Art has a life of its own

Metareferences and intertextuality have become a staple of several art forms in the last few decades, not least for their comedic and therefore comic potential. Sarah Wickliffe's short animated film
'Art's Desire' uses precisely this aspect to good effect.

 by Sarah Wickliffe, via Animation Blog.

Odd headline of the day

I spotted the surreal headline on Arbroath.

Chicken waltz

Today I'm in the mood for some classical music. We'll start with an unusual a capella performance of 'The Blue Danube', composed by Johann Strauss in 1866. The conductor is Gonzo.

Bzzzz....

Malena Ernman and Martin Fröst, accompanied by Niklas Sivelöv on the piano, perform 'The Flight of the Bumblebee', an interlude from the opera 'The Tale of Tsar Saltan', which was composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov around 1899-1900.

'The Typewriter'

With unemployment on the rise, beat competition by offering prospective employers advanced secretarial skills.

'The Typewriter', composed by Leroy Anderson, is performed by Martin Breinschmid and the Strauß Festival Orchestra Vienna (Germany, 2008).

Advertising tactics to promote advertising

Though not exactly PC, admittedly, they have a point.

via Daily picdump

Proof that men are from Mars.

Via the delectable Awkward Family Photos.

'Mice suspected of sparking blaze that killed 100 cats'

 Article snippet via Criggo

I think I know who masterminded that.

 

Hair salon

Don't be so anal about grooming, honey, your hair's just fine.

Image: Telegraph

La Belle Vuvuzela

The entirely unofficial World Cup 2010 cover version of the classic hit by Labelle.

The true origin of the legendary vuvuzela

The joy of misspelling

Via the ever exhilarating Criggo.

Charming

God's gift to men, I expect.

Found on ever-wonderful Retrospace.

Bargain

Personally, I'm a vegetarian. But it's all a matter of taste, of course.

Image source: Telegraph

'I am Pele'

Appearances deceive.

'I am Pele' was spotted on Lady That's My Skull.

Animal passion

...and then, their lips touched.

'... the bear was upon Tom.' Image from Comically Vintage

It's happy hour!

A double shot of the Cocktail Trio.

Whatever does it for you

I find Crocs ugly - others clearly find them sexy.

Spotted on Boing Boing

Apt toilet humour

No comment required.

'BP headquarters'. Image source

'Dead Parrot': before & after

Who would have thought it. Formidable Lady Thatcher inspired by Monty Python. Actually, this instance of ex-prime ministerial humour has some interesting connotations: spotting the video on Boing Boing, I looked it up and read that the term 'dead parrot', which originated in the classic Monty Python sketch (of which, more below), 'also specifically applies to a controversial joint policy document which the Liberal Party and Social Democrats issued in 1988 in the process of their merger into the Social and Liberal Democratic Party'.

How interesting that the Lib Dems and the Conservatives are now an item. Anyway. 'Shortly before her downfall as Prime Minister' I read on, 'Margaret Thatcher described [the Lib Dems] party in her deadpan "comedy" voice, saying "this is a late parrot, it has ceased to be." [...] The emblem of the Liberal Democrats is a flying yellow bird.' Whether the Lib Dems are indeed a dead parrot or a triumphant phoenix of a party depends on whether the Lib Dems end up being slowly digested by the Conservatives, or, on the contrary, emerge from the current coalition in flying colours.

Here's the 'after' version.



And here's the unsurpassed 'before' version.