Canadian Artist Uses John Lennon Tooth Fragment in Sculpture

Edmonton sculptor Kirsten Zuk working on her John Lennon DNA sculpture for her Art Show on August 18th in Alberta, Canada.

A fragment of the John Lennon tooth that was auctioned off last fall will become part of a work of art, the Edmonton Sun reports. The tooth's winning bidder gave a small piece of the molar to his sister to use in a clay sculpture she was making in the Beatles legend's likeness.

The tooth, which had been in the family of John Lennon's former housekeeper for years, went to auction last November in Stockport, England. It was purchased for more than $32,000 by Michael Zuk, a dentist from Alberta who says he suggested that his sister use a fragment of the tooth in a work of art.

"This is like a time-capsule. It will contain his DNA," Kirsten Zuk told the Sun. (The tooth was actually too fragile to be DNA-tested before the sale to confirm it belonged to Lennon, but the Omega Auction House said they had no doubts regarding its authenticity.)

Zuk will display her sculpture of Lennon at the Edmonton, Alberta Fringe Festival. She is using the sculpture to promote the charity Smile Train, which helps provide cleft-palate surgery for children living in poverty.

John Lennon's molar sold at auction.Courtesy of Omega Auction House To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Canadian Artist Uses John Lennon Tooth Fragment in Sculpture

Edmonton sculptor Kirsten Zuk working on her John Lennon DNA sculpture for her Art Show on August 18th in Alberta, Canada.

A fragment of the John Lennon tooth that was auctioned off last fall will become part of a work of art, the Edmonton Sun reports. The tooth's winning bidder gave a small piece of the molar to his sister to use in a clay sculpture she was making in the Beatles legend's likeness.

The tooth, which had been in the family of John Lennon's former housekeeper for years, went to auction last November in Stockport, England. It was purchased for more than $32,000 by Michael Zuk, a dentist from Alberta who says he suggested that his sister use a fragment of the tooth in a work of art.

"This is like a time-capsule. It will contain his DNA," Kirsten Zuk told the Sun. (The tooth was actually too fragile to be DNA-tested before the sale to confirm it belonged to Lennon, but the Omega Auction House said they had no doubts regarding its authenticity.)

Zuk will display her sculpture of Lennon at the Edmonton, Alberta Fringe Festival. She is using the sculpture to promote the charity Smile Train, which helps provide cleft-palate surgery for children living in poverty.

John Lennon's molar sold at auction.Courtesy of Omega Auction House To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

'The Artist' Wins Big at the Oscars

Meryl Streep accepts the award for Best Actress during the 84th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood

It was a big night for the silent French–American sleeper hit The Artist, which nabbed five awards, including the coveted combo of best picture and best director, at the 84th annual Academy Awards.

The Artist also scored some mild upsets, first when newcomer Jean Dujardin won best actor over George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Gary Oldman, then when Michel Hazanavicius beat out the likes of Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen for best director. The best actor win for Dujardin was somewhat surprising since Clooney has been running a victory lap in the press after walking away with several other major awards leading up to the Oscars for his role in The Descendants, including a Golden Globe.

Otherwise, it was a mixed bag at the Academy Awards, with the rest of the awards going to a variety of movies. 

Nine-time host Billy Crystal kicked off the show with a pre-taped ode to the biggest movies of the year, garnering hysterical laughter when George Clooney planted a kiss on his lips while re-enacting a scene from The Descendants, Tom Cruise crashed through the window of Crystal’s home theater and Justin Bieber made an awkward cameo in order to bring in the coveted "18-to-24 demographic" that often eludes the telecast.

Crystal then launched into his always-expected song-and-dance number, praising the nine best picture nominees. He continued his running joke with Clooney, singing, "Maybe Oscar will be laying George tonight," and quipped that he was keeping with The Descendants’ Hawaiian theme by mentioning a "lei." Later, he jabbed that Clooney’s date, pro-wrestler Stacy Keibler, was lucky because the silver fox is "a very good kisser."

Presenter highlights included Sandra Bullock showing off her comedic chops while presenting the award for best foreign language film by speaking "Mandarin with a German accent." Possibly stealing the show were Iron Man co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow and a Tebowing Robert Downey Jr., who primped for a faux-documentary film crew before presenting best documentary feature. And the cast of Bridesmaids made a memorable appearance by doing shots and discussing whether "size matters" (when it comes to, ahem, film). Later, best supporting actress nominee Melissa McCarthy participated in an eyebrow- and leg-raising skit where she tried to seduce Crystal.

Speaking of McCarthy, many had hoped that she would win best supporting actress for her hilarious turn in Bridesmaids, but it was The Help’s Octavia Spencer who got to make that acceptance speech. She garnered the night’s first standing ovation, and shed the first tears too.

Bridesmaids also somewhat surprisingly lost in the best original screenplay category, which went to Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris.

Meryl Streep won best actress for The Iron Lady – although some had speculated that Viola Davis would win for The Help. While Streep has won before, best supporting actor winner Christopher Plummer (Beginners) made Oscar history by being the oldest actor ever to win a statue at the age of 82. When handed the award, he asked: "Where have you been all my life?" 

Despite losing out on the biggest awards, Scorsese’s 3-D film Hugo, which led the night with 11 nominations, started off strong early in the evening, pulling in five technical award statues, including best cinematography and best art direction. But it failed to live up to the hype in the end, losing the most coveted awards to The Artist.

Missing from the ceremony were any big-name musical performers, with the sole musical interlude (aside from Crystal’s opening monologue) being a Cirque du Soleil number. However, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy made an appearance before The Muppets movie walked away with best original song. So, there was a little something for everyone in the end.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Weekend Rock Question: Which Artist Should Make a Comeback?

Larry Busacca/WireImage; Peter Still/Redferns; Douglas Mason/Getty Images

Fiona Apple and DMX, two icons of Nineties music, made comebacks this week, with DMX playing a rare gig at S.O.B.'s in Manhattan, and Apple's forthcoming tour of small clubs selling out in a matter of minutes. Leonard Cohen recently released Old Ideas, his first album in new material in eight years. D'Angelo, who has been missing from the pop scene for over a decade, is touring and prepping a new album. Clearly it's a good time for long-gone artists to return to the spotlight, so our question for this weekend is: Which artist should be next to make a comeback?

Photos: Random Notes

Feel free to choose a solo artist who has been missing in action for some time, like David Bowie or Beck, or vote for your favorite broken-up band. You can vote here in the comments, on facebook.com/rollingstone or on Twitter using the #weekendrock hashtag.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Weekend Rock Question: Which Artist Should Make a Comeback?

Larry Busacca/WireImage; Peter Still/Redferns; Douglas Mason/Getty Images

Fiona Apple and DMX, two icons of Nineties music, made comebacks this week, with DMX playing a rare gig at S.O.B.'s in Manhattan, and Apple's forthcoming tour of small clubs selling out in a matter of minutes. Leonard Cohen recently released Old Ideas, his first album in new material in eight years. D'Angelo, who has been missing from the pop scene for over a decade, is touring and prepping a new album. Clearly it's a good time for long-gone artists to return to the spotlight, so our question for this weekend is: Which artist should be next to make a comeback?

Photos: Random Notes

Feel free to choose a solo artist who has been missing in action for some time, like David Bowie or Beck, or vote for your favorite broken-up band. You can vote here in the comments, on facebook.com/rollingstone or on Twitter using the #weekendrock hashtag.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Oscars 2012: 'The Artist' and 'Hugo' Lead 84th Annual Academy Award Nominations

Martin Scorsese's 3D picture Hugo and Michel Hazanavicius's silent film The Artist lead the nominations in the 84th Academy Awards, with both movies up for Best Picture and Best Director, among other awards. Other top Oscar nominees include The Descendants, up for Best Picture, Director and Best Actor for George Clooney, and Moneyball, which got nods for Best Picture and Best Actor for Brad Pitt. Meryl Streep, Viola Davis and Glenn Close all received nominations for Best Actress as widely anticipated, along with Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn.

Perhaps the most surprising nomination is Melissa McCarthy, who is being honored for her broad, hilarious supporting role in hit comedy Bridesmaids. Fellow comic actor Jonah Hill is also up for a supporting actor nomination, but for his dramatic turn opposite Pitt in Moneyball.

The nominations in the top categories for the 84th Annual Acamedy Awards are as follows:

BEST PICTURE

The Artist
Thomas Langmann, Producer

The Descendants
Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Scott Rudin, Producer

The Help
Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers

Hugo
Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers

Midnight in Paris
Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers

Moneyball
Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers

The Tree of Life
Nominees to be determined

War Horse
Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

BEST ACTOR

Demian Bichir
A Better Life

George Clooney
The Descendants

Jean Dujardin
The Artist

Gary Oldman
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Brad Pitt
Moneyball

BEST ACTRESS

Glenn Close
Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis
The Help

Rooney Mara
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Meryl Streep
The Iron Lady

Michelle Williams
My Week with Marilyn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh
My Week with Marilyn

Jonah Hill
Moneyball

Nick Nolte
Warrior

Christopher Plummer
Beginners

Max Von Sydow
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo
The Artist

Jessica Chastain
The Help

Melissa McCarthy
Bridesmaids

Janet McTeer
Albert Nobbs

Octavia Spencer
The Help

BEST DIRECTOR

The Artist
Michel Hazanavicius

The Descendants
Alexander Payne

Hugo
Martin Scorsese

Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen

The Tree of Life
Terrence Malick

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

A Cat in Paris
Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli

Chico and Rita
Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal

Kung Fu Panda 2
Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Puss in Boots
Chris Miller

Rango
Gore Verbinski

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Man or Muppet"
The Muppets
Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie

"Real In Rio"
Rio
Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »