For a generation weaned on the original Speed Racer—mostly nonsensical, laughably unplotted, kinetically colorful—the Wachowski brothers' film treatment, opening today, will seem surprisingly faithful. For fun, we recommend skipping the theater and reading the critics' candy-addled descriptions instead (like "pouring hot Starbursts on your corneas," reports MSNBC; or "an exploding bag of digital Skittles," explains The New York Times). For more rewarding fare, check out Surfwise, Doug Pray's documentary about Doc Paskowitz, who abandoned the rat race to ride the waves. The Paskowitz family—Doc, his wife, Juliette, and their nine children—live in a 24-foot camper and devote themselves to surfing with a mythic intensity Speed can't match. Surfwisemay not have the electric colors, but it goes for the heart, not the teeth.

Capsule-espresso models are dominating the market, with Nespresso leading the Clooney-endorsed charge. Now Italian powerhouse illy is stepping up to the plate with its Francis X7 and X8 capsule models. Look familiar? They've been available to commercial clients, like Le Bernardin, Nobu, and the Mandarin Oriental, for some time. The iperEspresso line (that's "hyperEspresso" to the rest of us) has much to recommend it: both illy's lauded beans and an appealingly, uh, normal design. In other words, it's not quite Le Cube. No offense, George, but the Francis just looks more Lake Como-ready.
illy iperEspresso machines, $395-495, illyusa.com

[Luxist]

In honor of Mother's Day this Sunday (no, we didn't forget), Scott Campbell will be setting up shop inside Earnest Sewn's Meatpacking District store in New York to ink customers with traditional "Mom" tattoos for $100. Those interested in less indelible declarations of devotion can purchase limited-edition Billykirk wallets and card cases laser-engraved with the design (pictured). Either way, we're not entirely sure mom would approve. (Check back next week for our video of the event.)
Earnest Sewn, 821 Washington St., New York, NY, (212) 242-3414, earnestsewn.com

Murphy & Nye returns to the U.S. with a store in Newport, Rhode Island—only appropriate, considering the clothier's seafaring history. The new location features the company's full line, including knits, pants, and swim- and outerwear, all of which is suited for sailing (it's the official clothing sponsor of the America's Cup). Founded in Chicago as a sail-manufacturer during the depression, Murphy & Nye moved to Italy in 1993. This marks the company's first stateside retail venture since. We're happy to welcome the line back, especially for its killer boat shoes, available in high- and low-top versions.
Murphy & Nye, 16 Bannisters Wharf, Newport, RI, (401) 843-8660, murphynye.com

The art collective known as assume vivid astro focus isn't really a collective—rather, it's the hypercolored work of one man, Eli Sudbrack, and a rotating cast of disparate contributors (think Kenny Scharf and Bec Stupak, among others). His new installation opens this weekend: Called ABSOLUTELY VENOMOUS ACCURATELY FALLACIOUS (NATURALLY DELICIOUS), it incorporates sculpture, murals, and a transsexual performance artist, all in an effort to symbolize the gentrification of Williamsburg (and here we were, thinking the neighborhood was doing just fine with that on its own). Subtlety isn't exactly Sudbrack's strong suit—expect his take on the waterfront condo developments to be more new rave than new money.
Through Aug. 16 at Deitch Projects, 4-40 44th Dr., Queens, NY, (212) 343-7300, deitchprojects.com

Daft Punk's Electroma features actors dressed in the Parisian DJ duo's Hedi Slimane-designed leathers, driving through the California desert in a 1987 Ferrari 412, hell-bent on making their way to (spoiler alert) oblivion. The film's been making the festival circuit for awhile—it's due out here on DVD in July—but has already achieved midnight-movie-status. It screens through the month at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts, which leads us to wonder: Are Daft Punk the new Dr. Frank-N-Furter?
May 9, 16 & 23 at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall, London, U.K., (0)20-7930-3647, ica.org.uk

Meet Mara Carfagna, the Italian government's newly appointed Minister for Equal Opportunities. Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has been a fan of the 33-year-old for some time; last year he told the former Miss Italy contestant and Maxim cover girl that he would happily marry her if he wasn't already attached, leading his wife Veronica to demand—in an open letter to an Italian national newspaper—that he apologize. (He did.) No word on how Veronica feels about the appointment, but we're guessing she's somewhat less pleased than we are.

[GQ UK]

Denim & Thread is exactly what it sounds like: a no-frills collection of jeans that emphasizes quality and discreet design. Founded in 2006, the company is a partnership between Australian designer Ron London, formerly of celebrated menswear line Selvedge, and business partner Alex Lambousis, owner of the most respected washing facility in Australia (Ksubi is one of his big customers). "We produce everything in Australia, in-house," says London. "That allows us to keep producing quality denim and experiment with new washes." Denim & Thread will debut stateside this fall—you'll want to make room in your closet.
denimandthread.com

Sopranos fans still smarting from the show's Journey-scored finale will be asked to give writer/producer David Chase a second chance. News broke this morning that Chase has re-teamed with Paramount's Brad Grey to write, produce, and direct his first feature film—but no word if it will be related to the New Jersey-based series. (Relevant quote from The Hollywood Reporter: "A mob story would be a natural, but the studio is being secretive about details.") Hey, whatever it is, it's got to be at least as entertaining as Alexander Payne's new HBO venture, a series called Hung about middle-aged basketball coach who's, uh, overly endowed.

[The Hollywood Reporter]

Between their face paint, battle axes, and spiked armbands, Norwegian metalheads have developed a distinctive look. But what sets Norway's black metal bands apart from, say, Kiss, is that the Scandinavians are deadly serious about their offstage mayhem. "Ask any little old lady in Norway about metal, and she'll start yelling at you about burned churches," explains photographer Peter Beste, who has spent the better part of the last eight years shooting members of the country's reclusive headbanger scene. Judge for yourself: Beste's book, True Norwegian Black Metal, goes on sale next week, and tonight a show of photos from the book opens at the Steven Kasher Gallery in New York City. Leave the earplugs at home: Beste assures us that the volume at the gallery will be set somewhere below 11.
True Norwegian Black Metal, through June 7 at Steven Kasher Gallery, 521 W. 21st St., 2nd Fl., New York, NY (212) 966-3978, stevenkasher.com

A one-of-a-kind 1930s Patek Philippe that belonged to Italian nobleman and race-car driver Count Felice Trossi is expected to fetch close to $2 million at Sotheby's in Geneva this Sunday. The oversize gold chronograph (pictured) is one of the largest timepieces ever made by the legendary Swiss watchmaker. Not to be outdone, Christie's Geneva branch is staging its own competing watch sale, starring two of the most important Pateks ever offered at auction, valued at $1.5 to $2.5 million each. No doubt Patek's own museum will be among the bidders.

BKLYN DESIGNS kicks off in, uh, Brooklyn tonight, marking the unofficial start of the five boroughs' monthlong furnishings bonanza, which will culminate in two weeks with the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in Manhattan. This weekend in DUMBO, 70 exhibitors will present their work, like Re-Surface Design's "SOLO pendant lamp" (pictured), a repurposed microphone made into a light, replete with a "soft disco-like glow." (Sounds like Brooklyn to us.) Those who prefer less kitsch in their fixtures, take heart—the festival's Web site features both high- and low-minded examples.
May 9-11, $15, brooklyndesigns.net

Gripped by 8/8/08 fever? Us neither, but architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron are. The duo's design was chosen for Beijing's new Olympic Stadium, which is profiled tonight on National Geographic's Man Made. Of note: The superstructure can seat 91,000, and it looks like an enormous bird's nest made of twiglike beams. The architects say their inspirations include "a big pot" and "the Eiffel Tower." (Uh, sure.) Tune in—once August rolls around, you'll be too sick of the Games to care.
9 p.m., the National Geographic Channel

The Criterion Collection has announced plans to roll out editions of its films on Blu-ray come October. The initial movies on offer in the new format are indisputably Criterion-ish: Truffaut's The Four Hundred Blows, Godard's Contempt, and Roeg's Walkabout, among others. Also available? Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket. We wonder if this new version will finally help us find the humor in Owen Wilson's performance—or if we'll have to wait for the Criterion Blu-ray Armageddon instead.

Zhang Huan took a break from performance art when he moved back to Shanghai from New York, but, judging from Blessings, which bows tonight, he's still interested in spectacle. (The artist garnered acclaim when he strapped on a Hulk suit hewn from steaks at the Whitney Biennial in 2002.) Giant No. 3 (pictured) is at PaceWildenstein's 25th Street location, a 15-foot Fome-Cor and cowhide sculpture Huan calls "irregular and chaotic." Meanwhile, over at the 22nd Street gallery, Huan takes on Mao's Great Leap Forward with Canal Building, an ash painting that sits atop a six-foot-tall slab of compressed temple incense flanked by a viewing bridge. Banned by the Shanghai Art Museum in February, the work depicts canal workers from a sixties-era propaganda photo. "I don't treat the burnt incense as a medium," says Huan. "It's a collection of souls, wishes, hopes, and dreams. For me it's very important to present something that combines the audience with minimalism, maximalism, sculpture, and performance." It's not a steak suit, but it's certainly a lot to digest.
Through July 25 at PaceWildenstein, 534 W. 25th St. and 545 W. 22nd St., New York, NY, (212) 929-7000 or (212) 989-4258, pacewildenstein.com

Now available: the only 1,470-piece, $8,600 Craftsman toolkit your dad will ever need.

[Sears]

Received wisdom: Every time a journal is founded, a liberal arts student gets his wings. But among the prolific store of new magazines, we're actually looking forward to the debut of Dossier, founded by Katherine Krause and photographer Skye Parrott (who has shot for Details, GQ Style and Tokion). The debut issue features the usual roundup of art, culture and music—from heavy hitters like Francesco Clemente, Zac Posen, and Mark Ronson—but we're most excited about the journal's dedication to the world of food. Alice Waters, godmother of all things organic, is interviewed here, and Mario Batali contributes several haikus and a recipe. For the lower-minded, don't worry: It looks like there are plenty of arty nudes, too.
Dossier launches this month; for more information, go to dossierjournal.com

Klipsch's luxe new floor speakers are equal parts sound system and high-minded furniture, all finished in a zebrawood veneer. They come in three hues—natural, merlot, and espresso—to meld a state-of-the-art listening experience with an aesthetic that references a seventies rec room. In other words, Master of Reality has rarely sounded so expensive.
$20,000 per pair, available in June at klipsch.com

We wish all invitations were this informative.

Premiering tonight: Deathbowl to Downtown, a new documentary chronicling the rise of New York's skate scene. Narrated by—who else?—Chloë Sevigny, the film traces the movement to its roots in the seventies, following the sport as it intersected with the city's punk and hip-hop communities. Minor Threat and the Beastie Boys provide the soundtrack. "Skate culture comes from New York," says Rick Charnoski, one of the film's codirectors. "A bunch of misfits appropriated this thing from California, made it better, and sold it back to the West Coast." (Yes, we know: Them's fightin' words.) Deathbowl won't open to the public until fall, but those interested can quell their jones this weekend with an associated show of photographs at the Etnies Showroom in Manhattan. The Moving Image, curated by Ivory Serra, presents works by the likes of Martha Cooper, Patrick O'Dell, and Mike O'Meally (pictured), all of which place the emphasis squarely on attitude. Below, a preview of the film.

The Moving Image: A Photographic History of Skateboarding in New York City, May 10-11, at Etnies Showroom, 29 Grand St., New York, NY, (212) 604-9988, deathbowltodowntown.com

Our favorite aspect of last night's opening party for Rogan Gregory's new NYC store? Location-appropriate forties of Olde English emblazoned with the company's irrefutable slogan. And yes, they were cold.
Rogan, 330 Bowery, New York, NY, (646) 827-7567, rogannyc.com

Tom Sachs continually provokes controversy, as one might expect from an artist given to transforming Prada boxes into miniature death camps. He further cements his antagonist reputation today with a dozen outsize bronzes on view at Manhattan's Lever House. Weighing 18,000 pounds, his 21-foot-tall Hello Kitty replica (pictured) dominates the courtyard, while the lobby will host a pair of bronzed skateboard ramps, a bronzed dumpster, and three Donald Judd-esque battery sculptures (Duralast, Die Hard, and Trojan). "I always try to avoid the themes of art," says Sachs, who is also unveiling Animals, an exhibit of smaller-scale works, tomorrow at Sperone Westwater. "I imagine if you came into this world and you didn't know what a skateboard ramp was but you knew what a Donald Judd was it'd all make sense." Somehow it all does.
Tom Sachs: Bronze Collection, through Sept. 6 at Lever House, 390 Park Ave., New York NY, (212) 888-2700, leverhouse.com; Animals, through June 21 at Sperone Westwater Gallery, 415 W. 13th St., New York, NY, (212) 999-7337, speronewestwater.com

While not as limited as, say, Codatronca's Batmobile, this version of Mercedes-Benz's 2009 SL63 AMG roadster isn't exactly going to be available to the masses, either. The company will only produce 200, each of which will feature a new white paint job (in a shade called "designo mango Kashmir") and the requisite 525 horses under the hood. The price is still TBD, but as a bonus purchase incentive, they're throwing in a limited-edition timepiece from Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen, just in case you were looking to kill two birds with one stone.

Walton Ford's hyper-articulated animal paintings are at once macabre and esoteric. Thurneysser's Demon (pictured), featured in the artist's new show opening tomorrow, references the apocryphal tale of a Swiss naturalist who presents a beast to his native city of Basel, only to have it poisoned by the superstitious villagers. (For the full story, see E.P. Evan's not-so-classic text The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals.) Is Demon a veiled jab at Basel, an epicenter of the international contemporary art scene, or just a cautionary fable about moose? Either way, we're interested—and staying the hell out of Switzerland.
Walton Ford at Paul Kasmin Gallery, 293 Tenth Ave., New York, NY, (212) 563-4474, paulkasmingallery.com

James Bond may be returning in the forthcoming novel Devil May Care, but his Aston Martin isn't. Instead, 007 will be tooling around in a custom Bentley R-type Continental convertible, as he did in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. (Guess that wreck got to him, too.) To celebrate, Penguin Books commissioned Bentley to design a limited leather-bound edition of the book, complete with a matching pewter die-cast model. Salivating Bond fanatics can place orders at penguin007.com, but be warned: Hot Wheels prices these aren't. It will cost about $1,400 to buy the pleasure of making vroom-vroom noises with the tiny replica—around the price, we're guessing, of an evening's rental of a real one.
Bentley Devil May Care limited edition available May 28 at penguin007.com

As part of their Forever!series, Dutch designers BCXSY have created the conceptual "Infinity Aquarium," a handcrafted glass polygon in which fish can swim in an endless loop. The tank is part of a collection that attempts to solve existential problems in design—i.e., defining the length of an eternity. (Other products in the series include "Destilled Nature," a vase for dead flowers, and the "Forever Dish," a plate molded with a ceramic sculpture of a steak dinner in its center.) The updated aquarium is certainly an improvement over the old model, even if the fish swimming in it are unlikely to notice the difference.

[BCXSY via Coolhunting]

The latest edition of Fred Perry's Blank Canvas Project comes courtesy of designers &Son, a creative partnership between stylist Nick Griffiths and Simon Foxton, fashion director of I-D and Fantastic Man. Inspired by "dazzle" camouflage (deployed by the British navy on its boats during both world wars to confuse enemies), &Son's limited-edition polos feature bold graphics and colors. But they're really limited: There are only 12 in existence, and each is hand-screened. They're also only at London's Dover Street Market in May, which means they won't be available long.
About $310, Dover Street Market 17-18 Dover Street, London, 011-44-020-7518-0680, doverstreetmarket.com

PF Flyers has resurrected its collaboration with basketball great Bob Cousy, reissuing the point guard's All-American low-tops from 1956. (In case the kelly green isn't enough of a tip-off, Cousy played for the Celtics.) The classic silhouette is a pleasing throwback, as is the sneaks' Eisenhower-era vulcanized construction. Court-worthy? Sure, even if you're not playing in Boston. Below, some footage of Cousy in his prime:

$60, pfflyers.com

Those headed out to the Hamptons this summer have a gorgeous new place to stay: the Surf Lodge, a 32-room hotel from the people behind the nightclub Cain. Opening its doors for the holiday weekend, the hotel, located smack in the middle of New York's favorite Beemer-congested vacation destination, offers property-wide Wi-Fi and houses a restaurant to be helmed by Top Chef runner-up Sam Mason. Best of all? It beats crashing with your banker friends over in Guest Hampton.
183 Edgemere St., no phone, Montauk, NY, surflodgemontauk.com

[Hotel Chatter]

Guide des Jolies Femmes de Paris is a new book from Pierre-Louis Colin, a speechwriter for France's minister of foreign and European affairs. In it, the author offers a how-to guide to spotting the City of Lights' most famous attractions: the women. The gist? "Just as every region has its gastronomy, every quartier has its feminine speciality." Obviously, this is an effort to help British men rebuild their libidos.

[via GQ UK]

Philips is joining the touch-screen fray with its sleek Xenium X800—another comer to challenge the iPhone. What's good here? Wi-Fi, an edge-to-edge screen ("e2e" in Philipsese), and a proprietary operating system that looks good enough to measure up to the best of them. Full details are forthcoming; in the meantime, leaked photos will have to do.

[Engadget]

Herbert List's travel photography and portraits served as a key reference for Herb Ritts and Bruce Weber, and it's not hard to see why. The German lensman created a glamorous and sensual (if at times uneasy) world out of Mediterranean peasants and priests, not to mention the muscle-bound men he saw on the street. Starting tomorrow, you can experience it yourself at An Eye for Beauty, one of the largest ever exhibits of his work. The show includes more than 100 pictures (including this Picasso shot) and takes place at Dolce and Gabbana's Metropol gallery in Milan. Can't hop across the pond for a personal gander? Check out our slideshow.
Herbert List: An Eye for Beauty, May 8 through June 8, Spazio Metropol, Viale Piave 24, Milan, dolcegabbanametropol.it

Coming this fall: Dillon and Co., a new menswear brand from Cobi Levy (of Tyler Speed fame) and Miguel Enamorado (a fashion editor vet of Esquire and this site, among others). The line consists of suits (pictured), separates, shirts, and accessories, all done with a sophisticated simplicity—in other words, look elsewhere for superfluous stitching and a flashy lining. "I wanted the collection to have a European feel, but young," explains Levy. "My goal is for a guy to be able to buy the entire line and not have any trouble putting it together." Whether that happens remains to be seen, but at least one customer has taken him up on the offer—Barneys has already purchased the whole thing.

The much-anticipated BlackBerry 9000 (the company's first 3G phone) doesn't hit shelves for a few months, but the geeks at Crackberry.com got their hands on one early thanks to (of course) an eBay snafu. To celebrate, they've posted a review that doesn't reveal much in terms of specs—nicer keyboard, sharper display, etc.—but is worth reading for its delirious prose. To wit: "My fridge is stocked with Red Bull, I have a BlackBerry 9000 in hand, and I don't plan on sleeping until every feature has been tested and menu option explored." And that's just a warm-up—the next installment of the two-part series (!) is due tomorrow.

[via Gizmodo]

The Deschutes Brewery & Public House opened last weekend, a new restaurant and home for the Portland, OR, maker of craft beers like Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Black Butte Porter. The space features a stone fireplace, tables made from remilled timber, and gilt-framed photos on the walls—clearly, an establishment that adheres to the don't-fix-what-isn't-broke aesthetic. Augmenting the old-timey vibe are the urinals (pictured), manufactured for P.J.Clarke's in Manhattan but never used. Hey, if your customers will be spending that much time in the bathroom, it only makes sense for them to anticipate breaking the seal.
Deschutes Brewery & Public House, 210 NW 11th Ave., (503) 296-4906, deschutesbrewery.com

Meet Wilfred, star of IFC.com's new Web comedy about a disgruntled, pot-smoking dog. He adores his owner, Sarah, but doesn't exactly welcome her new suitor, refusing to compromise his daily routine. (The dog lives like a college sophomore, subsisting on a steady diet of bong hits, anxiety, and Face/Off.) He's also hilarious—unless you're too uptight for his antics, in which case we recommend you to the care of that existential moper, Snoopy. Check it out below:

Weekdays at 4:20 p.m., ifc.com

Richard Meier & Partners: Complete Works 1963-2008 is a massive new monograph that plots the starchitect's career from Le Corbusier acolyte to his more recent commissions executed in glass and steel. Included are designs for the Jubilee Church in Rome (pictured) and Manhattan's celebrity housing project (home to Nicole Kidman, Calvin Klein, and Martha Stewart), among others. The oversize tome also features blueprints, sketches, site plans, and models for "unbuilt" projects like a multitower Madison Square Garden megaplex that will dominate New York's skyline—if the city ever gives Meier the chance.
$150, available at Taschen.com

As you should know, black tie exists for one reason and one reason alone: to help focus attention on the fairer sex. Nowhere is that more true than at the Met's annual Costume Institute ball: Women are encouraged to push boundaries; men, less so. That didn't stop several guys from flouting the dictates of formalwear last night, and a few of them even managed to look halfway decent doing it.

Click for slideshow >

PLUS: Head over to Style.com for full coverage of the event.

Malcolm McDowell horrified the world in A Clockwork Orange, but another miscreant was originally keen to play the murderous droog: Mick Jagger. (Even more startling? According to recently released letters from executive producer Si Litvinoff, the Beatles wanted to score it.) Although Orange author Anthony Burgess apparently sold the rights to Jagger during lean times for $500, Mick never did get his chance to star as Alex DeLarge. Don't feel too badly—he got his rocks off later, as a Weimar-era drag queen in Bent.

[Guardian]

On eBay today: the Batmobile used in the 1989 Keaton/Nicholson version of Batman. It's a sweet ride, to be sure, though it comes with a ho-hum 5.7-liter Chevy engine under the hood. (And who'd have thought the Dark Knight would drive an automatic?) It's expected to fetch at least 500k, but if you miss out, take heart: You can save a hundred grand by picking up that Batmobile-style TS Codatronca we mentioned yesterday.

[Autoblog]

After shutting down its flagship on the Rue de l'Arbre Sec, Paris design collective Surface 2 Air has reopened its doors in the Marais. As you might expect, black and white dominate, with mod-patterned walls and ceiling, austere white brick, and huge casement windows. Not planning a Gallic excursion anytime soon? You can still get its wares online.
68, Rue Charlot, Paris, France, +33-1-44-61-76-27

[Selectism]

English blokes are turning down sex in record numbers, reports the Guardian. Relationship counseling firm Relate has seen a 40 percent increase in "sex-shy male clients," with stress believed to be the leading cause. (Like everyone, it seems, Britons have been working longer hours in recent years.) But don't feel too bad—as one hapless gent puts it, "I'm baffled by my lack of interest, but not particularly unhappy." His wife apparently had no comment.

[via GQ UK]

It amazes us when people go to the trouble of preparing perfect cocktails using top-shelf booze only to drop in one of those petrified neon-red poison sacs at the end. You could do away with them altogether, but some drinks—like the Manhattan—require the cherry as a crowning touch. The solution? Seek out real, all-natural marasca cherries from northern Italy. The best are bottled by Luxardo (pictured), the company that first started furnishing them to royalty nearly two centuries ago. The small supply imported into this country dried up a couple years back, but a new pipeline recently opened and Luxardo is now being stocked at Dean & DeLuca. They're preserved in pure marasca cherry syrup, not the sulfur dioxide and high-fructose corn slurry you find in supermarket substitutes. Both your cocktails and your small intestine will emerge unscathed.
$16, available at Dean & DeLuca, 560 Broadway, NY, NY, (212) 226-6800

"Go into a hotel. Make what you will of it. And get high until you feel like a hamster." That, according to Jade Berreau, is the simple formula behind Dan Colen and Dash Snow's notorious "hamster nests," which the duo (pictured) turned from a pastime to a gallery show last year at Deitch Projects. Berrau has edited a book (out now, and also called Nest) that documents the exhibition, including its destruction of more than 2,000 telephone books, and the raucous closing party. (See YouTube footage from the latter here.) We doubt Ma Bell would approve.
$50, available at Deitch Projects, 76 Grand St., New York, NY, (212) 343-7300, deitchprojects.com

HLNR, L.A.'s latest green-friendly boutique, opened last weekend to sell designer duds from the likes of Raf Simons, Yohji Yamamoto, and Veronique Branquinho—yes, we know, just like almost every other retailer on Robertson. But this store's design is noteworthy: It's offering customers the option of paperless receipts (that land in your in-box instead of cluttering your wallet), an eco-conscious bathroom (including Dyson hand-driers), and repurposed clothing racks that came from a bank in Italy. Even better? The 4,000-square-foot space is solar-powered, and has a private, "paparazzi-free" entrance. Full marks for being thorough, we guess.
HLNR, 474 N. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, (310) 652-0064

[Racked]

Last week, BMW unveiled the M1 Homage, amid rumors that the carmaker is updating the late-seventies original for an all-new supercar. Then Fresh Tarmac added to the fervor by posting this picture of an M1 prototype, allegedly spied in Spain. Turns out it's just an amateur rendering (based on this pic), which is too bad—this version looked promising. We'll keep you posted.

[via Autoblog]

Out tomorrow, Nouns is the debut LP from No Age, the New Yorker-endorsed vegan wunderkinds. Drummer/vocalist Dean Spunt and guitarist Randy Randall honed their sound at The Smell in L.A., a club that adheres so strictly to punk's DIY ethic that Randall helped break ground for the new toilets himself. Plumbing's a handy gig to fall back on, but the densely atmospheric fuzz and clangor of Nouns is reason enough to hope he sticks with music, at least for a bit. Check out No Age performing on their home turf, below:

Also out tomorrow: Elvis Costello's Momofuku, an album that pays titular tribute to the inventor of the instant ramen noodle. (Not, as has sometimes been assumed, to David Chang, inventor of the pork-fat-slathered English muffin.) It's a lean pleasure to arrive on International No Diet Day, but a treat nonetheless.