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Pioneering animation fusion with ‘Wanga-Manga’
During the 1920s, a young man created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, a cartoon character that quickly became a success for Universal Studios. But when he asked the producer, Mintz, for more money, the...
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The Invisible Artist
Karim Charlebois-Zariffa creates the kind of magic you see all the time but never really thought about. Commercials where buildings explode with paint, music videos where rock stars appear to be...
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Can you Kindle it?
In the run-up to last Christmas, messages from Amazon suggesting I buy a Kindle began polluting my inbox. I deleted every one with gritted teeth, mentally screaming “Don’t want!”, as if the Devil was...
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The Modern Woman’s Guide to Goddessliness
Women of 2011, I beseech you, read this now. You need this article. You need this article that you are probably reading on your Blackberry, or iPhone or super cool laptop, whilst sitting on a squashed...
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Get Here If You Can
There’s some rather unorthodox means of getting to Pop Culture Playpen (and I ain’t talking about railways and caravans and carpet rides). I don’t always understand the odd things people search for to...
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Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older…?
“old” Old is a negative word – unless we’re talking about a vintage wine or valuable antique – but to be old is just not considered good in the Western word. I’d love to be told about a sitcom, film...
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Spoil me!
Now, I don’t often disagree with any of my fellow playpenners- we’re a bundle of love over here. But I’ve gotta stand up and write my piece- I love spoilers! While Miss Thropist may not be a fan, I’ve...
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Direct to DVD
This is a weird time of year- betwixt and between seasons. A few summer shows- like Breaking Bad and Weeds- are still airing, but they’re winding down. The True Blood and Damages season finales have...
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Interwhats?
I don’t understand the internet. I just don’t get it. That might sound mildly ironic (or just plain worrying) since I’m both sort of studying it, and using it right now. I’m not saying that I have no...
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Hark! Songs for Christmas
Miss Penn’s TV wishlist and the recent slew of Christmas-themed episodes (especially the Parks and Recreation one) have convinced me to embrace the holiday spirit. Even if I can’t be bothered to think...
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Pretty Good Year
2011 is revving up to zoom off into the past, and to leave us all in its resultant dust. It was the year of Van der Memes, the London Riots and the great PCP takeover. So I think it’s fair to say...
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Bryter Layter
This Search Term Sunday comes to you from the addled mind underneath my brand spanking new haircut. I now look eerily like Nick Drake, and let’s face it, who wouldn’t want that? Since the last track...
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Searchin’ every which a-way
It’s time, once again, to delve into the mixed grab bag of what people have been tapping into google in order to end up here over the last fortnight. Just in case you hadn’t realised: people scour the...
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Back to Life
It’s springtime! The weather’s getting nicer, there’s blossom in sight and, I don’t know, there’s likely newborn lambs frolicking somewhere around. It’s the perfect time to celebrate themes of...
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How To Have a Nothing Day
The gals and guys here at Pop Culture Playpen know how to work hard and play hard. But they’re also damn good at eating junk food and moving a minimal amount. Seeing as most of them inspired the...
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Netflix: How Big Brother is watching what you’re watching
It certainly seems that online streaming services are the future of home entertainment; with super-fast fibre optic broadband becoming the norm, this form of ad-hoc pop-culture consumption is becoming...
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