feb. 6

Links we love today: On podcasting, the next Jersey Shore, the “long, lunaticnovel” and more

Assistant Editor Samantha Pitchel reads everything so you don’t have to.

Here are the links we loved today:

The 25 best sitcom couples; Paramount’s 47 alternative titles for Vertigo; 5 albums to stream for free (including the latest from Austin’s Shearwater); 739 (that’s the number of plastic surgeries Joan Rivers has had).

The Daily Texan rounds up quotes overheard at this past weekend’s Occupy Austin eviction.

Esquire presents a beginner’s guide to the recent Russian protests; David Carr on the past and future of Buzzfeed.

The Times talks about how comedy podcasts are trending more towards heartfelt than humorous; The Awl recommends several excellent podcasts (that happen to be hosted by women).

This post on Kevin Smith and the “birth of reality podcasts” is cool, but I’d argue that last year’s Earwolf Challenge, hosted by Matt Besser, really set the standard for reality podcasting.

Kate Bolick’s wildly popular “All The Single Ladies” article lands her a book deal (to add to the TV option already in development); Jen Doll wonders if living alone is “the new shacking up.”

Crazy up-close photos of neon deep sea worms; David LaChapelle’s colorful still lifes.

The creator of Jersey Shore is working on a new Boston-based show called Southie Pride, which I predict will 100% cure my MA homesickness.

Totally tasteful miniseries on Columbine to air on Lifetime.

At The Rumpus, Alec Michod writes “in praise of the long, lunatic novel”; An interactive map of Dickens’ London.

Awkward! Christina Aguilera doesn’t remember the former fellow Mouseketeer who auditioned for The Voice last night.

Leonard Cohen covers from Bradford Cox, Cults and Cold War Kids.

Like a scene from an apocalyptic film, a Russian electrical explosion is caught on tape:

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”