Forty-eight years ago today, John F. Kennedy was assassinated. In “The Umbrella Man,” a new six-minute short that Errol Morris made for The New York Times, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker interviews Josiah “Tink” Thompson, the author of Six Seconds in Dallas, the 1967 book which details a three-gunman theory for the killing. “For years, I’ve wanted to make a movie about the John F. Kennedy assassination,” writes Morris in his director’s statement. “Not because I thought I could prove that it was a conspiracy, or that I could prove it was a lone gunman, but because I believe that by looking at the assassination, we can learn a lot about the nature of investigation and evidence. Why, after 48 years, are people still quarreling and quibbling about this case? What is it about this case that has led not to a solution, but to the endless proliferation of possible solutions?” Click here to watch his interview with Thompson now. [via Slashfilm]
Eero Saarinen’s sloping, futuristic TWA terminal at JFK was built in 1962 in the height of the age of romantic air travel. The terminal, whose four vaulted concrete shell Saarinen’s chief associate architect claimed he modelled partly after a grapefruit, was meant to be a “building in which the architecture itself would express the drama and specialness and excitement of travel.” In 2001, the terminal was shuttered in the airline industry struggles following the 9/11 attacks, but this past year, the building was fully renovated (though The Port Authority has not decided what purpose it will ultimately serve), and the terminal was recently opened for a few hours, allowing these photographs to be taken. Click through to see photographs of Saarien’s magnificent building both old and new, and let us know if you’d like to be taking a flight out of there anytime soon. Photos courtesy Brian Kelly for Phaidon.
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Page through the Flavorwire archives and a few things will quickly become clear: that we love Patti Smith, that we have a fascination with photos of abandoned spaces, and that stylish, pop-culture-oriented graphic design abounds on the Internet. But with all the great posters and prints out there, it’s rare to see a designer do something truly unexpected, which is why we’ve spent much of the morning analyzing our own reaction to Evan Stremke’s Invitation to an Assassination series. Combining evocative minimalist images and famous quotes to create actual invitations to historic assassinations, Stremke raises the uncomfortable question of whether it’s possible to find beauty and fun in humanity’s darker moments. His invitations to the death of such beloved figures as John Lennon, Harvey Milk, and Martin Luther King Jr. may be pleasing to the eye — but it’s difficult to actually enjoy them. See what we mean — and share our ambivalence — after the jump.
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11/22/63 was a day that changed American history. This November Stephen King will release a novel that attempts to tackle JFK’s assassination through a story that is not surprisingly based in Maine and includes an, ahem, time-travel machine in the back of a diner. Can two regular guys from Lisbon Falls, Maine prevent Lee Harvey Oswald from shooting the President?
Nothing was more disruptive to the American political landscape in the early ’60s then JFK’s assassination, which is why it’s going to be challenging for many readers to suspend disbelief when they delve into King’s upcoming 1,000-page tome. Plus, as Alison Flood over at the Guardian writes, “the assassination of JFK is hardly new in fiction; it’s been done by authors from Don DeLillo to James Ellroy, Stephen Baxter and JG Ballard.” And then there’s King’s recent track record. His last book, titled Full Dark, No Stars — purportedly the final in a set of novellas — it was released last winter and received mixed reviews, from gushing to damning.
People really do seem to either love or hate the guy, though we are reminded in his Paris Review interview that, contrary to popular belief, he is a real person. When asked what we’re afraid of, he astutely answers, “Chaos. The outsider. We’re afraid of change. We’re afraid of disruption, and that is what I’m interested in.” So what do you think? Should we be concerned about his forthcoming novel? Or are you actually looking forward to it?
1. AOL has announced that it plans to buy the Huffington Post for $315 million. Arianna Huffington will become editor in chief of all of AOL’s content sites, including TechCrunch and Engadget. According to Arianna’s memo to site contributors, nothing will be different except “more people reading what you wrote.” [via The Atlantic]
2. The iconic terminal that was once the home to TWA at JFK airport might be getting a second life in the form of a small, high-end hotel, according to the Wall Street Journal.
3. According to USA Today’s Ad Meter, two ads tied for the top Super Bowl commercial among viewers — the spots for Doritos and Bud Light — and they both happened to star dogs.
4. The second trailer for JJ Abrams’ latest top secret movie Super 8 debuted last night during the game, and while it doesn’t reveal much more than the original teaser did plot-wise, you definitely see more of executive producer Steven Spielberg’s influence on the project. [via TotalFilm]
5. Fox has announced that the X Factor’s winner will walk off with a $5 million record deal — aka the largest guaranteed prize in television history — in a joint venture between Sony Music and Simon Cowell. The show is set to debut this September. [via TVline]
Bonus link: Stream PJ Harvey’s new album Let England Shake, which is due out February 15
The New York Yankees rewarded their long-suffering fans on Wednesday night by clinching their 27th World Series title. Today they’re celebrating with a ticker-tape parade, complete with a performance by Jay-Z and a cameo by Spike Lee. The last time things were this crazy in the Canyon of Heroes was back in early 2008, in celebration of the Giants’ Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots. After the jump we run through some of the biggest NYC ticker-tape parades of the last century.
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