My Z News

If you could have lunch with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be? We love asking ourselves questions like this and fantasizing about how we would interact with our heroes who are no longer alive. Maybe you’d want to share a meal with Abraham Lincoln, or take a stroll through town with Cleopatra. Sounds like a lot of fun, right? Well, thanks to the technology behind holograms, that’s exactly what modern singers are able to do. We’ve already seen Celine Dion share a stunning duet with Elvis on American Idol that brought the “King of Rock and Roll” into the 21st century, and now Martina McBride has done one better. Instead of bringing Elvis into the present, McBride took a trip back in time to sing a Christmas classic with the King himself. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/blue-christmas-elvis-presley-martina-mcbride/

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Alex Schulze is the cofounder of Devoted to the Ocean, a beach jewelry and apparel company. He’s always been an avid beachgoer, swimmer and diver. This video shows that his dogs are no exception. Schulze trained his black labrador, Lila, to dive off a boat and catch a live lobster. Sure enough, when he spots one crawling around on the ocean floor, Lila jumps off the boat without hesitation and comes up with a fresh live rock lobster! Schulze trained Lila to dive for lobsters by using a PVC pipe toy that she liked in the pool. He first had her retrieve it from the first step of the pool stairs just to get accustomed to sticking her head underwater. Eventually, he progressed to the second and third stairs as she got more and more comfortable. He progressed gradually from there until she was used to diving underneath and having to locate the toy and resurface. From there, the transition to rock lobsters (which have much smaller claws that aren’t as dangerous as their cousins in Maine) was pretty straightforward. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/labrador-dog-is-master-lobster-fisherman/

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Since his start in 1980 comedian Brian Regan has built a reputation as one of the best comedians touring the world today. Everyone from Jerry Seinfeld to Bill Burr sings his praises. His popularity is even more remarkable when you consider the fact that his material is completely clean. Even the dirtiest comedians around respect his craft and this joyful bit about the absurdities of flying showcases why. Taking on everything from the shame of walking past first class passengers to the chaotic rush to escape the plane after landing this bit will sooth you the next time you have to deal with the stress of flying. Pull up the whole family and enjoy a few minutes of clean comedy. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/brian-regan-clean-comedy-flying/

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In 1988, Who Framed Roger Rabbit hit theaters and introduced a magical world where your favorite cartoon characters live in the same world as humans. While animated characters had appeared side by side with live actors before Roger Rabbit took the effect to new levels, earning multiple Academy Awards for its groundbreaking methods.  Now, 27 years later, we can take a look back at the making of one of the film’s most memorable sequences, Eddie Valiant’s chaotic trip to Toon Town. Utilizing a split screen this video shows you how the scene looked during the movie and filming. Actor Bob Hoskins falls, runs, and swings across a mostly blank blue backdrop, but his incredible skills as a comedic actor shine through. Given how little he had to work with it’s remarkable to watch as his performance perfectly syncs up with the animated footage. While computers have made sequences like this more common in modern cinema, this look back at how the technology got its start will give you a new appreciation for this cinema classic. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/who-framed-roger-rabbit-movie-magic/

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Tortoises may look a little bit like grumpy old men, but don’t let those looks fool you. Underneath the tough exterior, they’re all heart. It turns out that tortoises are actually really good at friendship, especially when one of them gets in a bind like the tortoise seen here. Somehow, he’s managed to get himself stuck on a rock that’s lifted him high enough that he can’t get his flippers a solid foothold to get back down. He’s struggling in vain when all of a sudden, his buddy comes crawling in from the right and helps push him off – because that’s what friends are for. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/tortoise-rescues-friend-stranded-on-rock/

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Colin Troupe loves drums and loves moving images, so naturally he decided to combine the two and create a one-of-a-kind, live animated music video. To accomplish this, he set up his electronic drum set so that each strike would trigger an animated response depending on how and at what tempo he played. Colin is an artist and animator by trade, and now has successfully found a way to weave his passion for drumming into his job. We can’t wait to see this technology take off. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/drum-kit-hooked-up-with-animation/

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Remember being a kid and experiencing everything for the first time? Literally everything was exciting back then and the smallest thing could make your day. Thankfully, even though we grow out of it, we grow up and have babies of our own and then we watch them go through that same process. One of my favorites is a baby’s first taste of cake or ice cream, but seeing this adorable baby boy having his first experience with an automatic door definitely comes in a close second. This video was posted by the boy’s father, Abraham Vargas, who said that his son was absolutely fascinated with the doors. This was the first time he was allowed to walk around on his own and he clearly took advantage of the opportunity to explore his surroundings. Since being posted just a few days ago, the video has quickly won over the internet and has over half a million views and counting already. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/baby-has-adorable-first-experience-of-automatic-doors/

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Few people could tear all the eyes in the room away from the stunning Rockettes while they’re performing; six-year-old Audrey Nethery is definitely one of those people. The young girl was first noticed by the public when her mother uploaded a video to Facebook of the youngster enjoying one of her favorite pastimes: Zumba.  The tiny Kentuckian’s fame has also helped raise awareness and funds for the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation, as Nethery was born with the life-threatening bone marrow disorder. The condition means that she doesn’t produce enough red blood cells, which makes it hard for oxygen to circulate through her body and causes other health issues. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/audrey-nethery-bone-marrow-disorder-dance-rockettes/

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Most of us are lucky enough to be born in a healthy body, and we take that for granted every day. There are so many people out there who are disabled in some way, either physically or mentally, who may not be able to do some of the things that you or I don’t really even think about.  Thankfully, there are people like 11-year-old Brenden James Baker; people who decide that in spite of whatever might make them a little different, they’re still going to live to the fullest. Brenden has a rare type of dwarfism, which naturally makes life a little more challenging for him, but he’s a natural-born star – he simply loves to dance and perform for an audience. Here, he joins a Houston dance group on stage to show off his moves. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/kid-dances-despite-rare-disability-heartwarming-cute/

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