mattmaison

Stats They Tell You Because Baseball Is Slow

2009-11-07T10:24:00.001-05:00

Things I Want To Do in New Jersey

2009-11-07T10:23:00.003-05:00

Content of Transformers

2009-11-07T10:23:00.002-05:00

Sergio's White Hot Top 5 (Billboard Hot 100)

2009-11-06T10:24:00.007-05:00

Best Photoshop Hoaxes

2009-11-05T10:24:00.001-05:00

Below we present some of the most striking, interesting and controversial fake photos, most of them produced with Photoshop in the last five years. Some were created to amuse, some to mislead, while others were an attempt to rewrite history. | Weird News Files

This is over a year old, so I'm sure you could add at least a few others to the list by now.

-Matt

Link: Best Photoshop Hoaxes - A History of Doctoring History | Weird News Files

The Middle

2009-11-04T10:24:00.003-05:00

It's rare a family comedy comes along that's worth watching, but if you haven't seen ABC's new show The Middle, you should check it out.

The show stars Patricia Heaton, from Everybody Loves Raymond, as a middle-class Midwestern mother of three married to a town quarry worker played by Neil Flynn, the janitor from Scrubs (and Cleveland Indians fan). The show also features SNL alum Chris Kattan and Atticus Shaffer (the creepy boy from the movie The Unborn).

It isn't just another sitcom put to laugh tracks and kinda makes you want to move to Indiana. The show airs Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c on ABC, and you can watch episodes and clips online at ABC.com and Hulu.

-Matt

Link: The Middle | ABC.com

V

2009-11-03T10:24:00.006-05:00

The series V returns tonight at 8pm EST/PST on ABC. Here is a sneak peak of the first 8 minutes of the pilot episode:

An image of Anna, the leader of the V's, is projected worldwide as she talks about people joining together; the V's are Tyler's ticket to being a part of something big; egotistical newscaster Chad gets an exclusive interview with Anna.

I liked the original series when I was younger, but I don't really remember it, so it probably wasn't as good as I remember it to be. We'll see how this one turns out.

-Matt

Link: ABC.com | V

Spike Jonze - "We Were Once A Fairytale"

2009-11-02T10:24:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago I saw a series of short films and music videos directed by Spike Jones called Spike Jonze: The First 80 Years, at the The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). I didn't have a video for it when I did my post about it then, but here is one of the short films that were in it.

Videogum describes it as "a typical night in the life of Kanye West: a boorish, blurry, endless evening in an anonymous night club," and supposedly it began as a music video shoot.

You can read more about the film and see the video (if it doesn't show up above) on the links below.

-Matt

Links:

Kanye West Is Just A Broken Down Piece Of Meat | Videogum

The Kanye West and Spike Jonze Video - We Were Once a Fairytale | TwistedSifter

Bizarre Spike Jonze Short | Neatorama

Spike Jonze Explains His Kanye West Mini-Movie, "We Were Once a Fairytale" | The New York Times

Spike Jonze's Kanye West Film Is Leaked Online | The New York Times

Spike Jonze: The First 80 Years | mattmaison

2009 ING New York City Marathon

2009-11-01T03:30:00.002-05:00

Today is the running of the 40th annual New York City Marathon. I'm volunteering with the Red Cross for the event. There will be about 43,000 runners this year and I'm helping the medical teams spot runners that may need medical assistance at the finish line.

I took some pictures of some ads that have been put up in the subways, they're posted to my tumblr here:

Hello New York, Goodbye Baggage
Hello New York, Goodbye Quit

I'll try to take some more pics during the race, but if you're watching on TV look for me at the finish line!

-Matt

Link: The ING New York City Marathon

Halloween Safety Tips

2009-10-31T10:26:00.004-04:00

Halloween, though lots of frightful fun, can also be full of potential dangers. Here are some tips to make your kids' All Saints' Eve an All "Safe" Eve:

Pack your child's rectum with razor blades to make him/her less desirable to would-be molesters.

Always trick-or-treat in groups of 400,000.

Many troublemakers and dangerous people come out on Halloween night. To be safe, trick-or-treat in early March.

Safety and self-defense go hand in hand. Be sure your child's handgun has at least a 10-round magazine and is at least .38 caliber to ensure stopping power.

For optimum safety while trick-or-treating, be sure your child does not encounter fright-master screenwriter Kevin Williamson.

Equip your child with special cyanide-filled false tooth for use in case of capture.

Be sure child closes eyes before you drill eyeholes in mask.

Beat would-be child murderers at their own game by poisoning your kids ahead of time.

Dress your child in all-black costume to make him/her virtually invisible to potentially dangerous motorists.

Tell your kids that if they see anything suspicious or scary-looking–for example, ghosts, goblins or witches–they should run to the nearest neighbor's house and call the police.

Pack child's costume with safety flares.

Before sending children off, give their anuses a good dollop of lube. This will help prevent their tissue from tearing when they are sodomized by maniacs.

Do not ring doorbells under any circumstances.

Link: Halloween Safety Tips | The Onion

The 25 Scariest Moments in Non-Horror Movies

2009-10-31T10:25:00.002-04:00

The most frightening movie moments can arrive out of nowhere, in the midst of where they shouldn't belong, catching you when you're vulnerable -- which is why there are a few alleged children's films on this list. But they can also creep up on you, working a different kind of dread, which is where some of the documentaries included below fit in. Fear is a funny thing. It comes in different varieties, it can work its way on you in unanticipated, and, as our collection here proves, it definitely doesn't always stem from things that go bump in the night. | IFC via Neatorama

SNL’s Top 10 Halloween Sketches

2009-10-31T10:24:00.002-04:00

The entertainment and pop culture blog Joy Hog! has posted the 10 best Halloween sketches from Saturday Night Live (or at least the ones that are available online). They're all funny, but they seem to have the more current ones rated higher. My favorites on the list are "Adam Sandler Cheap Halloween Costumes" and "Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker".

-Matt

Link: SNL’s Top 10 Halloween Sketches | Joy Hog! via NOTCOT.ORG

Outlawing Halloween

2009-10-31T10:23:00.000-04:00

From FreeRangeKids:

Was there ever really a rash of candy killings? Joel Best, a professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware, took it upon himself to find out. He studied crime reports from Halloween dating back as far as 1958, and guess exactly how many kids he found poisoned by a stranger’s candy?

A hundred and five? A dozen? Well, one, at least?

“The bottom line is that I cannot find any evidence that any child has ever been killed or seriously hurt by a contaminated treat picked up in the course of trick-or-treating,” says the professor. The fear is completely unfounded.

Link: Goodbye Halloween, Hello Safety | FreeRangeKids

Formula for Witch Identification

2009-10-31T10:21:00.000-04:00

M*(9.8 m/s^2) =

Here We Go Magic

2009-10-30T10:24:00.012-04:00

Here We Go Magic is my favorite band of all time this month. They're based in Brooklyn and I've seen them three times in the last couple of months around The City. I saw them open for Chairlift on September 5th at Bowery Ballroom, October 14th at Union Pool, and October 20th at Webster Hall.

Since I see them at such small venues, they are always hanging out to see the opening bands before they come on. I met drummer Peter Hale at the Bowery Ballroom show and said hi to him at the other two shows. I met keyboardist Kristina Lieberson and bassist Jennifer Turner at the Webster Hall show, I told Jennifer she was a great bassist.

I felt like a fanboy the first time I talked to Peter, but they're pretty laid back so after I got over the initial weirdness of talking to them it was just like talking to anyone else in the bar/club. It's pretty cool to be at small venues like those where the band members are so accessible.

A few weeks ago, I posted the video for their song "Tunnelvision", which is my favorite song of theirs. You can see it HERE. The video is like life through a kaleidoscope's eyes, filmed on an old 8mm handheld.

HERE is the video for their song "Fangela":

I take a lot of pictures on my iPhone and I've been posting them on my tumblr blog. The iPhone doesn't take the greatest pictures, but if you don't zoom in too much or focus your eyes too much, some of the pictures come out pretty cool. Here are some links to some pictures I've taken at Here We Go Magic shows:

Here We Go Magic - Bowery Ballroom 9/15/09 - 01
Here We Go Magic - Union Pool 10/14/09 - 01
Here We Go Magic - Webster Hall 10/20/09 - 01
Here We Go Magic - Webster Hall 10/20/09 - 02
Here We Go Magic - Webster Hall 10/20/09 - 03
Here We Go Magic - Webster Hall 10/20/09 - 04
Here We Go Magic - Webster Hall 10/20/09 - 05

Finally, check out the links at the bottom of this post for some more info about them.

Give them a listen and make sure to support them if you like them!

-Matt

Links:

Here We Go Magic

Here We Go Magic | MySpace

Album Reviews: Here We Go Magic | Pitchfork

Here We Go Magic: Chasing The Scares That Live Inside With Warm Blood Flushes recorded May 25, 2009 | Daytrotter

HERE WE GO MAGIC - Fangela | THE SKY REPORT

Here We Go Magic | mattmaison

Quiz: Major League

2009-10-29T10:24:00.003-04:00

In the pantheon of great baseball movies, Major League is a solid contender for the funniest. For long-suffering Cleveland fans, it was a welcome opportunity to see the Indians win a few games. For everyone else, it was just simply a laugh riot. How well do you remember the classic film? | mental_floss

9 out of 10, but only because I didn't know the actor's name...

-Matt

Link: The 5pm Quiz: Major League | mental_floss

Origins of the Haunted Mansion tombstones

2009-10-27T16:42:00.005-04:00

2719 Hyperion, a great blog about Disney parks and imagineering, has been posting a series of photos of gravestones from the Haunted Mansion grounds with an explanation of who each is named after. | Boing Boing

The Legend of Link's Distractions

2009-10-26T10:24:00.001-04:00

Sesame Street: Mad Men

2009-10-25T10:25:00.000-04:00

The Weekender

2009-10-25T10:24:00.000-04:00

Flight Announcement

2009-10-24T22:24:00.000-04:00

Ten Cold-and-Flu Myths Debunked

2009-10-24T10:24:00.000-04:00

Yes, swine flu might kill you. But that doesn't mean every cure you've heard about this fall is a magic bullet in a prescription bottle. | Esquire

Phoenix on Craig Ferguson 10/9

2009-10-23T10:24:00.001-04:00

What will this World Series have in common with every other World Series EVER?

2009-10-22T10:23:00.000-04:00

Don Mattingly won't be involved in it.

NYC Public Ad Campaign

2009-10-21T10:24:00.000-04:00

Public Ad Campaign acts on the assumption that public space and the public's interaction with that space is a vital component of our city's health. By visually altering and physically interacting with the public environment, residents become psychologically invested in their community.

Outdoor advertising is the primary obstacle to open public communications. By commodifying public space, outdoor advertising has monopolized the surfaces that shape our shared space. Private property laws protect the communications made by outdoor advertising while systematically preventing public usage of that space.

In an effort to illuminate these issues, Public Ad Campaign chronicles the activities of artists intent on challenging these relationships, as well as other contemporary issues in outdoor advertising and public space.

Through bold acts of civil disobedience we hope to air our grievances in the court of public opinion and witness our communities regain control of the space they occupy.

Link: Public Ad Campaign