May. 17, 2012
If you listen to one cover of Gotye’s chart-topper “Somebody That I Used To Know” today (other than this one, this one, this one, this one, or this one), make it fun.’s lovely rendition of the song for BBC Radio One, with Paramore’s Hayley Williams singing the Kimbra part.
Ironically, all these covers of “Somebody” have elevated the song to the number one spot on the iTunes charts, displacing fun.’s big hit, “We Are Young.”
[nme]
May. 17, 2012
In a largely symbolic — but nonetheless commendable — “f*ck you” to the likes of ticket vendors who charge exorbitant service fees, one jam band has scalped tickets to its own show.
Here’s how it went down, according to the New York Times:
One Friday afternoon recently, about 50 fans and friends of the band String Cheese Incident took $20,000 in cash to the Greek Theater in Los Angeles to take a small stand against the system — in this case, Ticketmaster.
With money advanced by the band, each person had enough to buy eight tickets at $49.95 apiece for the group’s show in July. Once all tickets were in hand, almost 400 of them, they were carried back to String Cheese headquarters in Colorado and put on sale again through the group’s website — for $49.95.
“We’re scalping our own tickets at no service charge,” explained Mike Luba, one of the group’s managers. “It’s ridiculous.”
SCI still charged $12 for postage to mail the tickets, so fans really only saved about $5, but still — movement’s gotta start somewhere.
[uproxx]
May. 17, 2012
PBS’ behind-the-scenes explainer series Off Book documents how Lego bricks made the transition from beloved toys to a medium for sculpture: “Lego opens up all possibilities. I can literally create anything I want.”
May. 17, 2012
A chainsaw may be the manliest way to crack a beer. Problem is, man-flats masquerading as loafers ruin the effect — they’re really no better than soccer sandals with black socks.
May. 17, 2012
Presenting the epic evolution of Liz Lemon’s hair, just in time for tonight’s season finale of 30 Rock. Blurgh!
May. 17, 2012
A Republican Super PAC backed by Cubs co-owner and TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts was secretly collaborating with a top political branding group to smear President Obama and destroy his chance at re-election come September — but their 48-page playbook, called “Next,” was leaked to the New York Times, which published the attack plan today.
The $10 million strategy character assassination will highlight Obama’s association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who they say preached a “black liberation theology.” According to the Times:
The group suggested hiring as a spokesman an “extremely literate conservative African-American” who can argue that Mr. Obama misled the nation by presenting himself as what the proposal calls a “metrosexual, black Abe Lincoln.”
Obama’s camp has responded accordingly:
The blueprint for a hate-filled, divisive campaign of character assassination speaks for itself. It also reflects how far the party has drifted in four short years since John McCain rejected these very tactics. Once again, Gov. Romney has fallen short of the standard that John McCain set, reacting tepidly in a moment that required moral leadership in standing up to the very extreme wing of his own party.
Romney, predictably, denounced the effort:
I repudiate the effort by that PAC to promote an ad strategy of the nature they’ve described. I would like to see this campaign focus on the economy, on getting people back to work, on seeing rising incomes and growing prosperity — particularly for those in the middle class of America. And I think what we’ve seen so far from the Obama campaign is a campaign of character assassination. I hope that isn’t the course of this campaign. So in regards to that PAC, I repudiate what they’re thinking about.
Fun fact: The group hopes to snag Jon Voight for the voiceover.
May. 17, 2012
“Hot Problems,” the “Friday” wannabe that turned out to be a hoax, gets the Bad Lip Reading treatment. And it’s so… good.
[vvv]
May. 17, 2012
Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco, died this morning after a battle with cancer. She was 63.
Summer was a 5-time Grammy winner who shot to superstardom in the ’70s with iconic hits like “Last Dance,” “Hot Stuff,” and “Bad Girls.” Her reign continued into the ’80s, with “She Works Hard for the Money” and “This Time I Know It’s for Real.”
From TMZ:
We spoke to someone who was with Summer a couple of weeks ago … who says she didn’t seem too bad. In fact, we’re told she was focused on trying to finish up an album she had been working on.
Summer is survived by her husband, Bruce Sudano, their two children — Brooklyn and Amanda — and her daughter, Mimi, from a pervious marriage.
[tmz]
May. 17, 2012
It’s our first glimpse of Ron Burgundy, who recently confirmed to Conan that the legend will continue in 2013.
[mtv]
May. 17, 2012
The Humane Society of the United States is out with another damning undercover investigation, this one into the mistreatment of the famed Tennessee Walking Horses, show horses known for their unique four-beat “running walk.”
The investigation found many of the horses to be subjected to a cruel practice known as soring — the intentional infliction of pain to feet and legs to produce an exaggerated gait known as the “Big Lick.”
The video shows Jackie McConnell, one of the sport’s leading trainers, and his stable hands beating horses with wooden sticks and using electric cattle prods on them to make them lift their feet in the pronounced gait judges like to see. McConnell’s staff also apply caustic chemicals to the ankles of the horses and them wrap them with plastic wrap so the chemicals eat into the skin.
“That creates intense pain and then the ankles are wrapped with large metal chains so the horses flinch, or raise their feet even higher,” said the Humane Society’s Keith Dane.
Soring has been illegal for more than 40 years under the federal Horse Protection Act. As a result of the HSUS investigation, McConnell and his associates have been charged with felony conspiracy to violate the HPA, as well as numerous violations of the Tennessee Cruelty to Animals Statute. McConnell is expected to plead guilty to one count.
(Heads up — graphic animal abuse.)
[hsus]
