Vivi Davvero by Giorgia
But in all seriousness, it’s such an “energy” song, and, well, it makes me smile and want to dance along.
Any dancing?
Learn to Fly by the Foo Fighters
Well, I figure we can all use a pick-me-up. And for some reason, I’ve turned to Learn To Fly
There’ll be another “don’t worry, be happy” song up tomorrow. Because we must cling to the seemingly insignificant, comfortable, familiar things in these times of uncertainty, as necessary and healthy salves for our souls. (Yep, I’m totally faux-deep that way.)
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
In any case, all of this is why I just eat up stuff like Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Robot Chicken: Star Wars
Speaking of Robot Chicken (and yes, that is a shameless plug for my recent post), their Star Wars specials are well worth seeing. True, it seems as if everybody and their agent has done some sort of homage to the sci-fi titan (Jennifer Aniston does Princess Leia on Friends! Family Guy goes all Blue Harvest
I’ll be honest, I think that the TV show Robot Chicken, an Adult Swim stop-motion animation show (think Creature Comforts
Fortunately, though, there are plenty of hits in each of the show’s Star Wars specials (there have been two specials so far, each with a running time of about 20 minutes).
Featuring Admiral Ackbar cereal, an “Empire on Ice” show (aka, Disney on Ice but with twirling stormtroopers), Cloud City real estate agents, what Han Solo really said over the intercom during the Princess Leia rescue, touching moments between Darth Vader and Luke, such as when Vader reveals deeper truths to a skeptical Luke (“And The Force? Well, that’s just microscopic bacteria in your bloodstream called midi-chlorians…”), Darth Vader murdering an unwelcome Jar Jar Binks, and Luke and the Emperor having a “Yo Mamma” fight. That’s right.
Totally ubiquitous, and totally ignored, movie sounds
Below are two of the most common (and commonly underacknowledged by the general moviegoing public) movie sounds out there. They’re kind of like that NBC jingle. Almost comfortingly familiar, yet you don’t take the time to think of how it came to be that way, or why it would even be comforting at all. You just automatically gloss over and accept the sound.
Hmm, sorry, didn’t mean to take that in kind of a disturbing direction. But anyway, here they are:
The Wilhelm Scream – producing satisfyingly bloodcurdling shrieks since 1951
Deep Note (aka, that THX sound; no relation to Watergate… or the “adult film,” sorry) – blowing your mind, in a trademarked way, in many theaters near you
Of course, this all comes back to… as it always does… (cue John Williams)
That’s right. I brought it all back to “pop culture you can buy.” That’s just how I roll.
Buffy cast reunion panel
I don’t know if you’re all aware, but (some of) the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a reunion last year at an event called the Paley Festival. Believe it or not, I actually have a friend who attended this star-studded event (I lost her to Hollywood a long time ago…). Of course, this was the one panel she didn’t attend. No accounting for taste. But her countless photos of everything non–Buffy at the festival just made me want to see the full session even more. I tried YouTube, but only short, highly grainy clips seemed to be available, and I couldn’t find it on iTunes. Naturally, I didn’t even think to look for a DVD version. (Yes, duh, I know.)
Well, the holidays to the rescue. I got it as a gift! Without even asking for it! I have the best friends… Anyway, I watched it today and, since it’s purchasable pop culture, I just had to write about it. (Just as an aside: if you haven’t watched all of Buffy, and plan to, you probably don’t want to buy this, as it does, not surprisingly, contain many, many spoilers.)
So, details…
Pop-up books: a superficial, 2D look
Entertainment Weekly recently did an article (sadly, the online version does not include pictures – kind of a must with pop-up books, don’t you think?) on some note-worthy entrants to this field of pro-paper manipulation. Picks include a pop-up take on a children’s classic (eh, what else is new? but it is the mag’s personal favorite), but also much-more-awesome-sounding pop-ups that depict topics like the moon landing
However, for some truly stunning pop-up books, check out this very cool post. And, fortunately, it does come complete with lots of pictures, and even videos! Really, you won’t know what pop-up books are capable of until you’ve seen the images shown there. Best-seller Robert Sabuda‘s books, as depicted in the post, are especially view worthy. Sabuda’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Buffy sings! Once more, with feeling…
Any committed Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans on your holiday shopping list? Then this is what I would recommend, something they might not already have in their possession:
This album, with music from a “very special episode” of the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is dramatic, often corny, and features lots of superhumanly good-looking people (double entendre intended) singing their under-coached lungs out. So perfect for the holidays. And certainly more reasonably priced than the Wii Fit. You can buy the MP3 download
Okay, that’s all well and good, you might ask, but what exactly is this?
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
Well, when I said I wasn’t going to talk about it, I lied. I admit it, I bought the collector’s edition
So before we get to the pictures… what gives with the collector’s edition’s
Nevertheless, do I think it was worth the money? Heck, yes! Plus, all proceeds go to charity.
Here’s what this megalith consists of, in a comprehensive photo gallery (special thanks to my photographer!):
Pixar’s short films – what everyone really cares about
(I’m just paraphrasing of course and not quoting anyone in particular. I don’t really think they’re exaggerations of the critical acclaim heaped on most of Pixar’s productions though.)
However, we all know the true source of Pixar’s popularity: its short films. Sure, you might think of Nemo
They set the stage for the feature film after all! And they’re much more challenging. I mean, they have to tell a funny, clever, visually stunning story in just a few short minutes. A few minutes of pure, unadulterated genius. For the most part. Plus, the studio uses the short films as a training ground for soon-to-be Pixar gods (i.e., career advancement for staff), and to test new methods and ideas.
Thankfully, Pixar (or its new parent, Disney) recognizes the genius of the shorts as well, and last year released a collection of them, ranging from the mid-1980s all the way up through 2006. Here’s what the collection includes (plus bonus features), according to Wikipedia…
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string theories
What line of work you in, Bob?
- Ryan the Temp to "Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration" at The Office's Christmas party
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featured brown paper packaging
What is it with accessories and DVD sets these days? Are knick knack companies going through some rough times? Or are studios just really desperate to sell DVDs? (Probably the latter.) First there was A Christmas Story (Ultimate Collector's Edition), with its cookie cutters, recipe book, apron, commemorative Christmas tin... (Whoa, I know.)
And now there's The Notebook (Limited Edition Gift Set), which comes with a scrapbook album (with stickers!), notecards, envelopes, and "themed" bookmarks. But... wait for it... no new DVD extras or features! So totally worth it. Check out Entertainment Weekly for the lackluster DVD set review (a grade of D - harsh). Or, even better, Amazon's video montage of the contents, set to the soothing, Jane Austen movie-esque sounds of The Notebook's theme music. Hey, they know their audience.
