Today at Flavorpill, we learned that OK Go will be releasing a music video featuring 1,000 handmade instruments. We watched Kristen Bell have a breakdown over a sloth. We guesstimated the fashion trends that might pop up on the new season of Mad Men. We found out that Amazon Publishing’s books will not be carried at Barnes & Noble. We were mesmerized by this blue ice cave in Iceland. We were introduced to a girl who can say any word or phrase backward immediately. We loved this definitive guide to classic cocktails that breaks down 68 drinks into their constituent parts. We watched a washing machine self-destruct. We met some vikings. We felt itchy looking at this bark-style dress. We wondered if a teen art gallery was a good idea. And finally, we saw the return of the scrunchie — but we’re not sure if even a geeky 3D printed Hilbert curve-style one can make us like it.

Today at Flavorpill, we were just as excited as everyone else on the Internet was about OK Go’s music video for their cover of the “Muppet Show Theme Song.” We were saddened by the news that Frank Potenza, better known as “Uncle Frank” from Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has passed away at the age of 77. We thought that the idea of creating a theme park on the site of a nuclear reactor was absolutely nuts — even if it was never used. We were amused to hear that students at Creative Circus, a two-year advertising school in Atlanta, are campaigning to have Don Draper to speak at their graduation. We hoped to never encounter a staircase that’s as creepy as any of these are. We listened to a new Florence and the Machine track called “What the Water Gave Me,” which will presumably be featured on the band’s forthcoming sophomore album. We were amazed by George Bernard Shaw’s crazy Lazy Susan writing hut. And finally, we bookmarked Mental Floss’ roundup of the world’s most unusual restaurants. Our favorite of their picks? Ithaa, an underwater restaurant in the Maldives that’s located 16 feet below sea level.

Every Monday we scour the internet for a selection of what’s streaming for free this week, in search of records that are noteworthy releases or just plain good listening (or, ideally, both). This week we’ve got ye olde Stephen Malkmus back with a new record — produced by Beck, incidentally — along with Adam Granduciel’s ongoing War on Drugs, new albums from Hercules & Love Affair and Active Child, and a bunch of people doing, um, Muppets covers. It’s all after the jump, so get a-clicking!

Read More »

1. Today is President Obama’s 50th birthday! The celebrating already began last night with a fundraiser for his 2012 campaign in Chicago that featured performances by Jennifer Hudson, OK Go, and Herbie Hancock. [via The Daily Beast]

2. According to Us Weekly, Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford (better known as the frontman for Mumford & Sons), were once “childhood pen pals,” and now they’re engaged! [via Vulture]

3. Courtney Love may have gotten drunk while on a shopping spree in Sydney, Australia, and then stumbled into the streets where she almost got hit by a car. According to this website, when a fan tried to help out her out of harm’s way, Love responded by saying, “Stop telling me what to do, I can do what I want.” Lovely.

4. Some good news: Not only is Breaking Bad sticking with AMC, but now it looks like we might be getting two more seasons of the beloved series instead of just one! [via Deadline]

5. Coldplay stopped by Jimmy Kimmel last night, and played two of their new songs, “Charlie Brown” and “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall.” Watch both clips here.

Bonus Buzz: 20 Scents That Secretly Defined Your Childhood

1. That’s awkward: Because of her recent drug conviction, Paris Hilton was refused entry into Japan, where she was traveling on business. So she turned around and went back home. [via CNN]
2. OK Go had another one of their videos go viral — even though no one we know really likes their music. [via Hipster Runoff]
3. Did you know that Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig was once in a hip-hop group called L’homme Run? Listen to a rather silly track entitled “Pizza Party.” [via Buzzfeed]
4. A new Facebook campaign has been started to get Stan Lee to host Saturday Night Live. Do you think we have another Betty White on our hands? [via Pop Candy]
5. In case you’ve been wondering, this is what a bed bug looks like in extreme closeup. [via Time]

Bonus link: The Eight Best New Names for Gen X Bands in Light of Their Aging

Some days you just feel like surrendering yourself to visual eye-candy, removing those pesky blinders like “realism” and “believability” and “sobriety” in favor of some awesome rocket ships, life-size board games, pastel knife-fights, and Bruce Willis. This week’s crop of the best music videos includes some stunning design elements, from the animation/live-action combination in Gorillaz “Stylo” to the trippy apartment complex of Owen Pallet. After the jump, watch Flavorpill’s choices for best music videos of the week to remind yourself that slavish lyrical literalism can be way overrated. Let us know if you ever feel like returning to the real world.

Read More »

When OK Go dropped their new video for “This Too Shall Pass,” the Internet became abuzz — and rightfully so, as the clip is near-genius. (Go behind-the-scenes courtesy of Fast Company.) The band spent three months building what is essentially a giant, musical game of Mouse Trap, with the help of friends from NASA and Jet Propulsion Labs.

This isn’t the first time the band has grabbed our attention with a music video, as the infamous treadmill choreography of “Here It Goes Again” is also, admittedly, kind of brilliant. Unfortunately, OK Go have never quite caught up to the level of their visual aesthetic on the musical end of things. Of course, they’re not the only act that has been outshined by its own videos. The following clips exemplify just what happens when an unexceptional song gets trumped by an exceptional visual counterpart.

Read More »

What’s art without design? The two pursuits go hand in hand, and when Design Miami began five years ago, it was the perfect compliment to Art Basel Miami Beach. The two fairs work in harmony, but this year, Design Miami takes the lead by starting a day earlier than its bigger brother. Featuring modern and contemporary design objects from dealers from around the world, as well as solo displays, satellite exhibitions, pop-up shows, panel discussions, performances, and the designer of the year award, Design Miami transforms the already vital Miami Design District into the go-to place for international design enlightenment.

Read More »

If you fast-forward through commercials, you might be missing out on some of the best dancing on television. In an effort to capitalize on our current obsession with all things dance, companies like Ikea, Nike, T-Mobile, and Ford have been making spectacular use of choreography in recent years – and we think this is an excellent excuse to create a list of some of our favorites. Read More »