I'm a fan of late night shows, maybe because I like to sleep late and work at night. Anyways I was looking at Jimmy Kimmel's show and he posted a really cool video about Coachella and how some people just answer questions without really paying attention to them. Looks like some people are really trying hard to be "Hipster" and failing miserably.
He calls this section LIE WITNESS, mostly because of what the name states, people lie. The reporter went on and asked random questions to which people decided to answer. It is pretty funny so go ahead and watch it.
Here is another one about as Jimmy says "Everyone has an opinion on almost everything". These people are no exception, and they have an interesting way to answer a totally random question.
Lesson learned from this blog? First understand the question and then answer it or if you don't know what they're asking then just say "no comment".
On April 6, I had the opportunity to shoot some photo and video at the Texans Cheerleaders Tryouts and the outcome was so good that the Texans decided to promote my work and invite me to do more coverage.
My video was reposted by the Texans official twitter, and the amount of viewers skyrocketed.
This was a great experience for me and also a great opportunity to put my name out there. The response has been so great that I'm currently working on getting an audition with a local tv station to host a sports show. I still have a lot to learn, but the fact that big organizations are out there promoting my work , through social media, has helped me grow within a very competitive business.
On a side note, I was at the Houston Dynamo game on Sunday also doing some coverage. It was a special day for the city and the sport, because Houston reached a milestone of 35 games unbeaten at home. There are only two more teams with more wins, Canadiens 39 and Chicago Bulls 44, but as far as soccer goes, Houston holds the record.
Here are some images I took at the game, and if you ever have a chance to attend a game, do it. Tickets are cheap and you'll definitely get to enjoy a great game.
Houston Texans Cheerleaders Tryouts 2013 - Miguel Sada
This past Saturday I had the chance to cover my first Houston Texans Cheerleader Tryouts. Not gonna lie, it was a great event and I got to be on the main stage filming and taking photos.
Over a 1,000 girls registered to participate and the even went on for more than 5 hours. I saw everything from great performances to a guy that decided to try and actually made it to the 2nd round!
I made a short video so that you can see what went on at the tryouts. It is amazing to see all these beautiful woman get together on the field and dance to a track played by a DJ. It was like being a rave party but BETTER!
There was a panel of judges of made up of local celebrities, radio hosts, alumni cheerleaders and some lucky fans. Food and drinks were served and everyone seemed to be having a great time, so props to the Texans for putting up this great event.
For the ladies that made it to the third round, Sunday at 1:00 pm is when they get to try out once more and then the experts will decide who stays and who needs to come back next year and try again.
Hope you enjoy my video and here are some of the photos I took from last night. There was almost no light on the building, which made almost impossible for anyone to take a good photo with girls moving at really fast speed so bare with me.
Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake - From www.rap-u.com
If you're not a fan of the Jimmy Fallon's Late Night Show you've been missing a lot. For the past few weeks he has paired with Justin Timberlake to do anything from sketches to music performances and the response from the crowd has been tremendous.
If you haven't watched their performance of "The History of Rap" go ahead and watch the video. So far they have done 4 different ones and personally would say that #2 was the best, but that's because I like the songs they performed.
I've followed Jimmy Fallon ever since he was on SNL and thought he was amongst the best ones I've seen. Pairing with Justin Timberlake just made it better and they make it look as if they've been acting together for years.
Right now I was reading that Jimmy is going to take over Jay Leno's tonight show and move to NY. I think that's a great accomplishment for him and hope he keeps entertaining us more and maybe show up on SNL too. To make it funnier they even made a post where they sing a duet about the transition.
Last week I posted some really cool videos about people doing fun stuff. This time I found a few more interesting videos.
The first one is from the ESCP Business School in Europe. It is amazing how they coordinate each other to produce all sorts of images and figures and they do at the rhythm of the music.
On this one it is impressive how well coordinated they are and actually make it look as a "Human LCD"
There are many more good videos and I will keep posting them as I find them, but if you know of any that's worth watching please send me a link.
Every year I think that I've seen it all, and then someone decides to do something cool and post it online. First it was the man who jumped from outer space, then it was those kids that did the Harlem Shake, but after checking some videos on YouTube I came across these few ones that caught my eye.
Idk if I could do even at least 1/10th of what does guys did, but I would definitely try at least one or two of them.
Another video that I found was this one of some water propeller devices. I already started checking on it and hopefully during the summer I can get my hands on one of them.
The last video is crazy and dangerous and will probably never try it, but thought that these people are amazing for trying it.
Hope you enjoy them and get a chance to do something like this at some point in your life.
Last night I had the chance to work the Houston Dynamo game against Santos from Mexico.
The game is part of the CONCACAF Champions League, in which only the best teams of the region play. The Dynamo are now in the playoffs and they managed to win 1-0.
The atmosphere was intense, not what you normally see at a baseball, football or even hockey game. The fans waved their flags and scarves, people chanting and banging drums through the whole game and the team displaying great playing skills on the field.
These are just some of the photos I took from the game, but photos can't describe what it feels to be in that stadium with that crowd.
Next home game won't be until after spring break and if you're passionate about sports or just want to see something different, drop by BBVA Compass Stadium, it's in downtown and ticket prices start as low as $20. I can guarantee you a great time and you will probably want go back.
Soccer season is here and the Houston Dynamo threw a party at the House of Blues to present their new gear.
The two times MLS Cup Champions, Houston Dynamo, presented their home, away, goalkeeper and training gear to fans, local celebrities and family members. It was a night full of cheers, drinks, food and photos. A great opportunity for fans to talk to the players and get a first look at what's going to be the new gear for 2013.
I had the chance to talk to a few people around there, including the hosts of HOT 95.7 Kelly Kelly, Sarah Pepper, Ivan and PK, huge Dynamo fans that support the team through their radio show.
Everyone seemed excited about season starting this weekend against DC United, and again making it to the MLS Cup.
Cheerleaders were also in attendance as well as Dynamo Diesel, the Houston Dynamo's mascot.
Players interacted with fans, signed autographs and thanked them for their support through this past 7 years.
Props to the Houston Dynamo, a great organization that's always looking for ways to get closer to their fans and provide great professional entertainment .
So the other day I saw a lot of people at the Satellite checking out the same Facebook page, UH Confessions.
Of course the curiosity got me and I got on my iPad and looked it up. What I came across was a Facebook page in which people posted anonymous "Confessions" using an external webpage.
What's interesting about this page is that it was made by UH students for UH students and the posts are about things that happen around school.
Comment at www.facebook.com/UHConfessions
I started reading some of the confession and was surprised by the amount of things people write there. You find things like guys that like girls from the same class but are too shy to talk to them, to girls confessing being with other guys while dating.
Suddenly what used to be an average school became an interesting school. While some of the confessions might or might not be real, it has gotten the attention of at least 13,000 people, according to the LIKE stats on the Facebook page.
Likes from www.facebook.com/UHConfessions
If you haven't had a chance to check it out, idk why not, go take a look and see for yourself what people are writing about in UH Confessions. Who knows, you might have a secret admirer out there or someone might have that ID you lost at the bus.
Also would be nice to know if someone has posted something there, or know about someone that was mentioned on a post.
So the day of the concert came and I decided to go and try to find some tickets. My friend Kadi tagged along and decided to first try and see if anyone was selling tickets outside.
The first person we came across was someone saying the usual "tickets, tickets, need tickets?" of course I had to ask how much and he said "$80". I went for it and he told us to wait on the stairs for someone to come get us and they would walk us in. It sounded pretty sketchy and one guy passing by said not to trust them because they were going to take us to a VIP room and leave us there, not take us to the actual concert. Decided not to go for it and look around.
The next guy that showed up was offering balcony seats at $220 each and after a few minutes of negotiating he said "Can't do it for less, sorry". Disappointed we went to eat something and try to figure out if we were going to miss the concert or what to do.
We decided that we were there, that it was worth it and so I called the guy saying that I had the money to pay for them. The scalper told me to meet him at a bar across the street and when I got there 4 other guys approached me complaining that I was their client and he told them to go away. At some point I thought I was going to get robbed, but I got the tickets!!
Still unsure if they were legit or not, we approached the door and the lady scanned them. She said they were ok and we got in.
It was a great concert, and I was able to record some of the songs they played that night. It was a first-time for me buying tickets from a scalper, a scary experience, but I learned a new lesson on what to do and not to do when buying tickets from them.
I'm sure some of you have missed a concert for not finding tickets on time, and I wish this people that just want to make $$ didn't exist, but they do and if you're going to have to deal with one, well at least take your precautions.
So last week I blogged about a band I heard about, Imagine Dragons, and how their concert in Houston was happening on February the 12th.
Well I decided to look for tickets and of course they were sold out online, next thing I did was look on Craigslist and not only there were no tickets for sale, but there were adds of people wanting tickets and willing to pay 3-4 times the face value which was $20 dollars.
With no success from my usual resources, I went on and tried official resale websites like stubhub.com and ticketsliquidator.com, and I found the tickets, actually many of them, but the prices were ridiculous. Tickets that would normally sell for $20 dollars, were starting at $120 and going up to $400.
Frustrated with my lack of success, I decided to listen to the radio and see if they were giving away tickets. That's how I came across Mix 96.5, a great radio station btw, who happen to have a Live Lounge session with Imagine Dragons and were giving away tickets.
Spent my whole Monday listening to the radio and trying to answer some of their questions, but again that wasn't enough.
I've never really had to go through all this to get tickets, but I thought it would be a good experience, specially since I see all those people that go the extra mile to be able to see their favorite artists.
In conclusion, I totally hate scalpers and the fact that they try to rip-off people that actually want to watch the concert. I'm still going to the concert and I'll try to see if anyone has an extra ticket for sale at a decent price, which usually happens at concerts that I've been too.
I'm sure at least a few of you had to deal with scalpers or online websites to buy tickets for an event you've wanted to go, how was that experience? If I make it to the concert I'll post some photos and videos.
The other day I heard a song on the radio and as soon as it came on it reminded me of something, a video game.
I haven't really paid much attention to the music on the video game, FIFA 2013, but when the song came on, I knew it was from the game. The next thing I did was to look up the soundtrack of FIFA 2013 and saw that the name of the band was IMAGINE DRAGONS, and the song's title was "On top of the world".
I didn't realize how famous this band, Imagine Dragons, is and that they have sold out pretty much every concert, including the one in Houston next week.
I decided to download their album and the songs are actually good, made me want to go the concert next Tuesday.
Doing more research I came across another classic song also from FIFA, but this time 1998. The name of the song is "song 2" and it's by british band "Blur"
Are there any songs that when you hear them they remind you of something?
Foreign movies have been around for many years, but most of the times they go unnoticed because they are not made by Hollywood.
While growing up, I was able to travel and visit different countries and make new friends, and the first thing I asked them was "recommend me a movie from your country and a dish".
With that said, here are a few movies that I've seen and that have even been nominated for various awards including an Oscar for best foreign film.
Here is my list, hope you enjoy the choices and like always, feel free to recommend one.
#1 - Life is Beautiful (Italy)
One of my personal favorites. A mix of comedy and drama surround this movie that stars Roberto Benigni, one of Italy's best actors. Beningi plays the role of a jewish man that falls for an italian woman during the 1930's german occupation. This movie does a great job telling a love/tragic story of how life was during that time, and that's one of the reasons why it won 3 Academy Awards for best Actor, Best Original Dramatic Score and Best Foreign Film.
#2 - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (UK)
Another movie that takes places during the world war and the use of concentration camps by the Germans to "control" the jews. A young German kid befriends a jewish kid that's trapped inside a concentration camp, without knowing what exactly is going. An inspirational movie that tells how kids felt during that time and how innocent they were as far as the war.
#3 - Pan's Labyrinth (Mexico)
Guillermo del Toro puts Mexico on the movie map with this great film that takes place in a fascist Spain during the mid 1940's. A mix of fantasy and real life that involve a faun a fairy and a ruthless soldier, that combined make this a classic in the mexican film industry. The film won 3 Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Makeup.
#4 - City of God (Brazil)
I was in Brazil in the early 2000s and I saw that there were places that people were not allowed to visit, called favelas. Those places were apart from the world, not even police would dare to go in and I couldn't understand why, until a local told me to watch City of God. It is a strong movie, with violence and crime, but a real story at the end. The story centers on a favela in one of the most dangerous places in Brazil, where kids carry guns and drugs are moved around like candy. City of God is a very well directed movie, a film that you need to watch with an open mind and understand that we are lucky to be where we are right now.
#5 - Amelie (France)
France is one of the most interesting countries in the world, it has great food, music, scenery but it was also the place where video and photography was invented. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet puts France in the movie map with Amelie, the story of a young girl that decides to change the lives of those around her for the better, while struggling with her own isolation. Another great film that made it all the way to the Oscars, with 5 nominations and that shows that not only hollywood can produce great films but that there are great actors, stories and ideas outside the US.
I'm a sports guy, so whenever I see there's a sports movie out there I just need to see it. I have a preference for football and soccer movies, but have come across a few baseball and boxing movies with a good storyline and great acting.
Just like I have come across good ones, I also have come across some really bad ones so I decided to make a list of my 5 favorite ones to watch.
There is no particular order or date on this list, just a personal preference based on what I've seen and on what I think was a good movie.
#1 - Moneyball
Brad Pitt stars as a general manager of the Oakland Athletics, Billy Beane. His job, to assemble a baseball team with a low budget for the 2002 season. His role on this movie got him a nomination for an Oscar and he does a great job pairing with Jonah Hill, Superbad, who portrays a serious, math radical from Yale. The fact that it is based on a true story makes this movie more appealing and not to mention it was nominated for 6 Academy Awards including best actor and Best Picture.
#2 - The 5th Quarter
Another true story, this time is College Football. The Abbate family is hit by tragic news, when they find out that they're son Luke has died on a car accident. Everything goes downhill from there, brother Jon is devastated and considers to drop school to be back with his family. With the help of friends and family Jon stays in school and helps the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to the most successful season in school history. An inspirational movie that has a great story, decent acting and good directing, making it a must see for people that love the sport.
#3 - The Fighter
Mark Wahlberg, Cristian Bale and Amy Adams do a fantastic job on this boxing movie, based on another true story. Wahlberg has been doing quiet a few good movies and he doesn't disappoint on this one, where he portrays boxer "Irish" Micky Ward. Micky is a boxer of mid 1980's who fights under the coaching of his brother, portrayed by Christian Bale. Disappointment, drugs and family issues are just a few of the things that Ward has to go through in order to be a successful boxer again. This is a no brainer for boxing and non boxing fans.
#4 - The Game of Their Lives
For a soccer fan that likes to learn about history and where the game of soccer is right now, this is a great start. The movie is based on the United States National Soccer Team that participated in the world cup of Brazil 1950. The team was assembled by a British mining community in St. Louis with little to none professional guidance, and they go on to defeat the British National Team 1-0, marking a historic day for a nation and the sport. Gerard Butler, movie 300, plays Frank Borghi and Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of Bush, the part of Stanley Mortensen, the British superstar of the 50's. If you like soccer, and want to watch a well done movie, based on a true story and historic day, then watch this one, you won't regret it.
#5 - Green Street Hooligans
Even though this movie is not necessarily about the sport of Football (soccer), it talks about the fans and what goes around supporter groups or firms as they are called in England. The main character is Elijah Wood, Lord of the Rings, who is an American journalism student who moves to the UK to live with his sister. In England he learns about the sport of soccer and suddenly finds himself joining one of the most important firms, the Green Street Hooligans. A great movie that is becoming a classic amongst soccer fans, not only because it talks about soccer fanatism, but because it was well made and the acting is very good.
Again I hope you like some of the suggestions, watch the movies, some of them are available on Netflix and even free on Youtube.
If you've watched another sport movie that you liked, please put it on a comment and I'll watch it for sure.
Lately I've been watching more movies than I should and I felt the need to share some of my thoughts on several of them. When looking at movie options first thing I do is watch the trailer and read comments, if it's above 3 to 3 1/2 stars (out of 5) I give it a chance. Sometimes I'm happy with my movie choice, but other times I'm disappointed and feel like I wasted my time and money. So for my blog I'll be posting my top 5 choices for different categories, along with a trailer and why it is up there on my top 5. These movies are from end of 2012 to 2013.
#1 - Safe
Truth is if you like action films where there's more kicking and punching than bullets flying, then this is a great choice. Jason Statham is one of the best action movie actors of recent years and if you've seen his work in the Transporter trilogy and crank well you won't be disappointed. Good movie choice full of action.
#2 - Total Recall
A remake of the 1990's movie of the same name. It's pretty much the same concept, but the action takes place on Earth instead of Mars. Colin Farrell plays the same roles as Arnold Schwarzenegger did, but with better special effects and this time every is human. Very nice special effects, futuristic and a good option to kill some time.
#3 - The Cold Light Of Day
Seems like leaving the country is a dangerous thing nowadays, remember Taken? Well this is another Action/Thriller kind of movie staring Henry Cavill (Immortals and soon to be Superman). Family goes on vacation and gets kidnapped, so he tries to get them back while being chased by US agents and Spain police.
#4 - Stolen
Nicolas Cage finally picks up a good script and does a great job on this movie. It seems like kidnapping people is becoming a trend in hollywood, specially after Taken became a great hit, the first one not part 2. This one takes place in New Orleans, and Nicolas Cage has to deal with local enforcement and a psycho kidnapper that all he wants is his $10 million dollars.
#5 - Red Dawn
Another remake with improved special effects and minor changes. In this movie the US gets invaded specifically Colorado, and it's up to the locals to regain control of the city. A group of young guys, called the Wolverines, realize that they are on their own and decide to gear up and retaliate. If you liked the original version with Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen, then this is a must see.
I know must of you won't agree with my choices, but I'm just throwing my 2 cents out there. Some, if not most of these movies, might not be in line for an Oscar nomination, but will surely keep you entertained for 1+ hour.
Also, I wanted to include only version 1 movies, meaning that I know Batman - The Dark Knight Rises, Jason Bourne Legacy, The Avengers, Taken 2, and some others could've easily made this list, but it would be best if you watched the pre-quels.
With that said, let me know what you think, if you agree, if you don't and which other movies would you recommend in this category.
