The Man In Black's Birthday

Today is Johnny Cash's birthday. My favorite Cash tune is "The Man Comes Around." Like a lot of his later work, I didn't warm to it right away. But after letting it settle in, I count it as among his best efforts.


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Taran-Tribute

Ibraheem Youssef, a Toronto based Designer/Art Director, has created some some neat prints as part of his Quentin Tarantino graphic movie poster series (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vols. 1 and 2, DeathProof, and Inglourious Basterds).

He crafts an insightful commentary on the whole film in one simple image. For instance, the various culture clashes displayed throughout Inglorious Basterds are neatly summed up through contrasting methods of ordering a round drinks. Or, the last five steps taken by Bill in Kill Bill Vol 2. My favorite one are the colored crayons used for Reservoir Dogs.




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I Don't Do Windows

For once I don't have any real complaints with The New Yorker. As usual, the winners in their 227th "Cartoon Caption Contest" were a mixed lot. But, to be perfectly clear, my entry wasn't all that special either.

I submitted:

"So he says 'If you think you can do better, then be my guest.' And the rest is history."

Here are the finalists:

• “The revolution has begun!” - comsi comsa
  
  
• “I finally got that desk job I’ve been looking at.” - you're fired
  
  
• “I am telling you this guy is a micromanager.” - I actually like this one

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CILF

Wow. I wonder where I could get a Cheryl Bernard calendar?

From MSN:

Curlers: The new Olympic sex symbols

Are curlers the new sexy beasts?

There was a time when you didn't hear the words curler and fit in the same sentence. But looking at the field at the 2010 Winter Olympics — led by fitness poster boy John Morris of Ottawa and buff fitness freak Cheryl Bernard of Calgary — the sport seems to have been given a sexy makeover.

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Warped

Fail. The medals for the 2010 Olympics look like old vinyl records that have been left out in the sun too long.

From Trendhunter Magazine:

Vancouver Releases Unique Medal Designs for 2010

Athletes competing in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games can look forward to wearing one of these uniquely designed Olympic medals around their neck. The Vancouver Organizing Committeerevealed the new designs today which, for the first time in Olympic history, are not flat.

...The dramatic form of the Vancouver 2010 medals is inspired by the ocean waves, drifting snow and mountainous landscape found in the Games region and throughout Canada.

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The Man Doth Protest Too Much (Methinks)

On his website, Nick Waters sets out to explore the "chick flick" genre in order to better "understand the opposite sex."

Two things occurred to me as I scanned his site.

First, why did he categorize Couples Retreat and Atonement as chick flicks? Instead of just fielding random suggestions from friends and family, he really should have established some sort of clear definition.

Second, while I probably don't understand women, I do get men. I think Waters is just trying to get laid.

From 30 Chick Flicks in 30 Days:

How far would you go to understand the opposite sex?

That question has helped to fuel the idea behind this site, “30 Chick Flicks in 30 Days: One Guy’s Exploration of Romance Through Movies Loved by Women”.

First, you should know that I’m that “guy” exploring these films. Second, my name is Nick. I’m a husband, and have been for seven years. Third, no one put me up to this.
And fourth, I’m not some professional film critic. I live in a small town in southern Oklahoma. I work in communications.

This little experiment will begin Friday, Jan. 15, 2010, and conclude on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010—the day before Valentine’s Day. That’s 30-straight days; 30-straight chick flicks.

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With Arms Wide Open

The Snuggie plus Avatar equals: Hug E Gram.


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The Day The Music Died

MTV programming reminds me of Sears stores. I'm not quite sure what they stock in there anymore.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

MTV redesigns logo, drops 'Music Television' (pic)

After 29 years, MTV has redesigned its logo and finally dropped "Music Television."

Basically it looks just like the old logo, only with some cropping. The design is getting flak from bloggers, but this is long overdue. Having "Music Television" on there was just a constant reminder that MTV was branding itself one way, programming itself another. Here's the logo...

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No Reasonable Expectation of Change

This CNET news proves that the more things "change," the more they stay the same. BTW, I'm not necessarily knocking the Obama administration over this. It just once again demonstrates how complicated the real world can be.

Feds push for tracking cell phones

...the Obama administration has argued that warrantless tracking is permitted because Americans enjoy no "reasonable expectation of privacy" in their--or at least their cell phones'--whereabouts. U.S. Department of Justice lawyers say that "a customer's Fourth Amendment rights are not violated when the phone company reveals to the government its own records" that show where a mobile device placed and received calls.

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Fire In the Hole

Not that the world has been demanding one, but a company in Dallas, Texas is marketing an electric incinerating toilet called the "INCINOLET."

According to their website:

INCINOLET uses electric heat to reduce human waste (urine, solids, paper) to a small amount of clean ash, which is dumped periodically into the garbage. INCINOLET remains clean because waste never touches the bowl surface. A bowl liner, dropped into the bowl prior to use, captures the waste, then both liner and its content drop into the incinerator chamber when the foot pedal is pushed. You can use INCINOLET at any time-even while it is in cycle.

Seems simple enough. But, I'd read the manual VERY carefully.
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Alienation

The winners of The New Yorker's "Cartoon Caption Contest #226" were out of this world (in a bad way).



My attempt was only "okay."

"Don’t worry. We ask everyone if they have a latex allergy."

However, the finalists weren't any better:

• "I’m going to give you something for your humanity.” - ????
  
  
• “There’s a cure—but it’s light-years away.” - relatively bad
  
  
• “You won't have to drive to this clinic. Just wait in your cornfield.” - corny

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Sextuagenarian Wasteland

My buddies and I are all growing a bit tired of the NFL once again hiring a band in their sixties for the Super Bowl Half-Time gig. We've got nothing against The Who, Bruce Springsteen, or The Rolling Stones per se. But it's getting comical watching them bounce around onstage as if they were still twentysomethings.

This year's highlight was Pete Townsend's "wardrobe malfunction" as he bared his senior midrift a few times while wailing on his guitar.



On the other hand, Carrie Underwood, in her skin-tight white catsuit, would have kept me from going to the kitchen for another beer.


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Rocket Man

He's not the man they think he is at home.

Best quote: "The man had been drinking before the accident." No kidding. Really?!

From the Detroit Free Press:

Man, 62, is burned in rocket sled stunt

A 62-year-old Independence Township man remained hospitalized Monday with injuries he sustained after authorities said a rocket-like backpack he rigged to power him on a sled exploded.

Oakland County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a backyard sledding party in the 6000 block of Townview at 7:35 p.m. Sunday to aid the host, who had burns over 18% of his body, Undersheriff Mike McCabe said.

"Apparently, he has this sledding party every year, and he always does outrageous things at it, but he's never blown himself up before," McCabe said Monday.

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Dubya-Cross

I love it when a plan comes together.


(H/T Feinsodville)
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Believe It, or Not

A friend of mine forwarded me this today. It's the top grossing movies of all time, based on inflation adjusted dollars (US and Canada only)

1. Gone with Wind $1.46b
2. Star Wars $1.26b
3. Sound of Music $1.05b
4. ET $1.04b
5. 10 Commandments $.98b
6. Titanic $.96b
7. Jaws $.96b
8. Doctor Zhivago $.90b
9. Snow White and 7 Dwarfs (1937) $.81b
10. 101 Dalmations (1961) $.75b

Currently, Avatar is 24th ($.56b).

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