Cool Shit 3/5

Lots of stuff today as it's snowing out here in the east and local news is collectively snowgasming along with the weather...

I was never sure why Alien3 was so despised. I get that they killed off popular characters, but the world in which Alien exists and takes place is a harsh mistress without a lot of positivity so it fits right in. Also, the concept of a prison planet, fighting the perfectly evolved killing machine without weapons was interesting. Had Fincher been given a little more control I bet it would have even been better. This guy agrees.

Speaking of movies with aliens, here's an update on the cast for Independence Day 2, which I know you've been clamoring for.

I don't know... I think this whole manned mission to Mars thing is really a big hoax. From reports I've read, we simply don't have the technology to come anywhere close to doing something like this. But if you're not like me and are optimistic about the potential of landing human beings on Mars, you will be interested to follow these nine hopeful astronauts.

Hey guys and gals not sure if you realized it yet, but there's a new Avengers trailer out!



And then there's this movie, about an elder Sherlock Holmes, played by Sir Ian McKellan...



A bit of casting news for Hannibal season 3.

Cool posters inspired by the Star Wars movies.

Nootropics - drugs that will supposedly enhance your cognitive activity.

I'm sure this isn't the most ridiculous product in the market currently, but I bet it would win a few rounds in the worst products tournament.

Cool Shit 7/30

The moral of the story? The magazine Cosmo might not be the best source for an enjoyable evening if you're a lesbian.

I'm not sure if this guy is saying he came up with this idea for playing all the samples from Paul's Boutique or not; I'm fairly certain I have a CD of these songs, and have had it for awhile now, but it's still cool to listen to some of the music that made the album what it is today.

Latest trailer for Constantine, a new show for NBC based on a comic book that people seem fairly excited for:



Popular Mechanics wants to help you brew beer, efficiently and affordably.

15 years ago The Blair Witch Project was released; read what it did for film and how successful it was, spawning the found footage genre we basically have today.

A story of skydiving and heroism.

Cool Shit 7/22

I really hope by saying "studying how to control the weather," the CIA means they're just watching The Avengers over and over. And I'm not talking about the Joss Whedon one.

So wait, the glasses now can make things taste better?

Artistic renditions of world-ending disasters.

Apparently this is Dutch. As in, it aired on Dutch TV in the 70s during the Star Wars craze. Of course, if I gave you 5 guesses to name the country of origin, the Netherlands has to be in their, right?



Some tidbits about what we can expect in Season 4 of The Walking Dead. And if you haven't seen it yet, here's a trailer...

Cool Shit 6/13

Finally! A trailer for the movie Snowpiercer! From what I understand this movie is about class struggle - on a future train that travels around an inhabitable Earth. Yeah, I'm not sure why either. Which is of course why I want to see it.



Forget about how many spiders you eat in a year while you sleep (probably in the hundreds) you're already consuming a bunch of bugs in your food.

Slow the Seinfeld theme song down 1200 percent and it sounds less like a catchy opening credits song and more like a single off a Scott Walker album...



So Steven Spielberg is predicting the collapse of the film industry. Well that's reassuring!

Food scams you've probably been an unwilling victim of.

It seems you don't need to get a license to drive in Mexico, but it wouldn't hurt to get some driving instructions.

Forget the NSA spying on us the real conspiracy is supermarket "sell by" dates!

Cool Shit 6/10

What do you get when you mix the mysteries of Lost with the social dynamics of a Survivor? A really crappy conceptual summer series on NBC called Siberia. I especially enjoyed the shots of the garter snake slithering to nowhere...



Sure, some asylums throughout the country operated simply and efficiently and have no stories of woe. Of course, there's a flip side to that coin...

The war between Iran and the United States hasn't happened on the battlefield, but it pretty much has started in cyberspace.

What Nadal did at the French Open this past two weeks may be his greatest accomplishment; after winning the finals McEnroe (John McEnroe, perhaps the greatest Davis Cup player the US has ever born, as well as one of the all-time greats) asked him how much tennis he played during his seven month, injury-laden lay off. And Nadal basically said none. So that means, coming back from injury, playing in a few tune up matches a few weeks beforehand, Nadal won a grand slam simply because he could, and not because he trained particularly hard. Now that's talent.

When the first "Greatest Event in Television History" came out (a shot for shot remake of the opening credits to Simon and Simon) was teased, I had high hopes. I like both Adam Scott and Jon Hamm (an underrated comedic actor in his own right) and also love Simon and Simon and more importantly, opening credit sequences to 80s television shows. And then I saw it and was underwhelmed. The jokes felt a bit cliched and typical - not something I was expecting from the talent behind the concept. So when a new one was announced, my expectations were low. Once again, the original source material had me excited, but that was about it. Well, here it is, and...well you can decide for yourself:



Honestly? It's too much like the first one! Why not make Poehler be obsessively in love with Scott here? Change the dynamic up? Give us something new to chew on? Use more Horatio Sanz? Get weird? It's Adult Swim - get weird and cater to your fans instead of making it so broad.

Sure the NSA is reading your emails, but I'm not so sure that that's as frightening as your local supermarkets creating a dossier on your habits.

Cool Shit 5/9

It's nice to know our government will turn the other cheek when it comes to our food safety. Much more so than Europe, it sounds.

Get bumped from a flight? Before you accept that voucher, did you know you could get cash for your inconvenience? Works for lost luggage as well!

Sigh. Rolling Stone put out a list of the best albums from the 90s. A terrible, incomplete list, that overlooks some great albums.

I've linked to a couple summer movie previews concerning the blockbusters, but here's a look at some of the "quieter" films to be released this summer.

Have you read Stephen King's Under the Dome? If not, I recommend it. While (predictably) the ending is rather abrupt and comes out of left field, the characters and richness of the world King creates is fantastic.

Anyway, I'm not the only one who thought it was good, as CBS has gone and developed it as a series (not sure if its a limited run or it will continue on - hopefully it has a finite ending). Here's the trailer. Looks decent, even with the tacky All Along the Watchtower cover that plays over it...



This "break up" filmed on a kiss cam montage at a minor league baseball game (where promotional stunts to get more attention are de rigueur) is obviously fake; however the Hall and Oates soundtrack compelled me to include it here.

Cool Shit 5/6

You do realize some of the greatest pieces museums have are the ones they're not showing.

I'm sure everything mentioned in this article about the difficulties of self-publishing for a published author is true. And yet, that's the current landscape of publishing, and that's what the majority of authors have to do. It's not as though it's a hardship just for this specific individual. It's not as though authors had an easy time before the self-publishing industry arose.

Not only does it seem as though there's a Kickstarter for everything, it seems a lot of are actually meeting their goals. Including these 4, which...yeah.

Some science fiction is actually based on fact. More fact than you know.

Big Star Wars fan? Then you must take a look at these items!

Another summer movie preview. What are you anticipating?

Oh no. This exists.



I guarantee there's a moment (near the end) when someone looks at Channing Tatum and says, "You've got the job."

Cool Shit 4/17

If you're looking for some adventure, and really don't mind not coming back, you could sign up to go to Mars.

New trailer for the upcoming Superman movie...



Cool video showing how simple light changes can affect a person's appearance.



While I don't think this will help you understand it better, this graphic will at least let you see which movie uses which specific time travel theory.

Ghostface Killah has a new album coming out. And GQ has a track by track breakdown of it! (If you had told me 15 years ago I would ever write that last sentence I would have run off and become a monk. And yet here we are.)

I always enjoy lists of banned books and the reasons given for their banning, simply because in the span of about 30 seconds, I can walk into a library and find a dozen books with way more questionable subject matter...books I had easy access to as a child. Let's say for example - the bible! Scandalous!

The Violent Femmes was my first concert, back in, oh probably 1989? 1990? And even then the band was fairly old. In the next few years after that I saw them at least 2 more times...maybe 3. The early 90s are a little smoky for me. Anyway, back when I was in college, their debut album was THE college album; the one album you could assume every dorm room had a copy of. I couldn't tell you why really...possibly the salacious lyrical content, or perhaps the rhythmic, simplistic tribal nature struck a chord deep inside. I'm not sure what today's goto college album is, but I'd bet whatever it is, its generation can't sing the songs like Generation X can to The Violent Femmes debut. And now it's 30!

Cool Shit 4/10

We're becoming the "all things Alec Baldwin" blog! Today's news: NBC might be considering him for late night television.

Aside from the effects, I thought District 9 was overrated. It's smash you in the face racism analogies didn't leave any room for nuances, and the second half of it played more like a bad Rambo sequel. So I don't have too much hope for Neil Blomkamp's new one, Elysium. But I'm sure there are people out there who are...



A look at what made Cheers arguably the greatest sit com of all time, and 10 episodes that prove it.

I bet a guy with a horrible personality but a big penis funded this study.

Listen, we all have our sexual quirks. Some people like physically toned women. Some like masturbating to women while driving at 90 miles an hour with their penis out the window. Who am I to judge?

Cool Shit 3/7

It's one thing to take inspiration from the men you've dated and turn them into pop songs that millions of people enjoy. But going after those who have garnered a lot of respect and are considered 2 of the smartest/funniest writers currently working - women no less - and accusing them of insulting you simply for making a small joke about you, a joke that directly correlates to the foundation upon which your success is built?

Hmm. It seems the backlash may have begun. And seriously when you do something like this...



...you might start preparing yourself for some sort of backlash. Miss Swift is starting to remind me of the person in high school who was sweet and nice and said "hi" to everyone, regardless of their social level or status, but would fly into a rage if she felt slighted in anyway.

And also would never put out.

I can't believe a sitcom with Hitler as the central focus would only last one episode. Take a look at that and 27 other shows that only lasted one episode.

If you haven't seen Capturing the Friedmans, a documentary about a Long Island family torn apart by accusations of pedophilia (it's much more), then don't click on this link yet. Watch it first. Then come back and see what's happening today in regards to the outcome of the movie.

A list of movies you wouldn't think were expensive, but were. Insanely so. Also, until reading this list, I had completely blocked out the memory of ever seeing Stealth, so now I'm depressed.

On the one hand, it shouldn't be too surprising to anyone that processed meats increase your risk for death. On the other, let's just pretend this study never happened and go back to enjoying salami, bacon, hotdogs, etc.

Don't ever tell me again you can't make a movie trailer because you don't have a SFX budget. Check this out:

Here's the original Iron Man 3 trailer:



And then here's a shot for shot remake:



Now, which one would you be more excited for? Yes, obviously the first one, but doesn't the second one look like a ton of fun?

Cool Shit 2/25

So, what did you think about the Oscars? I thought they were stupid and long. I thought McFarlane was in an impossible spot, attempting to reach out to such a broad audience that he missed with both his fans and the people who don't know him. I thought the "tributes" to the musicals (Chicago?) were boring and unneeded. Just cut the fluff, let people thank who they want to and get out of there in 3 hours. It's not rocket science.

Anyway, here's another take on Seth. And another.

I believe I would have enjoyed taking a class taught by David Foster Wallace.

Want to enhance your hipster credentials? Educate yourself and (pretend to) enjoy bourbon. Want to cement your hipster status? Tell everyone you know just how much you're into Pappy Van Winkle bourbon.

Was the violence in Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho necessary?

Get ready for season 3 of Game of Thrones, coming March 31:

Cool Shit 2/22

Part 2 of the interview with the guy who created Carnivale. Today, he goes into some detail about how the show would have ended.

With the Oscars right around the corner, here's a look at ten of their more lower points.

Hey, look at this. Wesley Snipes is back...starring in some sort of zombie western film. Sounds about right.



A story about a grueling mountain race in Alaska, and about the man who entered and was never seen again.

Having an Oscar party? Or maybe you just want to spice up your boring, everyday, regular popcorn. Here's 5 ways to do just that!

More pictures behind the scenes of famous movies.

Cool Shit 2/13

Whoa. Dan Harmon, the creator of Community, is a complete whack job. And that is completely awesome.

Wired asked some fairly famous fans of the Star Wars movies what makes a good Star Wars movie. Here are their answers. Also, if you enjoyed that, you might enjoy this complete breakdown of the battle on Hoth, and how stupid the rebel forces were.

I'm not sure I can get behind Chicken & Waffles or Cheesy Garlic bread flavors, but sign me up for Sriacha flavored potato chips!

Trailer for the movie Computer Chess - a faux documentary (I think) about people in the 70s developing the first artificial intelligence to beat a chess grandmaster. I think. Actually, just read this if you're interested.



Dirty pool or capitalism at its apex? The war between big brewery and micro craft beers in the shopping sphere.

And finally, a look at a cover of a song - but you're going to have to work with me a little bit here. So please, don't skip to the second one - (re)acquaint yourself with the original song first. It gives much needed context...

David Bowie's song Sound and Vision, from the album Low is a nice little song, with a rather difficult arrangement. You can take a listen here:



But that of course would never stop Beck from attempting to perform it live...with a full orchestra and choir. Take a listen to that right here (and I know it's over 9 minutes long, but try to stay to the end - it's worth it):



(Mildly related: I now am on a quest to get that awesome jacket Beck is wearing)

Cool Shit 1/23

Hey ladies, care to nuzzle into my armpit?

I can't guarantee these are all legit (Specifically, I'm having a hard time believing the baseball player saving the interviewer) but some have to be, and are pretty cool:



The Japanese are cooler than us, especially when it comes to sports shows.

Trailer for The Iceman - a movie based on Richard Kuklinski, a contract killer for the mob who killed over 100 people. Honestly though, as crazy as this movie looks, it can't hold a candle to the original documentary HBO did on this guy. 



Here, you can be the judge:



In 2008, 11 climbers died on the face of K2, the second highest mountain on Earth. And now there's a documentary about what happened. Morbid thought: Is Jon Kraukauer relieved or disappointed he wasn't there?

Daily Links 1/14

Time to fill up the tank and enter some of the most dangerous road races in the world!

A few Nintendo games really stretched the boundaries. And look - a Noid reference!

Just when you thought bacon had jumped the shark, someone goes out there and creates an underground bacon. Most likely illegal, and only in Chicago, it still has a devoted following and many customers.



A detailed account of what it's like to have Lindsay Lohan on set.

And then here's the trailer for the movie:



Everyone likes a conspiracy theory, right? Including ones from the fictional world.

Jam of the Day

Anders Osborne - Standing with Angels

Movie Trailer: Argo

While I was slightly thrown off by the sudden change in voice in the trailer, I'm guessing this is going to be a good film. While I wasn't as high on The Town as a lot of other people were, I still think Affleck knows his way around a camera...

So This is Happening...

I kind of wanted to believe this was a joke; and kind of didn't. I'm very conflicted. Take a look and decide for yourself. Without further comment, I offer you the trailer for FDR: American Badass (warning: Language!)

Apparently, it's real, and it will be given a "limited release" this year. And while you might suggest it doesn't have the star power of Spielberg's "Lincoln," you have to admit you at least recognized one or two faces.

It remains to be seen how they're going to explain the whole "werewolf being a werewolf without a full moon" thing.

New Wes Anderson Movie

Trailer for Moonrise Kingdom...

Hmmm.

Expendables 2 Trailer

I can't tell if I'm extremely excited for this movie, or dreading its existence. I can tell you there's no middle ground - it's all or nothing...

I've also happily included the synopsis for the film here, since it pretty much tells you the entire movie, including the ending! Bets on which Expendable dies early? My money's on Jet Li.

The Expendables are back and this time it's personal... Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Lee Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren),Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) -- with newest members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) aboard -- are reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time -- six pounds of weapons-grade plutonium; enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that's nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother. That is done the Expendables way....

Not Your children's Snow White

Did I just get a little excited for a Snow White movie?

I think it's a key marketing strategy to focus on Charlize Theron here; Stewart will bring her Twilight fans no matter what...Theron might bring a bigger audience.