What happens when you put Mad Men on speed? It becomes way more awesome (who knew that was possible?)! Just like everything on speed! …Say no to drugs, kids. This week’s episode is called “The Crash,” and like most of the show’s episode titles, it has a ton of meanings. First, there’s the literal crash Ken gets into with the guys from Chevy. But of course, that’s just a metaphor for the slow crash that SCDPCGC is going to be enduring with the nightmare of an account that Chevy will be. Then, there’s Don’s total, head-first, fiery, pathetic crash into lovesickness over Sylvia. And of course, let’s not forget the most awesome crash of all: the comedown from the crazy speed that Jim Cutler had injected into the entire creative staff’s asses. Through all the drugged-up lunacy of the episode, “The Crash” really hit home Don’s severe, deep-seeded Mommy issues. We’ve always known that his inability to maintain anything even resembling a functional relationship was partly due to killing his prostitute mother in childbirth and being raised by his step mother…around more prostitutes. But this week we really saw the brunt of it. Firstly, Don has no clue what he’s after. He doesn’t even know what happiness looks like. The fact that Sylvia cut off her affair with Don sends him into a spiral. Now that their relationship isn’t something he can control, he wants her even more. But he’s just searching for a Mommy, for God’s sake. And she can’t be that. Don will never have a Mommy. He has so little of a Mommy that Sally was actually able to believe—even for a second—that a strange old Black lady that mysteriously showed up in Don’s apartment while he was gone could seriously be his Grandma. Sally later tells Don over the phone, after the woman makes off with a bunch of Don’s valuables, that she “realized she doesn’t know anything about him.” That’s because Don doesn’t exist. Don is actually Dick, and Dick’s very existence killed his mother, who was just a prostitute who accidentally got pregnant, anyway. In short, Don has no identity. That used to make for an exciting life. Don got to be whoever he wanted to be. But now, finally, all of his complexes are crashing down. And Don just desperately needs a Mommy. He needs an identity. He needs a foundation, something to reach down into when he’s lost. Right now he’s got no compass whatsoever. The speed also brings out the long-gestating romantic tension between Stan and Peggy. While he’s on the juice and she’s on the sauce, he tries to kiss her. She tells him that she doesn’t like beards, and that he’s like a brother to her, but that doesn’t stop him. “I need this,” he tells her. After he gives her a story about his cousin dying in Nam, she still rejects him, and as she walks away he compliments her ass. Her reply? A genuine “Thank you.” More of that is surely to come. As the episode closes, after Don’s literal crash in his apartment when he comes home from a three-day work binge, some sleep and a shower changes everything. On speed, Don was planning to pitch his love to Sylvia. After the crash, when they have to share an elevator, he says nothing to her. On speed, Don is motivated as hell regarding the Chevy account (well, he wasn’t actually working on Chevy, he was working on his Sylvia pitch, but he was motivating everyone else to work on Chevy). After the crash, he basically tells Ted, who is only there because of Chevy, that he can’t do Chevy anymore. Don! Stop destroying EVERYTHING!!! OTHER NOTES: Frank Gleason’s death felt underwhelming. Perhaps it will serve a greater purpose further down the line. This episode was almost completely devoid of Pete and Joan, as the whole thing focused on the copywriters trying to find that perfect pitch for Chevy. Pete’s absence felt appropriate, given his paranoia about being iced out of the company. Look for this to come up again in a big way as the season comes to a close. Creative has always been a really fun aspect of Mad Men , in fact, it’s basically the entire hook of the show. Watching them try to come up with even one workable slogan while high out of their minds was a blast. Don’s silences are becoming more and more pointed. Every time he ignores a question or sits next to someone while staring into the foreground, you can just feel him trying desperately to suppress the torrid of thoughts running through his head. It’s not gonna work, Donny boy. Let ‘em out. This was the first fantastic episode of the season. RATING: 5/5
‘Needing/Getting’ video features a heavily tricked-out Chevy Sonic. By James Montgomery At this point, after all the treadmills, Rube Goldberg machines, dogs on Ikea furniture, choreographed dance routines, color-coordinated jumpsuits and, uh, toast, you’re probably wondering what OK Go could possibly do for their next music video. Well, now we know the answer. In their new “Needing/Getting” video — which premiered Sunday (February 5) on MTV.com and will also be seen in a Chevy commercial during tonight’s Super Bowl XLVI — OK Go stage a full-blown vehicular spectacular. Part Baja rally, part demolition derby, all ingenious, it features the fearless quartet speeding along a desert track, making hair-pin turns, and very nearly wrecking — all while using the car itself to bash out the tune. The band and director Brian L. Perkins (who directed an early version of their “This Too Shall Pass” clip) used more than 1,100 homemade instruments — plus 55 pianos and countless guitars — a painstakingly plotted road course and a bevy of appendages bolted onto a Chevy Sonic (they probably don’t come standard) to make the whole project fly. It’s the kind of “How did they do that?!?” clip that OK Go have come to be known for. The mind boggles at just how many takes it took to get the whole thing right, and the fact that they’re using corporate sponsorship to do it (much like they did with the equally eye-catching “Pass,” which was subtly sponsored by State Farm) makes it even more brilliant. In a way, it’s OK Go gaming the system, taking full advantage of a benevolent car manufacturer to make their dreams a reality. But, really, that’s all high-minded thought for another day. Right now, I’m going to watch “Needing/Getting” again, and marvel how a band can keep pushing the envelope this far. And I will say this: If I were to buy a musical car, it would probably be a Chevy Sonic. So, in that regard too, this clip’s a winner. Share your thoughts on the “Needing/Getting” video in the comments below!
‘All of my adult life has been economic downturn,’ a young activist tells MTV News about corporate greed, unemployment, social injustice. By Uptin Saiidi, with additional reporting by Akshay Bhansali Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images NEW YORK — What started as just a dozen college students camping overnight on Wall Street three weeks ago has mushroomed into thousands of protesters and Street-inspired gatherings across the country, from Los Angeles to Boston. On Monday, a number of protesters dressed up as zombies, holding Monopoly money in their mouths in a gesture to financial workers. The crowd was especially energized after more than 700 of them were arrested over the weekend by New York City Police Department officers, who claimed they were blocking traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. Thousands marched from the “base camp” at Zuccotti Park, a plaza near the city’s financial center, chanting, “Take the bridge!” Even as the number of protesters continues to fluctuate, the gatherings have remained relatively small by New York City standards. The longevity of the unrest, however, is far from normal. MTV News recently headed downtown and caught up with some of the young protesters to see what exactly was on their minds. Mike Chrisemer, a 24-year-old graduate student at the City University of New York, said he got involved on the second day of the protest and doesn’t plan to abandon the cause. “The general feeling is that the top 1 percent of people is ruling over the rest of us, the 99 percent, and it’s not the status quo that we want to see anymore.” Sympathetic supporters have been donating food to the “occupiers,” and those who camp overnight at the park rely on portable gas for laptop energy. Social media networks like Twitter have, of course, helped spark interest in the cause and serve as a vehicle to spread its message. For those who cannot get to NYC, a live stream is available at the Occupy Wall Street website . Celebrity involvement has also helped stoke media attention. Lupe Fiasco , Susan Sarandon, Mark Ruffalo and filmmaker Michael Moore made appearances in the past week, while “30 Rock” star Alec Baldwin has expressed support over his Twitter At around 1 p.m. ET last Friday, an online rumor began to spread that Radiohead would be giving a surprise performance that afternoon in support of the protest. The buzz was put to rest when the band’s rep later denied the group would perform, but it’s likely that many curious onlookers (and Radiohead fans) had headed to the park anticipating the event. By 4:30 p.m., a statement was posted on the Occupy Wall Street site apologizing for the miscommunication; they further explained that an email from Radiohead’s manager turned out to be a fake and cited the challenges of verifying information in an open-source movement. The band’s no-show didn’t slow down momentum though. Late Friday afternoon, an influx of curious spectators wandered the park, many admitting they came after hearing the concert rumors. “That probably brought a lot of these people here, but they’re still here. It’s not just about Radiohead, it’s not a pop culture movement, it’s a real movement to challenge the status quo,” Chrisemer told us. The protests come at a time when the unemployment rate among American youths under 25 is at 18 percent compared to the national rate of 9 percent. Nearly half of young Americans are underemployed, and the amount of student loan debt has recently surpassed credit card debt. Tim Payne, a 20-year-old New York University undergrad, said he had been coming to the park between classes to hold signs and participate in the protest. “College tuition keeps going up and the top 400 people have more wealth than the lowest 125 million. I have all these loans out and they’re profiting off that, and I don’t think that’s fair.” Some reports have been critical of the protesters for reportedly failing to deliver a clear message about their grievances. Instead, critics say, the rally has become a gathering place for anyone dissatisfied with, well, just about anything. When MTV News spoke with some of the young activists on Friday, their cardboard signs had messages that varied from dissatisfaction with financial corruption, NYPD police brutality, discrimination against Muslims and workers’ rights. “People have so much frustration with government and media, and they’re taking this out as an outlet in different ways,” NYU student Payne explained. It’s still unclear whether the protests will succeed in channeling frustration into a lasting movement similar to the Tea Party’s conservative movement, which was started in 2009 by a group of Americans fed up with the status quo for different reasons. Occupy Wall Street protesters seem to be hopeful that they will have a voice that continues to be heard and gains momentum into the 2012 elections. “It’s more than just Wall Street,” Payne added. “It’s the fact that all of my adult life has been economic downturn. And I heard a quote once: it was ‘When did the future change from a promise to a threat?’ I feel like the people here still have faith in the future and are trying to change it.” Share your thoughts on the ongoing Wall Street protests in the comments below! Related Artists Lupe Fiasco
‘I really want to introduce people to him,’ Wiz tells Mixtape Daily of Taylor Gang member. By Rob Markman Chevy Woods Photo: MTV News Don’t Sleep: Necessary Notables Headliner : Chevy Woods featuring Wiz Khalifa Mixtape : The Cookout Key Cameo : “Aunts N Uncles” featuring Wiz Khalifa Real Spit : Chevy Woods has an unexplainable hunger, so on his The Cookout mixtape , Taylor Gang’s next-up serves up healthy portions of well-prepared tracks. Though Chevy is flanked by Wiz Khalifa on the tape, the Taylor general makes it clear that he is focusing on pushing Woods out as the crew’s next star. “Now it’s his time,” Wiz told Mixtape Daily from the Black carpet for the taping of BET’s October 11 Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. “I really want to introduce people to him, so I was like, I’m gonna fall back, do a little bit, but really let him get his shine on.” And shine he does. Wiz, who uses the alias Cap on The Cookout, does appear on eight of the tape’s 11 tracks, but it’s Chevy who steers his ship. For “Downfall,” Chev sets the tone on the breezy, horn-laced track. From his opening bars it is clear that the street-bred Woods is quite different from Khalifa, who has made his bones off of fun-loving party anthems. “I used to spread the white for the bread like mayo/ All mine, nobody had a say-so,” Chevy spits of his hustling past. Woods has been floored by the tape’s response since it was released at the end of September. “Overwhelming, it was crazy,” he said. “Everybody was showing me love. I appreciate it; that’s what I’m looking for.” On the Big Jerm-produced “Napkins,” the Pittsburgh MC lays a melodic hook dedicated to smoking weed and driving with the top down. Then on “Aunts N Uncles” things get even more laid-back. Chevy sings an off-key hook that perfectly matches the beat’s vibe. “I know I did some things that’s wrong, but still you gotsta love me,” he croons, before Wiz marches in to lay his bars. This latest Chevy tape is much different from his harder-edged March 2011 release, Red Cup Music. This time out Chev shows another side. Absent are menacing bangers like “Straight Ballin’ ” and the kinetic late-night party anthem “Jimmy Fallon.” Instead CW keeps a consistently smooth vibe on tracks like “Cassette” and the sing-songy “Head Over Hills.” Sounds perfect for a cookout. “That’s where I’m trying to take you: to my backyard with my mom on the grill and my homeys around,” Chevy said of the tape back in July. “I just want them to hear where I come from.” For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines . Related Artists Wiz Khalifa
It’s the time of the year again when advertisers compete in a massive pissing contest. Here’s a few outstanding ads. See all the rest on YouTube’s adblitz channel. Bud Light ‘Dog Sitter’ Kia Optima ‘One Epic Ride’ Chevy Camaro ‘Miss Evelyn’ Bridgestone ‘Reply all’ Chevy Silverado ‘Tommy’ MINI USA ‘Cram It in the Boot’ (cheeky) Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : ettf.net Discovery Date : 07/02/2011 19:24 Number of articles : 2
Photo: World Economic Forum , Flickr, CC Corn ethanol has turned out to be a bad idea — there’s little disagreement about that , especially in environmental circles. For starters, it’s an incredibly inefficient fuel source, consuming tons of water to produce… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Must watch of the day: every single SNL president from the past 4 decades (Ferrell, Carrey, Akroyd, Chevy, Hammond, and Carvey) visits Obama with some banking advice. Also features Maya “Michelle” Rudolph in a short robe. Something for everyone. View
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