1. The story of how he almost wrote and directed a Superman movie in which the man of steel would not fly nor wear a cape.

2. Kevin Smith hangs out with Prince for a week to shoot a documentary…then things get weird.

Prince and Kevin Smith part 2
Prince and Kevin Smith part 3
Prince and Kevin Smith part 4

3. How Smith ended up protesting his own movie Dogma

Watch the actual news report from the Dogma story here

Watch Smith tell the story of how he pissed off Tim Burton here

Watch Smith describe how people reacted to his stories here

Much of this footage is from the 2002 DVD An Evening with Kevin Smith

posted by: Harold Johns III

FRIDAY JULY 23

• POP: A Group Exhibition
Lawrence Arts Center (940 New Hampshire Street in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, July 23, 7-9pm (Ongoing until August 20th)
From the organizers: Taking inspiration from popular culture, artists use a variety of mediums to express their personal visions. This exhibit explores a range of approaches to art making, especially ideas of popular culture and its influences.  The use of found objects or recycled imagery which in their original context fit into the everyday are often used by artists to create a new conversation about current and past influences on culture.  The participating artists in this exhibition represent several generations, and, therefore, varying perspectives on popular culture interact in the gallery. Featuring art by Kendra Marable, Archie Gobber, Dan Anderson, Kristin Morland, Jaimie Warren, Alison Filley, Jeff Eaton, Jeremy Rockwell, Joelle Ford, and Ann Dean

• Unmask. Unearth: Discovering the Wetlands
The Lawrence Percolator (940 New Hampshire in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, July 23, 6pm
(The art is on view starting at 6pm with performances at 7pm on the 23rd and 24th)
From the organizers: The Lawrence Youth Ensemble will perform the play, which is about the Baker Wetlands. The play, performed and written by area teenagers, is a collaboration among several community agencies, including the Lawrence Youth Ensemble, the Percolator, and the Douglas County Juvenile Detention Center. These performances are accompanied by a art show featuring Wetlands-inspired art.

• The Victor Continental Show
Liberty Hall (803 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, July 23, 9:30pm (With a second performance July 24th at 9:30pm)
From the organizers: The swinging sketch comedy of Victor Continental returns for another steamy summer affair! This local troupe of song and dance provocateurs skewer everything from foul-mouthed mimes to the state of the Lawrence economy in this awesome annual tradition.

SATURDAY JULY 24

• 1109 Gallery Members Show
1109 Gallery (1109 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Saturday, July 24, 7-9pm
From the organizers: The Lawrence Art Guild presents our once-a-year members show at 1109 Gallery.  This show is sure to be an eclectic mix of all mediums and a must-see for everyone!

SUNDAY JULY 25

• Nature Photography Exhibit
Mirth Cafe (745 New Hampshire Street in Lawrence, KS)
Sunday, July 25, All Day
From the organizers: Local photographer A. Scott McCauley will be showing a collection of his nature portfolio at Mirth. A preview of his work can be seen on his website AScottMcCauley.com where prints can also be purchased.

FRIDAY JULY 30

• Do You Need A Friend To Go With?
Wonder Fair: Art Gallery, Shoppe & Studio
(803 1/2 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, July 30, 7-10pm (Ongoing until August 22nd)
From the organizers: Christopher Bostwick is a graduate of the printmaking department at the Kansas City Art Institute. It was here that he developed his skills as a printmaker but also reaffirmed his penchant for drawing directly on paper.
Do You Need A Friend To Go With? features colored pencil and gouache drawings – some as large as 60” x 48”. These drawings take the form of a set or stage, the theatrics of which are always implied, the actors never shown. Bostwick sets the scenes, rife with absurd details culled from a culture of excess and Google image searches. He revels in humorous juxtapositions and complicitous pairings. His drawings become abandoned scenes full of misleading clues to the most banal of mysteries – the everyday.

posted by: Scott Stewart

According to Good Magazine (published July 20, 2010):

Google compiles and holds vast amounts of the world’s data. It’s supposed to be totally private but sometimes governments need that information for investigations, and they request it from Google (or its subsidiaries like YouTube, Blogger, or Orkut). Other times, governments find a piece of data offensive or erroneous, and request that Google remove it from its database entirely. The search giant makes all these requests public. This is a look at which countries ask Google for the most information on its users, which ask Google to remove the most information, and how often Google gives information.

The infographic was designed by MGMT design.

posted by: Brent Carter

Thanks to my newest issue of American Elle for introducing me to fashion designer Erin Kleinberg. Pictured here are shots from her Fall 2010 Lookbook featuring Annabelle Dexter-Jones, younger sister to Mark, Samantha and Charlotte Ronson. The clothes look so cozy but at the same time ready to wear to dinner, a night out, the beach, etc etc etc. And I love the touches of velvet which seem to move the casual sportswear to more luxury pieces with a relaxed, hippie vibe.

From the designer:

Launched in the Summer of 2008, erinkleinberg was created in an attempt to bridge a gap in the marketplace with a collection of semi-couture tanks, tees, cardigans, and novelty pieces.

With past experience at W Magazine, working under the guidance of Alex White, Kleinberg’s entrepreneurship and love of design were the driving forces behind her namesake line. Recognizing her design aesthetic from the get-go, Barneys New York picked up her very first collection and have since been strong supporters of her brand.

With an eco-friendly twist and hand-sewn beading and embellishments, Kleinberg seeks to provide the ultimate in luxury, yet still maintains the predominance of comfort embedded throughout her line.

posted by: Tricia Rock

This is a Nirvana rehearsal from 1988 filmed at bassist Krist Novoselic’s mom’s house in Aberdeen, Washington.  You’ll notice Dave Grohl isn’t behind the drum kit,  he didn’t join the band until 1990. All three of these songs evetually appeared on Nirvana’s first full length album Bleach which was released in 1989 on Sub Pop.

posted by: Harold Johns III

Solid Melts, a local indie label, recently released a free compilation of some of the best lo-fi music from the Lawrence/Kansas City area entitled An Empire of Fun. The compilation certainly lives up to its name and provides an excellent introduction into the wide array of music our local scene has to offer. We’ve uploaded a few of our favorite tracks so you can preview the awesomeness that is An Empire of Fun before you download it.

Download audio file (08-You-Dont-Mean-That-Much-Relax.mp3)
Download audio file (09-Ralphie.mp3)
Download audio file (11-Electric-Waves.mp3)
Download audio file (12-Who-Could-Break-Your-Heart.mp3)
Download audio file (23-Dead-People.mp3)
Download audio file (25-Free-Soup.mp3)

Tracklisting
1. Bird Names – Peace for Recorder
2. Viking Fuck – 21
3. Yuppies – 665
4. C V L T S – corpus dei
5. Coasting – Discover
6. TEAADORA – Languageless Pre-agriculture Culture
7. Katrina Stonehart – overpass
8. Prussia – You Don’t Mean That Much, Relax
9. Big Dogs – Ralphie
10. Vehicle Blues – Campbell and Potomac
11. Expo 70 – Electric Waves
12. Lazy – Who Could Break Your Heart
13. The Great Valley – My House
14. Erasers – You Can Take Better Care Of Yourself
15. Julian Lynch – Sifflements, Ronflements, et Renâclements
16. Back To The Future The Ride – To Truly Know The Past
17. Swimsuit – Mongoose
18. EarthMasters – Deathcult
19. Hermit Thrushes – Little Crow
20. Royal Osprey – The Tower
21. The Tanks – I Can’t Believe I Broke Edge Again
22. GOODWILLIES – ON THE FOURTH LEVEL
23. Cloud Nothings – Dead People
24. Kevin Greenspon – Sundowner Lane
25. Baby Birds Don’t Drink Milk – Freesoup

Download An Empire of Fun here (120.45 Mb)

posted by: Harold Johns III

Camilla Åkrans is a fashion photographer from Sweden currently working in New York. Click on the photos to learn more about where they were originally published and check out more of Camilla Åkrans’ work

on Models.com
on LUNDLUND
on The Fashion Spot

I also became a little obsessed with her editorial for the June-July issue of Harper’s Bazaar US, I literally tore out every page for my wall. See the images here.

posted by: Tricia Rock

FRIDAY JULY 9

Sonic Youth – Sleeping Nights Awake (Documentary) Michael Albright

• SONIC ORPHANS: Lost Music Films 1965-87
Wonder Fair: Art Gallery, Shoppe & Studio
(803 1/2 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Friday, July 9, 7-12pm
From the organizers: SONIC ORPHANS is a compilation reel of lost and found clips projected on 16mm, mostly silent, of some rare celluloid gems that have been seen by almost no one and have never seen the light of youtube. Most of this footage is truly orphaned film— abandoned, lost, found, and now presented raw without editing. The videos feature The Beatles, Avengers, Huns, Boy Problems, Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, and Johnny Cash. The presentation includes a discussion of “orphan films” as they are called by archivists, a one-night photo exhibit & live local music by Kansas City’s LAZY. $5 at the door.

SATURDAY JULY 10

Wild West Film Festival 2010 Promo Video

• Wild West Film Festival
Liberty Hall (644 Massachusetts Street in Lawrence, KS)
Saturday, July 10, 7pm
From the organizers: The Wild West Film Fest is a 48-hour marathon film fest that anyone with a video camera can enter. We hope to raise money and awareness for a good cause while getting people excited about local film making. We provide a secret theme and you have 48 hours to create a working short film – no longer than 5 minutes. You provide us with the short films and we provide you with a great venue, judges and prizes for the winners! Proceeds from our ticket sales benefit local organizations such as Habitat For Humanity, Halo Foundation, and Children’s Mercy Hospital. The judges were blown away by the quality of films this year. Along with the typical gang of local judges, we also enjoyed the company of local comic book writer Jai Nitz. He has written several comics for D.C. and Marvel. He is currently working on Hollywood movie comic tie-ins, such as the upcoming Green Hornet. There will be a costume contest during the festival, the most heroic hero or vile villain will receive a cash prize and a DVD of the films. Tickets are only $7 for general public and $5 for students.
www.wildwestfilmfest.com

posted by: Scott Stewart

The Last Waltz is a concert by the Canadian rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The Last Waltz was advertised as the end of The Band’s illustrious touring career, and the concert saw The Band joined by more than a dozen special guests including Paul Butterfield, the Staple Singers, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Hawkins, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood and Neil Young. The group backed Bob Dylan in the 1960s, and Dylan performs with The Band toward the end of the concert. Because they were simply referred to as “The Band” by Dylan and their friends and neighbors in Woodstock, New York, they figured that was just what they would call themselves, instead of other lesser options like The Honkies or The Crackers.

The event was filmed by director Martin Scorsese and made into a documentary of the same name, released in 1978. The film features concert performances, scenes shot on a studio soundstage and interviews by Scorsese with members of The Band. A triple-LP soundtrack recording was issued in 1978. The film was released on DVD in 2002 as was a four-CD box set of the concert and related studio recordings.

Many consider The Last Waltz to be the greatest concert film of all time, I personally think Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense is better but The Last Waltz is a damn close second.

According to songwriter Robbie Robertson, “The Weight” was inspired by the films of Luis Buñuel, about which Robertson once said:

(Buñuel) did so many films on the impossibility of sainthood. People trying to be good in Viridiana and Nazarin, people trying to do their thing. In “The Weight” it’s the same thing. People like Buñuel would make films that had these religious connotations to them but it wasn’t necessarily a religious meaning. In Buñuel there were these people trying to be good and it’s impossible to be good. In “The Weight” it was this very simple thing. Someone says, “Listen, would you do me this favour? When you get there will you say ‘hello’ to somebody or will you give somebody this or will you pick up one of these for me? Oh? You’re going to Nazareth, that’s where the Martin guitar factory is. Do me a favour when you’re there.” This is what it’s all about. So the guy goes and one thing leads to another and it’s like “Holy Shit, what’s this turned into? I’ve only come here to say ‘hello’ for somebody and I’ve got myself in this incredible predicament.” It was very Buñuelish to me at the time.

posted by: Harold Johns III

Between 1992 and 1996, environmental artist Agnes Denes created Tree Mountain—A Living Time Capsule.  The project consisted of a series of architectural renderings on vellum featuring designs for a new forest to be planted in Pinziö, near Ylöjärvi, Finland. These works  on paper became planning documents after the Finnish government decided to make Denes’ project its official Earth Day contribution at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, 1992.  This major earthwork and reclamation project was designed by the artist as a community building project that also made use of waste from a nearby gravel pit.  To accomplish the massive undertaking, Denes invited 11,000 people to plant a tree. Each person became the custodian of a tree and received a certificate recognizing their role in the project. The forest, which is to remain a living legacy for the next 400 years (20 generations), has spawned additional projects in Australia and the Netherlands.

The 11,000 trees were planted according to an intricate mathematical pattern derived from a combination of the golden section and sunflower/pineapple pattern designed by Denes. The tree mountain is 420 meters long, 270 meters wide and 28 meters high.

See more of  Denes’ work via Chelesa Art Museum

posted by: Brent Carter