In retrospect, last week’s gift guide for movie geeks was seriously lacking in one important element: it needs more Criterion. The Criterion Collection, as you presumably well know, is the preeminent home video label for film nerds, lavishing their second-to-none skills of restoration and supplementation on titles both well-known and obscure. So yes, a week-late addendum: if you’re shopping for cinephiles, a title or two from the Criterion Collection should do the trick.

Alas, which titles? At 600+ films (and growing monthly), sifting through the collection is a daunting task. Thankfully, the label is more than happy to help out; one of the most enjoyable time-killers on their site is their section of Top 10s, in which film fans from across the spectrum — directors, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers, comedians, critics, etc. — select their ten favorite Criterion titles, often with concise mini-reviews for each. After the jump, in a bit of meta list construction, we’ve picked out ten of our favorite folks from that page, and a few of their recommendations as well. Read More »

1. Last night, Kanye tweeted what could be the cover art for Watch The Throne, his joint project with Jay-Z, which is set to drop on January 11th. In the middle are the letters H*A*M. Any ideas what that might mean? [via HitFix]

2. MTV and Foursquare have teamed up to launch a new Jersey Shore-themed badge; in order to score the “GTL” badge, all you have to do is check in to a gym, tanning salon, and laundry mat during a 7-day period. [via Mashable]

3. Lady Gaga has finally unveiled her new line for Polaroid. Among the offerings are a pair of sunglasses that doubles as a camera and displays images on its lenses; a portable, wireless printer; and an updated version of the classic Polaroid instant camera. [via THR]

4. Judd Apatow’s next project will feature Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd reprising their roles from Knocked Up. Hopefully Apatow and Mann’s two daughters — who played the precocious kids in Knocked Up — will be involved, too. [via Variety]

5. Some happy news: Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys has been told he’s cancer-free, 18 months after he was diagnosed with the disease. [via Toronto Sun]

Bonus link: Saved by the Belding

Earlier this week it was announced that “Fight For Your Right Revisited,” a short film written and directed by Adam Yauch, would premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Now, thanks to Stereogum, we’ve got a photo of Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood, and Danny McBride, who are presumably playing Mike D, Ad-Rock, and MCA. The cast also includes Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Jack Black, and while we don’t know anything about the plot, we do have this tagline: “After the boys leave the party.” We’re intrigued. Click through if you need to refresh your memory on the original clip.

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1. Beastie Boy Adam Yauch, who is currently recovering from salivary gland cancer, says that’s he ready to get back to work, and that the group’s next album, Hot Sauce Committee, Part One, will drop this fall. [via MTV]
2. An insider says that George Clooney was in on the Oscars gag: “It was something George and Alec [Baldwin] agreed upon… It was a ‘follow-my-lead’ sort of thing.” [via NYDN]
3. How much was Sandra Bullock‘s Oscar win worth? Apparently lot less than Jeff Bridges’ was. [via Vulture]
4. An amended edition of James Joyce‘s Finnegans Wake is set to be published next week with 9,000 “minor corrections and alterations.” [via Irish Times]
5. Massive debtor/celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz has arranged a deal with a private equity firm that should preserve her archive. [via Reuters]

Coachella giveaway: We use Yahoo! Search to help find the top culture stories of the day. Now we’re giving you the chance to play editor, and you just might win a trip to Coachella.

Use Yahoo! Search to find an interesting link about Adam Yauch, and drop it below in the comments. Our favorite entry will receive Beastie Boys DVD Video Anthology – Criterion Collection and more importantly, be entered to win a VIP trip for two to Coachella. Topics will be changing throughout the week, so get your search on and keep playing to increase your chances of winning!

1. A juicy behind-the-scenes account of Lady Gaga, Francesco Vezzoli, and Frank Gehry at MOCA. [via The New Yorker]
2. New Moon had the number 3 opening weekend of all time, selling $140.7 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada. [via LAT]
3. Martin Amis is already apologizing to feminists for his next novel. [via Guardian]
4. Oscilloscope, the indie film label co-founded by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch is starting a direct-mail DVD club. [via THR]
5. Ricky Gervais reads from The Book of Genesis. [via Effect Measure]

Bonus link: Two Worlds Collide ft. Reba McEntire

Today at Flavorpill, we said goodbye to the great American photographer Irving Penn. If you’ve ever perused a copy of Vogue, then you’ve seen his beautiful work. We listened to James Ellroy’s secret history. We wondered what the debut album from Benjamin Presley, Elvis’ grandson, will sound like. We imagined living in an even smaller apartment. We were happy to get a positive update from Beastie Boy and newly-turned vegan Adam Yauch. We thought that Marlon Wayans as Richard Pryor is way more of a stretch than Eddie Murphy. Maybe Damon would be a better bet. We were scandalized by the Fleshlight. We cranked up the Horrorcore. We threw on some Helvetica sneakers, and we were good to go.