Mark Hamill got the chance to write his own amusing obituary after fake news of his death spread online Friday.

The “Star Wars” actor mourned himself after a fake account falsely purporting to be from HuffPost claimed that he’d died:

“MUCH OF NATION MOURNS-RIP,” wrote Hamill in response to the lie.

He also dubbed himself a “wonderful-underrated” and “beloved icon” who was “truly a legend in his own mind.” He ended the post with the hashtags #SoGladIGotToMeetHim and #KindaSad.

Twitter has since suspended the fake @HuffPoGlobalPol account, but Hamill later shared this screenshot of the post to give context to his eulogy:

It’s not the first time this year that Hamill has been prematurely declared dead by people on the internet. He responded in similar hilarious style in February:

Hamill’s wry response to the latest bogus news of his demise appeared to delight many of his fans:

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A brother and a sister fall for the same guy in the heartfelt new comedy, “I Love You Both,” and HuffPost has an exclusive clip from the film. 

Released on iTunes, Amazon and other streaming services June 9, “I Love You Both” follows Krystal (played by Kristin Archibald) and Donny (Doug Archibald, who is Kristin’s real-life brother), who are forced to confront a lifetime of codependency when they start dating Andy (Lucas Neff), who identifies as bisexual. The millennial siblings remain in denial about the fact that they’re both seeing Andy until he picks one of them ― a decision that could have a disastrous impact on their relationship.

In the clip above, Andy and Krystal enjoy a game of Heads Up while Donny looks on disapprovingly as he observes the obvious chemistry between his twin sister and his lover.

The Archibalds began developing “I Love You Both” when they recalled a time when they both liked the same guy, Doug Archibald told HuffPost. Their relationship is considerably more functional than Krystal and Donny’s, however. “As a director it was nice because we have many shared memories that helped me direct her and also I know what makes her feel certain ways,” he said. “But also it was amazing because she did things I never expected, too, even though I know her as well as anyone can know someone.” 

The writer-director shrugged off the suggestion that the depiction of a bisexual man falling for two opposite sex siblings was in any way stereotypical or problematic. “The movie is just a very realistic scenario where a bisexual person meets two people who are just alike ― because they are twins and codependent ― so he naturally likes both of them,” he said. “He doesn’t lead on both of them. He does his best to take cues from them. And we can’t expect him to be perfect.”

Ultimately, Archibald sees “I Love You Both” as “a comedy about siblings” as opposed to a queer-specific narrative. “It would be nice to reach that person who wouldn’t normally watch a movie with a gay or bisexual main character, but takes a chance on ours and is maybe changed in a small way,” he said. “Maybe that’s our film’s place in the world.” 

Catch the latest in LGBTQ culture by subscribing to the Queer Voices newsletter.     

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After 52 hours of deliberations, the jury in the criminal case brought against Bill Cosby by Andrea Constand was unable to reach a unanimous consensus. On Saturday morning, Judge Steven O’Neill declared a mistrial.

Constand says that, in 2004, Cosby tricked her into taking three blue pills that incapacitated her and proceeded to sexually assault her. In December 2015, nearly 10 years after settling a civil suit with Constand in 2006 for an undisclosed sum, Cosby was charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault. 

Although Cosby wasn’t acquitted, and Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said that he planned to retry the case, a mistrial is unquestionably a win for the 79-year-old actor and comedian. A retrial will take time ― and it means that Constand will have to testify about her trauma again.

Journalist Dana DiFilippo tweeted a video of Cosby supporters celebrating after the mistrial was announced:  

Before the Cosby trial began, justice felt somewhat inevitable. Because in a situation like this one, it just feels like it should be.

A man is publicly accused of sexually assaulting nearly 60 women over the course of decades. The stories are explicit, horrifying and similar. Many of them involve drugging and brutal rape. Together, they paint a picture of a serial and methodical sexual predator who used his celebrity to exploit women. 

As far as the court of public opinion is concerned, Bill Cosby’s guilt was all but decided in late 2014, when the floodgates opened and women’s stories began pouring out on what felt like a near-daily basis. And it felt like, for the first time, people were listening. 

Of course, this was before the country had collectively propped up a man who bragged about grabbing women’s pussies without consent to our highest office. It was before more than 15 women had publicly accused a candidate for President of the United States of sexual assault with little to no tangible impact on his support.

In the cases of both Cosby and Trump, we’re reminded that women are viewed as unreliable narrators of their own experiences, and that powerful men who are accused of perpetrating sexual violence ― even by more than a dozen women ― are assumed to be victims. 

Barbara Bowman, one Cosby’s alleged victims who has been telling her story publicly since 2006, wrote about this phenomenon in an op-ed for The Washington Post in November 2014, after a Hannibal Burress joke about Cosby seemingly woke people up to the reality of his past: 

Why wasn’t I believed? Why didn’t I get the same reaction of shock and revulsion when I originally reported it? Why was I, a victim of sexual assault, further wronged by victim blaming when I came forward? The women victimized by Bill Cosby have been talking about his crimes for more than a decade. Why didn’t our stories go viral?

Two and a half years later, their stories have gone viral. But the legal outcome remains uncertain. 

The lack of a guilty verdict in this case speaks to the challenges that any alleged victim of sexual assault faces when seeking recourse through the criminal justice system. 

There are the statutes of limitations that prevent victims who wait to speak out from seeking criminal charges. There’s the lack of sensitivity training in some police departments. There’s the backlog of rape kits. There’s the difficult-to-prosecute “he said, she said” nature of many sex crimes. There are the questions victims of sexual assault know that they’ll likely be asked: “Why didn’t you report it sooner?” “Why did you talk to him after?” “Were you drinking?” “What were you wearing?” “Were you maybe kind of asking for it?”

Not only are sexual assaults underreported, but according to RAINN, just 7 out of every 1,000 rapists will see a felony conviction. That statistic doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

Cosby may have had significantly more money and fame and press coverage than most alleged perpetrators of sexual assault and rape. It would be easy to assume that his celebrity is what protected him, that Andrea Constand would have gotten justice if her rapist were anyone else besides “America’s Dad.” But statistically, she wouldn’t have. In many ways, his situation was the exception but at the end of the day, he’s the rule. 

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A noose was discovered hanging from a lamp post outside the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., marking the third such incident on the National Mall in recent weeks.

The noose was found Saturday around 3 p.m., U.S. Park Police Sgt. Anna Rose told HuffPost. Authorities are continuing to investigate how the object got there.

Two other nooses were discovered near museums on the National Mall last month. On May 31, tourists visiting the National Museum of African American History and Culture found one lying on the floor while walking through an exhibit on segregation. Less than a week earlier, a security guard found a noose hanging from a tree at Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

The noose is widely regarded as a hate symbol, stemming from the Jim Crow era of mob lynching. According to the Anti-Defamation League, “the hangman’s noose has come to be one of the most powerful visual symbols directed against African-Americans, comparable in the emotions that it evokes to that of the swastika for Jews.”

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police Department said there have been several reports of nooses around the nation’s capital in the last couple months.

Another noose was discovered at a construction site in southeast D.C. earlier this month. Students found bananas hanging in nooses on American University’s campus in early May and a noose was discovered in a fraternity house at the University of Maryland in April.

“[The MPD] has reached out to offer support to the various establishments where these offenses have occurred,” according to a statement released by the MPD. “The department will not tolerate illegal behaviors in our city. We encourage anyone with information to contact us at 202-727-9099.”

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There were no fashion faux paws here.

Some of Washington, D.C.’s most dapper dogs strutted their stuff for the 30th Annual Bark Ball on Saturday night while raising money for a local animal welfare organization (and taking the doggone cutest pictures).

The black-tie gala, which benefited the Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA), featured a masquerade theme that allowed guests to bring their canine companions as their dinner dates.

Not a group to disappoint, the dogs were seen wearing their finest coats — as well as adorable bow ties, tutus, hats and at least one mask.

Insider photos posted to social media showed guests of all shapes, sizes, and breeds.

By the end of the night, an event spokesperson, reached by HuffPost, boasted that they had raised more than $700,000. They also received a record-breaking 1,200 guests, which included former Sens. Bob (R-Kan.) and Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.).

That money raised will go towards helping “protect animals, support families, and advocate for positive change to create a world where all animals can thrive,” the animal welfare group said.

I guess humans know how to throw a good ball after all.

For more photos, check out the following slideshow or scroll down for more adorable shots posted on social media!

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Moby believes that it is “obvious” the world is “a millimeter away from collapse.”

That fearful idea may already be seared into his own mind, but the artist wants to make sure that you too are considering the possibility of existential demise. “We’re slowly building awareness and you just hope that the awareness comes before we end up on a planet that’s uninhabitable,” said Moby in a recent phone conversation about his new album, “More Fast Songs About the Apocalypse.”

But Moby understands that shouting “dire!” is not as newsworthy as “fire!” He expressed frustration that in the “bleeds it leads approach” to media, topical “dramatic” stories win attention over the slow killers, such as antibiotic resistance and climate change. Along with his fear that the world is ending is a fear that nobody cares to notice.

And so the artist isn’t afraid to provide a bit of drama and set a spark to get a point across. 

In Moby’s new music video, “In This Cold Place,” President Donald Trump is depicted as a Nazi-esque leader that takes over the world with a missile-firing machine shaped like a swastika and dollar symbol. By the end of the video, the Trump machine blows up as the oppressed people of the world rise up against him.

English illustrator and animator Steve Cutts ― who Moby worked with before on the viral music video, “Are You Lost In The World Like Me?” ― created the video and the original concept with notes from Moby. “He’d send me a drawing, almost with a little hesitation, saying, ‘Oh, do you think we can get away with this?’” Moby recalled. “And I was like, yeah, why not, just make it, go as far you want.”

Moby further encouraged Cutts “to make it even more dystopian and more extreme.”

Art depicting violence against Trump’s likeness is a trigger for controversy at the moment. Just last month, Kathy Griffin released a photo of her holding a bloodied head that looked like Trump’s. Over the last week, The Public Theater in New York City presented a version of “Julius Caesar” with a Trump-esque character getting stabbed to death by other politicians.

Both garnered protesters and a loss of advertisers, even though the latter presentation was actually a cautionary tale warning against hot-blooded assassinations.

Earlier this year, Snoop Dogg had a music video where he aimed a gun at a clown that looked like Trump. Trump responded to Snoop Dogg’s video on Twitter by suggesting ― with an exclamation point as he is wont to do ― that the artist should be locked up.

“Can you imagine what the outcry would be if @SnoopDogg, failing career and all, had aimed and fired the gun at President Obama?” wrote the president. “Jail time!”

When HuffPost spoke with Moby in May, only the Snoop Dogg incident had occurred. Still, the artist seemed entirely committed to his artistic decision.

“The criteria that you would use to determine where you draw the line is simply what’s effective and what’s legal,” said Moby.

“And I don’t mean legal in a cowardly way. I mean legal in a way that would lead something to be taken off the internet. Because you can make the best content in the world but if YouTube and Facebook won’t let people see it, then what’s the point of having this great content.”

He explained that in his mind, that’s “the only place for me to draw the line.”

The criteria that you would use to determine where you draw the line is simply what’s effective and what’s legal.
Moby

The video, released under the Moby & The Void Pacific Choir moniker, presents a cautionary tale of trusting capitalist marketing. Satirical takes on the Care Bears and Mickey Mouse distract Americans while rich people suck all the money out of the economy.

Trump’s rise in the video makes a point about how even though he clearly used a violent and dangerous “machine” to take over the country, he simultaneously tried to present himself as a cuddly old man and safe politician - such as when he hosted “Saturday Night Live” or let Jimmy Fallon rumple his hair.

The final act of the music video presents an imagined scenario of the proletariat fighting back and toppling the aristocracy, but all these visuals of destruction are presented as metaphor rather than a direct call-to-arms. The final scene even suggests that this attack on the ruling regime only takes place in the protagonist’s mind.

“I think that we’ve managed [to] be on the legal side of copyright violation,” said Moby. “Like everything in there looks familiar but nothing is a direct rip-off of existing copyright. Or so I am hoping.”

In February, Moby garnered media attention when he claimed, on social media, that he had sources that confirmed to him that Trump is being “blackmailed” by the Russian government.

“Intelligence agencies around the world, and here in the u.s, [sic] are horrified by the incompetence of the trump administration, and are working to present information that will lead to high level firings and, ultimately, impeachment,” Moby wrote. He also stated that the Trump administration might try to use a war with Iran as a distraction.

Although Moby’s claim to have reliable sources seemed questionable at the time, the statement still gained widespread coverage. Variety reported that Moby’s followers drew a line between the resignation of then National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and his prediction.

“I didn’t want as much attention as I got,” Moby explained to HuffPost with a laugh. “I don’t want to be the sort of ad-hoc mouthpiece for disgruntled people who work at intelligence agencies. But I just, felt like I had an audience and [my friends in the intelligence community had] asked me to sort of just draw attention to what the administration was doing to try and drum up an excuse for war.”

For those still deeply curious about this Moby-as-Deep-Throat situation, here’s his full explanation:

Without saying too much, over the years [I have] somehow managed to become friends with people in intelligence services in different countries. And I met up with some of them a few months ago, and they were talking about the Russian dossier and how everyone associated with it is being killed off.

And the thing that kind of scared them the most, was the false pretenses that the Trump administration were drumming up to try to go to war. Specifically at that time they were concerned about, I think it was the USS Cole, was antagonizing Iran. And the Trump administration was hoping that Iran would do something that would justify us going to war with Iran.

So one reason I posted that was in my own way to let the administration know that the intelligence communities ― and I’m not sure the only person doing this ― but there was awareness of what they were doing.

And the other stuff I posted ― like in the post I said look at Michael Flynn ― and a week later he was fired. Just as a way, again I can’t say too much, but just as a way of sort of like, trying to add legitimacy to the other things that I was writing about.

Moby also revealed that his source was a “career intelligence person” that asked him to relay this information ― all of which is unconfirmed. According to Moby though, “the straw that really broke the camel’s back” in terms of Trump’s relationship with the intel community is when immediately after his inauguration, Trump “went to the FBI headquarters and gave a self-promoting speech in front of the wall of fallen heroes.”

“If Trump is impeached or forced to resign, you can kind of trace it back to that moment,” said Moby. “That’s when all the career intelligence officers just decided that Trump is terrible and has to go.”

The premiere of the music video for “In This Cold Place” comes less than a week after Moby surprise released his latest album, “More Fast Songs About the Apocalypse.” The song is the sixth on this new Moby & The Void Pacific Choir album.

“At this point in my life ― maybe I really shouldn’t say this ― but given the way the music business is, when I make a record I don’t really expect too many people, or anyone, to pay attention or buy what I’ve done,” said Moby of making this new album. “So to that end, the joy and satisfaction that I get from making records has to be the act of actually making them.

“Like in the old days,” Moby continued, “You could find satisfaction from selling millions of records, but now the happiness I get is just the act of making them and putting them out into the world. And just sort of seeing what happens.”

Specifically, Moby now believes he can reach his biggest audience through music videos. And in that that medium, he feels he can be more explicit about his political ideas.

“As time has passed, I’ve wanted more and more for my work to somehow reflect my political concerns and my world views and issues that are important to me,” said Moby. “I’ve realized that music videos are just a really good way of trying to do that.” 

At this point in my life -- maybe I really shouldn't say this -- but given the way the music business is, when I make a record I don't really expect too many people, or anyone, to pay attention or buy what I've done.
Moby

Moby spends much of the “In This Cold Place” music video characterizing the similarly controversial ills of the food industry. The backlash from claiming meat is murder could certainly rival a backlash from depicting violence against Trump. Even liberals often aren’t receptive to the idea of veganism.

And yet, as a vocal proponent of veganism, Moby doesn’t shy away from including this cause in the work as well.

“I’ve been a vegan now for 30 years and honestly, the cause of animal rights ―that’s my life’s work,” said Moby. “There’s almost nothing that humans are doing that’s more destructive to our species than using animals for food. And of course we’re destroying the animals ― a couple hundred billion a year ― but in doing [that], we’re also killing ourselves and making the planet uninhabitable.”

He stressed, “if I have a purpose on this planet, it’s simply drawing attention to that.”

The world needs saving, in Moby’s mind, and he’s certainly not wrong. But still, he remains dubious you’ll hear him.

“When it comes to issues, like being a good vegan or animal rights activist, I can’t just scream,” said Moby. “You have to strategically present the information in a way that people might be receptive [and] might respond to it. That’s why I felt like doing it in a cartoonish way in the video would both sort of draw people in and repel them at the same time in equal measure.”

This is an artist who knows what he’s doing.

And in this final millimeter away from a World War III you’ll read about on social media, Moby just wants you to listen.

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Amid drama in Bachelor Nation, these two fan favorites got their happy ending.

Carly Waddell and Evan Bass, who fell in love and got engaged last season on “Bachelor in Paradise,” tied the knot on Saturday in front of a small group of family and friends at Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta resort near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. According to People, fellow “Paradise” couple Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert, as well as “Bachelorette/Bachelor” stars Kaitlyn Bristowe and Shawn Booth and Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi were in attendance as Chris Harrison officiated the ceremony. 

Waddell wore a strapless, form-fitting dress and had her hair in a braid. Bass donned a grey suit. 

Although they didn’t initially hit it off romantically on Season 3 of “Paradise,” Waddell and Bass soon realized they were a match and became one of the franchise’s favorite couples. They currently live in Nashville with Bass’ three sons, Nathan, Liam and Ensley.

Their wedding comes amid the investigation into “allegations of misconduct” on the set of “Bachelor in Paradise” Season 4. After a field producer filed a complaint, ABC suspended filming and Warner Bros. is currently looking into an alleged nonconsensual encounter between contestants DeMario Jackson and Corinne Olympios, who are both taking legal action.

In a statement last week, Olympios said she does not remember what happened during her time with Jackson. “As a woman, this is my worst nightmare and it has now become my reality,” she added.

Jackson, on the other hand, released his own statement, saying, “It’s unfortunate that my character and family name has been assassinated this past week with false claims and malicious allegations.” 

Although the truth has yet to come out, former cast members are sharing their experiences on the show, which gives “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” contestants another shot at finding love. Bass himself wrote a piece for The Hollywood Reporter, in which he defends “Bachelor in Paradise” and the production team behind it. 

“Bachelor in Paradise” is my show. It’s my jam. Personal redemption, lifelong friends and the woman of my dreams are just a few of the many takeaways I found living on set for weeks at the air-condition-less resort. When the news about “Paradise” production broke the internet, it also broke my heart. While to some it’s a silly TV show, for me, it was an experience that changed my life in unimaginable ways. I am troubled thinking about the allegations happening on my favorite beach, and I’m sad that some couples will not have the opportunity to find love in a powerful and unique way. I can’t help but think about Jade and Tanner [Tolbert], the fast-approaching birth of their baby and how that beautiful family wouldn’t exist without “Paradise.” And for me, I will be forever grateful to “Paradise” for guiding me to an incredible stepmother to my own children.

Family creation aside, I’m equally disturbed by the way the production of the show is being portrayed. At first I wanted to stay quiet and let the dust settle before speaking out, but as the show has come under more sensationalized hostility and more unnamed “sources” speak out, I feel compelled to share my experiences with the show and its production team. Between Carly and I, we’ve appeared on five “Bachelor”-themed series, including appearances on the entire seasons of “BIP” two and three. So we know how this show works, why it works, and I’m going to tell you why ABC should keep the show.

This season of “Paradise,” which is still in limbo, was set to air Aug. 4.

To read Bass’ full column, head to THR. 

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J.K. Rowling wrote the (children’s fantasy) book about the damage caused by sowing hate toward outsiders and division, so it’s no surprise she’s disgusted by anti-Muslim rhetoric.

In a horrific van attack on a crowd leaving a mosque in London’s Finsbury Park neighborhood late Sunday night, several people were injured and one man, who had reportedly become ill before the attack began, was left dead. Witnesses said a white, middle-aged man steered the van into a group of people who had been attending Ramadan services at the mosque. The man reportedly exited the van and shouted “I want to kill all Muslims” before being detained by bystanders.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has already described the event as an act of terrorism that targeted the Muslim community. In a statement, she urged British citizens to turn to unity.

But recent months have seen a rise in anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric across Western nations, including the U.K. Rowling was quick to comment on the vitriol toward Islam that preceded the attack ― and the framing of the Finsbury Park incident in The Daily Mail.

“The Mail has misspelled ‘terrorist’ as ‘white van driver.’ Now let’s discuss how he was radicalised,” she wrote alongside a screenshot.

Rowling noted that certain outlets continued to direct blame at the mosque, which had just seen its worshippers targeted in a violent terrorist attack despite its well-documented work in combating extremism.

“Victim blaming in the usual newspapers is disgusting,” she wrote. 

But she didn’t stop there: Rowling hasn’t forgotten the anti-Muslim rhetoric that many prominent political figures in the U.K. have recently spread. She used messaging from conservative British politician Nigel Farage, shown in one image standing next to a pro-Brexit ad accused of sowing racial hatred, to illustrate her point. 

Challenged by British radio journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer, Rowling masterfully smacked down the hypocrisy of fixating on Islamist clerics who demonize Western values while deflecting any responsibility for demonizing Muslims, pointing out the subtle yet influential ways anti-immigration politicos gin up fear and hatred toward refugees and immigrants from the Middle East.

What’s bad for the goose is bad for the gander, Rowling suggested ― if Britons fear the influence of clerics who preach hatred toward white, secular societies, then it must also follow that politicians preaching fear and resentment toward Muslims, refugees and immigrants might also have the power to incite violence.

”Those who dehumanise & stereotype muslims have no moral high ground from which to deplore demonisation of secular westerners by Islamists,” the author stated.

She certainly has a point.

UPDATE: Rowling deleted her tweet criticizing The Daily Mail for describing the man arrested after the attack as a “white van driver” rather than a “terrorist.” In a series of tweets explaining the deletion, she noted, “I deleted my tweet about the Mail not calling the #FinsburyPark attacker a terrorist because many rightly pointed out that the headline was written before charges had been brought against him.”

She added that she stood by her criticism that the Mail headline directed blame at the victims of the attack by referencing an Islamist cleric who had preached at the mosque years before. “I’m still angry about that,” she tweeted, “but I fully accept that in the immediate aftermath, it isn’t reasonable or responsible for a newspaper to rush to judgement without knowing the facts.”

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Given the incessant pace of the internet, and the antics of the current presidential administration, staying up to date with American current events can be exhausting, if not harrowing.

Earlier this month, after former FBI director James Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee, the web was buzzing with familiar hot takes and political predictions, mostly rehashing the same quotes and questions. A young poet by the name of Gordon Ip, however, packaged his take on the breaking news differently, breathing new life into yesterday’s news.

“Kushner, Flynn, where does the truth begin?” he said, words flowing with urgency and poise. “Suspicion in the wind, static in our sleep, demanding our dreams, unquestioned loyalty. Our country is full of ‘no questions, please.’”

Ip is a member of Get Lit, a troupe of young poets who make and perform slam poetry in and around Los Angeles. The nonprofit organization was launched by Diane Luby Lane in 2006 as an effort to increase literacy among elementary, middle and high school students through spoken word.

It’s working. Compared to the 77 percent graduation rate of students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in the nation, 98 percent of all Get Lit Players graduate and go to college ― with 70 percent earning some sort of scholarship.

Slam poetry, or spoken word, is part creative writing, part performance, a means to finding your voice and expressing it ― loudly.

“Working with young people, it feels like you’re helping to shape someone’s idea of themselves,” Lane told HuffPost. “Young people are so open, their lives can go so many different directions. There are so many young people that are artists, writers, performers, who don’t know what to do with their talent. If they don’t have that avenue, what a waste. It can be the difference between getting a scholarship to college and dropping out of school.”

For the past 20 weeks, the Get Lit Players have been participating in a series called “Words Ignite,” using current events as a springboard for poetry that melds the political and the personal, addressing national and global concerns in one unfiltered voice. Topics range from healthcare to climate change to rape culture, depending on the week’s most recent happenings. Each subject is communicated, however, through the singular perspective of the poet, translated into an embodied and impassioned language all its own. 

“Writing about politics is something I’ve explored more recently,” poet Jojo Louis told HuffPost. “I had been seeing these shocking things on the news, but I never really wrote about them. Once I started, I realized how much my opinion matters. Poetry helps me spread the word about what I feel.”

Louis, who is 19 years old, wrote and performed a piece addressing reports that President Donald Trump had ordered the launch of 59 missiles against Syria, which he initially misidentified as Iraq, while enjoying “the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you’ve ever seen,” as the president described. 

Louis’ poem dramatizes Trump’s bizarre description of his dessert, as well as his inability to recall which country he had attacked. Louis blasts Trump’s machismo facade with a masterful mix of satire and solemnity. “Should we let them in? Lock them up? Shuffle up the deck and bomb the shit out of whichever card comes up?” he asks. 

For the young poet, the challenge of making the political poetic rests in his ability to show the implications actions have on actual individuals. “When I see something on the news, I immediately think about how it directly affects me,” he said. “After that, I think more about its universal impact. I try to put my all into it: my experience, my story.”

Another poet, 18-year-old Samantha Healy, addressed Syria in her poem, which she performed just after a gruesome chemical weapons attack left scores of citizens, many of whom were children, dead. 

“We could fund the arts or tear the world apart,” Healy says, eyes burrowing into the camera. “Are we nationalists or just negligent? Are we nationalists or just negligent? Are we practicing policies of isolation? Trying to be bipartisan but only being bystanders? We are not innocent when we watch violent acts. And we are not innocent when we commit them.” 

Like Louis, Healy is relatively new to writing poetry about political topics. “I usually wrote about my own personal experiences,” she told HuffPost. “When I first hear about something happening in the world, I am a very empathetic person, so there’s a lot of emotion. I immediately write down the emotions, then I get the facts down.”

While poetry is often written off too quickly as elusive, elitist or out of touch, the Get Lit Players show the art form at its most urgent and accessible, words pumping with adrenaline. “Poetry has a level of honesty to it,” Louis described. “People bring more than just words to a poem. People bring their feelings. It can spark a fire in someone that influences their actions, or helps them look outside of their own personal experience.”

Healy added that poetry is an especially potent medium for young people, who often encounter the art form when their lives and identities are still very much in flux. “You become part of a movement,” she said. “Everyone is so vulnerable and open; it creates such a healthy way to get through your pain. We’re changing something, we’re moving forward and we’re making a difference with our words and our honesty.”

You can check out 20 young poets’ musings on political happenings through the Get Lit ― Words Ignite Facebook page, and be sure to check back each week as a new poem is added. 

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Miles Teller was arrested early Sunday morning, the San Diego police department confirmed to HuffPost. TMZ was first to report the news.

The actor, known for his roles in “Whiplash” and “Fantastic Four,” was reportedly visibly drunk on the sidewalk after partying with friends in San Diego, California. As a cop questioned Teller, he became uncooperative and appeared to lose his balance. He was then handcuffed.

According to law enforcement, Teller refused to cooperate with authorities as they tried to help him. The cops took Teller to a detox center to sober up ― despite his initial rejection of the offer. After he didn’t comply with the staff at the center, authorities arrested him for the misdemeanor charge of being drunk and disorderly in public. He was reportedly in jail for four hours and released without bail. 

HuffPost has reached out to his rep for comment.

Teller is somewhat known for his bad attitude, which was documented in an unflattering Esquire profile in 2015.

When discussing the piece, Teller told The Guardian, “But I also think that’s why people — certain people — do relate to me: because there is no agenda, honestly. I was raised middle-class in a small town. I have all my same friends from high school. I’m close with my family. I’m dating a normal girl. So I want to feel people think I’m a man of the people. Because I feel that way.”

UPDATE (4 p.m. ET): Miles Teller took to Twitter to say he wasn’t arrested, but detained, although authorities told HuffPost, as well as other outlets, otherwise. 

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Grammarians rejoice! JAY-Z has officially resurrected the hyphen in his name.

In 2013, the rapper Jay-Z (aka Shawn Corey Carter aka HOV), in a decision touted as a “massively disrespectful move against hyphens,” dropped the hyphen in his professional name. So, for the last four years, Carter was known as Jay Z. 

Now, it’s JAY-Z with the hyphen AND capitalization, a Roc Nation representative confirmed to Pitchfork. And people have a lot to say about the switch-up:

But, surprisingly, a lot of people didn’t even know the hyphen wasn’t a thing all these years:

In addition to his name change, JAY-Z released a preview of his new song “Adnis” off “4:44.” Strangely, his name is formatted in the preview as “JAY:Z.” Colons too, JAY?!

The colon just appears to be for artistic effect, which is a good thing because we can’t take any more linguistic shake-ups related to JAY-Z.

HuffPost has reached out to Roc Nation for comment. We will update this accordingly.

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In a decision that could benefit the NFL’s Washington Redskins, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday threw out a federal prohibition on disparaging trademarks as a constitutional violation in a major free speech ruling involving a band called The Slants.

The court ruled 8-0 in favor of the Portland, Oregon-based Asian-American dance rock band, which had been denied a trademark because the government deemed its name disparaging to people of Asian descent. The Slants challenged that rejection as a violation of free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, and the Supreme Court agreed.

The ruling likely paves the way for the Redskins to protect trademarks covering the team’s name.

The National Football League team, which took the name Redskins in the 1930s, filed a legal challenge to a 2014 decision by a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office tribunal canceling its trademarks as disparaging to Native Americans. A lower court put the Redskins’ dispute on hold pending the outcome of the band’s case.

Lisa Blatt, a lawyer representing the Redskins, told Reuters the team is thrilled with Monday’s ruling because it resolves “the Redskins’ long-standing dispute with the government.”

Writing for the court, Justice Samuel Alito did not mince words in ruling that the decades-old trademark provision is unconstitutional. “It offends a bedrock First Amendment principle: Speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend,” Alito wrote.

Band frontman Simon Tam has said he chose to call the band The Slants to reclaim a term some consider a derogatory reference to Asian people’s eyes, and wear it as a “badge of pride.” The band’s lawyers argued that the government cannot use trademark law to impose burdens on free speech to protect listeners from offense.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which filed legal papers supporting the band, hailed the ruling as a major victory for the First Amendment. ACLU lawyer Lee Rowland said government efforts to protect minorities from disparagement instead hurt members of that very community, in this case the Asian-American band.

“Fortunately, today’s opinion prevents the kind of absurd outcome that results when the government plays speech police,” Rowland said.

‘MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES’

The band welcomed the ruling.

“After an excruciating legal battle that has spanned nearly eight years, we’re beyond humbled and thrilled to have won this case at the Supreme Court,” the band said in a statement posted to its website on Monday. “This journey has always been much bigger than our band: it’s been about the rights of all marginalized communities to determine what’s best for ourselves.”

Patent and Trademark Office spokesman Paul Fucito said the agency was reviewing the decision. The government previously said a ruling favoring The Slants could lead to a proliferation of racial slurs as sanctioned trademarks.

After the government rejected The Slants’ request, Tam appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, which in 2015 ruled that the so-called disparagement provision of the 1946 law governing trademarks ran afoul of the Constitution’s guarantee of free speech. The government appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court.

The federal government said in court papers that it should not be required to approve trademarks “containing crude references to women based on parts of their anatomy; the most repellent racial slurs and white-supremacist slogans; and demeaning illustrations of the prophet Mohammed and other religious figures.”

In the separate Redskins case, a trademark board in 2014 canceled the team’s six trademarks at the request of Native American activists on grounds that the team name disparaged Native Americans.

The team’s appeal, also on free speech grounds, was put on hold in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, pending the outcome of The Slants’ case.

Justice Neil Gorsuch joined the court after arguments were heard in the case and did not participate in Monday’s decision.

The Supreme Court also ruled on another free speech case on Monday, striking down a North Carolina law banning convicted sex offenders from Facebook and other social media services that play a vital role in modern life.

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Dave Grohl’s 8-year-old daughter Harper clearly takes after her dad.

Grohl and the rest of the Foo Fighters played at Secret Solstice, a music festival in Iceland, on Friday, and during their set, Harper joined the band to show off her drumming skills. Grohl told the crowd his daughter had asked to learn how to play the drums just a couple of weeks ago.

“About two weeks ago, my daughter said, ‘Daddy, I want to play the drums.’ And I said, ‘OK, you want me to teach you?’ And she said, ‘Yes,’” Grohl told the crowd. “And then I said, ‘Do you want to get up in front of 20,000 people in Iceland and play?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’”

The 8-year-old then played the first song she’d learned, Queen’s “We Will Rock You.”

The crowd clapped along with Harper while Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins took over vocals. Queen even gave their approval of Harper’s performance by tweeting a YouTube video of it. 

Rock on, Harper. 

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Kayla Reeder has photographed at least 25 births over the past six years. This month, a collection of her birth photos attracted a lot of attention for its striking depiction of the way vaginal delivery can affect a baby’s head shape. 

The images depict the birth of a woman named Nikki’s baby boy, Graham. Reeder told HuffPost that Nikki pushed for about an hour, and her son came out with a bit of a “cone head.”

“It’s not uncommon, I’ve seen several babies with ‘cone heads’ or more prominent molding due to being in the birth canal longer than others,” said Reeder, who has three children of her own. “Graham’s head was more dramatic immediately after his birth than others’ but it went down so quick that you wouldn’t even have noticed unless you saw the images.”

Baby Graham was born on Valentine’s Day, so Nikki calls him her “love baby.” The birth was not easy, but Reeder said the mom was a true Wonder Woman that day. “Little man was a bit sideways, so Mama had to work a little harder ― but no additional interventions were necessary,” she said.

When the baby was finally born, Nikki and her husband Chris breathed a sigh of relief and showered him with love.

“We were all so glad he was there and safe that there were more happy tears for his arrival,” Reeder recalled. “Once that euphoria wore down, there were of course comments of how sweet his little cone head was, and we knew why it took so long for Nikki to push him out.” 

Still, the photographer added, “Graham was perfect in every way.”

Though the newborn’s head molding was a little “extra dramatic,” Reeder said it wasn’t a cause for concern and that Graham had a more typically shaped head after a few days.  

As the “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” website notes, a newborn’s head may be “pointy or cone-shaped” following a vaginal delivery, “especially one in which you had to push for a long time.”

“Not to worry; cone heads round out in a few days or weeks,” the site explains. “And no matter its shape, eventually your baby’s head will better match the size of her body.”

Ultimately, Reeder hopes people who see Graham’s birth photos feel inspired by his parents’ love and devotion. 

“This family was so beautiful. Nikki and Chris were a team. He was there to support her and lift her up however he could,” she said, adding that she was inspired by their faith and love for their family.

“I hope people see these images of Graham and see how amazing birth is. Birth isn’t gross or taboo but beautiful and worth celebrating.”

Keep scrolling and visit Reeder’s website and Facebook page for striking birth photos.

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You might chortle at the thought, but a surprising number of words we use every day slipped into the English language through children’s books.

“Chortle,” a combination of “snort” and “chuckle,” was coined by Lewis Carroll in the poem “Jabberwocky,” which appears in his children’s fantasy novel Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. It’s not at all uncommon to hear terms like “hobbit” used outside of a discussion of The Lord of the Rings. And we’d never be able to describe peach cobbler or chocolate lava cake as “scrumdiddlyumptious” without Roald Dahl.

To some degree, this results from purposeful allusion. You might not say “Oompa Loompa” unless you’re intending to call up an image of the fictional chocolate factory workers enslaved by Willy Wonka. But these terms bleed into our culture until even those who’ve never read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory know more or less what they mean, and they take on a whole new place in the language.

Twenty years after the series kicked off, it seems hardly anyone has avoided reading the “Harry Potter” books or seeing the movies; perhaps that’s why so much of the series’ wildly original vocabulary has already seeped into our everyday chatter. A well-meaning but uncool friend is “such a Hufflepuff,” people who don’t get the Potterverse are “Muggles,” and a train delay makes one wish for the ability to “apparate” to their destination. J.K. Rowling’s magical world, which adds new or revitalized concepts to a familiar world, is a rich source of vocabulary for describing our humdrum existences with more color and imagination. 

Rowling made it easy for readers to integrate spells, wizarding terms and names into their regular lives. She researched and carefully constructed new words from relevant linguistic roots, resulting in words like “apparate” that fit perfectly into our existing language. “To apparate” means to magically disappear and reappear in a new location, and is derived from a Latin term for “to appear.” 

Other terms, like “Slytherin” or “Hufflepuff”, also suggest meaning through sound, a linguistic phenomenon called “sound symbolism.” The sibilant consonants of “Slytherin” suggest something sly, smooth and cunning (as does the obvious link to slithering snakes); Hufflepuff’s comical “uff”s sound effortful but also innocuous. Little wonder that Slytherin is the house of clever, ambitious wizards and Hufflepuff is the house of kind, hardworking ones. 

“Muggle” may be the most widely used Potterism. Unlike most original words from the books, it has merited an entry in Oxford Dictionaries. The word for non-magical folk manages to sound like exactly what it is: a bit of a goober, but a harmless one. Rowling has said she derived the word from “mug,” a Britishism for a gullible fool, and that she also wanted to make the word a bit “cuddly.” 

The word she came up with evokes not only a “mug,” but something “snuggly” and also a “struggle.” This combo makes the word irresistible in everyday conversation, whether you’re describing someone who has never read “Harry Potter” or anyone unfamiliar with your subculture of choice. As an example, Oxford suggests, “She’s a muggle: no IT background, understanding or aptitude at all.” 

It’s not a slur, but it simply oozes head-patting condescension.

“You-Know-Who” and “He Who Must Not Be Named” don’t just mean the character of Voldemort, the super-villain of the wizarding world ― they could refer any powerful, loathed figure. Even “Voldemort” has become shorthand on the left for referencing President Donald Trump. His motley crew of aides and advisors? They’re Voldemort’s loyal followers. Why explain how evil you think Steve Bannon is if you need only call him a “Death Eater”? On the flip side, “Hermione” became almost synonymous with Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election.

“Accio,” the Summoning Charm, is too useful to leave in the magical world ― we all need to accio our keys every now and then ― though its pronunciation is too tricky to easily use in spoken conversation. Sometimes the thought of erasing someone’s memory with a quick “obliviate” seems tempting. And though “Time-Turners” are heavily restricted even in the wizarding world, where they at least exist, after a particularly dumb mistake it’s natural to openly wish for such a magical gadget to go back and fix things.

It’s a rare author indeed whose imagination changes the very language we use. William Shakespeare and John Milton, both renowned poets, have famously introduced hundreds of words and phrases into the English tongue. Lewis Carroll, one of the most legendary children’s book authors of all time, has also coined terms that we now use without even realizing where we learned them. Rowling’s well-researched inventiveness has put her in the same illustrious group ― and for all the theme parks and movies her books have spawned, this effect on the English language may prove to be one of the “Harry Potter” universe’s most long-lasting and profound accomplishments.

What wizarding words do you find yourself sprinkling into your vocabulary? Let us know in the comments.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article mistook Lewis Carroll for C.S. Lewis. 

From June 1 to 30, HuffPost is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the very first “Harry Potter” book by reminiscing about all things Hogwarts. Accio childhood memories.

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In the past decade or so, a subgenre of dystopian fiction has emerged to confront our changing planet: climate fiction, or “cli-fi.” In stories like Jeff VanderMeer’s “Southern Reach” trilogy, or Kim Stanley Robinson’s New York 2140 and Claire Vaye Watkins’ Gold Fame Citrus, characters confront floods, droughts and other environmental catastrophes.

But, as a recent post on the Smithsonian blog points out, these stories are swiftly becoming not just future possibilities, but present realities.

In an interview with HuffPost, VanderMeer noted that, “the solutions a fiction writer can provide, the speculation, is perhaps edging toward offensive in a policy context ― because we have scientists telling us what we need to do and they are the experts.”

A new cartoon anthology called Warmer addresses these issues and more. Co-edited by artists Madeleine Witt and Andrew White, the collection of works serves to provide support and hope to those who are mourning the damage done to the earth.

In an interview with HuffPost, White said, “As co-editors of Warmer, Madeleine and I wanted to make a book to offer comfort for those already fearful about climate change. So for the most part, Warmer doesn’t aim to convince anyone of anything. We imagined Warmer in part as a book that will function to encourage and support activists; to comfort those who, like ourselves, are wrestling with the grief of climate change.”

Below is a selection from five of the book’s contributors.

By Alyssa Berg

“This piece about humpback whale migration is the beginning of a collaborative project between me and my dear friend Catalina Jaramillo, a journalist who writes environmental/sustainability stories,” Berg said. “Through this collaboration I hope to express our shared love and respect for the ocean and its inhabitants.”

By Caitlin Skaalrud

“There’s beauty in just surviving despite everything, and real shame in so selfishly leaving all this to our children and grandchildren. And it won’t be far off in the distance — it’s already happening,” Skaalrud said. “I both feel helpless for my very young friends who will navigate climate change as it worsens, and still want to practically prepare them as much as I can. As I always say, ‘I can at least teach you to ride a horse, shoot a rifle, and start a fire.’”

She says that as an artist, she “can’t present a perfect argument or deeply considered treatise that would change anyone’s mind. I feel, if there’s anything I can do that will truly activate change, it’s touching people’s hearts.”

By Kimball Anderson

“Often in my work I engage with disability subjects, but when it comes to an issue as overwhelming as climate change, I think everyone of every ability is confronted with how limited they are,” Anderson said. “It’s always such a powerless feeling, such a moment of frustrated desire for control over your situation. We are ultimately still responsible for our part in this, even if we can barely do anything to fix it all. It’s a contradiction that can’t be resolved, a feeling of smallness in a moment where we need to be big.”

He continued, “Art has the power to expand our emotional understanding of the political, and this is an important form of activism. It’s a responsibility artists need to rise to.”

By Madeleine Witt

“For me, art and activism are two occasionally overlapping streams that come from the same source,” Witt said. “They both come out of a desire to see true things expressed, broken things healed, justice enacted. This comic, in particular, is a kind of meditative experience; the moment of quiet prayer before entering the battle, a necessary attempt to grasp the enormity of climate change and my own feeling about it. This comic is a piece of the reflection that necessarily precedes action.”

By Andrew White

“My piece for Warmer adapts several Yoko Ono instructions from her books Grapefruit and Acorn. For example, one piece that I adapted reads, ‘Walk in the footsteps of the person in front. 1. on ground 2. in mud 3. in snow 4. on ice 5. in water. Try not to make sounds,’” White said. “I found these pieces very moving. I couldn’t stop thinking about them. The instructions call upon the reader to go out into the world. Ono asks us to see the world as it is — to experience its beauty, its fragility, its splendor. So I aimed in my piece to both instill in readers that desire to reach out towards the world, and to communicate my own feelings about interacting with natural beauty when I fear that beauty might be fleeting.”

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Akeem Browder still grieves over the deaths of both his younger brother Kalief and his mother Venida ― but he is carrying on their legacy and fighting for change by running for mayor of New York City.

Browder confirmed to HuffPost on Monday that he is officially throwing his name into the ring ― along with several other candidates ― and competing against incumbent NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio. Browder, 34, believes he is equipped and more ready than he’ll ever be for the campaign. 

“I lost my mother, I lost my brother,” he told HuffPost. “I have nothing left to lose.” 

Kalief Browder died by suicide in 2015 at the age of 22 just two years after he was released from Rikers Island. He was jailed there for three years, nearly two of which he spent in solitary confinement, for allegedly stealing a backpack and was both unable to make the $3,000 bail and unwilling to take a plea deal. He experienced brutal beatings from both inmates and guards all of which is documented in stories and interviews of those who spoke to him before his death. Browder’s mother, Venida, who had been one of Kalief’s biggest supporters, passed away in 2016 at the age of 63 from a “broken heart” after suffering from complications of a heart attack.

Now, Browder said he is ready for political office and and running on the Green Party ticket. He said that he plans to be a strong competitor of De Blasio, especially on issues of criminal justice, saying that he disagrees with many of the laws De Blasio has introduced during his time in office. He thinks De Blasio’s 10-year plan to shut down Rikers Island is “lip-service” ― Browder believes the process can be completed in three years instead. As a candidate, Browder said he also takes issue with DeBlasio’s stances on immigration, education and poverty around the city. 

“It’s not a personal vendetta why I’m running for mayor but if we’re having someone represent the people, it better be someone who isn’t far removed from the people and better understands the people so they can better their lives,” Browder said. “Do what’s right by the people or get out of office, get out of the way of people who want to try and make a change.” 

As mayor, Browder said he plans to prioritize issues of criminal justice, such as identifying better ways to decrease criminalization, increase resources to inmates with mental illnesses and finding more effective ways for re-entry. He also plans to focus on homelessness and better managing the city’s public spending to allocate funds to those most in need. 

“I’ve been homeless before,” he said. “We as New Yorkers still criminalize and monopolize the homeless. To me that’s pathetic and I want to make a change, not just with the homeless but those who come from jail. There’s very little thought put into how we appropriate funds for people coming home and re-entering society.” 

Browder, who said he is a long-time activist, has been involved in several grassroots political projects. He helped to create the New York chapter for Black Lives Matter and the Shut Down Rikers campaign, and sits on an independent New-York based commission around criminal justice. He also helped to establish the Kalief Browder foundation in his brother’s memory. 

Ultimately, it’s Browder life experiences, struggles and successes that he believes make him best-suited to be mayor.   

“These candidates are far removed from the problems we face in New York,” he said. “They don’t understand what we go through. It takes someone who has been impacted by the law and justice system and has the info, knowledge and drive to reel it back in and put it back into the right channels.” 

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Art is providing a powerful emotional outlet for a group of child refugees.

Youngsters who have settled in southeast England after fleeing unaccompanied from countries such as Syria, Sudan, Eritrea and Afghanistan have been tackling the trauma of displacement at British Red Cross-backed creative projects. 

Some of those 14 to 19-years-old will now showcase their works at the free “All I Left Behind, All I Will Discover” exhibition at London’s OXO Tower from June 21 to 25.

“The refugee crisis has led to a huge outpouring of solidarity with unaccompanied child refugees but they seldom get the opportunity to speak for themselves,” said Alex Fraser, the organization’s director of refugee support.

The children have channeled their emotions into meaningful drawings and sketches, transforming life jackets and vases into canvases for their creativity. The projects are aimed at helping them integrate into their new communities and will be featured in the show.

“We hope it will provide a rare glimpse of what it is to be a child refugee and the pain, trauma and extraordinary resilience which characterizes so many of their stories,” Fraser added. A selection of their pieces are below:

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Google “worst movie of all time.” The first search result is “Batman & Robin.” 

No list of history’s most inferior cinema would be complete without this infamous parade of excess, which opened June 20, 1997. Celebrating 20 years of kitsch imperfection, “Batman & Robin” is so widely mocked that even the people responsible for the film ― well, some of them ― have joined the chorus of disdain.

Joel Shumacher, who led the charge on “Batman Forever” and “Batman & Robin” after Warner Bros. asked Tim Burton to step aside, apologized for the movie as recently as last week. George Clooney has been issuing mea culpas for years. Arnold Schwarzenegger, on the other hand, has no regrets. 

I admit I’m something of a “Batman & Robin” apologist, having worshipped Poison Ivy’s slithery eccentricities as an 8-year-old. Today, I see it as an admirably atrocious time capsule, from Mr. Freeze’s puns (”The Ice Man cometh!”) to the Dynamic Duo’s skates.

In 2014, when I interviewed Uma Thurman with childlike glee, she linked the reception of “Batman & Robin” to audiences’ unwillingness to accept superhero stories that don’t revel in hyper-masculine aesthetics. Whether or not Thurman’s analysis holds weight, she waxed poetic about the evolution of queer sensibilities in a way that I’ll never forget. Thurman resisted applying the word “camp” to “Batman & Robin,” and she’s right. True camp has a certain self-awareness that this film distinctly lacks. It’s just a bloated, silly circus designed to produce toys and flashy marketing tie-ins and a best-selling soundtrack featuring Jewel, The Smashing Pumpkins and R. Kelly. That doesn’t mean it’s not also a fun relic of Hollywood’s evolving blockbuster culture. 

Until Christopher Nolan put his own gritty spin on Bruce Wayne, “Batman & Robin” ended the big-screen Batman franchise. The reviews were so biting, and the audience interest so lukewarm compared to its predecessors, that Warner Bros. scrapped the next installment. Such a 180 only furthered its notoriety. 

In honor of the 20th anniversary, here’s what Schumacher, Clooney, Thurman and others involved have said about the movie over the years. 

Joel Schumacher, director

“There was enormous pressure on us to create more inventions in the film that could be turned into toys. I learned a new phrase in my life called ‘toyetic,’ [which means] whether a movie is ‘toyetic’ or not and how many toys people can get out of it. Hence, a lot of toys in this movie.” (2005)

“I broke a rule of mine, which is never to do a sequel of anything. ... But I was shooting ‘A Time To Kill’ and the studio had been very generous to me, and much was expected of me by the toy manufacturers and the Warner Bros. stores. I’m responsible for everything. I said, ‘yes’ and I took it on. It’s not my favorite movie I’ve ever made, but I’m proud of my cast and I’m proud of all the artists who worked on it. I take full responsibility for ‘Batman & Robin.’” (2011)

“I was the problem with ‘Batman & Robin.’ I never did a sequel to any of my movies, and sequels are only made for one reason: to make more money and sell more toys. I did my job. But I never got my ass in the seat right.” (2014)

“I want to apologize to every fan that was disappointed because I think I owe them that.” (2017)

“They obviously had very high expectations after ‘Batman Forever.’ But perhaps it was the more innocent world in comparison, I don’t know. I just know that I’ll always go down over the nipples on Batman starting with ‘Batman Forever.’ ... Such a sophisticated world we live in where two pieces of rubber the size of erasers on old pencils, those little nubs, can be an issue. It’s going to be on my tombstone, I know it.” (2017)

George Clooney, Batman

“I’ve been in those ‘Pluto Nash’ kind of movies ― ‘Batman and Robin’ cost $160 million ― and you know they’re a waste of money.” (2002)

“I just thought the last one had been successful, so I thought I was just going to be in a big, successful franchise movie. [And] in a weird way I was. Batman is still the biggest break I ever had and it completely changed my career, even if it was weak and I was weak in it. It was a difficult film to be good in. I don’t know what I could have done differently. But if I am going to be Batman in the film ‘Batman & Robin,’ I can’t say it didn’t work and then not take some of the blame for that.” (2011)

“They put nipples on the Batsuit. I didn’t know they would do that. If Batman had to wear the suit that you have to wear, everyone would die. ... Joel is very funny because he’d be like OK, George, remember, your parents are dead, you have nothing to live for, and action!” (2012)

“I think since my Batman I was disinvited from Comic-Con for 20 years. I see the comment sections on all you guys. I just met Adam West [backstage] and I was like, ‘Hey, I’m really sorry.’ He goes, ‘Give me a fist-bump,’ and I was like, ‘Just hit me.’” (2014)

“I always apologize for ‘Batman & Robin.’ I actually thought I destroyed the franchise until somebody else brought it back years later and changed it. I thought at the time this was going to be a very good career move. It wasn’t. The suit’s brutal. At the time, particularly, it weighed like 60 pounds.” (2015)

Chris O’Donnell, Robin

“I thought [‘Batman Forever’] was terrific. I really thought it was well made. With ‘Batman & Robin,’ I think Warner Bros. got piggy. It was too soon. If I remember correctly, it wasn’t too far after ‘The Fugitive’ came out. And if I remember correctly, ‘The Fugitive’ was kind of a mess when they were making it but they figured it out and it was a huge hit. And I think for a while, Warner Bros. was like, “It doesn’t matter. We can throw enough money at it and it’ll be a huge hit.” There needs to be a certain amount of time before people had the appetite, “I need another ‘Batman.’” We had just finished and all of a sudden it was, like, boom, here’s another one. There was a lot of waste. I felt it wasn’t tight and it wasn’t thought out. People just got greedy. That being said, I had a great time doing it.” (2015)

Uma Thurman, Poison Ivy

“It came out in a different time when people were still being bitchy about campy. Humor being campy and campy being a code word for gay has changed. ... I think at the time the idea of taking a male superhero and having fun with it and someone using the C-word [campy] on it caused people to be very nasty. And that kind of nastiness was acceptable on those terms. And I think that’s the reason some people were particularly annoyed. They didn’t like seeing that tone applied to their heterosexual male icon.” (2014)

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. Freeze

“It’s always easy to be smug in hindsight, right? I don’t regret it at all. I felt that the character was interesting and two movies before that one Joel Schumacher was at his height. So the decision-making process was not off.” (2012)

Alicia Silverstone, Batgirl

“I feel like I could do a much better Batgirl now than I did then. It would be fun to tackle it again. Because I’m older and my acting is better. I know I would bring so much more to it. ... That costume was so uncomfortable. Maybe something more comfortable would be nice. Something you can sit in. Something you can get out of to pee.”” (2017)

Vivica A. Fox, Ms. B. Haven

“Woo! Got to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger. That was so cool. You know, my fondest memory of Ms. B. Haven is how Joel Schumacher came up with my name. [Laughs.] I said, ‘Where’d you get Ms. B. Haven?’ And he said, ‘Well, I was hanging out with my friends and we went to a state fair. And we’re walking, and one of the things they were doing was a display on monster trucks, and one of the trucks was Ms. B. Haven.’ And I said ‘That’s going to be one of the characters in my movie.’ And he met me and he knew it was going to be Vivica Fox. So I got the role. I was so excited, but I must tell you, my skin consumed so much glitter from that costume that my skin was extracting glitter for weeks. Glitter would just pop up, because your skin will absorb it.” (2010)

Akiva Goldsman, screenwriter

Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios president

“That may be the most important comic-book movie ever made. It was so bad that it demanded a new way of doing things. It created the opportunity to do ‘X-Men’ and ‘Spider-Man,’ adaptations that respected the source material and adaptations that were not campy.” (2009)

Hit Backspace for a regular dose of pop culture nostalgia.

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Summer is almost officially here, which means it’s time to grab that swimsuit, hit the beach and break out the tunes. 

Nearly every year there are a few contenders for the one song that will define the summer. Cue Rihanna’s “Umbrella” from 2005 or Carly Rae Jepsen’s 2012 hit “Call Me Maybe.” The jury is still out about whether 2016 had a definitive song of the summer, so we’re hoping one single rises to the top for 2017. 

The good news? Several possibilities have already surfaced this year ― with some more likely to reach the summer-song status than others. In other words, yes, the race is on. And nestled in between the popular singles are musical gems that aren’t overplayed, but deserve to be heard. 

The team over at HuffPost Entertainment rounded up both in this handy guide ― all for your listening pleasure. By no means is this a comprehensive list.

Behold, the tracks we have on repeat right now ... Maybe one of these will represent summer 2017, or perhaps will simply become your summer jam.  

“Cut to the Feeling” - Carly Rae Jepsen 

Shut it down. Contest over. Carly Slay Jepsen (the preferred spelling) came back in a big way this summer to save pop music from Ed Sheeran. Is it one of the 250 songs she wrote for her iconic album “Emotion”? Yes. Was it released to promote some animated film about ballerinas we’ll never see? Absolutely. But “Cut to the Feeling” is the kind of song that makes you strut down the sidewalk like you’re in competing in an “America’s Next Top Model” finale. With a chorus that demands to be belted and *shock* an actual build, this undeniable bop will have you asking why all your faves have been doing it wrong.

- Cole Delbyck 

“I’m the One” - DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper, Lil Wayne 

There are a few rules that the annual Song of Summer needs to follow without exception:

1. It must be incredibly well-known. The Song of Summer is never the best song of the season, but it is the best of the most famous songs of the season.


2. It must be predominantly basic, with a little something on the side for the music nerds.


3. It must be written in a major key ― ideally the key of C or G ― and make people smile.


4. It must be playable at an outdoor BBQ, while passable on the dance floor at night.


5. It must include a bass line that bounces to and fro, allowing for easy dancing.


6. Moms need to like it, and they need to make it known they like it after a couple drinks too.  


7. It must be intergenerational, including both members of the new guard and members of the old guard.


8. It must be created by its makers to be the Song of Summer. There are no accidents in the music industry. There are only cynical money grabs.


9. And by the final day of Summer, the entire world must never want to hear it again.

Thus, the song of the summer is “I’m The One,” by DJ Khaled and featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper and Lil Wayne. And it’s not close.

- Maxwell Strachan

“Humble” - Kendrick Lamar 

I heard a small child yelling along to this song late into the night as I waited for a bus that seemed like it would never come. “Be humble!” this young person screamed in an adorable high pitch. “Sit down!” (Of course absent from this kid’s sing-along was the interspersed and repeated “Hol’ up, bitch” between those lines.)

Songs of summer need to be extremely ubiquitous, danceable and fun for the whole family. “Humble” is very much those first two things, but only questionably the third. Given Kendrick Lamar’s immense rapping ability, it’s also beyond unlikely that the wedding dance floors this summer are going to be able to keep up with Lamar to shout along in joyous unison.

So in this increasingly fractured culture where any large consensus is increasingly hard to achieve with each successive year (2016 didn’t have a definitive song of summer), I’d argue that “Be humble!” / “Sit down!” will at least be the “musical lyric of the summer.” Besides, of course, simply being a great part of a great song on a great album.

- Todd Van Luling

“Bad Liar” - Selena Gomez

The song of the summer must invite endless listenability at increasing volumes. A swishy chorus (not to be confused with “Swish Swish,” heaven forbid) helps, too. With that in mind, I give you “Bad Liar,” a sleek jive that borrows the bass line from Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.” Opening with gentle claps that blossom into twinkling cascades of sensuality, the production value remains cool and understated. Many pop stars are in the running for the year’s crown, but none of the others turn “serpentine” into a verb or craft a rhyme using the words “actuality” and “reality.” Selena is our summer-anthem queen.

- Matt Jacobs

“Despacito” - Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber

The last time a track sung mostly in Spanish topped the pop charts was more than 20 years ago ―in 1996 with Los Del Rio’s “Macarena.” That changed this year with the release of Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber. The reggaeton beat is undeniably catchy. And it doesn’t hurt that the video is downright fun, making us excited about summer romance and a memorable night out. This song will likely top many songs of the summer lists — with good reason. It’s already a massive global hit, and it’s on track to define summer 2017.

- Lauren Moraski

“Slow Hands” - Niall Horan

This groovy track from former One Direction member Niall Horan doesn’t exactly conjure images of bopping in jean shorts at a sticky-hot BBQ like all good songs of the summer should. Still, it is a delightfully edgy and seductive pop track that will get stuck in your head and make you shout “SLOW! HANDS!” at unsuspecting passersby as you perspire on public transit and contemplate exactly what Horan means when he says “sweat dripping down our dirty laundry.”

- Jill Capewell 

 “Holding On” - The War on Drugs

If you haven’t listened to their album “Lost in the Dream” over and over again since 2014, then you’re missing out on the magic that is The War on Drugs. The rock, Americana vibe this indie group gives off is mysterious, addicting and passionate. Their new single, “Holding On,” has those same qualities, and is sure to be a tune you’ll play on repeat while sipping an ice cold beer in your yard or on the beach.

- Leigh Blickley 

“Shape of You” - Ed Sheeran

“Shape of You” is the type of song that hooks you right from the beginning. As soon as that marimba beat starts, it’s hard to tune it out. It’s a little bit sexier for Sheeran ― it was written with Rihanna in mind, after all ― and it’s definitely not as deep or romantic as “Thinking Out Loud,” but it sure is catchy and it’s probably not going anywhere for the next few months.

- Julia Brucculieri

“Most Girls” - Hailee Steinfeld

I think everyone was a little nervous, upon hearing the name of this single, that it would be another addition to the all-too-familiar narrative of women tearing down other women. “Au contraire,” says Hailee Steinfeld (but not literally), blessing us plebes with a thoroughly danceable track about feeling “good in your own skin.” Whether you’re rocking out in tiny dresses or sweatpants, Ms. Steinfeld salutes you.

- Jill Capewell 

 “Passionfruit” - Drake

Admittedly, Drake won’t be the song of the summer contender most likely to inspire top-of-your-lungs sing-alongs; his newest single, “Passionfruit” (with Zoë Kravitz chiming in on the vocals!) is more laid back than that. It’s quintessential Drake: a super-sincere breakup anthem that’ll get stuck in your head for days. Paramore thought it was catchy, anyway; the group performed a cover that takes it up a notch, but doesn’t manner to capture the expressive, beachy vibes of the original, which made it to No. 8 on Billboard Hot 100.

-  Maddie Crum 

“Human” - Rag ‘n’ Bone Man

OK, so this isn’t necessarily your typical song of the summer, but it’s a great track nonetheless. Released in 2016, “Human” has only recently made its way onto the U.S. charts. It has a solid hook with a raw sound ― backed by excellent production ― and topped off with Rag ‘n’ Bone Man’s powerful voice. “Human” is a song that’s here to stay, and it comes without any major bells and whistles. And that’s refreshing. We’re only human after all, right?

- Lauren Moraski

“Stay” - Alessia Cara + Zedd

There are a few reasons this track is a strong contender for Song of the Summer. First, it features Alessia Cara, who’s been on the rise since her anti-party anthem “Here” was released in 2015. Second, it was produced by Zedd, who’s pretty much everywhere these days, churning out bops like “I Want You to Know” and “Starving.” Finally, it’s got that EDM-infused sound that appeals to the masses (but, thankfully, isn’t by The Chainsmokers) and it’s catchy as hell. During a recent trip, I also heard it on the radio about a hundred times in the span of three days. If that doesn’t scream Song of Summer, I don’t know what does.

- Julia Brucculieri

“Malibu” - Miley Cyrus

Gather ‘round and let’s talk about Miley Cyrus’ latest reinvention for a hot sec, if only because my personal summer anthem, Carly Rae Jepsen’s iconic “Cut to the Feeling,” has already been covered here. Since we last truly heard from Cyrus, with 2013’s “Bangerz” album that produced “Wrecking Ball,” she has become the human iteration of a grassy church picnic day in July. In other words, something we might call “pleasant, if slightly unsettling.” Or, as The New Yorker characterized it, “creepy.” In any case, Cyrus’ new safe-for-work schtick, an apparent product of her impending marriage to one of the Hemsworth clan, has produced a bouncy little tune, “Malibu,” in which the singer comes off like a more gravelly Bethany Cosentino circa 2010. Fittingly, for Song of the Summer consideration, it is about the beach. And California. A beach in California, even. In her breezily simple lyrics, Cyrus admires the sky, the water and the fish, observing the heat and graciously sparing us deeper thoughts about “what I can’t understand.” If you turn on the radio this summer, you will hear “Malibu” within the hour, but it’s not so bad.

- Sara Boboltz   

“Don’t Take the Money” - Bleachers

Jack Antonoff, who’s been behind some of your fave pop jams from “1989” and the more recent “Melodrama,” recently put forth his own full-length. The pretty OK sophomore effort “Gone Now” doesn’t quite hit all the high notes, nor can it successfully soundtrack a pool party on its own — but Antonoff’s lead single, “Don’t Take the Money,” surely can bolster a party playlist in the summer months. Co-written with Lorde, the song is peppy as all get out, and will make you feel like the hot season might never end while pumping it through your earbuds.

- Jill Capewell

“Feels” - Calvin Harris, ft. Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry & Big Sean

This new Calvin Harris song sure does scream summer. It has a beachy and summery vibe that makes you just want to sit back and chill by the pool ― and maybe bop around a bit, too. On top of that, “Feels” features an all-star lineup. This single may be a late contender, but seeing as how summer is only now upon us, perhaps the timing is just right. Does it give you all the feels? 

- Lauren Moraski

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