Just when we thought Donald Trump couldn't sink any lower in his attempts to rescue his disintegrating campaign, he threatened to jail Hillary Clinton during the second presidential debate on Sunday.
Predictably, Trump dominated the night — but for all the wrong reasons. At one point, the audience even dissolved into laughter. How else can you possibly react to his claim, "I have great respect for women. Nobody has more respect for women than I do."
As always, the kids in the SheKnows #Hatch program don't miss a trick. From calling out Trump for dismissing his sexual assault claims as "locker room talk" ("he's saying, like, really offensive things") to his remarkable ability to avoid the question ("he just keeps on changing the subject"), these kids know exactly where it's at.
The children's reactions also prove "the Trump effect" Clinton talks about. "He just threatened [Clinton] in front of millions of people. If he becomes president, he can do much more than just threaten someone," pointed out one kid.
"I feel so scared and confused," admitted another. "Why would a person act like that?"
"As a Muslim person, I feel that Donald Trump is dangerous and just so scary," said one young boy.
The kids summed up what so many of us are thinking when we hear Trump call himself a gentleman: "I don't know if he's joking." Basically the younger generation can see right through him, accusing him of "only pretending to have respect" for women and African-Americans and Latinos to earn their vote.
With two of the three presidential debates in the bag, it's pretty clear that our #HatchKids' minds are made up: Hillary Clinton all the way.
Women have been taking the workplace by storm for the past forty years. We make up more of the workforce than ever before, but there are still fewer women in corporate leadership positions than there should be. Only 22 of the Fortune 500 Companies in America a run by women – a mere four percent.
I find a lot of pride and joy working with women exploring the route to business ownership through franchising. I keep asking myself, why is half of the population represented so poorly in our nation's boardrooms? The numbers have always bothered me, especially as a successful business woman, who has known many other exceptionally and uniquely qualified women business owners and leaders. As I delved into the research available on women in leadership roles, I found several studies that bolstered my gut feeling – not only do women make great workers, they make fantastic leaders!
Women outperform men in initiative and drive
Zeneger Folkman, a company that specializes in the study of leadership, tested leaders for sixteen attributes of leadership and found that for twelve out of those sixteen attributes, women scored higher than their male counterparts. Moreover, from these 7,280 performance evaluations, the study found that women scored significantly higher in two invaluable areas: driving results and taking initiative. This comes as little surprise to anyone who has had the distinct privilege of having a great female boss. Often, knowing that the odds are against you can bring out a strength and resilience that's unexpected.
Women are often better listeners than men, a skill that is critical in relationship building, both with customers and with employees. Research from Claremont College suggests that men tend to communicate through action, while women tend to communicate through discussion. Fostering an environment that invites collaboration and idea sharing allows space for new ideas and innovations to be introduced. Advanced communication skills enable women leaders to build longer-lasting, deeper relationships with their clients and their coworkers. Building trust through open communication makes for a healthier and more enjoyable work environment, while also increasing productivity and retention rates.
This is why I think women business owners implement systems more efficiently. Whether it's willingness to listen to ideas for streamlining internal processes or the ability to follow through on disciplinary action, women excel at putting successful business systems in place. And because women business owners are more likely to engage and empower their employees in the process of putting these systems into place, their teams are more productive, and more likely to participate willingly.
Jane Stein is the founder of Your Franchise is Waiting, a consultancy firm for men and women exploring franchising as an alternative career path.
By now you've probably heard about Billy Bush and Donald Trump's sexist conversation that was recorded 11 years ago but only recently published by The Washington Post. The backlash to it was swift and has resulted in Bush being suspended from the Today show.
But does this video and Bush's subsequent suspension from NBC signal the end of his career? A source recently told People magazine that there's talk that Bush "can't recover" from this recent scandal, adding, "It's so ironic that the place that got him there — his job on Access Hollywood — is now destroying him."
The source also went on to state that the leak was "purposeful" and that it came from a source high up. "They could have released the tape and edited him out," the source stated. "That was the plan — they were trying to approve it, and then someone leaked it. That's what Access Hollywood eventually did, and they played it … but it was already out."
The source also notes that no one wanted to protect Bush — and they had plenty of opportunity to do so. They said, "If they wanted to protect him, they could have edited it out, which they did on the final Access [Hollywood] piece that aired on Friday, but they left it in when it was leaked."
Bush has commented on the recording, claiming that he was sorry for his actions and deeply ashamed by his remarks. However, a large part of the Today viewership is composed of women, and it's not clear whether viewers — or staffers — will be willing to forgive and forget such sexist and demeaning "locker room" talk.
To make things even worse for Bush, there are rumors that Carson Daly is set to replace him (at least temporarily). According to Page Six, two people familiar with the situation at NBC have revealed that on Tuesday, Daly is expected to co-host the Today show with Tamron Hall, although there's no confirmation of how long he's meant to be on the show.
According to the publication, if Bush does end up returning, it might not be anytime soon as NBC considers the actions it plans to take.
Sylvester Stallone is a true rags to riches story. Having started in Los Angeles with a dream, a pregnant wife and $100 to his name, he's a perfect example of a man who fought for the American dream despite disadvantages thrown his way.
Now, everyone knows his name — after years of working up the Hollywood ladder and infamously portraying Rocky and Rambo, money isn't a problem, but fame hasn't protected him from continuous heartbreak. Even in 2016, the hits keep on coming.
Here are some of the most painful punches life's handed Sylvester Stallone.
1946
Stallone immediately started life at a disadvantage; while being born, a medical intern tried to use forceps to drag him out of the womb by his face but severed facial nerves in Sly's lips and one of his eyelids in the process. The accident left Stallone with his "snarled" (as people refer to it) appearance and slurred speech.
While Rocky Stallone hasn't written a memoir of his life, some facts surrounding his tumultuous childhood can be found on the web. Growing up in a hostile environment with feuding parents, Stallone and his brother Frank spent some of their early years in foster care. His parents divorced in 1957, but Stallone continued to struggle emotionally and academically, getting expelled from 14 different Catholic schools, allegedly for fighting, arson and stealing nuns' crucifixes.
1970
Stallone was evicted from his home in New York and found himself living on the streets — sleeping in the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City for a short time. To make a few bucks ($200 per day, to be exact), Stallone acted in a soft-core porn, claiming "it was either do that movie or rob someone because [he] was at the end — the very end — of [his] rope."
Stallone and his first wife Sasha Czack's youngest son Seargeon was diagnosed with autism, and according to Czack, they both broke down. While they ignored advice to put Seargeon in an institution, Stallone's relationship with his son was strained. He told People magazine, "There is no real father-and-son thing there... I have to become his playmate. With a child like this, you have to put your ego away." His work kept him away and his wife picked up the slack, but Stallone tried to help by giving money to research and hosting fundraisers at his movie premieres.
1985
Image: Foto International/Getty Images
After 10 years of marriage, Stallone and his first wife, Sasha Czack, filed for divorce. According to People magazine, Stallone's work and Czack's battle with their son's autism caused them to grow apart. Discussing the failed marriage, Stallone said the discovery of their son's autism was a turning point, saying "[Czack's] dreams and aspirations have been rechanneled into dedicated research. She is a driven person in that area. All of her priorities are geared toward finding a cure. There is no fun in the future that way.”
Stallone was allegedly blackmailed by his half-sister Toni Ann Filiti, who accused him of abuse. According to Stallone's mother, the accusations were false (she said Filiti was addicted to drugs and this was her attempt at a "shakeout") but his lawyers advised him to give Filiti money to keep her quiet and avoid a scandal — so he paid her $2 million up front and $16,000 each month after that.
1996
On Aug. 27, Stallone's third wife Jennifer Flavin gave birth to their first daughter Sophia Rose, but just two short months after welcoming her into the world, Sophia underwent open-heart surgery to repair a hole in her heart. She had been born with cardiac malformation — a rare but curable defect — that created an "opening in the wall between the left and right sides of the heart, allowing blood to flow between the chambers." Luckily, the surgery was successful and Sophia didn't experience problems until her teen years.
2012
Image: SGranitz/Getty Images
2012 proved to be the toughest year for Stallone.
On July 13, a housekeeper found his first son Sage dead at the age of 36 in his Los Angeles home. Coroners ruled the cause of death was atherosclerosis — a disease that causes plaque buildup in your arteries — which led Sage to have a heart attack.
Just six weeks later on Aug. 26, Stallone's 48-year-old half-sister Toni Ann Filiti died of lung cancer. Upon learning of her death, Stallone told his mother he couldn't handle anymore pain, but promised he'd be there for his half-sister's son.
As if 2012 hadn't packed enough punches, Stallone's daughter Sophia — now 16-years-old — underwent another open-heart surgery eight days before Christmas to repair a heart valve problem. Stallone's wife Jennifer Flavin spoke out prior to the surgery, saying, "This is a terrible year, a horrible year for him. Sylvester is devastated, but he refuses to talk about his son."
After searching for his missing family dog, Phoebe, and offering $10,000 for her safe return, the Stallone family found their pet dead on the their property after a coyote attack. Stallone's rep said Phoebe's death was very hard on the family.
2016
News broke yesterday that Stallone's 19-year-old half-brother was brutally attacked by two men in Tallahassee, Florida, and is lucky to be alive. He suffered a shattered jaw and split palate, and while his family is glad he survived, they're stunned by the random act of violence. Stallone spoke to TMZ about his shock, saying, "This is a wonderful young man, a straight-A student who would not cause any trouble. It's just so tragic and terribly sad."
The biggest stereotype about taking a cruise is that you will gain weight. In fact, recent polls show that most cruise goers with an unlimited drink package gain an average of 5-10 pounds per week long cruise. And it’s easy to see why: Most cruises, including Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas, have access to unlimited, delicious drinks, an open buffet, and desserts as far as the eye can see.
Toward the end of the trip Royal Caribbean gifted me through Greece, Italy, and Turkey, they started to joke that the desserts had no calories. If only that were true. But the truth is I didn’t gain a pound, despite drinking quite a bit (though I could have easily cut that), eating at every amazing restaurant on board, and sleeping a lot.
But how? Here are the things I did that helped avoid weight gain:
I did the most I could at every port
The ship I was on (Jewel of the Seas) docked six times. And every time, I was one of the first people off the ship. We walked up and down the cliffs in Santorini. We hired a private boat in Capri and swam the grottos. We swam the ocean in Mykonos and walked through the whole town. We ran the stadium at Olympia and tried belly dancing in Turkey. The point is: We were active. According to our Fitbits, we averaged 10,000 steps or more a day. If relaxation is your objective, you could just shop in the port or stay on the ship, but if you want to be active, there is plenty of opportunity to do so.
I didn’t let my workouts slide
I worked out every day of our 10 day cruise. Some days that meant waking up at 5 a.m. to run on the track or do yoga in my room before the gym opened at 6 a.m. – but I did it. At home I have a regimented mileage schedule and on the boat I relaxed that a bit. On 10 mile days, I did five. On five miles days, I did three. But I still got the workout in and didn’t lose shape.
I let go of the guilt
There were more than a couple afternoons we came back from a day at a port and I jumped on the track and ran while others drank their fruity cocktails and enjoyed vacation. I felt badly sometimes, but I didn’t mind. I wasn’t going to feel guilty for not fully relaxing, because for me, running and working out is relaxing. It would be far stranger to have completely abandoned my workouts.
I was careful about my diet
There are plenty of opportunities both to indulge and to hold back on a cruise. You can opt for the white drinks — the white wine, the gin and tonics, the vodka martinis — to keep the calories on the low (ish) side. You could also skip the plentiful desserts. But you can also choose small portions. Indulge yourself, but only by half. Try the piña colada one day, but have it be your only drink. Unlimited doesn’t have to mean gluttony. You can pace yourself and still enjoy yourself.
Jewel of the Seas has a lot of opportunity to stay active even on “sea” days. There is a running track where six turns equals one mile and a rock wall that is both fun and challenging (there are three tracks of varying difficulty level). You can also enjoy a full service, impressive gym with classes (for pay) that include yoga and spin, as well as some stretching classes that don’t cost extra money. There is even a small mini golf range and a basketball court my husband used multiple times. Plus, just walking the length of the ship can be a workout.
I took the stairs
My husband and I committed from day one to never take the elevator, which meant that on the ninth floor, we had to walk up and down a lot of stairs. It won’t keep the weight off alone, but it sure didn’t hurt us.
I brought everything I needed
Royal Caribbean has yoga mats if you forget yours (I didn’t), but they don’t have sneakers, sports bras and workout clothes. Remember that gear. For me, bringing my travel yoga mat was a treat because I was able to spend a lot of time on my balcony doing my own private yoga. It was spectacular to practice as the sun rose over the Mediterranean. I will never forget it in all my days, and no amount of food or frozen cocktails could be more of a vacation for me.
In the end, I came home weighing about two pounds less than when we left. I hadn’t lost any of my shape or flexibility and I still felt like I’d seen a lot, done a lot, and had a real vacation.
We've heard nothing from Kim Kardashian West following her terrifying robbery in Paris, France, almost two weeks ago — but her sister Khloé recently gave fans an update, and it appears Kardashian West is not doing too well.
Speaking during her appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Khloé revealed that her sister has been through an "incredibly traumatic" experience. But the Kardashian/Jenner clan are very close and have been rallying around Kim, as Khloé revealed, "we'll get through it together, and we do appreciate all of your guys' love and support and it will take time."
Khloe Kardashian on Ellen DeGeneres
Khloe Kardashian on Ellen DeGeneres
While what happened to Kardashian West is nothing to joke about and should be taken very seriously, there's a very small silver lining to the horrific ordeal she endured, because it has served as a wakeup call for the rest of the family (and will hopefully ensure that a similar incident, or worse, does not happen in the future).
"Well, I think it's just a wake up call to make a lot of life adjustments," Khloé said of her sister's robbery, and whether the family will be more hesitant to post their daily lives on social media. "This is a really serious matter for Kim I think that's really personal as to when that emotional terror you could move on from that. I think for us it's all a wake up call for all of us, but definitely just to make sure our sister's OK."
We cannot imagine the turmoil Kardashian West is going through, but we're sure the fact that she has such a close and loving family to support her during this time offers her some semblance of comfort. And right now, the family are firmly focused on their safety, with Kardashian telling DeGeneres that they intend to "make sure we're as protected as well as possible."
It seems like every year, there's that one Halloween costume that someone thinks will be a funny take on the pop culture of the moment — and then it turns out to be completely tasteless.
This year, we thought we'd hit rock bottom when we discovered people could dress up as a BP oil spill. Har har, environmental destruction is hilarious and fashionable, you guys. But no. A costume was coming that was even worse.
For $70, Costumeish is selling a "Parisian Heist Robbery Victim" costume, complete with a short robe; long, dark wig; sunglasses; a "$4 million ring';" a fake gag; and 2 feet of rope. While the costume description never specifically mentions Kim Kardashian West by name, it's completely obvious that this costume is about dressing up as Kardashian West during one of the most terrifying moments she's ever experienced.
Kardashian West is a pretty polarizing celebrity, so, while completely disgusting and devoid of class, it's not actually all that surprising that some people have been delighted to hear that she was tied up and robbed at gunpoint. Those people are probably the same ones who will wear this horrible costume and the same ones who won't understand that dressing up like this is making light of every woman who has ever been assaulted — 1 in 3 women in the U.S., to be exact — far more than just Kardashian West.
To people who would consider wearing this, I have just one request: Please try to put yourselves in Kardashian West's shoes. Imagine having your privacy violated. Imagine coming face-to-face with masked men with guns, having guns pointed at you as you're tied up and left in a bathtub. Imagine praying for not only your own safety, but that of your children and family as you wonder whether you're going to be shot, raped or just robbed. If you, like me, can't even comprehend the horror she must have felt, do what's right and stay far, far away from this costume.
SheKnows: What do most parents do when they hear their children curse at a young age? What should they do [instead]?
Benjamin Bergen: Parental reactions are important because children are fascinated with how their actions, including language, affect us. Where are our limits and what are our buttons? When parents react with strong visible emotions [to cursing], you can bet that’s going to reinforce the behavior. It teaches the child: This is a tool I can use to deflect attention from getting dressed or to throw mom off her game. And what’s more, it teaches the child: This word is powerful. This is all kind of paradoxical because the only way to teach children that these words aren’t that interesting is to refrain from reacting to them.
My wife and I have adopted a pretty specific parenting strategy. It’s OK in our house to swear if you hurt yourself or you’re really excited, but it’s never OK to hurt other people, including with words. We coach our son on the parts of the invisible social world that are hard to pick up. Mommy and Daddy might be fine with him yelling “shit!” when he runs into a table, but we’d be doing him a disservice if we didn’t advise him that his teachers at school might not like to hear that word and that there might be consequences.
SK: What should parents tell kids in regards to whether there is a sliding scale of curse words — or should they all be treated the same?
BB: There’s pretty clear experimental and correlational evidence that certain uses of language can cause harm to kids, whether said by adults or other children. The two big categories are verbal abuse and slurs. Verbal abuse can be profane but doesn’t have to be. It’s things like intimidation, threatening physical harm and of course denigrating the child — "you’re worthless", "you’re stupid." Slurs are the other group, and being called by sexist, racist and other terms of abuse both demonstrably causes people to become more discriminatory towards marginalized groups and also correlates with decreases in cognitive and emotional well-being — kids called by homophobic slurs, for instance, show a greater increase in reports of depression and anxiety, for instance, through middle school.
On the other hand, the fleeting expletives that accompany a stubbed toe or a touchdown celebration in front of the TV haven’t been shown to cause any sort of similar harm.
So part of the coaching that kids need is the difference between using strong words for personal expression of feelings and the use of those same words or others to harm others. This isn’t too hard for kids to understand.
SK: Why is crap vulgar when poo is just childish?
BB: There’s this funny thing about English profanity. They tend to sound a particular way. Most of our strongest words are one syllable long and end with one or two consonants. And usually those consonants are the hard-stop consonants like “t” or “k” or in the case of “crap,” “p”. As a result, when people make up new swear words, they tend to follow that pattern: “tard,” “sperg” (short for Asperger’s syndrome), “MILF,” and so on. And people also think that even mundane words sound a little dirty when they follow this pattern. Like “moist.” “Crap” follows the pattern — lots of consonants. But “poo” doesn’t. And the reason this pattern exists in the first place might be that the words with lots of consonants at the end are the very ones that kids have trouble pronouncing early on. Infants and toddlers are good at consonant plus vowel, repeated if necessary. That gives you childlike words like “poo-poo” or “wee-wee.” But we’ve crafted profane words to sound a little more adult — can you imagine a 1-year-old pronouncing “crap”?
SK: What was the role of cursing in your house when you were a kid?
BB: Like many people of my generation, there was no swearing allowed at home. We were punished for egregious offenses. The lesson I learned: These words were fucking magical.
The report, especially relevant today, International Day of the Girl, says child marriage most frequently occurs in countries like Afghanistan, Yemen, India and Somalia — places that might seem far away to those of us in the U.S., where despite the powder keg of political turmoil dominating the news cycle, it can still be a pretty cushy place to live.
That said, the United States is faring more miserably than it ought to be. Save the Children listed the U.S. 32nd — 32nd! — on its Girls’ Opportunity Index. Countries like Slovenia, Israel, Algeria and Kazakhstan do better than the States on a combined score measuring child marriage, adolescent fertility, maternal mortality (which indicates girls’ access to good-quality health care), lower-secondary school completion and women and the number of female representatives in government. Sweden, by comparison, is the best place to be a girl, due in part to its low rate of teen mothers and the high number of women serving in government.
Consider this report come Election Day if the current political climate is making you too angry or apathetic to want to vote. In the U.S., there are 535 seats in Congress and less than 20 percent of those seats are occupied by women (compared to the country at large, which is 50 percent women.) Eighty percent of government, the government that makes decisions about women’s health care or rights during divorce proceedings or laws affecting victims of abuse, is made up of men. And American women can fix this.
This is not a call for women to necessarily vote for the female candidate (although, I will personally be voting for the female candidate.) This disappointing news about the overall welfare of girls in America, however, is a call to become involved in the political process and to let our children see us doing it. If we truly want to do well by women, we need to raise future generations of daughters who believe that if we make up 50 percent of the population in this country, then 50 percent of our government should be women too.
When many of us first heard Donald Trump say he is so powerful he grabs women by the p****, we thought: Well, this just can't get any worse, especially if you're a mom intent on raising your daughter or son to respect themselves and treat everyone as equals. Things seemed glum for a few days — until women decided enough was enough and struck back in the smartest way possible. Several women have shared deeply personal sexual assault stories that prove Trump's words and his sexist attitude do matter. There haven't been many silver linings on all of the dark clouds plaguing this presidential campaign, and this may be the closest we're going to get.
Actress Amber Tamblyn has emerged in recent days as one of the more famous celebrities to come out swinging against Trump. Rather than taking the easy way out — because insulting either the GOP candidate or Hillary Clinton has become a game many of us play on any random Tuesday — Tamblyn posted this brutally honest message about her experience with sexual assault on Instagram, along with a not-so-flattering photo of Trump kissing Miss Universe.
amber tamblyn
amber tamblyn
Writer Kelly Oxford took the movement to discuss sexual assault openly one step further by encouraging women to share their stories with the hashtag #NotOkay. At one point during the weekend, Oxford took to Twitter to announce she was receiving two sex assault stories per second. Here are a few that, in a perfect world, would make the words "locker room talk" disappear from existence. The hope is that, by feeling no shame for what happened to them, these women will help others realize they aren't responsible for the actions and words of men who have assaulted them. As a mom, I can't think of a more important lesson for my daughter to learn to help her become a strong woman.
rape tweet
rape tweet
grope tweet
grope tweet
sex assault tweet
sex assault tweet
kiss tweet
kiss tweet
bathroom tweet
bathroom tweet
dad car tweet
dad car tweet
library tweet
library tweet
rape 2 tweet
rape 2 tweet
The more open we are about sexual assault, the more united we stand as women who will do everything in our power to demand more for our children.
Panicked by the thought of trying to re-create your favorite sandwich at home? It happens to the best of us. Luckily it's actually super easy to make a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich at home. With a couple of substitutes and shortcuts where needed, you'll be chowing down on your favorite sub in no time.
The bread
A typical Vietnamese banh mi is served on a small baguette. But unlike the French baguettes you can get at the store, Vietnamese baguettes are usually made with a mixture of wheat and rice flour. The rice flour keeps the baguette light and airy, unlike the chewy French baguettes you might be used to.
That means if you don't live near a Vietnamese bakery or feel like stretching your baking muscles to make your own baguettes, you may need a substitute.
Lightly toasted Mexican bolillo or telera rolls will work, or even a toasted sub sandwich roll or kaiser roll will do in a pinch. But if you can't find those either, then go with an ordinary small baguette. It's close enough.
The meat
Pork is the most popular banh mi filling, from pork roll to headcheese. At home, you can opt for a thin slice or two of deli ham, thinly sliced leftover pork chops or pork roast, shredded pork shoulder or pork belly or ground pork meatballs, sliced. You can also go with grilled chicken, shredded rotisserie chicken (dark meat preferably) or thinly sliced leftover steak.
Vegetarians can fill their banh mi with grilled or fried tofu, veggies or vegetarian "ham."
And note that in a banh mi, the ratio of meat to veggies is usually 1-to-1, so don't go overboard.
The pickles
Pickles add tart crunch to your banh mi. Luckily you can make Vietnamese pickles from carrots and daikon quickly, subbing regular red radishes or even turnips for the daikon if it's not available in your area.
Chicken or duck liver pâté is a common ingredient in banh mi, spread on the sandwich bread. You can usually find inexpensive pâté at the grocery store, so don't worry about making it from scratch. And since it's going in a sandwich alongside other strong flavors, you don't have to worry if it's not primo-quality pâté that you would serve with crackers at a fancy party.
Squeamish about liver? You can try making a lentil pâté instead.
The rest
Mayo (or mayo and butter), cilantro, cucumber slices and sliced jalapeños (pickled aren't traditional, but they will have a milder heat profile) round out the rest of the sandwich. You can splash a dash of Maggi seasoning or soy sauce, a sprinkle of salt or a squirt of Sriracha sauce on the banh mi to finish seasoning, then get ready to chow down. See? That wasn't so hard after all.
Dear the Future Ms. Claire Zulkey (because you won’t change your name):
This day eight years ago, you were getting ready to marry your longtime boyfriend, creative partner and best friend. It’s going to be a great day. The weather will be beautiful, everything will work out timing-wise and you’ll enjoy having everyone close to you hanging out and drinking wine and eating steak and dancing. Your wedding will be as fun as you hoped it would be and you wouldn’t do anything different (except skip that melty chocolate chip cookie in the limo on the way to the reception.)
I do feel a little sad for you. I always get a hard-to-define sense of melancholy around this time of year. Maybe it’s because I am envious that there was ever a period in my life when growing my hair long, evening out my tan lines and getting monthly facials were actual priorities. But also, I think it was just such a defining point in my life, one phase ending and another one beginning. You’ll get the same way when you’re downtown near the hospital where your children were born and feel a similar fond sort of pity when you remember those world-changing days.
You probably could have done a better job about not letting wedding bullshit — yours and others — get into your head. They’re not competitions. The best weddings are just fun and full of happiness and love, and once you get past the first five to 10 weddings of your life, they’re all pretty much the same. But also, you’re a lot different at 29 than you are at 37, so what can you do?
Make sure you remember where you put those beautiful hairpins your friend loaned you as your “something borrowed.”
You are marrying well. You have a hardworking spouse who pulls his own weight and is not helpless. He's a good family man and is happy to give you space and time to yourself. You two will argue, especially when child care, house care and professional work all intersect. You both get touchy when you argue. You will have a son who is quite touchy as well, and you will wonder where you got such a child.
You are going to have two boys! I know, that’s weird, right? But they are both sweet and charming and loving, and you will get a little hit of dopamine every time they hug you at the same time, one boy in each arm.
After the wedding, you will feel a slight letdown, which is understandable, but you will beat yourself up about being such a spoiled brat and get into a funk where you wonder if you are really the same you anymore or are just some washed-up old married lady. You will go through this again when you have kids and people start referring to you as “a mom.” You will get over this. These new roles have their un-fun parts, for sure, but each step came with its own rewards and strength building that prove you’re more than “just a mom” or “just a wife.”
Eventually, you’ll realize that “just a wife” or “just a mom” are things you made up when you were feeling mildly depressed and sorry for yourself. What you decide to be after you’ve moved past those worries is actually totally up to you.
And according to celeb gossip columnist Perez Hilton, she's zeroing in and trying to silence reporters who are spreading information about her divorce from Brad Pitt.
Hilton posted a photo to Instagram that showed a screen shot of an email that he wrote to Jolie's lawyers. He claims his extremely harsh words were in response to an email they sent him, threatening to sue him over his coverage of Jolie's divorce.
"Please get this message to Angelina Jolie herself," Hilton wrote in his email. "She KNOWS... I have ALWAYS been a huge fan a SUPPORTER of hers!! I am livid!!! Unless she wants to turn me into an enemy, I want an apology right now."
He continues, "I am not changing anything. If you want to sue me, my lawyer is Bryan Freedman and he is CC'd. I did nothing illegal. We stand 100% behind our reporting."
It's the sign-off, however, that shows just how mad Hilton really is. He ends his email, "Fuck YOU. And suck my dick!"
Perez Hilton Instagram about Jolie
Perez Hilton Instagram about Jolie
Yikes.
It's pretty unclear what might be Jolie's basis for threatening to sue Hilton. His website is mainly an aggregator, meaning he rewrites and reposts news from other sites rather than doing his own original reporting. But then, maybe Jolie's team has threatened to sue other outlets too, and they just haven't been as vocal about it as Hilton was.
Either way, Hilton seems ready for a battle. If the lawsuit rumors are true, Jolie may want to rethink this one and focus on her divorce — she probably has enough on her plate already.
For couples who have been battling the dragon that is infertility in hopes of having a child, the idea of having twins or even higher-order multiples can sound like a dream come true. Once you've taken on the time, expense and painful daily injections necessary in order to undergo a round of in vitro fertilization, when it comes time to decide how many embryos to transfer into the uterus, many couples opt to put back more than one in hopes of increasing their odds of getting pregnant. But some IVF experts are speaking out against multiple embryo transfers, claiming they increase health risks to both the mother and the babies.
There's no guarantee that any embryo will take, so by putting more than one embryo into the womb, you're trying to stack the cards in your favor that at least one of them will stick around for nine months. For couples who've already invested so much in the process, trying to increase their chances of having a baby makes sense. But doctors say when the transfer results in a multiple pregnancy, the potential list of complications increases. Moms carrying multiples have to worry about an increased chance of miscarriage, placenta issues, gestational diabetes and blood pressure issues. Being put on bed rest is also common. And multiples are often born premature, which can provide its own set of challenges, both short-term and lifelong for the babies themselves.
My 3-year-old twin boys were conceived via IVF. I remember vividly the moment when my doctor first mentioned the possibility of twins to me. After wanting a family for so long and not being sure that I'd ever be able to conceive, the idea of having not one, but two babies was like winning the lotto. But part of the reason I was so willing to have two embryos put back was I didn't do my research. My doctor failed to mention just how risky a twin pregnancy could be, and being in my 20s and completely naive about what your body goes through while pregnant, I jumped at the chance to transfer two embryos.
Despite the fact that I was in great physical condition before getting pregnant, my twin pregnancy did not go smoothly. I went into premature labor at 27 weeks, and spent the rest of my pregnancy in and out of the hospital on strict bed rest. I developed cholestasis of pregnancy, a condition in which your liver can't filter the bile being produced by the babies. Fortunately for me, there was medication to stop me from getting sick. But for the babies, every day they remained in the womb, the risk of them being stillborn as a result of the cholestasis increased. When my boys were born prematurely at 33 weeks via emergency C-section, they headed to the NICU, where they stayed until their lungs were mature enough to breathe on their own.
Obviously, I love my kids to the moon and back, and I can't imagine my life without them. I wouldn't go back and change what happened now because if I did, the boys that are currently feeding me plastic bananas wouldn't be here. I know I got lucky. My kids are healthy. They don't have any long-term health issues as a result of their premature births. But I can't help but wonder sometimes if my pregnancy and their birth experiences would had been different had I opted for two separate pregnancies rather than transferring two embryos during IVF knowing that there was the chance of having multiples. Couples undergoing IVF should be made aware of the risks that come with carrying multiples, the ones that are more serious than the fact that once they're born, you'll forever be asked, "Are they twins?"
When a troll insulted her on Twitter, Jenner had the absolute perfect response. Like, this response is going to go down in the internet shade hall of fame. It's that good.
The Twitter jerk, after Jenner posted a photo of herself taken in a mirror wearing a black sweater pulled up to reveal her stomach and a lacy black thong, tweeted, "@KylieJenner looks like a 14 year old prostitute."
Rude! Jenner is a gorgeous woman with supermodel contracts out the wazoo. What gives this guy the right to be so nasty?
Good thing Jenner, who is 19, had no problem sticking up for herself. Her response?
Kylie Jenner prostitute
Kylie Jenner prostitute
Jenner's followers loved the clap-back, and tweeted their support for the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star.
Kylie hottie tweet
Kylie hottie tweet
Kylie queen tweet
Kylie queen tweet
With as much time as Jenner spends in the public eye given reality TV appearances, her modeling career and her social media prowess, it's not surprising that she has to deal with a troll here and there. But the way she handled this one was especially perfect because of how she kept her sense of humor in the face of someone who only wanted to tear her down. Go, Kylie!
It's been a tortuous few months since The Walking Dead's Season 6 finale left fans in the lurch with a major cliffhanger — the sound of nefarious new villain Negan beating one of Rick's OG crew to death with his barbwire-covered baseball bat, Lucille.
*shudder*
It wasn't an entirely surprising situation, considering a very similar scene plays out in the comic series by Robert Kirkman the show is based on. In that sequence, fan favorite Glenn is the one to go. But still, knowing what was coming did little to lessen the blow (pun unfortunately intended).
I certainly don't want to say goodbye to Glenn anytime soon — aside from the devastating impact that would have on Maggie, I just like the guy, if we're being honest. He's chill AF, loyal to a fault and his character has been one of the driving forces of this series.
So it's with great reluctance that I consider the rumor making the rounds online. According to the fan-centric celebrity gossip site Oh No They Didn't, fans of The Walking Dead are convinced they've figured out who got Lucilled in the season finale.
And, sadly, it does look like our hero will indeed go down the same way his death was foretold in the comics — Glenn shall die by Negan's gnarly bat, if these sleuthing fans are to be believed.
But wait, it gets worse. That's not all the fans are saying. Not only do they feel certain Glenn dies by Negan's bat on that fateful night, but they also claim another cast member will be killed: none other than everyone's favorite mustache-sporting, one-liner-slinging roughneck, Abraham.
Say it ain't so! We can barely stomach the thought of losing one of Rick's crew, much less two. But unfortunately for us fans, the rumors might actually have some truth to them. In an interview with Den of Geek, Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan) hinted at multiple deaths, saying, "Negan's not just going to kill one person in [the premiere]. He's not afraid of bashing in skulls." But what does this mean? Is he referring to two people in Rick's crew or someone else?
Anyway, back to the theory.
Reportedly, fans determined the deaths by process of elimination. Actors Michael Cudlitz (Abraham) and Steven Yeun (Glenn) have not been seen on the set filming since the first episode of Season 7. Every other actor has been seen, however.
Since that episode would presumably be the continuation of the Season 6 finale and thus the episode we see whose skull Negan is crushing, it stands to reason they wouldn't need to film beyond the Season 7 premiere. The rest of the cast has apparently filmed at ASZ, Hilltop, the Sanctuary and the Kingdom with no Cudlitz or Yeun in sight, so spoiler trackers are confident in their assumption.
Here's the thing, though. Would it really be that easy to figure out such a huge part of the story arc for Season 7 (and, for that matter, the entire series)? We know AMC and the producers have gone to great lengths to conceal integral plot points from fans before.
I interviewed the lovely Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie, earlier this year. During our conversation, she discussed the incredible lengths the show goes to in order to try to keep the show as unspoiled as possible. At times, the cast quite literally has to hide away from the world.
So, call it denial if you want, but I'm not going to believe both Abraham and Glenn die until I see it play out when the series returns on Oct. 11. Until then, I'm going to assume only one of them goes (uh, sorry, Abe!) and the other is just tucked somewhere away from prying eyes.
What about you? Do you believe this devastating fan theory?
We've all sat through boring Bachelor season after boring Bachelor season after boring Bachelor season, waiting for someone who could rival Kaitlyn Bristowe, the reigning queen of Bachelor franchise drama, and give us something to once again cheers our chardonnay to on Monday nights.
Finally we have it.
We knew Nick Viall was going to be a special Bachelor. He's already super-controversial — he was the villain on not one but two seasons, and then he hilariously came in second place both times. After a similarly unsuccessful stint on Bachelor in Paradise, he's back as the leading man, meaning no one can curve him at the last minute this time.
And after he brought buckets of drama to Bristowe's season by entering midway through — and pissing off all the other guys in the process — and then having very pre-Fantasy Suite sex with Bristowe — and pissing off all the other guys to pretty much murdery levels — he's back at it with his ladies, reports say.
According to a New York Magazine article, Viall will be confronted on Night 1 by a woman he hooked up with once at a wedding and then never called again. I'm already cackling at that news, but it gets better: Apparently Viall was super-pissed that the girl showed up, because she took away someone else's chance to actually find love. Because, you know, she should have known that going out and having sex with him was a deal breaker.
If this is how Nick's going to act, I do feel sorry for the ladies competing for his heart, because that was a dick move, for sure. But I do feel great for myself, my Bachelor-watching squad and the entire wine industry, because this is going to be a season for the books. Finally.
When I read a headline saying Miley's mom, Tish Cyrus, and her sister, Brandi Cyrus, were getting their own reality show on Bravo, I wasn't surprised at all. Bravo is home of The Real Housewives franchise, and pretty much created the reality TV genre where cameras follow interesting people around in their day-to-day lives. Cyrus' family would fit that bill pretty well.
But their show isn't like that — it's a design competition show.
Cyrus vs. Cyrus will reportedly pit the mom and daughter duo against each other as they compete to wow a potential client with their design visions for a room in their home. Once the client picks the designer they'd like to go with, the loser serves as her assistant while they redecorate the room. Neither Cyrus has any professional experience with design, but they have both been "perfecting their passion for décor in their own homes," according to a release from Bravo.
"They are equally talented designers, but with very different aesthetics, and watching them transform one home a week will be almost as entertaining as the antics that ensue along the way," the release continued.
If you're a little confused by this concept, you're not alone. Unfortunately for Tish and Brandi, their much more famous family members, Miley and Billy Rae, are both busy with their own projects these days and probably won't appear on the show.
Martha Stewart fans, rejoice! The grand empress of domestic arts is expanding her empire in a most delicious way.
In New York, Dallas and Sacramento, Stewart is opening up branches of her Martha Stewart Café, with more to come.
More like small coffee kiosks than the couch-strewn Starbucks you may be used to, Martha Stewart Cafés are an expertly curated coffee experience. They're serving up Martha's favorite coffee, sourced from New York's Kobrick Coffee, along with teas selected by Wei Bertram of Arogya Tea, both of which will be sold under Stewart's name.
There will also be Martha Stewart-branded granolas and a selection of gourmet pastries from local bakeries.
Actually the bakery part is one of the things that really caught my attention. Instead of generic, stale, reheated pastries like those sold at some mega coffee chains, Martha Stewart Cafés will showcase the best of what local bakers have to offer, ensuring a much fresher and more interesting selection than what's available elsewhere.
Another promising fact? All the drinks on the menu come in under $5, and the selection is nothing to turn your nose up at.
You can get a cappuccino, cold brew or cup of Martha's Breakfast Blend tea. Or you can branch out — the selection of hibiscus, jasmine-mint and hojicha iced tea is making me thirsty just thinking about it.
Currently you can try out what Martha Stewart Cafés have to offer at its location in New York City, at the Starrett-Lehigh building (where Stewart's offices are located) in Chelsea.
You can also trek to the Macy’s Taste Bar Café at Galleria Dallas, where a Martha Stewart Café is opening this weekend, or head to the Macy's Golden 1 Center Taste Bar Café in Sacramento.
Fancy coffee and pastries that won't break the bank? Yeah, that's definitely a good thing.
The Bachelor's Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell are still together a year after the end of the show (which already makes their relationship longer than some of the previous The Bachelor couples), but their relationship is far from perfect.
But just because they have to work at their relationship (let's be honest, who doesn't?) and haven't yet set a wedding date, doesn't mean that Higgins and Bushnell are not committed to each other — something which the pair recently touched on in an interview with E! News at The Knot Gala in New York City on Monday night, when they were asked why their new reality show, Ben & Lauren: Happily Ever After? has a question mark in the title.
*gasp*
Does this mean things are not working out? Does this mean that the couple is going to split? Luckily we have the answers...
"I think it's actually a really good thing because it's the question mark of life," Higgins told the publication. "Unexpected things are going to happen in your relationships and life, and Lauren and I are still trying to get to know each other and we're still finding out things about each other every day and that's where the question mark comes in. It's not if we're happy or not. I will give a spoiler and say we're very happy, but there are things that will pop up that are unexpected."
Hmmm, we guess that kind of makes sense. The couple doesn't know what the future holds and it would be premature to pretend that they are going to end up together forever. If anything, maybe it's better that they aren't being too hasty about getting married and are taking their commitments to each other (and finding the time to get to really know each other properly before getting hitched) seriously.
Something else that sparked concern among fans was when Higgins and Bushnell revealed they were attending couple's counseling. But rather than be ashamed that their relationship has a few glitches to work out, the couple feels that therapy should not be so taboo. In fact, we could probably all learn a thing or two about their approach to therapy.
Bushnell revealed that they were OK, but that their decision was "more preventative." She continued, "We want to have a really solid foundation and we want to address certain problems maybe before they even exist and just have that third party to help us through pre-marriage and engagement and being a new couple."
Makes sense, right? We're really rooting for Higgins and Bushnell to make it, as they're undeniably one of our favorite reality TV couples, and by the looks of it, they may just make it to the altar after all.
Image: AMC
