Canned Culture: Tips A Couple Thousand Hats to VBS TV

I had a great deal to talk about in this blog. However, one item has taken a large presendence and I feel I may have missed the boat on this one, so lets swim like hell and catch up because we sure do not want to be left behind. First eat up this sampling of the Sudanese Situation as covered by VBS TV Vice Co-Founder, Shane Smith:



VBS TV

I have often spoken about Current TV, its incredible diversity of stories and its mind boggling Vanguard Journalism that still vastly outweighs the type of news service the mass media counterparts do.

Now there is something new. I was recently trying to gain insight on pop culture in Africa. I thought it would be a thrilling study of cultural goings on that hit the map for the continent. This did not work very well. I decided to narrow my search to a country, this also wielded little success.

Ultimately, I found myself investigating American Pop Culture, specifically how we define it and how it rises to rank. Upon doing so I was told by former roommate Toby, of the famed Joby's Place Ukrainian Village, Chicago, to check out a blog called Pop Candy. It appeared this blog hit all things major indie (so defined as independent everything) pop culture. Definitely worth a once a day look-see.

Leading to the final connection, VBS TV. It could be that the fact that they were discussing a segment called "Spike Jonez spends a Saturday With" or because this episode was with blow my mind (previously mentioned) Sri Lankan hip-hop, indie, rap, beauty M.I.A., but I have spent that last several hours rampaging the site, devouring as much footage as possible.

Why? Who are they? What do they do? Why not read for yourself, even for a generation with minimal attention spans, if you can get this wee bit absorbed you'll realize how vital its worth is. Say no more:

VBS is an online broadcast network. We stream original content, free of charge and 24 hours a day. We carry a mix of domestic and international news, pop and underground culture coverage, and the best music in the world. People have used words like eclectic, smart, funny, shocking, and revolutionary to describe VBS, but we kind of just snapped our fingers in their faces and went, “Whatever. Tell us something we don’t know.”

With Academy Award-nominated director Spike Jonze (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich) as our creative director, original content from a veritable United Nations of contributors, and bureaus in 20 countries, VBS has hit the planet in a manner not unlike a massive global plague. Streaming on VBS’s signature “in-room” widescreen and remote, content will be available all the time, on-demand.

Basically, VBS will exploit every utopian vision the internet has thus far failed to live up to. Thanks for watching.

With tag lines like: "Saving your eyes from the blinding pain of television" and "Rescuing you from television's death like grip" how could I say no.

So the blog with all the R. Kelly Trapped In the Closet and the Amber Hawk Swanson tale of an artist marrying a sex doll made to look identical to her, and the Dolly Party, Burt Reynolds Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Pancakes, etc. will have to wait a little bit longer. Not that it is not worth it.

But the message should ring loud and clear, subscribe immediately to VBS TV. I challenge all of you to visit and NOT find one thing there that interests you.

And if you do find something great, share it here in our comments or email us at cannedculture@gmail.com.

Sunrise Party

This weekend we started a new annual tradition of the Sunrise Party. Starting at midnight on Friday we put out a buffet of fruits, nuts and vegetables and wine, vodka, rum, and... well way too much of everything.

Needless to say if there are any local folk who want some bananas, kiwis, strawberries or mangoes before they go bad, contact me immediately!

In other news we have had an influx of new items to play with and I thought we'd take a few minutes to appreciate some of these delicacies from our friends.

New Friends

First, joining Harvey the Roomba (made a cameo in our Christmas special last year) is our amigarumi pal Melissa dropped off the other day, his name is Mochi. This photo depicts him still hiding in Melissa's cupboard.

We also had a surprise move-in that my guy brought home to help us with office work. He was a bit pale in the beginning and not very friendly either, but after a brief makeover (Stage 1) by multimedia collage artist Priscilla Ramos he has made a complete turn around.

Introducing Jose!

Viva Pedro

If you have not heard of Pedro Almodovar then your are missing out on a staple of Spanish cinema. Having seen All About My Mother a couple of years ago it was not difficult to except the recommendation for Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. The film alone could not be found on my Blockbuster mail order and the only one available online was $5 cheaper then the entire collection.

More on that after screening.

'Marklund Home' Shopping Spree


The perfect costume, glam tech, cabaret, Halloween, etc. attire.

including:

1 lavender & pink ruffled tuxedo button down
1 plaid lime green jacket
1 blue sequins cumberbun
1 faux spotted Cruella DeVille-style rabbit fur coat
1 bowling hat
1 ladies throw coat w/ dangling sparkled gems
1 beaded necklace & 2 cute scarves (not pictured) as gifts to friends for make-up work before parties

Ali Spagnola

Ali Spagnola, a future guest on the show, is running a Free Paintings Campaign on her website. You can request anything you like and she will paint it, package it, and send it all free of charge. A couple of weeks ago this great guy arrived featuring a cartoony Brian & I.

Ian Ophelan


Ian does all kinds of great illustrations and if you send him a photo he may very well do one of you. Check out his site to see more work and send in a picture.

That is all for this installment. Plenty more on its way.

hey!

look over there!

melissa ♥ blogs. melissa ♥ amigurumi.

it only made sense.

xoxo

Canned Culture: Where Do You Get Your Material?

I am glad you asked. We derive our materials from whatever seems to skim the top of our most treasured creative standards. We spend hours each week sifting through internet rubble to find the last slivers of gold. We always go with muts and runts of the litter because they have better character. That and we have great friends who work and have interest in different fields which helps us stay tuned in to the latest. Like these important gems.

we dont typically condone more then 30 minutes of youtubing in one sitting, that is why this is a mere 10. perfect for your lunchtime, typing time, emailing time, staring blankly into space time, off during work.

ala cartoonbrew.com :



and sometimes we get to reclaim people like Alanis Morisette. Listen Alanis, we like the funny things you do when you play God in Dogma and you totally rule over as queen Canadian of 90's old alternative music, but when you tried to appease us and bide your time with a "best of" acoustic album. We figured you either had run out of creative juice or were just getting lazy.

Then you did this and have been fully redeemed (thanks, it was hard to let you go):



Hearing the pitter patter of the Geek Chic revolution is fully noted by the music intentions of Data Rock, we can thank Mary over at - going in for the kiss kiss - :



if your still with us after all that other stuff then you lucked out because this is the after hour special, straight from the experimental animation sources itself Director Andy Huang. I first saw his animation Doll Face, absolutely worth the 3 minutes. Enjoy this short: The Gloaming.

Videos by Andrew Huang | More VMIX videos
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Canned Culture Eats The Big Apple

While on my journey to NYC to unearth the best new work to share with are superb clientel I stumbled across some people worth bringing up. For examples:

Julie Brown

No, no, no. Not Dowtown Julie Brown as everyone including my father suspected. This is the classic gay icon that showered us with her MTV Impersonations of Madonna and the most audacious B Films like my personal favorite, Earth Girls Are Easy.

But in case you needed a refreshment: Cause Im A Blonde


Disorient

Spent another long night down in Brooklyn dancing with the people of a style known to us now as Glam Tech. I rocked it out in my lime-green plaid coat and my new shirt apprehended from the reigns of Substance 80.



Miss. Tallulah of the Bayous


Who would have thought that Sunday night playing Bingo could be such a riot. Here with these kids it turned out to be quite the night of entertainment. Followed by the delicacy of delicious French African foods @ Les Enfants Terribles.

However, it is to be noted that champagne, vodka tonic, wine, and more champagne always make a flight much shorter.

Do not fret yet there is plenty more to be discussed including Dolly Parton, Alanis Morisette, Data Rock, Sesame Street Rock-Out-a-Thon........and.......

a release list for our shows airing this fall.