Laughing Squid

• 'The Foodnited States of America', A Food Art Series That Depicts Each U.S. State in Visual Puns
• Marvel Announces New Female Hero to Take on the Mantle of Thor
• Facts About Luc Besson's 1997 Sci-Fi Action Film 'The Fifth Element' That You May Not Have Known
• 'Word Crimes', A Parody of Robin Thicke's Song 'Blurred Lines' by 'Weird Al' Yankovic
• Rhett & Link's Funny Pharmaceutical Commercial for Butt Drugs, A Real Drugstore in Corydon, Indiana
• '20,000 Days on Earth', A Fictionalized Documentary About a Day in the Life of Singer-Songwriter Nick Cave
• Stunning Drone Footage of a Humpback Whale Mother and Calf Surfacing
• The Coolest, A Camping Cooler With a Built-In Blender, Bluetooth Speaker, USB Charger, and Other Amenities
• Galaxy Getaways, Marvel's Travel Site That Allows Viewers to Explore the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Cinematic Universe
• It's Okay to Be Smart Explains Why Our Brains Are Located in Our Heads
• 'Made in Minnesota', A Short Documentary About Twin City Bands Featuring The Replacements and Husker Du
• Ryan Block and Veronica Belmont Get Trapped in Customer Retention Hell While Trying to Cancel Comcast Service
• Cinefix Picks Ten Editing Moments That Transformed Filmmaking
• Music From MGM's Classic 'Tom and Jerry' Cartoons Performed by a Full Orchestra at BBC Classical Concert
• A Drunken Brawl Between Two Russian Men Turned Into a Live-Action 'Street Fighter' Video Game Match
• A Musical Supercut of 93 Memorable Dance Scenes in Movies
• Green Pregnant Woman Cosplays as One of the Many Dalliances of James T. Kirk From 'Star Trek'
• CollegeHumor Explains Net Neutrality and Why It Matters
• Unicycling King Arthur Performs the 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' Theme on Flaming Bagpipes
• Host John Oliver Tackles the Income Inequality Debate on 'Last Week Tonight'

'The Foodnited States of America', A Food Art Series That Depicts Each U.S. State in Visual Puns

“The Foodnited States of America” is an ongoing series by blog editor Chris Durso of Foodiggity featuring food art puns for each U.S. state, from “Kaleifornia” to “Pork Lo Maine.” The series is available via the Foodiggity Instagram account under the hashtag #foodnitedstates.

photos via Foodiggity

Marvel Announces New Female Hero to Take on the Mantle of Thor

Marvel today revealed that a new female hero is scheduled to take on the mantle of Thor in October following the former Thor’s lack of worthiness to wield Mjolnir, the powerfully enchanted hammer. The shift was first announced via daytime talk show The View. The new ongoing series will be written by Jason Aaron with art from Russell Dauterman. It is unclear what effect, if any, the change will have on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This October, Marvel Comics evolves once again in one of the most shocking and exciting changes ever to shake one of the "big three" of Captain American, Iron Man and Thor. No longer is the classic Thunder God able to hold the mighty hammer, Mjölnir, and a brand new female hero will emerge worthy of the name THOR.

.@Marvel announces that Thor is no longer worthy of Mjolnir, and now a woman will be wielding the mighty Uru Hammer! #TheView

— The View (@theviewtv) July 15, 2014

So the Thor news is out! Love the direction this story goes in.

— Ryan Penagos (@AgentM) July 15, 2014

images via Marvel

via The View

Facts About Luc Besson's 1997 Sci-Fi Action Film 'The Fifth Element' That You May Not Have Known

CineFix has created a video that features a series of interesting facts about Luc Besson‘s 1997 sci-fi action film The Fifth Element that you may not have known in honor of the film Lucy, also directed by Besson, releasing in theaters next week. We’ve previously written about CineFix and their ongoing series of movie facts videos.

'Word Crimes', A Parody of Robin Thicke's Song 'Blurred Lines' by 'Weird Al' Yankovic

“Weird Al” Yankovic has released a music video for his song “Word Crimes”, a parody of the song “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke. The video skewers terrible grammar while obviously spoofing Thicke’s video.

The song is off Yankovic's new album, Mandatory Fun, which released today. The album is currently available via Amazon.

Rhett & Link's Funny Pharmaceutical Commercial for Butt Drugs, A Real Drugstore in Corydon, Indiana

“When I think drugs, I think Butt Drugs.”

In 2010, comedy duo Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal of Rhett & Link created a funny pharmaceutical commercial for Butt Drugs, a real drugstore located in Corydon, Indiana. It shows Corydon townsfolk expressing how much they truly love Butt Drugs and “recommend Butt Drugs for everybody.” Butt Drugs shirts are available to purchase online at their official store. We previously wrote about Rhett & Link’s “Shift It” and “Kung POW” commercials.

via Theremina, Boing Boing

'20,000 Days on Earth', A Fictionalized Documentary About a Day in the Life of Singer-Songwriter Nick Cave

20,000 Days on Earth is a new film about Nick Cave that takes a fictionalized documentary-style approach to exploring a day in the life of the Australian singer-songwriter. The film, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, was co-written by Cave and directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard. Forsyth and Cave were both recently interviewed by The New York Times about the film.

We decided to go in a direction that combined reality with fantasy as seamlessly as possible — which, if you think about it, isn't too far from the transaction between a rock star and his fans. People want desperately to enter the world Nick creates in his songs. You can look around when the Bad Seeds are playing and see precisely which version of Nick — the junkie, the outlaw, the lover — each person in the crowd wants to be.

via Nerdcore

Stunning Drone Footage of a Humpback Whale Mother and Calf Surfacing

Maui-based filmmaker Justin Edwards captured some truly breathtaking video of a humpback whale mother and calf surfacing for air using a GoPro HD HERO3 attached to a drone.

The Coolest, A Camping Cooler With a Built-In Blender, Bluetooth Speaker, USB Charger, and Other Amenities

The Coolest is a camping cooler created by Portland-based inventor Ryan Grepper that features an impressive array of built-in amenities, including a blender, removable waterproof Bluetooth speaker, USB charger, lid light, bottle opener, and cutting board. The cooler, which is currently seeking funding via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, is scheduled to ship December 2014.

Regular coolers are boring, break easily and are a hassle to haul around just to carry the ice. The Coolest cooler is 60 quarts of awesome packed with so much fun you’ll look for excuses to get outside more often.

images via The Coolest

via DesignTaxi

Galaxy Getaways, Marvel's Travel Site That Allows Viewers to Explore the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Cinematic Universe

Marvel Studios has created Galaxy Getaways, a fantastic travel website that allows viewers to explore the beautiful cinematic Guardians of the Galaxy universe as a way of promoting the upcoming film. It is packed full with fun activities and features. Users can type in their personal Earth-based address, have a starship pick them up, and blast off to an interstellar destination of their choosing for further exploration, plus so much more. Marvel’s promo trailer for the new website boasts about the beauty that one will find in the outskirts of the cosmos and uses scenes from the second Guardians of the Galaxy teaser trailer for visual reference. Guardians of the Galaxy is scheduled to rocket into theaters on August 1st, 2014.

Here is the second trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy:

images via Galaxy Getaways, Marvel

via Variety, Nerd Approved, Neatorama

It's Okay to Be Smart Explains Why Our Brains Are Located in Our Heads

It's Okay to Be Smart host Joe Hanson employs neuroscience blog BrainCraft to explain why our brains are located in our heads. The answer involves a long history of sensory evolution and one key fast food analogy.

Evolution is kind of like Taco Bell — a seemingly infinite number of creations made from essentially the same ingredients.

'Made in Minnesota', A Short Documentary About Twin City Bands Featuring The Replacements and Husker Du

"Made in Minnesota" is a short documentary directed by Lance Bangs for Vice music site Noisey that explores the prolific and diverse music scene in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The documentary features interviews with Tommy Stinson of The Replacements, Bob Mould of Husker Du, and Craig Finn of the Hold Steady.

The important thing to remember about Minneapolis musically is that it was a perfect melting pot of all these different styles. There were all of these different genres represented and you couldn't help but put an ear to it.

via MetaFilter

Ryan Block and Veronica Belmont Get Trapped in Customer Retention Hell While Trying to Cancel Comcast Service

Ryan Block and Veronica Belmont managed to get trapped in an oppressive customer retention loop during a recent call to Comcast in order to disconnect their service. Block began recording the conversation 10 minutes into the call.

So! Last week my wife called to disconnect our service with Comcast after we switched to another provider (Astound). We were transferred to cancellations (aka “customer retention”).

The representative (name redacted) continued aggressively repeating his questions, despite the answers given, to the point where my wife became so visibly upset she handed me the phone. Overhearing the conversation, I knew this would not be very fun.

UPDATE – Comcast has issued a statement regarding this customer service call:

We are very embarrassed by the way our employee spoke with Mr. Block and Ms. Belmont and are contacting them to personally apologize. The way in which our representative communicated with them is unacceptable and not consistent with how we train our customer service representatives. We are investigating this situation and will take quick action. While the overwhelming majority of our employees work very hard to do the right thing every day, we are using this very unfortunate experience to reinforce how important it is to always treat our customers with the utmost respect.

photo by Eris Stassi

via Ryan Block

Cinefix Picks Ten Editing Moments That Transformed Filmmaking

Cinefix pulls together ten iconic edits that have had a major effect on filmmaking in their latest video. The list, which features classics like Bonnie and Clyde, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Lawrence of Arabia, includes commentary about what has made each so effective and beloved for movie-goers and filmmakers alike.

Skilled editing is as effective in the creation of a good film as a writer, director, or performer. Though often overlooked, editing brings shots together to make a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Music From MGM's Classic 'Tom and Jerry' Cartoons Performed by a Full Orchestra at BBC Classical Concert

The John Wilson Orchestra performs selections from classic MGM Tom and Jerry cartoons of the 1940s and 1950s composed by Scott Bradley in this video from December 2013. The performance occurred at the The BBC Proms classical music concert series as part of the Hollywood Rhapsody Prom, which also featured selections from classic movies like Citizen Kane and Psycho.

It is the percussion section's big moment of the night, so watch out for what they're about to perform for you.

via Nothing To Do With Arbroath

A Drunken Brawl Between Two Russian Men Turned Into a Live-Action 'Street Fighter' Video Game Match

Marca Blanca has created a video that turns a drunken brawl between two Russian men into a live-action Street Fighter video game match. The fall damage is 100% real in this street fight. We previously wrote about Marca’s version of the Game of Thrones theme song featuring yelling goats.

Here is the original drunken fight:

via UPROXX

A Musical Supercut of 93 Memorable Dance Scenes in Movies

Las Vegas-based video editor Robert Jones has created a new musical supercut of 93 memorable dance scenes in movies. Robert synced part three of his ongoing mashups of Hollywood dance scenes to the 2014 song “Tongues” by Joywave.

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Green Pregnant Woman Cosplays as One of the Many Dalliances of James T. Kirk From 'Star Trek'

A pregnant woman recently cosplayed as one of the many dalliances of James T. Kirk from the classic sci-fi franchise Star Trek. Given the green skin and outfit, she appears to be made up as an Orion.

photo via Wil Wheaton

via Wil Wheaton

CollegeHumor Explains Net Neutrality and Why It Matters

CollegeHumor has created an amusing video that explains net neutrality and why it matters. They also showcase examples of the kind of content that would the raw end of the deal should net neutrality go the way of the dinosaur — like amateur pornography.

Unicycling King Arthur Performs the 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' Theme on Flaming Bagpipes

Portland-based Brian Kidd, also known as “The Unipiper”, uploaded a video of himself riding around dressed as King Arthur while playing the theme from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail on flaming bagpipes. It is unclear whether the person clapping the coconut halves together found them nearby, or if they were carried by an African or European swallow.

via Neatorama

Host John Oliver Tackles the Income Inequality Debate on 'Last Week Tonight'

Host John Oliver tackled the income inequality debate on a recent episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Specifically, Oliver commends the optimism of the people of the United States while also pointing out a particularly terrible downside.

Recent Articles: