New York gets Rickrolled

English musician, and eighties icon Rick Astley made a grand return to the stage today, with a surprise rickroll of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade route. Astley appeared on the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends float.

Kudos to Astley for breaking the parade's monotony of marching bands and Broadway musical renditions.

Watch the video below:

Who wore it better?

Kate Bosworth(left) wore this Etro ethnic-print dress with a scarf, tights, boots and a studded belt. While Kimberly Stewart went more minimal, pairing it with a wide belt, tights and studded pumps.

Who wore it better? Vote in the comments section.

Michael Cera to Play 14-Year-Old

Production is underway on the cinematic remake of the C.D. Payne's novel, Youth in Revolt. And 20-year-old Michael Cera has been tapped to play the lead role.

Cera's character, Nick Twisp is the 14-year-old son of two trailer trash parents in a see-saw marriage, and is on a crusade to lose his virginity to a girl he meets on a family vacation.

I have to admit I'm a little conflicted by Cera's casting. On one hand, I'm a fan of the novel and of Cera so it seems like a natural marriage. Of course, the six year age leap is a little odd. We'll just have to see if he pulls it off.

Film School Rejects has released the first images of the film.

The cast also includes Justin Long, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta and Zach Galifianakis.

5 American Trends to Keep an Eye on

Vampires: Hollywood films, an HBO series, Hot Topic racks and even an episode of Southpark are making vampires a cultural phenomenon usually reserved for Halloween.



Leading Lesbians: Bones and House, two of the most popular shows on Fox's fall line-up, have recently outed prominent characters, featuring them in steamy make out scenes that audiences weren't likely to see coming.




Slouchy Sweaters: Check the racks at your favorite trendy women's clothing destination, and you are likely to discover that long, slouchy sweaters are keeping girls warm this winter.



Christmas in October: People like to joke the Christmas comes earlier every year, but in 2008 the economic downturn meant major retailers rolled out the tinsel and stockings before Halloween costumes were even off the shelves. Christmas in October?



(fill in the blank) on a dime: Advertisements, promos and various media outlets are all aiming to keep nervous consumers spending, by not spending too much. Lure 'em into the stores with promises of cheap buys and maybe their lack of impulse control will be your corporate pay-off.

New favorite show: Whale wars

After a couple weeks of action-packed and emotionally charged episodes, its safe to say Whale Wars is my new favorite show.

The dedicated crew of sailor and environmentalists aboard the Sea Shepard's SS Steve Irwin troll the arctic seas in search of Japanese whalers, intervening by throwing stink bombs, boarding the ship, and attempting to strangle the boat's motor in rope.

It's like pirates of the Caribbean, for a cause. The only thing better than watching the fierce battles between the Sea Shepard conservation ship and the fleet of whalers, is watching the tension between crew members and the array of unlucky mishaps that happen on board the Steve Irwin.

It seems everything that can go wrong, will go wrong for these dedicated (if not a little loopy) whale warriors.

Twilight Review

I'll preface this review by saying that I have never read any of the books in the Twilight series, and really had little desire to see this film. However, I accompanied some friends, flocking to the theater like a fangirl, and in some ways was pleasantly surprised.

Besides the whole vampire thing, Twilight is a chick flick in every sense of the word. We are greeted with a female lead who is easy to empathize with, and a handsome, mysterious male lead--a bad boy, with a sweet side.

The high school atmosphere is easy to relate to, but the science fiction elements don't always stick. The flying scenes, for instance, don't have anything on similar films, most notably, Harry Potter.

Twilight is infused with a heavy layer of cheese and teenage idealism, but the romance is sweet, and it is enjoyable to watch. Maybe I would feel different if I had read the book and had a strong sense of the characters, but the casting seemed on point for the screenplay.


Don't take it too seriously, and the little budding teen romance alone is worth the price of admission.

B-

Brenham, TX

Tomorrow's adventure takes me to Brenham TX, a blip on the radar, but a hotspot on my map because I'll be visiting my two best friends. I believe the weekend will include a trip to see Twilight, I'm apprehensive, but expect a review to come.

Opinion: California Proposition Fights for Animals

Because we are a nation comprised of conflicting political persuasions and values, Election Day is always full of both national and localized triumphs and tragedies. And while the state of California has been in the national spotlight for the disastrous outcome of proposition eight, another statewide proposition represents an enormous victory for the most disenfranchised and often overlooked residents of this nation—animals.

The California Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, known as Proposition two is a modest yet monumental measure, ensuring that farm animals have the ability to turn around, stand up, lie down and extend their limbs while caged. The initiative specifically applies to egg laying hens, pregnant sows and veal calves.

Currently, many factory farms cram hens 3-6 to a battery cage, keep pregnant sows confined to claustrophobic gestation crates for nearly the entire duration of their pregnancies and keep veal calves tethered from their necks in narrow crates.

Under the measure, which passed by approximately 63% to 37%, farms are expected to phase out pens that do not comply with the new standards by 2015.
Similar, yet less comprehensive measures have been passed in Florida, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona and throughout the European Union.

With an historic election and a controversial marriage bill on the ballot, it seems like Prop. 2 didn’t get nearly as much media attention as the top of the ticket. This says a lot about the growing practicality of animal rights. Perhaps, when voters looked at the initiative in plain language, stripped of all the pretense of high dollar propaganda, it just seemed like a common sense decision.

Animals pay the ultimate sacrifice for humans, especially those raised on factory farms; they spend their entire lives in cages and march to their deaths in slaughterhouses, only to be butchered and unpacked on grocery store shelves. And throughout all of this, they obviously never have a choice about whether they would prefer to live or die.

According to a 2003 Harris poll, less than 3 percent of the people in the United States are consistent vegetarians. Clearly, while humans no longer need meat to survive, its popularity and perceived integral position in the American diet is not waning. Therefore, we all have a responsibility to make sure these animals are treated fairly for the short amount of time they are permitted to spend on this planet.

See this viewpoint in print in this week's issue of the Hilltop Views.

Today's Playlist

Andrew Bird: Armchairs

Jenny Lewis: Acid Tongue

Belle and Sebastian: Piazza New York catcher

Cat Power: Living proof

MGMT: Love always remains

Handsome Furs: Handsome Furs hates this city

She and Him: Black Hole

The Ruby Suns: Morning Sun

Depressed? Step away from the remote!

A recent study, highlighted by the folks over at Live Science, found that 'unhappy' people watch an average of 30% more television than happy people. That's a difference of approximately 19 hours to 25 hours a week.

This is not good news for me.

Even as I type now, I have Hardball with Chris Matthews blaring in the background, I sleep with the TV on every night. In fact, my slumber suffers from the silence if this habit is compromised. I watch talk shows while I get ready in the morning, and late night shows as I doze off. I even watch the prime time shows I miss during the week online when there's a lull, and go to pseudo-illegal downloading measures to secure a couple of my favorite shows that air on premium cable channels.

Now this is embarrassing.
Depending on the season, I regularly watch Flight of the Conchords, The View, Dexter, Southpark, Hardball, Countdown, The Rachael Maddow Show, What Not to Wear, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Project Runway, Bones, Fringe, House, Lost, Entourage, Whale Wars, Monsterquest and any variety of news, entertainment and trashy reality shows if none of these titles appear in the TV guide.

Maybe silence makes me uncomfortable. I keep my TV streaming as I surf the web, do homework, put up my laundry, work out in the fitness center, clean or participate in any other distraction.

And amazingly, I'm still highly productive.


And, I feel happy.


Does the exception make the rule?

Wikipedia Random article #3

Daddy. (1989 film)

A Bollywood film about a young girl that tries to reunite with her father, but is struggling to battle alcoholism. It won a critics award for best performance.

Wikipedia Random article #2

The Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia.

The library, which is comprised of two restored 19th century townhouses, holds rare books, manuscripts and art.