It's been eight years since Alissa White-Gluz replaced Angela Gossow as the lead singer of Arch Enemy. Initially, as with all significant transitions in a band's line-up, there was some apprehension that Gossow would be impossible to replace, as her fiery, angelic vocals defined the band for 14 years. — Read the rest
Hollywood actors inhabit three tiers.
There are the true chameleons, who can assume any character or accent with ease and one can genuinely forget it's a performance. Joaquin Phoenix, for example.
The next rung belongs to the stars. At this level, viewers don't come to watch the character. — Read the rest
The Guardian's "Saturday Magazine Team" offers 100 ways to slightly improve your life without really trying, perfect for those who knew not to burden themselves with New Year's resolutions or who have already blown theirs.
12. Sharpen your knives.
Last night, my wife and I had a chance to watch the new documentary on HBO about the late actor and comedian, Bob Einstein. Einstein is best known as the doofus daredevil character, Super Dave Osborne, and the ever-exasperated Marty Funkhouser on Curb Your Enthusiasm (and Larry Middleman on Arrested Development). — Read the rest
The olives in the eyes will haunt me for years.
@veganpastrychef this is vegan sausage meat
♬ original sound – The real Sandra
On October 23, Vancouver Canucks assistant equipment manager Brian "Red" Hamilton was on the ice when he noticed a Seattle Kraken fan banging on the glass to catch his attention.
— Read the restThe woman was persistent, and as Hamilton was shuffling supplies and leaving the bench, he saw the woman's phone with a message written in large, colorful font:
"The mole on the back of your neck is cancer."
In the battle of Star Wars and Star Trek, I'm always going to side with the Federation. One could argue that Star Wars is more "fun" than Star Trek, but few can make the argument that it's smarter. Star Trek takes the fantasy of interstellar travel and expatiates on the implications of that reality intelligently. — Read the rest
What was it like to relieve oneself in ancient Rome? This video on Toldinstone describes the use, decoration, and hazards of Roman latrines.
What hazards? Besides the public latrine sponge for washing your booty hole and the parasites that crawled upon it, there were creatures like snakes, rats, and even octopi that might crawl from the hole. — Read the rest
Most fighting games are ridiculous exaggerations of combat. The Street Fighter series, the genre's template, presents battle through the lens of the supernatural by featuring fireballs and superpowers. Characters in Tekken, however, often use actual stances and katas from traditional martial arts in their fighting styles. — Read the rest
The gritty, visceral energy that Daniel Craig brought to the James Bond franchise made me a lifelong fan of it. Once I saw Craig dodge a subway car while pursuing a villain, though, I began to have my doubts about the veracity of it all. — Read the rest
Copious social and psychological downsides notwithstanding, Instagram isn't half bad. Through the platform, I've discovered a host of talented comic artists. From undiscovered masters in the making to artists that would previously be outside of my awareness due to geography, Instagram has exposed me to some of my favorite illustrators. — Read the rest
Formerly a punchline, superheroes are globally ubiquitous and the go-to genre in Hollywood. The success of the cape and tights crowd might suggest a similar apex of popularity in their medium of origin, comic books. On the contrary, superheroes are in crisis away from their thrilling exploits on the silver screen. — Read the rest
Spinning out of James Gunn's recent Suicide Squad reboot/remake/whatever you call the sort-of third movie in a series that's not really concerned with continuity, the upcoming Peacemaker miniseries focuses on the eponymous hyper-patriotic fascist douche, perfectly played by John Cena. The show launches later this month on HBO Max, and this trailer has me even more excited to see James Gunn flex his most vulgar filmmaking muscles once again.
In this thought-provoking piece on The Crypto Syllabus, Evgeny Morozov talks to Brian Eno about the current NFT craze.
— Read the restBrian Eno is one of the most accomplished artists working today. Having given us the genre of ambient music, he also produced many of the most remarkable acts of the past 40+ years.
Ray Johnson (1927-1995) was an American artist who played a key role in neo-dada, pop-art, and performance art movements. Johnson was the founder of what's known as "mail art." Mail art became a big thing in the 1950s. The artform combines whatever is being sent in the mail and the exchange between two or more people. — Read the rest
r/pareidolia is my new favorite subreddit, interpreting the term to refer to "things that look like other things". Above, the sweater of lost souls.
I recently asked a Gen Z relative if they'd ever used a rotary phone, and they told me that they'd never used one and didn't even know how to operate the dial. We've come full circle to an era where this Introduction to the Dial Telephone from 1936 will be educational again to the young people who've never used this type of phone. — Read the rest
The fact that Sonic the Hedgehog is a viable blockbuster franchise is somehow both baffling and obvious. Replete with nostalgia and an installed fanbase, the Sonic franchise finding a moment in the Hollywood limelight was inevitable. However, once the first trailer dropped for Sonic's debut on the silver screen, the character's future in Tinseltown was in serious jeopardy. — Read the rest
In this episode of "Songs That Changed Music," Warren Huart looks at the pioneering synthpop of Tubeaway Army and Gary Numan and how Numan's "Cars" would end up having a profound impact on burgeoning new wave, mainstream pop, electronica, industrial music, and more. — Read the rest
The Simpsons have reached a curious point in their 30-year lifespan. By becoming permanently embedded in the fabric of pop culture, similar to characters like Bugs Bunny and Superman, The Simpsons have garnered a host of fans for almost every peripheral resident of Springfield outside of the primary cast. — Read the rest
