Back in 2017, Artist Tom Ward used his incredible illustration techniques to give new perspective on modern life through popular Disney characters. He told The Metro."Disney characters are so iconic that I thought transporting them to our modern world could help us see it through new eyes."Wanting to bring to life "the times we live in and communicate topical issues in a relatable way," Tom created his "Alt Disney" series, His approach resonated then and it continues to resonate now. Since the release of his “Alt Disney” series, conversations about smartphone addiction, environmental harm, animal welfare and digital distraction have only intensified. What initially felt like playful exaggerations now arguably read as predicted realities in a culture shaped by constant online engagement and ongoing environmental concern. Prince Charming and Pinocchio are absorbed by their phones. Ariel is surrounded by pollution, and Simba and Baloo have been mistreated by humans. See on Instagram See on Instagram See on Instagram See on Instagram See on Instagram See on Instagram See on Instagram Still, there were a few bright spots, such as LeFou from “Beauty and the Beast” finally coming out and his crush, Gaston, appearing to be pretty accepting of the revelation. See on Instagram Ward believed that his illustration of Arthur from “The Sword in the Stone” made a particularly strong point. Arthur sits on his phone, too engrossed in his screen to recognize the opportunities around him or his own potential. Today this image feels even more relevant as conversations around digital wellness and overstimulation have moved into the mainstream. Ward believes that his illustration of Arthur from "Sword and the Stone makes" a particularly strong point. "I also think the message of Arthur from The Sword in the Stone sitting on his phone has some resonance today," he said. "He's too engrossed in his phone to experience other opportunities and realize his true potential in life." See on Instagram Since 2017 Disney itself has undergone notable shifts in the way it engages with modern audiences. The company has introduced more diverse storytelling and has begun addressing themes that reflect changing cultural values. In this context Ward’s series functions almost like an early artistic commentary on the directions the studio would later begin to explore.His work also fits within a broader trend of remix culture in which artists use iconic imagery to examine contemporary life. For more than a decade creators have reimagined nostalgic characters in order to comment on climate anxiety, technology, identity and social responsibility. Ward’s pieces stand out because nearly everyone recognizes Disney characters, which makes the commentary instantly accessible.Revisiting these illustrations today offers a slightly different experience than it did eight years ago. The images now carry the weight of everything that has happened in the world since 2017. A global pandemic, increased digital dependence and rising climate awareness all shape how viewers interpret the drawings. What once felt like satire now feels closer to real life which strengthens the social critique at the center of the series. And in that way, Ward's work remains as relevant as ever, serving both as nostalgia and as a reminder of the world we have created.You can see more of Ward's work on Instagram.This article originally appeared eight years ago.

Anyone who's cut a frosting-laden cake knows that it's not quite as simple as it looks. Even when it starts off well, it inevitably turns into a goopy mess as the knife gets caked with crumbs and the cake gets smooshed. Add in trying to accommodate everyone's size and amount-of-frosting preferences, and cake cutting becomes a bit of a chore for the person holding the knife. What if there were a faster, simpler—albeit not necessarily neater—way to cut a cake? It appears there is. A game-changing video on TikTok has completely changed the cake-cutting conversation, eliminating the cake server, long knife, serving plates, and spatula, and replacing them with joyous anarchy.A TikTok video with over 460,000 likes shows a family celebrating a woman's 20th birthday, and after she blows out the candles, each person takes out a wine glass and scoops up a mound of cake. @theroseperiod Happy 20th birthday to my Jules!#twenty#fyp#birthdaycake#wineglasses#tiktokmom It's an easy, streamlined way to make sure everyone gets what they want without having to bother anyone to cut and distribute the pieces. Everyone gets to grab the slice they like and in the amount they desire, without having to negotiate.It's also a fun way to do things as a group. It would be savage to have a bunch of people scooping up cake with spoons, but with wine glasses, it's fancy.The only drawback is that this technique really favors the pro-frosting constituency.Duff Goldman, "Ace of Cakes" star and executive chef of the Baltimore-based Charm City Cakes shop, told Bustle the idea is genius. "Each person can come in with their own cup and get their own serving — it's a nice communal experience where each person can interact with the cake and each other," he said. Hungry Cake GIF Giphy "This is a game-changer," one person said on TikTok."This is blowing my mind. Why have I never thought of this?" said another woman, who called it "genius.""A cake hack that I can get behind," another added. "I will never eat cake another way."The cake hack is a great idea, but one has to be sure that the cake is at room temperature. This could get downright dangerous if used on an ice cream cake or one with a hard filling. Also, you probably want to avoid using super-expensive Tiffany wine glasses that could easily shatter or eating out of the glass with metal utensils.If your reaction to this method is "Yeah, no, that's way to chaotic for me," there are some alternative ways to cut a cake, especially a round one, that make the process less messy, more efficient, and overall easier for everyone involved. For instance, one method involves cutting a smaller circle inside the cake, and then cutting small pieces from that circle out, then cutting the smaller inner circle in the traditional way. from Baking Some people wondered how you could cut such a perfect circle, but according to a person who cut cakes like this professionally, it's not as hard as it might seem. "I used to work at a kids birthday place and this was our way of cutting- it’s honestly super practical and not hard to get a nice circle because you can just use the edge of the cake as a guideline! This truly is the ultimate way to slice a standard round."If that seems too intimidating, another method of cutting a round cake is to basically cut it like a rectangular cake. - YouTube www.youtube.com Happy cake cutting, everyone!This article originally appeared three years ago.

You've probably heard plenty of people doing impressions of other languages, speaking gibberish that sounds vaguely Chinese, French, or German. However problematic and offensive those impressions might sometimes be, it speaks to the fact that every language leans on certain sounds, cadences, and vocal inflections that help define it. Even if we can't speak or even understand those languages, we often inherently understand those key markings.But have you ever wondered what it might sound like if someone were to speak in gibberish that sounded kind of like English? Even better, what if someone sang a whole song that sounded like a jazzy, upbeat American bop — without using any actual English words? If so, you're in luck!Apparently, a song many of us have never heard of shot to the top of the charts in Italy in 1972 for the most intriguing reason. The song, written and performed by Adriano Celentano and is called "Prisencolinensinainciusol" which means...well, nothing. It's gibberish. In fact, the entire song is nonsense lyrics made to sound like English, and oddly, it does. Jim Carrey Idk GIF Giphy Occasionally, you can hear what sounds like a real word or phrase here and there—"eyes" and "color balls died" and "alright" a few times, for example—but it mostly just sounds like English without actually being English. It's like an auditory illusion and it does some super trippy things to your brain to listen to it. It sounds like fast rap or a heavily-stylized singing where you just can't quite pick out the words.Here, Celentano performs the song in all of its glory, in a bizarre but passionate display. You just have to watch and listen to fully appreciate the artistry on display here: - YouTube www.youtube.com Wow, right? In a 2012 interview on NPR's All Things Considered, Celentano explained how the silly pop song came about."Ever since I started singing, I was very influenced by American music and everything Americans did," he told Guy Raz, through interpreter Sim Smiley."So at a certain point, because I like American slang—which, for a singer, is much easier to sing than Italian—I thought that I would write a song which would only have as its theme the inability to communicate," he said. "And to do this, I had to write a song where the lyrics didn't mean anything."In fact, Celentano didn't even write down any lyrics for the song at first, but just improvised the sounds. And people didn't appear to care. "Prisencolinensinainciusol" reached number one on the charts not only in Italy, but also in France, Germany, and Belgium.Though the words of the song were made up, that doesn't mean the song had no meaning. Celentano says he wrote the song out of frustration. ""I sang it with an angry tone because the theme was important. It was an anger born out of resignation. I brought to light the fact that people don't communicate."Some experts say the song proved the viability of English songs in foreign markets like Italy and helped paved the way for breaking down musical barriers internationally. Surely he never imagined that his entirely improvised, gibberish song would be a chart-topper that had such a long-lasting impact. A young Adriano Celentano singing on stage By Collezione Biblioteca Comunale G.D. Romagnosi, Salsomaggiore Terme, Public Domain, Celentano is known for a lot more than just his English gibberish. He's been an incredibly unique and innovative talent in the Italian music scene, credited with bringing new moves and flavors of dancing and also introducing rock and roll to Italy. He's also a renowned actor, having appeared in dozens of comedy films. If you watch the performance above, you'll see how his physical, goofball style could fit right into a slapstick movie.He's also a serious musicians, quite often considered one of the most prolific and influential artists in Italian history.Celentano's ability to sound like he's singing in English without actually saying anything in English is pretty impressive. Especially when you hear him sing in Italian, like this. - YouTube www.youtube.com Despite his beautiful Italian, he admits to liking English better, calling it easier to sing than his native language.Adriano Celentano is still alive and well as of this writing, kicking around at the ripe age of 87. A fun fact to consider after watching his brilliant English gibberish: Celentano can not actually speak English! In a 2009 interview he admits to trying to learn the language but finding it extremely difficult (same, honestly). But his deep study did lead to his absolutely incredible mimicry of the sounds and cadences of English.Languages are fun. And funky. And frustrating when you don't understand them. Celentano was purposefully making a point with "Prisencolinensinainciusol" to break down language barriers and inspire people to communicate more. Whether he succeeded in doing that or not, it sure is entertaining to see him try.This article originally appeared five years ago. It has been updated.

When Autumn de Forest was five years old, she picked up a paintbrush for the first time. It wasn't long before she was ready to show the world what she could do.After a year of practice, the then-six-year-old asked her father if he could get her a booth at a local art-in-the-park program. "People would come up to the booth, and they would talk to my father, and they'd say, 'This is great!'" she said. "Apparently they thought it was Take Your Daughter to Work Day."Almost everyone thought the artwork was her father's. When they found out that tiny Autumn was the artist, people couldn't believe their eyes. Autumn created this piece when she was just 5 years old.Autumn de Forest Soon, Autumn rose to national fameWhen Autumn was eight, she was featured on the Discovery Health Channel. There was a slew of media attention in the years that followed. There was Disney. There was The Today Show. There was Wendy Williams. She was called a child genius, a prodigy, and an expert painter. - YouTube www.youtube.com Suddenly, Autumn de Forest was everywhere.But not everyone was so accepting of the young artist and her work. Some people in the art world had...questions. Sure, she was good for a kid. But was her art actually good? Others wondered if the whole thing might be an elaborate hoax.Autumn ignored her critics and kept painting.By age 14, she developed a startlingly organized daily routine that went far beyond a 9 to 5Somehow, as the focus on her age began to wear off, Autumn's work ethic and art only grow stronger. She said that most days, she'd wake up in her parents' Las Vegas home at 7:30 a.m. After breakfast, she'd break out her supplies for a one- or two-hour painting session. From there, she dove into her school work. Most brick-and-mortar schools can't accommodate her travel schedule, so she did the majority of her schooling online.Before dinner, it was back into the studio."That session can last much longer, that can be three or four hours when I really get into it," she said. "Then I probably have dinner and go to bed." Autumn de Forest paints Autumn de Forest The results speak for themselvesHer work has been displayed in galleries and exhibitions all over the world. An Autumn de Forest paintingAutumn de Forest Autumn held a public demonstration before a showing at The Butler Institute of American Art. assets.rebelmouse.io In 2015, Autumn received the International Giuseppe Sciacca Award in Painting and Art.The award took her to the Vatican for a private showing of her artwork with Pope Francis. Autumn de Forest stands with the Pope who looks at one of her paintings Autumn de Forest At 16, she also worked with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, headed up by former First Lady Michelle Obama.As part of the program, de Forest traveled to underprivileged schools around the country and led painting workshops. Oh, and if you're looking for some hard numbers to attach to Autumn's talent, she's got those, too.Her paintings raked in over $7 million at auctions by the time she was a teenager—fetching as much as $25,000 each—much of which has gone directly to charities and disaster relief funds.Now 24, Autumn continues to be represented by Park West Gallery, the world's largest art dealer, and is keeping busy with her craft and philanthropy. - YouTube youtu.be The transition from child prodigy to respected artist has certainly kept her busy. In 2017, the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center in Hendersonville, Tennessee hosted a major solo exhibition for de Forest titled "Her White Room: The Art of Autumn de Forest." That same year, de Forest was listed as one of Teen Vogue's "21 Under 21." In her profile she was praised for her talent as well as her commitment to art education."In dis­advantaged schools, they consider the arts an extracur­ricular activity," she told Teen Vogue. "It's devastating, as there could be child prodigies in these schools, but they don't know that they have this God-­given gift because they're not given the opportunity because there's nearly no art programs in schools."In 2018, de Forest was featured in the music video for the song "Youth" by best-selling recording artists Shawn Mendes and Khalid. The video highlights exceptional young people working to change the world, including de Forest, Emma González, and Elias and Zion Phoenix.The video has over 88 million views on YouTube.And of course, de Forest continues to share her absolutely incredible artwork on Instagram and in shows and exhibitions around the globe. See on Instagram The Autumn de Forest Foundation helps her keep track of the kids she's met throughout the years and to continue to help them with their art careersA portion of the foundation's money goes to a 529 account set up for the students while 10% goes to them directly."A lot of these kids that I work with, they're not very old, they're in second grade, third grade, fourth grade. Maybe in 10 years, they may only have four or five thousand dollars but that could be the difference between them going to college or not," Autumn told Teen Vogue.Autumn's incredible rise in the art world is an astonishing feat for someone so young, but that accomplishment is easily matched by her generosity and commitment to helping develop tomorrow's prodigies as well.De Forest's latest solo exhibition debuted in late August of this year, and ran through mi September at the Park West Soho Gallery. She now resides in Los Angeles according to her profile on the networking site, dot.cards. For more information, visit her website.This article originally appeared nine years ago. It has been updated.

Joe Heller (1937 - 2019) of Essex, Connecticut, appears to have lived a full life: he was in the Navy, worked at the Yale library, and raised three daughters. But he was also a hoarder, a hardcore napper, and loved pulling pranks that involved feces.Well, as Abe Lincoln once said, "A man without vices is a man without virtues." His hilarious obituary, believed to be penned by one of his daughters, is going viral because it paints a loving picture of a man who clearly didn't take life too seriously — a lesson we could all use from time to time.The obituary opens with a helluva zinger.Joe Heller made his last undignified and largely irreverent gesture on Sept. 8, 2019, signing off on a life, in his words, 'generally well-lived and with few regrets.' When the doctors confronted his daughters with the news last week that 'your father is a very sick man,' in unison they replied, 'you have no idea.' Joe Heller and a doctor talking to a patient.via Legacy.com and CanvaIn his youth, Heller played the role of a prankster.Being the eldest was a dubious task but he was up for the challenge and led and tortured his siblings through a childhood of obnoxious pranks, with his brother, Bob, generally serving as his wingman. Pat, Dick and Kathy were often on the receiving end of such lessons as "Ding Dong, Dogsh*t" and thwarting lunch thieves with laxative-laced chocolate cake and excrement meatloaf sandwiches. His mother was not immune to his pranks as he named his first dog, "Fart," so she would have to scream his name to come home if he wandered off.He met the "love of his life" at work and his daughter can't believe he fooled her into marriage.Joe was a self-taught chemist and worked at Cheeseborough-Ponds where he developed one of their first cosmetics' lines. There he met the love of his life, Irene, who was hoodwinked into thinking he was a charming individual with decorum. Boy, was she ever wrong. Joe embarrassed her daily with his mouth and choice of clothing. To this day we do not understand how he convinced our mother, an exceedingly proper woman and a pillar in her church, to sew and create the colorful costumes and props which he used for his antics. A man proposing to a woman at sunset.via CanvaHeller had a knack for creatively intimidating his daughters' boyfriends.Growing up in Joe's household was never dull. If the old adage of "You only pull the hair of those you love" holds true, his three daughters were well loved. Joe was a frequent customer of the girls' beauty shops, allowing them to "do" his hair and apply make-up liberally. He lovingly assembled doll furniture and built them a play kitchen and forts in the back yard. During their formative years, Joe made sure that their moral fibers were enriched by both Archie Bunker and Benny Hill. When they began dating, Joe would greet their dates by first running their license plates and checking for bald tires. If their vehicle passed inspection, they were invited into the house where shotguns, harpoons and sheep "nutters" were left clearly on display.He never met a dog he didn't like.After retiring from running Bombaci Fuel, he was perhaps, most well-known for his role as the Essex Town "Dawg Kecher." He refused to put any of his "prisoners" down and would look for the perfect homes for them. One of them was a repeat offender who he named "A**hole" because no owner would ever keep him for very long because he was, in fact, an a**hole. My Dad would take his buddy on daily rides in his van and they'd roam around town with the breeze blowing through both of their fur. He never met a dog he didn't like, the same could not be said for the wanna-be blue bloods, snoots and summer barnacles that roamed about town.He had a small issue with hoarding.Joe was a frequent shopper at the Essex Dump and he left his family with a house full of crap, 300 pounds of birdseed and dead houseplants that they have no idea what to do with. If there was ever a treasure that he snatched out from under you among the mounds of junk, please wait the appropriate amount of time to contact the family to claim your loot. A hoarder's garage.Image via Canva Heller was born with an innate ability to nap.Joe was also a consummate napper. There wasn't a road, restaurant or friend's house in Essex that he didn't fall asleep on or in. There wasn't an occasion too formal or an event too dour that Joe didn't interrupt with his apnea and voluminous snoring.His family urges funeral attendees to dress casually.Joe despised formality and stuffiness and would really be ticked off if you showed up in a suit. Dress comfortably. The family encourages you to don the most inappropriate T-Shirt that you are comfortable being seen in public with as Joe often did. Everybody has a Joe story and we'd love to hear them all. Joe faced his death and his mortality, as he did with his life, face on, often telling us that when he dropped dead to dig a hole in the back yard and just roll him in.After the obituary went viral, his daughter, who helped write the piece, told CNN that it was a fitting goodbye to her father. “My dad has an unorthodox view of life, and I wanted to honor him and make people smile,” Monique Heller told CNN. The obituary is a great reminder that when people leave this world, it is a time for mourning but also a moment to remember them for who they truly were. Joe Heller was a prankster, and he would be proud that people remember him just as he was. You can read the entire obituary at Legacy.com.This article originally appeared six years ago.

Too soppy. The post The love song George Harrison was embarrassed about: “So catchy” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

A "great gift". The post The singer Joni Mitchell always knew was out of everybody’s league: “This was her great gift” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Changing with the times. The post The number one Van Halen song Eddie Van Halen said the whole band hated: “Believe it or not” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Have you been quoting your favorite holiday films correctly all these years?

Avenged Sevenfold has issued “Magic,” their latest contribution to the Call Of Duty” franchise. The band’s first new release since the ’23 album “Life Is But a Dream…” is part of ‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7′ Season 1. Magic Avenged Sevenfold has made significant contributions to the Call Of Duty franchise, particularly in the Black Ops series, with several original songs and features in the games. Seven years ago, an EP containing four songs the band had written and recorded for “Call Of Duty: Black Ops“ was released. ### The post Avenged Sevenfold Deliver “Magic” appeared first on RockinTown.