Thursday, December 04, 2025
"Live and Let Die" Captured by Drone Camera
The 1973 song "Live and Let Die" by Wings was commissioned for the James Bond film of the same name. Now 52 years later, Paul McCartney still performs the song in concert, often with spectacular pyrotechnics. When he played in New Orleans recently, JayByrd Films deployed a drone camera to catch the fireworks in all their glory. This clip doesn't have the entire song, but you know it. When the drone flies over the crowd, you realize that the venue is so big that there's no way you could see the show from the cheap seats, even though they weren't at all cheap.
Our Favorite Peanuts Characters
The comic strip Peanuts debuted 75 years agos. We all know the Peanuts gang and we all have our favorite characters. The core group of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, and Snoopy are augmented by a group of children and animals (but no adults) who each had their own unique personalities.
This video is set up to rank seven (actually eight) of these characters from "criminally overlooked" to "global icon," but we know how such rankings can rankle. It's better to look at it as an explanation of their personalities, and how each one plays a role in providing someone we can relate to, or maybe even aspire to. That said, I am disappointed by the absence of Pigpen. (via Laughing Squid)
The Rattlin' Bog
You may start watching this thinking that they are lip-synching to a record, but no, this woman's voice is just that good. And at the end of an all-night wedding reception.
She is Clodagh McCarthy, singing an old Irish folk song at the wedding of her sister Patrice O’Connor and Donagh Davern in Tipperary. The video went viral a few years ago.
Patrice comes from a family embedded in music and it was therefore no surprise that a sing-song started after the wedding.You can learn the lyrics to "The Rattlin' Bog" for your own wedding if you like. (via reddit)
However, what has happened since has been phenomenal, as the video of Patrice’s sister Clodagh McCarthy singing, with Patrice harmonizing, has gone viral.
The Real Reason American Health Care is So Expensive
Health expenditures in America dwarf those of every other developed country, because we are the only country that makes it into a profit-driven business. Canadians and Europeans don't understand why we put up with it. Or how.
Wednesday, December 03, 2025
An Honest Trailer for Kill Bill
The movie Kill Bill: Volume 1 came out in 2003, and Kill Bill: Volume 2 followed in 2004 to complete the story. And now this Friday, both return to theaters together in a four hour and 35 minute marathon called Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair.
Both the earlier movies were box office hits and became martial arts classics. But it's been a long time, and if you are young, your parents didn't let you see these movies the first time around. Is it worth sitting that long to see both volumes on the big screen? Kill Bill is the saga of a woman done wrong who furiously gets her revenge. It has plenty of over-the-top violence and the many quirks that brand it as a Quentin Tarantino flick, which becomes obvious in this Honest Trailer. The Whole Bloody Affair will also feature a new anime sequence, and there's an intermission between the two parts, so you can stretch your legs and relieve your bladder.
Top Ten Dogs Carrying Big Sticks
We Rate Dogs brings us a ranking a dogs carrying sticks they are so proud of. We are proud of them, too, because they are all good dogs. (via Metafilter)
Snow Bear
Polar bears are normally pretty solitary creatures, but this one feels the tug of loneliness. The other creatures of the Arctic either don't like him or are scared of him. It seems a bit strange for a wild bear to have an imaginary friend, but even that fails when climate change is involved. But there's always hope.
You'll be struck by the gorgeous visuals and the expressive faces in the cartoon Snow Bear. That's because it was written and directed by former Disney animator Aaron Blaise, who co-directed Brother Bear and worked on Aladdin, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. Blaise spent three years on this project, with the aim of supporting Polar Bears International and the National Parks Conservation Service. (via Metafilter)
Miss Cellania's Links
The Penicillin Myth. Alexander Fleming's story of its discovery doesn't hold up. (via Damn Interesting)
The Nicest Place on the Internet. For When you need a hug. (via Nag on the Lake)
Cats can be very possessive about their favorite human.
The Buried Treasure of Baltimore. A pot of gold was a big story during the Great Depression.
Want to donate to charity? Here are 10 guidelines for giving effectively.
Level Devil is a diabolically simple run-and-jump game that will kill you over and over. Just when you think you've got it figured out, you are suddenly confronted with a new way to fail. (via kottke)
Texas cities have some of the highest preterm birth rates in the US, highlighting maternal health crisis nationwide.
Dear Satan
As someone who types in anagrams, I can assure you that it's an easy mistake to make. You write a letter to Santa, and a simple transposition of letters means it goes to Satan instead. The filmmakers at Anomaly London went with it and followed what Satan would do when he got one of those letters. This story is not for children.
Hope constructed her letter well, beginning with admiration for the recipient. That threw him off-kilter immediately. Even Satan can be vulnerable to the power of love. Enjoy this peculiar vision of hell, with an ending that will make you laugh and then feel guilty about it. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Grown Up
NEW COMIC: Swings
— Litterbox Comics (@litterboxcomics.com) December 2, 2025 at 2:28 PM
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Tuesday, December 02, 2025
Tattoo Santa Claus
It had to happen sooner or later. Santa Claus has been arrested for breaking and entering, ratted out by a naughty kid. He doesn't look quite so jolly in an orange jumpsuit as he enters prison life. Santa nervously meets his cellmate who has always been naughty, and now demands an unusual gift. A tattoo. During the process, Santa has time to listen to Joe's story and figures out a way to turn things around.
Tattoo Santa Claus is an award-winning animation from Patrick Ward. The animation appears simple at first, but the lighting and the details add depth to the underlying meaning of the story. (via the Awesomer)
RFK!
The latest song parody from Randy Rainbow is a parody of the song "Cabaret" from the musical Cabaret. Here, it's about the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy, Jr. There's a 90-second as at 1:15.
Mama I'm Jingling My Bells
It's time for an unlikely mashup from Bill McClintock to open the Christmas music season! Here we have the late Ozzy Osbourne with his hit song "Mama" sung to the tune of "Jingle Bell Rock" by Hall and Oates. Ozzy would have gotten a kick out of it.
Dance in Trinidad: Moko Jumbie On 9-Foot Stilts
Moko Jumbies are stilt walkers who dance and perform amazing feats on stilts that are a highlight of the Carnival season in Trinidad and Tobago, although they can be seen on other occasions. Jonadiah Gonzales, Adrian Young, and Stephanie Kanhai are moko jumbies who perform with their crew Touch D Sky. They also teach the art to a younger generation. Their skill, balance, and artistic sense are breathtaking as they perform atop 9-foot stilts. This video is part of the New York Times series on Dance in the Real World. (via The Kid Should See This)
Do Justly
— Inspirational Skeletor (@skeletorinspires.bsky.social) August 13, 2025 at 1:00 PMThe reference here is Micah 6:8.
Monday, December 01, 2025
Electric Nematodes and Flying Spiders
Electrostatic attraction is not a mating strategy, but as you know, Ze Frank will take any opportunity for a double entendre. This video starts off telling us about nematodes, which are weird enough, but eventually gets to the subject matter: how they harness the tiny electrical charges in the atmosphere for their own ends. For nematodes, it's how parasitic species target flying insects to invade. For bees and other pollinating insects, electric fields offer a strategy for collecting plenty of pollen. That benefits the plants, too. Spiders use electrostatic charges to weaponize their webs into more powerful insect traps. And newly-hatched spiders use the power of electrons to spread their silky parachutes and fly. The concept of parasitic nematodes and flying baby spiders might be icky, so instead think about how these tiny creatures understand the physics of the world around them better than you do. There's a 75-second ad at 4:22.
Disabled Kitten Becomes Beloved Birthday Gift
Veterinarian Matt McGlasson knew the runt of the litter needed a special family to take care of her, so the kitten Ru went to his nine-year-old daughter for her birthday. Despite her bent back legs, the kitten turned out to be extremely resilient, and flourished in their home. See more of Ru at Instagram.
Dangerous Candle Wax
December is the darkest month of the year, so candles, once necessary, are now associated with Christmas. You are liable to light a few yourself, so you may as well learn the science behind what makes them dangerous. See, what actually burns in a candle flame is not the solid or liquid wax, nor the wick, but the vapor of the wax.
James Orgill of the Action Lab starts this video with a spectacular reaction you may not see coming. Maybe we should have noticed that he's using a long stick to keep it far away. Apparently this reaction is internet fodder, yet is rarely explained accurately. The video has a two minute skippable ad at 2:30. (via Damn Interesting)
Miss Cellania's Links
A calendar of Christmas TV specials. They include Hallmark movies, murder mysteries, and marathons.
Webcomic Updated for a 15-Year (So Far) Story.
Ancient DNA Reveals Most Europeans Had Dark Skin Until Just 3,000 Years Ago. (via Real Clear Science)
AI video slop is everywhere, take our quiz to try and spot it. Then read tips on detecting artificial intelligence.
The best way to open a huge bag of rice.
Face transplants were a medical miracle, but what are the long-term outcomes? They include medical, financial, and psychological ruin. (via Nag on the Lake)
5 Christmas Songs That Originally Had Nothing to Do With Christmas.
The Stoney Creek Killing. "a murder plot so preposterous that one of their lawyers used stupidity as a defence." (via Damn Interesting)
The Best Jenga Move Ever
This guy chose a peculiar block to remove in a large Jenga tower. If it were me, I'd go for the second or third layer from the top, but I am not a Jenga wizard. However, I think we've found one. Or maybe he's just lucky. Anyway, you're not going to see another move like this for a long time. And everyone in the family is there to witness it, at least one of whom has a camera going. (via Digg)
Pardon Me?
This. We’re pardoning the kingpins and blowing up the low level drug runners and moonlighting fishermen.
— madamjujujive (@madamjujujive.bsky.social) November 29, 2025 at 6:00 PM
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Sunday, November 30, 2025
Hotel California
Postmodern Jukebox reimagines the Eagles 1977 hit "Hotel California" in the style of Cuban jazz. The singer is Rogelio Douglas, Jr. (via Neatorama)
Annie the Beetle
A sweet story about a faithful and dependable car. But those old beetle bugs had no crumple zones, no antilock brakes, no air conditioning, and no gas gauge. I assume Kathleen had seat belts added, but still no shoulder strap. Princess fell in love with the original VW Beetle when she was a teenager. After all, I and my family had nothing but Volkswagens back in the day. She got over her obsession pretty quick when my brother referred to them as "death traps." We are now a Toyota family, with two Priuses, three Camrys, and two RAV4s between us. (via Nag on the Lake)
Christmas Name
Trees Are Weird
The purpose of a tree, as far as the tree is concerned, is to gather sunlight and water. The fact that a tree magically converts those things into building material and fuel is the purpose of a tree as far as humans are concerned. But first, trees had to compete with all other plants to get that sunlight, so they grew tall. The trees had to come up with a system to gather and utilize water over distance.
That system relies on physics that are hard for humans to replicate. It also depends on a form of cellular suicide. The upshot is that even when a tree is healthy and functioning, a majority of it is dead. Kurzgesagt explains what's happening on the inside of a tree in a video is less than ten minutes long; the rest is promotional. (via Nag on the Lake)
Is It Dangerous To Talk To A Camera While Driving?
Tom Scott tries out the University of Iowa's National Advanced Driving Simulator. It's a cool machine, a pod that moves while showing you a virtual reality world. The simulator puts you, the driver, in a variety of situations to test how well you control the vehicle. The scientists who operate the simulator test drivers who text, talk on a phone, eat, and are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Scott was interested in testing a behavior he indulges in often- talking to a camera while driving. The result? He miss seeing things that he never would have realized in a real driving situation -like signs. Even when you keep your eyes on the road, if you are more busy thinking about anything else besides driving, that could happen to you. (via Digg)
The Chicago Way
(via Fark)Finally getting some theological clarity on the ethics of reclining in one’s plane seat
— Richard Pettigrew (@wiglet1981.bsky.social) November 29, 2025 at 7:13 AM
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Saturday, November 29, 2025
How Television Has Changed
Nerdstalgic explains why you don't want to bother watching TV anymore. (via Laughing Squid)
Kitten vs. Robots
Half-Asleep Chris has a new kitten named Henry, who is active, adorable, and much funnier than his adult cats. Henry was the perfect choice to test out a series of ten mechanical animals for their value as cat toys. Oh, the other cats, Bella and Ralph, got a chance to interact with the toys, but they quickly figured out they weren't real animals, so their reactions are only shown here when they add to the video's humor. Henry, on the other hand, is in kitten heaven.
Henry's reactions to each animal robot are not exactly scientifically significant, but they are entertaining. He also spends quite a bit of time in this video licking cat food off a glass table. (via Laughing Squid)
Creed Does "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
You know the song, you love it, but you've never heard it like this. It's just the thing for someone who is not at all serious about Christmas. All kinds of singers and bands have recorded Christmas songs, but they usually keep the original tune, if not the original style. In this version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," the tune is changed as well as the style, to that of "Higher" by Creed. The vocals are not Scott Stapp, but rather Dustin Ballard of There I Ruined it.
What Do Cats Want for Christmas?
Cats want ribbon, boxes, shiny toys, crinkly wrapping paper, and turkey for Christmas! But those things aren't always good for them. In this episode of Simon's Cat Logic, Simon Tofield and veterinarian Nicky Treverrow give us a guide to cats and Christmas. The first part is about Christmas hazards to watch out for. Cats can get tangled in lights, swallow ribbons, choke on bones, and eat poisonous greenery. The second part is Tofield explaining the inspiration for his Christmas cartoons. Then there are some classic Simon's Cat videos.
Friday, November 28, 2025
All the Pretty Lights
A charming song from The Divine Comedy captures the wonder of childhood. A young boy takes a trip to London with his family around Christmastime, and his most vivid memory is all those pretty lights. We can revisit that wonder through the eyes of other children even today. (via Nag on the Lake)
An Honest Trailer for Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein
Frankenstein was in theaters for only three weeks and made less than half a million dollars. To be fair, that limited run in select theaters was just enough to make the movie eligible for awards, because it's a Netflix movie. Guillermo Del Toro spent years imagining a Frankenstein film that stayed closer to Mary Shelley's original story, and this is it. Still, "closer" is a relative term. As this Honest Trailer points out, the philosophical questions of life and death and playing God are contemplative in the book, but screamed out in the movie, because who has time for subtlety these days?
Frankenstein looks closely into Victor Frankenstein's background and upbringing, but doesn't try to make him a sympathetic villain. The creature he creates is sadly immortal. And the one woman in the main cast has romantic connections to three of the men, including the creature. Screen Junkies finds plenty to pick on in this Honest Trailer, but it leaves me wanting to see the movie. Just not enough to pay for Netflix.
Thorgellen
Alex Bosworth is introduced to the Norse holiday of Thorgellen by his Viking relatives in Bakersfield. This video was obviously made before we called the day after Thanksgiving "Black Friday." (via Nag on the Lake)
Miss Cellania's Links
Bird sex fascinated medieval thinkers as much as people today. (via Fark)
Hollingsworth Hound presents the real reason for the housing crisis. The latest from Tom the Dancing Bug.
Sleeping Beauty on Planet Insomnia. (via Metafilter)
The real reason states first emerged thousands of years ago – new research. (via Damn Interesting)
Chud Atlantis. A house in Houston with Dubai energy.
Turning scientific glass instruments and vacuum tubes into art, in the mid-19th century. (via Memo of the Air)
Meet Splash, the Nation’s First Search and Rescue Otter. (via Metafilter)
Darth Vader Mask Fail
After Obi-Wan left the mortality wounded Anakin Skywalker on Mustafar, he was rescued and fitted with new limbs, a new breathing apparatus, and a new voice. But what if the mask that gave him James Earl Jones' voice shorted out and Darth Vader was left to use his original voice? Anakin's voice was as clueless and whiny as he was.
Auralnauts imagined exactly this malfunction. The result shows how much gravitas Jones' voice added to the Star Wars saga, and how Darth Vader would come across otherwise. David Prowse was upset that his voice was replaced with Jones', but we all know it was the right choice. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Art Tip
(via Everlasting Blort)#3157 A helpful tutorial
— Emilius Duckberry (@emiliusdraws.bsky.social) November 17, 2025 at 6:40 PM
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Thursday, November 27, 2025
Won't You Be My Neighbor?
The 2018 feature film Won't You Be My Neighbor? is a documentary about the life of Fred Rogers of the beloved PBS TV series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. It is the the highest-grossing biographical documentary of all time, and the 12th highest-grossing documentary of all time. It won a bunch of awards, and is rated at 97% at Rotten Tomatoes. An awful lot of folks were raised by Rogers, so to speak, including Gen X, Millennials, and even the oldest of Gen Z. As a Boomer with Gen Z kids, I didn't see much of the show, but from what I've seen, I understand the devotion.
Strongbad and the Robot Council
What are all these robots doing around here? Strongbad investigates by sending in one of his minions to infiltrate the robot council meeting. (via Metafilter)
Carol of the Bells
A few months ago, Julien Cohen brought us a flashmob performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" in Paris. For Christmas, he's produced an even bigger show. This is not what you'd normally think of as a flashmob, since the crowd had gathered for the official lighting of holiday decorations of the Comité du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. They were expecting a ceremony and maybe some entertainment, but they weren't expecting this. The music starts with angelic children's voices from the upper windows, gradually augmented with violins, horns, guitar, singing voices emerging from the crowd, and Cohen on the piano playing "Carol of the Bells."
The one hundred or so musicians included Violin Phonix, Guitar Olly, and even a marching band from the French Garde Républicaine. The musicians are listed at the YouTube page with their Instagram links.
The Muppets Join Dick Cavett for Thanksgiving
The Thanksgiving episode of The Dick Cavett Show in 1971 featured Jim Henson and his Muppets through the whole show. This segment has Cavett's monologue, some ads from 1971, a musical number, and an interview with Henson at nine minutes in. You can watch the entire special at Laughing Squid.
Come One, Come All
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Butterball Hotline
When the president wants to settle an argument without giving away his identity, he calls the experts. He should have said he was John Barron, but this episode of The West Wing is from 2000, so he probably wouldn't have known about that guy.
That's One Clever Wolf
A scheme to control the invasive European Green Crab in British Columbia was knocked for a loop when many of the traps were found to have been dragged back to shore. Cameras set up to catch the culprit found it was a wolf. The wolf knew what was in the trap situated out in the water, and took deliberate and obviously practiced steps to retrieve the buoy, then use it to drag the trap to shore. Then the wolf disabled the trap and helped herself to the bait inside.
Is this an example of tool use? It is the first such intricately planned behavior observed in a wild wolf, but psychologists are arguing over whether the wolf was using tools to achieve a goal. That comes down to the definition of "tool use." But however you look at it, this is a clever wolf. Did she figure this out on her own, or are there many wolves that pass this technique to each other? While complicated, it's easier than catching a free swimming fish.
Public Service
Kelly married Congresswoman Gabby Giffords (D-Arizona) in 2007. In 2011, she was shot in the head at a public event (six people were killed). She spent six months in the hospital and suffered brain damage. Kelly had no plans to retire from NASA before this, but he knew he needed to take care of his wife, so that's what he did. A couple of years later, NASA called him up and offered him a job where he could stay home. See, Kelly has an identical twin brother, Scott Kelly, who was also an astronaut at the time. They were going to study the effects of long-term space living, and Mark would be the control twin. Kelly jumped at the chance to continue his public service while taking care of Giffords. You can read more on that year-long experiment at Neatorama.
Giffords recovered enough that she didn't need round-the-clock care. Kelly, who had left NASA in his 40s, wasn't done with public service. In 2020, he became a US senator (D-Arizona).
Mark Kelly has spent his life in public service. That is, except for the years he spent in private service because he loves his wife and she needed him. Serving others for the greater good is ingrained in him. Contrast that with the life of our current president, who never spent one minute in public service until he was elected to the highest office in the land, and who is currently calling for Kelly to be labeled a traitor. Which kind of man would you prefer to be the leader of the whole nation?
Perfect Thanksgiving
Penn Holderness sings about, and has photographic evidence of, the adaptations families make to include everyone in the Thanksgiving gathering. Rickety folding table for the kids? Hide a burned turkey with gravy? Lawn chairs at the table? Take pictures in funny hats (my family has done that)? Mac and cheese because the kids won't eat anything else? These are the things we do to get everyone together. We may pretend it's about gratitude, or the food, but it's the company that makes Thanksgiving.
Miss Cellania's Links
How pecans got into your holiday pie.
Even Kraft Mac and Cheese Has a (Really Good) Black Friday Deal. (via reddit)
2025 Has Been a Terrible Year For The Muppets.
The US poverty line was calculated in 1963 using factors that no longer makes sense. Using the same crisis model, most of us would be impoverished today. Read a lot more in a thoughtful discussion at Metafilter.
The Real History Behind Hamnet and the Tragically Short Life of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway’s Only Son.
More than half of new articles on the internet are being written by AI – is human writing headed for extinction?
She couldn't pay it back — so she paid it forward. (via Fark)
15 Big Box-Office Failures In Recent Movie History.
Simon's Cat in Fast Food (A Thanksgiving Special)
In this holiday cartoon from Simon Tofield, the cat and the kitten double-team Simon when he's merely trying to enjoy his Thanksgiving meal. They've adapted the methods of a gang of common street thieves: distract and swipe the goods. You might think it sad that he's eating alone with just his cats, but it's not based on a real Thanksgiving meal- Tofield is British, after all. But an aromatic savory bird is attractive to cats all over the world. I hope he cooked enough for all of them!
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
So You Want A Model Railroad
This 1955 short chronicles the descent of a good man into the throes of an addiction. (via Memo of the Air)
Thanksgiving Menu
I didn't do Thanksgiving in 2024; I just watched TV, ate sandwiches, and planned a big Christmas. Princess was still recovering from childbirth, and cooked a dinner at her home just like my usual spread, since she had been cooking for years. Dr. Dolittle's husband particularly liked my cornbread dressing and tried to duplicate it himself. However, he couldn't throw off the habit of adding some random Asian spices to enhance it and it didn't turn out the way he remembered it.
Princess and family are staying home this year because of the Captain's work schedule. The doctors are coming. I told them they could invite friends, so they invited people who already had Thanksgiving plans. Can we have the feast on Wednesday night instead? Okay, sure, and that means I can invite my brother and family, who normally go to the in-laws on Thursday. She asked if she could invite others. Sure! But they will come on Thursday. What? What are they going to eat, leftovers? Sure!
So we will have about eleven people eating, but not all at the same time.
I no longer make Stovetop Stuffing, macaroni, sweet potatoes, or mashed potatoes. We will have plenty of carbs with the dressing, gravy, and desserts. Yes, there will be vegetables, too. Plus celery and olives, of course. I have to make deviled eggs because both doctors love them. She wants pumpkin pie, and he wants my pineapple upside-down cake. She said, "No one eats pineapple upside down cake- that's old people food." Personally, I am looking forward to dressing and gravy and a couple of weeks' worth of turkey sandwiches.
Having a feast on Wednesday night means planning the logistics differently. Making cornbread today, desserts tonight, and dressing tomorrow morning. Dolittle usually puts the Christmas tree up, but she won't be here early enough for the Thanksgiving guests to see it, so I'm doing that, too. I cannot set the table early, because I require another pair of hands to put the extension in. But most of the guests know what their regular duties are to get it all together at the last minute.
I hope your Thanksgiving is a wonderful celebration of food, family, friends, and counting your blessings!
Perchten Parade
In the cold and mountainous regions of Europe, winter is dark and full of monsters, and the festivals are extremely metal. This video from last winter has been making the rounds, although it is often mislabeled- this version identifies it as a Nordic Krampus parade. What we are seeing is a Perchten parade in Austria, usually held on January 5th or 6th. The role of the Perchten is to drive away the old year and the evil spirits that inhabit it. The huge jingle bells on their butts help. Perchten are not to be confused with Krampus, another Austrian winter demon, who parades on December 5th. They have a lot of company. These monsters were once associated with the winter solstice, but now are more often associated with Christmas, Carnival, Lent, or Easter. (via Everlasting Blort)
Oh My!
Melodysheep remixed sounds from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz to make a modern musical movie montage. Cool. (via Tastefully Offensive)












































