It's been one disastrous day today. First off, I wake up two hours later than I even needed sleep-wise and then my printer starts jamming while printing for someone else and so now it looks like the printer is toast. I just want a printer in which I can salvage the print cartridges by using them for the next printer I get. The printer itself is older and I got a lot of great service and years out of it.
Then the DVR gets all screwed up and I'm now waiting 24-48 hours for Verizon to get its act together. I won't even get into that long story. So now I am printer-less for the time being and DVR less upstairs. Great. And I still have to write the show for Friday Night's "Himay Co. Live" broadcast. This should be interesting.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Last Friday's Blog TV Broadcast Debut Recap: Shaky Start But Necessary Trial & Error
Well, I launched my Blog TV broadcast for the first time this past Friday Night (3/18/11). This is not going to be the extensive blog I had hoped to write but to be perfectly honest I think that the debut broadcast's initial was a very mixed bag and really that is my own fault for setting far too lofty expectations for a series premiere if you will when the trial and error I inevitably experienced was always going to serve as a far better barometer and guideline for doing what I really wish to accomplish. First off, I ended up being about 90 minutes delayed in broadcasting because I had some webcam technical difficulties. I realized that I had to launch my webcam on something else first and then cancel that application/site once I was able to launch it on Blog TV itself. Once going, I was critiqued by long-time friend and music associate Paul Davis for it being too much of an advertisement and not interactive enough but I responded to him by saying that I always intended it to be much more of an introduction to Himay Co., T1V2 Productions, Cheyenne Lavene, Tuesday's Child, and the entire overall strategic purpose and creative goals of the broadcast show itself. I started my "What Am I Listening To Right Now" segment and I will continue to do that and add other things. I will be much less infomercial in my approach to it this week and in subsequent weeks but it was always my plan to start with more of a lecture-style product and then slide into a more interactive model where viewers could interact. As it stands, and the late hour probably had something to do with it, I had only about 8 or 9 people at the same time at the most for the entire broadcast. And I forgot to mention that I initially did a broadcast in its entirety without the sound until Paul informed me that it was not present so he was my sound check the second time around. I will be announcing my full agenda sometime Friday afternoon (or by then - hopefully sooner) in a special blog briefing beforehand.
Stay tuned.
Stay tuned.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
It's Late! I'll Summarize Blog TV Tomorrow!
For those of you who tuned into the broadcast debut of Himay Co. Live I apologize for not updating this sooner but it's very, very late and I need to get up before noon! I will post Saturday Afternoon while watching March Madness. Please check back in then!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
American Idol Recap: March 3-16/17, 2011 (From An Email To Tuesday's Child's Paul Davis)
MY THOUGHTS FROM AN EMAIL TO TUESDAY'S CHILD'S PAUL DAVIS ON LAST NIGHT'S AMERICAN IDOL
I thought that American Idol last night was very average at best. I saw some more underachieving from some of the contestants and I thought that for about the second or third straight week, Steven Tyler is beginning to jump the shark more and more. He's just praising even the most mediocre performances but I still like him and I think that at some point he might realize he's being too soft so I'm still waiting to let things play out more before I officially start believing that he needs to toughen up or get out altogether.
I am liking J.Lo as a judge more and more however and I think, like Randy, she has started to settle into being a very solid and accurately insightful constructive critic of the singers and this week was another good example.
Still love Thia but she's been too safe and ballad-centric the past couple weeks and I still think she'll be safe for another week or two at least but she needs to start picking it up. I thought Lauren Alaina was better than the past couple weeks but I don't think she was as overwhelming as the judges made it out to be. Still, she is quite sick right now and so you have to give her the benefit of the doubt. And while Randy is absolutely correct that you sometimes have to soldier on to perform, it's usually not in the form of a competition so I do think that is quite apples and oranges. He's right in the post-Idol context but since it's still a competition, you have to take that into consideration. However, having said that, the one degree of which I'd still agree with him is the fact that almost everyone seems to be at least a little under the weather so in that sense I do think it's fair game because it does level out the playing field so to speak. That's the argument Randy should have made or at least made better.
Naima really struggled. I liked her performance last week even though the vocal work wasn't great and Randy really confirmed what I already believed about that performance. I just want to know why the heck these girls still insist on tackling not just "The Big Three" but also other stars like Rihanna, Beyonce, etc.
I thought Paul was also quite sub-par but again, he is one of the contestants currently under the weather. The problem with his voice is that it does drastically and dramatically reduce the quantity and quality of decent song choices to suit it. That's a hard thing to recover from and at this point I have to imagine that his predominately female voting contingency will have to propel him farther than he might otherwise go in the competition.
Ironically, that was my huge beef with Lee DeWyze's popularity last season. I can't pretend that I'm not still absolutely incensed about it, even though I could feel that result coming on, and the lower profile of both Lee and Crystal Bowersox since last season (despite their both releasing albums - I think Crystal did marginally better) still proves the difficulty of maintaining visibility and star power post-Idol. The irony of my feelings towards Lee is the fact that I actually like some of his recorded material - both before and since American Idol. I think it's got a very Simon & Garfunkel feel to it. It's actually quite listen-able and he really is more of a folk singer like Crystal than a lot of us gave enough credit to him for because of Crystal's presence else. However, once again, my biggest critique of Lee shone thru again tonight when he delivered another typical Lee DeWyze personality-void performance and I just don't get it because he's actually a very good guy. Why does he hide this onstage? I just don't get it at all.
I still think Paul's voice is much more interesting than Lee's and while Crystal was clearly the best singer last year (with Siobhan Magnus, of course) and while America just as clearly, if not more so, still found a way to screw that up, I am much more okay with Paul's being propelled deeper into the competition for the same reason than with Lee.
Going into tonight Karen, Hayley, and Naima were in danger. I initially was not in favor of Hayley going thru to the Top 24. Don't get me wrong - Hayley is very appealing personally, I was never in favor of her getting put thru to the Top 24. She has grown on me more and more (last week cinched it for me) and I actually loved her performance last week but the fix is in with her. They clearly value the other talent on the show more, as they should because it is still much stronger, but that's always been the problem with the judging on the show with its feedback. They will absolutely contradict themselves with their standards for different people but what they don't do is make the argument that, to be quite honest, that actually is exactly what you have to do but instead they insist on insisting on stingy standards only to defy their own standards whenever it suits them.
Scotty was great. And I loved the fact that he did a little more traditionally styled singing towards the end; that was a great song choice for him and I am beginning to wonder more and more about how legitimately random the song choices are. I think they know damn well what they are doing and that they pick song choice catalogs that will help stack the deck in favor of some contestants over others. I've always suspected foul play but now I'm just flat out paranoid.
Whether that was a concerted effort on Scotty to start showcasing just a little more range or not, it's tough to tell but I do think that if he did it on purpose that it was a brilliant stroke of genius. He can get by on playing to his strengths awhile longer but he's going to need to start bringing something more when he starts competing more directly against Casey, James, and Pia. I think those four are four of the Top 5 and that barring a major mess up on one of their parts, there's really only one spot available for that fifth spot. That should be an epic showdown because you are dealing with some very strong talent with that foursome. Casey is starting to worry me though; too much screeching and J.Lo is absolutely right. He's gotten into this habit of showing too much gruff in his voice and for the first time I do think that he's not the one to beat; I think that momentum is definitely shifting to the other three.
While she's not a fan of Scotty's, I think Lyndsey Parker of Yahoo! Music hit it dead on that it should be "The Big Four" when it comes to female singers - she definitely thinks that any Heart song, because of Ann Wilson, should be in that same category and league and not only do I totally agree with her, I actually COULD agree more because I think that Ann Wilson might have the greatest range ever for a female singer. She can hit notes that even "The Big Three" can't and that's really, really saying something.
Still thought it was Naima, Karen, and Hayley on the chopping block with Thia on the outside of that group. I agree that Thia needs to show more emotion beyond smiling a lot and I'd really like her to be in that fifth spot because she really is one of the most technically gifted singers of this year and unlike Lee's following last year, she doesn't have the same fan base and the talent is so ridiculously superior with this year's edition compared to last year's so she has even less room to maneuver.
If I had to guess right now what the Top 10 would be, I wouldn't. Jacob is probably too polarizing a figure and quite frankly, I am a huge fan of his range, but I have concerns about what I at least believe is his lack of control of it and I think a lot of others feel the same way. I think he did an okay job with Heart last night but I did gain some serious respect for him last night because he really did step outside of his comfort zone more than anyone else this week and I can't help but just absolutely respect and love that about what he did so I would actually love to see him be rewarded for it, if only for this week.
We shall see but tonight we saw Karen Rodriguez go home with Haley Reinhart once again being reminded she needs to pick it up and Naima Adedapo receiving that same message. In the coming weeks, barring unforeseen slip-ups from the other Idols, the onus appears to be increasingly more on the likes of Jacob Lusk, Paul McDonald, Naima Adedapo, and Thia Megia. I'm still trying to figure out just where Stefano Langone's exit will come but I still think it will happen before the Top 5 but he could be the wild card in all of this. Either way, I'd have to guess that he and Paul will be consecutive vote offs if all this does in fact take form.
Scotty was great. And I loved the fact that he did a little more traditionally styled singing towards the end; that was a great song choice for him and I am beginning to wonder more and more about how legitimately random the song choices are. I think they know damn well what they are doing and that they pick song choice catalogs that will help stack the deck in favor of some contestants over others. I've always suspected foul play but now I'm just flat out paranoid.
Whether that was a concerted effort on Scotty to start showcasing just a little more range or not, it's tough to tell but I do think that if he did it on purpose that it was a brilliant stroke of genius. He can get by on playing to his strengths awhile longer but he's going to need to start bringing something more when he starts competing more directly against Casey, James, and Pia. I think those four are four of the Top 5 and that barring a major mess up on one of their parts, there's really only one spot available for that fifth spot. That should be an epic showdown because you are dealing with some very strong talent with that foursome. Casey is starting to worry me though; too much screeching and J.Lo is absolutely right. He's gotten into this habit of showing too much gruff in his voice and for the first time I do think that he's not the one to beat; I think that momentum is definitely shifting to the other three.
While she's not a fan of Scotty's, I think Lyndsey Parker of Yahoo! Music hit it dead on that it should be "The Big Four" when it comes to female singers - she definitely thinks that any Heart song, because of Ann Wilson, should be in that same category and league and not only do I totally agree with her, I actually COULD agree more because I think that Ann Wilson might have the greatest range ever for a female singer. She can hit notes that even "The Big Three" can't and that's really, really saying something.
Still thought it was Naima, Karen, and Hayley on the chopping block with Thia on the outside of that group. I agree that Thia needs to show more emotion beyond smiling a lot and I'd really like her to be in that fifth spot because she really is one of the most technically gifted singers of this year and unlike Lee's following last year, she doesn't have the same fan base and the talent is so ridiculously superior with this year's edition compared to last year's so she has even less room to maneuver.
If I had to guess right now what the Top 10 would be, I wouldn't. Jacob is probably too polarizing a figure and quite frankly, I am a huge fan of his range, but I have concerns about what I at least believe is his lack of control of it and I think a lot of others feel the same way. I think he did an okay job with Heart last night but I did gain some serious respect for him last night because he really did step outside of his comfort zone more than anyone else this week and I can't help but just absolutely respect and love that about what he did so I would actually love to see him be rewarded for it, if only for this week.
We shall see but tonight we saw Karen Rodriguez go home with Haley Reinhart once again being reminded she needs to pick it up and Naima Adedapo receiving that same message. In the coming weeks, barring unforeseen slip-ups from the other Idols, the onus appears to be increasingly more on the likes of Jacob Lusk, Paul McDonald, Naima Adedapo, and Thia Megia. I'm still trying to figure out just where Stefano Langone's exit will come but I still think it will happen before the Top 5 but he could be the wild card in all of this. Either way, I'd have to guess that he and Paul will be consecutive vote offs if all this does in fact take form.
Again - we shall see.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
3/15/11 T1V2 Media Update
Darrell Hays and Donnell Alexander are cofounders and co-CEOs of T1V2 Media (formerly T1V2 Productions) and they have authorized me to help design their relaunched URL website. I will be updating this story regularly. We are looking to do something slick, entertaining, appealing, and most importantly, informatively inviting so that site visitors will be interested enough to further investigate the stable of talent T1V2 Media has (most prominently, former American Idol Cheyenne Lavene).
New BlogTV Account Created: Broadcast Times TBA
Just created the official Himay Co. BlogTV account. This account will be used in conjunction for major announcements as well as for interviewing people for live and recorded purposes. It will be Himay Co. policy to announce upcoming as well as previously recorded broadcasts and there will generally be an underlying theme for each broadcast as well for broadcasting special events and initiatives. The first broadcast will probably be a basic test broadcast and that date and time will be announced on this blog ahead of time. There will definitely be a special midnight broadcast on March 19, 2011 (late Friday Night).
As always, please stay tuned for updates and further developments.
As always, please stay tuned for updates and further developments.
Welcome To The Official Himay Co. Blog!
Welcome to the official Himay Co. Blog! On here you will find all the latest news, updates, events, and personal opinions of me, Jamie Cole, the founder & CEO of Himay Co. As of March 15, 2011 Himay Co. is still more of a symbolic moniker than a functioning business entity but I am working on that as I continue to work and operate as a freelance consultant for T1V2 Media (formerly T1V2 Productions) as well as fellow musicians like sometimes music and artistic collaborator Paul Davis, cofounder of Canton, CT based underground progressive rock and experimental band June tuesday and founder of Tuesday's Child, of which I am currently helping to recruit talent in that local market for its initial lineup. These are just officially associated acts I will be blogging about, as well as other various music and pop culture related matters, news & politics, sports, as well as providing an inside view and front row seat to my own life as well. I will be updating my background as well as I can and will be making several adjustments on the fly. And I will definitely be blogging regularly about American Idol.
I was born on July 28, 1976 in Princeton, New Jersey and very proudly grew up as what is called in private school circles a "faculty brat" on the campus of worldwide known and distinguished secondary boarding and day school The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Some of Lawrenceville's distinguished alumni include Malcolm Forbes, Michael Eisner, Brandon Tartikoff, current NBA star Joaquim Noah, Huey Lewis, current White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, as well as current country music superstar Dierks Bentley, just two years ahead of my own class (1995) at Lawrenceville as well as well known socialite Tinsley Mercer, just a year ahead of me as well. There are many, many more distinguished alumni and alumnae I am omitting and for a full list of famous alumni please consult Wikipedia's page on the school. The school has also been used as scenery in TV and film media, most notably and recently "IQ", the Albert Einstein based romantic comedy with Tim Robbins, Meg Ryan, and Walter Matthau.
Unfortunately, I did not finish up at Lawrenceville and I was rather humbled when I was not rewarded for screwing around too much. Although I attempted to get readmitted twice after having to leave, I was at least fortunate to finish up my high school career at The Pennington School in Pennington, New Jersey, a lesser known but still a very prominent secondary boarding school in its own right.
While I still and always will consider Lawrenceville my home and true love, I have a special place in my heart for both schools and have recently made a stronger effort to reconnect and stay involved with both schools as well as with their alumni communities.
Before finishing up high school, my family moved to Simsbury, CT on July 1, 1993 so that my father, the long-time Dean of Faculty at Lawrenceville and one time (and future) acting headmaster of the school, could become the headmaster of the very distinguished secondary boarding school The Westminster School in Simsbury, CT. Its own list of prominent people include famed "Easy Rider" actor Peter Fonda, second season star of "The Bachelor" Andrew Firestone (of the famous Firestone family), and high profile actress Lake Bell as well as actress Darcey Halsey, the girlfriend of (and former off-screen girlfriend) Bud Light's Ted Fergurson, of which he starred with Darcy in the short-lived Dare Devil stuntman-theme ad campaign.
I will be blogging about various topics as I mentioned atop and will also be launching several Internet-based broadcasts and other filmed projects which I will be posting. As of March 2011 these projects are all still in its infancy and planning stages and some projects will be completed and available sooner than others and some will be ongoing in its production and availability as it progresses in its artistic evolution.
So please stay tuned for news and updates!
I was born on July 28, 1976 in Princeton, New Jersey and very proudly grew up as what is called in private school circles a "faculty brat" on the campus of worldwide known and distinguished secondary boarding and day school The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Some of Lawrenceville's distinguished alumni include Malcolm Forbes, Michael Eisner, Brandon Tartikoff, current NBA star Joaquim Noah, Huey Lewis, current White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, as well as current country music superstar Dierks Bentley, just two years ahead of my own class (1995) at Lawrenceville as well as well known socialite Tinsley Mercer, just a year ahead of me as well. There are many, many more distinguished alumni and alumnae I am omitting and for a full list of famous alumni please consult Wikipedia's page on the school. The school has also been used as scenery in TV and film media, most notably and recently "IQ", the Albert Einstein based romantic comedy with Tim Robbins, Meg Ryan, and Walter Matthau.
Unfortunately, I did not finish up at Lawrenceville and I was rather humbled when I was not rewarded for screwing around too much. Although I attempted to get readmitted twice after having to leave, I was at least fortunate to finish up my high school career at The Pennington School in Pennington, New Jersey, a lesser known but still a very prominent secondary boarding school in its own right.
While I still and always will consider Lawrenceville my home and true love, I have a special place in my heart for both schools and have recently made a stronger effort to reconnect and stay involved with both schools as well as with their alumni communities.
Before finishing up high school, my family moved to Simsbury, CT on July 1, 1993 so that my father, the long-time Dean of Faculty at Lawrenceville and one time (and future) acting headmaster of the school, could become the headmaster of the very distinguished secondary boarding school The Westminster School in Simsbury, CT. Its own list of prominent people include famed "Easy Rider" actor Peter Fonda, second season star of "The Bachelor" Andrew Firestone (of the famous Firestone family), and high profile actress Lake Bell as well as actress Darcey Halsey, the girlfriend of (and former off-screen girlfriend) Bud Light's Ted Fergurson, of which he starred with Darcy in the short-lived Dare Devil stuntman-theme ad campaign.
I will be blogging about various topics as I mentioned atop and will also be launching several Internet-based broadcasts and other filmed projects which I will be posting. As of March 2011 these projects are all still in its infancy and planning stages and some projects will be completed and available sooner than others and some will be ongoing in its production and availability as it progresses in its artistic evolution.
So please stay tuned for news and updates!
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