Music Test
One of our new writers wants to start uploading music samples so I figured I would test out our new mp3 player with an Irish Song from The Wire.
Mar
31
Mar
31
Bruno gets NC-17 rating on first cut
Rise of house music, fall of apartheid - coincidence?
‘Bruno’ hit with NC-17 rating
Staff report
March 30, 2009, 11:20 PM (From “The Hollywood Reporter”)
In its current incarnation, Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Bruno” would earn an adults-only NC-17 rating from the MPAA’s ratings board, the filmmakers have been told.
They have not yet submitted the film — which Universal plans to release July 10 in an R-rated version — for a final rating determination.
A follow-up to Baron Cohen’s succesful 2006 film “Borat,” the new films stars the improvisational comedian in the character of Bruno, a gay fashionista from Austria encountering unwitting real Americans as he makes his way across the country.
Mar
31
Eastern Promises?
I make-a da best borscht!
Cronenberg Eyeing Eastern Promises Sequel
Source: MTV March 30, 2009
In an interview at MTV (which contains a big spoiler if you haven’t seen the movie), director David Cronenberg says they are planning on making a sequel to 2007 thriller, Eastern Promises. Here’s an excerpt:
“We are moving forward with it,” Cronenberg told MTV News in an exclusive chat. “We all are excited about the idea of doing a sequel.”
The “we” includes Mortensen, who was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role as Nikolai; the film’s screenwriter, Steven Knight; original producer Paul Webster; and original studio, Focus Features.
“We are going to have a meeting very soon between me, Steve Knight and Paul Webster to discuss what the script would be,” Cronenberg said. “I have some very strong ideas about what I would like to see, but I would like to hear what they have to say as well. And then after that, if all goes well, Steve goes away and writes a great script. If we all like it, we make it.”
Mar
31
Mar
30
Ask Frank
Whenever I am faced with any type of dilemma, I ask myself one question and one question only - you guessed it - what would Frank Vincent do?
Now, for the great news. Every monday (or whenever Frank decides he feels like working) Frank is going to be taking questions from our readers. Just remember, nothing is off limits and what Frank says is always right. I mean we’re talkin’ about the guy who told Tommy Devito to “Go home and get your fucking shinebox”. Frank Vincent. The Man. The Myth. The greatest actor of all time.
We are going to setup a specific link in the left-side bar to ask questions, but for now just send a message to Frank@StopBragging.com.
Mar
30
KFC’s Proposal: First Pot Pies, Now Potholes
This was taken from the Chicago Tribune:
KFC wants to help patch the nation’s potholes.
Everybody needs a little KFC. But maybe not Chicago.
The fast-food chain has sent off a letter to the nation’s mayors, offering to patch their potholes for free. The company will leave behind a stenciled brand on the patch informing people the road has been “Re-Freshed by KFC.”
Mar
30
Mar
30
Wisdom from the Weekend (3/30/2009)
On Sunday night while I was thinking about what to write, Marty sent me a text message asking me a question about the new TV show Kings. His question is irrelevant to this passage, but it made me think about the story of the Kings of Israel. Here is a cliff notes version:
In the Judeo-Christian religions, King Saul is a tremendous figure. After being anointed by God, Saul unites the tribes of Israel. Although Saul assumes the role as King and we refer to him now as the first King of Israel, in the Book of Samuel, he is referred to as the Leader. King Saul ultimately defies the profit Samuel and falls out of favor with God.
God then commands Samuel, the Judge, to find another Leader. Samuel goes to the seven sons of Jesse of Bethlehem. When Samuel meets David, the youngest of Jesse’s sons, he is told to anoint him the new King of Israel.
Saul commits suicide during the battle with the Philistines. David mourns his death, then goes up to Hebron, where he is anointed King over Judah; in the north, Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth is king over the tribes of Israel. War ensues between Ish-Bosheth and David, until Ish-Bosheth is assassinated. The assassins bring forward the head of Ish-Bosheth to David hoping for a reward, but David executes them for their crime against the Lord’s anointed. Yet with the death of the son of Saul, the elders of Israel come to Hebron, and David, 30 years old, is anointed King over Israel and Judah.
David reigns for many years and leaves the Kingdom to his son Solomon. Solomon’s son Rehoboam succeeded Solomon as king, but the kingdom split under his reign into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Rehoboam reigned over the southern kingdom.
This story makes me think about what it means to fall in and out of God’s favor. Is it not similar to falling in and out of favor with our friends or lovers? Since I am not particularly religious, I look at Saul as having lost the love of his subjects instead of the true favor of God.
We use the term ‘fall’ to represent the instantaneous nature of such a transition. We fall in and out of love or we fall ill. These are things we can’t control. It is strange to think of love, sickness, and God’s favor as situational or subjective. However, often small problems grow into large schisms in a relationship.
The fun-filled romantic beginnings of all relationships eventually give way to the realities of daily life. Often instead of dealing with our relationship problems we hope and wait for the storm to pass. Which brings me to my advice: When something is not going properly in either a friendship or a relationship it is important to confront the problem head-on. Both parties likely see a problem differently. When we fall out of favor with are friends or lovers it often happens without one person’s full awareness.
So when you have a problem with a friend or lover grow some balls and put it out there. Nothing can be more damaging to a relationship than keeping an internal grudge.
Mar
30
Mar
29
Mar
29
Mar
28
Facebook Group Name Change Outrage
This was taken from Fox News:
Some Facebook members are upset because they say one of the groups they were members of online changed from “I Heart Jews” to “Hitler: Great Modern Man of History” without them knowing. The almost 2,000 members are upset and do not want to be part of the group.
Fox 5’s Lisa Evers reports on this controversy; watch her video (left).
Also, watch Brett Larson’s demonstration video that shows you how to set your alerts in Facebook so that you get an e-mail if a group you are a member of changes its name:
Mar
28
Mar
28
How to Use BitTorrent
For those of you who are still using limewire to get your media, here is a guide to BitTorrent. This was taken from Life Hacker.
What is it?
BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file sharing protocol used for distributing large amounts of data. BitTorrent is one of the most common protocols for transferring large files, and by some estimates it accounts for about 35% of all traffic on the entire Internet.
How does it work?
Mar
28
Pirate Party
This was taken from Gizmodo:
In efficient, socialist, and thoroughly entertaining Sweden, a political party based on copyright activism has a legitimate shot at a seat in the European Parliament. Remember: A vote for them is a vote for piracy.
The Pirate Party, staffed entirely by volunteers, may have only gotten about 35,000 votes (0.63%) in Sweden’s 2006 elections, but with the current uproar over the Swedish goverment’s restrictive laws and the media sensation of our torrenting buddies the Pirate Bay, registration has swelled. With 12,000 contributing members, the Pirate Party is now larger than both the Swedish Green Party and the Swedish Left Party, and they’re staking the future of their organization on a run for a seat in the European Union Parliament this June.
The Pirate Party doesn’t have a lock on a seat; they’ll need about 100,000 votes, which would require a huge jump from their previous total. But given the atmosphere, they’ve certainly got a shot at it. Check out their website for more information on their aims, which include not only copyright law but Internet privacy as well.
Mar
26
Mar
25
Is There a Look For Love?
Only if you manage a glance that lasts longer than 8.2 seconds.
This was taken from the Daily Mail:
His eyes meet yours across a crowded room - is that the look of love? Only, say scientists, if it lasts longer than 8.2 seconds.
If a man’s gaze is more like four seconds, research suggests he is less than impressed. Women, however, treat both hunks and geeks alike, with their eyes lingering on both for similar amounts of time.
Hidden cameras secretly tracked the eye movements of 115 students as they chatted with actors and actresses. They were then asked to rate their conversation partner’s attractiveness.
Mar
25
Is ‘People Food’ Ever OK? 7 Pet Myths Debunked
This was taken from MSNBC:
When pediatrician Dr. T. Berry Brazelton recently advised a reader of his syndicated newspaper column that cats were known to be jealous of babies and would smother them by lying on them, cat lovers arched their backs and hissed. As Dr. Brazelton demonstrated, many long-disproven myths about pets still have legs.
We asked some pet experts to give us the lowdown on what’s true and what’s not when it comes to dog and cat behavior and care.
Read more »
Mar
25
Boxed Water
Boxed milk and juices are a supermarket staple, but one company is now selling boxed water.
Mar
23
