Pop Culture Cuisinart

This sort of thing is just so much funnier when you have an adorable child talking about it.

Click me baby one more time.

If only the health care industry spent as much on medicine as they do on marketing, then the world would truly be a better place. Thanks to mcd for the linkage.

Apparently at least one New York art gallery director has lost his proverbial mind. The Director of Capla Kesting Fine Art in Brooklyn's Williamsburg gallery district, has given Britney Spears her very own pro-life monument.

Says gallery co-director Lincoln Capla, "A superstar at Britney's young age having a child is rare in today's celebrity culture. This dedication honors Britney for the rarity of her choice and bravery of her decision."

Yes what a brave choice, a millionaire getting pregnant! She certainly risks unending hardships. Frankly I think her choice had more to do with her love of getting fat than any inate maternal instinct(have ya seen how she drives with her kid). And why the heartily pro life agenda? Did these guys get money from Abramoff? Couldn't they have picked a finer example of modern morality than Britney Spears? My theory is that the artist has a pregnancy fetish, got caught with this mold, and explained it off as a monument to Britney Spears. Hey it makes as much sense as body thetans!

She is bear with WIDE CANYON.

According to a blurb on the NY Post gossip page. Isaac Hayes was not the one who sent at the press release slamming the show for its insensitivity. It was apparently sent by another Scientologist, Christina "Kumi" Kimball.

This would seem to jibe with statements Hayes made on the Opie and Andy radio show last December saying he had no problem with the show's treatment of Scientology. Audio here.

Apparently COS is getting it's PR advice from Democratic consultants, because their messaging sucks. Given that special ed. students could come up with more believable stories than Dianetics, I guess it's not surprising.

It clearly is no longer hard out here for a pimp, when there is such a thing as Bling H2O. I wonder if Lil' Jon drinks it? My guess would be "YEAHHHHHHH!"

Everyday brings new exciting Snakes on a Plane stuff, like this...



which, according to EW, is apparently the official movie logo. Is it just me or does this look like they fused a Megadeth tour shirt with the AMA logo. Personally I was hoping for the COBRA logo swallowing a plane, but hey I'm nostalgic.

This has had the duel effects of both destroying any chance of me winning my pool and leaving us with some great captionable photos.

Here goes my draft status.

Hand over your guy card now!

My defense is actually better like this.

Dude, suck it up, you're on TV.

Boy do these guys need to go to Fight Club or what?

President Ostrich continues to ignore the facts in Iraq and announces troops will be there for "years". Wasn't this supposed a quick war where we found WMDs and stopped "terra"? Does anyone honestly think that if Bush had made this statement back in '03 that people would have supported the war in the first place? How 'bout No.

Meanwhile in the winning friends and influencing people category, North Korea has indicated they have the ability to strike the US first if need be. I guess they didn't get the only America gets to bomb other countries for looking at us wrong memo from Rove.

The Bushies also have a cure for the US' addiction to oil. Raising fuel economy standards a whopping 1.8 miles per gallon. Way to aim high!

A 29 year old substitute teacher in Utah was busted for performing oral sex on a 17 year old. Sort of brings new meaning to the term "fill in", eh.

My name is Cameo Patch.

Cameo Patch? Well at least she won't have to change her name to get into porn. Check the bottom of that above article, there must be 60 names of women busted for having sex with their students, many of them in public. Get a room people!

Uh, can I stay after school?

Debra LaFave had the charges dropped in the case against her when a Florida judge rejected a plea deal. Looking at this woman I can't help but wonder, could she not find anyone her own age to boink. I mean look at her, she's freaking hot! My second thought is, where was this kind of teacher when I was in school? With that kind of personal attention I have no doubt I would have been a better student. I'd have been President by now.

"Remember, remember, the fifth of November, gunpowder treason and plot. I see no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot."

For those unfamiliar with the history, these words reference the famous Guy Fawkes gunpowder plot of November 5, 1605, in which Catholic conspirators (led by Fawkes) tried to blow up the palace of Westminster in England. The conspirators managed to place 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellar under Westminster while plotting to blow up King James I and the entire English Parliament. The Catholics had hoped then to end the Church of England and to place Elizabeth, the daughter of James I, on the throne as a Catholic ruler. But, Fawkes was arrested with the gunpowder in the tunnel under the palace before he could complete his act. The event is referenced in the beginning of the film with Fawkes arrest and subsequent hanging being shown.

V (Hugo Weaving, is it just me or can you not listen to Hugo without hearing, "Hello Mr. Anderson.") himself wears a Guy Fawkes mask throughout the film and his face is never shown. As symbolism goes it's illustrative of the fact that the man himself has been so consumed by his desire for radical societal change that he's become his ideas. No longer just a man, he is a symbol and thus that much harder to kill. He is a new kind of rebel, gleefully using terror as performance art. He forces us to ask the question, is V's morality merely ambiguous or just the right idea? Is terrorism the solution to a totalitarian state? Given the current climate, these are questions that strike you in the gut. Evy (Natalie Portman) becomes a sort of accomplice for V after he rescues her from the film's version of the secret police. It's interesting to watch her evolve from modest, obedient police state citizen, to tangental urban terrorist. Stephen Rea is also wonderful in his supporting turn as a police inspector charged with finding V, who finds out alot more about his government than he bargained for. Frankly he hasn't looked this shocked on celluloid since Fergus found out Dil had man tackle.

The real star of this film though are the settings, famous London sights, gritty back alleys, and my personal favorite the Shadow Gallery (V's Lair). The Gallery is a Cornucopia of pop culture delights. With references to everything from the 1812 overture, the Rolling Stones, the Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Count of Monte Cristo (the original,folks) and more. There's enough visual and musical imagery to keep your head swimming for days.

The central message of this film is on the power of fear - the fear of war, of disease, of hunger. Fear is a basic tenet of human nature, and has been exploited as a weapon - a method of societal control - throughout history. And for those who practice its use, a masked man awaits you.
Vengeance anyone?

Tom Cruise got Comedy Central to cancel last Wednesday night's South Park episode about Scientology by warning that he'd refuse to promote Mission Impossible 3, sources close to the situation say. Since Paramount is depending on the film to be its chief summer moneymaker, and Paramount is owned by Viacom, which also owns Comedy Central, the strategy worked. The South Park episode - which pokes fun at Scientology(an easy target frankly) and features a closeted(literally) Tom Cruise- was unceremoniously pulled at the last minute.
Here is Tom's big scene in case you missed it.

Well in response South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone released the following statement.: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for Earth has just begun! Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies. Curses and drat! You have obstructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail! Hail Xenu!!!

-- Trey Parker and Matt Stone, servants of the dark lord Xenu

Interestingly enough that statement will actually have meaning to Scientologists. BTW, when did Tom Cruise become such a thin skinned a--hat? Scientology appears to have taken a page out of the Bush Administration PR play book, brook no criticism whatsoever.

Skate or die! First off you've got to love bulldogs anyway, they have such churchillian swagger. Secondly you have to admire an animal that enjoys extreme sports, like this one, or that waterskiing squirrel.

Well, the first weekend is over and I'm still alive in my pool. I did lose a final 4 pick(damn you George Mason) and I missed an upset that I of all people should've predicted(Bradley in the Sweet 16, why not). Now to reset here is what I think will happen from here on out. Out of the Atlanta bracket, I like Duke. They are strong, talented ,and they've been here before so they're confident. In Oakland, I'll take UCLA, they are playing well, they play defense, and I just don't feel confident about Memphis. In our nation's capital, UConn has probably the easiest path to the final 4 as no one higher than a 5 seed remains in their bracket. And finally as much as it pains me to say I'll take Florida out of the Minneapolis bracket. Depth, talent, and big people that Villanova probably can't match.

Christian's facing death sentences. An Afghani man who converted from Islam to Christianity possibly faces the death penalty from the new Afghani government, for the crime of being a Christian in Afghanistan. This is the sort of democracy we are spreading? What a wonderful use of tax dollars this has been.