CurrentMedia.org

This year”s Burning Man art theme is Evolution.
The process of trial and error that has made this possible is called Natural Selection. Genetically encoded traits that aid survival tend to spread throughout entire populations. Living entities that bear these genes endure and reproduce, but maladaptive traits are not passed on. This causes species to evolve to better fit the world in which they live. However, this rigorous weeding out of “unfit” individuals has gradually ceased to occur within our species. Medicine and mutual aid assure that nearly anyone is able to survive and reproduce.

At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time.
— Frederick Nietzsche

Now adrift in our own gene pool, we have encountered a new phase of evolution. We”ve become a conscious breed of culture-bearing animals. Black Rock City is a kind of Petri dish, and Burning Man is an experiment in generating culture. We”ve learned that culture”s a spontaneous phenomenon. It thrives as a result of numberless and unplanned interactions. All that”s really needed is a fitting social vessel to sustain it. This happens best within communities that harbor many different modes of self-expression. We”ve also learned that cultures effloresce when human beings feel free to offer up their gifts.

Our theme this year prompts three related questions: What are we as human beings, where have we come from, and how may we adapt to meet an ever-changing world?

You can apply for a grant to create an evolutionary piece of art here. I”m looking forward to seeing what the creative types come up with.

By:  Dennehy                        Source

In the Loop

Directed by Armando Iannucci

2008, 109 minutes, United Kingdom

A cynical, razor-sharp, truly laugh-out-loud farce about the symbiotic relationship between ineffectual, flip-flopping bureaucrats and the sneaky, petty spin doctors who need them, co-writer/director Armando Iannucci”s loosely inspired expansion of his BBC comedy series The Thick of It values and cleverly parodies the power of language (vulgarity, doublespeak, jousting, meaningful ambiguity). A finger-on-the-button chain reaction begins with a single word as the British Minister for International Development (Tom Hollander) accidentally burbles to the media that war is “unforeseeable,” much to the chagrin of the PM”s foul-mouthed Director of Communications (Scottish scene-stealer Peter Capaldi, whose every insulting rant is a lightning rod for laughter), yet to the delight of those on the other side of the pond with their own pro- and anti-war agendas.

The ensemble of players are introduced when the information affects each personally — among them a peacenik Pentagon general (James Gandolfini); his ex-lover, the US Assistant Secretary for Diplomacy (Mimi Kennedy); her ambitious aide (Anna Chlumsky); her old college friend, the aforementioned British minister”s political advisor (Chris Addison); and the creator of a secret war committee (David Rasche) — their transitory alliances, double-crosses, pointed media leaks and even sexcapades punctuated with snarky, under-the-breath swipes at one another. The one-liners come so fast and furiously that they won”t mean much here out of context (”Difficult, difficult, lemon difficult” and “Like Bugsy Malone but with real guns” had me in stitches), but that”s the brilliant and purposeful redirect of Iannucci”s satire: while we strain to catch the marginal details and sort out the hierarchic squabbling, a war is being jointly planned by the US President and the UK Prime Minister right under everyone”s noses. Dr. Strangelove would surely chuckle.

In the Loop premieres tomorrow night at Sundance (official page), and plays again on Jan. 23, 24 and 25. The film is currently undistributed in the U.S. IFC Films has picked up the film for U.S. theatrical distribution.

By:  ahillis                        Source

Watch in HD please! Thanks for watching!
Thundercats live action trailer using Hollywood actors Brad Pitt, Vin Diesel and Hugh Jackman among others.

All the effects were done frame by frame in Photoshop. The footage was edited in Adobe Premiere.

Special thanks to XY3D.com for the producing the 3D animated thundercats emblem.

Here’s the list of the actors movies and music I used to make this.
Actors
Lion-O: Brad Pitt, Mel Gibson.
Panthro: Vin Diesel
Tygra: Hugh Jackman
Cheetara: Gigi Edgley
WilyKat: Daryl Sabara
WilyKit: Alexa Vega
Jaga: Robert Eddison
Mummra: Richard Cetrone

Movies
10,000BC, Masters of the Universe, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lord of The Rings: Return of the King, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, Chronicles of Riddick, Pitch Black, X2:X-men United, X-men:The Last Stand, Troy, Star Trek6: The undiscovered Country, Space Hunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, Stargate, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, Garfield, Enemy Mine, Spykids, Underworld, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Galaxy Quest, John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars, Planet of the Apes, Aliens, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Reign of Fire, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

Music
300 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
-Submission
-The Hot Gates

Blade: Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture.
-Dealing With the Roster - Junkie XL

Blade Soundtrack by Mark Isham
-The Bleeding Stone.

A tribute to black characters who died in movies, especially those who gave their lives to ennoble the white characters.

(In order of appearance)

Phil LaMarr, Pulp Fiction (1994)
Denzel Washington, Man on Fire (2004)
Harold Perrineau, The Edge (1997)
Colin Salmon, Resident Evil (2002)
Yaphet Kotto, Alien (1979)
Mekhi Phifer, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
Yaphet Kotto, Live and Let Die (1973)
Carl Weathers, Predator (1987)
Keith David, The Quick and the Dead (1995)
Vivica A. Fox, Kill Bill, Vol. I (2003)
James Earl Jones, Scary Movie 4 (2006)
Scatman Crothers, The Shining (1980)
Jeff Burton, Planet of the Apes (1968)
Julius Harris, Live and Let Die (1973)
Reggie Johnson, Platoon (1986)
Denzel Washington, Glory (1989)
Al Matthews, Aliens (1986)
Samuel L. Jackson, Goodfellas (1990)
Chris Rock, The Longest Yard (2005)
Roger E. Mosley, Unlawful Entry (1992)
Damien Leake, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Death Wish (1974)
Regina Hall, Scary Movie (2000)
Samuel L. Jackson, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Dennis Haysbert, Heat (1995)
Bill Nunn, Do The Right Thing (1989)
Morris Chestnut, Boyz in the Hood (1991)
Carl Weathers, Rocky IV (1985)
James Earl Jones, Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Shawn Wayans, Scary Movie (2000)
Vincent Craig Dupree, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
Denzel Washington, Training Day (2001)
Morgan Freeman, Unforgiven (1992)
Michael Clarke Duncan, The Green Mile (1999)
Bill Duke, Predator (1987)
Live and Let Die (1973)
Frank McRae, License to Kill (1989)
Mykelti Williamson, Forrest Gump (1994)
Tom Wright, Marked for Death (1990)

My personal picks.
http://www.spike.com/profile/Cinemassacre

oh my gosh - i totally love photos of drunk celebrities - especially when they”re annoying just like actress sienna miller (her acting is certainly nothing to write home about….) who was spotted tonight leaving london”s groucho club around 2am - looking like a complete train wreck - i wonder where balthazar getty is?!? popbytes over & out for tonight….xoxo

PHOTOS | WENN.COM

By:  Popbytes                        Source

What were they on when they made these?

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Last but not least in my “Best of 2008″ series is film, and for the first time in a while, I feel pretty well informed on the subject. Being that this has been my first awards season as a member of the WGA, I”ve benefited from copious numbers of screenings and screeners, thus allowing me to see pretty much all the serious contenders. Of course, I do have some gaps in my viewing experience as no foreign flicks and barely any indies wound up on my doorstep; so I”ve missed out on some acclaimed fare. Oh well.

Nevertheless, I wouldn”t say I was particularly blown away by too many movies this year. Many of the much hyped contenders such as Milk and Revolutionary Road failed to speak to me (particularly the latter flick), but there were still several noteworthy films, and hopefully some of the smaller ones will get big time recognition in the next two months as Hollywood begins its annual run of self-congratulatory ceremonies. My favorites of the year after the jump….

By:  B-Side                        Source

Nelson Balaban Jr., A.K.A. Xtrabold just dropped a fresh new update with works for Oakley, Honda, Sony Ericsson and various others.

By:  Diego Quintana                        Source