1. The world was both shocked and saddened to hear that Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs died yesterday at the age of 56. Read his full obituary in The New York Times here.
2. Sorry, Bob Dylan: 80-year-old Tomas Transtromer, who’s considered the most influential Scandinavian poet of recent decades, has won the 2011 Nobel Prize in literature. “He’s writing about big questions. He’s writing about death, he’s writing about history and memory, and nature,” explained Peter Englund, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, which awards the prize. [via WaPo]
3. Snoop Dogg has been offered a starring role in a new NBC comedy that’s being written by sitcom vet Don Reo (Blossom, Everybody Hates Chris, My Wife and Kids). Could creating a show around a rapper be the network’s attempt to recreate some of that Fresh Prince ratings magic? [via Deadline]
4. Lady Gaga is reportedly “in talks” to tour with Queen as the band’s singer. “I worked with Lady Gaga and she’s very creative and is someone we’ve talked about singing, fronting the band with,” says guitarist Brian May. “She’s not just a singer, she writes her own material.” [via NME]
5. Thanks to some crafty editing work by director Tom Six, the UK ban on The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) has been lifted. Among the scenes that had to be chopped: “the graphic sight of a man’s teeth being removed with a hammer” and “the graphic sight of lips being stapled to naked buttocks.” [via ArtsBeat]
Bonus Buzz: The 12 Most Inspirational Quotes From Steve Jobs