Frustrated by the lack of autonomy and profit gained from signing with a major record label, many bands have gravitated toward independent labels since the mid 90s. However, with the popularity of social media, some artists are taking that pursuit of independence one step further, cutting the middleman out altogether.
"The baby will talk when he talks, relax. It ain't like he knows the cure for Cancer and he just ain't spittin' it out." -shitmydadsays
Justin Halpern, creator of the wildly popular (see: over 700,000 followers) twitter feed has been given the nod by CBS. Halpern, 29 and living, as of August of aught nine, with his parents, will co-write the pilot script with CBS. This follows in the wake of a book deal with Harper Collins. Damn. The fam and I lived with my mother and her husband for over a year after the sale of our second home. I should have been writing some shit down. Live and Learn, I reckon.
My husband, who could not tell you who just won the World Series (or who has EVER won the World Series for that matter) and who could not tell you who Harry Potter was even written by or who has ever owned a game console before stood in line for hours last night with a packed backpack full of Red Bull in anticipation of the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. He got home this morning at 8 a.m. after playing it ALL NIGHT LONG with a friend of his. That's ... weird, right?
Apparently it's not that weird.
Courtney Love's motion to dismiss her Twitter defamation lawsuit was denied earlier this week. You remember this one right?
If anyone deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, it's the creators of the Internet Movie Database. Can you imagine how many arguments have been settled because of that site? And would you believe that it's been around 19 years as of this past Saturday?
John Mayer bugged me on Twitter this morning, and not for the usual reasons he bugs me, like that time he told me too much about his penis or the thousand times he has made lamesauce jokes. I should probably just stop reading his Twitter feed, but like with Courtney Love and her translator, Courtney Translated, I keep going back to witness him in 140 characters or less.
So here's the thing. I actually missed the whole balloon boy saga. I was busy at my real life day job and got on twitter that night and was all huh? Balloon boy? WTF?
So, for those of you like me, here is the two second recap: The Heene family, who had previously appeared on Wife Swap, which immediately brings their judgment into question, reported that their 6 year old son floated away in an inflatable helium flying saucer like thingie. The nation and twitter becomes riveted. Except: not so much. Child was found hiding in a cardboard box in the rafters of the family's garage.
At first the public sentiment was "those poor parents, they thought their kid floated away and he was in the garage? That is terrible." And then it turned to "um, that doesn't really make sense." And now it is at "LIARS. HOAX. CHARGE THEM."
And that is where we now are.
I think Mamapop's own Snarky Amber wrote beautifully on the Roman Polanski case, and I could never, nor would I attempt to, say it better.
But really, in case anyone still isn't sure why this was rape, or why we should care about it, watch the video after the jump.
40th anniversary, people. Forty effing years of Monty Python, and the remaining members will be getting back together for a reunion, which YOU, yes, YOU can see, because you're all very good Python fans and have earned this yummy cookie.
That's because it's not just a reunion, it's going to be televised AND on ye olde interwebs, and it's going to be freaking fantastic. All the details after the jump.
Spike TV, a division of MTV Networks that has made itself synonymous with blood, beer, and babes, has staked out some strong territory in the American television market. Its violent and misogynist programming can be found piping bone-crunching, blood-letting UFC gore into bars across the continent to the cheers of the alcohol-steeped masses. Few stations have been able to garner so much free advertising to such a cognitively submissive crowd, and so it comes as no surprise that Spike TV and its online arm have muscled their way into 98 million homes.
If you are at all familiar with Spike TV, it will also come as no surprise to you that this makes me more than a little stabby.
Here are the top 5 reasons why Spike TV can kiss my sweet ass:
The National Basketball Association established new guidelines restricting the use of social media sites like Twitter by its players and banning the use of such sites during games.
It's time once again for the Friday Combo Platter, the weekly feature in which we highlight our favorite LOL-or-WTF-worthy comments and our favorite email thread from the past seven days.
This week's best email thread was actually born out of what was originally our comment of the week. But the ensuing snark was too funny and another comment came along to take its place. So, let's get to it, shall we?
So why did Fox give Glee such a fantastic running start rather than a show like, say, Dollhouse, which had a built-in following of Whedonites to help a similar campaign go viral? Furthermore, why doesn't Fox give similar promotional backing to other new and returning shows in its lineup? This is pure speculation, but I'm willing to bet it has a lot to do with the Big Fours' simultaneous fear and dismissal of web entertainment and the internet in general, and its out-of-touch perception that only tweens and teens are actually paying any attention to the internet.
Now that True Blood and Weeds are over for the year and with Big Love and The United States of Tara still on hiatus, I'm starting to twitch a little at night when it's time to hunker down and watch a few shows. Sure, I still have Entourage and Mad Men for a few more weeks and Californication is returning this Sunday, but I feel like I need a little more cushioning from the boob tube. I was not terribly in love with Hung, so I'm cautiously excited about their latest comedy, Bored to Death.
FREEZE! DROP THE MOUSE! STEP AWAY FROM THE RED X!
Because you're busted. You're on the internet. Caught red-handed. Stop lying. It makes you look stupid. This post is on the internet. Cyber entrapment? Maybe. But you're here nonetheless. Back in the webs, little fly.
Do you see the picture above? The internet emits addictive rays that addict you in addiction. And yet here you are, thinking it'll never happen to you.
After the jump, print this out and get off the internet, you weak-willed slave who lacks moral fiber.
What is it about John Mayer? He can date famous women the public loves, women who easily fall into the American Sweethearts category like Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Aniston, and rather than elevate his status, we all just wonder why they're dating such a douche.
There is just something slimy verging on creepy verging on serial-killer-esque about the man that robs me of the ability to find him likable, BUT, last night, he kind of won me over a little bit, because humour is one of the inroads to my heart, and he paved his way into it a little with his recent response to the rumour that he has been bumping uglies with The Hills' Kristin Cavallari.
There are few things that depress me quicker or make me stabbier than thinking of all the shows that are well on their way to syndication or that have already been playing on our TVs multiple times a day for multiple seasons -- TWO AND A HALF MEN, MY GOD -- when Veronica Mars, that little gem of a noir-ish teen detective drama, was cut short at the end of its third season.
So, when rumors started buzzing a while back about a possible Veronica Mars reunion on the big screen, I became pretty ridiculously giddy. Sure, two hours isn't exactly the two extra seasons I would have preferred but it's something! It's better than something, it would be available on DVD with a gag reel and bonus features!
MAMAPOP IS SMART POP CULTURE ANALYSIS, COMMENTARY, MERCILESS FUN-MAKING AND OTHER SUNDRY AWESOME, DISHED UP DAILY BY PARENTS, FOR PARENTS, AND ANYONE ELSE WHO UNDERSTANDS THAT PLAYTIME IS BETTER WITH VODKA. PLEASE TO ENJOY. READ MORE...
