News
Andrew Magill’s ‘Stories of AIDS’
In 2009, Andrew Magill, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, received a Fulbright mtvU Fellowship to go to Malawi and create a concept album with Malawian recording artist Peter Mawanga. The album tells the story of people living with AIDS in Malawi. Magill is a co-producer and musician for the Mau a Malawi: Stories of AIDS album. The U.S. release of the album will be on October 14th at an event at the University of North Carolina.
Click here for tickets to the event.
And for more on the Stories of AIDS project go to http://storiesofaids.com/.
Apply Now For 2011
A new line-up of musical artists will review and help nominate candidates for the 2011-2012 Fulbright-mtvU Fellowships, including Jared Leto, lead singer of 30 Seconds to Mars; James Murphy, the lead singer of mtvU Woodie Award-nominated LCD Soundsystem who is also a songwriter, producer and co-founder of DFA Records; and 2011 mtvU Woodie Award-nominated Matt & Kim, who formed their band while studying at Pratt Institute and who’s single “Lessons Learned,” won an MTV Video Music Award for “Breakthrough Video” and a 2010 mtvU Woodie Award for “Best Video.”
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Apply Now For A Fulbright-mtvU Grant
The Fulbright-mtvU grant is heading into its 5th year of giving students the opportunity to immerse themselves in international culture by awarding those students with unique projects that utilize the power of music to encourage mutual understanding. Click here to apply now!
Brazil vs. North Korea
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
1:48 pm
For the past week or so my days have been punctuated by the sound of firecrackers. Brazil has yet to compete in the World Cup, but the excitement kicked in a while ago. My friends ask me if I’ve bought my yellow, green or blue Brazil t-shirt to wear during the games – it’s a requirement. And this year’s decorations for the festas juninas, the June festivals, which are usually multi-colored and suggestive of life in the rural interior, are mostly green and yellow, colors from the Brazilian flag and the Brazilian soccer jersey. My neighborhood bakery recently installed a flat-screen TV and hung hundreds of little yellow and green flags from the ceiling.
Today is more or less a national holiday. Schools, banks, and pretty much everything closes at noon or by two so everyone can watch the game. I drove out to get a sandwich for lunch, and cars with Brazilian flags hanging from the windows passed me on the otherwise empty streets. Right now, I can hear horns and whistles along with firecrackers as people prepare for the 3:30 game against North Korea. I saw a man trip in the pharmacy this morning. As he stood up, he announced, “I’m sorry, I’m just emotional! And the game hasn’t even started yet!”
2:15 pm
I just put on my yellow t-shirt and I’m headed to Kukukaya, my favorite forró venue in Fortaleza, to watch the game. They’re advertising screens, lots of forró music, and traditional northeastern cuisine to accompany the game.
6:44 pm
A few too many beers and I’m now home safe and satisfied that Brazil beat North Korea two to one. The crowd at Kukukaya seemed a little disappointed. I guess they imagined a bigger win. But I danced forró for about an hour after the game with some people I met from the secretaria de cultura, and I’m now being serenaded by explosions (maybe three times as many as earlier today), barking dogs, and car horns, all declaring Brazil’s first victory of the 2010 World Cup.
See the excitement yourself:
Cricket or Controversy
Glitz and glamour is back in Mumbai as Lakme Fashion Week rolls into the season of the Indian Premier League, or the IPL. The IPL is a Twenty20 cricket competition that includes 8 teams, or franchises, consisting of the top cricket players from all over the world. The third season of the IPL started in India on 12 March 2010 and is due to last over a period of 45 days. As mostly everything else in India, the IPL is very heavily influenced by Bollywood. Bollywood actresses Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta are both co-owners of IPL Teams, and Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan is the owner of the ever-popular Kolkata Knight Riders team. All 55 matches will be followed by an afterparty and fashion show, organized by Bollywood star Arjun Rampal and his wife. The IPL Opening Party included all of the main Bollywood stars, and randomly, Lionel Ritchie and Akon. I went to a match last Saturday and Bollywood music played almost the entire time as cheerleaders danced to the tunes and the crowd went wild singing the songs and cheering on their teams.
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Up to four awards will be available to pursue projects around an aspect of international contemporary or popular music as a cultural force for expression. Preference will be given to creative projects that are conveyed in a dynamic fashion and are accompanied by a feasible plan. In addition to presenting unique projects on music as a global force for mutual understanding. Deadline to apply is March 1, 2012.