Florence Welch On Stripping Down At Coachella And Fooling Neil Young

May 27, 2015, 11:35 am

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The following article is provided by Rolling Stone.

By PATRICK DOYLE

"I had to fall apart a bit," says Florence Welch of "How Big How Blue How Beautiful," the first Florence and the Machine album in four years. In the period leading up to the album, Welch, 28, endured a rough breakup with her boyfriend and was partying too much. Not only did Welch translate her hard times into her most emotionally intense album yet, she also quit drinking during the sessions. "I had quite a monkish existence," she says. "I cycled to the studio, cycled home, read, ate, went to bed. It was like convalescing. But it really was magic."

You played a killer set at Coachella, and also broke your foot. What happened?
Well, I told everyone in the crowd to take their clothes off. We'd been doing that at our shows, and my guitarist had been giving me shit for not taking off my clothes. So I was like, "Fuck it, I've got to do it!" and started taking off my shirt. Then I was like, "I've got to get down [into the crowd], with everyone else who's getting naked." I just did a particularly hard, fast jump offstage, and I was just like, "Fuck!" I managed to jump back on the stage, and that's where my security guard found me, collapsed behind a speaker in a bra.

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A lot of the songs on the new album are about being in a relationship with someone who is driving you away.
I had to experience it. I wouldn't wish it on someone, but when you make something out of it, that's what it was all for, I guess. The songs become these talismans, little spells that you've written that are just for yourself. And you can carry them with you.

You took a year off before making the new record. What did you do?
It was supposed to be a really nice time. Instead I got involved in this really confusing thing. I was trying to figure out what would make me happy: Was it partying? Was it a relationship? The break meant I had to face a lot of my own demons.

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Was your drinking one of those demons you had to face?
Definitely. When you're on tour, it's catered for that. You can move on to the next city and the next hotel, and as long as the shows are good, it's fine. But you can't take that attitude into your own life. When you're trying to live and love in a non-scheduled situation, you're just like, "Oh, shit, I just keep fucking up. What am I doing?"

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What do you mean by "fucking up"?
Like ending up on "MTV News" drunk. There was a big party at my house one night. I got really drunk, and we moved to the tiki bar that's 'round the corner. I hadn't performed in ages, and there's a house band there playing, and my friends are tossing me shots, so I went up onstage. Two days later, I get a phone call from my manager. Someone had filmed me singing and screaming and taking shots. And it ended up on "MTV News." I was like, "Oh, shit."

You're known for your wild outfits. Is it hard to keep coming up with new ones?
Right now, it's been about simplifying. I think if you wear something, it kind of dictates how you perform. And so I think I wanted to make sure I felt as free as possible in the moment. I looked at Nick Cave, how he would just walk onstage in a suit. We've been looking at moving away from costumes. I like the idea of breaking down the boundaries between my real self and my stage self — to be as raw as possible.

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You used to try to communicate with spirits when you were younger, right?
Well, I was always sneaking into graveyards when I was younger. There's something invigorating about being so close to death. And when I was 17, a little boy wandered out of the bushes at my grandmother's funeral. I was like, "I'm going to pretend that I'm a ghost." We had a matter-of-fact little chat before he walked back into the bushes. Then, I thought, "Shit, where did that boy come from? Maybe he was a ghost."

Neil Young Through the Years

You performed at Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit last year. Did you get to meet Neil?
Yeah. He's got such incredible energy. He said that when he first heard my record, he thought that I was a man with a high voice [laughs]. He was like, "I live in the mountains. I don't know much media. I just thought you were a man called Florence. And I was like, 'Hey, that's pretty punk.' " I was like, "Thanks, Neil. Thank you so much."

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Natalie Portman Explains What She Learned Going Through 'Dark Moments' At Harvard

May 27, 2015, 1:17 pm

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Attending Harvard University, said actress Natalie Portman, "changed the very questions I was asking."

Portman, a 2003 graduate of Harvard, was the keynote speaker at Harvard College's Class Day on Wednesday. Portman joked up front that she had wanted some comedy writers for her speech because at her Class Day, Will Ferrell was their hilarious speaker. She didn't get anyone to help her craft jokes, she said, and so Portman's speech largely focused on her explaining how she confronted her own doubts when she went to Harvard.

In high school, she was voted most likely to be a contestant on "Jeopardy," which Portman said was "code for nerdy." But when Portman came to Harvard, after the 1999 release of "Star Wars: Episode I" that she starred in, she was worried she'd be viewed as unworthy and only gotten in because of her fame.

"I got in only because I was famous -- this is how others viewed me and how I viewed myself," Portman admitted. Portman said she would have some "pretty dark moments" as a Harvard student.

"There were several occasions I started crying in meetings with professors, overwhelmed with what I was supposed to pull off when I could barely get out of bed in the morning," she recounted.



Bouncing between researching about underground groups for her role in "V for Vendetta" and making the stoner comedy "Your Highness," among other films, Portman said she learned to find her own meaning and not have her success determined by box office receipts.

Portman learned as she studied for her role in "Black Swan" that "the only thing that separates you from others is your quirks, or even flaws."

"There was a reason I was an actor," Portman said, "because I love what I do and I saw from my peers and my mentors that was not only an acceptable reason, that was the best reason."

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Millennials Are The Least Religious Generation Yet, And Here's The Surprising Reason Why

May 27, 2015, 1:35 pm

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A large body of research shows that Millennials are significantly less religious than previous generations of young Americans. But as to whether the lack of religion seen in today's Gen Y'ers (born between 1980 and the mid-1990's) is transient or lasting, scientists aren't sure.

But now a new review of surveys of more than 11 million adolescents, conducted over the course of almost 50 years, suggests that the religion divide between Millennials and their predecessors is a true generational one. According to the data, Millenials are much less interested in organized religion -- and also less interested in spirituality in general.

“Unlike previous studies, ours is able to show that Millennials’ lower religious involvement is due to cultural change, not to Millennials being young and unsettled,” Dr. Jean Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University and of the researchers, said in a written statement.

Twenge is referring to studies like a 2010 Pew survey -- which suggested that people may consider religion to be more important as they get older -- and a 2014 survey that suggested Millennials do have a strong sense of faith in God, despite identifying less with organized religion.

Religion's decline. For the new study, the researchers reviewed four surveys conducted between 1966 to 2014 and involving 11.2 million American adolescents between the ages of 13 to 18. They found that Millennials were less likely to attend services, less likely to say religion was important in their lives, and less approving of religious organizations than Boomers and Gen X'ers were at the same age.

Millennials "were also less likely to describe themselves as spiritual, suggesting that religion has not been replaced by spirituality," Twenge told The Huffington Post in an email.

The decline in religiosity was found to be greater among young women than young men. The decline was also found to be greater among Whites than Blacks, and among Northeasterners than Southerners.

A cultural shift. What explains the religious declines? Twenge believes the changes may reflect a growing emphasis on individualism in U.S. culture.

"We found that religious involvement was low when individualism was high," she said in the email. "Individualism is a cultural system that places more emphasis on the self and less on social rules. Individualism can conflict with religion, especially as religion usually involves following certain rules and being part of a group."

As for whether the decline is a good thing or a bad thing, she said "I'd rather leave it up to others to decide."

Whatever the reason, there's no doubt "this is a time of dramatic change in the religious landscape of the United States," as the researchers wrote in a paper describing the research, which was published online on May 11 in the journal PLOS ONE.

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Singer-Songwriter Matt Gold Releases 'Low' Video Inspired By His Personal Relationships

May 27, 2015, 1:55 pm

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Indiana-based singer-songwriter Matt Gold says the video for his new track, "Low," is inspired from "having been broken down" in his relationships.

The song, which was released in April, melds Gold's haunting melodies with personal lyrics. The out musician, who has developed a cult following with performances on college campuses and in intimate venues across the nation, hopes the tune once again expresses "the overall human experience" as opposed to anything specifically gay or queer.

"While a pat on the back or a hug can ease your pain for a second, no one really knows what is going on inside," Gold told The Huffington Post in an interview. "They can say they relate, but can they really?"

In a music scene that has embraced openly gay performers like Sam Smith and Adam Lambert, Gold says he is ultimately happy to be "making music that is authentic to who I am" and "grateful for anyone, gay or straight, who understands my message."

"Everybody has something to bring to the table, and hopefully I am something you come back for," he added.

Hear more of Matt Gold's music on his website here, or check him out on Facebook and Twitter.

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In 'Cloud Nine,' Artist Kate Durbin Asks Women 'What Have You Done For Money?'

May 27, 2015, 2:31 pm

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Head over to the website for Los Angeles-based artist Kate Durbin's newest project, "Cloud Nine," and you'll be greeted by a few lustful mouths lined with dollar bills, flirtatiously positioned above a rather intrusive question: "What have you done for money?"

The question is aimed at female-identifying artists, all of whom are encouraged to submit their "confessions" anonymously to a designated email address. There, Durbin gives no hints as to what she'll do with said confessions, so The Huffington Post reached out to the artist to figure out exactly why she's soliciting women online, under the guise of a common cam girl name -- cloud9.



"The connection with the cam girl has to do with the fact that many artists I know do sex work in order to have enough time and money to be artists," Durbin explained. In an earlier interview with the pop culture blog Konbini, Durbin said that the responses she's received already have indeed ranged from sex work and sugar daddies to babysitting, PR jobs and parental and governmental assistance. She's heard about jobs from stints as assistants to pizza delivery, even reality television.

By prying into the lives of female artists, Durbin wants to highlight the difficulties creatives face -- particularly women -- in securing funds for their work, whether it's compensation for pieces made or financial support to travel and show their work. The fact that women artists earn less money than men is hardly a secret; for example, in 2012 alone, every artist in the top 100 auction sales was a man. Durbin digs deeper than that, though, confronting the fact that women outnumber men in art school (according to Gallery Tally expert Micol Hebron, women constitute between 65 and 75 percent of students in MFA programs), only to enter a world in which men make up 70 percent of gallery-represented artists.

Below, find out what Durbin had to say about art-school debt, her own financial history and exactly what she's doing with her collection of anonymous stories.



What was the inspiration for Cloud Nine?

I started noticing how often my artist girlfriends’ conversations revolved around money and not what was inspiring us to make art.

I noticed how often they Skyped into conferences, because they had no institution or funding source to support their attendance. I noticed how often they didn’t write because they had to work an 8-4 job just to pay rent and then work some more to pay off their student-loan debts. I noticed how often they defaulted on their loans because they didn’t have money to pay them. I noticed how many of them had sugar daddies and felt like they had to hide it. I noticed how many of them had trust funds and felt like they had to hide it. I noticed all the adjuncts who were teaching six classes at three different schools and not making enough to live, and also not making art. I noticed all the paintings being flipped and selling for bank, and then I noticed my friends who were on food stamps and who couldn’t afford dental work.

I started to notice everything in the world around me that had to do with art and money, and I paid attention to it, instead of ignoring it -- instead of believing in the fantasy that these were all “individual failings,” that none of these people were “good enough” artists to make it. This is how “Cloud Nine” came to be.

How many stories have you gathered so far, and how did you go about reaching out to women?

I have 50-plus stories so far, and hope to gather more. The call is viral on Facebook, and Konbini’s article helped. I’ve reached out to female-identifying artists who I know personally, and have asked them to share their stories and to spread the call. I’m specifically reaching into as many communities as I can, of varying socio-economic backgrounds. The project is DIY. I don’t have a team reaching out for me. I’m doing this while simultaneously working other jobs.

What form will "Cloud Nine" take once you've compiled the stories?

I will be performing the piece live online via video stream on New Hive and also on one of the world’s biggest sex camming sites simultaneously. I don’t want to give the performance away, but I will be playing with the idea of “confession,” performing as a cam girl/artist. The stories will be woven into the performance.

You mentioned to Konbini that talk of how artists make money was never discussed in school. Ideally, what would these discussions look like to you? Would you have benefited from a class geared toward the economics of being an artist?

The short answer is yes, but I think we have larger systemic problems that won’t be alleviated by a class on the economics of being an artist (although that should just be mandatory within our current system). It should also be noted that not all artists create the type of work that can be bought and sold for money (take poets, for example), or want to work within the gallery system.

MFA programs themselves perpetuate debt, as well as credentialism: two economic disadvantages to artists. Yes, some programs pay full tuition, and those are the ones people should be attending. The fact that it’s sort of a given for artists to get MFAs -- and, increasingly, PhDs -- is a sign of the bureaucratization of our era. And of course, many people get MFAs in order to go on to teach, yet most teaching work is now adjunct labor. Adjuncts are not paid a living wage and not given any job security. The majority of adjuncts are women. Can you see how the odds are stacking higher and higher against female-identifying artists (and, let’s not forget, artists of color, queer artists, trans artists)? Can you see how increasingly it is only artists who had money to begin with who can succeed in such a system?



People have long said that artists should “know what they are getting into” when they become artists and suffer. Now people are starting to say that to college teachers. It’s a way to shame people from speaking out against systemic abuse -- and neglect is a form of abuse. We exist currently in a system that does not support human beings with basic resources to use their gifts in this world. We exist within a system where art is not valued, which makes sense, because human beings are not valued in this system either. But is this the world we want? If not, we need to overcome our shame and fear and speak out about the realities of our lives as artists.

That is the first step. Then, to dream of something better. Yoko Ono says, “A dream you dream alone is just a dream, but a dream we dream together is reality.” I personally would love to see something like universal basic income put into place as a step toward alleviating this problem. It also serves to alleviate the increasing income equality and unemployment that is resulting as technology and robots take over human jobs over the next few decades. So this is not just about artists -- artists here are the canaries in a coal mine, in a sense. Yet of course it would be beautiful to live in a world filled with art, instead of people producing things or doing jobs they don’t care about just to eat and die.

Obvious question: what have you done for money?

What haven’t I done?

I plan to share my full job history during the performance, but I will give you a partial rundown now of some of the jobs I’ve had. I started working when I was 12, running my own babysitting business in two neighborhoods. I worked almost every day -- my parents homeschooled me, and as a result I could work all the time. Through high school I worked in fast food, at Krispy Kreme, and in college at a Jamba Juice knock-off shop and then at a mom-and-pop health food store. After college I worked a series of miserable administrative jobs, from data entry to [being an] administrative assistant to writing the intros for religious radio shows.

For the past seven years, since I got out of grad school, I have worked as an adjunct professor both in person and online. I often worked more than full time but did not have health insurance or a living wage. Next year will be the first year I have a full-time teaching job. I love teaching, but it is very hard to make a living teaching college.

There is more to my economic history that is difficult for me to talk about, all of which I will confess during the performance.

Do you have anything else you want to add to people who either want to take part in the project or see it when it's completed?

I would love to hear your stories if you want to share them with me. All of your identifying information will be removed, so it’s totally anonymous. Please send your story to cloudnineconfess@gmail.com.

Tune in to the "Cloud Nine" performance on May 28 on New Hive at 7 p.m. PST/10 p.m. EST. Images by Tien Tienngern.

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Let Rapping Big Bird Make Your Day As He Throws Down To Big Pun's 'Still Not A Player'

May 27, 2015, 3:29 pm

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He's an endearing childhood character, and he's not a player -- he just crushes a lot.

"He" is Big Bird, and thanks to some inspired editing by Ben Roberts, aka Animal Robot, he's also a fan of the late rapper Big Pun.

If you've ever wondered what Big Bird does after he leaves Sesame Street for the day, now you have an answer. In this demo, he mouths along to Big Pun's raunchy 1998 hit "Still Not A Player," while assorted Muppets back him up.

If this video strikes a familiar chord, there's a reason: In March, Animal Robot posted this video of Earl Sinclair of "Dinosaurs" fame rapping Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize," which went viral for obvious reasons.

H/T Tastefully Offensive

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Illustrators Protest Qatar's Alleged World Cup Labor Abuses With Redesigned Logos

May 27, 2015, 3:30 pm

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Preparations for the 2022 World Cup, to be held in Qatar, may have already cost at least 1,200 people their lives, even though the event itself is still seven years away. If current trends continue, nearly 4,000 people will die constructing stadiums by the time the World Cup actually begins -- a shocking 62 people per game played, according to a report by the International Trade Union Confederation.

Migrant workers building World Cup infrastructure have allegedly been forced to work up to 12 hours a day, seven days a week in blistering summer temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit or more, according to an Amnesty International report. Many workers are said to be living in "squalid" conditions, with employers holding on to their identification cards and exit visas and treating the workers themselves "like animals."

The competition and its sponsor, FIFA, have already come under intense scrutiny due to allegations of bribery and human rights abuses. Fourteen senior FIFA officials were indicted on Wednesday for racketeering conspiracy and corruption, and although Qatar was cleared of corruption allegations last year, Swiss authorities have announced investigations into both Qatar's and Russia's World Cup bids. FIFA has said that neither hosting invitation will be rescinded.

Qatar has promised reforms amid the damning reports, but the government has thus far mostly failed to deliver. Meanwhile, four of FIFA's primary sponsors -- Sony, Adidas, Visa and Coca-Cola -- have called for investigations into the allegations, but none have pulled out of the World Cup.

As the controversy continues to grow, dozens of illustrators have come together to shed light on the issue. Many of them posted "anti-logos" on Reddit to protest the major sponsors still attached to the World Cup. The art and design blog Bored Panda has compiled some of the best of these images.

Take a look.

View post on imgur.com

Proud sponsor of human rights abuses in Qatar.

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Artist Richard Prince Sells Instagram Photos That Aren't His For $90K

May 27, 2015, 5:05 pm

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Did you know someone could resell your Instagram pictures for $90,000?

Richard Prince, an established artist who plays with authorship and appropriation, made waves at the Frieze Art Fair a couple of weeks ago with his Instagram paintings.

Prince took screenshots of gorgeous Instagram pictures uploaded by models, celebrities and artists, and added creepy comments underneath, like, “Enjoyed the ride today. Let's do it again. Richard." Then he printed the images on canvas. Last fall, he exhibited them at the Gagosian Gallery, where they sold for $90,000 each.

He took photos of Sky Ferreira, Pamela Anderson and porn stars, as well as Doe Deere, the CEO of Lime Crime. Last week, she Instagrammed a picture from the Frieze exhibition.

Figured I might as well post this since everyone is texting me. Yes, my portrait is currently displayed at the Frieze Gallery in NYC. Yes, it's just a screenshot (not a painting) of my original post. No, I did not give my permission and yes, the controversial artist Richard Prince put it up anyway. It's already sold ($90K I've been told) during the VIP preview. No, I'm not gonna go after him. And nope, I have no idea who ended up with it! #lifeisstrange #modernart #wannabuyaninstagrampicture

A photo posted by Doe Deere (@doedeere) on May 17, 2015 at 9:05am PDT

You'd think the original Instagrammers could sue Prince for copyright infringement. But because Prince edited the photos to include his own comments, the works count as original pieces of art.

Not everybody agrees Prince's appropriation is artistically valid. Los Angeles-based artist Audrey Wollen, whose reinterpretation of Diego Velázquez’s "The Rokeby Venus" was reprinted, told i-D last fall that she was "really angry" he'd taken her work.

"What Prince is doing is colonising and profiting off a territory of the internet that was created by a community of young girls," she told the outlet.

A critic at ArtNet laid into Prince after the Gagosian show too, writing that it had "thin offerings for anyone who is in possession of a brain."

Some artists, though, appreciate the exposure. Stacy Leigh, whose photo series of sex dolls was featured on The Huffington Post last week, commented on Instagram that Prince "knows a good thing when he see's it" [sic].

Prince had reposted one of her images on his Instagram, which has since been taken down. When another user asked if he printed her image for the exhibition, Leigh replied, "I wish he would!!! I would be honored."

Missy Suicide, the founder of pinup girl website Suicide Girls, had a photo taken of the site's main Instagram account, as well as those of her models.

"I’m not holding a grudge,” she told The Huffington Post. In fact, she noted that it seemed natural Prince was drawn to the Suicide Girls, which has 3 million Instagram followers. “Our girls' portraits are the most compelling on Instagram, so of course he found ours," she said.

Nor is she critical of his work. “He’s starting a conversation about what we put out there in the public, and it’s definitely an interesting conversation to start having," she said. Missy's just surprised people paid $90,000 for the images.

To bring his work down to a more affordable price point, Suicide Girls is turning the reproduction tables back on Prince by reproducing and selling their own reproductions of his reproductions. The profits will be donated to charity.

"We’re just happy to make his art accessible to the kinds of people that he’s featuring,” she said. Ironically, the Gagosian press release warns that "All images are subject to copyright."

The Gagosian Gallery and Richard Prince did not respond to requests for comment.

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'Mom Body' Comic Nails The Emotional Exhaustion (And Eventual Joy) Of Pregnancy

May 28, 2015, 7:55 am

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Illustrator and cartoonist Rebecca Roher has always been curious about women's bodies and reproductive health, particularly now as she's beginning to think about having children someday. When her close friend was carrying her first child, Roher became increasingly inquisitive as she observed the progression of her pregnancy.

"I asked her questions the whole time about what her body was doing, what it felt like, what the books were telling her and how she related to their content," the artist told The Huffington Post. Later, Roher spoke to her friend the night she arrived at the hospital to give birth and a few days after she delivered the baby. It was "a time of extreme emotional exhaustion," Roher said.

"I was struck by the toll the birth took on her and how little I knew about what the body does after giving birth."

Roher felt compelled to make a comic about her friend's experience with pregnancy and its effect on her body. Thus, "Mom Body" was born.



Published in GUTS Canadian Feminist Magazine, "Mom Body" puts a spotlight on some aspects of pregnancy that don't always get much attention. "I was especially shocked by what happens after the birth -- something I don’t think many people talk about -- the mood changes and extreme amounts of breast milk," Roher said.

Roher hopes that her comic can help promote empathy for women's bodies. "We don’t often think of the extreme changes women’s bodies go through every month to be able reproduce human beings, let alone what happens when they’re actually making a baby," she said. "I think women should be downright worshipped for the hard work and transformation involved in creating new life."

The illustrator told HuffPost she's happy that her comic has resonated with so many other moms, and most importantly, that it was "therapeutic" for the friend she featured. "The final comic and public acceptance of my friend’s story has given strength to her own narrative, and to narratives of many women who have written to me saying it could almost be their story."

Though Roher named her comic "Mom Body" before the rise of the recent "dad bod" trend, she's open to discussing her work in light of the new phenomenon. "I support celebrating realistic body types for both men and women, but I think mom bodies are way more impressive and interesting to talk about."

Keep scrolling for more excerpts from "Mom Body" and visit GUTS Canadian Feminist Magazine to read the full comic.





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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Thinks It's Bullsh*t That Young Women Have To Be ‘Likable'

May 28, 2015, 8:41 am

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is here to remind young women that whoever likes you or doesn't like you should have no effect on your self worth.

On May 19, the Nigerian author was honored at the 2015 Girls Write Now Awards, where she gave a riveting speech directed at young women -- reminding them that their stories and their voices matter. "I think it’s important to tell your story truthfully and I think that’s a difficult thing to do -- to be truly truthful," Adichie told the crowd in New York City.

She said that it's hard for women to be truthful when telling their stories because we're conditioned to be concerned about offending people. Adichie told the young women in the crowd to forget about being liked. "If you start off thinking about being likable you’re not going to tell your story honestly because you’re going to be so concerned with not offending and that’s going to ruin your story. Forget about likability," she said.

"Forget about likability"

"I think that what our society teaches young girls and I think it’s also something that’s quite difficult for even older women, self-confessed feminists to shrug off is that idea that likability is an essential part of the space that you occupy in the world," she went on. "That you’re supposed to twist yourself into shapes and make yourself likable, that you’re supposed to kind of hold back sometimes, pull back, don’t quite say, don’t be too pushy because you have to be likable. And I say that is bullshit." And that's what we call a crowd pleaser.

Thank you, Chimamanda for reminding all of us (even the self-confessed feminists) that being liked should never stand in the way of telling your story.

Watch her entire speech in the video above.

H/T Blavity

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Portraits Of People At Work Made A Photographer Love His Job Again

May 28, 2015, 9:42 am

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NEW YORK -- Brian Doben says this is his magnum opus.

Three years ago, the 41-year-old photographer was jaded. Years of work on commercial photo shoots had left him feeling vacant and unfulfilled. He couldn’t remember why he'd chosen his craft.

So he turned his lens to people who were passionate about their professions. And the "At Work" series that came of it, he says, revived his love of photography.

"It started from the need to get back to the basics of what photography meant to me and means to me," Doben, whose studio is in Brooklyn, told The Huffington Post. "I really want to show and appreciate what others have done and what they do and what they love to do."

The series started in Nashville, Tennessee. A celebrity photo shoot -- a typically cut-and-dry affair with little conversation or intimacy -- had left him in a funk, he said. Sensing how dispirited Doben had become, his wife of two decades urged him to go out and photograph some regular people. After all, his love of photography began when he started snapping pictures of classmates during college, she reminded him.

"I love portraits," he said. "I loved just photographing people -- not famous people, just people."

The quick artistic exercise ballooned into a project that has reshaped his career, Doben said. The artist has traveled to far-flung locales to capture people who are wildly enthusiastic about their work. In Mumbai, he photographed Bilal, a traditional elephant trainer called a mahout, standing on his colorfully painted elephant. In Tel Aviv, he snapped photos of street artist Rami Meiri dragging his paint brush along the wall of a building. In Tokyo, he took a portrait of Koji Ozeki, a tree-house architect, sitting on stairs that lead to one of his arboreal structures.

Doben's corporate clients have taken note, too. Since launching "At Work," an array of major companies -- including Microsoft, Apple, Google, UPS and Samsung -- have hired him or purchased his work. On Thursday, he flew to London for a two-week shoot for British Airways.

Last week, when his 5-year-old daughter saw his suitcases and asked if he is going to work, Doben said he reflected on the new meaning "work" has taken on for him.

"'Work' can be a dirty word," he said. "But work, for me, is -- outside of being a father -- the most beautiful thing that I can be doing. I’m living life through the camera."

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Watch The First 8 Minutes Of Bradley Cooper And Emma Stone's New Rom-Com 'Aloha'

May 28, 2015, 10:02 am

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Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone's island romance has been kicking around since at least 2008, back when it was supposed to star Ben Stiller and Reese Witherspoon. The wait is over: "Aloha" opens this weekend, becoming Cameron Crowe's first movie since 2011's "We Bought a Zoo."

The "Almost Famous" and "Jerry Maguire" director has a soft spot for down-on-their-luck characters in search of redemption, and "Aloha" very much fits the same mold. That's apparent within the first eight minutes, which The Huffington Post and its parent company, AOL, are premiering exclusively ahead of the nationwide release on Friday. In the clip, we meet the film's three leads: Cooper plays a disgraced military contractor completing a mission in Hawaii, Stone stars as an Air Force pilot assigned to work with him and Rachel McAdams portrays a still-burning flame who is now married with two children. Naturally, sparks fly from all corners, squeezing "Aloha" squarely into the increasingly rare romantic-comedy genre.

"Aloha" co-stars John Krasinski, Bill Murray, Alec Baldwin and Danny McBride. Watch the clip below:

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What To Expect From Jonathan Franzen's New Book 'Purity,' According To Jonathan Franzen

May 28, 2015, 10:45 am

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In an interview with Salon co-founder Laura Miller, Jonathan Franzen fidgeted a little in his seat. Miller was asking him about Purity, his anticipated new novel, which is apparently a departure from his more cerebral, thematic stories.

“I actually turned against plot very, very consciously and deliberately in writing The Corrections,” he said. Purity, on the other hand, is faster paced, and centers on four characters, including a journalist, an “icky” character, and a young, optimistic woman.

Though he wanted to capture the idealism that informs most young people’s world views, he admitted that there’s a disconnect from his own point of view and that of today’s youth. “In general you don't have to know an entire generation, you just have to know a few people from it,” he said. “I know some incredibly smart, well-read, emotionally sophisticated people in their 20s. I love them.”

So, in spite of accusations, a misanthrope he is not -- at least he doesn’t think so. When an audience member asked whether he feared going the way of Hemingway and other unhappy wordsmiths, Franzen responded in his usual fashion: “I have some advantages having come from a close family that places a lot of emphasis on loyalty,” he said.

And it wouldn’t be a Franzen interview without a mention of his greatest passion: birds. “I can look at a bird and be happy,” he said. “I can do that anywhere. So those are some things […] loyalty, birds. Those help.”

Below are some choice quotes from the interview, including some insight into his forthcoming novel.

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'Harry Potter' Has One Huge Plot Hole You Might've Missed

May 28, 2015, 11:04 am

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We solemnly swear "Harry Potter" fans are up to no good when it comes to finding plot holes. (Hey, after not receiving your Hogwarts letter when you turned 11, who could blame you?)

Over the years, fans have put together a long list of discrepancies and theories from the books and movies. Some of the most popular include Harry not being able to see the Thestrals sooner, having witnessed his mother's death as a baby, and why the Time-Turner wasn't used to stop Voldemort from doing horrible things instead of just, you know, getting to class on time. (Looking at you, Hermione.)

Now, while most of these plot holes have somewhat satisfactory explanations -- Harry was perhaps too young to have understood what death was at the time his mother died, and, let's face it, whatever dangerous effects there are from time travel are obviously not as important as getting to Muggle Studies on time -- nevertheless, one huge plot hole keeps popping up online, and it may trump them all.



The Plot Hole: Why didn't Fred and George notice Peter Pettigrew sleeping with Ron on the Marauder's Map?



Image: Giphy

You remember Peter Pettigrew, right? He's the guy that betrayed Lily and James Potter to the dark lord, framed it on Sirius Black, faked his death and then wound up hiding out as the Weasleys' rat Scabbers. That's quite the resume.

Too bad for him there was something called the Marauder's Map, which is a magical document that reveals all of Hogwarts. This actually led Professor Lupin to discover Pettigrew was still alive in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. That's great and all, but the problem is he probably should've been discovered a lot sooner.

As one discerning fan wrote on the site Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange:

Fred and George stumbled upon the Marauder's Map in their first year. They passed it on to Harry while in their fifth year. Also note that, while talking to Harry [on the] Train, Ron described Scabbers as being "Percy's old rat."

Hence, we can safely assume that the twins had the Marauder's Map for about five years. How could they not see Peter Pettigrew in the map, with Percy for first two years and with Ron for the next three years?

Bottom line, Fred and George had the Marauder's Map for a long time and didn't notice Pettigrew hanging out with their brothers once? Is that even possible?

It's not like the name would be hard to spot. Pettigrew could've probably been seen eating with Ron, hanging with him in the Gryffindor common room or even getting cozy in his dormitory. Or perhaps, as Reddit points out, they just respected Ron's space:


Image: Imgur


With all the pranks the twins pulled, we can probably all agree "respecting him" isn't the answer.

Fandom website Dorkly even takes it a step further, saying that Fred and George missing Pettigrew was just the beginning. They also should've been able to see their sister Ginny disappearing into the Chamber of Secrets in the second book and even noticed Voldemort showing up on the map in the first one.

So is this plot hole more unforgivable than all the illegal curses combined?

The explanation:


Image: Giphy


Comments seemingly published in the FAQ section of J.K. Rowling's website show that according to the author, it "would not have mattered" if the boys noticed Pettigrew unless they had been familiar with the story that Sirius Black murdered him:

Even if Fred and George HAD heard the story at some point, why would they assume that the 'Peter Pettigrew’ they occasionally saw moving around the map was, in fact, the man murdered years before?

Rowling also said Fred and George use the map "for their own mischief-making" and there are lots of names on the map, so it'd be easy for a name to be lost in the crowd.

Reddit users also reiterate these points as an explanation.

It should be noted, however, that the Weasley twins were most likely somewhat familiar with the Sirius Black and Pettigrew story, as Ron was actually the one in Prisoner of Azkaban who told Harry that all they found from Pettigrew was his finger:

"Listen... you know what Pettigrew's mother got back after Black had finished with him? Dad told me -- the Order of Merlin, First Class, and Pettigrew's finger in a box. That was the biggest bit of him they could find. Black's a madman, Harry, and he's dangerous."

Whether you think it's an outrageous plot hole or you like the explanation, there's one thing we can all agree on ... you DO NOT just use a Time-Turner to get school work done. C'mon, Hermione!


Image: GfyCat

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Uber Wants Swanky New Headquarters To Match Its Huge Valuation

May 28, 2015, 11:32 am

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Uber is building flashy new headquarters in San Francisco.

The ride-hailing company is also reportedly seeking a new round of financing that would raise its valuation to $50 billion -- which would make it the world's most valuable private startup. It clearly wants a home base to match.

Architectural renderings of Uber's vision show two glass-walled structures linked by criss-crossing bridges that overlook a tree-lined boulevard below. The buildings were designed by the New York-based firm SHoP Architects and Studio O+A in San Francisco.

The company expects construction to be complete no later than the beginning of 2018, Uber spokeswoman Trina Smith told The Huffington Post.

The new offices will be located in San Francisco’s trendy Mission Hill neighborhood, not far from the current HQ.

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23 Vintage Photos That Show What Summer Fun Looked Like Before The Internet

May 28, 2015, 11:40 am

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No matter how many apps are available to kids today, summertime fun remains at its core about one thing: cooling off under the blazing sun. As these vintage photos from early 1900s to the 1970s show, nothing compares to the Internet-free experience of jumping into the water and splashing around with your friends. Play on, kids.





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Stunning Book Of Portraits Shows 'Beauty After Breast Cancer'

May 28, 2015, 11:50 am

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When facing a preventative double mastectomy, Katelyn Carey had no idea what to expect. Now that she is past her procedure, she wants to tell other women in her position: You're not alone.

Carey, a nurse and mother of two, has a family history of breast cancer and underwent a preventative mastectomy at the age of 29. Inspired by her experience, she is creating Beauty After Breast Cancer, a book of portraits and narratives that explains what breast cancer survivors went through, and shows what their bodies look like now.

(Some images below may be considered NSFW.)

"Every six months I go in for a new prosthesis/insert and a new bra. Nobody really knows that half of my shape comes from the prosthesis. It’s not like I’m missing an arm or a leg (and I count my blessings for that!). I sometimes walk down the street and wonder how many women have a prosthesis under their blouse like mine. It’s comfortable to wear, and makes me look like me again."

Carey hopes to publish the book in the autumn of 2015. Her goal is for cancer centers and breast centers around the world to use the book as a tool to hearten women facing treatment and surgery by providing information about various surgeries, and personal stories from women who have had them.

"The one crucial difference between us and the other resources out there is that Beauty After Breast Cancer is the coordinated efforts of medical staff with breast cancer patients in order to create the book that we as patients wish we'd had at the time of our diagnosis," Carey told The Huffington Post. "I believe that modern medicine can be compassionate. I believe that we can use our hardships to help others who must walk similar paths to the ones we have stumbled on."

"Now, whenever I am feeling less-than-secure, I have only to look at my husband, or at the photos that show me through his eyes. Beautiful. Or I can look at one of my children’s hands, curled on my breast as he rests on my lap, and know that I will be here for my kids as long as they need me. I was strong for my family even before I had met them, and they find me beautiful. So how could I help but to feel my beauty now?"

Carey and photographer Joseph Linaschke have worked with 33 breast cancer survivors ranging in age from 29 to 82. These women have undergone lumpectomies and single and bilateral mastectomies. Some have chosen to have full or partial breast reconstructions; others have decided against reconstruction or even "deconstructed" their implants at a later date.

"We don't hold back, and the photos show both 'ideal' outcomes as well as surgeries that had complications." Carey said. "Yet we are still managing to be uplifting and unintimidating with the portraits and stories we are sharing. A woman who has just heard the words, 'you have breast cancer' does not need to be scared further. I feel the faceless portraits of scars remain too harsh for someone who has no experience with breast cancer."

"I had originally pictured a beautiful new set of boobs with an amazing mural of tattoos. But I now find that boobs are not essential to my beauty or femininity. The benefits of enduring another major surgery just aren’t there. It’s very empowering to realize that I have nothing to hide and no reason to hide. I realize now that my beauty comes from knowing that I already am beautiful- I don't have to do anything else."

Carey launched a Kickstarter fundraiser in October 2014 that fell short of its funding goal, but remains determined to see the book published.

"More and more I wish I had this book when I was going through my surgery," Carey wrote. "And I guess that's the point of all this."

See more stunning images and narratives from Beauty After Breast Cancer below, and learn more about the project here.

"I am a mass of scars. They tell the story of my life: from my hysterectomy, to my stretch marks from three children, to my gallbladder surgery, to my breast scars. But if anyone thinks those scars and stories somehow make me a lesser person, I don’t really care to know that person anyway. I am a thirty-two year survivor of breast cancer, and my life is full and rich."

"Cancer showed me the strength of my husband, and the depth of his love. As my dear husband, Dan, gently took off my bandaging he made sure he did not have a look of shock on his face, as he knew I was watching for his reaction. He lovingly cared for me all the way through the cancer and now, when I had no breasts, he loved me just the same, and emptied my drains for me with as much gentleness as he could. Even now, he prefers me without my mastectomy bra -- he loves me -- ME, breasts or no."

"I couldn’t stand the scar. While some people wear their scars as a testament of their strength, my scar reminded me of all that I was forced to change, about how life goes haywire despite your precautions, and how little control I have.  The scar was about what had been done to me. I needed to change it into a thing of beauty and strength that reflected who I’d become despite it.

And so Shoyru the dragon came to me. She is not hiding my scar, she is encompassing it and making it part of her own body.  She moves my eye’s line of sight to what IS there -- the beauty and fierceness -– and away from what is no longer.  Her arrival shifted me from loss to creativity, from what happened to me to what I chose for myself.  I am not hiding from what is or trying to go back to what was, I simply accept that cancer happened… and here is what I did with it."

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Brandy Really Wants To Play Dorothy On Broadway And Record With Coldplay

May 28, 2015, 12:39 pm

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Last month singer-actress Brandy Norwood made her Broadway debut for an 8-week stint starring as Roxie Hart in the Tony Award-winning musical “Chicago.”

With less than a month left in the role, the Grammy Award-winning singer already has her eyes on another gig. During an interview with The Huffington Post, Brandy talked about her wish to star in the forthcoming 2016 Broadway revival of “The Wiz.”

On Dec. 3 NBC will air the third installment of their live musical events with “The Wiz.” Co-produced by Cirque du Soleil’s stage theater department, the television production will then follow a 2016-2017 Broadway revival of the musical.

“My dream is to reopen 'The Wiz’ on Broadway. That is a dream role for me,” Brandy said. “It’s just something that I really want to experience: being Dorothy on Broadway. I’ve been putting it out there. So I think the word is getting out that’s something I would really like to do.”

Earlier this month NBC announced that Stephanie Mills -- who originated the role of Dorothy in Broadway’s initial run of “The Wiz” –- would play Auntie Em in the network’s upcoming live broadcast special of the musical. But the lead role is still vacant, so Brandy is determined to land a spot in the 2016 revival.

“I think the next steps is seeing what they end up doing with it,” she said in reference to NBC’s future casting plans. “I don’t know what the connection in terms of NBC and Broadway and how it all connects. But for Broadway that’s something that I would love to do.”

In addition to her new career on Broadway and concluding the final season of BET’s “The Game” in July, the 36-year-old is also gearing up to record her next album. It hasn't been titled yet, but Brandy says her 2016 album will be very personal.

“I have so much to give, and I’m so inspired right now in my life. I have so much I need to sing about and get off my chest,” she said. “It’s really going to be a beautiful album. This next one is going to be very special.”

Although the Grammy Award-winner is reluctant to rush through the album’s recording process, she guarantees fans that “it’s definitely going to be the right project.”

Among Brandy's working list of potential collaborators, she expressed her interest in working with British rock band Coldplay, who is one of the singer's favorite bands. For her 2004 effort “Afrodisiac,” Brandy recorded a song aptly titled, “Coldplay,” and last year recorded a cover version of the band’s single, “Magic.”

“I would love to collaborate with Coldplay! I think that would be so magical,” she said during the interview. “I think people would love that. It would be unexpected at the same time expected because everybody knows how much of a fan I am of Coldplay. So that’s a great idea. I’m going to look into that.”

Brandy's role as Roxie Hart in Broadway's "Chicago" concludes on June 21.

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10 Children's Books That Paved The Way For A New Queer Protagonist

May 28, 2015, 2:15 pm

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In Kendrick Daye and Myles E. Johnson’s Large Fears, Jeremiah Nebula may not be a bullfrog. But he is the queer, black protagonist of a children’s picture book -- a genre traditionally dominated by heterosexual, cisgender, white characters. Although the politics of representation is an issue for all literary forms, parent sensitivity has made materials for young readers particularly resistant to plots that question gender, sexuality or the institution of the family.

Daye and Johnson were frustrated with those age-old patterns, so they decided to create new ones. Their recent Kickstarter campaign casts the project as both subtle and radical. Jeremiah, they say coyly, is just a boy who loves pink. But they also stress how his queer, black identity makes him “a character that defies gender roles, race politics, sexuality, and his fears.”

Jeremiah’s story builds on over 30 years of children’s books that portray LGBTQ characters, translating complex issues of gender and sexuality to an accessible, picture-heavy format. These books, though, reveal far more than cutesy anecdotes. They are instructional, cathartic, and ethical, explaining different family models, connecting children with LGBTQ identities or parents to fictional counterparts, and teaching values of acceptance at impressionable ages.


Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin by Susanne Bösche (1981)
This black-and-white Danish photobook was arguably the first to feature gay characters. Two men raise their daughter, Jenny, whose biological mother lives nearby and visits from time to time. Most events are normal children’s books fare like laundry-folding and surprise birthday parties. But the characters also deal with a homophobic comment from a stranger in the street.


Heather Has Two Mommies by Lesléa Newman and Diana Souza (1989)
Like Bösche’s story, this one follows a child with same-sex parents. New plot points include artificial insemination and an inclusive discussion at Heather’s playgroup about different family structures. In real-life playgroups, the response to this book was far less benign: the story rocked the U.S., and the resulting controversy led to extensive parodies including a "Simpsons" version: “Bart Has Two Mommies.”


Asha’s Mums by Rosamund Elwin, Michele Paulse and Dawn Lee (1990)
Asha needs to get a permission slip signed by her mother, but she is perplexed when she must decide which of her two moms to ask. While Heather was lucky enough to have an accepting playgroup, Asha confronts a far less hospitable school -- and world. It’s a tale for anyone whose family does not fit into educational bureaucracy, and Asha’s African-Canadian identity marks a decisive step away from lily-white characters.


Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite (1991)
You might recognize the name from the 2008 presidential campaign when it “came out” that Sarah Palin, back in her 1995 councilwoman days, had said the book should not be permitted in public libraries. Why? There’s a gay relationship between the the father and his new roommate-actually-boyfriend, Frank. Plus it all starts off with a divorce and arrives at a pretty clear message: “Being gay is just one more kind of love.”


King & King by Linda De Haan and Stern Nijland (2002)
Originally published in Dutch, this book offered both a new take on the royal marriage story, with a gay child rather than just gay parents. “I've never cared much for princesses,” says the princely protagonist, as he finds a series of potential wives paraded in front of him by his wedding-hungry mother. Then, he spots one of the princesses’ brothers. They are soon crowned King and King, and the story ends with a subversive same-sex kiss -- which launched a series of conservative campaigns to ban the book.


One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dads by Johnny Valentine and Melody Sarecky (2004)
Instead of focusing on a single storyline, the book features two kids comparing different paternal figures. “Blue,” it turns out, is a not-so-subtle euphemism for “gay,” and the children slowly come to the realization that all skin-colors and sexual identities are equally valid. (Bonus points for the enchanting Seussical rhyming scheme.)


And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell and Henry Cole (2005)
A tale of two male penguins who are chick-less until a zookeeper helps them adopt Tango from a heterosexual couple. Animals are always one of the easier ways to discuss unconventional storylines, but that didn’t stop Singapore from banning the book along with two others last year. In fact, it’s ranked third on ALA’s list of “Most challenged books of the 21st century,” which is hard to explain considering how heartwarming these polar birds are. Did we mention it’s based on real gay penguins at the Central Park Zoo?


10,000 Dresses by Marcus Ewert and Rex Ray (2008)
Bailey is a boy by day who, at night, dreams of cross-dressing. His night-time escapades are rebuked by his family, until he finds a seamstress in playmate Laurel. Bailey’s story is an early forerunner to Jeremiah’s, for it broke from the gay-character plot to examine what it meant to be a gender-queer child.


My New Mommy by Lilly Mossiano and Sage Mossiano (2012)
Who says transgender identity can’t be explained to young children? Four-year-old Violet has a transitioning father who carefully walks her -- and us -- through the process. Like Daye and Johnson, Mossiano was frustrated with the lack of children’s materials, so she took matters into her own hands. She challenged herself to make the content accessible to a young audience, but the real challenge is the one she posed to traditional portrayals of gender in children's books.


Call Me Tree by Maya Christina Gonzalez (2014)
The third in a trilogy that opted for gender neutral pronouns, providing what the writer called a “much needed break from the constant boy-girl assumptions and requirements.” Gonzalez took another decisive step away from the “gay parent” trend and gave us an unambiguously ambiguous gender-queer character. Her engagement with the Chicano identity also departed from the classic whiteness of LGBTQ children’s characters.


Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino and Isabelle Malenfant (2014)
Like Bailey, Morris has a penchant for gender-queer behavior. He loves to wear the title’s orange garment but his fashion choices leave him open to relentless teasing from his classmates. Tensions escalate, and Morris becomes physically ill from the psychological pain. Though his imagination helps him triumph in the end, the book’s real triumph is that it gives a harsh and realistic account of queer bullying.

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The Path To The Big Screen Has Been Anything But Sunny For Cameron Crowe's 'Aloha'

May 28, 2015, 2:36 pm

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Oh, the places Cameron Crowe will go: all the way to Hawaii, apparently, to make a movie that spent several years in development, drifted almost completely into the Hollywood ether, sprung back to life with a new cast and was condemned by a top-level studio executive. The once-exalted director -- responsible for beloved hits like "Say Anything...," "Jerry Maguire" and "Almost Famous" -- needs redemption after the trifecta of "Vanilla Sky," "Elizabethtown" and "We Bought a Zoo" soiled his résumé. Sadly, "Aloha" and its lengthy journey to the big screen won't quite get him there.

Starring Bradley Cooper as a defense contractor completing a satellite mission in Honolulu, "Aloha" is part romantic comedy and part military sting operation. (Said operation deals with the militarization of space, which is as "huh?"-worthy as it sounds for a rom-com.) Cooper's character completes his work under the watch of a chatty Air Force pilot (Emma Stone) who becomes an obvious love interest, but he also reunites with a long-lost flame (Rachel McAdams) who is now married with two kids. Along the way, the movie gets about as messy as its development woes.

Doubling as a case study about a movie gone awry, below is a timeline of the trouble (at least the extent that's on the record) that has plagued "Aloha" over the past several years.



June 8, 2008: Sony-owned Columbia Pictures tops four rival studios in the heated bidding for an untitled, fully developed Cameron Crowe "romanic-comedy adventure" starring Ben Stiller and Reese Witherspoon. Plot details are kept under wraps, but the movie is slated to begin shooting in January 2009. It will be Crowe's first movie since 2005's widely detested "Elizabethtown."

October 2008: The plot leaks online after the script begins to circulate. Stiller is said to be playing Brian Gilcrest, a disgraced U.S. weapons consultant who is ordered to supervise the launch of a spy satellite in Hawaii. While stationed there with the humorless Major Lisa Ng (uncast), he reencounters his long-lost love (presumably Witherspoon), who is now married with two kids. Self-discovery ensues, along with a dose of the supernatural when Brian experiences visions of the Hawaiian gods and is asked to find a sacrifice for one of the island's volcanoes. (Cue "Joe Versus the Volcano" comparisons.) Crowe, a former rock journalist, is known for his movies' catchy soundtracks, and the script contains a sample playlist of songs that could factor into the film:
Cat Stevens -- “Don’t Be Shy"
U2 -- “Elevation"
The Rolling Stones -- “Prodigal Son"
The Blue Nile -- “Let’s Go Out Tonight”
Buckner & Garcia -- “Pac-Man Fever”
Tom Jones -- “What’s New Pussycat”
The Who -- “Baba O’ Riley”
The Beatles -- “She’s Leaving Home”
Stevie Wonder -- “Ribbon in the Sky”

December 2008: The film is titled "Deep Tiki," but Witherspoon tells Collider that shooting has been postponed until 2010.

August 2009: With "Deep Tiki" development news at a halt, Crowe reemerges by directing Pearl Jam's video for "The Fixer," his first behind-the-camera work since "Elizabethtown."

May 2010: "Deep Tiki" has stalled indefinitely. Reasons are unclear, but Stiller and Witherspoon move on to other projects. Meanwhile, Crowe signs on to direct and rewrite the adaptation of Benjamin Mee's memoir "We Bought a Zoo," which he'd been circling since the previous winter.

March 2, 2011: "The Union," Crowe's HBO documentary about Elton John's creative process, opens the Tribeca Film Festival.

Sept. 10, 2011: Crowe's rockumentary "Pearl Jam Twenty" premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival. It airs on PBS' "American Masters" one month later. Along the way, Crowe says he'd "consider" making a sequel to "Say Anything...," and the entertainment press goes nuts. There is still no word on "Deep Tiki."

October 2011: In a New York Times profile, Crowe reveals he plans to begin shooting his next film -- from a script he finished two days before the interview occurred -- in March 2012, with another movie planned after that. Befuddled journalists wonder whether the director is referring to "Deep Tiki," the Marvin Gaye biopic to which he is tied or another project altogether.

Dec. 23, 2011: "We Bought a Zoo" opens, becoming Crowe's first mainstream theatrical feature in six years. While doing press for "Zoo," he says he cannot reveal what film will be his next, but teases it as "more of a straight-out comedy."

July 30, 2012: After March comes and goes with no casting announcements, Deadline.com reports that Emma Stone has signed on to star in "untitled love story" that Crowe is directing for Sony. The article contains no mention of "Deep Tiki," but Variety's Jeff Sneider tweets on the same day that Crowe has rewritten the script and it is again gaining momentum at Sony. The movie's sensibilities are said to be closely aligned with that of "Almost Famous" and "Jerry Maguire."

Oct. 24, 2012: A "lengthy search" results in talks with Bradley Cooper, who is anticipating Oscar buzz for "Silver Linings Playbook," to take on Stiller's former role.

April 11, 2013: Rachel McAdams is in talks to play a "former lover of Cooper’s character," according to Deadline.com, which again makes no mention of "Deep Tiki" in its report of the news.

July 23, 2013: In an interview with The Huffington Post, Cooper confirms he is in the movie and that it will begin shooting in September. He also lets it slip that Danny McBride has joined the cast.

August - October 2013: The rest of the cast (Bill Murray, Alec Baldwin, John Krasinski) rolls in.

Sept. 26, 2013: Crowe begins shooting what is now being referred to as "Untitled Hawaii Project." No press release is sent to announce its start, with the director instead quietly posting a photo of a corresponding clapperboard on his blog. Reports clarify what we already know: This is an updated "Deep Tiki." They also indicate the movie was also once titled "Volcano Romance."

Feb. 14, 2014: Sony sets a Dec. 25 release date, leaving some pondering whether it could become an Oscar contender.

July 21, 2014: Sony delays the still-untitled film to May 2015. “Once we saw the film, we knew that it would make a perfect summer release. The movie is Cameron at his best,” Jeff Blake, chairman of worldwide marketing and distribution for Sony Pictures, says.

December 2014: In the wake of the massive Sony hack, Amy Pascal is found condemning the film in leaked emails. "It's a wrap," she says of any attempt to salvage the apparently dismal scores the movie received during test screenings. Pascal calls the script "ridiculous" and says it "never, not even once, ever works." She criticizes producer Scott Rudin for not visiting the set or assisting during the editing process. "At least the marketing departments have something to sell. Looks big and glossy," the email says. "We have this movie in for a lot of dough and we better look at that."

Feb. 2, 2015: Sony announces the film will be titled "Aloha."

Feb. 11, 2015: The first trailer debuts.

April 21, 2015: The soundtrack's lineup is unveiled. It includes none of the songs from the playlist that circulated with the original script.

May 13, 2015: SlashFilm reports that the only junket will take place in London with select journalists in attendance, marking another omen for the film.

May 19, 2015: “It’s been months since those emails, and a ton of work has been done since then. The movie is really, really different,” a Sony executive tells Variety, referring to the testing results mentioned in Pascal's email. “It’s going to be a lot more satisfying for audiences.” In the same breath, he warns people not to expect the next "Say Anything" or "Jerry Maguire."

May 20, 2015: The Media Action Network for Asian Americans accuses the movie of "whitewashing" Hawaiian history by casting only white stars. The group likens "Aloha" to other Hawaii-set films like "The Descendants," "50 First Dates" and "Pearl Harbor." MANAA’s Guy Aoki slams Crowe for a tweet in which he said the movie enunciates the "rich history and culture of Hawaii." The group lambastes the film's few Asian-Pacific Islander characters, who are listed with names like "Indian pedestrian," "upscale Japanese tourist" and "upscale restaurant guest."

May 20, 2015: Upon inquiring, Sony tells The Huffington Post that Crowe and the cast will not be doing press in New York. On top of that, there is only one screening offered to critics and reviews are embargoed until 4 p.m. on May 28, mere hours before the film opens. (Studios typically offer several screening opportunities and at least a few days for reviews to percolate before something is released.)

May 26, 2015: Introducing "Aloha" at a Los Angeles press screening, Crowe reportedly says, "A lot's been said, a lot's been heard -- some of it private, some of it public, some of it private that became public. But it's always been a love letter."

May 27, 2015: Sony counters MANAA's claims in a statement: “While some have been quick to judge a movie they haven’t seen and a script they haven’t read, the film ‘Aloha’ respectfully showcases the spirit and culture of the Hawaiian people. Filmmaker Cameron Crowe spent years researching this project and many months on location in Hawaii, cultivating relationships with leading local voices. He earned the trust of many Hawaiian community leaders, including Dennis ‘Bumpy’ Kanahele, who plays a key role in the film.”

May 28, 2015: A source with ties to the project tells Bloomberg Business that Sony shelled out $20 million for the marketing campaign. (For comparison's sake, the average cost of marketing a studio movie in 2007 was $36 million. Many blockbusters wind up spending hundreds of millions on their worldwide campaigns. 2013's under-performing "The Lone Ranger," for example, cost a reported $150 million in global marketing and distribution.) Box-office forecasts expect the movie to generate $8 to $10 million in its first weekend, with the studio hoping its 2,800-screen debut could give way to potential sleeper-hit status as the summer unfolds.

May 28, 2015: The first reviews trickle in a couple of hours ahead of the embargo lift, and they are not kind.

May 29, 2015: "Aloha" opens.

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