Caught in the Act || A Mike Shinoda Page

Represent Linkin Park in Fuse Best Video of 2009!

2009-11-09T14:05:00.002-06:00

Come on everyone! Help Linkin Park get past Paramore's vote-crazy fans on FuseTVs Best Video of 2009!! Go and vote; then put this widget everywhere you can.

Then head over to Twitter and retweet this as many times as you can: "Vote for Linkin Park, and vote often! http://bit.ly/2ejiyj #bestof2009"

Help the guys win this!

Mike and Joe @ SURU In store signing + Limited Edition Xander

2009-11-06T09:28:00.006-06:00

If you're in the Los Angeles area between the 20th and the 23rd of November, here's a cool event for you to consider heading to!

Mike and Joe will be doing a signing at SURU to kick off the launch of Mike's Xander DC shoe, which was redesigned by SURU. Looks like there will be a pre-sale of 500 pair on SURU's site until November 19th. The release and signing will be on November 20 at SURU at 7:00pm; then the limited edition shoe will go on public sale on November 23.

It will definitely be worth checking out, if not for the signing then just to get the shoes!

Best World Stage Performance; MTV EMAs

2009-11-05T17:27:00.002-06:00

Taken from the Mike Shinoda Clan:

"Linkin Park just won the MTV European Music Award for 'Best World Stage Performance'! Congratulations to all the guys! Unfortunately, they lost 'Best Rock' to Green Day. But one is better than nothing, right? The guys couldn't attend the show but Mike and Chester sent a cute little video from Mike's home studio. I hope someone has recorded it because i can't remember what they said to save my life! Damn you, excitement! Congrats again to the guys! :)"

Congratulations, guys!

Donate $1 In Your Name to Music For Relief (@MusicForRelief)

2009-11-04T15:22:00.003-06:00

Airwalk.com is donating up to $10,000 to charity and they are letting YOU choose where each dollar is donated. Click here and tell Airwalk to donate $1 in your name to Music for Relief then tell a friend. This costs you nothing and will help MFR continue to support disaster relief and reduce global warming.

It's a really easy process. All you have to do is click "You Click (Airwalk Donates)," enter your name and email address, choose Music for Relief, and then click submit. By doing this, you are helping disaster victims around the world without a cent from your pocket.

Thank you for your support!

November: National #Epilepsy Awareness Month

2009-11-04T12:04:00.002-06:00

While this has nothing to do with Mike, I wanted to put this out here for everyone to take notice.

November is National Epilepsy Awareness month. Whether you know it or not, you are probably in some sort of contact with someone who has been diagnosed with and suffers from epilepsy. Epilepsy is just as prevalent as breast cancer and takes more lives every year. To support the epilepsy fight, we will be changing our Twitter background to the beautiful purple ribbon. We will display it here as well for you all to take and display anywhere you find worth showing it.

And we thank you for your undying support. Courtney, we love you.

Music for Relief Pictures

2009-11-04T11:18:00.007-06:00

Music for Relief and Tree People planted 30 trees to reforest Stetson Ranch Park in Sylmar, CA on October 17, 2009! Check out these awesome photos of Mike, Anna, and the group from the planting!

Don't forget to donate your $5 to Habitat GLA to support the building of green, environmentally friendly homes in the Greater Los Angeles area. You can also donate $5 on your mobile bill by texting MFR to 90999.

Also, you can still grab your Mike Shinoda Glorious Excess Raffle Tickets for a chance to be one of the 144 people that win prizes, including a trip to a 2010 Linkin Park show and a meet and greet backstage with the band! It's only $10 for 5 raffle tickets and all proceeds go directly to Music for Relief to help disaster victims around the world. Hurry, though! The entry deadline is November 11, 2009 at 11:00AM Eastern Standard Time, so you only have a few days left! So get raffling!

New Divide; Fuse Best Video of 2009

2009-11-04T11:03:00.002-06:00

"New Divide" has been nominated for the Best Video of 2009 on FuseTV. The guys made it to round two this week and it looks like they're going to make it up to round three. They'll need your help, though! They've got some tough competition with Paramore and Green Day coming up fast!

Vote here and make sure the guys win it this year!

Big Shot Interview

2009-11-04T10:57:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the lack of update over the last few days, kids! Here's a new interview our friends over at the Mike Shinoda Clan found from Big Shot Magazine!

Mike Shinoda’s Walk In the Park

November 3rd 2009.

With an art school background and a few million-selling albums under his belt, Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda is quietly making his own statements as a visual artist.

Mike Shinoda knows a thing or two about multitasking. When he’s not writing, producing, and performing in Grammy-winning nu metal titans Linkin Park, or making music on one of his multitude of side projects like Fort Minor, Shinoda dedicates a good part of his time to making art. The youngest graduate of Art center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, Shinoda has not only played a major role in his band’s visual identity look and videos, but he’s earned critical acclaim for his collection of paintings and digital. Big Shot caught up with Shinoda and talked to him about Glorious Excess (Dies), his second gallery show that examines society’s obsession with celebrity culture, consumer addiction, and fascination with excess.

You rap, play guitar and keyboards, produce, write, etc. in Linkin Park and Fort Minor. It is an understatement to say that you are a renaissance man. When do you find time to work on art?
Mike Shinoda: In high school and college, art was my main focus, and music was a hobby. Then, at some point in college, the two switched—I don’t know how it all works, it just does. I work on paintings when I’m not doing stuff with the band. It actually gives me more time to think about a piece before I paint it.

A lot of musicians can trace back their desire to make music to hearing a specific song or album when they were young. Did you have an experience as a child that led you to the world of art? Was there an a-ha moment for you?
I’ve been drawing since I was about 3 years old. I didn’t ever really have an a-ha moment. I did have some really special experiences, though. I used to love the comic Garfield by Jim Davis. I was about 10. A friend and I made our own book of Garfield comics, with our own illustrations and jokes. The writing was probably ridiculous—imagine the kind of jokes you might make up at age 10. Anyway, our teacher photocopied it, found Jim Davis’fan mail address, and sent it to him. To our surprise, he looked at it, and wrote us a nice letter back. That was an awesome experience.

You have a formal education in the field and graduated from the Art Center College of Design. How did attending art school affect and influence your future artwork?It helped me open my mind to criticism. When you work a million hours on a project, then you’re forced to put it up in front of a class full of your peers who proceed to tell you why it sucks, you’re forced to learn how to take criticism…or get really defensive and not learn anything!

Can you point to any specific artists who influenced you when you were in college? Are there any contemporary artists who inspire you these days? And can you talk about the role your Japanese heritage plays in your work?
As far as the “classics” go, I guess I’d start with Alphonse Mucha, Johannes Vermeer, Peter Paul Rubens, and Egon Schiele. Along the more contemporary lines, I’d say Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Takashi Murakami, James Jean, Banksy, and Mark Ryden. Newer artists I like are Jeff Soto, Ekundayo, Audrey Kawasaki, Tessar Lo, Yoskay Yamamoto, Greg Simkins.

My Japanese heritage filters in sometimes when I’m not even aware of it. People will point it out in my paintings, and I’ll go, “Oh yeah, I guess that is kinda Japanese!”

You work in a combination of digital art and paintings, and you’ve also collaborated with DC Shoes. Time is a precious commodity, so how much time can you spend making art given your wealth of artistic interests?
I just jump from one thing to the next, based on whatever is exciting.

Glorious Excess (Born) received high praise, and there’s a buzz about Glorious Excess (Dies). Can you explain the thematic thread that ties together both shows?
The shows follow a fictional celebrity character. He’s an amalgamation of tons of different celebrity stories. The first show was about him making a mark on the scene, becoming famous. The new show is more about him overdosing on himself—he feeds off the celebrity until he essentially explodes. It’s about our obsession with celebrity, consumer addiction, and fascination with excess.

The Honda motorcycle you customized for the new show is simply breathtaking. How does painting a bike compare to working on a canvas? Will you be bummed if someone takes it out on the road and muddies it up?
Thanks! It’s a new roadster they just made called the Fury. Interesting motorcycle in a new-meets-old kind of way. I had a professional crew transfer the imagery onto the bike, then I hand-painted some stuff on top of that. I don’t care is someone buys it and wears it out. The money goes to charity; once they buy it, they can do whatever they want with it!

The Tabloid Wall is also interesting, though some of the magazines you included like Rolling Stone would never consider themselves to be a tabloid. What sort of a statement are you making here?
There are times when non-tabloid news outlets decide to cover tabloid stories, or they cover a story in a tabloid-ish way. Think about Michael Jackson’s death: virtually the entire news world turned into a big tabloid-style machine. I was watching TV, and they interrupted the program I was watching to show a random security car back out of the Jackson driveway at 5 MPH, with the title “BREAKING NEWS”…really?

The Four Seasons—Andy Warhol, James Dean, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon—is equally engaging. How did this series come together?
I wanted to find a poetic way to show the character’s death, and put celebrity death in perspective somehow. I was looking for patterns; something that defined the kind of celebrity death that people found the most intriguing. The series was inspired by Mucha’s Four Seasons, with each season represented by a beautiful woman. Mine were the four seasons of celebrity martyrdom.

Now that you’ve shared this exhibit with the world, how do you look back on it?
I’m not looking back. With so many great options, I’m trying to decide where to go next.

Q&A: Dazza
as featured in Issue 29

Happy Halloween from Caught in the Act!

2009-10-30T23:36:00.007-05:00

It's still about 10 minutes off here, but I figured I could give you all your Halloween stuff from Caught in the Act early! =)

I don't have anything spectacular, but here are some cute goodies for you guys and gals!

Isn't he adorable? And I will probably regret this later, but for your entertainment, here is my costume from last year.

Getting on the costume took about 3 hours.

I think I did a pretty good job pulling him off, HA! However, I still came in second in the contest to Memoir Mama, who blew everyone out of the water with her amazing Chester rendition. I'll ask her to post her picture later in the day! =)

Happy Halloween, kids! Have a safe, fun night!

Help Us Out!

2009-10-30T23:22:00.000-05:00

Hey guys and gals! Hope you're having a great Halloween weekend =)

I wanted to make something public for all of you to consider and perhaps help us with.

We opened up an account with So Sugary to showcase all of our Mike photographs. However, with the work load I've currently had dumped onto me with University, I haven't had a chance to get it set up and don't think that I will anytime in the near future.

This is where I need you all!

If anyone has any experience with HTML and setting up accounts like this, I could really use your help! If you would like to help, make a shout out here on the blog or shoot me an email at mercifuldewy[at]hotmail.com

Thanks so much, guys and gals!

Mike Shinoda Photographs; Off-site Navigation/New Host + Domain Soon

2009-10-29T17:04:00.000-05:00

Hey all!

I just wanted to drop in and let you know that, for now, I've changed the link to the "Mike Shinoda Photographs" in the "Other Mike Shinoda Places" section.

Right now, I'm working on getting our So Sugary account set up, but with all the hustle and bustle of University during mid-terms, it's not easy.

For now, clicking "Mike Shinoda Photographs" will send you to our site Photobucket account.

ALSO: I am working through a new host and will be moving the site over when I get a chance to get spare time between tests and papers. For now, however, enjoy what we have here! =)

Mike @ Google: New Music Search Function

2009-10-29T10:01:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of updates over the last day or two. I've been cramming for some tests and finishing up some papers for University.

Mike was recently involved in the panel that introduced the new Music Search function on Google. Here is what he had to say on the matter:

"Looks like it's conference week for me (ha). Today, Google announced their new music search function, and I was invited to speak on a panel regarding the new function, what it means for the fan (like us) who wants to find and purchase new music. I met and spoke with a handful of really smart, really fun peeps (shouts out to Bill, Courtney, Ali, RJ and all the awesome Google staff).

What I think most of you will be interested to know is that Google is rolling this function out in the U.S. right now. When you search for new music, you will immediately see a few options of songs to play, plus links to the artists tour dates and purchase options. Knowing how much we all hate clicking on a dozen things to get to the place we want, this is a welcome improvement (now all I need to do is finally get our tech department to do the same with our linkinpark.com, LPU, and LPN login).

Here's the info from their blog, and a picture from the event. Keep an eye out online, as there will be some performances--including one by Dead By Sunrise."

My absolute favorite comment from a Linkin Park fan on this matter was over at our new affiliate Phoenix-Farrell.org:

"while dave is twittering about cheescake,

Mike was invited to speak about music at the last google announcement in Hollywood, CA. (28.10.2009)"

Poor Phoenix, ha!

On the other end of the spectrum, I'm beginning to think that perhaps Mike should take more time out of his day to make sure he is adequately fed and watered before leaving his house. That way he doesn't have to take other celebrities' food during events.

"EDIT: I almost forgot...HUGE thank you to OneRepublic for letting me eat some of their In N Out burgers. Seriously. A life saver."

All quotes taken from Mike's October 28, 2009 homepage post and Phoenix-Farrell.org's October 29, 2009 homepage post.

#140conf Update from Mike/Get Busy Committee

2009-10-27T17:18:00.000-05:00

"It may be the best invitation I've ever received: I've been asked to speak at the "140 Character Conference," a public conference all about TWITTER!

The conference is today. According to their site http://140conf.com/, the conference is about "the effects of real-time internet on business." I can speak on that; maybe they just want to hear my take. Then again, maybe there's another, clandestine plot brewing. Maybe they want to brainwash or convert me. Or maybe Phoenix is planning to assassinate me.

Screw it. I'll be attending, some time around 4pm. And just in case, maybe I should find myself some stylish bulletproof attire.

Look for tweets about it...and spell my name right, fools: #m_shinoda"
via Mike's October 27, 2009 homepage post

Yes, spell his name right, guys; cut the poor guy a break. He can't even figure out the correct Twitter lingo (@m_shinoda, HA!).

Perhaps Mr. Shinoda should also carry around a Get Busy Committee Uzi to go with that stylish bulletproof vest. Just saying...

Shinoda's infamous "blogging pwns twittering" banner.

Meet and Greet Fun; Some Videos

2009-10-25T23:56:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of giving you guys something fun to look at, here are two meet and greet videos from times when I met Linkin Park.

Video #1 is from Noblesville, Indiana on August 17, 2008. The meet and greet here was with Mike and Rob. I was filming.

Video #2 is from Burbank, California on June 17, 2009. The meet and greet here was with the entirety of Linkin Park. You will notice that this meet and greet video is a professionally done video. It is from the SocialVibe contest winners' meet and greet with the band in California. Memoir Mama and I won 2nd place in the contest and got the chance to get a private show from the band and a few hours to hang out. Check it out! =)

Scream Awards 2009; October 27 + Results

2009-10-25T10:13:00.001-05:00

We've all watched and voted religiously for the various awards that our beloved boys of Linkin Park have been nominated for over these past few months. One of the most popular ones we've had our eyes on is the Scream Award for Scream Song of the Year 2009.

The guys were up against an array of really amazing songs that have stolen the spotlight throughout the year, including Decode by Paramore, which is the theme for one of the past fives years' most popular movies, Twilight. The nominees were:

New Divide by Linkin Park
War Zone by Rob Zombie
Other Father Song by They Might Be Giants
Desolation by My Chemical Romance
Decode by Paramore
Bad Things by Jace Everett

After months of waiting to find out the results of the awards, we've finally been given our relief!

Congratulations to our six amazing men for their dedication to giving us an amazing Transformers; Revenge of the Fallen theme. We are absolutely more proud of you than you could ever know!

Great job, guys!

Be sure to catch the Scream 2009 Awards, airing on SPIKE TV on October 27 (Tuesday) at 10:00pm EST!

International Linkin Park Day

2009-10-25T03:08:00.000-05:00

On October 24th of 2000, Linkin park released their debut album entitled "Hybrid theory". Nine years later, fans all around the world have unofficially declared the 24th of October to be "International Linkin Park Day".

Although May of 1999 marks the release of Hybrid Theory's self-titled EP, most fans didn't get hooked on (or even exposed to, for that matter) the music created by these six men until they changed their name to Linkin Park and offered us the 12-track disc that we all know and love today as Hybrid Theory. And it only makes sense that International Linkin Park Day should fall on the date of Hybrid Theory's release; the album has sold well over 20 million copies worldwide, 10 million in the United States alone, and to this day is the band's best-selling album.

So, how did fans across the globe decide to celebrate this unofficial holiday?

Nearly every social networking site in existence has shown people trying to spread the word and encourage others to take part in appreciating the day's significance. Linkin Park fans in all areas of the world posted messages or chatted with each other, sharing their personal experiences of hearing this music for the first time, how their lives have been changed because of it, and even what it was like meeting the guys who composed that music.

A few fans enthusiastically admitted to spending the day listening to all of their Linkin park CD's, while a few others giddily recalled various moments of LPTV that they found especially humorous, after re-watching all of the episodes. And, of course, a select few decided to get a tattoo in honor of the band and/or have their old Linkin Park ink touched up.

I, personally, had my CD and DVD players working through the majority of the day while I either chatted with other fans or carved my Linkin Park related pumpkins for the LPU contest* (which, inevitably, had me reminiscent of last Halloween's shenanigans of dressing up as the guys**). I'll even admit that I bought nail polish because it was called "Lincoln Park... After Midnight". Unfortuantely, I was unable to make the trip down to my tattoo shop to get my Hybrid Theory Soldier touched up, but next year I intend to get him fixed as well as get him a couple fo friends... You know, so he's not so lonely down there on my leg. *wink, wink*

Anyhow, I know that there's a reason why these guys have such a diverse fan base, and I hope that everyone realizes the reason they're a part of that amazing base. So, however each individual decided to spend the day, I hope that you all took at least one moment to reflect upon your own Linkin Park story. And I hope that next year, International Linkin Park Day will be slightly more established and celebrated...

Take care, lovies. ^_^

*LPU Pumpkins: http://forums.lpunderground.com/showthread.php?t=233215
**2008 LP Halloween: http://forums.linkinpark.com/showthread.php?t=10015

Hybrid Theory; Nine Years Later.

2009-10-24T09:08:00.000-05:00

We at Caught in the Act would like to wish Hybrid Theory a wonderfully happy ninth birthday!

I haven't found anything particularly awesome, except, perhaps, the infamous Facebook Linkin Park Day. However, it's still quite early in the day (only 10:10am in the Eastern Time Zone of the United States) and I hope that throughout the day, I'll be able to find some amazing goings-on by the hardcore Linkin Park fans! If you have anything you'd like us to advertise, shoot us a comment or an email at mercifuldewy[at]hotmail.com!

For now, to commemorate the event, here is an oldie, but a goodie! =)

Mike Shinoda @ "True Self" with Jonathan Levine in NYC

2009-10-22T13:12:00.000-05:00

Mike is traveling to New York City for the opening reception of Jonathan Levine's "True Self" exhibition on October 24, 2009.

Mike's piece for the show, "DoodleBrain"

Show information:

Opening Reception:
Saturday, October 24, 2009
7:00pm - 9:00pm

Jonathan Levine Gallery
529 West 20th Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY

More information here.

From Mike; Regarding the LPU9 CD

2009-10-18T01:18:00.000-05:00

Our earlier post regarding the LPU9 CD got an indirect reply from Mike:

"I hope you guys realize (as I do) that no matter what goes on the LPU9 CD, there will be people who say "it sucks and the band is lame for insulting us with such garbage." And there will be people who say, "This is my favorite CD of all time, anyone who says otherwise is obviously mentally deranged."

Regardless, here's what the LPU9 CD really is: 1.) an insight into our recording process, with some early versions of songs you will recognize, plus 2.) a song you've never heard. The end. Wait until December to find out more...

-m"

Thanks for clearing that up, Mike!

LPU9 Update From Mike

2009-10-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

According to Mr. Shinoda, the Linkin Park Underground 9 package is going to kick ass this year!

"Secondly, another newsworthy thing: as it turns out, our LP Underground fan club is going to be friggin' amazing this year! In case you don't know, we always put out a CD with the club, and this year's CD is a monster. It contains 8 previously unreleased demos from Hybrid Theory, Meteora, and Minutes To Midnight, plus a NEW, UNRELEASED LINKIN PARK SONG recorded during the MTM sessions. That's 9 tracks in all (for LPU9, get it?). You also get a shirt, patch, guitar pick, and exclusive chances to meet the band if we're doing a show or event in your area. LPU9 is not available yet, but info will be coming soon." taken from Mike Shinoda's October 17, 2009 homepage post.

Personally, I've never had a problem with any of the previous LPU packages like many other people seem to have had (especially LPU8, which I found to be quite a refresher from the normal "Live in [...]" type of CD).

Let's just hope that people can accept this particular package, and not be as vehemently "against joining again next year" like they have been!

Cheers!

Forums

2009-10-16T16:55:00.001-05:00

We've set up the Caught in the Act forums, which you can register for and post on here.

Have fun!

Mike to Join 140 Character Conference

2009-10-16T14:43:00.000-05:00

According to our affiliates over at The Mike Shinoda Clan and Jeff Keni Pulver, Mike will be joining the cast of the #140conf in Los Angeles on October 27, 2009.

"At the #140conf events, we look at twitter as a platform and as a language we speak. Over time it will neither be the only platform nor the only language. #140conf is not an event about microblogging or the place where people share twitter “tips and techniques” but rather where we explore the effects of the emerging real-time Internet on Business." via The #140conf site.

Mike will speak at 4:40PM on October 27th (first day of the two day conference) at The Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, CA. He and Arron Ray are listed under "Artist & Manager" Subject: Notes on twitter & real time communication.

There is a fee to attend the event, however apparently, there is a discount (of which we aren't sure the validity yet).

"For the first time, I am opening up the General Admission seats above the first floor in the Kodak Theater and offering access to these seats for $200 for both days. Friends who purchase these seats will be able to experience the #140conf Tech Concert in person. If you would like to purchase the General Admission ticket, please use this link: http://www.amiando.com/140LA.html?discountCode=generaladmission". (Promotional code: GeneralAdmision ).

When I look at the schedule ( http://lax.140conf.com/schedule ) for the upcoming 140 Characters Conference: Exploring the State of NOW, taking place in Los Angeles on October 27/28, the first word that comes to my mind is diversity. Over the course of two days there will be 63 sessions presented on the Kodak Theater stage, covering a diverse set of topics including: Education, The Democratization of Information, Public Diplomacy, Public Health, Public Safety, China, Brands, Comedy, Investing, News, Public Policy & Law, Poker, Small Business, Music, Sports, Hollywood Politics and a lot more."

For more information, visit The #140conf site.

Donate Just $5 and Help Music for Relief

2009-10-16T14:30:00.000-05:00

Help Music for Relief and Habitat for Humanity build greener, more environmentally friendly homes in the Greater Los Angeles area by donating just $5.

Find more videos like this on Music For Relief

Visit http://www.musicforrelief.org/habitat for more information or text the word HOUSE to 90999 to donate $5 on your mobile bill.

Also, don't forget to support Music for Relief on SocialVibe by clicking the widget on the right side of your screen.

10 Easy Steps to Successfully Enjoying a Private LP Meet and Greet

2009-10-16T14:11:00.000-05:00

It's a rare, but awesome occurrence when a few lucky fans are chosen to hang out with the guys of Linkin Park for a few minutes backstage at a concert. It's even more uncommon when they are picked to fly across the country to invade the band's personal space while they rehearse for an upcoming show. As one of the lucky few that have been able to do just this, here are my top ten tips to remember when traveling and seeing Linkin Park in such an intimate situation.

10.) If possible, book your own plane tickets:

I only say this because I flew across the United States not sitting next to my friend who I invited to go with me, but jammed in between a creepy guy who wouldn't look away from the window and a girl who slept the entire four hour flight to Los Angeles, completely disregarding the fact that I might need to use the restroom at some point. I suppose I wasn't as bad off as the friend who accompanied me, as she was seated between two extremely old and odd smelling men who snored the entire flight.

This option also alleviates the problematic "arriving hours before your hotel check-in time." Our plane landed in Los Angeles around 9:15 am local time. Given, the drive from the LAX Airport to our hotel on Sunset Boulevard took about an hour and a half, but our check-in time wasn't until about 3:00 that afternoon. Luckily enough, however, there was a room ready for us when we got there.

9.) Request a hotel room on the front of the hotel:

This is just a personal preference, but on the off-chance that you are stuck up in the "marvelous" Luxe Hotel on Sunset Boulevard like we were, you will probably have the same small complaint. We stepped into our "spacious" hotel room, exhausted from our almost ten-hour ordeal starting at 3:30am Eastern time and ending at 11:30am Pacific Standard time. Deciding that we needed some of the gorgeous California sunshine in our room while we relaxed, I threw back the balcony curtain and gazed not at the amazing Los Angeles skyline, not at the beautiful Pacific ocean, but at the side of a dirt mound with a few trees growing out of it. Such a refreshing site after a long day of dashing around in airports and almost dying on the Los Angeles freeway.

8.) Never, and I repeat, NEVER, place your room key-card near your cell phone:

This is a bit of common sense for those people that have stayed at hotels many times before, but for those that haven't: Just don't do it. I'm not stupid, but in the midst of everything that was happening around me, I forgot not once, not even twice. I forgot three times. Now, you may ask, "Jade, what happens when you put your card near your cell phone?" Well, kids, it goes something like this: You spend part of your afternoon down in the hotel café, enjoying a nice, leisurely lunch after a long day of flying. Afterward, you decide that you would like to take a nap in your hotel room. You make your way up the stairs, past the elevators, down a long hallway, and stop at your door. You extract your key-card from the pants pocket in which you shoved it, so carelessly, next to your cell phone. And then you try, unsuccessfully, to open your door. You jerk on the door handle. You look embarrassedly around the hallway as people look at you. You curse at the wood, kicking it a few times. And then once you finally come to the conclusion that your luck pretty much sucks and you aren't going to get into your room this way, you trapse back down the hallway, past the elevators, and then down the stairs, where you throw your key-card onto the front counter and tell the person working that you've deactivated your card. Sounds fun, right??

7.) Do not expect your limo to be on time:

This one truly isn't a joke. With Los Angeles traffic (especially on the day of the Laker's Parade), people have to leave a while before it's time to be at work. If you're told your limo (or what-have-you) will arrive around 12:00pm, expect it around 12:30pm. And then count on that, because your best friend (who already lives in California) will probably be running later than the limo driver.

6.) Prepare yourself for a lot of interviews:

No one informed me, when I climbed onto a plane in Indianapolis, Indiana, that I would be sitting in front of two cameras, answering questions I didn't know how to answer properly, while five other people watched and laughed. However, that's exactly what happened when my best friend, Clare, and I arrived at Third Encore studio in Burbank. Expect this if you did something other people would consider worth of honor, like raise a lot of money for Music for Relief. Along those same lines, expect that you will walk around for the rest of the day with a microphone pack hanging from the back your belt.

5.) Do not tell Joe Hahn where you're from:

Joe: Where are you from?
Me: Indiana.
Joe: India?
Me: No, Indiana.
Joe: I've been to India. Did you know: if there was a girl and her name was "Anna" and she did a lot of work for "Indy," she would be "Indy-Anna."
Me: ...

Enough said.

4.) Do not, under any circumstances, expect a perfect performance:

During most live shows, things go wrong, but we don't notice them because Linkin Park pulls them off so well. However, in a private rehearsal performance, they are not afraid to make mistakes. While Mike Shinoda may look around embarrassedly, Chester Bennington pulls them off humorously. After the ambient introduction to "What I've Done," which was their first song, Mike attempted to play the piano and watched on in horror as nothing happened. Silence ensued and we giggled. Chester made a wise-crack while Mike fixed the problem, essentially diverting our attention away from the minor screw-up. After the song started a second time, there were no noticeable problems and we jammed out to some great live music.

3.) DO NOT take out your cell phone during a private performance:

This is a serious matter and I got yelled at for it. No audio from private performances is allowed to leave the room. I heard my phone beep loudly in my pocket and nonchalantly pulled it out to see who had called. It was my mother. While I was asked very promptly and firmly to put my cell phone away, I was inwardly relieved that music had been playing when my mother had called. Otherwise, the men of Linkin Park would have heard a loud chorus of "Your Momma's Callin' Back!" in the tune of "SexyBack." Mortifying.

2.) Remember the random tid-bits of trivia you learn whist there:

I'm lucky enough to have a memory that greatly out-does a goldfish and I remember a lot of things I learned while I was in the studio with Linkin Park, such as:

• Chester Bennington met his wife, Talinda, in Indiana.
• Joe Hahn drinks Robek's smoothies.
• Rob Bourdon was the actual director of the "New Divide" music video; however he gave all credit to Joe because it made him feel better about himself (HA!).
• If you are pregnant, Chester Bennington will feed you.
• In June (2009) Linkin Park (according to Phoenix) was a little over 50% of the way done with the new album. They hadn't lain any vocals on the instrumental tracks yet, but expected to have the album out by March or April of 2010.
• Joe Hahn has been to India.

1.) Last, but not least, HAVE FUN.

I know what you're thinking: "Duh!" But honestly, don't go expecting to automatically have fun.
Create your own fun. Make jokes with the guys. Ask them questions. Allow them ask you
questions. Don't just sit there and stare at them. They truly are normal people!

An experience like the one I enjoyed with my friends is something that I wish every Linkin Park fan
could experience, but not all can. If you are one of the lucky few that do, however, remember these
little, but loud tips I've given and you'll be sure to have a great time! =)

Jade, over and out.

A Death in Glorious Excess; August 29, 2009

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Taken from Linkin Park's 818th Battalion Blog; written on August 29, 2009 by Anstice

"Thanks to all of you that have supported my art and asked when I'll be doing another art show...I'm proud to announce the opening of a new solo exhibition."

I remember sitting in my University dorm, taking a break from packing to head home for the summer, and reading this statement on Mike Shinoda's Homepage on May 3, 2008. Before this, Linkin Park fans had heard very little about the art that would soon take the world by storm in a series of public exhibits showcasing the artwork of Shinoda.

Now, as we come to the end of this incredible series, we find ourselves looking back at the remarkable journey Mike Shinoda took to make it to this day. Today is August 29, 2009, opening day of "Glorious Excess (Dies)."

Glorious Excess is a series of paintings based around "obsession with celebrity culture, consumer addiction, and fascination with excess." We first encountered Shinoda's interpretation of the addiction to the celebrity machine in "Glorious Excess (Born)," an art exhibit he debuted on July 11, 2008 at the Japanese American National Museum located in Los Angeles, California. The display showcased nine brand new pieces featuring an unnamed male star.

The "celebrity" resembled the likes of people such as Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith, who are famous for nothing more than just being famous. He had no particular talent to speak of. He basked almost gloriously in a life of sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll, living life through red carpets and premieres. Through both hand-designed and low-resolution internet images, we watched the character burning through money and cigarettes, never seeing any wrong with his addiction. His prodigious obsession with everything in excess was appalling and almost disgusting. It was easy to see the man was spiraling downhill quickly, but we never saw that side of the façade, at least not within the walls of this first show.

So, then when "Glorious Excess (Born)" closed its doors on August 3, 2008, we watched our man fade into a sort of dream-like mist. We sat back to await some sort of closure as to what would become of this consumption-obsessed fiend. And then we all closed that chapter of the story.

After the end of Projekt Revolution 2008, Linkin Park dove face-first into writing their fourth studio-album as well as the theme-song and score for the summer 2009 movie "Transformers; Revenge of the Fallen." Very little was heard about the second installation of the Glorious Excess series except that Shinoda planned to debut the sequel to "(Born)" sometime in January of 2009. As if putting more pressure on him, we all demanded information from Shinoda about the second show and how the work was coming along. Finally, after months of waiting, we got word from the artist himself that he had "lain the first paintbrushes to canvas" for the seventeen pieces of "Glorious Excess (Dies)," the closing exhibition of our favorite material-addicted man.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and cleared their calendars for the possible date of the opening, which would again take place at the Japanese American National Museum. However, at the very last second, due to complicated scheduling problems, Shinoda was forced to cancel the January debut of the show.

"Hey everyone,

It looks like my second JANM art show, Glorious Excess (Dies), which was scheduled for January, is going to be postponed. Although I would have liked to hold the show in January, unforeseen scheduling complications have made that goal an impossibility. I apologize to anyone who this change of plans may affect negatively; I wish it were that case that I could make it happen.

[...]

I hope to open the Glorious Excess (Dies) show in late 2009.

Thanks for your understanding."

And so, we sat back once more and waited, perhaps not as patiently as before, but excitedly. Linkin Park continued on with their work on the second "Transformers" movie score and their next album. "Transformers; Revenge of the Fallen" was premiered on June 23, 2009 and the men of the band were there to celebrate the opening with their new song and a short set for fans who attended the show. Afterward, it was heavily rumored that Shinoda would finally be putting his art for "Glorious Excess (Dies)" on display in August of 2009.

Shinoda himself didn't necessarily refuse to give information on the matter, but also didn't divulge if the rumors could be taken as true. Finally, in July 2009, word came from Shinoda via his blog for when we could hope for the opening of "(Dies)," and included information on what to expect:

"My GLORIOUS EXCESS DIES art show is returning to Los Angeles on August 29th! It opens at the Japanese American National Museum, and stays open from August 30th to October 4th. There will be seventeen new pieces, plus a new video documentary. I will be attending the opening, available for autographs if you're interested :) The money from the show, as usual, goes to charity."

Through information from Shinoda, we've learned a little about the fate of this celebrity character we've been watching for a little over a year. After his ridiculously excessive lifestyle in the first installation of the show, our man is now falling into the inevitable cycle of downfall that comes with his frivolous ways. This sequel focuses on not the addiction-based man we saw in "(Born)," but rather the implosion of this character into himself, the absolution of death, and the sad truth that no matter what you've collected or who you've become, nothing can go with you in the end.

Shinoda tells us that after everything we've encountered with this "star" we've all loved to hate, "the end will be up to you to interpret."

After a bit of tedious pushing and shoving and a threat of being eaten by a poodle, I was able to make contact with Mr. Shinoda himself for an interview. However, with the busy schedule of setting up for "Glorious Excess (Dies)," he hasn't yet been able to answer the questions given to him. Hopefully, however, they will be answered soon; and we will not hold it against Mike. It takes a lot of work to bring us the amazing art he has, and we understand how preoccupied that keeps him.

Join Mike Shinoda for the reception of "Glorious Excess (Dies)" tonight at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles from 8pm to 10pm. He will have an autograph signing in which Linkin Park Underground members will get first priority. All autographs are on a first come, first serve basis. "Glorious Excess (Dies)" will be on view from August 30 until October 4, 2009. All proceeds of the show will go directly to Music for Relief, the Japanese American National Museum, and the Michael K. Shinoda Endowed Scholarship for the Art Center College of Design.

(All information, quotes, and pictures taken from http://www.mikeshinoda.com)

Coming Along

2009-10-15T19:57:00.000-05:00

As you can see, several updates have been gracing Caught in the Act over the course of the last few days. We're working hard to get everything up and running properly so we can give you, the readers, the best experience on the site.

Right now, we're working on a photo gallery through So Sugary which will hopefully be hosted, up, and full of pictures within the next few days. Today, we created a Twitter account for Caught in the Act, which you can follow here. We'll be giving tweets of our most recent blog posts through our RSS feed and other information and fun goings-on.

If you have any suggestions what-so-ever for Caught in the Act, feel free to comment on them here on the blog or shoot us an email at mercifuldewy[at]hotmail.com

Hope to see you all back here soon!