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.