Yo-ho-ho, just in time for the third installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, comes the 30-Second Bunnies reenactment of the previous two swashbucklers. They are both summed up in the single take for obvious reasons – it was the same movie.

Is Johnny Depp finally walking the plank with this one? Will the Hollywood rebel loose some of his cool factor by continuing to star in the franchise? It was surprising to see him come on board for a Disney movie about a theme park ride, but he turned that around so I’m not counting him out yet. Plus it has Chow Yun-Fat. Sure, he hasn’t done anything good since leaving Hong Kong (go rent Hard Boiled and see what I mean), but hopefully this one will work out.

Of course if Pirates brings in another treasure chest full of cash at the box office, we will likely see another movie rise from the briny depths in two years. As Entertainment Weekly put it: “Vowed the studio, ‘We will not stop until pirate movies suck again.’”

Labels: 30-Second Bunnies, Johnny Depp, movies, Pirates of the Caribbean

Is there anything left that the Simpsons haven’t slapped their brand on? Like Herschel Krustofsky slapping the Krusty Brand Seal of Approval on another cheap product, Fox has found something new to add their logo to – a theme park ride. And I want to ride it.

The new Universal Theme Park attraction will allow people to "experience a side of Springfield previously unexplored as they enjoy the new ride's interpretation of thrill rides, dark rides and 'live' shows that make up a new fantasy amusement park dreamed up by the show's cantankerous Krusty the Clown." Fun, but after 18 seasons couldn’t they do more than a single ride? I have a few suggestions for some more.

The natural connection is, of course, Itchy and Scratchy Land - the violentest place on earth. There is Torture Land, Explosion Land, Searing Gas Pain Land and Unnecessary Surgery Land. With rides like Head Basher, Blood Bath, Mangler and Itchy's Mine Field there are plenty of attractions to pick from, but I love the Log Ride, pictured above.

Next up, Mt. Splashmore!
I want to go to Mt. Splashmore,
Take me, take me, take me, take me now!
Now! Now! Now! Now! Now!
Mt. Splashmore, take me there right now! Yay!

This water park has the best name for a ride, ever: Challenge the raging water of death. Dare to discover what water is really made of! H2WHOA!

Speaking of water rides, how could I forget The Little Land of Duff attraction at Duff Gardens where Lisa drinks the water and becomes the Lizard Queen!

Duff Beer for me!
Duff Beer for you!
I'll have a Duff,
You have one too!

They could even keep the Seven Duffs mascots: Sleazy, Queazy, Edgy, Surly, Tipsy, Remorseful, and Dizzy.

The park needs another roller coaster, so I would suggest the train from Baboon Country, USA – as long as the baboons attack the train each time it rolls though their enclosure.


Speaking of Rev. Lovejoy, there is also the Holy Roller-Coaster from the church fundraiser, as well as the Tunnel of Abstinence and the Whack-A-Moses game.

So come on Fox, you can do better than a single ride. It’s time for an entire theme park – the show has been running long than most teenagers have been alive.

Labels: Fox, The Simpsons, theme park, TV

We've had Zeroes already and now Hewoes, a cartoon spoof of the season's best TV show from Parody Press Comics: When cheerleader Klair Bendit discovers her weird powers playing Twister and her dad's secret project involving strangers from around the world, the fun begins. Meet the enigmatic Pastrami brothers, Internet Weathergirl Sniki Sanders, constipated Japanese office worker Hewoe, and Mohinder Night Shalaman, who is trying to make sense of the whole thing while a berserk hairdresser named Styler is on the rampage!
Thanks to Glitterati for the discovery.

Tonight marked the return of Heroes and it was well worth the wait. Superpower fights, a buildup towards the finale and screentime for almost all of the characters, including the wonderfully dry Malcolm McDowell as Linderman. The episode delved into a 9/11 conspiracy theory, suggesting that Linderman's plan to let New York be destroyed will help rally the world under a common cause and a common fear with Nathan Petrelli as the leader everyone turns to.

What does it all mean? Everyone believes what they are doing is right, including the characters identified as evil. Those that think they are doing right may just be part of a larger plan that they are unaware of. Is the message that motive doesn't matter, it is actions that count? I don't know the answer, but love any show that makes me ask those questions. For more on the episode, check out Nikki's always comprehensive posts.

Labels: comics, Heroes, Nikki Stafford, TV

Despite the promise of stylistic mayhem, pop culture infused dialogue and a killer soundtrack. I haven’t gone to see Quentin Tarantino’s latest film. Normally a new Tarantino flick wouldn’t get past the opening weekend without my seat in a theatre, but not this time, and I wasn’t the only one.

Grindhouse has garnered critical praise but audiences aren’t buying it. Dropping out of the box office top 10 last weekend it’s moving into flop territory. As I haven’t seen it I can’t pass judgment on the quality, but I can tell you why I didn’t go: I didn’t care.

If Tarantino wants to indulge in nostalgia for an obscure film genre that was considered schlock the first time around he can, but I don’t have to pay for it. Rick Groen wrote in The Globe and Mail recently that Tarantino is at his best when making art from trash but recently he’s no longer elevating the trash but wallowing in it. The movie appears to be Tarantinoesque, a repetition of what he’s done before. Sassy women? Check. Hard-nosed criminals? Check. Obscure cultural references and a revivalist soundtrack? Double check. It feels like I’ve seen it all before.

Perhaps it is all for the best and he’ll come back with something original in a couple of years. He’s gone through these self-indulgent phases before – remember Four Rooms and From Dusk ‘Till Dawn? Of course I will probably rent it when it comes out (which will likely be sooner than later), but let’s ignore that as it kind of suck some of the life out of my rant.

So come on Tarantino, you left that video store a long time ago. Let it go.

Labels: Grindhouse, movies, Quentin Tarantino

Is nothing sacred? Can’t even Howard Stern and a web campaign keep a terrible singer in an overblown singing contest? Tonight, after a ridiculous 38 million votes were cast (more than the population of Canada), Sanjaya Malakar was sent packing.

For a while it looked like the toothy teenager had a shot at becoming the next American Idol. Despite night after night of sub par performances, Sanjaya kept rising through the rounds. No matter what bile judge Simon Cowell spewed it slid off him as if his mop of hair was made of Teflon.

Ever since the voting began a heady mix of pre-pubescent teens and ironic voters, aiming to derail the Idol voting process, came together to cast their electronic ballots for the safe-as-milk Malakar, propelling him into the upper reaches of the competition. But tonight something changed and the hairdo that sings like a boy is gone.

So what happened? Did fans of the show come to their senses and see it was a joke that Sanjaya had made it that far? Did they realize that to vote for him would mean more talented singers would be eliminated? Or did the joke voters just get bored with the hoax after it dawned on them that their participation in the process was seen as a validation of the show, no matter what their intent was. My guess is it was more the latter than the former.

In any case Sanjaya will be missed by the show. Sure, a mostly talentless hack has been voted off, but his continued presence guaranteed constant chatter, in both the media and online – it was the kind of exposure you can’t buy. If Sanjaya didn’t exist the producers would have had to create him. Not that I’m so cynical as to suggest that’s what happened in this case…

Labels: American Idol, Sanjaya Malakar, TV

Psyching yourself up for another week in cube? Having a hard time dragging yourself into the office? Then why not take some inspiration from these pop culture motivational posters?

The Trek posters are the best of the bunch and the inspiration, as it were, for this posting. Go check 'em out. Warning: major geek alert.


Inspiring to me as this is how I play all games. It works at the beginning until my opponents decide to read the instructions. From a collection of gaming posters.


Maybe Quentin Tarantino should hang this one on his wall as he contemplates the disaster that is Grindhouse. Falling out of the Top 10 on week two? How embarrassing.


Even super-villains need a little pick-me-up now and again. And who doesn't love a clown? From a collection of comic book motivational posters.


"Do it for her." Mmmm, Simpsons reference.


I was there to match my intellect on national TV
Against a plumber, oh, and an architect, both with a PhD
I was tense, I was nervous, I guess it just wasnt my night
Art Fleming gave the answers
Oh, but I couldnt get the questions right, -ight, -ight

I lost on Jeopardy, baby (oooh)
I lost on Jeopardy, baby (oooh)

From a collection of, mostly, pop culture posters.


Let's face it, your boss could be worse... Are you inspired now? Then go make your own poster. If you post it, add a link in the comments.

Labels: Grindhouse, motivational posters, pop culture, Quentin Tarantino, Simpsons, Star Trek, Star Wars

Kurt Vonnegut was a pessimistic optimist, a whimsical curmudgeon and a man who was able to laugh in the face tragedy. He passed away on Wednesday at the age of 84.

Vonnegut is one of only two authors who I’ve read all of their novels and he sensibility appealed to me from the first book I came across back in high school. He was sardonic and sarcastic and raged against the injustices of the world that he saw all around him. Despite the fact he thought that people were likely to be evil, cruel and stupid he still had the belief that there was also some essential good in them.

Reading Slaughterhouse-Five was the first time I truly understood the horrors of warfare, this from a kid who thought playing army was cool. His description of the Allied firebombing of Dresden, that levelled the city and killed up to 100,000 German civilians, let me know that humans are quite capable to murdering each other on a mass scale even without the help of nuclear weapons. (It was the ‘80s, that seemed kind of likely at the time.)

One of my favourite is his first work, Player Piano, about a future where everything is automated, to make life easy for the workingman. After putting themselves out of work they destroy the machines – giving themselves work rebuilding them. It was a warning against reliance on technology, a message many wouldn’t heed today let alone back in 1952.

My friend Mike and I saw him speak during university, a talk where he described himself as the Last Smoker. If he wanted to kill himself slowly he was going to and he didn’t see why that should be anyone’s concern. He was an iconoclast to the last and even though he was no longer writing, he will be missed.

Labels: Kurt Vonnegut, Player Piano, Slaughterhouse-Five

"Simplistic, stupid, moronic, and creepy"
"Completely original and weird"
"Deliberately brutal video editing, complete with bad transitions, horrible green screen, and jarring effects"
"I find most of their skits to be... 'icky' and creepy in an unfunny and uncool way."

With reviews like that, you just have to check it out, don’t you? The love/hate is for Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! a show that airs on Adult Swim block on the Cartoon Network in the U.S. It is low quality, bizarre comedy from the creators of Tom Goes to the Mayor, which airs here in Canada. The skits are filled with non-sequiturs and awkward pauses and uncomfortable moments where you wonder if it is actually funny.

I found out about this show from my friend Steve Pratt who is doing what appears to be evangelistic missionary work on behalf of the program. Steve, who refers to it as “meta-comedy for geeks made by HUGE geeks,” cornered me during one of his brief sojourns to Toronto and pulled out his laptop to show me clip after clip of this peculiar brand of comedy.

Here’s one of the more mainstream clips. For more, check out Steve’s shrine.

Labels: Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job, TV

There's nothing like a couple thousand years of of repetition and an iconic painting by an Old Master to get story to get lodged inside the heads of the creators of pop culture. Leonardo da Vinci's 15th century depiction of Jesus announcing that one of his 12 disciples would betray him is so iconic that it has been co-opted by those wishing to give weight to their parodies, tributes and caricatures. As many of the pictures as possible are linked to a more detailed version.

Mickey Mouse Last Supper
One of several works by pop artist and culture jammer Ron English. This is one of my favourites as I like that the disciples are divided between Disney and Warner Bros. characters all looking to Mickey Mouse, the first cartoon superstar, as Jesus. What puts it to the top though is cartoon spokesperson Joe Camel as Judas. Nice.

Oops, made an error right on the first one, as has been pointed out by a few, including Drunken Chud: "Joe Camel is not Judas, he's Peter. Pluto is Judas, notice the bag in his hand."
Right you are, and it makes far more sense for Pluto to be Mickey's Judas. And making a cigarette spokesman represent the future head of the church is a much harsher commentary.


Sopranos Last Supper
Famed celebrity photographer Annie Leibowitz captured The Sopranos Jesus Christ pose in 1999, with Tony as the central figure in this mob of disciples and his treacherous mother Livia as Judas. Who will take on that role as the series wraps up?


Simpsons Last Supper
Depicting Homer Simpson with his beer-swilling disciples at Moe's is inspired, but my one complaint is how many minor characters there are in the bar, making some guy I don't even recognize as Judas. The image comes from the end of Thank God It's Doomsday.


Superman's Last Supper
Superman as the Christ figure is a no-brainer but my superhero knowledge is spotty so I can't name a number of the disciples and I don't know who Judas is. Anyone?

From Chris Power: "Appears to be from the Morrison era of the JLA. The people in the picture from left to right are: Orion, Big Barda, Steel, Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), Wonder Woman, Superman, Aquaman, Batman, Huntress, Zuriel, Plastic Man, Martian Manhunter."


The Last Pancake Supper
Two depictions of the disciples as breakfast cereal mascots with Aunt Jemimah as the Christ figure and Cap'n Crunch as Judas. They were created by two different artists, in two different countries, four years apart, but there are some striking similarities. The above work - The Last Pancake Supper - was painted by Dick Detzner in 2000.

From Anonymous: "ACTUALLY - That is Mrs. Butterworth sitting in the Christ seat, not Aunt Jemima - Aunt Jemima is to Butterworth's right in the St. John position."


The Last Breakfast
The Last Breakfast was painted by Aubrey Hallis in 1996. Did Detzner copy him? It's possible, but as evidenced by the collection here, copying The Last Supper is not a completely original concept. In any case, I like both of their ideas, mostly as sugar cereals have been more a part of my daily life than the Bible ever has.


Cereal Mascot Last Supper
Another great Last Supper depiction by Ron English and lo and behold he places Cap'n Crunch as Judas as well. This leads me to believe two things: great minds think alike and people really hate the Cap'n. I don't understand the bad rap - all he ever did was fight the evil Soggies. If anyone was ever going to sell you out it would be the Trix rabbit. He'd do anything for a bowl of that stuff.

Sesame Street Last Supper
I accept Big Bird as the Saviour, but why would Cookie Monster betray him? I suppose it would be very easy to bribe him with cookies. Brought to you by the letters J and C.


Star Wars Last Supper
Eric Deschamps was commissioned to paint this by Giant magazine before the final Star Wars installment was released. From the painter: "They wanted selected Star Wars characters in the Last Supper. I started out staying really close to the poses in the actual last supper painting then ended up straying away from them a bit to make the wide range of characters fit." I would have preferred to see Boba Fett as Judas instead of Han Solo or Chewbacca (I can't tell who it's supposed to be) but I suppose that is one of the difficulties when placing all the characters into a preset image.


Donkey Kong's Last Supper
I love the Nintendo world of Misha's Donkey Kong's Last Supper, especially the pipes as the table legs. Having Mario as his Judas is a perfect choice too.

From Billy: "Left to right: Q-Bert, one of the dinosaurs from Bubble Bobble, Centipede (from Centipede), the dog from Duck Hunt, Mario, Princess Peach/Toadstool, Donkey Kong, Luigi, I'm not sure what that red floating thing is at all, Link, Frogger, Bomberman, and Pacman. Under the table is a Ba-bomb."


The Last Software
Another take on the video game theme, titled The Last Software featuring characters from competing gaming platforms. From left to right, Pac-Man, Q*bert, Frogger, Donkey Kong, Mario, Pauline (Nintendo), a literal Atari Jaguar, Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, Princess Sally, Earthworm Jim, Gex and Crash Bandicoot.

From Billy: "The game systems on the table are in front of their corresponding character, starting with The Atari 2600, and ending with the original Playstation. I wish I could identify them all, but alas, my vision isn't that good. I do see though the Intellivision, (and probably Coleco Vision), the original NES, Super Nintendo, N64, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Sega Megadrive, and what might be the Sega Gamegear. Can anyone else identify those others?"


Hollywood Last Super
You'd think there would be more versions of the Last Supper featuring Hollywood celebs as the apostles but this was one of the only ones I could find, featuring Marilyn Monroe in the Christ seat. She's a great choice as she was sacrificed for fame and celebrity. Clark Gable is depicted as Judas but I don't know why. Any guesses?

From shananashawna: "[The Misfits] was the last movie for [Clark Gable as Marilyn Monroe] and a lot of crap went on. Gable said Monroe nearly gave him a heart attack with all the trouble she caused and he did indeed have a heart attack shortly after and died. Maybe Monroe should be Gable's Judas."


Yet another Ron English take on the final diner with an interesting yet peculiar selection of disciples for King Mickey, from Bart Simpson and teletubby Tinky Winky to Olive Oyl and Frankenstein. King Kong holds the Judas slot (and Marge Simpson).


That 7o's show Last Supper
A screengrab from an early episode of That 7o's show called The Streaking. Not too badly done considering they only had six characters to work with.


M.A.S.H. Last Supper
Back in the real 1970s, director Robert Altman shot a scene in his classic film M.A.S.H., showing he surgeons in a familiar pose.


Ronald's Last Supper
McDonalds is a popular target for Last Supper parodies. I suppose everyone imagines that the restaurants are so ubiquitous now that is likely where the the final meal would be held.


The Last Happy Meal
The Last Happy Meal is more of a cartoonish of a take on da Vinci's work, but the free toy is a great kicker. I also love the inclusion of some long discarded characters like Mac Tonight and Captain Crook.


Last Supper McSupersized
Last Supper McSupersized is another classic from Ron English and was featured in Morgan Spurlock's documentary Supersize Me.


The Very Last Supper
One final take on the McDonalds theme with the interesting detail being Grimace depicted as Judas and not the Hamburglar, as most of the rest of the parodies used. It's always the one you least suspect. In the detailed view you can see that Grimace is wearing a Burger King hat — his version of a bag of gold, I suppose. Titled The Very Last Supper, by Jim Thompson, it was painted on the back of a pizza box, which is a fitting touch.


James Wood's Last Supper
This one I have no explanation for at all. A table filled with James Woods except for Robocop, from artist Brandon Bird. Sure, why not?


Lego Last Supper
The last of the series isn't so much a parody, I just really like Lego.


Lego Brick Last Supper
I mentioned how much I like Lego, didn't I? Here's another version.


UPDATE: Since my first posting Last Supper parodies have hit the media cycle when a poster of Jesus and his disciples as “half-naked homosexual sadomasochists” sparked controversy at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco.

The parody showed the fetish-wearing disciples and a table covered in sex toys - much like you might suspect to see at an event that closes Leather Pride Week. The Catholic League and Concerned Women for America flipped out and pressured sponsor Miller Brewing to pull its logo from the poster. It's ridiculous as there hasn't been anywhere near the amount of controversy over the 21 parodies listed above.

You can read a full account of the incident and an excellent critique of the poster at Queering the Last Supper.

The upside of it all, at least for me, is that it revealed a few more versions of the Supper. Thanks to Dan Savage for the link and the large collection, both pop culture and otherwise.

Popeye Last Supper
Artist *ATLbladerunner's Popeye parody, titled Supper At Sea is described thusly: All of the characters are from the Thimble Theater strip by E.C. Segar, which later became just the Popeye comic strip. I tried to keep most of the characters in the same positions as the apostles are in Leonardo's version, and tried to put in a few little fun things relating to the original. For instance, putting Olive in the same place as the apostle John, who some believe to be Mary Magdelene. I also had to put Brutus in the place of Judas Iscariot, and have him holding money (pieces of silver).

From Left to right - Alice the Goon, the Sea Hag, Poopdeck Pappy, Brutus, Professor O.G. Wattasnozzle, Olive Oyl, Popeye, the Jeep, J. Wellington Wimpy, Rough House the cook, Swee' Pea, George Geezil, Castor Oyl.


Phish Last Supper
The Phinal Supper, featuring the members of Phish. I don't know anything about the band other than I'm sure some of their followers feel like disciples. Go here for a further explanation.


Sean Connery Last Supper
I found this one at You're The Man Now Dog. It looks like Sean Connery is Christ and his Judas appears to be George W. Bush. I have no idea why. Some of his disciples are Batman, Bill Cosby, Conan O'Brien, Chewie and Patrick Stewart. I also think there is Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, but I can't be sure.

Seem the choices are not as haphazard as I'd assumed. From anonymous: "The characters are not chosen at random those are the most prevalent characters posted on YTMND."

From Billy: "Left to right: Milton (Stephen Root) from Office Space, Dolph Lundgren I think, Patrick Stewart, G.W. Bush, Brian Peepers, Lindsey Lohan, Sean Connery, Andy Millanakis?, Batman (Adam West version), Chewbacka, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), Conan O'Brian, and Bill Cosby."


House Last Supper
I don't watch House (I'm not a big fan of medical shows, Scrubs being the exception) but this Season Four promotional figure is beautifully done. Set in an operating room with a patient for a table, it mimics da Vinci's Last Supper perfectly. I'll leave it to fans to explain who is Judas and why.

From hjm: "I don't think anyone in the picture is supposed to be 'Judas.' Even though Dr. Chase sits at the right spot for it, him being 'Judas' would not make sense in a promotional picture for the fourth season in which he plays a minor role (if it were for one of the previous seasons, then yes, sure). Surely, this might change. However, if you look at the picture, you might consider it odd, showing only 11 'disciples'. Thus, it is most likely that the missing person is the one who could be considered 'Judas' in the fourth season (maybe 'Cut-Throat Bitch'). As a promotional picture it would have been unwise to depict that 'Judas' and giving away a such important clue as to what the 'Judas-character might be up to in the course of that season."


Tarantino Last Supper
I expect Quentin Tarantino really does see himself as a Christ-figure, surrounded by his blood-thirsty disciples. There's a Last Supper that will end in a gunfight of biblical proportions. Artist David Laird went a little overboard with the number of characters, nor does the layout doesn't make it simple to determine the Judas figure, but I would place my money on Bill. It's nice that he puts The Bride by Tarantino's side, in a nod to the theory that the figure to the left of Christ in the original painting is Mary Magdalene.


iPhone Last Supper
The iPhone Supper is a nice riff on the ascendence of the iPhone, but it could have been so much better. How about a pink iPod Nano to the left of the Iphone and maybe a Zune in the Judas spot. But hey, I'm just the aggregator, not the artist.


Cookie Last Supper
The Last Snack, a photo by Tom Altany, was nominated for the International Color Award for color photography (Advertising category) in 2006. Not much to say about this other than it makes me hungry. Would His blood be chocolate milk?


Fast Food Last Supper
Another version using fast food franchise mascots as disciples. Nice to see one without Ronald McDonald as Jesus and hey, the Burger King guy is called The King. Looks like the Oven Mitt (Arby's mascot?) is the Judas. Aren't there any more mascots out there? Anyway, the image is a from a t-shirt design by Stephanie Sachs.


Fast Food Mascot's Last Supper
Soon after wondering if there weren't any more fast food mascots that could be used, I stumbled upon this Last Supper version, with a full compliment of junk food disciples. I couldn't find any attribution about the artist — if anyone knows, please leave a comment. Domino Pizza's Noid is Judas to Kentucky Fried Chicken's Colonel Sanders. It is important to Avoid the Noid.

From Billy: "Left to right: Long John Silvers, Dave Thomas of Wendys, Bob's Big Boy's, a really crappy Hamburguler, The Domino's Noid, Wendy, Col. Sanders from KFC, Ronald McDonald, the Burger King King, Little Ceaser's mascot, Fat Jared from Subway, Chucky Cheese's Chucky Cheese, and Popeye, who is used as the difacto mascot of Popeye's Chicken."


Justice League Last Supper
Even comic artists like to indulge in a little da Vinci parody. This image appeared in the Countdown/Final Crisis series, with much speculation as to whether DC Comics is planning to kill off Batman sometime in 2008. I can't speak to that, but I love Wonder Woman in the potential role of Mary Magdalene and how many of the parodies are placing a female figure to the left of the Christ figure. Green Lantern takes on the Judas role. I have no idea why.

From Chris Power: "That scene from countdown does allude to Batman/Wonder Woman relationship that is continually hinted at in the DCU. Green Lantern is Judas because about 15 years ago he betrayed everyone after Coast City was destroyed and he became Parallax."

From Billy: "Left to right: Red Tornado, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Black Canary (standing), Wonder Woman, Batman, Vixen (standing), Black Lightning, Hawkgirl, and Red Arrow (Roy Harper) In the foreground is Superman and "Mr Action" who is really Jimmy Olsen."


Kevin Smith's Last Supper
It was almost inevitable that someone would create a Last Supper out of director Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse. Artist Misha avoided using Smith as Christ (unlike the Tarantino version above) instead using Mooby the Golden Calf, a reference to the graven image worshiped in the Old Testament. Nice.

Here is how Misha described the painting, which was purchased by Smith himself, to MTV: “I did a lot of listening to [Smith] talk, a lot of listening to podcasts, voiceovers from the actual films, stories. It’s funny, because you’re painting Ben Affleck’s face and you’re listening to a story about him, so there are a lot of little jokes within it, wink-winks. You’ve got Rufus [the 13th Disciple], who has finally made it to the supper where he belongs. Kinky Kelly and the Sexy Stud — he brought a date — Hooper X pinching Banky’s butt, Dante and Randall, of course, overlooking Alyssa playing with her fingercuffs. Then Stan Lee. Stan Lee is God.”


Yoda's Last Supper
Another take on the Star Wars, but using 16th-century Italian painter Jacopo Bassano's Last Supper as inspiration, instead of the more common da Vinci version. Betray me, one of you will.

New additions:

Battlestar Galactica's Last Supper
Last Supper pop culture homages continue to surface, easily making it one of the most imitated images for satirists. What makes this image so popular is the back story is so well know that all anyone needs to do is plug in the appropriate characters and a new story emerges.

The latest version I've come across is Entertainment Weekly's Battlestar Galactica Last Supper in their preview of season four. To my unending shame I have not been watching BSG, but happily executive producer Ron Moore explains the placement of the figures:

Gaius Baltar & Number Six: Even though Baltar seemed to be on a savior track, "that's not really what the story is about," explains Moore. "Baltar's Six has proclaimed that she is delivering the gospel of the [Cylon's] one true god, so it seemed natural to place her at the center of the photo."

Lee Adama: "The brooding (Judas-like?) former pilot is still in his civilian suit. "He does not return to flight status," says Moore.

Read about the other eight here.


Casino Last Supper
A painting at the Siena Hotel Casino and Spa in Reno, Nevada, take by Pamela Haynes. Funny. I suppose at a casino the dealer is king.


Scientologist's Last Supper
I can't believe it took me so long to check The Gallery of the Absurd for a version of the Last Supper and fourteen did not disappoint with The Scientologist's Last Supper. From the artist: "It clearly shows Tom Cruise as Christ, but leaves several other questions unanswered. For instance, who is the mysterious woman seated to His left and why is she smiling like that? Could she be his...gasp...wife? Is that a Jenny Craig-approved cupcake Kirstie Alley is grabbing? John Travolta is wearing loafers and he's floating - what does this mean? How did Will Smith get mixed up with this bunch? So many questions, so few answers."

Though painted in January 2007 it dovetails nicely with the extra craziness of Cruise's feverish advocation of The Church of Scientology, leaked this January (2008) on all sorts of sites.


Comic Last Supper
Sadboy-Elchicotriste's Last Paper Supper is a nice take on the comic book Last Supers, this one featuring a number of European characters. From the artist: "From left to right we can see a Peyo's smurf, Spiderman, walt disney's Mickey Mouse, Ibañez's Mortadelo, Herge's Tintin, Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese as the main guy, Uderzo and Goscinny's Obelix, Segar's Popeye, franquin's Spirou, Morris's Lucky Luke, Schultz's Charlie Brown with Snoopy on the table too and in the middle the manga's freak shin chan... manga hurted quite a lot the tradition of the european comic... guess who's the betrayer?"

Well, Tintin is in the Judas seat, but once again I have no idea as to why.


X-Men Last Supper
Speaking of comic characters, Symphonic-Massacre's X-Supper is made up of all X-Men characters. I can name half a dozen and recognize Jean Grey/Pheonix in the Christ position but I don't know who the Judas character is. Any fans out there?

Turns out there are a lot of fans out there. The best description came from Mike: Gambit is Judas, he's holding the money. Gambit also has a history of betraying the team... and really anyone else he comes in contact with. X-Men left to right: Colossus, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Gambit (seated), Wolverine (behind), Cyclops, Jean Grey, Gateway (behind), Cable (seated), Angel, Beast, Bishop, Xavier. Gateway is such a minor character I have no idea why he would be included.


Darth Vader's Last Supper
A Last Supper made up of evil robots from pop culture? Why not. So if Darth Vader is Christ and the Borg Queen is Judas, who does she sell him out to? The Federation or the Rebel Alliance.

From the artist, ABVH: Left to right - ED 209 (Robocop), Dalek (Dr.Who), Trade Federation Droid (SW), Terminator (T1), Borg Queen (Star Trek), Maria (Metropolis), Darth "He's more machine than man now" Vader (SW), Cylon (BSG), Cyrax (Mortal Combat 2), Ash's head (Alien), T1000 (T2), General Grievous (SW), Sentinel (Matrix)


Rock 'n' Roll Last Supper
Poncho-Juju's Last Rock Supper explores the rock gods conceit. Instead of choosing Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain or John Lennon as the Christ figure, a Les Gibson takes centre stage. Marilyn Manson is placed as Judas (sure, why not?), but that figure is usually represented by the person second to the left of Christ, with their arm out, often holding a bag of money (or whatever the character took for their betrayal.) In this case it would be Pink Flyod's Syd Barrett, or at least that's who I think he was going for.

From the artist: (left to right) St Mick, St Sid, St Elvis, St Syd, Marylin (as Judas, in a kind of hommage), St Janis, the Holy Gibson, St Chuck, St Kurt, St John, St Jimi, St Jim, and St Freddy. People chosen mostly among the martyrs of rock, although some still living have been allowed (Mick Jagger for iconism, Marylin Manson for playing Judas, Chuck Berry for pretty much inventing Rock 'n Roll).


Simpsons Last Supper
A fan art Simpsons Last Supper by Jabba the Slut, which doesn't use any of the main family characters. I never would have guessed Otto as a Christ-figure but I could see Apu as a Judas. If it would help the Kwiki Mart he could do anything.

From the artist: (from left to right) Groundskeeper Willie, Lenny Leonard, Miss Hoover, Moe Szyslack, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Helen Lovejoy, Otto Mann, The Comic Book Guy, Chief Clancy Wiggum, Carl Carlson, Disco Stu, Herchel Krustofsky aka Krusty the Clown, Charles Montgomery Burns.


Mario's Last Supper
AngstyGuy's The Last Smashing take on a video game Last Supper is similar in theme to Donkey Kong's Last Supper but with Nintendo's all-stars standing in for Jesus and his Apostles and Mario in the centre seat. His Judas is Wario, Mario's evil doppelgänger. How appropriate. The artist says there is a Da Vinci code in the painting. Head to his site to find out more.

From Billy: "Left to right: Falco from Starfox, Link, Starfox, Wario, Luigi, Princess Peach/Toadstool, Mario, Captain Falcon from F-Zero, Link again?, one of the guys from Final Fantasy, Pitt from Kid Icarus, the other guy from Final Fantasy (Marth?) and Donkey Kong. Under the table left to right: Kirby, Snake from Metal Gear Solid, and Pikachu from Pokemon."


Apple Last Supper
Another Apple-related Last Supper and a nice riff on the iconic iPod ads. Still, shouldn't Judas at least be holding a Zune or even a Victrola?


Northern Exposure Last Supper
In an episode of Northern Exposure, local DJ Chris Stevens has a dream sequence where he imagines himself as Christ at a Last Supper while he tries to figure out how best to honour his mentor Tooley. It is from the Season Four episode, Heroes -- best quality I could find. Thanks to Foolish Sage for the heads up.


Action Figure Last Supper
An odd assortment of disciples for Christ at this Last Supper. Looks like Larry of the Three Stooges, Wolfman, Spock Frankenstein's monster, Bart Simpson, Marilyn Monroe, JC, Gilligan, Capt. Kirk, Dracula, Moe of the Three Stooges, Batman and Mickey Mouse. It looks like a collection of the creators figures, but quite nicely done.


Oxfam's Last Supper
Cartoonist Gerard Alsteens created this Last Supper for Oxfam's Dutch Fair Trade campaign. I can't name everyone at the table, but here's what I have: ?, Bart Simpson, ET, Tintin (as Judas), Mickey Mouse, ?, Che Guevara, Pope Benedictus, Spider-man, Charlie Chaplin, Jimi Hendrix (I think), John Lennon, Nelson Mandela (another guess). The version on the Oxfam site has a flash element, where all the items on the table have a fair trade link.

From annet: "The first one is Cowboy Henk, a Belgian figure by the artist Herr Seele. He seems to have an image of Guy Verhofstadt, former prime minister of Belgium on his chest or something."


Final Crisis Last Supper
Another DC comics Last Supper, this one with villains. This is a promotional image for Countdown to Final Crisis and my comic knowledge fails me. But that is what the interweb is for and an excellent analysis from Foot2Mouth tells me the who's who. From left to right: Granny Goodness, Eclipse, Mary Marvel, Joker (as Judas), Catwoman, Lex Luthor (as Christ), Kingdom Come Superman, Cyborg Superman, Return of Superman, Trickster, Dessad, Penguin.

From Billy: "Your Final Crisis Last Supper was a little wrong. Left to right: Granny Goodness, Dark Mary Marvel, Eclipso (Jean Loring), Martian Manhunter, The Joker, Catwoman (Selina Kyle), Lex Luthor, Kingdom Come Superman, Cyborg Superman (Hank Henshaw) wearing his Sinestro Corps costume, Superman Prime, The old Trickster (James Jesse) wearing the new Trickster's clothes and carrying the Pied Piper's flute, Desaad, The Penguin."


Flying Spaghetti Monster's Last Supper
The Flying Spaghetti Monster is an elaborate satire, meant to show the fallacies of Intelligent Design. From the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster's Open Letter to the Kansas School Board:

"Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster... Some find that hard to believe, so it may be helpful to tell you a little more about our beliefs. We have evidence that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. None of us, of course, were around to see it, but we have written accounts of it. We have several lengthy volumes explaining all details of His power."

And so on. So of course it only seems appropriate that there be a Last Supper, with some of the disciples in the traditional full pirate regalia.


Zombie Last Supper
"This is my body, which is broken for you..." I don't know why I held off on this zombie version for so long. If zombies don't have a place in pop culture, who does? I've found multiple postings, but none that have led me to the original artist. Anyone know where it is from?

Labels: Battlestar Galactica, cereal mascots, Disney, House, iPhone, Last Supper, McDonalds, pop culture, Popeye, Quentin Tarantino, Ron English, Sesame Street, Simpsons, Sopranos, Star Wars, superheroes

At what point does ironic subversion become active participation? Take the case of American Idol’s Sanjaya Malakar, the talentless teen who continues to blandly warble his way deeper into the Top 10, despite any discernable singing ability. Each one of his songs is safe, genteel and painful to watch yet he not only advances he also is avoiding the bottom three and sending people with genuine ability (so to speak) back to obscurity. He is William Hung, writ large.

I was perplexed as to how he was managing this feat. I know it’s foolish to underestimate the musical tastes of the reality show voting public but I figured that even they would see through this sham. Not likely, but it’s more than hormone-addled pre-teens keeping this doe-eyed hack in he competition. People are voting in droves for Sanjay for all the above reasons, trying to subvert the process by crowning the worst singer the new American Idol. Which is actually quite funny. Howard Stern has also sent his slavering masses to the telephone banks and it appears to be working.

But are they really making a mockery of the show by subverting its voting process or are they just cogs in the marketing machine? The winner of the show is irrelevant as it is often the runner-ups that go on to better careers (Kelly Clarkson notwithstanding). His continuing presence is encouraging people to vote for others so he doesn’t get in and others so he does. I’m sure the show doesn’t care why you vote as long as you continue to do so.

Sanjay appears to be aware of his status as the Snakes on a Plane mass joke of the moment and is playing it for all it is worth. How else to explain what he keeps doing that rats nest of hair? He’s also playing to those young fans just in case people get bored with the prank. Put those groups together and we may have ourselves a winner. Here’s hoping!

Labels: American Idol, reality TV, Sanjaya Malakar

The life of a Spartan child was one of brutality, endurance and obedience. Born to be warriors, they were taken from their mothers at the age of seven to begin military training and were subsequently sent off into the wilderness to survive on their own.

Even future kings, such as Leonidas, had to go through this ordeal, as recently seen in 300. But life wasn’t quite so hard in the early months as evidenced by these recently unearthed photos.


Even little kings need their sleep. This is SWAAAAADLE!
















Spartan children’s teeth come in almost immediately, so they need a lot of attention. Spartans! Prepare for teething












“This is where we hold them. This is where we fight. This is where they die!” – Aw, they’re so cute when they’re bellicose.















It’s not all fun and games – little Spartan soldiers need their exercise. We will Jolly Jumper in the shade!















Leonidas: Santa, lay down your toys.
Santa: Spartan! Come and get them!




Thanks to Joey deVilla of The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the 21st Century for the file full of Leonidas heads and the inspiration.

Labels: 300, Leonidas, movies