Thyroid health is vital during pregnancy, but a new report found that mothers exposed to a toxin found in water, milk and other chemicals can be harmful during gestation. The study, which was presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference, found that when mothers are exposed to higher levels of the environmental pollutant perchlorate, it lowered absorption of iodine from the blood into the thyroid. That’s where it is needed to make T4, the hormone vital for Baby’s brain development. And that’s why researchers say to limit exposure to it.
But can you protect yourself and your baby from this chemical? Is it really harmful?
Dr. Bea Knight, a research midwife/nurse involved with the study, said more detailed studies are needed to see if perchlorate exposure causes damage to health. If so, defining acceptable levels of it will be needed. But for now, here's what you need to know:
It’s hard to limit exposure. Knight said women may find it hard to lower exposure because the “contamination is fairly widespread.”
Get your iodine. Knight said pregnant women must make sure they get adequate iodine in their diets. “The impact of perchlorate exposure is worse in presence of iodine deficiency,” she noted.
The government is on it — sorta. The topic has certainly turned up in the news and between lawmakers, but groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund say more needs to be done to understand its effects on people — and protect them from it.
It’s everywhere. While perchlorate occurs naturally, it’s also made in manufacturing processes, the Environmental Protection Agency reports. Here’s how vast it is: It is used in everything from matches and flares to fertilizers and rocket fuel. As a result, it can get into milk and water — and that’s where exposure may be a problem.
You may be able to protect your family from it. Find perchlorate in your water? Use a reverse-osmosis home water filter to lower the levels and drink filtered water if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, the Environmental Working Group advises. (Make sure your kids drink filtered water too.)
Are you one of those rare breeds who prefers to drink cold beverages 365 days a year? Well, you're not alone because I am sitting here typing this as I sip my cold brew coffee and watch the snow fall outside my window. And this morning, I bring to you a gift for all my fellow cold drink-loving readers who probably feel a little left out this time of year because ordering an iced peppermint mocha from Starbucks isn't nearly as fun when it doesn't come in a fun holiday cup.
Now, you too, cold coffee-aficionado, can enjoy an icy delicious beverage and feel as festive as Buddy himself because Starbucks is releasing a Christmas tree Frappuccino for a limited time. Um, what is a Christmas tree Frappuccino exactly? It's even better than you'd imagine — let me show you.
Image: Starbucks
Yup. It is quite literally a Christmas tree on top of a deliciously cool Frappuccino.
Starting today, Dec. 7, Starbucks will be selling these festive drinks at participating Starbucks locations in the U.S. and Canada. But don't sit on this deal because these babies won't be around for long. They are only available until Dec. 11 (four days away!), so get your festive fix while you can.
Now, we know they look great, but what do they taste like? The Frappuccino is the classic peppermint mocha flavor you already love topped with matcha whipped cream in the shape of a Christmas tree and drizzled with a caramel garland and topped off with candied cranberry ornaments and a strawberry tree topper. Amazing, right?
Filming for the latest Bachelor franchise spinoff, Bachelor: Winter Games, is officially underway, Bachelor Nation! We still don't know the exact format of the show, but we do know that it'll include athletic challenges and a lot of competition and that it's open to all past members of Bachelor Nation — even international stars. Chris Harrison will still host (obvs), and somehow, the cast is open to more than just singles. We're willing to bet that means people will be both breaking up and falling in love while they participate in weird snow sports. This is The Bachelor, after all, and the drama will come.
While ABC officials and those who are working on the show are staying tight-lipped, they can't keep every bit of gossip from leaking. Here's everything we know so far about the show.
ESPN is on board
Mike Fleiss, the creator of the Bachelor franchise, tweeted Wednesday that ESPN reporter Hannah Storm will be involved with the show. We don't know exactly how she's involved, but we're going to guess she's some sort of commentator.
ESPN's Hannah Storm joins Bachelor: Winter Games 1
ESPN's Hannah Storm joins Bachelor: Winter Games 1
Storm later retweeted Fleiss, adding, "A competition unlike any other..Fun being part of the fam!"
ESPN's Hannah Storm joins Bachelor: Winter Games 2
ESPN's Hannah Storm joins Bachelor: Winter Games 2
Storm also Instagrammed this sweet shot of Harrison, which might provide some insight into the costume choices for the new series, which is being filmed in Vermont.
ESPN's Hannah Storm joins Bachelor: Winter Games 3
ESPN's Hannah Storm joins Bachelor: Winter Games 3
And what's that we see in the comment section of Storm's pic? Someone wrote, "I’m so sad I didn’t get to meet you all in Manchester, VT as I was 20 mins away... my friends were happy to be apart of the parade! Hope you all liked Vermont!"
A parade, you say? Funny you should mention that, dear Instagram commenter, because that actually brings us to our next piece of juicy intel.
Locals already know at least part of the cast, & and they're ready to share
There was a welcome parade held this week in Manchester, Vermont, where Bachelor: Winter Games is being filmed, and that parade included at least a big chunk of the cast. Luckily for us, this is the age of social media, so obviously people filmed and photographed and shared this wealth of knowledge online for fans who aren't lucky enough to live in Vermont.
Bachelor Winter Games cast so far
Bachelor Winter Games cast so far
As we can see, there are a lot of familiar faces here. From the left, we have Ashley Iaconetti, Dean Unglert, Eric Bigger, Bibiana Julian, Lesley Anne Murphy, Josiah Graham, Jasmine Goode, Michael Garofola, Clare Crawley and Luke Pell. Sources also say Ben Higgins is in the photo, hiding behind Bigger. And this is just the Bachelor U.S. team. We still don't know who the international contestants will be. Can you say dream team?
Unfortunately, there was no sign of Peter Kraus at the parade even though Fleiss previously revealed he would be in the cast. Did he just miss this event? Or has he pulled out altogether? We don't have that info just yet.
There will be a few other blasts from the past
None other than Ryan Sutter posted a rather cryptic photo to Instagram on Wednesday. In it, he poses with Chris Harrison and Hannah Storm. There's a parade happening in the background. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's going on here.
Ryan Sutter at Bachelor Winter Games
Ryan Sutter at Bachelor Winter Games
Sutter captioned the photo, "Took a trip to Vermont and ran into two of my favorite people! @chrisbharrison and @espnhannahstorm... #topsecretmission #cantsaywhy."
Clearly, he thinks he's being sneaky, but it's obvious he was there for filming. What we still don't know is whether he's competing in the Winter Games or just commentating. Oh, and Storm also posted that photo and mentioned in her caption that his wife, Trista, was there too.
Bachelor: Winter Games doesn't have a set premiere date yet, but it's been rumored that it'll coincide with the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. This might be the most excited some Bachelor fans have ever been for sports (*author raises hand*).
As far as basic cooking skills go, most of us can scramble an egg. Or at least we think we can. Sure, we can heat it to a point of being safe to eat, but are we really getting the most out of our scramble?
Celebrity chefs Bobby Flay and Gordon Ramsay would probably say no. Both of them have explicit directions for creating a heavenly egg, and it doesn’t involve a half-hearted scramble on a stove while scrolling through emails.
Their instructions have quite a bit in common. They both expect you to continually scramble your eggs, “you can’t stop stirring. It’s live,” Gordon Ramsay says in his instructions. There are only one or two ingredients you wouldn’t necessarily expect for scrambled eggs (as long as you expect scrambled eggs to have eggs, butter, salt and pepper.) One of those is crème fraîche, an ingredient that I couldn’t find in the grocery store so made by combining a half-pint of heavy cream and one tablespoon of cultured buttermilk the night before. In the morning, I had a semi-thick sour cream-like substance (though significantly less salty) and more buttermilk than I will ever know what to do with. The other ingredient is chives, which I didn't have either, but I figured for the purposes of this test the green onions I did have would be fine.
I put both of their recipes to the test to answer the question: Which chef scrambles a better egg?
Up first: Bobby Flay's scrambled eggs
According to PopSugar, Bobby Flay starts his scramble by pre-beating his eggs and adding cold butter and crème fraîche to a pan. When the butter and crème fraîche are almost (but not quite) melted, he adds the eggs and black pepper and uses a spatula to constantly move the eggs around while they cook. Do not salt them yet. When they’re about three-quarters of the way done, add a bit of salt and plate them. He says they’ll keep cooking.
The result?
Image: Colleen Stinchcombe/SheKnows
He’s right. They do keep cooking, and they were OK. I’m still getting used to this not-fried-within-an-inch-of-their-life cooking style, but they were fine.
Gordon Ramsay’s instructions actually come to us via this charming video, so if you’d rather hear him describe the process, please enjoy:
Gordon ramsay scrambled eggs
Gordon ramsay scrambled eggs
The gist of it is this: Do not pre-beat the eggs (shame on you, Bobby Flay). Do not pre-melt the butter, but rather add the whole eggs and a lob of butter to a pan and start vigorously mixing the eggs around with a spatula as they cook (they agree on this part). Ramsay also makes a show of moving the eggs on and off the heat as the eggs thicken, which seemed a little more like a magical egg dance than an actual technique, but I went with it anyway. As the eggs reach their final stages of cooking, he takes the eggs off the heat and adds a dollop of crème fraîche to bring down the egg temperature. He then adds salt and pepper and some chives, which he says lift the flavor of the eggs.
These eggs were the bomb. I feel as though they may have had an unfair advantage over Flay’s because of the chives (or in my case, green onions), but hey, Flay didn’t mention chives, and that’s not my fault. The texture was also pretty different — Ramsay’s were sort of velvety and not stuck together, and Flay’s were more traditionally globbed together.
So, in this Flay vs. Ramsay challenge, I’d say Ramsay won. Now I have to figure out what to do with half a cup of homemade crème fraîche.
John Mayer is reportedly recovering well after a health scare that caused him to have to postpone a concert this week. He's even posting sassy selfies from the hospital, which makes us pretty sure he's going to be OK.
Mayer's Grateful Dead spinoff band, Dead & Company, released a statement Tuesday saying Mayer had been hospitalized for an emergency appendectomy, or removal of his appendix.
"Early this morning, John Mayer was admitted to the hospital for [an] emergency appendectomy forcing the Dead & Company Dec. 5th concert in New Orleans to be postponed," the statement read. "All tickets for the Dec. 5 show will be honored for the rescheduled date. Information on the rescheduled date will be announced as soon as possible. Should ticketholders choose to seek a refund, they will be available at point of purchase."
Appendectomies are simple and common procedures, but appendicitis can quickly become life-threatening if the appendix bursts before it can be removed. There's no word on whether that happened to Mayer, but his publicist, Larry Solter, told Refinery29 that Mayer's recovering and in good spirits after his surgery.
Mayer also posted a photo to Instagram of himself posing in a mirror in his hospital gown. The caption reads, "still got it," and we don't know if that's referring to his very fashion-forward look or his appendix. It really could go either way.
The second season of The Crown is almost upon us (it drops Friday, Dec. 8). It's been over an entire year since the Netflix drama released its freshman season, and knowing new episodes will be here soon is exciting to say the least.
What better way to prepare fans for Season 2 than by discussing just a handful of the facts we've learned about The Crown so far?
Yes, it's based on the life of Queen Elizabeth II, her husband, Prince Philip, their children, her sister, Princess Margaret and everyone else she's encountered along the way. The fact that the series focuses on the queen and the royal family is interesting in itself, but there are probably many behind-the-scenes facts you aren't familiar with just yet.
With that, here are 15 things every superfan needs to know about The Crown, because you can never learn too much about this great drama.
1. Matt Smith isn't really a blond
Matt Smith
Matt Smith
In no surprise, a lot of the characters wear wigs. As makeup and hair designer Ivana Primorac told Deadline in June, "To achieve the likeness and the spirit of the time and the aging process, we had to resort to doing wigs." She added, "Matt Smith’s not a blond, so we tried to get as close to the real characters as we possibly could."
The wig Smith wears is something Claire Foy applauds. She told Vogue in November 2016, "Smith somehow makes Philip conflicted, loving, charming, strong, and exciting . . . and he looks really good in a blond wig!"
Unfortunately, Foy had to go through the ordeal of wearing a corset during the filming of Season 1. After Vanity Fair (in November 2016) asked whether or not her posture has improved since playing the queen, the actor replied, "I think it has. I’d just had a baby when I started filming, so I had to wear a proper corset because I was about five dress sizes bigger than I normally am. The corset helps you not slouch. Now we’re doing the second series. I’m not wearing it anymore, but it stays with you, that posture, and being a lady."
3. A new cast is coming in Season 3
Olivia Coleman
Olivia Coleman
If you weren't aware of this tidbit, brace yourselves. After Season 2, Foy, Smith and pretty much every other actor is done with the Netflix series. In October, it was announced that Olivia Colman will replace Foy as Queen Elizabeth for the third and fourth seasons. From the beginning, it was known Foy would only play her title role for the first two seasons. Per The Hollywood Reporter, "Every two seasons, new cast members are expected to be cast in the major roles to account for the years that have passed."
4. Queen Elizabeth has reportedly watched the first season
This has yet to be officially confirmed, but the Daily Express reported in May that the queen has watched The Crown with her son, Prince Edward, the Earl of Essex, and his wife, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex. A "royal senior source" reportedly told the publication, "Edward and Sophie love The Crown."
The source added, "It has been a longstanding arrangement that they drive to Windsor at the weekend to join the Queen for an informal supper while watching TV or a film. They have a Netflix account and urged her to watch it with them. Happily, she really liked it, although obviously there were some depictions of events that she found too heavily dramatized.”
Foy spoke with Vanity Fair in June about reports the woman she is portraying has watched her. "I can’t believe, I hadn’t heard anything about it, and I will believe it when I see it is all I’ll say," Foy said.
While chatting with The Guardian in November, Smith spoke about an associate whom he referred to as “a man of prominence in the film world" who reportedly attended a dinner hosted by the queen and Philip. This anonymous man supposedly sat next to Philip, where they seemingly discussed The Crown. The unnamed man reportedly asked the Duke of Edinburgh, "Philip, I’m just wondering, because I have some friends who made The Crown, have you watched any?” To that, Philip reportedly responded, "Don’t. Be. Ridiculous.”
When sitting down with BuzzFeed U.K. in November 2016, Smith and Foy attempted to answer trivia about British royalty. They did not do so well, but they're both quite charming and hilarious in the video, so be sure to watch it in its entirety.
If you want The Crown to hit double digits when it comes to its run length in seasons, don't hold your breath. In November 2016 while at the nonprofit Visionary Women panel, Netflix content boss Ted Sarandos (via THR) revealed, "We're in production now on the second season. This is going to take Queen Elizabeth from age 29 to, presumably, the current day. We'll see it lay out over decades. We've seen a lot of things about Queen Elizabeth, but we've already learned more about her than we ever had by watching the first ten hours."
He added, "It's a crazy idea to come in with a 60-hour pitch. The idea is to do this over six decades, in six seasons presumably, and make the whole show over eight to 10 years."
The drama has yet to be renewed for a third season, but based on all of its success (so far), it seems likely it will come back for another round — well, at least let's hope so.
9. It's the most expensive TV series produced — so far
It takes money to make a good TV series. Well, it happens to take a lot of money for The Crown to be created. According to a November 2016 report from the Daily Beast, the first season "cost a record of $130 million, making it the most expensive television production ever." Yeah, that's quite a bit of moola.
In order to play his Emmy-winning role of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, John Lithgow stuffed cotton in his nostrils. "It was rather repulsive watching me pluck cotton out of my nose after every scene, but they just had to put up with it," he told USA Today in March about how he achieved Churchill's "nasally timbre."
He also revealed during the first script reading he put apples in his mouth to help with his speech. "I carved out two apple balls and stuck them in my teeth, and everybody thought that was a good idea," Lithgow revealed. "But as I spoke, my mouth filled up with apple juice, so that was not going to work." Fortunately, he only had to do that once. According to Lithgow, cheek plumpers were used for actual filming.
If you recall Lord Mountbatten (Elizabeth's second cousin and Philip's uncle) in Season 1, then you might be interested in learning he is played by Greg Wise, who is married to the amazing Emma Thompson.
Before Foy scored the role, Felicity Jones reportedly read for the role of Queen Elizabeth according to the Mirror. She no doubt would've done a fantastic job, but it's hard to imagine anyone else as the character because Foy has done such a phenomenal job.
"These horses were being a bit frisky," he said. "We were meant to get on them and trot off and have this lovely love scene, which didn’t even make the cut. In my stupidity, I got on the horse and cantered around and then it just went. I tried to grab a branch and everyone was shouting, 'Oh my God, don’t grab the branch!' So I went under the branch and then down a ravine." He continued, "I was so scared. As it galloped towards a herd of zebra, a huge man grabbed it by the reins and saved my life."
14. Creator Peter Morgan never wants to meet Queen Elizabeth
The Crown's creator has made a few projects about the queen, including The Queen starring Helen Mirren (which she won an Oscar for) and 2013's play The Audience. Well, Morgan told the Radio Times in October 2016, "I hope never to meet her. I’ve spent so long thinking and writing about the woman it would feel unnatural and uncomfortable. I’d just be embarrassed."
15. The corgis love cheese
Image: Netflix
The three corgis who made an appearance in the first season, per Foy, have a love of dairy. "Oh my god — the corgis. I’m not much of a dog person, to be perfectly frank. I really loved them, but they’re just, in general . . . the corgis are odd," she told Vanity Fair in November 2016. "They love cheese, like cheddar cheese." She also said, "These corgis are cheesed up to the max — they’re eating like a whole block of cheddar every day. It’s scary."
Sadly, Foy added, "A couple of the corgis have passed away since the previous season, which is very sad because they’re not really bred anymore, particularly because there’s not really a market for them. People don’t really go in for corgis. Maybe the show will resurrect corgi breeding in the United Kingdom."
Wouldn't that be something? Maybe Meghan Markle will also have something to do with that since the queen's "corgis took to [her] straight away," as Prince Harry said in their first joint interview as an engaged couple.
Fergie has never tried to hide the fact that she was addicted to crystal meth when she was younger. But now, she's revealing more details than ever about her "lowest point" when she was a member of the pop trio Wild Orchid in the early 2000s and using so often she was hallucinating daily.
"I was [suffering from] chemically induced psychosis and dementia. I was hallucinating on a daily basis," Fergie said in a new interview with the U.K.'s iNews. "It took a year after getting off that drug for the chemicals in my brain to settle so that I stopped seeing things. I'd just be sitting there, seeing a random bee or bunny."
Fergie also talked about what she says was her lowest point and how hitting rock bottom helped her realize she needed help and it was time to make a change.
She says she was high and hid in a church because she thought the CIA, FBI and a SWAT team were all searching for her.
"They tried to kick me out, because I was moving down the aisles in this crazy way, as I thought there was an infrared camera in the church trying to check for my body," she said. "I bolted past the altar into a hallway and two people were chasing me."
But what happened next was ultimately what helped her get clean.
"I remember thinking, 'If I walk outside, and the SWAT team's out there, I was right all along. But if they're not out there, then it's the drugs making me see things and I'm going to end up in an institution. And if it really is the drugs, I don't want to live my life like this anymore, anyway,'" Fergie remembered. "I walked out of the church — obviously, there was no SWAT team. It was just me, in a parking lot. It was a freeing moment."
That was when Fergie made the decision to stop using drugs altogether. Despite her addiction, she was able to go on to have a successful music career after she kicked her habit. And today, she says she doesn't regret that part of her past because it's made her into who she is now.
"The drugs thing, it was a hell of a lot of fun… until it wasn't," she said. "But you know what? I thank the day it happened to me. Because that's my strength, my faith, my hope for something better."
Wildfires are raging in several counties in Southern California, and as a result, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes without any idea when they might be able to return (if at all). We’re all desperate to help, and right now, our hands may feel pretty tied as we wait for the fires to run their courses and be put out as quickly as emergency services can.
In the meantime, there are three major ways you can help wildfire victims now.
Thomas Fire Fund
The United Way of Ventura County, American Red Cross of Ventura County and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services have created the Thomas Fire Fund. Text UWVC to 41444 to make a cash donation, call 805-485-6288 or go online to United Way of Ventura County’s website.
You can also donate to the Salvation Army or Red Cross. The American Red Cross of Ventura County has set up three shelters in the area and is accepting donations. You can text REDCROSS to 90999, click here, or call 1-800 RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to donate money.
YouCaring is a crowdfunding platform. They have a landing page that lists campaigns for wildfire relief for individual families, firefighters and communities, so you can read about exactly who you’re helping. (Warning: This may trigger tears.)
A lot of pets have been taken in, either because they were left behind or ran away after being scared by the smoke and flames. The Humane Society of Ventura County is accepting donations of all kinds to help with animal care. If you’re a local who hasn’t been affected and wishes to help, you can drop off any of the following needed items at 402 Bryant St. in Ojai: Alfalfa hay, Timothy hay, cat chow, rabbit food, flashlights, headlamps, lanterns, water troughs, bottled water, fruit, snacks, hoses and power generators.
Before what is sure to be a whirlwind of promotional events for the upcoming Jurassic Park sequel, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, actor Chris Pratt took some time to take in a basketball game with his 5-year-old son, Jack. Us Weekly reports that the two had courtside seats at the Staples Center, putting them right in the middle of the action as the LA Clippers faced off against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jack showed off his Clippers loyalty by sporting a baseball cap with the team's logo, though alas, the star power coming from the dad and son duo wasn't enough to push the team to victory. The home team lost, but Jack and Pratt seemed to enjoy the game nonetheless. Both were all smiles as Jack sat on his dad's lap and chowed down on popcorn.
Us adds that the two stepped out together just five days after Pratt and his ex, actor and mom of Jack Anna Faris, officially filed for divorce. After eight years of marriage, the two cite irreconcilable differences as the reason for the separation — and requested joint custody of Jack.
"We tried really hard for a long time, and we’re really disappointed," Faris and Pratt said in a joint statement back in August when the two initially announced their separation. "Our son has two parents who love him very much and for his sake, we want to keep the situation as private as possible moving forward. We still love each other and will always cherish our time together."
Here's hoping these two get to spend plenty of time together before Pratt's schedule gets too full. In addition to promoting his latest dinosaur-filled film, Pratt recently hosted an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live and is set to promote back-to-back blockbusters with Avengers: Infinity War on the docket as well as The Kid, costarring fellow Marvel vet Vincent D'Onofrio.
The Hollywood Reporter's 2017 Women in Entertainment breakfast may have been all about celebrating women, but let's take just a second to recognize Justin Timberlake, who was there just to tell his fellow men it's time to step up and amplify women's voices. Considering the tone in Hollywood these days, as women rise up and overthrow the ages-old culture of sexual assault and harassment, Timberlake's words are even more poignant.
"Strong, beautiful souls. I’m happy to be here to be your arm candy. Angelina [Jolie] warned me that I was basically only here to be objectified, so that’s absolutely fair," he said during his speech.
Timberlake continued, "I was raised by a strong woman. I was lucky enough to convince a strong woman to marry me, and she got nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award today. I will be her bitch anytime."
He then turned his focus to the men in attendance and made his challenge to them.
"To the men in this room: I see a lot of great men who I also look up to. I think we actually are here because we deserve the opportunity to speak up, to stand when something is not right," he said. "We need to go to work. It’s not our responsibility. It’s our privilege because at the end of the day if you can be lucky enough to be raised by a strong woman and convince a strong woman to marry you, you will realize that we are nothing without the strength of women."
In my opinion, Timberlake is wrong about one thing. This is not men's privilege. It absolutely is their responsibility to stand up for women. Men are responsible for creating the culture that has victimized and disadvantaged women. And men are responsible for fixing it.
When you hear the word "tantra," what instantly pops in your mind? Is it the idea of spending hours upon hours lost in slow-motion, super-pleasurable lovemaking? Well, that's where pop culture's led us a little bit astray.
To learn more about what the real deal is with tantric sex, we talked with Mark Michaels and Patricia Johnson, authors of Great Sex Made Simple: Tantric Tips to Deepen Intimacy and Heighten Pleasure, who opened us up to the real workings of tantra — and how everyone can use tantric techniques to take their sex lives to the next level. It turns out tantra has a lot to teach couples regardless of how deeply they want to get into the practice. Here's what they had to say.
SheKnows: Sting became known for his comments on tantric sex and how he made love for hours. How did he get it wrong?
Michaels and Johnson: It's funny that a comment Sting made over 20 years ago [about tantric sex] still has an enduring hold on the public's imagination.
He's tried to explain it away or recant it in various ways. At one point, he said that he regretted making the statement and didn't really feel he could talk about the subject beyond saying that his wife, Trudy, is his church. That's much closer to what the spirit of tantric sex is all about.
In the classical sexual ritual, the participants worship each other as embodiments of deities. We encourage people to bring an attitude of reverence into their lovemaking and to all their interactions. The tantric approach has far more to do with your mental approach than with technique. It's certainly got nothing to do with bragging about staying power.
A version of this article was originally published in January 2013.
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SK: Is long-lasting sex part of the tradition at all?
M&J: Prolonged lovemaking is part of the tradition. The tantrics of old recognized that orgasm can be a mystical experience, often the most readily accessible mystical experience of all. During orgasm, the mind goes quiet, and you may feel a sense of merger — be it with a partner or even with all that is.
For most of us, the transcendent potential in sex is something that's experienced only briefly, during the orgasm itself. If you extend arousal and focus on building it (this need not include genital intercourse), you may start to feel this sense of union well before you have an orgasm, and it is likely to last far longer than it would in more conventional lovemaking. So making it last is a means to an end, not an end in itself. If you can stay turned on for a half hour or so, you're likely to experience the altered state of consciousness we just described.
Here's how to incorporate elements of tantric sex into your own bedroom:
1. Focus on your breathing & your (& your partner's) reaction to touch
M&J: It's fairly common for people to check out during sex, to do things by rote and without a whole lot of reflection. Paying attention to what you're experiencing in your body, the way you are breathing and how your partner is responding are all very important.
2. Give & receive with kisses
M&J: To take this a step further, people tend to interact sexually based on a set of tacit understandings: Basically, I'll do you for a while, and then you can do me, and if we're lucky, we'll both have a good experience.
We encourage people to separate giving and receiving in a very methodical way. For example, it's great to experiment with giving and receiving kisses. Take a couple of minutes and allow your partner to kiss you and explore your mouth with his tongue. Then reverse roles. When you're kissing, see how fully you can give yourself over to the active role. When you're receiving, surrender to the experience completely.
3. Take 60 minutes & give each other a massage — but no sex yet!
M&J: Set aside an hour or so to give and receive full body massages (culminating with genital stimulation but not intercourse). Do this on different days. As with the kissing exercise, the role of the giver is to give as fully as possible, and the role of the receiver is simply to receive. Taking this activity out of the realm of foreplay and keeping the roles clearly defined may help you discover new sources of pleasure, and may also give you new insights into the way you interact with your partner both in and out of bed.
skamlv
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4. Break a taboo by just talking about sex
M&J: Many traditional tantric practices involved breaking cultural taboos, and there were many in medieval India. This was true both in the context of sexual ritual and more generally. In the simplest terms, the violation of these cultural norms had a liberating effect.
Of course, we don't live in a society that has such clearly defined social rules, but we all have our own self-imposed limitations and our habitual ways of being, in lovemaking and more generally in life. If you can shed some of your inhibitions, you're likely to experience more pleasure. Talking frankly about sex is a big taboo for many, so for many, having frequent and explicit conversations about sex is a great first step.
5. Explore a personal sexual taboo together
M&J: If you want to get a little bolder, you can identify a couple of personal taboos (you can also do this as a couple by identifying shared taboos), and then decide on one that you might be interested in breaking. Don't pick anything huge at first; it might just mean making love with the lights on or experimenting with light bondage, sensory deprivation or role-play. The purpose is to become more flexible and aware and to be less limited by preconceived ideas about yourself. Sometimes we deprive ourselves of a lot of pleasure by thinking, 'I'm not the kind of person who would enjoy that.'
Is the time finally fetch for a real sequel to Mean Girls? And I'm not talking about Mean Girls 2, the straight-to-DVD travesty that happened in 2011. I mean a real sequel with the Plastics and Janis and Damian and Cady — the whole cast back together.
"Mean Girls 2 the movie — this is the importance. We need Rachel McAdams! We need the whole cast back!" she told E! News at The Daily Mail's holiday party in New York City on Wednesday, Dec. 6. "I'd love to do it again. We had so much fun making it. Mark Waters is such a great director, Tina Fey is an amazing writer, Paramount was great to work with — we all had a blast."
But there are plenty of other people who need to be on board. Tina Fey, who produced and costarred in the original, wasn't interested when Paramount floated the idea of a sequel immediately after Mean Girls' success. Has she changed her tune since then?
"Paramount was very generous and solicitous with me for several years, saying, 'Would you like to do it?'" she told Movieline in 2010 just before the sequel that we pretend never happened was released.
She added, "And at the time, I was like, 'They should just let it be what it is!'"
But after the sequel was announced anyway without Fey or the original cast, she second-guessed her stance.
"Now, it's like, why not just do it?" she said. "I should have done it, because now it's happening anyway!"
Anyone who's gritting their teeth for a holiday season trip to the mall knows the sound of babies meeting Santa for that must-have holiday snapshot. And no, it's not the sound of jingle bells and the festive vocal acrobatics of "All I Want For Christmas Is You" — it's the sound of horrified wails. And as the father of twins, Neil Patrick Harris can relate. So he decided to poke fun at the tradition by posing a simple question: Santa or flu shot?
The Huffington Post reports that during his stint as host on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NPH asked the audience to look at a few photos and determine if the child in question was seeing Santa or getting a flu shot. And guess what: We could never tell the difference.
"You guys want to play a game?" Harris asks before presenting the clip, aptly titled "Santa's Lap or Flu Shot?" It's a long-held tradition on Kimmel's show, so it was Harris' duty this year to present the new edition of the video, since Time reports Kimmel is taking leave to spend time with his son, who recently underwent a medical procedure.
The snapshots all share a few characteristics: looks of horror, open-mouthed screams and lots and lots of tears. Of course, it's all in good fun. The audience seemed pretty baffled as to which photos were the faces of kids meeting Santa and which were those of kids getting the needle. However, there were some clues to help them discern between abject holiday horror and the pain of an influenza shot. Headbands, festive gear and photo angles all helped out.
So, moms and dads of the world, there's nothing to worry about if this year's Santa photo ends up looking more like a checkup than something worthy of a Christmas card. Just know that your tear-filled family photos are just adding to a long, proud tradition. So cue up that Mariah Carey and head to the mall — smiles optional.
It was a relief when it finally dawned on me Santa Claus had the same handwriting as my mother. I could now attribute the injustice of my sister receiving a hamster and a rose-scented Barbie doll the same year I got a copy of Gulliver’s Travels to the collapse of my parents’ resolve in the face of my sister's relentless demands. I hadn’t committed some cosmic crime that had landed me on Santa's worldwide naughty list after all; I just hadn’t been persistent enough.
I don’t have children, so I’ve never had to break the news to anyone that Santa's a sham. I’ll definitely be sad when my niece no longer bothers to leave out cookies and “reindeer food” for Santa, though. And I’ll be even sadder when Elf on the Shelf stops working as a bargaining tool: “What’s that, Elf? You don’t like it when little girls borrow their aunt's very expensive bronzer without asking? You’re going to tell Santa if she doesn’t return it right this second? Uh-oh!"
For those with kids, figuring out how to handle the Santa situation can be a tricky parenting hurdle. Some households are Santa-free for religious reasons. Others, like that of my high school classmate Andy and his wife, dispense with the truth from the get-go as a matter of trust.
“We didn’t like the idea of lying to them and then having to tell the truth later,” Andy says of the decision to be straight up about the Santa myth with his two sons. “We told them from the beginning that it was a game. Some families play, and others don’t, so don’t spoil their fun.”
Hilary Thompson, a Salt Lake City-based family health consultant, says guilt and the fear someone else might spill the beans prompted her to come clean with her 8-year-old daughter. Thompson was able to put a positive spin on the story, however.
“A couple of months ago, I took her out for ice cream and said, ‘Do you ever wonder how Santa gets to all the millions of kids on Christmas?’” she shares. “When she said yes, I told her it was because he had helpers. I told her that when kids get old and mature enough, their parents recruit them to be a Santa. I told her that I didn't know if Santa still lived or if he just watches over this process, but I trusted her age and wisdom to handle this special task. I also warned her that some kids aren't mature enough yet and their parents haven't recruited them, so she needs to keep this to herself. She loved that."
“I told her that I needed her to be her little sister's Santa and anyone else's Santa that needed it," Thompson adds. "Even if it wasn't Christmas. Santa is about giving from your heart anonymously, so from now on, she and I are going to watch for ways in which we can be Santa all year long... This not only preserved our relationship; it teaches a valuable lesson about giving. She loves to wink at me when we talk about Christmas in front of her little sister and is so excited to go shopping for her with me and fill her stocking on Christmas Eve. I have no regrets anymore. I gave her magic until she was 8, and I gave her the spirit of giving for the rest of her life.”
Of course, it’s worth remembering that parents aren’t always able to control the narrative. Though Texas-based mom Cheri Infante and her husband had never made a huge deal out of Santa — “no Elf on the Shelf for us,” she says — they were taken aback when their then-7-year-old son confronted them after discussing the matter with friends.
“‘Tell me the truth: Is Santa real?’” Infante recalls her son asking. “We do not ever want him to think we lie to him, so we told him the truth… but we have told him that if he ruins the surprise for his younger sister and his cousins, 'Santa' will not bring him any gifts.”
Ultimately, honesty is the best policy — when the kid is ready, that is. Florida mom of two Cindy Glover says her daughter took the news about Santa “really well — until I blew it by telling her about the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny as well. She was ready for Santa, but not the others.”
Words of wisdom for parents: ripping off the truth Band-Aid is all well and good, but maybe not three at once. After all, kids will likely lose all their baby teeth by age 12 — what's another couple of years of tooth fairy magic anyway?
Eggs are one of those items we take for granted will always be in our refrigerator. They're always there if you need a quick scramble, late-night baking session or afternoon hard-boiled snack. But sometimes we get a little too used to them always being there, and it might be a week... or two... or three, and suddenly, we're not so sure we can safely eat those eggs anymore.
You can check the sell-by date, which might give you a bit of a clue, but that doesn't really tell you when they expire. While they're at their best quality within three weeks of the packing date, how long can you count on them to last?
Of course, if they seem off to you for any reason, feel free to throw them out. But here are some guidelines for how long you can keep those eggs around.
How long can you keep eggs in the fridge?
Definitely look to the egg carton sell-by dates to judge freshness. The USDA says that the date can be no further ahead than 30 days after the packing date. Some states don't require a sell-by date on cartons, but all USDA approved eggs will have a packing date, which is the day that the eggs were washed, graded and placed in the carton. The packing date appears as a three-digit code that represents the consecutive day of the year starting with January 1 as 001 and ending with December 31 as 365. Your local store can choose any day within those 30 days to date the eggs.
The USDA, however, isn't hard and fast on consuming foods by the sell-by date. They say that if the sell-by date has passed, a product should still be safe and wholesome if handled properly until the time spoilage is evident.
"Spoiled foods will develop an off odor, flavor or texture due to naturally occurring spoilage bacteria. If a food has developed such spoilage characteristics, it should not be eaten," it says on their website.
In short, if it stinks when you crack it open or smells funky at all, don't eat it.
According to Foodsafety.gov, raw eggs in the shell can be kept in the refrigerator for three to five weeks. Freezing in the shell is not recommended. Instead, crack those eggs, beat them, and then store them in a freezer-safe container.
Eggs are unlikely to go bad in a refrigerator setting but would dry up over time. Eggs don't automatically go bad or spoil after a certain date.
If the eggs do not already have salmonella, then their sitting in the fridge isn't going to make the bacteria spontaneously generate. If your eggs do contain salmonella, the number of bacteria will be quite small, because it does not grow in cold environments like a refrigerator. Proper handling and cooking will kill any bacteria present, according to incredibleegg.org.
An easy way to test the freshness of an egg is to place it in a bowl of water. A fresh egg will sink, and an older egg will float.
Periods are rarely discussed within the context of mental health and disorders. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is discussed at times, keeping the mental health conversation within the bounds of mood swings caused by hormonal fluctuations in the body. But the idea that having a period could have a severe impact on mental health, especially with regard to trans folk, is an important topic that tends to be discussed much less.
I am in agony for seven days out of every month, and not because of cramping or bloating. I don’t mind the cramps too much, actually, and I’ve gotten pretty good at managing them over the years. I’m in pain because I’m forced to feel like someone else for a week. On most days, I can forget what’s in my pants; I don’t feel anything foreign, just the penis I wish I had nestled between my legs. This changes when my period starts. It’s that small red stain that betrays me, ruins it all, reminds me that my body is alien. All week, I cringe as I feel blood and clots move through a part of my body that was formerly dormant, nonexistent. My skin crawls from start to finish.
Seeing period commercials and pad packaging further antagonizes me during my period. It further enforces the otherness of my period, as I’m forced to consume products “for women.” I don’t hate the flouncy commercials and hyperfeminine packaging because they inaccurately portray the true physical pain and inconvenience of menstruating, I hate them because of how they trigger me. I feel mocked by the celebratory ads and the excited-looking packaging during my sensitive time of pain and dizzying dysphoria.
I feel angry that our capitalistic society forces me to spend my hard-earned money on my stupid period, something I would rather just put away and forget about. I consider free-bleeding often, except I feel as though the visibility of all that blood would only upset me more. By the end of each cycle, I feel my discomfort within my own body lessen as I return to feeling like myself again.
I am so depressed on my period. I don’t want to go out. I don’t want to work. I feel filthy, and showering doesn’t seem to get rid of it. I feel offended, violated by this intruder in my body. I can’t rest because I have to watch it suspiciously, see how it behaves and prepare for when it acts in ways that I don’t understand. It sometimes kicks me out of my own body into such a devastating dysphoria that it’s hard to focus at work. I feel trapped.
While all the folks around me may whine about being on their period, most don’t know what I mean when I whine about it. They don’t know that my body takes me hostage every month, that there’s nothing ordinary about my menstrual struggle.
My depression and gender dysphoria are both majorly triggered during each menstrual cycle. My bleeding vagina, sitting in its moist pad, feel like a thousand-pound weight as I try to move through the world as the person I truly am. I curse my body every time my period comes, feeling exasperated and overwhelmed that another month has already gone by. I try not to move around as much for fear of enhancing the sensation or pace of the blood coming from my pelvis. I cry to my partner most months about how badly I need it all to go away, to get a hysterectomy and forget about it. I joke to them about how I just wanna rip my reproductive organs out myself, but the anger I mask justifies the true seriousness of this claim.
Like with discussions about periods, chats about hysterectomies never consider the mental health of the patient. Pre-existing conditions like endometriosis and fibroid tumors are required to qualify for coverage of uterine surgical removals. I wish “born in the wrong body” or “hatred for vaginal bleeding” could count as qualifying conditions. In a study at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, it was found that 30 percent of trans youth have attempted suicide at least once, and about 42 percent report a history of self-injury. With such a high percentage of trans lives being threatened by struggles like gender dysphoria and limited access to medical help, the mental health concerns of trans folk should be taken as seriously as the health of endometriosis sufferers.
If hormone-replacement therapy doesn’t stop my period, I will seriously pursue a hysterectomy. But in order for that endeavor to be both accessible and affordable to me, the conversation about a period’s impact on patients’ mental health needs to be more widespread. My period negatively impacts me in a very noticeable and life-threatening way, and I’m not the only one.
Christmas is the busiest time of the year, and that means after a hectic morning of opening presents and serving up cocoa to our relatives, we don't always feel like cooking up a feast and dealing with the dishes too. And for those who don't celebrate Christmas, it can be kind of frustrating that everything seems to a halt on Dec. 25. Luckily, these restaurants are open on Christmas Day. Whether you're avoiding cooking for a crowd or just looking for a yummy meal when most places are closed, these eateries are here to save the day.
Some Applebee's restaurants will be open on Christmas Day, but hours vary by location. Call your local restaurant to find out if it's open.
2. Boston Market
Many Boston Market locations are open on Christmas Day. You can dine in or pick up a family feast for three and whole pies to bring home. See a list of restaurants that will be open on Christmas Day here.
3. Buca di Beppo
Buca di Beppo is open on Christmas Day for lunch and dinner. You can share a family-style meal with your nearest and dearest. You can make a reservation here. Or you can order a family meal for takeout to enjoy at home in front of the tree.
Most Denny's restaurants will be open on Christmas. They have three new flavors of holiday pancakes to celebrate: pumpkin cream, cranberry-orange and white chocolate raspberry. They'll also have the full regular menu available. And if you place a mobile or online order of $20 or more on Christmas Day, you can get a free whole pie using the code FREEPIE.
5. Chart House
Most Chart House locations will be open on Christmas, but make sure you call ahead to reserve a table — they can get quite busy.
6. Golden Corral
Many Golden Corral buffets are open on Christmas Day, though the hours might be different than usual. Check with your local restaurant for details.
7. Hometown Buffet
Hometown Buffet is open from 11a.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Day.
8. IHOP
Almost all IHOPs are open Christmas Day. They'll be serving up their new menu items like fluffy snowman pancakes and cheesecake-stuffed French toast. Call ahead to check local hours.
9. McCormick & Schmick's
McCormick & Schmick's will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Make a reservation here.
10. Old Country Buffet
Most Old Country Buffet restaurants will be open on Christmas Day. You can also order a take-home holiday feast for pickup on the 25th that includes turkey, ham, sides and two whole pies, all for $89.99.
11. Ruth's Chris Steak House
You can enjoy the full menu of steaks, entrées and other side dishes at Ruth's Chris on Christmas Day — make a reservation here.
Enjoy something from Smith & Wollensky's winter menu, featuring steak, fish and other decadent entrées, on Christmas Day. Reservations are recommended.
13. Waffle House
As always, all Waffle House locations will be open 24 hours on Christmas Day. Celebrate with a triple-size platter of hash browns "all the way."
Dark times are on the road ahead as Nashville enters its sixth and final season. After moving to CMT last year, the show has undergone some major changes as the melodrama heats up and the characters reach their final, most dramatic arcs. Things certainly won't be the same without Connie Britton there as Rayna James to carry Nashville fans through the final go-round, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty of drama awaiting faithful viewers.
On Thursday, the trailer for Nashville Season 6 was posted on TVLine, and this first official preview promises all your Nashville faves are going to have to go through some serious personal crises before they can find their happy endings. Perhaps the most interesting arc that's being teased is Juliette's. In this trailer, we see that she's approached by a mysterious man who asks her a simple question: "Why isn’t all of this fame and success enough?"
It looks like he's promising to help her change her life, to get back on track after a rocky post-airplane crash recovery (yeah, remember that happened?), and she might do whatever it takes to kick her demons. This might include blindly following a man promising miracle solutions to her problems, so long as she gives him a little bit of her time and her belief. The whole thing whiffs of cultlike behavior and TVLine goes so far as to use the "S"-word: Scientology. We'll have to wait to see how that all pans out, though. Avery certainly seems keen on getting Juliette to snap out of it, going so far as to tell her, "You’re putting all of your trust in this guy. You’re living your whole life by his words."
It looked as if Lauren Rimmer had a real shot at winning Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers. But her game took a sudden downward spiral after revealing she had a secret advantage and a hidden Immunity Idol. But what was her plan if she had survived that vote? Believe it or not, Lauren was preparing to build an alliance with Chrissy Hofbeck. During our one-on-one interview, Lauren also discussed the one castaway who she believes is playing the best game and explained what it's like to be recognized by fans.
SheKnows: What was the thought process behind you giving half of your Immunity Idol to Mike?
Lauren Rimmer: The thought process was basically to try to keep Mike as close as I could. Mike always felt like he was on the outs. He would put trust in someone, but then everybody would betray him. Mike was kind of the swing person. When I heard my name was getting thrown around by Ben, I was thinking to try and make sure Mike was with me, Devon and Ashley. I wanted him to feel included in what was going on. He didn't have to burn it, but that's not how it worked out [laughs].
Image: CBS
SK: Chrissy has been a polarizing player this season. Most castaways we've interviewed didn't have very nice things to say about her. What did you experience with Chrissy?
LR: I try not to be mean, but I have a problem of speaking the truth. Chrissy is very annoying. She tried too hard to communicate with people. Sometimes she would try too hard and it turned people away. Your tone and voice has a lot to do with it, and she had a very harsh, demanding tone. Everybody saw when she was not in control, she threw a fit. You don't play like that. It's a game of everybody for themselves, but she took it to the extreme. She's not one of my favorite players, I'm sorry.
SK: You had a secret advantage that gave you a second vote. You told Chrissy shortly before getting voted off that you had ripped it apart. Was that true?
LR: It was in my pocket the whole time. Once I went with the decision to not use it, I had to go with that story. If I hadn't been voted out, I probably would've given it to Chrissy. I would've tried to talk to her on a one-on-one basis and possibly try to use it with Chrissy. She and Ryan still feel like they're on the outs. If I would've made it back and Ben was gone, it would've been a good opportunity to try to work with Chrissy.
Image: CBS
SK: So you would've flipped the game again?
LR: Hell yeah. That's what it's about. It would've been perfect to come back and say, "Here, Chrissy. Here are the stipulations to me giving you this." I could've still worked with Mike because he was all about not being voted out. Mike would work with you if he was safe. Our next target probably would've been Devon.
Image: CBS
SK: You were clearly really upset with Ben when he tried to turn the votes against you. In our interview with Joe, he called Ben a fucking asshole. What are your thoughts on Ben?
LR: I don't think Ben is a fucking asshole. I didn't think that of Chrissy, either. Nobody really liked Joe because he was very boisterous. He kind of got under everybody's skin, especially Ben's. My relationship with Ben, we started out really tight. He and I did a lot of talking at night because it was either him or myself keeping the fire all night long. We got to talk about a lot of personal things. We grew up in the same category. I respect him in the way he's playing, but he frequently went into that Marine mode. A lot of people didn't like that. He had a goal with a target. He went for that target and played very aggressively. I don't have any hard feelings toward Ben. I was mad, but of course I was upset because I just got voted out. I can't hold anything against anybody because it was a game with all of us playing for the same thing.
SK: At the moment you flipped the game by forming a new group to topple the seven-way alliance, what was your end-game goal? Who did you want to sit at the final Tribal Council with?
LR: I had Devon, Ashley and Ben. We were all pretty tight. My plan was to go with Devon and Ashley to the final three. When we split the seven up, we went after J.P. because he had a better chance of winning challenges compared to Chrissy or Ryan.
SK: At this point, who do you think is playing the best game?
LR: I would probably have to say Ben. He's done a really good job so far. He's got the biggest target on his back, and he's still working just as hard as he can work it.
SK: You gave a brief explanation during your time on the show, but walk us through how you got on Survivor.
LR: My sister found out they were having an open casting call. She begged me for a couple weeks to take her. I couldn't because I was so wound tight with work. Commercial fishing, you have to go when it's time to go. She finally got me to go, and we were there for more than four hours in a line. We did a minute interview and it went from there. They contacted me and not her. She never really held it against me. I had to promise her I would at least get her to the family visit. She told me, "If you get me there, I will hug you. But I'm hugging Jeff Probst first." I was like, "There's no way. You won't do that." She did.
Image: CBS
SK: Were you a fan of the show?
LR: We both started watching when it first came out. That's the year I graduated high school. When I first had my daughter, I worked at night a lot. My sister would record it, and that's how we watched it. We would watch each episode, like, two or three times.
Image: CBS
SK: Would you go back and play the game again?
LR: Oh, God yeah. I would totally play again. Just to go back and try to get further than I did this time would be amazing. It would be great to go and not make the same mistakes.
SK: You're not from Los Angeles like a lot of the other players. You're from a small town. Are you getting recognized by fans?
LR: I'm pretty much a social butterfly, and I live in a very small town. I came out of a dressing room once, and there was nine people standing there staring at me. I was like, "What are y'all staring at?" Then it goes from there [laughs]. I've had some crazy messages, but I think it's all great.
Image: CBS
Do you think Lauren should be invited back to play another season? Join the conversation by leaving a comment in the section below.
Mark the date and time for when you read this news because after this point, especially if you are a longtime fan of Full House, you're probably going to be a changed person.
So, earlier this week, there was a mini Full House reunion. And yes, you might be rolling your eyes because you've heard about these kinds of reunions before. You've been burned. You've been promised good stuff in the past, like perhaps the famous Olsen twins. But now, you're likely jaded because those promises haven't been fulfilled. You don't expect this mini Full House reunion to be any better than the last because you're not expecting anything exciting. But what if I told you this mini Full House reunion definitely involved an Olsen?
Earlier this week, comedian and every millennial's favorite TV dad, Bob Saget, hosted his annual Scleroderma Research Foundation fundraising event. The event drew a number of notable faces, but there was one among the group that stands to draw a fair amount of attention: Ashley Olsen.
Bob Saget Ashley Olsen Reunion
Bob Saget Ashley Olsen Reunion
Saget posted a photo from the evening with himself, comedian John Oliver and Olsen in the photo and captioned it: "We raised 1.2 million dollars last night that goes directly to Scleroderma Research!! So honored my dear friend Ashley Olsen came to support my SclerodermaResearch.org Foundation @SRFcure Event as she has all these years —And here we share a photo with my friend John Oliver, once again generously hilariously performing at #CoolComedyHotCuisine - Thank you for your support, John and Ashley!"
This is the first time, according to People magazine's report, Saget and Olsen have been pictured together in two years. Yes, twoyears. That's a criminally long time, and frankly, I'm glad the dry spell has been broken. The last time they were seen together, in 2015, Olsen was attending this same event and hung out with Saget, so it's good to see that she is a regular supporter of him and his causes.
This mini Full House reunion is giving me all the feels. Seeing Michelle and Danny Tanner IRL is just too good not to keep happening again and again. So, uh, Olsens: Are you totally sure you don't want to come back to Fuller House? Just for, like, one episode?
