LEGO! It's nice to see you upping your game. Your latest set proposal is out of this world — literally — and we can't wait until it hits the shelves.
LEGO is developing a Women of NASA set featuring women who have made huge contributions to the U.S. space program over the years. The final design isn't available yet, but the figure lineup includes Sally Ride (first American woman in space) and mathematician Katherine Johnson, who was portrayed to perfection this year by Taraji P. Henson in the Oscar-nominated movie Hidden Figures.
LEGO's hoping this set will be a hit with space-minded kids (especially girls) interested in STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The very cool Women of NASA set was created as part of LEGO Ideas, a site that allows fans and LEGO users to propose ideas for new LEGO sets. This project was the brainchild of MIT News writer and science editor Maia Weinstock. Weinstock's concept beat out 11 other projects in the LEGO Ideas competition — each had to receive votes from 10,000 supporters to make it to the next level.
Maia Weinstock Lego set Women of NASA tweet
Maia Weinstock Lego set Women of NASA tweet
We do have one little tiny bone to pick. The project's LEGO Ideas page reads, “Ladies rock outer space!” We could do without the prissy word choice of "ladies." Is it really so hard to say "Women rock outer space"? Still, we're excited to get our hands on the final product.
Who else is in the Women of NASA lineup? Well, we're so glad you asked. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space; Margaret Hamilton, a brilliant computer scientist; and Nancy Grace Roman, known as the badass "Mother of Hubble" for her work on the Hubble Space Telescope.
Next time we step on a LEGO, we're totally going to yell MOTHER OF HUBBLE.
Weinstock is over the moon (heh) that LEGO is going forward with her concept. She feels it's "critical to have toys that girls can look at and play with and think, 'that's me!' or 'that could be me!'" Weinstock also said, "I also just hope that girls and boys will take away from it the sense that women belong in engineering, in mathematics... I hope in some small way, it helps to inspire the kids of the future."
We're not sure when the set will make its way out of production and into stores, but we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, we've been thinking of other girl-empowering LEGO sets we'd love to see.
Famous suffragettes: Why should Hamilton have all the historical fun? (No offense, Lin-Manuel, we just wanted more of the Schuyler sisters.) How about Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Mary Church Terrell (founder of the National Association of Colored Women)?
Women in music: Oh, come on. The list is endless! For starters, how about a wicked LEGO stage with working lights and Tina Turner, Joan Jett, Beyoncé, Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks, Debbie Harry, Madonna and Lady Gaga on deck?
Great women Olympic champions: May we suggest the Final Five, who dominated and won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics? (Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Madison Kocian, Laurie Hernandez and Simone Biles.) Of course, LEGO might need to rethink flexibility of these figures — and add springs and elastic for this particular set.
Famous women artists: Georgia O'Keeffe, Frida Kahlo and Mary Cassatt just to kick things off. Bonus points for historically accurate art studios, LEGO! And LEGO versions of their most famous paintings! (Please. We really want to play with this one.)
The U.S. Women's Soccer Team, who won the 2015 World Cup: The set could include the New York City ticker-tape parade they received — the first ever for a women's sports team — and the White House, where they visited President Obama. In fact, Obama was fanboying (that's a word, right?) hard after the women's World Cup win. He said, "This team taught all of America's children that 'playing like a girl' means you're a badass." THIS TEAM MADE THE PRESIDENT SAY "BADASS," PEOPLE.
What's more badass than that? Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Abby Wambach, and Hope Solo in LEGO form? Sign us up.
Welcome to the 21st century, McDonald's! Following in the footsteps of Starbucks, McDonald's recently announced that by the end of this year, all 14,000 of its restaurants in the U.S. will be set up for mobile ordering and curbside pickup. This means that instead of waiting in line when you're jonesing for McNuggets, you can order ahead on your phone and have your food brought to your car when you get to the restaurant.
Right now, McDonald's does 70 percent of its business at the drive-thru window, which means huge lines, especially at times like rush hour and weekend nights. Mobile ordering could help cut back on that, which might help bring back some appeal to the fast-food chain, especially with millennials, who hate waiting around for no reason (and love using their smartphones, obvs).
Another perk? It could result in more jobs. McDonald's may need to hire extra workers to run the food out to cars. Let's just hope they figure out a way to do it safely — hungry people, cars, parking lots and pedestrians aren't exactly a match made in heaven. Fries and burgers delivered directly to your car door? That is.
There's a YouTube video for just about everything these days. There also happens to be a YouTube meditation video for just about every type of crappy mood and type of stress. If you've been craving just 10 minutes to yourself, try to find a quiet room and work one of these meditations into your day.
1. For positive energy
Let's face it, we can't all be a gleaming light of positivity all the time. When life doesn't seem to be going your way (i.e., you spent the morning screaming at the guy who cut you off, then spilled coffee in your car, were late to work and never managed to get back on the right foot), sneak away to do this meditation for positive vibes on your lunch break.
Positive energy meditation
Positive energy meditation
2. For when you can't sleep
Again, we've all been there, tossing and turning like our lives depended on it. To ensure you get some decent shut-eye, take 10 minutes before you get into bed to do this meditation.
Sleep meditation
Sleep meditation
3. For when you just need to relax already
So what if you have a ton to do? That doesn't mean you can feel relaxed. You'll probably find that you plow through your to-do list more efficiently if you work this meditation somewhere into your day first. It's all about self-care, ladies. It pays off.
Relaxation meditation
Relaxation meditation
4. To help you be more productive
Whether you're awake at 5 a.m. or 10 a.m., begin your day with this guided meditation to start it off on the right foot. That way, when that guy cuts you off, you spill your coffee and show up late to work, you can get yourself back on the right foot.
Productive meditation
Productive meditation
5. For stress and anxiety
We ladies tend to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders (it's one reason heart disease affects women at greater rates than men). Don't forget to take a step back and take time for you. Really, working any of these meditations into your routine will help reduce stress, but here's one for stress and anxiety specifically.
Stress and anxiety meditation
Stress and anxiety meditation
6. For when you can't stop being negative
Sometimes you need positive vibes because things aren't going your way, and sometimes you need positive vibes because you've got a stick in your side and can't manage to see the world in a better light. This meditation can help remind you that the world is just as much good as it is bad.
Meditation for negative thoughts
Meditation for negative thoughts
7. To spark gratitude
Bottom line: We can all afford to be a little more grateful, and sometimes we just need a reminder. This meditation will help.
Gratitude meditation
Gratitude meditation
8. To help you be more present
Technology has made it all too easy to bury our noses in social media. While a lot of good things come from being more connected, it can also be pretty damaging if we don't take the time to be present with our friends and family, and in life in general. Try this meditation to bring you back down to Earth and out of the clouds.
Meditation to be more present
Meditation to be more present
This post was brought to you as part of a sponsored advertising collaboration.
What? Who? Us? Hate-watch The Bachelor? And The Bachelorette? And, you know, when there's nothing to watch in the summer, Bachelor in Paradise?
No, no, not us. We're far too busy working on our dissertation about the symbolism hidden in all of Beyoncé's pregnancy photo shoots. We have no time for mirth and schadenfreude over who has the ugliest cry in the Bachelor mansion.
OK, fine. We are shallow and wretched and should be watching all the Academy Award foreign film nominees, we know. Instead, we obsessively consume the entire Bachelor franchise (damn you, Chris Harrison) and it's not even hate-watching at this point. You're onto us. We plead guilty pleasure in a terrible, uncertain world.
If you're like us, and always looking to augment your guilty pleasure (especially with anything Bachelor-related), we've found a deeply satisfying parody video for moms we think you might dig.
Friends, we present The Babysitter, one mom's journey in search of her perfect sitter and sippy-cup soul mate. We could try to give you the synopsis, but really, it's way more fun to just watch the video. Genius.
Bachelor parody
Bachelor parody
Definitely worth a share with any Bachelor devotees, including those who are pretending not to be Bachelor fans.
With Lisa Rinna and Yolanda Hadid both planning their exits from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, the show could definitely use a big name to boost its star power. Supposedly enter Elsa Pataky, whose marriage to A-list star Chris Hemsworth comes with the sort of intrigue that could definitely up the show's ratings. Rumor has it she's down to join the cast, but... to put it lightly... we have our doubts. Just for the heck of it, though, let's just go with this rumor and say she does want to join the franchise — what's the holdup?
According to a new report, it's Hemsworth. He and Pataky have dealt with divorce rumors for years. (And lo and behold, they're not divorced yet! Maybe they just have typical relationship spats... see, celebrities really are just like us!). Now Celebeat is claiming that Hemsworth is doing everything he can to keep Pataky off the show because he doesn't want dirty laundry from his marriage being aired on TV. Well, famous or not, we think that's reasonable enough. Heck, if I ever get into a relationship spat in public, I'm mortified. Imagine it being broadcast on TV? Then there's the fact that if they were actually getting divorced (which they're not), wouldn't Pataky just do what she wants? Anyway...
Another likely reason for Pataky to turn down the show is that, regardless of any issues in her marriage, the Hemsworths are some of the most wholesome men in Hollywood. All of The Real Housewives franchises come with tons of pettiness and drama, and that just doesn't seem like something the Hemsworths would want to get mixed up in. They don't need the money. They don't need the fame. So why voluntarily deal with any of that?
"Chris is horrified at the thought of Bravo airing their dirty laundry on TV," a source told Star magazine (we repeat — Star magazine...) about the rumors about Pataky joining the cast. "There’s no question that Elsa would be pressured into discussing [brother-in-law] Liam and Miley Cyrus’ relationship."
And for a long time, Cyrus was too wild for the Hemsworths to handle — that doesn't bode well for their ability to handle Housewives-level drama.
Good thing we think all these rumors are a load of crap.
Feeling your baby kick for the first time is a pretty crazy, amazing experience. So why wouldn't the non-impregnated partner want in on the whole thing?
Three Danish students (who are probably way more clever than any of us) came up with a smart bracelet called the Fibo so dads, same-sex partners or surrogate parents could actually feel their baby kicking.
This is how it works. During the third trimester, the pregnant woman wears a monitoring device. The Fibo collects data every time the baby moves. And the person wearing the bracelet feels the movements in real time. That's because the Fibo contains four small beads that "mimic the baby's movements by rotating and pressing on the wrist of the person wearing it."
It's not really the same as having a baby jab you in the ribs or your lady business, but it's nice that partners can know what their baby is up to — even when they aren't around to put their hand on their partner's belly.
Sandra Pétursdóttir (one of the students who came up with the idea) told The Huffington Post that they found most parents wanted to feel the baby's kicks on their wrist. “That way the device would also be visible which to many fathers was a big plus because they wanted the whole world to see they were expecting a baby."
Partners wearing the device, however, would have to absolutely agree in a written contract to never say things like, "We really are both pregnant now!" or "These baby kicks don't hurt at all" or "Why are pregnant women always complaining? This is cake!"
And pregnant women: Before you sign up for anything like this, take a look at that monitor. Because being in your third trimester is bad enough without adding something extra to attach to yourself.
But don't try to run out and buy one of these high-tech pregnancy gadgets. Apparently, the Fibo is still in development and not yet available for purchase.
Multiple members of the White House Press Corps tweeted today, showing off photos of the gift that Hanks sent them at their office in the West Wing: a brand new espresso machine. To make the present even better, he included a typewritten note of encouragement to the journalists, who are having a pretty tough time doing their jobs under President Donald Trump's administration.
Tom Hanks sent an espresso machine to reporters
Tom Hanks sent an espresso machine to reporters
"Keep up the good fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Especially for the Truth part," Hanks wrote, giving the press what was probably a much-needed pick-me-up after a week of the Trump administration barring major news outlets from participating in events and press conferences.
Hey, Tom. I have to write about Trump a bunch too. Can I have an espresso machine?
Honestly, though, it's not even surprising that Hanks would do this. Obviously, he's a damn hero in, like, all his movies — Captain Phillips was off the chain, y'all. But he's also been kind of the low-key cool dad of celebrities for years. He does things like prank drunk dudes in bars and send hilarious selfies to his fans on the regular. And remember that time he ran into a couple taking their wedding photos in Central Park and just casually joined in on the photo shoot? Hanks has a longstanding reputation for just being a super-standup dude and awesome to his fans.
And while his message to the Press Corps may seem like a little bit of a jab at the current president, Hanks' giving nature crosses party lines — he sent espresso machines to the Press Corps under presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush too.
Updated March 2, 11:30 a.m. PT: Pretty much everyone involved with The Arrangement still insists the show has nothing to do with rumors about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, but also they're totally fine with people thinking they're lying.
"I think when people hear the premise of our show, more times than not the first thing they'll think of is Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. But I know more about the show than they do, considering we've shot the whole first season, so I know that it’s really not at all based on them," lead actor Josh Henderson, who plays A-list actor Kyle, told Rotten Tomatoes. "We're telling our own story with unique characters. But I'm fine with people making that comparison, because at the end of the day, everyone is familiar with that story and if it gets them to watch the show, I'm all about it."
I mean, that's a little condescending, but OK.
Michael Vartan, who plays Terence, a mentor at the cult Henderson's character belongs to, shared a similar sentiment.
"Throughout the course of Hollywood, there have been documented cases of contract marriages, like back when the studios first started. So to me, the show is really about a contract marriage. It’s obviously about all these characters, but that has happened in Hollywood [before]," Vartan said. "If it was about Scientology, I really did not do my homework, because I didn’t do any research on Scientology whatsoever. There are so many self-help groups in our country today. Because of the size of the Institute and the power and the heavy element of the Hollywood experience, I think [Scientology is] a natural assumption, but as far as the writers and the cast were concerned, we never really even thought of that."
Vartan also went into some other details about the show, like how his character is desperate to keep Henderson's character, an A-list actor, as a member of the Institute for the Higher Mind, because nothing about this sounds anything like Tom Cruise's relationship with Scientology at all.
"He loves Kyle, he really does. Terence found him, he discovered him, he helped him change his life, but … nothing is more important to me than the Institute," Vartan explained. "The Institute has gotten big enough now that maybe without Kyle it would survive, but Terence isn’t interested in finding out. He still needs Kyle — he’s the biggest movie star in the world, so he’s a great poster boy."
Nope. That's definitely a completely original storyline and not about Tom Cruise. OK guys.
Original story:
Finally, a TV show is going to show us exactly what went down between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes when he paid her to be his wife for five years.
Oh, just kidding. A new E! series, The Arrangement, shows a famous actor paying a much less famous actress a whole bunch of money to marry him, and it's basically exactly what all the 2005 rumors said was happening between Cruise and Holmes. But the show's creator, Jonathan Abrahams, insists that's not what's going on here.
At the Television Critics Association winter press tour, he told the audience, "the series is not inspired by the rumored circumstances surrounding Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ ill-fated union, nor is it a takedown of Scientology." He also said that the fictional organization in his series, called the Institute of the Higher Mind, is "not a religion," even though characters refer to it as a cult in the preview. He says his series is "a truly unique story that takes place in Hollywood."
Uh, OK. If you say so. But just to make sure we have all the facts here, let's recap what went down between Cruise and Holmes.
It was 2005, and Cruise was fresh off his divorce from Nicole Kidman. The rumors around Hollywood were that Cruise had approached several young actresses, including Sofía Vergara, Scarlett Johansson and Katie Holmes, with a five-year marriage contract. Cruise would get to rehab his image and shake the increasing rumors that he was gay, and his wife would get a career boost and cash. Win-win... if you don't count the creepy arranged marriage vibes.
Tony Ortega, an editor of the Village Voice who covered Scientology for more than a decade, making him the closest thing the world has to an expert on Cruise and Holmes' relationship, told the Huffington Post in 2012 that he didn't think the whole arranged marriage thing actually happened, but that those rumors did have kind of a basis in reality.
"That urban legend probably grew out of a misunderstanding of what actually did occur," Ortega said. "Several young women were vetted by the church and 'tried out' as Tom’s next wife before Katie Holmes was chosen."
Ortega also said women approached by Cruise were required to sign pretty strict nondisclosure agreements — a "standard procedure in the church."
It's long been rumored that the reason we know so little about Cruise and Holmes' divorce is because of some kind of contract she was forced to sign requiring her to keep the details of their split out of the press. And if their marriage was arranged and she was paid to be Cruise's wife, it would make sense that all involved parties would want to keep that story out of the headlines.
So while we may never know the exact truth of what happened between Cruise and Holmes, it's a pretty safe bet that The Arrangement isn't the "truly unique story" that Abrahams is shilling. While it may not be based on the real story of Cruise and Holmes' relationship, it's way too close to the rumors not to have been inspired by the former power couple.
At first glance, Angelina Jolie’s new perfume ad for Guerlain is just another airy, breezy, light-drenched reason to buy a fragrance. She floats through it, starting from the beginning, when we see her perfectly manicured hand (and tattooed wrist) gently open an incredibly pretty door (never really thought we’d use those words to describe a door, but here we are), and continuing through to the end, when she and her tattoos fade to white, backlit by an impossibly idyllic countryside.
But it’s more than a perfume ad, folks. This is Jolie’s first real appearance back in the spotlight since the announcement that rocked the very foundation of love and marriage – you know, last year, when she and Brad Pitt broke the news to the world that they were getting divorced. And while Pitt is doing things like texting his ex (allegedly) and missing the Oscars because of a 10-day-long sculpting binge (I mean, same), Jolie is out there shilling for Mon Guerlain.
It should be pointed out here that Jolie looks absolutely stunning in this ad, in the way that only a movie star can stun the camera – she smolders, she sizzles, she glows. And though she called her divorce “a very difficult time” in a recent BBC interview, it seems as though she can still turn on the charm for the camera, at very least. It’s also highly possible that she’s living her best life, because who appears to be lit from the inside like that unless they are killing it?
Then again, she’s an actress, so who can say for sure.
The next season of Ryan Murphy's Feud will feature a couple whose public and private battles changed the shape of the British monarchy forever.
Feud: Charles and Diana will focus on the drama in the royal couple's relationship and all the factors that came into play to create the perfect storm between them. But what juicy tidbits will it include, exactly? We have some scenes we'd like to see played out on the small screen…
Charles' rude comments about love
Charles Diana engagement video
Charles Diana engagement video
In their first interview after their engagement, Charles and Diana were asked if they were really in love. Diana answered with a shy but girlish "Of course!" but Charles' answer was far less certain. "Whatever 'in love' means…" he said with a smarmy grin, leaving the world in complete shock. We can't imagine how Diana felt at that moment, but we're sure it wasn't good. But things were about to get worse…
Diana finds a gift for Charles' mistress on the eve of their wedding
On the eve of their fairytale wedding, Diana claimed to have found one very big surprise gift — and it wasn't for her. It was a beautiful bracelet bearing the initials "GF," which she immediately recognized as symbolizing Gladys and Fred, Charles' pet names for himself and his mistress Camilla Parker Bowles. Charles tried to explain it away as a sort of parting gift, which Diana didn't really buy, but the wedding went ahead as planned anyway.
Diana "throws" herself down the stairs
In 1982, while three months pregnant with Prince William, Diana took a spill down the stairs at Sandringham during a spat with Charles. We know it happened during an argument because a footman who witnessed it quickly sold the story to a British tabloid. What remains unclear is how it happened. Diana herself tried to dramatize the incident in later years, stating in an interview she had thrown herself down the stairs in a bid for attention from Charles, who reacted coldly and simply left her laying there to go horseback riding. She later changed her tune and said she simply stumbled down three steps — and other witnesses confirmed Charles called a doctor just in case and stayed with her until she got the all-clear.
The roots of Charles' envy
It was during their first official trip abroad to Australia and New Zealand that Charles got a taste of how much the public adored Diana. Rather than be buoyed by the attention paid to his beautiful young wife, he became exceedingly envious of her power over the public. She attracted a level of attention he never did.
Diana confronts Camilla
At a party thrown by Camilla's sister, Diana claimed to have confronted her husband's mistress. After asking the men to leave the room, she basically told Camilla to back off. It didn't work.
Diana starts her own affair
What's good for the gander is good for the goose, and Diana soon began an affair with British Army officer and riding instructor James Hewitt. A rumor persists that Hewitt is the real father of Prince Harry, but despite the physical resemblance, Harry was born long before Diana ever met her lover.
The ill-fated trip to India
Princess Diana Taj Mahal
Princess Diana Taj Mahal
When Charles refused to change his tour schedule to visit the Taj Mahal with his wife, she staged a revenge photo to garner public sympathy. Later in the trip, she refused his kiss after a polo match, humiliating him in front of the press.
Squidgygate
Squidgygate
Squidgygate
A recorded phone call between Diana and another lover, James Gilbey, hit the press, including their pet name: Squidgy. It made worldwide news.
Tampongate
Another recorded phone call leaked, this time between Charles and Camilla — and it was even more embarrassing than the one between Diana and Gilbey. In it, Charles said he wished he could be Camilla's tampon so he could live inside her pants. Altogether now: EEEEEWWWWWW. The call was a complete and utter humiliation to the palace and bolstered public sympathy for Diana.
Andrew Morton's secretly authorized biography
Andrew Morton released a super-juicy biography of Diana — Diana: Her True Story — that was meant to conjure up even more public sympathy for her as the wronged woman in her failing marriage. Full of gossip from so-called anonymous sources, it was later revealed that Diana supplied much of the information herself directly to the author and told her friends to do the same. It made Charles and the rest of the royals look very, very bad.
The separation announcement
Charles Diana separation announcement
Charles Diana separation announcement
In the wake of the book scandal, Prime Minister John Major announced that Charles and Diana would separate — but also announce they do not intend to divorce, rather continue on with their royal duties and a marriage in name only. The news created absolute turmoil for the monarchy considering they were in line to become king and queen.
Charles admits his affair on national television
In the TV documentary Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role, the Prince was flat-out asked if he was faithful to Diana. He said yes… until the marriage "became irretrievably broken down." It was a shocking moment that seemed to vindicate Diana and cement Charles' role as the villain in their feud.
Diana's Panorama interview
Diana Panorama interview
Diana Panorama interview
Diana gave one hell of an interview to Martin Bashir on Panorama in which she publicly admitted to her affair with James Hewitt and ripped Charles for his continued relationship with Camilla, as well as describing her bulimia and self-mutilation. In it she uttered the ultimate declaration on the failure of her union: "Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." Prince William reportedly was left devastated and furious after viewing the show at school with his headmaster. The queen was pretty ticked off about it too, and pushed the couple to divorce as quickly as possible.
The divorce announcement
There was no going back from Diana's Panorama interview, which effectively humiliated Charles and the royal family as a whole. At the queen's request, they announced their intent to finally divorce. Diana further rattled cages by announcing she had accepted certain terms Charles laid forth, including retaining her title of Princess of Wales — a statement which earned a stark rebuke from the palace, who denied any such details had been discussed. It took several more months of heated negotiations for all the kinks to be ironed out. Charles insisted Diana give up her right to the title Her Royal Highness as well as her right to be queen when he ascends the throne, her offices at St. James Palace and her military service appointments. But she didn't walk away empty-handed. She retained the title of Princess of Wales, kept her apartment and office space in Kensington Palace and received a settlement of a reported $22.5 million plus an extra $600,000 a year to run her offices. The divorce was finalized on Aug. 28, 1996.
Diana's unexpected death
Almost exactly a year later, Diana was killed in a car accident in a Paris tunnel. While the family of her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, were quick to blame a sinister palace conspiracy, an official investigation put the blame squarely on aggressive paparazzi and a drunk driver. Despite the advice of palace officials, including the husband of Diana's own sister, Charles insisted on collecting his ex-wife's body in Paris personally and that she receive a royal ceremonial funeral rather than a private one. Reportedly, at the private burial, Diana's brother insisted that the royal standard be removed from the coffin and replaced with the Spencer family flag in one last dig at the royals.
Dr. Seuss — whose birth name is Theodor Seuss Geisel — is pretty much what all our childhoods are made of. Whether it's Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat or The Lorax, everybody has a favorite Dr. Seuss book that transports them straight back to being little.
Dr. Seuss may have died in 1991, but his books and poems are still a huge part of growing up — and he's a household name 113 years after his birth.
In honor of his birthday — March 2, 1904 — we've rounded up all of the best Dr. Seuss quotes.
1. "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
3. "So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains."
10. "It is better to know how to learn than to know."
11. "Be who you are and say what you mean. Because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
12. "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
From The Lorax.
13. "You're on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who'll decide where to go."
From Oh, the Places You'll Go!
14. "I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living; it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities."
15. "Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory."
16. "All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you'll be quite a lot!"
From Oh, the Places You'll Go!
17. "To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."
18. "Being crazy isn't enough."
19. "Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple."
20. "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
21. "Life's too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don't and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it'd be easy, they just promised it would be worth it."
They say different strokes for different folks, and when it comes to what turns us on, that couldn’t be more true. In fact, it's not just traditionally sexy things that put most of us in the mood (a dirty text or well-placed caress, for example), but plenty of other visual and sensory cues according to research from Superdrug Online Doctor, an online sexual health and education portal.
Turns out, there’s a variety of kinda random things that get us hot and bothered, but the top turn-ons are pretty interesting. Of the 2,000 people, 10.9 percent (1,000 Americans and 1,000 Europeans) studied are into perfume — perhaps hearkening back to the pheromone attraction that rules us all — and a sexy foreign accent comes in a close second at 10.7 percent. For anyone who's traveled to exotic locales, you know how sexy it is when you hear a local speak the language even if you have no idea what they're saying.
Also high on the list were maid uniforms (kinda cliché), suits and military uniforms. Reading also turns on women, while men are drawn to things like pigtails or stretching. It’s interesting to note that both sexes are turned on by certain things, such as scent, but while women see the appeal in maturity and responsibility — like a suit or holding a baby — men are simply attracted to the sensually alluring. (No surprise there given that a woman's lust is thought to be tied up in emotions, whereas men are biologically programmed to focus on the physical.)
The study also found that often, it’s the little things that turn us on. Men, for instance, tend to respond to a welcoming smile, and both sexes love being approached by someone in a good mood. And we all really get turned on by being attracted to a stranger.
Ultimately, what turns us each on is super-personal and unique, but it's kind of fun to know that some things you probably don't give a second thought — putting your hair in a ponytail, for instance, or wearing glasses — can make you infinitely more attractive to certain people. Kinda hot.
And then I answered my own rhetorical question: It doesn't matter. The more I watched it, the happier I felt. I've watched it 11 times now and I'm fucking euphoric. Watch it again. Seriously, do it. I'll wait.
Don't try to analyze it. Don't try to figure out why? Or for what? Or Jaden Smith what are you smoking and can I have some, FFS?
If you ask these questions, you'll ruin it. You'll fucking ruin it, and I just can't handle that right now.
With this video, Jaden Smith proves that he is the only thing pure in this world, with his hair looking like a low-budget The Weeknd, rocking that blank expression better than every stoner out there. Trust me, guys, we need this.
Donald motherfucking Trump is president, an accountant ruined the Academy Awards and that lady who pretended to be black is still pretending to be black even though she is super-, super-white. She's completely white and everyone knows it! The jig is up! End this nonsense!
Everything is fucked and nothing makes sense, so why wouldn't Jaden Smith shoot a two-minute-and-19-second video for Vanity Fair for no apparent reason while reciting a string of random facts that you'd typically find printed on novelty toilet paper?
I mean, as I see it, we have two options after seeing that video. We can sit here asking questions like:
But that would be stupid because these are stupid questions. I think we know in our hearts that we don't deserve to ask these questions.
You think you're better than Jaden Smith? Wrong. You'll never be as awestruck by your nose as Jaden Smith is by his. You'll never have a purer appreciation for the simple facts of our universe than he does.
Just go back and look at his face as he struggles to grasp these most basic of observations about our planet and our species (I've watched it 16 times now). He can't even handle it. And if you can, it means that you've lost the sense of wonder that makes life worth living.
Our reaction to this video shouldn't be to ask stupid questions like, "Seriously, though, are you promoting something?" or "When did your hair get so long?" or "Do you use special products on your skin to get it to look so perfect or is it just because you're still young while I grow increasingly decrepit as the days pass?"
Don't do that. Instead, just close the blinds, grab a bag of Doritos and play this video on repeat with the volume cranked to 11.
Let the feelings wash over you. Let go of your ceaseless need for logic and reason. Give in. Give in. Give in.
Rihanna's personal chef (#Jealous), Debbie Solomon, recently revealed Rihanna's favorite foods and the meals that keep her going even when she's on tour. It turns out, Rihanna's a pretty impulsive eater. With previous clients, Solomon had been able to plan her menus ahead of time, but not so with Rihanna. "We don't know what we're gonna want to eat tomorrow, so why even pick today?" she told Bon Appetit.
When most of us travel, we subsist on chain restaurant grub and subpar room service (no lie, I once ordered a $40 room service pizza that had American cheese on it). But Rihanna likes her food, at home and the road, to be as bold and adventurous as she is. Solomon travels with a case of seasonings that can be used to make Rihanna's favorite Jamaican, Barbadian and Guyanese dishes on the go, including curry, jeera, Old Bay, adobo and five-spice.
Rihanna doesn't hold back based on carbs or calories, either. She'll eat just about any protein; loves rice, pasta and veggies; and isn't afraid of the occasional indulgence. After all, she works hard, with a rigorous tour schedule and stage performances that burn a lot of energy.
They say you are what you eat, and with her adventurous, flavorful and uncompromising diet, it seems like that holds true with Rihanna (but hopefully not with me, because I had an unfrosted strawberry Pop Tart for lunch).
Tinder already won our hearts when it updated its user interface to include people of all different genders and sexual orientations, but this latest news has us loving the people who run the app even more. When Tinder user Nick went on a racist rant against a girl he matched with, he fell into five minutes of (not-so-fun) internet fame and Tinder ended up banning him for life.
A higher-up at Tinder gave Nick a lifetime ban in honor of National Pig Day yesterday, appropriate with him behaving like such a pig:
"Hey Nick (and anyone who behaves like you), we’re swiping you off the island. Tinder has a zero-tolerance policy on disrespect. No racist rants. No sexist pigs. No trolling. No jerks who can’t get over their own inadequacies long enough to have a decent conversation with another person on Tinder," wrote Rosette Pambakian, a VP at Tinder.
The woman's sin, it seems, was not replying to Nick fast enough (the shame!), so he sent some nasty messages. These rants included racial slurs, and it wasn’t directed toward a single girl, but rather, anyone by whom he felt he was being rejected. Not sure why anyone would reject such an awesome guy.
After the initial exchange, another girl came forward with similar complaints about Nick, and he's definitely not getting a date any time soon. Abuse and harassment is never acceptable, and that goes as well for a date you haven’t even met yet (and now never will!).
You know what we’ve all seen on TV for going on two years now? Donald Trump. Has seeing his face everyday, and hearing his voice significantly contributed to my wine habit and given my cats hemorrhoids? Yes. Was watching last year’s election end in a real life version of that scene in Mrs. Doubtfire where Robin Williams’ mask falls off while giving Pierce Brosnan the Heimlich Maneuver, and you realize that even though Mrs. Doubtfire was magical, you can’t live in a fantasy forever? Also yes. The point here is that the election exhausted us all. And its results haven’t proven any less exhausting, or made the sting of losing Hillz any less heart wrenching. So of course Ryan Murphy wants to make us all relive it in his next season of Horror PornAmerican Horror Story.
"American Horror Story is always about allegory, so the election is allegory," Murphy told E! News. "It's our jumping off point. It is about the election we just went through and what happened on that night and the fallout of that night, which to many people, from all sides of the camps is a horror story... It starts on election night is all I'll say... It's very scary, that night, for many people."
Murphy and his writing comrades are only half-way through writing the season so there's still time to boycott and petition to #MakeAmericanHorrorStoriesGreatAgain. Just saying.
Joking aside (or am I?), Murphy has an innate ability to turn basically anything into captivating television. From high school glee club to murderous sorority sisters, he’s cemented careers and made iconic entertainment in his own color-saturated, ironically twee way. And I in no way want to shade his Highness. But his American Horror Story franchise is kind of the ugly stepchild of his empire. I’ve watched every single episode every season hoping it will surprise me with a little more ennui, but I’m always disappointed.
Let’s go on a little retrospective, shall we?
We first entered the AHS universe on what is universally known as its best season—at least if you ask any straight white dude, because it’s the only season that wasn’t too influenced by queer culture for them to watch. It was probably the best because it starred Connie Britton and her magical, secret-keeping hair. But there was also something magical about the way that season weaved together mystery, chilling terror, and a complex cast of ghosts from different time periods—making it far more interesting than your typical sage of: lit fam’s gonna love this new house…and then they all die. And it wasn’t remiss of Murphy’s usual genius gags, like a moody teenager ghost, and Jessica Lange nailing crestfallen housewife. (duh.)
Actually let’s take a moment for Jessica Lange Appreciation.
Image: Giphy
The second season, AHS: Asylum, continued the show’s fascination with playing on classic horor tropes. And with Lilly Rabe (who is also an acting goddess in my opinion) as a possessed nun, they kind of nailed that season also stylistically and thematically. But Asylum did usher in AHS’s habit of letting the seasons drone on from the midpoint until they devolve into tiring-to-follow chaos. The first season (spoiler alert—but if you haven’t watched that season by now, you should definitely go spoil yourself) ended with a chilling bow tying all the madness together, with the family that was terrorized and killed stepping in to become the terrorizers and the killers as they lovingly gaze on their Christmas tree. It was cute and scary at the same time. It was great TV. Asylum ended with everyone screaming, and crying, and killing, and we were being taken in and out of different time periods, and who knows where the demons went. And the aliens too! You had to be too sober to keep up.
Image: Giphy
And the rest of the seasons have unfortunately followed suit. They take on so much concept-wise that they forget that they’re telling a horror story that needs to have a plot arch. Most people I talk to say they liked the last four seasons, but didn’t finish them.
I will say though…and I think I speak for all of today’s witchy millennial babes when I say this—of all of the lesser seasons AHS: Coven was a godamn thrill ride, and even though it also devolved into a confusing mess that led to a meh ending, it gave us Stevie Nicks as the literal embodiment of her White Witch persona. And this Fleetwood Mac/Witch music video:
Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Not to mention Angele Bassett killed in that season.
Image: Giphy
And they had some great witchy, feminist moments.
Image: Giphy
As for AHS: Freak Show--with the exception of this:
Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange
I think that season, as well as AHS: Hotel were travesties. Even when it comes to Lady Gaga. Like cool, you’re an unhinged midcentury modern vamp, but was it really worthy of a Golden Globe? I stand with Jessica Lange on that whole shenanigan.
Jessica Lange Shades Lady Gaga
Jessica Lange Shades Lady Gaga
Lol I almost forgot to mention AHS: Roanoke, so that’s all you need to know about that season.
So not only is it just a terrifying in general that last year’s election will be the inspiration for the next AHS, it’s even more unsettling that it could become the exaggerated, gory, overwrought stuff of seasons like AHS: Roanoke. Why would anyone think that we want to relive that trash fire of a year? We’re still in shock, Ryan. We’re not even kind of healing yet. We just can’t take it... (Unless you’re planning on making Jessica Lange Hillary Clinton. In which case I take back everything I just said).
Ryan Murphy announced to E! News that both Trump and Hillary Clinton will be portrayed in Season 7 of the anthology series. The new season will open on election night. And while that's all the detail about the storyline we have right now from the mysterious creator, you can bet it won't be a flattering light on our dear Mr. President.
It was previously announced as well that Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters will star in the new season, which isn't a surprise given that they're Murphy's darlings.
Bring it on.
But as for who Peters and Paulson will be playing in the new season, which Murphy admitted is only about halfway written right now, Murphy assured fans Paulson won't spend all season spoofing Clinton.
"I think people literally think Sarah Paulson is playing Hillary Clinton, and I wanted to clarify that that is not true. Horror Story is always about allegory, so the election is allegory," Murphy explained. "It's our jumping off point. It is about the election we just went through and what happened on that night and the fallout of that night, which to many people, from all sides of the camps is a horror story. And you know, that show is always so fun when it's about the zeitgeist and what we're doing now."
So Paulson will most likely be a political candidate, who isn't Clinton but is kinda, sorta based off Clinton. Take that as you will.
But you can bet Murphy will take the "horror story" that was election night 2016 and take it up quite a few notches into the wonderfully weird and creepy. And there will be blood. You can bet there will be blood.
After being rejected by Nick Viall on The Bachelor last week, Corinne has wasted no time in jumping on the media circuit. Everyone wants a piece of this girl.
E! News was the latest to nab her for an interview, and Corinne set the record straight about her "villain" label.
"I am not a villain. Villains are evil to people," Corinne explained, and I can almost feel her picturing Taylor in her mind. "I never did anything personally to anyone or vicious to anyone. I was never vicious or spoke bad about anyone."
Preach, girl!
She even assured fans that she wasn't only about Nick's body during her time on the show. She addressed that infamous moment this season when she showed up unannounced at his hotel room, and said she was displeased that the show only portrayed her as going there to get some.
"It looked like I just went there to have sex and I didn't," Corinne said. "We had a very long conversation about what we would do with life and how we would do life together and what we would do If I had a one-on-one, things like that. I was kind of upset that it didn't look like that. So yeah, I just want to set the story straight, we barely even went there. We really most talked about one-on-ones and life."
As for that comment about her "platinum vagine," well, that's where Corinne gets a bit tongue-tied.
"I have no idea what I was thinking," Corinne said of the now-famous comment. "It kind of just came out, I don't know what happened there."
What happened there was pure reality TV gold... Or should I say, platinum? It was so good, in fact, that Corinne is now in talks to have her own reality TV show with her family.
In a new interview with Brie Larson for Net-A-Porter magazine, Fonda opened up about her past history with abuse and sexism, and it's just in time for International Women's Day.
"I’ve been raped, I’ve been sexually abused as a child and I’ve been fired because I wouldn’t sleep with my boss," she told Larson. "I always thought it was my fault; that I didn’t do or say the right thing."
She added, "I didn’t know how to stand up for myself. Now, I would say, 'No. This is a piece of shit. I don’t like the way you’re treating me,' and leave. If only I knew then what I do now."
It's unfortunately something we hear from abused women often, which means continued education and awareness for both men and women is key. Fonda is all about this initiative.
I grew up in the ’50s and it took me a long time to apply feminism to my life," she explained. "The men in my life were wonderful, but victims of a [patriarchal] belief system."
Now that's a quote to remember. And Fonda's interview doesn't stop with its inspiration there. Far from it in fact.
She goes on to say, " I know young girls who’ve been raped and didn’t even know it was rape. They think, 'It must have been because I said ‘no’ the wrong way.' One of the great things the women’s movement has done is to make us realize that [rape and abuse is] not our fault. We were violated and it’s not right."
Larson and Fonda's entire exchange is really worth the read. These bits and pieces are the starts of its amazingness, but I really do recommend that you go ahead and take the time to read the whole interview. You won't be disappointed. Plus, it's taking the time to educate yourself, which is the key to shattering that unhealthy belief system. Do yourself the favor.
