The Ting Tings Profile

Similar to my previous post, this one is another celebrity profile but from a different approach. Compared to the researched-Hollywood news feel from the Daniel Craig/James Bond article, this one is supposed to showcase my personal writing style. That means I have the green light to sprinkle it with my opinions, as long as it ends up appropriate for a US audience. As mentioned earlier, I am not too familiar with this particular theme so I again used my central tenets of writing plus one additional rule: No bashing. I think it is important to keep articles hate-free, especially if you are oblivious to the subject, which I am with The Ting Tings. I certainly broke some of my rules, like using parentheses and starting sentences with conjunctions. Still, I think I did an OK job with it and hopefully, so did you.

Description: Not required.

In a music generation where new acts are mostly stereotypes or copycats, it is tough to find a unique sound to enjoy and follow. Meanwhile, those who don’t fall in either category try to be inventive and make up something, only to end up as an embarrassment to their fellow musicians. In the rare event that the experiment works, we dub the act as a musical masterpiece. The same can be argued for The Ting Tings. When you have an indie pop band that blends original British New Wave groove with simple disco-punk riffs, you either have a hit or a miss.

Making up The Ting Tings is front woman/guitarist Katie White and drummer Jules De Martino. Before getting a taste of the bitter reality of the music industry, this Manchester-bred duo was rocking out with their own respective bands. White was in a punk rock girl band named TKO, while De Martino played for indie bands Babakoto and Mojo Pin. The twosome’s first attempt to make music together actually included another member, but creative differences and management issues eventually caused them to split.

Yep, that's the whole band.

Since White and De Martino still had common music interests, they decided to form The Ting Tings. Currently, when you think of a two-piece band, the first group that jumps to mind is probably The White Stripes. However, besides number of members, the only thing similar between the two bands is the surname of their main vocalists. Even the beats of Meg and Jules are completely different, even if your first impression says otherwise. At this point, comparing The Ting Tings’ plucky, pop assault to The White Stripes’ powerful blues style is pointless and downright unfair. Still, The Whites Stripes isn’t a bad measuring stick if Katie and Jules are aiming for success.

The Ting Tings started out playing small gigs at Islington Mill, Salford. Little did they know, those frenetic gigs at The Mill would lead to We Started Nothing, the band’s debut record under the Columbia Label Group. Despite White’s rudimentary guitar skills (as seen in their live performances when she strums only one chord for the whole song) and De Martino’s minimalist approach to drum beats, their music is surprisingly catchy and appealing. Try listening to Great DJ or That’s Not My Name and you might find yourself bobbing your head and shaking your shoulders in no time. Even if you don’t see Katie’s propulsive energy during live performances, you can certainly feel it through the band’s music.

In the Philippines, tingting is slang for thin.

Jules and Katie have developed a musical identity that represents their snappy personalities and do-it-yourself attitude. This is completed by a backing track to give the band a fuller sound that allows Katie to go crazy in live shows. The Ting Tings knows exactly what they want and they are making it happen their way, their rules. They know they are pop, but that doesn’t mean they can’t change the way it is played. The Ting Tings have a sound that is immediately identifiable and purposefully perky. So call them the pop version of The White Stripes or the two-bit versions of Franz Ferdinand or The Killers. But that’s not their name. They are The Ting Tings.

WORD COUNT = 532 (500 word minimum)

Daniel Craig/ James Bond Profile

Finally! A post after a loooooong hiatus. I just completed the following article very recently and isn't part of the files from my previous work. This is one of the many exercises required by the company I recently applied. I was to create a well-researched, professionally done article that is entertaining for casual readers. I wasn't really sure how to make a profile of a Hollywood star since I haven't really made one before, hence the barrage of movie titles. Additionally, they wanted me to make an emphasis on Craig being the newest James Bond. In the end though, I still applied the same general writing rules I adhere to. I think I did a decent job on this one so I decided to put it here. Besides, it's been ages since my last post.

Description: Not required.

The newest face of the James Bond franchise is none other than English hotshot, Daniel Craig. Despite being in the industry since the early 90s, he wasn’t exactly a household name even after signing on for his first Ian Fleming adaptation. But thanks to his training in London’s National Youth Theatre and the famous Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Craig proved his detractors wrong and helped the spy series get back on track with thrilling scenes and gritty action.

Believe it or not, one of them is actually Simon Pegg.

After proving his worth in the theatrical ranks, Craig finally made his film debut in the direct-to-video release of The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Daredevils of the Desert. His big screen debut was in the gripping 1992 drama, The Power Of One. He then continued his acting career on television movies, such as Anglo Saxon Attitudes, Genghis Cohn and Sharpe’s Eagle. His TV stints continued extensively, landing one-time gigs in Covington Cross, Boon, Heartbeat, Between The Lines, Drop The Dead Donkey and even HBO’s Tales From The Crypt. However, his most notable roles in the small screen were as Lieutenant Hidalgo in Zorro and as Geordie Peacock in Our Friends In The North.

Craig made the jump back to the silver screen in the 1997 German flick, Obsession. He then followed this with notable leading performances in Love And Rage and Love Is The Devil. Slowly but surely, this English actor was carving out a name for himself by top-billing in films like Hotel Splendide and Some Voices, as well as more TV movies such as Shockers: The Visitor and Sword Of Honour.

Before and after? You be the judge.

The whole world finally noticed the international appeal of Daniel Craig when he joined Hollywood stars Kim Basinger in I Dreamed of Africa, Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Tom Hanks in Road To Perdition and Gwyneth Paltrow in Sylvia. However, it was his performance as a retiring cocaine dealer in the 2004 crime thriller Layer Cake that finally cemented Craig’s star status in the movie industry. He then went on and showed the world his wide array of acting skills in The Jacket, Munich, Infamous and yet another TV movie, Archangel.

Despite having an already enviable career, none of them would compare to what was about to follow. His performance in Layer Cake was so brilliant that producer Barbara Broccoli decided then and there that Craig was going to be the sixth actor to portray Agent 007. It seemed that the producers were right as Craig steered Casino Royale as the highest-grossing James Bond movie ever. The movie also received nine BAFTA award nominations, easily surpassing the previous high of two.

Seriously though, this guy could beat me, and probably you, in his sleep.

Although already a household name after his stellar performance in his first crack at the 007 franchise, Craig did not stop here. Instead of resting on his laurels, he continued doing quality films, such as The Invasion, The Golden Compass and Flashbacks Of A Fool. His latest endeavor is Quantum Of Solace, the much-hyped sequel to his first Bond roundabout. With his potent track record combined with three more 007 films on the horizon, this dashing Brit certainly deserves to introduce himself as “Craig, Daniel Craig.”

WORD COUNT = 523 (500 word minimum)