Artist and designer of the now-iconic Vuitton handbags, Takashi Murakami, is auctioning off several pieces in Sotheby’s upcoming spring auctions. The most valuable, estimated between $3-4 million, is a sculpture of a manga dude, um, “ejaculating in lasso-like form,” titled “My Lonesome Cowboy.”

Hey, it’s not NSFW if it’s art.

Beijing-based artist Zhan Wang sculpted the San Francisco cityscape out of pots, pans, graters, and other kitchenware. The piece is part of a new exhibition of Wang’s work at San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum running until May 25.

Zhan Wang is among the most respected artists in China, having become world-renown for his stainless steel sculptures of “scholars’ rocks,” the graceful, craggy boulders found in several provinces around China that seem to have been sculpted by natural forces into complex forms worthy of thoughtful contemplation–almost like mental or spiritual landscapes.

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Elizabeth Hickok’s legendary San Francisco In Jell-O sculpture will be on display this Friday evening only at the opening of the Exploratorium’s Reconsidered Materials exhibition.

From her description of the piece:

This project consists of photographs and video, which depict various San Francisco landscapes. I make the landscapes by constructing scale models of the architectural elements which I use to make molds. I then cast the buildings in Jell-O. Similar to making a movie set, I add backdrops, which I often paint, and elements such as mountains or trees, and then I dramatically light the scenes from the back or underneath. The Jell-O sculptures quickly decay, leaving the photographs and video as the remains

Mariah Carey is winning the battle with Madonna.

The numbers are in and Madonna’s Hard Candy has dropped from its #1 spot debut to #5 in the U.S. album charts in just one week.

Whereas Mariah Carey’s E=MC2, in its 4th week of release, comes in 4 for the week, despite being out much longer than Hard Candy.

Mimi sold 8,000 more units than Madge this week!

Now, the important part - money talk!

Madonna’s first weak sales totaled 280k and week 2 brought in 81k for a two week grand total of 361K.

Yikes!!!

Madonna’s drop from week one to week two is 71%!

Mariah Carey’s take for week one ALONE of E=MC2 was 463K.

Mimi’s first week of sales totally beats Madge’s 2 week total by a little over 100K. And she’s still selling more than the Queen of Pop.

According to News 10, Josh Sjowall ordered a foot-long roast beef combo at a Subway store in Tracy, California. As he picked up the sandwich he felt a foreign object with his thumb and discovered it was a rusty bolt. And oh yes, Subway is….”taking it very seriously.”

I felt something strange with my thumb and said, ‘What the hell,” said Sjowall, 17. Josh’s mom saw it, too.”It looked like a big bug. Then I realized it was a bolt baked into the roll,” said Jeri Sjowall.

And Jeri Sjowall was right — what Josh found was a rusty 3/4-inch bolt baked into the bread of his sandwich.

The Sjowalls took the sandwich back to the store, where managers didn’t doubt their claim. A Subway manager said the company was taking the allegation very seriously and they’re investigating where the bolt may have come from.

The sandwich was express-mailed back to General Mills headquarters in Minnesota, where Subway’s bread is baked.

DO NOT drink & drive!!

According to Forbes.com, the average EPL player made $2.2 million last year. And what did he spend it on?

Expensive toys.

So what kind of vehicles do some of our richest footballers drive? Check out the list and drool:

David Beckham - Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet

Former Real Madrid star Beckham celebrated his move to the Los Angeles Galaxy last year with a new addition to his auto collection: a Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet. The world-famous athlete even used the $140,000 auto to pick up his Spice Girl wife Victoria from Los Angeles International Airport.

Wayne Rooney - Lamborghini Gallardo

The Manchester United player may only be 22 years old, but he can already afford treats like the $200,000 Lamborghini Gallardo. And according to the gossipy British tabloids, he has already gone one further, putting an order in for a $340,000 Lamborghini LP640 Murcielago.

Thierry Henry - Aston Martin Vanquish

French striker Thierry Henry made his name at the British Arsenal, so it is no surprise that one of his reportedly prized possessions is a classically British sports car. The $350,000 Aston Martin Vanquish was James Bond’s car of choice in the Die Another Day movie, but was discontinued in 2007.

Cristiano Ronaldo - Audi R8

One of the benefits of being a Manchester United player is that the luxury cars tend to come to you. Hence Cristiano Ronaldo’s complementary Audi–part of the brand’s sponsorship deal with the team–which otherwise would have set him back $200,000.

John Terry - Bentley Continental GT

Former England captain and Chelsea star John Terry is not shy when it comes to spending money, and his $180,000 Bentley is a case in point. Unfortunately, his decision to leave it for two hours in a disabled parking space may have cost him the position of England captain this year.

When you’re learning a new language, one of the most fun parts is learning how to swear. Of course, Italian swear words always sound prettier to my non-Italian ear than their English equivalents, but just because they sound prettier doesn’t mean their meaning is!

5. Merda! (MEHR-dah)
Now, because I’d often get the “How do you say ’shit’ in Italian?” question from students, I’ve learned this one - but I’ve honestly not heard it as much in Italy as I have some of the other swear words on this page. This is, however, how you say “shit” in Italian, and it’s used in exactly the same way we use it in English. It also is incorporated into other phrases for more colorful meanings as well.

4. Cazzo! (KAHTZ-soh)
This is the other question I’d get from the occasional (bolder) students - “How do you say ‘fuck’ in Italian?” This is the answer - “cazzo” - although it literally is a colorful term for “penis”, and this one you do hear.

3. Testa di cazzo! (TES-tah dee KAHTZ-soh)
Sometimes translating things literally is what makes these swear words amusing to me - but sometimes it works out quite well, and that’s the case with this little gem. Instead of calling someone a “dickhead,” in Italian you’d call them a “head of dick,” or a “testa di cazzo.” Which, really, is the same thing, right? This is also a general way of calling someone an “asshole,” but the Italian “testa di cazzo” has a bit more spice and so isn’t language you’ll want to use in polite company. “Cazzo” has lots of uses in Italian, like “culo”.

2. Vaffanculo! (vah-fahn-KOO-loh)
This is a red-hot number, so use it with caution. It’s the Italian equivalent of “fuck off” or “go fuck yourself,” but literally means something vaguely like “go do it in the ass.” “Culo” on its own (meaning “ass,” but in a much more vulgar way than the English can really translate) has many, many uses in Italian, but this is the one non-Italians can latch onto quickly - which is both entertaining and a bit dangerous! The accompanying gesture for “vaffanculo” is the same as it is in English - a middle finger.

1. Porca vacca! (POR-kah VAH-kah)
This is my favorite one, hands down. In English, I’ve got lots of ways to say, “well, dammit!” in varying degrees of colorful language. In Italian, it’s no different. “Porca vacca” literally means “pig cow,” but it’s used in much the same way we’d say, “crap!” or “damn!” or the like - it’s not the most polite way to say it, but it’s also not the worst. What I particularly love about it is the literal translation (it cracks me up to think people are saying, “pig cow!”), and what’s fun about this is that you can put “porca” in front of just about anything. “Porca vacca” is my favorite for its literal silliness, but “porca miseria” (”miserable pig” or “pig poverty”) is a very close second-favorite for my perceived sense of the melodrama that goes with it. You’ll hear variations on these at Italian sporting events when the home team does something stupid.

Belly-Flop!!!