Celebrities, News

Gary Coleman 911 Call Released

Johnny Sanford :: Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 11:30 am

There’s a lurid aspect to celebrity deaths: the 911 call. This spring has already been the start of a monumental death march, with the loss of iconic Easy Rider Dennis Hopper (also had a great cameo on “Demon Days” as the narrator of the Gorillaz track “Fire Coming Out of the Monkey’s Head”), and the bite-sized actor/security guard Gary Coleman. In the latter case, the 911 call has been released in relation to his death, but the details are a bit fuzzy. “There’s blood everywhere!” his ex-wife Shannon Price screams to the operator, according to Associated Press. MORE »

Christina Hendricks in Broken Bells Video

Alex Moore :: Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 11:00 am

What’s the best thing about Broken Bells? Christina Hendricks.

Then again, what’s the best thing about anything Christina Hendricks does? Christina Hendricks.

Apparently Hendricks is a bit of a science fiction aficionado, has been known to attend Sc-Fi conventions, and the video is a kind of sexy Star Wars redux with a better Princess Leia.

There’s a subplot where she has to remove body parts and submit them as bank payments. They leave her most celebrated asset out of the story, but I guess that would be too obvious. Continue reading to watch the video. MORE »

Can Al-Qaeda Be Killed?

Andrew Belonsky :: Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 10:30 am

The assassination of Al-Qaeda leader Mustafa Abu al-Yazid this week has people wondering if the terrorist organization, long the world’s collective super villain, will soon be a thing of the past. Good thing I’ve been researching that very question for a little over a month. The short answer is, “Yes, probably.” The long answer is: “Not on your life.” MORE »

Here’s the News, Which is Coke.

Andrew Belonsky :: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 6:30 pm

Sigh. No wonder journalism’s in the pits: MSNBC, USA Today and at least one hundred other outlets and websites are harping on how Coke mixed with Mentos can propel a “rocket car.” That car’s sponsored by Coca-Cola itself, and offers a glimpse of how deep branding has burrowed into our lives.
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Kid Loses Nut From “Sack Tapping”

Carmel Lobello :: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 4:23 pm

This just in: punching your friends in the nuts as hard as you can is a terrible idea. “Sack Tapping”, the extremely popular high school “game” of seeing who can withstand the hardest blow to the groin has recently resulted in a kid having to have his testicle surgically removed. I’m not a urologist, or even a boy for that matter, but I totally could have told that kid that the “winner” of that game is actually the loser. Here are a couple other popular activities that look from here like they will eventually result in a hospital visit: MORE »

Ted Haggard Starts New “Church,” Invites You To His House

Alex Moore :: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 4:00 pm

Ted Haggard, the anti-gay, anti-drug former leader of the National Association of Evangelicals who was booted from his religious post for paying for sex with men and buying drugs, just invited you over to his house this Sunday. Literally. MORE »

10 of The Most Racist Bands Touring America?

Stephen Blackwell :: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 2:31 pm

Zach de la Rocha and Kanye West are rounding up artists to circumvent the state of Arizona while routing their summer tours and now Belinda Carlisle of Go-Gos fame has had the Lilith Fair Arizona date be cancelled. The artist ban on Arizona is in protest of the controversial SB-1070 law, which empowers police to profile denizens of Arizona in an effort to root out illegal immigrants.

The controversial law, often referred to as the “Papers Please” law, is viewed by lefties and artists as tyrannical and oppressive. Artists that have honored the activist call include Conor Oberst, Rage Against the Machine, Rise Against, Cypress Hill, Joe Satriani (!), Sonic Youth, Tenacious D, and Michael Moore.

But what should we make of the artists who haven’t? Touring artists will continue to make their way through Arizona this summer. Do they view West and de la Rocha’s activism as overwrought, ambitious and publicity hungry? Do they not care? Are they letting capitalism trump morality (Phoenix is a “top-tier” market, after all)? Or are they perhaps a little bit racist? Here’s a smattering of artists still hitting The Grand Canyon State: MORE »

Homeland Security Fail - Rene Gagnon Not A Terrorist

Amy Laviero :: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 2:00 pm

Street artist Rene Gagnon’s self-portrait has been making appearances all over the world since 2005, although his most recent cameo at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, VA, has caused quite a stir among the Department of Homeland Security. After one of Gagnon’s stickers was found on a trashcan in the airport, DHS sent out an e-mail with a photo attachment, asking anyone with information to “please contact [a] local InfraGard Cooredinator and/or DHS SA.” Government Security News ran an article describing the sticker as “highly unusual,” with “a man clad in a long black jacket, all black pants, shirt, boots and baseball cap with his arms outstretched, his gaze pointed upwards and a bomb prominently attached to his chest.” Gagnon responded to the incident on his website: MORE »

Conan Returns Home… For a Couple Nights

Matt Kiebus :: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 1:45 pm

America’s funniest ginger not named Carrot Top returned home last night. Conan O’Brien’s Legally Prohibited from Being on Television Tour reached New York City last night, performing the first of two nights at Radio City Music Hall. A mere 200 feet away from NBC headquarters the lanky redhead delighted the crowd with his wacky variety show. Being back in the city that made him famous O’Brien invited some of his famous friends to join in on the fun and Vampire Weekend to play a tune. MORE »

Political Theater, Melodrama, and the BP Investigation

Stephen Blackwell :: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 12:45 pm

By the time Barack Obama was sworn in in January 2009, he had already introduced several initiatives that would define his presidency, namely the public healthcare option, the shuttering of Guantanamo Bay, and an economic stimulus package powerful enough to galvanize our wilting economy. MORE »

Patrick Stewart Officially Adds a ‘Sir’

Shannon Hassett :: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 12:30 pm

There are few people who had as strong of a grip on my youth as Jean-Luc Picard. My nanny was a trekkie, and as a result, many an afternoon was spent with that bald, commanding Brit acting as babysitter. And who better? Behind the fearless leader of the free world (and beyond) existed a sensitive sole, more apt for Shakespeare and the stage than heading a Starfleet. His heroes growing up were both knights (Sirs Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud) and he worked aside one in X-Men with Ian McKellan, so it’s about time Patrick Stewart was awarded the honor in his own right. Dedicating it to his English teacher Cecil Dormand, who encouraged him to take up acting and introduced him to Shakespeare as youngster, Patrick was very humble while accepting the title from the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Trouble imagining him outside the Enterprise? Check him out here in PBS’s recent rendition of “Hamlet”, alongside Dr. Who’s David Tennant.

Wu Tang Name Generator - Political Edition

Alex Moore :: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 12:30 pm

There are a couple Wu Tang name generators making the rounds today, and one of them seems preternaturally gifted at naming politicians.

Wouldn’t the world be more fun if all our world leaders lived in Wu Tang land? Imagine a State Of the Union address where the crowd stands and that guy in the back of the hall announces the president’s entry: “Ladies and Gentlemen, Annoyin’ Swami.” Here are our picks for the Wu Name Generators best world leader names. MORE »

Glee Gets Funky, Jane Lynch Gets Married

Shannon Hassett :: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 12:00 pm

While I am much more partial to the gloomy, nonmelodic depictions of high school as found in Freaks and Geeks and My So-Called Life (the one exception to this rule being the two Daria music specials), I must say, Glee could be a whole lot worse. It doesn’t go for groundbreaking, at least not in the lives of its characters, and their shallow melodramas thus seem justified when you realize that the emphasis of the whole thing is on the songs. But this isn’t really about Glee, it’s about Sue Sylvester, or the real life Jane Lynch, supporting actress and guaranteed comedic relief extraordinaire, who got married over Memorial Day weekend to psychiatrist Dr. Lara Embry in Sunderland, Massachusetts. It was small (21 guests), devoid of famous faces and Ms. Sylvester donned pants, which when you think about it, really just fills you with… glee.

Does Apple Have the Wrong Idea About the Future of Music?

Alex Moore :: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 10:30 am

The music streaming service Lala was shut down yesterday as Apple promised it would be, just five months after acquiring it for $80 million, raising speculation as to what Apple plans to do with the technology.

Do you miss it? Neither do we. We thought Lala’s pay-per-stream subscription service was convoluted and over-complicated. Which is why we fear that for once Apple may have the wrong idea about the future of music. MORE »

Ice Cube Takes a Break from Building his Family Friendly Figure to Revisit his Roots.

Matt Kiebus :: Tuesday, June 1st, 2010 7:00 pm

Ice Cube used to be one of the top 5 scariest human beings alive. Now, he’s about to star in a family sitcom on TBS based on his film Are We There Yet? When did he fall so far from grace? It’s almost as bad as Chevy Chase’s astronomical fall from Caddyshack to Snow Day. On a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon Cube appeared as a guest to plug his new show and album, I Am The West, coming out in July. After spending so much time developing his acting career with Are We There Yet? and Are We Done Yet? One must ask the question: has Ice Cube gone soft? (I mean I’m not asking it. I’m just hypothetically speaking and still a little scared.) MORE »