BAXT is a Roma (Gypsy) word that translates to English as "fate" or "fortune," and is the title of a new book of photographs by Andrew Miksys. Based in Vilnius since 1999, Miksys has been photographing in villages, yards and homes of Lithuania's Roma, making elegant, classically styled images in the midst of post-Soviet tumult.Read Full Post »
The 1980s was an incredibly graphic era for Hollywood movies. Special effects were done with heavy makeup and (some) stop-motion animation. The pairing of the two lent most films a gritty quality that felt more real than most of the computer generated special effects seen in movies these days. Few movies were more violent than Robocop; it initially received an 'X' rating from the MPAA because of the excessive violence.
If the original cut of Robocop (1987, Paul Verhoeven) were re-released in theatres today, I think it would turn a huge profit. Shit gets very serious about two minutes into the following scene:
In the following scene, Alex Murphy has his arm blown off by a shotgun, further underlining the fact that this movie is pretty darn violent. Alex Murphy's corpse is used to make Robocop.
The VHS release of Robocop has the following anti-drug announcement from Peter Weller, the actor who is Alex Murphy/Robocop. It is in stark contrast to his leading role in Naked Lunch [1|2] just a few years later.
Sydney Pollack is dead.
I'm going to fart
Hulk Hogan involved in multiple car wreck.
Study suggests that a 12-16 hour period of fasting can help people reset their sleep cycle.
Indiana Jones Rip-offs.
Memorial Day Weekend: Indiana Jones sells over $300 million in tickets worldwide. (Think the movie sucked? You probably aren't over 30 with children -- this was the target demographic.)
Tamil Tigers kill 7 on train w/ bomb
Unruly donkey attacks 2 in Mexico, is jailed.
Harlem: Lenox Avenue sprayed with bullets; 8 wounded.
Read the ad copy to see what I'm talking about.
On May 25th, 2008, Trotta made news after expressing a desire on Fox News that U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama be assassinated in the run up to the 2008 United States presidential election. Prior to calling for his assassination she referred to Barack Obama as "Osama". Her co-anchor then made a remark about how that was her opinion and that she preferred Hillary Clinton or John McCain.Read Full Post »
In reference to Hillary Rodham Clinton's controversial reference to Robert F. Kennedy's June, 1968, assassination in a discussion of the ongoing 2008 Democratic primaries, she stated,
"[...] and now we have what some are reading as a suggestion that somebody knock off Osama. Um, uh, Obama. Well them both, if we could."
Trotta briefly laughed after her remarks.
Liz Trotta @ Wikipedia
Update: Weak Apology @ 2:45
Read Full Post »PetSpa makes washing & Drying pets quick, efficient and stress-free for pets and staff!
Using our unique technology we are able to lower the stress on pets compared to traditional bathing due to the fact that we do not use a restraining system and there is no stranger restraining or holding the pet. Also our unique patented nozzle system will provide a hydro-massage shower that will relax the pet and increase circulation which is very beneficial.
PetSpa.
The most peaceful place in the Arab world is ruled by a gay sultan.
New 'Indiana Jones' enrages Russian Communists. [reviews]
South Africa is wild as fuck: Disease, Martial Law, Immigration Issues that make ours look tame, and A President Who Might Be Worse Than Bush.
The best essay ever written about human intelligence.
Local skinhead murderer from 1989 meets justice nearly two decades later.
Monday: cyclists in Columbus Ohio will bike to and eat at all 19 'White Castle' locations in the city.
Nigerian News: Wailing, crying, explosions, women turning into cats, tribal tension and kidney diseases.
Back in the US: In Dallas, a naked mother argues with son and accidentally shoots herself in the finger while loading the gun (while naked). Dallas is also where Charles Ray Fuller attempted to cash a check for 360 billion.
Hillary Clinton offends the nation.
R. Kelly's lawyer Sam Adam Jr. has suggested that an alleged sex tape featuring the R&B star could have been created using the special effects technology from the film Little Man.Read Full Post »
Kelly - currently standing trial on child pornography charges - saw his lawyer argue to the court that a video showing him allegedly engaging in a sex act with an underage girl may have been tampered with using computer graphics.
During the defence's cross examination of the victim's friend Simha Johnson, Adam asked the witness if she had seen the film Little Man.
He said: "They put the head of Marlon Wayans on a midget and it looked real, didn't it?"
Jamison replied "Not really!", causing the courtroom to erupt into laughter.
In 2002, Kelly was charged with 21 counts relating to child pornography and released on $750,000 (£380,000) bail. Seven of the charges have since been dropped.
If found guilty the singer could face a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Source
'The Little Man Defense' @ C+D
New research in India suggests exposure to pesticides could have damaged the DNA of people in farming communities, leading to higher rates of cancer.
Brazil has more cybercriminals than Nigeria.
A Catholic priest has filed a restraining order against the parents of a severely autistic 13-year-old boy in an effort to keep him from attending the church in Bertha on Sundays.
A grandmother tells how she was bound, beaten and robbed by a gang of "ladyboys" while on holiday in Thailand.
Indiana Jones Rip-offs.
Woman rides horse to work.
Man sprays urine all over grocery store food.
Chief Bush bioethics advisor: eating ice cream in public shameful, offensive
Backstreet Boys/'N SYNC creator sentenced to 25 years in prison for decades long scam resulting in over $300 million stolen from investors.
The following pictures shows two individuals who have Fragile X Syndrome. It is second only to Down syndrome in genetic or chromosomal causes of mental retardation. It affects 1 in 2,000 males. and 1 in 4,000 females. By adulthood, a long and narrow face is developed. The ears protrude. The jaw is long. The testicles, huge.
It is possible to inherit or transmit the chromosomal abnormality without exhibiting symptoms oneself; your children will be at risk.
Three days ago: Kennedy hospitalized after seizure and fear of stroke. Today it was revealed that he has a malignant brain tumor.
Today: The governor of New York State, David Paterson, checked himself into hospital on Tuesday for a severe migraine headache
Raekwon + Ghostface - Shark Niggas (Biters):
Download mp3
Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov speaks but is interrupted by the loud whirring of a flying dildo suspended from helicopter wings. Some pictures are taken. Then, the penis is destroyed.
Direct link to video
More on Penis Griefing
Hee. Someone penis griefed the greatest chess player ever.
The world's smallest and rarest species of wild pig was once believed to be extinct - but it may now be saved thanks to conservation efforts.Read Full Post »
The pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) stands barely 25-30 cm (10-12 inches) high and weighs up to 9kg (20lb).
Just a few hundred at most are thought to remain, all of them in India's north-eastern state of Assam.
Over the past decade the pigs have been bred in captivity and the process of releasing them into the wild has begun.
Full story
Because I still think Georgia is the best font, I:
In 2004, FOX planned a remake of the Mr. Ed television show. Sherman Hemsley was cast as the voice of a new, hip, street-smart Mr. Ed.
Among the other auditionees was Ol' Dirty Bastard.
What follows is allegedly ODB's audition for the part.
Download mp3
A pilot was filmed, but was not picked up by FOX. The show's writer and producer, Drake Sather, had committed suicide shortly before the pilot's completion.
Bob Dob: "Rough Night Out"Zeitgeist: The spirit of the time. A term that is commonly used to describe trends and cultural movements — the most perplexing of human social phenomena.
It has been said that art imitates life. Oscar Wilde took this notion and flipped it, stating that "life imitates art far more than art imitates life." One need look no further west than Hollywood to see that both statements carry a certain truth, but it is Wilde's version of the statement that weighs especially heavy on Hollywood, and by export, on Western culture in general. Art clearly began by imitating life, but then art changed and grew. At some point, life began imitating art. Notable examples can be seen in the art of film — Hollywood film in particular. 
Sometimes celebrities become caricatures of the roles they play, especially when they are typecast into very specific kinds of roles. But it isn't just the characters in the roles that they play that bleed over into reality; look also to their appearance. Look to the scalpel. See how Jenna Jameson, porn starlet-turned-media-icon's face has changed over the years. Look to the 45 year old movie star whose prime has past. Notice perfect teeth, busts, and hairlines cleverly stacked on top of sagging buttocks as they shuffle legs corded with varicose veins across the red carpet at an award show. Look to Joan Rivers, who Jenna appears to be becoming. In the process of projecting fantasies onto screens around the world, Hollywood has become a fantasy land, perhaps through a feedback loop of some sort. This is fine though, because fantasy sells well. If you sell fantasy for a living, you will also tend to project fantasy in your personal life. The same principle explains why car salesmen at high end dealerships don't drive 1980 station wagons. This principle can be applied to any job.
When a production is competent, we see exactly what the producers intend for us to see. It's all makeup, camera angels, and editing: movie magic. The pressure to keep up this facade off-screen (but in front of nigh ever-present cameras [especially of the paparazzi]) is high, but the illusion is kept up quite well by everyone, except for Britney Spears. These illusions effect the perception of reality of the moviegoer (the media consumer).
So: right now in Hollywood, life appears to be imitating the art that is produced in an effort to bring moviegoers to 'fantasy' lands where, among other things, everyone is attractive. Physical attractiveness the unifying element of all Hollywood movies. Genre & theme may vary from one marquee line to the next, but everyone looks good. Everyone looks ready for the camera. Hip-hop music can be said to have a similar effect, in that currently it seems like life is imitating art.
