Peter Poster Picked a POPper: Hobbit, Arrested Development, Portlandia + More

Posted on January 31, 2012

* New Hobbit still to start your Tuesday morning right. Chip the glasses and crack the plates – that’s what Bilbo Baggins hates!

Photo credit to Blastr

* Fox News accused the Muppets of being Communists. Naturally, Kermit and Ms. Piggy staged a press conference to respond to such nonsensical allegations. It goes without saying that they get the last laugh. [MSNBC]

* Moving into our Star Wars segment of the morning, Chris Pratt of Parks and Rec has a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader in a new ad for Kinect. It’s okay. He wasn’t ever my favorite on P&R, but he has grown on me. [AdWeek]

* And a grown ass man decided to attack people in a Toys R Us with lightsabers in Portland, Oregon yesterday. He was practicing to be a Jedi. Because all Jedi’s train in children’s toy stores. It’s where real evil lurks. [MSNBC]

* Moleskine journals were never used by Hemingway. They were created as we know them in the very recent year of 1997, for crap’s sake. And they’re only “legendary” because that’s the advertising word they chose to go with. As opposed to “blank”. That being said, I need to start keeping a journal so I can get my hands on one of these sweeeet Moleskin Lego books. [Wired]

Photo credit Moleskine.com

* Just so that everyone understands, the entire cast of Arrested Development is TOTALLY in for the new season. I feel like this is kind of a moot point. We know they’re all in, we can’t freakin’ wait. Get on with it. [HuffingtonPost]

* A letter from J.R.R.Tolkien recently sold at auction for almost $2700. The letter was to a couple he met while Tolkien was on vacation with his wife. There was a time when people were polite and genuine. You didn’t have to deal with others, you simply got to spend time with them. My how times have changed. Grumble. Grumble. [Blastr]

* Bubbler crabs in Malaysia have been filmed creating little galaxies of sand-and-spit bubbles. It’s all so freakin’ adorable. [Buzzfeed]

* Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein can’t get enough of Rock n’ Roll. The Portlandia duo’s newest music spot: covering DEVO. And it’s awesome, of course. [CoverMeSongs]

* Canadian Skier and X-Games pioneer Sarah Burke passed away recently due to injuries suffered while training on a half-pipe. He untimely death has caused even further scrutiny of the American health care system – or lack thereof. The medical bills incurred due to trying to save her life in an American hospital are expected to reach over $200,000. As so often seen in this corrupt nation, the emotionally debilitating stress of having a sick or dying loved one is compounded by the rest of the family having to lose their home or go into bankruptcy to simply pay medical expenses, even though that individual might be a tax payer or contributing member of society. Had Burke fallen in Canada, her expenses would have been paid. In fact, had she been hurt in almost any other nation with an economy similar to that of the United States’, her medical expenses would have been paid. So, what are we doing here? I for one don’t make much money at all, but I would be happy for my taxes to increase 3+ percent so that I would not have to worry about health care costs or my loved ones needing medical care or my father’s cancer treatment. A charity fund has been set up in Sarah’s name; donations have exceded the expected costs of hospital bills and the remainder will be given to other charities. [MSNBC]

* And, finally, speaking of money, what do the wealthiest of Hollywood Stars do with all of their millions? New York Magazinerecently spoke with “…a high-level Hollywood money manager…” in an attempt to gain perspective on exactly where millions can possibly be spent by one person in a single year. Check out the break down below. It’s just a little infuriating. [NYMag]