Tattoo Artist Sues WB Over Tyson Tattoo In Hangover II

Filed under: Film Flickers > Legal Matters

mike-tyson-lawsuit-tattoo.jpg

Um, can he do this???

S. Victor Whitmill is an award-winning tattoo artist whose best work can be seen on Mike Tyson's face. Whtimill calls the tat "one of the most distinctive tattoos in the nation," and is thus asking for an injunction to stop the release of the Hangover II, since he was never asked permission to use the tattoo in the film.

Whitmill formally filed the lawsuit yesterday, insisting that he should've been compensated for the similar-looking facial art on Ed Helms' character in the upcoming flick. The complaint reads:

"When Mr. Whitmill created the Original Tattoo, Mr Tyson agreed that Mr. Whitmill would own the artwork and thus, the copyright in the Original Tattoo. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.?without attempting to contact Mr. Whitmill, obtain his permission, or credit his creation?has copied Mr. Whitmill's Original Tattoo and placed it on the face of another actor?This unauthorized exploitation of the Original Tattoo constitutes copyright infringement."

We guess he has a point. That's his livelihood, his art. The studio should have at least looked into giving him credit for it in some fashion. They'll certainly pay for that oversight now!

With Memorial Day weekend rapidly approaching, WB is going to have to move fast! Do they pay him off to silence him or do they engage in a bitter legal battle? Decisions, decisions!

[Image via WENN.]

Tags: , ,

Posted: April 29, 2011 at 8:40 pm

Source: http://perezhilton.com/2011-04-29-mike-tyson-tattoo-artist-sues-wb

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20 Years On, Hot Tuna Keeps It Familiar

After two decades out of the studio, Hot Tuna's Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady (at left, playing guitar and bass) are back with Steady As She Goes.
Enlarge Scotty Hall/Courtesy of the artist

After two decades out of the studio, Hot Tuna's Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady (at left, playing guitar and bass) are back with Steady As She Goes.

Scotty Hall/Courtesy of the artist

After two decades out of the studio, Hot Tuna's Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady (at left, playing guitar and bass) are back with Steady As She Goes.

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It's been two decades since Hot Tuna released a studio album, but the group's founding members say they never really quit playing.

Guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady were also at the heart of Jefferson Airplane, another iconic group with roots in the 1960s. Over the past five decades, they've released more than two dozen records as a band and many more solo projects. The newest Hot Tuna record, Steady As She Goes, comes out this month.

Kaukonen says the 20-year gap was just a matter of waiting for the time to be right.

"I think when I go into the studio now, I'm not chasing dreams in the sense that I did when I was younger," Kaukonen tells Weekend Edition Sunday host Liane Hansen. "I kind of know where I want to go, even though I'm not really sure what I'm going to find when I get there."

Steady As She Goes offers Hot Tuna fans something new: a female vocalist. Singer Teresa Williams was brought on for several tracks, and her vocals recall the distinctive sound of Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick.

"Hot Tuna hasn't usually had female singers on their albums, so there's a lot of association that way," Kaukonen says. "[But] she does sound like Grace, and I'm sure she did it on purpose."

That's not the only throwback on Steady As She Goes. "Easy Now," a track from the band's 1974 record The Phosphorescent Rat, is reborn on this album as "Easy Now Revisited." Kaukonen says the original was about a motorcycle trip he never took, so the new version was written to scratch a decades-old itch.

"This time I wrote it about a trip I did take last year, going down the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Cherohala Skyway, and the Dragon, and all that kind of stuff," he says. "I feel like I've solved that feeling of frustration that I've had for years about that trip I never took. All the riders out there will know what I'm talking about."

The band is revisiting an old format, too, releasing the new record as a double vinyl set. Casady says it was pressed with the 12 tracks spread over three sides of the album for maximum fidelity, with the fourth side featuring an etching of Kaukonen and Casady. An audiophile himself, Casady says he's excited to break out his turntable.

"I have a Thorens turntable from back in the day. I think I bought it in 1967, and I upgraded it and put it all back together [since] all the rubber had rotted out," he says. "I can't wait to get my copy of Steady As She Goes in vinyl so I can fire the thing up and play it."

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/21/135599567/20-years-on-hot-tuna-keeps-it-familiar?ft=1&f=1039

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Beyond bin Laden: 10 Top Terrorists Taken Down


U.S. special operations forces raided a comfortable mansion in Abottabad, Pakistan, yesterday, killing Osama bin Laden and capping off a global manhunt that has lasted well over a decade. Bin Laden hasn't been the only one sought. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, a number of senior leaders, associates or fellow travelers fled Afghanistan to take shelter in Pakistan's more populated cities like Rawalpindi where many were captured by U.S. and Pakistani forces. In the years that followed, American drones and special operators found "high value targets" in places like Pakistan's tribal areas or in quiet hideouts in Iraq. The list of targets grew to include leadership of the Pakistani Taliban. Along the way, U.S. officials have used the names and tallies of jihadi leaders captured and killed as markers in the "war on terror." Here are some of their stories in brief.

The alleged mastermind of the 9/11 operation, Mohammed claimed involvement in at least 31 different plots and was identified as the murderer of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl by the veins in his hand, shown in a grisly video of Pearl's death. He was captured near Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on March 1, 2003, and instantly became the most valuable -- and one of the most-tortured -- detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

Adam Rawnsley is a former think-tanker and contributor to Danger Room who writes about terrorists, pirates and associated bad guys.
Follow @arawnsley on Twitter.

Source: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/beyond-bin-laden-ten-top-terrorists-taken-down/

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Can Red Bull and McLaren be caught in Turkey? | 2011 Turkish Grand Prix preview

4 May 2011 by Keith Collantine

Mark Webber, Red Bull, Istanbul, 2010

Mark Webber, Red Bull, Istanbul, 2010

Last year?s Turkish Grand Prix was a masterpiece of tension.

It culminated in one of the most dramatic moments of the season as the Red Bull[1] drivers crashed into each other, handing a one-two to McLaren.

This year?s race looks set to be another battle between these two teams ? unless Ferrari[2] or Mercedes have made sufficient progress in the last three weeks to join in the fight for victory.

The development race

Although the race is held on the Asian side of the Bosphorous it is looked on as the first round of the ?European season?. Most, if not, all teams will have new parts for their cars and some are bringing a raft of factory-fresh upgrades.

Among those with the most work to do are Ferrari, who are yet to score a podium finish in 2011. New wings and brake ducts[3] are among their planned improvements.

The team have been playing down their expectations for this weekend but a lot is riding on their latest upgrades as they strive to make the simulation data match up to reality.

Mercedes[4], meanwhile, have begun to get on top of the problem with their Drag Reduction System which hampered them at the start of the year. Nico Rosberg?s strong performance in China was the closest they?ve come so far to delivering on the potential they showed in testing.

These look like the teams most likely to join in the contest for a podium finish but Renault[5] are not to be overlooked. Their challenge was blunted by poor qualifying in China but Vitaly Petrov went well here last year, setting the fastest lap of the race.

Two other teams have a lot riding on their Istanbul upgrades. The first is Williams[6], about whom little more needs to be said on their current predicament[7].

The last is Virgin[8], whose upgrade is the culmination of work which began shortly after their new car hit the track during testing in February[9], as they quickly realised the MVR-02 wasn?t up to scratch.

But none of the teams can afford to stand still. Even HRT[10], who brought little in the way of upgrades for their car last year, have new parts for their F111.

And it remains to be seen whether Red Bull can get through a race weekend without a failure on their Kinetic Energy Recovery System.

A tough track for tyres

Istanbul is one of the hardest tracks of the year for tyres. The famed turn eight accounts for 40% of the energy put through the tyres[11] in a single lap.

With that in mind Pirelli were working on a new tyre which they hoped would prove more durable. However they are not able to race it this weekend and the teams will use the same combination of hard and soft tyres they have for the first three races.

The first and most important question of the weekend is how well the tyres will stand up to the punishment of turn eight. Pirelli came to the circuit for testing earlier this year but rain limited their ability to test the tyres at full speed.

Assuming the weather is dry this weekend the teams expect to be in the vicinity of three tyre stops during the race, much as was the case in Sepang.

Rain forecast

However it is not guaranteed the race will be dry. F1 staff arriving in Istanbul today found it surprisingly cool and wet. This is partly to be expected: this year?s race is around three weeks earlier than last year?s.

F1 Fanatic will review the weather forecasts for the weekend once updated weather information is available tomorrow.

We?ve not seen rain at the Turkish Grand Prix before and the teams have not made much use of Pirelli?s rain tyres so far ? meaning this could be a step into the unknown for all concerned.

Farewell to Istanbul?

Take the opportunity to savour this weekend?s race because it could be the last we get to see at Istanbul Park.

The undulating circuit is rightly regarded as the best of the modern generation of tracks. But that will not be enough to keep it on the calendar if Bernie Ecclestone decides they aren?t paying enough[12].

Join in the 2011 F1 Fanatic Predictions Championship

There?s F1 races tickets, DVDs and more to be won. Play for free by guessing the top five in each race.

As of this weekend you now have until the start of qualifying to make your prediction. After submitting your prediction you can edit it as many times as you like before the deadline:

2011 Turkish Grand Prix

Browse all 2011 Turkish Grand Prix articles[13]

Image ? Red Bull/Getty images

References

  1. ^ Red Bull (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
  2. ^ Ferrari (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
  3. ^ New wings and brake ducts (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
  4. ^ Mercedes (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
  5. ^ Renault (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
  6. ^ Williams (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
  7. ^ their current predicament (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
  8. ^ Virgin Racing (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
  9. ^ began shortly after their new car hit the track during testing in February (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
  10. ^ HRT (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
  11. ^ accounts for 40% of the energy put through the tyres (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
  12. ^ if Bernie Ecclestone decides they aren?t paying enough (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)
  13. ^ Browse all 2011 Turkish Grand Prix articles (www.f1fanatic.co.uk)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/f1fanatic/~3/XCYA9Sy3A8c/

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Couple in Atlanta finally gets a LiFe, courtesy of Wheego

Wheego has, at long last, let its first $32,995, 100-mile range LiFe electric two-seater loose on the public, and added another cute little electric car to the US EV collective. By either stroke-of-luck or sheer coincidence (no way is it intentional), the first of the breed was delivered today, otherwise known as Earth Day, to a couple of lucky owners in the ATL. Good to see Dixieland drivers (who often prefer something with a lift kit and Super Swampers to fuel-efficient subcompacts) bringing cleaner motoring to the derrrty South.

Couple in Atlanta finally gets a LiFe, courtesy of Wheego originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Apr 2011 09:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/AMMnoFpRq1A/

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Small Cars Lead U.S. Auto Sales Higher

GM said it sold more than 25,000 Chevrolet Cruze compact models in April, the best performance for the 36-mile-per-gallon car since it was introduced in October.
Enlarge Mark Duncan/AP

GM said it sold more than 25,000 Chevrolet Cruze compact models in April, the best performance for the 36-mile-per-gallon car since it was introduced in October.

Mark Duncan/AP

GM said it sold more than 25,000 Chevrolet Cruze compact models in April, the best performance for the 36-mile-per-gallon car since it was introduced in October.

Small cars sold briskly in the U.S. last month, as gasoline prices approached $4 a gallon and some buyers worried about shortages of Japanese-made vehicles.

Analysts expected overall industry sales in the U.S. to increase 19 percent from April of last year.

Sales last month were led by highly fuel-efficient models such as Chevrolet's Cruze, Hyundai's Elantra and Ford's Focus

Don Johnson, GM's vice president of sales and marketing, said consumers shifted into smaller cars starting in March and the trend continued in April. Unlike 2008, when a rise in gas prices caught the industry off-guard, GM and other companies now have good small cars and can quickly boost production of them, he said.

"We're probably the best prepared ever for this shift," he said.

The average price of a gallon of gas this week is $3.96, up $1.06 from last year. Gas is already over $4 per gallon in New England, the Midwest and on the West Coast, according to federal statistics.

While widespread vehicle shortages related to the March 11 earthquake in Japan have yet to hit the U.S. market, they're expected to by the end of May. That may have spurred people to buy cars like the subcompact Honda Fit in April. On Monday, Honda Motor Co. warned dealers that the 2012 Civic, as well as other models, will be in short supply this summer. It also pushed back the fall launch of the CR-V small SUV by at least a month.

So far, GM says the earthquake won't affect its profit, although it has had to slow production because of a lack of parts from Japan. Chrysler Group LLC said this week that the earthquake will cost it between 50,000 and 100,000 vehicles this year, but it won't have an impact on earnings.

Hyundai Motor Co.'s sales jumped 40 percent, largely because of fuel-efficient models such as the Elantra, which gets an estimated 40 mpg on the highway. The car's sales more than doubled. Combined with the Sonata midsize car, the two made up 71 percent of Hyundai's sales.

General Motors Co. sold more than 25,000 Chevrolet Cruze compact models in April, the best performance for the 36-mile-per-gallon car since it was introduced in October. Ford said sales of its new Focus compact rose 22 percent from last year.

GM said its U.S. car and truck sales jumped 26 percent in April, led by the shift to small cars. Johnson said the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain crossovers posted big sales increases. Crossovers look like sport utility vehicles, but are more fuel efficient because they are built on car platforms.

People switched to more efficient engines, which use less gasoline.

Johnson said 39 percent of the vehicles GM sold in April had the most efficient four-cylinder engines, up from 27 percent last April. Thirty percent had six-cylinder engines, down from 36 percent. Almost half of Chevrolets sold had four-cylinder engines, Chevrolet chief Alan Batey said.

"Four-cylinder sales at Chevrolet have frankly not been as strong as this in a long, long time," he said.

Ford Motor Co. said its U.S. sales rose 13 percent, largely because of a 26-percent jump in car sales. But it wasn't only the most efficient cars like the Fiesta and Focus that buyers demanded. Sales of the Mustang sports car rose 59 percent car as summer driving season approached.

Ford said that the impact of gas prices could be felt in its largest vehicles. Half of all pickup buyers chose Ford's new V-6 engine instead of the less efficient V-8.

Sales were strong despite automakers' decision to ease up on deals in April. Total U.S. incentive spending by automakers fell $250 to $2,118 per vehicle from March, according to Edmunds.com. That was the lowest level since October 2005, when automakers pulled back sharply on discounts following the employee-discount-for-everyone deals that summer.

"This is the clearest indication yet that automakers are gearing up for inventory shortages," Jessica Caldwell, director of industry analysis for Edmunds, said in a statement.

She said demand for new cars is growing as the economy recovers. However, buyers may decide to wait for deals to return, and that may not be until fall.

Other major automakers reporting sales Tuesday included:

Chrysler's sales rose 22 percent to 117,225, the company's best April in three years. Sales were led by the Jeep brand with a 65 percent increase. The Grand Cherokee and Compass small SUV had sales that nearly tripled from last April. Chrysler also reported that sales of its revamped midsize cars, the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger, rose 26 percent combined over last year.

Toyota Motor Corp. sales rose by only 1.3 percent, led by a 9 percent gain from the Camry midsize sedan, traditionally the most popular car in the U.S. But sales of Toyota's Corolla compact fell 13.3 percent, and two models made in Japan, the Yaris and the Prius, saw sales declines.

Nissan Motor Co., up 12.2 percent to 71,526. The company also reported strong small car and crossover sales. The Sentra compact rose 42 percent and the Rogue small crossover climbed 28 percent. Sales of Nissan's Titan pickup dropped nearly 30 percent. The company won a big victory earlier in the day. New York City picked Nissan to supply a small van for its taxi fleet for the next 10 years.

Honda Motor Co. reported sales rose 9.8 percent, led by a 73 percent leap in sales of the Fit subcompact. Sales of the CR-V small crossover rose 30 percent, while sales of the compact Civic were up 7 percent.

Subaru of America sales were up 7 percent to 24,762, led by the Outback small SUV which rose 23 percent.

Kia Motors America's sales surged 57 percent, led by a 41-percent increase in Sorento crossover sales.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/03/135962102/small-cars-lead-u-s-auto-sales-higher?ft=1&f=1017

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Clock Radio Hides Numbers in Speaker Grille

A clock radio with separate speakers and display is so lame. It’s like taking bread, peanut butter and jelly and deciding to make two different-flavored sandwiches instead of one delicious PB&J. Thankfully, one French company has realized that the great tastes of grille and LED taste great together. Lexon’s Titan clock radio, designed by Jeremy and [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/BrOvTTp9Cbw/

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Internet Entrepreneurs Are Like Professional Athletes, They Peak Around 25

?Consumer Internet entrepreneurs are like pro basketball players,? a venture capitalist told me recently while discussing the prospects for a thirty-something founder, ?They peak at 25, by 30 they?re usually done.?

Why? Because young entrepreneurs are more creative and imaginative, and are willing put 100% of their lives into their startups, he said. ?It?s not a guess, this is a data driven observation,? says the VC.

He had a number of caveats. First, this only applies to consumer Internet entrepreneurs. Enterprise and hardware startups tend to do better with older founders, where experience (and direct sales experience) matter a lot. And there are plenty of founders that, like Michael Jordan, can peak way beyond 25 (and the peak basketball age is really probably at least a 27). ?Those tend to be the repeat success founders,? he said, ?the rules don?t apply to them.?

Peak age of startup founders is an endless debate. Vivek Wadhwa says his data shows that older entrepreneurs are more successful, for example. He argues that ageism is more about exploiting young people more than getting value for money.

Other data suggests the opposite. Like this ? last year Y Combinator said the average age of their founders is under 25. Of course they could have selection bias, but Y Combinator is one of the most data driven investors I?ve heard of. if older people did better, they?d be funding more of them.

At Disrupt in New York in May we?ve got a very cool interview planned. SV Angel says they?ve analyzed deep demographic data for their 500+ investments over the last twelve years or so. It takes years to know how successful a startup will eventually be, so this is particularly valuable data.

Will they agree that Internet startup founders should be looking to make a name for themselves before they hit 30, or give up? We?ll know in a few short weeks.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/xg51TviNWBk/

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The Golden Gate Bridge's Accidental Color

Video

This graphic requires version 9 or higher of the Adobe Flash Player.Get the latest Flash Player.

A video on the color of the Golden Gate Bridge.

You'd think the color of the most photographed bridge in the world would have a more exciting name than "international orange." Something like "vermilion" or "terra cotta" or "burnt sienna" might seem more appropriate.

Whatever you call it, it's the vivid, unmistakable color of the Golden Gate Bridge, which turns 75 next year. But back in the 1930s, the now-iconic hue was a radical choice.

A painter at work in 1937, the year the Golden Gate Bridge opened. It was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time; painters had to cover more than 10 million square feet of steel.
Enlarge Courtesy of goldengatebridge.org

A painter at work in 1937, the year the Golden Gate Bridge opened. It was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time; painters had to cover more than 10 million square feet of steel.

Courtesy of goldengatebridge.org

A painter at work in 1937, the year the Golden Gate Bridge opened. It was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time; painters had to cover more than 10 million square feet of steel.

'Unique And Unconventional Treatment'

First, to set the record straight, the bridge is named not for its hue, but for its location. It's built above the Golden Gate Strait, the entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean.

The color came about thanks to Irving Morrow, the Golden Gate's consulting architect, who noticed the striking reddish-orange primer painted on some of the steel.

Morrow designed the bridge's lighting and its art-deco styling. He also championed the unusual color. Most bridges were gray, silver or black. It was expected that the Golden Gate Bridge would follow suit.

"He had to convince the Department of War, the permitting agency at the time, that the largest suspension span ever built at the time [should] have this wild crazy color," says Golden Gate Bridge spokeswoman Mary Currie.

The bridge's construction began in 1933. Two years later, Morrow made the case for the wild color in the 29-page document, Report on Color and Lighting, which he presented to the bridge's board of directors.

"The Golden Gate Bridge," Morrow wrote, "is one of the greatest monuments of all time. Its unprecedented size and scale, along with its grace of form and independence of conception, all call for unique and unconventional treatment from every point of view. What has been thus played up in form should not be let down in color."

The primer would need some added tones, but Morrow felt it was an ideal complement to the gray fog, the golden and green hills, the blue water and sky.

A painter touches up one of the bridge's cables. When it came time to decide the paint color for the bridge, consulting architect Irving Morrow wanted a warm hue to contrast with the cool grays, blues and greens of San Francisco Bay.
Enlarge Courtesy of goldengatebridge.org

A painter touches up one of the bridge's cables. When it came time to decide the paint color for the bridge, consulting architect Irving Morrow wanted a warm hue to contrast with the cool grays, blues and greens of San Francisco Bay.

Courtesy of goldengatebridge.org

A painter touches up one of the bridge's cables. When it came time to decide the paint color for the bridge, consulting architect Irving Morrow wanted a warm hue to contrast with the cool grays, blues and greens of San Francisco Bay.

Who Paints The Bridge?

There are more than 10 million square feet of steel to paint on the bridge. It's constantly touched up, not just to keep up the color but to protect it from the salty weather.

Currie says one of the big myths is that the bridge is painted from one end to the other rather than continually touched up.

Paint superintendent Rocky Dellarocca jokes: "Yeah, you start at one end, and when you get to the other end, you retire." That's how long it would take.

Dellarocca spent two decades painting the bridge. Now he oversees some 30 bridge painters.

"Rocky dreams in international orange," Currie says with a laugh.

Painting the bridge is tough work. Only rain stops Rocky and his crew. But the bridge is wrapped in fog almost 70 percent of the time. And the winds can blow 60 mph ? which can cause problems because workers usually use spray guns.

"There's some places it's so windy you have to hold the spray gun next to the steel ? otherwise the paint will blow off at a 90-degree angle. That's why, to be a structural steel painter ? bridge painter ? you've got to be a little off-center," Dellarocca says.

A bit of "international orange" paint on Susan Stamberg's fingertip.
Enlarge Cindy Carpien/NPR

A bit of "international orange" paint on Susan Stamberg's fingertip.

Cindy Carpien/NPR

A bit of "international orange" paint on Susan Stamberg's fingertip.

A Special Brew

Buckets of paint are stored in an underground bunker near the bridge. Dellarocca estimates that 5,000 to 10,000 gallons are used yearly.

You can't just walk into a paint store and buy the Golden Gate Bridge color. You may find something called "international orange," but it's not this international orange. This is a special mixture formulated just for the Golden Gate.

"Over the years, I've had so many people call me," Dellarocca says. "They want to get this color because they want to paint their bikes, the trim on their house, their fence, their dog house. They love the bridge."

Dellarocca spent a good deal of time mailing chip samples to anyone who asked. Now you can find the exact paint mixture on the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District's website.

Color? I Can't See The Bridge!

San Francisco is regularly wrapped in the kind of fog poet Carl Sandburg described as coming "on little cat feet." When that happens, it's hard to see the color of the paint on the bridge. The cables curve upward but go nowhere, disappearing into the fog.

Golden Gate Bridge spokeswoman Mary Currie and paint superintendent Rocky Dellarocca stand on the bridge. The orange cables behind them are obscured by thick fog. From July to October, foghorns blare for more than 5 hours a day on average.
Enlarge Cindy Carpien/NPR

Golden Gate Bridge spokeswoman Mary Currie and paint superintendent Rocky Dellarocca stand on the bridge. The orange cables behind them are obscured by thick fog. From July to October, foghorns blare for more than 5 hours a day on average.

Cindy Carpien/NPR

Golden Gate Bridge spokeswoman Mary Currie and paint superintendent Rocky Dellarocca stand on the bridge. The orange cables behind them are obscured by thick fog. From July to October, foghorns blare for more than 5 hours a day on average.

"But when this fog goes away," Currie says, "you'll see the beautiful Marin Headlands and golden hills as they reflect against this beautiful international orange."

It's an understatement to say that Currie and Dellarocca take great pride in watching over this bridge.

"People took care of this place before I got here, since 1937," Dellarocca says. "I'm going to take care of it, and when I retire, someone's going to come right behind me and keep taking care of this bridge."

Can he imagine the bridge any other color?

"No, it's the most beautiful bridge in the world," he says. "The Navy wanted to paint it black and yellow so it was more visible, but the [Golden Gate] Bridge District said no way."

No way, indeed.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/26/135150942/the-golden-gate-bridges-accidental-color?ft=1&f=1003

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Crisis Averted: Lady Gaga Approves 'Weird Al' Yankovic Parody

For those who hope to one day see a video in which "Weird Al" Yankovic adopts many satirized Lady Gaga personas, all's well that ends well.
Enlarge Courtesy of the artist

For those who hope to one day see a video in which "Weird Al" Yankovic adopts many satirized Lady Gaga personas, all's well that ends well.

Courtesy of the artist

For those who hope to one day see a video in which "Weird Al" Yankovic adopts many satirized Lady Gaga personas, all's well that ends well.

All day Wednesday, everywhere from The New York Times to TMZ, reports have surfaced that Lady Gaga had refused permission for "Weird Al" Yankovic to release a parody of "Born This Way" called "Perform This Way." Yankovic himself blogged about the apparent rejection ? writing that Gaga's people had given him the runaround, asking for the lyrics, then asking for the finished song, then flatly rejecting the final product after he'd gone to the expense of canceling a vacation, booking a studio, paying musicians and recording it.

Here's the song.

Yankovic has made unauthorized parodies available to the public before ? including a James Blunt parody titled "You're Pitiful," following a rejection of the "You're Beautiful" parody by Blunt's label ? but he's never knowingly released one on one of his albums. "I Perform This Way" was to be the first single from Yankovic's follow-up to 2006's best-selling Straight Outta Lynwood, and Yankovic wrote that approval of "I Perform This Way" was the only factor holding back scheduling of the new record's release.

?
Don't blame Lady Gaga, people. She loves "Weird Al" Yankovic.
Enlarge Courtesy of the artist

Don't blame Lady Gaga, people. She loves "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Courtesy of the artist

Don't blame Lady Gaga, people. She loves "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Thankfully for all involved ? get ready to rest easy, folks ? I received a breathless phone call from an ecstatic "Weird Al" Yankovic about an hour ago; it turns out that Gaga's people have reversed course and approved the parody after all.

That outcome seemed likely as I was chasing Gaga's side of the story for a piece earlier this afternoon ? when I emailed her manager, Troy Carter, to ask why she'd rejected the song, he wrote, "Gaga didn't refuse permission of the record. In fact, she's never heard it and is a big Weird Al fan." Which directly contradicted everything Yankovic had written: namely, that Gaga herself had flatly refused to grant permission, having heard the song. So I reached out to Yankovic, who wrote, "Well, um, I'm baffled. I'll let you know what, if anything, I find out."

As reports involving the apparent rejection poured in, Yankovic's fans mobilized on Twitter, as fans on Twitter are wont to do ? and most of them blamed Gaga, accused her of hypocrisy, and so on. But, given that Carter was now saying that Gaga hadn't heard the song...

Anyway, for those who hope to one day see a video in which "Weird Al" Yankovic adopts many satirized Lady Gaga personas, all's well that ends well; Gaga has now heard the song and approved of its release. And, as Yankovic was promising all along, all proceeds from the song and its forthcoming video will be donated to the Human Rights Campaign. As Yankovic himself writes, "I'm thrilled on many levels to hear this, because 1) I truly respect and admire Gaga as an artist and it pained me to think of her as having less than a great sense of humor, and 2) it means I GET TO PUT OUT MY ALBUM!"

So there you go. Disaster averted!

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2011/04/22/135582519/crisis-averted-lady-gaga-approves-weird-al-yankovic-parody-after-all?ft=1&f=102

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