If you'll look over to the right, you'll see that I added a poll... I cannot, for the life of me, decide what to be for halloween. My friends and I were all talking about being kid contestants from "Legends of the Hidden Temple", but we just aren't getting on the t-shirt ordering thing. I could very easily make stencils and make the shirts, but that seems like a hell of a lot of work. I figured I would go with a back-up plan. So, if you have like, 3 seconds to waste, pleeeeease, vote it up.
Also, Blogger has created a video uploader, so I'm going to try to upload a video just to see if it works. Oh, the possibilities!!!
It's kind of ridiculous, watching videos of us standing around in a kitchen after drinking for like 12 hours straight... But hey, that's my life. Plus, my friends have such awesome banter... we really do need our own show.
Instead of studying -- which is what I took off work to do -- I've decided to blog, because that's what I do best.
I read this article the other day about indie music blogs, and their constant quest to bring readers the newest music they can. It talked about how there was no filter on those types of posts, that they just tried to be the first to talk about a new band, or how one was better than the other for whatever reason. While reading the article, I realized that that was something I might be construed as doing -- which I really hope I'm not. I just try to let my readers know what I'm listening to at the moment, and sincerely hope that they will download at least a portion of it and take a listen. I guess I overestimate most people's hunger for music. I only know a handful of people who have as much of an insatiable drive to hear new stuff like I do.
Check out this map: it's a visual representation of the way that religion has spread across the globe. The most interesting part? Christianity has the largest portion. Groupthink anyone?
This guy is sitting behind me snickering at something on his laptop. At least I'm not alone in the whole "not studying" thing... textbooks aren't that awesome. On another note, do you actually know someone who has had sex in the library? I don't think I do. Do people actually do it?
I love Colorado, for the time being, but sometimes I really wish I lived in a bigger city. If I lived in NYC, I could audition to be an extra in Michael Cera's most current movie. Shiza. It actually seems indie as fuck, and if it has a wide release, expect me to be publicly condemning it while privately viewing it.
I'm absoloutely obsessed with this artist, Laura Marling. She's been opening up for The Maccabees, and this song is amaymay. Check it out:
Nope. I'm not moving on until you watch it. Seriously. Do it.
....
Okay.
I was reading the comments section of a Twilight Sad video on YouTube, and someone mentioned that they were "so incredibly shoegaze". I couldn't figure it out, so I went to Urban Dictionary... apparently it's when a band plays without moving much, and looks down at their shoes the whole time. Weird that there's even a word for that.
Oh, this bird = fucking awesome.
Here's The Hive's newest single, "Tick Tick Boom"... I have to say, I kind of like it.
Remember how last week I wrote about doing the Souldja Boy dance? Well, the song is a little bit nastier than you would think.
"Superman: When you are mad at your girl for not having sex with you. So when she falls asleep you masturbate and c*m on her back. After that, stick the bedsheet on to her back and when she wakes up it's stuck and she has a cape like Superman!!! "Yo, dawg, Last night my bitch was being frothy so I gave her a Superman!" "
Ew. I can't believe I put that in my blog, but I figured you might want to know.
I actually feel pretty terrible that I left such a downer post at the top of my blog for so long -- I'm better now, I promise. I've been so busy lately that I didn't even notice when I passed 3000 views! That's pretty awesome.
I have all sorts of random shit to write about today... I just cannot get my thoughts together because Daft Punk's "Technologic" is banging in my ears and Whitney + fast paced music = no pay attention.
This is probably going to be a post that's mainly geared towards music -- I've been spending a lot of time trying to find new stuff. It's strange, I don't feel like anything really, really good is coming out right now. Like, where are the Arcade Fires of the fall?! I'm not sure if it's because I've actually become some sort of jaded indie music blogger, but nothing is really impressing me right now. That said, give some of this stuff a try.
... Fuck. I'm such a hypocrite.
Matt Pond PA is one of my favorite bands -- their music is incredibly upbeat, and melodic. If I've ever made you a mix CD before, I've probably put them on there. They've come out with a new CD, one I haven't gotten ahold of because I'm a terrible person and don't like to pay for music, but the songs on their MySpace are really, really good. Here's a video of them playing one of the songs off of the new cd.
Zac, Chris and I saw Black Sheep on Tuesday. It. Was. Awesome. So campy... you have to see it. I'll never look at sheep the same again.
I can't find a good video for it, but the song "Walcott" by Vampire Weekend is really, really good. I'll link an mp3... save it, it's seriously awesome. {LINK}
I hate when the videos for good songs come out and I'm too lazy to post them. Case in point -- Feist's "1234" video, before Apple decided to use her to hawk iPod nanos. But, in more insane Feist news, a song came out this week that surprised the shit out of me. I'm not sure if it was a "good" surprised, but check this out -- Kanye West sampled "Time To Begin" for (gulp) Twista's new CD. Seriously. I mean, first he samples Peter, Bjorn and John's "Young Folks", and then Feist? Kind of weird. It's awesome that he would be progressive enough to sample artists that are much less famous than him, but I kind of feel like he's the kid in class that takes everyone else's ideas and passes them off as his own. Oh well. At least he's not Diddy.
Here's a link to the song if you want to take a listen {LINK}
Ingrid Michaelson is a fairly new artist, with a really relaxed acoustic style. You've heard her, I promise -- she's the one on the Old Navy sweater commercials. It's the sweetest song ever, and I just cannot help but like it. Here's a live performance:
Yesterday, I was really intent on not working, so I spent a good chunk of time watching Soulja Boy videos. Seriously. I found an instructional video on how to do the dance to his single, and Ross and I learned it last night while we were drinking. The weirdest thing though is that not only are there a shit ton of young white girls who know the dance, but that people have made the strangest tribute videos for the song "Crank That". Here's the actual dance and song:
And here's a Spongebob one. Some people have way too much time on their hands.
Anyways, that's pretty much all I've got, so until next time, kiddies.
Today has been terrible already. It's Matt's (my friend who passed away earlier this summer) birthday today. It's just really hard thinking that he wasn't able to see his 24th birthday like he should have.
I also may have fucked up my credits in order to get my French minor. I may not have enough credits. This is bad. Very, very bad. It just sucks that I spent so much time on it, and having all of those classes bring down my GPA, when I could have been doing something else.
Hrmph.
I've been so grumpy this week. It's just been dragging by. I'm going down to Denver this weekend for a change of pace. What do you wanna bet we'll go to Sports Column? I know it's trite, and Fort Collins is an awesome place, but I can't wait to get up outta here.
Annnddd.... the bitching stops here.
Here's a video for an artist I've been listening to for a while, just not in depth -- Siobhan Donaghy. She's got a style that's probably most akin to Frou Frou, without Imogen Heap's distincive voice. I try as much as I can to put female artists on my page, because they're mostly always badass, but also because I don't think that they get enough credit.
Here's Imogen Heap's video for Headlock. Because I'm lazy. And it's good. And you'll like it.
Alright, here's a news item that I found interesting. A little british boy had to have emergency brain surgery because of a rare form of meningitis, and when he woke up, his accent had completely changed. He used to speak with a Yorkshire accent, but now speaks the Queen's English. Crazy. {LINK}
In the same vein, here's an article about a Czech kid who got in a motorcycle accident, and woke up speaking perfect, unaccented english:
"It was in a really clear English accent, no dialect or anything. Whatever happened in the crash must have rearranged things in his head. "Before his crash Matej's use of the English language was broken, to put it mildly. "He was only just making a start on improving it and struggled to be understood, but was keen to learn. "Yet here we were at the ambulance door listening to Matej talking to the medical staff in perfect English. "Matej didn't have a clue who or where he was when he came round. He didn't even know he was Czech. "It was unbelievable to hear him talk in unbroken English.">
Crazy. Also, did you know that Bridget from "The Girls Next Door" is actually married? She's apparently separated from her husband, but they are "still friends". Way to go, Bridge -- girl's got a backup plan after the old guy kicks the bucket. Word is that her inheritance is fairly small for being the live-in girlfriend of a millionare -- she and Kendra get $500,000. Hugh Hefner is also still married to his wife of like, 15 years. That's interesting. They try to make it seem like it's all fun and laughs, but there's actually a lot still going on behind the scenes.
The computer I'm working on just closed all of my windows down, so I have no idea what I was going to write about next. It's actually more interesting at this point watching the kid next to me sleepily bob his head while reading for finance. I've actually got to go to class now, so, erm, try and have a better day than me!
"According to a report in The London Sun, the fallen pop princess has been banned from LA’s exclusive Chateau Marmont hotel after guests repeatedly complained about her "weird" behavior. Which allegedly included smearing a plate of high-priced cuisine all over her face and grossing out the other patrons."
which reminded me of the time when Diana and I got so drunk that I rubbed a taco on my face. Get your mind out of the gutter! It makes me fear for my sanity -- if that's a step on the way to crazy-ville, Britney and I have more in common than you'd think. That's a frightening sentence.
I downloaded the new Kanye CD. Before you judge, hear me out; he's definitely got his own style (if you overlook the obvious sampling) and can make some really good beats. I had been enjoying the whole thing... that is, when my iTunes is working, which it currently isn't. Feck.
I'm getting a new camera tomorrow! It's this little red 7.2 megapixel camera that is specially made to easily take and upload YouTube videos. Expect to see me live --and drunk -- in person very soon here.
I know I've raved a lot about Calvin Harris, and deservedly so. Here's a song he made for the Mitchell Brothers. It sounds a lot like his other songs, which is kind of disappointing... no one likes to be a one-trick pony.
Here's a video (a bit older, but it's still good) by Sylvie Lewis. I heard her on... ach, I have no idea, KRFC maybe? But the song she was singing was really good. This song is pretty good, but a little mellow -- quite a departure from the video I posted above.
I really don't have a lot to post about today; I didn't look really hard. I'm going to bed -- it's my favorite place to be now that the weather has turned bad lately. Bonne nuit!
I'm finding it hard to blog today -- writing is usually one of those things that puts me in a good mood, however, after the weekend I had, it's been harder than normal to stay positive. I dunno. I try really hard to keep my blog upbeat and happy (with the exception of a few minor rants) but sometimes its a bit difficult. The last thing I want is for this to turn into some emo-ass livejournal. I guess I've just got to accept the fact that things change, and so do people. The best I can do is hold on and ride it out, because I can't do anything to stop it from happening.
There's this tiny bug that keeps floating in front of my computer screen that keeps distracting me. It's very annoying. Anyways, this post is chock-full of awesome videos, so stick around.
My roomate Matt (who actually purchased the T.I. vs. T.P. album, if that gives you a bearing to which his music tastes adhere) uncharacteristically introduced me to quite possibly the most awesome song to come out of France. Wait, wait, before you scroll down, give it a chance. This song singlehandedly inspired an hour-long dance party on Saturday night at about 3:00am. Close your eyes and enjoy the ride... and don't have a seizure from the colors.
Yelle -- Je Veux Te Voir
So fucking kickass.
This next video is something Zac made me watch with him the night that he and I did RamRide. There's really no explanation, you'll just have to watch it.
Alright, this one is something I thought I had seen before -- turns out it was even more hilarious and awesome than I previously thought. "For more information on the crack spider's bitch..." Lol.
This is a video set to Daft Punk's Stronger... It takes a while, but when it gets going, it's super crazy. (Thanks Mark.)
This next video is from my roomate Ross. After doing the "Chernobyl Child" dance on Saturday, Zac looked at me like I was the devil incarnate. However, after he watched it, he had no problem doing the dance at Lucky Joe's. It's that good.
Oh, and this one is a true internet gem. What happens when you drift race...into the past?! It came from David, so you know it's amazing.
Alright kittens, I'm going to go to bed. But not without posting the best (video of a cat sleeping) thing on the net.
I'm so sorry for not writing in so long. I'm so busy -- it's insane. I have so much homework, and I go to school and work until at least 5 every day. I shouldn't complain -- I like most of my classes and work isn't terrible.
So I've been biting my tongue a lot lately whenever I've been on Facebook. I posted a bitchy status the other day that went something like, "Whitney is going to punch the next person who spells 'you're' 'your' ". But seriously. It is unbelievable to me that some people were able to get through college without basic grammar skills. It may be because I'm a huge writing nerd, but it irks me. I also hate it when people wRiTe LiKe ThIs -- I mean, come on. You look like you're 14. I dunno, this was a completely pointless rant, but it pisses me off.
I haven't got a ton of things to write about... Oh, there's this video of some mascot just owning other players on a football field. I have no idea what it was for, but it's pretty entertaining to watch.
And here's another video that I was watching today (working. I meant "working".) on YouTube -- the worlds fastest talker. Best part? The heinous East Coast accent.
My roomate Ross actually bought me a website for my birthday (weird, I know) and I figure it will be the new home of Good Bloggie. However, I have to use Publisher or Front Page, and I'm pretty bad at both of those, so it will be an adventure.
This weekend was a doozy. Saturday was a shitshow. When I told my mom I started drinking at like, 8am, I think she was a little taken aback. I also think she thinks I have a drinking problem, which I don't... my friends do. Peer pressure, you see. Anyways, we started drinking early, watched the poor Rammies lose to the asshole Buffs, slept, and then went out to Sports Column. There were probably like 20 of my close friends there, so it was super fun (for the most part). The next day Melissa and I went to Pott's, which was more fun than I would have thought.
I'm not sure if you've heard of Amy Macdonald, a 17-year-old singer from Glasgow, (fun fact: people from Glasgow are called "Glasweigans") but her songs are good. Good and Scottish. I also really like her hair. I wonder why.
Oh, and this morning, I heard a great local band on KCSU -- The Piggies. (Super awesome name.) I was actually impressed with how good they were. They're playing a show on the 14th. Anyone wanna go? Here's their MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thepiggies
Alright, well I have like 3 hours worth of French homework that I'll probably put off until 8am tomorrow, but I'd like you to think that's what I'm going to do. So I'm uh, gonna go do homework, because I'm super smart and love school. (Dicks around on internet for 2 more hours)...
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
So the school year has started. I'm trying really hard to get excited for my last seemester, but going for 4 years and 2 summers straight, I'm not too happy about it. I've got a break before my next class, so I figured I'd post some stuff I found yesterday. The worst part about being in school is that I have less time to dick around on the internet and find stuff to write about, seeing as when I get to work, I actually have to, well, work. Which really sucks, lemme tell ya.
Anyhoozle, enough of my bitching. I don't know how many of you watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphiaon FX, but if you don't, you should. It's insanely hilarious... it's this over the top, obscure humor that will make you laugh and then feel terrible for laughing at something so horrible. Here's a clip:
Sometimes the comments at the end of blog entries are the best part... there are the most awesome ones on YouTube all the time. Well, the guys at CollegeHumor took it to a whole new level... a whole new hilarious level... What would happen if commenters were put in the same room together?!
Flight of the Conchords is yet another totally random-ass ridiculous show. It's on HBO, which my guy roomates insisted on getting, so I'm able to enjoy the exploits of Bret and Jemaine whenever I want. If you haven't heard of FOTC, it's a show about two guys from New Zealand who are trying to make in in NYC as musicians. They break into song randomly, and all of the songs they sing are completely ridiculous. I would post a clip, but everything is completely absurd out of context (I thought the show was really stupid until I sat down and watched a whole episode), so I won't. Come to my house and watch it with me. I promise not to laugh too hard. Oh, but my point, (and this will probably only make people who have actually seen the show giggle) is that Bret McKenzie actually had a small role as an elf in Lord of the Rings, and became this random internet-nerdfuck-sensation. There's even a wikipedia page, in which Bret's role, nicknamed "Figwit" is explained in detail. What does Figwit stand for, you ask? Why, "Frodo Is Great, Who Is That?" of course. I'm serious. My opinion of LOTR fandom has really reached a new level after reading some of this shit. Just check out this picture:
Bahahahaha...
I'm so in love with Calvin Harris' CD, I Created Disco. I listened to it excessively in Europe and am still listening to it obsessively here. I try not to kill things too quickly, but it looks like I won't be able to hold off playing the CD over and over and over. This track, "The Girls", is my absoloute favorite. Oh, and this YouTube commenter post is my favorite, too:
"lozizirrabjat (1 week ago)
CALVIN HARRIS IZ SEX ON LEGS"
Sex on legs, indeed.
I've said before that I'm not a hugely rabid Michel Gondry fan (even though I wrote an entire paper on him in my french film class), but all of the movies he's been doing lately have totally piqued my interest. Maybe it's because I'm a huge Francophile, but I really like some of the stuff he has done, although The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind didn't really do it for me. This is a trailer for his new movie, Be Kind, Rewind. It stars Jack Black and Mos Def in more, erm, refreshing roles than I'm used to.
Alright, boys and girls, I'm off to better myself. Cheers!
Like I said yesterday, this has been a slow news week. No one's managed to fuck up majorly -- except the guy who wrapped his own face in duct tape and tried to rob a convenience store, but got laughed at instead. Awesome. Only in America.
Oh! Yeah! My birthday is tomorrow... woo hoo! The big double-deuce. I'm way excited, but really, really scared I'm going to get too drunk and snap an ankle, or worse, fall down in front of 100 people. Oh, wait. I've already done that -- twice. I'm going to be partying pretty much the entire weekend, which isn't far from the norm, except this weekend, I can yell "It's ma freakin' birthday!!!" to passers-by.
I don't know how many of you watch My Boys on TBS -- probably not a lot of you, seeing as I seem to have a mostly male readership. However, it is practically the perfect show. It's about a female sports writer, so it's full of all sorts of sports analogies, and chick analogies, and sports-chick analogies (too far?). There's just something so laid back and cool about the show, and it's incredibly hilarious. Oh, and it has Jim Gaffigan ("Hooottttt Pocketsss") in it, so you know it's good. You should watch it.
This whole "not having a really tight friend base" thing is really weird.
I had two articles to post, and I really don't feel like talking about them anymore, but they were cool to me this morning, so maybe you'll find them cool too. And I'm sure you really want to keep reading, seeing as that transition was just soooo enthralling. Anyhoo, here's an article about these crazy ass squirrels that know how to scare away rattlesnakes, and also how they attack them too. Squirrels are neat. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070814/ap_on_sc/hot_tail;_ylt=AqF.pb7u9EJKThUnZiCaGTus0NUE And here's an article following the grown-up kids of 90's album covers. Now with missing baby genetalia!!! http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1567107/20070814/index.jhtml?rsspartner=rssBloglines
Here's an interview with Seth Rogan on Letterman, with the most classic line -- "You do not hug cops! And I thought to myself, 'what a sad rule'."
I'm sure everyone's lost their faith in Good Bloggie by now -- I haven't blogged in like, 2 weeks. It's not that I've forgotten how, it's that I've been gone. In Europe. Because I'm ballin. I'm feeling the pain though at work -- there was loads of stuff waiting for me when I got back, so I haven't been able to blog there. I'll try to post pics, but there are literally like, 400, so it's hard to sort through them.
Umm... this has actually been a slow week -- good thing I left when I did, I didn't really miss anything, news-wise. I guess Britney Spears got half naked and made out with some random college dude, but hooking up with a drugged up, half-bald mother of two doesn't exactly ring my bell and make me want to blog from across the ocean.
Oh, yeah! So many blogs have posted this video (I can't remember if I've posted it before, I'm pretty sure I haven't) of this 25-year-old guy who looks like he's 14, singing the most insane song ever, "Chocolate Rain". It's just one of those things that I didn't post because I felt terrible making fun of this guy -- however, he alleviated my guilt when he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel, making fun of himself. I think. Here's the performance. Oh, and let me say that I think Kimmel is a huge twat. The whole Sarah Silverman thing is bad enough (eugh, the woman gives me the shivers), but if you happened to catch the whole "Kimmel hosting Larry King Live and arguing with one of Gawker.com's editors over the GawkerStalker map" thing, then you'll know what I'm talking about. It might be on YouTube... if it is, you'll see what I'm talking about. Huge assbag. Anyways, here's the video I was talking about.
Tay Zonday - "Chocolate Rain"... god yes. I just love the incredulous stares of all the audience members thinking, "this is on television?!"
And then there are these random-ass Skittles commercials... that have been on TV. They're just so, so awesome. If I ever make commercials, I'm going to make them as obscure and ridiculous as these. The first is one where everything a man touches turns to Skittles... with disasterous consequences (!!!lolzrofl)
And the second is a man with a "Skittles leak" in his ceiling. (lolzrofllmao)
Alright, this one is really funny, too. Which would you rather have, a singing bunny or Skittles?
And while I was browsing for those, I found this gem. Oh god, the hilarity.
I know it was a huge copout to post a lot of videos, but I'm sleepy. So there.
The new Rogue Wave CD's out soon, and the first track is floating around in the interweb. It's really good, but also worth waiting for a higher-quality version. My whole trip, I listened to some really stellar albums, one of the best (surprisingly) being Tegan and Sara's "The Con". The whole thing (if you can get over their singing voices) is really, really stellar and offbeat. I also listened to Calvin Harris' "I Created Disco", which is awesome in a dancey way. Oh, then I had Simian Mobile Disco, The Maccabees (duh), and the new Interpol CD. And, of course, I listened to "Panama" by Van Halen like 8 times. Gotta love train rides.
Alright kiddies, I've got some good stuff for you today.
This news piece kind of freaked me out -- apparently, there's a cat that is living at a nursing home, and can somehow predict the deaths of the patients who live there.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live. "He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," said Dr. David Dosa in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine."Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one," said Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University. The 2-year-old feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. After about six months, the staff noticed Oscar would make his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He'd sniff and observe patients, then sit beside people who would wind up dying in a few hours.
I think I had a dream that someone told me they didn't like my blog layout. That's just too nerdy.
David sent me this video earlier today -- at first, I was like, alright Kanye, enough with the videos... and then I watched it. Zach Galifinakis is apparently really, really good at lip-synching other people's songs. You have to watch this video, it's hilarious. (Click on the picture to watch.)
I was watching a video the other day of an interview with two of the members of The Maccabees, and they name-checked another Brighton-area band, The Cribs. At first, I wasn't super excited for many of their songs, until I saw the video for "Hey Scenesters" -- if you YouTube it, you may recognize it, however, I have no idea where it's from. Anyways, this is their newest single, "Moving Pictures". The lead singer's voice kind of reminds me of the singer for Interpol, with less of a monotone.
I don't know if I've talked about Simian Mobile Disco yet (I write about so many different bands that I forget things, silly me) but this is the video for their latest single, "I Believe". Most of their songs are more upbeat, but if you're into electronic music, check them out.
Does anyone want to buy me the Johnny Five robot from Short Circuit?! Please? I'll totally pay you the $100,000 back. I promise.
Now for an awesome "trailer"... Lindsay Lohan in "I Know Who Killed... My Career"....
It's hilarious, because her people are saying that the pants she was wearing "weren't hers" and that "there were more than 2 people in the car"... but still. She's crashed her car into a tree before. Plus, who randomly switches pants with people in the middle of the night?!
Here's the trailer for the new Wes Anderson movie, The Darjeeling Limited. Blah blah blah, indie movie, blah blah blah... It's been a long day. But hey, am I the only one who's sick of Owen Wilson?
I posted a video yesterday of Architecture in Helsinki's song, "Heart It Races" ... well here's another crazy ass music video... trampolines and ponchos, oh my!
I move out of my house tomorrow. It's going to be so insane -- I have so much stuff. I'm not looking forward to it. Whoooo wants to help me move?! I'll buy you beer!
Oops. I forgot to write about one of the more epic things that happened to me this weekend -- The Keg Race of 2007. It was insane -- there were 26 people to a team, and the goal was to finish your team's keg first. It was probably the most flimsy excuse to binge drink, but I was alright with it. Beer is beer. There were two teams -- the white team and the black team. We were on the white team, and... well, we kicked some ass. Here are some pictures to prove it:
The scene in the yard before... and everyone gathering to drink their faces off...
The first pour...Two cups each -- the better to drink with, my dear...Amy doing a keg stand with a cup and a straw... And part of the victorious white team...
I woke up covered in bruises, with only a slight recollection of what had happened... speaking french? Climbing fences? Laying down in the middle of the front entryway of the house? Anyways, it only made me come to the conclusion that...
This was waiting for me in my Facebook inbox today... "If you only watch one YouTube movie today featuring dancing country farmer's daughters contortionists singing about potato salad, it should be this one."
Alright, alright, I admit this post is long overdue. My boss came back this week and all of the internet-grazing freedom that I had last week is gone. However, I still managed to pull some stuff together, altough it's mostly music.
Pretty much the only non-music thing I have to write about is this funny article, entitled "Planning Sensibly for When the Zombies Come". Leather pants? Didn't think about it, but sweet. I always thought the most important thing to have would be good running shoes, just in case they're speedy mothers like the ones in 28 Days Later. http://www.yourmomsbasement.com/archives/2007/07/post_2.html
I stumbled upon Kate Nash the other day and was immediately awestruck by her simple, melodic sound. She sounds kind of like a cross between Regina Spektor and Lily Allen... This song is awesome. Seriously, check it out.
And, since I get a bit obsessed with things, check out this live performance in Edinburgh... you might just end up watching the whole thing.
Alright, if you don't know who Architecture in Helsinki is, then... well, you should. Their video for the song, "Heart It Races" was featured on YouTube for a while because it was so randomly crazy and good. However, I think it's the kind of video that detracts from the song. Here it is, and make sure not to get distracted by the crazy puppets, and listen to the song, too
The reason I got turned on to the song is because of the blog La Blogoteque, that makes "les concerts a emporter", or "take-away concerts" -- gigs that are totally off the cuff and done in one shot. The one with AIH is amazing, because they get a bunch of people to sing parts of it... it takes a while to get going, but once it does, it's incredibly cool to watch. http://www.blogotheque.net/article.php3?id_article=3275
Another band that did one of these concerts was Guillemots, who I wrote about sometime last summer. One of them starts out with just the lead singer, singing and playing the guitar in a courtyard, and then the rest of the band starts up and he joins them. Even if you don't know much about them, just seeing these two performances will make you a fan. http://www.blogotheque.net/article.php3?id_article=2448
And, just in case you're too lazy to click through to La Blogoteque, (shame on you!) here's a video for "Made Up Love Song #43".
And for some new music, The Thrills are back, and this is their first single, "Nothing Changes Around Here". The video has a really cool look and feel, and it's a totally cool, mellow song.
Alright, I know it seemed half-assed to put up a bunch of videos, but if you just take like, 15 minutes to listen to them, you'll be a happy camper. Oh, and save this mp3, "Merrymaking at My Place" by Calvin Harris. It's an addicting song.
I figured this video deserved its own post -- it's just so awesome... It's "Thriller", performed by inmates at some random prison.
If going to jail means learning sweet dances, then who wants to rob a bank?!
Speaking of the undead, (I know, worst transition ever) who has seen the trailer for the new Nicole Kidman zombie movie? (I never thought I'd say those words in the same sentence.) It looks alright, if not kind of predictable... it's probably the most mainstream zombie movie I've seen so far.
I've got a lot to do today, and won't be able to post much. I'm terribly sorry, dear readers. Check back soon.
It's hot. It's hot everywhere. This is the sort of thing that makes me very angry. I'm a happy person normally, mind you, but the heat just does something to me. Ugh.
If you haven't seen Transformers, then shame on you. If you haven't been to eBay looking for ridiculous Transformers memorabilia, then shame on me. I found a few auctions that made me stop and wonder exactly where people are getting this money that they are seemingly throwing away. Sure, it's for charity, but the fact that someone has $40,600 to spend on the "Allspark" cube prop from the movie, or $30,000 to spend on the "Bumblebee" Camaro is amazing. However, the questions people have been asking the seller, be they real or fake, are way awesome.
"Q: DOSE IT SHOOT FIRE. A: No, this is a real car and it does not shoot fire.
Q: DOES THIS CAR REALY TURN INTO BUMBLEBEE THE ROBOT? WILL IT DRIVE ITSELF? PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP THANKS! A: This car does not transform and will not drive itself. It is a real, drivable car. "
Think this is part of The Simpson's Movie marketing campaign? If so, think they went too far?
"Pagans are not happy about an enormous Homer Simpson painted near an ancient image. Pagans have pledged to perform “rain magic” to wash away cartoon character Homer Simpson who was painted next to their famous fertility symbol - the Cerne Abbas giant. The 17th century chalk outline of the naked, sexually aroused, club-wielding giant is believed by many to be a symbol of ancient spirituality. Ann Bryn-Evans, joint Wessex district manager for The Pagan Federation, said: “It’s very disrespectful and not at all aesthetically pleasing." "
There's a picture, but I'm not exactly sure if the gods of Good Bloggie would appreciate a field-drawing of a naked man marring their pretty blue background.
One of my favorite Gawker Media sites, Jezebel, posted an article on how much photoshopping actually goes into magazine covers. It's actually pretty crazy -- Faith Hill looks less than stellar, which is, I guess, their point. The cover in question is an animated image, but it's worth taking a look. It's pretty amazing. [LINK]
Apparently, some people in England are looking to an odd source for their latest persistant rain problems -- Rhihanna. Yes, Rhianna.
"OUR washout summer has been blamed on many things including global warming, the Gulfstream and a weather system called La Nina. But there could be a simpler cause . . . Umbrella, the annoyingly catchy song by Rihanna which has been at No1 for nine sodding — sorry, sodden — weeks. For that coincides almost exactly with the period of monsoon-like rain which has drenched the nation. And now experts are wondering if clubbers who have been partying to Umbrella have unwittingly been doing a RAINDANCE. Today, in a bid to put a spoke into Umbrella’s curse, The Sun urges its millions of readers to join our campaign against the hit and knock it off top spot for ever — ever — ever. "
I watch a lot of Law & Order. Like, almost too much. Our neighbors are probably perpetually annoyed by the "BUM BUM" constantly coming from our windows. I can recite the entire intro to "Special Victims Unit". I have a problem. The most unintentionally funny parts of L&O are probably how random people discover the bodies, like, "Oh, what's that, Moopsie? What do you have? A HAND?!?!!?" Apparently, some kids (sadly) got their own dose of this... and I guess this means that that shit really does happen. Ah, New York City.
"A kiddie birthday party aboard a boat took a macabre turn yesterday when its pint-sized passengers spotted a corpse floating in the Hudson off Manhattan's Pier 40. The shocked parents of birthday girl Chloe Carvajal, 3, told The Post that they had shelled out $1,500 for the round-trip jaunt around the Statue of Liberty for about 40 guests, including at least 15 youngsters. They were horrified when the rug rats got a premature lesson in crime-scene investigation at around 1 p.m. "There were children there who saw the body, and they were crying," said the girl's mother, Jill Carvajal, 37. "The boat was circling the body." "
Jeez.
Apparently this movie, Rocket Science, did phenomenally well with audiences at Sundance. It seems like the typical indie fare that I, and hopefully you, like so much.
Chris sent me this video, by a girl who calls herself Bat For Lashes. It's crazy, and gets more awesome every time you watch it.
Finally, I wanted to post a link to an mp3 of a remix, done by Girl Talk, of a Grizzly Bear song, featuring Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Clipse. It's seriously really, really good.
I'll leave you with this video -- this guy has crazy beatboxing skills. Watch him mix up a beat.
I should have something to write about today, I swear. I had a pretty epic weekend, and I accidentally got 13 straight hours of sleep, but I cannot, for the life of me, figure out anything to write about. I found... one thing. ONE. I guess it's pretty cool, but only writing about one thing isn't exactly up to my nouveau-Good-Bloggie standards. You'll just have to wait 'til tomorrow. And, sadly, my traffic seems to be mostly concentrated on Mondays. Oops.
Did you watch "Get Smart" as a kid, probably on Nick at Night? I did, but only because I love the television (it's my own special form of escapism), but because it was hilarious. Well, get ready, because they're making a movie -- with Steve Carrell, no less. Here's the trailer.
I just realized that Monday's post was my 250th post on GB! Hope you like the new design -- I didn't get too fancy, it was just time for a change.
I was woken up at 6:30 am this morning, (of course, after being woken up at 2:30 am before that) by my friend Andy, who had apparently passed out on the couch and not known it. I guess all of my friends that went out last night blacked out at Sullivan's, and had no recollection of going downtown. Kinda makes me sad that I didn't go out, but I'm alright with not being sleep deprived. Plus, I can take a nap this afternoon. Yay naps!
Elbo.ws is probably one of the more definitive sites on the internet for music blogs. It's a conglomeration of tons of them, with ridiculous search capacities for links to mp3s. I went there this morning, typed in "Stars", and got probably about 75 blog hits back, each organized into individual songs. It's pretty rad.
This video is amazing. Remember Mark Sommers? Double Dare? How about Pete & Pete? Clarissa Explains it all? Salute Your Shorts? Though I don't have full episodes of those shows to post (something my friends and I talk about almost every time we get drunk), I do have a sweet low-budge music video for a band called the XYZ Affair, that has some of the stars in it.
And, just because I got kinda nostalgic, here's the intro for "Clarissa Explains it All".
I've often celebrated my favorite movie-review site, Pajiba, for its unflinching reviews and acrimonious retellings of movie plots. I often look forward to awful movies coming out, just because I can read what awful things the Pajibans had to say. This article is no exception -- just reading it made me angry and mutter things like "mysogynistic movie-producing bastards" under my breath. Here's a little part of the article:
"...But, more than anything, I don’t want anyone to see this film — I want it to fail spectacularly. I want the filmgoers of this nation to prove that we’re above this sort of contempt and hate of the female sex. That we’re not actually a nation of sick, twisted frat-boy fuckers who’d get off on this sort of deprivation. That there is a line, and that we, collectively, recognize that it’s been crossed, and we won’t subsidize it anymore. That we can reluctantly accept the insulting comedies, the drab thrillers, and the tiresome, lifeless romantic comedies, but that this sort of noxious cinematic poison is not only deplorable, but morally criminal."
"...And I’m sure the filmmakers will argue that Captivity has some sort of feminist empowerment message behind it because Jennifer, the captive, eventually figures it all out and kills her kidnapper, walking away “triumphantly” as the credits roll. But, that’s total fucking bullshit, because for 89 of the 90-minute run time, Joffe and his cinematic henchmen try to pass off torture and date rape as a form of entertainment — they somehow expect people will want to pay to see a woman suffer for 89 minutes and then hope the audience feels vindicated because she mercilessly puts two in her captor’s chest before the screen goes black. Well, fuck that. And fuck you, Joffe, et al. for thinking we’re that easily manipulated."
If you don't read the site, you probably should start. It's good for you -- nothing like uppity hipsters telling you what to like and not to like. Seriously... it's damn good.
This is a cute story -- two elephants escaped from their cages in a travelling circus, and wandered into a neighborhood, where some teenaged boys called the cops. The kid was like, "uh... there's an elephant in someone's front yard" and sure enough, there they were, eating people's trees. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2007/07/12/stevens.loose.elephants.gnn
Need a reason not to talk on your cellphone or listen to music on your ipod when it's raining? (Other than "you should fucking know better"?) People are actually getting struck by lightning because they refuse to turn their elecronic devices off.
"Emergency physicians report treating patients burned while using personal electronic devices amid lightning. "It's going to hit where it's going to hit, but once it contacts metal, the metal conducts the electricity," said Dr. Mary Ann Cooper of the American College of Emergency Physicians. And the metal can cause contact burns. A Canadian jogger suffered severe injuries while running with his iPod, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine. The man, a 39-year-old dentist, was jogging in a thunderstorm when lightning hit a tree a couple of feet away and jumped to his body. It not only caused second-degree burns on his chest and left leg, but ruptured both ear drums, dislocated tiny ear bones that transmit sound waves and broke his jaw in four places. "
Dayum.
I got an email in my inbox this morning from Pandora.com, urging me to call my senator to oppose the insane rate-hikes for internet radio. I was all set to post a plea for help, but then I read this:
"The SoundExchange executive promised -- in front of Congress -- that SoundExchange will not enforce the new royalty rates. Webcasters will stay online, as new rates are hammered out. [A blogger] just spoke with Pandora founder Tim Westergren, who expressed relief that Pandora wouldn't have to shut down on Sunday in response to the new rates. He said, "It was getting pretty close. I always had underlying optimism that sanity was going to prevail, but I was beginning to wonder." "
So no fear, you shall have internet radio for a little while longer.
I also read an article about how the McDonald's restaurants in the UK are going to start converting all of their cooking oil to biodiesel. Yet another reason why I wouldn't mind moving to England.
I guess tonight, we're going to probably do some karaoke. (I realized today that the people who sit around me must think I'm into the nose candy -- I've gotten in the habit of calling karaoke "yoke". Think about it.) It's way more fun than you may think. I somehow always get the microphone passed to me, and I'm sure the regulars are sick of me singing bad 80's songs. But, of course, I'm not. Never.
I'm going to leave you with a really awesome video -- a single room, painted tons of different ways.
Whitney was born on a balmy summer night in August, 1985. Little did her parents know that she would turn out to be the most affable thing to hit the little town of Fort Collins. Outgoing and boisterous, with a penchant for loud music and strong drinks, she became a force to reckon with. Known as "Hammer Time" among her friends, she is known for always having a smile on her face and a high-five at the ready.
You can contact her by emailing GoodBloggie@Gmail.com
Two cups each -- the better to drink with, my dear...
Amy doing a keg stand with a cup and a straw... 
And part of the victorious white team...
