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01 Aug 2010 22:09

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Culture: Dear Shark Week fans: We present to you SharkBuilding.

  • The Discovery Channel sure knows how to pull out all the stops. For our friends not currently in the D.C. area, here’s what the Discovery Channel building in nearby Silver Spring, Maryland looks like. Why does this shark look so cute? It should look like it’s about to chew apart your entrails (or at least tear off your arm)! Shark Week is like Hanukkah for nature fans, except instead of presents you get more shark-related reality television. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Aug 2010 21:30

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Culture: “Inception” coasting its way into August atop box office

  • $27.5M the amount “Inception” made this weekend alone
  • three the number of new movies that tried to topple it this weekend
  • $193M the amount “Inception” has made in three weekends source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Aug 2010 21:13

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Culture: Bad day: Barack Obama hopelessly finds himself at WNBA game

“I’m doing this for Sasha. I’m doing this for Sasha. I’m doing this for Sasha. Keep reminding yourself, Barry. I’m doing this for Sasha. I’m doing this for Sasha.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

01 Aug 2010 12:14

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Culture: A man’s life, recalled in thousands of Polaroid photos

  • A wild idea with a sad ending. A couple years ago, Chris Higgins of Mental Floss came across a man’s photos – apparently, he took one Polaroid every day for 18 years, in a period ranging from 1979 to 1997. What forced him to stop? Well, he got cancer. What started out as an goofy collection of photos grows much sadder and more emotionally gripping – and then, one day, it stops. Jamie Livingston‘s life. What a gut punch of a find. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

01 Aug 2010 12:03

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Culture: Conrad Black on prison: Prison really sucks and it’s unfair

  • It had been an interesting experience, from which I developed a much greater practical knowledge than I had ever had before of those who had drawn a short straw from the system; of the realities of street level American race relations; of the pathology of incorrigible criminals; and of the wasted opportunities for the reintegration of many of these people into society.
  • Formerly jailed newspaper magnate Conrad Black • In an article for the National Post discussing his time in prison. Short version: Prison isn’t a lot of fun and he learned a lot about what prisoners go through on the other side of the situation. He noted the nature of some of the injustices, specifically the disparity of cocaine versus crack-cocaine sentencing. He described prisoners as  “an ostracized, voiceless legion of the walking dead; they are no one’s constituency.” As it is, though, he learned a lot in his 28 months and 18 days. Is there a chance he’ll return? It’s possible; he’s only out on bail. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Aug 2010 11:07

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Culture: So, apparently Bill Clinton’s daughter got married yesterday

Fun fact about Chelsea’s wedding yesterday – Julius got arrested. We told him not to go, but he just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to stalk her one last time. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jul 2010 16:58

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Culture: “The Thief and the Cobbler,” the saddest story in film history

  • In the era of startup culture, there’s much to learn from Richard Williams. Williams, a brilliant, highly respected animator, had a crazy dream to build his own masterpiece, based loosely on Persian culture. Williams started the project in 1968 as a side-project on top of a bunch of other things, and later turned his skill into a gig as animation director for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” which won him a bunch of Oscars. That’s where the trouble began.
  • losing a projectThe film, built around two largely mute characters, was picked up by Warner Bros. in the late 1980s. They eventually grew angry with Williams after he went over deadline and over budget, and dropped out of the project altogether. The insurance company then kicked Williams out of his own project. The heartless bastards! What nerve!
  • blame “ALaddin”At the time that “Thief” had been pulled out from under Williams, a movie greatly inspired by his work was being produced by Disney. “Aladdin” was a monster success. When “Thief” was finally released as “Arabian Knight” in 1995, it was loaded with unnecessary dialogue, terrible songs, and cheap, awful animation. And it bombed.
  • legacy and lessons“Thief,” a massive failure that Williams doesn’t talk about anymore, has been re-cut by a fan (see above), but it’s not the same. If you ever needed proof that sometimes money ruins great things, here you go. Protect your ideas. Protect their integrity. Fight for their creative purity. It can be taken away like that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

31 Jul 2010 10:03

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Culture: Chelsea Clinton’s wedding on everyone’s lips today



Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jul 2010 12:58

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Culture: Disney sells Miramax to someone other than the Weinsteins

  • $660 million to the Weinsteins’ least favorite people source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jul 2010 12:18

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Culture: Laurence Fishburne’s daughter using porn as a career plan?!

  • I’ve watched how successful Kim Kardashian became and I think a lot of it was due to the release of her sextape.
  • A quote reportedly attributed to Montana Fishburne • Regardng her planned career path as a porn star. The daughter of the “Matrix,” “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” and “Apocalypse Now” (remember that?) actor apparently filmed a tape with Vivid Entertainment which will apparently be released in August. Unlike her hero, she’s actually TRYING to get her name out using porn. Is this what our society has come to? Seriously? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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