In the most recent Presidential debate, Mitt Romney proclaimed "We took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds
that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. I went to a
number of women's groups and said: ‘Can you help us find folks,’ and
they brought us whole binders full of women.” Who could have known that the internet would have exploded as it did? I give you the very best Binders of Women memes.
COMMUNITY
The 4th season of Community was set to premiere on October 19. NBC decided to push it back, & the show released this video to help upset viewers understand. NBC Britta'd it.
MY LITTLE PONY MEETS STAR WARS
Artist Sheena Henderson has transformed My Little Pony figures into characters from Star Wars, & they are fantastic.
They are available at her etsy shop, & she also takes commissions, so I'm not too concerned about the lack of an Admiral Ackbar (he would make an awesome My Little Pony, wouldn't he?). The detail is impressive, & while Slave Leia is my favourite, the Lando Calrissian really makes me giggle.
THE GREATEST EVENT IN TELEVISION HISTORY
Adult Swim had been promoting this "event" for awhile...all that was known was that it starred Jon Hamm & Adam Scott, & it was being hailed as The Greatest Event In Television History. A friend sent me the video, which turned out to be a behind-the-scenes special on the shot-by-shot recreation of the opening of Simon & Simon, which ran from 1981-1989. Hosted by Jeff Probst, & featuring many cameos, it is a hilarious mockumentary on this ridiculous project that turned out amazingly well. You can watch the 15 minute special at adultswim.com, but only if you login through your service provider (unavailable in Canada). It's no longer available on YouTube (although there are poor quality recordings of the special as it aired on TV), but here's a side-by-side comparison of the original Simon & Simon opening, & the Hamm/Scott recreation. If the full video ever shows up again, this post will be updated to include its awesomeness.
*UPDATE: It's available again! The video is below the side-by-side.
THE SADNESS OF PAIN AU CHOCOLAT
...but...but...you're bread with chocolate! Why are you so sad? :(
E.T. AUDITION
The audition Henry Thomas gave for the part of Elliott has recently shown up all over the place. And now I'm crying & have to watch E.T. again.
Those were my favourite sweets of the past week. Come back next week for more goodies!
Jade Thompson had these made for her boyfriend & now I kind of wish I was her boyfriend. Everything about these is wonderful. The business card (is that pale nimbus white?), the videotape, the book, the weapons & HOLY BATEMAN, the "Don't just stare at it, eat it" quote. Perfection.
Those are very fine cupcakes you're not eating.
BREAKING WARS/STARS BAD
I love Breaking Bad, & I love Star Wars. Over at Something Awful, they host a Photoshop Phriday, where their users take on a particular theme. This week it was Breaking Bad meets Star Wars, & some of these are genius.
You can view the whole gallery of images here, but beware of Breaking Bad spoilers!
BAD LIP READING OF TWILIGHT
Think Twilight is bloody awful, but can't get away from it? A bad lip reading of Twilight makes it much more palatable. Such a vast improvement on the dialogue - how dare she eat his cake! Hilarious.
Kevvvvvvin.
PLANTS VS ZOMBIES TOYS
Toys "R" Us stores now have based-on-an-app sections, featuring toys from Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Annoying Orange, & Where's My Water. But where are the beloved zombies & plant warriors from the always fun Plants Vs Zombies? Popcap has finally created a line of toys & they. are. adorable.
Available for pre-order now, along with Sunflower, Squash & Jalapeno here.
Way to ignore my brain & head straight for my heart, Disco Zombie! I want all of them. They will go lovely with my "Plants vs Zombies"-themed kitchen, don't you think?
FACE JUGGLER
This is an app you need to have. Face Juggler immediately identifies & swaps the faces in a picture, with amusing results. The free version lets you swap 2 faces, & the $1.99 version will let you swap up to 10 faces in 1 photo. It is entertaining.
These are the things that I think are great. So great that I want to sing about them.
BREAKING BAD ART
I could waste hours on etsy. Not being a very crafty person means that crafty people amaze me. Sometimes I just click & click, letting the site lead me where it will. The other day, I searched for Breaking Bad items, & I love what I found.
This is a guy who is passionate about his food. The original YouTube review is pretty amazing, but this songified version makes me laugh, dance AND sing along. I've watched it at least 5 times. Dayum, Dayum, DAYUM!
STEPHEN WILTSHIRE
When I first saw this, it was being shared with the added statement "Can't be real". It's not that hard to do a little research before speaking, people. Stephen Wiltshire is an autistic artist with a passion for architecture.
Aerial of Toronto
Even more amazing is that he is considered a savant in 2 areas (visual art & music), which is something only recorded once before. His story is fascinating - read more & buy his prints & books at his official site.
GUY THINKS HIS SISTER IS HOT
I didn't want to watch this, but after 3 people sent it to me directly, I broke down. So trust me, & watch it - it's not what you think. Or maybe it is...
Now watch it again.
COMEDIANS IN CARS GETTING COFFEE
I've just discovered this new series by Jerry Seinfeld, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee". Even though I had seen his tweets about it, I never really got it. Which makes me dumb, because it is as literal as a title can be. It took a tweet from Elijah Wood, calling the series "inspired", & then I had to watch it. (I don't know what it is, but Elijah Wood seems very trustworthy to me. The hours I have spent watching the Lord of the Rings special features have taught me much about movie magic, but also that Elijah Wood is incredibly articulate, well-informed, & a cool guy. I'll believe anything he tells me.)
Make yourself a coffee & watch the 4 short episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee here. The latest episode with Alec Baldwin is fantastic, but I am partial to the Larry David one, because Larry David. Enjoy the promo for the show which features AN AUTHENTIC SPIT-TAKE.
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!
"His
image is uniquely his. He doesn't look like anyone else, he doesn't
behave like anyone else, he doesn't dance like anyone else, he doesn't
sing like anyone else. ...His incredible softness as a real person is something that is a constant source of joy for me."
-Mario Batali on Michael Stipe
"The thing about Mario is that he has such enthusiasm for everything, & I'm really a very, very happy person, & I'm always the glass half-full guy. I'm like a 6 year old, & Mario is like a 6 year old. And so that enthusiasm for life & that ability to see beyond the things that are really bad or wrong, & find something good, is really what draws me to him as a friend...as a very dear friend."
-Michael Stipe on Mario Batali
I don't know why this friendship seems so unlikely - maybe their starkly opposite appearances, maybe the different paths in life both have taken - but it makes me smile. I learned about this friendship in a very round-about way.
You can get there from here.
I've written of my love for R.E.M. before, specifically my reaction to their breakup. I recently devoured this fantastic R.E.M. magazine by the makers of Uncut, a publication from the UK. My husband gave it to me on my birthday, & I looked forward to reading a retrospective of R.E.M. Having read countless R.E.M. books & interviews, I certainly didn't expect to learn anything new from it, but there are a lot of new (to me) tidbits here. For instance, I did not know that the "yeah"s in "Man on the Moon" were a cheeky attempt to surpass the number of "yeah"s in Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", did you? This 148 page magazine delivers an incredibly in-depth look at the 30 year career of one of my favourite bands, with essays on every album, rare photos, & UK interviews I have never seen before.
It's hard to remember pop culture media before the internet was in every home. No Google search for instant gratification; I had to buy Rolling Stone & SPIN to read interviews. No YouTube to find Much Music or MTV appearances; I recorded them on VHS tapes & watched them back with fuzzy audio & blurry lines. That's if I happened to catch it when it was on TV, with no tweets to announce upcoming appearances, tour dates or magazine covers. I had to physically check the stores, looking for Stipe on the covers. Hard times, indeed. I still have a binder full of these well-read articles, complete with reinforcements for the punched holes. The only UK magazine I had access to was a Q magazine with a cover proclaiming R.E.M. the "best act in the world today", & I only have that because I bought it in London.
I took a souvenir.
One of the interviews in the Uncut R.E.M. magazine is from a 1993 issue of Melody Maker. Mat Smith's article begins backstage at the MTV Awards where R.E.M. is about to play for the first time in 9 months. Here is an excerpt from the article, as R.E.M. takes the stage with "Everybody Hurts":
"[Stipe] emphasises the 'Oh, hang on' as if it means so much to him, a cry for a lover not to slip away, a suicide to think again. A plea for contact when only loneliness and death stare back, haunted and inevitable. I've never felt such a sense of love and sheer, focused care coming from a rock singer.
As the song builds, within it, a latent, controlled turmoil threatens to bubble over. All of a sudden, Stipe signals a halt with one hand. The stiff upper lip is resumed, the song fades, the click track halts, but the sentiments stirred survive in all those present. Then, a movement to the right, a garbled jangle of electric chaos and we're into some kind of pile-driving, sure-footed funk that James Brown would shoot his wife for. Then the realisation dawns, this is the funk version of "Drive" that Buck was talking about earlier.
Stipe is suddenly enlivened, exhumed, like a mania has descended on him. He can't keep still, arms aloft like some cheap '70s go-go dancer. The transition is absolute. From sheer desperation to sheer control. ...If you could bottle the grin Peter sneaked [Stipe] at one point, you'd be a millionaire overnight. All of them are beaming. My heart is about to burst."
I don't know about you, but as soon as I read that, I had to watch that performance again. I know I have it taped on a VHS labelled Videos #3 or something, but I don't have to live like a heathen in the early 90s anymore. The transition to "Drive" begins around the 5:17 mark, & it is seamless.
I'm sure you know what happened next; I became sucked into hours of R.E.M. YouTube videos. Eventually, I happened upon a documentary on Michael Stipe that I didn't even know existed. Filmed in 2005, Stipe is featured alongside chef Mario Batali for The Sundance Channel's Iconoclast series. It is well worth a watch - Michael Stipe eating dinner is more captivating than most things on YouTube. And that's ignoring the fact that Stipe will always be my #1 celebrity crush (as if you could ever ignore his perfect combo of sweet + sexy, calm + passion, intellect + dry humour, but I digress). When asked what viewers would find fascinating about him, Stipe says "Maybe that I'm pretty normal" & he is absolutely correct. Stipe eating dinner, going to the market on a moped, preparing a meal, shopping for gifts, going to a concert as a fan...it's like seeing your 3rd grade teacher at the mall for the first time.
The documentary also reveals that blue is totally Michael's colour. Enjoy.
"The
friendship that Mario & I have is pretty particular & pretty
great, & the thing that nobody's really figured out is that it's
really because he loves music so much, & I love food so much, &
it's just as simple as that."
