worth mentioning.  He knows he is not at the top yet and he wants his fans and critics to know that as well, but he also wants them to know that he is working every day to get there and that he knows he can be the best.

 The word that I know I have already used, but still keeps popping into my head to describe Drake is respect.  He gives it in every due place and he has earned a lot of it from his peers, his family, his fans, and from me.  I hope to see more from him and I am excited to see how large Drake becomes.

Shutter Island: My Head Hurts...

Teddy Daniels - Andrew Laeddis, Dolores Chanalk - Rachel Solando.  Figure it out for yourself. With all of the twists and turns this movie throws at you I could give you nearly every piece of spoiler information I could and you would still be left wondering what exactly happened.

As the movie progressed I made my best attempts at keeping what seems to be the true story line in my head.  Although this is quite a difficult task when those facts that the rest of the story lies upon are swept from beneath your feet.  Do not get me wrong, Scorsese had directed yet another beautiful film and though it plays with your heart and deeper than that, your mind it is, in my opinion a wonderful thriller.

As our main character, "Teddy" realizes that he was brought toShutter Island by more than his own personal accord, he begins to question the quality of care the United States' government has entrusted the institution with and he makes a plan to "blow the roof off the place" once he returns to the mainland...if only that was an option.  Though once again, I can give you as many spoilers a you may or may not desire, but it will never prevent you from being utterly shocked upon the movie's conclusion.  As I walked out of the theatre, I gained an internal sentiment that everything was a lie.  I felt as if my life could by manipulated into oblivion right then and there at the snap one's fingers.

Do not let the trailers decieve you! This is by no means a horror movie!  I cannot remember getting a sense of terror while viewing this film, though I can conclude that this movie is one of the best thrillers I have ever seen, as it is packed with suspense and mind games throught it's entirety.

Without a doubt, this movie was worth the price of the ticket and I will most likely buy it once it is released onto DVD.  You may even be able to convince me to see it again while it is still in theatres.  I'm also interested to see if any "alternate theories" are released with a different take on the true story line behind the movie.  I can also safely say that I was in no way dissapointed by this movie.  If I had to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, I believe it would deserve the honest judgement of an 8.  But don't just take my for it! Go and let it destroy your own state of mind and ruin any presence of rational thought!

Coolest Dead Person of the Week: Andy Warhol

Andy Warhol has been called a lot of things, some of them very well justified and he may have been substantially different from most of society and even other artists of his time, but I think he just as substantially cooler than the rest of the artists and other big names of his time.

Sprinkling himself throughout many areas and types of work, his taste has touched without a doubt nearly every corner of the world.  Of course what I find fascinating are his paintings.  He tried a lot of styles and techniques in his lifetime, but that is not what matters to me.  Upon reading more about him, I was mostly impressed by his audacity as an artist as a whole.  He tried basically anything and everything and he almost falls into the category of an abstract artist for some of his bizarre films.  He’s painted on everything from canvases to racecars and he lets the inspiration of his work come from his own life.  For instance, his famous Campbell’s Soup rendering was inspired by the fact that he ate Campbell’s soup for lunch nearly everyday of his life!  That makes me wonder if I should produce some form of art based on the peanut butter & jelly sandwich.  He has many other famous paintings and people all over the world have gone for the “Warhol” look.  He’s an inspiration to me, the world of art, and hopefully to you, but most of all; he is this week’s coolest dead person.

iLove iCarly

In five…four…three…two…one…As Miranda Cosgrove’s theme song to iCarly begins, clips of Freddy (Fredward) Benson putting the camera on Carly Shay who captains the show and Sam Puckett who rides shotgun are getting me excited to see what is to come in this episode.  iCarly has rarely, if ever disappointed me and I am always looking forward to the world premiere of a new episode.

It is not every show nowadays that brings to the table such a unique blend of a cast that can entertain you for what seems like only seconds when in reality you just watched a half an hour of TV!  In most television shows it is a side character that attaches themselves to you, the one that you always want to quote and the one that makes you laugh the hardest.  But, for me this is not the case as Carly Shay is by far my favorite character!  I love her jokes,  I love her personality, and most of all I love her ingenuity! What other teen girl has the courage and ambition to run a professional web show on the world stage with just the help of her two best friends?  But then again as long as you’ve got your best friends in life, you’re set right?

Now after having said all of this I do not mean to neglect or leave out all of the other brilliant, irreplaceable minor stars and recurring roles.  Spencer for instance is to say the least the most “lovable” character on the cast.  Though you only receive limited glances at Spencer’s days and ways you can only begin to imagine walking a day in his shoes.  Also, I might add that he has some of the best pickup lines I have ever heard and he always seems to get the girl.

Sam and Freddie are awesome in every way.  The couple that will never be, the best enemies, call them what you want, their relationship is wildly entertaining.  I was not shocked at all while watching the episode where Sam accidentally reveals to Carly while on laughing gas that she and Freddie kissed.  I knew it would happen, as it was only a matter of time. 

Without further adieu, I must make mention of the one and only Gibby.  Gibby is 100% Gibby and nothing will stop him from being that way. Ever.  Everyone loves Gibby, whether it is when he has his shirt off and he is running around screaming or he is up dancing on a table in the middle of crowded restaurant.  I love Gibby. You love Gibby (or if you don’t, you will soon come to like or you are just a jerk).  We all love Gibby.

Now I have had some dissapointments with iCarly as of recent.  I was so mad at Sam for breaking up Freddie and Carly after they had just gotten together.  Though, once I calmed down, I came to realize that Sam did the right thing.  Personally, I think she was jealous.  That’s all I’ll say on that.

There have been an iCarly movie; iGo to Japan which I would say is descent and it has me looking forward to more.  Though I want the series to take its time and be all it can be.  I want to be watching new episodes of iCarly twenty years from now (though I don’t know how this will be possible because the actors will age – but nonetheless, the future will provide).  Right now I’d rather watch iCarly than write any more about it so I’ve decided this is all I have to say.  At least, for now.

Bowling for Soup: Your Fifth-Grade Hits, My Life-Long Soundtrack

I don’t know about the rest of you, but in the fifth grade when I stepped onto the bus with my Sony CD player and the new Bowling for Soup album at the time; A Hangover You Don’t Deserve, (by the way, I had no clue what a hangover was and why I didn’t deserve one) I was instantly the celebrated as the coolest kid in school.  As we walked down the halls and played out at recess, we sang along to hits like “1985” and “Almost” and though we didn’t understand any of the adult-oriented words and did not come close to catching any of the themes throughout the music, we loved it!

For some, the obsession ended with fifth grade graduation.  Others, it faded out into the sixth grade.  But not for me.  BFS ran deep through my veins and to this day, I still sometimes get nervous breakdowns where the only thing I can turn to is my blessed albums by Bowling for Soup.

If it wasn’t for Bowling for Soup I probably would not have made it through elementary school let alone middle school.  With Jaret Reddick’s lyrics guiding me through the night, I can rest assured that there is hope in the future.

  Some lyrical genius mixed with instrumental talent and a divine inspiration Bowling for Soup has been able to keep kids throughout the world on their toes as to what will come next.  Pandemonium ensued last January as their seventh studio album; Sorry for Partyin' was released. 

Though I have been disappointed recently, because as I have been avidly checking my email as well as the BFS home page, all of their tour dates have been posted in Europe! This is an outrage to me, as there are so many big fans right here in the United States!  Maybe if a member or associate of Bowling for Soup reads this they might bring the “Party in Your Pants Tour” back home where the party started.

Though their style has become somewhat less “punk” and more “pop,” they still hold true their somewhat existent core.  Let’s just say that if they keep making it, I’ll keep buying it.

Apple iPad: Needs Work

Just two days ago Apple released their "latest and greatest" to the public.  It may be their latest item on the market, though i can strongly say that it is their least ingenuitive product (given what they have already shown the world.  Called the Apple iPad, it boasts a 9.7 inch LED backlit screen from which you can touch and tap your way through the web as well as many other features, namely its book-reader function.

It's just too bad that the iPhone or iPod Touch can already do all of this!  Well, minus the book-reader.  I don't know about society's opinion, but I love sitting down and being able to flip, feel, and smell the pages of the book I am reading.  The iPad would essentially take the experience itself out of reading.  Also, in my opinion a physical library is much more impressive and practical than any virtual library.  How would one expect to lend or borrow a book?

Another complaint I have with this meager-at-best product is storage capacity as it is available in almost anorexic 16GB, a version with onlly32GB,  Iand another topping out a still insufficient 64GB. You would think that with its supposedly "massive" proccesor that it would come with an atleast adequate space to store your data.  Any virtual library that has to share an already over-compressed space with your desired music, movies, applications, and other internet data is not going to be very prestigous at all.

Being very large and fragile, this would not be easy to travel with as it is intended, but you would always have the option of purchasing many dollars worth of gear to go along with your iPad.  Also if one was looking to make this their home desktop or personal laptop, they would have to drop more than just the $599 starting price, as many accesories are needed for simple things, such as the use of a keyboard.

With a few improvements the apple iPad could be a great buy, especially for the traveling man or the student who wants everything all at once.  But, until that day I would not even consider buying one of these.

Michael's Midweek Mashup: Why Cats Are Better Than Dogs

Many of you who know me personally are well aware of my infatuation with my two amazing domestic house cats, Kiki and Peanut. They are two beautiful tabbies, aged 8 and 5 respectfully. For the purpose of this article, I am going to focus mostly on Kiki, as he is the closest thing I have to a brother, and if I had to pick favorites, it would be him. My family found Kiki in the summer of 2001 at the Hamilton County Humane Society. He was originally going to be for my sister’s birthday. However, Kiki and I quickly developed an intimate connection, and since then, I have called him mine.

    I would say that Kiki and I have many similar characteristics which is why we understand each other and get along so well. He is 15 pounds of pure muscle, and an extremely intelligent, chill, bad ass kitty, much like myself. He is also most likely the only living thing I know that can rival my sleeping patterns... but thats a story for a different time. Basically, the two of us have a special bond that is rarely found between different species. I have so many memories with him, it’s as if he were a real person. He can tell when I am upset because he will rub his head against my leg, and when I am playing video or computer games, he even knows not to bother me. My own parents haven’t even picked up the fact that I don’t answer them when I’m gaming!! Sometimes he even watches me play Xbox and purrs when I have a good game on Call of Duty. Dogs are extremely dumb creatures, who get satisfaction out of the most trivial things. One dog I know of will bark and scratch at the T.V. just because there is an animal on the screen... how dumb and annoying is that?!?!?

    Another benefit that cats have over dogs is personal hygiene. Anyone who has been to my house can attest to the fact that Kiki spends a large portion of his time grooming himself... even those hard to reach spots. Kiki also enjoys being brushed often as well as the occasional bath. Dogs on the other hand are a complete nuisance when it comes to cleanliness. Not only do they have a constant foul odor, but they bring dirt, germs, fleas, and sometimes even small rodents inside the house. Potty training them is a much more difficult process than it is for cats as well. Moreover, grooming dogs is a costly, time consuming, and difficult process. Essentially, cats have the wisdom to take care of themselves and appreciate their appearance, while dogs require humans to do all their dirty work.

      Speaking of intelligence, I would argue that cats are by far the most intelligent of all four legged animals. There is a reason why lions are considered to be the king of the jungle, and that simply is because they are smarter than everyone else. Kiki serves as the perfect example for just how smart a cat can be. I taught him how to play fetch when he was just a little kitten, and now he even answers to his name and certain personalized calls that I have created. He plays fetch better than any dog i’ve ever met, being able to find and retrieve a little hair elastic almost anywhere you flick it in the house. He can also carry on conversations when he wants something, he lays guard on my bed when I go to sleep at night, and he is able to manipulate my mother into getting treats whenever he wants (ok maybe that isn’t too difficult). All in all, the cat is simply leaps and bounds ahead of the dog when it comes to brains. and the next time your dog won't stop barking, just remember that its because he is too dumb to know why you keep telling him to shut up.

I would like to apologize to any dog owners who are offended or shocked to learn of the feline’s superiority over their canine companions. Ever since I was attacked by two angry dogs in my innocent childhood, I began to see why many jurisdictions are even banning people from owning certain breeds (pit bulls). Anyways, before I go off on a tangent of how dogs also inspire violence in today’s youth (just google Michael Vick dogfighting), I will end this edition of my weekly mash-up. As you can see though, there are a plethora of reasons for why I believe cats are better than dogs. While I could keep listing reasons why this is indeed a fact of nature, I have better things to do... like play DJ Hero.

Save Me, Mr. Walkin' Man

By now I think I have had enough time to gather all of my thoughts and consider and reconsider all of the possible scenarios and causes that produced the final result.  But it all comes back to one thing…which I cannot tell you without ruining the movie (at least in my opinion).  If you understand why I have just stated all of this, then you have probably seen The Book of Eli.  A stunningly moving film that gets at you so indirectly it hurts.  I still cannot reach my head all the way around the entire concept of the movie, or I am not satisfied with what opinions I have left to decide for myself.

Anyhow, to give you some pretext without being a spoiler, the movie starts out in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic-semi-nomadic society (I’m assuming it is this way around the planet.)  Following a “lone-ranger” type character (Denzel Washington) you experience the terrors and pitfalls of the “new world” in which this generation of survivors and those they have spawned live in.  Most do not know how to read and they simply submit to the will of those who do.  They have no goals. No family. No home. No life.  This is the world in which the devil reigns and from which hope has resigned.

But as you watch the movie you must have faith in Denzel’s words, especially when he states his intentions of heading somewhere “west.”  He was more informed than anyone ever was.  Even Martha.  Let me zero in on Martha for a second.  Martha made the movie for me.  She was the perfect comical relief and her character was delightful.  It’s really too bad that you find out that she eats humans, but no worries because she gets blown apart just minutes later.

I have come to the conclusion that everything of meaning within this film came down to a single objective, carried out by one man.  This man was born for his mission, as he was born at the perfect time to have the experience and ultimately the faith necessary to fulfill his duty.  This man had only the tools and preparation he needed.  Once he had completed his task, this man was taken by his faith, by his dedication, by his mission.

Again, this movie was great, a true thriller that will make you think and cringe and jump at the same time.  I strongly suggest going to see it as soon as possible.  Once you do, read this post again.  I believe you will be highly satisfied by the previous paragraph.

Michael's Midweek Mashup: DJ-erraerra-Hero

Released in October of last year, Activision’s DJ Hero has been making some noise in the gaming industry. The game was developed by FreeStyleGames, and was announced in early 2008 to the public. Since its introduction on the market however, its sales have been somewhat disappointing. However, there are numerous reasons why it failed to reach analysts’ expectations, notably the public’s unfamiliarity with the art of turntabling. Some call it a knock off of the Guitar Hero franchise, but I think it is an original approach to playing music on a console system. I believe that once people become familiar with the gameplay and see others tear up the scratch table at all the parties, more people will go out and purchase the game.

One of DJ Hero’s most appealing features as a game is its incredible music selection. Featuring 93 original mash-ups with more available for purchase in the online marketplace, and 102 individual songs by some of today’s most popular artists, the game satisfies even the most critical music aficionados. From dance to grunge, hip hop to rock, or rap to metal, DJ Hero has something to offer for everyone. At the same time, tracks by DJ AM, Tiesto, Justice, Eminem, Jay-Z, Daft Punk, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Shadow, and DJ Grandmaster Flash ensure that the music is modern and perfect for parties. Honestly, I would have spent a considerable amount of money just for the tracks alone - to be able to make the music myself and add my own twist is truly amazing.

Besides the excellent music, the game is both realistic and fun to play. The unique DJ Hero controller features a turntable for scratching, a crossfader, a rewind feature, a tuner, three buttons for hitting notes and freestyles, as well as a “euphoria” (similar to the “Star Power” feature for all you Guitar Hero buffs). As you can see, unlike Guitar Hero, there are a lot of things going on, and it really gives you the feeling that YOU are a real DJ. This is one of the reasons why I bought the game in the first place. Now I have the ability to show my skills off to my friends all the time. Whether I’m in my dorm room tearing it up, or dropping some mad beats at a dance party, I am sure to bring DJ Hero wherever I go. With this game, boring parties where everyone just stands around will be a thing of the past. If you learn to master this game like I have, I guarantee you will be the life of the party and the center of attention. Everyone will want to be your friend - no doubt about it.

A sequel, featuring one of my favorite DJs, David Guetta, is expected to come out later this year, and I can’t wait.  I hope that you join me in purchasing, playing, and mastering this revolutionary game. I promise you will not be disappointed. Thats all for this weeks mash-up... I have to go play some DJ Hero. 

In My Headphones: Delta Spirit

Though I’ve had some of their music for quite some time now, and they are not exactly new, debuting in 2005, I’ve really been getting into the band; Delta Spirit in the past few days.  Their music grabs a hold of me mostly when I’m absentminded in the car.  They’re a fascinating band and I thought I might take a better look at what they’re all about.

With quick beats, slow lyrics, and some instrumental genius, Delta Spirit comes together to form a great alternative rock band.  With three guitarists and a busker they grabbed off the streets (who actually turns out to be my favorite feature of the band) they made their debut with the EP I Think I’ve Found It, and followed up with their first full length album; Ode to Sunshine.  Their most recent project is titled “History From Below” and is to be released some time in May.

My favorite songs include Streetwalker and Trashcan.  Lately I can’t seem to get enough of Delta Spirit, and I am hoping they release a tour stop somewhere in the Midwest.  But in the meanwhile, I have to say that I am more than excited to get my hands and ears on “History From Below.”