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Pacha’s Pajamas to record CHEECH MARIN as the MUSHROOM character!

January 30, 2012 By 2 Comments

It was 5:50am on Thanksgiving Day, 2011.  We were on our way to Alcatraz Island, San Francisco,  to honor the indigenous occupation 30 years before and offer our collective prayers that we may honor the earth once again. To pass the time while waiting for the boat, we discussed who could be the ideal actor for the Mushroom character in Pacha’s Pajamas. We had wanted a male Latino actor with a distinctive voice, a goofy personality and yet, someone who could carry the deep wisdom of the Mushroom personality in a children’s story. After all, the Mushroom is the catalyst for the greatest concert that ever happened on the planet, for and by Nature. He is the world changer, a cultural force and the voice of transformation in hopeless times! Who could play this crazy character?

Anyway, as we waited in the rainy line for the ferry to Alcatraz, our elder friend and poet Raphael Gonzalez provided counsel. I rattled some ideas: “Benjamin Bratt? Too handsome. Andy Garcia? Too intelligent.  Benicio Del Toro? Too sexy. Javier Bardem? Too intense. Wait! I know…How about, Cheech Marin?!” We all laughed and discussed the challenge in working with someone who had kind of represented, shall we say, alternative culture in the Cheech & Chong series. Raphael, however, chimed in quickly, “It’s a wise decision, he’s loved by children and adults alike! And it was Chong who was the more radical of the two anyway… Hollywood still loves Cheech!” We all chuckled and proceeded into the ritual of the day.

A week or so later, we went through his bio, and learned that Cheech is one of the most sought after children’s entertainers including prominent roles in animated feature films like Lion King (one of the Hyenas with Whoopie Goldberg) and Cars (as Ramone)! We decided to take a shot at contacting his management. Within 10 days, we got a response, “Thank you, but Cheech respectfully declines.” Undeterred, Dave replied “How do we make this happen?” After a couple more back and forths, Cheech Marin said “Yes!” And with that, we finally have our Mushroom character! Get ready ya’ll,  Mushroom’s lines are for this time of great change:

“TO CHANGE WE MUST LIVE INTO THE STORIES WE WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD!”

~ Aaron Ableman is a founder of BALANCE Edutainment and the author of Pacha’s Pajamas.

 

 

 

 

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Pacha’s Pajamas is Sizzlin’!

January 25, 2012 By 3 Comments


As the different multimedia platforms of Pacha’s Pajamas continue to be fleshed out, we’ve put together a SIZZLE REEL for your enjoyment. We are incredibly honored to be endorsed by Van Jones, Michael Beckwith, David Korten, Julia Butterfly Hill, Vandana Shiva, and 13 Indigenous Grandmothers–and to be partnering with Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) and Talib Kweli! Thank you for joining us on the ride to Occupy Pop Culture!

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Aaron Ableman on #OctopiWallStreet

January 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When I first saw #OccupyWallStreet, I thought it read #OctopiWallStreet! It was  late at night in the middle of July 2011 and I was still learning Twitter hashtags. Of course, this was well before Liberty square and the global occupation revolution; I was sure this strange amalgam of words was a joke. The Twitter hashtag was shared with me from a few friends of the people who sent the call out via Adbusters on the 4th of July. It was friends of followers who knew someone who followed someone else who followed Anonymous who followed Adbusters. I guess that’s how interactivity works these days, eh? Anonymity follows anonymity until we get a leaderless leader-full movement! Our interconnected, grapevine reality is finally being recognized.

But back to the story…as I started to mull on the notion of #OctopiWallStreet, I realized that this was a beautiful, albeit satiric, call to action! And I had some questions: Was this a metaphor? Did it mean that the tentacles of colonial capitalism have covered the economic ocean? What would happen if we stopped feeding a creature like this? Wouldn’t it be cool to have a DJ Octopi to provide music for Pacha Jamma, the festival organized by Nature in my book Pacha’s Pajamas?!

  Fast forward a couple of months…I had all but forgotten this little glitch in my saturated online reality. I was busy launching a social enterprise that calls youth of the world to be voices for change through transmedia action and provides the model through a children’s story. I was using pop culture to expose the danger (and wonder) of pop culture!

Pacha’s Pajamas is a simple fairy tale about a little girl that becomes a Superhero for Nature.  Pacha dreams of a Nature Festival (like “We are the world” for the planet), with tattoo-covered plant bands (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and famous insect bands (The Beatles) as well as reporters from Nature (Fox News and CNNemones). I have enjoyed finding beauty in this anthropomorphic obsession with Nature as it reappears over and over again in pop culture.
~ Aaron Ableman is a founder of BALANCE Edutainment and the author of Pacha’s Pajamas.
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Melia to Selena: Get with Pacha’s Pajamas

January 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

(Jan 21, 2011 Selenation) Following the advice of our spokesperson Melia, Balance Edutainment has launched a campaign to recruit singer, actress and philanthropist Selena Gomez to participate in Pacha’s Pajamas.  Pacha is a little girl who becomes a Superhero for Nature through her dreams.  We want Selena to be a voice on the album and the edutainment app, Nature Superhero.

We are reaching out to @SelenaGomez and her fans on Twitter. Please follow @RecruitSelena to join our campaign. After just 24 hours, we have over 200 followers. (A shout out to all our followers – thank you so much for your support!)

Melia’s Brainchild

It all started eight days ago when Melia asked her papa to video tape her.  Papa had no idea what she was going to say.  Below is what came out.

Pacha’s Pajamas is the story of young person who discovers her voice and uses it for good. The story teaches young people that they can become superheroes in their communities. We need more superheroes.

At a time when animals and plants are going extinct at the fastest rate in 65 million years, Pacha’s story also teaches kids about our interdependence with nature, cooperation and collective liberation.  We see Pacha’s Pajamas inspiring millions of children to take a stand for issues they feel passionate about. (Our Kidstarter initiative will support youth in building an audience and crowdfunding selected projects.)

Who’s Already Onboard?

High profile conscious artists such as Mos Def and Talib Kweli are bringing their vocal and musical talents to our musical EP, forthcoming album and app. Our music also features talented child musicians and emcees from our nationwide auditions.

Why Selena?

As the youngest UNICEF ambassador, Selena has consistently demonstrated her commitment to furthering the education, development and leadership of youth throughout the world. She has given back to local and global communities in need. In 2009, Selena traveled to Ghana to meet children who lack access to clean water, nourishment, education and health care. In 2011, she helped raise funds for clean water and sanitation programs. Just two nights ago, she performed at the 2012 Charity Concert at the House of Blues. She is an inspiration and a wonderful role model for children around the world.

Selena has been a pioneer in employing technology to not only communicate with her fans but also to practice and publicize eco-friendly alternatives. She has championed the use of technology for eco-friendly causes, such as the app, Postcard on the Run, which encourages people to produce and personalize their own postcards on recycled paper. Her fashion line, Dream Out Loud, consists of recycled or eco-friendly materials.

Like Selena’s collaborative single, “Send it On” (Disney’s Friends For Change), Pacha’s Pajamas uses music to reach and inspire young people to take a stand, in this case for the natural world. A portion of the proceeds from Pacha’s Pajamas will go towards the environmental education of youth and protecting the environment.

We envision Selena voicing the part of Hummingbird — a messenger that disseminates healing, joy, and sweetness among different worlds — or if she is really excited about the story, Pacha.

How You Can Help

Please follow @RecruitSelena to join our campaign.  Retweet our tweets and tweet @selenagomez letting her know that you’d love to see her in @PachasPajamas.

If You Know Selena 

Let her know what time it is.

Filed Under: Edutainment, Events, Shoutouts, Transformational Entertainment, YouthTube Trends Tagged With: , , , ,

Aaron Ableman on the Heart of the Earth

January 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The other day, after attending a meditation and storytelling event at Casa De La Paz in East Oakland, I became aware of how important it is to follow my heart. Actually, our hearts are always pumping and yet we forget to listen! In this modern day (with weapons of mass-distraction like digitized life, fast cars, and business meetings), we miss the basic things of life. We forget the natural world, the breath, and the wonders of the sun and the moon. We live on a magical planet ya’ll! We’re so caught in the midst of the crazy life, between the ambulance sirens and cop chases, that sometimes it feel tough just to find peace of mind! Most of the time, folks look for a “piece” to commit violence, rather than a “peace” to commit random-acts of non-violence! This has been a great part of the Pacha’s Pajamas journey, to bring an understanding of our connections to the earth back into the forefront of our hearts/minds. With that said, please take a moment to check out this photograph that I took the other day, an image of a heart-shaped rock in a pond!

~ Aaron Ableman is a founder of BALANCE Edutainment and the author of Pacha’s Pajamas

 


 

 

 

 

 

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Speak the Speech: The Spoken Word

January 17, 2012 By 5 Comments

Standing in front of a church, Jefferson Bethke utilizes Spoken Word poetry to powerfully critique religion. He opens with a controversial suggestion: “What if I told you that Jesus came to abolish religion?” Drawing upon biblical passages and his personal observations, Bethke seeks to illustrate that organized religion and even Christian individuals do not necessarily follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. The title card flashes “Jesus > Religion.” One might ask, why should we view them on the opposite sides of the spectrum? Bethke argues that “religion is man centered, and Jesus is God-centered.”

First uploaded on January 10, this video has gathered 13,179,175 hits, with 233,818 likes and 32,850 dislikes. This has made it the hottest video among 13-17 year olds. This video is most popular among 13-17 year old girls and 45-54 year old men and women.

Bethke asks a series of intriguing questions that highlight the disparity between Christian vision and reality: “Why does it build huge churches but fail to feed the poor?” Such failures exemplify the self-righteousness and self-justification that have plagued some churches, according to Bethke. Furthermore, the video is just so well produced, featuring Bethke’s passionate recital from various angles, switching between color and black & white, and reinforcing key phrases with impressive, eye-grabbing captions. Female vocalization and string music beautifully complement one another to create a very somber and spiritual aura, mirroring this poem’s confessional and passionate nature.

For example, this blogger also utilizes Spoken Word, even incorporating Bethke’s opening anaphoras of “What if I told you,” to refute the original poet’s contentions. So far, 292,744 people have viewed it.

With over 13 million hits in four days, the video has reached people of all ages and backgrounds. Bethke’s poem has inspired numerous responses of criticism and support. The modes of response have widely varied, ranging from Spoken Word poetry to self-composed songs to video blogging. This one video has inspired at least twelve response videos–clearly, it has fueled an enthusiastic open forum on this topic. While a lot of people expressed opposition to criticizing organized religion, many others praise the powerful message. One woman even stated that Bethke’s poem inspired her to attend church again.

Some of the popular response videos include:
594,214 views I Hate Religion, And Jesus Too – [The blogger critiques the original video line by line.]
136,781 views Re: Why I hate Religion, But Love Jesus II Spoken Word – [She sings a song and speaks in opposition to the original video.]
86,750 views Re: Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus – [This is a video response to the original poem.]
43,921 views Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word (My Response)- [This is a video response explaining that Christianity is not just a religion but also a relationship with God.]
27,289 views Hallelujah, Hallelujah (Re: Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus, Spoken Word) -[The blogger sings a self-composed song and rap in response to the poem.]
26,732 views In defense of — Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word
 – [This is a video response that addresses both sides of the debate.]
12,153 views Why I Love Religion, and Jesus. A spoken word response. -[Spoken Word poem attempting to reconcile both religion and Jesus' principles]
11,915 views Reaction to Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus II Spoken Word – [A video response in support of the original poem]
4,675 hits Video response to “why I hate religion, but love Jesus” – [Video response in support of the original poem.]

Combining these two vehicles of expression – spoken word and video-sharing – have created a powerful soapbox, fostering a productive exchange of emotions and ideas. Because Spoken Word poetry enables one to aesthetically convey personal stories and observations, it empowers people of all ages – including youth – to creatively form and express social commentary in a way that has the potential to reach millions.

Filed Under: Edutainment, Stories, YouthTube Trends Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

MTV Features Pacha’s Pajamas

January 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The BALANCE Edutainment team is so excited to announce that Pacha’s Pajamas is receiving national recognition! Thank you all for your support of our efforts. Together, we are bringing these Pacha’s positive messages to children around the world! Check it out:

[Interview] Mos Def and Talib Kweli Make Beats for Environmental Children’s Book and Album!

Mos Def (also known as Yasiin Bey) and Talib Kweli are two of hip-hop’s most revered MCs — they’ve been in the game for a hot minute (their underground bro-ject Black Star blew up the alt rap scene back in the 90s and is making a comeback in 2012) and are renowned for spittin’ rhymes that are not only siiiick, but socially aware and super smart.

So we’re definitely not surprised but extremely stoked that this dynamic duo have brought their scholarly skillz to a multi-media, pro-planet project that teaches kids about the importance of taking environmental action. Dang, education has really got its groove back, y’all — what with Luda’s “Karma’s World” and now this?!

Pacha’s Pajamas is both a children’s book – narrated by Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe nominated Mos Def — and an upcoming hip-hop album – featuring both Mos and Talib — that tells the story of a city girl who dreams of uniting the world with a Mother Earth-inspired music festival starring singing plants and breakdancing animals. It’s like Nature’s own ABDC! It’s also a good congrats gift for baby Blue Ivy, right?

And what better way to get kids hype about going green than Kweli singing an entire song as a butterfly?! No joke — the epic lyricist penned a flow from the POV of everyone’s fav flying insect called “Butterfly Life,” with lines like this: “Used to be a caterpilla till I metamorphisized/Used to have 16 legs and 6 pairs of eyes.”

Dude, no offense, Captain Planet — but in the imaginary Green MC rap battle in our heads, you just got served!

Click here to read the interview with Mos Def (Yasiin Bey) and author, Aaron Ableman on MTV Act.

Filed Under: Shoutouts

Youth Occupy YouTube As Innovators, Audience And Critics

January 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

He smiles at the camera as he introduces himself with a mere flash card, “Hello, I’m Ben Breedlove. All my life, I’ve had a heart condition.” While the original video had a soft instrumental rendition of “Mad World” in the background, multiple users have customized Breedlove’s work by substituting different background music. For example, this user has instead put “Symphonika” and “Cyber Tranquility” as the soundtrack. Instead of putting forth his own voice, Breedlove allows his written words and the music do all the talking, leaving the viewer with emotional space to process and contemplate his deeply intense and personal struggle with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

By openly discussing their hardships – whether they be terminal illness or middle school bullying, flashcard narrators exhibit and inspire resilience and optimism in the face of life’s challenges. Breedlove himself was inspired by another flashcard narrator, Kieran Miles, who discussed his past struggles with drugs, depression and suicide. Sharing their stories on Youtube, Breedlove and Miles have become beacons of hope for others dealing with difficult personal issues.

The flashcard narrative makes the personal struggles public, creating a strong sense of community and support.  In Haley, a distraught father explains that his seventeen year-old daughter has run away from home. Youtube is omnipresence;  within days, video viewers supplied information that enabled authorities to find Haley.

We Are What We Watch

As an easily accessible video-sharing platform, YouTube enables people to film, post, comment on, and view a vast library of videos. By tracing and analyzing the videos that are popular with youth and those influence them, we at BALANCE Edutainment hope to better understand what makes today’s youth tick. This understanding will help us create educational content that is truly magnetic for young people as well as educational.

We are tracking the “most shared” videos for 13-17 year olds through YouTube Trends. A visit to the Trends Dashboard, reveals that the youth demographic consumes a diverse array of video content including flash animation, lyric and music videos, video blogs, photo montages, engaging commentators, advertisements that youth respond to, fan and home videos, and song covers. Often last week, five out of the ten most popular videos for 13-17 year olds were created by users reflecting that youth are active creators as well as consumers of video content.

YouTube democratizes video publishing, so that people of all ages can truly shine and express themselves for all to hear and see. In Me and My Grandma Dancing to Rack City, a teenage boy lip syncs while his 80 year old grandmother dances to a hardcore rap song. In Girl With a Funny Talent, a girl showcases her ability to rhythmically undulate her eyebrows to music. Young people also use YouTube to display their musical talents such as 14 year old Colton Jacobson’s studio rendition of Bruno Mars’ hit song, It Will Rain. A number of young artists including Justin Bieber have used Youtube as a proving ground for their viability as musical artists.

YouTube also provides an open forum for honest discussion of tough topics. For example, Sergio Razta does not hold back any punches as he refutes what he sees as racist claims that two Arizona girls made in their video blog. At times utilizing offensive language and profanity, Razta expresses his frustration with stereotyping. Jenna Marbles, a well-known YouTube personality, mercilessly critiques people’s tendency to label others as online stalkers. By addressing concerns that her fans bring up, Marbles maintains a two-way discourse between herself and her audience. In Iowa Nice and 2012 & The End of the World, satirical and charismatic commentators respond and rebut media coverage of controversial issues.

Differences in What’s Hot for Girls and Boys

Judging from the most viewed videos, girls expressed more of an interest in mainstream popular culture than boys. Five out of the ten most popular videos for girls pertained to musical artists and celebrities. Yesterday morning, their top trending video was an instructional make-up video – How To Look Like Drake, and the ninth most popular movie was a Punk’d episode featuring Miley Cyrus, Kelly Osbourne and Khloe Kardashian.

Boys tended to favor clips featuring video games, sports, violent humor and new technology. Usually three to four out of the ten most popular videos among boys pertain to sports or video games. Even when looking at music, girls tended to favor the pop music of Taylor Swift and Jason Mraz, while boys favored the hip-hop music of Drake and Rick Ross.

Top trending videos for boys included adrenaline-inducing trailers of Nitro Circus as well as key moments from the X-Games and NBA tournaments. They tend to watch more violent humorous videos such as Arrow to the Knee and The Confession than girls. Last week, high on the list for boys were trailers of violent video games such as Battle Field 3 and previews for gory shows like Spartacus.

Boys’ viewership trends suggest that they readily adopt new trends and topics, as only one of the ten videos were popular from last week. On the other hand, about four of the currently popular videos among girls were also trending last week. Gender seems to influence not only the types of videos people watch but also how long they are popular and relevant.

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BALANCE Edutainment is a thought-leader on Transformational Entertainment.Our flagship is initiative Pacha’s Pajamas is a story about a little girl who – through her dreams – becomes a Superhero for Nature. BALANCE analyzes Youtube trends for the youth demographic on a regular basis. Follow us on Twitter @YouthTubeTrends. Let us what you think. And more importantly, tell us what you want to know about trends with young people, and we’ll do our best to track down the answer.

Filed Under: Edutainment, Transformational Entertainment, YouthTube Trends

Is that Kweli or a Butterfly?

January 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

New art by the amazing Joe Mohr @GreenCartoons

Such an auspicious day for Pacha’s Pajamas! MTV wrote a great article about our collaboration with Mos Def (aka Yasiin Bey) and Talib Kweli.   And we received the first of a series of new Pop Nature Art from the amazing Joe Mohr @GreenCartoons: A Butterfly inspired by Kweli and his song Butterfly Life.  Big ups to Mos and Kweli for being green and to Joe and MTV ACT for doing their thing!

Filed Under: Uncategorized