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Cool Idea: Hallelujah by Wonderable

Julia Walsh — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 03:05:00 PST

One of my absolute favorite products that I discovered at the Ambiente design trade show, which I attended courtesy of Messe Frankfurt last month, was the Hallelujah Lamp from Netherlands-based designer Wonderable. But I don't just love it because it looks cool - and it does, doesn't it? First and foremost, the pendants are made from a Vietnamese printer's wastepaper, so it's not only inventive, but it's also eco-friendly.Secondly, a team of young artisans, mostly street children, create them in Ho Chi Minh City using the same technique used to create classic Vietnamese garlands. So while the production offers the young people a chance to learn a trade and earn a living from it, it also helps to pass down the techniques of their own culture's traditional crafts.

And lastly, since the lamp is produced from excess paper from a printer, each lamp is unique. The shades not only bear a limitless range of colors, but each has a distinct pattern based on the printed paper used to make it. I liked the stripe-like pattern of this one! Conceivably, the honeycomb-like structure could be produced in solid colors - but where's the fun in that?

Hallelujah is available in stores all over the map, from South Korea to Switzerland and beyond. Unfortunately, it hasn't made its way to the States yet, but you can order yours directly from Wonderable for about $380.

Continue reading to watch a video of the lamp being produced!

Link Time! 12/18

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:30:38 PST

Kristen Wiig reflects on 2008. - Pop Candy
Today's the day to answer at least one phone call with: "Buddy the Elf. What's your favorite color?" - Popwatch
Don Cheadle opens up about Iron Man 2. - Cinematical
Wow, this campaign to get Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" on the UK charts is fascinating. - Stereogum
Taylor Lautner shares his enthusiasm for continuing his role as Jacob Black in New Moon. - MTV Movies Blog
10 TV stars worth following on Twitter (are you following me yet?) - TV Squad
Check out the various stages of Nico Reilly's cell phone evolution. - geeksugar
Dissecting what's working with Dexter . . . and what's not. - The TV Addict

Source

Which is Your Favorite "Hallelujah"?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:30:05 PDT

When American Idol contestant Jason Castro sang a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" in the semifinals a couple of weeks back, he apparently touched off a new revival of the song: The Jeff Buckley version of "Hallelujah" hit the No. 1 spot on the iTunes Music Store download charts following Castro's performance and remains in the top 30 almost two weeks later, and Castro's own version has also been selling well.

Apparently, this "Hallelujah" rediscovery isn't unusual. The song, once a cult favorite, tends to reappear every few years as different generations discover it through avenues ranging from Shrek to The OC.

That got me thinking: Do you have a go-to version of "Hallelujah"? Do you prefer Cohen's original take, or Buckley's well-known version, or John Cale's, which has been featured on Scrubs? Or is your favorite another cover altogether?

Photo courtesy of Fox

It's Official: The Writers' Strike Is Over

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:36:22 PST

Writers have voted overwhelmingly over the past 48 hours to end to the three-month-old writers' strike. Variety reports that 92.5 percent of the Writers Guild of America membership voted to stop the strike effective immediately. Writers should be able to go back to work on Wednesday. The WGA president's statement can be found here, and here's more on what's next.

Source

Best of 2011: Favorite New Celeb Baby Boy’s Name

Natasha Dantzig — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:33:23 PST

It's raining boys, hallelujah! Hollywood saw no shortage of interesting lil boys names this past year, from interpretations of classic boys names to original choices honoring family or cultural heritages. Natalie Portman and her fiancé, Benjamin Millepied, chose the distinctive Aleph - the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the Hebrew number one - for their lil boy, while Kate Hudson and Matthew Bellamy went with Bingham, an old family name for their new addition. Bear was the interesting choice Alicia Silverstone and her husband, Christopher Jarecki, chose for their lil boy, and stunning French actress Marion Cotillard and fiancé Guillaume Canet went with the thoroughly French Marcel. Whatever your preference - classic or boldly unique - this year's celebrity parents certainly came up with some creative monikers for their bouncing baby boys.

A Reader Recipe: Chocolate Chickpea Protein Cookies

Fit Community — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 04:07:42 PST

Here's a sweet protein treat from reader For the Love of Fiber. She posted this chocolate chickpea cookie recipe in our Healthy Recipe group.

Inspired by Jessica Seinfeld's recipe in Deceptively Delicious, after a few rounds and ingredient tweaks, I cracked the code to a not-too-sweet, soft, and tasty chocolate chip cookie, with, wait for it . . . chickpeas. Yes, protein and fiberlicious chickpeas. You can almost hear the "Hallelujah" chorus, can’t you?

If you don’t have palm sugar (get some), you can substitute it with brown sugar. Why palm sugar? Made from coconut tree nectar, it’s naturally low on the glycemic index, meaning that it won’t spike your blood sugar like white or brown sugar, and has significantly more potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, phosphorus, nitrogen, and sodium than its white and brown counterparts.

Learn how to make the recipe after the break!

Penn Badgley to Unleash His Inner Musician

Becky Kirsch — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 07:45:25 PDT

Penn Badgley is really breaking out of his Gossip Girl mold for his next role: the actor is set to star as musician Jeff Buckley in the upcoming film Greetings From Tim Buckley. The film will chronicle the relationship between Jeff and his father Tim, who abandoned him at a young age.
This is obviously a huge role for Badgley, and the actor expressed his excitement in portraying the "Hallelujah" singer, saying,

To play a man who was singularly gifted as an artist, greatly misunderstood & mythologized as a human being... It's something very special and sacred. I'm going to give all I can to this project.

Jeff Buckley fans, do you think Badgley will do justice to the musician's memory? Weigh in!

Heidi Klum Dazzles at an amFAR Bash With James, Jennifer, JoAnna, and More

Allie Merriam — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 06:57:00 PDT

Heidi Klum was stunning in a blue dress last night at amfAR's benefit held inside NYC's Museum of Modern Art. She was joined at the fashionable bash by other stars like Joanna Garcia-Swisher, Chanel Iman, and Jennifer Hudson, who sung "Hallelujah" for the crowd. Liza Minnelli was on hand to perform. Michael was the recipient of the organization's Award of Courage, given to recognize his efforts to combat AIDS. James Franco was likewise feted for his awareness-raising activism with the Piaget Award of Inspiration. Humble James said of his amFar prize, "I'm still a little unsure why I'm being honored, but I'm glad that I'm here and I'm glad that I can help. It's certainly a cause that I believe in." James celebrated by catching up with Ke$ha while JoAnna mingled with friends like Bravo's Andy Cohen and Lance Bass.

Daily Tech: BlackBerry PlayBook to Run Android Apps

GeekSugar — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:00:17 PDT

Strange but true: the BlackBerry PlayBook will run Android apps - Switched
Wirelessly download audiobooks to your Kindle - Unplggd
An anti-Pokemon-fighting PSA - Urlesque
Hallelujah! Fringe has been renewed for a fourth season - The Mary Sue
Eight crazy fixes for common smartphone ailments - Dvice

Spring Clean Your Closet to Jump-Start Your Workout Routine

Heather Dale — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 11:25:19 PDT

I take pride in the overall aesthetic and organization of my closet. After my relaxing morning ritual, I continue to keep stress levels to a minimum when opening my clean closet - clean being the operative word here. A messy closet can add unnecessary stress to your life and waste precious minutes of your day. And not only that, but sprucing up your closet can do wonders for your mind and body. Here's why . . .

Give away clothes that don't fit or don't make you feel good to Goodwill. By putting your closet through a mini detox session, you'll feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Oprah says that your home should rise up to meet you, and I feel that this extends to the closet zone as well. If your closet is stuffed to the brim with outdated shirts or dresses you know you'll never wear again - it's time to say so long. Once your closet is more airy, you'll have easy access to your wardrobe and you'll discover chic pieces you didn't even know you had! Trust me, you'll feel like a million bucks, which will translate to saying yes instead of no when your friend asks you if you want to join her in spin class.

Here are some more reasons why you should get your closet clean on.