| December 3, 2006 |
Classic TV Outtakes
We  learned a few things from TV Party's entertaining and sometimes eyebrow-raising collection of classic outtakes: - Get caught on camera during a taping of "M*A*S*H" and Alan Alda may loom at you in a menacing way.
- In the '80s at least, inviting Elizabeth Taylor for a guest turn on "General Hospital" could mire you in delays.
- Assume caution when attempting to pull a hanky out of the top of a woman's dress. Penny Marshall once got more than she bargained for during a taping of "Laverne and Shirley."
- If the complete collection of "Mork and Mindy" bloopers still exists, it must be released to the public. Immediately.
- Ronald Reagan, whoa!
- The star critters of "New Zoo Revue," double whoa!
(in Classic TV) |
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| December 2, 2006 |
Mortified
Before  MySpace ruled the roost, the diary was the go-to spot for teens to vent. Young people put pencil to paper and recorded the deepest, darkest truths of their wildly beating hearts. Yet, while many diarists saved those key-locked records, few dip back into them adults. Why? Because all that ranting and "reflecting" can make a 30-year-old feel a bit... mortified. Now, a "grassroots comedy collective" by that very name has inspired a surprising number of grown-ups to return to their adolescent scribbling and read passages aloud on stage. Lights, laughter, and all the gusty emotions of adolescence—it sounds like an anxiety nightmare, but it's actually a nationwide tour, a book, and a bona fide sensation. Even if Mortified isn't coming through your town, you can always check it out online. Start with other people's posts and photos, where accounts of "forign" style kissing and worlds crumbling "in all of 45 minutes" vie for attention with portraits of jazz dancers and "low rent superheroes." (in Cultures and Groups) |
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| December 1, 2006 |
The Wolman Files
When  the photographer Baron Wolman was 30 years old, he agreed to help a friend get a new magazine off the ground. It might have been a gesture relegated to the dustbins of publishing history. But the magazine was Rolling Stone, and Baron, who soon found himself onstage with Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, and other "royalty of the '60s pop and rock explosion," went on to become a critical figure in that raucous and eventful era. Now, ZOOZOOM magazine hosts this brief slide show from Baron's archives. Miles Davis, George Harrison, and Pink Floyd pose for the camera. Shots of Joni Mitchell in her kitchen and Janis Joplin in a friend's loft practically glow with color and light. And a close-up of James Brown shows him almost impossibly young and regal, but as hardworking as ever. (in Rock and Pop) |
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| November 30, 2006 |
The Puppy Love Project
Who  doesn't love puppies? Even 3-D plastic ones can earn our oohs and aahs—at least, this pack does. The Puppylove Project asked 36 designers and artists to create something unique from a plasticene model of a bulbous-nosed, short-legged canine. The resulting brood will be auctioned beginning December 6, with 100% of the proceeds going to the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. A tour of the kennel reveals puppies who are furry, fancy, and floral. One doggie called Charlie boasts over 500 Swarovski crystals and 1,000 sticks. Another, dubbed PFLIP, is festooned with computer hardware and electronic components. The appropriately named Goldy flaunts an entire coat of 24K gold leaf. You wouldn't want to leave these pups at the dog park. Find your favorite, download a bid form, and you just may win a new baby to snuggle with by the fire while helping to fight cancer. And remember: You don't have to pick up after a plastic pooch. (in Visual Arts) |
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| November 29, 2006 |
The Look Book
New  York Magazine's Look Book chronicles the stylish comings and goings of the residents of Gotham. It also proves that whether your day job involves operating phones, walking dogs, being a six-year-old, or litigating cases, you don't look have to look like it. Not in New York, anyway. Nightclub doormen sport dashing scarves; nursing students pull on the tallest, most electrifying heels; and vegan pastry chefs, well, do their thing. Of course, some bouncers and hedge-fund managers and opera lovers come dressed as one might guess, and that's pleasing, too. John Waters peeks in, sporting his "disaster at the dry cleaner" garb (impeccable). Designer Cynthia Rowley strikes a chic pose (three cheers for striped stockings!). And Miss Teen USA 2004 leaps past in rain boots (good luck with the "model-slash-actor" thing). This being New York, nobody bats an eye, and everyone keeps on looking. (in Fashion and Beauty) |
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| November 28, 2006 |
I Hate Cilantro
Dear  I Hate Cilantro, How dare you impugn my favourite herb with your filthy web site of lies? I've been eating coriander (or "cilantro" as you Yanks call it) all my life, and it's never done me any harm! I love its subtle citrus-tinged flavour, and my wife uses it in all her recipes. But here you are with your damning haikus—have you got nothing better to do? Is it really necessary to publish 12 entire pages of anti-cilantro propaganda and stories? So it tastes like cheap cologne, soap, lemon washing-up liquid, or toxic metal cleaner, eh? I was browsing your 1,100+ members and they all look like ignoramuses. A stint in Her Majesty's Forces would do these lunatics a power of good. As if that wasn't enough, the very fact that you're selling apparel emblazoned with your anti-cilantro moniker is final proof that the world really has gone barmy. Yours herbaciously,
Maj-Gen. Coriander, British Army (in Food and Drink Humor) |
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| November 27, 2006 |
Maps of War
As  long as we can remember, learning history was a linear affair, with static timelines and too much about "great men." If we were bored high-school students again, sites like Maps of War would have us sitting up straight and waving our hands. Using simple, effective animation and infographics, this site illustrates history's moving parts, revealing how chronology and geography affect the state of war and disputes. The centerpiece of the site is the shock and awe of "The Imperial History of the Middle East," which plays out 5,000 years of the region's conquest and empires in 90 seconds. The rest of the site concerns Iraq, but one other graphic does go far in revealing that despite centuries of political fights between parties in the U.S., war has always been a bipartisan pursuit. (in History) |
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