exclusive
Meet the Man Responsible for Rebecca Black
Adrian Chen · 03/30/11 01:00PMThis month Rebecca Black's "Friday" hit the Internet like audio-visual swine flu—and the Internet hit back. She seemed to come out of nowhere, possibly autotuned from her first word. But Black was spawned by the vanity production company Ark Music Factory. We spoke with Ark Music Factory CEO Patrice Wilson, who claimed "Friday" was dumb by design.
In a Chatroom With Matt Stone
Richard Lawson & Brian Moylan · 03/29/11 01:35PMSouth Park masterminds Trey Parker and Matt Stone have recently become the toasts of Broadway, with their new musical Book of Mormon receiving rave reviews and selling tickets like crazy. Lucky for us then that Mr. Stone found the time amid all the theater mania to sit down and have an online chat with us.
Watch Jim Henson's "Lost" Intro to The Tale of the Bunny Picnic
Chris Wyman · 03/26/11 11:00AM
This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of a forgotten bit of Muppetry, The Tale of the Bunny Picnic. This anti-bullying fable has only ever been sold on VHS, and official releases have omitted this, Jim Henson's endearing intro for HBO.
Sex, Lies, and the Dov Charney Lawsuit
Hamilton Nolan · 03/25/11 04:15PMEarlier this month, notoriously pervy American Apparel CEO Dov Charney was sued for a quarter of a billion dollars by a former employee named Irene Morales. Her accusations of sexual harassment fit with Charney's longstanding reputation for bad behavior in the workplace. But judging by emails and text messages we've obtained, there may very well be another side to the story.
Sex, Lies, and the Dov Charney Lawsuit - Documents
Hamilton Nolan · 03/25/11 04:14PMFox News' Steve Harrigan: America's Laziest War Correspondent
John Cook · 03/23/11 02:58PMSXSW 2011 Comes to a Close
Remy Stern · 03/21/11 03:23PMSometimes the best plan of action is to simply wander down Austin's main streets without a set schedule, ducking into parties at random as you find them. SXSW is filled with the chaos of too much happening at once and that's especially true on the final day when brands, bands and attendees try to cram in everything that didn't fit during the days prior.
A Peek Into the Celebrity Nude Pic Hacking Ring
Adrian Chen · 03/21/11 03:10PMAn enterprising hacking ring has reportedly stolen nude pics and videos from more than 50 female celebrities, including Vanessa Hudgens, Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman, and the FBI is on the case. They've also been targeting sports stars and politicians. (Oh, boy.) But who's the mysterious "ringleader?" We've dug up some possible clues.
SXSW in Photos
Remy Stern · 03/19/11 03:30PMDay three of the music portion of SXSW continued in sun-drenched fashion. While many of the fest's most hyped musicians meandered about the streets, much of the action and popular day parties centered around Red River street, from Spin's event at Stubb's to Club De Ville, Beerland and more. [Previously: Day 1, Day 2]
SXSW: Photos from Day 2
Remy Stern · 03/18/11 03:45PMLegions of green decorated the streets of Austin yesterday as day two of the music portion of SXSW coincided with St. Patrick's Day. After various parties, loft retreats and even a vegan BBQ hosted by Moby during the day, Thursday night's big draw was a free outdoor concert by the Strokes. And in keeping in Texan fashion, the event was large in size, taking over an entire field and culminating in a fireworks display during the group's last song. Here are some photos of yesterday's action.
Inside Anonymous' Secret War Room
John Cook and Adrian Chen · 03/18/11 01:00PMSXSW 2011 in Photos
Remy Stern · 03/17/11 02:00PMUnder overcast skies, the music portion of Austin's annual SXSW festival kicked off yesterday. While Wednesday is seen as more of a precursor to the higher profile headliners and bigger parties that the weekend brings, throngs of people turned up at the various venues and tents for the fest's launch. With free booze flowing thanks to all the sponsors who have descended on the event in recent years, we ducked into a handful of shows including an especially energetic set from Alabama rapper Yelawolf before capping off the evening with the live taping of MTVu's Woodie Awards.
Jann Wenner Keeps His Wife's Groundskeeper and Dogsitter on the Corporate Payroll
John Cook · 03/17/11 10:57AMFirst Look: Drew Carey's Improv-a-ganza
Whitney Jefferson · 03/15/11 05:30PMIs there a lack of improvisation in your life? Do you miss the days of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Seeing Drew Carey in your primetime lineup? If you said yes to any of these, this is your lucky day.
Bristol Palin's Boyfriend Likes to Call People 'Nigga', Mock Kids with Down Syndrome
John Cook · 03/10/11 03:57PM'Adios, Motherfucker': The Debut Performance of Chet Haze
Hamilton Nolan · 03/04/11 11:38AM'Oprah Fired Me For Talking About Jesus'
Remy Stern · 03/02/11 02:19PMThe Craigslist Congressman and the Crossdressing Prostitute
Remy Stern · 02/25/11 04:33PMThe Pentagon Papers Donald Rumsfeld Doesn't Want You to See
John Cook · 02/21/11 04:37PMWhen Donald Rumsfeld released his memoir Known and Unknown, he made a big deal out of putting thousands of documents from his archives online in a sop to transparency and accuracy. But he didn't put them all online. And we've found some of the papers that Rumsfeld would have preferred to toss down the memory hole.