Welcome to the month of February, and to another week in Cheezburger land!
Now that football times have ended, it’s time to focus on other things this month. February is Black History Month, An Affair to Remember Month and Creative Romance Month (not surprising with Valentine’s Day sneaking up on us).

Saturday was also Groundhog Day, a time when our good friend Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania predicts our forecast future—and luckily he thinks it’s going to be an early Spring!

In addition, there are some fun movies coming out this Friday. A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III—which stars Charlie Sheen, Jason Schwartzman, Patricia Arquette and Bill Murray—tells the story of Charles (Sheen) as he tries to navigate love and loss in the wild of Los Angeles. Identity Thief starring Jason Bateman also comes out, as does Side Effects, a thriller starring Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum.

Let us know if you think of more exciting events/holidays, and have a wonderful week!

Happy Monday everyone!
Unfortunately this morning we’re encountering a little trouble with the website! FAIL Blog on Chrome and Firefox is currently experiencing a glitch that is blocking access. Our developers are presently investigating this issue for a fix, and we should have more information soon. In the meantime please use Safari or Internet Explorer (or our mobile apps) to access FAIL Blog. We apologize for this inconvenience and will have this fixed up soon!
Cheers,

Your Friends at Cheezburger

Picture via Animal Planet

I mean it’s time for football! And regardless of who you’re rooting for in Super Bowl XLVII this Sunday, we know you’re excited for an excuse for daytime beers, trays of bean dip and the obligatory high-fives. We also know you’re super thrilled about Puppy Bowl 2013—Animal Planet’s answer to football with our four-legged friends. This event is in its ninth year, and will once again feature the “Water Bowl Cam”, hamster cheerleaders (oh yes) and even slow motion replays via the “Cute Cam”. Puppy Bowl is hilarious and adorable to watch, but it also serves a purpose; it brings attention to the rescue organizations and shelters that are vital for the survival of stray or unwanted animals.

While you’re cheering the football players on (regardless of if they have two or four legs) you should be enjoying some football snacks. Here is a round up of some of the more interesting (and delicious) ones we discovered.

Buffalo Dip—it’s like eating wings, but without the craziness of sauce smeared all over your face…perfect!

via Bleacher Report

Sausage Sandwich, but only if it’s in the shape of a football…obviously.

via Wacky Owl

Homemade Soft Pretzels! You don’t have to go to the mall food court to find them—you can make them in the safety of your own home!

via Food Network

It’s a cheese log! But it’s a FOOTBALL cheese log! That’s pretty exciting…I’m sure your guests will feel the same way.

via Food Network

And because we know how you feel about bacon, it’s BACON CANDY—salty and sweet, the perfect football snack.

via Food & Wine

LoL by: GloomyLOLKitty

We have another exciting week coming up!
Did you know that today is National Puzzle Day? Time to pull out those dusty boxes of puzzle pieces and spend a few hours piecing them together with your grandmother.
It’s also National Cornchip Day (who knew that could be a day?), and Thursday is Backwards Day…which means try speaking like the man from Twin Peaks!

In television news, Do No Harm premieres on Thursday, January 31—a Doctor with a sinister and sociopathic alter ego…what could be more terrifying? The show premieres on NBC and promises episodes of weirdness and fun.

It’s also a big week for music—Tegan and Sara release Heartthrob today, and Justin Bieber comes out with Believe (Acoustic). There will also be a reissue of Fleetwood Mac‘s Rumours that is released today.

Have a wonderful week—we hope you’re all preparing for the Super Bowl this weekend, and the 55th Annual Grammy’s on February 10!

LoL by: beernbiccies

We’re excited to introduce beernbiccies as our Cheezburger Featured User this week! With plenty of wit and charm, beernbiccies has established himself as an important part of our community. Enjoy the interview and have a wonderful Thursday!

We’d love to hear the story behind your username!
I started playing on ICHC in the afternoon, and when searching for a username looked around me and lighted on the nearest items in view—a glass of beer and a plate of savoury biscuits (crackers). The name seemed to write itself, lol!

How long have you been a member of the Cheezburger community and what made you want to join?
I joined ICHC on 7 April 2011. My wife (who had joined several months previously) urged me to do so because she thought I had the kind of mind that would create good Lols—and she thought I would enjoy it. She was right on both counts!

What do you look for in a Cheez friend, and what’s the best way to make a new friend?
I look for cheezfriends who are mature and have the same sort of sense of humour as I do. This is fairly easy to judge by looking at the Lols they make. I am not actively looking for new friends as I have more than I can adequately respond to now. There is a core of about 20 with whom I chat briefly every day or so. If I see someone whose Lols I like a lot, I do make a friend request however.

What is your favorite site on Cheezburger and why?
I have spent most of my time on the Set Phasers to LOL site since it was created. I have always loved science fiction since I was a boy, and I generally try to caption every picture on the lolbuilder at least once. I find it helps me to do so if I know the context of the picture…and I mostly do. I also get tips on new sf series or movies I haven’t already seen from working on the Sci Fi board, so in that sense it helps broaden my horizons. Introduction to the series Alphas is a case in point.

(more…)

Better late than never—those are fitting words for the 2012-13 NHL season which finally kicked off on January 19. The hockey season was supposed to start October 11, but then came the LOCKOUT as the NHL franchise owners and the National Hockey League Players’ Association attempted to come to an agreement. Now that it’s all settled, the season will consist of 48 games (instead of the usual 82 games) and will be limited to intra-conference competition. Don’t worry, I’m sure the players will manage to pack plenty of fights and entertainment into those games! And speaking of entertainment, we’ve gathered some of our best hockey funnies below—vote for your favorite!

Happy Monday!
Today is an exciting day. Not only is it Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but it’s also Presidential Inauguration day.

We feel like it is best to celebrate important days with a little music, so enjoy the video below of Kelly Clarkson singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee’” at President Obama’s Inauguration for his second term as the President of the United States.

And as we said, it’s also Martin Luther King Jr. Day—a day we spend remembering the man who dedicated his life to working towards civil rights for African-Americans in the United States. Dr. King led a multitude of peaceful boycotts and marches (including the 250,000 person march on Washington D.C. where he delivered his “I have a Dream” speech), and was the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. His legend lives on today, as does his dream of a society where all men and women are considered equal. In celebration of MLK Day check out this post which features a playlist of songs for Martin Luther King Jr. Here’s just one example:

You can also start revving up for the Super Bowl on February 3, now that we know it’s going to be the Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers…it’s going to be an exciting game.
Have a wonderful week everyone!

Happy Internet Freedom Day!
It’s hard to believe it has already been a year since SOPA was defeated and Internet freedom persevered. Back then the prospect of Internet censorship was a very real and valid threat, and with the introduction of SOPA and PIPA to Congress, the future of the web seemed bleak.

Luckily the country rallied together—tech companies, bloggers, even average folks—all determined to protect the freedom of the Internet. On January 18, 2012, more than 100 thousand websites (including Cheezburger!) protested by blacking themselves out; emails and calls were made to Congress, Internet users pushed back… and won! SOPA went away and the web went uncensored another day.

But we also celebrate Internet Freedom Day as a reminder for the future—a reminder for us to continue cultivating the Internet as a force for good in the world—a free and limitless space where we can learn, grow and make the future even brighter.

Let us know how you plan on celebrating Internet Freedom Day! Any events happening in your towns or on the Interwebs? Visit the Internet Freedom Day website to learn more and to share their #InternetFreedomDay message on Facebook and/or Twitter.

LoL by: DianeMarie (Picture by: deez)

We’d love to hear the story behind your username!
Diane is my first name. Marie is my middle name. The End.

How long have you been a member of the Cheezburger community and what made you want to join?
I’ve been a member since August of 2009. I came across Cheezburger one day back in 2006 or 2007 and found myself visiting the site every day thereafter. Everything I saw made me want to join, to be a part of this amazing, irreverent, cat-centric world. Unfortunately the laptop I had at the time was so old and temperamental it would crash if I tried to do anything but browse the pages. So I waited. The day I got my new laptop, I got on Cheezburger, created a profile, and made my first Lol.

What do you look for in a Cheez friend, and what’s the best way to make a new friend?
Friendliness, openness, enthusiasm. I also look for common interests and a similar sense of humor. That’s probably the best place to start when looking to make a new friend. Read the person’s profile, take a peek at the Lols they make and favorite, and see if you have any mutual Cheezfriends.

What is your favorite site on Cheezburger and why?
Lolcats. For me, the unapologetic Crazy Cat Lady, Cheezburger will always be about the kittehs. Although…Senor GIF has been running a very close second!
(more…)

Since we at Cheezburger make it our personal business to know about entertaining cat events around the globe, we’re excited to tell you about Catdance Film Festival!
This electrifying event takes place on January 19 in Park City, Utah. The festival is hosted by AnnaLynne McCord—known for her parts on Nip/Tuck and the new 90210—and celebrated for her role as a young philanthropist. These cat-centric films are quality, original scripted shorts, featuring the best and brightest in new cat cinema.

Brought to you by the Makers of Fresh Step Litter, five spectacular cat films have been picked (from many!) to be screened at the Film Festival, along with other “official selections” that they’ve commissioned. The films will range from comedies to biographies to animated shorts—a little something for every feline lover out there. This isn’t a festival for amateurs, and the amount of work and skill put into these films is obvious; just take a look at A Cat In Love up above! Talk about inspired.

Catdance Film Festival will not only explore the fuzzy terrain of feline film on January 19, it will also raise money for the ASPCA through the sale of cat-inspired hats created just for the occasion. Host AnnaLynne McCord will unveil this limited-edition knit hat (with pointy ears of course)—design courtesy of knitwear designer Sunghee Bang. The hat will be available at the ASPC online store and 100% of the profits benefit the ASPCA and their mission to prevent cruelty to animals.

The fun doesn’t completely end with the screening! You (whether you attend the festival or not) will help decide which filmmaker receives the $10,000 cash prize. To watch the films and cast your vote just visit Fresh Step January 20 through February 28—you’ll have the chance to win some prizes as well.
Have fun and happy viewing!