KC Masterpieces

50 Cent Interviews

No, this post is not about a bullet-riddled rap mogul (though I do feel an odd camaraderie with Fiddy), but rather about NPR's Alex Chadwick and his poignant and impromptu interview series known as Interviews 50 Cents. Chadwick sets up shop in high-traffic areas with a card table, two mics and a sign that reads "Interviews 50 ¢." He then conducts brief interviews with anyone who sits down. According to this, Chadwick got the idea from Lucy's "Psychiatric help" booth in Peanuts.

Apparently I'm about a decade late to the party. This series is not new, but Slate is now posting a few of the interviews.

In the video below, a smartly-dressed man talks about cleaning up his life after being homeless and addicted to crack. The best part about this interview style is that neither person knows exactly where the conversation is going.

Watch more two quarter interviews at SlateV.com.

Ring-a-ding-ding

Even though he was still recovering from a cold leftover from Thanksgiving, singer Ricki Derek still managed to charm the crowd four nights in a row at the newly-opened Scat Jazz Lounge in downtown Fort Worth.

Here's video of the grand opening.

The club will primarily feature North Texas talent, such as musician Johnny Reno, but Derek says he hopes to bring in jazz performers from other parts of the country as well. Learn more about Scat by reading Preston Jones' Friday column.

To really appreciate the speakeasy vibe, order something from the "Old School" menu, like a Negroni. Apparently there are more Campari drinkers around than I thought. The bottle was already half empty (or half full) by Saturday night.

The Scat Jazz Lounge is on the south side of Fourth Street between Houston and Main. 817.870.9100.

(Thanks, Steve-O, for the early heads up.)

Oh, you think so, doctor?

According to this December 2007 report from Dynamic Logic, a Millward Brown company, on lessons learned from TV ads and how to apply them to online video, "bland," "pointless," and "conventional" ads perform the worst.

Granted, I create online editorial video, not advertising, but c'mon!

Online video/interactive advertisers would be much better served by doing their own analysis of recent Webby winners instead of reading the afore-linked "research."

Bienvenidos a Miami

Since our video player is currently experiencing "technical difficulties," let's charter a jet to Miami and visit another McClatchy video site that is working today. Check out "What the 5!" and tell me if you like the concept. It's the Miami Herald's daily webcast. The player is similar to Yahoo's "The 9," but most of the stories are usually about things happening in South Florida.

Poor Toni was called out today for mispronouncing Art Basel. (Hint: "basel" bears no relation to the green ingredient in a caprese salad.) They'll have a more complete look at the massive art fair tomorrow.

What's your review? Would you watch if the Star-Telegram had a similar (albeit more satirical and cheeky) webcast?

Attack of the Automobiles

Not just one vehicle, but TWO vehicles have crashed into a southwest Fort Worth house in the past six weeks. See the damage and hear what homeowner John Reagor has to say about the accidents in this video. Read the story.

Nice lede, Alex Branch:
Lightning may not strike twice in the same place, but out-of-control vehicles do.

Flower Mound got tight flow

Regular FrontBurnervians may already be familiar with this music video masterpiece about Flower Mound, a.k.a. "Flow Mo," but in case you missed the rap brilliance, watch it now.

Click here to watch more videos directed by Parker Severns. TXA21 interviews the "Flow Mo" creators.

Crazy like a fox

Much like former NBC5 reporter Nigel Wheeler, a.k.a. Kali (Kaw-LEE) Green, Dave Ford is one of those guys who actually made the gutsy decision to trade in a conventional and financially practical life for the adventurous one he really wanted. A year ago, Dave quit his job, sold his car, rented out his house and started traveling. He's been to Antarctica, Brazil and Bolivia, among other places, and is now on a cross country trip from Baltimore to Southern California. He plans to leave for Africa in January. You can live vicariously through Dave via his video blogs.

Matt Danzico just wrapped up a somewhat similar journey. You can find his "Around America Project" videos here. The editing could have been tighter, but Matt does at least make some fascinating discoveries. For example, we learn in Episode 19 about why the kids in Boise, Idaho, ought to be really jazzed about books. 

Watch Dave Ford's Cross Country TV videos (Since there aren't specific URLs for each video, check out the video marked "A" with the waterfall photo. It's terrifying, yet jealousy-inducing.) Read a Q&A with Dave on PensEyeView.com.

Nigel talks about leaving his job and hitting the road with his band, Egress. Watch Egress perform "Read Between the Lines" at Monte Carlos in Arlington on Friday, Nov. 30. (The audio was much better in person.) Here's Egress' MySpace page.