Archive for 2010

Jobs: I find your lack of faith disturbing

Monday, July 19, 2010 by:Chris Preovolos
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The force is strong with Apple CEO Steve Jobs,  according to the Hong Kong-based animators who brought you the infamous Tiger Woods accident reenactment.

The folks at Next Media have released another comically-genius animated short that distills the controversy surrounding Apple’s iPhone 4 into a classic saga of good versus evil — or at least visibly annoyed personal electronics consumers versus international mega-corporation.

Using not-so-subtle Star Wars themes, Next Media has hyperspaced through reality into a realm of satirically biting sci-fi fantasy with their latest two-minute video.

Jobs is depicted as Darth Vader, claiming the Jedi’s signature helmet as he overpowers Bill Gates in a lightsaber battle, thus enslaving customers to AT&T’s spotty service and the newest phone’s antenna problems.

While not quite the villainous Galactic Empire, Apple does face a public relations nightmare that may have culminated last week with their sort-of admission that maybe the newest iPhone is — as Next Media puts it — a piece of iCrap.

Video below:

New Zealand mourns the loss of a pesky dolphin

Friday, July 16, 2010 by:Scott Sunde
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A bottlenose dolphin similar to Moko

Moko, the bottlenose dolphin, was a friend and a pest

He played with swimmers in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty. But he also stole their boogie board and nibbled on their toes. Fishermen knew that he would swipe the catch right out of their nets.

In short, he was a beloved character in a Dennis the Menace sort of way.

“My grandchildren would spend three hours out there playing with him. He was a cheeky fella,” Anne Marshall told the New Zealand Herald.

But last week, the beast was found beached and dead.

On Friday, the town of Whakatane came out in force to honor its celebrity: 9-foot bright blue coffin, pallbearers, funeral procession with at least 100 children lining the route and a memorial service attended by 200 people.

Then the dolphin took to the sea for a last time. A boat took him to his final resting place: the beach where he was found dead.

“I came because I swam with him a few times. Moko was always down here. He was naughty — he tried to eat my foot once,” 17-year-old Gabrielle Tarau told the New Zealand newspaper.

“I’m sad but happy at the same time. I knew he was going to die one day and now I know he’s in a safe place.”

Letterman blackmailer up for Emmy

Friday, July 16, 2010 by:Chris Preovolos
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Television producer Robert Halderman might be serving a six-month stretch at Rikers Island for the attempted extortion of David Letterman, but that didn’t stop him from picking up an Emmy nomination this week.

Ironically, this comes after the late-night host was himself was passed over for a nomination this year.

But Halderman, already a star at Rikers — even being featured in the New York Times for his new job as the jail’s librarian — can now add another Emmy nom to his prison resume for his work on “48 Hours Mystery.”

The News and Documentary Emmy nomination is for a show titled “American Girl, Italian Nightmare,” detailing the saga of Amanda Knox, the exchange student convicted of murder in Italy last year.

No word just yet on how this affects his street cred inside The Joint.

These are not my grandpa’s golf clothes

Thursday, July 15, 2010 by:Sarah Storm
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John Daly at the British Open, July 15, 2010. (Getty Images)

If clothes make the man, what the heck is John Daly supposed to be?

For years, golfers dressed like a breed apart: white shoes, white belt, pants featuring the mashie family tartan.

But Mr. Daly, he dresses like the last of an endangered species.

At the opening round of the British Open on Thursday, it was pastels – pretty much what you expect as you look at the TV and long for the days of black and white – but those trousers.

While Daly is distracting the world with his acid trip, day-glo wardrobe, the U.S. golfer is sneaking up on tournament favorites.

Coming out of nowhere with a six-under par 66 score in the first round, Daly has become a contender for the win behind current leader Rory McIlroy.

Daly’s golf game is on the rise at the Open, and he has been greeted by adoring fans with signs that read “Daly for President.” All good things for the underdog American golfer.

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Daly with Harrington, Woods, Roberto De Vicenzo and Tom Watson at the British Open. (Getty Images)

His style, however, is hard to swallow.

On Wednesday, past winners of the tournament gathered for a drip and grin.

Daly, who won in 1995, stood out like a sore thumb in a tragedy of a sports coat next to the dapper suits worn by the likes of Padraig Harrington, Tiger Woods and Bill Rogers.

Think his style is unique, rather than an eye-sore? You can dress for success just like Daly through his clothing line, Loudmouth Golf.

Available through online order on his website, Loudmouth Golf features an electric combination of shirts, pants and ties. Show up to the tee box wearing these, and you might just get kicked out of the country club.

Oddly enough, also available at the merchandise store on Daly’s website is his CD. Yes, Daly has released an album, “I Only Know One Way,” featuring the single of the same name, co-written by Daly and Darius Rucker.

And yes, that would be Hootie.

Scott Sunde contributed to this post.

Old Spice guy: Strong enough to save the Gulf?

Thursday, July 15, 2010 by:Sarah Storm
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Men, if your lady challenged you to donate $100,000 to the oil spill relief effort, would you rise to the occasion?

What if said lady was Alyssa Milano?

The Huffington Post has reported that Milano has picked up on the Old Spice guy’s viral video tweets from the past few days, starting a flirtation with the suave spokesman that has ended with an ultimatum:

“You must make a $100,000 donation to the National Wildlife Federation’s Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund,” she says. “Are you strong enough?”

No word yet from the Old Spice guy, played by actor and former NFL player Isaiah Mustafa, on whether or not he’ll rise to the challenge.

As of today, Mustafa has posted a farewell video to his fans, tweeting that “like all great things, this too must end.

The flirtation between Milano and Mustafa’s character started as Old Spice’s viral video sensation ignited the Twitter sphere over the last few days, sending out personalized videos to fans. Notable responses included videos to Starbucks and George Stephanopoulos, as well as an assisted marriage proposal for a fan.

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Milano, who hopped on the bandwagon and tweeted to the Old Spice guy, got roses out of the bargain.

Sorry ladies. As yummy as the Old Spice guy has been, he may just be off the market. Can anyone say no to Alyssa Milano? In a towel?

In response to fan questions on the challenge, Milano wrote on her blog clarifying that while she realizes Old Spice guy is fake, her challenge is real:

I’m getting a lot of responses where people are asking if I really think “the Old Spice guy has that kind of money”. Guys, the Old Spice guy isn’t real. LOL. My suggestion isn’t for this guy/actor to donate 100,000 to NWF but for Proctor and Gamble (who owns the Old Spice brand) to donate the money. And THEY can certainly afford it. I just thought this would be a fun way to turn an already awesome marketing campaign into something wonderfully philanthopic (sic).

The challenge, seen by Milanos close to one million followers and distributed by the media, accompanies her frequent tweets regarding the oil spill and BP.

Coming to America: French soccer star Thierry Henry

Wednesday, July 14, 2010 by:Dwight Silverman
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FBL-WC2010-MATCH34-FRA-RSA

Getty Images

Thierry Henry.

And you thought you wouldn’t hear any more about soccer after the World Cup was over, didn’t you?

Word that the New York Red Bulls had signed French soccer legend Thierry Henry to play for the MLS team pushed his name onto Twitter trending lists.

From the New York Times’ Goal blog:

Thierry Henry, the French striker who last played for the Spanish league champions F.C. Barcelona, has signed a contract to join the Red Bulls as a designated player, the club announced early Wednesday morning.

Henry’s move to the United States and Major League Soccer has been one of the more poorly kept secrets in soccer, but the club made the deal official via text message to its mobile mailing list early Wednesday. It also quickly had the announcement posted on its Web site.

The Red Bulls’ said Henry would make his debut July 22 against the English club Tottenham Hotspur.

Henry is more than just another soccer player, considered one of the icons of the game. Although he had a disappointing season with FC Barcelona, where he was released from his contract, he’s known for spectacular footwork and jaw-dropping goals.

Henry also played on the French team in this year’s World Cup, including a controversial game against Ireland. During that match, Henry hit the ball with his hand to assist on a goal that kept France in the tournament. The referee never called a handball, but Henry later admitted that’s what happened.

Terms of Henry’s agreement with the Red Bulls have not been disclosed. The team will offer details during a news conference Thursday.

Baseball mogul, iconoclast, Seinfeld star

Wednesday, July 14, 2010 by:Chris Preovolos
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Amid the deluge of inexplicably saccharine George Steinbrenner tributes, a few have cited Larry David’s parodies of “The Boss” on Seinfeld as an example of the late Yankees owner’s cultural reach.

Oddly enough, outside of New York and the sports world, he may be best known for these comedic portrayals.

The Bleacher Report, a popular baseball site, compiled at list of George Steinbrenner’s 10 Funniest Seinfeld Moments.

A classic exchange goes like this:

Mr. Steinbrenner: Nice to meet you.

George Costanza: Well, I wish I could say the same, but I must say, with all due respect, I find it very hard to see the logic behind some of the moves you have made with this fine organization. In the past 20 years you have caused myself, and the city of New York, a good deal of distress, as we have watched you take our beloved Yankees and reduce them to a laughing stock, all for the glorification of your massive ego!

Mr. Steinbrenner: Hire this man!

Ultimately, Big Stein agreed to play himself in an episode but reportedly demanded the scenes pulled when he objected to a plot twist that killed off George Costanza’s fiance in a horrible envelope-licking accident.

He was — after all — The Boss.

You can watch it here:

Congress is ready for the Apocalypse, are you?

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 by:Sarah Storm
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Survivalists all over the world, take heart. You’re not the only one hoarding food to prepare for Doomsday. Congress is, too.

And some spicy Doomsday it will be.

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Midnight sun reflects off the face of coastal ridges on June 21, 2008 in Svalbard, Norway. (Getty Images)

As reported by The Huffington Post, seven congressmen spent July 4 weekend on a voyage to a remote Norwegian island to place chili pepper seeds in the sub-zero Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

Heard of the vault? If you have, you might be in the minority. The vault, which opened in 2008, hasn’t been in the forefront of the climate-change debate. Svalbard contains the seeds of more than 525,000 crop varieties, was built on a Norwegian archipelago near the North Pole deep inside a mountain as “a fail-safe back-up to existing crop collections around the world,” according to a statement released by the recent delegation.

The congressmen, led by Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), delivered the peppers, as well as melon, peanut and bean seeds, to the vault to be kept safe for centuries. Just in case the end of the world comes knocking.

The seed vault, the final protection for the world’s food supply, was built high enough to avoid rising sea levels and deep enough in the mountain to withstand a nuclear explosion.  Preserving the seeds at a constant temperature of zero degrees, rest assured that whatever catastrophe might end the world as we know it, these seeds will hang around.

In the statement released by the delegation, Cardin said:

The world is interdependent when it comes to crop diversity, the essential raw material needed for a healthy and robust food supply. As we manage the impact of climate change and other natural and man-made disasters around the world, the seed vault in Svalbard will be the safety deposit box that ensures we can keep that food supply intact.

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Sen. Cardin in Sarajevo, June 28, 2009. (Getty Images)

Accompanying Cardin to Svalbard were Democrats Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tom Udall (D-NM), Reps. Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY), and Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), along with Republicans Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL).

This display of bipartisanship comes at an odd moment in time, as a climate and energy bill remains stalled in the Senate.

Also reported by The Huffington Post, the bill seeks to reduce the pollution affecting climate change by taxing carbon dioxide emissions produced by coal-fired power plants among other large polluters. While Democratic Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman have said that they believe that Americans would be willing to pay less than a dollar a day to curb climate change, Republicans have panned the bill as a “national energy tax.”

So while the climate and energy bill remains in a stalemate on the Senate floor, we can rest assured that when Doomsday rolls around, thanks to Congress we at least have a back-up plan.

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