Here's video evidence of what a jerk Michael Phelps is after the end of his race. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhjwnsVUeto]
Hahaha. Well done.
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Jesse McCartney (in a surprising buzz cut) covers T-Pain's "Buy you a drank (Shawty Snappin')." Don't judge me when I say that it's...surprisingly...listenable. What? I work out.
This entry's headline will make a lot more sense after you watch the video. Now that I've seen it, I don't think I will ever be able to say "blood" the same way ever again. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9yAkBSrMk0]
I'm astonished that this video has received 8,242,000+ views on YouTube. Crickey!
[Thanks PB!]
Relatedly
Robb: How is it that your adorable precocious kid hasn't become a YouTube sensation yet??? I predict 10m views in the first three months, followed by [insert big consumer brand] wanting to recreate your viral home video for a national campaign for which you would get paid serious dolla dolla bill yyyyaaaaalllll.
This recording of a German kid going absolutely berserk while first trying to play and then playing the popular FPS Counter-Strike CANNOT be legit. It smells of set up, but I would gladly sacrifice the New York Giants from ever winning another Super Bowl again, if only in exchange this video is confirmed as the real McCoy. Before watching, I would suggest you turn down your computer volume a bit. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsom99Ds43U]
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In this urban hack, Bruno Taylor installed a swing at a London bus stop. Although it may not be the most efficient use of space, I'm of the firm believe that all bus stops should have at least one swing. I don't care how old or tough you are, swings are forever fun and never get old. And if you disagree with me on this then you are either a terrorist or a racist. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDqbb0eHVXA]
DC Comics posted a Cliffs Notes, short concise summaries, of the origin stories of many of their heroes and villains (in comics form of course), as well as a 10 part series that explains the current retcon DC universe.
Check out the website here.
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Although the topic is a little dated by a few days, from across the pond, I like the Guardian political satire blog's introduction to their horse-picking analysis of the various candidates up for the role of vice president.
Who has the experience? Who's pretty – but not so pretty they kind of look like a slut? Whose name will fit comfortably on a bumper sticker in a garish red-white-and-blue font?
And their opinion on why McCain may choose Mitt Romney, which is because Mitt:
...sweats liquid money
It's kind of true.
Read more here.
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Ice cream is apparently an igneous rock. The science of it frankly bores me. This entry is just an excuse to share again my all time favorite Eddie Murphy joke, which happens to involve ice cream, and it is this skit that was running through my head when I ran like Usain Bolt after the Mr. Smoothie truck a few weeks ago.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JfMCBh1sJQ]
You know the shit is hysterically genius when the dude telling the joke is wearing a full red leather jump suit and that isn't what's funny.
Thairin Smothers snapped a photo of this eerie billboard art on Sunset Boulevard.
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Most states look inward into their own unique history when erecting a statue. However, Serbia lately has had an endearing tendency to look instead at Hollywood. They've already erected statues honoring Rocky, Bruce Lee, and Tarzan (played by Johnny Weissmuller). And now as a symbol of peace with his right fist raised firmly in the air, Bob Marley posthumously, with "Bob Marley - fighter for freedom armed with a guitar" inscribed at the base, has the honor of joining this esteemed statuesque league.
Still, historians will be hard pressed to explain away the Balkans’ strange taste for idolatry. Even now, the meaning of the string of statues is hard to comprehend. Last November, Bojan Marceta, a 28-year-old Serb who raised money for the Rocky statue, offered The New York Times a reason. “My generation can’t find role models so we have to look elsewhere,” he said. “Hollywood can provide an answer.”
Read more here.
24 flashers were distributed among the busy streets of Sydney and Melbourne during the winter to remind those residents that they could escape the chilly weather by visiting the sunny beaches of Queensland.
Note the guy in the khaki jacket in the background doing the ol' classic look back.
As summer is rapidly coming to a close here in New York I would prefer these uh, fleshy sort of vacation destination reminders, instead of those annoying subway advertisements from every single island south of Florida. I'm just sayin'.
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Related to my popular entry on the decidedly unsportsmanlike action of the Cuban tae kwon do competitor at the Beijing Olympics, Sports Illustrated lists other incidents from this and past Olympics that violate the spirit of the games and fair play. And I don't think this is a big spoiler when I say, "Yes, Hitler made the list."
The six-time gold medalist had the charming habit of spitting a mouthful of water into the lane of her nearest competitor -- "for good luck," she claimed. But Van Dyken took a lot of heat after doing the watery honors to Holland's Inge De Bruijn before the 50-meter freestyle final at the Sydney Games. After finishing fourth to De Bruijn, who bagged three golds, Van Dyken sniffed that she could have won "if I were a man" -- a snarky suggestion that De Bruijn was using performance-enhancers.
Totally unsportsmanlike but spitting into your competitor's lane is pretty ingenious asshole behavior. I predict that in the made-for-TV biopic of Michael Phelps' life his arch rival's signature "evil" move is going to be spitting into Phelps's lane.
P Diddy been video blogging and it's some entertaining shit, in the sense that it's him being him without all that snazzy MTV production editing crap. Here, he is explaining why Diddy, owner of private jet, is flying commercial. Simple. Mainly because:
...gas prices are too motherfuckin' high.
The fact that your boy Diddy is flying commercial is "PROOF that gas prices are too high"
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWdbQ9cyvYI]
Ah, good stuff. What's next? Diddy on Amtrak? Diddy on Chinatown bus?
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It ain't just the Spaniards. Kathie Lee Gifford joins the club and does her best "Chinese." Or rather imitates Al Roker's imitation of "Chinese old man." I hate you all. Al, please eat another donut and be unable to leave your house. Seriously. What purpose do you serve in life? Weather? Uh, thanks weather.com. And Kathie Lee. What do you contribute to humanity? Can anyone answer that? Anyone? Bueller?
The onscreen below her plastic face should read: "Ho Is Back From Beijing."
So "super model" Marcus Schenkenberg works out at my gym regularly. Stop your swooning ladies. Anyway.
My twitter update on this matter:
It's intimidating working out next to Marcus Schenkenberg. I feel like I'm 10 yo again, wearing my coke bottle eyeglasses & Crosby sweater.
[Via me...unfortunately]
This picture by Olivier Morin during the men's 200m final that Jamaica's Usain Bolt would handedly win is fantastic. Sports photography at its best.
Check out the performance by American Craig "Hot Lixx Hulahan" Billmeier who is the 2008 World Air Guitar Champion. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efNdI8uzWN8]
My friend Miri Park won the first season of this competition. I didn't know her at the time of course. I do remember actually trying to go see the national round which was taking place at the seedy Pussycat Lounge, but leaving without seeing any of the performances because the line and wait was too long. It's funny to me now how big the whole event has become now.
Check out Miri's badass performance:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI8MwX3Zczw]
Click here for more information on her at the Air Guitar website.
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The Gothamist reports the following good news for those tennis fans who can't afford or get tickets to the US Open:
From Friday, August 29 through Sunday, September 7 between 11:00 AM and 11:00 PM, you can watch the U.S. Open at Madison Square Park, where they're setting up huge viewing screens and stadium seating. There's no charge to watch, and in addition to the ever-present Shake Shack, Country, Hill Country, and Rickshaw Dumpling Bar will be running stands in the park.
Hill Country will be serving up pork spare ribs, barbecue beef sandwiches, cole slaw, baked beans and a bourbon pecan pie; Rickshaw will have pork, chicken and veggie dumpling options, sesame noodle salad, jasmine rice crispy treats, and mochi dumplings; and Country will offer an eclectic upscale comfort food menu, including caramel corn Parmesan popcorn, peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwiches, cold spiced fried chicken with potato salad, and mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches. Each stand will also be serving drinks of both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic persuasions, so beware the long lines outside the electronic pay toilet.
Instead of sucking on the teat of corporate America (Seriously, Arthur Ashe Stadium has more various corporate branding around it during the US Open than any other event I've ever attended) at Arthur Ashe Stadium, just suck on it at the park. Or suck on a milkshake from ever popular burger shop Shake Shack nearby. It's up to you.
I'm not surprised Aziz is tight with Obama. Anyways, he was good enough to share his text back-and-forth with Obama.
My Text Back and Forth with Obama at 3AM Last Night... Barack: I’ve chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee. Watch the first Obama-Biden rally live at 3pm ET on www.BarackObama.com. Spread the world!
Aziz: Hey man, that’s great. I’m actually asleep, I’ll catch ya tomorrow.
Barack: No man, we gotta party! Come out!
Aziz: That’s all good, I’ll party up tomorrow.
Barack: Quit being a bitch, come out!!!!
Aziz: I’m good man.
Barack: BIden said you are a pussy.
Aziz: I’m pretty beat man, tell Joe congrats.
Barack: Come on playerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Shawties got dem apple botttom jeaannns, and da booots wit da furrrrrrrrrs….
(After 4 minutes of no response)
Biden: WAKE
Biden: YO
Biden: ASS
Biden: UPPPPPPPPPPPP
Biden: FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Aziz: Fuck! Okay! Where you guys at?
Barack: Shit. Bar closed up. We heading to get food now. Brunch/Death Race tomorrow?
Aziz: Sure.
Hahaha, brilliant. They say that politics makes for strange bedfellows, so why not Obama and Aziz?
Hm, Obama and Aziz?
Obama-Aziz 2008.
That ticket right there would have been enough to have the ol' white folk of rural Pennsylvania and such run straight into the open and waiting old, wrinkly arms of John McCain.
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After a girl recommended Norwegian Wood to me, a novel that I then consumed from front to back without a break while on a vacation abroad, I've become a huge fan of Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. I think he is one of the best contemporary writers, period. So with that fanboy disclaimer, I'm really excited about A Wild Haruki Chase: Reading Murakami Around the World , a collection of essays written by "novelists, translators, artists, and critics" from around the globe, that attempts to unwrap, distill, and explain his novels' worldwide popularity.
But I'm not so interested in those essays. If anything I prefer to leave the journey to myself. What REALLY gets me jazzed about this new book however is that it includes a full-color montage of his novels' covers from various markets. I've been trying to track down this one particular copy of Norwegian Wood just because I love the cover, and I actually jump into used book stores when I pass by them to see if they have it. No luck so far, and I can't find it on the great Internets.
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