Grimes’s 2012 album, Visions, is a decidedly dark but beautiful work, and the Canadian musician (real name Claire Boucher) has been very open about the process of writing it.

“I blacked out the windows and did tons of amphetamines and stayed up for three weeks and didn’t eat anything.”

That quote comes thanks to her Wikipedia page, which cites a 2012 CMJ interview. First added in 2013, the quote has apparently been deleted and added back several times in the past year. It currently doesn't show up, though the link to the CMJ article is still there, slightly reworded. Under that passage is now a link to her Tumblr post from Aug. 17. 

To Boucher, that edit made her sound like a proponent of drug use. On Tumblr post, she called out the people editing her page:

“losing people to drugs and alcohol is the worst because they destroy any good memories you have of them before forcing you to deal with the empty space they leave behind. also whoever keeps putting the few quotes i said early in my career about drugs back into my wikipedia page is an asshole.  I don’t want that to be part of my narrative, and if it has to be I want people to know that i hate hard drugs.  All they’ve ever done is kill my friends and cause me to be unproductive.  Editing a website that people take seriously and reference all the time so that it looks like i think amphetamines are cool is incredibly irresponsible, people might read that and think its a cool thing to emulate.  I hope you know you are doing the world a disservice.  I just watched another person I care deeply about basically turn into gollum and my heart is broken. “

History has proven Wikipedia to be a false narrator, and Boucher has every right to edit her narrative. 

H/T Pitchfork | Photo via John Biehler/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The issue of when and where you can fly a drone has been passionately debated, but flying drones at punk shows is still very wild, uncharted territory.

Drone pilot Harry Arnold learned this the hard way, when punk band Trash Talk played an indoor skateboarding competition in Detroit on Aug. 9. Arnold runs an aerial photography and event-streaming company called Detroit Drone, and claims he was hired to film the show. During Trash Talk’s performance, the drone flies over the crowd. Bassist Spencer Pollard caught sight, and heaved three drinks at it. 

Arnold posted the footage to YouTube after the incident, and told MLive that though he and Pollard exchanged words, it was a “rebel moment,” akin to “Ozzy Osbourne biting the head off a bat.” He’s being reimbursed by the promoter for $700 in damages.

This joins the new tradition of people throwing things at drones. Is that a Tumblr yet?

H/T Spin | Screengrab via detroitdrone.com/YouTube

Master of YouTube parody Todrick Hall was a mere glint in his father’s eye when John Travolta was stranded at the drive-in in 1978.

Greasy, Hall’s interracial send-up of the film Grease, offered by comedy site What the Funny, reenacts the opening scene in the film where Olivia Newton-John and Travolta sing "Summer Nights" as a way of telling their friends about a summer spent “splashin’ around” at the beach. In this more modern version, Hall is telling his homies about the summer he spent with the blonde that began with the line, “‘Scuse me, miss, you want some of this?” Subtle? No. Effective? Apparently.

The original:

It's not Hall's first time tackling a classic: He previously retold Cinderella through Beyoncé songs, developed a Wizard of Oz remix with Pentatonix, and released a Mean Girlsparody for the film's 10th anniversary.

Screengrab via What the Funny

What happens when you cross one of the most beloved animation studios with one of the most criticized action directors?

In certain media circles, Michael Bay is much-maligned. Sure, the Transformers director’s library of movies have grossed billions of dollars—but his work is also characterized by almost absurd spectacle and explosions. Oh, so many explosions. (Oh, and arguably racist stereotypes, but let's not go there.)

YouTube user MrStratman7 has now taken it upon himself to poke gentle fun at Bay’s signature style, imitating the director’s techniques in a parodic trailer for Up, of all things.

There are the explosions, the overly dramatic music, the mayhem, the endless lens flares… It’s masterfully done, highlighting the flaws and clichés that have made Bay such a figure of ridicule, despite his extreme profitability.

But at the same time, all I can think about is how much I want to watch this movie.

Screengrab via YouTube

Aphex Twin, an Irish electronic musician with a knack for being lightyears ahead of the curve, just announced a brand new album on the Deep Web by launching a Tor hidden service.

SYRO, Aphex Twin’s first album in 13 years, was announced in a tweet that sent fans to an onion address—http://syro2eznzea2xbpi.onion/—that revealed the album’s title and tracklist.

Image via Pitchfork.com

If you visit the website without using Tor—which you can see at http://syro2eznzea2xbpi.com/—you will be presented with no album name or tracklist. Instead, you’ll see a scary but easy-to-obtain amount of information about you, including your location.

The Twitter/Tor-based announcement comes on the heels of reports of an Aphex Twin-branded blimp flying over Manhattan last weekend, plus sightings of the band's logo elsewhere in the city.

Richard James, the man behind Aphex Twin, doesn’t just blaze technological trails. He also happens to make beautiful music that has influenced bands like Radiohead and all electronic music today. Here’s a pretty little tune called "Film":

H/T Pitchfork | Photo via marktowning/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Taylor Swift has been keeping secrets lately (and dousing herself with ice water), building up anticipation for… something. Everyone wanted to know: Could she drop a Beyoncé?

On Monday afternoon, ABC News and Yahoo livestreamed her big announcement, as she met us at the top of the Empire State building. She asked if we wanted to go inside (yes, I'm afraid of heights), then the 24-year-old singer sat down in her Oprah-esque set to give us three surprises, like a beautiful genie. 

The first was a new song, “Shake It Off,” which she explained is a song of positivity in the face of haters. She then danced around with audience members, and fans across the country joined in.

GIF by Greg Seals

Next up, she revealed she’s been working on a new album for two years, and it’s given her time to change and evolve. She was listening to a lot of late ’80s pop and getting inspired. She was born in 1989, and the new album is called 1989!

It’s her first “documented, official pop album,” and all the album art is Polaroids, because ’80s! It will be in stores Oct. 27. Bonus tracks were recorded as voice memos on her phone. So mod! She then told a fan on Skype: “You have the shiniest hair!”

Surprise No. 3: Swift collaborated with Mark Romanek for the music video for “Shake It Off.” Then my livestream crashed. 

Twitter weighed in:

taylor surrendered to the least complicated narrative of who she is -- she buried herself and gave us her brand in its place. goodbye~

— Jessica Roy (@JessicaKRoy) August 18, 2014

Don't know what it says that a noticeable # of ppl in my Twitter feed just pivoted from President Obama to Taylor Swift.

— Jeff Chu (@jeffchu) August 18, 2014

Taylor Swift should do the Yahoo earnings calls.

— Josh Ong (@beijingdou) August 18, 2014

Why is she always surprised so many people are around her? YOU ARE TAYLOR SWIFT YOU ARE SO IMPORTANT

— granger. (@xlovegood) August 18, 2014

is taylor swift still a thing

— D (@crownsbieber) August 18, 2014

T-Swift celebrating 25 years since Radio Raheem pic.twitter.com/KdX0aoY5dk

— Anne Helen Petersen (@annehelen) August 18, 2014

this will not help america begin the healing pic.twitter.com/MmihmzeU5l

— Sam Faulkner Biddle (@samfbiddle) August 18, 2014

Just give Tay her own talk show; she is clearly ready. 

Screengrab via Taylor Swift VEVO/YouTube 

Amateur pen drummer Shane Bang has been making school supplies musical for eight years on his YouTubechannel, and thanks to Sharpie, he's now sharing his beats with the world as part of a new television ad campaign.

"I'd always wanted to be a drummer since I was a little kid, but my family couldn't afford a drum set," Bang told the Daily Dot. "Around middle school, I discovered while I was bored in class that I could make simple cadences by hitting my pens on my desk. By the time I was a freshman in high school, I was pretty good, and I created a YouTube channel and uploaded my first video, just for the heck of it. I never thought it would blow up as much as it did. I have a lot of fun making my videos and creating new sounds I never thought I could make using just pens and other household objects. I like to think people enjoy the creativity, and that my videos help to stretch their imagination as well."

Bang was flown to New York for the shoot and worked with a choreographer to create a routine suited for television. While he’s always told himself that pen drumming was just a hobby, the overall success of his YouTube and the outside opportunities he's gotten even without being part of a multichannel network have left Bang optimistic about his video-making future.

“It seems like every year a new, crazy opportunity comes out of it,” he said. “For example, two years ago I did a small local commercial for Vans, the clothing company. I thought that was probably the peak of my 'pen drumming career.' Two years later, I get this call from Sharpie, and now I'm left wondering what else could come out of this.”

While he waits for the next big pen drumming moment, Bang is sharpening his skills on his Instagram with shorter-form beats and brainstorming other brands that might benefit from his tapping.

“I always thought Staples would be a great brand to make a video for,” he said. “I could imagine myself make a pretty cool beat with a bunch of school supplies.”

When a piece of hardware goes obsolete, you can trash it, or you can find a creative new use for it. That's what YouTuber MrSolidSnake745 has done with his excess floppy disk drives. They now orchestrate a symphony of cover songs that have amassed 14 million views overall.

FXX paid a staggering $750 million for syndication rights to The Simpsons, and the fanfare surrounding the animated sitcom’s arrival is equally outsize: Apart from the unprecedented Simpsons World app, we’re getting a 12-day marathon of the entire Simpsons run—25 seasons, 552 episodes, plus the 2007 feature film—starting Thursday at 10 am ET.

If you didn’t value your sanity or hygiene, you might try to watch the whole thing. Lots of diehard fans, however, will tell you that nothing past the eighth or ninth season is worth your attention. Falling as I do between these radical approaches, I’ve sifted out gems from every era of the show, a handful of which may even prove unfamiliar to lifelong Springfieldianites. Nevertheless, I can assure you that each and every one is a well-crafted (and perfectly cromulent) work of art.          

Season 1, Episode 9: “Life on the Fast Lane”

The fragilities of Marge and Homer’s marriage—as well as their touching reconciliations—form a cornerstone of the series. Why not start with Marge’s seduction by a French bowling instructor? 

Season 2, Episode 4: “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish”

The Simpsons wasted no time slashing into politics and corporate greed: Blinky, the mutant three-eyed fish of this episode, became an enduring image of environmental negligence.  

Season 3, Episode 10: “Flaming Moe’s”

Homer’s favorite tavern is an essential ingredient in his blue-collar life. What happens when his bartender betrays him, transforming his divey sanctuary into a hip nightclub in the process? 

Season 4, Episode 9: “Mr. Plow”

“Marge vs. the Monorail” and "Last Exit to Springfield" are typically cited as artistic high points here, but you can’t go wrong with the earliest of Homer’s get-rich-quick schemes—which actually works, albeit too briefly.

Season 5, Episode 10: “$pringfield (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)”

Although the Simpson family is the core of what makes The Simpsons great, Springfield itself is perhaps the real star. Especially when sweeping decisions are made in riotous town meetings. 

Season 6, Episode 2: “Lisa’s Rival”

A riveting exploration of the line between friendship and jealousy, framed by crumbling Springfield Elementary, but also an unbeatable B-plot: Homer hoarding a giant pile of sugar.

Season 7, Episode 16: “Lisa the Iconoclast”

More Lisa? You bet. As the moral compass of the ensemble, there’s no one better to carry this story about the ways in which history can be whitewashed, refracted, exaggerated, or obscured.  

Season 8, Episode 2: “You Only Move Twice”

Quite possibly the most outrageous conceptual piece on offer: Homer lands the job of his dreams but fails to realize he’s working for a supervillain out to conquer the East Coast.

Season 9, Episode 5: “The Cartridge Family”

Where the Seinfeld team famously nixed a gun episode, writer John Swartzwelder landed a doozy: Homer loses his family after becoming addicted to the power afforded by a new sidearm. 

Season 10, Episode 10: “Viva Ned Flanders”

The Homer-Flanders relationship is among the show’s most fertile; the pair is in top form here as Homer tries to jump-start his churchy neighbor’s sense of fun with a disastrous Vegas trip.

Season 11, Episode 2: “Brother’s Little Helper”

After a decade entertaining us with his misbehavior, Bart is finally diagnosed with an attention-deficit disorder. His new medication, though, has some unpleasant side effects.

Season 12, Episode 6: “The Computer Wore Menace Shoes”

An ideal takedown of gossip-blog culture, with a magnificently weird third-act homage to The Prisoner: Homer makes up fake news to get pageviews and accidentally reports a dark truth.

Season 13, Episode 16: “Weekend At Burnsie’s”

The capsule description of “Homer on medicinal marijuana” is probably enough to sell this one, yet I’d feel remiss in failing to mention that it opens with him befriending a murder of crows.

Season 14, Episode 17: “Three Gays of the Condo”

Having conquered his homophobia six seasons prior, another near-divorce sees Homer quite comfortable rooming with two new gay friends, one voiced by the peerless Scott Thompson.

Season 15, Episode 21: “Bart-Mangled Banner”

Arguably the finest episode to come out of the Bush-Cheney years, this outing sees the entire Simpsons clan indefinitely detained over misunderstandings that brand them as anti-American.

Season 16, Episode 6: “Midnight Rx”

When Mr. Burns cancels his employees’ prescription drug plan, Grandpa Simpson becomes the point man for a daring cross-border operation: smuggling cheap pills in from Canada.

Season 17, Episode 17: “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore”

Another riff on globalization: Mr. Burns hopes to inflate profits by outsourcing nuclear plant jobs to India. Meanwhile, Patty and Selma kidnap their idol, MacGyver’s Richard Dean Anderson.

Season 18, Episode 6: “Moe’N’a Lisa”

Moe and Lisa make unlikely partners in poetry, yet the prestige and pretensions of the publishing world (yes, Tom Wolfe and Jonathan Franzen make appearances) threaten to tear them apart.

Season 19, Episode 13: “The Debarted”

In as lovely a send-up of Scorsese as you could hope for, Principal Skinner has a plan for dismantling Bart’s schoolyard crime ring from the inside—with an undercover transfer student.  

Season 20, Episode 21: “Coming to Homerica”

The Simpsons has touched on the immigration issue more than once, and it’s always a treat. Here, Springfield initially welcomes transplants from nearby Ogdenville, then turns xenophobic.

Season 21, Episode 20: “To Surveil with Love”

In this Orwellian entry, Springfield follows London’s lead on pervasive CCTV. Things get even better when Bart realizes the Simpsons’ backyard is the camera network’s lone blind spot.

Season 22, Episode 19: “The Real Housewives of Fat Tony”

Reality shows, principally Jersey Shore, may seem like low-hanging fruit, but Joe Mantegna-voiced mobster Fat Tony is an invaluable and often surprising recurrent character.

Season 23, Episode 6: “The Book Job”

2014 has been a great year for arguing about the role and relative value of YA literature, which makes this heist episode about ghostwriters and franchise entertainment required viewing.

Season 24, Episode 4: “Gone Abie Gone”

As the The Simpsons progressed, continuity was tweaked and the past rewritten, though rarely as well as in this mystery about Grandpa’s life (and marriage) as a hep cat in the 1960s jazz scene.   

Season 25, Episode 9: “Steal This Episode”

With a script so bracing that even long-lost fans were impressed, this misadventure has Homer running afoul of the FBI when he starts screening illegally downloaded films for his friends.

So there you have it—an essential episode for each season The Simpsons has been on the air. Here’s the full schedule, should you want to set anything in stone, though like much of the television it’s successfully lampooned over the years, the show is best enjoyed when drifting in and out of a couch nap and nursing a cheap domestic beer. It’s the Homerican way!

Photo by Desiree Onievas Lopez/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Will Smith hadn't seen his longtime musical partner and close associate, DJ Jazzy Jeff, in "about seven months." The way Smith made it sound Friday afternoon during a corporate gig in Vegas’s Palms Casino Resort, that last meeting had been some sort of appearance-fee reunion in Dubai. The Palms was a similar occasion, though Smith, ever the generous ham, couldn’t resist hopping on the mic to crash (and support) Jazz’s gig.

More importantly, Smith was instantly at ease in front of two turntables: "We ain't been on stage in forever."

And so, at a Las Vegas pool party—which exists as a prime leg on the nostalgic rap concert circuit and is populated by an audience there to politely wait until that one song from a pubescent school dance spins—Smith took off his shirt and revealed himself as the Fresh Prince.

"It look like we might have a fan or two in the house," Smith said, as droves of smartphones appeared. 

With the party’s star rising and requests being thrown left and right, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince performed two of the three verses from cookout classic “Summertime” like it was 1991. These days, “Summertime” is the fourth song called “Summertime” that populates when you search for “Summertime” on Spotify (peace to Kenny Chesney, Billie Holiday, and Chet Baker), but it’s still an Alpines standard that makes you feel some sorta way.

On that front, it’s time to revisit a classic: I submit the top five times that Jazz was thrown out of Uncle Phil’s house.

H/T MTV | Photo via Walmart/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Taylor Swift dropped “Shake it Off” with an adorning music video Monday night. The first single from the upcoming 1989 is a dance-centric cut that finds Swift crawling between twerking women. Critics claim it’s an instantly grating, post-Miley Cyrus and Iggy Azalea fit of cultural insensitivity.

Earl Sweatshirt, the brilliant 22-year-old Odd Future rapper, took to Twitter to voice his eye-rolling disdain in what’s been a summer of white people camping out in the R&B and hip-hop charts.

perpetuating black stereotypes to the same demographic of white girls who hide their prejudice by proclaiming their love of the culture

— EARL (@earlxsweat) August 19, 2014

haven't watched the taylor swift video and I don't need to watch it to tell you that it's inherently offensive and ultimately harmful

— EARL (@earlxsweat) August 19, 2014

for instance, those of you who are afraid of black people but love that in 2014 it's ok for you to be trill or twerk or say nigga

— EARL (@earlxsweat) August 19, 2014

He’s got a point. 

But back to Earl Sweatshirt, the artist. If you’re not familiar with his music it is sprawling and magnificent. “Sunday” is the centerpiece of Doris, one of 2013’s finest releases. Just listen to it instead.

Screengrab via Taylor Swift VEVO/YouTube

The Emmys take place Aug. 25, and what better way to review all the nominated shows than to see them reenacted by children?

Game of Thrones, True Detective, House of Cards, Mad Men, Downton Abbey, and Breaking Bad all get the kid-gloves treatment. Seeing children point out the sexism in Mad Men is pretty depressing, as is hearing a little boy say, “Jesse, want to cook some crystal meth?," though that segment sums up the Walter-Jesse Breaking Bad dynamic pretty well. The li’l Matthew McConaughey monologue from True Detective might be the best.

Actually, these Emmy-nominated shows are somehow even darker with kids.

Screengrab via mom.me/YouTube

We’ve got more Saul Goodman to look forward to, but think of what the Breaking Bad sequel could’ve been.

Actually getting Walter White and Jesse Pinkman back together would be damn near impossible, even without all of the emotional damage and abuse between the two (almost all of it Jesse’s; let’s be real here). But picture this: Walt fakes his own death, gets Jesse to pick them up, and they start a new life in plain sight: the hosts of a pawn shop reality show with an illegal business on the side.

In walks Julia Louis-Dreyfus looking to pawn off one of her four Emmys after accidentally buying her own island, and it manages to take jabs at cable pay, reality shows, and the comedy categories. It’s a mini Seinfeld reunion, and we’re all the better for it, at least until we remember that Breaking Bad isn’t coming back.

It’s gold, Emmy gold! And Bryan Cranston didn’t even have to convert to anything just to hear Aaron Paul say “bitch” one more time.

Photo via Television Academy/YouTube

BY BREE BROUWER

Austin, Texas-based digital production studio Rooster Teeth will soon have at least one of its popular series exported overseas.

The production company just scored a deal with Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Japan to bring their hit anime program RWBY to Japan, where the show, starting with RWBY: Volume 1, will be redubbed in Japanese for release on Blu-Ray and DVD in 2015.

“As huge fans of anime, we are honored that RWBY is the first American anime production to be exported to audiences in Japan,” said Matt Hullum, Rooster Teeth Co-Founder and CEO, in a press release. “We look forward to working with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Japan to bring our unique style of this animation to the art form’s native country.”

Along with the Volume 1 Blu-Rays and DVDS, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Japan also plans to release other soon-to-be revealed RWBY merchandise. The Japanese division of the major entertainment conglomerate has been key in bringing not only Warner Bros. properties overseas, but also acquiring and distributing other anime content (like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Accel World). RWBY should fit in nicely to their growing catalog.

Created by Rooster Teeth’s Director of Animation, Monty Oum, RWBY is about four young women named Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang, who all have a legendary calling to slay monsters and save the world. However, while attending school at Beacon Academy in Remnant to learn how to become monster-slayer Huntresses, they learn monsters aren’t the only problem, and they’ll have to work together (despite wildly different personalities) to save lives…and graduate.

You can watch season one of RWBY and catch new episodes of season 2 every Thursday on RoosterTeeth.com.

Screengrab via Rooster Teeth/YouTube

There’s a new doctor on YouTube and she’s accidentally stopping the hearts of lab assistants everywhere.Frankenstein, M.D., the latest effort from Pemberley Digital, premiered Tuesday on the PBS Idea Channel YouTube.

The three-episode premiere lays the groundwork for the the series that will focus on the efforts of Victoria Frankenstein, played by newcomer Anna Lore, an ambitious young doctor who’s looking to push the limits of science. The series combines Pemberley’s past success with female-fronted novel adaptations like The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and Emma Approved, and PBS’ science and education-based approach to programming.

If past success is anything to go by, Frankenstein, M.D. should be a homerun for Pemberley and PBS. In the first three episodes we already see Victoria taking charge, but also flawed in her interpersonal relationships when she lets her scientific urges take over, plus we even spy some of Pemberley’s standard romantic inklings, although creator Bernie Sue told the Daily Dot that there would be much less romance in the series than previous projects. Some fan comments are wary of the series straying too far from Mary Shelley's original text, but to that one spirited supporter replied on YouTube, “Yeah, and Victor Frankenstein also didn't have internet. You gonna complain about that too?“ Overall, fans are elated. In addition to YouTube, fans can also follow the cast of characters on varioussocialmediachannels, or through an in-world blog. The series will run for 24 episodes airing twice a week, and culminates with a Season 1 finale appropriately scheduled for Halloween.

Screenshot via PBS Digital Studios/YouTube

From Pitbull and Ke$ha to Cyndi Lauper, there's no bounds to Scott Bradlee's musical reimaginings.

Bradlee, who's brought us countless imaginative versions of amazing pop songs with his Postmodern Jukebox, now takes on Lauper's ’80s classic, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" in a 1920s waltz style. A version of the song appeared in Bioshock Infinite, for which Bradlee provided several musical arrangements. While this particular version didn't appear in the game, Bradlee says on his YouTube channel that this version and performance is a thank-you to the game's music supervisor, who found his music via YouTube years ago, and to the entire team behind the project.

Grab your partner, and start waltzing around your room. We know you can't help yourself.

Screengrab via Postmodern Jukebox/YouTube

The first episode of Selfie, ABC’s new comedy is available online, giving millennials the opportunity to see just what middle-aged network executives think of them—the vacuous and annoying stars of terrible television.

Selfie is loosely based on My Fair Lady. We know this because cunningly, the main characters are named Eliza Dooley (Doctor Who's Karen Gillan)—a social-media-obsessed fright—and Henry Higenbottam (Harold & Kumar's John Cho). But was the original Eliza ever this annoying? Would she have walked through a packed plane shouting “got the upgrade, ladies … don’t be jelly” and lacking so much self-awareness to boast of being “#instafamous”? Of course not—she was rough as old boots, but she was never as unlikeable as this.

You may well say, though, that those who tune in to ABC on Tuesdays at 8pm won’t know or even care about the original, an assertion confirmed by their viewership, evidence that they don’t possess any viable, enriching distraction: a computer, a book, a ball.

But this isn’t about whether the show is an accurate adaptation. Of course it isn’t—although Gillan’s battle with an American accent unintentionally recalls Audrey Hepburn’s insulting attempted cockney twang. But in the transition, the heart of the set-up, our empathy for Eliza as she is socially engineered from the class in which she was born, is replaced by hatred for a character who requires lessons on how to be nice.

In future episodes there will no doubt be redemption, and, it can be confidently assumed, a relationship with her mentor. It is inevitable that she will develop as a person, drop the selfies and finally understand that “being friended is not the same thing as having friends.” It is worrying, however, to think that we should be expected to want to follow this frightful shell of a person on her journey.

But what is even more worrying is that someone at ABC thinks that the modern equivalent of a good-natured, poor, Covent Garden flower vendor is an ignorant, friendless bore who decides she needs a revised self-image. Eliza Doolittle required a veneer of gentility and respectability so as to promote her inherent wholesomeness; Eliza Dooley needs a professional image “rebrand” to obscure her worthlessness.

Screengrab via ABC

From Fan Halen to Led Zepagain, tribute bands are a powerful nostalgic force in the live music scene. Warner Music pays tribute to those tributes in its new YouTube series on the Live from the Living Room channel.

Tribute bands are not the same as cover bands, as Derek Fuller (Eddie Van Halen) from Fan Halen explains in the first episode. The distinctive difference is a tribute band does more than just play songs by their idols; they also dress and act the part. They’re not playing in your mom’s basement, either. They headline iconic venues like the Viper Room and perform to huge crowds in Las Vegas. Ernie Berru (David Lee Roth) from Fan Halen says it best: “We’re kind of like Civil War reenactors.”

The six-episode series will roll out weekly, with one episode fully devoted to die-hard fans of the tributes themselves.

Screengrab via The Warner Sound/YouTube

Few actors on television are capable of the kind of gravitas that Nick Offerman wields effortlessly on a daily basis. It’s no surprise, then, that the folks at Mashable asked Offerman to give deep, authoritative voice to a few eye-opening musings from the subreddit r/ShowerThoughts.

In the video, embedded below, Offerman reads half a dozen posts from Shower Thoughts, the popular subreddit built around the ephemeral but profound realizations that come to all of us in the shower.

Hearing Nick Offerman say, “If your shirt isn't tucked into your pants, then your pants are tucked into your shirt,” it’s fair to say that these Shower Thoughts read by Nick Offerman will make you stop and think, even if you're not in the shower.

And BuzzFeed brings us the GIF we need:

H/T Uproxx | Screengrab via Mashable/YouTube

With 30,000 albums sold, Troye Sivan's debut TRXYE made a top 5 premiere on the Billboard 200 chart this week, making him the second-highest debut of the week and breaking new ground for YouTube stars turned musicians.

The 19-year-old Australian had a much shorter week of sales than other albums, as the album came out on on a Friday to facillitate a global release.  Even still, he obtained his top 10 debut, falling just ahead of Five Seconds of Summer and behind Gaslight Anthem's newest album, the highest debut on the chart with only 3,000 more units sold than Sivan. Other higher ranking albums include two soundtracks (Guardians of the Galaxy and Frozen) and the stalwart Now That's What I Call Music series' latest edition, No. 51.

On the digital albums chart, Sivan debuted at No. 2, behind only the Guardians soundtrack.

Sivan was obviously overjoyed and took to Twitter to announce the news.

TRXYE DEBUTED AT #5 ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS

— Troye Sivan (@troyesivan) August 20, 2014

Hopefully the momentum holds for the YouTube star in the coming weeks.

Screenshot via Troye Sivan VEVO/YouTube