If you like to tweet, then you are probably aware that Twitter was inaccessible for several hours this morning, due to what the company’s CEO is calling, “…malicious efforts orchestrated to disrupt and make unavailable services such as such as online banks, credit card payment gateways, and in this case, Twitter…” He adds that they are currently defending against the attack and will later investigate into this disturbance in the force. Read More »

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Reclusive author Thomas Pynchon, known for his dislike of the media and publicity, may have just broken out of his shell. According to a post on the Guardian, there’s some blogosphere debate as to whether or not the voiceover in a trailer for Pynchon’s new novel, Inherent Vice, is actually him, or just someone who sounds a lot like his cameo on The Simpsons. Neither Penguin Press nor the producers of the video will confirm whether the voice in the video is him or not, but the move certainly has generated a lot of buzz. And in this economy, that is nothing but a plus. Read More »

If you’ve ever seen or even heard of a reality show on Bravo known as NYC Prep, then you will appreciate this video. Camille’s big head and hairline are spot on. Keli is hysterical (especially when PC slaps her across the face). PC is… himself. Jessie’s characterization is a little mean, but still a riot. Sebastian’s intonations and hair-adjusting are just right, and poor Taylor is just boring, per usual. Make sure to stay tuned for the celebrity cameos at the end.

Related link: NYC Prep Meets Yearbook Yourself

An article in today’s New York Times explains that film studios usually reserve August for difficult movies that might not do so well if they were released, say, a week after Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Which makes sense. But because box office sales are down this summer, some of these tricky August releases are shouldering more weight than anyone — the studios, producers, or directors — expected or hoped. After the jump we preview five of the month’s biggest releases and rank them according to buzz and box-office potential. There may still be some surprises, a la The Hangover, in store for us this summer. Read More »

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• If you’re in New York: Don’t miss the premiere of Comix’s new show, “What’s So Funny?“  The show features comedians, who sit on a couch after their performance, and get “analyzed”  by comedian/psychologist Mark Bellace, PhD.

• If you’re in Los Angeles: Get a sneak preview of the new documentary about screenwriting, Tales from the Script, which features many prominent and successful screenwriters talking about their successes, failures, and the untold stories behind some of the greatest screenplays ever written.

• If you’re in San Francisco: Check out Ratio3 Gallery’s new exhibition, Safe Word, which is hosting some of artists Danny Keith, Amanda Kirkhuff, Takeshi Murata, Francine Spiegel, and Anthony Viti’s responses to the production and representation of extreme kinkiness.  

• If you’re in Chicago: Go catch Wooden Wand, James Jackson Toth’s most lively work to date, in which he spikes each turn with a different folk-rock element, be it a moody, rumbling chorus or an unexpected burst.

Today at Flavorpill, we scanned the list of movies accepted at the Venice Film Festival, and wished we could afford a ticket to go — specifically to finally see The Road. We swore to go out and buy a Brita after seeing these adorable adds asking people to use less bottled water. We were nostalgic for a time when having this birthday cake at our party would have made us the happiest person on earth. We were curious to see what Stephen Schwartz’s newest project would sound like. We felt bad for Vladamir Nabokov, who is having his final novel published posthumously against his dying wishes. We checked out the trailer for Wes Anderson’s new film, The Fantastic Mr. Fox. We got excited that some original CSI vets may be returning to the show. And finally, we were amazed at the orchestra conducting talents of this child prodigy.

We’re back with your daily reminder of cool events happening tonight across the Flavorpillaverse. If you’d rather have this information delivered straight to your inbox each Tuesday, sign up for our Flavorpill City Guides.

• If you’re in New York: Check out a screening of Je, Tu, Il, Elle, a 1974 film by Chantal Ackerman, who also stars as part of writer Sarah Schulman’s Queer/Art/Film series.

• If you’re in Los Angeles: Celebrate the release of NextAid’s charity CD, Funk Aid for Africa, compiled by DJ OBaH, by dancing the night away at Afro-Funke’s weekly Afro-boogie extravaganza.

• If you’re in San Francisco: Check out Pearls Over Shanghai, a revival of the first musical production of San Francisco’s gender-bending troupe, the Cockettes.

• If you’re in Chicago: Go see folk-rocker Josh Ritter perform with Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons. Ritter, who meteorically rose to fame with his 2002 album, Golden Age of Radio, has been compared to the greats Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

Everyone has heard of his novels: Carrie, The Green Mile, Salem’s Lot, The Shining, and so on. Fifty-four of them have been turned into movies too, including the #1 ranked film on IMDb’s Top 250 list, The Shawshank Redemption. According to Forbes, Stephen King made $45M in 2008. This is why we thought it was a little odd when we heard that he was trying to *bank some extra buck with his newest novel, Under the Dome. Read More »

Friðgeir Helgason's "Economic Slide," courtesy of Gallery Skart

This photograph is part of Friðgeir Helgason’s current art show, Nordic Mood which is up at Gallery Skart through the end of this month. Nordic Mood takes the viewers journey through Iceland, Helgason’s birthplace and native land, which emphasizes the vastness and loneliness of a place that most of the world knows little about.