the buzz log

Change has come to the White House walls. The Obamas have the largest selection of modern art ever to hang in the people's house. Those artworks you learned about in school — abstract paintings of words, blocks of color, and lines — are the signature of the Obamas' choices.

But here's the rub. While their decisions have caused a bit of a stir in the art world, the paintings might not be for everyone. A red 1983 canvas "I think I'll…" by Ed Ruscha, pictured above, could leave you scratching your head. It's certainly not in line with the classic presidential portraits of Kennedy and Washington or lush battle paintings that hang in the Oval Office.

On the other hand, new pieces include seven works by black artists, Native American pottery, and a patent model for Samuel Morse's telegraph. (View a slideshow of some of the Obama selections.)

In case you were worried that the look of the White House is changing, it's not. The artworks are in the Obamas' private quarters and offices. They're actually not allowed to change up the public space without approval from the Committee for the Preservation of the White House. And they haven't even met with the President and First Lady.

Maybe they should. A little diversity in the White House art might be change we could believe in.

Filed under: Art

Have aliens left another calling card?

Conspiracists — and Brits — are all atwitter about a crop circle that appeared at an Oxfordshire barley field. Instead of circles, the creators have become far more artistic (or they've figured out how to use Earth landmowers). The "circle" is in the shape of a 600-foot jellyfish — a first, as far as we know — and the BBC has posted an aerial video of the creature.

The overnight sensation launched Web searches for "jellyfish crop circle," "crop circles aliens," "crop circles conspiracies," and — for the DIY crowd — "crop circle patterns." Previous lawn artworks have appeared in the form of birds, butterflies, and, last year, the first 10 digits of pi (you know, 3.141592654).

OK, say this grassy rendering isn't an alien self-portrait. Even so, the massive carve-out is impressive. Karen Alexander, a croppy (the name for experts in this, er, field), says this one's "absolutely huge — roughly three times bigger than...most crop patterns, and extremely interesting. People have been aghast at the size of it. It is a complete monster."

What human motivations could lie behind this? The English countryside could be facing a turf war, as Oxfordshire looks to poach tourists from Wiltshire. That town's currently the crop-circle capital, thanks to a lovely 350-foot yin-yang symbol near an ancient burial mound. Or who knows? Maybe the recent outbreak is an homage to a late crop-circle researcher, who recently passed away at age 90.

Either way, lucky landowners Bill and Sally Ann Spence aren't thrilled about being the owner of a giant jellyfish imprint. Not that the artwork isn't "beautiful," but they're asking visitors to stop tramping over their poor crops for a look-see, and instead get a helicopter and hover. The Spences won't be asking the local cops to track down the renegade crop artists. As if earthling law enforcement has jurisdiction over alien jellyfish.

Filed under: Art, Paranormal, Outdoors

Are tattoos private?

The obvious answer is: Depends on where you ink them. In-your-face skin art tends to be on one's face, neck, or arms. Fashionable marks show up on the ankle, and peekaboo tats get lower-back placement. Anywhere else, well, only bikini season can tell.

But with so many celebrities baring their latest ink art to anyone who'll ogle, tattoos don't seem like a hidden message ... unless you're Brad Pitt, abashed by an inquisitive Oprah Winfrey fan. His refusal to answer what tattoos he had where during an "Oprah" episode has inadvertently launched a Search probe for "brad pitt tattoos."

Even though the show aired Nov. 19, people are still trying to uncover his alleged skin modifications of "otzi the iceman" and a quote from the late journalist Daniel Pearl, who inspired the movie "A Mighty Heart," starring Pitt's partner Angelina Jolie.

So far, no mainstream source verifies the Pearl quote, but reports of Pitt's tattoo of 5,000-year-old mummy Otzi, who bore at least 57 tattoos, are more than a year old (and had inspired comedian Stephen Colbert to accuse Pitt of being involved in Otzi's demise). The latest Web reaction to Pitt's bashfulness about baring his "personal and special" tattoos has been either flabbergasted or charmed (as well as the usual "who cares"). With more people getting skin modification these days and reality shows on the whole business, tats have sort of lost the exotic tribalism or counter-cultural edge of days past.

Plus, of course, Jolie is notorious for using her body as a canvas, as searchers knew back in 2006. In fact, she still ranks among the top 5 most-searched celebrities inked in the past 7 days. (Oh, Pitt would be no. 6.)

Most-Searched Celeb Ink

1. Megan Fox Tattoo
2. Angelina Jolie Tattoo
3. Scarlett Johansson Tattoo
4. Rihanna Tattoo
5. Heidi Klum Jolie Tattoo

Incidentally, since the holidays are nigh upon us, if all this inspires you to give the gift that keeps on giving, consult the below list for tattoo design searches that have jumped in popularity. And if you don't want to commit, consider the faux tattoo sleeve, which has perked up 7% in the past 7 days. No fuss, no muss. 

Fastest Moving Tattoo Design Searches

1. Celtic Tattoo (off the charts)
2. Wings Tattoo (+90%)
3. Tribal Tattoo Designs (+16%)
4. Heart Tattoo (+3%)
5. Cherry Blossom Tattoo (+1%)

Filed under: Oprah, Celebrities, Science, Art, Tattoos, Brad Pitt