No sex is good sex?

I've always been a big fan of the Dalai Lama. I saw him speak a few years ago to a crowd of thousands in DC. He spoke about the joy of understanding religion as medicine -- each ailment has its own cure, and some folks don't need as much as others. The message sat well with me and made sense. He seemed like a very wise religious leader and I felt thankful to have heard his words.

But he's gone and gotten himself knocked down a peg on the old wisdom meter with this most recent statement. Apparently, according to his holiness the Lama, sex is for losers and celibacy is where it's at. The spiritual leader recently told a group of reporters that bumping uglies leads to "fleeting satisfaction and trouble later."

I want to get behind this message, like I have before, but I've got just one eensy little problem. Ain't this guy pretty definitively celibate? I mean, if he's followed his path strictly, he shouldn't have ever gotten down with the nasty. So really, with all due respect, how can he be an authority on this issue? Sure sure sure, he has lots of FRIENDS who've done it. He's heard stories about the anguish of love gone wrong, but really, he's no better suited to be doling out MY lovelife advice than the 14 year old down the block who knows a guy who knows a guy who did it with this older girl and it went bad so he's gonna wait.

Seriously Dalai. What's your plan here? We stop procreating? You're not even telling kids to wait til marriage like the fundamentalists do. You're actually claiming we just shouldn't do it at all! That's absurd. What are we supposed to do about the future of our culture? Or maybe that's your plan... I oughta think about this one more.

Don't get all shaker on my ass dude. Just go back to telling me I can be ecumenical. I liked you way better back then.

Priorities?

There were a lot of big sales the day after Thanksgiving. Stores opened super early for Black Friday, customers lined up hours beforehand to get inside first, the usual. But at one Wal-Mart, an employee was actually trampled and killed when customers pushed their way into the store.

"Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers
stepped over him and became irate when officials said the store was closing
because of the death, police and witnesses said."

I get it. You want to get the plasma TV for an obscenely low price. In this economy, you've got to be a savvy shopper. But are you seriously going to run over a person on your way to low prices? Basically, you're going to walk away thinking, "Did I kill that guy?"

Or maybe not. From the article, it sounds like the people who were doing the trampling didn't care so much that someone had died:

"When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people
were yelling `I've been on line since yesterday morning,'" she said. "They kept
shopping."

We all love special deals, but you killed someone. Get a little perspective, please.

License and Registration?

It starts out normal enough. But since it's from failblog, you know things are going to go wrong.





It's so much worse than I thought.

A Friendship That Defies Time

Forget the translation/subtitles. Just watch the video





Oh. My. God.

Make My Apartment Feel Ordinary

I love art made from/with everyday objects. So Magdalena Bors's work kind of blows my mind.

"The young photographer depicts strange and surreal scenes in her work. One of her on going series shows a variety of household scenes which have been transformed into landscapes. Bors uses common objects to build the elaborate landscapes, photographing them with a human partly visible in the background."

Some favorites:




I wish I lived in her house!

Game, Set, Match

Apparently this is actually footage of Bruce Lee superimposed on a table tennis game, but it still looks pretty freakin' awesome.

X-Men is For Real

Maybe there really will be a next evolutionary step towards superpowers. Natasha Demkina has X-ray vision. How crazy awesome is that? Apparently she's always been fairly advanced, but when she had to get her appendix out, she mentioned that she could see the things inside her. And then:

"At the children’s hospital in her hometown of Saransk, Western Russia, doctors ran a battery of tests to find out if the little girl really did have x-ray vision. In one case Natasha drew a picture of what she saw inside a doctor’s stomach, marking a dark spot exactly where he had an ulcer. She also disagreed with the diagnosis of a cancer patient, saying all she could see was a small cyst. Further tests on the woman proved that Natasha was correct."

Not only does she have a superpower, but she can also help people. Of course: "Natasha often has headaches after these sessions and finds it emotionally exhausting because of the illnesses she diagnoses." So Natasha will have to take it easy. And hopefully the public won't hound her too much.

I'm waiting for my superpower to kick in. With my luck, I'd be able to talk to squirrels or make myself into a teacup.

Sometimes I Say Inappropriate Things, Too

And she's a redhead! She's like my secret twin!

Monday Morning cuteness

Scottish Folds are the cutest little things on the planet.



Meanwhile, everyone enjoy the short week!!!

Book Snob

Last March there was an NY Times article about how people judge other people based on their choice of reading material. I'm totally one of those people. Any time I see somebody with a Harry Potter book or--better yet--some classic YA choice, I want to befriend them or even snuggle up to them while they read on the train. You have The Da Vinci Code listed first on your favorite books list on facebook, and I think you're kind of a tool.

But now one of my classes requires me to read Eat, Pray, Love, a big NY Times Bestseller. And the best time to get some reading in is during the commute to work.

I'm such a tool for feeling like a tool by carrying this around.

Book review to come later?

The Joke's on Us

The Academy likes to award certain kinds of movies that big Best Picture Oscar--sweeping epics, character-driven dramas, biopics, things based on a famous book, etc. But what about the comedies? Just because something makes you laugh and potentially isn't about major life-threatening issues doesn't mean it's not a good, quality movie worthy of recognition.

The linked article above talks about the timing it takes for a good comedy, and how choreographed things are. Usually, actors don't just show up on set and make with the funny. It's a whole process, and filmmakers should be rewarded for their work, which is just as important as any work done on No Country for Old Men or The Departed.

Certainly, there have been some solid comedic nominations in the last few years: Juno and Little Miss Sunshine, to name a couple. But I don't think anyone assumed those would be the night's big winners. Does the Academy feel silly to recognize a good comedic work? And what about animated films? So far, Beauty and the Beast is the only one to get a Best Picture nod. I love Beauty and the Beast like crazy, but Pixar has shuffled in a new generation of animated film. What's going to happen to Wall-E? (Can the real Wall-E present an award? Seriously?)

I'm really curious about all this for this year's Oscars, since I can think of several great action films or comedies, but not as many stand-out, traditional Oscar films. (If you have favorites so far, post them in the comments.)

I can understand how it would be hard to pit a drama against a comedy. How do you compare such different movies? But shouldn't a good film be recognized no matter what kind of film it is?

The article mentioned the possibility of starting a new category for musicals/comedies. I don't think that's the issue at all. Then films will get relegated to their separate categories and never have to meet. Let the Golden Globes do that. I think the Academy should just realize that sometimes a good comedy is good enough to be a big winner. After all, they used to do that all the time. It Happened One Night was the first winner of all major awards--acting, directing, picture--and that's really a romantic comedy. You Can't Take It With You is adorably Capra. Annie Hall dealt with the bigger issue of an impossible relationship, but overall it's still a comedy. Really, aside from Annie Hall, the comedy has been shuffled out of the Best Picture category since the late 60's.

I think it's time for the Academy to take a closer look at its process, especially since viewership has hit an all-time low. People aren't tuning into the Oscars because their favorite movies aren't contenders. I loved No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, but was I desperate to see who would win? Not so much. But if The Dark Knight gets nominated, you can bet I'll watch just to see how things all play out. (It's not a comedy, but I place action films in the same position.)

In Case You Get Bored on the Stairs

I wish my stairs looked like this.

I Use to Hate This Dance

But now I kind of love the YMCA. Well played, gentlemen.

Was It Good For You?

There are some awards writers salivate over: the Pulitzer; the National Book Award; the Booker; the Nobel Prize in Literature; the Newbery; the Printz. When we're not practicing our Oscar acceptance speech (because seriously, who doesn't do that?), we're trying to emulate Faulkner's Nobel speech.

I wonder what kind of speech the winner of the Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award will give.

This year, they've got some gems. An example from Alastair Campbell's novel All in the Mind:

"He wasn't sure where his penis was in relation to where he wanted it to be, but when her hand curled around it once more, and she pulled him towards her, it felt right...Then as her hand joined the other on his neck and she started making more purring noises, now with little squeals punctuating them, he was pretty sure he was losing his virginity."

It's like 'Oops, where's my penis?' Also, if he doesn't really know what's going on, how is it that she's having a good time with this? Somebody's a Sally Albright.

Granted, sex writing is really difficult. It either sounds silly or overly dramatic or awkward or gross or a combination of the above. So it's hard to call writers out as bad just because their sex scenes didn't really work. But I'm glad we do call them out because, hey, it's hilarious.

The rest of the shortlist:

James Buchan for The Gate of Air
Simon Montefiore for Sashenka
John Updike for The Widows of Eastwick
Kathy Lette for To Love, Honour and Betray
Alastair Campbell for All in the Mind
Rachel Johnson for Shire Hell
Isabel Fonseca for Attachment
Ann Allestree for Triptych of a Young Wolf
Russell Banks for The Reserve
Paulo Coelho for Brida

Hugely Upset

First they go and kill Samantha. Then it's Pushing Daisies.

This is not a good time for things I like.

David Cross says it best (albeit in reference to Arrested Development, another amazing, killed-before-its-time show)(and at least Arrested Development got three seasons; with the writers strike, Pushing Daisies basically got one):

They Forgot "Your Children Will Be Gay, Too"

Polar bears know gay marriage can't hurt them.

Gotta Love Those Pheromones

With the economy the way it is, magazine editors have to go that extra mile to get people to pick up their magazines at the stands. For their "Sexiest Man" issue, People Magazine decided that featuring Hugh Jackman wasn't enough. I can just imagine how this discussion went over at the People Magazine office.

Editor #1: We need to think of something that'll really grab readers. They can find pictures of Hugh Jackman online for free. Why buy our issue?
Editor #2: Could we include a sample of his favorite dessert?
Editor #1: I like the idea, but it's too expensive. Plus it might go bad. What else?
Editor #3: What if people could smell him? Right in the comfort of their own homes?
Editor #1: Scratch-and-sniff! I love it!
Editor #2: I sniffed Hugh Jackman once. Then I got tackled by his bodyguard.

Yes, it's the scratch-and-sniff issue. Because people don't just need to know about Hugh Jackman's upcoming movie, or his family life. They need to know how he smells before the deodorant.

Okay, it's not really Hugh Jackman's smell. Apparently all the sexy men got to pick "the fragrance that makes them feel their sexiest." But I prefer to think People Magazine asked for skin samples first and then agreed for the "favorite smell" instead.

As my friend Maria said, "Christmas came early for stalkers this year."

Block City

What are you able to build with your blocks?
Castles and palaces, temples and docks.
Rain may keep raining, and others go roam,
But I can be happy and building at home.

Let the sofa be mountains, the carpet be sea,
There I'll establish a city for me:
A kirk and a mill and a palace beside,
And a harbour as well where my vessels may ride.

Great is the palace with pillar and wall,
A sort of a tower on the top of it all,
And steps coming down in an orderly way
To where my toy vessels lie safe in the bay.

This one is sailing and that one is moored:
Hark to the song of the sailors aboard!
And see, on the steps of my palace, the kings
Coming and going with presents and things!

Yet as I saw it, I see it again,
The kirk and the palace, the ships and the men,
And as long as I live and where'er I may be,
I'll always remember my town by the sea.

By Robert Louis Stevenson.

If the Goblin King Were Your Dad...

Sometimes he wouldn't be happy with you. Like when you wouldn't steal babies. But maybe you get over it by singing "Dance magic, dance!"

French Kids Freak Out

Children at a puppet show in 1963, via Life Magazine, the moment the dragon puppet is slain.

I love the faces!!!

My Kind of Sport

Anyone?

Obama turning children into terrorists...

... with the terrorist fist bump.

If You Have Any Group Projects Today

Sometimes I don't play well with others.

Much thanks to Renee for creating this one!!!

Sexy as a Wolverine

Hugh Jackman has been named as this year's People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive.

In other news, people like cupcakes.

(A man that can sing, dance, and act? He's such a throwback to old movie stars and I love him for it. Plus he can also play Wolverine and a scary-ass magician.)

Say Cheese!

I like headshots. They make everyone look so attractive. If they weren't so expensive, I'd get some just so I could break them out for friends and guests and say, "See, sometimes I look really put together and pretty!" But sometimes the actors don't just let a photographer take a pretty picture of him/her. Sometimes actors like to get a little creative with their headshots.

A couple of highlights:

"Kitten actually states on her resume that she ‘privately and commercially will ONLY wear pink.’ And that doesn’t just apply to her clothes"

"His resume reveals that he actually sees himself as a Dracula figure and “a bit of a Johnny Deep.”"

Photojournalism

These are kind of amazing: 10 "Last Pictures" of people, from Princess Diana to Abraham Lincoln to a couple killed in the 2004 tsunami. A really moving collection.

My favorites:

"Photojournalist Bill Biggart was covering the events of September 11th and was Tragically killed as the second tower of the World Trade Center came down. Four days later Biggart’s body was recovered from the rubble and his personal effects, including his cameras were given to his wife...His friend turned his attention to the digital camera that was covered by ash. The lens had been sheared off but when he opened the chamber that held the flash card he discovered it was in pristine condition. The card contained 150 pictures including the last picture taken shown above which is time stamped 10:28 am and 24 seconds. The time was 10:30am when the second tower came down."

Make sure to read the rest. I don't want to spoil it, but it's such an interesting, tragic story.

"Einstein’s brain was removed within seconds of his death (without the permission of his family) in hope that future neuroscience would be able to discover what made Einstein so intelligent. Recent scientific studies have suggested that regions involved in speech and language are smaller, while regions involved with numerical and spatial processing are larger."

This makes me want to read Michael Paterniti's Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America With Einstein's Brain.

Do I Have to Go to Work Today?

Can't I just stay home and bake things instead?

It's days like these when I think Donna Stone had the right idea.

Vegetarians For the Win

An interesting article about the state of food in the world today, and now we can't sustain ourselves the way we produce/distribute food now. Problems regarding food distribution and production include:

• Surging oil costs have made it more expensive to harvest, fertilize, store and deliver food.

• The rise in droughts and hurricanes worldwide has wiped out crops and made farming more difficult.

• The world is running out of the raw materials -- water, oil, good farmland -- needed to keep the food system intact.

"A lot of people have begun to understand at various levels that the food system, as it is, can't go on," says Paul Roberts, author of "The End of Food."

It's kind of scary, because I can't imagine the average person doing anything to change their eating habits until it's too late. Also, I can't imagine large corporations redistributing their food product, when they know wealthier countries will pay more for it. As Roberts says:

"It's going to have to be profitable or the market won't be interested in it. And if the market isn't interested in it, it's not going to happen."

I wonder what that would take.

Suck It

The Twilight series is pretty silly. But the actors in the upcoming movie aren't:

"The connection that I am an actor playing this character is sort of skipped,' [Robert Pattinson] said, laughing during an interview before the throng was admitted to the Hot Topic store here. 'They are in denial. They think I am Edward Cullen.'"

I like that he's a little creeped out by the Twilight fans. Such as:

"Alena Marsh, 19, from Lancaster, Pa., managed to show Mr. Pattinson a tattoo above her ear of a small apple and the word “lamb,” which is Edward’s nickname for Bella. Afterward she leaned on a kiosk outside the store, tears streaming down her face as other fans rushed to her. 'He was this close,” she said as they squealed. “Close enough to bite my neck.' OMG."

A little different from when Leonardo DiCaprio held Kate Winslet at the front of the Titanic. (I'll admit it, I swooned.) I don't think anyone expected Jack to bite Rose and suck her into the underworld. Although that might have made it a really unexpected ending.

There's too much craziness associated with this movie. I kind of have to go now. Any partners?

Welcome to Svalbard

Polar bears are resorting to cannibalism! Scary!





What would Iorek Byrnison think?

Monday Is For Cutes

This time, the penguins are getting in on it. You think one baby penguin is enough? How about a baby penguin whose best friend is a stuffed animal penguin--that he loves to cuddle!

Seriously, I might die of cute. Of course, it all starts sad. Pingu the penguin's sibling was stealing all his food. (Dysfunctional families--can't even get away from them in the animal kingdom.) So zookeepers had to move him, but he was lonely.

"Staff bought a £3.99 toy penguin from the zoo shop which acts as a surrogate sibling to the chuffed chick - who cuddles up to its new friend all day...

The youngster will return to the colony when it is strong enough to compete with the others for food.

As well as a stuffed penguin Pingu also cuddles up to a toy puffin."

That must have been the happiest day at the zoo. I can't wait for penguin zoo birthdays!

I'm Lukewarm About It

I love when words get added to the dictionary. It's the evolution of language in real time! Now "meh" gets its day. HarperCollins is adding meh to its Collins English Dictionary 30th Anniversary Edition. People are as excited as they can possibly be about such an ambivalent word:

"This is a new interjection from the U.S. that seems to have inveigled its way into common speech over here. Internet forums and e-mail are playing a big part in formalizing the spellings of vocal interjections like these. A couple of other examples would be 'hmm' and 'heh.'"

I think "heh" doesn't stand a chance against "meh." Meh is sweeping the nation! All the kids are saying it!

New Scrabble word?

Hell Yeah!

Grammarians rejoice! Finally, a WIN.

The Most Awkward Interview Ever

If someone brought up Jean-Claude Van Damme in conversation, I'd have asked, "Alive or dead?" Or maybe "Is he in jail?" Or even "What's he up to?" Apparently what he's up to is a new movie. About himself. If that sounds like a great beginning to a self-centered, creepy ass interview, just wait until you read the rest.

Van Damme: By doing this I'm giving a structure of life, a path of light, and showing what happens between me and me, which is something very beautiful.

Interviewer: Beautiful? Why?

Van Damme: I really opened myself up in "JCVD." I peeled back the skin of the fruit, cut the pulp and then took that very hard seed. In this film I cut that hard seed, and inside that seed was a kind of liquid cream substance of the man I am, or the woman you are.

Interviewer: Okay--

Van Damme: It was like being naked—I would love to be naked in front of you.

And it just gets better from there. Scary, scary man.

Vampires Don't Sparkle

Twilight's a phenomenon. The movie's coming out soon and preteen girls are going to bleed from the ears with excitement. (It's been a good season for preteens, what with High School Musical 3 and Twilight being released within a month of each other.) You're intrigued, you say. You've seen the trailers and thought, "So...he's a vampire? That kid from that Harry Potter movie? But what's it really about?" And my previous review didn't do it for you? Check out these comics instead to get a sense of whether or not this movie's for you:



Hysterical. And so true!

I Wish I Could Go Back to College

As a recent college grad, I miss the days on grounds. (Okay, it's been a few years...but it still feels like orientation was yesterday!) I miss sleeping in because class didn't start until 11; I miss how costume parties were a regular part of my social schedule; I even miss the kids handing out fliers, saying "Come to our a cappella concert/bar night/philanthropy event!" But with internet short sensation Dorm Life, I get to go back for about five minutes at a time.

The first season left off at the end of first semester, when the hallmates were unlucky in love--all the guys were left dejected in some way. But hopefully soon we'll get to see the rest of the school year. The hall is back and ready for even more craziness. In the interview linked above, show creators Jessie Gaskell, Jim Brandon, and Brian Singelton discuss what's coming:

"The second season is the story of second semester. Our floor comes back from Christmas break after spending some time at home ready to tie up the lose ends from last semester. All the questions we left the end of Season 1 will be addressed- Did Mike blow it forever with Brittany? We know Abby is engaged but is she totally out of the picture? With Shane on academic probation, will his partying lifestyle have to be put on hold so he can get his act together? How will Danny B get out of the friend zone with his Mystery Hot Girl? Do Steph and Marshall get married? We find out in second semester! This season also features several new characters who have been lurking in the background of Season 1."

I'm so excited! I hope that Mike and Brittany have a little more trouble before they get together--perhaps a Karen (from The Office) figure to shake things up? Will Mystery Hot Girl realize that Danny B would make the most adorable college boyfriend? (I hope he gets to sexile Gopher and Shane.) Will Abby ever say more than "I'm engaged?" Will Courtney freak the hell out again? (She's AMAZING.)

In the interview they say they hoped season to be to back in November. So far, that's not the case. But I know I'll be checking the website regularly. Rest assured I'll pass on any updates here.

Monday morning cuteness

In this edition of Monday morning cuteness, we meet Ziggy the puppy. He's cute. He bounces around. His owner shot him bouncing around and set it to a lovely little tune by Ratatat (that has been stuck in my head nonstop for almost a week). I could get picky about the editing if I wanted to, but I don't this morning.

I just want to appreciate Ziggy, and share him with you.

Oh My God

I'm both really disturbed and really jealous. And I'd probably laugh like crazy if this Adult Big-Wheeler rode by.

But it did lead me to find that the Big Wheel (for kids) is still around. That warms my heart.

Bounce That

Because I'm going to see Girl Talk tonight, here's a little rotoscoping hotness for ya.

New Potter trailer.

I'm still pretty upset that this movie was originally supposed to be opening this Friday, but instead we have to wait six months because of stupid greedy movie execs. Curse them. Meanwhile, at least there's a new trailer. This one reminds you that the kids are growing up and developing crushes, and since most of the kids are over 18 now, it's no longer inappropriate to develop crushes on them too!

Yay for that. Enjoy.

It's a Six-Month-Long Battle

If you put on your winter coat before December, it means winter has won. And you might as well just give up now.

I refuse to yield! It's me and the fleece until absolutely necessary.

The Shallowest Generation

Usually it's the Baby Boomer generation complaining about the hipster generation, claiming we're lazy, selfish, and disloyal to companies. And the Boomers claim they were active in the social change that we only claim to be into. But now James Quinn, a senior director of strategic planning at the Wharton School, takes on the Baby Boomers. Specifically, how overspending and bad banking has taken its toll on the economy.

It's an interesting article. Whether the Baby Boomers are the cause of this crisis or not, the idea of overspending and stupid bank decisions feel real across all generations.

Plus, for once it's nice to not be the generation blamed for the failings of society.

Wow

I'm not outdoorsy, and that's pretty freakin' amazing.

Heroes in a Half Shell

Not sure if I agree with the Raphael graph. He was a social butterfly in the Renaissance!

The Circus Animals Have Escaped

Those little pink-and-white-frosted animal crackers with the sprinkles are pretty addictive. Unlike a lot of other people, I didn't have them growing up. (We were Oreo people.) But once college hit, I was exposed to the glory that exists in those little cookies. They're like crack.

Unfortunately, crack is going out of business.

The Mother's Cookies company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It all happened incredibly fast. Employees were left in the lurch. Not a sweet deal. And now those magic little cookies are gone forever.

Fortunately, Dessert First has developed a homemade stand-in. Hurray for the internet!

The perks of working here...

Don't deny it. You're jealous. You want to meet Richard Belzer too.

Lego my fashion

JCDC VS LEGO from Four H on Vimeo.

These looks are cute and all, but they're a little boxy if you ask me.

I'd Rather Be a Pitt-Jolie

Madonna and Guy Ritchie are trying to work out the details of their divorce and the child custody. But it looks like Madonna already has her set of rules for when the boys go visit Ritchie. Some of them are fairly standard, like "the boys are not allowed to read newspapers or magazines; Guy should not discuss the separation; they should be allowed to call their mother; they shouldn't be introduced to any new female friends Guy might have accrued." Some are a little funnier: "all water they drink must be Kabbalah water, their toys must not be "spiritually" unsound." But it's Madonna, right? She's OCD about this stuff. But then there's the kicker:

"David must be read the English Roses books that Madonna wrote."

My first thought was, "Madonna really needs attention and she wants her kid to hear the book she wrote." But then I remembered that The English Roses is a book about beautiful girls and how they hate the even more beautiful girl in their class, but it turns out she has a tough life so it's all okay. What little boy clamors for that book? Hell, what kid clamors for it? The writing's obnoxious and it's about girls who are way prettier than you. That's not to say that boys can't like pretty things. But my guess is that, ultimately, this one's kind of a downer since it's all about how you have to be thin, with big eyes to fit into a group of friends. And if you're too pretty, well, watch out. Plus, if it were by my mom, I'd especially steer clear.

Pick up, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Ritchie. Because David is going to understand that feeling a lot.

Get Ready for Oscar Season!

Check out the trailer for Meryl Streep's new movie Doubt, based on the Pulitzer prize-winning play. I haven't seen the play, so for people who have, what do the big differences look like so far. I love everyone in this movie--well, I don't really know Amy Adams, but she's a redhead so she's cool by me--and it looks kind of awesome.





Or you could check it out at the Apple page. Who knows when stuff will disappear from Youtube?

Speaking of Oscars, I can't think of a lot of nominee-worthy movies so far. (At least, the nominee-worthy kind of movies that usually dominate.) Any ideas?

Creativity and play

Think about how amazing life was when you spent hours every day just doing creative things. This video reminded me of the importance of that.



Do something creative everyday.

What's it gonna be

Nothing new here, but this is one of my all time favorite funny videos.



This song will get stuck in your head, and the image of Dr. Ken dancing in that crushed velvet unitard will haunt you for years...

Silly fun science!

Click here for science-y fun you liked in 4th grade, on the interwebs!

Another Dumbass Review By Someone Who's Never Read Any YA Lit

Why are so many YA reviews condescending. Invariably, once a month some critic starts off with "The Clique novels suck! That's all young adult literature is! But this one I'm reviewing is surprisingly good!" Great job researching the thing you're reviewing, ass hat. It's like stumbling across The Great Gatsby or The Sound and the Fury and saying "Usually fiction is just a bunch of Danielle Steele novels, but these are surprisingly deep!" If you no nothing about the genre which you're reviewing, don't review it. I wouldn't review a hip-hop album because I know zero about the genre, except that you can dance around to some of it. So don't act all condescending in the first fucking lines of your review.

Such as the beginning of this review for Paper Towns by John Green:

"The young-adult genre has been riddled with uninspiring novels that lack any kind of creativity or originality. Shuffling through the mundane “Gossip Girl” spin-offs and “Twilight” rip-offs has made finding a substantive novel as easy as finding a needle in a haystack. John Green is one of the few young-adult authors who has the ability to really tell a story and captivate the reader."

The review goes on to talk about how good the book is. I actually haven't read it yet, but I've heard good things. Of course it's good. But it's not good because it's so different from YA lit. It's not Twilight (thank God) but there are tons of amazing books marketed specifically toward teenagers.

Check out:
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party by MT Anderson.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Giver by Lois Lowry

The His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman

There are all amazingly thoughtful, well-written books with fully conceived characters and complex plots. I'd even wager than they're all better written than half of what you'd find on the New York Times Bestseller list. I could go on, but you get the idea.

Go read a book, Monica Watson.

Boys?

I wish people still dressed up everyday.

The Gnome Army is Rising

Gnomes on the march.

Is David the Gnome their leader?

Puppy-Sized Hippo

Real hippos are dangerous. They're pretty much going to mess you up. But a baby pygmy hippo will nuzzle you and be your best friend!






Plus, how cute is the term "baby pygmy hippo?" And how much fun would it be to walk him?

The Graveyard of TV Shows

Entertainment Weekly has put together a list of 31 TV shows cancelled before their time. As someone who's really worried about Pushing Daisies, I can relate. It's so frustrating when a show you love is tossed mid-storyline. And then you turn on your TV to see that--oh golly!--another incarnation of Law and Order is on. It's heartbreaking.

My favorites on the list:

Angel: Basically, anything by Joss Whedon should be on the air for 500,000,000 years.

Veronica Mars: I actually haven't seen this one yet, but from what I've heard it's right up my alley. It died before I got cable!

My So-Called Life: When I was thirteen, I thought Angela was the coolest person alive. Since then, I've rewatched the first (and only) season and realized that she was way too good for Jordan. But we should have seen that play out.

Arrested Development: I want to be Lucille Bluth someday. Funniest show ever.

Of course, not everything deserves my pity. Here are the shows that garnered my question mark-face:

Popular: Loved the first season; then it just got stupid when they tried to swap couples too much. Can't blame this one on anyone but the writers.

Grosse Pointe: I remember seeing this one and it just wasn't funny. No surprise it died.


Skin: I remember the commercials for this one--a "Romeo and Juliet in the porn/drug industries." Any wonder no one watched?


Which show are you still pining for? (And, ahem, where's Firefly on this list?)