Smell-O-Vision was a disaster, despite efforts to make filmgoers want “scentsations!” in the late 1950s. But a new book, Oops: 20 Life Lessons from the Fiascos that Shaped America, suggests a comeback. The authors point to Lavender, a recent film by the Chinese director Yip Kam-Hung, which went to cinemas complete with flowery scent machines. He chose not to repeat the gimmick for his next work, Elixir of Love, the touching story of a princess with appalling body odour.
Celebrities may get bored with paparazzi and pushy fans, but there’s clearly a demand for being adored. The French firm Soirée de Star will lay on both for anybody looking to spice up a night on the town in Paris, Nice, Barcelona or Madrid. The full package (hysterical fans, red carpets, snapping photographers, etc) comes in at around £3,000.
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People can trade futures based on predicting how much snow falls at various locations from the end of the month. A spokesman for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, which will run the electronic market, says weather is critical to the economy and betting to hedge risk makes sense.
Sleep is the new sex, says the business magazine Forbes, anticipating a boom in snooze aids in coming years. “We have to have it, and we have trouble getting it these days,” says Melanie Wells, an editor at the magazine. Forbes estimates that people — rich and poor — are managing about 6.8 hours a night, less than the 8.5 hours recommended.
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Spike Lee makes films about the black American experience but he has come out swinging against rap culture, which he thinks perpetuates violence, drug use, ignorance and disrespect for women. “This ‘gangsta’ obsession is madness,” he says. “Thinking like that is genocide.” We can assume that he won’t be thrilled by the rapper Kanye West’s vain observation after winning three Grammys that he should be in an updated Bible. Still, it is true that the son of God never did pick up a Best Rap Album award.
Sources: Los Angeles Times, Time, AP, Newsday, www.contactmusic.com