Fight Facilities' "With You" Is Our Music Video of the Day

June 5, 2012, 9:50 am

≫ Next: Singer-Songwriter Alex Winston Doesn't Want to Write "Me, Me, Me" Love Songs

≪ Previous: Morning Funnies: Embroidered Kanye West Tweets On Etsy + Prison Reviews on Yelp

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Australian duo Flight Facilities hooked up with Hot Chip's drummer, Grovesnor (aka Rob Smoughton) for this track and cool animated Blade Runner-esque video. As seems to be a trend with artists like SBTRKT and John Talabot, the pair prefer to remain anonymous and have used different singers for other tracks. 

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Singer-Songwriter Alex Winston Doesn't Want to Write "Me, Me, Me" Love Songs

June 5, 2012, 10:30 am

≫ Next: Trailer Trash: Here's Chloe Sevigny as a Transsexual Contract Killer In Hit & Miss

≪ Previous: Fight Facilities' "With You" Is Our Music Video of the Day

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If you're on the lookout for some new sounds to start off your summer, search no further than Detroit-born singer Alex Winston. The 24 year-old talent's debut disc King Con, released this past April, is indie-pop poetry: her CocoRosie-esque vocals glide over a set of well-produced tracks that spill over with catchiness while maintaining a mature and fundamental framework akin to Lykke Li and Niki & The Dove. PAPERMAG spoke to the up-and-coming artist -- who's already opened for music megastars like Ted Nugent and Chuck Berry -- about the making of Con, her songwriting style and Objectum Sexuality.

One of the most interesting things about your record is its deviation from the subject of love, even though you're working in the parameters of pop, which is arguably a very love-driven genre.

The whole [album] process was pretty interesting. I signed a record deal in the UK a little over a year ago, and they really wanted to get a record out -- pretty much as soon as I signed, I started writing and recording. I really had a short amount of time, which was not ideal for me, and I spent about a month and a half to two months recording it, which would usually take me about 8 months.  I was looking at artwork for inspiration -- I don't tend to write introspective, "me, me, me" love songs and I agree that a lot of pop music is not only love-oriented but also "I am" oriented. Nothing wrong with that, but I'd rather write stories.

So how did that quickness affect your recording route, in terms of coming up with a concept and things like that?  

I kinda just went with the first thing that popped into my mind. I'm not gonna do that for the second album because I actually have time now to work on it and can be a bit more selective. But I watched a documentary on Objectum Sexuality, which I thought was really interesting -- I happened to be in Detroit at the time, and was at an antique store, where I found a velvet Elvis painting. I thought that if I were to be in love with an inanimate object, this was what I'd be in love with. I like to take some [taboo] topics and make them relatable too.

That's something you did with "Sister Wives."

Yeah, with "Sister Wives" I'm not actually talking about polygamy, I'm just talking about sharing something you don't want to share. But because I had to work so quickly, I was drawing a lot of inspiration from things I was reading and watching and just tried to tell stories you don't hear in pop music that often.

You seem like an artist a lot of people hear of via the Internet. Do you feel like blogs and social networks have lent to your success in a big way?
 
Nothing against the label -- they're really great -- but sometimes it makes me think, "Wow, I could just release my stuff on [the Internet] myself!" I'm about to put out a western EP, and I'm just gonna put it on the Internet and see what happens. It's been an amazing tool for me, especially at the start when I'd put out dumb shit whenever I felt like it. And in terms of learning, whether it's films or music, I feel like there's tons of stuff on the Internet that has influenced me.

As an emerging artist, what's been one of the biggest hurdles you've taken on that you didn't necessarily expect to?

I don't even generally talk about this that much, but I'm actually on my second label. I was on Island but that didn't work out, and now I'm signed to V2 and CO-OP, and they're awesome dudes. I think I was just the idiot that signed the major label deal -- I heard all the horror stories and still went ahead. I think the most disappointing thing is when people don't rally behind you in the way you think they're going to and that happens all the time. I know how lucky I am but I know how hard this is. I think my biggest problem is that I'm not going to change for anyone, and I think that didn't help my situation with the first label. I'm trying to make pop music, but I'm trying to make pop music with heart, and I don't think that's what people expected of me at the time.

You've been touring quite a bit recently -- I thought I read that you performed on this boat in Bristol?

It was interesting. When you think of "boat," you probably think of cruise ship but this was an old-as-fuck boat -- really dark, water leaking everywhere, but it was such a fun show and interesting venue. I also played a proper show in a library. They set up a giant sound system and everyone in the town came out, and that was awesome. I love playing these different types of venues.

Which do you prefer: The studio or stage?

I always wanna be in the studio while I'm on tour, but I do love both. I think some of my earliest and biggest influences are Chuck Berry, Little Richard, the Motown guys, and they were all entertainers. I strive to be that way, and I really do like being on stage--I feel like I'm a completely different person, because in real life I'm pretty quiet. I do love the performing process too and I have missed it terribly over the past year, so I'm really excited to finish up this EP.

What are your summer plans?

Hopefully to be on the road in the US -- I love the UK and Europe, but I'm ready to be here. The album release show [at Milk Studios] last month is the first one I've played in New York for a year! I've really missed it, and I wanna focus on the country I live in.

Trailer Trash: Here's Chloe Sevigny as a Transsexual Contract Killer In Hit & Miss

June 5, 2012, 11:40 am

≫ Next: UPDATE: Sting's Daughter Mickey Sumner Will Play Patti Smith and More CBGB Movie Casting News

≪ Previous: Singer-Songwriter Alex Winston Doesn't Want to Write "Me, Me, Me" Love Songs

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Welcome to Trailer Trash, highlighting the best, worst and so-so in new movie trailers. 

Check out this teaser trailer sneak-peak of Chloe Sevigny playing a pre-op transexual contract killer in Hit & Miss. The six-part mini series premieres July 11 on DirecTV and also stars Jonas Armstrong (Robin Hood, The Street) and Karla Crome (Misfits). Chloe has been on the cover of PAPER three times: with Macaulay Culkin in September 2003, on the 20th Anniversary issue cover in 2004 and in September 2006. Maybe it's time to ask her back.

UPDATE: Sting's Daughter Mickey Sumner Will Play Patti Smith and More CBGB Movie Casting News

June 5, 2012, 11:45 am

≫ Next: Rebecca Minkoff, Man Repeller + Hilary Rhoda Cover "Call Me Maybe" + Seth Meyers in Marc Jacobs' Met Ball Dress in Today's Style Scraps

≪ Previous: Trailer Trash: Here's Chloe Sevigny as a Transsexual Contract Killer In Hit & Miss

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Legendary downtown punk club CBGB is reentering the collective consciousness with a vengeance: first, news came out that the club would reopen in a new location, next -- that there would be a CBGB summer music festival and now, casting information has been released about an upcoming film centered on the nightclub, its owner Hilly Krystal, and the denizens who gathered there (like Debbie Harry and The Ramones), produced by Kristal's daughter, Lisa. (Also, the film is being shot in Savannah, which, yes, the Bowery is a whisper of its dirty and dangerous CBGB days, but Savannah? That worries us a little bit.) Check out the cast below and weigh in on what you think of the choices -- do they sound right or make you want to OMFUG all over the place?

UPDATE: Sting's daughter (and Borgias actress) Mickey Sumner has been cast as Patti Smith and Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins will play Iggy Pop, THR says. With all of this casting news lately, we're curious how this movie will pan out.  Though arguably the producers have picked decent doppelgängers (just throw on a black wig and dye Mickey Sumner's eyebrows and we can see a young Patti Smith), we're surprised that they haven't tapped more A-listers for this project.  It would seem that the chance to be attached to a biopic about the legendary punk venue -- not to mention the opportunity to play someone like Patti Smith, Debbie Harry or Joey Ramone -- would be an alt-leaning actor's wet dream so what do the casting decisions reveal?  That the producers purposely decided to focus on up-and-comers over big names?  That their budget couldn't cover A-list fees?  Or, maybe, that the script didn't appeal to any megastars?

While we have faith that Hilly Kristal's daughter, Lisa Kristal Burgman, who's a co-producer, has the best of intentions for this flick, we can't help but be a bit skeptical -- since when is Taylor Hawkins an actor?

Sting's daughter and Borgias actress Mickey Sumner will play Patti Smith

Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins will play Iggy Pop

Alan Rickman (Severus Snape!) will play the late owner, Hilly Kristal

Estelle Harris (Estelle Costanza!) will play Kristal's mother, Bertha

Paper TV star Malin Akerman will play Debbie Harry

Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley!) will play Cheetah Chrome of punk band, The Dead Boys

Avatar's Joel David Moore will play Joey Ramone

Julian Acosta will play Johnny Ramone

[Stereogum via Huffington Post]

Rebecca Minkoff, Man Repeller + Hilary Rhoda Cover "Call Me Maybe" + Seth Meyers in Marc Jacobs' Met Ball Dress in Today's Style Scraps

June 5, 2012, 12:45 pm

≫ Next: 5 Under $50: "Life's a Filthy Beach" Towel + Watermelon Boxers

≪ Previous: UPDATE: Sting's Daughter Mickey Sumner Will Play Patti Smith and More CBGB Movie Casting News

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Here's Rebecca Minkoff, Hilary Rhoda and The Man Repeller doing "Call Me Maybe." Check out the number for "Vincent" at the 0:35 mark -- Minkoff puts all of those cards in her purses as a joke (the number goes to an answering machine for her company).


Seth Meyers rocked Marc Jacobs' Met Gala lace dress while he emceed the CFDA Awards last night. [HuffPoStyle]

Meyers also made a Galliano joke that went over as well as you might expect. The Cut has the transcript:

As a comedian, I have to say that this gig is a dream come true, because you know what they say about the world of high fashion: It's just a bunch of easygoing, laid-back people who love to laugh at themselves. You could even say that fashion and comedy go together like Bar Mitzvahs and Galliano. [Long pause, with awkward laughs.] No one in this room got where they were without taking a risk. I just took one, and I think we can all agree I shouldn't have. That joke went so badly I'm going to get fired from Dior.

Love this Bette Davis eyes necklace, a collaboration between Lendra Medine (of Man Repeller) and Dannijo. [HighSnobette]

Kristen Stewart in on the cover of Vanity Fair's July issue. In it, she calls her haters "voracious, starving shit eaters." Fun times. [VanityFair]


16 "non-buzz-killing" beach coverups via Racked.

Elton John told the Guardian he's worried about Lady Gaga's intense schedule: "I look at Gaga and I think, 'How does she do it?' I talk to her mum and dad about it. They worry. She is frail, and she doesn't eat when she should, and she's a girl, and it's tougher for a girl."  [NYDN Via Style.com Fashion Feed]

 

Here's androgynous model Andrej Pejic posing as both a woman and a man in a spread for fashion magazine, Candy. [Styleite]

Kate Moss photographed by Terry Richardson in Jamaica. [TerrysDiary]


B-girls, behold:  the Adidas Gazelle ice cream pack. [HighSnobette]

5 Under $50: "Life's a Filthy Beach" Towel + Watermelon Boxers

June 5, 2012, 1:53 pm

≫ Next: Kevin Spacey, Benjamin Leavitt and Dana Brunetti On Their Short Film, The Ventriloquist

≪ Previous: Rebecca Minkoff, Man Repeller + Hilary Rhoda Cover "Call Me Maybe" + Seth Meyers in Marc Jacobs' Met Ball Dress in Today's Style Scraps

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Enjoi beach towel, $26.99, available at WarehouseSkateboards.com.

Chalkboard skull, $46, available at Etsy.com.

Poketo "Tomorrow" notebook, $28, available at Poketo.com.

Little bee ring, $25, available at Etsy.com.

Watermelon boxer-shorts, $15, available at JCrew.com.

Kevin Spacey, Benjamin Leavitt and Dana Brunetti On Their Short Film, The Ventriloquist

June 5, 2012, 2:20 pm

≫ Next: The Flaming Lips Have Upped the Weird Ante With New (NSFW) Video Ft. Erykah Badu and Her Naked Sister

≪ Previous: 5 Under $50: "Life's a Filthy Beach" Towel + Watermelon Boxers

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On Saturday night, I drank more Jameson than on any St. Patrick's Day in recent memory. The occasion was the premiere of young Austin filmmaker Benjamin Leavitt's short, The Ventriloquist, at Highline Stages. Leavitt, the U.S. winner of the Jameson First Shot film competition, presented by Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti's Trigger Street Productions, not only has the distinction of beating out all the other American filmmaker hopefuls who submitted but he had the rare opportunity to direct Spacey. In Leavitt's film, completed in just two and a half days, Spacey stars as a lonely ventriloquist (is there any other kind?) who relies on his dummy, the sharp-tongued Mr. Higgins, to engage with the world. (See the short but powerful flick embedded below.) 

Before the screening and a Q&A in which Spacey talked about his admiration for mentor Jack Lemmon, who always encouraged him to "send the elevator back down" to help nurture fresh talent, I caught up with the Spacey, Leavitt and Brunetti at the Bowery Hotel. After back-to-back interviews, and I suspect a few Jameson and sodas, the three chatted with me about the importance of short filmmaking and the hand-eye coordination challenges of mastering a puppet.

Kevin and Dana, you had so many different submissions to wade through. What was it about Ben's that you were drawn to?

Kevin Spacey: One thousand dollars in the envelope.

Dana Brunetti: As a producer I always look at the story first; if it keeps my attention and it's something I want to continue reading.

(Leavitt and Spacey both start laughing.)

See what I deal with? These guys are drinking too much Jameson, so I'll just get into it. With the constraints of this contest, I wanted to look and make sure that it was efficient; not too many locations, not too many cast, no cars blowing up, no car chases and no idiots like this laughing. It's a good thing you won this already, [Benjamin.] Then we narrowed it down and got a director's bio to get a bit of their demeanor and a read to see if they'd gel with the crew. Clearly Ben did since he's drinking with us and acting like an asshole. Then we had them shoot a scene, just to make sure they had a handle on the camera and could tell a story.

(More laughs as Spacey nuzzles the hotel room's teddy bear in Leavitt's neck)

Would you fucking knock it off? This is the worst interview ever.

You guys are just sick of interviews at this point...

KS: No, we're just having a very good time.

DB: Then, this dumbass [Spacey] and I discussed intently and determined which film would be best for him as an actor and us as a production. It was a difficult process. We actually got quite a few we were seriously contemplating.

KS: I was looking as an actor of all the selections that I had to choose from. What did I think were the best three very distinct parts to play, and more importantly, give directors roles they could actually direct me in, where there was something to really do and I wasn't showing up as a cameo.

Above: Kevin Spacey, Benjamin Leavitt and Dana Brunetti

Now Ben, obviously working with these guys has had to transform your career. Can you try and describe what the process has been like for you?

Benjamin Leavitt: It was a surreal, incredible experience.

DB: Like right now?

BL: Like right now. Pretty surreal. Not many people my age and in this stage in my career get to direct a movie with Kevin Spacey. But the support was beyond what I expected. There was very little pressure. I made a really good movie despite these guys.

Kevin and Dana, what did you learn from being a part of The Ventriloquist?

KS: I learned how to do puppetry and I spent two weeks with Kenny, who is called Mr. Higgins in the movie. It was incredible. I had never done that before but I was always fascinated. It was complicated because I had never really known what was inside of them but there are four levers you need to know how to deal with. The eyes are separate units; you can blink one or both. I was partly fascinated by that and went and watched Anthony Hopkins's Magic, where he played a ventriloquist and a few Twilight Zone episodes, with Cliff Robertson in one. There was just something about what the script was about, what the story was about, that I thought really gave the opportunity for [Ben] to make a great film.

DB: I think I learned a lot in the last five minutes. Going back to the process. To take this project and to never have really met the filmmaker except for a few interviews on Skype, and not really develop the script and then have them come in and hit the ground running into a process that's so condensed and so fast and have the product come out so well is impressive.

 KS: There's something to be said about not having all the money in the world. It forces people to be creative. There's something great about only having two days to shoot.

Short film contests seem to be popping up more and more lately.

DB: It's all because of technology and the YouTube generation. Everybody can make a short film and it's an amazing opportunity in a lot of ways if you have talent. It also results in a lot of crap. The key is being able to filter. The majority of stuff online is crap, but what floats to the top is good and has talent behind it.

Ben, do you feel that your job becomes more challenging with such a cluttered landscape?

BL: There's a lot more stuff out there but if you have a good story people will be drawn to it. More distribution is a good thing but you still have to work your ass off and hustle.

The Flaming Lips Have Upped the Weird Ante With New (NSFW) Video Ft. Erykah Badu and Her Naked Sister

June 5, 2012, 2:25 pm

≫ Next: The Wire: The Musical + Grizzly Bear's New Album = Eight Items or Less

≪ Previous: Kevin Spacey, Benjamin Leavitt and Dana Brunetti On Their Short Film, The Ventriloquist

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Honestly we didn't think we'd see a Flaming Lips video stranger than their recent one for "Girl, You're So Weird" but, as is bound to happen when talking about absurdities from a band like TFL, we spoke too soon.  Now out with a video for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," featuring an appearance and vocals by Erykah Badu (who lies naked -- but concealed -- in a bathtub), Wayne Coyne & co. have upped the ante.  It's not Badu lying semi-prone in a tub, nor is it Coyne waving what looks like a big sheet of aluminum foil (or a space blanket) as if he were competing in a rhythmic gymnastics competition that makes it so crazy -- it's Badu's sister Nayrok Badu's very NSFW (and, at times, gratuitous) role.  Set against languorously slow music, the music features Nayrok in her birthday suit covered at different moments in glitter, a viscous red substance (blood?) and an equally goopy white liquid (that, as many bloggers have commented, we can only hope isn't semen).  Enjoy?

P.S. The song comes from TFL's Record Store Day album, The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends (listen to the Biz Markie - Ke$ha collab from the album here), which comes out on June 26th via Warner Bros.

[Indiewire via Pitchfork]

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The Wire: The Musical + Grizzly Bear's New Album = Eight Items or Less

June 5, 2012, 4:08 pm

≫ Next: 5 Under $50: Michael Cera Edition

≪ Previous: The Flaming Lips Have Upped the Weird Ante With New (NSFW) Video Ft. Erykah Badu and Her Naked Sister

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1. The Wire: The Musical. [via Funny or Die]


2. Grizzly Bear's much-anticipated new album is out Sept. 18th. Listen to the first track off the record, "Sleeping Ute," here. They're playing Radio City Music Hall on Sept. 24th.

3. New York City is getting 300 new Subway trains! [via Gothamist]

4. Someone made a voodoo doll of Jerry Saltz (the art critic for New York Magazine), posted it to a lamppost in Chelsea and stuck some needles in it. Occupational hazard we suppose! [via Animal NY]

5. Our buddy George Quraishi and former GQ editor Mark Kirby have launched a new quarterly magazine about soccer called Howler.

6. Momofuku's doing a "Fourth of July To Go" menu. Yes please. [via World's Best Ever]

7. Swiss Army nails! [via BuzzFeed]

8. The Huffington Post has a section devoted to "Sideboob." [via Daily Intel]

5 Under $50: Michael Cera Edition

June 7, 2012, 12:30 pm

≫ Next: Lindsay Lohan Stars in New Richard Phillips Surf-Art Film

≪ Previous: The Wire: The Musical + Grizzly Bear's New Album = Eight Items or Less

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Happy 24th birthday Michael Cera! To celebrate, we've found five fairly creepy but ultimately amazing Michael Cera-themed items for you to purchase.

 "MichaelCeratops" by Jon Stitch, $15, available here.


Michael Cera keychain, $4, available here.

Michael Cera T-shirt, $17.99, available here.


The Michael Cera Handbook - Everything you need to know about Michael Cera, $23.08, available here.

Portrait of Michael Cera by Chase Michaelis, $55 [ED: We know this is more than $50, but we just had to include it!], available here.

Lindsay Lohan Stars in New Richard Phillips Surf-Art Film

June 7, 2012, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Ad-Rock, Shady Hawkins and Heliotropes Play Benefit Next Week For Imprisoned Feminist Russian Punk Band, Pussy Riot

≪ Previous: 5 Under $50: Michael Cera Edition

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NYC-based artist Richard Phillips just finished producing another film in his series of "motion portraits."  The first two, "Lindsay Lohan" and "Sasha Grey" (starring the titular actresses), were shown at last year's Venice Biennale and the most recent one, "First Point," is a collab with surf filmmaker Taylor Steele and also stars Ms. Lohan.  Here's a (very short) sneak peek of the work prior to its world premiere on Monday over at Art Basel in Switzerland.

Ad-Rock, Shady Hawkins and Heliotropes Play Benefit Next Week For Imprisoned Feminist Russian Punk Band, Pussy Riot

June 7, 2012, 2:30 pm

≫ Next: SLS Miami Hotel Opens Today

≪ Previous: Lindsay Lohan Stars in New Richard Phillips Surf-Art Film

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Feminist artist and activist network Permanent Wave has organized a shindig next week to benefit imprisoned Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot on June 12th at Death By Audio (49 S. 2nd St in Williamsburg), which will feature performances by Heliotropes, Shady Hawkins and TinVulva as well as a DJ set by Ad-Rock (a.k.a. Adam Horovitz) of the Beastie Boys. (Ad-Rock's wife, Bikini Kill and Le Tigre's Kathleen Hanna, has been talking about Pussy Riot on her blog for months, making this video calling for people to step in and help, as has her former Bikini Kill bandmember, Tobi Vail.)

For those out-of-the-loop, Pussy Riot has been receiving viral attention the past couple of months after members of the group were arrested on charges of "hooliganism" following a show in a cathedral during which the group sang lyrics like "Virgin Mary drive Putin away!"  Three remain imprisoned -- apparently charges of "hooliganism" can carry a sentence of up to seven years -- and in solidarity, other punk bands, artists, feminists, and activists around the world have staged various shows and events in support of the group.

Proceeds from the benefit (minimum donation is $7) will go towards paying for Pussy Riot's legal expenses (the trial takes place between June 18th and 24th) and will be the first in a series of similar events Permanent Wave is organizing throughout the country this summer.

SLS Miami Hotel Opens Today

June 7, 2012, 2:50 pm

≫ Next: Prince Turns 54 + Ugg Wedding Boots = 8 Items Or Less

≪ Previous: Ad-Rock, Shady Hawkins and Heliotropes Play Benefit Next Week For Imprisoned Feminist Russian Punk Band, Pussy Riot

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The trendiest place to see and be seen during Art Basel Miami Beach has just moved from the W South Beach to the SLS Hotel.  The shell of the old Ritz-Plaza (1701 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach) has been transformed by Sam Nazarian and Philippe Starck (with a little help from Lenny Kravitz) and it just opened today.  Celeb chef José Andrés runs the food and beverage service, including a branch of LA's The Bazaar, a Katsuya sushi restaurant and a "food truck" out by the pool.  Check out a few more of the renderings and photos floating around below and then go ahead and book your suite HERE. (Since we prefer something a little more low-key, we'll still be staying at the Standard Miami.)

Prince Turns 54 + Ugg Wedding Boots = 8 Items Or Less

June 7, 2012, 4:00 pm

≫ Next: Tips for Today: Lana Del Rey in NYC + Cocktail Classic in L.A. + Roger Waters in Chicago + No Direction Home Festival in London

≪ Previous: SLS Miami Hotel Opens Today

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1. Now we know what shoes Snooki should wear at her nuptials: these wedding-collection Ugg boots. [via Laughing Squid]

2. Check out 90s Nickelodeon All-Star Lori Beth Denberg (formerly of All That) on an episode of Comedy Central's Workaholics. [via Buzzfeed]

3. This is pretty fun: Voice-Over Actors Who Look Like Their Characters. [via Flavorwire]

4. Happy Birthday Prince!  The legendary artist turns 54 today (and is birthday buddies with Michael Cera!). [via Dangerous Minds]

5. Whoa cozy.  Look at this "seating pod" -- more like an artificial womb -- made by designer Freyja Sewell. [via Design Milk]

6. Erykah Badu is none too happy with The Flaming Lips' recent video that she and her sister appeared in (you can watch it here) -- check out the exchange she had with Wayne Coyne. [via Death + Taxes]

Tips for Today: Lana Del Rey in NYC + Cocktail Classic in L.A. + Roger Waters in Chicago + No Direction Home Festival in London

June 8, 2012, 6:57 am

≫ Next: The Morning Funnies: Mark Paul Gosselaar Ruins Your Childhood + PBS Remixes Mr. Rogers

≪ Previous: Prince Turns 54 + Ugg Wedding Boots = 8 Items Or Less

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New York:

Celebrate the glorious day that Prince first graced us with his presence at Brooklyn Bowl's birthday party/tribute to the legendary musician. Erotic City (arguably the best Prince tribute band) will be performing every single song on Purple Rain along with all of the greatest hits. [via Brooklyn Bowl]

Lana Del Rey -- the controversial singer who shocked the country with her less-than-stellar performance on SNL, while wowing them with her album Born to Die -- will be performing her lovesick melodies at Irving Plaza. [via Oh My Rockness]

One of our favorite artists, the L.A. based Megan Whitmarsh, known for her delightful hand-embroidered objéts (Mr. Mickey has some of her food items, which we are quite jealous of) has a solo show, "Revolution Is a Circle," opening at Jack Hanley tonight. [via Jack Hanley]

Los Angeles:

TGIF: Head over to the magnificent Vibiana for the inaugural LA Cocktail Classic. If you're someone who appreciates a good drink (or three of four), you'll be in heaven as you sip on signature beverages made by the city's top mixologists. [via Flavorpill]

J.D. McPherson fuses rock 'n' roll and rockabilly style to create his own brand of vintage-sounding songs tonight at the Echo. Tom Waits, Nick Lowe and John Prine are big fans and you should be too. [via LA Weekly]

Chicago:



Former Pink Floyd front man, Roger Waters, is taking PF's iconic concept album, "The Wall" on tour this summer -- and it promises to be quite the spectacle. He stops by Wrigley Field tonight. [via Metromix]

Escape to Paris for a few hours with Eric Rohmer's Summer (Le Rayon Vert) at Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art and Block Cinema. The 1986 film follows a woman who is left out of all her friends' vacation plans and when everyone else is fleeing the city for the summer, attempts to find meaning in relationships with other people. [via Flavorpill]

London:

Indulge in some American pop-punk nostalgia and see the newly reunited Blink 182 perform their classic teen anthems at O2. Another blast from the past: All American Rejects supports them. [via Time Out London]

This weekend's inaugural No Direction Home Festival kicks off today, taking place at the posh grounds of Welbeck Abbey, a Victorian estate near Sheffield. The festival features music, comedy, literature, cinema, art and workshops. Big names like The Dirty Three, Andrew Bird, The Low Anthem and Austra headline. [via Time Out London]

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The Morning Funnies: Mark Paul Gosselaar Ruins Your Childhood + PBS Remixes Mr. Rogers

June 8, 2012, 7:50 am

≫ Next: Watch A New Dirty Projectors Video For "Gun Has No Trigger"

≪ Previous: Tips for Today: Lana Del Rey in NYC + Cocktail Classic in L.A. + Roger Waters in Chicago + No Direction Home Festival in London

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Warning: Childhood nostalgia bubble-burst ahead. In a recent interview, Mark Paul Gosselaar said he thinks Saved by the Bell was the worst thing to come out of Bayside since Jeff: "It's not a great show. The writing is kind of hokey... it's very much a piece of that time." [Dlisted]

PBS had Symphony of Science mastermind John D. Boswell remix Mr. Rogers and it's pretty entertaining. Especially the slide whistle solo! [i09]

Uproxx has a bunch of GIFs from the Django Unchained trailer (which you can watch here.) Where was this smug, oh-you're-being-serious? Leonardo GIF during the GOP presidential debates??   

Parks and Rec character Leslie Knope wrote an article for Variety about what she would do if she were president, including holding a breakfast symposium made up of "Democrats and Republicans, socialists and libertarians, civil rights leaders, academics and average citizens...Since most of the people at this symposium would be men, I'd ask Beyonce to perform "Run the World (Girls)" while she and I stand next to a giant lion, like in the video, just so they'd all remember who's boss." [via ONTD]

They see Frog rollin', they hatin'. [Bunnyfood via LaughterKey]

 
Mrs. Doubtfire re-cut as a horror movie is absolutely terrifying. [Splitsider]

Hey bear, hey! [EpicPoynz]

 Speak for yourself. [LaughterKey]

Do not disturb this way-rad pad. [X-Entertainment]

For the Sriracha addict in your life. [ThatsNerdalicious]

Here's Ron Burgundy on a stick, designed by Jon DeFreest for Vulture. The classiest ice cream bar in the game.

And speaking of ice cream...

We'll take one of these every day for the rest of the summer. Thank you. [EpicPonyz]

Watch A New Dirty Projectors Video For "Gun Has No Trigger"

June 8, 2012, 8:35 am

≫ Next: Pet Shop Boys + Dusty Springfield's "What Have I Done to Deserve This" Is Our Music Video of the Day

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We're pumped for Dirty Projectors' forthcoming album, Swing Lo Magellan (out July 10th via Domino) and, after sharing their lead single "Gun Has No Trigger" last month, we have our hands on the accompanying video.  If, like us, you watched the video and were immediately reminded of those famous iPod commercials, that was intentional.  Frontman David Longstreth, who directed the video, said in a press release that the band "made a video from the iconography of the default profile image used by Facebook and Gmail, and also the look of the classic Apple iPod commercials.  The colors in the background are the ones I think of when I hear the harmonies of Amber and Haley (via experimental synesthesia)."  And as for a broader message, Longstreth says the song is about "the possibility for true dissent, and how I can't figure out what that could be."

We'll let Longstreth ponder the big questions while we enjoy his music.

Pet Shop Boys + Dusty Springfield's "What Have I Done to Deserve This" Is Our Music Video of the Day

June 8, 2012, 10:00 am

≫ Next: True Blood's Alexander Skarsgård Is New Face of Calvin Klein Fragrance + Harvey Nichols' "Pants-Peeing" Ads in Today's Style Scraps

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The Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield star in today's oldie-but-goodie video for "What I Have I Done to Deserve This?" The song is from the band's second album, Actually, and was released as a single in 1987, eventually reaching #2 on the U.S. pop chart. It turned out to be one of the last big hits for Springfield and revitalized her career before she died in 1999. When the Boys performed the song on British TV in 2009, Lady Gaga subbed for Dusty. The video was directed by one of the biggest pop photographers of the '80s, Eric Watson, who sadly passed away in March, 2012.

True Blood's Alexander Skarsgård Is New Face of Calvin Klein Fragrance + Harvey Nichols' "Pants-Peeing" Ads in Today's Style Scraps

June 8, 2012, 10:50 am

≫ Next: Sh*t Celebrities Say: "I Don't Own a TV"

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Karl Lagerfeld is designing a holiday collection for Japanese beauty line Shu Uemura, expected to hit stores in November. [via WWD]

"That's the thing that people are surprised about -- when they go to my house, it is so grandma'd the fuck out," Beth Ditto says in a new interview in ELLE by PAPER contributor Alex Catarinella.  Read more of her amazing bon mots here.

Stockholm-based ACNE opened a flagship store yesterday in SoHo at 33 Greene St. (Photo of Estelle at opening party.)  [via ACNE]

The La Perla sample sale is this weekend where you can get your skivvies up to 80% off. [via The Cut]

Check out True Blood hottie Alexander Skarsgård as the new face of Calvin Klein's 'Encounter' men's fragrance.  (Oh, and True Blood stars up again on Sunday.) [Fashionista via WWD]

What do you think of these flyers department store Harvey Nichols made to advertise their sale, featuring models peeing their pants? [via Refinery 29]

Two different directors are working on Yves Saint Laurent biopics. [Styleite via WWD]

Would you wear these track suits from Bottega Venetta's Resort 2013 collection? [via High Snobette]

Sh*t Celebrities Say: "I Don't Own a TV"

June 8, 2012, 11:00 am

≫ Next: Check Out 28 SummerStage Shows That Aren't Sold Out

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"You don't own a TV? Then what's all your furniture pointed at?" - Joey, Friends

People who smugly humble-brag about not owning TVs at cocktail parties, you are not alone. Below, a list of your celebrity peers who have likely never seen an episode of Hoarders or a "Justice For All" Law & Order marathon over Fourth of July weekend. We don't know how you do it. 

Jesse Eisenberg: "I sort of pretend I'm not even in the industry... I don't own a television. I never go to Los Angeles. I even trick myself into being surprised when I'm sent a script. I try to ignore everything except the actual experience of acting. Which in itself is kind of silly." [via NJ.com]


Mark Zuckerberg: "Soon afterward, Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page, "Is there a site that streams the World Cup final online? (I don't own a TV.)" [via The New Yorker]


Shailene Woodley: "To be completely honest, I don't own a television so I haven't really watched ....  " [via The Star Scoop]



Alan Cumming: "I don't have a television, so I don't see [The Good Wife] on the night it comes out." [Via TheDailyBeast]

Jackson Rathbone: "It's important because I don't own a TV. I watch every kind of media on my computer." [via About.com]

Keira Knightley: "I don't own a TV... I have a projector and I can watch movies or documentaries. I listen to music or read books or see friends." [via Pop Eater]

Carly Rae Jepsen: "I don't own a TV." [via ABC News]

Chloe Sevigny: "Well, I don't have a television, so I don't watch anything regularly." [via HuffPo]

"I haven't had a TV since 1986. I got rid of it in college, and I never looked back." [via Broadway.com]


Jessica Paré: "I don't have a TV, but I'm not one of those people who doesn't watch TV. I thought it would help, but it doesn't. I watch Hulu or Netflix on my computer all the time." [via Vulture] 


Rachel McAdams: "I listen to the news on the radio. I don't have a television and I am really bad at e-mail. [It was] only [recently] that I heard about Twitter for the first time, and it's all I've heard about since. I'm really ignorant." [CelebrityVIPLounge]


Cary Fukunaga: "Literally, I don't have a television. So I don't really know what's happening pop culturally. I read the New York Times. And there's one worldwide cabin blog that I look at." [Via Vulture]
 Susan Sarandon: "Ms. Sarandon doesn't have a TV at home..." [via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Regina Spektor: "I don't own a TV, don't watch the news, and don't read the papers... I'm not advertising ignorance... but it's what I've had to do, personally, so as not to be depressed and overwhelmed by the world." [Via Tweedmag]

Because not owning a TV is different than not watching TV, honorable mentions go to:




Jessica Lange: "I don't watch TV myself, so I don't expect anybody else to." [Via Examiner]


Madonna, on whether she watches talent competition tv shows: "I don't watch television. Everyone's a bit contest obsessed. I don't actually like the idea of being a judge. It's so, I don't know, subjective -- what's good and what isn't. I think perhaps we're too obsessed with it."


Angelina Jolie: "I don't watch TV and I wasn't reading anything. So I started writing." [Via VanityFair]