Valentine's Day is all about celebrating the love in your life, and what better way to do so than making sex with your significant other feel brand new? Switching things up with some hot or unexpected moves gives you both those butterflies you felt way back in the day when you first got together.
Here are a few sexy ways to surprise your partner and possibly reinvent your relationship without all the pressure of finding the perfect gift to buy.
1. Make out like you're 21
When's the last time that you cornered your partner in the laundry room and kissed him with your entire body? Once we're in a committed relationship, sometimes we forget how hard it used to be to keep our hands off one another. This Valentine's Day, remind him. Or if you're out driving, ask him to pull over. When he does, jump in his lap and take him right there on the side of I-69 or in a parking lot!
Relinquish the remote to your, ahem, toys; for example the OhmiBod Club Vibe 2.Oh vibrating panties. It's a lacy black thong with a remote control that works up to 20 feet away. The vibrations can be keyed to music or your partner's voice. You could have a full-on orgasm eating tapas while your partner whispers sweet nothings. It has five vibration speeds and patterns and it's USB re-chargeable. Plus your partner will definitely be pleasantly surprised by the act of sexiness.
3. Initiate sex
In our house, even though I am always up for sexy time, I am terrible about initiating sex. It's not that I don't want to. I just have 101 other things to do. It's not fair. So, if you really want to surprise your guy this Valentine's day, just do it. Lean in; rub your hand up his thigh while you're sitting on the couch watching Seinfeld reruns. Or if you want to kick it up a notch higher in the surprise area, rouse him gently and affectionately from his slumber for a little middle-of-the-night sex.
If there were one key to peace on earth, I am pretty sure that it is blowjobs for breakfast. If you really want to knock your partner's socks off first thing in the morning, greet him with a few gentle kisses down below and then go full-on- marathon fellatio. He won't know what hit him but he'll awake from his ecstasy-induced coma grateful and with a giant smile on his face.
5. Unexpected public sex
It's cliche but it really will put a little sexy shock and awe into your relationship. Surprise your partner at the office, wear a trench coat and your sexiest piece of lingerie or nothing at all, pull the blinds, lock the door (or not) and have sex right there on his desk, the floor, the conference room or in the supply closet. I wouldn't recommend this for people with cubicle mates.
As a writer and editor covering sex and relationships, I've seen my fair share of new sex toys and products. And I know for a fact — without naming any names — that a disproportionately high number of them are created by men. Because obviously men know better than women do what makes us feel good in bed, right? Yeah, that'd be a hard no.
It was refreshing to hear about Dame Products, a sex toy company founded by women with the sex-positive mission of enhancing pleasure for women in a way that works specifically for our bodies. After completing a master's in clinical psychology with a focus in sexuality at Columbia University, co-founder Alexandra Fine partnered with product developer Janet Lieberman to launch Dame Products in 2014. The sex toys are designed with real women's bodies and needs in mind and driven by scientific research.
Ultimately, the company's mission is to make the world a happier place, “one vagina at a time." We can definitely get on board with that. Find out more about Dame Products and Fine below.
Alexandra Fine pitch
Alexandra Fine pitch
Name: Alexandra Fine Company: Dame Products Headquarters: Brooklyn, New York Year Founded: 2014
With Valentine’s Day a day away, those of us without a mate may be giving lot of thought to finding “the one.” But what does that phrase even mean? A new poll of 800 adults conducted by Monmouth University in New Jersey sheds light on people's beliefs about soul mates. A few intriguing takeaways: Tons of people believe in soul mates; most people would rather be with someone similar to themselves than different; and most would rather be with someone level-headed than super-emotional.
According to the poll, a staggering two-thirds of us do believe in soul mates, and that goes for both sexes, though women were slightly likelier to believe. Also, more people in relationships believed in such a perfect mate than those of us who were single (who are perhaps a touch more jaded).
"Though romantic, believing in soul mates isn't necessarily ideal for your relationship," Dr. Gary Lewandowski, professor and chair of psychology at Monmouth University, wrote in the study. "The research indicates that those who believe in soul mates and destiny, are actually more likely to break up. On the other hand, those who believe that relationships grow over time have more stable relationships and are better at dealing with conflict."
It turns out that people aren’t looking for someone to balance out their personality, but rather someone who is a lot like them and is able to make rational decisions (66 percent of people want a partner who can make decisions with their head, not their gut).
Fifty-two percent said their soul mate should be similar to them personality-wise — but not too similar. Nine percent wanted someone who is of identical mind (but wouldn’t that be kind of boring?). And ultimately, 83 percent of people are looking for a best friend.
Despite her fame, Angelina Jolie hasn't had a publicist for much of her career. She's always handled her PR on her own and done a pretty decent job. Her reputation has only improved as she's transitioned from A-list acting to nearly full-time humanitarian work.
But with her divorce from Brad Pitt playing out in the press, Jolie apparently isn't stoked about the kind of attention she's been getting in the headlines recently, and sources say she's read to take a pretty drastic step to curb her bad press: finally hiring a pro to handle her PR.
Page Six reports that Jolie has already assembled a team of solid professionals to help make sure her image stay squeaky clean: Washington, D.C., crisis specialist Judy Smith, former adviser to Britain’s ex-Foreign Secretary Lady Arminka Helic and former British Foreign Secretary aide Chloe Dalton. Jolie has also brought back on her former manager, Geyer Kosinski, who quit working for her in 2013.
The timing of all this seems to point to Jolie getting worried about how the divorce is affecting her image. But a source insisted to Page Six that it's all because of her new film, First They Killed My Father, coming out.
"She’s got a film coming out in Cambodia and will be doing promotion around that," the source said, as if anyone is going to believe a team of crisis experts was hired to promote her new movie.
Meanwhile, Jolie is still keeping up her humanitarian work. She's an envoy for the United Nations and just penned an emotional op-ed for The New York Times about President Donald Trump's ban on refugees from a number of Muslim countries.
Is it just me, or does it seem like nobody on cable news networks can stay put the last few months? The Today show is being rearranged to make room for Megyn Kelly, who unexpectedly left Fox. Good Morning America now has Michael Strahan, whose departure from Live! left Kelly Ripa without a co-host (she's still looking, but there's word that it could be Tamron Hall, since she quit NBC abruptly after learning she was getting bumped from her Today time slot to make room for Kelly). It's all the same anchors and reporters, but who can even keep track of where any of them work anymore?
Josh Elliottt, a relative newcomer to CBS, just got fired. Elliott had worked on the network's digital platform, CBSN, for under a year before he was suddenly let go Monday morning.
Reports say that Elliott was fired because of a bizarre mix-up. He was told he would be moving from CBSN to a larger role at the main cable network, but apparently, the higher-ups at CBS weren't aware of that. When Elliott (arguably prematurely) announced on Friday that it was his last day on CBSN, network execs were blindsided by the news. Needless to say, since they were unaware of his move to the cable network, it didn't actually happen.
"Josh was called to a meeting with CBS News heads including [president] David Rhodes and fired. He was escorted out of the building by security," a source at the network told Page Six. "Meanwhile, Laurie Orlando, who seems to be responsible for much of this mess, is missing. Nobody has seen her. This is a mystifying situation."
Laurie Orlando is CBS' head of talent, and, according to a lot of rumors, the one who told Elliott he was getting a better gig at CBS. And now she's apparently missing? CBS, get it together.
The general consensus is in: Long-distance relationships suck. It's not that they aren't worth the effort, but going to bed alone at night knowing your partner is far away is just so dang sad. A company called Little Riot, however, is attempting to bridge the long-distance gap with a super high-tech pillow called Pillow Talk.
Pillow Talk seeks to bring back the intimacy to your long-distance relationship by sending your heartbeat, in real time, to your loved one. They can hear your heartbeat in their pillow and you can hear theirs. Super sweet, right?
Each person has a sensor wristband they wear to bed at night, and a small speaker that fits under their pillow. The bracelet wirelessly communicates with the other user's pillow, and all you have to do is lay your head down to feel like you are in bed with your loved one.
This is obviously an amazing product for long distance couples and military families, but Pillow Talk also seems like a great idea for parents who are trying to transition their kids into sleeping in their own beds. Being able to hear their parents' heartbeat in the other room will surely comfort a child and help sooth them to sleep.
Remember that epic custody battle between Madonna and Guy Ritchie over their son Rocco? Well, if that pesky little drama hadn’t been cleared up, she likely wouldn’t have been able to adopt her two young twin girls, Esther and Stelle, from Malawi, according to TMZ.
Apparently, the judge overseeing Madge’s adoption last week pored over the details of the custody battle because it wouldn’t be healthy to give the green light to a would-be adoptive parent embroiled in a custody battle over another child. Makes sense. TMZ reports that this was of “paramount concern” because the judge definitely didn’t want the two new children placed in a “toxic” home environment.
But! Madonna and Ritchie were finally able to put their long-standing beef to rest, and Madonna was cleared to be a mommy to the two tots. That said, a court-appointed guardian still has to do a home study report and evaluate the situation before the adoption is cemented, says TMZ. Madonna’s third adoption went super-smoothly — according to Malawi court officials via TMZ, she accomplished in two weeks what usually takes three to seven months.
At first glance, that may seem as though it’s because she’s famous, but court officials told TMZ that it’s more about Madge having already adopted twice before in Malawi, and less about her A-list status. She’s also done tons of philanthropic work in Malawi.
Five days ago, Madge posted a pic of herself with her two new kids on Instagram. “I can officially confirm I have completed the process of adopting twin sisters from Malawi and am overjoyed that they are now part of our family,” she wrote. “I am deeply grateful to all those in Malawi who helped make this possible, and I ask the media please to respect our privacy during this transitional time.” She added thanks to her nearest and dearest along with a sprinkling of emojis. “Thank you also to my friends, family and my very large team for all your support and Love!” she wrote.
As for Rocco, he chose to move in with his dad in London last year while his mom was on tour. Going forward, he’ll go to school in England and spend his summers in NYC with his mom, TMZ reports. Madonna has two adopted children in the family already — David Banda, whom she adopted in 2006, and Mercy James, whom she adopted in 2009. In addition to Rocco, she also has a daughter, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, whom she had with Carlos Leon.
Good news for engaged couples and parents-to-be: Ikea is finally launching a gift registry. While wedding registries and the like can seem kind of old-fashioned these days — I mean, most of us don't need 12-piece place settings for formal dinners anymore — Ikea's modern offerings are affordable, stylish and exactly what anyone who'd need a registry would probably want on their wish list.
So, how does the registry work? There are a few options. You can download the Ikea gift registry app (text "Registry" to 62345 for a link), go to the Ikea registry website or use the new Ikea Gift Registry kiosk inside stores. You do need an Ikea family membership in order to use the registry, but it's free to sign up for a family membership and you get lots of coupons, so you should probably sign up anyway.
Once you're signed up, you can add products to your registry from the regular Ikea website, the Ikea registry website or in store. To add products in store, customers can just open the registry app and take a picture of the items they like with their phones, which will then be added to the registry. Pretty handy, right?
When someone wants to purchase an item from the registry, they have a number of options too. With Chip-in, givers can chip in a certain amount of money toward a big-ticket item on the registry. Givers can also virtually buy an item by purchasing a gift card for the recipient in the exact amount of one of the items appearing on their list. People can also just buy items from the registry online or in stores.
To celebrate the launch of the registry, Ikea is giving three people who sign up for the registry a $1,000 Ikea gift card, so be sure to sign up between Feb. 14 and May 31 for a chance to win.
Not to make this all about me, but where was Ikea's gift registry when I got married? Do you get gifts when you do a vow renewal? #AskingForAFriend
If last night’s Grammy Awards taught us anything, it’s that Katy Perry may be fierce and awesomely feminist, but she still has some learning to do. Despite the woke proclamation she made last December saying she was newly motivated “to fight against social injustice and to promote equality and kindness as best I know how, through my art and influence,” her potshots at Britney Spears’ 2007 meltdown highlighted another misstep in the singer’s long record of throwing shade at other women.
Katy Perry claims reinvention on Instagram
Katy Perry claims reinvention on Instagram
Before I break down Perry’s Grammy performance of new single "Chained to the Rhythm," let’s talk about those two not-so-great red carpet interviews.
Perry showed up rockin’ a blond bob and looking fantastic, but told Nancy O’Dell, “It’s the last color in the spectrum that I can do. I’ve done all of them and the only thing left to do is shave my head, which I’m really saving for a public breakdown. I’m down for that.” Umm... subtle dig at Britney Spears?
A few minutes later she responded to Ryan Seacrest’s question about that “pause in [her] music,” saying, “Yeah, that’s called taking care of your mental health.” He asked how that went and she said, “Fantastic. And I haven’t shaved my head yet.”
Katy Perry throws shade at Britney Spears at Grammys
Katy Perry throws shade at Britney Spears at Grammys
Setting aside the fact that anyone who’s struggled with mental health issues deserves all the respect we can muster, you can’t promote equality and kindness while tearing people down, no matter how cutesy the jabs. And Perry seems to think this is her divine calling.
On another note, what is Perry's beef with Britney Spears? Insert eye roll.
A history of violence (in words)
In 2012, after the breakup of Perry’s marriage to Russell Brand, Rihanna invited her newly single friend for a visit to her Barbados home. The next summer, Perry told Elle UK, "I love [Rihanna] and every time I see her, I'm reminded of the light that she has. There's a lot of dark in this business.” Perry paused, then carefully continued, ”I know a lot of people out there with the most detrimental entourages — they are the root of their demise. It's really unfortunate but you can't save these people. My days of celebrity saving are over."
Kind of innocuous, kind of superior.
Perry’s feud with Taylor Swift is a hairball of high-school drama. The two were sticky sweet BFFs from 2009 until late 2012.
Neither singer has revealed the facts, but speculation is that something related to John Mayer started a tiff. Swift dated Mayer for a hot minute, then wrote her trademark breakup song Dear John in 2010. Perry started dating Mayer after her marriage to Russell Brand crashed, so maybe Mayer was the spark? Or was it the defection of three backup singers (at Perry’s invitation) from Swift’s tour over to Perry’s?
While promoting her 2014 single Bad Blood, Swift told Rolling Stone her new song was about another female artist who she wouldn’t name. “For years, I was never sure if we were friends or not," she said. "She would come up to me at awards shows and say something and walk away, and I would think, 'Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?'" Then the unnamed singer crossed a line, "She did something so horrible. I was like, 'Oh, we're just straight-up enemies.' And it wasn't even about a guy! It had to do with business. She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour. She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me."
So, yeah, definitely the backup singers.
Perry’s response? “Watch out for the Regina George in sheep’s clothing.”
Katy Perry responds to Taylor Swift on Twitter
Katy Perry responds to Taylor Swift on Twitter
And #TeamTaylor vs. #TeamKaty was born.
Swift is just as guilty of participating in girl drama and at some point she’ll also have to think about how that gels with her feminist claims. If you want more on their fight People has a handy timeline.
The next hit was to Miley Cyrus after Perry attended a 2014 performance, and at one point, approached Cyrus and kissed her. Not unexpected from the gal who penned I Kissed a Girl. It was her report about the moment to an Australian morning radio show that was surprising: “She has this one part where it's like a kiss cam, and I just walked up to her to give her like a friendly girly kiss, you know, as us girls do, and then she, like, tried to move her head and go deeper and I pulled away. God knows where that tongue has been. We don't know! That tongue is so infamous!"
Cyrus shot back, of course, on Twitter, the argument portal of choice: “Girl if ur worried abt where tongues have been good thing ur ex boo is ur EX BOO cause we ALL know where THAT been.”
Miley Cyrus Tweets response to Katy Perry
Miley Cyrus Tweets response to Katy Perry
Ladies, please.
The most shocking of Perry’s digs may have been her 2012 crack at Beyoncé to BBC Radio 1. Taking on Queen Bee is just begging to lose some crossover fans. The moment arose when Perry was asked about a rumored collaboration with Rihanna. The pop princess replied, “I want it to be like that Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin song Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves, notBeautiful Liar."
Surely she didn’t mean the Beautiful Liar released by Beyoncé and Shakira that hit No. 1 on more than a few charts worldwide, right?
Men aren’t immune to Perry’s biting brand of humor. She’s also thrown shade at Russell Brand and Alabama football, and inserted herself into Calvin Harris’ feud with Swift.
Perry obviously enjoys the freedom to have a sharp tongue and what she perceives as sass. Exhibit A: this Snapchat conveniently timed to Kanye’s “Famous” lyrical dis on Taylor Swift, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex, why? I made that bitch famous!" Subtle.
Katy Perry Snapchats Taylor Swift diss
Katy Perry Snapchats Taylor Swift diss
This habit of attacking women has to be shelved if she wants an effective voice. And I think she genuinely does and that she cares deeply about causes. But you can’t talk out of both sides of your mouth and expect to communicate clearly.
That was the case last night when Perry’s performance could have been musical history. The song was meaningful and catchy. The white suit hearkened back to the suffragette movement, and the "Persist" armband honored Elizabeth Warren’s Senate drama. The closing shot of the Constitution backing Perry and collaborator Skip Marley was a massive success. That image of a black man and a white woman raising clasped hands with “We the People” towering over them gave me all the right chills.
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.
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 to 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.
If Wednesday is hump day, then February is hump month. The holidays have passed and you're midway through the year and school is decidedly not fun anymore for both kids and parents.
As a mom and a high school teacher, I assure you that I feel your pain. This is the time of year when I’m playing “Let’s Figure Out That Grade” with my own kids while also fielding the emails from my students’ parents: "Can he still pass?" "What can she do to improve?" "Is all hope lost?" I can reassure you that while it may feel dire, hope is not even close to being lost. Here are some ideas to help keep the academic train running on its tracks — straight into summer (and not summer school).
Revisit organization
Even if your child is that unicorn known as the focused kid (I’ve had occasional sightings of such — and no, they’re not my own), Hump month is infamous for straining even the most disciplined organizational habits. You can help by checking the status of their supplies. Those carefully arranged notebooks from September are often a distant memory by now. It’s also truly bewildering how many pencils a kid can go through. While you’re doing this, it’s likely that you’ll discover homework that was due around Halloween and maybe a library book that your child doesn’t even remember checking out.
Once the foundations are reestablished, you can venture forth into managing the new workflow. Try gently (ha) reminding your beloved offspring about keeping track of assignments and due dates. If a paper planner doesn’t work for them (my own son can’t stand this method), ask if the teacher reliably uses a tech option (Blackboard, Google class, Twitter) to convey that information — many, if not most, do. And speaking of tech…
Consider a phone-ectomy
I can’t emphasize enough just how disruptive devices can be. You know how distracting they are for us? Multiply that by “brain without developed impulse control” and you’ll have the general idea. Ask your child if they typically have their phone out or if they keep it immediately accessible while in class (they probably do) and suggest a weeklong experiment of putting it completely away in their backpack for the day (or, at bare minimum, during each class). I have had a few kids ask me to hold their phones for them and I offer a “parking garage” for those who just can’t resist.
From your end, you can use an app like MM Guardian to make the phone inactive during school hours (both iOS and Android also allow you set your child’s device to disable certain features, so if you’re concerned about emergency contact but know that they absolutely won’t be needing Netflix, you can make that happen). However, knowing their own needs and limitations provides them with a good opportunity to practice self-agency, which is an incredibly important life skill. This does lead us to…
Communicate directly (student, not parent)
Kids need to get used dealing directly with their teachers, especially as they enter middle and high school. Why? Because the child is the one in need of assistance and filtering that through the parent a) decreases ownership of the issue and b) often results in resentment from the student that impacts the ultimate success. In other words, if you’re doing the communicating, it seems like it’s your problem instead of theirs.
After the meeting, help your child follow up with an email, just as you would do (“Dear Mr. Spanish Teacher, Thank you for going over the preterite tense with me. I understand that I’m missing the Chapter 2 assignment 'Practice with the Preterite Tense' and will turn that in next class.”) It’s what we teachers call an authentic learning opportunity. The student sees the direct connection between the communication and getting what they need. Of course, if this doesn’t yield positive results or if your child feels that the communication was not effective, then by all means intervene — but try to let them work it out first.
It’s not magic and the turnaround won’t happen overnight (much as we all might wish it could). It will take a little effort and patience. But using these techniques will help to regroup and avoid the midyear slump. If you can do that and then keep these new habits in place, it’s just a short while longer to keep moving forward and onto the promise of a relaxing, well-earned summer.
Cannon announced on Facebook today that he was leaving his hosting job after a disagreement broke out within NBC about some jokes Cannon made regarding the network.
Here seem to be the facts, according to Cannon's Facebook:
NBC reprimanded Cannon for what they considered a to be a breach of contract over some jokes he made outside of his job with the network.
Sidenote: Vulture reports some sources have dug into these supposed "jokes." Turns out, Cannon did reference NBC during a recent standup special on Showtime called Stand Up, Don't Shoot. During his bit, Cannon said NBC "took my real nigger card" and also said NBC stands for "Nigger Better C'mon."
Considering the network is paying Cannon a pretty penny to say nice things about them on television as a host representing their business, I could definitely see how those comments might make some executives a tad uncomfortable.
Though it's unclear what was said behind closed doors, Cannon said he was being threatened with termination over the remarks, and NBC wanted to punish him for the jokes.
But here's where the whole thing gets tricky.
Cannon has taken the dispute up a notch with his Facebook post by saying the argument, ultimately, wasn't about his jokes at all but rather, "just another way to silence and control an outspoken voice who often battles the establishment."
Cannon feels that by continuing with NBC rather than quitting his AGT hosting job, as he's decided to do, he would only be allowing NBC to treat him like a piece of property because they are trying to take away his freedom of speech.
Cannon also writes this isn't the first time NBC has tried to "put me in my place."
Cannon then ended with an inspiring message, "I love art and entertainment too much to watch it be ruined by controlling corporations and big business. I believe It's our duty as artists to make a difference and create change even if it's one act at a time."
nick cannon agt facebook message
nick cannon agt facebook message
NBC has yet to respond to Cannon publicly, but I'm sure they are freaking out that he has brought this dispute to the world. If they wanted to punish Cannon for his jokes, I can't imagine what they want to do to him after this Facebook message.
Was Nick Cannon in the right speaking out in detail about his decision to leave America's Got Talent?
Sorry not sorry for all the exclamation marks, but I'm seriously dancing around my office right now. ABC has cast its first black Bachelorette. I repeat, ABC has cast its first black Bachelorette! Better late than never and it's a seriously welcome change we need right now in this country.
Us Weekly confirms Season 21 Bachelor contestant Rachel Lindsay will be handing out the roses in Season 13 of The Bachelorette.
Rachel has been a standout since the start of Nick Viall's season of The Bachelor, and not only because he gave her the first impression rose. She made a great impression for herself because of her intelligent, level-headed, charming personality.
I was actually rooting for Rachel in the show, but now that she's going to be the next Bachelorette, I'm all in.
Us Weekly reports ABC president Channing Dungey (who is black herself) said in August that she wanted The Bachelor franchise to become more diverse. "I would very much like to see some changes there," she said.
But I, among others, have heard this before from ABC. Looks like this time, finally, finally they weren't messing around.
Rumor has it, Rachel will be officially announced as the Season 13 Bachelorette on Jimmy Kimmel Live! tonight after The Bachelor airs.
Currently, Rachel is still a contestant on The Bachelor, but if this news is true then she's probably headed home in tonight's episode. As much as I don't want to see her get her heart broken by Viall, I know this is far from the last time we'll see Rachel.
Woohoo! Now give me my wine back, The Bachelor is about to start, and I have more reasons than ever to tune in.
HGTV stars Tarek and Christina El Moussa don't want to have sexy time anymore. They don't want to cohabitate anymore. They don't want to share bills anymore. But they do still want to make money, which means for better or for worse, they want to be in each other's lives.
Go for the money! They clearly make a good team even if they don't want to spend the rest of their lives together so why not continue profiting from it? I don't think that's a negative thing at all. It's business.
Plus, the El Moussa's are still committed to raising their children together, and that extra HGTV cheddar will make the co-parenting thing a whole hell of a lot easier for all parties involved.
It's no wonder, considering all of the above, that the El Moussas were smiling ear to ear at their first public appearance together since they announced their divorce. Tarek even went so far as to hashtag his Instagram photo #lovespeakingtogether. I don't know if he needed to lay it on that thick but, sure, Tarek, you do you.
tarek el moussa instagram pic 2
tarek el moussa instagram pic 2
The event clearly went well, whether the El Moussas were faking it until they made it or actually being genuine doesn't really seem to matter. It's still a good sign for those of you out there who are big Flip or Flop fans since the ex-couple is powering through to continue making their show a success.
Ratings this season are sure to be killer but not because the show really is that good. After all the press these two have had over their divorce, there is no doubt people will tune in just to see if they will crumble to drama amidst their divorce.
HGTV might not even stop it. Hey, that's reality TV for ya.
Someone could make an amazing business selling Corinne quote t-shirts. I'm not kidding even a little bit. I want all of these quotes. On a t-shirt.
The Bachelor's Corinne may be a lot of things, which is why she's perfect for reality TV. I need her in my life. Bring her to Bachelor in Paradise! Heck, make her the next Bachelorette after Rachel. I'm in!
16. "I'm a corn husk. You gotta pull all the layers back and in the middle is this luxury, yellow corn with all these pellets of information. And it's juicy and buttery. You want to get to that corn."
17. "I had a serious hand situation, so I couldn't just shovel the poop!"
18. "I am more excited to see Nick than the Backstreet Boys and I don’t think most of the girls are."
26. "You're gonna make your friends feel weird. You're gonna make your non-friends feel weird."
27. "And I feel like I'm not being myself, but I'm trying really hard to be myself, but because I'm trying so hard to be myself it's making me even more not myself."
28. "I wanna get a boob job, but like, a tiny one."
Tom Cruise has gone through three wives and countless girlfriends, but one woman always remained constant: his mother. Now she's gone, too.
Mary Lee South died at home in her sleep sometime last week, a rep for Cruise confirmed to USA Today. A service was held for her at her local Church of Scientology, attended by Cruise and his three sisters, Lee Ann DeVette, Cass Mapother and Marian Henry.
Cruise and his mother were extremely close, and it was thanks to her encouragement that he was first bitten by the acting bug. After suffering a knee injury while on the high school wrestling team, Mary pushed Cruise to join his school production of Guys and Dolls. Upon graduation, he asked her and his stepfather Jack South for their blessing to try to make a career of acting for ten years.
But long before that, Mary was a total powerhouse mom. She and Cruise's father, Thomas Cruise Mapother III — a man the actor referred to as a "bully" in 2006 — split in 1974 and South took on the role of single mom to four kids immediately. While Mapother remained in Canada, she brought the kids back to the U.S. and kept them out of poverty by working as many as three jobs at a time.
According to a 1986 Rolling Stone article, one Christmas there was no money for gifts, so the family wrote poems for one another instead. Cruise contributed to the family with a paper route. After years of hard knocks, Cruise made sure to take care of his mom once he made it big.
"People can create their own lives," Cruise told Parade. "I saw how my mother created hers and so made it possible for us to survive. My mother was the one who rose to the occasion. She held three jobs. She said, ‘We're going to get through this."
But it's possible their closeness caused a huge rift among other family members. Mary and Jack split after 32 years of marriage following the birth of Suri, and many have placed the blame on Scientology. According to reports, when Mary and Jack visited their new grandchild for the first time in 2006, Mary never returned to her home in Florida — and she sent Jack home without her. She and Cruise's three sisters reportedly joined the Church of Scientology at Cruise's urging, but when Jack refused, he was cut out and labelled an SP, or "suppressive person."
Jack died in 2015; Cruise and Mary skipped the funeral.
Many music fans felt that Beyoncé was robbed of Best Album of the Year at last night's Grammy Awards - including the award's actual winner, Adele - but Ms. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter wasn't ruffled.
She knew that her performance would be the one we were all talking about today.
She knew her gold, otherworldly, goddess-like imagery and unabashed celebration of her twin pregnancy would take center stage in all the post-Grammy press coverage.
And most of all, she knew she wouldn't win the award. She knew, so she made the entire show about her, instead. And then she released a song the very next day to keep us talking.
Before we get to the new music, let's unpack the Grammy snub. Because it's a big one.
Elaine Lui of Lainey Gossip has done a fantastic job of breaking down the significance of the loss, and of Beyoncé's reaction,"When you are Beyoncé, widely acknowledged by your peers to be peerless, currently the greatest entertainer among them, the one who keeps moving the targets while they're still trying to catch up to her old ones, what do you do when they still won't let you into certain rooms? Well, if you're Beyoncé, you accept the invitation to their party...and you turn their biggest room into a coronation. She knew they would deny her. So she decided not to deny herself."
Beyoncé can't control awards, but she can - and does - control the conversation. Always. She's a master at it. We don't know anything Bey doesn't want us to know. We don't talk about anything Bey doesn't want talked about.
So in the wake of the snub, Beyoncé deftly redirected the conversation away from her loss to her jaw-dropping performance and whether or not The Grammy's are even relevant anymore.
On Saturday night, they missed the mark in such an obvious way that even other winners remarked on it - and not later, whispered amongst themselves or on social media channels, but there, on stage, literally breaking awards in half because Beyoncé deserved more than she received.
What's more, Beyoncé's performance and her PR strategy for 2017 makes it clear that her plans are far bigger than Best Album of the Year. And this new song underscores that.
The song, Shining, was released exclusively on Tidal. It's a track from DJ Khaled's new album and features none other than Queen Bey and her man Jay Z in their first song together since 2013's Drunk In Love.
And although the track has DJ Khaled's name on it, Shining, is a bouncy, beat-heavy celebration of the Carter's; their wins, their twins, and the undeniable power of Beyoncé herself.
Ms. Carter opens the track with a sly nod to her success as well a gentle warning to those who might try to rein in her efforts:
Shinin', shinin', shinin', shinin', yeah All of this winnin', I've been losin' my mind, yeah Oh, hold on Don't try to Slow me down
And in a move typical of Beyoncé - always three steps ahead of the rest of us - her lyrics on the track seem to reflect upon her professional trajectory, the conversation being had about her career, and her plans for 2017.
Petty, petty, petty, I've been winnin' steady Yoncé, Yoncé all up on your grill, lil' boy Poppin' off, back to my thought, yeah boy Came out '97, winnin' 20 years, boy, oh All of this good, I don't feel bad for it, yeah When you see me smile, you can't be mad at it, yeah
Bey's put in the work and she's not ashamed to admit it. On the contrary, she's proud of it. She knows Lemonade was the best goddamn album of the year. We all know it. But this world of ours doesn't like ambitious women - especially not ambitious women of color who can sell out stadiums, speak up for civil rights, and skillfully transcend genres.
She's been working hard and we've seen the results. We've heard the results. And yet, she's come up empty handed. And while we all dismissed Kanye as crazy when he interrupted Taylor Swift on Bey's behalf back in 2009, I'm starting to think he was right. So, in the absence of official recognition, she claimed the honor for herself.
Let me be clear, Beyoncé doesn't give a fuck about The Grammys. She's above the Grammys. She's moved beyond The Grammys. She dominated the show and controlled the conversation and then kept it going by releasing new music the morning after, just in case you thought she was at home crying over her loss.
Nope. Wrong. She ain't thinking bout you.
Shining is an upbeat song, but the timing is no accident - with Beyoncé it never is. In amongst the celebration of their respective professional successes and eager anticipation of the birth of their twins ("Ran to the dealer, bought twin Mercedes'" raps Jay Z in the third verse, " The European trucks for the twin babies.") one thing is clear: Bey has big things planned for 2017.
Don't get me wrong — rom-coms are great, but can't we all agree that they would be a little bit better (and a whole lot cuter) if our favorite actors were replaced with adorable pups?
Luckily for you, the folks over at DogVacay have done exactly that. They recreated some of the most iconic romantic comedy scenes and swapped the actors for dogs.
So if you consider yourself rom-com savvy, we've got a little test for you. Try to guess which famous movie these dogs are recreating. If you get stumped, simply click the image to reveal the answer and let us know how you did in the comments below.
It would seem that Gwyneth Paltrow isn't returning to the MCU anytime soon; she's headed straight to television. Well, sort of. Paltrow will appear on Planet of the Apps, an Apple TV show that looks to be a mix of Shark Tank and The Voice, both in its focus on start-ups and capturing the zeitgeist in app format. Hoo boy, there's a lot to unpack here.
From the look of the trailer, Planet of the Apps will combine the best parts of Shark Tank and The Voice, respectively. Young app designers with stars in their eyes will have 60 seconds (the time it takes to descend the escalator they are riding — say what?) to pitch their app to Paltrow, Will.I.Am, Jessica Alba and Gary Vaynerchuk. Ostensibly, if they make it to the end of the escalator ride and pass a series of questions, they're safe. That's the Shark Tank bit. But wait, it gets better.
Gwyneth Paltrow Recode TV Trailer
Gwyneth Paltrow Recode TV Trailer
As for The Voice riff, those app designers and entrepreneurs will get to choose which of the four judges they want to pair with. The judge will mentor them and the team behind the budding app in question will get access to the judge's company's resources. It's an exciting idea (I guess?) but for those interested it will only be available on Apple TV.
So, the question remains: why is Paltrow moving into the arena of reality television? I get that she probably believes this is the best for her brand and that this benefits her company, GOOP, too. But an Apple TV show? Not even a major network's reality TV show, like actual Shark Tank? It feels a bit off.
And who even knew that reality TV was a direction Paltrow wanted to move towards? Here I am, expecting her to pop up in another Marvel movie and — bam! — she just chilling next to Will.I.Am in a chair judging people's apps. Perhaps we'll see Paltrow move out of movies altogether to focus all of her energy on GOOP and helping young entrepreneurs grow. She's been noticeably moving slowly away from films over the last few years, turning out a handful of films on average; it stands to reason she'd move in this direction.
No matter what, you have to admit that Paltrow looks super comfortable up there in that chair. If this is the beginning of her ascent to true business mogul, then I'm all for it.
When you hear the term, “Valentine’s Day,” what do you think of? Perhaps you envision a bouquet of red roses, candles, jewelry, and a luxurious four-course meal. Or maybe you picture a towering mountain of candy—in all shapes, colors, and sizes—and the sugar rush that follows its consumption.
While the latter is undoubtedly an unpleasant prospect for the parents of school-age children, you can make this Valentine’s Day both sweet and academically enriching. All three of the crafts below are perfectly complemented by a piece of candy and the company of family members. For more information on these educational activities, continue reading:
1. Valentine’s Day cards
Once the New Year’s Eve festivities conclude, the shelves of stationary shops and supermarkets fill with Valentine’s Day cards. While you might decide to purchase a package of cards with superhero messages for your daughter’s third grade class, encouraging her to create several of her own can be a fantastic literacy exercise. For instance, if she is currently studying basic poetry and rhyming patterns in school, how can she apply this knowledge to Valentine’s Day cards for her grandparents? Can she incorporate words that rhyme with her grandmother’s favorite hobbies, or with her grandfather’s favorite books? Even children who are too young to write can dictate their messages to you, and you can recite them back as you write them down.
2. Festive foods
This Tuesday, February 14, breakfast and dinner—and lunch, if your family homeschools—can provide you and your student with a prime opportunity for educational exploration. Valentine’s Day is often marked by the colors pink and red, as well as by items that are shaped like hearts. These items typically include candies and desserts that are colored with food dyes. If your child enjoys baking and cooking, challenge her to experiment with methods of dying food that do not rely on these typical additives—fruits and vegetables, like beets and raspberries, can color light foods like vanilla cake and white rice, for example. Ask your student about the best way to incorporate this “dye” (i.e. juicing the beet or pureeing the raspberries), as well as why she thinks this method will work. The greatest part of this craft is that your experiment is edible!
3. Valentine’s Day decorations
If you plan to exchange homemade Valentine’s Day cards and to share a meal of your own creation, why not make your own decorations too? Children of all ages can participate in this particular craft, and its form can be modified to suit any family’s interests and available materials. Perhaps you design a garland of lace-edged hearts that helps to strengthen your preschool student’s creative and fine motor skills. Or maybe your seventh grade child has a burgeoning passion for art history. You can assist her in locating examples of Valentine’s Day decorations from different time periods (like the Victorian era or the 1950s) that she can then recreate. This is an excellent way to exercise her research and reading comprehension skills.
For more tips and strategies to help your student succeed in school, visit varsitytutors.com.
