<body><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener('load', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <div id="navbar-iframe-container"></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> gapi.load("gapi.iframes:gapi.iframes.style.bubble", function() { if (gapi.iframes && gapi.iframes.getContext) { gapi.iframes.getContext().openChild({ url: 'https://www.blogger.com/navbar.g?targetBlogID\x3d11123526\x26blogName\x3dFrom+The+Digital+Sweatshop\x26publishMode\x3dPUBLISH_MODE_BLOGSPOT\x26navbarType\x3dBLACK\x26layoutType\x3dCLASSIC\x26searchRoot\x3dhttps://digitalsweatshop.blogspot.com/search\x26blogLocale\x3den\x26v\x3d2\x26homepageUrl\x3dhttp://digitalsweatshop.blogspot.com/\x26vt\x3d6705737670873377985', where: document.getElementById("navbar-iframe-container"), id: "navbar-iframe" }); } }); </script>
From The Digital Sweatshop
The Music, Art and Travels of Alan D. Oldham a.k.a. DJ T-1000.

Superman Returns.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

OK guys, saw "Superman" last night and MY GOD what a letdown! All the elements were there, and they were REALLY faithful to Superman's I & II (John Williams music, Marlon Brando audio/video samples, etc.), but it never really came together for me. The pacing was weird (there would be an action sequence then a longggggggg romance bit with Lois Lane for example, which killed the momentum), the movie was overly long (2:40) and it was tooooo much schmaltz!

Even the scene where Clark first changes into Superman is botched, keep an eye out for it.

At this point I don't have to tell you that Lois actually has a kid in the movie, which she doesn't in the comics. When I first heard about it I thought it was a bad move, but kept an open mind. Well, the kid killed the whole movie. After this and young Anakin in "Phantom Menace," we can safely say: KEEP KIDS OUT OF THESE KINDS OF MOVIES.

(To be honest, ever since "The Sixth Sense" there have been these dopey, pie-eyed kids standing around looking weird and doing nothing for the plot. Only Disney flicks actually aimed at children, like "Holes," should have kids in them from now on.)

I liked Routh as Superman, though. He wasn't the problem. He was really channeling Reeve, esp. as Clark Kent (Kent and Superman both reappear after long absences on the same day. These people at the Daily Planet are investigative journalists?).

Bosworth as Lois Lane was eh. Like Katie Holmes in "Batman Begins" (another that wasn't a total misfire, but could have been way better), I could take or leave her. Giaxia says Anne Hathaway would have made a better Lois Lane, and I agree. At least she's a natural brunette. Bosworth has really cute feet though, there's a scene where we see them.

Spacey was good as Luthor. I like the way they introduced the character. He was kinda doing Gene Hackman, but nuttier. The ending of his story was a complete letdown! Loved Parker Posey as Luthor's chick.

(There was a quick scene where Luthor and his henchmen were standing against a wall that was a tribute to "The Usual Suspects," which was also directed by Bryan Singer and starred Spacey.)

FX were GREAT. The action/flying parts were the shit, but:

THEY LEFT TOO MANY STORY ELEMENTS UNRESOLVED AT THE END AND IT WAS COMPLETELY UNSATISFYING.

The crowd was dead at the end of the flick which is no good for a big summer movie. There were more cheers at the end of "MI:3" despite Tom Cruise's tabloid woes. How this cut got past test audiences is my question.

There are way more little story problems and stuff, but I don't want to give away more of the movie than I already have.

"Spiderman" I & II and perhaps "X2" are still the best modern-day superhero movies out there in my opinion (I don't really count "Blade" simply because they changed that character so much from the comic that it's practically a new creation just for the movies).

More flicks: "Syriana" was a nice, mature film experience (no kids, no guns, only one explosion) that went on and on and on. It was basically "Traffic" with oil instead of drugs. Didn't have Soderbergh's visual style, though.

"Aeon Flux" wasn't as bad as the press made out. Detached, stylized and cool, story tight. It was filmed in Berlin and I recognized some of the exteriors, like Der Haus der Welt Kulturen. Charlize was hot in it.

And speaking of hot action chicks, "Underworld: Evolution" was BETTER than the original! It also was completely dismissed by jaded critics.


Summertime.

Thursday, June 22, 2006


Looks like things are heating up this summer after a dead 1st quarter. All my planned projects are in their design phases right now, almost as tough a process as making the content in the first place.

I found a new designer for the CD. He's working on something to show me as we speak. It's tough because this time I didn't have a set look in mind, but I know what I like when I see it. Soon as the art is in, it's going straight to the plant.

The long-awaited revamp of alanoldham.com is almost here. Saw the new site pages and they're hot (Paris Hilton voice).

Update on puresonikrecords.net is forthcoming as well.

My new comic is in post-production soon as the site is online, Giaxia's doing both (yeah she's finally back on the job and she told me to quit talking shit about her on this blog). Hope to have it out for my September art show in L.A. (can't wait for that, I love L.A. and am excited to be showing there!!!!)

Speaking of art, I'm showing back in Chicago in October. Not that anybody local would show up besides my friends (a nice excuse to hang out and drink free champagne), I'm just putting it out there just in case.

(Trying to be popular in the city you live in is a lost cause. Just watch the Green Day episode of VH1's "Driven" or the Christina Aguilera "E! True Hollywood Story" if you don't believe me.)

Lush's painting is done (above), she loves it and I love her for loving it. Believe it or not, her ass is really like that =) A few final hits of paint and it's off to England. I love finishing a project, especially for a satisfied client. I gotta find a box for it though!

OK, it's still early here, I'm getting out into this day. To find a box.


Motivated.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

What a difference a few days makes. I was so bored, now I'm in a lot of activity.

We're in the final design stage of the my album, now retitled "The Art of Transformation." I chose the name because it's a lowtempo/experimental album, as opposed to the hard techno that most people know me for; my "transformation" into a real composer, not techno producer.

I also found a singer/lyricist for my trip-hop project. She's really enthusiastic and excited on the phone. What a change from people sounding all tired and put out whenever you want to work together on something. She got me all motivated now. I had been all lazy. We're meeting up later today. Hopefully she'll work out.

I went to get an eye exam for some new glasses yesterday at this new place and it turned out the doctor knew who I was. He saw the name on my sheet and said "T-1000?" Turned out the doctor had gone to the festival. He started telling me how cool he was with Derrick Carter and how Diz lived down the street from him. He was trying to explain to the manager who I was. I was like, I'm nobody, just a guy trying to get some glasses. I was all in my sweats 'cause I ran there. How surreal.

And everyday's an adventure on Myspace. APaul hit me up today. He's from Portugal and is friends with The Advent. I have been rockin' his tracks forever. His stuff is similar to Ben Sims, really compressed and tribal. Another bad-ass thrown out of fashion by the minimal craze.


How Alan Got His Warhol On.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Checked out the Warhol exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art here in Chicago yesterday.

It was cool. Most of the pieces I'd seen already at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, but it didn't matter. Just to soak up the actual presence of the paintings was enough. The emphasis was on his "Death and Disaster" period of the early '60s. It's easy to say that the work was really simplistic; silkscreened photo images on canvas, but you gotta figure that nobody had done anything like that before and had it be considered fine art.

Also this was before Giclee prints (which I sometimes use to explode my images). Way before.

The colors of the pieces really inspired me, as did his use of multiple images. A lot of the pieces looked brand-new and computer generated.

They also were playing his screen tests and the "Warhol: Superstar" documentary. That was really inspiring, too. I've got a zillion hours of DV footage of my DJ travels and things that I haven't gotten around to editing yet. I need a staff that'll work for free like Warhol had =)

In interviews, Warhol comes off as willfully "naive" i.e., he didn't know what he was doing. But he was Machiavellian in real life. That's super-cool.

They didn't allow photos at the Museum so I couldn't get any shots. I tried to sneak some but security was all over the place.

Speaking of art, I was featured in the magazine Mexico Design this month. The article was about multi-talented artists. I was ranked number one (!) alongside actor John Malkovich (fashion design), director/writer David Lynch (furniture design and building) and author Douglas Coupland (architecture). Heavy company! Also some of my art was featured.


Putting Out The Call.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Looking for a singer/lyricist for my trip-hop project. Tracks are done, they just need like, words and attitude and stuff. Curve, Massive Attack, Portishead, Bowery Electric influences. Black girls are highly encouraged as long as you're cool and rockish, no divas. If you know anyone that might fill the bill, please let me know.


Bored, Bored, Bored.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

What's up, my babies. Started today bored as shit. Beautiful day outside, but not much happening at all. I remember when my life was really exciting, every day something new came up out of the blue. Now it's dull as shit. To me, anyway.

Giaxia bought me some new t-shirts and shorts from Old Navy, that was nice of her. I guess it's to make up for the fact that she never seems to get around to doing my sites anymore. And Amanda got me that Warhol shirt I was wearing in those pics below as a birthday present. I had been drooling over that shirt for months. She's so sweet. Got to love the generosity of women.

I'm still bored though.

I put out an ad on Craigslist for a new singer for my little trip-hop thing. EA just wasn't working out. Which is a shame, 'cause she's a genius. Time to move on, though.

I hope I get somebody soon for this thing. I'm not holding my breath, though, 'cause people are so shit these days. They really are. We'll see.

And still working on Lindsay's painting little by little. I keep getting new ideas for it and starting over.

Went and saw "V For Vendetta" this evening with Giaxia. It was really good, and timely. I never read the original comic it was based on so I had no preconceived notions of it. Bits of it were fantastical, but what do you expect from a sci-fi flick based on a comic, written by the Wachowski Brothers. The message of anarchy against fascism was clear enough, though. You leave the theater wanting to blow up the White House like they did Parliament in the film. In fact they dis America pretty hard in this film. Mainstream corporate media fomenting revolution? How ironic.

It was shitty that there was no Superman preview, since this was a Warner Bros. film. But we saw it in a second-run house for $3.00 so what do I expect.