The Millions: On Whimsy, Trump, and ‘Bloom County’.
Vox: A GOP strategist explains why the Republican Party is about to break in two.
The Atlantic: What’s ‘Healthy’? What’s ‘Natural’?
“PepsiCo misleadingly markets Naked Juices as predominantly containing high-value ingredients such as acai berry, blueberries, kale, and mango, when in fact the predominant ingredient in the product line is usually cheap, nutrient-poor apple juice ...” Well, if you remember ‘60’s advertising like I do, then PepsiCo has gone a long way to save us from terrible laxative adverts ... (wink) ...
Youtube: Pat Paulsen For President ‘America Oughtta Shut Up’ Tour.
MUST SEE of the day.
Youtube: Triumph Meets Libertarian Candidate Gary Johnson.
Guardian.UK: Jacques Cousteau sails again in new film.
A towering figurehead of the last century. How I miss him.
iTunes: Tower - Movie Trailers.
OpenCulture: Some of Buster Keaton’s Death-Defying Stunts Captured in Animated Gifs.
There’ll never be another like Buster.
BBC: Kim Kardashian robbery - Paris police hunt armed attackers.
Terrible. Big gems have a history, though. The Krupps (Elizabeth Taylor) experienced a similar situation.
In These Times: The United States Isn’t an “Idiocracy.” It’s an Oligarchy.
“Life under Trump will look more like Mad Max than Idiocracy, and the only way to stop him might be to grow some empathy for the so-called idiots across the aisle and, together, punch up—not down.” A problem is, TV, cable and movies have been portraying dystopias as inevitable, even as attractive. Look at Burning Man; dystopia with services - and the elites’ status is maintained. All myth. Mad Max is pretty damned painful, if you lived it in reality.
Mashable: Luke Cage review - Why Netflix’s new show is your next obsession.
NY Times Review: In ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home,’ Chasing Grandpa’s Stories Down
Warm up the car; gotta see this one.
OneHeadlightInk: Large scale feature film casting. [BEARDS!]
Turkish beards needed. Into growing facial hair? This is the casting call for you.
Neuroskeptic: The Terrorist Inside Robin Williams’ Brain.
It’s a very sad story, only read if you have the ability to absorb it without consequences. A terrible end for such an amazing person. Gifts given are sometimes devastatingly and cruelly ripped away. Makes me even more convinced that assisted suicide should be a legal option.
Vox: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is out this weekend, and I have questions.
“Is Eva Green an actual goddess or merely a mortal more evolved than us?” I’ve believed since Casino Royale. But I hear she smokes. Alas, the goddess-like qualities won’t last long if that’s so.
The Atlantic: Antoine Fuqua’s ‘The Magnificent Seven’ Is Anything But.
“Early on, when he [Denzel Washington] raises eyebrows by presenting himself in an all-white saloon as a ‘duly sworn warrant officer,’ it’s hard not to hear echoes of Cleavon Little in Blazing Saddles and Eddie Murphy in 48 Hours.” Worried about that. But only a fool would try to remake Magnificent. That the original eclectic cast (astonishing in their variety) pulled it off, makes it a miracle that could never be re-approached by coherent processes, much less bested. Completely illogical on its face, almost to the point of insanity - yet it captivates.
Good: Alanis Morissette And James Corden Sing An Updated Version of ‘Ironic’.
Couldn’t stand her at the time, but the updated lyrics are funny. I always associated her hits with the Clintons, because allegedly Chelsea got her Dad to become a fan.
NY Mag: Ballerinas Hate This Kendall Jenner Video for Vogue España
“Speaking from experience, ballet is much less about ‘running around’ and ‘just not caring’ and much more about broken toenails, blisters, and the grueling pursuit of perfection.” When you get to be 56, as I am, the great span of years between myself and being 20 makes itself manifest. So there is that filter. The other is, the whole concept of this video is ill-advised. The narrative is 16-year-old fluff, the visual acting 8-year-old mannerisms - not a 20-year-old ‘top model’ narrative. Or at least I hope not. It’s ... uncultured, even. I’d had four different jobs by 20, working to get through school, to make a living. Life gets real. Fast. Hers is unreal, and Vogue’s framed it in disrespectful ways. People should act their age, don’t you think? You don’t buy ballet slippers - you earn them. She’s been terribly ill-served by the director here.
UN Dispatch: Why Angelina Jolie Means So Much to the United Nations.
A reminder for us all to keep out of others’ personal lives, and to stay focused on what’s important.
BBC: How did Disney get Moana so right and Maui so wrong?
I suspect the character-modelers were very taken with Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, whose voice and presence seemed otherworldly and godlike, in spite of his very serious health issues. If they would just admit such, much of the controversy would go away (well, except for that terrible Halloween costume).
Vimeo: Cinesite Captain America: Civil War VFX Showreel.
So much work. And this is only a small fraction of the film.
FishbowlNY: Town & Country Celebrates Rich Ladies.
“Vreeland was also asked why she was a Swan, and well, god bless her lack of self-awareness.” Name check. The husband of Diana Vreeland is descended from Michiel Jansen Vreeland’s first son. I am descended from the third son. Yet if you compare physical features, the browline seems to be a strong genetic component in the male line.
Open Culture: Doonesbury Imagines a Trump Candidacy Back in 1999. And Nails It!
Omigod. Share this around.
Guardian.UK: Hudson river plane crash investigators object to their portrayal.
“Until I read the script, I didn’t know the investigative board was trying to paint the picture that he [Sullenberger] had done the wrong thing.” I’ve not met a single person in the entertainment industry who ever took a script as portraying fact.
OneHeadlightInk: Netflix mini-series “Godless” filming in New Mexico.
Michelle Dockery, in Santa Fe? This’ll be amazing. Juli’ll have people asking her for autographs.
