Lunch Bag Delight

Check out Lunch Bag Art, where a dad draws on his kids' lunchbags everyday:

Geez, his kids must be the most popular in school. Maybe not as popular as I was when would go to the Portuguese chicken place at lunch and bring back a bag of fries to the schoolyard, but I digress...

Via Drawn!

Real Race in American Film

Nothing But A Man (1964)



I'd put it right after Cassavetes' Shadows (1959) in a continuum of naturalistic race related films, along with Charles Burnett's Killer of Sheep (1977), and even David Gordon Green's George Washington (2000).

Who Wants to Watch a Game Show Movie?

I do. I did.

Caught Slumdog Millionaire last night and it's definitely gotta be one of the best films of the year. Director Danny Boyle's slowly becoming one of my favorite filmmakers, with such other gems as 28 Days Later and Sunshine.

But it got me thinking, what are some of the best movies that involve/revolve around game shows?

Well here's my Top 7 Game Show Movies:

1. Magnolia - finds in the game show the perfect breeding ground for utter misery and disappointment
2. Slumdog Millionaire - uses the game show as an entertaining framing device in highlighting the deep scars cut through wealth-based class divisions
3. The Gladiators - a docu-style satire of the military-industrial complex where future wars are fought in a choreographed game show between individual combatants/contestants
4. The Running Man - anticipating the reality TV phenomenon, the Arnold kicks major ass in this action-spoof of voyeuristic blood lust
5. Quiz Show - based on the true events of the 1950s American quiz show scandals
6. European Vacation - Clark and the Griswald gang win a trip to Europe on "A Pig in a Poke"
7. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - based on the memoir of a former game show host / secret agent

Here's a quiz for you... what movies am I forgetting? I can't think of any more my self, but one thing's for sure. It seems like all these movies have a satirical/critical bent to them. I guess the game show stands for something... nothing?

PS. Let's not forget the amazing South Park episode, "With Apologies To Jesse Jackson". Watch the awe-ful clip here.

Soap Doggy Dogg

Snoop Dogg is my kind of celebrity. He's certifiably talented, he doesn't take himself too seriously, and he will do anything that pleases him (convention and critics be damned).

He likes country music, so he makes a country record.

He likes porn, so he makes a porno.

He likes coaching kids football, so he creates his own youth football league.

And more recently, he's a fan of the soap opera "One Life To Live", so he makes a guest appearance and records an alternate opening theme song for the show:



Unfortunately, it was only used for a couple episodes. Here's the standard version.

The Fruit Creme Lifestyle

What the hell kind of lifestyle is this?!

Eating gross fruité cookies after working out to a Tae Bo DVD before watching Portuguese soap operas on mute and sharing peach schnapps with your cat all night then waking up in your elastic waist jeans to a breakfast of more fruit creme biscuits. Ah, the life!

Best Wild Animal Photos of 2008

Above are the winners in the Overall category, in the "Animal Behavior - Birds" category, and "Underwater World" category. The awards are organized by the Natural History Museum of London and BBC Wildlife Magazine. Check out the winners at National Geographic.

Or visit the NHM to browse the entire gallery of photos.

Batman sues The Dark Knight

Yes, this is more stupid than confusing.

Batman, a small city in Turkey, is apparently suing Christopher Nolan and the producers of The Dark Knight (not DC Comics though).


Hurriyet Daily News reports:

“The royalty of the name ‘Batman’ belongs to us … There is only one Batman in the world. The American producers used the name of our city without informing us,” Kalkan [Hüseyin Kalkan, the mayor] told to the Doğan news agency.

Even stranger is the above cited article's sub-headline: The mayor of Batman, a city recently under scrutiny due to unsolved murders and increasing rates of female suicides, will sue the director of the movie "Batman" movie.

But as much as this legal action smacks of desperation and inanity, the other shoe fits just as poorly. Meaning, that Warner Bros. is just as much in the wrong if this account of a Batman native who couldn't name his German restaurants Batman is true:

“I named my two restaurants Batman. But six months ago, a team of employees from the production company of the movie Batman made me change the title. Telling them that Batman was the name of my hometown did not change anything,” Dağ said.

Can't we all just get along?

Via io9.

Hey Change, What's Up?

I definitely didn't get chills watching the first one, but this update of the pre-viral Budweiser viral ad is fan-freaking-tastic.



True indeed!

Barack Obama is the Next President of the United States of America

Yes, it's true. Thanks and congratulations.

Vote For Lando!

11 Movies to Watch Before the Election

Turn off CNN, turn off MSNBC, turn off PBS. Seriously, turn it off.

Yes, the U.S. presidential election is only 1 day away. No, you won't see/hear anything new or interesting from anyone tonight.

I suggest watching a movie instead. Here's a list of some films that will segue nicely into tomorrow's regularly scheduled obsessive election results viewing.

Top 11 Pre-Election Movies:

1) Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - James Stewart plays a young idealistic Senator who shows the old dudes that good things can still happen in Washington. View clip.

2) Street Fight - Documentary surrounding a down n' dirty mayoral election in Newark, NJ. View trailer.

3) The Parallax View - This 70s political conspiracy film stars Warren Beatty. View the wicked trailer.

4) The Day the Earth Stood Still - A benevolent alien beams down to earth to unite humans to avoid certain destruction. View trailer.

5) Persepolis - This animated gem deftly illustrates the profound detachment and investment that simultaneously exist between the personalized individual and the politicized citizen. View clip.

6) Fahrenheit 9/11 - Michael Moore's 2004 film will remind you how badly the last two went. Watch the entire thing on YouTube.

7) The Weather Underground - Check out what Barack Obama's "pal" Bill Ayers got up to with the radical left group the Weathermen. View trailer.

8) Iraq in Fragments - A reminder that this election is not just about the recent economic collapse. It's about the Iraq war, and the fact that the United States and its President has an impact that extends well beyond its own borders. View trailer.

9) Southland Tales - This movie will surely confuse you enough that you'll thankfully forget ever hearing of 'Joe the Plumber'. View clip.

10) The Dead Zone - David Cronenberg's film is based on Stephen King's novel and it revolves around a schoolteacher who's suddenly burdened with psychic powers and foresees that a rising political star will become President - with disastrous consequences. View clip.

11) Election - Alexander Payne's satire on a high school election where Sarah Palin, er... I mean Tracy Flick will do anything to get elected. View trailer.

Just don't watch W.

How'd That Get There?

A giant Lego man mysteriously washed up on a beach in Brighton. It's the 30th anniversary of the Lego man, so I'm guessing publicity stunt. Article.


This ain't no publicity stunt. Just a horse who got his head stuck in a tree. Now that's mystery. Article.

Both of these photos are brought to you by the Telegraph.co.uk, which is obviously very dedicated to hard news. They're also reporting that a flying car based on a Ferrari design could be reality within two years. They make it sound like that's so soon - more like way overdue. I've been waiting on that shit since '98.

Listening Party: Wild Beasts

From Kendal. On Domino. Their debut Limbo, Panto out November 4.

Me likes.