Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

08 Mar 2011 20:43

tags

Culture: Al Jazeera’s next move: Nickelodeon kid’s-TV territory?

  • When Al Jazeera isn’t focused on news, they’re focused on kids. The network has had a children’s programming offshoot for half a decade in the Middle East, and now they want to bring it over to the U.S. as the Al Jazeera Children’s Channel. Their hope? That the edutainment network’s high-minded approach to kid’s shows might be able to earn them some TV play outside of the traditional silo of international news. For what it’s worth, above is their test pattern. It’s pretty cute. (via negevrockcity) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 14:09

tags

Culture: Acting legend Al Pacino’s pockets may get a little lighter

Al Pacino is in trouble with the IRS, on the hook for $188,000. He blamed his former manager, Kenneth Starr (not that one), who is currently in prison for stealing his client’s money. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2011 13:04

tags

Culture: That foundation probably isn’t up to safety code

  • Up, up and away! The folks over at National Geographic decided to recreate the balloon based lift-off scene from Pixar’s “Up.” I’m probably not giving much away to say they were met with dramatic and whimsically colorful success! source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Mar 2011 21:34

tags

Culture: Michael Bay: “Transformers 2” “was crap.” Good, we agree with you

  • The real fault with (Transformers 2) is that it ran into a mystical world. When I look back at it, that was crap. The writers’ strike was coming hard and fast. It was just terrible to do a movie where you’ve got to have a story in three weeks.
  • Michael Bay • Blaming the writers’ strike for the awfulness that is “Transformers 2.” Bay has previously taken credit for how bad the movie was, but he’s never gone so far as to call the film crap. Next up: Bay will atone for the sins of “Pearl Harbor.” Or not. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Mar 2011 12:15

tags

Culture: Northwestern human sexuality professor apologizes (defensively)

  • Those who believe that there was, in fact, a serious problem have had considerable opportunity to explain why in the numerous media stories on the controversy, or in their various correspondences with me. But they have failed to do so. Saying that the demonstration ‘crossed the line,’ ‘went too far,’ ‘was inappropriate,’ or ‘was troubling’ convey disapproval but do not illuminate reasoning.
  • Northwestern professor J. Michael Bailey • Offering a spirited defense of the presentation at his human sexuality class, which focused on untraditional types of sex and reportedly used a thing with a name we won’t repeat here. While defensive, Bailey did apologize for upsetting so many with his class, which he has taught for 18 years. “I regret upsetting so many people in this particular manner,” he added. “I apologize.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Mar 2011 14:27

tags

Biz, Culture: Easy Bake Ovens (as we know them) dead. No brownies for you

  • We are aware that the 100-watt incandescent light bulb will no longer be available beginning in 2012. In fall 2011, Hasbro will launch the Easy Bake Ultimate Oven, introducing a new way to bake for the next generation of chefs.
  • Hasbro • Explaining how the rise of green tech accidentally killed one of the more efficient ways for six-year-old girls to bake brownies: The Easy Bake Oven. See, the “oven” used a 100-watt light bulb as its main baking mechanism. But now, the light bulbs are falling out of favor and will soon be off the market entirely, leaving Hasbro to basically invent a new style of oven. Until then, the company is shilling out its “Easy-Bake Microwave & Style” models, which (as you might guess based on the name) don’t use light bulbs. Since we’re terrible cooks and don’t trust ourselves near microwaves, our options are shrinking and we’ll likely starve to death. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Mar 2011 13:33

tags

Culture: BYU forward Brandon Davies suspended for… consensual sex?

  • The showers only run cold: Brigham Young University, named after the Mormon leader of yesteryear, has a basketball team, and a rather good one. They also, however, have a student honor code that states you can’t have premarital sex. Which lead to the deeply peculiar (especially within the “win-at-all-costs” realm of collegiate athletics) revelation that BYU pivot Brandon Davies had been suspended from the team yesterday for having consensual sex with his girlfriend. Obviously, as long as they’re not violent or forced over non-believers, religious tenets are anybody’s personal right. But there’s a decent chance not all of those players are Mormon, and from the view of a secular player sitting on that bench, it must be frustrating to have your season disrupted by this. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

02 Mar 2011 22:10

tags

Culture, World: More Wikileaks: Steven Spielberg scores the movie rights

  • And Wikileaks is very unhappy about this. The mega-director, known as much for his Hollywood films as his historical pieces, has secured the rights to a book about Wikileaks, “WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy.” (It’s written by two journalists for The Guardian, who have kind of been on the front lines of all this.) Now, Spielberg has done great work before, but he is not a man known for keeping his films 100 percent accurate. For example, “Catch Me if You Can” was based on a real guy who pretended to be a pilot, but Tom Hanks’ character didn’t exist in real life. (Frank Abagnale is OK with this.) It’s understandable, then, that Wikileaks would say, in response to this, that “this is how bull#(&@ ends up being history.” Your move, Spielberg. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Mar 2011 10:08

tags

Culture: Recap: The people currently living with Charlie Sheen right now

  • one former model, nanny and graphic designer named Natalie Kenly
  • one porn star named Bree Olson (Her real name? Rachel Oberlin)
  • zero kids; they were taken away yesterday by police officials source
  • » What happened? For obvious reasons, Sheen’s estranged wife, Brooke Mueller, filed a restraining order against the Alex Jones devotee and then took the twins from Sheen and his “goddesses” with the help of a sheriff’s deputy. Sheen plans to use legal action to get the kids back. But considering he’s now unemployed and living with a porn star, this oughta be tough.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Mar 2011 15:03

tags

Culture: Rep. Rush Holt, D-NJ, beats back robotic dominion for another day

  • Holt wins the battle, Watson wins the war: A big humankind hats-off to Representative Rush Holt, who took on Jeopardy mecha-brain Watson in a faux-show in DC yesterday evening. While the contest pitted Watson against successive members of Congress, and those who went after Holt were trounced sufficiently to secure the win for Watson, Holt himself bested the computer by $2,400. Holt was a five-time Jeopardy winner nearly 35 years ago, and serves in the House as a Democrat from New Jersey. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>