Autopsy photos?

Previously discussed in my blog, King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died June 25, 2009. The recent dilemma on Jackson's death comes with the news that there is an autopsy photo that might be released soon. In "Autopsy Photo to Be Leaked Soon?," it is estimated that this picture could go for well over $1 million dollars. This doesn't surprise me but I just think it's odd. People have such strange interest, and you may say, "define strange," but I do believe it is strange to take such an obsession in a picture of a dead person's body. Very strange, but I'm interested to see how it plays out.

Digital Downloads

I have grown very accustomed to download music straight from iTunes whenever I want it, and so has the rest of the United States. According to Casey Johnston, writer for ars technica, "digital music will account for the majority of major label revenue in the U.S. market in mid-to-late 2010." Also, based on the growing rate of digital downloads, she suggests that digital downloads will be equivalent to physical copies of music throughout the world by 2016. I have no knowledge of these statistics but this seems very probable that digital downloads will take over. The digital download of music is perfect for our generation of instant satisfaction; people can get music with one click of a mouse. It amazes me, however, how many people still download music illegally. I predict that the revenue from digital downloads would exceed physical copies right now, if only everyone payed for their download.

Miley Cyrus, Again

First it's Lady Gaga and now it's Miley Cyrus that has appeared twice in my blog. I have already displayed a version of Cyrus's song "Party in the USA," performed in sign language, and since then a more beautiful version of song has been produced. This version, produced by Taylor Doolittle and Sam Dowell, was created by using a camera on a Mac and then playing music at the same time. It is very high tech.

Napster

Napster was one of the first well-known services that allowed music to be downloaded for free. Shawn Fanning came up with the idea to create something where people can upload their music and share it with everyone. This was a great feature until everyone realized it was illegal and that it was considered stealing. Now, what was free on Napster cost $5 a month for 60 downloads. This is not quite as good as free, but it's not a bad deal either. However, there are still many who illegally download music and are know as pirates. I don't like music pirates.

Party in ASL

Disney sensation Miley Cyrus, who is the star on the show Hannah Montana, has taken her music from the Disney Channel to mainstream culture. Her new song "Party in the USA" is number three on Billboard.com's top 100. However, I'm not all that interested in her version of it, or at least the music video. Below is Miley Cyrus's song performed in American Sign Language. It's a neat way to portray the song. Enjoy.

GaGa, Again

In a previous blog post I talked about Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" and I want to do it again. In this music video Lady GaGa performs the acoustic version of "Poker Face." I find this lady to be extremely strange. My friends and I we doing research one day on GaGa and found that she has gone from one type of music to another. I feel that she has just been trying to get famous and now that she has just become so strange she has finally made it big. She is so talented but just so weird.  Watch the acoustic version of "Poker Face." 

This is It!

THIS IS IT! In just twelve days the world will be able to witness behind the scenes footage of Michael Jackson. I was unsure about this movie when I first heard about it because his death was still very recent; It seemed that every time I turned on the television or radio I heard something about him. I feel that Michael has gotten a lot of bad coverage due to his death and his legacy may have been covered up to a degree. However, I believe this movie will be a good thing, reminding the world about his impact on music.

The trailer for the movie is really cool. It's composed of text, many Michael Jackson songs, and short spurts of clips that change frequently. This type of clip gives the audience an sense of anticipation. I'm excited to see how the movie turns out and I will probably go see it in theaters.

Come&Live!

Come&Live! is a record label that is about giving. They have several bands on their label that consider themselves to be "musical missionaries." There is no financial obligation for these bands; they will willingly give away their talents in order that Jesus Christ may be proclaimed. Here is a video that advertises their mission. It is a very simple video that is composed mainly of text and music with very little images, yet delivers a great message. Check it out:

Made to Love from Come&Live! on Vimeo.

My CD

It was about a month ago now that I ordered the new Fee CD. I ordered it for $15 under the impression that I would get a digital download on the spot (which I did) and autographed copy when it came out in October 5th. I just received my CD in the mail today and I'm upset. Not because it was 9 days late, but because it wasn't autographed. Did they commit a crime? Is it wrong for me to be upset? Maybe. However, if I would have know it wasn't going to be autographed I still would have bought it. It's one of the best worship albums of the year.

Miley Cyrus Deletes Twitter

I can't believe Miley Cyrus deleted her Twitter account! She says she did it so people would stay out of her business so that her private life can be private. I find this funny and odd for a celebrity that is all about self-promotion. I, on the other hand, love twitter. Follow me @kylewilkinson! Watch Miley rap her reason for deleting her Twitter.

Needtobreathe

Last night I went to a Needtobreathe concert. It was at a place in Charlotte called The Visulite Theatre and it was a really intimate setting. Needtobreathe is a group of guys from South Carolina that travel the country playing rock music. The featured video on Needtobreathe's home page is a song called "Lay 'Em Down." The video is filmed with many different angles that keep the viewers interested. I really enjoy how it is filmed.

The Unworthy Beloved

I'm in a band called The Unworthy Beloved. We are a worship band that plays at different churches for for their youth meetings. The previous link will take you to our myspace where we have four songs. All of these songs have been recorded on Garage Band with real instruments. Last night we played at an event here on campus called Fields of Faith. It consisted mainly of Gardner-Webb Students and also a few youth groups in the area. It was a lot of fun.

Parkour

According to American Parkour's website, parkour "is an art of movement in which you train the body and mind to overcome obstacles." This is a practical application of running, jumping, twisting, rolling, and many other things, in order to get to a place more effectively. This is not to be confused with freerunning, a "cousin" of parkour that adds more flips and flash for the fun of it. Parkour has a purpose of getting somewhere and freerunning is just for fun. Below is a video clip of people demonstrating parkour and freerunning. The video has taken a bunch of clips, combined them together and place upbeat music behind them, which gives the clips a strong sense of forward motion . Parkour and freerunning are done without music but when the music is placed behind the clips it begins to look like a form of dance.

The Rapture

The Rapture is when Christ returns to the earth to gather all of His believers. The following video is a evangelistic approach to the rapture. The video was made by West Park Baptist Church and is designed to illustrate that Christ can return at any minute and we need to be ready when he does. This video goes from the beginning of time until now and shows all the catastrophes that have happened within the past several years. The maker of the video has taken many clips of these terrible events and combined them, taking away their sound and replacing it with dramatic music. This gives the viewer a heightened sense of awareness because it gives you the feel that all of these things have happened around the same time and are somehow connected to the return of Christ. Here is the video: