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Watch The Hives' New Music Video, "Wait A Minute"

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Watch "Wait A Minute," the latest music video courtesy of Swedish rockers The Hives (and check out their recent feature in PAPER HERE).  The sparse clip mostly features the band in alternating states of extreme close-up with lots of shots of Howlin' Pelle Almqvist's snarling mouth and intense eyes.  The Travis Schneider-directed video "was filmed in a Chicago hotel room using only some leather, an iron, a floor lamp, frozen yogurt and the sweltering Chicago sun," reads a press release.  The track comes from the group's fifth album, Lex Hives, out now via the band's label, Disques Hives.

GIFs of the Week: Storm's A'Brewin + Honey Boo Boo

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Welcome to our Friday GIF roundup, featuring a curated list of this week's most important, amusing and/or newsy GIFs and GIF sets by Mike Hayes of BuzzFeed and GIFHound.

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Amazing GIF of storm hitting the Bahamas last night. Might we get GIFs like this from the RNC in Tampa next week?

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Bones Breaking

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Major Lazer's new music video is super fun. [@BuzzfeedGIF]

tumblr_m981raJFev1qg39ewo1_500.giftumblr_m981raJFev1qg39ewo2_500.gifJettison GIF! Way to go, Curiosity! [GIFMovie]

tumblr_m8zbb6UcZY1qccczoo1_500.gifSaw this making the rounds for the 87th time on Tumblr this week. It truly is the perfect '90s GIF.

643017694.gifLOL! What was Al Roker doing!? [@MichaelHayes]

643077191.gifAnd what was Paul Ryan chewing? [@BuzzGIF]

tumblr_m984mxuInM1rtxen9o1_400.gifSrsly, this storm Isaac, you guys? [GIFHound]

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Did you know that Gangnam Style PSY has a degree in music from the illustrious Berklee College of Music? True story. [X-Tna]

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And, finally, Honey Boo Boo. (....am I fired?) [Htuom]

Ryan Lochte's Horribly Racist Sister + Mitt Romney's Horrible Birther Joke = Eight Items or Less

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Screen shot 2012-08-24 at 5.42.11 PM.png1. Oh dear. Ryan Lochte's sister Megan appears to be really, really racist. This video truly, truly made our skin crawl. [via Jezebel]

4chuteride08.jpg2. How fun does this ye olde Coney Island ride, Shoot the Chute, look? It was built in 1895, and was comprised of a "flat bottom boat [that] was pulled up the ramp by cable... In the ride at Sea Lion Park, the passengers arrived at the top by elevator. The bottom of the ramp curved upwards, causing the boat to skip across the water until it came to a stop. The boat was guided to a landing by a boatman on board." Fun!! [via Gothamist]

AP361876130666-460x307.jpg3. Mitt Romney made a gross birther joke. Mother Jones weighs in.

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4, BuzzFeed commissioned some artists to sketch out the floor-plans of famous TV show living spaces. The turquoise kitchen!

1a887bcb35120821e26d23af4adcdee3_large.jpg5. United Bamboo's 2013 Cat Calendar is now available through Kickstarter. [via World's Best Ever]


Screen shot 2012-08-24 at 5.33.47 PM.png6. Paul McCartney made an appearance at his eight-year-old daughter Beatrice's lemonade stand in the Hamptons. [via Daily Mail]
look54.jpg7. Here's a sneak peek at the suuppppper-cute goodies that'll be sold as part of the Curiosity Shoppe's Shops at Target collection. [via Refinery29]

tumblr_m982xq6jBJ1qzwt0go1_500.jpg8. No, MY Little Cony. [via Coin Farts]

Josh Brolin In Band Of Outsiders' New Campaign + How Code Pink Makes Their Vagina Costumes in Today's Style Scraps

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brolin038.jpgHey there, Josh Brolin in the new Band of Outsiders campaign! Lookin' real-real nice.  [FashionBeast]

jo-vagina-2-e1346281656151-300x493.jpgFashionista contributor Jo Piazza is in Tampa and delivers this report on how those RNC Code Pink protestors made their vagina costumes: "The insides of the vaginas are composed of a fuzzy material obtained second hand at the Salvation Army." Good to know, good to know. [Fashionista]

A1j5unDCcAEXFyv.jpg_large.jpgLove these super-cute Sondre Lerche tote bags and t-shirts by Woodfruff & Sons. Lerche tweeted that they'll be available at upcoming shows as well as online soon. [@SondreLerche]


Highly credible news source the National Enquirer says that Jennie Garth and Luke Perry "fell in love" while filming those slightly depressing but also delightful Old Navy ads on TV right now. Garth's publicist says the two are just friends. Frankly, if those two aren't specifically hooking up in a pool while Sophie B. Hawkins plays in the background, then we don't want to know about it. [Dlisted]

williamson_havianas4_v_29aug12_pr_b.jpgHavaianas have branched out from flip-flips to do a little line of rain boots with British designer Matthew Williamson.  [VogueUK]

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Brad Goreski's Bravo reality show It's a Brad, Brad World has been renewed for a second season. Remember the time PAPER was on the first episode? We do! We do! Relive the magic here.  [@MrBradGoreski]

urbanoutfittersxlarge.jpgMothers Against Drunk Driving are pissed about these stupid Urban Outfitters shirts that, as Jezebel points out, nobody is going to buy anyway, and say they should not be sold to anyone under 21. [Jezebel]

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More looks were released from the Kenzo X Vans collaboration, including these marbled slip-ons. [HighSnobiety]
05-Melodie-Monrose-For-Vogue-Japan-October-2012.jpgMelodie Monrose looks awesome in this Vogue Japan spread by photographer Nathaniel Goldberg. [FashionBombDaily]

600570_3746544296062_1394433704_n.jpgHow did we miss this? Apparently our favorite fashion dog blogger Maddy hurt her leg over the summer and had to wear this adorable/sad bandage. Nooo. Hope you had a speedy recovery, Maddy! [SheLovesMeYeahYeah]


nasty-gal-sharp-talon-ring-2.jpgMTV Style asks if you'd wear this Nasty Gal talon fingernail ring. Though it looks like a great way to accidentally stab yourself or an innocent bystander in the eye, it would be fun to wear this to a meeting and stroke your chin while staring at your office enemy. [Via Refinery29]








Watch 2 Chainz & Kanye West's Deeply Weird New Video, "Birthday Song"

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At the beginning of the video for "Birthday Song," 2 Chainz knowingly teases out the lines "It's your birthday" but 50 Cent's "In Da Club," this is not.  Instead, the Andreas Nilsson-directed clip features the newly ubiquitous MC and Kanye celebrating in a house with friends, some graphic clown violence, and lots and lots of extremely scantily clad women (we're guessing we're not the only ones who think the girl in the pink bandage dress bears more than an accidental resemblance to Kim K. You know, before Kanye told her to throw said bandage dress away). We're really just scratching the surface of all the cuckoo crazy weirdness packed into this video, so just watch it above. NSFW-ish.

"Birthday Song" appears on 2 Chainz's Based on a T.R.U. Story, out now.


New Liz and Dick Images Released By Lifetime

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A little Thursday afternoon treat for you: Lifetime has released new stills from the Lindsay Lohan-starring Elizabeth Taylor biopic Liz & Dick, which will be the network's biggest cinematic triumph since this happened. Even Mr. Mickey, who has something to say about anything and everything, was rendered speechless by these photos. Actually, he did quietly say "Oh my God" and then walk away. Check them out below. (And start planning your Liz & Dick viewing party -- it premieres November 3rd!) 

lizanddick1.jpg Taylor and Burton's wedding. Here's a pic of their actual nuptials for comparison. Really, the biggest difference here is that everyone is just... oranger. More important, major points to Vulture for calling that Grant Bowler, who plays Burton, looks like just Best In Show gay John Michael Higgins in this photo. Fun fact: According to IMDB, Higgins was in a Square One Mathnet segment. Remember Mathnet? Next up on Papermag, "An Oral History of Mathnet." 
 lindsayliz2.jpgCleopatra
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The "White Diamonds" years.

This is going to be amazing.   

[Via Dlisted; Vulture]




Silicon Valley Hoaxster Used a Photo from a PAPER Party As Part of Her Ruse!

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shirley-samberg-2.jpgTech Crunch has a big "takedown piece" about Shirley Hornstein, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist who is in deep trouble for claiming to be affiliated with companies she's not, engaging in credit card theft and participating in a whole bunch of other shady dealings. Apparently, in order to come across as super-connected, she used her Photoshop skills to make it seem like she was besties with celebs like Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg, posting these doctored pics on her Facebook page. We had a bit of a chuckle, though, when we realized that she plopped her head onto none other than PAPER contributing photographer Cass Bird, snuggling up with Andy Samberg. We had an even louder chuckle when we realized that this photo was actually taken at a PAPER party, back in 2007, celebrating our October cover with Mr. Samberg, who was shot by Ms. Bird. Moral of the story: You mess with the Bird, you get the horns!

P.S. Here's Andy Samberg making out with Cass Bird on the set of that cover shoot.

Turbojugends Amass For Turbonegro at House of Vans

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Last night, the summer music series known as the Vans House Parties wrapped. They're not actually house parties, but warehouse parties, and the main attraction for the final show was legendary Norwegian death punk band Turbonegro. (As you can see in these photos, their look is more "glam" than "death.") Equally entertaining: the Turbojugends, their international gang of followers who sport custom-embroidered member jackets, which the band also wears. Turbojugend ("jugend" translates as "youth") started as a sort of Turbonegro fan club in the late '90s, but grew to become a punk lifestyle movement in its own right, almost eclipsing the band. The "TJ" even have an annual summit in Hamburg. Below, pics of some very psyched Turbojugends.

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You Should Check Out ... White Fence's Cover of "Allison Road"

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Tim-white-fence.jpgWelcome to You Should Check Out..., a new weekly blog in which Chris Black of Words For Young Men and Done to Death Projects tells you about something he really likes and that he thinks you'll like too. Follow him on Twitter at @donetodeath.

Earlier this summer Aquarium Drunkard posted the 10th installment of their "Lagniappe Sessions," where in some of their favorite artists record exclusive covers. Los Angeles-based White Fence, aka Tim Presley, did a few great covers (Nina Simone, The Strange Boys, etc...) but he really nailed it with his blissed-out 70's version of the Gin Blossoms song "Allison Road." Tim says the harmony and chord changes reminded him of the Grateful Dead and the Byrds, and I could not agree more. A great song to put on this weekend as the summer comes to an end.



Rebel Wilson Learned How to Do an American Accent By Watching Honey Boo-Boo + A Dude Is Trying to Clone Lady Gaga Out of Yeast = Eight Items Or Less

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1. PAPER Beautiful Person Rebel Wilson told Conan she learned how to do an American accent by watching Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo. The next time she says "redneckognize" in a movie, you'll know why. [via Jezebel]

Screen shot 2012-08-30 at 5.46.11 PM.png2. In honor of the 50th anniversary of Andy Warhol's "32 Campbell's Soup Cans," Campbell's  will be releasing four different limited-edition printed tomato soup cans (like the ones seen above).  They'll launch on September 2 and be sold exclusively at Target for 75 cents each. [via High Snobiety]

Screen shot 2012-08-30 at 6.08.51 PM.png3. According to NPR's Ben Bergman, Andy Roddick has announced that this year's U.S. Open will be his last tennis tournament.  Ever. [via Twitter]

Screen shot 2012-08-30 at 6.17.18 PM.png4. Read an interview with a man attempting to epigenetically clone Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Michael Phelps...with yeast. [via Death + Taxes]

Screen shot 2012-08-30 at 6.03.15 PM.png5. Oh gawd: TMZ got their hands on Lindsay Lohan's itemized $46,350.04 Chateau Marmont bill. It's fifteen pages long, in case you were wondering, and includes an individual $56 tab for cigarettes. [via World's Best Ever]

Screen shot 2012-08-30 at 6.25.03 PM.png6. Members of The Strokes and Arcade Fire are among those participating in a charity basketball game during the POP Montreal fest. David Byrne is playing the halftime show.  Where can we buy tickets? [via Pitchfork]

Screen shot 2012-08-30 at 6.30.32 PM.png7. Busted! Harvard is investigating 125 kids accused of cheating in a single class of only 279 students.  Guess the other 154 missed the memo. [via nymag]


Morning Funnies: Clint Eastwood, Clint Eastwood, Clint Eastwood

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First, in case you missed it, here is the full text and a video of Clint Eastwood's cringe-y, confusing RNC speech in which he talked to a chair that was supposed to be an imaginary Barack Obama while we kept waiting for a devoted middle-aged child to walk out and gently tell dad it was time for bed. Even Tom Brokaw was like, 'Wut. Just. Happened.' Romney's campaign says Eastwood, former mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, is merely an entertainer who was doing some light-hearted ad-libbing and that judging his speech through a political lens "doesn't make sense." Oy. [WaPo; Buzzfeed]

eastwoodobamatwitter.pngWithin minutes of Eastwood taking the stage, someone had already made the Twitter account @InvisibleObama. It has over 45,000 followers.


A1l9D9nCUAAUrXu.jpgFever dream team. [@ZDRoberts]
 
tumblr_m9loksyOx11qarn3jo1_400.jpgA tremendous Simpsons photoshop job. (The headline was originally "Old Man Yells At Cloud.") [Urbaniak via BobbyFinger]

obamaeastwoodtweet.pngBarack Obama tweeted this response. [DailyIntel]

eastwooding.pngAnd now "Eastwooding" is a thing. [TheAtlantic]

OK, on to our usual Funnies...

tumblr_m9cr34S1bb1qksrnho1_500.gifHappier times. [LaughterKey]

coffeedad.pngHow are we just now finding out about perfect Twitter account @Coffee_Dad? He's just a dad who loves his coffee. [Coinfarts]

tumblr_m9hnw1yCyr1qgkoejo1_500.jpgOK fine. [RatsOff]

seafoodface.pngGet that tentacle out of your mouth, woman! [LaughingSquid]



tumblr_m9hhyhjiLP1rez8cto1_500.gifNoooo! Deep sleep puppy leg twitch. [BunnyFood]

sdxH0.jpgRihanna wants to star in a remake of Scarface. [via MTV]

tumblr_m9jwt2gYMc1qhwli1o1_500.pngTouching butt tribute. [MadeleineFlores]

tumblr_m9flj5Mq691rqy5jqo1_500.jpgSpeaking of butts. [via Penis Police]


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Aaaaaand.... plop. [via Knusprig Titten Hitler]

George Strait's "The Chair" Is Our Oldie But Goodie Friday Music Video of the Day

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We promise this'll be the last blog we post centered on a "Clint Eastwood and his chair" joke -- GIFs notwithstanding -- but we couldn't help ourselves after finding George Strait's music video for "The Chair" -- it's just too damn good.  This Oldie But Goodie Friday clip packs a punch: lyrics like "Excuse me, but I think you've got my chair," mid-80s backcombed hair and plenty of soft lighting.  Please, please watch it above.  Enjoy.

5 Under $150: Homes in Providence, Fort Greene, Denmark & More

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So in addition to being obsessed with finding amazing objects for under $50, we are also obsessed with finding amazing apartments/houses in far-off lands to rent for under $150 a night. Which is why we have launched a new feature, "5 Under $150," showcasing the best of the best steals on vacation-rental sites airbnb and vrbo. It's real estate porn for travel-addicts.

1. One-bedroom apartment in Providence, RI, $65 a night. More info here.

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providenceairbnb-6.jpgprovidenceairbnb5.jpgprovidenceairbnb-7.jpg2. Two-bedroom apartment in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, $130 a night. More info here.

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3. Two-bedroom house in Cataluna, Spain, $142 a night. More info here.

Balaguer.jpgBalaguer-1.jpgBalaguer-2.jpgBalaguer-3.jpg4. Two-bedroom cottage in Coxsackie, NY, $134 a night. More info here.

Coxsackieairbnb-3.jpg Coxsackieairbnb-4.jpgCoxsackieairbnb-2.jpgCoxsackieairbnb5.jpgCoxsackieairbnb.jpg5. Four-bedroom house on the island of Møn, Denmark, $69 a night. More info here.

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**PREVIOUSLY**

5 Under $150: Homes in Tuscany, Lyon, Greenpoint & More
5 Under $150: Homes in Denmark, Chile, Maine & More
5 Under $150: Homes in Scotland, Sweden, Montana & More
5 Under $150: Apartments and Houses to Rent in Cadiz, Umbria, Newfoundland & More5
5 Under $150: Homes in Barcelona, Florence, Montreal & More


Abercrombie's Not Doing It For American Kids These Days + Oscar de la Renta's Son Curses Out Would-Be Crashers in Today's Style Scraps

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Well check you out, Olivier Theyskens with a new short 'do! [via Into the Gloss]

american-apparel-ad-Japan-werecomingtojapan-040405-300x301.jpgAmerican Apparel is hosting their very first Fashion Week show during Tokyo Fashion Week. [via Fashionista]

Screen shot 2012-08-31 at 1.56.33 PM.pngScreen shot 2012-08-31 at 1.58.36 PM.pngHere are two shots of Katy Perry (one with red hair!) from her cover shoot for the September issue of L'Officiel Paris -- she looks like she and Emily Blunt could be sisters, no? [via Fashion Gone Rogue]

Screen shot 2012-08-31 at 2.06.48 PM.pngAbercrombie & Fitch is having a harder time using shirtless men, soft core porn editorials and logos to sell their clothes -- they've shut down 71 stores in the U.S. and plan to shutter 180 more before 2015. [Business Insider via Refinery 29]


Watch Alice Dellal star in the new campaign video for Dr. Martens.  Bonus: did you know that Alice Dellal is cousins with Girls' Jemima Kirke? [via Elle]

Screen shot 2012-08-31 at 2.25.40 PM.pngMoises de la Renta -- son of Oscar -- cursed out would-be crashers at his dad's upcoming Fashion Week show. [via Page Six]

Screen shot 2012-08-31 at 2.29.03 PM.pngWhat do you think of this lewk seen on the Venice Film Festival red carpet?  For our part, only Mr. Mickey can pull off a horned headpiece. [via Fashion Beast]

Gang Leader-Turned-Filmmaker Elgin James On How He Went From Robbing Drug Dealers to Directing A-List Actresses

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little-birds-ELGIN_JAMES_rgb.jpgTalking to buoyant Little Birds director Elgin James, you might not guess that only months ago, he was released from a maximum security prison, where he was serving a one-year sentence after being convicted of extortion, stemming from an incident that occurred when he was the leader of an "anti-racist punk rock gang" called FSU (or Friends Stand United).  It's a past that he's happily put behind him in real life but one that still informs his filmmaking.

James felt strongly that the best way to tell his story was by depicting themes central to his life -- the push-pull between wanting to grow up versus the safety of remaining a kid; the allure of peer pressure; the desire to find a family and security among your peers -- through the vulnerable lens of female adolescents.  And that's not to say there aren't some direct parallels in his debut film. Little Birds centers on two teenage girls growing up in the desolate California town of Salton Sea (played by Juno Temple and Kay Panabaker) and who run away to L.A. after meeting a group of street punks. Watching the girls quickly get caught up in their new friends' dangerous lives, one can't help but wonder the extent to which some of the more harrowing scenes were lifted from James's own experiences as a homeless youth in Boston.  

In this way, James manages to tell his own tale while creating an entirely new story, touching on themes of friendship, growing up and feeling lost, in the process. And, with the New York release of the film this week, James chatted with us about his life, his movie and what's next for him as a director. Read on.

Tell me about your background.

I grew up on a farm in rural New England, outside of Boston. My parents adopted me and they were civil rights activists and they marched with Martin Luther King Jr.  They were freedom riders. They were both white but they put their money where their mouths were and they were adopting mixed race and black children at the time. I was like the only brown-skinned kid for miles and I grew up getting called n***** all the time [by others in the town]. I never assumed what that meant.  It wasn't until I was about 11 years old that I finally found punk rock and I was just like, "This is why I'm different. Everyone hates me because I have a mohawk, not because I have brown skin." And growing up, I always felt so bad for my mom that she had to walk around with this brown-skinned kid -- I felt almost embarrassed for her but it's obvious she didn't feel that at all.

All I wanted to do was get out into the world. I moved to Boston and I was homeless with my friend at the time.

Were you just sleeping on the streets?

We were crashing on the streets. We'd find abandoned buildings and stuff. This was the time when there was a recession so there'd be empty apartments that we'd break into and start squatting in.

Did your parents know what you were up to?

My dad had his own issues. My father was a pacifist but that was something he only afforded to people outside of the family. He had his own disappointments and things that he expected to happen, especially with a lot of activism and none of that came true. And he had his own demons with chemicals.

So I just got lost [in Boston]. This was when the neo-Nazi skinhead thing was around the country and [my friends and I] were total fodder for them and we had the Latin Kings, so there were angry Puerto Rican kids [against us] and so our only uniting thing was punk rock.   A bunch of these tiny, skinny kids started our own thing and we became a 'family.' [James would go on to found a gang called FSU.] Before that, I felt like the world always kicked me and the world had its foot on my neck. So I started to kick back twice as hard and it stopped. You know, just fighting against bullies. We would rob drug dealers. But I was still such a mama's boy -- and my mom was a Quaker and she instilled in me [a sense of] community -- so I was like, "We have to give half this money to charity."

Like Robin Hood...

Like Robin Hood, exactly. And that's what I was trying to hold on to but basically it was a lie.  When my mom got sick, I got to spend the last few weeks with her and she was like, "You know, it's not too late for a second chance."  I made all these promises to her that I was going to change and once I lost her, I ended up leaving Boston with my girlfriend at the time -- who's now my wife -- and put everything I had in a van and drove across the country. We knew no one in Los Angeles but I was like, "I want to make movies, I want to do something." And so I went to L.A. and it was still hard for me. Our gang [FSU] had spread out across the country at that point.  Lives were lost in the name of what we had started fifteen years ago. It kind of grew into something else -- something more serious.

[In L.A.] I met some people that wanted to do a story about my life and I wasn't going to write or direct it. [We were in the studio offices] and I was just there as window dressing to chime in. I would be like, "Yeah so then I hit him with a bat and then I did this," and then all of a sudden [the execs would be] like, "And then at the end of Act II, Elgin's mother dies." And everyone goes, "Aw."  It was like, "This is my fucking life."I would come home sick to my stomach and my wife was like, "You need to do your own thing." And so I did.  Everyone was like, "You're making the biggest mistake of your life -- you're an idiot." My wife was the only one who believed in it at the time.

When you sat down to write the script yourself, why did you decide to make the protagonists female when it was a story inspired by your own life?

I was so worried because at first it was a project about my life story and [I was worried] it would glorify it and glamorize it.  When I was going to try to write it myself, I thought that 15-year-old girls and women in general are so much more interesting than men because they're so much more complicated. It became a story about people needing things and not being able to verbalize them and these missed connections throughout. [Writing a script about young female protagonists] let me go to a more vulnerable place than if I had wrote about myself or even if it was about guys, who are more guarded and protective. Lily -- who Juno [Temple] plays -- is me wanting to get the hell out of this little town in New England; Alison is the part of me that's older and who would give anything to go back to that town when my mom was still alive and would call me in for dinner.

little-birds-10_LITTLE-BIRDS_Courtesy-of-Millennium-Entertainment_rgb.jpgJuno Temple and Kay Panabaker in Little Birds

And how did you choose to set the film in Salton Sea rather than New England?

My wife and I had gone to Joshua Tree [National Park] and on the way back we decided to go to Salton Sea and once we got there, we saw this little girl riding around on the back of her boyfriend's BMX bike with a cigarette pack in her sleeve. I was like, "Oh man. That's the movie and that's how I am going to tell the story."  It was the perfect setting for how I felt and also the people there. It was also really important to me how we were showing poverty.  [Salton Sea residents have] a kind of dignity.

Can you talk about how issues of race came into play in the movie and as a director, what your intentions were in shooting some of those racially-charged scenes?

For me, having grown up as mixed race and passing on either side and not fitting in on either side, you find out how people really talk and the things that they really say.  To me, there's the situation with JR Bourne's character at the end who comes in and turns our whole movie upside down. You have him coming into a situation where we know what he's walking into and we empathize with him but I always want to keep people on their toes.  You're empathizing with him on ne level and then you hear him say the worst thing you could say, "Your n***** boyfriend."   When he says that, he's feeling powerless and he's trying to regain his power by putting someone else down. And his biggest fear is that of a "big, black guy" and he'll call him a n***** because he wants to take back that control.

The way you portrayed violence was also distinct, choosing to depict it from the victim's point of view with camera angles etc. 

It was scary because once I was changing my life around and becoming committed to non-violence, I thought, "Violence is a part of story-telling. How do we do it without making it gratuitous?"  We decided to show it through the victim's viewpoint so even when the kid gets hit with the skateboard, it's really Kay's reaction you remember. Violence isn't satisfactory or entertaining when you're the victim of it. [We also wanted] to show it in daylight. People always talk about how graphic that last scene in the film is -- that it's so sexually graphic -- but there's no nudity. There's nothing shown.

You've set it up so that viewers squirm because they can predict what will happen next.

We put it right out there, in the open. Even with the fights, the way we showed them, we worked really hard on cutting them. We'd show it with the Hollywood-type sound effects and we'd say, "How come this doesn't feel real?"  And then what we actually ended up doing was taking away sound effects and all of a sudden, people cringe every time we show [those scenes] because it feels very human.

And since we're on the topic of violence, I know you're quite candid about your own violent past catching up with you while you were making this movie.  

In 2009, I had done the script and had been to the [Sundance] labs and then I got arrested by a dozen FBI agents on a five-year-old charge.  I went from getting my movie fully-financed to being in prison, not knowing what was going to happen. I had no idea that there was this case.

little-birds-6_LITTLE-BIRDS_Courtesy-of-Millennium-Entertainment_rgb.jpgKate Bosworth and Leslie Mann in Little Birds

So if this was in 2009, when did you actually make the movie? Did you not serve your sentence until after the movie was shot?

Yeah, exactly. We shot in 2010 and then edited it and it premiered at Sundance in 2011 and then I got sentenced in March of 2011. 

You've mentioned having a fear of slipping back to your former lifestyle and negative thoughts and feelings.  Did any of those feelings resurface while you were serving your prison term?

All the time. At first I was like, "This is such a great challenge to not tap into this" and then a couple months later it was like a drunk in a liquor store. That was the hardest thing I've ever done.  I read 101 books and I tried to not think about that crap.  Also, Imagine Entertainment and Brian Grazer were so incredible and supportive and loyal to me [during that time]. They set up this deal that I would have when I got out to write a screenplay for them. Working on that gave me fuel and that's how I made it through that year.

What can you share about that project?

It's a script about kids growing up in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles and about a kid trying to find his own release through art.  [Another project I'm working on is] with Juno about these hobo, train-hopping kids. Juno's psyched because she won't have to bathe or shave for months.

Given your own background, it's natural that you'd focus on films with darker, dramatic themes but do you ever see yourself expanding to something like comedy?

[There's a project with] Pharrell and we're talking about doing a musical. I don't like musicals but there's something in there and collaboration is very important to me.  And if I'm going to do a musical, I'll definitely do a comedy.

Little Birds, starring Juno Temple, Kay Panabaker, Kate Bosworth and Leslie Mann, is out now in select New York City theaters, expanding to theaters around the country soon.  For more information, visit their website.

Photos courtesy of Millennium Entertainment




GIFs of the Week: Lana Del Eastwood + The Only Morgan Freeman GIF You'll Ever Need

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Welcome to our Friday GIF roundup, featuring a curated list of this week's most important, amusing and/or newsy GIFs and GIF sets by Mike Hayes of BuzzFeed and GIFHound.


What a week!

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1. Eastwood. Easiest pick for GIF of the Week ever. [Buzzfeed]

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2. Check out Ryan/Romney gangnam style... [GIFHound]

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3. In other news, Obama did a Reddit AMA. Deal with it. [Buzzfeed]

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4. This storm in the Bahamas GIF. Wows.

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5. Quality original Internet content.  [Reblorg]

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6. Bears raging. [GIFMovie]

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7. Awesome GIF of something I can't do. [ZHoxandShit]

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8. Currently contemplating other album cover GIFs. [Hoppip]

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9. Somebody who was tired of all the low-qual Morgan Freeman GIFs out there posted this on Reddit.

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10. Finally, moar Eastwood! [ImWithKanye]



There's a Blue Moon Tonight + Christopher Bailey's Getting Married = Today's Eight Items or Less

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blue-moon-wolf-full.jpg1. There's a blue moon tonight! (But it won't actually be blue!) [via NPR]


2. Zebra Katz has released a creepy new music video for his song, "W8WTF." Meanwhile, he's about to go on tour with his PAPER Magazine summer issue-mate Azealia Banks. [via Pitchfork]

ronald_reagan.jpg3. Though it did not make an appearance at the RNC festivities, a Ronald Reagan hologram exists. [via Daily Intel]

blog_cranston_mcbrayer_ohara.jpg4. Some exciting 30 Rock news: "Kenneth's mom will be played by Catherine O'Hara and his mom's 'friend' Ron will be Bryan Cranston." [via Synechdoche]

fighting-couple.304124845.jpg5. Spouse killings in New York are down 44% from last year. Woo! [via Animal NY]

4b78ec9f18eb3c39b6c5958e61530eb1_vice_670.jpg6. Love this pic of buzz-buzzy teen rapper Kitty Pryde and her mother from her show at Santos Party House earlier this week. [via Noisey]

christopher-bailey_2324774a.jpg7. Congrats to Burberry designer Christopher Bailey, who will marry his (hunky!) boyfriend of three years, Simon Woods, next month. [via Daily Beast]

0831-deneeta-article-1.jpg8. Paul Ryan has a black ex-girlfriend named Daneeta Pope, and she's a Barack Obama supporter. [via TMZ]

Your Guide to Labor Day In NYC!

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labor-day.gifStaying in town for Labor Day? We've got your back. Check out our list of parties, movies, food events, concerts and other fun ways to while away this glorious three-day weekend. Happy Labor Day, sexy.


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FRIDAY:


Freedom Party Annual Tribute to Michael Jackson at (le) Poisson Rouge
Freshen up on your moonwalking skills before you compete in the dance-off at the third annual Michael Jackson tribute party hosted by Real World alum-turned-activist/writer Kevin Powell.  There'll also be sing-alongs, videos and live congas by House of Rhumba's Paposwing along with a night full of MJ tunes.  Tickets range from $15-$20. [via Village Voice]

Sleepwalk With Me Opens at BAM
Comedian Mike Birbiglia's semi-autobiographical movie based on his relationship and career troubles and, of course, extreme bouts of sleepwalking, arrives at BAM tonight along with a few other theaters throughout the city. [via Sleep Walk Movie]

Ka at Public Assembly
The Brownsville rapper offers some rhymes from his latest LP, Grief Pedigree, with Big Baby Ghandi and Billy Woods opening. [via Time Out]


Slow Club play Glasslands
British folk rock duo Slow Club head to Glasslands for a show that'll likely feature songs off of their sophomore album, Paradise, which came out last year.  Indie pop act Secret Cities opens. [via Flavorpill]

Fargo at IFC
Be grateful you'll be wearing shorts and t-shirts and not the parkas and snow gear seen on Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi in the Coen brothers dark classic about murder in the sleepy midwest. [via Time Out]

Rodriguez at the Highline Ballroom
Catch a rare performance by enigmatic folk singer -- and Searching for Sugar Man documentary subject -- Rodriguez. [NYMag]

Electric Zoo Festival at Randall's Island
Day 1 of the massive EDM Festival kicks off with sets by Araabmuzik, Laidback Luke, David Guetta, A-Trak, Pretty Lights and more. [via Time Out/Electric Zoo]

Rock 'N' Roll High School at Nitehwawk Cinema
Stick it to the man tonight with this hilariously low-budget, anti-establishment ode to high school, rock 'n' roll and the Ramones at Nitehawk Cinema's midnight screening of the Roger Corman classic. [Flavorpill]




Screen shot 2012-08-31 at 4.11.51 PM.pngPhoto courtesy of Pig Island
SATURDAY:

Fifth Annual Governors Island Art Fair
The free and open to the public art fair opens today, featuring works of sculpture, photography, painting, performance, installation, video and more exhibited inside the island's historic Army and Coast Guard housing.  You can catch all the art between 11am-6pm every Saturday and Sunday during the month of September. [via ArtCat]

Pig Island
Governors Island will be playing double duty this weekend because aside from all the art, they'll be hosting their annual pig-out (pun intended).  Twenty five different chefs will be on hand to create all sorts of pork dishes that'll satisfy BBQ traditionalists and avant garde eaters alike.  The day's fare will come from 80 locally-sourced hogs along with tons of side dishes and craft beers and ciders. [via Village Voice]

Crabapalooza
If pork's not your thing, head to Back Forty for their last crab boil.  Tickets are $45, which will get you tons of spiced crab, cornbread, corn on the cob, boiled new potatoes, string beans, fruit cobbler and beer. [via Village Voice]

Diabolique at Film Forum: The 50s French classic about a wife and mistress teaming up to do away with their cruel husband/lover will keep your heart racing until the credits roll. 

MoMA PS1 Warm Up: It's PS1's second-to-last Warm Up party and this one will feature British trance/house producer James Holden, avant Leipzig-based DJ Kassem Mosse, London electro artist Om Unit and Austin-based witch house duo Silent Diane. [via Village Voice]

Phantom Creep Theatre at Coney Island Museum
Tonight's your last chance to catch the spooky film screening-live show combo.  The final show of the season will revolve around Godzilla along with some of Japan's other infamous monsters and include a screening of rare 60s cult flick Golden Bat. [via Village Voice]

Heathers at Spectacle
Head to the Williamsburg community screening space to see Winona Ryder, Shannen Doherty, Christian Slater et al. wreak havoc on late-80s upper middle class suburbia. [via Brooklyn Based]

Power of the Riff at Warsaw
Get ready to rock with two nights of underground metal bands at the Power of the Riff festival, headlined by drone act Sunn 0))). [via Village Voice]

Rock the Bells

The rap mega-festival returns to Holmdel, NJ with acts like Nas, DMX, Ice Cube, Schoolboy Q, Method Man + Redman and more. [via Time Out/Rock the Bells]

Budweiser Made in America Festival
Okay technically this one's not in the NYC confines but we thought we'd be remiss if we didn't include Jay-Z's inaugural fest.  Besides, it just may be worth the road trip to Philly to catch Hova, Pearl Jam, Skrillex, Dirty Projectors, Santigold and more.  (And don't rule out the possibility of a Beyoncé or Blue Ivy sighting...you never know!) [via nymag]




tiki flyer fade.jpgTiki Disco at Roberta's

SUNDAY:


Tiki Disco at Roberta's
Bushwick fave Roberta's hosts its weekly summer Tiki Disco Party with tons of beer and dance-friendly beats and since it's one of Cole Haan's sponsored weekly parties this month, be sure to tweet about the shindig with the hashtag #DontGoHome for the chance to win some pretty cool prizes. Today's party will feature DJ sets by Holy Ghost!, Lloydski, Andry Pry and Eli Escobar. And drink up! No work tomorrow. [via Time Out]


The Producers at BAM Rose Cinemas
Bialystock and Bloo-oom! Before The Producers was a Broadway hit, it was a Mel Brooks cult classic, combining dark political satire and absurdist humor. The late-'60s comedy stars Zero Mostel and Gene Hackman as a scheming producer and accountant who plan on making the worst Broadway show of all time and then splitting town with the profits from investors. Things don't go as planned.  [TONY]

Roxette at Beacon Theatre
'80s Swedish pop duo Roxette are back, baby! When we were kids, we thought Roxette was one of the most sophisticated examples of stylish, fun music that beautiful women with giant hair blasted from their convertibles in L.A. (And still sort of think that.) Their hits "It Must Have Been Love," "The Look," "Listen to Your Heart," and "Joyride" (which were all on one album) are still great party jams and you can expect to hear them all tonight, along with stuff from their new album, when they play the Beacon Theatre with Hesta Prynn. [TONY]

What the Funk?! at (Le) Poisson Rouge
LPR hosts a funk night in honor of James Brown and Fela Kuti with DJs Spinna and Rich Medina. [via Flavorpill/(Le) Poisson Rouge]

Valley Girl at Nitehawk Cinema
Nicolas Cage is seriously the hottest hottie in this 1983 film about punk boy meets preppy valley girl, loosely based on Romeo and Juliet. Tonight's midnight screening at Nitehaw's gonna be bitchin', man. [Flavorpill]


IMG_4534-thumb-500xauto-57886.jpgWest Indian Parade. Photo by Rebecca Smeyne.
MONDAY:

The 45th Annual West Indian Labor Day Parade
Happy West Indian Parade day! The all-day festivities start at 11:00 a.m. with countries from all around the Caribbean celebrated, complete with music, Carnival costumes, and Caribbean soul food. So much soul food. And the most spectacular fashion looks ever. [Flavorpill]

Fool's Gold "Day Off" Party at City Winery
Fool's Gold Records hosts its annual free bacchanal featuring what seems like nearly everyone on their roster.  Acts include French Montana, Danny Brown, Brothers Macklovitch (A-Trak and Dave 1 from Chromeo), Flosstradamus, Flatbush Zombies, Telephoned and more.  Open to all-ages, the party rages from 2-8pm and promises food and drinks of some sort.  If you're still raring to go once it's over, stop by their after-party at Westway (21+). [via Fool's Gold Records]

Rub-a-Grub at Do Or Dine
The dudes best known for shilling out cuckoo creations like gyoza nachos, octopus-stuffed deviled eggs and "breadstick blunts" in Bed Stuy are hosting a cookout that'll also feature some tunes by DJ Rich Medina, Queen Majesty, DJ Lil Tiger and DJ Linh. [via Village Voice]

Barneys New York Warehouse Sale
Barneys opens the doors to their warehouse (255 W. 17th St.) for the last day of their massive annual sale where you can find items up to 75% off. [via Time Out]

Metropolitan Opera Summer HD Festival
The last day of the Met's "Live in HD" series features a free screening of Anna Bolena with Anna Netrebko on the Lincoln Center plaza. [via Time Out]

Labor Day Lot Party
Your Labor Day prayers have been answered. It's the unofficial last day of summer, do it up in style. And by style, we mean $1 beers, $3 cocktails, and unlimited BBQ goodness. Brooklyn Garage and Industry City Distillery are hosting a Labor Day Lot Party, starting at 4 p.m. today. Get your advanced tickets ($20 each; all proceeds benefit Brooklyn Garage's search for a permanent home) before you head out and bring your wheels (there's a bicycle valet!). [Brooklyn Based]


Skin and Soca at the West Indian Day Parade

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The annual West Indian Day parade took over Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn yesterday, with its usual mix of skin, soca music, and a few million revelers. Check out photos from NYC's biggest and longest-running party in the streets.

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Pippa Plays Ping-Pong With Andre + Katy Perry's Little Brother Releases Music Video = Today's Eight Items or Less

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11514512-large.jpg1. Love this tidbit from D.T. Max's forthcoming biography of David Foster Wallace about words his mom invented: "If there was no word for a thing, Sally Wallace would invent it: 'greebles' meant little bits of lint, especially those that feet brought into bed; 'twanger' was the word for something whose name you didn't know or couldn't remember. She loved the word 'fantods,' meaning a feeling of deep fear or repulsion, and talked of 'the howling fantods,' this fear intensified. These words, like much of his childhood, would wind up in Wallace's work." [via Brain Pickings]

pippa-middleton-600.jpg2. We are fully obsessed with the possibility of Pippa Middleton and Andre Balazs maybe being a couple. Here they are playing ping-pong at Sunset Beach on Shelter Island over the weekend. [via People]


3. Katy Perry's little brother David Hudson is a budding pop star and has released a music video for his new song, "To You." We give it a big "eh" -- but he's cute! [via Spin

090412booker.jpg4. Cory Booker sprained his ankle on the way to the Charlotte Convention Center while at the DNC. The massively swolen ankle hasn't slowed him down too much -- he will still deliver four speeches today. [via Gothamist]

Flashdance_300x300.jpg5. This could actually be fun... Flashdance is headed to Broadway. [via Vulture]

ronmcdjn7.jpg6. Hey Mr. Mickey, this item's for you: McDonald's is opening up its first vegetarian outpost in Amritsar, India. [via Grub Street]

betty-white-240.jpg7. There's a petition making the rounds urging Betty White to introduce President Obama at the DNC. "Governor Romney can have Clint Eastwood and his improvisational skills because President Obama has the one and only Betty White!" it reads. [via Pop Watch]


8. Watch the cast of Mad Men get Rick Rolled. [via Laughing Squid]
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