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Archive for the ‘Life & Culture’ Category

Meg, You’re Not Trending. You’re Not Even Popular.

9/30/09 - Posted by Abdullah Saeed under Life & Culture

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Early this morning, Meg Griffin made an appearance on our Trending Topics list. We tried to find out why internet surfers would have led such a placement, but alas - nothing. Here, Abdullah attempts to solve the mystery.

Just as each individual mind wanders into randomness, so does the collective unconscious. It can’t just be a coincidence that this many people were led to think of any single trait of one thing and Tweet about it. Today we revisit Meg Griffin, the daughter of Family Guy’s Peter Griffin and the least liked character on the show. (more…)

Good Things Come from Skipping Naptime

9/18/09 - Posted by Abdullah Saeed under Life & Culture, Sports, US
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In the midst of all the madness going on in the news, we the viewing public deserve a little heartwarming story. The clip of a Phillies fan catching a foul ball and triumphantly handing it to his three-year-old daughter only to have her toss it right back has been all over the TV and the internets, giving us all an ‘awwww’ moment the likes of which we haven’t experienced since early Full House seasons. (more…)

Open the Floods of KanyeGate

9/15/09 - Posted by Christopher Reinhard under Gossip, Life & Culture

In the ultimate act of jumping the shark since Fonzie actually jumped the shark, Kanye West all but buried his career in a pile of agonizing egotism after A) publicly humiliating sweet little Taylor Swift at the VMAs, B) issuing a half-hearted apology on his all-caps blog, and C) issuing a second apology in which he acted much like a whiny 14-year-old on Jay Leno. And while this may mark the slow and painful career demise for one of hip-hop’s most important producers, with death comes birth—in this case, the birth of 2009’s most perfect meme.

It started with Swayze. His unfortunate and untimely succumbing to cancer opened the floodgates for Twitter-based memes:

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Next, reports of President Obama’s own disdain for the self-important pop starlet (he called him a jackass on tape) led to the next wave of image-based memes: (more…)

Patrick Swayze Dead at 57

9/15/09 - Posted by Evan Kessler under Life & Culture, US

picture-278The rumors had been swirling around the internet over the last year and a half or so. They said, “Patrick Swayze is on his deathbed,” or “Patrick Swayze has left us.” Yet with each viciously unfounded rumor, Mr. Swayze would emerge from the shadows of doubt as if to defiantly proclaim, “Nobody puts Swayze in a corner. Not even this damned pancreatic cancer.”

Unfortunately, that statement couldn’t stay true forever, as last night the world lost a fine talent in Patrick Swayze. While Swayze was known best for the filthy way he could cut a rug, he was much more than the star of the 1987 smash hit Dirty Dancing. The Hollywood heartthrob was best known for portraying lovers, fighters, and the occasional bank robber/surfer, but he also had a knack for comedy as evidenced by his memorable Chippendales romp on SNL with the late Chris Farley, as well as his portrayal of a drag queen in the movie with the longest title ever.

Swayze was a true triple threat in every sense of the phrase and now he is gone, and not even Oda Mae Brown can bring him back. In an affectionate tribute to his memory, we offer up a small sampling of his tremendous talent in the form of his hit single off of the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, “She’s Like The Wind.” Patrick Swayze - you will be missed.

Islam Gears Up For Comic-Con ‘10

8/20/09 - Posted by Evan Kessler under International Affairs, Life & Culture

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The Islamic religion has never had what you would call a shortage of positive role models. Telling the stories of beloved prophets in action-packed bursts, however, has never been an easy task, as the constant repetition of the words “peace be upon him” seems to hinder the ebb and flow of any story. Kuwaiti Clinical psychologist Dr Naif al-Mutawa has remedied the storytelling issues and the longstanding lack of a Muslim nerd contingent at the annual comic-con in one fell swoop with the creation of the world’s first Muslim superheroes. (more…)

Bollywood Virility Angsts New Jersey Officials

8/17/09 - Posted by Evan Kessler under Life & Culture, US

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Racial profiling is a longstanding tradition in the United States of America. If you’re brown and weren’t in the movie Slumdog Millionaire, odds are someone in a position of authority thinks you’re either a terrorist, a burglar hell bent on ransacking the homes of prominent Harvard Professors, or worse, a socialist Nazi who wants to turn us all into a helpless gaggle of able bodied citizens with guaranteed health care. Tradition aside, it had seemed like the practice of profiling had died down over the past few weeks in the wake of some sort of controversial incident in Massachusetts of which we’re totally unaware of the specifics. (more…)

Guitar Strummers Bid Adieu to Les Paul

8/13/09 - Posted by Christopher Reinhard under Life & Culture

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The celebrapocalypse continues with amplitude: legendary inventor of the electric guitar Les Paul has passed. The 94-year-old visionary is best known for his signature line of Gibson guitars and a number of technological developments responsible for the rise of rock music. (more…)

Legendary John Hughes Takes Final Bow

8/06/09 - Posted by Christopher Reinhard under Life & Culture, US
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Cue the Oingo Boingo: legendary Hollywood director John Hughes died today at the age of 59. Hughes was visiting his family in New York and, while on a walk, suffered a heart attack.

Hughes was a vanguard for film in the 1980s, creating masterpieces like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club and Planes, Trains & Automobiles. He’s responsible for assembling the Brat Pack, his films jumpstarted the careers of Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Matthew Broderick and Robert Downey Jr., and his work will be forever etched into the American cultural zeitgeist.

John leaves behind a legacy that few others will ever achieve. He made a lot of people smile.

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Gossip

  • Renaming Mel Gibson’s Octo-Spawn

    11/03/09

    The Summary: Mel Gibson becomes a father of eight children - and OneRiot renames them all.
    The Search: Mel Gibson’s Baby
    Everyone loves when celebrities have babies, because the names they grace them with offer solid proof that they operate on a whole different plane of existence. However, the latest celebrity couple to a offer a up [...]

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  • Jackson Biography Draws the Attention of Hollywood & Interweb

    10/28/09

    In a triumphant posthumous return to the trending topics, Michael Jackson reared his beautifully-singing head on the social web when chatter about the release of his film biography reminded everyone just how influential his passing was. The new picture documents the life of the icon, along with (very) recent footage of Jackson prepping for his [...]

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  • With Great Power Comes Great Twesponsibility

    10/15/09

    Last night, thousands of status updates were sent out into the Twittersphere by concerned individuals who believed they were passing on an Amber Alert for a three year old boy. Descriptions of the perp’s Mitsubishi Eclipse and license plate spread like wildfire, and #98B351 quickly became a trending topic. Not long after, celebrity @KhloeKardashian retweeted [...]

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  • Jon and Kate Plus Eight Minus Jon

    9/29/09

    Bad news, Ed Hardy fans: it’s been scientifically (read: conditionally) proven (read: suggested) that wearing the brand 24/7 will ruin your career. At least, that’s what it—coupled with a series of other bad decisions—did for Jon Gosselin. The horrific fashion victim, best known for his appearances on the reality program Jon and Kate Plus [...]

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  • Imma Let U Finish But Kim Was the Most Famous Kardashian of ALL TIME

    9/24/09

    It’s kind of unfair: pro basketball players are typically ginormous, but they’re always hanging out with diminutive cheerleaders, models and actresses. While we fully support the concept of giving the spoils to the victors (did you see our sweet news coverage, by the way?), it’s nice to know that at least one monolithic baller is [...]

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