Random Story Corp

Everyone's life is a story...

Germans in the Woods from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

(from StoryCorp)
StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected and archived more than 30,000 interviews from more than 60,000 participants. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share, and is preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind, and millions listen to our weekly broadcasts on NPR’s Morning Edition and on our Listen pages. LISTEN

Thanks To Rachie for the link!

Random Macho Man

Macho Man Randy Savage probably did a lot of drugs...



and he certainly made Mean Gene Okerlund's life a little bit more confusing, but regardless of how he lived his life he was a dynamite entertainer... OH YEAH!!!!

Look at these devastating elbow drops!



(from CBSNews)
"Macho Man" Randy Savage dies in car accident
Professional wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage has died. He was 58. The wrestling legend died in a car accident on Friday in Tampa, Fla. His brother, Lanny Poffo, told TMZ that Savage suffered a heart attack while driving and lost control of his car. Florida Highway Patrol said that the wrestler's 2009 Jeep Wrangler veered across a concrete median, through oncoming traffic and "collided head-on with a tree." The wrestler was transported to Largo Medical Center, where he died from his injuries, according to the report. Savage's wife, Lynn, was a passenger in the car during the accident but survived with minor injuries and was taken to a different local hospital for treatment, TMZ reports. Officials told the website that both were wearing their seatbelts. READ MORE

Random Great Depression

Television made me believe that the world before 1960 was actually black and white...







Thanks to these picture released by the Library Of Congress (and of course the ineveitable realization that I was probably a silly child) a little bit of color has been shed on the historic world.

(From DailyMail)
In the bleak light of the Depression: Rare colour photographs of the era that defined a generation
It was an era that defined a generation. The Great Depression marked the bitter and abrupt end to the post-World War 1 bubble that left America giddy with promise in the 1920s. Near the end of the 1930s the country was beginning to recover from the crash, but many in small towns and rural areas were still poverty-stricken. These rare photographs are some of the few documenting those iconic years in colour. The photographs and captions are the property of the Library of Congress and were included in a 2006 exhibit Bound for Glory: America in Color. The images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, shed a bleak new light on a world now gone with the wind. READ MORE

Spotted @ Drudge

Random Carlton Dougie

I knew that dance looked familiar...



Spotted @ TheBook

Random Latitude 48 IPA

I'm a big fan of Sam Adams...



Latitude 48 IPA is delicious and you need to go get some ASAP.

(from Boston.com)
Sam Adams releases Latitude 48 IPA Deconstructed, a new single-hop series
Boston Beer Co. is about to do something very cool for people who love India pale ales. The brewery based in Jamaica Plain will release a 12-pack called Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA Deconstructed next month. It's basically a single-hop series in a box. Let me explain. Following on the heels of San Adams' popular Latitude 48 IPA, Sam Adams has decided to take apart the beer's hops formula and show us exactly what it's made of. Latitude 48 contains five varieties of hops -- Hallertau Mittelfrueh from Germany; East Kent Goldings from England; and Ahtanum, Simcoe, and Zeus, all from Washington state's Yakima Valley. (The beer's name refers to the 48th latitude line, where all these hops are grown.) READ MORE

Random 'Police & Thieves'

'Police and Thieves' is a great song...



and Junior Marvin's version, though the original, isn't as popular as The Clash's version...



Why is that? I like Junior's version better... debate!

(from Wiki)
"Police and Thieves" is a well-known reggae song, first recorded in the Jamaican reggae style by the falsetto singer Junior Murvin in 1976 (Island WIP 6316), and one year later in a punk-reggae version by The Clash. Murvin's first commentary was "They have destroyed Jah work!". The song was written by Murvin and the man who originally produced the song, Lee "Scratch" Perry. The studio band was jamming and Murvin was playing with words at Perry's Black Ark Studio when suddenly sound, rhythm, melody and lyrics appeared in a structured form and Perry decided to record the song the same afternoon. The next day dub-versions and versions with different lyrics were recorded. The song, about gang war and police brutality, was out on the street in a couple of days and became a big hit in Jamaica. Later on, the song proved to be a bigger sales and club hit in England than in Murvin's and Perry's native Jamaica. The English punk rock band Clash's punk/reggae version appeared on their eponymous debut album. The Clash's version, which is six minutes in length, is an example of a rock band incorporating reggae into their repertoire. READ MORE

Random 'Fight For Your Right'

Not only should you watch this awesome short film...



but, you should then go HERE to listen to the new album.

THEN, buy it on May 3rd when it comes out!

(from Stuff.co)
The Beastie Boys' new short film has been leaked onto the net several days before the scheduled premiere. The film, called Fight For Your Right Revisited, stars actors like Will Ferrell, Seth Rogan and Elijah Wood playing the roles of the B-Boys three members, Mike D, Ad Rock and MCA. It is a reprisal of the video the trio made for their 1987 single Fight For Your Right, and features music from the band's new album, Hot Sauce Committe Part Two. Fight For Your Right Revisited is directed by Adam Yauch, aka MCA. IMDB

Random Trash Talking

It started for me last November, but this is about right...



and no, we don't consider Philadelphia to be a legitimate sports town!

(from Wiki)
The New Era Cap Company (or just New Era),located in Buffalo, New York, is a headwear manufacturer. It was founded in 1920 by German immigrant Ehrhardt Koch. New Era is the exclusive manufacturer and marketer of the official on-field cap worn by every Major League Baseball team and their minor league affiliates, as well as select teams in the KBO and NPB, and maintains agreements with other licensed entities including NHL, NBA and over 200 colleges and universities in the United States. New Era will also become the official on-field cap provider for the National Football League in April 2012. READ MORE

Random 'Big In Bollywood'

Omi's an old friend who has apparently become the biggest star in India since we used to hold meetings in his living room...



(from BIB)
Big in Bollywood is the story about American actor Omi Vaidya’s rise to fame as an Indian celebrity. Omi is the co-star of the massive hit film 3 Idiots, and in the month of January 2010, he went from virtual unknown to household name. Omi is a non-resident Indian who grew up in Palm Springs, and is by most accounts, very American. He is now instantly recognized across India as the face of “Chatur Ramalingam”, his character from the movie. His journey from Hollywood to Bollywood is a uniquely contemporary story. Never before have these two centers of world cinema been so aware of each other. Indian cinema is beginning to mirror western aesthetics, and Americans are finally becoming aware of Bollywood films. This documentary came from a meeting of the minds between fellow filmmakers, and a realization that something amazing was about to happen in Mumbai. Omi was describing to us how 3 Idiots was turning out to be the biggest anticipated film of the year in India. And we all looked at each other and realized that we had to go to India and watch this all unfold. 3 Idiots

I can't help but feel like if I had never moved to Philadelphia, I might be involved with the making of this film... Oh well... All the best to Omi! Crazy story.

Random Maggie The Cat

When I was in high school we had to watch Cat on a Hot Tin Roof...



and all I remember was thinking that Elizabeth Taylor was a stone cold fox. This is the only version of her I remember, so I say R.I.P. Maggie The Cat.

(from Wiki)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works and his personal favorite, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955. Set in "the bed-sitting room of a plantation home in the Mississippi Delta" of Big Daddy Pollitt, a wealthy cotton tycoon, the play examines the relationships among members of Big Daddy's family, primarily between his son Brick and Brick's wife Maggie the "Cat". Cat on a Hot Tin Roof features several recurring motifs, such as social mores, greed, superficiality, decay, sexual desire, and death. Dialogue throughout is often rendered phonetically to represent accents of the American South. The play was adapted as a motion picture by the same name in 1958, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman as Maggie and Brick, respectively. Williams made substantial excisions and alterations to the play for a revival in 1974. This has been the version used for most subsequent revivals, which have been numerous. READ MORE

&

(from CBSLA)
Actress Elizabeth Taylor Dies At 79
Actress Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79. She had recently been hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where was being treated for symptoms of congestive heart failure. Taylor was surrounded by her children: Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd, and Maria Burton, according to her publicist Sally Morrison. In addition to her children, she is survived by 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. “My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love. Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world,” Michael Wilding said. READ MORE

Random First Class

I've always loved the X-Men story...



but I've been a little disappointed by the movies. Hopefully this one will be better.

(from Wiki)
Professor X has come to be compared to civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and Magneto to the more militant Malcolm X. The X-Men’s purpose is sometimes referred to as achieving "Xavier’s dream," perhaps a reference to King’s historic "I Have a Dream" speech. Magneto, in the first film, quotes Malcolm X with the line "By any means necessary." X-Men comic books have often portrayed mutants as victims of mob violence, evoking images of the lynching of African Americans in the age before the American civil rights movement. Sentinels and anti-mutant hate groups such as Friends of Humanity, Humanity's Last Stand, the Church of Humanity and Stryker's Purifiers are thought to often represent oppressive forces like the KKK giving a form to denial of civil rights and amendments. In the 1980s, the comic featured a plot involving the fictional island nation of Genosha, where mutants were segregated and enslaved by an apartheid state. This is widely interpreted as having been a reference to the situation in South Africa at the time. READ MORE

Random Conspirators

President Lincoln's assassination in feature film form...



(from Wiki)
The Conspirator is the debut film of the American Film Company. It tells the story of Mary Surratt, the only female co-conspirator charged in the Abraham Lincoln assassination and the first woman to be hanged by the United States federal government. It stars Robin Wright, James McAvoy, Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Jonathan Groff, Tom Wilkinson, Alexis Bledel, Kevin Kline, and Toby Kebbell. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2010. A major theatrical release is planned for April 15, 2011, the 146th anniversary of the death of President Lincoln. READ MORE

Random Kennedys

The family has issues, that's why we wanna watch...


The Kennedys | Movie Trailer | Review

It's looks like it's going to be amazing!

(from Wiki)
The Kennedys is an upcoming eight-hour mini-series chronicling the lives of the famous Kennedy family and the tragedies they have suffered. It will star Greg Kinnear, Katie Holmes, Barry Pepper and Tom Wilkinson among others. The mini-series was directed by Jon Cassar and was to be shown on History Television in Canada and on History in the U.S. in 2011. In January 2011 it was announced that the mini-series would not be shown on the American History channel. Showtime, FX, Starz, and The 101 Network turned it down before ReelzChannel picked it up. READ MORE

Good for you ReelzChannel!

Spotted @ Drudge

Random Internet Knowledge Error

I'm still confused...



Thanks to J. McWilliams for the link!

Random Beatbox History

Not the best ever, but dude is quite ill...



(from Wiki)
Hip hop is the form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American communities during the 1970s in New York City. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of Hip-hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing. Other elements include beatboxing. Since its emergence in the South Bronx, Hip-hop culture has spread around the world. Hip-hop music first emerged with disc jockeys creating rhythmic beats by looping breaks (small portions of songs emphasizing a percussive pattern) on two turntables, more commonly referred to as sampling. This was later accompanied by "rap", a rhythmic style of chanting or poetry presented in 16 bar measures or time frames, and beatboxing, a vocal technique mainly used to imitate percussive elements of the music and various technical effects of hip hop DJ's. An original form of dancing and particular styles of dress arose among fans of this new music. These elements experienced considerable refinement and development over the course of the history of the culture. READ MORE

Thanks to co-worker Steve for the link!

Random Black Dynamite

If you haven't seen Black Dynamite yet...



You need to watch it right now!



(from Wiki)
Black Dynamite is a 2009 American film starring Michael Jai White, Salli Richardson, Arsenio Hall, Kevin Chapman and Tommy Davidson. It is a spoof of blaxploitation films of the 1970s. The film is directed by Scott Sanders and co-written by White, Sanders, and Byron Minns, who also co-stars. In the film, former CIA agent Black Dynamite must avenge his brother's death while cleaning the streets of a new drug which is ravaging the community. READ MORE

Random Tribe Called Quest

Now you caught my heart for the evening...



(from Wiki)
A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985. It was composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip, rapper Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor), and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but appears to have rejoined the group since 2006. Along with De La Soul, the group was a central part of the Native Tongues Posse, and enjoyed the most commercial success out of all the groups to emerge from that collective. Their innovative fusing of hip hop and jazz has had a lasting impact on hip hop music, helping to expand the art of hip hop production. Many of their songs, such as "Bonita Applebum", "Can I Kick It?", "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo", "Scenario", "Check the Rhime", "Jazz (We've Got)", "Award Tour" and "Electric Relaxation" are regarded as classics. READ MORE | MORE VIDEOS

Random Pony Excess

I feel like we should all watch this before the heisman award show...



It might be time to just pay college kids to play sports.

(from ESPN)
Pony Excess
From 1981-1984, a small private school in Dallas owned the best record in college football. The Mustangs of Southern Methodist University (SMU) were riding high on the backs of the vaunted "Pony Express" backfield. But as the middle of the decade approached, the program was coming apart at the seams. Wins became the only thing that mattered as the University increasingly ceded power of the football program to the city's oil barons and real estate tycoons and flagrant and frequent NCAA violations became the norm. READ MORE

Premieres Saturday Dec. 11 on ESPN

Random Honus Wagner

I've always wondered what was so important about this card...



Learn about it HERE

(from CNN)
Nuns get $220,000 from sale of rare baseball card
Years after his death, baseball legend Honus Wagner hit a home run for a group of nuns, who will use proceeds from the sale of his extremely rare baseball card to do charitable work. Texas-based Heritage Auctions conducted the internet auction, which concluded Thursday night with a winning bid from Doug Walton, whose family owns seven stores in the Southeast specializing in sports cards and collectibles. "I have been in the market for this card for a long time," Walton told CNN. "It is the Mona Lisa of baseball cards." Walton paid $262,900, Heritage said, with $220,000 of that going to the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The card's price beat initial estimates by $162,900. READ MORE

Random Cawabunga Carl Van

When I was 12, this was my dream car...



Then I grew up a little and now I want an Infiniti m45... But, the TMNT van is still pretty cool

(from Jalopnik)
How A Co-Ed Built The Van From Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
There are custom vans, there are cartoon cars, and then there's 23-year-old Brittney Schneck's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles van, a '94 Dodge Caravan obsessively reworked into a life-size piece of turtle power realistic enough to call out Shredder. Schneck, 23, says she started working on the van last July, paying for it from a part-time cashier job and working in her father's auto-detailing business while also going to college. "The Turtles played a huge role in my childhood," Schneck said. "Growing up with all my male cousins, playing Ninja Turtles while my Uncle Harry (Uncle Shredder) chased us around doing an exact voice of The Shredder. He used to drive us all around in his Caravan, and when I see one, I just think of the Turtles and all the memories." READ MORE

Thanks to Ted Hef for the link!