Island Def Jam Music
Group artists Ludacris and Sum 41 will appear together on next week’s edition
of Saturday Night Live, hosted by actor Paul Giamatti. Ludacris will be performing
his single “Get Back” with his fellow label mates. According to reps
for Island Def Jam, Ludacris has always been a fan of the group, who jumped at
the chance to play with the bestselling rapper. The performance airs live on January
22, on NBC. In related news, Ludacris recently inked a long term partnership with
Island Def Jam Music group.
DJ Spooky is touring and
promoting his latest work, a remix of the 1915 film, “Birth of a Nation.”
Spooky presents a multimedia experience in “Rebirth of a Nation,”
that changes the racist story line of D.W. Griffith’s film, into a modern
version that makes comments on social divisions in modern culture. Spooky digitized
Harvard University’s copy of the microfilm and sliced a new storyline
together, set to his original music. "The film was made at a crossroads
of American culture, and I feel like we are again at a type of cultural crossroads,"
Spooky recently told NPR. “I feel like this film in particular is relevant
again in today’s society."
Mos Def continues to diversify
his acting portfolio and has signed on to star in the film version of John Kennedy
Toole’s novel, “A Confederacy of Dunces.” Mos will play the
role of a porter named Burma Jones, who holds on to his job only because the
police will arrest him for vagrancy. The comedy first went into development
in the early 80’s shortly after Toole’s unpublished work was released,
with Richard Pryor and John Belushi slated to star. Production has stalled on
the flick several times. The latest attempt will be directed by David Gordon
Green, with Scott Kramer and Steven Soderbergh handling the writing chores.
DJ J. Period won
the New York Regional title for the “Scion Free Up Your Mix DJ Contest.”
J. Period is now one of 12 semifinalists, who will compete for cash and the
opportunity to perform at Scion’s monthly events, which take place in
six major United States markets. Additionally, the grand prize winner will mix
Volume 12 of Scion’s CD Sampler, which will be released in April of 2005 with
a nationwide distribution of 500,000 promo copies.