Paste's Signs of Spring Playlist: Running
There are many signals that usher in the changing of the seasons (celestial equinoxes, changing sleeve lengths, authoritative groundhogs), but the big tell will always be the absence or presence of outdoor exercisers. Here at Paste, we can tell it's springtime, not from the pollen that covers Atlanta in a frustrating yellow layer, but rather the spandex-clad runners who fill the sidewalks and our side-view mirrors. Atlantan runners, joggers and walkers serve a dual purpose: They remind us that the chill is over and that it's never to late to start that New Year's resolution. Then again, they could just... read more
Predicting the Final Four Based on School Fight Songs
The basketball fan in me believes that a successful Final Four comes down to fundamentals—the team that wins the tourney will hit free throws, box out for rebounds and contain the gawky awesomeness of Tyler Hansbrough.The music fan in me believes it’ll all come down to fight songs. Here, I rank the four remaining teams based on the quality of their fight songs. ... read more
Five Reasons Why Phineas and Ferb is the Best Kids Show on TV
Finding Phineas and Ferb tucked among horrific shows like Wizards of Waverly Place and Hannah Montana is a little like finding the savior of humanity in Nazareth: No good thing is supposed to come from Disney television. But there it is, an 11-minute show packed with intersecting plot lines, adventure in suburbia, intrigue and a pet platypus doubling as a super agent. It's the only show that all three kids (ages four, eight and 10) plus both parents actually like (my wife is the lone hold-out on The Simpsons). And here are five reasons why:... read more
The Circumlocution Office
Because the Circumlocution Office went on mechanically, every day, keeping this wonderful, all-sufficient wheel of statesmanship, How not to do it, in motion. Because the Circumlocution Office was down upon any ill-advised public servant who was going to do it, or who appeared to be by any surprising accident in remote danger of doing it, with a minute, and a memorandum, and a letter of instructions that extinguished him. It was this spirit of national efficiency in the Circumlocution Office that had gradually led to its having something to do with everything. Mechanicians, natural philosophers, soldiers, sailors, petitioners, memorialists, people... read more
A Survey of the Imperfect Art of the Book Trailer
What is a book trailer? Consider it a marriage between the book jacket blurb and video. It's purpose is to act as a teaser in much the same way as a movie trailer. In fact, consider it a movie trailer. But for books. Still confused? Maybe this quick survey of book trailers will help clarify. Beware. The majority of book trailers are rudimentary handmade productions incorporating pixelated still photos and text in slideshow form. A large proportion of these trailers seem to be for romance novels (hilarious to watch but awkward to view in an open office where they can... read more
Fourteen Hanson Songs for Tinted Windows Converts
Earlier this month, when it was announced that Tinted Windows—an ostensibly-super-group featuring Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger, The Smashing Pumpkins' James Iha, Cheap Trick's Bun E. Carlos and Taylor Hanson (for whom my inner twelve-year old still carries a brooding, awkward torch)—didn't just exist but indeed had songs and a MySpace and SXSW dates (you know, all the things that real bands have) I thought it must be a joke. When I watched the promotional video I became reasonably sure that it wasn't a joke, but even more desperate to be wrong: The songs were tinny and vapid and somehow... read more
Eight Reasons Why You Should Give Brandon Bird Your Money
I don't remember exactly when I first laid eyes on a piece of Brandon Bird's art. It was sometime between the years 2003 and 2005 when a good friend/college roomie turned me on to his work. Something about the absurdist way his projects combined subtle hilarity and random bits of celebrity culture hooked me instantly. Since then, I've done my best to spread the word about his oddball creations, checking his website every so often to see the latest.... read more
Seven Songs Playing in the Lobby of My Own Personal Hell
[Above: Bucky Dent. Us Red Sox fans have another name for him.]Sitting in the bleak, strobing-florescent-light-lit lobby of my own personal hell, waiting around on backbreaking IKEA furniture for eternal damnation to begin, I glance around. Posters of Paris Hilton, Richard Nixon and New York Yankees shortstop Bucky Dent line the unfinished concrete walls. There are a few TVs, too, which are looping Dancing with the Stars, Nancy Grace, the standup comedy of Kathy Griffin, all the Rob Schneider scenes from Judge Dredd, and the last 30 seconds of Game 6 of the 1986 Mets/Red Sox World Series.And to make... read more
Paste's Playlist in Honor of New NBC Series Kings
The recent premiere of NBC's new drama Kings (Sundays, 8 p.m. Eastern) has quite a few staffers hot for high drama. Following up on Paste managing editor Nick Marino's latest list, Seven Reasons to Start Watching Kings Immediately, we're providing a royal playlist to complement the modern-day monarchy that we'll undoubtedly grow to love, hate, envy, cheer and most likely, gamble on. Set in a city not unlike the Big Apple, there are enough Pasteful placements of magical realism, blood-kin betrayals and star-crossed romances to make for a very interesting season. If we ruled the world, these are the songs... read more
Trailer Stash: Where the Wild Things Are, Management, In the Loop, more
And now, a look at some notable trailers lighting up the blogs and message boards: ... read more
Customized fabric, fonts and cookbooks
We used to be limited to monogrammed towels and Build-A-Bears, but now we can personalize just about anything—like furniture, clothing, cookbooks and fonts. These three websites offer stylish and affordable customized products.1. SpoonFlower.com Forget having to decorate your home based on the pillows and curtains Bed Bath & Beyond and Macy’s have in stock—here you can design your own fabric. You could use it for curtains, pillows, even reupholstering. I’m going to start my own fashion line using fabrics from Spoonflower—right after I learn how to sew. And design clothes. Anyway, the price is pretty reasonable at $18 per yard.... read more
SXSW Film 2009: Documentaries
The casual, celebratory South by Southwest festival has come to a close. My colleague Tim Basham and I have been posting reactions to films throughout the fest, and to help wrap this burrito I'm going to recap the films I saw, starting with the documentaries and moving to narrative features in the next post. Favorites at the top. 45365: This lovely, well-organized slice of small town life is as strong an aural montage as it is a visual one. Walking silently among the residents of Sidney, Ohio, population 20,211, filmmaker Bill Ross offers us recordings of church congregations singing, radio... read more
Some Good News: Because Everyone Needs Some
In an effort to promote good cheer amidst our 24/7, fear-mongering news cycle, we bring you the first of what we hope to be regular doses of....drum roll....Some Good News: Because Everyone Needs Some. It's no water-skiing squirrel, but at least we are trying.... read more
SXSW 2009: Day Four Photos ft. PJ Harvey, Bun B, Gentleman Jesse, White Lies, The Rosebuds and more
Photos taken by Jonathan Jackson (Harvey, Bun B, Kidz, White Lies), Eric Ryan Anderson (Romantica, Bird/Bee, Rosebuds) and Mike White (Gentleman Jesse, Modern Skirts, Octopus) at SXSW... read more
Camera Obscura - Brooklyn, NY - The Bell House - 3/24/09
Photos taken by Sean Edgar at The Bell House... read more
Lost LOST Ads
Hot Meteor design recently posted a series of old Dharma Initiative advertisements culled from the pages of various '70s and '80s magazines. They're perfectly executed and reminiscent of Watchmen's fantastic viral campaign. Those jumpsuits would be really nice (and totally creepy) for doing yard work.... read more
Paste's Post-SXSW Songs About Sleep Playlist
Around the office, we're feeling the SXSW hangover. Our jam-packed week in Austin was nothing short of wonderful, but as sunburns fade and our iTunes continues to process all our new music finds, exhaustion is setting in. Last week, sleep was the major casualty. Morning shows, late-night parties and an overall excitement for the next day left little, if any, time (or more accurately, desire) for sleep. Without further ado, then, here's our Songs About Sleep playlist. Comment below with your favorite sleep-themed tunes.... read more
Seven Reasons to Start Watching Kings Immediately
And when we say “immediately,” we don’t mean next weekend. We don’t mean that you’ll tune into NBC at 8 p.m. (Eastern) on Sunday night and maybe check out this new show that you read about on that one website. We mean right now—call in sick, cancel your date, hide under your desk, flush later, stop whatever you’re doing and click here to see the first two episodes of a television drama that will blow your little minds. ... read more
SXSW 2009: More Film Reviews
Hal Holbrook & Barry Corbin in That Evening SunAs usual, the number of films seen during SXSW were in direct competition with the sum of hours slept, the quantity of BBQ consumed, the volume of alcoholic beverages imbibed, the length of lines endured and the number of parties partaken (Rachael Ray's was cool). And the music! I lost count of all the bands I saw, but I did enjoy: Bruce Robison at the Gibson Guitar party, the Meat Puppets at the Nat Geo taping, The Manichean at the Justice Records party, Theresa Andersson at the Boundless rooftop party and, of... read more
SXSW 2009: Day Three Photos ft. Metallica, Devo, M. Ward, Peter Bjorn and John, Third Eye Blind and more
Photos taken by Amber Roussel (Metallica, Third Eye Blind, Ward, Silversun), Eric Ryan Anderson (Bedouin, PB&J, School, Ra Ra Riot), Mike White (Devo) and Jonathan Jackson (Future, Gil Mantera) at SXSW... read more
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