Feeling Down? Tell a Good-Natured Joke!

Although the jokes in this Scientific American article are pretty corny all around (even the "mean" ones), it's good to know that when you're in a tough situation, gallows humor isn't always the best way to go if you really want to brighten your mood or outlook on it.

Parks and Rec Hits DC!!!

Omgosh omgosh omgosh! Check out these photos of Parks and Recreation in Washington, D.C.!! How exciting!! I can't wait for the new season of P&R (except I can because that will mean that summer is over)!!

You can see more at HuffPo!
[via Videogum]

Massachusetts Tries to Help with Healthcare!

Looks like Romneycare strikes again (and I mean that as a compliment!) - Massachusetts has just passed a bill to save $200 billion over the next fifteen years by reigning in healthcare costs in the state. The bill now goes to the new Gov. Deval Patrick (D) who is expected to sign it ASAP.

Way to go, Mass! Leading the way on healthcare yet again. If all goes well, maybe we'll be signing another national law saving trillions of dollars in healthcare by following your example again!

[via ThinkProgress]

First Reactions: Disney's "Paperman" Short

The bloggers over at /Film and FirstShowing.net were lucky enough to see an early screening of the latest Disney short, Paperman.

Here's their (relatively spoiler-free) reaction:



Sounds like it'll be great! I wasn't quite as impressed by La Luna as some (it was really nice, but not the best short I've ever seen!), but I think Paperman has a lot of potential, and I can't wait to see the 2D-3D integration!

[via (duh!) /Film]

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter (also, J.K. Rowling)!

Today is Harry Potter and JK Rowling's birthday! Many happy wishes to the both of them.

Also, a happy belated birthday to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which was released on July 22, 2007 - five years ago! Can you believe it? I still remember lining up (one of the first ones, too!) outside of the SoHo Scholastic store right after I got off of work (fortunately, I was working at an office just a few blocks away at the time) and celebrating the evening with friends and festivities and a real Whomping Willow!

What a great day!

12 Pixar Story Tips... Legofied

Have you read Pixar's 22 Story Tips? They're great! Good things to keep in mind when you're tackling any story. If you have a hard time visualizing them or just want something neat for your wall, Reddit user ICanLegoThat mocked up twelve of those tips in Lego form. You can see them all at Slacktory.

Pretty neat and helpful, right?

[via GITS]

Pete Doctor Teaches Us to Work Hard!

Pete Doctor's got the right lesson: word hard and you can overcome any (probably minor) talent deficiency!

In this letter to middle school students, he talks about how, as much as he loved drawing, he wasn't as good as a lot of the other artists he went to school with. However, his passion for it and determination to get better made him a stronger artist and attracted attention from Pixar, which led him to do all of the great work he's done, and, of course, give the world Monsters, Inc and Up! I love the picture of Mike in the letter, because even though Scully may be the more talented scare-er, Mike certainly is a hard worker and gets rewarded for it!

[/Film]

Pixar Alphabet

I don't usually post fan art over here, but this Pixar Alphabet from Tugg is too cute. So many of my favorite characters and movies in one place!

The only one I can't figure out is "X" - anyone guess it?

[via /Film]

How I Met Your Mother - Season Nine?

An of interesting thing in today's /Film TV bits article.

How I Met Your Mother is pushing for a ninth season, but planning for the 8th to be the last. They're hoping to have a final decision before midseason, as that's when they'd either need to decide to write some filler episodes or go out with a bang.

It seems, then, that there really won't be any episodes after Ted meets the mother, which, while I understand the premise of the show, still annoys me. Maybe they'll convey an emotional connection with her through flash-forwards (which Craig Thomas hints at in this Vulture article), but I just can't imagine being satisfied with seeing the mother, meeting the mother, and then... nothing. At this point, why would I care? How would I know why this woman's special? Then again, maybe Craig and Carter Bays don't care, either! Maybe that's not the point, and I'm dwelling on it way too much (even though it is the name of the show, after all!).

The nice thing is that Craig seemed pretty jazzed about the season premiere, and SPOILER ALERT -- that he'll have Barney and Quinn break up in episode two of the season, so at least they're not going to drag that out! We can only hope they'll do the same for Ted and Victoria, but I'm not holding my breath.

Friends with You: Happy Rainbow Playground

I think I would get a seizure if I really played on this playground designed by Friends with You, but it'd totally be worth it! And yes, I would be friends with you if you built me this playground.

Look at all those cute animal (?) friends! You'd never be sad again!

[via Neatorama]

How to Deal with a Bruise

I got a really bad bruise about three weeks ago when I banged my hip on a table while grabbing my purse after a hair appointment - apparently, I banged it super hard because there are still bruise-remnants on my leg! Also, I bruise pretty easily.

So that's why I found this cheeky article on bruises in the WSJ fascinating - a) It's good to know there was nothing I could do to make it go away faster b) I bruise more easily because of the daily aspirin I take and c) it's good to know that all the poking and prodding I did on it probably made it even worse!

[via The Hairpin]

Michael Bay Tries Kickstarter

Don't donate for Michael Bay's sake - think of the explosions! Won't somebody please think of the explosions!?



Love that this both successfully parodies Michael Bay and Kickstarter. Two equally worthy (for entirely different reasons) entities!

[via /Film]

Tumblr the Musical

I probably should have changed this blog to a Tumblr years ago - oh well, I've never been cool!



Seems accurate enough to me! From AVByte and Vlogbrothers.

[via Neatorama]

The Walrus with 1000 Voices!

This walrus could totally replace Michael Winslow in Police Academy VIII. In case they're lookin'



Also, meet walrus Michael Jackson:



They're taking over! The revolution will be televised, and will star walruses!

[via Neatorama]

San Diego: Kickin' It, Panda Style

The San Diego Zoo is incredible for a ton of reasons, but now they can add: "Most pandas in one place outside of China" to their list, since one of their pandas just gave birth to its sixth cub!

Collective "Awww"s commence.

[via Gawker]

'Frozen' Adds Snowmen, Loses Some of my Interest

While I'm still hopeful that Disney's Frozen animated feature will be awesome (like Tangled was), the new plot details revealed recently are leaving me somewhat less optimistic:

When Anna is cursed by her estranged sister, the cold-hearted Snow Queen, Anna’s only hope of reversing the curse is to survive a perilous but thrilling journey across an icy and unforgiving landscape. Joined by a rugged, thrill-seeking outdoorsman, his one-antlered reindeer and a hapless snowman, Anna must race against time, conquer the elements and battle an army of menacing snowmen if she ever hopes to melt her frozen heart.

Hapless and menacing snowmen? Seriously? Clear broad comedy throw-in. I like reindeer, though, so that could be fun. Not sure how I feel about them turning it from a cursed land to just the protagonist being cursed - lowers the stakes a lot, but maybe that's just a misread. The sisters angle is certainly interesting!

[via /Film]

Dogs be Boundin'

The small one is significantly stealthier. Also, that grass is SO green!



[via A Place to Love Dogs]

1905: LOLDogz

1905. Person gets hold of one of few cameras in the world so far. Immediately uses it to humiliate dog.

Nothing has changed.

[via Neatorama]

Starry Night, Swirly Cake

I want this cake. A) I love Van Gogh B) It's so pretty!! (love his wheat fields) C) Honestly, it looks pretty tasty. Clearly, there's plenty of icing! Plus, it's good icing and not fondant - that's the way you use icing to make baked goods pretty!

The only downside would be that eating it would destroy it... Unless by eating it I ingested its artistic abilities and then became a great painter myself!

[via Neatorama]

Two Becomes Three (Hobbit Movies)

My fiance loves LOTR just as much as the next guy (who has seen all the movies multiple times but never actually read the books), but even he was like, "NOOOOOOO!!!!!!" when Peter Jackson announced that he was expanding the Hobbit movies from two to three.

Jackson himself has admitted that the book is thinner on plot and theme than any individual LOTR movie, so how does he expect this one book to hold up for three films? I love wide, expansive shots of New Zealand as much as the next person, but how much of it do you need?

I definitely don't think this is just a money grab or anything like that (well, for Warner Bros. of course it is, but not for Jackson), but I do think he needs to consider carefully how much this "related material" really adds up to... I mean, I hope they're amazing and just as much fun as LOTR, but... can they be?

[via /Film]

The Bounciest of Goats

These little ones remind me of miniature versions of the goats on my family's old ranch!



I love that the perky one keeps jumping over or ON her fellow goats, even knocking the salt and pepper one over twice! They must be a ton of fun to have around the house - good little lawnmowers!

[via Neatorama]

Sasheer Zamata: Insight into a Flasher

Ever want to know what's going on inside a flasher's head? Sasheer Zamata, who unfortunately encountered one herself, has some insight:



I really love how the bit really delves into all aspects of the incident. From Sasheer herself being like "Why didn't I call the cops!?" to her faux-flasher-standup's revelation of, "Why did I just do that?" Funny and also makes you think! Also, Sasheer is obviously a very cool name.

[via ThinkProgress]

Possum Eats Strawberry: Somehow Cute

If you can get past the terrifyingly sharp teeth and claws, this possum's actually cute.



It reminds me of the time we found a baby possum scurrying around our backyard, looking for its Mom (whom we knew to be living underneath our porch, unfortunately for us). He was so tiny and adorable (about the size of a rat), but we knew that someday he'd grow up to be fearsome.

So as sweet as this guy seems, I definitely wouldn't trust him in my house!

[via Neatorama]

JK Rowling: World's Most Magical Mom

Wondering what the best present a mom can give her children (besides unconditional love, etc, etc)? It's probably two tree houses inspired by Hogwarts, and if that mom is the woman who wrote Hogwarts into existence, they're probably pretty darn amazing.

Uh, yeah, that looks incredible. Better yet? The small one has a secret passageway that leads to a trapdoor that you can enter from, and the larger one has a spiral staircase and slide. 

Better yet? All of the wood is coming from sustainably-managed forests. Hooray for socially conscious millionaire author-moms! 

Also, I'm super jealous. That's ok, right? 

[via Neatorama]

Written by a Kid: Scary Smash

I laughed along with this for so many, many reasons. A delight.



And now there's another episode!

Ralphisms, a Collection

I choo choo choose this video!



[via Videogum]

Mister Rogers: A Beautiful Day for Remix

PBS has another remix, too! Their first one was actually for Mister Rogers, and these are part of a new series where PBS teams up with YouTube auto-tuner melodysheep (aka John Boswell) called "PBS Icon: Remixed." With Mister Rogers and Bob Ross, they're off to a great start!



What a great tribute to the most wonderful neighbor!

[via Gawker]

Bob Ross: Happy Little Remix

This is a really excellent auto-tuned remix of Bob Ross shows. It really highlights his positive attitude about life and art's purpose in it. The joy of painting, indeed!



[via Gawker]

London 2012: Pass the Torch (to Pests)!

Olympic Vermin is a really kooky, fun animated short about urban animals running with their own Olympic torches. It mixes live-action with 2D cut-out style animation to great effect!

Animators Amael Isnard and Leo Bridle did a great job! 

[via Neatorama]

Lion and Bunny are Friends!

I really hope they place the cub with its other kind before the day comes when Simba realizes that bunnies = food and not just snuggle buddies.



In the meantime, though, they're so cute! Look at them press into each other's fur! Soft upon softer!

[via Neatorama]

Romancing the Wind: Kite Dancing!

Three kites. One guy. Beautiful.



They look like dancing fish!

[via Neatorama]