1. Greyson Chance — the 12-year-old whose talent show performance of “Paparazzi” went viral earlier this month — has signed a record deal with Interscope, Lady Gaga‘s label. Watch your back, Biebs. [via NYP]
2. Emerging playwright Annie Baker (who we interviewed here) has scored the Obie Award (think: Off-Broadway Tony) for new American play for a pair of works: “Circle Mirror Transformation” and “The Aliens.” [via Variety]
3. Artist Justin Lowe (whose faux meth lab took over Deitch Projects last summer) is going to recreate CBGB‘s iconic bathroom for Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum museum. [via WSJ]
4. Brace yourselves indie rock fans: Vampire Weekend. Beach House. Dum Dum Girls. All together on a north North American tour, beginning in August. [via P4K]
5. Christina Aguilera has posted an official statement on her website saying that she has “absolutely nothing against Lady Gaga” or any other female in the biz, for that matter. [via Vulture]
Today at Flavorpill, we were creeped out by the idea that Facebook knows when your relationship is going to end before you do. We discovered where cursors come from. We enjoyed Baby’s Touch ‘N Feel Guide to Russian Literature, courtesy of McSweeney’s. We refused to believe that Justin Bieber’s tiny bird tattoo can be real. Or located on his girlish hip. We followed @feministhulk. (Sample tweet: “HULK NOT AFRAID OF GLASS CEILING. HULK EAT GLASS FOR BREAKFAST.”) We wondered what moving Parks and Recreation might mean for our favorite show, 30 Rock. We visited 15 amazing castles from around the world. We watched a couple in Japan get married by a humanoid robot. We decided that a touch of Le Tigre does a world of good for Christina Aguilera’s sound — just listen to this preview of “I Hate Boys.” And finally, we relived The National’s Saturday night Red Hot-benefiting show at BAM, thanks to our friends at ZYNC from American Express.
1. Remember how we asked if Matt Stone and Trey Parker are just assholes? Seventeen Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonists have signed a petition backing them up. [via The Comics Reporter]
2. Killers frontman Brandon Flowers is releasing a solo album entitled Flamingo. [via Spinner]
3. Can you spot all of the Madonna references in Christina Aguilera‘s new video for “Not Myself”? [via The Awl]
4. Colin Meloy has signed a three-book deal with HarperCollins to write a YA series called Wildwood that is a “classic tale of adventure, magic, and danger, set in an alternate version of modern-day Portland, Oregon.” His talented wife will do the illustrations. [via NPR]
5. According to DJ Premier, Kanye West‘s new album will not sound exactly like 808s & Heartbreak — but it should be sponsored by Grey Goose. [via Vulture]
Bonus link: The top 5 volcano paintings
Today at Flavorpill, we were glad to learn that Beyoncé is not pregnant. No offense B, but we’re not ready for you to have a baby yet. We would like an explanation for why Disney has asked women with fake breasts not to audition for Pirates 4. We read about how Facebook is planning to take over the Internet thanks to a supersized new Like feature. We squealed a little when we heard that Christina Aguilera’s new single will be released next week. We learned that this year’s award for the world’s weirdest book title went to Crocheting Adventures With Hyperbolic Planes. We fell in love with these minimalist renditions of the opening credits for LOST and Tron. We enjoyed this list of the most preposterous college majors ever. We committed to memory these 10 Star Wars quotes that are not good things to yell out during sex. And finally, we ogled the rejected posters for the La Cage aux Folles revival — our favorite is the one that looks like Mardi Gras exploded.
Today at Flavorpill, we watched a snake smoke cigarettes. We weren’t fooled by Ke$ha’s Hollywood sign publicity stunt. We lusted after this awesome art history poster. We laughed at some fictional lit nerds on Twitter. We wondered why so many people wonder if David Lynch is a vegetarian. We got a sneak peek at Christina Aguilera’s live-action big-screen debut, Burlesque. (It’s also Cher’s first movie in almost a decade.) We learned that when it comes to what men want, Megan Fox is the least common denominator. We were surprised (and excited) to see Gawker tackle indie film distribution. We were shocked by NBC’s ability to make a clean break from all things Conan — they should teach a course. This photograph made us chuckle (by the by, Ferris’ Then We Came to the End is amazing). And finally, we made a donation to Giant Robot magazine. They’re hoping to raise $60,000 in order to keep publishing for the next year.
Last week, we watched in rapt horror as Haiti succumbed to a devastating 7.0 earthquake. And, if you’re like us, the first question on your mind was, “How can I help?” We trust you’ve already made an initial donation of money or time. But, now that there’s controversy over where exactly the money you donate to Wyclef Jean’s Yele is going, we thought you might be interested know about a variety of other opportunities to combine your concern for Haiti with your arts and pop culture obsessions. After the jump, check out how fans of Lady Gaga, George Clooney and even Team Coco can support relief efforts.
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Nothing we love more than an internet mystery to spice up the workday. Courtesy of YouTube user “iamamiwhoami” we’ve got a viral video on our hands that features a blond nymphet licking tree bark to an audio background of trippy techno. Some speculate the clip is in anticipation of Christina Aguilera’s March LP, “which the label has been selling as her Ray of Light, ‘motherhood changed me’” affair. Others argue that it’s more likely a Goldfrapp production (Head First will be released March 23 in the US); curiously, the duo worked with Aguilera on a couple of tracks of the aforementioned new album. Take a gander after the jump
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It is no secret that trade publication Billboard is painfully irrelevant. However, its latest “Artists of the Decade” list cannot be debated — it has been objectively compiled. Never mind the fact that Billboard equated “Artists of the Decade” with “the 20 music stars with the best performance on the Billboard 200 albums chart and the Hot 100 over the last ten years.” We let this happen, at least when we still bought CDs. After the jump, explanations on how Creed, Nelly, Nickelback, and others snuck into the Top 20 most-sold albums of the decade list.
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After the release of her eponymous debut album, New Zealand musician Phillipa Brown, known as Ladyhawke, enjoyed near-unanimous critical acclaim and the development of a steadily-growing international fan base. She’s co-headlining a tour with Semi Precious Weapons, Julian Perretta, and Frankmusick sponsored by gossip blogger Perez Hilton (which kicked off yesterday in Atlanta) and is currently working on the follow up to her debut. Her singles “Paris Is Burning” and “My Delirium” are slick throwbacks to the glory days of ’80s synth pop and have both been hits overseas.
After the jump, read our complete interview with Brown, where we chat about meeting Perez, Christina Aguilera’s rumored cover of one of her hits, and why she’s really grunge at heart. Read More »
Today at Flavorpill, we were glad to see Marty Scorsese sticking up for LACMA’s film program — but wondered if he’s willing to back up his open letter with some cold, hard cash. We found Christina’s Aguilera’s t-shirt funny. We went behind-the-scenes of Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones. We were excited to see what Shepard Fairey, Kent Twitchell, and Thierry Noir come up with for their Berlin Wall-inspired project. We learned from Molly Ringwald that John Hughes was prone to grudges. We tried to come up with a funny nickname for the upcoming release date for Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol. We discovered a thing or two about steampunk. We finally, we found this article — about a six-year-old boy who was only able to communicate with him family once they gave him a felt pen — totally fascinating.
