Natasha Richardson Alive and Well

MANHATTAN — Doctors at Lennox Hill Hospital in New York City have brought British actress Natasha Richardson back to life, who had been pronounced dead March 18, 2009. Doctors attempted an experimental cardiac defibrillation that has only been attempted on a human subject twice since 2006 at local labs in Long Island, New York. Doctors had tried this procedure on rats and had an only 4% survival rate.

Liam Neeson was told of this procedure by Doctor Samuel Garfield, who was taking care of Mrs. Richardson during her stay at Lennox Hill Hospital after her ski injury at Mont Tremblant resort at Canada. He had told Liam Neeson of this experimental procedure after “…realizing that this would be a perfect, nothing to lose scenario to try it,” Doctor Samuel Garfield told the press. Liam gave him the go-ahead approval to perform the operation on Natasha, which Dr. Samuel Garfield performed himself on Tuesday, March 31, at 11 p.m.

To the layman, this heart defibrillation is basically just a much more severe, intense type of what most people know as basic cardiac defibrillation. It involves a much larger electric current and is sent into the body at different intervals, as well as targeting different areas of the heart. This procedure would instantly kill any living subject, but it was found to restore life to lab rats in 2006 when a Long Island doctor attempted it on a rat that had died in a drug experiment.

Natasha Richardson had fallen on the bunny slope at Mont Termblant resort in Quebec in an attempt to beat up a five-year old snowboarder who had given her a raspberry.

She is currently recovering in Lennox Hill hospital where her husband, Liam Neeson, had been sleeping and drinking heavily in her room before her miraculous recovery Tuesday night. Mr. Neeson and relatives had told the press that Mrs. Richardson was buried in upstate New York, when, in actuality, her body had undergone freezing and was kept safe underground in a perfect state for the procedure. Dr. Garfield told press that it was his idea to have Mrs. Richardson because he was one of the few doctors in the area that was aware of the experimental defibrillation procedure, and he wanted to have the option to try it, after he would supposedly get permission from the hospital to carry out the treatment. Natasha is still unconscious but is expected to wake within the next couple weeks.

Richardson is best known for a Heinz ketchup commercial she did in the late 80s, where she poured ketchup on a burger while the camera visually insinuated that she was pleasuring herself with the bottle.

Stay tuned to BTH for further information.

For many, Renee Zellweger couldn’t be a more obvious match for portraying the likeness of Amy Winehouse. Zellweger’s love of fluctuating weight makes her the ideal actress for shedding the twenty plus pounds it will take to emulate the medicated waif look Winehouse has perfected. 

Does Renee have the gall to be as thin as Winehouse?

Previous whisperings of Zellweger’s bid to play Janis Joplin seem a distant memory. It is now plain to see that Zellweger is content to play any one of the renowned hot mess female vocalists that come and go as quickly as the moon shifts cycles.

.....

Asked to comment on Winehouse’s music, Zellweger replied, “Her songs are really metaphorical.” They’re not actually. If Winehouse is anything, it’s straightforward. Broad statements aside, what really drew Zellweger to the project was news that writer-director Judd Apatow was attached to the project.

Despite Apatow’s illustriousness in the comedic genre, the president of Columbia Pictures, Doug Belgrad, whose studio also backed Apatow’s runaway success, Superbad, has nothing but faith in the Hollywood golden boy’s abilities in the action adventure geared biopic. 

The money and the contacts to make the film plausible

When an E! News reporter questioned Apatow about how he planned to give Winehouse’s life an action adventure slant, he said:

Drugs, infidelity, prison, Glasgow. What else do I have to say?

Winehouse herself has refused to make a statement, but what’s left of her legal team is more than likely battling this project with the same zeal Winehouse has for anything psychotropic. In the meantime, the film’s casting director is leaning toward signing Steve Zahn for the role of Blake Fielder-Civil, Winehouse’s malignant tumor of an ex-husband. 

The Wondrous World of Wino

The rights to Winehouse’s music have yet to be obtained. Apatow shrugged off the plight, noting, “We can just have Renee sing Amy’s cover of that Sam Cooke song ‘Cupid.’ It will expose her fans to some of her other material.” One of the producers of the movie, who was asked not to be named, affirmed, “I think we’ve got an Oscar nom in the making.” The working title at the moment is The Wondrous World of Wino and is likely to be released in time for the holiday season.

See, I knew the sport had it in him. Don’t remember who Marky Mark is? How about Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch? Or as Mama Blanco reminded me, the song Chevy Chase is singing at the beginning of Vegas Vacation? C’mon, you know you remember that song Good Vibrations of his 1991 hit album Music For the People. Yes my friends that’s correct, I’m talking about OG New Kids on the Block member turned actor, Mark Wahlberg.

Rumor has it, that the actor has recently gotten back in touch with his apparent “roots” again (meaning hes trying to be black again), saying that “Barack inspired a part of me that hasn’t been around a long while! (laughs)” while on the set of his latest action flick, Max Payne last year. I heard that interview, but I thought he was kidding, but apparently not.

At any rate, he’s a bonafide badass, and while he was in with the funky bunch, the group landed a number 1 Heatseekers Chart spot. The album Music for the People went platinum, and led to the sophomore album by the group, entitled You Gotta Believe, released in 1992. The album didn’t even chart anywhere near the top 50 on the Billboard Charts, which in turn led to us never really hearing about them again.

Don’t worry, all this struck me as strange too…but also strangely comforting. I have a lot of love for the guy personally, for bringing me the guys answer to Sex and the City, HBO’s Entourage. But the guys’ not in it alone you see. You’ve probably heard about New Kids on the Block getting back together recently, and while in the studio, Mark went in to cut a few tracks with his brother Donnie.

It’s been rumored that there’s an introductory track by Bill Cosby, which should be interesting, seeing as how one loves saggy pants, and the other wants a law against it (guess who wants what). This can mean a few things. Can we assume that Bill Cosby has welcomed the rap world with open arms, and an agreement has been reached? I mean after all, with President Obama around, some strange inspiration has been found as of late.

Furthermore, the album is being produced by brother Donnie Wahlberg, as well as Scott Storch (my favorite Jewish producer), DJ Khaled, The Runners, Kanye West, and others. You may be thinking that there’s no possible way that this could go wrong, but great collaborations don’t always go as planned. Remember when Patrick Stewart was the voice of the king in Elder Scrolls Oblivion? No? Well it was a clusterfuck to say the very least. But alas, time will tell.

Until Next time my friends.

~Flak

After 20 years on the air The Simpsons is finally getting canned! All I can say is it’s about damn time.

Time to say good bye to Simpsons and Co.

Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie have provided us with sometimes great, sometimes brilliant, sometime not so great, and sometimes downright terrible entertainment. It’s no mystery to most Simpsons’ fans that the show has hit rock bottom in terms of humor and entertainment. As an avid Simpsons’ fan myself this used to be a show that I was not able to live without, but now it has become a show I can barley muster up the strength to watch. Apparently Matt Groening now feels the same way. Mr. Groening has been quoted saying:

I love these characters to death, but enough is enough. They have been on the air for twenty years now and there no possible situation I could put them in that they haven’t already been in many times before. I really think it’s time to say good bye to The Simpsons and company.

There is no word yet on when the final episode will air, but word around FOX is it will be within the next two years. It’s a very sad day in television but I’m with Mr. Groening, I think its about time for The Simpsons to R.I.P.. I for one could not be happier.

So, who will be replacing The Simpsons on FOX’s Sunday prime time spot? Word is it will be none other than FOX’s own Seth MacFarlane with yet ANOTHER animated comedy. Family Guy, American Dad!, the forthcoming Cleveland Show, and the soon to be Bear Essentials. Bear Essentials will be about a family of bears living in a post apocalyptic New York City after a nuclear WW3. The plot and setting is a little thin right now but word around FOX is John Goodman will be voicing the lead role of Angus, a racist father bear with a severe drinking and drug problem. The shows aim is to satirize Wall Street, the stock market, and the financial infrastructure of the government. Seth MacFarlane has been quoted saying:

It’s Fraiser meets Married with Children.

MacFarlane is now the god of animated comedy.

It’s a daunting task to take over the The Simpsons but I for one am looking very forward to Bear Essentials, Seth MacFarlane is a comedic genius. As far as The Simpsons goes, they have worn out their welcome and I’m very glad to finally see them leave.

Obama: Whores for Hope

WASHINGTON—Today, President Barack Obama announced that he is sponsoring Whores for Hope, an organization aimed at banging out a cure for cancer . “After we screw the economy back into place, healthcare will be the next thing we tackle. It’s not enough to open insurance up to everyone. We need to start an intercourse, so that we can find cures for the diseases that currently infect our great nation. Whores for Hope will see that the brightest minds of our time strip down and ram cancer until we have a cure.”

But what is this organization that promises to protect us from disease? Whores for Hope is a collection of celebrities who are willing to have

Yours, if you cure cancer

sex with the person who cures cancer. The theory behind Whores for Hope is as simple as it is brilliant. Nerds are socially awkward, sex obsessed, lazy, and incredibly intelligent. Without proper motivation, nerds are content to do easy jobs and play video games in their off time. But given the proper motivation, namely sex, a nerd is capable of astounding feats. Ask yourself this: Would you have paid more attention in science if it meant you could be doing it with Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley…at the same time? Whores for Hope provides this motivation by listing the people you could be fucking if you cured cancer, and the possibilities are endless.

Former President Bill Clinton had this to say:

There have been many moments of genius over the years, but Obama has certainly fired off one of the best. With his backing, Whores for Hope will undoubtedly explode into a powerful organization that will cure all our health problems. Cancer is just foreplay. There are a load of other problems that could also be blown.

The list isn’t limited to celebrities, though that is the main draw. “When Barack told me the plan, I had to ask him about allowing ordinary people to register,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “What if a scientist really wanted to sleep with his high school crush? Or an ex-girlfriend? This is a country of the people, of the average American. I think they should be able to put out to help cure cancer if they want to.”

Whores for Hope does not limit itself to male scientists. It also supports women and homosexuals. All celebrities are asked to stand with the cause, and they have all signed a waiver saying that they will sleep with whoever cures cancer, male of female. Ben Affleck commented:

If we’re not willing to take it up the ass for cancer, then I don’t think we deserve the cure.

While most celebrities have shown support, a few notable ones have declined. On rejecting the offer to be the first female to sign with Whores for Hope, Angelina Jolie said, “I fuck Brad Pitt. Why would I have sex with a nerd?”

Perhaps the most surprising thing about Whores for Hope is the support it has received from the Republican party. While most Republicans don’t believe in having sex for any reason, most of them also have cancer. Even former President George W. Bush has given his support saying:

If you aren’t with Whores for Hope, then you’re with the terrorists.

This week on American Dad! Stan goes missing during a surveillance mission in Colombia, but he returns. Upon his return Francine realizes that she wouldn’t be able to move on emotionally if Stan ever really does happen to die. Stan drops the bomb on her that if SHE were to die he already has a back up wife ready for him to marry, his dentist. Meanwhile Steve and Roger become Wheels and the Leg Man, alter ego’s of theirs, to find Hayley’s ipod shuffle.

This was a pretty good episode with two very entertaining story lines. In the Stan/Francine story Stan of course plays the oblivious oaf who doesn’t realize how much he’s hurting Francine. Whenever she gets upset at him for having a backup wife his only words of comfort to her are ‘don’t worry about it, you’ll be dead’. For her revenge Francine ends up getting herself a backup husband, Stans partner from the CIA Jim. Jim was an amusing character and hearing him sing Marc Anthony ‘I need to know’ to the ladies was pretty funny, but he’s not anyone too memorable. The episode culminates to a showdown between Stan, Francine, Jim, and Stans dentist, in Stans living room.

Jim REALLY likes Francine.

Steve and Roger were hilarious as Wheels and the Legman. It’s funny hearing them argue about which television cliche they want to be. They argue about which one of them is the bad cop, which one makes the puns, which one is the hard boiled silent type, and various others. There are also some very funny moments with Steve’s friend Barry being interrogated, Klaus and his extreme distaste for puns, and Hayley finally getting her ipod shuffle back. Wheels and the Legman’s opening intro was also quite entertaining.

Who the 'f' is Stephen J. Dannell?

There are quite a few oddball moments in ‘Wife Insurance‘, typical American Dad! fare. Stan falls into the worlds biggest fallafel, Jims schlong is oddly censored even though he was in a speed-o, and a midget hooks up with a old woman. There are some jokes don’t really fit into the theme of the story, but they were still funny. As long as the jokes are funny all is forgiven. My only complaint is I wish Steve and Roger had more screen time than they did but I guess that would deter time from the Stan/Francine storyline, which was also very good. So again, all is forgiven.

Overall this was a good episode. ‘Wife Insurance‘ has great story lines, funny jokes, odd humor, recurring jokes for long term fans, and some funny character moments. I was thinking thought that it would have been funnier for Francine to get with Stans body double from the CIA, a character we saw in a previous episode. But the episode is good the way it is.

Funny stuff.

Score – 9/10

The Lindsay Lohan economy is booming, her paparazzi affording Cristal, leasing Lamborghinis, and getting an extra scoop of ice cream at 31 flavors. One thing the paparazzi love to get is evidence of Li-Lo sneaking the juice. Here are the top ten voyeuristic illustrations:

I will preface all of this by stating that you might have to be a basket case to appreciate how beautiful this album is.  I’m not sure, because I was a mess when I downloaded it and it knocked me off my feet it was so good.  Good in this case is defined by the amount of times it allows the heartbroken to identify through gobs of tissues not only with the words but with the haunting instrumentals.  If you do love and appreciate the Female Singer Songwriter genre and appreciate Tori Amos, Sia, Shelby Lynne and Sarah McLachlan, etc.  then you should be able to appreciate this album at any time.

I can be objective to say yes, it’s a gorgeous album regardless of your state of mind, but you might not want to listen to it if you’re in a good mood.  Music fans has an arsenal full of albums that they only listen to when they’re heart is breaking, and this one is no doubt, a contender.

Her sophomore effort, released at the end of 2008, it appears much stronger than her first album, though I will admit, I don’t have it and only skimmed through it  (I loved the single Be Be Your Love and stopped there, shame on me).  The new album begins with Elephants, clearly setting the tone for the rest of the experience which is deliberately timed and there in lies it genius and efficacy.  Elephants is possibly the most gut wrenching song on the album and gets your emotions flowing quickly and angrily, without which, possibly you might not appreciate the rest of the album as much?  A genius device perhaps, and it works.  The caveat to all lovers is delivered:

“So for those of you falling in love, keep it kind, keep it good, keep it right.
Throw yourself in the midst of danger but keep one eye open at night”

and thus the album begins.

The journey takes a detour to tell a story or two, then swoops back in with one of my favorites, Sunday Afternoon, much like initial denial, and drops you head first into every feeling with rich and deliberate instrumental choices and it’s wildly cathartic.  The wallowing picks back up with a duet with Ray Lamontagne appropriately titled Duet; The lovers journey of considering a return.

Memories return:

Over and Over:

“I really thought I was just fine, but when I woke this time, there was nothing to take me back to sleep, to take you off my mind…”

Brown Eyes:

“Old love, how I wish we were an old love, and survived all this and more, Oh, you’re turning everything to dust, And the wind is picking up…”

Acceptance creeps in:

Horizon:

“Something had died yet everything around kept turning, don’t even know where you are.  Somewhere along the line we lost the horizon”.

The Only Fault: A solo acoustic guitar with a side of bitter acceptance.

The album however, does not end there. Uncharacteristically, Yamagata tries her hand at a sound she has not yet recorded.  She excels at the sounds of misery, but angst with a potentially pop-y beat?  I didn’t expect this.  The angst continues through this segment and though at first listen it may appear as though she’s trying to tack an EP of new sounds at the end of this album, upon further listening, it confirms and continues the initial path of the album.

A variety of Electric Guitars and a traveling rhythm deliver Sidedish Friend, with the feel of a contemporary Voice’s Cary by Aimee Mann (ok fine,Til’ Tuesday) .

Accident is more of a social commentary about celebrity couples who dissolve before our eyes, victims of their own making.  It’s poignant but a distraction that I thought was oddly placed and would have bade a better B side, but whatever.

Faster: More ex-angst with guitars and drums and mic filters for grunginess, but I like it, it’s hot.

Pause The Tragic Ending: Well put together, a seemingly campy delivery of the ballad of the musician that takes your heart, puts it in a song, and goes back home to his girl.  Ouch.

Don’t: A bitter, bluesy stumble through a smoky bar that conjures all kinds of visuals.

“I can even scores with the best of them, I can leave my innocence at bay.
You can turn your back on my sincerity, but don’t fuck me in front of me.”

…wow, love it!

To any fans of the female singer songwriter who refuses to be happy (and there are plenty! ) this album is a smart purchase.  You won’t have to skip around much.  It really is a breathtaking album and shouldn’t be skipped but rather, digested.

Check out her homepage www.rachaelyamagata.com to get an ear-full of Elephants, Sunday Afternoon and Side Dish Friend. Check out the video for Sunday Afternoon below.

Additionally to interviewing Superjail! co-creator, Christy Karacas, I had the pleasure to interview Superjail! lead artist, Kristofer Wollinger:

GF: Which artists or authors (animation or otherwise) do you admire and/or inspire you?

Kristofer Wollinger: I’m a big fan of Doug Tennapel, the creator of Earthworm Jim. He did this comic called Gear which I love. It’s illustrated in a real gestural, high-contrast style which I find appealing. I’m also a big fan of the French comic Dungeon by Joann Sfar and Lewis Trondheim. The style sort of reminds me of Superjail! but in a Lord of the Rings type world instead of a psychedelic prison.

GF: What other shows (or other mediums) have you worked on and where did you get your training to be an animator?

KW: I’ve been working at Augenblick Studios since I graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2004. I’ve worked with the studio on all the projects that they have done like Golden Age and animation for Wonder Showzen.

GF: How often are you able to include otherwise unscripted sequences or deviate from set premises?

KW: Everything is story-boarded out, so the story and action is nailed down pretty early on, but we were encouraged to add anything we could to each piece we worked on. For the animation, we would get to be pretty creative with the acting of the characters and we’d have a lot of freedom to do what we wanted with our scenes. It was really fun and challenging to do.

GF: Who is your favorite character and why?

KW: I like Jacknife, the guy who gets caught at the begining of every show. He’s such a dirtbag criminal but there’s still something likeable about him. It might actually be something along the lines of pity. He’s just so stupid and never learns his lesson, and all you can do is just laugh.

GF: What do you think is the advantage of doing the series entirely in-house?

KW: Doing everything in-house is really helpful. Everybody who works on the show is sitting together in the same room. We’d always get the chance to see what everybody was working on as it went and it built a real camaraderie. We’re all friends and we all hang out together. Also, since we didn’t send stuff out, we got to see it completed the second it was done. Whenever we’d finish an episode we’d all sit down together and watch it. It’s like a big family.

But Wait, There’s More!

Check out my interview with co-creator Christy Karacas!