Henry Rollins is probably best known for fronting the punk band Black Flag, but what I like about him is his work in spoken word. Henry has an uncanny ability to tell a story and has a very unique perspective on life, mainly being a complete workaholic but never really making any money out of it.
Recently I was looking through my Rollins collection (there's a lot) and found one about a topic that I believe we can all relate to, the Rite Aid Experience. I think he's dead on.
Words Out Loud Annalist
-bjk
-ps if you like what you hear definitely check out his other stuff, like I said there's a lot and its great to listen to while driving... like on a commute.
For all those K West fans who are lovers of his infamous mashups here is another one with saved by the bell. There just pictures with lyrics but got dang they are pretty good.
Today The Hunger Games movie released 8 posters, each featuring a profile shot of a different character. They spread them accross a bunch of websites, but I've collected them all here, for your viewing pleasure.
Effie is my favorite, even her nostrils are pink. Also, I'm loving that Katniss is facing a different direction than everyone else.
When Picasso was little his Dad was an artist who showed little Picasso the ropes. When Picasso was seven he surpassed his Dad. As he grew older Picasso took art classes and really honed his skill. Picasso had skill. Once Picasso began to get more abstract with his art other artists would occasionally insinuate that Picasso didn't have the skill to do realist art. And Picasso would challenge them to art-offs, AND ALWAYS WIN. Picasso is my dude. Today would have been his 130th birthday.
This picture is "Nude Green Leaves and Bust" and in 2010 it sold for 106.5 MILLION DOLLARS, my dude.
-jv
former art history major
A Plus1Press Publication
The chairman of Starbucks wants to support job creations. Not by opening more stores and paying college grads minimum wage to make foam, but by supporting small businesses. But how? With a pretty good plan in my humble opinion. It's called Create Jobs for USA
Americans themselves can start lending to small businesses, with Starbucks serving as the middleman. Starbucks partners with Community Development Financial Institutions, or CDFIs who are under the radar lenders, mostly non-profits with very low loan defaults. These lenders specialize in expending credit, getting paid back, and paying back investors. In other words, they are not giant loan assholes who want to ruin your life forever and never take their claws out of you.
Starbucks customers can donate money to the effort when they buy coffee. Those who give $5 or more will get a red-white-and-blue wristband. The tag line will read: "Americans Helping Americans."
The best part is that the donations aren't loaned out, but turned into equity that can be leveraged at a 7 to 1 rate. So five dollars is worth 35 dollars going to the small businesses. And Starbucks is kicking it off with a five million dollar donation.
The program starts November 1st, so after a weekend of Halloween-ing, head over and donate some change. You may be funding a totally awesome sandwich shop run by your best friends who will name a sandwich after you.
Cyclops Shark looks fake, super fake, its real though. Cyclops Shark was caught off the coast of California earlier this summer.
In other news
Imagine if they remade the X-Men with all the characters being Sea creatures. An octopus for Prof. X and definitely Cyclops Shark for Cyclops. Maybe a blue whale for beast and before he was a dolphin. Juggernaut could be a Hammerhead Shark. Jean Grey could be a jellyfish. Wolverine could be a Sting Ray.
-jv
imagination-run-wilder
A Plus1Press Publication
Back in July ESPN gave the Arthur Ashe Courage Award to man named Dewey Bozella. Wanted to share this, after his story came to a deserved conclusion last night in Los Angeles.
In 1983 at the age of 24 Dewey Bozella was sentenced to 20 years to life for the murder of a 92 year old woman he did not commit.
Bozella was offered multiple plea bargains that would have given him the chance to walk out of jail a free man barring that he confessed to committing the murder. Unwilling to confess to a crime he did not commit, he turned down each deal and returned to prison.
All the while he trained, becoming the light-heavyweight boxing champion of Sing Sing. He studied, getting two college degrees. And he married his long time girlfriend, all behind bars.
ESPN ran this piece at the ESPY’s as part of the Arthur Ashe Award presentation:
After seeing his story on the ESPY’s Golden Boy Promotions decided to give Bozella the opportunity to fight on the undercard of the Bernard Hopkins bout that took place last night at the Staples Center, pending that he could pass the California State Athletic Commission test to get licensed to box in the state. He failed.
Bozella continued to train hard, dropping 10 pounds in a week. He took the test again and passed. At 52, officials said Bozella was believed to be the oldest fighter ever licensed to box in California.
Last night (after a call from Obama wishing him luck) Bozella won his pro boxing debut, beating Larry Hopkins by unanimous decision in what he has said will be his one and only fight.
Bozella finished his professional boxing career 1-0.
"I used to lay in my cell and dream about this happening," Bozella said. "It was all worth it. It was my dream come true."
Ok, let me start by saying that I've been meaning to do this for a while, but I was nervous because its usually not me at all to share (stuff that I think only matters to me). I know these songs are in another language, but if you're a fan of music just hear me out.
I teach Italian. I like music. Transitive property: I like Italian music. And I don't mean Andrea Bocelli. It FREAKING BREAKS MY HEART when I bring up Italian music and the first thing people tell me is how much they love Andrea Bocelli. No you don't. Tell me you HONESTLY go home and put on an opera playlist and I will eat a pen.
So, when teaching and talking to high schoolers, I need to let them know that Italian music includes all the kinds of music that we listen to here...only the words are in another language. Fabri Fibra is an amazing hip hop artist with a great DJ team. And Finley is a pretty good alternative to Fall Out Boy or Good Charlotte. I even recently found a hardcore-ish group for a kid in my class that likes scream-o.
The cake-topper, most famous, and also classiest/most amazing Italian artist is a guy named Jovanotti. I've been listening to him for year and I'll tell you why. One album is never like the last, but he maintains a level of charm on each album that keeps me coming back. In the 90's, I first started listening to his music and haven't stopped.
To boot, he is BY FAR the sharpest dresser of any musician I've ever seen, and he has the record for most wins of Music VIdeo of the Year. If John Vaught was a musician and not an artist, I swear he'd be Jovanotti. His latest album, ORA (means NOW) is a quasi-pop album where almost every song is about how its important to love life when you can and affect the outside world with your attitude. Check out his latest video for "La notte di desideri" (Nights of Wishes). The lyrics are saying how he makes a wish at night and when he wakes up he makes it come true. So in the video, he's making his day more magical.
If this is boring to you, start watching at 2:20. He is POSSIBLY my favorite musician and check out that sequined jacket.
Breaking news for all fans of Lev Grossman's "The Magicians," Fox has bought a one hour drama adaptation of the book series.
This is kind of cool, because the books are so dense you could easily get two seasons out of each book. But it's kind of weird because its on Fox...and I don't know, I just didn't see this coming. I've never even considered what the characters would look like if they were being played by actors. (Confession, when I picture most characters from books while reading, they are almost always drawings of people, not real people. Is that super weird? I think it's because of Great Illustrated Classics.)
Hopefully someone can reassure me that this will be totally sweet and they won't make everything lame, and Alice will be played by an awesome person and not a terrible 16 year old that makes me want to puke. Teenage characters should be played by actors 21 and up! Did you learn nothing from Dawson's Creek, makers of TV?
Also, what is Elliot's weird facial thing going to look like? It's always so weird when they mention it in the book, because the characters are so used to it they don't notice, but on TV it will always be there.
Basically, I'm nervous. I wish there were more details, but all I can tell you is the pilot is being written by the people who wrote X-Men: First Class and Thor, which we both pretty great, so that's reassuring.
Though this fan created t-shirt featuring the Beast is pretty sweet.
Do they wear uniforms at Brakebills? I'm sort of exited to see Brakebills.
-av
Adaptation unenthusiast
A Plus1Press Publication
Also, Disney announced that they will be 3D'ng a few more classics. Beauty and the Beast will hit theaters on January 13, 2012. Finding Nemo will come back on September 14, 2012. Monsters Inc. and The Little Mermaid will come out in 2013 with Monsters in January and Ariel in September. Now if only they could get started on Peter Pan and Mulan.
The Kanye/Taylor Swift saga has been lovingly followed by Plus1Press, and while they've each written and performed songs about how it was a meaningful experience and there's no bad blood, did we really believe? Well, allow me to help you sleep at night. While following Taylor around to write a New Yorker Profile, Lizzie Widdicombe went to the Met's Costume Gala with Swift and witnessed the following incident:
"Swift neared the top of the stairs and froze. She grabbed Erickson's sleeve in a panic: ‘Am I supposed to talk to him or not?” Standing by the door was the rapper Kanye West... Swift hesitated for a second, and then realizing that there was no time to wait for advice, continued walking up the stairs toward West. As she neared the door, he held a hand out, and they exchanged a studiedly casual “down low" high five. When it was over Swift stopped just inside the museum, looking giddy. Erickson let out a breath, and exclaimed "That wasn't bad!" Feeling my eyes on her, Swift didn’t comment on what had just happened. Instead, she said, "I’m so glad I didn’t bring a purse this year! "
High Five! or low five. either way, they coo'.
As for Jonah Hill and Matt Morrison, the beef lives on. Schuester has struck back, saying he'll meet Jonah on Jimmy Fallon and they can settle this. Ew. He did this via a video clip that Jimmy showed. I'd embed it, but it's way lamer than Jonah's real talk, and I'd rather you watch that. I'll let you know when the two come face to face.
I'm not lying. What more of a source do you need than a tweet from Michael Bluth himself? Oh okay, here's an article that gives some more details. This has been rumored FOREVER but the idea of 10 eps leading up to the movie release is something new and I am so happy we're getting more than just a feature film out of the deal. I'm pretty sure there's no way this can suck, but I just knocked on wood for safety's sake.
Sometimes when I’m running about 5-10 minutes late in the morning I take a cab to get in before 8AM (being late is not an option). Those five minutes are defs not worth the 11-13 bucks it costs me to take a cab but… you know how it is in the morning.
Anyway I knew I would do that this morning (pathetic planning) so I got ten bucks cash last night during my drunken walk home from the T. Like I said, the cab is usually about 11-13 bucks including tip. But I tried something I always wanted to try this morning; I offered the cabby ten bucks cash to get me there off the meter. He accepted immediately and with pleasure.
Not a huge victory but it is something I always thought of doing and it did save me like 3 bucks. I’d advise trying it next time you’re looking at a cab ride, have cash and know what the typical fare is for the ride.
To make up for the deceiving subject line, here is some CashCab news... -In July one of the producers of Cash Cab Canada struck and killed a 61 year old man while driving the Cab back from a shoot. -A contestant named Sam earned the current record of $6,200
-Ben Baily the host is a MONSTER at 6 feet 6 inches -Ben received Daytime Emmy nominations in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 for "Outstanding Game Show Host," winning in 2010 and 2011 -Ben had to pass real taxi school to become a licensed cab driver in New York City to take the job, Ben passed with flying colors. -He was Limo Driver when he was doing stand-up before CashCab. - Ben has been on "Law and Order SVU,", "Mad TV," as well as a recurring role on "One Life To Live."
Jeff Bridges is fast becoming my favorite actor. And....there it is. It just happened.
Mostly because he can play any character (the bad guy, the hero, the downtrodden) and be so diverse yet still be doing the exact same thing. And I love that thing. That he's still The Dude in every film, even when he's the bald bad guy in IronMan.
In every film I've ever seen him in, he still ends sentences with "man", gets frustrated with compound sentences, and is an overall slacker/drunkard/hippie who just wants everybody to be in a perfect utopia.
No, probably not. Christina Hendricks was in a commercial with 007 in 1997 though. Her character is working in Q's warehouse and asks 007 for his ID. She looks young.
It was just announced that a new Mortal Kombat movie is going to be coming out in 2013. The new movie will be directed by the man who created Mortal Kombat Rebirth in 2010 which is an amazing re-imagining of the Mortal Kombat characters in a pseduo-Dark Knight world, its awesome.
There is a web series inspired by the short film called Mortal Kombat Legacy.
This will always be the best part of Mortal Kombat.
