16 Year old's Tribute to Steve Jobs.....

6^th October 2011 ( Malaysian Time )

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

I woke up this morning and did the usual…

I brushed my teeth, washed my face, put on my glasses, and checked my iPod for updates in the world. Then it hit me. I looked at my iPod and said, “your maker’s no longer with us.”

Ugh, I suck.

Just last year, my parents decided to show my brother and I how much they loved us by buying a couple MacBook Pros and letting us call them our own. About a year prior, they bought us each an iPod Touch. What amazing parents. If you were to ask my brother and I how these gadgets have changed our lives, we’d probably both tell you that we… can’t say. Then, you’d check your email the following day and find essays from both him and I on how exactly our lives have changed. And there would be no grammatical errors whatsoever. At least not in mine.

Call me “dramatic”, but I honestly don’t think my life would be complete without my MacBook Pro or my iPod. I would not be the person I am today if Apple had not existed. I would not be able to do what I do in the way that I do it if Steve Jobs had not embraced nonconformity and originality. What I want to do with my life and how I intend on making a living revolves strictly around the computer and I can’t imagine ever doing anything else. Steve Jobs has inspired me greatly to pursue whatever is in my heart in a way that I’m comfortable with. And I have every intention of doing so. I’m sure my parents didn’t think much of getting the MacBook Pros for us at the time… but I want nothing more than for them to be able to say that it was one of the best decisions they have ever made in their lives. And soon, they will. They WILL say that it was one of the best decisions they have ever made in their lives. They will see how these gifts would not only go on to play a huge part in the future careers of their beloved children, but in their lives as everyday members of society as well. Then, they will thank God, for not only blessing them with the funds… but also for blessing the mind of Steve Jobs. For if it were not for his mind, which led to his inventions, their children and millions of other young people in the world, would not be living their dreams by doing what they love and making a living. AT THE SAME TIME.

Did you call me “dramatic” yet? Because if you didn’t, now would be an appropriate time.

The news of his death was a lot harder for me than I thought it would be. After my brother told me to turn on to CNN, and after seeing what I saw, I threw the remote control on the couch, put down my bowl of cereal, and while screaming the word “no” repeatedly, I ran upstairs. To figure out what the hell was going on (on my MacBook, of course). After receiving confirmation from several different sources, confirmation of which I do not know why I needed (I first heard about Steve’s passing through CNN), I immediately felt a dark cloud float over me. I don’t know whether or not it was because of the fact that I was a human being and deaths are tragic to most human beings, or because it simply WAS just a terrible, personal loss for me. Yes, a personal loss. I have never had any form of interaction with him before but I was still deeply saddened. Despite all the media attention that was focused on him and the apparent signs of his deteriorating health, his passing was still… seemingly sudden. It was too soon. I was in shock. Not to mention surprised. Because he was gone, but also at how upset I was. I have never even met this man before, and I feel like I had just been kicked in the stomach. It’s been a few days since the news broke, and I still can’t quite understand why his death’s had such an impact on me.

Maybe it’s because HE had an impact on me. Why wouldn’t he? Look at what he’s done. He didn’t come from much, he dropped out of college, he was homeless at one point, then he changed the world. He faced obstacle after obstacle, but never gave up. I have no excuse. And neither do any of you. What Steve Jobs has proven to the world is that there is no valid reason why any of us can’t be great, or different, or more than what people expect us to be.

I am still very upset. And I know I’m not the only one. To many people, the loss of Steve Jobs was a personal one. Without ever experiencing any form of interaction with him, many of us are torn apart by the fact that he is no longer with us. We’re even more torn apart by the fact that we’ve never experienced any form of interaction with him. It’s amazing how the passing of someone whom most of us have never met, can have such a strong impact on our emotions. It really shows how much he’s touched all our lives and changed it for the better.

Steve Jobs gave us things we never knew we wanted. Steve Jobs taught us that we should go after what we believe in. Steve Jobs taught us that it was okay to be different. Steve Jobs made us all want to be different.

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

Here’s to Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011) .

http://shekinahkannan.tumblr.com/

Jeffrey Berg, CEO of International Creative Management ( ICM )....speaks....

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER:

***The global entertainment industry is going through tremendous changes right now in technology, distribution, marketing and finance that create both threats and opportunities...,

...ICM Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Berg said Wednesday morning during the keynote discussion at the fifth annual Hollywood Reporter Power Lawyers event.


 “This is the most fluid market I’ve ever seen,” said Berg, who has been in representing top show business talent for more than three decades.


Addressing the packed room full of top Hollywood lawyers, Berg said that there is a great deal of opportunity for both lawyers and talent agents.


“Whenever you have changes in the market,” said Berg, “it’s a time for thoughtful, smart people to move in, not to retreat.”

“I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” -Jackie Robinson

LBN-THIS DAY IN HISTORY:  On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson, age 28, becomes the first African-American player in Major League Baseball when he steps onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to compete for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson broke the color barrier in a sport that had been segregated for more than 50 years. Exactly 50 years later, on April 15, 1997, Robinson’s groundbreaking career was honored and his uniform number, 42, was retired from Major League Baseball by Commissioner Bud Selig in a ceremony attended by over 50,000 fans at New York City’s Shea Stadium. Robinson’s was the first-ever number retired by all teams in the league.

LBN-QUOTE: “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me… All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” -Jackie Robinson LBN-COMMENTARY By ARIANA HUFFINGTON: I grew up with my father starting small newspapers in Greece. None of them survived. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that I’ve never had any desire to have Huff Post have a print component. IWOULD, FACEBOOK DATING APP PROMISES REJECTION-FREE ROMANCE : Facebook has long been a tool for testing the romantic waters, with the cycle going something like: You send a friend request, you gain access to a profile and then, you stalk.  Adding to the veritable toe-dips of Facebook dating is a new app called iWould, a crush wish-list of sorts launched last month by Columbia University MBA graduates Jon Budish, 28, and Tariq Chaudhri, 27. The app allows you to go through your friend list and select anywhere from one to ten people you’d be interested in romantically. The application cross-references your list with those of your friends also using the app.  If someone you selected put you on their list, you’ll both get a notice of the match.

LBN-COMMENTARY By MARK CUBAN : On Youtube you can maybe change the world. On Youtube you can be discovered and help discover the next Justin Bieber. On Youtube, if one of your videos goes viral, you can make tens of thousands of dollars, and if you can replicate the feat of popularity, you can make hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Those are real commission dollars .But wait, there is more good from Youtube. Anyone around the world can get Youtube to subsidize the cost of hosting their family, wedding, team, business, class, or personal videos. Hopefully perpetually. These are unique, honorable, impactful and expensive roles that Youtube has chosen to undertake

You Tube Pays...Bibi Netanyahu NOT a "Belieber"...

NETANYAHU CANCELS BIEBER MEETING :

Bibi is not a Belieber.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled a scheduled meeting with teen heartthrob Justin Bieber, who’s in Israel to perform.

Netanyahu, hoping to score some political points, invited a group of children who live near the Gaza strip to attend.

The children had just gotten off a school bus last week when a rocket fired by Hamas fighters in Gaza struck, injuring a teen and the driver.

But when Bieber reportedly refused to meet the kids, Bibi pulled the plug on the meeting.

While he apparently hasn’t commented on the snafu, it’s not Bieber’s first foray into controversial politics.

LBN-COMMENTARY By MARK CUBAN

On Youtube you can maybe change the world.

On Youtube you can be discovered and help discover the next Justin Bieber.

On Youtube, if one of your videos goes viral, you can make tens of thousands of dollars, and if you can replicate the feat of popularity, you can make hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Those are real commission dollars .

But wait, there is more good from Youtube.

Anyone around the world can get Youtube to subsidize the cost of hosting their family, wedding, team, business, class, or personal videos.

 Hopefully perpetually.

These are unique, honorable, impactful and expensive roles that Youtube has chosen to undertake

Bob Dylan LIVE in China...Google enters "tainment..."

BOB DYLAN PERFORMS IN CHINA:


The times have certainly changed: Bob Dylan performed before a crowd of 6,000 people in authoritarian China on Wednesday, just days after the Chinese government arrested famous artist Ai Wei Wei.

The Chinese government reviewed and approved Dylan’s set list before the performance.


Tickets sold for upwards of $50—a big sum in China.


Separately, Chinese authorities announced Thursday that they are investigating Ai Wei Wei for “economic crimes.”


LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER:


***Google has inked a deal to open a 13,465-square-foot office in Beverly Hills for its entertainment division.

The 11-year lease is valued at $6.3 million.

Google has made several recent moves that signal its desire to get deeper into the entertainment business.

LBN-QUOTE:

 “A kiss that is never tasted, is forever and ever wasted.”

 -Billie "Lady Day" Holiday

Hollywood's TheArtiste...ASIA's Premier Music Talent Search...7 Cities...

Liz TAYLOR...1932-2011- Rest In Peace...

R.I.P. LIZ Taylor
1932 - 2011

Elizabeth Taylor



Elizabeth Taylor lived a big life. "'The more the better' has always been my motto," she once said. Indeed with three Oscars, eight marriages, 12 bestselling fragrances, and countless carats of gemstones, she was a one-woman epic, dressed for the part with towering sculptures of ebony hair and artfully blended sweeps of jewel-toned shadow. Yet despite her timeless beauty, juicy personal history, and legendary film performances, her most extraordinary role was that of a tireless fundraiser for AIDS awareness. For Taylor, living large meant giving big.

REAL STARS...You will Shine Forever...in our Hearts...

Asia's Gift to The World & JAPAN...from Malaysia's "aLi", duo Roslan Aziz & Mukhlis Nor, inspired by Singaporean Nabil "Bill" Fitri...

Listen to Asia's Gift to the World & JAPAN...

Malaysia's "aLi",

comprising Duo Roslan Aziz & Mukhlis Nor, 

performing Hijau 2011...

inspired by Singaporean Nabil " Bill" Fitri...

Leftsetz on Rebecca Black, Lady Madonna, THE Lady "Gaga" & the Genius of Bob Dylan...

Oh man! Rebecca Black's "Friday" now has more YouTube views than Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" #what?!
And so does little Maria's cover of Lady GaGa's track. And she didn't even have to pay Ark Music Factory.
You see Lady GaGa and the machine, from Jimmy Iovine all the way down to the lowliest music business student, have lost the plot. Music is not about marketing, it's about conception.
"Satisfaction" came to Keith Richards in a dream. Some of the greatest music of all time was written in fifteen minutes. You see art is about inspiration, AFTER perspiration. And sometimes that perspiration isn't even practicing your instrument, but thinking. What we love is new and different, not what's come before. Lady GaGa rips off a Madonna tune and makes a video extravaganza.

Credit Madonna ( above )herself, even she knew it was not about repetition. That was Madonna's genius, she constantly confronted us with something new and different, something unexpected. The woman could barely sing, but she kept our attention. Because she knew art was not about money, but the impression. As in how does it hit the audience?
Vevo's got a problem. They call it ads. Do you really want me to sit through fifteen seconds of sell every time I want to see this rip-off GaGa track? Do you think I know I'm not paying? Do you think I'm not pissed off?
There is art in pissing people off. If it's intentional.
But if you're all about the profit, we don't believe in you.
Just like we'll line up for days and overpay to get inside the building to see our heart's desire while shows featuring production, manipulation of our wallets rather than our minds, play to empty seats.
"Friday" is so bad it's good.
The concept of a barely developed thirteen year old wanting to be a pop star is an unintentional commentary on a business mining nitwits for nickels. Tell me again about Willow Smith's life experience, that allows the tyke to be a musical star? It's the industry that foisted Willow upon the masses.
And T-Pain not only popularized auto-tune, they've auto-tuned the news to great success. Once again, this takeoff, this innovative use, was not done by the "artists" controlled by the major labels, but outsiders, with tools and insight.
As for inane lyrics, we keep hearing that will.i.am is a genius.

No, Bob Dylan ( above )is a genius. will.i.am is a lowest common denominator moneymaker. Why should he have a stranglehold on this paradigm?
"Friday" is an unintentional parody of modern pop music. And that's why we can't stop watching it. Because it's almost good. Stay through the entire clip and the song gets stuck in your head. It won't change your life, but it's not easy to forget.
And it's so easy to forget the market manipulations.
It's like the business has been selling soap instead of music.
It's not about excising rough edges. It's not about lining up publicity. It's about using tools, which are now cheap and prevalent, to capture lightning in a bottle.
There's more humanity in little Maria's take of "Born This Way" than Lady GaGa's. You can see right through the image inside the performer. Watching GaGa's clip you've got to penetrate the director's scrim to a woman who doesn't want to reveal her true self for fear we might not like what we see. If only GaGa threw away the costumes and just sang the song sitting at a keyboard like Maria. That would be innovative. One take, with mistakes, then we'd be interested. Instead GaGa's video is like a failed network TV show.
You don't want to believe all this. Because that means there's no map, no rules, you've got to forge your own path.
But if you get it right, you can succeed beyond your wildest dreams.
Believe me, Rebecca Black never thought she'd become a household name
And just possibly, she'll get a few more minutes of fame.
Did you see her on "Good Morning America"?
The program is frightening. Asking Black about cyberbullying when they're bullying her themselves. All smiles, dashing for dollars, using this child to burnish their ratings. It's television at its worst. But if you stay to the very end, you'll be stunned. Rebecca Black can actually sing. Better than the aforementioned Madonna.

But singing is not enough. To truly last you've got to write. You've got to reach our hearts, change our world by letting us into yours. It's a skill which Rebecca Black hasn't got.
But neither have the rest of the nitwits on Top Forty radio.
Little Maria was built by Perez Hilton.
The people lightning the fire are no longer the mainstream.
Hell, the mainstream didn't even find Rebecca Black, the Tosh.O blog did.
We live in a new world. Word can spread overnight.
If something deserves attention
And Rebecca Black's "Friday" does.
Because it shows how hollow the mainstream music business has become.

I mean where do we go from here? How lowest common denominator can we get? Call-out research featuring a nanosecond of music? Hit songs by babies singing gobbledygook?

If you do something new and different, everybody can know almost instantly.
Ponder that.
Dr. Luke can get you on the radio, but no one wants to see you live.
But if you blow up the paradigm, people clamor to get close to you. Like Charlie Sheen. You want a piece of what he's got. How did he get so insane and yet still win?
Credit Live Nation for seeing something none of the rest of us did.
In other words, concert promoters are now more innovative than record companies. Because record companies no longer know how to sell tickets. Hell, they're not even that good at creating train-wrecks.

Rebecca Black is the future. A bolt from the sky that captures our attention.
But someday soon the track won't be tripe, but something closer to "I Want To Hold Your Hand".

Get ready.
YouTube views:
"Friday" Rebecca Black (http://bit.ly/gn4mWP): 29,807,978

"Born This Way" Lady GaGa (http://bit.ly/gtx5vu): 22,651,885

"Born This Way" Maria (http://bit.ly/hC0DSM): 24,393,140

Rebecca Black on "Good Morning America": http://bit.ly/ew1zpf

P.S. And while I've got your attention, be sure to listen to this "Bob Dylan" parody of "Friday". This is art, this keeps our attention, not GaGa repeating herself: http://bit.ly/dGKn5L

Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/

http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz

If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,

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The "LADY" Gaga; Robert "Bob Dylan" Zimmerman & Bob Leftsetz....& The POWER of Artists...!!!

From: Bob Lefsetz

> To: danielkannan@yahoo.com

> Sent: Fri, March 11, 2011 2:41:32 AM

> Subject: Lady GaGa/Target

>

 

> Now that's a rock star.
 > A rock star is not someone with money who flies in a private jet.

> That's a banker.> A rock star is someone who speaks from the heart and puts her fans first. Who won't do anything for a buck. Who uses her bully pulpit to highlight injustices and lobby for change.

> Come on, in an era where everybody is greedy and handlers tell you that you can't make it without tying up with corporations GaGa leaves money on the table?


> In order to succeed in this business, for more than a few moments, you've got to stand for something more than money. Or else you're seen as a chump in the endless parade we laugh at.

> Oh, we're laughing. Don't you read TMZ? That's the Internet era. We make fun of the famous, they need attention, they were the drama queens in high school who didn't get the acclaim they deserved. And too often are of limited talent.

Meanwhile, the faceless fat cats behind them laugh all the way to the bank. The execs keep their jobs, curating the endless parade of wannabes.


> Wanna know why classic rock is classic?

Because in that era rock stars were leaders. You listened to them if you wanted to know what time it was. And they were beholden to no one but themselves, not even the label. They had contracts wherein they could record the music themselves at a location picked by them with a producer of their choice and deliver an album that the label was required to release. Those were the good old days. Before the execs started believing they were the talent.> Sure, GaGa is on Jimmy Iovine's label, but when was the last time Jimmy took a stand for anything but money? Good business breaking Beats headphones but is that what the world really needed now? No, the world needs leaders, and Jimmy is championing wannabes on "American Idol". That's heading in the wrong direction.


> Who is going to hold Wall Street and the corporations responsible?
 > THE ARTISTS!
 > They're the ones with the power. Which they've abdicated in this decade where you can do it all yourself and all they can do is complain that they're not making enough money.

> This is not the first time GaGa has taken a stand. She also voiced her opinion against the "Don't ask, don't tell." policy. And lo and behold, it was eviscerated.


> It's not about results today, it's about results eventually.
 > But everybody wants their money today.
 > It's not about that Target exclusive today, it's about your CAREER!
 > That's how you truly make money in this business. When you're no longer signed to a label, when radio isn't interested and you're supported by fans. Who keep you alive on the road, who buy your new music.

> GaGa knows who her fans is. She's been playing to her Little Monsters since Day One.


> Maybe because she's so much like them. Not classically beautiful, struggling. She didn't forget where she came from. And they love her for it.
> You want to make it? Stop complaining you can't get paid. Stop complaining how hard it is to make it. GaGa got dropped from a previous label. She struggled. It all wasn't peaches and cream.

> Meanwhile, now that GaGa's paved the way, can't some of the other artists out there take a stand? You think you're alienating people but what you're really doing is bonding your core to you, and we all know it's about the core.

Stand for something or you don't stand for anything. Pick your issues. And know that you've got power. And it's your turn to lead.

> Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
> http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz

> If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
> http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

LBN-MUSIC INSIDER:

That guy who said “The times they are a-changin’” really knew what he was talking about, didn’t he?


Adding to the itinerary of locations where Bob Dylan has never previously played and where we never imagined he’d someday appear in concert, that ragged counterculture bard is slated to give a performance in Vietnam next month.

Did SIMON COWELL meet Sudirman Arshad ? & The Sinitta Factor...19 March 1989- 22 years Ago Today In History

Today in History.... 19 March 1989:

The Inaugural Salem Asian Music Awards at the Royal Albert Hall, London, England

There were 4 Judges :

1. Chairman of the Judges, Peter Jamieson- who is also Chairman of the BPI - British Phonographic Industry;

2. Singer Sinitta;

3. James Fisher - European Director of collection body ASCAP;

4. Dutch-German singer C.C. Catch &

5. Prominent West End Performer Beatrice Reading

All Music Industry Heavy weights & Powerhouses....no mean feat to impress them...and Malaysia's Sudirman Arshad, Clearly Won ALL their Hearts.....;  & they ALL unanimously voted for Sudirman...

as Chief Judge , Peter Jamieson announced, "Ladies & Gentlemen.....We have a Clear Winner...and the Award goes to "Soo Dee Munn..."

Sinitta (born Sinitta Renet Malone, 19 October 1968) is an American-born actress and singer who has lived in the United Kingdom for most of her career. She is best known for her hit records in the 1980s; including "So Macho", "Toy Boy", "Cross My Broken Heart" and a 1989 cover of "Right Back Where We Started From", and her close relationship with Simon Cowell.

Sinitta was born as one of twin daughters. Her twin sister was adopted and raised by an aunt who could not have children

Sinitta spent the first six years of her life in a foster home, until her teenage mother Miquel Brown was able to cope with a child.

Sinitta is a former girlfriend and fiancée of Simon Cowell.


She also had a two-year relationship with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt during the late 1980s.

Please go here to read more about Sinitta...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinitta



Sinitta and Simon Cowell partying in the 1980s

Sinitta arrives at the New London Theatre in 1989 wearing her 'Cats' costume for a reunion of cast member

Simon Cowell in London with his mum and Sinitta recently

Sinitta today: Isn't She Lovely...She may have passed 40 but she still looks stunning

Sudirman Arshad, winner of the Salem Asian Music Awards, Royal Albert Hall, London, 19 March 1989, and He won the Title of  "Asia's Best Performer" , in no less than at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London, in March 1989 beating the Best of what Asia had to offer in terms of true bonafide Talents, unlike the run of the mill, instant noodle, reality Tv show type artists that dominate the markets today.......

Organised by Impressario, Simon Napier Bell, who had managed the Wham, the duo of George Michael and Andrew Ridgely, and was responsible for taking Wham from being a British Duo to an International Global phenomenon by getting them to perform in Communist Closed China at that time in the 80's and subsequently making them the first european or for that matter any western act to do so......and co organiser, Donovan, who was Simon's business partner.....

9 of Asia's best talents......and Sudirman Haji Arshad, Malaysia's underated 5 foot tall gift from the Almighty, beat them all to win the coveted Asia's Best Performer......

( see picture above, from left to right ) : Taiwan's Chyi Chin, China's Cui Jian, Japan's Epo, Sudirman from Malaysia, Anchalee from Thailand, Koo Chang Moo from Korea, Megastar Lesley Cheung from Hong Kong and Las Vegas based ( at that time , now based in Kuala Lumpur) Anita Sarawak representing Singapore......( Kuh Ledesma from the Philipines was not in the picture as she was late for the photo call )
Indonesia was to be represented by Harvey Malaiholo but were eliminated due to the poor anti piracy record and poor policing of the protection of Intellectual Property rights...
HISTORY was made today, 19 March 1989.......

a Malaysian was and arguably still is......Asia'sBest Performer...Malaysia's SUDIRMAN Arshad...

"As excerpted from the forthcoming Book : Sudirman Arshad, Malaysia's Best to Asia's Best, by Mr. Dunn, Manager 1987-1991- The Real Story...;
Expected to be released December 2011..."

Quincy Jones Presents: Alfredo Rodriguez's US West Coast Tour, 19 through 24 March, 2011...

Thu, March 17, 2011 2:41:18 AM


Quincy Jones Presents: Alfredo Rodriguez's
US West Coast Tour


Dear ALL,

If you are going to be in the US, especially between
March 19th - 24th and are near the West Coast, try to go and catch Alfredo Rodrigues, an immensely talented and gifted Pianist;

and most of all, Endorsed & Supported by "Q" himself through Quincy Jones Productions.

Quincy Jones Productions presents: The Alfredo Rodriguez Trio West Coast Tour w/Ricardo Rodriguez & Henry Cole

Saturday, March 19, 2011
San Jose Jazz Winter
Club Regent at the Fairmont
4:00pm, San Jose, CA


Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Vibrato Grill Jazz...etc.
7:30pm or 9pm
Los Angeles, CA


Wednesday, March 23 2011
Yoshi's Jazz Club
8pm or 10pm
San Francisco, CA


Thursday, March 24 2011
Kuumbwa Jazz
7pm
Santa Cruz, CA


For more information, visit www.alfredomusic.com

About Alfredo:


Born in Havana, Cuba, Alfredo trained at the famous Manuel Saumell Classical Music Conservatory, then at the Amadeo Roldan Music Conservatory and subsequently at the Instituto Superior de Arte. His lucky break came in 2006 when he was selected as one of twelve pianists from around the world to play at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival. In Montreux, Alfredo struck a chord in legendary music producer Quincy Jones who noticed Alfredo’s immense talent and decided to begin working with Alfredo. In January of 2009 Alfredo made the difficult decision to leave his family and country behind and embark on a journey to pursue a career in music in the United States.



In his first two years since moving to the United States, Alfredo Rodríguez has played to capacity crowds during the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl; the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas; the Detroit Jazz Festival; the Monterey Jazz Festival; the Newport Jazz Festival; and many others. In July of 2010 Alfredo did his first European Tour with his Trio playing at XVI International Open Air Festival (Poland), Jazz a Vienne Festival (France), North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), Umbria Jazz Festival (Italy), Montreux Jazz festival (Switzerland) and with the Quincy Jones Global Gumbo All Stars, a group featuring the likes of Richard Bona, Lionel Loueke, Paulinho da Costa, Francisco Mela, and Nikki Yanofsky. He has built an enormous presence in China after co-writing, with Quincy Jones, the song “Better City, Better Life”, which was chosen to be the Official Theme Song of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. He has since played to influential crowds at the 2010 Shanghai Film Festival and the 2010 Shanghai Tourist Festival. Alfredo’s debut CD is set to be released in early 2011 on Qwest Records with Alfredo’s influences from Bach, Beethoven, and Stravinsky to Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, and Quincy Jones being displayed prominently. In his words, “Everything I learn, in all aspects of my life, contributes to my music.” In the words of Quincy Jones,

“He is very special and I do not say that easily because I have been surrounded by the best musicians in the world my entire life and he is one of the best.”

Watch Quincy Jones Receive the 2010 National Medal of Arts & National Humanities

Watch Quincy Jones Receive the 2010 National Medal of Arts & National Humanities from

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

" The 2010 National Medal of Arts to Quincy Jones for his Extraordinary contributions to American Music ( & the World..) as a Musician,Composer, Record Producer and Arranger.

As a master inventor of musical hybrids, he has mixed Pop, Soul, Hip - Hop, Jazz, Classical, African and Brazilian music into many dazzling fusions, traversing virtually every medium, including Records, Live Performances, Movies & Television."

President Obama awards the 2010 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal in a ceremony at the White House. March 2, 2011.

Happy 78th Quincy Delight Jones Jr...from Malaysia

Happy 78th Quincy Delight Jones Jr...from Malaysia

Happy 78th Quincy Delight Jones Jr...from Malaysia

HAPPY 78th Q...

Pictures Top : Quincy Delight Jones Jr at age 1....- the infamous "Booty Shot." 1934

Middle  left to right : Q's Mom Sarah, Q's Brother Lloyd and Q in Chicago 1936

Bottom : Looking out for Lloyd, Q's little brother, 1937

( Pictures taken from Q- The Autobiography of Quincy Jones, published by Harlem Moon, Broadway Books New York 2001 )

"All I know is that, on their own, human beings are not programmed to be able to handle that much fame, that much adulation, that much success.

The only way to deal with something that overwhelming -- even overwhelming success -- is if you are spiritually centered.

 If you believe that you deserve all that money and adulation, that is a problem. If you believe you don't deserve it, that's also a problem. And if you don't understand this, you're in trouble.

Picture Top : Q & Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, March 2011
Photos by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

I 've been in the business 59 years and I've seen it over and over again.

It's all about trusting a higher power; believing in divinity.

Picture Top : Cover of Q's Latest CD Release "Soul Bossa Nostra"

It's about cause and manifestation. Cause being God's job, manifestation clearly being our job.


The moment success leads you to say, I'll take it from here, God, God's reply will be, Be my guest. And God will walk out of the room.






The only way to navigate that road is to have humility and grace.

Those are the two cardinal rules.

You must approach creativity with humility and have grace when you're blessed with success.

Quincy Delight Jones Jr.( as appeared in an interview Friday, 28 March, 2008 )

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Peter Guber's New Book, “Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story

The Big Picture


Patrick Goldstein and James Rainey on entertainment and media


Peter Guber preaches the Hollywood gospel: It's all about telling the right story



March 11, 2011 10:27 am



After more than 40 years in Hollywood, Peter Guber is a great pitchman.



He's been in every end of the business – he ran Sony Pictures, produced hit movies like “Rain Man” and even helped found the legendary Casablanca Records, which spawned Donna Summer and Kiss.



His current company, Mandalay Entertainment, is involved in films, TV and new media and handles a variety of sports properties, including the NBA's Golden State Warriors, which Guber and a partner bought last summer for $450 million.



But when I had lunch with him the other day to talk about his new book,
“Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story,” instead of regaling me with stories about himself, Guber launched into a 20-minute lecture about how to further my career.



“Think of an interview as a relationship, not as a transaction!” he insisted, reaching out across the table to grab my shoulder.


“Relationships are the secret sauce in the business of life.”

Let's just say Guber was so persuasive that when the interview was over, my first instinct was to go ask my editors for a big raise.



But what Guber was really doing was something else he's done for four decades--being a motivator and a teacher, something he started in the early 1970s at UCLA, where he's now a full professor at the School of Theater, Film and Television.


“Even when Peter is giving you his rap, what he really wants to do is instruct and educate,” says Dreamworks partner Stacey Snider, who at 25 landed a job as director of development at Guber's production company. “I was really his story editor, but I wanted a more serious title.


And even then, Peter told me, 'You want to be a story editor because if you know the difference between compelling ideas and trifling notions, you can put that at the end of your pole and catch a fish.


Knowing a good story will be the source of your power.'“


The two sides of Guber's personality--the charming Hollywood hustler and the earnest academic idea guy--are both on display in “Tell to Win,” which has spent much of the past two weeks atop the Amazon best seller list.



It's an odd mixture of showbiz memoir, academic tutorial and self-help manual, full of examples of the power of what Guber calls purposeful storytelling.



You might say that the book is the ultimate demonstration of the Hollywoodization of our culture, since one of its essential lessons is that every business opportunity can be boiled down to making a great pitch.



It’s especially telling that when Guber enthuses over his new basketball team, he talks a lot more about the Warriors’ “new narrative possibilities” and fans’ “emotional bond” with the team than about winning games.



“We're wired to tell stories--we have two million years of it in our DNA,” says Guber, who at 68 crackles with energy, sprinkles his speech with colorful aphorisms and doesn't have a trace of grey in his swept-back sepia-toned hair.



“Facts are great, but what we really want is a narrative. Whatever the creative endeavor, when you want to move people to action, you need a story. It's a way to let people know you're a member of the tribe from the minute you walk into the room.”



In “Tell to Win,” Guber takes us on a dizzying voyage through his showbiz and sports past, dropping names all over the place.


When Guber goes on a white water-rafting trip down the Colorado River, during which his guide offers up a fanciful story about a king of Egypt being ferried across the Nile by a crocodile, Guber is accompanied by Pierce Brosnan, Tony Robbins and “Girls Gone Wild's” Joe Francis as well as a host of top film and TV executives.



We're right there with Guber when Michael Jackson feeds a live mouse to a snake, Pat Riley takes the Miami Heat to the 2006 NBA title, Tim Burton gets Jack Nicholson to commit to playing The Joker in “Batman” and Bill Clinton, in desperate need of money during the early days of his presidential campaign, turns to Guber for fundraising assistance. (Ever grateful, Clinton provided Guber with a cover blurb for the book.)



For Guber, stories help us reimagine the world.


Or as he puts it in one of his many maxims:



“Facts give you perspiration, stories give you inspiration.”


Clinton, when he needed money to keep his campaign afloat, inspired Guber to new heights of fundraising dedication by reminding Guber of the story of the film “High Noon.” It was Clinton, in the role of Gary Cooper, against the world.


Riley tells Guber that the reason the Lakers won the 1979 NBA championship after Kareem Abdul-Jabaar was injured during the league finals was because Magic Johnson, the team's rookie point guard, took charge with a compelling story.



“I know what the problem is,” Magic told the team. “All of you guys are afraid because Kareem isn't here.



Well, I'll be Kareem.” And with that, Johnson led the Lakers to the title.



This storytelling prowess is clearly contagious.


In the book, Guber interviews his friend, New York art maven Arne Glimcher, who not only discovers new artists for his gallery but also studies them as they work to collect stories he can use to sell their pieces to his customers.


“I'm not a picture seller,” he tells Guber. “I'm a narrator.”


Of course, by that definition, even Sammy Glick was a narrator.



But that's what makes Guber's book such an intriguing read. It's full of ideas that often sound like a hustler's pitch, but also seem genuinely rooted in our craving for connection with one another.



Most of the people who populate Guber's book aren't just storytellers, but risk takers.



“Peter seeks out people who are like him, the commonality being that they love a challenge,” says Toby Emmerich, president of New Line Cinema.



“Peter loves to do things that no one thinks he can pull off, whether it was remaking Sony or buying the Golden State Warriors. It's what gets his blood going.”



Perhaps that's why Guber is so excited about owning a basketball team, even one like the Warriors, who only won 26 games last season. It's a new challenge--with a new narrative.



“And here’s the story,” he says, warming to his pitch.


“That team is really owned by the fans. Our job is to make them feel the team is worthy of their emotions.



It's a different kind of show business.



The players are live characters, actors in a different play every game. And I do with a sports team what I did with a movie. I go--here's the audience, here's the artist and I try to imagine the right story that can connect them.”



--Patrick Goldstein



Photo: Peter Guber, chairman of the Mandalay Entertainment Group.

Credit: David Carlson/Mandalay Entertainment Group

LBN-MUSIC INSIDER:



***During the week ending on Mar 6, Usher managed to surpass the 4 million mark with his song OMG, which features will i am. This is the first song of Usher’s to reach that number.



***Lady Gaga’s deal to sell a special edition of her upcoming album at Target is off.


The deluxe edition of the album, was set to be released in May, with bonus content.



But gay advocates expressed their concern about the partnership because of Target’s donation to a political candidate who was against same sex marriage.



***American Idol producers always praise each year’s finalists, but the Season 10 group is getting an early thumbs-up from viewers, too.



Show veterans credit various changes for the shiny haul: the return of executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, a larger Hollywood round and, as executive producer Ken Warwick puts it, “different judges.”



LBN-THIS DAY IN HISTORY:


On March 11, 1997, Paul McCartney, a former member of the most successful rock band in history, The Beatles, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his “services to music.”



The 54-year-old lad from Liverpool became Sir Paul in a centuries-old ceremony of pomp and solemnity at Buckingham Palace in central London.


Fans waited outside in a scene reminiscent of Beatlemania of the 1960s.


Crowds screamed as McCartney swept through the gates in his chauffeur-driven limousine and he answered with a thumbs-up.


LBN-QUOTE:

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”

William James