The Martlet

THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS

2009-05-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

About to begin the finals marathon. STRESSSSEEEDDDD..... but watching this always makes me happy.

The Beatles are my go-to study music for whatever reason, so I've been listening to them nonstop and re-falling in love them all over again. I also recommend watching their rooftop concert for some excellent nostalgia.

Audrey Tautou In New Jean-Pierre Jeunet Directed Chanel No. 5 Ad

2009-05-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

Le sigh...

LOVE her.

MOVIES I WANT TO SEE: 500 DAYS OF SUMMER

2009-05-02T23:53:00.000-07:00

PILOBOLUS DANCE THEATER

2009-04-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

This is seriously one of the coolest things ever.

Pilobolus - Click here for more blooper videos

EXTREME SHEEP ART

2009-04-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

YOUR PERSONAL MOON

2009-04-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

Really awesome Russian art project using a big, moon-shaped lightbox:

See the whole set here

EARTH HOUR

2009-03-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

The Boston Globe has an awesome collection of animated before and after pics of some of the famous landmarks that turned their lights off in observation of Earth Hour. Check it out! It's crazy to see Vegas without the lights.

ANIMALS WHO HATE BATHS

2009-03-30T10:00:00.001-07:00

Best Week Ever posted a pretty lulzy photo gallery entitled "50 Animals Who Hate Baths." Highlights include:

Lots of exploitable, lolcat worthy photos. I love the cat ones because they remind me of my own 2 animals who hate baths, but there are plenty of other species too. Check 'em all out here.

STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

2009-03-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

We finally got a new look at Charles Manson today, and I for one am disappointed with this year’s model. Where are my beloved crazy eyes? Where is the scraggly Mennonite beard? What about the groovy hair? Sure he’s got the swastika carved into his forehead but it’s looking a bit perfunctory these days, like the polo playing guy on Ralph Lauren shirts. (Note: that faded swastika is a textbook case for why you need to put sunscreen on tattoos!) The craziest thing about the new Charles Manson are his eyebrows, which could use a good waxing.

(booooooring)

For forty years, Charles Manson has been America’s pre-eminent bogeyman, the guy we turned to when we got sick of Oprah and just wanted a lil’ Evil. And for all that time, he’s given us exactly what we asked for: eye rolling, finger wagging, head twitching, mouth frothing. For forty years, the guy couldn’t open his mouth without something creepy falling out.

He was the Cal Ripken Jr. of crazy.

Now though, he’s in his mid-seventies, long past the age when most nutjobs hang up their straitjackets, and it’s clear his heart just isn’t in it anymore. Manson clearly wants to hand the crown to somebody, but nobody is there to take it. Nobody has ever come close to challenging Manson as the undisputed heavyweight of psychopaths. Not Ted Bundy. Not the Zodiac. Not even Jeffrey Dahmer – and he ate people!

Manson pretty did it all: hippie, cult leader, murderer of Hollywood actress, interpreter of Beatles lyrics, one-time auditioner for “the Monkees.” Who is going to top a resumé like that? Nobody. But what’s so disappointing is that nobody’s even trying. Modern supervillains aren’t trying to start race riots. They’re just stealing money.

Money?

That’s so boring, so pedestrian, so bourgeois. Manson didn’t give a shit about money. He was having orgies. He was writing songs. He was dropping acid. He was smearing the word "Pigs" on the walls in blood. Manson was a guy who knew how to be fucking crazy!

What did Bernie Madoff ever do compared to that?

But now it’s clear that Charles Manson’s best days are behind him. His red-rimmed eyes and close-cropped hair give no hint of the rake who once said, “I’m the king, man. I run the underworld. I decide who does what and where they do it at… the game’s mine. I deal the cards.” Friends, that’s my Manson.

Or take this delightful exchange:

What contemporary crazy can compete with that? None – why? They haven’t got the style! They haven’t got the panache! Frankly, they haven’t got the eyebrows. But I believe that somebody's got to be out there. Some meth head in the heartland. Some angry artistic kid with a dream, the dream to outdo Manson. It's a lofty goal, sure, but this is America, damn it! A place where people have dreams so crazy, you'd have to be insane to think of them in the first place. Which, of course, is the whole point.

[from Michael Ian Black's blog]

THE OBLIGATORY SUPER BOWL XLIII POST

2009-02-06T22:32:00.000-08:00

(Hines Ward, Jack Lambert, Terry Bradshaw,
Jerome Bettis, Franco Harris, James Harrison)

You knew that February 1, 2009, that most joyous day for Pittsbugh Steelers fans, could not possibly go without comment from me. But I'll spare you the lengthy tome on my multiple joygasms and simply recap it with pictures. Because everyone likes pictures and not everyone enjoys 5,000 word essays on the majesty of Steeler Nation.

So here's what went down:

The Cardinals were technically the "home" team, but not really

Lamar Woodley got all ninja on the Arizona Cardinals

hiiii-yaaa!

Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison made history with the longest play ever recorded in the Super Bowl.

And then he put on some Steelers Crocs

Hofstra alum Willie Colon managed to go an entire game without a false start or illegal formation penalty. Millions were shocked.

Greatest catch ever?

Your Super Bowl MVP: Santonio Holmes
(NSFW version here for you pervs)

The people rejoiced

Sorry Kurt Warner, the nuns are on our side

The Bus rejoiced

The injured Hines Ward cried happy tears

Ben Roethlisberger posed for a bunch of pictures looking like a big, dumb animal

Giant finger of doom!

Cute kids showed up

Casey Hampton

Troy Polamalu
(This baby is going to have some awesome hair with these parents)

Ike Taylor

Mewelde Moore

Coach Mike Tomlin

Then they ate the Lombardi trophy. Nom nom nom.

I think this is Marvel Smith

Ryan Clark came back from losing 2 organs, almost dying, and not knowing if he would ever play football again to being a Super Bowl champion. (This is my favorite pic.)

Mitch Berger (aka the worst punter to ever disgrace the National Football League) is also now a Super Bowl champion. He has a Super Bowl ring and Dan Marino does not. Let that sink in for a minute.

William Gay. I think this moment makes up for a lifetime of torment over his last name. And the fact that no one will ever wear his jersey, no matter how awesome he may become.

James Farrior and Larry Foote are twins y/y?

The fans in Pittsburgh went nuts. They broke a ton of shit and lit stuff on fire and generally acted like a bunch of hooligans. Then they polkaed in the street. (Yes, the Steelers have a polka.)

Over 350,000 people showed up to the victory parade Tuesday @ noon. The population of Pittsburgh is approximately 312,000.

Casey Hampton got shirtless

Steelers owner Dan Rooney wore a hat on top of a hat. Cuz he's gangsta like that.

And everyone still hates Steely McBeam

~ FIN ~

'Twas a glorious day.

[All photos from here]

WHO TO ROOT FOR IN THE SUPER BOWL: A GUIDE FOR NON-FANS

2009-01-31T22:22:00.000-08:00

So you're not a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and you're not an Arizona Cardinals fan, but you've been invited to a Super Bowl party and you need to know who to root for. Before you pick the Cardinals because you're a progressive and you love underdogs, consider a few facts...

Dan Rooney, the 76-year-old owner of the Steelers and a lifelong Republican, endorsed Obama and stumped for him, not just in Pennsylvania but in the surrounding swing states. He did so despite the fact that Obama's promise of increased taxes on the wealthy forced Rooney's family to restructure the ownership of the team.

Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin is also a vocal Obama supporter. At a recent press conference he said, "Barack is selling hope. And I'm buying." Steelers players have spoken out about how they hope to win the Super Bowl in part because it would mean they would be the first championship sports team to visit Obama's White House.

The Cardinals' owners, on the other hand, are major Republican donors. Their donor history can be found on opensecrets.org, but to save you time:

The LA Times reports that team President William Bidwell and Vice President Michael Bidwell each gave $50,000 to Republicans this past election season. Politico adds that as fundraisers for McCain, they bundled upwards of $350,000 for the Republican presidential candidate.

Oh, and Arizona's bible-thumping quarterback Kurt Warner? He starred in an commercial opposing stem cell research in 2006.

Mull that over as you tip back your favorite adult beverage on Sunday evening. ☺

[Jonathan Blaque]

So there you have it. I'd also add the Steelers owner's Rooney Rule bringing more minority coaches into the league and the fact that those thousands of Terrible Towels you'll see being waved during the game are funding a school for kids with mental and physical disabilities.

Also, Snoop Dogg and P. Diddy are big fans, so you know a Steelers victory party > a Cardinals victory party.

Metallicat

2009-01-11T00:26:00.000-08:00

LITTLE GORDON

2008-12-31T13:42:00.000-08:00

I recently ran across these videos, which I think are awesome. They are quick spoofs of famous foul-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsay, as done by a small child. Hilarious and spot-on.

Little Gordon critiquing the lunch his mum has packed for him:

Little Gordon critiquing the cafeteria lunch:

Little Gordon critiquing the restaurant during his parents' anniversary dinner:

RANDOM FUN ART OF THE DAY

2008-12-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

All paper works by Peter Callesen. Check out more at his website here.

SHOPPINGNOTES.COM

2008-12-30T01:14:00.000-08:00

This is news to me, so maybe it's news to you as well....

Have you ever seen something online that you really wanted to buy, but just weren't willing to pay full price for, so you decided to wait it out and see if it went on sale? I do this all the time. I just add the item to one of my various wishlists and check back up on it every so often to see if it's gone on sale yet. Unfortunately for me, I really suck at this game and more often than not I'm late to the sale and the item is already out of stock. This is where ShoppingNotes.com comes in. Just go to the site, paste in the url of the item you are stalking, give them your email, and they'll email you whenever the price drops. Simply brilliant and brilliantly simply. I wish I'd heard of this before.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY TERRIFYING

2008-12-05T15:12:00.000-08:00

A list of creatures currently haunting my dreams:

Coconut Crab

Giant Isopod

Camel Spider

Sydney Funnel Web Spider

Bird-Eating Spider

Huntsman Spider hiding behind a clock (a/k/a "Clock Spider")

More Huntsmen. Holy shit, somebody get a flamethrower....

Clearly I am afraid of everything with more than 4 legs.

HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOUR NAME?

2008-11-26T02:27:00.001-08:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There is
1

person with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

This doesn't shock me because I have a very unusual last name. I still think it's pretty cool that out of 305,741,849 odd people in the U.S. I'm the only person with my name. See how many people have your name!

MOVIES I WANT TO SEE: TELL NO ONE

2008-11-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

Francois Cluzet stars in this French thriller from director Guillaume Canet. Eight years after the heinous murder of his wife, doctor Alex Beck receives an ominous email from an unknown source. The message contains a video image of Alex's thought-to-be dead wife in real time.

Reviews here

KINETIC SCULPTURE: THE CREEPIEST ART EVER

2008-11-17T00:12:00.000-08:00

Theo Jansen is a Dutch artist and kinetic sculptor. He builds large, movable works of art that resemble the skeletons of animals and are able to walk using wind power. They are simultaneously the creepiest and coolest things I have ever seen.

See more of his freaky sculptures here!

WHAT TO WATCH TONIGHT: WITNESS TO JONESTOWN

2008-11-15T18:46:00.000-08:00

Next week marks the 30th anniversary of the massacre at Jonestown, Guyana, where 900 members of a cult led by Reverend Jim Jones died by mass suicide. MSNBC is commemorating the event with the 2-hour documentary "Witness to Jonestown." I think most people know the story of the Kool-Aid, but I personally had never heard about the murder of Congressman Ryan and the men reporting on the cult. An interesting and tragic story.

Here's a preview. It airs multiple times tonight on MSNBC.

LITTLE PEOPLE

2008-11-15T18:23:00.000-08:00

Little People - a tiny street art project. Little, handpainted people left in London to fend for themselves.

See more here!

MOVIES I WANT TO SEE: LET THE RIGHT ONE IN

2008-11-15T18:20:00.001-08:00

'Let the Right One In' is a stark, chilly Swedish tale of teen vampirism.

Kare Hedebrant is Oskar, a bullied middle-schooler in late ’70s Sweden who lives a life of wounded isolation. His classmates pick on him, his single mom doesn’t seem to know what to do with him, and he’s fascinated by stories of murder in the local paper.
No wonder he’s intrigued when a new neighbor moves in next door in their snow-shrouded apartment block. The man — who quickly covers the windows so no one can see in — has a young girl, Eli (Lina Leandersson), who’s about Oskar’s age.
Oskar and Eli meet one night outside the apartment building, and it’s clear there’s something odd about her. Yet Oskar is intrigued and the two begin an awkward, endearing and ultimately horrifying relationship where he feeds off her friendship and she, well, just feeds off his friends.

[full review from the Star-Telegram]

OBAMAMOSAICS

2008-11-15T17:57:00.000-08:00

Obama inspired a lot of artwork during his campaign (see here -- it's awesome). Here are some of my favorites:

Mosaic of 100 Obama bumper stickers. Click here to view them.

Mosiac of people holding Obama signs. There's actually a set of these here and they're all pretty neat.

And this is a little late, but it's still funny:

In conclusion, here's one more piece of Obama art that tickles my fancy and a toaster mosaic made out of toast.

ANYBODY NEED A VIDEOGRAPHER?

2008-11-15T17:49:00.001-08:00

Cuz I know just the folks...

Picasso's Guernica in 3-D

2008-11-15T17:36:00.000-08:00

While living in Nazi-occupied Paris during World War II, Picasso suffered harassment from the Gestapo. One officer allegedly asked him, upon seeing a photo of Guernica in his apartment, "Did you do that?" Picasso responded, "No, you did."

Oo-De-Lally!

2008-08-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

I was on YouTube the other day looking for a clip of the song Oo-de-lally from the movie Robin Hood and I stumbled upon a ton of clips of the song in different languages. For some reason it never occurred to me that they would re-record the song in other languages; I just thought that other countries watched the American version with subtitles. WRONG.

Naturally, my favorite was the French version, but you can listen to it (and all of the other songs, plus songs from lots of other Disney movies) in German, Russian, Swedish, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese and damn near any language.

It's just strange to hear a song you know and love so well being sung in a language that is unfamiliar to you. And the translations of the lyrics are sometimes pretty funny too, because obviously it's impossible to make them exact and still fit the song -- but sometimes they are just out there. Oo-de-lally in Japanese probably sounded the strangest. Double click either of the videos if you want to see more.