finding cain

Some pop songs are built to last. Boy Meets Girl's 1988 single, Waiting for a Star to Fall , is one of them. But here's the entertaining twist: no one wanted it. Songwriters Shannon Rubicam and George Merrill were already successful, having penned massive hits for Whitney Houston. Naturally, they offered the song to her, but in a famously baffling moment, her label boss, Clive Davis, said no. The song then floated to Belinda Carlisle, who even cut a demo, but she passed. Instead of shelving the track, Rubicam and Merrill made an act of quiet defiance: they recorded it themselves. That leap of faith changed everything. Their own version became a global smash and their one unforgettable entry into pop immortality.

There’s a new Pop Mart flagship store in Bangkok. It’s being called "dreamlike," but I see it as more like walking straight into someone else’s mushroom trip. According to UrDesign , the place is "meticulously organized to guide the visitor through a psychological journey, unfolding from the exterior to the interior and from the ground floor upward." I don't know what they mean by that, but it’s an absolute mecca for Labubu fanatics. For those who haven't been subjected to them, a Labubu is a collectible toy inspired by Nordic folklore, distinguished by its slightly devilish facial features. Now, personally, I hate Labubus. But for the devoted adults out there—and I know you exist—this store is custom-made for you. You'll find your treasure here. The whole phenomenon brings me to the point: Why the obsession? Why are adults so aggressively craving these things? It's simple, really. It’s a temporary fix. It's something we passionately embrace for ...

In the 1930s, Universal's hits like Dracula and Frankenstein had everyone buzzing, and Walt Disney wanted a piece of that spooky action for his biggest star. The result was The Mad Doctor —a frantic, gothic horror show where Mickey Mouse has to brave a booby-trapped castle full of dancing, self-assembling skeletons to rescue his snatched dog, Pluto. It was the first time audiences saw a truly terrified Mickey. Not only did some theaters refuse to screen the short film, but the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) outright banned it, deeming it "too gruesome" for kids.

It’s now been fifty-eight years since Walt Disney died of lung cancer, and as a great way to remember his legacy is watch this short film he did in 1929. It’s truly impressive, and you can still see the impact he made on animation today.

You have to hand it to David E. Kelley. The success of Picket Fences , Ally McBeal , and Big Little Lies bought him the freedom to do whatever he wants with Presumed Innocent . The trailer looks promising, but few had high hopes for an adaptation of Scott Turow's first novel that had already spawned a Harrison Ford flick 34 years ago. Ah, 1990…the Gulf War. It was the year when I was afraid to go to birthday parties for fear that everyone would start singing Taylor Dayne's Love Will Lead You Back . 1990 was the year when I caught mumps and chickenpox. It was the year when no one was quite sure what happened between my science teacher and my classmate's dad, but they were sure happy about it. A reason to see Presumed Innocent is the amazing performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and Bill Camp. A reason not to see it is if you're already very familiar with the book and the movie. For some reason, I even had a paperback…but I'd never read it, start to finish. So here I am, ...

I use my bicycle a lot. It's convenient, environmentally friendly, and reduces the stress of getting around the city. But I wouldn't mind driving this whimsical Ghibili/Toyota EV everyday. Panalo 'tong panghatid-sundo sa mga bata.

I saw Akira on Betamax when I was a kid. Trust me, it was a pretty astonishing thing to see at the time. I've seen it five times. I still marvel.

Today I was creeping out on Behance and I came across the work of Anthony Ventura . There are so many talented illustrators out there, and it's always refreshing when I find someone who's work pretty much makes my day, for a bunch of reasons. It's easy to get lost in his world, and I could spend hours looking at all of the posters, magazine artworks, and digital drawings that he created. The images of Chris Cornell and Nick Cave are quite ominous, and George Harrison looks somewhat sublime. The portrait of Ginger Wildheart for Planet Rock really amuses me and puts me in the mood to eat cannabis-laced sweets for dessert. If you like what you see (and why wouldn't you?), you can get signed prints from Anthony's Big Cartel store or T-shirts from Threadless .

Despite it being a little trippy, Wolfgang Petersen's The NeverEnding Story is still one of my favorite movies from my childhood. Now, thanks to Clay Along Creations, we have a cute, scaled-down version of Falkor the Luck Dragon. Be sure to check out all of Jessi's videos . I really like the brown owl, though her version of Sully from Monsters, Inc. is pretty amazing too.

I'm not questioning the artistic excellence of Venus de Milo—the Greek marble sculpture is indeed a masterpiece. It just doesn't speak to me the same way a detailed sculpt of Loki does, so if I had my way I'd put Thor's adopted brother at the Louvre instead. In this time-lapse video, Steven Richter shows the process of creating a half-sized bust of Loki from scratch, molding clay into the handsome face of Tom Hiddleston before turning that depiction into the god of mischief, complete with his iconic head piece.

Strange Days came out when I was in high school, and although it was considered a commercial failure, it made a huge impression on me. Kathryn Bigelow's uncanny tech noir was way ahead of its time. It was released in 1995; was set in 1999; but was really just about now. I have a history of sometimes liking films that critics despise — Capone would be a recent example — and not liking movies that critics applaud. No, I haven't seen Mortal Kombat yet. But one of these days when I have time, I will.

This portrait of Marilyn Monroe is made up of over 3,000 tiny LEGO pieces and is part of a new line of building kits geared towards adults. It sells for $120 (about PHP 6,000) and is due to debut in stores outside the U.S. next month. Aside from Andy Warhol's Marilyn, other LEGO Art sets revealed include Iron Man, The Beatles, and iconic villains from Star Wars. One cool thing about these kits is that each comes with its own unique soundtrack for you to listen to while you're putting your wall worthy mosaic poster together. You can read more about them by visiting LEGO.com. If you like LEGO mosaic art, check out Peter Laven's creations . The Texas-based artist is famous for recreating distinctive works of art using thousands of LEGO bricks, and it takes him hours, even days to complete them.

I remember watching Fast Times at Ridgemont High when I was 12, and there were two things from that movie that I will never forget: Phobe Cates' jaw-dropping scene and The Go-Go's signature song We Got the Beat , which was used in the opening sequence. Beauty and the Beat , the group's first studio album, was one of the most successful debut albums of all time. It stayed on top of the Billboard charts for six straight weeks, earned them a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, and made music history as the first album by an all-female band to hit No. 1. Their story is being told in a new documentary feature simply called The Go-Go's , directed by Alison Ellwood and premiering on Showtime next month. Ahead of the film's release, the band will drop their first new recording in 19 years, Club Zero , out July 31st. Check out the trailer below.

During the heyday of MTV, when the channel actually stood for Music Television, there was an edgy animated sitcom called Beavis and Butt-Head . Created by Mike Judge, the show premiered in 1993 and featured a pair of teenage dimwits. They became pop culture icons, and the show spawned a big-screen spin-off. In 1997, after four years and 209 episodes, the original series went off the air. But Beavis and Butt-Head survived. There were reruns and a one-season revival back in 2011. Just recently, Judge signed a deal with Comedy Central to bring them back to television. Details of the new series are few right now but, according to The Hollywood Reporter , the King of the Hill director will write, produce and voice a reimagined version of the show for two seasons. "Beavis and Butt-Head were a defining voice of a generation, and we can't wait to watch as they navigate the treacherous waters of a world light-years from their own," said ViacomCBS' Chris McCarthy. Plus, ...

Superman fans, particularly those with tons of money, are in for a treat. The cape worn by Christopher Reeve in Superman: The Movie is being offered by Julien's Auctions, and it could fetch up to $40,000. The auction house is also giving you chance to own a space suit from 2001: A Space Odyssey and a yellow hazmat garb worn by Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad . To crazy rich film enthusiasts, original movie props and memorabilia are priceless treasures. The black Givenchy dress Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany's was sold for $807,000 at a 2006 auction, while Marilyn Monroe's iconic white dress from The Seven Year Itch fetched $4.6 million in 2011.

In the 70s and 80s movie theaters in Manila were usually standalone buildings with nice seats and red curtains. To sell tickets, cinemas needed to advertise their offerings. But they did not have the original posters, or the means to print alternatives. So they made their own, commissioning local artists to hand-paint them. I really miss those hand-painted posters and billboards, which conveyed an artistry that was a form of visual hyperbole. But hand-made objects always have a way of returning. In this digital age, people will always look for things made by hand. I recently stumbled across the work of Tony Stella, whose genuinely cool movie posters have caught the eye of film enthusiasts and art lovers worldwide. He likes to work in watercolor and ink wash but sometimes he will make an oil painting, depending on the film. Tony's very active on social media, and his Tumblr blog contains a massive collection of illustrated movie posters that are often better than the original. ...

Amidst the brouhaha about Apple's virtual WWDC—and people getting really pissed off because Donald Trump has made a spectacle of himself (again), death crept and stole one of the living treasures of Hollywood. Director Joel Shumacher died Monday at 80 after a year-long battle with cancer. Perhaps only a few of the young film enthusiasts remember him. But those kids who grew up in the '80s and '90s will never forget his movies.

LEGO and Transformers action figures are some of the toys I really wanted as a kid, but never got. Boy or girl, every child wanted a LEGO. My older cousin had a couple of LEGO sets, but didn't really let me play with them. So, I desperately asked my rich Japayuki ninang for one. Instead, she gave me a knockoff—like the ones sold at sari-sari stores near public elementary schools. Every year, I looked forward to birthdays and holidays with great anticipation, but I never got the real thing. During the height of their popularity in the 80s, many people were convinced that their Autobots and Decepticons were actually smart investments, and that the shape-shifting alien robots would one day be worth thousands. More than 30 years after the original Transformers TV series first aired, its toy franchise remains one of the most popular in history. My mother gave me one when I was 7. Unfortunately, what I got was a funny counterfeit Starscream from Divisoria that looked like a malnouris...

Containing some of the The Doors' most popular tracks, Morrison Hotel is a gritty and raucous album that just makes sense and hangs together well. Now, just in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its release comes this fully authorized graphic novel adaptation from Z2 Comics. Summary "The Morrison Hotel anthology written by Leah Moore, in collaboration with the surviving members of legendary rock band The Doors and drawn by artists from around the comic book world. The graphic novel weave the band's influence into some of the lore that led to their status as the architects of counterculture, influencing artists, poets, and outsiders for generations to come, set against the backdrop of the close of the free spirit of the 1960s into the tumultuous 1970s. A decade in which women, African Americans, Native Americans, gays, lesbians and other marginalized people continued their fight for equality, and many Americans joined the protest against the ongoing war in Vietnam....

David Mach has created some incredible art pieces using unusual media. Matchsticks, coat hangers, and playing cards are just some of the materials that the Scottish sculptor has used. I discovered his work in 2012 via Opera Gallery and instantly became a fan. Let's face it, matchsticks are a technology that became useless the moment lighter was invented. Nobody knows why we continue manufacturing them; their only purpose right now is to aid people who don't have access to toothpicks and cotton buds. David, however, figured out a much more productive use for them. He uses thousands of tiny matchsticks in each of his limited-edition art piece, and then sells them for about the same amount of money. While a lot of artists make sculptures using conventional materials like stone, wood, clay, and plaster, others continue to push the artistic envelope. David has found an alternative use for all those coat hangers in our closets, by turning them into enormous ...