● Scarlett Johansson will make her directorial debut with Summer Crossing, an adaptation of Truman Capote's lost novella. She acts, she sings, she plays in politics, and now this. What can't she do? [Variety]

● Feeding fire to the engine, the LAPD had Tyler, the Creator in cuffs yesterday for reasons we can't even begin to imagine. [RapRadar] ● "Oh lovely, White House," Sarah Palin mocked when she heard that the rapper Common ("as in, common thug, I suppose") had been invited to the White House for a poetry reading. Needless to say, Common's never felt tougher. [NBC] ● You're going to have to put in work if you want to be the first to hear Lady Gaga's Born This Way. Virtual work. On FarmVille. Three strawberry trees for that next single? Don't mind if I do! [DailyGaga]

Things are not looking good for Dov Charney's provocation-infused American-made basics brand. American Apparel, now the largest clothing manufacturer in the country, is facing some of the worst financial troubles its seen since its debut more than a decade ago. "Shares of the Los Angeles-based retailer fell more than 40 percent Wednesday," Women's Wear Daily says, adding that the company's reported losses of $3.9 million in 2009 are now nearly five times that amount. Shares in the company have hit a 52-week low and, according to reports, the drastic drop in company value comes as a result of an AA announcement that it might not be able to pay back the $80 million loan it received from London-based investment firm, Lion, last year.

American Apparel's hooded swimsuit has been called "one of spring's hottest items," but we can't help but see some similarity to a not-so-hot item. Sure, the American Apparel number obviously alludes to Gaga and Rihanna, and, as we've told you before 2010 is shaping up to be the year of the one piece, but we also see a more obscure inspiration: the Burqini.

As if being cash-strapped and beholden to creditors isn't enough, a leaked batch of e-mail has Dov Charney's wholesome porny American Apparel in trouble with the SEC. The investigation centers on a series of Christmas Eve e-correspondence between AA's press rep Ryan Holiday and CFO Adrian Kowalewski bantering about comments for a story on the financial health of the Charney's house. In the conversation, Kowalewski admits the business nearly went bankrupt, a point that was not disclosed when the company recently filed for an extension with the SEC to pay its debts.

● Everyone’s favorite sleazy-cotton-shirt-purveyor Dov Charney talks sexual harassment, JFK, and the key to AA’s success in this downturn. [WWD] ● Harriet Mays Powell interviews Marc Jacobs in bed about his new Stephen Sprouse collection and his awesome leggings. [TheCut] ● Guerilla advertising alert! Check out this video of Gossip Girl's Taylor Momsen trying to escape the paps. Looks less like TMZ than a covert ad for Nike. [Youtube]

In 20th Century Chocolate Cake, a young Dov Charney (and future American Apparel CEO) mugs for the camera about summer camp life while hating on communists and advising the viewer not to eat too many grapes (diarrhea!). One thing is clear: Young Charney knew to handle his money back then. "I manage," cackled the little thug. "But a lot of other kids have problems. I know how to cheat the system ... but it doesn't matter if you're poor or rich, they all come and go anyway." I don't know where this gem originally came from, and I don't much care. All I know is that it's hilarious when a 12-year-old talks tough like a longshoreman. "This crazy communist camp is awful. Despicable." Commie bastards! Charney's reportedly none too pleased that this clip is making the rounds, so watch while you can.

One can imagine Woody Allen’s young bride Soon-Yi Previn on the back of Vice magazine, her no-fuss Asian blandness hawking American Apparel knee-highs and a turtlenecks, but not Woody himself. However, AA has erected billboards featuring Allen dressed as a Hassidic Jew from a scene in Annie Hall. But Woody’s always been more of a hepcat than a hipster, so he’s decided to file a $10 million suit in a U.S. District court in Manhattan against Dov Charney and his AA army. Allen claims they never contacted him about using his image and finds them “especially egregious and damaging.” We still don’t get what Woody Allen dressed as a Hassidic Jew has to do with selling skinny jeans, but that’s probably the point.