1. In case you missed Jon Hamm‘s hilarious cameo on last night’s Valentine’s Day-themed episode of 30 Rock, here it is. [via Hulu]
2. Yesterday we pointed out several similarities between Rihanna‘s “Rude Boy” and M.I.A.‘s three-year-old video for “Boyz.” Now Diplo has mashed up the two tracks. [via Fader]
3. Good news if you happen to work near Radio City Music Hall: MTV’s Video Music Awards are leaving New York City for L.A. [via Vulture]
4. Kirkus Reviews has been saved by Herb Simon, the owner of the Indiana Pacers of the N.B.A. [via NYT]
5. Will tonight’s Olympics opening ceremony rock? Remember, it is happening in Canada… [via Salon]

Bonus Giveaway: We use Yahoo! Search to help find the top culture stories of the day. Now we’re giving you the chance to play editor, and you just might win a trip to Coachella.

Use Yahoo! Search to find an interesting link about Jon Hamm, and drop it below in the comments. Our favorite entry will receive a Mad Men Seasons 1 – 3 DVD Boxset, and more importantly, be entered to win a VIP trip for two to Coachella. Topics will be changing throughout the week, so get your search on and keep playing to increase your chances of winning!

Today at Flavorpill, we learned how to suck at Facebook. We made Pink Panty Pulldown Punch. We got to know Pitchfork’s Editor-in-Chief Scott Plagenhoef. We discovered an unlikely use for old cat food cans. We we surprised to find out where the cast members of The Mighty Ducks are today. We were awed by Bill Murray’s raw animal magnetism. We liked this chart version of Diplo’s Gucci Mane mixtape. We took a walk through J.D. Salinger’s New York. We ate an iSandwich for lunch — not to be confused with a Selleck sandwich. And finally, we judged CBS for refusing to air a ManCrunch.com ad during the Super Bowl. Would they react the same way to a Golden Girls boxset?

Today at Flavorpill, we met Big Brother. We couldn’t believe that Ryan from The Office is a budding photographer. We felt like mindless sheep. We discovered how funny superuseless superpowers can be. We came up with some names for the new Wu-Tang offshoot. We learned how stop-motion babies are made. We wondered how many people still own VCRs. We read some bad Jay-Z metaphors. We tried to imagine what kind of parent would buy a toy replica of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa for their kid to play with. We downloaded a free Gucci Mane mixtape from Diplo. We decided that someone needs to stage an Indiana Jones intervention with Harrison Ford. We looked forward to Breaking Dawn‘s CGI baby. We had our Arrested Development movie hopes toyed with yet again. And finally, we found another reason to be frightened by FOX News. Thank you, Sarah Palin.

Last week, when video emerged of a chest-bearing Thom Yorke dancing next to his new bandmate Flea, it seemed like things were a bit backwards. Had Yorke lost a bet? Had we? But the collaboration appeared to be a success, perhaps because it took both Yorke and Flea out of their element. After all, when was the last time Flea wore a shirt?

From Patrick Wolf and Tilda Swinton to Lil’ Wayne and Weezer, 2009 has been the year of surprising collaborations. Though previous years yielded some amazing partnerships (Johnny Marr and Modest Mouse, Mike Watt with Kelly Clarkson), the past ten months have seen collabs that initially seemed improbable, or, technically impossible (see: Black Keys and Ol’ Dirty Bastard). Check out our favorites from this year below, and a couple of predictions for the rest of 2009.

Read More »

Jane's Addiction, photo credit: Dave Mead

Total bedlam with a good soundtrack, that’s Lollapalooza. The last time I was in Chicago’s Grant Park with this many people — estimates show 200,000 bought tickets — we’d all just voted out a malevolent Washington administration that was past its expiration date. This time the masses and I were there to see as many different bands as humanly possible during a three-day free-for-all. People may not have been crying tears of joy, but spirits were definitely high. It would be nice to think that the world is a gentler place now than it was last November, but it’s not exactly true. Instead, the Midwest’s main music festival just seemed to prove that we’re pretty good at ignoring hard times. As Perry Farrell himself said, Lollapalooza is recession proof. Read More »

Last month, Earplug’s Michael Byrne hit massive music industry gathering (and unofficial weenie roast) SXSW alongside photographer Josh Sisk, wading through the thousands of bands and lapping up all the backyard BBQ he could eat. What’d he take away? Austin’s premiere event isn’t going anywhere. Read More »

T.I. casts first vote ever: He spends his time convincing 18-year-olds to exercise their finally-attained right to vote, but last week rapper T.I. led by example thanks to a loophole in the law. He was recently charged with felony convictions, but because he isn’t slated to go to prison till next year and isn’t currently incarcerated, all he had to do was re-register. Who knew?  [MTV]

Diplo to release remix compilation: DIPLO is set to release a compilation called DECENT WORK FOR DECENT PAY: COLLECTED WORKS: VOLUME ONE in January. The disc is rife with remixes and original tracks of a lot of indie faves: DAFT PUNK, M.I.A., BLACK LIPS, PETER BJORN AND JOHN, CSS and others. Some of the tracks are also uniquely credited to Diplo himself. [Pitchfork]

Cool Kids finally announce first album: THE COOL KIDS decided to finally get on it and release their first full-length album. WHEN FISH RIDE BICYCLES is due out by the end of the year, according to the band. They’re in for stiff competition though, because that time of the year anticipates new albums by KANYE, LUDACRIS and 50 CENT as well. All the cool kids at the same time, we guess. [Hip Hop DX]

Of Montreal covers M.I.A. on vinyl: OF MONTREAL is planning to release a new vinyl single November 25th, which will include a new version of their M.I.A. cover “JIMMY.” The 7” will also contain a new track called “MIDDLE CLASS GHETTO” and a bonus DVD. [Pitchfork]

Jackson crushes reunion rumors: Though the JACKSON 5 were rumored to be reuniting next year, MICHAEL JACKSON released a statement Friday saying he would not be participating. He did however give his siblings his blessing, and claimed that he was working on his own projects to be released soon. [Billboard]