David Lidsky's Blog, page 3320
March 3, 2014
This Oscar Statue Has One Subtle Difference--It Is Shooting Heroin
Los Angeles-based artist Plastic Jesus has created a life-size sculpture of an Oscar statuette with a needle in its arm, calling attention to those in the industry who've lost their struggle with drug addiction.
Many widely beloved names and faces flashed by during the annual "In Memoriam" montage on Sunday's Academy Awards telecast, but the final honoree, Philip Seymour Hoffman was perhaps the most tragic because the great actor departed seemingly too early from drug use. In a controversial move designed to keep people talking about the scourge of drug abuse, Los Angeles-based artist Plastic Jesus has created a sculpture that looks exactly like the Oscar statuette--only NBA player-sized and with a needle in its arm. The piece, which is entitled Hollywood's Best Kept Secret, was on public display during the week leading up to the Oscars.
Was This Man Immortalized Forever As The Model For The Oscar Statuette?
Lore has it that a niche player in the very early years of Hollywood eventually became the model for the golden statue.
Last night, along with about a million montages ("remember movies???"), we saw a couple dozen golden Oscar statuettes handed out ceremoniously to this year's Academy Awards winners. There's always talk of history at the Oscars, but one element of film history received not a single mention: who is the Oscar statuette modeled after?
This 3-D-Printed Membrane Could Keep Hearts Beating Indefinitely
The custom-fitted membrane, which wraps around the heart like a glove, could monitor the organ's vitals--and deliver a jolt of electricity during arrhythmia.
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have 3-D-printed an electronic membrane worn on the heart that could keep the organ beating indefinitely.
Is This The HTC One Successor?
In 12-minute mini review, YouTube user Roshan Jamkatel showcases what looks like HTC's soon-to-be announced flagship.
On March 25, HTC is holding a big launch event, presumably to unveil the successor to its stellar flagship Android, the HTC One. But with leaks being all the rage these days, eager fans don't actually have to wait to get a glimpse of it, at least if this new and purportedly unauthorized video is to be believed:
See How People Around The World Are Re-creating That Ellen DeGeneres Oscar Selfie
It's the most retweeted tweet in the history of tweets. And now regular folks (oh, okay, and TV personalities, too) are getting in on the action. You win this round, Samsung.
If you were anywhere near Twitter last night or this morning, you know that the Oscars's biggest moment happened on social media. With nearly 3 million retweets (that's the most in the history in Twitter) Ellen DeGeneres has effectively established herself as Queen of the Selfie. (Though, technically, we should point out that Bradley Cooper clicked the pic.) Now the rest of the world is leaping with both feet--and thumbs--into the action, re-creating Ellen's moment for themselves.
Welcome To The E.G.O.T. Club, "Frozen" Songwriter Robert Lopez
Robert Lopez has just won an Oscar for writing the song "Let It Go" from Disney's Frozen, thus completing the entertainment grand slam known as the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony.)
Audrey Hepburn. Mel Brooks. Whoopi Goldberg. These folks comprise 1/4 of one of the most exclusive clubs across all realms of entertainment, the EGOTs, and at the 86th Academy Awards, the club welcomed its newest member.
February 28, 2014
Why Uber Driving Is For Introverts, And Other Ridesharing Tales
Considering a job behind the wheel? Here's a look into how Lyft and Uber feel for new drivers.
Five months doesn't sound like a long time to be driving for Lyft, but it's a lot longer than many of the drivers I talk to. I have driven my Toyota Camry for Lyft since October, but I'm a two-timer: I've also been driving for Uber since December. This article is my attempt to document what they are like, from the inside out, in the hopes of helping new drivers like myself decide which company fits them best.
Lego Is The Biggest Toy Company In The World
It does one thing, but does it beautifully. And that's how the Danish company unseated Mattel to become No. 1.
Lego is officially the world's most profitable toy company, finally topping Mattel this quarter. For the ninth year in a row, the company has broken its own sales records. But how did a Danish company, headquartered in a small town of barely 6,000 people, become such a superstar?
No Joke: Comedians Really Are Crazier Than You Are
They score higher than normal on a number of psychotic measures--in yet another link between creativity and madness.
It's almost the job of a comedian to leave you thinking that he or she is a little off in the head. Take the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode where a Survivor contestant argues with a Holocaust survivor about who's the tougher survivor. Or Dave Chappelle portraying Clayton Bigsby, the blind, white supremacist who doesn't realize he's black. Or Louis C.K. entertaining the idea that maybe everyone with a peanut allergy is actually supposed to die. Or pretty much anything Sarah Silverman has ever said.
New Walmart Ad Uses Rush To Salute The American Working Man
Sure it's a Canadian band and the song is sort of depressing but you'll get the point.
Look, a lot of the time people just don't really care what a song is saying. If the chorus is catchy and riffs are hot, it's go time. Just ask Ronald Reagan and half of 'MURICA about "Born in the USA," or anyone who ever played "Every Breath You Take" at their wedding. Does it matter that one is an indictment of broken patriotic promises and the other is basically a stalker anthem? Nope.
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