From Rejection to Radiance

Some pop songs are built to last. Boy Meets Girl's 1988 single, Waiting for a Star to Fall, is one of them. But here's the entertaining twist: no one wanted it.

Songwriters Shannon Rubicam and George Merrill were already successful, having penned massive hits for Whitney Houston. Naturally, they offered the song to her, but in a famously baffling moment, her label boss, Clive Davis, said no.

The song then floated to Belinda Carlisle, who even cut a demo, but she passed. Instead of shelving the track, Rubicam and Merrill made an act of quiet defiance: they recorded it themselves. That leap of faith changed everything. Their own version became a global smash and their one unforgettable entry into pop immortality.

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The Adorable Sculptures of Yen Yen Lo

These images are from a series of wall sculptures created by Yen Yen Lo . Here you can see her intricately textured ceramic pieces, looking downright adorable. Yen Yen Lo's eye for the unique and whimsical is delightful. Apparently they are not intended for kids under 16. Fifteen-year-olds cannot be trusted with fragile stuff. Get them a Funko Pop instead.

What if directors actually looked like the characters in their films?

One of the things I like about the internet is the fact that it provides an endless showcase for the most incredible corners of human creativity. Like, for example, these quirky wooden sculptures by Seattle-based artist Mike Leavitt . For his latest series, King Cuts , Mike transforms some of the most renowned filmmakers into satirical sculptures. They're on view at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York until June 11, consists of 16 new hand-carved sculptures of directors like Tim Burton, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino. The artist fused Burton with three of the filmmaker's works; Batman , Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands , while Hitchcock is transformed into one of his own attacking birds. Watch the making of the Tarantino sculpture below. You can also follow Mike on Instagram to see his work in progress.

This monk makes the best vinegar in New York

Brother Victor-Antoine d' Avila-Latourrette is a Benedictine monk who lives at a secluded monastery in New York's Hudson Valley. He's an internationally acclaimed, best-selling author of several cookbooks, including From a Monastery Kitchen and Twelve Months of Monastery Salads . And he makes vinegars unlike those found in most markets.

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