Archive for the 'Entertainment' Category

13 Creatively Themed Bars and Restaurants

February 4th, 2008

Recently, a restaurant in Taiwan has been making headlines because of its interesting marketing gimmick; at the eatery known as the Modern Toilet Diner, its customers sit on toilet chairs, eat from toilet-shaped dishes, and use toilet paper in place of napkins. While its theme may be extreme, it’s not the only restaurant or bar […]

29 Incongruent Christmas Ornaments

November 10th, 2007

There are three main things you need to properly trim a Christmas tree: lights, garland, and ornaments. There’s only so much you can do with the first two, but there are literally thousands of options when it comes to choosing ornaments. Every year it seems ornament makers get more creative with their products; now you […]

18 Truly Scary Halloween Costumes for Kids

October 28th, 2007

When I was a kid, our choice of Halloween costumes reflected those things that really scared us–like ghosts, goblins, and Ronald Reagan. These days, kids seem to be at risk of suffering from an increasing number of ailments, from the life-threatening to the merely irritating, and it seems like costume manufacturers have responded to these […]

Six Depictions of Shakespeare Using Inanimate Objects

August 16th, 2007

We’ve all heard about or seen creative takes on classic Shakespearean plays (e.g. A Midsummer Night’s Dream set in the Roaring 20s), but these videos take that creative impulse one step further. This is Shakespeare like you’ve never seen it. Anakin Caesar: The climactic scene of the play Julius Caesar gains new inspiration when Star […]

Six Groups That Make Music with Unlikely Objects

August 8th, 2007

It’s likely that early music making evolved from objects found in everyday life, natural materials like rock, animal bones, and wood, but the creation of instruments has gotten much more complex since then. Of course, a folk tradition of homemade instruments has continued, with instruments ranging from the jug, to the spoons, to various stringed […]

Eight Coffee-Related Songs on iTunes

August 6th, 2007

Starbucks recently announced that one of my favorite musicians, Joni Mitchell, would release a new album through its record label Hear Music. This announcement inspired me to come up with a list of songs I think would be well suited to a coffee drinking environment, all of which I found through the iTunes Music Store. […]

Seven Alternate Spice Girls

July 23rd, 2007

A few weeks ago, the former members of the pop group the Spice Girls announced that they would reunite for a world tour this winter. I’m sure they’re all committed to this reunion tour, but I have a few suggestions for back-up members in case any of them get cold feet. Ann Curry Salt-N-Pepa (3 […]

Three Titles for Die Hard/James Bond Crossover Movies (and then some)

July 19th, 2007

I just got back from seeing Live Free or Die Hard (in France: Die Hard 4—Retour en Enfer), and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I can’t believe it’s been 19 years since the first Die Hard came out, with Alan Rickman as the excellent bad guy. But I also just finished reading Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale […]

11 Well-Regarded British Actors Who Do Not Appear in the Harry Potter Films

July 16th, 2007

The new Harry Potter movie has just been released, and as with the other films in the series, this one features an incredible cast of actors, most (all?) of them British. The newcomer in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton, who plays the by turns ferocious and sickly […]

16 Recent Competitive Eating Contests in the US

June 25th, 2007

Every July 4th since 1916, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs has hosted its annual International July Fourth Hot Dog Eating contest in Coney Island, NY. This year promises to be exciting as six-time champion Takeru Kobayashi of Japan defends his title from last year’s second place winner, Joey Chestnut of California. While the Nathan’s contest is […]

10 “Summer” Songs

June 19th, 2007

The Summer Solstice will take place in a few days, and to get in the mood for summer, I’ve rounded up this list of “summer” songs. Summertime: From the opera Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin, first staged in 1935 Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer: A 1963 hit from Nat King Cole Summer […]

11 Father-Related Movies

June 11th, 2007

Father’s Day is around the corner, and to celebrate, I’ve compiled this list of movies that are somehow or other father-related. Big Daddy: Adam Sandler stars as a self-absorbed man who pretends to adopt a kid to impress his girlfriend, but who ends up getting attached to his charge. Daddy Day Care: A comedy featuring […]

12 Mother-Related Movies

May 14th, 2007

In honor of Mother’s Day (albeit a day late), I’ve compiled this list of “Mother”-related movies. All About My Mother: This 1999 film from Spanish writer/director Pedro Almovodar features a transvestite father and Penélope Cruz as a nun. Big Momma’s House: The first of the Big Momma’s House movies introduces Martin Lawrence as an FBI […]

Top 5 Superheroes Whose Secret Identities Are Introverts

May 10th, 2007

After watching Spider-Man 3 last weekend, Morgen and I were discussing how Peter Parker is an introvert. And it occurred to me that this is true of most superheroes’ secret identities. In fact, that seems to be almost mandatory—more than glasses or an unfashionable haircut, an introverted demeanor can effectively deflect unwanted attention and help […]

Five Video Clips of Royal de Luxe Performances on YouTube

April 12th, 2007

I recently wrote about the French street theater group Royal de Luxe on Interesting Thing of the Day. Known for their large-scale productions featuring giant marionette figures, there are many videos of their performances available for viewing on YouTube. Here are just a few of them: The Little Girl Giant: This video is very popular, […]

18 Famous Actors and Actresses Who Are Introverts

April 4th, 2007

I’ve recently started a blog about introverts; in addition to sharing my own experience, I write about various topics pertaining to introverts in general. In a recent post, I brought up the fact that there are many famous actors and actresses who are introverts, a phenomenon I can’t fully explain. I can’t prove that there […]

Five Light-Hearted Celebrations in March and April

March 29th, 2007

In Western countries, April 1st has long been celebrated as April Fools’ Day, an opportunity to play tricks on others and to suspend seriousness for a short period of time. As it turns out, there are other holiday traditions that nearly coincide with the beginning of April; some have suggested that the start of spring […]

Six YouTube Videos Featuring Entertaining Automatons

March 20th, 2007

I first fell in love with automatons when I visited the famous Musée Mécanique in San Francisco. At that time it was housed in a dark, low-ceilinged hall right near the beach, but has since moved to the more tourist-oriented Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s a great place to visit; for a few quarters you can see […]

Eight New Year’s Rituals from Around the World

March 14th, 2007

Next week, on March 19th, residents of Bali, Indonesia, will celebrate Nyepi, the beginning of their new year. Nyepi, sometimes called the day of silence, is a time when everyone remains indoors and refrains from their regular activities in order to reflect on the past year as well as the year ahead. Many other cultures […]

Eight Ways to Find Serenity

March 13th, 2007

As previously mentioned, Firefly is without any doubt the best thing ever to have been broadcast on TV. This outer-space western followed the exploits of Captain Mal Reynolds and the crew of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity, and has attracted a rabid base of fans (or “Browncoats,” as we like to be called) far out of […]