Here's The First Poster For 'St. Vincent'

September 17, 2014, 1:03 pm

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Bill Murray hasn't had a true lead role in a movie since 2005's "Broken Flowers," but that will change next month with the release of "St. Vincent." The Weinstein Company film stars Murray as the title character, a misanthrope with a secret heart of gold who helps his young neighbor come of age. "St. Vincent" premiered at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, where Murray and co-star Melissa McCarthy were on the receiving end of some early Oscar buzz. Those two plus Naomi Watts make up the "St. Vincent" poster, which HuffPost Entertainment is happy to debut below.

"St. Vincent" opens in limited release on Oct. 10 before a nationwide bow on Oct. 24.

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11 Epic Tree Houses That Will Make Every Single Kid Jealous

September 17, 2014, 1:16 pm

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Remember when you were a kid and you used to spend almost every afternoon climbing trees? You may have even had a cool tree house in which you held all your secret meetings.

Well, not to diminish those fond childhood memories or anything, but these homes built in the forests and woods are precisely the kind of awesomeness we dreamed up as a kid. Behold, 11 tree houses that will make you want to immediately sell your boring house and shack up in the branches instead.

1. Let's start in Wisconsin, at the Wandawega Lake Resort. You and all your friends can stay in this cozy tree house.



Just make sure you don't mind climbing a pretty steep ladder!






2. Next, make sure you check out each of the three levels in The Enchanted Forest Tree House, Canada's tallest tree house.






3. You could even attend church at the world's largest tree house, The Horace Cathedral, in Crossville, Tennessee. The builder used 258,000 nails to build it.






4. If you want to have the most epic wedding, birthday or event of the year, have it at the Redwoods Treehouse in New Zealand. The space is accessed by an elevated treetop walkway, and makes wonderful use of natural lighting.






5. And when you want to get back to the basics, go live in this tree house village called Finca Bellavista in Costa Rica.








6. The views at the Beach Rock Treehouse in Okinawa, Japan, nicknamed the "Plexiglass portal to the universe," have got to be breathtaking.






7. If you want to become invisible, stay at The Mirrorcube at Sweden's Treehotel. It has walls that are covered with reflective glass to effectively mirror the outside world.

You could stay during the winter and marvel at the snow.


Or take in all the colors during the summer.





8. We hope you're not afraid of heights. Joel Allen, a "fledging carpenter," built this seamless orb-like treehouse deep in the forests of Whistler, Canada.



He personalized the interior to make it cozy.


It's even more spectacular at night.





9. You could serenely sip tea at the super-peaceful Teahouse Tetsu tree house at the Kiyoharu Shirakaba Museum in Hokuto City, Japan.






10. Have you ever slept inside of a perfect sphere? The Free Spirit Spheres in Vancouver Island, Canada could provide you with just that kind of escape.



And the inside has everything anyone could need for a no-fuss getaway.






11. You'll have to do some climbing to get into this tree house, but we think it will be worth it. Inspired by a Minneapolis College of Art and Design student's thesis project, the O2Treehouse "highlights the symbiotic relationship between humans and trees."

This Man Is A Veritable OkCupid God

September 17, 2014, 1:24 pm

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This is Taylor Caraway's OkCupid profile pic. It blew up Reddit earlier this week because -- well, just take look at it -- why wouldn't it blow up on Reddit?



Hellooooo, Taylor.

Needless to say, people on Reddit were all about the ladybug-laden profile photo: "If this man does not get women replying by the hundreds... then I just.. I just don't know anymore," one wrote.

"I'd date the hell out of you just for that pic alone," one lady Redditor confirmed. "Funny and creative gives you serious bonus points."

Indeed it does. In an email interview with The Huffington Post, Taylor told us he believes he's in the "top-ish tier of OkCupid success" -- meaning, "I probably get a response to around 80 percent of my first messages."

"My profile and my pictures are very polarizing, so they're not for everyone -- and that's what I like about them," he said.

Here are a few more of Taylor's zany profile pics (see more of his photos on Instagram):





As popular as the photo was on Reddit, the 32-year-old realizes that crazy ladybug prints from Hobby Lobby aren't everyone's cup of tea. And he definitely tends to have more success with the photo when he ventures outside of his hometown of Oklahoma City.

"When I travel, I get a lot better reactions to that picture and some of the other crazy ones," he said. "A lot of people think the picture is creepy, and I'll be the first to admit it definitely has a strange-ish vibe to it. That just makes me laugh, though. And I have had one or two women tell me they love me just based off the pictures -- true story."

So what's Taylor's best tip for being successful on online dating sites?

"Don't take the whole thing too seriously. I think a lot of people (especially men) tend to way overanalyze every minute detail of the messages they send," he said. "Just keep things lighthearted. Dating should be fun. If you're stressing about it, you're doing it wrong."

And in case you're wondering, Taylor is still single and no, he doesn't wear that ladybug shirt on dates. (Sorry, ladies.)

"I've never worn any wacky shirts on my first dates," he told us. "I like to have fun and create things, but I am a reasonable person who wears reasonable clothes to meet strange women from the internet."

Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Divorce on Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our newsletter here.

These Architect-Designed Cat Cribs Are Seriously Classy

September 17, 2014, 1:25 pm

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You've never seen cats chill in cribs like these before.

No one had until last weekend in Los Angeles, when top architects with local offices showcased a series of cat houses they'd designed for display at a fundraiser for FixNation, a non-profit working to control cat populations the humane way: trapping, neutering and returning kitties to where they were found.

The architects' creations, which were donated to FixNation, are truly fantastic. Plus, the kitties seem to love them:

Studio: NAC Architecture. Photo: Grey Crawford

Studio: Formation Association + Edgar Arceneaux. Photo: Grey Crawford

Studio: DSH Architecture. Photo: Grey Crawford

Studio: HOK. Photo: Grey Crawford

Studio: Space International. Photo: Joshua White

Studio: Standard Architecture Design. Photo: Grey Crawford

Studio: Abramson Teiger Architects. Photo: Grey Crawford

Studio: Wolcott Architecture Interiors. Photo: Grey Crawford

Even though these cribs appeared for a one-night-only event, they'll help more feral cats lead happy, healthy lives. If you'd like more information about FixNation, or to donate, visit fixnation.org.

h/t Dezeen

Snow White Takes On Elsa In Fierce Disney Princess Rap Battle

September 17, 2014, 2:17 pm

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If the Disney princesses met one another, would they all get along?

Snow White and Elsa from "Frozen" certainly wouldn't. Or, at least they don't in "Princess Rap Battle," a new short from actress Whitney Avalon. She plays the original pale princess, while Aussie pop singer Katja Glieson stars as the chillest new girl on the block.

In the video, the two hurl rhymed epithets at one another, backed by entourages of other princesses. The one-ups are neck and neck for a while, but Elsa is the ultimate winner: "You're one ditzy princess; I'm a motherf*****g queen!"

Drop that mic, Elsa.

National Book Awards 2014 Longlist Nominees For Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry And Young People's Literature

September 17, 2014, 2:35 pm

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This year's National Book Award longlist nominees include a blend of critical darlings and fresh faces. Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award winner Louise Glück received a nod for her latest poetry collection, and the long-venerated E.O. Wilson was nominated for his nonfiction title The Meaning of Human Existence.

Of the fiction nominees, two are previous National Book Award finalists, and one is a former winner. Three are debut authors, including Molly Antopol, whose The UnAmericans chronicles political dissidents and Israeli soldiers struggling to find meaning in their familial relationships. The theme of war is prevalent among the nominees, including Anthony Doerr's historical novel All the Light We Cannot See and Phil Klay's Redeployment, which takes place in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sonorous sentences abound as well, as Richard Powers's carefully constructed Orfeo follows a wily scientist who's been dubbed "Biohacker Bach," and Elizabeth McCracken's short story collection features a tale starring a two-person folk band. One nominee, John Darnielle, is best known not for his work as the writer of a psychological thriller, but as the frontman for the indie band Mountain Goats.

Below are the nominees for the 2014 National Book Awards, in the categories of Fiction, Young People's Literature, Poetry, and Nonfiction:

2014 Longlist for the National Book Award for Fiction:



Rabih Alameddine, An Unnecessary Woman
Grove Press/ Grove/Atlantic

Molly Antopol, The UnAmericans
W. W. Norton & Company

John Darnielle, Wolf in White Van
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See
Scribner/ Simon & Schuster

Phil Klay, Redeployment
The Penguin Press/ Penguin Group (USA)

Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven
Alfred A. Knopf/ Random House

Elizabeth McCracken, Thunderstruck & Other Stories
The Dial Press/ Random House

Richard Powers, Orfeo
W.W. Norton & Company

Marilynne Robinson, Lila
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Jane Smiley, Some Luck
Alfred A. Knopf/ Random House

2014 Longlist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature:



Laurie Halse Anderson, The Impossible Knife of Memory
Viking/ Penguin Group (USA)

Gail Giles, Girls Like Us
Candlewick Press

Carl Hiaasen, Skink--No Surrender
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers/ Random House

Kate Milford, Greenglass House
Clarion Books/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Eliot Schrefer, Threatened
Scholastic Press/ Scholastic

Steve Sheinkin, The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights
Roaring Brook Press/ Macmillan Publishers

Andrew Smith, 100 Sideways Miles
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster

John Corey Whaley, Noggin
Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster

Deborah Wiles, Revolution: The Sixties Trilogy, Book Two
Scholastic Press/ Scholastic

Jacqueline Woodson, Brown Girl Dreaming
Nancy Paulsen Books/ Penguin Group (USA)

2014 Longlist for the National Book Award for Poetry:



Linda Bierds, Roget's Illusion
G. P. Putnam's Sons/ Penguin Group (USA)

Brian Blanchfield, A Several World
Nightboat Books

Louise Glück, Faithful and Virtuous Night
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Edward Hirsch, Gabriel: A Poem
Alfred A. Knopf/ Random House

Fanny Howe, Second Childhood
Graywolf Press

Maureen N. McLane, This Blue
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Fred Moten, The Feel Trio
Letter Machine Editions

Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric
Graywolf Press

Spencer Reece, The Road to Emmaus
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Mark Strand, Collected Poems
Alfred A. Knopf/ Random House

2014 Longlist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction:



Roz Chast, Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
Bloomsbury

John Demos, The Heathen School: A Story of Hope and Betrayal in the Age of the Early Republic
Alfred A. Knopf/ Random House

Anand Gopal, No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes
Metropolitan Books/ Henry Holt and Company

Nigel Hamilton, The Mantle of Command: FDR at War, 1941 - 1942
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Walter Isaacson, The Innovators: How a Group of Inventors, Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution
Simon & Schuster

John Lahr, Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh
W.W. Norton & Company

Evan Osnos, Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Ronald C. Rosbottom, When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation, 1940-1944
Little, Brown and Company/ Hachette Book Group

Matthew Stewart, Nature's God: The Heretical Origins of the American Republic
W.W. Norton & Company

Edward O. Wilson, The Meaning of Human Existence
Liveright Publishing Corporation/ W.W. Norton & Company

Lost Interview Of Michael Jackson Talking About His 'Destiny' Resurfaces

September 17, 2014, 2:44 pm

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In January 1980, Michael Jackson was 21. He had not yet released "Thriller," nor had he been crowned King of Pop or inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But even then, he seemed to have a sense of the legacy he was building and the icon he would become.

"Blank On Blank," a PBS web series that animates previously unheard interviews with cultural icons, revives Jackson's 1980 talk with music journalist John Pidgeon, bringing the audio to life with whimsical imagery and giving us a glimpse at Jackson's thoughts on what the future might hold.

The interview is a strange one. As Pidgeon explains in an essay on his website, Jackson had requested that any questions put to him had to first be relayed through his 13-year-old sister, Janet, even though they were all sitting across the same glass-topped table.

Nevertheless, Pidgeon managed to capture a few eerie quotes from Jackson.

"I think secretly and privately there is … I mean, really deep within, there is a destiny for me and just for me to stay on that track and follow it," Jackson said during the Q&A.

The performer also touched on his role in uniting America through music. (Bear in mind, this was years before the debut of his single "Black or White.")

"You hear us talk about the peacock a lot because the peacock is the only bird of all the bird family that integrates every color into one," Jackson's said. "That’s our main goal in music. When you go to our concerts and you see every race out there and they’re all waving hands and they’re holding hands and they’re smiling and dancing. All colors."

In the decades that followed this interview, Jackson would go on to become a cultural unifier. As the Reverend Al Sharpton said after the singer's death in 2009, "Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama."

And Jackson seemed to know that, even in 1980.

These Photos Capture The Lives Of Others Like You've Never Seen

September 17, 2014, 2:57 pm

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"The Other Hundred" is a unique photo book project aimed as a counterpoint to the Forbes 100 and other media rich lists by telling the stories of people around the world who are not rich but whose lives, struggles and achievements deserve to be celebrated. Its 100 photo stories move beyond the stereotypes and clichés that fill so much of the world's media to explore the lives of people whose aspirations and achievements are at least as noteworthy as any member of the world's richest 1 percent.

Mongar, Bhutan
Photographer: Aidan Dockery

Karma Choden, 28, from Drepong village in east Bhutan’s Mongar district, is a member of the Puengu Detshen farmers’ group, one of the district’s leading growers of vegetables.

Puengu Detshen, which means nine brothers, takes its name from its nine member households.

Karma and the group’s other members work seven days a week growing a host of different vegetables, among them cabbages, broccoli, peas, radishes, carrots and mustard greens.

The group sells vegetables to the local community. Its biggest customer is a nearby secondary school which buys around 100 kilograms of vegetables daily. Every year, each household in the group earns around 100,000 ngultrum -- about U.S. $2,000 -- from sales of the vegetables.

Karma’s husband, Cheten Norbu, 30, is the group’s leader. His main responsibility is coordinating work to maintain a smooth supply of vegetables to the school. The couple, who are from the same village, have a 5-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter.

As well as growing vegetables as a cash crop, Karma and the other farmers in her group also grow maize and rice.








Chijchipa, Bolivia
Photographer: Celeste Rojas Mugica

Coca harvesters Anita and Alejandro belong to one of Bolivia’s few Afro-Bolivian communities. Their home is at Chijchipa in the northern part of the Yungas, a mountainous forest region that combines extreme altitude and tropical weather. Coroico is the closest town, only 30 kilometers away, but a one to two hour journey.

Some 300 people live in the village, in 50 households. Since Bolivia’s agrarian reforms of 1952, each of these families has had their own piece of land to work. Most households cultivate coca, supplemented by a little coffee and fruit.

Afro-Bolivians have lived in the district for as long as anyone can remember, maintaining their traditions, especially their music, saya, whose origins can be traced back to when Africans worked as slaves in mines and other industries.

















Choche, Ethiopia
Photographer: Ami Vitale

Ethiopians drink around half of the all coffee they grow, preparing it with a set of traditional rituals in a ceremony handed down over centuries.

Usually brewed by women, the process begins with the lighting of a fire on which is placed a jabena -- a traditional round clay pot with a short spout and a long neck in which water is boiled. A pan with green coffee beans is put on top of a separate pot of burning charcoal and roasted until the beans become black and shiny. To make sure everything takes place in the right atmosphere, frankincense is lit.

Once the coffee is roasted, it is ground using a wooden mortar and pestle, then put into the jabena. The mixture is boiled again, then sieved and poured into small, handleless cups and drunk in three rounds, starting with abol and tona -- first and second in Amharic -- then finally baraka -- blessing -- accompanied by light snacks such as roasted barley, peanuts and popcorn. Preparation alone can take half an hour; the drinking can last for hours.

Coffee is a vital part of Ethiopian life. Directly or indirectly, around one-quarter of the population depends on it for their livelihood. The world’s fifth largest producer in 2012, the country earned more than half a billion dollars from exports of beans.


Ramla Sharif roasts coffee inside her home at Choche, a village which many claim was where the original ancestral coffee tree was discovered in the 13th century.




More from The Other Hundred
Inside Gaza
Cairo's Blind, Female Orchestra
The Reality Of Education In Liberia
Inside North Korea
One Of Europe's Poorest Countries

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Scotland Hasn't Declared Independence Yet, But These Artists Have

September 17, 2014, 6:20 pm

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On Thursday, Scottish voters will head to the polls to weigh in on whether or not the country will become independent of the United Kingdom.

A posse of prank artists, meanwhile, seem to have already decided Scotland's destiny.

Corralled by photographer Jon Parker Lee, the group of English and Scottish artist friends hoped to make light of the intense debate by propping up a fake passport checkpoint on Monday where the A68 highway crosses from England into Scotland.

A video published yesterday by The Telegraph captures Lee and his friends dressed as phony border patrol agents at the fake checkpoint, where signs read "Scottish Border Agency Passport Control" and "Opens 19 Sept 2014."

"The debate needed a bit of a joke," Lee says in the video. "We thought it could do with a light moment."

The latest polls ahead of Thursday's vote show Scotland's independence referendum is at a dead heat. Check out HuffPost's primer on the vote for more.

H/t Laughing Squid

New 'Star Wars' Video Teases 'Episode VII' Millennium Falcon (And The Batmobile)

September 18, 2014, 9:00 am

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"Star Wars" fans were gifted with a treat on Thursday: Video of the Millennium Falcon, which will make its reappearance in "Episode VII." Director J.J. Abrams' production company, Bad Robot, tweeted the video tour of the ship's outside, which combines the familiar "Star Wars" theme with Hans Zimmer's equally familiar score from Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. The reason for the crossover? An Easter egg at the clip's conclusion involving the Batmobile. The nerdy surprise is likely Bad Robot's response to "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" director Zack Snyder "blaming" a Stormtrooper for stealing the Batmobile, among other "Star Wars" references on Snyder's Twitter feed. (Don't ask, but head here for an explanation.) Whatever the case, this looks like a fast ship. "Episode VII" is out on Dec. 18, 2015

James Franco Finally Explains James Franco By 'Making A Scene'

September 18, 2014, 9:55 am

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The answer has to do with an Alien.

In a small press event to promote his new project, an AOL On Originals series entitled "Making a Scene with James Franco," the actor, director, artist, writer, musician, producer, teacher (and, at any given moment, probably another half dozen things) finally explained his deal to the room of journalists. Asked by a Twitter user, "What role have you played that you think has the best resemblance to your actual personality?" Franco responded:

"I did a movie called 'Spring Breakers.' Harmony [Korine] was just like go and act, just be yourself," he said.

For those who have not seen Korine's 2013 film, Franco played a cornrowed rapper and gangster named Alien. The character is famous for lines such as "Come on y'all, why you actin' 'spicious" and "My real name is Al, but truth be told, I'm not from this planet."

Is James Franco from this planet?



In what may help to further explain Franco's persona, earlier on in the Q&A, the actor said that much of the work he churns out at seemingly prolific rates, including the project he was promoting, is designed to get audiences to like him more. The goodwill Franco engenders then allows him to get approval to do things he really cares about:

[Sighs] If I do this and I do other comedies, in a weird way it ... it creates a space for me to do something that contrasts with this. If I, in a weird way, comedy creates good will... For whatever reason in my case, if I do the things like this then it's sort of like one for them and then I get to do maybe a Faulkner adaptation that's for me or something.

The room then proceeded to watch a clip from the new series called "Dirty Dancing Dogs." It mashed up the films "Dirty Dancing" and "Reservoir Dogs." As it played, Franco leaned his face hard onto the side of his wine glass.

Later in the event, immediately following the screening of a clip called "BatJuice" (a combination of "The Dark Knight" and "Beetlejuice"), Franco remarked on his frustration about the project not turning out the way he hoped:

"Those beeps are so lame. Why is it being censored? It's so stupid."



Other notable moments from the night included Franco admitting to have seen the whole "Twilight" franchise along with DVD commentaries, that he'd play Batman if given the chance and that people trying to accomplish his level of success should "just work hard."

A recurring theme of the night: Franco's concern about what he's actually allowed to do with "Making A Scene." When talking about a "When Harry Met Sally" video Franco would like to release, he expressed worry that fans would not be able to see the short as he intended. (It apparently features a climax in which Franco has "stuff that got all over [himself] and [his] eyes and mouth.") According to Franco, the clip was "too dirty for AOL." (AOL is the parent company of The Huffington Post.)

"Maybe the fans can petition AOL for them to not be so ... PG," said Franco.

James Franco, Alien at heart = Not PG.



AOL On already has the first four episodes of "Making a Scene" ready to stream, with more videos to be released in the coming weeks. Watch the full event below:

Jenny Zigrino Explains Why Plus-Size Women Are The Best

September 18, 2014, 9:57 am

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Comedian Jenny Zigrino is happy being a plus-size lady. After all, there are a lot of perks to being full figured, not the least of which is being the mayor of "Pound Town." Oh, yes. Take heed, skinny gals ... you could break right in half.

Via Live At The Apt

Jack White Lambastes Rolling Stone, Jokes About Foo Fighters In 'Kanye West-Esque Rant'

September 18, 2014, 10:29 am

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Jack White held little back during a four-minute diatribe at his show at Fenway Park in Boston on Wednesday, taking a shot at fellow rock heavyweights Foo Fighters and bringing the hammer down on Rolling Stone.

Opening up, White shared his distaste for those who have defiled the sanctity of the live performance, stating how "most performers don't use microphones anymore, you know ... singers don't use microphones that have cords." Next up was Foo Fighters. White commented how the band uses a second guitarist "playing the same parts" so as to cover up any mistakes that might be made while performing.

Last on his list was Rolling Stone, and White had plenty of say about the magazine's online content, announcing that it was “brought to you by the Kardashian family.” He made up a number of listicle-based faux articles, like "15 Outfits That Will Blow Your Mind That Taylor Swift Wore This Month" and "12 Reasons Rolling Stone Won’t Put A Black And White Cover On The Cover Of Their Magazine Unless You're Dead." White was also sure to mention that one of the co-founders and editor of Rolling Stone, Jann Wenner, is also the current owner of US Weekly.

“OK, I’m officially supposed to stop now, because this is becoming a Kanye West-esque rant," White said in conclusion. "Because apparently, nowadays, you aren’t allowed to speak to your own fans about anything, lest it be a rant.” He concluded, “So forget ISIS, forget the war in the Middle East, forget any problems at home, forget gay marriage, forget everything you ever thought about everything. This not a rant. This is just me saying, HELLO CLEVELAND!”

Listen to White's fury below.



[h/t Pitchfork]

UPDATE -- 4:54 pm: Jack White's camp released a statement addressing his remakrs about Foo Fighters during his performance in Boston, assuring everyone that there is no conflict between White and Dave Grohl and company, saying that "Jack has the upmost respect for the Foo Fighters and communicated with Grohl this morning." Read the full statement:

Dear dream-makers of the media….

Last night Jack White made a joke on stage!

There was a minor equipment mishap, specifically with his guitar, and in an effort to keep his audience engaged, he made a joke! It was meant to be funny and self deprecating: “hey sorry, you’re stuck with just me up here...” vs the Foo Fighters who have three guitar players on stage and regularly play stadium shows.

Jack has the upmost respect for the Foo Fighters and communicated with Grohl this morning.

So if you’ll let us, we’ll all continue with our day and we assure you: All is well in the rock n roll world.

Foo Fighters also responded to the situation, tweeting out a picture of an adorable monkey holding a guitar, saying “Busted….behold, the secret of the Foo Fighters sound….”

Busted....behold, the secret of the Foo Fighters sound.... pic.twitter.com/xbUUTwuyAt

— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) September 18, 2014

Connie Britton And Kirsten Gillibrand's '80s Throwback Photo Is Everything

September 18, 2014, 12:14 pm

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We now have photographic evidence that "Nashville" star Connie Britton and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand were, in fact, roommates during a summer study abroad program in Beijing.

A snapshot of the pair is featured in Gillibrand’s new memoir, Off the Sidelines, and captures their days as Dartmouth undergrads in the 1980s.



The hair, Connie, the hair!

"We were quite adventurous," Gillibrand told HuffPost Live recently of her time with Britton in China. "We'd spend every weekend going someplace new in China and seeing and experiencing different things." Gillibrand elaborated on a time when the girls battled food poisoning together. "One weekend, we went to the beach, this place called Beihai, and we had crabs and all the great seafood. We got home, we were so sick, we were all just throwing up non-stop ... and my most vibrant memory is being taken to the hospital on the back of a bike, as you're heaving -- Connie was sick; I was sick -- and they gave us this vial of black liquid and it was toad venom and they said drink this."



Gillibrand's book Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World is available now.

Liza Minnelli Is A Comic Book Character Now (PHOTOS)

September 18, 2014, 12:15 pm

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The legendary Liza Minnelli gets animated for a new comic book.

The life of the stage and screen icon is the focus of Female Force: Liza Minnelli, which was released this week, featuring text by Michael L. Frizell and illustrations by Rafael Cordeiro.

Calling the creative process "a unique experience," Cordeiro told The Huffington Post in an email statement, "A biography is a challenge for any artist, because you have to delve into someone else's life, interpret it and bring those memories back through graphical representations. This task is even more challenging when you're speaking about a person as legendary as Liza Minnelli."



Writer Frizell, who has acting experience of his own, added, "She is a singular talent whose body of work is unmatched in musical theater. Her powerful stage presence and talent are things I hoped to capture while writing the book.”

Bluewater Productions, which created the book, previously produced similar titles based on gay icons like Barbra Streisand and Madonna. Publisher Darren G. Davis said Minnelli was a great addition as his team aims "to showcase the strong women in today’s society that have inspired generations and shaped the culture of today."

You can purchase Female Force: Liza Minnelli on iTunes here, or in a physical print edition here.

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Smart's Dancing Traffic Light Is The Grooviest Way For Pedestrians To Stay Safe

September 18, 2014, 12:54 pm

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We've all done it while waiting for a traffic light to turn. The coast -- for a mere moment -- becomes clear. A mad dash for the other side of the street ensues.

It's not the safest move.

Well, as shown in the above video, the Smart company has invented a way to keep the would-be scofflaw pedestrians of the world safely entertained while they wait to cross the street: a dancing traffic light.

Yes, you heard right. This past summer, the firm behind the original Smart Car built a signal at an intersection in Lisbon, Portugal, and configured it so that dance moves of passersby would be mimicked in real time by the human figure in the traffic light.

The company reported that 81 percent more people stopped at the red light when it danced.

According to Mashable, the swivel-hipped traffic signal was created for an ad campaign that emphasizes the company's focus on safety. We hope transit officials everywhere are paying attention -- and ready to get down.

Art Thief Has No Idea How To Hide Things

September 18, 2014, 1:06 pm

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You know when you're in an art gallery and you decide to steal one of the paintings off the wall and then you can't find a way to jam it into your sweatshirt because it's a painting and large rectangular paintings don't belong inside sweatshirts? Hate it when that happens!

Well, this art thief ran into a similar problem. Luckily, the piece was recovered by gallery staff before the suspect could escape with it. However, the would-be thief is still on the lam.

Police in the U.K. have released surveillance video in the hopes that viewers will be able to help locate him.

Probably won't be difficult, given his general difficulty with the concept of hiding.

[h/t Reddit]

Check Out The Stylish First Poster For 'The Homesman'

September 18, 2014, 1:31 pm

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Hilary Swank's next Oscar nomination might be for "The Homesman." The drama, which premiered to strong reviews at this year's Cannes Film Festival, comes from director Tommy Lee Jones, and stars Swank as a frontierswoman tasked with transporting three other women to Iowa. (Jones co-stars as her initially unwilling partner.) "Swank is always at her best when appropriately cast; that's something that has happened a handful of times, two of which earned her an Oscar win," Awards Daily editor Sasha Stone, posting a review for TheWrap, wrote back in May. "It seems likely she will get a nomination once again provided the film gets a fair shake." Stone isn't alone in her thinking; eight other awards experts have Swank on their initial short-lists for Best Actress over at GoldDerby.com as well.

"The Homesman" is out on Nov. 14. Check out the first poster, which HuffPost Entertainment is happy to debut, below.

7 Clothing Stores With Home Decor Departments Are Truly The Best Of Both Worlds

September 18, 2014, 1:40 pm

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The only thing better than picking up an amazing new outfit? Nabbing some fabulous home decor while you're at it. We don't mean a cute little jewelry tray you stumbled upon in the accessories section -- we're talking full-blown furniture options, lighting and all the accents you could ever hope for. Basically, everything you'd find at, say, HomeGoods or West Elm, only alongside some more fashion-oriented finds.

And the best part? Many of these home departments are either growing, like the one at Anthropologie, or are on the newer side and ready to expand their aesthetic to home accents, like the ones at Nanette Lepore.

So go ahead, get your one-stop shopping on.

ModCloth

If you have a retro taste in decor and long for the perfect quirky throw pillow, this is the place for you. Though they don't sell furniture, ModCloth an eclectic assortment of everything else you need to make your home a bit more charming.

Urban Outfitters

Any home can be transformed into a Brooklyn loft with the ultra-trendy offerings found here. From furniture to ultra-trendy shelving (and everything in between), you can find something that's a perfect combo of hipster and chic for every room in the house. And don't forget about the humorous accessories selection with all of the pop-culture references you can think of.

Anthropologie

Looking for a more sophisticated, European version of Urban Outfitters' home collection? You'll find it here. They offer just as much, if not more, in terms of furniture, accents and gorgeous hardware, but with a more romantic, feminine touch.

H&M

Offering possibly the most extensive array of accents and accessories from this list, the H&M home department has something for every taste. Though you won't find furniture here, you can find pillows for the edgier, more modern home, kitchen accessories and plates for the rustic abode and even personality-filled coasters that work in any space.

Kate Spade

The same colorfully preppy aesthetic seen in Kate Spade handbags and jewelry is what you'll find in their kitchen and office supplies. There's also an "odds and ends" category filled with fun finds like mustached bottle openers, and dinnerware collections that belong in the registry of your dreams.

Nanette Lepore

This is the perfect destination if you're looking for feminine, boho-style bedding and textiles reminiscent of the designer's equally bohemian fashion collections.

Ralph Lauren

If you're looking for something clean, classic and luxurious, you cannot go wrong with Ralph Lauren. While the designer brand will cost you a bit more, the extensive array of furniture and accent pieces is pretty much as timeless as the Polo logo itself. With that in mind, go here if you're ready to make a long-term investment in say bedding or lighting for your home.





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Are you an architect, designer or blogger and would like to get your work seen on HuffPost Home? Reach out to us at homesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com with the subject line "Project submission." (All PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)

All The Times You'll Unexpectedly Laugh During 'The Maze Runner'

September 18, 2014, 2:19 pm

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"The Maze Runner" isn't a particularly funny movie. But the dystopian thriller, based on a YA novel by the same name, may make you laugh unintentionally, if, like this viewer, you're forgiving of genre tropes.

Told through the eyes of Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), "The Maze Runner" follows a group of teenage boys sent to live in a giant field, The Glade, which surrounded by a maze. Their memories have been erased by a mysterious overlord, but they come with one purpose: survive. It's "Lord of the Flies" meets "The Hunger Games," with a similar formula. The boys, known as Gladers, have rules and regulations meant to keep them alive, but Thomas' arrival -- and the curiosity he brings with him -- changes all that. When another Glader named Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) is sent earlier than expected, all hell breaks loose and the Gladers must immediately find a way out of the maze.

O'Brien (known for "Teen Wolf") nails the bewildered but brave teenager role, but even his performance can't shake a snoozy and muddled plot. We're presented with dozens of questions, half as many answers and only one female character for most of the film. Fans of the book will miss some of the undercurrents, mainly Thomas and Teresa's telepathy, and the pacing, since the film puts Thomas in the Glade for just a few days.

Author James Dashner gave the film its climax and finale (spoilers ahead), and the cast makes the best of the clunky ending, which nicely tees up a sequel, "The Scorch Trials." (That film is already in development.) Nevertheless, "The Maze Runner" is a good time, full of worthy action scenes and adolescent jest. Forget that Thomas and the surviving Gladers are now entrusted to save the world from a "scorched Earth." Here are all the times you'll unexpectedly laugh while watching "The Maze Runner."



When Thomas spits out Glader alcohol.
Whiskey made by teenagers trapped inside of a maze sounds like a terrible idea. Thomas realized this as soon as he took a sip from Newt's Mason jar.

When Teresa comes out of the box.
It's a girl! WICKED, the scientific organization who controls the Maze, sends Teresa up in the box with a cryptic note, "She's the last one ever." But she's also the first girl, and, unsurprisingly, everyone is shocked. Teresa opens her eyes, looks directly at Thomas and yells, "THOMAS!" Then she passes out while all the Gladers stare at him. WTF, Thomas? The whole theater giggled.

When Teresa stabs Alby with the Griever antidote.
Alby, recently stung by one of the maze monsters known as Grievers, recognizes Thomas and instantly realizes he was somehow involved in the maze's creation. As he lunges towards Thomas, the other Gladers hold him down. Teresa has no idea if the mysterious syringe she came to the Glade with contains a cure, but -- STAB! -- she jabs him with the mystery medicine. Bravo, Teresa, you brave psycho/nurse.

When Chuck says, "Girls are awesome."
These boys don't remember having any contact with girls. So, when Teresa wakes up after falling unconscious, she does what any terrified girl would do: She pelts the boys with rocks from a tree house. Chuck's enamored.

When WICKED leader Ava Paige shoots herself in the head.
Because, JUST KIDDING, she's not dead! A few minutes later, Paige (Patricia Clarkson) reveals herself to be alive, well and very excited to move into Phase 2. Life is terrible, kids, and freedom is fake.

"The Maze Runner" hits theaters Sept. 19.