Muppet Phone Conferences Are The Best

You guys have probably already seen this. Truth is, life events have kept me from updating the blog as much as I used to. Once the Jigsaw pieces start falling into place, I hope to be a better blogger. That being said, this post is for those of you who have not (seen this). I want to make you all fully aware that there is a Muppet Studio page on youtube that right this moment is bringing us new Muppet adventures in HD. How cool is that? Do yourselves a favor and suscribe. If you need a reason to suscribe, allow me to present this little gem:



MANAH MANAH!

POW: Marimba John Williams

I came across this video on Youtube today, and, I gotta tell ya, I was blown away. 14-year-old Maikel van den Boomen from Someren Heide in Holland has some mad skills on the marimba; team that with his love for John Williams and you have this week's POW. Enjoy!

Would You Believe They Put a Man on the Moon?

You know, I knew it was a "great success" on my part to follow Stephen Fry on twitter. Check him out here. Today's validation came in the shape of this video that Stephen made his followers privy to. A really sweet, inventive little film. Interestingly enough, this film was created almost as a sort of ad for Rick Stroud's "The Book of the Moon." Click here for the link. My how I love short films, animated ones especially. Enjoy!

Who Says Mayer's Gone?

He's back ladies and gents. I have a feeling this is only the tip of the iceberg with Battle Studies. Curse you John Mayer. You're always throwing a wrench into my Top Ten Albums of the Year lists with your late entries.

The Titans are Coming

Hello peeps! Sorry I've been away for so long. I will discuss recent events at a later date. For now, I want to renew our relationship with some light-hearted yet awesome news. Do you guys remember this?:



It was 1981 and the legendary Ray Harryhausen's stop motion magic allowed this film to take Greek mythology to a Star Wars level. Almost 30 years later we are getting a remake, and the following trailer fills me with a sense of excitement:

Click here for the HD version.

Sam Worthington is poised to become Hollywood's new posterboy. He has been the new face of the Terminator franchise and is about to star in James Cameron's long awaited Avatar. Let's see if he can fill Harry Hamlin's sandals. Also, any movie featuring Liam Neeson deserves a viewing.

Bike Hero Rocks!

I really don't have the words. Amazing. Thanks to Eli PDG for putting this on her twitter. You can check out her twitter stream here.



I wonder what it would be like on Expert...

POW: The Cool Cats do Boston

I'm off to Boston, MA tomorrow because your boy has tickets to see the Swell Season! Woot! I was racking my brain trying to figure out how to pay tribute to this occasion when I realized that I hadn't put up a POW post this week. Boston, performance of the week, seeing a band. All of that came together in ye olde noggin and now I'm proud to present The Cool Cats' air band performance of Boston's "More than a Feeling." For those of you who are not among the ranks of the conoscenti, let me explain.

According to wikipedia, "Playing air guitar is a form of dance and movement in which the performer pretends to play rock or heavy metal-style electric guitar, including riffs, solos, etc. Playing an air guitar usually consists of exaggerated strumming and picking motions and is often coupled with loud singing or lip-synching. Air guitar is generally used in the imaginary simulation of loud electric guitar music." An air band expands the concept of air guitar and applies it to a complete ensemble performance. You think this isn't the real deal? There are contests held around the world that judge performers' aptitudes in this subtle art. Creative, innovative, and totally fun. Enjoy one from the golden days of Scrubs. I'll see you next week!

Obama and Climate Change

Prepping for my upcoming Boston trip, I came across this little website. Way cool. Check out Obama-weather! Thanks to Kristen for leading me here.

The US, Pakistan, and Debt Bondage

For those of you who thought debt bondage was a thing of the past, think again. Sources at the US embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan say that at least three landlords are currently holding around 170 peasants at gun point for failure to pay back $12 US dollar debts, that were deemed an illegal way to force them into indentured servitude btw, since September of this year. This is happening as Hilary Clinton visits Pakistan as the Secretary of State for the first time. You can read E. Benjamin Skinner's story on the matter for TIME.com here.

I personally feel that it's important not to compromise or back down from an issue of this magnitude when our entire foreign policy is currently being restructured and we are repositioning ourselves as protectors of human rights. It's going to be crucial to see how the US's rhetoric on human rights is going to be tested here. Remember that this is all going on at the same time that the war in Afghanistan is reaching a delicate point.