Viral Flashback: Kermit "Hurt"

Okay, any discussion of “Muppets and metal” would be remiss if it didn’t link to this classic. What more can I say? Watch the video.

Keep suggestions for this coming. We’ve still got a few days left until next week’s viral flashback.

Viral Flashback: Cookie Monster, Kermit and a magic box

Despite Kermit’s denials, Cookie Monster remains firmly convinced a cookie lies within the mysterious cube. When he finds out the mystery item is something else, however, an interesting confrontation develops …

Okay, so I know this doesn’t fall in line with our “Viral Flashback” theme of “muppets and metal,” but tough cookies (see what I did there?). You’ll get a real viral flashback later today. This video was too awesome to not link. So enjoy it. Or you’re not getting any cookies.

LOST: I love Geronimo Jackson!

Now you can too thanks to LOST’s newest (and perhaps weirdest) viral marketing ploy. Head on over to iTunes to download “Dharma Lady” for free. Unfortunately, the song seems to only be available for free in U.S. stores. Those without iTunes access, however, can click on over to Dark UFO to hear the song in its entirety. It’s actually pretty groovy!

“Dharma Lady How ya been?
Are we lovers
Or we just friends? I believe. Oh I believe
I will love again.

Can anyone else picture a drunk Horace singing this at Friday night Karaoke in New Otherton? I totally can.

GROSS: Sexual Deviancy of Bill O’Reilly

Bill O’Reilly has to be smacking himself in the face right now. The audiotape of his 1998 novel Those Who Trespass is old news, but as I’m sure he’s learned from this little gem, the Internet rarely forgives and never forgets.
Tonight Gawker revisits the classic audiobook (O’Reilly himself taped it) and pulled out the “sexiest” passages for all of us to enjoy. As an added bonus, they’ve paired the passages against comments from the O’Reilly Factor. Fun stuff.
My favorite quote? (Mind you O’Reilly reads them like a politican hitting talking points …)
Say baby, put down that pipe and get my pipe up.”
And of course, the memorable …
Cup your hands under your breasts and hold them for ten seconds.”
Um, okay? Part of me wonders what the undrafted manuscript looks like. It must be horrid.
All passages are individually linked over at The Village Voice if you want to make your own audio meshups. This is, of course, strongly encouraged.

BSG: A fitting end … at the UN?

I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least post a link to a story on BSG’s visit yesterday to the United Nations.

As usual, Maureen Ryan has written a remarkable recap, which I encourage you all to check out. Ron Moore, David Eick, Mary McDonnell and Edward James Olmos were all on hand, in addition to four U.N. officials. Panelists talked about how BSG confronted real world issues such as terrorism and met with U.N. officials and the public in the hopes of forging a stronger link between representatives from the political world and the creative community.

I shot Mo a quick Twit yesterday to see if how Eddie Olmos (my favorite alongside Michael Hogan) was doing. Mo was firing off quotes throughout the whole event, but took a moment to respond to my inquiry saying:

“I didn’t speak to him at UN but he was very forthright and very bold at panel. Very lively.”

Marc Bernardin of Entertainment Weekly also has a nice writeup on the event, which details how he went into the event slightly amused by came out seeing how the whole panel “made perfect sense.”

Here’s an exerpt:

While the idea of the UN hosting a retrospective on Battlestar Galactica might sound a little odd, as the night went on it started to make perfect sense. From the very beginning, BSG has dealt with moral issues — what it means to be human, the rule of law vs. the military might, the arguable merits of armed insurgency — issues which find themselves on the UN’s docket almost every day. As Robert Orr, the Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Planning put it, “You’ve got people thinking about issues that we try and get people thinking about every day.”

When one of the UN’s representatives talked about how part of their mandate was to safeguard the human rights of everyone, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, and station, Olmos got a little heated. “You never should’ve invited me here,” he said, before blasting the UN for continuing to use race as a term of separation, of division among peoples. His voice rose, steadily, as if years of social activism was coming to a head on this night. Then, directing his attention to the high schoolers: “Adults will never be able to stop using the word ‘race’ as a cultural determinant….There is only one race: the human race. SO SAY WE ALL!”

I swear to you, everyone in that chamber shouted it right back at him. Because the Admiral asked us to.

Frak that’s really, really cool.

Update: Real Media Video for the event can be found here. (Link Courtesy Entertainment Weekly)

BARACK-A-TOLOGY

Check out BAM talking about his bracket picks. Best line of the video comes when the reporter asks whether or not the President stayed up to watch the recent six overtime Big East game between Syracuse and UCONN. Says Obama: “I watched the highlights on ESPN. I can’t be staying up ’til two in the morning man, I’ve got work to do.”

On another presidential sporting note, check out Obama’s take on the need for NCAA football playoffs.

FUTURE: What do the next decades hold for computing?

Check out this cool video to get a glimpse of what Microsoft is marketing as their future vision for world computing. Seems to me like our descendants love their touch screens, wireless interfaces, touch screens and er … touch screens. Hey, the iPhone’s pinch feature is really cool, so shut up.
Microsoft also seems to think real time translation matrices are going to get pretty huge. Probably accurate. Transparent screens would be a wonderful addition to future societies as well. Actually, those probably aren’t that far off — in case you didn’t know it, they already exist.
So cool video, whatever. Did anyone else notice the pot shot they seemed to be taking at Amazon though? Everything in this video is computerized (including the freaking walls) yet here’s a lady on a plane still reading a paperback book. Tough break Kindle, the future has no room for you!

Viral Flashback: Cookie Monster metal

This week’s installment of Viral Flashback (our first ever, yay!) will focus on two of my favorite things — Muppets and Metal!

Okay, so here’s how it works. Every week I’ll pick a theme combining two seemingly disparate topics and post videos/other online related content fitting the bill throughout the week. Pretty simple. Feel free to hit me up with any suggestions in the comments if you have a good idea for the project.

Let’s get this party started off with some “br00tal” death metal courtesy of everyone’s favorite blue Muppet (sorry, but %$^& you Gonzo). Watch as Cookie Monster spreads his pertinent message to hungry youth . . .

SLAMMER: Guns and Roses Blogger Faces Jail Time

The Register reports:
A Los Angeles man who pleaded guilty in December to illegally uploading nine Guns N’ Roses songs onto his music site could be thrown in the slammer for six months if federal prosecutors in the case get their way. Kevin Cogill was arrested last summer after posting tracks on 18 June from GNR’s album Chinese Democracy to his Antiquiet website. He saw the copyright violation charge against him reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor after he admitted to streaming the pre-release tunes.
The album finally arrived (officially at least) in November 2008 following a 17-year gestation. According to court findings, prosecuters want to see a six-month prison term imposed on the blogger.

Apparently the RIAA wants to nail him for about $2.2 million (didn’t they say they were stopping lawsuits?), but are willing to settle for $30,000. Of course, Mr. Cogill is going to have to become a PR hack for RIAA goons and will be forced to go around telling people that downloading music for free is a wicked, wicked act. Sounds fun. If he refuses, he’ll presumably get hit with the full fine and his life will essentially be ruined.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 4, so keep your eyes peeled.

COOL: A Tear of Grief

I thought I would link to this beautiful 10-story-tall memorial for victims of the September 11, 2001 U.S. attack.

In case you are wondering, the monument is located in New Jersey and was a gift from the Russian government. It’s designed by Georgian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli.

Not to be cynical, but how is it that the Russians can manage to design, construct and ship this estimated $12 million piece while we’ve still got a gaping hole at Ground Zero?

Just some food for thought.