This week brought us an inordinate amount of creative pop culture mash-ups via the interwebs. From a delicious Lady Gaga-fronted version of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland to Abed channeling Mad Men‘s Don Draper on Community, it’s amazing to witness the magic that can happen when disparate fictional worlds collide. It’s almost as much fun as when TV stars hop between shows. See for yourself after the jump.

Read More »

The Academy’s decision to boost the Best Picture category from five to ten is nothing new. Between 1931 and 1943, 10 best-picture nominees was the norm. In some years they had either 8 or 12. Thus when he made the earth-shattering announcement back in June, Academy president Sid Ganis characterized the move as a “return to the past.”  But we think it’s based on more than nostalgia.

Higher ratings: It’s no secret that the award show’s numbers have been steadily decreasing of late, hitting a low in 2008 with 31.76 M viewers. Although last year’s awards topped that turnout with 36.94 M, that number pales in comparison to the 57.25 M viewers in 1998 (the Titanic year). Nominating more films, and films that are more populist at that, will compel more people to tune in on March 7th — at least in theory.

Read More »

For the first time in 67 years there will be ten Best Picture nominees, rather than the typical five, at this year’s Oscars — which is not good news if you’re a betting man. So we’ve done some research to help your odds. Among what we discovered: In the past ten years only one book based on a true story has won Best Picture — A Beautiful Mind in 2002. So if history repeats itself The Blind Side, Up in the Air, An Education, and Precious won’t be bringing home top honors. And despite its marker as the highest grossing film in history, we can pull Avatar from the list, as well as District 9, as sci-fi flicks aren’t popular with the Academy. Comedies are rarely winners — even dark ones — which rules out A Serious Man. Plus, the Coen brothers already won in 2007 with No Country for Old Men. And let’s face it, as adorable as Up! was, there’s no way an animated film could ever win in this category.

Read More »

1. Finally: A Lost promo with some footage from season six — granted, it’s just one frame. [via E! Online]
2. What’s on David Bowie‘s iPod? Everything from African sounds to Arthur Russell to Chinese folk music. [via Guardian]
3. During a recent visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a woman fell into The Actor, a 6 feet by 4 feet work of art by Pablo Picasso, causing a six-inch tear. Experts expect a full recovery in time for an upcoming exhibition of some 250 works by the artist which opens April 27. [via ArtsBeat]
4. The Hurt Locker — not Avatar — took home the top award at last night’s Producer’s Guild of America awards. In the past five years, this winner has gone on to nab the Oscar for Best Picture three times. [via Vulture]
5. We’ve been waiting three years for this: Indie rock supergroup The New Pornographers will put out their fifth studio album, Together, on May 4. [via Matablog]

Bonus link: Sex Explained By Pens

Like dentists and their Trident, we at Flavorpill want to bring you authoritative recommendations, but a consensus of opinion tends to allude us. In this new Friday feature, we will spotlight the week’s most worthy new movie release with four reasons why you should see it… and one why you shouldn’t. This week’s inaugural selection: The Hurt Locker, which opens today in New York and L.A. Read More »