How do you feel about Macaulay Culkin? He’s always fascinated me, both for his unshakable standing in pop culture on par with Michael Jackson (cameo in Black or White, whattup) but particularly when I’m reminded of some of his more off-beat projects.

‘The Bad Son’ was a photo book published in 1998 focusing on Culkin and his wife at the time. The images, by Kids-screenwriter and controversial director Harmony Korine, are grainy and almost unsettling. The included excerpt, attributed to Culkin, is equally so – like a real-life Harmony Korine story:

I have never been one to enjoy watching cartoons. When I was a child, I read the book Oliver Twist and I liked it very much. My father was upset at me because he told me that a child my age should watch cartoons and not read books until I was the proper age. I began starring in movies when I was five years old. Most notably the Home Alone movies. It all happend very quickly. My fame at first was fun for me. It allowed me to run amok and make money acting and doing things that I did in real life. Once, I set my older brother on fire when he was asleep. I felt guilty because my brother suffered severe pain and agony. I was not trying to be mean. I was just born with a purpose.

I can remember being born. I was born a young pale prince. I recall at a very young age that the lord spoke to me while I was climbing a tree in my backyard. He said very clearly, “you are different from all other children. You, my son, are a prince. I have chosen three princes to be born in your era. One has already been born and died. He was a child who walked alone and chose a path of loneliness and solemn grace. You are the second prince to be birthed, but your path is much different. You will stand in front of others and your ivory skin will separate you. You must make up your own rules as you go. It is your duty to cause trouble, to make people angry, and to go against your natural father for you are a special son. A son who need not to worry, a son who gifts the world but causes heartache to all who interfere. You will not pay for your evil deeds because the world beckons your haunt. You are my child, the second prince birthed in this era. You are the ivory prince… the bad son.

Click image to go to video

Take a look, too, at the Sonic Youth video for ‘Sunday’ off their album ‘A Thousand Leaves’ which resulted in many of the images featured in ‘The Bad Son.’ It’s a collaboration that’s completely unexpected; in essence, the very best kind.

Jason Schwartzman has a one-man band, something I wasn’t aware of until recently. For all I knew, he was still drumming for OC-theme-songers Phantom Planet (in between his little acting stints). Turns out that, no, he left that gig circa ‘98 or ’99. Oops.

With Coconut Records, however, he is still working from a similar songbook. These are songs from the West Coast, no question. Not life-changing records, but who really wants to change the world from the beach? Sometimes, life-enhancing is enough. Sometimes, you just want to knock off work, get on a board and ride.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTzEp4CeWT8&fmt=18 540]

Just ask the Gonz, who makes appearances on one side of the camera…

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzyzP5upKMY&fmt=18 540]

…and the other, here working his directorial prowess as Chloe Sevigny and the Schwartz kick back and enjoy the sun. Not a bad idea today…

There have been a few names bandied about for this Tron sequel (TRON 2.0, TR2N, et al.). With the release of the official HD trailer, previously available in fuzzy, bootlegged form, the title for this project has been confirmed as TRON Legacy. Click over and take a peek thanks to Computerlove…it looks great. Cinema Blend also provides a wrap-up of one detailed, viral marketing push for TRON Legacy that involved blacklights, hidden doors and one lightcycle. Bananas.

Moscot has always possessed a little extra under-the-radar cool compared to the other iconic eyewear brands, Ray-Ban and Persol. The company’s been building some key relationships lately that highlight this in-the-know sense of style, collaborating with Common Projects, Thom Browne, Justin Theroux and, most recently, announcing a partnership with Shipley & Halmos. I’ll keep it short — they look great.

For more, check an interview featuring both sides (Moscot and the gents behind Shipley & Halmos) over at The Malcolm.

Look a little closer — like a dolled-up-for-the-dance Homecoming Queen a little ashamed of her crack-smoking, car-jacking past, this dish is hiding a secret about its true origins. Curious? Well, that’s nothing a little click won’t solve.

Right. It’s a Wendy’s Baconator combo, chopped-and-screwed. And, no rest for the hungry, there’s more where that came from at Fancy Fast Food, which is exactly what I was hoping for when pointed thattaway by A Cup of Jo (via the Very Short List). Thank God they come with recipes. Now to find a White Castle near my Flatbush apartment so I can host Tapas Night.

Tapas de Castillo Blanco from Fancy Fast Food

• 1 White Castle Sack Meal #1, with cheese and bacon (four bacon cheeseburger Slyders, a box of french fries, and a medium Coca-Cola)
• 1 White Castle Sack Meal #8 (two chicken sandwiches, a box of onion rings, and a medium Hi-C Poppin’ Pink Lemonade)
• 1 order of fried clams
• packets of tartar sauce and ketchup
• parsley (for garnish)

click the image for download

I’ve said as much before, but I love a good mixtape. One from the recent past that deserves some shine: a little thinking-of-Paris collection dubbed Ceci N’est Pas Une Mixtape and artfully curated by Bobby of Kitsune Noir. If you’re feeling like the French Nas and been in a Parisian state of mind, this one found you at the right time. Have a coffee at an outdoor cafe, smoke a cigarette or two, and watch the day pass you by.

It turned me on, too, to Final Fantasy‘s violinist/songwriter/composer/arranger Owen Pallett with the track ‘The Dream of Emma and Cam’ — a renamed, reworked version of their previously released ‘The Dream of Win and Regine.’ Not only is this a great tune, but watching him perform is a whole other thing as you see him track his violin onstage, loop parts and play over them. The best way to get it? A video, of course. This one features a lilting, crowd-adored cover of Mariah Carey’s ‘Fantasy.’

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That’s right! At The Whitney! Featuring Abe Vigoda! Vivian Girls! And more!

My friend Dan told me about this after he got pulled into the first one by his girlfriend, which just goes to show that they are good for something after all. These are first come, first serve and free with museum admission as part of the Dan Graham: Beyond exhibit, which I would bet is really, really awesome.

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These are happening every Friday through July 31st, so don’t miss out. Tonight’s show features Abe Vigoda and Grooms. The series closer on the 31sr will feature Brooklyn band-of-the-moment Vivian Girls and These Are Powers. The bassist from that band was (well, probably still is) a regular at my old cafe and dropped off a copy of their cd for our in-house collection once because he is just a nice guy like that.

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