lemonwade

Movies: “Transcendence,” with Johnny Depp, does not look transcendent. If you have a desire to see Woody Allen acting again onscreen, catch “Fading Gigolo.” Television: “Peter Pan” never goes away: see Milwaukee Ballet’s version on Friday. Can we get through an entire Sunday (“The Good Wife,” “Game of Thrones,” “Mad Men”) without a major character getting whacked? Music: Everybody eventually loves Pharrell: see “GIRL” for why. How about a little Irving Berlin, as in “Easter Parade,” this weekend? Books: Matt Taibbi‘s “Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap” has some fascinating reporting and manages to take the income-inequality debate somewhere fresh. Sports: NBA playoffs have started: can Brooklyn get past the first round? Does the Eastern Conference winner matter? Finally: When I think of Easter I think of Paas dye and vinegar.

The Awl charts the entire course, from the Conception Phase and Underground Phase, through the Indie and Hipster Phases, into and out of the Top 40, to the Shame Phase and beyond. (Not to forget the karaoke afterlife.)

As Picasso’s palettes go on show in Madrid, Lucy Davies explains what they reveal about the artist: ‘The kidney shape of a palette, its sequence of colors dotted on the upper curve, the oval thumb hole at one end, has become a universal signifier for the practice of painting. We know color was of immense importance to Picasso: Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions he said, continuing: Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? The first painting that we have from Picasso (“The picador”) dates from 1890, when he was nine years old, before he had even attended art school. Indeed, the Picasso Museum in Barcelona houses a number of palettes and a box of paints Read more »

I watched the first season of “Scandal,” enjoyed it, then grew weary of Kerry Washington‘s over-acting and poorly applied lip liner. But for those of you who have any interest in this D.C. soap opera, here’s a recap of last night’s season finale.

The Denver Post, the Colorado newspaper that has closely chronicled the legalization of recreational cannabis in its home state, on Thursday unveiled the actor and TV star Whoopi Goldberg as a celebrity contributor to its marijuana blog. In her inaugural post on The Cannabist website, Goldberg wrote a paean to the vaporiser that allows her to inhale marijuana easily: “The vape pen has changed my life. No, I’m not exaggerating. In fact, her name is Sippy. Yes, she’s a she. Read more »

This just in from Peekskill, New York, by way of The Onion: ‘In a surprising casting decision that has drawn criticism from numerous members of the local community theater The Old Mill Players, sources confirmed Wednesday that the role of Blanche DuBois in the company’s upcoming production of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” has been given to none other than Kathy f**king Hamilton (pictured). Reports indicated that, yes, you heard that correctly: The 41-year-old real estate agent and mother of three has, for some insane reason, been selected to portray what is, hands down, the 2014 season’s most challenging dramatic role. That’s right, accounts confirmed, we’re all supposed to sit back Read more »

“Saturday Night Live” alum Maya Rudolph is getting an hour-long variety special in May, NBC announced this week. While variety shows are a relic of an earlier television era — Carol Burnett, Gary Moore — early reports say it’s a test pilot to see if the show could turn into a recurring series. Rudolph’s experience on the longest running variety show in the US and her musical talents mean the test could easily be a success. The Lorne Michaels-produced show premieres on May 19. For many, Rudolph is best known as the bride in 2011 film “Bridesmaids”, but the same year the film premiered, she ended an 11-year career on SNL. On that show, Rudolph was a multi-dimensional impersonator, mimicking Paris Hilton, Donatella Versace, Condoleezza Rice, Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Lopez, Tyra Banks and Diana Ross.