Oofa!!! Now this is a fuckin’ PSA if I’ve ever seen one!!! It’s about 30 minutes long but well worth sitting through the whole thing. SPIN actually has a great minute by minute breakdown of the whole thing for those of you who’ll need Cliff Notes on the time signatures to skip to.

Taking up the reigns to the coastal dispute put on hold following the deaths of Biggie and Tupac, are Hip Hop legends Fabolous and Ray J! Or, Fabolous and Brandy’s brother, as Fab would call him. Shout out to Fab, though. And as is typical of today’s beef, this all started on Twitter, which is cool.

Among claims of having seven Rolls-Royce’s and a whole bunch of other cars that no one asked him about, Brandy’s little brother, Ray J, went off on a tirade yesterday on New York radio station, Power 105.1, regarding some altercation between him and Fabolous. And as if anyone put any stake into Ray J’s claims, Fab called in last night to clarify the event and further embarrass Ray J, who he called “Little Red Riding Hood”. It was too good. Incase you missed all this, here are the highlights of Ray J’s call.

Seriously, who keeps hooking up Rupert Grint with the Keep Watch swag? This is the second time we’ve spied him rocking something with the eyeball during a press junket. Not that we’re complaining, we just wanna say thank you to whoever is turning the young wizard into a mopster.

Look, I’m just going to come out and say it: There should be a version of The View for men. Just imagine, five guys, different backgrounds, different personalities and talents, discussing current events and interviewing guests. Entourage was society’s (Hollywood’s) response to Sex and The City, and now that that’s ending, this seems like the next logical step. And don’t think that this would just be five dudes sitting around riffing about sex and whatever. No, this would be five suit-wearing gentleman, discussing politics, current events, and then also sex and whatever.

And no, I have not forgotten about the short-lived 2001 daytime talk show, The Other Half, hosted by Dick Clark, Mario Lopez, Danny Bonaduce, and Dr. Jan Adams. The quick cancellation does not worry me, though. Frankly, with hosts like that I’m surprised it last the two years that it did. No, I am positive that the male View, which will be known as Gentleman’s Hour, will be nothing short of a massive success.

So here’s what I’m thinking: In place of show creator and veteran, Barbara Walters, would be Larry David. Hear me out. While he may not have the journalistic credentials that Walters possesses, he clearly knows how to speak is mind and is extremely opinionated. And that’s just what this show needs: opinions.

Walters is generally only featured on the show three days a week, leaving the show to be run typically by current moderator, Woopi Goldberg. In her place, would be supreme gentleman, George Clooney. Both politically aware and funny, Clooney is an easy pick for moderator, as he commands respect and looks great in a suit. Seriously, have you seen this guy in a suit? It’s awesome. Very gentlemanly.

The casting of the remaining three seats did not come to me as easily as the first two. On one hand, you want diversity, and a range of opinions. On the other hand, I would not want to watch Bill O’Reilly, who certainly possesses a different political view than David or Clooney, sit with a group of respectable gentleman and excrete bizarre, inane slander. And while the position of resident-idiot, Elizabeth Hasslebeck cannot be totally ignored, the key is not to select a moron host who you expect to spout ignorance and disagree with the rest of the cast, but simply to choose diverse personalities. For the first of the remaining three seats, I’d choose Kanye West.

Seriously.

Kanye clearly is a very opinionated guy who speaks his mind, and not just in terms of music. During the 2008 presidential election West was a vibrant supporter of Obama, but following the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards after he stormed the stage during Taylor Swift’s acceptance of the Best Female Video award, Obama called the rapper “a jackass” in an off-the-record portion of an interview with ABC News. Between this and Kanye’s famous comment that, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” he would undoubtedly make a great host for a male View who would not hesitate to contribute his honest opinion.

For the second remaining seat, I’d cast comedian Louis C.K. Comedians, particularly those that confront controversial topics, are obvious picks for a talk show. Regarded as the best stand-up comedian alive, C.K. is known for tackling weighty personal issues in his stand-up and placing the audience in a position where they are addressing real issues — be them familial, political, or societal — that are, on top of being funny jokes, serious matters. Louis speaks his mind and is simultaneously ridiculously funny, making him a perfect male counterpart for current View cast member, Joy Behar.

The final seat threw me for a bit of a loop. I originally intended to cast famous chef and author, Anthony Bourdain, however, I realized that while I think Bourdain is awesome, and funny, and cool, he would not bring enough diversity to the cast. So instead, I’m choosing Food Network personality, Guy Fieri. Born in Ohio, and the co-owner of five California restaurants, Fieri, who is arguably much less of an icon and celebrity than West, David, and Clooney, would bring an opinion closer to that of an average, not-famous person, which is sure to make him a crucial addition.

How do I know so much about The View? If you must know, I used to watch it any time my mother told me to fake sick so that I could stay home and we could hang out. Incidentally, this happened all the time from second grade to senior year, so I became pretty familiar with these lovely ladies.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve heard the arguments against a male version of The View. They are such gripes as, “We don’t need more representation of the male opinion!” “They’re just going to talk about sex!” and “Everything on Spike TV is already a male View!” And it’s true, most things, not only on TV but in the entire media are representations of male views. Much of the time, however, these views are those of a certain type and demographic of men, meaning that there are many other male views other than those expressed in the media.

Also, this show would pretty much just be a comedy show, so there’s really no need to make arguments against it.

Like many of you out there, I’m a Lynch fan. His films from the industrial surrealism of Eraserhead to the surprisingly linear Blue Velvet and beyond to the agitated disharmony of his series of animated shorts Dumbland play upon the brain in such a clever way that it becomes nearly impossible to shoo away the creeping emotions as his imagery pinpoints and exposes your weaknesses and uncertainties like a nightmare tailor-fit for any audience.  On more than one occasion, the artist’s storytelling has left me vulnerable and perplexed, taking in his peerless brand of filmmaking. Even the iconoclast’s more experimental work, like that on his 2002 short films collection, holds a place as one of my most prized and watched DVDs even now.

With all of that said, his most recent “short”, if you can call it that, is aloof rubbish, so much so that the video clip’s sound of a garbage truck backing up are relevant on entirely another level. The 51-second “political commentary” on the debt-ceiling and state of governmental economic affairs is smug with a capital S. A photo of the U.S. Capitol and the noise of early morning trash pickup make up his self-satisfied discourse, called How Things Have Been Going, that, although the point he’s making is clear, doesn’t do much for me. It’s a shame that because of his old age and status, David Lynch is stroked and revered for this uninspired crapola with people calling it “Lynchian” and “post-political”. It is neither of those.

I just think this was a swing and a miss albeit a swing in the right direction. Something as peculiar as the debt-ceiling is terrain I’d like to see treaded by the cult director. David Lynch needs to harken back to his New York City PSA days. Using sound and video free of dialogue or explicit messages he was able to reach that bleak threshold that is, my good men and women, “Lynchian.” See it above.

Any friend of Мишка is a friend of mine and when I finally got the chance to hear young gun T. Mills and his own style of hip-hop inspired college party music, I was a little taken aback to say the least. Its no mystery that this west coaster has got some undeniable swagger keeping the “white bitches” circling him like a pack of wild vultures, his songs, although not shit I’d typically check out, are dank nugs of poppy greatness.

His single “Stupid Boy” is like the soundtrack to a drunken sorority girl’s latenight “mistakes” and the track “She Got A…” has been on repeat in my head for the past week.

T. Mills appeared in the store last week and we had to snap one off of him. The 22 year-old scenester heartthrob rolled through ready to pop bottles and pick up a few tees flaunting a style that’s just as clean as his production value. With fans and naysayers equally on his dick, Mills is doing what he wants with his middle finger in the air yelling “She got a neck tattoo and all her clothes are new.” This kid ain’t done yet, his new album will be made free to the public for download on July 22nd.

Мишка
350 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY
718-388-1725

J/M/Z to Marcy Ave
G to Broadway
L to Lorimer

It’s that time of year again. Harry Potter fever is in full effect on cue with the enormous international release of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2, the last movie in the series, right around the corner. With that kind of buzz also comes a bunch of contrived media scandals about the cast and crew reported on to facilitate a larger public circle jerk. I’m not sure if this news is just press bait or if actor Tom Felton aka Draco Malfoy, Hogwartz’s resident Aryan prick, is actually taking up a career rapping in the UK grime scene.

I can see it now, the blonde-haired wizard mobbing around with a track jacket and gold fronts screaming “Aye bwoi, diz Draco.” Felton already released a Jack Johnson-esque crybaby piano track called “Hawaii” and it’s about..uh..Hawaii. I just don’t see how the 23 year-old pampered, pretty boy is actually planning on his reputation being converted from thumbsucker to gangsta in the flash of an eye with him picking up a microphone. His career as a grime spittah won’t last more than a few days but the fact that he wants to do it is enough to bring a smirk to my face. I’m gonna go get Shark on this MC Malfoy tip.

Via The Daily Swarm

Much to our delight, it appears that our very favorite Hogwarts undergrad just so happens to be a Мишка supporter. Rupert Grint, the actor some of you best know as ginger wizard wünderkind Ron Weasley, was recently spotted looking perfectly tousled, sporting a bit of our Keep Watch insignia. Grint was all smiles as he navigated a sea of muggles, which included some fake Clive Owen guy (to the right of the photo), as he was most likely traveling to a showing of the latest Harry Potter film.

The movie, lengthily entitled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, or HPDHP2 as I’ve been calling it, can be seen nationwide this Friday, and promises to put a cap on the beloved JK Rowling franchise.  If you find that you simply can’t wait to see the thing, however, you may be interested to know that NYC’s own Lincoln Center will be holding a red carpet ceremony today at 5 o’clock, before premiering the film this evening. Then again, it’s being reported that diehards have been lining up ’round the block outside the event, even going so far as camping out for a night or two, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the cast members. Basically, If you’re just finding out about the event now, I’m willing to bet you’re kind of fucked.

With any luck, Grint will show up to the event tonight, and perhaps be sporting some of our finest gear. It’s about time that the legions of nerdy wizard-enthusiasts find out where their young hero’s allegiances truly lie!

The first live concert a person attends undoubtedly secures a place in one’s heart, a manifestation in the mind as an un-erasable memory, no matter how terrible of a performance it actually was. When this question comes up and others, my age, are romancing over seeing Blind Melon or The Moody Blues, I get to bust out Weird Al’s name. My initial introduction to live music was through the satirist’s 1999 tour promoting his album Running With Scissors and I’m not ashamed to say it. He rocked the fucking house, “It’s All About The Pentiums” went significantly harder than the Puff Daddy (pre-P. Diddy) original. Oh yes, those were the days.

Since then, I’ve kind of lost sight of Weird Al Yankovic’s career, that’s not to say I ever renounced my fanhood, I just sort of stuck my head in the sand hoping I could loop The Food Album without having to necessarily fuck wit’ Straight Outta Lynwood. All that aside, our boy James Greene Jr. over at Crawdaddy Magazine gave an exceptional interview with the prodigious pundit of parody.

The multi-talented comedian gives us the scoop on his relationships with the celebrities he so gracefully mocks, his newest album Alpocalypse, which features the above “Perform This Way.” His new video parody of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” which has garnered almost 7 million (at the time of writing this) views. Al also shares his own thoughts on the past, present, and future of his career.

The length of those flawless curls speak volumes about his adventure as an artist, hurdling over copyright infringement and humorless musicians, to a place of genuine funniness. The insightful conversation with the maestro of mockery is  available to read here.

Blake Anderson is a workaholic. Or at least he plays one on TV. Star and co-creator of everyone’s favorite new slacker comedy show, Comedy Central‘s Workaholics, this mustachioed, large-haired gentleman has, along with his co-stars, emerged as one of the funniest and most successful comedians of the year. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started watching the show, but as the season progressed it grew from funny to downright hysterical.

The triumphant first run just ended, and luckily they were quickly renewed for a second. Contributing to his already high level of coolness, Anderson is also a Мишка fan, and he and the dudes have been spotted in the past rocking Death Adders and more. I was lucky enough to sit down (metaphorically) with the genial, exceedingly nice Blake and discuss the show, the future, pizza delivery regulations, and the merits of alternative chips.

So what’s going on? You guys hard at work on the second season right now?

Blake: Yeah, we’ve uh finished like nine of our ten scripts, we got one more to write and then we start filming at the end of this month. Y’know I’m ready for that, we’ve kinda just been doing a bunch of writing since the season aired, and even before that. Ready to get out of this room and get to having fun on the set.

When do you start shooting the second season?

Blake: We start shooting at the end of this month, like the 27th or something. Is that real date? It sounds real. So that’s our first day, from then on it’s just crazy. When we’re shooting it’s just running and gunning.

So had you guys wrapped shooting before the season started?

Blake: Yeah, yeah, it was actually sitting on the shelf for a little while because they wanted to have it come out with the new South Park episodes, which is really cool because it showed they had a lot of confidence in our show. ‘Cause y’know South Park, with Daily Show and Tosh.0, is pretty much why they’re still around. It’s just legendary on the network, so pairing us up with them was really cool. Showed us that we had something good.

In the past they’ve had some trouble with that particular slot (Big Lake, Secret Girlfriend, Jeff Dunham Show) but Workaholics has been a big success it seems.

Blake: Yeah man, it’s been really awesome. We pretty much found an audience and grew every week, which was just a really good feeling. Y’know we weren’t having like humongous blow the doors off numbers, but we were building and the network likes to see that. Hopefully we can continue to do that in the next season.

Because it did so well do you feel more freedom as far as what you can do in season two?

Blake: We’re definitely still pedal to the metal. What’s weird is that season one, when we’re nobodies, y’know we’d never done anything before so they were taking a gamble with a bunch of no names, so we could get away with whatever we wanted. But now, once they feel like they have something precious, they started to pay a little more attention, give a few more notes. We’re still bringing the crazy, it’s still the same show, it’s still just completely nuts dumb comedy so, I’m excited for it.

You had done some stuff with MySpace TV before, right? The Crossbows & Mustaches series?

Blake: Pretty much before we got this gig we were chasing it for like five years, doing the internet grind. We have like 50 videos or whatever up on YouTube and we never got many views really, kinda just under the radar. We ended up making a series that Workaholics is based off of, and luckily a person at Comedy Central ended up seeing it. Before that, just hustlin’. In between delivering pizzas, when we had like an extra 50 bucks in our wallets, we’d pull an idea and a video together.

Ain’t no fame like internet fame.

Blake: Right man! But, to be honest, we weren’t even that really. Just gutter rats of the internet pretty much. Hardly anyone was even watching but, when you’re creative you kinda just gotta go with it, whether you’re getting payed for it or not.

How did all of you end up working together?

Blake: Me and Kyle [Newacheck], our director who also plays Carl the drug dealer, grew up together in the Bay Area. Adam’s [DeVine] from Omaha and Ders [Anders Holm] is from Evanston. Kyle and I ended up enrolling together at Orange Coast Community College. I took an improv class there and I met Adam. He was sorta the other funny dude in the class, so we grew to hate each other, but also respect each other. We just decided to do some shit, and moved out to LA. Adam was at Second City there and met Ders. From there we pretty much just started to do the damn thing.

I noticed you did the rapping wizards, which had been a video series before, on the show. How much do you think about things you’ve done in the past and bringing them onto this bigger level?

Blake: Like having the Crossbows dudes show up or something? *laughs* Yeah, I mean, we did sneak the wizards in there. I suppose I’d have to go back through the old videos. For the most part the wizards seemed like the most logical thing to be on the show. The wizards and the Crossbows are the two things that I’m most proud of. We’re actually in talks with people over at Cartoon Network about maybe making a wizards cartoon. That’s really in the young stages though.

Cool. So you have that, and I know Anders raps on the show. Then you have that Skinny Boys song as your theme. You guys really into rap?

Blake: Speaking for myself, I’m just a huge music fan in general. I know Ders, he grew up in Chicago, he’s pretty well versed in that stuff. The Skinny Boys was just something I stumbled upon when we were in between shots on set. I like to cruise iTunes down with that little bar that suggests stuff…

iTunes Genius?

Blake: Yeah, that thing. I heard that song and I was like “damn this beatboxing’s gotta be on the show.”

I’ve heard some rumors that you shoot the show in your actual house.

Blake: All true, unfortunately. That house you see on the show is where we’re living at. It’s a nasty little party shack in the valley pretty much. Well we’re actually in the process of getting out of there now. We’re in there basically all the time and it was starting to stink. We’ve had some pretty bad battles with rats, and I think it’s time to treat ourselves and maybe move up a little bit.

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