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Links for the Day: Jackie Cooper R.I.P., Fake Osama Photo, New Tree of Life Clip, Quentin's Script Leaked, New Tori Amos Album, & More!

Jackie Cooper

First child star of the "talkie" era Jackie Cooper dies at 88.

Irony lost on senators passing around fake photo of bin Laden body and telling media there's no need to release it because it's definitely him.

Why Fox News keeps confusing Osama and Obama.

Watch a clip from The Tree of Life, out May 27.

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained script has leaked.

Unable to resist the temptation to release a new album every two years like clockwork, Tori Amos has announced a new quasi-classical song cycle to be released on Deutsche Grammophon.

We're sad to report that the LGBTQ-focused National Youth Advocacy Coalition will be closing up shop after 17 years.

Links for the Day: A collection of links to items that we hope will spark discussion. We encourage our readers to submit candidates for consideration to ed@slantmagazine.com and to converse in the comments section.




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Links for the Day: Obama Gets a Bump, Todd Haynes Directs My Morning Jacket, MTV Movie Awards Nominees, Green Lantern Trailer, & More!

Barack Obama

Obama gets a bump in the polls after Osama gets bumped off.

In a new Time Magazine profile, SNL's Kristin Wiig reveals she'll be retiring two of her most notable characters (see page two).

Todd Haynes will be directing an upcoming My Morning Jacket concert film. No word on whether the band will be dressed in mid-20th-century period garb.

In an apparent attempt to outdo Lady Gaga for most ridiculous cover art, Katy Perry has revealed the cover for her latest single, "Last Friday Night (TGIF)," a song that's only marginally better than Rebecca Black's "Friday."

The 2011 MTV Movie Awards nominees were announced yesterday and nobody cared.

If you like CGI (or Ryan Reynolds), you'll love the new trailer for Green Lantern:

Links for the Day: A collection of links to items that we hope will spark discussion. We encourage our readers to submit candidates for consideration to ed@slantmagazine.com and to converse in the comments section.




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Bin Laden Still Dead, Tony Nominations Announced, Ira Cohen R.I.P., Citizen Kane at 70, & More!

Situation Room

The White House has released photos from the Situation Room during Sunday's Osama bin Laden raid.

I thought about heading down to Ground Zero on Sunday night for a hot second, but Matt Zoller Zeitz actually went.

That seemingly too-appropriate MLK quote that all of your friends posted on Facebook yesterday? Yeah, it's not real.

The Book of Mormon leads the 2011 Tony Nominations.

New York poet, photographer, and filmmaker Ira Cohen has died.

The Atlantic takes a look at Citizen Kane at 70.

Paste Magazine heralds 15 Great Covers of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." The only acceptable winner, of course:

Links for the Day: A collection of links to items that we hope will spark discussion. We encourage our readers to submit candidates for consideration to ed@slantmagazine.com and to converse in the comments section.




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Links for the Day: Osama bin Laden Killed, Drama Desk Nominations, Bill Maher on Royal Wedding, Obama the Comedian, & More!

Osama bin Laden

In case you've been living in a million-dollar fortified compound with no Internet or phone service, Osama bin Laden is dead.

Salon's David Sirota wonders if our celebration is bin Laden's victory.

The future of Kathryn Bigelow's next movie is now in question.

Nice to know that the centuries-old myth that Slant doesn't "like anything" is alive and well.

The 56th Annual Drama Desk Nominations were announced on Friday.

Bill Maher articulates precisely how we feel about the "royal wedding."

Once again proving that if that second term thing doesn't work out, President Obama has a future as a stand-up comedian:

Links for the Day: A collection of links to items that we hope will spark discussion. We encourage our readers to submit candidates for consideration to ed@slantmagazine.com and to converse in the comments section.




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Listen: Slant's 100 Greatest Dance Songs

Donna Summer

Painstakingly compiled back in 2006, Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Dance Songs continues to be our most read article, so we figured it was time to create a playlist. Head on over to our official YouTube Channel to listen to all 100 songs!




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Single Review: Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)"

Beyoncé

As the Mad Hatter told Alice, "You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret: All the best people are." And from the aptly titled "Crazy In Love" to the unhinged "Ring the Alarm" to her whole wacky Sasha Fierce persona, bonkers has always been a hat Beyoncé has worn well.

The singer's new single, however, is just plain daft. "Run the World (Girls)" is the kind of hollow girl-power track masquerading as a self-empowerment anthem that she's been serving in one form or another since her days with Destiny's Child. Atop a played-out marching-band beat and co-producer Switch's trademark pitched-n'-screwed vocals (both, it should be noted, lifted straight from a track by Major Lazer, Switch's side project with Diplo), Beyoncé lays down atonal verses and a repetitive, expletive-laden, sanity-challenging hook about—you guessed it—girls running the world. Continue Reading »




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Video Review: Katy Perry's "E.T."

Katy Perry

The third in a trifecta of videos from pop music's current ruling harem involving some juxtaposition of sci-fi action and mythological creatures (the others being Ke$ha's superior "Blow" and Lady Gaga's superior-er "Born This Way"), Katy Perry's "E.T." finds the singer taking on the role of an extra-terrestrial goddess who changes outfits more often than Cher during her Vegas stage show. Continue Reading »




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Listen & Watch: Slant's Best Singles and Music Videos of the Aughts

Jay-Z

Head on over to Slant Magazine's official YouTube Channel to listen to all 100 of our Best Singles of the Aughts and watch all 50 of our Best Music Videos of the Aughts!

[Editor's Note: The #24 music video on our list, Kenna's "Hell Bent," is no longer available on YouTube, but you can view it here.]




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Single Review: Lady Gaga's "Born This Way"

Lady Gaga

You've no doubt heard this already: Lady Gaga's new single, "Born This Way," sounds more than a little bit like Madonna's "Express Yourself." But given that Madge's vocals have rarely sounded as rich and soulful than they do on that song, this will probably be one of the few times Gaga's voice sounds like her idol's. Hey, hey, hey. Continue Reading »




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Listen: Slant's Best Singles of 2010

Kanye West

If there was ever a year where we needed pop to do its exhilarating best, 2010 was it. Beyond escapism, pop music provided the brainpower, the emotional nuance, and most of all, the vision that the rest of the country, particularly in the political arena, lacked. Though we always count on pop music to give us what we want, the best pop is just as capable of giving us what we need. Listen to all 25 of Slant Magazine's Best Singles of 2010 on our new YouTube Channel! (Due to the fact that many record labels are loathe to actually promote their artists, we are unfortunately unable to embed the entire playlist here.)




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Fabcast: Hercules and Love Affair, Lykke Li, and Jazmine Sullivan

[Editor's Note: Fabcast is a new video series where Slant's music editor talks to gay social network Fab.com about which new singles, leaked songs, and album tracks they (and you) need to hear.]

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't always make him like Swedish indie-pop...




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Fabcast: Little Dragon, White Town, and M.I.A.

[Editor's Note: Fabcast is a new video series where Slant's music editor talks to gay social network Fab.com about which new singles, leaked songs, and album tracks they (and you) need to hear.]

I was a little unprepared this week, but the mustache is gone! Also, if you're a Robyn fan, I recommend watching this week's segment until the very end:




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Listen: Slant's Best Singles of the '90s

Sinead O'Connor

Got seven hours to spare at work today? Listen to all 100 of Slant Magazine's Best Singles of the '90s on our new YouTube Channel!

[Editor's Note: We originally planned to embed the player here for your convenience, but that feature is currently disabled for a significant number of the songs on our list.]




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Sarah Palin's Rallying Cry

When Sarah Palin's new video message regarding the controversy surrounding the assassination attempt of Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was released today, I couldn't help but think of Osama Bin Laden. Some will no doubt be tempted to stop reading right here, and dismiss this as the rant of some partisan lefty. A lefty I am, and I make no bones about it, but hear me out. Bin Laden doesn't just release one of his cave messages to the West following a terrorist attack for which he's responsible; he often chimes in after any notable calamity, claiming tacit responsibility or pointing a figure at the consequences of American imperialism.

Continue Reading »




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Fabcast: Teena Marie, PJ Harvey, and Sky Ferreira

[Editor's Note: Fabcast is a new video series where Slant's music editor talks to gay social network Fab.com about which new singles, leaked songs, and album tracks they (and you) need to hear.]

In case you missed our first installment, check out this week's Fabcast, in which Keith Edwards attempts to sing and I inadvertently leave off the last "La" in Teena Marie's "Ooo La La La":




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