He's Just Being Nikolaj...

Which means Sexy. Seriously, if we were Stephen Colbert, we would tell our Nation to get on Urban Dictionary and expand the definition of "Sex" to include Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

Everyone's favorite medieval fantasy porn, Game of Thrones, returns to HBO on March 31st. And we thank God for that, not because we watch it (although, seriously WE NEED TO START), but because its premiere has brought a media onslaught of our boy Nikolaj. Thank you, HBO!!  And to you, gentle readers of good taste, we present our curated collection of the Best of Nikolaj, under the cut!

Tuesday Tunes: March 26, 2013

The five songs Earworming the hell out of us this week. Something old, something new, 100% awesome.

We... uh... Sorry, What Was That?

We're sorry, are we supposed to be typing actual words right now? Because this happened:

THIS. 

HAPPENED.

(That is all.)

The Return of a Legend?

Mocha is going kind of insane at the news that Xabi Alonso may return to Liverpool.

It's hard to quantify exactly how huge of a deal his return would be. Latte's analogy is that it might be similar to the euphoria Edmonton Oilers fans felt at the return of Ryan Smyth to the win-challeneged hockey franchise.

Together on the midfield, Gerrard and Alonso made the opposing team shit their kits. It was a lot like this, actually (if you think of Stevie and Xabi as the umbrella.)

As recently as November Gerrard confirmed on Twitter that if he could bring one player back to Liverpool, it would be Xabi. And now, Liverpool is preparing a formal offer for the Spaniard.

Oh, and let's not forget that Xabi is "still in love with Liverpool Football Club". 

Yup. Liverpool Football Club.

Tuesday Tunes: March 19, 2013

It's Tuesday! Time again to recap those songs we just can't get out of our heads. And despite JT's best efforts (read: media blitz), "Suit and Tie" doesn't make the cut. "Mirrors", the second single off his new album, may grow on us.

See this week's top 5 under the cut!

Your favorite TV shows, 1995 style

Youtube user goestoeleven is burning up the internet right now with a couple of amazing videos. He explains it best:

"In an alternate universe, The Walking Dead aired in 1995. Here's the intro."

And here's his interpretation of Breaking Bad as a network family drama:

These two videos have even inspired other users to create the same kind of thing. Check out this awesome intro for a mid-90's Game of Thrones (spoilers!):

For us, it's the details that make these videos so great. That squiggly/warped lines that move down the screen, the weird colour "halos" that form around some outlines, the fonts... all of it takes us right back. Not to mention finding the perfect moments to take out of context and give them a whole new meaning (best example: Walter and the rooftop pizza.)

"Nostalgia-fying" current media is definitely going to turn into A Thing, so keep checking back here for the latest and greatest updates!

Media Double Standards: Justin Bieber Edition

When we first started Half and Half, writing posts about Justin Bieber was never exactly high on our list of priorities. (Case in point: while writing this post Mocha consistently spelled his name wrong. Maybe that grammatical rule can be revised to say "I before E, even after B". Or... something).

But, Katie Heaney at Buzzfeed has a thought-provoking article up about His Royal Bieberness and media double standards:

"Would Bieber's “Rough Week” Be Called A Meltdown If He Was A Girl?"

We think it probably would, unfortunately. And now that Katie Heaney mentions it, it does seem like Bieber has been treated relatively well by the media. But why does he get the chances that so many young women in similar spotlights are denied?

Half and Half: using pop culture to bum you out since March 2013. 

Ready for Mad Men Season 6?

Well folks, a new season of Mad Men is about to grace our television screens. Are you ready? Perhaps. But is the internet ready? Perhaps not.

This is the promo poster for Season 6, released just the other day:

We think the Onion A.V. club sums up the internet frenzy it caused with the following article:

"It's time to look at the new Mad Men poster and pretend we know what's going to happen."

But before we let ourselves get carried away with wild speculation, take a minute to just check out that poster. Pretty sweet art, right? Get this: the artist who drew it, Brian Sanders, is 75 years old, and he was working right in the thick of the advertising industry in the 1960's. He was even a fan of Mad Men before he was approached to do the art, because it took him "right back" to his early days as an illustrator. The proof?

 "I almost wanted to reach for a cigarette, and I haven’t had one for 30-odd years.”

That's authenticity for you!

Habemus uh, Peepam?

So, everyone, the world has a new pope. 

While all your other online sources are busily digging up information on the man formerly known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, we here at Half and Half are hard at work taking the exact opposite approach.

Namely, we want to know all about those mysterious papal election practices. What really goes on? Are the cardinals allowed to talk? Do they get to have snack breaks? Do they relieve stress by trying on the hats that the Swiss Guards wear?

Luckily for us, Sarah Binder at Salon has offered this sneak peep into the proceedings (pun TOTALLY intended.) 

Know why?

Because it's a diorama of 115 Marshmallow Peeps dressed up as cardinals. 

The "Peep-le Conclave".

Genius.

Inside the Peepal Conclave

Tuesday Tunes: March 12, 2013

Hi friends! Today marks our inaugural "Tuesday Tunes" post-where we give a shout-out to those songs which are Earwigging/Earworming us out for the week. Highbrow, lowbrow, indie, mainstream: we're equal opportunity here at "Half and Half".

See the full list under the cut!

Let's Show A Little Love for Title Sequences

Will Perkins over at Yahoo's Widescreen blog asks "Where is the Oscar for Best Title Sequence?" 

The short answer: The Academy rejected that category in 1999. But that doesn't mean we can't take a few minutes to appreciate some of the best title sequences ever. 

IFC has a list of 50 that you can view here, and Art of the Title is an entire website devoted to the best of the best.

We've got a few that spring to mind as well.

Like remember when the title sequence to "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" leaked and the entire internet went crazy? 

Or the first time you saw "Se7en"?

And no matter how you feel about the rest of the movie, we think the opening credits to "Watchmen" are a masterpiece. Watch them here.

It's Officially The Future

Trust the BBC news magazine to always ask the hard-hitting, pertinent questions faced by today's intelligent, media-savvy readers:

"When are we going to learn to trust robots?"

Silly BBC. We trust them when we know they'll follow the Three Laws of Robotics.

Or if they look like this:

That's trust, right there. Trust and LOVE.

We All Just Missed Out on the Cruise of the Century

Seriously, you guys. 

We all just missed the opportunity to take a cruise to the Bahamas with this man, and all the 90's glory he entails:

The "Mark McGrath and Friends" cruise was set to take place this October. The lineup was mind-blowing. Just take a look:

It reads like a Hinterland's Who's Who of "Rick Dee's and the Weekly Top 40" circa the best decade of your life. 

And the "special acoustic performances"? Apparently if your name is Ed and you were in a band that was popular in the 90's, you can no longer afford any music equipment except a pair of spoons, a bucket, and a comb with some wax paper over it. 

But before the masses could even begin to think about drunkenly slurring out the chorus to "Sex and Candy" in a roomful of people doing the same, the cruise was cancelled.

Let us hang up our candy necklaces, fold our Adidas tear-away track pants, and pour out a little Blue Raspberry Gatorade for what might have been.

Full soundtrack to your mindful reflections under the cut (and really, just an excuse to post these songs because OH MY GOD, THESE SONGS.)