HuffPost Teen spent the year documenting the adventures and achievements of incredible, badass teens who are dominating social media, revolutionizing medicine and standing up against injustice. Over the past 12 months, countless teens have challenged the status quo and proved bravery doesn't come with an age requirement.

As 2014 comes to an end, we're taking a moment to celebrate some of this year's most fearless teens. Scroll down to see who made the list.

1. Mo’ne Davis, 13



Mo'ne may have forever changed what it means to throw #likeagirl. Her 70 mph fastball made her the first female pitcher to win a Little League World Series game and earned her a place in baseball's Hall of Fame. Now, she's at work on her memoir.

2. Megan Grassell, 19



After watching her younger sister try to find a bra that wasn't of the uber-sexy, padded or push-up variety, Megan decided to start her own company that designed bras specifically for growing teen bodies -- padding not included. After launching a successful Kickstarter campaign, Megan started the Yellowberry brand. Her bras sold out within days -- earning her major viral props.

3. Nicole Maines, 17



Nicole has garnered national attention for her crusade to help transgender students. When Nicole was in 5th grade, she was told by her public school that she was not allowed to use the girl's bathroom -- though she has identified as female since the age of two. Nicole filed a discrimination lawsuit against her school, and after a five-year battle, won her case in a groundbreaking decision by the Maine Supreme Court this past February. Her bravery won her a spot as one of Glamour magazine's Phenomenal Women of the Year.

4. Bethany Mota, 19



Her perky personality and fun fashion and beauty advice won her over 7 million YouTube subscribers and her own fashion line at Aeropostale last December. This year, she became a competitor on "Dancing with The Stars," and even made it to the show's semi-finals.

5. Ciara Judge, 16, Émer Hickey, 16, and Sophie Healy-Thow, 17



The Irish teens won top prize at the Google Science Fair with a brilliant plan to help solve world hunger. The teens discovered a way to increase cereal crop yields by 50 percent, which could have incredible implications for the growing world food crisis.

6. Chloe Grace Moretz, 17



Chloe had a busy 2014, with starring roles in this summer's "If I Stay," "The Equalizer" with Denzel Washington and "Laggies" with Keira Knightley. Since rocketing to fame in the 2010 film, "Kick Ass," she's become one of the highest-earning teens in Hollywood. More importantly, she's majorly inspirational as a proud feminist who refuses to cater to Hollywood's objectifying female character parts.

7. Neha Gupta, 18



Neha was the 2014 winner of the prestigious International Children's Peace Prize for her work helping orphans and vulnerable children in India. After founding "Empower Orphans" at the age of 9, she's gone on to bring thousands of Indian children hope in the form of clean water, libraries, computer centers, hospital services and more.

8. Malala Yousafzai, 17



No list of incredible teens would be complete with Malala, who became the youngest Noble Peace Prize winner in history this year. Her bravery captivated the world after the Pakistani teen nearly was killed by the Taliban for speaking out on behalf of women's rights. Through the Malala Fund, she's worked to empower young girls everywhere through education.

9. Troye Sivan, 19



Though he played young Wolvervine in 2009's "X-Men," Troye Sivan's fame really took off when he came out on his YouTube channel last year. Since then, he's become an outspoken voice for safe sex, earning him a spot on this year's Out 100. He's also earned acclaim for his musical chops with his single, "Happy Little Pill" topping iTunes charts in 55 countries.

10. Tom Phelan, 17



The young actor has become a powerful face for LGBTQ rights, staring as transgender teen, Cole, on ABC Family's "The Fosters." The show made headlines this summer, and Tom's character has been celebrated as a positive representation for trans teens. Tom's also become a resource for teen fans on Tumblr, Just Your Friendly Neighborhood Trans Kid, answering questions about gender and sexuality.

11. Joshua Wong, 18



Joshua Wong was the force behind arguably the largest youth political movement of 2014: the Hong Kong student "Umbrella Protests" against the Chinese government. Wong rallied thousands of Hong Kong youth to occupy Hong Kong streets demanding universal suffrage from the Chinese government. Recently, he began a hunger strike to pressure the government to meet with protestors.

12. Liam Martin, 17

I couldn't afford a cool iPhone case so I had to use fries... Like if u cried

A photo posted by ! ☮ℒiąʍ✝нℯℒi☯ŋ! (@waverider_) on Aug 8, 2014 at 5:51pm PDT

Liam Martin, aka @waverider, became an Instagram darling after his photos of hilarious celebrity doppleganger impersonations went viral and earned him nearly 2 million followers. Most of his photos are impersonations of female celebrities, which has made him a prime target for cyberbullies. He became vocal on YouTube speaking out against the haters. Rock on.


13. Jazz Jennings, 14



The teen has been an outspoken activist for trans rights, first reaching the public eye with a Youtube series in 2012 about growing up trans. She's since been interviewed by Barbara Walters and cowritten a children’s book about growing up transgender, called "I Am Jazz." Her outspoken activism has earned her spots on OUT100 and The Advocate's 40 under 40. She was also a special guest at the 2014 GLAAD Media Awards.

14. Carleigh O'Connell, 14





When Carleigh discovered a cruel graffiti message about her body painted in her hometown of Wall, New Jersey, she refused to play the victim. Instead, the teen stood up to body shaming by happily posing for a photograph -- in front of the hurtful graffiti. That photograph quickly rocketed her to viral fame as a true role model for positive body image.


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WASHINGTON -- The mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, announced on Tuesday that he would not seek to remove a photograph on display at a local museum or withdraw the museum's funding after the city council president called the image "pornographic" and asked him to do so.

City Council President Clay Yarborough (R) took issue with a photograph at the Museum of Contemporary Art by Angela Strassheim of a nude pregnant woman reclining with her breasts exposed. Yarborough, who saw the image last week while walking through a public space in the museum, emailed the chief of staff for Mayor Alvin Brown (D) and requested the city revoke more than $200,000 in taxpayer funds given to the museum through cultural grants.

"Given that any member of the public, including children of all ages can enter, and are in fact encouraged to do so, as City Council President I take great offense on behalf of the people of Jacksonville that the City would accept this," Yarborough wrote in an email that was provided to The Huffington Post. "Unless Mayor Brown supports this inappropriate, pornographic display, and accepts that anyone, including children can enter and see it, I insist that you immediately cause to be pulled all funding designated for MOCA for the current fiscal year or otherwise explain how this will be addressed within 24 hours."

MOCA was awarded $233,029 this fiscal year from the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, which allocates a small portion of the city's budget to more than 20 cultural institutions.

In an email to The Huffington Post, Yarborough said he didn't think children should be compelled to see a nude photograph.

"While all may differ on the definition of art, a more important issue is: should any person, especially a child, who enters the unrestricted lobby of a taxpayer-owned building have his or her rights violated by being forcibly exposed to this type of picture if they do not wish to see it?" Yarborough said in the email. David DeCamp, a Brown spokesman, said that the MOCA building is owned by the city, but the museum itself is administered by the University of North Florida.

Brown referred the matter to the city's office of general counsel, which told Yarborough that the city could not remove the artwork without violating the First Amendment.

"The museum and artist have First Amendment rights to exhibit artwork in a leased public space, even if it may offend some members of the public," Jason Gabriel, the city's general counsel, wrote on Tuesday in an email to Yarborough. "While the city can choose to fund agencies or activities however it wishes (including those involving speech), it cannot discriminate or base its decisions on viewpoints with which it disagrees."

Citing that conclusion, Brown also told Yarborough in a letter on Tuesday that he would not remove any of the funds appropriated to MOCA.

Cultural Council President Tony Allegretti -- who took his two young children to see the exhibit -- said that he was "mystified over the complaint" and was unsure of how exactly Yarborough or the city could revoke MOCA's funding. A rally in support of the museum's right to display the picture is scheduled for Wednesday evening.

Strassheim, whose exhibit deals with the "fleeting nature of adolescence," said she was shocked at the outcry over the picture.

"To me it's a very tasteful photograph," Strassheim told The Huffington Post. "It's not done in a gross, obscene way, so it is shocking to me that there's that much attention to this. But it is also by one man."

"To me the photograph is about this last bit of afternoon sunlight pouring in the window and her kind of embracing the warmth of that," she said. "I'm surprised in 2014 that we're having an issue over breasts in a photograph."

Marcelle Polednik, the museum's director, told HuffPost that a museum "anywhere in the world" would have images of the nude body, which has long been a subject of art.

"Introducing children to the body is not something that should be shied away from. It demands a greater context. How many hundreds of thousands of children visit Michelangelo's David every year?" Polednik said.

So you need to get holiday gifts for the loved ones in your life, and these individuals are just a little bit too clever, too creative and too weird for the average ugly sweater. You've come to the right place.

We've compiled a list of 10 DIY holiday gifts inspired by art history's greatest and strangest minds. Some require more artistic skill while many just need a few hours at the local flea market. All of them, however, will create a far more pleasurable experience than stressing out over holiday shopping. Why consume when you can create?

From Mike Kelley to Tracey Emin, the following artists will serve as our gift-giving spirit guides in a quest to never, ever enter the mall this holiday season. Enjoy our 10 handmade gift suggestions below, some of which, like the greatest gifts in life, are slightly NSFW.

1. Frida Kahlo Portrait



Channel the almighty goddess of self portraits and create a tripped out depiction of a loved one this holiday season. Simply create a flattened depiction of their beautiful face (with or without an additional unibrow) and surround it with the classic Frida trimmings -- monkeys, vines, bloody veins, bursting flowers, etc. The depiction doesn't have to be completely accurate; take a hint from Ms. Kahlo and focus your energy on creating an imaginative rendering that's as mythical as it is truthful.


2. Joseph Cornell Shadow Box



For the flea market fiends among us: Follow Cornell's lead and assemble a grown-up diorama using found materials from vintage photographs to snippets of book passages to whatever trinkets and tchotchkes you see fit. The overall vibe will couple the mystery of surrealism with a sense of cozy nostalgia. Place a glass panel on your shadow box to complete the Cornellian vision.


3. Yayoi Kusama Polka Dotted Creation



Let the mindset of the Polka Dot Queen herself wash over you this holiday season and create a polka dotted something for a dear friend. The good thing is you can take almost any object and cover it in Kusama's signature spots, from a ball or a frame to your pet or even yourself. "If there's a cat, I obliterate it by putting polka dot stickers on it," Kusama once said. "I obliterate a horse by putting polka dot stickers on it. And I obliterated myself by putting the same polka dot stickers on myself." So basically, find those stickers and get obliterating.


4. Mike Kelley Memory Ware



Throughout Kelley's artistic career, he made folk art-inspired, three dimensional collages comprised of the interesting materials that were left behind, collapsing lost elements of former artworks into a glittering pastiche of odds and ends. Create your own work of "Memory Ware" using a wood picture frame and filling it with buttons, beads, stickers, shoestrings, pins, business cards and whatever else you'd like to remember forever.


5. Barbara Kruger Sign



Take revenge on all the obligatory "Live, Laugh, Love" paraphernalia making the Christmas stocking rounds this season with a little help from Ms. Kruger. Take a black and white image from a magazine or newspaper and juxtapose it with your favorite worldly advice such as "The meaning of life is that it stops" or "You want it You buy it You forget it." Keep the color scheme black, white and red to stay true to Barbara's world.


6. Claes Oldenburg Bake Sale



What's the only gift better than actual edible cake? A plushy, gushy slice of art cake, of course! Craft your own soft sculpture/baked good à la Claes Oldenburg, whether out of papier-mâché, fabric, clay or whatever strikes your fancy. Just make sure you're taking inspiration from the sweet stuff of everyday life and, in our opinion, the bigger the better.


7. Nick Cave Soundsuit



This one is for the friend who has everything. They probably don't, however, have a full body suit made of discarded materials and the occasional dyed human hair. Create your own take on Cave's hybrid sculpture-costumes with your favorite found beads, fabrics, furs, feathers and whatever else. Pile it on until you have created your own vibrant trash monster unlike any other. It doesn't have to be life-sized, a miniature totem will do just fine.


8. Jim Hodges Metallic Rocks



Give a gift that's equal parts earthy and glitzy by channeling Jim Hodges' poetic meditations on the objects of everyday life. This one is as easy as it is beautiful; find a nice, big rock and paint one of the sides in a metallic hue of your choosing. A humble rock becomes a glammed-up objet d'art in a matter of minutes.


9. Paul McCarthy NSFW Chocolate



If you're gift hunting for someone who is more naughty than nice, we recommend following in the footsteps of Mr. Paul McCarthy. His Yuletide exhibition now on view in Paris incorporates edible chocolate figurines of Santa's elves and their handy butt plugs. We're not sure if you'll be able to recreate this exact NSFW mold, but we trust you can use your imagination and think of something equally unruly.


10. Tracey Emin Quilt



If you know how to sew, this is our challenge to you. If you haven't picked up on it, we're pretty into anti-sentimental gift giving this time of year, and no one can bring the realness quite like Tracey Emin. Take inspiration from her "Psycho Slut" quilt by combining the preferred craft of the elderly set with unlikely messages -- inside jokes, feminist mantras or rude nonsense. There's nothing like cuddling up to a curse word at night.

Watching live television is so 2013. According to a new report from Nielsen, traditional television viewership is down 4 percent from the third quarter of 2013 to the third quarter of 2014, with viewers using more streaming services, on demand platforms and digital devices to consume content.

In the Total Audience Report, Nielsen found that live television consumption dropped from four hours and 44 minutes a day in Q3 of 2013 to four hours and 32 minutes a day in Q3 of 2014. Monthly viewership over the two quarters was down as well: from 147 hours to 141 hours. Those losses were accompanied by a two-minute rise in "time shifted" viewing, as well as increased viewing on digital devices, like smart phones and tablets. There was also a 19 percent rise in subscription video on demand. As Time noted, 2.8 percent of U.S. households are now "broadband only"; last year, that figure was 1.1 percent.

“While we are not seeing a departure from media content consumption, we do see a shift in consumer behavior and today we see a resounding growth in consumption on digital platforms,” Dounia Turrill, senior vice president of insights at Nielsen, wrote in the report. “The growing penetration of new devices and the popularity of subscription-based streaming services, time shifting and over-the-top viewing -- as well as cord-cutting and cord shaving -- are fundamentally changing the TV industry."

For more on the Nielsen report, head to The Wall Street Journal.

Sam Smith, Betty Who and HBO's "Looking" were among the big winners at Logo's 2014 NewNowNext Awards, which kicked off Art Basel in Miami.

Smith and Who nabbed the awards for Best New Musician -- Male and Female, respectively. Meanwhile, "Looking" was named the Best New Television Star, while its star, Jonathan Groff, took home the award for Best New Television Actor.

Other winners included Natalie Dormer (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1"), who was named Best New Lead Actress, and "The Fault in Our Stars" heartthrob Ansel Elgort, who was Best New Lead Film Actor.

The ceremony, which airs Dec. 7 on Logo, is hosted by "Glee" hunk Darren Criss and features performances by Who and Kristin Chenoweth.

Pop icon and outspoken lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights advocate Cyndi Lauper narrated the show, which is deemed "the definitive farewell party for 2014 and predictor to who and what will dominate pop culture in the year to come."

Head here to read more about the winners.

"Serial" returns Thursday with a new episode following last week's hiatus. For the uninitiated, the podcast focuses on Adnan Syed, who in 2000 was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, and sentenced to life in prison. Syed has maintained his innocence in the 15 years since Lee's murder. Journalist Sarah Koenig hosts "Serial" and spends each podcast peeling back layers of Syed's case, making valid arguments for and against his conviction in the process. (Meanwhile, an appeal hearing for Syed has been set for January.) Nine episodes in, "Serial" has created more questions than answers for its totally obsessed listeners. We know, because we're part of the 1.5 million people who download the show each week (and then loudly debate it in the Huffington Post newsroom). Ahead, 13 burning questions to ask about "Serial" before the debut of Episode 10.

Kourtney Kardashian posed nude for the latest issue of DuJour magazine and opened up about why she feels her best during pregnancy.

The 35-year-old reality star, who confirmed she is expecting her third child with Scott Disick in a June episode of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," appears in DuJour in a series of stunning photos shot by Brian Bowen Smith wearing only a necklace, a thin cover-up and nothing at all.

"To me, nudity is not something to be ashamed of," Kardashian said. "I’m not embarrassed of my body. I’m at my best when I’m pregnant. It’s such an amazing feeling, the transformation that your body goes through. There’s something about that that’s so empowering and beautiful and I just really embrace it."

The editorial showcases the shape of her body while pregnant and she hopes people see the images as art.

"It’s what a woman’s body is made to do, so I hope it’s maybe seen as something that’s artistic," she told DuJour. "This was something that initially I did for myself just to capture the moment in my life, but these photos are beautiful and I’m happy to share them. And I like how raw they are. It’s my body: I’m not trying to impress anybody or be something that I’m not. But in general, I don’t really care that much about what people think. It doesn’t rule my world. I did this because I wanted to and it made me happy."

Head over to DuJour to read more from Kardashian's interview.

Look below and you'll see a stunning contemporary photograph by Angela Strassheim, dubbed "Untitled (Janine Eight Months Pregnant)," depicting a nude pregnant woman outstretched on a sofa, currently on view at MOCA Jacksonville.

The Connecticut-based artist is known for capturing transitional life moments in her works, fleeting points that separate childhood, adolescence and adulthood. The portrait of Janine hangs alongside similarly truthful depictions of youth and time's passage, at once extraordinary and mundane.


Angela Strassheim: Untitled (Janine Eight Months Pregnant), 2013. 50 x 60 inches. Archival pigment print mounted to aluminum composite board. Courtesy of the artist and Andrea Meislin Gallery. “Project Atrium: Angela Strassheim” installation images at MOCA Jacksonville at the members’ preview on Nov. 21. Photos by Thomas Hager for MOCA Jacksonville.


Last week Clay Yarborough, the president of Jacksonville’s city council, dubbed the work "pornography," requesting the mayor, Alvin Brown, defund a $230,000 grant given to the museum. In 2014. Yup.

Yarborough specifically objected to the work's prominent placement in the museum's atrium, which must be passed through on the way to Café Nola, the museum restaurant. The implied problem: innocent children unaware of the pains of childbirth will be forced to bear witness to a pregnant lady if they're en route to the restaurant without wanting to visit the museum.

"While we may all differ on the definition of art," Yarborough, a Republican, explained in a statement, "the real question is should an adult and/or children who wish to eat at Café Nola be forcibly exposed to the picture upon entering the public, taxpayer-owned building if they do not wish to see it? As a parent of young children, I support parental choice and believe no parent should be put in the position of having to answer awkward questions that could arise from their child seeing a picture like that."

Strassheim told the Jacksonville Daily Record she was "quite shocked" at the commotion caused by the image. "I see an intimate moment of a nude, very pregnant woman basking in the last bit of afternoon sunlight as she waits for the birth of her child. She is not affected by the cold of winter outside her window."



Since Yarborough made his objections to the work public, the reaction has been split regarding the potentially harmful nature of the artwork. The Jackson Cultural Council weighed in favor of Strassheim, saying it "stands ready to defend the artistic and curatorial choices of our cultural service grantees." Added Republican Councilman Richard Clark: "I think we need to support the arts more, not less."

However, Councilman Don Redman, also Republican, felt differently, stating: "I think that a nude body to a young child is pornography, yes."

On Tuesday, December 2, Democratic Mayor Brown responded to Yarborough's request: "After thoughtful consideration of your request and the First Amendment issues involved, I will not seek to pull any of the funding that City Council appropriated to the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville in the current budget." He added: "Everybody will have their own opinion but I don’t think it’s pornography. It’s contemporary art."

This is far from the first incident of art censorship sparking controversy, and it's surely far from the last. However we remain hopeful that one day an expectant mother's body won't be deemed explicit by any stretch of the imagination. A protest on Yarborough’s stance and rally for the Strassheim's work will take place on December 3 during the monthly Jacksonville Art Walk. Strassheim's exhibition is on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville until March 1, 2015. See more works from the exhibition below.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The prestigious Art Basel Miami Beach doesn't open to the public until Thursday.

But pieces like gargantuan, wind-powered skeletal creatures, an installation of calcified, obsolete 20th century media devices and works from the elusive British graffiti artist Banksy are already on display. The fair, now in its 13th year, will feature paintings, sculptures, photographs and films from 267 art galleries in 31 countries at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Art Basel, a U.S. extension of the contemporary art fair held each June in Basel, Switzerland, officially opens Thursday and runs through Sunday. But established galleries, museums and pop-ups are already hosting VIP parties and showing off works across the city.

GRAFFITI EVOLUTION

Evocative spray painted messages, a black-and-white work of two kissing British police officers and a pile of stone rubble fashioned into a sphinx are among the works by mysterious British graffiti artist Banksy. Several were created during his month-long New York city residency last year, which were featured in the HBO documentary "Banksy Does New York."

"Banksy" is a pseudonym for the artist who rose to fame in the 1990s for his provocative silhouetted figures and spray-painted messages known to appear in unexpected places. His works have fetched as much as $1.8 million at auction.

He's both an elusive street punk and an art-world darling and is credited for the evolution of graffiti art. During his New York stint, he created a new picture, video or prank daily throughout the city, stirring controversy until his last day when he tagged a building old-school style with his name in giant bubble letters made of actual balloon-like inflatables.

Presented by the New York-based Keszler Gallery in collaboration with Art Miami, the curated collection will include Banksy pieces from 2005 to present.

CONCRETE KALEIDOSCOPES

Heavy rains didn't dampen the party at Wynwood Walls, the unofficial kickoff to Art Basel. This year's theme, "The Art of Collaboration," brought together artists who, in some cases, had never met or worked together before to inspire mind-bending color and dimension to concrete walls. Chinese artist DALeast and Los Angeles based Cryptik collaborated on a gold-hued medallion wall.

The solo exception was graffiti artist Swoon, whose watercolor-esque turquoise and pink wall with Batik imprints featured a breastfeeding mother.

The Miami City Ballet gave an impromptu swing dance performance to a Frank Sinatra number and the Miami Street Band revved up the invitation-only crowd.

MUTED CACOPHONY

A pock-mocked earth filled with black, white and graying obsolete 20th century media devices is the theme of Daniel Arsham's installation "Welcome to the Future." Digging a hole through the gallery's concrete floors, Arsham's relics include rotary telephones, steering wheels, 1980s boom boxes, film reels and pop culture references like a football and Felix the Cat clocks.

Arsham, who was heavily influenced by the destruction he saw as a child during Hurricane Andrew, presents the recent past as archaeology, a world of technological objects whose obsolescence was built into their design and petrified like the figures of Pompeii.

"Welcome to the Future" is showing at Locust Projects through December 6.

FAMILY FEUD

After a nasty divorce from the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami, Wynwood is finally getting a museum of its own. The new Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, may have a gritty back story, but the 37,500-square-foot gallery and 15,000-square-foot sculpture garden being built next to the existing de la Cruz Collection, will show how "contemporary art can change lives," said Irma Braman, co-chair of the museum's board of trustees.

A hefty gift from Irma and Norman Braman and land donated by developer Craig Robins financed the gallery. The museum, the first U.S. project for the Spanish firm Aranguren & Gallegos Arquitectos, won't be completed until 2016, but will have a temporary two-year home until then.

Tuesday's grand opening will include the debut of "As I Lay Drying", an installation of new and recent works by New York-based artist Andra Ursuta, as well as Pedro Reyes's participatory installation "Sanatorium".

URBAN CONDITION

Haitian-born artist Adler Guerrier returns to his Miami home with a layered look at city living, exploring an individual's tranquil backyard escape and how it blossoms as neighbors interact in shared space on small and large scales, creating culture and clashes of culture. "Formulating A Plot," which is showing at the Perez Art Museum Miami, is the first solo museum exhibition for the young artist.

His photos, prints, videos and mixed media images evoke familiar Florida themes through the pink Art Deco style homes, a simple Hibiscus bush black and white wall print, layered with images that imbed in a community over time including political posters and home sale signs. The themes of racial riots and social injustice in troubled Liberty City emerge in untitled works based on a fictionalized radical, African-American group.

It's all about how "individuals find the place they want to root themselves," and making sense of "living communally and being conscious of what that means," said Guerrier.

Mashing together 12 of 2014's hottest hits, YouTube and Vine stars Us The Duo, comprised of Michael and Carissa Alvarado, recap the year's radio titans in an adorable two and a half minutes. Quickly but cooly transitioning from one song to the next via stripped-down piano lines, Carissa takes lead as Michael switches back and forth between harmonies and beatboxing.

Check out the tracks covered:

1. John Legend - "All Of Me"
2. Taylor Swift - "Shake It Off"
3. Coldplay - "A Sky Full of Stars"
4. Nico & Vinz - "Am I Wrong"
5. Sia - "Chandelier"
6. Ariana Grande - "Break Free"
7. Meghan Trainor - "All About That Bass"
8. Pharrell Williams - "Happy"
9. Maroon 5 - "Maps"
10. Magic! - "Rude"
11. Ariana Grande - "Problem"
12. Clean Bandit - "Rather Be" ft. Jesse Glynne

One of our favorite up-and-coming queer groups -- appropriately dubbed "bottoms" -- dropped a new track, "HIV," this week and it coincides with the annual recognition of World AIDS Day.

While not a band necessarily dedicated to awareness surround HIV/AIDS, bottoms is a group whose work is heavily informed and shaped by their experiences and identities as queer individuals.

bottoms is made up of "two shitty drag queens, a 303 and a drummer" -- Bushwig co-founder Simon Leahy, aka Babes Trust, drummer Michael Prommasit and performance artist/singer Jake Dibeler



"The song is part of my work, it is about me and gay culture and identity and sex like all of the other bottoms songs are -- we aren't a band singing about AIDS awareness," Dibeler said in a statement. "HIV/AIDS is something that affects us directly. However, it is one small portion of what bottoms represents. AIDS was a massacre and, yes, we believe a lot of our peers are complacent. None of our generation witnessed the deaths of their loved ones [in that way]. The song 'HIV' is a nod to David Wojnarowicz, Peter Hujar, Robert Mapplethorpe, Diamanda Galas, ACT UP -- people who have fought loudly for the rights of people with HIV/AIDS."

Like this new track from bottoms? Head here for the group's Soundcloud or here to check out their EP pre-sale.

There's a moment in "Birdman" where actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), performing a preview of his new Broadway play, is desperate for fresh air. Wearing only a bathrobe, he steps through a side exit of Manhattan's St. James Theatre, shuts the door on his robe and discovers he's locked out. Riggan then makes a mad dash through Times Square, leaving the robe behind. A horde of onlookers whip out their phones to shoot viral-ready footage of his underwear-clad blunder, Riggan's folly illuminated by rows of blinding electronic billboards. The camera trails him as he wraps around to the front of the theater and re-enters through the back of the house just in time for his cue.

Keaton didn't make it through Times Square without hearing the word "cut," but we wouldn't know that. In fact, all of "Birdman" employs this continuous-action technique. Try to count the number of visible cuts found in the movie's two-hour running time. You probably won't need one hand.

Many have championed the mode in which "Birdman" is filmed. "For the first half of the movie, the antic motion rarely stops, and the maneuvering around corners and up stairs and between actors gives you a kind of high, like you’re at an amusement park," Wesley Morris wrote for Grantland. "The epic steadicam take(s) mimic the way theater operates, with the actors becoming immersed to a degree unobtainable through a standard shot/reverse-shot filming strategy," The A.V. Club's A.A. Dowd wrote.


Thompson's sketch of the backstage set design for the St. James Theatre

Shifting from meditative melodramas like "21 Grams" and "Babel" to the biting dark comedy of "Birdman," director Alejandro González Iñárritu incorporates the unconventional editing method seamlessly, hiding cuts between glimpses of darkness. That's made possible by the work of production designer Kevin Thompson, who had to map out scenes that calibrated the heightened reality Iñárritu wanted the film to carry. Thompson told HuffPost Entertainment that he and Iñárritu wanted the backstage corridors and tiny dressing rooms in which much of the action occurs to feel like they were narrowing as the movie progresses. That left them stuffing small spaces with takes that sometimes took more than 10 minutes and required meticulous camera movement. Thompson, whose past production-design credits include "Stranger Than Fiction," "Michael Clayton" and "The Bourne Legacy," said the endeavor was more "liberating" than it was intimidating.

Iñárritu first approached Thompson with what he called a "laboratory experiment." To tell the story of Riggan adapting a Raymond Carver short story in hopes of mounting a career comeback, Thompson and the crew first plotted the set construction using a soundstage in Los Angeles, where the bulk of the "Birdman" cast lives. (The supporting ensemble includes Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan and Merritt Wever.) They'd rehearse scenes methodically so as to plot specific dimensions of the stage, halls and dressing rooms that house the interior action. Iñárritu knew he wanted to shoot in one of New York City's Broadway venues, but Thompson said it wasn't until about three weeks after rehearsals began that they landed the St. James Theatre.


Iñárritu and director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki craft a dressing-room scene with Naomi Watts and Andrea Riseborough

"The L.A. set was just some initial things like putting tape on the floor and having the actors walk through and read through the script to see how big it needed to be and how long it would take to get from point A to point B in a scene," Thompson recalled. "So we took that template in L.A. and then we started building in New York. We didn’t actually build anything until the later rehearsals in New York at [Kaufman Astoria Studios] in Queens."


Thompson's sketch of the backstage set design for the St. James Theatre

In order to capture the frenzied feel of a theater production racing toward opening night and the philosophical reckoning that echoes through Riggan's head, Thompson set out to reconstruct the sets on a nightly basis once the shoot began. To emphasize claustrophobia, he and Iñárritu employed a crew that literally rebuilt walls overnight. The cast would return the next morning to find certain rooms 12 to 14 inches narrower. They scenic department would also remove ceilings and build new ones 18 inches lower to the floor.

That may seem like nothing compared to staging a scene in the ever-bustling epicenter of New York City, but Thompson says Riggan beelining through bedlam in his skivvies was a cinch compared to the constant moving parts that came with reshaping the interior sets. In fact, it's the accessibility of Times Square's open space that made the scene easy. It actually wasn't even filmed along one continuous walking path -- Thompson used four different locations about three blocks from one another, incorporating set pieces to carry the action. Keaton would enter through scaffolding in one spot, for example, and exit the same scaffolding in another to give the impression of a seamless trajectory. Instead of needing to dress entire sets (as with the theater, hospital and liquor store), the crew would reposition existing set pieces so as to place the action on "both sides of the cut." (The Daily Mail captured photos of Keaton filming in his underwear in June 2013, and amateur videos of the scene quietly appeared on YouTube around the same time.)



All of that pales in comparison to the movie's metaphysical components. Thompson and Iñárritu aimed to use as few visual effects as possible, so instances of Riggan controlling objects telepathically were accomplished without CGI. They were also often done while surrounded by dressing-room mirrors. Given the constraints of the space, Thompson had to arrange the mise-en-scène so that no cameras appeared in the mirrors and shadows didn't obstruct the lighting.

Those elements combine to form one of the year's strongest Oscar contenders. Already named Best Feature at the Gotham Awards and one of the National Board of Review's 10 best of the year, "Birdman" will likely transfer its tricky tactics to awards glory, including probable nominations for Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who won last year for "Gravity." Any film project is made up of moving parts, but those moving parts are usually perfected via post-production work. That's no different in "Birdman," except that the entire process had to lend itself to editing tricks that fostered Iñárritu's vision for a single continuous take. Reducing "Birdman" to its odds for winning awards shouldn't detract from what a feat it is. What could have been an overwrought attempt to make a movie unconventionally becomes both a stunning character study and a poignant dissertation on the trials of fame.

"It was really challenging to have all the elements together and to make them work, to make the camera work with it and have the set dressing in the right place at the right time," Thompson said. "A lot of the creative aspect of it behind the scenes -- the finishes, the fixtures, the scenic work, all of the details -- had to smell right and they had to feel right."

"Birdman" is currently in wide release.

A powerful short film hit the web this week that explores the nature of identity across the queer spectrum.

Called "Emma," the two-minute short comes from filmmakers Jose Angel Saenz and Kyle Morck and examines the way that socially constructed gender roles impact the lived realities of queer individuals.

"The struggles that LGBT community members face daily are human struggles," Saenz told The Huffington Post in an email. "The gender constructs society forces upon us negatively affect everyone. But generally the day-to-day oppression of these constructs is not coming from a place of malice, but from people close to those affected that are just unthinking or uninformed. Our hope with Emma was that we could strip down those issues and maybe help show people what it looks like at its core.

As allies, Kyle Morck and I have both witnessed this day-to-day oppression. We knew we couldn’t speak for others so we wanted to create a tool that could help them spark a conversation. Emma has its roots there."

Check out "Emma" above.

DJ Earworm's annual mashup of the year's most popular songs is here for the holiday season and it'll soon get stuck in your head, just like the songs it's made from. "The United State of Pop (Do What You Wanna Do)," comprised of 25 tracks, debuted on Billboard.com. "The thing that has been most notable in the past two or three years is the decline of EDM," Earworm (aka Jordan Roseman) told the site. "This year, ‘Timber,’ which was popular in January, is the only popular dance track I’m dealing with. It’s definitely down-tempo, so you have to decide, how is this going to go? How am I going to maintain the energy levels while being true to the sound of the year?”



See if you can pick out all the songs:

A Great Big World feat. Christina Aguilera - "Say Something"
Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea - "Problem"
Bastille - "Pompeii"
Dj Snake & Lil Jon - "Turn Down For What"
Hozier - "Take Me to Church"
Idina Menzel - "Let It Go"
Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX - "Fancy"
Iggy Azalea feat. Rita Ora - "Black Widow"
Jason Derulo feat. 2 Chainz - "Talk Dirty"
Jeremih feat. YG - "Don't Tell 'Em"
Jessie J feat. Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj - "Bang Bang"
John Legend - "All Of Me"
Katy Perry feat. Juicy J - "Dark Horse"
Lorde - "Team"
Magic! - "Rude"
Maroon 5 - "Animals"
Meghan Trainor - "All About That Bass"
Nico & Vinz - "Am I Wrong"
One Direction - "Story of My Life"
Passenger - "Let Her Go"
Pharrell Williams - "Happy"
Pitbull feat. Ke$ha - "Timber"
Sam Smith - "Stay With Me"
Taylor Swift - "Shake It Off"
Tove Lo - "Habits"

When we talk about climate change, it's easy to get caught up in the politics and economic arguments and lose sight of what it is we're really fighting for. That's why we asked our followers on Instagram to show us one thing in nature for which they were thankful this holiday season -- and nothing could have better captured what the fight is really about.

From jade-streaked night skies that take our breath away to an ancient canyon colossus that makes us feel profoundly small -- everything we love about our world can continue to thrive when we take action against climate change. So we'd like to take a moment to appreciate the natural beauty that's all around us and remember what we can preserve by making sustainable everyday decisions.

Here are 15 of our favorite posts to inspire you. Check out #GenerationChange on Instagram to see them all.

The Dark Sky of New Zealand. #passionpassport • #exploremore

A photo posted by Peter Quayle (@pbquayle) on Nov 11, 2014 at 12:24pm PST

#NowThisIsFall #ThisIsFall #MtTammany #DelawareWaterGap

A photo posted by Mike (@zuc31) on Oct 10, 2014 at 12:05pm PDT

Reflections with @chriskritzinger in #PortElizabeth. Pop in to the Donkin Downhill Race later if you're in town. Come say hi. Checkout @igersportelizabeth for more details. #spotthegprocket #nx30 #puddlegram #meetsouthafrica @meetsouthafrica

A photo posted by Gareth Pon (@garethpon) on Nov 11, 2014 at 11:20pm PST

#greenland never disappoints #fromtheplane #flyover

A photo posted by Tyler Boss (@tboss2013) on Jun 6, 2014 at 11:58pm PDT

Ripples of repetition Whitehaven Beach • Queensland • Australia

A photo posted by @lovecovetdream on May 5, 2014 at 5:23am PDT

After getting out of work early yesterday, I decided to head over to Vermont and do some exploring. A huge thanks to @bengrunow for showing me around, it was amazing!

A photo posted by Jon Secord (@jsecordphoto) on Oct 10, 2014 at 4:14pm PDT

One day, this is going to be my backyard view

A photo posted by Hannah Bermudez (@hannahbearmudez) on Nov 11, 2014 at 11:13pm PST

Throwback to that #Utah 2009 trip w/Jess & Dean. If you look closely you can see them in this photo from #BryceCanyon #NationalPark #gocamp #gohike

A photo posted by Chris Graham (@chrisgraham101) on Nov 11, 2014 at 4:53pm PST

If you've been fortunate enough to visit Yosemite National Park, you know how important the work of the @USInterior Department is. Two years ago, I experienced this amazing place and I've been dreaming of returning ever since. I don't have a return trip planned just yet but you better believe the mountains are calling... Thanks to the folks at @usinterior for all you do to celebrate and preserve our national treasures. #GramsForGood #tbt

A photo posted by Brian Kaiser (@brianmkaiser) on Nov 11, 2014 at 5:35pm PST

I'm thankful for Ireland. This is the Burren @huffingtonpost #GenerationChange #thanksgiving #ireland #burren

A photo posted by Barry Butler Photography (@barrybutler9) on Nov 11, 2014 at 9:05am PST

This is my favorite photo I took in Iceland. On my last night it was snowing, freezing, and cloudy. For some reason we decided to go back to the lighthouse one more time incase the northern lights came out, and sure enough as soon as we got there it cleared up and we saw the best show ever that lasted for several hours until I got dropped off at the bus station to fly to Switzerland. #sorryfortraveling #sorryforcamping

A photo posted by Eric Bennett (@bennettfilm) on Nov 11, 2014 at 8:26pm PST

One of my most favorite things I've witnessed. #antelopecanyon

A photo posted by @olliealexander on Jun 6, 2013 at 10:53am PDT

And from the midst of cheerless gloom I passed to bright unclouded day.” ― Emily Brontë Gratitude and Appreciation to these Wonderful pages for my recent features!✨ 〰 〰 Thank You! 〰 〰 @ptk_edit @igglobalwomenclub @ig_shutterbugs @fotoartegram @world_great @bns_usa @ptk_love @ir_ig_nature @weekly_feature @tv_illuminate @icu_people And Thank you @tv_illuminate for including Me as a member! Check out these great pages to follow and tag your photos for a chance to be featured!✨

A photo posted by Pam Ryan In Pennsylvania (@paryans5) on Nov 11, 2014 at 4:55am PST

• A KISS FOR THE TROLL WALL Fresh powder snow fall drops on Trollveggen, The Troll Wall, in western Norway. seanenschimages.com facebook.com/seanenschimages ________________________________________

A photo posted by @sean_ensch_images on Sep 9, 2014 at 11:56am PDT

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for so much this year...my family, friends, health, and attitude for starters.

A photo posted by Kelly Bullard (@logi_kel) on Nov 11, 2014 at 7:27pm PST

What is one thing in nature you are thankful for? Share a photo on Instagram with #GenerationChange, or submit a blog about why you care able the climate to generation-change@huffingtonpost.com.

Last Saturday, Ohio State University took on their rivals at the University of Michigan for the 111th time.

Their marching band performed "West Side Story" at halftime, acting out almost the entire Broadway classic, from Tony singing at Maria's window to the show's devastating ending. They performed "Fanfare," "Tonight," "America," "Gee, Officer Krupke," "Mambo" and "Somewhere," and they totally nailed it.

According to Cleveland.com, the band only had three days of field rehearsal to put the performance together.

This isn't the first time The Ohio State University Marching Band has pulled off an impressive halftime show. In September they did a TV tribute called "TV Land" during a game against Virginia Tech, and in a game against the University of Cincinnati they put on a performance of "The Wizard Of Oz."

The Buckeyes beat Michigan 42-28 on Saturday, and it's safe to say the marching band had a victory of their own.

When Hollywood descends on snow-drenched Utah in January for the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, they'll be greeted with barrels of laughs. The annual 10-day event announced part of its upcoming lineup on Thursday, and with it came an emphasis on comedies and at least one unusual selection in the post-apocalyptic thriller "Z for Zachariah."

Read on for the full list of U.S. Dramatic Competition, U.S. Documentary Competition, World Cinema Dramatic and World Cinema Documentary slates. The Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, New Frontier and Sundance Kids lineups will be announced on Thursday. Premieres and Documentary Premieres lists are scheduled to arrive on Dec. 8, and the Short Films slate the following day.

Sundance will take place Jan. 22 through Feb. 1 in Park City, Utah. The lineup features movies starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sarah Silverman, Kristen Wiig, Nicole Kidman, Jack Black, Adam Scott and Margot Robbie.

U.S. Dramatic Competition
Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films, the Dramatic Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at groundbreaking new voices in American independent film.

Advantageous/ U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Phang, Screenwriters: Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang) — In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, do all they can to hold on to their joy, despite the instability surfacing in their world. Cast: Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim.

The Bronze/ U.S.A. (Director: Bryan Buckley, Screenwriters: Melissa Rauch, Winston Rauch) — In 2004, Hope Ann Greggory became an American hero after winning the bronze medal for the women's gymnastics team. Today, she's still living in her small hometown, washed-up and embittered. Stuck in the past, Hope must reassess her life when a promising young gymnast threatens her local celebrity status. Cast: Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Thomas Middleditch, Sebastian Stan, Haley Lu Richardson, Cecily Strong. DAY ONE FILM

The D Train/ U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Jarrad Paul, Andrew Mogel) — With his 20th reunion looming, Dan can’t shake his high school insecurities. In a misguided mission to prove he's changed, Dan rekindles a friendship with the popular guy from his class and is left scrambling to protect more than just his reputation when a wild night takes an unexpected turn. Cast: Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike White, Kyle Bornheimer.

The Diary of a Teenage Girl/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marielle Heller) — Minnie Goetze is a 15-year-old aspiring comic-book artist, coming of age in the haze of the 1970s in San Francisco. Insatiably curious about the world around her, Minnie is a pretty typical teenage girl. Oh, except that she's sleeping with her mother's boyfriend. Cast: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni, Kristen Wiig.

Dope/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rick Famuyiwa) — Malcolm is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the SAT. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself. Cast: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Blake Anderson, Zoë Kravitz, A$AP Rocky.

I Smile Back/ U.S.A. (Director: Adam Salky, Screenwriters: Amy Koppelman, Paige Dylan) — All is not right in suburbia. Laney Brooks, a wife and mother on the edge, has stopped taking her meds, substituting recreational drugs and the wrong men. With the destruction of her family looming, Laney makes a last, desperate attempt at redemption. Cast: Sarah Silverman, Josh Charles, Thomas Sadoski, Mia Barron, Terry Kinney, Chris Sarandon.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl / U.S.A. (Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Screenwriter: Jesse Andrews) — Greg is coasting through senior year of high school as anonymously as possible, avoiding social interactions like the plague while secretly making spirited, bizarre films with Earl, his only friend. But both his anonymity and friendship threaten to unravel when his mother forces him to befriend a classmate with leukemia. Cast: Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Molly Shannon.

The Overnight/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Patrick Brice) — Alex, Emily, and their son, RJ, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family “playdate” becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on. Cast: Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, Judith Godrèche.

People, Places, Things/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: James C. Strouse) — Will Henry is a newly single graphic novelist balancing being a parent to his young twin daughters and teaching a classroom full of college students, all the while trying to navigate the rich complexities of new love and letting go of the woman who left him. Cast: Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall, Stephanie Allynne, Jessica Williams, Gia Gadsby, Aundrea Gadsby.

Results/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski) — Two mismatched personal trainers' lives are upended by the actions of a new, wealthy client. Cast: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Michael Hall, Brooklyn Decker.

Songs My Brothers Taught Me/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Chloé Zhao) — This complex portrait of modern-day life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation explores the bond between a brother and his younger sister, who find themselves on separate paths to rediscovering the meaning of home. Cast: John Reddy, Jashaun St. John, Irene Bedard, Taysha Fuller, Travis Lone Hill, Eléonore Hendricks.

The Stanford Prison Experiment/ U.S.A. (Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Screenwriter: Tim Talbott) — This film is based on the actual events that took place in 1971 when Stanford professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo created what became one of the most shocking and famous social experiments of all time. Cast: Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Michael Angarano, Tye Sheridan, Johnny Simmons, Olivia Thirlby.

Stockholm, Pennsylvania/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nikole Beckwith) — A young woman is returned home to her biological parents after living with her abductor for 17 years. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Cynthia Nixon, Jason Isaacs, David Warshofsky.

Unexpected/ U.S.A. (Director: Kris Swanberg, Screenwriters: Kris Swanberg, Megan Mercier) — When Samantha Abbott begins her final semester teaching science at a Chicago high school, she faces some unexpected news: she's pregnant. Soon after, Samantha learns that one of her favorite students, Jasmine, has landed in a similar situation. Unexpected follows the two women as they embark on an unlikely friendship. Cast: Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, Elizabeth McGovern.

The Witch/ U.S.A., Canada (Director and screenwriter: Robert Eggers) — New England in the 1630s: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life with five children, homesteading on the edge of an impassable wilderness. When their newborn son vanishes and crops fail, the family turns on one another. Beyond their worst fears, a supernatural evil lurks in the nearby wood. Cast: Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Lucas Dawson, Ellie Grainger.

Z for Zachariah/ U.S.A. (Director: Craig Zobel, Screenwriter: Nissar Modi) — In a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman who believes she is the last human on Earth meets a dying scientist searching for survivors. Their relationship becomes tenuous when another survivor appears. As the two men compete for the woman's affection, their primal urges begin to reveal their true nature. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine.

U.S. Documentary Competition
Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people, and events that shape the present day.

3½ MINUTES/ U.S.A. (Director: Marc Silver) — On November 23, 2012, unarmed 17-year-old Jordan Russell Davis was shot at a Jacksonville gas station by Michael David Dunn. 3½ MINUTES explores the aftermath of Jordan's tragic death, the latent and often unseen effects of racism, and the contradictions of the American criminal justice system.

Being Evel/ U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Junge) — An unprecedented, candid portrait of American icon Robert “Evel” Knievel and his legacy.

Best of Enemies/ U.S.A. (Directors: Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon) — Best of Enemies is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive 1968 televised debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and their rancorous disagreements about politics, God, and sex.

Call Me Lucky/ U.S.A. (Director: Bobcat Goldthwait) — Barry Crimmins was a volatile but brilliant bar comic who became an honored peace activist and influential political satirist. Famous comedians and others build a picture of a man who underwent an incredible transformation.

Cartel Land/ U.S.A., Mexico (Director: Matthew Heineman) — In this classic Western set in the 21st century, vigilantes on both sides of the border fight the vicious Mexican drug cartels. With unprecedented access, this character-driven film provokes deep questions about lawlessness, the breakdown of order, and whether citizens should fight violence with violence.

City of Gold/ U.S.A. (Director: Laura Gabbert) — Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold casts his light upon a vibrant and growing cultural movement in which he plays the dual roles of high-low priest and culinary geographer of his beloved Los Angeles.

Finders Keepers/ U.S.A. (Directors: Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel) — Recovering addict and amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction and believes it to therefore be his rightful property.

Hot Girls Wanted/ U.S.A. (Directors: Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus) — Hot Girls Wantedis a first-ever look at the realities inside the world of the amateur porn industry and the steady stream of 18- and 19-year-old girls entering into it.

How to Dance in Ohio/ U.S.A. (Director: Alexandra Shiva) — In Columbus, Ohio, a group of teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum prepare for an iconic American rite of passage — a spring formal. They spend 12 weeks practicing their social skills at a local nightclub in preparation for the dance.

Larry Kramer in Love and Anger/ U.S.A. (Director: Jean Carlomusto) — Author, activist, and playwright Larry Kramer is one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary gay America, a political firebrand who gave voice to the outrage and grief that inspired gay men and lesbians to fight for their lives. At 78, this complicated man still commands our attention.

Meru/ U.S.A. (Directors: Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi) — Three elite mountain climbers sacrifice everything but their friendship as they struggle through heartbreaking loss and nature’s harshest elements to attempt the never-before-completed Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru, the most coveted first ascent in the dangerous game of Himalayan big wall climbing.

Racing Extinction / U.S.A. (Director: Louie Psihoyos) — Academy Award-winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a unique team to show the world never-before-seen images that expose issues surrounding endangered species and mass extinction. Whether infiltrating notorious black markets or exploring humans' effect on the environment, Racing Extinction will change the way you see the world.

(T)ERROR/ U.S.A. (Directors: Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe) — (T)ERROR is the first film to document on camera a covert counterterrorism sting as it unfolds. Through the perspective of *******, a 63-year-old Black revolutionary turned FBI informant, viewers are given an unprecedented glimpse of the government’s counterterrorism tactics, and the murky justifications behind them.

Welcome to Leith/ U.S.A. (Directors: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker) — A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in North Dakota.

Western / U.S.A., Mexico (Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross) — For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life.Western portrays timeless American figures in the grip of unforgiving change.

The Wolfpack/ U.S.A. (Director: Crystal Moselle) — Six bright teenage brothers have spent their entire lives locked away from society in a Manhattan housing project. All they know of the outside is gleaned from the movies they watch obsessively (and recreate meticulously). Yet as adolescence looms, they dream of escape, ever more urgently, into the beckoning world.

World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Twelve films from emerging filmmaking talents around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.

Chlorine/ Italy (Director: Lamberto Sanfelice, Screenwriters: Lamberto Sanfelice, Elisa Amoruso) —Jenny, 17, dreams of becoming a synchronized swimmer. Family events turn her life upside down and she is forced move to a remote area to look after her ill father and younger brother. It won't be long before Jenny starts pursuing her dreams again. Cast: Sara Serraiocco, Ivan Franek, Giorgio Colangeli, Anatol Sassi, Piera Degli Esposti, Andrea Vergoni. World Premiere

Chorus/ Canada (Director and screenwriter: François Delisle) ­—A separated couple meet again after 10 years when the body of their missing son is found. Amid the guilt of losing a loved one, they hesitantly move toward affirmation of life, acceptance of death, and even the possibility of reconciliation. Cast: Sébastien Ricard, Fanny Mallette, Pierre Curzi, Genevieve Bujold. World Premiere

Glassland/ Ireland (Director and screenwriter: Gerard Barrett) — In a desperate attempt to reunite his broken family, a young taxi driver becomes entangled in the criminal underworld. Cast: Jack Reynor, Toni Collette, Will Poulter, Michael Smiley. International Premiere

Homesick/ Norway (Director: Anne Sewitsky, Screenwriters: Ragnhild Tronvoll, Anne Sewitsky) — When Charlotte, 27, meets her brother Henrik, 35, for the first time, two people who don't know what a normal family is begin an encounter without boundaries. How does sibling love manifest itself if you have never experienced it before? Cast: Ine Marie Wilmann, Simon J. Berger, Anneke von der Lippe, Silje Storstein, Oddgeir Thune, Kari Onstad. World Premiere

Ivy/ Turkey (Director and screenwriter: Tolga Karaçelik) — Sarmasik is sailing to Egypt when the ship's owner goes bankrupt. The crew learns there is a lien on the ship, and key crew members must stay on board. Ivy is the story of these six men trapped on the ship for days. Cast: Nadir Sarıbacak, Özgür Emre Yıldırım, Hakan Karsak, Kadir Çermik, Osman Alkaş, Seyithan Özdemiroğlu. World Premiere

Partisan/ Australia (Director: Ariel Kleiman, Screenwriters: Ariel Kleiman, Sarah Cyngler) — Alexander is like any other kid: playful, curious and naive. He is also a trained assassin. Raised in a hidden paradise, Alexander has grown up seeing the world filtered through his father, Gregori. As Alexander begins to think for himself, creeping fears take shape, and Gregori's idyllic world unravels. Cast: Vincent Cassel, Jeremy Chabriel, Florence Mezzara. World Premiere

PRINCESS / Israel (Director and screenwriter: Tali Shalom Ezer) — While her mother is away from home, 12-year-old Adar’s role-playing games with her stepfather move into dangerous territory. Seeking an escape, Adar finds Alan, an ethereal boy that accompanies her on a dark journey between reality and fantasy. Cast: Keren Mor, Shira Haas, Ori Pfeffer, Adar Zohar Hanetz. International Premiere

The Second Mother/ Brazil (Director and screenwriter: Anna Muylaert) — Having left her daughter, Jessica, to be raised by relatives in the north of Brazil, Val works as a loving nanny in São Paulo. When Jessica arrives for a visit 13 years later, she confronts her mother's slave-like attitude and everyone in the house is affected by her unexpected behavior. Cast: Regina Casé, Michel Joelsas, Camila Márdila, Karine Teles, Lourenço Mutarelli. World Premiere

Slow West/ New Zealand (Director: John Maclean, Screenwriters: John Maclean, Michael Lesslie) — Set at the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas, a mysterious traveller, and hotly pursued by an outlaw along the way. Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Rory McCann, Ben Mendelsohn, Brooke Williams, Caren Pistorius. World Premiere

Strangerland/ Australia, Ireland (Director: Kim Farrant, Screenwriters: Fiona Seres, Michael Kinirons) — When Catherine and Matthew Parker's two teenage kids disappear into the remote Australian desert, the couple's relationship is pushed to the brink as they confront the mystery of their children's fate. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving, Lisa Flanagan, Meyne Wyatt, Maddison Brown. World Premiere

The Summer of Sangaile/ Lithuania, France, Holland (Director and screenwriter: Alanté Kavaïté) — Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is fascinated by stunt planes. She meets a girl her age at the summer aeronautical show, nearby her parents’ lakeside villa. Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret and in the process finds in her teenage love, the only person that truly encourages her to fly. Cast: Julija Steponaitytė, Aistė Diržiūtė. World Premiere. DAY ONE FILM

Umrika/ India (Director and screenwriter: Prashant Nair) — When a young village boy discovers that his brother, long believed to be in America, has actually gone missing, he begins to invent letters on his behalf to save their mother from heartbreak, all the while searching for him. Cast: Suraj Sharma, Tony Revolori, Smita Tambe, Adil Hussain, Rajesh Tailang, Prateik Babbar.World Premiere

World Cinema Documentary Competition
Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary international filmmakers working today.

The Amina Profile/ Canada (Director: Sophie Deraspe) — During the Arab revolution, a love story between two women — a Canadian and a Syrian American — turns into an international sociopolitical thriller spotlighting media excesses and the thin line between truth and falsehood on the Internet. World Premiere

Censored Voices/ Israel, Germany (Director: Mor Loushy) — One week after the 1967 Six-Day War, renowned author Amos Oz and editor Avraham Shapira recorded intimate conversations with soldiers returning from the battlefield. The Israeli army censored the recordings, allowing only a fragment of the conversations to be published. Censored Voices reveals these recordings for the first time. World Premiere

The Chinese Mayor/ China (Director: Hao Zhou) —Mayor Geng Yanbo is determined to transform the coal-mining center of Datong, in China’s Shanxi province, into a tourism haven showcasing clean energy. In order to achieve that, however, he has to relocate 500,000 residences to make way for the restoration of the ancient city. World Premiere

Chuck Norris vs Communism/ United Kingdom, Romania, Germany (Director: Ilinca Calugareanu) — In 1980s Romania, thousands of Western films smashed through the Iron Curtain, opening a window to the free world for those who dared to look. A black market VHS racketeer and courageous female translator brought the magic of film to the masses and sowed the seeds of a revolution. World Premiere

Dark Horse/ United Kingdom (Director: Louise Osmond) — Dark Horseis the inspirational true story of a group of friends from a workingman's club who decide to take on the elite “sport of kings” and breed themselves a racehorse. World Premiere

Dreamcatcher/ United Kingdom (Director: Kim Longinotto) — Dreamcatchertakes us into a hidden world seen through the eyes of one of its survivors, Brenda Myers-Powell. A former teenage prostitute, Brenda defied the odds to become a powerful advocate for change in her community. With warmth and humor, Brenda gives hope to those who have none. World Premiere

How to Change the World/ United Kingdom, Canada (Director: Jerry Rothwell) — In 1971, a group of friends sails into a nuclear test zone, and their protest captures the world’s imagination. Using rare, archival footage that brings their extraordinary world to life, How to Change the World is the story of the pioneers who founded Greenpeace and defined the modern green movement. World Premiere. DAY ONE FILM

Listen to Me Marlon/ United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Stevan Riley, Co-writer:Peter Ettedgui) — With exclusive access to previously unheard audio archives, this is the definitive Marlon Brando cinema documentary. Charting his exceptional career and extraordinary life away from the stage and screen, the film fully explores the complexities of the man by telling the story uniquely in Marlon’s own voice.World Premiere

Pervert Park/ Sweden, Denmark (Directors: Frida Barkfors, Lasse Barkfors) — Pervert Park follows the everyday lives of sex offenders in a Florida trailer park as they struggle to reintegrate into society, and try to understand who they are and how to break the cycle of sex crimes being committed. International Premiere

The Russian Woodpecker/ United Kingdom (Director: Chad Gracia) —A Ukrainian victim of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster discovers a dark secret and must decide whether to risk his life by revealing it, amid growing clouds of revolution and war.World Premiere

Sembene!/ U.S.A., Senegal (Directors: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman) — In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a Senegalese dockworker and fifth-grade dropout, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. This true story celebrates how the “father of African cinema,” against enormous odds, fought a monumental, 50-year-long battle to give Africans a voice. World Premiere

The Visit/ Denmark, Austria, Ireland, Finland, Norway (Director: Michael Madsen) —“This film documents an event that has never taken place…” With unprecedented access to the United Nations' Office for Outer Space Affairs, leading space scientists and space agencies, The Visit explores humans' first encounter with alien intelligent life and thereby humanity itself. “Our scenario begins with the arrival. Your arrival.” World Premiere

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Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Digital technology paired with unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape a “greater” next wave in American cinema. Presented by Adobe.

Bob and the Trees/ U.S.A., France (Director: Diego Ongaro, Screenwriters: Diego Ongaro, Courtney Maum, Sasha Statman-Weil) —Bob, a 50-year-old logger in rural Massachusetts with a soft spot for golf and gangsta rap, is struggling to make ends meet in a changed economy. When his beloved cow is wounded and a job goes awry, Bob begins to heed the instincts of his ever-darkening self. Cast: Bob Tarasuk, Matt Gallagher, Polly MacIntyre, Winthrop Barrett, Nathaniel Gregory. World Premiere

Christmas, Again/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Charles Poekel) — A heartbroken Christmas tree salesman returns to New York, hoping to put the past year behind him. He spends the season living in a trailer and working the night shift, until a mysterious woman and some colorful customers rescue him from self-destruction. Cast: Kentucker Audley, Hannah Gross, Jason Shelton, Oona Roche. North American Premiere

Cronies/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Larnell) —Twenty-two-year-old Louis doesn’t know whether his childhood friendship with Jack will last beyond today. Cast: George Sample III, Zurich Buckner, Brian Kowalski. World Premiere

Entertainment/ U.S.A. (Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington, Tim Heidecker) —En route to meeting with his estranged daughter, in an attempt to revive his dwindling career, a broken, aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the Mojave Desert. Cast: Gregg Turkington, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Michael Cera, Amy Seimetz, Lotte Verbeek. World Premiere

H./ U.S.A., Argentina (Directors and screenwriters: Rania Attieh, Daniel Garcia) —Two women, each named Helen, find their lives spinning out of control after a meteor allegedly explodes over their city of Troy, New York.Cast: Robin Bartlett, Rebecca Dayan, Will Janowitz, Julian Gamble, Roger Robinson. World Premiere

James White/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Josh Mond) — A young New Yorker struggles to take control of his reckless, self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges. Cast: Chris Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Scott Mescudi, Makenzie Leigh, David Call. World Premiere

Nasty Baby/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sebastian Silva) —A gay couple try to have a baby with the help of their best friend, Polly. The trio navigates the idea of creating life while confronted by unexpected harassment from a neighborhood man called The Bishop. As their clashes grow increasingly aggressive, odds are someone is getting hurt.Cast: Sebastian Silva, Tunde Adebimpe, Kristin Wiig, Reg E. Cathey, Mark Margolis, Denis O'Hare. World Premiere

The Strongest Man/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kenny Riches) —An anxiety-ridden Cuban man who fancies himself the strongest man in the world attempts to recover his most prized possession, a stolen bicycle. On his quest, he finds and loses much more. Cast: Robert Lorie, Paul Chamberlain, Ashly Burch, Patrick Fugit, Lisa Banes. World Premiere

Take Me to the River/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Sobel) — A naive California teen plans to remain above the fray at his Nebraskan family reunion, but a strange encounter places him at the center of a long-buried family secret. Cast: Logan Miller, Robin Weigert, Josh Hamilton, Richard Schiff, Ursula Parker, Azura Skye. World Premiere

Tangerine/ U.S.A. (Director: Sean Baker, Screenwriters: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch) — A working girl tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. Cast: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan, Alla Tumanyan, James Ransone. World Premiere

The day everyone has been waiting for has finally arrived: We can all attend Hogwarts.

Thanks to a few Polish Harry Potter fans who were determined to take their magical education into their own hands, the College of Wizardry was born. Set in a Polish castle, around 200 LARPers (live-action role players) from 11 countries gathered for a few days in November to experience the first session of Czocha College of Witchcraft and Wizardry.



"Students" are sorted into five houses (Durentius, Faust, Libussa, Molin and Sendivogius) and must complete their S.P.E.L.Ls (Senior Protective Enchanter’s Lifelong License) to pass. The school is filled with a variety of professors, ranging from “bumbling, absent-minded professors with scant memory of their own youth to sharp-tongued young lecturers.”

The second session has been scheduled for April 9-12, 2015, still in Poland, and will cost attendees about $345.

Obamacare is so hawt right now. At least according to Oxford Dictionaries, which admitted the two words to its electronic pages today.

Twice a year, the dictionary announces the addition of a slew of trendy words. This summer, binge-watch, hate-watch, live-tweet and listicle made the cut, among others. Today, Time reported the admittance of several more words, including hawt and IDC, an abbreviation for "I don't care."

Techy terms tend to lead the lists, which would explain the inclusion of digital footprint ("the information about a particular person that exists on the Internet as a result of their online activity") and tech wreck ("a collapse in the price of shares in high-tech industries").

Jel (short for jealous) and xlnt (yes, that's an abridged version of excellent) also made the cut, proving that slang can have a rightful place among more traditionally accepted words. Language descriptivists may cringe, but as linguist Jonathon Green wrote for The Huffington Post, such phrases add color to communication:

Like its peers, slang has a role to play. Its vulgarity, its crudity, its impudence, its irrepressible loudness offers a vocabulary and a voice to all our negatives. Our inner realities: lusts, fears, hatreds, self indulgences. It subscribes to nothing but itself -- no belief systems, no true believers, no religion, no politics. It is a linguistic equivalent of Freud's id.

Still, jel and xlnt haven't earned a spot in print dictionaries quite yet -- their place on Oxford Dictionaries' online edition could be best explained as a trial period. For a word to wriggle its way into a physical book, it typically has to stand the test of time first. Oxford writes: "While ODO focuses on the current language and practical usage, the OED shows how words and meanings have changed over time."

Some of this month's additions -- such as Secret Santa, man crush and cool beans -- seem to be long-term contenders as they've been around colloquially for a while. Others -- such as al desko, an adjective describing food consumed while working at the office -- may just be amusing indicators of the times.

The year 2014 in entertainment might be remembered as the year Kim Kardashian tried (and at times, succeeded) to break the Internet. Or maybe as the year Beyoncé watched her sister Solange high-kick Jay Z in an elevator. It was also the year Lupita Nyong'o moved everyone to tears at the Oscars. And the year Laverne Cox made history as the first transgender woman nominated for an Emmy.

But in a surprise, none of those headline-making stories made it onto this list.

The top 10 list of viral stories depicts the stories you, our readers, engaged with the most this year. The stories you not only read but then shared with your friends, Liked on Facebook, tweeted and commented on. Ahead, a look back at the high and low moments that made the biggest impact on 2014.