Ah, New Year’s Eve — that special night of the year where we put so pressure on ourselves to have a great time, have a great time, HAVE A GREAT TIME that we end up, inevitably, having a really lousy time. (Don’t pretend like it’s just me.) Part of our self-imposed pressure to enjoy ourselves on the last night of the year is, we contend, the fault of movies, which often present the evening as an occasion for joyous celebration, thoughtful reflection, and new beginnings (often with a new object of affection). But some films also recognize the nightmare of New Year’s Eve, and dramatize that. We’ve assembled a few examples of each after the jump, and humbly present ten on-screen New Year’s Eves that we find memorable — for reasons both good and bad. All will make fine New Year’s Eve viewing — and are far better than New Year’s Eve.

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Last week, we gave in to our voyeuristic tendencies and brought you a slideshow of rare photos of cultural icons snapped in their own beds. This week, our we’d like to revisit the topic, but instead of focusing on the celebrities, take a closer look at the intimate spaces that they choose to inhabit. From Sylvia Plath’s temporary digs at the former Barbizon Hotel for Women to Norman Mailer’s sleek “sleeping loft,” we’ve rounded up some fantastic images after the jump. Let us know in the comments whose bedroom you’d like to steal. Read More »

As the weather gets colder, we’re beginning to appreciate our neighborhood bar more and more. After all, there’s nothing better than sipping a warm-you-up drink in the fading autumn sunlight. Nothing, that is, except doing that while listening to one of your favorite tunes. There are a million songs about drinking, it being one of man’s favorite pastimes, but here we’ve collected ten of our favorites about bars, pubs, and other drinking establishments in particular, so as to celebrate those fall and winter hideaways. And just for fun, we’ve added a drink suggestion to go with each spot. Click through to have a listen to our list, and let us know which of your own favorites we’ve missed in the comments!

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Christen Carter has been making buttons for bands, artists, and whoever else needs a good button since 1995. Her first customer, picked up while she was learning the trade abroad in England, was indie band Guided by Voices, and she’s just gotten bigger from there. Her company, Busy Beaver Button Company, now makes millions of buttons for clients like Missy Elliot, Bumble and Bumble, Threadless, Adidas, and Burger King. Not content with simply producing quality buttons, Carter has also become a serious collector of vintage buttons, and recently launched an online button museum to show off some of her amazing finds. Click through to see a few of our favorites — from the lovely to the saucy to the serious — and then check out Carter’s online museum for even more.

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Martin Scorsese’s excellent new documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World premieres tonight at the New York Film Festival; it will then run on HBO, in two parts, on Wednesday and Thursday night. Here are a few not-so-brief thoughts on how and why Scorsese has used rock music throughout his career.

Music moved me. It literally makes us move a certain way. It makes certain things happen. It’s equivalent to dancing, I guess. You know, you behaved a certain way. Some of the boys were able to swagger. Others pulled back. But the music scored our lives. I was taking it all in, pulling it together.

- Martin Scorsese, Conversations with Scorsese (2011)

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Just this week, Ja Rule turned himself in to start a 2 -year jail sentence connected with a 2007 crime, which has gotten us thinking. Maybe it’s just us, but musicians seem to land themselves in a little bit more trouble than people of other professions. Maybe it’s because they’re living the high life, thinking they can get away with it all, or maybe they’re just negatively influenced by their surroundings, but we think it probably has something to do with the same personality trait that makes them want to be performers in the first place. Just a theory, though. In any event, we were inspired to dig up a few vintage mugshots of famous musicians, many of which are actually quite beautiful in and of themselves, although that could just be Sinatra’s good looks shining through. Click through for our round-up of vintage musician mugshots, and let us know what you think in the comments!

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Everyone loves a good cover. There’s something so fascinating about the medium — at once nostalgic and new-seeking, it may be the ultimate hipster form. Or maybe it’s just really fun. Since we can’t get enough, we’ve collected ten awesome covers you may or may not have heard before for all your exploration/nostalgia needs. Of course, there may be some among you who have heard every last one of these, and more power to you. But hopefully even the most storied music warriors will find something new to like on our list. Click through to listen, and let us know your own favorite undiscovered covers in the comments!

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1. The 19 new films contending for the Palme d’or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival have been announced, and they include Pedro Almodóvar’s La Piel Que Habito, Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia, and Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life. [via ArtsBeat]

2. Bruce Campbell has confirmed that the long-rumored Evil Dead reboot will happen — he’s not just sure when. “Who can say -– we’re all working on other jobs right now. We’re not trying to dodge anybody’s questions, there just isn’t that much to talk about. The remake’s gonna kick ass –- you have my word.” [via Paste Mag]

3. It’s a miracle: A mango jelly bean was found with Kate Middleton’s face on it in Britain. Says the enterprising chap who found it: “Given that the royal wedding is only a few weeks away, we hope to make a few pounds out of it by selling it on the internet to a collector.” [via Gawker]

4. How exactly are book signings supposed to work in the age of the eBook? The New York Times offers up a few ideas, including having an author sign your iPad, which just sounds nuts to us.

5. William Shatner has announced the tracklist for his space-inspired covers album, Searching For Major Tom, and it includes songs by U2, Frank Sinatra, Queen, and Pink Floyd. [via HuffPo]

Bonus link: Watch Roger Ebert’s TED Talk About Losing His Voice

If you’ve ever wondered what your favorite literary characters might be listening to while they save the world/contemplate existence/get into trouble, or hallucinated a soundtrack to go along with your favorite novels, well, us too. But wonder no more! Here, we sneak a look at the hypothetical iPods of some of literature’s most interesting characters. What would be on the personal playlists of Holden Caulfield or Elizabeth Bennett, Huck Finn or Harry Potter, Tintin or Humbert Humbert? Something revealing, we bet. Or at least something danceable. Read on for a cozy reading soundtrack, character study, or yet another way to emulate your favorite literary hero. This week: Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald’s ink and paper representation of the quintessential American dream — with a dark side.

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In the publishing industry’s sprint to the holiday sales home stretch, few books succeed quite as well as the salacious celebrity bio — be it compelling biography or self-indulgent memoir. Whether written by devoted scholars or the icon in question (usually with the guiding hand of a ghostwriter), these pop culture tomes make for appealing reading and easy gifts — especially when probing the gossipy private life of a public figure. With the roll out of this year’s high-profile music bios — a staple of the celebrity book genre — now well under way, here’s a guide to the season’s standout studies and tone-deaf duds. Because, let’s face it: not everyone is as exciting on the page as they are on the stage.

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