Member Center
Share
-
Del.icio.us
-
Digg
-
Facebook
-
Furl
-
Google
-
Reddit
-
Stumbleupon
-
Y! MyWeb
Article tools
Get our e-lert
Sign up for our bi-weekly things-to-do newsletter to help you plan your weekend and weeknights.
On the Net: A bug's life thrives online
AP Entertainment Writer
Online video might still be relegated to relatively small screens, but the size is just right for bugs.
No, we're not talking about software bugs (though those viruses can indeed still rear their heads), but good ol' insects. There are, naturally, numerous scientifically minded sites like bugbios.com throughout the Web, but insects are also finding staring roles in the online entertainment world.
In this image released by the Sundance Channel, Isabella Rossellini's is shown as a fly in the short film series 'Green Porno.' (AP Photo/Sundance Channel)
|
The dragonfly is ready for its close-up.
As is true with so much on the Internet, sex is what's generating interest.
More than three million people have watched a YouTube video documenting the mating rituals of leopard slugs whereby two entwined slugs suspend themselves from a branch and fertilize each other in mid-air.
Titled "Slug Sex," the video was lifted from the thoroughly impressive BBC documentary series "Life in the Undergrowth," hosted by David Attenborough. Highlights from the series (which captured many spectacular sights using tiny cameras) can be seen at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/lifeintheundergrowth/
On YouTube, where so often the most popular videos tease sex or skin, the success of these slugs in love is both odd and perfectly fitting. Commenters have variously called it the "no. 1 love scene" and sarcastically wondered why YouTube would allow pornography. (The site's community guidelines specify: "YouTube is not for pornography or sexually explicit content" — presumably referring only to mammals.)
The line between insects and humans is further blurred by, of all people, Isabella Rossellini. The 55-year-old actress ("Blue Velvet," "Death Becomes Her") wrote, co-directed and stars in a series of eight short films titled "Green Porno."
The shorts have been making their way around the festival circuit, first playing at the Sundance Film Festival and, most recently, at the Tribeca Film Festival. In full-bodied costumes, Rossellini plays insects such as an earthworm, a firefly and a praying mantis, and describes their methods of reproduction.
As a spider with six eyes and eight limbs, Rossellini seriously but comically acts out the delicate approach the male spider must take to court a female. It's a bugged-out video, for sure.
On Monday, "Green Porno" was posted online at http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno, where you can stream the videos. It was also made with even smaller screens in mind; "Green Porno" is available on mobile phones through Helio — the only time you might willfully put bugs in your phone.
___
THE WEBBIES: The annual Webby awards were announced Tuesday, highlighting many worthy Web sites including http://www.TheOnion.com, http://www.Wired.com and Nation Geographic's http://ngm.com. (You can see the winners here: http://www.webbyawards.com.) My favorite among the bunch, though, is the brilliant http://www.PassiveAgressiveNotes.com, which won for best site in the "weird" category. The site is exactly what it says it is: a collection of submitted photos of notes left by angry roommates, co-workers and family members. It calls itself "painfully polite and hilariously hostile writings from shared spaces the world over." The most popular note on the site was left on an office kitchen microwave, imploring colleagues to clear unused time off the microwave timer. If all that survives of our civilization is such notes, future species will roll their eyes and remember us as the most sensitive and lamest race ever.
___
EDITOR'S NOTE — What's your favorite bugged-out site on the Web? E-mail AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle at jcoyle(at)ap.org
___
Copyright 2008, The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP Online news report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.Things to Do
Find Local Events
Bodies, bodies everywhere [exhibit]
It's kind of like an entire exhibit of naked bodies but they're all a little too naked. Although "Bodies: The Exhibition" has caused some controversy, there's still nothing like it. More »
What's happening this week
Search Events
Find Local Events
What's happening this week
Movies
Movies & Showtimes
Iron Man [action / adventure]
In defiance of a corrupt mogul, Speed enters the same grueling, cross-country race that took his beloved brother's life. Read review »
Find Showtimes
Find Movie Times
New Movies in Theaters
Restaurants
Find Restaurants
Random Top-Rated Restaurants
Click restaurants to add your rating/review.
Food & More
Local Dining
It's almost Mother's Day… better treat your mom to a nice dinner [restaurants]
Now you have no excuse to say "I forgot." Check out these picks for great places to take your mother for Mother's Day. She deserves a break from cooking and a big thank you from you. Make your plans now. More »
Random Top-Rated Restaurants
Click restaurants to add your rating/review.
Random Videos
AK, Union reach tentative agreement
Community reaction to the tentative AK Steel-union agreement reached Feb. 28, 2007. Chris Griffith
ActiveDayton.com: Contact Us | Advertise | Our Partners | Find our free weekly magazine | Sitemap | RSS
Copyright © 2008 Cox Ohio Publishing, Dayton, Ohio, USA. All rights reserved.
By using ActiveDayton.com, you accept the terms of our visitor agreement and privacy policy.
