Random Banksy

So I guess it's all been about the money...



First the massive art shows, then MBW, then the Academy Award nomination and now the big reveal...

(from CNN)
Street artist Banksy to be unmasked via eBay auction?
UK artist Banksy, he of the guerilla techniques and ever-increasing popularity, is about to be unceremoniously identified to the highest bidder in an eBay auction, which ends Wednesday. At press time, the winning bidder is offering one slim dollar shy of a million. Bidding started at $3,000; the auction has had 38 bids. In the listing, the seller states, "I have uncovered [Banksy's] identity by matching up the prices of his sold pieces to corresponding tax records. I will reveal no more details... I give you 100% assurance that it is most certainly the full name of the street artist known as 'Banksy.'" READ MORE

Random JR Art

Very very very cool...



(from JR)
JR owns the biggest art gallery in the world. He exhibits freely in the streets of the world, catching the attention of people who are not the museum visitors. His work mixes Art and Act, talks about commitment, freedom, identity and limit. After he found a camera in the Paris subway, he did a tour of European Street Art, tracking the people who communicate messages via the walls. Then, he started to work on the vertical limits, watching the people and the passage of life from the forbidden undergrounds and roofs of the capital. READ MORE

Spotted @ TheBook

Random Kanye Power

Hate him or love him, the video is dope...

Short and sweet...

(from WSJ)
Kanye West’s ‘Power’: What the Video Really Means
Artist/director Marco Brambilla and rapper/producer Kayne West recently released West’s video “Power,” a 1:15 minute clip that places the musician in the center of a moving painting. Speakeasy chatted with Brambilla about his historical inspirations, working with West and what the video really means.

The Wall Street Journal: There are a lot of allusions and historical references in the “Power” video that you directed. Where did you draw our inspiration and what does it all mean?

Marco Brambilla: I think the visual inspiration for me was definitely the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel; they are kind of bombastic and iconic. Then the tonal reference was really “How do you visualize a symbol of power that’s almost timeless?” This video is almost like a portrait, a video portrait of Kanye as this symbol of power. The video is actually one continuous shot – it comes out from a close up of Kanye and gradually reveals this decadence and sexuality around him. Once we come to the wide shot, we challenge that position of power. READ MORE

Random Sculptures

I'm generally a fan of most art...

Sculptures tend to freak me out a little...

especially when they're huge (or made entirely of butter)!

Check out some other crazy sculptures from around the world. HERE

Random 'Porn In Madagascar'

Random Acts of Ben: Supporting friends projects (no matter how random) since 2008...



Halley also blogs for MTVIggy about "Breakthrough Music and Pop Culture from around the world" Check it out HERE

Random Crayola House

Wishing I was in simpler times...



Take a couple minutes to listen to this song and stare at the crayola house

See what I mean? Start Coloring! (open in a new window to keep the song playing for optimum childhood experience)

Random Plastic Beach

Highly anticipated doesn't do this justice...



To listen to the whole album streaming for free CLICK HERE

Then check out the video for STYLO RIGHT HERE

(from Wiki)
Plastic Beach is the third studio album by the virtual band Gorillaz, released in March 2010. The album features guest performances by Snoop Dogg, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Kano, Bashy, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Little Dragon, Mark E. Smith, Lou Reed, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, sinfonia ViVA and The Lebanese National Orchestra for Oriental Arabic Music. The album features the single "Stylo." READ MORE

Album drops on March 8. Go Buy It!

Random Pursuit Of Happiness

I want my New Years Eve to be like this video...



only without that dude Drake running around. He's cool and all, but go away for a while.

(from Wiki)
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, better known by his stage name Kid Cudi is a Grammy nominated American rapper and singer. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. "Day 'n' Nite" is part of Cudi's debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day. Cudi has also worked with Kanye West, Common, and other artists signed to the GOOD Music label. READ MORE

Random Nonja

The is either the coolest thing ever or a sign of the apocalypse...



This monkey takes better pictures than some members of my family.

(from CNET)
Orangutan takes photos, shares them on Facebook
She's like the Ashton Kutcher of the ape world: an orangutan in the Vienna Zoo now has a Facebook fan page to showcase the photos she takes with a digital camera. The orangutan, named Nonja, uses a Samsung ST 1000 point-and-shoot that automatically uploads the photos. When this post was published, Nonja had over 9,000 "fans" subscribed to her page. But there's a catch: coverage of the camera-toting ape in the U.K.'s Daily Mail explains that the camera has been modified to dispense a raisin whenever the shutter button is pushed. So Nonja is evidently more interested in tasty treats than in artistic endeavors. READ MORE

I'm a fan. I suggest you be a fan too!

Thanks to Ted Hef for the link!

Random Wayne Documentary

Lil Wayne is a true rock star...



and he's putting out a rock album to prove that point.

(from Wiki)
After gaining fame with two other albums in the early 2000s, Lil Wayne reached higher popularity with 2004's Tha Carter and its two subsequent albums Tha Carter II (2005) and Tha Carter III (2008). He earned various accolades following Tha Carter III, including eight Grammy Awards nominations. He has had two number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 ("Lollipop" with Static Major and "Down" with Jay Sean). He will release a rock album titled Rebirth in 2009. READ MORE

Random Man On The Moon

Please go buy the new Kid Cudi album right now...

(excuse my bad photoshop skills, Its 4am and I'm drunk using MS Paint)

This is by far one of the best albums of the year and an instant classic from a new artist who should already be on your radar. Please check it out HERE

Too bad this version isn't on the album, but you can always come back here to listen...

Random Photoshop Phriday 4

In this edition we combine our love of infamous photos with our love of cartoons...

(per Ted) "Shooting An Unarmed Snork"

"Disney Domestic Dispute"

"2nd Moon Landing?"

"The Great Toontown Depression"

"Ninja Turtle Road"

"ACMEmarket Square"

"Frylock On The Balcony"

Thanks to Ted Hef for the pic!

Random Run This Town

This video has a mad max meets Book of Eli feel...

and I like that

Spotted @ Kanye's Blog

Random Smile

Smile...

Why not...

(wiki)
A smile is a facial expression formed by flexing those muscles most notably near both ends of the mouth. The smile can also be found around the eyes. Among humans, it is customarily an expression denoting pleasure, happiness, or amusement, but can also be an involuntary expression of anxiety, in which case it is known as a grimace. Cross-cultural studies have shown that smiling is used as a means of communicating emotions throughout the world. Happiness is most often the motivating cause of a smile. Among animals, the exposure of teeth, which may bear a resemblance to a smile, is often used as a threat or warning display - known as a snarl - or a sign of submission. In chimpanzees, it can also be a sign of fear. The study of smiles is a part of gelotology, psychology, and linguistics, comprising various theories of affect, humor, and laughter

Random Doctor Parnassus

This movie should be called the Imaginarium of Terry Gilliam...



The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is an upcoming fantasy film directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam and Charles McKeown. The film follows the leader of a travelling theatre troupe who, having made a deal with the Devil, takes audience members through a magical mirror to explore their imaginations. Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, and Heath Ledger star in the film, though Ledger's death one-third of the way through filming caused production to be temporarily suspended. Ledger's role was recast with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell portraying transformations of Ledger's character Tony as he travels through a dream world. READ MORE

Looks like The Adventures of Baron Munchausen for a new generation...

It's also hard to believe being involved in all this madness didn't in some way play a role in Ledger's death... sad because he was becoming such an awesome actor.

Spotted @ Kanye's Blog

Random Adventure Pics

I went on a Kelly Drive tour this afternoon and brought the new camera...







See the rest of my photos HERE

Random Peace War

Isn't it ironic that often the only solution for peace is war...



a sentiment that is evident in almost every facet of life.

Think about the last time you had to FIGHT for something you wanted. The last time you YELLED at someone to make them understand what makes you happy. The last time a nation RIOTED for a just solution.

War and Peace is a novel by Leo Tolstoy, published in 1869, after portions of a previous version were serialized from 1865–1867 in The Russian Messenger. It chronicles the epic story of the French invasion of Russia, of the events leading up to it and the reactions of five major aristocratic families within Russian society during the Napoleonic Era. War and Peace, along with Anna Karenina, is considered by many one of Tolstoy's two major masterpieces, as well as one of the world's greatest novels. READ MORE

Random 100 Days

I think being the White House Photographer would be an awesome job...



not only do you get to hang out with the president and capture the poignant moments that sum up his time in office, but you also get to sit in on all of the important meetings and attend the classy events. Not to mention, the whole traveling the world thing...

Check out the TIME MAGAZINE Frist 100 Days Slideshow

Random KIDKID

KIDKID is whatever we want it to be...



and thats why you should join.

"kidkid is not cool. kidkid is not rap. kidkid is not pop. kidkid is not concept art. kidkid is ur friend. kidkid likes u. kidkid wants to party." - KIDKID

It's just that simple. CHECK IT OUT!

Random Tape Art

"The Ghosts in The Machine Series" by irI5...

is absolutely amazing.

(from simplenvrmt & K. Haberbusch)

While searching to find a purpose for the pile of old cassette tapes sitting in the corner of my room, I came across an amazingly talented artist by the name of irI5. irI5 is an artist that brings the old cliché of “one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure” to life. Her collection titled Ghost in the Machine showcases several portraits of musical icons, all made from recycled cassette tapes. irI5, otherwise known as Erika Iris Simmons, has this to say about her inspiration of Ghost in the Machine: “The idea comes from a philosopher’s (Ryle) description of how your spirit lives in your body. I imagine we are all, like cassettes, thoughts wrapped up in awkward packaging.” READ MORE