Band on the Dumb October 19, 2009 12:13 PM | permalink

 
Do you like the music of Lil Wayne, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake or Fall Out Boy?

Then you're stupid.

Or so says a California Institute of Technologies grad student named Virgil Griffith, who, using Facebook, analyzed students' favorite bands as well as the average of their college class'  SAT scores.

The questions still unanswered: Do dumb folks simply like those acts, or do those acts make folks stupid?

You Deserve a 3/4 Break Today September 16, 2009 11:20 AM | permalink

It's a gray day and life seems so unfair. Then my Facebook friends pile on the suck by posting cheery stories like icons who die after being denied chemo.  Oy.  I thought nothing would pull me out of this k-hole until Choobie of Gringo Stars posted a "rare and beautiful" pop waltz you can listen to below.

And no, don't know who those waltzing women are that you see above. I just plucked them from the Library of Congress because they look happy, no? 

I adore the lyrics to Elliot Smith's Waltz #2. I don't understand them, but I totally get them, ya know?

It's ok, it's all right, nothing's wrong

Tell Mr. Man with impossible plans to just leave me alone.

Ya think maybe America needs more waltzes?  Are we all wildly waltz deficient?  Anyone out there having a bad day? Misery loves company and all so feel free to get dumb and sharey in the comments.

My Dog Reacts to Kayne at VMA News September 14, 2009 9:58 AM | permalink

I couldn't agree more:

At 5:30 this morning I was in a cold sweat just bracing for the deluge of "Kanye West was a meanie to Taylor Swift" news.  How about we all agree to collectively get over it by noon.  Ya?  OK, cool.  Thanks bunches.

But seriously, everyone is going to write about this nonsense that's a really just another Kanye publicity stunt.  Heck, it's probably an MTV-hatched drama!  Who didn't think Taylor's dress was way too matchy-matchy with Beyonce's when she was invited back on stage?!*

If we totally ignore this controversy in a can and we don't blog about it at all... D'oh!

OK, brace yourselves America, this dumb "news" is gonna be big.  :P

*No, I didn't actually watch the VMA's, are you kidding?  I had no idea they had even happened until I saw the reports this morning. 

Dumb Obsession: Singing & Dancing in the City August 25, 2009 3:08 PM | permalink

I get hot watching people in Capezios dance their leg warmers off on the tops of cars.  And I thrill to three sailors who tour their way through Manhattan musical-style.

But I think my favorite example of over the top downtown drama is the fierce torch song sung inside a frozen New York City park in this clip from Milos Forman's film version of the musical Hair.  Here's an animated gif tribute I made to the amazing Cheryl Barnes:

If there's one message to take away here, it's think globally, act locally.  If there's two messages to take away, I'd add singing show tunes in public can help you get your way.

According to Wikipedia, Cheryl Barnes (pictured) was an unagented hotel maid in Maine who did that whole performance in one take.  Holy crap. 

PS How the heck did they get that toddler to stand there obediently for the whole song?  Did they staple his shoes to the pavement?  According to IMDB his name is Rahsaan Curry and by my estimate he'd be in his 30's.  Rahsaan: Where are you now?

Don't Blame Me, I Voted For T-Pain August 6, 2009 11:06 AM | permalink

Well, now that Jay-Z has officially called for "The Death of Auto Tune" does that mean that T-Pain is going to need to look for work? Probably not, seeing as Jay Z's wrath against what he perceives as the overuse of the sound warping audio effect is not based on a dislike of T-Pain's work, either as a rapper or a guest star on The Lonely Island, but supposedly because he heard it used in the worst Wendy's commercial of all time.

OK, maybe the second worst.

Either way, should he decide to step down from a career in music and comedy, T-Pain seems to have some options. For one thing, he could become the President of Florida State University.

Seriously.

Thanks the impending resignation of current President T.K. Wetherell, a Facebook group devoted to electing T-Pain (a Talahassee Native)  the head of the University has picked up over 1,000 members including the artist's wife and sister. T-Pain himself seems open to the idea, as he has been promoting it on his Facebook page and Twitter feed.

As for Wetherell, we still aren't sure what his future plans are, but he doesn't seem to be hip to the particular skills of his potential replacement. “I don’t know what a T-Pain is" said the outgoing president. "Can he lobby the Legislature, that’s all I want to know.”

Maybe he should try to get in a Wendy's commercial; they were better when they used old people anyway. 

Highway To Hugs August 3, 2009 4:13 PM | permalink

I know that there are still some folks who think that the rock band AC/DC plays the music of the Devil, but if this adorable pic I snapped last Friday after their concert at Giants Stadium doesn't turn them around, nothing will:

The family that rocks together, stays together.

Interested in replicating this scene in your own family? Why not purchase a Satanic diaper bag?

We May Need To Look At California's Penal Code... July 29, 2009 3:43 PM | permalink

Wait, this kid is locked up where?

Generally, we're not huge fans of "cute little kid" videos, but when they are singing about being locked in a maximum security prison, and adorably crooning that they "shot a man just to watch him die," we take notice. 

Still, doesn't that haircut make him look a little bit like a Boy Named Sue? 

Thanks to Amanda in Tacoma for the link

Bad Career Advice? Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! July 10, 2009 1:06 PM | permalink

Meet the man who, 50 years ago, told Paul McCartney to give up his dreams of being in a band, telling the future Beatle, "Surely, there's no future in the musical industry in Liverpool." 

He also told McCartney he thought the name The Beatles "would never catch on."

Exclusive: Man on the Street Interview July 7, 2009 4:02 PM | permalink

Rep. Peter King of New York made a splash by posting a video rant on YouTube attacking Michael Jackson.  King started by talking about all kinds of positive patriotic stuff and then quickly swung around to Jackson, calling the deceased performer "a low life" and twice "a pervert." Adding, "He was a child molester. He was a pedophile." 

As the King of Pop was acquitted of charges he molested a 13-year-old boy, I'm not sure where King, Long Island's only Republican congressman, is getting his facts.  As you can see, on King's site, he has a "kids corner" right next to his contact info and his mug.  Is the congressman trying to lure young children?  Sure looks like it!

In any case, I happened to be on Long Island today in King's district and I decided to go the extra mile and find out what residents of Jericho, NY thought of their Congressman's video antics.  Enjoy this exclusive trip to find out the answers!

Eternal Moonwalk July 7, 2009 10:00 AM | permalink

Are you not one of the bat poop crazy lucky thousands who will be hoofing off to the Staples Center in Los Angeles to attend Michael Jackson's memorial today?  Well no big whoop -- you can participate in the global outpouring of idiocy love for a dead celebrity by visiting eternalmoonwalk.com and perhaps adding your own rendition. 

It's an awesomely cool and clever site, but by the looks of things they currently need way more Americans, women and people who are less painfully white.

Image: Carlo Riley, Michael Jackson fan and uncanny impersonator.