The news is out this week that Tim Burton may be directing a live-action version of Pinnocchio starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Geppetto. That's an interesting casting choice, to be sure, but they said the same thing when Downey was cast as Charlie Chaplin, Sherlock Holmes, and as Iron Man, which all make sense after we saw them. Emily Temple at Flavorwire considered how other animated characters might be cast in live-action films if they were to be made today. For example, if The Little Mermaid were a live-action film, Tyra Banks might made a great Ursula. Ya think? After all, there's no law that says the evil octopus has to be fat. Link
Miss Cellania's Blog Posts
New findings have been released on the 300-year-old mystery of Tycho Brahe's death. The Danish astronomer died 300 years ago, and for a long time it was assumed that he succumbed to an infection from a burst bladder after a particularly long banquet, because it would be considered rude to get up and go relieve himself. But in 1901, evidence of mercury was found in Brahe's hair, leading many to believe he was poisoned, possibly by his assistant, Johannes Kepler.
But as tantalizing as this 17th-century murder mystery sounds, new findings seem to indicate that it’s probably not true. A team of Danish and Czech scientists conducted new tests of Brahe’s clothing, bone and hair samples after his body was again exhumed in November 2010. In doing so, they concluded that there was insufficient mercury in his system to cause death.
“There was mercury in the beard, you will also have traces of mercury if you have a beard,” said lead investigator Dr. Jens Vellev, from Aarhus University in Denmark, to BBC News. “But the amount of mercury was as you see in people [alive today].”
“It is impossible that Tycho Brahe could have been murdered,” Vellev added. He also discounted the possibility death from a combination of other toxins: “If there were other poisons in the beard, we would have been able to see it in the analyses.”
So maybe he really did die from holding it in too long. Link
Ah, those were the days! Sometimes it seems like the world is divided into two parts: those people who were introduced to Star Wars as the movies came out starting in 1977, and those whose childhoods were filled with prequels. These pictures will introduce the younger generations to the cool Lucas, the man who hung out with Francis Ford Coppola and Akira Kurosawa, as in the above picture. See the rest at Gamma Squad. Link
The turkeys' first dub step video from a few months ago got 2.5 million views, so they were under pressure to give their audience more. I think it went to their heads.
Ashlyn Blocker is 13 years old and has never felt pain -physical pain that is. She has “congenital insensitivity to pain,” meaning that although she can feel pressure and temperature up to a point, but not pain. Her condition is thought to be caused by a gene mutation. While the inability to feel pain may sound like a nice disability, it's caused all kinds of problems for a child growing up without feedback in an injurious world.
There was the time she burned the flesh off the palms of her hands when she was 2. John was using a pressure-washer in the driveway and left its motor running; in the moments that they took their eyes off her, Ashlyn walked over and put her hands on the muffler. When she lifted them up the skin was seared away. There was the one about the fire ants that swarmed her in the backyard, biting her over a hundred times while she looked at them and yelled: “Bugs! Bugs!” There was the time she broke her ankle and ran around on it for two days before her parents realized something was wrong. They told these stories as casually as they talked about Tristen’s softball games or their son Dereck’s golf skills, but it was clear they were still struggling after all these years with how to keep Ashlyn safe.
Ashlyn's parents founded Camp Painless But Hopeful in Georgia, to connect others with the condition, a few who also tell their stories in this article at the New YOrk Times. Link -via Jason Kottke
(Image credit: Jeff Riedel for The New York Times)
Someone's been playing that video waaaay too much. -via Tastefully Offensive
The kitten just wants to have a nice nap with a warm body to snuggle with, but that puppy won't stop wiggling! -via Daily of the Day
They always told you, keep your professional life and your personal life separate. In some professions, that should be a no-brainer. This video is part of a web series called Teachers. -via Unique Daily
In a project called Family Tree, photographer Bobby Neel Adams combined photos of family members to show how much they resemble each other. There is no Photoshop involved, just combined, hand-torn portraits. All of the photographs are of parent-child, and a couple are opposite sex pairings. Link -via reddit
Previously: Bobby Neel Adams' Age Maps
As we prepare to celebrate a holiday that centers around eating, we look forward to mass quantities of turkey, gravy, and pie. And no matter how much rich food you eat for Thanksgiving at the main meal, there always seems to be room for pie. Even outside the holidays, we reach for more Cheetos than should be necessary to make us full and happy. Why do we eat so much? AsapSCIENCE explains what's going on. -via Irene's Internet
In the 1973 film Live and Let Die, James Bond crosses a creek by jumping on the backs of series of crocodiles. Stunt man Ross Kananga, who suggested the stunt in the first place, did five takes to get the scene just right. The crocodiles came awfully close, once even tearing his pants leg. -via the Presurfer
Pope John Paul II nominated Saint Isidore of Seville to be the patron saint of the internet, although the Vatican has not officially designated him so …yet. These things take time. Why St. Saint Isidore?
Saint Isidore wrote a 20 book opus Etymologies, also known as the Origins, in which he tried to record everything that was known. Published after his death in 636, it was for a thousand years considered the encyclopedia of all human knowledge.
Written in simple Latin, it was all a man needed in order to have access to everything he wanted to know about the world but never dared to ask, from the 28 types of common noun to the names of women's outer garments.
It was a tool by those seeking wisdom much like the internet is used now.
There's even a prayer asking St. Isidore for guidance while surfing the net. Link -via mental_floss
Rockland Ranch in Utah is home to a community of fundamentalist Mormons who practice plural marriage. They carved their homes out of a solid rock sandstone cliff beginning 35 years ago. The homes are not like living in a cave, as they have water, power, and modern amenities. See more pictures of the community of "The Rock" at the Atlantic. Link -via mental_floss
(Image credit: Reuters/Jim Urquhart)
You probably know quite a bout about Steven Spielberg, the director of Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Schindler's List, and the new movie Abraham Lincoln. But there are still surprising things about him that I never suspected. Did you know producer Cubby Broccoli rejected Spielberg twice when he tried for a position directing James Bond films?
According to Broccoli’s daughter Barbara who took over the producer role following her father’s death, Spielberg first got a chance to meet Albert just as he was starting to get his foot in the door of the film industry. Broccoli liked the young lad’s passion and drive but felt he didn’t have enough experience. Barbara said his father told the young Spielberg, “Kid, ya gotta get some more [films] under your belt.” Then just after Spielberg released one of his greatest films, ‘Schindler’s List,’ he sent a letter to Broccoli asking again if he could direct a Bond movie. Broccoli turned him down again by replying, “Now I can’t afford you.”
Read more interesting trivia about Steven Spielberg at The FW. Link
U.S. Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney visited the Oval Office on Thursday, along with other members of the gold-medal-winning U.S. team. Here, Maroney shows the president how to do that face that made her a meme right after the 2012 Olympics. -via reddit
(Image credit: Pete Souza via Flickr user The White House)
Email This Post to a Friend