Meet The 10 Most Heroic and Inspirational Women of 2013.

This year Microsoft / Bing showcased Sara Bareilles' song "Brave" in their Windows marketing campaign which inspired them to take a different approach to the "Year in Review." They sought out women who spoke out, stood up, led, persevered and fought their way through adversity and challenge to come through the other side triumphant and created this one minute video and a special website to honor them.



So, who are these women?:

1. Malala Yousafzai


Malala Yousafzai stood up to educate us all. After surviving an assassination attempt, she arose stronger than ever. In 2013 she addressed the UN, was named one of Time's "100 Most Influential People" and, at 16, became the youngest woman to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.


2. Margaret Thatcher


Margaret Thatcher blazed a trail. Still the only woman prime minister of Great Britain, Thatcher paved the way for women to lead in the highest offices in the world. Known as the "Iron Lady" due to her uncompromising politics and leadership style, she passed away in 2013.


3. Adrianne Haslet-Davis


Adrianne Haslet-Davis vowed to dance again. Despite losing her lower leg in the Boston Marathon bombing, this dance teacher shows amazing courage. She has committed to not only dance again, but to also run in the 2014 Boston marathon on a prosthetic leg.


4. Gabrielle Giffords


Gabrielle Giffords got back up to fight for others. Surviving a gunshot wound to the head, U.S. Representative Giffords returned in 2013 to make an inspirational statement to Congress in the Sandy Hook hearings, and has gone on to use her experience and position as ex-member of the House to fight for improved gun safety regulations.


5. Diana Nyad


Diana Nyad persevered. After four attempts, at age 64, Diana Nyad embodied tenacity by becoming the first person to swim from Havana to Key West unassisted and without a shark cage.


6. Janet Yellen


Janet Yellen shattered the glass ceiling. On October 9th, 2013 President Barack Obama nominated Janet Yellen to be the first woman to be Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve.


7. Antoinette Tuff


Antoinette Tuff said "I love you" to save a school. Rising above panic, Tuff talked down a gunman who had entered Ronald E. McNair Discovery Academy with words of compassion, convincing him to peacefully surrender.


8. Angela Merkel


Angela Merkel had the strength to lead again. Angela Merkel is the first woman to hold the offices of Chancellor and leader of the Christian Democratic Union. In 2013 she led her party to a historic third-term victory in German elections.


9. Edith Windsor


Edith Windsor won a victory for equality. One of Time's "People of the Year," her Supreme Court victory in United States v. Windsor was hailed as a landmark milestone for marriage equality.


10. Deb Cohan


Deb Cohan danced to inspire us all. Facing a double mastectomy, she denied despair, holding a dance party just prior to the operation with the surgical team. The video of the party went viral, giving hope and courage to those fighting cancer.


And of course, lest we forget, all the women who fought to protect this country, its principles and its people:


This courageous group of women have changed the world and shown us all what the human spirit can achieve. Let that inspire you for 2014.

info, images and video courtesy of Bing

And That's A Wrap, Folks. Here's What Mattered To You In 2013.

Here's how the world 'searched' in 2013, broken down by categories, courtesy of... Google, of course. These are based on search topics with the largest global search volume.

Trends:                    People:


Events:                    Athletes:


Consumer Electronics:  Hashtags:


Movies:                    Performing Artists:


TV Shows:                YouTube Videos:



And here's how the U.S. searched in the categories that really mattered:

Apparel:                   Beer:


Books:                     Blogs:


Cars:                       Dating Sites:


Deaths:                   Dogs:


Internet Animals:     High Fashion Brands:


Memes:                   Movies:


Popular Gifs:            Reality TV Stars:


Restaurants:            Shoes:


Songs:                    Sports:


Tech Gadgets:          Toys:


TV Shows:               Video Games:


What Is...:               Workouts/Exercise:


I hope your 2013 was everything you wanted it to be and that 2014 is even better. Happy New Year!

Lady Gaga Morphs Into Classic Paintings Via Video - A Comparative Look.

A video installation by artist Robert Wilson inserts Pop music phenom Lady Gaga into such classic pieces of art as Andrew Solari’s The Head of John the Baptist on a Charger (1507), Jacques-Louis David’s The Death of Marat (1793) and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' famous portrait of Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière (1793-1807).


above: a view of the installation at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac

Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière
Lady Gaga as the Portrait of Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1793-1807):

The original painting:

Side by side:


The Death of Marat
Lady Gaga as the murdered Marat in Jacques-Louis David’s The Death of Marat (1793):

The original painting:

A still of the video:

Side by side:


The Head of John the Baptist
Lady Gaga as Andrew Solari’s The Head of John the Baptist on a Charger (1507):

Video stills showing the morphing of Gaga into the original painting:


The original painting:

Side by side:


The artist at work on the video portraits of Lady Gaga:


The video portraits are one part of a two part exhibit from artist Robert Wilson presently showing at The Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac. In the second part, he and Lady Gaga are seen in action during the shooting of the video "Flying" (a sort of "making of") , in which the musician can be seen hanging upside down naked while a rope cuts into her skin, bending her left leg, pinning her arms behind her back and deforming her breasts.

Flying:



The artist and Lady Gaga on the set of Flying:


The press release:
The Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac is pleased to present an exhibition of video portraits that Robert Wilson made in London in November 2013: Video Portraits of Lady Gaga.

American artist and stage director Wilson has based this series of slowly shifting video portraits on old masters like Ingres and Solario. Lady Gaga's face and body metamorphose into the features of Mademoiselle Rivière, for example, in a video inspired by the famous portrait of Mademoiselle Caroline Rivière by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1793-1807). Wilson also gives us a variation in eleven steps based on Andrea Solario's Head of John the Baptist on a charger (1507) in which the 16th century model and the transformed face of the pop star merge in and out of each other.

The second room is devoted to the making-of of the two artists' joint production. Robert Wilson and Lady Gaga are seen in action during the shooting of the video Flying. Robert Wilson dictates every movement, every item of scenery and every shade of lighting. His artistry as a stage director finds its highest fulfilment in Lady Gaga’s sheer power and determination. "She is capable of changing character at an alarming speed", says Wilson.

Video Portraits of Lady Gaga is Robert Wilson's fourth exhibition at the Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac. In 1993 the gallery presented drawings from his adaptation of Mozart's Magic Flute at the Opéra Bastille, and in 1996 the designs for the opera Erwartung at the Théâtre du Châtelet. In 2006 there was an exhibition at the gallery of his series of portraits, Faces of Mozart, in graphite, coloured inks and watercolour.

Check out Wallpaper Magazine's article on the exhibit here

About the artist:
Robert Wilson was born in Waco, Texas. He studied at the University of Texas and at the Pratt Institute, New York City. In the 1960s he was recognized as one of the leading lights of avant-garde theatre in Manhattan. With the performance company, the Byrd Hoffman School of Byrds, he created Deafman Glance (1970) and in 1976 his opera Einstein on the Beach with music by Philip Glass brought him worldwide renown and changed conventional perceptions of opera.

Since then, Robert Wilson has staged both original works and works from the traditional repertoire, notably: The CIVIL warS (1983-1985), Salome at la Scala, Milan (1987), Black Rider at the Théâtre du Châtelet (1990), Orlando with Isabelle Huppert at the Théâtre de l’Odéon (1993), Wagner's Ring at the Zurich Opera (2002), Lulu by Frank Wedekind with music by Lou Reed at the Théâtre de la Ville (2011), The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic in Manchester (2011) and at the Teatro Real, Madrid (2012). In November 2013, he presented The Old Woman by Daniils Kharms, with Willem Dafoe and Mikhaïl Barynchnikov at the Théâtre de la Ville and in December, at the same venue, Peter Pan with the Berliner Ensemble and music by CocoRosie. He will be staging another production of Einstein on the Beach in January 2014 at the Théâtre du Châtelet. Robert Wilson is currently featured in the Festival d’Automne à Paris, 2013 and he is guest artist at the Louvre.

images courtesy of the artist and the gallery -  their official sites, facebook pages and twitter feeds

All The Channels On That Cool Interactive Bob Dylan Like A Rolling Stone Video (and How It Was Done)

If you follow tech, music and media news, you've probably already heard about, if not seen, the engaging interactive music video for Bob Dylan's classic "Like A Rolling Stone."



Created by Interlude (along with Sony Legacy/Columbia who produced the Bob Dylan: The Complete Album Collection V.1), the music video for Bob Dylan's classic "Like A Rolling Stone" consists of various tv shows on multiple channels in which the hosts, stars or participants are mouthing the lyrics.


above: the brand new Complete Album Collection of Bob Dylan was released on Nov. 4, 2013

So what, you say? Lip-syncing is nothing new. But in this case, YOU control the channels. And there seem to be so many! So how did they get all the folks on those tv channels, in game shows, sports and movies to simulate singing the song?

Actual shows in the video:


There are seven 'real' shows: The Price Is Right, History Channel's Pawn Stars, HGTV's Property Brothers, podcast Maron (WTF), MTV's Girl Code, YouTube channel Look TV and sports channel ESPN. For these, especially filmed clips in which the actual hosts participated were executed.

The rest are fake (although many contain cameos by real entertainment personalities) and were created to simulate popular shows and channels on national and cable stations.

Some of the faux shows in the video:


All The Available Channels in the Interactive Bob Dylan Video:

• Music 1 Classics (a spoof on VH-1)
• Music 1 BASS (a faux music show featuring real rapper Danny Brown)
• Shop TV (a spoof on HSN, the Home Shopping Network)
• History Network (a parody of The History Channel)
• Love Is Love (a made up Rom-Com)
• Bachelor's Rose (a spoof on ABC's The Bachelor)
• MTC- Financial News (a fake financial show)
• Cooking Show/ Cuisine (a faux cooking show)
• Pawn Stars (a real show on the History Channel)
• Look TV (a real youtube channel)
• Girl Code (a real show on MTV)
• The Price Is Right (a real game show, duh)
• Maron (WTF) (a real podcast with Marc Maron)
• Tennis Match (a simulated tennis match)
• Property Brothers (a real show on HGTV)
• Zoey and Socks (a phony animated children's show)
• BCC News (a spoof on CNN News)
• ESPN (the real sports show with Steve Levy)

The video itself was created with Interlude's own self-service HTML5 web app, Treehouse:


You can sign up and get started with Treehouse to create your own interactive videos here.

A lot of people put time and effort into this very cool production and below are ALL the credits for each channel and cameo appearance.

FULL CREDITS
Written & Composed by Bob Dylan (C) 1965 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Created By Vania Heymann
Director & Additional Editing, VFX and Cinematography: Vania Heymann
Writer/Producer: Natan Schottenfels
Executive Producers: Lihu Roter, Tamara Harel-Cohen
Produced by Pulse Films and Walter Pictures
Producers: Lia Mayer-Sommer, Stacy Vaughan

Interlude
Executive Producers: Yoni Bloch, Alon Benari
WPP Strategy Director & CEO: Mark Read
Design: Tal Baltuch, Alizarin Zroob
Programmers: Eric Baukhages, Patrick Griffith
Creative Technologist: Austin Beer
Interactive Supervising: Hilah Almog, Therese Moriarty
Interactive Director: Tal Zubalsky
Interactive Engineer: Tomer Lahav
Creative: Daniel Barak
DP: Michael Blecher
Additional Editing: Roy Kafri
Concept Advisory: Gon Ben Ari
Production Manager: Elise Majorossy
Producers In Israel: Shir Zehavi, Amir Tal
Production Designer: Nicholas Tong
First Assistant Director: Marc Kelly
Costume Designer: Melissa Vargas
Art Director: Brian Rzepka
Hair: Ami
Make Up: Hiro Yonemoto
Gaffer: Aaron Smith
First Assistant Camera: Dave Brickley
Second Assistant Camera: Mike Ashley
Best Boy Electric: Justin Deary
Grip: Joachim Glaser, Charlie Pearson
Art Assistant: Thiago Martins
Wardrobe Assistant: Melissa Infante
Production Assistants: Charles Carter, Darryl Akins, Brandon Polanco, David Bain, Sabrina Sahraie, Adam Chitayat
Drivers: Eric Bellomo, Kyle Clark, Matt Iafe
Post Production Services: The Artery VFX
VFX Executive Producer: Yfat Neev
VFX Supervisor: Vico Sharabani
Post Producer: Lynzi Grant
VFX Artist: Jake Nelson
Graphic Design: Carlos Soler
Animating & Compositing: Adam Deutsch
Editors: Danielle Katvan

Channel Credits

Music 1 Classics
Filmed by D.A. Pennebaker, Edited by David Tedeschi
Re-Edited: Vania Heymann

Music 1 BASS
Starring Danny Brown
Animation: Dima Tretyakov, Nadav Embon
Composting: Chem Weinberger
VFX: Vania Heymann

Shop TV
Female Host: Darly Wayne
Male: Steve Garfanti
Editor: Bill Stepanoski

History Network
Prof. Martin Child: Martin Pfefferkorn
Prof. Sarah MatterHorn: Victoria Nahorn
Dr. Michael Ryder: Joseph Cornacchia
1930's Don Juan: Roy Kafri

Love Is Love
Male Lead: Ben Kahre
Female Lead: Kat Seelos
Waitress: Susan Feiman

Bachelor's Rose
Contestants: Perla Murray, Anastasia Vazhava, Ty Hayes, Chi Chi Obi, Nadine Van Ashbeck
The Bachelor: Soren Du Hoffman
Editor: Tamar Glezerman

MTC- Financial News
Anchor: Paul McGuire
Field Reporter: Marisa Bramwell
Producer: Kerry Vaughan

Cooking Show
Host: Adeena Sussman

Pawn Stars
Hosts: Rick Harrison, Austin “Chumlee” Russell
Seller: Derek Stonebarger
Editor: Tamar Glezerman
Executive Producers: Brent Montgomery, David George, Matthew J. Braley, Joel Patterson, Rick Harrison
Supervising Producer: Peter Van Pelt
Director: Jairus Cobb
Director of Photography: Joe Murgia
Producer: Shannon Biggs
Field Associate Producer: Nawara Blue
Audio: Ben Sortino
Production Assistants: Jill Delaney, David Gardner, Chase Johnson, Sam Zapiain

Look TV
Host: Victoria Floethe

Girl Code (on MTV)
Hosts: Carly Aquilino, Nessa, Nicole Byer, Jessimae Peluso, Tanisha Long, Shalyah Evans
Executive Producers: Paul Ricci, Darin Byrne, Ryan Ling
Talent Manger & Casting: Lauren Zins
Production Manager: Katie Schwartz, Dan Kuvalakis

The Price Is Right
Starring: Drew Carey, Rachel Reynolds, George Gray
Contestants: Ty Fanning, Theresa Robinson, Jason Sarayba
Editor: Will Reyes
Production Supervisor: Raphael Laski
Production Coordinator: Ruth Du
Associate Director: Rich Preuss
Stage Manager: Jonathan Marks
Technical Director: Glenn Koch
Video Operator: Rick Labgold
Camera Operators: Wayne Getchell, Ed Nelson, Quinn de Varona, Brent Roberts
Jib Operator: Bob Smith
Recordist: Glen Penland
Post Associate Producer: Jazmine Eckenberg
Hair & Make Up: Carol Wood, Annet Ackerman

Maron (WTF)
Marc Maron & Ryan Singer
Cinematography & Production: Raphael Laski
Camera Operator: Daniel Batteles
Assistant to Marc Maron: Samantha Varela
Editor: Bill Stepanoski

Tennis Match
Anchor: Steve Levy
Diovesky: Shahar Rot
Plotnivich: Doron Amit
Bench: Niv Majar, Nimrod Rothem
Production Team: Eyal Goldman, Tamuz Roberman, Dana Standel,
Achiya Schatz
Casting: Sharon Angelhart
Wardrobe:Anat Svirsky

Property Brothers
Drew Scott, Jonathan Silver Scott
Boyfriend: Michael Davies
Girlfriend: Jennifer McKune
Sub Contractor: David Banks

Zoey and Socks – JUST FOR KIDS
Animation: Leigh Lahav
Editing: Or Paz

BCC News
Anchor: Danny Kushmaro
Weather: Gemma Harvey
Producer: Amir Tal
Director: Natalie Ezra
Executive Producer: Anaelle Heymann
Camera Operator IL: Camel Ibrahim
Camera Operator US: Austin Beer
Media: Yoav L. Wazana, Ziv Ben Gal
Sound: Nir Saado

ESPN
Producer: Tim McHugh

Special thanks go to:
The BBYO Beyond Group, The Israel Tennis Center-Ramat HaSharon, Eyal Taoz, Israeli Television - Channel 2 News

Buy the Bob Dylan: The Complete Album Collection V.1

15 Seconds To Make You Laugh In Any Language

It's not easy to walk on ice when you're bundled up as this sweet little girl in Russia, on her first outing in the snow, shows us.

Greatness Has Arrived In The Form Of The New PlayStation 4 Launch.

With the new highly anticipated arrival of Sony's PlayStation 4 (whose formal launch is less than 24 hours away), gamers everywhere are drooling as they await the PlayStation 4: Launch Edition new sleek console and slew of games.




Today's Event:
As part of the PS4 launch, the Standard High Line in NY has been taken over by PlayStation beginning this morning at 9am, where they lit up the hotel with PS4 game images and icons and are offering some for purchase, demos and more.






The Fabulous Launch Commercial:


A follow-up to the widely popular PlayStation 4 trailer from last June, this wonderful PS4 commercial by BBH New York coincides with the launch of Sony's "Greatness Awaits" website.

In this one minute ad, two young men role-play battle via scenes from the Elder Scrolls Online, Driveclub and Killzone: Shadow Fall, all to the tune of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day."



The song is a wonderful juxtaposition to the battle scenes, and serves as a nice tribute to the recently deceased music legend (full credits at the end of this post).

The Greatness Exchange:


The Greatness Exchange allows players a shot at winning items used in the latest PlayStation commercials amongst other thing:



First there was Bid For Greatness, rewarding the greatest gamers around. But what about everyone else? All you need is one gold trophy to take your shot. Winners randomly selected and verified. Trophies are not lost from your PSN profile.
Introducing Greatness Exchange.

To learn more about the new PlayStation 4, go here

Buy the PlayStation 4: Launch Edition

LAUNCH COMMERCIAL CREDITS:
Client: Sony PlayStation 4
Agency: BBH, New York
Chief Creative Officer: John Patroulis
Executive Creative Director: Ari Weiss
Interactive Creative Director: Tim Nolan
Creative Directors: Gerard Caputo, Chris Maiorino
Lead Senior Producer: Jennifer Moore Bell
Senior Producer: Kate Morrison
Head of Integrated Production: Justin Booth-Clibborn
Head of Account Management: Armando Turco
Account Director: Melissa Hill
Account Executive: Jon Moll
Senior Broadcast Business Manager: Sean McGee
Copywriter: Ian Hart
Art Director: Dave Brown
Visual Designer: Rahim Masunu
User Experience Designer: Kelly Bignell
Lead Producer: Martin Mlekicki
Digital Producer: Victoria Fishel
Chief Strategy Officer: Sarah Watson
Strategist: Kendra Salvatore
Strategist: Angela Sun
Head of Comms Planning: Julian Cole
Comms Planner: Ben Zoll

Production Company: MJZ
Director: Matthijs Van Heijningen
Director of Photography: Joost Van Gelder
Executive Producer: Scott Howard
Producer: Donald Taylor
Production Designer: Robin Brown

Production Partner: HAUS
Creative Director: Rasmus Blaesbjerg
Technology Lead: Dino Petrone
Senior Producer: Claudine Nichols
Digital Producer: Tracey McAvoy

Editing: Union Edit
Executive Producer: Caryn Maclean
Senior Producer: Sara Mills
Editor: Jono Griffith
Assistant Editor: Megan Swados

Visual Effects, Finishing: The Mill
Executive Producer: Sean Costelloe
Senior Producers: Charlotte Arnold, Will Mok
Assistant Producer: Juan Handal
Color Producer: Heath Raymond
Shoot Supervisors: Gavin Wellsman, Joji Tsuruga
Colorist: Fergus McCall

Music: Lou Reed
Additional Music Arrangement: Human
Sound Design: Human
Mix: Sound Lounge
Mixer: Tom Jucarone

Buy the PlayStation 4: Launch Edition