F-in' Tea! : Youtube Funny

The ladylike world of tea is taken on by some EXTREME MANLINESS in this hilarious send-up of fanciness, etiquette and macho culture. This..is....TEA TIIIME!!!

Youtube Music Tuesday: Beverly Sills sings "Pigoletto" on The Muppet Show

If you love Beverly Sills and Miss Piggy, you'll love this. "I can sing HIGHer!"
RIP Bubbles. I'll always miss your enchanting voice.

Strawberry Switchblade: Youtube Music Tuesday

I haven't done a music post for forever now, and I'm always listening to music and being inspired by captivating music videos so there's really no excuse ^0^

This week I thought I'd share one of my favorite "synthopop" 80s girl bands, Strawberry Switchblade. Strawberry Switchblade consists of by Jill Bryson and Rose McDowell, early members of Scotland's strand of the UK punk movement. Strawberry Switchblade are known for their fusion of pop synthesizer, punk rock and new wave sound. The band has only had four official promo music videos to my knowledge, all of which Tim Pope directed. Their style is somewhat neo-historical, goth, punk, and who could forget their signature polkadots and mass amounts of ribbons. Here's the music video for their song "Who knows what love is?" and also their cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene." Maybe they're too much for some, but I really love their style. If I had been born a decade earlier, I bet I'd be sporting ribbons in my big hair, fun tights and poofy polkadotted frilly clothes too. Gotta love the over-the-top 80s!

Priscilla Renea - Dollhouse - YouTube Music Tuesday Premiere

I found this while--ironically--looking for dollhouse miniature tutorial vids on youtube. Despite the auto-tuning, I really like the lyrics and the aesthetic of Priscilla Renea's music video. The scenario she's describing even reminds me of the Henrik Ibsen play A Doll's House and the plight of many Victorian women. Still relevant and a nice beat too.

In Honor of Bastille Day, Some Rose of Versailles!

I fell in love with the 1970s historical anime Rose of Versailles (also known as Lady Oscar) when I was still in grade school. It's definitely on my top ten list of the greatest anime of all time. The plot basically revolves around the daughter of a general who--unable to bear a son--decides to raise his daughter (whom he calls Oscar) as man so she may eventually take his place as commander of the royal guard. She ends up becoming a bodyguard to young Marie Antoinette, her journey beginning with strong admiration and utter loyalty to the French crown but ultimately ending in a bloody fight for the future of the French people. Along the way the story takes us through political intrigue, women's studies, military history, famous scandals and forbidden romances, but never without a strong sense of the struggle of each character (be they a noble or a peasant).

Image from her official fanlisting @ rosalie.shoujosparkles.net

My favorite character is Rosalie, a young girl who suffers on both sides of the coin. She lives up through her teenage years in a Paris slum and cares for her aging and sickly mother. When money runs out and no jobs are to be found, she actually attempts to prostitute herself (thankfully, she solicits Oscar first!). Rosalie's life ends up leading her to Versailles where a secret about her birth forces her to choose between living as a noble or finding her own way as a peasant. She is a very dynamic character as are all members of the main cast, and since the story spans many years, the viewer is treated to a very thorough--albeit fictional--historical account that touches on life before and after the French Revolution.

Oh--and just for fun, my favorite and quite possibly the funniest Rose of Versailles music video compilation (in honor of that smexy Swede who stole the heart of Marie Antoinette):

Awesome Bonnet-Making Tutorial for BJDs

Very easy BJD straw bonnet tutorial:



Enjoy!

The Best Ad Ever

For those of you who haven't seen this ad from Kotex, I have to show you. It's a parody of ads for women's products that euphemize the whole menstruation thing with images of yoga classes filled with spandex or twirling on the beach in slo-mo.

Not only is this the first honest sounding ad for feminine products I have seen in a long time, but Kotex actually had to fight networks that would not allow them to use the word "vagina." I'm totally serious. Like, talk about tampons and stuff but don't go talking about where it goes. We should never mention our "down there lady bitsies". Furthermore, Kotex acknowledged its own bad ad history by featuring footage from past ads in this one. Three cheers for Kotex for finally letting the world know we get periods and when we do we don't frickin run up and down the beach in slomo in our little white bikinis. Most of us don't do that period or not. Pass the truth and the ibuprofen.