D6 HDTV VTR is SMPTE videotape standard. A D6 VTR can record and playback HDTV video uncompressed. The only D6 VTR product is the Philips, now Thomson's Grass Valley's Media Recorder, model DCR 6024, also called the D6 Voodoo VTR. The VTR was a joint project between Philips Digital Video Systems of Germany and Toshiba in Japan. The Tape deck module was designed and made by Philips in Weiterstadt, Germany. (formerly Bosch Fernseh). and the Digital Processor module designed and made by Toshiba. Since there is no data compression, after 20 tape copies of multi generations there is no noticeable loss of quality. As a very high-end, costly system about 70 were sold to high-end post houses from about 2000 to 2005. The VTR had a Data Record option. The Data Module could record and play back 2k DPX files at 6 frames per second over a HIPPI connection. The VTR could come in a data only model, or with a switch module, so the record deck could be used for both video and data recording. The tape deck was also sold stand alone as a Giga Bit Recorder to record and playback raw data.

Specs[link]

• Tape format D-6 19 mm tape cassette housing, SMPTE 277/278M
• The tape cassette housing looks like a D1 or D2 cassette, but these would be rejected by the VTR.
• Tape is a Metal Particle tape, magnetic tape
• Scanner diameter 96 mm, a Helical scan
• Track pitch: 22 um
• D6 Tape thickness 11 um
• Head to tape speed ~46 m/s
• Tape speed ~497 mm/s
• Records and playback of 1 Gbit/s uncompressed data.

.

• Uses cassette sizes L – M – S
• Recording time:
  • Small type 8 minutes
  • Med. type 28 minutes
  • Large type 64 minutes

• Helical scan Record heads 2 clusters of 8 (0/180) total of 16
• Play heads 2 clusters of 8 (0/180) Total of 16
• Erase heads 2 (0/180)
  • Yes, that is a total of 34 heads on the scanner.

• Video Error correction Reed Solomon code, 2D

• Longitudinal tracks three: Control track, Timecode and, Audio cue

• Playback Slow motion +/- ¼ and with a video visible search mode

• HDTV Video Signal Formats (SMPTE 274M)
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 24p
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 23.976p
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 25p
• Progressive modes DTV
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 24sF
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 23.976sF
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 25sF ”segmented frame” modes
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 60i
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 59.94i
  • 1920 x 1080 @ 50i 2:1 interlace modes
• The unit can cross play some formats

• Sampling Frequency 4:2:2:
  • Luminance Y 74.25 MHz and 74.25/1.001 = 74.1758 MHz
  • Chrominance 37.125 MHz and 37.125/1.001 = 37.0879 MHz

• Quantization:
  • Y-Luminance = 10 Bits 24/25 fr/sec modes and 8 Bits 30 fr/sec modes
  • Chroma = 8 Bits

• AUDIO:
  • 30 Frames System: 10 Channel, 5 stereo pairs
  • 24/25 Frames System: 12 Channels, 6 stereo pairs
  • Audio standard AES/EBU
  • Sampling frequency 48 kHz
  • Quantization, digital I/O 20 or 24 bit

Worldwide userlist[link]

Europe:

• Augustus Italy
• Cinefekt
• Digital Film Lab Copenhagen, Denmark www.digitalfilmlab.com
• Digital Images Halle, Germany
• Digital Film Finland Helsinki, Finland www.softmodel.fi
• Eclair Épinay, France
• Frame Image Helsinki, Finland
• Frithiof Telecine Stockholm, Sweden
• Generator Post Finland
• Geyer video Berlin, Germany
• Interactive group Milan, Italy
• LTC Scanlab France
• Listo Vienna, Austria
• Mars Motel Sweden
• Molinare Spain
• Philips Research Netherlands
• Rudas Germany
• Sertek Turkey
• Short Cut Denmark www.filmteknikk.no
• Epoka ltd Poland www.epoka.tv
• EBH Polska, Warsaw, Poland
• Taurus Media Technik Munich, Germany
• VCC Hamburg, Germany
• VDM Courbevoie, France www.vdm.fr
• Video Copy Company – VCC Berlin, Germany www.vcc.de
• VTR London
• Warehouse Denmark

Americas

• Casablanca Finish Ltda São Paulo, Brazil
• Command Post Toronto, Canada www.compt.com
• Complete Post Hollywood, CA www.completepost.com
• Discreet Montreal, Canada
• Digital Images Los Angeles, CA
• Galicia Ramirez y Asoc. Mex. Mexico
• Industry Light and Magic California
• IVC, International Video Conversions Burbank, CA www.ivchd.com
• Laser Pacific Hollywood, CA www.laserpacific.com
• Library of Congress Washington DC
• Mega Brazil
• Rhinoceros Editorial & Post New York, NY
• SMA Video New York, NY www.smavid.com
• Technique Burbank, CA www.technicolor.com
• Vid-Film California www.vidfilm.com

Asia/Pacific

• Shaw-Brothers Hong Kong

Photo gallery[link]

• D6-VTR-Scanner.jpg

  D6 VTR Scanner, removed

• D6-VTR-Tape Deck-inside.jpg

  Inside a D6 VTR Tape Deck

• 

  D6 VTR full unit

See also[link]

• D-3 video
• D-5 HD
• Spirit DataCine
• Magnetic storage

Ext. Links and Ref.[link]

• - Manual for a D6 VooDoo PDF
• - cilect.org on Digital Film Melbourne
• - digitalcontentproducer.com video NAB choose weapons
• cinematography.net D6 Test
• pmotions.com, PDF file, D6 on page 50
• Digital Fact Book 2008

Jon Gooch, more commonly known by his stage names Spor and Feed Me, is a drum and bass, electro house and dubstep producer and DJ from Hertfordshire, England.^[1]

Biography[link]

Spor obtained his name from one of the first set of samples he collected, entitled 'Spore Tactics', and a favorite piece of artwork by a friend, Karl Kwasny^{[citation needed]}. However, he soon dropped the "e" from the word to balance the arrangement of letters when displayed in a graffiti style^{[citation needed]}. After a school friend introduced Jon to the world of Drum & Bass he began experimenting with software to create his own music.

Spor attracted the attention of Renegade Hardware's label manager (at the time) Chris Renegade, and secured a deal with the label. Much of his work was released through this label, and soon Jon began DJing sets. He has also released work under the name 'Final Reckoning' with Codex, as well as under the name 'Unicron'. After a successful partnership with Renegade Hardware and Barcode Recordings, and releases with Teebee's Subtitles Recordings, in 2006, Spor and long-term friend Chris Renegade launched Lifted Music and signed music from producers such as Apex, Evol Intent and Ewun & Phace.

On 24 February 2010, Spor released his second double EP, Conquerors and Commoners on the Lifted Music label ^[2]. In an interview with K Magazine, he said the title was inspired by a quote by Harlan Ellison^[3]. The album was well received by drum & bass fans, with two of the tracks from the album ("Halogen" and "Kingdom") being played on Andy C's popular Nightlife 5 mix CD ^[4]. Spor has since then been traversing the globe playing his music at clubs across the world under the Lifted Music guise.

Spor's electro house side project, Feed Me, has also been rather successful. A two track EP has been released under Deadmau5's label, mau5trap, along with a track on Noisia's label as well. He released a second EP under mau5trap on 25 December 2010, titled 'Feed Me's Big Adventure'. It features eight new tracks including both electro house and dubstep. His third EP of four tracks is called 'To the Stars' has been available to the public since 3 June 2011. He released another EP titled 'Feed Me's Escape From Electric Mountain' on 6 February 2012. It features 6 new tracks, with vocals from Hadouken! and Lindsay.

Jon was also involved in a second side project called 'Seventh Stitch', which produced alternative IDM. He worked with another artist called Aker.

He has said he would like to release his debut album in August, 2012.

Discography[link]

Feed Me[link]

Releases[link]

Guest appearances[link]

Production credits[link]

Remixes[link]

Spor and other[link]

• Spor – Pacifica EP (2011) (LFTDUB002D)
• Noisia & Spor – Falling Through (2010) (VSN009)
• Spor – Pacifica (Vocal Mix) (2011) (LFTDUB003)
• Spor – Pacifica (Instrumental Mix) (2011) (LFTDUB002)
• Spor – Halogen (2010) (LFTD009)
• Spor – Kingdom (2010) (LFTD009)
• Spor – Overdue (2010) (LFTD009)
• Spor – Kaori (2010) (LFTD009)
• Spor – Some Other Funk (2009) (LFTD006)
• Spor – Silver Spaceman (2009) (LFTD006)
• Spor – Do Not Shake (2009) (SHA025)
• Spor – Aztec (2009) (SHA025)
• Spor – Claret's March (2008) (LFTD005)
• Spor – Stoppit (2008) (LFT005)
• Spor – Breathe In, Scream Out (2008) (SUBTITLES066)
• Spor – Resolute (2008) (SUBTITLES066)
• Spor – Valentine (2008) (Featuring Baz Abdul) (SUBTITLES066)
• Spor – As Dust Falls (2008) (SUBTITLES066)
• Spor, Apex, Ewun & Evol Intent – Dirge (2008) (LFTD003)
• Spor & Ewun – We Dominate (2008) (LFTD003)
• Spor, Ewun & Evol Intent – Levitate (2008) (LFTD003)
• Spor & Phace – Dying Of The Light (2008) (LFTD003)
• Spor – Supernova (2007) (LFTD002)
• Spor – 103 Degrees (2007) (LFTD002)
• Spor – 1 UP (2007) (LFTD002)
• Spor – The Resistance (2007) (LFTD002)
• Spor – Molehill (2007) (SUB057)
• Spor – Knock You Down (2006) (LFTD001)
• Spor – Hydra (2006) (ZIQ159)
• Spor – Powder Monkey (2006) (SUB055)
• Spor – Ignition (2006) (RH73)
• Spor – Dreadnought (2005) (RH72)
• Spor – The Eyes Have It (2005) (RH72)
• Spor – Lose It (2005) (RH72)
• Spor – To The Death (2005) (RH72)
• Spor – Cyberpunk (2005) (BAR12)
• Spor – Way Of The Samurai (2005) (BARLP01)
• Spor – Alpha Trion (2005) (BARLP01CD)
• Spor – Dante's Inferno (2005) (BAR07)
• Spor – Brickbeats (2005) (BAR08)
• Spor – Haunt Me (2005) (BAR08)
• Spor – Haywire (2004) (RH63)
• Spor – Outbroken (That Track) (2004) (RH62)
• Spor – Nebulous (2004) (RH62CD)
• Spor – Running Man (2004) (NITE002)
• Spor – Insecticide (2004) (TOV67)
• Final Reckoning – A Thousand Worlds (2005) (TOV73)
• Final Reckoning – Ghosthacker (2005) (TOV71)
• Final Reckoning – Nothing Less (2005) (TOV73)
• Unicron – Orion's Five (2005) (TOVLP06)
• Unicron – You Must Believe (2005) (TOV69)
• Spor – Three Ravens (2004) (BAR04)
• Spor – Judderman (2004) (DMIND008)
• Spor – The Whisper (2004) (DMIND008)
• Ewun – Hate Machine (Spor Remix) (Shades of Black LP, Barcode Recordings)
• Infiltrata & Spor – Three Faces (2006) (BAR14)
• Konflict – Messiah (Spor Remix) (2005) (RH65)
• Unknown Error & Spor – Untitled (2006) (SUB057)
• Unknown Error – Shadows (Unicron Remix) (2005) (TOV69)
• The Qemists – Stompbox (Spor Remix) (2007) (ZEN12205)
• Bad Company UK – Bullet Time (Spor Remix) (2009) (BT003)
• Don Diablo & Example – Hooligans (Spor Remix) (2009) (DATA219TP1)
• Two Fingers – That Girl (Spor Remix) (2009) (BD134)
• Noisia – Machine Gun (Spor Remix) (2010) (DIVISION005)
• Hadouken! - Turn The Lights Out (Spor Remix) (2010)

Unreleased^{[citation needed]}

• Fallout – Hesitate (Spor & Toxin Remix)
• Lumidee – Never Leave You (Spor Remix)
• Pendulum – Toxic Shock (Spor Remix)
• Spor – That's That (feat. MC Illy)(Spor Remix)
• Spor – Wretch
• Spor – Blue Girl
• Spor – Electro Funeral
• Spor – Cooka
• Spor – The Origin
• Spor – Deathray
• Spor – Little Change
• Spor – Thugged Out Elves
• Spor – Push Me, Pull You
• Spor - After The Flood
• Spor - Absinthe
• Spor - Bitten
• Spor - Bad Cards
• Spor - Knock You Down VIP

References[link]

External links[link]

• Lifted Music
• Trouble on Vinyl Group
• Spor at Discogs
• Spor at rolldabeats
• Spor at Last.fm

Jason Thomas Mraz
Jason Mraz in March 2011
Background information
Birth name	Jason Thomas Mraz
Born	(1977-06-23) June 23, 1977 (age 35) Mechanicsville, Virginia, U.S.
Genres	Pop rock, blue-eyed soul, alternative rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin, mandola, banjo, ukulele, baritone ukulele
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Elektra Records (2002–2005) Atlantic Records (2005–present)
Associated acts	Tristan Prettyman, Bushwalla, Jack Johnson, Colbie Calliat
Website	jasonmraz.com
Notable instruments
Taylor Guitars

Jason Mraz ( /məˈræz/;^[1] born June 23, 1977 in Mechanicsville, Virginia) is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, Mr. A-Z, in 2005, that Mraz achieved major commercial success. The album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and sold over 100,000 copies in the US. In 2008, Mraz released his third studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and was a commercial success worldwide, peaking in the top ten of many international charts.

Mraz's international breakthrough came with the release of the single "I'm Yours" from the album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The single peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Mraz his first top ten single. The song was on the Hot 100 for 76 weeks, beating the previous record of 69 weeks held by LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live". The song was a huge commercial success in the US, receiving a 5x platinum certification from the RIAA for sales of over five million.^[2] The song was successful internationally, topping the charts in New Zealand and Norway and peaking in the top ten of multiple international charts.

Early life[link]

Jason Mraz was born and raised in Mechanicsville, Virginia.^[3] He is of Czech descent through his grandfather, who moved to the United States from Austria-Hungary in 1915.^[4] His surname is Czech for "frost"^[4] (Czech: mráz). His parents, Tom (Tomáš) Mraz and June, divorced when he was four years old, but he asserts that he had an idyllic childhood, saying, "My hometown of Mechanicsville was very American. There were white picket fences, a church on every street corner, low crime and virtually no drug use. It was a good place to grow up."^[5] He went to Lee Davis High School^[6]

Music career[link]

[edit] Live at Java Joe's (2001)

In 2001, Mraz released a live acoustic album, Live at Java Joe's, a coffee-house type place in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego where Jewel also made her debut. Here, Mraz performed with percussionist Noel "Toca" Rivera and bassist Ian Sheridan and felt at home singing and scatting through jazzy-pop songs. He would deliver rapidfire lyrics full of verbal mischief, and he would riff off the crowd like a stand-up comic.^[7] The album featured Mraz's free-lancing vocal style and songs he later re-released, including "1000 Things", "You and I Both", and "Halfway Home."

The album was made available to download on iTunes on March 11, 2008, under the title Jason Mraz: Live & Acoustic 2001.

[edit] Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002–2003)

In 2002, Mraz signed a recording contract with Elektra Records. He recorded his first album with the Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer producer John Alagía, and Virginia-based roots rock band the Agents Of Good Root.^[8] Mraz then released his first major-label debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come. The album was a relative commercial success, peaking at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 200 and at number two on the Top Heatseekers Chart. The lead single from the album, "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" was co-written by music production team The Matrix and it was Mraz's first top 20 single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 15.

Mraz's friend and former roommate Billy "Bushwalla" Galewood collaborated on the album, co-writing "Curbside Prophet" and the album's third single, and "I'll Do Anything".

[edit] Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom (2004)

In 2004, while touring, Mraz released a live album and accompanying DVD^[9], Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom, a special two-disc set including an audio CD of his concert from Milwaukee's Eagles Ballroom^[10] , plus a video DVD of the concert plus tons of backstage footage. Mraz performed with his touring band including drummer Adam King, percussionist Noel "Toca" Rivera and bassist Ian Sheridan and keyboardist Eric Hinojosa along with a guest appearance from Blues Traveler lead John Popper. The Eagles Ballroom (part of The Rave complex) has a capacity of only about 3,200^[11] making it possible for Mraz to have significant interaction with the audience, bridging his earlier coffeeshop performances to his later much larger venue concerts.

[edit] Touring and Mr. A–Z (2003–2008)

Mraz opened for Tracy Chapman in March 2003 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In July 2005, Mraz opened for Alanis Morissette during her Jagged Little Pill Acoustic Tour. On July 26, 2005, he released his second major-label album, Mr. A–Z, for Atlantic Records. It entered the Billboard 200 album chart at number 5.^[12] In December, the album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, while its producer, the prolific Steve Lillywhite, received a nomination for Producer of the Year.^[13] In 2006 "Life is Wonderful" the first track of the album was featured in the Hilton Journeys Hotel commercial"

Mraz began his long-running tour in support of Mr. A–Z at the San Diego Music Awards on September 12. The tour featured several opening acts, including Bushwalla and Tristan Prettyman, with whom he had co-written the duet "Shy That Way" in 2002.^[14] Mraz and Prettyman dated, ending their relationship in 2006. They also co-wrote the song "All I Want For Christmas is Us".^{[citation needed]} In November 2005, Mraz opened for the Rolling Stones on five dates during their 2005–2006 world tour. Also in 2005, Mraz was one of many singers featured in the fall advertisement campaign for The Gap entitled "Favorites". The music-themed campaign also featured other singers including Tristan Prettyman, Michelle Branch, Joss Stone, Keith Urban, Alanis Morissette, Brandon Boyd, and Michelle Williams.^[15] In December 2005, Mraz released the first part of his ongoing podcast.

Jason Mraz performs at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut on May 17, 2006.

Jason Mraz at Gröna Lund In Stockholm, Sweden 2008

In March 2006, Mraz also performed for the first time at a sold-out performance in Singapore with Noel "Toca" Rivera as part of the annual Mosaic Music Festival.^{[citation needed]} In May 2006, Mraz toured mostly small venues and music festivals in the U.S., along with a few shows in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The tour included a May 6, 2006 acoustic show with P.O.D., Better Than Ezra, Live, and The Presidents of the United States of America. Mraz was featured as a headlining guest of St. Louis's annual Fair St. Louis and performed a free concert at the base of the Arch on July 1, 2006. During this time, Mraz was also the opening act at several dates for Rob Thomas' Something to Be Tour.

In December 2006, Selections for Friends, the live, online-only album recorded during the Songs for Friends Tour, was released. Selections for Friends features Jason's favorite songs from the Schubas Tavern and Villa Montalvo shows he played in July 2006. Jason Mraz began 2007 by debuting his new single "The Beauty in Ugly", an earlier track penned by Mraz entitled "Plain Jane" that he rewrote for the ABC television program Ugly Betty. The song was featured as a part of ABC's "Be Ugly in '07" campaign.^[16] He has since released a song in Spanish entitled "La Nueva Belleza (The New Beauty)".^[17]

In 2007, American Idol contestant Chris Richardson performed "Geek in the Pink", which subsequently garnered the song mass recognition and increased downloads at the American iTunes Store. "Geek in the Pink" peaked at No. 22 on the U.S. iTunes Store on March 10, 2007, but it was ineligible for the site's Hot 100.^{[citation needed]} The tape-recording of bootlegs during Mraz's shows is explicitly supported by him and his management.^[18] In 2007, he also provided background vocals on Mandy Moore's song "Slummin' in Paradise", of her studio album Wild Hope.

[edit] We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008–2009)

Mraz released his third studio album, We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. on May 13, 2008, following the April 2008 "Music, Magic, Make Peace" Tour with Bushwalla, The Makepeace Brothers, and magician Justin Willman. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 200, giving Mraz his highest charting album to date. Following the success of its lead single, "I'm Yours", the album broke into the top ten of many international music charts and charted in the top three in Australia and the US.^[19]

The first single, "I'm Yours", reached No. 1 on AAA radio charts in the US. The single was a B-side to Mr A-Z, and was made famous by recordings from his live shows. In September 2008, the song became Mraz's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #6. As of October 14, 2008, the album has been certified Gold by the RIAA, selling in excess of 500,000 copies in the US. The song was a commercial success worldwide, peaking in the top ten of multiple European charts and topping the charts in New Zealand for six weeks.^[20] In 2008, Mraz launched his single "I'm Yours" at the music industry-only event titled Sunset Sessions. Exactly one year later, Jason was nominated for a Grammy on the single.

Mraz and his song "I'm Yours" were nominated for Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2009 51st Grammy Awards. The album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical in 2009. On January 31, 2009, Mraz was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, performing "I'm Yours" and "Lucky", the latter with Colbie Caillat. "Lucky" peaked on the Hot 100 at 48.

With "Make It Mine" and "Lucky", Mraz won two awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals, respectively, at the 2010 52nd Grammy Awards.

On June 20, 2009, Mraz was awarded the Hal David Starlight award from the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.^[21]

[edit] Love Is a Four Letter Word (2009–present)

In early 2009, a song titled "Try Try Try" was leaked out into the Internet. The song was later released in 2010 by Michael Squire. New songs have been performed in his recent concerts, some of which have been uploaded onto YouTube. Earlier this year, Jason Mraz spent time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil working with Milton Nascimento. Mraz also recently met and worked with Willie Nelson, whose 'style' is fondly referenced in one of Mraz's early hits "Curbside Prophet."

In November 2009, Mraz posted on his MySpace page plans for a new album to be recorded starting in December, stating "In 2 weeks time I will enter the studio and begin recording the next album. Only a handful of songs are written and slated but the momentum of love is with me. Every day new verses get added on. The songs are coming together piece by piece. The process is unlike any of the other records before this. It's like I'm being gifted the album without having to do the work. I'm creating that in 6 months the project will be complete and then we'll hit the road again with new sounds and new musicians."^[22]

In 2010 Mraz spent time in London, England, where he worked on songs for his new album with producer Martin Terefe and wrote with British singer-songwriter Dido.^[23]

Mraz contributed vocals for The Grooveline Horns' eponymous EP on the track "Fun", a cover of the Con Funk Shun song, released March 2, 2010.^[24]

In August 2010, Mraz had a Q&A interview with Spin magazine. In the interview, he stated the current possible titles for his fourth album are Peace Canoe or The Love Album.^[25]

On September 13, 2010, Mraz was featured on the single "Love, Love, Love" by Hope.^[26]

On September 28, 2010, Mraz announced the upcoming release of the new "Life Is Good" EP consisting of recordings from his concerts from Maine to the Life is Good Festival in Canton, Massachusetts which will include live recordings of "Coyotes" and multiple new songs, "San Disco Reggaefornia", "Up", "What Mama Say", and "The Freedom Song". The EP was released on October 5, 2010.^[27] On the same tour, Mraz also showcased other new songs, such as "Thinking About You", "Love Looks Like" and "In Your Hands".

From December 26, 2010, the official website was updated with a series of images, the first seemingly a sequence of blocks separated by points to indicate a date, and the second image containing a rectangle, circle, triangle and a square, which appear to spell out the word "love." This image was also trademarked. Popular belief was that the "love" image was the beginning of a marketing campaign for a new record.

Appearing on VH1 Top 20 Countdown on March 5, 2011, Jason Mraz noted that he had 12 songs ready to go for the album but then decided they weren't good enough. In July 2011, his team's Twitter feed (@theRKOP) confirmed that his album will be released in early 2012.^[28]

JasonMraz.com relaunched in July 2011 with a new design and a message informing fans that a special announcement was imminent. A few days later, it was announced that Mraz would embark on a mini-global tour in September to November 2011, with occasional full band shows, but mostly as an acoustic duo with long time performing partner and friend, Noel "Toca" Rivera. The special shows marked the ten-year anniversary of the independently released Live at Java Joe's album. Mraz played in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Berlin and Prague, and was due to make a festival appearance in Hossegor, France before the festival was cancelled.

On September 19, 2011, Jason Mraz announced via his Facebook page the release of a new single titled "The World as I See It", which is intended to be the theme of the "In Search of Incredible" campaign, accompanied by the song being embedded via YouTube.^[29] On September 20, 2011, the single was released on the iTunes music store.^[30]

During the fall/winter tour, many songs old and new were showcased. Towards the end of the tour, Mraz announced that 'I Never Knew You' would not be featuring on the new album, suggesting that the final tracklist has been decided on and that the album is on course for release around February 2012.

On December 8, 2011, Mraz told Jeff Benjamin of Billboard that the "album is finished" except for one track he was attempting to re-work as an acoustic version. He described the album as, "It's not a departure in the sound of the genre in any way, it's just different tones, different textures. Musically, I think people are going to like it. It's personal. It's melodic. And it's mellow. There's a couple of up-tempo tunes, but mostly the rhythm of the heartbeat kind of takes precedence on this record. Medium-tempo tunes; which I love. It feels more like the pace of life. At least, based on my life and what I've been doing."^[31]

On January 20, 2012, during a performance streamed live from the Bing Bar at the Sundance Film Festival, Mraz told the audience that the album's title is Love Is a Four Letter Word. Mraz released a new single from the album, called "I Won't Give Up", and the single has peaked at No. 1 on iTunes.^[when?]

During January 2012, the Dutch online retailer bol.com accidentally released a tracklisting for the forthcoming album, which has been dismissed as being incorrect. On February 28, 2012, Jason released an EP entitled Live Is A Four Letter World. The EP was recorded live in San Diego and contains four tracks (one of which had already been released).^[32]

The new album was set to be released on May 8, 2012,^[33] however on February 14 it was stated that the new album is set to be released in stores and at all digital retailers on April 17, 2012.^[34]

Personal life[link]

Mraz was engaged to singer/songwriter and long-time close friend Tristan Prettyman.^[35] On June 7, 2011, Mraz said in an interview with the Daily Beast that he and Prettyman were no longer engaged.^[36]

Mraz lives a health-conscious lifestyle and enjoys eating mostly raw vegan foods.^[37] He owns an avocado farm in Bonsall in Northern San Diego County. Recently, he acquired the Garden Patch Farms&Orchard in Homer Glen, for its organic strawberries.^[38] Mraz is an active supporter of several charities including VH1's Save The Music Foundation, MusiCares, Free the Children, Life Rolls On, SPARC and the Human Rights Campaign.^[39] He has been named the 2010 SIMA Humanitarian of the Year. He also received the Clean Water Award in 2010 from the Surfrider Foundation.^[40] The same year, he also teamed up with The Nature Conservancy^[41] and created a PSA using his song I'm Yours to raise awareness about the non-profit organization's efforts to protect the earth.^[42] Jason performed at Farm Aid 2011 on August 13 in Kansas City. He has also advocated LGBT rights.^[43]

In 2011, Mraz appeared in the Visit California promotional film^[44] aimed at boosting tourism from the UK.

Discography[link]

• Waiting for My Rocket to Come (2002)
• Tonight, Not Again: Jason Mraz Live at the Eagles Ballroom (2004) + accompanying DVD
• Mr. A-Z (2005)
• We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (2008)
• Love is a Four Letter Word (2012)

Awards[link]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jason Mraz

• Official website
• Jason Mraz at the Internet Movie Database
• Jason Mraz at Allmusic
• Jason Mraz's channel on YouTube
• Jason Mraz collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
• Playlist: Jason Mraz – Nightline 07/17/09 – Reggae to rock, Mraz reveals his musical influences.
• Concert Photos: Jason Mraz – 09/17/2010, 09/18/2010 – Jason Mraz opens for Dave Matthews Band for two sold out shows at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

Ester Renay Dean (born April 15, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter, and record producer signed to Roc Nation. She is most notable for her dual appearance on Rio: Music From The Motion Picture (2011) and her 2009 US hit single "Drop It Low", which featured singer Chris Brown.

Dean has also written songs with many artists including Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Nicki Minaj, Kelly Clarkson, Ciara, Nicole Scherzinger, Usher, Kelly Rowland, Girlicious, Rihanna, R. Kelly, Britney Spears, Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, Pia Toscano, Tinie Tempah, Lil Wayne, Machine Gun Kelly and recently Shakira.

In 2012 Dean also lent her voice to Ice Age as one of the characters, as well to the film Pitch Perfect and the soundtrack.

Biography[link]

1986-2010: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Tulsa, Oklahoma where Dean grew up.

Ester Dean was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1986, but lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma, then in her late teens, she moved to Omaha, Nebraska. After graduating from Omaha North High School, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, until relocating to Los Angeles, California. In an interview Dean spoke on her family life,

Oh, my whole family can sing. When I was growing up, I said I was going to be a chef. And my cousin was like, “No you aren't. You're going to sing.” And I'm like, “No, I'm not. I'm going to be a chef. And that's it.” And they're like, “No, you're going to sing.” And I said, “Okay, well I'll sing and get the money and set-up a restaurant.” My mom, she used to do gospel plays. And we used to go on the road with her and perform in the choir, so I grew up watching her star in these gospel plays. And it just showed, like, “Oh my God, I want to do this or do something like this.” I noticed how I started to get jealous when they used to pick other little girls to sing certain parts. And I'd be like, “Well, I can sing that better.” Or we'd be in their studio and I'm like, “I want to sing in a studio.” When I was really young, that childhood jealousy and seeing what I really wanted – I used to sing into anything I could hear myself back on. That's what I'd do. Even if it was karaoke, I just wanted to be heard, you know? I believe my mom wanted me to be a star and an artist. I think it trickles down. Sometimes it takes them to want it for you to do it.^[1][2]

When Dean relocated to Los Angeles, California, she became a successful songwriter, and was introduced to Polow da Don, and later signed to Zone 4 Records/Interscope Records. During her tenure, Dean has amassed a catalog of songs she has written or co-written for other artists, such as Britney Spears, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Monica, Keri Hilson, Keyshia Cole, Kelly Rowland, Girlicious, Katy Perry, Trey Songz, Kelly Clarkson, Ciara, Usher, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, Pia Toscano, Ginuwine, Teyana Taylor, Scotty McCreery, Beyoncé Knowles, and Mary J. Blige, among others.

Dean recorded and released her first single, "Drop It Low" which features singer Chris Brown, from the LeBron James documentary, More Than a Game (2009), which peaked at #38 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first US Top 40 single. The song received positive reviews, and the song was remixed by artists such as Lil Wayne, Trey Songz and Diddy. Dean has co-written songs featured on the Step Up 3D Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2010) and Burlesque: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2010).

2011-Present: First studio album and Roc Nation[link]

Throughout 2011 Dean carried on song writing while working on her album, she co-wrote "Super Bass", for Nicki Minaj's debut album Pink Friday (2010).^[3] has gone on to achieve the position of number three on the Hot 100.^[4] The song's title is included as part of the title of a UK Deluxe edition of the album, Pink Friday (Super Bass Edition).^[5] Dean has a dual appearance on Rio: Music From The Motion Picture (2011) with "Let Me Take You To Rio" and "Take You To Rio". Dean is featured on the song "Invincible", the second single by American rapper Machine Gun Kelly's debut album. The song has been used in a HTC ReZound ad and also served as one of several theme songs for WrestleMania XXVIII.

Talking on her debut album Ester said "I did not want to be an artist because I was afraid" Dean confesses, "I had tried that before but I learned I had to lose when I weighed only , it poisoned me, however Polow wanted to embrace everything about me and welcomed me to his family just like me ".^[6] Dean is working on her debut studio album set to be released in early 2012. Ester told billboard "We're working on picking songs right now," Ester tells The Juice. Ester is shooting for a sound that suits her unique voice, which she calls "hard" and "raspy."^[7] In January 2012 Dean took to twitter to announce that she has signed to Roc Nation “I’m so Grateful 4 my Team Past and Present! Bringing in the New Year with my new Team @RocNation 2012,”^[8] She has worked with Stargate on six of the album's tracks.^[9] Gimme Money featuring Nicki Minaj was released online in February 2012 through Dean's official Twitter. Dean tweeted “If you guys Love Gimmie Money ft Nicki Minaj as my Single let’s get it Trending #GimmieMoney”.^[10] Dean has also picked 10 tracks that will be featured on her debut album.^[11]

Dean made an appearance in Ice Age: Continental Drift. "I'm just excited," Dean says of playing her character, the Sloth Siren. "On August 23, I go put my voice down. And my character gets to sing." Ester is one of many musicians in the Ice Age: Continental Drift cast. Drake, Nicki Minaj, Queen Latifah and Jennifer Lopez are lending their voices to the film.^[7]

For her album, Dean has been reported to be working with rapper Nicki Minaj and Roc Nation signed Alexis Jordan.^[12][13] There is talk of calling the album "UnderESTAmated."^[14]

Artistry[link]

Songwriting style[link]

In a 2012 article in The New Yorker, Dean described her preferred method of songwriting: "I go into the booth and I scream and I sing and I yell, and sometimes it's words but most time [sic] it's not...and I just see when I get this little chill [on her upper arm, below the shoulder] and then I'm, like, 'Yeah, that's the hook.'"^[15]

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Guest Vocals[link]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Ester Dean on Myspace
• Ester Dean on Twitter

George Kelly Barnes
Mugshot of George "Machine Gun Kelly" Barnes
Born	(1895-07-18)July 18, 1895 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	July 18, 1954(1954-07-18) (aged 59) Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, Leavenworth, Kansas, U.S.
Charge(s)	Conspiracy to kidnap and bank robbing
Occupation	Gangster, bootlegger and businessman
Spouse	Kathryn Kelly

George Celino Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known as "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster during the prohibition era.^[1][2] His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thompson submachine gun. His most famous crime was the kidnapping of oil tycoon and businessman Charles Urschel in July 1933 for which he, and his gang, earned $200,000 ransom. Unfortunately, their victim had collected and left considerable evidence that assisted the subsequent FBI investigation that eventually led to Kelly's arrest in Memphis, Tennessee on September 26, 1933.^[2] His crimes also included bootlegging and armed robbery.

Career[link]

During the Prohibition era of the 1920s and 1930s Kelly worked as a bootlegger for himself as well as a colleague. After a short time, and several run-ins with the local Memphis police, he decided to leave town and head west with his girlfriend. To protect his family and escape law enforcement officers, he changed his name to George R. Kelly.^[3] He continued to commit smaller crimes and bootlegging. He was arrested in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for smuggling liquor onto an Indian Reservation in 1928 and sentenced for three years to Leavenworth Penitentiary, Kansas, beginning February 11, 1928. He was reportedly a model inmate and was released early. Shortly thereafter, Kelly married Kathryn Thorne, who purchased Kelly’s first machine gun and went to great lengths to familiarize his name in the underground crime circles. She was known to hand out the expended .45cal cartridge casings from his Tommy Gun as souvenirs. Some historians claim that Kathryn even went so far as to plot some small bank robberies.^{[citation needed]}

George "Machine Gun" Kelly is led from Shelby County Jail enroute to the Memphis airport and Oklahoma City for his trial for the kidnapping of Charles F. Urschel, October 2, 1933

Nonetheless, Kelly’s last criminal activity proved disastrous when he kidnapped a wealthy Oklahoma City resident, Charles F. Urschel and his friend Walter R. Jarrett. Urschel, having been blindfolded, made sure to foil his kidnappers by noting all possible evidence of his experience such as background sounds, counting footsteps and leaving fingerprints on every surface in reach. This in turn proved invaluable for the FBI in their investigation, as they learned that Urschel had been held in Paradise, Texas.

Machine Gun Kelly's hideout at 1408 Rayner Street in Memphis, Tennnessee (2010)

An investigation conducted at Memphis disclosed that after 56 days on the run, the Kellys were staying at the residence of J.C. Tichenor. Special Agents from Birmingham, Alabama, headed by Special Agent in Charge, William "ash" Rorer, were immediately dispatched to Memphis on the orders of J. Edgar Hoover, where, in the early morning hours of September 26, 1933 a raid was conducted, led by agent Rorer. George and Kathryn Kelly were taken into custody and Memphis police officers Sergeant William Raney and officer Thomas Waterson. Caught without a weapon, George Kelly supposedly cried, "Don’t shoot, G-Men! Don’t shoot, G-Men!" as he surrendered to FBI Agents. The term (which had applied to all federal investigators, meaning simply 'Government Men') became synonymous with FBI Agents. Reports of the raid, however, indicate that George Kelly came to the door, dropped his pistol and said, "Okay, boys, I’ve been waiting for you all night." Recent research revealed a 1933 newspaper interview with one of the federal agents at the arrest. He commented that, upon their arrest, Kathryn Kelly put her arms around George and said, "These G-men will never leave us alone." The FBI press machine generated the G-Man story to build its own reputation.^[4] The arrest of the Kellys, however, was overshadowed by the escape of John Dillinger's gang from Michigan City, Indiana.

In October 1933, George and Kathryn Kelly were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. The trial was held at the Post Office, Courthouse and Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City. Kathryn Kelly and her mother had all charges dropped and were released in 1958 from prison in Cincinnati.

The kidnapping of Urschel and the two trials that resulted were historic in several ways: 1) they were the only federal criminal trials in the United States in which moving cameras were allowed to film; 2) the first kidnapping trials after the passage of the so-called Lindbergh Law, which made kidnapping a federal crime; 3) the first major case solved by J. Edgar Hoover’s evolving and powerful FBI. For that, Kelly got sent into Alcatraz; 4) the first crime in which defendants were transported by airplane. At the time, it was the largest ransom ever paid in the United States.

Death[link]

His gravestone marked "George B. Kelley"

Machine Gun Kelly spent his remaining 21 years in prison. During his time at Alcatraz he got the nickname "Pop Gun Kelly." This was in reference, according to a former prisoner, to the fact that Kelly was a model prisoner and was nowhere near the tough, brutal gangster his wife made him out to be. He spent 17 years on Alcatraz, working in the prison industries, and was quietly transferred back to Leavenworth in 1951. He died of a heart attack at Leavenworth Federal Prison, Kansas on July 18, 1954, his 59th birthday. He is buried at Cottondale Texas Cemetery with a small headstone marked "George B. Kelley 1954".^[5]

In popular culture[link]

• Crime novelist Ace Atkins' 2010 book Infamous is based on the Urschel kidnapping and subsequent multi-state misadventures of George and Kathryn Kelly as they attempted to flee both the FBI and other gangsters eager to claim the Urschel ransom money.
• Machine Gun Kelly and Kathryn Kelly were the inspiration for "Machine Gun Kelly" (1970), a song written by Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar and recorded by James Taylor on his 1971 Album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon.
• Machine Gun Kelly and his crimes were (loosely) portrayed in the 1958 film Machine-Gun Kelly starring Charles Bronson.
• Machine Gun Kelly is a central character in the 1974 TV film Melvin Purvis: G-Man.
• Kelly is (along with Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson) one of the main characters of the comic book series Pretty, Baby, Machine.
• Punk band the Angelic Upstarts released a single in 1984 titled Machine Gun Kelly.
• Machine Gun Kelly is referenced in the film So I Married an Axe Murderer by Phil Hartman's character while touring Alcatraz.
• In the song "MVP" by the late Harlem rapper Big L, he says: "I run up like Machine Gun Kelly, with a black skully, put one in your belly, leave you smelly, then take your Pelle Pelle."
• In the song "Bluesman" by Harry Chapin, there's a line that goes "No! A fool plays the blues like Machine Gun Kelly, Five hundred notes to the bar...".
• Female Rapper Foxy Brown refers to "Machine Gun Kelly" in her song "Massacre"
• Mentioned in These Animal Men's I'm Not Your Babylon: "Machine Gun Kelly was the first to crack".
• Rapper of the same name from Cleveland, Ohio. See Machine Gun Kelly (rapper).

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Machine Gun Kelly

Further reading[link]

• Hamilton, Stanley (2003). Machine Gun Kelly's Last Stand. University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1247-5. 
• Atkins, Ace (2010). Infamous. G.P. Putnam's Sons. 
• Dowd, James (April 26, 2010). Book tells tale of capturing infamous Machine Gun Kelly. Memphis Commercial Appeal (newspaper). http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/apr/26/capturing-kelly/. 

External links[link]

• Machine Gun Kelly at Find a Grave
• FBI file on George "Machine Gun Kelly" Barnes