1. Slashfilm got an early look at Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises prologue, and discovered that the finished film will have a whopping 50 minutes of IMAX shot-and-projected footage. Here’s a spoiler-free recap.
2. This could be interesting: Spike Lee has signed on to direct Eddie Murphy in a new HBO biopic about former Washington DC mayor Marion Berry — aka the man once caught smoking crack in a hotel room full of prostitutes. John Ridley (Red Tails, Da Brick) is on board to pen the script. [via THR]
3. A group of Occupy Wall Street protestors took over the set of Law & Order: SVU last night; the show was shooting an episode that was centered around a fake encampment in Foley Square. “They’ve delivered us this perfectly wrapped Christmas present with a bow on top: they rebuilt our camp,” OWS organizer Jake De Groot told Mother Jones. “How could we not go and take it?” [via TV Squad]
4. “If Columbine is reenacted or some shit, that’s gonna be on my f*cking head. Yeah, it’ll be my fault, just like it was Em’s and Marilyn’s and fucking Slipknot’s and all them motherf*ckers.” — Tyler, the Creator is talking about Columbine again.
5. Pharrell Williams and famed composer Hans Zimmer have been named the musical consultants for this year’s Academy Awards; neither of them have worked on the show in the past. [via THR]
Earlier this week we read a fascinating account of the auctioning off of Edward Gorey’s fur collection over on the Paris Review. It seems that the author — who over the years acquired a whopping 21 fur coats — had a change of heart in the ’80s, and decided to lock them all up in a storage facility. When he died in 2000, he left his entire estate to the care and welfare of animals, which in turn, led to the aforementioned sale. The story got us thinking about other famous men who’ve incorporated fur into their wardrobes. After doing a little digging, we were surprised to find that the majority of celebrities who we came up with were either old school rock stars or modern-day rappers — and Justin Bieber. Click through to check out the photos, and be sure to let us know in the comments: Do you think it’s ever OK to wear real fur?
As we slopped through the slush and dirty snow in New York this morning, we longed for the days we spent just weeks ago at the art fairs and parties in Miami and Miami Beach. Looking back at our Miami Basel snapshots of art world players and celebs schmoozing on rooftops, at pool’s edge, and under palm trees, we shuffled through the selection to pull together a colorful mix. From Pharrell Williams and Craig Robins previewing Design Miami, Tilda Swinton sporting a Ryan McGinley-designed sweater at the Pringle of Scotland party and Isabella Rossellini receiving the “Key to the City” of Miami Beach to Nate Lowman and Jeffrey Deitch hanging out at the LCD Soundsystem concert and Paper’s Kim Hastreiter and David Hershkovits hosting Shepard Fairey at their Friends With You/Pharrell Williams party, the two cities pulsated with fun and culture.
Design Miami, which runs through December 5, kick started Art Basel Miami Beach week last night with a dazzling display of modern and contemporary furniture, lighting, jewelry, and other stylish design objects. The fair, which is billed as “the global forum for design,” debuts this year in a new temporary structure, designed by the New York-based design team Moorhead & Moorhead, that’s conveniently located near to the Miami Beach Convention Center, home of ABMB.
Art Basel Miami Beach week started this year with yesterday’s Design Miami opening. Swiss Messe, ABMB’s parent company, is part owner of DM and decided to let the little sister bow first. It made for a lively day at the fair, however some of the celebrities that fly into town just in time for the ABMB opening seemed to be missing. The only star spotting at DM — other than the band OK Go, which was performing at the fair — was Naomi Campbell, although we later crossed paths with Pharrell Williams at the opening for Friends With You’s new shop in the Miami Design District.
As Andy Warhol famously declared, “Good business is the best art.” Taking Warhol and his maxim as its point of departure, Pop Life: Art in a Material World presents a selection of international artists who have followed in his footsteps. Organized by London’s Tate Modern and co-curated by Artforum editor-at-large Jack Bankowsky, François Pinault Collection curator Alison Gingeras, and Tate Modern curator Catherine Wood, Pop Life explores the relationship between art, commerce, and celebrity in the post-Pop era.
Neo Rauch, Ettape. David Zwirner, New York and Galerie Eigen + Art, Berlin/Leipzig
As Venice settles down to a calmer flow of visitors to the Biennale throughout the summer, the art-world caravan has journeyed to Switzerland for the 40th edition of the world’s most prestigious fair, Art Basel. Collectors stormed the booths of their favorite galleries at the preview, making quick acquisitions of high quality modern and contemporary art.
More than 300 international galleries are showing work in a variety of media by more than 2,500 artists. With the exception of the sections of the fair offering emerging art and experimental projects, most dealers have been cautious to bring the best work by known artists — a strategy that is already paying off. Read More »
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 »
