1. Last night Jon Stewart stopped by The Colbert Report to sign paperwork that legally makes him the head of Stephen Colbert’s super PAC — a move that will allow the late night host to pursue his “possible candidacy for the president of the United States of South Carolina.” [via Huffington Post]

2. Surprise: There’s another film project about Abraham Lincoln in the works! This one, which will be produced by Ridley Scott, is a documentary based on Bill O’Reilly‘s recent book Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever — source material that, as The Playlist points out, is “so factually inept, the National Parks Service has banned it from being sold at the Ford’s Theater.”

3. Kenneth Branagh will direct Kate Winslet in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a juicy-sounding period drama about a magazine reporter’s relationship with the residents of a Nazi-occupied island off the coast of Normandy. [via Vulture]

4. The Flaming Lips’ next album, which we already knew would feature collaborations with the Plastic Ono Band and Bon Iver, will apparently also include contributions from Nick Cave, Ke$ha, Lykke Li, and Erykah Badu. The LP is set to be released this coming April. [via NME]

5. The Daily reports that, thanks to a multimillion-dollar deal to be the spokeswoman for a pharmaceutical company, Paula Deen is about to reveal to the world that she has Type 2 diabetes. Does this mean no more deep-fried Twinkies for breakfast, y’all?

Bonus Buzz: 21 Examples Of Bizarre Furniture

Before the vocals and melodies of some of our favorite tunes are ever recorded, the maestros behind the music put pen to paper and construct songs. Whether these working drafts are scribbled on legal pads, neatly spelled out in ink, or scribed alongside silly doodles, the ritual of writing out lyrics unites everyone from The Beatles to Lykke Li. We’ve rounded up a collection of hand-scrawled lyrics to beloved songs, in all their first-draft glory, after the jump. Read More »

Lollapalooza celebrated its 20th anniversary over the weekend, turning Chicago’s Grant Park into a musical mecca that saw roughly 100,000 people gather each day in extreme heat and, at least on Sunday evening, torrential rain. In keeping with founder Perry Farrell’s original vision, the festival lineup was thrillingly diverse, featuring everything from hip-hop to dance to stadium rock. Highlights included a blistering set from Muse, a storm-defying performance by the irrepressible Foo Fighters, and a number of the non-headliners we knew you would love, from Tinie Tempah to Fitz & the Tantrums.

Our favorite fresh act to these shores was easily Australia’s Boy & Bear, the antipodean answer to Mumford & Sons, while the most memorable moment came from the full-on chaos of LA-via-Mexico’s Le Butcherettes — a band that channels Karen O via the Kills, only with a lot more screaming and fake blood, and in this case, onstage vomiting with its own theme song. The only real disappointment came from a bizarre set by a spiked and studded Cee-Lo that opened with a Danzig cover and featured numerous Girl Talk-esque breaks for snippets of songs by Guns N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin, and Journey. Check out our photo gallery from the fest featuring all those artists and more, including Lykke Li, the Naked and Famous, and Ellie Goulding.

Read More »

Summer-festival season is underway, so it isn’t hard to find a great outdoor venue to catch your favorite bands — just check the Flavorpill event guides for all the latest. We’ve also partnered with Victoria Lager to expand your options: with our new summer mixtape, you can bring the music to any sunny (or shady) spot you choose.

Featuring artists like Oh Land (pictured), Lykke Li, and Digitalism, the free compilation also includes some of our latest favorites, such as groove-master and Mad Decent artist Bosco Delrey and Mexican/Angeleno rockers Le Butcherettes. It’s the perfect combination of downtempo dance and indie-rock scorchers to soundtrack the thermometer’s steady climb. Check out the full track list and download the mixtape gratis.

Read More »

What started out two decades ago as a makeshift traveling musical circus has now become one of Chicago’s biggest annual events. This year’s Lollapalooza includes performances from Muse, Foo Fighters, Kid Cudi, Cee-Lo Green, Bright Eyes, Lykke Li, Crystal Castles, and dozens more — and it also marks your chance to win a VIP trip for two to attend the fest.

We’ve partnered with GUESS to send one winner and a guest out to Chicago’s Grant Park to spend three days basking in music and sunshine, with airfare, accommodation, and VIP festival passes all included. The winners will also attend an exclusive afterparty presented by Flavorpill and GUESS, featuring Tinie Tempah and Young the Giant.

Read More »

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!

Read More »

A decade ago, the notion of British hip-hop was one without a lot of weight. Since then, the likes of the Streets and Dizzee Rascal have made it a concept with a lot more substance; but with the emergence of Tinie Tempah, the UK may have found its first bona-fide international superstar. His debut album, Disc-Overy, has been out for just over six months overseas, and the rapidly rising rapper is already selling out arenas. The album makes its US debut on May 17, featuring three new tracks, including a collaboration with Wiz Khalifa that’s pretty much a guaranteed mega-hit.

With Tinie beginning his first major excursion into the States, we caught up with him for an exclusive interactive video interview — where you control the questions. Click through to quiz the new face of UK hip-hop on what it’s like to start from scratch, his label Disturbing London, and his advice for aspiring artists. While you’re at it, find out why his he’d like to add Adele, Drake, and Lykke Li to a list of collaborators that already includes Ellie Goulding and Kelly Rowland.

Read More »

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 Bennet, 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: Jane Austen’s beloved heroine, Elizabeth Bennet.

Read More »

Today at Flavorpill, we were surprised by how easy it looks to make a heart-shaped egg. We listened to five seconds of every number one song ever. We wanted to score one of these belt buckles that holds your MetroCard. We were impressed by the size of Michael Craughwell’s swords. We learned how to be a Twitter guru in six easy tweets. We watched the surprisingly well-done extended trailer for a gritty, R-rated sequel to E.T. We couldn’t believe that it was actually Tina Fey singing that awful Joni Mitchell–style ballad called “Paints and Brushes” in last week’s episode of 30 Rock. We witnessed the birth of a Ford Model-T. We streamed Lykke Li’s entire new album. And finally, we thought we should pass along this handy chart on why PBS is worth saving, in case you were looking for some extra ammunition. For more information on the issue, visit 170 Million Americans.

Today at Flavorpill, we loved this reaction tweet to the news of Facebook’s e-mail killing “modern messaging system.” We cringed as digital artist Michael Tompert turned our favorite Apple fetish-objects into smashed up sculptures. We were schooled by Sue Sylvester’s guide to insults. We wondered if a three-hour block of comedy is enough to make Thursday nights all about NBC again. We watched Lykke Li’s new video for “Get Some,” and decided that she just might be a witch. We discovered a time when Taylor Momsen didn’t have raccoon eyes and ate baked chicken. We looked at satellite images of the earth as found art. We decided that frozen waffle pants trump a meat dress. We agreed with this post that calls The Walking Dead the new Lost. We were impressed by this compilation of 60 year’s worth of TV catchphrases. And finally, we wanted to buy this really old, handmade version of Monopoly. But we definitely can’t afford it.