You probably don't know who Robert Muraine is by name, but you will definitely recognize him from his dancing. And if you've never seen him dance, you will definitely remember him henceforth. He is a street dancer from Santa Monica, CA who auditioned for this season's So You Think You Can Dance, and blew the judges away with his very original style. The boy can move like he has no bones. It's kind of horrifying to watch yet utterly fascinating at the same time. Here is Robert's audition for the show:
That got him straight through to the Vegas rounds (where they pick the top 20 who will be on the show), but he ended up withdrawing himself from the competition, realizing that while he's very very good at the style of dancing he does, he wasn't comfortable with the many different types of dancing that would be asked of him further down the audition and competition process. Either way, he gave us probably THE most memorable audition in the history of the show.
So while he hasn't been on SYTYCD this season as a competitor, he returned as a guest performer a few weeks ago. And it seems that people are taking notice of his talent: currently, he's being featured in a series of Ikea Canada commercials. I hope we get to see more of him, he's so entertaining to watch!! And don't forget to tune into the season finale of SYTYCD tonight, where he may or may not make an appearance.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Spotlight: Robert Muraine
Monday, June 30, 2008
[Spotlight] Napoleon & Tabitha D'umo
You probably don't know who Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo are, unless you're a hip-hop dance fanatic, or unless you've been intently watching So You Think You Can Dance this season. New to the judging and choreographing panel this season on SYTYCD, this husband and wife duo (also known as NappyTabs) has definitely been my favorite part of the show so far. We first met them during the auditions, when they helped pick the Top 20 dancers. In the last couple of episodes, they've shown America just why they were on that judging panel with some really innovative choreography. According to their bio on FOX, they've "choreographed and/or performed with recording artists such as Céline Dion, Beyoncé, Missy Elliott, Toni Braxton, Timbaland and Destiny's Child...their assistant director credits for music tours include Ricky Martin's "Black and White Tour," Christina Aguilera's "Back to Basics Tour" and Kanye West's current tour." Pretty impressive resume, I'd say.
A lot of people have been talking about their choreography for contestants Mark and Chelsie this past week, to Leona Lewis's Bleeding Love. It's become my FAVORITE performance of the season (and one of my favorites of all time ever on the show):
I LOVE IT!! I think I've watched is like 35 times by now.
They also choreographed this great number for Katee and Joshua, to Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown's No Air:
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Spotlight: The Lonely Island
These days, the general consensus seems to be that Saturday Night Live is no longer funny. But some old habits die hard, and damnit, I love me some SNL. Sure, I admit that a good portion of the sketches baffle me, but I watch on, hoping for the show to redeem itself with either a reoccuring character (Debbie Downer or MacGruber, anyone?), or a SNL digital short. And for the most part, the SNL digital shorts do not disappoint, thanks to the lovely minds of The Lonely Island.
Mainly composed of "The Dudes," SNL cast member Andy Samberg, and SNL writers Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone are the creative minds that brought us "Lazy Sunday" and "Dick in a Box." The three all grew up in Berkley, California and met during junior high school. The trio shot a sketch-comedy show pilot for FOX called "Awesometown," only to be rejected; they then made another pilot to pitch to MTV, but was rejected once more. But upon posting their failed pilots on their website, their video clips were spread like wildfire, only to be finally noticed by SNL.
In all fairness, it's a safe bet to say that the humor of The Lonely Island isn't necessarily for everyone. Sure, "Lazy Sunday" was a popular hit, but I'm pretty sure not all people can appreciate the humor in MacGruber. I personally found punching people before they eat to be hilarious, but while watching it with a small group of people, I found myself laughing by my lonesome. Also, how many people can say that they've seen The Dudes' first feature-length film, "Hot Rod?" Cool beans!
Many might say that The Lonely Island relies on childish humor. But in a world where people are trying too hard to be funny, it's refreshing to find humor in the simplest of things. The Dudes have come a long way from their failed pilots, and keep making their low-budget videos in hopes to entertain. And it's inspiring to see that anything is possible, especially within our generation of video-recording and Youtube video-sharing. Here's to the next generation of comedy.
And in case you haven't seen "Hot Rod" yet ..
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Spotlight: The Hush Sound
I'm not a big fan of Fall Out Boy, but I will say one thing: Peter Wentz has some good taste in music. Since making it big, he has been signing a bunch of artists to his label, Fueled by Ramen. Along with Gym Class Heroes, The Hush Sound is my favorite band on the label.
The Hush Sound is probably one of the best bands you haven't heard of. Consisting of 2 lead singers (Bob Morris and Greta Salpeter), a drummer (Darren Wilson), and a Bassist (Chris Faller), this indie group from Chicago only started 4 years ago, yet has made 3 really great albums.
They have created a unique musical style that is not what you would expect from a group that is labeled as alternative/indie rock. Yes, they do have a tinge of rock in them, but their music is distinctively light and almost contemporary-country'ish. While this seems like an odd combination, The Hush Sound makes it work.
Like with most good groups, it's hard to describe their music. It's much easier to give you a taste of it....
The Hush Sound recently released their latest album, Goodbye Blues. It isn't their best album -- they seem to go too much towards a slow-tempo’d, country / bluesy sound. However, it still is a solid album and has some gems in it.
My favorite song of the album is "Hospital Bed Crawl."
To get the best of The Hush Sound, you have to look back to their last album, Like Vines. The entire album is great. My two favorites in the album are "Wine Red" (their single) and "We Intertwined". The songs represent what makes The Hush Sound so good: Great vocals and catchy beats.
Wine Red
We Intertwined
The Hush Sound is the kind of group that you can brag to your friends about discovering first. They unique sound appeals to many people. And if their first 3 albums are any indication, they will continue to make awesome music.
Their Official Site
Their MySpace
Their Wiki Page
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Spotlight: Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
Jason Mraz is one of my favorite artists, and probably one of the most awesome artists to see live. His originality and talent has made him one of the most refreshing artists of today, and I have been waiting patiently for the release of his third studio album, We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things (due out 5/20/08). The first single off that album is called I'm Yours, but as die-hard Mraz fans know, it's a single that has been floating around the Internet for years. Originally recorded as a demo for his second studio album Mr. A-Z, the song was leaked, and became a hit without getting a single radio play. No wonder, I'm Yours is mellow (Jack Johnson-esque), catchy, radio-friendly, and beautiful.
The older, leaked single is slightly different from the single that is available right now on iTunes, Amazon.com, and Zune Marketplace, because he recorded different takes of it. I happen to LOVE the new version. Here is the recently released music video for I'm Yours, doesn't it just make you want to take a nice relaxing vaycay somewhere??
Friday, February 29, 2008
Spotlight: Tina Fey
With the writers' strike over, I was delighted to hear that for the very first week back on-air, Saturday Night Live was to be hosted by none other than Tina Fey! Of course, I made immediate plans to go see SNL .. well, live .. but due to prior commitments, I was unable to go; however, thanks to living in the wonderful age of the Internetz, I was able to see Ms. Fey's hosting skillz0rs.
Known as the first female head writer for Saturday Night Live from 1999 until her departure in 2005, Tina Fey is a "jack of all trades" type; an Emmy/Golden Globe/SAG winning writer/comedian/actress, she currently co-produces/writes/stars in the multiple award winning tv series 30 Rock. That's a whole lot to say for this little lady from Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.
What makes Tina Fey so awesome, you ask? Well, first off, if you ask any female you know (with a decent sense of humor), she'll probably admit to having a slight woman-crush on Tina Fey. She's smart, funny, and is a pretty damn good writer. For all the fellas out there: remember when you first realized how hawt Lindsay Lohan was in Mean Girls? Yup, you could thank Tina Fey for that - she wrote the script for it. Sure, Lindsay Lohan was nice to look at throughout the movie, but if the script hadn't been good, you would have spent most of the time wishing for the movie to end. Also, Tina Fey isn't so bad on the eyes either. Even Maxim realized this, after putting her on their "TV's Least Appealing Ladies" list; after realizing how dumb they really are, they placed her in another one of their [stupid] lists, "5 Women We're Not Supposed To Want (But Do)." Hm .. seems like Maxim is admitting to being wrong a lot these days, no?
And let's not get started with 30 Rock. If you've read my past post on 7 Reasons Why You Should Watch Season One of 30 Rock, you'll know how much I adore the show. Quirky characters, quotable lines, unnoticeable dirty jokes .. this show has got it all. And it really makes you appreciate Tina Fey, as it is based loosely around her hectic life when she worked as head writer for a sketch comedy show (you guess it), SNL.
Tina Fey is the new, kick-ass kind of woman that women everywhere should be looking up to. She's smart, funny, and that all sort of makes her hawt in a way, that even most guys are confused about feeling some sort of attraction to her.
Tina Fey - Bitch Is the New Black (SNL)
Tina Fey - American Express Commercial
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Spotlight: Diablo Cody
We here at LifeinBoxes heart Juno. The sweet and quirky indie film has been an intrigue to us since the project was first announced (Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, and Jennifer Garner in one movie??), and then we got excited about the trailer, and then we saw it, and... well, it definitely lived up to all of our expectations. People can talk about heavy marketing all they want, but really, the true test of the quality of a movie comes from word of mouth. Juno opened in select cities and slowly rolled out nationally. And boy has the little indie-movie-that-could really shown its legs. As of this week, Juno is the #2 movie in the nation, behind National Treasure. It is also expected to be Fox Searchlight's biggest grossing movie ever.
The success of Juno rests on a lot of things. It's brilliantly acted (give Ellen Page all the awards she's up for), it has a sweet and moral message without ever being condescending, and it's funny. But all of that falls on the great script first-time screenwriter Diablo Cody wrote. I don't think people realize the importance of a screenplay. It is the basis of all films, bad or good. The thing is, while you can make a bad movie out of a good screenplay, you simply can't make a good movie out of a bad screenplay. No matter how hard you try, if the screenplay isn't good, your movie isn't going to be either.
Diablo Cody's rise to the top is what Hollywood tales are made of. A former stripper, she started blogging about her stripping experiences, which caught the eyes of a Hollywood producer. He became a fan, landed her a book deal, which led her on the path of screenwriting. She wrote Juno at a Starbucks inside a Target in like 6 months, and it has been produced as a film without the usual many revisions most scripts go through. To have your very first attempt at a screenplay be produced is amazing. To have it be made into a film without loads of rewrites and revisions? That's pretty unheard of. To have people take you and your project seriously, despite having no formal screenwriting experience or training, in an industry where names and connections trump quality sometimes? That's a miracle. All of this just speaks to the brilliance of Juno.
Sometimes the movie does get bogged down by its too-witty dialogue. The characters are all way too articulate, way too funny. But the film is good. It has heart, it has characters that are not one-dimensional, and Juno is a great role model. Yes, despite the fact that she's 16 and knocked up, she is a strong female character, something that Hollywood desperately needs more of. Cody says, "I have a responsibility to write strong female characters. I'm going to continue to do it." We'll be seeing a lot more of Cody and these strong female characters; since the success of Juno, she's in hot hot demand in Hollywood at the moment. Once the strike is over, she's set to continue working on Jennifer's Body, a horror comedy, and The United States of Tara, a Showtime series produced by Steven Spielberg.
