So you’ve created what is arguably the best search engine, which owns the best online video site, and are worth over $11 billion, so what do you do with some of your spending money? Buy a seat on the next space shuttle, duh! Information Week reported today that Google co-founder Sergey Brin recently put down a $5 million deposit to secure a spot on a future spaceflight. Space Adventures, a private “space-tourism” company that has helped the elite and prosperous to be launched upward announced that Brin has become the founding member of its “Orbital Mission Explorers Circle”, which allows members to buy and sell space flight seats, you know, kind of like stubhub for the super filthy rich. In a statement released today, Brin said:
“I am a big believer in the exploration and commercial development of the space frontier, and am looking forward to the possibility of going into space. Space Adventures helped open the space frontier to private citizens and thus pave the way for the personal spaceflight industry. The Orbital Mission Explorers Circle enables me to make an immediate investment while preserving the option to participate in a future spaceflight.”
Commercial development of the space frontier? So THAT’S why he wants to go into space so bad. Well, hats off to you, Sergey Brin. Perhaps with your brave leadership and assloads of cash, you can help make interplanetary commercial development a true reality. Thanks to you, we’ll finally get to enjoy these on Mars some day.
Everyone’s favorite teen drama Gossip Girl may be getting a much anticipated spin-off, and only after one juicy season! According to The Hollywood Reporter, producers are strongly considering a spin-off series based upon author Cecily von Ziegesar’s other acclaimed series, The It Girl. As the article further explains:
Producers are hoping to expand the popular CW show by either giving co-star Taylor Momsen her own series or by introducing a new character next season who is later spun off.
Awww, little J gets her own series? No doubt Queen B will be upset that she still has to share the spotlight with on-again off-again BFF S. In the books, Jenny Humphrey leaves the privileged world of Upper East Side private schools to escape…to the privileged world of boarding schools located far, but not too far from the city. Either way, the CW is poised to milk this enterprise for as long as it possibly can.
And when can we expect this spin-off to get spun? Not for awhile, apparently. In a related article via Gawker, show creator Josh Schwartz says that the show has no current plans for a spin-off because “Everyone is focused on making season 2 as good as possible,” but that they have not thrown out the idea entirely. Hmmm…sounds like this is one story we’ll be tracking as it plays out. XOXO
According to Reuters, Columbia Pictures has signed an exclusive deal to help make a big screen version of The Smurfs. In case you were born after 1990, The Smurfs was that great cartoon series from the 80’s (derived from a long running Belgian comic strip from the 50’s and 60’s) that featured little blue creatures with flat personalities and names to match (i.e. Hefty Smurf who was fat, Lazy Smurf who was sleepy, Brainy Smurf who was smart, etc…). So why is this even newsworthy? According to the article and Sony, the new movie will feature CGI Smurfs that will interact with human actors, working form the same formula as last year’s Alvin and The Chipmunks. Well that sounds great, because that movie got such great reviews. I can hardly wait until all of my childhood memories are ruined.
On last night’s episode of “Who Wants Sloppy Seconds with Tila Tequila“, Tila visited the remaining four finalists’ homes and families, to get to know them. Personally, I got very excited when Kristy (who I’m rooting for as the hometown hero) took Tila on a date to the Westchester Skating Academy (I’ve been there!). I could devote a whole post to Kristy, about how she completely embodies the Westchester way of life with the attitude, accent, mannerisms, etc…
BUT, the REAL star of the show was Jay (above), otherwise known as “Jersey” (because he’s from New Jersey, get it?). Notwithstanding the fact that he looks very similar to last season’s winner, Jay took Tila to his parents’ McMansion where they did what else, but play tonsil hockey the whole time at dinner while his father eerily stared at them in joy. And after that, it was everyone in the hot tub (the whole family and stepfamily) for some heavy petting and kissing, because that’s exactly what I do when I bring a girl home: I get her in my hot tub with my parents and expect an orgy. Great first impression.
So needless to say, Jersey was a little taken aback when Tila sent him home (apparently, he wasn’t her type, even after all that PDA in front of the family!). And what do Jersey Boys do when they don’t get what they want? True to the style, Jersey represented by punching some scenery, breaking vases, calling the set a “faggy red house”, and taunting other cast members by shouting “You want a piece of me Bo? I’ll break ya other face! This is how we do it Jersey style! Fuck this shit!” Cut to a confessional where Tila almost convincingly tells us how she doesn’t like her man to be so volatile. Everyone else gets a key, and then there were three.
The Golden Arches never seem to stop inventing new ways to lure in customers and add new (and sometimes bizzare) menu items. So in an effort to capture the…well, we’re not really sure what kind of market McDonald’s is going after with their latest promotion, but I can’t turn on the TV without seeing ads for this new “Southern Style” Chicken. So being the curious consumer, I tried both the sandwich (above) and the biscuit, y’know, just to see why they’re so great.
What’s so great is what a huge ripoff these items are. To start, the chicken itself is essentially a giant chicken nugget with barely any distinction from any other chicken on the menu, and while it tastes pretty good, somehow the price you pay for it doesn’t really make any sense. How does Mickey D’s even have the gall to charge almost three bucks for a large chicken nugget with two pickle slices between bread? You could get a dollar McChicken and still have the same freakin’ sandwich basically. The breakfast biscuit fares slightly better, but I guess because it’s chicken, it gives McDonald’s an excuse to charge more for it than it does for other tasty breakfast items.
But the biggest problem with this sandwich? The marketing. Some have called McDonald’s ads for the sandwiches racist and offensive. No kidding, really? That can’t be, even though almost all of the aforementioned ads feature black people essentially saying “Mmm, I love this fried southern style chicken”. But seriously, racist advertising? Who does that anyways?
There are three main reasons why anyone reads the New York Post: It costs less than the New York Times, Page Six, and Cindy Adams. And if there was a fourth reason, it would be for Andrea Peyser, the Post’s unapologetic, brazenly conservative femme fatale who day after day offers a no-nonsense opinion on something New York-ish or dealing with the most trivial aspects of pop culture (her commentary on Paris Hilton during the jail fiasco was Pulitzer-worthy). Seriously, you don’t want to mess with this brash columnist for New York’s second third tier newspaper
And this is exactly why she deserves a WTF.
Who made her the authority to tell us the moral complications surrounding Paris’ jailtime, or more recently, about how we should view the whole McGreevey divorce hearings. Look, we all know that journalists have to make a name for themselves in a business that’s slowly being eaten away by bloggers like myself, but if she wants people to take her seriously, she should try not to be such a bitch and write some useful editorials. Blah blah blah, nobody cares about another pop culture commentary in the newspaper (thats what blogs are for). She should go report on some hard hitting Post style journalism, like praising Bush or saying how liberals, not cancer, will kill Ted Kennedy.
And besides, the least she could do is make herself look more attractive. Or update her website. It looks like a five year old made it.
