Let’s be frank – I’m not very big on the whole hip hop scene. I remember during one of my stints as an ice cream scooper (don’t ask, I really needed the money) for the Rogers Cup, I was with a colleague and to pass the time, he played a lot of hip hop and rap music off of his phone. I didn’t know any of the songs that he was blasting. He kind of figured and spent the next couple days trying to teach me the lyrics and the flow to some raps – I think I only got the chorus of one song down.

Anyway, fast-forward two years to where I figured that when I received an invitation to attend the Hip Hop Theater Festival’s “Deez Nuts” that I might as well give hip-hop another shot with my friend Julie. I couldn’t say that I wasn’t the least bit intrigued when I heard that the performance that I was invited to was a workshop production (where the act is put on as a work-in-progress), which was about The Beatnuts. Think about it: normally when you go to a theater, big or small, the piece is final and is the exact same as the night before, but here was something different. I would be watching trial and error; hopefully, it wouldn’t be so much error.

The crowd was intimate with not more than 120 people seated, and the rest of the small studio acted as the stage in the discrete Ohio Theater. Putting a spin to the method of telling of a story, I was presented with the process of how production staff would want to tell the story of the duo (i.e. script read-through), as well as their actual story. Was it well done? Yes. Was that the most attractive aspect of the show? No.

What I loved most wasn’t the story itself, but rather, the level of interaction amongst everyone. Engaging the audience with an attractive story telling method is one thing, but what this show did was engage everyone on stage, on the sidelines, and in the seats. For instance, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the sideline persons (i.e. the DJ in this case) have so much interaction – talking to the cast and to the audience.

Also, how many times do you get to see a work-in-progress? It’s fun, for once, to see something in its “rawest form” (as Clyde Valentin said when I interviewed him before the performance). Even if if I don’t see a finished product, at least I saw something that was just good at its core and that was striving to be better. When you think about it, that’s a process to which a lot of us can relate. Perhaps, that’s why the concept of a “workshop production” is so attractive.

Following the performance, guests were treated to an open-bar of wine and mixing and mingling. Press folks (I did mine before the performance) wandered to the back to do interviews, and others just left their mark on the black graffiti wall with silver markers. It was a great way to complete the fun evening.

G-Bo The Pro spinning the tracks

Signing the wall

Me with one of the Beatnuts, Psycho Les

The production team/cast (Clyde Valentin, Peter Oasis, JuJu, Sacha Jenkins, Psycho Les)

Group photo and wall signing photo courtesy of Michael Premo

Barb :: Oct.09.2009 :: Culture, Life :: 2 Comments »

The staple of the working world (which I fear joining, haha), the BlackBerry may not be the most technologically advanced gadget out there, but it is doing its best to not compromise the media component in its latest phones. It does what it needs to do – allow for communication with them other big boys. Let’s face it: phones are no longer accessories that we can tote around for texting our buddies after work; they are now a necessity for keeping up to date when we’re not at the computer.

I’ve had my fair share of phones, your good ol’ fashioned just-use-to-call-and-text phones and your smartphones that run your life for you, and recently left my Nokia E71 for a BlackBerry Bold? How am I faring with it? Well, let’s take a look:

One of the things that I greatly dislike is the number of third party of applications for the BlackBerry are limited in comparison to Nokia’s symbian platform phones and to the growing number of Windows Mobile phones. Accessing data-based programs without BlackBerry’s BIS makes it impossible, whereas you can access chat programs, for instance, with no problem with a regular data plan. But hey, you’re paying for the BlackBerry’s abilities to push email and BlackBerry messenger – that’s about the two big selling points.

Not having my BIS set up quite yet, I can’t personally give you my take on the email and messaging. But from what everyone tells me, it’s fantastic! I have to admit that the SMS threading is quite useful, since I often find myself going “what?” when looking at a day old text message. Separate application for tasks? Yes, and boy does that come in handy!

Unlike my friend Julie Shyu who carries her Jack Georges “Milano” dayplanner with her everywhere and is able to separate her tasks and appointments with just pen marks and sticky notes, I only have my phone. Seeing my appointments on the homescreen is a must for me, but also being able to clearly access my tasks is important. Having a this separate application allows me to see what needs to be done, as opposed to having everything listed on the screen like my Nokia E71 (which mind you, I loved to pieces but could not stand the email interface). One particular detail about the calendar is that you are able to view which appointments you have written a memo for! It’s so much easier than sifting through the entries to try to remember if you wrote specific details concerning the appointment!

The media aspects of this phone are also a great improvement from its preecessors. Sound quality is crisp, video capabilities are fantastic, and the browser works wonderfully. Just don’t expect too much from the camera – it’s still lousy. But hey, you can never have it all.

The one big killer to this necessity? If you have a mac computer, you’re headed for trouble. Not only can you not do the firmware updates (which is also a problem with Nokia), but there is also no sync option with iSync. I’m a big organizing freak when it comes to making sure that my computer is up-to-date with the contacts and calendar in my phone. RIM offered to mac users PocketMac for free; great, free thing are good, but it’s better when they work! PocketMac is so full of glitches that it fails to even detect many BlackBerry phones. The only other options are to sync through Google or to purchase Missing Sync for $40USD.

Missing Sync works exactly like iSync and allows the option to transfer folders, manage music from iTunes to BlackBerry, and to save your call/SMS logs. Negatives? It’s a little fickle and the data transfer rate between phone and computer (even with the USB cable) is slow. But hey, it’s better than nothing, right? And BlackBerry says that they will be launching desktop manager for macs in September.

Just like how you wouldn’t leave your Chloé bag out of its dustbag for too long, you wouldn’t leave your beloved BlackBerry out of a case. Because France doesn’t seem to be too big on selling fanciful cellphone cases, I’m currently using a quite durable crystal clear case. When I return to North America, you can bet for sure that I will be getting a real case! Beyza Cases has been known to make great slips for the BlackBerry, but I’m looking for something a little more refined in terms of workmanship and style. Also making great slips is RexRegina; their cases seem to surpass Beyza Cases‘ quality by a lot.

Currently eyeing RexRegina's Morgan Black Lizard Embossed Leather

Note that out of the box, the BlackBerry does not display calendar information on the homescreen. You will be needing a theme that allows for that. The theme that I recommend can be found on BerryReview and it allows you to also preview received texts and emails, and most importantly, it’s free!

Barb :: Jul.26.2009 :: Trendy Finds :: No Comments »