Meet & Greet

Last evening I received a telephone call from Sony BMG Music UK! I've won tickets to see Beyoncé, in concert, later this month at an exclusive BBC event! What an amazing pre-holiday surprise!

Don't ever recall winning a competition before, and am therefore, if you'll excuse the informality, stoked! I've been a fan of Beyoncé since 1999 when I saw Destiny's Child perform, seminal song, Say My Name on MTV.

Hmm, wonder what future Sony swag is in-store for consumers following the release of the P!nk co-branded PSP? One endorsed by Beyoncé or Jennifer Lopez? Yum, yum!

Too Low For Zero

With the FIFA World Cup coverage now at saturation point! I'm inspired to impart the following football anecdote, which first appeared here.

In the summer of 1989 Dad, Uncle Allan, Mike and me watched Torquay United play Bolton Wanderers at Wembley Stadium. We'd secured VIP tickets and therefore were able to park in the VIP car park.

The guest of honor, Sir Elton John (obese, bold, pallid and dressed in what can only be described as Parson's attire), arrived in his signature black Bentley! His driver was promptly told not to park in the private members area! His royal highness, Sir Elton John, stepped out of the car. But, security were nonplussed and reiterated, to the driver (whose protestations had incensed security), to move the car or it would be towed away!!!

Whilst this was going on, I took the opportunity to ask Sir Elton for an autograph? His driver informed me that Mr Elton wasn't signing today, before returning to argue with security! Nice. I couldn't resist telling Sir Elton that I was a Michael Jackson fan! And the car was driven away!

So, there you have it, unequivocal proof that Sir Elton John is an incorrigible diva! Can't wait to meet Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey one day!

Singular Vision

Last June I wrote an article about the dethroned self-proclaimed King of Pop Michael Jackson.

Sony BMG's decision to release Visionary (a remastered collection of classic singles wrapped in ornate Epic records packaging) is a further attempt to nickel and dime fans already exhausted by an annual diet of repackaged hits.

This time around the unique selling point is format. The songs are being made available on DualDisc for the first time! In 1991 Barry Fox, veteran electronics journalist and media pundit, writing for ERT magazine, wrote that Sony artists would release their music on crisps if it guaranteed more sales (relating to Sony's stalled MiniDisc format)! Personally, I drew the line with The Ultimate Collection (4CD+DVD) and await new material.

In a move that mimics Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson is rumored to be recording a duet with West Life! Please pass me the new Prince and LL Cool J (Featuring Jennifer Lopez).

Flash Gordon

The first step in 'remastering' my portfolio site is complete (see here)! So, this morning I took a look at Flash 8 and created the following sample Flash Video (FLV) clips:

1 This clip showcases original CGI material generated using Bryce.

2 This clip is a short montage of photos and music (using a portion of Jennifer Lopez' Waiting for Tonight). Not for commercial use.

Both clips were edited using iMovie.

The audience is listening

Discovering Dolby NR on my parents' Panasonic Direct Drive tape cassette player embarked me on a lifelong sonic odyssey. From vinyl to DAT and SACD to AAC, I've marveled at and treasured the capture of indelible audio recordings. Late 2004 Sony BMG piloted the DualDisc format to test audiences. In 2005 the CD/DVD hybrid goes mainstream with the release of Rebirth from Jennifer Lopez.

MAME fans can grab 0.92 now, but 0.93 will include Aaron's sound system changes for end user testing. Audiophiles rejoice.

Looks like sky multiroom is coming to my Mum's nursing home soon. Mum adores movies and digital satellite will augment the extensive DVD catalogue that I'm currently building.

I'm not particularly averse to confessing my fandom of Dawson's Creek (S1 - 4) and, by extension, Katie Holmes. And Amazon UK is now offering S2 at a sub £20 sweet spot! I'll complete my collection over the coming months.