Friday, March 25, 2011
People
Madonna’s African School Project Collapses Amid Scandal
5:03PM Seth Abramovitch | All Madonna wanted was her own private school for impoverished African girls, just like Oprah has (minus the molesty stuff). What she got is a PR nightmare. Her mismanaged charitable foundation, Raising Malawi, is on the verge of collapse, and $US3.8 million designated for the school have all but vanished into thin air. More »
People
Elizabeth Taylor Showed Up 15 Minutes Late To Her Own Funeral
1:03PM Seth Abramovitch | You’ve got to hand it to that old ball-buster, Liz Taylor—she knew how to make an entrance. Taylor left specific instructions that she wanted to “be late for her own funeral,” according to a family rep. So 15 minutes after the scheduled service time, pallbearers at Forest Lawn Memorial Park finally carried out the Cleopatra star in a casket “draped with gardenias, violets, and lily of the valley,” where she was laid to rest in The Great Mausoleum—just a stone’s throw from her longtime partner-in-crime, Michael Jackson. More »
Flotsam & Jetsam
12:21PM Jess McGuire | So! There’s been a great response to Defamer Australia’s open letter to the Prime Minister regarding her recent comments on same-sex marriage – I’m glad to see so many people give a damn about the issue. Remember to keep an eye out for any rallies happening in your town (MELBOURNE! SATURDAY AT 1PM! SEE YOU THERE!). In the meantime, here is a picture I stumbled across which basically sums up everything I had to say on the topic rather succinctly. More »
Our Open Letter To Julia Gillard Summed Up In One Simple Picture.
12:21PM Jess McGuire | So! There’s been a great response to Defamer Australia’s open letter to the Prime Minister regarding her recent comments on same-sex marriage – I’m glad to see so many people give a damn about the issue. Remember to keep an eye out for any rallies happening in your town (MELBOURNE! SATURDAY AT 1PM! SEE YOU THERE!). In the meantime, here is a picture I stumbled across which basically sums up everything I had to say on the topic rather succinctly. More »
Music
12:16PM Jess McGuire | You know what I love most about festivals? Other than the bands, I mean? The DJs between the sets – I always end up inspired to track music down and add it to my own repertoire. Right before Hawkwind/Spinal Tap at Golden Plains, one of the canny folk behind the wheels of steel played this tune and immediately I thought “I MUST GET MY HANDS ON THIS!”. And now I have, so here’s to a swingin’ soundtrack to my Friday. And your Friday too. I live to give. More »
Noonday Underground – “London”
12:16PM Jess McGuire | You know what I love most about festivals? Other than the bands, I mean? The DJs between the sets – I always end up inspired to track music down and add it to my own repertoire. Right before Hawkwind/Spinal Tap at Golden Plains, one of the canny folk behind the wheels of steel played this tune and immediately I thought “I MUST GET MY HANDS ON THIS!”. And now I have, so here’s to a swingin’ soundtrack to my Friday. And your Friday too. I live to give. More »
Online
The Majority Of Americans Are On Facebook
11:50AM Adrian Chen | According to a research firm, more than half of all Americans age 12 and older – 51 per cent to be exact – are on Facebook. That’s up from 8 per cent of Americans just three years ago. [Edison Research]
Music
Rebecca Black’s Weird Music Factory Will Tell All Tomorrow
9:35AM Adrian Chen | Ark Music Factory, the vanity production company Rebecca Black’s mum paid $US2,000 to make that “Friday video,” just released this teaser video for something they’re calling “The Truth About Ark.” Not really sure what to make of this, but apparently it will counter all the mean things people have been saying about Ark, i.e. that they exploit their roster of tween girls’ misguided dreams of fame for profit. More »
People
Lady Gaga’s Tech Tour Stops By Twitter
8:49AM Adrian Chen | Lady Gaga is spending all her time these days hanging out at tech companies. Yesterday she sat down with Google VP Marissa Mayer for a 70-minute interview, and also hung out with Twitter engineers at the company’s San Francisco HQ. More »
Music
8:32AM Jess McGuire | Towards the end of last year, Drones front man Gareth Liddiard released his debut solo album ‘Strange Tourist’. My favourite song from the record was the title track, and now there’s finally a video for the song. If you’re anything like me, you’ll heartily enjoy singing along to the line “you’d turn a birdbath black – what the hell could be the matter with you?” It’s all in the delivery. More »
Gareth Liddiard – “Strange Tourist”
8:32AM Jess McGuire | Towards the end of last year, Drones front man Gareth Liddiard released his debut solo album ‘Strange Tourist’. My favourite song from the record was the title track, and now there’s finally a video for the song. If you’re anything like me, you’ll heartily enjoy singing along to the line “you’d turn a birdbath black – what the hell could be the matter with you?” It’s all in the delivery. More »
People
Rachel Zoe Gave Her Baby A Crazy Name
8:15AM Brian Moylan | Improbably rich stylist Rachel Zoe gave birth to Skyler Morrison Berman on Tuesday. “Mom and Dad ‘LITERALLY’ could not be happier or more in love with their son!” Zoe and her husband, Roger Berman, said in a statement. More »
Flotsam & Jetsam
