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Pop Culture

Awesome Illustrations of Pop Culture’s Best Female Characters as Saints

By Jason Bailey on

As we’ve discussed recently, the dearth of strong female characters in mass entertainment continues to be a source of depression, but here’s a little cheer-up: artist Spencer Salberg, who posts his work on his heymonster Tumblr, has created a series of Strong Female Character portraits, which cast the likes of Buffy Summers, Liz Lemon, Leslie Knope, and Zoe Washburn as saints. Check them out after the jump, and buy (very reasonably priced!) prints of each here.  … Read More

Television

10 of the Greatest Pop Culture Homage TV Episodes

By Emily Temple on

Yesterday, we read a great article over at NPR entitled “In A Fragmented Cultureverse, Can Pop References Still Pop?,” which ruminates on the way insider references work in our wide-sprawling cultural consciousness. Here at Flavorpill, we’re (obviously) big fans of the pop culture reference, and the article got us thinking about all our favorite cultural inside jokes — in particular, a few of our favorite TV episodes that pay homage to other great cultural artifacts. After the jump, our picks for the greatest pop culture homage TV episodes — but since taste is everything, and we haven’t watched all the television we probably should have, be sure to add to our list in the comments! … Read More

Television

10 Fictional TV Duos We’d Like to See Team Up Again

By Emily Temple on

This week we heard a delightful bit of news: apparently, Beverly Hills, 90210‘s Kelly and Dylan — um, excuse us, Jennie Garth and Luke Perry — are rejoining forces to develop a new sitcom, currently being shopped around to networks. Could it be a post-spinoff spinoff? Or a whole new show? Whatever it is, we’ll probably watch it. Inspired by this re-coupling of a classic TV pair, we’ve put together a list of fictional TV duos that we’d really like to see team up again, no matter what the project. Come on, you guys. If Kelly and Dylan can be in it for the long haul, so can you. … Read More

Web

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Alison Nastasi on

Today at Flavorpill, we wondered if Cosmo cover girls are getting younger and younger. We questioned if this indie film was the most disturbing movie ever made. We hoped these 10 other animals would get their own version of Shark Week. We thought Animaniacs and Skrillex were perfect together.… Read More

Television

The Best of the Worst TV Cast Feuds

By Jennifer Lewis on

Everyone loves a good off-screen TV feud, eh? Even some of our favorite, friendliest sitcom stars have found themselves targets of a bitter costar’s angry words. Why? It’s usually a matter of jealousy, annoyance, or an extramarital affair with Sienna Miller, but more on that later. We get it — when you’re working with a small group of people as closely and consistently as a successful television show requires, you’re bound to get your feathers ruffled at some point or another, right? Check out a selection of nine noteworthy TV cast feuds after the jump, and hit the comments to pick a side. … Read More

Fashion

Watch a Supercut of Pop Culture’s Leather-Wearing Hackers

By Judy Berman on

As any screenwriter will tell you, it’s difficult to build suspense around a character that’s always typing on the computer. And yet, ever since the earliest days of cyberpunk, TV and movie directors have been challenged with the task of making hackers’ work look sexy and exciting. The solution, often, has been to cast good-looking actors in these roles and dress them like countercultural action heroes — which is to say, wrap them (especially the women) in skintight leather. Leave it to the perceptive folks at Worn Fashion Journal to pick up on the pattern and create a one-minute supercut that traces the phenomenon from Hackers and The Matrix to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The X-Files, culminating in this week’s big release, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Not only is the video wonderful, but Worn’s choice of soundtrack — Elastica’s “Connection” — is perfect. … Read More

Television

Telltale Signs Your Favorite TV Show Is Running Out of Ideas

By Tom Hawking on

We love True Blood. We really do. But despite our enduring affection, we’re also feeling decidedly uncomfortable about the way the show’s heading. After a fairly strong beginning, Season 4 is starting to get awfully silly — and, more worryingly, it’s showing some classic symptoms of Running Out of Ideas Syndrome. This affliction is something that affects the writing staff of pretty much every TV show sooner or later, and not many of them have recovered from it, so we’re fearful for where True Blood might go from here. As a public service announcement, we’ve also listed telltale signs of a series that’s running out of ideas after the jump. Be vigilant! Your favorite show could be next! … Read More

Television

10 Series Finales That Featured the Return of Beloved Characters

By Kirthana Ramisetti on

This week, the long-running WB-turned-CW drama Smallville airs its two-hour series finale. No doubt the most anticipated moment of the episode will be the return of Michael Rosenbaum reprising his role as Lex Luthor. The actor, who left the series in 2008, finally decided to come back due to the intense outcry of fans, who lobbied long and hard for the bald villain to bid adieu before Clark Kent flew off the airwaves forever. There are a variety of reasons why actors return to shows they had departed, including wrapping up storylines and honoring the series that launched them into stardom. Here is a look back on other actors who came back for the swan songs of their respective series. (Needless to say, there are spoilers ahead.) … Read More