Arts bites: March 10, 2010

Rapper Lil Wayne avoids prison … yet again

Last week, rapper Lil Wayne, who had his sentencing for gun-possession charges delayed in February to have his diamond-encrusted teeth (and numerous cavities) repaired, had his hearing postponed yet again because the courthouse caught fire.

Is it too much to assume that the self-proclaimed “greatest rapper alive” could be in cahoots with the “greatest dentist alive” and now the “greatest arsonist alive”?

–Mike Lakusiak

New Radiohead tracklist appears on the Internet

Radiohead returned to the studio in January, apparently recording what would become the band’s eighth studio album to be released sometime this spring or summer.

The band is notoriously cryptic and has revealed little about the sessions or the release of the album.

But on Sunday, music blog tinymixtapes.com received a strange e-mail from what appeared to be the band’s website that when decoded read as a list of new Radiohead live songs and the title Tehrangeles.

Nothing is for certain at this point, but this seems to be evidence that a follow-up to 2007’s critically and commercially-successful In Rainbows might surface soon.

–Mike Lakusiak

iPad to launch in late April

Canadians will be able to purchase Apple’s latest hype-crazy gizmo, the iPad tablet computer, a couple of weeks after the April 3 U.S. launch, according to CEO Steve Jobs.

There is no word on Canada-specific pricing but the base model will retail for $499 with a more heavily-featured model appearing later.

Apple’s shares hit an all-time high after word of the launch date was finalized, along with news that an iBooks e-book application would accompany the launch.

The iPad is touted as the possible saviour of print media, just, ahem, like the iPod saved the music industry. No, wait a minute…

–Mike Lakusiak

Christoph Waltz humps?

Sunday night, Inglourious Basterds actor Christoph Waltz played a memorable role on Jimmy Kimmel Live, hours after winning the award for best supporting actor at the Oscar’s. Kimmel aired an alleged BBC biography of the actor.

In the video, Waltz described his most crucial role, in a fabricated movie called Der Humpdink, based on a well-known internet video of a Russian man singing “trolololo” repeatedly. Waltz not only sings but humps various objects.

Needless to say, it’s awesome.

–Rebecca Vasluianu