American Apparel Porn

I do not have much to say about this except that this advertising is not creative at all. When you see these ads and catalogs, you know it is American Apparel, but is this becoming a porn company or what. Every photo is suggestive and in my opinion, does not really show off the over priced clothing. So what is the real objective of these ads? I would love to know. To me, it is just selling sex, but sex sells I guess. This is just tacky to me because it is right out there and not subtle at all. I think this takes away from a quality company more than it helps it. What do you think?

New Absolut Commercial: Kanye West

IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD, everyone could be Kanye West.

This is the newest addition to the IN AN ABSOLUT WORLD campaign, courtesy of Kanye West. Although a lot of people think this campaign is outrageous and a lot of the executions are over the top and a chessy, I do think this campaign is great. The campaign has great legs to it, can be serious and humorous and lends itself to a number of great ideas that can be really monumental. I do agree that some executions are taken to far and really get away from what the campaign really stands for and its true meaning. That is where my love for this campaign comes from and where I think its true effectiveness lies.

Here is the copy from a print ad that I think communicates the true essence of the campaign and is inspiring.

In an Absolut World,

we question everything.
We challenge assumptions and defy conventions
because that is the first step to making things better.

In an Absolut World,
reality is only a starting point.
The last stop before imagination takes over
and we create a new world as ideal and inspired as our vodka.

In an Absolut World,
it's not about right or wrong.
Only what if and why not?
We can never claim the last word.
We only begin the conversation.

In an Absolut World,
justice is always poetic.
Optimism is our point of view.
Wit and style are the means to an end
and everything is as carefully crafted
as what we put in our bottles.

In an Absolut World.

If Absolut focused more on the depth of this statement and grew some executions that really exemplify these words and not just a humorous and out of mind execution the campaign could achieve a lot more than it already has. Despite these thoughts and this campaigns many critics, I still love this campaign.

AbsolutWorld Youtube Channel

Ryan Leslie's "Diamond Girl: The Movie"

This is a short film from Ryan Leslie and it is clear he was just trying something new and learning the limits of his talent and how to expand on it. All in all it is a pretty good, entertaining short film, especially if you are into the special agent, James Bond type theme. Cliche story however, but I did enjoy the dark feel of the movie and the camera angles used, reminded me of Cloverfield a little. The music between scenes could have been changed, instead of using the same music that closes the end of all his videos on his YouTube channel. This was a great first attempt at something new, but what I liked most about this movie is the introduction Ryan gives to the movie that shows the motivation for the movie and the swipes away all the hate before it even begins. Inspiring words and thoughts. They go as follows.

"Why a short movie? Besides the fact that this idea would have haunted me if I wouldn't have produced it, I wanted to exemplify the following:

This is evidence that if you have an idea, you should see it through, even if it means assembling a team that includes a film student from another country... Give it all you've got and learn from the experience. That's what I've done here. Most of all, don't let anyone limit you by telling what you are and are not capable of doing. Just do what you believe in and believe in what you do. Remember it's entertainment so people will (and are entitled to) have their opinions. Despite their feedback, be creative and continue to grow. "

Do what you feel no matter what anyone says or anyone does to try and stop you. You can never grow or learn abut yourself until you stay true to yourself and ignore the haters.

The Plot for the movie in case you do not have time to watch it.

"A Military Intelligence Agency has been assigned to recover a diamond that's been stolen from a very powerful Russian family. They suspect that a notorious dealer has been hired to sell the diamond on the black market. After shadowing her for a few weeks, the agency finds that she's very close to a certain music producer. They decide to recruit him into their service, and this is the story of how he manages to help them recover the precious stone."

Quote of the Day --- Self-Elevation

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simple pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both."
--James A. Michener--

To me, the art of living is the art of learning and we can learn something about life and living in everything we do. True excellence comes from being able to think differently and apply those things we learn to our circumstances and situations. Whether we learn a life lesson from tripping on a rock walking down the street or from reading a book or from a night at the club, true excellence is taking that lesson we learned and applying it to another part of our life whether that is a trip to the mall or a conversation with a stranger. In life, we can never stop learning and there is never a time off from learning. We choose to turn off our brains. But to truly be great and enjoy life we must learn from everything we do and realize in everything we encounter, we can learn from and become better at living and achieving our goals and vision of excellence.

Quote of the Day --- "Fear"

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you are think you cannot do."
--Eleanor Roosevelt--

Living in fear makes life boring and holds us back. We have to face what we are afraid up to really grow as a person. Being fearful always holds us back and keeps us from truly getting to know ourselves. We can overcome anything. It takes a strong will to face fear, but when we step up to the plate and look fear in the eye, the moment we take that step, we grow and propel ourselves to new heights.

Air Jordan 4's

The Air Jordan 4's come out this month in another countdown pack including the 19's. This is a pretty strong package. Even though the 19's aren't a very popular Jordan, they still look official in the black. Style in the 4's and ball in the 19's. Ha.

The Dark Knight --- ONE MORE WEEK!!!!

"The Dark Knight" comes out next Friday, July 18th and I am hype. This is the sequel to "Batman Begins", which proved to be a great movie, and Christian Bale's realistic and dark portrayal of Batman really rejuvenated the Batman series and the Batman character. "The Dark Knight" has gotten great reviews so far and had gained a lot of hype because of the unexpected death of Heath Ledger. Ledger plays the Joker and has gotten nods for being one of the greatest villians ever in a superhero movie. Many people believe Ledger's deep involvement in his character led him to his death. Who knows? But I do know that I am a big fan of movies and superhero movies and that this movie will be great and I cannot wait to see it. One more week!!!!