Watch this animation by The Washington Post to find out how our government ended up on the verge of a shutdown.

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Government shutdown looms: How we got here

The all-inclusive Shrek: The Whole Story Boxed Set comes out on DVD and Blu-ray today and it includes all four Shrek titles plus the brand-new, limited edition Donkey’s Christmas Shrektacular which features all of the beloved Shrek characters performing classic holiday songs as well as ‘Shrek’s Yule Log’ which has the Shrek characters making short, funny appearances in front of a crackling virtual fireplace. DreamWorks Animation was kind enough to treat a select few of us to experience a special event in honor of the release of the box set on the Glendale campus of the studio with a tour, a first look at the special features of the box set and opening remarks from CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Match beats with a limited-edition watch designed by a DJ Crispin Jones, London-based designer of conceptual watches, is known for his inventive ways of breaking down time into increments slightly more clever than minutes. Peddled under the label Mr Jones Watches , each timepiece asks its wearer to reconsider how we count time with such creative visualizations as 12 colored circles or seconds marked by “yes” and “no” (dubbed “The Decider”). For his Master of Time series, Jones asked five people who “have an interesting relationship to time” to collaborate with him as a new challenge. The resulting professionals—Iain Sinclair (author), Graeme Obree (cyclist), William Andrews (comedian), Brian Catling (artist) and Tom Middleton (DJ)—helped Jones create distinct watches that are “true collaborations.” Intermittently launching each design, the fourth and latest model in the series is Middleton’s tribute to the late-night DJ. Tasked with the essential duty of knowing each track’s beats per minute, Middleton designed the watch with a 15-second graphic animation that helps figure the BPM by simply counting the quarter note beats for the duration of the animation, and then multiplying the result by four. (Catch it in action below.) Jones told us that “introducing another person into the mix seemed a pretty infallible way of throwing a spanner in the works.” Pushing both himself and his collaborators out of their comfort zones, Jones declined from giving anyone “any guidelines about what their role would be,” because with a little ambiguity and not so many preconceptions “you get much more interesting results.” A limited edition of 100, the BPM watch comes in packaging created by Welsh pattern designer Hannah Davies and signed by both Middleton and Jones. The BPM, along with three other models in the Master of Time collection, sell online for

Candice Lin’s sculptural illusions and videos taking on racial and gender inequalities Artist Candice Lin ‘s new exhibit ” Holograms ” uses video and sculpture to challenge the distribution of power among races and genders, exploring the concept of authentic identity. In her ceramic sculpture “The Moon,” Lin challenges understandings of feminine interiority by requiring audiences to peer through the vulva of a truncated female form in order to watch the animated loop inside. Dubbed “Inside Out,” the animation addresses the old Madonna-vs.-whore clich

From the director of Triplets of Belleville, a beautifully-animated adaption of Jacques Tati’s final script Based on a 40 year old script by legendary filmmaker Jacques Tati, Sylvain Chomet’s long-awaited followup is more than just an homage to the comedic Frenchman’s genius. ” The Illusionist ,” rendered in painstaking detail, tells a poignant story of the inevitability of change—in many ways it’s a metaphor for the craft of hand-drawn 2D animation itself. (We highly recommend checking out the above trailer and the gallery of stills below.) Tati’s quasi-autobiographical script tells the story of an unnamed magician faced with the new wave (rock concerts and film) threatening the waning popularity of stage shows. As the grand halls where the protagonist once performed begin to shut him out, he finds himself having to travel from city to city looking for work, the venues becoming smaller and smaller as time wears on. Eventually led to Scotland by a boisterous Scot, he meets Alice, a poor young girl who becomes enthralled with what she believes is real magic. She becomes his unlikely companion, keeping house for a man who discovers meaning in providing for Alice. While the plot line might strike some as materialistic (purchases define her growth as a woman), the script is full of the childlike wonder and delight for which Tati is known and a bittersweet ending counteracts any too-sentimental moments. The brilliant 2D animation (which went years over deadline), with all its finely-rendered detail and imperfections, is the perfect medium for the story, telling it with warmth and wit. Building on the richness and depth established with his instant classic “The Triplets of Belleville,” Chomet imbues “The Illusionist” with a subtle charm and style that the animator claims couldn’t possibly be captured by digital animation. The most compelling example might be the parallel between the magician and Tati himself; much of the protagonist’s movements reference Tati’s famous Monsieur Hulot character. To save time, however, 3D animation techniques were used for certain complex scenes and integrate beautifully except for a few minor stutters that pros might notice. Recently screened at the Telluride Film Festival to enthusiastic reviews, the film makes its Canadian premiere at the Toronto Film Festival this weekend, and will hit NYC and LA theaters this 25 December 2010.

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The Illusionist