Sundance must be the place to meet new friends! Michael Cera and The Bachelor’s Ben Flajnik make an unlikely pair, but it’s not just the pairing that I have questions about.
What is The Bachelor doing at a film festival?
Why is Michael Cera tugging on Ben’s vest like that?
Why does Michael Cera look like a frightful young boy with a mustache?
How did these guys even become friends in the first place?
Why did they decide to take this picture?
Bonus question: Anyone else find Michael Cera’s outfit strangely familiar?
When Lana Del Rey took to the Saturday Night Live stage last week for her performance debut, the world had high hopes. Unfortunately, those hopes got shattered real quick. The performance was uncomfortable. The critics were ruthless. I felt so bad for the poor girl! I started giving her the benefit of the doubt though – because there weren’t too many people on her side after that. Maybe that’s just how she performs! She does he own thing, you know? I thought if I left it at that, then there would be no reason for any other explanation.
Well to address the criticism, Lana Del Rey hit back with comments that I wish she just wouldn’t.
“I think like, the people who have been listening to my music for a little while know that I’m more of a writer and, like, a studio singer. So I think if you come to the show, you just come to hear the songs on the record that you might like.”
“Sometimes I feel less nervous than other times. I don’t love live television. The only tip I have is just pray and just hope that things work out.”
“You can’t expect too much from my show.”
This raises some concerns with me.
Don’t like live television? Why go on a show known for their live performances? I’m not even sure if I have ever heard a band or a musician say basically that they would rather be heard on a record and not known for being a performer. Bands and musicians LOVE performances. They live for it. It’s the performance that help bring that music from the record to life – it gives fans the opportunity to become a part of a unique one-of-a-kind experience.
Miss Lana Del Rey, your performance on Saturday Night Live is not something that I have an issue with, but I do have a problem with your statements. I read this morning that you will begin a new tour in 2012 that includes 15 cities and a venue capacity of 900. May I suggest to you that instead of actually performing at these venues, that you save yourself the trouble and bring out a big ‘ol record player out on stage with you to play your new record to those 900 people. I mean, you didn’t want them to expect much, right?
I don’t think I could ever get tired of watching 500 Days of Summer. I’m not exactly sure if I could call it my favorite movie like Definitely, Maybe, but it’s pretty close. It’s at least under the Top 5. It doesn’t matter where the movie is playing, I will always choose it. Debating between movie picks at a friends house? 500 Days of Summer. 500 Days of Summer or continuing the Oxygen Glee marathon? 500 Days of Summer. 500 Days of Summer or a friend’s 4th of July BBQ? Leave the BBQ early to go home and watch 500 Days of Summer. Yes, that actually happened. Judge me.
Tonight, I feel like I paid more attention to the movie on E! than I usually do. While I do believe that both Summer and Tom have had their ups-and-downs in the film, ultimately, Summer made a huge mistake in not choosing Tom. In fact, that’s the only opinion I have while watching the film up until those last five minutes. If you have not yet seen the movie, you better stop reading now because I’m about to spoil it for you hard in paragraphs to come.
First off, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a catch and so is his character Tom.
When Spotify first entered the states, I waded into that pool pretty cautiously. I was convinced that there was no way that it could ever replace my iTunes, but it did. Today was pretty much the first time I touched it in months and it was only to preview Taylor’s new album. I still have friends though that are devoted to it and have not created an account with the better music provider and I just want to ask…WHY?! Not only does your entire iTunes library fit within the application, but you are getting an extensive library of music that you can listen to in full without paying for if you have a free account. It’s not like you can exactly feel guilty about it because it’s all legal, which still amazes me to this day.
I’ve talked a lot about why I love it and how their features continue to impress me so I won’t go on about that in this post. What I do want to talk about though is your benefit from the free Spotify accounts ending ie) my friends who are still stuck on iTunes and will never have the experience that this application has provided me with.
Earlier this summer, Spotify began as invite-only. Then they recognized their popularity and offered Facebook users the opportunity to use the application for free and with unlimited use for six months. Since I joined before this deal happened, I am wondering if I will be affected by these new changes that will soon take over. When the six months end, otherwise known as the best six months my ears have ever had, users that were a part of the deal will now have a 10hr cap on music listening per month. I believe this is the same restriction I had before also, but I’ve never even reached ten hours. The other restriction will be a five-listen cap on individual songs. Now, this is something that I have a problem with especially since I discovered a song this morning that I listened to seven times in a row.
I realize that the only solution to avoiding these barriers is to give in and just purchase a paid account with them and you know what? I might just end up doing that. Since I’ve been listening to music on the app consistently for the past six months, I might as well. For $5 a month, you will get the unlimited listening plan and for $10 a month, users will get the Premium plan and mobile capabilities.
Spotify users and Yow Yow readers, what will you decide to do?
Does Kanye have anyone to talk to? I feel like he’s having a conversation with himself over Twitter. I kid you not – his entire life story is LIVE right now on Twitter for you.
Also, there should be a new website where someone just records themselves reading his tweets out loud. I’ve always heard that if you re-read any of your writing out loud, you might end up second guessing yourself. Would Kanye? Or would that just reaffirm the confidence in his messages?
Now, I would like to leave you with a tweet straight from the ‘ye!
It looks like B received a missed connection ad in Craigslist today! This guy – whoever he is – in New York City has invested some time into writing this. He even schemes out a little story for what their first date will look like before it even happens, which okay, let’s be real here for a second…is Leighton Meester spending her time on Craigslist perusing the missed connections for this guy with the poor haircut? Probably not.
Then again, now that this Craigslist ad is being posted around, maybe she will because it has been brought to her attention.
Or maybe she won’t because of his elaborate story.
This could go back and forth for awhile, but I want to know – does the missed connections section actually work or is it just purely for entertainment?
When I was in high school, I would go back and forth between Strawberry Frosted Pop-Tarts and Chocolate Chip Eggo Waffles for breakfast. Life’s busy and I didn’t always have the time to sit down and have a bowl of cereal, pancakes, waffles out of an iron, fruit, eggs, bacon, a glass of orange juice and a glass of milk like they always advertise in commercials as a “balanced and complete breakfast.”
That’s just unrealistic.
Why do you have to drink both juice and milk at breakfast? That sounds like the worst combination ever.
Why do commercials advise children to eat so much at breakfast? Does this promote obesity in children? I don’t know…something to think about.
Why have I been forgetting to buy strawberry frosted pop-tarts at the grocery store for the past three years?
Doesn’t this just remind you of the film “Can’t Hardly Wait?”
There was that one time when I gave the Hello Kitty Meowberry a chance – not impressed. It has since been discontinued according to Wikipedia.
Pop-tarts were the original. Toaster Strudel was just an imitation.
In 2009, I was just about ready to give up on my MTV and throw in the towel for good. Frustrated by a successful season of guidos and guiedettes, I had lost any hope that I had in the network to bring in shows that would speak to my generation. What I wanted to see was real people sparking motivation and inspiration among young adults my age. As a sophomore in college back then, I felt comfortable in my routine of going to class, going to my job, and writing for this blog, but is that all that makes up a life? That’s not all I wanted to make up MY life. Life is too short. It’s too short to do the things you hate because you have to. It’s too short to not take the risks on things that you want to do. Are we using our time wisely? That is essentially what The Buried Life is all about.
The four guys from Victoria, BC made up their list of 100 things they wanted to do before they died and after doing so, I imagine that they just shrugged their shoulders and asked, “Why not?” The guys have crossed off 75% of their list and have added more items expanding their list past 100. I have to also note that their list includes things like: “Crash a party at the Playboy mansion,” “Play basketball with President Obama,” and Deliver a baby” among other things. And guess what? They’ve done it. They have traveled through Canada and America in a purple bus named Penelope crossing things off their list, but their project isn’t just for them. Every time they achieve something from their list, they help another person cross something off of theirs.
Having the opportunity to interview The Buried Life guys was something that I have wanted for Yow Yow! even before the show had aired. I was blown away by their project and have a great deal respect for them and what their doing. Spending the day with them when they were here at Seattle University is an experience that I will never forget. They are the type of guys that you would want as your friends and they are exactly the same in real life as they are on their television series. Below is the transcribed interview that I had with Buried Life cast members Ben Nemtin and Duncan Penn, which originally started as just audio using my FlipCam until the guys decided that they wanted to film each other back and forth answering the questions. If you’re wondering why the camera’s so jerky and the footage is so raw – that’s why! It’s cause it wasn’t planned. From the interview you’ll learn who is the messiest to live with, what the guys would be doing if they weren’t pursuing The Buried Life and what is in store for them next.
courtesy: MTV
Q: First off, I’d like to welcome you to our campus and thank you guys so much for being here!
Ben: Thank you.
Duncan: Thanks for having us.
Q: It’s been almost two years since we were first introduced to you by MTV and the project has definitely been going on for much longer than that. What did this journey look like before you guys had the television series in terms of funding, transportation and support from your family and friends?
Ben: I would say that it’s changed in terms of exposure, but we try to keep it as close to how we started as humanely possible. We made a commitment to each other when we started the show that we were going to do our best not to change anything and so we’ve had to keep each other in check, but we have the same crew. We’re in control of the show. We edit it and we choose the music and we hire everybody. We’re really lucky to be able to do all of that. Our mantra is that we make stuff that we think our friends would like and that’s what we’ve always done and so that’s what we try to stick to.
Q: You guys are obviously pretty close friends, but close friends or best friends don’t always make the best roommates. Was it tough to be on the road for so long? Did you guys ever get on each other’s nerves?
Duncan: Well, Jonnie and I are brothers, but we’re all like brothers and we fight like brothers. It’s actually unbelievable how well we do get along, I would say considering we lived in the back of a bus for so long. Dave’s really messy – as you can imagine, but we get along very well. That’s the thing – you know – we weren’t best friends coming into this. We met very serendipitously and have become very close and have been through a lot of big ups and huge downs together… in the trenches.
Q: I imagine sometimes this journey has to be difficult. I mean you’re meeting strangers along the way and everyone has a story to tell and sometimes those stories are really difficult to grasp and there are so many backgrounds – some emotional, like Sam. At the end of the day, what makes it all worth it for you?
Ben: I think what makes it worth it is just seeing the response and the impact it has on people that we’ll never meet – random emails from someone saying things like, “I was suicidal and I saw the show and now I’m not.” You get one of those and that makes it all sort of worth it. Also, we’re doing everything we’ve ever wanted to do. This kind of project has turned into our lives and that’s something that’s just really really cool.
Q: You guys obviously have great taste in music –
Duncan: Obviously.
Q: You were at Capitol Hill Block Party and you choose your own music for your show. Are there any up and coming bands that you would recommend for Quadstock?
Duncan: Yeah, Tupac. It’s just this up and coming band – a lot of urban stuff.
Ben: I really like The Tallest Man on Earth? He sounds exactly like Bob Dylan.
Q: This isn’t your first college tour, but I want to know what motivated you guys to have this college tour in the first place?
Duncan: You know what? We’ve been speaking at schools and universities from the very beginning. Ben and I – when we were first starting out – used to go speak to ESL classes at the local university for 40 bucks just to make some money and to talk about the project. But for us, the speaking part is really rewarding because it’s a chance to kind of talk…television is a very one-sided conversation – and going and meeting the people and actually asking the question, “What do you want to do before you die?” is a way to have a conversation and meet the people who are watching the show and are interested in the project. It’s been really rewarding to make those connections.
Q: Before you guys started this project, you were all students and you all had jobs, but if you weren’t doing The Buried Life, what would you be doing?
Ben: Oh that’s a good question! If we weren’t doing The Buried Life…
Duncan: I’d be an astronaut. Maybe an astronaut cowboy.
Q: Can you describe what that is?
Duncan: Yeah, it’s basically an astronaut. You seen cowboy movies?
Q: Uh…a couple.
Duncan: It’s basically like cowboys on the moon, but you’re an astronaut and you’re mostly just doing lassos in zero gravity. Full time.
Ben: And I would be something like nuclear physicist or a brain surgeon, uh something that uses a portion of my abilities, you know?
Duncan: A rocket sociologist.
Ben: A rocket scientist
Duncan: You’d be into rocket scientry.
Ben: Rocket surgery and stuff like that – and such.
Q: I noticed that the most recent item checked off your list was #116 Design a Shoe. It looks like you guys are expanding pass 100 so what does this mean? Have you already completed your 100 things off your list? Are you guys going to 200 now?
Duncan: That’s a good question; I’ve had a lot of people ask. The thing about the list is that it’s not necessarily about the 100 things. Things drop off the list; we add things to the list. It’s always been about going after the things that you’re truly passionate about so we’re always adding things to the list. Design a shoe was very exciting for us and that idea spawned from seeing the little kids walking around in their LA Gear’s that light up and being like, ‘Why can’t adults have sick light up shoes?’ and that is why we made those.
Q: In what ways has this experience affected the way you look at life today?
Ben: How is th- you mean The Buried Life?
Q: Yeah.
Ben: I think it’s totally changed our perspective. I mean – it’s change my perspective. The fact that you can just do whatever it is you want to do. There’s really nothing that you can’t do. If you work hard enough and you want it bad enough, you make it happen.
Q: I learned yesterday some kind of disappointing news that MTV would not be renewing your third season. What were your reactions to that and what plans do you have for The Buried Life in the future with or without MTV?
Ben: Good question. Well, we’ve been talking with MTV about it for awhile and we didn’t really want to make the same show again. And so we actually just signed a deal today with them to develop a new series so that’s why Dave and Jonnie are in Vancouver right now – they’re filming. Basically that happened today and we’re working with them to kind of reformat it and play with some stuff. So I mean, yeah, we’re not going anywhere. But it’s good because The Buried Life has always been stepping it up and going the next level so that’s what it is for us – it’s like what’s the next level for the show and that’s what we’re working on right now.
Q: Great, I’m glad to hear it. I have no doubt in your guys’ success and I think you guys are going to continue to do great things and inspire people all over the world.
Ben and Duncan: Thank you
Q: Are you still in contact with the people you’ve helped along your way?
Duncan: We’ve actually made some really close friends over the whole thing and it’s been a privilege to be a part of a lot of those stories – talking about Sam and Laban tonight. After the episode was finished, we had the privilege of watching their relationship as it kind of fostered. It’s funny, we just did four speaking engagements and we had somebody that was in the episode in each one of them – somebody that we had helped so we’re always seeing them and it’s pretty cool. And Ben’s really close with Lexi – who he helped in –
Ben:Minnesota
Duncan:Minnesota. Rochester, Minnesota.
Q: What was that one about again?
Ben: She wanted to make it okay for it to talk about depression in her hometown. And I met this rock and I helped the rock and we still – I’m in contact with it all the time.
Duncan: Yeah, the rock really wanted to rock and roll and so Ben uh –
Ben: …gave it a little nudge
Duncan: …gave it a little roll. It’s a true story.
*****
Thank you so much Ben and Duncan! We can’t wait to see what you guys do next and we hope to see you very soon!
If there is one thing that I’m particular about involving my food it is usually expiration dates especially with meat and dairy. Now, I was just informed earlier this week by a friend that you can drink milk up to almost a week after its expiration date. If that’s the case, shouldn’t they just change the expiration date? This friend used to work at an ice cream shop so I trust her. Lately though, the poor college student in me has decided to not care so much the particulars. I drank that milk AFTER the printed expiration date and I most certainly ate the smoked salmon for dinner that should not have been eaten “five days after being opened.”
Was this a good idea considering that Fall Ball is tomorrow and I’ve got an extreme fear of food poisoning? The chance was taken. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow. Are any of you as conscious about expiration dates as I am…was?
Beyonce appeared on Sunday Night HD last night and this …thing pictured above happened.
First, her bump is fully intact. Then it shrinks, collapses, and somehow forms its way back together again. What is the meaning of this, exactly? No one really knows why she was wearing a prosthetic baby bump, but there it was.
This kind of reminds me of the time when everyone couldn’t figure out if Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise were actually pregnant with a spawn child because her bump would disappear and re-appear.
To get ready for their arrival, we’ve been filming students all over campus and having them answer “What do you want to do before you graduate?” as a part of our version of The Buried Life.
I had the inspiration to write this post yesterday after coming across Flavorwire’s “Hipsters on TV,” in which they covered some of their favorite hipster characters over the years starting at Happy Days’ Fonzie all the way to Parks and Recreation’s April Ludgate. Not entirely sure how I would begin this post, I decided to give myself an extra day to let it simmer so that I could write something coherent and not too biased.
Why do people love hipsters?
Why do people hate hipsters?
The only way for me to approach this post was to answer these two questions and to keep them separate from each other, but of course I let in several other factors. I remembered that one scene from Juno where Ellen Page talks about the guy (Sean Cameron from Degrassi) who always treats her like dirt, but secretly would date her if he had the chance. I thought about the article I read earlier this week in which I learned that The New Girl was renewed for a second season and it was because the whole world was infatuated by her character. Somehow I couldn’t seem to get this newsfeed post out of my head that a friend posted about hipsters not being able to dance and then proceeding to blame the entire city of Seattle as being a failure for it.
I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of characters must have come through Bunim/Murray’s open casting call at Seattle’s Gordon-Biersch Restaurant and Brewery in Pacific Place Mall earlier today.The first time I read about this news, a part of me hoped that the Real World season would return “back to Seattle,” but I’ve gotten my hopes up every year now and have come to terms that that is just not going to happen. When I was in junior high, I thought that being a part of the Real World was the opportunity of a lifetime. Before you judge, keep in mind that I was a 13-year-old pretty much oblivious to all that went on in that house. When I looked at Real World, I saw it as a launching pad especially since previous cast members have went on to become political figures, journalists and talk show hosts. That was then; I can’t exactly say the same for some of the cast members in recent seasons.
As I read the posting on Seattle Met Magazine’s blog, I wondered for a second what it would have been like if I had gone to that open casting call today. How would I introduce myself? On the verge of graduating – sometimes considered a hipster? I don’t think I could ever seriously go through with it having the intentions of actually being on the show, but I felt some urge to turn that interview back on them.
“Is being a boozing alcoholic a requirement in your search for cast members?”
“Do the cast members actually earn money from the job that you set them up with or would you say it is more like an unpaid internship?”
“Do the cast members just spend infinite amounts of money?”
“We know that the cast members of Chicago were informed about 9/11 prior to when they were actually “informed” by producers on camera. Why did you have Cara fake those awful tears? If this scene was staged, what else was staged?
I may never know the answers to these questions unless, that is, if I decide to go to the next open call. Applicants must appear to look like they are between the ages of 20-24 so I guess I’ll be in the clear for awhile. Even though there are some aspects of the show that confuse me, I can’t knock them for producing a great hour of entertainment for which I happen to watch every season.
Let’s relive some classic Seattle memories. Slaps and teddy bears. This would NEVER happen on today’s season of Real World.
