1. Harvey Weinstein thinks that Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels should replace Brett Ratner as the producer of this year’s Oscars, and that Tina Fey should be involved with writing material for host Eddie Murphy. No objections here. [via Deadline]
2. Exciting news for fans of Alison Bechdel’s excellent work: Her graphic novel Fun Home — which focuses on her upbringing in a small town in Pennsylvania — is going to become a stage musical thanks to the Sundance Institute Theater Program. [via SheWired]
3. Pitbull is now suing Lindsay Lohan after she sued him over the line “I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan” in his song “Give Me Everything.” In his countersuit, the rapper claims that her multiple prison sentences support his words. Touché. [via Vulture]
4. Pixies frontman Frank Black has decided to launch his own record label called The Bureau in order to put out is own material. He also plans to issue records by other artists, including Jeremy Dubs and former Captain Beefheart collaborator Eric Drew Feldman. [via Guardian]
5. Check out the promos for this week’s Emma Stone-hosted episode of SNLhere.
1. Allegedly the reason that Emma Watson lopped off all of her hair is because she’s screen-testing for the role of Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher‘s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Thoughts? [via The Sun]
2. Stream the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World soundtrack, which features contributions from Frank Black, Black Lips, Beck, and Broken Social Scene. [via Spinner]
3. Reese Witherspoon has scored the rights to Peggy Lee‘s story from the singer’s estate. She plans to produce and star in the film; Nora Ephron will both write and direct. [via Cinematical]
4. Places we wish we had been: Beyoncé dropped by Brooklyn Bowl in Williamsburg on Friday night to support her sister Solange, who was DJing a set there. [via NYP]
5. Why Google‘s count of 130 million books in all of the world is probably bunk: it’s all about process of elimination. [via Ars Technica]
That’s right, folks: Even rock stars need their daily affirmation. We assume that’s why the Pixies’ Frank Black agreed to be a guest on Morning Prayer with Skott and Behr, which you may recognize from the venerable Tim and Eric universe. The hosts, who have not (of course) heard Black’s music, pose existential questions such as, “What is music?” and “What is sound?” And then Black performs — er, tries to perform.
Like many great artists, Sparklehorse mastermind Mark Linkous led a troubled life. His struggle with drugs and personal demons led him to a near-death overdose experience while on tour with Radiohead in 1996. However, it also drove him to explore deep creative recesses, and saw him collaborate with a plethora of modern music’s finest, including the Flaming Lips, PJ Harvey, Tom Waits, Vic Chesnutt, Danger Mouse, David Lynch, Iggy Pop, and Radiohead themselves.
Over the weekend, however, Linkous lost his inner battles, taking his own life in an alleyway in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was 47. The artist was in the process of relocating to the area, where his frequent collaborator, Scott Minor, is based, and was reportedly putting the finishing touches on a new album, the follow-up to 2006′s Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain — an album that scored an enviable 8.3 rating from Pitchfork.
Charles Michael Kittredge Thompson IV, aka Black Francis, aka Frank Black, has a reputation as one tough band leader, whether in the TNT-volatile Pixies of the late ’80s and early ’90s or the hardworking roots rockers known as the Catholics. We’ve seen him seriously tear into a hapless drummer on one occasion, and berate a would-be stage diver on another. We’ve heard the firing-by-fax story. He scares us a little. Read More »
Start saving your pennies, because the ultimate gift for any Pixies fan is on the way. Pre-orders begin June 15 for Minotaur, a deluxe box set containing all five of the legendary quartet’s studio albums, along with a live DVD from a 1991 London performance and a 54-page book. The whole package comes in a custom slipcase, and is offered by A+R, the same company that produced similar offerings for Nine Inch Nails, Beck, and Sigur Ros. More info and a video trailer for Minotaur after the jump.
— an album that scored an enviable 
