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Posts tagged as “Awesome”

Girl Walk // All Day

I have an interesting relationship with dance. As a thing to do, I love it. Unabashedly so. If you and I have not gone dancing together, we should, because it’s fucking awesome and fun and great exercise and all that shit. As an art form, I’ve never really been able to get into it, particularly with interpretive dance. I just don’t get it at all. I’ve tried, oh lord how I’ve tried, but it’s just not for me. Anyone out there willing to prove me wrong? I’d be happy to learn.

Girl Walk // All Day is a preview of a film that combines my love of dancing with a presentation of dance on the State Island ferry and terminal and the music of Girl Talk

Here’s what the creators say about it.

What is Girl Walk // All Day?

We’re making an epic, 71-minute dance music video set to All Day, the new album by mash-up musician Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis). The idea behind Girl Walk // All Day emerged from our desire to expand the boundaries around the idea of the traditional music video, which usually spans the length of a single track. This album-length piece will feature a talented group of dancers across a range of public and private spaces around New York City, turning the city’s sidewalks and obstacles into part of an evolving improvisational dance routine.

The piece will be available for free online in short, serialized segments and we also plan to screen the full-length film in public spaces, and at festivals, concerts, parties, and beyond, inspiring an interactive viewing experience that will evolve into a series of dance parties around the globe.

I’m totally in love with it. It is just great. I only wish I could be one of the dancers. I feel confident that I could do this. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this little preview of what is going to become a 70 minute film so much that I nearly sent them funds on their kickstarter project. The only reason I didn’t is because they’re already at double their goal with 38 days left for donations.

Check this shit out. I can’t wait to see the finished thing. If you feel compelled, kick them a few bucks. I might end up doing so.

I Whip My Hair – The Remix Cloud

It is no secret that I loathe Willow Smith’s “I Whip My Hair”. The song is awful.

But, the fine folks over at the Mad Decent blog (you do read them, don’t you?) have done humanity the fine favor of sorting through 22 pages of Soundcloud remixes of this terrible track and then posted their favorites. It is remarkable how a little creativity can turn something utterly insipid into something that makes you want to dance your balls off.

I think my favorite remix they posted is the Anthem Kingz “Whip My Hair (Kingz Whip It Harder Mix)”. They’re all good. Check the collection here.

While you’re there, dig through the blog. You’ll find all sorts of free music gems. Unless you have shitty taste, then lord help you.

There Can Be Only One!

A moment ago I was sitting here in my apartment, quietly reading the internets, when my door buzzer rang and scared the living shit out of me. I was not expecting anyone and nearly didn’t go to the door, but I poked my head down the stairs and saw the UPS guy. Barefoot, I went and saw that there was a package for me.

Did I order something that I forgot about? I thought. It is absolutely possible that late one night I came home and did some Amazon business. It’s happened before. It will happen again.

Curious to see what I had ordered for myself but had not remembered ordering, I opened the box. Inside were copies of Highlander and Highlander II on Blu-ray.

What? So random.

Then I looked and saw my mom’s name and address on the packing slip. I laughed aloud. So, in honor of this random gift, expect a couple of Highlander retrospectives this week on The Black Laser. And, right now, enjoy some of the magnificent soundtrack to the first film by none other than the mighty Queen.

But, most importantly, thanks mom!

God damn, did you see the power of Queen destroy Silvercup Studios?! That was SO AWESOME.

What did NASA find?!?!

As Space Pope, I am privy to all that takes place in the universe. It’s my job to be aware of goings on and such like, but I have made an arrangement with your humble earth scientists at NASA (so primitive!) not to reveal what they’ve discovered until they have a chance to wow the human race on Friday afternoon (afternoon! How parochial! There’s no afternoon in space!).

They’ve sent out this press release.

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

Cathy Weselby
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
650-604-2791
cathy.weselby@nasa.gov
Nov. 29, 2010

MEDIA ADVISORY : M10-167

NASA Sets News Conference on Astrobiology Discovery; Science Journal Has Embargoed Details Until 2 p.m. EST On Dec. 2

WASHINGTON — NASA will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 2, to discuss an astrobiology finding that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe.

The news conference will be held at the NASA Headquarters auditorium at 300 E St. SW, in Washington. It will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency’s website at http://www.nasa.gov.

Participants are:
– Mary Voytek, director, Astrobiology Program, NASA Headquarters, Washington
– Felisa Wolfe-Simon, NASA astrobiology research fellow, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, Calif.
– Pamela Conrad, astrobiologist, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
– Steven Benner, distinguished fellow, Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Gainesville, Fla.
– James Elser, professor, Arizona State University, Tempe

Media representatives may attend the conference or ask questions by phone or from participating NASA locations. To obtain dial-in information, journalists must send their name, affiliation and telephone number to Steve Cole at stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov or call 202-358-0918 by noon Dec. 2.

For NASA TV streaming video and downlink information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For more information about NASA astrobiology activities, visit:

http://astrobiology.nasa.gov

– end –

What can it mean, humans!? What did they find out there in the dark nether regions of the void, which is, of course, not a void, but filled with dark matter and the Great Destroyer’s consciousness?

Tune in Friday at 2 (-5 GMT!) to find out! And remember, this is the year we make contact.

My super awesome trip to the Metropolitan Opera House.

Last Friday my friend Shelby, who works for the Metropolitan Opera doing events, invited me (on my insistence) to take a tour of the opera house. It was so ridiculously awesome that I recommend every New Yorker have a friend like Shelby and make her take you on a tour during the middle of a work day. Here is a list, in no particular order, of the things I enjoyed while there.

  • Entering through the employees’ entrance
  • Seeing the auditorium empty except for the stagehands setting up for that night’s performance of Carmen
  • Going on stage (I didn’t sing)
  • Seeing the costume shop, set shop, and properties area
  • Discovering that every dressing room for a principal actor has its own piano for warm ups
  • The faces of every person who saw us and was all, “Who the fuck are these kids?”
  • Shelby saying “fudge” instead of “fuck”
  • The smell of the place, like old people
  • Going into the chorus rehearsal room
  • And, really, so much more

But of all the things I saw, one really stood out for me. It was this.

A 30 FOOT TALL BLOODY JESUS HEAD.

Are you kidding me?! How amazing is this thing? It’s huge! So huge, in fact, that I made Shelby get into the photo so we had a sense of its scale. I want this in my house so bad it hurts.

My only regret of the day is that I didn’t bring my camera with me. I thought it presumptuous so I left it at home and I told her as much. She said that it would have been all right though, and I immediately felt a pang of regret. Oh well. I’ll just have to find a reason to go back camera in hand.

Arian’s “Atmospheres” featured in Juxtapoz Magazine Online

I’m sure you all remember the ink drop videos I posted a while back. Well, just a few days ago the mastermind behind the project, Arian Camilleri, was featured in Juxtapoz magazine. Pretty cool bit of press, I think. Here’s what they say about the project.

Arian Camilleri is a Brooklyn based photographer who aims to address and explore the concepts of creation and infinity in his photographs. Expanding and collapsing in an almost infinitely hypnotic manner, his new series is mesmerizing.

The fluid seems to rush towards you, then almost off the page; the unknown substances are perplexing and exciting. This is free movement captured.

The ethereal quality of these images could land one’s mind anywhere from underwater to a landscape horizon, and even outer space. Like cloud formations in the sky, the choice and destination is ever-changing, left to the viewer to decide.

You can check out the whole article here: Infinite Collapse as Explored by Arian Camilleri

Here’s Arian’s fine art site: Arian Camilleri

Click the link. Check the site.

The Sausage Smoothie: The Best Worst Idea I’ve Ever Pursued

My struggles with finding something satisfying to eat during this tonsillectomy recovery are well documented here on The Black Laser. Before the whole thing though, people gave me all sorts of fun ideas about what I should eat. Lamb sorbet. Taco popsicles. Barbecue Sauce Ice Cubes. Baconade. One of the funnier ones comes from one of my favorite bits in Zach Galifianakis’ Live At The Purple Onion. If you’ve not seen the film, it’s on Netflix. Get it.

[flv]https://www.theblacklaser.net/blog/wp-content/video/sausage_smoothie.flv[/flv]

But through all the joking about what awful things I might eat that could be blended, I actually started thinking about what might go into a sausage smoothie. Then I started thinking that it could actually be really delicious if done correctly. Of course, we’re not talking about strawberries, yogurt, orange juice, and sausage. That would be foul. But what if you put appropriate things in, like butter and potatoes and caramelized onions? Then it might be damned delicious.

Desperation and boredom have led me down this darkened path and I have actually made this seemingly vile, yet potentially awesome, concoction. Here’s a photo of the ingredients.

We’ve got sweet pork sausage that I removed from the home|DCWCasings, butter, milk, onions, garlic, potatoes for mashing, flour and chicken stock to make pan gravy after cooking the sausage and onions, and salt and pepper to taste. There’s no pepper in the photo, but use your imagination for a second. Here are a bunch of photos of the process. See if you can follow along. Nothing too terribly complicated. Thoughts afterward.

Making pan gravy. Yum!

Here are all the ingredients cooked and ready to be mashed up by the blender.

So how was it? It was god damned delicious! And why wouldn’t it be? I only put things in there that taste good. But more importantly, things that taste good together. Don’t believe that I would actually drink this wonderful concoction?

That was my second glass.

It was rich and frothy and thick like you would expect a smoothie to be, but savory and full of fat and gravy and butter and meat and potatoes. It was salty and peppery and sausagey and just wonderful. My only niggle is that the milk I added while blending cooled it down a little too much, but that would easily be fixed by throwing it on the stove again for a couple minutes. I would probably add more milk next time so that it was a little thinner. I blended it initially with all the gravy and maybe half a cup of milk (?????), but it ended up the consistency of a milk shake. I added a bunch more milk until it was fluid enough to drink from a glass without the aid of a spoon. In retrospect, it could be thinner. It was about the same consistency as a smoothie you get from Jamba Juice or something. But, you know, full of sausage, onions, butter, and garlic.

Michael was over to eat my chicken adobo and hang out and he insisted on trying my evil genius creation. He approved. It’s just that damned good. Maybe this will help me gain back some of the 15 pounds I’ve lost since my surgery. Shit, those two glasses are probably worth at least 5 pounds right there.

I suppose the real question is, would I make it again? You bet your sweet ass I would. This would be easily modified to become a thick and hearty soup, or you could use leftover Thanksgiving dinner and make something else truly extraordinary.

And don’t forget it.