The Hey Cole Blog

From Soup to Nuts

This week’s edition of “From Soup to Nuts” features ladies…lots of ladies. Women dominated the Hollywood news this week and subsequently dominated this week’s blog. This edition of “FSTN” marks the end of the month of January, which has been very kind to some, yet cruel to others. With February right around the corner, we as Hollywood outsiders can only hope celebrities will continue to have as many highs and lows as they did in January. Enjoy!

SWEET!

Bridesmaids
This year’s Oscar nominations have finally been released and many of the cast members of the popular comedy Bridesmaids have been recognized with nominations. Melissa McCarthy’s breakthrough performance earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination, while Kristen Wigg and Annie Mumolo were nominated for Best Original Screenplay. Although there has been some controversy over the film’s snub for Best Picture, having three different actresses, from very talented cast, nominated for Oscars seems SWEET worthy to me.

Kim Kardashian
I personally do not understand America’s obsession with Kim and the entire Kardashian family however, I must give credit when credit is due. This week Kim donated $50,000 to The Trevor Project, which is a non-profit suicide-prevention organization. Her generous donation is one of the largest the organization has ever received. Good job Kim. This may actually be the first time you deserve the publicity and spotlight the media loves to hand you and your family.

Rihanna
Music superstar and fashion lover Rihanna, announced this week that she has signed on to appear and executive produce a new reality show on British television. The show has yet to be given a title but focuses on helping undiscovered designers break into the English fashion scene. Along with appearing on the show, Rihanna will also supervise the show’s casting and assist in editing during the post-production of the show. If her fashion sense is anything like her music abilities her show will be an instant hit and replayed over and over again like any of her songs radio stations can get their hands on.

Stale

Demi Moore
An ambulance rushed actress Demi Moore to the hospital Monday evening after she experienced a seizure at her home. A friend of Moore’s witnessed her “shaking violently” and called 911. Moore was taken to Sherman Oaks Hospital in Los Angeles, where she spent two days recovering and receiving treatment. Although the cause of the seizure was not disclosed, Moore’s rep released a statement saying that the actress has decided to seek treatment for exhaustion and “to improve her overall health”. Sounds like a good move to me, Demi.

Lindsay Lohan
Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan is once again making headlines for all the wrong reasons. There have been multiple reports this week that the actress is being sued over an alleged hit-and-run in 2010. The accuser claims that she was on a walk in West Hollywood when she was hit by a rented Maserati that was driven by Lohan. The accuser is demanding an unspecified amount to cover the “serious personal injuries, pain, suffering, and anguish” she claims she endured during the accident. It wouldn’t surprise me if these allegations end up being untrue. Have you seen Herbie: Fully Loaded? She’s a great driver.

Wheel of Fortune
Pat Sajak, host of the popular long-running game show Wheel of Fortune, admitted during an interview that he used to host the show while he was drunk. But he didn’t stop there. Sajak went on to say that him and his long-time co-host Vanna White used to drink margaritas during the two-and-a-half hour dinner break during the show’s early format. “I had a great time. I have no idea if the shows were any good, but no one said anything, so I guess I did okay”, said Sajak. Its just a hunch but its probably not a good idea for the host and co-host of a “family television show” to come to work plastered and then brag about it. Or should I say the host bragged about it. I’m sure Vanna is thrilled you let us in on your little secret Pat.

Where Are They Now??

Next up is our guy who could always be found dressing it up in his black pants everyday in the office over the summer… Brett Yalof

Hello, you had asked for the interns to give an up to date on our whereabouts since August. I am doing quite well, I just walked at my graduation this past week at Towson University, but still have 2 classes left to finish before I can get my degree.

I have been sneezing less (joke) and have tried to refrain from impulsively talking trash about Michael Jackson and the Beatles.

I plan on taking a part time bartender job where I live (lower merion) and am eager to see what types of people require a drink at 12 in the afternoon, ha. I am still into the techno game and Avicii is literally the greatest musician of our generation ( my generation, not Coles). I still love Chinese food and love talking about it.

I also just want to say that it is great to still have a relationship with a former employer and wish Heycole the best and look toward to see what happens for them in a tremendous 2012 year. So that’s what up with me now, might not seem like too much, just waiting for the summer so I can move to the city with some friends.

How To Find Jobs In The Entertainment Industry

The first and most important thing to decide when trying to find a job within the entertainment industry is what direction you want to go in. The term “Entertainment industry” is extremely broad, so it is important to narrow down your focus and try to choose what avenue of the industry you want to get involved in.

Once you decide which area of the industry you want to work in, you should do an online search for job opportunities within that specific field. There are numerous free websites that can help assist you on your job search such as monster.com, entertainmentcareers.net, and showbizjobs.com. Using these sites to begin you search is an easy way to see what types of jobs are available and with what types of companies.

If you are unsuccessful at landing a job through an online search an easy way to get your food in the door within the entertainment industry is to sign up with a temp agency. Temp agencies work to help find you a job within a specific field and once a job is found they will place you in that job for a temporary amount of time. One problem you may face while working with temp agencies is that you do not actually pick the job you will be working at. Temp agencies find all the available positions within your desired field and do their best to find a good match but its not always guaranteed. One of the most common positions that temps find themselves working as is an assistant to someone within the industry. Although a temp position may not be your dream job, it offers the opportunity to network and build relationships with people within the industry that may be beneficial to you in the future.

Another good way to start out within the entertainment industry is to apply for internship positions. One of the things working as an intern offers that a temp position does not is that it allows you to specifically choose the place you want to intern. However, you must apply for internships on your own and they are not guaranteed. Also, in many cases interns are not paid, but like temp positions the opportunity to form relationships and gain experience within the industry will be very useful as you continue your career.

Lastly, volunteering is another great way to being a career in the entertainment industry. If your financially stable and can afford it, volunteering is a great way to get experience within the field. The common theme throughout this blog is experience and building relationships. The entertainment industry is difficult to get into but not impossible. Experience and relationships are things that you must go out and acquire on your own. If you want to chase your dream then stay persistent and work your way up. Hard work is something that can’t be overlooked and if you work hard enough you will eventually be rewarded.

Where Are They Now??

We continue our “Where Are They Now” series about our interns from this past summer. Next up, Tristan Kaupas…

Since last Summer when I interned for HeyCole, I have entered into my Senior year at West Chester University. I have not really taken a break from school at all this year. While interning over the Summer, I took three business classes and now I am just finishing up an online intersession course in Marketing.

I am starting my last semester at the end of the month and then I will be graduating in May. After graduation I plan on teaching private drum lessons and finding some kind of job in the music industry. One day I would love to start my own record label or open a recording studio. For now I will continue writing and recording music.

I will be playing my first gig with my new band, Bite Size Giant, at the North Star Bar on February 20th. If all goes well enough we hope to start playing gigs much more frequently and see where things lead from there.

Being an intern at HeyCole definitely opened my eyes to the business side of music, and I know that I will be able to put the knowledge that I gained to good use wherever I end up.

Artist of the Week: Lightning Jar

This week’s artist of the week is Lightning Jar, a newly formed Folk Rock band with a unique sound. The band was originally established in October 2010, by three childhood friends who shared the same passion for music. Jason Pomeroy, Sean Marshall, and Nathan Maier began developing music that’s central theme was struggling for an identity and self-discovery. In May 2011, drummer Jason Reynolds joined the group which added depth to the overall sound of their music. The band is currently working on finishing and releasing their debut album, however their first single Gypsy Band is available on iTunes and can be purchased here

Fun Facts about Lightning Jar:
- Lightning Jar was discovered by Retromedia Studios producer John Noll while the band performed its first gig on the Asbury Park boardwalk.

- Nathan and Sean are both very much involved in surfing and Nathan recently shaped and glassed his first surfboard in his basement.

- Jason, Nathan, and Sean all graduated together from Morristown High School in New Jersey.

- Lightning Jar is currently using Kickstarter.com to help fund the release of their debut album. Contributions to the Kick Starter Program can be donated here

Check out Lightning Jar performing “Devil In The Backyard”

From Soup To Nuts

A lot has happened since last Friday’s inaugural debut of “From Soup to Nuts”. Some of this week’s highlights include award shows, birthdays, break-ups, and even an online piracy protest that blacked out some of the internet’s most popular websites (cough cough Wikipedia cough). With all of the newsworthy stories within the entertainment industry and around the world, choosing admirable candidates for both the SWEET and stale tiers has become challenging and pressure-filled. Nonetheless, we understand our loyal readers have been anxiously, yet patiently anticipating this week’s edition of “FSTN”, and difficult decisions have been made to avoid depriving our readers from their newest guilty pleasure (your welcome). For all those disgruntled celebs out there that may peeved about being left off this week’s SWEET list, I wish you better luck next week. And for those less fortunate folks who have been identified as “stale” this week, the only advice I can give you is to do better. With that being said enjoy!

SWEET!
Betty White- Television legend Betty White celebrated her 90th birthday Monday, while earlier this month a celebration of Betty’s life and career was taped and then aired on NBC Monday titled “A Tribute to America’s Golden Girl”. The celebration included guest appearances by many of Betty’s former Hollywood co-stars and friends including Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett, Morgan Freeman, Ellen DeGeneres, and Tina Fey…just to name a few. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better then celebrating your 90th birthday, Betty’s new show Off Their Rockers premiered immediately following the broadcast of her birthday celebration. Off Their Rockers is a hidden-camera show that features elderly people pulling pranks on unsuspecting victims and thus cementing the notion that Betty White might be the coolest person in Hollywood.

Kelsey Grammer- One of the big winners at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards was Kelsey Grammer, who took home the award for Best Actor in a TV Series for his role on the Starz show “Boss”. Despite the show’s small audience, Grammer prevailed as the upset winner, which gives him a career total of Golden Globes and this being his first since he won in 2001 for his role on “Frasier”. Also, on the red carpet prior to the award ceremony, Grammer and his wife Kayte Walsh revealed that they are expecting twins although they wouldn’t reveal the babies’ gender. Grammer and Walsh got married in February 2011 after Grammer and his ex-wife Camille divorced after 14 years of marriage. Grammer, who is 56, said he’s “really looking forward to meeting these new arrivals” and that he’s “thrilled”.

Jessica Alba- Actress, mother, and now entrepreneur. Jessica Alba, (who is mother of two), has launched her own diaper delivery service, Honest.com . The idea behind the site is to offer a monthly online diaper delivery service that ships plant-based diapers and eco-friendly cleaning products directly to your home. The site offers six different diaper designs that parents can choose from and a portion of all proceeds goes to Baby2Baby, which is an organization that provides essential childcare products to families in need. This is a perfect example of someone using their celebrity status to make a difference and do good.

Stale
Meryl Streep- It might seem odd that the women who won Best Lead Actress in a Drama at Sunday’s Golden Globes for her starring role as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady” would be consider stale. However, its not the accomplishment that qualified her for this category, but her behavior after she won. After being presented with her award, Streep managed to use a colorful four letter s-word on live television after she realized she did not bring her reading glasses to the stage and was forced to deliver her acceptance speech from memory. But it didn’t stop there. At a press conference following the ceremony she once again dropped the same four letter word in front of cameras. Unfortunately, Streep who is well-respected for her professionalism, clearly came up short on a night that she was being recognized for doing just the opposite.

Capt. Francesco Schettino- The skipper of the Italian cruise ship, Costa Concordia, that shipwrecked last week has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, abandoning ship, and causing shipwreck. Captain Francesco Schettino or (as he has been referred to in the media) Captain Coward, abandoned the cruise ship and the passengers he was responsible for when the boat hit a reef off the coast of Italy. At this time there has been 11 confirmed deaths, 64 confirmed injures, and 21 people reported missing. The ship was carrying 4,197 passengers at the time of the crash. Also released this week was an audio recording of a conversation between Captain Schettino and the Italian Coast Guard after the crash had occurred. In the recording, the Coast Guard official orders Schettino to get off a life boat and return to the sinking ship and assist the passengers that were still on-board. If convicted, Captain Coward could face up to 15 years in jail.

Mark Wahlberg- In the most recent issue of Men’s Journal magazine, actor Mark Wahlberg claims that if he had been on one of the planes that struck the World Trade Center on 9/11 the ending may not have been the same. Wahlberg told the magazine, ‘If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn’t have went down like it did. There would have been a lot of blood in that first class cabin and then me saying “OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry”. If not for a rescheduled ticket, Marky Mark ironically would have been on-board the first plane to hit the towers. Since the release of the issue, an apologetic Wahlberg backed off his comments stating “To speculate about such a situation is ridiculous to begin with…I deeply apologize to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive, it was certainly not my intention”. Although he may play the hero in many of his films, he was correct to say its irresponsible to speculate about what-ifs. Its impossible to know how someone is going to react when face-to-face with real danger until they are in that position. Just ask Captain Schettino.

Where Are They Now??

This past summer was a fantastic experience for me… to have the office filled with 7 amazing, productive interns who truly showed me the exact vibe I want in the Hey Cole office everyday.

I touched base with all of them recently to see what life has been like since they went back to school. So let’s answer the question… where are they now?

Brittany Resnick
I just want to start off by saying how much I miss the bright orange walls and endless supply of Jolly Ranchers of the Hey Cole Office along with the wonderful people I had the pleasure of working with this past summer. As you all may or may not remember I am Brittany. Yes the Wawa girl.

You may be surprised to find out that I am still currently attending Indiana University and taking advantage of every last second I have here my second semester of senior year. Last semester I worked for Macy’s in the mall here in Bloomington in the cosmetic department making all the female IU students beautiful. This semester I am currently interning at an independent record label distribution company here in Bloomington, IN called SC Distributions two days a week and although I have only just completed a full week so far, I am really enjoying viewing the music industry from a different perspective.

My time these days is filled with attending my three classes (BEST SCHEDULE EVER!), embarking on the dreaded job hunt, and spending a lot of money while making very little. The most exciting event that I have planned in the next couple of months is my trip out west to California and Las Vegas for Spring Break in March. Other than making it a semester goal of mine to buy at least 1 drink from every bar in Bloomington, Indiana before graduation, my life is pretty boring.

I really miss Hey Cole and my partners in crime and read the Hey Cole Blog on the reg. Keep up the good work! And Joanna, you keep doing your thang girl. I look forward to Video Shmideo every Tuesday and like to think that the recent Amy Winehouse Valerie cover (see below) was just for me (Right Cole?!)

Word 1, 2, 3, 4
Brittany

Trend in music: Sampling

With the technological advances of today, it has become easier and easier for artists to produce that certain sound that fits perfectly within a song. Having said that, the technological advances of today have also made it easier for artists to “sample” older, creative songs and incorporate a modernized version of the song within their song. A perfect example of sampling can be found in the 2009 song by Flo Rida titled “Right Round”, in which the chorus of the song is nearly identical to the 1985 song by Dead or Alive titled, “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”. The two songs sound nothing alike however they both have a similar beat and chorus despite minor lyrical changes made by Flo Rida to make the song sound more current (Both songs can be heard here ).

Although sampling has become most prevalent in hip-hop music, it is not the only genre that it can be found in. Artists such as Coldplay, Lady Gaga and John Mayer have all incorporated sampling into their music. This brings me to my next point about sampling.

I believe that there are two ways to look at the music industry’s obsession with sampling. The first viewpoint is to treat a sampled song as a tribute to the original and to the quality of music produced by the sampled artist. However, the opposing viewpoint to sampling is that sampling is an unauthentic rip off from another artist and lacks originality and creativity.

There is no right or wrong viewpoint regarding sampling. It is a matter of opinion. However, I think its important for music listeners to understand that sampling is a popular trend in today’s music and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Many of the popular songs heard on the radio today incorporate samples from artists of the past although there are still popular artists that are truly authentic. Either way, sampling has become a part of the music industry and whether you like it or not the music of the present will continue to have a similar sound to the music of the past.

Artist of the Week: Pink Floyd

There are very few artists or bands in history that can say they had a strong influence on an entire genre of music. Pink Floyd is one of those bands. Pink Floyd burst onto the scene in 1965 gaining popularity by playing in London’s underground music scene. They dazzled audiences with their progressive and psychedelic style of rock music. Today, they are known as rock and roll pioneers and remain one of the most popular rock bands in history.

Things you should know about Pink Floyd:

1. They have sold over 200 million albums worldwide, which includes 74.5 million certified units in the United States.

2. The name “Pink Floyd” was chosen by original lead vocalist Syd Barrett and was named after two American blues musicians named Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.

3. It is estimated that 1 in every 12 people in the world have a copy of Pink Floyd’s top selling album, “Dark Side of the Moon”.

4. Pink Floyd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

5. Their album “Dark Side of the Moon” is ironically and eerily synced to the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz in a phenomenon known as synchronicity.

6. Pink Floyd’s album “The Wall” sold over 22 million worldwide and it is the biggest-selling double LP ever.

7. On their 1977 album “Animals”, they used the sounds of pigs, dogs, and sheep as a tribute to the central characters in the classic novel Animal Farm, written by George Orwell.

8. Their album “Dark Side of the Moon” still holds the record for the most time spent on USA’s Billboard album chart.

9. Pink Floyd tunes you probably know: “Wish You Were Here”, “Comfortably Numb”.

Also, see Pink Floyd’s live performance of “Wish You Were Here”:



Check out this video of Pink Floyd playing “Echoes” Live at Pompeii:

From Soup To Nuts

As mentioned last week, “From Soup to Nuts” is a new weekly segment on the Hey Cole blog that will be posted every Friday and highlight the best and worst from the past week in the pop and entertainment industry. The week was full of worthy nominees for both the sweet and stale of the week, however we have made our selections. Here’s what they are…

SWEET!

Carrie Underwood- On Monday, reports surfaces that the country music star rescued an injured puppy from the highway. Underwood was on her way home from visiting her parents for the holidays when she spotted two dogs lying on a median on the interstate between Oklahoma and Tennessee. Concerned, Underwood pulled over and went to help the dogs. When she arrived she found that one of the dogs was dead and the other was badly injured. She then picked up the bloodied and injured dog and put her in her car which was carrying her own two dogs as well. She quickly took the dog to her emergency vet where the dog was treated and nursed back to health.

Katy Perry- Fresh off her recent divorce from ex-husband Russel Brand, Katy Perry was the big winner at this years People’s Choice Awards. Perry took home five awards which included favorite female artist, tour headliner, song of the year for “ET” featuring Kanye West, music video of the year for “Last Friday Night”, and favorite TV guest star on How I Met Your Mother. It seems that Perry has put her divorce behind her and has focused on her career and her fans have rewarded her.

Halle Berry- The 45-year old actress is engaged…yet again. There are multiple reports that actress is engaged to Olivier Martinez. The couple appeared together in the 2010 film “Dark Tide”, and have been dating ever since. This however, is not Berry’s first engagement. In 1993, Berry married baseball player David Justice and in 1997 the two split. Also in 2001, Berry married singer Eric Benét but they too divorced in 2003. You know what they say….the third times the charm.


STALE

Jay-Z and Beyonce- For those of you living under a rock for the past week, hip-hop superstars Jay-Z and Beyonce gave birth to their first child, Blue Ivy Carter. It is believed that the couple paid upwards of $1.3 million to completely reserve the fourth floor of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. It gets crazier. There have been multiple reports that the couple’s private security detail prevented fellow parent’s of newborns from entering or exiting the neonatal intensive care unit at Lenox Hill. Brooklyn contractor Neil Coulon was reportedly stopped three times by the couple’s security as he tried to see his newborn twins. His wife Rozz Nash-Coulon said that she was lied to by a security guard that told her that the sixth-floor hallway was blocked off because “they’re handling hazardous materials”.

Joran van der Sloot- Prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalie Holloway, Joran van der Sloot plead guilty Wednesday to the 2010 murder of Peruvian woman Stephany Flores. His lawyer claims that he murdered Flores because of the “mental trauma” he suffered from the Holloway case. If convicted at trial he could face up to 7 to 30 years in jail. Van der Sloot was quoted at court saying “Yes, I want to plead guilty. I wanted from the first moment to confess sincerely. I truly am sorry for this act. I feel very bad”. It seems as though van der Sloot is finally going to the place he deserves to be. Prison.

John Bolaris- Fox 29 meteorologist John Bolaris has officially been fired from the station. Bolaris had been serving a suspension from the station since December 23 for an article published in Playboy Magazine about him being drugged and scammed by two European women in Miami Beach in March 2010. Fox 29 was reportedly upset about the way Bolaris was portrayed in the article and he was suspended indefinitely. However early Tuesday afternoon, a Fox 29 spokeswoman confirmed, “ We mutually agreed that it was time to part ways”.