June 7, 2009


  • Hip Hop Competitors
    Meet our Hip Hop Competitors!

       DUMBFOUNDEAD
    Dumbfoundead has been reppin’ K-town internationally through the MC battle circuit since he was 15. After honing his skills at the Project Blowed (the world’s longest running open-mic show), he is becoming one of the dopest freestylers in Los Angeles. He has hosted and performed all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe and is best known for his battles on Grind Time. 
    Website: www.myspace.com/dumbfoundead 
    Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdTVJh-tYOE
       3STRYKES KREW
    Three talented emcees born in the city of Los Angeles and bred by Koreatown: J Riggs, John Jon and Kwest began their musical endeavor at the age of thirteen when they recorded their rhymes over beat snippets sampled from the radio. Currently, 3SK is in the studio working on a full-length for release in 2009.
    Website: www.3strykes.com/ 
    Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvadD8ng-1k
       VERSEATILE
    Coming from a background of talented musicians, Verseatile left Chicago to pursue a career as a songwriter. Wasting no time, he auditioned and was chosen as one of 50 finalists across the United States for Missy Elliot’s Road to Stardom television show on UPN in 2003. 
    Website: www.myspace.com/verseateezy 
    Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjJ7PHHB3dE
       TIER2
    Tier2 is a mix of two passionate minds, new to the LA music scene. Members, Tae & Dru, have been performing in such local places and promoting their 2008 mixtape release “the tragic comedy.” A mixture of many genres, tier2′s goal is to constantly elevate & fine-tune their skills in order to create a more original & real take on the world as they perceive it. 
    Website: www.myspace.com/tier2movement 
    Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu9qeaM1UQU
       STARSTUDDED
    Starstudded is creating a new breed of music dedicated to representing hip hop through intelligent lyrics over original beats. The group originated in Cerritos, CA and consists of members Cuban Pete, Ren, and Robstar. 
    Website: www.myspace.com/starstuddedmusicgroup 
       FUNKY SOUL
    Funky Soul represents the best of street performance. They utilize “traditional” popping, hip hop, locking, house to create a unique performance that brings a different color to street dancing.
       THE ASYLUM
    The Asylum is a dance company created in August of 2008 by choreographers Kristi Moniz and Ray Basa. Comprising mostly of Los Angeles natives, Asylum prides itself in not only being a dance company but a business in dance entertainment. Its dance styles range from theatrical to house to popping and breaking. Asylum is a “safe-haven” for dancers who need an outlet to let loose and prevent them from becoming “insane”.
    Image

June 1, 2009

  • Kenny and Lira

    Coldplay – Yellow & Viva La Vida  Remix

     

    Both

    They’re both the youngest in their family

    They both play violin and they play piano

    They both work on 42nd street

    They both have blackberries

    And watch American Idol

    *They both love the movie White Chicks

    They both love to eat at Benihana

    They both love to go to the zoo

    They love each other too

    They both wear glasses or contacts

    They’re bringing fishing back and they love to snowboard

    They both learned how to scuba dive

    Saw Britney spears live, and Madonna

    *They both love their dog Taylor

    They’ve traveled to Africa, France , Italy together

    They both want a a big fish tank…

    And a house with a pool…

    Viva La Kenny and Lira!

    And let’s go back to when they met

    They met on a ski trip…  in Vermont , On Feb. 6, 2004

    She’s from New Jersey , He’s from LA   (Waaaaddup!)

    She’s an Aries, and He’s a Virgo, now you know

    She’s a pharmacist, and He’s an I-banker

    She likes shopping and He likes golf & ESPN

    *She’s left handed, He’s right handed

    She loves sushi and He loves Kalbi Jim

    Sometimes she snorts, when she laughs

    He likes to flare his nostrils, when he laughs

    She loves champagne, he loves light beer

    And five years after they met, we’re here

    To celebrate, Kenny and Lira, with shots and cheers

    She likes Club Cain, and he likes Club Nikkis

    She likes recording music, and he likes pong-tigis

    She likes Italian Icees, He’s like what the Pho

    She likes chocolate, she’s the aisle seats and he’s window

    *And on May 8, 2008,

    He popped the question in Maui ,

    She said “Of course!”

    And that’s how we

    All got together today,

    Shall we

    Party all night til the break of dawn

    Kenny and Lira Congratulations…

    And now its time to make babies…     Ohhhhhhhh!

May 26, 2009

  • 8 Toxic personalities to avoid

    http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/8-toxic-personalities-to-avoid-461078/

    Although we like to think that the people in our lives are well-adjusted, happy, healthy minded individuals, we sometimes realize that it just isn’t so.  Personally, I’ve had moments where I’ll be skipping through my day, happy as can be, thinking life is grand and BAM, I’ll be blindsided by someone who manages to knock the happy wind out of my sails.  Sometimes it is easy to write it off and other times, not so much.

    Maybe you are a positive person, but when you are around a certain individual, you feel negative.  Or, maybe you have an idealistic view of the world and when you are with certain people, you are made to feel silly, unrealistic or delusional.  Or, maybe you pride yourself in being completely independent and in control of your life, but when you are around a certain family member, you regress into a state of childhood.

    Some of these situations, and yes, these people, can have a tremendously negative impact on our lives.  And, although we are all human and have our ‘issues,’ some ‘issues’ are quite frankly, toxic.  They are toxic to our happiness.  They are toxic to our mental outlook.  They are toxic to our self-esteem.  And they are toxic to our lives.  They can suck the life out of us and even shorten our lifespan.

    Here are the worst of the toxic personalities out there and how to spot them:

    1. Manipulative Mary: These individuals are experts at manipulation tactics.  Is a matter of fact, you may not even realize you have been manipulated until it is too late.  These individuals figure out what your ‘buttons’ are, and push them to get what they want.

    • Why they are toxic: These people have a way of eating away at your belief system and self-esteem.  They find ways to make you do things that you don’t necessarily want to do and before you know it, you lose your sense of identity, your personal priorities and your ability to see the reality of the situation.  The world all of a sudden becomes centered around their needs and their priorities.

    2. Narcissistic Nancy: These people have an extreme sense of self-importance and believe that the world revolves around them.  They are often not as sly as the Manipulative Marys of the world, but instead, tend to be a bit overt about getting their needs met.  You often want to say to them “It isn’t always about you.”

    • Why they are toxic: They are solely focused on their needs, leaving your needs in the dust.  You are left disappointed and unfulfilled.  Further, they zap your energy by getting you to focus so much on them, that you have nothing left for yourself.

    3. Debbie Downers: These people can’t appreciate the positive in life.  If you tell them that it is a beautiful day, they will tell you about the impending dreary forecast.  If you tell them you aced a mid-term, they’ll tell you about how difficult the final is going to be.

    • Why they are toxic: They take the joy out of everything.  Your rosy outlook on life continues to get squashed with negativity.  Before you know it, their negativity consumes you and you start looking at things with gray colored glasses yourself.

    4. Judgmental Jims: When you see things as cute and quirky, they see things as strange and unattractive.  If you find people’s unique perspectives refreshing, they find them ‘wrong’.  If you like someone’s eclectic taste, they find it ‘disturbing’ or ‘bad’.

    • Why they are toxic: Judgmental people are much like Debbie Downers.  In a world where freedom rings, judgment is sooo over.  If the world was a homogeneous place, life would be pretty boring.  Spending a lot of time with these types can inadvertently convert you into a judgmental person as well.

    5. Dream Killing Keiths: Every time you have an idea, these people tell you why you can’t do it.  As you achieve, they try to pull you down.  As you dream, they are the first to tell you it is impossible.

    • Why they are toxic: These people are stuck in what is instead of what could be.  Further, these individuals eat away at your self-esteem and your belief in yourself.  Progress and change can only occur from doing new things and innovating, dreaming the impossible and reaching for the stars.

    6. Insincere Illissas: You never quite feel that these people are being sincere.  You tell a funny story, they give you a polite laugh.  You feel depressed and sad and they give you a ‘there, there’ type response.  You tell them you are excited about something and you get a very ho-hum response.

    • Why they are toxic: People who aren’t sincere or genuine build relationships on superficial criteria.  This breeds shallow, meaningless relationships.  When you are really in need of a friend, they won’t be there.  When you really need constructive criticism, they would rather tell you that you are great the way you are.  When you need support, they would rather see you fail or make a fool of yourself.

    7. Disrespectful Dannys: These people will say or do things at the most inappropriate times and in the most inappropriate ways.  In essence, they are more subtle, grown up bullies.  Maybe this person is a friend who you confided in and uses your secret against you.  Maybe it is a family member who puts their busy-body nose into your affairs when it is none of their business.  Or maybe, it is a colleague who says demeaning things to you.

    • Why they are toxic: These people have no sense of boundaries and don’t respect your feelings or, for that matter, your privacy.  These people will cause you to feel frustrated and disrespected.

    8. Never Enough Nellies: You can never give enough to these people to make them happy.  They take you for granted and have unrealistic expectations of you.  They find ways to continually fault you and never take responsibility for anything themselves.

    • Why they are toxic: You will spend so much time trying to please them, that you will end up losing yourself in the process.  They will require all of your time and energy, leaving you worn out and your own needs sacrificed.

    All of these personalities have several things in common.  1) the more these people get away with their behavior, the more they will continue.  2) Unfortunately, most of these people don’t see that what they do is wrong and as a result, talking to them about it will fall on deaf ears, leaving you wondering if you are the crazy one.  3) Most of these people get worse with age, making their impact on you stronger with time.

    Frankly, life is too short to spend your time dealing with toxicity.  If you can, avoid spending mucho time with people who are indicative of these behaviors and you’ll feel a lot happier. Have you encountered these personalities?  What have you done?  Any personalities you would add?

May 25, 2009

May 21, 2009

May 13, 2009

  •  
     
    I’m back at
     
    The WORLD FAMOUS LAUGH FACTORY for a night…
     
    TONIGHT, WED. May 13, 10PM show.
     
    Tickets are $20 but watch the show for FREE on my guestlist. 
     
    HOT SHOW TONIGHT!!! 
     
    Send FULL names to prokreation@yahoo.com by 4PM Wed.
     
    See you there!
     
    PK
     
     
    WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009
    Tyler Spindel’s All-Star Comedy Laugh Factory
    Hollywood 10:00pm – 11:30pm
    General Admission: $20
     
    1546811725_l 4-25-06 002 4-25-06 007 b11529356

May 11, 2009

  • A POSTING FROM CRAIGSLIST…
     
     
    email this posting to a friend best of craigslist > los angeles > To the Asian Girl Whom I offended with my Asian-ness – m4w
    Originally Posted: Sat, 3 Jan 21:20 PST

    To the Asian Girl Whom I offended with my Asian-ness – m4w

    Date: 2009-01-03, 9:20PM PST


    You: Asian, young(ish), cute, petite, left-of-center, cosmopolitan.

    Me: The Asian guy you would never dream of giving a second glance.

    Hi! I’m so sad that you were offended by my very presence at your favorite boutique coffee shop. Seriously, I was just there to do some work and maybe a bit of reading – I didn’t mean to draw attention to the fact that you too, are also Asian. I was just looking for a quiet place to sit, and the seat by you just happened to be open. It’s not like peed all over you, put my arm around your shoulder, and screamed to all the other patrons in a heavy Chinese accent, “She mine! You all stay away!”

    After I sat down and pulled out Said’s Orientalism (no joke), you, in all of your ignorant glory, proceeded to loudly flirt with the nearest non-Asian man with a pulse to dissuade any romantic overtures from me. Lady, I already know you only date white guys; you don’t even have to open your mouth.

    Ever since Chad took you out back in high school and made you the envy of all homecoming, you’ve understood the magical power of white boys. Your parents balked until they saw how well Chet treated you and made you so so so happy. You tell yourself you don’t see color lines, and that you’re ending racism by only dating white guys – and you give yourself a little pat on the back every night before dreaming of waking up with beautiful blonde hair. You’ve even thrown in a black guy or two, just to get back at daddy. Asian guys? Like, gag me with a spoon!

    Hey, I applaud you. You’re totally progressive. Never mind all that bukakke stuff Jeremy keeps wanting to do (I wonder where he gets these ideas?). No need to worry about Scotty’s browser history pointing to asianteensluts.com. Totally normal! What red-blooded American man doesn’t want to bang a Japanese high school girl?

    Honestly, if I were in your stilettos, I’d do the same thing. If white girls were all over me ‘cause of my nice, smooth skin, my mad computer skills and wispy peach fuzz, I’d ride that white stallion to all glory.

    But since I’m 6’2”, 200 lbs. with 4% body fat and a PhD, I guess I’ll have to settle for one of our more racist Asian sistahs.

    • Location: Westside
    • it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

     

May 8, 2009

  • I’ve never used these three letters but now is the time to use them…

    OMG!    Are you kidding me?     These are the haters at Christian schools that cause repressed students to go BUCKWILD in College and after.  I know bc I went to a private Christian high school and saw all the students in action leading double lives in high school and go crazy later in college in their twenties. and oh yeah and I was one of them.    LET KIDS DANCE.    CONTROL FREAKS!

     

    Ohio Christian school tells student to skip prom or suspension

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090508/ap_on_re_us/us_school_dance_flap

    FINDLAY, Ohio – A student at a fundamentalist Baptist school that forbids dancing, rock music, hand-holding and kissing will be suspended if he takes his girlfriend to her public high school prom, his principal said.

    Despite the warning, 17-year-old Tyler Frost, who has never been to a dance before, said he plans to attend Findlay High School’s prom Saturday.

    Frost, a senior at Heritage Christian School in northwest Ohio, agreed to the school’s rules when he signed a statement of cooperation at the beginning of the year, principal Tim England said.

    The teen, who is scheduled to receive his diploma May 24, would be suspended from classes and receive an “incomplete” on remaining assignments, England said. Frost also would not be permitted to attend graduation but would get a diploma once he completes final exams. If Frost is involved with alcohol or sex at the prom, he will be expelled, England said.

    Frost’s stepfather Stephan Johnson said the school’s rules should not apply outside the classroom.

    “He deserves to wear that cap and gown,” Johnson said.

    Frost said he thought he had handled the situation properly. Findlay requires students from other schools attending the prom to get a signature from their principal, which Frost did.

    “I expected a short lecture about making the right decisions and not doing something stupid,” Frost said. “I thought I would get his signature and that would be the end.”

    England acknowledged signing the form but warned Frost there would be consequences if he attended the dance. England then took the issue to a school committee made up of church members, who decided to threaten Frost with suspension.

    “In life, we constantly make decisions whether we are going to please self or please God. (Frost) chose one path, and the school committee chose the other,” England said.

    The handbook for the 84-student Christian school says rock music “is part of the counterculture which seeks to implant seeds of rebellion in young people’s hearts and minds.”

    England said Frost’s family should not be surprised by the school’s position.

    “For the parents to claim any injustice regarding this issue is at best forgetful and at worst disingenuous,” he said. “It is our hope that the student and his parents will abide by the policies they have already agreed to.”

    The principal at Findlay High School, whose graduates include Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, said he respects, but does not agree with, Heritage Christian School’s view of prom.

    “I don’t see (dancing and rock music) as immoral acts,” Craig Kupferberg said.

  • KOLLABORATION NEW YORK 4
    is less than 2 months away!


    Saturday, June 27, 2009
    8PM (Doors open at 7:30PM)
    NYU Skirball Center
    566 Laguardia Place 
    (@ Washington Square)

    Tickets are now on sale and WILL SELL OUT!

    Get your tickets NOW
    And if you haven’t already seen it, 
    check out our promo video

    Please forward this email to your friends! 

    Special thanks to our sponsors & partners:
    Jinro/Hite
    CAPA 

    Cheers! -KNY Fam

    KNY Web site: kollaborationnewyork.org
    KNY Twitter:     twitter.com/kollabny
    KNY Blog:     kollabny.blogspot.com
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    EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ENTERTAINMENT
    new york style. 
     
     

May 4, 2009

  • DANCE CREWS!

    We’re looking for DANCE CREWS for an upcoming show in LA this summer.  If you are interested,  please email  me at prokreation@yahoo.com  ASAP.

     

     

    ______________________________________________________________

    What Is a Man?

    By Tom Chiarella for Esquire

    How to be a man
     
    A man carries cash. A man looks out for those around him — woman, friend, stranger. A man can cook eggs. A man can always find something good to watch on television. A man makes things — a rock wall, a table, the tuition money. Or he rebuilds — engines, watches, fortunes. He passes along expertise, one man to the next. Know-how survives him. A man fantasizes that kung fu lives deep inside him somewhere. A man is good at his job. Not his work, not his avocation, not his hobby. Not his career. His job. It doesn’t matter what his job is, because if a man doesn’t like his job, he gets a new one.
    A man listens, and that’s how he argues. He crafts opinions. He can pound the table, take the floor. It’s not that he must. It’s that he can.
    A man can look you up and down and figure some things out. From your suitcase, from your watch, from your posture. A man infers.
    A man owns up. That’s why Mark McGwire is not a man. A man grasps his mistakes. He lays claim to who he is, and what he was, whether he likes them or not.
    Some mistakes, though, he lets pass if no one notices. Like dropping the steak in the dirt.
    A man can tell you he was wrong. That he did wrong. That he planned to. He can tell you when he is lost. He can apologize, even if sometimes it’s just to put an end to the bickering.
    A man does not wither at the thought of dancing. But it is generally to be avoided.
    Style — a man has that. No matter how eccentric that style is, it is uncontrived. It’s a set of rules.
    A man loves the human body, the revelation of nakedness. He loves the sight of the pale bosom, the physics of the human skeleton, the alternating current of the flesh. He is thrilled by the wrist and the sight of a bare shoulder. He likes the crease of a bent knee.
    Maybe he never has, and maybe he never will, but a man figures he can knock someone, somewhere, on his bottom.
    A man doesn’t point out that he did the dishes.
    A man knows how to ridicule.
    A man gets the door. Without thinking.
    He stops traffic when he must.
    A man welcomes the coming of age. It frees him. It allows him to assume the upper hand and teaches him when to step aside.
    He understands the basic mechanics of the planet. Or he can close one eye, look up at the sun, and tell you what time of day it is. Or where north is. He can tell you where you might find something to eat or where the fish run. He understands electricity or the internal-combustion engine, the mechanics of flight or how to figure a pitcher’s ERA.
    A man does not know everything. He doesn’t try. He likes what other men know.
    A man knows his tools and how to use them — just the ones he needs. Knows which saw is for what, how to find the stud, when to use galvanized nails.
    A miter saw, incidentally, is the kind that sits on a table, has a circular blade, and is used for cutting at precise angles. Very satisfying saw.
    He does not rely on rationalizations or explanations. He doesn’t winnow, winnow, winnow until truths can be humbly categorized, or intellectualized, until behavior can be written off with an explanation. He doesn’t see himself lost in some great maw of humanity, some grand sweep. That’s the liberal thread; it’s why men won’t line up as liberals.
    A man resists formulations, questions belief, embraces ambiguity without making a fetish out of it. A man revisits his beliefs. Continually. That’s why men won’t forever line up with conservatives, either.
    A man is comfortable being alone. Loves being alone, actually. He sleeps.
    Or he stands watch. He interrupts trouble. This is the state policeman. This is the poet. Men, both of them.
    A man loves driving alone most of all.
    A man watches. Sometimes he goes and sits at an auction knowing he won’t spend a dime, witnessing the temptation and the maneuvering of others. Sometimes he stands on the street corner watching stuff. This is not about quietude so much as collection. It is not about meditation so much as considering. A man refracts his vision and gains acuity. This serves him in every way. No one taught him this — to be quiet, to cipher, to watch. In this way, in these moments, the man is like a zoo animal: both captive and free. You cannot take your eyes off a man when he is like that. You shouldn’t. Who knows what he is thinking, who he is, or what he will do next.