Even through its nebulous extinction and the onset of bigger and brighter technology, polaroid has remained a compelling format for artists, amateurs, and appreciators alike. Sure, maybe it’s just a hipster faux-stalgia thing, but we think there’s a little more to it. In an age when so many of the photographs we are bombarded with every day are endlessly processed, photoshopped and color-corrected, it feels nice to return to an analog way of seeing the world, and there’s a distinct sense of intimacy in a polaroid that you know hasn’t been messed with too much – even if it may or may not have been expertly staged. There are a million polaroids of celebrities out there, but we’ve combed through and picked the best and weirdest for your viewing pleasure. Click through for 25 of our most favorite polaroids of the rich and the famous, and let us know which ones we’ve missed in the comments!

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In a new interview with Paul Harris at the Guardian, Jonathan Ames says, “I don’t really recognize success. I don’t see myself as on an upwardly mobile trajectory. I see myself as on the edge of a cliff about to fall off.” The author of the infamous essay, “I Shit My Pants in the South of France,” and the creator of the HBO series Bored to Death divulges to Harris that “privately I can still feel wounded, feel terrible and hate myself…” thus revealing that he is yet another self-hating New York Jew who loves to complain about his lot. And for this, we will love him, especially since he boxes under the name “the Herring Wonder” and sports a crooked nose and jaunty little hats.

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1. Both the album art and tracklisting for Lady Gaga’s Born This Way album have surfaced online. Although her publicist hasn’t confirmed anything yet, the images suggest that there are 14 songs, with the title track as the album’s opening song. [via NME]

2. Zach Galifianakis has signed a first-look deal with HBO. His first project for the network will be a pilot starring comedian Brody Stevens, who had a small role in The Hangover. According to the Hollywood Reporter, “Stevens, a former amateur baseball player, will play himself in a mockumentary-style comedy with Galifianakis also appearing.”

3. Justin Vernon says that the next Bon Iver album should be ready sometime in June. “I brought in a lot of people to change my voice — not my singing voice, but my role as the author of this band, this project. I built the record myself, but I allowed those people to come in and change the scene.” [via Sound of the City]

4. Well this isn’t surprising: Jason Schwartzman has joined the all-star cast of Wes Anderson’s next film, Moonrise Kingdom, which tells the story of two young lovers who runaway from their New England town. Among the actors already signed on to the project: Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton.

5. Marvel Comics is joining Starbucks’ wi-fi network, which means customers will get to browse free comics while they drink their coffee. The Economist, Mediabistro.com, and ESPN are also part of the deal. [via Pop Candy]

Bonus link: Dam surfing in Australia

Rest assured, this will be the cutest thing you see all day: A few weeks before his daughter was born, Jason Schwartzman stopped by Amoeba Records to pick up a few classic LPs to be played in her nursery (an adorable idea which reminds us of the mixtape that Flavorwire writer Marvin Lin made for his fetus back in June). Click through to watch Schwartzman explain his album selections, which include Brian Eno’s Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks, Harry Nilsson’s Harry, and Leonard Cohen’s New Skin for the Old Ceremony. Is there any way this baby won’t grow up to be the coolest kid in pre-school?

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1. The Flaming Lips are set to start recording new material later this month, and according to Wayne Coyne, they plan to release a new song every month this year. [via NME]

2. John Goodman is joining Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks in the cast of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Stephen Daldry’s adaptation of the Jonathan Safran Foer novel. [via THR]

3. “We’re sort of emailing each other, we don’t know where that’s gonna go. But I am such a big fan of Cee Lo, he is so gorgeous and talented and amazing.” – Gwyneth Paltrow says that she might be performing her cover of “Fuck You” with Cee Lo on Saturday Night Live this weekend — even though the musical guest is The Black Keys. Update: Gwyneth Paltrow will host SNL January 15 with musical guest Cee Lo, which makes a lot more sense.

4. Jason Schwartzman and his wife, fashion designer Brady Cunningham, are the proud parents of a baby girl: Marlowe Rivers Schwartzman. [via People]

5. The lead producer of Fela! is in discussions with producers in Lagos, Nigeria (home of the title character, Fela Anikulapo Kuti), to take the Broadway musical there in the late winter or early spring. The show closed in New York on Sunday after more than 14 months of performances. [via ArtsBeat]

Bonus link: Andrea Zuckerman is turning 50!

We know, we know: the hipster supposedly exists in the past tense these days — philosophically, at least. But take a walk around a trendy neighborhood in just about any metropolitan area and you’ll find the subculture’s sartorial influence is still alive and well. And since perhaps the greatest hipster pastime is debating who is and isn’t a hipster, the folks at Hear Ya have done us all a big favor by creating “A Hipster Point Scale.”

Now that we finally have an objective way to measure an individual’s level of hipsterdom, we’ve decided to apply their (unfortunately single-sex) rubric to a handful of celebrity men who could be construed as hipsters. Note that we have a few issues with what Hear Ya left out and have awarded bonus points accordingly. Indulge us in this ridiculous exercise after the jump.

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Today at Flavorpill, we checked back in with the zombies from Night of the Living Dead — who are now well into their 70s and 80s. We loved the idea of Lady Gaga dressing up as her own head — that is, if she’s not too busy wearing costumes designed for her by Armani. We realized that driving around in NYC isn’t half as stressful as we thought it was — at least compared to these cities. We were embarrassed by how excited the news of a Sound of Music cast reunion on Oprah makes us. We were blown away by this nutty gallery of iconic gadget prototypes. We watched Jason Schwartzman play around with the The New Yorker iPad app. We wanted this nerdy dictionary T-shirt. We learned about the real-life inspirations behind 14 Simpsons characters. We were scandalized by an extremely nude Bret Michaels on the cover of Billboard. We started following @DRUNKHULK against our better judgment. We thought that the photos in the Ikea cookbook were super pretty. And finally, we said goodbye to Gloria Stuart, the old lady who dropped the expensive necklace into the ocean at the end of Titanic.

Even the suggestion of Michael Cera nude seems so wrong. Now Jason Schwartzman on the other hand… Visit GQ for more images of the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World stars pants-free, and engaging in wholesome weekend activities like yoga, bike riding, and shopping. [via HuffPo]

Fantastic Mr. Fox, a children’s story about an artful poultry-stealing gentleman fox, was written by Roald Dahl in 1970. 39 years later, indie director Wes Anderson brings Mr. Fox and his brethren to the silver screen with minutely detailed stop-motion animation and trademark Anderson quirk.

Jason Schwartzman, the voice of Ash Fox, describes this new venture in storytelling as “familiar, but on some new trip,” and he would know. Though he’s worked with Anderson, his self-professed “best friend,” on two previous movies and one short film, Fantastic Mr. Fox presented new challenges in movie-making: imagine, for example, the core characters gathering on a farm in Connecticut to record dialogue in real time, complete with howling, digging in the dirt, and wind whistling through trees. The result, a surprising and thoroughly delightful romp through a literary English countryside, is a new tableau to which Anderson has applied his singular, curated vision.

We sat down with Schwartzman to talk BFFs, script vetting, and his experience with not getting the girl.

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Adam Goldberg is a jack-of-all-trades — an actor, writer,producer, and musician. Whether he’s playing Mellish in Saving Private Ryan, the cynical New Yorker boyfriend in 2 Days in Paris, or recording intricately produced pop with members of the Flaming Lips, he has a sense of precision and creative flair that makes his work a pleasure to experience. In (Untitled), his film and music worlds bleed together, as he takes on the role of a tortured avant-garde composer pulled into the absurd jungle of the contemporary art world by a gorgeous gallery owner.

We caught up with Goldberg to learn more about the new film, discuss his most recent musical endeavor, and find out who he thinks would win in a battle of the bands face-off with Jason Schwartzman.

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