Editor's
Choice |
August 16, 2002 |
Wacky
Packages If the product names Cap'n
Crud, Clammy
Soap, and Plopsickle
ring a bell, you most likely grew up in the '70s and are
familiar with Wacky Packages, the trading cards that lampooned
corporate America's advertising campaigns. This exhaustive
site recalls a time when kids collected cards that urged them
to get drunk on whiskey-flavored Wheeze-It
Crackers or smoke eraser-tipped Truant
Cigarettes, the choice of "kids who cut class." Okay, so
the artwork was disgusting and rudimentary, and the humor
lacked political correctness (even for the '70s), but there is
something wonderfully subversive about trading cards for Putrid
Cat Chow or Hawaiian
Punks Bloody Nose Red Juice, a beverage that will beat you
to a "fruit juicy pulp." Jump in and relive this repulsively
entertaining blast
from the past. (in Hobbies
> Collecting) |
Email
this pick - View
most popular |
August 15, 2002 |
The
Brady Bunch Hour TV shows come and go. For every
Friends, there are hundreds of shows that fade into
obscurity, barely registering a blip on the TV radar. However,
some shows sink to new depths of dreadfulness, so incredibly
awful that they need to be memorialized and never forgotten.
The Brady Bunch Hour falls smack dab into this
category. Conceived as a song-dance-sketch variety hour
featuring the cast of the long-canceled sitcom, the resulting
cornball nightmare is sure to give you the creeps. This site
delves into the horror of a show that featured a "fake Jan,"
frightful '70s fashion sense, Rip Taylor, and a musical medley
chock full of show tunes that closed out each hour. All nine
episodes
are thoughtfully outlined and supplemented by an exhaustive photo
gallery and a collection of news
articles. It's a sunshine day, indeed. (in Television) |
Email
this pick - View
most popular |
August 14, 2002 |
The
Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient
Egypt The National Gallery of Art in
Washington, D.C. brings ancient Egyptian art to life with this
rich multimedia site. The elaborate funerary art focuses on
the afterlife that was crucial to ancient Egyptian beliefs.
Coffins, canopic jars that held a mummified body's organs,
exquisite artworks, and even practical furniture were all
buried with the bodies of the rich and famous. Step into a
QuickTime VR version of the tomb
of Thutmose III from the 1400s B.C. to view the paintings
describing the journey the dead king must make to be reborn.
Examine objects up close while listening to RealPlayer
narratives of experts describing each item. Or simply view
18 beautiful pieces from the exhibition.
The map
of ancient Egypt provides a geographic context, while two PDF
brochures flesh out the exhibit. This may be the next best
thing to a trip down the Nile. (in Arts
& Humanities > Art History) |
Email
this pick - View
most popular |
August 12, 2002 |
The
Barbra File The original diva's fans are some of the
most devoted on the planet. They buy every Barbra Streisand
album, stand in line for every movie in which she appears, and
worship the ground on which this multi-talented icon walks.
The author of a jam-packed bi-monthly
newsletter devoted to Streisand's every move has brought
her Barbra obsession online. With all the requisite fan-site
information and much more, this exhaustive resource of all
things Babs will charm even non-Yentl devotees. Take
the Barbra
challenge to gauge your level of fandom, view an extensive
chronology
of her life and times, and spend awhile poking around her
entire discography.
Every page is sprinkled with a Barbra quote -- you're sure to
draw some inspiration from these distinctive pearls of wisdom.
As the site says, "Other fanzines come and go, but The Barbra
File is a constant!" Amen to that. (in Music) |
Email
this pick - View
most popular |
August 11, 2002 |
Dome-O-Rama! A
requisite part of any vacation is
souvenir shopping for those friends and family members stuck
at home. Some people prefer a fanciful commemorative plate,
others favor a simple shot glass. If you're buying for Jen
Segrest, it had better be a kitschy snowdome. A staple of
tacky gift shops and tourist traps, these liquid-filled,
snowflake-shaking mementos have become an obsession for Jen,
and she's seen fit to put her hands on as many of these
dazzling domes as possible. Offered up for your viewing
pleasure, her enormous collection
includes hula
girls, Irish
leprechauns, and lovely Reno,
NV -- sure to trigger flashbacks of forgotten family
vacations. Next time you head out on the highway, think about
snagging a snowdome. You'll make Jen proud. (in Hobbies
> Collecting) |
Email
this pick - View
most popular |
August 10, 2002 |
Music
From TV Commercials You won't find "plop plop fizz fizz" on this
site, but you will find hundreds of pop, rock, jazz, and
classical tunes that have served as background music for TV
commercials. Over 150 contributors have helped identify the
tunes, and, as a result, the site owner has discovered a
plethora of great new music (starting with Delibe's "Lakme" in
a British Airways ad). Check out the five
most popular songs of the past 30 days, or cruise the music
from summer
2002 ads that aired during the NBA Finals and the World
Cup. Travel back to spring
for songs such as Led Zeppelin's "Rock & Roll" in Cadillac
ads and Dirty Vegas' "Days Go By" in Mitsubishi commercials.
Venture back to 1996
to discover the Iggy Pop songs used by Guinness, FTD, and
Royal Caribbean Cruises and marvel at the ubiquity of Moby's
mellow-techno music. Sellouts? Who are we to judge? (in
Television) |
Email
this pick - View
most popular |
August 9, 2002 |
Kermitage.com Welcome
to the most sensational, inspirational,
celebrational, Muppetational web site around. Anyone growing
up in the '70s caught at least a few episodes of the rousing
variety show known as The Muppet Show, and the creators
of this incredibly in-depth site have painstakingly profiled
each episode. Start with season
one, which featured guest hosts Paul
Willams and Phyllis
Diller among others, then work your way through the
remaining seasons. After you've dissected each episode, scoot
over to the Character
Guide and read about every Muppet to ever appear on the
show. The list starts with Abe,
a tap dancer who made a cameo in episode
56, and ends with the Zuchinni Brothers, a group of
daredevil Italian brothers. Whether you're looking for obscure
characters like the Mackerel
or trying to find information about Kenny
Rogers' guest-hosting gig, Kermitage will indubitably
provide the facts. (in Television) |
Email
this pick - View
most
popular | | |
|
· |
Daily
- a fresh pick, every day. |
· |
Weekly
- a seven-day
roundup. | | |