Archive for the 'Pop Culture' Category

The Yule Log-off

Sunday, December 24th, 2006

The Yule Log, that odd perennial entity that has burned brightly and constantly to the sweet sounds of midi harpsichords and recorders on televisions for forty years, is making news this year. Born in 1966, the original WPIX-TV Yule Log is now being challenged by a “new-and-improved” Yule Log in high definition. (This isn’t the […]

It’s Festivus!

Saturday, December 23rd, 2006

The holiday for the rest of us. Popularized in an episode of Seinfeld, the “holiday” is now celebrated in varying degrees of seriousness throughout the world. Here’s a small Festivus primer for your celebration today:
+ The symbol of Festivus is a bare aluminum pole, an icon chosen for its opposition to the highly-decorated and overly-commercialized […]

Respek

Friday, October 27th, 2006

(Or: why Sacha Baron Cohen is a genius.) Sacha Baron Cohen is the chameleon-like British comedian best known for his HBO series Da Ali G Show. On the show, Cohen interviews unsuspecting people in the guise of three very unique, but equally maladroit, characters.
Ali G, the show’s namesake, is a wannabe gangsta/hip-hop journalist from the […]

Jobs channels Cage

Friday, April 1st, 2005

Is it me, or is Steve Jobs channeling John Cage? Apple’s ad campaign for the new iPod shuffle reads like PR for Cage’s ideals–”Give chance a chance,” “Life is random,” “Enjoy uncertainty.” Too bad Cage didn’t have Apple’s marketing machine.