Archive for April, 2008
“Rock of Love 2″ Finale Tonight
By Mark Schultz, written on Apr. 13, 2008
During this pre-finals week, when lengthy papers and test reviews erode my sanity and cause me to question the world I live in, all I have to do is remember Bret Michaels is just one episode away from finding true love. Yes, after years of emotionless sex with everyone from Pam Anderson to that groupie who looked like Pam Anderson, Michaels is finally ready to settle down with either Daisy De La Hoya or Ambre Lake. The finale airs at 9 tonight, after which it will doubtlessly be aired over forty times in the next two days.
This is one of those shows where you don’t root for someone to win — you root for someone to lose based on who you think will have the most insane, irrational reaction to defeat. Therefore, I hope Ambre wins, inviting Daisy De La Hoya (relative of Oscar) to unleash an uppercut to Ambre’s face.
If this doesn’t excite our student readership, nothing will
By Matt Roney, written on Apr. 10, 2008
According to Comedy Central Insider, an album of new Mitch Hedberg material is set to be released soon, three years after his untimely death at the age of 37.
Awesome.
You may remember Hedberg from his Comedy Central special (attended by a number of people who didn’t know who he was), or from the scene in “Almost Famous” in which he smoked fake pot with Peter Frampton (the part when Russel sells Penny Lane to Humble Pie for $50 and a case of beer). Hedberg is remembered mostly for his idiosyncratic, one-liner approach to comedy and his distinctive delivery.
To tide you over, here are some links to his Wikiquote entry, and there’s a video after the jump. Enjoy.
Best. Game. Ever.
By Brandon Conradis, written on Apr. 8, 2008
Kudos to whoever invented a game that made crayons fun again.
Here’s the deal: The game (called “Magic Pen”) is a copy of the game “Crayon Physics,” an ingenius concept where you used a pen to draw shapes that enabled you to move a ball from one point on the screen to another. But with this flash new version, all you need is your mouse. Really, it’s awesome. So click here to play the latest “most addictive game ever.”
If you need further proof, take a gander at this video.
Michael Cera sightings to increase significantly
By Punit Mattoo, written on Apr. 8, 2008
Today’s Free Press had a story about the tax incentives the state’s drawn up to attract filmmakers to Michigan. One of the movies taht has already decided to take advantage of the financial benefits is the Weinstein-produced “Youth In Revolt.” Filming of the movie starring Michael Cera will take place in May and June in Ann Arbor and Detroit and should provide a little bit of interest for the kids stuck her with summer courses.
Top Five Post-strike Premieres
By Mark Schultz, written on Apr. 6, 2008
In case you weren’t reminded by last week’s episode of “South Park,” there was a writers strike, and it caused a great temporary harm to scripted television. Fortunately, some of TV’s most popular and critically-acclaimed shows return in the next five days, a week I’ll call: “Why do I have to have three papers due during this week of excellent ‘post-strike’ premieres?”
In no particular order, here are this week’s top five post-strike premieres:
Universal, Warner and Sony BMG on MySpace’s Top 8
By Matt Roney, written on Apr. 3, 2008
Looking to further dominate the music world, social networking giant (and host to thousands of mediocre bands) MySpace has signed deals with three of the four major record labels (Warner Bros., Sony BMG and Universal, whose site is almost as obnoxious as MySpace’s) to start a new service along the lines of iTunes called “MySpace Music.” Beyond pay downloads, MySpace plans to offer add-supported streaming, concert tickets, and merchendise. Apparently, this is in response to Facebook’s iLike app, which connects users with iTunes.
Personally, this seems a little bit unnecessary. MySpace is already a major part of the current music industry — a profile on the network is indispensable for any new group, and some have even managed to build a lot of hype entirely based on MySpace streaming (Black Kids, for example). They’ve got a label, they sponsor shows, and they get exclusive content from important artists. So what, honestly, does the site have to gain by becoming the musical Wal-Mart of the Internet? I predict that MySpace will spend a lot of money on a service that no one will use.
ATTN: Nerds, gamers, et al
By Chris Gaerig, written on Apr. 2, 2008
Commence wet dreams.
EDIT: I done been fooled.
Inspiration for “The Killing Fields” passes away
By Brandon Conradis, written on Apr. 1, 2008
Dith Pran, the Cambodian photojournalist immortalized in Roland Joffe’s 1984 Academy Award winner “The Killing Fields,” died on March 30th, IMDb reported. Pran had been diagnosed with stage four cancer only four months ago.
Bill Keller, an executive director of the New York Times, said of Pran in a letter to his staff:
“Pran reminds us of a special category of journalistic heroism — the local partner, the stringer, the interpreter, the driver, the fixer, who knows the ropes, who makes your work possible, who often becomes your friend, who may save your life, who shares little of the glory, and who risks so much more than you do.”
The death of Pran marks a tragic loss for both those who knew him personally and those affiliated with the Dith Pran Holocaust Awareness Project, an organization dedicated to shedding light on the atrocities committed in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge forces in the 1970s.
This marks the second tragedy to befall an important member of that movement also affiliated with “The Killing Fields”: in 1996 Haing S. Ngor, another Cambodian refugee who won an Oscar for his protrayal of Pran in the film, was murdered in a robbery attempt.
Google manipulates time, keeps eyes on the sky
By Andrew Klein, written on Apr. 1, 2008
Well we’re all just tickled something fierce over Google’s audacious new feature. Apparently you can manipulate the time stamps on your emails in order to create the impression that your email arrived earlier than it actually did. Genius!
…
If you weren’t suckered by that April Fools prank, then maybe you’re fit to audition for the Virgle project.