For everything we give the hipster population shit about, the process of ‘hating cool stuff’ seems to be the overarching value that’s managed to transcend into a mainstream appeal. Nowadays, the amount of hype something gets is only matched by the disdain once it gets there — and the inevitable backlash over anything ‘too’ good. We’ve already discussed some good reasons to like some celebrities that fit this category, but what about more general issues? 

To hate stuff is cool I guess, but we can’t help but like these things — even if you don’t…

The post Things We’re Supposed to Hate (But Secretly Love) appeared first on Portable.tv.

We’re in Arrested Development lockdown this week, re-watching past seasons and re-acquainting ourselves with our Bluth family favorites and all their weird friends (Steve Holt!). One of our personal favorites, Gob “A Trick Is What A Cheap Whore Does” Bluth, has had a long and varied career as his alter ego, Will Arnett, who, even post-Amy Poehler split, we still hold dear in our hearts. From his innocuous beginnings in bit roles on iconic shows like The Sopranos to some of the funniest TV we’ve ever seen, like The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret with Arrested co-star, David Cross, Arnett has a resume that’s sure to leave behind a legendary comedy legacy. And if you’re not yet familiar with him, we guarantee after hearing his sexy, husky voice just once, you’ll be a convert for life…

The post No Tricks: Everything You Need To Know About Will Arnett appeared first on Portable.tv.

We spoke to artist Sandra Dieckmann about her animalistic, whimsical work and forthcoming talk at the Semi-Permanent festival.

Portable: Describe yourself in one sentence.

Sandra Dieckmann: I’m a think-making, illustrating, womanimal.

P: Your illustrations contain lots of animals, nature and wildlife; tell us why this inspires you.

Sandra Dieckmann: My childhood, heritage and early impressions have influenced my work in a big way. I guess as a child we learn fast and are also most vulnerable to influences. My approach to creating images is definitely is rooted in my beginnings. My head is full of stories and creatures and conversations. I can’t be any other way. Sometimes I think it is the way I was allowed to be free without fear so early on that ignited this dreaminess and the stories I got to know. I explored the woods, spent loads of time reading, drawing and just making things and in the end just never stopped, although I always thought I’d be a vet.

I have had a deep rooted love for animals forever. It’s not that I find them cute or easy on the eye. Their sheer variety is breathtaking, their colors and textures but that is only my fascination on the surface. I think they hold a mystery that teaches us so much about our own lives and I’m so sad how detached we are today from nature. We are part of everything and everything is part of us. I want to remember that this planet is about 4.5 billion years old and has been OK going through it’s own evolutions but since the industrial revolution merely 200 years ago we have managed to rob it of so much of its resources. I wish we turned round and gave back what we took. If not for us then just because we are better then a wrongly designed robot that blindly runs against the same wall over and over again. I have to stop myself here … I just rant!

P: Tell us about your process. How do you start a work, and how long does it generally take until completion.

Sandra Dieckmann: Story telling is something I love. When I start a project most of the time I have a brief. I hardly ever just doodle. A brief from a client or a personal goal. I try and imagine the image before I start but often that doesn’t work completely. I talk about my idea and see how the conversation feeds the imagery then I start. Most of the time an animal or person is the central part of it. Depending on the situation and story of the image a particular animal or animals will come to mind if I haven’t been asked to draw a specific one anyway. I then go through my books and the Internet and my archives and fish out poses and expressions I like. Sometimes I find the perfect one but often I puzzle them together.

I always start with the eyes to establish eye contact and make friends with the character I’m drawing. So the creature comes first and while I’m drawing with pens and pencils and sometimes inks the landscape or setting will slowly begin to form in my head. Once the animal is finished, scanned, edited and coloured I then place it roughly on a page and set out to compose the background. It can all take a long time. I’m a perfectionist and sometimes terribly busy in my imagery. I enjoy this part of play immensely. Slaving over an image is like self therapy.

P: What tools do you use for your work?

Sandra Dieckmann: Mechanical pencils, pen and paper always! Sometimes Indian ink or watercolours but nearly always digital editing in Adobe Photoshop afterwards. I really enjoy digital collage and the flexibility it brings to be able to playfully experiment until you get your vision just right. I also collect and make a lot of textures to use in my work. I personally prefer it when the artist actually touches the paper. A lot of vector art is missing life for me. Imperfections are charming and making mistakes the most crucial part of learning! I think tools are what works for you… whatever that is… having the latest version of a certain program won’t make you a better artist or replace talent and hard work but I do think it can be helpful if you need it.

P: You grew up in Germany but live in London. What do you find inspiring about living in London?

Sandra Dieckmann: I did indeed! London is a beautiful and green city and a great place to be creative in. Especially when you are young. I think it drives you on, Everything is on your doorstep. Shows, exhibitions, friends and great talent and all that but I know already that I won’t be here forever. I never fell in love with London and I’m not a city girl. The older I get I ask myself more and more at what price this convenience comes. Maybe I’m afraid I will loose myself in this constant catwalk show and consumerism.

Living in the big smoke is about the opposite of what I depict in my images. I have been asked before if the city may act as some sort of catalyst and I think it must do. I think the city enhances my longing for space and nature extremely. I dream and crave green and space and quiet moments and the beautiful creatures that live in the world. I think my art is my way of finding back to that perfect place in my mind. I hope it exists somewhere but if not… you know what they say… “The way is the aim”.

P: Can you tell us a little bit about what you will be speaking about at Semi-Permanent?

Sandra Dieckmann: I think my presentation will mainly be about my personal development as an artist and also a showcase of my work. I want to talk about what I have learned just by doing something I love to do. How important it is to believe in what you do and to ‘Walk the line’…your line! I also hope to at least communicate through my imagery how precious the planet we live on really is and how magical. I have a deep connection to it and hope that it shines through. Art is a powerful tool for personal catharsis and amazing at connecting people to what is important to you and in return can offer a great escape for those that view it.

Purchase tickets to see Sandra speak at the Semi-Permanent festival here.

The post Sandra Dieckmann’s Wild Wonders appeared first on Portable.tv.

Known for playing the hyper nervous Tobias Fünke in Arrested Development, David Cross has been in pretty much everything you have ever seen. The Cable Guy? Yep. Pootie Tang? Oh, you bet he is. Was he in that late-90’s show everyone just forgot about until now called Just Shoot Me? Uh huh. And most unbelievably he voiced a character named “Zero” in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. I’m thinking he says “Oh, why not?” whenever he receives a script. Almost always bespeckled, almost always searching for the right words to say his angst has served him well.

His range is credited to being sensible, taking minor roles in less ambitious films like Men in Black and Alvin and the Chipmunks to get funds to be brilliant and produce his other projects which currently include The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret which he writes and produces and stars in with fellow Arrested Developer Will Arnett and his wife Amber Tamblyn. They met while filming and they probably live in an airstream in Silver Lake together and swim in a pool filled with money and giggle about anarchy and it’s probably adorable. For a man who plays super uncool characters, he’s actually the coolest.

[lead image via htbackdrops.com]

The post Never Nude: The Increasingly Wonderful Decisions Of David Cross appeared first on Portable.tv.

Two catchy ballads of the Seven Kingdoms have already been interpreted by some indie favorites. The National’s rendition of the Tywin Lannister tale “Rains of Castamere” ended one of Game of Thrones‘ finest hours, season two’s “Blackwater.” The Hold Steady’s upbeat cover of “The Bear and the Maiden Fair” provided stark (puns puns puns!) contrast against the lost of Jaime Lannister’s right hand before the screen went black in season three’s “Walk of Punishment.” While George R.R. Martin probably has enough songs to make it possible, unfortunately HBO probably can’t afford to have a new song close every episode. And all the artists we wish to provide the real world with their interpretation of the mad beats of Westeros probably don’t have the time.

The post Bands We Want To Cover Songs From Game Of Thrones appeared first on Portable.tv.

Weddings, right? So much love and good vibes and free-flowing alcohol, what’s not to get behind? Well if you’re Sansa Stark and about to be married into the family that killed your dad and ruined your name, there’s plenty. Still, the first of three upcoming weddings in Game of Thrones went on regardless of its participants unhappiness, and managed to contain the usual blend of drunkeness and bitterness that we all like to pretend weddings don’t inflame. Plus, Melisandre was back to her witchy ways, Arya and the Hound look set to have a good old buddy comedy ahead of them, and Dany continued to be the reigning HBIC. Let’s get into it, shall we?

First of all, gold star to whoever decided that after almost a full season of ticking off checkpoints with each of our sprawling cast of characters, sometimes it’s better to nail a few stories instead. So instead of the usual Theon torture / Jon feeling conflicted / Robb making another bad decision / Bran hanging out in the wild subplots, we were centered almost entirely between Kings Landing, Dragonstone and Yunkai; and it made for a much more satisfying format than the past scattered episodes, for good reason.

The bulk of the episode was centered around the unwilling wedding of Tyrion and Sansa, but before we get to that, let’s sum up the rest of the happenings this week.

First up was Arya, understandably not thrilled to be taken prisoner by the guy who killed her best friend and worked directly under the guy who killed her father. She’s all set to bash his head in with a rock but of course, Sandor isn’t really that stupid (and probably never sleeps). Instead of punishing her he encourages her to hit him as hard as she can, but if she fails to kill him, he’ll break her arms. Tantalizing prospect indeed. Understandably Arya decides she probably can’t win and they form an uneasy truce; riding double saddle together in a most uncomfortable looking way. Whilst Arya’s convinced he’ll be taking her back to King’s Landing, the Hound isn’t serving anyone these days; just the gold he’ll get for returning her to her family. So they begin heading to the Twins, and we begin to see the beginnings of a great odd couple duo; is the Hound our new Jamie Lannister? Possibly, but any extra moments with Arya would be great too, as she’s been glazed over so much this season.

Another character almost eradicated from the latest episodes is Stannis, whose tete-a-tete with Davos was one of the standout two handers in an episode already packed with great performances. As Melisandre returns (after what seems like the quickest jaunt across half the country ever) with Gendry and the ‘royal blood’ they need, Stannis has to face the ugliness of his actions; something Davos reminds him of. While Melisandre has succeeded in the past, Stannis and his fleet still lost the Blackwater Battle, and he’s now worse off than before. On his visit to Davos in the cells to talk ‘freedom’, Davos reminds him he can’t promise not to forsake Melisandre, and Stannis reminds him of the proof in her powers. Whether or not either are right will be seen eventually; for now they’ve resumed their reliance on each other on even more uneasy terms. Davos is perhaps the only voice of reason on Dragonstone, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll totally conform to his lord’s beliefs or continue to hold his own. At least he can read now, right?

As Stannis debated the merits of becoming a kinslayer for a chance to eradicate his competition, Melisandre had no similar crisis of conscience. Taking her own advice to Stannis of never letting the lamb ‘see the knife’ upon slaughtering it, she summons Gendry to her quarters. She quickly switches from befriending him to seducing him, and whilst the nudity was again hardly warranted, Carice Van Houten sure commits to her character. Melisandre in the books is a cipher; someone you don’t really understand but can’t get quite onboard with either. CVH’s Melisandre is a study of absolutes; she commits entirely to what she believes is right, with little or no bearing on the moral highground of it all. Unfortunately for poor Gendry, she’s much more than just an S&M enthusiast and has some sinister ideas for what to do with him and his blood ; but all in the name of the greater good, of course.

Over the Narrow Sea, Dany is still chasing her own greater good; to end the slavery in the east and set off to claim her Seven Kingdoms with an even bigger army. Yunkai still stands between her though, and they’ve hired mercenary gang ‘The Second Sons’ to help make sure she doesn’t succeed. Dany invites them to ‘meet with her’ in order to inform them they’re either with her or dead meat. It’s not a given she’ll defeat their army though, so it’s a handy bonus when one of the leaders, the alluring Daario Naharis, takes stock in Dany’s firey conviction and decides to kill his comrades rather than kill her. It’s an important plot point for her upcoming battle over Yunkai (and a part of a much bigger plot in the novels, in which The Second Sons were merely one of a few big gangs protecting Yunkai) but it’s a bit dull against the other plots of this episode; the killing itself happens offscreen, so all we get is the aftermath of Daario interrupting Dany’s bath and them both being respectively turned on by each other (to be fair, Emilia Clarke can turn pretty much anyone on, particularly standing fully nude after a bath). The character of Daario is basically to be a pretty distraction (and even possibly threat) to Dany and the actor Ed Skrein does a good job of exploring his charisma and sex appeal without being overbearing, even if he does look more like an extra from Lord of The Rings rather than the purple-haired, gold-toothed book Daario.

And now to the big event, which was the Sansa-Tyrion nupitals. Weddings tend to bring out the best and worst in people, so of course the best was from the bride and groom trying to navigate the mess of their wedding as best they could (and a true kindness from Tyrion as he attempted to make Sansa a little less unhappy at the prospect of their union), and the worst was, well, everyone else. And weren’t they in fine form. Cersei was spitting insults about lesser folk and threatening to have her sister in-law / daughter-in-law killed, Joffrey was regaling Sansa with his power to rape her with or without a husband, and Tyrion threatened to castrate his nephew. What an evening! Bonus points for Lady Oleannas delight in trying to muddle out the various Lannister/Tyrell relationships (as in, how many ways each sibling and parent are now related) and for Tywin’s judgement face being plastered on throughout the whole proceeding. But the best part was probably when Cersei finally told Loras what we’ve all been thinking about him this season – “nobody cares”. It was bitchy, black-comedy gold, the likes of which I doubt we’ll be seeing at the solemn Frey proceedings next week or at Joffreys impending nupitals to Margaery (if he doesn’t let up on his creepy ongoing obsession with Sansa, that is). And it finally gave Pete Dinklage the chance to do some real acting this season; his gradual progression from solemn to dutiful to stinking drunk was played for laughs as much as sympathy. And his scenes with Sophie Turner (Sansa) were perfectly played by both, another example of the excellent relationships this season has been able to develop better than the book incarnation. Whilst their marriage hardly looks to be a happy one, at least Sansa has someone kindof in her corner now; and Shae hasn’t died of jealously yet.

The final beat would almost be forgettable after the big wedding process this episode, but it’s important because it reminded us that oh yeah, there was a whole army of White Walkers about to invade the Seven Kingdoms at the end of the last season. Whilst we knew the Night’s Watch had faced down a host of them, they’re still out there and waiting to strike, particularly on prey as seemingly weak and helpless and Sam and Gilly. It seemed fitting that the one time Sam actually mastered the courage to venture out and actively protect himself and Gilly, he was forced to do much more than just investigate. Whilst we saw a flash of Sam’s rugged determination back in Season 1, he’s done little since but whine and wallow, and it was an invigorating sequence to watch him take down the White Walker. He may be a long way off being a hero, but there’s something in Sam that perseveres, that gives me hope he’s not just the funny fat friend and is going to shape up to someone with real power in the long term.

While that last scene neatly wound up some of the supernatural ideas left hanging in last season, the rest of the episode continued to focus on the ongoing political and social struggles our characters face. What’s interesting is until the obvious reminder of the white walkers and the dragonglass knife at the beginning of the episode, I’d almost completely forgotten the things were still out there in the North; there’s just so much else going on. What this season has done quietly and successfully is shift the balance of the concerns from merely supernatural (eg: dragons, magic, direwolves) into something more timeless; even with her Dragons, Dany still has to win over her allies through persuasion, and Melisandre still needs to seduce to get a successful magic result. When the show balances it’s fantasy with it’s reality, we really do get the best of both worlds, and when it can do so without needing to visit a million different characters, it’s even better.

The post Game of Thrones Episode 8 Recap: Let’s Get Married appeared first on Portable.tv.

Advertising is often considered a bastion for creatives who either didn’t make it creating ‘art’ or whose creative talent is best used persuasively. Mad Men simultaneously demonizes and romanticizes advertising, putting on a pedestal the art of persuasion for consumer goods. But what about ads for ideas? PSAs and political ads have to be just as persuasive as those for stuff, and they often are.

You assume that only right-minded PSAs and commercials can be clever and well produced, because the smarter and more capable people are usually on the right side of history — like how The Daily Show is brilliant but there is no conservative analogue. But sometimes the foolish get it right, and that’s likely because of that seen in Mad Men and the real ad biz: they’re mercenaries who will gladly produce content for anyone.

Here are 5 well-made video ads supporting terrible ideas, then a few pictures of billboards along the same lines.

[lead image via celebitchy.com]

The post 5 Well Made Video Ads For Terrible Ideas appeared first on Portable.tv.

Well, I feel like I just came out of a fever dream. What the hell was that?

This week on Mad Men, everything was warped and creepy. At the office, the entire team spent the weekend hopped up on speed, spewing nonsense and nearly destroying each other. At the Draper apartment, Sally had to protect her little brothers from a breaking and entering. In flashback, we saw more of Don’s childhood, and tellingly we learned how he lost his virginity.

“Every time we get a car, this place turns into a whorehouse,” Don says at the end of the episode, as he storms out of Ted’s office. And whores are everywhere this week: Betty accuses both Megan and Sally of whore-ish behavior (she says Megan is always on the casting couch, and asks Sally on which street corner she’s earned her short skirt). Kenny is essentially being whored out to the Chevy people, who use him for dangerous sport. Stan tries to use Peggy to distract himself from pain. “Does someone love me?” says Wendy, the weird hippy chick who’s throwing I Ching coins for the addled office staff (and who, in a creepy twist, turns out to be the now-deceased Gleason’s daughter); “That’s everyone’s question.”

And then, of course, there’s the actual whorehouse – that is, Don’s childhood home. After last week’s disgusting Don behavior, this week we are fed more of the reasons for it. How can he know if he’s loved if his first sexual experience was with a prostitute? How could he have turned away if the woman who served as his mother believed him to be a devil child? How could he not be vengeful if he was punished for being taken advantage of? How could he not desperately want a real mother, a woman to love him and take care of him?

Not that he can take care of his own children. After the ordeal with the thieving “Grandma Ida,” he calls Sally to apologize and tell her that it’s not her fault. She says that the woman seemed to have answers to all of her questions about Don – “But then I realized I don’t know anything about you.” He hasn’t shown anything of himself to his kids. It’s only to Sylvia, whose door he presses against night after night, that he haltingly admits to having “a lot of emotions.”

It’s all heartbreaking, as Wendy so aptly says when she tries to seduce Don by listening to his heart (“I think it’s broken”). Everyone is trying to escape from pain. The only people who seem to be able to face anything with a level head are Peggy – who turns down Stan, and offers him sage advice – and Ted. The two of them as a prospective couple is making more and more sense.

We learn from Cutler’s doctor that the new agency doesn’t have a name yet, and it’s a fitting symbol of the chaos in this episode. Although the outside world isn’t mentioned – except that Stan’s cousin has been killed in action in Vietnam – the out-of-control sensation that was sweeping the country is on full display within the walls of this microcosm; in the office, in the Draper apartment, in Don’s mind.

This was definitely a very weird and hard to swallow episode, and part of me feels frustrated by it – I miss the Mad Men of days gone by! Give me clearly cut and defined sexism, excessive drinking, plain old affairs; that stuff was much easier to process. But perhaps (or probably), this is exactly the point: things are changing, and they are all messed up, and no one has any idea what to do, and haze is more attractive than reality. In that light, the shape of the episode makes a lot of sense.

VIP line of the week goes to Bobby Draper (who is really killing it this season): “Are we negroes?” he asks, after he meets Grandma Ida. I get it, Bobby – nothing is making sense anymore. Who knows what’s real.

A few things to note:

- When she hears Grandma Ida come in, Sally is reading “Rosemary’s Baby,” the story of a child possessed by the devil – a nice match for the experiences of young Don.

- Matt Weiner LOVES the elevator metaphor (assuming that’s what it is? Maybe he just finds elevators soothing).

- Cutler is a REAL creep, turns out. His behavior also resonates with young Don, peering through a crack in the door at disturbing sexual acts.

- Peggy alludes to the loss in her life, which is the first we’ve heard in a long time of the Olsen/Campbell child.

- I still love Ginsberg, and the way he just keeps throwing out guesses. “What’s the answer to life’s problems? A Chevy? Then it’s oatmeal?”

- Sylvia reminds Don that he loved Megan once. It’s another indication of how entirely derailed he has become.

The post Fever in a Whorehouse: “The Crash”, Mad Men Season 6, Episode 8 Recap appeared first on Portable.tv.

Another year of Eurovision fabulousness is over. This past weekend Sweden played host to the competition known best for it’s larger-than-life pop songs and glittering spandex. And for good or bad, it was one hell of a show.

The truth is, despite (or maybe because of) it’s general crassness, Eurovision never really disappoints. While it’s notoriety for kitsch attire and bold exaggerations sometimes do manage to bow down to a half-decent song, most of the time the competition relies on downright wackiness. And that’s OK! Because let’s face it, Eurovision is in equal parts lovable and cringe-worthy.

And so, as the celebrations for the victorious Denmark die down, and the brilliantly brash costumes and stage settings are tucked away for another year, let’s take a peek at 2013′s highlights and lowlights. Might as well lap up the cheesiness, and enjoy it for what it is: just a bit of fun. It’s better than discussing Europe’s fiscal woes, after all.

NB: I’m no expert. So just in case, I’ve written this post in collaboration with my dearest Gay Best Friend, Gareth. Because what is Eurovision criticism without a homopinion, really?

The post Our Thoughts On Eurovision appeared first on Portable.tv.

In Westeros, the Red Priestess Melisandre is known for her piercing beauty and giving birth to a homophobic shadow monster baby. Her real life counterpart, Carice Van Houten, is actually the light in the darkness. The award-winning Dutch actress is a delight on Twitter — not what you’d expect from her intense, schemey character on Game of Thrones. Here’s your chance to know her the way Stannis Baratheon knows her. Not exactly, but just about as close as you’ll ever get.

The post The Definitive Guide to Carice Van Houten appeared first on Portable.tv.