LEVON HELM of "The Band": Rest in Peace

From The  Last Waltz, Levon singing Up on Cripple Creek

Died of cancer, age 71 at 1:30 PM today. Surviving members of this legendary group are now Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson.

Full article here

INNERVISIONS: TUPAC SHAKUR'S 'GHOST' 'PERFORMS' AT COACHELLA FESTIVAL

Tupac, who died in 1996, was brought to life as a virtual hologram (actually a projected 2-D image) and joined Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg at Coachella Music Festival. Although the adapted technology is new, the concept harkens back to a theatrical trick called Pepper's Ghost that was in use in the 19th century. While the original illusions -- and its antecedent -- are largley based on projections that could be called smoke and mirrors, the new version utilizes more complex computer generated imagery:  WSJ reports: "Dr. Dre and his production team first approached Digital Domain a year ago to discuss the possibility of creating a virtual Tupac. They began work in earnest on the Coachella performance around four months ago. ...

"First, the image was created on a computer, using physical characteristics and movements captured from recorded performances...Advances in computer graphics and video projection allowed Sunday night's illusion to be far more lifelike than other recent efforts."

See the Tupac and Snoop Dogg video here




From the Wall Street Journal

Full article in the Wall Street Journal here