in: the press

Dunce Flash: On Love, In Happiness

in: the press, on: tap

Hey, folks, and welcome to 2012!

I promised you guys a fresh start a while back, and, as you can tell from the total redesign, I’m attempting to make good on that. I’ve redesigned almost the entire site to function primarily as a personal website and professional portfolio for me, but there is still the added bonus jonas! of the Girl With the Dunce Cap as a blog.

Much will remain the same: I’m hoping to get back in the game of mix-making oh-so-soon, though that endeavor hit a snag when the entirety of my music library was swiftly seized. I’m beginning to rebuild but find myself still without a computer, so it may be a slow return. I will continue a sort of steady posting now that I have more regular access to a bank of computers, and, while much of the content on this site will remain my inane musings on popular culture, I will also try to pepper in some short-form fiction and long-form (strongform!) literary nonfiction. This quarter, I aim to wrap up the very last bit of my collegiate experience, and I will be launching an exciting literary endeavor TBA with a good friend. All in all, I will be seeped in the written word, and there should be quite a bit of content to keep your eyes peeled for in the coming weeks. There’s a great deal of external stress currently pummeling me, but I’m confident that, somewhere inside, is an impending happiness.

As always, I’m nearly constantly in transit, so, while I am currently situated in Chicago, that could change rather quickly. I will attempt to keep you, my loyal (and burgeoning) readership up-to-date with my geographical whereabouts. For now, enjoy the new site, and please let me know if you have any suggestions to improve the reader experience.

And, from the news, just a few quick things:

Image credits: AP

1958 Letter from John Steinbeck on Love

John Steinbeck remains one of my very favorite authors – if you have yet to read East of Eden, minimize this window, walk, nay, run, to your nearest library and check it out. Immediately. – and his private correspondences, culled in a 1989 collection, display in beautiful and quaint prose the author’s takes on matters of the head and heart. Perhaps most poignant is a 1958 letter from Steinbeck to his eldest son, Thom, featured this week on The Atlantic. In the letter, Steinbeck offers words of wisdom to his son, who has confessed to a deep crush on a boarding school classmate.

“And don’t worry about losing,” Steinbeck writes. “If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.”

This letter and nearly 850 others to family, friends and professional acquaintances can be found in Steinbeck: A Life in Letters, out now from Penguin.

Stay Calm, Scotty

I’ve mentioned previously my dear friend and journalistic peer, Scott, and he has a new blog up that y’all ought to check out. Scott is conquering the newspaper market in coastal Maryland (see his story on the passage of same-sex civil unions in Delaware), but, mark my words – his is a name you’ll hear again and again. His new site includes an essay on why he decided to pursue writing as a profession; the essay is generous on both the laughs and the sincere, and it is surely an indication of what lies ahead. Check it out here.

Protest SOPA/PIPA

That’s pretty straightforward, no? These bills, currently in the house and senate, respectively, will cripple the Internet as we know it, and as an avid Internet user, I am participating in the Internet blackout, scheduled for today, Jan. 18, 2012. My wee li’l blog will be blacked out from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow (I think that’s right) in protest. What you’ll see if you visit is a link to sign the petition to tell Congress just what you think of SOPA and PIPA. I’ll see you all back on the web in a day or so.

The Dunce Cap: March 21, 2011

in: heavy rotation, in: the press

Ju·gee·toe

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 31: ‘Cause they’re gonna be cool happy genius heroes. (click on link to listen to mix via 8tracks)

1. “When U Love Somebody” – The Fruit Bats
2. “All the Beautiful Things” – Eels
3. “Ambling Alp” – Yeasayer
4. “Always On My Mind” – Phantom Planet
5. “Santa Clara” – The National
6. “King of Carrot Flowers, Pt.1” – Neutral Milk Hotel
7. “Keep Fishin’” – Weezer
8. “Oregon Girl” – Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin
9. “Dancing Choose” – TV on the Radio
10. “Last Flight Out” – Butch Walker

I’ve got to say – I feel really guilty, you guys. Not only has The Girl With the Dunce Cap only produced a handful of entries this year, this is only the second Dunce Cap mix of 2011.  I have to be totally honest, though, and admit it’s been a pretty tough year thus far. So tough, in fact, that I’ve taken to watching “Fancy Feast” commercials for warmth in my heart.

Okay, that last part was a fib. But wouldn’t that be sad and indicative of my inevitable and massively disastrous cat lady future?

Anyhow. It’s spring break for the itty bitty kitty ‘Cats like myself, and it could not have come at a better time. This quarter honestly felt like a terse struggle for survival, and I’m ripe for an explosion. That was fairly melodramatic, sure, but winter is always the hardest. This winter was particularly tough, what with that ridiculous blizzard, incredible overcommitting, a deplorable gluttony of Netflix instant and a still-mending broken heart. But it wasn’t all bad. I think I learned a lot more about myself and what I want. I gained a greater understanding of the healing power of time, and I really, truly think I figured out what it is that I want. And I’m strong enough to risk it all to get it.

This mix is a testament to the long overdue start to spring. It’s ultra-warm down South, and I am loving the heat waves. I like these songs because they make my feet tick and the corners of my mouth turn up, and I want to let the wind in my hair and the sun on my skin, and that is the feeling I think I’m constantly coveting. God, I’m starting to sound so sappy. But I’m truly confident about what lies ahead, and I’m really learning to count on myself. I’m still very much in love, perhaps with what used to be, but I have a good feeling. There’s still more to come.

OH. AND THE PHOTO. If you ever experience a lull in conversation with me, ask me why Judge Lance Ito is important to me.

Stray additions:

  • My favorite line of the week came from Thursday’s quite excellent 30 Rock. “I miss my weird love,” says Angie about Tracy, and I’ve got to say – I totally understand where she’s coming from.
  • I bought this hat. It’s possibly the best thing to potentially ever happen to anyone anywhere in the history of the universe (thank you, Leslie Knope!), and I plan to wear it at every opportunity, including but not limited to (my first actually attended) crush party, Dillo Day and my 21st birthday epic bar crawl. For the record, that’s not me in the photo. I know. You thought wrong.
  • I’m living like Eloise all week long! Seriously. I’m residing in a hotel instead of my childhood home because of a big ol’ fire – yeah, that sucks. -, and it’s actually really cool. Plus, there’s a tap of cheap beer at my disposal.
  • Dude. Last week’s NBC Thursday night television? Totally excellent. My crush on Adam Scott deepens. And my favorite use of Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s “American Girl” ever. I can’t explain to you how hard I laughed when I saw Swanson on that li’l train, with Tom taking up the rear. Even better use of the song than in that seriously creepy scene in Silence of the Lambs!
  • I like Memphis. And I like Twitter. Happy 5th birthday, Twitter!
  • I’m particularly intrigued by the whole debacle happening in the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communication (yawnx10,000 to the name change) with renowned Medill Innocence Project Professor David Protess. Check out the coverage in the Sun-Times.

Alright, y’all. Happy listening, and happy pretty weather & frolicking & springtime! The Dunce Cap will be back in a big way this quarter, with mixes out every Monday and regular pop culture updates from the mouths of (this) babe. Thrilling!

Book Club: Pulse for Android

in: on queue, in: the press

Okay, so those of you who know me intimately know I’m not exactly tech-savvy. Web-savvy, yes, but technologically inclined? Certainly not. But I’m an avid Wired reader (and thanks to Thomps, subscriber!), and I love to pretend to know about all sorts of technological thing-a-ma-bobbers.

So, I’m celebrating nine months with my beloved Android phone (the original Droid), and I honestly don’t know how I got by without it. I’ve invested my life into this phone. I’m always going through a bit of an application cycle, wherein I cleanse my phone of particular apps and then install new ones (sayonara, Northwestern’s particularly shitty, useless and space-wasting application, hello Buzzfeed‘s totally twee and squeal-inducing application for cuddly animals* and Joseph Gordon-Levitt). And the other day, I hit the proverbial motherload.

I downloaded Pulse from Alphonso Labs at my market’s urging, and I’m addicted. I know the application’s been out for a while (and has been free on both Android and iPhone platforms for a few months), but this discovery was the answer to my calls for a streamlined news application. I found myself wondering this break how to find the information and news I wanted when I’d read all of my Twitter updates. My brain’s grown finicky and tired of traditional news sites. How am I to read the news if it’s not presented in an easy, scrollable format a la New York Magazine‘s fantastic Android widget?

Pulse is it. You can follow up to 20 feeds on Pulse, and the most recent articles and updates are presented on a flowing visual interface. It’s similar to Google Reader but features images instead, and there’s even the capability for Reader integration. Also, it’s so freaking simple to share articles on Twitter, Facebook and a number of other sites.

Now, The Dunce Cap isn’t one for gushing about a product. I’m not here to sell you anything (except for me, future employers!), and the best thing about Pulse is that it is free. I can’t even believe it – it’s easy to read and friendly to my news ADD, and I can even create a widget for any news site, blog or even comic (!) I follow. I’m following enough publications and blogs to really round out my knowledge. I’ve got my Frisky fix and my A.V. Club updates, as well as Salon, Gawker, NYT (to pretend I’m a real human being interested in daily news), Wired and even The Girl with the Dunce Cap! (Why do I follow myself, you ask? Because I can.) I’ve spent so many nights with my finger glued to Pulse. It feels like something approaching productivity.

*Cute Overload is also a great site I will inevitably follow on Pulse and features very cuddly animals

Image from Gizmodo

So, to follow that total product plug (I’m not getting any sort of compensation for this. I’m just obsessed.), an article I found courtesy of Pulse. I’m following Gizmodo for some of my dorkier tech news needs, and this article made me laugh. Check it out.

I’m Not Buying Any More CDs That Don’t Look Like Lunch Meat

Dunce Flash: Week of Dec. 27, 2010

in: the press

“Natalie Portman Got Pregnant and Engaged to Crush Your Dreams”

Image from Gawker

Gawker gave the story the perfect headline, but I think NY Mag put it best:

“Natalie Portman: Doing everything all of a sudden! Not content simply to star in the indie smash Black Swan, pick up award after award on the way to the Oscars, circle movies like the Alien prequel, The Great Gatsby, and The Dark Knight Rises, sit terrified while Annette Bening issues queenly pronouncements in her basso profundo during an actors roundtable, co-write a screenplay described as a “female-themed Superbad,” appear in roughly 8 million billion movies next year including Thor, Your Highness, and No Strings Attached, and wear vegan shoes made special for her by Christian Dior … deep breath to recover … the 29-year-old actress has now announced her engagement to ballet choreographer Benjamin Millepied, who appeared opposite her in Black Swan. What’s more, Portman is pregnant, People has confirmed. It’s her turn now!” [New York Magazine]

That’s right – the gorgeous and terrifyingly talented Natalie Portman is expecting with her now fiancee, French ballet dancer Benjamin Millepied. Mazel tov, Nats. Breaking hearts all over the place!

And, for good measure, my favorite short-form Portman piece. “Natalie’s Rap,” from a 2007 Saturday Night Live Digital Short, is posted below. Frankly, this video reminds me – I’m not mourning Portman’s pending nuptials. It’s the fact that she’s no longer (supposedly) with Andy Samberg*that brings the tears.

*An unsubstantiated rumor from US Weekly in 2007 that I desperately wanted to be true.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

 

Hugh Hefner Engaged to Former Playmate

Image from The Village Voice

Snore. Who cares?

The 84-year-old Hefner proposed to 24-year-old Crystal Harris, Dec. 2009’s Playmate of the Month, on Christmas Eve. [The Village Voice]

I much prefer this hilariously gross rumor from 2007, pairing then-72-year-old Morgan Freeman with his 27-year-old stepgranddaughter. Heebie jeebies!

The A.V. Club Releases “Turds in the Caviar” List

The exceptional people at The A.V. Club composed this list, “The turd in the caviar: 24 songs that almost derail great albums.” At the top of the list was The Beatles’ abrasive “Revolution 9,” from The Beatles (a.k.a. The White Album). Also included: The Hold Steady‘s “Chillout Tent” from The Boys in Girls in America (“…The multiple-singer approach inadvertently makes “Chillout Tent” sound like the faux-Broadway stylings of Meat Loaf.”); Belle & Sebastian‘s “Electronic Renaissance” from Tigermilk; and Kanye West‘s “Drunk and Hot Girls” from Graduation (“West deliberately shifts from mildly funny to drunken asshole, singing badly the entire time.”)

I think it’s a pretty stellar list, though BaBe wishes to note his dissatisfaction with the inclusion of Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” from Blonde on Blonde. [The A.V. Club]

Does Buffy Think Dolphins are Just Gay Sharks?

Glee‘s Heather Morris – the devilishly inane cheerleader Brittany – is in talks to portray Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the Warner Brothers film adaptation (or remake? or follow-up? or something.) of the eponymous ’90s show. Morris is hilarious, and I think she’d be a killer slayer (heh. Pun intended.), but I just can’t imagine Buffy sans Joss Whedon. The Frisky compares Morris to Sarah Michelle Gellar, who portrayed Buffy for seven seasons in the television show, and Kristy Swanson, who originated the role in the 1992 film alongside the dreamy Luke Perry. [The Frisky]

A.V. Club: Winter Vacation, Day 2

in: the press, in: viewing room

Alanis Morissette's misheard lyrics via Buzzfeed

Readers (see: Dan, Jen), I’m back. Siriusly. And Chaucer’s sleepin’ on the couch, splayed out on two cushions all adorable, so I’m relegated to the floor. I’ll make this quick-ish. And, for the record, Chauce hates the sound of Neil Patrick Harris’s laugh. He balked a bit.

Some news of the day:

  • Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds  have called it quits! A second sad break-up in as many days.  [LA Times]
  • Andy Cohen asks Diane Von Furstenberg and Iman (David Bowie’s wife!) a rousing question: “Lady Gaga’s fashion: fabulous or fakakta?” [Bravo]
  • This is old news, but Tommy Lee is all up in arms over what? Lee wrote Sea World to complain about the fact that killer whale Tilikum continues to be used for his sperm. [Newser via The Frisky]

And today’s videos for sharin’:

Rudolllllllph. You don’t have to put on the red light.

This video had me in stitches. It’s a mash-up between The Police’s classic “Roxanne” and Christmas classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and brings me such joy. [The Daily What]

And all these oil spills? Hit the showers!

Vodpod videos no longer available.

The Arcade Fire guest star on a pretty humorous Saturday Night Live Digital Short from November 13. I love Andy Samberg. Rip your shirt wide open and danceeee.

 

A.V. Club: Winter Vacation

in: the press, in: viewing room

The Dunce Cap’s been on such a hiatus, but we’re back! So much to share.

I’m spending some quality time with Chaucer, so I’ll keep these fairly brief. But, if I can stick to the plan, I’ll be posting a couple of things every day for the entirety of vacation.

dumbdumb

Jason Bateman and Will Arnett started this ingenious comedy enterprise, dumbdumb productions, which creates and distributes hilarious web content. They began with a series of videos for Orbit Dirty Shorts, including this one.

Canine Arts n’ Crafts

Also a major winner.  This video for Best Friends Animal Society encourages you to adopt a pet this holiday season, and I think this particular tactic will really work. [The Daily What]

And in the News Flash! category, two big things a-happenin’.

Image from Disnology.com

First – Zanessa is dunzo! No more Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens lovin’. Sources (however unreliable) say the duo’s relationship has run its course. [LA Times] Maybe it was Zefron’s excellent new facial hair.

From a more reputable expert comes the following exchange:

C: “Efron. Single.”
D: “Efron. Gay.”

Lee's back in the Phillies uniform with R2C2

Second – Cliff Lee signs to the Phillies. Again. This makes the Phillies’ rotation as follows: Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels. Which begs the question: WTF?! [ESPN]

And, for shits n’ giggles, I joined free dating site OKCupid!, so expect some fun anecdotes from that endeavor in the coming weeks. I am not using the website for its intended purpose. It’s amusing, y’know? It’s a sociological experiment of sorts.

Dunce Flash: Week of 11/08/10

in: the press, in: viewing room

This has been quite the week. It’s been chocked full of disappointments and total excitements, to be sure, and it’s been a rather hectic and disappointing week on my end, but I am eager for the weekend. And, certainly, I’m thrilled to share with you five big pieces of news for the week.

Cee-Lo drops “The Lady Killer”

Can you say finally? I’ve been looking forward to this album from Cee-Lo for months, what with the tease of such a killer (no pun intended) lead track. I haven’t given the full thing a spin yet, but I’m hoping to do it this weekend, with (hopefully) a review to follow. In the meantime, PopMatters has a pretty thorough review praising “Fuck You,” noting the album’s sheer brilliance in nostalgic hooks and failure to maintain the musical throwback. [PopMatters]

Check out the video for “Fuck You” above.

Warner Bros. attempts to redirect obnoxious VM movie pleas (like mine!)

The cast of "Veronica Mars," Image courtesy of CW

Five months after “Veronica Mars” producer Joel Silver confirmed that the feature film project was dead, Warner Bros. created an official e-mail address where fans can send requests and open letters (cough) for a VM movie. New York Mag (unfortunately) (and rightly) believes this is simply a ploy to clean out the inboxes, but the move must say something – maybe the fans are really demanding some sort of conclusion. I say give it a shot. If you want it as much as I do, the effort certainly couldn’t hurt. [New York Mag via Playlist]

Daria Morgendorffer directs you through traffic

Good news! Now you can customize your GPS to have MTV’s most apathetic teen guide you to your destination. Daria Morgendorffer (of the eponymous ’90s cartoon) will be your guide! And remember: “There is no aspect, no facet, no moment of life that can’t be improved with pizza.” [Frisky via MTV]

Below, Daria on popular culture.

more exciting news after the jump

Dunce Flash: Halloween, Shy Ronnie and Newsies

in: the press, in: viewing room

Happy Halloween, readers!

There’s so much to talk about today, of all days. It’s Halloween, first of all, the most splendid of teeth-rotting holidays! I’m thrilled. My costume? Suri Cruise! Last year, I went sans costume, and the year before I was Lady Stardust, and the year before that, I was Gilda Radner. I’m getting more and more clever and more and more obscure.

Google celebrated this Halloween with a five panel Google Doodle. The full thing is below and is totally excellent. It chronicles the ultimate Scooby Doo mystery – the search for a candy thief. Gotta love Google and Halloween.

Google Doodle, 10/31/2010

And, for good measure, a Halloween tune. Or, at least, a song called “Halloween.” It’s more about a party and about relationships and about a bout of sadness. And, I suppose, my Halloween weekend was full of heartache and sadness – and rollicking fun and acceptance and hilarity too – , so it seems rather appropriate. It’s too much to go into now, but this weekend, I hope, I’ll tackle The Third Year Thirty in a more concise manner.

Happy listening.


“Halloween,” Matt Pond PA

The return of Shy Ronnie

Perhaps my favorite SNL skit of the last year, “Shy Ronnie,” a digital short co-starring Rihanna and Andy Samberg, returned to Saturday Night Live this week in the Jon Hamm episode.

The sequel to the video takes place in a bank in a hold-up called “Ronnie and Clyde” and is seriously gut-clutchingly funny.

Check out the video to the sequel below or watch the original “Shy Ronnie” on Hulu.

Vodpod videos no longer available.
“Shy Ronnie,” Saturday Night Live

Seriously. “Shy Ronnie” brings me such joy.

In other news

– Never thought I’d say it, but poor Christine O’Donnell. Gawker, you’ve left me a journalist ashamed. [Gawker]

– Dear Marie Claire writer,

At our worst, we may all think it. But never in a million years would we write it.

Sincerely,
The Girl with the Dunce Cap [Marie Claire]

– I’ve been meaning to say this for months – Matthew Gray Gubler, I love your new haircut. [Hell Yeah Matthew Gray Gubler]

Dunce Flash: Paste – the print version – folds

in: the press

The first issue of Paste I ever owned

I’m deeply saddened to report that my beloved Paste magazine is suspending its print publication. I read the news via NY Mag, who in turn heard it when Gawker broke the story this afternoon.

The magazine, which had been struggling amidst the print crisis brought on by this miserable recession, had remained afloat with the help of generous reader contributions. Alas, the donations weren’t enough. Gawker is reporting that the staff was given two hours to clean out their desks.

Pastemagazine.com will remain up and running by a “skeleton staff,” but all of my favorite Paste staffers – like the wonderful and sweet Rachael Maddux! – are reporting their unemployment.

I’m heartbroken. Well wishes to all of the folks at Paste, and thanks for all the years of reading solid, interesting pop culture reporting. It was always one of my dreams to write for Paste. What a shame.

And for Tilda Swinton to be their last cover… [Gawker via NYMag, Paste]

Dunce Flash: Tuesday, August 17

in: the press

Eek – I haven’t been blogging regularly, as I’ve been on a bit of a chase, journalistically speaking. I’m building a mystery, y’all know? Anyway. So much has happened recently, and I’ve been AWOL. Here are a few things that have led to incredible excitement.

It’s getting hard to keep pretending I’m worth your time

I’m not going to lie. The just-released video for Yeasayer‘s single “Madder Red” is weird. It’s kooky and certainly off-kilter, but it’s also sweet and tender. The gorgeous Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars fame is the leading lady in this video, which New York mag’s Vulture blog calls “the touching story of a girl and her pet blob monster.” And they’re not kidding. The object of Bell’s affection isn’t cute or cuddly but rather totally grotesque and absurd. It looks a bit like the inside of a body, with an oozingly bloody facial cavity thing and piercing blue eyes.

The video, directed by Swede Andreas Nilsson (a long time music video man behind songs by Fever Ray, José González and one of my personal favorites, I’m From Barcelona’s “We’re From Barcelona”) is certainly a bit creepy but it’s also heartwrenching. Check it out below, and definitely give Yeasayer’s full album, the incredible Odd Blood, a listen. [NY Mag]

Let it Sway

Springfield, Missouri's Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin

I really must have been living under a rock these last few weeks. Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin – one of my absolute favorite bands – just released a brand new album today. Their third LP, Let it Sway, is joyous. I’ve been a huge SSLYBY fan since their inception and the release of their first album, Broom, and Let it Sway doesn’t disappoint – it is refreshing. It’s hook-laden with ooh’s, aah’s and ear-pleasing choruses, and the feel is ’90s powerpop, recalling Built to Spill or a softer, more sing-songy Camper Van Beethoven. It’s a record of good-feelings and, while not as stellar as Broom, it has its standouts. Check out the lead single and title track “Sink/Let it Sway” below or give a listen to the anthemic attention-grabber “Back in the Saddle.”

The album is out today via Polyvinyl. [Paste]

Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin, “Sink/Let it Sway”

Weezer loses sense of irony – and gains indie musicality

Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo with album namesake

Weezer is going indie with their forthcoming eighth album Hurley. Rolling Stone reports the band will be channeling “Sixties pop” on the disc, to be released Sept. 14. The band isn’t merely changing their sound – they’re switching labels too. They’ve left their longtime label Geffen/Interscope and are seeking solace at California-based Epitaph, known for hosting bands such as Alkaline Trio (after their parting from Vagrant), Motion City Soundtrack and the Weakerthans. The album art, which Weezer also released last week, actually is a headshot of Lost character Hugo “Hurley” Reyes, portrayed by Jorge Garcia. I’m excited for their alleged return to indie. It’ll be a nice change of pace after the machine-like churning out of Top 40-ready records (though “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” was entirely charming, thanks in great part to producer and lyricist Butch Walker). I’m eager for Hurley – even despite the cheesy (cheeky?) and dated cover work. And despite the rather paltry attempt at a first single, “Memories.” [Rolling Stone]

And in other Weezer news – guitarist Brian Bell hinted in an interview at the Mile High Festival in Denver that the band would be touring in support of their pinnacle album, Pinkerton, which has reached cult classic status since its release in 1996. This one is personally near and dear to my heart. Pinkerton remains one of my absolute favorite albums, and the band is releasing a deluxe reissue of the record October 5 on Geffen. Keep your fingers – and toes! – crossed that Bell isn’t just merely being a tease. [MySpace music]

Weezer, “Memories” (the first single from Hurley)