Madame Tussauds Appoints 'Tissue Attendant' For Mourning Zayn Malik Fans

April 1, 2015, 12:52 pm

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One Direction fans have not taken the news of Zayn Malik's departure lightly.

Their reaction has been so intense, in fact, that Madame Tussauds in London said it had to appoint a "tissue attendant" as fans mourned beside Malik's wax figure.

The company had 150 boxes of tissues delivered to the wax museum and tapped 18-year-old attraction assistant Grace Cadden as "tissue attendant," according to Yahoo UK.

"Directioners that have visited since the news broke have enjoyed seeing all of the boys together and singing along with their songs -- many have also been teary eyed, but we've had a delivery of 150 boxes of tissues over the weekend so we're prepared," Cadden told Yahoo UK.

Marketing director Matt Clarkson said the museum previously had a tissue attendant on hand in 2012 when the band's wax figures were unveiled, but "on that occasion, it was tears of joy."

(Story continues below).

A Madame Tussauds tissue attendant hands One Direction fan Tansay Ratcliffe-James a tissue following the news of the departure of Zayn Malik from One Direction on March 31, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Huckle/Getty Images)


A Madame Tussauds attendant hands One Direction fan Laura Tokely a tissue following the news of the departure of Zayn Malik from One Direction on March 31, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Huckle/Getty Images)

Malik may not be part of the boy band anymore, but to the relief of fans everywhere, Madame Tussauds has no plans to remove his wax figure.

“We will absolutely not be removing Zayn from our One Direction lineup,” Clarkson said in a statement, according to TIME. “We will continue to play their music non-stop in their dedicated setting, and the Tissue Attendant will be on hand when needed.”

Last week, the museum posted a goodbye message to Malik on Facebook when news of his departure broke.

It was a pleasure to work with you Zayn Malik, we wish you all the best for the future.

Posted by Madame Tussauds London on Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Let's just hope those 150 boxes do the trick.

Madame Tussaud's did not immediately The Huffington Post's request for comment.

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T-Pain Says FKA Twigs And Robert Pattinson Are Engaged (UPDATE)

April 1, 2015, 1:09 pm

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UPDATE: T-Pain now claims he pranked everyone -- including Vulture -- for April Fools' Day. Good one.

Added a little #AprilFools to my interview with @vulture today! http://t.co/rBCarW9Ri4 #CheckMeOut pic.twitter.com/2bYguZRrp1

— T-Pain (@TPAIN) April 1, 2015

EARLIER: Love is real and exists between FKA Twigs, one of last year's biggest breakout artists, and some dude who used to play a vampire. In an interview with Vulture, T-Pain spilled the beans that Twigs and Robert Pattinson, who had maintained a low-profile relationship, were actually engaged.

When asked if Twigs would appear on his new album T-Pain said:

Well, the first time we even met each other, we met in the studio. Her music’s changed a lot since then. But she’s on tour so much, and anytime I call her, she’s in a different place. And she’s engaged now, so that’s about to be a whole other thing.

Uh, what? "Yeah, to ol’ Patty [Robert Pattinson]," T-Pain said. "I don’t know if she wanted anybody to know that ..."

T-Pain has spoken about his relationship with Twigs before and in an interview with the Fader said she changed his life. "Twigs actually changed my whole perspective on the music industry. She made me proud of myself again, the way she was talking to me." Maybe so, but now he's out here spilling all her secrets. Come on, T-Pain.

Twigs and Pattinson's representation did not return HuffPost Entertainment's immediate request for comment to confirm the engagement.

For more from T-Pain, head to Vulture.

Ancient Art Stolen From India Found At Honolulu Museum

April 1, 2015, 2:34 pm

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HONOLULU (AP) — An international investigation into antiquities looted from India and smuggled into the United States has taken authorities to the Honolulu Museum of Art.

The museum on Wednesday handed over seven rare artifacts that it acquired without museum officials realizing they were ill-gotten items. Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will take the items back to New York and, from there, eventually return them to the government of India. U.S. customs agents say the items were taken from religious temples and ancient Buddhist sites, and then allegedly smuggled to the United States by an art dealer. The dealer, Subhash Kapoor, was arrested in 2011 and is awaiting trial in India. Officials say Kapoor created false provenances for the illicit antiquities.

Someone on vacation visiting the museum last year recognized the name of Kapoor's New York gallery as the source of a 2,000-year-old terra cotta rattle and contacted authorities, said Stephan Jost, the museum's director. Museum officials then pored over their records and determined six other Indian items had ties to Kapoor.

Kapoor donated one of the items and sold five to the museum, Jost said. One was a gift from someone else.

Agents are hailing the Honolulu museum for being the first U.S. institution to publicly and easily cooperate with the investigation, dubbed "Operation Hidden Idol," involving four arrests and the recovery of thousands of pieces worth a total of $150 million.

"Owning stolen stuff is not part of our mission," Jost said. "I'm not sure we've done anything heroic. We just want to do the right thing."

Jost watched as agents inspected the items — the rattle, figurines, architectural fragments and tiles — and them hauled them in packed crates into a truck.

Martinez stressed there's no culpability on the museum's part, as it wasn't aware of the items' provenance when it acquired them between 1991 and 2003.

American art museums are becoming more rigorous in vetting the history of objects they acquire, Jost said. "Could we have done a better job? Sure," he said. "Were we a victim? Yes."

It's not uncommon for unsavory dealers to donate ill-gotten items for tax benefits and other reasons, said Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Brenton Easter. He's part of a group of agents in New York that focus on cultural property crime whose work includes dismantling the organizations behind the crimes and repatriating the seized pieces.

Some institutions are reluctant to come forward, partly because of the financial loss involved, Easter said.

It's very rare for evidence to come to light to show a museum has items that were illegally obtained, said James Cuno, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust.

"Claims might come from time to time. But most often those claims are based on just interest or the construction of national identity," he said. "If evidence is provided that's convincing, no museum will resist."

He cited an example from about 10 years ago when Italian police uncovered evidence revealing a number of items that were improperly removed from Italy. The U.S. museums where some of the items ended up returned them, he said.

Repatriation has become more common in the past couple of decades, said Malcom Bell, a professor of Greek and Roman art and archaeology at the University of Virginia. As a general rule of thumb, museums and art collectors avoid purchasing items exported without clear and valid documentation before 1970 — the year of a United Nations cultural agreement targeting trafficking in antiquities, he said.

"Transparency is important, and if the Honolulu museum has been open, that's probably to be applauded," Bell said.

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Follow Jennifer Sinco Kelleher at http://www.twitter.com/JenHapa.

During Holy Week, This Church Is Honoring Children Lost To Gun Violence

April 1, 2015, 2:54 pm

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A New York City church is marking Holy Week with an outdoor installation that honors children killed by guns in the United States since last Easter.

The front yard of St. Marks in the Bowery features about 70 crosses draped in T-shirts bearing the children's names and ages. All the children represented are under 12.



"We wanted to commemorate something that sort of parallels what happened to Jesus during the last days of his life," Rev. Winnie Varghese told The Huffington Post.



The episcopal church, located a few blocks from the site of the explosion that killed two and injured 22 last week in Manhattan's East Village, had a display last year that focused on New Yorkers who died by gunfire.

"We think that gun violence is epidemic," Varghese told HuffPost. "We would like to raise awareness."

A sign at the gate of the latest installation cites church-gathered statistics counting hundreds who have been injured or killed by guns in the last year. (Only those who died are represented with T-shirts.)



In a blog post for HuffPost, Varghese encourages people to consider the toll guns are taking on society.

"The question for us is whether these 700 injuries and deaths are acceptable, the unavoidable cost of the right to bear arms, or if they are an unacceptable sacrifice to an industry that is trying to convince us that a sacrifice acceptable for the 2nd amendment is our children," he writes.

"Remember Ana, Amiracle, Andrew, Sania, Nathan, Keytrell, Anthony, Alanna, Hayden, Thomas, Kamarri, Hunter, DeCorrin, Geonna, Daylen, Jase, Samuel, Caroline, Franklin, Paxton..."

Billboards Reflect Push To Prioritize Affordable Housing In London

April 1, 2015, 3:14 pm

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Living in London is getting more and more expensive, and those most affected by the increasing costs are raising their voices for the whole city to hear.

Rebecca Ross, a communication design lecturer at Central Saint Martins school, helped launch a platform for Britons to speak their mind on the lack of affordable housing in the U.K. capital. The project, London Is Changing, used two electronic billboards in the city to display 175 selected quotes from those affected by rising housing costs, Ross told The Huffington Post in a statement.

"I wanted to put the voices of a cross­-section of people affected onto the streets at a large scale normally reserved for one-way corporate communications," Ross said.

Participants quoted in the project -- who were asked to have either moved to, from or around London within the past year, or plan to within the next year -- answered questions via online form about their experiences.

The displays ran for a 10-day stretch earlier this year.

"London’s housing is no longer for those who need it but for those primarily concerned with accumulating capital," Reni Eddo-Lodge, a London-based freelance journalist, wrote in The Opinion Pages of The New York Times last October. "When bricks are cash and houses are savings accounts, the meaning of the word 'affordable' is warped beyond all recognition."

Scroll to see some of the messages displayed in the project, courtesy of Rebecca Ross and London Is Changing. Story continues below.








The displays reflect growing discontent among many Londoners who are fighting back against unjust housing costs.

Many low-income residents in the city, for example, have been protesting efforts to replace public housing spaces with luxury housing, CityLab reported.

Although they face an uphill battle against powerful interests within London, their efforts have made a difference -- at the very least, in perception -- according to the outlet:

"There’s still a feeling in the air, a sense that public attitudes as to what is and isn’t possible are shifting. If anyone expected the discontents of London’s transformation to disperse quietly, they’re already being proved wrong."

London -- where a 2013 study by nonprofit Shelter found a typical family spent up to 59 percent of their income on rent, according to the BBC -- is far from the exception when it comes to unaffordable housing. Major cities across the U.S. are grappling with similar increases.

A report released in March from the National Association of Realtors found in all but four of 70 American metro areas analyzed, rents have increased faster than incomes throughout the past five years, CNN Money reported.

Between 2009 and 2014, nationwide household income in the U.S. has risen by 11 percent, while rental costs have increased by 15 percent.

Back in London, Ross told BuzzFeed News that -- despite the disappointment expressed among many participants in the project -- her intent was not to promote negativity, but to encourage a conversation.

“I don’t want to tell people what to think, but do want to create space for dialogue," she said. "London’s population is actually increasing, not decreasing, and there are people moving here to take up jobs and careers where there might not be opportunities in their cities of origins. But of course I knew that people who are already here and leaving would be better tuned into this project and that, for them, it would be an opportunity to air frustration and heartbreak.”

H/T City Lab

To take action on pressing poverty issues, check out the Global Citizen's widget below.

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This Artist Will Craft Your Loved One's Ashes Into Beads

April 1, 2015, 3:33 pm

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They say your loved ones never leave you, but if you want to carry their memory with you always, Merry Coor will craft their ashes into a stunning memorial bead.

“The bead is the first adornment that people ever wore. I think people are drawn to the bead because of that,” Coor told The Huffington Post.

Coor made her first memorial bead in 2014. A couple had asked her to incorporate the ashes of a friend into the glass beads she's been making for 15 years.

“It was a pretty huge honor and privilege and intimate thing to do with these people’s ashes," she said, later describing a tearful embrace with the couple. "I realized that this was something I could do for people. I could make a difference."

Now, clients send her the ashes of their pets and loved ones through her Etsy store, which is a sideline to her Talisman Beads store in Eureka, California.

As part of her process, she invites clients to send along photos, letters and music associated with their lost loved ones. Although she hears tragic stories at times, Coor says she makes sure she's in a good mood before getting to work and simply remembers how loved each person or pet was.

"I think you put the energy in there, how you’re feeling. You’re just going to put good intentions in it," she said.



Coor crafts all her beads herself. First she makes round beads by applying heat from a torch to rods of silvered glass, then she applies the ash in a spiral pattern. A thin coating of clear glass seals the design.

Making one bead takes "15 years and 45 minutes," Coor joked.

According to her Etsy shop, the beads start at $108.

Since her shop started getting attention online, she says she's received 100 orders, about as many as she'd had in the past year.

“I’m getting orders from Uzbekistan. From all over the world. It’s overwhelming,” she said, adding that employees are helping her with paperwork and finishing the completed beads.



Her customers seem to value the ability to carry their loved ones close to their hearts.

Karen Hall-Thompson, an Etsy customer, cared for her brother for two years before he passed away from ALS.

"I wanted to have my brother with me through the rest of my life, just as I had the privilege of seeing him through the end of his," she told HuffPost. "This process is very personal and special, not a cold and inhuman production line."

Customer Danielle Marsalis had a bead made from the remains of her beloved dog Chloe. She said she appreciates that the bead, which she says is "very flattering," doesn't look like it's made of ashes.

"Every time I open jewelry box it brings both a smile to my face and a tear to my eye," she said.

Ora North, who also lost a dog, had beads made for her and her husband. A jewelry designer friend then put them on necklaces (as seen below).

"We didn't get enough time with him, so the beads have allowed us to keep him close a little bit longer," she said.


Photo courtesy Ora North

"I can't begin to imagine what it's like to lose a brother or a sister or a spouse or a child, but I know that what I'm doing really helps people," Coor told Humboldt Made. "I get beautiful letters back from people that are overwhelmed with the beads that I make for them."

So, what's her ultimate wish?

"I hope that the beads give you comfort, and help with your grief," Coor wrote on her Etsy page.

H/T The Creators Project

Captivating Underwater Engagement Photos Will Leave You Breathless

April 1, 2015, 4:12 pm

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Wedding photographers and married couple Adam and Shawn-Marie Ravazzano had wanted to shoot underwater engagement photos since moving to Maui last year.

In March, the Ravazzanos, of Love and Water Photography, found the perfect subjects in their friends and real-life engaged couple Leiha'aheo Kamahele-Beeck and Maika Dias of Oahu.


Credit: Love and Water Photography

Both the bride- and groom-to-be are experienced divers, so they were perfect for the shoot (and that's why they look so natural and graceful under the water).


Credit: Love and Water Photography

Interestingly enough, Kamahele-Beeck and Dias met underwater in the spring of 2013 while they were snorkeling in Oahu.

"I felt something press into and bounce off my butt," Kamahele-Beeck told The Huffington Post of that first meeting. "When I turned and surfaced, a very apologetic and embarrassed boy pulled the snorkel out of his mouth to exclaim that it was a complete accident and that he was sorry. It was his face that hit my butt!"


Credit: Love and Water Photography

"We both enjoy and love the ocean," Kamahele-Beeck added. "It's our sanctuary and our playground. The ocean is also tied to us because of our Hawaiian roots. It gives us life."


Credit: Love and Water Photography

The bride-to-be wore two different gowns during the shoot, both loaned by Oahu-based designer Joelle Perry. One was the dress that Perry walked down the aisle in at her own wedding.


Credit: Love and Water Photography


Credit: Love and Water Photography

See more stunning photos from the couple's shoot below:



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How To Take The Best Food Photos With Your Phone, According To An Expert

April 2, 2015, 7:23 am

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Admit it: You take the occasional food photo on your phone. You might even do it a lot. If you're not guilty of this all too common practice, you must know someone who is. At some point, you've probably patiently awaited permission to dig into your entree while someone's iPhone hovers over your plate. And, cringing as you witness the unappetizing photo going up on Instagram, you've probably wondered how much more space these kinds of humble brags can take up on the Internet.

To make everyone's life a little happier, we reached out to an expert in the ways of mobile food photos. While she's not a professional photographer, she's an expert in food -- a chef at one of New York City's hottest restaurants and a former food stylist -- and she has mastered the art of taking food photos with her phone. If you're looking to improve your skills or want to subtly give a hint to a friend in need, tune in to what Camille Becerra has to say.

Beauties @navynewyork --- Heirloom Tomatoes with strawberries and shallots on the menu later... #ifitgrowstogetheritgoestogether

A photo posted by @camillebecerra on Jul 28, 2014 at 10:12am PDT

Becerra is the executive chef at Navy, a restaurant and raw bar in Soho. She's a former "Top Chef" contestant, writes a column for Food52 called "Beyond The Basics," and will appear on a panel called "Food And Visual Culture" at Brooklyn's Food Book Fair, which takes place from April 10-12.

Becerra's Instagram account speaks for itself. Her photos are lovely, and yours (or your friend's) can be too if you follow some of her advice.

First and foremost, good lighting is essential, and natural lighting is best. Becerra says she tries to take photos during the day and when she goes to a restaurant, tries to get a seat near the window.

In that same vein, the flash is almost never a good idea. "Flash doesn't really agree with food," Becerra says. Depend on natural light at all costs.

Becerra also thinks a lot about composition. Negative space helps draw a viewer's attention to the food. "It's a good exercise in restraint," Becerra says.

While restraint is a good thing, you shouldn't be afraid of mess, either. Imperfection can be moving and there's "something very beautiful about a messy work surface," Becerra stresses.

Capturing a work surface is a beautiful way to highlight the process and the story behind the food. And that's where the power of a good food photo really lies: the story.

Duck prep for #gowanustobloomville #thepinestableonten dinner tonight.

A photo posted by @camillebecerra on Aug 31, 2014 at 5:48am PDT

Becerra thinks that images of food culture -- the people, the work and the customs that produce food -- is as beautiful as the final product. That respect for the whole process shines through in her work as she takes snapshots of carrot peels; a butcher, surrounded by hanging meat, behind his counter; and just-plucked, raw chicken. She considers these types of images beautiful and personal windows into the process that inform others about good purveyors and sources. Becerra likes learning from others in this way, which points to the promising potential of food photos.

Not only are food photos informative, but the very act of taking them is also an opportunity for growth. When Becerra first starting taking food photos, she committed to posting three photos a day on Instagram. The discipline and act of sharing on a regular basis helped her become more skilled and more critical. "You see things differently when you put them out in the world," she says. Her practice only fostered her already close relationship with food, and, of course, gave the rest of us a trove of beautiful photos to enjoy.

Shooting with @mogorjestani @malcompullinger today at the greenmarket...

A photo posted by @camillebecerra on Oct 4, 2014 at 7:04am PDT

Becerra doesn't only take gorgeous food photos. She embodies the notion that food photography doesn't have to be a medium used primarily for gloating. Perhaps more people can photograph their food to foster community, and spread the word about positive players, practices and places in the food movement.




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After Years Behind The Scenes, Seth Sikes Brings His Love Of Judy Garland To The Spotlight

April 2, 2015, 7:27 am

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If Seth Sikes is truly “a piano bar addict,” his new cabaret act could very well be the equivalent of a 90-minute bender.

With that in mind, it may come as a surprise to many that the titular star of “Seth Sikes is Still Singing Judy Garland” is best known in New York theatrical circles for his work behind the scenes, and does not consider himself an actor or a singer by trade.

“I always wanted to work in theater and musicals, so I went to school to be an actor,” the Texas-born Sikes, 31, told The Huffington Post in an interview. “However, I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t like acting that much. Auditioning and rejection are terrible, and if I wasn’t going to be the best at it, then I didn’t want to do it at all.”

Sikes performed “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart” at his October 2014 concert.


Instead, Sikes turned his focus backstage, serving as an assistant director on “The Nance,” starring Nathan Lane, and “Sondheim: The Birthday Concert,” among other shows. Despite a stream of consistent gigs and a day job, Sikes said the spotlight once again beckoned.

The result was “Seth Sikes Sings Judy Garland,” which played to capacity crowds at New York’s 54 Below last fall. A revamped version, which Sikes co-conceived with Tony-winning lyricist Lisa Lambert, returns to the venerable nightspot on April 16 and once again focuses exclusively on Garland’s legendary songbook.

Like many gay men, Sikes has had an affinity for Garland and her fabled career since his adolescence, but he hopes audiences don’t misinterpret his performance as an inspired karaoke act. Although he channels the energy of the superhuman Judy as she was captured on 1961’s “Live at Carnegie Hall,” Sikes doesn’t aim for a direct impersonation, but rather a heartfelt homage with a contemporary feel.

Songs like “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “The Man that Got Away” and “Get Happy” are featured prominently, while others are performed in Garland’s original key, which is a notable feat for any singer. One tune Sikes won’t do, however, is “Over the Rainbow,” deeming the “Wizard of Oz” classic “too sacred to touch.”

Sikes croons “After You've Gone.”



As to how his interpretations stack up against Rufus Wainwright, who famously re-created Garland’s Carnegie Hall concert on both sides of the Atlantic, he noted, “I love Rufus. Still, every time he sings a [Judy Garland] song, I think, ‘I can do that better.’”

The response has been, by all means, positive. Sikes says he originally set out to do only one 54 Below performance -- “I thought it would probably be ridiculous, I probably wouldn’t be very good but at least I’ll get it out of my system” -- but audience turnout was solid enough to get him invited back for a second, and now third, engagement.

Following his April 16 show, Sikes would like to take “Seth Sikes is Still Singing Judy Garland” on the road, aiming first for venues in Provincetown, Massachusetts and other gay resort destinations.

“Sometimes I think, ‘Seth, you’re doing the most stereotypically gay show in the world,’” he quipped. “But then I go the other way, and I ask, ‘What else would I do?’ And I think about how I get an opportunity to keep these songs alive. I do them as me, and people seem to react.”

Directed by Eric Gilliland, “Seth Sikes is Still Singing Judy Garland” plays New York's 54 Below on April 16. Singer-songwriter Nellie McKay will be the evening's special guest.

15 Vintage Images Show Just How Much Easter Has Changed Over Time

April 2, 2015, 7:52 am

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Long before plastic eggs, marshmallow peeps and bunnies at the mall, Easter was about bonnets, pretty dresses and celebrating one of the most important dates on the Christian calendar. To go back in time, we assembled this collection of vintage photos that harken back to a simpler, much less commercial holiday.

What was Easter like when you were a kid? How do you mark Easter today? Let us know in comments.

Photo Series Of People With Down Syndrome Beautifully Illustrates The Diversity of Humans

April 2, 2015, 8:04 am

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With a plain, green chair against a floral backdrop, an Iceland artist is showing the diversity and beauty of humankind.

"First and Foremost I Am" is an exhibition of 21 portraits of people with Down syndrome taken by photographer Sigga Ella. Ella reached out to Iceland’s Down Syndrome Association, family and friends to gather a group of people aged 9 months to 60 years old to photograph for the project. The artist chose 21 subjects to illustrate the extra copy of chromosome 21 that causes the genetic condition.

“I spent some time with each person so I could show, as much as possible, who they are,” Ella told The Huffington Post in an email. “I wanted each photograph to show us a person with his or her own special characteristics.”



The exhibition was first inspired by a radio show Ella heard that discussed the ethical questions raised by prenatal diagnoses used to detect birth defects. It provoked Ella, who has a family member with Down syndrome to think “Where are we headed? Will people choose not to keep an embryo if they know it has Down syndrome?” she told HuffPost.

To respond to these questions, Ella began working on her project. “[I wanted] to make people think that we are all unique -- we should embrace and celebrate the diversity of human beings,” she said.

The work’s title comes from an article written by Halldóra Jónsdóttir, a woman featured in the series, who wrote: “ I have Down syndrome but FIRST AND FOREMOST I AM Halldóra. I do a million things that other people do. My life is meaningful and good because I choose to be positive and see the good things in life.”



Ella used this positivity to design the exhibition, maintaining simplicity and choosing a floral background to "underline that all kinds of flowers can grow and flourish together,” she said. She gave no instructions to the people photographed for how to dress or how to pose, wanting everyone to be photographed as comfortable and happy.

The work began as Ella’s final project at the School of Photography in Reykjavik. All portraits were taken at the end of 2013 and beginning of 2014, and were first shown at the school in February of last year. The exhibition is currently on display at the Reykjavík Museum of Photography, and will move to Poland for the Warsaw Festival of Art Photography on May 15.

Scroll below to see more photos from "First and Foremost I Am."





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Giuliana Rancic Says She Got Death Threats After 'Fashion Police' Controversy

April 2, 2015, 8:56 am

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Soon after Giuliana Rancic came under fire for making racist comments about Zendaya's hair at the Oscars, she issued an apology and said, "I didn’t intend to hurt anybody, but I’ve learned it is not my intent that matters. It’s the result." Now, in a new interview with People, she says she received death threats after the controversy.

"I started very quickly getting death threats," Rancic said. "People were sending me pictures of the barrel of a gun saying, 'I'm going to kill your family.' It was awful."

After the bit aired, Zendaya wrote a powerful letter calling out Rancic, E! and "Fashion Police." Soon after, Kelly Osbourne and Kathy Griffin resigned from the show.

There's been debate about whether Rancic's comments that Zendaya's hair looked like it smelled of "weed" and "patchouli oil" were scripted or edited, but Rancic told People that there were "50 sets of eyeballs on set that day." She argued that the comments were taken out of context. "And not one person thought that it had the undertones that it ended up having once it aired because they heard it in context."

For more from Rancic, head to People.

Watching Them Turn Off The Rothkos

April 2, 2015, 9:30 am

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Every afternoon at four o’clock, people gather on the third floor of the Harvard Art Museums to watch them turn off the Rothkos.
The Rothkos are the series of murals that Mark Rothko painted, more than fifty years ago, on commission from Harvard, and the story of their demise and rebirth has been reported in several places. The work consists of five separate canvases, which were installed, in 1964, in the penthouse of the newly constructed Holyoke Center, a ten-story Harvard office building on Massachusetts Avenue across from the Yard. The canvases are each eight and a half feet high, and they hung on the east and west walls of the penthouse. There were picture windows, with spectacular views, on the other walls. The room (it no longer exists) was built to be used as a dining room on special occasions.

If The Criminal Justice System Treated Other Music The Way It Treats Rap

April 2, 2015, 10:19 am

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Around the nation, police and prosecutors are using lyrics from rap songs to incriminate suspects and obtain convictions, often in the absence of traditional forms of evidence. In this way, rap music, and by extension the artists behind it, face unique scrutiny in the criminal justice system.

The vague protocols and laws that enable this practice are used almost exclusively against young black men, the individuals most likely to be creating rap music. Whether this is by design or coincidence, the mentality that enables the practice is racially tinged and troubling.

In courtrooms, jurors are told by prosecutors, who sometimes misinterpret or manipulate rap lyrics, to view an artist's words as literal autobiography, rather than metaphorical or exaggerated storytelling. This works with disturbing effectiveness, critics say, because rap songs often contain lyrics that reinforce racial stereotypes about black males and hyper-sexuality or violence -- helpful when the prosecutor is trying to make the defendant out to be an actual criminal.

But when did we decide that the content of a song is a direct reflection of the songwriter's character -- and that it's evidence of real-life actions undertaken by that person? When did we decide there's no clear distinction between the world an artist creates and the world he or she actually lives in?

Would we ever have suspected Johnny Cash of actually being a cold-blooded killer?



Johnny Cash, "Folsom Prison Blues"

But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowing, I hang my head and cry...


Erik Nielson, a professor at the University of Richmond who has studied the prosecution of rap lyrics extensively, told The Huffington Post that he's identified "hundreds of cases" in which rap lyrics have played a significant role. There have been reports of police and prosecutors being encouraged to examine rap songs for possible use in legal proceedings. And the strategy appeals to yield results in court.

If the criminal justice system treated other kinds of music the way it treats rap, all of the artists below would be seen as suspects. Their lyrics could be considered confessions, and might be cited as evidence of the artists' criminal psyches or proof of their personal connection to actual crimes.

That would be completely ridiculous, of course. So why should rap music be any different?



Third Eye Blind, "Slow Motion"

Miss Jones taught me English
But I think I just shot her son
'Cause he owed me money
With a bullet in the chest you cannot run
Now he's bleeding in a vacant lot
The one in the summer where we used to smoke pot
I guess I didn't mean it
But man, you shoulda seen it
His flesh explode



Guns N' Roses, "Used to Love Her"

I used to love her, but I had to kill her
I knew I'd miss her, so I had to keep her
She's buried right in my backyard



Neil Young, "Down by the River"

Down by the river I shot my baby
Down by the river, dead, dead
Shot her dead, shot her dead



Bob Marley, "I Shot the Sheriff"

I shot the sheriff
But I say, but I didn't shoot no deputy
I didn't shoot no deputy



Dixie Chicks, "Goodbye Earl"

Earl had to die, goodbye Earl
We need a break, let's go out to the lake, Earl
We'll pack a lunch, and stuff you in the trunk, Earl
Is that alright? Good! Let's go for a ride, Earl



Maroon 5, "Wake Up Call"

Caught you in the morning with another one in my bed
Don’t you care about me anymore?
Don’t you care about me? I don’t think so
Six foot tall
Came without a warning so I had to shoot him dead
He won’t come around here anymore
No, he won’t come around here, I don’t feel so bad



Rihanna, "Man Down"

Oh, mama, mama, mama
I just shot a man down
In central station
In front of a big ol' crowd



Tom Jones, "Delilah"

She stood there laughing
I felt the knife in my hand and she laughed no more
My, my, my, Delilah
Why, why, why, Delilah
So before they come to break down the door
Forgive me Delilah I just couldn't take any more



Macy Gray, "I've Committed Murder"

I've committed murder and I think I got away
I'm hiding at my mother's house, come get me right away, right away
I have no intention of paying for my crimes, don't fear
We're gonna get the next plane outta here and fly away, fly away



Cher, "Dark Lady"

So I sneaked back and caught her with my man,
Laughing and kissing till they saw the gun in my hand
The next thing I knew they were dead on the floor,
Dark lady would never turn a card up anymore



Gwar, "Gonna Kill U"

I'm gonna kill you
Gonna cut your pretty face all up
Gonna smack
Gonna break
Gonna maim
Gonna kill you
I said
Gotta do what I have to, gotta forget all about you
And I ain't gonna give you anything
And I am gonna track you down, I guess...
I'm gonna kill you



The Killers, "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine"

We took a walk that night but it wasn't the same
We had a fight on the promenade out in the rain
She said she loved me but she had somewhere to go
She couldn't scream while I held her close
I swore I'd never let her go

Tell me what you wanna know
Oh come on, oh come on, oh come on
There ain't no motive for this crime
Jenny was a friend of mine
So come on, oh come on, oh come on

Interactive Game Captures The Harrowing Reality Of Being Harassed

April 2, 2015, 10:52 am

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If you ever meet someone who doesn't understand that sexual harassment is a big deal, invite them to play "Freshman Year."

The interactive game, created by game designer Nina Freeman, follows a character named Nina as she goes to a bar to meet up with a friend. As Nina navigates the evening, you get to make decisions for her each step along the way.



In the game Nina gets ready to go out with a friend who invited her to a bar. Nina's friend is late meeting her, and the game lets you choose what she does next -- change into a miniskirt, or stay in jeans and a sweater? Wait for her friend outside, or head into the bar alone? Regardless of the choices made, Nina ends up being sexually harassed and assaulted by a bouncer.

The game is an autobiographical vignette based on a night Freeman had in college, and stepping into Nina's virtual shoes is a chilling experience. It's even more impactful when you consider that 1 in 5 college women will experience sexual violence during their time at college, and the majority of these assaults are unreported. Even when a victim does file a complaint, fewer than one-third of reported college sexual assault cases result in an expulsion.

"I was trying to evoke the fear and confusion that I remember feeling when I had this experience as a college freshman," Freeman told The Huffington Post. "This incident was largely brushed aside by my friends at the time as 'not a big deal,' because 'it happens to everyone.'"



Freeman hopes that the game will show people who may not have been harassed just how harrowing the experience can be.

"I always wanted to make something that could help people understand that being harassed is indeed a big deal," she said. "I know it's a big deal, because I experienced it, and it was scary and traumatic. Freshman Year is meant to help [a] player embody my lived experience, so that they may better understand the gravity of my experience with harassment."

Check out the game here.

h/t Polygon

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13 Breathtaking Photos That Show Parents What Happens When You Slow Down

April 2, 2015, 11:41 am

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Pause. Take in the moment. Appreciate it. Rinse and repeat.

Unfortunately, this isn't a realistic routine for many parents. Between shuttling kids to various schools and activities, running a household and, you know, earning a living to afford these things, parents today have plenty of distractions. In an effort to step out of this race, two friends started a photography project that forced them to meditate on their lives as mothers once a week for 52 weeks.

The resulting book is appropriately titled Stop Here This is the Place, and it acts as a compelling argument to follow suit.

Photographer Winky Lewis and writer Susan Conley are the creative forces behind the project, which chronicles their parenting experiences in Portland, Maine. Each week for one year, Lewis would snap a photo to capture the lives of their respective children -- Lewis has two sons and a daughter, and Conley has two sons. Lewis would send the photo to Conley, who would write a few lines of accompanying prose.

"Parenting is a blur of days, but then the years fly by," Conley told HuffPost Parents. "We all know that, but how do we account for it?"



The book's striking cover photo features a child's legs clutching a stop sign. It's meant to be a "gentle imperative" for parents to take their own pause, Conley said. The beautiful snapshots within the rest of the book depict unremarkable interactions, but she said that it's in these quieter moments -- rather than birthdays or holidays -- where she's been able to feel closest to her own children.

"I think most mothers that I know are living that, too," Conley said. "You have to wait around for the good stuff to catch you by surprise."



For parents, the "good stuff" can be extracted from the most banal complaints. One page of the book features a photo of Lewis' daughter playing a board game with accompanying prose describing a child whining about how she wants a new mother, one who's less involved. Conley said that many of the passages in the book, including that particular line, were airlifted tidbits of conversations with her 12- and 14-year-old sons.

"That was a classic moment when my son said those very words to me,'I just want a mother who's not so involved!'" Conley said. "As a mother, that was a wonderful moment, where you keep a straight face but you're so glad that you're actually involved and that they are mad at you for being involved."

See? Good things do come to those who stop and appreciate. Check out 11 more shots from Stop Here This is the Place below. You can see more of Lewis' photos of motherhood in Portland on Instagram and Facebook.

Deputy Ordered To Undergo Counseling After He Took Photo With Snoop Dogg

April 2, 2015, 11:53 am

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A state trooper has been reprimanded for posing for a photo with Snoop Dogg at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, because the rapper has several convictions for drug possession.

Billy Spears was working security at the March event when Snoop Dogg asked to take a picture with him. The artist posted the image to Instagram with the comment, "Me n my deputy dogg."

Me n my deputy dogg ✨

A photo posted by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on Mar 20, 2015 at 11:03am PDT

Department of Public Safety and Transportation officials saw the posting and cited Spears for deficiencies that require counseling by a supervisor.

Spears' attorney says his client didn't know about the rapper's criminal record. Spears can't appeal the citation because it isn't a formal disciplinary action.

A department spokesman says the agency doesn't discuss or release specifics of personnel issues unless they result in disciplinary action.

Bowie Fans Rejoice! The Singer Is Making A Musical Inspired By 'The Man Who Fell To Earth'

April 2, 2015, 12:14 pm

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If you love David Bowie, musical theater and the 1963 classic sci-fi novel The Man Who Fell to Earth, boy, do we have some news for you. According to the New York Theatre Workshop, David Bowie is heading Off-Broadway to work on a musical/play inspired by Walter Tevis' book-turned-cult-film. And it's going to debut this year.



Yes, Bowie will be co-creating the stage production, titled "Lazarus" and based on the story of The Man Who Fell to Earth, along with playwright Enda Walsh and director Ivo van Hove. No, he's probably not reprising his role as a marooned extraterrestrial named Thomas Jerome Newton, a stranger who ventures to Earth in search of water for his home planet.

Still, fans who flock to the theaters at the end of this year, can expect new Bowie songs, as well as new arrangements of vintage tracks. All praise the Thin White Duke.

NYTW ANNOUNCES WORLD PREMIERE OF LAZARUS

“There’s a starman waiting in the sky...“

It is with much pleasure and... http://t.co/3eOT9LvsEk

— David Bowie Official (@DavidBowieReal) April 2, 2015

The New York Times reported the story on Thursday, which was quickly confirmed by David Bowie's Twitter and Facebook accounts. "It is with much pleasure and great excitement that we can confirm the Winter 2015 New York production of LAZARUS by David Bowie and Enda Walsh," a press release on Bowie's website reads.

Bowie originally took on the role of Newton in the 1976 film version of the book, directed by Nicolas Roeg. A few years later, he broke into theater in 1980 to play the title role in "The Elephant Man," a production that famously sold out and was attended by icons like Yoko Ono and Any Warhol.

Now he's working with Irish playwright Walsh, known for work on the Tony Award-winning musical "Once," and Belgian director van Hove, who sampled Bowie's music in his "Angels in America" adaption at the Brooklyn Academy of Music last year. Seems like he's in good hands.

It's safe to say Bowie will probably be busy until the end of the 2015-2016 Off-Broadway season. So, while the musician was not immediately available for comment, we'll go ahead and imagine his response for those begging for a Bowie press conference: "I don't want to go out. I want to stay in. Get things done."

Maddie Ziegler Is An Emotional Roller Coaster In Sia's 'Big Girls Cry' Music Video

April 2, 2015, 12:58 pm

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Wearing her signature beige leotard and platinum blonde wig, Maddie Ziegler has returned for her last appearance as part of Sia's video trilogy.

"Big Girls Cry" features the "Dance Moms" star facing the camera before a black backdrop, displaying a wide range of facial expressions while making frantic gestures. Her feet dangle while a pair of hands lift her into the air, until she finally drops to the ground and breaks free.

Thanks for the roller coaster of emotions, Mads.

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'Felines Of New York' Proves Cats Are Better Than People

April 2, 2015, 2:09 pm

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Sick of humans? Try cats.

Earlier this month, writer and comedian Jim Tews launched Felines of New York, a purrrrfect parody of the international phenomenon "Humans of New York."

"My grandparents immigrated here from New Jersey with nothing, and now I have this box. I wish they could see me. They’d...

Posted by Felines of New York on Wednesday, March 18, 2015

“[My site] was definitely inspired by ‘Humans of New York,’” Tews, who takes all the photos he uses himself, told MTV. “I like that site a lot, but sometimes it takes itself too seriously. It’s funny to think about trying to get a touching, human story from a cat.”

“One time I jumped out this window right here. I saw a bird on that branch and was like ‘I bet I can catch that bird.’...

Posted by Felines of New York on Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Tews told SparkLife that he doesn’t have a cat of his own, but he plans on getting one. He also wants to use the platform to post adoption listings for cats in need of homes.

“Oh sure, New York is great. It’s never occurred to me to live anywhere else. They talk about travel all the time, but I...

Posted by Felines of New York on Friday, March 27, 2015

See more Felines of New York here and here.

“I heard this mouse on the floor and I was like ‘Not in my house!’ then I killed it. Pretty quick too.”“That mouse...

Posted by Felines of New York on Monday, March 23, 2015

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