Have you submitted your entry to our Showcase, for your chance to win your very own $100 Spout gift certificate? No? Well, get on it there, champ. We can’t give you money for DVDs if you won’t let us.

Murketing (penned by NYT columnist, Rob Walker) has a fantastic interview with one of my favorite gallerists here in NYC, Jen Bekman, focusing primarily on her new project 20X200. As the name suggests, 20X200 consists of print, photographic and mixed media offerings in limited editions of 200 for $20 a pop, and continues Jen’s personal vision of making art accessible and affordable without sacrificing exclusivity in favor of mass-distribution. The interview further illustrates my theory that Jen is one of the nicest, most open people I’ve ever encountered; it examines the fundemental differences between 20X200 and websites based on the same aesthetic (TinyShowcase, pretty:darn:swell), her plans for the project and the state of the art-buying world in general. 20X200 launches July 27, and the lineup so far is pretty damn sweet — artists having already signed on include Youngna Park, Eliot Shepard, Zoe Strauss and Brian Ulrich — and we’ll be sure to update you with news as it emerges.

I never imagined anyone taking artistic inspiration from high-school biology classes…but then again, I never imagined finding inspiration for anything other than a good nap. While I was staring vacantly into space as my teacher tried to placate the Creationists, I may have missed whole worlds of possibility under the microscope. Noelle Allen must have seen something I didn’t, as evidenced by her abstract line drawings and watercolors. Allen’s creations evoke fossilized creatures and cross-sections of organic cells, as if you are seeing something familiar yet at a microscopic level. Her most recent works were created using graphite on mylar, giving them a strange ethereal quality which adds to their creepiness. An exhibition of some of her work can be found at the MCA in Chicago until July 1.

Before I had even heard of the movie, my friends were raving about the Garden State soundtrack. I picked up a copy (of the CD, I didn’t watch the movie until years later) and thought it was pretty good. If you have the CD, pull it out and listen to Track 6 and you might recognize the singer’s voice. It’s Cary Brothers (first name Cary, last name Brothers) and he’s been featured on all kinds of shows like Bones, Smallville, and ER, and is one of those kids lucky (or unlucky, depending on your indie-music snobbery levels) to have Zach Braff as a huge fan — in addition to GS, it landed him on the soundtrack for The Last Kiss as well. Regardless, Who You Are dropped May 29 and the 14 tracks really showcase his deliberate and down-home sound. Paired with an acoustic guitar and a slightly rough voice, he sings a blend of dreamy pop songs which I think are more coffee shop and less driving music. He also is the founder of the Hotel Cafe Tour, which is based off what I consider one of the best small music venues in Los Angeles, which is also the namesake for the tour. His tour kicks off on July 11th with a night at SoHo in my town of Santa Barbara. I know that Heather is a massive fan, and was fortunate enough to be invited to his private showcase last week at The Box in NYC. She says despite both his and his bands’ mountain-man appearances — an element she found strangely endearing — he’s the real deal and definitely worth checking out both live and on record.

Attention All Strange Pepsi Collectors (and by that I mean strange flavors of Pepsi, not that Pepsi collectors are abnormal in any way): yesterday marked the release of Pepsi Ice Cucumber, a limited-time-only special edition beverage developed for the Japanese market. Personally, I don’t see why they chose to restrict such a delicious-sounding summer quencher to such a small segment of the Pepsi empire — after all, if you don’t like cucumber you probably don’t like water; talk about a lucrative opportunity for growth — but apparently the Crystal Pepsi debacle is still giving CEO’s the shivers, hence the companies timidity to let all of us in on the joy of carbonated spa-pop. Well, whatever, Pepsi. I’m gonna find you on Craigslist, anyway.

If any of our readers get their hands on this treat, an overnight Fed-Ex’d six-pack would be highly appreciated. Or, you can just tell us about it. Oooh, can’t wait!

I’m certainly not aching for the return of 13 degree days and 5 o’clock sunsets, but the women’s winter 2007 collection from Australian surf brand Insight has certainly left me feeling friendlier toward this side of the hemisphere’s eventual re-approach to the season. With just enough eighties flavor to keep the party going (but not enough to make you want to burn all photos of the party for shame), this latest selection features plenty of layer-able shirts and sweaters, lots of playful dresses, and some kinda gross/mostly awesome denim (those high waists sure are ass killers…). I got so wrapped up in the ladies goods that I sort of neglected the men’s side of things, but I did notice some super-looking plaids and prints that you’ll really enjoy if you’ve been feeling today’s most recent streetwear. You can find Insight at a lot of U.S. based web-stores (Boulderites: You’ll find a limited selection at the Joyengine boutique), but because the seasons are opposute, we sometimes don’t see the new collections in their entirety. To get around this, I suggest ordering from Aussie sites and just suffering through the cost of shipping. The brand isn’t too pricey, anyway, the currency conversion will work in your favor and no one else will have it. Which, you know, automatically adds at least $100 to the value of the item. Yep, totally worth it.

Since we’ve got such a talented bunch of readers, we thought we’d share a few links to some high-profile design competitions that you should know about (and you probably already do, but just in case). HOW, the graphic design magazine that’s been around since ‘85, is currently accepting entries for two of their high-profile competitions: the Interactive Design Awards and the International Design Awards. Winners of both competitions will be featured in How’s April 2008 Design Annual. Application fees for both of these competitions are very affordable, and they’re pretty abstract as to what’s eligible for judging, so don’t be shy — go for it!