While the public in the US debates an alleged ‘love affair‘ of the mainstream media with the Democratic presidential hopeful, there is absolutely not the slightest doubt about the big crush the German press and public alike have on Obama. The Germans are pretty much a fourteen-year old teenager right now, minus the pimples, but with all the obsessions a young and unexperienced heart can develop when it is captivated by a charming heartthrob for the first time.
“Budweiser will be brewed in the same breweries … by the same people, according to the same recipe,” Carlos Brito, InBev’s chief executive officer told CNN, after his company had finally closed the deal on buying Anheuser-busch – the American company that brews Budweiser Beer. Alas, this won’t settle it with the die-hard fans of an American icon, who accuse InBev of merely paying lip-service to keep this piece of Americana alive.
So I was just watching a repeat of the Colbert Report on television today. Will Smith was there, promoting his new Movie Hancock. The story is a little lame. It’s fun at the beginning but gets really pathetic at the end. As you might expect from Will Smith it’s kind of a failure, even for a summer movie. So I can tell you what it’s about without even spoiling a great movie experience. And yes, I have to admit that I’ve seen it.
It’s basically the story of a desperate superhero indulging in alcoholic beverages. So this guy hates his job – but keeps doing it anyway – to the point that the people of Los Angeles wish him to New York City because he usually leaves a big mess every time he’s on a mission. Finally he meets this publicist played by Jason Bateman who wants to help him gain popularity by (among other things) talking him into voluntarily going to jail .
Today, July 5, is the Day of the Kiss. It’s like Christmas time, only without the mistletoe! Kiss your love, your crush, and whoever you feel the need to- when better to do that than today?
And when you’re done (and in Berlin), head to Brandenburg Gate to celebrate the opening of the U.S. Embassy. The tapmag team will be there!
In Germany and many other European countries, these past weeks have been spent in a state of emergency, with all social activities focused on one thing: Soccer! Find out why the American Embassy is giving out travel warnings after the jump.
30 years ago New York City was a dangerous place. Especially Bushwick in Brooklyn, my neighborhood today, was one of the most poor and devastated places you could imagine. You can still see that in missing buildings, which were often burned down by their owners because they just wouldn’t sell.
Anyway, I just read a blog post on woot.com that has occasional reviews of funny used books. This one is called “Street Smart” and was written by Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa and their lawyer Murray Schwartz.
In his blog entry Jason Toon highlights the funniest and most paranoid moments of the book (including Guardian Angels fashion) and wouldn’t miss the chance to spice them up with a handful of hilarious comments. My favorite excerpt from the book is probably this one:
I feel like waking up from a bad dream only to realize the dream is reality. It’s true, I will not be the Democratic Nominee for the Presidential Election 2008. There, I said it. All those scavengers in the media would love to have that quote. There is more meat sticking to it than there’s pork in Washington. And here I am, telling you, but not telling them.
You know, I always said to Bill “We can not and will not be defeated!” For christsakes, he got into the White House, and he knows probably half as much about health care, trade negotiations and the Iraq War as I do. Who could – no, better – who dared to stop me? I had the pundits, I had the funding, I had the media. I was a historical inevitability. [Read more]
Ever since the HBO series Sex and the City ended four years ago, its fans have been waiting for the announced movie. Now, it has finally arrived. Finally? Something has gotten lost on the way. [Read more]
If you’re free on Friday night and you are in Berlin, head down to the Skizum Studios, for the free screening of the Vietnam documentary “Sir! No Sir!” The movie tells the – relatively unknown – story of the underground GI resistance movement during the Vietnam War.