1. Anthony Bourdain is embarking on his first North American tour
come November, making stops in Nashville, TN; Birmingham, AL; Houston,
TX; Baltimore, MD and more. Details are a little fuzzy about what the
'show' will be like but we're assuming it'll be a night full of his bon mots and a Paula Deen/Sandra Lee diss or two. [via Eater/Anthony Bourdain Tour]2. Watch Kanye West seem a little vulnerable (strange as that sounds) when he talks about writing lyrics for songs in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The clip is an outtake from the forthcoming documentary, Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap, directed by Ice-T, out digitally and on DVD September 18th. The doc, which features some of hip-hop's biggest and most influential rappers talking about their experiences in the genre, also includes interviews with Chuck D, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Q-Tip, Mos Def, ice Cube, Nas, Dr. Dre, Common and more. [via The Art of Rap]
3. Tonight's the opening for Spencer Sweeney's "Nerds," on view for 24 hours at Tribeca's Home Alone Gallery (54 Franklin St.), a space curated by artists Nate Lowman, Hanna Liden and Leo Fitzpatrick that solely consists of a storefront window displaying art for pedestrians on the street to view. We're not 100% sure what Sweeney's piece will look like on display but, judging from the invitation, we're guessing it may resemble Sweeney's 2000 work "I Hate Fucking Nerds" (above). As for the gallery, T has an interesting piece about it and describes how the artists were inspired by the movie version Home Alone and Edward Munch's "The Scream" when deciding what to name the space.
4. We're a little befuddled by these Comedy Central x Urban Outfitters "Indecision" tees. On the one hand, we get that they theoretically appeal to UO's "young, irony-inclined, liberal customers" but on the other hand, the company's president donated to Rick Santorum's senate campaign! It's like, "Stop pretending, already!" [via Urban Outfitters]
5. Artist Mickalene Thomas will have not one but two firsts this fall: her first documentary will screen at the opening of her first solo show, Mickalene Thomas: Origin of the Universe, at the Brooklyn Museum in late-September. According to Thomas' gallery, Lehmann Maupin, the doc, Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman, is "a celebration of the artist's mother and muse, Sandra Bush," who, sadly, is currently suffering from illness and kidney failure. In a statement of her own, Thomas says that she "want[s] my work to capture the reality of who she is, but I also want to capture her strength and beauty." As for the rest of the exhibit, you can expect 93 pieces of the artist's work from the last two years, which, similar to the documentary, will include Thomas' "signature portraits of vibrant black women in photographs, paintings, and collages," as stated in a Brooklyn Museum press release. [via Gallerist NY/Brooklyn Museum] 
6. Word is that Abby Elliott will be the latest cast member to leave SNL following announcements that Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg are moving on. Jason Sudeikis is also rumored to be leaving and all of your finger-crossing that he'll stay on and continue playing Mitt Romney during the election probably doesn't matter. [via NY Times] 
7. And, finally, we'll give you one guess whose 1983 prom photo this is. (Hint: this person's name rhymes with Shoe Mall.) [via Buzzfeed]
