It's a scary time for most people in this country right now. It's bigger than the need to see more minority actors on television and in film. People are downright scared about the future of their most basic rights.
How do we get through it?
Well, for one, with speeches and support from people like Washington, who inspire us and continue to encourage us to get up and fight.
He won Best Actor for his role in Fences at the NAACP Awards last night, and instead of talking about himself, his role and the other cliché lines we get from these award shows, Washington chose to speak about everyone else.
"August Wilson is one of the greatest playwrights in the history of American or world theater. It is a privilege, an honor, a responsibility, a duty and a joy to bring his brilliance to the screen. I am particularly proud and happy about the young filmmakers, actors, singers, writers, producers that are coming up behind my generation. In particular, Barry Jenkins. Young people understand. This young man made 10, 15, 20 short films before he got the opportunity to make Moonlight. So never give up. Without commitment, you’ll never start. But more importantly, without consistency, you’ll never finish. It's not easy. If it was easy, there'd be no Kerry Washington. If it was easy, there'd be no Taraji P. Henson. If it were easy, there'd be no Octavia Spencer. But not only that, if it were easy, there'd be no Viola Davis."
He named other actors, including himself, then added, "Keep working. Keep striving. Never give up. Fall down seven times, get up eight... Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship. Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship. So keep moving, keep growing, keep learning. See you at work."
I'm taping this speech on my refrigerator, and every time I feel down, I'll be rereading it. Here's to standing up no matter the struggle.
If you aren't feeling all kind of warm and fuzzies right now, well, you clearly weren't watching the Season 7B premiere of The Walking Dead. In fact, it should have left you feeling — oh, I don't know — the exact opposite of the premiere at the start of the season.
That's right... no ugly crying and calling in sick to work the next day because of your abject despair. Rather, Season 7's return was filled with (dare I say it?) hope. Because, you guys, the gang's all here! And they're ready to rock n' roll and kick some serious Saviors ass.
Before we go any further, it goes without saying the following review will contain plot points pertinent to the Season 7B premiere of TWD. Still, I'm saying it: spoiler alert. One more time for the cheap seats in the back — SPOILER ALERT.
Now, let's get into it, shall we? Here are the highlights, and what they might mean for our heroes moving forward.
1. The Zombie Massacre to End All Massacres
let's start with the obvious: how 'bout that #HerdSlice, y'all? If you needed any proof that Rick and Michonne were back on the same badass page, you needn't have looked any further than the highway scene in which they drove parallel with a wire strung between them to go "halfies" (as Chris Hardwick called it) on a herd of walkers.
No matter what happens this week, I'll have that happy moment to buoy my spirit.
2. The Boys are Back in Town
Can I just say, damn it feels good to get our Rick Grimes of old back. Love the guy, but the man tears were getting a bit tiresome. We need our fearless leader, and he needs his brother in arms, which bring us to — DRUM ROLL, PLEASE — Daryl!
Rick and Daryl are back together again, and all seems right with the world. Well, they were back together again. Rick had to leave Daryl at The Kingdom to keep him safe from the Saviors, and a little bit of our collective fandom soul died watching that gate shut on sad Daryl's face.
3. Joining Forces
Despite Father Ezekiel not agreeing to help Rick and the gang take on Negan and the Saviors, how refreshing was it to finally bring these communities together? We're finally started to see the disjointed pieces of 7A come together. Now we have Alexandria, Hilltop and The Kingdom aware of and pseudo-working with each other.
And, albeit brief, we did get a glimpse of another community at the close of the episode — one being referred to in fan circles as "The Garbage Pail Kids." Shout-out to Rick's maniacal half-grin as he and his gang stood surrounded and outnumbered by this motley crew. That expression on his face made it feel like Christmas came reallllllly early this year.
4. Still No Carol
Well, technically we did see Carol in this week's episode, but she's still on the lam and apparently still not interested in reclaiming her throne as the baddest suburban walker-slasher in the dystopian world. She's the last member of the OG gang not yet reunited with Rick and Michonne, and we miss her. Damn it, Carol, did you hear that? We miss you!
To be fair, the whole flirtatious thing happening between Carol and Ezekiel proved to be pretty cute, so there's that.
5. Also No Negan
I hate myself a little bit for saying this, but I actually missed Negan tonight. Even just the crackly little bit of his snarky commentary coming over the radio ("Without Fat Joey, Skinny Joey is just Joey...") kinda made me wish he'd made a cameo. Of course, I'm admittedly biased by my abiding love for Jeffrey Dean Morgan. I make no apologies.
6. A Reminder of What's at Stake
In a surprisingly poignant moment in this week's episode, we were reminded that there is still so much to fight for in this Walking Dead world. The moment came by way of a tender scene between Aaron and his partner Eric, the latter of whom didn't want Aaron to put himself in harm's way any more. It's easy to forget sometimes that while our heroes go into every battle knowing they could be fighting to the death, the very thing they are fighting for is the ability to truly live.
Also, while we're here, can we talk about Aaron for a minute? Could it be his time to shine? He grows on me more and more every single episode. When he almost drowned-slash-got-eaten in the walker lake during the mid-season finale, I realized I would legitimately be sad if he died.
7. Rising Up
As if this episode wasn't enough indication, the teaser clip for next week made it abundantly clear: war is on the way. Rick and his gang are mobilizing forces, and the second half of Season 7 is shaping up to deliver some of the best Walking Dead moments in the show's history.
Hello. It's me, formerly a person but now just a puddle of mush writing from my den of tears, trying to recover from the beauty of Adele's acceptance speech at the Grammys. To be fair, the entire 2017 Grammys belonged to Adele in many beautiful and emotional ways. She performed twice, won five major awards, including Best Record of the Year (for "Hello") and Best Album of the Year (for 25).
Through it all, Adele proved that she was full of love and kindness at the Grammys. She took time to honor those she looked up to, she sang her heart out and she made us all feel her deeply felt feelings. Let's take a moment to recap, shall we?
The moment that will no doubt linger on our lips in the days to come was when Adele unexpectedly beat Beyoncé in the Album of the Year race. While Adele tearfully took the stage, she was not remiss in taking time to shine the light on Beyoncé as well. Expressing how much love she had for Beyoncé and for Lemonade — for all it's life-affirming, soul-leavening qualities — Adele oozed love and appreciation.
It was a moment of sisterly solidarity and also a great show of respect between artists. While the furore on social media voiced concern that Beyoncé was outrageously snubbed, it was Adele's ability to look past her achievements and give some recognition to Beyoncé that was truly heartwarming.
Adele's tribute to George Michael was heartbreaking
Adele George Michael Grammys
Adele George Michael Grammys
About midway through the 2017 Grammys, Adele took the stage for a second time to perform a tribute to George Michael. Adele was in a feisty mood whilst trying to be faithful in her memorial performance to the late English singer. At one point, a handful of bars into "Fastlove," Adele stopped the orchestra playing behind her. She gave her apologies to the audience but said she wanted to do the tribute properly. Ostensibly, she was too overcome with emotion, causing her to stop the performance midway.
Luckily, the audience applauded her in support. As she gathered herself and began the song again, it was clear that Adele was the beating heart of the 2017 Grammys. She was so intense in her desire to make the tribute for Michael a success that it became all the more passionate the second time around.
Adele opened the Grammys & stole our hearts in the process
Adele Hello 2017 Grammys
Adele Hello 2017 Grammys
And of course the Grammys would open up with one of the most epic songs released in the last year. "Hello" was guaranteed to bring the house down right from the get-go; the power of Adele's voice announced her arrival, giving chills and thrills in equal measure. It was a perfect way to start the show but also remind us that Adele has some of the most powerful pipes in the biz.
Say what you will, but the 2017 Grammys were truly great thanks to Adele. She is often so open and earnest on the awards stage that its difficult not to be charmed by her. She is truly a gift to us all.
The Grammys commercials were inspiring AF. Hell, I'll say it. They were almost more inspiring that the show itself.
Unlike the Super Bowl this year, which seemed to focus on the heavy political theme of 2017 so far, the Grammys commercials focused on the music. Just like the show itself, each commercial seemed to highlight a different artist from Frank Sinatra to Sam Smith to John Legend to Carly Rae Jepsen. And it was great.
The last time John Oliver impressed us with his wit and valuable insights on Last Week Tonight, Barack Obama was still president. Seems like a lifetime ago, huh? Now Oliver is back, and as expected, he's busy skewering Trump and his propensity for "alternative facts."
Oliver has made it abundantly clear that the new season of Last Week Tonight will not focus primarily on Trump's antics, as is the preferred approach for many liberal shows (such as Full Frontal with Samantha Bee and The Daily Show). He wants to delve into complicated, pressing issues that have been building for years and will likely plague us long after Trump's presidency is over. He can't do this, however, until he addresses the elephant in the room, which is exactly what he did tonight.
Image: HBO
In rare form, Oliver highlighted many of the Trump administration's "alternative facts." He didn't stop there, however; he also came up with a hilarious means of combating these "facts," with, well, actual facts. Since Trump is evidently a huge cable news aficianado, Oliver believes that he merely needs a little accuracy on what, predictably, is his preferred source of cable television insight: Fox News.
Oliver's grand plan? Infiltrate the cable news circuit. He explained, "There is one small way we wanted to sneak some useful facts into [Trump's] media diet...we've created a series of commercials in an attempt to bring him up to speed on some information...we're going to run [the commercials] on some shows we know he watches every day."
Image: HBO
The information presented in Oliver's ad (the location of Gabon, the standard for calculating the unemployent rate, and more) may seem obvious to the average Last Week Tonight viewer, but it's essential viewing material for Trump, who appears to know even less about basic government functions than even his biggest critics assumed when he won the electoral vote in November.
Watch out world: facts (and no, they're not alternative) are about to take over cable television.
What do you think of John Oliver's ideas regarding President Trump's cable-based education? Would you like to see more coverage of the Trump administration on Last Week Tonight, or are you relived the show will take a new approach in future episodes? Comment and share your opinion below.
Are you ready to join in on the excitement for Disney's new live-action Beauty and the Beast? Toys "R" Us is, and they're holding an enchanting sweepstakes to celebrate. They have a whole new line of toys inspired by the movie and its reimagined characters, and weekly winners will receive one. Plus, one grand prizewinner will win $1,000 in gift cards. Lucky for you, entering this timeless sweepstakes couldn't be easier.
Making a filling meal doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming. These three recipes using Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore Tuna prove how easy it is to make your meals wholesome, nutritious and delicious.
Image: SheKnows
Lemon tuna cakes recipe
Ingredients:
3 (5 ounce) cans Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore in Water, drained
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Zest from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
Oil for cooking
Directions:
Place drained tuna, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, garlic powder, chili powder, breadcrumbs and red onion in a bowl and mix until just combined.
The 2017 Grammys may have been full of total joys — like Chance the Rapper's exuberant performance — and it may have been full of heartbreaks — seriously, how did Beyoncé not win Best Album? — but for those in the audience, it was a bit of a slog. At one point, host James Corden even pointed out that everyone was sitting on cheap folding chairs. Yikes.
But just when you thought all hope was lost, in comes Rihanna, who saved the 2017 Grammys by having the best time ever. She looked effortlessly beautiful. She drank out of a diamond-encrusted flask. She may have even Facetimed a friend during the evening's big fun. Here's some of the best moments.
For many people coming of age during the 1970s, 1980s and even into the 1990s, our sex education and knowledge of the female body came from two sources: Judy Blume books and the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective’s Our Bodies, Ourselves.
First published commercially in 1973, Our Bodies, Ourselves was — and still remains — a revolutionary source of frank, detailed and accurate information about biologically female reproductive organs developed to empower women through knowledge and to emphasize women taking full ownership of their bodies. By 2016, Our Bodies, Ourselves had been reproduced in 30 languages, with new adaptations underway.
Continuing the tradition of being pioneers in women’s and reproductive health, Our Bodies Ourselves — now also a nonprofit public-interest organization — is shining a light on the complicated legal, ethical and logistical issues surrounding international surrogacy through a website called Surrogacy360.
Image: Our Bodies Ourselves Global Initiative
According to Sally Whelan, the program director of the Our Bodies Ourselves Global Initiative (and a co-founding member of OBOS), Surrogacy360 was created “as a strategic response to one aspect of a wider and growing issue in human reproduction.”
To clarify, international surrogacy involves an arrangement between a gestational mother living in one country and intended parent(s) living in another. For example, it could involve a couple from the United States traveling to India where a local woman is impregnated via IVF and carries and delivers their baby. It is considered domestic surrogacy when the gestational mother and intended parent(s) are located in the same country.
Whelan and her OBOS colleagues noticed two aspects to international surrogacy: the assisted reproductive technologies and social arrangements that make new options for families possible and at the same time, the fact that the women — primarily in the global south — providing their services in third-party reproduction could face health and human rights risks.
This led to one major question that guided Our Body Ourselves’ work:
“How can we make use of these enormous benefits of assisted reproductive technologies and arrangements and avoid new forms of health and human rights risks?” Whelan told SheKnows.
Surrogacy360 doesn’t aim to influence users either to opt for or against international surrogacy; rather, it provides accurate, evidence-based information to those who need it.
“In OBOS tradition, one of the most useful things we can do is make sure people considering surrogacy have everything they need to make all informed decisions,” Whelan explained.
The OBOS Global Initiative partners with other research and policy organizations around the world, including in India and Nepal, and are finding increasing international surrogacy arrangements popping up in Mexico, Cambodia and Vietnam.
“Those groups, along with other researchers, have documented a good number of unsung practices that are common in international commercial surrogacy arrangements,” Whelan noted.
These include mandated and medically unnecessary C-sections, dorm-style living arrangements for gestational mothers with restricted movements, contracts that many gestational mothers can’t read (severely limiting informed consent) and other health risks associated with multiple births.
At this stage, Surrogacy360 is only focusing on international surrogacy — not domestic surrogacy that occurs within the United States.
Image: Women's Rehabilitation Center facilitators lead community discussion on cross-border surrogacy in Kathmandu / Photo courtesy WOREC
Ayesha Chatterjee, program manager of the OBOS Global Initiative, said that there were already a lot of websites focusing on domestic surrogacy.
“We did a quick comparison between transnational and domestic agencies, and it’s a different ballgame,” she explained. “Just as somebody coming to it as a potential option, there is a huge difference in the kind of information that’s provided.”
For example, based on what they have heard from people considering surrogacy in the United States, Chatterjee said that there seem to be a lot of practices that aren’t replicated in international contexts, including having more contact with gestational mothers, more legal recourse for gestational mothers and more medical follow-up postpartum.
“A lot of that is just not an option internationally,” she said. “Domestic agencies build up the relationship with the surrogate. International agencies minimize the contact and relationship with the surrogate.”
In order to create Surrogacy360, OBOS Global Initiative tapped their long-standing network of colleagues who had been working in the field of international surrogacy for a long time and pushing the envelope, Whelan said. Chatterjee added that all the information on the site is written by professionals and peer-reviewed.
“Some of these things [like international surrogacy] can seem like very niche issues — they don’t affect a lot of people, pop up in media sporadically and can seem like they’re not under the public radar in terms of connecting the dots [between the different aspects of international surrogacy],” Whelan explained.
“It’s really important for increasing public awareness around the connections, so when you look at that whole range of issues and you start to connect the dots, it doesn’t seem like that distant of an issue. There are great options available, but we want to make sure that people are getting the information they need all along the way.”
The story of your engagement is one you'll tell over and over again for the rest of your life, but what if it's a tale you'd rather forget?
Maybe you were hoping for a sweetly sentimental declaration of love while he was envisioning viral stardom or maybe he half-assed it when you were hoping for a grand gesture. Or maybe, like a matrimonial Goldilocks, your proposal was just right. These 10 women weren't so lucky — read on for their cringe-worthy tales of indecent proposals.
What she wanted: To be surprised
What she got: Not the surprise she wanted
Corey D. and her boyfriend Mitch were living together in an old trailer in Grand Forks, North Dakota, when Mitch planned a surprise proposal. The trailer, which was at least 20 years old and had been given to Mitch by a family member, had a hallway so narrow that Corey and Mitch had to walk sideways through it.
Mitch’s plan was to hide in the bathroom, then pop out into the hallway with the ring. It worked a little too well. Corey was so surprised that when Mitch popped out, she shoved him backward with such force that he got stuck in the hallway. Corey had to throw her weight against Mitch’s body several times in order to free him. Bruised but unbowed, he then popped the question.
What she wanted: A weekend out of town at a fancy hotel with a romantic proposal over dinner
What she got: A ruined surprise
Julie F. from Nashville, Tennessee, knew her boyfriend Will was going to propose; it was just a matter of time. She had already told him not to buy a ring. Instead, Julie wanted him to ask her parents for the ring her great-great-grandmother wore.
Julie’s parents came for a visit shortly after the conversation about the ring — that’s when things went south.
“During the visit, I'm in the car with my parents and my dad turns to me and said: ‘Will asked me today if he could marry you. I told him that you're a grown woman and the decision is yours, not mine.’”
Though she’s happily married, she’s still sad that what should have been one of the most romantic events of their entire relationship was ruined by her dad.
Valerie Shaw, who lives in Sydney, Australia, had a rocky, off-and-on relationship with her boyfriend Rick, but things had been really good for about six months. Valerie was sure that their problems were behind them. One day, while the couple was on their way to the beach, Rick pulled into a gas station to use the restroom. Valerie opened the glove compartment in search of a tissue and spotted a small velvet box. She couldn’t stop herself from opening it, and inside was a diamond ring, small but pretty, in an elegant white gold setting.
Valerie was so thrilled that she jumped out of the car, shouted “Yes!” and leapt into Rick’s arms as he walked back from the restroom.
Rick looked mortified and confessed that ring wasn’t for her. It was for his ex-girlfriend, whom he had recently started hooking up with — and who was pregnant. With twins.
Image: Getty Images
What she wanted: A proposal
What she got: A DIY job
“We both knew we wanted to get married,” said Lindsey B. of Alamo, California, “but he never got around to proposing. So, I put a note on the toilet that read, ‘When you're done pooping, will you marry me?’"
He said yes, and they recently celebrated their 16th anniversary.
What she wanted: A vintage ring
What she got: The wrong vintage
“My now-husband proposed with the ugliest yellow-gold ring from the '80s,” says Jessica M. from Ann Arbor, Michigan. The setting was an enormous asymmetrical blob, and the diamond was cloudy and yellow. The ring was considered a “family heirloom,” but it really should have been sold off or given away, not saved for someone’s wedding, according to Jessica.
Jessica’s husband was hurt that she didn’t want to wear the ring. Mainly, he was worried that his family would be offended if she refused to wear it. Jessica did wear the ring on her wedding day, but the ring she thinks of as her real engagement ring is a more modern one that she and her husband chose together. The '80s monstrosity still makes an appearance when Jessica visits her husband’s family, but otherwise, it stays in her jewelry box.
What she wanted: A moonlit night and old-fashioned romance
What she got: Awkward jokes, drunken nudity
Jennifer J., an attorney in Portland, Oregon, had been dating her boyfriend Tucker for two years and had discussed marriage with him several times, when the couple went out to dinner with a group of his friends. During dinner, Tucker started making jokes about getting engaged, and about how maybe it wasn’t for him.
“He was just being a complete ass. I knew he thought it was funny but it honestly hurt. After dinner, I told him how disappointed I was that he had made me look stupid in front of his friends and how I didn't understand why he hadn’t proposed yet.”
They went for a walk that evening and Jennifer recalls that the lighting was perfect; it was a beautiful night. It seemed like the awful jokes were just a setup and he was going to pop the question, but they walked and walked and it never happened.
Instead, Jennifer and Tucker wound up at a bar pounding margaritas. They arrived home late, and as Jennifer was taking off her makeup, Tucker suddenly appeared in the bathroom doorway, completely naked, with a ring in his hand. He got down on one knee and slurred a drunken proposal, which Jennifer accepted. Who says romance is dead?
Image: Endai Huedl/Getty Images
What she wanted: A private moment and a vintage ring
What she got: An afterthought
Alicia K. of Portland, Oregon, had lots of things to worry about, but getting engaged wasn’t one of them. She and her boyfriend Mike had been together for seven years and had three children together, but they couldn’t afford to keep a roof over their heads. So they were staying with Alicia’s sister. It was 3 a.m. and the entire extended family was still up wrapping presents and hanging out. Alicia was exhausted and needed to wrap the last few gifts before heading to bed, but Mike suddenly handed her a gift and told her to open it.
“I was sitting on the floor and he was leaning against the TV stand. As I open the gift to find a wedding set — both rings — I looked at him and he just said, 'Will you?' Within five minutes everyone was back to wrapping presents."
Though Alicia had never given much thought to marriage, she wishes her husband had planned a more thoughtful proposal and given her a ring in the vintage style she loves rather than the generic mall store set he chose. “Mostly, I wish I had a more romantic story,” said Alicia.
What she wanted: A sunset proposal at the top of the Eiffel Tower and a dazzling ring
What she got: An I.O.U.
Hillary A. and Matt connected over their shared love of travel, and Matt had racked up an enviable number of frequent-flier miles. The couple had planned to use the miles for an international adventure, which Hillary was sure would involve a proposal.
Instead, one afternoon on a hiking trip, Matt presented Hillary with a pair of hand-drawn fake plane tickets and a cheap ring from Something Silver. He didn’t realize that his adventurous, outdoorsy lady actually cared about the ring, and he didn’t want to cash in his mileage points without first getting a “yes” from Hillary.
“I just wish he had tried a little harder to make it special,” said Hillary, who went out and bought her own ring — a 1.5-carat princess-cut solitaire in a platinum setting — just before the wedding. “Fake plane tickets and a silver ring don’t make for a great engagement story.”
Image: CSA Images/Snapstock
What she wanted: To feel like he couldn’t live without her
What she got: TFW you’re his only option
Sophie G. of Bellevue, Washington, was ready to get married, but her boyfriend Stefano was a confirmed bachelor. He often reminisced about being single, and he and Sophie had even had several awkward run-ins with women from his past.
Stefano had cheated on Sophie more than once, but she forgave him and hoped that she’d be able to bring him around. Ultimately, it wasn’t Sophie who convinced Stefano that marriage was a good idea; it was an STI.
“The herpes diagnosis was devastating for both of us. He saw it as the end of his attractiveness to women, and he was convinced that no one else would want him. I was incredibly angry that he never wanted to marry me until he found out that he had this disease. I was also incredibly relieved that he had not given it to me.”
In the same conversation where Stefano told Sophie that he had herpes, he asked her to marry him.
She said yes.
What she wanted: A question, a ring, a kiss
What she got: Ulterior motives
As Michelle was leaving her house one morning, her boyfriend put his arms around her waist and said, “I have a question for you. Will you marry me?”
She said yes. “After giving me a quick hug, he went outside to smoke. He didn’t give me a ring or even a kiss.”
“I was running late for class, so he gave me a ride to school. I asked if we could meet up afterwards for a celebratory dinner.”
Turns out, he couldn’t meet her because he was being evicted from his apartment and needed to pack up his belongings. He assumed he could move in with Michelle since they were now engaged. The engagement, however, was supposed to be a secret, as her boyfriend kept reminding her not to tell anyone about it.
After the day of the engagement, Michelle didn’t hear from her boyfriend for days. And that was all the time she needed to change her mind about that engagement.
Retired New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, not to be outdone by any Duggars, Clooneys or Knowles-Carters, is back in the news. His wife, supermodel Hannah Jeter, just confirmed that she is pregnant with their first child.
Jeter, in a rather bizarre post on The Players Tribune, wrote, "I think people assume that—because I was a relatively well-known model—dating a famous baseball player wouldn’t have been an adjustment for me. But trust me, not all levels of fame are created equal. When Derek Jeter walks into a room … the whole room takes notice."
(Yes, what a difficult adjustment that must have been, Hannah. Do go on.)
"Paparazzi followed us at times. People interrupted us during meals. The only way to maintain some sort of privacy—to be together, just the two of us—was to stay in."
(And make babies. We got it.)
"It’s funny: You don’t see many photos from the early part of our relationship…and that’s why. We rarely went anywhere."
(Hannah, you know that nobody is worried about this, right? I mean, not to burst your relatively well-known model bubble, but you haven't exactly been on our radar one way or another. I mean, yay on the babe and all, but chill, honey. It's all good.)
Jeter included a photo of her five-time World Series champion fella holding pink balloons. (Hannah, you're not quite as subtle as Bey, but we appreciate the heads-up on the gender.)
Image: Hannah Davis
And it sounds like Derek Jeter wears the baby-naming pants in this family: "He already has a name in mind—he’s set on it. Whatever her name is, I know she’ll run circles around him."
Hannah, you're the one pushing this junior shortstop into the world through your supermodel vagina. We say hold out for whatever name you like. Papa Jeter will be fine.
There were a lot of reasons Adele absolutely owned this year's Grammys. She won Album of the Year, she broke her trophy in half, and during her acceptance speech, she pretty much told the world that she was stoked about winning, but Beyoncé was her fave and deserved it more. It was a classy move.
Adele had a secret wedding, and she kept it so secret, literally nobody figured it out.
Sure, there were rumors. Adele and her BF husband, Simon Konecki, have been going strong for five years, and they share a 1-year-old son named Angelo. Any relationship lasting that long in the entertainment industry is going to attract marriage (and breakup) rumors, but the height of the fervor came just last month when Adele and Konecki were spotted out wearing matching bands on their wedding fingers. At the time, Adele's rep declined to comment.
But Adele and Konecki clearly plan to stick together. In November, at the last show in her North American tour, she told fans she wouldn't be back for a while because of her plans to have a second baby.
Regardless, congratulations are in order for Adele — both for her Grammy win and for her secret wedding.
There comes a time when every woman faces the decision to remove or keep her pubic hair — and if she chooses to nix it, whether or not she’ll continue to do so on a regular basis.
Though many women debate their personal preferences, citing everything from appearance to sexual appeal, there are actual health benefits to leaving your lady ‘do intact.
Noting these benefits can help women who are on the fence sort out which factors matter most to make an informed decision. It’s also especially important to highlight that these benefits are more relevant to specific age groups, and an internet-based survey by Indiana University tied the decision to age (more than 40 percent of women under at 40 have completely removed their hair). Younger women are more likely to trim, partly shave or completely remove pubic hair with their likeliness decreasing as they age — which means these younger women should consider all the relevant facts before committing to a long-term grooming schedule.
1. Decreases risk of STIs
Sexually transmitted infections are just what their name implies: diseases or infections you can contract from having sex or other close-contact relations. Though condoms are reportedly one of the primary forms of prevention, arming your body with pubic hair can also help solidify your defenses. Bacteria and other harmful infections may get trapped in your pubic hair, preventing them from making contact with your skin and entering your body if washed away promptly.
Along the same lines, pubic hair helps act as a safety net for your vagina, catching various particles and preventing every last thing from directly contacting your skin. Without the irritation that may otherwise be inflicted on a bare lady, your chances of developing an infection are much lower.
3. Minimizes risk of contracting viral infection
As you drag a razor across your skin or have the hairs ripped from your body with wax, you get more than just a smooth patch of skin. Epidermal abrasion from shaving and waxing makes skin extra vulnerable to micro-trauma, which presents excellent opportunities for pesky infections to penetrate and infect you. This relationship was more recently discovered when researchers looked at men and women who had contracted the pox virus molluscum contagiosum. The virus is most commonly spread through tiny disruptions in the skin, such as the kind caused by shaving or waxing.
4. Less ingrown hair and itchy bumps
If you’re one of the 77 percent of women who has ever used a razor to remove her pubic hair, you likely don’t have fond memories of the itchiness and red bikini line bumps that followed. In fact, 60 percent of women who removed their hair reported ingrown hairs and general irritation as the primary complication. Obviously, foregoing the razor banishes those bumps and their painful cousin, the infected pimple with a hair inside.
Everyone knows the basic biological reasoning behind sweating: to help cool your body. Guess what? This process isn’t much different for your V, which gets even less of a natural breeze than your other body parts. Your pubic hair plays an integral role in allowing sweat to properly evaporate, which is good news for both moisture regulation and temperature control.
6. Strengthens your scent
As thisHelloFlo article perfectly explains, “pheromones are unconscious chemical signals that influence the body and behavior and can be released through sweat, odors, and other bodily fluids.” Before we humans were as sophisticated as we are today, pubic hair likely acted as a visual signal to potential mates, a “come hither” if you will, to signal maturation.
In addition to branding you as biologically ready to reproduce, a generous amount of pubic hair can also trap pheromones that aid in the attraction and selection of your sexual partners. According to Columbia University’s Go Ask Alice, “Studies suggest that women are attracted to men with very different [major histocompatibility complexes] than their own, perhaps because genetically diverse offspring may be more able to fight off disease. For some people, scents from these areas are noticeable and consciously increase sexual arousal.”
Whether you choose to shave, partially trim or let it be, the choice is yours.
Look, we love anything that helps moms reach out to other moms. It's a lonely gig sometimes, and there is exquisite joy in finding another soul who understands that you haven't pooped without someone on your lap for three weeks straight.
And then we were all, "Really? Must we equate this to Tinder?"
One of Peanut’s co-founders, Michelle Kennedy, is an online dating guru of sorts, having worked at Badoo and for dating app Bumble. So, OK, fine. Peanut is probably a Tinder for moms. We're going to try not to hold that against it.
What does Peanut do, exactly? Like (yeesh) Tinder, Peanut lets you use a swiping gesture to peruse and choose mom friends. One swipe up? Hey, hot mama, I like that Maclaren stroller in your profile pic. One swipe down? Buh-bye. Swiper no swiping.
It's not about a hotness quotient, of course. Unless that's just your M.O. in the world. Peanut tries to help users find those with shared interests: same languages, work schedules, outdoorsy life or not and so on. You can also check out the age of another mom's kid to decide whether or not your kids might be playdate-compatible.
We kind of miss the days when moms would meet other moms at the playground or the grocery store or at PTA meetings — call us crazy, but maybe we'd rather have our friendships be more organic than our quinoa.
But yeah, we get how hard it can be to make new friends when kids descend like a plague of madness upon the land that once was, you know, your boring old life.
And Peanut’s goal is to nudge moms to get out there IRL (in real life, as all the cool kids, who are not us, say). When two moms match up on Peanut, you can start a chat right from the match screen — and immediately have a panic attack from your Cheerio-studded couch. Will she like me? Will I like her? Where have all my friends gone? I had friends once that I didn't meet online, right? Or did I dream that?
So if you're feeling adventurous — or socially isolated and despairing over ever finding an adult conversation again — Peanut is available today on iOS as a free download. Get swiping, moms. Or, you know, maybe just check it out and treat yourself to a silent laugh-scream of ennui, existential angst and baby-induced desperation. Either way. Good luck out there. Hope you get to poop without a kid attached to you real soon.
Soap operas like The Young and the Restless and General Hospital are getting a run for their money in ratings from a most unlikely source — Sean Spicer. Since the new administration came into office, the hottest show in daytime has become the White House press secretary’s daily briefings.
In fact, Spicer’s press conferences are matching some primetime shows like Dr. Ken and MasterChef Junior according to The New York Times. Could he be headed to a television career after his time in the White House is over?
Image: WENN
Let’s face it. Melissa McCarthy’s impression of Spicer has made him a household name. Anyone who chews up to 35 pieces of gum a day and admits to swallowing it knows that he’s fodder for a Saturday Night Live parody.
Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer
Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer
We also know Spicer has a flair for the dramatic. His first introduction to the press was a dramatic monologue about attendance at the inauguration. He’s already proving that he’s perfect for the most-watched international soap, The Bold and the Beautiful, since he’s comfortable on a global stage. He could be a PR rep at Forrester Creations and battle the press about the latest fashion line — it's a storyline he's living out right now in Washington, D.C.
Sean Spicer's first press conference
Sean Spicer's first press conference
We’re not sure a talk show is in his future, though, because he has a tough time articulating his words in the heat of the moment. GQ Magazine collected a few of his questionable occasions.
GQ mocks Sean Spicer
GQ mocks Sean Spicer
Another option for Spicer after his press secretary term ends is as a writer on one of the daytime soaps. It’s no secret that everyone is watching his every move and hanging on his every word.
As President George W. Bush’s first press secretary Ari Fleischer said to The New York Times, "The job of the press secretary is to elaborate on what the president is thinking and why. Whether the thought is contained in a tweet, or in a carefully worded speech or the latest gossip that came from the closed-door meeting, the briefing has the same dynamic.”
If Spicer became the head writer for Days of Our Lives, do you think we would ever complain about the storylines again? He would have so much to draw upon from the first three weeks of the Trump administration — and we might get storylines about Dippin' Dots and Daft "Funk."
I think most people subscribe to the motto: "Cheese makes everything better." If you fall into that category, you're in for a rude awakening today as news breaks of a cheese recall prompted by a potential listeria contamination (a type of bacteria that causes food poisoning, or worse in rare cases). Is nothing sacred anymore?!
Sargento, maker of fine prepackaged cheese, is recalling seven of its products due to a potential listeria contamination at the facilities of its cheese supplier Deutsch Kase Haus. Though the Indiana-based facility only supplies cheese used in two of Sargento's products, the company has expanded the recall to include five other products that were produced on the same line as those that may have been contaminated just to be safe.
The recall has had a ripple effect. Taylor Farms, a company that produces pre-made salads, has also joined the recall. It includes Sargento's Bevel Shred pepper jack cheese, which has possibly been contaminated, in some of its products. Taylor Farms is now recalling 6,630 pounds of its salads made between Feb. 6 and Feb. 9.
Get more information about the specific Sargento and Taylor Farms products being recalled here.
As if that weren't bad enough, Ruth's Salads, a company in North Carolina, is recalling some of its pimento cheese products due to an unrelated but still potentially deadly listeria contamination discovered during official food testing. Ruth's is recalling products made at its plant in Chester, South Carolina, including seven different varieties of pimento spread, the details of which can be seen here.
If you have any questions about the recalls, you can reach Sargento at 1-800-Cheese (cool number!) and Ruth's at 1-800-532-0409. In the meantime, maybe today's the day to start practicing vegan Monday...
I love an award show. The gowns. The awkward moments when people can't read the teleprompter because they've either had too many cocktails or too few visits to their optometrist. Or when performers accept an award in their underwear. Yes, that happened. Thank you, Twenty One Pilots. It's awesome when it's not your kid.
But as a parent, I get a little nervous about an award show like the Grammys. Because nothing can make me feel older and more motivated to start Googling "assisted living facilities" than a string of super-young musical artists (with a lot of punctuation and random words in their names) taking the stage to sing something that sounds sort of like music. By the way, I highly suggest you don't ever watch the MTV Music Awards if you're fragile about the idea of aging.
So last night, I sat down with my tweens (ages 10 and 12) and braced myself for an evening of me saying a lot of..."Who is that? What does she sing? Couldn't the Chainsmokers call themselves the Kindness Addicts?"
Except I didn't.
I knew most of the performers! In fact, it was my kids asking me to identify people.
Kids: Who's that?
Me: John Travolta. Or as you know him, Danny Zuko.
Kids: What about him?
Me: Keith Urban. He's a country singer. Married to movie star Nicole Kidman. Apparently he gets his highlights done regularly.
Kids: Who is he singing with?
Me: Carrie Underwood. She won American Idol! You kids need to get out more. Oh wait, she won when you girls were ages 1 and not born. So you're forgiven.
Kids: What song are they doing Carpool Karaoke to?
Me: Neil Diamond. It's called "Sweet Caroline." And I guess no one brushed up on the lyrics.
I hate to brag, but I was on Grammy fire!
OK, maybe the Grammys skew a little older than the iHeartRadio Music Awards. But did you see Jennifer Lopez and Heidi Klum? They're gorgeous. They're my age. They're parents. I'm sure I'm exactly like them.
Well, it looks like I owe my firstborn sibling a few dollars from a bet we made many years ago. How was I supposed to know that my older and now confirmed wiser brother was right when he told me that he was smarter just because he was the oldest? Obviously, I'm not as smart.
According to a new study published in the Journal of Human Resources, my brother and all of the other firstborn siblings out there may finally be able to claim that they can score higher on an IQ test than their much younger siblings.
The study authors analyzed data from the U.S. Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (assembled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) on nearly 5,000 children followed from pre-birth to age 14. They found that as early as age 1, latter-born children (like myself) score lower on cognitive assessments than their siblings, and the birth order gap in cognitive assessment increases until the time of school entry and remains statistically significant thereafter.
So why the lower scores for younger siblings? The authors found that mothers take more risks during pregnancy and are less likely to breastfeed and to provide cognitive stimulation for latter-born children. In other words… moms tend to relax when it comes to the second, third and fourth child.
Variations in parental behavior can explain most of the differences in cognitive abilities before school entry. The findings suggest that broad shifts in parental behavior from first to latter-born children are a logical explanation for the observed birth order differences.
Translation: Firstborn children received more mental stimulation and support in developing thinking skills from their parents during their early years compared to younger siblings who were offered less mental stimulation and took part in fewer activities such as reading, crafts and playing musical instruments. And while this doesn't necessarily mean you need to run out and sign your younger children up for tons of art and music lessons or start reading to them for hours at a time, it does indicate that you should, you know, do a little more of that.
"I can't possibly accept this award, and I'm very humbled and very grateful and gracious, but my life is Beyoncé. And the album to me, the Lemonade album, Beyoncé, was so monumental and so well thought out. And so beautiful and soul-baring and we all got to see another side of you that you don't always let us see, and we appreciate that," Adele said during her acceptance speech. "And all us artists adore you. You are our light. And the way that you make me and my friends feel, the way you make my black friends feel is empowering, and you make them stand up for themselves. And I love you. I always have."
And then she broke her Grammy trophy in half so Beyoncé could have a piece, and you would think that would be enough for all of us to see that Bey got robbed, but it's OK, because isn't the love and respect of everyone, including the winner of the award, maybe a better prize than a little trophy that's apparently so cheap you can break it in half with your bare hands?
But, you know, haters gonna hate, because that's what haters do. And the biggest hater of them all may be Beyoncé's sister, Solange Knowles, who is kind of low-key maybe calling for a boycott of the Grammys now. Rhianna may have been the one who brought her diamond-encrusted flask to the ceremony, but Solange clearly needed it more. Whoever made the seating chart really messed up, not putting those two together.
After the ceremony, Solange tweeted a link to a critical piece Frank Ocean wrote after last year's Grammys, when the Album of the Year award went to Taylor Swift instead of Kendrick Lamar. "wuddup frank," she wrote alongside the link.
In his piece, Ocean says he made the choice not to submit his two 2016 albums, Endless and Blonde, for Grammy consideration because he thinks the Grammys kind of suck.
"I've actually been tuning into CBS around this time of year for a while to see who gets the top honor and you know what’s really not 'great TV' guys? 1989 getting album of the year over To Pimp a Butterfly," he wrote.
Ocean was also clear in a New York Times interview that he was boycotting the ceremony this year.
"That institution certainly has nostalgic importance," he said. "It just doesn't seem to be representing very well for people who come from where I come from, and hold down what I hold down."
Ocean definitely isn't alone. Kanye West, Drake and Justin Bieber all skipped the ceremony this year — sources close to West said it was because he thinks the Grammys are "irrelevant."
Diamonds are a girl's best friend and getting wined and dined is all fine and dandy, but we think these simple — yet super-fun — date ideas are just as good.
1. Take a hike
V-Day hike
V-Day hike
Take a couple of hours to totally disconnect from smartphones and social media and reconnect in the quiet solitude of nature. It's still winter, so you'll probably have to bundle up — but the cold weather just gives you an excuse to exchange body heat while you enjoy gorgeous views.
If you're lucky enough to live in an area that isn't snowed in (sorry, New Englanders — the crazy thunder snowstorms are probably gonna cross this one off your list), taking a nice long bike ride is a totally Valentine's Day-worthy activity. Whether you are on a beach bike path or an old county road, there's just something so delightfully romantic and old-fashioned about a long bike ride.
3. Do brunch
Brunch
Brunch
Valentine's Day dinner is so overrated. It's crowded, it's expensive, and it's nearly impossible to get a good reservation. Going out to brunch is way more fun, or opt to make it at home so it can be served up in bed.
An indoor picnic is the ultimate low-maintenance date. Pack a bunch of finger foods in a cute basket with a bottle of wine and camp out in the living room.
Plus, you and your S.O. can totally bond by rolling around on the floor and making a fort out of blankets and chairs — which, incidentally, turns out to be really romantic.
A night in can be a total adventure when you're getting creative in the kitchen. Get crazy and challenge yourselves to cook up visually stimulating touches like individual beef Wellingtons (like the one pictured above), crystallized pansies and strawberry roses.
Even if it turns out to be a #PinterestFAIL, you'll still have fun doing it together. Just make sure to have a backup frozen pizza on hand, just in case.
Watching the twinkling lights of planes coming in and out of the airport at night is exhilarating and romantic. You can usually find a good spot right outside your local airport, and a lot of airports even have designated areas just for observing (Gerald R. Ford International in Grand Rapids, Charlotte Douglas in Charlotte and Santa Monica Airport, just to name a few).
What's your favorite low-key Valentine's Day activity?
Image: AMC
