Bits: 05.21.10

Edwin Zwakman, Straat, a floating replica of rowhouses in Walcheren, the Netherlands, via Rebel Art

• Christo says he'll continue with his Over the River project in Colorado despite the death of his wife and collaborator Jeanne-Claude last November. Meanwhile, the couples' Central Park project, The Gates, was part of an augmented reality iPhone app, which allowed park visitors to virtually experience the 2004 work.

• Christo had nothing to do with AT&T's "Blanket" commercial that's an overt rip-off of several projects: the color from The Gates, the draping of, well, just about every other Christo project. Greg Allen notes a disclaimer at the end of the ad which notes the artist has no "direct or indirect affiliation or involvement" with AT&T.

• Continuing the theme, John Grider of Minneapolis stencil-art duo Broken Crow notes that the yellow cheetahs at the 39-second-mark of this Olympus commercial look an awful lot like his.

• Artist Poster Boy, sentenced to 11 months at Rikers Island for altering subway ads, has been released on bail.

• On June 21, artist Luke Jerram will be placing 60 pianos around New York for residents to play; concurrently, he'll be putting 21 pianos around London. Via Animal NY.

• Audio: At MoMA in 1962, Marcel Duchamp discusses readymades.

• Dio, the early years: Before Sabbath, Rainbow and a solo career, the late Ronnie James Dio "dwelled in the shadows of the greasy R&B/ white vocal group sound," reports WMFU, which links up mp3s of Ronnie James Padavona's early cover of "Love Potion No. 9" and other tunes that were resonant with the likes of Paul Anka, Dion and Chubby Checker.

• Roger Ebert reviews The Human Centipede: "I am required to award stars to movies I review. This time, I refuse to do it. The star rating system is unsuited to this film. Is the movie good? Is it bad? Does it matter? It is what it is and occupies a world where the stars don't shine."