Bloggfærslur mánaðarins, júlí 2008

4.7.2008 | 18:29

Afmæli eiga í dag ......

Gloria Stuart (98)
Becki Newton (30)
Koko The Gorilla (37)
Ute Lemper (45)
Geraldo Rivera (65)
Gina Lollobrigida (81)
Neil Simon (81)
Eva Marie Saint (84)

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4.7.2008 | 16:49

C-Rod Believes Madonna and A-Rod Rumors

Cynthia Rodriguez might be the most suffering Yankee baseball wife these days (well, this side of Debbie Clemens). According to the Daily News, C-Rod told her friends Madonna is "using Kabbalah to brainwash Yankee star Alex Rodriguez into believing they are 'soulmates'."

A friend told the News Cynthia really believes A-Rod and Madonna are involved; C-Rod apparently said, "I feel like Madonna is using mind control over him. I don't recognize the man he's become. He was a sweet, beautiful, loving husband and father. Today he's very cold and calculating."

Cynthia Rodriguez, 34-year-old mother of two daughters with A-Rod, also thinks her husband's people tipped the paparazzi that she was in Paris and staying at Lenny Kravitz's apartment, spurring more rumors that he was involved in a love rectangle. According to C-Rod's friend, the Yankee superstar suggested she get away to Paris, "Why don't you stay with Lenny?"

Kravitz issued a statement saying he is not having an affair with Cynthia Rodriguez, "This is unequivocally, 100 percent not true ... I opened my home to her as a friend and I find it extremely hurtful that I am now being referred to as an adulterer... She came here to escape from everything happening in New York City" He added that she was at his home with her friends and their child.

While Cynthia's father told the Post, "We love Alex. Of course, we love our daughter. Hopefully, they will work things out. Marital issues happen in all walks of life," her mother said, "We've known about this for a long time. Everyone else is shocked, but we're not shocked." And it may be possible that the scandal helps A-Rod's stats.

Tekið af NYC bloggi

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4.7.2008 | 15:56

PIXAR

Jim Hill's back with even more answers to your Disney-related questions. This time around, Jim tries to put together a definitive list of where the in-jokes & self references in Pixar's feature films & shorts are located

Bernie W. writes in to say:

Jim --
Can you please help me win a bet at work? A co-worker of mine says that WALL-E makes a brief cameo appearance in "Ratatouille." More importantly, this guy has bet me $100 that I'll never ever be able to find that robot in this movie.

Copyright 2007 Disney / Pixar. All Rights Reserved
I've watch my kid's "Ratatouille" DVD three times now and haven't seen hide nor hair of WALL-E yet. So if I offer you a percentage of my winnings, will you please tell me where I can find this robot in the movie?
Thanks in advance for your help,
Bernie W.

Dear Bernie --

I have to admit that the guys up in Emeryville do delight in doing stuff like that. As in: Bringing characters from different Pixar projects together. Take -- for example -- what happens to the logo for this animation studio in the opening portion of "WALL-E" 's international trailer. Where first the light in the Luxo Jr. lamp blows out and then WALL-E rolls on-screen with a replacement bulb.

Or -- for that matter -- making reference to earlier and/or upcoming productions in the most recent Pixar release. How many of you recall that the title of this animation studio's very first short (i.e. "The Adventures of André and Wally B") ...

... actually wound up being printed on the spine of one of those storybooks that you saw behind Woody in "Toy Story"?

Or how the lamp from "Luxo Jr." (You know? That 1980s-era lighting fixture that's featured so prominently in the Pixar logo?) ...

... also makes an appearance in that John Lasseter movie. Albeit with a bright red paint job.

Even the yellow ball from "Luxo Jr." (With its distinctive red star and blue stripe) ...

... turns up in "Toy Story." It's the ball that Buzz Lightyear bounces off of as he's trying to prove to all the other toys in Andy's room that he really can fly.

"So when did Pixar get started with making all of these in-jokes and/or self references to its own movies?," you ask. My understanding is that this practice actually dates back to 1987. Where -- as staffers at this animation studio were rushing to complete "Red's Dream," the short that they planned on placing in competition at that year's SIGGRAPH -- they realized that the circus center ring that plays such a prominent role in this film's dream sequence was a bit on the bland side.

Sooo ... Hoping to inject a little more color into "Red's Dream," Lasseter & Co. lifted the color, textures and designs featured on the rubber ball in "Luxo Jr." and then made that the floor of their circus's center ring.

As the story goes, a few folks at SIGGRAPH 1987 told John that they thought that it was really clever that "Red's Dream" had referenced Pixar's first SIGGRAPH submission, "Luxo Jr." Which suggested that there was some sort of connective tissue between these two animated shorts.

Which -- let's be honest here, folks -- was NOT what John Lasseter & his team of animators were trying to do when they were working on "Red's Dream." Truth be told, these guys were just looking for a quick-and-dirty way to add some additional color to that film's dream sequence. But given they seemed to get extra points with the people at SIGGRAPH for trying to be clever ... Well, in-jokes and self references then became a way of life at Pixar Animation Studios.

Which is why the gas station that Andy's Mom pulls into in "Toy Story" ...

... then became the racing sponsor that Lightning McQueen was lusting after in Pixar's "Cars."

Or how the crazy old man who's playing chess with himself in "Geri's Game" ...

... could wind up being the toy repair expert that Al calls in when Woody gets his arm torn off in "Toy Story 2."

Mind you, some of these in-jokes go literally by in the blink of an eye. Take -- for example -- those itty-bitty bitchy birds that get their comeuppance in "For the Birds"

Did you catch their blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance in "Cars" ?

If not ... Well, I can't say as I'm surprised. These birds-on-a-wiretap go by in a 10th of a second in that John Lasseter film. You can catch a brief glimpse of them as Mac rolls through the countryside in that movie's "Life is a Highway" musical montage sequence.

Mind you, the people at Pixar can be pretty picky about where and when they make these references. By that I mean: Witness how the ball from "Luxo Jr." can be seen in the Parrs' living room during "Jack-Jack Attack" ...

And yet this children's plaything is nowhere to be seen in yet another Pixar project that prominently features a baby, "Tin Toy."

As for Tinny himself, he actually make a quick cameo in Pixar's most recent short, "Lifted." This tender-hearted wind-up toy is located under the bed during the attempted abduction sequence.

Speaking of bedrooms ... Perhaps the most famous set of self references to ever appear in a Pixar picture occurred in "Monsters, Inc." Where -- as Sulley finally returns Boo to the human world -- among the toys that we see scattered around this toddler's bedroom are the ball from "Luxo Jr." (You can see it in the photo below next to the easel) as well as a Jessie doll from "Toy Story 2" (On the white table to the left).

Which Boo now brings to Sulley. And then -- as the icing on the cake -- this cute little girl hands her favorite squeaky toy over to that blue-haired beast. Which (not-so-co-incidentally) is shaped just like that cute little clown fish who'll play the title characters in Pixar's Summer 2003 release, "Finding Nemo."

This particular in-joke launched a brand-new trend at that animation studio. Where the animators would then fold in a somewhat discreet reference to an upcoming Pixar production. Take -- for example -- that "Incredibles" manga that the little boy is reading at the dentist's office in "Finding Nemo."

Or -- better yet -- how about that cameo appearance that Stanley made in "Boundin'" ?

"And who exactly is Stanley?," you ask. Well, Stanley is the Stanley Steamer who founded Radiator Springs. It's his statue that Lightning McQueen winds up pulling off its pedestal when that race car accidentally winds up trashing that sleepy Southwestern town on his way to the Piston Cup.

I know, I know. Not everyone is going to pick up on these somewhat tenuous connections between the various Pixar productions. And that's okay with that studio's animators. Sometimes they actually prefer it when their in-jokes stay in-jokes.

Take -- for example -- how Linguini ...

... is also the unfortunate human who gets brutally bashed about while he's being abducted in Gary Rydstrom's "Lifted."

But then again, there are those pieces of connective tissue that the people at Pixar really hope that animation fans do notice. Like that remote trailer with the deadly bug light in "A Bug's Life" ...

... is also where Randall winds up after he gets banished to the human world in "Monsters, Inc." ?

Or -- for that matter -- did you notice the Pizza Planet truck that was parked beside this trailer?

Believe it or not, this particular vehicle (which is modeled after the Toyota HiLux) has appeared in every single feature film that Pixar Animation Studios has produced to date. It's the truck that Woody & Buzz stow away in when they're trying to hitch a ride to Pizza Planet in the original "Toy Story."

This is also the vehicle that Buzz "borrows" in "Toy Story 2," when that space ranger is trying to prevent Buzz, Jessie and Bullseye from being sent to that toy museum in Japan.

You can also catch a quick glimpse of the Pizza Planet truck as Gill is explaining his latest escape plan to the Tank Gang.

The Pizza Planet truck also makes an appearance in the Piston Cup sequence of "Cars." You'll find him to the far left in the photo below, next to the RV that looks like Elvis Presley.

Which brings us to "The Incredibles." Brad Bird's very first feature for Pixar Animation Studios. Given that Brad was something of an outsider when he first arrived in Emeryville, he didn't automatically buy into all of Pixar's oddball traditions. Which is why -- when it came time to insert that obligatory Pizza Planet truck cameo into his picture -- Bird made it part of the Parrs' high speed return to the city aboard that badly battered RV ...

... Which is why all you really get to see of the Pizza Planet truck in "The Incredibles" is a pale blur.

However, by the time "Ratatouille" came out, Brad was finally a true believer in the Pixar way of doing things. Which is why he happily included the Pizza Planet truck among all of the other cars that were motoring around Paris.

Mind you, Bird still didn't make it all that easy for animation fans to spy this vehicle. Given that he had the Pizza Planet truck drive across a bridge that was 'way off in the background while Skinner was chasing Remy through the foreground while riding on that scooter.

Speaking of strange things that you can spy in "Ratatouille" ... Did you see where Brad had Bomb Voyage (You know? The explosives-crazed criminal that Mr. Incredible discovers robbing a bank in the opening sequence of "The Incredibles" ?) ...

... also makes an appearance as a mime who's working in the streets of Paris in "Ratatouille" ?

And then there are the just-plain-silly in-jokes. Like that moment in the "A Bug's Life" out-takes where it's revealed that Woody is working the clapboard on that particular Pixar production.

Or when Flik deliberately blows his own lines, using Buzz Lightyear's "To Infinity and Beyond" catchphrase rather than saying "For the Colony and oppressed bugs everywhere!"

Or how about that moment in the "Toy Story 2" out-takes, when Flik first tells Heimlich how happy he is to be working on "A Bug's Life 2" ...

... only to then discover -- just as Buzz Lightyear's machete comes crashing down on the branch that this ant & the caterpillar are standing on -- that the Pixar sequel that they're actually appearing in is "Toy Story 2."

But for every Pixar in-joke or self reference that are like this (i.e. Really obvious. In your face), there are the really subtle, throwaway ones. Like how the ball from "Luxo Jr." rolls periodically rolls through the background of the menus on the "Toy Story 2" DVD.

Which brings us (finally!) to the answer of Bernie W.'s question. As in: Where exactly in "Ratatouille" can you find WALL-E?

To be honest, Bernie's co-worker seems to deliberately be trying to trick his friend. Given that the title character of this upcoming Andrew Stanton film doesn't actually appear in the "Ratatouille" film. But -- rather -- that cute little robot can be found on the new Pixar short that's included as an extra features on the "Ratatouille" DVD, "Your Friend the Rat."

"And where is WALL-E?," you ask. Well ... Toward the end of the short, Remy & Emile sing a song called "Plan B." And -- at one point in this musical fantasy sequence -- humans & rats are happily seated inside of this futuristic spacecraft, which is zooming along that planet's surface toward a launching pad.

If you take a close look at the driver of that craft, you'll see that it's a very stylized version of the star of Pixar's big release of the Summer of 2008, "WALL-E."

As for cutting me in for a share of your winnings, Bernie W ... Tell you what. Why don't you hold onto that cash for a few days? For sometime late next week, I'll actually be talking about a very worthy cause that I'd like JHM readers to consider donating to.

Tekið af Jim Hill.com blogginu hans

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4.7.2008 | 13:23

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Half Blood Prince Empire Cover

$MICHAEL GAMBON as Albus Dumbledore in Warner Bros. Pictures\' fantasy \$

$JIM BROADBENT as Professor Horace Slughorn and EMMA WATSON as Hermione Granger in Warner Bros. Pictures\' fantasy \$

$EMMA WATSON as Hermione Granger, RUPERT GRINT as Ron Weasley and DANIEL RADCLIFFE as Harry Potter in Warner Bros. Pictures\' fantasy \$

$Director DAVID YATES on the set with DANIEL RADCLIFFE as Harry Potter and BONNIE WRIGHT as Ginny Weasley in Warner Bros. Pictures\' fantasy \$

$TOM FELTON as Draco Malfoy in Warner Bros. Pictures\' fantasy \$

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4.7.2008 | 13:22

Nefnilega það

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4.7.2008 | 09:05

The Dark Knight

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4.7.2008 | 08:59

4 Tha Women

WOMAN'S PERFECT BREAKFAST
She's sitting at the table with her gourmet coffee.
Her son is on the cover of the Wheaties box.
Her daughter is on the cover of Business Week.
Her boyfriend is on the cover of Playgirl.
And her husband is on the back of the milk carton.

Keep reading-they get better!!!

WOMEN'S REVENGE
'Cash, check or charge?' I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase.
As she fumbled for her wallet, I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse.
'So, do you always carry your TV remote?' I asked.
'No,' she replied, 'but my husband refused to come shopping with me,
and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally.'

UNDERSTANDING WOMEN
(A MAN'S PERSPECTIVE)
I know I'm not going to understand women.
I'll never understand how you can take boiling hot wax,
pour it onto your upper thigh, rip the hair out by the root,
and still be afraid of a spider.

WIFE VS. HUSBAND
A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word.
An earlier discussion had led to an argument and
neither of them wanted to concede their position.
As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs,
the husband asked sarcastically, 'Relatives of yours?'
'Yep,' the wife replied, 'in-laws.'

WORDS
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day.
30,000 to a man's 15,000.
The wife replied, 'The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men...
The husband then turned to his wife and asked, 'What?'

CREATION
A man said to his wife one day, 'I don't know how you can be
so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time.
'The wife responded, 'Allow me to explain.
God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me;
God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!

WHO DOES WHAT
A man and his wife were having an argument about who
should brew the coffee each morning.
The wife said, 'You should do it because you get up first,
and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee.
The husband said, 'You are in charge of cooking around here and
you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee.'
Wife replies, 'No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee.'
Husband replies, 'I can't believe that, show me.'
So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says .. 'HEBREWS'

The Silent Treatment
A man and his wife were having some problems at home
and were giving each other the silent treatment.
Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him
at 5:0 0 AM for an early morning business flight.
Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper,
'Please wake me at 5:00 AM.' He left it where he knew she would find it.
The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him,
when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.
The paper said, 'It is 5:00 AM. Wake up.'
Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.

God may have created man before woman, but there is always a rough draft before the masterpiece

SEND THIS TO SMART WOMEN WHO NEED A LAUGH AND TO MEN YOU THINK CAN HANDLE IT!

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4.7.2008 | 08:57

PZ

Í fyrsta þætti júlí mánaðar fáum við Berlínar búann Leópold í heimsókn en það er tæpt ár síðan að hann spilaði hjá okkur síðast. Verður spennandi að heyra hvaða spennandi tóna hann mun bjóða okkur upp á núna í sumar.

Við heyrum í ýmsum frábærum listamönnum að vanda og þar á meðal má nefna Kleerup, Wade Nichols, Uncle O, Discorama, Plump DJs, Radio Slave, Stimming og Sebastien Léger.

Múmía kvöldsins lætur á sér kræla ásamt því að við kíkjum yfir hvað sé framundan og sitthvað fleira.

Kveðja,

Helgi & Kristján

Party Zone

Öll laugardagskvöld milli 19:30 og 22:00 á Rás 2 pz.is myspace.com/mypartyzone PZ podcast PZ MSN: partyzone@vortex.is

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4.7.2008 | 08:56

Tiger

Vitið þið hver er munurinn á Tiger Woods og Díönu prinsessu??................

............... Tigerinn er með mun betri driver! .........

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3.7.2008 | 22:34

Bloggfærslur mánaðarins, júlí 2008

Afmæli eiga í dag ......

C-Rod Believes Madonna and A-Rod Rumors

PIXAR

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Nefnilega það

The Dark Knight

4 Tha Women

PZ

Tiger

Megan Fox á Lausu er hún dömpar 90210 Brian Austin green ( OMFG )

Höfundur

Nýjustu færslur

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