South Korean Cabbies Watch TV While Driving

Switched has reported on a crazy BBC story about a South Korean judge who ruled in favor of a taxi driver watching TV in his cab.

I remember an even more horrifying story that came out last year, about French truck drivers who apparently beat the boredom of their long-haul trips by putting their feet up on the dashboard and watching videos or playing computer games. To take their eyes off the road, they devised, get this, a technique for "driving by ear".

Sesame Street parody of Mad Men

Spotted on TV Squad, a Sesame Street parody of Mad Men.

The ten most shocking moments on Mad Men

[via TV Squad]

Daily Show visits the New York Times

The Daily Show's segment on the decline of the New York Times ("reporting the news, making stuff up, getting us into war") is fantastic - and reaches its peak when Jason Jones asks an editor to describe the appeal of "aged news," and when the editor asks him to explain, he challenges the editor to find a single thing in the paper that happened that day.

Ouch!

[via boingboing]

Japan Baby Coke Comerical

Just for fun. Spotted on Japan Probe, a commercial for "baby coke".

Everyone From Don Draper to the Sterling Cooper Copy Machine Has a Voice on Twitter

Mad Men's appeal extends beyond ordinary television viewing. But with Twitter, fans not only share their appreciation but have also created their own personal parallel universe. To learn more about this social-networking phenomena, AMCtv.com spoke with Bud Caddell, an advertising strategist in New York City who runs the Mad Men fansite We Are Sterling Cooper. In the Twitter world, he's known as Bud Melman, the self-anointed Sterling Cooper mailroom clerk.

Read full interview in AMC Blog.

[via TV Tattle]

BeTaMaXMAS

BeTaMaXMAS, a nostalgia YouTube tour through xmas specials of yesteryear.

[via boingboing]

Sopranos Wine

According to Reuters, HBO's The Sopranos- who's final episode was last June - has sparked an unusual spinoff, a line of Italian wines that will be launched in the United States this fall.

Sopranos Wines are being produced under a licensing agreement between the TV network HBO and New-York based Vesuvio Import Company. The wines will be distributed by Duggan's Distillers Products Corp.

It's not the series' first overlap into wine. Actress Lorraine Bracco, who played Dr. Jennifer Melfi in the series, launched Bracco Wines in 2006.

Wine labels from The Luxist.

Don Draper on SNL

« Don Draper's Guide to Picking up Women » on Saturday Night Live. You too, can be like Don Draper...

Mad Men Fans: A Zippo For Your iPhone

If you are a "Mad Men" fan and an iPhone user, this new iPhone ap is just for you!

Spotted on Uberphones, a Zippo iPhone application that will let you have a Zippo lighter on your own iPhone. The lighter will open with a flick of your wrist, and light up once you turn the flint wheel. How cool is that?

Ringo Starr's bizarre online video message

Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr has told his fans in a bizarre online video message to stop sending him fan mail as he is too busy to sign or read it, and it will only be "tossed".

"This is a serious message to everybody watching my update right now. Peace and love, peace and love," the musician said.

[via The Sydney Morning Herald]

Italian TV to broadcast Bible reading

It may have taken God a week to create the world, but it will take nearly as long to read the Bible from beginning to end in what is being described as the longest live television broadcast in Italian history. The IHT reports.

"On Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI will read the opening verses of the Book of Genesis. The nonstop Bible recital will take 139 hours. ... About 1,250 readers from many walks of life and religious faiths will take turns until every word in the 73 books that make up the Roman Catholic Bible has been uttered (mostly in Italian but also with some ancient Greek and Hebrew).

Related: - The White House 2007 Bible Reading Marathon

Hollywood 'paid fortune to smoke'

According to the BBC, tobacco firms paid huge amounts for endorsements from the stars of Hollywood's "Golden Age".

"Industry documents released following anti-smoking lawsuits reveal the extent of the relationship between tobacco and movie studios.

One firm paid more than $3m in today's money in one year to stars.

Researchers writing in the Tobacco Control journal said "classic" films of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s still helped promote smoking today.

Virtually all of the biggest names of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s were involved in paid cigarette promotion, according to the University of California at San Francisco researchers.

They obtained endorsement contracts signed at the times to help them calculate just how much money was involved.

Deals dated from the start of the "talkie" era, with "Jazz Singer" star Al Jolson signing testimonials stating that the "Lucky Strike" brand was "the cigarette of the acting profession . "The good old flavor of Luckies is as sweet and soothing as the best 'Mammy' song ever written," he wrote.

Related (wonderful) movie "Thank you for Smoking". Watch the trailer below.

Mad Men Illustrated

File under something wonderful. Spotted on Josh Spear Trendspotting, "Mad Men" illustrated by Dyna Moe on Flickr.

In her own words:

These are my drawings of people and things from the show.

I started by doing Rich Sommer's (Harry Crane) Christmas card to his coworkers last season. I decided to keep going.

I'm doing a new wallpaper for every episode of the second season.

Customizable prints of the most popular illustrations are for sale through zazzle.com.

A low tolerance for high definition

A witty piece from The Guardian on the harsh reality of HD - where "skin blemishes and hairpieces vie for unwanted attention".

"There are some things we were never meant to see. Now, thanks to high definition technology, we can see them only too clearly.

Films suddenly become more detailed, more textured to a distracting level. Pages of dialogue fly by, important plotlines and revelations go unnoticed as you spend minutes staring at the fabric of costumes, the wallpaper, even the hair. Try watching any of the remastered Star Trek original series without having your eyes continually locked on Shatner's dubious hairline.

The camera may add a few pounds but under HD it adds a few years as well. I watched the standard DVD of No Country For Old Men then saw Tommy Lee Jones again in the Blu-ray of In The Valley Of Elah, two films made in the same year. In the first, Jones looked merely craggy, in the second, it was as if putrefaction had set in.

On a big enough screen, HD offers a dizzying level of detail. It's hard to know what you are supposed to be looking at when everything looks so wonderful."

Jerry Seinfeld / Bill Gates second commercial together

The odd couple is back in a second commercial about "real people". The above long version is really boring but both Seinfeld and Gates (especially) are endearing.

More on their first commercial together.

[via Reel Pop]

Google Turned 10. Inrterview of the company's first employee

Google turned 10 this week. Fun to remember way back then.

And on the BBC in video, an interview of Google's first employee, Craig Silverstein.

Flight attendants on in-flight porn usage

According to CrunchGear, as in-flight internet becomes more widespread, watching porn has become a popular choice on those long and lonely flights.

"A few airlines have taken the issue upon themselves to lock down certain themed sites but that doesn’t rule out already downloaded material. Then other airlines, such as American Airlines, are offering unfiltered service and thus leaving the discretion up to the user — and flight attendants."

[via CrunchGear. Image from Airliners.net]

Samsung provided periscope-like personal TVs for Olympic fans

Samsung gave Olympic fans an alternative way to see the games in Beijing: with their very own monitor, enclosed in a periscope-like apparatus.

Spotted on DVICE.

TV stars say they don't watch TV ... are they lying?

In interviews, actors often claim not watching much TV. Then why did they want to get into TV in the first place? Asks TV Squard.

"... TV actors argue that hey're far too busy now to watch television, since shooting schedules make for such long days. However, with lots of time in make-up or sitting around in trailers, with DVRs and streaming online, it sounds like a lousy excuse these days. "

The only argument that makes some sense is that once you get into a particular field, you find yourself less inclined to participate as a fan of that same field."

By my books, TV is no longer a lesser art compared to movies, just the opposite. The quality TV series have better writing, a faster pace, more character development (over time, rather than just over a couple of hours). They have the opportunity for much more acting and benefit from better story lines with less reliance on special effects.

Watching TV in your store

Catching a glimpse of a TV set in the back of a store, while walking through Sikakap, Mentawai Islands, Indonesia.

Fembot stars in TV commercial

Japan's Fembot, Actroid DER2, makes her small screen debut in a 15-second commercial spot for a UV insect repellent/sunscreen spray.

[via Newlaunches]

Trendspotting. The Style of Mad Men

More on Mad Men, my latest greatest obsession. If you're not a fan, it's because you've never seen the show.

Trendspotting Josh Spears writes up a new men’s lifestyle site, Valet, with advice straight from the source.

"Their four part feature explores the style of each character on AMC’s hit show with the assistance of costume designer Janie Bryant.

The article takes a look at which current designers are taking their cues from the fads of post-war America, and even lists vital accessories and tips to help you dress the part."

TV Squad has gotten an interview with Mad Men's Rich Sommer who plays Harry Crane, the Sterling Cooper ad exec with the glasses and bow tie (he's second to the left in the above photo). It's a good read specially because interviews of the cast are hard to come by. I tried finding interviews on YouTube but with no success. This will surely change.

Off the show, Mad Men actresses have started smoking again

Outside a crowded press conference for AMC's Mad Men, the most critically acclaimed new series of last season, two actresses sneaked away to indulge in a habit closely associated with their characters. The Denver Post reports

"January Jones, who plays repressed housewife Betty, and Elisabeth Moss, who plays talented copywriter Peggy, stood unaccompanied by publicists or network staff in a palm-lined courtyard, smoking.

"I had quit for a long time, but the show got me started again," Jones said, referring to the nearly constant puffing scripted in the retro series about an advertising agency in the early 1960s.

... Prepare to see the ugly, desperate, vulnerable sides of the characters when "Mad Men" returns for its second season on July 27. "The second season gets deeper, edgier, darker," Jones said. "

[via [ TVt a t t l e . c o m ]]

DVD Man Men. Zippo lighter shaped box!

I'm a huge Mad Men fan, and though I've seen every episode online, I ordered and have just unboxed the complete first season in DVD .

To my complete delight I discovered that the box is in the shape of a Zippo lighter! So clever.

Zippo lighter picture from shop-online-4.com

Synchronized Office Swimming

Female Russian office workers with time on their hands. Genius!

[via darkroastedblend]

Gandolfini 'Sopranos' wardrobe sells for $187,750

The Soprano's wardrobe was auctioned off at Christie's POP CULTURE Auction today. The highest bid was $43,750 for a faux bloodstained costume, worn by Tony in a scene when heis shot by a demented Uncle Junior.

Read full article in USA Today.

Bill Gates' 'senior moment'

The Microsoft CEO shows his humorous side by acting out "a senior moment" in his leaving video which was shown to Microsoft colleagues.

[via BBC]

Christie's to auction 'Sopranos' clothing

Tony Soprano's bathrobe and other items of clothing will be auctioned off at Christie's Pop Culture auction June 25, reports NJ.com.

"... The most iconic piece of clothing is Gandolfini's bathrobe, embroidered with a purple S, which he wore in the pilot episode to pick up The Star-Ledger at the bottom of his driveway and to feed the ducks in his pool is expected to fetch as much as $1,500.

A blood-covered outfit he wore when he was shot by a dementia-plagued Uncle Junior in season six is expected to sell for $2,000 to $3,000."

James Gandolfini donated about two dozen of his own costumes from the show for the auction. Proceeds from the sales of his personal items will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit group that assists severely wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Court warns Italian TV prankster

Prolific Italian TV prankster and condom advocate Gabriele Paolini faces a prison sentence unless he behaves. The BBC reports.

"Mr Paolini - who calls himself the prophylactic prophet - has made a career of popping up uninvited behind unwitting on-air TV reporters promoting condom use.

Guinness World Records says Mr Paolini is the world's most successful TV hijacker, interrupting 20,000 link-ups.

... The court has also ruled that anyone who deliberately gets onto TV while standing in a public place can commit an offence even if they are silent and immobile."

US Marines expelled over puppy-hurl YouTube video

The US Marine Corps is expelling one soldier and disciplining another for their roles in a video showing a lance corporal throwing a puppy off a cliff while on patrol in Iraq.

The 17-second video posted on YouTube drew furious condemnation from animal rights groups when it came to light in March.

[via The Evening Times]

The Clintons: Welcome Back

The Clintons return to the White House from the minimoviechannel. What could have been.

[via Neotarama]

Does anyone know who Steve on Grey's Anatomy is?

Does anyone know who Steve on Grey's Anatomy is? asks Jonathan Toomey in a witty (and somewhat cruel) post on TV Squad.

"I sure as hell didn't (he's on the right in the photo). Of course, it was easy to forget who all of the new Grey's Anatomy interns were once Yang gave them all numbers for names in the season four premiere. Apparently, Steve (or should I say #2?) has been blogging about his experiences at Seattle Grace for over a month now. "

An Internet Love Song

[via Metro]

Fake TV Fools Burglars into thinking you're home

Collest Gadgets has picked up on a Fake TV that tricks burglars into thinking you're home.

"The FakeTV uses a variety of colored, flashing LEDs to create the stroboscopic lighting effect which your television gives off while in use. When the burglar struts past your home, they’ll see the FakeTV projecting the flicking light of a typical 27″ television, and they’ll assume that someone is home and move on to the next house.

... When it’s running the FakeTV uses no more power than your average night light."

Grand Theft Auto Morality

This is not a popular thing to do, bashing the latest video release of Grand Theft Auto which has gotten rave reviews. But I think Glenn Beck of CNN Headline News makes more than a valid point.

FaceBook In Real Life

Brilliant. [via Metro]

Babies thrown from tower for good luck

Worshippers at a Muslim shrine in western India drop babies from a 50 foot tower for good luck. A ritual that has been observed for 500 years and local claim there's never been an accident. They believe the whole exercise makes the children strong and prevents physical disabilities.

[via Neotorama]

Obama's Abercrombie Fans. For real? or product placement

Reel Pop picks up on a YouTube video of Obamas Pennsylvania primary speech to Hillary where three supporters are all wearing Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirts.

As Bloggers speculated whether this was intentional or not (product placement or attempt to lure Abercrombie customers to Obama's side), a NJ company launched a blog selling t-shirts that are mashup of Obama's name with Abercrombie's logo.

That's thinking on your feet and as quick a turn-around as the two enterprising artists who came up with the vinyl MacAir Manilla Sleeve following Steve Jobs unveiling of his new super slim computer from a manilla enveloppe.

South Park. No internet.

Our worst fears. No Internet.

[via mobuzz.tv]

It's TV-Turnoff Week (for some)

For some (not me), today is the start of TV-Turnoff Week.

[via The Washington Post]

Discovery Channel: I Love the World

The world is just awesome. Indeed.

[via AdFreak]

"Trash the Dress" Trend

There is a new trend in wedding photography called "Trash the Dress" that started off in the US and is now spreading to Europe and Australia.

Brides are using their wedding gowns in a high fashion photography shoots - where they will ride horses, run through fountains or jump in water - basically ruining their gowns while having a great time - which is what it's all about.

You can watch "Trash the Dress" videos on YouTube

Opening credits on TV series, truly an art form

I'm in awe at the brilliance of some of the opening credits of US TV series. And searching around Google, I've found a whole sub culture of people who share the same fascination. As far as I can tell, there is no Emmy award for this category. There really should be.

Amongst the series I follow (or followed), "Desperate Housewives", "Pushing Daisies", "Weeds", "Nip/Tuck", "Six Feet Under" are all so outstanding and remarkable each in their own way, and some are even pure genius like "Dexter" and "Mad Men".

This MSNBC page (sorry, there is not date as to when it was published) rates the 5 best opening credits in TV. Their list is shorter than mine. But the reviews are outstanding. A must read. Here's "Dexter's" because well, I have a thing for "Dexter".

On Showtime’s serial killer drama “Dexter,” it’s even more uncomfortable to watch than the hour that follows. Filmed mostly in extreme close-up — it’s stunning to watch in HD — it simply shows the title character getting ready for the day. But whether Dexter is slicing open a blood orange or cutting himself while shaving, the mundane actions are shot and edited in such a way that they appear to be much more violent and horrific, thus mirroring Dexter’s life.

Watch opening credit videos of "Dexter" and "Mad Men" found on YouTube.

On TV: Botox. Face-lifts. Reconstructive surgery.

The Los Angeles Times on what television is doing to its actresses. And are we (TV critics) supposed to pretend we don't notice?

It's the new -- and wrinkle-free! -- elephant in the living room. Despite a tacit understanding that actors nowadays start lifting and injecting on their 21st birthday, mentioning an inexplicable altered appearance remains strangely taboo.

[via TV Tattle]