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Before He Disappeared, Richard Simmons Was A Beacon Of Hope To Thousands Of Fans

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Upon hearing the name “Richard Simmons,” you’re likely reminded of a handful of things: the hair, the outfits, the dancing.


Yet none of these associations ― these bits of iconography connected to Simmons and his exercise legacy ― speak to the multifaceted and goodhearted person Simmons truly is.


Dan Taberski’s podcast, “Missing Richard Simmons,” is attempting to change that.


“Missing Richard Simmons” launched earlier this month, asking viewers a simple question: What happened to Richard Simmons? The exercise sensation has seemingly fallen off the face of the earth in the last few years, abandoning his workout classes, devotees and, most unfortunately, his friends. The public intrigue behind this question, percolating for the past three years, has driven the podcast to the top of iTunes’ charts.


Taberski, as he explains in the podcast, was friendly with Simmons ― he regularly attended his Los Angeles classes and has, on occasion, visited Simmons’ home. After a bit of digging, Taberski found that potentially thousands of others had established similar relationships.



In short, Simmons was this bubbly, friendly guy who would prolong going to the hospital for an injury just to take a photo with a fan. He’d make daily calls to someone he’d met one time, who lived across the country, just to check in on them. He’d drive elderly fans to classes when they couldn’t make the trip at night.


So, how does someone who gives the world so much goodness decide to make a complete 180 and disappear? I talked to Taberski on the phone about his endeavor to find Simmons and what drove him to embark on this podcast.


“I think there’s a lot of answers to that,” Taberski explained. “I am extremely worried. I am concerned. I do think something’s going on. I don’t know what it is. I don’t mean to get grim here ― I’m hoping everything’s great. I’m hoping at the end of this process Richard and I reconnect and get to talk and he gets to go live the life he wants. I hope the hundreds of people who loved him and are his friends and don’t understand what’s going on, that they get an answer too. I hope that’s what happens.”


He took a pause before elaborating further.


“There are countless stories of celebrities who just want to be left alone,” he added, “and people have thought there’s something wrong [when there’s not]. But then there are others where you hear about the horrible ending that they’ve had. I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen to him ... He’s not just retired. He’s not just taking time off. He’s not still working behind the scenes to continue the work he’s been doing for the past 40 years. That’s all been abandoned and [his management and publicist] are not acknowledging that. There’s something scary about this that I think is worth pursuing.”



The thing about Simmons that Taberski kept coming back to in our discussion was his empathy. Simmons had seemingly boundless amounts of it. According to Taberski, Simmons would wake up at 4 a.m., spending his morning calling up to 50 people a day who “were isolated, alone and lived in the middle of nowhere.” They might have been experiencing problems with their weight, health, self-esteem or levels of happiness. Simmons would listen to their stories and “give to them just empathy ― for free!”


“He did that for a decade,” Taberski said. “He helped thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people with that empathy.”


One can imagine how much effort it takes to be present for so many individuals; how much energy it must take to forge those bonds. In light of this, I asked Taberski if he felt that Richard owed us (the podcast listeners, his friends, etc.) his presence now.


“We’re not owed anything. Straight up,” Taberski replied. “Richard Simmons owes us nothing ... I have a feeling that Richard Simmons is isolated and alone and needs some empathy. I think, and how I see this project, this is a chance for us to return that favor. Sometimes, that requires being a little pushy, but sometimes the best friends are the pushy ones. It comes from love. And I hope he sees it that way.”


Taberski explained that Simmons’ intense relationships with people are what help make the podcast so much deeper than just finding out what he’s been up to.



“This isn’t just Richard Simmons’ story,” he said. “This isn’t a story about a celebrity and the fans who miss him. This is also about people who know him and miss him. This is their story, too.”


Taberski said that just as Simmons gave so much to these people, they gave something to him in return. And the general concern for Richard is one that stems from “sheer love, respect and confusion.”


“There’s not a vindictiveness, no one’s like, ‘That asshole!’ It comes from a complicated place, but it comes from a place where people really feel for him and want him to be OK,” Taberski said. “I just want to understand. I feel like what I’m doing is what I hope I’d do for any friend. If they’re doing something weird, you push it a little bit to make sure they’re OK. I envy his ability to connect with people ... I really think he’s a superhero in that sense. It astounds me how giving he is to other beings.”


According to Taberski, the podcast is currently planning to roll out only six episodes, despite his ability to talk about Simmons “until he turns blue.” And he wants everyone to know that his plea to Simmons at the end of each episode to reach out and get in touch with him is genuine.


“There’s no secret like, ‘We know how it ends!’ and we’re just playing coy. This is an open investigation. And ‘investigation’ sounds so serious. But this is an open-ended project,” he said. “I want this to create enough of a ripple that it moves Richard to respond. Just a phone call or something. I’m trying to get his attention. That’s the end goal right now. We don’t know how it ends.”


When I asked Taberski if he’s hoping for a Richard Simmons renaissance at the end of all of this, he said that no, he wasn’t. Instead, he’s hoping for Richard to find peace.


“I don’t feel like [Richard] has it now,” he concluded. “I don’t feel like anyone who knows him has it now. It’s a sinking feeling that I’m just not quite willing to put aside yet.”

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Watch Beyoncé's Stunning 20-Year Evolution In This 20-Second GIF

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Flawless.


A new GIF, created by the people behind the website aromahq.com, features 20 years of Beyoncé looks, one each year from 1997 to 2017. And it’s pretty remarkable, especially considering Bey has been a staple in pop culture for two full decades now.





Beyonce is 35-years-old and was only 15 when Destiny’s Child landed a record deal with Columbia Records in 1997.


“From a social standpoint, she hasn’t missed a step over the years,” a rep from aromahq.com told HuffPost. “She... continues to just expand her star power consistently by being a great performer and putting out good music.”


Plus, it’s also tons of fun to see all of the phases and styles she’s had over the years. We mean, she’s gone from this:







To this:







And now this:







And this:







It’s been a pleasure to see her grow and evolve. Here’s to 20 more years, B!






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These Emerging Artists Are More Than Ready To Defend The First Amendment

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“I love the First Amendment,” President Donald Trump proclaimed on Friday at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference. “Nobody loves it better than me,” he added.


The effusive remark comes from the same person who called venerable media outlets like The New York Times and NBC News ― long considered pillars of the same free press protected by the First Amendment ― “the enemy of the American people.” Other phrases he and his staff have used to describe journalists prone to criticizing his administration: “out of control,” “opposition party,” “dishonest” and “fake news.”


Weeks before Trump’s CPAC speech, curators at Ground Floor Gallery in New York City ― a space dedicated to emerging artists ― decided it was time for genuine First Amendment defenders to speak out. They began soliciting artwork for a show they called “Marked Urgent,” inviting artists to submit work “associated with any and all types of correspondence and communication.” 




“Now, more than ever, we need to empower journalists to hold our government accountable and to provide us with the facts we need to remain informed and involved citizens,” the gallery wrote online. “As passionate arts professionals vested in critical thought and freedom of expression, we feel compelled to respond.”


“Marked Urgent” opened on Friday, Feb. 24, the same day Trump chastised news outlets for using anonymous sources, despite having used them himself to make claims that have been proven false. The pieces on view at Ground Floor are on sale for $75, $25 of which will be donated to the Committee to Protect Journalists, “an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes press freedom worldwide” and defends “the right of journalists to report the news without fear of reprisal.”



“We were thrilled that our artist network was just as enthusiastic about this concept as we were,” Ground Floor co-founders Krista Saunders Scenna and Jill Benson told The Huffington Post.


“We received over 70 submissions in just under three weeks and selected 39 artists for the show,” they added. “With submissions ranging from embroidered newsprint to collaged envelopes and sculpted stationery, the work is as inventive as it is topical. All in all, it’s been an incredibly empowering show to organize and gratifying to know we can help an organization doing such important work every day.” 


“Marked Urgent” will run through Sunday, Feb. 26. To see a full list of the participating artists, head to Ground Floor’s website here.


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A Quick Guide To This Year’s Oscar Best Picture Nominees

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The battle for Best Picture at the 89th annual Academy Awards is stacked with incredible performances from some of Hollywood’s best. With films like “La La Land,” “Moonlight” and “Hidden Figures” all competing for the industry’s top prize on Sunday, you might find it tough to choose which movie to root for. But don’t worry ― we’ve got you covered. 


To help you decide which nominee deserves your support, we compared past fan favorite films with this year’s nominees. And don’t forget to tune in to the Oscars this Sunday to see which film takes home the golden statue!

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Listen To Legendary Black History Figures Talk About Life, Activism

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Many black men and women throughout history have used their voices to speak out against racism and inequality in America.


In fact, it's the ways these activists have used their voices and their platforms that have helped to amplify the black experience, in addition to cementing their own status as legendary figures throughout history. Through their outspoken ways and relentless fight for justice, people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Rosa Parks and Elizabeth Heckford are among some of the most inspiring, honest and revolutionary freedom fighters. 


In honor of these five remarkable men and women, we’ve selected profound audio bites from speeches and remarks they have delivered over the years as a way to honor their contributions to America and pay tribute to black history:  






I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1963






There were those who said that we would get here only over their dead bodies. All the world today knows that we are here and we are standing before the forces of power in the State of Alabama saying "we ain't going to let nobody turn us around!"
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1965






"For us to carry on our nonviolent protest that is not cooperating with an evil system, but protesting nonviolently."
- Rosa Parks, 1975






When I decided that I was going to devote my life primarily to the struggle for the liberation of black people and to the struggle for socialism, I decided at that point, I suppose, that my life belonged to that struggle and to my people.
Angela Davis, 1971






I was frightened that morning, but I learned a great deal about people. Not only about the people who were there, but about the people who were not there. Like the politician who encouraged the mob. Like the thousands who suffered with me and wrote to me to tell me so. While I waited I heard brave voices speak out against intolerance and I saw grown men turn their heads in shame from the cameras.
Elizabeth Eckford, 1957






Our political philosophy of black nationalism with us only means that we should control the politics and the politicians in the community where we live. And the economic philosophy of black nationalism only means we should control the businesses and create employment opportunities for ourselves. And the social philosophy of black nationalism only means that we should do something to uplift the standards and the level of our own society and put in on par with others.
Malcolm X, 1964

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This Guy Is Photographing The Resistance -- And Donating The Best Shots

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For HuffPost’s #LoveTakesAction series, we’re telling stories of how people are standing up to hate and supporting those most threatened. What will you stand up for? Tell us with #LoveTakesAction.


Freelance photographer David Moriya is documenting the resistance to President Donald Trump’s administration ― and donating the photos to groups that are part of the movement.


Moriya started the Resistance Photography Project on Jan. 21, the day after Trump’s inauguration, taking photos at the Women’s March and subsequent progressive rallies in New York City. He’s been contacting nonprofits he sees at the protests ― like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center on American-Islamic Relations ― and sending them his best pictures, free of charge, to use on their platforms.


“This is a revolution,” Moriya said. “I want to be a part of it ― and being a part of anything, for me, is taking photos. I want them to be not for me, but for everybody else. We’re trying to make change. This isn’t about credit, this needs to be seen.” 



Since the inauguration, Moriya has photographed nine events in New York ― from the recent rallies in Washington Square Park against Trump’s executive order on refugees and immigrants, to the Thursday gathering in Greenwich Village for transgender rights.


Not all the organizations he’s sent images to responded or used the photos, but the New York Immigration Coalition and the New York Civil Liberties Union, among others, have. 


I know it’s hard to get a great photo, besides just an iPhone photo. Nonprofits can use them, especially if they’re hosting the protest,” Moriya said. “The most powerful part for me is the amount of people. They fill the streets. So many bodies. It’s a field of people standing up for what they believe in ― and that’s powerful.”




For Moriya, the motivation to document the resistance is personal: His grandmother and her siblings are survivors of the U.S. imprisonment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.


“They were interned for years,” Moriya said of his relatives. “Everything was taken from them: their house, their land, their restaurant. That shouldn’t happen, and if I could have had a chance to say something back then, I would. So I don’t want that to happen to anybody else now.”  


Actor and activist George Takei, himself a survivor of the prison camps, has drawn parallels between the treatment of Japanese-Americans during WWII and that of Muslim-Americans today.



As a freelance photographer, giving away work for free is not an easy choice to make, Moriya said. He funds this project largely with his own money, earned from regular gigs taking concert photos or headshots.


He created a donation page when he first launched the project, but he hasn’t raised much since.


“Activism is extremely tiring and energy-exerting ― especially to do it as unpaid work ― but any protesters putting their bodies out there aren’t getting paid either,” Moriya said. “Everybody has a talent, and if they can take time to do something with those talents, as an activist, that’s great. This is what I’m going to be doing until the government changes.”


Here are a few of the most captivating photos from The Resistance Project.













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The Story Behind That Photo Of Leo Texting After His Oscar Win

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It took Leonardo DiCaprio five nominations to win an Oscar and one photo to prove he was chill about it. 


You remember the one: Leo, seated away from the crowd at the Vanity Fair party, head bent over a phone while his Oscar sits on the floor between his legs. Just a casual night out in an Armani tux.



Evidence of an A-lister acting normal after scoring Hollywood’s biggest prize is made for online vitality, and the Leo photo didn’t disappoint. Even Oscar winners need to text their buddies, right?


Jeff Vespa, a veteran celebrity photographer who used to work for Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema, was the lucky person to snap the picture. Vepsa has captured Hollywood events since shooting the “Bulworth” premiere in 1998. On that fateful Oscar night last year, he spotted DiCaprio in a corner, an entourage flanking him. Vespa asked to grab the Best Actor winner for a few posed shots, to which his publicist responded, “No problem, just give him a minute.” 


Vespa noticed DiCaprio set his Oscar on the floor, which struck him as interesting. Who would let go of their coveted little gold man? “That alone is crazy,” he said. “You just don’t see that.” And then, like the parting of the Red Sea, the crowd surrounding DiCaprio dispersed, leaving the actor typing on his phone. There was Vespa’s moment. He seized it. “Literally after, I saw the people move back in front of him, obscuring the view,” Vespa said. 


So goes the clamor of post-Oscar photographs. Vepsa is a key figure in that scene, having co-founded WireImage, the entertainment platform that Getty Images acquired in 2007. Vespa has shot the Governors Ball and the Vanity Fair party ― two illustrious Oscar galas ― for more than a decade. Having befriended many celebrities and their publicists throughout his tenure, which includes serving as official photographer of the Sundance and Toronto film festivals, Vespa has captured defining backstage moments now lodged in the Oscars’ glitzy history.


“My life is lived in a matter of seconds,” Vespa said. Miss an unlikely interaction or the shimmer of a winner’s golden statues, and that’s that. 


For the time time in years, Vespa will sit out Sunday’s Oscars. He directed his first film last year, the historical drama “Amre,” so Vespa is stepping away from certain photographic duties to embrace the other side of Hollywood. Soon, the photographer could become the photographed.


In the meantime, The Huffington Post has a gallery of Vespa’s celebrity images over the years. You can see more on his Instagram.


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19 Reasons Your Obsession With Dev Patel Is Justified

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We need to talk about Dev Patel


The 26-year-old British Indian actor could walk away with the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Lion.” In the film, Dev plays Saroo Brierley, a man desperately searching for his family in India after being separated from them at the age of 5. 


It’s a great, fiery performance that deserves recognition in and of itself, but there’s another reason we’re rooting for him. Just read this tweet:






That is a huge deal. On-screen representation matters, and it’s especially important for Asian actors. According to a 2016 diversity study, Asian actors nabbed only 3.9 percent of speaking roles in film ― a stark contrast from the 73.7 percent white actors receive.


That’s not the only reason we’re pulling for Dev to win an Oscar, though. Below, a few reasons why we’re obsessed with the Oscar-nominated actor: 


— Before receiving all this Oscar buzz for “Lion,” Dev was in 2008’s massive hit “Slumdog Millionaire” and was equally amazing in that. Remember when he danced like this and low-key stole your heart? 





— He was also great on HBO’s “The Newsroom,” playing a blogger and the office’s resident computer geek.





— He was super cute back then, of course.



— But right around the time of “The Newsroom,” something began to change. Our nerdy-cute pretend boyfriend started to grow into his looks in a major way. It’s like one day the hair gods smiled down at Dev and said, “Hey, ‘Slumdog’ guy, it’s time to grow out that hair and drive everyone crazy with lust for your locks.” 



And grow it out he did. The swooshy-hair era began and nothing has been the same since. Dev has pretty much blossomed into full babe mode now. 




Woah, right?


— Those curls.



Seriously, THOSE CURLS.





— And dat smile.



— He also has a beautiful, classical profile. And the beard is good, too. (Let’s give credit where credit is due, guys.)





— He’s so good at posing for photo shoots, his side hustle should be modeling. (But please don’t stop acting, Dev.) 






— Then there’s his accent. Dev pulls off a pretty convincing Aussie accent in “Lion,” but his real-life British lilt will melt your heart.






Sigh. Please never stop touching your hair.


— All awards season long, Dev has been a big booster of Sunny Pawar, the adorable 8-year-old who plays the younger version of his character in “Lion.”


Like, he literally boosts him up: 



Sunny very impressively carries the first half of “Lion” all by himself and Dev gives him credit for that every chance he gets.


“He’s so incredible in this film, and I share this nomination with him in a big way,” Dev told the Los Angeles Times recently. 



Don’t pretend you weren’t deeply affected by the cuteness of their introduction of “Lion” at the Golden Globes. 










Same, girl, same. 


— Who’s he taking to the Oscars? Apparently, his mom, Anita. “That’s her moment,” he told the LA Times. “I’m her guest.”


D’aww. Here they are at a 2009 British awards party.



Gotta love a man who respects his mama.






— We also want him to win because we’re positive he’d be so humble and bashful during his acceptance speech. Just look at how he reacted to his name being called for his SAG award nomination. 





— And in spite of all the Oscar buzz surrounding him, Dev realizes we’re living in politically tumultuous times and there’s weightier things happening in the world right now. Here’s what he told the LA Times on the SAG Awards red carpet:



“At times like this, you’re constantly questioning what you’re doing at awards like this or promoting a movie. It feels so pointless. I look to the people around me and they remind me the message of this film, of the art we’re trying to inject into the world right now. It’s about unification,” he added. “When I think about that, it makes me have a little bit more strength.”






— Oh, and another thing: He’s an animal lover. (Dev + doggo = happy us. And loud squee-ing noises, to be honest.)  






— On another shallow note, boy fills out a suit quite well. 



— And in case you were wondering, he has a mean street-style game, too.



— We’re in good company in our Dev devotion. Ellen DeGeneres gave him the title of “Sexiest Man Alive” when he visited the show back in January. So well deserved, even if Dev was like, “Aw, shucks, me?”





And his “Lion” co-star Nicole Kidman recognizes his swag as well. 



Watch out, Keith Urban.


— Heck, even his ex-girlfriend and “Slumdog Millionaire” co-star Freida Pinto gave him props on Instagram for his Best Supporting Actor Oscar nom.




So clearly, he’s best supporting ex-boyfriend, too.


Now would be a good time to mention what a ridiculously good-looking couple they were a few years back.



So pretty.


— Lastly, Dev’s work on “Lion” didn’t end when he was done filming. He’s been busy promoting #LionHeart, a social impact campaign which will provide financial support to the over 11 million children who live on the streets of India. Here’s our boy asking people to contribute: 





In conclusion, Dev Patel is a super talented actor and a stand-up guy with amazing hair. 


Cheers to you, Dev. We’re pulling for you and your epic curls Sunday night!





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These 'La La Land' Songwriters Are Also Behind Your Latest Broadway Obsession

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Before a shower of Academy Awards rain down upon all those associated with  “La La Land” on Sunday, let’s take a moment to remember that two of the film’s nominees are also responsible for the biggest musical theater hit of the year.


Years before Mia and Sebastian danced among the stars, composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul were already being hailed as the heirs to Rodgers and Hammerstein. With the debut of their celebrated new musical “Dear Evan Hansen,” currently playing at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, Pasek and Paul are poised to become the premier songwriting team working today. 


The two first met during their freshman year at the University of Michigan where they were both studying musical theater. Bonding over the shared embarrassment of being the two worst dancers in a ballet class, Pasek and Paul soon turned their attention to writing songs. After a transformative apprenticeship with “Avenue Q” co-creator Robert Lopez, the duo began developing an impressive resume filled with musical adaptations of movies like “Dogfight” and “A Christmas Story.” 


But it was “Dear Evan Hansen” that catapulted Pasek and Paul into the upper echelon of the musical theater community. Starring Ben Platt of “Pitch Perfect” as the anxious teenage depressive boy next door, “Dear Evan Hansen” has all the trappings of a hit modern musical. After a classmate he barely knew commits suicide, high schooler Evan (Platt) inserts himself into the lives of the deceased’s family, as he struggles with his own demons and self-confidence. The irresistibly catchy ballads pair well with the story of a teenager grappling with his place in the world, as big themes of love and loss are boiled down to a fiercely relatable level.


As the “Dear Evan Hansen” team was preparing for the show’s Broadway debut, the two already had their eye on another project: Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land.” In a pitch to the director, Pasek and Paul wrote the proposed lyrics for the song “City of Stars,” which garnered the duo a Golden Globe award earlier this year and is nominated for an Academy Award. Chazelle was immediately impressed, describing the duo as a “goldmine,” and the rest is award show history. 


Although “La La Land” and “Dear Evan Hansen” have little in common thematically ― one is consumed by nostalgia, while the other is decidedly forward-thinking ― in Pasek and Paul’s eyes, the two productions do share a connection. 


Speaking with The New York Times in November, Pasek said, “I think we’re attracted to material that’s hopeful and messy, and in that mess, there’s an attempt at getting at truth.”


Get to know Pasek and Paul a little better in the interview below. 




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U.S. Blocks Young Syrian 'White Helmets' Cinematographer From Oscars

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The Department of Homeland Security at the last minute has decided to bar a young Syrian cinematographer from entering the U.S. to attend The Oscars Sunday. The civil-war documentary he risked his life to work on has been nominated for an award.


Khaled Khatib, 21, had obtained a visa and was due to fly to Los Angeles via Istanbul Saturday. But U.S. officials suddenly said they’d found unspecified “derogatory information” linked to Khatib, The Associated Press reported Saturday. Khatib was detained in Turkey, and he now needs a passport waiver to enter the U.S., which he will not be able to obtain, according to internal Trump administration documents seen by the AP. “Derogatory information” is a broad category that can be something serious to passport irregularities. It’s not clear why Khatib was detained in Turkey.


Khatib was a cinematographer on the 40-minute Netflix documentary “White Helmets,” which has been nominated for Best Documentary, Short Subject. It follows rescue workers for the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, who have saved tens of thousands of lives during the nation’s bloody civil war. The group was founded in 2012 after a Syrian Air Force attack on civilians. It was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2016. Khatib, who started filming the workers when he was just 16, is also a volunteer with the group. 


Some 120 White Helmets have been killed in recent years, including Khaled Omar, known as the “miracle baby rescuer” in Aleppo, after pulling an infant out alive from the rubble of the baby’s home in 2014. Omar was killed in an airstrike in 2016. 





“White Helmets” director Orlando von Einsiedel had made a plea to the U.S. to allow those who had worked on and been featured in the film to attend the Oscars. The experience would not only be rewarding for them, he said, but with the world “so divided we could all learn from the White Helmets’ message od compassion and dignity.” After a court halted President Donald Trump’s travel ban, the filmmakers revived plans to bring Khatib and White Helmets leader Raed Saleh to Los Angeles.


Saleh will also not be attending now because of the demand of work in Syria.






Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, whose movie “The Salesman” is up for Best Foreign Language Film, said last month that he would not attend the awards ceremony because of Trump’s controversial ban.


But Farhadi and the directors of the other four movies in the foreign language category issued an angry statement on Friday blasting America’s “climate of fanaticism and nationalism.” It’s unlikely the directors yet had word that Khatib would not be allowed to attend the Oscars.


“The fear generated by dividing us into genders, colors, religions and sexualities as a means to justify violence destroys the things that we depend on — not only as artists but as humans: the diversity of cultures, the chance to be enriched by something seemingly ‘foreign’ and the belief that human encounters can change us for the better,” their statement reads


“These divisive walls prevent people from experiencing something simple but fundamental: from discovering that we are all not so different.”


Regardless of “who wins the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film on Sunday, we refuse to think in terms of borders,” they wrote. “We believe there is no best country, best gender, best religion or best color. We want this award to stand as a symbol of the unity between nations and the freedom of the arts. Human rights are not something you have to apply for. They simply exist — for everybody.”


Khatib was looking forward to traveling to the Oscars. “If we win this award, it will show people across Syria that people around the world support them,” he said when he announced his plans to attend this month. “It will give courage to every volunteer who wakes up every morning to run towards bombs.” 


“If I cannot enter the U.S., I will not give up,” he added. “We know that we have many friends in the U.S., that there are people that share our humanitarian values. I look forward to meeting them all one day.”


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Young Woman Unlocks Secrets Of The Universe At A Music Festival

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Who are we? Where do we come from? Why do hands look so trippy?





We may never know the answers to these questions, but for a brief moment it would appear this young woman at a music festival did.


The promotional video was put together by the producers of Wobbleland, an annual California music festival that plays dubstep music. This year’s festival, held this month, featured artists including Skrillex and Nero. The video, posted online Thursday, already has amassed millions of views. 


A Wobbleland organizer put the video on Reddit, saying the woman was given a free guest list for life for allowing producers to use the footage. 


Some say she’s still dancing. 

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A Ranking Of 12 Meryl Streep Award Show Reaction GIFs

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Not only is Meryl Streep the most decorated American actor or actress, with a record-setting 20 Oscar nominations. She’s also queen of the award show reaction shot. Whether responding to her category’s announcement or cheering on a telecast’s proceedings, Streep is the most GIF-worthy celebrity at any of Hollywood’s prestige gatherings. Here are 12 of the best, ranked.


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This Podcast Explores Queerness, Books, Sex And Everything In Between

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A thought-provoking and entertaining podcast called Food 4 Thot hit the airwaves this month, party in response to the anti-LGBTQ, white nationalist rhetoric and propaganda disseminated by President Donald Trump’s administration.


Starring Tommy “Teebs” PicoDennis Norris IIJoseph Osmundson and Fran Tirado, Food 4 Thot is a roundtable-style discussion that highlights topics across the spectrum of queer identity in “a space that promotes resistance, adds levity to their everyday, and does so with intellect.”


Each episode has a specific focus, with the first appropriately titled “Firsts,” exploring topics like bottoming and literary representation that the hosts personally identify with.



“The idea for this podcast came from a conversation between the co-hosts last summer, over four glasses of rosé,” Tirado told The Huffington Post. “We were all writers who enjoyed intellectual conversations about things like queer theory, politics, and Toni Morrison. But we also liked talking about sex toys, our exes, and Mariah Carey’s Vine account. There were so few spaces where people ― especially queer people of color ― could find conversations that allowed for both intellect and absolute trash talk. Thus, Food 4 Thot was born. We like to think of our podcast as a gorgeous seated dinner, serving you both healthy food and junk food, giving sluts like us a seat at the scholarly table. Food for ‘Thought,’ and also ‘thots.’”


If you’re interested in Food 4 Thot and would like to hear more from these four individuals, you can sign up for the newsletter on their website.


We can’t wait to hear more!

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'Girls' Takes On Fame And Sexual Assault In One Of The Series' Best Episodes

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“Girls” has always wrestled with fantastical if-onlys: if only success were handed to you, if only every relationship made sense, if only fleeing home provided a seamless reboot. This week’s episode posits an if-only that mirrors a possible fantasy from the series’ second season. Both installments find Hannah disappearing inside an older man’s luxe apartment while the rest of the world unfolds without her. First it was a hot doctor (Patrick Wilson) in a brownstone, and now it’s a famous writer (Matthew Rhys) in a townhouse. 


But there’s a catch: Whereas the hot doctor was a fleeting encounter, the revered writer, named Chuck Palmer, has long evoked Hannah’s admiration. They say don’t meet your heroes, and it’s probably best not to read about them online either. Multiple women have written Tumblr posts saying Palmer coerced them into unwanted sexual encounters during his book tours ― allegations he denies after inviting Hannah to his apartment, wanting to discuss the article she wrote criticizing his abuses. 


From the opening shot of Hannah strolling up to Palmer’s home, seemingly stationed on Manhattan’s ritzy Upper West Side, there’s a fantasy at play in the episode, titled “American Bitch.” What famous author would solicit an internet writer to discuss appraisals of his sordid private life published on a “niche feminist blog”? Is Hannah there to confront the power inequality Palmer now represents, having taken advantage of college students susceptible to his success? Or is she there to find, in typical Hannah style, some form of validation from a literary figurehead whose books she has “dog-eared and underlined”?


Whatever their intentions, fantasy butts up against reality as walls are further flattened. Hannah is a sucker for compliments, so of course she’s charmed when Palmer reads the first sentence of the article aloud and compliments her prose. (Note the suicidal Woody Allen painting on the wall.) And she is similarly mystified when Palmer snaps into family-man mode, arranging care for his depressed teen daughter and lovingly watching as she later performs Rihanna’s “Desperado” on flute. How can Hannah reconcile the disconnect between someone who probably took advantage of young women and someone who also has an altruistic devotion to his own female offspring? 


Humanity is a spectrum, and Chuck Palmer’s seems to mirror Hannah’s in a distinct way ― he is sad and unfulfilled, just as Hannah can be sad and unfulfilled. He found success, but it didn’t cure his rocky divorce or the pressures of a culture in which anyone can gut whomever they want to online. And then, after Palmer has convinced Hannah to absolve him of these allegations, after they have moved on to bantering about Philip Roth, he spots in her the same vulnerability he exploited in those college students. He invites her to lie down. Against her own best judgement, she accepts. He takes out his penis. And in wrapping her hand around it reflexively, Hannah confirms that, no matter what she writes or preaches, she, too, is susceptible to the power structures dividing men and women, wealthy and wannabes.


In the span of minutes, her hero loses his humanity, regains it, twists it, shatters it and then ― as his daughter arrives home to her father’s loving embrace ― muddies it in every way possible. It’s the grossest abuse. 


Written by Lena Dunham and directed by Richard Shepard (who also made the Patrick Wilson episode), “American Bitch” confronts fame, innocence, sexual assault and internet outrage. More importantly, it shows Hannah as the victor. She leaves Palmer’s apartment to the crescendoing “Desperado,” a blurry parade of women filing in after her. If Hannah won’t succumb to his advances, someone else will ― and that’s the most damning assertion of all. But our heroine recognizes the fallacy of the situation, her seduction at the hands of a man who isn’t thoughtful or wise enough to see himself as anything less than an aspiration. Hannah knows she seeks a better sense of the world around her, but Palmer? Palmer has deluded himself into assuming he’s already figured it out. In his mind, sadness is victimizing. “Girls” grants him that complexity because it confirms how humanely pathetic and pathetically human he is. And it grants Hannah the power of realizing her criticisms were correct, that she was right to fight back, online and elsewhere. She won’t want what Palmer has anymore, not blindly at least. He is hardly the voice of a generation.






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Here's Everything Going Down At The 2017 Oscars

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The 2017 Oscars are underway! 


All of your favorite celebrities have gathered in one place, looking glamorous and ready to celebrate the year in film.


We never know what’s going to happen on Hollywood’s biggest night: Will Stacey Dash appear? Will Jennifer Lawrence fall? Will we ever stop hearing about how great “La La Land” is? 


Keep up with all the happenings at Sunday night’s ceremony with live updates below:





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The 'Hamilton' Cast Made Lin-Manuel Miranda Cry On The Oscars Red Carpet

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Lin-Manuel Miranda shed a tear even before he’d stepped into the Dolby Theater for the Oscars on Sunday night.


The 37-year-old star arrived on the red carpet with his mother, Luz Towns-Miranda, and got a touching surprise from Ryan Seacrest during E!’s Live From the Red Carpet. During their interview, Seacrest revealed a pre-recorded message from the “Hamilton” cast in honor of Miranda’s Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for “How Far I’ll Go.”





Seacrest then asked the “Hamilton” creator to send a message back to the cast.


“I hate you for making me cry before the Oscars have even started,” he responded. “That was amazing. Thank you. Thank you for that. That’s incredible.” 



And it wouldn’t be a Hollywood red carpet without a nod to the current political climate. Miranda, like several stars, arrived on the red carpet wearing a blue ACLU ribbon in solidarity with the American Civil Liberties Union


The Oscar nominee explained why he wore the ribbon in a quote tweeted out by the ACLU. “I’m wearing an ACLU ribbon because they’re fighting incredible fights right now for American ideals,” he said. 

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We Didn't Make It Through The Oscar Red Carpet Without A 'Hidden Fences' Flub

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Hidden Fences” debuted at the Golden Globes earlier this year when both Jenna Bush Hager and Michael Keaton mixed up two of the year’s biggest films, “Hidden Figures” and “Fences,” and, unfortunately, combined them into one. On Sunday, “Hidden Fences” returned at the Oscars


This time, it was People’s editorial director, Jess Cagle, who made the unfortunate flub. Cagle corrected himself right away, but folks on Twitter didn’t let him get off too easy.


Comedian Travon Free called him out:






As did “Bad Feminist” author, Roxane Gay: 






And a few other folks:






























As Huffington Post’s own Lilly Workneh wrote, it should not be that difficult to remember the names of these Oscar-nominated films. Aside from that, there’s most likely a teleprompter nearby for the specific purpose of preventing these mishaps. 


Ted Melfi, director of “Hidden Figures,” weighed in on the “Hidden Fences” mix-up when it first happened, telling HuffPost, “You laugh about it. You say, ‘Oh that’s funny.’ And then... it’s not that funny.” 



“You start to analyze it. Is it misspelled on the teleprompter? You think, well if that’s the case, it’s even worse,” Melfi added, before noting that eventually “you just chalk it up to the fact that people make mistakes. You just move on.”


Let’s just hope it doesn’t happen again. 







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Here Are The 2017 Oscar Winners

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It’s Oscar night, which only means one thing ― some people in Hollywood are taking home some little gold men. 


Going into the award ceremony, “La La Land” was the night’s heavy favorite with 14 nominations, while “Arrival” and “Moonlight” earned eight nominations each, followed by “Manchester by the Sea,” “Lion” and “Hacksaw Ridge,” each with six nominations.


Jimmy Kimmel tackled the hosting job for the first time this year ― though if you watched him host the Emmys in 2012 and 2016, you pretty much knew what to expect.


In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kimmel said he’s going to try to find a way to feed the audience again in some way, recalling the PB&J sandwiches he brought to last year’s Emmys and the pizza Ellen DeGeneres ordered for the audience at the 2014 Academy Awards. And he kept true to his word, as little bags of Red Vines and Junior Mints fell from the ceiling.


As for political humor, the barrage of news surrounding the Trump administration had Kimmel waiting until the last minute to write his jokes.


“My guess is that there will probably be some new crazy thing we’re all talking about, so it really depends largely on what’s going on that week. And I would definitely make those decisions the day of or day before as to how much material I do and what my spin on it is,” he said. 


Check back for the full list of winners below: 


Best Picture
“Arrival”
”Fences”
”Hacksaw Ridge”
”Hell or High Water”
”Hidden Figures”
”La La Land”
”Lion”
”Manchester by the Sea”
”Moonlight”

Best Director
Denis Villeneuve, “Arrival”
Mel Gibson, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”
Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”

Best Actress
Emma Stone, “La La Land”
Natalie Portman, “Jackie”
Ruth Negga, “Loving”
Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”

Best Actor
Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”
Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”
Viggo Mortensen, “Captain Fantastic”
Denzel Washington, “Fences”

Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis, “Fences”
Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”
Nicole Kidman, “Lion”
Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures”
Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”

Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
Jeff Bridges,”Hell or High Water”
Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
Dev Patel, “Lion”
Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals”

Best Adapted Screenplay
“Arrival”
”Fences”
”Hidden Figures”
”Lion”
”Moonlight”

Best Original Screenplay
“Hell or High Water”
”La La Land”
”The Lobster”
”Manchester by the Sea”
”20th Century Women”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Land of Mine,” Martin Zandvliet, Denmark
”A Man Called Ove,” Hannes Holm,  Sweden
”The Salesman,”  Asghar Farhadi, Iran
”Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, Australia,
”Toni Erdmann,” Maren Ade, Germany

Best Documentary Feature
“Fire at Sea”
“I Am Not Your Negro”
“Life, Animated”
”13th”
“O.J.: Made in America”

Best Animated Feature
“Kubo and the Two Strings”
”Moana”
”My Life as a Zucchini”
”The Red Turtle”
”Zootopia”

Best Film Editing
“Arrival”
”Hacksaw Ridge”
”Hell or High Water”
”La La Land”
”Moonlight”

Best Original Song
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” “La La Land”
“Can’t Stop the Feeling,” “Trolls”
“City of Stars,” “La La Land”
“The Empty Chair,” “Jim: The James Foley Story”
“How Far I’ll Go,” “Moana”

Best Original Score
“Jackie”
”La La Land”
”Lion”
”Moonlight”
”Passengers”

Best Cinematography
“Arrival,” Bradford Young
”La La Land,” Linus Sandgren
”Silence,” Rodrigo Prieto
”Lion,” Grieg Fraser
”Moonlight,” James Laxton

Best Costume Design
“Allied”
”Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
”Florence Foster Jenkins”
”Jackie”
”La La Land”  

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“A Man Called Ove”
”Star Trek Beyond”
”Suicide Squad”

Best Production Design
“Arrival”
”Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
”Hail, Caesar!”
”La La Land”
”Passengers”

Best Sound Editing
“Arrival”
”Deepwater Horizon”
”Hacksaw Ridge”
”La La Land”
”Sully”

Best Sound Mixing
 “Arrival”
”Hacksaw Ridge”
”La La Land”
”Rogue One”
”13  Hours”

Best Visual Effects
“Rogue One”
”The Jungle Book”
”Doctor Strange”
”Deepwater Horizon”
”Kubo and the Two Strings”

Best Short Film, Live Action
“Ennemis Intérieurs”
”La Femme et le TGV”
”Silent Nights”
”Sing”
”Timecode”

Best Short Film, Animated
“Blind Vaysha”
”Borrowed Time”
”Pear Cider and Cigarettes”
”Pearl”
”Piper”

Best Documentary, Short Subject
“Extremis”
”4.1 Miles”
”Joe’s Violin”
”Watani: My Homeland”
”The White Helmets” 


 

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Jimmy Kimmel Attacks Donald Trump During Oscars For His War On The Media

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As expected, Jimmy Kimmel went after Donald Trump almost immediately during the 89th annual Academy Awards ceremony. 


After he repeatedly roasted Trump in his Oscars monologue, Kimmel spent his first transitional segment making fun of the president for calling the media “fake news.”


Kimmel asked if anyone from CNN, the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times were in the building, and then jokingly asked them all to leave.


“We have no tolerance for fake news,” said Kimmel, adding, “Fake tans we love.”


The comedian went on to kid that anybody who works for an organization with “Times” in the name ― including “Medieval Times” ― was no longer welcome.


People on Twitter seemed to particularly like the shoutout to the popular knight-themed dinner theater venue.










 


Here’s video of Kimmel’s segment on fake news:






 


Here’s a quote from Kimmel’s monologue earlier in the night:


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'Suicide Squad' Just Won An Oscar And The Internet Is Beside Itself

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Suicide Squad,” the 2016 film that scored a 26 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and was widely mocked and derided for being, well, not great, is now an Oscar-winning film.


The film won at the 89th annual Academy Awards on Sunday for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, which means it now has as many Oscars as “Citizen Kane.”


“To say that the movie loses the plot would not be strictly accurate, for that would imply that there was a plot to lose,” The New Yorker’s Anthony Lane wrote in his review of the film last August. 


Of course, makeup and hairstyling doesn’t have much to do with plot, but that didn’t stop people from kind of just losing it after the film’s victory, as you can see below: 


































































That’s about all we have to say about that. 

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