In the late 1950s, the Ford Motor Company introduced the Edsel, a car that failed so spectacularly it became synonymous with a corporate cluelessness. For two decades, the Edsel reigned as one of the most boneheaded blunders in all of automotive manufacturing. But in the mid-80s, the Edsel was usurped by an even more disastrous debut: the Yugo. It was an ugly car made cheaply in a communist country. What could possibly go wrong?

Nearly everything. From sub-par craftsmanship and disastrous safety ratings to gross corporate mismanagement and Cold War distrust, the Yugo is remembered best today not for its brief success but for its dismal failure. But if the Yugo was a lemon, Jason Vuic’s surprising page-turner is the lemonade: even though we know how it’s going to end (watch out for the iceberg, Yugo!), we’re held rapt by Vuic’s careful reconstruction of the peculiar history of a terrible idea.

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Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, Quarter Pounder… Eames chair? One of these things is not like the other, but if a forward-thinking fast food industry has anything to do with it, lowbrow will no longer be a descriptor for purveyors of insta-food. Eateries like McDonald’s, Burger King, and Blimpie are angling for an upgrade, a palatable modernism that makes sleekly generic design easy for the masses to swallow.

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1. Behold! Jimmy Fallon’s inevitable follow-up to “Neil Young Sings the ‘Fresh Prince’ Theme” — Neil Young sings “Pants on the Ground.” (video) [via TwentyFourBit]
2. This weekend, a vacant Tower Records store in the East Village will host performances, panel discussions, and conceptual art installations that lament industry troubles and the demise of music stores. [via WSJ]
3. Did Avatar rip off Soviet science fiction writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky? [via The Guardian]
4. Fans of the Big Mac and couture rejoice: meet McFancy, an “upmarket temporary McDonald’s store that launches at Fashion Weeks across the world.” [via Refinery29]
5. Hoping to launch a new franchise, Lionsgate has acquired the worldwide rights to the screen adaptation of What To Expect When You’re Expecting. Remember, this is the same studio that does the Saw movies… [via Screen Daily]

Bonus link: Do hipsters really hate Converses?

1. Kid Cudi is leaving Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour to focus on his next album and acting commitments. He will perform at scheduled dates through the end of January. [via Billboard]
2. Up in the Air, Inglourious Basterds, and Precious led the 16th annual SAG Award nominations. [via indieWIRE]
3. Sarah Palin was spotted in Hawaii wearing a John McCain campaign visor with his named blacked out. She coyly claims she was trying to go incognito. [via The Awl]
4. Morrissey has released an official statement in which he apologizes to fans for his last album, Swords, calling it a “meek disaster.” [via NME]
5. Good news: Your Big Mac will soon come with a side of free WiFi. Will McDonald’s become the new Starbucks for bloggers? [via Geek Sugar]

Bonus link: The decade’s best unread books

Paul Heyman, former Extreme Champion Wrestling boss, has accused Rihanna of album art theft. In his own words, “It’s pretty obvious [Rihanna's Russian Roulette] was copied from, or at least EXTREMELY inspired by the ECW album cover.” We’re not sure Rihanna even knows who this man is, let alone watches sweaty dudes duke it out with barbed wire. We do know, however, that this is not the first case of “copied from” or “EXTREMELY inspired by” album art. We take a look at some of our favorite album art scandals after the jump.

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The Telegraph reports that a McDonald’s restaurant and a “quality” McCafé are set to open in the Louvre museum next month in the underground approach known as the Carrousel du Louvre. Many museum staffers, already disgruntled because of the Abu Dhabi spin-off, aren’t very happy about the impending attack of le Big Mac. In fact, according to one art historian: “This is the last straw. This is the pinnacle of exhausting consumerism, deficient gastronomy and very unpleasant odors in the context of a museum… Starbucks was bad enough but McDonald’s is worse… Once this happens, the first thing visitors will likely see when they arrive are big golden arches.”

There are currently 1,142 McDonald’s in France, making it their biggest market in the world outside of the US.

This past week, we watched the internet indulge in questionable activities that have brought up the age old question: “Is this racist or not?” And for others, the more complex “Am I racist for thinking that this is racist?” After the jump, you will find three exhibits of potential internet racism, and at the hand of Apple, Microsoft, and McDonald’s no less. Help us decide! Read More »

Whether or not J.J. Abrams’ sexed-up Star Trek takes off, one thing’s for sure: it’s a pretty great excuse to start shilling stuff. Not that we’d expect any less. Next to the Kiss empire, the Star Trek franchise is #1 when it comes to licensing the hell out of itself. After the jump, five unbelievably hilarious commercials spanning all the way back to the ’60s.

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Some context for what lies after the jump: Pharrell Williams is so desperate for a Big Mac that he attempts a song and dance for Mickey D’s employees to help plead his case. Either the Parisians mistake Pharrell for another crazy American, or they prefer Timbaland. Don’t you hate it when you can’t get some early morning drunk fries and your only option is to deal with the hashbrowns or stumble into a diner? We feel you, Pharrell. Read More »

Do you find yourself craving Tootsie Rolls lately? “The recession seems to have a sweet tooth. As unemployment has risen and 401(k)’s have shrunk, Americans, particularly adults, have been consuming growing volumes of candy, from Mary Janes and Tootsie Rolls to Gummy Bears and cheap chocolates, say candy makers, store owners and industry experts.” [NYT]

Because we’ve found ourselves thinking more about burgers… “Eating red meat increases the chances of dying prematurely, according to the first large study to examine whether regularly eating beef or pork increases mortality.” [WaPo]

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