The debuting Germany-based rapper P.CANTELL is currently working on his album “P.CANTELL - A Journey To Iran” for a release in the German market. Something he likes to call a soundtrack to the revolution, of which “A Million Shadows” featuring Ian Hooper is the first released track. Find out more on pcantell.com. By the way, I noticed that he also does some blogging! Well done!

As much as I miss you? Then take me with you! Here is how you can! I grab my coat …or should I come in speedos?lol Let me know!

Behnam Safavi whose debut album was released recently admits that he has composed several religious pieces. I am a professional songwriter he says, I have created everything from children’s music to pop songs. I did have a piece on Hamid Askari’s debut, he points out. Regarding his album “Tamanna” Safavi says that the album was initially halted by Ershaad because of the music video being aired on satellite stations. However this postponing made him reconsider the album and consequently only two of the original tracks were preserved, while a whole new album was created based on the song “Tamanna”’s popularity! On his elaborate collaboration with Sirvan he says that he could have created the entire album singlehandedly, however he does not believe in the long-term prosperity of such kind of actions. Sirvan started off arranging two tracks, meanwhile we got close and our friendship grew so strong that I learned his ways and he mine, Safavi explains. Sirvan loves and wants to deliver ROCK, I have the same passion for Iranian POP music. This album is the result of this close encounter and fusion, he adds. He says that his intention is to deliver Iranian music dressed in Western outfit. Thats why his tracks are shorter than the Iranian standard. I want the listener to actually “want” to listen to the song again and again, Safavi argues, not to get bored by it. Short just like with western tracks as I myself listen to Vangelis, J. M. Jarre and Yanni, just instrumental (and short?!!) Western music. Safavi says that he could have used the same influences in his music, however he does not believe in the mass-appeal of such music. Perhaps in future he will, he admits. However this is my style and I will not change it in the next album just for the sake of changing. Definitely not because it gets associated with Reza Sadeghi’s signature style! Actually Sadeghi was the very first who congratulated me and says that he loves the album, Safavi makes clear. I like fame and I don’t think that there is any celebrity who can honestly say that he doesn’t like to be famous, however I don’t try too hard to get famous. Furthermore Safavi adds that he doesn’t think its healthy to wait when you work with music, because things can get outdated fast and while your two years old album is in line for a permit the underground singers have the advantage to deliver fresh and up-to-date music! That’s the legal artists’ biggest problem, Safavi concludes.

The official trailer is out! Finally! It looks like they’ve done a hell of job translating the unique and characterizing visual features of The Sands of Times game trilogy into the movie. New photo showing Sir Kingsley looking the part as expected!

As previously mentioned I’m a big fan of the games and so far this looks exactly the way I would have wanted for the game to look like as a movie.

Needless to say is the anticipation even higher now, especially after the trailer confirming all the buzz! Not to mention the anticipation for seeing the gorgeous miss Arterton joining prince Dastan in this adventure as the heroine Tamina!

How do you like my brand new trilby hat? I love “Blood In, Blood Out (Bound By Honor)” and have as long as I can remember wanted a “Vatos Locos” hat (thus the pose). Now I’ve found one! In H&M’s new collection. If you have no idea what I am talking about and happen to like gangster movies then do catch this epic flick. It’s the poor man’s “God Father”! Came in early 90’s, flew under radar and exploded in a massive underground wave of fans and fanatics! I have it on DVD but still find myself watching it when TV reruns it, often at midnights. Watch the trailer, don’t let yourself be put off by the B-style edit and music since its far from the actual film. And see if you can spot my hat in it!

If you found my description and review of “Cashback” interesting or even had a chance to watch the movie and appreciate it the way I did, then by no means let “500 Days of Summer” slip by unwatched!

How I loved this one! It was as if it was custom-made for me! A romantic movie for my taste, realistically charming. The aesthetic style and the philosophical tone were completely in tune and enhanced by the beautiful soundtrack. Joseph and Zooey’s chemistry was made in the indie heaven, the perfect match!

I must say that “500 Days of Summer” is not for everyone, it is after all “not a love story”! However if you enjoy movies like “Cashback” then this is highly recommended. One of my absolute favorites this year. And it’s not because I happen to have a huge crush on the offbeatly adorable and quirky cute Zooey Deschanel at the moment! I could be recommending it just because of those big bright blue eyes, but I’m not!

Hami will be releasing a collection of all his works for cinema, television and stages. The album will feature themes from “Hadafe Asli”, “Salam”, “Pato Zamin Nazar”, “Mardane Koochak”, “Poshte Shemshadha” and “Bekhatere Sogand”. To mention a few.

Another celeb to whom maternity has been extra kind and generous is the British television presenter Holly Willoughby! This lovely lass has always been well-endowed, however pregnancy has made her blossom and reach her full potential! Amen to that!lol

And considering the area of blooming, one could think that I am the almighty responsible!lol Sadly I can’t take credit for that, but mother nature can!

Are you enjoying the Bia2 Mobile Apps? Ready for another giant leap already? Well, ready or not here it comes! We bring you the Bia2 Android App! And, like always, we are proud to be the FIRST and ONLY Android App in the market!

Not familiar with Android? Android is a mobile phone operating system developed by Google. It’s available on many different hand-held devices such as Motorola, HTC and Samsung. Android is also available on different service providers such as Sprint, T-Mobile and soon on verizon in USA to name a few. Android serves you and your mobile phone in way no other operating system can!

Click here to see the step by step instructions to install the application on your Android phones!

“Coma 2″ is once again announced for release, due out next week! No title available (bad sign!) but there will be nine new tracks featured on it. Nima Varasteh is said to have arranged the entire album. Varasteh also arranged Benyamin’s HIT-debut album “85″!

And finally Ali Lohrasebi’s forever postponed album looks like to see the light of day within the next 14 days, with 14 tracks and thus titled “14″! The album includes even the HIT-theme of the TV-series “Delnavaazaan” and is the work of Behrouz Saffarian, Reza Sadeghi and Mohsen Yeganeh, to mention a few.

99% of all song-submission emails I recieve are mass-mails or better said spam-mails bulk-sent to all possible blogs and websites in the Iranian online community! What bothers me though, if we pretend that the spam itself isn’t enough, is that they have no sense whatsoever for common decency and courtesy, to include a greeting and signature to at least give  a serious impression and stand out in the junk! I dont know who replies to such emails, I for sure dont!! If you don’t personalize an email dont expect a reply back! Let alone get your “ahange fogholade ziba” submitted! If you have ever wondered why underground music blogs mark basically every single uploaded song as described above then wonder no more! Its a ridiculous template used for submission, created by the submitters themselves!!!! Now go make sense of it!

My old blue obsession!

I sometimes take nightwalks in the woods. If you have ever watched Twin Peaks then you can imagine the scenery!lol But seriously, there is no way to describe the refreshing and vitalizing feeling of embarking the realm of nature at night. So humbling. It clears my mind and puts me and my being in perspective. Living in Sweden I have the luxury of witnessing the midnight sun lighting up the woods during the summer and the glowing snow during the latter half of the year. Recently I’ve started feeling the winds of winter sneaking up on me, slowly. And the chill always reminds me of a certain song that I first heard 20 years ago. A song rather insignificant to the world and even to its singer, the former SMOKIE frontman Chris Norman’s career. But highly significant to me as I walked an entire night listening to this song on repeat, at the age of 15! A sweet agony or bitter pleasure, whatever you choose to call it, is always evoked in me when hearing this song ….”The Night Has Turned Cold“.

The Brits might not be world-known for their beautiful women, in fact the opposite, however ironically they always manage to get their best specimens and put together the best looking all-girl bands! A skill they have truly perfected in recent decade. One of their latest manufactured all-girl bands is “The Saturdays”, who somehow remind me of the delicious candies I used to eat when I was kid. Namely the British QUALITY STREET!

I wonder if its the colors of their outfits that remind me of the colorful wraps or the colors of their skins that remind me of the assorted sweetness!

These gorgeous ladies derive name and fashion inspirations from the 60’s however presented with the typical British girl-band POP sound (which on the other had is not the best of its kind and has repeatedly failed proving itself internationally appealing). The art-directors of the band are so conscious and consistent when it comes to the image and artwork of the band’s pictures and products that it should be a lesson to anyone aspiring to present a popular product. The use of color is central in The Saturdays’ concept, even their selection of the girls is color-based. Aesthetically the ethnic blend of beauties provide assorted eye-candies as mentioned above and commercially the target group of young urban teenage girls from mixed ethnic backgrounds will have someone in the band to relate to. This color signature makes them recognizable as The Saturdays’ at the very first glance! Beneath is the cover image and artwork for their brand new album, you can clearly see how they have used an image in a thought-through composition and color combination. Colors are added and removed in order to achieve a trademark.

Pay attention to the original photo and see how they have replaced two of the girls images in post-production, added colors and digitally altered some of the details like the feathers just to nail the balance of the composition right. Compare the shorts of the girl to the right in both versions for instance! Check out the lettering and choice of font. This is the work of a perfectionist, no doubt about it!

Ershaad announced that 6000 artists have been registered for social insurance and more are on the list to get insured this year. Among these are musicians, actors, sculptures and painters.

Top designer Tom Ford is constantly on the rise! As a fashion aficionado one can’t help but to admire Ford, he is perhaps one of the few - if not the only - designers who himself/herself looks like a model and dresses fashionably. Why eat straight from the fridge when with just a bit of effort you can throw together a nice meal of whats in the fridge, Ford argues. The same principle applies to clothes, according to the man.

This fashion icon has recently crossed over from his home realm to a new one, namely the film industry. In his directorial debut Ford has adapted the acclaimed Isherwood novel “A Single Man”.

Being openly gay, despite desired by many women, Ford has taken on the challenge of dedramatizing the still controversial subject of homosexuality in a dramatic way. Ford’s work has been praised for its pictorial perfection and philosophical complexion. Parallels have been drawn to another novel-turned-movie namely “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly“, in terms of tone and atmosphere.

The unexpected grandeur of “A Single Man” has already been awarded in all film festivals that it has been shown at. I’m a huge fan of Ford’s and can’t wait to see his new creation in motion!

The culture and art division of the Institution of Imam Khomeini has announced that a music festival is planned for the celebration of the religious founder of the Islamic Republic next year. Due to the fact that Khomeini himself aspired to poetry in his youth (of which several pieces have been used for lyrics by domestic artists), the institution has made it clear that POP music will have its special place in the festival! This rather controversial news is further underpinned by the latest BBC reported news about Ayatollah Khamenei’s thoughts and comments regarding music and the need of reviewing and reconsidering the (religiously) legal conditions and regulations in relation! The question is what these indirect signs of legitimization of music, the POP music in particular, indicate more importantly why “now”! Last time they loosened restrictions and legalized POP back in 1997 it gave an illusion of liberty, eased the public pressure and bought the regime some time. Will this religious legitimization of POP do the trick this time around, in the direct aftermath of this summer’s events?!

As I’ve told you before I’m a vinyl nerd! I stopped buying 1991 when the CDs took over the market and picked it up again few years back when they started to once again releasing mainstream records on vinyl. During the 90’s mainly DJ material were released on vinyl. This clip of the Durans shopping for vinyl at the vinyl heaven Amoeba Music in San Francisco is really cool and John’s argument for starting buying vinyls again is pretty much my own! Watch.

One of my own Duran Duran original vinyls, the LIVE album “ARENA”. Considering the New Romantic that I was (am!), I recall skipping class just to get to the store in order pick up this record on sale one day! One of my first LPs. It’s perhaps my most worn out disc with lots of scratches! It was before I knew how to handle the fragile black beauties. What’s interesting is that the album is double folded, featuring a booklet with photos and all the lyrics. God how disappointed I was when the CDs came and made all the eye-candies (images and artwork) of the albums much smaller!