This year's Oscar nominations included not a single woman for best director. It's not terribly surprising, considering that over 87 years, only four women have ever been nominated and just one has taken home the award. But it's still a depressing reminder of pervasive gender and racial disparity in Hollywood: Fewer women and people of color get the funding needed to make movies that end up at our local theaters.

The video platform Vimeo, however, is taking steps to elevate female filmmakers with a new initiative, Share the Screen.

At the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Vimeo announced its pledge to support at least five film projects created by women, beginning with a short film from "Saturday Night Live" cast member Aidy Bryant. Through the initiative, the company will also fund educational workshops and meet-ups for filmmakers and spotlight more woman-created projects on its site.

"When diverse voices are given equal consideration and weight, more informed artistic decisions are made, better stories are told," Vimeo explained in a blog post. 

Projects will be vetted through the company's "traditional acquisitions pipeline," its Vimeo Originals development team, and the in-house team of curation specialists responsible for naming official Staff Picks. Vimeo will also be spreading the word at Sundance this week. 

And while the company is focusing on support for female-led content at the moment, a spokesperson for the site told The Huffington Post that the company aspires to broaden Share the Screen to include other minority voices, such as people of color or queer filmmakers, in the future.

While any effort to support underrepresented voices onscreen clearly deserves praise, we have to wonder whether Vimeo's message might be even better served by simply setting a new standard: Choosing to finance and promote projects from a diverse array of creators without all the fanfare. 

But Share the Screen does promise some good stuff.

Featuring Retta and Natasha Lyonne, Bryant's whimsical 20-minute film, "Darby Forever," is set for a Feb. 18 release. The "SNL" star plays a bored retail employee who concocts elaborate daydreams about her customers. (It's available for $2.99 pre-order now.)

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The hills of Park City are alive with the sounds of the Sundance Film Festival, which began on Thursday night and becomes an all-day affair on Friday. The Huffington Post is on the scene, having caught two films that seem destined to produce a lot of chatter over the next 11 days. 

"Other People"
Written and directed by Chris Kelly
Starring Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Bradley Whitford, June Squibb, Maude Apatow, Zach Woods and Retta

“Tonight I’m seeing ‘Other People'” (get it?) was the joke du jour among Park City’s press crowd on Thursday, when “Saturday Night Live” and “Broad City” writer Chris Kelly’s debut film opened Sundance. It stars Jesse Plemons in an unlikely role as a struggling gay comedy writer named David -- an analogue of Kelly -- who returns home to dull Sacramento to care for his cancer-stricken mother (Molly Shannon). He faces lingering judgment from a father (Bradley Whitford) who, a decade after David came out, still refuses to use the word “boyfriend,” disinterest in the younger sisters (Maude Apatow and Madisen Beaty) he left behind for New York City, kooky grandparents (June Squibb and Paul Dooley), and a breakup that amplifies his loneliness. ("Veep" and "Silicon Valley" star Zach Woods plays David's ex, and he's quite good.)

That’s a mouthful of tropes, even for a Sundance movie, and “Other People” often succumbs to weight of its ideas. David's comedy pilot wasn’t picked up and his relationship dissolved, meaning his life was already a mess. Now's he returned home to relatives who, outside of his loving mother, don’t understand him, insisting the only tangible outcome for their “New York boy” is a starring role on “SNL.” Kelly peppers the movie with quaint humor, but it can’t rise above a certain emotional vacancy.

Plemons, while admirable in a role that departs from his “Breaking Bad” and “Fargo” roots, may be miscast. He avoids making David a one-dimensional cliché, but his swishy mannerisms feel performative, and “Other People” insists on inserting a tired breakdown scene where David hollers in the aisles of a grocery store in response to his unraveling life. But it’s clear that Kelly has a grasp on the fragile bond between son and dying mother. Shannon is a true revelation in the role, reminiscent of Cynthia Nixon’s heart-rending turn in “James White,” which premiered at Sundance last year. Playing a second-grade teacher with a pragmatic optimism, Shannon opts for an intimacy that comes from knowing one’s time is limited. The character maintains a witty outlook on the world around her, making Shannon's graceful physical decay all the more powerful.

What “Other People” gets right is the oddness of returning to a hometown rendered unfamiliar after living elsewhere. But Kelly’s script insists on inserting that big-city single-mindedness -- pseudo-sophistication, if you will -- that makes almost everyone surrounding David seem inane. And the movie never quite captures a tone of any kind. It’s a dramedy that could stand to offer a few more laughs on its path to the waterworks we all know will come. The end left me a bit cold, like I never fully grasped why this particular family is at the center of a 90-minute movie opening a major festival. Kelly shows big-screen potential as a writer and director, but this particular outing could benefit from other people at its core.

"Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You"
Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady

Norman Lear is 93, and some of the first words to escape his mouth in his new documentary are “I never lost my childlike view of the world.” They may be true, but it’s Lear’s urbane outlooks that made him one of the 20th century’s great disruptors. In the hands of “Jesus Camp” directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, Lear’s influence on popular culture feels like a vital relic, conjuring a streamlined television era when network sitcoms shifted cultural and political discourse. As Amy Poehler says late in the film while presenting Lear with a lifetime achievement award, it’s so difficult for shows to accomplish that today, and therefore no one really tries anymore.

“Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You” isn’t mere documentary. Present-day interviews -- with Lear himself, cast members from his shows and admirers like Rob Reiner and Phil Rosenthal -- are juxtaposed with a young boy who artfully dramatizes Lear’s childhood, particularly as Lear reads from his 2014 memoir. That technique investigates the father issues Lear faced at an early age, as well as the innate progressiveness that told him not to belittle oppressed communities like so much of America did throughout the 1900s. Ewing and Grady plot a natural footpath to Lear’s comedic defenses and, ultimately, to his contributions to arguably the most influential sitcoms in history, shows like “All in the Family,” “Maude,” “The Jeffersons” and “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.”

Ewing and Grady don’t shy away from enshrining Lear with a golden aura, but “Just Another Version of You” never feels like hagiography. That’s most evident in a sequence about “Good Times,” a show that sparked outrage among the black community for its clownish signature character, J.J. -- he of the grating catchphrase "dy-no-mite." But where many documentaries would revel in a few gutting scenes that work extra hard to induce the guise of objectivity, “Another Version” always sticks to its thesis: that Lear was an ever-evolving emblem of fair-mindedness. He didn’t always get it right, as seen in impressive behind-the-scenes footage from his shows, but he always sought a better America -- one that wasn’t afraid to discuss race and abortion and class and homosexuality in 1970s primetime, when Nixon wanted just the opposite. That Lear walked away from television and devoted his life to political advocacy only reinforces his contributions to popular culture. He fought for the same things offscreen that he did on. And now, we have the fortune of a dynamite documentary that pays homage to an entertainer who accomplished what most don’t: an endless devotion to the messiness of the human spirit, and a curiosity that has effected change within an immeasurable number of America’s living rooms.

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A Kentucky mom's powerful blog post is offering a new perspective in the conversation about postpartum body image.

Photographer and blogger Ashley Glass wrote a post titled, "Thunder Thighs or Skinny Mini: The Truths Behind Body Shaming," in which she shares her own personal body image journey and offers some advice to her fellow moms and society as a whole.

Explaining that she's always been "the small girl," Glass begins her post with descriptions of the unkind labels and nicknames people always used to describe her "surfboard" figure. She then describes how her body changed with pregnancy and the birth of her now-3-year-old son.

"Having no idea what a legit post-baby bod would look like, I was a bit traumatized that I had a miniature basketball belly still there, even after he came out," she wrote. 

Though she shed the additional pounds, trouble began when the mom continued to lose weight uncontrollably, her hair started falling out in large clumps and her heart rate skyrocketed. She also started feeling extremely sad and emotional over very small matters.

"I felt judged and like all eyes were on me, but there was nothing I could do about it," she said. "Rumors spread at work that I was anorexic; co-workers monitored my lunch-eating habits. I started to hear comments about how 'sickly' I looked and how I needed to put on weight."

After a few doctor visits, Glass was diagnosed with a rare condition called postpartum thyroiditis. Soon after, she learned that she was pregnant with her second child.

The mom's second pregnancy brought more bodily changes like stretch marks and back pain, and now that her little ones are toddlers, she still grapples with body image sometimes.

"I may be the skinniest I have ever been but I have to admit that when I look in the mirror, I do it so quickly that I dodge certain parts of my stomach," she wrote, adding, "Postpartum Thyroiditis caused me two years of an emotional roller coaster. And back-to-back pregnancies caused me saggy skin; skin that is difficult for me to wear." 

At the end of her post, Glass looks more broadly at body image for all women.

"I am wondering when it became okay for others to body shame each other," she wrote. "If a woman is too heavy she is called 'fat,' and if you're in-between, maybe you've been called 'average' and if you're skinny, people tell you 'eat a sandwich.' No matter what size you are, how your skin looks or doesn't look, isn't this you? And shouldn't we put our arms around the women in our lives and tell them that they are freaking rock stars, child bearing or not?"

The mom concludes with a call to put a stop to body shaming:

"While I myself struggle to accept it, we are given these bodies one time. Of course they are going to change as we age; they will tighten and droop and re-tighten. And the bodies we had two years ago won't be the bodies we have tomorrow. We will all strive for different things, but can't we all work our asses off for one thing: to avoid the universally accepted process of body shaming and instead challenge our hearts to seek good in each other?

Glass told The Huffington Post that she "completely hesitated" to share this personal blog post, as she feared the many hurtful and judgmental comments that saturate the social media sphere today. 

"Because I am 'thin' I think there have been many women who don't believe that I could (or even should) struggle with the way I look," she said. "It's not fair to assume that because I weigh a certain amount on the scale means that everything is hunky dory."

"The loose skin and stretch marks haven't been something that I can easily look past and I don't think this makes me a bad person, I think it makes me human," she added. 

Glass was ultimately motivated by her passion for writing and a single goal: "to give a fellow mom or woman some inspiration, hope or courage." 

"We all choose a method on how to raise our children; a sleep method or feeding method -- cloth diapers vs. disposable, breastfeeding or formula. We choose one of these and then we run with it. We do it how WE want to do it," she told HuffPost.

But, she continued, it's hard to get past the tendency to compare your feelings and choices to what you see around you.

"The same rings true for our bodies," the mom said. "I bet some women look at my stretch marks and think, 'She's worried about THOSE? She hasn't seen MINE!' but that's not what this is about. This is about trying to encourage women simply to love one another."

"We are all so different, we've been through so many different things, your story will never be mine and vice versa; so why not just be supportive and encouraging instead?" she added.

For Glass, modeling a sense of positive body image for her children is a major goal. 

"My husband and I want our children to find value in MORE than their body image," she said. "If all our daughter Reese feels as she gets older is that 'she's beautiful,' we did something wrong. We want to teach them that it is OKAY to be skinny or curvy, short or tall, beautiful or not; it's what is on the inside that matters."

As she told HuffPost, raising kids who are "kind, respectful, loving, and considerate" is what it's all about.

That's a message parents can certainly get behind.

H/T BabyCenter

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Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is using her Oscar nomination as a call to arms for her country to fight a very serious, brutal and prevalent problem -- honor killings.

At least 1,000 women are killed each year in Pakistan -- often by stoning to death -- as punishment for actions that bring shame to her family or community, according to the Pakistani human rights group Aurat Foundation. That number may be much higher, the organization says, because many killings go unreported. 

But while honor killings are defined as murder under Pakistan's penal laws, more often than not, male perpetrators of honor killings are pardoned, due to a legal loophole that allows a victim's family to forgive the killer in exchange for money or retribution.

In 2015, the Pakistani Senate voted in favor of the Anti-Honor Killing Bill, which effectively forbids perpetrators of honor killings to escape punishment under any circumstance. But legislators have yet to pass the bill into law, and people are still getting away with honor killings without culpability.

Obaid-Chinoy's 2015 documentary, "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness," follows the harrowing real-life story of 18-year-old Saba, who was attacked by her father and uncle for eloping. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary, Short Subject on Jan. 14.

"It's such an important story because it highlights that even today in 2016, this barbaric practice is still taking place, and there aren't enough laws preventing people from killing people," Obaid-Chinoy told The Huffington Post on Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Following the nomination, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also expressed his "commitment to rid Pakistan of this evil by bringing in appropriate legislation" in a press release.

While Obaid-Chinoy said she was "very happy" with Sharif's pledge, she also said there was much work left to be done.

"Now that he has very publicly said that he's going to work on [ridding Pakistan of honor killings], I think that we, the women of Pakistan, need to hold him accountable," the filmmaker said.

Obaid-Chinoy called on Sharif to fast-track the legalization of the bill, and "publicly come out to say that this is not something in our culture or in our religion, and that he stands by the women."

"As a father and a grandfather, [he should] make that gesture not only to the women of Pakistan, but also to the women of his own family," she added. "Now that the world is watching Pakistan, this is the right time to push this bill through."

The death of 25-year-old Farzana Iqbal made waves in May 2014, when she was stoned to death by her relatives in Lahore, Pakistan, after she married against their wishes.

But honor killings are not unique to Pakistan. At least 5,000 honor killings take place across the world every year in countries as diverse as Afghanistan, Turkey and the United States, according to the Honor Based Violence Awareness Network.

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Jan. 22 marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. While there have been many steps forward in the quest for reproductive rights since 1973, there have also been setbacks, from the striking down of buffer zones in several states to absurd legislative restrictions, like mandatory waiting periods and bans on abortions after 20 weeks.

Today, women who make the choice to get an abortion still face stigma and shame -- often manifested in the form of angry anti-abortion protesters who swarm outside abortion clinics throughout the country.

Wendi Kent, a freelance photographer based in Madison, Wisconsin, decided to embark upon a challenging experiment: turning the lens on anti-abortion protestors, and stripping them of their anonymity. Her photo series, called "Faces of the Fight," is an ongoing photo project where Kent takes candid shots of protests in front of abortion clinics across the U.S.

The inspiration for the project came in 2014, when Kent says a friend of hers posted an image of a "wanted" style photo of herself on Facebook. The image, created by an anti-abortion group, included her friend's full name and information, and listed her occupation as "Pro-choice journalist." Two other women were included in the image, with a caption that read, "Please pray and fast for these three women during Lent."

This kind of public-shaming and personal attack against people who support abortion rights, even if thinly veiled as Christian benevolence, is a common tactic in anti-abortion harassment. 

"I realized that I never see portraits of these [anti-abortion] protesters," Kent told The Huffington Post. "I've only ever seen the same half a dozen stock photos of their vulgar signs but I didn't know anything else about them. And neither did the general public. I set out to remedy that by photographing them." 

The goal of the project, Kent says, is to "shine a light on what women face everyday, at clinics across the country."

By photographing anti-abortion protestors all over the United States, Kent also hopes to dispel the myth that all protestors in the movement are harmless. Over the course of the project, she's photographed protestors following clinic-goers to their cars, or screaming at them and their companions. In a way, the project is showing the stark, often unflattering humanity of these protestors. 

"I want to show these protesters what they look like," Kent adds. "I believe that the majority of them believe they aren't intimidating... I want to force them to see that [they are]."

In addition to stripping the anonymity away from these protestors and fixing a harsh spotlight on their harassment, Kent said that her mission is also to inspire med students to seek out abortion education, and encourage people to volunteer to escort women who visit clinics. 

Unsurprisingly, Kent has been met with her fair share of pushback from protesters. So far, the photographer has snapped protestors at clinics in four different states, including New Jersey and North Carolina, and has encountered varying degrees of hostility from anti-abortion activists who do not want their pictures taken. Many are often shocked or thrown-off by her presence. Often, they'll respond to her presence by holding signs in front of their faces, or glaring at her ominously while telling her that she's "in their space."

Once, Kent remembers, "I had a woman stand directly behind me by about 10 inches and every step I took, she would step with me. She was saying, 'Well I'll just stand behind you just like this and then you can't get my photo!' She was laughing. It was like something a child would do."

But there's a powerful flip-side to Kent's project. In documenting these protestors, she's also documenting the clinic escorts and defenders who must deal with them head-on. It's their reactions to the harassment and conversation that have been most striking for her. 

"They are amazing. What really shows is that their number one concern is that women and their companions make it safely into or out of the clinic of their own free will."

The significance of the project, especially on the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, isn't lost on the photographer, who believes it is incredibly important that the abortion rights movement includes the trans community and anyone needing abortion care. And so, Kent, keeps going. She funds the project out-of-pocket and relies on donations from supporters via her fundraising page. She's eager to connect with volunteers, clinic staff and escorts, and eager to document the realities of the harassment they face.

The beauty of Kent's project is that her goal isn't to villianize anti-abortion protestors. She's simply attempting to show them as they truly are.  

View more photos from the "Faces of the Fight" project here.

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Fun fact: Netflix plans to spend $6 billion this year developing original series, films and documentaries to keep us happily binge-watching our lives away.

Everyone who is anyone already knows old favorites like "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and "Orange Is the New Black" are coming back, but what about all these new shows and movies?

We decided to go down the research rabbit hole and find out what's up with the roughly four dozen new titles expected to debut this year. Although we can't say which of the 19 titles below will become the next "Making a Murderer," we can say that we are irrationally excited about all of them. 

 *** 

1. "Marseille" (May 5)

Type: Political drama series

Why we're excited: French Claire Underwood (possibly)

Like its name, "Marseille" is super French -- it will star Gérard Depardieu -- and centers on a municipal election involving a "power struggle" and "all-consuming ambition." The lead character, Robert Taro (played by Depardieu), has been the mayor of Marseille for 25 years, but now he's running in a merciless race "against his young, ambitious former protégé." Cool. Depardieu has been a pretty wily character since the whole Putin-granting-him-Russian-citizenship-'cause-they-are-buddies thing, so he'd probably make for an intriguing and slightly villainous fictional mayor-slash-French-Francis-Underwood. Question: Is there a French Claire Underwood? Please, say there's a French Claire Underwood. - KB

2. "The Get Down" (Aug. 12)

Type: Music drama series

Why we're excited: '70s New York City + Baz Luhrmann

Few directors are as divisive as Baz Luhrmann, whose recent, coruscating remake of “The Great Gatsby” was mostly panned, and whose sentimental “Moulin Rouge” praised from the rooftops by romantics everywhere. He’s bringing all that brightness and pomp to Netflix this year with a musical that "Glee" fans are sure to get giddy about. Instead of show tunes, though, the teens on “The Get Down” will sing disco, hip-hop and punk songs. - MC

3. "The Crown" (TBD)

Type: Historical drama series

Why we're excited: "Downton Abbey" is ending, so ...

In its trailer, "The Crown" feels like a darker "Downton," whisking us through tumultuous changes to the British Commonwealth's royal leadership in the 1950s. Since "The King's Speech" has already made us experts in midcentury British history, we're already familiar with the delicious drama caused by King Edward VIII and his divorced (!) American (!) socialite lover, which led to the former's abdication. His brother -- the one with the stammer -- took over from there, passing the crown to Elizabeth upon his death. Cue a perhaps little-known power struggle between Elizabeth and her hierarchically inferior husband Philip. Yaaas, Queen. - SB 

4. "Lady Dynamite" (TBD)

Type: Mockumentary series

Why we're excited: Funny ladies like Sarah Silverman and Tig Notaro, all together

To explain why Netflix's "Lady Dynamite" looks so promising, let's go over a couple of names: Maria Bamford. Sarah Silverman. Jenny Slate. Tig Notaro. Ana Gasteyer. All of the aforementioned comedians are set to be involved in the series in some way, with Bamford starring in what's being touted as "the story of a woman who loses -- and then finds -- her shit."

We hope this series will continue in the vein of celebrating lovable disasters like Abbi and Ilana on "Broad City" or Julie on "Difficult People." Plus, knowing "Arrested Development" creator Mitchell Hurwitz is at the helm, we'll definitely be tuning in for this one. - JC

5. "Flaked" (Mar. 11)

Type: Comedy series

Why we’re excited: Will Arnett, Venice Beach and the "Arrested Development" creator

Will Arnett starring in a comedy series about a make-believe guru would be good enough, but there’s a lot more about “Flaked” to get excited about. Like the fact that the show takes place in Venice, California, a gentrifying area of the country ripe for teasing. Or that Arnett wrote and created the show with Mark Chappell, who worked on the super funny “Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret.” But mostly, we’re excited that “Arrested Development” creator Mitch Hurwitz is one of the show’s executive producers. That’s a vote of confidence that should bode well for all parties. - MS

6. "The Mascots" (TBD)

Type: Mockumentary

Why we're excited: We'll watch any Christopher Guest movie

Christopher Guest hasn't directed a movie since 2006's "For Your Consideration," so his newest is an easy candidate for our consideration. "Mascots" sounds like the "Best in Show" follow-up we knew we needed, calling on frequent Guest collaborators like Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Jennifer Coolidge and Bob Balaban for a mockumentary about worldwide sports-mascot championships. Yep, that means goofy people running around in oversized furry heads. Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy, unfortunately, are not booked for this particular Guest outing, but that's okay: It sounds like there will be ample antics without them. - MJ 

7. "The Magic School Bus" (TBD)

Type: Kids' educational series

Why we're excited: Science, duh

Am I rafting a river of lava? Oh, no, I'm just WATCHING A FREAKING EPISODE OF "MAGIC SCHOOL BUS." Or at least that's how I'll feel when the revamped show debuts. In my excitement of all things Ms. Frizzle, I have some questions. Is Liz dead, or is she just this magical creature that will live forever? Will Ms. Frizzle stay true to her curls, or did she discover keratin treatments? Is Carlos the stand-up comic of my dreams? How many blood streams will we be going down this season? Finally, can I be a character because I LOVE SCIENCE AND STUFF? - CP

8. "Chelsea Does" (Jan. 23) 

Type: Documentary series

Why we're excited: Chelsea Handler has zero boundaries

As a big "Chelsea Lately" fan, I'm really excited for Handler's new documentary series about ... I'm not quite sure? Whatever it is, it'll be fun to watch Handler talk to her ex-boyfriend and meet those "intellectual racists" she talked about with Matt Lauer recently. (I'm imagining a "Borat"-like scene.) Also, she apparently does drugs in Peru for one episode so, yes, will I be watching that. - CL

9. "Fuller House" (Feb. 26)

Type: Family comedy series

Why we're excited: '90s nostalgia is the best kind of nostalgia

Whatever happened to predictability? It died in 1995 when “Full House” ended (along with a little piece of my soul). After that, we’ve just been left with questions: Is Danny Tanner still a neat freak? Is Uncle Jesse still big in Japan? Will anyone ever. Cut. It. Out? And most of all, is that Comet in the “Fuller House” teaser? He should definitely be dead by now, right? Well, all those questions are finally being answered in Netflix’s new "Full House" reboot. Danny, Joey, Uncle Jesse and even good ol' dead Comet are apparently all coming back. Are we excited? You got it, dude. - BB

10. "Special Correspondents" (Apr. 26)

Type: Satirical comedy film

Why we're excited: We used to like Ricky Gervais -- maybe we could like Ricky Gervais again (maybe) 

He’s not exactly the best awards ceremony host, but there’s no denying Ricky Gervais is a funny guy adept at delivering deadpan lines without cracking a smile. If you’re one of those people who miss no opportunity to voice your preference of the British version of "The Office," don’t miss this movie about a hack journalist who stages made-up reports from the front lines of war. - MC

11. "Stranger Things" (Jul. 15)

Type: Mystery series

Why we're excited: Winona Ryder + '80s vibes

The Hollywood Reporter bills "Stranger Things" as a "love letter to '80s classics." If that's the case, then there's no better actor than Winona Ryder to embody the angst and subversion of that decade. "Stranger Things" takes place in working-class Indiana, where a young boy mysteriously disappears and his oft-bullied best friend goes on a quest to find him. According to Variety, there's also some "top-secret experiments" and "a strange little girl." (Intrigue!) Further, it'd be hard not to imagine rural Indiana serving as its own ominous, foreboding character, sort of like Minnesota in FX's "Fargo" or woodsy Washington state in Twin Peaks. - MR

12. "First They Killed My Father" (TBD)

Type: Human rights drama film

Why we're excited: Netflix Oscar baiting: Angelina Jolie edition

Angelina Jolie will join the ranks of A-listers bringing their films to Netflix when she follows up "By the Sea" with her next directorial effort, an adaptation of Loung Ung's 2000 memoir, First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. Jolie worked on the script for several years, ultimately delaying what was supposed to be her next project, the ivory-poacher film "Africa," which struggled to secure financing last year. "First They Killed My Father" is expected to debut on Netflix later this year after hitting the festival circuit, which, given that the film's distribution is locked up months before its release, is basically code for Angie Is Still Hungry For That Oscar. - MJ

13. "Hannibal Buress: Comedy Camisado" (Feb. 5)

Type: Standup special

Why we're excited: Because people need to know Hannibal Buress is funny

Many people mainly know Hannibal Buress as the man with the fans who brought back those long-lingering Bill Cosby sexual assault allegations via a clip uploaded to YouTube. But we also appreciated him as the lovable, stable, tooth-cleaning foil to Ilana Glazer's wall-humping character on "Broad City." For all of you who missed his national tour last year, here's your chance for some Hannibal standup. Don't miss it. - SB

14. "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (TBD)

Type: Dark comedy series

Why we're excited: We're ready for some refreshingly depressing TV

Not everyone loved the 2004 movie adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, starring Jim Carrey (although, erm, I really, really did). It received a lackluster enough reception that the follow-ups were never made. Now, Netflix is giving arguably the most charming children’s book series ever a new filmic home, and word is Neil Patrick Harris will be taking the role of villainous Count Olaf. It’s such a witty, dark, goofy, poignant series that it’ll be easy to mess up, so my anticipation is mixed with anxiety, but hey, it’s worth a shot! Anything to bring back the irrepressible joy I felt when I first opened a new Lemony Snicket and dove into a story with, ironically, no happy beginning, no happy ending, and "very few happy things in the middle." - CF

15. "Luke Cage" (TBD)

Type: Marvel comic series

Why we’re excited: We're sad there wasn't more Luke in "Jessica Jones"

Obviously, we watched and loved "Jessica Jones," in which Luke Cage makes several (but also, not quite enough?) appearances. Lucky for everyone, he's getting a show of his own. Set primarily in Harlem, it seems likely we'll get a peek into Luke's backstory, including how he got his powers through some kind of failed experiment. Oh, and Rosario Dawson -- who showed up for a brief period toward the end of "Jessica Jones" -- is supposedly playing a much more important role here as the nurse Claire Temple. Be still, our hearts. --SB

16. "The OA" (TBD)

Type: ???

Why we’re excited: Because we have no idea what it’s about

No one seems to know what this show is about, except that two people named Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij are involved. It might have the barest IMDb and Wikipedia pages we’ve ever seen. We’d be lying if that lack of information didn’t intrigue us. Then again, it could easily suck. - MS

17. "Cooked" (Feb. 19)

Type: Documentary series

Why we’re excited: The "Going Clear" filmmaker takes on food

Almost everything documentarian Alex Gibney touches turns into must-watch TV. He was behind two of last year’s biggest documentaries, “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine,” and “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.” Before that, he crafted unforgettable films on everything from WikiLeaks and Lance Armstrong to Enron and Eliot Spitzer. Now, he’s taking on a new topic: food. Working with one of the most influential voices in food politics, Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma), Gibney has “Cooked,” a series on the importance of cooking. It’s a simple-sounding topic that will likely turn out to be anything but. - MS

18. "Love" (Feb. 19)

Type: Romantic comedy series

Why we're excited: Judd Apatow does what he does best

A show that finally tackles the emotion of love! This show stars Gillian Jacobs, which should mean something to you because "Community" should still mean something to you, as well as her long list of should-be-star-making-but-somehow-still-hasn't-happened TV roles over the last half decade. Alongside Jacobs is Paul Rust, who, at first glance, actually might not mean something to you, until you realize he's actually been involved with some of the best cult comedy shows of the last decade, including "Arrested Development," "The Greatest Event in Television History" and "Comedy Bang! Bang!" Netflix is certainly taking a big risk by ordering a story about love to series, but the people behind it may just be endearing enough that in 2016 audiences may feel comfortable watching a human man and woman mate. - TVL

19. "War Machine" (TBD)

Type: Satirical comedy film

Why we’re excited: It's a black comedy about the Afghanistan War starring Brad Pitt -- need we say more?

Netflix paid $60 million to claim the rights to this movie, so we could just assume the movie is good. But it’s got a lot more going for it than just that. “War Machine” is a black comedy about the U.S. war in Afghanistan based on the 2011 book The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan by the late Michael Hastings. The satirical film has unambiguous star power -- Brad Pitt plays General Stanley McChrystal and Topher Grace plays his civilian press adviser -- but it’s the topic and genre that most intrigues us. How are Pitt and Director David Michôd going to pull off a funny movie about one of the least funny topics of the 21st century? - MS

Contributions by: Bill Bradley, Katherine Brooks, Jillian Capewell, Madeline Crum, Claire Fallon, Matt Jacobs, Carly Ledbetter, Chanel Parks, Melissa Radzimski, Maxwell Strachan and Todd Van Luling.

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Adult coloring is all the rage right now, but as the least artistically talented person I know, I have been dragging my feet to try it.

As a kid, I had a hard time coloring within the lines. Art was my most challenging subject in school and even my stick-figure drawings were difficult to interpret. But after talking with some similarly non-gifted friends who swore by their coloring books, I realized the practice doesn't exactly rely on an art school education. 

What's more, people are swearing by coloring's health benefits. It's known to relieve stress and anxiety, stimulate creativity and focus the mind. And it's one of the few ways to bring you back to the worry-free times of childhood.

As we are in the last couple weeks of the HuffPost Happiness Challenge, I thought, what better time than now to give adult coloring a try? And I’d love for you to join me. To make it easy, we’ve included free coloring pages you can print to get started.

Enough stressing about art. It's time to color our way to inner zen.

Click here to print the image below:

Click here to print the image below: 

Click here to print the image below: 

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Other than the festival's opening-night Norman Lear documentary, we have yet to see a Sundance movie that bowls us over. We're sitting down with the folks behind the mystifying "Swiss Army Man" (including Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe, who plays a farting corpse), the buzzy frat-hazing drama "Goat" (including Nick Jonas and Ben Schnetzer) and "Christine" stars Michael C. Hall and Rebecca Hall, so look out for coverage of those movies later. Of what we've seen, nothing seems destined for mainstream ascendancy. But there's enough to like in "Morris from America," and many Todd Solondz fans were in heaven after Friday's "Wiener-Dog" premiere. Here are a few words on those, plus the mind-boggiing horror comedy "The Greasy Strangler," which is as bizarre as its title sounds.

"Wiener-Dog"
Written and directed by Todd Solondz
Starring Danny DeVito, Greta Gerwig, Julie Delpy, Tracy Letts, Kieran Culkin, Ellen Burstyn, Zosia Mamet and Keaton Nigel Cooke

It takes effort to make a movie about a cute pooch so unlikable. I expected something endearing, but I should have known better: Todd Solondz founded his career with bleak movies like “Welcome to the Dollhouse” and “Happiness,” and even though some will insist “Wiener-Dog” has a sweetness at its core, Solondz is ultimately the same nihilistic auditor of middle-class struggles he’s always been. 

“Wiener-Dog” revisits Dawn Wiener, the ridiculed protagonist of “Dollhouse” (played in adult form by Greta Gerwig), who intersects with the movie’s opening storyline. A father (Tracy Letts) gives his young, newly cancer-free son a dachshund, much to his self-absorbed wife’s (Julie Delpy) disdain. For various reasons, some unexplained, the dog is shuffled from one disparate storyline to the next. After the dog contracts what seems like incurable diarrhea, Dawn steals it from the vet clinic where she works and nurses it to health, then gives it away to a sweet married couple (Connor Long and Bridget Brown) with Down syndrome. The little sausage then inexplicably finds its way into the arms of a bitter, washed-up screenwriting professor (a great Danny DeVito, in by far the movie’s strongest section) and, later, an elderly misanthrope (an also great Ellen Burstyn) who names it Cancer. This anthology structure is built thematically, as each character is facing or thinking about or struggling to overcome death.

Fans of Solondz’s work will argue there's gentleness in what Sundance billed on its lineup as the story of a pup “spreading a certain kind of comfort and joy.” And look: I appreciate movies about death, even when they’re tinged with cynicsm. But “Wiener-Dog” is beyond that. It’s pointlessly nihilistic, with an ending -- I won’t spoil it here, but you can read about it in Mike Sampson’s review over at Screen Crush -- that, to me, was devoid of the poignancy Solondz is striving for.

Solondz has always divided audiences. By that measure, “Wiener-Dog” is a roaring success. But with the exception of DeVito’s blindly incognizant hack, the characters are too self-aware to make their unlikability interesting. It’s a balance I simply didn’t respond to, and the few moving moments along the way -- namely a scene where young doll-like versions of Burstyn’s character show how much more beautiful her life could have been had she just been a better person -- are lost by a sense of grating hopelessness. -- Matthew Jacobs

"The Greasy Strangler"
Directed by Jim Hosking • Written by Toby Harvard and Jim Hosking
Starring Michael St. Michaels, Sky Elobar, Elizabeth De Razzo, Gil Gex and Jesse Keen

"The Greasy Strangler" is, well, greasy. When I walked into the first midnight screening on Friday, the mood was rambunctious. Some people donned bright pink hats with "Greasy" written on them, while the other, more unsuspecting members of the audience -- myself included -- still wondered what the film was all about. Well, to my shock, it was a complete mind f**k -- the type of horror movie that destroys you mentally. 

The Elijah Wood-produced, Jim Hosking-helmed project follows The Greasy Strangler, Ronnie (Michael St. Michaels), and his son, Brayden (Sky Elobar), as they navigate their lives as bulls**t artists and disco-history tour guides. (No, I'm not lying). Both men, Ronnie especially, are obsessed with greasy food and eat nothing but things that look so unappetizing that watching the film makes you nauseous. What else makes you nauseous? The abundant amount of nudity and extreme levels of Dada absurdist humor. (There is one scene focusing on paprika potato chips that literally made me laugh for five minutes because of how ridiculous it was). 

The movie is shot beautifully and appears to have cost a pretty penny, but the bizarre nature of the story forces you to question the filmmaker's mind in a "What the f**k did I just watch?" kind of way. 

I thought witnessing Daniel Radcliffe turn into a farting dead-corpse Jet-Ski in "Swiss Army Man" was weird, but "The Greasy Strangler" takes weird to a whole other level. Not to mention the strange love triangle between Ronnie, Brayden and his girlfriend Janet (Elizabeth De Razzo) -- like, whhhaaaaaatttt? 

Talk about a brave actress. De Razzo deserves all the kudos, as do those prosthetic penises that appear in almost every scene. -- Leigh Blickley

"Morris From America"
Written and directed by Chad Hartigan
Starring Markees Christmas, Craig Robinson, Lina Keller and Carla Juri

One of my favorite movies at Sundance last year, “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” presented a frank portrait of young female sexuality in 1970s San Francisco. “Morris from America” picks up its torch, shifting the gaze to a 13-year-old African-American boy (Markees Christmas) living with his widowed father (a career-best Craig Robinson), a former soccer player named Curtis who is now coaching a team in present-day Germany. 

An aspiring rapper who feels like he doesn’t fit in amid a sea of ivory skin tones, Morris joins a youth center at the behest of his caring German tutor (the charming Carla Juri). The kids don’t treat him warmly, and when he spews out a vulgar rap during a talent show, the tormenting worsens. But Katrin (Lina Keller) -- a selfish, nervy, alluring 15-year-old girl who’d already caught Morris’ eye -- takes a liking to him. She has a boyfriend, but her flirtations give Morris a semblance of friendship as they swap music tastes (he introduces her to Jay Z, she introduces him to techno) and avenge Morris' bullies.

Morris is enamored. (He dresses his pillow in a cardigan she’d accidentally left on the bus and engages in the classic teen-fantasy sex scene.) Yet his outsider feelings linger, and Morris pulls away from Curtis as a result. Instead of becoming overly angsty, the movie tugs at the sentimentality of the pair’s relationship, as effected in Christmas' and Robinson's top-notch performances. Morris needs his father, even when they aren’t playing Jenga or jamming about hip-hop -- and Curtis needs Morris, so much so that he fosters their affection with brash, profanity-laced candidness.

Writer-director Chad Hartigan, whose “This Is Martin Bonner” was a Sundance award winner in 2013, has great affection for these characters. “We’re the only two brothers in Heidelberg -- we gotta stick together,” Morris tells Curtis in an affecting monologue at the film's close. That’s a fine thesis, though Hartigan’s direction can feel mishmashed. Take a scene where Morris walks through a museum while sculptures bob their heads to the beat of the music in his earbuds. It’s cute but misplaced, considering nothing else onscreen is that surreal. And enough with movies that feature teen boys (or grown men) ogling magazines of airbrushed pinup women and then seeking replicas of their horny delusions. Stories of male sexuality are worth telling, of course, and there's enough sweetness to make this one work -- but it almost becomes too much of a macho cliché. Thankfully, those are minor blips along the way to a charming movie. -- Matthew Jacobs

The Sundance Film Festival is Jan. 21-31. See the full lineup here.

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A bold and powerful photography project is bringing celebrities together to pose as same-sex couples and families as a way to combat homophobia and provide positive images of recognizable figures engaging in queer relationships.

The series, called "IMAGINARY COUPLES," is the brainchild of French artist and photographer Olivier Ciappa and has been displayed in galleries and cities around the world from Paris to Lima. Featuring Eva Longoria posing with singer Lara Fabian and "Sicario" director Denis Villenueve posing with "Dallas Buyers Club" director Jean-Marc Vallee, Ciappa found inspiration for the project from homophobic attitudes he encountered globally -- particularly following the legalization of same-sex marriage in France.

"The celebrities that I shot are heterosexual, but it was essential to me that you would believe these imaginary couples and families they portray were real," Ciappa told The Huffington Post. "If you couldn’t identify with their love and feel it was real, then I would have failed. And to show that love is love, no matter who [is involved], the exhibition also features real gay families, straight ones, single parents, disabled, people of different skin colors and origins, different religion, young couples, old ones… All of these pictures, imaginary or real, have the same glamorous and warm monochrome style that makes them look not only appealing but timeless."

"IMAGINARY COUPLES" is tentatively scheduled to hit the United States this summer, possibly in Los Angeles. Check out some more photos from the series below and stay tuned for more from this project.

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A game-changing comic book is offering a fresh take on the way religion and sexuality intersects with comic book culture.

Called Stripling Warrior, the project from So Super Duper Comics follows Sam Shepard, a happily out newlywed who receives a visit from an angel on his wedding night calling him, in the words of author Brian Andersen, to be "the hand of God on earth."

The series, illustrated by James Neish, is meant to be an exploration of the mythology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through a queer lens.

"Basically, I wanted to mine the religious lore and mythology of the Mormon Church to empower a homosexual hero -- to show that a gay character is every bit as worthy in the eyes of God as any heterosexual one," Andersen told The Huffington Post.

Check out the the interview below to learn more about this project and to see a selection of illustrations from Stripling Warrior.

The Huffington Post: What is your overarching vision for Stripling Warrior?Brian Andersen: My overarching vision and concept for Stripling Warrior is to tell a fun, sexy, perhaps provocative story by taking familiar superhero tropes and casting them into a comic book about an average guy who’s a gay Mormon superhero. Because everyone loves a gay Mormon, right? (Wait, what…they don’t?)

Basically, I wanted to mine the religious lore and mythology of the Mormon Church to empower a homosexual hero -- to show that a gay character is every bit as worthy in the eyes of God as any heterosexual one.

If I can tell an entertaining story that anyone can enjoy, whether you’re familiar with Mormonism or not, whether you’re homosexual or not, than I’ve done my job.

And if my little comic can bring some small measure of comfort and pleasure to those who’ve felt marginalized by their faith because of their sexuality then I’ve hit a touchdown.

It might be silly to think a comic book can accomplish this -- but I’m not opposed to being silly.

How does your identity shape and inform your work?
My identity as a gay man, a Mormon, a husband, a father and a lifelong comic book geek informs all of my writing/creating in that I strive to be authentic and honest to my experiences.

Occasionally I’ve been criticized because some of my characters are deemed too “stereotypically homosexual.” That they act and talk too femme. Really? Can someone be too homosexual?

All I know is that I’m writing from a personal and heartfelt perspective. Yeah, I’m a queeny gay, what of it?

Since when did being a flamboyant homo become such a negative thing in our community? I don’t believe that “masc for masc” type dudes are the only acceptable type of gay superhero.

One of my main characters, Samuel Shepard, may have a fruity inner monologue, but that doesn’t take away from his ability to kick ass. Like me, Sam is many things and he can be both fully queened-out and totally butch at the same time.  I’d love to see more “femme/masc” heroes out there! Who’s with me?!

Why do you think it's important to see this kind of queer representation in comic books?
Representation matters because members of the LGBT community need to tell our stories. We need to own our narratives. For so long we’ve been defined by others -- our religious leaders, our political figures -- that we’re usually lumped in the “sinner” category. That somehow our rights don’t matter because we’re sinners and therefore not deserving of equality.

I refute that idea.

I don’t believe with who and how I have sex defines me as a person. I’m not a sinner because I’m married to a man. (I am a sinner in many other ways but that’s a tale for another time.)

Being LBGT is not something to be ashamed of. Just as gay sex is not something to be ashamed of. I felt it was important to show healthy homosexual sexual relationships -- both male and female -- in my story.

Gay sex won’t turn a heterosexual person to stone. And it isn’t quite the dark side of the force religious peeps make it out to be. It’s just as real as (boring) hetero sex.

Although much has changed in modern comics, I for one was sick of characters not being allowed to have sex, let alone be shown kissing. It took Northstar twenty or so freaking years before he had his first on panel same-sex smooch. That’s ridiculous!

The more my fellow LGBTs stand up and speak up, the more we will demand the respect we deserve as human beings. Who I sleep with does not make me less worthy, nor any less deserving of equality than anyone else. No matter what someone’s ecclesiastical leader tells them.

Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.

What do you want people to take away from your work?
I’d love to stimulate my readers by giving them a metaphorical comic book chubby -- or a geeky lady boner for the gals.

If I can help someone lose themselves in the book and forget the harsh realities of life for a moment, like reading an enjoyable comic book used to do for me as a four-eyed, brace-faced, pimp-ridden, closeted, dorky teen, than I’ve succeeded. I’ve run a three-pointer and a goal at the same time! 

Also, I’d love for my readers to soak up the crazy amazing artwork from my artist James Neish. He’s so talented I can’t believe he’s lowered himself to work with me. He makes my clunky writing soar! 

“Stripling Warrior” issue one and two are now available in both digital and print via www.sosuperduper.com. Issue three will be completed next month.

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CAIRO (AP) — Eight Egyptians involved in a botched repair of the famed burial mask of King Tut, which was corrected late last year, were referred to a disciplinary court on Sunday for "gross negligence" after prosecutors said that the golden treasure was scratched.

The 3,300-year old mask, whose beard was accidentally knocked off and hastily glued on with epoxy in 2014, was scratched and damaged as a result of the amateur repair job, prosecutors said in a Sunday statement, which implicated the then-head of the Egyptian Museum and the chief of the restoration department.

"In an attempt to cover up the damage they inflicted, they used sharp instruments such as scalpels and metal tools to remove traces of adhesive on the mask, causing damage and scratches that remain," it said, citing an investigation. The eight now face fines and disciplinary measures including dismissal.

The mask was put back on display last month after a German-Egyptian team of specialists removed the epoxy and reattached the beard using beeswax, used as an adhesive in antiquity.

A year ago, a museum conservator who was present at the time of the repair told the Associated Press that epoxy had dried on the face of the boy king's mask and that a colleague used a spatula to remove it, leaving scratches. Another conservator who inspects the artifact regularly also saw the scratches and said it was clear that they had been made by a tool used to scrape off the epoxy. They both spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions.

Restoration specialist Christian Eckmann said shortly thereafter that the cause of a scratch found on the mask had had not been determined, but that it could have been recent.

The mask was discovered in a tomb along with other artifacts by British archeologists in 1922, sparking worldwide interest in archaeology and ancient Egypt. It is one of the world's most priceless artifacts and the best-known piece in the Egyptian Museum, a major tourist draw in Cairo that was built in 1902 and houses ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies.

Lately, King Tut has been at the focus of new archaeology and media buzz after British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves theorized that Tutankhamun, who died at the age of 19, may have been rushed into an outer chamber of what was originally Queen Nefertiti's tomb.

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GOFFSTOWN, N.H. -- Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) tried to channel his inner David Bowie on Sunday -- but it got a little strange. 

Appearing at a town hall, the GOP presidential hopeful responded to a question about NASA funding by paying homage to the celebrated British musician, who died earlier this month.

"It's all about what David Bowie sang about," he said.

Kasich then began awkwardly singing the opening bars from Bowie's famous song, "Space Oddity." An attendee who came prepared with a guitar quickly chimed in to help Kasich out.

Watch Kasich's sing-along in the clip above, an outtake from "New Hampshire" -- a HuffPost Originals limited series.

Video by Maria Tridas and Will Tooke.

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In 1895, when Virginia Woolf was 13, her mother, Julia Stephen, died suddenly -- influenza turned to rheumatic fever, and in short order she was gone. Young Virginia had a moment to kiss her mother as she lay on her deathbed; as she left the room, Julia called her daughter by her nursery nickname, saying, “Hold yourself straight, my little goat.”

In 2000, when I was 11, my mother died suddenly -- an aortic dissection caused her to collapse at my grade school spelling bee, and by the time my brothers and I were brought to the hospital, as we thought, to see her, she was gone. The last time I’d spoken to her, before my competition began, she’d given me a hug filled with encouragement and musky perfume.

A decade later, as an English major turning over potential thesis projects for my senior year of college, I gravitated toward Woolf. I hadn’t read her until junior year. I wasn’t a modernist, a huge fan of stream-of-consciousness or experimental structure, and to this day I haven’t finished a full book by James Joyce. But when I first picked up Mrs. Dalloway, I’d fallen madly, impractically in love.

I wrote my thesis on Mrs. Dalloway, To The Lighthouse and The Waves, analyzing how Woolf uses floral motifs in each. Having grown up on Austen and the Brontës, I relished Woolf’s showy style, crafted to be unpacked and unpacked and examined from all angles. Even the most narrow-minded men in my literature classes could agree that Woolf was worth reading in her own right, not just as a concession to the feminist agenda. She was serious, scholarly, the profound emotions in her work guarded round with fences of respectable technique. 

Meanwhile, the entire time I worked on this serious-minded Woolf thesis, and for several years before, I was stumbling through an extended, deeply misunderstood emotional breakdown.

I had a college boyfriend I loved very much; we broke up, got back together again, broke up again. Even when our relationship seemed temporarily stable, I’d spend hours crying on his shoulder about an awkward run-in with an acquaintance. My sprouting social anxiety was like a dark-tinted pair of sunglasses that placed every encounter behind a murky, paranoid filter. Making female friends, which had always been my source of social strength, became a struggle. 

I felt alone, and I felt desperate not to be alone, and I felt terrified that my few intimates would figure out how desperately I needed them and pull away. I wasn’t always wrong. All the while, Virginia Woolf was there beside me, going through very much the same thing, and I didn’t even notice.

All the while, Virginia Woolf was there beside me, going through very much the same thing, and I didn’t even notice.

Here’s the thing: Losing your mother when you’re a preteen throws things off, developmentally. You remember her, but not enough to feel like you really knew her -- just enough to grasp how much you're missing. You never went through a teenage separation from her, so she exists in a state of perpetual perfection, if not semi-sainthood, as haloed to you as she was to your little-girl self.

You have zero capacity to deal with any of this, of course, because children are emotionally illiterate. You laugh when everyone else is crying. You’re buoyed by trivial victories, like getting a condolence card from a crush or finding more fresh doughnuts left on the counter by a sympathetic church member. Grinning, you challenge your friends to a rousing game of Clue at her wake, leaving them tentative and frightened. But you also sleep as much as possible to avoid those times when you’ll have to occupy yourself either laughing or sobbing. When your grief-stricken father tries to talk about your mother with you, you change the subject. You do this for years, until he stops trying, until everyone stops trying. You don’t know how to talk about it without completely falling apart. You don’t know falling apart is even an option.

Years pass, and people move on, but your grief is a bulb germinating in the earth. By the time the pale shoots nudge the soil aside and peek out, you’ve forgotten anything was planted there. You don’t remember what it is. It seems like a weed, wafted in by an unfortunate breeze, to be battled with medication and harsh uprooting. 

A couple years after college, a friend recommended a book called Motherless Daughters to me. The book explores the grieving processes of women who’ve lost their mothers at all ages. As I read, I cried with relief and anguish, as if the words were lancing some long-festering infection. I was reading about myself -- my emotional college years, defined by dependency and fear of loss; my closed-off teen years, when I rarely willingly thought of my mother at all. I’d been blaming myself for all of it, but it turns out I’m not so special: I’m just like all of the other motherless daughters.

Late in life, Woolf wrote an autobiographical essay called “A Sketch of the Past.” In it, she shows herself to be not so different either, from the other motherless daughters. She felt deprived of her memories of her mother, conscious of never having been able to see her fully as a human. She viewed her mother as a distant but essential deity. She spent her whole life obsessed with her mother, craving her approval though such approval could never come. 

Rereading this essay now, my heart pulls painfully toward Woolf. Even the oddest little details seem beyond coincidental: The way "a desire to laugh came over" her as she was ushered in to kiss her newly dead mother (how crushingly like the moment, when my dad told us she hadn't made it, that I started to giggle). The transcendent lift she felt seeing a fiery sunset through the glass of the train station as she accompanied her brother, Thoby, home after their mother's death (how like the unforgettable pinks and golds of the sun setting through the clouds as my father walked me home from the hospital that night, too sick from crying to ride in a car).

"My mother's death unveiled and intensified," she wrote, "made me suddenly develop perceptions, as if a burning glass had been laid over what was shaded and dormant." How rawly one remembers those days, as if any membrane between the world and you has been ripped away, while the memories of the mother you loved begin immediately to slip through your fingers.

"There is the memory," she wrote," but there is nothing to check that memory by; nothing to bring it to ground with ... the elements of [her] character ... are formed in twilight."

She struggled to piece together her mother by tracing her biography, the men she loved, the people who loved her, the jumbled memories Woolf herself retained. When you lose your mother before you're able to see her clearly, as a person, finding out who she is becomes a treasure hunt, a research project, a detective expedition.

When you lose your mother before you're able to see her clearly, as a person, finding out who she is becomes a treasure hunt, a research project, a detective expedition.

In her fiction, the loss of her mother ripples silently. To the Lighthouse, perhaps the greatest novel on maternal loss, was written as a tribute to Julia Stephen, but Woolf's grief can be found everywhere. The longing for connection, blended with the certainty of unpredictable loss, marks her mapping of human relationships. ("If you have any kind of triggers around sudden death," Christopher Frizzelle wrote on LitHub last year, "you should not read Virginia Woolf." I remember playing charades with family not long after my mother's death; we tensely skipped over the card for "sudden death," feeling her collapse in the room.)

All closeness is temporary; all love is dangerous; and in the end, even the love we find is often a hollow substitute for that which we believe we were meant to have. Woolf's fiction isn't comforting or optimistic, and why would it be -- after her mother, she quickly lost her elder half-sister and surrogate mother, Stella Duckworth, as well as her cherished brother Thoby, when he was in his mid-20s. 

It's this hard-won despair that spoke to my soul when I first read Woolf, though I lacked the capacity to admit it then. To move through grief, to live with it, you have to let yourself feel the howling of the loss all around you, and every line of her writing vibrates with that cry. You have to accept that you've lost that which was once everything to you, and that the hole can't be filled with AP classes or long naps or recalcitrant boyfriends or anything at all.

"She," Woolf wrote, "was the whole thing." I know. I know.

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New year, new podcasts -- that's how the saying goes, right? Now that your aspirations to lose weight and be nicer have dissolved in this winter weather like so many Vitamin C-fortified tablets in a drink, it's time to move to your B-level resolutions: dusting off that ol' Podcasts app and putting some fresh content on it.

Sure, you use that one "This American Life" episode to fall asleep to every night (Ira Glass, why so soothing?), but it's clear your waking hours could use some audio excitement. Here are some new programs to delight your ears, forced into categories because we humans crave order.

Podcasts That Let You Be The Creep You've Always Wanted To Be

There's nothing like listening in on someone else's life when your own is totally boring. We've covered the appeal of following along with beginners, and lucky for us, there's a new podcast to add in that category: Allison Behringer's "The Intern." Behringer is both host and subject as she takes listeners through her life at a tech company and in New York City. Similar to "Millennial," she captures both the excitement and confusion that comes with being young in a big city, like preparing for your first IKEA run and then sorely regretting trying to lug home a 40-pound mattress.

Sometimes, though, you want to hear from those who've been there and done that. Enter "Grow Big Always," a refreshingly candid interview podcast where host Sam Lawrence probes the lives of others to reveal the uncomfortable, transforming experiences that led them to now.

Those who've been on tour in a cramped van know all about "uncomfortable," but for those who haven't, there's "Nerds on Tour." It's only four episodes deep but already host Abraham Levitan has covered touring, creativity and Top 40 music with his guests. Even if you're unfamiliar with his guests, it's a nice slice into lives few of us get to experience. Similarly, for a zoom-in lens on what it's like to work on TV, act and give advice you're unprepared to give, the lovable "Ana Faris is Unqualified" is a solid bet.

Podcasts That Make You Really Smart For Parties

Have you heard about this very small, insignificant election in America? Supposed to be happening sometime in late 2016? To shed light on this little-known phenomenon, the Washington Post has stepped up with its "Presidential" series, which covers the life of one commander-in-chief in each episode. We expect to be ready to crush "Jeopardy!" from our couches come election season.

Not into Earthly affairs? Well, if your interests skew toward the extraterrestrial, try out PRX's "Orbital Path," hosted by Michelle Thaller, an actual NASA astronomer. She discusses why aliens get credit for every unexplainable thing in the universe in her first episode, so, yeah, consider us hooked already. 

"'Orbital Path'?" you say. "What about some orbital bones?" I don't know how to accommodate such a specific request, but I can steer you to "The Bone Lab." Founded by academic researchers proficient in the world of anatomy and X-rays, this podcast follows the very human stories connected to our skeletons. 

Plus, all this bone talk makes one wonder about dinosaurs, obviously, which leads to the next new podcast we're excited about: "Scienceish." Here, Rick Edwards and Dr. Michael Brooks tag-team discussions around the scientific possibility of premises set up by pop culture, including the old resurrecting-T.-rexes idea.

Podcasts That Defy Category For One Reason Or Another

Two relatively new podcasts focus on brilliant, fleeting one-shot ideas. "Pilot," helmed by "This American Life" producer and "Snap Judgment" alum Stephanie Foo features one podcast idea per episode, with Foo trying it out herself before inviting listeners to run with what she's started. Episode 1 sees Foo sitting down with Ira Glass to discuss their beginnings in radio -- the podcast idea in question being a series of interviews finding out how established voices got their start. 

Then there's "Sample Size: 1," which bills itself as being "about unrepeatable experiments in music and art," hitting a lot of words that we enjoy ("unrepeatable," "experiments," "music," "art") in one fell swoop. Hosted by Dave Hilowitz, the show's first episode follows his attempt to remotely re-record one of his band's songs, using only collaborators he finds on quick-gig site Fiverr -- an endeavor entertaining and fascinating enough for even non-musicians to dig.

It's easy to conclude our defiant category with "Sampler," the newest podcast out of the gate from Gimlet. Just as Hilowitz's show, the premise lives up to its name, as host Brittany Luse (who podcast fans may already know from "For Colored Nerds") shares snippets of the best podcasts around the vast audiosphere. We're not sure if this will help whittle down our podcast playlists to the best of the best or add to their glut, but so far, Luse is an entertaining, lively lost, and she's started what will probably become a new obsession by sharing a clip from "Bodega Boys."

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Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have released an eight-minute song featuring Jamila Woods, “White Privilege II,” about white privilege, beginning with Macklemore’s own feeling about whether he can meaningfully participate in a Black Lives Matter march and spiraling into different movements questioning what his own white privilege means.

On a certain level, “White Privilege II” is Macklemore acknowledging his core audience; this song is not necessarily for people of color, it is exactly for the presumably young white kids who consume his every move but perhaps don’t listen to other rappers, as he points out with an interlude in the song. (“You’re the only rap I listen to” when leveled at non-black rappers is thinly veiled code for racial bias, and is no doubt constantly leveled at white rappers like Macklemore in particular.) It is the sound of Macklemore (aka Ben Haggerty) trying.

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It's a fast-paced world out there, and sometimes it seems the tried and true rotation of hilarious Taylor Swift GIFs just doesn't get the laughs it used to. Even a short clip of bunnies cuddling with puppies barely elicits an audible awww. 

Thankfully, a new app called Animatic by Inkboard is sure to make even the most jaded of Internet surfers bow down to the power of your GIF wizardry. The app, which is free, allows you to make a compact animation of your own creation, whether a GIF or a short movie. 

Create a GIF frame by frame, using a white background and a variety of tools -- markers, pens, crayons, pencils, and an eraser, to name a few. Each new frame features a trace of the previous, to help the animation flow. Add as many frames as you like and export your creation as either a video or GIF. 

"My co-founder Ramon Torres and I were talking about what it must have been like for Walt Disney and his original artists (Nine Old Men) when they were first creating animated shorts in the 1920s by drawing each frame by hand," Darren Paul, co-founder of Inkboard, told SocialTimes. "We were inspired by this period to create something that worked and felt like that, by providing the tools for someone to create the next Mickey Mouse, on their mobile phone or tablet."

Download Animatic from the iTunes or App store and unleash your inner Walt. Just don't forget who told you about the app when you make your way to the top! For more artsy apps to spruce up your iPhone, check out our roundup of the best apps for creative types.

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Imagine it: You -- a self-professed feminist and capable member of a flawed society -- are babysitting.

After a rousing at-home screening of "Frozen," you and your young protege are assessing the film's merit. Of course, your tiny pupil's criticisms take the form, mostly, of running away from the screen in search of her Olaf toy. Yours though, are rich and full of depth: "My biggest critique of 'Frozen'? Zero people of color."

Welcome to the world of an intersectional feminist babysitter, as captured by comedians Soojeong Son and Ginny Leise -- aka SJ And Ginny -- in their new three-part video series dubbed, yes, "Feminist Babysitter."

SJ and Ginny, of "Drive-By Street Harassment" fame, described the series in an email to The Huffington Post:

"Feminist Babysitter is here to take care of your little tike the only way she knows how -- talking nonstop about dismantling the patriarchy with fun games and songs! Don't be surprised if your tot starts quoting Lean In (or 'Truffle Butter'). Femme Babe may not be great at being appropriate. But, hey! nobody's perfect."

Throughout the series, Femme Babe, played by a delightfully small human named Ahri Son, learns about equal pay, representation in mainstream media, the division of domestic labor, and gender fluidity. You know, all the things a budding feminist should know! 

"The inspiration for Feminist Babysitter came from my part-time babysitting job, a pretty common job among comedians and artists," Ginny added. "My favorite part of the gig, aside from the flexible hours and snacks, was the opportunity to teach these kids things that they may never learn in their fancy UES [Upper East Side] private school. I relish in dropping knowledge and molding the future of America."

Watch out, Millennial parents. You never know where the next Feminist Babysitter is lurking. Chances are, she's educating your offspring on the reality of the glass ceiling right now.

Watch the rest of the series (below), catch more from SJ and Ginny on YouTube and read our full interview with the comedians.

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British street artist Banksy has painted a new controversial piece calling out the French government for its mistreatment of refugees in the infamous Calais camp, also known as "the Jungle."

The image, which is painted near the French Embassy in London, features the iconic image of the young girl from the musical "Les Misérables" with tears streaming down her face and the bottom half of her body obscured by gas.

Near the bottom of the piece is a QR code, reports the Guardian, which allows viewers to access a video of a raid carried out on refugee camps by French police on Jan 5. 

The piece is to be dismantled Monday, according to Mashable.

Banksy's protest comes after reports in September showed French police using tear gas on refugees housed in "the Jungle." A police spokesman, Steve Barbet, speaking to the Guardian maintains police did not use tear gas in their raids. “It’s not in our interest to use teargas unless it’s absolutely necessary to restore public order, and it is never used in the camp itself,” he said.

Despite these assertions a 7-minute video posted to YouTube by the user Calais Migrant Solidarity shows what appears to be tear gas being used in a raid on refugees.

French authorities have begun to demolish the Calais camp, which hosts over 7,000 refugees by current estimates, with bulldozers. 

Since Banksy's satirical art installation Dismaland -- a distortion of Disneyland intended to critique mass-production -- closed last year, the artist has been shipping the leftover materials to build emergency housing in "the Jungle."

Banksy's "Les Misérables" mural is part of a larger series about the Syrian refugee crisis. In December, a painting of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, the son of Syrian immigrants, appeared in a tunnel in the Calais camp. 

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After over a decade of teaching in the United States, Professor Khaled Fahmy arrived in Cairo a few months before the Egyptian revolution. A leading historian of modern Egypt and an expert on the Middle East, he would find himself unexpectedly at the center of one of the most pivotal moments in the region's history.

Fahmy joined thousands of others in Cairo's Tahrir Square, where 18 days of intense protests finally caused Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down after three decades in power. After Mubarak's fall in February of 2011, Fahmy continued to be an outspoken activist and writer on Egyptian affairs, accusing both the Muslim Brotherhood of former President Mohammed Morsi and current President Abdel Fattah Sisi of corrupting what the revolution tried to achieve.

Fahmy, who is now a visiting professor at Harvard University, spoke with The WorldPost about the events of Egypt's revolution and the successes and failures of the Arab Spring now that five years have passed.

You returned to Egypt just months before the revolution began after working abroad for years. What was Cairo like during that period before the uprising?

There was something in the air. When a friend asked me in late 2010 what brought me back after so many years of living abroad, I responded that I felt something was happening. 

I wasn’t even thinking politically. I was thinking there was something among the youth when it came to literary and artistic production. New films, a new kind of music, new literature, regardless of the topics, were irreverent toward political authority, and of religious and political tradition.

At the same time, on a political level, the actions of young people after the killing of Khaled Said, the Alexandrian activist, were unprecedented. There was something very new about this type of civil disobedience, of young men and women both in Alexandria and Cairo wearing black, holding hands in silent marches and turning their backs to the cities in protest.

To me, as an academic and a historian of modern Egypt, that resonated. I could sense that something was happening, but of course I never predicted that it would take the shape it did. 

What are some of your strongest memories from your 18 days in Tahrir Square?

The most vivid memory is from very early on in the 18 days. It was a long, difficult and dangerous day for us all -- my sister, myself and my friends. My sister got beaten and for a few hours she lost her son and then found him tear-gassed.

I was with my friends in another location in the city, and was tear-gassed more than once. We tried to go across the Qasr al-Nir bridge to Tahrir but were turned back, and friends of mine left and right were falling from birdshot fired by the police. At a certain moment, I found myself trapped on a bridge leading to Tahrir that we could not cross. It wasn't just that bullets were being fired, the possibility of a stampede on that bridge was a horrifying feeling.

But then the police collapsed. The police cordon was in front of us, literally a few feet away, and I could see the young police conscripts and they were terrified. I saw many of them just drop their guns and shake their heads, saying they couldn't go on.  

Seeing the police collapse in front of you is an unforgettable memory.

When the police withdrew, it became safe for us to go to Tahrir. Their withdrawal, and the fact that the army stepped in and decided not to open fire at the protesters, allowed us to stay in Tahrir for 18 days. 

How did you contextualize the events during the revolution as a historian?

I found myself in the midst of something that I immediately recognized as a historic moment. I usually can’t interview my historical subjects and I have to study them in a different way, but in this case I had Egyptians right in front of me. I wanted to capture this moment somehow. 

Immediately after Mubarak stepped down, the director of the national archives told me they were forming a committee to document the revolution and were appointing me director. This was a dream come true, and the idea was to try and find a way to capture as many voices of the thousands and thousands of people who participated in these 18 days as possible, and preserve them for posterity.

Eventually the project failed. The activists who had participated in the revolution asked us a very important question: "Can you guarantee us that what we tell you will not fall in the hands of security services? Because you’re taking our voices, which are basically self-incriminating." I couldn’t give them that guarantee. Their fears were very valid. 

You've written that Egypt has trouble envisioning its future because it has trouble choosing a point in its past that it wants to resurrect. Could you expand on that idea a bit?

One of the main differences between what was happening in Egypt and the Arab world on the one hand, and what had happened in Eastern Europe during its color revolutions, was this business about the past.

Even in a country as complex in its history as, say, Hungary, there is a notion that if they can pretend there was an earlier moment in modern Hungarian history in which Hungary was really pure -- when it had not been contaminated by communism or the Nazi occupation or civil war -- then they can use that moment as a rallying point on which to build their hopes for the future.

I think one of the problems with the Arab Spring is that we cannot as Arabs or Egyptians agree on any such moment. 

You wipe out Mubarak and his 30 years of tyranny but do you want to go and bring the clock back to pre-Mubarak times?

What is the political model or historical moment that Egyptians find most inspiring? You wipe out Mubarak and his 30 years of tyranny, but do you want to go and bring the clock back to pre-Mubarak times? Were Egyptians really happy under [former President Muhammad Anwar] Sadat or [former President Gamal Abdel] Nasser? Is the problem with the so-called July regime of the 1952 revolution? If we wipe that out, do we want to bring back a monarchy? Or is it an Islamic state that goes back to the so-called Islamic empires? Do we want to be Ottomans again? 

None of this is tenable. Not only historically, but as an intellectual political enterprise. 

What were some of the defining moments for you that led you to oppose the Muslim Brotherhood's rule under President Mohammed Morsi?

Morsi’s election, for me, was a great opportunity. I thought that it would finally bring the Islamists off their pedestal, that it would finally get them to talk seriously and to offer concrete, practical answers to our problems.

In public appearances, I defended Morsi and the Brotherhood. I didn’t believe the Brotherhood had an answer, but we had to accept it. I argued that's what democracy is like -- people voted, and I respected the Egyptian people and their verdict. 

Two moments marked a turning point. 

In November and December of 2012, Morsi effectively declared himself to be above the law. I did not go demonstrate in front of the presidential palace myself, but my friends did and they were tortured by Brotherhood militias, in makeshift detention centers that the Brotherhood had established in the vicinity of the presidential palace.

I started wondering whether we were dealing with a political party with which one disagrees or whether we were dealing with a religious-ethnic social cult from which one is barred from entrance. I concluded we were dealing with the second. 

The second moment came a couple of months later, in March or April of 2013. 

My friends and I started working on drafting a very ambitious freedom of information law. We looked into examples of many countries across the world and we met with the drafting committee within the Ministry of Justice.

There was a meeting presided over by the justice minister himself. Instead of talking about freedom of information, the minister spent an hour denying the existence of police brutality and torture in Egyptian prisons. That’s when we all lost it.

Torture is a cardinal issue for me. It’s something I had been studying academically for many years and it’s what drove me to take to the streets from day one. 

Several months before the meeting, a cousin of a friend of mine was beaten to death in police custody, in a police jail. So I couldn't tolerate for the minister of justice to deny this is happening. I stood up and told him, "Your excellency, we cannot sit with you. We came to discuss freedom of information, we were willing to work with you but you are coming here to talk about something completely different and something that is very sensitive and you are insulting us by saying that this is not happening, and by denying the existence of torture and police brutality."

Five years down the line, it’s not like I’ve lost my naiveté. But I’ve come to appreciate the energies of this country even more.

We did not risk our lives to end up with this. So that’s when I turned against him, and the following day I went down to Tahrir and signed the petition asking for mass mobilization against Morsi.  

How has Egypt’s path over the last five years changed you personally?

I became more aware of how intractable Egypt's problems were. Looking back at the past five years, one is much wiser because what we witnessed is something people usually only witness in a lifetime, if even that.

But five years down the line, it’s not like I’ve lost my naiveté. But I’ve come to appreciate the energies of this country even more, I’ve come to see this generation of the '80s, how resourceful they were and proved themselves to be. These are now the people being rounded up and put in prison.

I’ve actually been more inspired by the potential of this country, but at the same time I also have sobered up about the depths to which the Egyptian authorities can go and how ready they are to use violence and intimidation to silence opposition.

If you had these five year again, would you do anything differently?

That’s of course a question that we keep asking ourselves all the time, and let me say first I would still have taken to the streets against Morsi. I don’t regret it, I think he was unfit for government and I don’t ever regret the decision to demonstrate against Muslim Brotherhood rule.

Looking back at the past five years, one is much wiser because what we witnessed is something people usually only witness in a lifetime, if even that.

My regret is that we hadn’t paid enough attention to building a movement. The 18 days were unprecedented in Egyptian history. There was an unprecedented level of activism and trust in the future, a trust in public life and a belief that we needed to do this for our country. Very few nations and people pass through this moment. We did not build on this momentum, we did not try and transform this emotion into something more sober, less flamboyant, a lasting grassroots organization that can shift into a politically meaningful movement and that can take the form of a political party. We didn’t transform this energy into something more durable.  

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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In the otherwise cheery suburban dwellings of North America lives a lethargic subspecies of the phylum "Housewifius disgruntledus," kingdom "Mammalia." 

She has been observed spending long hours nestled on a pre-fab floral couch, downing glasses of red wine, curlers in her hair, watching soap operas on television without shame or irony. "Not Hanz! Anyone but Hanz!" She shouts at the screen -- an inanimate object -- revealing just how silly and hysterical she's become, or perhaps has always been. 

It's a trope we’ve grown comfortable with: older women who’ve put family and domestic duties before their careers are portrayed onscreen as lazy, petty and all-but-useless. Sure, there are the bossy, with-it exceptions that serve as foils to their lazy husbands, but these moms are often young, conventionally attractive, and actively involved with parenthood. Once the kids leave the nest, the housewife is left to wallow in soap opera-fueled sadness.

If you saw “Joy,” the promising but ultimately cobbled-together film with a stellar performance by Jennifer Lawrence at its center, you’ve witnessed a recent iteration of the stereotype. While the titular Joy is a strong woman juggling familial problems with her creative pursuits, her mother is a shallow character who spends long days glued to a bed, broken by divorce and idealizing the unrealistic relationships shown on her favorite TV shows. She’s bug-eyed and mumbling, struggling to define herself after a thwarted attempt to fit the housewife mold. She’s couched as socially useless, a character we’re lead to laugh at rather than sympathize with.

It’s a decidedly Western stereotype, brought to life in Arundhati Roy’s book The God of Small Things, where the most deplorable character is an elderly woman who adores all things American, drawing tenuous connections between neighborhood gossip and comparable scenes from TV. Again, her character is out-of-touch and petty; as readers it’s difficult to find in her any redeemable qualities.

This archetype serves as sharp opposition to how housewives were first characterized on TV: June Cleaver, of “Leave It to Beaver,” might’ve had banal interests, but her ability to instill a certain cookie-cutter morality into her boys’ lives was framed as noble. Regardless of your opinions on traditional ideas concerning the nuclear family, it’s inarguable that to some audience members, June represented a kind of impossible ideal.

But, as a 2011 New York Times response to the “Real Housewives” phenomenon explores, the way we think about stay-at-home moms has gotten a facelift -- one that’s praised by some, and sneered about by others.

The author, Carina Chocano, points out that a serious decline of conventional marriages -- that is, marriages that result in having kids -- means that becoming a housewife has, since the '70s, been a choice rather than an obligation to be fulfilled nobly, chin up. Moreover, a life of dish washing and care providing has since been positioned as counter to feminist ideals, a lazy option for lazy women, or at least women not prone to questioning the status quo. This is especially clear when watching the “The Real Housewives” series, where wealthy women with trivial concerns and listless days are mocked for their aimlessness.

More recently, the binary of feminism versus housewife duties has been replaced with the concept of the do-it-all supermom, a woman expected to have the strength and time to nurture a career along with a gaggle of well-fed kids. This is where shows like “Jane the Virgin” get it right, featuring a flustered young woman zipping around Miami, missing grad school deadlines and small but important milestones in her infant son’s life. Jane’s attempt to do it all is so harrowing it lends the show the pace of a car chase, but it’s not a wholly critical look at the juggling act of career and motherhood -- she ends each day wiped and grateful.

This has become the expected role for women, but more recently the concept that stay-at-home motherhood is a viable if not noble life path, one that’s hard to achieve alongside a full-time career. Although pursuing both is possible, the stigma around selecting one path or the other has lessened.

Some European countries have even begun legally recognizing the time-consuming work involved in raising children by suggesting universal incomes, rewarding all citizens, day-job holding and otherwise, an equal stipend. But pop culture seems not to have caught up with that notion, continuing to sketch housewives as goofy, lazy caricatures, less fully realized than their job-holding counterparts.

Attempts to add nuance to fictional housewives have been made in the years since “The Real Housewives” first aired, with mixed results. While “Desperate Housewives” was on its surface a satirical subversion of the old tropes, the characters reaffirmed them in many ways, serving as funny yet uncomplicated caricatures. And while Betty on “Mad Men” was granted episodes worthy of sympathy from the show’s writers, the audience discussed her, rather than the womanizing Don, as the show’s villain.

More recently, nuance has been successfully added to the trope with the cliche-busting sitcom “Jane the Virgin,” which has already introduced us to type-A heroines and emotionally mature bad boys. The protagonist, Jane, is a hardworking romantic who balances motherhood with a job, grad school, and time with her doting mother and abuela, Alba Gloriana Villanueva. The three women live together, and are often shown swooning over soap opera together, including the cheesy, escapist show “The Passions of Santos.”

Although “Santos” is the butt of many jokes on “Jane the Virgin,” the women who watch it aren’t framed as silly. Rather, Alba and Jane are passionate perfectionists who take pleasure in watching ideal romantic scenarios play out. The show informs their romantic choices on occasion, but rarely outweighs their more practical values.

In the world of “Jane,” dedication to family is considered on par with a successful career, and Jane herself is often seen speeding around town trying to invest equal time in each pursuit. The writers acknowledge that such a full plate is tiresome, but don’t give favor to one path or the other. While ambitious Raphael is flawed, his dedication to his work is admirable; while homebody, soap-loving Alba is sometimes a little whimsical, she’s also hard-nosed and opinionated.

More than anything, lazing on the couch isn’t framed as a pursuit shared by unserious, aging mothers -- it’s instead a bonding activity that three very different women can share, much like the experience of curling up to watch the show itself.

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