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Land O’Lakes has rewritten the Old MacDonald Had a Farm song to highlight the contributions and work of women farmers and their families. Via PR Newswire:

Vocal powerhouse and soul songstress Maggie Rose and Grammy Award-winning Warner/Chappell songwriter Liz Rose collaborated to reimagine the song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” introducing “She-I-O,” a rousing anthem for a new generation that celebrates inclusion and champions women, just in time for Women’s Equality Day, August 26. “She-I-O” is the cornerstone of the new All Together Better initiative from Land O’Lakes, the farmer-owned cooperative that’s owned and run by 1,791 farmers, many of whom are women. Land O’Lakes wanted to give a voice to the untold stories of the women who work hard to feed this nation.

Land O’Lakes pooled the talents of Americana-country-rock singer Maggie Rose and the grand dame of songwriting, Liz Rose, for the remake of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” Some of Liz’s many songwriting credits include Taylor Swift’s “Fearless,” Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush,” Carrie Underwood’s “Cry Pretty” and Kenny Chesney’s “Better Boat.”

“‘She-I-O’ serves as a rallying cry for women breaking stereotypes, not just in dairy farming, but in every industry,” said Maggie Rose. “I was thrilled to work with Liz Rose to rewrite the lyrics to the iconic ‘Old MacDonald’ song, turning it into an homage to America’s hardworking women. There’s beauty and strength in letting our voices be heard.

ICYMI: Banksy pulled one of the biggest art stunts of the century, causing his framed Girl with Balloon piece to shred after it sold for $1.4mil. Via the Guardian:

If this moment of artistic terrorism last Friday really had been – as at least one member of the audience appeared to think – the sign for all the collectors and dealers assembled at yet another big-selling night in the art industry to be dragged out of the auctioneer’s and shot, there would be VIP blood in the gutters of New Bond Street. For Banksy put his artwork through the shredder at the climax of the busiest week in the London art market, when international collectors fly in for the Frieze art fair and its satellite parties, private views and purchases. “In the spirit of Frieze week, the October contemporary art evening auction is led by a selection of outstanding works,” enthused Sotheby’s about its sale. Apparently, it had no idea that one of these modern treasures was booby-trapped.

Apparently Sotheby’s wasn’t in on the act:

A spokesperson on behalf of Banksy said: “I can categorically tell you there was no collusion between the artist and the auction house in any shape or form.

“The painting had 27 confirmed bidders on the night. A reputable auction house would never encourage their valued clients to bid on something they knew would be destroyed, their credibility would never recover. Banksy was as surprised as anyone when the painting made it past their security systems.”

The first trailer for the tv adaptation of Good Omens, the highly acclaimed fantasy book by Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett, is out. And it looks great. Via the Verge:

At New York Comic Con this weekend, Amazon released the first look at its upcoming miniseries, Good Omens, based on the classic fantasy novel. At a press event, co-creator Neil Gaiman and members of the cast explained their approach to adapting the book for television.

The comedic fantasy novel was a collaboration between Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett, in which Aziraphale, an angel played by Michael Sheen, and Crowley, a demon played by David Tennant, must collaborate to stop the coming end times. The two have become unlikely friends in the last 6,000 years, and together they’ve come to like living on Earth, and don’t want to see it end. The trailer introduces us to both creatures as Crowley reaches out to Aziraphale to tell him that the world is coming to an end. It goes on to detail their long years of friendship as they meet run into one another over the years; from the looks of it, the series will have a real buddy-comedy feel as the two team up to stave off armageddon.

#DefyTheName is a new anti-bullying PSA by Monica Lewinsky and BBDO, which includes celebrities changing their twitter handles to reflect the insults they’ve suffered. Via Vanity Fair:

Last October, Monica Lewinsky debuted a P.S.A., “In Real Life,” in partnership with BBDO New York and Dini von Mueffling Communications. The video, which went on to be nominated for an Emmy, featured actors reciting cyberbullying posts to show the power of hurtful online words. Nearly a year later, Lewinsky is back with another P.S.A. that’s an equally effective gut punch.

In this video, famous people are called by the names they have been called online: Lena “the Whiny Fat Cu–” Dunham; John Oliver, also known as “Dumb Bitch Loser”; “The Useless” Alan Cumming. Presented under the hashtag “#DefyTheName,” the video promotes the idea that name-calling, no matter where it’s done, can stay with the target for years. Bullying, as Lewinsky told Vanity Fair, even happened last week in the Senate hearings.

The P.S.A. this year is a little more interactive. It asks that people change their online name to whatever they have been called by bullies. And Lewinsky is not sitting this one out: for the month of October, she will take on the name Monica “Chunky Slut Unmarryable That Woman” Lewinsky. Here’s why.

MCU stars including Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman and the young Parkland gun control activists talk about their first time (voting) in a hilarious PSA. Via Teen Vogue:

With the 2018 midterm elections fast approaching, celebrities are doing their best to help mobilize people to get out and vote. The latest such effort comes courtesy of March for Our Lives and We Stand United, which enlisted the services of stars like Chadwick Boseman, Chris Evans, and Zoë Kravitz — as well as Parkland survivors and activists — for a playful and poignant PSA called “My First Time,” as People reported.

“My first time was in the back of a firehouse,” a bemused Zoë says in the video. “My first time with a woman was 2016,” Chris says, an obvious reference to when he voted for Hillary Clinton in the presidential election. “It felt good but it ended badly.” Captain America’s IRL avatar was also joined by some of his fellow members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Scarlett Johansson, who admitted to being “nervous.” For his part, Chadwick admitted that he didn’t know “where to put it, where to slide it in.”
The video also features March for Our Lives co-founders and activists David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez, who couldn’t help but get in on all the playful innuendo. “Whether this is your first time voting or your 69th, what matters is that you vote on Nov. 6,” she said. “The truth is we have the power,” Gonzalez added. “Our generation is the largest group of voters in this country. We are 70 million strong.”

Jon M. Chu, director of the hit rom com film “Crazy Rich Asians”, shot a short film for WIRED using just the iPhone XS Max. Via WIRED:

Whenever Apple shows off a new iPhone, the company always has a great deal to say about its camera. True to form, this year’s iPhone Xs and Xs Max—announced last week and available on Friday—have a camera that bests last year’s model and, as the first round of reviews indicates, does a notch better than almost every competing smartphone.

To test the new hardware, we gave an iPhone XS Max to the film director Jon M. Chu. The Crazy Rich Asians director shot a short film for WIRED, and the results are truly special.

“I had literally zero equipment,” says Chu. “I see a lot of samples of iPhone videos, and sometimes they use different lenses or professional lights. I didn’t have any of that.”

Chu shot the film—a view into dancer Luigi Rosado’s rehearsal space, titled Somewhere—in 4K using the iPhone’s native camera app. It was all shot handheld using the phone’s default stabilizing system. And while he edited the video on a computer, Chu didn’t apply any color correction or any post-production tricks. What you’re seeing is the default output of the iPhone’s camera.

Hershey’s chocolate marketing spotlights a 93 year old in its latest marketing campaign in a great feel good ad about spreading joy. Via the Des Moines Register:

Every day a random act of kindness cheers up a few souls in the small town of Long Grove, Iowa.

It’s a simple thing, but simple things can have lasting impact: Bob Williams hands out king-size Hershey’s milk chocolate bars to lucky folks that pass him on his daily rounds.

He’s done it for more than 15 years, so they call him the “Candy Man” here, because he really can make the sun rise and cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two.

He inspired the giant candy company to send out hundreds of their employees last week to do the same.

Williams’ refrigerator is stocked with 500 candy bars that he rotates for freshness, just in case he doesn’t have enough from his weekly trip to Dollar General, where he gets two cases for $45 on $5 discount days.

“Some wise people say you can’t take it with you. Do you believe that?” asked Williams, 94, who taught high school psychology in nearby Davenport for 39 years. Several years ago, the avid newspaper reader was struck by numerous stories urging folks to “pay it forward,” the title of a 2000 movie that became a cultural kindness movement of sorts.

He started small, he said, by eating them himself. He has a half a bar, a banana and glass of milk every morning.

But he bought three bars, so handed the others out to random folks in the town of 850. More than 6,000 candy bars later, he’s still going strong.

Instagram has moved on from cafes and restaurants and is now reshaping modern museums, changing how art is selected and presented. Via the Conversation:

With 800 million users and growing, it was perhaps inevitable that Instagram would shake up the art world. The social photo platform has been accused by the media of fanning a narcissistic selfie culture. But in galleries, research is showing that the negative aspects are far outweighed by the positive. Instagram is changing the way we experience and share our visits to exhibitions, and how we perceive art.

In fact, arts institutions are now actively courting Instagram users. The Museum of Ice Cream in the US is considered one of the most Instagrammed exhibitions, with over 125,000 hashtagged posts. The show included such Insta-friendly displays as giant cherries, suspended bananas, and a rainbow sprinkle pool, inviting the visitor into a colourful space of neatly guided photo opportunities.

Closer to home, the current Triennial at the National Gallery of Victoria features several large, Insta-friendly installations. Visitors are invited to lie on Alexandra Kehayoglou’s carpet work, Santa Cruz River (which depicts a river in Argentina that is at the centre of a contentious damming proposal), and take their photo in a mirror on the ceiling.

Artist Yayoi Kusama, also at the Triennial, uses light, space, colour and patterns and attracts a strong Instagram fanbase to her exhibitions. Kusama’s obliteration room, currently being exhibited in Queensland, is another popular, Instagrammed experience, which invites visitors to stick colourful dots all over a white room. A similar work at the NGV covers the interior of a house with flowers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkhE8N10GnY

The ads for the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 involves community-created content, curated by its advertising team, and it’s surprisingly not an impenetrable set of memes and in-jokes. Via Kotaku:

In anticipation of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s release on October 12, the Call of Duty brand has launched a wave of commercials that lean into what the community has been doing during the various betas this year. They’re funny!
These videos, tagged with #CODNation, are made up of community created content that has been curated by the Call of Duty advertising machine. My immediate gut reaction to “community-created content” is that these things are going to be chock full of memes that no one will understand, but this first wave of approved Black Ops 4 content is solid enough that they deserve a watch.

[…]

Of course, as people begin making these outside of the Call of Duty approved videos, it is almost guaranteed that the charm is going to wear off. But for now, in this moment, I appreciate this goofy advertising strategy.

Hopefully, the people whose videos were approved were then paid appropriately for their work. In the meantime, Call of Duty has released 8 videos so far online.

The new extended trailer for Star Wars Resistance has a lot of starship dogfighting action. The series is inspired by Japanese animation. Via the Verge:

Disney announced that it has begun production on a new animated Star Wars show, which will debut later this fall in the US on the Disney Channel. Star Wars Resistance will be set just before the events of The Force Awakens, and will follow a pilot named Kazuda Xiono, who is recruited into the Resistance movement.

The show is created by Dave Filoni, who was also behind Lucasfilm’s other two animated shows, The Clone Wars and Rebels. He notes that Resistance was inspired by “my interest in World War II aircraft and fighter pilots,” and says that the look of the show will be inspired by anime.

The show has cast Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live), Christopher Sean (Hawaii Five-0), Suzie McGrath (Eastenders), Scott Lawrence (Avatar), Myrna Velasco (Elena of Avalor), Josh Brener (Silicon Valley), Donald Faison (Scrubs), Jim Rash (Community), and Rachel Butera (Family Guy). Alongside their new characters, we’ll see some familiar faces as well: BB-8, Poe Dameron, and Captain Phasma. Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie will return to voice their respective characters.