Category Archives: Entertainment

Cirque de Calder

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Alexander Calder, circus master. What’s particularly amusing about this is that he sounds so drunk I’m having an easier time understanding his French than his English. Perhaps it’s cognac?

Alexander Calder’s Paper Circus, via BoingBoing. Endure the slow lead-in, because the circus itself is worth waiting for.

Carlos Vilardebo‘s 1961 film of Alexander Calder’s “circus,” an intricately assembled performance piece played out by handmade characters including jugglers, sword swallowers, clowns, and animals. These figures, crafted from a collection of “cork, wire, wood, yarn, paper, string, and cloth,” were each assigned a series of movements and manipulated by the artist to perform specific circus acts. With performances held at various locations in Paris and New York through the mid 1930s, Calder’s circus helped to establish him in avante-garde circles. Jean Cocteau, Joan Miró, Fernand Léger, Piet Mondrian, Le Corbusier, Thomas Wolfe, and André Kertész were among those who saw the celebrated Cirque Calder over the years.

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the H word!

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The H Word

by Ted Rall. Via Cryptome

review o’ the day: Geoffrey Chaucer on video games

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Gower, take thatte!G-Chaus is back, with a roundup of the hottest video games on the market.

From TYGER WOODSES HUNTINGE AND HAWKINGE to GRANDE THEFTE, COLLUSIOUN, AND MAYNTENANCE, he gives his loyale readeres the hot poop on slick tech products that we’ve come to expect of the fourteenth century’s most prolific blogger.

Bonus points for using the Latinate “Margaritae“.

O my gentil rederes, it hath been a thinge of muche difficultee and laboure for to type euen the smallest entrie in myn blogge. For somer, lyk vnto a songe of Barry Manilow, hath ydrawn alle the spirit and vigor from my limbes and hert. For the gretre part of the hot moneth of July ich laye in my garden on my comfortable lawn-chaire and langwisshed lyk vnto sum yonge lover who hath ydumpede been. Ich daubede myn foreheed wyth a moyste towel and did drinke mvch of somer drinkes swich as margaritae and daquiri…
 

And so, my noble rederes, vntil the hete of somer fullie abateth, ich shal be up wyth litel Lowys, in hys attic room, playinge of video games and drinkinge depe draughtes of mountayne dewe. C U L8re, gentilz!

Ich Pwne Noobs

Operation Global Media Domination: Blackzilla, conqueror of blogs

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TIACrushing all in its path, Blackzilla has taken giant strides to the head of the raincoaster blog, with over 100 google hits over the past two days. Darren and Joanne? Ovah. Beautiful Agony? Suffering. Mad mentos and diet coke Scientists? Sputtering out.

The upcoming newcomers, all of whom have had their thunder stolen by my several-days-old Blackzilla posting, include T.W.A.T. in the Air, which several clueless commentors failed to identify as a joke, thus making themselves into punchlines; the Canadian patriotic post Beaver Shots (inexplicable; whodathunk Canadians would be so popular, eh?); and We Are All Gwyneth, for who among us is not, really?

on your knees for the Church of Tom Jones

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No, seriously. There’s a Church of Tom Jones. In California, of course. What’s slightly worrying is that it’s in the state’s capital city, a place we’d thought had more than its RDA of showbiz nuttiness already, what with the Gouvernator and all.

Thanks to FE for the video, and to the BBC, via Fark, for the story.

A US preacher who has set up a church dedicated to the Welsh sex symbol and crooner Tom Jones has denied using religion in vain.

Pastor Jack Stahl said Jones‘s “soulful, spiritual and supernatural” voice helps him contact God.

Would this have anything to do with all those women yelling “Oh God, oh God,” at certain moments? Just close your eyes and think of Tom Jones…

“It’s weird, but a positive thing,” he said. “I inspired Pastor Jack. He saw the light through me, so it works.”