It seems like every day someone is sending us a new TED talk. We are big fans of the forward-thinking smart-people conference, but there’s just no way we can watch everything posted on the site. That said, there’s no way we would miss “David Byrne: How architecture helped music evolve,” a speech from this year’s event that just appeared on the site. Once we checked out that show stopper (seriously, watch it now), we couldn’t help scanning the TED archives to find the best arts and culture-related talks. Our ten favorites, spanning the realms of art, design, literature, music, and TV, are after the jump.
Today at Flavorpill, we got a look at the leaked script for J.J. Abrams’ new spy show, Undercovers. Spoiler alert: It’s very, very fast. We learned the word “tessellate,” thanks to the fine folks at Subway and their triangular pieces of cheese. We were tickled by how much butt cleavage can look like boob cleavage — yet unconvinced that it warranted an entire book. We wished that McDonald’s ran cute gay-friendly ads in the US. We laughed at these photoshopped images of internet memes mashed up with art masterpieces. We tried to imagine Oprah Winfrey as an intern way back in 1973. We were proud of Homer Simpson, who has been named the greatest character created for TV and film in the past 20 years by Entertainment Weekly. We wondered if we should be worried about a cat taking our job one day. We saw the BP station sign down the block from HQ get defaced. And finally, we listened to She & Him play “Fools Rush In” as part of the Levi’s “Pioneer Sessions.” Very pretty!
1. A bootleg of J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 trailer has leaked online (at least until it gets taken down); there’s also an official website for the project. [via MovieViral]
2. What not to do at the opening night of the final show at Deitch Projects: trip on your way in and land on Jeffrey Deitch. (video)
3. Brad Pitt has been offered the male lead in the American remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Meanwhile Carey Mulligan, Ellen Page, Kristen Stewart, Mia Wasikowska, Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway, Olivia Thirlby, and Scarlett Johansson are all dying to play Lisbeth Salander. This does not bode well. [via Vulture]
4. The remainder of the Polaroid archives that weren’t auctioned off earlier this year will reside at the MIT Museum. This includes a historic bellows camera the size of a filing cabinet. [via UnBeige]
5. Liam Gallagher is developing a movie based on Richard DiLello’s memoir about his years spent working in the press office at the Beatles’ record company, Apple. [via THR]
Remember when you went to see Transformers only to have the experience totally eclipsed by what you didn’t realize at the time was a teaser for J.J. Abrams’ upcoming thriller Cloverfield? Well, prepare to have it happen again this weekend. According to Collider, a surprise trailer for Super 8 — a film which Abrams hasn’t even begun shooting yet — will screen in theaters this weekend before Iron Man 2.
We find it interesting that Abrams is choosing to go this route again; it felt like Cloverfield (which we thought was good, but only got a so-so reception from both audiences and critics) never stood a chance of living up to its original teaser. That said, as Collider points out, Cloverfield set a box office record in its opening weekend, taking in more than it would for the rest of its run in theaters. So maybe that’s why.
1. Paramount Pictures has clinched its deal with Tom Cruise to reprise his role as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible 4. He’ll co-produce with J.J. Abrams, and they’re shooting for a Summer 2011 release. [via Deadline]
2. Scratch My Back, Peter Gabriel‘s new album of orchestral indie-rock covers, is currently streaming in full online. [via The Guardian]
3. Required viewing: Watch Mike Tyson tear it up on Italian Dancing With the Stars. [via TV Squad]
4. New details have emerged on Jason Segel’s The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time — including a preview of the script. [via The Playlist]
5. The New Yorker has commissioned indie comics stars Chris Ware, Adrian Tomine, Ivan Brunetti, and Dan Clowes to illustrate four different covers for its upcoming 85th anniversary edition. [via ComicsAlliance]
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 Tom Cruise, and drop it below in the comments. Our favorite entry will receive Mission Impossible – Ultimate Missions Collection, 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!
In the wake of the Conan vs. Leno battle royale, perhaps you missed NBC’s announcement of eight pilots already given the go-ahead for the 2010-11 season. The new shows are mostly procedural dramas, but there’s also a sci-fi/detective show, a romantic comedy, and an Adam Corolla project. It seems that the Peacock’s remedy for lackluster ratings is to pump out derivative (read: pre-tested) material and spend lots of money on big-named executive producers. There are some potentially-promising projects in the mix (we’re looking at you J.J. Abrams), and some that just don’t make sense — no disrespect, but does the world really need a fictional version of Dog the Bounty Hunter?
We know you’ve heard of found art. Now, meet LOST art. No, it’s not some new, conceptual trend. It’s art inspired by J.J. Abrams’ cultish (yet somehow also wildly popular) television drama. And Los Angeles’ Gallery1988 has devoted an entire show to it. (Fans, be advised: It just opened last week but will close Christmas Eve, so get thee to the gallery soon if you mean to check it out in person.) Of course, as with all things LOST-related, an entire web of online intrigue has already been spun around it — and it involves comedian Paul Scheer!
At the center of this intrigue is Jensen Karp, Gallery1988′s owner and the guy who collaborated with the folks at LOST to create the mysterious DamonCarltonAndAPolarBear.com campaign that inspired the art show. After the jump, we talk with Karp about the exhibition and select our six favorite pieces.
1. Honest to blog: Diablo Cody is in talks to adapt the Sweet Valley High books. [via Heat Vision]
2. J.J. Abrams is executive producing a new “comedic medical show” for FOX. [via THR]
3. Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake will star as Mark Zuckerberg and Sean Parker in David Fincher’s Facebook movie. [via Variety]
4. Three unnamed songs from Flight of the Conchords will appear in an upcoming version of Rock Band. We think… [via NME]
5. After a $12.5 million renovation, you can see two Art Deco murals on the lobby ceiling of the Empire State Building; they’ve been hidden since the ’60s. [via NYT]
, 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!
