Resolution is coming down and closing up the remainder of July. That's alright with me, seeing as I'm more than ready for mid-August, myself. And I'm charmed to see so much activity come to a satisfying conclusion. That goes for more than just this damned heat, too. I'm just glad to see summer finally paying off.
But I get the feeling this isn't a unanimous feeling at the moment. That's distressing and I don't really know what I can do, except introduce you to the weekend. I'm here for you too, so keep your chin up.
The Edit
These here are the specific interests and perks of the weekly adventuring. Everything from tunes to articles or almost-lost files can be found below. Hopefully some of it will be recent, whereas some of it will be less so. But all of it I think is worth sharing with you; which is my gamble that you'll like it as much as I did.
- Yesterday, House Republicans managed to defeat a bill that would have provided billions of dollars in aid to those affected by the toxic aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Despite the fact this was a fairly popular notion, without a 2/3 majority, it wasn't going to get through. When the bill failed, it's unnecessary to note that there were some obviously upset Democrats that day, but one Anthony Weiner was especially irate. He took to the lectern and released such a speech that warranted a standing ovation.
- There's a chance you might not have been keeping a close track of the governor elections in Tennessee. There's a chance you might need to think for a moment before considering your spell-check on how to spell Tennessee. If either of these are true you might not know about Basil Marceaux, one of the men running for the spot of Tennessee's next governor. I'd like to add more to that, but I think Colbert managed to say all there is to say. And don't forget to check out Basil Marceaux's website, please. Do yourself a favor and read everything this man has to say about things of important.
- Still on the governmental track, someone other than the average, rational political individual is getting irked by the stench coming from the Tea Party. And this time it's more than political fallacy that is upsetting Darryl Campbell, who recently wrote up a short essay detailing how misrepresented George Orwell's words and novels has been in recent years. He delves into the context of Orwell's stories, explaining how the man never meant for phrases like "Big Brother" or "thoughtcrime" to be made into signs at rallies, especially for those who can't be bothered to actually understand what he meant with his prose.
- A week ago, I took a trip to my nearby town center mall-like hybrid, to visit a booth that Microsoft had allegedly set up in a Macy's store to promote their response to Nintendo's popularity with motion control, called Kinect. When I got there, I found it deep in the young girl's clothing department, very much real and functioning, with two boys playing the system for themselves. Now, I'm a coward, so I don't have any footage of me playing Kinect, but don't be dismayed. Those two boys allowed me to record their river rafting game session, for the sake of journalism. Conclusion: it doesn't look as awful as I might imagine a camera-based gaming experience, but it's so underwhelming that three years after the Wii has been on the market, this is the most competitive advancement in technology that Microsoft could come up with. I just don't get it.
- To the scribes over at Esquire, Marty Beckerman, a man who has been involved with reality tv for many years, breaks down some uncomfortable sounding facts about how shows like "Jersey Shore" actually work. Maybe it's just because I don't watch much television, much less reality television, but I was a little alarmed at the nonchalant attitude toward controlling the young and stupid people who star in these shows.
- This week, after all the Comic Con coverage moved on out, the trailer for the new Yogi Bear movie surfaced. I really wish it hadn't. I can't be sure if it's because the movie looks like a daytime ABC Family flick, but there seems to be the same amount of respect for the source material here as there is in the trailer for Smurf'd. And that's not meant kindly.
- This is actually a largely more important piece from Esquire's style blog, but it'll mean jack if you're not male (or somehow interested in masculine style). Following the recent season premier of Mad Men, Elizabeth Valleau takes a closer look at the inspiration guys should be getting from that time capsule of a show. The result actually resonates with what I've noticed a lot of fans overlooking based on just how gorgeous the show looks; that sometimes things change, and we shouldn't toss out all our seven-folds for one-inch skinny ties. That doesn't mean that what Janie Bryant does for costume design on Mad Men can't apply to today's fashion, but it does take a closer look than just mirroring Don Draper's wardrobe.
- Speaking of style advice: Michael Cera shows us the difference between not putting in any effort and looking effortless. That suit puts him squarely in the former category.
- Now maybe, if you're like me, you understand that there are two things a man should never do: wear a navy blue blazer with black pants, or try to remake the classic Schwarzenegger film, Total Recall. And it is because of the latter that I believe that Len Wiseman is not a man.
Hearing Things
For my own reasons, I've decided to process the music appreciation of my weekly culture bomb into its own section. Hopefully this means you won't miss out on whatever I feel like highlighting here. But it also means it will be much more obvious when I don't have any musical suggestions.
- In 2008, the electronic/pop band, Cut / Copy released an album that I thought was pretty spectacular. After that though, I didn't think to hard about them or what I should be expecting from them in the future. Which is why I was so surprised to hear that they had a new single out in the wild already. Though we won't be seeing a new album from them until early 2011 at its earliest, their new track Where I'm Going is available for free download off their website. Pretty much everything that I loved about their 2008 album still applies, but it feels more refined and developed. Check it out - love it - wait for next year.
Tumblr that Mattr
Assuming you scour the minimal blog oasis less than I do, here are my picks for the most bizarre, relevant and clever Tumblrs on the web. Satisfaction is not guaranteed.
- A hybrid of the surreal bullshit I was showing you before, and the irrelevant nonsense of anything else you can find on the internet, I present: Black and WTF. Imagery made with the oldest of photographic technology that still manages to out-bizarre the modern competition.
- Oh, hip, beautiful, dream-like tumblrs, will I ever quit recommending you? Style over substance, I suppose.
English Language of the Week:
This segment is based around my personal love of the modern english language, where, each week, I'll nominate my favorite phrase, sentence or paragraph that I have personally heard spoken in that time.
I would appreciate your art a lot more with you watching me appreciate it.
Guest submission by Teryn Loebs.
I like this one because it's really obscure.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Dig yourself a hole and sit in it.
I like this one because I don't know what it means.
On Your Way Out
Ron Livingston stole my thunder this week, so I'll let him close things up.
Peace Owlp.
-stg
No comments:
Post a Comment