Pop Culturista

How to Attend the Met GalaThe Met Gala is Monday, May 6. The Metropolitan Museum of Art stages its annual fundraiser to benefit the Costume Institute and unveil the institute's new exhibit for the year. And it's a very exclusive event. Tickets are $75,000 each this year, or $350,000 for a table. The tables are bought up by fashion brands, and then they extend invitations to the 400 most exciting current celebrities. However, every invitee must be approved by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who also must approve the seating charts. After all of that, there are many "rules" all attendees must adhere to at the Met Gala. Everything must be picture-perfect, from the fashions worn to the food that is served, and anyone who dares to skirt those rules can be banned from future galas. Read up on 13 bonkers rules for attending the Met Gala at Buzzfeed.(Image credit: Danilo Lauria) 

A Completely Real Star Wars Drunk Driving PSASomehow, despite coming through countless potential works of online wonders for almost two decades, I had never yet seen this astonishing and completely authentic public service announcement authorized by Lucasfilm and created by one of its subsidiaries.Wookiepiedia informs us that this film was called "Star Friends". It teaches the very serious lesson that real friends don't let other friends drive drunk, let alone fly a YT-1300 light freighter while intoxicated.-via Historic Vids

Pop Music Gives Us NFL Theme Songs for the OffseasonThe Super Bowl is Over, the NFL draft is over, what's next for football fans? Offseason drama. Spring and summer gives standout football players the time to either manufacture a carefully-crafted public relations campaign to stay in the news, or else make some unfortunate mistake in their boredom to stay in the news anyway. The fans can make what they will of all these offseason stories, because it keeps football top-of-mind without relying on winning and losing. To that end, Megan Armstrong has matched a pop song, new or not-so-new, to each of the 32 NFL teams to illustrate their potential for drama this summer at Uproxx. Each is accompanied by an explanation and what you should watch out for as the offseason progresses. You can already guess who the artist for the Kansas City Chiefs song is, the others are not quite so obvious. (Image credit: Erik Drost)

A Norteño Cover of Rick Astey's "Never Gonna Give You Up"Norteño is a folk music tradition that originated in northeastern Mexico. As waves of immigration moved north, they carried with them Norteño tunes and traditions. EZ Band, which is based in Houston, reflects part of this cultural enrichment in Texas. They play the traditional accordion, as well as the more modern electric guitar.In this video, EZ Band cover’s Rick Astley’s iconic “Never Gonna Give You Up” with the melodious polka-like flow familiar here north of the Rio Grande.-via The Awesomer

If Black Sabbath Performed "Jolene"“Jolene”, which is perhaps Dolly Parton’s most iconic song, is a sad tale of a woman who wonders if a rival will seduce her man. It is apparently based on Parton’s own personal experiences, which is why she does not often sing this sad ballad.As a metal song presented in the style of Black Sabbath, it’s more angry and threatening than mournful. The singer isn’t asking Jolene to back off but informing her that she will. Finnish musician Otu offers this powerful version while singing the lyrics and performing all of the instruments.It was only after watching this entire video that I noticed that something is different about the Otu’s hand. In this inspiring video, he talks about how he overcame a birth defect in his left hand to become an accomplished novelist and cartoonist, as well as a professional touring multi-instrumental musician.-via The Awesomer

The Book Chapter That Never Appeared in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingFans of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings were over the moon watching Peter Jackson's movie trilogy that told the story. But in 2003, when the series wrapped up with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, they were surprised that a chapter near the end of the story, known as "The Scouring of the Shire,"was not in the movie at all. Why was that? The simple answer is that the trilogy was already almost nine hours long, and it could have been ten if they had included everything. But there were other reasons, having to do with the difference between a book and a movie. Nerdstalgic explains what the Scouring of the Shire was all about, and goes through the reasoning behind deleting it in the movie version, from the simple, practical matters to the more nuanced artistic thinking behind the decision, which is the most satisfying of all. -via Digg 