Category: News & Pop Culture

U2 3D


U2 3D

Laurie and I went and saw U2 3D this weekend. Awesome! It was way better than I expected and even more lifelike than I had imagined it expected.

I told Laurie afterwards that I was conflicted during the 80 minute IMAX concert experience. It was real enough that I felt like I was right smack dab in the middle of this concert in Argentina with several thousand fans around me. I wanted to take part in everything – yet I felt like I had to be restrained and remind myself I’m in public – in a theater. Of course if you know me, you know I love U2. It doesn’t take much “realism” for me to want to sing along.

Yet during the entire 80 minutes I sat quietly taking it all in and trying not to disturb my neighbors – or everyone in the theater behind me (especially since we were on the front row). Afterwards I was disappointed it came to an end and I actually felt like I had missed out on something. I couldn’t place my finger on it until I realized it was the interaction I missed.

I’ve been to one U2 concert and it was by far my most favorite concert ever. It felt as much of a worship service as a concert. And after leaving U2 3D it almost felt like I had been at church but only as a fly on the wall. I didn’t get to participate. All these people on the screen were involved and participating yet I sat on the sidelines.

I wonder how often we miss out in church because we don’t want to annoy the people next to us. We don’t want them to think we’re odd for standing up and cheering. We don’t want to be the crazy guy on the front (or back) row who won’t sit down.

What if we’re missing out on interaction with God? What if worship was so much more?

Heath Ledger dead

ledger_heathdead.jpg

Fox News and CNN are reporting the actor was found dead in his New York apartment this afternoon.

Actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan residence in what authorities say is a possible drug-related death, the NYPD said. He was 28.
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne told The Associated Press that Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Manhattan apartment that is believed to be his home. The housekeeper who went to let Ledger know the masseuse was there, and found him dead at 3:26 p.m, Browne said.

From CNN:

The New York Fire Department received a call at 2:27 Tuesday responding to a “cardiac arrest call” in New York.

U2-3D

Yessssss…..

Shot during U2’s visit to South America on the Vertigo Tour, the film is directed by Catherine Owens, with additional direction from Mark Pellington. Owens, longtime collaborator with U2 on live-show visuals, says ‘this was the ultimate challenge in presenting U2’. The results, she predicts, will startle audiences.

‘There is no comparison with a traditional concert film seen in 2D. One minute you are on stage with the band and the next you are at the back of the stadium. ‘The best way I can describe it for the viewer,’ she adds, ‘Is that it’s like being on the wings of a bird flying around the concert stadium – it’s really something else.’

The 3D shoot took place over seven shows in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Argentina in February last year and the film is being produced by 3ality Digital in Los Angeles, edited by Olivier Wicki with music produced by Carl Glanville, who has a long list of U2 production credits. Director of 3D photography was Peter Anderson and the Director of photography was Tom Krueger.

Justin Farmer to leave WFAA

Uncle Barkey reports that half of WFAA’s (Channel 8 ) newly joined morning anchor team will be heading back home to Atlanta.

“Hometown girl” Cynthia Izaguirre returns to the city that raised her on the same day Justin Farmer decides to go home home again, too.

Except that Belo8 wasn’t planning on his surprise departure from the station’s increasingly important early morning Daybreak. The announcement came just a few hours after Farmer and Izaguirre had teamed for the first time on Friday’s program. They were supposed to be teammates for years to come.

“This isn’t about leaving WFAA,” Farmer said in an email sent early Monday morning. “This has been a great ride on many fronts. This is about going home to WSB in Atlanta. I learned to shoot and edit in that place. I was born and raised in Atlanta. My family and I thought long and hard about this decision and make it with conviction. With that said, I am glad to have a number of months left at WFAA. This place is all class and Cynthia and I have a lot of work to do.”

Glen Rose too?

D Mag editor Wick Allison is reporting that Jeremy Halbreich and American Consolidated Media (owner of the Waxahachie Daily Light) are buying another small town paper – the Glen Rose News.

People were suggesting early on that Macquaire Media Group, Australian company and parent company of Halbreich’s American Consolidated Media were going to buy up every weekly paper they could along the proposed Trans-Texas/American Corridor. Many of the loudest voices against the Trans Texas Corridor have been seen in the editorial pages of the small town weekly papers along the proposed route. GOP Presidential candidate Ron Paul has voiced major opposition to the project, calling it the “NAFTA Superhighway” and saying the road would lead towards a North American Union.

Now here’s where that gets interesting – Macquaire Media Group is owned by Macquaire Bank, which also owns Macquarie Infrastructure Group.

Macquarie Infrastructure Group is aggressively pursuing infrastructure investments in the Texas. Together with their Spanish partner Cintra, Macquarie has already engaged in large projects including the Indiana Toll Road, Chicago Skyway, and 407 ETR.

Wait – Cintra? Haven’t we heard that name before? Cintra is planned to have the lead role with Texas on TTC-35 (Trans Texas Corridor). So, many would suggest, it is certainly plausible that Macquarie is a potential financial partner as individual facility development agreements are negotiated.

Here’s just a few of the other areas Macquarie has a hand in – just in the U.S.:

  • Commodity and energy markets
  • Debt markets
  • Electricity trading
  • Emerging markets
  • Energy capital
  • Equipment leasing
  • Institutional stockbroking and research
  • Macquarie Capital Advisors
  • Macquarie Capital Funds
  • Natural gas trading
  • Private equity funds management
  • Real estate capital
  • Real estate structured finance
  • Residential community development
  • Residential mortgages

Hmmm… guess they don’t have much to gain after all if the TTC is built.

ACM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Macquarie Media Group (“MMG”), a publicly-traded investment vehicle listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. MMG is based in Sydney, Australia and holds a portfolio of media businesses globally including 100% interest in Macquarie Regional Radioworks, owner and operator of 87 rural and regional radio stations located throughout Australia; 60% interest in Taiwan Broadband Communications, one of three leading cable television broadcasters in Taiwan; and, 13.8% interest in Southern Cross Broadcasting, a publicly-traded company with holdings in radio and television broadcasting located in the larger cities of Australia.