Celine Dion Is Insane

This is basically a video clip argument making the case that Celine Dion is terrifyingly, bat-shit crazy. Thanks to my brother Connor for sending this along!

Google's Superbowl Ad

Ok it might have been a little sentimental, but I still liked it. It's also the first advertisement I've ever seen from Google, which is sort of ironic considering they're basically the leader in advertising.

Fail Of The Day

Vice Squad

With all the talk about scat bars and puke porn and octopus sex it’s easy to forget that Japan also caters to totally reasonable fetishes, like guys who wish girls walked around without pants all day.

Vita Coco

This is pretty much my new favorite drink. It's full of thirst-quenching nutrients and the splash of pineapple makes it incredibly tasty. Junna actually discovered Vita Coco while we were on Kauai, though it is hardly a Hawaii-specific drink. Since sampling it there, I've found it more places than I'd ever have expected to–including the Gapeteria–back here in San Francisco. They have many other flavors, and although I've only tried tangerine and regular coconut, pineapple is by far still my favorite. Definitely give this a try, even if you don't usually enjoy coconut water. Yum!

Terry's Diary

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Holly Miranda - "Lover, You Should Have Come Over"

Possibly my favorite song ever, definitely my favorite song to play, and oddly a very under-covered song. I mean I love "Hallelujah" as much as the next guy, but this song seems like it would have been covered by tons of people. Not so. Then again, it's kind of nice that I'm not forced to see American Idol contestants attempting to do this song justice. Some things are best kept secret.

[Thanks to The Sassmouth Chronicles]

MacGruber: The Movie

This. Looks. Amazing.

[Thanks to The Sassmouth Chronicles]

Here Comes The Gravy Train

Few things in life get me more excited than the California High Speed Train project that will link Northern and Southern California. I only wish it were already in existence. We are, however, one step closer thanks to President Obama awarding the state $2.25 billion to help fund the project. That's more than a quarter of the $8 billion of federal funds headed towards the project, which will cost a total of $42 billion. Click here for the full story.

The Truth About Gluten

My mom sent me this excellent article on gluten and its effect on your health. Having cut out gluten a year and half ago, I found it refreshing to see an article that cited science and statistics addressing the impact–known and unknown–gluten has on people's well-being. You should definitely read it.

Vice Squad

I guess fashion is vital and art and stuff, but it also allows for “shoots” that are all about 30 people helping one person take photos of a 16-year-old anorexic giraffe from Estonia.

My Parents Were Awesome

This is a super cute tumblr photo blog collecting images of parents before they were parents. Pretty sweet (like, precious, not tubular), I must say. Click here to check it out and submit pictures of your own awesome parents.

[Note: None of these are my parents, just examples from the blog]

[Thanks to My Shimoda]

Phoenix Cover Dylan

Click here to listen to Phoenix cover the Bob Dylan song "Sad Eyed Lady of The Lowlands". It's really good.

Terry's Diary

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That's What He Said

"To even throw your name among the Susan Boyles of the world is an honor and a privilege."

-- Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig takes the deferential route when considering the likelihood of Contra topping the charts in the U.S. and UK this week. It did, by the way.

Vice Squad

Somehow you stumble upon the MySpace page of these guys’ band, the genre is “Electro/screamo/emo/punk/ pop,” and they have songs about having text sex with chicks. As you’re remarking how embarassing they are, you see that they have gigs booked from now until next year and are 17 years old, while you have no health insurance.

Stuff White People Like - #131 Conan O’Brien

The recent news that Conan O’Brien will be replaced by Jay Leno has caused white people to erupt with rage and hostility. You might even expect them to lash out and do something about it like take to the streets or write a letter to NBC to voice their dissatisfaction with the network. But no, white people will solve this problem the way that they solved the election crisis in Iran – through Facebook and Twitter status updates. In 2009, millions of white people took 35 seconds to turn their twitter profiles green, and consequently sent a very powerful message to the leaders of Iran. Their message was that they wanted their friends to know that they would stop at nothing to ensure freedom and democracy for the Iranian people. Thanks in large part to that effort Iran is now completely democratic. With that issue settled, white people are launching a similar campaign for Conan that is sure to have similar results.

It is not hard to understand why white people love Conan O’Brien, he embodies so many of the things they already like before he even opens his mouth: Ivy League Schools, Red Hair, the Boston Red Sox, Self Deprecating Humor, The Simpsons, and Bad Memories of High School (likely, but not confirmed). Seeing him on television five nights a week is a comforting reminder of community to the white people who still have televisions.

But if your plan is to try to use Conan O’Brien as a way to get white people to become more interested you, then it is imperative that you understand a few key rules. Firstly, all white people love “the masturbating bear,” if you don’t know what this is, do not worry. Just state your love for the character, and the white person you are talking to will simply fill in the rest. Secondly, all white people believe that Andy Richter never should have left the show. And finally, you should do your best to develop a “Triumph the Insult Comic Dog” impression. All white people already have one, so you might as well try to fit in. Complete these steps and watch your friendship with white people become considerably smoother.

Now, the biggest and most important thing to remember is to never, under any circumstances bring up a Conan O’Brien sketch or joke that has taken place in the last three years. You will be met with only blank stares. For you see, while white people will fiercely support Conan O’Brien in any public forum, they always fail to support him in the only way that actually helps – by watching his show.

Note: Under no circumstances should you ever mention that you prefer Jay Leno. This might cause white people to think you have the same taste in humor as the wrong kind of white people, or worse, their parents.

Terry's Diary

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Beach House - "Silver Soul"

Terry's Diary

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Off To Kauai

...and I ain't never coming back.

Terry Richardson + Tumblr

Terry Richardson has a Tumblr page called TerrysDiary that features pictures of him, friends, models, videos, and just basically whatever strikes his fancy. Click here and have a look-see!

Avatar Is Pocahontas

...and The Last Samurai...and Dances With Wolves...but this re-write above is pretty spectacular.

[Thanks to The Sassmouth Chronicles]

Team Conan

NBC is messing with the wrong Irishman. The Peacock network is tripping over themselves to accommodate the impossibly unfunny Jay Leno, and screwing over the genius that is Conan O'Brien to do so. After telling Conan they would be moving his Tonight Show to 12:05am to make way for The Jay Leno Show at 11:35pm, Conan offered the below retort, declining to accept the move. It remains to be seen how this will all play out, but I hope Conan comes out on top, however that might happen.

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, Ive been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair: it's always been that way.

Yours,Conan

Soundgarden Returns

I'm pretty sure this is a good thing.

The first band I ever saw live is reuniting after 12 years apart. I was fortunate enough to see them in 1994 during their Superunknown tour. Possibly still the best concert I've ever been to. We bought tickets at the last minute that were upstairs on the side–probably the worst seats in the house. Since we were crafty 14-year-olds, we went down to the entrance to the main level and started trying to sweet talk the security at the door to let us in. When that failed miserably, we walked ten feet away and huddled to discuss our next move. We decided if we all just ran past them at the same time and then scattered, there was no chance they could catch all of us.

We were right. I was the only one, however, who did not get caught, and so proceeded to scour the floor for ticket stubs. I found one, went back upstairs to find my friends, then we all went back down to a different entrance. I showed them my ticket stub, entered, and then slipped the ticket through a crack in a nearby door to my next friend. We repeated the process until we were all in.

Our next move was to get into the sectioned-off mosh pit directly in front of the stage, which required a wrist band. We simply hopped the walls and somehow no one noticed. Not too long after, we were all crowd surfing and I was even thrown on stage long enough to grab Chris Cornell's shoe before being pulled down by security. I couldn't have asked for a better first concert.