Found this very cool quiz on Dictionopolis in Digitopolis.
Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Hmmm now where did that horse go?
What's better than foxy boxing?
Watching two barely legal teenage Disney channel cuties in a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors Extreme! Yes thanks to the magic of YouTube you too can experience the adorable Brenda Song and Maiara Walsh beat each other with incredibly phalic looking poles. Ahhh Disney girls...
Aria Giovanni Jungle Girl!
I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of the gold eyeshadow but I can never resist a girl in a good jungle type costume.
I'm a showboat? I don't think that's right.
Honestly I don't think these results could be more wrong if they tried!
Your Score: Icarus
66% Extroversion, 33% Intuition, 44% Emotiveness, 33% Perceptiveness
You are a showboat. You have an obsession with pissing contests and novelty. I'm not sure why you have so much compensatory bravado but, whatever the reason, you've always got something to prove. You're insensitive to the needs of others, you don't think things through, you probably shop at The Sharper Image and James Bond is your personal savior. You pride yourself on your anti-intellectualism and on your folksy cliches. You hated college, but might have gone just for the degree.
There isn't a thing you can do that someone more reasonable can't do better but, fortunately for you, they're too busy with more important things, leaving you to do your job as a middle manager, sports coach, school administrator or principal, government official, preacher or junk bond dealer in peace. You're arrogant but, unlike the Prometheus personality type, you haven't got anything to back it up with. You've only ever gotten anywhere because of your charisma.
Don't worry. You'll get yours.
Famous people like you: George W. Bush, Bill Frist, Lyndon B. Johnson, Fred Phelps, Daryl F. Gates, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Jerry Falwell, your local superintendent, any football coach.
Stay clear of: Everyone but Agamemnon.
| Link: The Greek Mythology Personality Test written by Aleph_Nine on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test |
Friday, June 29, 2007
Queen Hatshepsut Found!
In 1903 Howard Carter excavated Egypt's Valley of the Kings making the amazing discovery of the undisturbed and most complete tomb ever found, the tomb of Tutenkhamen the boy king. In all the excitement another of the excavated mummies, an obese female mummy was left at the site unidentified until now.
Two months ago archaeologist extraordinaire Zahi Hawass brought her to the Cairo Museum for testing and they believe they've identified her as Egypt's greatest and longest ruling Queen, Hatshepsut. 
Hatshepsut was the eldest daughter of Thutmose I and Queen Ahmose, the first king and queen of the Thutmosid clan of the 18th Dynasty. Upon the death of her father in 1493 BC, she married her step-brother Thutmose II and assumed the title of Great Royal Wife. Thutmose II ruled for thirteen years, during which it has been traditionally been believed that Hatshepsut exerted a strong influence over her husband.
When Thutmose II died he left behind a young and weak heir born of one of his other wives. Needless to say, Thutmose III was was very easily pushed out of power. Hatshepsut had herself crowned Pharoh in 1473 BC.
In ancient Egypt, women had a higher status than they did elsewhere in the ancient world, including the court-protected right to own or inherit property. Yet having a female ruler in her own right was rare, Pharaoh was an exclusively male title; at this point in Egyptian history there was no word for a Queen regnant, only one for Queen consort. Hatshepsut is unique in that she was the first woman to take the title of King regnant or King in the absence of a word or title for Queen regnant. 
As pharoh she reestablished the trade networks that had been disrupted during the Hyksos' occupation of Egypt, began the accumulation of some of Egypt's greatest wealth, she oversaw grand expeditions to The Land of Punt (a spot in Eastern Africa) that brought myrrh (which is said to have been Hatshepsut's favorite fragrance) and 31 live frankincense trees for planting in Egypt(the first ever recorded attempt to replant foreign trees).
Hatshepsut was one of the most prolific builders of ancient Egypt, commissioning hundreds of construction projects throughout both Upper and Lower Egypt including the tallest obelisk's in the world. The masterpiece of her building projects however was the mortuary temple complex at Deir el-Bahri. It was designed and implemented by Senemut on a site on the West Bank of the Nile River near the entrance to the Valley of the Kings. The focal point was the Djeser-Djeseru or "the Sublime of Sublimes", a colonnaded structure of perfect harmony nearly one thousand years before the Parthenon. Djeser-Djeseru sits atop a series of terraces that were once graced with gardens. Djeser-Djeseru is built into a cliff face that rises sharply above it. Djeser-Djeseru and the other buildings of the Deir el-Bahri complex are considered to be among the great buildings of the ancient world.
She was also an excellent propagandist, and while all ancient leaders used propaganda to legitimize their rule, she is one of the best known for it. Much of her propaganda had religious overtones supported by the priests at the Temple of Karnak.
Hatshepsut died either as she was approaching or just entering middle age, no record of her cause of death has survived, but after looking at her mummified remains Hawass believes the obese pharoh died in her 50s, probably having suffered with diabetes and is also believed to have had liver cancer. 
Hatshepsut's funerary temple is located in ancient Thebes, on the west bank of the Nile in today's Luxor, a multi-collonaded sandstone temple built to serve as tribute to her power. Surrounding it are the Valley of Kings and the Valley of the Queens. After Hatshepsut's death, however her name was obliterated from the records in what is believed to have been her stepson Thutmose III's revenge.
While scientists are still matching those mitochondrial DNA sequences to the mummified remains of known family members preliminary results are "very encouraging" this is indeed the remains of Hatshepsut.
Wow how very cool!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Dr. Zaius is so cool!
That photoshop genius Dr. Zaius whipped a little Hasselhoff inspired piece that rocks really hard! Look below to see the swesomeness:
Thank you Dr. Zaius and thanks for inspiring a new banner!
Drawing Challenge!
Lee over at Quit Your Day Job and I have decided to throw a little art challenge at each other. I've asked him to draw a Sin City inspired piece and he's asked me to draw Chiana from Farscape. We've also both agreed to draw our own versions of Aquaman. Lee has mad drawing skills so this should be pretty cool when all is said and done. I plan to post my drawings later this week and once Lee has finished I'll post his as well. This should be very neat! Isn't the internet amazing?
Here is a preview of my unfinished Aquaman drawing.
Pop Culture Supreme Court Ruling 2
Pop Culture Supreme Court Ruling 2: In the current media environment, are radio personalities being held to a different and tougher standard than their peers in print and on television?
Radio is an interesting media, almost more diverse than television it informs and entertains with interactivity that television does not and cannot have. Radio has gotten a lot of attention in the last few months thanks to the FCC & others charging some pretty high-profile shock jocks of obscene show content.
The overly hyped Opie & Anthony were fired from WAAF Boston for reporting that a local politician had died in a fiery car crash. The story was fictitious, an April Fools bit gone bad, but the FCC prohibits the broadcast of knowingly false information if it causes public harm and apparently many believed this story. Who does that? Who believes the word of two stupid shock jocks over respected news outlets? How do these same people handle watching programs such as The Daily Show or reading The Onion? I suppose these people think that James Gandolfini Shot By Closure-Seeking Fan or that The Federal governments has three branches, that Dick Cheney is the fourth.
Seth at Dispatches From the Intelligentsia has this to say about the responsibilities of the FCC “When the FCC was originally created, its job was to make sure radio and TV stations didn't overlap and squelch each other. It has grown into a dangerous anti-free speech arm of the government that arbitrarily determines what we should all hear and see.” And he’s right; if we give up some of our freedoms who’s to stop them from taking more?
The highest profile of the obscenity cases involved Don Imus. On April 4, 2007, Imus referred on-air to the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed ho's"during a discussion about the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. Calls for his dismissal from an angry public started pouring in that day, the media jumped on the bandwagon shortly after and finally reached it’s apex of attention on April 9th when Imus appeared on activist Al Sharpton’s radio program to discuss the controversy. Sharpton called the comments "abominable", "racist", and "sexist" and called for Imus’ termination. Despite an apology Imus was suspended on April 10th and his show was taken off the air on April 11th.
I think most of us can agree that what he said was indecorous but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have the right to express himself freely. Former Vice President Hubert Humphrey put it best when he said, “The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.” And that’s what we have here; one man expressing his opinion. Bizzos.org says “as a country, we are losing the will to fight for our freedom of speech; to have the right to hear the “words” we want to hear.” He also goes on to say we are “…sliding into an era that the opinions and sensitivities of a few dictate what “words” the rest of us can choose to hear.” and this is definitely true of the Imus incident. But aside from the freedom of speech issue here is the hypocrisy that once again TV gets away with identical behavior, sometimes worse.
Jennifer Feng finds that Hollywood does nothing but perpetuate the Asian stereotypes of the Foreigner and the Geek which diminishes “the self-esteem of boys and introduces an internalized racial self-hatred where one associates one’s racial identity with limited personal and social success.”
Anastasia Goodstein says racism abounds on reality television and is a true thermometer of the racism in society. “It started years ago with The Real World, where racial tension seemed to be a prerequisite for casting. And in the past year we saw Survivor attempt to divide its teams according to race and Ice Cube attempt to have black and white families swap identities in Black. White. There is the unnerving minstrel quality to Flavor of Love, and we even see mixed race couples on Wife Swap.” If these racially charged television shows had been on radio would they have been received so calmly? Could they have even discussed some of the same topics as openly as they could on TV?
I can’t listen to the radio…and I am a talk radio junkie…for more than an hour these days without one of the hosts trying to skirt around a semi-adult topic because of the FCC or fear of audience lash back. Lou Guzzo thinks that “With regard to the obscenity issue, the FCC’s overly stringent regulations violate a historic constitutional doctrine — one stating that laws should be applied fairly and uniformly to all. If a federal agency tried to regulate newspapers, magazines, and books, as the FCC has controlled radio and television, the print media would have scuttled it in a day.”
“If in other lands the press and books and literature of all kinds are censored, we must redouble our efforts here to keep them free.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
Do we really live in this kind of an Orwellian society? If so how long till TV or music or print media is censored because some people don’t like what it has to say…or the government doesn’t like what it has to say. I pointed out a few extreme instances of radio censure but it happens all the time now and it’s just not right. If you don’t like something…change the channel.
"All censorships exist to prevent anyone from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions. All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently, the first condition of progress is the removal of all censorships.” George Bernard Shaw
To find out what my fellow Pop Culture Supreme Court has to say on the topic please visit their blogs.
or visit the main site here
Monday, June 25, 2007
Guess That Movie Quote: Week 7
Time for the next movie quote quiz! Here are the rules...as people guess the source of the quote I will grey it out and give them credit (using google to find the answers will disqualify you), the person who has the most correct guesses each week will get a fun movie genius award to decorate their blog.
Now onto the guessing!
1. "If I were creating the world I wouldn't mess about with butterflies and daffodils. I would have started with lasers, eight o'clock, Day One!" SamuraiFrog
2. "Now you listen to me, I'm an advertising man, not a red herring. I have two ex-wives, a mother, and several bartenders depending on me. And, I don't want to disappoint them all by getting myself *slightly* killed." Lee
3. "I speak Spanish to God, French to women, English to men and Japanese to my horse." Lee
4. "Higher higher burning fire! making music, like a choir!" SamuraiFrog
5. "I'm not a Roman, Mum, I'm a kike, a yid, a heebie, a hook-nose, I'm kosher Mum, I'm a Red Sea pedestrian, and proud of it." SamuraiFrog
6. "Lo , there do I see my father . Lo , there do I see my mother and my sisters and my brothers . Lo, do I see the line of my people back to begining . Lo , do they call to me . They bid me take my place among them in the halls of Valhala ...Where the brave..shall live......Forever ." SamuraiFrog
7. "You have a choice. I can kill you. Or you can kill me and my daughter will get the insurance." Lee
8. "The are no coincidences only the illusions of coincidence." Lee
9. "The clue obviously lies in the word 'cheddar.' Let's see now. Seven letters. Rearranged, they come to, let me see, 'Rachedd.' 'Dechdar.' 'Drechad.' 'Chaderd' - hello, chaderd! Unless I'm very much mistaken, chaderd is the Egyptian word meaning 'to eat fat.' Now we're getting somewhere!" SamuraiFrog
10. "You didn't actually think you were the only inhabited planet in the universe. How can any race be so stupid?" Lee
There was a tie this week between movie geniuses SamuraiFrog and Lee! Here are your rewards sirs and good work!
SamuraiFrog
Lee
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Better than being that pathetic, drunk ass, eating hamburgers off the floor Hasselhoff.
You are Knight Rider Hasselhoff. You kick ass, you're dead sexy, AND you are the proud owner (or perhaps life partner) of a talking black Trans-Am. What else could one ask for?
Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com
Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com
Why they will never let me illustrate children's books.
I've had Harry Potter on the brain lately, the new book is only about 30 days away and I can't wait to see how this series comes to a close! So doodling over my lunch break today I decided to draw Hermione in her school uniform. I kind of got lost in the drawing and before I realized it I had drawn this...
Hmmm...is that skirt short enough? All that thigh is far too juicy for a teenage student. Gosh I feel so dirty...but darn isn't she cute! Next time I should try and draw Madeline from the Belman books, she'll probably end up in the coat and hat flashing that ever present nun.
Proper Madeline not drawn by me...
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Hooray more memes!
PJ tagged me on a couple of memes, I’m going to combine the memes into one post, cos PJ did it first and I feel like a lemming tonight.
5 things
INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so.
1. Wylie’s Words
2. Tennessee Text Wrestling
3. Sophisticated Writer
4. The Urban Recluse
5. No Smoking in the Skullcave
Next, select five people to tag. (okay I know I'm alone in loving to do memes and that alot of people hate to do them so please do not feel obligated to do this if you don't want to. Seriously.)
1. SamuraiFrog
2. J.D.
3. Anyone who wants to give these a shot! Come on you know you want to!
And now for the questions!
What were you doing ten years ago?
Living in the house I grew up in with my grandmother and working a different shitty bookstore job. There was one really great, sweet person in my life, whose still in my life and rocks harder than he realizes! He knows who he is...ribbit.
What were you doing one year ago?
Living on my own working a diferent shitty bookstore job.
Five snacks you enjoy.
1. Fruit (apples, grapes, cherries, berries)
2. Jello
3. Sugar-free Vanilla Latte
4. Aria Giovanni
5. Jaffa Cakes (Before they changed the recipe! Why would they do that?!?)
Simon Pegg likes Jaffa cakes too!
Five songs to which you know all the lyrics.
1. Highwayman by The Highwaymen
2. Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie
3. Cosmic Dancer by T. Rex
4. Songs of Love by The Divine Comedy
5. The Green Green Grass of Home by Tom Jones
Five things you would do if you were a millionaire.
1. Quit my job and open a comic book store, not just any comic book store...a sexy one...where all the employees dress up like sexy faux versions of comic book characters. The draw is cleavage and beefcake and the best selection in town.
2. Invest, invest, invest...make my money last.
3. Get a copy of every book Isaac Asimov ever wrote.
4. Take a really nice vacation, I've never really been anywhere and it might be nice to do that once in my life.
5. Buy Kurt Russell's car from Deathproof, one of the existing Batmobiles and The General Lee. Good things come in threes.
Five bad habits.
1. Leaving a sink full of dishes to wash "later".
2. Very low self-esteem/ confidence.
3. I'm pretty shy but it tends to come off as snobish.
4. The Mexican Skillet at a local restaurant, so bad for me but it tastes so good!
5. Aria Giovanni, I just can't quit her man!
Five things you like doing.
1. Drawing...creating in general.
2. watching movies and listening to music with A(you know who you are).
3. Looking at nasty books with Joe, it's not often you find someone as twisted as yourself.
4. Playing with my bunny Thumper.
5. Looking at Aria Giovanni.
Five things you would never wear again.
1. My bondage t-shirt with pictures of 50's pin-up girls in bondage. Creepy guys love to come up to me and touch it. Icky.
2. A uniform...why oh why do non-food, non-health industry businesses insist on uniforms?
3. Party hat...I know I'm a party pooper but it's not happening.
4. A clown costume...worst Halloween of my life.
5. A puffy winter coat...cringe.
_________________________
Gotta Get Goals
(The Alex Shalman’s Gotta Get Goals meme)
1) In a new blog post, list and write about the top 5 to 10 goals that you gotta’ get so that you can truly say you have achieved your wildest dreams in life. These have to be your best, most exclusive, and over-the-top goals that you can pick off your goals list.
2) In the introduction of your post, explain what you’re doing with the Gotta’ Get Goals project and “put a link and/or a trackback to this post”, for the purpose of giving them the full rules and for me to compile the master list of all participants that I’ll link to in a future post.
3) As with Simply Success Secrets, don’t forget to put a link or trackback to the blogger who tagged you for Gotta’ Get Goals in order to let your readers follow the conversation around.
4) Sharing your Gotta’ Get Goals with your own audience, will also share them with the blogger who tagged you and the bloggers you tagged, as well as their whole audience!
5) There is no limit to how many bloggers you are allowed to “tag”, so go crazy. It will help their exposure as well as your own when they tag back to your Gotta Get Goals post. That’s how meme’s work.
6) Sit back and enjoy the show. As Aaron would say, “watch the gotta get goals and the crossover audiences start rolling in!”
–
1. My biggest current goal is to find myself a paying career in the illustration or photography field. I really want to spend the rest of my life working towards something I can be proud of something tangible instead of retail where I'm selling my life for pennies on the dollar.
2. To direct a naughty women in prison movie, the warden has to be an older iconic B movie actress like Cynthia Myers or Cassandra Peterson.
3. Open that comic book store, you know...the sexy one...where all the employees dress up like sexy faux versions of comic book characters. The draw is cleavage and beefcake and the best selection in town.
4. Live to see a day when Nicholas Cage and Keanu Reeves quit ruining movies with their presence.
5. Own every book Isaac Asimov ever wrote, textbooks included.
6. To get whisked away by the ninth doctor and travel through space and time.
7. Live in a world where this guy is president.
8. Do a photoshoot with Dita Von Teese and Aria Giovanni. Too much gorgeous in one room might make the world explode!
***Warning quick and cheap photoshop to illustrate gorgeousness factor***
9. Witness a grudge match between Ronald McDonald and The Burger King.
10. Forget the horror at realizing Ronald McDonald and The Burger King are real. That Burger King creeps me out!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Hooray it's a Music Meme!
That crazy kid J.D. tagged me on a very cool looking music meme...
The Rules
Put your iTunes (or equivilent) on random. Post lyrics from the first songs that play. Post it on your blog & let everyone guess the song & artist. When a song is guessed correctly, strike out the lyrics & post the title in bold. Looking the lyrics up on any search engine is cheating!! So, if you know the song - leave your guess in a comment. If you’re right, I’ll post your name (or link). Enjoy!
1. "You’ve got a thing about you, I just can’t live without you, I really want you (Song title) near me..."
2. "Your eyes can be so cruel, Just as I can be so cruel, Oh I do believe in you.
Yes I do. Live without your sunlight. Love without your heartbeat." SamuraiFrog
3. "There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost but you'll never see the end of the road while you're travelling with me."Dr. Monkey
4. "Here in your arms i found my paradise, my only chance for happiness, and if i lose you now i think i would die."
5. "I don't want to hear a sad story full of heartbreak and desire. The last time I felt like this I was in the wilderness and the canyon was on fire. And I stood on the mountain in the night and watched it burn, I watched it burn, I watched it burn.
6. "Can you tell me where my country lies? Said the Unifaun to his true love's eyes? It lies with me! cried the Queen Of Maybe, for her merchandise, he traded in his prize." SamuraiFrog
7. "I don't believe in an interventionist god but i know, darling, that you do but if i did i would kneel down and ask him not to intervene when it came to you. Not to touch a hair on your head, to leave you as you are..."
8. "I've laughed and been a snake, I´ve had my fill, my share of losing and now, the tears subside I find it all so amusing. To think, I killed a cat and may I say, not in a gay way" (there's a gay way to kill a cat? What an insane lyric)SamuraiFrog
9. "Standin' on a corner by my old high school, I let this female call me a fool. I got on my knees and begged to the sun and I knew that my manhood had begun."
10. "Queen of Light took her bow and then she turned to go. The Prince of Peace embraced the gloom and walked the night alone." Tim
11. "I'm the dandy highwayman so sick of easy fashion, the clumsy boots, peek-a-boo roots that people think so dashing. So what's the point of robbery when nothing is worth taking? It's kind of tough to tell a scruff the big mistake he's making." SamuraiFrog
12. "Color and sky brush and blue, scarlet fleece changes you, crimson ball sinks from view"
13. "Lady if you want to find a lover then you look no further for I’m gonna be your only. Searching at the start of the season and my only reason is that i´ll get to you." SamuraiFrog
14. "Your name is on a lot of quotes in this book, and us crazy humans wrote it, you should take a look, and all the people that you made in your image still believing that junk is true." SamuraiFrog
15. "Riding the backs of giraffes for laughs is alright for a while, the ego sings of castles and kings and things that go with a life of style."
Monday, June 18, 2007
Guess That Movie Quote: Week 6
Is it Monday again already? Time for the next movie quote quiz! Here are the rules...as people guess the source of the quote I will grey it out and give them credit (using google to find the answers will disqualify you), the person who has the most correct guesses each week will get a fun movie genius award to decorate their blog.
Now on to the guessing!
1. "Now tell me this, right, why whould i shoot a bloke, bang, and then put him in the bloody car and whiz him off to the hospital at 100 miles an hour. It defeats the purpose of shooting him in the first place, and whats more, its bloody insulting." Lee
2. "I will think on you dead, until my husband makes you so. And then I will think on you no more." SamuraiFrog
3. "They will say that I have shed innocent blood. What's blood for, if not for shedding?" Lee
4. "Nothing is more reliable than a man whose loyalties can be bought with hard cash." Lee
5. "His destrctive programming is taking affect. He will irresistably drawn to large cities where he will back up sewers, reverse trafic signs and steal everyone's left shoe." SamuraiFrog
6. "It's like I told my last wife. 'Honey,' I says, 'I never drive faster than I can see.' Besides, it's all in the reflexes." Lee
7. "There is no time for egos, this is not girl scouts. this is espionage."
8. "I'm gonna get that gun of mine and I'm gonna change you from a rooster to a hen with one shot!" Lee
9. "If one does what God does enough times, one will become as God is."
10. "Few people understand the psychology of dealing with a highway traffic cop. Normal speeders will panic and immidiately pull over to the side. This is wrong. It arouses content in the cop heart. Make the bastard chase you, he will follow..."Lee
**Update** There are still a couple of unguessed quotes but since Lee has guessed a mighty majority he is this week's winner! Hooray Lee! I will post the answers in the comments section. Thanks for playing and come back next Monday for another exciting game of Guess That Movie Quote!
Here is this week's prize:
Sunday, June 17, 2007
8 More Things
I've been tagged for a second time on the 8 things meme by The lovely Cap'n Dyke so here are 8 more random facts about me. Don't worry I don't think I can confess to anything as strange as my secret love of Matlock.
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. (I already tagged a few people last time so I'll skip this part. If anyone wants to give this meme a try please go ahead! It's always fun to read a bit more about all my fellow bloggers!)
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
And now 8 random things about me:
1. I spent all day watching episodes of Doctor Who with the first Doctor and working on retouching photos of the lovely Evangeline. Here are a few of my favorites:
2. I wish someone would make a movie about the notorious women pirates Anne Bonney and Mary Read who sailed under the flag of Captain Calico Jack Rackham. You can read more about their adventures here and belive me if you haven't heard their story before it's worth a read!
3. According to Quiz Galaxy my name would be defined in the dictionary as "A person with a sixth sense for detecting the presence of goblins"...awesome!
4. My favorite comic book of all time is Love and Rockets by Jaimie and Gilbert Hernandez, though I never cared much for the Gilbert stuff. Maggie and Hopey rule and it was cool to read their adventures as they grew up and grew out. Too bad Jaimie stopped using the rockets pretty early on.
5. I pretty much hate sports accross the board but my favorite video games are Snowbaording games, I own two and have played countless others via rental or arcade. I also love Guitar Hero I can't believe I've gone most of my life without it.
6.Earlier this week I took some time off from retouching photos to color some of my drawings, here's one of Poison Ivy and a Friend:
7. My blog is rated G for 1 use of the word "kill" and 1 use of the word "dyke"...hmmm guess the ratings board didn't see all the pictures of naked girls I've posted in the past. Thanks to Lee for the link.
Mingle2 - Free Online Dating
8. The 8 people who have inspired me and whom I respect most in the world are Isaac Asimov, Russ Meyer, Bettie Page, Bunny Yeager, Brian Eno, Walt Disney, Hayao Miyazaki and Jack Burton
The New Bat Suit
Here's a picture of the Bat Suit from the next Christopher Nolan Batman movie The Dark Knight. It's pretty cool, I especially like the new neck piece that will allow Christian Bale to turn his neck.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Which of Henry VIII's Wives Are You?
I found this cool quiz on PJ's blog.
Which of Henry VIII's wives are you?
this quiz was made by Lori Fury
Friday, June 15, 2007
The Divine Comedy
Over the years, the name has encompassed other musicians, but the driving force of the band and its main (sometimes only!) member has always been Neil Hannon. He chose the name The Divine Comedy aged 18, almost at random. He and two Enniskillen school friends needed a new name for their band and Neil spotted a copy of Dante’s epic poem on the family bookshelf. It stuck, and a year later it was the name under which the trio signed to Irish run indie Setanta Records. After some lackluster response to their first few recording efforts the original line-up of the band broke-up but Hannon continued to record alone with the name re-appearing in 1993 with Liberation.
Liberation had a fairly diverse musical outlook that goes from the tongue-in-cheek synth pop, it is also characterised by a plethora of literary references: 'Bernice Bobs Her Hair' recalls a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald; 'Three Sisters' draws upon a play by Anton Chekov; and 'Lucy' is essentially three William Wordsworth poems abridged to music. This led to a degree of critical acclaim, but commercial success still proved elusive.
It was only some minor success in France that really enabled Hannon to proceed to his second effort Promenade. Released in 1994, this was heavily driven by classical influences, with Michael Nyman's stylings clearly an influence. Hannon himself acknowledged this when he apparently sent a copy of his new album to the composer, jokingly asking him not to sue. Essentially a concept album about a day spent by two lovers, it also received similar critical acclaim to that which Liberation was afforded. Still commercial success eluded Hannon.
Around the same time, Hannon also wrote and performed the theme music for the TV sitcom Father Ted (which would subsequently be incorporated into the song "Songs of Love" on the album Casanova), and later wrote the music for the deliberately bad mock-Eurovision song "My Lovely Horse" for one episode. This would not be the only time they would be responsible for a TV theme, as "In Pursuit Of Happiness" was also used by the BBC science and technology show, Tomorrow's World. Hannon also recently composed the music for the comedy series "The IT Crowd".
My Lovely Horse from Father Ted:
The album Casanova (1996), and in particular the single "Something for the Weekend" led to the band's first major successes, with Neil Hannon becoming a distinctive, albeit unlikely, popstar in an immaculate suit, and always appearing the elegant dandy. The foppish image, but not the suit, was ditched for the more sombre album Fin De Siècle in 1998, although its biggest hit, the jaunty "National Express", a song about the national coach operators.
Becoming More Like Alfie from Cassanova:
Something For the Weekend Live:(the hilarious horror movie parody):
The National Express:
A serious side to the band was also in evidence in 2000's collaboration with Ute Lemper on her album Punishing Kiss, most of which featured The Divine Comedy as Lemper's backing band. Neil Hannon and Joby Talbot also contributed two original songs and an arrangement of Brecht and Weill's "Tango Ballad", whilst Neil Hannon sang two songs ("Tango Ballad", "Split") as duets with Lemper.
The 2001 album Regeneration attempted to remove the band still further from its association with comedy. Hannon hired famous producer Nigel Godrich to "remake" the band. Neil ditched the suit and donned the Britrock band image. However, the album was a greater critical than commercial success, and soon after its release it was announced that The Divine Comedy were splitting up.
Bad Ambassador (poor lovesick Bigfoot!):
Eventually however a new album surfaced with a new line-up in the form of 2004's Absent Friends. Striking a balance between the occasionally earnest sound of the band's later material and the lighter tone of the more popular releases, it encapsulated the essence of The Divine Comedy.
Come Home Billy Bird:
Hannon's ninth album under the Divine Comedy moniker, Victory for the Comic Muse (a reference to his debut), was released in June 2006. It is suggested by fans to be less personal and more free-approach in tone than his most recent albums. The bulk of the record was recorded in just two weeks, hence the more spontaneous sound, and features appearances from Travis bass player Dougie Payne.
Neil Hannon also provided vocals for songs on the soundtrack for the film of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy released in 2005, working with Joby Talbot, the composer for the film and former Divine Comedy band member. This sci-fi connection continued in late 2006, when he contributed vocals to two tracks - 'Song For Ten' and 'Love Don't Roam' - on the official Doctor Who soundtrack. In an interview with Bullz-Eye.com, Hannon explained that, "literally, I was asked to add my vocal by the composer of the songs, who writes for the show. And I didn’t feel that I could say no, simply because I spent my childhood watching this program. It would be just plain wrong to not do it."
Here is The Divine Comedy's (still unofficially released) politically charged song Guantanamo, set to photographic evidence from the archives:
And finally the incredibly beautiful Tonight We Fly. It's one of my favorite songs of all time and here is is live:
Thursday, June 14, 2007
I've been tagged with a meme!
The fabulous Dr. Monkey has tagged me on the 8 Things meme that's been going round. Here are the rules of this meme:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. (You’re not the boss of me!)
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
Now on to my 8 things!
1. I have a very wrong crush on Daniel Radcliffe, you know the kid that plays Harry Potter. He's so adorable in inerviews not to mention he has great taste in music.
2. My first crush as a kid was on David Bowie and my second, Jonathan Frakes, Next Generation's Will Riker. I still swoon a little bit when I see him.
3. I can roll my tongue.
4. When I was a kid I used to have this recurring nightmare where I was being chased by Freddie Krueger through a mall. I had the dream every night for something like a month til I finally got tired of it, snapped and let him catch me. He kissed me on the cheek and I never had the dream again. Strange.
5. I think Coke tastes better in glass bottles. It's the only way to drink it.
6. I was once a certified cosomotologist, I let my license lapse though. Oh man I have horror stories about working in a salon, it was awful.
7. I met Bruce Campbell at a screening of Army of Darkness, there were hundreds of people there so it wasn't all that intimate but I still met the guy. I even got a chance to ask a question during a Q&A session. He was very cool in person.
8. I love to watch matlock with Andy Griffith, in all seriousness it's one of my favorite shows. I've seen each episode so many times I can usually call the plot/ guest star within the first 5 minutes of the show. The one with Roddy McDowell is my favorite though I am partial to the weirdness of the episode that takes place in the old west. It was all a dream don't you know.
Since filing this out I see that I have also been tagged to complete this meme by Cap'n Dyke so look forward to another 8 random things to follow soon but rather than tag 16 people I will tag 4 now and 4 later to reach the 8 that the meme asks. I choose Lee, Ben, MC and PJ
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Suddenly it all seems so real!
I will be making my first public appearance as an illustrator at Wizard World Chicago August 9th-12th, one of the biggest comic book conventions in the midwest. I reserved space all the way back in Feburary but they've finally updated their website with the names of guests and sure enough my name is there. Seeing my name in a list of dozens in very small print has made this all very real and it's making me so nervous! I've never done anything like this before so I'm not quite sure what to expect. If I sell anything at all I will consider it a triumph. If anyone who reads this blog is in the Chicagoland area feel free to drop on by and say hello!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Guess That Movie Quote: Week 5
For the first time we had a few unguessed quotes last week as I try to make things a bit more challenging, lets see how week 5 plays out. Here are the rules...as people guess the source of the quote I will grey it out and give them credit, the person who has the most correct guesses each week will get a fun movie genius award to decorate their blog.
And let the guessing begin!
1. "You know the next time you people drive us off our land, I'm gonna find a nice piece of swampland that's so God-awful that maybe you'll leave us the hell alone."
2. "If Groucho Marx and Brooke Shields ever got married, their kids would have your eybrows."
3. "Escaping! We can’t start escaping now! What would future generations think of us!?"
4. "My heart is filled with courage! But I have very cowardly legs."
5. "...did you know it could be dangerous to wake somebody up when they're dreaming, well, because you leave part of your brain behind. And if it happens too many times, you go feeble in the head."
6. "Magic is the bloodstream of the universe. Forget all you know...or think you know. All that you require is your intuition. Now, the power to control the world is in which finger?"
7. "Hey, maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked pal!"
8. "I can tell you, with no ego, that this is my finest blade. If, on your journey, you should encounter God, God will be cut."
9. "If you were a gentleman, I would speak to you. I was speaking at you, sir."
10. "It's all right. It's quite all right, really. She's having a rest. We'll be going on soon. There's no hurry, you see. We have all the time in the world."
**Update**
Well since someone decided to use google to figure out most of the answers from this week's game...this week's prize goes to Mob who was able to get in a couple of correct guesses. For future reference it is not okay to use a search engine to find the answers, where is the fun in that?
Congrats Mob!
Can you tell if that smile is a fake?
Heidi over at Layercake had a link to a very fun yet revealing BBC Science quiz: Can You Spot a Fake Smile?
I scored a 17 out of 20. I'm not sure if that means I'm good at spotting fake smiles or if I expect the worst from people. Give it a try, I'd love to hear other people's scores.
Friday, June 08, 2007
The Pop Culture Supreme Court Ruling 1: Should there be a moratorium on direct remakes in Hollywood?
A few weeks ago some of us bloggers got together and decided to create a blog to discuss and present our opinions on a variety of pop culture topics. We’ve decided to call our group The Pop Culture Supreme Court and much like the real world counterpart we will use precedent, experience and opinion to reach group decisions.
The first question we have decided to discuss is the following: Should there be a moratorium on direct remakes in Hollywood?
Before jumping into an immediate opinion…something I find myself doing far too often in the real world…I tried to consider all sides of the question, the pros and cons as it were of film remakes in Hollywood.
There have been a lot of movie remakes in Hollywood going as far back as the silent era right on up to today; they’ve remade silents into talkies, classics into moderns and foreign cinema into big budget American popcorn flicks. In fact if Hollywood can get the rights to remake a film they’ve probably done it. Arts & Entertainment has an interesting piece on remakes, what qualifies as a remake and what does not.
John Houston one of American Cinema’s greatest filmmakers once said “Don't remake good movies, remake bad ones!" but was he right? Let’s explore the possible reasons why a remake should be made:
1. To improve upon the original.
Angela Coleman thinks the only time someone chooses to remake a movie is for lack of personal creativity but that said there have been many instances where a new take on old material has given us a great movie…King Kong, The Mummy, Freaky Friday. But for every good remake there are 4 or 5 bad ones…Planet of the Apes, War of the Worlds, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Thomas Crown Affair… The Hutch Report has the theory that the “copy usually isn’t as good as the original and most of the time Hollywood remakes popular television shows and old movies because there is less risk of failure when a proven idea is recreated once again.” Perhaps that’s true and the recognition factor clearly had something to do with the movie’s success.
Of course there is something else to take into consideration when you are remaking an older film: society changes. People change as time does the same and ideals, perception, relationship roles and standards all change. Is a story from 40 years ago still relevant, does it translate to today? A good example of changing a film's story to match societal changes is the 1978 remake of 1956’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and then the 1993 remake just called Body Snatchers. All three movies changed their story and characters to make it relevant to the era’s current societal beliefs and problems. In 56 it was a communist allegory, in 78 it was an attack on the selfishness of the me generation and the 93 version focused on conformity and militarism. These are three films that did it right, there are many more that haven’t.
2. To see a new actor/ writer/ director’s take on pre-existing material.
On the surface of things this always seems like it will be a good idea to see a talented individual whom you appreciate take on pre-existing material but Kurt Russell had an interesting quote in Entertainment Weekly on the proposed Escape From New York remake “I didn’t play Snake Plissken. I created him!” and to me that is the final word on the matter. I don’t know of one instance where an actor was able to adequately recreate or rein vision a role enough to blow the original out of the water or even equal it. For example Gene Wilder will always trump Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, Sean Bean is a great actor but how can he compete with the menacing Rutger Hauer in The Hitcher. So on and so forth…
3. To modernize the look of the film, add new effects, make the story more current.
asipreynccce Suggests that modern effects cannot create the same magic that the original held and I have to agree with that. Like any movie remake or no it comes down to the story not the effects. If you don’t have a good story then you don’t have a good movie. Would a CGI Kraken make Clash of the Titans any better a movie? Ultimately no.
4. To take a foreign film and explore how the story would unfold in our culture as opposed to theirs.
In theory taking a foreign movie and adapting it to American societal ideas is intriguing but rarely are English remakes of foreign films good movies. The Japanese cultural horror film Ringu became the fatuous and ridiculously boring The Ring. The riotous yet emotionally adult La Cage Au Folles became the over the top, silly and childish The Birdcage which scored a. The hilarious, again French, Les Visiteurs en Amérique with Jean Reno and Christian Clavier became the mediocre Just Visiting oddly enough it also starred Jean Reno and Christian Clavier; but even with the same actors in the leading roles this movie could not soar any higher than run of the mill comedy. Hollywood should just stay away from foreign remakes.
So taking the previous statements into consideration I would say yes there should be a short moratorium on direct Hollywood remakes, The Moratorium Would even take that further saying lat out says Hollywood should take a 20 year break from remakes. “Walk into any bookstore and you could spend a life time going thru all the DIFFERENT stories. Why are they not adapting more books into movies? I’ll tell you why. LAZY. Why should I go thru the hassle when I can just take some funny 70’s movie and just throw some big stars in it and be done with it? ”
Ultimately the few entertaining remakes that we enjoy do not justify the mountain of terrible ones that torture us and I would say that most of my fellow bloggers agree with me.
To find out what my fellow Pop Culture Supreme Court has to say on the topic please visit their blogs.
or visit the main site here
For more on remakes visit Movie Remakes a website dedicated to movie remakes of all types good and bad.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
It's a Ghiblog-A-Thon!
J.D. over at Joe's Movie Corner is hosting a Studio Ghibli Blog-a-thon this weeked and since I am such a big Hayao Miyazaki/ Studio Ghibli fan I couldn't resist putting a post up. So here is my contribution a guide to the creatures of the Ghibli universe.
Studio Ghibli Creature Compendium
Apes- (Princess Mononoke) Primate creatures that live in the forest of the gods. It is said by eating a creature they can gain it’s strength.
Baron Humbert von Gikkingen- (The Cat Returns) The charming and fearless cat statue with a soul who comes to life. The Baron as he prefers to be called is also the owner of The Cat Bureau a service dedicated to helping those in need.
The BaronBoh- (Spirirted Away) The giant, greedy, spoiled baby of Yubaba.
Calcifer- (Howl’s Moving Castle) The feisty, smart-talking demon who lives in the wizard How’s fireplace. There is a magical contract that binds Howl and Calcifer together, Calcifer is forced to work as Howl’s servant because of this and has grown over the years to resent the mighty wizard.
Cat-bus- (My Neighbor Totoro) A Passenger bus shaped like a live cat. It is a Japanese belief that if a cat grows old enough it gains magical shape changing powers and is called Bake neko or monster cat.
The CatbusHaku- (Spirited Away) A young boy of the spirit world who has the ability to become a dragon and fly. Haku works for the witch Yubaba, running errands and performing missions. It is said however that Haku is neither the boy nor the dragon but only Yubaba knows this for certain.
Heen- (Howl’s Moving Castle) The Sorceress Madame Suliman’s asthmatic errand dog.
Howl- (Howl’s Moving Castle) A handsome and mysterious wizard who is rumored to steal the hearts of pretty girls, but despite this bad reputation and his cavalier and pomposity Howl is a pretty sweet guy with a strange past.
HowlJiji- (Kiki’s Delivery Service) The chatty and cautious black cat familiar of a young witch Kiki, who accompanies his mistress as she learns to master her powers in a new town.
Kamaji- (Spirirted Away) The elderly, mustachioed, six-armed creature who runs the boiler room of Yubaba’s bath house and is skilled in the knowledge of herbs and healing. Kamaji may come off as cold at first but can be very kind and generous with those he cares about.
Kashira- (Spirirted Away) A trio of heads living in Yubaba’s office that move around by bouncing and speak with a grunt.
Kodoma- (Princess Mononoke) White, rattle-headed, tree spirits who lead people safely through the wood of The Great Forest Spirit.
Madame Suliman- (Howl’s Moving Castle) The King of Kingsbury’s head sorceress and the wizard Howl’s mentor.
Moro- (Princess Mononoke) The giant twin-tailed leader of the wolf clan is the 3 centuries old goddess of the wolves. Strong, brave and a ferocious warrior’ she is and should be feared by all who enter the forest. She has 3 children two wolf sons and an adopted human daughter, San, whom she raised as her own after a traveler desperate to save his own life offered that of his own child.
MoroMuta- (The Cat Returns) A large white curmudgeonly cat who works with The Baron at The Cat Bureau.
No Face- (Spirited Away) A lonely, mysterious and shadowy creature who sustains himself on the emotions of others around him. No face wears a mask similar to the performers of Japanese Noh theater.
Ohmu- (Nausicaa Valley of the Wind) Giant armored caterpillar-like insects that inhabit the fungal filled forest commonly referred to as The Sea of Decay. The Ohmu has 14 eyes which change color depending on its mood. In adulthood this creature can weigh several tons and is said to be the smartest animal in The Sea of Decay.
Okkoto- (Princess Mononoke) The giant, blind god of the boars is nearly 5 centuries old and a devout servant of The Great Forest Spirit. Okkoto is a fierce warrior; he and his clan attack head on despite any disadvantages and do not engage in any strategizing. This rashness is a great weakness.
Porco Rosso- (Porco Rosso) Porco Rosso, otherwise known as The Crimson Pig was once an Italian ace fighter pilot during World War I named Marco Pagot who was cursed to live the rest of his life in the body of a pig. Once cursed Porco became disillusioned with his military career and now ekes out a living as a bounty hunter/ strong arm for hire.
Porco RossoShishigami- (Princess Mononoke) is also known as The Great Forest Spirit as he is the ancient spirit of the forest. During the day this creature takes the form of a great stag with the face of a baboon at night however he transforms into Didarabocchi or The Night Walker a god resembling a human made of stars. It is said Shishigami has the power to give life and take it away. He can heal in an instant and kill just as quick.
Soot Sprites- (My Neighbor Totoro & Spirited Away) also known as dust bunnies and soot Gremlins. Shy creatures who live in abandoned buildings such as houses. Once a building is inhabited they move on and find another abandoned building to live in.
Tanuki- (Pom Poko) The Tanuki are mischievous, lazy, cheerful and gullible creatures who use their supernatural ball-sac shape-shifting powers to trick humans. Tanuki is Japanese for Racoon dog a figure which has been part of their folklore since ancient times. They are often mistaken as a raccoon or badger.
Totoro- (My Neighbor Totoro) Totoro who gets his name from a mispronunciation of the Japanese word for troll, Tororu, is a magical, friendly grey cat-like spirit who serves as the keeper and guardian of a rural forest. While his exact origin is unknown there are those who speculate Totoro is not at all a troll but a Shinto Kami Spirit based on his home which he makes in an old Shinto shrine. Totoro’s size can be intimidating, it is said he is at least 3 meters tall, but those who show him kindness will not regret it when they see just how generous he can be in return.
TotoroTurnip Head- (Howl’s Moving Castle) A magical animated scarecrow with a turnip for a head. It is said that Turnip Head has been cursed by The Witch of the Waste and is seeking a way to achieve his revenge.
The Witch of the Waste- (Howl’s Moving Castle) An enormously obese witch who threatens her way into getting what she wants, and what she wants most is the wizard Howl.
Yakul- (Princess Mononoke) The loyal red elk steed of Ashitaka the last Emishi Prince.
Yubaba- (Spirirted Away) Yubaba literally translated into Japanese means bath crone and that’s what she is; the witch who runs the bath house catering to the creatures of the spirit world. Yubaba has an over-bearing and authoritarian personality. She runs her bath house with an iron fist and keeps most of the profits for her opulent lifestyle. Yubaba is the mother of Boh, her giant baby and the twin sister of Zeniba.
Zeniba- (Spirirted Away) Yubaba’s twin sister and rival. Although identical in appearance their personalities are polar opposites. Where her sister is greedy, over-bearing and shrill, Zeniba is generous, sweet and soft spoken like a loving grandmother.
Zeniba and No Face
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Thanks for Reading!