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Tuesday-Chooseday: The Departed, etc.
2007-02-14 19:00:02
THE DEPARTED - One of my top five flicks in ‘06, this film is damn close to perfect on a lot of levels. The story, the acting, the camera moves - they’re all killer. A must-see and a must-own, THE DEPARTED also has a sick X-motif. Also on DVD today: the INFERNAL AFFAIRS TRILOGY, the Chinese film series upon which THE DEPARTED is based. MARIE ANTOINETTE - One of my worst five flicks in ‘06, this film is damn close to completely unredeemable on so many levels. The story, the casting, the focus - they’re all absent or misguided. I stand by my earlier assessment: if you like dresses and wigs, then MARIE might have some glimmer of intrinsic value for you. Otherwise, stay away. Next Week: THE PRESTIGE.
More About: The Departed , Arte , Part , Tuesday , Choose

HD DVD and Blu-Ray Battle for the Hearts and Minds…of the Porn Indust
2007-02-13 06:58:01
The LA Times ran an interesting article yesterday (free registration required) about how the San Fernando porn industry is being courted by higher-ups in both the Blu-Ray (Sony and Disney) and HD DVD (Toshiba and Microsoft) camps in an attempt to win the upcoming format war. The logic behind such a move is that the porn industry was instrumental in solidifying VHS as the format back in the 80s by producing their videos on VHS rather than Betamax. The most interesting part of the article isn’t necessarily the decision to court a multi-billion dollar industry, but rather the covert tactics employed by the Blu-Ray camp in their courting. Whereas HD DVD has already been embraced by the industry (with many distributors already producing discs using the format), Blu-Ray is having a much more difficult time getting its foot in the door. Both Sony and Walt Disney, the two largest corporations behind Blu-Ray, have gone on record explicitly stating their opposition to the use of their t...
More About: Hd Dvd , Arts , Hear , Dvd

Monday Mediabation #11
2007-02-13 00:57:02
Mondays rub me the wrong way. Media rubs me the right way. Especially the stuff in today’s mediabation - because it’s TOUCH SCREEN TIME! 1. Ridiculously Awesome Touch Screen by Jeff Han Han is a research scientist for NYU and one of the main developers of a “multi-touch sensing” interface system. Han made a splash about this time last year at the 2006 TED (Technology Entertainment Design) Conference in Monterey. TED released a video of his presentation later in 2006. Well, now Han is back - and what he’s presenting is essentially the computer interface from MINORITY REPORT. First, just to whet your appetite, here’s a demo from 2006: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiS-W9aeG0 s If you think that’s cool, just wait - there’s more touch screen awesomeness after the jump.
More About: Monday , Onda

Los Angeles Derby Dolls: Recap
2007-02-13 00:57:02
Saturday night, I made my way to see the Los Angel es Derby Dolls - Los Angeles’ original women’s quad-skate roller derby league. You know what that means? I paid seventeen bucks to stand next to a bunch of rockabilly hotcats and watch ten women skate around a banked rink while they pushed and elbowed their way toward lapping the other team. And you know what else? It was awesome. I was a little wary of the fifteen dollar cover (plus two dollar online surcharge). I was more wary of the liability form I had to sign, promising not to sue the Derby Dolls if I got punched in the face while at the event. But all my fears were whisked away when I walked into the arena (the top floor of the Little Tokyo shopping center) and felt like I had discovered the underground city in DEMOLITION MAN.
More About: Recap

Mosoto brings Facebook to the 4th Dimension
2007-02-13 00:57:02
Internet startup Mosoto (wtf does that mean?) aims to make Face book 77 times more interactive, by giving you the ability to live chat with your friends, share files, share music, make water into wine, and instead of poke, actually penetrate a friend (I made the last two up). Aside from a poorly designed site with little hard information, and an almost sad demo video (with music that is a hybrid of an early 90s tech company promo video soundtrack and an early 90s porno video soundtrack); it actually looks like a revolutionary service piggybacking on a wildly popular social site. I’m telling all our ogmoggers to keep your eye on this one, because I certainly will.  If they can raise some crazy VC money, hire a new design and publicity firm, and dodge the RIAA; they could have a hit on their hands.  But doing all those things are like untying the Gordian knot.  Anyone have a sword handy?
More About: Men , Ebook , Book , Ring

Sketch Acts Announced for Aspen Comedy Festival
2007-02-12 12:57:01
A few days ago the full schedule was released for the U.S. Come dy Arts Fest ival in Aspen . The annual festival, hosted by HBO, is notable for presenting cutting-edge “new” talent to the industry, as well as featuring performances by some of the biggest names in comedy. There’s plenty of excitement going on at this year’s Fest (full schedule here), but I’m mostly interested in the sketch groups. Full run down and some linkage, after the jump.

The Secret is popular con-artistry.
2007-02-12 12:57:01
If you’ve been watching Oprah or Larry King the past week, you might have seen their interviews with Rhonda Byrne, producer of The Secret . It’s a new self-motivational Australian film in the vein of The Da Vinci Code meets What the Bleep? The film touts to know the “secret” that fueled the successes of every great thinker EVER. At the top of the official website reads “A New Era for Humankind.” Presumptuous? Just a little. But, judge for yourself by viewing the ridiculously sensationalized trailer here. Pompous excerpts from the book after the jump…
More About: Pop , Artist , Popular

Extreme Chinese Ice Sculptures!
2007-02-12 06:56:02
These pictures were sent to me from a recent chain letter that’s flying around soccer mom email circles faster than naked pictures of Fabio. According to the letter, these pictures are all taken from a small town called, Harbun, in Northern China where they have way too much free time and talent on their hands. As you can imagine, it’s a major tourist attraction, and home to some of the best monstrously large scale ice art I’ve ever seen. Apparently, most of them have lights inside, too, which sounds like sabotage considering how much (we all know) ice hates heat. More extreme high-res photos after the jump…
More About: Extreme , Chinese , Chine , Sculpture , Xtreme

Obama officially in, offends everyone
2007-02-12 06:56:02
Barack Obama this weekend formally announced his campaign to take the Black White House back from GWB.  And in two days, he’s made history many times over. He is the first presidential candidate to launch his own social web site, my.barackobama.com; where a software bug terrible oversight glitch caused an example for a group supporting Obama to read “Gay Nigger Association of America.”  I checked.  It doesn’t really exist. (link to the image on TechCrunch) Obama, in true badass form, has also had a verbal scuffle with a major international leader in the last 24 hours, as well.  Prime Minister Howard of Australia said that Osama bin Laden is praying for Barack to win the election.  Barack then, like a true gentleman, settled things with his words, calling on Howard to send “20,000 Australian troops to Iraq” and then see how he feels.  Man, if rhetoric were lethal, Obama would be the Terminator. UPDATE: Apparently there really is a Gay Nigger Associ...
More About: Bama , Ever , Ends , Official

OgMog ReCog (2007.6)
2007-02-11 12:55:01
Heroes Execs discuss show?s future, LOST, more - OgMog exclusive with the creators of HEROES. Steve Jobs: Apple Would Embrace DRM-Elimination ?Wholeheartedly” - Jobs versus the Volcano. “God Hates Fags” music video: satire or hate? - We hope it’s satire, but it’s too close to call. Wookie Headbutts a Tour Guide - Let the wookie win. Across the Universe Trailer - A sick trailer for an upcoming movie musical. Ghostbusters 3 in the works! - Venkman & Company go CG.

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination
2007-02-10 18:54:01
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who like museums and those who don’t. (Or those who don’t like STAR WARS and those who do.) I usually find myself in the latter. Excepting a few sweet exhibits, museums generally bore me. But those clever bastards at the California Science Center continue to find ways to lure me in. Two years ago, it was Body Worlds. This year, it’s STAR WARS: Where Science Meets Imagination. A comprehensive focus on the real world applications of STAR WARS technology, this exhibit looks sicker than Governor Koong. Visitors get to take a virtual trip on the Falcon, examine Luke’s speeder, and meet R2 and 3PO. They also get to see an original Yoda puppet (before he was consumed by the digital side) and Darth Vader’s perfectly symmetrical helmet from REVENGE. (More after the jump…)
More About: Star Wars , Wars , War , Nation

Freedom Fridays: Your Week in Free Culture News
2007-02-10 06:53:01
Earlier in the week we talked about Steve Jobs’ open letter to the Big Four (EMI, Universal, Warner, and Sony BMG) and briefly discussed its immediate impact in terms of both the DRM debate and the music industry as a whole. Obviously we weren’t the only ones to do so - there have been a myriad of critiques and commentaries on the web attempting to asses the letter’s impact and dissect its core meaning. As such, this week’s FF will try to aggregate the most interesting arguments from around the web into one place in an effort to get a clearer picture of where everything is at. 1. Reading Between the Lines - Over at Daring Fireball, John Gruber has a crazy-in-depth analysis of Jobs’ post, meticulously dissecting the various passages whilst offering compelling interpretation therein. The whole thing is worth a serious read through (he even uses footnotes) but the most interesting part to me was Gruber’s discussion of ‘the elephant in the room...
More About: News , Freedom , Culture , Cult , Free

The Dance of “Constance”
2007-02-10 00:52:01
Mr. J Medeiros, one third of the Procussions crew, drops some somber knowledge on us with this his new video, “Cons t ance.” She’s a thirteen year old Filipino girl, with salty almond eyes and the broken posture of a sex worker. She is one of 40,000 Filipinas who are sold for soggy pennies to industrious men who use them as bait for internet sex tapes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTGMuJOmM- 0 Review continued after the jump…
More About: Dance , The D

Offbeat Internet Valentines
2007-02-10 00:52:01
Capitalism is in the air, obnoxious cupids line drugstore windows, and perforated pieces of paper are being jacked up to ridiculous prices. Yes, it’s that time of the year again: it’s Valenti ne ’s Day…and by day, I mean the first two weeks of February. But before you explode with cynicism, take a look at some of this year’s alternative Valentine’s Day cards, courtesy of your friend and mine: the internet. First up, we’ve got an oldie but a goody. Sure, these have been floating around the internet since last V-Day, but they’re too good not to mention - LAW & ORDER: SVU Valentines. Nothing says “I Love You” more than Ice-T, Richard Belzer and sensationalized TV rape victims. More cards after the jump.
More About: Internet , Inter , Offbeat

David Hockney Exhibition Opening in L.A.
2007-02-09 12:51:01
If you’re not doing anything tonight, why not check out an opening for one of the premier artists of the last fifty years? The East Yorkshire Landscape, Davi d Hockney’s new show, is opening today (Friday) at LA Louver. The show consists of landscapes of Hockney’s native English countryside, including some large, multi-panel paintings. Here’s some of the press release: “In creating these paintings, Hockney eschews all use of photography, which standardizes color, flattens perspective and pushes the viewer away from things ? as he has stated, ?The camera sees geometrically ? we must see psychologically.? As such, in Hockney?s paintings, one is brought present into the landscape with an immediacy that is filtered through the artist?s own experience of place, both felt and remembered.” Personally, I’m more familiar with his photo collages than his painting, but it should be a good show. According to Flavorpill, the opening is free, too, wh...
More About: Open , Opening , Exhibition

The Los Angeles Derby Dolls
2007-02-09 12:51:01
Until very recently, my knowledge of roller derby was limited to the trailer for the 2002 flick ROLLERBALL. On a tip from LAist, I discovered the L.A. Derby Doll s , Los Angel es ’ very own all-woman roller derby team. Let me break it down for the uninitiated… Roller derby is a contact sport based on formation roller skating around a track. With five players on each team, a team scores points when one player - the jammer - laps the other team. The L.A. Derby Dolls are Los Angeles’ original women’s quad-skate roller derby league. As a league, the Derby Dolls are actually four different teams - Fight Crew, Sirens, Tough Cookies, and Trust Fund Terrors. They’ve got spunk. They’ve got attitude. And they’ve got games (or matches or whatever these ladies want you to call their events) about once a month. More after the jump…

Ricky Gervais interviews Larry David
2007-02-09 12:51:01
Last month, the BBC aired an hour long special in which Rick y Gervais (the genius behind The Office and Extras) interviewed one of his comedy idols, Larry David. The two comedians discuss their love of awkward humor, hatred of conventional sitcoms, and disgust with people who get annoyed when you ask them if they have the time. The best part is watching them make each other laugh. Here’s a taste: Ricky Gervais: I think you have to be a certain age to be funny. So few people under the age of 30 are funny. Larry David: You have to discover when you’re inadequate to be funny and you don’t know you’re inadequate when you’re a kid. Ricky Gervais: Exactly. Who wants to see unfeasibly good-looking, clever, popular people doing things brilliantly? Who cares? Larry David: I started to become funny when I realised I was inferior and inadequate. Ricky Gervais: Mine was when I got fat. Check out the Ricky Gervais meets Larry David video at DailyMotion. There...
More About: Views , Interviews , Inter , Interview

The Art of Batman: The Animated Series
2007-02-09 06:50:01
Chances are that if you grew up in the 1980’s-90’s, you’ve heard of (if not religiously watched) BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. One of the most beautiful aspects of the show was its stunning use of title cards featured before each of the initial 85 episodes. Well, World’s Finest has the entirety of them archived online. Like almost everything else about the series, the title cards don’t really scream “1992 children’s cartoon” - the paintings are moody, evocative and haunting. I’ve currently got my laptop cycling through a new title card once a day as the background. I’m pretty happy with it - go check ‘em out!
More About: Batman , Series , Anima , Mate , Animated

Revival Tent: Butch Cassidy, etc.
2007-02-09 06:50:01
This weekend on L.A. revival screens: BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID - the finest western ever made. This tale of two bandits runs the gamut of film experiences. The gunfights are thrilling, the chase sequences ahead of their time, and the friendship between Butch and Sundance inspirational. To boot, this shoot-em-up was shot by Conrad Hall - the greatest cinematographer of all time. THE STING and BUTCH CASSIDY at the Aero, Saturday, February 10th, at 7:30pm. Tickets are $10. Roger Rabbit and James Bond after the jump…
More About: Cassidy , Tent , Viva , Revival

Great Apps: iConcertCal
2007-02-09 06:50:01
For all you concert-loving iTunes users out there, prepare for your collective minds to be blown. iConcert Cal, a newly released iTunes visualizer plug-in, takes concert data from a variety of different on-line sources (primarily jambase) and compares it to the artist list in your iTunes library. The result is a wonderful visual calendar that presents the upcoming shows in your area tailored-made to your own musical tastes. I’m usually quite skeptical of these sort of ‘add-ons’, but iConcertCal works almost flawlessly. Part music, part GTD, it’s is an absolute must have if you enjoy live music. It works for both Mac and PC and you can even add bands that aren’t in your library. Unfortunately, it’s U.S. only as of now, but it should be coming soon to international waters. Never miss that semi-obscure Swedish band’s U.S. tour again! UPDATE: Some users have encountered problems with iConcertCal crashing their jukebox on its first run-through. Ev...
More About: Icon , Great , Once , Cert

David Vandervelde - “Murder in Michigan”
2007-02-08 18:49:01
This song is built like an old steam locomotive, cobwebs on the wheels, names etched into the belly, stubborn and sound. ?Sounding good? warns the conductor just as the ?Murder in Mich igan ? starts its way out of the station. The dizzying rise of kaleidoscope Rhodes cues the countdown - one, two, three, four - and the train has left the station. The breezy strummed guitars lumber on so steadily, chug a chug a chug a chug a chug. When its time to sing, Davi d races alongside, swings onto the train and delivers melody and message in exacting little bursts of pure pop brilliance. Interesting tidbit: this album was recorded with Jay Bennett, the cat who got kicked out of Wilco in the same studio as YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT. See if you can hear any of those same sounds. “Murder in Michigan” (click audio below) 07-murder-in-michigan.mp3

Heroes Execs discuss show’s future, LOST, more
2007-02-08 18:49:01
OGMOG EXCLUSIVE: LOST returns to ABC tonight, but as much as I loved the first two seasons on the island, I’m putting my faith in NBC’s Heroes . Cobbler and I sat in on a panel discussion Monday night with Heroes creators Tim Kring and Jeph Loeb, directors Greg Beeman and Allan Arkush, writer/co-executive producer Jesse Alexander, and actor Masi Oka. The panel discussed the Heroes writing process, future plans for the show, how they pitched the show to NBC, and their beefs with LOST. More , spoilers included, after the jump.
More About: Lost , Future , Show

The Return of Lost
2007-02-08 18:49:01
LOST returns tonight, and if you’re still watching, you should be very excited. If you’ve thrown in the towel and joined the lemmings who are raving about a show that’s only produced fourteen episodes of drama so far, you can skip ahead to the next post. The big complaint from the first half of season three was that too many questions were being raised without the show delivering any answers. Well, from what I hear, the next fifteen episodes will alleviate that concern. LOST returns tonight on ABC at 10pm. Rumors and spoilers after the jump…
More About: Lost , Return , The Return , Turn

YouTube, YouProfit
2007-02-08 18:49:01
Last week, YouTube co-founder and CEO Chad Hurley confirmed the viral media giant plans to pay users for their uploaded content. Various features of this yet-to-be-finalized system will be rolled out over the next few months, and will likely use a mixture of adverts, including short 3 second clips shown ahead of the actual film. The rewards system will apply only to users who own full copyright of the videos they are uploading, and there are rumors circulating the Internet that compensation might vary depending on the quality of the video, or the number of plays it receives. The system will be designed to ‘reward creativity.’ An ad share program already exists on YouTube competitor Revver, which splits profits with contributors 50/50. (via BBC News)
More About: Youtube , Profit , Prof

Traffic On The 8s: February 8th
2007-02-08 18:49:01
Today?s picture comes from flickr user Ollylain. Today?s tip comes from Blockbuster: To find the cheapest gas in LA, check out LosAngelesGasPrices.com. It’s got real time gas prices (never more than 36 hours old) all over LA, and it will map them for you.  Alternately, there is Map Gas Prices, a nation-wide Google Maps mashup which provides a similar service. See you next time, on the 8s. Send your traffic tips or pictures to submissions ?at? ogmog ?dot? com. We?ll post our favorites.
More About: Traffic , February

ATHF Bomb Scare UPDATE II
2007-02-08 18:49:01
The Graffiti Research Lab, one of the pioneers of the LED Bomb ing artform that caused such a stir last week, has posted a new project in reaction to the issue. More info, including pictures and video, at their website. Also, if the ATHF Bomb Scare was your first introduction to this artform, check out these other projects from the GRL: The First LED Throwie LED Throwies LED Throwies II Night Writer Train Bombing in Europe Homeland Security Advisory Tower
More About: Care , Update

Steve Jobs: Apple Would Embrace DRM-Elimination “Wholeheartedly”
2007-02-08 18:49:01
This is already all over the Internets, but in case you missed it, Apple -Guru Steve Jobs declared today that DRM is essentially a broken system. In what can only be read as an open-letter to the “Big Four” (Universal, Sony BMG, EMI, and Warner), Jobs urged record labels to abandon their hopeless insistence on DRM, arguing that it creates frustration on a consumer end and unnecessary overhead on a corporate and technical level. Although the post focuses on music in relation to Apple in general, its importance lies in its progressive anti-DRM rhetoric. Although many have made the argument against DRM before, coming from someone in Jobs’ position is a completely different story. Will it change the record label’s approach to on-line music sales overnight? Probably not, but it is an incredible first step in eliminating DRM. The whole post is a great read - I precog that it will be seen as rather ‘historical’. Read it all so we can go at it in the comm...
More About: Steve Jobs , Arte

A “Star” Has Died.
2007-02-08 18:49:01
A two-faced calf died last Friday in Wythe County, Virginia, after suffering complications from its deformities. The calf, named “Star ,” was born on Dec. 27th, 2006, with two heads fused together bearing two noses, two tongues, and two brains. The calf was in stable condition, drinking out of a bottle and weighing 80 lbs, until late last week. The dairy farmers described her as sweet and loving, proving that not all two-faces are evil. If you don’t believe the picture, here’s the local news cast about its birth.
More About: Died

Tuesday-Chooseday: Science of Sleep, etc.
2007-02-08 18:49:01
THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP - Michel Gondry’s follow-up to ETERNAL SUNSHINE, this flick piles on the visuals without sacrificing that heart-crushing emotion. Sending you on a mad trip in and out of Stéphane’s dreams, SCIENCE tells a simple love story between Stéphane (played by Gael Garcia Bernal) and Stephanie, the girl across the hall. Plus, the DVD’s got a commentary track with Gondry, et al. TRUST THE MAN - I like this movie more than I should. The tale of two couples in New York City - the story is pretty “meh.” David Duchovny and Billy Crudup rescue the whole venture by turning in honest, real performances. I can’t help but want to revisit this indie romance again. Clint Eastwood & Joseph Campbell after you…
More About: Science , Sleep , Tuesday , Choose

Rashomon in the Public Domain
2007-02-08 18:49:01
Interesting news over at we make money not art: Kurosawa’s masterpiece Rashomon has passed on into public domain. The Japanese masterpiece is now available at the internet archive and Google video. Rashomon tells of an encounter between a samurai, his wife, and a bandit - from all three points of view. The film was responsible for launching Japanese cinema globally, and won an honorary Best Foreign Film Academy Award before the category existed. For more on Rashomon, check out our Revival Tent coverage from a couple weeks ago. So, how does something like this happen? Well, in this case, a Japanese court ruled that any film made in Japan before 1953 is public domain. However, in many cases people simply FORGET TO RENEW THE COPYRIGHT. More on public domain movies after the jump…
More About: Domain , Public , Main , Doma , Public Domain