N.Y.C. for a "cheap bastard"

Fans of Tim Burton will be excited to learn that MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art) is planning an exhibition dedicated to the zany director. Opening in November, the exhibition "Tim Burton" will salute the director's 27-year career by displaying various items, from his pen and ink sketches of Edward Scissorhands to watercolor paintings from The Nightmare Before Christmas. More than 700 rare examples of his work will be on display from Nov. 22, 2009, through April 26, 2010. When museum curators expressed interest in displaying Burton's artwork at the MOMA—one of the world's foremost contemporary art collections—he was slightly surprised. "I didn't grow up in a real museum culture," Burton said at a press conference Wednesday. "I think I went to the Hollywood Wax Museum as my first museum…I was of that generation where I got more out of The Beverly Hillbillies than Monet." But the exhibition "Tim Burton," considered the largest monographic collection the MOMA has curated to date, isn't a feat to be modest about. It will consist of never-before-seen paintings, drawings, photographs, storyboards, puppets, costumes, and a film series, with the first public showing of his student and early nonprofessional films. From November 18–30, full-length features will be screened, too, including Pee-wee's Big Adventure and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The exhibit takes a broad view of Burton's conceptual and production process, including original puppets from The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride, severed-head props from Mars Attacks!, and costumes from Batman Returns and Sleepy Hollow. Burton said producing art was always a private and quiet process for him. He used his artwork as a subconscious journal to explore ideas over the years. So Burton is getting to re-discover some of the residual work he had kept hidden away in drawers for years. "Every now and then, and since I had never done it, it's good to kind of go back and reconnect with yourself," he told reporters yesterday. "It kind of re-energizes you and connects you and gets the nerve-endings going again." ("Tim Burton" opens November 22, 2009. moma.org, admission, $20 adults.) —David Cumming

Thanks for your terrific submissions of images from across France. Among the 19 photos we selected, check out a frozen-in-time village in the Loire Valley, lavender fields in Provence, and scenes of Paris that include a flower market, a sunrise over the Eiffel Tower, and an artist in Montmartre. Click here to see the slide show. GET PLANNING! Real Deals: France From $599 Hotels: Paris Hotels From $99

Rockland, Maine, really knows how to throw a party. In January, it was the Pies on Parade event, in celebration of National Pie Day. This weekend, the town is putting on the 62nd annual Maine Lobster Festival. These people are not afraid of butter. The Lobster Festival, a five-day event packed with traditional festival activities like food booths and live music, really tears through its namesake crustacean—in 2008, more than 20,000 pounds of lobster were prepared in a cooker on the shore (apparently a show in itself). Also indulge in the Lobster Crate Race, where participants run over partially submerged lobster crates in the chilly waters of the harbor. The new record—4,501 crates—was set just last year. There's also a seafood cooking contest, an art fair, a marine tent with live lobster and other sea specimens, a 10K run, a huge parade with floats, a children's activity area, and tours of the U.S. Coastal Guard station. See the full schedule. The festival officially kicks off tomorrow with free admission all day; tickets are regularly $8 per person ($2 for kids). At the food tents, a huge lobster dinner will set you back $15, but it doesn't get much fresher than "cooked on the shore." Parking and shuttles to the festival area are free and plentiful. If boats are more your style, check out the 7th Annual Boat Builders Festival (with live pirate raid!) in Boothbay Harbor, Maine—about 45 miles southwest of Rockland.

A few of our favorite links from around the 'net this week. School's out for summer: the Obamas will spend their August vacation on Martha's Vineyard. [Gadling] Following some Twitter-only fares (also known as Twares)? Read the fine print. [Upgrade: Travel Better] How to keep your e-mail safe while traveling. [AP via Yahoo! News] Air Tahiti Nui's flight attendants are ready for the runway with uniforms designed by Balenciaga. [The Faster Times] Finland's talking trash bins speak six languages. But do they tell jokes? [Jaunted] Trend-spotting: L.A. institution Pink's hot dogs will open a LAX location. [World Hum] Austin: The Superest Super 8 of them all? [HotelChatter] For more travel blogs, go to Alltop.