Elizabeth Spiers

In Defense of Justin Bieber: Why America Turns on Male Child Stars Who Try to Grow Up

flavorwire.com — You've no doubt read the hysterical, salacious coverage of the ongoing disaster that has been Justin Bieber's European tour: the scuffles with god-awful photographers in England, the "drug bust" (i.e., getting busted for smoking weed - a nation gasps!), the bizarre heist that apparently involved someone absconding with all the money from the tour's Johannesburg date.

A Profile of the Order of Good Death

psmag.com — At first, it might sound gross or a little bit scary. Ridiculous, even. You wonder if it's going to hurt. Will it be meaningless? Messy? What if you don't know what to do-or if it happens too fast or too slow? Relax, man. It's totally natural. WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE.

Flavorwire Interview: Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach on Creating ‘Frances Ha’ Together

flavorwire.com — Anyone who saw Greta Gerwig providing the soft, gooey center for Noah Baumbach's sharply acidic Greenberg would understand why he'd want to cast her again; as the accidental love interest to Ben Stiller's misanthrope, she gave a performance so nuanced yet winning and deeply felt that it sent anyone who observed it reeling for synonyms for "star quality."

Why Daft Punk’s ‘Random Access Memories’ Won’t Save Electronic Music

flavorwire.com — These are strange times for electronic music. The rise of what the US insists on calling EDM means the genre's more popular than it's ever been. A second wave of superstar DJs walk the globe, commanding crazy appearance fees and lengthy GQ profiles.

Introducing Strongbox

newyorker.com — This morning, The New Yorker launched Strongbox, an online place where people can send documents and messages to the magazine, and we, in turn, can offer them a reasonable amount of anonymity. It was put together by Aaron Swartz, who died in January, and Kevin Poulsen.

Announcing Flavorwire’s First Short Fiction Contest

flavorwire.com — Flavorwire is thrilled to announce its first-ever short fiction contest. In honor of May's National Short Story Month, we're offering a prize of $500 for one outstanding short story. To enter, simply send a story of 5,000 words or less - in the body of a message, not as an attachment - along with a brief author bio and all relevant contact information to flavorwirefiction@gmail.com by Friday, May 17.

The Complicated - And Troubling - Role of Race and Class in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Gatsby’

flavorwire.com — Now that The Great Gatsby has opened to favorable audience reviews and not-so-ecstatic critical response, there seems little left to be said about Baz Luhrmann's garish 3D romance. As expected, Luhrmann's picture is a mostly faithful adaptation of the book, if not a completely obvious one.

20 of the Flat-Out Funniest Songs in Rock ‘n’ Roll

flavorwire.com — In an attempt to save you (not to mention ourselves) from the general Monday-morning awfulness that tends to follow a lovely spring weekend, Flavorwire has compiled a playlist of indie/rock/generally guitar-based songs that are genuinely funny. These are 20 of the flat-out wittiest and most amusing songs we know - and we guarantee that at least one of them will make you chuckle.

Watch Brian Eno’s Red Bull Music Academy Lecture in Full

flavorwire.com — There's been some really great stuff on at the Red Bull Music Academy this year, and your correspondent is kicking himself for missing Brian Eno's lecture/Q&A last week. Thankfully, if you're in the same boat, a full recording of the 80-minute event is online now - you can watch it above, and it's fascinating.

The Best ‘Great Gatsby’ Merchandise for Living the High Life

flavorwire.com — If there's anything Jay Gatsby went in for, it was capitalism. So if you're getting excited for the film adaptation of your favorite book, or planning a -centric theme party that's just dying for some chic decor, why not follow in your favorite fictional character's steps and spend a little green?