“Who Shot Rock & Roll”, the sexy new photo exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum reminds us that rock & roll isn’t just music, it’s a lifestyle… open now through January 31, 2010.

WHO SHOT ROCK & ROLL: A Photographic History, 1955 to Present via

WTF. No, seriously. What is this? For the past month runners through Chicago’s Lincoln Park have been speculating as to the cause of the newly installed grove of painted trees, incidentally painted candy-corn orange and yellow the week before Halloween. Event props? Nope. One month later, they’re still standing. Protective paint to preserve the delicate baby-tree bark from a harsh Chicago winter? Word on the streets is Chicago’s due for a mild winter, and anyway– no.  When someone suggested that this was an art exhibit — the initial guffaws and “get right out of town”s eventually quieted as an amused contemplation settled in: They’re in the computer… Best conversation piece of the season. Props Chicago Park District and Moore Landscaping for their collaborative art installation, Painted Forest: 100 defoliated [dead] trees painted in hues of orange and yellow.

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With all the speculation and hype over Twilight and New Moon’s Robert Pattinson and Kristin Stewart– are they / aren’t they  together / in love — fans and Hollywood’s puppeteers are out in full force playing the game they love to play the most: Romance + Fauxmance = No-man’s land. (Yeah, I made that up.) But it’s legit because if the predicted box office gross is any indication — we have yet another instant-classic example of a feeding frenzy over a product that really hits the mark because it is the result of a true consumer and producer collaboration. We, the fans / consumers, demand that Hollywood / producers deliver certain goods packaged into their films that seem to transcend the barriers between reality and fantasy.

Every so often Hollywood finds a way to play into this primal human condition and creates a film that mirrors that condition so perfectly that it becomes an irresistible product for mass consumption.

Or maybe, as Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance seems to suggest, maybe it’s just that we crave this ambiguity to really feel alive– we want it all, but we don’t want to get it all, because it’s the wanting that keeps us living for something.

Wow. Four members of a gang that specializes in the sale of human fat collected from dead humans and used for commercial purposes [WTF?!] were arrested in Peru. Don’t even wanna know where they got the fat from, but doesn’t seem like they got it from a biohazardous waste facility… via

In other news, this vegan parody is pretty dope. via

This is as awesome as it is useless. That is to say I can think of all the reasons that I need this and it’s the same exact number of reasons that I don’t.

Behold the USB powered Alien which when plugged into a USB port sticks out its illuminated tongue. No storage space, not other functions. Nothing. But like I said, as awesome as it is useless.

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These days Ferrari logos seem to appear everywhere: On leather jackets, pens,sneakers, and even cars that aren’t Ferraris. The latest, sanctioned non-automotive item to bear the famed “Prancing Horse” is The Blackbird Rider Carbon Fiber Travel Guitar.

Donning a sticker price of $1,500 and multiple Ferrari accents including a “Ferrari-red” A-string and Scuderia shield, the axe is made out of carbon fiber and serves Blackbird’s commitment to making small, lightweight traveled-sized guitars.

However, if you want one, you’ll have to search eBay as the all of the produced units sold shortly after being put on sale. Below is a video of Blackbird’s founder talking about the guitar and the collaboration.

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A long time ago, in a year we’ll call 2000, a young battle rapper from Minneapolis, MN who went by the name of Eyedea won the Blaze Battle, rocked HBO and took home props from Puffy. Around the same time his DJ partner, DJ Abilities was winning DMC battles and making a name for himself and their record label, RhymeSayers Entertainment.

A group album, a few solo projects and tours in between and the duo of Eyedea & Abilities have finally released their new project, By The Throat and recently dropped a video for the song “Smile.”

Starting today, November 20th, Eyedea & Abilities are also on tour.

Date   Location   Venue

11.20.09 Denton, TX Hailey’s

11.21.09 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon

11.22.09 New Orleans, LA The Parish Room (House of Blues)

11.23.09 Atlanta, GA 529

11.24.09 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506

11.25.09 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel

11.27.09 Brooklyn, NY Knitting Factory

11.28.09 Cambridge, MA Middle East Downstairs

11.29.09 Providence, RI Jerky’s Live Music Hall

12.01.09 Toronto, ON El Mocambo

12.02.09 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig

12.03.09 Chicago, IL Reggie’s Rock Club

12.04.09 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater

12.05.09 Milwaukee, WI The Cactus Club

Since a very small (and very rich) percentage of the population can afford a anything that bears the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy, the BMW owned company will be outfitting some special ordered MINI Coopers (which BMW also owns) with Rolls-Royce accessories.

The MINI Coopers will be custom built in the Roll-Royce factory and will feature upgrades like custom leather and instrument panels.

No pricing or availability information has been released yet, but the Rolls-Royced-out  MINI Coopers are expected to debut next year.

Check out MINI’s inspiration below:

Actor Lin-Manuel Miranda’s at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word. Performing “The Hamilton Mixtape” — a rap about Alexander Hamilton — as told by Aaron Burr. Genius.

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TGIF single serving — Clients From Hell — A collection of anonymously contributed client horror stories from designers.

Funny because it’s true.

Submit your own horror story here.

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