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'Adorable-izing Hate' Is The Best Way To Deal With Spiteful Internet Comments

October 15, 2014, 1:09 pm
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What to do when someone writes terrible things about you on the Internet? Turn their comments into cute pieces of embroidery, obviously.

Marie Brian, also known as the Cotton Floozy, creates and sells hilarious stitchings online. When she started receiving negative feedback -- like so many other women on the Internet -- she decided to respond by incorporating those offensive comments into her pieces.

"When you see something so horrible written about you in print form, it has a way of searing itself onto your psyche," Brian told The Huffington Post in an email. "I found so much relief in facing those words head on, exorcising their power with a few adorable stitches and some pom-pom trim."

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I recently became aware of some internet hate towards me and my business, so I skipped over the F-bombs and the threats and lifted this one, admittedly, poetic sentence and stitched it. Sometimes hate can be frickin' adorable. #hatersgonnahate #embroidery #restrainingorder

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The result is "Adorable-izing Hate," a fledgling project turning negative internet commentary into cute artwork. In a blog post about the project, Brian explained how soothing she found the process and invited her followers to share their own experiences with hateful comments.




"All I know is that stitching a bit of the hate directed towards me was immensely cathartic," she wrote. "It turned my tears (thin-skin) into laughter. If you have any bit of hate that you have received from a crazy ex or an online troll, let me know... Maybe I can adorable-ize it through the power of embroidery."




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One of my favorite lady bloggers - @thekimbongiorno - received this comment. "That woman's face is terrifying as f*ck." I added an asterisk to make it family restaurant friendly for my viewers. Because my mom.

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The project isn't limited to Internet commentary -- Brian has also stitched excerpts from angry texts and personal messages.




As long as Internet trolls are around, the possibility of being torn down in the comments is real. Brian has a fantastic attitude about it, though. As she wrote in her blog post, "Haters gonna hate, stitchers gonna stitch."




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Today's adorablized hate embroidery. For my friend Mary Ellen who received this gem in the form of a text: "you are no longer relivant. [sic]."

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Check out more embroidery from Marie Brian here.
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Neil Patrick Harris Is Hosting The Oscars In 2015

October 15, 2014, 2:02 pm
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Neil Patrick Harris is hosting the Oscars. The news, first reported by Variety and also BuzzFeed, was confirmed to HuffPost Entertainment by a representative for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A press release confirmed Harris as host for the 87th annual Academy Awards.

Harris has taken home Emmys and a Tony, and has hosted both, but this will be his first time acting as emcee for the Oscars. He did, however, perform in the opening musical number in the 2010 ceremony.

Last year, Ellen DeGeneres hosted the most-watched Oscars of the past decade. The broadcast garnered 43 million viewers.

"It is truly an honor and a thrill to be asked to host this year's Academy Awards," Harris said in a statement. "I grew up watching the Oscars and was always in such awe of some of the greats who hosted the show. To be asked to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, and everyone else who had the great fortune of hosting is a bucket list dream come true." Harris tweeted a video of the bucket list, which proves -- as we all knew -- that Harris has had a pretty great career.




The 87th annual Academy Awards take place on Feb. 22, 2015.
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Yale Students Unite In Beautiful Response To Swastikas Drawn On Campus Sidewalk

October 15, 2014, 2:07 pm
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When Yale College Dean Jonathan Holloway penned an Oct. 13 email to students about swastikas found chalked onto a campus sidewalk, he implored students to stand together as a community. "There is no room for hate in this house," Holloway wrote.

Yale senior Javier Cienfuegos and friends took those words to heart and turned the graffiti's message completely on its head, creating a powerful mural communicating support for Jewish students and diversity in the Ivy League school's community.

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Students adding to the mural.


Though school officials had had the swastikas mostly scrubbed from the sidewalk by Oct. 13, some faint outlines remained. So Cienfuegos and fraternity brothers William Genova and Sebastian Medina-Tayac set to work that night outside the freshman residence hall where the graffiti had been drawn, washing away the remaining outlines with dish soap and Lysol.

Word of their effort spread via a Facebook post by Cienfuegos.

Soon, a large group was covering the sidewalk with words of love and support. Hearts, peace signs and Stars of David dotted the pavement. At their center was the blue Yale "Y" and Holloway's words from the email in big bubble letters: "There's no room for H8 in this house."

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The students' mural.


"I think it was my way of telling people that I don't care if it was an idiotic prank or a hoax, this kind of thing isn't okay on my campus," Cienfuegos told The Huffington Post.

"It show how much Yalies appreciate the diversity that this campus has," Genova said of the effort. "At the end of the day, Yale really celebrates that, and students really come together. We don't just respect it, we encourage it, and we thrive off this."

He says that as the re-chalking of the sidewalk stretched into early morning, as many as 75 students came and added to the mural. According to Cienfuegos, so many people joined in that they had to get more chalk midway through.

"Our community felt a contagious wave of love, and it swept across the entirety of Durfee's walkway," wrote Cienfuegos in a Facebook post about the finished mural. "We will turn their hate into love, and we invite all Yalies, whoever you are, to join our crusade."

Check out more photos of the students' powerful mural below.

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H/T Business Insider
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'Tibetan Monastic Community In Nepal' Comes Alive In Photographic Splendor

October 15, 2014, 2:09 pm
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Photographer Haik Kocharian spent three weeks living among Tibetan monks and nuns in Nepal. These photographs tell his -- and their -- story.

"Tibetan Monastic Community In Nepal" opens at New York's Judson Memorial Church on October 16 with 33 images capturing the rituals of Buddhist monks and nuns at Pullahari Monastery, Tek Chok Ling Nunnery and Thrangu Tara Abbey. Photographic reproductions of hand-drawn artwork on the walls of the Pullahari Monastery are included in the exhibit as an invitation to to virtually enter that sacred space.

Read a statement from photographer Haik Kocharian below:

For three weeks I lived among the Tibetan monks and nuns of Pullahari Monastery, Tek Chok Ling Nunnery, and Thrangu Tara Abbey in Kathmandu, Nepal. This photographic exhibit is the result of the unprecedented and generous access they granted me into their intricate spiritual and daily lives.

Sponsored by the Chödrön Foundation, the trip also documented a humanitarian healing mission spearheaded by Dr. Ara Bagdassarian who has traveled the world providing free chiropractic healing services to struggling communities, in this case the Tibetan Buddhist community in exile in Nepal.

The exhibition takes the viewer on a visual journey, first approaching the breathtaking architecture of the temples and surrounding nature from a distance, then immerses into the spiritual realm within the walls through rarely photographed sacred rituals and dances. The journey is completed with intimate portraits of nuns and monks in private moments of healing and release. The selection of images draws the viewer inward and into a uniquely spiritual world.


Photos By Haik Kocharian

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Group of young monks preparing for a morning sweep of the monastery’s grounds, Pullahari Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal.

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Monks exiting the monastery following morning prayer, Pullahari Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal.

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Nuns during prayer at Thrangu Tara Abbey, Swayambunath, Kathmandu, Nepal.

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Young monks at dawn during early morning ritual, Pullahari Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal.

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Exterior of Pullahari Monastery early in the morning, Kathmandu, Nepal.

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Monks playing traditional Buddhist trumpets after evening prayer, Pullahari Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal.
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This Artist Creates A New Origami Masterpiece Every Single Day, Will Wow Your Socks Off

October 15, 2014, 2:19 pm
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Every day, self-described “paper shaper” Ross Symons posts a new work of origami on his Instagram page. Every day, they are different and every day, they are lovely.

“The idea of doing one thing a day for a year has always intrigued me, so at the beginning of 2014 I decided I was going to fold a different origami figure a day for a year,” the South African artist explained on his website. “[The project has] taught me patience, planning and that if you want to get better at something quickly, do it everyday for a year.”

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Symons told Mashable that his love for origami began more than a decade ago, when his brother asked him to fold an origami crane. Since then, his passion — and skill — has only grown.

"Posting [one] different origami figure everyday ... I believe anyone can do anything they want," he told the news outlet. "So, if you have a desire to fold paper like I do then go do it, it's fun."

From adorable animals to fantastical beasts, characters from movies and iconic brands, Symons’ origami works of art are as varied as they are beautiful. He says some take a few minutes to create, while others — like this incredible geometric piece — can take several hours.

In an August interview with The Nifty Blog — the blog of South African photo printing company Nifty250 — the artist said that he gets inspiration for his artwork from a wide variety of sources.

“I love film so I am always thinking about how I could fold cult movie icons and characters,” he said. “When I walk into an office or building, I look around to see how I could fill the empty or ordinary spaces with origami … The Internet is a great place for inspiration too.”

At the time, he also told the blog that he’d started making his own origami paper, as he was finding it difficult to buy the materials he needed in South Africa.

Scroll down to see some of Symons’ incredible origami pieces. Visit his Instagram page for the full collection.





















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'The Walking Dead' Intro Recut With Drunk People Works A Little Too Well

October 15, 2014, 2:22 pm
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They stumble around, they smell bad and they probably shouldn't be operating a vehicle. No, we're not talking about zombies. We mean drunk people.

To welcome back "The Walking Dead" for Season 5, YouTube's Marca Blanca put together a recut of the show's intro with a bunch of inebriated folks replacing all the walkers, and it almost works too well.

"The Walking Dead" airs Sunday at 9:00 p.m. ET on AMC.
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Everything You Want To Know About The Mysterious Sherlock Holmes, In One Exhibition

October 16, 2014, 10:09 am
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LONDON (AP) — Sherlock Holmes is among the most famous Londoners of all time. Many tourists still see the bustling city through his eyes, and seek out his address, 221B Baker Street.

It seems a logical deduction that the fictional detective's creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, must have known the city intimately. In fact, historian David Cannadine said Thursday, "Conan Doyle himself didn't spend that much time in London. When he wrote the early stories, he got the topography out of a street atlas."

That is just one of the surprises provided by a myth-busting new Museum of London exhibition that explores a character who has been endlessly adapted while retaining his essence: He's a cerebral sleuth, forensic scientist, drug-taking bohemian and archetypal Englishman.

Through film clips, costumes, 19th-century forensic equipment and more, it follows Holmes from an idea in Conan Doyle's notebook — at one point he was called Sherrinford Holmes — to the smartphone-toting modern detective played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC TV series "Sherlock."

The exhibition also looks at the relationship between the detective and London. Holmes is an icon of the Victorian metropolis, a place of horse-drawn hansom cabs, dark corners, gaslight — and fog.

Fog gets a whole room of its own, lined with atmospheric images by American photographer Alvin Langdon Coburn and other artworks, including a painting of the River Thames by French Impressionist Claude Monet.

Cannadine, who has contributed to a book that accompanies the exhibition, said Conan Doyle's stories give a sense of the city — "the gas lamps and the clattering of horses and the fogs in Baker Street" — that is vivid but in some ways misleading.

"He doesn't write about the traffic jams, he doesn't write about the smell of horse-droppings, he doesn't write about the filth of the pavements," Cannadine said. "It's a much cozier image, in a way."

For fans, the most exciting exhibit may be a yellowing notebook showing the moment Holmes was created. It bears notes for a detective story in Conan Doyle's handwriting. The author has crossed out his original title, "A Tangled Skein" and written "A Study in Scarlet" — the name under which Holmes' first adventure was published in 1887.

Conan Doyle, who died in 1930, probably didn't imagine that his creation would long outlive him. He tried to kill Holmes in 1893, sending him tumbling over the Reichenbach Falls while grappling with archenemy Moriarty.

Readers were outraged, and the author resurrected the sleuth a decade later.

The exhibition's lead curator, Alex Werner, said Holmes endures because he was strikingly modern.

"This was a character who was using scientific methods to unmask the incredible complexity of the modern world," Werner said. "He's the only one who can do it. We would all like to be Sherlock Holmes."

"Sherlock Holmes: The Man Who Never Lived and Will Never Die" is at the Museum of London from Friday until April 12.

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Follow Jill Lawless on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless
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L.A. Graffiti Artist Humanizes Homeless People By Painting Their Dreams

October 16, 2014, 10:15 am
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Those who say graffiti doesn't accomplish much haven't seen the work of Skid Robot, an anonymous street artist in Los Angeles who uses his medium to draw attention to the homeless -- a population he laments is so often overlooked.

Skid Robot humanizes the homeless by incorporating them into his art, creating scenes in which the subjects aren't just a faceless person, down on their luck. Instead, he highlights their struggle by juxtaposing them with spray painted versions of their needs, wants and dreams.

One man, recently released from the hospital and in a wheelchair, is depicted sitting in a throne atop a castle wall -- not shoeless and in a wheelchair.





In a caption accompanying the photo, Skid Robot explains the man's backstory, painting a portrait of a man named "Ben."

"Ben was released from the hospital with no shoes," writes Robot. "He was unable to walk as a result of being shot in the back and eventually the hospital booted him on the street like so many others."

"I offered him a meal but he declined, instead he asked for paper, pencils [and] pens so that he can write and draw. He said he really liked the art and [used] to draw himself ..."

Robot adds he gave Ben a sketchbook, a few pens and money for a meal.

Another man, identified as "Tony," rests on the sidewalk, his unrolled sleeping pad transformed -- via Skid Robot's paint -- into a regal bed, complete with a headboard and matching side tables. "They desperately needed water more than anything," Robot writes, "so we delivered 10 gallons."





In an email to The Huffington Post, Skid Robot was adamant he's not trying to make light of his subject's situation or use them as a prop, even though his work may be seen as humorous at times.

"I'm drawing attention to a human being who more often than not is looked at as nonexistent," he said of his jarring art. "I hardly think that is using them to my benefit."

"I offer whatever help that I can, I try to get to know some of these people and give them an open ear and heart," he continued. "My message is one of compassion, to look out for those who are less fortunate and to do for others."

See more of Skid Robot's work, below:



















Skid Robot has set up a GoFundMe account for a "National Art Campaign of Compassion," which he hopes will "inspire a revolution of compassion for your fellow human being."

H/T Vice


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These Engagement Photos Are (Almost) Too Awkward To Put In A Frame

October 16, 2014, 10:29 am
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Getting engaged is an exciting moment for a couple, and some choose to celebrate the milestone with a photo shoot.

However, these engagement snaps, courtesy of BuzzFeed and Awkward Family Photos, have a lot more going on than undying love and devotion. They are unbelievably, beautifully weird.

We can't decide if the pictures -- which include a chin grab, a casual swim and some "Phantom of the Opera" inspiration -- are genius or utterly humiliating. Either way, we can't avert our eyes.

Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Weddings on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
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Neil Patrick Harris Was 'Terrified' To Accept Oscars Hosting Gig

October 16, 2014, 10:30 am
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When news broke on Wednesday that Neil Patrick Harris would host the Oscars in 2015, he tweeted a video in which he crossed the gig off a lengthy bucket list. But in an interview with Z100, Harris admitted that he was initially "terrified" to take the job.

"I’ve been in the hosting world for a little while and the Oscars has been that show that I was terrified to take on, but had never been asked to do," Harris told Elvis Duran. "So when Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, the producers of the show, they just reach out to someone, and thankfully, I think with the help of 'Gone Girl' and 'A Million Ways to Die in the West,' I had a couple more feature film credits than I did before and that definitely helps with the Academy and their decision making. It’s weirdly one of those things that you don’t know when it’s happening and you don’t reach out for it and present yourself, you just sometimes get a call.”

When asked if he was excited to host, he said, "Partly, I’m that way, and partly I’m reticent because I’ve always thought and said it’s the big target and as exciting as it is it’s potentially lose-lose in various ways because it’s just such a big show."

Harris said that he first got the call last Friday, but he hasn't started planning the details of the show, which airs Feb. 22, 2015, just yet.

Hear Neil Patrick Harris' interview in its entirety over at ElvisDuran.com
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Couple Takes A Cue From 'When Harry Met Sally' In Adorable Pregnancy Announcement

October 16, 2014, 10:46 am
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Just last week, a couple went viral with their creative Wes Anderson-style pregnancy announcement. Now, another pair of parents-to-be have added a cinematic flair to their baby news with this video inspired by "When Harry Met Sally."

After Andrew and Megan Christison learned they were expecting their first child, they turned to the creative romantic genius of Nora Ephron and Rob Reiner to make the announcement. "When Andrew Met Megan" channels the short documentary interview-style scenes from the classic rom-com -- the moments when older couples share their love stories in brief clips throughout the narrative.

Dressed as elderly version of themselves from the future, the adorable couple pretends it's been 50 years since their wedding. As they look back and recount the story of their romance and marriage, they say that they welcomed their first child in the spring of 2015. "We've been blessed," Andrew says. "Hashtag blessed."

H/T RightThisMinute



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8-Year-Old Aidan Prince Takes The World By Storm, Dancing To Major Lazer

October 16, 2014, 10:56 am
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It's clear from the beginning of 8-year-old dancer Aidan Prince's performance that something impressive is about to happen.

And then comes his first lightning fast move.



The pint-sized performer completely breaks it down to Major Lazer's song "Jet Blue Jet" in a video uploaded this week by choreographer Tricia Miranda. And then he puts it back together and breaks it down again, just because he can. That is exactly how awesome this kid's moves are.

Just look at him go.

H/T Mashable
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Warwick Davis Will Return For 'Star Wars: Episode VII'

October 16, 2014, 11:07 am
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Warwick Davis, who played Wicket in "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" and also appeared in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace," will show up in "Star Wars: Episode VII." The official "Star Wars" YouTube page released a cute video of Davis to announce his return to the franchise, though what role he'll play remains undisclosed.



Davis joins original other original trilogy cast members Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels in "Episode VII." John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Max von Sydow, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis and Lupita Nyong'o are among the new faces to travel to a galaxy far, far away. J.J. Abrams is set to direct "Star Wars: Episode VII," which is out in theaters on Dec. 18, 2015.
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Let's Talk About Bill Murray's 'St. Vincent'

October 16, 2014, 11:29 am
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Bill Murray has his first lead role in nine years with "St. Vincent." In the debut feature film from writer/director Theodore Melfi, he stars as Vincent McKenna, a curmudgeonly Brooklynite who agrees to watch the 11-year-old son of his next-door neighbor for some extra cash. Unsurprisingly, he's a terrible babysitter who does all the wrong things but learns valuable lessons in the end. Does that mean we have a forgettable sentimental comedy on our hands or fall's surprise breakout charmer? HuffPost Entertainment editors Matthew Jacobs and Erin Whitney share their thoughts on "St. Vincent."

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Jacobs: In an age when mainstream comedies seem to hit more and more of the same few notes, it's a privilege to see Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy topline a movie that doesn't rely on bros being bros, bros being aging former bros, women seeking revenge against a man or Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore making regrettable career choices. Instead, "St. Vincent" borrows the cantankerous-next-door-neighbor trope, to varying effects. The plot is rather flat from the outset, so even if you haven't seen the trailer before entering the theater, it'll still come as no surprise that Murray's titular Vincent takes Melissa McCarthy's son to the racetrack and to a bar while watching him after school. We've got the cranky neighbor and the bad babysitter rolled into one. But "St. Vincent" has charm despite its conventionalities, and it does feel fresh when compared with most of the year's comedies, no?

Whitney: "St. Vincent," as you say, Matt, is a refreshing take on such trite storylines, but I still only appreciated the film for Murray and McCarthy alone. Without either of them, this could be a straight-to-VOD indie release that you'd maybe watch on Netflix on a dull night during the dead of winter. Luckily, Murray's crotchety neighbor is a delightful addition to the actor's long list of characters; McCarthy, meanwhile, steals the scenes she's in, but I do wish the script lent her more opportunities to prove her dramatic worth. Besides the two of them, "St. Vincent" felt rather dry to me. The comedic moments were sweet, and most of them came from Chris O'Dowd's silly Catholic priest-turned-schoolteacher. In all, much of the film was forgettable, except Murray's Bob Dylan cover during the credits.

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Jacobs: It rises above the familiar premise thanks to Murray and McCarthy, the latter of whom gives her most vulnerable performance since "Gilmore Girls." And little Jaeden Lieberher as her son! He's such a delight -- his line delivery and even the way he looks at his co-stars feels like the work of an experienced actor, but he's only 11 and this is his first feature film. (He'll next appear in new films from Cameron Crowe and Jeff Nichols; kid's going places.) On the other hand, Naomi Watts stars as a Russian prostitute -- complete with a thick Russian accent -- who pals around with Vince. Why, why, why?

Whitney: I cannot help being stuck on Watts' Daka, a Russian stripper/dancer/kind-of-girlfriend to Vincent. This was the most distracting and terrible aspect of the film -- oh, and did we mention she's pregnant? Very pregnant. There's even a scene with Watts working a stripper pole with her pregnant belly bursting out between her bikini. Sure, this was intended as a comedic moment, but there wasn't a single laugh during the press screening, save for a couple of uncomfortable exhales. If only an actual Russian actress or even a nobody played this part, the whole movie would've felt much more authentic to me.

Jacobs: There was no need to cast Watts in the role just to shove a third A-lister onto the (terrible) poster. Aren't McCarthy and Murray apt-enough wish fulfillment for most comedy devotees in 2014? But the real problem with "St. Vincent" is that it can't avoid indulgent sentimentality. It becomes such a Message Movie that all its genuine charm and sincerity is pushed aside because of The Feelings We're Forced To Feel. This movie really didn't need to become a parable.

Whitney: This is such a Message Movie, and the worst part is that we can see the big heartwarming moment of change up ahead way too early. There's no surprise as to what's going to crack Vincent's dusty, hardened old heart, and as we lead up to it, it almost becomes eye roll-worthy. Let's just get on with it, I found myself thinking at a certain point when it was clear this movie wasn't going to lead in a different direction. And while I'm not sure what more can be asked of a movie with such simple goals, I just wish it had surprised me a little and left me feeling something real that wasn't forced down my throat by a cheery Catholic priest. Maybe Murray's Vincent could've gotten in a fight with O'Dowd's character, or maybe the "life lessons" Vincent teaches the young boy could've been something deeper beyond merely standing up to bullies. Murray and McCarthy are the only two people who add color to this monochrome feature, which will likely become a footnote on their expansive resumes.

"St Vincent" opened in limited release on Oct. 10 and expands nationwide on Oct. 17 and 24.
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This Intrepid Basketball Will Take You Through Film History In Awesome '87 Bounces' Montage

October 16, 2014, 11:35 am
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One basketball, 24 classic movies, one awesome montage.

A French film collective has woven together scenes from two dozen iconic movies, including "The Shining," "Shaolin Soccer" and "Star Wars," with the help of an animated basketball. And the result is pure genius.



In the montage, entitled “87 Bounces,” the ball is flung into the air by a mustachioed athlete before it begins its odyssey through film history. It pops out of The Dude’s toilet in “The Big Lebowski,” bounces through the legs of Jim Carrey’s character in “The Mask” and whizzes past Superman in space.

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“This is incredible,” declared one Vimeo user this week after watching the clip. “Made my day.”

“Beautifully done,” said another.

Chosen as a "Staff Pick" on Vimeo, the video's racked up more than 300,000 views since being uploaded Tuesday. Watch it above.
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Vatican Launches Sistine Chapel-Porsche Deal To Grant Visitors V.I.P. Access For A Price

October 16, 2014, 11:37 am
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VATICAN CITY (RNS) Despite worries about the impact of millions of tourists on Michelangelo’s precious frescoes, the Sistine Chapel is opening its doors for the first time to a new kind of tourist to support Pope Francis’ charities.

Porsche enthusiasts will pay 5,000 euros ($6,400) each for a tour in and around Rome that will include an exclusive after-hours concert inside the Sistine Chapel and a dinner in the Vatican Museums on Saturday (Oct. 18).

Built by Pope Sixtus IV between 1473 and 1484, the richly decorated chapel has traditionally been used as the pope’s private place of prayer and for conclaves, the secretive meetings held by the world’s cardinals to elect a new pope.

While the Porsche event is being openly promoted on Porsche’s corporate website, the managing director of the Vatican Museums, Monsignor Paolo Nicolini, rejected suggestions the the chapel was available for rent.

“The Sistine Chapel can never be rented because it is not a commercial place,” he told reporters on Thursday (Oct. 16).

“Saturday will be the debut of ‘Art for Charity,’ an initiative to exclusively support the charitable projects of the pope. This initiative is organized directly by the Vatican Museums and is directed at big companies. With the payment of a ticket, they can contribute to financing charity projects.”

Nicolini was speaking at a media conference to discuss a dramatic refurbishment of the chapel’s air conditioning and lighting system.

Antonio Paolucci, the director of the Vatican Museums, said: “We are going to protect, from a climatological point of view, Michelangelo’s greatest masterpiece, as well as giving it proper lighting.”

Nearly 6 million people a year visit the chapel, with as many as 20,000 in a single day. Paolucci said this meant “radical intervention” was needed to improve air circulation, while reducing dust, temperatures and humidity.

The U.S.-based Carrier air conditioning company is providing a state-of-the-art heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system for the chapel, specially designed to protect the masterpieces of Michelangelo and other Renaissance artists.

Climate control systems that regulate the temperature and humidity inside the chapel are up to 20 years old and and experts say the world-famous site has become a victim of its own popularity.
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A Pitiful Clown Singing 'Hallelujah' Is A Strange Kind Of Beautiful

October 16, 2014, 1:36 pm
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Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is a haunting song, but it took on an even more poignant tone when sung by a 7-foot-tall clown named Puddles Pity Party.

Puddles performed the classic at the Regency Lodge Ballroom in San Francisco, wowing audience members with his golden voice.

Director Gary Yost filmed the Sept. 27 live performance, showing Puddles' morose makeup application, his sad, slow walk to the lonely microphone, and then his beautifully evocative rendition of the song.

"The soul and heart can come through despite any costume we wear," Yost wrote in the video's description.

H/T Laughing Squid
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Listen To 'South Park's Fake Lorde Song, 'Push (Feeling Good On A Wednesday),' In Full

October 16, 2014, 1:45 pm
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"South Park" has released the full fake Lorde song, "Push (Feeling Good On A Wednesday)," from the recent episode in which it was revealed that Lorde is actually character Randy Marsh in disguise. Lorde expressed her love for the caricature, praising the episode's humor and "message of transgender acceptance." While the song was recorded by Sia, that didn't stop Lorde from taking a crack at the chorus herself. Further, "South Park" is giving the song away for free, so now there's nothing stopping us from singing, "Now we push, push to stand together / Because I am Lorde, ya ya ya," everywhere at every moment.



H/T Consequence of Sound
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East Forest's 'Hold On, Again' Brings Relief To Our Daily Busy Lives

October 16, 2014, 2:17 pm
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East Forest, the ambient dreampop project from Trevor Oswalt, is preparing to release its seventh album, "Orbits," on Nov. 11. HuffPost Entertainment is excited to premiere the album's second single, "Hold On, Again," and its accompanying video.



Opening with reverberating piano chords, organic samples of moving water and tenuous falsettos, the track gradually builds into a magnificent climax led by stuttering synths and light percussion.

"'Hold On, Again' is a track that shouldn't even exist," Oswalt told The Huffington Post. "When I was recovering from a second near career-ending bike accident I was in my Portland studio one rainy afternoon. 'Hold On, Again' was improvised in one sitting, and it was fortunately recorded for a podcast of live work which was later released on a lark. The song gained a lot of popularity and eventually prompted me to revisit the work in the studio and further flesh it out. It became a sort of simple siren song of hope that translates to our busy daily lives. It sings to the part of us that knows a more beautiful world is possible even if we cannot visualize the steps to get there. The video for the song, directed by my friend Travis Blue, with visual effects by David Lobser, takes the music into a more stylized visual realm with a bleak industrial landscape exploding into a another possible reality."

Watch the video above and forget about all those silly things that are stressing you out right now.
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Foo Fighters Release 'Something From Nothing,' First Song Off 'Sonic Highways'

October 16, 2014, 2:26 pm
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Foo Fighters have released the first new song off the band's eighth studio album, "Sonic Highways": the Chicago-inspired-and-recorded track, "Something From Nothing."

Starting off with some muffled guitar plucking and vocals from Dave Grohl, the song begins its monstrous ascent at the 90-second mark with some deep riffs. At 2:10, we get a few dissonant strums and a quick double-time from drummer Taylor Hawkins. A huge buildup controls the first half of the third minute, and after that it's nonstop ferocious rock 'n' roll. Grohl's gritty vocals are as domineering as ever as he sings out lines like, "Fuck it all, I came from nothing!" topped by an epic scream starting at 3:55.

“Something From Nothing” was recorded in Chicago with producer Steve Albini. Albini will also make an appearance in the first episode of the band's HBO mini-series, premiering on Friday night. The episode documents the band's recording process during their week in Chicago, as well as conversations with Chicago legends Buddy Guy and Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen. HBO will also be streaming the Foo Fighters live performance at the Cubby Bear in Chicago, where Grohl saw his first punk show, on their Facebook page immediately after the premiere airs.

Foo Fighters' "Sonic Highways" releases on Nov. 10.
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