Despite the fact it reaches 100 bajillion degrees in April, the Coachella Festival went on at full force in Palm Springs, California, last weekend. The three day event has become a magnet for celebrities and paparazzi. Last year Scarlett Johannsen sang with the Jesus and Mary Chain, and this year Sean Penn made an appearance while Shia LaBeouf soaked in the sun on the grass.
Penn took the stage at Coachella calling for volunteers to ride with him from Palm Springs to New Orleans to protest the war and build houses for the homeless.
"Um, hello, boss? Yes, I'm going to be out for the next week riding upon a bio-diesel bus with actor Sean Penn, building houses for the homeless. If you need me, I can be reached on my cell in New Orleans. Thanks!"
Photo courtesy of Ohlalamag
Ajumma saw Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay last night and assures you it sucked. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle became a hit because people loved the two average characters who just wanted to get to their favorite restaurant when mishaps ensued. They encountered people we all have known like extreme wannabe jocks, nerdy Asian students, and potheads lacking short term memory. In H&K2 the guys are jumping out of airplanes, partying at a mansion in Miami, and smoking weed with President Bush. Plus, in H&K2 their girlfriends both looked like models. Real? I think not. Bring back Cindy Kim!
Anyway, the best part about H&K2 was definitely the preview of Seth Rogen and James Franco's new comedy, Pineapple Express. Watch it here!
"Yeti" is part of a series by artist Nate Wragg, courtesy of Nucleus Gallery in Alhambra, CA.
In one of my favorite clips, Razor Ramon chats up Japanese children about food they hate to eat.
Nixon Watches now has new photos of team members Mos Def and Milo Ventimiglia on their site.
This morning my wheelchair-bound mother (with whom I'm staying while my dad attends a conference in the cities) subjected me to the Today show. Some old rowdy woman in Florida found a 5-foot alligator tromping through her kitchen and caught it on video. Apparently the gator broke in to find food or find a mate. After a struggle with a trapper, the alligator was taken off site to be killed. The stupid old bag went on in animated fashion about how she got to touch the alligator and how its back was hard as stone. No mention of feeling badly that the alligator was destroyed for doing what nature intended it to do.
Ajumma stepped into The Forbidden Kingdom expecting to see a trashy Hollywood train wreck with actors Jet Li and Jackie Chan thrown on the tracks. Instead the film offered witty dialogue, a quick pace, reasonable action sequences, and lots of laughs. Jackie Chan is a true showman and robust martial artist. While Jet Li moved fluidly (his praying mantis made my heart skip a beat), his acting was very wooden. Twice during the movie I recognized scenes straight out of Karate Kid. Something to note is that the kiss between the white protagonist and the Asian girl which appeared in the preview never occurs in the film. So unlike the Karate Kid, this white boy doesn't get the Asian girl. Assssssa!
I find the more I see of slicked back Hollywood-Shia, the more I miss young, natural Shia. Shia's new movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opens in theaters on May 22. Pics courtesy of shiafan.com
Spike Jonze is directing a live-action version of Maurice Sendak's book, Where the Wild Things Are. The beloved children's book revolves around a boy named Max, whose imagination transforms his bedroom into a mystical land where active beasts roam.
Recently a test clip of the film leaked online and reaction was less than favorable. See the footage here. Viewer feedback prompted Jonze to release this statement:
Today I learned that Toby, one of the lovely dogs I walk at my local shelter, was euthanized this past week. Toby had been at the shelter for about one month, sharing a pen with Shawna, who appeared to be his sister or mom. Experience told me they came from a more subdued home. They didn't seem to understand where they had landed. The tech who told me that Toby had been euthanized couldn't understand why the vet chose to put down such a sweet mannered, small dog. The tech said older people sometimes came to the shelter to find gentle, adult animals. She thought Toby was that kind of dog, but now he's just one of the millions of cast-off pets put to death, who end up a jumble of furr and feet in shelter barrels.
Meet Ajumma's godson, Marshall. Marshall and his brother are bonafide NorCal skate groms. A while back I sent the brothers some skateboard stickers. Here they are decorating their boards. Go to it, boys!!
R2 gussies up his deck with Lakai and DC.
"Helmet? Who needs a stinking helmet?"
