This Wednesday, April 22, beloved cult favorite and rock innovator Mike Patton brings Faith No More back to Los Angeles for the first of three consecutive shows at the Wiltern. It’s been almost 20 years since the group played in Los Angeles, and their return reminds us of more than...
We all know how ridiculous some of the more staunch anti-vaxxers sound, but this video by Girl Pants Productions highlights just how silly the whole thing really is.
"I mean, I'm not a doctor, but I've done all the online research. I'm basically web certified...."
Yesterday, a woman in Long Island, NY named Amanda Curtis was lucky enough to capture the rarest rainbow of them all – a quadruple rainbow. Her incredibly rare photo, and the excitement it inspired among commenters when it went viral, called to mind the viral ‘Double Rainbow’ video by Paul Vasquez.
According to meteorologists, what Curtis actually saw was a double-double rainbow, but that doesn’t make it any less magical. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research meteorologist Paul Neiman told the Washington Post that the second double rainbow resulted from the sun’s light reflecting off of a nearby body of water; “a large glassy-smooth water surface is required behind the observer. This smooth water surface reflects the sun, such that a second solar light source is generated. This reflected sun […] creates a second primary and secondary rainbow on the opposite side of the sky from the sun.”
A haunting video from last year has surfaced of a black man killed by St. Louis County police officers Friday night.
On August 17, St. Louis Post-Dispatch photojournalist David Carson recorded 23-year-old Thaddeus McCarroll chanting with a group of young men and women during a protest near Ferguson, Missouri. It was eight days after Officer Darren Wilson had killed Michael Brown.
The group is holding signs and chanting the phrase, "I got my hands on my head ... please don't shoot me dead."
Eight months later to the day, McCarroll was killed by police.
Carson re-posted the Vine recording to Twitter on Sunday, along with a caption identifying McCarroll as the young man "sitting on the left."
The video takes on chilling new significance in light of what happened over the weekend.
Who doesn’t love a good “how’d they do that?” video? Especially when the subject in question is one of the greatest horror films of all time. Go behind the scenes with CineFix as they take a closer look at Rob Bottin’s iconic creatures from John Carpenter’s classic The Thing and explore the making of the infamous and practical defibrillator chomp effect. Utilizing clever camera movements, a stunt man who was also a double amputee, and some convincing mask work, the effect was eventually pulled off but not without some trials and tribulations along the way–including a ten hour prep time only to have Carpenter immediately cut because the viscera eruption wasn’t quite right. Sheesh!
While the defibrillator scene is the bread and butter of the video, I have to say that as such a big fan of the movie, I really enjoyed a behind the scenes look at the history of getting the film off the ground in the first place. The video also discusses a few of the tricks and tools used to create other worldly looks and effects while explaining how director of photography Dean Cundey also played a vital role in making the transformations look real on camera. The video also looks at the mechanics of showing Norris’s head stretching and crawling to the floor and explores the aftermath of the shoot and the disappointing (to say the least) reaction from fans and critics alike when the film was finally released in theaters in 1982.
For more John Carpenter, check out my two-part interview with the “Horror Master” discussing his debut album Lost Themes, directing, horror and, of course, his masterpiece The Thing.
I mean, technically, you can. They’ll invite you, you can accept their invites, and you may then begin a long and difficult sequence of missions with a team of random internet weirdos. You just shouldn’t.
Are you in the market for the most cumbersome and comical piece of jewelry in the world? Get ready to max out your credit card for this completely absurd, “flawless” 100-carat diamond being auctioned today by Sotheby’s.
Mad Catz, already working with Harmonix to create controllers for the return of Rock Band, will co-publish Rock Band 4, the peripheral maker announced today.
The deal means Mad Catz is in charge of retail sales, promotion and distribution, worldwide, for Rock Band 4. Harmonix still is in control of digital sales of the game and any additional downloadable content, such as songs.
The two were already working together when Rock Band 4 was announced in early March; this new deal extends their relationship beyond just the controller-making.
Harmonix said back in March that it was working "aggressively" with Sony and Microsoft to make existing Rock Band instruments backward compatible with the new game. A Mad Catz rep added that they would...
Stephanie Law finds magic in the mundane, bridging the botanical and fantastical in her watercolors. “Mythology has always drawn me in,” she says, “And I’m not alone in that. The oral traditions of myth had perpetuated through the ages because at the core of these stories are vital bits of humanity. They are pieces that resonate with me, and they inspire me to try to create visual reflections that I can hopefully share and create resonance with my viewers.”
Law is always striving to improve. Regarding her favorite piece, for example, she say,“I like to think that if my favorite is older than two years, I’m doing something wrong, because I want to be constantly getting better.” She is especially motivated by capturing those moments when “the minutia of existence is transformed from drabness by its potential to be magical.” On average, Law spends one week on a painting, from start to finish, although large pieces can take up to eighty hours of painting time.
She doodled as a child, and briefly studied Chinese ink painting, commenting, “I still think of those deceptively simple brushstrokes as some of the hardest things to master,” before settling on watercolors as a medium in 1999. In 2011 she decided to paint full time, and her clients have included Wizards of the Coast, HarperCollins, LUNA Books, Tachyon Books, Alderac Entertainment, and Green Ronin.
Check out her art on Etsy and her illustrated books on Amazon. See below for Law’s interview with Bored Panda:
“Mythology has always drawn me in. And I’m not alone in that.”
“The oral traditions of myth had perpetuated through the ages because at the core of these stories are vital bits of humanity.”
Honeybee
“They are pieces that resonate with me, and they inspire me to try to create visual reflections that I can hopefully share and create resonance with my viewers.”
“I think the parts of mythology that really capture me are not so much the overt magical elements, but the more subtle aspects — how everything, and every element of life becomes suffused with divinity.”
Resonance
“The minutia of existence is transformed from drabness by its potential to be magical.”
Cicada
“It’s how I try to see the world around me, as a place filled with the potential for what it could be, and to find the unappreciated and sometimes hidden beauty.”
“I’ve been drawing and painting all of my life. I remember that whenever I felt bored, I would pull out a pencil or pen to start doodling.”
“Some of the first more disciplined painting I did when I was fairly young with a teacher who started showing me some of the very basic techniques of Chinese ink painting. I still think of those deceptively simple brushstrokes as some of the hardest things to master.”
A Very Difficult Game Indeed
“With my current techniques and medium of watercolors, I’ve been at it since about 1999, but it’s always changing and evolving as I experiment.”
“I came to the decision around 2001 that I couldn’t really conceive of my life without art as the central focus, and so I left software in San Francisco to really dive head first into my creative passions.”
” Just as my painting techniques are always changing, so is my favorite piece. I like to think that if my favorite is older than two years, I’m doing something wrong, because I want to be constantly getting better.”
“I guess the exception to that is when I’ve drastically changed my style, and I like some older piece for what it was at that time in my life. Currently my favorite is “Daphnis” from my tryptych of honeybee naiads. (The Thriae Thraie of ancient Greek mythology were said to have given Apollo the gift of prophecy). It’s my current favorite because it embodies two realms I’ve been trying to bridge in my art lately, my love of the fine detail of botanical artwork, and the fantastical.”
“On average, it takes about a week from initial brainstorming to the completion of a painting.”
“My largest pieces take about 80 hours of painting time.”
“When I’m not working on art, I’m exploring the world anew with my five-year-old daughter. I also love to dance. I’ve danced Flamenco for almost two decades now, as well as more recently tribal fusion belly dance, and ecstatic dance.”
“Movement is important to me, both physically, and in translation to the compositional flow of my paintings. And music — I’ve played piano most of my life, and lately have acquired and fallen in love with a hand pan.”
Check out her art on Etsy and her illustrated books on Amazon.
I meant to post about Tokables herb pipe bracelets for 4/20 yesterday but I got distracted by...um...a fat bud. And some poutine this Canadian brought to the office at around 4:28. Have you ever had poutine? Duuuude. That stuff will cure anything from the munchies to extreme intoxication to I bet even, like, fibromyalgia. Imagine a huge plate of french fries drowning in a huge vat of gravy with huge chunks of cheese curds thrown in as life preservers. Here are some visuals.
Luckily, 4/20 is not the only day one can purchase, or use, a Tokables bracelet. Described as a "well-disguised tobacco pipe" these wrist wraps come in enough woven, beaded, and paracord styles to suit every type of stoner's tastes.
When open the bracelets reveal a screened bowl and small inner plastic tube for packing and hitting. The bowl is removable for cleaning, and Tokables assures its customers that their stealthy smoking experiences will not be marred by discomfort, breakage, or shoddy craftsmanship. These bracelets fit comfortably and have a sturdy build for extended wear and use.
Note that Tokables bracelet purchase is limited to those 18 and older.
Photographer John Kilar’s works perfectly encapsulate the spiritual ideal of “wild and free” that is often associated with the areas he photographs. The visuals he presents are a juxtaposing documentation of humanity experiencing total freedom alongside the confines of modern society and the ills of leading a life trying to escape them. I’ve featured only a very minuscule amount of John’s photographs - be sure and check out his Website and Instagram for even more.
This week's edition of Overheard in L.A. features bits of overheard conversation from parents who apparently have kids at Los Feliz Day Care. [ more › ]
Kooky, kitschy, tacky — Velveteria is all of these, and none of them. In a gradually gentrifying corner of Chinatown, Caren Anderson and Carl Baldwin run their velvet painting museum with a non-ironic earnestness you would expect from aficionados who have traveled the globe to collect an art form that...
If you're feeling like out out-of-control rents aren't getting any better, you're right. They're getting worse. The website Apartment List this week revealed its latest California Rental Price Monitor, and the results are scarier than the price of a three bedroom with parking and a view. The site says that...
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has announced plans for a new comic convention in Silicon Valley.
The Silicon Valley Comic Con (no relation to Comic-Con in San Diego) will take place at the San Jose Convention Center during the weekend of March 19-20, 2016. In a video release (above) Wozniak calls upon Stan Lee to help support the new venture.
"In life, the most important thing is to have fun, and Silicon Valley Comic Con will be the place to experience all your favorite things at one great show," said Wozniak. "Today, technology is pop culture, in Silicon Valley and around the globe. Entertainment and innovation inspire and bring so much joy to the world, and I'm so excited that we will showcase both at Silicon Valley Comic Con."
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This week's edition of Overheard in L.A. features bits of overheard conversation from parents who apparently have kids at Los Feliz Day Care. [ more › ]
