October 25, 2008

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

M O V I E S

Here are movies I'm looking forward to seeing over this break (or soon) if you're looking for something to do with the fam or to get away from the fam.

1. MILK. 
2. DOUBT. Great script, stellar cast. Let's hope they made a good movie out of it.
3. THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. Just saw a preview for this and it looks really interesting so I figured I'd share it.
4. And, I already recommended it, but RACHEL GETTING MARRIED was pretty stellar.

V I D E O

1. The worst day that ever happened.
2. Paula Abdul on QVC and a Porn User calls QVC.
3. Miss California is my professor. Just check out 1:50. It's for real. If anyone has the talent section from the 1989 Miss America Pageant I will be forever in your debt.

P O L I T I C S

1. Gay Boycott. Check it out, interesting movement. Let's do it.
2. Queen Rania of Jordan. Apparently has been winning awards for her youtube page devoted to increasing tolerance and understanding of the Arab world. Hottest queen ever. And some of her videos are really interesting. 
3. Boston Special Needs Dancers. This is adorable.

A R T / D E S I G N

1. Human Camera. This is ridiculous
2. Fashion and Aging. Interesting photo spread.
3. Hand art. contribution from reflynn. Hands doing cool things
4. Ants: Nature's Architects. ANTS ARE CRAZY! Wait until they excavate the ant colony. 
5. Lighting in slow-mo. Lightning strikes a tree. More crazy nature videos.

M U S I C

1. NO DOUBT is coming back! Love them. Let's just hope they stick to their ska roots and not the crappy alt-rock they produced later.
2. Pink covers ANGEL. at the American Music Awards, joined by Sarah McLaughlin. I think it's her best song, almost ubiquitous as the "sappy song" but it's still beautiful. Just jump right to 1:55. How sick is her voice? Why doesn't her music showcase it at all??? Remember when they tried to package her as a hip-hop artist? that was stupid. Also check out Pink's live tribute to Janis. Girl can sang.

something I don't like:

Worst Thanksgiving Ever. Please don't share these recipes with loved ones. Really anyone. This has to be a joke.

November 20, 2008

There are two primary posts of this week that I am highlighting due to their exsquisite awesomeness (at least I think so). I hope you enjoy them. 

T H E   B E S T

1. So I was lucky enough to have this entry of the 10 best animal clips shared with me. They are all actually really interesting (check out the polar bear and the hippo!), but this one was a clear standout: OCTOPUS CAMOUFLAGE. Blows. My. Mind. How can this possibly be?
   Here is LONGER CLIP that that video came from, that is consistently incredible (the cuttlefish! seriously? seriously!). My brother also forwarded THIS ONE to me which features a real-life incredible hulk fish (also wait until the end with the phosphorescent bacteria). NATURE IS CRAZY!
   And while we're on the subject of amazing animals, have you heard about Christian the Lion? Lion hugs!!! This was my biggest dream as a child, a lion hug that didnt involve any malling or any permanent scars. Thanks to celmore.
2. Similarly to the previous post, my interested in this topic started with the following commercial for an upcoming Discovery Channel show which featured a super slow-motion camera (shooting 10,000 frames per second). The balloons, again, blew my mind. Here are more clips for your enjoyment:
   A long one showing slow-motion punches, balloon into face, and glass breaking.
   Another slow-motion water balloon.
   Shooting a water balloon.
   A soap bubble popping.
   Enjoy!

F U N N Y 

1. Who remembers Debbie Downer? Love it. But the BEST ones were the ones where they totally broke. I watched this at least 4 times and it always makes me incredible happy. Also, tcompton shared this one with me which is still good but has Lindsay Lohan, who no one likes.
   
2. The tragic costs of gay marriage
3. Drew Barrymore leads some Body Fuzion. Kristin Wiig's hips defy the imagination. Also, I want finger pants.
4. Video Games that Never Happened. "Connect some!"...genius.
5. I hope my headshot one day looks this good. I want to learn how to rock the "It-might-rain-and-also-don’t-mess-with-my-family look"

A R T / D E S I G N

1. My blockmate is a style maven. This says style.com.
2. Solar Blinds. They use the light they sit all day blocking to turn into solar energy!
   
3. The real photoshop desktop.

November 16, 2008

A jumble. cannot believe it's a week away from Thanksgiving. Jebus.

F U N N Y

1. Faith Hill loses at the CMAs. Cannot get over this. So glad it entered my life. How you gonna hate on Carrie Underwood, Faith?
2. Spider as payment. Thanks to tcompton for this gem. I'm glad he gets the spider back.
3. Worst Mixtape Ever. And the Punishment. Is it terrible that I still like some of the songs on this mixtape?
4. Cat in a Box. 
5. Scream Queen pulls a Jillian. 

A W E S O M E

1. Post-its.
2. New Toshiba Commercial. 
3. Candy Land. Love the light-brite table and candy dots table. when was the last time you had those? It's been so long. Also...what a terrible candy. You could not help but eat massive amounts of the paper they came on. 
4. Coloring book walls. Next best thing to lickable wallpaper
5. Sprint Widgets. Not exactly sure what this is all about, but it's interesting. Thanks reflynn
   
6. Money is pretty. Crazy coins. I'm jealous.

M U S I C

1. JANELLE MONAE goes corporate. Glad people are catching on. Once again proving that I was on to something when I drunkenly shouted to her at the concert: "Janelle, you're gonna change the industry!" Don't know who invited John Heder into this shoot, but Janelle is amazing as always.
   
2. GABE DIXON BAND. So this week I did indeed go the the Marc Broussard concert, which was everything I could have hoped it to be. He even did LET ME LEAVE as an encore, my favorite song. It is astonishing to me that anyone can sound that consistently good live throughout an entire set. And totally different stylings than on the recordings. But another highlight was the Gabe Dixon Band, who opened for him. Not only is this song generally feel-good, the video is genius.

T E L E V I S I O N

1. THE UNITED STATES OF TARA. New show on Showtime, written by Diablo Cody (of Juno fame) and produced by Steven Spielberg. And starring Toni Collete, who is great in everything she does (and who also has a fantastic voice.) I still haven't seen CALIFORNICATION, but if it's half as good as WEEDS seasons 1 and 2, I'm all for it. 
2. New Ladies of SNL. A clip from Michaela Watkins' Reel. Funny, no? Interesting how it seems all the ladies these days (and a lot of the guys) they pick are attractive. Harken back to the good old days when people like Mike Meyers, Chris Farley, Cheri Oteri were on the show...who were clearly not picked because they of their dreamboat potential. We'll see how they do. Kristin Wiig manages to be gorgeous and hilarious, why can't they?
3. Beyonce. And Paul Rudd. On SNL. With a cameo from Jtimberlake. Perfect episode? I think so. Also, Beyonce is actually not terrible in the sketch! It seems her hours of acting training and sham oscar nomination have done some good. Why hasn't she hosted yet? Also check out her doing Single Ladies live. She is such a fucking star!!! Singing live and doing the whole dance (though who hired that skinny white bitch? yeesh...). 

P O L I T I C S

1. Crazy O'Reilly on Daily Show. The second video is particularly stellar. O'Reilly is such a goon. Watching this show is such a great reminder of what an amazing phenomenon the Daily Show is. It's a comedy "news" show focused on lampooning current events, buthelmed by incredibly well-informed and well meaning people. I truly feel John Stewart is the voice of our generation, and we are so lucky to have him.
2. Keith Olberman on Prop 8. In case you haven't heard this viral one yet. Very nice things. A good question, however, is why waited until after it passed to say any of them. But I don't begrudge him that
3. A cure for AIDS? Interesting, figured I'd share.

M O V I E S 

1. UP. Pixar can seriously do no wrong. I don't even know that this plot sounds that great, but I just assume by default that it will be an incredible movie.
2. RACHEL GETTING MARRIED. I know I posted about this film a few weeks ago, but I finally saw it and it was stellar. Some of the most painfully uncomfortable scenes I have ever sat through directly juxtaposed with one of such intense joy and beauty. Really well done, I loved it. Plus it features the best wedding ever.

M Y   F R I E N D S   D O    T H I N G S

1. Sachi is a star. Quoted by one of her idols, so exciting.
2. Sam Yu, also a star. The small one in the green.
3. Predator drops. It's milky.

Something I don't like: This Crimson piece on Citystep. What crap journalism! Are you really going to fault a service organization for not helping people who are needy enough? Way to shit on a group of people trying to do a good thing, June Wu. If you're so concerned about kids in underachieving schools, why not join a group commited to helping them instead of writing your crap news pieces.

...Sorry to rant.

OOH! AHH! citystepcitystepcitystepCITYSTEP!

November 10, 2008 (addendum)

Puppies. Yes, please.

November 10, 2008

It's two weeks before Thanksgiving. I absolutely cannot fathom how fast this year is going. Someone please stop it.

R A N D O M

1. Monkey and Bulldog go to gym class. I don't know why this exists. I'm just glad it does. The monkey gets so mad that the bulldog can't do situps!
2. Obama turns to Hillary for advice. I'm a bit behind on this one, but it's still hilarious. Amy Poehler, we miss you already!
3. If gay people can't get married, should they still have to pay taxes? Some valid points from Melissa Ethridge.
4. Kiegel excersizes are silly.
5. Shafrins in the news! My mom is a star. Is it wierd that this follows an entry about Kiegel exersizes. 
6. We can all aspire to be professional bloggers. sezura has set the precedent. 'attagirl.

M U S I C

1. MARC BROUSSARD! PARADISE! TUESDAY NIGHT! UNDER $25! Who's in? I definitely want to go because he is amazing and you should too. Let me know if you're interested!!
2. Free Video Download. This week, iTunes has made Sia's Soon We'll Be Found video availible for free. It is a stellar video, combining some of my favorite things (sing language, shadow puppets, flourescent mascara...what's not to like?), and in far superior quality than youtube. Get it before Tuesday, when they'll put up something else.
3. Rejected Bond Themes. I was never a big James Bond guy, but this article is really interesting, linking to the Bond Themes that almost were. Ace of Base? Yes please!
4. Beyonce does Etta. The trailer for Cadillac Records does not look inspired, nor are Beyonce's previous acting credits. I doubt she will able to capture the spirit of Etta James on screen, but her cover of James's iconic AT LAST is pretty incredible, really following James's vocal stylizings without losing her own signature sound. All you haters, listen to this! Beyonce is an incredible artist! No question! Just watch the video for SINGLE LADIES if you are in question (here is Luam's choreography to it for her class. How fierce is that dumpy one with the fro on right?)

A R T / D E S I G N

1. A Real Hot Dog.
2. PAINTING WITH LIGHT. THIS. IS. AMAZING. Probably cooler than the interractive mirror. Stunningly beautiful, fun for kids, and no cleanup involved. Get me one please!
3. Excavating a burried city. Apparently Bulgaria is turning an ancient, flooded city into a tourist attraction by bringing it back to the surface. Sounds pretty crazy. I'd Go.
4. Calligraphy in progress. Love the elegant linework, cannot imagine that he makes no mistakes doing this. THere is also a font-generator to show you what your name would look like (just click "typo"). I think...it's not in english...
5. What I'll do next time I see you smoking. Watch out, cancerfaces.
6. Using Light as Paint. no idea how these happened, but they are cool.
7. The art of camoflogue. Public art masking a public eyesore.
8. Contextualizing art. Cool photos replacing a part of the photo with a preexisting image.
9. A bar made of ice. I don't know what they're talking about, but this place looks pretty sick. And if you drink enough alcohol you won't even sense the cold!
10. If I can't have a projector, then I want this TV.

F A S H I O N

1. Two Amazing Surreal Photoshoots. ONE and TWO (inspired by Roald Dahl! Who doesn't love Roald Dahl!)
2. Amazing Knitwear Creations. Thank you, Sandra Backlund

T H E A T E R

1. NINE: The Film. The first picture leaked this week. What a sick cast. And they all look pretty great here. Sofia Loren...how do you do it? I wish they hadn't lost Javier Bardem and Catherine Z-J, but otherwise I'm pretty stoked. Granted, who is going to do it first and better? Harvard will. This January, in the New College Theater. Be there.
2. Being Alive, the quintet. I saw the DVD of Putting it Together, a million years ago, but did not remember this song at all. What a killer arrangement. I was reminded of it when I saw a group of students from Millikin doing it and while they suffer from a few pitch problems, their less epic performance is more enjoyable. Though god how I love Ruthie Henshall.

November 6, 2008 (addendum)

So many amazing election-related things popped up or been sent my way I had to share some more!

1. Kids Love Obama. This piece is perfection, so simple and amazing. Thanks kbrombsmasha!
2. Graphic designers love Obama. A series of posters promoting Obamz. I love the lipstick one and the sketchy flag one.
3. Elizabeth Hasselbeck loves Obama. This clip happened before Sherri got to crying, but is also great.

November 6, 2008

Election themed-post!!!
Here are some of of my favorite things of the past few days. Please comment and add yours favorites so we can share them!

Also, anyone know any sites with some good voter turnout statistics? I haven't found any I find particularly enlightening and would love to see how the year compared.

T H E    G O O D

1. Obama Photo-Essay. The Globe released this amazing series of huge photos that follow Obama along his quest to be president, and they are beautiful. Some of the rally photos are truly astounding.
2. Sherri Shepherd on the View. She's pretty much established herself as an active contender for the title of "Dumbest Bitch on the View" (a position usually contested by Elizabeth Hasselbeck). But I have watched this clip at least 4 times and tear up every time. A really, really beautiful moment. Probably my favorite thing on this post today. Even Elizabeth is gracious and well-spoken.
3. Watching your kids watch history. A beautiful piece on a parent's surprise in how actively her kids engage in the history that happens around them, and how proud she is to witness it. Short and poignant.
4. Kids write to Obama. These are just beautiful, from a 4th grade class in Harlem.
5. Maya Angelou on Obama. Pure class.
6. Why McCain lost. If only he had had Michael Ian Black on as a strategist. He just didn't cheat well enough.
7. Oprah: The Day After. She's just so happy. It's so unnerving when people scream into a microphone, but it makes you feel like she's really sharing this moment with the audience.
8. Headlines Around the World
9. Anderson Cooper blooper. I'm a fan. All his screen time on election night led me to do some digging. And I found this gem. What's so funny there, Erica? Clearly I'm not the only fan. Much like our own Alison Rich, Kathy Griffin's humor is a barometer of sexuality.Skip to 2:20 and guess who finds her hilarious? I rest my case.

T H E...N O T   A S   G O O D

1. Ellen's response. I've yet to see an impassioned monologue air on her show. So far just this short and broken post on the website.
2. The almost-VP: Worse than we thought? I love O'Reilly's defense. YES, she CAN learn that Africa is a continent. But one would hope that a US Governor would not be at the bottom end of the learning curve.
3. Ralph Nader: Uber-Schmuck. Seriously, man. What. The. Eff.
4. I don't know if this is an awkwardly pointed post for this blog of good things. But it was sent over an open list, so clearly the sender doesn't have too many personal qualms about voicing his hate. He's apparently a senior at Harvard, and while I don't know him I decided not to post his name. I find it incredibly sad that anyone at perhaps the greatest undergraduate institution in the nation could be so proudly ignorant.
   On Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 12:31 AM, ***** wrote: You miss the point entirely. The end or purpose of marriage is the breeding and rearing of children, espeically as far as the state has an interest in it. For this to be true, not every single marriage has to result in children, but it would be entirely pointless to have an institution as marriage, say, if everyone 20 years from now, was rendered sterile. There can be no end or purpose of any homosexual arrangement but the gratification of sexual desires, which would be a pretty flimsy premise for an institution such as marriage.

November 3, 2008

I can't believe it's November. Je-sus.

This one is filled with videos to get you through the week.

H A L L O W E E N

1. THE BEST HALLOWEEN SONG EVER. I especially like how he says "b'mitzvah." genius.
2. Babies make Halloween worth celebrating. It's all about the flamingo. And the bro-dinosaur.
3. Thriller, a capella. A french dude records all 64 parts himself. So crazy.

A R T  / D E S I G N

1. Amazing Pop-Up Book. This is how I want to teach my kids about the alphabet. I also love the soundtrack
2. This Hong Kong bar looks amazing.
3. Pocket-shaped wallet. Such a simple idea, why did I not think of this? I want one.

O T H E R 

1. Amy Sedaris on the Chelsea Handler show. How very informative...and terrifying. There's too many layers. But Amy Sedaris is a delight, as always. Word on the street is that she has a new improv-based sitcom under development for FOX. Hooray.
2. Breaking news! Casey Wilson does something not terrible on SNL! You all know how I love the View. And anyone else who knows the view can attest to how great this sketch from this week is. All the impressions are spot-on. Who knew Jennifer Aniston was even someone you COULD impersonate?
3. Another gem from SNL last week: RAS TRENT. He's just so funny and for no reason at all. A dee-light.
4. So during Sunday brunch this week we got into a discussion about how chickens lay eggs,and it ultimately led me to youtube. No need to share that with you...it's rather graphic. But LESS graphic is this amazing video of a dolphin giving birth. You can literally find any animal birthing on youtube, it's amazing!
5. Rick Sanchez tears apart McCain aide on CNN. It's painful. Seriously. Can we believe the election is tomorrow??? I cannot remember a time before this election. Crazy that it is culminating now.

HAPPY ELECTION, AMERICA!

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!

I should be writing a paper, but am blogging instead. I think I need to be medicated...this paper just not happening.

something i like:

this story arich just told us in quincy dhall

"so tonight during notes, i farted!"

...yup, that was the whole story.

A R T / D E S I G N

1. INTERACTIVE MIRRORS. This item is so amazing I almost made a blog post dedicated specifically to it. Seriously, just look at the things this mirror can do, which are not only optically spectacular but also tremendously fun. I want one really bad. The makers of the Interactive Mirror also created this lazer video game, which is also cool. And reminds me that I still want a projector for Quincy 615.
2. Moving skyscrapers? That CONSERVE power? say it ain't so. Thanks kkaufman.
3. CAVES. These are beautiful and astounding. I went to a cave once. But it wasn't this cool. And everyone in it spoke spanish. Oh wait, that wasn't a cave, it was a child labor factory. Thanks tcompton for this one.
4. I love these. There is something so satisfying and untouchable about retro consumer goods...you can try and replicate the aesthetic but it's just not the same. Some of these are so beautiful and simple. Also THESE. and for anyone interested in typography, THIS (Superpolator) is a great program to have.

P O L I T I C S
This week's NEW YORKER had two great articles I felt worthy of sharing and  Tina Fey gem.

1. Evangelicals and abstinence. Really great piece on party politics, religion, and abstinence education. Some great statistics and a pretty comprehensive (and not to long) coverage of a huge and extremely divisive issue. I highly recommend this one.
   
2. Is Obama a socialist? An interesting counter-sling to the republican rallying cries that Obama is going to turn America into a dirty, European socialist country.
3. Palin offers to babysit for Tina Fey. Yay Conan.

T H E A T E R

1. Part of the cast of HAIR covers Israel Kamakawiwole's OVER THE RAINBOW/WONDERFUL WORLD at Joe's Pub this summer, ukelele and all. I did not think the voices in the production this summer were in any way exemplary, but this is a pretty beautiful cover (pitch problems aside). Wait for the harmonies after 2:00 and towards the end.
2. WILL ROGERS FOLLIES performs FAVORITE SON on the Tonys. A testament to the amazing things thing you can do with simple movements. So great.
3. In the post-LEGALLY-BLOND-comes-to-Harvard era, I have been searching all the different Elles on youtube. HAVEN BURTON stands out, not because she is the best fit (she actually does not seem right for the role at all) but her voice is just so sick. And she's a super babe (at least in LB...she looks a bit rough out of makeup). Listen to these highlights from ACT 2 of legally blonde, or check out her LIVE rendition of TAKE ME OR LEAVE ME from her brief stint in RENT.

finally: don't dress up as THESE for Halloween, because they are terrifying. Seriously, ladies, we are not fooled. God had nothing to do with those eyebrows.

 
















         

October 28, 2008

R A N D O M

1. My professor and distinguished member of the faculty of the Psychology Deptartment Wendy Berry Mendes: THEN and NOW. Endless thanks to chinkley for this gem of a gem.
2. STELLA IS COMING! The STELLA comedy trio of Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain will be in Boston on December 11 @ the Wilbur Theater and I will be there!!! (pending NINE rehearsals...). You may recognize them from WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, but they aresilly and hilarious, or at least I thought they were in high school..."jelly remover for photo albums, speaka english!"
3. Transgender children. A really interesting article in Atlantic...granted I will admit that I only read the first half b/c I am ADD and magazine articles are way too long. But that half was really interesting!
   
4. Growing Power. An amazing urban agricultural organization in my hometown, Milwaukee, WI, that was just recently awarded a MacArthur genius Grant for its work. I think urban agriculture is truly a wave of the future and creating a greener, healthier, more sustainable world. They have beehives, fish ponds, and a staff of over 30 people. So great!

Subheading: I get joy out of other people's pain.

Warning: some of these aren't funny...

1. Singer falls off table. This really shouldn't be funny. But she was so into her singing...and it's just an atrocious fall.
2. Grape Stomping Incident. Oy...this one sounds like a doozy...
3. So remember when Richard Gere was man of the year and everyone kept talking about the...gerbil incident? Well he released a quote the other day rehashing how ridiculous the whole thing was, and it got me thinking: is there really an underground network of people who get pleasure out of such encounters with rodents? So I obviously went to my first mode of research, the Google, and typed in "gerbil in ass." And this gem of a story was the first thing that came up. So, readers, if you are thinking of trying it, take this as a cautionary tale.

D A N C E
So I spend a lot of time watching dance classes on youtube. Here are some of my favorite choreographers. Seriously...some of this stuff is unbelievable. Who are these people in these classes?

1. BOBBY NEWBERRY and BLAKE MCGRATH. These dances are actually unbelievable. so fast! So hot! You may remember BLAKE from season 1 of SYTYCT. Crazy moves. Just keep watching them, they are all so good.
2. LUAM. An Ivy grad! Check other crazy bio too. There's hope for all of us stuck in boring things like pre-med but secretly want to go into the arts!

A R T / D E S I G N / F A S H I O N

1. Upgrade your kicks with these guides to better shoe-lacing.
2. Digital Painting. Check out the digital palette, which allows you to mix colors via LEDs. This seems like the best children's toy ever - no mess!
3. Tights are not pants. I'm with you rchainey.
4. Smart Martini Glass. Who the hell designed martini glasses? Why would anything that you fill with a substance which makes you LESS coordinated be so impossibly shallow and easy to spill? I just tried to research it on google but couldn't find any facts. Anyone know anything about these? Not a fan.
5. Highway Waterfall. Great piece of sustainable public art. Makes highway driving so much more interesting.

T H E A T E R

1. I have to be really gay for a minute and post about Liza returning to the Palace! Daughter reunites with mother's ghost! Though, question: at what age is it ok for theater ladies to just stop wearing pants? It seems to be a growing trend and, no, it is not alright. If leggings aren't pants, then tights CERTAINLY aren't. Finally, she has a dancer named Tiger Martino. That is all.
2. Following up on all things Lauren Graham, something i liked last week, I just found out from kkaufman that she just got cast as ADELAIDE in the Broadway revival of GUYS AND DOLLS!!! I take 1/3 credit for sending positive vibes out into the universe on her behalf. Marginally sad that Jane Krakowski doesn't get to reprise her roll, but cannot wait to welcome Lauren Graham to the new york stage. I actually know nothing about her acting, and have never heard her sing, but she doesn't sound terrible here at all. No Faith Prince, but c'mon it's Adelaide -she just needs to be cute.
3. Harvard grads Larry O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin interviewed by the Boston Globe. So friggin adorable.
4. The Onion lets us know that Everything THat's Ever Been Popular To Be Turned INto Broadway Musicals. Thanks slinden.

also...something Barry DOESN'T like: Harvard being obnoxious about Harvard-Yale. Seriously, guys. C the F down.