We Recommend: Your Friday Freebies
Featuring Game of Thrones conspiracy theories, people making noises with their mouths, and Jon Stewart dressed as Princess Leia.
Each Friday, our contributors send in a bunch of (legally) free stuff they’ve come across this week to help you waste your weekend. You’re welcome.
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Video: Jon Stewart And Steven Colbert Star-Wars-Battle Each Other And Giggle
Recommended by: Alex McKinnon (“This Idiot Senator Wore A Hi-Vis Mining Vest In Parliament And Got Torn To Bits By Everybody”)
Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert are basically two teenage boys who get to be teenage boys for a living, in the best possible way. Here, they’re teaming up to raise awareness for ‘Force For Change’, an initiative to raise money for UNICEF’s Innovation Labs. They’re also duelling with plastic lightsabers and giggling like a couple of kids poking at a bug.
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Comics: Marvel’s New (And Very PC) Superhero Roster
Recommended by: Chris Bright
Marvel Comics announced some big changes to their traditional superhero roster this week, pushing for both gender and race equality, and blowing the minds of comic nerds everywhere.
Firstly the role of Thor, the powerful Norse god played by Australian Chris Hemsworth in the films, will be taken over by a woman.
“How does this work?” you may be screaming at your computer: well, in the comics Thor doesn’t actually possess any real superpowers, apart from above-average strength and agility. His ability to summon lightning and fly actually comes from his hammer, named Mjolnir. In fact, anyone who is worthy enough to carry the hammer will possess the power of Thor. Logic has it that whoever this female character is, she’ll somehow cross paths with the hammer. All will be revealed in October.
Secondly the iconic Captain America, traditionally the alter-ego of Steve Rogers and portrayed by Chris Evans in the films, will be handed to his long-time partner in crime-fighting, Sam Wilson – an African American.
Sam Wilson isn’t new to the Marvel Universe, as he’s been around since the 1960s under the alias Falcon and even featured in the latest Captain America film, The Winter Solider. It’s fairly likely this change to the comic book roster will be echoed in the film universe, as Mackie received a huge buzz from fans.
These changes are all part of Marvel’s new ‘Avengers NOW’ initiative. The new Avengers roster is taking a new spin on the traditional line-up, with the two changes above joining Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Scarlet Witch, The Winter Soldier and more.
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Podcast: ‘Blockbusters, Bombs and The Price Of A Ticket’ By Planet Money
Recommended by: Nathan Jolly (“New Ad Campaign Manages To Be Sexist Towards Both Men And Women”)
This episode of popular NPR radio show ‘Planet Money’ asks what seems like a simple question: when you go to the movies, why are all films priced the same, rather than based on demand, profit-margin, or something in between? After all, this is how everything else in the marketplace works.
The answer is a lot more complicated than you’d imagine.
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Fan Theory: R + L = J
Recommended by: Elizabeth Flux
R + L = J is the horribly ungainly name given to one of the most popular fan theories in the Game of Thrones universe. If it turns out to be true, then it would seem that Jon Snow really doesn’t know anything.
Spoiler free (as it’s opinion, not fact) this article and the video below outline what many suspect to be the truth behind Jon’s parentage, alongside textual “evidence” backing this up. If you’re the kind of person who reads books and asks questions like “hey, why didn’t Harry Aguamenti directly into Dumbledore’s mouth?”, then you should definitely check this out.
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Video: ‘The Essential Gun Noises, Volume 30’
Recommended by: Patrick Magee
Over the last twelve years, The Foley Boys have been the soundtrack of a generation. Albums such as Car Engine Noises and Various Doors (Closing) have defined the genre of “making sounds with your mouth”, and after an extended hiatus the Boys are back in town with The Essential Gun Noises: Vol. 30. Please enjoy this promotional video for what is shaping up to be 2014’s hottest album entirely devoted to gun noises made by mouth.
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Doco: Silence of the Lambs: The Inside Story
Recommended by: Mel Campbell (“Are TV Recaps The Reviewing Equivalent Of Premature Ejaculation?”)
This feature-length documentary about the making of Jonathan Demme’s 1991 film includes almost every key participant. But intriguingly, it also reveals just how little people expected of a pulpy thriller novel adaptation, directed by someone best known for comedies, and dumped in cinemas on a decidedly inauspicious Valentine’s Day. The Silence of the Lambs went on to become a culturally resonant box-office smash that swept the Oscars.
Apparently, before Anthony Hopkins came on board and created something iconic, Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman were in contention to play Hannibal Lecter? Imagine Connery exshtolling the vairtues of a naishe chianti.
Meanwhile, Michelle Pfeiffer and Meg Ryan were up for Jodie Foster’s role. They made the right choice; we know what happened when Pfeiffer and Nicholson teamed up with a director best known for comedies on a dark, sexually charged story about catching predators: Mike Nichols’ pulpy, ridiculous 1994 thriller Wolf.
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