Saturday March 12

Thank god for the internet...so I can quickly Google, "What's the date today?" I usually only have a sense of whether it's a weekday or a weekend; because one requires me to get up an hour before The Teenager in a vain attempt to get him to school on time. The other is for sleeping in! Woo hoo!

Sometimes, I know what month it is--but the actual number is generally not on my radar.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ahh, the internet...  The Guy was having major frustration because he posts cartoons to his art blog every Saturday and watches as the readers come. When anyone links to it, it's a good and exciting thing--unless they actually just post the whole cartoon to their blog, tag the heck out of it with everything but his name and don't link to ART LAND. Once that happens, it will get reblogged and off it goes...  He has actually sent out some letters and comments to people asking them not to post the whole cartoon (he generally does a vertical strip so that it's easy to excerpt the title card and the first panel) or at least to link to his site with his name listed. Of course, it's the Wild Wild West and you can't make anybody do anything--just hope that people enjoy your work!

All of that is to say...I'm posting a link to a cartoon which is clearly not from the originating site! But it was reposted from a Tumblr and so on and so forth. Tumblr is an interesting but often frustrating blogging platform--once someone posts something it's soooooo easy to reblog (one little click) but it's dependent upon the first person posting it with some level of attribution (which again, Tumblr makes very easy). But Tumblr is all about popularity and notes and reblogs so people will often just post with no link other than their own little Tumblr.

So, very long explanation for...wow, look at this funny cartoon:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An interesting, strange, crazy-ass idea for a skyscraper which would use lightning...for power. Check out the slideshow over at HuffPo.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An interesting little read from Alec Baldwin about how and why he was ousted from the sequels to The Hunt for Red October (I know they made a ton of money, but artistically--what a bad, bad decision. Alec was sooo believable as the young green agent just figuring everything out. Harrison Ford's entire persona was built on the "no matter what happens, I win" scenario. Was there ever any tension in either of the sequels? No.) that is a long introduction to his mini-lecture to Charlie Sheen.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In one of those odd resonating coincidences of life, colour photos from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake were publicised this week. Check out the slideshow. (on HuffPo, but Roger Ebert gave the heads up on these)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EW has a list of which shows are on the bubble, which are gone, which are completely utterly safe. Check for your favourites.

(If they cancel Supernatural, I may never ever watch tv again.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The danger of letting my kids use my computer is that they often close links I have up despite fierce warnings not to do so...I made the mistake of trying to get some sleep yesterday, and the kids went WILD while I did so and closed my link to the following...luckily, I just remembered and found it again.

If you're a knitter and slightly off your rocker...here's a knitting kit for you! You can (bwhahhahahahahahahahah) knit the entire royal family as they might look at William and Kate's upcoming wedding. (hahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahaha!!!!) Seriously.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, I'm done.

This is a pretty self-explanatory little article, Wives per GOP presidential candidate, 1988-2012.

I don't actually understand what the big deal is--the argument is that all those divorces mean that the GOP candidates don't actually believe in marriage, when clearly they believe in it so much they want to do it over and over again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wil Wheaton is apparently a fairly prolific writer...here's the list at Amazon.com.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bic for Her. Lady pens--not lady razors. Seriously.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I used to always feel sorry for Alexis Stewart--how much fun could it be to grow up with a maniacal, workaholic Martha Stewart as a mother? In a Christmas special, Martha once told a story of coming home to find that her daughter had baked cookies and carefully decorated "the hall Christmas tree" (and that phrase right there says so much!) with them. What a charming story! How lovely that must have been! How nice for Martha that her daughter had a similar drive to beautifying her surroundings with lovely handmade items...  Martha then explained that she had so loved the idea that, the next year, she decided to do the same. And so Martha--not Alexis--made cookies, from the same recipe, of course, choosing only the ones most uniform in size, of course and stringing them from ribbon of the same color, not different recipes, sizes and colours of ribbon like Alexis had used. At no point after the initial "charming" story, was Alexis even mentioned. And I had such a vision of Alexis--simmering with resentment that Mom had taken her loving, lovely idea and...well done a Martha Stewart to it. 

So, this morning I read a quick story of Alexis Stewart giving birth to Martha's first, and likely only, grandchild. (Alexis is 45 and had much difficulty getting pregnant). Alexis tells of Martha arriving at the hospital with

"...this huge box from Bergdorf [Goodman]," Alexis said. "I open it up and I look inside and it's full of baby clothes, all with embroidery, and I'm like, 'Wow, I guess I'm going to be allowed to buy myself something pretty nice because all this stuff's going back!"

Yep, Martha bought the baby clothes and Alexis refused them. She refused a present for her child because it wasn't what she wanted for her kid. And Martha is Martha because Alexis doesn't like "grandma". One wonders if she has a problem with more than just the term...


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Writing a movie review is an art in and of itself...this one of Red Riding Hood, written by Andrew O'Hehir, particularly amused with a few choice turns of phrase, ending

...this plucky, idiotic and almost irresistible movie, which has moments of transcendent silliness but never quite manages to ssing wiss ze love of Sssatan. 

Give it a read over at Salon.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm going to end on a beautiful photo essay (it seems to be the week for photo essays). This one is The World's Most Colorful Destinations.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday March 10

It took a bit of work but Entertainment writers finally found a way to make their "news" current when they started writing about musical acts who took money from Gaddafi for performing. The explanations are varied in the diffierent articles ("I didn't realise where the money was coming from!" "I didn't even know who I was performing for!"--'cause that whole "we're now landing in Libya" wasn't a real clue for that performer), but the reactions have been pretty uniform--how quickly can I donate that money to which charity and announce it? Huffington Post has a quick little photo essay on five of the singers...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
There's a TeenNick? I did not know that! It's not in Canada yet...but as it's switching over to Retro 90s viewing, it should turn up soon enough.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Someone who hasn't been paying attention expresses surprise that the new Pokemon Black and White games sold one million copies in one day and wonders "...why is it still so popular?" Living in a house with kids of varying ages, I have to ask--when did it stop being popular? The cartoon is still on the air, and my kids argue everyday over who has whose copy of Pearl, Diamond, Red, Emerald, etc. Just last week, The Youngest Son informed me that I had to make time in my life to take him to a store to purchase his own copy of the game. After discovering that his eldest (adult) brother has purchased White, he's excited to purchase the other so they can play together and talk about it endlessly...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hmmm...it might end up as Photo Essay Thursday here in Brain Storm as I do have a few I want to share. This one is Ten Countries To Visit That Didn't Exist 20 Years Ago.  See how many you can name before you even click through (I failed!).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A video! This is of a high school student who uses his empty school hallways to make music...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So...companies are marketing genetic tests to parents alleging that they'll show what your child's athletic abilities are...so you know what sports to sign them up for. There is absolutely no way that any of that can go badly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The tiny, ridiculously brave 20 year old woman who took over as Police Chief in a Mexican town which had been without for a year because of the high number of Police Chiefs who died, not necessarily on the job, has now been fired "...for apparently abandoning her post after receiving death threats."  According to the story she had asked for and received a leave of absence to travel to the US but never returned. She has been receiving death threats (as did anyone else in the post). News reports cite an official who claims to have accompanied her to the airport when she left Mexico, but there is no verification of her present whereabouts, although there are reports that she is seeking asylum in the US. 


I imagine authorities are probably eager to prove that she is actually alive in order to get any new candidates for her job...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, the 80s are back! Have been for a while in fashion, actually...and in the movies. But even with the nostalgia train running on, in a world of electronic Role Playing Games, and a world of LARPing, who ever expected to see a renewal of interest in...Dungeons and Dragons?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And lastly...a photo essay! This is from The Toronto Star, Afghanistan Doors.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday March 9

I am not in a pop culture mood. Really. Don't know why--just am not. So...look over some of the old stuff; you never know what cool things you missed.

Keiren

Tuesday March 8

I hope it's the 8th. I'm losing track of time...I cannot wait for March Break. Even if the children are screaming and fighting and playing violent video games at 7 in the morning; I am going to sleep in each and every morning.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, there's this:  Lego South Park School Musical 2:  Do What You Wanna Do.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The subtitle of the article, Rules of Misbehavior asks,

Dan Savage, the brilliant and foul-mouthed sex columnist, has become one of the most important ethicists in America. Are we screwed?

It's an interesting article about Dan Savage, a divisive personality who has become larger-than-life thanks to his creation of It Gets Better. There are those who hate him and rail about his own prejudices which they see in his answers...reading this article, I want to see those answers in their original context , not excerpted. It's quite clear that he uses an intentionally inflammatory rhetoric when he answers people.I can't imagine most of them would look straightforward and obvious when taken out of context. That is not to say that I think people are imagining offense--it's clear that Savage has no problems giving offense.But context is everything.

(and I'm not trying to ameliorate anything about Dan Savage simply because I do find it amusing that he works at Ann Landers desk)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now that Schwarzenegger has all that silly politics out of his system--he's back in to the movies. One wonders if he's decided that the Republican hope of changing the Constitution so that Schwarzenegger could be the first president not born on American soil isn't worth it simply because of the paycheque alone. According to this quickie from EW, Schwarzenegger says,

 he’s been approached about no less than 15 films, including new spins onTerminator, Predator, and The Running Man. 

And he's working on a comic book character. Of course. 'Cause they're just so easy and lucrative to do.

 (I had completely forgotten that Paul Michael Glaser directed The Running Man. Boy, Starsky has done a lot more than I thought he had)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daniel Craig and Judi Dench have done a commercial for International Women's Day. It's getting a lot of press as Craig ends up in drag in it...but it's not for the funny. I'm still thoroughly unsettled by it...see what you think at EW.com.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And finally, not only is George Miller really truly shooting that fourth Mad Max movie (with Charlize Theron as lead), he's shooting the FIFTH one at the same time.

I guess the world is full of people who don't remember the horror of Beyond Thunderdome (where the screenwriters, including one George Miller, thought it was important to rip off iconic lines from Indiana Jones and Star Wars). It's been OH MY GOD it's been twenty five years...okay, quiet moment here while I start to breathe again. Anyway...it's been twenty five flipping years and I'm still not past it! The image of Tina Turner dressed as Grace Jones will haunt me for a long time.

(Wow. I'm pretty sure I never knew the character was named "Mad Max Rockatansky")

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday afternoon extra

Spotted this earlier today:  A Lego South Park Musical. Really. Truly.

Monday March 7, 2011

I'm always a sucker for a good photo essay...this one is from Salon, Ruins of the American Dream, a slideshow of abandoned mines.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Because I'm starting out on Salon...Mary Elizabeth Williams has a complaint about 80s nostalgia movies (triggered by Take Me Home Tonight) complaining that they "sell a cheery misrepresentation of a feel-bad time". She specifically cites that the movie is set in 1988 and seems out of touch with the reality of that actual time...and I'll confess that from the examples she uses, it does seem like it needed to be set in...1984. Perhaps they didn't want to have a lot of self-referential jokes needing to be made.

My only suggestion would be that the movies are being made by people who were in their late teens-early 20s in that time period...because the reality is that if you weren't out in the big bad business world, it was a fun feel-good time period. Probably much like every decade not involving a world wide war or massive depression would be. Young adults find a way to have fun and party before they become responsible adults. And whichever decade you did that in seems a little brighter and a little more fun than the decade in which you find yourself worrying about your retirement fund, a new roof for your house and whether your kid's teacher is going to phone to complain about your child's lack of homework.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael Bay on 'Transformers 2':  'That was crap.'

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Huffington Post has video of Google's driver-less cars...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Say "Cyndi Lauper" and notice if you just started grinning a bit...if you grew up with her music, it's impossible not to have a residual fondness for her no matter how many times you heard Time after Time and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Check out video of her leading a singalong of the latter at Buenos Aires airport--allegedly to calm angry stranded passengers.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------