A SITE LIKE ITS NAME

Well it's been an extended sabbatical here between posts, but why not throw in a few words here to help along the yuletide/insert-name-of-season-holiday-and/or-tradition-here spirit? Which is to say I don't really have a better place to post this, and since I've been doing absurd amounts of research on this subject lately I felt like I might as well take advantage of our little site's Tragical Hipness to launch this helpful tidbit out into the ether:

Finding the proper lens to purchase for your DSLR camera is, to put it bluntly, a bitch. For those of us mere mortals who do not spend every waking moment reading photography magazines and blogs and who just want to know what purchasing options are available for our all-too-meager price range, it's always a painful crapshoot cross-referencing Amazon searches and googling online reviews to try and pick out the salient details. You'd think the internet, that magical reference book open to us all, would have long ago come to some simple solution for this issue, but alas your expectation have, until now, would've been deucedly confounded.

Enter Lens Hero, which does what the internet is supposed to do, and collates all the relevant information you need (for purchasing lenses) into one site with a nice clean interface. Put in a camera make and model, a price range, and your intended use, and it shoots out a comprehensive list of lenses available, with quick at-a-glance tech info and even the occasional one-sentence review tacked right on. If you don't deal with lens-purchase situations on a regular basis, that probably doesn't seem like a big deal. For those of us who do, though, it's a damned lifesaver.

Well done, internet. Well. Done.

Those who will find this post of use should proceed forthwith to the LensHero.com website, located here: LensHero.com.

Those who have not the slightest hint of interest in such things have, no doubt, stopped reading long ago.

Steven Hawking lecture at USC...

A friend of mine attended the recent Steven Hawking lecture at USC on March 10th. She sent me this video posted on YouTube summarizing the event. It was pretty awesome, but you know... with Hawking you have to be patient because of his speaking aparatus... so bear with it... it's worth it!

Christian Bale Top 10 List...

In case you've been living in a cave for the past 7 days...
Here's a quick recap of all the REALLY important stuff that you might have missed...

Christian Bale, like, totally freaked out and he was, like, totally cursing out this guy, like, on the set of Terminator 4 and now it's, like, totally all over the internet and, like, people have been totally making fun of it all week and it's, like, totally funny now!

There now you're caught up.

It was a pretty jacked up rant, and so it is certainly understanding that it should gain significant attention, but seriously... how much can we really milk this event for comedic content??

Well... it turns out... the mine runs pretty deep!


In just under a week Christian Bale has inspired countless re-enactments, mash-ups with other celebrity rants, re-imaginings involving donuts and Elmo, homage videos by other actors, cable TV comedy skits, network TV comedy skits, a new dance club hit, and he's been Rick-rolled!

In fact... Sony Pictures is even trying to market on this event by running Google search ads AND YouTube search ads saying "Christian Bale... gets all 'Fired Up'!" - but these links just take you to ads for "Fired Up" which is a movie about High School boys trying to bed cheerleaders (I'm not sure I get the Christian Bale connection ... You'd think they'd be driving traffic to something for T4)?!?

Since there is such a plethora of material now available on the subject of Christian Bale's angry tirade, I figured I'd help you out by providing a resource for easily locating the important items.

Here's my Top 10 list:

#10
Maybe this is how it looked on the set?! - Probably not, but its fun to watch someone lipsynch to the audio standing in an industrial park and carrying a massive weapon Terminator style. Not too creative though...

#9
What if he just had a really nasty hankerin' for some donuts?!

#8
Mash-up with Bale and Lilly Tomlin going toe-to-toe - definitely interesting... this one sounds like it just might have happened... though I think they both might've forgotten exactly what it is they're arguing about the dialogue gets kinda circular.

#7
The movie studio responds! - sort of...

#6
Christian Bale berates "David After Dentist" - A quality mash-up! Two internet phenoms in one!

#5
Christian Bale's "sister" freaks out on her dogs - funny stuff!

#4
Now wait... I'm confused... Why is Batman yelling at Elmo while being chased by a midget?? - Oh yeah... because it's REALLY FUNNY!!

#3
Killer dance re-mix by RuPaul's producer RevoLucian - with bonus points for political relevance; the track is titled "Bale Out"!

#2
The Colbert Report goes all Christian Bale on guest Steve Martin

#1
What happens when Christian Bale becomes unemployed - WOW! If you've ever been to Hollywood & Highland and seen the "movie characters" that pose for photos on the street... YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!! BRILLIANT!!



Also ran:

- Michael Cera gets props for his pop culture savvy, but he's just too nice to be believable in this send-up

- "YouTube News" interviews the Bale and the Governator about T4 - This one almost made the list, but I could only take so much of the annoying hosts making faces at the camera... so close.

- Mash-up with Bale and Bill O'Riley going at it - good thought, but not real convincing... ho, hum... yawn...

- Another reenactment/reinterpretation - production quality stinks, but the DP in this is entertaining; he just can't let go of his crappy little light.


Why...
- Christian Bale gets Rick-rolled - Why??... Who started this? Why does anyone continue it? It's stupid. It's not even funny. Give it up. Let it die. Just let it die. Please...


p.s. - For reference... This is the original audio track of Bale's tirade.

Super Bowl + porn = ??

I'm not dead yet... but you wouldn't know it from reading my blogs...

Of recent we have been more simply "tragic" than "tragically hipster" in our collective failure to bring you the latest and greatest from the city of angels.

While I can't promise a full fledged renewal, I do feel the need to share one crazy story about the Super Bowl...

Aparently cable viewers in Tuscon got a happy ending with their Super Bowl; in the final minutes of the game, the broadcast was interrupted by 30 seconds of PORN!

All I gotta say is...
WOW! Somebody is so totally fired!
And it was probably totally worth it!

Because any prank that violates the sacred broadcast space of the Super Bowl is awesome in my book!

You can read more about it here.
And if you're really curious you can watch some of it on YouTube.

Obama Riding a Unicorn

http://chrisbishop.com/obama/

Giant Robot 2 - Post-It Show 3

Until January 14 of '09, the Giant Robot 2 store in L.A. will be presenting Post-It Show 3, an exhibit of Post-It art by more than 95 artists, including some of my personal favorites, such as Gary Baseman, Allison Cole, Jill Bliss, Nikki McClure, Jeffrey Brown, and many others. With more than 2,000 works and some starting at only $20, it's possible to score a cool piece.

Post-It Show 3 at GR2

December 13, 2008 - January 14, 2009

2062 Sawtelle Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310) 445-9276

http://www.gr2.net/

http://www.giantrobot.com/blogs/transmissions/2008/12/post-it-3.html

F#$!

After stumbling half-awake into the Green Room at the theatre company I work for to toast some Pop-Tarts this morning, I noticed this little gem of a note, written by an anonymous passive-aggressor:



Transcription: "Stop Putting half opened packs of coffee in this tray - it's for sugar you F#$ !"

I promptly submitted it to Passive Aggressive Notes. Thanks, for the giggles, fellow co-worker!

Disney's "High School Musical" Concert Ukulele

What?!

Our most popular posts

Here are Tragically Hipster's most popular posts since it's inception:

1. Shana Lutker interview - 351 views
2. Tao Lin Offers a Cure to Existential Despair Through Strategic Investment Opportunities - 103 views
3. Flight of the Conchords at Largo - 99 views
4. Ariel Pink interview - 83 views
5. Rau Art Review of Philip Lorca DiCorcia at LACMA - 48 views

Just because they're the most popular doesn't make them the best, Brenda, but they may be worth a look.

Prop 8... The Musical?!?!

No matter what you think about Prop 8, you have to admit that this is funny as hell! (p.s. - I for one wish we'd been voting to eliminate all state administration of "marriage", but we'll save that post for another time)

In the mean time:

Prop 8: The Musical!

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Mmm...Hamm...

“If it feels like a slice of ham, don’t wipe your ass with it.” – Jon Hamm’s John Ham

Thanks, SNL!

Hello Kitty Hell

As a Hello Kitty fan, I am at once delighted and horrified by my own addiction. That's why I so very much enjoy Hello Kitty Hell - one man's frightening journey into the bottomless pit that is his wife's HK fixation. Behold his future:

Prick Up Your Ears 2008

A good friend of mine (with impeccable taste) generally sends out an annual "best albums of the year" list via email to a select group of friends... This year he has posted it on a friend's blog for easy sharing.

Click the photo to read his comments on the top 10, and several honorable mentions.

Go check it out and discuss the merits and pitfalls of his list (or come up with you own)!

All thanks to Greg Stump... who deserves all glory (and ridicule) for the list.

"Barking at the Moon"

On Saturday I saw the new Disney computer-animated movie Bolt with The Blogfather and his 12-year-old brother. For a family pic I really enjoyed it (and laughed my ass off at the quixotic, somewhat insane hamster), but I was surprised to hear what sounded like a Jenny Lewis song playing under a montage about halfway through the movie. The Blogfather thought it might be Jewel, but I wasn't convinced. Sure enough, after checking the credits at the end I was able to confirm that it was Jenny. (After constantly playing "Under the Blacklight" all spring and summer, her beautiful little trill is ingrained in my brain.) The track is called "Barking at the Moon" and it's lovely, as her music tends to be. Kudos to the Disney people who asked her to perform on the soundtrack - an unexpectedly cool choice.

"The Relevance Was Alaska's"

The Relevance of Africa
Sarah Palin

And the relevance to me
With that issue,
As we spoke
About Africa and some
Of the countries
There that were
Kind of the people succumbing
To the dictators
And the corruption
Of some collapsed governments
On the
Continent,
The relevance
Was Alaska’s.


"Not since Walt Whitman published Leaves of Grass has there been such an electrifying debut. And she is yet to publish a collection. This is an astonishing poetic insurgency. The building momentum will soon be unstoppable."

LINK:
Sarah Palin for Poet Laureate

HOME ROOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Funky Forest: First Contact on DVD

Crop circles are awesome!

So apparently this one is old news, but I just found out about it...

Let me start by saying that crop circles are AWESOME!

If you believe in aliens... AWESOME.
or if you enjoy the exploits of clever pranksters... AWESOME.
If you're into geometric abstract art... AWESOME.
If you're a geek at heart... AWESOME.
If you love puzzles ... AWESOME.
If you enjoy picturesque landscapes... AWESOME.
If you're an Anglo-phile... AWESOME.
Everything about them is AWESOME!

So...
Now that we have established that you like crop circles...
(unless you are a prudish, British hating, nature killing, art-phobe, lunk head)

Check this out...


"Yeah, Yeah... Okay... So what... It's just a crop circle..."

Maybe...
But this is a crop circle that abstractly depicts the first 10 digits of pi!
A crop circle that says - "3.141592654..."

Don't believe me? Check this out.


It even includes a mini crop circle decimal point!

I think the middle school mathlete in me just wet himself with glee...

You can read more here.

The Japanese: Imaginations Still as Cute/Deeply Disturbing as Ever

Petition signatures to put the nation of Japan under a plexiglass lid so as to safely observe its culture will now be accepted:

Haunting and Lovely

Official Site
Let the Right One In Director Slams Remake

Educated Optimism and the Collective

Today I wore my “Obama ‘08” button, even though it’s too late to campaign for Barack or stir a conversation with an undecided voter. The button, if it ever had any impact on the people around me, is now rendered useless. Last night, Barack Obama was named the new President-Elect of the United States of America.

As an individual, my vote did not affect the outcome of the election. Presidential elections will never come down to one vote as long as the Electoral College remains firmly in place. But as a member of a large group of citizens who mobilized and turned out in droves to cast their votes for Obama, I am one of many people who chose to see themselves as a collective rather than individuals. I am one of many who stepped into the voting booth or mailed their ballot in the hopes that they could help to turn the tide. One vote doesn’t mean much, but if so many Obama supporters hadn’t exercised their right to vote, the election would have had entirely different results.

I believe it was this camaraderie, this awareness of the danger of apathy and the significance of standing up for what you believe in, that led people into the streets to celebrate Obama’s victory in Oakland, Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York City. There were celebratory gatherings in England, Kenya, Costa Rica, China and many other nations around the world. And individuals and families across the nation and overseas sat joyfully in their homes as Obama gave his televised victory speech – a speech that weighed heavily with the difficult tasks ahead of him, a speech that called on Americans to think of the greater good and to serve their communities, a speech that recalled the painful moments of our history and painted a cleaner, brighter future, a speech that brought many in the diverse crowd in Chicago to tears.

The election of Obama has renewed my belief that our individual actions matter. We are each one small piece of a vast union and each of us must be willing to take responsibility for his or her choices, whether we disconnect from what lies outside our comfort zones, or whether we jump into the fray and try to make positive changes wherever we view a need. Young voters and African-American voters turned out in record numbers, but they alone did not create the wave of support that turned key states from red to blue. Individuals all over the nation, many who had not voted in previous elections, understood the importance of their individual votes. Because so many individuals didn’t allow themselves to become apathetic, they were able to form a collective that brought about a significant milestone in our nation’s history.

My Obama vote had little to do with race, gender, age or any other physical trait. Quite simply, Obama demonstrated to me and many others through his voting record and his many speeches, appearances, and writings that he has compassion for people in need, for working-class and middle-class singles and families, for immigrants, for people who experience discrimination, and for segments of the population that have been ignored for the past 8 years. He always appeared poised, thoughtful, logical and ready to lead. He admitted his imperfections and the areas in which he lacked specific knowledge, but he never seemed weak or unable to handle new information. Listening to Obama speak, for once I didn’t feel like I was being swindled or that someone was attempting to sell me a leader who was the lesser of two evils. I felt inspiration, hope and genuine excitement about the election, and I realized how great a privilege it really was to be able to vote for someone I believed in.

For those who were so busy booing Obama that you failed to hear his speech last night or turned off the T.V. before he finished, you missed an opportunity to be a part of something big, something bigger than yourselves, your immediate surroundings and you political party. Just as John McCain gave a gracious, humble concession speech, Obama spoke with equal grace and humility. If you missed his speech because you were angry about McCain’s loss, you missed the opportunity to witness a new sense of hope and responsibility in America, a fresh perspective that is not based on fear, but on educated optimism. You missed an opportunity to witness millions of Americans all over the country coming together in the streets to celebrate and revel in the power of democracy.

And now the work begins. Obama will be tested. His administration will be tested. The American people will be tested. We don’t know what crises we will face in the next four years or what actions we will have to take to overcome them. We don’t know who will rise to the occasion and who will fall. We must remain cautious with our government and learn to recognize when our leaders are taking steps toward a healthier and more unified nation, or when they are acting out of fear, greed or self-interest. The collective truly has the power to make a positive impact on the world stage, and thus each one of us as individuals, and we must remember this fact before cynicism rears its head once again.

With the election of Barack Obama I believe, for the first time in my life, that the government will be taking steps toward truly protecting and supporting the American people – male or female, poor or wealthy, young or old, healthy or sick, Republican or Democrat. The people of my country are inspiring me to become a better person. For the first time since childhood, I almost believe in the American Dream.