sundance

Five ways to get green-washed (in a really good way)

All the flora that’s fit to print: People are always talking about how print is dead, but things must be looking up for the ink and paper world (Style.com just launched a print version, and Vogue‘s sales continue to rise). That, or Wilder Quarterly, a new magazine “for people enthralled by the natural world,” is just a ballsy move. But with photography and layouts as gorgeous as the ones in all the fancy cookbooks I can’t afford, here’s hoping this one’s here to stay.

The art of the baseball bat

Vincent Kohler interprets the art of baseball literally with his series of 30 unique and intricately carved baseball bats…

All the crazy things you can do Carsten Höller’s New Museum “Experience”

If you’re in the NYC area and want to check out the Carsten Höller exhibit at the New Museum this weekend, here’s a word of advice: You should walk outside, hail a cab and get in line, because otherwise you won’t be in the building before Monday morning. I’m only slightly exaggerating, but after two attempts at “beating the crowd,” I found myself shivering in the cold on both occasions, defeated by 2 hour + wait times. So no, I haven’t yet had the pleasure of riding Höller’s 2-story slide (which required serious renovations to the SANAA-designed structure to install), but as soon as I do, I’ll amend this post with a description of exactly how afraid I was. In the meantime, here are a few of the “sensory experiences” we can get excited about together:

The forward momentum of gay rights

We mentioned a recent Pew Research Center survey earlier this week (in Naked News) that shows how public acceptance of same-sex marriage has grown in the past two years, jumping by 9 percentage points, making the country now evenly divided on the issue, with 46% in support legalization and 44% opposed. While reading up on the topic, we found two interesting infographics, both of which show the progress that’s been made in the gay rights movement…

God Like Us: Loving the Lord Who Loves You

I think most Americans grow up as part of some kind of religious community, even if they were raised by hippies on a commune, like Wynona Ryder. Children, however, don’t have a say as to which communities and beliefs they’re exposed to. That’s one of the few perks a parent has. But, as kids get older they realize they are gay, bisexual, two-spirit, Chaz Bono, and start to feel the pressures of dogma on their sensitive backsides. For many of us, it’s the first real challenge of our faith and our faith in our community.

Redford Says, “Thank You, Mr. President”

“This is American democracy at its best: a President who listens to the voice of the people and shows the courage to do what’s right for the country. Thank you, Mr. President, for standing up to Big Oil. Thank you for standing up for us all.” – Robert Redford on Keystone XL Pipeline decision, Nov. 10, 2011.

Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” courtesy of Bob Fosse

Beyoncé Copycat Vs. Gwen Verdon (Choreography by Bob Fosse) from Street Blabber (ex-Urban mag) on Vimeo.

What he may have lacked in decorum, Kanye West made up for with honesty when he stormed the stage at the 2009 Video Music Awards and interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech (people reading this a decade from now will say “Taylor who?”) to announce “Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you. I’ll let you finish, but Beyonce has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!”

When you consider the wide ranging influence of the music video for Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” you can’t deny that in retrospect, Kanye was absolutely correct.

Best of the Web: “Goodnight, iPad” & a typeface made from leg hair

Moustair: I don’t know why, but there’s something incredibly disturbing about this Tumblr blog, which, for lack of a clearer description, places images of mens’ faces beneath their facial hair to create a moustache-wig effect. I’m pretty sure Hulk Hogan’s is the freakiest, but it might just be because his moustache is so intense to begin with…

TO DIE FOR out now on blu-ray

My all-time favorite Buck Henry film, Gus Van Sant’s TO DIE FOR, is now out on blu-ray. Perhaps Nicole Kidman’s greatest comic/ironic performance, she strikes the perfect balance as Suzanne Stone, the overly ambitious, small town weather woman who dreams of stardom and comes to realize her pizza-slinging husband is a massive hindrance. So she does what any aspiring career woman would do: she enlists some disaffected teenagers to kill him. And it’s actually both dramatic and funny. The entire film, in fact, is an exercise in tone perfection, and that’s really, really hard to do.

The film is a balancing act between the ridiculous with the believable. Characters are…

29 sex tips from 29 sexperts

College Candy recently asked us along with a bunch of other sex writers to contribute a sex tip, the kind of thing “that you wish your friends/boyfriends/ex’s would tell you – not the tips that you read in magazines that are impossible to achieve (rope swing in my bedroom…say what?!).” They also asked everyone to submit a “HILARIOUS” picture.

On Bullies, Bullying and Brett Ratner

This season’s girls and boys are no strangers to bullying. Spoiler Alert! Many LGBTQ youth are ridiculed for being perceived as different and, sadly, it doesn’t always to stop when they get older. It does get better, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Just listen to Shane’s gut-wrenching account of his recent confrontation with a homeless man, and then watch Jared recount another big bully…the Ku Klux Klan.

Design Dish: Why every home needs a fuzzy accessory & LA Auto Show’s coolest cars

LA Auto Show: The Batmobile is so passé. Each year, top automotive design teams compete at the LA Auto Show to create “Hollywood’s Next Movie Car,” submitting outlandish designs accompanied by concepts for their feature films. I think somebody should consider pumping funding into the “341 Parkour,” a short, chubby vehicle that would help the star of ANNIE GET THE GRANNIES! solve the mystery of the missing granny robots. Who doesn’t want to see that movie?

“52 bunches of flowers I bought myself”

Julia Schauenburg’s photo series “52 bunches of flowers I bought myself” is one of the saddest art projects I’ve ever seen. This German-born, Australian-based photographer bought flowers for herself each week for an entire year and photographed them as they wilted and died. This project reminds me of something Liz Lemon might do if she was an artist instead of a lead writer for a fictional TV show. You can purchase these photos as a limited edition postcard set if you feel like sending your depressing thoughts around or, as an antidote, I recommend this photograph of a flower that might be the most joyous ever.

GetGlue? Get Some! Share Your Love of GWLBWLB With The World

There has been a tectonic shift in the sticker hierarchy. Your prized collection of vintage, Lisa Frank Painter Pandas will now clock in at number two, because the GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS GetGlue stickers are here!

Now you can share your love of GWLBWLB with your friends, frenemies and the entire Internet. Just ‘like’ the show on GetGlue and check-in whenever you’re watching an episode. We’ve got a whole load of cool stickers you can earn (but you’ll have to check-in to find out what they are).

GWLBWLB Meet The Cast: Kristin Likes Peter

Here is a GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS first! Peter and Kristin met on a dating website. And then they went on a date. Obviously, it didn’t work out. While they failed at romance, they succeeded in becoming instant BFFs.

Tens of thousands donate to Ai Weiwei’s tax bill

It’s been a tumultuous year for one of our favorite artists, Ai Weiwei who, after his 81 day long detention, was slammed with a punitive $2.4 million tax bill from the Chinese government. In a testament to his wide appeal and support, The New York Times reported that “thousands of people have responded by contributing money in a gesture that is at once benevolent and subversive” and “more than 20,000 people have together contributed at least $840,000.” This is unsurprising to any student of history or political movements…

Art Buzz: Hear 35,000 heartbeats, see painted people & a look back at 1980′s pomo

Heartbeat Island: French artist, Christian Boltankski, has recorded the heartbeats of over 35,000 people and stored them on a tiny Japanese island for his project, “Les Archives du Coeur.” His touring booth is slated to come through Finland in 2012, so you romantic types should probably start booking tickets for Valentine’s Day…

Remember the (crocheted) Alamo

Previously spotted covering the Wall Street Bull, Olek created buzz once again by wrapping another iconic New York City sculpture, Tony Rosenthal’s Astor Place Cube with her trademark pink and purple camouflage yarn, as seen in the picture above. Here’s a video of her in action installing this piece over the cube, or the “Alamo” as it’s officially named. If you walk around New York City long enough you’ll eventually stumble upon her smaller, guerrilla pieces like…

Naked News: Mississippi may give human rights to fertilized eggs

• Mississippi may defy science and give fertilized eggs human rights.
  
  
• Poll shows support for gay marriage continues to rise. Also, more and more people now agree that it’s not safe to run with scissors.
  
  
• Half of U.S. students in middle and high school face sexual harassment.
  
  

GWLBWLB Meet The Cast: Sherrié Likes Shane

What do you get when you mix two frustrated, country music singer-songwriters, a Broadway show and a little bit of love for the Lord? The Nashville stylings of Sherrié and Shane! These two thought they’d reached the end of the line on their singing careers when fate intervened to bring them together and show them the way back to Tennessee–where they’re set for a season of making beautiful music together. Don’t believe us? Both have projects coming out this month, so you can listen for yourselves.

Gay Marriage, Gay Weddings and Gay Spinsters

Well, our GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS sure have their opinions on the whole marriage thing. We all want to find love. And for most of us, that means a partner we can rely on to stand by us, challenge us, and (maybe) cuddle with us. If we didn’t care about that stuff so much, romantic comedies would just be Jennifer Aniston clipping coupons in her bedroom for two hours. We want the happy ending–to settle down on the porch with a bottle of wine and a life of love to gaze back on.

Buckle Up, Bible Belt! Welcome To The Gay South

Thought you knew everything there was to know about the South? Well, it’s not all cotillion parties and gratuitous displays of your Second Amendment rights, though both are pretty fabulous in their own right. The Nashville cast of GIRLS WHO LIKE BOYS WHO LIKE BOYS is about to show us a kinder, gentler (OK, sometimes bitchier) side to living out and proud in the South.

Happy Movember!

When women want to promote breast cancer awareness, they turn everything pink and post inane (sorry, we mean hilarious double-entendre) Facebook status updates about where they like to hang their pocketbook. When men want to promote prostate cancer awareness, they grow temporary, ironic hipster mustaches in the month of November. Get it, Movember? Depending on your take on ironic hipster mustaches – and the color pink – you may feel like you got the raw end of the deal…

Sundance Channel Signs on to Co-Produce Jane Campion’s TOP OF THE LAKE

Sundance Channel announced today it has signed with BBC Worldwide to co-produce Jane Campion’s TOP OF THE LAKE, an original scripted project. The seven part mini-series will be directed by Oscar® winner Jane Campion (The Piano, Portrait of a Lady) and Australian director Garth Davis, and written by Jane Campion and Gerard Lee (Sweetie). The project stars SAG® winner and three time Emmy® nominated actress Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men, On the Road). Holly Hunter, who won a Best Actress Oscar® for her performance in Campion’s The Piano, also stars alongside BAFTA® nominee Peter Mullan (War Horse, Trainspotting) and AFI Award winning actor David Wenham (The Lord of the Rings, Australia).

The announcement comes on the heels of two Emmy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award for Sundance Channel’s first scripted drama CARLOS, as well as the recently announced scripted dramas RECTIFY and APPROPRIATE ADULT. Produced by Academy Award® winners Emile Sherman and Iain Canning (The King’s Speech, Shame) of See-Saw Films, and Philippa Campbell (Black Sheep) of Escapade Pictures, TOP OF THE LAKE is a powerful and haunting mystery about the search for happiness in a paradise where honest work is hard to find. Set in the remote mountains of New Zealand, the story follows the disappearance of a five months pregnant 12-year-old named Tui who was last seen standing chest deep in a frozen lake. In this classic mythic struggle, investigating detective, Robin Griffin (Moss), must lose herself in order to find the missing girl. During the investigation, she collides with Matt Mitcham (Mullan), Tui’s father, a local drug lord, and G.J (Hunter), a guru at a local women’s camp. Robin will find this the case that tests her limits and sends her on a journey of self-discovery.

Best of Kickstarter, 11/7

We scoured the pages of Kickstarter to bring you this week’s best projects. Have a great Kickstarter project of your own or see one you think deserves some extra attention? Let us know about it the comments and we may just feature it in our weekly roundup.

FILM

SEFF Student Experimental Film Festival: Help rising student filmmakers work out their freaky inner psyches at an Experimental Film Festival in upstate New York. Granted, half the submissions will probably make you want to poke out your eyeballs (or will be about poking out eyeballs), but hey, it’s creative expression, okay?

ABACUS at Sundance: A team of 12 artists collaborating on a large-scale multimedia installation called ABACUS was recently invited to perform at our very own Sundance Film Festival. From what we can tell by their preview video, the presentation involves a lot of lights, loud sounds, flashing screens and possibly someone in a panda suit. What’s not to like?