MetaFilter

Ten years ago, Christopher Hitchens (RIP) declared women weren't funny and speculated as to why this might be so: Why Women Aren't Funny (Vanity Fair)
comment posted at 7:24 AM on Jun-1-17

Paste Magazine ranks the 50 Best TV Theme Songs Of All Time. All of you kids hanging out on my lawn probably don't even know what a "TV theme song" is, you damn snake people! But there was a time when commercials didn't take up 16 minutes of every broadcast hour and so the networks would actually let producers use a minute or two for a damn opening theme song! A lot of TV theme songs were used to recapitulate the premise of the show itself, especially in the wacky days of the 1960s and '70s, but some just featured an unforgettable riff, a mood-setting musical interlude, or an inspired re-purposing of an existing song.
comment posted at 9:25 AM on May-31-17

My thoughts on cultural appropriation of food changed forever in the research for my 2012 book, Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America. One of my personal highlights was discovering the restaurant that Glenn Bell of Taco Bell infamy had cited in his autobiography as being the source of "inspiration" for him deciding to get into the taco business. How did he get inspired? He'd eat tacos the restaurant every night, then go across the street to his hot dog stand to try and recreate them.
comment posted at 6:22 PM on May-30-17

How the self esteem craze took over America : "Believe in yourself and anything is possible, and You have to love yourself first before you can love someone else. “Those phrases are taken for granted as advice we give teens and adults,” explained Twenge, “but they’re very modern. At least in written language, they were very uncommon before about 1980, and then became much more popular. They’re all very individualistic, they’re all very self-focused, they’re also all delusional."
comment posted at 4:44 PM on May-30-17

"Of 513 school districts in Oklahoma, 96 have lopped Fridays or Mondays off their schedules — nearly triple the number in 2015 and four times as many as in 2013. An additional 44 are considering cutting instructional days by moving to a four-day week in the fall or by shortening the school year." The 2018 state budget, which was sent to Governor Fallin this week, cuts $34 million from education. Here is Oklahoma's study: Analysis of Expenditures of Districts on a Four-Day School Week (PDF)
comment posted at 8:35 AM on May-28-17

Gregg Allman, Soulful Trailblazer of Southern Rock, Dies at 69 Gregg Allman, the soulful singer-songwriter and rock n' blues pioneer who founded The Allman Brothers Band with his late brother, Duane, and composed such classics as "Midnight Rider," "Melissa" and the epic concert jam "Whipping Post," has died at age 69, Billboard has learned. He was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1999 and underwent a liver transplant in 2010. ~ From BILLBOARD
comment posted at 1:05 PM on May-27-17
comment posted at 4:48 PM on May-27-17
comment posted at 11:23 AM on May-29-17

In 2014 The Guardian published artist Laura Dodsworth's photos of 100 women's breasts and their thoughts about them. Now there's a follow-up: Me and My Penis. (nsfw)
comment posted at 12:55 PM on May-27-17

Paganism is dying. "Much of what once made Paganism radical is now widely accepted by those of all religions and none. It is no longer particularly progressive to believe in the central importance of the natural world, or in basic equality for all." It's eating its own. "We are beginning to see those fighting oppression using the tools of the oppressors upon one another." Maybe it deserves to die. "Institutions have a way of taking on a life of their own, so that people start asking how to save the institution, and forget to ask whether it should be saved." No, Paganism is evolving. "Even as parts of Paganism are dying, new parts are being born." It's just fine. "Just because groups like CUUPS or certain Druid orders might be losing members doesn’t mean that Paganism as a whole is headed down the same wormhole." The Pagan world is big and diverse. "So while I believe Paganism is fairly healthy, I could be wrong, but I trust my eyes when my contacts are in and things look pretty good from here."
comment posted at 7:30 AM on May-24-17

Twenty-two people were killed and sixty-four injured in suicide bombing at Manchester Arena on Monday night. Nine victims (including an eight-year-old girl) have been named so far. The bombing occurred after a concert by Ariana Grande that was attended by many children and teens. In response, the government has raised the threat level to Critical. The name of the attacker, who is thought to not have been acting alone, was released by police after it was first leaked by US officials. The leak of the attacker's identity has put a strain on US-UK intelligence sharing, since it may have hampered further investigations.
comment posted at 4:48 AM on May-24-17

Roger Moore – Saint, Persuader and the suavest James Bond – dies at 89. [The Guardian] “He was the epitome of the suave English gent, quipping sweatlessly in a bespoke three-piece suit, who enjoyed an acting career spanning eight decades. On Tuesday, Roger Moore’s children announced his death at the age of 89 in Switzerland, saying: “he passed away today ... after a short but brave battle with cancer”. Moore was best known for playing the third incarnation of James Bond as well as his roles in hit shows The Saint and The Persuaders. He also devoted a lot of his time to humanitarian work, becoming a Unicef goodwill ambassador in 1991.”
comment posted at 7:11 AM on May-23-17

Deconstructing how The Beatles wrote "A Day in the Life" 50 years ago this month. How does a band go from "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in 1964 to "A Day in the Life" in 1967?
comment posted at 10:39 AM on May-22-17

"Once a little old lady named Laura Scudder had a thing about potato chips" - an ad for Laura Scudder's Potato Chips, which really were made by Laura Scudder, a California entrepreneur who was the first to package potato chips in sealed bags to preserve their freshness, and was the first to add freshness dates to products. You can take the Laura Scudder Noise Abatement League Pledge, and view a short biographical recounting of Laura's life from Pauline Lemire, president of the Historical Society of Monterey Park.
comment posted at 9:41 AM on May-21-17

If you were to define 'comedy roast' by the modern Comedy Central Roasts, you could get the impression that it's a chance to heap scorn on celebrities who are already the focus of some level of public disdain. "Who wouldn’t want to see a similar thrashing, leveled at, say, Lady Gaga or every one of the Kardashians," asked Punchline Mag, but then they looked back at the origins of roast, where "they were originally done in honor or respect — real respect not the contemporary feigned type." Let's look back at the original roasts at the Friars Club in New York City, where things were different from today's TV events, yet some crass elements remain.
comment posted at 7:33 AM on May-20-17

In the latest installment of old/rich people blame millenials for everything, a multi-millionaire property dealer (who inherited wealth) suggests they cut back on the avocado toast so they can buy property. The New York Time fact-checks his "claim", as does SFgate (post title from this), LA Times and CNBC, while social media is wtf, emoji, nope, singing. Elsewhere, gadgets to help you make avocado toast, or consider moving to Ireland.
comment posted at 12:34 PM on May-19-17

Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell, a founding father of grunge, dead at 52 [WaPo Obit]
comment posted at 4:11 AM on May-18-17
comment posted at 2:37 PM on May-18-17

As the trial of Cliven Bundy and his sons over their 2014 armed standoff with federal agents draws closer, The Intercept has obtained footage and documentation from something exceptionally strange: The Bizarre Story Behind the FBI’s Fake Documentary About the Bundy Family.
comment posted at 7:28 PM on May-16-17

Ivanka Trump: Stepfordian Night Ghast of Neo Capitalism It’s true that anyone can be a dead-eyed Instagram husk of a human being frantically photoshopping themselves in the down-hours between soul-crushing corporate drudgery and unpaid emotional labour for some ungrateful lantern-jawed jock if they really want to, but it takes a special type of person to do all that whilst also being a decoy for a global backlash against women’s rights. - Laurie Penny pulls no punches in her review of Ivanka's latest self help manual.
comment posted at 11:57 AM on May-16-17

In 1998, five New York friends — Julian Casablancas, Albert Hammond Jr., Fabrizio Moretti, Nick Valensi, and Nikolai Fraiture — formed a band called the Strokes. They released a debut album, Is This It, in 2001. In 2009, NME named it Album of the Decade; Rolling Stone ranked it No. 2, behind Radiohead’s Kid A. This is an account of what happened in between, starting in 2002.
comment posted at 9:38 AM on May-16-17
comment posted at 10:20 AM on May-16-17
comment posted at 12:24 PM on May-16-17

Powers Boothe, Actor Known for ‘Deadwood’ and Other Dark Roles, Dies at 68 [The New York Times] “Powers Boothe [wiki] [imdb], an actor best known for playing dark characters on television shows like “Deadwood” and in movies like “Sin City,” died on Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 68. The death was confirmed by his publicist, Karen Samfilippo. She did not specify the cause. Mr. Boothe lent his burly frame and Texas drawl to numerous TV series beginning in the late 1970s. In addition to the acclaimed HBO series “Deadwood,” he was seen on shows including “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Nashville” and “24,” on which he played the vice president of the United States. Among the movies in which he appeared were “Red Dawn” (1984), “Marvel’s The Avengers” (2012) and Oliver Stone’s “Nixon” (1995), in which he played Alexander Haig.”
comment posted at 7:44 PM on May-15-17
comment posted at 7:47 PM on May-15-17

When the Mattel Intellivision tried to become a real computer.
comment posted at 8:37 AM on May-15-17

Doughnuts Are on a Global Rampage, and They Must Be Stopped.
comment posted at 7:21 PM on May-14-17

It’s the nature of fashion that proportions are tweaked, colours altered and ways of presenting garments change. The result is something new despite itself. What about clothes that try expressly to be the clothing of tomorrow? The shape of clothes to come? Not just modern but forward-looking. The concept of purposefully modern clothing is a fairly recent one and has intertwined with science fiction cinema and literature from the beginning. This is a very subjective overview but we’ve tried to tie the various strands of modernity that have come together in the last century, in doing so we attempt to draw attention to the cultural influences that define our era and shape our idea of what it means to be ‘modern’.
comment posted at 12:19 PM on May-13-17
comment posted at 12:21 PM on May-13-17

A SONG-BY-SONG ANALYSIS/COMMENTARY OF EVERY (*MORE OR LESS) SONG WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED BY PAUL SIMON.
Now, our speaker may or may not know a cinematographer. He may or may not have been to this party, and he may or may not have met this woman there. Even if he did, he may or may not remember her. But he can't tell her this. And anyway, it doesn't matter-- she knows him now. If I say "no," he thinks, the conversation is over. But I can't give a definite "yes," either. So he obfuscates. He says something like, "Sure, why not just say so, if it means we can talk?" But in this case he opts for the more poetic, more off-handed, "Who am I to blow against the wind?"
comment posted at 6:49 AM on May-13-17

In what is arguably the most turbulent week of the fledgling Trump Administration, FBI Director James Comey was fired, in spite of the fact that he was conducting an active counterintelligence investigation into possible collusion between the Trump Campaign and the Russian government.
comment posted at 10:04 AM on May-12-17
comment posted at 10:08 AM on May-12-17

One is a respected journalist. The other is the king of Bravo's reality tv empire. Together, they're BESTIES4LYFE, and they're taking their friendship on the road. At the 92nd Street Y in New York, Anderson Cooper talks to BFF Andy Cohen about his new book, The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Year, a behind-the-scenes look at his late-night talk show, Watch What Happens Live, "the gayest letters you've read in your whole life" aka Andy's 3rd grade letters from summer camp, fame, celebrity, and of course, real housewives. Later, Andy plays a dangerous game of Plead The Fifth.
comment posted at 9:33 AM on May-12-17

Cheeky chipmunk caught red-handed stealing from bird feeder is overcome by remorse. More animals stuffing their faces.

Bonus: “I declare May 7th is International This Puppy day.
comment posted at 6:03 PM on May-11-17

How Karen Carpenter, the whitest singer of the '70s, became an icon in the Philippines, in an article by USC professor Karen Tongson, who was named after her and has a forthcoming book called Why Karen Carpenter Matters.
comment posted at 2:07 PM on May-11-17
comment posted at 2:10 PM on May-11-17
comment posted at 5:54 PM on May-11-17

Vote The Rock: Caity Weaver profiles Dwayne Johnson for GQ. Photos -- including The Rock dressed as a Butterfly -- by Peggy Sirota.
comment posted at 7:14 PM on May-10-17

Prosecutors filed criminal charges on Friday against 18 Penn State fraternity brothers in the death of Timothy Piazza. After downing a dangerous amount of alcohol and suffering severe internal injuries during a fraternity hazing, a 19-year-old college sophomore died. Not long ago, the story might have ended there, except for some hand-wringing and litigation.
comment posted at 8:05 AM on May-9-17

If People Talked About Other Things the Way They Talked About Gender Identity.
comment posted at 8:46 AM on May-7-17
comment posted at 12:09 PM on May-7-17

"The most emotionally devastating comic book in recent memory features a man coming to grips with his obsolescence, questioning humanity’s squandering nature and gross consumerism, and coping with the scars of war." It's DC's new (2016) Flintstones (Steve Pugh, Mark Russell)
comment posted at 3:02 PM on May-6-17

Give Mom her true heart’s desire this Mother’s Day—a family meal and a romance novel featuring Colonel Sanders. — KFC (@kfc)

Promo video, Amazon Reviews
comment posted at 10:19 AM on May-5-17
comment posted at 10:38 AM on May-5-17
comment posted at 12:29 PM on May-5-17

Alex Jones Will Never Stop Being Alex Jones After two decades toiling at the fringes of politics, Alex Jones and his Infowars media empire have architected the current moment and helped usher a president into office. Now, the only person standing in Jones' way is Jones.
comment posted at 7:26 AM on May-5-17
comment posted at 8:39 AM on May-5-17

The most beautiful shrug of all time...
comment posted at 1:10 PM on May-4-17

The Sandwich Alignment Chart
It's like a D&D alignment chart, but with food, using "structure" and "ingredients" as axes, ranging from "Hardcore Traditionalist" (a BLT is a sandwich) to "Radical Anarchist" (a pop-tart is a sandwich)
comment posted at 6:07 AM on May-4-17
comment posted at 7:56 AM on May-4-17