Starkenberger Beer Resort

I didn’t have much to add to my Christmas list this year, but now I know exactly what I want.  A trip to the Starkenberger Beer Resort.

Starkenberger offers beer drinking of course, but their most unique feature is their collection of beer-filled swimming pools.  The resort has seven heated beer pools where you can swim, or just sit and relax in the beer.  Some say that beer is good for the skin and immersing yourself in the pools is therapeutic.  I think it would just make me thirsty.

On their site, you can sign up for 2 hours of swim time for 135 Euros.  If you want a meat tray and a bottle of beer to go along with your swim, that’s an extra 4 Euros per person.  You can have up to four people in a pool, and you adjust the beer temperature to your comfort level.  This might be the only time you want your beer warm.

http://www.bierschwimmbad.com/

Trident Layers Gum

I’ve done a lot of food reviews on here, but since I’m a sucker for most new products and try them all out, I thought why not expand my reviews to other things, like gum?

The Trident Layers commercials (as cheesy as they are) sucked me in…people being paid in gum!  It’s that good?  And it looked so pretty, with three little layers of what looked like tasty flavors.

There are two varieties of Layers gum: Wild Strawberry+Tangy Citrus and Green Apple+Golden Pineapple.  I bought both and gave them a try.  Not exactly what I was expecting.

The green apple flavor is what I imagine the poison apple on Snow White would taste like.  The pineapple seems to get lost in the gross poison apple taste so it’s irrelevant.  The Wild Strawberry tasted a little bit better, but it still had too strong of a flavor.  Even after I spit it out I could taste it for hours.  Now if I’m chewing mint gum to freshen my breath, that’s fine.  But when you smell like a half rotten fruit smoothie all day, not quite as appealing.

Basically, if someone offers to pay you in Trident Layers, don’t fall for it.

(Click Read More if you haven’t seen the commercial.) Read more

She Ate My Heart

Lady Gaga’s new album, The Fame Monster, was released on November 23rd.  It was the day after my birthday as well, so obviously I assumed that it was a belated birthday gift from my favorite artist.  I had already heard the single “Bad Romance” and loved it, and I rushed home with my new CD, expecting the best album of the year.

And it was.  At first.  I turned it up and listened to it over and over; not one song on the album was bad.  Then I listened a little more closely and I was shocked.  The album was edited.  ”I’m a free bitch” became “I’m a free bit.”  Words were taken out of other songs.  I was so disappointed.  I hate edited music with it’s pauses and half-words.

At first I took my anger out on Target, where I had bought the CD.  I thought they were pulling a Wal-Mart and only releasing edited versions of the album.  So I called around to my friends asking if they had the same issue with their CDs, which they purchased at other stores, and they did.  So I did a little research.

It turns out that Fame Monster was only released as an edited album.  There are rumors of Gaga having arguments with the record company, resulting in an edited album, but no matter what happened, I felt misled.  They have to put a warning on albums when they contain certain material, but I guess they don’t have to tell you when you’re buying an edited version.  I paid full price for an album of songs that aren’t full themselves.

It gets worse.  The album will be re-released this month in it’s unedited format.  So instead of buying one album, all the Gaga fans out there will have to buy a second one if we want the real versions of the songs.  Sounds like a pretty tricky move to double the profits and sales of the album.

Even when Britney lost her mind, shaved her head, and beat people with umbrellas I didn’t feel as cheated as I do right now.  The only thing I can even begin to compare to this is when Taco Bell took the Cheesy Gordita Crunch off the menu for a few months without warning me.  When things you love let you down, it’s not easy to handle.

The worst part?  I’ll be first in line to buy the unedited copy.

Back on Track

CulturePopped is finally back!  I’ve really missed the site and all the loyal readers I had gotten over time.  I hope people will come back and give the site another chance.  Spread the word, let people know that we’re up and writing once again!  I’m working hard to make the site even better than before.

Let me know what you want to see, tell me what you missed.  What made you love the old CulturePopped and what would you like to see on the new one?

It’s good to be back!

On “Vacation”

Dear CulturePopped Readers,

Everyone has probably noticed by now that the site is hardly updated, so I figured I would make an official announcement that CulturePopped will be taking a vacation for a while.  It’s gotten too hard to balance trying to make a living with something I do for free, and I’m going to have to concentrate on other efforts for a while.

I absolutely loved every minute I put into this site and I really hope to bring it back.  Unfortunately, this is something I do because I love it and I don’t make a cent from it, which makes it difficult to maintain.  It’s sad that our dreams have to be put on hold sometimes to pursue methods of getting to our dreams.  So until I can afford to spend as much time on it as it needs and deserves, I will have to put it on hiatus.

I haven’t quit writing, but I have to concentrate on my freelance work and getting published somewhere besides my own website.  Someday maybe I really will live the dream and be able to live off of this site which I love so much.

If you would like to be contacted when CulturePopped is back on track, please send your E-mail address to kiraussie@hotmail.com and I will add you to the list.  Thanks so much for your dedication.

Sincerely,

Kira Stegman

New Simon’s Cat: “Fly Guy”

Simon Tofield, who created the “Simon’s Cat” series, has finally released a new cartoon, “Fly Guy.”  I think I actually watched my cat do this yesterday, only she was chasing a piece of fuzz that she pretended was a fly.

Watch all of the Simon’s Cat series on their YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat?blend=1&ob=4

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland Trailer

The teaser trailer for Tim Burton’s anticipated version of Alice in Wonderland has finally been released, and it more than lives up to my hopes for the film.  It looks like he’s taking the classic story and making it his own, adding in new elements and expanding on the things we love about the story.

Of course Johnny Depp looks like he does a fantastic job as the Mad Hatter, but I never doubted that.  I also really like the looks of Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska.

This is one of the few movies that I really can’t wait to see, although we have to wait until March for it to hit theaters.  It’s also going to be released in 3D, which I love!

Regifting Robin

Regifting Robin can read your mind…she can figure out which item you choose every time.  Follow the instructions on the first page, then find your item, and she will know what you chose.  It had me amazed for a while, but being the “need to know everything” sort of person that I am, I finally figured it out.

Can you figure out how Robin reads your mind?  Feel free to guess on the comments section, but if you get frustrated, I’ll post the answer in a few days, so come back and check.

http://www.regiftable.com/regiftingrobinpopup.html

Today’s Playlist

Here’s the playlist for this weekend.  Click on the song title to listen to it on YouTube.  Enjoy!

Marina and the Diamonds – “I Am Not a Robot”

Keri Hilson (Feat. Timbaland) – “Return the Favor”

Wale (Feat. Lady Gaga) – “Chillin’”

Santogold – “Your Voice”

Passion Pit – “Sleepyhead”

Hilary Duff – “Any Other Day”

Moby – “Mistake”

New Buffalo – “Cheer Me Up Thank You”

Lovers Electric – “Honey”

Britney Spears “Radar” Video

Normally the day a Britney video is released is a major event for me.  I would typically get a Chicken Grilled Stuft Burrito at Taco Bell, pop open a Bud Light, and cry with joy.  Today is a sad day.  The new “Radar” video was released and it’s boring.  I watched it with Cheetos and a bottle of water because it wasn’t worth the $5.49 I usually spend at Taco Bell for these occasions.

I’ve already complained about “Radar” being Britney’s newest single (read that article by clicking HERE), but at least she could have made a good video for it.  With artists like Lady Gaga changing the industry, Britney really needs to step it up.  She was always the one doing the things that shocked the music world, taking risks and introducing new styles and amazing us over and over again.  Now she’s slowly falling off the “radar.”

The “Radar” video isn’t bad exactly, it’s just boring.  I don’t understand why I would want to watch a guy play polo when the song could be so much more interesting than that.  And there was no dancing at all.  Britney used to be known for her dancing.  Now she just walks around while some guy is braiding his horse’s tail.

I’d even prefer another disaster like the “Gimme More” video over this, because at least that was interesting and got people talking.  She might have looked completely out of her mind swinging around the stripper pole with a black wig and leather on, but at least it had major entertainment value.  This one is just forgettable.

Watch the boring video here: www.perezhilton.com