NEWSWEEK Goes Retro With MAD MEN Issue

Ad Age reports today that a special issue of NEWSWEEK magazine will be styled like it was back in the 1960s to coincide with the premiere of MAD MEN on AMC this coming Sunday.  The idea for this supercool cross promotion came from Newsweek's newish editor Tina Brown, of course.

This special issue will be about the role of advertising in U.S. culture and will even feature some retro-styled ads as well.  However, one type of old school ad you won't see--no cigarettes, as those are no longer advertised in the magazine per Brown's edict. One other oddity this article in Ad Age mentions is that, during the MAD MEN era, women were not even allowed to be bylined writers for the magazine. They only worked in the background, doing copyediting and research, and it wasn't until a class-action lawsuit in the 70s that they were able to write articles.

As much as MAD MEN generates nostalgia for the style of the 60s, we can certainly be glad that some of the discriminatory details of the decade are long gone.

SPECIAL: Take A Ride On The Space Shuttle's Booster

Here's a video I noticed on FB the other day of a ride on the space shuttle, taken from the vantage of the solid rocket boosters that life the STS into orbit and then fall back down to earth.  It's one of the most incredible views of space travel I've seen. Not to mention the actual soundtrack too.  I never realized the solid rocket boosters really got so high, up to 28 miles exactly...their release is wild, like something EFX wizards concocted but it's actually real. Also, stick with this through to the end to the splash landing in the Atlantic.  Extraordinary!

The NYU HawkCam Is Back...As Are The Hawks

Last spring, a daytime web-cast drama originating from high on a ledge of NYU's Bobst Library about a family of red tail hawks caught the interest of thousands of people around the world.  Well, I am happy to report that HawkCam has been renewed for a new season and started broadcasting this week live on the web, 24 hours a day.

The second season has some new cast members too as Violet, the female hawk from last spring, died over the summer after a leg infection.  The newest hawk in the next has been named Rosie (on the right) by readers of the NY Times CityRoom Blog, which has been chronicling all the action in the nest.  And there are two eggs as well so a new baby hawk could be arriving come springtime!  They've also upgraded and repositioned the camera so that now you also get a lovely, live view of Washington Square Park and the memorial arch too.

A Place At The State Dinner Table

This is a photo of columnist Andrew Sullivan and his partner Aaron Tone arriving at the White House for the U.K. State Dinner last night.  Sullivan and Tone were just one of an estimated 10 or more gay couples on the guest list, as reported over on Towleroad.  

Though there have been plenty of complaints about Obama's record on gay/lesbian issues, I think this picture is the equivalent of a thousand positive words about how remarkably things have changed in just 3 years since his predecessor left office.  On top of that, it's just a wonderful photo in general....two guys strolling hand-in-hand through the White House foyer, just like any other couple attending what is the pinnacle of social events in Washington.  

Hi-Fi Bri Turns 3 Today--Celebrate & Donate

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of Hi-Fi Bri.  Yay!!!  I found this delicious looking donut cake on The Internets to faux celebrate.  But I will probably stop by The Donut Pub for the real thing later. :)

Some stats: 725 posts total since March 15, 2009 and, in recent months, the blog is getting 4,000 hits per month.  There has been a huge upswing in viewers/readers since the end of last year, which I attribute to daily links via Facebook and Twitter (and some pretty fun stories too!).  The most popular story of all time remains "Anderson Cooper's Mom Is Kind Of A Perv" (June 19, 2009), about Gloria Vanderbilt's erotic novel and her now more-famous-than-her son.  It has 3,247 hits; apparently there are a lot of people out there googling "Anderson Cooper." The second most popular story after that is "Porky's: Where Are They Now" (June 21, 2009).  Random, right?  But oddly it's one of my favorite films for sentimental reasons; it was the first R-rated film I ever saw.

Anyway, as part of the big celebration, I'm encouraging my readers to click on the DONATE tab here on the right and make today a mini-fundraiser for the site.  As I like the say, the Internet only looks free.  So if you can toss a little coin in the online bucket and help to support your local writer, I would greatly appreciate it. As would Verizon, T-Mobile, Con Edison, Visa, Mastercard, etc.  And please continue to read Hi-Fi Bri...as well as repost, subscribe, forward, tweet (all of which you can do quite easily with all the little buttons just below here on the left). Thanks so much for your support!

Jimmy Kimmel Asks "Is Uggie A Fake?"

A couple weeks ago, Jimmy Kimmel had Uggie, the dog star from THE ARTIST, on his show to make Oscar picks.  Or did he.  A keen-eyed viewer has pointed out that the dog that appeared on Kimmel's show has different markings than the dog that was in THE ARTIST.  Talking about this shocking discovery on his show last night, Kimmel couldn't believe that someone would pass off a fake to him, for which his show reportedly paid a sizable fee.  As he put it, "it's like someone sending us a Meryl Streep look-a-like instead of the real Meryl Streep."  LoL.

Even more surprising was that the dog on Kimmel's show was the same dog that worked the red carpet at the Globe and the Oscars.  So this begs the question where is the real Uggie?  Kimmel promises a "full investigation."  No comment yet from the Weinsteins.

A Time Traveling, Time-Lapse Trip Through NYC In 1968

The NY Times City Room Blog is one of my favorite sites to find strange odds and ends about life in "The City."  Over the weekend, they posted a clip from an experimental film (remember experimental film?!) by Hollis Frampton in which he shot a time-lapse journey through the city. Making his trek on a weekend in 1968, Frampton starts at the Brooklyn Bridge then heads up Broadway, through Union Square, Madison Square, Sixth Avenue and ends in a teeming Central Park.

What is most surprising to me about this filmed time capsule is how little the essential streetscape of the city has changed, especially in lower Manhattan.  I could see and identifying many of the buildings along the journey, though certainly the signage and some facades have been altered.  However, what's most remarkable to a New Yorker is the strange lack of people on the sidewalks, not to mention the abundant availability of parking on the street.

Randy Rainbow Sings A Marriage Duet With Kirk Cameron

Former child star Kirk Cameron has been hating on marriage equality lately.  The born-again Christian was on PIERS MORGAN, last week going on and on about Adam and Eve and how the gays are "unnatural." He certainly has a right to his beliefs and the freedom to express them. However, you might think that a performer who was raised in this business called show and clearly owes his career, wealth and fame to many of the gays and lesbians working in the entertainment industry might be a little more tolerant of differences and supportive of equality. But his extreme brand of faith (he's starred and produced in a series of movies about the Rapture) has trumped all rational thought.

Anyway, this week Kirk gets his online comeuppance with a totally unauthorized starring role in Randy Rainbows' latest video.  Yay!  Kirk and Randy even do a lovely duet about getting married....awwww.  My favorite part though is Randy describing Kirk to his mom as "an out of work actor" and his mom flipping out over that!  Randy strikes again...

Julianne Moore is Sarah Palin in GAME CHANGE

The original HBO movie GAME CHANGE, about Sarah Palin and the 2008 Presidential election, premieres this Saturday night. Though Palin says the film is a political hack job, she has also not actually seen the film.  Roger Ebert gives the film a very positive review in the Chicago TIMES, adding that it is not only fair but also sympathetic towards Palin who is widely viewed now as a candidate who was incredibly charismatic but deeply unprepared to run for national office. The trailer itself looks great and Moore looks amazing as Sarah. I need to get me some HBO this weekend...

150 Years Later, Sailors From The USS Monitor Come To Life

We're currently in the midst of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, which started last year and will continue until 2015. The New York TIMES and the Washington POST have both been publishing a series of articles looking back at different aspects of the war.  

This week, the POST ran a fascinating article about two sailors from the USS Monitor who have been sort of brought back to life 150 years after their ironclad ship sank in a storm off the Carolina coast.  Their two skeletons were found intact inside the ship when it was raised from the deep in 2002 and they were even wearing their shoes still.  Forensic scientists and historians have recreated their faces which are now on display in Washington as part of an exhibit about the Monitor.  

It's amazing to think of these two sailors from 150 years ago are now staring back at us via technology and science they never would have imagined.  Kind of exciting...and kind of eerie too.