Sundance Channel

Do books ever change anything? And a note on Palin’s print problem

Perrin Drumm — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:45:45 +0000

With the Brooklyn Book Festival now behind us and the NY Art Book Fair just around the corner, I've been thinking a lot about the power of the printed word and whether or not books matter as much now as they used to. I'm not talking about how we're warming up to our e-readers and giving ink and paper the cold shoulder; I mean the relevancy and power of the content itself - no matter how you choose to access it.

Video art: Palin’s Breath

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:59:50 +0000

Palin’s Breath from wreckandsalvage on Vimeo. In the immediate aftermath of Sarah Palin’s speech commenting on the Tucson shooting, The Cajun Boy tweeted “Sarah Palin’s use of the term “blood libel” doesn’t shock me. However, her use of Vimeo instead of Youtube to say it does shock me,” which is pretty much the same reaction [...]

Vimeo of the Week: Arizona shooting: Memorial to Tucson victims

Bradford Shellhammer — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 19:10:59 +0000

Arizona shooting: Memorial to Tucson victims from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

It's been over a week now. Sarah Palin created a video to defend herself. Obama traveled to Tucson and delivered a poignant reading and moving tribute. And news channels and blogs continue to debate and cover the tone of political discourse in the US, gun control, and Giffords' struggle for survival. But none of these news services or blogs have captured the Tucson tragedy as movingly as Dan Chung and Chris McGreal's Arizona shooting: Memorial to Tucson victims.

Bristol Palin’s Dancing With the Stars “Striptease”

Kultur Kritik — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:40:58 +0000

Kultur Kritik can’t get enough of “Dancing with the Stars.” It especially broke his heart when sextuplemom Kate Gosselin was voted off last season (when she was bad, which was every week, she was especially good). Something tells me the Sarah Palin haters are hoping Bristol will carry the Gosselin torch this season. Check out [...]

Nobody actually works in LA

Paula Froelich — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:42:25 +0000

No one works, they just create traffic jams. (Photo from RESPRES' Flickr.)

OOOf. It has been a while. My bad. Truly. I was off in New Orleans hanging with hunky Bayou Boys for a story on BP and the conmen living on Flotels for AOL... Then went to LA to hang with my sisters and tape the voicing for the animation on my MTV show, Grits. LA is so funny. Everyone either thinks I’m going to move there or have already moved there. Which is weird as LA is like my personal purgatory. You try finding someone in that town who isn’t a "producer" (scam artist), "model" (pretty girl with no job), "actress" (hooker), or "realtor" (see model). It’s pretty damn hard. What other city has traffic jams at 3 pm on a Tuesday? No one actually works there! (Says me, typing that shit in and noting the irony).

Naked News: Old people sex, frozen eggs, and bed bugs

Em and Lo — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:00:54 +0000

Senior citizens are getting frisky without protection -- STD rates are booming amongst the baby boomer generation.
In more cheery news, post-menopausal lesbian sex may be something to look forward to.

I, a Jew, will miss Helen Thomas

Paula Froelich — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:00:05 +0000

Helen Thomas — You will be missed… If only by me. OOooof… what a week! I got my ass chewed out on Facebook for saying I would miss Helen Thomas… Okay. Half of what she said was pretty indefensible (I am of the mind that Israelis should, indeed, stop building on settlements. However, I do [...]

A Convent, A Church, A Crack House and a Nudist Gallery

Paula Froelich — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:09:10 +0000

Innocent Karl does not support nudists

I am obsessed with my street. I live on this crazy block in Soho that’s bookended by a convent and a church — with everything in between. And I do mean everything. There’s three restaurants, including a new vegan joint going in next month (Ack! Ew. Vegetarians are bad enough, but vegans? That’s taking shit a little too far!!!); a bar, three coffee shops, a knitting place (I hate knitters. They’re so smug), a quilting place (owned by the knitting people); a cheese store, a meat shop AND... a crack house and a nudist gallery.

Shatner verses Palin

Bradford Shellhammer — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:29:31 +0000

I’ve documented here a few instances where comic genius William Shatner has read Sarah Palin’s words aloud as beat poetry, poking fun at her stupidity. Well he’s at it again. But this times she’s hit back. On Conan O’Brien’s show the other night Shatner read ridiculous passages from Palin’s Going Rogue. And then he had [...]

Naked Levi Johnston Is Not Alone

Michael Musto — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:38:19 +0000

Sarah Palin’s worst nightmare, Levi Johnston, just did his Playgirl shoot, flaunting some of his body parts as unselfconsciously as he tried to show the world the flaws in Palin’s family values. The ex of Palin’s daughter Bristol, Levi’s the one who earlier this year carried out a p.r. campaign labeling Palin a hypocrite and an opportunist who stepped down as Alaska Governor partly because she could make more cash on the lecture circuit. And where does Levi go from there? Making more cash on the nude magazine circuit! Tacky? Maybe, but it was an inevitable step on the road to reality shows and Seth Rogen movies. And Levi will be thrilled to know that the history of celebrity nudity and semi-nudity reveals that he’s in really good company.

Tweeting twat

Bradford Shellhammer — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:37:40 +0000

William Shatner is once again poking fun at another fame-seeking Alaskan. If you remember, several months back, the veteran actor and musician lampooned Sarah Palin by reading her tweets to a beat poetry rhythm. He’s turned his attention towards Levi Johnston, onetime Palin family member. Something tells me this is the least of Levi’s worries. [...]

Google Suggests some awful things

Bradford Shellhammer — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:39:37 +0000

The Google Suggests feature is usually spot on, but sometimes it spits something at you that just doesn’t make much sense. The technology takes other people’s searches, caches them, and then predicts what you’re typing in the search box. The Huffington Post has asked readers to grab an image of the most inappropriate things Google [...]

Jimmy Carter’s an ass and other political tattoos

Bradford Shellhammer — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:50:45 +0000

As someone who is both politically outspoken and tattooed, you’d think I’d be more accepting of political tattoos. Oh, no, dear. As Huffington Post has found out, by collecting many of these images, ink and politics just don’t seem to mix. Sarah Palin and Jimmy Carter may belong in many a joke. The ones on [...]

Palin poetry

Bradford Shellhammer — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:22:59 +0000

How can you not love William Shatner? He was dashing, and kitsch, as Captain Kirk. His Denny Crane was a brilliant reinvention. And I actually watch his Priceline commercials. And who watches commercials these days? No one. Exactly. In his 70s now, Shatner’s career has gone up and down. But this week he returned to his spoken-word [...]

Vanity Fair Edits Sarah Palin’s Speech

Matthew Rodriguez — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:38:06 +0000

Vanity Fair’s editing staff tackles Sarah Palin’s “rambling, sophomoric resignation speech” (original speech here). The result unsurprisingly is a lot of red lipstick on a pig red ink.

How hetero?

Bradford Shellhammer — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:09:20 +0000

Those sassy Swedes throwing Stockholm Pride have created a way to test just how heterosexual you are by scanning your Twitter posts for obvious gay terms. The results are quite funny. For example, if you search my Twitter account, youngbradford, the results come back pretty obvious: 1% hetero! Though I think I am even less. [...]

Election 2008: The Losers

Sundance Channel — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:15:00 +0000

As the political season comes to a close and we turn our attentions back to our neglected jobs, friends, spouses and significant others, we thought we’d take the time to look back at some of the winners and losers of the 2008 election. So without further ado, and because we don’t want to keep them [...]

Under the Bus, Starring Sarah Palin

Sundance Channel — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:15:00 +0000

It’s one of my favorite things to do after a good party, especially if you’ve got the following day off, like New Year’s Day. Bleary from the celebration, maybe even a little hungover, but with the evening’s highlights still dancing through my head, I have some coffee, make a little breakfast, get some snacks and [...]

Victory Dance

Sundance Channel — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:15:00 +0000

The problem with historic moments such as this is that they are so awe-inspiring, so humbling, that it’s easy to be confused by the jubilation that should come with such events. Any outburst of elation or feelings of personal satisfaction that the contest went your side’s way feel almost out of place. Showboating in the [...]

Reading Comprehension 105: The 1st Amendment

Sundance Channel — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:00:00 +0000

All things considered, my recent breakdown was rather unpleasant. I won’t go pointing fingers or assigning blame for my rapid descent into temporary madness because I’ve moved beyond that now. I’ve passed through the turbulent storm of cognitive insanity and am now sailing peacefully along on a quiet sea of serenity. I have embraced my [...]

76 U.S. Nobel Laureates in Science Endorse Obama for President

Sundance Channel — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, October 29, 2008 (ENS) – In an open letter to the American people released Tuesday, 76 American Nobel Laureates in science endorsed Democratic Senator Barack Obama of Illinois for president of the United States. This is the largest number of Nobel prize winners ever to endorse a candidate for office. Presidential candidate Senator [...]

In Defense of “Hicks From the Sticks”

Sundance Channel — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Walking my son to daycare this morning, I passed a corner store to see the New York Daily News on the rack with Sarah Palin’s perky face above the blaring headline “The Great Palin Debate: Is she a modern role model or just a hick From the sticks?” No, no, no, I thought, This just [...]

After the Storm, Back to Reality

Sundance Channel — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:00:00 +0000

An Entertainment Weekly magazine reader poll showed that almost a third of those surveyed between 18 and 34 years old said they’d rather watch election coverage than reality television, because the politics this season are more entertaining. Another one in five of them said they watch election coverage because they are sick of old-school reality [...]

Palin 2012

Sundance Channel — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:00:00 +0000

After Nov. 4, whether John McCain wins or loses, the Republican party is going to go into the next room, close the door and give itself a good talking to [www.politico.com]. Party apparatchiks, conservative leaders, activists and think-tank know-it-alls alike will gather and determine “whither conservatism?” and “who gets to drive?” George W. Bush slinks [...]

GOP STOCK IDX

Sundance Channel — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0000

The Republican Party is looking an awful like American banks these days. Years of corruption and the exploitation of the American public has caused a historic decline that’s dragged the rest of the country down with it. Experts and insiders are now saying that, like the banks, the GOP is going to need a major [...]

…Featuring John McCain as Rich Kotite

Sundance Channel — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:00:00 +0000

When trying to predict what a presidential candidate’s administration would look like, it’s instructive to look to the campaign. The people the candidate hires and the strength of the campaign’s message are vital clues to how they would perform in the Oval Office. An effective campaign staff and clear, consistent messaging can often indicate a [...]

McCain Campaign Issues APB for “Rogue” Palin

Sundance Channel — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000

The campaign of John McCain, in conjunction with the Republican National Committee, has issued an All Points Bulletin for vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Republicans nationwide are alerted to be on the lookout for this rogue politician who is suspected of brutally assaulting John McCain’s presidential aspirations [dyn.politico.com]. Should those aspirations die within the next [...]

Newspaper Endorsement: What is it Good For?

Sundance Channel — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Sarah Palin’s hometown newspaper and the largest newspaper in Alaska, the Anchorage Daily News, has endorsed Barack Obama for president. [www.adn.com] …Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and [...]

Eleventh-Hour Name Calling

Sundance Channel — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Dave the Dentist, Tito the Builder, Joe the Florist, Phil the Bricklayer and Pam the Republican Teacher are just a few of the characters John McCain has met in his own great schlep through Central Florida the critical battleground states of Ohio and Florida. While Sarah Palin is running around spouting keywords like “terrorist” and [...]

Elitists Anonymous

Sundance Channel — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0000

……Uh, hel…..ahem, excuse me………Hello. My name is Michael, and I’m an elitist. I want to thank you all for welcoming me here to EA. I’m not sure how long I’ve been an elitist. I was born and raised in small town, so certainly not my whole life. But I’ve lived in New York City for [...]

Men and the Big P, Women and the Big O

Sundance Channel — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:00:00 +0000

When John McCain’s campaign picked Sarah Palin to be the veteran Senator’s running mate, they hoped this move would snatch up votes from women—primarily white, working class women—from Barack Obama. From the outset, the campaign has tried to brand Palin as the hockey mom next door. She’s a working mother of five. She began her [...]

$150,000 Shopping Sprees and $400 Haircuts

Sundance Channel — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:00:00 +0000

Not to beat a dead moose or anything, but I just have a few questions brought about by the discovery of Sarah Palin’s We-Do-This-On-Main-Street-All-The-Time Ultra-Fabulous Shopping Spree. To hear John McCain tell it, the greatest threat to our economic security are federal earmarks, which account for 0.5% of the federal budget. While one man’s Outrageous [...]

Reading Comprehension 104: The Constitution

Sundance Channel — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:00:00 +0000

I didn’t mean for it to get out of hand like this. It started as a joke, with Sarah Palin citing a New York Times article as proof of an Obama-Ayers connection when the article reached the opposite conclusion. Then, when she claimed to be a regular reader of The Economist, I thought it would [...]

Harry Knowles

Sundance Channel — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Entertainment blogger and film critic, Harry Knowles created the website Ain’t It Cool News [www.aintitcool.com] in 1996. The site was quickly recognized for its colorful movie reviews and its wealth of insider news. Due to the popularity, or perhaps the notoriety, of the website, Knowles was sought out by the mainstream media, including magazines, newspapers, [...]

People Who Live in Seven (or so) Houses Shouldn’t Throw Roses

Sundance Channel — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:00:00 +0000

so•cial•ism [www.merriam-webster.com] sÅ-shÉ™-li-zÉ™m, noun, 1837 1. any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods 2. a) a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b) a system or condition of society in which the [...]

Don’t Hate Her Because She’s Beautiful!

Sundance Channel — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Sarah Palin is driving “liberal feminists” crazy because she is “attractive,” “competent” and “very happy,” according to Bill Bennet and McCain’s campaign manager Rick Davis. On Bennet’s radio show [www.youtube.com] yesterday, together, the two guys finally cracked the code on the frustration coming from women on the left: DAVIS: It’s a threat to them. These [...]

Going Native: Sarah Palin’s Record of Ignoring the “Other”

Sundance Channel — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000

For nearly two months now, Sarah Palin has been standing in front of large crowds in some of the most rural parts of America and declaring that she is one of them. Yet, in her home state of Alaska, where she is governor, she largely ignores the most rural parts, where the population is two-thirds [...]

McCain Campaign Puts Wright Back on the Table

Sundance Channel — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:00:00 +0000

The McCain campaign has officially run out of ideas. One week ago [www.politico.com]: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and several top campaign officials see a sharp attack on Wright as the best — and perhaps last — chance to rattle Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill. ) and force voters to rethink their support of him. But McCain [...]

Cook Inlet Beluga Whales Listed as Endangered Over Palin Protests

Sundance Channel — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:00:00 +0000

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, October 18, 2008 (ENS) – The Cook Inlet beluga whale population near Anchorage is in danger of extinction, and has been listed as an endangered species, federal fisheries regulators announced Friday. “In spite of protections already in place, Cook Inlet beluga whales are not recovering,” said James Balsiger, acting assistant administrator for the [...]

Bachmann-Palin Overdrive

Sundance Channel — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0000

I met a devil woman, she took my heart away She said I had it comin’ to me, but I wanted it that way I think that any love is good lovin’ And so I took what I could get, mmm Oooh, oooh, she looked at me with big brown eyes And said You ain’t [...]

Why We Love-Hate Sarah Palin

Sundance Channel — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0000

The name Sarah Palin instantly triggers an emotional response in anyone who hears it. To Christian conservatives, it usually includes a big smile and something along the lines of “I love her!” With educated liberals, it’s usually something like “the thought that she could be a ‘heartbeat from the presidency’ makes me ill.” On September [...]

The Palin Effect

Sundance Channel — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:00:00 +0000

Something felt familiar to me about the roller-coaster of emotions I felt toward Sarah Palin’s appearance on Saturday Night Live [www.nbc.com] last night. After hearing her stump speeches during the past few weeks, there was no way she would be able to pull off a guest appearance on the show without making a complete fool [...]

The News is SO Depressing!

Sundance Channel — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Sarah Palin has really grown into herself in last couple of weeks. It’s precious to watch. Not only has she learned some valuable lesson, like what the vice president does, but she’s also come to terms with what she doesn’t know. Rather than dancing an uncoordinated ballet around her ignorance, she now wears it across [...]

Eleven Ways McCain Could Win the Election

Sundance Channel — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 22:00:00 +0000

1. Tina Fey replaces Sarah Palin on the GOP ticket 2. The Weather Underground bombs the NRA headquarters 3. Whoever it is we’re fighting in Iraq surrenders in the next two-and-a-half weeks 4. One of Obama’s daughters gets pregnant 5. The Viet Cong attacks the United States 6. An Obama sex tape is discovered 7. [...]

Debate Highlights II

Sundance Channel — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Everyone knew it was coming. McCain’s eyelids had been telegraphing it like Morse since the final degate began. The Ayers/Acorn one-two, Rev. Wright and Tony Rezko implicitly implied, the money shot for the McCain/Palin rally monkeys. Obama had been sticking his jaw out, waiting for it, and when McCain landed the punch Obama reacted as [...]

Nitpickers: The Political Carrion Fowl

Sundance Channel — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Everybody hates a nitpicker. On October 6th, following the Vice-Presidential debate, Foxnews.com ran an opinion piece by John R. Lott, Jr., entitled “Did Biden Get it Wrong? You Betcha,” [www.foxnews.com] in which Lott points out a laundry list of little mistakes Biden made during the debate and expresses his opinion that the media gave Biden [...]

Give Joe His Sixpack

Sundance Channel — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000

You could make a strong argument that the presidential candidate with the greatest influence on the current tone of the election is the one who is no longer running. Hillary Clinton, despite her faults, courted the middle class more effectively than either ticket is currently doing. Don’t get me wrong—both the Republicans and the Democrats [...]

Presidential Debates Season Finale

Sundance Channel — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:30:00 +0000

I was really excited to come home from work tonight. I knew what was awaiting me. Just like that Thursday night in the spring of 1998 when I knew there was only one last hour in history of my favorite foursome: Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer. This time it would be the last 90 minutes [...]

The Amazing Race

Sundance Channel — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:00:00 +0000

The New York Times has been running a series of articles about race and how both campaigns have avoided the topic. The article The Times published yesterday, In Voting Booth, Race May Play a Bigger Role [www.nytimes.com] asserts that the public discourses ignores race. The worry, according to the article, is that race is is [...]

The Vanishing Middle Class

Sundance Channel — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:30:00 +0000

The middle class is rapidly disappearing. Not literally, of course. It’s still here, although struggling to avoid being forcibly re-categorized into “lower class” status, but from listening to the McCain campaign, the middle class is being phased out like tailfins and chrome on a Caddy. Time was when John McCain wasn’t afraid to mention the [...]