Cool Shit 5/8

In honor of tonight's NFL Football draft, here is a look back of some of Mel Kiper's more interesting observations on some of the players being drafted. I guess the adage of "say it loud and say it with conviction, and people will buy it" is on display here.

Seems like if you're a Led Zeppelin fan, you're going to have to get your wallet out again, since there's going to be ANOTHER remastered series of CDs coming out, curated by the one and only Jimmy Page. And if you're a Led Zeppelin fan I don't have to tell you who that is!

It's almost offensive with all this recent Lost stuff coming out with the creators. We're still discussing this series, and the creators/writers/showrunners are still suggesting their vision was clear and the ending was finite, which...I struggle with critiquing people about their vision of a show, but come on - these guys took a great series, layered it with many complexities throughout the early seasons, got us all hooked, and then ran out of steam at the end trying to come up with something profound. In the end, we got two dudes, duking it out on an island because there was some blowy stuff and a bunch of people went to a church and died. If that's the way you wanted to end it...fine, but don't pretend it was some gran vision you had from the beginning and that it all worked out. And yes, I'm a tab bitter, because no college writing professor worth anything would have given that treatment anything higher than a C-.

Somehow, Trader Joe's has made us all think their products are infinitely superior than other supermarkets, when all they are are repackaged. And yet even saying that out loud, I still think that way. While I still get a little bummed that the store takes away products seemingly on a whim (their monkey trail mix with banana chips is delicious, yet sadly extinct), I feel they do it to release new products that have the same quality. While I'm not sure I can agree that the most popular items of 2013 are MY most popular items, I can see why they might be to the rest of the buying public.

If we learn one thing from this oral history of the XFL, it's maybe you want to spend a little more time developing the business plan of a concept that is going to affect billions of dollars in the economy. When climbing a mountain, you don't start at the top immediately, or you're going to fall.

I enjoy the crowd funding ways to raise money the internet has spawned, because it has a very grassroots feel, and eliminates the middle man (banks) casting judgement on what the world may or may not need. And it gives us the opportunity to get behind a project we believe in. So even though these ideas might not be based entirely in the realm of plausibility, if you want to invest, you can. Just remember, it might take more than 20,000 grand or so to defy the laws of physics.

While this chart doesn't include EVERY movie (no Godfathers?) it still is a neat look at how movies are perceived both by critics and an audience, and see where they agree.

I contend that the Star Was prequels actually got worse as they were released, meaning Phantom Menace was the best of the lot. Liam Neeson has a lot to do with that, but it's also because it of course didn't have to deal with the "relationship" between Padme and Anakin. Don't agree? Well, enjoy this look at what Attack of the Clones really was like with this Honest Trailer of it:

Cool Shit 7/19

There are some pretty spectacular pictures here...all taken from a plane. Or maybe a balloon. Possibly a blimp. At least I know they're from the sky.

While the guy doing it leaves a little to be desired, this video is a cool look at what movies could have been, and what movies we never got, but could have.

If you've been even semi-following this blog, you most likely have at least heard of the movie Escape from Tomorrow, the small, independent film that was shot sans permission at Disneyland. It's a neat story of ingenuity and chutzpah. Of course, when it screened at Sundance to decent reviews, people figured there was no way it would ever get released. Well, that actually doesn't seem to be the case, at least according to this article. The ever litigious Disney Corporation is taking a "less attention to the matter will make it go away quicker" approach, something that to me, seems a little fishy. I mean, they go after everyone in order to protect their brand, but now all of the sudden with a movie that allegedly casts the theme park in a moderately negative light (rumors I've heard turn some of the princesses into prostitutes) they're hands off.

So, I have a theory. I believe this film is actually clever marketing for an actual Disney film called Tomorrowland, which will come out next year. I'm not sure how the two will connect, and I realize this would be unprecedented but also a genius marketing move. Because I just don't believe Disney is simply giving this independent movie a free pass based on the concept that if they go after it they will be creating more publicity for it.

Or maybe I'm just part of the marketing machine for either/both these movies and you're really being played. Trustno1.

So if you're local bar doesn't have a resident Cliff Clavin, memorize these crazy facts about the Earth and head on down to annoy all!

Argh, it's things like this that get me more frustrated with Lost, a television show that has been off the air for years! Here's a "guide" that was given to writers after the pilot aired (I believe) to help them create stories for the show. If only it had been followed a little closer, we might have had a nice, self-contained show.

Joined Pinterest awhile ago and are not really sure why? Take a look at these 65 accounts on it and pick up some useful things that will help with your life. And then pretend they were your ideas all along.