She's a public mystery, craving attention but shying away from private interviews. She is a human being Andy Warhol would have created, a painter (of) herself. She ran for Hollywood City Council in 2002, joined the much-parodied 2003 California gubernatorial recall election (previously), and most recently tried to become Mayor of Hollywood (archive of her Mayoral site). She is still loved by snark-mongers. She is Angelyne. She is ... [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief on Nov 5, 2009 - 44 comments

Back of the Mike | Around the Corner | Behind the Bright Lights | Sky Billboards | Just a Spark [more inside]
posted by Upton O'Good on Aug 9, 2009 - 6 comments

Bleeding billboard. Yeah, that's what I said.
posted by miss lynnster on Jul 7, 2009 - 38 comments

We Don't Want Ads, We Want Art!
posted by BuddhaInABucket on Apr 27, 2009 - 49 comments

Suzanne Opton's haunting soldier portraits, appearing on a billboard near you. (courtesy of Design Observer) [more inside]
posted by puckish on Nov 6, 2008 - 43 comments

120 years of Billboard data. Eternally curious blogger Andy Baio starts a three-day analysis of the data in the Whitburn Project, "a huge undertaking to preserve and share high-quality recordings of every popular song since the 1890s. To assist their efforts, they've created a spreadsheet of 37,000 songs and 112 columns of raw data, including each song's duration, beats-per-minute, songwriters, label, and week-by-week chart position." It all happens on good ol' Usenet--here's a FAQ.
posted by dbarefoot on May 15, 2008 - 19 comments

1. Photograph billboard.
2. Replace head with bloody stump.
3. Affix stump to original billboard.
4. Repeat as necessary.
posted by Partial Law on Jan 11, 2008 - 65 comments

The 25 Most Popular Tracks of 2007, as calculated by Billboard and interpreted by DJ Earworm. [more inside]
posted by flatluigi on Jan 2, 2008 - 74 comments

"I've hidden myself and covered myself for too long. Now I want to show myself fearlessly, even though I know my body arouses repugnance. I want to recover because I love life and the riches of the universe. I want to show young people how dangerous this illness is." French Comedienne Isabelle Caro, 27, an anorexic who weighs just 68 pounds, was displayed on Milan billboards (NSFW) for fashion designer Nolita as the city celebrated fashion week. The prevalence of eating disorders within the fashion industry have only recently been addressed officially, however Georgio Armani has complained that since Caro isn't a model herself it proves "even people who take no notice of fashion get anorexic."
posted by miss lynnster on Sep 30, 2007 - 116 comments

Slate's Doree Shafrir takes a look at the history of God's billboard, the church marquee. First started by storefront churches to stand out in urban settings, the marquee has become a mainstay of suburban congregations notable Baptist. Ranging from the campy and bizarre, to the political and outright inflammatory. God needs a copywriter.
posted by MiltonRandKalman on Jun 4, 2007 - 13 comments

A graphical dissertation of Mims' "This Is Why I'm Hot". Consider the reasoning, first, of just "I'm hot 'cause I'm fly": Mims is hot because he's fly. But it raises the question: Does being hot guarantee one's being fly? "You ain't 'cause you not" would seem to clear that up: It would appear that fly and hot are interchangable. If you are one, you are both; if you aren't at least one, you are neither.
posted by four panels on Apr 23, 2007 - 33 comments

Jason Eppink has taken Light Criticism a step further with his Pixelator.
posted by fandango_matt on Apr 15, 2007 - 20 comments

Light Criticism is the newest project by Graffiti Research Lab and the Anti-Advertising Agency.
posted by fandango_matt on Jan 25, 2007 - 23 comments

As MIDEM - arguably the world's most important music conference - gets under way this week in Cannes, an ominous milestone has been reached here in the United States. Last week, the "Dreamgirls" soundtrack registered the lowest record sales for a No. 1 album since Nielsen Soundscan began tracking data. This week, the soundtrack's sales dropped 9%, but it has managed to hold on to the top spot with a paltry 60,000 units sold. (So, What song was No. 1 on Billboard the day you were born?)
posted by phaedon on Jan 25, 2007 - 29 comments

From model to billboard in 60 seconds (qt mov).
posted by zardoz on Oct 16, 2006 - 35 comments

Images of Atlantic City Boardwalk from R.C. Maxwell. Photographs taken to give client's an idea of the traffic that would see their billboards, provide a record of the people who have thronged to the boardwalk since the early 1900's.
posted by tellurian on Sep 13, 2006 - 8 comments

I pooted. Enigmatic billboard advertisements, apparently promoting a Cartoon Network show, Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends seen in several major cities.
posted by ijoshua on Jun 22, 2006 - 54 comments

www. don't be jealous that i've been chatting online with babes all day .com This Napoleon Dynamite obsession is getting out of hand. I can't remember the last time everyone I know at work was walking around quoting lines from a movie. And In spite of the entertainment establishment slamming this movie’s head into its locker, since it left theaters for DVD on December 21, it has earned an additional, like, whole lot of money and has consistently been on Billboard’s top ten movie rentals and top ten in Amazon's DVD Sales ..Tina, you fat lard, come get some DINNER!
posted by thisisdrew on Mar 3, 2005 - 102 comments

Husband Wanted. Girl looking for husband in Nashville, TN, puts picture on billboard. "I just want one man driving by this billboard who wants to marry me." Is this a Red state thing?
posted by metaforth on Nov 25, 2004 - 59 comments

Live From Nowhere Near You is the name of a benefit CD created in the Northwest by Kevin Moyer and over 75 musicians. Professional contributors include Mike McCready and Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam, director Gus Van Sant (singing/guitar), Squirrel Nut Zippers and more.

Might make a great Christmas present.

See also related Billboard story.
posted by Twang on Oct 31, 2003 - 2 comments

"Before the invention of modern billboards, sign painters used to paint advertisements and company names directly onto building walls. These gradually fading painted signs are known as ghost signs."
posted by dobbs on Oct 8, 2003 - 28 comments

WeenAmp...peer-to-peer software? After signing with Sanctuary (now label-mates with Morrissey), releasing a pair of on-line only live CDs, cheesing off a pizza chain, and getting its back catalog from Elektra; Ween is developing software with InQuest Technologies that will tie together the band's official web site, the 24/7 Ween Radio broadcast, a message board, chat rooms and the ability to trade live concert mp3s without being confused with The Gourds (just try searching for "Gin & Juice" on your favourite peer-to-peer program). The band hopes to have the program bundled with it's new release quebec (yes, with a small q) on August 5th.
posted by boost ventilator on Jun 19, 2003 - 10 comments

American Brandstand tracks mentions of consumer brands in songs in the Billboard Hot 100. It's interesting to see which products get mentioned the most; Mercedes is currently on top with 29 mentions so far in 2003. (This week, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, and Li'l Kim all give props to the Benz.) Burberry and Puma round out the top three. Question: is this typically admiration of the product, projecting an image, or product placement? (Via Slate.)
posted by Vidiot on Apr 4, 2003 - 21 comments

Billboard on top of family eatery is sexually suggestive, and draws complaints from residents. What kills me is they're changing the sign to an "equally controversial" ad in two months. Here's a picture of the sign. Should the sign stay or should it go?
posted by Kevin Sanders on Jul 9, 2002 - 27 comments

A great music editor passes on. Timothy White, editor-in-chief of Billboard Magazine, died suddenly of a heart attack today. He was a fixture of music journalism. He and his bow-tie will be missed.
posted by aeiou on Jun 27, 2002 - 4 comments

For the first time in forty years, there is not a single UK act on the Billboard top 100 singles chart. A lot of people argue that it's because manfactured crap is interchangable, so there's no need to import it, but plenty of American artists still make it in the UK, so I'm inclined to believe there's something else at work here. Any ideas as to what that something might be?
posted by aaron on Apr 24, 2002 - 71 comments

Jiminy Cricket! It's our Corporate America Flag billboard! Once upon a time (quite recently, in fact), the good people of Adbusters received a call from a production assistant for a movie being made by Miramax, a Disney corporation. It seems the new film needed an establishing shot of Times Square in New York City. But something was in the way. Jiminy Cricket! It's our Corporate America Flag billboard! Disney gave us three options. We could (a) take the billboard down for a week or two; (b) cover up the billboard; or (c) change the billboard's corporate logos back into stars. Flag Picture.
posted by Niahmas on Feb 2, 2002 - 28 comments

Nick Hornby reviews the Billboard Top Ten. Quote: We have been told often enough that to disapprove of gangsta rap is pointless, middle class, and smug, like disapproving of modern urban life itself. Nevertheless, one is entitled to feel queasy about the enthusiasm for and endorsement of the gangsta life audible on "The Saga Continues . . ."
posted by acridrabbit on Aug 21, 2001 - 19 comments

Highway to Hell billboard depicts Satan giving McVeigh his lethal injection. This is an advertisement for the same Dallas radio station that employs the DJs responsible for the recent Spears/Timberlake car-crash rumor. What's the difference between political propaganda and savvy demographic pandering? Via davezilla.com
posted by johnnyace on Jun 18, 2001 - 16 comments

Is the Boss really in charge? Tucows is -- supposedly legally -- posting tracks from his early album, "Before the Fame" (though that sounds like a title applied after the fact to *me*).
posted by baylink on Jun 16, 2000 - 2 comments

Why Windows is not my Favorite Operating System. Assuming you give it that much credit at all... [ via Genehack via Flutterby ]
posted by baylink on May 18, 2000 - 0 comments