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If you haven’t yet heard of artist Brian Batt, you’ll be getting a glimpse soon, especially if you tune into Gossip Girl. We know that not everyone’s smitten for Upper East Side scheming, but this impressive painter makes a cameo in tonight’s episode, “Portrait of a Lady Alexander.” Indeed, the 33-year-old acting neophyte even delivers some lines, in the presence of Chuck and Blair, no less. Guilty pleasure, meet aesthetic skill.

If you’re not familiar with the haunting and heartbreaking twisted nightmare world of auteur David Lynch, shame on you. However, if you are not familiar with his current passion, the David Lynch Foundation for Conscience-Based Education and World Peace, so be it. Essentially, the foundation works to fund the use of Transcendental Meditation as a means of healing and a means self-improvement towards inner peace. Not exactly the first thing you would expect from the man who brought us the salacious bloody cherry-coated world of Twin Peaks. It seems his latest endeavor is a rather bizarre charity auction to benefit the David Lynch Foundation.

Happy Birthday, America! Usually I would be offline today, as it is Independence Day and I can live independently without the stupid old internet, but I happened to log on and see some pretty important and nutty news: last night, rising hip-hop star and Odd Future member Frank Ocean came out via his Tumblr, revealing the story about the first time he fell in love with a man. 

● Practicing vegan Russell Simmons has petitioned New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to switch the state beverage from milk to something healthier and more ethical, like soy milk. [Huff Post]

● Russell Simmons has thrown money into his fight with Lowe's, who pulled ads from TLC's new series All-American Muslim citing  "concerned" and "alienated" viewers, by buying out the show's remaining ad time next week. "The show is now sold out! keep your money @lowes and we will keep ours," he tweeted. [Huff Post]

The fight is on against Lowe’s.  Sparks are flying after the hardware giant pulled its ads from TLC’s All-American Muslim reality show that features, like the title suggest, all-American Muslims. Heading up the fight for those of all religions to appear on the same channel as sister wives, hoarders, and toddlers with tiaras is Russell Simmons who is calling on everyone to act.

● The second episode of workplace comedy web series Summer Fridays is live. [Summer Fridays] ● Yesterday, via twitter, Russell Simmons offered to pay for Mayor Bloomberg's mandated cleaning of Zuccotti Park so long as Occupy Wall Street protesters would be allowed to remain. Lucky for Russ, the protesters did a good enough job tidying up that the cleaning was called off. [Gawker] ● Lindsay Lohan was spotted on the red carpet looking a little worse for the wear, her teeth yellowed and nail polish streaks all over her hands. Is it just the coffee, or is there something you want to talk about, LiLo? [DailyMail]

Oh, Yeezy. The rapper showed up to Occupy Wall Street this afternoon inappropriately dressed for political and economic protests.

We first learn of the nightly whereabouts of music’s worst dressed impresario Russell Simmons at 6pm last night from the front row of the Victoria Secret Fashion Show. “Maybe I should take pics?” would end up being the underquestion of the evening as Simmons provides us with a cascade of twitpics featuring the most beautiful and batshit insane women in the world. Gloria Steinem once said that there are two kinds of people in this world, those who say that there are two kinds of people in this world and those who do not. I’ve always dug that maxim sumtin’ awful, but I’m going to forget I ever heard that and say that there are two kinds of people in this world, those who know the names of models and those who do not. I fall into the latter camp, but who cares. MODELS! BANGS! WILL.I.AM!

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