Knights In Shining Armor

     One more week until the 2012 College Football Season starts for my beloved Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University.  We'll open the new season at Tulane this Saturday, September 1st as the Big East will be up for grabs with West Virginia no longer in the conference.  College football will have a new landscape year by year as the Big East will look to find a dominant team in the conference that can compete on the BCS level….can Rutgers step up to the challenge?
     A new look will prepare the Knights for battle as they unveil metallic silver helmets for the 2012 season.  The "Armor" look definitely has a regal shine as Rutgers has played around with different looks over the years, mixing in different jersey and helmet combos.  This one is enough to get everybody excited for the new season and watch the boys do some work….chop!
Love the "Believe" motto on the helmets in honor of Eric LeGrand!

"3 Kings" - Rick Ross x Dr. Dre x Jay-Z

     Along with releasing his fifth major album this week God Forgives, I Don't, Rick Ross, has been releasing video's for his singles every other day it seems.  This one is more of a visual collage, it's actually labeled "A Maybach Visual Piece"…since it's made with pieces of previous video's from these legendary artists.  If you've been fans of Dre and Hov for the past fifteen years, it will definitely take you down memory lanes as you can recognize some of the most popular video's ever.  Mix in some recent backstage and studio footage of the artists and voila….you have this pretty cool imagery of arguably the hottest artist out with the games Godfathers.

7 Minutes of Terror

     It's pretty amazing what human beings have done and continue to do by constantly pushing the limits, especially when it comes to what goes on outside of our planet.  We definitely lose sight of our very tiny place in this unending universe.  This video exemplifies that by NASA scientists explaining and showing a hypothetical video of their next mission of sending a rover named Curiosity to Mars.  I'm still amazed at the level of precision, calculation, and hope that these people have when it comes to this cosmic endeavor.  I'll let the video explain the rest….best part is that we actually get to find out if their uber -expensive "science project" actually works at 10:31 on August 5th when Curiosity is set to touch down.
     As disappointed as we get everyday with negative news of people doing terrible things, it's uplifting to know we still have minds with no boundaries and adults can still continue to dream for the stars.
So cool…..
"Dare Mighty Things"

"Born And Raised" x John Mayer

     One of the easiest things to say is a major pop rock artist just released a fantastic album of ballads that everybody will love…….yeah…..well that happened.  Playboy Mayer has released probably his best work of art so far with his album "Born and Raised".  Everybody is familiar with his multiple platinum albums and even more familiar with his numerous trysts with some of the most beautiful women on the planet.  This seems, feels, and sounds different than anything he's done before musically and socially.  He let it go….let it all go…..you can really hear a musical honesty in this album that resonates that he's making music for himself and what he thinks is really good song writing.  The maturity of previous records and his retraction from the public eye let him focus on fantastic, quality, music.  I liken the record to an instant classic rock album that could have been released between 78 and 82 and carried on for 30 years as rock gold.  Touches of Neil Young, Steve Miller, James Young, etc...  Along with letting the hair grow and going all hippie on us (back to the letting it go part), Mayer has provided an album we can listen with your best friends at the summer bbq, in the house cleaning, at night in bed with your lady, sitting by the pool with the earphones, pretty much an album you can listen to at any point and be completely satisfied and happy….and really, what is music about…to express your emotions in ways that you maybe can't….and to bring you enjoyment, which this definitely does.  Burn a copy for your parents, neighbor, and anybody else that needs to relax and put their thoughts on something else.
Kudos Mr. Mayer….we all grow up at some point…even if you end up looking like a mountain man.

Oh yeah, check his cool visual for "Queen of California" and shout out to Ms. Myers for putting my ear on John and this video.  Owe you one.

Makers of Tomorrow

     Absolutely can not wait until Labor Day weekend to see two of my favorite artists of all time perform on the same stage….or at least on the same stage, two different nights.  None the less, who would have ever thought to see rock gods Pearl Jam and hip hop Godfather, Jay-Z, perform at the same weekend concert blow out, in Philly, none the less.  Well, yes, that's what is on deck in the form of the "Made In America" concert that Budweiser is sponsoring with two of the best in the business along with a menu of supporting acts including Rick Ross and team Maybach, Passion Pit, Skrillex and literally I just checked the website and Drake, Chris Cornell (blowing dust off of Soundgarden CDs), local favorite Jill Scott, and yes, RunDMC will also be performing.  They released this teaser video, called "Makers of Tomorrow" with Hov narrating on how music grows and mixes with genres, which basically this concert will be showcasing.  Honestly, counting the days down to this show…….

The Man With The Iron Fists X RZA Trailer

     RZA has come full circle in his illustrious career as he writes, acts, and directs in his very own motion picture kung fu blockbuster,  "The Man With The Iron Fists".  Bob Digi grew up watching and used kung-fu flicks as inspiration for the super group Wu Tang Clan.  Now he becomes the actual martial arts hero he always admired as he plays a local village blacksmith.  Teaming up with his jedi master, Quentin Tarantino, the movie looks to have that signature tongue in cheek, bloody humor and non-stop action throughout.  Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu both lend their talents, along with Pam Grier, Real World Alum Jamie Chung, and wrestling star David Bautista.  RZA and Eli Roth wrote the story over the course of two years and looks to be worth checking out.  Check out the official trailer.

Nike Air Max 2009 + Action Red

     Red has always been a favorite color and what better than an Action Red on Action Red trainer to wear to the Phils game or on any hot summer day.  The 2009 Air Max was one of the first Nike's to feature the full Air Max 360 Air Bubble, which is basically a super comforable, highly cushioned pillow.  It also features the highly used flywire technology that provides very lightweight support.  This does have the Nike Plus feature where you can insert the sensor under the insole and track your workouts.  Some would say it's early for a retro, but why keep a good trainer down.  You can also customize your own Max 2009 on NikeID (with glow in the dark sole option, sweet).  More pics below.

 

Action Red / Action Red