by Editor | Nov 30, 2011 | Projects
from Crain’s New York
James Frey looks to link novels with videogames
Book-packaging company Full Fathom Five, owned by the author of bestselling pseudo-memoir A Million Little Pieces, is looking to release books and video games in tandem, starting with young adult novel The Nightworld.
A new chapter is being added to the James Frey saga.
Though he is best known as the author of the bestselling pseudo-memoir A Million Little Pieces—and for the on-air tongue-lashing he received from Oprah Winfrey over its fabrications—Mr. Frey has spent the past three years becoming a “transmedia” entrepreneur.
That career move takes a new turn this week. In what Mr. Frey describes as a first for a publishing venture, his SoHo-based book-packaging company Full Fathom Five has produced a young adult novel, The Nightworld, in tandem with a videogame from Glu Mobile, based in San Francisco.
The e-book edition was released by HarperCollins last week, and The Nightworld social mobile game will be available Thursday as an application for iPad and iPhone. The works have come out of a partnership that Glu Mobile and Full Fathom Five formed last spring.
Mr. Frey describes the novel, written by Jack Blaine, as the “origin story” for a game about a world plunged into permanent darkness. But the more original part of the project may have to do with how the book and the game have been designed to promote each other.
[ click to continue reading at Crain’s ]
by Editor | Nov 29, 2011 | Weirdness
from The Daily Mail
On Santa’s naughty list! Frosty the Snowman arrested for ‘brawling with police’ during Christmas parade
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Who says ‘Frosty the Snowman’ has to be jolly?
A man in a ‘Frosty the Snowman’ costume was arrested Saturday during the annual Christmas parade in Chestertown, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
He’s accused of scuffling with police and kicking at a police dog.
Sgt. John A. Dolgos tells The Star Democrat of Easton that 52-year-old Kevin Michael Walsh became agitated when a dog-handling officer tried to escort him away from the crowd.
Walsh told The Associated Press that he has dressed as Frosty in the parade for at least 10 years.
He says he did nothing wrong and was wrongfully arrested.
[ click to read full article at The Daily Mail ]
by Editor | Nov 28, 2011 | Culture Music Art
from E! Online
Ken Russell, Oscar-Nominated Director of Tommy and Women in Love, Dies
Today 7:53 AM PST by PETER GICAS
Columbia Pictures; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc; Warner Bros; Getty Images
Ken Russell, the man who brought a certain pinball wizard to the big screen, has passed away. He was 84.
The British director, a wizard in his own right behind the camera, died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday following a series of strokes.
Born in 1927, Russell’s early career was rooted in television before he made the transition to movies in the mid-1960s. His best-known work during that time was the 1969 film Women in Love.
While the adaptation of the D.H. Lawrence novel earned its star, Glenda Jackson, a Best Actress Oscar as well as a Best Director nomination for Russell, the movie is probably best remembered for a nude wrestling scene involving Alan Bates and Oliver Reed.
But that was nothing compared to the controversy that stemmed from Russell’s 1971 film The Devils. With subject matter involving everything from exorcisms to orgies, the movie found itself coming face-to-face with censors and was banned from playing in many theaters.
[ click to continue reading at E! ]
by Editor | Nov 28, 2011 | Bright Shiny News, Culture Music Art
from EXHIBITION a
JAMES FREY WITH A COPY OF “CATCHER IN THE RYE” BY RICHARD PRINCE ON 5TH AVE
POSTED ON NOVEMBER 28, 2011 BY BILL
[ click to view at EXHIBITION a ]
by Editor | Nov 27, 2011 | Culture Music Art
from the New York Daily News
Work it! Miss Pole Dance Argentina Competition
They have skill, strength, grace, and incredible flexibility. Check out the most impressive South American pole dancers … Pantera Blacksmith shows off her skills during the Miss Pole Dance Argentina 2011 Competition.
Credits: Juan Mabromata/AFP/Getty
[ click to view full slideshow at NYDailyNews.com ]
by Editor | Nov 26, 2011 | Culture Music Art
from The New York Times
Fixated on What He Fixes
Julie Glassberg for The New York Times
HAMS Peter Guggenheim, perhaps New York City’s foremost seller and repairer of radio scanners, which monitor frequencies used by emergency responders like police officers and firefighters, in his shop in Flushing, Queens.
Peter Guggenheim has worked so long at Stuart Electronics that his feet have worn holes through two layers of tile and an inch of plywood, down to the floorboards behind the counter.
“What do you expect? I’ve spent my whole life here,” he said last week at the shop, on Parsons Boulevard in Flushing, Queens, where he has worked since 1953, when he was 13.
The storefront seems frozen in time. Out front, the faded, peeling signs advertise the latest merchandise — VCRs, answering machines, phonograph needles and cordless telephones; inside, the glass cabinets display miscellaneous sale items that get as modern as the Palm Pilot.
But certain services are cutting-edge. For one, Mr. Guggenheim is perhaps the city’s foremost seller and fixer of radio scanners, which monitor frequencies used by emergency responders like police officers and firefighters. This makes it the go-to place for spot-news photographers, tow-truck drivers, insurance adjusters and lawyers, who scan for local precinct chatter about car accidents and other incidents that might generate work.
[ click to continue reading at NYTimes.com ]
by Editor | Nov 25, 2011 | Culture Music Art
from The Arizona Republic
Middle Eastern Sage-Shrimp Bison Skewers
Associated Press
Shrimp, sausage and bison… Together! On a stick!
Roll with me on this one. These Middle Eastern-style skewers combine a potent but delicious seasoning blend (gobs of black pepper and ground star anise) with a mix of ground sausage, bison and shrimp. The result is deliciously meaty and warmly spicy.
And since the holidays are a time to entertain, we prepared these as tiny party-friendly skewers. If you’d prefer them for dinner, you could use larger skewers with more meat (you’ll need to adjust the cooking time). You also can skip the sticks entirely and form them into meatballs.
While I favored bison in this blend because it is naturally lean, you also could use lean ground beef or turkey.
If you want to offer a simple dipping sauce for these skewers, mix together equal parts toasted sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar and soy sauce, as well as a bit of garlic powder and finely diced
[ click to continue recipe at AZCentral.com ]
by Editor | Nov 24, 2011 | Culture Music Art
from TIME Magazine
The Detroit Lions Always Play on Thanksgiving
By M.J. Stephey
Thanksgiving is ruled by two very powerful f-words: “food” and “football.” Nearly as old as the sport itself, the tradition of watching football on Thanksgiving began in 1876, when the newly formed American Intercollegiate Football Association held its first championship game. Less than a decade later, more than 5,000 club, college and high school football teams held games on Thanksgiving, with match-ups between Princeton and Yale drawing more than 40,000 fans out from their dining rooms. 1934 marked the first NFL game held on Thanksgiving when the Detroit Lions took on the Chicago Bears. The Lions have played on Thanksgiving ever since — except, of course, when the team was called away to serve during World War II.
[ click to continue reading at TIME.com ]
by Editor | Nov 23, 2011 | Bright Shiny News, Culture Music Art
from British VOGUE
Fashion’s Curiosities
CASS CHAPMAN
23 November 2011
THE finest objet d’arts from the worlds of fashion, art, design and travel have collided for a new project, Cabinet de Curiosités, showcased at Browns and curated by brand and fashion consultant Thomas Erber.
SEE OUR COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS
Erber’s diverse selection of beauties include a James Frey signed manuscript, mink-lined Pierre Hardy boots and a smoked sapphire glass Girard-Perregaux watch. The project, says Erber, offers “a new space of visibility for independent designers and artists. I naively do believe they make our life better. Or at least mine.”
[ click to continue reading at British VOGUE ]
by Editor | Nov 22, 2011 | Literary News
from The Washington Post
[ click to continue reading at WashingtonPost.com ]
by Editor | Nov 19, 2011 | Bright Shiny News, Culture Music Art
…curtain. from EXHIBITION a
JAMES FREY PULLING BACK A CRACK PIPE CURTAIN AT NATE LOWMAN/DAN COLEN “LOVE ROSES” BOOK SIGNING
POSTED ON NOVEMBER 2, 2011 BY BILL
[ click to view at EXHIBITION a ]
by Editor | Nov 18, 2011 | Literary News
from Shelf-Awareness
[ click to read at Shelf-Awareness.com ]
by Editor | Nov 17, 2011 | Mirth
by Editor | Nov 16, 2011 | Bright Shiny News, Culture Music Art
from Guest of a Guest
“Best $2K I Ever Spent!” Terry Richardson Premieres ‘Mom & Dad’ Exhibition At Half Gallery
By Chelsea Burcz
On Friday evening, Terry Richardson littered the floor and the walls with photos of his mother and father as an ode to their relationship and to his family with his exhibition “Mom & Dad,” while Richardson fans mobbed the tiny Half Gallery to just get a peek of the photos (and more likely, the photographer). After about 2 hours of a line that looked like people were waiting outside of the most exclusive club in New York, Richardson and friends headed to Acme for rowdy dinner, followed by an after-party at the Westway, complete with male strippers. Oh, Terry. WARNING: Last couple of slides are NSFW.
Guests included Terry Richardson, Bill Powers, Cynthia Rowley, Lake Bell, Scott Campbell, Abbey Lee Kershaw,David Swanson, Harry Bee, Richard Prince, James Frey, Gibby Haynes….
[ click to continue reading at Guest of a Guest ]
by Editor | Nov 15, 2011 | Weirdness
from ThinkGeek
[ click to read more at ThinkGeek.com ]
by Editor | Nov 14, 2011 | Culture Music Art
from The New York Times
The Mixtape Is Back!
By JOHN BIGGS
They say that fashion is cyclical. The same goes for technology. Sure, most cellphones are the epitome of trendiness, but just think how cool you’ll be if you hark back to the 1980s with AirCassette, an app that turns your iPhone into a cassette player.
The $1.99 app, available in the iTunes App Store, displays your music in handwritten script on a background designed to resemble a cassette tape. The reels actually spin and you can create and share mixtapes with your friends via e-mail or Facebook, just as we used to do back in 1986. Finnish programming house Majasalmi, known for its Russian Roulette iPhone game, designed and built this decidedly more low-key app.
Watching a cassette tape spin on the iPhone’s high-resolution display is oddly calming and, thanks to digital compression, the audio is far superior in AirCassette than it ever was on my Sony Walkman.
[ click to continue reading at NYTimes.com ]
by Editor | Nov 13, 2011 | Culture Music Art
from Terry Richardson’s Diary
[ click to view at Terry’s Diary ]
by Editor | Nov 12, 2011 | Culture Music Art
from CNN
Are there more lost Leonardo paintings out there?
By Laura Allsop, CNN
London (CNN) — A newly discovered painting by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci has sent shock waves through the art world, prompting speculation that more of his paintings could be as yet undiscovered.
The “Salvator Mundi” was, for years, thought to be a painting by one of da Vinci’s pupils or associates. But after a lengthy period of study and conservation, it has been authenticated as a da Vinci.
The painting was sold in 1958 for £45 — about $125 in today’s currency — by descendants of British collector Sir Frederick Cook, who bought the painting in 1900. Today, the painting is estimated to be worth $200 million, according to some scholars.
Though the conservator who helped to reveal the painting’s true identity called it “the rarest thing imaginable,” speculation is rife that there are other Leonardo da Vinci paintings still at large, possibly lying unknown in private collections.
There are currently some 15 authenticated Leonardo da Vinci paintings in the world. But they are difficult to attribute, because da Vinci often left his works unfinished and some are thought to have been worked on by other artists in his workshops.
[ click to continue reading at CNN.com ]
by Editor | Nov 11, 2011 | Culture Music Art
from Time Out London
[ click to continue reading at Time Out London ]
by Editor | Nov 10, 2011 | Mirth
from MSNBC
White House: No sign of E.T. or UFO cover-up
Science policy official responds to petitions calling for full disclosure
By Nancy Atkinson / Universe Today
The White House has responded to two petitions asking the U.S. government to acknowledge formally that aliens have visited Earth and to disclose any intentional withholding of government interactions with extraterrestrial beings.
“The U.S. government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race,” Phil Larson from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy reported on the WhiteHouse.gov website.“In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public’s eye.”
The Paradigm Research Group, one of the organizations promoting the petitions, said that the response by a “low-level staffer” was unacceptable and that it would begin a new petition campaign.
[ click to continue reading at MSNBC.com ]
