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Ohio State: Fired Band Director Was Dishonest

October 23, 2014, 1:08 pm
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University's fired band director witnessed more sexually charged incidents than previously reported, once proposed punishing a female band member who reported sexual assault and had a calendar of nearly nude male band members in his office that he never brought to investigators' attention, school attorneys said in response to his federal lawsuit.

In continuing to defend Jonathan Waters' July 24 dismissal, the university alleged that he repeatedly concealed the culture of the band from outsiders and misled university officials. The university seeks dismissal of the suit, including on grounds Waters was an at-will employee who could be fired for any reason. Waters sued for reinstatement last month, accusing the university, President Michael Drake and a provost of discriminating against him by disciplining him differently than a female employee and denying him due process.

Thursday's filing in U.S. District Court in Columbus includes new details.

It lists three sexual assault allegations brought to Waters while he was serving as interim director and director in 2012 and 2013, one more than was previously known. In one case, Waters proposed disciplining both the male and female involved by requiring them both to miss an upcoming road trip, university attorneys wrote.

The 2007 calendar was found in Waters' office after his termination. It pictures male band members with "strategically placed band equipment" and was marked, "For Jon Waters' eyes only." Waters referenced the document and its "seductive poses" in his lawsuit.

Waters had led the celebrated band since 2012. The halftime shows he created were considered revolutionary. Videos of the morphing and dancing images the band creates on the field have drawn hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube and landed the band in an Apple commercial.

"Ohio State's answer to our complaint contains many salacious accusations and innuendos against Jonathan Waters and the entire OSU marching band — The Best Damn Band in the Land," Waters' attorney David Axelrod said in a statement. "We will aggressively attack those accusations and innuendos in court. It is a shame that the university is so willing to publicly disparage the marching band — one of its crown jewels — to defend its bad decision."

Axelrod said Waters' defense plans to call current and former band members who can refute university claims with firsthand accounts.

The lawsuit seeks a minimum of $1 million in damages and a court-ordered name-clearing hearing. It says Waters was targeted for dismissal to impress the U.S. Department of Education as it conducted an investigation into Ohio State's handling of sexual abuse claims.

Just weeks after Waters was fired, a federal settlement agreement was reached in that case and the probe was closed. The lawsuit cites the Title IX law, which prohibits gender discrimination at institutions that take federal funds, saying a female cheerleading coach was given an opportunity to remedy her behavior before being fired and Waters was not.

The university filed a 65-page response with voluminous exhibits, as well as a motion to dismiss. Besides the fact that Waters served at will, Ohio State attorneys told the court the school offered Waters the chance for a name-clearing hearing but he never got back to them.

The filing says Waters was aware of — and even sometimes appeared in — videos for a band event called "Fesler night" that contained inappropriate content, but failed to bring them to the attention of investigators. The videos featured a band member who was topless, sex jokes and, in one case, a female student simulating performing oral sex on two male band members while singing, the filing said.

It also details a harassment complaint brought to Waters in January by a female band member who said male band members were tweeting inappropriate, sexist and offensive comments they sat in sexual harassment training.
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11 Wonderfully Weird Facts You Might Not Know About 'Weird Al' Yankovic

October 23, 2014, 1:09 pm
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Get out your accordion, crank up the weirdness, and get ready to laugh because today is "Weird Al" Yankovic's birthday!

Our beloved prince of parody turns 55 today, so we thought we'd share 11 tidbits about Weird Al that you might not know. Check them out below!

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Toddler's 'October Fright' Halloween Photos Are Seriously Spooky

October 23, 2014, 1:27 pm
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When painter Aaron Marable became a dad, he found it hard to carve out time for artistic endeavors while taking care of his daughter Edith. So, he decided to combine them.

"I was spending my evenings with Edith anyway, so I thought, 'Let's have some fun. Let's get you involved in something creative'," the Kansas dad told The Huffington Post. The two embarked on a fun Halloween project that has become an annual tradition.

Every October, Marable and now 3-year-old Edie take spooky Instagram photos in the spirt of the Halloween season -- they call it "October Fright." The pictures are admittedly a little scary, showing Edie confront monsters and ghosts and other supernatural happenings. The dad is quick to note, however, that his daughter knows it's all pretend and genuinely enjoys the project.

"She's just having fun with her parents and getting to be an actress and is in a place that she's totally comfortable in," Marable said, adding, "It's a family affair. My wife helps with lighting and taking photos too."





Edie's role in the project has evolved since she started two years ago. Her dad says it's been interesting to see her growth, especially in "her curiosity about what we're doing and wanting to see the photos." The 3-year-old has also assumed a little more creative control over "October Fright." "I'm a little bit more at her mercy," Marable said.

The dad also said he hopes other parents who see his "October Fright" photos will realize that "you don't have to spend a bunch of money" to bond with your child and make a creative project with them.

Clearly the spooky photos haven't affected Edie's choice of Halloween costume this year. "She is claiming that she wants to be a skunk," Marable said. "I think she got her influence from Pepé Le Pew."

Below is a sampling of the Marables' "October Fright" photos -- you can view the rest on the dad's Instagram account.



























H/T Buzzfeed



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Photo Of President Xi Jinping Holding Umbrella Wins China's Top Photojournalism Prize

October 23, 2014, 1:37 pm
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Umbrellas have figured prominently in Chinese politics in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, a photograph of President Xi Jinping standing in the rain, pants rolled up above the ankles, protected by the canopy of a large black umbrella, won China’s top photojournalism prize, the National News Award.

The photo, captured by the state-run Xinhua News Agency during a trip to Hebei province in July of 2013, first garnered international attention for its informality. The picture is somewhat dull, the setting undeniably dreary, but in a country where the media is closely monitored and image is everything, leaders are rarely caught looking so ordinary, let alone holding their own umbrellas.

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Still, the photo of Xi stands in stark contrast to the wrenching images of pro-democracy demonstrators shielding themselves from police pepper spray during mass protests in Hong Kong last month -- a movement the media has dubbed the “Umbrella Revolution.”

Since the onset of the protests, the umbrella has quickly become a symbol for change in China, a call for freedom and democracy. The irony of the country’s communist leader holding that symbol, and the image now winning a state-sponsored photojournalism prize, was not lost on everyone. Around the web, photoshopped memes could be seen of Xi holding a yellow umbrella, the color of the pro-democracy movement.




H/T Washington Post
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Leslye Headland Is The Next Big TV Writer For The Modern Woman (And Everyone Else, Too)

October 23, 2014, 1:40 pm
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Television has never been an amazing source of three-dimensional female characters. For decades, the medium has relied on one-note stereotypes: the good girl, the temptress, the rebel, the know-it-all. But in the past few years, a new crop of shows -- "The Good Wife," "Orange Is the New Black," "Transparent" -- has emerged, showing that realistic women actually blur these lines.

And now there may be one more to add to the mix, in light of the recent announcement that acclaimed "Bachelorette" writer-director Leslye Headland (who cites those aforementioned series as inspiration) has a script commitment from NBC. She will collaborate with Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief Joanna Coles on a single-camera comedy about a failed political blogger who reboots her life as a sex editor at a women's magazine. After the news broke, Huffpost Entertainment spoke with Headland -- who, regardless of this particular project's future, will likely continue to be a big voice in television, film and theater -- about the origins of the pilot, complicated female characters and life's transitional moments.

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Tell us a little about the genesis of the Cosmopolitan project.
It really came out a meeting of the minds of Joanna [Coles] and I. Dave Bernad ["Enlightened"], who's a producer I've always wanted to work with, was quietly developing a show and they were looking for a writer. And he said, "You know, I just think you and Joanna would really hit it off. I think you guys should get together and chat." I went in to meet her and instantly fell in love. I knew who she was, and I knew Cosmo very well because I grew up reading it; Helen Gurley Brown is a personal hero of mine. I think her brand of feminism is exactly my brand of feminism. And I feel like Joanna, in and of herself, all the stuff she does but even just the way she talks, a lot of her pull quotes and stuff like that, it's the way I talk. "The most powerful weapon against misogyny and sexism is comedy. I really, truly believe that." Except that I'm, you know, a chain-smoking writer, and she's, like, a charismatic elegant woman.

We just starting talking a mile a minute and it went on for like two and a half hours. Then I embedded there. I sat in on a bunch of creative meetings, and went to a couple fashion week things and really got to start to see the world. So, it became, what kind of story do we want to tell and what kind of show do we feel like will represent the modern woman? The way the employees talk about the readers at Cosmo is so beautiful. It’s the way I talk about my audience, specifically my female audience. I’m always thinking, it’s not just about, "How do I get this thing?" It’s like, "What do I want to say to her?"

How would you describe this woman that you're imagining?
I guess, it's just somebody who feels the same things that I feel. I think it’s very hard to navigate the world out there as a woman today. I think it's always been pretty hard, but I think it's a little tricky right now. I just want to poke fun at the things that make us anxious. I just wanna pick out these anxieties and say, you know, these are actually pretty funny. We don’t have to take them quite as seriously as we’ve been sort of taught and conditioned. The most powerful weapon against misogyny and sexism is comedy. I really, truly believe that.

What do you think makes it specifically tricky to be a woman at this point in time?
I think right now it’s a little scary to call yourself a feminist. And I understand that. Like there’s this strange idea that if you claim that, that there’s something undesirable about you. And something that Cosmo has always sort of done -- and even to the point where it can get parodied because of it, which I think is pretty funny, and also the highest form of flattery -- is that you can own your sexuality. You can own who are and what you look like. You can actually embrace some materialistic things and still care about yourself and protect yourself and be a woman in this society. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

The lead in the upcoming show leaves her political blogging job to become a sex editor. Is she grappling with these ideas? What makes her make this transition?
Absolutely. I loved the idea of having a character who was in that return-to-Saturn kind of place. Like, wait a minute, I need to start my life over. This other thing isn't going to work out the way I thought it was going to. I had this particular idea about myself and who I was going to be and now I have to start over. "Don't manufacture your identity, actually let it come out and be what it is."I just love characters who have to rethink what their identity is. That is just like my favorite, favorite thing.

It’s something that we, especially as women, are sort of forced to pick. It’s like you’re a good girl or a bad girl, you're this or you're that. I love writing female characters who go, "I’m not quite sure what I am, but I do know that this thing isn’t working anymore and I wanna do this thing." There's this great expression: "Cultivate in yourself what others criticize, because that's style." That was something I brought up during the pitch. I was like I think this is about someone realizing that the parts of themselves they might be embarrassed by -- especially sex, which is what she gets put in charge of -- are actually the things that make you who you are. Don't manufacture your identity, actually let it come out and be what it is.

On a societal scale, do you think women's magazines help or hurt women? A common criticism might be, for example, that they uphold a very narrow standard of beauty.
I had this experience when I was promoting "Bachelorette," and when I first started to screen the film, they were like, "These girls are so mean." And I was like, "Well, yeah, they’re complicated characters, they really uphold these superficial values, but what they realize is that you can sort of be a multifaceted person." Like, you can be superficial and deep. The idea that women can be multifaceted and not one or the other was something that was so foreign to people that were interviewing me. It was like, well its either one or the other. They’re either assholes or they're not. And I was like, we never ask that about male characters. Do you ever think that maybe the audience would be discerning enough to decide which part of the characters they think are cool and which parts of the character they think are disgusting? Why does it all have to be one right across the board? I think that its a little bit of the chicken or an egg thing. It's like, are [women's magazines] upholding that? Or is that something that was already there? Are women just smart enough to discern whether or not they want to wear what they're gonna wear? Isn't that their choice? What they want to do?

What has to happen is you have to trust your audience. That's what it comes down to. Whether you're writing a movie, or you're making a magazine. You have to trust that your audience is smart. You have to assume that they're smart, you have to assume that they're gonna care, and then you go.

This interview has been edited and condensed.
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The New Yorker Finally Realized Us Plebeians Don't Get Their Cartoons

October 23, 2014, 1:53 pm
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Hey, highbrow literary references aren't for everyone. But then, why are you reading The New Yorker?

Longtime New Yorker Cartoon Editor Bob Mankoff just launched a new series in which he breaks down the magazine's droll comics in a way that we can't exactly tell if it's sarcastic or not. To introduce the pilot episode, Mankoff writes:

"E. B. White wrote, 'Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.' Not to worry. I’m just going to prod the frog to reveal some of his secrets. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll tickle him."

If this is a joke, then it is funny. If it's not a joke, then welcome to a weekly web series where the punchlines of cartoons are explained to people.
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Young People Use Gorgeous Instagram Pics To Show There's More To Haiti Than Poverty

October 23, 2014, 2:02 pm
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If you ask Paola Mathé, Instagram isn't just for shameless selfies and pics of delicious foods -- it's a great way to change negative perceptions of a country, too.

With over 8,600 followers, Mathé's Instagram account is filled with images of pristine beaches, colorful street art and swaying palm trees set against blue skies -- photos some wouldn't associate with Haiti, the country Mathé grew up in and frequently visits.

Mathé, who owns Fanm Djanm, a headwrap line, is among a number of young entrepreneurs and activists utilizing the power of social media to change how the world sees Haiti, Fusion reported. On Tuesday, HuffPost Live spoke with Mathé about her efforts to shine a light on a side of the Caribbean nation many Americans rarely see.

"I have the opportunity and the voice to show what Haiti is also about," Mathé said. "It's not just about extreme poverty, which we're also trying to fight and help -- but at the same time, it's a beautiful place."

(Story continues below)

There's just something about a colorful scenery... #livingcolorfully #Jacmel #haiti

A photo posted by Paola Mathe (@findingpaola) on





Sunday funday. #haiti

A photo posted by Paola Mathe (@findingpaola) on






According to BBC News, Haiti was a tourist hotspot in the 1970s. But throughout the past three decades, a handful of misfortunes caused major setbacks in the country's progress. In 1983, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claimed Haitian entrants to the U.S. were at an increased risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, causing a "major blow" to the nation's tourism industry, AVERT.org pointed out. The devastating 2010 earthquake that left more than 300,000 dead and the ongoing cholera outbreak resulting in its aftermath further damaged Haiti's global appeal.

A household survey taken in 2012 found that 59 percent of Haitians lived under the national poverty line.

"I hope to see this country get back on its feet, because when I was a kid, Haiti used to be the most beautiful country in the whole Caribbean," one Haitian who immigrated to Canada told BBC News in 2013. "Things deteriorated -- just too bad. But Haiti would be the perfect place now for the tourist people to invest and come back, and [help] this nation get back [on] its feet."

Lucie Cincinatis is another small business owner in Haiti who spoke with HuffPost Live about her efforts to change the country's reputation. She first visited the country as part of a program that allowed her to teach in Haitian schools, and -- after finding creative inspiration in the local talent -- gave up her life as a financial analyst in New York City to build locally sourced handbags in the Caribbean nation.

"I met so many artists that were just so good at everything, but had no access to bigger markets," she told the outlet. Now she works with some of those talented artists at her company, Jacmel & Co, and frequently posts photos of Haiti's natural beauty -- as well as her co-workers' artwork -- to more than 2,400 Instagram followers.

She told Fusion that some of her friends from different countries are shocked to see her photos.

(Story continues below)









Thanks in part to people like Mathé and Cincinatis, Haiti's outlook is changing for the better. In April, Caribbean News Digital reported Haiti experienced a 20 percent increase in tourist arrivals from the previous year, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

"Haiti is the only truly emerging tourism destination in the region," Marie Carmelle Jean-Marie, the country's finance minister, told Fusion.

Although tourism may be improving in Haiti, the country still faces chronic social and public health challenges. Only one third of 14-year-old students are in the appropriate grade for their age, the World Bank reported, and waterborne diseases remain a leading cause of infant and child mortality.

Still, significant progress has been made since the 2010 earthquake, including a substantial growth in GDP, a drastic reduction in cholera cases and the opening of dozens of health centers across the county.

To Mathé, it's important to focus on how far Haiti has come in order to further improvements.

"I understand everything that is happening," she told HuffPost Live. "Obviously, I know that there is a lot to be done. But what I'm asking for everyone is -- we need to invest in the country, and to see the bright and positive side of it, and to strengthen that side, and then pull all of the negative stuff up with it."








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'Insidious Chapter 3' Teaser Trailer Terrifyingly Tiptoes Back Into The Further

October 23, 2014, 7:55 pm
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The first teaser trailer for the third installment of the "Insidious" series has arrived, and the newest journey into the Further looks even more terrify than its predecessors. Revealed as a prequel to the first two chapters, "Insidious Chapter 3" marks the directorial debut of Leigh Whannell, franchise co-creator, writer, and co-star (he holds the role of Specs), taking over for James Wan. The movie's official synopsis:

“The newest chapter in the terrifying horror series is written and directed by franchise co-creator Leigh Whannell. This chilling prequel, set before the haunting of the Lambert family, reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl (Stefanie Scott) who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.”


“Tip Toe Through the Tulips" is featured in the trailer, and the song is associated with the red, Darth Maul-looking demon. In combination with some black, mucky footprints that climb up to the ceiling, it seems like the demon might make a return in the third chapter. Either way, the movie looks like it will be satisfyingly terrifying when it hits theaters in May 2015.
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10 Stunning Wildlife Photos From The National Geographic Photo Contest

October 24, 2014, 11:37 am
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Submissions continue to roll in for National Geographic's 2014 Photo Contest, and we've been wowed by the spectacular wildlife photography entered so far. Almost 5,000 photos have been submitted in the three categories of people, places and nature.

The contest closes on October 31, so you still have a few days to submit your photos, even if you're not a photography pro. Last year there were more than 7,000 entries from 150 countries. And if the photos we've seen are any indication, the judges this year are going to face a tough decision.

We showed you 10 beautiful nature photos from the beginning of the contest in September; here are ten more of our favorites. To submit your own photos, go to National Geographic's photo contest website. You can also see more entries by browsing the Nat Geo editors' top picks every week.

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Photo and caption by Marc Henauer/National Geographic Photo Contest
Off the Coast of Guadalupe Island, great white sharks gather to feed on sea lions. It is an ideal place to observe these majestic animals in their natural state. Far ideas through Hollywood movies, the great white shark remains fearful of man and does not leave easily approached. Location: Guadalupe Island - Mexico

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Photo and caption by Kristian Parton/National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest
This Weddell Seal had hauled its self out onto a snowy ice shelf in the Antarctic Peninsula. At first it was fast asleep, but after some patient waiting it began to wake up. Upon waking the seal inquisitively scratched and popped its head up to get a better look at who I was and what I was doing. In this shot it appears to be placing its flipper towards its chin, as if in deep thought. Location: Antarctic Peninsula

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Photo and caption by Hendy Mp/National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest
This photo I capture in the early afternoon, the animal species of lemurs fly. Location: Sambas, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

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Photo and caption by David Dillhoff/National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest
Not too far from the daily "rush hour" campaign one can visit one of nature's most special environments—Jones Beach, New York, the west end. It's a perfect host for various bird of prey species throughout the four seasons. Each winter hundreds of birders and photographers travel in search of the snowy owl. Location: Long Island, NY

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Photo and caption by Marco Schmidt/National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest
The Gecko was sitting on a Lobster-Claw Plant. The Red/Green complementary colors caught my eye. Captured on Big Island, Hawaii. Location: Big Island, Hawaii

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Photo and caption by Jonathan Huyer/National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest
A newborn polar bear cub explores its magical new world, while keeping close to Mom. Location: Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada

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Photo and caption by Rick Loesche/National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest
Eating a crab on Sanibel Island Florida. Location: Sanibel Island, Florida

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Photo and caption by Karoline Sleichter/National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest
An early morning ride through Yellowstone National Park in the winter is always a treat. On this very chilly morning, hardly a sound was heard as this herd of bison reminded us that we are the visitors in their land. Location: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States

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Photo and caption by Dave Kan/National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest
I was finishing up a photo shoot when a wild kangaroo appeared out of nowhere and bounded onto the lake, as if walking on water. This, along with the picturesque sunset combined to create an absolute visual treat! Location: Noosa, Queensland, Australia

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Photo and caption by Serhat Demiroglu/National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest
l had a chance to photograph a puma at very close distance in Bozeman. When a puma focus a target, it’s very impressive to watch its concentration, eyes, speed, opening his paws and nails. Location: Montana, USA
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What Everyone Is Saying About Taylor Swift's '1989'

October 24, 2014, 11:49 am
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Is this the first time we've ever actually anticipated a Monday? After reading the early reviews, we assume you'd rather bypass Saturday and Sunday so we can begin arguing the merits of Taylor Swift's new album. Because the reviews are mostly glowing. As in, this-is-the-second-coming glowing. Yes, it's going to be a long weekend. Try to enjoy it as much as possible. To make you even more envious, we've compiled the (mostly) wonderful things critics are saying about "1989" so far.

1. "By making pop with almost no contemporary references, Ms. Swift is aiming somewhere even higher, a mode of timelessness that few true pop stars — aside from, say, Adele, who has a vocal gift that demands such an approach — even bother aspiring to. Everyone else striving to sound like now will have to shift gears once the now sound changes. But not Ms. Swift, who’s waging, and winning, a new war, one she’d never admit to fighting." -- Jon Caramanica, The New York Times

2. "At her best (2010's 'Dear John,' 2012's 'All Too Well'), she's the most vivid songwriter of her generation, able to summon the storm clouds of every heartbreak you've ever had with one couplet and then sweep them away with another. But too often on '1989' she's trying to win at somebody else's game, whittling her words down to generic love stuff over flowy synthesizers. That's because pop, as a musical genre, is most precisely defined by what it isn't: not country, not rock, and not rap. Swift isn't any of those, but she isn't 100 percent pop, either — she's still too unique, too identifiably herself." -- Adam Markovitz, Entertainment Weekly

3. "Executive-produced by Swift and [Max Martin], two of the all-time biggest hitmakers, the LP could have been an overstuffed Frankenstein of battling ideas. But instead it's Swift's best work -- a sophisticated pop tour de force that deserves to be as popular commercially as with Robyn-worshipping bloggers; an album that finds Swift meeting Katy and Miley and Pink on their home turf and staring them down." -- Jem Aswad, Billboard

4. "Swift breaks with the past, skirting victimhood and takedowns of maddening exes, critics and romantic competitors. Instead, there’s a newfound levity. Not only is Swift in on the joke; she also relishes it." -- Sam Lansky, TIME

5. "As a songwriter, Swift has a keen grasp both of her audience and of pop history. She avoids the usual hollow platitudes about self-empowerment and meaningless aspirational guff about the VIP area in the club in favor of Springsteenesque narratives of escape and the kind of doomed romantic fatalism in which 60s girl groups dealt." -- Alexis Petridis, The Guardian

6. "A mere seven weeks from her 25th birthday, Swift has put out an album that, in substance, seems more regressive, teenage and girlish than ever. However radio-savvy and hook-obsessed it may be, it’s her flightiest and least substantial work to date. Which is saying something." -- Jim Farber, New York Daily News

7. "'1989' is Swift's declaration of independence from the country music industry that inspired and nurtured her, but was never really a natural home. Always more of a pop singer/songwriter at heart, she teams with expert tunesmiths in that genre — in addition to Martin, Shellback, Ryan Tedder and Jack Antonoff — to craft songs that, as the title suggests, nod to a previous era, when the term electro-pop didn't evoke the R&B- and club-based grooves of EDM." -- Elysa Gardner, USA Today

8. "Deeply weird, feverishly emotional, wildly enthusiastic, '1989' sounds exactly like Taylor Swift, even when it sounds like nothing she's ever tried before. And yes, she takes it to extremes. Are you surprised? This is Taylor Swift, remember?" -- Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone
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Dancers Standing Up To Bullying Never Looked This Beautiful

October 24, 2014, 11:51 am
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We've all heard the message in school assemblies or PSAs before: Cyberbullying is a problem. But it feels so much more poignant when it's told through art.

In a powerful video celebrating National Bullying Prevention Month, a boring high school classroom is transformed into a stage with uniform-clad dancers.

The inspiring piece of art was made by MusEffect, a non-profit group that uses performance to raise social consciousness about current events. The dancers leap through locker-filled hallways and auditoriums, turning typical high school fights and drama into graceful choreographed routines that show the vulnerability and loneliness every teen goes through, whether they're the bullier or the bullied.

Meanwhile, poet Azure Antoinette recites a spoken-word piece about cyberbullying in the background. Antoinette says:

Someone who you follow on Instagram could be sitting right next to you and you have no idea how to interact with them face-to-face. So you just sit and double-tap their latest status because double taps have taken on the role of a real compliment and 'shares' have become approval and un-friending and blocking is now the way we express conflict.


But Antoinette adds, "No on could actually have 953,000 friends. No one person would be comfortable with 4.5 million human beings actually following them. So we could all settle to be a little more heart. A lot less bully. And far more human... "

Beautifully said, Azure.

[h/t Dance Teacher Magazine]

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IMWF Announces Photojournalism Scholarship To Honor Slain AP Photographer

October 24, 2014, 12:43 pm
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The International Women's Media Foundation will sponsor a $1 million scholarship in honor of Anja Niedringhaus, the German AP photographer killed this past April while on assignment in Afghanistan, the organization announced Wednesday at its annual Courage in Journalism Awards.

In addition to the scholarship program, a $4 million fund for outstanding women journalists has also been set up by Howard Buffett, the son of billionaire Warren Buffett, who supported Niedringhaus during her Nieman Fellowship at Harvard.

"Women reporters are often looked down on, as many of you know," said Buffet at the award ceremony. "You're the last one to get the best equipment, you're the first one to be told, 'It's a man job, it's too dangerous for you' -- and that's why this organization is so critical to the world."

Women have traditionally been undervalued and discriminated against both in the newsroom and in the field. Last December, a study done by the International News Safety Institute and the IWMF showed that over 64 percent of women journalists endured instances of abuse at the workplace. The Women's Media Center reports that in 2013 almost two-thirds of all bylines in major publications belong to men, as well as the bulk of network television appearances. The response has been a call for more women on staff at news organization around the world, and fairer treatment once they arrive.

H/T Hollywood Reporter
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Why Pay A Contractor To Put Up A Wall When You Can Just Build One Out Of Legos?

October 24, 2014, 1:00 pm
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Looking for a little more privacy and a lot more color in your home? Just break out a box of Legos! But you'd better make it a pretty big box.

NPIRE, a creative studio based in Hamburg, Germany, spent almost a year building a Lego wall to separate the office kitchen from the hallway.

According to Design Taxi, the room divider is made up of 55,000 Lego pieces and is over 9 feet high and almost 10 feet wide. Inhabitat notes that the company used 80 packs of brand-new Legos and "some recycled ones."

Check it out:

lego wall

lego wall 2
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These Illustrations Will Change The Way You See Some Iconic Horror Movie Killers

October 24, 2014, 1:17 pm
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With Halloween just a few weeks away, our worlds have been filled to the brim with DIY costumes, a ton of candy and of course, scary movies.

But from a fashion perspective, iconic horror movie killers throughout history kind of get the short end of the stick.. at least when it comes to costume design.

That's where David Murray comes in. The UK based illustrator (whose Tumblr shows off some amazing work) and whose background is in fashion design, decided to give some of his favorite movie monsters a makeover, by dressing them to the nine's in some of the hottest designers around (Dries Van Noten and Moschino, to name a few).

We chatted with Murray about the illustrations, his style inspiration and what he has up his (very scary) sleeve.

On how he picked the characters:

I chose the most iconic killers, the characters that first come to mind when you think horror movies.

frankenstein
Frankenstein in Juun J


On pairing each character with each designer:

The green oversized double breasted coat from Juun.J's Fall 2014 collection inspired the Frankenstein idea, which really inspired the rest of the series. I researched some my preferred designers and it turned out a lot of the Fall 2014 collections included looks that I felt my favorite horror characters could wear without looking too abstract or out of place.

On if he thinks the illustrations could make these characters seem a little less scary:

I think it will take a lot more than a Moschino sweater or a Hood By Air Hockey Jersey for people to perceive these monsters in a less frightening light. People I've talked to still find them scary, even in their high fashion attire.

jason
Jason Voorhees in Hood By Air


On his favorite one:

I like Leatherface in Rick Owens, because it actually looks like something the dude would have worn in the movie.

On the movies that scare him:

As a kid, the "Scream" movies freaked me out a lot, as did "Halloween." Stephen Kings's "It" is quite disturbing as well!

pennywise
Pennywise in Moschino


On the character he wants to illustrate next:

There are so many, you'll have to wait and see. I have lots of new ideas that I'm putting to work!

We CANNOT wait. Click here to check out Murray's Instagram account.

david murray
Leatherface in Rick Owens
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Polyenso's '17 New Years' Just Created Your New Favorite Genre Of Music

October 24, 2014, 1:36 pm
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It's late on a Wednesday in September, and the boys of Polyenso -- Alex Schultz, Brennan Taulbee and Denny Agosto -- are headed to The Bends, one of their favorite bars in St. Petersburg, Florida. The walls adorned with oddities: a brass taco, a caged monkey, a gargoyle who looks like a demonic Yoda and a picture of a youthful, mustachioed Burt Reynolds enshrined above the center of the bar. The Bends acts as Brooklyn-ish transplant, serving as a refuge for the young adults of St. Pete who are looking for something outside the stale polos and short-sleeve, button-ups that permeate so much of the city like a bad rerun of "Miami Vice."

As our basic introductory conversation begins budding into new friendship, an informercial, of sorts, comes on the television that flickers on the back wall of the bar. Sequence after sequence, middle-aged men in suits cut through pig’s heads, turkeys and rope pillars with two-handed swords, axes and all sorts of exotic knives. The set looks like a medieval dining hall. Enraptured by the video’s absurdity and awesomeness, we are all struck by the same thought: “We are totally going to cut some large objects with a sword one of these nights.”

And so we did. It’s funny how far a joke can go after a trip to Walmart and a few stops at bars.



"It just has so many deep, beautiful meanings to it. To us it represents perfection within imperfection."
Polyenso breaks down into two parts: “poly” and “enso.” “Poly,” the prefix meaning "many," also captures the band’s proclivity for polyrhythms. "Enso" is a symbol in Zen Buddhism that is a circle drawn in a single brushstroke. Never a perfect circle, thicker and thinner at certain sections, among many things it expresses a “moment when the mind is free to let the body create."

“We knew the music was going to have these electronic elements sprinkled in,” Schultz said. "We knew it was going to be some types of music that maybe people haven’t combined before. ‘Poly' kind of had that futuristic thing to it that we loved. But then we ditched ‘poly' and I discovered 'enso' and brought it to the guys. It just has so many deep, beautiful meanings to it. To us it represents perfection within imperfection. You do it once and the beauty is in that imperfection. We went back to ‘poly' and not only did it have this ring to it, but now we have 'enso' and we’re each our own. It represents something a little different for each of us.”

The band released their debut album, “One Big Particular Loop," at the beginning of 2013, an exceptional record that captured stylings of acts such as Radiohead, R.E.M. and Coldplay. For several months now, the band has been in studio crafting their sophomore album, before premiering the first track, “17 New Years.”

While there is a tying thread between their harmonic choices, rhythmic choices and Taulbee’s vocals, Polyenso’s new work is a significant departure from their debut. Described as "urban indie progressive" by Agosto, the album demonstrates their listening habits of hip-hop, neo-soul and experimental electronic music, mashing elements from acts like Flying Lotus, Bonobo, Common, The Roots, Bright Eyes, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Justin Timberlake. But when it comes down to it, Polyenso has created a sound that is entirely their own. As Schultz notes, the failure to sound like your idols is how you create your own sound.

“The common goal is to find our version of a universal sound, as hard as that is because you can’t please everybody,” Agosto said. "I feel like it’s important to take a lot of those modern influences or old influences and put it in a cadence that is simple to understand, and, at the same time, be new and recycled.”

“It appeals to a wider genre, but taps into a more abstract style,” Taulbee said.

Recording in label Big3’s studio in St. Petersburg, the band came to producer Jason Pennock’s attention after a local promoter told him there was “only one band here worth knowing.” A long history in the business, having worked on a variety of hip-hop and pop records from Tupac to The Pussycat Dolls, Pennock described Polyenso as “some of the most creative people he has ever met.” He labeled his role as more of a psychiatrist, pushing and nudging the band instead of controlling, and encouraging the guys to be “wickedly honest” with each other.

“We’re all in the room a slave to the song,” Pennock said. "The song is actually more important than any of us, so leave the ego at the door because as much as I’d like my precious idea on the song, it’s more about the song dictating itself. They just live inside that space. There’s so much trust. They allow each other to make mistakes and explore.”

polyenso 2
Photo: James Lano

"That way you aren’t just hearing the guitar, drums, bass, piano, whatever your instruments may be. You hear almost a whole movie scene.”
For the new album, the band decided to rid themselves of all rules and barriers and experiment with a whole different approach to songwriting. Written almost entirely while in studio, they have forgone concerns of live-performance translation, choosing to focus on each song in that exact moment. Even when a track is fully written, they can think of something different, switch out those parts and give the song an entirely different vibe from where it started.

Hanging out in the studio's kitchen, Schultz explained how each member has a hand in every instrument, and that there is no limit to the sounds they are hoping to capture on the album.

“This is one of my favorite instruments,” Schultz said, pulling out a wooden bowl from below the sink. We were sipping on rum and cokes. “It just sounds so good.”

“And the spatula that he plays it with,” Pennock added.

“The spatula was a great find,” Schultz said. "That’s on like three tracks."

Besides kitchen utensils, Agosto has taken his passion for sound design to add organic noise into the songs.

“Brennan showed me this Bright Eyes song from the album 'Digital Ash in a Digital Urn,' and the lyric was, 'I feel like a piñata, why don’t you take a swing at me,’” Agosto said. "They put sample in the background of kids smacking on something, and they were laughing at the same time, and that painted the scene for me. I’ve heard it in other things before, but it never got my attention like that did. From then on, and that was quite some time ago, now I want certain parts or certain words in songs to make you feel like you’re there. I just take live sounds of certain things, and make instruments and samples out of different things that I hear. That way you aren’t just hearing the guitar, drums, bass, piano, whatever your instruments may be. You hear almost a whole movie scene.”

For example, one song includes the lyric “I’ll be going away for a little while, getting on a plane, thinking about not landing.” When Taulbee sings "getting on a plane,” Agosto added the ding of the seatbelt sign he recorded on an airplane, and when Taulbee sings “not landing,” he added a recording of a pilot saying, “Enjoy your flight.” They are subtle details, but they add an incredible amount of depth to the record.

polyenso 3
Photo: James Lano

"It’s the shallow part, so if the singer is sexy, it’s like, 'Hell yeah, man, I wanna date this band!'”
“17 New Years” is about a moment in a relationship when you realize that the person you love is using you as a scapegoat for their past emotional injuries. And despite how much you care for them and want them, you can’t let them bring you down. “Is that all I meant to you?” the chorus begs, even though the answer is already known.

"It’s a really relationship-y record,” Taulbee said. "It’s about being friends, having your heart broken and really loving somebody.”

The song marks the first vocal appearance by Schultz, who handles the chorus. Taulbee sings the verses.

“There’s this dynamic between the two of them that was never there before,” Pennock said. "I’m a big fan of Brennan’s voice; he’s like a god to me. Being involved with projects, it’s like when you meet a girl, the lead singer is so important because no one falls in love with a girl at first because of her personality. It’s always the pretty factor, so the singer is that. It’s the body. It’s the shallow part, so if the singer is sexy, it’s like, 'Hell yeah, man, I wanna date this band!' And then you meet them and you realize they’re the marrying type. Not only is she hot, but she likes football, too. It’s the singer first, and the songs and always these little qualities and you think, 'I can bring this band home to mom.’ Now, his dynamic has changed it. He didn’t do a lot of singing before, but it all just started with one part in one song. [...] Could I listen to a whole album of just Brennan? For sure, but each have their own tone, so adding Alex’s vocals in just takes it to the next level.”

polyenso 4
Photo: James Lano

“It’s better to be original than good. I don’t think good is enough anymore.”
Music is at a turning point. The rise of streaming services have opened up a pool of options that is larger than one person could consume in a lifetime. With unlimited access to any song at any time in any place, the blending of genres has never been more important. As Pennock noted, “It’s better to be original than good. I don’t think good is enough anymore.”

That's what Polyenso represents. It is truly rare to witness individuals who are absolutely in tune with their artistic vision and capabilities at work. It feels like a step into the future, where not only can you see the significance of what they are currently creating, but also how important they will be going forward. There’s something very spiritual to their music. From start to finish, their songs capture you in a moment, and in that moment we are all imperfect perfect beings together.
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7 Things You Didn't Know About 'Girls,' As Told By Jenni Konner

October 24, 2014, 2:14 pm
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Before you write that "Girls" think piece, know showrunner Jenni Konner will probably actually read it. Konner sat down with Slate TV critic Willa Paskin on Thursday as part of the 2014 New York Television festival's Creative Keynote series to discuss her early career, the Internet and "Girls." Here are some of the most fascinating things we learned:

jenni konner

1. Konner loves the Internet fervor surrounding "Girls."
Though she acknowledges it can turn nasty, Konner appreciates fans and critics' heated engagement with "Girls." "I actually love it," she said. "There are days where I'm like 'Oh my god, everyone is evil and so mean and terrible and why are they talking about bodies like that.' But in general, I actually think it's really exciting. And having done shows before there was Twitter, it's nice to engage with people most of the time when they're not awful." The showrunner said she reads many of the think pieces about the show, and has learned from the most thoughtful. "Even when it's kind of terrible or really angry, I tend to really enjoy people thinking about 'Girls.' If it's a thoughtful piece, even if it's like people completely misreading things, I still enjoy reading them," she said. "For every 200 stupid things, someone will say something thoughtful, and you feel so heard and it's so exciting. When people are super nasty then I just shut it out. But if someone has a point -- like when we got into all that stuff about race after the first season, we learned a lot, because the people who were thoughtful about it and who were smart and who came at us in a thoughtful way made us think differently about what we were doing."

2. She can never predict the episodes that will stir the most controversy.
Over its three seasons, "Girls" has been known to provoke controversy with certain episodes and storylines. But Konner says she hasn't managed to predict ahead of time what parts of the seasons will stir people up the most. "What is funny is that I literally can never predict what people will react to. Whenever I'm like 'Oh my god, that's gonna be a big deal,' it just, like, breezes over," she said. "It's really funny because I don't have any gauge for what people will respond to in that way or not."

3. Konner thinks Tim Molloy -- The Wrap reporter who asked about the purpose of nudity on the show at this year's TCA Winter press tour -- should "google it."
At one point, Paskin steered the discussion toward reactions to Lena Dunham's body on "Girls" by saying: "You have gotten mad at people asking about this before. I don't think I'm asking in this way, but have you been surprised how obsessed people are about Lena's body?" Konner then addressed her remarks to Molloy. "Yeah. I mean the time that I got really mad about it which I think you're referring to -- the TCA's, my rage spiral -- was because it was our third season. And the guy, he asked this question, [he] was a 'journalist,' he asked a question that was like: 'Why do we have to look at you naked so much?' And that's the kind of thing that I'm just, like, 'Go fuck yourself, dude.' We were also at the TCAs. We've been to that place for three years now talking about her nudity. If it had been the first season, maybe. But we were so, like ... I mean, google it. Google it. There are so many answers to the question about her nudity. The whole thing was so offensive. I don't even think in the transcript you could tell how fucking mad he sounded. He sounded so enraged about her nudity. And I was just, like, I can't."

4. She thinks "unlikeable" characters are just realistic.
The conversation also touched on the famous topic of the "Girls" characters' likability, and Konner said it's not something the writers are concerned with. "What I personally think is that I like so many people in real life who are probably unlikable," she said. "We all like unlikeable people and we like people who do bad things. That's like HBO to me. It's, like, 'It's not TV, it's HBO,' but it should be, 'People who do bad things, we like them anyway.' That is every show they've made. Kind of all great shows tend to be that. So I think the whole idea of likability is kind of silly because I think we all go through our lives making choices to enjoy people who are not perfect."

Konner also said she thinks self-centered behavior is a truthful part of being young. "They're really young," she said. "Part of it to me, especially with Hannah, is that she's really young and she's getting older and we're trying to grow her and make her a little bit less narcissistic and self involved. And we'll see if you guys agree with that. But I do think that they're really young girls, and I know I, at that time -- like, I look at myself and I'm like I cannot believe I had friends, or parents. I can't believe anyone talked to me. Or jobs. It's sort of this like really self-centered moment."

5. She and Dunham have mapped out the way all the "Girls" characters die.
Asked about how far into the future the writers have planned for the characters, Konner revealed that she and Lena once imagined all the characters' death scenarios. "Lena and I were at SXSW once, and we were in separate hotel rooms but we were on the phone, which is something we do a lot. And we figured out where everyone died," she said. "It was the 'Six Feet Under' ending. So we know where everyone dies."

6. Lena Dunham punctured her eardrum with a Q-tip the same year Hannah did.
Konner said it was difficult to film the scene in which Hannah punctured her ear drum with a Q-tip, in part because it was so close to when Dunham had done so in real life. "The first time we shot [the Q-tip scene], I could not watch because I was so grossed out. And Lena had truly pierced her eardrum in this exact way that year so it was very close." Unfortunately, Konner didn't manage to avoid looking forever. "So, she was doing it, and I couldn't watch and I just kept looking away and looking away," she said. "And we shot it and then I get a call from Judd [Apatow] a few days later. And he's like, 'You gotta reshoot the Q-tip.' And I was like, 'What do you mean?' And he was like, 'It's not gross at all.' And he's like, 'Were you watching?' And I was like, '... No.' So we had to reshoot it. So what you see -- the gruesomeness -- was me behind fingers."

7. Konner also stood by the romantic ending to the same episode, which Paskin admitted she had not been a huge fan of when it aired.
Viewers may remember the pretty unsavory reception to the finale of "Girls" second season, when the show suddenly went rom-com and had Adam swoop in as Hannah's savior. But Konner said she thinks it worked because it wasn't supposed to actually be a happy ending. "What we wanted it to end with was this feeling of her feeling rescued. But I think that that is not the same thing as a happy ending," she said. "It's someone in the middle of a breakdown and [Adam] has this crazy, over-the-top reaction that then sends them into a relationship that doesn't necessarily work, right? So for me it was a very sweeping romantic idea, but I always thought, well, this is Hannah's idea of what romance is, not the world's idea of what romance is. It was like her dream, but not necessarily a great dream."

"Girls" Season 4 will air in 2015.
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These Eerie Photos Of Abandoned Places Are So Much More Than 'Ruin Porn'

October 24, 2014, 2:27 pm
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People love looking at photos of abandoned buildings. The more opulent a structure once was -- and the more dilapidated it currently is -- the better. But why the fascination with this so-called "ruin porn"?

Chicago-based photographer Eric Holubow's new book, Abandoned: America's Vanishing Landscapes, released this summer, focuses on the product of his explorations inside abandoned properties. Holubow believes there is "a degree of fatalism" in his work, as well as a reminder that buildings aren't immortal. There's a "shared fate" between a building and the individuals who built it, he says. Like a car crash or a house fire, the viewer can't look away for fear that they may miss a rare opportunity to stare Death right in the eye.

Holubow also believes these images symbolize a loss of faith in powerful American institutions -- government and capitalism come to mind. Thus, photos of the disarray left behind by a shuttered school or the ruins of a once-glamorous celebrity hot spot take on deeper meanings.

(Story continues below photos.)
purple
The Hyatt House-Chicago (aka The Purple Hotel) in Lincolnwood, Illinois, was a thing of grandeur when it opened in 1961. In 1983, the still-unsolved execution of a known mobster took place there. It closed for good in 2007 and was demolished in 2013.

larimer
The Larimer School in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was built in 1896 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

paramount
First opened as a vaudeville house named the Liberty Theater in 1918, the Paramount Theater in Youngstown, Ohio, was closed in 1976 and fell into despair. It was demolished in 2013 after multiple failed attempts to revive it.

Holubow's work can be risky. Though he says he typically makes an effort to receive permission to shoot the spaces he enters, it's often difficult to get in contact with the buildings' owners, much less obtain authorization. Instead, he has to find a hole or window -- or other existing opening -- to enter through, sometimes encountering squatters living inside, or scrappers gutting the place. Other times, he's been chased by police or security figures "of both the human and canine varieties."

But the thrill, he says, is ultimately worth it. He hopes his work will bring attention to the storied past of significant abandoned spaces and prompt reflection on "what is being lost." While he admits some of the places he photographs are beyond saving, he insists it's not too late for others.

"I believe that photography, art or pretty much any content for that matter has the power to transform human behavior," he told The Huffington Post. "That is why I show my images and reveal their stories -- with the hope that they motivate people to take virtuous actions."

View more photos from Holubow's book:

central school
The warped gymnasium floor of the original Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, it was St. Louis' first co-ed high school.

hartsville
The reactor core at the Hartsville Nuclear Power Plant in Hartsville, Tennessee. It was commissioned by the Tennessee Valley Authority in the early 1970s to help satisfy the growing energy needs of the region. Construction ceased when the plant’s proposed electrical distribution area did not increase as rapidly as forecast. Its last reactors were canceled in 1984.

city methodist
The nine-story English Gothic-style City Methodist Church in Gary, Indiana, was completed in 1925 at a cost of more than $1 million, with over half the contributions coming from the U.S. Steel Corporation. When Gary's population started to decline in the 1960s, its struggle to survive began.

sattler
The Sattler Theatre in Buffalo, New York, opened in 1914 as a 928-seat theater constructed in the Beaux Arts style. After it closed as a movie house, it was used by several religious congregations until it was abandoned in 1996.

schlitz
The Schlitz Brewhouse at the Schlitz Industrial Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was built in 1890 and was shuttered in 1982.

michael reese
Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago opened in 1881. By the 1990s, much of the massive hospital had fallen into disrepair. In 2008, the entire complex was closed, and it has since been razed.

abandoned places
The chapel within the James Clemens Junior mansion (the Clemens House) in St. Louis, Missouri. Built in 1858, it was used as a homeless shelter as recently as 2000 but stands boarded up today.

richmond
The turbine hall of the Richmond Power Plant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of the biggest open rooms ever designed and once housed the world’s largest Westinghouse turbo-generators. The plant closed in 1985 and was featured as the prison site in the film "Twelve Monkeys."
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Here's A GIF Of Benedict Cumberbatch Strutting Like Beyoncé

October 24, 2014, 2:39 pm
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HuffPost Live's 'Spoiler Alert' Gets Spooky With TV's Best Halloween Episodes

October 24, 2014, 3:08 pm
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The spirit of Halloween is in the air, so HuffPost Live's "Spoiler Alert" indulged in a few tricks and treats with a discussion of what makes our favorite Halloween episodes so hauntingly hilarious, from "Roseanne" to "American Horror Story."

Speaking of "American Horror Story," this week's episode of "Freak Show" got a little two-faced. Host Ricky Camilleri and the "Spoiler Alert" panel also dissected "AHS" -- possible Voldemort cameo and all -- plus the latest installment of "How To Get Away With Murder."

Catch the full "Spoiler Alert" episode here.

Sign up here for Live Today, HuffPost Live's new morning email that will let you know the newsmakers, celebrities and politicians joining us that day and give you the best clips from the day before!
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Celebrate Picasso's Birthday By Spending $6 Million On One Of His Paintings

October 24, 2014, 5:51 pm
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Today marks the birthday of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, born on this date 133 years ago. What better way to celebrate this joyous occasion than by preparing to spend $6 million on one of his paintings?

picasso
Pablo Picasso, Portrait de femme (Marie-Thérèse), Oil on canvas, 18 ⅛ by 15 in., Painted on December 4, 1937, Est. $4/6 million


An upcoming sale at Sotheby's in New York will offer 125 Picasso artworks, including etchings, linoleum cuts, paintings, sculptures, lithographs and ceramics. These pieces, created between the 1920s and 1970s, range in price from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands. Taking place on November 3, this particular auction will be followed by the institution's Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale the next day, during which a portrait of Picasso's "golden muse" and lover Marie-Thérèse is expected to fetch anywhere between $4 million and $6 million. Break open your wallets, art admirers, because the only way to celebrate a man famous for uttering the words "Good artists copy, great artists steal," is to drop millions of dollars on his Cubist imaginings.

The 1937 oil painting we're referring to, pictured above, is titled "Femme au Col de Fourrure (Marie-Thérèse)." It is one of many portraits that depict Picasso's 17-year long mistress, Marie-Thérèse, the mother of his second daughter Maya. As many art historians have noted, Picasso tended to portray this lover in bright hues and dreamy poses, a style that stood in contrast to the artist's depiction of his later mistress, Dora Maar, whom he painted in a dark, shadowy manner.

A few more of the women in Picasso's life make appearances in the November 3 sale. Picasso rendered the image of Françoise Gilot in 1949, in a series of eight lithographs titled "Femme aux Cheveux Verts." And he captures the face of Jacqueline Roque in a 1965 gold plate called "Jacqueline au Chevalet."

For more on the auction, "Picasso Through the Eyes of a Connoisseur," see a preview of the pieces offered below. Here's to a very happy birthday to Mr. Picasso, a "genius for the ages."






All images are from the "Picasso Black and White" exhibit previously on view at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
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