What’s Happening: Owen Wilson stars as a Bob Ross knock-off in Paint, a film that taps into the late TV painter’s complex legacy yet messily sidesteps it.

The Download: Bob Ross never cared to brag about his creative prowess; rather, he painted to show how good of an artist you, the viewer, could be. Throughout the run of The Joy of Painting, which aired on PBS for 31 seasons across more than 400 episodes, the late art instructor’s dulcet instructions cosseted viewers as they completed oil paintings of serene landscapes along with him or simply watched for the ASMR of it all. But lingering underneath Ross’s wispy afro are some murky allegations of womanizing and an ugly legal dispute over his estate that ultimately did little to quash public perceptions of Ross as a wholesome, tender-hearted figure.

So avid fans of Ross—and there are millions—will perhaps take issue with how his likeness is portrayed in Paint, a new film starring Owen Wilson as a knock-off of the beloved figure. His character, Carl Nargle, has carved out a successful career as a televised painter of quaint bucolic vistas on a public access channel in present-day Vermont that, as one critic describes, is “suffused with a twee, ‘80s-lite vibe.” Though popular with viewers, his career snags when he gets replaced by a new host, Ambrosia, a younger, more efficient upstart painter. After she brings in better ratings, the network fires Nargle and he’s relegated to teaching at a local university.

Throughout, sordid scandals involving Nargle’s unscrupulous relationships with women cast a shadow over Ross’s legacy while messily sidestepping it. The local paper describes Nargle as a washed-up “sexist” while Ambrosia tells him “You used your brush to seduce and destroy the people who loved you.” Yet all of his transgressions are depicted off-screen, manifesting blithely as women swooning behind the camera, hoping to get in the foldout bed inside the painter’s orange van. The unseen antics may recall the mystery of TÁR, but one critic notes director Brit McAdams lacks the “comedic chops to make this approach entertaining or interesting.”

Paint’s broad-strokes approach instead obfuscates the real scandal clouding Ross’s legacy: the tense legal battle over his estate. Annette and Walt Kowalski founded Bob Ross Inc. and plastered his likable image and happy maxims onto mugs, blankets, Halloween costumes, and various hobby crafts. Ross left his estate to his son, Steve, before his untimely death of lymphoma in 1995. The Kowalskis contested the will, and a 2021 Netflix documentary alleges the couple swindled Steve out of millions. He spoke to director Joshua Rofé in a last-ditch effort to spark outrage and get the case re-litigated as his father’s legacy remains in jeopardy. Nargle’s date with light shame and irrelevance may strike some as simply vapid in comparison.

In Their Own Words: “Nargle’s crimes are that he broke up with someone by walkie-talkie, that he fed a young vegan some cheese, and that, after his girlfriend cheated on him, he cheated back. But even this revenge is laced with Nargle’s dopey innocence and hurt, leaving viewers to balance his petty actions against what looks like a hyperbolic response from the women in his life,” one critic writes for ARTnews. “It’s an underhanded move that would leave Nargle looking like a victim if the whole plot wasn’t so unconvincing.”

Surface Says: Maybe Bob Ross was wrong when he said “there are no mistakes, just happy accidents.”

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Milan’s fashion district is the latest destination for Beefbar, founder Riccardo Giraudi’s hit restaurant brand that first launched in Morocco in 2005 and is known for its exquisite cuts of meat that subvert traditional steakhouse norms. Housed within the historic Archbishop Seminary, a 16th-century Lombard Baroque masterpiece, the seven-year restoration by renowned architect Michele De Lucchi preserved the building’s architectural heritage while introducing a contemporary aesthetic.

For instance, the meticulously restored vaulted ceiling and terrazzo flooring featuring a stylized wave pattern pay homage to modernist architect and designer Luigi Caccia Dominioni, a leading figure in the fusion of curves and straight lines. Serial collaborators Humbert & Poyet took on the interiors, incorporating midcentury Italian influences such as Vico Magistretti chairs and Ignazio Gardella sconces, adding their own designs like the Asterios pendant lights and Sorbet table lamps for a touch of opulence.

On the menu: all the Beefbar classics along with executive chef Thierry Paludetto’s Italian-inspired comfort food such as wagyu and veal bolognese with fresh pappardelle, a lemon and yuzu osso bucco risotto, and veal scaloppini with yuzu and lime.

There are so many elements at work in Bari Ziperstein’s spirited ceramics studio, from her furniture and housewares brand BZIPPY to her fine art practice that recasts her vessels as captivating canvases that nod to Soviet visual culture. Known for pushing the boundaries of experimentation and innovation within the medium, the Los Angeles talent now debuts a series of vases, planters, and side tables in a novel glaze that’s a mesmerizing formation of chestnut-colored textures on a rich cream surface.

Finally, a non-cringe fashion collab worth celebrating. On April 17, New Balance and Ronnie Fieg will launch a new pair of sneakers in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. The Kith founder reimagined New Balance’s 998 shoes through the lens of Wright’s Broadacre City, a conceptual proposal that integrates urban and suburban development with nature. Hues of taupe, valencia, moss, and evergreen underscore the connection to Wright and promise to mesh with a variety of summer fits.

Our weekly roundup of the internet’s most preposterous headlines, from the outrageous to the outright bizarre.

Man Gets Trapped Inside Public Art in Canada After Easter Mischief [ARTnews]

Kanye West’s $57 Million Malibu Mansion Is Rotting From the Inside Out [Highsnobiety]

Dalai Lama Apologizes After Video Asking Child to “Suck” His Tongue Sparks Outcry [CNN]

Your Urban Outfitters Jewelry May Have Toxic Levels of Lead in It [Fast Company]

Florida Woman Mows Down Damien Hirst Sculpture With Her Rolls-Royce [The Art Newspaper]

We Tested a New ChatGPT Detector for Teachers. It Flagged an Innocent Student. [The Washington Post]

Starbucks Customers Are Complaining About Stomach Issues From New Olive Oil–Infused Coffee [CNBC]

Tesla Workers Shared Images From Car Cameras, Including “Scenes of Intimacy” [Ars Technica]

Fashion has the runway; basketball has the tunnel. What was once an unnoticed shuffle from the arena entrance to the locker room has evolved into a bona fide catwalk illuminated by flashing paparazzi bulbs, where NBA stars flaunt their outfits. At a mere 15 seconds, the tunnel walk is a concise affair—but the jaunt is closely watched by style-savvy basketball fans eager to emulate their idols and luxury brands anxious to place their latest clothing and accessories in front of the doting eyes of millions.

Savvy Studio is a branding and architecture design practice based in New York and Mexico. The firm uses its expertise to create brand stories and experiences for ventures such as boutique hotels, restaurants, retail spaces, art galleries, and museums.

Surface Says: With work that ranges from interiors and graphics to elaborately spiced chocolate bars, Savvy Studio injects a contemporary slickness to each of its projects. Consequently, their clients are always on the cutting edge of cool.

Stock photo models are still shocked to see their faces in ads and memes.

It turns out Polaroid’s bizarrely beautiful blue film was invented by accident.

The Sports Bra is a Portland bar dedicated exclusively to women’s sports.

Against all odds, the Kissimmee River has been restored to its natural state.