Back in the day, there were a few TV shows that I videotaped religiously. The U.S. TV version of Max Headroom was one of them: amazing for its time, and remarkably prescient. The Verge has an oral history of the 1980s digital icon, which makes for fascinating reading.
Somehow this explains a lot about how enjoyable it is to fix a car or truck with friends. (via Road & Track)
So I’m going to take a look at some Nikon glass tomorrow night. When I joined up with WRI, I made a deal with myself not to spend any major money on DX (cropped sensor) Nikon gear, figuring eventually I’d trade up to a full-frame kit of some kind. However, I’m always on the hunt for a bargain, and I saw a pair of VR lenses come up on Craigslist a few days ago for a very good price. If they check out they’ll make a decent addition to our gear.
It sounds like Jeremy Clarkson is going to get the axe from Top Gear tomorrow, after he flipped out on a PA and allegedly assaulted the guy. I’ve not been able to see the last 3 seasons of the show because it’s not streaming anywhere and our shit FIOS TV package doesn’t include BBC America (fuck you very much, Verizon), so I’m not current with the series, but it sounds serious. The rumors are that he verbally abused the guy for a half an hour before attacking him, which is just out of control. He’s just an asshole, but I wonder why none of the producers stepped in and cooled him off before things got out of hand.
Just when I began wondering what was happening with it, The Venture Brothers are back with a 1-hour Season 6 special. Almost all of the characters make an appearance, and lots of interesting things happen!
“The cascading notes to Guaraldi’s Vivaldi-like ‘Skating’ are the most vivid representation of falling snowflakes in music,” a newspaper columnist wrote, decades later.
From Wired, An Oral History of the Epic Space Film The Right Stuff. This remains one of my favorite all-time films, so to get a little of the backstory is fantastic. It reminds me that I need to get a DVD copy of this one.
The Jalopnik Every Episode of Top Gear, Ranked list is good, but I respectfully disagree with this:
118. S12E8 – Vietnam Special
118?!? The Vietnam special was one of the funniest, and also the most heartfelt “special” episodes they did. I’d give it a top 10.
This is a really well-made video commentary on why David Fincher might be the best director in Hollywood today. I’d have to agree completely.
A wholly original multimedia supernova like Lost isn’t easily replicated. But what’s most disheartening today is to see how little the big four seem inclined to try.
via The Lessons of ‘Lost’: Understanding the Most Important Network Show of the Past 10 Years «.
I’ve written about my love for the movie Fandango before; Metafilter just had a nice wrap-up of links both old and new with some great footage and behind the scenes commentary from the actors who were there.