Forum

Forum breadcrumbs - You are here:ForumMain: LibraryDead Alice Blog
Please or Register to create posts and topics.

Dead Alice Blog

PreviousPage 2 of 5Next

Happy Art GIF by X&XYZ - Find & Share on GIPHY

A little bit of background before we get to the why verifiable facts are hard to come by in the Ice Ice Baby story.

Watch “Vanilla Ice: Chuck D From Public Enemy Had His Back”

In an early interview, Vanilla Ice (Robert Van Winkle) answered a question about his mother with “none of your fucking business”. His label SBK, who effected Vanilla Ice’s move from an all-black audience to all-white, promptly invented a backstory full of events that Van Winkle became famous for inventing and spent a lot of time denying.

At the end of this July 1990 video with 400 odd views, it’s announced that Vanilla Ice had just signed the infamous million-dollar SBK deal.

Watch “Vanilla Ice opened for Sinbad 27.07.1990 Dallas TX, (before To the Extreme came out)”

The claim that SBK wardrobed Van Winkle into an MC Hammer seems like more of a stretch after watching the video.

Watch “Vanilla Ice: Hip Hop's Original Industry Plant”

But, that’s a whole other day’s work. My interest lies in the song. And at around the 20-minute mark in the 400 odd views video you’ll hear Ice Ice Baby with a different chorus. To my ears:

Ice, Ice Baby. Too cold. Too cold.

Is frat boy territory.

I like the how of things. If the success of Ice Ice Baby was down to the bassline from Under Pressure and a catchy chorus, well the main question emerges- who was the bright spark who thought to put the two things together? In this video, Van Winkle mentions everything about the song- his brother’s love of Queen, the hook- but not the chorus.

Watch “Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby - Professor of Rock’s The Story Of”

Well. The chorus pretty much comes from Spike Lee’s 1989 School Daze movie

Watch “Ice Ice Baby . . . . The Black & Gold”

Only, by the time the song was released, someone had the cop to redo the delivery of the Ice Ice Babies.

So, here are the facts. Vanilla Ice was a genuine hip hop artist who paid his dues but this was forgotten. His record deal came about on the basis of an obvious hit. Ice Ice Baby was a b-side of a single getting no traction. Once it was played by DJ Darrell Jaye in Georgia it took off – long before any video showed the moves and the looks and the whiteness.

It was bigger than Van Winkle. Way bigger. It sold 160 million copies before Vanilla Ice came to be regarded as a one hit wonder. It would have launched a commercial career if Van Winkle wasn’t so dedicated to being a hip-hop artist. He released record after record regardless, including on his own labels, regardless of their success.

It appears that neither he nor the label ever stopped to work out why Ice Ice Baby was such a hit. Besides the hook it followed a Salt-N-Pepa formula that people took a while to cop on to. Rapped verses, catchy chorus.

Speaking of truths and rumours. Who wrote the legendary bassline of Under Pressure? David Bowie.

Watch “Queen vs. David Bowie | The Making of Under Pressure”

Again, returning to the how of things, here’s the song that became Under Pressure.

Watch “Queen-Feel Like (Pre-Under Pressure) Remastered Audio by Irving Aguilar | HQ | 1080pᴴᴰ | Widescreen”

I find these things more interesting and could go on so better wrap up with an old joke with no truth.

Bowie: “Okay, here’s what I have so far: ‘Pressure pushing down on me. Pressing down on you.’ What have you got Freddie?”

Freddie: “Um ba ba be. Um ba ba be. De day da.”

Charlie Charles IV, Lois Hi and Barney Rubble have reacted to this post.
Charlie Charles IVLois HiBarney Rubble

Happy Art GIF by X&XYZ - Find & Share on GIPHY

Barney Rubble has reacted to this post.
Barney Rubble

Looks like at least one country managed to effectively beat Omicron.

Given that Delta was a major problem in Cuba:

One simplistic understanding could be that maybe mRNA vaccines were more effective against Delta and the protein-based ones- Cuba produced 5- won out over Omicron.

Then again, Cuba wasn’t heavily vaccinated until after the Delta wave.

They had previously succeeded via NPIs.

I don’t know if Cuba’s protein-based vaccines are better than China’s but, given China’s troubles now and notwithstanding their vaccination rates being below Cuba’s, it looks likely that the other major factor may have been the quick vaccination of children aged 2 and up before Omicron.

 

Some text from the article referenced in the first tweet, above.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/cubas-vaccine-coverage-focus-children-helped-beat-back-omicron-experts-say-2022-02-17/

“Cuba, whose Communist rulers have long sought to stand out among developing countries by providing a free healthcare system and one that focuses on preventative treatment such as vaccinations, developed its own COVID vaccines and became the first country in the world to begin the mass vaccination of kids as young as age 2.

Health workers on the Caribbean island have since fully inoculated 1.8 million children between 2 and 18 years of age, or upwards of 96% of the total, with no serious side effects reported, according to official Cuban data.

Eduardo Martinez, president of the state-run pharmaceutical firm BioCubaFarma, said that campaign set Cuba apart in its fight against Omicron.

“Elsewhere in the world, the virus is circulating more in the pediatric population, but that is not happening in Cuba,” he said.

Cuba´s success to date against Omicron comes as a relief to authorities. A spike in cases in 2021 and economic crisis resulted in food and medicine shortages, power blackouts and the largest anti-government protests since Fidel Castro´s 1959 revolution.”

 

Charlie Charles IV and Lois Hi have reacted to this post.
Charlie Charles IVLois Hi

Happy Art GIF by X&XYZ - Find & Share on GIPHY

Not sure how all of these things are connected, so maybe I’ll leave a few tweets down and back away slowly.

Presumably this is true.

This sounds a bit on the highly unlikely side but then again, Trump.

Some have tended to get more distracted with the bald-years-before-full-head-of-hair than the crimes and misdemeanours.

It may have started here.

Or here.

But that person seems a bit biased. But then.

I don’t know how those recordings exist or how admissible they are in court or how much more will come out and conflict in court. And we’ve gone off topic. Maybe it’s time to leave the tweets down and back away slowly.

Charlie Charles IV and Lois Hi have reacted to this post.
Charlie Charles IVLois Hi

Happy Art GIF by X&XYZ - Find & Share on GIPHY

First thing to remember, with #JusticeForJohnnyDepp and #AmberHeardIsAnAbuser trending so heavily, is that Depp lost the first case. Then Depp lost the right to appeal.

It seems like some weight, among other issues, was placed on a $7M donation.

This has raised questions.

That seem set to be admissible in the US case.

Heard’s legal team tried to block the case on a number of occasions, including trying to get the English verdict accepted in the US.

Some may have an impact.

Not sure how it will all end up.

So much seems gossipy.

Or weird.

We’ll have to see what else is admissible in court and whether what we’ve seen so far is simply one side.

https://twitter.com/centauri_27/status/1515108863623671809

Charlie Charles IV and Lois Hi have reacted to this post.
Charlie Charles IVLois Hi

Happy Art GIF by X&XYZ - Find & Share on GIPHY

From a human perspective, yesterday in the defamation case was, again, toxic. From a spin perspective it’s worth examining. Seeing as it would appear at this stage that Depp may be likely to lose again

How are the Depp supporters reacting to yesterday’s testimony?

Leaving aside the revenge types-

How are regular supporters of Depp spinning corpse texts and cabinet smashing?

Depp supporters who have seen the clip many times may react like this but a jury on first viewing is different.

Depp supporters like this and it has over 5M views but it’s open to question whether juries like victims who claim to have lost everything being funny or smart too often and not victims.

This is arguable- someone may record because they feel afraid-

But, as the number of Heard’s secret recordings rises, it becomes more apparent there is little fear on Heard’s part and, worse, a performative aspect- perhaps because Heard was the person who pressed record- making aspects look like setups.

The end of this clip is interesting in terms of complicated spinning back and forth. Heard’s arrest for domestic violence doesn’t look good but, the story has come out- after Heard became friendly again with first wife Tasya Van Ree years after Heard’s DV charge- that there should never have been any arrest.

 

Watch “Confessions Of A Domestic Abuser (Amber Heard).”

The arresting officers were, apparently, homophobic and misogynistic. But…

The more you know the less you know. So, more to follow until we hit zero.

Charlie Charles IV and Lois Hi have reacted to this post.
Charlie Charles IVLois Hi

Happy Art GIF by X&XYZ - Find & Share on GIPHY

Everything may change next week with Heard’s testimony, but, at the moment, aside from the distracting celebrity gossip angles that are best avoided, we seem to be teetering on perjury and conspiracies. There’s also an element of odd catch-up.

Not delivering on a pledge isn’t a crime.

Lying on TV isn’t a crime.

Under oath is different.

This may not be significant but why swear to things you don’t have to and that are provably false?

Maybe this is related

But then.

 

In terms of the kind of bias and presentation of alternate realities we’ve been examining as the main focus, it’s apparent now that things are looking defamatory and perjurious that connected news media have mobilised.

There’s a hypocritical element to this.

 

And a conspiracy element that may be tricky to figure out.

 

 

This is more relevant to a legal approach.

 

But this is a one-off.

Charlie Charles IV and Lois Hi have reacted to this post.
Charlie Charles IVLois Hi

Happy Art GIF by X&XYZ - Find & Share on GIPHY

The court is dark this week in the Depp V. Heard trial but the information war hasn’t stopped.

Heard’s new PR was immediately and noticeably visible in court.

Recognised by a viewer.

Then disappeared. At least for now.

Heard’s testimony was questioned.

It was noticeably, emotionally different to a 2016 deposition.

While testimony often relates to unwitnessed or contested events, this clip is significant because the testimony was provably incorrect.

PR went back on the attack.

But this move was covered.

Thoroughly.

Implications considered.

Other reported events that have been known for a while but forgotten may be emerging.

And this. It’s a ten-minute watch but well-researched.

Events have been known for a while but never quite gone anywhere. Case resumes next week. Unless something happens. Like a mistrial.

Charlie Charles IV and Lois Hi have reacted to this post.
Charlie Charles IVLois Hi

Happy Art GIF by X&XYZ - Find & Share on GIPHY

Some significant testimony since last blog.

 

With one week left in the Depp V. Heard case, it seems like those who pay particular attention to the jury have a handle on how things may be panning out.

 

While the pendulum may swing back and forth over time and testimonies, this video is particularly insightful about the cross examination of Heard.

 

In the last blog I think we mentioned a newly-surfaced, TMZ-related clip from Heard’s deposition in 2013. It appeared in the courtroom within days

Raising the question of whether Twitter and other social media was influencing legal angles for attack and defence.

Internet sleuths and supporters find essential information for free and present winning arguments on social media that can be used by $500 an hour legal teams.

 

 

Other reports are cropping up that won’t make it into the court.

Charlie Charles IV and Lois Hi have reacted to this post.
Charlie Charles IVLois Hi

Happy Art GIF by X&XYZ - Find & Share on GIPHY

 

Things we learned from the defamation case.

 

As a general rule information, misinformation and disinformation is disseminated by mainstream media and only when we witness a case first-hand on live TV can we see that what’s being reported may not align with what we just witnessed for ourselves.   

 

Before the case began I had very little awareness of LawTube or LegalTube. The name is unimportant. It’s a reference to a bunch of independent legal analysts with real courtroom experience offering their collective wisdom on YouTube during live feeds or actual courtroom reporting of what the cameras missed on Twitter during breaks.

 

The first that I happened across was Emily D. Baker, a prior LA Deputy District Attorney, when she received a message from Ukraine from someone describing how much Emily’s coverage meant to them.

 

These independent reporters are challenging mainstream media when they fail to report facts.

Audiences were well-informed as to the facts and not the spin.

 

Most seemed to be Depp supporters based on their reading of the available evidence and seeking justice. Contrary to spin they were not fans based on their love of Captain Jack Sparrow.

 

In the end it was pretty amazing that the jury reached the same conclusions even without much of the evidence which could not be presented in court that pointed even more strongly towards the combined hoax Waldman was referring to.

 

Charlie Charles IV and Lois Hi have reacted to this post.
Charlie Charles IVLois Hi

Happy Art GIF by X&XYZ - Find & Share on GIPHY

Reposted on next page to allow for easier loading...

Charlie Charles IV and Lois Hi have reacted to this post.
Charlie Charles IVLois Hi
PreviousPage 2 of 5Next




back to top