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01.21.11 by Wolven @ 3:19 am  Well, I told you I'd watch the first three episodes of the SyFy Americanization of Being Human, and I strive to be good to my word, so here we are in part one of an at-least-three-part series. Okay, full disclosure: I say all of the following as someone who's both seen and loved the original incarnation of this show, so as much as I try to bracket out my expectations, there is the possibility that they will creep in. That being said, I would really like comments from viewers who are brand new to the concept of this show, who are starting fresh with the Americanization. And, on top of that, I want to hear from those of you who Really Liked The Pilot Episode. I want to hear what you liked and why you liked it. With that out of the way, let's get into this point by point, as that'll make it easier to track how the show matures. Again, I'm going to try to go easy on the comparisons to the BBC version, and judge the new one on its own merits. That may be difficult, but I will try. Categorized as: Stimuli
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01.19.11 by Cosette @ 2:44 am  I admit it--I love Midsomer Murders. Apparently this is just as addled as my mysterious love for Murder, She Wrote...but it's just a fabulous show. In a country where handguns are illegal, the producers and writers get rather creative with the modus operandi of their killers. Having watched pretty much the entire series to date, I decided to rate my 10 favorite murder weapons/methods/discoveries exhibited on the show (warning: there may be spoilers in some of the video clips about who the murderers are!). To grab copies of Midsomer Murders for yourself, check out the Amazon widget at the bottom of the post. Enjoy! Categorized as: Stimuli
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01.09.11 by Widge @ 3:40 pm  In what might just turn out to be the best unofficial movie tie-in press release of January, Dobel Tequila has taken the opportunity of the popularity of the movie Black Swan to introduce a cocktail recipe called "The Twisted Swan." This inspired by "the psychological thriller," but more to the point: "Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis' dark, tequila induced sex scene." The Twisted Swan is defined as follows: 1 1/2 oz Black Raspberry Liqueur
1 oz DOBEL Tequila 1/2 oz amaretto liqueur Shake DOBEL Tequila & amaretto with ice. Please note: although it's not specified in the press release, I'm sure Dobel Tequila would want us to point out that consumption of their product does not in any way guarantee spontaneous hot lesbian ballet dancer action. But as always, your mileage may vary. Good luck out there. Categorized as: Stimuli
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01.07.11 by Wolven @ 12:39 am It sounds like the lead-in to a joke, right? "A Vampire, a Werewolf, and a Ghost are sitting in their living room..." But it's actually the premise on which America's ostensible science-fiction network, SyFy, has based a new original series called Being Human, which they'll begin airing on January 17th, 2011. The story concerns a vampire named "Aidan," a werewolf named "Josh," and a ghost named "Sally." They all "live" together in an apartment in Boston, where they deal with vast vampire conspiracies, packs of roving werewolves, solving the mystery of their own deaths, and where they have deep conversations about how life has changed for them since they variously became monsters. It's quirky, it's fun, it's new and original and it's a Series! Except... Except this is not a "New Original Series," in any way that those three words make any real sense. Categorized as: Stimuli
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01.03.11 by Widge @ 12:48 am  Yes, it's an actual mousepad. Link at the bottom of the post. Instant coffee. Two words that are enough to strike fear into the heart of many a coffee lover. Last year I was interviewed by a women's magazine regarding instant coffee. Don't ask me why. They wanted me to talk about instant coffee in about...oh, ten words. It was actually pretty ridiculous. Because I'm not keen on being reduced to ten words to describe an entire "genre" of one of my favorite topics, that's probably why they didn't even include me in the article. All for the better, really. But I did my homework. I actually went out and tried instant coffee, something I haven't done for years. Before we get to actual instant-instant coffees, let's talk seriously about the need for instant coffee. Instant coffee, for the most part, is for people who can't be arsed to make coffee. Trust me, there are days in which if Cosette didn't take pity on me and make me coffee I would just gnaw on the raw beans for sustenance. But if you're really, truly busy or can't be arsed, here's the #1 instant coffee choice: Categorized as: Stimuli
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12.29.10 by Widge @ 3:56 pm  As we careen towards the New Year, there's a number of things to look forward to. This is one of them. DJ Earworm takes the Top 25 songs according to Billboard and mashes them into a single song. The result is something that is greater than the sum of its parts, mostly because this is about the only way some of this stuff is ever going to make it onto my iPod. As the man himself states: In 2010, pop has gone into serious all-out party mode. In 2009 the music was encouraging us to pick ourselves back up after being knocked down again, and to rock out to some great dance music while your at it. This year’s music tells us to keep going now that we're up and having fun.
For more info and to get more of his kickass stuff, check out DJ Earworm's official site. Categorized as: Stimuli
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12.15.10 by Widge @ 2:10 am  It's dangerous to say things around me sometimes. Because I get ideas. For example, since Inception came out on Blu-Ray last week, Thespia had occasion to say: "That Christopher Nolan sure can think big." And I agreed. And thought that Mr. Nolan might have some lessons for us. Besides, you know, how to get revenge for your dead wife and strike fear into criminals and whatnot. So, thinking along those lines, here's what I came up with. 1. Think Big. No, Seriously. Bigger Than That. So take a look at Nolan's career and get to Batman Begins. Consider this: you're a guy who had previously done a critically-acclaimed feature film and then a thriller with Pacino and Williams...and you then go to Warner Brothers and say, in essence, "Yeah, that superhero franchise you completely screwed up. No, no...not the one with the red and blue spandex, the other one. Yes, that one. Give me that." That takes a wheelbarrow for your balls right there, friends. But Nolan did it--with some help--and as a result, gave us one of the best superhero films to date. And then along comes the sequel which is not only one of the best superhero flicks ever, but proves that comic book characters--done well--can make craploads of money. So Nolan basically changed the game for everybody. You can't do a superhero movie now without bringing up Dark Knight in the same way that you can't do a fantasy film without bringing up Lord of the Rings. Categorized as: Stimuli
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11.25.10 by Wolven @ 5:00 pm  It is with sadness and a vague sense of loss and regret that I inform you that Peter Martin Christopherson, also known as Sleazy, formerly of the bands COIL, Throbbing Gristle, and Psychic TV, died in his sleep, on the night of Wednesday, November 24th. I've been plotting and putting off a kind of a "Music And Magick" curatorial, here, for some time, and Sleazy was going to feature very heavily in that piece, not least because he and his partner, Jhonn Balance, formed COIL. One of the most well-known industrial music outfits of all time, COIL explored and experimented with concepts of musicality, temporal boundaries, and the intersections of hearing with the other senses, even going so far as to suggest certain substances to ingest while listening to particular tracks. In addition to this, while under the banners of Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV, Sleazy worked with Genesis P-Orridge, a musician and magician whose commitment to the idea of permanently altering experience and perception of self should be well known. But, aside from the drugs, the psychedelia, and the heavily-Austin-Osman-Spare-influenced conceptual co-opting and modification, Sleazy was simply a prolific and mind-bogglingly talented musician, and one who has left his weird eldritch mark visible just under the skin of contemporary music. Categorized as: Stimuli
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11.25.10 by Widge @ 2:44 am  So it's Turkey Day here in America. And we extend this invitation to everyone in the world: if you want to join us in our overeating holiday, please feel free. But even if you don't want to eat that much, we can all still find common ground in being confused by this insanity: an animated bunny that dances while making a reference to Mr. Bean. Enjoy! Categorized as: Stimuli
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11.17.10 by Widge @ 12:51 am  Life used to be simpler. More innocent. Less fraught with pitfalls. But these days, nothing is simple. For example, remember passing notes in class? They used to be on paper. You folded it up, you sent it on its way and it got there with even more surety than the Postal Service. Now, there's texting, sexting, Facebooking, Twittering, and instead of just "Do You Like Me?", kids are either sending full on Survey Monkey surveys or using forms that have passed (presumably) some form of legal review. Even having a crush on somebody requires an attorney. Crazy. Anyway, we have a version of a form a kid had prepared in order to keep himself out of trouble. Read it and weep. (Suggested by Angela W.) Categorized as: Stimuli
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