All Things Cute

I have become more and more intrigued by the staggering celebration of cuteness in recent years. This has been the cultural norm in Japan for a while now and it looks like the US has jumped on the kawaii bandwagon, especially online. I was recently sent this article from a friend. Finally somebody has the guts to write about this disturbing yet awesome trend! Cuteness was once a guilty pleasure of mine, but I can finally be out of the closet about it. I can now speak openly of smiling at kittens barfing and raccoons eating catfood without fear of getting my ass kicked for being a sissy!

And now I hear the the Huffington Post has announced this as The Cutest Video of All Time.

Five Pounds of Fun

My friend send me a link to the greatest item ever! The World's Largest Gummy Bear.
Even better is the commercial for the bear, and the FAQ on the webpage. Instead of a Thanksgiving turkey, we'll be carving up one of these this year.

Seriously, Leggo my Eggo!

Get your waffles while you can, because there's about to be a nationwide shortage on Eggo frozen waffles. Two of the Kellogg company's four Eggo plants are shut down for an undisclosed period of time (for unrelated reasons). They are predicting a waffle shortage until mid-2010. Pillsbury really should take this opportunity to crank out toaster strudels!

For All the Chocolate in the World

Hershey's is planning a bid to buy out Cadbury. This move could greatly improve their overseas market and make them the global chocolate powerhouse that they are here in the U.S. Read more here.

Robots and Donuts

Speaking of Vegas's Trifecta Gallery, one of my favorite artists Eric Joyner is currently showing there until November 27. Why is he one of my favorite? Robots and donuts. 'nuff said.
Bummed I'll miss the show by a couple weeks when I head out there. Hopefully the gallery will have some leftover morsels.

Black Country and Candied Cowboys

Back in the 90's, Hootie and The Blowfish was the shit. Their debut album is one of the best selling albums of all time, going platinum sixteen times. During their career, they put sixteen singles on various Billboard singles charts.
Then came the dry spell. Hootie and The Blowfish became the punchline to many jokes and those millions of fans who followed them now deny having ever liked them.
But now things have changed. Hootie lead singer Darius Rucker just made history as the first African American to win CMA's New Artist of the Year, as well as the first black artist since Charley Pride to win a major individual award. To be honest, I haven't heard any of his new solo work yet, but I have been a longtime Hootie fan. Congrats Darius!

I enjoy Rucker's prescient choice of attire in this 2005 Burger King commercial.


In unrelated cowboy news, at battlebunny.com my friend Carmen recently covered her discovery of JW Caldwell's new take on 'cowboy art'. Growing up on the western part of this country, I have seen lots of awful cowboy art - often in my own home. But this stuff is pretty fun. Looks like Caldwell showed these last year at Trifecta Gallery in Las Vegas.

"Yellow Slip"

"My Hat"

congratulations on your ability to press a nozzle, assholes

It's official, graffiti taggers have no sense of humor. Banksy recently painted a stencil mural in south London poking fun at mindless tags typically put up by any idiot with a spraycan. While the city council held a meeting to discuss whether the mural by the famous artist should stay or be painted over, taggers decided to paint over Banksy's work with their own predictable graffiti. *sigh* Whether I like Banksy's work or not, at least he's creative. More here.

brought to you by the letter "B"

"B" for birthday, that is. Sesame Street, the television show that taught me everything I needed to know as a child, is turning forty in a few days. I haven't seen it in years, but I'm really hoping it's still as influential for kids today as it was for me. An article on it's relevance here.
To celebrate Sesame Street, Google had this pic up today...


update November 5
Today's Google Doodle is Cookie Monster. I love the eyes as O's! Guess why he's my favorite character.

Ryan McGinness

I admit it. I totally have a man-crush on Ryan McGinness. Looking at his work always makes me want to be a better artist.


Now if only he could do something about that circa 1989 Christian Slater hair.

um, yeah

Bears play hockey @ Yahoo! Video

who ate jessica rabbit?

The answer: The voice of Jessica, Kathleen Turner. But I'm okay with that. If you aren't already a fan of Californication, you are missing out. As a new character on the show's third season, Turner plays one of the most amusing/repulsive characters ever! And another step down in the tragic spiral that is Charlie Runkle's life.

"you know, for kids"

Michelle Obama, promoting a healthy lifestyle, hoops it up.
Why did she do it? As any fan of The Hudsucker Proxy can tell you, she did it, "you know, for kids".

halloween + rollergirls = awesome

From New Zealand's Pirate City Rollers.

high five new york city

animals with lightsabers

Yeah, that's right. A suggestion from my friend Carmen sent me to this site. Pretty badass. Slightly more outrageous than one of my favorite sites, here.
What it all boils down to... don't trust animals. Especially the cute fuzzy ones.

he did WHAT?

After speaking of Obama art yesterday, this was announced...


Shepard Fairey admitted to lying about which source photo he used for the Obama posters. This could be a sour turn for what I was hoping would be a really good "fair use" battle. Read more about his bad decision here.

Oct. 20 update
There's still HOPE for the Fairey case. Despite the shenanigans surrounding which source photo he used, Shepard's (now former) lawyers think he still has a case. A little more info HERE

like a moth to a flame

Currently on exhibit at Conner Contemporary is a show titled "Conversations in Lyrical Abstraction: 1958-2009".
This show really played on my love/hate relationship with the Washington Color School with the inclusion of artists like Morris Louis and Howard Mehring. But I was surprisingly caught off guard by Leo Villareal's piece "Sky". Filled with ever-so-subtle changing hues it rests somewhere between an electric Rothko and an art-snob's lava lamp. I could sit in front of it for hours.
The show continues until October 31. Check it out.

Art for Obama

A printed book is finally coming out from the artwork gathered for the Manifest Hope show back in January. It was a great show and hopefully a great book as well. You can check it out here.

Dunk Mug

Those mad geniuses in the UK! I must get one of these. Of course, it limits you to two cookies, which is probably a good idea.
Dunk Mug

chocolate frock

From the 15th World Chocolate Fair in Paris, a Chocolate Fashion Show.