I just saw something and that something is the beginning of the next Internet hip hop meme: rappers recapping movies while also incorporating actual dialogue. This bellwether video of a British MC explaining Predator is stuntastic. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovi-djkUgd0]
Movies I'd like to see next get this treatment:
Scarface, natch.
Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back. (I just want to hear what they rhyme with "Luke, I am your fathaaaa.")
And ESPECIALLY this movie.
The HBO John Adams series. 9 pm ET Sunday. It's brilliant. You can now return to your regularly scheduled programming.
- Paris Hilton
Scott Schuman took this really great photograph of Kanye and Co. I really like it for some reason.
I wish I had a "ø" in my name: Matthew Rodriguez vs. Matthew Rødriguez. Latter wins, hands down.
The o with a slash through it is so bad ass. It's like the Zorro of letters.
While Obama and Clinton battle it out, McCain in the meantime demonstrates yet another reason why he is unqualified to be president.
Q: “What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush’s policy, which is just abstinence?”Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “Ahhh. I think I support the president’s policy.”
Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”
Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”
Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?”
Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “Are we on the Straight Talk express? I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”
I understand the (albeit asinine) decision of not wanting to subsidize social and health services, but for THE presidential candidate to not know or not want to answer such a simple, basic question as to whether the spread of HIV can be stopped with contraceptives is incredibly troubling. This is exactly the sort of political-speak that McCain supposedly finds eschews (See: "Straight Talk Express"), and yet when faced with a question that has real life or death consequences, he demonstrates his either complete ignorance or political disingenuousness.
I mean, Salt n Pepa got it back in 1991. Why can't the rest of the country get it here in the 21st century??
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=wHHXDxteM8s]
Can someone explain this to me? Warning: NSFW (not safe for work people). I'm not judging. I don't condone some notion of universality or ethnocentrism and I subscribe to cultural relativism on matters such as this, but that said I still don't really understand this:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns854YVdDVI]
No weekend itinerary for this week, other than staying low and under the radar. I have some pictures from my trip to LA thanks to Erin's camera.
Erin picked me up at LAX!
[Insert picture here of Erin's insanely awesome workplace, the private art gallery/office of only one of the biggest players in Hollywood, and then a delicious double-double at In N Out. The burger was good...but tastes really similar to the Burger Joint in the Le Parker Meridien.]
Then she took a nice scene route to the beach (other than work, my only must-do item on the trip itinerary). Ahhh, look at that warm clear blue sky. I hate you, NYC winter. HATE YOU.
Beach! I was amazed at how this kid in the photo kept himself amused with just a stick and a few rocks.
This woman tenaciously kept her kite afloat. I don't care what age you are, kites are mesmerizing to watch. Always. I think every UN session should start off with some kite flying. The end of Mary Poppins had the right idea. Speaking of, I had this conversation recently with a friend. Am I the only one that always thought Mary Poppins was pretty poppin' hot? Anyway, I'll let you come up with all the bad nanny jokes and such. Pervs.
Erin reads her totally pretenious art magazines. Haha. I think it's so freakin' cool that she's had dinner with all these artists in the magazine. Erin, OWN IT! OWN THIS! It's alright to brag! I love that my friends all have such cool jobs!!! News editor at start up! Famous and mega rich hollywood guy's gallery curator! Writer--who incidentally just moved to NYC to work on my favorite stand-up comic's new show! Tech stuff in India! Brain doctor! Well, lots of doctors actually! And lawyers! Lots and lots of lawyers!!!
Mrod contemplating...How to keep self amused...
Got it! First, the wind-up....
And the jump!
Erin decides enough work! Time to regress to a child like state and play with sticks!
This might be one of my all time favorite jumps EVER. It's just so joyful to me. Kite. Jumping. Beach. Blue sky. Sand. Stick. So good, so right.
Then we met up with some of her friends for dinner at this Asian fusion restaurant. I liked how all the menu's had this one item circled and noted as "Best Seller!" with a crayon. Also, I don't know if you can tell in this photo, but the menu had this really interesting old-school font reminiscent of typewriters. I wish I could use that font with everything. Love it.
[Insert picture of housewarming party of a friend from Brown and his new wife. It was such an awesome and relaxing time: an entire night of drinking beer, laughing endlessly, and watching this 3-year-old energetically and so adorably dominate the party.]
Pauline and her boyfriend, both visiting from Portland Oregon, who were following us so they could get back to the place they were staying at in LA. I so predictably played the role of the paparazzi. Pauline, graciously...and actually, very quickly acted the role of diva actress who sought YET shunned the spotlight of fame! While her boyfriend in the car actually is making the SAME face that Matt Damon makes in that music video of him and Sarah Silverman. Uncanny.
"Are you pregnant?!?" some asshole stalkerazzi yelled at her. Note Pauline's strategic binary usage of her hands: BOTH to block her face, yet simultaneously extinguishing rumors of her marriage by revealing clearly the lack of a wedding ring.
The next day, which incidentally was Easter Sunday, we met up with her parents and headed over to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Along the way, we walked through this park that has these tar pits where they found remains of mammoths or something. 10,000 BC what? Anyway, these families were having a cute picnic there while the kids hunted for hidden easter eggs. I spotted two. Eagle eye vision, kids. Can't fuck wit it.
A small, intsy tar pit.
The cool escalators at the LACMA. I've always enjoyed the combination of utility and art. Kind of like Transformers.
Famous art.
Famous art. No photos are allowed, so I had to sneak a hip check snapshot here.
Requisite touristy photo. In the far, far distance you can see the Hollywood sign. Can't see it? It's okay. Me neither.
Wind up...
Jump! Plus heel click. Excellent.
I'm "not sure" in this jump.
Erin is "sure."
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0b1YR5n7hk]
Lame attempt. Lets try again.
Take two. BETTER! MUCH BETTER. God forbid, but if something were to happen to me tomorrow and I move on from this life, I hope this photo is shown at my memorial service. Seriously.
I could tell that while Erin and I were jumping around like buffoons (but hey what else can you do when you're standing in front of dozens and dozens of lamp posts), I could tell that her dad really wanted to get in on this jumping fun. So finally with little pressure, he was game.
And then after some ice cream at Baskin Robbins, they dropped me off at my hotel.
[Insert pictures of me hanging out with Jesse as we sit outside a cafe, then drinking beer on his apartment building's rooftop, then playing Wii where he whupped me in tennis, bowling, and boxing, and then a sushi dinner.]
The view from my hotel balcony. Across the street, the building with the square hole in the middle is the CAA headquarter. And then in one of those windows in the two tall buildings in the background sits the West Coast division of Chopstix Inc.
[Insert photos of meeting, after meeting, after meeting. Then lunch at Newsroom across from the Ivy, where some D lister stood outside getting photographed by the paparazzi while holding up one of the celebrity gossip magazines.]
Thanks again to Erin for letting me hijack her camera and her hospitality.
Julio Diaz, a 31-year-old social worker, was robbed one night at knifepoint by a teen at a subway stop near his home in the Bronx. The rest of the story diverges from what typically occurs. After handing over his wallet, Diaz told the teenage boy:
"Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing this?'"
Diaz replied: "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ... hey, you're more than welcome.
"You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help," Diaz says.
Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth.
Rest of NPR story here. It reminds me of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books that my parents used to get when I was younger and that I may or may not have read from front to back. In retrospect some of those stories sounded a little too good to be true. You know what those stories needed?
Clay sent this to me and I ffffind it hilarious.
It's from this image aggregating website ffffound.com that I blogged about a while back.
Haha.
Oh, if it was only this easy.
- Sancho Panza to Don Quixote in Don Quixote
An old Taiwanese man was promised a stripper at his funeral if he lived to be at least 100 years old. Sadly, he passed away at the age of 103 (dying en route to the voting booth), but not for naught as the stripper promise that all boys wish for was granted.
His son, Cai Ruigong, told the newspaper that he had paid more than $170 for the stripper to dance around the coffin at the funeral."He would travel around the island with his friends to see these [strip] shows," Ruigong said.
According to reports, the exotic dancer performance at the funeral lasted 10 minutes.
This product demo of a quad-leg "dog" robot and its uncanny mimicry of bio-based motion is mesmerizing. Also, it instantly reminds me of the new "tanks" in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid. But what I want to know is:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1czBcnX1Ww]
What more can you say other than "trailer all blowed up!" [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgjPmZHsOZA]
With pics. Personal fave, mainly due to its well refined composition and balance of colors. Question to high school college guidance counselor: Why was I not informed of this event?
[This is the first time in quite a long time that I was sad to return to New York City. Not sure if LA is "way better than NY" but I do give it two thumbs up. I'm glad work will be sending me there more in the future. Better LA than Topeka.]
The past 24 hours plus in LA has been exactly what I need. Sun, beach, Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons, good company, laughter, beers, and the Wii. In other great news, despite terrible picks in the NCAA basketball tournament, I'm currently in first place in my company's pool. That's what happens when you take chances and pick West Kentucky. Off to get (hopefully delicious) sushi with Jesse.
Have work related things on Monday and Tuesday. Back on Wednesday ya'll.
