http://www.theculturalgutter.com/ This site is updated Thursday at noon with a new article about an artistic pursuit generally considered to be beneath consideration. James Schellenberg probes science-fiction, Carol Borden draws out the best in comics, Chris Szego dallies with romance, and each month we feature a Guest Star writer on a gutter subject on their choosing. While the writers have considerable enthusiasm for their subjects, they don't let it numb their critical faculties. Tossing away the shield of journalistic objectivity and refusing the shovel of fannish boosterism, they write in the hopes of starting honest and intelligent discussions about these oft-enjoyed but rarely examined artforms. en-us 2008-07-07T18:35:33-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/notes/ong_bak_2.html Tony Jaa's been bit by the mixed martial arts bug and Twitch has the proof. Plus a fight on elephants. (via Kung Fu Fridays). ... Notes Carol Borden 2008-07-07T18:35:33-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/notes/chocolate_asskicking_autism_revenge.html Notes Carol Borden 2008-07-07T13:06:30-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/notes/dr_horribles_singalong_blog.html Everybody loves a supervillain. Especially a low-end one. Especially me. Here's a teaser for Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. And here's the crosspromotional Captain Hammer comic. ... Notes Carol Borden 2008-07-05T15:08:18-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/screen/manbat_ninjas_ninja_batmen_and_art_with_no_content.html At the risk of tearing up Carol's yard (a risk I’ll take, since she’s parked on my lawn currently, leaving me nowhere to pull up). I’m going to talk about comics for bit here. Don’t worry, I’ll get to the... Screen Ian Driscoll 2008-07-04T18:17:30-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/notes/the_vizigraph.html Notes Carol Borden 2008-07-04T15:15:09-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/notes/100_hulks_charity_auction_gallery.html Predictably enough, you get to see The Hulk smash. But he also pets a kitten. Recreates the Pieta. Feeds a deer. Is afraid of a bug. Whitewashes a fence. And does much, much, more - all for charity - at... Notes Ian Driscoll 2008-07-03T12:42:51-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/notes/welcome_to_monster_camp.html Notes Carol Borden 2008-07-03T11:47:53-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/notes/hellboy_and_the_hobbit.html Guillermo del Toro has a lot to say about Hellboy and hobbits at the L.A. Film Festival. (Really, it's an hour interview). ... Notes Carol Borden 2008-06-30T13:27:59-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/notes/chad_vader_trains_his_staff.html In honor of the Gutter's trip to Madison, we present, Chad Vader Training Videos here and here. If you haven't seen the Chad Vader, Day Shift Manager episodes, looky here. (And yes, I saw the food co-op where it's shot).... Notes Carol Borden 2008-06-29T14:19:15-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/notes/afrofuturism.html Preserved from usenet, Mark Dery's 1994 essay on Afrofuturism:"Hack this: Why do so few African-Americans write science fiction, a genre whose close encounters with the Other---the stranger in a strange land---would seem uniquely suited to the concerns of African-American novelists?... Notes Carol Borden 2008-06-28T13:38:20-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/notes/mothership_connection.html It's a history of Afronauts in music, from Rev. A.W. Nix to Sun Ra to Lil Wayne. ... Notes Carol Borden 2008-06-28T13:23:34-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/notes/mk_vs_dcu_screenshots_dark_knight_vs_ninja.html Always wanted to see the Dark Knight go ninja a ninja with Scorpion? Newsarama has screenshots from the Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe game. ... Notes Carol Borden 2008-06-28T13:02:42-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/comics/_13_hours_on_the.html 15 hours on the road and I was my own red-eye on I-94's corridor of stripclubs, fireworks and roadkill, racing past dead deer in Michigan, then Gary, Indiana's steel mills and through Chicagoland, the Sears Tower in the distance waiting... Comics Carol Borden 2008-06-26T12:34:40-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/notes/good_old_photoshop.html Retro Gaming on real backgrounds - the dojo and the skyscraper are both particularly good. ... Notes James Schellenberg 2008-06-26T10:54:32-05:00 http://www.theculturalgutter.com/notes/reenacting_dark_shadows.html Dark Shadows + dolls = fun! (via Quiddity) ... Notes Carol Borden 2008-06-25T15:38:21-05:00