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New Yorker Pop Critic Admits 'Indie' Gaffes

Says his peers are loath to concede critical mistakes

(Newser) - You may have missed it, but the New Yorker pays attention to pop music. Flip past articles on dead American poets and you might find insightful, sometimes scathing, music critiques by Sasha Frere-Jones. The musician and critic sat down with Gelf Magazine to discuss the problems with defining indie rock—... More »

Dude: Why Lebowski Is Still Big

Cult classic 'symbolic of a whole way of life'

(Newser) - A decade after its disappointing box-office release, The Big Lebowski endures as a cult classic, inspiring academic papers, annual festivals, and hot new comics like Seth Rogen. To find out why, Rolling Stone tracked down the cast and a few hardcore fans who say Lebowski is more a movement than... More »

Batman or Spidey? McCain, Obama Weigh In

Candidates reveal pop-culture picks

(Newser) - Closet ABBA fan: Obama or McCain? The two presidential hopefuls recently bared all to Entertainment Weekly, revealing their pop-culture preferences:
  • Favorite superhero: Obama: Spiderman, McCain: Batman
  • iPod playlist: Obama: Frank Sinatra, Sheryl Crow, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan; McCain: Roy Orbison, Linda Rhonstadt, Usher, and yes, ABBA
More »

What's With all the Skulls?

Ancient death symbol becomes a favorite modern fashion accessory

(Newser) - Heavy metal and Halloween, make room for haute couture. “What used to be a symbol for borderline-sociopathic tough guys with weird design fetishes—Hells Angels, pirates, Nazis—has become a trope de luxe,” writes Stephen Marche in Esquire. The skull, a symbol of death with deep religious significance,... More »

Germans Can't See Forest of US Culture for the Trees

Media machine distorts view, author finds

(Newser) - German college students aren't impressed with American culture—they're not even sure it exists, author Chuck Klosterman finds at the outset of a teaching stint in Leipzig. "The proliferation of media has made it virtually impossible to tell the difference between a) what information is unilaterally interesting," Klosterman... More »

I Was Never In It to Win It: 'Accidental' Idol

Cook says he 'was never in it to win it'

(Newser) - David Cook almost didn't audition for American Idol—he was there to offer moral support to his younger brother. But goading from his family kicked off a whirlwind journey that took him from fledgling Midwest rocker to Billboard star. Cook tells Rolling Stone about his modest beginnings—and his early... More »

Online Gaming Boom Outpaces Real-Life Critiques

Cultural attitude toward virtual world reflects antiquated view

(Newser) - The dizzying growth of the video game industry continues to alarm cultural Luddites, writes Tom Chatfield for the Prospect, but the critics are trapped in video gaming’s past. They haven't adjusted to the development of social, team-based gaming worlds, treating games “as an odd mix of the slightly... More »

Hello, China: Meet Japan's New Envoy

Japan tabs pop icon to bring in visitors from China

(Newser) - Hello Kitty has been tapped as Japan’s cultural envoy to China, the AP reports. Japan’s ministry of tourism chose the über-popular icon to represent the country in its drive to attract 10 million annual visitors to the islands. Last year, tourists from China and Hong Kong made... More »

Miley Scandal a Matter of Brand Name

Simple break with Disney image caused uproar

(Newser) - The brouhaha over Miley Cyrus' Vanity Fair photo shoot is a “simple misunderstanding” stemming from a clash of brand names, writes Mark Feeney in the Boston Globe. Cyrus’ Hannah Montana is an established Disney brand--and when Hannah met Vanity Fair, a sudden change in that image was the result.... More »

Mariah Carey Passes Elvis in Chart Toppers

With her 18th No. 1, she moves into 2nd place behind Beatles

(Newser) - Mariah Carey unseated Elvis for the No. 2 spot in chart-topping songs this week. Her single "Touch My Body" became her 18th No. 1 and pushed Elvis into third place, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Beatles' all-time record of 20 remains, but Carey could eclipse the Fab Four... More »

Pop Culture Gems to Hit Vegas Auction Block

Gun that killed JFK assassin, Superman suit among items slated for Vegas auction

(Newser) - Indiana Jones' whip. The gun that killed JFK's assassin. Madonna's Like a Virgin wedding dress. All are up for grabs at a massive memorabilia auction scheduled for March 15-16 in Las Vegas, Reuters reports. Billed as the best pop-culture collection ever assembled, the 850-lot treasure trove could fetch more than... More »

Smurftastic Comeback in Works

Movie, DVD releases aim to bring blue elves to new generation

(Newser) - At age 50, and after a decade in exile, the Smurfs are planning a comeback, NPR reports, with the original series coming out on DVD and a 3-D movie expected next year. Though today’s kids have more sophisticated options than watching the repair of mushroom houses, “the Smurf... More »

Charmin Icon Dies at 91

TV adman played Mr. Whipple, who urged customers to refrain from squeezing

(Newser) - Dick Wilson, the actor who played Charmin's Mr. Whipple for 21 years, died today at the age of 91, the AP reports. Although he did stints at Disney and had parts in popular television shows of the 1960s, Wilson will be widely remembered as the uptight grocer who urged customers,... More »

China Puts Lid on Macchiatos, Controversy

Beijing—respectfully—forbids Starbucks in Forbidden City

(Newser) - Starbucks has closed its outlet in Beijing's Forbidden City after seven years of controversy. The coffee shop had become a symbol for the intrusion of foreign culture in China's heritage, culminating in protests and government intervention. "It was a very congenial decision," a Starbucks official said. "We... More »

Paris Blackout Sweeps Mag

Heiress fatigue sets in at Us Weekly

(Newser) - It may be spring time for Paris but one of the nation's top pop culture rags won't be participating in the media frenzy. Just as the scofflaw celebutante ends her well-publicized stint in jail this week, Us Weekly is bowing out of the competition—not only eschewing the predictable cover... More »

ID Theft Targets Celeb Victim: Herman Munster

Credit card crook hits dead end at Mocking Bird Lane

(Newser) - A fan of classic TV sitcoms apparently set a trap for an online identity thief—who fell for it hook, line, and remote control. A credit card number up for sale in an underground chat room that caters to crooks recently caught the attention of a security company monitor who... More »

MTV Meets Web 2.0 Halfway

Will user-generated content, viral videos, be fountain of youth?

(Newser) - MTV is fighting an unprecedented drop-off in ratings by tapping straight into the YouTube generation. The revamped bastion of youth culture will be less cable channel and more media hub, letting its teen viewers decide—and create—what they want to see, while keeping them connected to their digital world. More »

Doe-Eyed Sanjaya Divides America

Idol , not Iraq, galvanizes youth vote

(Newser) - American Idol contestant Sanjaya Malakar, the waifish breakout star who lacks only a singing voice, is America’s latest wedge issue, according to The New Republic. One teenager went on hunger strike for 16 days to protest Sanjaya's continued presence, sparking a counter protest of "Binge Eating for Sanjaya"... More »

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