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'Begin Again' Trailer: Falling Slowly In Love With Funny Mark Ruffalo

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Back in September of 2013, John Carney's "Can A Song Save Your Life?" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to some rave reviews. Six months later, the film's first trailer has arrived following a recent title change. Now called "Begin Again," the "Once" director's film stars Mark Ruffalo as a down-on-his-luck music executive, Keira Knightley as a down-on-her-luck singer and Adam Levine, CeeLo Green and Mos Def as various music industry people. The biggest takeaway here is Ruffalo, who maybe has never been given so much outright comedy before (not unless you count all the cuckoo nonsense that happens in "Now You See Me"). He's funny! He's charming! He's ruffled! "Begin Again" closes the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival before arriving in theaters in July, where it will be positioned by The Weinstein Company as the indie summer romance of choice. Watch the trailer below.




Leighton Meester Covers Fleetwood Mac, Reminds You Of Her Talent

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In case you forgot, Leighton Meester can sing. Really, really sing.

The erstwhile "Gossip Girl" star plays guitar and sings backup to musician Dana Williams in a newly released cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams." According to People, the video, which has an appropriately dream–like quality, was shot in February by Williams' sister.

Meester sings backup to Williams until she takes a more prominent role in the last half of the song, making for a truly beautiful rendition of the 1970s classic.

Fans of Meester's acting career may be surprised by her obvious range of talents. Need we remind you about her involvement in the 2009 Cobra Starship hit, "Good Girls Go Bad"?

'The Hook-Up Truck' Brings (Safe) Sex To A Parking Space Near You

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Struggling to find a private space to get intimate? Enter the "Hook-up Truck."

Described as "a modern dating solution for safe sexual adventuring" on the official website, the Hook-up Truck is a vehicle equipped with everything you need to get it on safely, comfortably and in private.

The sex-room-on-wheels is the brainchild of conceptual artist Spy Emerson, who came up with the idea in December and prepared the truck herself. On the outside, the vehicle looks like a standard delivery truck. Inside, hidden behind boxes, is a "special chamber" with minimal furniture, mood lighting, temperature control and condoms.

Emerson and her associates will drive the truck to an agreed-upon location within San Francisco, or park it at a specific location near events and festivals where customers can come and go. Rates range from $75 for 30 minutes in the parked truck to $2,500 for a 5-hour party rental package including host staff and a cleaning crew.

According to Emerson, getting busy in the back of a truck appeals to a wide variety of people. She told The Huffington Post in an email:
Lots of requests are coming in, and a great variety of people from single moms and people with roommates who have no privacy, to business people in the financial district who need the truck on their lunch break, and of course, the more kinky folks who are into the adventuring of it.


Here's hoping no one gets slapped with a parking ticket during their "private time" in the truck.

'Finding Vivian Maier' Turns The Lens On Enigmatic Photographer's Secret Life

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Vivian Maier is proof that the art world is no exception when it comes to falling in love with a good mystery.

Both Maier's life and work are the subject of a new documentary opening in the U.S. on Friday; the very next day, Chicago's Harold Washington Library unveils a new exhibition of photographs of the city she secretly chronicled for decades.

The documentaries and exhibitions represent an ironic twist in the story of "Vivian Maier": Though the enigmatic and reclusive artist and nanny never publicly exhibited or shared her work, she posthumously captivated the art world after Chicago real estate agent John Maloof accidentally discovered a trove of her undeveloped negatives at a 2007 auction.

That real estate agent -- now Maier's de facto archivist -- recently discussed the discovery with HuffPost Live:

(Story continues below)



The fascination with Maier has as much to do with her unknowable personal life that has been mined for odd details -- she reportedly used a fake French accent, never married and never showed her work -- as it does her unique and empathetic view on Chicago's seedier side. As a photographer, Maier was also astonishingly ahead of the curve regarding popular photographic trends like street photography and "selfies."

"She was taking selfies before they were cool," MaryBeth Kraft, a public relations representative for the Chicago Public Library told HuffPost on the eve of the exhibition opening. "Half of her rolls of film were self-portraits."

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The CPL exhibit is putting more than 50 silver gelatin prints culled from the 2012 book "Vivian Maier: Out Of The Shadows" on display, free to the public.

The exhibit from the CPL's special collections covers Maier's street photography and self-portraits from the 1950s to the 1970s.

"So many of her photos document Chicago through her street photography, and [the CPL's Special Collections] is all about preserving Chicago history," Kraft told HuffPost. According to a release from the CPL:

The exhibition presents Maier’s journeys from the pastures of rural France to the streets of Chicago. Maier’s unique ability to brilliantly capture the ideas and spirit of the period of the 1950s to the 1970s are particularly apparent in shots of Chicago’s famous Maxwell Street and protest scenes shot during the social unrest of 1968.


Kraft said a live-feed of street photography from everyday Chicagoans will be streamed as part of Maier's exhibition.

"As an artist, getting closer to her helps kind of write her story since we can't talk to her," Kraft said "We're also having people caption her photos since most were untitled since they were undeveloped."

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“Vivian’s photographs tell her life story,” "Vivian Maier: Out of the Shadows" co-author Michael Williams told the CPL. “She was way ahead of her time—recording what she saw on a daily basis with a joy and curiosity that makes her work so compelling.”

"Finding Vivian Maier" opens in L.A. and New York City March 28. The Chicago Public Library's exhibition runs March 29 to Sept. 28 in the Special Collections Exhibit Hall on the 9th floor of the Harold Washington Library Center. It will screen the BBC-produced "The Vivian Maier Mystery" on April 24 at 6 p.m. in the Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, free.

These Lego Porsches May Be More Impressive Than The Real Cars

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Famed Lego artist Nathan Sawaya may have some competition in Malte Dorowski.

The 32-year-old brick builder from Germany has a penchant for constructing fantastic recreations of cars using Legos as a medium.

We, like others on the Web, are particularly fond of Dorowski’s take on classic Martini-liveried Porsche race cars and support vehicles.

And Dorowski didn’t just make his Lego creations look like real cars on the outside; as Road & Track notes, his take on the classic 911 RSR race car sports a Lego engine that “is accurate right down to the spark plug wires.

Dorowski told The Huffington Post he's been building Lego cars like these since 2010.

Check out images of Dorowski's Lego creations below:

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Jerry Bruckheimer Says 'Top Gun 2' Will Pit Tom Cruise Against Drones

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"Top Gun 2" is still happening according to Jerry Bruckheimer, and its plot is as modern as ever. The super producer stopped by HuffPost Live on Thursday to discuss his new book, "Jerry Bruckheimer: When Lightning Strikes, Four Decades of Filmmaking," and also explained how the sequel could exist in today's world of warfare.

"We've been trying to get that movie made for 30 years, and I think we're getting closer and closer," Bruckheimer told Ricky Camilleri. "Don [Simpson] and I tried to develop something, we didn't succeed. [Tom] Cruise took over, and he tried to develop something, and he didn't succeed. Now we're back at it."

As Bruckheimer noted, it was Tony Scott, the film's original director, who was able to crack the story before his death in 2012.

"The concept is, basically, are the pilots obsolete because of drones. Cruise is going to show them that they're not obsolete. They're here to stay," Bruckheimer said. "It's just getting to the starting place. Fortunately for Tom, he's very busy, so you have to find a slot he can fit into and get a budget that Paramount feels they can make the picture."

No director is set yet for "Top Gun 2." Watch Bruckheimer discuss the film in the video above. Head here to see the full appearance.

14 Photos Of Celebrities With Their Stunt Doubles That Will Blow Your Mind

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This week, it was revealed that Chandler Riggs, the 14-year-old boy who stars on "The Walking Dead" as Carl, has an unexpected stunt double: Emily Brobst, a 29-year-old woman. (Riggs also has another stunt double on the show as well.) What made the news strange -- beyond the obvious -- was the accompanying photo, a perfect visual representation of seeing double. Which makes sense, of course, because that's the magic of stunt doubles. They look just enough like their famous counterparts to fool audiences. Ahead, 14 amazing photos of celebs and their aerobatic doubles.

Iman Looks Absolutely Stunning For The March Issue Of Scene Magazine (PHOTOS)

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We don't ever need an excuse to swoon over images of Iman. The fashion icon is considered one of the most beautiful and revered models of all time. And because she's such a superstar, Iman is still working the camera and inspiring us at 58-years-old.

Photographer Douglas Friedman recently captured the Somalian beauty for Scene magazine's March cover story and proved that once again.

"It's thrilling to work with such a legend – the most important photographers of our time have worked with her," Friedman told Bernstein & Andriulli.

With that said, kickoff your weekend by feasting your eyes on all Iman's fabulous...

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See The Small Towns That Made It To The Big Screen

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Hollywood might seem like the perfect vacation destination for a movie-lover, but there's so much more to film than the bright lights and big cities. Anyone who lives in a small town knows just how exciting it is when a film chooses your community either for its production location or setting. Avoid the crowds on your next vacation and visit one of America's small towns that made it to the big screen.

Click on the map's pins to see which movies were filmed in or based on these small(er) communities.

27 Powerful Portraits Challenging The Definition Of What It Means To Be LGBT

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Queer. Femme. Unicorn. Bottom. Dandy.

These are just some of the many ways members of the LGBT community identify themselves in a beautiful photo series from San Francisco-based photographer Sarah Deragon.

Favela Raids, Rocket Launches And Nowruz Celebrations: Week In Photos, March 23 - 30

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Nothing quite compares to the power of a photograph to communicate the goings on in the world. Ranging from the serious to the silly, these photos offer peeks into what happened around the globe this week.

1. A search and rescue worker looks for survivors in the aftermath of a mudslide in Washington, March 25, 2014.
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(David Ryder/Getty Images)

2. In Kazakhstan, a rocket and spacecraft blast off from a launch pad at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome, March 26, 2014.
kazakhstan
(VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images)

3. A student carries another student out of the Alexandra University after she was injured during clashes with Egyptian security forces, March 26, 2014.
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(AP Photo/Heba Khamis)

4. Chinese artist Li Wei performs at the Grand Palais as part of the Paris Art Fair, March 27, 2014.
paris art
(MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images)

5. Taiwanese protesters post anti-media slogans on a van belonging to a pro-government TV station in Taipei, March 24, 2014.
taiwan parliament march 2014
(Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images)

6. A woman stands with her daughters during Nowruz celebrations in Kazlicesme, Istanbul, March 23, 2014.
persian new year
(BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)

7. A group of Brazilian girls watch as a paramilitary police sniper secures the area while soldiers search for weapons in the Favela da Mare, Rio de Janeiro, March 26, 2014.
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(CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP/Getty Images)

8. High school students hold candles during a vigil for passengers of the missing Malaysia Airline flight MH370 in Lianyungang, China, March 25, 2014.
malaysia airlines
(AFP/AFP/Getty Images)

9. In Crimea, a boy runs with a Russian flag outside the Crimean parliament in Simferopol, March 26, 2014.
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(AP Photo/Alexander Polegenko)

10. A cyclist rides along a road on a misty morning in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, March 26, 2014.
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(FARSHAD USYAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Lance Horne Taps Alan Cumming, Lea DeLaria And Joey Arias For Birdland Debut

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Lance Horne has written with Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters, served as Liza Minnelli's musical director, arranged for System of a Down's Serj Tankian and played behind Kristin Chenoweth as she sang for Queen Elizabeth II over the course of his varied career.

Despite such contrasts on his résumé, the Emmy Award-winning composer, songwriter and performer shrugs off the suggestion that his music -- which combines elements of rock, jazz, classical and Broadway -- defies classification.

"My life has always been about dual pointing … It's like being on a road trip with my parents as an only child, with my dad wanting to listen to Willie Nelson and me wanting to put in my 'Sweeney Todd' cassette," Horne said. Citing a friend who jokingly referred to him as the music industry's "Forrest Gump," the Wyoming native added, "We've all done it ourselves when we've left our iTunes on random. It's a unique approach to the arts right now."

Alan Cumming performs with Horne

alan cumming lance horne



So it's safe to assume that his March 31 performance at New York's Birdland will be anything but a traditional set. Emphasizing original tunes from Horne's 2011 album, "First Things Last," the show will feature appearances by Alan Cumming, Lea DeLaria, Joey Arias and Rachel Dratch (among others) in addition to a sneak peek at "The Night Before My Wedding," the composer's forthcoming "operatic theater" collaboration with author Neil Gaiman.

It's shaping up to be a whirlwind spring for Horne, who'll set out for Los Angeles following his Birdland show for an April 15 gig at The Rockwell, where his planned guests include Ricki Lake. Although he's primarily based in New York, he's been spending ample time on the West Coast working on "Tyler's Suite," a choral song cycle which debuted March 25 in San Francisco and is dedicated to Tyler Clementi, the 18-year-old Rutgers University student who took his own life in 2010.

Cheyenne Jackson, Tracie Thoms and Lance Horne

cheyenne jackson tracie thoms

Horne says "Tyler's Suite," which includes contributions from Stephen Schwartz ("Wicked") and other composers, goes beyond the well-known media narrative of Clementi's life to explore "every person's approach to finding community and dealing with life and conflict." The piece is also reflective of what Horne describes as his "social responsibility" to "write from the heart and support organizations that are doing the most change in the world."

Horne, of course, is informed by his own experiences as a gay man, and his work has always featured performers relevant to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, like his "musical husband" Cumming and "RuPaul's Drag Race" contestant Courtney Act. Still, it wasn't just his sexuality that made him feel like an outsider during his early years in New York, when he studied at the Juilliard School.

Horne served as Music Director for Liza Minnelli and Alan Cumming in 2013

liza minnelli alan cumming

"I was born deaf in my right ear, and everybody told me not to go into music and that I'd never make it. Then a lot of people came down hard on me for doing work that was vocal, gay and theatrical," he recalled. These days, however, it "really tends to be all gay, all the time, and sometimes I feel like I'm in a 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' revival."

True to unpredictable form, Horne says he dreams of one day collaborating with Celine Dion, whose work he secretly loves, as well as nine-time Tony Award winner Tommy Tune. At present, he's also set to accompany Courtney Act during three performances at New York's Laurie Beechman Theatre this month, while a new musical with playwright Craig Lucas is in development.

Though he keeps mum on specifics of his Birdland debut, Horne said his audience can expect a night with "plenty of firsts," promising "something to hum along to, and to bounce along to." If his previous work is any indication, anything's possible.

Lance Horne plays New York's Birdland on March 31. Head here for more information.



Watch NYC Gentrify Right Before Your Eyes

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New York City has always been changing. But recently, the city has seen a wave of luxury condos and artisanal cupcake boutiques uproot local delis and dive bars.

To make sure we don't forget the city's past, two New York-based photographers, James and Karla Murray, set out to document the city's transformation. The result was a book, titled "Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York," in which they photographed of mom-and-pop stores around the city.

Now, they're returning to those original locations to see what stands in their place.

"We hope this glimpse will bring awareness to the unique character these small mom-and-pop businesses add to the streets and neighborhoods of New York City and the sense of community they provide," the Murrays, who have lived in the East Village for more than 20 years, wrote in an email to HuffPost. "These storefronts have the city's history etched into their facades. We also hope that viewers will frequent small businesses so that they will continue to survive for many more years."

Here's what a city in constant transition looks like:

2nd Ave Deli, a local fixture that opened in 1954 in the East Village, moved in 2006. Now there's a Chase bank there.
deli chase

CBGB, an iconic music club on Bowery Street, closed in 2006. Now there's a designer clothing store there.
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Mars Bar, a dive bar and "East Village institution," closed in 2011. A TD Bank rests in its place.
mars bar

Jade Mountain Restaurant, a popular East Village Chinese restaurant, opened in 1931 and closed in 2007. Now there's a Scottish pub there.
jade mt

Bar Martins, a local watering hole on West Houston Street in Greenwich Village, was a great place. Now $5 footlongs are there in its place.
bar martins

Another Subway stands at the corner of Grand Street and Ludlow Street, in place of Lismore Hosiery Co., a decades-old hosiery wholesaler.
hoisery

Casa Nova Pizzeria in Hell's Kitchen was replaced by a Verizon Wireless store.
casa nova

An independent grocery and pizza joint once stood at Bleecker Street and Carmine Street in Greenwich Village. Now, you can just get some upmarket gelato.
veg garden joes

McHale's Restaurant, which opened on 46th Street in 1944 and stayed open for 62 years, was torn down and replaced by the "Platinum NYC" condo tower.
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And Optimo Cigars, a bodega in Union Square, has been replaced by a boutique cupcake store (of course).
optimo

10 Shocking Photos That Will Change How You See Consumption And Waste

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As individual and anonymous consumers, it's seemingly impossible to even estimate the physical ramifications of our daily consumption and waste. While our personal imprints may not seem in themselves worthy of alarm, the combined effect of human's habits and rituals is hard to look away from.

cell phones
Cell phones #2, Atlanta 2005



Photographer Chris Jordan works with the debris we as a society leave behind, photographing massive dumps of cell phones, crushed cars and circuit boards. Squished together in dizzying quantities, the discarded goods resemble hypnotic puzzles, abstracted color fields and hallucinatory fractals. Jordan compares the complex layers of wreckage to the overwhelming detail of the Grand Canyon.

The series, dubbed "Intolerable Beauty: Portraits of American Mass Consumption," shows the unmistakable imprint of our American culture in all its horror and strange, dark appeal. "I am appalled by these scenes, and yet also drawn into them with awe and fascination," Jordan explained in an email to The Huffington Post. "The immense scale of our consumption can appear desolate, macabre, oddly comical and ironic, and even darkly beautiful; for me its consistent feature is a staggering complexity."

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Crushed Cars, Tacoma 2004



Faced with Jordan's unshakeable images, we lose our ability to shrug off the consequences of our consumption, a small but necessary first step on the way to lasting change. "As an American consumer myself, I am in no position to finger wag; but I do know that when we reflect on a difficult question in the absence of an answer, our attention can turn inward, and in that space may exist the possibility of some evolution of thought or action. So my hope is that these photographs can serve as portals to a kind of cultural self-inquiry. It may not be the most comfortable terrain, but I have heard it said that in risking self-awareness, at least we know that we are awake."

See Jordan's striking works below and watch as dumped electronics morph into something resembling brushstrokes or building blocks. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Art Activists Use Sex Dolls To Protest Spain's Restrictive Anti-Abortion Laws

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In response to Spain's increasingly restrictive legislation limiting access to abortion in the country, a group of art activists known for their bold, disruptive flair are taking action.

The members of Luzinterruptus created "Rights to Trample On," a radical art installation comprised of half-inflated sex dolls strewn about the streets in front of the Ministry of Justice in Madrid this month. The dolls, placed on the pavement like "a carpet of bodies ready to be trampled upon," are equipped with glowing lights and pieces of stark, black tape across their mouths, amounting to a stirring public image.

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The work is meant to shine light on the oppressive decision-making practices of Spain's politicians and legislators, particularly the controversial anti-abortion bill that advanced after a secret vote in Parliament last month. The law would make abortion illegal except in the case of rape or grave threat to health in connection with the pregnancy. Femen, the women's rights group prone to topless activism, has already protested an anti-abortion rally, voicing their disproval of the proposed law.

"In Spain it seems that the social rights acquired during many years of democracy are in danger of extinction," the Madrid-based art collective Luzinterruptus wrote on their website. "These rights considered to be basic by the citizens of evolved societies, which we desire to be like, are now being diminished and if we are not careful, will eventually disappear."

interupt


"This new law, which has already been approved in congress, prohibits the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, except in very extreme cases of danger to life and converts the woman who decides to have one into a criminal," the group adds, "making money the first consideration in the decision and making it so that only those who can pay for it have access to this treatment."

According to the statement, the project took Luzinterruptus four hours to complete and was exhibited for approximately two hours total. The group made sure to clean up their demonstration, leaving no plastic behind, and now is offering a plethora of blow-up dolls to any interested parties. (A cheeky message on their site prompts those interested in "adopting" the dolls to contact the collective here.)

Check out images of the sex doll extravaganza below and let us know your thoughts on the bit of art activism in the comments.





(All photos courtesy Luzinterruptus/Gustavo Sanabria)

35 Photos Of Kurt Cobain's Suicide Scene Developed Ahead Of Death Anniversary

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SEATTLE (AP) — Police say recently developed photos show the greenhouse room above a garage where grunge rock icon Kurt Cobain killed himself 20 years ago.

The four rolls of crime scene photos were developed by a cold case detective in anticipation of the anniversary of the Nirvana frontman's suicide on April 8, 1994. Police made two of the photos public March 20 when they announced the development. Those images show a box of drug paraphernalia and items such as glasses, a wallet and pack of cigarettes.

All 35 photos were released this week to CBS through a public disclosure request. The Associated Press also is seeking the images.

Police spokeswoman Renee Witt says nothing from the additional photos has changed the conclusion that Cobain killed himself with a shotgun. The case remains closed.

This Dog Who Can Balance On Anything Really Needs His Own Act

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From Mother Nature Network's Jaymi Heimbuch:

When I adopted my border collie-cattle dog mix, Niner, there was one thing that was immediately apparent: this dog needed daily mental and physical challenges. Incredibly smart, relentlessly energetic, and with an indefatigable drive for work, I needed to come up with ways for him to be happy living in a city. Our daily walks became our time for learning and challenging my dog to try new things.

Most dogs don't know how to balance on small objects right away — they barely know where their back feet are most of the time. So little by little we worked on teaching him where his back feet are, how to get all four feet onto a little surface, jumping onto small platforms, balancing on shaky surfaces, climbing and, importantly, safely getting off of things. His balance got better, the obstacles got smaller or taller, his confidence grew, and best of all, we've bonded over the fun we have together.

Now, we treat our 5-mile-a-day walks like a treasure hunt. He knows the look in my eye when I've spotted something that might be a platform, and gets excited about where I'm going to point him. He runs to his favorite hydrants and posts, gives me a look to make sure it's okay, and jumps up on his own. Walks are now anything but boring, and provide more exercise than we'd get during a simple stroll. And we always capture an iPhone snap of the best of the balancing acts he does.

You can follow all our balancing adventures on Instagram and see a couple of examples below:

Here's How The World's Most Brilliant People Scheduled Their Days

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Alas, there are but 24 hours in a day.

And when you have a seemingly insurmountable load of work, it can be a quite a challenge to even know where to start. But remember that history's most legendary figures -- from Beethoven to Beyonce -- had just as little (or just as much) time as you have.

Using the book Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey, RJ Andrews at Info We Trust designed some enlightening visualizations of how history's most creative and influential figures structured their days. Unfortunately, there is no common prescription for the perfect schedule, and each person had a very different set of rituals.

Based on the charts, we learn that some of history's icons had more eccentric habits than others. Consider Beethoven, who would painstakingly count out 60 coffee beans for his morning brew:

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Think your mornings are stressful? French author Victor Hugo would be "awakened by daily gunshot," before taking an ice-cold, public bath on his roof. He'd also visit the barber every day:

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Honoré de Balzac, the French writer, was said to live his life as “orgies of work punctuated by orgies of relaxation and pleasure," according to one biographer. He also had an epic caffeine addiction, consuming as many as 50 cups of coffee per day. We recommend you don't follow his example:

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Check out the other creative routines below:
(Click here for a bigger image.)

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Queer New World: Meet Brooklyn's Mocha Lite

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This is the twenty-second installment in an ongoing series that explores drag culture and the nightlife scene in Brooklyn, N.Y. Over the past several years, following the large-scale exodus of artists across the East River and into northern Brooklyn, those engaged in drag culture in this outer borough have created a new, queer world entirely their own. Accompanied by a larger movement to understand drag culture outside of the pageant circuit, many individuals engaged in the drag community in this borough approach drag culture through a nontraditional lens of "alternative" drag or performance art, enabled largely by the malleable and queer nature of this part of New York. Visit HuffPost Gay Voices regularly to learn not only about the individuals involved in Brooklyn's drag community, but more about the culture of the community itself.

The Huffington Post: How did you get your start in the drag world?
Mocha Lite: I can definitely say I've always been interested in the craft. However, about seven years ago my boyfriend and I attended a drag ball at Hampshire College up in Massachusetts and a festival they have there called Extravaganja (you should go, it's fabulous), and it effectively made my drag anniversary 4/20! It was our first time seeing just how many other people and points of view the community really had, and we became immediately obsessed.

How would you characterize the kind of drag that you do?
I'm not really sure anymore, to tell you the truth. I guess you could say at the current moment I've been looking quite "fishy." But I've been known to dabble in various styles of drag. I love all things fantasy and, when appropriate, I definitely let it out. My tastes and interests shift focus like anyone, but depending on who for and where I am performing my look can vary. I guess you could say i'd like to be considered a chameleon of sorts.

Describe the drag scene and community in Brooklyn -- how is it different from drag culture elsewhere?
Like any tight community, there are people who like each other and people who don't. Here, there is a special home for misfits found even amongst other misfits. I've seen performances done on stages in Brooklyn receive standing ovations that in other parts of New York might only be granted raised eyebrows. But essentially there are communities all over the place just like it -- the Pittsburgh scene reminds me of Brooklyn a lot. It is simply just that feeling of wild abandon with the pedal to the metal, everything flourishes no matter how seemingly garish and I adore that.



You've been here since the Brooklyn drag scene as we know it now began to take off -- how have you seen that drag/nightlife community grow and develop?
The only thing that's changed is the amount of us! We used to feel so small, it was only a few of us fighting for the pride of BK drag! Since "RuPaul's Drag Race," there has been an influx of queens coming out of all sorts of corners and to be honest it's really wonderful, the scene is so large now and only growing. I just hope the special things that make BK drag interesting don't get watered down as the queens multiply... my originals know what I'm saying.

What potential do you see within drag for changing perceptions surrounding identity and experience?
Things are definitely changing, but all for the good. Drag isn't intimidating anymore -- it's on your television, in your home, on the Internet -- and it's praised! The taboos of sexual and personal identity associated with drag and similar art forms have slightly diminished, allowing a wonderful understanding to creep in. I've noticed it repeatedly and I great appreciate it.

How has your own personal aesthetic developed or changed over the years?
I go through extreme phases when it comes to my drag aesthetic. I'll be obsessed with one thing and one thing only and then drop it and move on to the next. As my work is maturing, I'm realizing I can take different pieces, parts, feelings and themes, tear them apart and put them back together when and how I want. Currently I'm focusing more on mastering the basics -- going back to the drawing board and reworking what I know about "beauty face." I just feel a strong foundation is important. But as far Brooklyn goes, the Brooklyn scene has always been changing, that's always been our goal: to out do, out think and out shock ourselves every time.



You and Misty Meanor have been called a drag "power couple" -- how does drag culture influence and inform your relationship?
To be honest, it really doesn't. We get asked this all the time and it's very interesting. We don't see ourselves that way. Mocha Lite is not dating or "with" Misty Meaner and vice versa -- our drag personas are very much in a "Thelma & Louise" relationship. However, I guess you could say that we learn from each other when it comes to technique and other specific aspects. My boyfriend and I are a whole other world with very different understandings and connections. It was never a conscious decision to go about it this way, we just know that Mocha and Misty want different things. We're very much teammates -- even long before the wigs and lashes started coming out!

You were named "Drag Queen of The Year" at the 2013 Brooklyn Nightlife Awards. How did this affect your life and career?
That was a very special moment for me -- it was like getting the affirmation that my work is good that I never got as a kid. I was honored to hand the title down this year to the one and only Horrorchata. She's a perfect example of great Brooklyn drag: fearless and wild but well thought out. It really motivated me to change and to try new points of view. It was cool to feel like I had a title to live up to, but passing it on has been a greater influence. Now I'm at the beginning again -- and I like that.

Where can you be found throughout the week?
Right now!
Mondays : Rockbar -- "RuPaul's Drag Race" Viewing Party
Tuesday: I'm out, just follow me on Facebook.
Wednesday: TBA
Thursday: Phoenix bar -- "QUEER PONG"
Friday : Boots & Saddle -- "Meaner Meaner Meaner"
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Missed the previously featured drag performers and installments in this series? Check out the slideshow below.

These Amazing Photos Will Make You Think Twice About Animal Deformities (PHOTOS)

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Brandon Ballengée is really into frogs and amphibians. His interest isn't like ours -- common folk that used to stumble upon them in ponds as a kid and thought they were cute -- but to the extent where this artist-biologist-environmental activist has made them his life's work.

Ballengée, whose research focuses on population declines and causes of deformities in amphibians, has been collecting these tiny critters from all over the world for more than 10 years. He uses enzymes to make their tissues transparent and injects colored dyes to make their bones, tissues and deformities stand out. The specimens are then posed, imaged with a high-resolution scanner and printed with water-based ink, according to Metro. His work provides an unprecedented view on this environmental issue -- and invokes empathy towards amphibians by making them look beautiful.

"The specimen preparation does allow for a level of abstraction, while at the same time revealing the complex architecture of these terrible abnormalities," Ballengée told Metro. "This push and pull is important to bring people in close to the art -– for a one-on-one experience with an organism they may have had a part in creating."

After one quick glance at his work, it's clear that many of these frogs have excess limbs or other oddities. So why is that?

Ballengée's research has pointed to predation and parasites -- both spurred in large part by chemical run-off -- as the culprits, according to Fast Company. And the U.S. Geological Surveys identifies injuries from predators, a specific minute parasite (fluke), nutritional deficiencies and contaminants as the leading causes of amphibian malformations and decline. Monitoring and research on this subject is still ongoing.

These images are featured in Ballengée's book, Malamp: The Occurrence of Deformities in Amphibians. Some of the Malamp Reliquaries are currently part of a retrospective exhibition of his work at Museum Het Domein in Sittard, Netherlands that runs through June. And if these images have caught your attention, Ballengée has intriguing images of many other species on his website.

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