Reality Bytes

I don't normally watch music videos on television, I catch most of them on YouTube, so I can be selective about what I end up seeing. But every once in awhile, when I'm at the gym, I'll turn on BET while I'm on the treadmill, to catch up on the latest. Last night, they premiered Ashanti's new video, "Good Good," and my eye was caught by, as usual, the clothing, so I started to pay attention, and...

I was pretty excited to finally see the first video from "She & Him," the musical duo that includes Zooey Deschanel and Portlander Matt Ward. I absolutely love their self-titled album and have been sharing it with everyone. I figured the video would have a retro vibe and would give Deschanel a chance to show off some of her vintage finery. I was right. Sort of. But actually, I'm kind of...

I'm a few days late discovering this, but it combines two of my favorite things, Feist and Sesame Street! It's excellent and you will be singing it all day and unconsciously bobbing your head. http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=9fciD_II7NI...

This is the third installment of a hilarious short animated feature that captures the essence of cats quite accurately and hilariously. Anyone who has ever been owned by a cat knows that this kind of self-absorbed, persistant behavior is dead-on. And at least in the case of Lulu, my own black cat, the constant monologue is also accurate. http://www.youtube.com/wat ch?v=s13dLaTIHSg...

Just finished reading the massive book "The Passion of Mary Magdalene," by Elizabeth Cunningham. Quite a controversial read, as it takes the story of Jesus and Mary M and turns it into a sexy and yet terribly poignant tale of parted lovers. In the story, many of Jesus "lost years" were actually spent in Ireland under the training of druids, where he first meets a pagan witch named Maeve, who...

Local favorite Debra Arlyn has just released a mini documentary of some of her latest local concert performances, and it's interesting to see how her look and sound has progressed since her early days as a Philomath High School student with big dreams. You can also check out her website, but first, watch this: Debra Arlyn Mini Doc Promo Video...

It's always amusing to see how Hollywood tries to turn what is basically a Masterpiece Theater-style film into something dark, sexy and dangerous by some strategic editing and an edgy soundtrack. A perfect example is the latest incarnation of "Brideshead Revisited," which some of you might have seen on PBS in 1981 as a miniseries starring Jeremy Irons and Diana Quick. The Evelyn Waugh novel has...