MetaFilter posts tagged with billboard

Angelyne: as essential a part of the Hollywood landscape as the garish minimall

filthy light thief — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:10:52 -0800

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 ... A local Hollywood celebrity for her presence on billboards, the "wicked Eve in Hollywood's media-made Garden of Eden," she is can be found in her bright pink Corvette (Hidden Los Angeles previously, Vector Portraits previously). She has been the topic of local articles for a while, the subject of local and foreign TV interest. She's had bit-parts in a few movies and drove Moby around Hollywood. She's inspired song-writers (sample) and mix-tapers. Angelyne once said "I'm the quintessential billboard queen that's supposed to happen. That's why it's so readily and easily accepted. I feel like I've been embedded in the cement of Hollywood for 3,000 years." But where did she come from? Neither her official website nor MySpace page provide much personal information beyond her likes and dislikes (the latter lists her age as 29). An old webzine has an article on her (circa 1998), noting that she came from Idaho, and moved to Los Angeles for fame and fortune, singing with a group that was first know as Black and Blue, then Baby Blue, and a few weeks it was Angelyne. She released four albums (including Driven to Fantasy), and made a music video for the song "I Always Keep A List of All the Guys I Kiss". But none of those endeavors panned out. Her foray into billboards wouldn't have lasted, either, had it not been for the entrepreneurship of Hugo Maisnik. Maisnik, the president of the outdoor advertisement company who Angelyne contacted, signed with her to support her advertising (and her lease of the iconic 'Vette) for a cut of her profits from her fame. According to a 1987 People Magazine article (which listed her age as 28), Maisnik was her manager at the time. (An article later that year listed her age as 29.) Now you can consider yourself armed for The Angelyne Quiz: How Well Do You Know Her?

The films of Jam Handy

Upton O'Good — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 20:20:17 -0800

Back of the Mike | Around the Corner | Behind the Bright Lights | Sky Billboards | Just a Spark Henry Jamison "Jam" Handy was an Olympic medalist and a creator of thousands of short films. His company, the Jam Handy Organization, was hired to create training and advertising for both American companies and the US military, including many educational films which showcased the technological cutting edge of the 1930s (and doubled as advertising for Chevrolet). Many of them are now in the public domain and can be found in the Prelinger Archives at the Internet Archive.

Huh. Kinda reminds me of that guy in Casino Royale.

miss lynnster — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:36:55 -0800

Bleeding billboard. Yeah, that's what I said.

Hijacking illegal billboards.

BuddhaInABucket — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:04:05 -0800

We Don't Want Ads, We Want Art!

Soldiers at War

puckish — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:15:47 -0800

Suzanne Opton's haunting soldier portraits, appearing on a billboard near you. (courtesy of Design Observer) Some interesting comments: As a Marine, I find these really disturbing. If you want to support me... send a letter, send a care package, send a book... for God\'s sake... My wife told me to look at this website, and I am honestly horrified. Is this the representation that Americans have of the troops defending them? I too, am a spouse of a soldier; I understand the intent behind these, but showing them on the ground, to me, is too much for public viewing. I would prefer to view these at an art museum so that we may have the choice to show our children these depictions.

The Whitburn Project: 120 Years of Music Chart History

dbarefoot — Thu, 15 May 2008 09:06:28 -0800

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.

The Decapitator

Partial Law — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 23:56:43 -0800

1. Photograph billboard.
2. Replace head with bloody stump.
3. Affix stump to original billboard.
4. Repeat as necessary.

Is the whole better than the sum of its parts?

flatluigi — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:54:24 -0800

The 25 Most Popular Tracks of 2007, as calculated by Billboard and interpreted by DJ Earworm. I make no implications as to the quality of the best of 2007.

Oh Isabelle... eat something. Anything. Pleeeaaaase.

miss lynnster — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 09:47:55 -0800

"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."

A Sign From God

MiltonRandKalman — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 11:15:28 -0800

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.

topless

four panels — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:33:23 -0800

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.

Idleness And Dissipation Breed Apathy

fandango_matt — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 12:34:26 -0800

Jason Eppink has taken Light Criticism a step further with his Pixelator.

We're Gonna Have A TV Party Tonight

fandango_matt — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 13:33:17 -0800

Light Criticism is the newest project by Graffiti Research Lab and the Anti-Advertising Agency.

"I will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor

phaedon — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 09:29:05 -0800

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?)

The eye of the beholder

zardoz — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 01:40:43 -0800

From model to billboard in 60 seconds (qt mov).

Maxwell did it!

tellurian — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 23:45:33 -0800

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.

I pooted

ijoshua — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 18:37:03 -0800

I pooted. Enigmatic billboard advertisements, apparently promoting a Cartoon Network show, Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends seen in several major cities.

Napoleon Dynamite Link

thisisdrew — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 08:40:46 -0800

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!

Marry Theresa

metaforth — Thu, 25 Nov 2004 18:14:29 -0800

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?

CD benefits Portland homeless kids

Twang — Fri, 31 Oct 2003 00:03:53 -0800

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.

Ghost Signs

dobbs — Wed, 08 Oct 2003 00:01:16 -0800

"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."

WeenAmp

boost ventilator — Thu, 19 Jun 2003 07:30:35 -0800

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.

My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends

Vidiot — Fri, 04 Apr 2003 15:30:45 -0800

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.)

Kevin Sanders — Tue, 09 Jul 2002 09:47:01 -0800

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?

aeiou — Thu, 27 Jun 2002 21:09:12 -0800

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.