(F)unemployment

Most of my fellow class of '09ers are still job searching. This one's for you guys. And anyone else who is suffering from the highest unemployment rate in 26 years. Here's some scary numbers, but also show just how everyone is really in the same boat:

As of June, just 19.7% of 2009 college graduates have a job.
This figure is still standing strong at the end of August - only 1/5 of all grads have even had a job offer.
Overall jobless rate is 9.4% - this is even higher in LA, which is at the shockingly high 20%.

Well, unemployment doesn't have to be all bad! There's lots you can do to turn your unemployment into FUNemployment. Here are some great websites with ideas of stuff to do in LA while you're unemployed:

LA DeCOSTified: A website with a bunch of free events, give aways, and suggestions of stuff to do around the city that doesn't cost you an arm and a leg.

Free Fun Guides: Guides for multiple cities with free events and give aways.

LA Fun-employment: Same story here - one page of many cities, featuring free events, bargains, and give aways.

And my friend Brian has created a blog all about his funemployment learnings: Leisure King.

Hopefully this helps pass the time between the job hunting emails, phone calls, and research. Good luck job hunting! But when you need some good, cheap fun check out the sites and let me know what you think!

America's Best Dance Crew: Bollywood

Here's my and KT's review of this week's America's Best Dance Crew!

Thanks for watching!

Next week: Dance Craze Challenge.

Sweet Quest

Here's a great cake that was made for Quest Dance Crew from ABDC. I love the lettering! A great cake for a great group of guys.

Not The Blob!

Rob Zombie has set his sights on The Blob - a B-movie classic! Now, if I could make any movie, it would be a sequel to the original Blob (1958). I love the original so much and haven't really felt that for any of the sequels or remakes that have come since. Now, Rob Zombie wants to try his hand at it. But, get this, he doesn't want there to be an actual blob! How do you have The Blob without a blobby alien creature?!

For more on the project, check out the article on Zap2it.

Do you think there's any chance of this being good? Have you seen The Blob?

A Cloudy Day in the Neighborhood

Today marks the last original episode of Reading Rainbow. I'm so sad that such a classic is coming to an end. Everyone my age remembers this show - it's an integral part of our childhoods. How are children going to know about books now?!

Watch the opening credits, they're magical. I still know the lyrics to the song:

Brains! Need more brains!

Zombie Cupcakes! Aren't these awesome? I love the brain effect they managed to create. To learn how to make these, click HERE.

When Crews Collide

This is a great colloboration between Phillip Chbeeb (SYTYCD Top 12), Hok (Quest Crew, winner of ABDC), and "Marvelous Moon" (any of you know who this guy is?)

(Found on SYTYCDism)

Let's Get "Lost"

The next season of Lost is still a ways away, but the marketing campaign is getting kicked up a notch.


This is the first 2 in a series of 15. I love the old school vibe! The Locke one really reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo. While Hurley's reminds me of those horror films of the 50s.

What do you guys think?

(Posters can be found here and here)

Neil Patrick Harris is Legen....wait for it....DARY!

Any fan of How I Met Your Mother is a fan of Neil Patrick Harris. I just found this hilarious site FUCK YEAH NEIL PATRICK HARRIS. Here are a couple of my favorites from their front page:



There's loads more on the website, so check it out!

We're off to see the wizard!

Today mark's the 70th anniversary of the Wizard of Oz! This is the classic movie, that everyone has seen and everyone knows the iconic lines:

• "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more."
• "Lions and tigers and bears! Oh, my!"
• "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."
• "As for you, my galvanized friend, you want a heart. You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable."
• "There's only one of him and he's it. He's the Horse of a Different Color, you've heard tell about."
• "Now I know I have a heart, because it's breaking"

And my personal favorite, which I say every few days at least:



In related news, a reimagining of the Wizard of Oz is in the works. I'm going to with hold judgment on the project until more details are released, but this is what we know so far. It will follow Dorothy's granddaughter in a modern version of the story. In this version, she's less of a wide-eyed innocent, "she's much closer to the Ripley character from Alien." For more information on the remake, check out this article at Get the Big Picture.

Boogie Town: Dance Battles of the Future

How did I miss this awesomeness? This supposedly came out in June, but this is the first I'm seeing of it:



It has everything I love: Star-crossed lovers! Dance offs! Superpowers! Dystopian future! Seriously, how did I miss this?!

Have you guys heard of this before? Or better yet, have you seen it?

Star Wars Edibles

These Star Wars themed edibles are so awesome! Check them out below:







My favorite is the Ewok cupcakes! Ewoks are so cute, and that cuteness just grows exponentially when you put it on a cupcake.

Which ones your favorite?

(more can be found at GeekTyrant)

9 Will Save Us

Alice in Wonderland doesn't come out until 2010, but we don't have to wait that long for our next Tim Burton fix! 9-9-09 marks the release of 9. I'm so excited for this film, as I am for most of Tim Burton related films. Plus, this trailer is SO well done. I love the use of music and just how epic it all feels. Such small creatures with such a big task. This is going to be good.

Inception: Only a year away!

Inception @ Yahoo! Video

This teaser doesn't give away much other than some cool visuals, but it's Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) and Leo. I don't really need to know much more to get pumped for this Summer 2010 blockbuster. Although, it is a bit early to start promoting this; we're just wrapping up Summer 2009!

Lego 8 Bit

Wow, this video is so amazing. I can see how this would take 1,500 hours of work, but I can't even begin to comprehend that. That's a lot of work to put into a video that is shorter than 4 minutes long.



(found on EW Popwatch)

Weekend Movies

I didn't go outside much this weekend, instead I sat in cool air conditioned theaters. Here are my brief thoughts on what I saw this weekend.

Inglourious Basterds
This may be Tarantino's best work. It is definitely one of my favorites by him. I reserve saying it's my #1 because it is so new and I'm still so hyped on it that I can't judge it critically against Pulp Fiction until I've calmed down and can watch it again. For a movie that clocks in at 2 hours and 45 minutes, I was never bored. I was actually a little disappointed when it ended, because it was just so good and I wanted to keep on watching. The dfilm looks like an older film, but with better technology used in its making. The cinematography is beautiful, each shot looking like it's from another era. That's what I love about his films and pastiche style of directing, the films feel timeless.

To learn more about Basterds box office success ($37.5 million weekend!), check out this article from Mashable talking about the film and the "Twitter Effect".

Also, here's a great article from Popwatch about Tarantino's influence on hollywood an films.

The Hurt Locker
I spent nearly the duration of this film with my heart pumping in a state of constant distress for the lives of the main characters. It was a thoroughly engrossing film, but I was ultimately dissatisfied with the film because of the ending. I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it, but the ending was both depressing and disappointing.

Ponyo
This was so cute and just magical. The animation is beautiful. Watching all the disney trailers before it just highlighted the contrast between American animation and Asian animation styles. It was pure magic and gave me the warm-fuzzies. I loved the movie, but again it's not one that needs to be seen in theaters.

District 9
It's sad that it's refreshing to see a summer action film with an actual plot and meaning behind it. This should be the norm, people! This is a monumental film that goes back to sci-fi roots by being an allegory for real world issues. This film had depth and heart, and was able to stay well under a $100 million budget. This just shows that you don't need massive amounts of money to make a great film, you need a well thought out storyline that connects with an audience. Another one of my favorites from this year.

What did you guys think of these films, if you've seen them?

(image courtesy of The Weinstein Company)

The Importance of Forklift Safety

Last night at a networking event, this video randomly came up in conversation. It turns out, not many people had experienced it so I knew I had to share it on my blog.

The video starts out a bit slow, but I really recommend you watch the whole thing since the end is the best part. This s a REAL instructional video, which just makes it so much better.

Well, that's one way to drill in the safety hazards of the job.

America's Best Dance Crew: Martial Arts Challenge

Hey guys, here's KT's and my thoughts on this week's ABDC! The challenge was Martial Arts and it took a while for the show to pick up, but the last 2 dances were among the best of the season. I'm disappointed about who went home, but somebody had to. For more, check out our video recap below:

Who do you think will be in the bottom next week?

Will it Blend?

This makes me feel physically ill - ruining a beautiful iPhone

like that! I'm kidding, kind of. But it is an example of great

marketing. Whether it's real or not, it gets people talking about

the blender. It's gotten over 7 million views on youtube and is

just gaining more and more word of mouth marketing. They

have a whole list of things they've blended: mariokart wii wheel,

glow sticks, wiimote, rubik's cube, and more.

Dollhouse: Season 2

Everyone, myself included, was shocked when Dollhouse was renewed for second season. I'm so glad Fox is allowing this show to grow and develop, even though the audience isn't quite there. Or at least, not there during the live airings. Dollhouse had a much better DVR/online streaming rating than traditional rating. The promotional poster for the new season was just released, check it out:

I love the stark colors and perspective on Eliza Dushku. It feels very '60s to me too. And the tagline "Anyone can happen" sums up the show nicely, while intriguing those that aren't familiar with it.

What do you guys think of the poster?

(found on The Hollywood Reporter)

Awkward Cute

Youth in Revolt


I love Michael Cera, even though he plays the same guy in all his roles. He plays the "awkward cute guy" so well, I can see why he'd want to stick with what he knows.

I don't know how I feel about this movie. It looks just a little too weird and unsure of what it is. I do love the use of Bon Jovi in the trailer though.

For some good, classic Michael Cera check out Arrested Development. I've embedded the pilot below to make it easy for you.

Resist Skynet!

So, I recently got hooked on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles by watching it on TheWB.com. It's a great show and I wish I had started watching when it was on! I didn't see Terminator Salvation after the abysmal reviews it got, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say this show is better. It has action, character development, and is well written. Plus, Summer Glau does the not-quite-human thing so well. Check out the pilot below:



Also, while digging around online, I found these sweet shoes that inspired this whole post:



They're Terminator shoes that say "Resist" "Skynet". Put on these babies and everyone will know you're a resistance fighter!

(found via GeekCrafts)

A cute, a fail, and a funny!

Should proposals have their own production value? This engagement proposal is a little over the top, but it's so adorable! I love it!



Hilarious! I feel bad for the guy, yet can't stop laughing.



As I mentioned earlier, I'm a huge fan of How I Met Your Mother. This commericial for the show is old, but I still think it's funny. CBS is not known for their young, hip audience. It's known for it's crime shows. And HIMYM totally knows how to play to its strengths.

Trailer dump

Michael Moore is a polarizing filmmaker, but I've enjoyed his documentaries so far. I also love that he's made documentaries "cool" and more people are watching them. This looks interesting and relevant, as always. The only thing I don't like about this trailer is the use of M.I.A.'s Paper Planes song. It's just way too closely associated with Pineapple Express for me to take it seriously when associated with anything else.



This trailer is scary! The movie looks like it could be just the thing we need in response to all the vampire projects coming out. The only thing that worries me is the fact that it's been pushed back and on the studio's shelf for far too long. They previewed this film at Comic-Con 2008, why the big delay?



I know there are plenty of Megan Fox haters, but I love that she knows she's hot and doesn't try to be anything else. This is a movie just about how she's so hot, she's deadly! Plus, this was written by Diablo Cody, the screenwriter who brought us Juno! That movie, but especially its soundtrack, hold a special place in my heart.

Viral Marketing: Sherlock Holmes

I love campaigns like this! They're interactive and give the hardcore fans something to participate in and look forward to. They aren't the most effective of campaigns, usually just making the hardcore fans happy and then going unnoticed by the rest of the population, but sometimes they can catch like wildfire.

I signed up for this, and hopefully you will too. We can go on this Sherlock Holmes information chase together.

(Found via Latino Review)

How I Met Your Mother: Sneak Peek

I'm a huge fan of CBS's How I Met Your Mother. I've probably seen every episode at least 3 times. So, as you can guess, I'm pretty pumped for the new season to start on Sept. 21. Well, CBS just released some photos from the first episode! Check them out:


Why is Ted dressed like Indiana Jones? I have no idea, but I can't wait to find out! Some of my favorite moments are when they reference pop culture, like in the "I'm too old for this stuff" moments.


Why is Lily eating ice cream straight out of the carton? Is she just upset/stressed about something? Is she pregnant? Is she unintentionally losing weight and trying to make up for it, like she did just before her wedding?


Ah, the most controversial topic of the new season - the Robin/Barney romance. This photo looks very lovey dovey, and I still can't wrap my head around how a relationship between the two most non-relationship people is going to work. We'll just have to wait til Sept. 21 to see!

(Photos are courtesy of CBS. For more, check out Zap2it)

Avatar

I'm excited for this movie, regardless of trailers or any clips. It got rave reviews from those at Comic Con and that's pretty much all I need to know to get me hyped for a movie. The trailer has great visuals and I'm sure it'll be amazing on the big screen, especially IMAX.

I'm surprised they decided to go with the "Director of Titanic" instead of "Director of Terminator" since it seems to be more in line with that movie. But I guess he wants to make sure people don't get it confused with the new Terminator, since that one pretty much tanked. Also, everyone in the world knows about Titanic. It's still the highest grossing film in the US with just over $600 million, and that's not even including the world markets.

What do you guys think of the film?

Social Media Revolution

These videos always freak me out a little. I've probably watched one of these types of videos in all of my communication classes. It gets the point across better than simply listing facts and statistics, but I would like to see where they got these facts from.

I'm a firm believer in the social media revolution and how it's changing the shape of the world today. The world is getting progressively smaller and tools like Twitter and Facebook are making communication around the globe instaneous. I talked earlier about the twitter effect on films, and this video just sums it up and expands it to the world as a whole.

This summer blockbuster season will be considered the summer of the Twitter Effect, but is right? This article isn't so sure. While Bruno and G.I. Joe have suffered huge box office drops from Friday to Saturday, Twitter can't take all the credit. Bruno (and Sasha Baron Cohen) has a small but fervent fan base that probably rushed to see the film as soon as it opened. The drop of 61% is comparable to Twilight's drop of 71% from weekend to weekend, which also has a small but enthusiastic fanbase. And despite being panned by critics and viewers alike, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen went on to be the highest grossing movie this year.

I think this "Twitter Effect" is not all thanks to Twitter, it is thanks to the rapid dissemination of information through all social media - twitter, facebook, friendfeed, delicious, digg, etc. It's a force that can't be stopped and is changing how we all live our lives.

This article disagrees with me. They believe that the internet has not spread ideas, as much as it has made us censor ourselves. Granted, there have been a few instances of people getting fired over facebook updates and/or tweets, but these are few and far between compared to the amount of usage these sites get. And compared to the good it's done. Twitter was an integral part in the Iranian Election. It has saved lives thanks to people (like @mrskutcher) seeing suicidal thoughts and then stopping the writers from following through with their plans. It has raised money and awareness for numerous charities.

I say, Viva la Social Media Revolution!

Random Video of the Day

I find this video way too hilarious to just let it slide by unnoticed.



Here are some of my favorite phrases from this gem:

"that says a lot about life, and about cat massage"

"she feels so good she forgets to swallow"

"use both hands to double your pleasure, double your fun"

GENIUS!

Family Guy will beat you up

As I mentioned in an older post, the Family Guy Emmy campaign is going on a more non-traditional route. Well, here are the 2 latest installments:





I'm disappointed they just redubbed the same scenes with new dialogue. I was ok with them redubbing clips from the show, but I thought each show would have a different clip. I guess not. Oh well, I still think these are funny. I especially love the last line about Entourage. For more on how Entourage IS just like Sex and the City with guys, check out this article.

What's your Mindset?

This school year is gearing up and this is the first time that I won't be gearing up with it. This such a strange and new experience, I don't quite know how I should be acting since I'm not getting ready to go back to school. Maybe that's part of why this blog exists?

I just found this annual report about the "mindset" of each graduating class. It's a list that Beloit College makes every year of the major defining events that shaped a graduating class's lives.

In honor of my graduating in 2009, here are some highlights from their Class of 2009 list:

1. They don't remember when "cut and paste" involved scissors.
2. Heart-lung transplants have always been possible.
3. They never had the fun of being thrown into the back of a station wagon with six others.
4. "Whatever" is not part of a question but an expression of sullen rebuke.
5. Dirty dancing has always been acceptable.
6. The Starship Enterprise has always looked dated.

For the full list, click HERE.
You can also check out other years' lists here.

Emmy marketing

Most TV and actor campaigns consist of taking out ads in the major trade papers and promoting the episode they want to highlight. But Family Guy, being it's rebellious self, has decided to go a different route. Here's the first installment:



They're planning to do one of these for each of the other nominees, and I personally can't wait to see what they come with. This is a nice breath of fresh air in the whole Emmy marketing seasoning!

Date My Avatar

I love Felicia Day! She's a social media maven, always at the forefront of every technological sphere, and she just seems like such a down to earth, geeky gal. She just reached #1 on iTunes and Amazon with this great song:



She's pretty much every geek guy's (and some girl's) dream. Buy her song on itunes if you like it.

Digital Scavenger Hunt!

Live Nation is hosting an online scavenger hunt! You just have to follow @LiveNation and your local LiveNation's twitter (@LiveNation_LA for example) and tweet them that you're participating. The clues will be online and around your city, so keep an eye out.

For more information, check out the LiveNation website here.

When in Rome...?

I love the vast majority of the actors in this trailer: Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars), Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies), and Will Arnett (Arrested Development). They're all from some of my favorite tv shows and seem to have good taste in picking projects. This trailer seems rife with cliches and doesn't look like it'll be anything special in terms of traditional romantic comedy fare. But, at the same time, I enjoyed this trailer! It looks cute, funny, and not dumbed down.

What do you guys think of it?

(Found via Popwatch)

Cleaning with the iPhone

No, this is not about cleaning apps from the iTunes store for your iPhone or iPod touch. This about this sweet soap! Check this out:

I know some people love their iPhone so much they'd want to rub it all over their body. Well, now they can!

And if you have an obsessive love for your non-iPhone smartphone, there's a soap for you too. Check out more about the soaps over at Mashable.

America's Best Dance Crew: Beyonce Challenge

Hey guys, here's our weekly recap of tonight's America's Best Dance Crew! I hope you all watched. There were some great routines to Beyonce's top songs. And I can't believe who went home this week!

Did you guys watch? What routines were your favorite?

Top Ten Films (from 1999)

Note: I'm leaving for Las Vegas in the morning. So no updates for a few days. Please feel free to check around my older posts. See you guys next week!

It's been 10 years since 1999. It is a year that will be remembered for the Y2K scare and the Columbine shootings, a time of upheaval and everyone on the brink of panic. Or at least some of the extremes. The films of the time definitely reflected the era, with The Matrix and American Beauty among the top earners of the year. But this year is more remembered for the films that didn't break the box office records, for the movies that had real staying power and still feel relevant today. Here's my list of the Top Ten films from 1999. It's totally subjective and in no particular order:

Fight Club

This movie is among my favorites of all time. The look of the film, the voice over narration done perfectly by Edward Norton, and the big twist at the end, this movie's got it all. It reflected the apocalyptic feel of 1999 and the anti-consumerism sentiment that was prevalent since the mad spending of the 1980s.

Toy Story 2

Pixar was still new at this point and didn't have the audiences guaranteed. They deserve every single one of their fans, myself included. The film follows the story of childhood lost, teaching us to hold on to what we have when we have it, and just appreciate it while it lasts. There's nothing better in life than making people happy, and Pixar does that with every film they make.

Election

It's hard to believe MTV used to make quality content like this. The story of Tracy Flick is still relevant today - just look at Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. Women in power, and how they got there, hold the attention of America because it is still a rarity (sadly). Plus, this is the film that broke Reese Witherspoon into Hollywood, and she has continued to prove her acting chops since.

The Sixth Sense

M. Night Shamalyan has never been able to live up to the quality of this film. Seeing this movie for the first time, I was so terrified while watching it. It's a good horror story without being about blood and gore. The ending will live in film history as one of the best twists.

10 Things I Hate About You

It's kind of sad to watch now, since Heath Ledger's untimely passing, but it's still one of my favorite teen flicks. It took Shakespeare and made it hip and relatable, by being barely recognizable. But still, a great movie with a talented cast that went on to play other great roles: Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordan-Lovitt, and Julia Stiles. Plus, it has one of my favorite film moments in it:

Dogma

My favorite of Kevin Smith films (followed closely by Mallrats), follows two fallen angels as they try to get back into God's good graces. The cast is hilarious, as they are in every other Kevin Smith movie, but they way this film skewers religion while not insulting it and its followers is something more movies should learn. Also, the casting of God was a stroke of genius.

Galaxy Quest

As a Star Trek fan since the womb, I know a thing or two about sci fi shows and conventions. This lovingly mocks the whole world, but doesn't do it maliciously. It's funny and snarky, without being mean. For anyone who's even touched upon the sci fi lifestyle, I recommend watching this movie for a laugh.

The Matrix

What can I say about this movie? It changed the entire way action scenes were shot! It had great action, a mind bending plot, and was perfectly cast with Keanu Reeves. He does that confused thing so well. This movie stands the test of time, yet still reflects the sentiment of 1999. Just ignore the sequels, and we've got ourselves a new classic.

October Sky

This is the movie that made me fall in love with Jake Gyllenhaal. It's an inspirational tale, based on a true story of course, about 4 small town boys who use science and rocket building to escape their small coal mining town. They did it without proper help from their school, with just their own motivation to keep them chugging along.

Office Space

Everyone loves this movie. It may not have been a box office smash, but everyone I know has seen it and likely owns the dvd. I couldn't appreciate this movie when it came out, but now that I'm in the working world, I can definitely see more of its appeal. It's a hilarious film about surviving the office.

Did I leave off any of your 1999 favorites? What do you think of these ten films?