sundance

Don’t Stop The Pop

Every year the gays wait for Dj Earworm’s mash-up of the year’s biggest hits. By using Billboard’s top 25 singles of the year he creates a new song entirely, celebrating and capturing the year in popular music. This year’s is a lot of fun. Music this year was upbeat and fun. We’re in a recession right? Why all the partying?

Amazing Google Docs epic animation

Not sure what the purpose of this was other than to blow our minds, but this is definitely “The Most Awesome 450 Page Presentation Ever.” It also reminds me of this insane video someone created of them drawing a cool Gundam suit using only Excel. [Via]

Kevin Smith trades comedy for horror in RED STATE

The recently released trailer for Kevin Smith’s new film, RED STATE, which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival next month, does more to evoke a mood than to reveal the plot. But it does make one thing perfectly clear: The film is a definite departure for the writer-director who made his reputation bringing to the screen slacker comedies like CLERKS and MALLRATS.

AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE

When you name your child Spalding Gray you might as well drive straight from the maternity ward to the theatre because you have sealed his fate. A Spalding Gray cannot remain unknown; he will not settle for unfamous, uncelebrated or unreknowned. Of course, in this case the kid lived up the name and became one of the most sought after, most admired and best loved writers and performers of the century, if not of all time. Yeah, you could say I’m a fan.

Goodbye DADT

Politically this was an up and down year for gays and lesbians. We lost many allies’ seats in congress. And Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was defeated twice. But then something amazing happened. Harry Reid, Susan Collins, and Joe Lieberman pushed through DADT repeal in the Senate. Pelosi lead the house to the passage of a [...]

A semi-alphabetical listing of Black actors with speaking roles on Friends

This rap video helpfully titled “A semi-alphabetical listing of Black actors with speaking roles on Friends” is one of the best video mash-ups I’ve seen this month. To paraphrase a YouTube commenter a version about Asian or Latino actors would be a shorter version.

Wall Street bull crocheted

One of my favorite street artists is Agata Olek, whose crocheted items turns up in surprising ways and places. Her latest is the iconic Wall Street bull covered in some warm knitted yarn. [Via]

SOMEWHERE

It’s been four years since Sofia Coppola’s last film, MARIE ANTOINETTE, a biopic as opulent as the title character. Art directed to the hilt, each scene is stuffed with billowing gowns in sumptuous colors, colossal wigs, all night feasting and drinking – and who can forget a reclined Kirsten Dunst surrounded on all sides by a bevy of bright cakes? Where color and composition are concerned, SOMEWHERE is right in line with Coppola’s previous work, which is to say both elements are perfected. Set in Los Angeles against the bluest California sky dotted by the greenest of trees, SOMEWHERE is a treat for the eyes, even if the accoutrements are somewhat toned down since the days of the French Revolution. In fact, everything is toned down, including the script and the story.

Green tech finds (12/30/10)

For our last green tech finds of the year, we’ve got some predictions (of course), as well as new thoughts on tobacco, and high praise for white roofs.

• Green tech predictions: IBM’s fifth annual “Next Five in Five” list of tech predictions has four items with a green bent, including much more efficient “breathing” batteries, and environmental data collection from all of us via our phones and other devices. (via Information Week)
  
  
• Green tech hopes: Heather Clancy at GreenTech Pastures isn’t going so far as to make predictions, but has a thorough list of stories she’d really like to write in 2011.
  
  

Cory Booker, hero with a snow shovel and a smartphone

The efforts of Newark Mayor Cory Booker to clean up his city feature prominently in the Peabody-Award-winning Docu-Series BRICK CITY, the second season of which will premiere on Sundance Channel on January 30. Those efforts are also capturing major attention this week, thanks to Booker’s use of Twitter to come to the aid of Newark citizens trapped in the aftermath of the blizzard that brought the Northeast to a standstill.

Goodnight Lovergirl

They are a rare breed. White skin, much, much darker voices. They sing unlike they look. George Michael. Lisa Stansfield. And, yes, Teena Marie. She was not nearly as famous as her voice had promised in the 1980s when she let Rick James lead her towards stardom. She sang for the legendary Motown. She recorded [...]

Totally unbiased study: Saving sex for marriage will improve your relationship

A new study shows that delaying sex until marriage will lead to a more satisfying and stable relationship, according to researchers at — get this — Brigham Young University. That’s the right, the university whose honor code bans porn, gay sex, sex outside of marriage, cussing, sleeveless shirts, alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, and tea (tea!) claims to have science on its side. Apparently couples who had sex the earliest — after the first date, say, or even in the first month of dating — had the worst relationship outcomes.

2010 in The Big Picture

A tremendous sinkhole caused by the heavy rains of Tropical Storm Agatha in Guatemala City was estimated to be 30 meters wide and over 60 meters deep. As the sinkhole formed, it swallowed a clothing factory about three miles from the site of a similar sinkhole three years earlier. The clothing factory had closed only [...]

Dueling Cameras

Dueling Cameras from lonelysandwich on Vimeo. Apropos of nothing other than what it is, Noah Kalina and Adam Lisagor face off in this video “Dueling Cameras.” Believe it or not, no special effects or CGI were used in this video. [Via]

Ms. Grundy must die

A lot is changing in the sunny suburb of Riverdale, home to Archie and his friends since 1941. Kevin Keller, the first openly gay character, moved into town this past September, which apparently sent six of the straight characters running to church to get married. This includes renowned bachelor and woman-hater Jughead Jones, who, in an unbelievable twist went from food-lover to woman-lover and married Midge (wasn’t she Moose’s girlfriend?) in the same ceremony as the principal, Mr. Weatherbee and his longtime crush, fellow teacher Ms. Grundy and two other faculty members (A triple ceremony with your teachers? Jughead, what’s happened to you?). Sadly, their marriage was not meant to last and on December 29th Ms. Grundy will lose her battle with cancer.

Environmentalists fighting Christo Arkansas River project… and each other

Six miles of fabric panels suspended over a portion of Colorado’s Arkansas River? Yep… it’s a planned Christo project. The artist known for transforming large spaces and objects has been conceptualizing his Over the River project for seventeen years… but many local green groups hope all of that thought and planning goes by the wayside because of concerns over environmental impact.

There’s a hitch, though… all the greenies aren’t on the same page on this one.

Sundance Film Festival leading ladies

FULL FRONTAL FASHION will be covering the action from the Sundance Film Festival come January. Check out these photos of the stylish leading ladies set to attend.

Vimeo of the Week: Too Fast, Too Much

“Too Fast, Too Much” from Nathan Mauger on Vimeo. Nathan Mauger’s Too Fast, Too Much is a delightful little film. Mauger filmed the movie in Beijing using time lapse at night. The results of his filmmaking capture the chaos, and conformity, of the streets of China. Nathan writes about the project: A video I made [...]

Insecurity may improve your chances in the dating world

We have long repeated the adage that confidence — whether real or faked — leads to success on the pick-up scene and in the dating world. But a new study by a psychology professor at Queens College in New York suggests the exact opposite: insecure people try harder in the dating world, which can lead to success at least as often as it can lead to your appearing desperate and needy.

Sundance Film Festival follow up: BLUE VALENTINE

The much anticipated release of BLUE VALENTINE was an instant audience favorite at its festival premiere last January, earning director Derek Cianfrance a Grand Jury nomination. Cianfrance began making movies when he was thirteen, but this is his first feature-length narrative film. It’s already been nominated for two Golden Globes and an Independent Spirit Award, [...]

Sundance Film Festival follow up: THE RED CHAPEL

If you haven’t heard of THE RED CHAPEL, you’re not alone. The Danish docu-comedy made a big impression at last year’s festival, bringing home the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for best documentary, but got little play elsewhere. It’s a shame, because it’s everything you want a good documentary to be. It’s approach to exploring [...]

Because at Least One Person on This Page Will Be Justly Famous by 2010

In 2005, New York Magazine published an article called “Because at Least One Person on This Page Will Be Justly Famous by 2010” where they profiled “up-and-coming” 27 New Yorkers. While some did indeed become famous (depending on the audience) such as Matthew Yglesias and Donald Glover, the magazine recently looked back at their list [...]

December 2010 blizzard timelapse

December 2010 Blizzard Timelapse from Michael Black on Vimeo. As the headline at Reddit goes, watch 30 inches of snow in 30 seconds in this timelapse video of the bodacious blizzard that hit the tri-state area this week. I admire his dedication for clearing away the snow from the clock during the storm.

An art museum without any art

More pictures after the jump.

Tokyo-based architect Ryue Nishizawa and Japanese artist Rei Naito recently unveiled their collaboration “Teshima Art Museum” at the 2010 Setouchi International Art Festival. The festival itself takes place in what is probably the coolest and most ambitious location for an art festival: on seven different islands. Located near the Takamatsu port area, Nishizawa and Naito built their museum in a hilly, partly forested area on the island of Teshima.

Distributed car sharing ready to blow up in California?

Thus far, car sharing services have looked a lot like traditional rental programs. Sure, there are a few key differences — cars located near potential drivers rather than the airport, membership models, etc. — but Zipcar and WeCar still provided cars they bought to customers for set time periods. In February, I took note of a different model — distributed or “peer-to-peer” car sharing — in which anyone who owned a car could rent it out to someone else. RelayRides was just getting off the ground on the East Coast, but legal changes in California may make the Golden State the place where distributed car sharing really takes off.