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09 Apr 21:03

A ‘Breaking Bad’ Spin-Off — ‘Better Call Saul’ — May Really, Really Happen. Maybe.

by Dustin Rowles

Last July, during press rounds for the fifth season of Breaking Bad, Vince Gilligan mentioned the possibility that he might, maybe, sort of possibly be interested in a Breaking Bad spin-off centered around their weasely lawyer, Bob Odenkirk’s Saul Goodman. “I think a Saul Goodman show could have great legs,” he told EW. “I love the idea of a lawyer who will do anything to avoid going to court. He’s always going to settle on the courthouse steps.” In November, after the fifth season had wrapped, Bob Odenkirk also noted that he’d be open to the possibility of doing such a show.

So, basically, you got one guy interested in maybe doing a spin-off, and another guy maybe interested in starring in it. Now, along comes Deadline, which “hears” that such a project is in its “nascent stages,” although it’s hard to know if “nascent stages” means that its further along than when it was mentioned as a possibility last year, or if Deadline is just re-introducing an old story on a slow news day. They do add, however, that the show would come from Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, the guy who created Saul Goodman (another obvious point) and that both hour-long and half-hour formats are being considered (also obvious).

Gilligan also said last year that no one should consider Saul Goodman to be safe, although if he dies by the end of Breaking Bad, there is the possibility of a prequel. I would not, however, expect any kind of backdoor pilot. I also know for a fact that Deadline often does favors for studios, networks, etc., by floating rumors to see how the Internet responds (see, e.g., all those rumors about shows like Jericho and The River being resurrected by Netflix). So, grain of salt, people. Grain of salt.

(Source)

The post A ‘Breaking Bad’ Spin-Off — ‘Better Call Saul’ — May Really, Really Happen. Maybe. appeared first on UPROXX.

09 Mar 17:17

Please Watch This Ridiculous Japanese Domino’s Pizza Ad

by Danger Guerrero

This is an ad that Domino’s Pizza made to promote a new phone app for customers in Japan. I am not sure if it is really “television-related,” because (a) I do not live in Japan, so I don’t know if it aired on television there, and (b) it is over two minutes long, which is really, really long for a television commercial. To be honest, it’s probably part of some sort of web-based marketing campaign. But I really want to talk about it, so let’s just pretend that this airs on Japanese television, like, all the time.

With that out of the way, here are my favorite parts of this commercial:

- The fact that Domino’s let a high-ranking, middle-aged, white executive named Scott (who looks and sounds a little like David Koechner) star in a two-minute long Japanese ad about a high-tech phone app featuring an anime character named Hatsune Miku. (DOMINO’S MARKETING GUYS: Hey, who can we have star in this commercial? We need to appeal to Japanese kids. SCOTT: Yeah, I’ll just do it. DOMINO’S MARKETING GUYS: Okay, great. Let’s grab lunch.)

- Scott’s pronunciation of “Hatsune Miku,” which he says five (5) times in the first 30 seconds. Remember that video of former Orange County Eyewitness News reporter Gustavo Almodovar? It’s kind of like that, except you can tell someone has drilled this pronunciation into his head so he doesn’t screw it up, and you can see the terror in his eyes every time he says it.

- See the banner picture? That is an ACTUAL PIZZA BOX.

- The weird editing. Cut to Scott’s face. Cut to Scott’s hands. Profile view of Scott’s face. Cut to his tie. QUICK, BACK TO HIS FACE. NOW A SHOT OF SCOTT POSING WITH HATSUNE MIKU. EXTREME CLOSE-UP OF SCOTT’S EYES. FACE. HANDS. PIZZA. TIE. FACE. WIDE SHOT.

- The part at the 0:40 mark where he just starts naming Japanese people who work for Domino’s.

- The things he does with his hands from from 1:36-1:40. So awkward. So painful. I must keep watching.

- The fact that this app even exists. That’s what made all the other things on this list possible. Domino’s Pizza, a company that makes pizza, made an app for phones that allows users to create songs that an anime character will sing back to them. That actually happened. We live in amazing times.

(Via Gawker)

The post Please Watch This Ridiculous Japanese Domino’s Pizza Ad appeared first on UPROXX.

06 Mar 23:44

What Continues to Motivate the Anti-Abortion-Rights Movement 40 Years After Roe?

by Caitlin Borgmann

What Continues to Motivate the Anti-Abortion-Rights Movement 40 Years After Roe?

Post to Twitter

The Washington Post (op-ed): Why pro-lifers keep fighting abortion, by Helen Alvaré & Meg T. McDonnell:

Pro-choice Americans must wonder from time to time what keeps pro-lifers going. Why don’t we lay down our signs, cease our marching and admit that we’ve been good and beaten for these 40 years since Roe v. Wade? One of us is a baby boomer, the other a millennial; our views may help others understand these things and, along the way, think about some rarely considered aspects of the U.S. experience with legal abortion. . . .

__________________________________________

Two points in particular jumped out at me upon reading this op-ed. First, Alvaré and McDonnell describe abortion as “the destruction of a human life, at its most vulnerable stage, with the consent of the mother.” Seeing the pregnant woman as complicit in “the destruction of human life” (although it is interesting that they shy from the word “murder”) is certainly consistent with seeing a fertilized human egg as morally equivalent to a fully developed person. However, the anti-choice movement typically disavows any desire to punish women for abortions, despite this complicity, preferring to cast women as helpless victims of predatory abortion doctors. This undermines any claim that embryos are persons, for it is highly doubtful that they would view with compassion mothers who “consent” to the “destruction” of their children once they are born. It would be enlightening to know how Alvaré and McDonnell feel about this issue.

Second, Alvaré and McDonnell rightly point out that “poor and minority women and girls get the short end of the stick” when it comes to governmental support for child-rearing. To their credit, the authors blame Republicans as well as Democrats for this. But the fact is, Republican policies are particularly hostile to mothers who struggle financially. Yet the anti-choice movement chooses to direct its fervor toward preventing abortion rather than promoting policies to help low-income mothers. Indeed, the states that enforce the most vehemently anti-abortion policies spend the least to educate children, facilitate adoption, and provide assistance to poor children.

For more on the inconsistencies between the anti-abortion-rights movement’s rhetoric and its positions, see my article, The Meaning of ‘Life’: Belief and Reason in the Abortion Debate. For my assessment of the anti-abortion-rights movement forty years after Roe, see Roe v. Wade’s 40th Anniversary: A Moment of Truth for the Anti-Abortion-Rights Movement?

-Caitlin Borgmann (cross-posted at Reproductive Rights Prof Blog)

Feminist Law Professors

14 Jan 19:52

North Korea Follows Only One American on Twitter—This Guy

by Asawin Suebsaeng

North Korea is not known for its social-media savvy. When the Democratic People's Republic launched its official government Twitter account under the handle of @uriminzok (meaning "our nation") in August 2010, it started making friends in a sluggish and erratic fashion. When they weren't antagonizing South Korea or sending out links to propaganda, Pyongyang's social-media wizards followed barely a dozen tweeps, seemingly at random: a few Americans here, a Vietnamese account there, and a Venezuelan radical just for the hell of it.

After two and a half years, the North Korean Twitter account has nearly 11,000 followers, roughly the same number as that of the Croatian government (but about 10,000 more than the government of Somalia's account). Meanwhile, @uriminzok has, for whatever reason, severely downsized the number of Twitter users it follows. As of yesterday, these were the remaining three—none of whom is Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt, who is currently in North Korea on a high-profile visit:

twitter north korea jimmy dushkuTwitter

If one of these seems like it's not like the other, that's because it isn't. Meet Jimmy Dushku, the last and only American whom North Korea still follows on Twitter. In fact, he's the only active tweep it follows, as @qwertyvn and @Pyongyang_DPRK haven't tweeted in months.

Dushku, who goes by the nicknames "Jimmer" and "Jammy" (for his love of Jammie Dodgers biscuits), is a 25-year-old independently wealthy investor from Austin, Texas, who projects an online image of himself that is, shall we say, larger-than-life. Having started a website development business at age 14, Dushku now has his money in construction projects in Europe, residential properties in Texas, and mining and agriculture in Brazil and Peru. When he's not globetrotting on Falcon 50s or other private jets, you can find him playing Rachmaninoff on his piano, riding his Ducati Monster, giving marketing tips to friends, and swinging by charity events.

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09 Jan 17:46

VIDEO Of The Insanely Drunk Guy Who Had To Be Taped To His Chair On An Airplane Surfaces

He sounds like Chewbacca.

In case you missed it last week, this photo was taken on a flight from Reykjavik, Iceland to JFK. Apparently this guy got so drunk on duty-free alcohol that he got aggressive and had to be taped to his chair until landing in New York.

In case you missed it last week, this photo was taken on a flight from Reykjavik, Iceland to JFK. Apparently this guy got so drunk on duty-free alcohol that he got aggressive and had to be taped to his chair until landing in New York.

AND NOW WE HAVE VIDEO!

Via: hypervocal.com

09 Jan 03:50

2012 National Geographic Photography Contest Winners

The winners have been named in the 2012 National Geographic Photography contest. As a leader in capturing the world through brilliant imagery, National Geographic sets the standard for photographic excellence. This year's competition brought 22,000 entries from over 150 countries, professionals and amateurs participating. Photographs were submitted in three categories: people, places and nature; and entries judged on creativity and photographic quality by a panel of experts. There was a Grand Prize winner, a winner in each category and a collection of Viewer's Choice Winners as well. Enjoy. -- Paula Nelson ( 14 photos total)
Grand Prize Winner and 1st Place/Nature: THE EXPLOSION! - The subject's name is Busaba, a well cared for Indochinese Tigress whose home is at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Thailand. I had taken many portraits of Busaba previously and it was becoming more and more difficult to come up with an image that appeared any different to the others. Which is why I took to observing her more carefully during my visits in the hope of capturing something of a behavioral shot. The opportunity finally presented itself while watching Busaba enjoying her private pool then shaking herself dry. In all humility I have to say that Mother Nature smiled favorably on me that day! (Photo and caption by Ashley Vincent/National Geographic Photo Contest)

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03 Jan 21:52

Skipping > Walking

by swissmiss

Last night I saw some of my Studiomates skip through the studio. I looked at them confused and Akbar was so kind to point me to the above video. I am tempted to skip through the streets of Brooklyn now. You?