“Read so hard libraries tryin’ to find me.” Oh, yes they did. There have been countless parodies and spin-offs of Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Niggas in Paris,” but we feel justified in proclaiming this one the winner. The video finds an adorable pair of ladies, La Shea Delaney and Annabelle Quezada, performing the track as “Bitches in Bookshops,” which leads to some of the most excellent literary boasts we’ve ever heard: “War and Peace? Piece of cake. Read Tolstoy in three days,” for instance, and “You ball so hard? OK, you bowling. I read so hard, I’m JK Rowling.” There’s also a Beauty and the Beast sample. Basically, this is perfect. Watch it and recall how The Marriage Plot got you into Roland Barthes, after the jump.

Read More »

1. Iranian authorities have canceled a ceremony planned in honor of the country’s Academy Award-winning director Asghar Farhadi; while an official reason was not given, apparently many conservatives were upset with A Separation’s frank presentation of the troubles plaguing Iranian society, calling it liberal propaganda. [via ArtsBeat]

2. AMC Theaters will be holding an all-day marathon of Marvel Studios movies (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger) in select theaters across the US on May 3rd as a buildup to the midnight premiere of The Avengers. [via Coming Soon]

3. Jay-Z and Kanye West finally came to an out-of-court settlement with Syl Johnson, the soul singer whose song “Different Strokes” they illegally sampled on their track “The Joy,” but details of the deal were not released. [via TMZ]

4. Heading down to SXSW, and stressed about where you’re going to find a good high-speed wireless connection? An ad agency called BBH is turning homeless people into 4G hotspots as part of a controversial new campaign, with a pay-what-you-want donation for unlimited access. Just look for the folks in the “I am a 4G hotspot” t-shirts. [The Stool Pigeon via Wired UK]

5. According to Billboard, Taylor Swift was the highest-earning musician of 2011, pulling in over $35 million through music sales, royalties, and touring. U2 and Kenny Chesney rounded out the top three. [via BBC News]

Bonus Buzz: Pop Culture Math

Editor’s note: Welcome to The Fug Report! Each week our fashion blogger friends Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, the sartorial geniuses behind Go Fug Yourself, will feature some of the most memorable looks of the week in this space. We hope you enjoy it!

This week on Go Fug Yourself, we concluded our exhaustive Oscar coverage by crowning our Best and Worst-Dressed. We caught up with Revenge, and tuned in for the premiere of GCB. We took a look-see at Kate Middleton’s current coat wardrobe, and gave unexpected props to Megan Fox. We examined Kanye’s wardrobe, as well as his fur-loving fashion line. We wondered what Marc Jacobs was thinking when he decided to dress up like the Village People’s personal Pepto supplier, and coveted Tilda Swinton’s shoes. Finally, we asked ourselves if Sarah Jessica Parker would ever leave her bra-bearing Carrie Bradshaw days behind her (the answer, by the way, is no).

Yesterday brought us George R.R. Martin fans a little gift: some exciting new footage from the upcoming season of Game of Thrones. But with the premiere still over a month away, we thought you could probably use something more to hold you over until the new episodes begin and winter finally comes. Like Ben Wyatt in Parks and Recreation claimed, the show really is a “crossover hit,” and appearing in dozens of hilarious online mash-ups with other pop-culture genres and franchises. We’ve compiled some of the best for diehard fans after the jump. If you found one that we missed, let us know in the comments!

Read More »

In the much-acclaimed, Spike Jonze-directed music video for their hit track “Otis,” Jay-Z and Kanye West cruise around in a tricked-out, deconstructed Maybach with no doors or roof, doing donuts in the dusty industrial park. According to the narrative of the video, which opens with the pair carrying power tools towards the brand new vehicle, the car was “pimped” by Jay-Z and Kanye themselves, which makes it way cooler in our book even than any “other other Benz” we might (hypothetically) own. If you agree, you’re in luck: the car will be put up for auction on March 8 as part of Phillips de Pury’s contemporary evening sale in New York. Of the pop culture artifact, Simon de Pury said, “Jay-Z and Kanye West are towering figures in contemporary culture. They have greatly contributed to the artificial barriers between art, music, fashion and cinema to come down. Their video for ‘Otis’ became an instant classic. The Maybach they have transformed for it has the starring role.” The car is projected to sell for $100,000-$150,000. Backseat full of models not included.

[via Gallerist NY]

Over the years, we’ve noticed that some of our favorite pop artists have tastes that skew towards the bright, bubbly, and intended-for-children. Cartoon couture is everywhere, from Lil Wayne’s leopard print Mickey Mouse T-shirt to Katy Perry’s Betty Boop-inspired dresses. But what exactly does that say about the pop star in question? Sure, Britney Spears’ mouse ears reference her time spent in the Mickey Mouse Club, but for others the meaning is not so clear. We take a crack at some pop (music) psychology about pop stars and their childhood idols, after the jump.

Read More »

Today at Flavorpill, we caught up with our old pal Daria Morgendorffer, who is evidently now a Huffington Post blogger. We discovered five useless phrases that all online daters should remove immediately from their profiles. We were surprised by how well Jay-Z and Kanye’s “Niggas in Paris” mashes up with Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. We listened to Bill Cosby cover the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” We eyeballed the Season 2 teaser poster for Game of Thrones. We wondered who would find the idea of an edible ashtray filled with candy cigarette butts appealing. We ventured behind the scenes of The Artist thanks to a series of new clips released by The Weinstein Company. We were curious how many of these criminal women of North Shields had boyfriends. And finally, we were glad that no one sent us beef roses for Valentine’s Day. While we’re sure they’re delicious once cooked, we don’t imagine they’d last for long just sitting on our desk.

1. Apparently Michael Bay feels like Transformers already needs a reboot; the fourth film in the $2.6 billion franchise, which is set to be released on June 29, 2014, will provide “a new take” on the story. Before that, he’s working on Pain And Gain, a small budget action movie about “a group of bodybuilders who engaged in a campaign of kidnapping, extortion and murder in Florida,” that will star Mark Wahlberg and The Rock. [via ArtsBeat]

2. Veena Sud, showrunner for AMC’s breakout hit The Killing, is writing a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1941 film Suspicion ; the original movie, which starred Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine, tells the story of a couple who meet on a train and get married, only to have things unravel when the woman discovers that her husband is a criminal. [via Total Film]

3. Kanye West and Odd Future have been spending time together in the studio working on something, and there are now photos to prove it. [via NME]

4. There’s a rumor floating around that as part of a deal that would allow the show to feature his songs, Paul McCartney will be making a cameo in the upcoming season of Mad Men. “Action in the show has now reached the Swinging Sixties,” says an anonymous source. “So it’s only right that the man who was pivotal to the era is involved in the show.” [via Zap2It]

5. In the wake of public outcry against the inhumane working conditions at its overseas factories, Apple has asked an outside organization called the Fair Labor Association to audit several of its suppliers; the company says that if they don’t “measure up to its labor and human rights standards,” it will stop working with them. [via The Daily Beast]

Bonus Buzz: 20 People Who Are Having The Worst Valentine’s Day Ever

Jay-Z and Kanye West only play “Niggas in Paris” like 158 times at every performance, so there’s been some speculation as to why they’ve taken so long to make a music video for it. Now, it seems like they may have delayed the concert footage-heavy clip simply to build our curiosity about what it’s like to see them do the song live. So, was it worth the wait? Well, that depends on how you feel about strobe lights, Gothic architecture, Will Ferrell interludes, big cats, and feeling like you’re trapped inside a kaleidoscope with the rappers and their hot-girl entourage. Watch and decide after the jump, but first a word to the wise: That epilepsy warning at the beginning of the video is no joke.

Read More »

We’re not sure exactly what’s behind the recent nail art explosion, but as long as it continues to produce amazing pop-culture tributes on a tiny, personal scale, it has our attention. Last week, we brought you the blood-flecked fingertips of a Dexter groupie and some Arrested Development Mr. Banana Grabber press-ons in our roundup of amazing TV-inspired nails. Before that, we went highbrow with literary nail art paying tribute to everyone from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Harry Potter. Now, nail art superfans, are you ready to rock ‘n’ roll? Today’s haul of musician-inspired nail art includes a dazzling riff on David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane, a set of crazy Nicki Minaj claws, and even a perfectly executed Daniel Johnston manicure.

Read More »