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The Strokes Perform Live For The First Time In Three Years

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The Strokes performed their first show in nearly three years on Saturday night, May 31, at The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester. The Julian Casablancas-fronted outfit made its return to the stage as a warm-up for their upcoming performance at the Gorvernors Ball Music Festival in NYC later this week. The band's set included tracks from across their five studio albums, and marked the live debuts of the songs "Welcome to Japan," "One Way Trigger" and "Happy Ending." Watch a few videos from the show below.

"Welcome to Japan":



"One Way Trigger":



"Happy Ending":



Setlist:

Barely Legal
Welcome to Japan
Automatic Stop
Machu Picchu
Reptilia
Razorblade
Take It or Leave It
One Way Trigger
Under Control
Heart in a Cage
Hard to Explain
12:51
Someday
Happy Ending
The End Has No End
You Only Live Once
Last Nite
New York City Cops

[h/t Consequence of Sound]

'Maleficent' Spellbinds The Weekend Box Office With $70 Million Debut

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NEW YORK (AP) — The biggest box-office debut of Angelina Jolie's career propelled Disney's twisted fairy tale "Maleficent" to a scary-good $70 million opening.

The PG-rated fantasy beat forecasts to easily top all films over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Though "Maleficent" was early on considered a risky endeavor for Disney that might turn away family audiences by retelling "Sleeping Beauty" from the villain's perspective, the film emerged as a hit largely because of the draw of Jolie. Star power has been increasingly elusive in modern Hollywood, where name-brand concepts often rule the box-office. But Jolie, in her first live-action starring role in years, drove interest for "Maleficent" despite lackluster reviews from critics.

"It's a unique thing," said Dave Hollis, head of distribution for Disney. "Her star power transcends borders and genre."

Seth MacFarlane's Western comedy "A Million Ways to Die in the West" was out-gunned by "Maleficent." The R-rated Universal release opened in third place with a tepid $17.1 million despite a starry cast of Liam Neeson, Charlize Theron and Amanda Seyfried. By contrast, MacFarlane's "Ted" (for which he's making a sequel) opened with $54.4 million in 2012.

Last weekend's top film, Fox's big-budget mutant sequel "X-Men: Days of Future Past," dropped to second with $32.6 million. It's a somewhat steep decline for "Days of Future Past," but the film made $95.6 million internationally in its second week, good enough to push its global cumulative total past $500 million already.

But "Maleficent" dominated the marketplace, which has seen female-leading films continually challenge the much-disputed but still prevalent notion that male stars fuel the box office.

"The whole movie kind of rises and sets on her performance," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. "The concept is the character. The character is completely linked to the person playing that role."

The film was a balancing act for Disney, which is used to churning out brighter tales. Hollis credited the company's marketing department for "walking the fine line" of selling the movie to families (which made up 45 percent of the audience, according to Disney) and suggesting an edginess that would appeal to a broader audience. "Maleficent" earned about $100 million internationally.

"If you go to Disney, the longest lines are for the scariest rides," Dergarabedian said. "We're going to see more of this, where the villains are the new heroes."

Disney has had success reimagining fairy tales in recent years with "Alice in Wonderland" ($116 million in 2010) and "Oz the Great and Powerful" ($79.1 million debut in 2013). "Maleficent" fell short of those releases, but it was made in the same lineage. Robert Stromberg, the production designer for both earlier movies, makes his directorial debut with "Maleficent."

Next weekend will bring a battle between Shailene Woodley in the young adult novel adaptation "The Fault in Our Stars" and Tom Cruise in the sci-fi thriller "Edge of Tomorrow." ''Edge of Tomorrow" got a jump on its North America release, taking in $20 million in 28 countries over the weekend.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.

1."Maleficent," $70 million, ($100.6 million international).

2."X-Men: Days of Future Past," $32.6 million ($95.6 million international).

3."A Million Ways to Die in the West," $17.1 million ($10.3 million international).

4."Godzilla," $12.2 million ($15 million international).

5."Blended," $8.4 million.

6."Neighbors," $7.7 million ($7.6 million international).

7."The Amazing Spider-Man 2," $3.8 million ($4.1 million international).

8. "Million Dollar Arm," $3.7 million.

9."Chef," $2 million.

10."The Other Woman," $1.4 million.

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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to Rentrak:

1. "Maleficent," $100.6 million.

2. "X-Men: Days of Future Past," $95.6 million.

3. "Edge of Tomorrow," $20 million.

4. "Overheard 3," $19.5 million.

5. "Godzilla," $15 million.

6. "A Million Ways to Day in the West," $10.3 million.

7. "Neighbors," $7.6 million.

8. "Frozen," $5.8 million.

9. "A Hard Day," $4.8 million.

10. "Qu'est ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu?!," $3.6 million.

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Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by 21st Century Fox; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jake_coyle

Shirley MacLaine Tells New Mexico Grads To Imagine

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SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Shirley MacLaine wants the New Mexico School for the Arts' first graduating class to remember that there is nothing more important than imagination.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports (http://bit.ly/1hpeohj) the Oscar-winning actress and part-time Santa Fe resident gave the commencement speech Saturday to 48 students at the Greer Garson Theatre. Greeted with a standing ovation, MacLaine said the event was not about her.

She told students to use their imagination because that is what would create their sense of who they are.

MacLaine, known for roles in films such as "The Apartment" and "Terms of Endearment," spoke to the same group of students four years ago when the school first opened.

The actress has most recently been seen on television screens in "Glee" and "Downton Abbey."

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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com

Five Guys Perform Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' Only Using Beer Bottles

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If you've ever wondered if "Billie Jean" could be performed only using beer bottles, yes, yes it can. The Bottle Boys released their latest glass cover of Michael Jackson's hit song a few days back, and it is just as amazing as their rendition of "Under the Sea" from "The Little Mermaid." The five men explain in the YouTube description that this video debuts their new technique of "double bottle playing." Watch the video above.

High School Senior Banned From Marching Due To Giant Penis (PHOTO)

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Looks like there's a "snake" in the grass.

A student at Nature Coast Technical High School in Brooksville, Florida was banned from marching in his graduation ceremony Thursday after etching an enormous penis on the school's football field, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Officials first noticed the massive member on Wednesday while setting up for graduation, which was scheduled to take place on the football field. Principal Toni-Ann Noyes penetrated into the core of the mystery to find out that the cocky culprit used weedkiller to "draw" the penis in the grass.

D--k pics abounded on social media:



"I was very disappointed that someone would do this," she told the Tampa Bay Times.

For the graduation ceremony, workers spray-painted over the phallus with green paint and also painted "2014" in an attempt to cover it up.

The student's family will be liable for any permanent damages to the field.

School officials nationwide are taking senior pranks seriously this year. Last month, several high school seniors in Tennessee were slapped with criminal charges after allegedly starting a food fight in their cafeteria on "Taco Day."



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'BROTHERS' Web Series Documents The Lives Of Trans Masculine Men

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An important new series hit the web this week that takes a look at the lives and experiences of a group of fictional trans characters played by real trans masculine men living in Brooklyn, New York.

Called "BROTHERS," the series follows Jack, Davyn, Aiden and Max, four transgender and trans masculine men with complicated, intersecting lives. "BROTHERS" is currently engaged in an Indiegogo campaign in order to fund the project and provide a platform for the ups and downs, ins and outs of what it can mean to be a transgender man navigating today's urban society.

In order to better understand "BROTHERS" and the issues being explored by the series, HuffPost Gay Voices chatted with creator Emmett J. P. Lundberg this week about his new project.

The Huffington Post: What inspired the web series?
Emmett J. P. Lundberg: Much of my own life makes its way into my art and this series is no different. I have been medically transitioning for just under two years now, and I felt ready to explore that in my writing and my filmmaking. I wanted to see myself (figuratively) and my "brothers" on screen. I know that I am in no way able to represent the entire trans masculine community or spectrum but I'm aiming to make a portion of it more visible.

men

There are lots of queer web series on the Internet. How is this one different?
There's nothing else like this on the Internet, or anywhere for that matter. I've looked and I've craved it. Most stories about FTM individuals are non-fiction based. Those are crucial stories as well, but I think we need a lot more representation in narrative media. People need to see our lives on the small screen, the big screen and everything in between. The only way to be taken as equal is to be seen as equal.

We also produced the show to look like a feature film. We were able to call in a lot of favors for the pilot episode, to make it look beautiful and we want the rest of the series to reflect that, which is why we are asking people to contribute.

What do you hope viewers will take away from the web series?
I hope that trans viewers see themselves in the show and feel a connection to what we're doing. I hope that cisgender folks see something they weren't aware of prior to seeing the show. I'm not going for anything overly educational, but I would like to open people's eyes to something they might not otherwise have access to.

Since we launched the campaign and first episode, we have had such an outpouring of support, interest and pure excitement, that it's gratifying to know that there is a real demand for a project like this. We're trying to tap into this community spirit, to feel more and more connected as humans to each other, and to hopefully realize the rest of the series with whatever help we can get from everyone we reach. We really do want people to feel like they're a part of it, that they can see themselves reflected and heard.

Beyond all that, I just want people to enjoy the show! I want to them to get as excited as we are and be hungry for more.

Check out the first episode in "BROTHERS" above or head here to visit the project's Indiegogo campaign.

Kanye West Gave Kim Kardashian A Nude Portrait Of Herself As A Wedding Gift (REPORT)

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Remember that large Hermès Birkin bag that Kanye West gave Kim Kardashian for Christmas last year? The one that was hand-painted with naked ladies on it? It's hard to forget a bag like that (though Kardashian has only taken it with her on one public outing). Well, West may have topped himself when it comes to gifts of questionable taste.

The Mirror reports that the 36-year-old rapper commissioned street artist Bambi (who has been called "the female Bansky") to paint a topless portrait of his new wife wearing just g-string and Louboutin heels. It's titled "Perfect Bitch."

Bambi's agent and manager Leonard Villa told The Mirror that West requested "something regal but typically Kim," and intends to hang the painting in the couple's bedroom.

It's somewhat fitting since West reportedly called Kardashian the "ideal art" and the "ideal celebrity" during his 20-minute wedding speech on May 24.

And if West really did give this portrait to his new bride, we'd like to point out it still wouldn't be the most over-the-top rumor we've heard about what went down at their wedding. Request for comment made to Kardashian's rep has yet to be returned at this time, but we leave you with another reminder of West's Christmas gift, and maybe the idea he would give her such a portrait is suddenly not so far-fetched.



Head over to The Mirror to check out Kim's nude portrait.

Helicopter Enters D.C.'s Restricted Airspace, Capturing Rare, Breathtaking View

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It's a view as rare as it is breathtaking.

YouTube user Richard MacDonald posted this stunning video from a helicopter that was allowed to enter the prohibited airspace that surrounds the nation's capital for a project. The prohibited airspace, known as P-56, extends from the surface to 18,000 feet and covers pretty much all of downtown D.C., as well as the Naval Observatory, the residence of the vice president. The only flights through the airspace on a regular basis are official ones, such as when Marine One brings President Barack Obama to and from Joint Base Andrews.

This video went up on YouTube in March "after careful review from the U.S. Secret Service," and was tweeted on Monday by Zeke Miller of TIME Magazine.

Inspiring Teen Rapper Who Won't Let His Cancer Hold Him Back Now Has Record Deal With Sony

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This talented teen doesn't let anything hold him back from pursuing his dreams, not even a deadly disease.

Jeff Mortimer, a 19-year-old rapper from West Palm Beach, Florida, has spindle cell sarcoma, ABC News reported. Mortimer, whose stage name is "Young Jay," is now battling a relapse despite three years of chemotherapy. He was diagnosed when he was only 16.

But despite all the difficulties he faces, Mortimer has reason to celebrate: Last week, he signed a record deal with Sony.

Even before his big break, Mortimer used his talent for music to inspire others. He writes and produces uplifting music for other sick kids, Click2Houston reported.

"I'm not scared of anything. I just have a positive mind," he told the outlet. "Life is too short, can't stay sad all day."

The talented teen will continue treatment but with a more mobile form of chemo so that he can tour, ABC reported. Mortimer's smiling face and positive attitude is sure to serve as an inspiration to others, and a reminder to follow your dreams.

"When doors are open you have to take them," he told the outlet, "because you never know when you’re going to see them again."

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CFDA Awards 2014: Winners Include The Row, Joseph Altuzarra And More!

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Designers and celebrities alike may see awards season as an opportunity to show off their amazing work, but at the CFDA Awards, it's the fashion industry that gets their deserved recognition. And the 2014 CFDAs, which were held Monday night in New York City and hosted by the iconic John Waters, did not disappoint. Major names in the business, including Lupita Nyong'o, Blake Lively, Alexander Wang and of course, Ms. Anna Wintour, stepped out in pursuit and celebration of one thing -- great style.

Even though it's a huge honor just to be invited to the ceremony, there have to be some winners. After the nominations were submitted by the Fashion Guild -- a group of over 1,500 CFDA members, fashion editors, retailers, and stylists -- and everyone voted, here are the winners (in bold):

WOMENSWEAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Alexander Wang
Joseph Altuzarra
Marc Jacobs

MENSWEAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Thom Browne
Marcus Wainwright & David Neville, Rag & Bone
Dao-Yi Chow & Maxwell Osborne, Public School

ACCESSORIES DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Alexander Wang
Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez, Proenza Schouler
Ashley Olsen & Mary-Kate Olsen, The Row

SWAROVSKI AWARD FOR WOMENSWEAR

Shane Gabier & Christopher Peters, Creatures of the Wind
Rosie Assoulin
Wes Gordon

SWAROVSKI AWARD FOR MENSWEAR

Tim Coppens
Todd Snyder
Shayne Oliver for Hood by Air

SWAROVSKI AWARD FOR ACCESSORIES

Irene Neuwirth
Jennifer Fisher
Marc Alary

THE FOUNDER’S AWARD IN HONOR OF ELEANOR LAMBERT

Bethann Hardison

BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ TRIBUTE

Ruth Finley

GEOFFREY BEENE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Tom Ford

INTERNATIONAL AWARD

Raf Simons for Dior

THE MEDIA AWARD IN HONOR OF EUGENIA SHEPPARD

Paul Cavaco

FASHION ICON AWARD

Rihanna

WATCH: When People Look Disturbingly Like Donuts

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People are often told they look like their dog or cat, celebrities, even rocks, but rarely are they compared to breakfast confections... until now. Bruton Stroube Studios and St. Louis-based donut shop Strange Donut teamed up to craft "Donut Double," a tasty-looking video comparing people to their doughy doppelgängers.

The video was created as a teaser for Marlin Network's event at the National Restaurant Association’s annual industry food show (yeah, we wish we could go, too). It's just one out of a series of breakfast-themed teasers from Bruton Stroube Studios, including "Breakfast Interrupted" and "Breakfast & Burlesque." Still, if we're talking about the cream of the crop, this video really takes the cake (er, cruller).

Creating the signature sugary styles took a lot of work for both the photographers and donut makers, evidenced by these preliminary sketches. Want to figure out your own Donut Double? It's just a few personality questions away. Watch the video above, then take the quiz at DonutDoubles.com.

donut double sprinkles

donut double cruller

donut double french

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Has Angelina Jolie Actually Been In Any Good Movies?

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Angelina Jolie may be America's biggest female movie star. You might argue with that notion -- throw in names like Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Lawrence, and the discussion gets murky -- but the 38-year-old actress, who turns 39 on June 4, is one of the most recognizable and desired faces in Hollywood. An Oscar winner (1999's "Girl Interrupted") and acclaimed director, Jolie has remained a tabloid fixture since her blood-toting relationship with Billy Bob Thornton made headlines in the early 2000s. A $30 million income made Jolie one of the two highest-paid actresses of 2013. (She shared the honor with Sarah Jessica Parker and earned only $2 million more than longtime headline rival Jennifer Aniston, but their complicated dynamic is old news, so we'll lay that ordeal to rest.)

In spite of everything going for her, Jolie's repute comes with something none of the other aforementioned actresses have: a startling deficit of great movies. A cursory look at Jolie's filmography reveals a dearth of critical darlings and a grab bag of box-office results. In short, were she not the formidable Angelina Jolie, her resume would be one step removed from a fiasco. (Does anyone have fond remembrances of "The Bone Collector," "Pushing Tin," "Playing God," "Alexander," "The Tourist" and "Changeling"?)

BuzzFeed's Anne Helen Petersen recently wrote an in-depth exploration of Jolie's expertise when it comes to playing the celebrity-image game, and it's true: Somehow Jolie's identity has escalated beyond the need for critical praise or steady film grosses, both of which she has seen, but neither of which she can rely on. Case in point: "Maleficent" just became Jolie's highest-grossing opening weekend to date, but Disney's reimagining of "Sleeping Beauty" debuted to a lukewarm reception from many critics. After 19 years as a lead star, let's see how many of Jolie's projects have proved fruitful (hint: not many).

Notes: Only live-action roles are listed, so no "Kung-Fu Panda" or "Beowulf." All box-office tallies are domestic grosses adjusted for inflation.

"Hackers" (1995)
angelina jolie hackers
Role: A high school computer hacker known as Acid Burn.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 34 percent
Box office: $13.8 million
Sample review: "'Hackers,' the new information highway thriller, is tirelessly modish, hyper-glossy, super-superficial. It's also cacophonous. And, for all of its drum-beating for brain power, dumb." -- Hal Hinson, The Washington Post

"Foxfire" (1996)
angelina jolie foxfire
Role: A drifter named Legs who convinces her three classmates to fight back against sexual advances made by their biology teacher.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 30 percent
Box office: $485,000
Sample review: "Joyce Carol Oates will be disappointed with the muddled screen version of “Foxfire,” her bestselling novel about female bonding and empowerment. The film deals with a relevant issue, sexual harassment in school, but tyro director Annette Haywood-Carter gives it the glossy music-video treatment, overpowering the screen with sensual imagery and a clamorous soundtrack that trivializes the thematic significance. ... Playing a glamorous anti-heroine, Jolie gets full star treatment from the director, with the camera caressing her sexy lips, big breasts and beautiful eyes with an almost fetishistic glee." -- Emanuel Levy, Variety

"Playing God" (1997)
angelina jolie playing god
Role: The girlfriend of a crime boss.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 14 percent
Box office: $7.2 million
Sample review: "What can you say about a time-waster like 'Playing God' with its multiple murders, corrupt FBI agents, obligatory car chase and dumb, self-referential, four-letter-word humor? Movies like this are so plentiful and derivative and life-negating that any thinking filmgoer is doomed to feel soiled -- if not despairing about the human condition -- after witnessing a string of them." -- Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

"Gia" (1998)
angelina jolie gia
Role: Fashion model Gia Carangi, who becomes addicted to cocaine and heroin.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92 percent
Box office: N/A (HBO film)
Sample review: "As Gia, [Jolie] is a multifaceted revelation, shifting from coquettish to nasty to violent to contrite with a breathtaking believability. The passion with which she inhabits the role is a spectacle in itself; it doesn’t hurt that she’s also a spectacular beauty." -- Ray Richmond, Variety

"Hell's Kitchen" (1998)
angelina jolie hells kitchen
Role: The daughter of a drug addict.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 40 percent
Box office: $18,300
Sample review: N/A

"Playing By Heart" (1998)
angelina jolie playing by heart
Role: A struggling actress who follows her lover from one nightclub to the next.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 60 percent
Box office: $6.2 million
Sample review: "It amounts to a near-miss. It's easy to like the movie because we like the actors in it, and because the movie makes it easy on us and has charming moments. But it feels too much like an exercise. It's yuppie lite -- affluent, articulate people who, except for those who are ill, have problems that are almost pleasant." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

"Pushing Tin" (1998)
angelina jolie pushing tin
Role: An air-traffic controller's wife who swaps partners with her husband's new colleague.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 48 percent
Box office: $13.2 million
Sample review: "Think the swinging-dick mentality of 'Top Gun,' but in an ergonomic desk chair. Written by the cocreators of 'Cheers,' 'Pushing Tin' pivots on our dubious fascination with professional erection duels, which are a sad substitute for dramatic conflict." -- Michael Atkinson, The Village Voice

"The Bone Collector" (1999)
angelina jolie the bone collector
Role: A patrol cop who helps to track down a serial killer.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 28 percent
Box office: $104 million
Sample review: "The camera is even more enamored of Ms. Jolie, with her impossibly sensual lips and eyes that brim with a soft melting fire. In sheer smoldering screen charisma, Ms. Jolie has every other young Hollywood actress beat hands down. Whether she can really act remains to be seen." -- Stephen Holden, The New York Times

"Girl, Interrupted" (1999)
angelina jolie girl interrupted
Role: A sociopath committed to a mental institution.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 54 percent
Box office: $42.7 million
Sample review: "Does it matter that every time Jolie's offscreen the film wilts a little? Ryder should be perfect as the bright spark; her lines are sharp as a knife. There's a gap, however, between what we hear and what we see." -- Charlotte O'Sullivan, Time Out

"Gone in 60 Seconds" (2000)
angelina jolie gone in 60 seconds
Role: Sway, one-fifth of a gang of a car thieves.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 25 percent
Box office: $150 million
Sample review: "Even hardcore escapists are bound to be defeated by the generic tough-guy twaddle and the impersonal race/crash/explode action sequences: Eventually, the senses jam and a mental lube job is in order." -- Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

"Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" (2001)
angelina jolie tomb raider
Role: Lara Croft, the butt-kicking archaeologist from the "Tomb Raider" video-game series.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 19 percent
Box office: $184.5 million
Sample review: "It doesn't matter if you have a $100 million budget to travel to Iceland and Cambodia -- both look great, by the way -- if your plot is incoherent. Among the special effects, the stone monkeys rock, but you might be more distracted by the fact that Jolie's breasts seem to balloon and deflate from scene to scene. In the department of numbing ineptitude, the pacing runs a neck-and-neck race with the dialogue." -- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

"Original Sin" (2001)
original sin
Role: An American who marries a wealthy Cuban in the 19th century and then disappears with his riches.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 12 percent
Box office: $23.3 million
Sample review: "Scarcely original, but full of sin, 'Original Sin,' starring Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie, is neither epochal nor epic in its ludicrousness. It's just run-of-the-mill trash." -- Wesley Morris, San Francisco Chronicle

"Life, or Something Like It" (2002)
angelina jolie life or something like it
Role: A TV reporter who's told she has seven days left to live.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 28 percent
Box office: $19.8 million
Sample review: "Not for a second do you believe that Ms. Jolie is playing someone faced with the unpleasant fact of imminent mortality. Granted, the premise is both maudlin and absurd, but there are plenty of actresses -- Ashley Judd and Michelle Pfeiffer immediately come to mind -- who might have made both the humor and the sentiment at least passably credible. Without the opportunity to be either sultry or histrionic, Ms. Jolie lurches from dewy self-pity to manic hostility without appearing to feel a thing." -- A.O. Scott, The New York Times

"Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life" (2003)
angelina jolie cradle of life
Role: Lara Croft, this time hunting down Pandora's Box.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 28 percent
Box office: $86.7 million
Sample review: "It's all quite busy and bombastic, and there's nothing wrong -- in fact, there's a lot right -- with watching Jolie be her spectacular self in cool costumes and exotic locales. But the film's story and supporting characters -- including an untrustworthy love interest played by Gerard Butler -- aren't nearly enough to make 'The Cradle of Life' more than another sequel cashing in on its pre-sold audience without providing anything by way of sparkle, wit or originality." -- Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post

"Beyond Borders" (2003)
angelina jolie beyond borders
Role: A socialite who takes up humanitarian causes in Ethiopia.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 14 percent
Box office: $5.8 million
Sample review: "It's an easy picture to ridicule. After a while, you almost feel as if the stars are making fun of it. Or at least you wish Angelina Jolie, with her radiant presence and Panavision lips, and Clive Owen, with his brisk, existentialist cool, were smart enough to do so. After the 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' movies, with their globe-trotting superficiality and numbing imbecility, Ms. Jolie must feel she owes her fans something serious. Unfortunately, she is starring in a movie even more benumbed and superficial, a liberal video game that demeans the very refugees it tries to spotlight." -- Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times

"Taking Lives" (2004)
taking lives
Role: An FBI profiler who moves to Montreal to help track down a serial killer.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 22 percent
Box office: $41.9 million
Sample review: "It's a minor relief to know that, after a pair of preposterous love stories and a second forgettable stint as the tomb-raiding archeologist Lara Croft, Jolie is safely back in the arms of another murky-kinky piece of Hollywood trash." -- Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

"Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" (2004)
sky captain
Role: In an alternative 1939, the commander of a Royal Navy aircraft carrier.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 72 percent
Box office: $48.4 million
Sample review: "'Sky Captain' is the very opposite of a committee-made Hollywood production. It's the creation of one talented guy making his first feature film who has been given once-in-a-lifetime, big-budget backing and cartoonishly famous movie stars to make his dream come true. The investment is optimistic and wise; 'Sky Captain' is a gorgeous, funny, and welcome novelty." -- Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

"Alexander" (2004)
angelina jolie alexander movie
Role: Queen Olympias, mother of Alexander the Great.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 16 percent
Box office: $43.9 million
Sample review: "The movie is a sprawling mess, a lox, a three-hour non-starter. But it's not an affront, like [Oliver Stone's] other bombastic, amphetamine-paced essays in megalomania. This one, large-scaled as it is, seems too puny and fragmented for its mighty subject; it feels as if Stone, for the first time in his career, simply ran out of hot air." -- David Edelstein, Slate

"Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (2005)
angelina jolie mr and mrs smith
Role: An assassin who learns her husband is practicing the same profession.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 59 percent
Box office: $231.4 million
Sample review: "There’s such piquant chemistry between [Jolie and Brad Pitt], I watched in a happily muddled state, mixing up everything I think I know about the actors’ private lives with the wittily exciting action-lives they’re leading onscreen. The result, thanks to the stars’ nonstop slyness and director Doug Liman’s signature stylistic paradox—breezy breathlessness—is a cool summer thriller whose laughs don’t slow down the suspense." -- Ken Tucker, New York magazine

"The Good Shepherd" (2006)
angelina jolie the good shepherd
Role: The love interest of a CIA officer.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 54 percent
Box office: $70.8 million
Sample review: "As the often turgid tale of one man’s hugely successful but (inevitably) emotionally costly career lumbers along, all the conventions are feebly trotted out: childhood trauma; preppy connections made at Yale (complete with gay lit prof); shady but seductive approaches made by neatly raincoated men whispering purply allusive verbiage of the ‘crows fly at midnight’ variety; increasingly hard demands made on family life by patriotic duty; the widening of professional horizons from WW2 OSS activities to the imperialist global policies of the Cold War; and the predictably gradual soul-freezing consequences of a life in which trust is impossible." -- Geoff Andrew, Time Out

"A Mighty Heart" (2007)
a mighty heartRole: The wife of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped and murdered by Pakistani terrorists.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 79 percent
Box office: $10.6 million
Sample review: "Angelina Jolie is wonderful in the part. Visibly pregnant, surrendering to despair only in private, sometimes angry, but usually upbeat and commonsensical, we gain an extraordinary sense of a woman hiding her vulnerability, her essential aloneness at the center of the storm, beneath a consistently positive manner." -- Richard Schickel, TIME

"Wanted" (2008)
wanted
Role: An accomplished member of a secret society of assassins.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 71 percent
Box office: $149.1 million
Sample review: "'Wanted' offers is what the audience craves: a stunt sundae with stunt sauce on the side and a side order of stunts. Staged at a ferocious pace and on a gigantic scale by Timur Bekmambetov, the Russian director of 'Night Watch,' the action comes close to setting a new standard." -- Kyle Smith, New York Post

"Changeling" (2008)
changeling
Role: A single mother who fights to find her missing son after the LAPD return to her a boy who isn't hers.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 63 percent
Box office: $39.6 million
Sample review: "As gifted as Angelina Jolie may be, there are only so many different inflections she can give to the monotone refrain, 'Please help me find my son.' All of [director Clint Eastwood's] rigorous craftsmanship seems wasted on a movie whose message never rises above the bumper-sticker admonition that 'mean people suck.'" -- Dana Stevens, Slate

"Salt" (2010)
angelina jolie salt movie
Role: A CIA operative who's accused of being a Russian spy.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 62 percent
Box office: $118.5 million
Sample review: "Jolie is in great shape, and watching her tear through the sets is entertaining, even if we know that stunt doubles and computer-generated digits are doing some of the work. Staring everybody down, Jolie never blinks. In this, she resembles Leonardo DiCaprio. Is the steady gaze something taught to good-looking children in order to turn them into movie stars?" -- David Denby, The New Yorker

"The Tourist" (2010)
the tourist
Role: A British agent who selects an American tourist to take the fall for the millions of dollars her lover owes in taxes.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 20 percent
Box office: $67.2 million
Sample review: "You go into a movie like 'The Tourist' hoping for a feast of personality from the stars. What you get, in this case, is a waxworks version of chemistry." -- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

"Maleficent" (2014)
maleficent scene
Role: The Mistress of All Evil, of "Sleeping Beauty" fame.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 52 percent
Box office: N/A ($70 million opening weekend)
Sample review: "Jolie comes to this party ready to bite, but the movie muzzles her. Even at 97 minutes, 'Maleficent' is still one long, laborious slog." -- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

10 Radical Woman Video Artists You Should Know

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In the 1960s and '70s, artists began focusing their attention on the possibilities of the moving image through video art.

Some captured and later distorted documentation of historic events, while others explored the limits of the newly employed medium -- the guidelines of the ever-evolving technique was anything but fixed. In a somewhat rare occurrence for the sadly male-centric history of art, woman artists were pioneers of video art from the very beginning. While the histories of painting and sculpture often omit the female forces from the books, the chronological lateness of video art made way for a far greater female influence.

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Alex Prager, La Petite Mort



Honoring the unarguable influence of women in video art, the National Museum of Women in the Arts has created an exhibition dedicated to the radical bodies without which video art would never have been the same. Dubbed "Total Art: Contemporary Video," the exhibition chronicles women artists from the 1960s to present day, whose subject matter ranges from surreal to political to confessional and everything in between.

"I think there is a playfulness to video," featured artist Janaina Tschäpe explained to The Huffington Post, "of inventing things on the spot. Video has a freedom in that you can travel anywhere. You don't need material or props, really. You can invent things on the spot with whatever is given to you."

Tschäpe also expressed the importance of all-woman exhibitions. "During art academy there was all this talk like, we're all the same. But most of the professors at the academy were male. Kiki Smith and Marina Abramovic came as guest professors, but all of the permament professors were male. In the '90s I grew up thinking we're all the same and then figured out that's not really true. We do have to fight a little more to have the same exposure. We have to be more there, to really want it. In a perfect universe everything would be equal but it's not. We want to make the younger generation aware that it's not the same for us."

Below, you'll see 10 woman artists whose vision, strength and style didn't just contribute to a burgeoning medium, but helped to define it. Behold, some of the most influential women in video art.

1. Janaina Tschäpe explores themes of sex, death, nature, myth and transformation using her body as a vehicle. Her videos, at once organic, fluid and otherworldly, offer a space from which daydreaming can begin.

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Lacrimacorpus






2. Dara Birnbaum (born 1946, New York) investigates televised media and how its content is edited and broadcasted. From creating unexpected avant-garde remixes of "Laverne and Shirley" to challenging why shows are edited as they are, Birnbaum is a critic whose influential works are still being unpacked.

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Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman






3. Kimsooja (born 1957, Daegu, South Korea) uses video, site-specific installation and performance to navigate the many metaphorical implications of textiles and sewing, and their relationship to cultural identity, isolation and "inner structure." Much of her work features the physical act of sewing with a needle or, in other cases, Kimsooja uses her own body to symbolize a needle.

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Thread Routes—Chapter 1






4. Mariko Mori (born 1967, Tokyo, Japan) stars in futuristic videos that reveal the interconnectedness of all things. Mori appears in the works as a sort of alien, cyber-fantasy girl, and yet her work is more spiritual and feminist than anything else. Incorporating influences from Manga to ancient Japanese texts, Mori explores the many intersections of art, technology and everything in between.

mariko mori





5. Mwangi Hutter is the combined identity of Ingrid Mwangi (born 1975, Nairobi, Kenya) and her husband Robert Hutter, who have been in a collaborative partnership for years. The two, who consider their practice inseparable, aim to address personal or societal wounds with their work and seek to heal them through art.

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Neger Don’t Call Me (installation view)






6. Alex Prager (born 1979, Los Angeles) crafts stylish films in the style of retro Hollywood that, despite their nostalgic feel, can't be pinpointed to any particular time or place. Her mysterious clips often seem to linger before or after the cinematic climax, rather than in it.

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La Petite Mort






7. Pipilotti Rist (born 1962, Rheintal, Switzerland) disrupts the female objectification typical of both Hollywood and art history, creating short and color-drenched works that are as sexual as they are strange.

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Blauer Leibesbrief (Blue Bodily Letter)






8. Michal Rovner (born 1957, Tel Aviv, Israel) records real and staged scenarios and subsequently uses software to under- or overexpose them, mutate the color palette, and breakdown the image into something abstract and unrecognizable. Her work, not overtly political, takes conflicts and tensions and teases the reality out of them, leaving behind something altogether fuzzy.

michael
Data Zone, Cultures Table #3






9. Margaret Salmon (born 1975, New York) toys with cinematic tradition in her work, from post-war realist film to French cinéma vérité. Shooting all her pieces on her own without a crew or assistance, Salmon explores the dramatic underbellies of seemingly normal lives, with the help of some intensely sensitive soundtracks, which she also creates.

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Ninna Nanna






10. Eve Sussman (born 1961, London) formed the Rufus Corporation, an ensemble of performers, artists, and musicians, in 2003, creating a reimagining of Diego Velázquez’s "Las Meninas." With her team, Sussman recreates well-known masterpieces as videos, and sometimes musicals.

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89 Seconds at Alcázar




"Total Art" will show from June 6 until October 12, 2014 at National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC.

Banksy Mural Shows Up At 'Antiques Roadshow', Values At Over Half Of A Million Dollars

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A Banksy work with a complex past recently surfaced on beloved television series "Antiques Roadshow," ArtNet reported. As you probably guessed, the anonymous street artist's original mural turned out to be worth way more than your average antique vase. Appraisers valued the objet d'art at a whopping $670,000.

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File photo dated 15/4/2014 of the latest officially confirmed Banksy artwork, named Mobile Lovers. A youth club which was facing closure is celebrating a potential multimillion-pound windfall after mysterious street artist Banksy said it could have a painting he created nearby.


Dennis Stinchcombe, leader of The Broad Plain Boys' Club, a youth group in Banksy's hometown, brought the artist's "Mobile Lovers" onto the show for appraisal. Along with the artwork, the group possessed a rare letter from the elusive graffitist himself, confirming the work as his own and officially gifting it to the foundation.

The pop-art inspired piece depicts two lovers in an embrace, only instead of gazing into each other's eyes, they're glancing at their cell phones. The mural was originally spotted on a public wall in Bristol, located close to the Boys' Club headquarters. In April the Boys' Club used a crowbar to remove the work, claiming they did so to protect the work from damage or vandalism.

While Banksy often condemns the unlawful removal of his works from their natural habitats, in this case he made an exception. In a letter Banksy endowed club leader Stinchcombe with permission to do whatever he felt was best for the club with the work. "I’m a great admirer of the work done at the club and would be chuffed if this can help in some way,” Banksy wrote. "This was meant to be a small visual gift for the area –- but apparently a financial one would have been more useful."

The artist continued, "I don’t normally admit to committing criminal damage, but seeing as it looks like charges won’t be brought anytime soon you have my blessing to do what you feel is right with the piece." He also added a very Banksy quote credited to Abraham Lincoln: "Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left behind by those who hustle." The letter put an abrupt end to any uncertainty between the club and the city of Bristol regarding the work's ownership.

Since Banksy's confirmation, offers have been rolling in for the mysterious mural, made all the more valuable by the personal letter. In an effort to raise funds for the struggling youth center, Stinchcombe made the decision to sell the work for the good of the club. "I am looking to sell the Banksy at the highest price, and I just took it down to get an expert opinion," he told The Daily Mail.

As much as Stinchcombe tried to keep the sale quiet, subtlety isn't quite Banksy's style. "Everyone was taking photos and gathering round. I was hoping to keep it quiet but everyone saw me there, and I guess it will end up on TV now," he said. "But I am just trying to do my job properly and get the most money for my boys." With Banksy's gift valuing at over half a million dollars, the charitable foundation will hopefully have the money it needs to keep its door open.

"Banksy has been a saviour of this club and I think he appreciates my tenacity," Stinchcombe told Metro UK.

$1 Memphis Farmhouse Gets A Makeover You Have To See To Believe (PHOTOS)

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For 24 years, Jose Velázquez and his wife, Jennifer, dreamed of opening a bed and breakfast -- something like the 20-room former governor's mansion where they'd spend their honeymoon in Vermont.

And while it took them nearly a quarter century to find just the right property to do it -- a place with the right amound of space, historic relevance, and a great location -- it took just one year (and one dollar) to see their dream through once they finally did.

james lee house

Here's a look at how the Velázquezes pulled it off and brought Memphis' historic James Lee House back to life.

Full Name: The James Lee House
Location: 690 Adams Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee
Size: The original structure, which was completed in 1848, consisted of a small farmhouse in what is now the north end of the house. A second house was built adjacent to the original farmhouse in 1852 (just 30 feet south). In 1872, a major expansion took place that incorporated the two existing structures and gave the James Lee House the grand (8,100-square foot) Victorian façade we see today, including 5 guests rooms (one on the first floor, 4 on the second floor) + the owners' private quarters on the third floor.
Fast Fact: Not only was the James Lee House home to respected community leaders throughout its history, it was also the birthplace of the Memphis College of Arts and is listed on the National Historic Register.

You purchased the home from the city for $1, correct? Can you tell us how you found it and what the terms of the purchase were?
My wife and I have been looking for the right place for decades, and many of our friends have assisted us in the search. One such friend, Bob Loeb, found out about the city’s plans for The James Lee House and called me immediately. He and I came to look at the house on March 21, 2011 and things started happening.

As a national historic site, there were many restrictions for the transfer and use of the property. Luckily for us, the city had already designated a bed and breakfast as one of the uses for it. In short, the city launched a national RFP for the historic restoration and adaptive reuse of the property and we were selected after submitting a detailed application that included plans, business pro forma, etc. In order to complete the property transfer, we had to secure all financing, have signed contracts with architects/contractors, provide appropriate construction bonds, and [essentially] ensure that the property would actually be restored and reused in a timely manner. We had 12 months to complete all construction work and be open for business. This was all a very ambitious timetable (considering that the property had been abandoned for over 60 years), but we were determined to do it and do it right ... and we did!








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How did the house end up in the hands of the city? What did you have in mind as far as the renovation was concerned when you bought it?
The property was deeded to the city of Memphis by the late Rosa Lee for the purpose of operating the former James Lee Memorial Arts Academy (c.1929). In the deed, Rosa Lee provided for the City to move the school to a comparable or better space as the needs of the school required it. This transfer happened in 1959 when the city built and moved the school to its current campus in Overton Park. At that point, the city held the deed for the property and leased it to a group of preservationists -- the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities -- for 50 years with hopes to restore it and open it as a museum. This never happened, and at the end of the 50-year lease, the city decided to pursue a different course of action ... and that’s where we came in.









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Have you uncovered anything particularly interesting in the house since the renovations began?
Although most of the house had been gutted by the time we came into the picture, we were very fortunate to have a number of unique pieces and features still in the property. Of particular note are the stunning pier mirrors in the grand parlor, the fresco in the dining room ceiling and the intricate plaster moldings in the grand parlor and foyer. In addition, there were a number of “messages” left from the College of Art days on the walls -- some beautiful drawings that we catalogued in photographs and will at some time reproduce for an art exhibit.









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james lee house


What has been the biggest challenge in restoring the house?
A full historic restoration of this magnitude is challenging no matter how prepared you are. When you consider that this is our very first attempt at it, the level of intensity goes up exponentially. I suspect that among the many challenges, two that rush immediately to mind are: code compliance issues and plaster restoration. In a city without a tradition of bed and breakfasts, restoring a personal home (we live in the house) for this purpose can be extraordinarily challenging. Finding skilled craftsmen to tackle specific assignments (i.e. plaster restoration) can be a daunting task. We went through three such experts before we found the right fit.









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Where were you living while the work was being done?
We rented a house less than a block away from the property which made it extremely convenient to be hands-on through the entire process.









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For more images of the James Lee House restoration, visit the bed and breakfast's Facebook page.


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Are you an architect, designer or blogger and would like to get your work seen on HuffPost Home? Reach out to us at homesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com with the subject line "Project submission." (All PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)

Profound Portraits Of Young Agender Individuals Challenge The Male/Female Identity

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Sparked by a tragic incident of violence and hate, photographer Chloe Aftel's portrait project "Agender" shines a spotlight on the beautiful complexities of the genderqueer and neutrois communities.

The project began after Sasha Fleischman, an 18-year-old San Franciscan who identifies as agender, was brutally set on fire by a fellow student while sleeping on a bus in November of 2013. The vicious "prank" prompted a small, but nationwide discussion in mainstream media regarding gender binaries and transgender identities, and eventually set off a series of events that sent Aftel to Fleischman's home to photograph the new icon of America's genderqueer youth.

sasha
Sasha Fleischman


The photo shoot, commissioned by San Francisco Magazine, was one of several portrait sessions that came to be the series, "Agender." Consisting of images of young individuals who identify as neither male or female (and prefer the pronoun "they"), Aftel's project introduces viewers to the real faces and stories of gender fluid, bi-gender and agender teens and adults.

“I found it fascinating that there is this whole group of people galvanizing the debate about what gender is, and to a certain extent, what love is and what self-expression is,” Aftel explained to Vocativ. “It’s about what works for you.”

Subjects like Edie, Rain, Mark and Sarah posed for Aftel's lens, often times sitting in their bedroom or lounging in their parent's homes. Staring at the camera, in a mirror or into the gaze of a significant other, the photos attempt to provide a visual, yet abstract answer to questions surrounding agender individuals. Without references to any "scale of blue and pink," Aftel's images reveal a myriad of facial expressions and stances that give a glimpse into, but by no means define, a complex world of identity.

aftel
Edie


"It's not embracing both sides, or one side; it's embracing neither," Micah, one of the individuals photographed, described in a blog post. "It's not an absence of gender, and it's not not-caring about my gender. Quite the contrary -- I care very strongly about my gender, my gender expression, and my gender perception. I have a gender, and it's a neutral gender."

Following the act of aggression last year, Fleischman was hospitalized for three weeks and was still wearing bandages on their legs at the time of Aftel's shoot. “I'm not used to being in the public eye," Fleischman told NBC News in December. "It's a big responsibility to be a representative of the whole nonbinary gender community. I hope to be able to inform people about the whole spectrum.”

According to a National Transgender Discrimination Survey cited in PolicyMic, 78% of gender non-conforming people face harassment at school, 90% suffer discrimination at work and 53% have experienced verbal disrespect in a public place. Needless to say, the national conversation surrounding gender absent or neutral identities has a long way to go, and series like Aftel's keep the dialogue alive.

"If the transgender movement has had only limited success in persuading society to accept people who were born female in a male body (and vice versa), the agender community is asking for something more radical, in a way," Rachele Kanigel wrote in San Francisco Magazine, "for society to accept people who are a walking rejection of the male-female framework itself."

Scroll through a preview of Aftel's work below and let us know your thoughts on the stunning series in the comments.

The Life Of The World Trade Center, In Four Powerful Images

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It's hard to give context to tragedy. Just ask the minds behind the newly opened National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which has been roundly criticized for inadequately contextualizing the attacks of 9/11, qualifying the terrorists behind them as "Islamic," and turning the tragedy into fodder for a very tasteless cheese board.

On the other end, there's the stripped-down 9/11 remembrance by artist Dinh Q. Lê, who foregoes context altogether. In a recent video installation, "WTC In Four Moments," Lê presents the iconic building as a series of Rothko-esque color blocks.

2014-06-02-WTCin4momentsscreencapture1second2.jpg
A screen capture taken one second into WTC In Four Moments.


While the images are abstract, they're taken from reality. Lê, whose signature "photoweavings" tend to revolve around his Vietnamese-American identity, or the Vietnam War, turned his focus outward, to a subject practically every American has an opinion about: what happened.

To do so, he tried to clear 9/11 of all "iconic connotations," according to a press release from PPOW Gallery in Manhattan, where the piece was recently on display. He developed four six-minute long videos, each tracking photographs taken of the World Trade Center at critical times: one before the attacks, another during, one after the collapse, and one during the rebuilding.

He first edited the photographs nearly beyond recognition. Using Photoshop and After Effects, he stretched each into 656-foot long digital versions before turning the warped images into film. The footage pans the length of the distended photographs, and is set to music composed by Lê. By representing the tower as simply as possible, he hopes to make people think about the chronology of great tragedy. The press release reads, in part:

"The abstracted version of the work removes all iconic connotations associated with September 11th, leaving the viewer to reconsider the events as a slow progression of moments that led to a cataclysmic trauma and the newly built One WTC."

Still images of the videos reveal stripes of suggestive color: blue sky, a steely facade, and in the second, devastating image, a shocking stripe of orange.

2014-06-02-WTCin4momentsscreencapture3minutes2.jpg
A screen capture taken three minutes into WTC In Four Moments.


It's not a substitute for visiting the museum. But there's something powerful about confronting the tower, as it was and as it is.

2014-06-02-WTCin4momentsscreencapture5.52minutes2.jpg
A screen capture taken towards the end of WTC In Four Moments.

Tattoo Artist Removes Needle From His Insides 40 Years Later

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If you're a do-it-yourself tattoo artist, you must accept the fact that you're going to lose a needle or two inside your body.

At least, that was the case for Ulf Bergstrom who, in the 1970s, lost a needle in his arm. A few days ago -- 40 years after the incident -- Bergstrom found and removed the needle. From his toe.

needle

"I completely forgot about it," Bergstrom said, according to Noran. "It's been in my body for 40 years. The only question is which route it has taken, that is something I would like to know."

We'd like to know, too. Somehow the needle made its way through the Swedish man's body over the course of four decades and never caused a problem until recently. Even visits to the doctor and X-rays didn't turn up the missing metal.

needle ulf bergstrom

Bergstrom told the local that his wife helped him pull it out after he developed severe pain in his right foot, according to The Local. She pricked the blood-filled pimple that was growing on his toe, which "squeezed out a lot of pus and shit," Newser reports.

By "shit," Bergstrom means a half-inch needle. He recognized it instantly as the one he lost in his body.

These days, he's doing fine -- and hopefully steering clear of needles -- except for a constant pain in his big toe.

James Estrin, New York Times Photographer, Shares Stories Behind His Most Moving Photos (VIDEO)

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New York Times photographer James Estrin has captured some powerful photos in his many assignments. There was his profoundly sorrowful image of dust swirling around the Ground Zero memorial on the first anniversary of 9/11. There was his beautifully quiet image of an elderly woman praying before eating dinner (in front of her television set) after receiving her Meals on Wheels delivery. The was the contemplative image of a boy playing chess outside in the Bronx. And there are countless others.

But whether he's photographing something as heavy as a solemn moment in time or as simple as an everyday habit, Estrin says there's a commonality beneath each of these pictures: spiritual experience.

"I was always interested in spiritual experience," he says in the above video from OWN's "Super Soul Sunday." "I was interested in the concept that there was something beyond what just immediately met my eyes.

"I believe that spiritual experience can happen in many different settings," Estrin says. "It can happen in churches and synagogues and mosques, but I think it can also happen in concert halls. I think it can happen on top of mountains."

Regardless of where they happen, these spiritual experiences offer a revealing look into some of life's most intimate instants, often unseen at first glance. It's Estrin's intention to draw this out.

"What I'm trying to do in my photographs is capture these profound moments, these experiences that are essentially internal -- they're invisible. When I'm photographing, my goal is to be completely present. In the moment," Estrin says.

Through his photography, Estrin has also gained a valuable piece of wisdom about life. "What I know for sure is that life has meaning. I think that it's up to us to find the meaning within each of our lives," he says. "Spiritual experience helps us do that. It helps informs us on how to live. It shapes us. It changes the way we encounter the world.

"We have to try to do good," Estrin says. "I think that any single act that you do, potentially, could change the world."

"Super Soul Sunday" airs on OWN on Sundays at 11 a.m. ET, during which it also streams worldwide on Oprah.com, Facebook.com/owntv and Facebook.com/supersoulsunday.

This Woman Could Completely Change How We Talk About Fat Bodies

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"I like a big girl in bed, baby. More room to paint on."

When recent Lewis & Clark graduate Samantha Peterson was catcalled by a man, his limbs dangling outside his car, his uncalled for words reaching out too far, she walked away. She chose not to respond immediately.

She waited, instead, to turn her anger at the catcall into eloquent defiance. At the 2014 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational, inspired by the catcaller and the society that created him, Peterson delivered a body positive language critique we could all stand to hear.

Too often, she said, fat bodies are talked about in layers and layers of metaphor, as if it's not possible to appreciate them simply for being bodies. As if they have to be disguised somehow to be found attractive.

"You could hook up with a mountain of a body," she said, her gaze fixed on the audience. "You could describe it later as legs you climbed all the way up. But a fat body, a dirty sidewalk, is too big to be worthy of a human form."

Although her critique zeroed in on the language we use to talk about fat bodies, the overarching desire to make them "palatable" is all too familiar. Larger women are often fat-shamed and told to wear more clothes to hide their curves. Everything is subject to dehumanizing criticism.

Samantha Peterson, however, will not back down. "You have to take your body back from the only way people allow themselves to find it beautiful... My body is good like a body. I take up this much space. I'm not some sprawling thing in the distance. I am right here. I am right here."

Watch the full video above. That ending couldn't be more powerful.
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