Split Infinitives

"As for “Saving Private Ryan”: I blame William Goldman for ruining this movie for me by..."

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:30:24 -0400

“As for “Saving Private Ryan”: I blame William Goldman for ruining this movie for me by correctly pointing out that it starts with the old guy going to the cemetery with his big-breasted grandaughters, then we zoom into his eyes and go back to World War II and see Tom Hanks, so we presume that the next two hours are being told through Hanks’ eyes, then Matt Damon’s character shows up about an hour into it, then they save Damon and Hanks dies, then it goes back to the cemetery and we realize it was Damon’s character having the flashback. Huh? How did he know all the stuff that happened to Hanks? A narrative travesty. Kills its rewatchability for me. Thanks for nothing, Goldman.”

- Bill Simmons on smart William Goldman things.

The Last Song of the Summer

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:45:41 -0400

The Last Song of the Summer

"If I want to eat, I have to find a way to make this music interesting to me."

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:01:08 -0400

“If I want to eat, I have to find a way to make this music interesting to me.”

- On Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” | Riff City

A photo of Kanye West on set in Prague with a deer. Move along.

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:49:42 -0400

A photo of Kanye West on set in Prague with a deer. Move along.

Fabolous: “Funkmaster Flex Freestyle (8/31/10)” The...

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:43:00 -0400

Fabolous: “Funkmaster Flex Freestyle (8/31/10)”

The night Fab dumbed out. Again.

You're Not Gonna Believe This, But The Current Season Of Entourage Is Great

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:38:00 -0400

You're Not Gonna Believe This, But The Current Season Of Entourage Is Great:

Look, I’m just as surprised as you, but a spade is a spade is a coke-addicted movie star.

Photo

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:40:02 -0400

"Joel just kept telling me, ‘We’ve got to get a gun in your hand.’ Joel [Silver] is one of the few..."

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:02:00 -0400

““Joel just kept telling me, ‘We’ve got to get a gun in your hand.’ Joel [Silver] is one of the few relationships I care to have with a producer. Look, he’s vast and voracious, and he definitely has the ability to break into a scream about a point he would like to make. But he can also be incredibly warm and generous.””

- Robert Downey Jr. on being cast in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

It keeps breaking. At 5:30. On a Friday.

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:27:27 -0400

It keeps breaking. At 5:30. On a Friday.

The Internet just broke.

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:25:32 -0400

The Internet just broke.

"[Screenwriter Stephen J.] Rivele admits that ‘I knew nothing about [Tupac Shakur]’..."

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:49:00 -0400

“[Screenwriter Stephen J.] Rivele admits that ‘I knew nothing about [Tupac Shakur]’ before diving into research, but upon immersing himself in just about everything ever written about the rapper, ‘it became clear that he was essentially a 19th century Romantic poet who found himself in the 21st century.’””

- A New Tupac Shakur Biopic Will Answer Why He Was Killed, If Not By Whom

Not promising!

"It’s more in the early Cronenberg, early Polanski kind of mood, like ‘The Tenant.’"

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:09:33 -0400

“It’s more in the early Cronenberg, early Polanski kind of mood, like ‘The Tenant.’”

- Vincent Cassel on Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan

Photo

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:13:40 -0400

The White Stripes: “I’m Slowly Turning Into...

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:00:21 -0400

The White Stripes: “I’m Slowly Turning Into You” (Live)

from Under Great White Northern Lights

No reason for posting other than this might be the best they’ve ever sounded.

"I like her writing style."

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:27:13 -0400

“I like her writing style.”

- Lauren Leto on Joan Didion. Thanks for that!

From here.

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:06:47 -0400

From here.

The Power of Swizz Beatz

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:30:00 -0400

Longevity is a funny thing. Just because you have it doesn’t mean you deserve it. When it comes to longevity in hip-hop production, it’s an even knottier thing. Sounds come and go quickly, trends turn over, and producers—more than artists—are left behind.

Then there’s Swizz Beatz. Swizz, aka Kasseem Dean, is the nephew of Dee and Waah Dean, the brothers who masterminded Ruff Ryders, one of a handful of late ’90s boutique hip-hop imprints (Roc-A-Fella, Bad Boy, etc.) that came to define an era—the last era, really—of East Coast dominance. Swizz took the opportunity from his uncles and seized the moment almost immediately, scoring his first major smash at 20 years old with DMX’s totemic “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.” For the next five years, Swizz’ sound, along with unheralded producer P.K., became synonymous with Ruff Ryders. He helped launch artists like Eve and Drag-On and refurbish a flagging crew in need of a reputation boost, The Lox. And with X he created some of the hardest, simplest hits of the time. Swizz has never been a terribly complex producer—he worked for years in Casio presets, manipulating the pre-programmed sounds on his keyboard to create repetitive, but exuberant songs. Over time, he incorporated sampling, sometimes with elegance, other times to cringe-worthy effect.

Swizz has persisted in the past decade, thrived even, by changing only slightly. He has two underrated albums to his name, a new label deal with Atlantic (which will release his forthcoming third album, The Perception of Greatness), a reputed art collection, and a marriage to Alicia Keys. Not bad! His songs are often instantly identifiable, whether by the nasally but enthusiastic ad-libs at the start (“Showtime!,” “Swizz Beatz da monsta!,” “Swizzy!,” “Lightas in the air!”) or by the hand claps, wet snares, sirens, and off-kilter arrangements that have come to mark a surprisingly impressive discography.

The following collection, inspired by Swizz’s recent contribution to Kanye West’s “Power (Remix),” is two-pronged. The first is a two-disc greatest hits of sorts, highlighting pop success, street anthems, and rarities that prevailed through the muck of the Internet. The second collection features some of the songs that make Swizzy, well, Swizzy. That is, they’re weird, bad, wrong, funny, silly, lovable. We ask What The Fuck, Swizzy? But we do it with affection.

Enjoy.

~~Ridin’ With My Top Down: The Essential Swizz Beatz~~

~~DISC 1~~ (EDIT: Sorry kids, not trying to get sued.)

1. Swizz Beatz, “Top Down”

from One Man Band Man

2. Noreaga ft. Nature, Big Punisher, Cam’ron, Styles, Jadakiss, “Banned From TV”

from N.O.R.E.

3. DMX, “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem”

from It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot

4. Jay-Z, “Jigga My Nigga”

from Ryde or Die, Vol. 1

5. The Lox, “Wild Out”

from We Are The Streets

6. Drag-On ft. Juvenile, “Down Bottom”

from Ryde or Die, Vol. 1

7. Styles, “Good Times”

from A Gangster and a Gentleman / G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories

8. Jadakiss, Yung Wun, Snoop Dogg, and Scarface, “WW III”

from Ryde or Die, Vol. 2

9. Swizz Beatz ft. Lil Wayne, R. Kelly, and Jadakiss, “It’s Me…(Remix)”

from One Man Band Man

10. Birdman ft. Lil Wayne and Cam’ron, “Ghetto Life”

from Baby aka #1 Stunna

11. Lil Wayne, “Dr. Carter”

from Tha Carter III

12. Busta Rhymes, “Tear Da Roof Off”

from ELE: Extinction Level Event

13. Cassidy ft. Swizz Beatz, “My Drink N’ My 2 Step”

from B.A.R.S.: The Barry Adrian Reese Story

14. DMX, “It’s All Good”

from Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood

15. Eve ft. Jadakiss and Styles, “Double R What”

from Eve-olution

16. Jay-Z ft. DMX, “Money Cash Hoes”

from Hard Knock Life, Vol. 2

17. Drag-On ft. DMX, “Niggas Die 4 Me”

from Opposite of H2O

18. Swizz Beatz ft. Shyne and Mashonda, “Shyne”

from G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories / Shyne

19. Eve ft. Beanie Sigel, “Philly Philly”

from Ruff Ryder’s First Lady

20. Swizz Beatz, “Alien (Interlude)”

from G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories

21. Beyoncé, “Get Me Bodied”

from B’Day

22. G-Unit, “Get Down”

from T.O.S. – Terminate On Sight

23. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony ft. Swizz Beatz, “Toast 2 That”

24. Jay-Z ft. Swizz Beatz, “On To The Next One”

from The Blueprint 3

25. Swizz Beatz, “Where The Cash At?”

~~Ridin’ With My Top Down: The Essential Swizz Beatz~~

~~DISC 2~~

1. Eve ft. DMX, The Lox, and Drag-On, “Scenario 2000”

from Ruff Ryders’ First Lady

2. Cassidy ft. Swizz Beatz, “Get ‘Em”

from I’m A Hustla

3. T.I., “Bring Em Out”

from Urban Legend

4. Styles P. ft. Swizz Beatz, “Blow Your Mind”

from Super Gangster, Extraordinary Gentleman

5. DMX, “Party Up (Up In Here)”

from …And Then There Was X

6. Jadakiss ft. Swizz Beatz and OJ da Juiceman, “Who’s Real”

from The Last Kiss

7. Eve, “Gotta Man”

from Ruff Ryders’ First Lady

8. Swizz Beatz ft. Drag-On, “Hard Knock”

9. Eightball & MJG, “Thank God”

from Space Age 4 Eva

10. Memphis Bleek, “Memphis Bleek Is”

from Coming Of Age

11. Swizz Beatz ft. Bounty Killer, “Guilty”

from G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories

12. Drake ft. T.I. and Swizz Beatz, “Fancy”

from Thank Me Later

13. Kanye West ft. Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz, “Power (Remix)”

14. DMX ft. The Lox and Jay-Z, “Blackout”

from Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood

15. Swizz Beatz, “Money In The Bank”

from One Man Band Man

16. Lil’ Kim ft. Twista, “Thug Luv”

from The Notorious K.I.M.

17. The Lox, “Fuck You”

from We Are The Streets

18. Main ft. Swizz Beatz, “Million Bucks”

from If Tomorrow Comes

19. Mariah Carey, “Secret Love”

from The Emancipation of Mimi (Japanese Edition)

20. Mary J. Blige ft. Lil Wayne, “Just Fine (Treat ‘em Right Remix)”

21. R. Kelly ft. Cam’ron and Big Tigger, “Snake (Remix)”

22. Eve ft. Nokia, “What Ya Want”

from Ryde or Die, Vol. 1

23. Smitty ft. Lil Wayne and Twista, “Diamonds On My Neck (Remix)”

24. Swizz Beatz, “Big Munny”

from One Man Band Man

25. Whitney Houston, “Million Dollar Bill”

from I Look To You

~~Showtime? Swizzy’s Greatest WTFs~~

1.Swizz Beatz ft. Metallica and Ja Rule, “We Did It Again”

from G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories

2. Bravehearts ft. Nas, “Twilight”

from Bravehearted

3. Swizz Beatz, “That Oprah”

4. Eve, “Love Is Blind”

from Ruff Ryders’ First Lady

5. The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Bone thugs-N-Harmony, Swizz Betaz, Eightball & MJG, and Twista, “Spit Your Game (Remix)”

from Duets: The Final Chapter

6. Jadakiss, “Jada’s Got A Gun”

from Kiss Tha Game Goodbye

7. Limp Bizkit ft. Redman, Method Man, and DMX, “Rollin’ (Urban Assault Vehicle Remix)”

from Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water

8. Jay-Z ft. Sterling Simms, “Dig A Hole”

from The Blueprint 3

9. Swizz Beatz, “Take A Picture”

from One Man Band Man

10. Jay-Z, “Things That U Do”

from Vol. 3…The Life and Times of Shawn Carter

11. Gwen Stefani, “Now That You Got It”

from The Sweet Escape

12. Ludacris ft. Plies, “Nasty Girl”

from Theater of the Mind

13. Maroon 5 ft. Cross, “If I Never See your Face Again (Swizz Beatz Remix)”

from Call and Response: The Remix Album

14. Noreaga ft. Mashonda, “Wanna Be Like Him”

from Grimey God’s Favorite

15. Gucci Mane ft. Swizz Beatz, “It’s Gucci Time”

from The Appeal

16. Jadakiss ft. Nate Dogg, “Kiss Is Spittin’”

from Kiss Tha Game Goodbye

17. Ruben Studdard, “Take the Shot”

from Soulful

18. Jay-Z ft. Swizz Beatz, “Ultra”

19. UGK ft. T.I., “Hit The Block”

from UnderGround Kingz

20. Swizz Beatz, “Part of the Plan”

from One Man Band Man

Last Night: Diddy Dirty Money and Rick Ross Beat Back the Rain at Governors Island

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:51:00 -0400

Last Night: Diddy Dirty Money and Rick Ross Beat Back the Rain at Governors Island:

Took particular care to describe what it felt like wearing a J. Crew wetsuit.

"Ironically, we had been sitting in a room trying to come up with critic-proof titles until I..."

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:23:42 -0400

“Ironically, we had been sitting in a room trying to come up with critic-proof titles until I thought, Okay, Big Top Pee-wee! First review: “Big Flop Pee-wee.” And I went, “Oh God—I didn’t think of that one.” [laughs] What’s worse, I drove to the Paramount lot the Monday after the Friday it opened and actually saw them painting out my name on my parking space. I had to wait for the painter to get out of the way so I could pull in. When I got to my office my manager was on the phone: “They want you out of your office by the end of the week.” I said, “But I have a three-picture deal here.” The reply: “You had a three-picture deal here.” I’m not complaining, but how insane are the chances of seeing your name painted over and erased forever?”

- Paul Reubens

Drag-On ft. DMX: “Niggas Die 4 Me” Ridin’ With...

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:01:00 -0400

Drag-On ft. DMX: “Niggas Die 4 Me”

Ridin’ With My Top Down: The Essential Swizz Beatz…

COMING MONDAY MORNING