Picture your favorite indie-licious band. Picture them walking the streets of some European city, playing music while a camera follows them around and people walk by. You’ve just pictured the genius of French blog La Blogotheque’s“Take-Away Shows”.
These videos feature a large number of indie favorites (including Arcade Fire, Andrew Bird, The National, Xiu Xiu, Okkervil River, Liars, and Mojave 3, to name a bunch) performing some of their songs in “unique urban environments” in single takes. The result is usually very intriguing and intimate. Marissa Nadler sings in Central Park at night and then alone on a bed with her guitar. Some bands play in a metal elevator.
One of my absolute favorite Take-Away Shows performances features Will Sheff of Okkervil River sitting in the grass near a flowerbed singing the devastating “Song of Our So-Called Friend” with his guitar and harmonica.
There is a lot of magic to be found on this website — I strongly suggest you check it out.
Valentine’s Day is creeping up on us so I thought I’d help the fellas out. Vacuum cleaners, breast implants, and Chia Pets make lousy V Day gifts. Don’t ask me why, you’re just going to have to trust me here. Flowers, diamonds, and chocolate are totally played out. Big bags full of money are still in! But douche bags, old douche bags, are really where it’s at.
And, you know what, don’t limit your douche bag giving to special someones only — your friends will dig the gift too. Just ask Justin Theroux and Amy Sedaris!
Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, and David Geffen at Vanity Fair’s 2007 Oscar party.
“After much consideration, and in support of the writers and everyone else affected by this strike, we have decided that this is not the appropriate year to hold our annual Oscar party. We want to congratulate all of this year’s nominees and we look forward to hosting our 15th Oscar party next year.”
Canadian radio host Dominique Payette is suing the White Stripes for $70,000. Payette claims the duo violated her privacy by using a 10-second sample from her show without permission. Said 10-second sample can be found on the Stripes’ 2000 album De Stijl. (You can preview the audio at Cyberpress.ca — it’s just Payette exchanging a few words in French with a girl during the call-in portion of her radio show.)
Here’s where things go from sue-y to screwy: Payette is seeking an injunction that could force the White Stripes to remove De Stijl from shops immediately!
“The main theme in my photographs is the exploration of light as a visible source of energy that creates and plays with eventful situations. This light can be interpreted as both kinetic and magical. The project also investigates relationships between visual representation and sight, exploring the camera’s ability to capture what the eyes cannot. By inserting light into a series of simple formal arrangements, light is turned into a material force, creating magical arcs of light stretching through quotidian objects. Movement of light can be seen, however there is no indication of the beginning and end points, leaving relationships of cause and effect open to interpretation to expose different senses of vision.”
Well it seems that Jason Bateman has been talking up the Arrested Development movie negotiations all around town. He recently spoke to Kristin Dos Santos of E! Entertainment about the movie talks:
“I can confirm that a round of sniffing has started,” Bateman says. “Any talk is targeting a poststrike situation, of course. I think, as always, that it’s a question of whether the people with the money are willing to give our leader, Mitch Hurwitz, what he deserves for his participation. And I can speak for the cast when I say our fingers are crossed.”
And I can speak for your fans when I say our fingers are crossed but we’re also not holding our breaths because it’s not cool to tease people and it would be too painful to deal with crushed hopes on this one and you really shouldn’t say things like this and then flake out because it hurts. It hurts and then people cry. Okay? So you better not be fucking around, Mr. Bateman.
I like to listen to music. Recently I’ve been doing so while taking showers and let me tell you, it is divine. I’ve found that the best music to listen to in the shower is that of the infectiously boppy variety. So most of these songs, at some point, will make you bop around your shower whilst definitely increasing your chances of slipping, falling, and dying. So try not to slip, fall, and die, because the disclaimer here is that I am not responsible for anything that happens to you while rocking out naked and wet in your shower (meeeow!). However, I am responsible for sharing these really infectiously awesome songs with you. Oh, they’re also fun driving songs. Just don’t wreck - I’m not responsible for that, either.
Also, just so we’re clear - if the second song doesn’t make you want to shake your booty then it’s obvious you have some serious booty-shaking issues. Which are kind of like daddy issues, but with more ass.
Tom Cruise exchanging a salute with Scientology’s ecclesiastical leader David Miscavige in 2004.
After hiding behind their computers for a couple of weeks, the anti-Scientology group “Anonymous” are taking it to the streets on Feb. 10. Anonymous members — from all over the world — will be protesting against Scientology at their churches and YOU’RE invited to join them this Sunday. Seriously, why go to your own church when you can be terrorizing another’s?
A woman who would not give her name (they don’t call themselves Anonymous for nothing!) told NBC11:
“The campaign is going amazingly — swimmingly at the moment. We are in the organizational stages. We are having members of Anonymous from all over the world join the protest at their local church of Scientology at 11 a.m. local time.
“Of the 24 time zones there are 17 that have a church located in them and we believe our protesting is happening in 15 of those 17. We have a map that people can log in to and say what protest they’re going to at the current moment. At last count we expect 300,000 at all the protests. Everyone in the world is invited. We’re trying to get support from local organizations.”
Anonymous plan to hold another large protest on March 15, which is two days after Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s birthday. Feel free to use this nifty Scientology church locator if you’re looking to join in on the fun!
Hi world! I’m Wendy Wayrad, a proud owner of a good personality! I’m also Betty Brillz’s bloggy sister from another mister. We both thought it’d be a good idea to interview each other for Jean Jackets Bad so that our nonexistent readers could have a chance to get to know us a little better.
I recently spent a day on my yacht with Betty and a kick ass film crew. And let me tell you: we got some *amazing* interview footage on my yacht. Boy, did we ever! But I accidentally taped an episode of “Alf” over it so here are 10 questions Betty asked me, a couple pictures, and one YouTube clip instead — wait, did I mention that I own a yacht?
1) If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?
2) Imagine you were just pushed off a cliff by a bipolar clown in mustard yellow high heels. What are you thinking on the way down?
First of all, I’d be wondering how the hell I got on a cliff because I never leave the house. Um… and I guess that’s probably the only thought I’d have time for.
3) If you could do any one thing (even if you know it’s wrong) but you won’t suffer any consequences or repercussions whatsoever (including guilt), what would it be?
I’ve always wanted to bang the pizza guy. Not this particular one, but he’ll do.
4) Tell me about your favorite pair of shoes.
I’m not one of those girls.
5) What’s the first thing you think when you wake up in the morning?
If it’s a work day: “I’m not still drunk, am I?” If it’s the weekend: “Is it too early to start drinking?” If I’m in someone else’s bed: “I must have had A LOT to drink last night!”
Well Betty, I was actually just introduced to the website a few seconds ago. Looking over the database of “hot chicks” now, it appears neither of us made the cut. How do YOU feel about chickipedia.com?
8.) What’s your favorite band, movie, tv show, and book?
Roxy Music. Flirting. Mr. Show. Tales of Ordinary Madness. (Close seconds: The Strokes. Happiness. Wonder Years. Less Than Zero.)
9)Guilty pleasures - let’s talk about them. Food, music, movies, tv shows. Discuss.
I don’t feel guilty about eating because I’m a vegetarian (aww). I loved Paris Hilton’s album, Genesis has some good stuff (if you tell anyone I said that, I’ll cut you), I secretly think Conor Oberst is a bit of a genius, and I won’t change the station if an old Hootie & The Blowfish song is playing. I cried at the end of A Cinderella Story. And I’ve spent a few Saturday mornings watching “That’s So Raven.”
Does this make me a bad person? Maybe. Do I feel exposed right now? Yes. Am I going to lose sleep over this? Probably a little, yeah.
10) Honestly, what do you think of this Betty Brillz person?
She seems aight, but I wouldn’t let her babysit my kids or anything. I’m just playin’. I don’t have any kids.
Canadian radio host Dominique Payette is suing the White Stripes for $70,000. Payette claims the duo violated her privacy by using a 10-second sample from her show without permission. Said 10-second sample can be found on the Stripes’ 2000 album De Stijl. (You can preview the audio at 
