As avid fans of all things Twin Peaks, we’ve had a close eye on Twin Peaks Props for some time now. The enigmatic “Jerry Horne” (named after the sleazy character played by cult actor favorite David Patrick Kelly) runs the website honoring all the remarkable props featured in the cult television show that helped shape the dark serial’s quirky, kitsch atmosphere. Production designer Richard Hoover crafted the now iconic sets, informed by co-creator David Lynch’s painterly style, emphasizing rich colors and textures. Wood plays an important role in the show, referring back to the foreboding forest surrounding the northwestern town. Most props on the show featured quite prominently, helping to peel back the mundane veneer, hinting at a secret or hidden life observed by the ordinary objects like silent spectators.
Horne is lucky enough to own several of the show’s most famous props. He started collecting in the late 1990s (the show ran from 1990 to 1991), and eventually resurrected a second website — Twin Peaks Archive — where he connected with cast and crew, purchased props, rare photos, and other objects directly from them. Horne’s fascination with the show also extends to an upcoming book project with Twin Peaks Unit Publicist and stills photographer Paula K. Shimatsu-U, featuring all the images she shot on set. The duo is planning the release for the show’s 25th anniversary celebration. What’s the most wanted item from the series? “I think the most coveted prop would be Laura’s red diary from the series. I know who owns the green diary from the pilot. However, the red diary more closely matches the Jennifer Lynch diary that was commercially released. It’s out there somewhere,” Horne shared.
We asked Horne to share ten of his favorite Twin Peaks props with us. Grab your slice of cherry pie and a damn fine cup of coffee, and click through our gallery for a look at Twin Peaks history. We’ve also featured one of the new prop replicas that will be on sale soon. Hint: Harry, Hawk, Andy, and Lucy all owned one.
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Today at Flavorpill, we read an excellent account of one GQ reporter’s failed quest to make a man out of Justin Bieber. We watched Mac Lethal take on Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know.” We got ready for a rare solar eclipse that’s happening on Sunday. We listened to a few clips from the Music For Occupy album, which features music by Yoko Ono, Tom Morello, Yo La Tango, and others. We felt wonderfully creeped out by these massive installations that use doll hair. We watched a 12-year-old girl’s devastating critique of the banking system. We witnessed 37 years of SNL in this graphic timeline. We felt salty over these intricate sculptures made of sodium chloride. We visited the best of YouTube’s gender bending makeup tutorials. We met 10 rap stars who fully support gay equality. And finally, we locked up our ice cream. This is what’s important in life.
It’s kind of refreshing to find out that filmmaker Cass Warner Sperling — granddaughter of Warner Bros. co-founder Harry M. Warner — will be relying on Kickstarter and not her family name to get the funds to finish her intimate documentary on iconic actor, filmmaker, and artist Dennis Hopper. Hopper: In His Own Words is near completion and is comprised mainly of a lengthy interview Sperling did with the star for a different documentary about the family biz, The Brothers Warner.
“When I interviewed him he hadn’t been on the lot since the ’50s, but he told all of these magnificent stories of his career, including how he went through these situations with drugs and how he confronted his demons and decided to not only survive but carry on with his art form,” the filmmaker told Deadline.
Hopper shared his rehab nightmare, in which the actor fled a treatment facility with a friend after a powerful antidote didn’t agree with him. He eventually saw a doctor, and the experience scared him so much Hopper quit drugs for good. The doc will also feature stories of Hopper signing a deal with Warner Bros. at 18 years old, working with James Dean on Rebel Without A Cause and Giant. The actor famously clashed with director Henry Hathaway and told Sperling he was blackballed after that for the next decade by all the studio giants.
Sperling’s father — who wrote the documentary and is the film’s producer — advised his daughter to never use her own money to make a movie, so she’s turning to the Internet for help. We expect she’ll reach her funding goal in no time at all. Is a new doc about the recently passed rogue icon on your Hollywood wish list?
We really appreciate our modern conveniences, but sometimes we like to romance the memories of vintage printing implements. You know, the kind you can’t carry everywhere, were composed of clackety metal parts, and required ink that smudged across your paper. Even if you’ve never used something like a typewriter before, the machines have a nostalgic allure few can resist. After spotting a metropolis made from printing press letters on Juxtapoz — which we’ve featured for you past the break — we felt inspired to search out other artworks that use vintage printing devices in amazing ways. Click through our gallery to see how a few typewriters and other tools have been reborn.
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An artist introduced to us by HouHouHaHa who goes by the moniker Carré Offensif — which amusingly translates to “offensive square” — enjoys blurring the boundaries between mythical pop figures, retro video games, and bold graphic design. Offensif’s pixel art takes aim at some of the usual suspects, but transforms a few unexpected figures — like Serge Gainsbourg and Kirsten Dunst’s Marie Antoinette — into total squares. Spotting Mike Tyson’s portrait makes us want to break out the NES and play some Punch-Out!!. See more colorful, boxy creations past the break. Warning: you won’t be able to unsee a nightmarish pixel version of Mick Jagger. We hope he doesn’t kiss his mother — or anyone else — with that mouth.
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Today at Flavorpill, we dug our heels into the history of platform shoes. We quoted eight seasons of Desperate Housewives. We read BuzzFeed editor Gavon Laessig’s pejazzled experience. We thought this video of an eight-year-old autistic boy — who is also blind — with a blues guitarist was extremely touching. We found out where the happiest seaside towns are. We took in a little Coffee & the Newspaper. We were amazed at five mind-blowing dance videos. We enjoyed a transcript of Salman Rushdie’s censorship lecture. We felt Nietzschean observing this animated, Russian Winnie the Pooh video from 1972. We brushed up on our history of British bikemaking circa 1945. We discovered Leonard Nimoy wanted to play the villain in Star Trek V. And finally, We confirmed that 1933, not 1939, is the greatest year for classic movies. You have found your new watchlist for the coming months.
We’ve admired this year’s glamorous Cannes Film Festival poster — featuring an intimate, mythical moment with screen legend Marilyn Monroe — and we’ve been readying ourselves for the latest news streaming from the French Riviera city, but the prestigious film fest is already seeing its share of controversy before the gala kicks off on May 16.
A letter recently published in Le Monde signed by a group of women — including Baise Moi director Virginie Despentes, filmmaker Coline Serreau, and actress Fanny Cottençon — have condemned this year’s Palme d’Or nominations. The shortlist of 22 directors for 2012 are all men, prompting the group to point out that, “Men love their women to have depth, but only when it comes to their cleavages.”
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The Extraordinary is a personal project for Amsterdam artist Robert Bentley Harrison, according to his Behance website. The photographer quotes the artist collective he belongs to, Wallpaper Republic, to explain his inspiration behind a photo series about life over 80 years old.
“The Extraordinary, celebrates the faces and identities of those over the age of 80. With many of these people relegated to the fringes of consciousness, it’s too easy to dismiss or forget about our elders. These photographs render the subjects in remarkable clarity, giving them a certain individuality that is truly remarkable.”
Harrison’s portraits reverently survey the wisdom and complex emotions of age, each subject’s gestures and gazes revealing contemplative and playful moments in a life long-lived. Click through for more revealing portraits in our gallery.
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Today at Flavorpill, we got to know Alex Trebek behind the scenes of Jeopardy. We took the Ghostbusters tour of NYC. We spotted the best places for new college grads. We dug deeper into one of Hollywood’s biggest cults: Apple. We met the junior Avengers. We found out new Arrested Development eps are underway. We enjoyed Louis C.K.’s Reddit interview. We went a little crazy over the world’s tallest Lego tower. We loved this fantasy floor plan of the Mad Men office. We read about the day someone at Pixar almost accidentally deleted Toy Story 2. We discovered a gigantic chewing gum sculpture. And finally, we put on our big suits to celebrate David Byrne’s 60th birthday. We’re pretty sure he’s going to outlive us all.
This past weekend, Jorma Taccone, Justin Bieber and Andy Samberg were amongst those celebrating Saturday Night Live’s 100th digital short in a new video featuring nods to the show’s best-of skits. The Lonely Island crew taught Bieber how to celebrate the occasion — and it’s as lewd as you’re thinking — while celebs like Natalie Portman made cameos, reprising their famous Digital Shorts’ characters. Never one to miss a celebration — particularly when it comes to one of the most reliable laughs on the long-running comedy series — we wanted to rank a few of the best SNL Digital Shorts of all-time. It was a supremely difficult task, but we left you plenty of room to drop your faves in the comments section. Head past the break — where we chat about male genitalia far more than you did today — to take a look (including brand new #100).
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