I wrote yesterday about how bad the 2012 Olympics logo was, even if it did resemble Lisa Simpson giving head. Well, now BBC reveals:
A segment of animated footage promoting the 2012 Olympic Games has been removed from the organisers’ website after fears it could trigger epileptic fits. [...]
Charity Epilepsy Action said it had received calls from people who had suffered fits after seeing it.
Organiser London 2012 said it will re-edit the film. [...]
Emphasising that it was not the logo itself which was the focus of worries, [a spokesperson] said: “This concerns a short piece of animation which we used as part of the logo launch event and not the actual logo.”
Ya, right! There’s a horror film in this somewhere. Perhaps this is the return of the antichrist, only not in human form, for how banal would that be? Humans can be eliminated, but once such a logo is unleashed upon the unsuspecting world…
(Link via email from Prabhu.)
Posted by Amit Varma on 06 June, 2007 in
Arts and entertainment |
Sport
On Reuters I come across this headline: “Radio station fined for bra removal contest.”
Radio station?
Posted by Amit Varma on 06 June, 2007 in
Miscellaneous
Public letters are most illuminating, and two recently released in Britain concern the use of images of Princess Diana’s accident in a Channel 4 documentary. Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the private secretary of Princes William and Harry, wrote a letter to Channel 4 asking them to “appreciate fully that publishing such material causes great hurt to us, our father, our mother’s family and all those who so loved and respected her.”
Kevin Lygo, Channel 4’s director of television and content, replied saying that “in the context of a measured and responsible history programme, these photographs provide, for the first time, an accurate and detailed eyewitness record of an event of international importance that for ten years has been obscured by conspiracy theories, claims and counter-claims.”
My position: While the media may have the right to publish photographs of events that take place in the public space, publishing pictures of someone’s mutilated body would be tasteless and insensitive. However, Lygo clarified in his letter that Princess Diana wasn’t visible in any of the pictures that Channel 4 was showing, and I think it is silly, then, to object muchly. This is especially in the light of the conspiracy theories surrounding the accident—most famously by Mohamed al-Fayed—and if the documentary serves to inquire into the truth, then it is worthy journalism.
Meanwhile, here’s an excellent recreation by the Guardian of the hours leading up to the accident, and here’s an interview of Trevor Rees-Jones, the only survivor of the crash.
Posted by Amit Varma on 06 June, 2007 in
Media
Haven’t we heard this before? Geeta Basra, while being interviewed about her film called The Tram or The Autorickshaw or something like that, says that she is “not comfortable at all” with kissing on screen. However, it “all depends on the way the scene has been shot,” and her film “has a strong storyline compared to these smaller elements.”
In case you’re wondering if there’s any kissing in the film, well, her co-star is Emraan Hashmi. So whaddya expect?
And in case you’re wondering who Geeta Basra is, well, I’ve been equally curious the last few days, as her pictures come on the party pages of the newspapers I get most regularly, and she does possess some prettiness. Now we know.
PS: That’s not all. Basra redefines Bollywood by saying that her film, The Minivan “has a complex story with many things in it. It’s pure commercial cinema.”
And elsewhere she explains, “Just because I exposed a lot does not mean I don’t have talent.”
Of course it doesn’t. Quite the opposite.
(Rediff link via email from Prabhu.)
Update: Hmmm.
Posted by Amit Varma on 05 June, 2007 in
Arts and entertainment
Oddly, I find this lovely photo-essay more moving than appetizing. And it’s not because of the food.
(Link via email from Gautam John.)
Posted by Amit Varma on 05 June, 2007 in
Arts and entertainment |
Personal
Sigh. Isn’t the logo above, unveiled recently for the 2012 Olympics, in a class of its own for badness? Have the gentlemen who selected this design never heard of the virtues of simplicity? How they must all hate the Swoosh.
And can you believe they paid £400,000 for this? (That’s about Rs 3.2 crore.) Pestilential parakeets plunder.
(Link via email from Aspi Havewala, who also points me to a discussion on BBC here.)
Update: Anon Tipster points me to Tim Worstall’s revelation that the logo shows Lisa Simpson giving a blow job. The two gifs below, created by Theo Spark, illustrate that and go a bit further.
Now I like it!
Update 2: Scribbler points me to Andrew Orlowski’s post on how the BBC, showcasing user-generated logos, ran a parody of the infamous Goatse on their website. Heh.
Posted by Amit Varma on 05 June, 2007 in
Miscellaneous |
Sport |
WTF
This is an important issue, and I hope this clears up the matter.
(Link via email from Gaspode. Previous posts on Eldritch horror: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.)
Posted by Amit Varma on 05 June, 2007 in
Miscellaneous
If I’d waited for the piano rounds of this season’s Indian Idol to start, I might never had written this Rave Out. As I mentioned here, there are just too many kids in there. Twelve girls took part in yesterday’s round, and a third of them made me feel that I was watching some children’s singing competition. Most disconcerting.
A few quick thoughts:
Read more...
Posted by Amit Varma on 05 June, 2007 in
Arts and entertainment |
Indian Idol
Himesh Reshammiya has removed his cap.
Yes, I know, the comments are priceless. Always so.
(Link via email from Scribbler.)
Posted by Amit Varma on 04 June, 2007 in
Arts and entertainment
Two good pals of mine, Neha and Akshay, are planning to participate in the Rickshaw Run later this year. It’s an immensely exciting plan, and they’re both wildly talented in different ways, but they need funds for the trip (which will end up going to charity). In return, sponsors will get karma points and prints of Akshay’s pictures, which are to die for. Do check out Akshay’s post on the subject for details, and offer support if you feel like.
There should also be a Cow Run somewhere. I can’t understand why people prefer rickshaws. Wouldn’t it be so much nicer to flag down cows in Mumbai and go from suburb to suburb. Huh?
Posted by Amit Varma on 04 June, 2007 in
Miscellaneous |
Personal
