d.oh Hole in my Sock | Music News

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Frostie

Band/Artist: d.oh
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Styles: Electronic, Indie
Similar to/RIYL: James Blake, The Weeknd, BANKS, Made In Heights, Chet Faker
CD: Hole In My Sock
Release date: January 15, 2015
Accolades: Performed on Canadian Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo 2010, Toured Cuba

Members/Instruments: Daniel Oh – everything
Production: Daniel Oh

Tracklisting:
Run With Me (feat. Adam Noble-Marks)
Alien Rooster
A carver’s love song
Tear Fall
Mountains of Glory
Only to Kill

Bio:
d.oh is a musical project that was created in 2012 while Daniel Oh was experimenting with music in his bedroom. Between and during classes at the University of Toronto, Daniel has been fervently pursuing his true passion – music. Though his sound has evolved into something that is more electronic, he draws from his influences in rock, blues, jazz, and pop.

Stupid Things People Write In Acting Casting Breakdowns

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Ah, casting breakdowns, audition notices. Whatever you want to call them, they sure can frustrate. An actor will generally spend more time applying for acting roles than acting or even attending auditions. Acting is a game of numbers and applying to casting calls can be soul destroying indeed. Especially when they include any of the criteria below. Luckily I can find the humour in it. Like my dad says, ‘If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.’

Must be able to convey emotion. Jeez, that will be hard, it’s not that actors are trained in conveying emotion or anything.

We want real people, not actors. Really? Then why advertise on an ACTING JOB SITE. Idiot.

Nudity is required. All of the time but generally only for women.

Payment for lead actor only. Great, everyone else can just live on fresh air and pay their rent with fairy dust. That’ll work.

Female wanted. Character name: “The Girl”. Because in real life women are not known by their names, only by their gender. Oh, and they are ‘girl’ no matter how old they are apparently. Which is fine, because most of the people behind these castings want an 18-year-old. I wrote an article on this problem in the acting industry here.

Must be able to act. Really?

For women: Must be slim. Because a persons body mass impacts directly on their acting talent apparently.

For women: Must have long hair: Read: must be fuckable. So many castings just suit a stereotypical male ideal of female beauty. It is so sad

No acting experience needed. Because why hire actual actors when you can just hire someone off the street? It is not like we are trained professionals or anything.

These came just off the top of my head. I will continue to write about silly things in casting breakdowns in the hope that they improve somehow. Please add your own casting breakdown fails below or email them to frost magazine@gmail.com and I will include them in the next post. Let’s try and change the industry, even if we have to use tiny baby steps.

If you are an actor then check out my book How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur. It is available in print and in all eBook formats on both Smashwords and Amazon.

Golden Globe 2015 | Red Carpet Round Up

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Frostie

We love fashion and Hollywood glamour at Frost. Following the Golden Globes 2015, Styloko.com have teamed up with Frost to unveil the most popular trends and looks searched by UK users within the last 24 hours.

Editor in Chief, Emily O’Brien provides insights into how Styloko.com users reacted to the trends and styles as worn by the world’s most glamourous women;

Most clicked products:

– With a range of celebrities wearing stunning evening gowns, maxi dresses with an eveningwear focus accounted for 50% of the most clicked products from Sunday night;

– Celebrities including Sienna Miller and Joanne Froggatt looked incredible in detailed gowns. This was reflected with Styloko.com users searches which included embellishment, evening fabrics such as lace and glamourous details were a key focus for shoppers; embellishment accounted for 75% of the overall clicked dress styles.

The most popular Golden Globes trends translated from the red carpet back to Styloko.com were:

– Black

– White/nude

– Black searches by Styloko.com users outweighed white/nude 65% to 35%,

Other colours searched by Styloko.com users in the last 24 hours include blue and red which appeared to be a key trend on the night. Celebs such as Felicity Jones in teal Christian Dior and Alison Jones in her incredible red embellished strapless gown by Armani Prive showed off these trends with aplomb;

Lastly…

Styloko.com has seen a 300% MoM increase in number of jumpsuits clicked on site. Leading actress and fashion maverick Emma Stone continued to buck the trend with her stunning embellished jumpsuit by French fashion house Lanvin.

Who do you think was the best dressed at The Golden Globes?

Joo Yeon Sir in Concert at St Martin’s in the Fields 9th January by Margaret Graham

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Some years ago I was honoured to be invited to speak at the commemoration of Vera Brittain’s life, at St. Martin’s in the Fields. I was delighted to pay homage to the author of Testament of Youth, (soon to be released as a film) who wrote with an eye to the social and political context of the time, as indeed do I. So, on went the hat, and off I went.

In the front pews were the great and the good, rewardingly attentive. At the back, secure in the knowledge they were welcome at St. Martin’s whatever else was going on, were the sleeping, snoring homeless. St. Martin’s has endeared itself to me ever since; with its balance of religion, and community.

Part of this ethos had led, 65 years ago, to the free lunchtime concerts. At last I caught one, featuring Joo Yeon Sir and what a treat.

Joo Yeon Sir photograph by www.benjaminharte.com

Joo Yeon Sir (violin), acclaimed and award winning Korean born British violinist, has performed as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician at major venues across the UK. At the concert on 9^th January she was accompanied by Russian born Irina Andrievshy .So there I was, sitting in St. Martin’s again: did it disappoint?

Absolutely not, it was a tour de force.

As I sat towards the back, pre-concert, admiring the East Window created by Shirazeh Houshiary and Pip Horne with its etched mouth blown clear glass, I wondered if St Martin’s ethos of ‘all welcome’ still held good; especially in such a full house. Then I heard it… A homeless gentleman sitting in a pew across from me, asking where was God, loudly, and then rather more vehemently where the …. was he? Security arrived, a kindly security, who had a little chat, and the visitor left, amicably, to return halfway through the concert. A frisson ran round our area. He plonked himself in a congested pew, (they all were) getting everyone to shove up, and then settled to listen to the marvelous music, along with the rest of us. Perfection at all levels – again.

Joo Leon Sir had chosen to open the concert with Grave in style of F. Bach. I’m a great weeper when listening to the violin, because I find it the most beautiful of instruments, if played well. It was played, more than well, so things became blurred. What enhanced the piece was the glorious building. Both the playing and the architecture inspired awe.

Then it was the Sonata No 3 in C minor for Violin and Piano, which was beautifully and empathetically imagined and finally a Concert Fantasy on Gershwin’s Opera ‘Porgy and Bess’, which was cheeky, energetic and as haunting, as Gershwin always is.

Joo Yeon Sir plays not just with her fingers, but her whole body. She is a joy to listen to, and to watch. So, take the upcoming opportunity: Joo Yeon performs all ten of Beethoven’s sonatas for violin and piano, in a series of four rush-hour recitals at the Royal College of Music, starting 3^rd March.

Again, all recitals are free but tickets are required from the RCM Box Office. 020 7591 4314/ www.rcm.ac.uk/events Royal College of Music, Prince Consort Road, SW7 2BS.

Ariella Announced As Exclusive Sponsor Of Hollywood Red Carpet Awards Events On UK SKY And E! Channels

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Corinne Tuddenham-Finn

UK fashion brand Ariella takes over as the official and exclusive sponsor of all the Hollywood Red Carpet Awards events on UK SKY and E! channels throughout 2015.

The coverage includes The Oscars, The Grammies, The Emmys, The Golden Globe Awards and many more.

Ariella is the leading UK brand for cocktail, evening and special occasion wear. Founded in the swinging sixties in Carnaby St London, the brand has won wide acclaim, numerous Fashion awards and continues to grow ever stronger, creating irresistible fantasies in fashion.

Ariella is proud to announce that they are the UK TV sponsor for the following Award ceremonies and TV programmes in 2015 including The Oscars, Live from the Red Carpet, Fashion Police, Who wore it Better, Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globes, Emmys, Grammys, American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards and People’s Choice Awards.

Ariella has produced a stunning advertising campaign as part of the sponsorship deal which sees ‘ARIELLA The Home of Red Carpet Fashion’ feature on Sky Network (all Sky channels), Sky Movies – Oscars channel, Sky Living, Sky News, Sky One, E!, Movies 24, Universal Channel and Syfy

You can see the advertisements air this weekend with the Golden Globes coverage.

Do you remember seeing this dress?

Darcey Bussell wore Ariella Couture’s “Angelina” dress as judge on Halloween night on the hit BBC One show “Strictly Come Dancing”

Darcey looked stunning on the Strictly judging panel alongside Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Craig Revel, with Darcey choosing couture from London designers Ariella.

Darcey wore the “Angelina“, an asymmetric black, liquid effect sequined gown.

www.ariella.com

Amanda Seyfried: Being ‘Overweight’ Has Affected My Acting Career

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Want to know how hard it is to be an actress? Then just look at how slim Amanda Seyfried is and then read her tweet below.

Fun fact: I almost lost out on several roles in my career because I was overweight. Wrong, America.

— Amanda Seyfried (@AmandaSeyfried)

The Mean Girls actress went on to say in an interview with Elle UK.: “I don’t have to look like a supermodel. I don’t have to have those abs, the camera doesn’t see that. But because we have all been designed to want these things, I’m a victim of this stuff, too. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t constantly aware of what I’m doing with my body.”

It is very disappointing that Hollywood, and the media in general, cannot get over their cookie cutter one-size-fits-all view of beauty. Amanda Seyfried is not ‘overweight’. I understand that you have to be in shape and healthy to act and the camera really does add 10 pounds, but the world would be a truly horrible world if we all looked the same. Hollywood: take note.

If you are an actor then check out my book How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur. It is available in print and in all eBook formats on both Smashwords and Amazon. It has had 5 five star reviews.

Russell Crowe: Female Actors Should Act Their Age. Meryl Streep Responds

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

There has been some uproar after Russell Crowe said that female actors should act their age. Meryl Streep came out in support of him and The Guardian did a great quiz on actors and playing age.

Russell said in an interview with the Australian Women’s Weekly: “To be honest, I think you’ll find that the woman who is saying that [the roles have dried up] is the woman who at 40, 45, 48, still wants to play the ingenue, and can’t understand why she’s not being cast as the 21-year-old, Meryl Streep will give you 10,000 examples and arguments as to why that’s bullshit, so will Helen Mirren, or whoever it happens to be. If you are willing to live in your own skin, you can work as an actor. If you are trying to pretend that you’re still the young buck when you’re my age, it just doesn’t work. I have heard of an actress, part of her fee negotiation was getting the number of children she was supposed to have lessened. Can you believe this? This (character) was a woman with four children, and there were reasons why she had to have four children – mainly, she lived in a cold climate and there was nothing to do but fornicate all day – so quit arguing, just play the role!”

Unfortunately that is not right at all. While some women will not want to play older, I have met a few, the roles for women are usually terrible when under 40: girlfriend, stripper, ‘the girl‘, a whore or merely window-dressing. When a women is over 40 the roles do not realistically reflect women’s lives. We are usually the mother, grandmother, crone or witch.

Jezebel blogger Rebecca Rose had this to say: “ALERT: Hollywood movie actor person Russell Crowe is fed up with all the old ladies who dare to want to be cast as something other than old spinsters or whatnot. Quit complaining that you’re cast in a role where your character has ‘nothing to do but fornicate all day’ and make a bunch of babies. Stop demanding that film-makers try to expand the depth of your character beyond ‘broodmare’. Just play the role, OK? Funny how Crowe doesn’t bother to offer any opinion about the mind-boggling legacy of Hollywood men playing romantic leads to women 10, 20, 30, and sometimes 40 (!!!!!) years younger than them,” Rose added. “Because it’s clearly the sad old women daring to pretend they are outside their actual birth ages that are ruining Hollywood … Thanks Crowe for reminding us, yet again, that women are always held in contempt for doing anything remotely similar to what their male counterparts do without reproach.” Very good points. Men do not tend to ‘play their age’ and their on-screen wives are usually significantly younger than them.

Amy Gray wrote on Junkee.com, “The ‘ingenue’ roles Crowe refers to are the only ones readily available for women; on the flip side, the majority of male characters in film and TV are aged between their 30s (27%) and 40s (31%). That could be because we’re more likely to want to watch lead characters based on their fuckability – and the older a woman gets, as any executive will tell you, the less faceable she becomes.” Crowe is 50 and also said “The point is, you do have to be prepared to accept that there are stages in life. So I can’t be the Gladiator forever,”

What do you think?

Milton Star Unveil The Dark, Beautiful Brooding Single Sorryville

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Frostie

Sorryville / Salvation
Stereogram Recordings
12 January 2015

Milton Star are Alan Wyllie and Graeme Currie who write and record their unique blend of indie and dark country in a converted church ‘Milton’ located in darkest Fife, the building not only inspired the band name but, as Alan explains, is pivotal in the writing process. “The thing that feeds the ideas and make the sound are the environment and acoustics here in the church and setting of the surrounding countryside. To have that on tap every day is just wonderful, we’ve been writing together for maybe 30 years and nothing before has come close. We tend to work independently on ideas initially, bouncing ideas back and forth and then come together to flesh things out, but there’s no set pattern, sometimes it’s the words, sometimes the music, sometimes a story or a visual, it’s a pretty fluid process once we get going though.”

Each of their tracks is drenched in atmosphere – think Velvet Underground meets vintage Glen Campbell via Rick Rubin collaborating on the next David Lynch movie or soundtracking the latest HBO crime drama…

Alan and Graeme’s collaborations date back through many incarnations of live bands to the early days of post punk and a band called Thursdays who were signed to Fast Records. After some years spent out of the music scene, they came back together in 2010, reinvigorated by a mutual dissatisfaction for what they describe as a “mostly insipid modern music scene”, picking up the gauntlet to produce sweet structured melodies carried by an expansive tremolo wall of sound and a dark soul.

With such rich musical experience the duo’s influences are wide and varied, as Graeme says. “Being the age we are we go back to punk and beyond, that rich seam of creativity with Marc Bolan, Roxy Music, Bowie and Velvet Underground. For me I was always drawn to Beefheart and a lot of left field guitarists. That whole American CBGBs thing with Television, Talking Heads, Patti Smith – Marquee Moon is still my favourite album. If you go back further though to some of the pioneers, Scotty Moore, what an innovator, Link Wray – that sheer power, you listen to Rumble, blows you away every time…”

Alan adds “It was such a focus for me, the music, the visuals, I remember being fourteen and my older brother coming in to my room, throwing the 69 Velvets live album at me and saying, “learn that, you’re joining the band…” Every week having new music to buy and bands to see, we were spoiled and that sticks with you. But equally I love a lot of old country – its easy to dismiss Hank Williams, the Everlys, Cash – Roy Orbison especially, what a voice and the musical tension he generates is unique on something like In Dreams, where it just changes all the way through, no verse chorus standard structure… The great songwriters too – Jimmy Webb “And I need you more than want you and I want you for all time.” Beautiful – but you take that beauty, you scratch the surface and you mix in a big chunk of darkness, pain and sorrow…”

With shades of Soulsavers and Mark Lanegan evident, Milton Star’s debut AA side single tracks ‘Salvation’ and ‘Sorryville’ are the perfect marriage between brooding vocals and shimmering guitars underpinned by a driving beat. Wonderfully atmospheric guitars capes paint vivid images of love, loss and regret lived out in one no-hope town to the next, in the bars, in shady motels and the highways and byways inbetween.

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