When Tupac met Malcolm X: Arts links

- Singer/actor Tyrese Gibson posted this unique original artwork to Twitter.
Back in 2009, an amazing image came to singer/actor Tyrese Gibson in a dream: The Transformers star pictured Malcolm X baptizing rapper Tupac Shakur. When he woke up, he decided to paint what he had seen, and as he worked, many questions ran through his mind: "What if they met? What if they had joined forces to empower black people? What if?? What if??"
Yesterday, the people of the Internet discovered an old Twitpic of Gibson's painting, and many questions ran though their minds: Why is El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz baptizing someone in this picture? Why does Pac's famous "Thug Life" tattoo appear to read "TUG LAFE?" Why is that church sitting on a tree limb?
In the process of bashing the painting, a few bloggers discovered that the work, titled "What If?," was actually first seen in an old episode of MTV Cribs, where Gibson also unveiled one of his murals, done in the style of "The Last Supper," but with Biggie Smalls, Aaliyah, and Lisa "Left Eye"Lopez of TLC as stand-ins for the apostles and Marvin Gaye, sitting in the middle and wearing a crown of thorns, representing "the black musical Jesus," Gibson said.
And now, some arts news less likely to completely wreck your head:
The line-up for Coachella has been announced. Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, and Kanye West headline the three days of the California music festival, which will be held April 15-17.
Also announced yesterday: the line-up for Brochella, a jam band-heavy fictional alternative to Coachella that is strictly for the bros.
Anne Hathaway will play Catwoman in the new Batman movie.
Regis Philbin is leaving Live with Regis & Kelly after 30-plus years.
Katy Perry visited Facebook HQ yesterday, and announced dates for her California Dreams tour. She comes to Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 15.
Blah blah blah new Lady GaGa track blah blah
A small but vocal group of people think the retooled American Idol might not be so bad.
The Kardashians have their own line of SillyBandz. Yeah, I don't get it, either.
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