Since 1999, goths, industrial fans, and other members of “Dark Alternative Subculture” have descended on Disneyland every August for Bats Day In The Fun Park, which started as a day-long outing to the amusement park and has since evolved into a three-day event that bills itself as “the premier event on the West Coast, if not the world, for the Gothic and Industrial subculture of all ages.” We sent comedy writer Maggie Bandur to this year’s installment; her photos and recollections follow.
A few months after crooning alongside Hugh Grant in Music & Lyrics, Drew Barrymore now has a single of her own: “Cold Hard Truth,” a just-released song from the long-delayed soundtrack to Lucky You (easily the Chinese Democracy of Curtis Hanson gambling dramas). More »
Every Tuesday, another barrage of compilations hits the record store shelves (or at least, they would if there were record stores or shelves anymore). From your quickly slapped-together tribute disc to the completely essential, most compilations are intended to make a few bucks, then end up for sale at a truck stop on Highway 84. However, occasionally, a compilation arrives that is so befuddling in concept and execution that you have to wonder: Who, exactly, thought this would be a good idea?
May we present: His & Hers by Amanda Scheer Demme?
As you’ll no doubt read a zillion times, Britney Spears posted a letter addressing her recent lack of underwear on her website today. However, if you root around on the site’s source code and do some Google cache searches, you’ll find the original letter, which went up around 3:34 A.M., and was quickly taken down. We couldn’t get a screenshot, but a full transcription follows…
Yesterday, we posted the casting call for VH1’s latest bimbos-on-parade show, which advertised the chance to get down and dirty with “one of the ’90s HOTTEST ROCKERS.” More »
Now that VH1 Classic is pillaging the 1990s’ video archives, it only makes sense that the next reality-romance trainwreck on its sister network will feature a rock star from that decade. We came across the following casting call today:
VH1 and the producers of THE SURREAL LIFE and MY FAIR BRADY bring you the hottest relationship show ever… ”ROCK OF LOVE”.
CASTING: Twenty bachelorettes to live in a mansion in the Hollywood Hills and compete for the love of one of the 90’s HOTTEST ROCKERS. We are unable to announce who this single rocker is at this time, but…He is the real deal. A famous, sexy, bad boy rocker. He was the lead singer of a famous 90’s rock band and he still tours today!
A sexy bad boy who still tours today? After the jump, we offer a few guesses as to the would-be bachelor’s identity.
What do you get when you combine obsessive superfans, the ever-slippery concept of “fair use,” and way too much free time? The YouTube search-clogging phenomenon known as the fanvid. Juxtaposing movie and TV scenes with popular songs, these clips are filled with literal translations of lyrics, out-of-context romantic scenes, and on-screen bugs. But there’s a certain charm in their creators’ dedication; we can’t imagine how many times people have watched, say, the entire Office oeuvre in order to get the perfect shot of Pam and Jim making googly eyes at each other.
After the jump, we present a few outstanding examples of these YouTube-enabled tributes. Be sure to watch them now, as they may not survive the copyright crackdown that’s bound to happen sooner or later.
Pretty much everything you need to know about last night’s Country Music Awards can be found in today’s New York Times write-up, but if you’re too lazy for that, here’s a summary: Rehab-relocated Keith Urban had someone read his acceptance speech, which earned big applause (the country fans… More »
When Chris Cornell released his sink-like-a-stone theme song for the new James Bond movie this week, it proved what we’ve been saying for years: Duran Duran, we never know how good we had it with you. Ever since the early ’80s, the 007 franchise has been trotting out one unmemorable opening-credits number after another, prompting us to compile this YouTube-assisted list of the most egregious offenders. It will leave you shaken, stirred, and pining for the glory days of Shirley Bassey.
A few weeks back, we questioned the wisdom of hiring Sting to make a cameo on the bark-at-the-moon-crazy Bizaaroworld that is Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. More »
