Are You Kidding Me?

Amy Winehouse is going to model in London Fashion Week in September. Designer Julien MacDonald wants to sign her because of her ” great style” and because ” She’s unique.”
Therefore, I ask again:

Are you f@#$ing kidding me?

Maybe He Had Bad Gas?

Much has been made of Jet Blue passenger Gokhan Mathu’s bizarre ordeal on board a Jet Blue flight back in February. Apparently the event jarred him enough that he hasn’t taken another flight since then.

Mathu was riding a Jet Blue buddy pass (equivalent of a free ride) when he was asked to switch seats - downgrade to the airplane’s toilet because there weren’t any available seats left on the flight. Mathu sat on the shitter for three hours before realizing there was something inhumane about this request, which supposedly came directly from the flight’s pilot. The pilot didn’t want one of the flight attendants to be inconvenienced by having to give up her own seat.

I don’t know about you, but what passenger in their right mind wouldn’t pitch a hissy fit over such treatment. I guess Mathu has finally had his say because he’s asking for $2 Million in damages. Hardly enough for such heinous (dare I say, “shitty”) treatment…

Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor A Swift Kick To The Rear Can Keep This Dog Down

Boston Dynamics unleashed its 235 lbs of sheer canine engineering wonder and force on YouTube today and its video is already ranked as the Most Watched of the day with 523,896 views. The quadruped robot known as “Big Dog” is the product of $10 Million in DARPA funding and measures 1 meter tall and 2 meters wide. Founded in 1992, Boston Dynamics was tasked with developing a robot that could ” run, maneuver and jump to avoid obstacles.”

It would seem that the company accomplished this and then some with the impressive attributes of this robot. Given its agility and freakishly human-like reactions to sustaining kicks (high point of the video, by the way), this particular breed of robot can handle whatever comes its way (rough terrain, snow, mean humans).

Ilana Donna’s Psychic Connection

Ilana Donna’s new video is sure to give some amount of thought to the validity of psychic networks, but really how much of your future do you want dictated to you? In short, is there any consolation to be found in knowing your fate or is there something to be said about a the element of the unknown when it comes to romantic entanglements?

Onwards To A Less Warped, Safer 2008!

1. Text messaging can be deadly. Especially when mixed with deaf beauty queens, railroad tracks, and oncoming trains. [CNN]
2. “My daddy died in Iraq. What did yours do to win Hannah Montana tickets?” [CNN]
3. Mel Gibson’s drunken, xenophobic rant tirades were actually so last year. [The Smoking Gun]
4. We mourned Tony Soprano and the end of an era. And that song by Journey that helped revive Steve Perry’s career tenfold. [YouTube]
5. We are all sinners and going to Hell to hang out w/the homos (according to Mike Huckabee) and Anna Nicole. Besides, she’s already keeping the place warm for Howard K. Stern. [Wonkette]
6. The joke fodder that couldn’t die a proper death: Larry Craig’s public bathroom etiquette. Personally, I prefer using stalls with the disposable seat covers. [About.com]
7. Lost allowed us a sneak peak through the looking glass and then disappeared. For a whole year. [San Francisco Chronicle]
8. Led Zeppelin reunited! For one whole night. [Mtv.com]

Facebook Is Like A Fake, Stuffed Dog

Something struck me recently when reading Dave Churbuck’s blog. For those of you unfamiliar with Churbuck, he is VP Marketing at Lenovo and a pretty fab blogger in his own right. He has a way of cutting through much of the subtle, latent Web 2.0 BS and calling things out.

I happened upon Churbuck’s post around the time I was “connecting” on LinkedIn with past coworkers and trying to loogle them. It started out quite innocently with me trying to find one of my good friends on there who is a student at UCLA’s management school. I realized just how annoying it is to be prompted for the umpteenth time to upgrade my account with that tiny yellow bar of a button that kept flashing every time I tried and failed to click away from the page.

Why must I be menaced so? What had I done but been a happy user who made frequent visits to the site and spread good word about its attributes? When did LinkedIn start bugging me to upgrade my membership? Thinking back, I had started noticing this a while back, but it took a few months to settle in my mind to the point of distracting me from enjoying the site.

Unfortunately around the time this malaise set in, I was also on Facebook. My friend had sent me another of those SuperWall pictures which required me clicking on the image, but before I could get to that image I was navigated to yet another page which prompted me to send the very image to all of my friends before I was allowed to open the actual image. Thankfully it also selected all of my friends as recipients of this picture so it saved me the work of having to send a picture of a dog to 50 of my nearest and dearest.

On the flipside, when I tried to “pull one over” on the system by “unselecting” all, it prompted me to choose one lucky recipient of an Alaskan Husky picture which most likely barked, licked its nutz, and said “Happy Holidaze” when clicked on. Annoyed that I had just spent seven minutes of my life driving towards a reality far less appealing than the my mind’s conjurings, I started to philosophize a bit on Churbuck’s likening of “spam” to this tactic that Facebook API developers have taken to spreading the word of their creations. Initially I had taken to this feature, especially because I could choose which of my friends would care to partake in a game of Scrabble with me and go a few rounds. Same with Flixter. In a sense it also allowed me to be more social with people I wouldn’t have contact with on a daily basis and rediscover or discover connections I never would have found otherwise.

Newsweek maintains that Facebook is the console of the future (replacing Wii??) and it will connect people socially through computers as never before. Considering it’s the sixth most trafficked site in the world, it’s a possibility. But really short of wireless remotes combined with action-oriented kicking ass, competitive games w/amazing graphics, how can the existing Facebook APIs compete with what Sony, IBM, and Microsoft are putting out?

Stuck Inside Due To Inclement Weather? Starting Bobbing!

In the interest of bringing you a quirky newsbit of the week, I scoured Youtube for fake Apple/Mac ads. The premise behind this: Everyone wants to be Apple (er, Google) or at the very least, win a chance to work for them. Plenty of parodies exist on the theme of the the Mac/PC guy. Some more memorable than others, but the best Apple ad of all time (and a REAL one, at that) remains the Orwellian commercial that came out around this time of season way back before Apple was Macintosh. In the interest of keeping with the 80s theme here: There’s something about growing up in the Max Headroom-inflicted era of the 80s and hearing, Music is my boyfriend [and girlfriend] alongside an electronica beat that I can’t help but swoon over.

As this clip, which integrates Mr. Bean, the Spice Girls, an iPod, iTunes, and Mac/PC illustrates, the tragic flaw of majority of the pseudo Mac ads is their lack of simplicity - the core ingredient to Apple’s success in advertising. Witnessing a few of these ads in succession makes one even more nostalgic and appreciative for the type of vision, clarity, and intent with which Apple creates their ads. So as a final follow up, the best fake Apple ad of the season is indeed the Wired toted disco Christmas ad with the Mac computer displays. But there is a hope for novice hacks out there: Companies that are able to capitalize on the success of Apple ads by piggybacking on those infamous light bulb Mac ideas and leveraging this popularity, have the best chance at creating memorable ads this holiday season.

So start creating and uploading to YouTube. Just keep the Muppets, Michael Jackson, and Columbine out of it.

In Search of (The) Wii: Week 1

After a week of holding out hope of buying a Wii anytime in the near future, I’m spent. I know from my quest that I am not alone. Hell, I’ve run into a lot of the same moms desperately hoping to appease their whiny kids by waking up at ungodly hours and schlepping out to the nearest Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Circuit City and any other promised mecca just to secure within their tiny, tight grips a new Nintendo Wii bundle for a mere $250. Having wasted my Sunday morning high-tailing it to every electronics/technology superstore around and being met with the same bemused reaction ad infinitum from every salesperson, I’ve started to catch a bit of the anti-Wii. There’s only so much flaunting and teasing one company and one product, for that matter, should be allowed. With the new Playstation 3 valued anywhere from $400-$500 and XBox 360 at $350, game consoles are the hottest ticket around this holiday season and they don’t come cheap.

But not coming at all?

Conspiracy theorists and other people with way too much time on their hands aside, I’m not of the mindset that Nintendo is holding out on us, more that they simply haven’t manufactured enough Wiis to fill the supply end of their high demand. The fact that the search for the Wii has borne the brunt of every late night talk show (if there wasn’t a writer’s strike) and DJ’s AM joke doesn’t discourage me. If anything, it compels me to push on in my search. The reality being no one relishes healthy competition more than myself. I get that glazed, demonic look in my eyes and march to the possessed beat of a win-at-all-cost drum. But there is no winning with the Wii.

I’m self-defeated at the moment. Angry at Wii, at Bill Gates for his damn Xbox 360 (completely unrelated). Incapable to discerning if I even want the Wii so much anymore, or I just can’t stand to not finish something once I set my mind to it. I may be feeling anti-Wiiish at present, but much like the initial hurdle of running from mile 7 to mile 8 when training for a marathon, this might be more of a mental obstacle than anything else. I might wake up tomorrow with renewed hope, but for now I’ll stick with the odds of the Patriots beating the Steelers this evening. Those are odds which will more likely play out in my favor.

Amy Winehouse Doesn’t Answer

Amy’s family are so freaked out about the possibility that their daughter will do something stupid after her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil got arrested, and because she is after all, Amy Winehouse, that they had to call the police when they couldn’t get a hold of her last night. “Amy’s family are petrified she’ll do something stupid. They know she’s very low at the moment and misses Blake terribly.” A “source” told the Daily Mail.

Ilana Donna’s Pick-Me Up (Down)

Ilana Donna is back (after a very long hiatus) going undercover to find out exactly how two men from the South can be gainfully employed as “dating coaches” (er, um pick-up artists) in the cynical metropolis of New York. Watch and be amazed as our lovely vlogger, Ilana transforms from skeptic to smitten kitten in this video clip, guaranteed to get all gals (and guys) guessing. What really happened next?

The Postal Service Is The Best Cover Band That Ever Was

I recently heard a cover of Iron & Wine’s “Such Great Heights” on the radio and loved it more than the original. (Ben Folds’ cover is the version usually attributed as the original version of the song, but it’s not.) Nonetheless, it got me thinking that most often, we squirm at the thought of song covers (similar to the reaction to a movie sequel) and for good reason. Have you listened to Kelly Clarkson try and replicate the brilliance of Ray LaMontagne’s “Shelter”? If you haven’t, don’t. You’re better off listening to this guy on YouTube. He does a pretty good rendition. Of course, “Shelter” is a tough song to sing as my husband and I (and our neighbors who’ve listened to us) can both attest to.

But back to my new-found obsession with pop-techno, 80s retro band The Postal Service. They first broke onto the mainstream scene with their cover of Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds” for the Wicker Park soundtrack. That caught my attention a few years back, but listen to “Such Great Heights” below and enjoy them a bit. If you like, give “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” a try.

PS- Off to see Regina Spektor tonight (finally!) at the Orpheum. To give a synopsis in days to come…

The Gorbachev Wears Vuitton

 

Top models, beware. It’s nothing out of the ordinary when we see a movie star or an athlete  advertising a product. But it’s not every day that a former leader and a Nobel Peace Prize winner becomes a model. In a campaign to promote the company’s luggage and travel accessories, Luis Vuitton, hired former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the man and the map-like birthmark. Gorbachev will join Scarlett Johanssen, Catherine Deneuve  Andre Agassi, and Steffi Graf who also model for the luxurious French company. Gorbachev’s first gig as a model was in a Pizza Hut commercial.

 Johanssen awaits Mikhail.

No Comments

It’s The Mary Poppins Forecast

By ariel in Uncategorized, News, Tech, Money, environment, business, quirky newsbits, Weather, Ambient Umbrella, Forecast on July 31 2007

Sometimes you hear about a new invention, that has a cool idea behind it although you know that you are never going to use it, one of those things that will make Jay Leno ask his How lazy are we getting question. Ambient Devices, a US company that combines Internet information and everyday products, came up with an umbrella that forecasts the weather. The umbrella is equipped with a radio receiver, that gets weather info using a wireless network. Company spokesman Mark Prince said: “You can put this umbrella by the door, in an umbrella stand, and on your way out it’ll be telling you if this is the day when you are going to need an umbrella.”

Reuters reports that a light in the umbrella handle will tell if it’s going to rain in the next 12 hours. Having lived in Boston in the past few years, and having the pleasure of enjoying the rapid weather changes, I am not surprised that the company that brings us the umbrella is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

By the way, the forecast umbrella doesn’t come cheap and will retail at about $140.

No Comments

Harry Potter & The Piss Poor Publisher

By Beth in Entertainment, News, Money, British, business, pop culture, media, quirky newsbits, celebrity, Harry Potter, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Deathly Hallows, Scholastic, J.K. Rowling on July 22 2007

Amidst all the hoopla over the seventh and final chapter of the Harry Potter saga, which hit bookstands Friday night/Saturday morning, comes another ominous tale. This one is weaved by a newspaper and involves the publishing company that has published the Potter series since its inception in 1997.

In the ten years since, Scholastic books has done little to expand the Potter franchise and this has its investors complaining. Among the lists of offenses: Failing to use (exploit?) the series effectively to seek out other lucrative business partnerships and diversify their portfolio.

Still don’t cry too much over Scholastic or its crowned jewel. The well-known, reputable publisher won’t go anywhere soon. It’s anticipated that Scholastic will reap $225 Million from Potter sales this year. And that’s apart from the projected $10-15 Million annually in sales over Harry Potter in the next three years.

No Comments

The Simpson’s Poetic Justice

By ariel in Uncategorized, Entertainment, comedy, Movies, TV, quirky newsbits on July 11 2007

The Cities of Springfield in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon and Tennessee wanted to host The Simpsons Movie premiere on July 21, a week before the movie starts everywhere. But it was the tiny Springfield in Vermont, with a population of about 9,300. It is poetic justice in a way, when the one who is most likely to lose turns out to be the big winner. Like Homer…Kinda…

No Comments

Bosom Buddies

By Beth in News, Tech, stereotype, pop culture, media, quirky newsbits, celebrity, BBC on July 9 2007

I’m all for stem cell research and making advances in medicine, but when I read this item in the BBC, I nearly projectile vomited by Kit-Kat all over my D-cups. Turns out scientists can create a mixture known as Celution which would combine both tummy fat and stem cells to grow breast tissue. I support this method being applied to women with mastectomies (as with the case studies going on Japan right now), but when I hear that, if licensed, it very well may rival silicone for those seeing bigger breasts, I can’t help but think that for the asking price (steep, to say the least), it’s going to be largely consumed by celebrities. So remind me why stem cell research is indirectly helping to fund yet another season of Dr 90210?

(1) Comment

Calling All Opportunists

By Beth in Hollywood, environment, pop culture, media, quirky newsbits, celebrity, Paris Hilton, gossip on July 7 2007

A college student in LA inherited Paris Hilton’s old cell phone number in February and doesn’t mind that she receives calls from party-goers or strange men with foreign accents purring, “Baby girl how are you.” It’s all par for the course when you’ve inherited a socialite’s old phone number.

Shira Barlow had to switch phones and decided to switch to a 301 number after damaging her own phone in February. Shortly after on Paris’ birthday (she is an Aquarius-that she let us all know in her “Larry King” interview), Shira began receiving random calls from people wishing her, Happy Birthday. Most recently, she’s been the recipient of tons of phone calls related to Paris’ incarceration and subsequent release from jail.

So how did Shira react to the strange seductive man with the foreign accent? Calling it “more amusement than hassle,” she’s not complaining about the number. Nor does she have plans to switch numbers anytime soon. Why would you when literally have in your very hands a tell-all book just waiting to happen?

(3) Comments

So You Think You Can Sing?

By Beth in Entertainment, Heroes, Hollywood, Music, TV, America, quirky newsbits, MTV, American Idol, celebrity on July 6 2007

I’m all for people thinking they can do everything. Just not actually the doing of everything. Take “Heroes” Hayden Panettierre. The girl has a contract with Neutrogena that she practically ripped from Mischa Barton’s squeaky clean, non-pore existent face and hands (not to mention the gal’s popularity) and she’s the star of a hit show on NBC. Did I mention she’s also dating Steven from “Laguna Beach”? Ok, so he’s more of a consolation prize/Kristin Cavalieri’s sloppy seconds/Lauren Conrad’s even sloppier thirds, but everything being equal the girl has a lot going for her right now. So why ruin an absolutely good thing by attempting to sing on July 4 in our nation’s capital? Never mind the fact that the audience embraced her. She’s an “American Idol” third round elimination at best.

(6) Comments

Not Your Al Gore Variety Hybrid

By Beth in Uncategorized, Politics, News, Hollywood, environment, green practices, al gore, quirky newsbits, celebrity, hybrids on July 5 2007

Is this a horse? A zebra? If the mother is a zebra and the father is a horse, what does that make their hybrid spawn Eclyse? Interesting to look at to say the very least. And much more entertaining than Al Gore’s pothead son getting pulled over and arrested for possession of a gazillion prescription meds. No jail time on this celebrity. Not at present. The pressing question on my mind is was he or wasn’t he driving a hybrid…

No Comments

Like A Stone That Doesn’t Move

By Beth in Entertainment, Music, band reunions, Pop Music, pop culture, quirky newsbits, Rolling Stones on June 29 2007

The Rolling Stones are having some bad luck when it comes to random fatal accidents while on their Bigger Band world tour. Two workers in Madrid were killed yesterday while taking apart a stage post-concert and two other stage hands were injured during the incident. The BBC reports that three of the workers fell 10M from a metal beam and landed on the fourth guy.

Tragic spotlight aside, walking ticking time bomb Keith Richards haul is ass back on-stage night after night after going a few hits with coke might be enough to jar anyone’s sensibilities. Let’s hope this image wasn’t their last.

« Previous Entries