Consumer Watchdog’s InsideGoogle.com is now running a 15-second advertisement on a jumbotron in Times Square which criticizes Google’s Streetview data collection policies. The animated spot depicts Google chief Eric Schmidt driving around in an ice-cream trucking looking positively pedophilic. InsideGoogle.com says the ad is intended to highlight the need for a national “do not track me” list but it’s way too quick to convey much of a message other than “Google is Evil” (Text “EVIL” to 69886). What really lingers is the image of cartoon-Eric-Schmidt’s nasty laugh. Check it out if you happen to be in Times Square, or else here on Google’s own Youtube:
It was 38 years ago today that London’s own Rod Stewart had his first #1 hit in the UK. From my personal favorite album of his, Never a Dull Moment, “You Wear It Well” managed to reach the top of the charts. Continue reading this column... « Less
Harmony Korine’s latest short film is an intriguing avantisment* for Proenza Schouler’s Fall 2010 collection. Titled “Act The Fool,” the film consists of beautifully aged footage of teenage girls in Korine’s hometown of Nashville, TN chugging malt liquor while searching for their place in the universe. According to the Q&A on the site Korine was given Carte Blanche on the project- but I wonder whether he’d consider “Act The Fool” as a true part of his oeuvre or as a quick way to make some money for more important projects. The film came out really well so I certainly wouldn’t begrudge him for making a few bucks on it. You can stream it in full on Proenza Schouler’s site.
*New term I’m pioneering for advertising that’s so edgy it’s difficult to tell whether a product is even being advertised (let alone what product that may be).
You can file this one under “Unnecessary Yet Completely Urgent.” This isn’t news, and there’s a chance you’ve seen it. But I’m going to post this video here because it’s one of the best things I’ve seen in a while. God bless the internet.
There’s an outside chance that in the next ten years we will figure out how to speak the language of “dog” and it will turn out that they have the cure to every known human ailment.
Dr. Knight reveals the root of his neurosis on this week’s episode of SuperEgo when he brings in his own parents for a group counseling session. Take the Handle production designer Alex Reeves was a bit worried when actor Will Janowitz had the gun in his mouth and began knocking books off the shelf.
“The office we shot in was this incredible relic with real wood paneling and thousands of old books. We’d taken a lot of pictures of the room before the shoot in case anything got messed up but I could just imagine the president of this organization coming back to his desk the next day and seeing one book out of order that would be the end of Dr. Knight’s office…”
War on Drugs, one of the Take the Handle staff’s favorite active bands, will be releasing their new record Future Weather on October 26th. Their new jams will arrive just in time to score our transition from autumn into winter. Couldn’t find a better band for the job.
The record will once again be released by the lovely American label Secretly Canadian. We can’t wait to hear this record, and luckily we’ve got a link to a new tune of theirs called “Comin’ Through” right here. And to top it all off, we can all go see them tonight over at the Rock Shop in Park Slope, one of New York’s newest rock & roll emporiums, where they’ll be playing with Light Pollution and Xylos.
Whatever your read on Mr. Franzen’s work, and his recent ascent to the high throne of contemporary literature, it’s a thrill to see such fanfare over the release of a new book. In this era of constant reminders of the imminent death of all things print, I find it reassuring that his latest work, Freedom, seems to have brought the discussion of books and modern literature back into the forefront of mainstream media.
As New York magazine points out today, there is of course already a heavy dose of backlash to complement the breathless, awestruck reviews. Yet talking fervently about a new book nearly seems quaint considering the rampant speculation of the last few years surrounding the omnipresent digi-toy and the human race’s ever-declining ability to digest long-form content. So, even if it’s only a reprieve and not a pardon, I am pleased to wake up on a Tuesday morning and feel like the death sentence on books has been lifted. Hurrah. And this coming from someone who has yet to read a novel by Mr. Franzen. (It takes a lot for me to pick up a book by a current author. I’ll see what I can do.)
Beach House has released a new song entitled “White Moon,” available on an iTunes-only EP. It’s a pretty little tune, on the sunnier side of the Beach House sound. If you enjoy the vibe of this band, you shan’t be disappointed. Stream it here…
And if you’re so inspired, you can buy the EP here.
The only way to get your daily dose of Ice Cube is straight from the source.
Tune in to Take the Handle every Monday morning for a photo that’ll get your week started right! When you wish the weekend just wouldn’t end, this will cure all your worries. Photo of the Day!
A few weeks ago the Take the Handle team descended on Berry and North 3rd street for some margaritas and the chance to get injured on Williamsburg’s first mechanical bull. While a few of our pal’s opted out at the advice of their chiropractors, many tried to tame this wild bovine robot and were caught on video in the moment of being thrown off. (We stitched these clips together using iMovie on the iPhone so make sure to enjoy their “Travel-Theme” transitions.)
Viva El Toro just opened in June so perhaps the food needs some more practice, but we’d recommend getting your tacos at La Superior then heading over to Viva El Toro to toss them back up on your bull ride. The margaritas were cold and salty and came in the thick sort of glass you contemplate stealing but would never fit in your bag anyway.
New Yorkers know it’s important to keep your options open. In a town so full of possibility, the only true answer to an invitation has to be…Maybe.
TTH Contributor Katie U. is hosting a Karaoke bash this Sunday at Heathers bar on 13th street between A and B. I’m not sure about the genesis of this amazing flyer and the bear theme but Heathers is known for a prominent light-box photo which shows a female bear baring all… This should be a blast and the Heather’s Karaoke machine has some of the best waterfall and sunset backgrounds I’ve ever seen. Plus the night will apparently feature optional auto tuning for the Hot 97 fans in the house!
The Seattle Weekly ran a piece this week about Leland Cobain, the grandfather of Kurt Cobain, who they say is a lonely man who enjoys corresponding with Kurt’s fans and even picking them up at the airport when they come to visit. The article examines some of the friendships Leland has made as well as some “off color” fans who have tried to take advantage of his grandson’s memories. The article states that Leland is the only member of the Cobain family who is willing to discuss Kurt’s death, and that he made enemies of Courtney when he was quoted in Playboy magazine in 2004 saying that he believed Kurt was murdered. The article ends in a way that makes me want to meet Leland myself: “He’ll answer your questions about Kurt, but he’d just as soon talk about fishing or art or his new van.”
photo by Peter Mumford for the Seattle Weekly
The fifth episode of the web comedy SuperEgo is now playing over at My Damn Channel. The website has been getting a lot of press lately because they’re beating the odds and actually making money in the web video game. But back to the crazy Doctor Knight: as if he didn’t have enough multiple personalities, actor Will Janowitz is simultaneously vlogging up a storm as the lovelorn bachelor “John Sharnhorst” see John’s latest adventure below:
Last weekend the TTH Team of Alex, Natasha and Katie caught up with the 3D sensation of the week: Piranha 3D at the Center Cinema 5 in Sunnyside, Queens. Although it features one-third of the cast of Back to the Future, the eighties movie that it’s more closely ripping off is clearly Jaws 3D. There was also a horror movie called Piranha which came out in 1978 (and was co-written by John Sayles!) but this wasn’t exactly a remake; more of a 3D re-imagining of how far you can go with the idea of man-eating piranhas. If you don’t mind gore, girls and more gore, definitely go check it out. Here’s our one-minute review:
For those who missed it, yesterday we posted a picture and video from last Friday’s Take the Handle show at Cameo Gallery. Today we bring you another video flashback — shot and edited entirely on the iPhone (gotta love those cheesy titles & transitions!) This video is the second band of the evening, Caveman, playing “December 28th”. Enjoy!
New Yorkers know it’s important to keep your options open. In a town so full of possibility, the only true answer to an invitation has to be…Maybe.
There’s some Must-See 3-D going on over at Film Forum, as their run of classic old 3-D films comes to a close this Thursday night. The standout selection to me seems to be the film the theater refers to as “3-D’s ultimate unknown classic,” Inferno (title screen photo via Where the Long Tail Ends). It screens this Wednesday and there’s a special treat for those who attend either 5:40pm or 7:50pm showings: Harold Lloyd’s 3-D Nude Slides! I’d imagine this will involve some images of Bettie Page and her contemporaries strutting their stuff, and should be worth the price of admission.
Clearly not to be overlooked is the Thursday feature Miss Sadie Thompson, during which you’ll get the rare opportunity to watch the exquisite Rita Hayworth rendered in three dimensions. Were I not stuck out of the country, I would be front and center for this one.
Did you know that Ms. Hayworth, neé Margarita Cansino, may have inspired the creation of the Margarita? Rumor has it a Tijuana barman invented it just to impress her. Have you perchance ever tasted a Margarita? That alone should have you sprinting to the theater for a chance to have a long, cool sip of that all-important extra dimension.
Last Friday, August 20th, Take the Handle hosted three bands at Cameo Gallery in Williamsburg. The show got off to a late start but Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson wooed the crowd with some amazing covers and one original song from Summer of Fear. This was followed by a rousing set by Caveman, whose harmonies linger in your head for days. (Full disclosure: one of our editors plays drums in the band!) Last up was Acyrlics whose poppy songs surely drove several couples to make out vigorously after the show.
Unfortunately Dream Band wasn’t able to play Friday’s show but we’re hoping they will play a future Take the Handle party. In the meantime you should check them at Rock shop on Wednesday: Dream Band @ The Rock Shop w/ MIRACLES + GROOMS 249 4th Ave Brooklyn NY 11215
This guy’s beating the heat and his heartbreak, all at the same time…
Tune in to Take the Handle every Monday morning for a photo that’ll get your week started right! When you wish the weekend just wouldn’t end, this will cure all your worries. Photo of the Day!
My old friend — excellent actor, TTH Contributor, and all-around class act Jesse Williams — and I have been working on a script together for quite some time. Almost done. And for those who don’t know, as of last season Jesse has been making waves as the new McHandsome on ABC’s hit show Grey’s Anatomy. So, wouldn’t you know, when Conde Nast’s signature men’s magazine GQ (aka Gentlemen’s Quarterly) decided to spotlight the gent in their September Issue, his writing partner was part of the package. Continue reading this column... « Less
Just a reminder that it’s almost time for a joyous night of music over at Williamsburg’s Cameo Gallery (93 North 6th St.), brought to you by the folks at Take the Handle.
Doors open at 7pm and the show starts at 8pm. A bit of bad news: looks like Dream Band will be unable to play this evening. But we’ve still got Acrylics, Caveman, and Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson for you! And everyone is invited to the after-party at Black Market, on 7th & A, starting at midnight.
Consumer Watchdog’s InsideGoogle.com is now running a 15-second advertisement on a jumbotron in Times Square which criticizes Google’s Streetview data collection policies. The animated spot depicts Google chief Eric Schmidt driving around in an ice-cream trucking looking positively pedophilic. InsideGoogle.com says the ad is intended to highlight the need for a national “do not track me” list but it’s way too quick to convey much of a message other than “Google is Evil” (Text “EVIL” to 69886). What really lingers is the image of cartoon-Eric-Schmidt’s nasty laugh. Check it out if you happen to be in Times Square, or else here on Google’s own Youtube: 
For those who missed it, yesterday we posted a picture and video from last Friday’s Take the Handle show at Cameo Gallery. Today we bring you another video flashback — shot and edited entirely on the iPhone (gotta love those cheesy titles & transitions!) This video is the second band of the evening, Caveman, playing “December 28th”. Enjoy!
