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Prepare To Fan Girl/Boy/Whatever Out Over The First 'Wonder Woman' Footage

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Hera, give us strength to make it through 2016, so the world can finally see Wonder Woman in all her glory on the big screen.


Forward all fruit baskets and thank yous to The CW because during the network's "Dawn of the Justice League" special on Tuesday, fans were not only treated to a new "Suicide Squad" trailer, but also the first footage from one of DC's most anticipated titles, "Wonder Woman." 







Geoff Johns, the chief creative officer of DC Comics, and Kevin Smith introduced the film, which hits theaters June 23, 2017, in front of a table holding Princess Diana's shield and famous lasso. 


"Wonder Woman's like one of the greatest superheroes out there, but people don't know her origins like they know Superman's origin or Batman's origin," Johns said. "So, what we want to do in the film is really tell people who she is, where she comes from and why she does what she does."


Born on the Amazonian island of Themyscira, the demigoddess, played by Israeli actress Gal Gadot, is the daughter of a Greek mythological royal (Psssst, it's Zeus) and was put on this earth to protect the human race. Her fellow Amazonians, however, have abandoned this mission, leaving Diana to carve out her own path.


In the clip we see her in and out of costume, as well as a glimpse of Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), Wonder Woman's primary love interest and military intelligence officer. Also, general badassery.







"She's an Amazon warrior. She's the best fighter in the DC universe," Johns continued. "She has strength and speed and she's been training her whole life for war."


We're also reminded of Wonder Woman's important legacy as a "feminist cultural icon," considering very few films have put a female superhero in the forefront. 


"Telling a story like this now is pivotal and important," Pine remarked in the clip. "The story of a very powerful woman."


To all those who think Wonder Woman doesn't deserve the big screen treatment, we've got a message for you:







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These Are The Best Presidential Campaign Posters Of All Time

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Advertising campaigns are a critical part of any successful American presidential election. As you can see below, U.S. presidential races have yielded some interesting campaign posters.


From hand-etched, antique lithographs to posters inspired by the modernism of the "Mad Men" advertising era, these designs are anything but boring. 



Presidential Campaign Posters, a 2012 publication of the Library of Congress, examines these and other posters and their effect on the electoral vote.  


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'Star Wars' And 'Winnie The Pooh' Mashup Is Truly The Best Of Both Worlds

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This galactic remix is as sweet as hunny. 


James Hance, an artist based in Florida, has combined elements from "Star Wars" and "Winnie the Pooh" to create a perfect mashup series called "Wookiee the Chew." 



The series features characters like Chrisolo (a Christopher Robin and Han Solo mix), Wookiee the Chew (a cross between Winnie the Pooh and Chewbacca) and Droidlet (a Piglet and R2-D2 mashup).  The illustrations are so adorable, you might even wish Chewie was this cuddly-lookin' in the movies. 



The artist, a fan of both franchises, told The Huffington Post that he was inspired to create the series as he wanted to take a look at the early bond between Han Solo and Chewbacca. 



"I love A.A. Milne's original Pooh stories -- It's funny, they always left me feeling a tiny bit sad as a child, knowing that Christopher Robin would eventually have to grow up and leave," he said. "I feel like Han and Chewie fit into Christopher Robin and Pooh's shoes quite well. ... I love the thought of them growing up together."



If you can't get enough of Chew and Chrisolo, good news! Hance has also written a "Wookiee the Chew" audiobook, "The House at Chew Corner" and is currently working on a second one.  



To see more of Hance's work, check out his Facebook page or website


 


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How To Dance Like A Toddler

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In many ways, parents are like the ultimate teachers and guideposts for their families. But they still can learn a great deal from their kids. 


In La Guardia Cross' latest "New Father Chronicles" video, he takes dance lessons from his daughter Amalah and some other toddlers. 


"How To Dance Like A Toddler" reveals some inspired moves like "Diaper Drop,""Flappy Arms" and "Toddler Hips."


The result is some next-level baby boogie time.


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Musician's Story Of Sexual Harassment Prompts Other Women To Come Forward

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The frontwoman for Brooklyn-based band Dirty Projectors, Amber Coffman, tweeted accusations on Monday night that music publicist Heathcliff Berru sexually harassed her at a bar in New York. 


Coffman told The Cut that she was hanging out with a group of friends Monday night when they started talking about their experiences with creepy dudes and sexual harassment. "I said, 'Why does nobody say anything?' And my friend just said people were scared and I was like, 'Well, I’m not scared,'" Coffman told The Cut. "So I just said his name." 


In a series of tweets, Coffman accused Berru, music publicist and CEO of Life Or Death PR, of groping her butt and biting her hair. 


Coffman tweeted that she was at a bar in New York with four of her guy friends when Berru came over to the group and proceeded to grope Coffman without her consent. 


































The Huffington Post reached out to Coffman for comment but did not hear back before the time of publication. 


Coffman said she didn't take it public because she was afraid of the backlash she might receive.


"I told Domino Records and I told my friends and people who I knew but I guess I didn’t really think to take it public," she told The Cut. "And it wasn’t until now that I realized that I was actually kind of scared to in a way."


After Coffman came forward with her story, she quickly gained support from other women and fellow musicians. Shortly after Coffman came forward, more women tweeted similar allegations against Berru. Music publicist Beth Martinez was one of the first women to share her story after Coffman.  


Martinez accused Berru of allegedly putting his hand down her shirt as she repeatedly told him to stop. She also said Berru and "members of his crew" may have "roofied" her on multiple occasions. 


Martinez's account of Berru's alleged sexual misconduct: 






































Other woman in the industry came out with their stories on Twitter, too, after Coffman and Martinez -- including Tearist frontwoman Yasmine Kittles, former MTV host Shirley Braha and Best Coast singer Bethany Cosentino.


So far, at least eight women have come forward with similar allegations of sexual misconduct against Berru. 


Below are some of the tweets from women who have accused Berru of some form of sexual misconduct.


























A former drummer of multiple bands, Roxy Langetold Brooklyn Magazine on Tuesday that Berru sexually assaulted her in 2007. "He kept trying to force me to give him a blowjob in a cab and wouldn’t stop pushing my head into his lap forcefully, with his pants unzipped and penis out in the open," Lange said. "After I got out of the cab, he followed me up three flights of stairs and forced his way into my apartment, attempting to force himself on me but he was luckily too drunk and coked up to get hard so he gave up." (Read the rest of Lange's story here.)






Multiple musicians quickly started to tweet their support for the women and publicly cut ties with Berru's PR company Life Or Death on Tuesday. Some of the artists who cut ties with Berru included rock band Wavves, Brooklyn-based band DIIV and Speedy Ortiz guitarist Sadie Dupuis


Below are some of the tweets from the musicians.
















On Tueday evening, less than 24 hours after Coffman's initial tweets, Life Or Death PR issued a statement which informed the public that Berru will step down as CEO of the company.



Life or Death has a zero tolerance policy for the type of conduct alleged in today’s online postings. We take these allegations very seriously... We are taking measures to ensure that the alleged behavior did not, and will not, make its way into company operations or impact our commitment to promoting art and assisting our clients.... We are grateful to Heathcliff Berru for all the work he's done to date and his creative vision at the company. We appreciate and support his decision to step down as CEO of Life Or Death.



Read Life Or Death's full statement here.


Berru also issued a statement later that Tuesday night to L.A. Weekly. Read Berru's full statement below: 



There have been several reports about my alleged inappropriate behavior which deserve a response. I am deeply sorry for those who I have offended by my actions and how I have made certain women feel. If I crossed the line of decency or respectfulness in situations when I was drunk and under the influence, there is no excuse of course. To be clear, while my conduct may have been inappropriate, I have never drugged anyone or engaged in that type of behavior.  Nevertheless, I do not want to be the type of person who would let drugs or alcohol take command of his life and compromise how he treats people. Yet I have been this person and it’s time to put a stop to all of this. Create a world with one less inappropriate man.


I have been fighting a losing battle against drugs and alcohol for many years and will be checking into a rehabilitation facility in the hope that I can improve my chances of winning that fight. A year ago, I was confronted by a peer and began to try to clean up and make things right with therapy and with an eye towards quitting the addiction. The shame and sadness feels as strong now as it did then and I am making an immediate change. 


I have already lost my wife, abandoned my family, and destroyed those I love as a result of my shameful, embarrassing, unacceptable behavior. I deeply apologize to them, as well. By no means do they deserve to feel the pain of my actions. Please give them the space they deserve. They were the light at the end of a dark tunnel. I was married during some of these years and hid my problems from everyone well. Especially her and her family. Totally inexcusable.


In no way do these allegations reflect on Life or Death PR, its staff, or anyone associated with the company. These are my issues, not theirs. I could not be more proud of the company and what it stands for. That being said I have stepped down as the CEO and relinquishing all responsibility to the current president, Nick Dierl. The company shouldn't have to deal with this distraction and I want Nick and the rest of the team to continue to do their good work while I take care of myself.



Coffman responded to Berru's statement with a tweet Wednesday morning.






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Grace Coddington Is Stepping Down At Vogue. Here's Why That's A Big Deal

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Grace Coddington is stepping down from her role as Vogue's creative director, as first reported by Business of Fashion. Having joined the glossy in 1988, Coddington has spent nearly 30 years dreaming up some of the most iconic fashion editorials in the business. 



Noting the move is "bound to shake up the industry," the New York Times reports Coddington is immediately assuming the role of creative director at large and will produce four editorials for the magazine per year. But stepping down will allow Coddington to work on other projects outside of the magazine for the first time.


"I’m not running away from Vogue, because it has opened so many doors," she told Business of Fashion, adding that "it will be nice to collaborate, and nice to go out and give talks to people. It’s just another approach. I’m certainly not going into retirement. I don’t want to sit around." 


That's great news for fans of Anna Wintour's longtime right hand woman, who is known for her signature look as much as her epic editorials. Still, the news inspired us to take a look back at some of Coddington's most gorgeous work, made easier than ever thanks to the "Love* Grace Coddington Editorials" Pinterest board.


Take a look at some of our favorites below. 









































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43 Photos That Prove Dads Are Way More Than Just Babysitters

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Though studies have shown that dads are more involved in their kids' lives than ever, many people still use the word "babysitting" when referring to fathers taking care of their children.


As HuffPost blogger Jenny Witte wrote, "Calling a dad a 'babysitter' serves to devalue the role that fathers play in their children's lives, which is just as important as the role mothers can play."


"Although barred from some of the obvious tasks like actually giving birth and breastfeeding, dads can kiss owwies, have tea parties, remember school snacks, wipe butts and noses, soothe little ones to sleep, and parent with the best of them," she added.


When describing her husband's role as a father, blogger Rachel Toalson noted, "Though I appreciate all he does, it is not exceptional. It is called being a parent."


We asked the HuffPost Parents Facebook community for photos that they think best capture the reality of fatherhood and received hundreds of chaos-, exhaustion- and love-filled images.


Here are 43 funny and heartwarming photos that show being a dad is about parenting, not "babysitting."



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These Were The Most Popular Girls' Names Over The Past Century

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Since the Social Security Administration began tallying the popularity of baby names in the late 1800s, only ten girls’ names have managed to hit the top spot on the list. Several stayed on for decades, while others only held the title for a few years. Here are those ten most popular girls' names, in chronological order.


Mary



Mary, the quintessential New Testament name, is the mother of all girls’ names, the most popular and enduring female Christian name in the English-speaking world for centuries. When the SSA started keeping records around 1880, it was still number one and remained there into the 1940s. In 1900, there were 16,707 girls named Mary, which was 5.25 percent of girl births. This at a time when the U.S. population was 76 million, compared with 322 million today. In 2014, Mary ranked at 120, close to its lowest point ever -- but there's some renewed interest, perhaps due to the popular character Lady Mary in "Downton Abbey."


Linda


Linda managed to surpass Mary in 1947, staying on top for six straight years and remaining in the top 10 until 1966. There’s no one clear explanation for the name's rise except that its popularity coincided with that of actress Linda Darnell (born Monetta) and is also a Spanish word for "pretty." There were a whopping 99,680 Lindas born in 1947, or 5.4 percent of the newborn baby girls that year. Its current ranking is much lower, at 615.


Lisa


Lisa, a short form of the European Elisabeth, didn’t appear at all until the late 1930s. Then, partly due to the popularity of the hit song "Mona Lisa," it started spiraling upwards. By 1962 Lisa had reached the top, where it remained for eight years, getting a royal stamp of approval when Elvis used it for his only child in 1968. In 1962, there were 46,083 newbie Lisas, 2.2 percent of girl babies born. Current ranking: 750.


Jennifer


This name was at the top of the SSA's list for 14 years, from 1970 to 1984 and, as a result, no name came to be seen as quite so epidemic or to signify a generation of girls as Jennifer did. During her reign, there were 859,112 Jennifers born in the U.S. This once obscure Welsh name shot to fame first via actress Jennifer Jones (born Phyllis Isley), but even more by way of the tragic heroine of the film "Love Story", released in 1970. Current ranking is number 220.


Jessica



When Jennifer began to feel overused, Jessica jumped in to take her place as another three-syllable J name, though Jessica had a much more classic, Shakespearean heritage. Jessica had two split turns at the top, from 1985 to 1990 and then from 1993 to 1995, for a total of nine years. In 1985, there were 48,346 baby Jessicas, 2.6 percent of girls registered. She’s now at Number 179, somewhat higher than Jennifer.


Ashley


Ashley has had several iterations over the years, from Gone with the Wind's Ashley Wilkes to Lady Brett Ashley in The Sun Also Rises. But the main catalyst for the name's popularity is likely the soap opera character, Ashley Abbott, who debuted on "The Young and the Restless" in 1982 (and is still going strong). Ashley held the number one spot for two years, 1991 and 1992, with 43,482 girls given the name in 1991, 2.1 percent of the baby girl population. Current ranking: 87.


Emily


When baby namers started to tire of the J-juggernaut, the Em-era began. Emily took the throne in 1996 and crossed into the 21st century with a reign that lasted until 2007 in several other countries as well as the U.S. Emily, with its combination of daintiness and dignity, and literary namesakes like Emily Bronte and Emily Dickinson, proved irresistible to 25,149 parents in 1996, 1.3 percent of all baby girls born that year. Emily is still a popular choice at number seven.


Emma



Just as Jessica replaced Jennifer, so Emma followed Emily, if only for two scattered years, 2008 and 2014. Emma was given a boost as the choice for Rachel and Ross’s baby on "Friends" in 2002 and is now borne by three of todays’ hottest young stars: Emmas Watson, Stone and Roberts. In 2014, there were more than 20,000 girls christened Emma, 1.07 percent of the female newborn population.


Isabella


Isabella had a two-year run IN 2009 and 2010. This variant of Elizabeth had a direct pop cultural inspiration: Isabella "Bella" Swan, the lead character of the phenomenally popular Twilight series. Although it had always shown up on the list, Isabella had sunk down close to the bottom in 1990, but that changed rapidly after the publication of the first book in 2005. By the year 2009, more than 22,000 babies were given the name, which was just 1.1 percent of girl babies born.


Sophia


Sophia managed to edge in there for three years, from 2011 to 2013, before Emma made a return last year. It’s closely linked to Italian screen goddess Loren -- who was born Sofia. An author favorite since the days of Tom Jones, Sophia has been on the U.S. list since at least 1880 and has also been a royal name in several countries. There were 21,816 Sophias born IN THE U.S. in 2011, 1.1 percent of girls, showing how much smaller percentages of girls today get the number one name.



Nameberry


 


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'The Bachelor' Is Letting Its Race Issues Show, But That's Not Enough

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Members of Bachelor Nation sat through a particularly harrowing episode on Monday, as black, Haitian-born Jubilee became the focus of an oddly virulent, racially charged mean-girl swarm.


Bachelor Ben Higgins selected Jubilee, who has the flawless features of a Disney princess and the strength of a war veteran (because she is one), for a one-on-one date that saw the two of them wafted by helicopter to a luxurious spa for a day of relaxation. During their day together, she ended up revealing her painful past -- she was adopted after her entire family died -- and shared her offbeat, self-effacing sense of humor.


Back at the house, the girls seemed to be fuming over a few of Jubilee’s misfired jokes. As they all stared enviously at her while she waited for her date, she awkwardly commented that he was 20 minutes late. When he arrived, and asked whether she was excited, she still-more awkwardly brushed off her eagerness -- which had been all-too-obvious since she first heard her name read from the one-on-one date card -- and facetiously asked if anyone else wanted the date.


Ben, despite having the soft, white personality of a hot dog bun, mustered enough pep to enjoy Jubilee’s sarcastic remarks, and even understand that they often covered up insecurity or social discomfort. But his other bachelorettes were unaccountably livid, especially when Jubilee came back with a rose instead of being sent packing.


While most girls return from one-on-one dates with roses, she immediately becomes a loathed target of the other women in the house, leaping to enemy No. 1 overnight. "The target is always on the girls who have roses," Jubilee says, "but it's ridiculous." Though that statement sounded like it was pieced together by a clever editor in post-production ... well, it's also true.


The nightmarish remainder of the episode was a parade of unmistakable dog-whistles (“Ben wants to have a wife that will be friends with all the other soccer moms,” Lauren H. prissily informed the cameras) and racially charged insults. She was termed aggressive, accused of flaunting her rose and of thinking she was queen bee. During the cocktail party before the rose ceremony, Jubilee awkwardly attempted to join a group of girls and was immediately rebuffed by Jojo, who rudely stormed away muttering about lip gloss. Lauren H. cast it as Jubilee "separating" herself from the other girls.


Ah, the old “she’s the one who’s segregating separating herself” argument, always convincing.





As always on “The Bachelor,” it’s difficult to know how much of this reflects the reality of what went on in the house. Obviously much of what happens between the girls is facilitated or prompted by pot-stirring producers, e.g. “Why don’t you just go confront her about that, Amber?” or “Lauren H., why do you think you’d be a better wife for Ben?”


How much of the subtly racialized and blatantly overwrought tensions between Jubilee and the other girls were stoked by the ratings-focused production team?


“The Bachelor,” as we know, has a fraught relationship with race. Not just a straightforwardly bad one, either. Latinas, for example, remain fairly elusive on the show, as do South and East Asian women, but part-Asian women have become mainstays, and often go far. One, Catherine Giudici, even won Bachelor Sean Lowe’s heart, and final rose.


A sprinkling of black contestants usually rounds out each group of gentlemen or ladies, but they are rarely portrayed as serious contenders -- certainly not as finalists who end up as the next Bachelor or Bachelorette. On Andi Dorfman’s season, funnyman Marquel Martin stuck around for a while, but she never really seemed interested in him romantically. On Sean Lowe’s season, he actually took a black woman, Leslie Hughes, on a one-on-one date where she was lavished with jewels and designer threads, but she was still gone halfway through the season.


Often the one or two black bachelors or bachelorettes simply vanish by episode 3, before we even get a chance to learn their names. Often there were none to begin with. Even the few who make it far don’t seem to be considered true possibilities by ABC itself.


Charismatic Marquel, who had a huge presence on the show and a loyal fandom, was invited on “Bachelor in Paradise,” but wasn’t even considered for “The Bachelor” -- a choice he pondered in a blog post that openly acknowledged the role his race likely played in that decision. The fact that Chris Soules, an inarticulate bulge of muscle whose main trait was living in a town with no grocery store, became the Bachelor that season suggests that the main strike against Marquel wasn’t that the producers were cursed with an abundance of compelling options.


The sympathetic edit Jubilee received was marked in large part because a black contestant has never been such a clear contender without quickly imploding -- or, perhaps, being exploded. It’s apparent that this season “The Bachelor” made a choice to play up the coded comments made about Jubilee by other contestants, rather than gearing the storyline in other directions. The production team have more than enough material to work with, and in the past, as black contestants faded or burned out, there’s been reason to wonder whether the show wasn’t obscuring in-house bigotry or other pressures that contributed to their emotional twists and turns.


Take Kaitlyn Bristowe’s turn as the Bachelorette last year. She seemed pretty into Ian Thomson, a black Princeton grad with a compelling backstory, and more tepidly interested in Kupah James and Jonathan Holloway, the other black bachelors, yet two of the three ultimately made melodramatic exits following confrontations with the Bachelorette.


Kupah, in particular, openly expressed fear that he was a racial token, questioned her genuineness, and was sent off as an angry black villain. The show included no footage that lent any validation to his concerns. But does that mean there wasn’t any? How many seasons filled with microaggressions and snide bigotry have contestants of color had to face before this week’s episode, when “The Bachelor” finally, it seems, chose to actually show some?



ABC execs have already teased the likelihood that the next Bachelorette will be “diverse” (the hilarity of describing a single person as diverse, of course, is apparently lost on them), and whether it’s Jubilee or one of the lighter-skinned women of color from the show, this week’s show seemed to be a priming of the market, albeit a market that’s been crying out for a non-white Bachelor or Bachelorette for years. By making a non-white contestant sympathetic, rather than villainized in tacitly coded ways, the show signals, if not a shift in allegiance, a clumsy awareness of narratives that aren't centered on white protagonists.


But what we really saw in Monday night’s episode was the flip side of the show's ugly history with race. As we know by now, "The Bachelor" has the power to make or break a contestant’s character with an edit, a cleverly placed voiceover, or a well-timed prod from a producer; and if that worked in Jubilee’s favor this time, it only makes it all the more possible that other times, it works explicitly against black contestants.


In Jubilee’s case, anyway, it’s hard to see that she gave them anything to work with. The women appeared to be violently overreacting to everything related to her -- especially given that Olivia, an openly provocative frontrunner, has drawn mostly catty behind-the-back chatter rather than overt bullying and insinuations about her deep-seated unsuitability for Ben as a spouse. Meanwhile, Jubilee is shown sitting quietly, treating Ben with selfless consideration, and making tentative efforts with the other girls, handling their rejections with calm humility.


Unless Jubilee did something truly shocking that was entirely hidden from the audience, it seems like the logical conclusion is that the only way for a black contestant to be given such a favorable cut is to behave completely blamelessly, to be twice as good as everyone else.


For Jubilee, the benefits are nonetheless questionable; she’s seen as a victim, but that’s a look that has historically benefited white women more than black women, and it’s at the expense of turning her narrative into a racially charged one. As soon as a black woman becomes a serious challenger, in other words, she’s othered, disproportionately targeted by incredulous contestants who see her as an inappropriate spouse, and entangled in the distractions of painful interpersonal drama. 


For viewers, seeing these issues addressed openly may be vindicating, but undoubtedly also painful. In a Medium post about the episode, writer Nichelle Stephens celebrated that Jubilee wasn't held out as a stereotype, but also revealed that it was deeply uncomfortable to watch the racial targeting playing out onscreen. "I personally felt every microaggression that the 'ladytestants' were saying on camera," she wrote. "I am not sure if I can keep watching."


Nor was she alone, as many pained tweets from women of color during the show suggested. Is that what "The Bachelor" wants for its black viewers?


To this day, even when a black woman on “The Bachelor” is winning, she’s losing -- and with every season it becomes harder to ignore that ABC has far more control over that dynamic than they’ll concede.


For more on this week's episode of "The Bachelor," check out HuffPost's podcast "Here To Make Friends":





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The 'Best Hotel In The World' Is Not What You'd Expect

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Imagine "the best hotel in the world," and you'll probably envision a beach resort on a warm tropical island, or maybe a glitzy high rise in one of the world's biggest cities.


But wait till you get a load of THIS.


Behold Umaid Bhawan Palace, one of the world's largest private residences and current home to Indian royalty. Sixty-four rooms in the palace serve as guest quarters so that lucky YOU can enjoy 26 acres of sandstone towers, glistening underground spa pools and dining halls so richly appointed, any visitor would feel like a king. It's no wonder this place just won Best Hotel in the World in TripAdvisor's 2016 Travelers' Choice Awards:






At Umaid Bhawan Palace, guests can stroll the gardens, take vintage cars for a spin or hang out in ultra-luxe suites with bars, drawing rooms and private yoga zones.


Rooms go for an average of $734 per night on TripAdvisor, but if you visit in mid-summer, you'll likely find rates as low as $390, a spokesperson told HuffPost. Visitors say the welcome greeting for guests --with "horns, drums, the royal velvet canopy and Champagne" -- is totally worth it. And we have to say we agree:






Umaid Bhawan Palace is in the desert city of Jodhpur, known for its sprawling forts, historic temples and bustling artisan bazaars. The city is an incredible first taste of India, which is pegged as a travel hotspot for 2016


So if you're feeling island hotel fatigue, then come check out the best -- and most unexpectedly amazing -- hotel in the world.


Happy travels!


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WOW! These 13 Tiny Pencil Sculptures Are Truly Magnificent

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Pencils have been used to make a lot of amazing art. But it's a rare day when the pencils themselves are the main attraction.

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At Mardi Gras, Dance Like The FBI’s Watching

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If you’re heading to Mardi Gras next month, prepare to be watched.


This year, New Orleans’ alcohol-soaked tribute to hedonism will have an "unprecedented" level of surveillance, according to the FBI.


Aiming to protect partygoers from violent incidents or terrorist attacks, the bureau says it will use new technology to scan for potential threats. At a press conference Tuesday, New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Sallet didn't get into specifics about the new tech, but he told reporters that the agency would be monitoring social media posts and stepping up video surveillance.


“Assume you are being filmed wherever you are and whatever you are doing," Sallet said, per local news outlet NOLA.com



For visitors hoping to parade around during the festivities, which kick off at the end of January and spill over into February, the prospect of being constantly monitored is probably pretty unappealing.


Traditionally, Mardi Gras is a booze-fueled celebration of collective abandon, freedom and subversion. But authorities insist that heightened security measures are necessary, even if they're not quite in the spirit of things.


"We're trying to make sure we can keep New Orleans and Mardi Gras safe," Craig Betbeze, a spokesperson for the FBI field office in New Orleans, told The Huffington Post on Wednesday.


He added that the plan to heighten security and surveillance is not a response to a specific threat.



In addition to video surveillance, police will use “behavioral detection” techniques, which basically means officers will be staring into crowds of people in an attempt to identify suspicious behavior


Similar surveillance techniques have come under fire in the past: The Government Accountability Office in 2013 studied the use of the Transportation Security Administration's behavioral detection techniques and concluded that they were "the same as or slightly better than chance.” Who knows what those odds come out to when cops are dealing with scores of drunken Mardi Gras revelers.


New Orleans authorities are also relying on civilians to report suspicious activity to police. "We're taking every complaint that comes in here as something serious," Betbeze told HuffPost. 


"But in the end," he said, "it boils down to doing what we think is common sense."

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Don't Blink! These Russian Dolls Are So Lifelike They Could Move

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#шарнирнаякукла #ручнаяработа #роспись #bjd #handmade #painting

A video posted by Михаил Зайков, скульптор (@michael_zajkov) on




When it comes to dolls, Michael Zajkov is not playing around.


The Russian artist's collection of handmade dolls is captivating viewers around the world with them appearing so realistic that if you blink, you may wonder if they moved.


On his Instagram page, where he has more than 70,700 followers, several videos show him delicately smoothing and painting pieces of clay into perfectly formed faces, hands and feet with chilling precision.





#шарнирнаякукла #процесс #ручнаяработа #полимернаяглина #bjd #sculpture #handmade #polymerclay

A video posted by Михаил Зайков, скульптор (@michael_zajkov) on




As he opens up one doll’s nasal passage, carefully scraping and stretching its nostril with a thin metal tool, one can’t help feel a tingle inside their own nose.


Zajkov’s work was first introduced to the public in 2012 at the fourth international exhibition of “Art Dolls” in Moscow, according to his biography on Dollery.com


Impressively, that was only two years after he created his first doll while pursuing sculpting for puppet theater in graduate school after earning a degree at Kuban State University of Russia.



#art #bjd #craftdoll #handmade #redhead #polymerclay #livingDoll #ручнаяработа #шарнирнаякукла #полимернаяглина

A photo posted by Михаил Зайков, скульптор (@michael_zajkov) on





Открытие XI Международного Салона кукол в Москве. #Салонкукол #dollexhibition

A photo posted by Михаил Зайков, скульптор (@michael_zajkov) on




The dolls are made of a polymer clay and consist of 13 joints, allowing them to freely move, according to this bio.


Their wigs are made from French mohair and their handmade glass eyes imported from an artist in Germany.


The dolls' boots are made by Zajkov himself, with one video showing him carving them by hand.


Their dresses are made from antique French lace and styled to the early 1900s. 


See more of his work here.


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Artist Who Left 1,200 Sculptures In An Abandoned Alley Will Forever Remain A Mystery

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A man named Robert Leitch was roaming the streets of South Philadelphia in the late 1970s when something metallic caught his eye. Upon closer investigation, Leitch discovered the glint of metal revealed something far stranger -- an inexplicable army of bundled wire sculptures, compact torpedoes of trash that emitted a spellbinding force.


There were around 1,200 of these mysterious art objects, left out in an abandoned alley. Leitch gathered each and every silvery thingamajig and, for a while, kept them in his attic. It was trash night, and had Leitch been just a half hour later or a bit less observant, the twisted oeuvre of the Philadelphia Wireman would have been lost forever. 


"It was an accident that the worked survived," collector and dealer John Ollman explained to The Huffington Post. "There were probably hundreds more artists whose work made it into the garbage truck. The creative instinct is a pretty powerful one. If it's not made in a formal system, it's a matter of what survives."


Ollman first encountered the work of the Wireman in 1984, when employees at his gallery Fleisher/Ollman introduced him to Leitch. Immediately, Ollman was moved by the inscrutable power of the gnarled objects, small enough to fit in your hand. The motley parcels, held together by a wiry exoskeleton, morphed into something otherworldly, their bottle caps glowing like alien gems and masking tape resembling skin pulled taut. Ollman purchased 650 of them right away, a little more than half. (He'd soon return for the rest.) 



Little was known about the mysterious maker now known as the Philadelphia Wireman. Because of the historically black neighborhood in which the sculptures were discovered, and the objects' similarity to African power objects, Ollman intuited the artist was black. And because of the physical rigor necessary to bend and flex the wire works by hand, he surmised the artist was male.


Today, little more can be said for certain about the artist, and not for lack of trying. Many journalists and art history scholars have devoted serious hours to tracking down the man behind the Wireman, but to no avail. In 1999, a visitor at Ollman's gallery recognized the work, and claimed to have seen a man building such objects on his stoop. The visitor even correctly recognized the street they were made on, information that had remained private. He basically confirmed the artist's identity as a black man, but not much else. 


From the moment Ollman laid eyes on Wireman's sculptures, he felt a certain energy emanating from their cores. He noticed a relationship between the art objects and Nkisi, traditional Congolese power objects dating back to the 1400s. Most commonly, Nkisi are wooden figures with nails pounded into them, sprouting out in all directions like protective, spiky armor. But, as Ollman pointed out, there also exists a history of Nkisi as handheld, abstract objects of importance, often wrapped in twine or string or wire, incorporating reflective elements.



These types of objects habitually served as means of protection -- talismans -- often made by a shaman. "A person would go to a shaman and say I need intervention with this or that issue," Ollman explained. "That shaman would then make something with certain types of energy in it." The tradition is grounded in a culture with a strong belief in animism, that all things have a spiritual power to them.


"By combining these energies you make a more powerful energy," Ollman continued. "That’s the sense we have of what’s going on in these works."


Wireman's sculptures combined the tradition of Nkisi with a contemporary homage to urban life, imbuing discarded detritus with supernatural force and thus, in a way, revitalizing the famously rough neighborhood in which they were found. Ollman also mentioned the resemblance of Wireman's sculptures to memory jugs, also popular in African American folk art. These jugs featured a medley of random objects collaged onto a water-holding vessel, and were sometimes left atop grave sites. 



When Ollman first exhibited the work in the 1980s, he hardly expected anyone to match the level of interest he possessed in the images. This was, of course, far before self-taught art had risen to the level of popularity it occupies today. Ollman introduced Wireman with an exhibit of 50 works, and to his surprise, all of them sold. Of course, that's when outsider art objects went for $75 to $100, nowhere near the values they attract today. 


The other surprise of the evening was a conspiracy that bloomed, suggesting it was Ollman himself who was behind the works. "It was kind of offensive, kind of complimentary," he said. "I said I wish I could make something so powerful!"


Ollman attributed the theory to the human need for answers, and the plaguing discomfort of not knowing who is behind an artwork. "People are so locked in to having to know who made something. It’s this weird part of the commercial art world -- if you don’t have a name on something, it doesn’t really have value. I never felt that way about them. I wish I could put a name to them but I can’t; it’s not as if I didn’t try really hard."


And so the artist will forever be known as Philadelphia Wireman, a fitting title, especially given Philly's crucial role in the growth of self-taught art. In Ollman's eyes, a career like Wireman's could only have blossomed in a place like Philadelphia or Chicago, where profit wasn't the primary concern. 



Today, although his identity remains a secret, Wireman is known far and wide. He even has a graphic novel in his honor, aptly titled "Wireman." Sue Stauffacher, the creator of the series, wanted to use Wireman's story to help children and adults from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, like Wireman's, improve literacy skills. Stauffacher uses gripping illustrations and a relevant setting to pull struggling readers in, buffering the difficulty of language with the pleasure of looking.


"Clearly, the Philadelphia Wireman was a loner who had to rely on his street smarts to collect the materials for and create his art," Stauffacher wrote in an email to The Huffington Post. "He is the perfect 'hero' for the older at-risk readers I work with. Bringing him to life for kids who are often homeless and/or in difficult family circumstances themselves in a reading format they can access has been a great pleasure. Though very little is known about the artist who inspires Wireman, I believe I am staying true to his (her?) character."


This week, Wireman's work goes on view with Fleisher/Ollman Gallery at the Outsider Art Fair. The diminutive bundles, made of trash scraps and rubble, look like spiritual talismans from one angle, otherworldly cocoons from another. The objects seem to whisper contradictory stories about the unusual individual who made them, by hand, day after day on his South Philly stoop. He may have ended his extended project, or, more likely, passed away, leading the orphaned objects to be joined with the evening's trash. Luckily, a man with a keen eye scooped them up before they were wiped from public view.


As Ollman emphasizes, this is not an unusual story for an artist working outside the formal art system, the "insider" art world. Where would Bill Traylor's work be if Charles Shannon hadn't stopped for a second look? The pressing question for Ollman is not who is Philadelphia Wireman, but how many Philadelphia Wiremans are out there, there work lost, trashed, buried, or waiting undiscovered?


See Philadelphia Wireman's work at Fleisher/Ollman Gallery's booth at the Outsider Art Fair, from Jan. 21-24, 2016, at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City.





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Photographer's Haunting NSFW Photos Mix Pleasure And Pain

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Last year we covered photographer Bryan Fox's exhibition "We. Alone." which explored the universal experience of pain and loneliness in Los Angeles. Now Fox has returned with a followup series, "We. Alone. Part 2," exploring issues of pain as it pertains to identity and sexuality. Leather, whips, masks and chains populate Fox's photographic world, perhaps hinting that intimate scenarios can be the loneliest. 


We reached out to Fox to learn more: 


Can you talk about the meaning of your series title "We. Alone." and how it relates to the images? 


In staging and shooting these images I initially felt like an outsider documenting a fantasy world. As the series progressed I came to realize I wasn’t outside these images at all. They were me, my story. The image of the taped man in particular speaks to a moment in my life. That feeling of falling into a deep, dark abyss and being unable to go back or get out was crippling. I wanted to tell a story that is mine, but I quickly realized that these feelings are not unique to my own experience. It was only the visual expressions in this show that was singular to me. Hence the name "We. Alone."    


How does part 2 differ from part 1? What unites the series as a whole?


When Eric Buterbaugh's gallery expressed interest in "We. Alone.," I was excited to show my work to those who didn't get the chance to see my pop-up show last May. The series has been refined to reflect the strongest works but I also wanted to incorporate new, never before seen pieces. "We. Alone. Part 2" has expanded upon the first iteration to investigate issues of anonymity, sexuality, even physical pain. 


What multimedia aspects did you fold into the exhibit?


"Taped Man," "Shattered Heart," and "Worry" are three pieces that I created for the show. In "Shattered Heart," for example, I wanted to draw the viewer closer to the work with a layered composition of acrylic shards. I wanted to push these multimedia works beyond the walls of the gallery, into the viewer’s physical space. It was another means of drawing a relationship between my experience and those of the viewer.



What inspires you -- whether artists, places, loved ones, films?


So many! Cindy Sherman for making herself not beautiful. Robert Mapplethorpe for his perspective on light and for pushing the boundaries of sexuality. Bruce Weber for making 'wholesome' so sexy. Steven Klein for delving into dark fantasies. Herb Ritts for his clean, stark contrast with complexion, light and environment. Not just with his photography, but videos as well. Who could forget the Janet Jackson video "Love Will Never Do?”


I've also always loved movies, and even recently wrote, directed and acted in a short film called "Dissonance." I love listening to the greats and hearing their stories. Last year I went to Cannes. One night I sat to dinner with my friend Gus Van Sant, who I admire immensely. He got a text and said Xavier Dolan was on his way. I said "I don't know who that is." Gus said "He's brilliant." That carries some weight in my book! When I got back to the U.S. I watched Xavier's film "I Killed My Mother" and I was blown away. What he did as a writer, director and actor was a kick in the ass. I thought to myself, "I have to do better."


What do you hope to communicate through these images?   


Exposing myself through my work gives me catharsis. If I can simultaneously move someone by immersing them in a story and making them think "me too," that gives me a huge sense of satisfaction.


Fox's exhibition is on view at Eric Buterbaugh Florals until March 1, 2016.



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Smithsonian's Black History Museum To Get $10 Million Gift

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Museum of African American History and Culture is getting a $10 million gift.


The Smithsonian announced Wednesday that philanthropist David Rubenstein is making the donation to the capital campaign for the museum, set to open in September. He also is loaning the museum two documents signed by President Abraham Lincoln: the 13th Amendment and the Emancipation Proclamation.


Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group, is a Smithsonian Board of Regents' executive committee member and co-chair of the institution's $1.5 billion national fundraising campaign. He now has contributed a total of $44.7 million to the institution.


With the gift, the museum's fundraising has reached $252 million of its $270 million goal. The Smithsonian is raising half of the construction and exhibition funds, and Congress funded the other half.


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This 'Sorry' Parody Shows What Happens When You're 40 With Kids

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"Why are you going out at 5:30?"


That's the question parents Penn and Kim Holderness address in their latest music video, a parody of Justin Bieber's "Sorry," entitled "I'm 40."


In the funny video, which is resonating with exhausted parents across the interwebs, Penn and Kim show what going out on the town looks like when you're in your 40s and raising little kids.


Standout lyrics include "Yeah it's too late now cause I'm 40. I can't do those things with my body" and the refreshingly self-aware statement, "Knowing that you are not cool is very liberating."


#ThisIs40


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In This 'Mojave' Clip, Oscar Isaac Is Not Your Charming, Groovy Internet Crush

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Oscar Isaac has played heroes like Poe Dameron, misanthropic artists like Llewyn Davis and menacing innovators like Nathan Bateman. The Internet loves him all the same. But in "Mojave," which premiered at last year's Tribeca Film Festival and opens in limited release on Friday, he is an all-out homicidal weirdo. The Huffington Post has an exclusive clip from the movie, which was written and directed by "The Departed" and "Kingdom of Heaven" scribe William Monahan. 


"Mojave" revolves around Thomas (Garrett Hedlund), a suicidal artist who encounters his unfriendly doppelgänger (Isaac) in the desert, after which said doppelgänger attempts to dismantle Thomas' life. The clip finds the men in a gun-wielding standoff at Thomas' lush Los Angeles home.






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Marina Abramović Announces New Participatory Performance Project In Athens

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This article originally appeared on artnet News. 



Marina Abramović is slated to have a busy spring. The artist will lead a large-scale performance project at the Benaki Museum in Athens beginning March 10.


Athens-based non-profit arts organization NEON, Marina Abramović Institute (MAI), and Abramović herself will join forces in a program of “Performance and Immaterial Art" at the museum. “NEON-MAI Lab" will run in tandem with a second program of events also at the museum, which uses the Abramović Method to engage viewers, who quickly become participants.


“We live in a world of constant distraction, where taking the time to connect to ourselves is becoming more and more difficult," said Abramović of the project. "I have designed this experience to give the public the opportunity to be free from these distractions and to be connected with themselves, with each other, and with the present moment. Never has this been more relevant, than in Greece in these trying times."



"We are all working around the clock to produce an amazing experience for the audience," NEON's director Elina Kountouri told artnet News. She explained that "Abramović and her team" trained a group Greek performance artists in the Abramović Method. As a result, "the whole building at the Benaki Museum will be transformed into a vivid performance space where people examine human boundaries, strength and possibly trust." 



Kountouri feels the collaboration is a natural one. "Our aim with NEON is to bring contemporary culture closer to the general public, not only the connoisseurs, and support and present the potential of Greek creativity." 





NEON-MAI Lab will consist of Abramović herself working with the handpicked emerging artists on the principles of her artistic method. Developed over 40 years of practice, the series of exercises that make up the Abramović Method are designed to push the boundaries of the body and mind. The resulting work is intended to blur the line between the public and the art being created.




Abramović has had her hands full in recent months while in legal dispute with ex-husband Ulay and penning her autobiography, so this project may provide a welcome artistic outlet for the artist.


NEON-MAI Lab will be on view from 10 March – 24 April 2016 at the Benaki Museum in Athens; public participatory events will also take place at the museum.




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'Outsider Art' Brings Artists With Disabilities Into The Gallery

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The phrase "outsider art" does not, at first glance, seem inclusive. It's a broad term used in the art world to denote the work of self-taught artists who develop outside the institutional structures of art schools, galleries and museums.


But when Josh and Dana Kretzmann were deciding what to name their new gallery focusing on artists with disabilities, Outsider Art seemed like the perfect name for the works on display. 


Josh Kretzmann told The Huffington Post that they didn't choose that term because it's restrictive, but because it's so widely accepted in the art world.


"There's no other term that encapsulates what were trying to do, and this really gets our name out there," he said.


The Kretzmanns opened the Inner Space Outsider Art Gallery and Store last month in Providence, Rhode Island, with funds raised through Kickstarter. All the work on display is made by people with physical or mental disabilities.


It was important to the founders that this art be sold and shown to the general public just like more traditional, professional artwork. 


Inner Space sources its wares from 11 arts programs for people with disabilities in New England.


"A lot of arts therapy day programs will have gallery shows in their own spaces," Josh Kretzmann told HuffPost. "But we wanted to get their work into a more public setting."


Arts therapy uses the creative process of making art to improve a person’s physical, mental and emotional well-being. None of the artists whose work is in Inner Space are professionals, but they all receive commission from their sales. Eighty percent of the profits from Inner Space go back to the arts programs and artists, while the remaining fifth goes to gallery maintenance.


"Arts therapy is important because there aren’t a lot of creative jobs for people with disabilities," Liana Toscanini, marketing director at Community Access to the Arts, a nonprofit that works with Inner Space, told HuffPost.


She said that Inner Space is part of a growing movement to disseminate artwork by people of disabilities, as evidenced by organizations like the Creative Growth gallery in California and the bTizzy online store


"It's a win-win because retailers love partnering with this community, and for the artists, seeing things they made in stores gives them a great sense of purpose," she said.


Both the Kretzmanns have studio art credentials: Dana has an MFA in sculpture from Rhode Island School of Design and Josh has a BFA from University of California, Davis. They say that their background provided them with paths to make their work visible and profitable, which are not usually available to people with disabilities.


“It's so much easier for people with a traditional art background to have their work in shops and museums. We want Inner Space to be a place where our artists can show nearby professional artists and sell their work to the general public," Kretzmann said.


H/T HyperAllergic


For more coverage of Outsider Art and artists, check out HuffPost's coverage of the 2016 Outsider Art Fair.





 


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