Will Twilight ever not be made fun of? Hopefully not. A few weeks ago, I shared the hilarious Bad Lip-Reading of Twilight, where we learned never to eat Edward's cake. I've just discovered Honest Trailers, so here is the Honest Trailer of Twilight, starring Vanilla & Shovel Face.
I love The Avengers Honest Trailer, as well. "Witness the excitement of Iron Man repairing a spaceship for 20 minutes."
STINGRAY PHOTOBOMB
Yes, you can see the handler behind this adorable Stingray. Does that make this photo any less awesome? No. Here's an excerpt from a letter one of the girls wrote to the Huffington Post after this photo went viral: This photo was taken five years ago in Cayman Island at Stingray
Island. We were on a cruise for spring break. The photographer
originally asked us to take a photo with the stingray in front of us,
which we did, but then afterward as a joke he put it on our backs
without us knowing! Our reactions are genuine, and the photographer
snapped the photo at the perfect time! We had no idea that the photo was
so brilliant until later when he showed us the proof. We immediately
bought it. From left to right are Sarah Bourland, Natalie Zaysoff,
Kendall Harlan.
And just because, here's one more animal photobomb, this time a sloth. *squeal*
21 YEARS
Cory McLeod's parents took a photo of his face every day, for 21 years. Watch a person grow in this fascinating time-lapse video.
WALL TENTACLES
My Sister-in-Law brought this to my attention last week, which I think was kind of cruel because why didn't she just order it for me? You can't just say "Hey Lisa, this would look cool next to your dragon head!", & leave it at that. It's only $3500! Take in its beauty:
Check out more of this artist's work at ArtAkimbo's Etsy shop (where there are also smaller versions for around $250 - I'm not suggesting everybody should pitch in, but that's kind of a great idea & I would like it in purple.).
HISTORY OF TV THEME SONGS
Jimmy Fallon recently had the cast of his new show (Guys with Kids) on, & they presented this ambitious medley of TV theme songs. Sadly missing is the Growing Pains theme song, but it is well done, & you can't help but smile.
So, show me that smile again (oooh, show me that smile).
Those were my favourite sweets of the past week. Come back next week for more goodies!
Back in the spring, I was up for a position as a Pop Culture Blogger for a national website. After several article submissions, I was shortlisted (yay!) & a new task was given: post a vlog of a movie review on Youtube (ack!). This terrified me.
While I have always loved the stage (come see me as Tzeitel in Fiddler on The Roof next month!), without a written script I can be awkward. Not quite as awkward as 12yr old me, but enough to be anxious in social situations without bourbon:
I'm a fast-talker: I stumble over words, having to repeat myself.
I'm a loud-talker: I don't even know how it happens, but I often find myself yelling about there being no bourbon (oops, I just woke your baby up).
I'm a hand-talker: I'm constantly knocking things over, so I need a 3'
buffer between myself & all glasses of wine (& also babies).
I'm a blusher: If I misspeak, I will know it, you will know it, we will all know it. I'll probably yell about it later & wake your babies so I can spill wine on them & embarrass myself some more.*
I am a disaster at parties where I am the DD, so posting a video of myself casually chatting was going to be a problem. Looking back, I should have just filled my coffee cup with Woodford Reserve instead of coffee & WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS EARLIER?
I really wanted this writing position, though,
so I jumped in with both feet. Choosing a movie to review was the easy part...it happened to be the opening weekend for a
movie I was already very excited about: The Cabin in the Woods, which was released on Blu-Ray & DVD today.
The vlog didn't have to be perfect, or professional - it was mostly to get a sense of the personality behind the writing. The last thing I
wanted to do was submit a bland webcam video, so I enlisted my son to help. Watching it now,
there are moments I regret cutting, & I really wish I had taken my
husband's advice & left one part in particular out. Ugh. I hadn't made a point of sharing this video with anyone, aside from family & close friends (& a "blink & you'll miss it" appearance in the first ever Confectionery) but here is the result (spoiler-free):
So, making that video was fun...putting it out there on YouTube? Not so much. YouTube is full of people who post videos of themselves rambling incoherently with piles of dirty laundry behind them in their messy bedrooms. I will never understand those people; I was stressed that the fireplace wasn't consistent. I had over 2 hours
of footage to edit into this 5 minute video. Perhaps I spend too much time trying to ensure that anything I post is up to my standards, but in my defense, I'd like to remind you that tweets are being archived by the Library of Congress, so...the internet is forever,
people!
I don't understand the Dirty Laundry YouTube People**, & I feel the same when it comes to writing. One blogger in particular irks me every time I see a post retweeted on Twitter. The issues I have aren't typos or little grammar mistakes (please don't go "Grammar Police" on me), or even the no-punctuation-writing that's become a style of its own these days - it's just awful writing. There is a lack of basic sentence structure that makes me question whether or not this person can read. How could anyone write
so poorly & present it to the public? And how in the world could anyone else think it was decent enough to be shared? Am I the only person who reads what I've written out loud before publishing?***
This video helped me make it to the Top 3 out of many candidates. While
I ultimately didn't get the position, I was pleased with the
response. Stepping outside of my comfort zone to do this vlog was scary, but I'm so glad I made & submitted it. My friend Allison Baggio once told me not to wait for a writing opportunity - just write, write, write. Well, she's a published author, so I listened to her, & she was right. If I hadn't started writing my Survivor recaps & various other blog posts, I wouldn't have had anything to show for this job application. I wouldn't have made it to the shortlist, let alone the Top 3. One of my ideas for that gig was a series where I would share
my favourite pop culture tidbits of the week. Once I realized that I
didn't have to give up on that idea just because I didn't get that job, The Confectionery
series was born. No, I don't have the readership they would have given
me, but I've kept writing & you've kept reading, & I thank you for
that.
Now please watch The Cabin in the Woods so we can talk/tweet about this incredible film, spoilers & all!
*Hmmm...I may also be an over-analyzer. I will look into it.
**Amazing band name. You're welcome.
***OK, I see it now. I will work on this for really reallz.
These are the things that I think are great. So great that I want to sing about them.
MOON WINS GOLD
A Reuters photographer, Luke MacGregor, captured this beautiful image of a full moon rising behind the Olympic rings on London's Tower Bridge. Perfect.
As many joked on the night this was taken, the moon may now be sued by the IOC.
CURIOSITY ROVER LANDS
Early this morning, the Seven Minutes of Terror took place, & ended successfully. Amazing. @NASA tweeted a photo of the Curiosity Rover's shadow in the Gale Crater, which is located ON MARS in case you forgot.
Whether you're a seasoned musician or a 4 month old, you will enjoy Jordan Rudess' latest app. The keyboardist for Dream Theater has co-created several apps - MorphWiz & SampleWiz have won several awards - & now Tachyon lets you create music with your fingertips, transforming the screen into a visual representation of the sound.
It's fun, cool, pretty, & if you're a musical genius like Rudess is, you could use it with another app, DrumJam, like this:
Could be the coolest musical instrument you can buy for $1.99. Get it here.
LEGO SERENITY
It's about time for a Firefly reference, right? Here's a 7 foot LEGO model of the ship that's still flying, The Serenity. Adrian Drake spent almost 2 years building this, beginning with The Serenity's blueprints for accuracy. Yes, they're available.
Yes, I recited the lines when I saw that last photo. Why don't you watch this classic Firefly scene so you can do the same?
To see more photos of the LEGO Serenity, go here. To see photos of the construction (with Adrian's commentary), go here.
Those were my favourite internet sweets of the past week. Come back next week for more goodies!
These are the things that I think are great. So great that I want to sing about them.
PLAY ME, I'M YOURS / ANDREW MITCHELL
Recently, 41 vibrant pianos appeared all over Toronto as part of the Play Me, I'm Yours event. An art installation encouraging the participation of the community, it is a kick-off to the 3 year countdown to the 2015 Pan Am Games, to be held in Toronto. The pianos were designed by artists from each of the participating countries; they are beautiful.
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Now, some people might simply appreciate the artistry of each design. Some may take a seat & play a little something if there's nobody around. Some might take the opportunity to share their talent & entertain. But that's not quite enough fun for my friend, Andrew. Andrew Mitchell played & sang Gavin DeGraw's "Not Over You" on 10 different pianos around the city, then edited the filmed performances together. In 2 minutes, visit Guatemala, Brazil, Suriname, Aruba, Cuba, Canada, The Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica & Honduras, courtesy of Andrew!
I roll with talented people, what can I say?
To learn more about Play Me, I'm Yours & if it's headed to your city next, go here. To see some great photos of the pianos featured in Toronto, go here. To learn more about Andrew Mitchell, I will tell you he's awesome, & the only
thing that could have made this video MORE awesome is if he had been
wearing his rebel/Che Guevara costume from a production we were both in. I suppose Che singing "Not Over You" at the Cuban piano would have been disturbing, so...good call on the casual look, Andrew.
SCARY SMASH
Written By a Kid is a new series by Geek & Sundry that transforms a story told by a child into a short film. It's live-action, animated, stop-motion, & FUN. I love this first installment, starring Joss Whedon as the leader of the "S.Q.U.A.T. Team". I'm sure the kid was thinking of S.W.A.T., but this is MUCH funnier. Hilarious & creative & bonus Kids In The Hall cast member & love love love.
Check out other videos (costumes, casting & a "making of") here.
MR. WIZARD'S A DICK
Watch this compilation of times Mr. Wizard is snarky towards the children on his show. It is amazing.
Ashley is my favourite.
"RUSH AS FOOD" MEAL
Matt Kantor is a Rush fan who happens to be a chef. Combining the 2, he recently prepared a 9 course meal inspired by Rush. From the National Post article by Mike Doherty:
"Kantor’s amuse-bouche was something of a (dry) ice-breaker: a white blob
plucked out of a cauldron of liquid nitrogen, to be consumed whole; the
freezing substance quickly dissolving into a film of lime-flavoured
meringue. The dish was named after the song Limelight, not only
because of its ingredients, but also because eating it was a
performance — everyone was eager to see the smoke coming out of their
fellow diners’ noses."
"The song Red Barchetta, about a joyride in the future when cars
have been outlawed, became a deconstructed red bruschetta where a
tomato, shiny like a polished racecar, seemed to have burned black-olive
rubber through a “dirt road” of breadcrumbs."
To read more details of this very creative meal, like the complex "La Villa Strangiato" dish, read the full article here.
THE MINI-GOLF OPEN
Improv Everywhere is a comedy troupe that began with a Ben Folds Fake prank that I had read about several years ago. They haven't stopped creating scenes since then - their website boasts of over 100 missions involving tens of thousands of people in on the joke, or "undercover agents". Their latest scene transformed a family miniature golf outing into a major sports event - complete with fake ESPN coverage, caddies, a gallery, & the actual Claret Cup, just hoisted by the winner of this weekend's British Open, Ernie Els. The commentary is hilarious: "Max, of course, sponsored by Star Wars", & I love that the champion is greeted by a fake family. Well done.
Watch more scenes created by Improv Everywhere here.
LABYRINTH ONESIE
I saw this shirt at thinkgeek about 9 months ago & immediately had to order it for my niece, who was yet to be born. Labyrinth was on a steady rotation when my brother & I were young, so his baby had to have this.
What power?
You're reading this blog, so I assume you get the reference, but I see no need to NOT post this awesome clip full of awesomeness so you can have yourself a dance party.
Clearly, I am the nerdiest of Lily's 2 Aunts, as her Aunt Lindsay writes a wonderful blog about normal adult things like home renovating. The onesie is also available as a women's shirt, & you can buy them both here. Look how cute it looks on Lily!
She's working on her Goblin King hair.
So far, I've resisted the urge to toss her 20 feet into the air & wait for a Muppet to catch her. So far.
Those were my favourite internet sweets of the past week. Come back next week for more goodies!
These are the things that I think are great. So great that I want to sing about them.
My favourite things of the week all come courtesy of Comic-Con. Every year it sounds amazing, & every year I wish I had gone. One day, I will get there. It is written.
Not just a mecca for hardcore comic book readers & gamers anymore, there is probably something at Comic-Con for everyone. If you don't care about The Hobbit (?!?!?), you might like to see a panel with creators & stars of The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, True Blood, Community, Twilight, or Kevin Smith. No? Maybe play the new Tomb Raider game? Check out the art of Tim Burton? LEGO? The Mattel display featuring Greyskull?
Who doesn't like Greyskull?
If all else fails, there's this:
Hundreds of thousands of fans descend on Comic-Con every year, & it's more mainstream than ever. The media still call Joss Whedon a "cult favourite"...yet he is behind the 3rd biggest movie of all time, co-wrote Toy Story, & has created shows with mass appeal. We are all embracing our nerdiness like never before, because really, everyone is nerdy about something they love, right? Whether comic books, film, TV, video games, music, food, sports, science, beer, architecture, the octopus, foreign policy...when you love something, you obsess over it. The thirst for more knowledge never goes away.
Comic-Con...I will forever want to be there, & here are a few examples of why it is such a shiny shindig. Before I get started, let's be honest - if you read my Confectionery blogs, you know of my love for Firefly. So I'll get most of the non-Firefly stuff out of the way first, because there's a lot of Firefly love here.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR.
It's hard to tell if this is Robert Downey Jr. appearing at Comic-Con for Iron Man 3, or Tony Stark appearing at a Stark Expo. Whichever guy this is, I WANT TO GO TO THERE.
Later, he crashes an Iron Man Costume Contest for kids. Super cool, super cute. Watch & imagine how star-struck all those hidden faces must be.
THE HOBBIT
The Hobbit panel previewed 12 minutes of The Hobbit to rave reviews, & also featured an adorable surprise guest, Elijah Wood. Watching this, I realize I am now in love with Richard Armitage's voice. At 12:13, just try to keep yourself from sighing.
Also, the first LEGO set based on the upcoming Hobbit movies was revealed at Comic-Con. Unlike the darker Helm's Deep, & Shelob Attacks sets under the Lord of the Rings title, this set features an adorable Bag End, with characters Gandalf, Dwalin, Bombur, Bofur, Balin & Bilbo.
You can see more photos here, including detailed shots of Middle-earth maps on the ground behind the hobbit hole.
THE WALKING DEAD ESCAPE
San Diego's Petco Park was transformed for Comic-Con into "a ballpark infested with zombies where you will climb, crawl, hide & slide your way to safety". To add to the realness, the zombie makeup was done by the creative team behind The Walking Dead. Check it out:
I am a huge fan of both the graphic novels & AMC series, & I can say without a doubt that I would never do this. I don't do haunted houses - I can't even handle anyone following me up the stairs. I'm confident that if I had attempted this obstacle course, someone would have found me curled up in a garbage can, sobbing, on the last day. You do not want me on your zombie apocalypse team, unless you plan to use me as bait. I can't argue with that logic.
ZACHARY LEVI'S NERD HQ
Zachary
Levi understands the power of fans. When his series Chuck was
threatened with cancellation in 2009, fans took it upon themselves to
not only write letters, but purchase sandwiches in a campaign for Subway
sponsorship. Watch this video of Zachary Levi leading Chuck fans in a
mass exodus to a Subway shop to save Chuck. It worked.
Last year, The Nerd Machine (a company founded by Zachary Levi) launched a separate event in San Diego at the same time Comic-Con was
on. The idea was to host small panels, Q&As, gaming events &
parties on a more intimate scale than Comic-Con. All proceeds go to Operation Smile, & last year $40,000 was raised. This year it was on track to make $100,000 (no figures have been released as of now). It is an amazing grass-roots event that this year had fans tweeting about being at a Nerd HQ dance party, sandwiched between Felicia Day & Joss Whedon. Panels included Dr. Who, Damon Lindelof, Twilight, Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Seth Green, & Zac himself. Of course, the one I will embed is the wonderful Joss Whedon panel.
All other panels can be viewed at break.com, & you can read great blogs about the Nerd HQ experience here.
JOSS WHEDON WAKES UP FANS
At 3am Friday morning, fans who were camped out overnight to get into the Firefly 10th Anniversary panel were awakened by Joss Whedon. Joss went down the line to see everyone who was there, taking photos & signing autographs for the people who love Firefly as much as he does. How can you not love this man?
You can read an in-depth blog by someone who was there here.
FIREFLY 10th ANNIVERSARY PANEL
If you've never seen Firefly, maybe you don't understand the big deal around this gathering for a 14 episode series that's been off the air for a decade. Firefly was treated poorly by FOX - episodes were aired out of order, timeslots were changed abruptly - & it was cancelled after 11 episodes had aired. The fans rallied & eventually Firefly was resurrected in the form of a movie, Serenity. Firefly & Serenity continue to have a massive fan base, & if you have yet to watch this phenomenal series, please do so.
The panel itself was both hilarious & touching, & at times deeply emotional. Much has been said about the love between the cast & crew of Firefly, & it is apparent that this is still true, 10 years later. Firefly meant a great deal to everyone. The Science Channel will be airing a TV special about this reunion on November 11th.
The entire panel is worth watching, but here are a few highlights:
At the 16:47 mark, Adam Baldwin explains the origins of the infamous Jayne hat, likening it to "a birthday cake in a wasteland".
At the 24:23 mark, watch the hilarious mugging of Nathan Fillion when Joss gets sidetracked before answering "Why was Nathan the perfect captain for the Serenity?", & then watch as he can't contain his emotions when Joss finally answers.
At the 43:10 mark, Nathan delivers a beautiful sentiment about the ending of the show.
At the 47:48 mark, Joss is overcome when asked "What do the fans mean to you?" Virtually everyone on the panel is in tears along with him as a standing ovation cheers him on. He finally ends with a touching tribute to the fans & damnit, I'm crying again.
If that's not enough Firefly Comic-Con coverage for you, the post-panel press conference is just as entertaining & moving. Here it is, split into 3 parts.
As Nathan said, "When Firefly died, I thought it was the worst thing that could possibly happen. And what I realize now, 10 years later, looking out onto this room, is that the worst thing that could have happened is if it had stayed dead. That it died, is ok."
And as Joss said, "Can everyone tweet that I said that? I don't want him to have the best."
Those were my favourite internet sweets of the past week. Come back next week for more goodies!
These are the things that I think are great. So great that I want to sing about them.
LEGO BREAKING BAD
A reddit user posted photos of the LEGO Breaking Bad meth lab that his friend, @BRADBRADBRAD made. It is wonderful. Here are a few of the photos:
Gus with the Los Pollos Hermanos chicken just kills me. Love it. You can check out the rest of the photos, including Walt Jr. not eating breakfast, here.
MARS LANDING = SEVEN MINUTES OF TERROR
This video details just how intense the upcoming Mars landing will be, & how it will be "Seven minutes of terror". Fascinating. There's a floating crane involved. A floating crane.
AVENGERS INTRO - FIREFLY STYLE
Exactly what it sounds like - a re-imagining of the Avengers intro, done in the style of Firefly, with that shiny theme song. I don't know how this makes perfect sense, but it does.
SOCKS WITH CAPES
I just want to hug the person that came up with these. They also come in Wonder Woman & Batman. Buy them here.
SARAH SLEAN VIDEO - THE DEVIL & THE DOVE
Somehow, images have been found that equal the beauty & haunting quality of Sarah Slean's song The Devil & The Dove. Filmed in Pouch Cove, Newfoundland, the video showcases the beautiful scenery & people of this town, which happens to be very close to where much of my family in Newfoundland resides. From the YouTube blurb: It was here, in a little shack by the sea
with a grand piano, a bed, a table, chair and kettle (little else),
Sarah completed composing the songs and four orchestral scores for this
incredible collection. "...one of the most inspiring places on Earth....
It's impossible to be distracted from the powerful presence of Life
itself here - the rugged land, the ever-changing weather, the
magnificent, powerful ocean...it's a place to ponder the vast expanse of
time before and beyond us, to ponder the wondrous marvel of being."
Just sit back & enjoy a true Canadian treasure.
CANADIAN EROTICA: FORBIDDEN PASSION, UNSPEAKABLE POLITENESS
Speaking of Canadiana, the wonderful Scott Feschuk has written a very Canadian response to the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon. Although I refuse to read this poorly written smut (I'll stick to quality porn, thanks), I am confident that this piece is better in every way. Here's an excerpt:
My inner goddess yearns to be touched by this tragic figure with the jaw of a lumberjack and the clothes also of a lumberjack. “Do you like my beaver?” “Sure, but it looks a little small next to the stuffed caribou,” I say.
There are also Leaf references, beer, & Timbits. Read the entire excerpt here.
YOUNG RYAN GOSLING DANCING
I will leave you with the video that made everyone smile this week. It also made me wish I was a Mormon in 1991, & was attending this talent show. I'm fairly certain I had the same silk shirt, only in gold & maroon. I'm just as cool as Ryan Gosling.
Those were my favourite internet sweets of the past week. Come back next week for more goodies!
These are the things that I think are great. So great that I want to sing about them.
NATHAN FILLION ON TWITTER
There are celebrities that never interact with their followers/fans, instead tweeting about appearances or upcoming movies or albums. This cannot be said of Nathan Fillion...in fact, I don't know if any celebrity has as much fun with twitter. If you're not following @NathanFillion (now best known as Castle, but in my heart forever as Firefly's Captain Mal), get on it. A day after Matthew Lewis, aka Neville Longbottom, tweeted a photo of himself & Nathan hanging out (a nerd girl dream if ever there was one), Nathan created a scavenger hunt of sorts for his London followers. He tweeted "Ok, London. I left you a treat. Tweet a pic when you find it.", accompanied by this photo:
An hour later, a fantastic Serenity keychain (signed by Nathan) was found by a guy with Firefly characters painted on his headphones. Does anything make me more happy? Not right now.
Those are ridiculously amazing, & apparently made by @Bobsmade. WELL DONE.
Later that day, Nathan hid a Dr. Horrible item, & when the first follower to reach that spot found nothing, Nathan tweeted: "Some heathen must have grabbed it. Tell you what. I’ll leave a package where only you can get it. Tomorrow good?" The guy goes above & beyond awesome, & I'd just like to point out that he is Canadian & should probably be our King.
Celebrate his awesomeness with a scene/song from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, just because.
YELLOW SERENITY T-SHIRT
This new "want" of mine is a mashup of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine art & Serenity (captained by one Captain Mal, of course). It is glorious - although I suggest getting it in brown, because duh. You can buy it here.
BATH SALT PUPPIES
The face-eating zombie puppies are coming. And you won't run away because they're too damn cute.
LEGO HAUNTED HOUSE
For the first time ever, LEGO has created a haunted house, & it is gorgeous. Their new Monster Fighters line currently has a Ghost Train, a Vampire Castle & a Mad Scientist's Lab, but coming in September is this thing of beauty:
Yes, please.
THE A.V. CLUB'S R.E.M. PILGRIMAGE
As an enormous R.E.M. fan, it was lovely to see this video of a trip to Athens, Georgia, the birthplace of R.E.M. Many sites that are integral to the history of R.E.M. are featured, among them:
Weaver D's, the restaurant with a familiar slogan.
The kudzu patch from the cover of their debut album, Murmur.
The trestle from the back of that album.
The video can be seen here, & it is a must for any fan of music history.
CONAN O'BRIEN + KIDS = THE BLUES
There isn't much that needs to be said about this. It is hilarious, & I am in love with Nathaniel - & just this once, I don't mean Fillion.
Those were my favourite internet sweets of the past week. Come back next week for more goodies!
