Seriously, I'm interested. I think it'd be neat to see what The Beehive community wants to accomplish/improve/fix/quit with their lives in 2009. Maybe it'll be something worth revisiting throughout the year.
A couple of years ago, I asked this question to some people on Fulton Mall (it's mostly remembered for Fulton fixture Casey Couch's goal to get Fresno poppin'), and almost a quarter-million people watched the thing:
Anyway, here's your chance -- what's your New Year's resolution?
Warning -- The following parody of "Puff The Magic Dragon," by comedian Paul Shanklin, may be considered offensive:
The song is making news because it was included on a Christmas CD sent out by Republican National Committee chairman candidate Chip Saltsman, and it got some play on Rush Limbaugh's radio show.
The title originated from a March 2007 Los Angeles Times column by David Ehrenstein, who says he was just trying to start a dialogue. (He is interviewed on this video.)
YouTube is taking this copyright stuff a bit too far - UPDATE
UPDATE: So now I can't use Aretha Franklin's song either ...
If you remember (the original blog entry is included on the jump), the only reason Aretha got involved is because her song was available via the YouTube's new Audio Swap feature. Well, on Christmas eve I got this email:
Dear [Will],
We regret to inform you that the audio in your AudioSwapped video mac bath is no longer licensed for use on YouTube. As a result your video has been muted or blocked.
Every day we work to make it as easy as possible for you to watch and share videos. For example, we work with the music community to license your favorite music for you to use on YouTube. But music licensing can be very complicated. The right to use a single song often requires permission from multiple owners, particularly when it comes to original fan-made videos that incorporate commercial music. That said, despite our constant efforts, it isn't always possible to maintain these innovative agreements, as is the case with the song used in your video.
Please visit AudioSwap and select another track from our growing library of prelicensed songs. After you swap, your video will again be available globally.
Sincerely,
The YouTube Team
I know what you're thinking: they're just messing with me now. I made a public stink so now they have just muted my video altogether. I say "public" because the original entry just got a new comment from "Sally," who had found The Beehive in a Google search on this very topic (and you thought I was the only one):
On Sunday, Bee film critics Donald Munro and Rick Bentley published their annual list of top 10 films. In 2008, they went with critical/commercial faves "Milk," "Dark Knight," "Frost/Nixon," "Slumdog Millionaire," "Wall-E" and "Iron Man," as well as four others I'd never heard of ("The Visitor," "Frozen River," "Young@Heart" and "The Fall").
But that's what critics are supposed to do: shine the light on films that don't have characters named Batman and Iron Man. In this segment of BeehiveRewind, we go a different route (sometimes) by answering what our favorite film of the year was. As usual, we start the discussion in the hopes that you finish it.
Here's a list of our favorite films of 2008:
Will Albritton: The movie I most want to see again is "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," Judd Apatow and co.'s latest gross-out comedy that includes more male nudity than in "Milk," a series of jokes at the expense of "CSI: Miami," a hilarious breakout performance from Russell Brand and a puppet-musical subplot involving "Dracula." Runners-up: "Iron Man" and "Mamma Mia: The Sing-Along Version." (But I agree with Donald, "Milk" is the "best" film that I saw this year.)
This week, to get in the Christmas spirit, we're posting holiday-themed items we find on the Internet, dedicated to you -- the various segments of our readership.
For those who ever wondered what President Bush's rendition of John Lennon's "So This Is Christmas" would sound like:
This week, to get in the Christmas spirit, we're posting holiday-themed items we find on the Internet, dedicated to you -- the various segments of our readership.
This week, to get in the Christmas spirit, we're posting holiday-themed items we find on the Internet, dedicated to you -- the various segments of our readership.
For those who dig state politics, here's our governor in "A California Carol":
Over the next few days, to get in the Christmas spirit, we'll be posting holiday-themed items we find on the Internet, dedicated to you -- the various segments of our readership.
For those who can never have too much violence in their lives (NSFW ... seriously):
Over the next few days, to get in the Christmas spirit, we'll be posting holiday-themed items we find on the Internet, dedicated to you -- the various segments of our readership.
This one is for those into computer-generated violence:
Over the next few days, to get in the Christmas spirit, we'll be posting holiday-themed items we find on the Internet, dedicated to you -- the various segments of our readership.
It's a sad day for FresnoMike Seay. One of the area's minor-league sports franchises will cease to exist at the end of the day. In honor of all seven games I attended (and $63 in parking fees), here's a video of me dancing and NOT getting on the jumbotron:
Over the next few days, to get in the Christmas spirit, we'll be posting holiday-themed items we find on the Internet, dedicated to you -- the various segments of our readership.
So Meggan Anderson and Melissa Sehgal are standing at the corner of Palm and Shaw at lunchtime today with a sign that says "Bare skin, don't wear skin." Of course the sign was covering, well, their bare skin. And I ask them what they're doing out here (you know, because I'm a journalist), and I love their answers:
"We're baring skin to save animal skins."
"We're out here in the cold ... but it's nothing compared to what the animals go through."
"There's nothing sexy about wearing dead animal skin." (They said that one twice.)
"You can have a killer look without killing for the holidays."
"We've gotten a lot of positive attention."
Anyway, they also suggested I check out furisdead.com and peta.org. And I'm sharing all this with you, the Beehive community, because, you know, I'm a journalist.
Here's a photo that Bee photographer Mark Crosse took that may or may not find its way into the paper tomorrow:
I hope your big day wasn't ruined by the ordeal your mother went through to get your full name on your birthday cake. What is this world coming to? After all, at your age, I know how important it is for you to have all three of your names on your cake, considering how well you can read.
And the cake most certainly was for you. I say "hogwash" to anyone who claims your parents were simply trying to make a statement. I mean, we all know they made their views clear when they named your sister JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell. Apparently, too many of their coworkers thought they were being ironic with your name.
But thank you for giving us an answer to the second-most pressing question of the week (the first being "who throws a shoe?"): "Who puts a middle name on a birthday cake?" I don't know what I would have done with myself had I not discovered the existence of your parents.
Here's a suggested schedule for Thursday night ...
5 p.m.: Arrive at Sierra Lanes, stretch it out, order a few oat sodas and take'r easy. (Whatever you do, don't go over the line, man -- or you'll risk entering a world of pain.)
7 p.m.: Stop by your nearest nihilist's abode, and fix yerself a caucasion.
8 p.m.: Roll by the In-N-Out Burger over on Radford Nees.
9 p.m.: Write a check for five dollars and zero cents, sit back and enjoy the second-greatest movie of all time.
12 a.m.: Curl up on that rug that really ties the room together and help your not-your-special lady conceive, man.
Looking for company? I'm sure the good folks over at Dumb Drum will post something abouttheirplans. Although, I haven't seen anything yet, so I hope they're not gonna skip the newest cult classic. Either way, I'm hoping to make it out there.
From CNN: "New York Gov. David Paterson's office said 'Saturday Night Live' went too far in its portrayal of the legally blind governor over the weekend."
Brought on the "Weekend Update" segment to discuss his own perspective on appointing a senator, in light of how Gov. Rod Blagojevich handled the situation in Illinois, Paterson was portrayed as a clueless blind guy not fit for office.
"Come on, I'm a blind man who loves cocaine who was suddenly appointed governor of New York. My life is an actual plot from a Richard Pryor movie," actor Fred Armisen said in the skit.
Here's video of the skit in question (sorry for the pre-roll ad):
Way to go, fellow member of the free press. I've heard of mudslinging but this is ridiculous. Note: If you're going to risk getting taken down by the Secret Service, I'm not sure you wanna be remembered as the shoe guy.
Props to the president: Dude didn't flinch. Even after the second one. [CNN has a good angle]
We're slow here at The Beehive to give props to Landon Weiszbrod and Deon Gonzales, aka The Guys Who Like To Eat (check out their YouTube channel), but they're doing some great work. Love the premise: Visit local independent food places, chat with the people actually making the food and video the whole thing.
Last week, they posted about their trip to Milano on the Fulton Mall and the Megazone (think calzone, and keep thinking):
They're also into profiling folks in the localmusicscene, and that's cool, too. But I'm more into food, so I'll just make this public: Hey, Landon and Deon, if you ever need a third stomach (gee, that sounds weird), I can be reached at walbritton@fresnobee.com. Keep up the good work; we'll be watching.
In response to California's Proposition 8, as well as similar anti-gay ballot measures in other states, activists are reacting "with anger, with resolve, and with courage" ... by not showing up to work. First, there was Prop. 8 - The Musical, now there's "Day Without a Gay."
Probably not. But Bee photographer Kurt Hegre came across this sign recently, and he snapped an image anyway. This happens all the time. Unfortunately, there's no outlet for our photo staff to share their quirky pictures with all of you.
The photogs have been kicking the tires of this thing since August, but with the redesign of fresnobee.com coming Tuesday, we are also officially launching the photo blog. Some of the images are funny, some are just fantastic shots -- and there are videos.
A sad day for Smog City ... Roller Grrls say goodbye
UPDATE: Some of the members are forming a new team called No Town Roller Derby. Here is the MySpace.
12/5/08: I was saddened by what I read on the Smog City Roller Grrls' MySpace page today. In a public blog entry addressed to "loyal friends and fans" posted at 2:54 a.m., the team announced its retirement:
"Three years ago Jenn Balint had a dream to bring something unique and special to Fresno. Armed with her passion and resiliancy she set out to enlist the toughest, most intelligent and determined women she could find in Fresno. ...
"The mission of our league was to always represent Fresno with respect and pride, focusing on areas of Fresno who like SCRG were often overlooked. We found our fan base in the Tower District and Downtown. Our motive was to bring focus to an alternative women's sport and attention to downtown Fresno. We made a conscience decision to hold all of our events downtown in hopes that people from all over Fresno would recognize and appreciate the validity of this beautiful and important part of Fresno. We as a league felt connected in some way to Downtown Fresno; we also struggled to gain recognition and put in alot of hard work to break the stereotypes of who we were and what we did.
"In the past year we as a family have dealt with some very serious issues; Some happy and some sad. We lost many of our veteran skaters. Some due to injuries related to the sport. We lost women due to pregnancy and the resulting parenthood and we lost one woman to a seemingly terminal illness she fought and won. Through these challenges a shift began to take place among our league and things werent as it was initially envisioned. We couldnt give Fresno less than our best." (Read the full press release)
I hope there are more developments to come from this. Of the handful of bouts I covered/attended, there are few entertainment options I've experienced in the past five years that compare with the excitement and sense of community I got from the roller derby events. Fresno could use more of the spirit exhibited by this unique group of strong women.
Since Sept. 7, 2007, The Beehive has been sending automatic RSS updates via Twitter. So if you've been one of our 200-plus followers so far, you've seen this as example Tweet:
It's an easy way to keep up with us, as we'll continue to update automatically -- anytime a new entry gets published -- but also with our witty insights, especially when we don't have enough to justify an entire blog entry (all in 140 characters or fewer).
Oh, you don't Tweet? Dude, you should. It's all the rage with the cool kids these days.
So I got a parking ticket today, and I'm going to use this opportunity to call a big-fat fail on the City of Fresno. Why? Because I'm guilty as all heck but still angry about it (more on that in a minute). But why am I being told to send my fine to San Jose?
Sure, I may have been parked in the wrong direction on my own residential street in front of my own house. And one can argue that I don't know the right way to park. But apparently, the city doesn't know where its post office box should be located. Do you know the way to Fresno?
Now, on to why I shouldn't have been given a ticket ...
On Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008, the fresnobee.com Web site will launch its latest reincarnation. Click on the image at left to see what it will look like. (See also: section-level page and story-level page.)
Over the past 10 years, the site has tried out different styles, evolving with the times. In a year of change, we hope this new site works better for you -- the biggest boss we have.
We're rolling out a preview (or BETA) version of the site this week, hoping to get your feedback sooner than later. Feel free to email online editor Jennifer Ward at jward@fresnobee.com, or comment below with your thoughts/hopes for the future.
With change comes frustration, and we realize that. But, if anything, we'd like to know up front how we can improve as move forward with the redesign. Please continue to let us know how we can better serve you, and we will strive to meet your needs.
For now, if you'd like to check out the new site, email or call Jennifer Ward (559-441-6363 / aim: jenniferfresno), and she'll give you the link.
For some real fun, though, let's go back in time to see what fresnobee.com has looked like over the years ...
Who's walking Christmas Tree Lane with me tonight?
Tonight is the first of two walking nights down that 2-mile stretch of Van Ness Avenue where the people in big houses decorate the big trees, and everyone has big fun. [photos from last year]
Here are a bunch of videos I found on YouTube of people who checked out Christmas Tree Lane in previous years ...
Forget the fact that Priuses are exempt, that darned song is so annoying ... it's only made worse by it being played during every other commercial break.
The following is a 5-minute video from my Friday night with the Double Doors, featuring Nate Butler as the Amish Jim Morrison (it may be too dark to see, but his mustache fell off during the first of three awesome sets):
The most disturbing Thanksgiving I know of in Fresno
Beehive friend and commenter Marcel Nunis put together this little video yesterday. (I found it on MySpace; he has no idea I'm posting it on The Beehive.)
Roque Rodriguez of The Dumb ... Drum, organizer of Swede Fest The Second, welcomes everyone and says "if you have any questions, all the filmmakers are here," which draws a chuckle. Ha, we're "filmmakers" now. He then introduces the first film, a swede of "Seabiscuit."
What he should have added: The following video is totally awesome, if a little disturbing and somewhat R-Rated (aka NSFW) at the 2:00 mark.
Vince, who directed the film, stood up and said "shooting took three days because filming with children and animals can be difficult." Hilarious. I give his son the award for best actor, hands down.
So there's this fancy-schmancy hotel called "Atlantis" in Dubai, and this is what they did for the opening:
And though there are no reports just yet about those fireworks being fake, I still don't think I can support a company that throws this pretentious of a party for a freaking hotel, man. That's right: my boycott has nothing to do with the $30,000-a-night room (journalists in Fresno make a lot more money than you might think).
But if the obnoxious opening won't keep you away, maybe this will ...
'Rocky Horror': Audience participation 'that really drives me insa-a-ne'
Donald and I caught Saturday's performance of ART's "Rocky Horror Show" at Cal Arts-Severance. It was the second time for each of us. Here we are after the show with Frank (as played by the wonderful Daniel Chavez Jr.):
Anyway, I was a regular "Rocky" fan, and I'm not sure my appreciation for it will ever be over. Which is why I was thrilled that Artists' Repertory Theatre decided to produce the stage production for Fresno audiences this year. I caught the stage show in London nine years ago, and I had been to a handful of midnight showings back in Tampa during high school and college, and, of course, "Rocky Horror" was a staple among us drama geeks at regional and state festivals.
With that background out of the way, I'm by no means the guy who knows all the lines by heart or ever dressed up and performed in the "cast" during a film showing (although I think I'd make one hell of a Rocky). So, I wanted to run my mild peeve by Donald about the audience participation aspect of the stage production.
That was the thought going through my head during the latest installment of The Fresno Grizzlies' "I Hate The OffSeason" series. Although not as topical as the episodes involving the election, Halloween or fantasy football, it's always funny when a bucket full of baseballs and a gallon of milk are dropped from above -- especially when it's done by a orange, hairy bear mascot.
For the second time this week, The Dumb Drum has given The Beehive stuff to post. (And I'm not just giving this prolific local blog some love because I'm on their next podcast.)
BrodieMash has found "Frezno," a new book by photographer Tony Stamolis, who lives in New York but considers Fresno his stomping grounds. To commemorate his affection, he spent six years creating images that reflect what he sees around town: people with guns; people with tattoos; abandoned fields, buildings and sofas; and, oh yeah, naked girls (I should mention this link to a PDF excerpt is most-def NSFW).
Anyway, this looks great. I'm sure we'll be hearing more about this book. (Mike is working on a print interview with this dude.) In the meantime, you can order "Frezno" on Amazon.
And if you're in New York next week, here's the flyer for the publication party:
So thousands of New York City subway riders were handed free copies of The New York Times (dated July 4, 2009) today with the headline that you see here:
So The Bee published a special section today with the headline "American Dream." As part of it, I put together this audio slideshow, featuring the first two minutes of Barack Obama's election-night speech (and some music!):
(I originally posted this on the News Blog, but I figured y'all have dug the political stuff thus far, so ... I hope you enjoy this, too.)
Barack Obama is leading 32-16 over John McCain in the first vote totals. That's 32 individual votes to 16. Out of tens of millions.
But over the next few hours, those numbers will rise and this currently all-gray map of the country will turn different shades of blue and red until one of the candidates wins enough states that equal 270 electoral votes.
What's your New Year's resolution?
