It's a big week for awards season: On Wednesday, the Screen Actors Guild unveiled the nominees for its annual awards, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is set to announce the Golden Globes shortlist the following morning. In a year with few clear front-runners, these awards will crystallize the Oscar derby that began in earnest around Labor Day and has grown increasingly murky ever since. 

Or so one would think. Instead, the SAG Awards threw us even more curveballs. Purported pacesetter "Spotlight" received less attention than expected, with Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo left out of the supporting-actor field. "The Martian," "Joy" and "The Hateful Eight" came up empty-handed, and "Mad Max: Fury Road" only managed a stunt-ensemble nomination. Helen Mirren made off with two surprise nods, Sarah Silverman's dramatic indie "I Smile Back" scored Best Actress over the likes of Jennifer Lawrence and Lily Tomlin, and "Straight Outta Compton" edged out hefty competition in Best Ensemble. 

For those playing along at home, pay closer attention to the SAG finalists, no matter how wonky some seem. Most of the folks who vote for those awards are members of the Academy's actors branch, who will in turn select the nominees for the Oscars' acting prizes. The HFPA has no membership overlap with the Academy and only an honorific bearing on the race. The catch is that SAG uses a nominating committee, so it's only a sample of the organization's taste. (Also, a shoutout to all you fabulous television folks, who are recognized by both groups, even though film gets the bulk of the awards emphasis at this time of the year. Love y'all!) 

The full list of SAG nominees, announced by Anthony Mackie and Anna Faris at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, is below. The 22nd annual SAG Awards take place Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. They will air live on TNT and TBS.

FILM

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE

"Beasts of No Nation"
"The Big Short"
"Spotlight"
"Straight Outta Compton"
"Trumbo"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Cate Blanchett, "Carol"
Brie Larson, "Room"
Helen Mirren, "Woman in Gold"
Saoirse Ronan, "Brooklyn"
Sarah Silverman, "I Smile Back"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Bryan Cranston, "Trumbo"
Johnny Depp, "Black Mass"
Michael Fassbender, "Steve Jobs"
Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Revenant"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Danish Girl"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Rooney Mara, "Carol"
Rachel McAdams, "Spotlight"
Helen Mirren, "Trumbo"
Alicia Vikander, "The Danish Girl"
Kate Winslet, "Steve Jobs"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christian Bale, "The Big Short"
Idris Elba, "Beasts of No Nation"
Mark Rylance, "Bridge of Spies"
Michael Shannon, "99 Homes"
Jacob Tremblay, "Room"

OUTSTANDING ACTION PERFORMANCE BY STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

"Everest"
"Furious 7"
"Jurassic World"
"Mad Max: Fury Road"
"Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation"

TELEVISION

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES

"The Big Bang Theory"
"Key and Peele"
"Modern Family"
"Orange Is the New Black"
"Transparent"
"Veep"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES

"Downton Abbey"
"Game of Thrones"
"Homeland"
"House of Cards"
"Mad Men"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Uzo Aduba, "Orange Is the New Black"
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
Ellie Kemper, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"
Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"
Louis C.K., "Louie"
William H. Macy, "Shameless"
Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"
Jeffrey Tambor, "Transparent"

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Claire Danes, "Homeland"
Viola Davis, "How to Get Away with Murder"
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey"
Robin Wright, "House of Cards"

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

You may remember being glued to the TV screen as a kid, watching "Looney Tunes" on repeat until your parents switched off the set with a directive of, "Homework!"

You'd stare as woodland creatures sprung to life with bulging eyeballs, over the top expressions, a propensity for extreme violence, and the handy gift of immortal life. Pigs stuttered, bunnies dressed in drag, ducks lisped, and even the most puny of creatures could recover from a giant hammer accident with a mere shake of the head. Even the most mainstream of cartoons manage to create a world that existed nowhere before, born from the imagination and brought into the consciousness of who knows how many viewers. 

Over the past 15 years, thanks to advancements in technology and education, it's a lot easier to draft a world all your own and bring it to life, without the help of a major animation house or production company. More than ever before, creative individuals are making animated works on their own terms, or with the help of a very small crew. As a result, cartoons are stranger, sillier and stupider than ever before -- and I mean that in the kindest way possible. 

Alex McDonald and Kevin Sukho Lee are the cofounders of Animation Breakdown Roundup, a curated shorts program that will kick off Animation Breakdown, an annual event celebrating experimental animation around the world.

At Cinefamily in Los Angeles, the five-day Animation Breakdown film festival features a guide through the most deliciously weird animated shorts from filmmakers and artists around the world. In Remy Schaepman's "Pentimento," a mysterious pig-shaped piñata floats toward Earth, leaving its citizens to react accordingly, while Wong Ping's "An Emo Nose" is a hallucinatory, neon-dripped adventure about a dude who loses his nose. 

McDonald, Animation Breakdown founder, creative director and head programmer, and Lee, an animatic editor at Nickelodeon, stress that they're not interested in a creating a "best of" syllabus with their featured works. Given their interest in unbridled creativity without much dedication to convention or prestige, this feels appropriate. Rather, the two hope to create a curated tour through contemporary film that can be experienced in a theater filled with likeminded fans, instead of, you know, in your bedroom on YouTube.

This is Animation Breakdown's third year, and for McDonald and Lee, there is no better time for the field of experimental animation. "I feel like animation has gotten into the hands of independent artists," Lee explained. "It used to not be feasible in the original techniques of animating. Now the tools are a lot more accessible and affordable and there are a lot more educational resources. People are able to do amazing films without having to go to college or pay their dues. What I get excited about is that people are making stuff instinctively, being naturally innovative and not trying to please some sort of perceived establishment. You don't have to conform. People are just making cool shit."

McDonald riffed off Lee's use of the word "instinctive," expanding on how this artistic intuition is at the core of animation's magic. "It's not an immediate art form, but somehow there is an instinctive quality to it that's different from film, that's closer to dance or music."

"If you come up with the idea for a film, you write a script, you get a cast, you have a producer and director -- you have all of these filters through which your vision goes," he added. "With animation, it goes from the head to the hand or whatever tool you're using and it's limitless. You're able to create whatever world you can dream of. It's the lack of boundaries in animation that fascinates me. You can, from one frame to the next, be taken someplace completely different in a way you can't in static art or live action filmed art. It's transportive in a way that other moving mediums just aren't able to be."

From December 10 through December 14, Los Angeles' Cinefamily will feature a variety of cartoon-happy programming that includes "Rick & Morty" Live!, Belladonna of Sadness, Creating Nickelodeon’s "Pig, Goat, Banana, Cricket" and far more. The whole thing kicks off with "Opening Night: Animation Breakdown Roundup!" a carefully selected slew of animated shorts from freaky visionaries around the world. See the trailer below and scroll down for stills from the featured films. 

1. "Amaro and Walden's Joyride" (2015)  by Tim McCourt and Max Taylor, London

Two hooligan boy racers think they are in a music video. They're the best of friends but couldn't care less about each other's safety

2. "An Emo Nose" (2015) by Wong Ping, Hong Kong 

He has lost all interest of any kind in social activities after his nose left him.

3. "Apple Pie" (2015)  by Marc M. and Sick Animation, Los Angeles

A girl is sent by her boss, to pick up dessert for the office.

4. "Bartkira the Animated Trailer" Produced by Kaitlin Sullivan, Portland, Oregon

Bartkira is an animated parody of "The Simpsons" and "Akira," based on an idea by Ryan Humphrey and the comic collaboration with James Harvey.

5. "Bath House (Simhall)" (2014) by Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Stockholm

Six characters meet in a public bathhouse: the pedant bathhouse manager, a couple with a strange way of communicating, and a gang with shady intentions. Something goes wrong.

6. "Candy Power Dorothy" (2015) by Yong Hoon Joe, Korea

A super food action movie wherein Fat Food Quartet tries to steal the golden cheese ring and Candy Dorothy tries to regain her lollipop.

7. "Cody's Positive Affirmations" (2015) by Joseph Bennett, Los Angeles

Cody tenuously struggles to outrun who he really is.

8. "Deep Space" (2014) by Bruno Tondeur, Belgium

Brandon is given his first intergalactic mission: to find an intelligent species. For months he’ll live a strange experience on a planet with surprising manners.

9. "First Date" (2015) by Joseph Bennett and Matt Furie, Los Angeles

A collaboration with filmmaker Joseph Bennett and artist Matt Furie.

10. "Life with Herman H. Rott" (2015) by Chintis Lundgren, Estonia

Herman is a rat who lives alone in a messy apartment. One day a very tidy cat shows up at his doorstep. With everything she owns.

11. "Loop Ring Chop Drink" (2014) by Nicolas Ménard, United Kingdom

The mundane story of a heartbroken man, an online gambling addict, an alcoholic kleptomaniac and an anxious loner living in the same apartment building.

 12. "menagerie" (2015) by Julian Gallese, Costa Rica

Enter a bird’s dream world!

13. "Pentimento" (2014) by Remy Schaepman, France

A giant pig-shaped piñata is coming down to Earth. Confronted by this apparition, mankind has to react with common sense and caution...

14. "Sports Nuts" (2015) by Marc M. and Sick Animation, Los Angeles

Sports nuts gather to participate in the annual sports nut competition. 

15. "Super Turbo Atomic Ninja Rabbit" (2015) by Wesley Louis, London

Wesley Louis drew "Super Turbo Atomic Ninja Rabbit" as a comic when he was 13. Witness now the animated intro to the best TV-series that never was.

16. "Swap Meet" (2015) by Various Artists, various locations

A collaborative experiment between 14 artists around the globe. Each artist creates a background, all backgrounds are traded randomly, and then animated upon freely.

 17. "Weird Simpsons VHS" (2015) by Yoann Hervo, France

This opening is just a small part of an unfinished collaborative project for the 25th anniversary of "The Simpsons." I’m serious.

"Animation Breakdown: Opening Night ABD Roundup" takes place at Cinefamily in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 11 at 7:30 pm. Programming continues throughout the week. Find tickets here.

Also on HuffPost:

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Warning: This article contains nude images and may be inappropriate for work.

In a recent HuffPost Love+Sex Podcast, co-hosts Carina Kolodny and Noah Michelson spoke with several people who identify as overweight about their experiences with love, sex and body image.

One of these people, Substantia Jones, is a photographer who launched The AdiPositivity Project in 2007. Jones says the mission of the project is to "combat sizeist bigotry and weight-related misinformation, and to promote body love and the recognition of an individual’s body autonomy as well as to promote critical thinking about the role that commerce plays in the dissemination of medical science and 'health reporting.'"

We chatted with Jones about her stunning work, the inspiration for The AdiPositivity Project and more. Check out her photos below while you listen to the podcast:

If you want to download and/or listen to the podcast offline, head to iTunes or Stitcher.

This podcast was produced by Katelyn Bogucki and edited by Nick Offenberg. Production assistance and design was provided by Lauren Bell.

Like Love + Sex? Subscribe, rate and review our podcast on iTunes.

Have an idea for an episode? Find us on Twitter at @HuffPostPodcast or email us at loveandsexpodcast@huffingtonpost.com.

Also on HuffPost: 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Chapter One: "The BFG" who lived.

Steven Spielberg famously declined "Harry Potter" way back when, but now it looks like the director is using his new project as a time-turner to fix that. Spielberg is directing the new adaptation of the Roald Dahl children's book The BFG, and the first teaser trailer definitely has a "Potter"-feel to it. 

Maybe it's the streets, which might as well be called Diagon Alley? Perhaps it's that the trailer mentions "the witching hour" almost immediately? Or maybe it's even the fact that one of those cats is clearly Professor McGonagall, the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) is probably Hagrid's half-brother Grawp and our bespectacled, orphaned protagonist Sophie has hair that's definitely, absolutely hiding a lightning scar.

The script is from J.K. RowlingMelissa Mathison, who reportedly last worked with Spielberg on "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," so despite any "Potter" similarities, we can be sure that it'll have some magic of its own. Oh, and also that (spoiler alert) Dumbledore dies at the end.

"The BFG" hits theaters July 1, 2016.

Also on HuffPost:

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

The actor who brought Iceman to life in the blockbuster "X-Men" film series said he's open to playing the iconic character as gay in the future. 

Most recently seen opposite Kevin Bacon in Fox's "The Following," Shawn Ashmore told IGN that having Bobby Drake, or Iceman, come out as gay would "probably be the most interesting thing that could happen" to the character. 

"If they decided to take the story that way, it’d be incredibly dramatic, it’d be an interesting storyline, and it would give Bobby a great character arc," Ashmore said. Although he'd "definitely be open" to that character development, the 36-year-old actor is aware that the films have departed from the specifics of the comic book series a good deal. 

"Obviously the comics and movies are separate," he said. "I wonder what the transition would be because we’ve sort of established Bobby as having a love interest in Rogue and having a love interest in sort of Kitty Pryde, but I think it’d be really interesting. ...I’m not sure if they want to take the character in that direction." 

A teenage version of Iceman/Bobby Drake, displaced in time, made the surprise revelation about his sexuality in All-New X-Men #40 which was released in April. The plot line raised questions among fans about how that development would connect with the character's present-day self, who presented himself as heterosexual. But in Uncanny X-Men #600, which hit newsstands on Nov. 4, the young Iceman came out officially as a gay man while confronting his older self.

Marvel comics editor Daniel Ketchum told The Huffington Post that he was particularly proud of the storyline, calling Iceman's character another example of how the franchise has always strived to reflect "the human experience." 

"As a young person reading comics, starved to see my own life experience reflected on the page, I remember thinking it seemed only possible for that to happen as a one-off story relegated to a D-List character," he said. "I don’t know that I would have believed it if I was told that years later, this story would be presented in the flagship 'X-Men' title, featuring an A-list character who has been a mainstay of the franchise since the beginning." 

We'd love to see a gay superhero on the big screen, and we've already got Ashmore on board. Your move, Hollywood!   

Also on HuffPost:

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Calling all exotic cuisine enthusiasts!

Whether you're eager to try new rubs and spices or have a friend who's always down to mix it up in the kitchen, we have just the thing to expand your palette and tickle the taste buds this holiday season. Shop one, shop all, or put 'em on your wish list!

Also on HuffPost:

You may also like:

• 33 Gifts For Anyone Who Loves Cheese More Than People


• 23 Products Anyone Who Loves Pizza Will Appreciate


• 23 Gifts Guaranteed To Get The Party Started

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

There is a micro world full of drama and action all around us that our naked eyes can't see.

But thanks to the incredible power of microscopes and advancing video technologies, this hidden realm can be revealed -- just check out the videos (below) that were recently honored in Nikon's fifth annual Small World in Motion Photomicrography Competition.

The first place-winning video was taken by Wim van Egmond, a curator at the Micropolitan Museum in The Netherlands, and shows a microorganism devouring its prey in water that was scooped out of a friend’s backyard pond.

"Wildlife is so close to us, yet most of us never look close enough to see it," van Egmond said in a statement. "A pool in your garden is actually a miniature underwater jungle teeming with life. If you want to see the world, your backyard is a great place to start."

Check out the top three winning videos and 15 honorable mentions below. Enjoy!

Check out this year's Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition winners in the slideshow below.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the Smithsonian says the government should "take the lead in reinvesting in the arts and humanities."

David Skorton, who joined the Smithsonian on July 1 and formally took over in a ceremony in October, spoke Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington. In a speech titled "What Do We Value?" he said he has heard "many times" that the private sector "can and should" shoulder more responsibility for supporting the arts. He said he disagrees.

"The government must take the lead in reinvesting in the arts and humanities," said Skorton, who was the president of Cornell University before joining the Smithsonian. "We cannot count on philanthropy to do this entirely. The arts and humanities must be seen as a national priority, and the government must be seen as leading, both in rhetoric and with resources."

The Smithsonian has an annual budget of approximately $1.25 billion, and about two-thirds of the money comes from the federal government. The rest comes from philanthropy, revenue and the institution's endowment. Skorton called the Smithsonian's financial health "robust" but said that officials on both the federal and local level are investing less in the arts and humanities. Skorton, a physician, says the arts and humanities complement science.

"We need only to look at today's current events to recognize that our national security alone would benefit if we all shared a better understanding of different religions, languages, philosophies and the history of our world. Yet, rather than embrace this opportunity from the federal to the local level, we are investing less and less in education and in the arts and humanities," Skorton said.

In answer to questions from the audience, he said that the Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture is on track to open in September 2016. He also said he hopes to keep admission to the Smithsonian's zoo and 19 museums and galleries free.

"I hope I never see the day and never seriously contemplate the day where we will charge admission," he said.

___

Follow Jessica Gresko on Twitter at twitter.com/jessicagresko. Her work can be found athttp://bigstory.ap.org/content/jessica-gresko

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

"Actresses," a  new short film by Jeremy Hersh, is making waves at film festivals across the country.

The film follows two queer women during the early stages of a relationship, beginning with a familiar moment for entertainers -- interacting with the audience after a play or a show.

Hersh told The Huffington Post that he was fascinated with the awkward and stressful nature of these moments, and saw it as an interesting jumping off point for a larger conversation he wanted to engage in about romantic relationships.

"Starting out, the only specific comment I wanted to make was that becoming a good listener is a big part of being a good actor and a big part of having successful relationships," Hersh told The Huffington Post. "Other than that I just wanted to look at the beginning stages of a relationship, one which could become something more, or could go nowhere. I wanted to look at the ways in which I've inadvertently sabotaged the relationships I've been in. The main discovery we made is that sometimes in my relationships I've felt that I was 'the submissive one' and the other dude was 'dominant' -- I'm talking about the interpersonal dynamic here, not sexual positions, which is a different, kinda boring, conversation. And through making this film I've realized someone who is coy and self-effacing and insecure who feels they're being submissive (or seems that way from the outside) can actually be hyper-controlling, to an extent that can be destructive."


"Actresses" recently premiered at Sundance, then went to SXSW, Bam Cinemafest, Outfest, Frameline, and New Orleans Film Festival, where it won the audience award for Best Short Film.

Check it out above. Want to see more from Hersh? Head here to check out his previous film "NATIVES."

Also on HuffPost:

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Calling all cat people (or people who love people who love cats!), we have the ultimate gift guide for you! And the best part? It's totally adorable and totally affordable. So hurry up and order your cat paraphernalia right meow or else, stores might sell out and that would be cat-astrophic.

You're welcome!

Also on HuffPost:

You may also like:

• 21 Gifts Only Sarcastic People Will Appreciate


• 23 Products Anyone Who Loves Pizza Will Appreciate


• 31 Turtleneck Sweaters That Are Both Toasty And Beautiful

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Women had a pretty kickass year. 

As 2015 comes to a close, it's important to look back at what has been accomplished over the last 12 months. While this year had its dark spots, there were some undeniably awesome moments for women. Between the U.S. National Soccer team winning the Women's World Cup, the U.S. military opening all combat roles to women and Amber Rose's slut walk, 2015 was quite the year for women. 

To celebrate, we've rounded up 35 of the most inspiring, badass, and yes, feminist, moments of the year. Here's hoping next year's list is even longer. 

Also on HuffPost: 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

The "best books of the year" list is a time-honored tradition among media outlets and publishers, with selections rolling in just after Thanksgiving.

We've already seen a sampling of voice-driven narratives and sprawling sagas representing favorites among critics; just last week HuffPost staff writers selected a range of novels they thought stood out. Among them were Kazuo Ishiguro's strange fable-like fantasy, Alexandra Kleeman's wild satire, and, apparently, Barack Obama's favorite book of the year: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff.

Obama named the title, along with his and Michelle's favorite songs of the year -- "How Much a Dollar Cost" by Kendrick Lamar and "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars -- in an exclusive interview with People.

At first, the book seems an unconventional choice for the president. It's not political, and there's not a word in it about foreign relations. In fact, Groff's National Book Award-nominated story is deeply personal -- it's the story of a marriage from the secretive perspectives of both partners.  

But, Obama's been exploring literary territory even more than usual lately. Earlier this year, he interviewed another National Book Award nominee, Marilynne Robinson, about community, violence and othering in America. 

So thanks Obama -- and we mean that sincerely! -- for supporting great literature. 

Read our review of Fates and Furies 

Read our picks for the best books of the year 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Well this takes blending in with your surroundings to a whole new level. 

New York-based artist and photographer Trina Merry's travel photos are unlike anything we've seen. In her new series "Lost in Wonder," Merry explores the relationship between traveling and the "culture of the selfie." Merry pairs U.K. model Kyle James with breathtaking views of world-famous landmarks. In every picture, James' body is painted to blend in with the scenery.

Tourism now, Merry says, is unfulfilling and lacking because tourists don't exactly engage with their destinations. "Why are people traveling to these sites for only a brief moment to take a picture and brag to their friends?" Merry asked in a press release. "It completely isolates the architectural structure from its original meaning, intent and use.”

Merry traveled to China, Mexico, Egypt and Jordan among many other countries to shoot her series. She photographed James among a variety of landscapes and landmarks, including the Great Wall of China, the Colosseum and Stonehenge. 

"I really wanted to understand what makes a place ‘great’. Why do these physical structures go down in history?" Merry said. "I was amazed that, due to the nature of contemporary tourism, so many people idealize these places but they leave with some selfies, a branded trinket and a bit of disappointment. They looked… lost.”

Scroll down to see a selection of Merry's work below, and head to her Facebook page to view more.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Seriously, with today's hyperactive news cycle, what Trump angle is still untouched? The answer is Trump himself. Because if you're like me, you regularly think, "God, Trump is such a crazy dick. If only he were at least hot enough to want to f**k!"

Above Average writer and Photoshop Jedi Glenn Boozan has finally made all our dreams come true. She took Trump's face and retouched it to try and make him hot. 

And now, behold!

Alright, probably still not.

Check out the full process of how Boozan gifted us this peek into a frightening alternate reality.

Also on HuffPost:

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

When you think of Ryan Gosling, what comes to mind? A hunk? A meme? An Oscar nominee who has played drug addicts and getaway drivers? “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird”? That one “Are You Afraid of the Dark” episode? Father of Eva Mendes’ child? Cereal?

Somewhere amid that hodgepodge of identities exists one of the biggest movie stars in the country. And also one of the hardest to define. Few men in contemporary Hollywood have garnered a more universal heartthrob status, and that seems, in recent years, to have caused many to think of Great Actor as an inferior bullet point on Ryan Gosling’s résumé.

That’s partly because Gosling, 35, has drifted through the public eye for the better part of two decades, assuming multiple cultural personas and sometimes taking lengthy breaks between projects. “The Big Short,” which opens in limited release on Friday and expands nationwide the week of Christmas, is his first on-screen appearance since summer 2013, when “Only God Forgives” -- Gosling’s most recent collaboration with “Drive” director Nicolas Winding Refn -- stalled at less than $1 million in domestic grosses. “Forgives” was a rare financial misfire for an actor who’s managed to turn even small independent titles into modest hits. Gosling’s rank as Desirable Celebrity didn’t suffer, but all of a sudden it felt like ages since he’d headlined a great film. 

“The Notebook” made Gosling a near-instant Movie Star (and object of infatuation) in 2004. It helped, at the time, that he was a known entity, if not quite a household name, thanks to his spot in the well-chronicled Britney Spears era of “The Mickey Mouse Club,” the title role on TV’s “Young Hercules” and a small part in “Remember the Titans.” The 2006-07 triple punch of “Half Nelson” (a raw performance that earned a deserved Oscar nomination), “Fracture” and “Lars and the Real Girl” (cue a Golden Globe nod) quickly cemented Gosling’s Serious Actor bona fides. 

But after “Half Nelson” proved Gosling could go dark and “Lars” positioned him as an offbeat indie dude, everything changed. Peter Jackson fired him from “The Lovely Bones” because Gosling thought his character should be overweight, and thus gained 60 pounds before the shoot. He then disappeared from the big screen for three years, instead starting a band. When Gosling returned in 2010, it was with one of his career highlights to date, “Blue Valentine,” an acclaimed performance that generated a ton of Oscar buzz. A moody relationship drama, "Valentine" earned $9.7 million -- notable for a bleak indie that cost $1 million to make, but nowhere near the grosses we associate with modern Movie Stars. And yet, Gosling’s stature rose so rapidly in its wake that, despite how great he is in “Valentine,” Gosling's pop-culture persona shifted from Serious Actor to Cerebral Stud With Pretty Hair and Photoshop-Worthy Abs. The “hey, girl” meme took off, and Gosling did what smart Movie Stars do: He bookended arty roles with well-received mainstream fare. 2011’s “Crazy, Stupid, Love” may be the decade’s most celebrated romantic comedy, while “Drive” and “The Ides of March” each marched to decent reviews and an impressive $75 million at the box office. But Gosling as Sex Symbol had overtaken Gosling as Serious Actor, and 2012’s polarizing “The Place Beyond the Pines” and 2013’s vapid “Gangster Squad” did little to bridge the two images. 

So Gosling did something wise: He wrapped a still-unreleased Terrence Malick movie, and then publicly announced he’d be taking some time off. ("I've lost perspective on what I'm doing,” he said, which, to my mind, implies that he, too, was aware that Ryan Gosling, Sex Symbol trumped Ryan Gosling, Serious Actor.) “Time off” became a loose term. He made his directorial debut with the bizarre “Lost River,” a noir-ish thriller so scorched at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival that it almost wasn’t released at all. The movie opened nearly a year later in three theaters, accruing less than $50,000. The defeat went largely unnoticed, however, because right around the same time, he and girlfriend Eva Mendes had their first child, and the tabloids shined favorably upon the handsome couple, who have maintained a semblance of privacy since their relationship began in 2011.

After all these ups, downs and sudden absences, it’s a wonder that Gosling doesn’t need image rehab. But it’s a testament to the lingering popularity of “The Notebook,” the immutable indie cred earned before the Sex Symbol transition and his online popularity that recent misfires haven’t redefined Gosling’s fame. He’s still a tried-and-true Movie Star -- he just needs to remind folks that he rightfully is a Serious Actor, too, because as we well know, the two don’t automatically go hand-in-hand in Hollywood.

With “The Big Short,” directed by frequent Will Ferrell collaborator Adam McKay, Gosling does the best possible thing for his star power: He turns in a humorous performance in an intellectual movie that still manages to be utterly mainstream. Playing a pompous mortgage trader who outlined the housing-market collapse before it ravished the American economy in the late 2000s, Gosling is the movie’s key comic relief and its catalyst. He narrates the film, which is based on Michael Lewis’ 2010 book of the same name, and effectively breaks the fourth wall to explain economic concepts in snarky terms. Oh, and his hair is decidedly un-sexy, as least compared to Gosling’s usual golden locks. Even if it’s not a total transformation, in the scope of how we discuss screen stars, there’s a certain Serious Actor novelty to it.

What, so you don’t think the holidays call for a movie about the unsettling financial crisis? I wasn’t that interested either, but trust me when I say “The Big Short” is one of the year’s best. It’s a slick documentary masked as a rollicking dramatization of moral corrosion. It’s hilarious, and Gosling shares billing with Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Brad Pitt and Melissa Leo, yet still manages to be the movie’s highlight. What more could we want?

Gosling’s perennial Movie Star status was confirmed again when he hosted “Saturday Night Live” for the first time this past weekend. If his one relatability lapse is that Gosling never seems to be having all that much fun, just watch him nail an impersonation of the Scarecrow from “The Wizard of Oz” or try to stifle laughter as Kate McKinnon recounts an alien abduction. Then, like a full-package Movie Star here to elicit swoons, he told Mendes and their new daughter that he loved them during the episode’s closing moments. 

“The Big Short” earned a Best Ensemble nomination from the Screen Actors Guild on Wednesday, and 2016’s “The Nice Guys” released a trailer last week that heralds the actor’s comedic talents. Next summer, Gosling will star with Emma Stone in “La La Land,” a musical directed by “Whiplash” maestro Damien Chazelle. And he still has that Malick film floating through the ether, so put a checkmark in the moody-drama category, too. 

We always hurt the ones we love, right? Those are the words Gosling used to serenade Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine,” and they're the words we should use for forgetting that Gosling is a Serious Actor across multiple genres and platforms. If we broke your heart, Ryan Gosling, it’s because we love you most of all.

You can be highbrow. You can be lowbrow. But can you ever just be brow? Welcome to Middlebrow, a weekly examination of pop culture. Sign up to receive it in your inbox weekly.

Follow Matthew Jacobs on Twitter: @tarantallegra

Also on HuffPost:

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Five Disney princesses were just upgraded to queen status. Well, sort of.

Artist Isaiah Stephens reimagined what a handful of Disney princesses would look like if they dressed like the late Queen of Tejano music. The result was nothing short of magical.

Disney’s Tiana, Pocahontas, Snow White, Esmeralda, and Mulan each slay in their Selena-inspired getups, rocking everything from the singer's iconic purple jumpsuit to her famous "bra with little sprinkly things on it."

Stephens, a Massachusetts-based illustrator, told The Huffington Post the idea for the series came from Cosmo For Latinas’ web editor, Alanna Nuñez. “I was more than happy to do it,” he explains.  “[Selena’s] story is so inspiring and beautiful, yet tragic. It makes it kind of lovely that even today she is still so… loved.” He would know. 

The self-confessed Selena fan told the Latin Times his illustrations were a labor of love, explaining that each drawing took between two to eight hours to create. Suffice it to say, his hard work paid off. Check out his beautiful illustrations below.

For more of Stephen's work on Instagram and Facebook. 

Also on HuffPost:

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Few things are as romantic as a pair of newlyweds totally, completely swept up in their love.

Below, we've compiled 19 swoon-worthy wedding snaps via our #HuffPostIDo hashtag on Instagram. 

Also on HuffPost:

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Moranbong, the all-female pop group North Korean leader Kim Jong Un founded, will travel to China to give a series of performances aimed at improving the relationship between the countries, North Korean media tracker KCNA Watch reported Wednesday.

The band will be joined by the North Korean military choir -- also known Merited State Chorus of the Korean People's Army -- to perform in China over the next week, according to South Korean news agency Joong Ang Daily News. 

The trip will be Moranbong's first concert tour outside North Korea, the agency added.

Kim Jong Un formed the group in 2012 as part of a "grandiose plan to bring about a dramatic turn in the field of literature and arts," according to North Korean state news agency KCNA. Many of the pop band's songs, with titles like "My Country Is The Best!" and "Follow The Party," talk about the legitimacy of the Kim regime and swear allegiance to the country's communist Workers' Party.

The group's live performances are typically restricted to high-level North Korean officials, experts noted on Sino-NK, a collective of Koreanists and Sinologists. 

The shows in China will also be closed to the public. North Korean officials, including the North Korean Workers Party secretary, arts and culture minister and army lieutenant-general, are scheduled to attend, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

Officials from both countries said the performances in China would enhance cultural exchanges and improve mutual understanding between the two countries. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement that the "goodwill visit and performance" would improve the "friendship" between citizens of the two countries.

China is North Korea's largest trade partner, and its communist government supplies the Hermit Kingdom with goods such as food, weapons and energy sources. China is also North Korea's largest export and import partner, according to a 2013 study from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In October, the two countries opened a mutual trade zone that facilitated bilateral trade, Yonhap reported.

In a live performance, Moranbong band members perform in front of a screen showing photos of Kim Jong Un, followed by footage of a missile launching, to which the crowd erupts in applause.

Ji Sub Jeong contributed reporting.

Also on HuffPost:

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

The receiving end of the text above is an uncomfortable place to be. Why? Because "thanks" ends in a period. Yes, it may just mean "thanks." Or it might mean "thanks, but not really, because your tardiness is annoying." 

A Binghamton University research team analyzed periods in text messages in a study published in the journal "Computers in Human Behavior." Researchers gave 126 undergrads a series of brief text messages -- represented as a phone screen printed on paper (because, you know, budgets) -- to evaluate on a scale from most to least "sincere." Participants also received a series of brief handwritten exchanges, Xeroxed from loose-leaf paper, for comparison. 

Here's an example text:

Dave gave me his extra tickets. Wanna come?

And the reply:

Sure.

To the Binghamton undergrads, a text message reply ending in a period did not seem as "sincere" as other choices. Beneath stories about the study on the Internet, the comment section reached a boil.

"I hate internet abbreviations and the sloppiness they breed," said one disgruntled commenter. "Philistines," declared another. "I contend that the use of proper English grammer [sic], spelling and punctuation intimidates those who pay (or paid) more attention to their smart phones than their teachers," wrote another still. 

But -- brace yourselves, all ye who are set in your ways -- sincerity is only part of the period's evolving role in our language. Dun dun dun!

In his 2013 New Republic essay, which the Binghamton researchers acknowledge, Ben Crair argues that our tiniest punctuation mark can help us express something else: different shades of anger. 

"I’ve noticed it in my text messages and online chats," Crair wrote, "where people use the period not simply to conclude a sentence, but to announce 'I am not happy about the sentence I just concluded.'"

I've noticed it, too. Asking "Do you watch 'Real Housewives'?" and receiving:

No

Sounds way more friendly than:

No.

But, to me, that's not a question of sincerity. My friend sincerely means to say, "No, I do not watch 'Real Housewives,'" but ending with a period lets me know she's a little miffed that I even had to ask. In other words, the period isn't shrouding the text's true meaning. It's adding another layer of meaning. 

In another scenario, I'd texted a friend what I thought of a local coffee shop. Her reply: 

Agreed.

Here, the period does something else -- it offers emphasis. She also thinks Ost Cafe plays good music (because it's true).

The more we text, the more we see the medium mimicking the richness of communicating face-to-face, even if that nuance comes at the expense of "proper" punctuation. As painful as that is. (A note to self-declared grammarians: Knowing the standard rules and choosing to ignore them to better convey your purpose is not a mark of a poor education, as one Facebook commenter suggested.) Like choosing an emoji, or the number of Ys in "Hey," or any of the other visual cues we use in written communication to indicate tone and purpose, using a period to end a text has become a delicate operation. 

For their part, the Binghamton researchers acknowledge that there's more going on than the results of their one experiment suggest. "Our claim is not so much that the period is used to convey a lack of sincerity in text messages," the report reads, "but that punctuation is one of the cues used by senders, and understood by receivers, to convey pragmatic and social information."

The team also concludes by calling for more attention to the topic, stating their study's results "highlight the potential fruitfulness" of other such investigations. (Just think of the heated grammar-related arguments we could be having if some other group takes them up on that suggestion!)

So, is there something weird going on with the way we're using periods now? Probably. Do periods in text messages indicate something more than just level of sincerity? Probably. Should you curse the unstoppable evolution of human language? Probably not. You'll just tire yourself out. 

Also on HuffPost:

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.