Reimagined album covers are apparently the new minimalist posters. In the past few weeks alone, we’ve enjoyed brand-new art for classic hip-hop records, covers inspired by the experience of listening to music, clip-art versions of famous album sleeves, and even covers where dead musicians have been Photoshopped out. But our inner design geek is especially excited about the latest take on the trend, graphic designer David Marsh’s series of album covers recreated in Pantone color swatches. See Primal Scream, Grace Jones, Patti Smith, and David Bowie albums through the eyes of a color expert after the jump, and then be sure to check out more of Marsh’s work on Tumblr and Flickr — where you’ll also find some excellent minimalist posters.

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Patti Smith is no sellout, and she was not about to ignore a protest to perform where she wasn’t wanted. We reported earlier this week that the living legend was scheduled to play a private show for Hotel Chelsea denizens last night, and that some of them weren’t so thrilled to see her headlining an event sponsored by Joseph Chetrit, the developer who’s currently in the process of renovating — i.e. gutting — it. A few speculated that she wouldn’t have signed on if she knew who she was supporting.

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Last week, we read about Alina Simone, who published her first book, a collection of essays, this past year. However, what’s fascinating about her story is that her editor (at big-name publishing house FSG, no less) didn’t discover her in a small literary journal, in a magazine article, or pluck her from an MFA program, but instead found her music on internet radio service Pandora and approached her to suggest that she write a book.

“It seemed like he already viewed music and literature as part of one continuum,” Simone has explained. “Certainly, the best songs out there read like the best poems or short stories.” Though we think there’s some room for argument on that point, we can definitely think of quite a few lyricists who we really wish would write novels — whether we think they’ve got the life experience or imagination to write a fascinating story or just enough chops slapping words together that we want to roll around in ever sentence they assemble. Click through to check out which musicians we think should write novels — and our first imaginings of what those novels would be like — and let us know who you’d like to see transition into fiction in the comments.

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Under most circumstances, the news that Patti Smith is playing a private concert at the Hotel Chelsea would be pretty freaking exciting. As she wistfully recounts in her memoir, Just Kids, Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe moved into the famous artist haunt in the early ’70s, when they were still impoverished unknowns. For $55 a month, they shared the hotel’s smallest room, thanks largely to longtime manager Stanley Bard’s faith that they would find a way to pay the rent.

What’s strange is that Smith (backed by Lenny Kaye and Tony Shanahan) is doing her tenants-only performance at an event this Thursday sponsored by Joseph Chetrit — the developer who is in the process of transforming the Chelsea from art-laden bohemian paradise into the gutted shell these photos show. The Hotel Chelsea blog is understandably confused about why she’s chosen to support Chetrit, especially when her tacit endorsement of the developer can be seen as a slap in the face to Bard, who was ousted from his post in 2007, and concludes that Smith must not realize who’s behind the event. Over at Gothamist, some of the hotel’s other residents say they hope she’ll cancel the appearance.

But this isn’t the first time Smith’s and Chetrit’s names have come up together. Back in August, ArtNet reported that, spotted in the hotel’s lobby, she suggested that she would serve as an advisor on its “subtle renovation.” We aren’t jumping to any conclusions without more evidence — and currently have a request in to her publicist for comment — but we sure hope Patti will pop up soon to dispel all the confusion.

1. Donald Trump has revealed the lineup for the upcoming season of Celebrity Apprentice, and the rather depressing roster of “celebrities” includes Arsenio Hall, Clay Aiken, Dee Snider, Debbie Gibson, and Real Housewives star Teresa Giudice. [via Deadline]

2. Les Miserables director Tom Hooper has offered the choice roles of Eponine and Cosette to Taylor Swift and Amanda Seyfried, respectively. Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and Sacha Baron Cohen are already on board the project. [via Collider]

3. Pop icons (and longtime mutual admirers) Madonna and Kylie Minogue are finally going to be performing a duet together as part of a British TV special honoring Minogue’s 25th anniversary in music. Any guesses as to what they’ll sing? [via Vulture]

4. The Kardashians are rumored to be launching a new magazine with American Media, the publisher of Star, The National Enquirer, and Shape. Word is that the girls will be involved with the project editorially, but it’s unclear at the point whether it will be more of a fanzine or a lifestyle title. [via NYP]

5. Patti Smith wrote a song inspired by Amy Winehouse that will appear on her next album. “We were at [New York studio] Electric Lady doing a whole other song and I wrote Amy a little poem when she died and my bass player, Tony Shanahan, wrote a piece of music and the two matched perfectly.” [via NME]

Bonus Buzz: 30 Billboards That’ll Make You Say WTF

1. Demi Moore has been cast as feminist icon Gloria Steinem in that Linda Lovelace biopic that we feel like we’ve been reading about forever now, and is finally shooting in Los Angeles. Also part of the ensemble: Amanda Seyfried, who plays Lovelace, Peter Sarsgaard as her husband, and James Franco, who will make a cameo as Hugh Hefner. [via THR]

2. On New Year’s Eve Patti Smith announced that her annual residency at the Bowery Ballroom — a beloved tradition for New York-based rock fans — was coming to an end; according to Lenny Kaye, her lead guitarist, the band will continue doing the yearly batch of shows, just at an alternate location. [via ArtsBeat]

3. Despite underwhelming performance at the box office, Sony says that a sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is still in the works, with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara already on board to reprise their starring roles. That said, David Fincher has not signed on to direct the sequel just yet. [via Vulture]

4. Elton John would like for Justin Timberlake to play him in a forthcoming biopic that’s in the works; JT previously played a younger version of the legendary performer in David LaChapelle’s video for “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore.” [via LAT]

5. A pixelated image of Morrissey has been hidden in Google Earth, just outside of the UK’s Salford Lads Club, the venue that appears on the cover of The Smiths’ The Queen Is Dead album. [via NME]

Bonus Buzz: Who’s Writing Rupert Murdoch’s Tweets?

Today at Flavorpill, we enjoyed this atmospheric video tribute to the films of David Lynch. We giggled through Todd Barry’s audition to be Advil’s spokesman. We read some of our favorite writers’ musings on the least important events of 2011. We danced along to Chapter 9 of Girl Walk // All Day. We adored these glamorous vintage photos of a modeling agency, ca. 1948. We appreciated this colorful video of Maurice Sendak explaining his work. We seconded each and every pick on this roundup of the year’s best grimy, scuzzy, noisy indie-rock albums. (Roomrunner! K-Holes! Times New Viking!) We thought it was very funny that NBC is recycling the costume Adrianne Palicki wore in its failed Wonder Woman pilot for use on Harry’s Law. We added these contemporary party-rock anthems — with the notable exception of the Skrillex track — to our New Year’s Eve playlist. We found these sketches of fallen childhood icons very depressing. And finally, we wished a very happy 65th birthday to Flavorpill patron saint Patti Smith — and an extraordinary New Year to our readers. We’ll be counting down our top 10 most popular posts of 2011 over the holiday weekend and will be back in action Monday.

Whether or not you buy into the whole idea of New Year’s resolutions, sticking a new calendar up on the wall does provide a convenient starting point for new endeavors. We’ve probably all got something in our lives we’d like to do more or less of (in our case, it’s less drinking, especially with today’s monster hangover). Plenty of musicians have committed similar feelings to song over the years, which probably isn’t surprising considering that the music industry isn’t exactly a place whose denizens are known for their restraint or self-control. So let us aid your transition to the new year with a selection of songs about making changes — hopefully, for the better.

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Who could resist the opportunity to color in our favorite rock ’n’ roll gals while supporting a great cause? The non-profit Girls Rock! Rhode Island recently published a killer coloring book loaded with pictures of women musicians who kick butt. Illustrated by a slew of local artists — including Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females  — who donated their work, the coloring book is loaded with 22 ready-to-color drawings featuring the lady pioneers of rock present and past like Nico, Patti Smith, Kim Gordon, Bethany Cosentino, and Sharon Jones. Every copy sold supports programs Girls Rock! Rhode Island provides, including empowerment workshops and camps where young girls and women to learn to play instruments, form bands, and perform original songs for a live audience. Have a peak at thecoloring book below, and purchase it on Etsy.

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A patron of the arts as well as a visionary bookseller, George Whitman, the owner of Shakespeare & Company, the legendary English-language bookstore on the Left Bank in Paris, died this week at age 98. Writers flocked to his shop to browse, mingle, and even spend the night. To honor Whitman’s legacy, we decided to take a look at Shakespeare & Company, as well as several other storied haunts of artists, writers, poets and other intellectuals, from cafés to bookstores to hotels. Click through to check out our list, and let us know which currently happening spot you think will become the next artist hangout of legend in the comments. Read More »