Homeless Man Who Couldn't Care For His Dogs Finds Perfect Animal Lover To Give Them Proper TLC

October 10, 2014, 1:39 pm

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This homeless man understands the meaning of selfless love. And Robyn Arouty, a portrait photographer and animal rescuer based in Houston, wears her affection for all animals on her sleeve. It was her innate sense of compassion that led to her latest rescue: two homeless pups outside of the city's train station.

During her lunch break on Oct. 4, Arouty was waiting for a train to pass along the tracks near her studio when she noticed the strays walking toward the moving train, she told HuffPost in an email. A man followed behind them, "holding a bag, looking generally tattered, not paying much attention to the dogs or much else," Arouty wrote in a Facebook post about the incident.


Courtesy of Robyn Arouty / Robyn Arouty Photography

After the train passed, Arouty asked the man if they were his dogs, and noticed that the animals were in need of medical attention. The brown male dog had infected scars, presumably from fights with other animals in his attempt to protect the black female dog.


Courtesy of Robyn Arouty / Robyn Arouty Photography


Courtesy of Robyn Arouty / Robyn Arouty Photography

The man introduced himself as David and claimed that they weren't his dogs, but then showed excitement when Arouty offered to give him spare leashes from her car.

"We spoke about his life situation and he admitted that he loves the dogs, but has been down on his luck and has nothing to provide for them properly," Arouty wrote. "He’s been fearful of animal control taking them, but is struggling to get his life on track with no home and a history of alcohol abuse."

After listening to David's story, Arouty invited him back to her studio where she offered to care for the dogs temporarily, providing them with the veterinary care, and spay and neutering procedures they needed.

When David wasn't able to share their names with Arouty, she decided to give them new ones -- Madonna and Anthony Ciccone.


Courtesy of Robyn Arouty / Robyn Arouty Photography

Houston is home to as many as 1.2 million homeless animals. Dogs roam in packs -- "abandoned, abused, neglected, pregnant, in need of medical care," Arouty told HuffPost.

After taking in the two pups, Arouty took to PetCaring.com, a crowdfunding platform that caters specifically to pets and animals in need, to share this story and seek help for their necessary care. Over the course of the week, the public pooled enough money for the dogs' treatment, and Arouty took them to her local veterinary clinic for their spay and neutering procedures.


Courtesy of Robyn Arouty / Robyn Arouty Photography

"When I got back to the studio, David was there waiting," she told HuffPost. "He thanked me again and wanted to give his permission to re-home the dogs. He signed surrender forms and they will be available for adoption soon. He stated that he wanted the best for them. That’s spay/neuter, meals, veterinary care, love and a roof over their heads. He knew this was best and didn’t want anything standing in the way of their happiness and well-being ... This was clearly a difficult decision, but a selfless one too."


Courtesy of Robyn Arouty / Robyn Arouty Photography

To make a donation or to learn about fostering these pups, click here. To make a donation to Pets of the Homeless, a nonprofit that provides food and vet care to animals belonging to homeless people, click here.

H/T Buzzfeed


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Mom Captures A Special Part Of Childhood In 'Comfort Objects' Photo Series

October 10, 2014, 1:40 pm

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As a mom of three, photographer Anna Ream is no stranger to the concept of "comfort objects" -- the blankets, stuffed animals, dolls and other items that children latch on to for emotional release and support.

In the fall of 2012, she decided to make those very comfort objects the subject of a stunning photo series of the same name. "I was pondering objects representative of childhood and wanted to focus a body of work on the 2-to-6-year-old age range," she told The Huffington Post in an email, adding, "It is one of my favorite developmental stages because children are becoming more independent, their language skills are developing rapidly and they are becoming more aware of the world around them."

To date, Ream has photographed over 70 children with their comfort objects. She started with her own kids and family, as well as children from their preschool. From there, the project snowballed as she photographed other children through community connections and even reached out to strangers.

"Childhood comfort objects seem to me like a very real and authentic example of how tangible things can provide emotional comfort," the photographer said.

Ream's children are 13, 8, and 3 years old, and they have all had comfort objects at some point in their lives. When Ream began the project, her middle child Eowyn had decided she was too old for her stuffed dog named Ginger. Eowyn handed the dog down to her younger brother, but a few months later, she found herself crying in the middle of a difficult day. "I need Ginger," she told her mom.

"For me, this story illustrates both the intense emotional connection children have with their object, but also how the object is a part of what gets left behind in the process of normal childhood development," Ream said. "As a parent, there is some sadness and loss associated with those transitions."



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'Love Is A Dream' With Jan Hooks And Phil Hartman Is The Perfect Way To Remember Them Both

October 10, 2014, 1:52 pm

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There have been handful of times when "Saturday Night Live" made us cry instead of laugh, and those moments stand out as some of the most special in the show's 40-year history.

There was Kristen Wiig's emotional send-off featuring Arcade Fire and the entire cast, and Steve Martin's unforgettable tribute to Gilda Radner when he hosted the day after her death (which, of course, made us laugh as well), to name just two.

If you remember the short film "Love Is A Dream" from Season 14, you might recall it bringing a tear to your eye along with a huge smile. After the death of Jan Hooks, the tender scene with the late Phil Hartman is a full-on tearjerker.

That said, we can't really think of a better way to remember them.

Japan's Biggest Rock Band Is Planning To Incept Your Brain

October 10, 2014, 2:13 pm

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They rock out in frocks, leather and lipstick. They fill stadiums routinely, and count Emperor Akihito as a patron. They are X Japan -- megastars in much of the world -- and their sights are set on the American market. Ahead of the glam rock band’s Oct. 11 appearance at Madison Square Garden, lead singer Yoshiki chatted with HuffPost about the grand plan to conquer the West.

This isn’t the band’s first trip stateside. In 1992, you tried to make a big splash, and it didn’t exactly happen.

We were signed to Atlantic Records and we had a big press conference, at the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center. Hundreds of press people were there. They asked us, "Why did you come here? You guys don’t speak English." That was so right. None of us spoke English. I thought, learning English is not difficult compared to composing. So I said, "I’ll learn."

And here you are. How would you describe X Japan to someone who knows nothing about it?

Ours is a very, very, how you say...flamboyant, crazy style. A little bit more punk than metal -- new age, something like that. We play hard rock as well as soft, classically influenced [music]. Even though I do rock, I also composed the piano concert for the ten year anniversary of the Japanese emperor’s reign, the theme song for the World Expo in 2005, and in America, the Golden Globe theme song in 2013. I started playing piano when I was four years old, and drums when I was 10. The vocalist [Toshi] and I met when we were four years old, in kindergarten. We’ve been together since then.


Yoshiki duels a hologram of himself on the piano at this year's South by Southwest festival.

In Japan, that undefinable style of yours has a name, right?

People call us "visual kei" because critics need to define. When a band plays something super hard they play only super hard music. Somebody who plays pop, they only play pop. We combine pretty much everything -- sometimes string, some piano, sometimes [music] harder than Metallica. It’s a combination.

We’ve been influenced by a lot of Western bands. I liked Kiss, I liked David Bowie. My mother was into kabuki [so I got into it]. [We wear] tons of makeup and spike the hair. We started dressing like that because we didn’t know the rules. When we debuted, critics said rock should be this way, punk rock should be that way. We didn’t actually care though. Playing music should be about freedom.


X Japan in concert last month at Japan's largest venue, Yokohama Arena.

How do you reconcile the aesthetic contrasts of classical and rock?

I need that actually. I need some way to express my anger or my sadness or whatever. But sometimes I’m very mellow -- I play something soft. I think anybody has that kind of side.

Your stage act is reliably extreme. Are you pretending to be someone else when you’re on stage?

Yes and no. A long time ago, I had interviewed David Bowie. I asked him, "Where do you draw the line between your real life and your persona on stage?” He couldn’t answer. Same here. I’m not really trying to create another personality on stage. Just when I’m on stage, I absorb all the energy and love and everything. I’m not saying this because I’m working with Stan Lee, but I become a superhero on stage.

What prompted this return to New York?

In 2010 we toured North America, seven places. In 2011, we toured 15 countries in Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America. We had to take a little break. But we decided to come back. We’re thinking, "Where should we start?" The last stop [on the last] North American tour was a place called Roseland Ballroom. It was so good, we just wanted to come back. It’s in our DNA now.

You’re also the subjects of an upcoming documentary.

The producer from "Searching For Sugarman" just joined our team. [The doc is] about the band, because we have a lot of drama.

In what way?

I mean, my father passed away, committed suicide when I was ten years old. That’s the time I started rocking. Before that, I was only playing classical music. Our band broke up in 1998. The guitar player passed away, then the vocalist got brainwashed for 12 years by some kind of a cult leader, a scam [artist]. He eventually, I don’t know how you say, woke up from that. In 2010 our original bass player committed suicide. So our band has had drama almost too crazy to be true. It’s very painful.

You mentioned David Bowie as a hero. Is creating a Bowie-like aura of mystery around yourselves important?

I think so. He’s a real rock star. He’s almost coming from a different planet. I like that. Some people are fascinated by vampires. I’m interested in creatures from out of this world.

Bee Chasing Champion Gymnast Off Podium Is Clearly Just Jealous

October 10, 2014, 2:26 pm

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Well, that'll get 'em buzzing.

A bee chased 17-year-old American gymnast Simone Biles from her first-place spot on the World Gymnastics Championships podium in Nanning, China, on Oct. 10. It was her second consecutive all-around title at the competition.

Although gymnasts are known for their poise, Biles (understandably) couldn't quite keep it together with the bee after her and her championship bouquet.



Luckily, it seems Biles is taking it all in stride.

"Literally can't stop laughing," she tweeted Friday.

The accomplished young gymnast is only the sixth woman to take home two back-to-back all-around titles at the Championships, according to USA Today.

"It means the world to me," she told the AFP. "It's one of my favorite things to do, [competing] for a crowd. It's just really fun for me."

Biles can certainly be sure that spectators went home smiling.

H/T Digg

9 Key Terms You Should Know Before Seeing The Massive Hokusai Exhibition

October 10, 2014, 5:53 pm

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Hokusai, the 18th century Japanese artist, created a dizzying amount of artwork throughout his lifetime. Working primarily in woodblock prints, though partaking in painting and drawing as well, Hokusai created work well into old age, memorably claiming "all he had done before the age of 70 was not worth bothering with."

An exhibition currently at the Grand Palais in Paris spans the six periods in Hokusai’s life, presenting a massive compendium comprised of over 500 works, many of which likely won't make it out of Japan again. The show is divided into two phases to protect the most fragile works, replacing some of the prints with equivalent images part of the way through.


Série : Cent contes de fantômes

Hokusai, arguably the world's most famous Japanese artist, stood out from his contemporaries for his interest in everyday life. Instead of solely depicting glamorous geishas and heroic samurais, Hokusai rendered everyday workers, fisherman, and other urban scenarios that weren't yet immortalized through art. He also incorporated aspects of European composition into his otherwise traditional Japanese images, yielding advanced hybrids that existed nowhere else in the world.

For those anywhere near Paris, this exhibition is a must. And before you go, check out our brief guide to key terms that will make your visit all the clearer. If you're reading this on the wrong continent, the art vocabulary refresher will hopefully still come in handy.

1. Ukiyo-e is the genre of woodblock prints and paintings popular in Japan from the 1600s to the 1800s. The term comes from the word "ukiyo" which means "floating world," referencing the hedonistic pleasures of the burgeoning merchant class. Also, it's the medium for which Hokusai is best known.

2. The Edo period is the time between 1603 and 1868 in Japanese history, marked by economic growth and a new interest in art, culture, sex and more decadent pleasure.


Tableau des moeurs féminines du temps

3. Shunrō is the first of Hokusai's alternate names. Hokusai frequently changed his name, and such a shift was often associated with a rupture in style.

4. Shunga literally means "picture of spring," and "spring" is Japanese slang for sex. Thus, shunga are those naughty prints that playfully depict doing the dirty, sometimes with an octopus involved. Although the works were often extremely graphic, they were enjoyed by virtually all social groups and created by the most respected of artists, including Hokusai.


The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife

5. Kabuki actors partake in a stylized, Japanese dance-drama in extreme makeup -- the word is often interpreted as "avant-garde." Kabuki actors were the subject of Hokusai's first series of prints, which he created in 1779.

6. Surimono, literally translating to "printed thing," is another type of Japanese woodblock print. Unlike ukiyo-e prints, which aimed for mass readership, surimono were privately published and rarely sold to the public. This often allowed Surimono to be more experimental than their more populist counterparts.


The Great Wave off Kanagawa

7. Mount Fuji is a strangely symmetrical mountain, which happens to be the highest in Japan. Over the years it has inspired many artists and poets, including Hokusai who, at 66 years old, embarked on an ukiyo-e series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji," for which he is best known. This series includes Hokusai's most famed print, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa."

8. Hokusai Manga is a collection of around 4,000 sketches made by Hokusai, depicting everything from plants to landscapes to supernatural visions. The series, defined by Hokusai as "Brush gone wild," has no relation to the Japanese comic form going by the same name.


Hokusai Manga. Carnets de croquis divers de Hokusai

9. Japonism references the lasting effect Hokusai had on later generations of Western artists. First named in 1872, Japonism is a style inspired by ukiyo-e woodblock prints' vivid colors, lack of perspective and compositional experimentation. Artists including Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin and many more incorporated these elements into their Impressionism-era works.

Hokusai continues at the Grand Palais through January 18, 2015. See a preview below.

Intricate Scandinavian Fairy Tale Illustrations From 1914 Will Make Your Imagination Run Wild

October 10, 2014, 5:53 pm

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Normally we assume even the most lavish of illustrations, rendered by the most talented and inspired of artistes, cannot compare to the fanciful imagery that's yielded by the powers of the unbridled imagination. However, our most wondrous of hallucinatory visions have trouble comparing with the wildly intricate renderings of Danish artist Kay Nielsen.


The King went into the Castle, and at first his Queen didn’t know him, he was so wan and thin, through wandering so far and being so woeful.

Maria Popova on Brain Pickings alerted us to Nielsen's illustrations, beautifully complimenting a collection of Scandinavian fairy tales titled East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North. The images, made in 1914, depict enchanted forests, opulent kings and gorgeous princesses in a decorative Art Nouveau palette.

Nielsen, who was active in what is now referred to as the "golden age of illustration" (lasting from the 1880s until shortly after World War I), also created illustrations to accompany "Arabian Nights," as well as fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Andersen. He later went on to work for Disney; his work was featured in "Fantasia." See Nielsen's whimsical imagination run wild in the illustrations below and read the entire story for yourself here.

Can You Really Know All Your Facebook Friends? This Photographer Tried to Find Out.

October 10, 2014, 5:53 pm

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This post originally appeared on Slate.
By David Rosenberg


Willow & Foris Williams, Gorham, Maine, 2013. Relationship: friends, family friends, met through Toby and Lucky Hollander. Years known: 25-30.

Like many Facebook users, Tanja Hollander realized that when she was sharing information on the social network, some of the people reading her posts she was in constant communication with, while others she barely knew. Some, she didn’t really know at all. She wondered: “Am I really friends with all of these people?”

That question would evolve as she traveled through 43 states and five countries, averaging two weeks of travel per month, to photograph every one of her Facebook friends for her project Are You Really My Friend (she didn’t include people she added since beginning the project in 2011). She is currently trying to figure out how to translate this project into a March 2017 show at Mass MoCA that will include all the portraits plus accounts of her experiences both on the road and via social media since she began the ambitious undertaking.

“That’s what I’m obsessed with right now, trying to visualize all the data,” Hollander said about the intriguing connections that come up when meeting people for the project. “All of these experiences I’m having to me are almost more important than taking the picture of the people. So how do I visualize all of these experiences besides saying go to my Instagram feed or let me tell you this cool story?”

All of the portraits for the project have been shot on film, which in some ways might seem like a paradox for a project that delves deep into the modern, digital oriented virtual world. For Hollander it’s the only thing that made sense, although she does bring along an iPhone and digital point and shoot camera for backup.

“It’s not like I’m going back to film,” she said. “I never left film. I went from records to an iPod. I’ve always shot film and it’s funny because I’m doing a super tech project—I’m not a techie at all—I came kicking and screaming into even using Photoshop.”

Most photographers will tell you that shooting film also slows things down. To keep things casual and less intimidating for her subjects, Hollander travels by herself with no light kits and no assistants, armed only with her Hasselblad camera, a couple rolls of film and a tripod. Not only does it bring down the tension for her subjects, it has also affected Hollander.

“I’m a much nicer person now because you have to be,” she said about making the portraits. “You can’t be a jerk when you go into someone’s house to take a picture.”

Working on the project has also reshaped Hollander’s definition of what a friend is, although she isn’t convinced there is much difference between online relationships and those based in “reality.” She said friends have always represented different roles from those you might only run into at an art show to those with whom you share more intimate details of your life.

“The word friend is hard because Facebook took it and corporatized it,” she said. “I’m a person who loves meeting people and I’m always introducing people … I would say I definitely have a connected network of people and I think Facebook just mimicked what I already had and made it easier to connect with people.”

So far, the majority of people Hollander contacted about participating in the project have agreed to sit for her. Her sister and her wife liked theirs; her parents, not so much (“I don’t think they really understood what I was doing and it was the first time they’ve seen themselves portrayed in this way.”) Hollander said she tries reaching out to people few times about taking their portrait and if they don’t have the courtesy to respond to her request, she unfriends them.

She made a conscious decision to shoot her exes last, something she might end up changing. “I’m starting to think that’s not the best idea to save all the people I don’t want to see,” she laughed. “It’s going to suck the last six months!” She added that simply going into each home is emotional enough.

“The emotional part is hard because I never know what situation I’m going to walk into, even with close friends. You never know what’s happened in the last couple of days—and when I’m there, I’m in it!”

See more photos on Slate.

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Lena Dunham Wants To Turn 'Catherine, Called Birdy' Into A Movie

October 10, 2014, 10:20 pm

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Lena Dunham discussed a wide array of topics with writer and author Ariel Levy during the 15th annual New Yorker Festival on Friday night, including her aspirations to turn Karen Cushman's "Catherine, Called Birdy" into a feature film.

"This is actually my first time talking about it publicly," Dunham said about the project. "I'm very excited about it. I'm not sure when it'll happen, but I'm in the process of [working on it]."

Written by Cushman, the 1994 novel -- which won the Newbury Prize in 1995 -- tells the story of Catherine, a 12-year-old coming of age in 1290 England. "[She] gets her period and her father basically says, 'Well, it's time for you to get married,' and she's like, 'Uh, no,'" Dunham told the crowd. "But it's hyper realistic and really pretty and it's full of incest and beatings, but it's a child's story. I've been obsessed with it since I was a kid." Dunham previously cited "Catherine, Called Birdy" as one of the two best books she's ever read about young girls in an interview with the New York Times in 2012. (Her other selection was Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita.")

"It's a really interesting examination of sort of like coming of age and what's expected of teenage girls," Dunham said. "I'm going to adapt it and hopefully direct it, I just need to find someone who wants to fund a PG-13 medieval movie."

Dunham plans to produce the film through A Casual Romance, the production company she started with "Girls" executive producer Jenni Konner. According the 28-year-old, "Catherine, Called Birdy" is one of many projects the duo are working on at the moment "that sort of aren't set in the here and now."

"Nothing I've done so far has required any research of any real kind beyond, like, going to a diner," Dunham said, acknowledging how "Catherine, Called Birdy" is not necessarily what some fans have come to expect from her as a writer-director. "So this is a whole other world. But the source material makes me so happy and I'm so excited, because I've been working on 'Girls' [for five years] and I also wrote this book of personal essays. So the idea of engaging with some of these topics that are important to me, which are -- surprise -- women and feminism, but finding a way to kind of look at them through a historical lens is sort of like where feel myself going."

Dunham, who is currently promoting her new book, "Not That Kind of Girl," said she'll connect with Cushman to discuss "Catherine, Called Birdy" during a visit to Seattle next weekend.

Chrissy Teigen Doesn't Care About Her Nip Slip: 'A Nipple Is A Nipple Is A Nipple'

October 11, 2014, 4:47 am

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The year's most beautiful sheer-blouse, eyes-closed, on-the-grass photo definitely goes to supermodel Chrissy Teigen. But what she didn't realize at the time of posting it to Instagram was that her nipple was just as prominent as the face of her husband, John Legend.

The 28-year-old, who made her debut in Sports Illustrated's annual Swimsuit Issue in 2010, doesn't seem to care. "A nipple is a nipple is a nipple. They are all the same," she laughed to The Huffington Post over a glass of rosé after the Variety Power of Women Luncheon in Beverly Hills, California on Friday.

Reflecting on the room full of impressively powerful women being honored for their philanthropy at the lunch -- including Jane Fonda, Reese Witherspoon, Viola Davis and Jennifer Lopez -- Teigen couldn't help but feel inspired. "My eyes were watering most of the ceremony. Coming to these events makes me feel so lazy," she confessed.

Her greatest inspiration --like many women, she noted -- is her own mother. "A good mommy is so important, because that’s your heart and soul. There’s a bond between a daughter and a mom." But the bond between Teigen and her mother sounds like it also includes a healthy dose of laughter.

Sighing that her mom is the first to retweet anything, including rumors about her own daughter, Teigen revealed that she never got a ton of advice growing up. "They really let me be me all the time, which I think is its own kind of advice," she said. "They trusted me and I grew into this very outspoken person. But my mom is my biggest cheerleader. She created this."

In fact, the nip slip isn't the first time Teigen has bared skin on Instagram. Through fits of laughter, she told HuffPost Entertainment that her mother was actually the one who snapped the naked spray tan pic that got her in the most trouble online. "She is hysterical. She just sits there with wine and giggles. We always had a very naked-friendly household."

All kinds of female empowerment were the theme at the Variety luncheon, and Teigen says she identifies with being a feminist. In fact, she loves the label. "People have sorely messed up the definition of feminism. It isn’t saying this is wrong and this is right. It’s having the power to do whatever the fuck you want. It’s about having your own beliefs and staying true to them."

With the rising tide of men declaring themselves as feminists too, she interjected that Legend is definitely part of the club. "He’s a bigger feminist than I am! He actually teaches me a lot about the way women should be perceived."

Attributing this quality, in part, to the driven and accomplished women he has always surrounded himself with, Teigen remembered her own feelings of self-doubt when she was only 21 and they had just started dating. "I was so intimidated just at how brilliant and driven they were. I felt like such an idiot."

She would come home from their group dinners together and cry, she said. "But he would always explain to me that there are so many different ways to be a strong woman."

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9 Rare 'Star Wars' Posters That Every Fan Will Love

October 11, 2014, 4:49 am

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Out Oct. 14, courtesy of Abrams, comes "Star Wars Art: Posters." The fifth and final installment in a series of books curated by George Lucas and Lucasfilm includes "Star Wars" art from around the world in one handy place. All six "Star Wars" films are represented in "Posters," as are "'Droids' and 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' animated television series, radio dramatizations, gallery exhibitions, fan-club exclusives, foreign one-sheets, video games, and limited-edition posters curated and commissioned by Mondo Tees in Texas." From the book's official press release:

Few pieces of artwork have ignited the imagination and distilled the passion for Star Wars as much as the original posters created to publicize and market the franchise’s films, television shows, and video games. From Howard Chaykin’s first advance poster, released to comic-book shops and distributed at the New York and San Diego Comic Cons in the summer of 1976, through Roger Kastel’s Gone with the Wind–inspired one-sheet for Episode V and Drew Struzan’s striking, now-iconic paintings for all six films, Star Wars has enjoyed nearly four decades of poster art from some of the most renowned and beloved artists and designers working in movies.

To celebrate the release (and Star Wars Reads Day), HuffPost Entertainment is happy to debut nine images from the pages of "Star Wars Art: Posters." For more on the book, head to Amazon.

10 Times Instagram Gave You The Best Pumpkin Carving Ideas

October 11, 2014, 5:00 am

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Pumpkin carving tends to be one of those Halloween traditions you either love or hate -- you either have the most impressive, "How long did they spend on that?!"-inducing creation on the block, or you paint on a smiley face and call it a day. If you fall in the latter category the good news is you no longer need a book of pre-perforated designs to convince you to give carving another go. Just scroll through the real-life examples below and you might soon be considering carving tools a worthwhile investment.



1. Stay on the surface and focus on the details.


2. Pay tribute to your favorite movie...


3. ... Or author...


4. ... Or Disney character.


5. Make your caffeinated beverage brand preference known.


6. Embrace the "Day of the Dead" spirit.


7. Opt for different colored lighting sources.


8. Keep it culturally-relevant with an emoji-approved design.


9. Carve only a smile and add on the rest.


10. Just don't be afraid to be a little spontaneous.

By submitting your image, you are agreeing to The Huffington Post's TOS: bit.ly/HuffPostTOS

This Pumpkin Spice-Flavored Parody Of Taylor Swift's 'Shake It Off' Is So Basic We Can't Even

October 11, 2014, 8:49 am

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You'll never drink your Pumpkin Spice Latte without thinking about Taylor Swift ever again.

Maxwell Glick pairs the two to hilarious effect in his new"Shake It Off" parody, uploaded to YouTube this week.

"So get to groovin'. I like what that barista's doin'. It's like my life's improvin' now that I have my sweet frothy Pumpkin Spice!" Glick sings, clutching four of the lattes as he struts down the street.

We hope for Glick's sake that Pumpkin Spice season finds a way to last all year long.

Kendrick Lamar Releases 'i' Lyric Video

October 11, 2014, 10:48 am

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Following up on the debut of his new, soulful single, Kendrick Lamar has provided a lyric video for "i." Featuring quick clips of people -- of all different ages and races -- making a heart with their hands, just as is demonstrated on the single's artwork, director Christian San Jose brings Lamar's ever-enlightening words of self-love to life. We can only wonder if the two-handed heart will remain as a consistent theme in the yet unknown rollout plan for Lamar's sophomore album.

Watch the video below:

The Most Popular Drugs In Rock Lyrics And The Top Artists Talking About Them

October 11, 2014, 11:39 am

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We've examined the most talked about drugs in hip-hop and the rappers who were talking about them the most, and now Project Know has applied the same to rock 'n' roll. Digging through the lyrics of 15,000 songs, alcohol was easily the most discussed substance, followed by weed and cocaine. Separated into the five categories of alcohol, cocaine/crack, meth, prescription painkillers and weed, Tom Waits not only leads in mentions of alcohol, but also leads other artists with over 60 songs mentioning drugs or alcohol, followed by Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan with both over 30 songs each.

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Zach Galifianakis Thinks Being A Celebrity Is 'Dumb'

October 11, 2014, 3:10 pm

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Few people come away clean in Alejandro González Iñárritu's "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)," a scathing satire that takes down Hollywood blockbusters, entitled actors, celebrity culture, entertainment journalism, critics and the entirety of social media with gleeful abandon. There are jokes about Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner and Meg Ryan that leave bruises. A heavy Oscar favorite since it premiered at the Venice Film Festival in August, and this year's closing night selection for the New York Film Festival, "Birdman" sets fire to so many bridges that it's a surprise Dylan McKay isn't the screenwriter. (In fact, Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo are the four credited writers.)

The existential tone of "Birdman" extended to the all-star cast during the film's post-screening press conference on Saturday afternoon at the New York Film Festival. Amid shutter clicks and Instagram uploads, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton and Zach Galifiankis grappled with the notion of being celebrities in 2014.

"Being a celebrity is shit," Galifianakis said when asked about blurring the lines between performance and reality for the film. "It's dumb. I'm not interested in it. I like to be an actor and that's it. The blurred lines are, I think, man-made. I think celebrity is a man-made thing. It's not innate in us. We have people telling us we should pay attention to these people for the wrong reasons -- their personal lives and that stuff."

Galifianakis said the cast of "Birdman" -- which also includes Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Amy Ryan and Andrea Riseborough -- held views similar to his own, before making special mention of his dislike for "picture taking" (an ironic comment considering the audience was busy capturing photos of Galifianakis during his response).

"I'm just being honest," Galifianakis said. "I would rather do my work and go home and watch Lifetime or something."

"I think everybody is kind of a celebrity now. Anybody can be anything," Keaton added. The 63-year-old stars as Riggan Thomson in "Birdman," a washed-up actor who became famous for playing a superhero and now hopes to save his career by putting on a Broadway production of Raymond Carver's "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love." (Keaton, a former Batman, has downplayed the surface similarities between Thomson and himself. "I related less to him than almost every other character I've played, in terms of the desperation," he told Lane Brown at New York Magazine.)

"While [the public is] enamored by it, I guess, and buy magazines, I don't think [celebrity] is a big deal anymore," Keaton continued during the press conference. "I think everybody is kind of their own celebrity in their own head, and they kind of are. We're living in this really weird world where people are everywhere. They're omnipresent."

Or, as Norton said: "The dog who runs into a wall dreaming is a bigger celebrity than anyone on this stage."

"I worked with him," Galifiankis joked of the dog. "Great guy."

"Birdman" is out in limited release on Oct. 17.

Actress Misty Upham Reported Missing In Washington State

October 10, 2014, 4:40 pm

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SEATTLE/LOS ANGELES, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Actress Misty Upham, who played a housekeeper in the movie adaption of "August: Osage County," has been missing in Washington state for six days, police said on Friday.
The acclaimed Native American actress was last seen walking by herself from an apartment on Sunday around Auburn, some 20 miles south of Seattle, and was reported missing by her father on Oct. 6, Auburn Police Commander Steve Stocker said.
Police responded to a suicide call from the apartment but the 32-year-old Upham had already left by the time officers arrived, Stocker said.
There were no suspects or leads in her disappearance and she is believed to have left on her own free will, Stocker said.
Police had responded to suicide calls four times in the past year at the same apartment, Stocker said, and Upham's parents have told police she is on medications for mental health issues.
Upham, who was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her supporting role in the 2008 crime drama, "Frozen River," has not been in contact with friends or family since her disappearance, police said. (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle and Eric Kelsey in Los Angeles; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

10 Times Instagram Gave You The Best Pumpkin Carving Ideas

October 11, 2014, 5:00 am

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Pumpkin carving tends to be one of those Halloween traditions you either love or hate -- you either have the most impressive, "How long did they spend on that?!"-inducing creation on the block, or you paint on a smiley face and call it a day. If you fall in the latter category the good news is you no longer need a book of pre-perforated designs to convince you to give carving another go. Just scroll through the real-life examples below and you might soon be considering carving tools a worthwhile investment.



1. Stay on the surface and focus on the details.


2. Pay tribute to your favorite movie...


3. ... Or author...


4. ... Or Disney character.


5. Make your caffeinated beverage brand preference known.


6. Embrace the "Day of the Dead" spirit.


7. Opt for different colored lighting sources.


8. Keep it culturally-relevant with an emoji-approved design.


9. Carve only a smile and add on the rest.


10. Just don't be afraid to be a little spontaneous.

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6 Tiled Rooms That Take Things Beautifully Beyond The Backsplash

October 12, 2014, 5:00 am

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It's not often that tile takes center stage in a room. Sure, a bold painted wall or a beautiful piece of statement art can really start a conversation, but stunning tile is a definite rare occurrence.

But thanks to the talented designers who submitted their work to our friends at Porch.com, we're beginning to see tile in a whole new light that's completely free from bathroom floors and kitchen backsplashes.

Check out the stunning rooms that get it right below, and get inspired to re-think tile in your own home.

By submitting your image, you are agreeing to The Huffington Post's TOS: bit.ly/HuffPostTOS

After Dark: Meet Darrell Thorne, Artist And Nightlife Personality

October 12, 2014, 6:32 am

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This is the twenty-second installment in HuffPost Gay Voices Associate Editor James Nichols' ongoing series "After Dark: NYC Nightlife Today And Days Past" that examines the state of New York nightlife in the modern day, as well as the development and production of nightlife over the past several decades. Each featured individual in this series currently serves as a prominent person in the New York nightlife community or has made important contributions in the past that have sustained long-lasting impacts.

HuffPost Gay Voices believes that it is important and valuable to elevate the work, both today and in the past, of those engaged in the New York nightlife community, especially in an age where queer history seems to be increasingly forgotten. Nightlife not only creates spaces for queers and other marginalized groups to be artistically and authentically celebrated, but the work of those involved in nightlife creates and shapes the future of our culture as a whole. Visit Gay Voices regularly to learn not only about individuals currently making an impact in nightlife, but those whose legacy has previously contributed to the ways we understand queerness, art, identity and human experience today.

The Huffington Post: What did your journey to becoming an integral part of queer nightlife in New York City entail?
Darrell Thorne: My first experience working in nightlife was actually in Los Angeles -- I started out as a go-go boy in a few different clubs. When I moved to New York 12 years ago I didn't have any inclination that I would be working in nightlife. However, I do remember being very excited by the number of costume-themed events which seemed to happen constantly. At that point, my only experience with costuming was around Halloween, and I had barely touched makeup.

Derek Jackson was an artist working in the city at the time, and he approached me to do a photo shoot shortly after I arrived in town. It was to be shot on Easter weekend and I was also go-go dancing at the Slide that same day -- I suggested that I do the shoot costumed as Jesus. Derek agreed, did my makeup for the shoot and it was a thrilling and liberating experience for me. Over the course of the next year we did several collaborative performances, with Derek designing my costumes and makeup. Eventually he left town and I realized that I wanted to continue the journey, so I started creating my own costumes and applying my own makeup. I was hooked. I would go anywhere that a costume was encouraged or accepted: parades, parties, clubs. As time passed, my skills improved and I met more people and eventually started to get bookings for work. I've been fortunate to catch the eyes of some well-connected people -- such as Earl Dax, Muffinhead, Susanne Bartsch, Brandon Voss -- all of whom afforded me opportunities to work more, gain exposure and further develop my craft.

How would you describe your aesthetic and the work that you produce?
I always find this a little challenging to answer, but I tend to say that I'm a performance artist who works in costume and makeup. My work revolves around creating a highly-detailed visual character or characters -- usually with fantasy, tribal, futuristic, urban, organic, cinematic, or religious influences -- and then inhabiting those characters in a performance. Certainly my work is concerned with creating the "look," but performing the character (whether through a durational installation or movement or dance) is equally as important and enjoyable in my creative process. Outside of nightlife, I have a range of expressions for my work, including producing events with multiple performers in my costumes/makeup, performing installations in gallery settings, cabaret and theater performances, and appearances in music videos and fashion editorials.



You've been involved in NYC nightlife for some time. How have you developed as an artist over the years?
I think I've had the opportunity to hone my skills quite a bit. The more I produce and perform, the tighter (and looser) things can become. Over the past few years I've been working on a much more regular basis, and often creating looks for multiple people quite frequently. The time crunch and pressure to continually deliver has actually been fantastic for the creative process. Shortcuts and mistakes -- and outright panic -- can lead to some wonderful discoveries that I might not have happened upon otherwise. I've learned to trust myself more, and am able to be a bit more relaxed in the studio and not quite as controlling. Additionally, different clubs/nights call for different moods, and for my own stimulation I try to push myself outside my boundaries as much as I can.

How does nightlife inform your work as an artist -- and vice verse?
Nightlife in some ways is like stepping into a fantasy world. Once you're on the stage, with theatrical lighting, pounding music and a crowd that is typically prepared and hoping to be dazzled, you have an opportunity that is very difficult to create in a theater, gallery or museum. On a good night the energy is palpable and you can channel that right into your performance. Through regularly inhabiting that space week after week -- because it is expected, as well as to avoid burnout or boredom -- you can do just about anything you like as a performer. The more bizarre or unexpected the better. I'd say that simply go-go dancing on a regular basis has made me a much better performer. Not to mention that the visuals/costumes/makeup that one can create are without any boundaries -- it's a tremendously free forum, which is always demanding more, more, more.



How has your work in nightlife given you a platform to draw awareness to HIV and combat HIV stigma?
Honestly, there hasn't been a huge crossover there. As a spokesperson for the HIV Stops With Me Campaign that I've been involved with for the past eight years, we've discussed creating one of my ads with me in costume. Certainly I could have done that, but it never felt quite right. My main objective with the campaign is to combat stigma by being out about my status, and having my name and face associated with that. For me it's about transparency and openness, showing that being HIV positive is just one part of my experience. Conversely, when I'm in a club and in a look, I'm ultimately performing something that is outside of/greater than/other than my day to day existence. I always maintain an openness about my status, should it ever come up, and there have been occasions backstage to have chats with other performers. Aside from that, interviews or exposure like this -- which wouldn't have happened without nightlife -- do provide a platform.

Domonique Echeverria said in her feature: "I think the truly innovative people that I'm seeing are playing around with gender and sexuality. I think that's what our generation has to offer -- the idea of acceptance and blurred lines of gender. It's causing discussion, debate, new laws to be made and it's causing more art. THAT is the movement that's happening" -- How do you see this playing out in nightlife?
I quite agree that gender and sexuality are on the forefront of the winds of change during our time, and I certainly see that manifested in a myriad of ways in nightlife -- through looks, identities and performance. However, and I may be a bit naive here, I don't know that nightlife will necessarily change the world. It's fantastic for those who wish to participate, but I see nightlife as one microcosm in an ocean of many. I think the importance of nightlife might be more for those who find in it a place to feel accepted, a place to live out some fantasies or experiences they might not be able to in other settings, and a chance to dance it out a bit. Of course, I suppose it's what people take away from their experience in nightlife which may affect change in their circles -- large or small.



What projects are you working on? Where are you currently booked?
At the moment I'm at Berlin every Friday, Space Ibiza NY on Saturdays, Up & Down on Sundays and Marquee on the occasional Thursday. I'm also designing costumes for a new musical and working with an independent pop artist on costumes for an upcoming video. This month a number of my pieces are featured in Paper Magazine's Cartoon Villains and Japan Vogue's Into The Woods, and I'm looking forward to Night of the Living Drag with a lot of the "Drag Race" gals on the Oct. 25.

What do you hope to see as the future of nightlife in NYC?
Oh good lord, I wish I knew. In some ways it seems to be -- like our culture at large -- ever more exclusive, segregated and vapid. In other reflections of our culture at large, there are glimpses of community, revolution and awareness… I can tell you what I love to see, and you get to on occasion: I love to see a room full of people, living, dancing, being their authentic selves and communicating with each other through their very presence. Perhaps the future will have more of that in store.

For more from Darrell Thorne head here visit the artist's website. Missed the previous installments in this series? Check out the slideshow below.