Hats off to whoever tricked this news station. I can't stop laughing.
Read the full story at TV Spy.
Call Me Cave Johnson
I haven't played the video game Portal 2 but apparently there's a character in the game that looks like me named Cave Johnson. A coworker found a picture of him online and emailed it around the office. The consensus was that yes, it looks like a creepy version of me. For those who have met me, what say you? I think it's pretty damn close.
Safe & Sound (The Hunger Games)
If you've read the books, then you'll know why this is the perfect song for The Hunger Games movie.
Best Super Bowl Commercials
My kids were in stitches over this one.
My favorite was this one but wonder how many people under 35 would really appreciate it. (Extended version below.)
Worst Book Trailer Ever: Confessions of a Guidette by Snooki
Worst book trailer ever. By far. Watch at your own risk.
Hat Tip: The Passive Voice
Viral Irony
Lake Superior State University released its 2011 list of words that should be “Be Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.”
The word that received the most nominations? Viral.
Ironically, the university’s banished word web page has a link to share it on Facebook and Twitter.
Scooby-Doo: Bridging the Generation Gap
Back when I was five or so my favorite cartoon was Scooby-Doo. I remember watching the episodes over and over again on the black-and-white television in my dad’s art studio while he worked on his art projects. My brother liked the cartoon too. One Halloween my mom made me a Scooby-Doo outfit and my brother a Scrappy-Doo outfit. (The photo she took of us in those costumes is still one of my favorite childhood photos.)
Fast forward 30 years. I have four kids. The oldest three (ages 6, 5, and 4) are the same age I was back in the late 1970s/early 1980s when I liked Scooby-Doo. What’s their favorite thing to watch on TV or stream from Netflix? Episodes of Scooby-Doo.
The other night, too tired to write, I sat down and watch an episode with them. I was a little surprised that the writers are still using the same formulaic. Yes, the show’s been updated. The characters use cell phones and computers, but they still dress the same and drive The Mystery Machine. The bad guy always dress up in monster costumes, Scooby and Shaggy are still cowards, eat like pigs, and manage to stay thin, and the villain always says that he/she “would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for you meddling kids” at the end of every episode.
But why mess with something that’s not broken? I liked it 30 years ago and my kids like it now. (My oldest has a Mystery Machine lunch box he takes to school every day.) In fact the new episodes are just as fun as the ones I remember watching as a kid. If anything, it’s nice to have something like Scooby-Doo that stretches across generations. I know who Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby are, I’m happy to get my kids “Scooby snacks” from the treat cupboard, or laugh with them at the silly slapstick humor in every episode.
Kudos to those who have been able to keep the show alive in various incarnations over the years. May it still be around when I have grandkids that are old enough to enjoy it too.
Annoying Christmas Songs
According to the Associated Press, Bulgarians find Wham's Last Christmas to be the most annoying Christmas song--ever.
An advertising agency says nearly 19 percent of the 28,110 votes cast in an online poll named the song. It was recorded in 1984 by the British duo Wham, made up of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.
Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas placed second among the ten featured songs, with more than 15 percent of the vote.
Considering how much annoying US/UK music they played when I was over there, I must admit I'm impressed with the poll. Admittedly I'm a grinch when it comes to Christmas songs; there are very few that I acutally enjoy. However, the two mentioned above would probably make my top 10 list along with Merry Christmas With Love by Clay Aiken, Christmas Conga by Cyndi Lauper, Wonderful Christmas Time by Paul McCartney, and Please, Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas) by John Denver.
Watch the holiday horror show below--if you dare. :-)
(Hat Tip: C. R.)
Unintended Consequences
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
(Hat Tip: The Daily Bayonet)
Songs That Make Me Feel Old
I just found out Adam Sandler's origional Chanukah song was originally performed back in 1994. I knew the first performance was from the 1990's but for some reason I thought it was from the latter half of the decade. Knowing that the song was performed 16 years ago makes me feel old but not as old as I'll feel when I'll hear the song 10 years from now and my kids will ask me who David Lee Roth, Arthur Fonzarelli, O.J. Simpson, and Rod Carew are.