Regarding Vampires and Other Cults

There's a very nice article in the recent New Yorker about vampires. The writer discusses the vampire myth in general, and how books like Bram Stoker's Dracula have maintained its popularity throughout the modern era. Truth is, since Stoker, vampires have enjoyed a cult following in fiction, movies, television, etc. In explaining cults of this type (there's a "culture" pun here that I am missing), the author, Joan Acocella, says that "cults often gather around powerful works of the second rank. Fans feel that they have to root for them."

I thought this was a great way to put it, explaining fandom very succinctly. I'll remember that one!

Thanks, Internet

Did I mention this was fun?

Obamicon

This is fun. Make your own "PROGRESS" poster in the Obama style at Obamicon.me. Warning: the site is a bit slow. Thanks to Eric for bringing this to my attention!

Cat-22 Fanart!

.: Calling Cat 22 :. by ~pollo-chan on deviantART

500th Post!

Yowza!

FYI, Intelligentsia

Well, the New Yorker has really beefed up its web offerings, including a complete digital version of the magazine every week. Too bad the user experience TOTALLY SUCKS ASS. Take that, snobs!

MC Flow - Incredible

Check out MC Flow's video for "Incredible" -- aw, yeah! Go, Abby!

RFTC Back From the Dead

Somehow, I missed this back in August: RFTC's All Systems Go, Vol. 3 on Vagrant Records. Just picked it up from Amazon. See? Speedo just won't die!!

Cream of Sum Yung Gai

OMG, this is awesome. Thanks to KJ for the head's up. There is nothing more to say, other than: hilarious!

Renaissance, Indeed!

Q-Tip has a new album out, entitled "The Renaissance" -- his first album since 1999's "Amplified", the initial solo outing released in the wake of Tribe's demise.

First of all, I was really excited to hear that Q-Tip had a new album out. But it got me to thinking about "Amplified" and a nagging question that has bugged me for almost a decade (seriously). To wit: why the heck was "Amplified" met with such a lukewarm reaction from both critics and fans? I still don't get it. I have listened to "Amplified" on and off since its release, and I still enjoy it to this day (despite the horrible -- HORRIBLE -- closing track with Korn).

The merits of "Amplified" are pretty clear to me: strong beats, smooth rhymes and two really awesome singles ("Breathe and Stop" and "Vivrant Thing"), but I think the album failed to meet expectations. (Once again, the Schwartz Theory of Media Consumption rears its head.) To be specific, I think fans and critics were expecting a Tribe album, and didn't get it. But that doesn't mean that "Amplified" was a failure.

I have a theory that Q-Tip just wanted to make a party record after Tribe imploded. "Amplified" is a simpler kind of album when you compare it to Tribe's stuff. Definitely poppy with slick production. Maybe without Phife to counter his rhymes, Q-Tip came across as rather flat. (Remember Chuck D's solo album?) Anyway, the point is that I like "Amplified" for what it is, and not what it isn't.

As for "The Renaissance" -- I have listened to it a number of times, and it's good. But not necessarily as good as "Amplified". I'm sure I'm in the minority opinion on that one. But there are people who agree:

From an Amazon user review of "Amplified":

i don't understand why this album's so undervalued...
yes, it may be far different from atcq albums, but is certainly a big part of 'him' anyway that still lives!

just loved it. n' still loving it :)

This got me to thinking further: are there other really good albums in my collection that just didn't resonate with critics and/or fans? I'm sure there are. I'll have to ponder that one.

The Search Is Over

Five words: Harvey Leeds - State of Shock. 'Nuff said.

New Family Pics

New photos of the kids are available for viewing on my Picasa webpage.

The Life and Times of Tim

Excitement abounds in my household, as HBO is debuting an original animated comedy series called The Life and Times of Tim this weekend. Oh, but how that excitement has been tempered by the first promo I saw, which featured the main character (Tim, duh) with his lady pal in the video rental store (see picture). Guess what happens? The store clerk tells Tim that the porno that he rented is a million days overdue! And he does it in a REALLY LOUD VOICE, which is, like, so totally awkward! Hoo boy...a tired gag in a tired location that most HBO subscribers haven't set foot in since 2002. This doesn't bode well...

I watched more clips on the website. The show seems to have ripped off the Soup 2 Nuts (Home Movies, Dr. Katz) style wholesale. Yeesh! So it would appear that there is nothing very original about The Life and Times of Tim , but that doesn't stop it from being sorta funny. One clip, entitled "Corporate Challenge" (in which Tim's boss wants to do some "gay stuff") made me laugh. But seriously: the tropes, the timing, the pacing, the voice direction, even the crappy drawings...it all screams Soup 2 Nuts.

The show seems to have a decent pedigree, not to mention the backing of HBO. The creator, Steve Dildarian, has a background in advertising and attended SVA. There's clearly some talent behind this thing. And I'm sure it will have its moments. (I liked the arm wrestling bit on the airplane.) But I predict a pretty limp showing on HBO, followed by a quick trip into animation oblivion. Or to Adult Swim. Too bad. A missed opportunity!

Facebook, I'm Dead to You

So I was at the Austin Game Developer's Conference this past week. At some point during the conference, my Blackberry started exploding -- and no, it was not due to my amazing networking skills. Apparently, my Facebook account had spammed nearly everyone on my friends list with dumbass link posts on their walls. Meanwhile, I'm at a conference for three days with the means (laptop) but not the time (or, frankly, the desire) to deal with it. In any event, I am thusly laid siege by a barrage of emails like this one: "Dude, I think your account has been hacked..." and this one: "What the hell is this link?!?" and this one: "Change your fucking password!!!" Gee, great. Thanks, Facebook.

I will say this: I can appreciate Facebook as a platform and find it to be a pleasant distraction. On a "meta" level I can also see how it (and sites like it) are changing the landscape of how we communicate with each other. I also find it to be a giant pain in my ass, and therefore, Facebook: I'm dead to you. Our relationship lasted a little over seven months, and I never even got a blowjob.

Oh God Please Don't Fuck This Up

Louis Letterier, the guy who made "The Transporter" and this summer's "Hulk" movie is in pre-production on a remake of Clash of the Titans -- my favorite movie of all time.

Love Question

Okay so regarding Love's seminal 60s album "Forever Changes" -- is the "changes" in the title a noun? As in, "These aren't just regular changes. These are forever changes." Or is it a verb? As in, "Don't worry, kiddo. Forever doesn't stay the same. Forever changes."

Cat of Record

Well, it's official: Calling Cat-22 is in Wikipedia.

Thumbs Up

Toonzone's forums report that Calling Cat-22! is "funny". Hooray!

Calling Cat-22!

Watch an episode of Calling Cat-22 on Cartoon Network Video now, then watch for more episodes this Sunday, June 15, during the "Not-So-Smart Toons" Marathon (12p-6p)!!

Cartoon Network = Boys

Great article about Cartoon Network's new direction, from last week's Variety.