Christopher Lantz

Evidence of the widening wealth gap: Across America, brands that serve middle class customers are shutting down, while businesses that serve the rich are thriving. Good bye $16.50 dinners at Olive Garden, hello $71 checks at Capital Grille. (via Mitch Wagner)

via http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5211aBiKz1r4zr2vo1_500.gif

Nicole Byon has captured footage of her 15-month-old daughter Kayden’s adorable reaction to experiencing rain for the very first time. Kayden gets so excited when the rain hits her cute little face.

via Colorlines, Jezebel

via http://www.loveyougood.com/post/57793332140/gif-friday-waneella

Created by Indianapolis-based professor and artist Anila Quayyum Agha, Intersections consists of a heavily patterned hollow 6.5′ wooden cube hung from the ceiling that casts shadows of said pattern within a 35′ by 32′ space thanks to a light bulb inside.

The Intersections project takes the seminal experience of exclusion as a woman from a space of community and creativity such as a Mosque and translates the complex expressions of both wonder and exclusion that have been my experience while growing up in Pakistan. The wooden frieze emulates a pattern from the Alhambra, which was poised at the intersection of history, culture and art and was a place where Islamic and Western discourses, met and co-existed in harmony and served as a testament to the symbiosis of difference.

images via Anila Quayyum Agha

via reddit, TwistedSifter

The death of Philip Seymour Hoffman was like a dagger through the heart of film lovers everywhere. Few have ever watched one of his movies and not instantly become a fan of Hoffman’s larger than life talent. In the day since his passing, coming to terms with the fact he’s actually gone is pretty difficult.

Some have dealt with Hoffman’s passing by paying tribute to the actor. One such tribute is a beautifully written piece by Cameron Crowe, who directed Hoffman in Almost Famous. The actor played rock critic Lester Bangs, and delivered the iconic line “The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we’re uncool.” Crowe named his official site after the line. Today he talks about how Hoffman made that scene his own.

Read that, and watch two tribute videos, below.

Here’s Crowe’s tribute to Hoffman from his site, named after the line, The Uncool.

My original take on this scene was a loud, late night pronouncement from Lester Bangs.  A call to arms.  In Phil’s hands it became something different.  A scene about quiet truths shared between two guys, both at the crossroads, both hurting, and both up too late.  It became the soul of the movie.  In between takes, Hoffman spoke to no one.  He listened only to his headset, only to the words of Lester himself.  (His Walkman was filled with rare Lester interviews.)  When the scene was over, I realized that Hoffman had pulled off a magic trick.  He’d leapt over the words and the script, and gone hunting for the soul and compassion of the private Lester, the one only a few of us had ever met.  Suddenly the portrait was complete.  The crew and I will always be grateful for that front row seat to his genius.

Here’s the scene just as a reminder of his brilliance.

And here are a few tributes to the late, great actor.

First, from Nelson Carvajal:

And next, from Movie Mezzanine.

• Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous BootlegCut Blu-Ray Will Be Sold Exclusively At Best Buy
• What Is Your Favorite Movie Scene?
• Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Death Won’t Delay ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay’
• Philip Seymour Hoffman Dead At 46
• Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams Starring in Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Supernatural Thriller
• Germain’s Most Anticipated Films of 2014

Until Game of Thrones returns on April 6, we’ll take what we can get from the HBO fantasy show. So far, that’s been a trailer and some Vine teasers, and now, a big batch of stills. The new images offer closer looks at some of our favorite returning characters as well as some notable new ones.

There are Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) doing her best “bitch, please” face; Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) offering comfort to poor sad Sansa (Sophie Turner); and Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) looking clean for the first time in like two seasons, just to name a few of the familiar faces we’re excited to see.

In terms of new people, there are Pedro Pascal and Indira Varma as Oberyn Martell and Indira Varma, who hail from Dorne in the South, and Michael Huisman as the new Daario Naharis, replacing Ed Skrein. (Sorry, book readers, this one doesn’t have a blue beard either.) Check ‘em all out after the jump.

There aren’t any spoilers for the season ahead, but if you look closely there may be a few for the season that just passed. Tread carefully if you’re not caught up.

Season 4 will cover roughly the second half of George R.R. Martin‘s A Storm of Swords. The luckier characters are vying for power, the unluckier ones are just struggling to survive, and you can count on everyone’s fortunes to change several times before the next ten episodes are through.

While it’s great to see all these noble Starks, greedy Lannisters, and conniving Tyrells back in action, we can’t help but think about some of the faces we aren’t seeing. We lost a lot of people last season, and they’ll be sorely missed. Now, who wants to take bets on which of these lovely folks will get the axe — or the dagger, or the arrow, or the demonic smoke monster shadow thing — this season?

• Watch Five Vine Teasers From ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 4; Trailer to Premiere Sunday
• ‘Game of Thrones’ to Return in April
• HBO Promo Reveals First ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 4 Footage
• TV Bits: ‘Community’, ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Houdini’, ‘El Mariachi’
• Watch: Tywin and Pycelle Go Fishing in ‘Game of Thrones’ Deleted Scene
• Cool Stuff: J.E. Fullerton’s Insanely Detailed ‘Game of Thrones’ Map

If the revival of Cosmos turns out well, it will go a long way to offsetting any other perceived sins committed by producer Seth MacFarlane. Given free reign by Fox, the Family Guy creator has overseen an effects-heavy new edition of Carl Sagan’s pioneering science show. This 2014 edition is hosted by the most prominent current bridge between pop culture and science, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and features input from many of the scientists and thinkers who contribute to Sagan’s original series more than 30 years ago. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey appears to span the gulf between the smallest Earthly existence and the far reaches of the universe — simply put, this new trailer makes it look spectacular.

Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey premieres on March 9th.

• ‘Cosmos’ TV Trailer: Seth McFarlane and Neil deGrasse Tyson Reboot Carl Sagan’s Science Show
• ‘24: Live Another Day’ Gets Yvonne Strahovski and a Premiere Date [Updated With New Plot Details]
• ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’ Red-Band Trailer: Everything Wants to Kill Seth MacFarlane
• Seven Character Posters For Seth MacFarlane’s ‘A Million Ways To Die In The West’
• ‘Veronica Mars’ and Jon Favreau’s ‘Chef’ Premiere at SXSW 2014
• First Look: Neil Patrick Harris, Seth MacFarlane and Amanda Seyfried in ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’

“This is Not a Conspiracy Theory” is a new political web series by Kirby Ferguson, creator of “Everything Is a Remix.” The project was funded on Kickstarter in 2012, and the first installment of the documentary feature has just been released. Previously, we wrote about Ferguson’s four-part “Everything Is a Remix” series.

This incredible skull featured over on Skullis was carved using an agate and amethyst geode, measuring 7.6 inches long, front to back, and weighing just over eight pounds.

Previously we posted about two hand-carved skulls made from ammonite fossils.

images via Skullis

via Lost At E Minor

Terry Gilliam’s latest film, The Zero Theorem, has had a long road to the screen. It premiered at festivals last year but has struggled to find US distribution — perhaps not because it isn’t any good, but because it isn’t particularly commercial. Christoph Waltz leads the cast as a data-entry drone wrestling with an impossible equation. David Thewlis, Melanie Thierry, Ben Whishaw, Tilda Swinton and Matt Damon are backing him up — or, in all probability, messing with Waltz’s character and trying to prevent him from succeeding at anything. Its great to see Gilliam making a film that goes this far out, even if the movie isn’t a rousing success.

This is more or less the same trailer that has been floating around for months, appearing on the internet for a while before being pulled. This one isn’t likely to go anywhere, and it’s also a slightly different edit, so check it out below. 

We don’t have US release info for The Zero Theorem at this point. When the film secures US distribution, we’ll let you know.

An eccentric and reclusive computer genius plagued with existential angst works on a mysterious project aimed at discovering the purpose of existence – or the lack thereof -once and for all. However, it is only once he experiences the power of love and desire that he is able to understand his very reason for being.

• ‘Zero Theorem’ Poster and Director’s Statement; See Terry Gilliam’s Comic-Con Intro
• Terry Gilliam Talks About the Constrained Space and Few Characters of ‘The Zero Theorem’
• Terry Gilliam’s Next Movie is Wild Existential Sci-Fi ‘The Zero Theorem,’ Starring Christoph Waltz
• Matt Damon, Peter Stormare, and Sanjeev Bhaskar Join Terry Gilliam’s ‘The Zero Theorem’
• Cool Stuff: ‘Imagined Worlds,’ Art Based on the Films of del Toro, Gilliam, Kubrick, Lynch and Scott
• ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’ UK Teaser: “I Have What You Need”

A growing collection illustrated by Fran Krause. Not all of them are as charming as this one. [via MeFi]

A Gangnam, Seoul plastic surgeon who did a roaring trade in excising womens' jawbones to give them V-shaped chins was forced to remove the towering jars of thousands of jawbone fragments with which he decorated his office. Photos of the jars spread online, resulting in a visit from a local official, who fined the surgeon about $3000 and ordered the display removed.

A photo of the "bone towers'' posted on the clinic's website was removed after it went viral online, drawing a storm of online criticism.

"This is the most gross, disgusting image I've seen in recent memory,'' tweeted dadaibadi.

The local official said it also contravened regulations requiring the disposal and incineration of body parts removed in medical procedures.

"We visited the clinic after some people filed complaints and plan to slap a fine of three million won ($3171),'' said the official, who declined to be identified.

"Plus it does look unseemly,'' said the official, who added that the clinic had now removed the twin structures.

Plastic surgeon builds glass 'jawbone tower' filled with patients' removed jaws [News.com.au]

(via Neatorama)

Disney’s last trailer for Maleficent was a strange thing that cut together footage from Robert Stromberg’s new movie with clips of the original animated Sleeping Beauty, in which Maleficent made her debut. The music there was strangely bright, making the real tone of the film difficult to pin down.

This new 90-second look at the film features much of the same footage, and also some new clips. More crucially, it is set to a new version of ‘Once Upon a Dream, ‘ recorded by Lana Del Rey. The song makes for a more appropriate soundtrack for the footage. Check out the long TV spot below.

Maleficent opens in theaters on May 30, 2014, with Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, and Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.

“Maleficent” explores the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain from the classic “Sleeping Beauty” and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king’s newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.

 

• ‘Maleficent’ Trailer: Sympathy for the Mistress of All Evil
• Theme Park Bits: Captain America, Harry Potter, The Simpsons, Captain EO, Maleficent, Star Tours
• ‘Maleficent’ Teaser Trailer & Images: Disney Sends Angelina Jolie to the Dark Side
• First Poster for ‘Maleficent’ Starring Angelina Jolie; Trailer Out Tomorrow
• ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ Director to Help With ‘Maleficent’ Reshoots [Updated With New Logo]
• Pixar Skips 2014 as ‘The Good Dinosaur’ Shifts to 2015 and ‘Finding Dory’ to 2016

Sneaky Cards is a card game about “creating fun and creative social interactions, breaking up the tedium of everyday life.” The game was created by 16-year-old Harry Lee in 2009. It has since then been beefed up by a subreddit group and pushed out as a free-to-play game. Sneaky Cards is available to download online for free under a Creative Commons license and print at home.

The main goal of the game is to get rid of all your cards by following each cards own rule set. There are a few variations of gameplay depending on the type of deck you have, the Classic Deck can be played over the course of many days, and during everyday life. Alternatively the Mini Deck can be played competitively, with each player having a deck and the winner being the player that can complete all their objectives first.

The game works best in common social environments. Places like malls, school campuses, offices, conferences, camps, youth groups, parties, and other public places. In most situations there is a player who is playing the game and a non-player who is not. With the player interacting in some way with the non-player.

images via Sneaky Cards

via Boing Boing, The Awesomer

Ze Frank explains “15 Things That Inevitably Happen When You Work in an Office” in this funny video by BuzzFeed. At some point you’ll hear one of your coworkers pooping, and you may even witness them fail to wash their hands.

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

“John Gracie Jr.”

18-year-old Stephanie Fernandez — a self-taught freelance makeup artist and photographer from Shreveport, Louisiana — has taken a series of photos that document her many creepy and colorful makeup transformations. You can view more photos of Stephanie’s creative makeup work online.

Here is her “Pretty Girl” zombie makeup video tutorial:

“Miss Universe”

“Stay Evil”

“Mosquito”

“Fame”

“Red”

“Black”

images and video via Stephanie Fernandez

via reddit, Geekologie

“Catvengers” by Jenny Parks

CATZ! is an upcoming art show at Ltd. Art Gallery in Seattle featuring mashup artwork of cats and pop culture. The group art exhibit will open on Saturday, February 1st, 2014 from 6 – 10 PM PST and run through Sunday, February 23rd. You can RSVP for the event online via Facebook.

Cats, they don’t JUST run the internet. Come celebrate your love of kitties IRL at this new art show! Featuring your favorite feline friends mashed up with your favorite Pop Culture characters, moment, and worlds.

Here is a list of the featured artists:

Arlene Asuncion, Cory Benhatzel, Barry Blankenship, Daisy Church, Christopher Clark, Shawn Cross, Alex J. Cox, Devon Devereaux, Braden Duncan, Phillip Ellering, Frank Forte, Christopher Gutiérrez, Aubrey Harding, Blain Helner, Leen Isabel, Suzanne Kaufman, June Leeloo, Brian Miller, Aaron Nester, Chet Phillips, Clay Sisk, Nan Lawson, Gabi de la Merced, Timo Meyer, MIKEATRON!, Catherine Moore, Melissa Monosmith, Mike Oncley, Jenny Parks, PHESHA, Meghan Stratman, and Jackie Williams.

“Doctor Mew” by Nan Lawson

“Jonesy” by Timo Meyer

CATZ! poster design by Brian Miller

images via Ltd. Art Gallery and credited artists

via http://imgur.com/1FhIo