SALON

Five pop culture items we missed

Today's catch: James Franco's album, "Knocked Up's" follow-up, "Glee" cast member's new book, and more

Topics: Pop five, Archer, Celebrity, James Franco, Zach Galifianakis, Television,

Five pop culture items we missedChris Colfer has some big news for you...

1.) Annoying Judd Apatow prodigy news of the day: James Franco is readying his EP “Turn It Up” with Kalup Linzy for a July 12 release date, which is less than a month after “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” premieres. He literally cannot give it a rest.

2.) Less annoying Judd Apatow prodigy news of the day: Indie darlings Lena Dunham, Charlyne Yi and Chris O’Dowd all join the cast of the “Knocked Up” spinoff. Yi will be reprising her role from the original as a giggling stoner.

3.) “It gets way better” news of the day: Wunderkind Chris Colfer of “Glee” signed a two-book deal with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. The deal includes a novel and a book of fairy tales called “The Land of Stories.” That’s in addition to those two scripts he just wrote. For some reason when James Franco does everything it’s annoying, and when Colfer does it, it’s inspiring. Go figure.

4.) Best comedy news of the day: Finally, a whole live show on Comedy Central for voice actor Jon Benjamin (“Archer,” “Home Movies”) called “Jon Benjamin Has a Van.”


Jon Benjamin Has a Van

 

5.) Second best piece of comedy news of the day: Zach Galifianakis’ Rolling Stone cover story. The anecdote of his unaired “Saturday Night Live” sketch for Britney Spears is especially inspired.

Drew Grant

Drew Grant is a staff writer for Salon. Follow her on Twitter at @videodrew.

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Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

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