Basia Bulat - Someday (Strokes Cover)

A wonderful, but far too unknown Canadian artist, doing a gorgeous cover of The Strokes "Someday". Check out her myspace page for the complete version, more tunes and info.

Keeping Up With The Jones' (AKA Get Your Fat On)

A new study says that by 2030, 86% of Americans could be obese.

Let's think about that. In just over twenty years, 9 out of 10 people will be fat. Nine out of the ten people around you right now will be fat. Really fat.

So what can we do about this?

Start eating. You most certainly don't want to be playing catch up on yet another lifestyle trend like you were with organic food, charity, yoga, carbon footprints, Eckhart Tolle and whatever other great works founded in irrefutable fact and logic that Oprah deems appropriate to steer the masses at. And before anyone says anything about how much "good" Oprah has done, let's remember this is the same woman who repeatedly plugs "The Secret".

Mmmm. Corn dogs.

TV Makes You Smarter... oh wait, that's wrong, it actually makes you stupider

Head on over to Slate and read about a new study linking autism to TV watching.

"Cornell University researchers are reporting what appears to be a statistically significant relationship between autism rates and television watching by children under the age of 3. The researchers studied autism incidence in California, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington state. They found that as cable television became common in California and Pennsylvania beginning around 1980, childhood autism rose more in the counties that had cable than in the counties that did not. They further found that in all the Western states, the more time toddlers spent in front of the television, the more likely they were to exhibit symptoms of autism disorders."

The Dark Knight (AKA Mo' Money Mo' Problems)

There's nothing new I can really add to the endless number of reviews praising The Dark Knight, except to say that they are all absolutely, one hundred fucking percent correct. It's brilliant. A noir crime epic, not a superhero movie. So good, that I may see it a second time (in IMAX).

In other showbiz news, Christian Bale was accused of smacking around his mom and sister after they asked him for a few hundred G's. Bale is also signed on to do the next 3 Terminator movies. 3 Batmans, 3 Terminators. A word of advice to Mr. Bale - it's often easier to toss the hobo his quarter than to listen to his spiel.

Also, Shia Lebeouf ('The Beef' in French), a young actor whose career I look forward to watching implode, was arrested after crashing his car while drunk. I'm starting the clock on this guy now.

Sarah's Smile (AKA Hall and Oates and your Soul Thermometer)

If you can't dig this, then there's a disconnect somewhere. Check your Soul Thermometer. Give it a good flick with the top of your fingernail. Shake it up. Give it a much needed reboot. Now let it go to work.

Otis Redding (AKA Your Saturday Soul Espresso - Satursoul)

Otis live. Just because you should be reminded of it.

A Wider Lens

We don’t think our way to right action;
we act our way to right thinking.


Why did it take me so long to learn that?

Deadwood

More genius.

Deadwood

The best show ever. True art. Mad genius.

Sometimes

"Flume" - Bon Iver


Sometimes you make mistakes in life. Sometimes the cold side of the pillow isn't enough. Sometimes it takes everything you have and everything you are just to keep your limbs, your heart, your tears from exploding out in all directions. Sometimes it's just harder than you wish it were. Sometimes you are nothing but red gossamer held up against the bedside lamp. Sometimes names can never be occupied by anyone other than their true owner. Sometimes simplicity eludes you when you need it most. Then sometimes you get it. You are it. You can't believe it. Fuck it. Sometimes you make it to the clearing only to turn around and find you're alone.

Ideas Worth Taking

Journalist Gene Weingarten won a Pultizer for his original and interesting piece "Pearls Before Breakfast" (and no, it's not about nasty sex in the morning).

It is about "what happened when a world-famous violinist played for spare change, incognito, for three-quarters of an hour outside a subway station. Playing his priceless Stradivarius, violin virtuoso Joshua Bell, a onetime child prodigy, made a few measly bucks and change. Most people hurried past, unheeding. It was a story about artistic context, priorities and the soul-numbing gallop of modernity."

It was a stunt the writer dreamed up himself.

Original. Different. Compelling.

Then he found out that someone else thought it was too; 70 years ago.

Read it all here.

Anteater (AKA a worthwhile waste of time)

So there's this woman who posts videos on youtube of her pet anteater. Yes - anteater. I've seen a lot of nature shows, but I'd never seen these creatures before. They are oddly mesmerizing. You just have to watch it. They will surely be stocked on the shelves of your favorite stores come Christmas time.

Quality Matters

Here's a nice little piece over at Slate that explains through very basic methodology how quality films actually make more money. This is a concept most regular people seem to understand, yet it seems to narrowly elude the minds behind the movie business. Sneaky bugger.

The pic above is from my favorite "quality" movie of last year - The Diving Bell And The Butterfly.

A little postscript to this entry - an article in today's LA Times about Pixar's Secret Ingredient for success; QUALITY.