(no subject)

[hannibalv]

Robert Redford. It's Robert Redford's voice in the United commercial.

Comments

[bdar.livejournal.com]

Ah-ha!

Next Oscar-related trivia project: What were the circular blue lapel pins for?

[hannibalv.livejournal.com]

Well, Peter Jackson was wearing one. Who else?

[bdar.livejournal.com]

Don't remember. But I saw it elsewhere.

[hannibalv.livejournal.com]

Don't know if

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Don't know if <a href="http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/movies/oscars/mmx-040301-oscarquestions,0,7972724.story target="_blank">this</a> link will work for everyone--it may require Trib registration--but not only does it tell us what the pins were, it also answers the "What the hell was Sting playing?" question¹. The pertinent information: <blockquote>Q: What was the deal with those blue pins that Peter Jackson and some other "Lord of the Rings" folks were wearing?

A: The pins — blue circles containing an image of a white tree and seven stars — were created by Utah-based jeweler Paul Badali, who is licensed by Tolkien Enterprises to create "Lord"-related baubles. Badali was commissioned by the fan site <a href="http://www.theonering.net" target="_blank">TheOneRing.net</a> to create commemorative pins for each of the three "Lord" films. The pins, which say "Good Luck from TheOneRing.net" have been presented each year to members of the "Lord" cast and crew, who've proudly worn them to various industry events and awards shows. If you'd like a blue and silver pin like the one Jackson and others wore, it'll set you back $250; they were produced in limited quantities of 100 each, and the remaining pins are available at <a href="http://www.badalijewelry.com" target="_blank">www.badalijewelry.com</a>.</blockquote>Now we know--and knowing is half the battle.

<small>¹It was a hurdy-gurdy.</small>

[jrstraus.livejournal.com]

What the heck is a hurdy-gurdy??? And why did it have that spinny thing? As we were watching and trying to determine what it was, the conversation went like this:
H: That guy's playing a mandolin.
J: That's Sting. And it's not a mandolin. What the hell???
H: Huh. It's an electric mandolin. That must be the generator.

I was amused.

[hannibalv.livejournal.com]

What the heck is a hurdy-gurdy???

From the same article (which I just discovered I screwed up the tag on):

Q: What the heck was that odd instrument Sting was playing with Allison Krauss during their performance of the "Cold Mountain" nominated song "You Will Be My Ain True Love"?

A: "It's a hurdy-gurdy," says David Roche, executive director of Old Town School of Folk Music. "It's a droning string instrument used in Europe, and it's still pretty popular in Italian folk music. I've seen it played in the streets of Italy." The hurdy-gurdy, which sounds like a bag-pipe, creates sound when its "strings are rubbed by a rosined wheel instead of a bow. The wheel is turned by the player's right hand, while the left hand plays the tune on the keys in the keybox," according to Hurdygurdy.com.

"It's a very old instrument, it's been around for about 1,000 years," says Cali Hackmann, co-owner of Olympic Musical Instruments and Hurdygurdy.com. "It came into Europe through Spain and Northern France. … There's speculation that it came from the Middle East, but we have no documentation of that." With her husband, Alden, Hackmann builds, restores and sells the ancient instrument in Indianola, Wash., near Seattle.

The hurdy-gurdy was popular among high-society types in France in the 19th Century, and even Marie Antoinette owned one, Hackmann says.

A modern, professional hurdy-gurdy goes for an average $3,000, although cheaper models start at $990. An elaborate hurdy-gurdy can run as high as $8,500, Hackmann says. Calls to specialty music shops in Chicago revealed no hurdy-gurdy dealers locally, but assembly kits online sell for $450 and $995 at Larkinthemorning.com.

Oh, and Hobie?

Hurdy-gurdy.


Mandolin.

oh yeah!

[wooddealer.livejournal.com]

They're easy to confuse. They're both made of wood (mmmm...wood) and string, plus they have those spinny things on the end to tighten the strings (which aren't really string). Seriously it's an easy mistake to make. It's not like I side it was a bagpipe! Besides I bed Sting can't even play it, he was probably pulling a Milli Vanilli on us with that shit.

[jrstraus.livejournal.com]

By the way, I missed this fantastic United commercial! What was it?

[hannibalv.livejournal.com]

From the United press release on the new commercials:

“Interview,” by Academy Award® nominated animators Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis, which tells the story of a business person traveling out-of-town for a big job interview.

There are three more coming in the series, apparently. I tried finding a link to the ad itself, but it's only available, it seems, through AdCritic (http://www.adcritic.com) subscribers. Keep your eyes open for it--you'll know it from the use of "Rhapsody in Blue" if you're not actually watching it, only listening.

[arettber.livejournal.com]

It's not that it's so fantastic (although it is cool), it's more that the voice was maddeningly familiar, but we couldn't quite pin it down. Enter John.