Brands and wanna be social media gurus take note.  Mom, mom, mommy, ma, mom, mom, ma, ma, mommy, mommy… WHAT!!… hi! Facebook fan page has 4 Million+ fans.  Become a fan here and tell your mom you love her (and apologize for that chocolate stain you made on her new white couch).  If you are a brand maybe you should think about creative and unique ways to not only ‘engage’ your audience but also entertain them.  The creator of this fan page has 4 Million fans, imagine if your brand was sitting on that treasure chest of gold.

Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon is arguably my favorite album of all time.  When I read the news that the band won their lawsuit  against EMI recently because they never permitted the publisher to sell individual track downloads I thought, well if anyone has a case it’s Pink Floyd.  I mean, between Floyd, Zeppelin and Steely Dan they practically invented the album oriented rock genre and the multitude of AOR radio stations to follow.  These days it’s rare to see contemporary artists recording full bodies of work that actually constitute an album (not to mention producing a concept record).  I am excited to see the Floyd still live on digitally, even if you can’t buy their songs one at a time on iTunes…this 8-Bit ditty of Money somehow translates into pop culture genius.

Happy belated Easter wishes from Big Mean Carl and the Muppets.  There is nothing like a nice chocolate bunny and a fresh glass of milk to wash down this unusually awesome (and creepy at the same time) Muppets rendition of Ben E. King’s Stand By Me. I’ve always had a deep fascination for these furry iconic creatures, not to mention an intense fear of the Oscar the Grouch stuffed animal I had as a kid that sat in the corner of my bedroom next to the dresser but that’s another story.

The Muppets are officially digital and have increased their online activity, they even have their own iPhone App.  I’m excited to see what musical cover they do next.

What is Sissy Bounce?  Peep the video above for Sissy Nobby’s Word of the Day – SPIN (to rotate constantly in a single direction) for a taste.    A sub-genre of the still underground New Orleans Bounce scene most notable for Juvenile’s Back That Azz Up, Sissy Bounce is similar to Crunk, Miami Bass and Bmore (Baltimore club music).  According to artists such as Big Freedia describes the mix as some of the most hypersexual, bump and grind you can imagine, remove everything but the sexed up chorus, speed it up, and then remove the sexual identity of the artist performing it. Sissy Bounce artists are purposely androgynous, sometimes referred to as queer, sometimes transgendered, a very direct intent is to fuck with people’s heads about sexuality.

For more check out Sissy Bounce A Taste of the Real Underground by Sean Bonner.  The link also features a great interview with Alix Chapman by Scott Beibin for the definitive Sissy Bounce 411 and check the Vanity Fair New Orleans Sissy Bounce: Rap Goes Drag article here.

When I saw Dennis Hopper on the news this week it deeply saddened me and reminded me of how big a fan I am of his craft.  The clip above shows Dennis from his early days.  Currently, in a battle for his life against cancer I prefer to share more of a living tribute and send our well wishes to Dennis and his family.  I can only hope that the rumors are true and the MoCa museum will be featuring an exhibit dedicated to the photographer’s ’60′s period pieces.  Dennis Hopper starred in such film classics as Rebel Without A Cause, Easy Rider (which he co-wrote and won Best Original Screenplay at Cannes), Blue Velvet and Apocalypse Now.  Hopefully, more people will also be able to share and experience Dennis Hopper the photographer, painter and sculpture.

Civic duty of the day accomplished, we just completed filling out our 2010 US Census.  We Can’t Move Forward Until You Mail It Back. Honestly, I don’t understand why everyone is so paranoid about what information about us the Census collects.  Sure you might have your reasons for being skeptical or not trusting Big Brother or  Uncle Sam but consider for a second that you have to provide more personal data just to get a cell phone contract.

National Geographic COO Digital Strategy, Edward Prince Jr. is interviewed by Rafat Ali from PaidContent.org during the Abu Dhabi Media Summit last week.  Check out the video interview here.

I’m a huge fan of Nat Geo the brand, the magazine, the cable channel, the photography and pretty much everything they have done since I can remember digging through my father’s extensive collection that dated back to the late 60′s when I was a kid.  There is something special about the experience you feel turning from page to page and the remarkable job they have done to curate, archive and share some of the most compelling cultural works of art+science known to mankind.

National Geographic, I anticipate, will also be one of the thought leaders spearheading the way in which content & media companies migrate from old traditional media to new emerging digital mediums and business models.

Edward speaks about the company’s digital strategy and discusses how Nat Geo utilizes its two key pillars; their cable channel and magazine to draw a % of revenue and re-invest into the digital space (Web, Content Syndication, Gaming, Mobile and ePublishing).  While many media companies rely mainly on an advertising revenue model, Nat Geo is developing apps and going into gaming.  Their website is ad supported but they are banking heavily on the fact that consumers will pay for mobility and see mobility as a great value.  I don’t know about you but I’m willing to compare how that full page print photo compares to the on screen version on the iPad.

Design your own Banana at Eat A Chiquita.com. Kudos to the marketing mastermind at Chiquita Banana who was cool enough to recognize what their consumers were doing with the stickers on the fruit after they had finished eating the banana.  I’m sure we have all been guilty of this at some point, I’m partial to slapping the stickers on Drive-Thru intercoms and Taxi Cabs.  Created by Art Director DJ Neff, many of the graphic faces take their design cues from Japanese anime or skateboard culture each with their own fun personality.  Check it out and even design your own stickers.  I’m curious to see what other designs people create.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Mash-Ups aren’t just limited to music anymore.  Get ready for some pop-culture jamming with Lil Wayne’s Hustler Musik mixed with the theme to The Office by DJ Clockwork.

One of the feature songs from David Byrne & Fatboy Slim’s double concept record Here Lies Love (4/6 release) is Please Don’t featuring Santigold on vocals.  The video is made entirely of stock news footage of the widow of former Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, Imelda Marcos who interestingly seems to be the inspiration for the project.  Download the song for free and check out more about the project here on David Byrne’s website.

Just in time to cure some of your post carnival celebration hangover and in anticipation of the upcoming World Cup Nike drops some supa-dupa dopeness with the Nike Brasil Black Pack.

As a 5-Time International Footbol Champion, Brasil is one of the most feared teams in the world.  Their signature bright yellow, blue and green uniforms and style of play showcase a level of toughness that is proven in their ability to win.  Nike designers followed with one of the most radical concepts to take the Brasilian yellow and turn it black.  “It is the Brasilian Yellow that Scares Them,” A Brasilian player once told the Nike design team.

The entire Black Pack collection is simply fresh but the Packable Jacket (below) is my personal favorite.

When it comes to late night, I was always with Coco and more recently I think Jimmy Kimmel is hands-down the king.  Jay is done and Letterman will continue to have his moments.  Newcomer, George Lopez and Lopez Tonight are slowly making a name for themselves and are featuring the cast of The Jersey Shore all week in a series of parody skits.  The Jersey Shore Presents: The Hurt Locker is classic and one has to wonder what’s next for the cast…

Los Angeles based Gallery Nineteen Eighty Eight is featuring Castle Greyskull Under the Influence: Master of the Universe tribute art show.  By the power of Greyskull, don’t miss this show the art is disturbingly powerful.

Combining two of my favorite things, Rio and Playmobil – creator Rodrigo Pereira who is a popular art/intervention artist in Rio, Brasil has produced other public installation works in Rio previously but none as playful and creative as this Playmobil parking barricades ‘public works improvement project.’

Part street-art, part graffiti, this is a public art intervention that is not only brilliant but also additive to the community.  More urban communities should welcome and support local artists for more of the same.  I mean who really wants to stare at a bunch of grey concrete barriers anyway?  When I was a kid Playmobil was the shit.  I remember thinking I was so cool for having the Playmobil pirate ship, that was until my best friend’s older brother became completely obsessed and created an entire Playmobil universe in their basement complete with spaceship and castles.  Thanks for the memories.  Check out Rodrigo’s Flikr for more pix.