Reviews Category
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American Society Has Become Anti-Male
MATT WALSH on sexism and respect:
The respect deficiency in our culture has reached crisis levels.
I’ve discussed at length how men should treat women. I’ve written about the lessons I plan to teach my son; lessons about how he should love, honor, respect, serve, and protect the women in his life. Indeed, men need to respect women, and we, as men, are far from perfect in that regard.
Those posts — the ones where I call on us men to improve the way we treat women — tend to be very popular. They’re popular when I write them or when anyone writes them. Proclaim that women, mothers, and wives should be respected, and a chorus will shout ‘amen.’ Every day on Facebook brings us another viral post excoriating men and supporting women. I’ve written a few of them myself.
But I’ve noticed that the corollary – a message about the respect women must give men, a message challenging wives and encouraging husbands – isn’t quite so palatable for many people. Disrespect for men has become standard practice. That scene I witnessed was sad but unremarkable; we’ve all watched that kind of thing play out a thousand times over. Men are disrespected by their wives – they’re disrespected publicly, they’re disrespected privately, they’re disrespected and then told that they have no right to be upset about it because they aren’t worthy of respect in the first place.
Disrespect for men is a joke to us now.
Men are idiots. Well, that’s what men who own big brands say on the TV.
Posted: 25th, February 2014 | In: Reviews | Comments (3)
Great Moments in Phallic Occurrences
HERE are a few vintage phallic instances (either real or inferred) which have gained a bit of notoriety over the years. Read on – your inner idiot will thank you.
1. THE RIFLEMAN’S LOG
This Rifleman comic book has experienced a certain degree of notoriety for what can only be described as a horrifically uncomfortable cover. How is it possible that the subtext went unnoticed before printing? Looking through old magazines, comic books, etc. it’s easy to stumble onto accidental phallic imagery. Perhaps it’s because they weren’t as jaded as we are these days, always finding the tawdry in the innocent. Or maybe published adverts and illustrations generally weren’t as polished, edited and re-edited as they are today. Who knows? Yet, the phallic nature of this one seems so extreme, it couldn’t possibly have been missed by even the most obtrusively naive,… right?
2. THREEPIO’S UNIT
This Star Wars trading card has also received some well-earned notoriety. It appears that C-3PO is sporting a golden metallic erection of impressive proportions. The robot was supposed to be a “protocol droid”, but this picture has one wondering if C-3PO had other useful functions not fit for a family movie. According to the official Star Wars site:
It appears that the extra appendage is not the work of an artist, but rather a trick of timing and light…. At the exact instant the photo was snapped, a piece fell off the Threepio costume and just happened to line up in such a way as to suggest a bawdy image.
According to Snopes, whether this was intentional or not remains undetermined.
3. SEARS CATALOG PROTRUSION
This unfortunate event occurred in the 1975 Sears Fall/Winter catalog. Extending below the boxer shorts emerges what appears to be a glimpse of this model’s manhood. A lot of squinting, enlarging, and Photoshop exploration has occurred over the years trying to get this mysterious object into focus. Can it truly be what we think it is? Or is it simply a smudge? We may never really know.
This phallic incident even inspired a novelty song “The Man on Page 602” by Zoot Fenster, released not long after the catalog was published.
“The picture’s got me out of sorts, because I don’t understand,
Are they advertising boxer shorts, or are they trying to sell the man?”
4. THREE’S COMPANY SCROTAL EXPOSURE
God knows, shorts certainly lived up to their name in the 1970s. So, you can hardly fault John Ritter for what took place in episode 161 of Three’s Company. In this now infamous sitcom episode, he takes a seat on a bed and in the process reveals portions of his junk for the camera. If you blink you miss it, and it’s not exactly in high definition either…. But, make no mistake, Ritter’s naughty bits are definitely there. The incident yielded one of my favorite quotes of all time. When asked by The New York Observer whether they should edit the scene for future broadcasts, Ritter responded:
“I’ve requested that Nickelodeon air both versions, edited and unedited, because sometimes you feel like a nut, and sometimes you don’t.”
5. POPSICLE OF SHAME
I present to you this highly troubling Evel Knievel Popsicle ad. It hasn’t garnered any notoriety yet, but it’s high time it did. Spread the word.
THE END
More here.
Posted: 25th, February 2014 | In: Books, Flashback, Key Posts, TV & Radio | Comment
1950: The Search For Mr Appollo And A British Man With Great Teeth
IN 1950, Britain’s most gorgeous men competed for the title ‘Mr Apollo’.
The judges feature the lovely Sylvia Wren (Holiday Bathing Girl 1949), seen here on the cover of classy news organ TITBITS magazine, 13 April 1957.
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1810: Friedrich Kauffman of Dresden’s First Robot In History
FLASHBACK to April, 30, 1950: An elderly Bavarian inspects what is said to be the first robot in history, a soldier with an automatic bellows that blows a trumpet, made in 1810 by Friedrich Kauffman of Dresden. The robot is one of the many attractions of the Deutsches Museum in Munich.
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Posted: 24th, February 2014 | In: Flashback, Technology | Comment
Aberdeen’s Inaugural Kurt Cobain Day Is A Riot
TO Aberdeen, where it’s Kurt Cobain day.
Things to look out for:
1. Mentions of “muddy banks of the Wishkah”
2. 34s – the reporter recalls his enema
3. 1m 12s – microphone sausage.
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Your Guidebook to Creating a Proper Heavy Metal Album Cover
A PRIME reason for heavy metal’s success is that it is a culture unto itself. Fads come and go, but a culture has staying power. It comes with its own dress code, etiquette and idolatry. A small but important part of that culture is the album cover – the visual representation of the music, the heart of the heavy metal universe. If you’re a metal band, it’s imperative you get this facet right. So, let’s tour through some metal covers from the 1980s, a time when heavy metal was king, and learn from their successes and failures.
LESSON 1: THE 6 REQUIREMENTS
Iron Angel – Hellish Crossfire (1985)
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Posted: 24th, February 2014 | In: Flashback, Key Posts, Music | Comment
1954: Arsenal Players Lark About In Dressing Room Before Moscow Match
FLASHBACK to September 30th 1954: – Arsenal players at the Highbury ground, North London.
Centre forward Tommy Lawton tries on a Russian fur hat in the Arsenal dressing room as a preliminary to Sunday’s trip to Dynamo Moscow with the ‘Gunners’. Other Arsenal players are – left to right – Alex Forbes, Walley Barnes and Jack Kelsey.
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Posted: 23rd, February 2014 | In: Arsenal, Flashback, Sports | Comment
Maybe The Sun’s Teenager Sold For Sex Will Pop Up On Sky TV
IN “Sold for sex at 14”, the Sun (prop. R. Murdoch) shows readers “Moment Romanian dad shook hands on £12k deal to sell daughter as a hooker in Britain”.
The alleged sale of a minor to a Sun man posing as a brothel keeper is “chilling”. The girl could end up as a “sex slave in Britain”.
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Madeleine McCann: A Secret Dossier On Thieving Gypsies That An Anonymous Women Knows About
MADELEINE McCann: Anorak’s look at the missing child in the news.
The Daily Mail: “Madeleine police shown secret Portuguese dossier on spate of burglaries in the area where she went missing”
British police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have been handed a confidential dossier on burglars in the Algarve by Portuguese officers. They kept the secret file because of a rash of burglaries in and near Praia da Luz, the resort where Madeleine went missing in May 2007 when she was three.
Is that clear? They kept the file secret because of a spate of burglaries? Wouldn’t these crimes have been logged?
Some children were abused during the burglaries.
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Posted: 23rd, February 2014 | In: Madeleine McCann, Reviews | Comment
Good News: The Dying Record Industry Continues To Fleece Music Lovers And Acts For Mega Bucks
IDIOTS keep saying the music industry is dying. Of course it isn’t. Have you seen how much money they spent on The Brits? If they’re skint, award shows would be held in a pub function room with darts trophies handed to the three remaining artists who have been daft enough to sign to a record company.
No, the record industry is doing just fine.
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Posted: 23rd, February 2014 | In: Money, Music, Reviews | Comment
Sleep It Off: Rebekah Brooks Email About Advice From Tony Blair Re-Hacking Scandal
QUOTES of the week: Rebekah Brooks email about advice from Tony Blair re-hacking scandal:
1. Form an independent unit that has a outside junior council, ken macdonald, a great and good type, a serious forensic criminal barrister, internal counsel, proper fact checkers etc in it. Get them to investigate me and others and publish a hutton style report.
2. Publish part one of the report at same time as the police closes its inquiry and clear you and accept short comings and new solutions and process and part two when any trials are over.
3. Keep strong and definitely sleeping pills. Need to have clear heads and remember no rash short term solutions as they only give you long term headaches.
4. It will pass. Tough up.
Posted: 23rd, February 2014 | In: Politicians, Reviews | Comment
Groucho Marx Versus Albert Hall: The 1955 Face-Off
ALBERT Hall was born in Kansas…on a farm. He was not born in London. He is not to be confused with the concert Hall.
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Posted: 23rd, February 2014 | In: Celebrities, Flashback, TV & Radio | Comment
Iwo Jima: A Story Of Death, Glory And Propaganda In Wonderful Photos
ON this day in photos: February 23, 1945: US raises flag raised over Iwo Jima.
Joe Rosenthal took the wonderful picture as the U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment, 5th Division, raised the American flag atop Mt. Suribachi.
This picture won the Pulitzer Prize in 1945.
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Posted: 23rd, February 2014 | In: Flashback, Key Posts, Photojournalism | Comment
1972: Little Richard And ‘Screaming’ Lord Sutch Play Football At Wembley Stadium
FLASHBACK to August 3, 1972: Little Richard, the American rock singer, is seen with a football for a change. He and ‘screaming’ Lord Sutch, who is carrying a parrot at the Stadium in Wembley.
Posted: 22nd, February 2014 | In: Celebrities, Flashback, Music, Photojournalism | Comment
I Was Julian Assange’s Ghost Writer: The Fantastic Story Of ‘Swedish Whores, Pentagon Bores And Being Hitler
ANDREW O’Hagan’s wonderful essay on ghost writing Julian Assange’s autobiography is better than any book on the Wikileak’s puiblisher.
Highlights from it are:
Assange didn’t want to write the book himself but didn’t want the book’s ghostwriter to be anybody who already knew a lot about him. I told Jamie that I’d seen Assange at the Frontline Club the year before, when the first WikiLeaks stories emerged, and that he was really interesting but odd, maybe even a bit autistic. Jamie agreed, but said it was an amazing story. ‘He wants a kind of manifesto, a book that will reflect this great big generational shift.’
…
At 5.30 the next day Jamie arrived at my flat with his editorial colleague Nick Davies. (Mental health warning: there are two Nick Davies in this story. This one worked for Canongate; the second is a well-known reporter for the Guardian.) They had just come back on the train from Norfolk. Jamie said that Assange had poked his eye with a log or something, so had sat through three hours of discussion with his eyes closed.
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These TV Adverts For David Bowie’s 1974 Diamond Dogs Tour And Live Album Are Terrible
Rock star David Bowie, his wife Angie and their son Zowie. Date: 01/02/1974
IT’S 1974, and all the cool kids are buying David Live, David Bowie’s first live album, recored at Philadelphia’s Tower Theatre.
Well, they would buy it once they’re pocket had been emptied by this TV advert:
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Posted: 22nd, February 2014 | In: Celebrities, Flashback, Music | Comment
Their Golden Years? Five Films About Your Greatest Heroes Growing Old
WITH J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars Episode VII in the pipeline comes the news that Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher will reprise their iconic roles in the George Lucas franchise for the first time in over thirty years, since 1983’s Return of the Jedi.
What impacts have time and ageing had upon courageous Empire-busting rebels Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia?
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Posted: 22nd, February 2014 | In: Film, Flashback, Key Posts | Comments (2)
1943: Tallulah Bankhead Flashes The Crew And Hitchcock Calls The Hairdressers
FLASHBACK to October 6 1943: Actress Tallulah Bankhead, who won the Drama Critics Award in 1948 for her performance in the Thornton Wilder Pulitzer prize play, Skin of Our Teeth, has returned to Hollywood after an absence of 11 years. She will have the role of Mrs. Porter in Lifeboat, a Twentieth Century-Fox picture, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. He read her 90 pages of the script over the phone to New York, and then she headed Westward. Miss Bankhead and Mr. Hitchcock dining in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Alfred Hitchcock would later note on Tallulah Bankhead flashing the crew: “I don’t know if this is a matter for the costume department or hairdressing.”
Posted: 22nd, February 2014 | In: Celebrities, Flashback, Photojournalism | Comment
The Ukraine Will Be Saved By Tweets From Kasabian
YOU will no doubt have seen the state of the Ukraine at the moment. Some of the images that have come from that corner of the world have been powerful, depressing, exciting and downright upsetting.
Kiev was ablaze and government snipers picked off Ukrainians at random and the whole bloody, gory thing was enough to make you hide under your bedsheets and cry forever.
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Posted: 21st, February 2014 | In: Celebrities, Reviews | Comment
TV Nightmares: 10 Highly Disturbing Sitcom Episodes of the 70s and 80s
THE trouble with American situation comedies in the 1970s and 1980s was that you never knew what you were going to get when you tuned in: was it going to be light-hearted entertainment or tales from the darkside? There was nothing worse than sitting on the couch, ready for 30 minutes of laughs, and instead being served a smorgasbord of human suffering.
In their lust for an Emmy, sitcom writers got it into their heads that there just had to be “special episodes”. With these stories, the comedy came to a screeching halt in favor of some of the most brutal narratives imaginable. What made it so nefarious is that these shows generally were fun and silly…. then they turned on a dime, delivering terrifying accounts of sodomy and molestation. You never knew what you were going to get, so you were unprepared for the nightmare unfolding before you.
I’ll begin with the most infamous example of them all….
1. Diff’rent Strokes
“The Bicycle Man” Parts 1 and 2 (1983)
Season 5, Episodes 16 and 17
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Posted: 21st, February 2014 | In: Flashback, Key Posts, TV & Radio | Comments (10)
1964: Beatle Cult Hater Lord Willis Listens To The Yardbirds In His Back Garden
FLASHBACK: 17/05/1964. Music – Lord Willis listens to the Yardbirds in his back garden – 1964
Lord Willis, who recently attacked ‘The Beatle Cult’ in a House of Lords speech is pictured with his daughter Sally, as they listen to the Yardbirds in the back garden of his home in Shepherd’s Green, Chislehurst, Kent. The Yardbirds, a pop-group of five ex-public school boys from the Richmond area of Surrey, had unexpectedly visited Lord Willis to explain ‘what pop music is all about’. Lord Willis, the scriptwriter who created television’s ‘Dixon of Dock Green’ invited them into the garden where he was sunning himself. After a discussion, he then asked them to play. The group, who favour hairstyles short and long, are left to right: Eric Clapton, 19, Paul Samwell Smith, 21, Keith Relf, 21, Jim McCarty, 20 and Christopher Dreja, 18.
Posted: 21st, February 2014 | In: Flashback, Music, Photojournalism | Comment
