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This Is What Peace Looks Like

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What does peace look like to you? That's the question we posed to millions of creatives on EyeEm, a community for photo sharing and discovery. The results were overwhelming with over 13,000 original submissions -- proving once and for all that peace isn't easily defined or explained, but you know it when you feel it. Or, as in the case of the images below, you know it when you see it.





submit images here

You can also submit photos to us via the hashtag #whatpeacelookslike!

David Fincher's Gap Ads Are Better Than Most Of The Movies Released This Month

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David Fincher directed a new batch of Gap ads and, in classic Fincher style, they're stunning visual works accomplished through a kadrillion takes. The black-and-white spots are part of the brand's "Dress Normal" campaign, which featured Zosia Mamet, Elisabeth Moss and Angelica Huston.

In the ads, Fincher films young, beautiful people in various states of hurry. One is a kiss, another follows a man running up stairs desperate to get to a woman, and one spot takes place in a car, as the backseat passenger struggles to get out of her pants.

With rich soundtracks and near-perfect shots, Fincher made two minutes of footage better than most of the feature films released this month. And these don't even have speaking parts. Read more on how the ads were conceived over at Mashable.







Here's The First Poster For Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater'

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Jon Stewart's directorial debut, "Rosewater," is set to have a pretty big few weeks. The film premieres at the Telluride Film Festival this weekend before its international bow at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 8. Stewart also wrote the "Rosewater" script, which is based on "Then They Came for Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival" by BBC journalist Maziar Bahari.

"It may not be what people expect from me; it's not a comedy,” Stewart told Entertainment Weekly in an earlier interview. "I hope people view it for what it is -- a love letter to expression and the importance of it. It's everything."

HuffPost Entertainment is pleased to debut the first poster for "Rosewater." The new artwork, and the film's full synopsis is below. Open Road will release "Rosewater" in theaters on Nov. 7

rosewater poster

Rosewater follows the Tehran-born Bahari, a 42-year-old broadcast journalist with Canadian citizenship living in London. In June 2009, Bahari returned to Iran to interview Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who was the prime challenger to controversial incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. As Mousavi’s supporters rose up to protest Ahmadinejad’s victory declaration hours before the polls closed on election day, Bahari endured great personal risk by submitting camera footage of the unfolding street riots to the BBC. Bahari was soon arrested by Revolutionary Guard police, led by a man identifying himself only as “Rosewater,” who proceeded to torture and interrogate the journalist over the next 118 days.

In October 2009, with Bahari’s wife leading an international campaign from London to have her husband freed, and Western media outlets including “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” continuing to keep the story alive, Iranian authorities released Bahari on $300,000 bail and the promise he would act as a spy for the government.

Rosewater has a direct connection to Stewart, who since taking over as host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” in 1999, has turned the nightly half-hour satirical look at newsmakers and news-coverers into not only a perennial Emmy-winning juggernaut, but also an important touchstone on the zeitgeist. Stewart and “The Daily Show” covered Bahari’s saga nightly and had the journalist appear on the show to talk about his ordeal once he was released from prison.

This Retro Arcade Movie Mashup Will Bring You Back To Your Youth

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Hey, kids. Remember arcades? We sure do. Good times, great games. Go ahead and call us nostalgic. We don't care. Since there aren't many arcades left anymore, we decided to turn to the movies to relive the glory days of our youth. So fill those pockets with quarters and come along with us on a little trip down memory lane, soundtracked by the golden sounds of The Sweethearts with "Burnin Through The Nite."

Here is a complete list of movies used. See if you can spot 'em all...

"Rancho Deluxe" (1975)
"Jaws" (1975)
"Jaws 2" (1978)
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1978)
"Dawn of the Dead" (1978)
"Midnight Madness" (1980)
"Bustin' Loose" (1981)
"Death Wish II" (1982)
"Rocky III" (1982)
"Tron" (1982)
"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982)
"Jekyll and Hyde… Together Again" (1982)
"The Toy" (1982)
"Joysticks" (1983)
"WarGames" (1983)
"Twilight Zone: The Movie" (1983)
"Strange Brew" (1983)
"Nightmares" [segment 'Bishop of Battle'] (1983)
"Never Say Never Again" (1983)
"High School U.S.A." (1983)
"Rumble Fish" (1983)
"Footloose" (1984)
"Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (1984)
"Ghostbusters" (1984)
"Gremlins" (1984)
"The Karate Kid" (1984)
"The Last Starfighter" (1984)
"The Philadelphia Experiment" (1984)
"The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" (1984)
"Ninja III: The Domination" (1984)
"Night of the Comet" (1984)
"The Last Dragon" (1985)
"Code of Silence" (1985)
"The Goonies" (1985)
"Real Genius" (1985)
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986)
"Maximum Overdrive" (1986)
"The Color of Money" (1986)
"Something Wild" (1986)
"Over the Top" (1987)
"Can't Buy Me Love" (1987)
"Best Seller" (1987)
"Death Wish 4: The Crackdown" (1987)
"Bloodsport" (1988)
"Big" (1988)
"Parenthood" (1989)
"Back to the Future Part II" (1989)
"The Wizard" (1989)
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (1990)
"RoboCop 2" (1990)
"Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991)
"Suburban Commando" (1991)
"Juice" (1992)
"Encino Man" (1992)
"Honeymoon in Vegas" (1992)
"Roadside Prophets" (1992)
"Toys" (1992)
"Double Dragon" (1994)

[Note: The decision to stop at 1994 was deliberate and totally arbitrary.]

Music courtesy of Todd Ledford, Sam Mehran, and Zak Mering of Olde English Spelling Bee and Weird World/Domino.

three’s company

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“EVERYONE IS COMING UP with a creative excuse to hang out and make art on Fire Island,” artist Lee Maida told me as we watched the tide roll in.

And why not? Two of Fire Island’s neighboring hamlets—Cherry Grove and The Pines—are gay oases with a storied artistic lineage. Roughly three hours from NYC by train and ferry, Fire Island offers both respite and raunchiness for queers and comrades. Oscar Wilde, W. H. Auden, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Peter Hujar all summered and made work there. And over the past four years, programs such as the Fire Island Artist Residency (FIAR), the New York Performance Artists Collective (NYPAC), and BOFFO have built a flamboyant infrastructure for creative types.

Ohio State To Fired Band Director: 'It Is Time To Move On'

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Ohio State University will not offer former marching band director Jonathan Waters a chance to get his job back, after he was fired following an investigation into "sexualized" hazing among his squad.

On Tuesday, Waters, through his attorney David Axelrod, requested a hearing in order to present what he said would be evidence clearing his name of the various transgressions of which he's been accused. Waters' request was denied.

"We will not be revisiting this decision," said Chris Davey, OSU assistant vice president for public relations, in a statement Wednesday evening. "It is closed, and it is time to move on. Jonathan Waters was not forthcoming or truthful with University personnel on multiple occasions."

The school's decision comes after a formal request by Waters for his reinstatement, as well as anger from alumni and some band members, who say that aspects of the university's report on Waters are flat-out untrue.

For example, Jeanette Town, a 2011 OSU graduate who was known to other members of the marching band as "Tiggles," wrote in a letter to university administrators that her nickname was not sexual in nature, and that, contrary to the report's claims, she had not been made to rub her breasts against another band member nicknamed "Joobs."

"This anecdote was presented in such a way that made it sound sexual and degrading, when in reality it was no more than a goofy shimmy done by two girls standing side by side, often to comedic effect due to our vastly different body types," Town wrote in the letter, provided to The Huffington Post. "It was two friends acting silly with one another, with the sole intent of making others laugh. Most importantly, it was done off-campus and of our own accord."

Waters' attorney emphasized that these and other aspects of the university's report have been rebutted as false by current and former band members. Several other former members have issued letters similar to Town's.

"The University's voluntary dissemination of the information described above, combined with its refusal to afford Mr. Waters any sort of hearing, has denied his due process rights -- both before his termination and after," Axelrod wrote on Tuesday.

Earlier this week, the 2012 and 2013 marching band student squad leadership released a lengthy statement defending Waters against the investigation, which they called "false and misleading."

Those alumni pointed out that a couple of years ago, Waters had disciplined students who were circulating a songbook with inappropriate sexual lyrics. Writing in Waters' defense, the alums stated: "Jon found one [such songbook] by accident during a 2012 bus trip and proceeded to shut it down. If you were found in possession of or distributing songbooks, you would be suspended or terminated from the program."

Davey pounced on the squad leaders' recollection, saying in a statement that Waters had denied ever seeing the songbook as a staff member. Davey also said that other former band members have corroborated the existence of sexual nicknames, and that no one has denied the claims of alcohol abuse among band members, hazing, a newsletter with sexual content called "Trip Tic" or various other forms of sexually charged misconduct.

"The culture created by these and other issues detailed in the university investigative report necessitated a change in leadership of the Marching Band," Davey said.

The Ohio State trustees have backed the administration's decision not to give Waters a second chance.

We May Have Found Your New Coldplay (And 12 Other Songs You Have To Hear This Week)

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Each week, the HuffPost Entertainment team will compile and share some of our favorite tracks discovered across the web, whether they are brand new tunes, new music videos or newly discovered artists.

Brolly - “Ghost Town”



If you are a fan of the ambient indie/alternative rock branded by bands like Coldplay, Brolly is officially your new favorite group. “Ghost Town” is a beautiful piano-driven track, and we highly suggest you head over to their Soundcloud page and listen to all of their songs for the rest of the day.

Logic - “Driving Ms. Daisy” ft. Childish Gambino



Logic is one of the most underrated players in hip-hop, but his years of hard work are about to pay off. Recruiting his pal Childish Gambino on “Driving Ms. Daisy,” Logic not only provides a glimpse into what will be a most excellent label debut, but also redefines the perfect cruising jam.

Raury - “Superfly” ft. Vancouver Sleep Clinic



Having recently signed to Columbia Records, Raury released his “Indigo Child” project for free, because he’s just great like that. “Superfly” is one of our favorite cuts, but you don’t want to miss out on a single track.

G-Unit - “Changes”



G-Unit quietly dropped their six-song “The Beauty of Independence” EP to occupy fans while they wait for the collective’s album to arrive later this year. “Changes” is one of the standout tracks, providing a look into moments of turn for each member.

Cruisr - “All Over”



Vagrant Records has been on a roll recently, hitting it big with The 1975 and Bad Suns. The label's most recent signee is Cruisr. If the band’s EP is full of equally fun and catchy tunes as “All Over,” Vagrant just might have rolled a turkey.

Run The Jewels - “Blockbuster Night Part 1”



Run The Jewels is easily one of the most exciting duos in hip-hop right now, and “Blockbuster Night Part 1” proves their sophomore album is going to kick even more ass.

The Color and Sound - “Cigarettes”



The Color and Sound’s “Cigarettes” sounds like the song that everyone has been waiting to hear at the pub, and when it does, they all jump up on the tables, stomp about, clink glasses and belt out the words as loud as they can.

Moose Blood - “Swim Down”



The outro to Moose Blood’s “Swim Down” is extremely reminiscent of old-school Taking Back Sunday. If that doesn’t get you excited about a pop-punk group, nothing will.

Kendrick Lamar vs Tycho - “Vibe Walk (Break Science Remix”



Combining Kendrick Lamar’s “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” and Tycho’s “A Walk” is as brilliant as it gets. A soothing track to zone out to, Break Science just produced the best mashup remix of the year.

Dorothy - “Wild Fire”



Dorothy is back with another track of merciless rock onslaught. Far more sober than “After Midnight,” “Wild Fire” picks up the pace for even more perfect jamming out with your friends.

QuESt - “Hunger”



We’re convinced QuESt and producer 6ix were created to make music together, as every track so far has proven, and “Hunger” is the most hard-hitting collaboration yet.

The Griswolds - “If You Wanna Stay”



The Griswolds, not to be confused with everyones favorite vacationing family, are self-described as "tequila-inspired party pop" and "If You Wanna Stay" basically proves this to be true.

NGHBRS - “Golden Age"



NGHBRS are in the next class of Long Island rock legends, their single "Golden Age" bringing the garage sound that can be desribed as nothing short of righteous.

See The 'Mockingjay' Rebel Warrior Posters

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Lionsgate released six new posters for "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" on Thursday. The artwork highlights the film's rebel warriors. That means a new look at Gale (Liam Hemsworth, who might have more to do in this movie than just look sad) and Cressida ("Game of Thrones" star Natalie Dormer). "Mockingjay" is out on Nov. 21. Enjoy!


Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater' Gets Its First Trailer

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On the heels of the first poster for Jon Stewart's "Rosewater," which HuffPost Entertainment debuted earlier on Thursday, comes the film's first trailer. Gael Garcia Bernal stars as Maziar Bahari, a journalist who was arrested and tortured in Iran for 118 days in 2009. Stewart's film will debut at the Telluride Film Festival this weekend before its international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. "Rosewater" arrives in limited release for regular audiences on Nov. 7.

Woman Dies At Burning Man In Apparent Bus Accident

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A woman has died at Burning Man after being struck by a bus carrying passengers around the festival, reports the Reno Gazette-Journal.

The tragic event happened just after midnight on Thursday in Black Rock City, Nevada, and the Pershing County Sheriff's office is currently investigating the circumstances of the accident.

Though the woman's name has not been released publicly, a blog post on Burning Man's website, written by event spokesman Jim Graham, states that authorities have made contact with the victim's family and will be releasing information soon.




"This is a terrible accident," Burning Man co-founder Marian Goodell said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and campmates. Black Rock Rangers and Emergency Services Department staff are providing support to those affected."

According to ABC News, the last death at Burning Man occurred seven years ago, when an individual fell under a trailer.

Earlier this week the festival grounds were temporarily closed due to heavy rain. After reopening, nearly 60,000 attendees are expected to be in the desert.

Miranda July's New App Will Turn The World Into A Miranda July Film

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Nobody explores the space between intimacy and technology quite like Miranda July.

The performance artist, writer and filmmaker continually investigates the shapes of interconnectedness in the digital age, through films like "Me and You and Everyone We Know" and art initiatives like "We Think Alone," in which July's famous friends forwarded their intimate emails to your inbox.

Now July has created an app that will blur the line between digital and personal interaction, and it's called "Somebody." Basically, instead of texting your friend, lover or desired text recipient, your message will be sent to a "Somebody" user in close proximity of the intended receiver, who will then deliver the message in person. You can attach personal touches to your text message, adding actions like "crying," "begin air quotes," "kiss," or "scream."

So instead of reading your texts, the sendee will have the message personally acted out... by a stranger.

bm

"Texting is tacky. Calling is awkward. Email is old," the "Somebody" statement explains. But this app is far more than a new mode of communication. It's an improvised performance between two strangers, an unusual form of puppetry or even possession. "I see this as far-reaching public art project, inciting performance and conversation about the value of inefficiency and risk," July explains.

The app, created with support from Miu Miu, launched at the Venice Film Festival, along with an accompanying short film, which you can see below.



Like most of July's films, the short above blends the magical and the technologically enhanced, the banal and the uncanny, the awkward and the sentimental. But then again, this isn't just a short film; it's a trailer for the app. So, in a potential future where everyone has downloaded "Somebody," we'll pretty much be living in a Miranda July film. If that's not incentive to download the app, we're not sure what is.

"Somebody" works best when there is a critical mass of users in the area, like a party, concert or office. July has already set up official "hotspots" for app users at museums around the country, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The New Museum, Yerba Buena Center for The Arts, Portland Institute of Contemporary Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where it will be part of the exhibition "Conversation Piece," starting October 10.

Learn more about "Somebody" here, and make sure to download the app from iTunes -- yes, it's free. Check out an earlier interview with July here.





The MFA is hosting the lecture “Miranda July: The First Bad Man” with the artist on Wednesday and Thursday, April 15 and 16, 2015 –– part of the MFA’s Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Celebrity Lectures: Evenings with Creative Minds.

Everyday Sexism In Just 9 Illustrations

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From "leaning in" to "having it all," it can sometimes be hard to keep track of where we have and haven't made progress when it comes to gender roles. A new project however, simplifies everyday gender stereotypes, making it impossible to ignore their negative implications.

A new book from Taschen titled Man Meets Woman, features simple green and pink pictograms by Beijing-born, Berlin-based designer Yang Liu that examine modern gender roles. The 38-year-old uses minimalist imagery to illustrate a complex culture of gender stereotyping. The end result is an effective commentary on everyday sexism found in the workplace, during parenthood and even in the bedroom.

"Women today are trying very hard to fight against [these] stereotypes, which is a very important process on the way to reach the equality between the genders. And there's still many things to be done," Liu told The Huffington Post. "But on [the] other hand, during this process, we become scared to face to the fact that men and women are just different in many aspects."

self image



"As a working wife and mother, I am compelled to realize time and time again how many minor and major differences exist between men and women, despite today's ongoing debate on the subject and the constant redefinition of male and female roles," Liu writes in the introduction to Man Meets Woman. "Many of these differences arise out of traditional gender models and are dictated by social and professional structures."

Some of the pictograms are straightforward, illustrating the differences in everyday female and male experiences that point to problematic gendered stereotypes such as the gender pay gap. Others however, take a more tongue-in-cheek approach to comparing uncomfortable realities -- such as the fact that the depiction of women is the same in both men's and women's magazines.

magazines



In her introduction, Liu encourages readers to look past what may be accepted as the norm and prompts them to question where these gender stereotypes come from. A man doing housework and taking care of his children is a "modern man," yet a woman doing the same is deemed a "housewife." A woman's self-image is drastically exaggerated, while a man's is slightly the opposite. A man might feel he should exaggerate the number of sexual partners he has had or wants to have, while a woman might think she needs to minimize her "number."

There is a reason a person's gender fundamentally impacts the way she or he experiences the world, and while Liu presents some of the problems that arise from strict gender roles, she doesn't necessarily offer prescriptions to fix them, leaving it to the reader to consider solutions on a small scale.

"With this little book I would like to present a visual documentary of my personal views on the subject of communication between men and women," Liu writes. "I thereby hope to be able to encourage all of us to approach this subject with a little more humor and, in our daily interactions, to look at and think about things from the viewpoint of the opposite sex."

sexual experience



luggage



multitasking



competition



best weapon



mysterious objects



housewife husband



Man Meets Woman comes out this fall on October 6.

[h/t Fast Company]

Jessica Chastain Calls Out Hollywood's Lack Of Female Roles

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Jessica Chastain is the latest actress to speak out against the lack of female roles in Hollywood. In a recent round of press for "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them," the actress discussed at great length the problem with weak parts being written for women.

When talking to TheWrap, she questioned the absence of Marvel movie starring Scarlett Johansson, who played Black Widow in "The Avengers." "Where is the Scarlett Johansson superhero movie?" Chastain asked. "I don't understand it, why is it taking so long for this?" And later, "To me, it's a no-brainer. You want to make money, put Scarlett Johansson in a superhero movie!"

She also spoke about how she often finds parts written for women are sometimes not fully fleshed out. In an interview with Vulture she said, "I think there is a huge problem in American cinema where stories about women aren’t nurtured and celebrated and brought to the screen as often as stories about men." Chastain also said that "times are changing" as box office numbers soar for female-fronted movies like Johansson's "Lucy," which opened at No. 1 in July, beating "Hercules," and has made $217 million around the world so far.

But the discussion about diversity in Hollywood is ongoing and often ends in disappointment (see Mashable's story on why a female superhero movie won't solve the gender problem). Perhaps Cate Blanchett said it best during her Oscars acceptance speech earlier this year, when she tore down the notion that movies with women at the center are "niche experiences."

"They are not," she said. "Audiences want to see them and in fact, they earn money."

These Celebs Rocked These Retro Ads Before They Were Famous

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It's no secret that celebrities weren't always famous; before they made it big, most stars went to high school, worked "normal" jobs and of course, auditioned up a storm.

But this video from worldwideinterweb takes the "before they were famous" thing to another level. The clip features stars, such as Bryan Cranston, Keanu Reeves and Meg Ryan, when they were sort of famous and had roles in television commercials.

We can't decide which is better: the array of celebrities in the ads or the advertised products themselves. Both are super retro, and we love it.

It's Labor Day, Which Means Your Future Best Picture Winner Might Already Be Here

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Welcome to For Your Consideration, The Huffington Post's unapologetically obsessive conversation about the Oscar race. Ahead, managing entertainment editor Christopher Rosen and entertainment editor Matthew Jacobs look at where things stand heading into the Telluride Film Festival.

Rosen: Matt, that bite in the air isn't fall approaching with abandon, but the first crack of awards season. The Telluride Film Festival, the mythical, mountain-set affair held the weekend before all Oscar watchers turn eyes toward Toronto, announced its lineup on Thursday. That's significant: Both "Argo" and "12 Years A Slave" screened at Telluride, and each went on to win Best Picture.

So, what's in store this year? Well, the expected contenders. There's "Foxcatcher," which after its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May will make its way from Telluride to Toronto to New York. There's "Wild," Reese Witherspoon's very own McConaissance. "The Imitation Game" is at Telluride, which should give us a more clear picture of Benedict Cumberbatch's Oscar bona fides. Jon Stewart's "Rosewater," which Variety called a dark-horse awards contender, will premiere there, too.

But the biggest movie on the Telluride schedule is "Birdman, or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance." Alejandro G. Iñárritu's showbiz satire -- I promise, by the time he's a Best Director nominee, I'll be able to spell his name without copy and pasting from Google search -- earned rave reviews after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, with talk focusing on Michael Keaton's comeback performance and Emmanuel Lubezki's masterful photography. (The trick of "Birdman" is that it basically appears to take place over one continuous shot.) The hosannas were loud and familiar, to the point that Vanity Fair's Richard Lawson joked that "Birdman" may have already locked up its Best Picture win.

Except, I don't know if I believe that. Not that "Birdman" isn't at the top of my most-anticipated list, nor that I think the movie will be anything less than the revelatory treasure the reviews claim it is, but when was the last time a biting movie like this won Best Picture? Critics compared "Birdman" to Charlie Kaufman, and while Kaufman himself won an Oscar for his "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" screenplay, you didn't see that movie taking home Best Picture. It's a tired and often expressed notion -- especially from yours truly -- but Oscar voters like to feel, and based on those early reviews, "Birdman" isn't the type of movie that stirs emotions in that way.

Which leaves us with ... what? No front-runners? In 2012 and 2013, the Oscar race was basically stamped out by Labor Day. Will this be the most wide-open year since 2004?

birdman

Jacobs: That bite you refer to, Chris, feels especially crisp this year, in part because we're still on a come-down from 2013's Oscar season, often billed as nothing short of remarkable. (I begged to differ once it was all said and done, but that sentiment is five months old, so I digress.) I much prefer this sort of year: ones where dictating frontrunners is a muddy affair, even if the slate of anticipated films doesn't cause quite as much commotion.

It seems, like "Birdman," that several of this year's prestige movies will be judged on their edginess: I expect Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice," based on a fuzzy Thomas Pynchon novel infused with psychedelic vibes and an opaque narrative structure, will be too much for these "Slumdog Millionaire"-loving voters to process after it premieres at the New York Film Festival in October. The same might be said for "Tracks," "Whiplash," "Dear White People" and "Nightcrawler." At least Anderson and Iñárritu (Google search complete) have the advantage of having graced the Best Director shortlist before (for "There Will Be Blood" and "Babel," respectively).

I'm convinced "Wild" and "Foxcatcher" will be the champions of both Telluride and the entire Oscar season. I'd like to think the Academy has hit a World War II fatigue that not even a trendy star like Cumberbatch -- or, in the case of "Fury," Brad Pitt -- can overcome. Whereas "Wild," for which we have yet to see any reviews, checks so many boxes: It hails from a lauded best-seller, is written by Nick Hornby (who was nominated for writing "An Education"), helmed by "Dallas Buyers Club" director Jean-Marc Vallée, serves as the centerpiece of this year's great Reese Witherspoon resurgence, features Laura Dern -- whom we both adored in "The Fault in Our Stars" -- playing another meaty mom role and it's a gritty female-empowerment story that will spark plenty of Feelings. Seal up the envelopes now, people: Unless it somehow bombs this weekend, I feel like we might have a winner.

Then again, this time last year, we all thought George Clooney's "Monuments Men" would be one of the movies to look out for.

wild

Rosen: R.I.P. "Monuments Men," which -- like "Foxcatcher" -- was on our early lists last year before moving into the quieter confines of 2014. Which is why maybe we haven't even mentioned 2014's best Best Picture contender just yet. I recalled 2004 earlier, and that was a year where a lot of good movies wound up getting pushed aside by Clint Eastwood after Warner Bros. dropped "Million Dollar Baby" into awards season at the relative last minute. Well, the studio and Eastwood are doing the same thing this year with "American Sniper," which was filmed in the spring and is set for release on Dec. 25. That's the movie with Bradley Cooper playing Chris Kyle, "the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history," and it also checks off a bunch of Oscar boxes: Cooper's physical transformation, a potential career capper for Eastwood and the always timely subject matter of what happens to soldiers after they return home from the battlefield.

Tell me, Matt, have I gone around the bend with this one? Is it too early to think about surprise December Oscar contenders when Telluride is right here in August and we still have "Boyhood" sitting there from the summer?

bradley cooper american sniper

Jacobs: It's always too early, but why should that stop us? To be honest, "American Sniper" feels to me like the distant relatives you forget about until the holidays roll around and then you can't escape them. I haven't spent much time anticipating the Eastwood movie, and Warner Bros. certainly hasn't spent much time generating buzz for it, but you're probably right.

If a potential victor doesn't emerge at Telluride, we'll probably have to wait until after the festival circuit has run its course. And that's what I'd rather see happen. I hope "Birdman" is the incredible alternate take on "Black Swan" that it appears to be, but I also hope J.C. Chandor's "A Most Violent Year," Tim Burton's "Big Eyes," Ava DuVernay's "Selma" or even Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken" -- Oscar bait if there ever was any -- stampedes all over these Telluride/Toronto darlings in December. In that sense, "American Sniper" could, like "Million Dollar Baby," be this year's 11th-hour paragon, if "Foxcatcher" and "Wild" can't sustain their momentum through the snowfall. But in all likelihood, after the New York Film Festival, we'll have seen most of the serious Best Picture contenders, which would either make us the perfect prognosticators or render this conversation entirely futile. Probably both.

Ultimately, it seems the stasis of awards season, and perhaps the intergalactic universe, once again falls on Matthew McConaughey's shoulders. Godspeed to all the cinematic wormholes standing in his way.

Rosen: Do not go gentle into that all right, all right, all right, but let me leave you with this: The last Best Picture winner to eschew the festival circuit was "The Departed" in 2006, the kind of big, star-studded genre movie that rarely wins Oscars, but then won a bunch. So maybe all roads will lead through "Interstellar"? Brb, finding the shrug emoticon in my clipboard.

For more on the Telluride Film Festival, watch this segment from HuffPost Live.

Catcalling Comic Illustrates Street Harassment From The Very Beginning

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Sometimes it's hard for even the most empathetic of men to understand the level of street harassment most women face. So if you ever need to explain it to someone, this comic may come in handy.

Ursa Eyer, an artist based in New Orleans, was inspired to create a piece about catcalling after she had a particularly frustrating exchange with a male peer.

catcalling

"I made this comic in response to a conversation with a young man I met at a party," Eyer told The Huffington Post in an email. "We ended up having the same conversation I've had a hundred times over, part of which includes the detriment of catcalling... I was inspired to illustrate my personal history of catcalling to show what it actually looks and feels like to someone who may have never experienced it before."

While some people may think catcalling is acceptable behavior (see: Fox News hosts, men's rights activists and Doree Lewak), the fact remains that men say some truly sickening things to women on the street.

The comic shows the types of unsolicited comments about their appearance women receive from strangers throughout their lives, starting from "she's so cute!" as young children and escalating to sexually suggestive and aggressive comments in adulthood.

"At a relatively young age we have to learn, often by ourselves, how to deal with really frustrating and sometimes scary situations," Eyer told HuffPost. "We deal with it so often that it just becomes a part of our daily lives. We don't even mention it, because it's the norm."

Check out her incredible comic below.

catcalling

catcalling

catcalling

catcall

Ridley Scott Addresses 'Exodus' Casting Following Whitewash Backlash

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"Exodus: Gods and Kings" doesn't arrive in theaters until December, but it's already one of the year's most controversial films. That's because director Ridley Scott cast white actors such as Christian Bale (as Moses), Sigourney Weaver (as Tuya) and Aaron Paul (as Joshua) to play Egyptians in the Biblical film, while non-white actors have seemingly been relegated to roles as slaves, servants and thieves.

"Ridley Scott is one of those guys who’s apparently hellbent on historical accuracy but doesn’t care enough to cast a person of color as Moses or a goddamn African queen while simultaneously filling out the rest of the movie with Black servants and thieves," David Dennis Jr. wrote in a widely circulated post on Medium titled "You Probably Shouldn't Go See Ridley Scott's Pretty Racist 'Exodus' Movie." "But to make the main characters white and everyone else African is cinematic colonialism. It’s creating a piece of historical 'art' that carries on oppressive imagery that’s helped shackle entire countries and corners of the world."

Following the uproar, Joel Edgerton, who plays Ramses in the film, told The Guardian that he understood the complaints and concerns.

"[It was] not my job to make those decisions," he said of the casting process. "I got asked to do a job and it would have been very hard to say no to that job. [But] I do say that I am sensitive to it and I do understand and empathize with that position."

Now, in a new interview with the Australian arm of Yahoo! Entertainment, Scott has addressed the casting of "Exodus: Gods and Kings," though he was not asked directly about the accusations of whitewashing the story.

"You said you cast 'Exodus' very 'carefully,'" the site's reporter said to Scott in the interview. "Could you expand on that?"

Here's Scott's answer:

I guess being a director, in some ways, is like being the captain of a sports team, like a soccer team, and you have to make sure that you have every position covered really well because that will help you to win the game. So I always look on making a film as a partnership and that's what casting is all about, whether it's the star or the guy with one line. And by doing that you enable them to feel confident to try things out and feel free to suggest things. And over the years I've got the best results from actors who really are my partners in the process and it makes it all the more enjoyable. In this instance I'd met Christian four or five years ago when we had a cup of tea together and a rich tea biscuit in LA and he said, 'What are we going to do together?' And I said "well, I'll come up with something.' And it wasn't until five years later when I was thinking about the idea of Exodus and Moses being this kind of larger than life character who, at the same time, has to be played definitively as a very real person, that I thought of Christian and I knew he was the right actor for the role. It's not a fantasy. Ramses certainly wasn't a fantasy and somewhere Moses is very much written down and indicated and believed. So it's a real thing.


Scott was then asked about the film's international cast:

Egypt was –- as it is now -– a confluence of cultures, as a result of being a crossroads geographically between Africa, the Middle East and Europe. We cast major actors from different ethnicities to reflect this diversity of culture, from Iranians to Spaniards to Arabs. There are many different theories about the ethnicity of the Egyptian people, and we had a lot of discussions about how to best represent the culture.


HuffPost Entertainment contacted a representative for Scott to see if he had any specific comments on the charges of whitewashing in "Exodus: Gods and Kings." This post will be updated if and when they respond.

To read the full interview with Scott, head to Yahoo! "Exodus: Gods and Kings" is out on Dec. 12.

Artist Buried $17,000 In Gold Bars On Beach For 'Folkestone Digs'

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It's not every day we get to go on a real-life treasure hunt -- and one with really high stakes, no less.

A German artist has buried 30 bars of 24-carat gold on a beach in Folkestone, in the British county of Kent. The bars are completely up for grabs, and whoever finds them can keep them. Together, their value totals almost $17,000.

It's all to draw attention to the town's local art festival, and we must say our attention is certainly piqued.

Diggers descended on Folkestone's Outer Harbor beach after the news broke on Thursday, shovels and buckets in hand. To find the gold, treasure hunters must work around the beach's finicky tide, which typically goes out around 4 p.m.

The crowd started small, considering the riches at hand -- only about 150 people were reported to show up when the digging commenced. The first gold bar was found by a family around 7 p.m. Thursday and reports say three bars have been found since.

Each bar should be worth about $533 -- and by our count, there are 26 left.

Organizers from the art festival say they hope that as the tide rises and falls with each day of the hunt, diggers will create artworks in the sand that will be continually washed away and re-created.

We say we're booking a ticket to Folkestone!

folkestone gold

folkestone gold

folkestone gold





Thousands Are Sexually Assaulted In The U.S. Military Every Year. These Are Some Of Their Stories.

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In 2009, Jessica Hinves, then an Air Force fighter jet mechanic, said she was raped by a member of her squadron -- a man she had considered a good friend.

Hinves' rapist never stood trial. Her case was thrown out of court by a commander who told her that though the man who had raped her didn't "act like a gentleman," he needn't be punished for it. Later, Hinves was reportedly discharged from the military “against her will” for post-traumatic stress disorder. Last year, she told PBS that she felt incredibly "betrayed" by her unit, by her friend, by the legal system, and the military at large for failing to mete out justice and tossing her aside when she needed the most support.

There is an “epidemic of rape in America’s military,” says photojournalist Mary Calvert, whose haunting new photo essay "The Battle Within" tells the stories of Hinves and other survivors of military sexual violence. Most of these survivors, she told The Huffington Post this week, face a "travesty of justice."

In 2012, an anonymous Pentagon survey revealed that 26,000 people (12,000 of them women) were victims of sexual violence in the U.S. military. But of these, "only one in seven victims reported their attacks, and just one in ten of those cases went to trial," Calvert wrote on her website. "Most military rape survivors are forced out of service and many are even compelled to continue working for their rapists."

In light of these tragedies, how, asks Calvert, can the U.S. continue to promote itself as a "beacon of freedom and human dignity to the rest of the world?"

Scroll down for a glimpse of Calvert's photo essay. Story continues below.



Calvert, who specializes in the documenting of gender-based human rights issues, says she's been deeply moved by the stories of these survivors of military sexual violence and their fight to be heard.

"I have been so impressed with their courage and willingness to share their most devastating experiences with me," she told HuffPost. "Most of them are still seeking justice and all of them struggle to live with the lifelong challenges of [military sexual trauma] that include depression, substance abuse, paranoia and feelings of isolation. Survivors often spend years drowning in shame and fear as the psychological damage silently eats away at their lives: many frequently end up addicted to drugs and alcohol, homeless or take their own lives."

Ultimately, Calvert says she hopes her work will "bring sustained awareness" to this pressing issue. She has hope, she says, that change is not just possible, but in our reach.

"Beyond the shock of discovering that so many sexual assaults are happening in America's military, people are now talking about this issue and beginning to realize that those are our mothers, daughters, sisters and brothers in uniform who are being bullied and victimized," she said. "The U.S. Military is beginning to address this issue and I hope that positive change will happen soon because the system is just not working right now."

See Mary Calvert's entire "The Battle Within" series at Maryfcalvert.com.

Graphic Designer Milton Glaser Hardly Made Any Money Off The Iconic 'I Love NY' Logo

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Graphic designer Milton Glaser, who created the ubiquitous “I Love NY” logo, didn’t make much money off of his work for the iconic campaign, but he doesn't mind one bit.

“I was paid $2,000 for execution and mechanical costs of doing it, but that was the only money I ever made off of it,” he told HuffPost Live host Ricky Camilleri. “And I was very happy to do it. I was very happy about the consequences.”

The logo was first used in 1977 as part of the city’s push to boost tourism during some of the Big Apple’s darkest days, and now it appears on mugs, shirts, hats and basically any souvenir that can fit the design.

“It was a time where people were streaming out of the city,” Glaser said. "Everybody was moving out because it had become so dark and dangerous to be here. And then they started the campaign. ... It was certainly only one of many, but it was the most visible and most powerful symbol of a shift in consciousness. And the fact that I had something to do with it makes me very, very happy.

Watch the full HuffPost Live interview with Milton Glaser here.

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