Duan Wu Jie or Dumpling Festival falls on June 6. TAN BEE HONG checks out a few special varieties made specially for the day. Zongzi is traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (Mandarin: Duanwu; Cantonese: Tuen Ng) which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar (approximately late May to mid-June), commemorating the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of Chu who lived during the Warring States period. Known for his patriotism, Qu Yuan tr
In part two of our ‘Seattle Sonics’ series, the band takes us to their Sip & Ship ‘nerve center’ and American Music shop. By James Montgomery Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla and Jason McGerr Photo: MTV News SEATTLE — Chris Walla is a bit of a multitasker: That much is clear just by his rather prodigious output as a producer, solo musician and full-time member of Death Cab for Cutie . So it should probably come as no surprise that, for MTV News’ second edition of “Seattle Sonics,” Walla decided to take us to one of his favorite spots in Seatown: Sip & Ship, the kind of place that defines multitasking. See, S&S is the sort of place that seemingly only exists in Seattle: A communal, cozy combination shipping depot/coffee bar that also happens to be a gift shop. Oh, and they make a mean grilled cheese, too. Located in the city’s Ballard neighborhood — right down the block from a nefarious FedEx Office outpost — Walla first visited the shop six years ago (after a rather terrible experience at said FedEx), and in the time since, Sip & Ship has become the de facto home office for all things Death Cab. Merch, master tapes of albums, musical instruments and the occasional eBay purchase all pass through S&S. Walla has become close friends with the shop’s owners (one of them, Diana Naramore, even made a cameo in his “Sing Again” video ) and the coffee’s really great, too. “This place has become a communications and shipping and caffeine and calorie hub without which I don’t think Death Cab for Cutie would actually be able to do any business at all. This is one of the Seattle nerve centers of the band,” Walla explained. “We did a whole series of test-pressings for the new record, and we got four or five shipments of them here. We’d pick ’em up and then go home and listen to records.” Drummer Jason McGerr also chimed in: “It’s a far safer bet than my doorstep — which I don’t even step on all that often,” he said, laughing. And while Sip & Ship has been an important cog in the Death Cab machine for six years, there’s another spot nearby that’s been part of their lives for much longer: American Music, a Seattle institution since it first opened its doors in 1973 and the place where local bands (you know, like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains) went to get their gear. It’s not surprising that both Walla — who grew up nearby — and McGerr — who worked there in 1994, when he was 19 years old — chose it as the next place they took our cameras. “I traded all my paychecks for equipment, and I got to know a whole lot of local drummers,” McGerr said from his old post behind the American counter. “And there were times, 10 minutes before close, Dave Grohl would come in and sit down and just start blowing on drums and the front door would shut and we’d sit there and watch him. … There was always a scene happening within the store. If you played music and you got your supplies in Seattle, it was from American Music.” And American was also where you’d find Walla hanging out as a slightly awkward teenager, doing “double drummer stuff” with friend (and former Death Cab drummer) Nathan Good. And he did it mostly out of necessity, because back then, there weren’t many places 15-year-old music obsessives could hang out, due mostly to Seattle’s oppressive Teen Dance Ordinance , which made all-ages shows all but impossible to organize. And, really, to Walla, that’s what makes the place much more than a music store. It’s sort of his home away from home. “I got a lot of stuff here that was cast-off junk, but I still use it,” Walla said. “There are tons of music stores that are just enormous boxes, that are full of guitars and drums and cymbals and whatever, and they might have more stock than a place like American does, but American has the heart and soul of a music store that I want when I walk into a music store.” Death Cab for Cutie: Seattle Sonics continues all week on MTVNews.com. On Thursday, we’ll head to a vaunted (and now defunct) all-ages venue where DCFC learned how to be a band — and still made it home in time for curfew. Related Videos Death Cab For Cutie’s Guide To Seattle Related Artists Death Cab For Cutie
In part two of our ‘Seattle Sonics’ series, the band takes us to their Sip & Ship ‘nerve center’ and American Music shop. By James Montgomery Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla and Jason McGerr Photo: MTV News SEATTLE — Chris Walla is a bit of a multitasker: That much is clear just by his rather prodigious output as a producer, solo musician and full-time member of Death Cab for Cutie . So it should probably come as no surprise that, for MTV News’ second edition of “Seattle Sonics,” Walla decided to take us to one of his favorite spots in Seatown: Sip & Ship, the kind of place that defines multitasking. See, S&S is the sort of place that seemingly only exists in Seattle: A communal, cozy combination shipping depot/coffee bar that also happens to be a gift shop. Oh, and they make a mean grilled cheese, too. Located in the city’s Ballard neighborhood — right down the block from a nefarious FedEx Office outpost — Walla first visited the shop six years ago (after a rather terrible experience at said FedEx), and in the time since, Sip & Ship has become the de facto home office for all things Death Cab. Merch, master tapes of albums, musical instruments and the occasional eBay purchase all pass through S&S. Walla has become close friends with the shop’s owners (one of them, Diana Naramore, even made a cameo in his “Sing Again” video ) and the coffee’s really great, too. “This place has become a communications and shipping and caffeine and calorie hub without which I don’t think Death Cab for Cutie would actually be able to do any business at all. This is one of the Seattle nerve centers of the band,” Walla explained. “We did a whole series of test-pressings for the new record, and we got four or five shipments of them here. We’d pick ’em up and then go home and listen to records.” Drummer Jason McGerr also chimed in: “It’s a far safer bet than my doorstep — which I don’t even step on all that often,” he said, laughing. And while Sip & Ship has been an important cog in the Death Cab machine for six years, there’s another spot nearby that’s been part of their lives for much longer: American Music, a Seattle institution since it first opened its doors in 1973 and the place where local bands (you know, like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains) went to get their gear. It’s not surprising that both Walla — who grew up nearby — and McGerr — who worked there in 1994, when he was 19 years old — chose it as the next place they took our cameras. “I traded all my paychecks for equipment, and I got to know a whole lot of local drummers,” McGerr said from his old post behind the American counter. “And there were times, 10 minutes before close, Dave Grohl would come in and sit down and just start blowing on drums and the front door would shut and we’d sit there and watch him. … There was always a scene happening within the store. If you played music and you got your supplies in Seattle, it was from American Music.” And American was also where you’d find Walla hanging out as a slightly awkward teenager, doing “double drummer stuff” with friend (and former Death Cab drummer) Nathan Good. And he did it mostly out of necessity, because back then, there weren’t many places 15-year-old music obsessives could hang out, due mostly to Seattle’s oppressive Teen Dance Ordinance , which made all-ages shows all but impossible to organize. And, really, to Walla, that’s what makes the place much more than a music store. It’s sort of his home away from home. “I got a lot of stuff here that was cast-off junk, but I still use it,” Walla said. “There are tons of music stores that are just enormous boxes, that are full of guitars and drums and cymbals and whatever, and they might have more stock than a place like American does, but American has the heart and soul of a music store that I want when I walk into a music store.” Death Cab for Cutie: Seattle Sonics continues all week on MTVNews.com. On Thursday, we’ll head to a vaunted (and now defunct) all-ages venue where DCFC learned how to be a band — and still made it home in time for curfew. Related Videos Death Cab For Cutie’s Guide To Seattle Related Artists Death Cab For Cutie
Nearly 15 years after the death of Tupac Shakur, a production company has acquired the only screenplay written by the rapper, and — with the help of Hustle and Flow producer Dwight Williams and Shakur’s mother Afeni Shakur — Shakur’s cinematic vision Live 2 Tell could begin production as early as next year.
Even at 77 justice has to be served. A Reno, Nevada, man is charged with four counts of murder in the deaths of four northern California women dating back more than three decades, authorities said Tuesday. Joseph Naso, 77, was arrested Monday by Marin County, California, detectives following his release from the El Dorado County jail, also in California, where he had been in custody over the past year on unrelated charges, Marin County District Attorney Ed Berberian told reporters. Naso is charged in the 1977 murder of Roxene Roggash in Marin County; Pamela Parsons and Tracy Tofoya of Yuba County, California, whose bodies were found in 1993 and 1994, respectively; and the death of Carmen Colon in Contra Costa County, California, whose body was found in 1978, Berberian said. He is eligible for the death penalty. Roggash’s murder was considered unsolved until Naso was arrested in April 2010 by Nevada parole and probation authorities, Berberian said. During that arrest, police found items that implicated Naso “in multiple murders of young women,” he said. CNN affiliate KGO said Naso, who had been convicted of grand theft at a grocery store, had a probation officer visit him at his home near Reno and found weapons. Naso spent a year in the El Dorado County Jail for the violation and was arrested upon his departure Monday, KGO said. A search of his home turned up photographs and writings tying him to the deaths, according to the station. Its not lookin good for you sir, we called Miss Cleo and she said she sees a book being thrown at you in your future. Source
John Legend not a fan of Donald Trump. It’s not The Donald’s reality show or supposed ambitions to run for president in 2012 that have the Grammy-winning pianist pissed, either, but Trump’s recent comments in which he persistently questioned President Obama’s nationality . “He needs to stop saying that racist bulls**t birther s**t,” Legend told N.Y. Magazine . “Quote me please. He should be ashamed of himself. It’s awful, really.” Tell us how you really feel … both of you guys . Trump said on GMA and The View that Obama’s purportedly cloudy childhood fills him with doubt. He then produced his own birth certificate to prove a point. Legend isn’t the first star upset over this. Bill Cosby said on Today that “the only thing he’s running is his mouth,” and Bill O’Reilly even called Trump out. What do you think of Legend’s comments? Is Trump racist for questioning Obama’s birth certificate, or is he just raising a sensitive, but important point?
The feeling may not be reciprocal here, but that’s nice at least. While out at The Grove in Los Angeles yesterday, a photographer caught up with Dr. Conrad Murray, who is awaiting involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Michael Jackson, and asked about the late King of Pop’s offspring. His response: “That’s my children, I love them. I love them.” Dr. Conrad Murray: Man on the Street And this concludes your Dr. Conrad Murray update this week. It’s been fun. We’ll see if jurors show him similar love when his trial kicks off in late April.
The feeling may not be reciprocal here, but that’s nice at least. While out at The Grove in Los Angeles yesterday, a photographer caught up with Dr. Conrad Murray, who is awaiting involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Michael Jackson, and asked about the late King of Pop’s offspring. His response: “That’s my children, I love them. I love them.” Dr. Conrad Murray: Man on the Street And this concludes your Dr. Conrad Murray update this week. It’s been fun. We’ll see if jurors show him similar love when his trial kicks off in late April.
The clip, shot in one continuous take, premiered Tuesday night. By James Montgomery Death Cab For Cutie’s “You Are A Tourist” video Photo: Atlantic Records Well, they pulled it off. One week after announcing plans to shot a live live video for “You Are a Tourist,” the first single from their upcoming Codes and Keys album, and after a full day of slightly tense rehearsals , Death Cab for Cutie were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Not only did “Tourist” — which was shot live, with multiple cameras, in one single take and broadcast for the entire world via YouAreATourist.com (and several other sites, including MTV.com) on Tuesday night (April 5) — come off without a hitch, but Death Cab looked like they were having an absolute blast making it. Directed by Tim Nackashi and based on a concept by frequent collaborator Aaron Stewart-Ahn, the video was artful, eye-catching and ambitious, to say the very least. Featuring an intricate, whimsical set, expert use of projections, a bevy of background actors and a dozen dancers who engaged in some seriously kaleidoscopic Busby Berkeley dance sequences, “Tourist” followed Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard and his bandmates as they wandered through the controlled madness — and wore some genuinely nifty light-up suits too. Despite the fact that they were filming it live, there wasn’t a single noticeable screw-up. Gibbard and his mates hit all their marks (and tried their best to hide some actual “I can’t believe this is really happening grins), the dancers were perfectly synced, the cameras were on cue and, at the very end — perhaps recognizing this — everyone, from the band to Nackashi to the dancers stood in the center of the stage, clapping and cheering wildly, as Gibbard thanked everyone for their hard work. Really, despite the fact they were doing this live before the entire world, DCFC weren’t really all that nervous — even though, as they told MTV News on Monday, the potential to screw it all up was enormous. “I think the trick here, or the balance here, is to try to have there be a legitimate amount of choreography involved but not so much that if one thing goes wrong, the whole thing topples like a house of cards,” Gibbard laughed. “And there are some very kind-of tight moves throughout the video, but nothing that, you know, if I’m not standing here at this one point, the Rube Goldberg kind of thing falls apart and you’re standing there for the next three minutes looking like a moron.” Luckily, that didn’t happen. What did you think of the Death Cab video? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Death Cab For Cutie To Shoot Single-Take Video Live On The Web Related Artists Death Cab For Cutie
The clip, shot in one continuous take, premiered Tuesday night. By James Montgomery Death Cab For Cutie’s “You Are A Tourist” video Photo: Atlantic Records Well, they pulled it off. One week after announcing plans to shot a live live video for “You Are a Tourist,” the first single from their upcoming Codes and Keys album, and after a full day of slightly tense rehearsals , Death Cab for Cutie were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Not only did “Tourist” — which was shot live, with multiple cameras, in one single take and broadcast for the entire world via YouAreATourist.com (and several other sites, including MTV.com) on Tuesday night (April 5) — come off without a hitch, but Death Cab looked like they were having an absolute blast making it. Directed by Tim Nackashi and based on a concept by frequent collaborator Aaron Stewart-Ahn, the video was artful, eye-catching and ambitious, to say the very least. Featuring an intricate, whimsical set, expert use of projections, a bevy of background actors and a dozen dancers who engaged in some seriously kaleidoscopic Busby Berkeley dance sequences, “Tourist” followed Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard and his bandmates as they wandered through the controlled madness — and wore some genuinely nifty light-up suits too. Despite the fact that they were filming it live, there wasn’t a single noticeable screw-up. Gibbard and his mates hit all their marks (and tried their best to hide some actual “I can’t believe this is really happening grins), the dancers were perfectly synced, the cameras were on cue and, at the very end — perhaps recognizing this — everyone, from the band to Nackashi to the dancers stood in the center of the stage, clapping and cheering wildly, as Gibbard thanked everyone for their hard work. Really, despite the fact they were doing this live before the entire world, DCFC weren’t really all that nervous — even though, as they told MTV News on Monday, the potential to screw it all up was enormous. “I think the trick here, or the balance here, is to try to have there be a legitimate amount of choreography involved but not so much that if one thing goes wrong, the whole thing topples like a house of cards,” Gibbard laughed. “And there are some very kind-of tight moves throughout the video, but nothing that, you know, if I’m not standing here at this one point, the Rube Goldberg kind of thing falls apart and you’re standing there for the next three minutes looking like a moron.” Luckily, that didn’t happen. What did you think of the Death Cab video? Let us know in the comments! Related Videos Death Cab For Cutie To Shoot Single-Take Video Live On The Web Related Artists Death Cab For Cutie
