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Flavorwire

Mr T.

Pop Culture

What’s On At Flavorwire: The Day’s Best Links

By Lillian Ruiz on

Happy National Teacher’s Day! Celebrate with us by learning a few new things, eh? We found out that Mr. T was a gym teacher and that quite a few celebrities started out as (presumably crush-worthy) teachers. We got a hilarious primer on every illogical moment in Star Trek. We’re thrilled that the… Read More

Art

Playful Fingerprint Portraits of Pop Culture Icons

By Alison Nastasi on

Dito Von Tease is an Italian artist who uncovers famous features hidden within the human finger. His funny fingerprint portraits, which caught our eye on My Modern Met, reveal the digit-ized version of pop culture icons and other celebs. Each finger has its own costume, backdrop, and expression — a playful, minimalist nod to the famed figures. The artist’s name “Dito” translates to “finger” in Italian. Although fingerprints are used to identify us, Von Tease is an elusive artist who chooses to remain anonymous, which adds to the quirkiness of his creations. See more in our gallery after the jump. … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. As if we needed another reason to love Joss Whedon, check out this silly but heartfelt thank-you letter that the Avengers director just posted to all of his longtime fans — or as he refers to them, his “peeps.” [via Pop Culture Brain]

2. Producers have announced that after a… Read More

Pop Culture

Kids’ Halloween Costumes That They’re Too Young to Understand

By Jennifer Lewis on

Do you know a kid? Does that kid need a Halloween costume? Are you cool with casually exploiting said kid for your own trick-or-treat amusement? Take a break from the princess and superhero aisles at your local holiday superstore and consider these silly costumes that are meant to make grownups chuckle. True, these outfits might go right over the wearers’ kiddie heads, but who wouldn’t love finding a tiny Mr. T or a baby Bob Ross at their doorstep? We wish we could give these youngsters’ parents high fives. Enjoy some adorably mini versions of grown-up pop culture figures after the jump. … Read More

Books

Classic Celebrity Memoirs and Their Contemporary Counterparts

By Stacy Elaine Dacheux and Paris Lia on

“Everybody needs his memories,” Saul Bellow once wrote. “They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door.” These days, the same can be true of fame. It’s no surprise then that celebrity memoirs and autobiographies continue to flood the market — much to our personal glee. As self-proclaimed aficionados, we’ve decided to help you navigate the waters; here are a few contemporary titles, paired with a soft focus homage to their vintage predecessors, never to be forgotten. If you’ve got a recommendation to add to our list, be sure to leave it in the comments. … Read More

Celebrity

Pic of the Day: Michael Jackson Messes with Mr. T

By Judy Berman on

Today in wonderful artifacts from the past, this playful photo of Michael Jackson pretending to punch Mr. T and Mr. T pretending to be scared. We have no background whatsoever on how this meeting of the ’80s icons came about, which means you get to use your imagination. Or, you know, just sit back and… Read More

Design

Wanted: ’80s-Inspired Pop Culture Plates

By Todd Van Luling on

Angela Rossi is an LA-based artist who, in her own words, takes “recycled, abused, tossed aside, broken and forgotten items and turns them into fabulous new creations.” Earlier today we stumbled across a collection of antique plates that she’s currently selling in her Etsy shop that feature hand-painted pop culture icons, and we wanted to buy them all — especially E.T. Click through to check out a selection of our favorites. … Read More

Celebrity

The 10 Strangest Celebrity Product Endorsments

By Laurie Kamens on

If you’ve ever traveled abroad, then you’ve probably had the disconcerting experience of running into a well-known Western celebrity holding a bottle of liquor on a billboard. (If not, think of Bill Murray’s character in Lost In Translation.) We’ve scoured the Internet to find some of the weirdest celebrity television ads from the past 40 years, which include odd product pitches from Iggy Pop, Johnny Rotten, and Nicolas Cage. After the jump watch musicians, athletes, and film stars sell their wares and let us know if you think they’re making an honest living or just plain selling out. … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Beloved indie singer/songwriter Vic Chesnutt has died at the age of 45 after taking an overdose of muscle relaxants last week. [via New York Times]
2. The weekend’s number three film (Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel) grossed $50 million dollars, which is virtually unheard of. We hope you were checking out… Read More

Web

Exclusive Q&A: Allee Willis, Queen of Kitsch

By Shana Nys Dambrot on

What do Mark Cuban, Pee-Wee Herman, Earth, Wind & Fire, Soviet border guards, Michael Jackson jigsaw puzzles and pink flamingos have in common? Nothing but Allee Willis — legendary songwriter, internet pioneer, painter, relentless punster and voracious collector of all things kitsch. “I love kitsch,” explains Allee, “be it an object, photo, person, song, performance, anything. These pop culture artifacts are distinctive and evocative because someone believed in themselves and their idea enough to see it through despite it being off from the norm.” Whether she’s describing her own life-long obsession, the invention of the Pet Rock, or the endless supply of people posting videos of themselves singing her songs on the Internet, she has a thing for quirk.… Read More