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For Troye Sivan, Now Is The Time To 'Live Louder And Prouder' Than Ever

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As an artist who has been embraced as a queer icon for the millennial set, Troye Sivan said the recent tragedy targeting the LGBT community in Orlando, Florida has been "the hardest thing in the world to process." 


The 21-year-old singer-songwriter, who came out in a 2013 YouTube video that has been viewed over 6 million times, said he was “insanely upset” when he first heard the news of the June 12 mass shooting at Pulse nightclub, which left 49 people dead and 53 more injured. In the two weeks since the incident, however, Sivan has come to view the massacre as a sobering reminder “to live louder than ever and prouder than ever.”


"This kind of thing happens out of ignorance and out of the fear of the unknown," Sivan told The Huffington Post. “I’m [usually] in cities like L.A. and New York and places like Australia, and I work in the entertainment industry where pretty much everyone’s gay. You can forget that there is still such hatred – such senseless hatred – out there.”


In keeping with that unapologetic mindset, the Aussie-based singer-songwriter has lent his talents to SweeTART’s “Follow Your TART” campaign this summer. Representatives for the popular candy brand, which is owned by Nestlé, say the effort “celebrates those who follow their passions to make the world around them more flavorful.”





The campaign kicked off June 22 with an online brand anthem video that includes scenes of Sivan performing his smash single, “Youth,” and coincides with the launch of the all-new SweeTARTS Mini-Gummy Bites and Soft Bites. (Check out the clip above)


Noting that he’s “really picky” about product endorsements, Sivan said the SweeTARTS effort was “right up his lane and completely one” with his message as an artist.


“I like to think I’m a very passionate person,” he said. “I’m constantly trying to encourage my audience and use my platform to inspire people to just be themselves and do whatever it is that they want to do.”


Pointing to his own early struggles with sexuality, Sivan said he feels “honored and privileged” when his work encourages LGBT fans to have a discussion about sexuality with their friends and family members. In March, he helped a 14-year-old fan come out as bisexual during his performance in Washington, D.C.



I love making music more than anything else in the world, except for being able to help other people through their journey.



“I love making music more than anything else in the world, except for being able to help other people through their journey,” he said. “I also know how helpful [watching coming out videos on YouTube] was for me, so being that for someone else is very, very cool for me.”





Musically, the star is going to be busier than ever for the latter half of 2016. On June 23, he released a special remix of his 2015 song, “Wild,” featuring guest vocals and a brand-new verse by pop singer Alessia Cara, which can be found above. In October, he’ll kick off his Suburbia Tour in San Francisco, followed by stops in Los Angeles, Boston and New York, as well as other cities across the U.S. and Canada. 


As far as a follow-up to his 2015 debut album, “The Blue Neighbourhood,” is concerned, Sivan said he “has a lot of ideas” and is really excited to get back into the studio, but plans on taking his time to make his next release both worthwhile and personal.


“I don’t want to take my inspiration from the road, because it’s not real life,” he said. “The things that inspire me the most are actually the most normal parts of my life – relationships, family, friendships, loneliness, stuff like that. Those are the things that are closely tied to my emotions.”

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.


Andrew Lloyd Webber Shows His Stripes Over Parody Songs In 'Katdashians' Musical

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Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber showed his true stripes in a cat fight with "Katdashians! The Musical," an off-Broadway musical that parodies the queens of reality TV and several songs from Webber's "Cats." 


The New York Post was the first to report that Webber threatened legal action against "Katdashians!," claiming the musical written by Bob and Tobly McSmith stole songs from his show. 


"It is clear that the production is not a parody of ‘Cats’ . . . Our client’s property is being extensively misappropriated . . . to parody another subject matter entirely," Webber's lawyers wrote a letter to the McSmiths, according to the Post. 


The McSmiths agreed to cut six songs from the show including "Meowmeries," a parody of "Memory" that is the emotional core of the musical, despite the fact that both they, and their legal counsel, believe the songs are protected under fair use


"At a certain point you have to decide how much money you have to go to court and fight," Tobly told The Huffington Post. "And [Webber has] all the money in the world."


The situation "feels a little bit like David and Goliath," he said, "because what are we going to do?"


The McSmiths have been writing parodies for a decade, including “Bayside! The Musical!,” “Full House! The Musical!” and “Showgirls! The Musical!,” and were "shocked" to learn that Webber was coming after them. 


"I just couldn't believe it. Andrew Lloyd Webber is very much known for his parodying of songs, so we thought that he would get what we were doing by parodying his songs," Tobly explained. 


Webber is indeed known for his parodying of songs. From a 1983 New York Times article on Webber:



Like Mr. Lloyd Webber's previous scores, "Cats" shows off the composer's special flair for parody. Stolid English airs coincide with banjo-laced folk tunes, boogie-woogie, and a festive Latin American-style dance music modeled after Leonard Bernstein's "America." The glamorous and sinister master criminal Macavity boasts a stealthy leitmotif borrowed from Henry Mancini's music for the "Pink Panther" movies. The most ambitious and giddiest burlesque, "Growltiger's Last Stand," is an 11-minute spoof of "Turandot," featuring Stephen Hanan's wicked takeoff of an impassioned Italian tenor. Another theme, played on synthesizers, is an eerie descending motif that recalls the mystical elements of John Williams's score for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."



After cutting the six songs, the McSmiths aren't too worried. They're looking at it as an opportunity to make "Katdashians!" even stronger, especially since the audiences responded more to their original music in the first place.  


"When we really thought about it, we realized that we can write better songs than our parody of 'Cats.' Like, 'Kim Motherf**cking Katdashian' is one of the crowd favorites and it's an original song. Obviously," Tobly said.


Reps for Webber have yet to respond to The Huffington Post's request for comment at this time. 

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Chef Who Spent Time In Jail Now Trains Other Ex-Offenders In Culinary Arts

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This high-end chef trains and employs formerly incarcerated individuals in his restaurant -- because he knows all too well the power of a second chance.


Brandon Chrostowski, founder of EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute in Cleveland, spent a few days behind bars as a teen for fleeing and eluding an officer -- and he credits his success to a chef who mentored him despite his past.


Now he's paying it forward to dozens of others, with his restaurant doubling as a culinary arts training program for ex-offenders.


“We have a community of individuals coming out of prison who don’t get a fair and equal opportunity because of their past,” Chrostowski told The Huffington Post. “We give them experience in the culinary arts. They get the fundamentals, but also a perspective on the business -- which means they’re employable. It worked in my life, it works in others’.”



Students are enrolled in the EDWINS culinary institute for six months, for 40 to 50 hours a week. They learn the essentials of high-end cuisine, from culinary math to wine selection, and then apply their new skills working in the restaurant.


The institute is free, and students get a stipend of about $300 every two weeksIn the last three years, 130 students have graduated from the program.


What’s more, most of the staff at EDWINS have also spent time behind bars.


“It’s about building a vessel to take someone from not having a skill to having the right ones,” Chrostowski said. “If you give someone a fair chance, and some mentorship, they can forge a way for themselves and turn the stars around.”


Here is Chrostowski on why it matters to give ex-offenders a fair shot at success:



What kind of challenges did you see your students facing as they came out of prison?


Some needed a place to stay -- that's why we have free housing. Some needed money for transportation, so we would advance a bus pass and take it out of their check gradually. If they need someone to watch their kids, we find a babysitter. 


It’s not easy, but we do it because that’s what’s right. We offer everyone a fair and equal opportunity.


When you see someone living in a shelter, working hard to memorize types of Bordeaux, there’s an injustice to that formula that just isn’t right.



When you see someone living in a shelter, working hard to memorize types of Bordeaux, there’s an injustice to that formula that just isn’t right.



What's the importance of starting job training in prison, before someone even gets out?


The idea is that when someone is released, they have a skill.


We started our prison program in 2011. We are in Grafton Prison in Ohio, teaching the fundamentals of cooking: how to use knives, burners, select wines. Over the last five years, at least 100 people have come through it.


We also have inmate-led programs, where we teach one or two inmates to be the leaders, and then they go on to teach a class of 30 other prisoners.


We only have so much time, but if we can teach others... I believe we can turn prisons into something to be proud of.



How much do you think your privilege had to do with your experience with the criminal justice system?


I got a break from a judge when I was younger, getting probation -- I believe, because I was white. Coming from a city where I was a minority, my mentors were African-American, and to see opportunities not happen to other people that happened to me, that didn’t sit well.


Along this journey I saw a lot of injustice out there. When people work in restaurants, they get paid less -- there’s people buying $4,000 bottles of wine, served by people struggling to buy a carton of milk.


And if you look around at our country, race is a huge issue. But if you can help someone navigate the system, and succeed, it will start to peel back the layers of injustice and inequality.



I got a break from a judge when I was younger... I believe, because I was white.



Your students have a zero percent rate of recidivism. Why do you think that is?


I believe that if you give someone a fair chance, and some mentorship, they can forge a way for themselves.


The idea that people are carrying their mistakes with them beyond when they served their time -- that just prohibits them from re-entering into a productive life. We need to get rid of sanctions on driver's licenses, etc.


And in prison, more can be done. We should equip our inmates with a skill. I try to encourage other businesses to start in prison. If you plant the seed of excitement, of doing something positive, once people get out, they won’t return.



What does success look like for students in your program?


Successes happen every day. This one student, Josh, he started using again mid-way through -- heroin. But we don’t kick people out if they use drugs.


We build them a stronger plan, we get them sponsors, the case manager gives them the tools to change, and we support them. We respond as a family.


Josh went through that twice, but he graduated. Now he’s working in a nonprofit kitchen cooking meals for adults who are overcoming addiction. Some would say, ‘What kind of culinary grad works there?’ But I think that’s a fantastic victory.


What can ordinary people do to help with the issue of re-entry?


What I know best is the restaurant business, so we change the way people think about those who get out of prison through food and through culinary skills.


But everyone does something well: What could you do in your life to help someone who doesn’t have as much as you do to get a little further? If you’re willing to teach, mentor and give opportunities, you can provide that support.


-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Breaking News: Author Cormac McCarthy Didn't Die

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A Twitter hoax that author Cormac McCarthy had died tricked many on Tuesday, including USA Today and writer Joyce Carol Oates. 


A bogus Twitter account resembling book publisher Alfred A. Knopf's handle tweeted Tuesday morning in broken English that the author of The Road and No County for Old Men had died.


"URGENT. Author Cormac McCarthy dies for stroke at 82," said the tweet, which was allegedly created by inveterate Italian hoaxer Tommaso De Benedetti, according to the Los Angeles Times. The tweet and the account were soon deleted.


For the record, the 82-year-old is very much alive, according to Penguin Random House, which owns Knopf. 






Despite the awkward wording from the imposter account, USA Today notified readers that the Pulitzer Prize winner had passed. The newspaper hurriedly send out updates of its mistake.














Oates, meanwhile, mourned McCarthy on her Twitter account.






De Benedetti has also concocted previous false reports of deaths about the pope, Fidel Castro and filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, to show the weakness of news media, according to The Guardian. Last week, De Benedetti tried another scam by creating a Twitter account for Don DeLillo, another media-shy writer. 


"Social media is the most unverifiable information source in the world but the news media believes it because of its need for speed," De Benedetti told The Guardian in 2012.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Parents Create Hilarious Cards For The Less Celebrated Baby Milestones

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When Reid and Leigh McIntosh were expecting their first child, they received a pack of Landmark Moments baby cards to help them document and remember some of their newborn's first milestones. The couple enjoyed flipping through the cards and anticipating all these delightful moments -- like the baby's first smile, first word and first time sleeping through the night.


Once they welcomed their son Noah, however, the McIntoshes realized parenting wasn't always quite as "dandy" as the cards made it seem. So, the U.K. parents decided to make a pack of milestone cards that get closer to the truth of everyday parenting. Introducing Honest Landmark Moments:



These 38 cards track the less glamorous baby milestones like, "Today I peed on Dad for the first time." The McIntoshes told The Huffington Post they drew specific ideas for the cards from Noah, of course. "We spent a good few months taking notes as we watched the mayhem of parenthood unfold," said Leigh. Once Noah was 6 months old, they'd finished writing the cards and tapped their friend Eva M. Steiner to illustrate them.


Now, three months later, they've finalized the designs and launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise the funds needed to produce the baby milestone cards and develop cards around other "non-baby" topics. "Our main goal is to spread the word about Honest Landmark Moments," Reid told HuffPost.





Leigh, who identified her profession as "make-up artist/mombie," said she hopes Honest Landmark Moments will empower parents. "Essentially, we want parents to embrace all the unglamorous moments of parenthood; and in a way forget about all the one-upmanship that goes along with bringing up a baby," she said. "It's all pretty exhausting."


Keep scrolling to see a sample of the real baby milestone cards.



-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

'The Bachelorette' Season 12, Episode 6: The End Of A Few Good Men

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Cool girl JoJo Fletcher is post-Ben, single and ready to mingle ... with 26 software salesmen, Z-list musicians and an erectile dysfunction expert ... on "The Bachelorette."


In this week's "Here To Make Friends" podcast, hosts Claire Fallon and Emma Gray recap the sixth episode of Season 12. We'll discuss Chase's lack of facial expressions, Jordan and James Taylor's "entitled" conflict, and give a proper sendoff to our biggest "Bachelorette" crush, Wells. 





We're also joined by our very own resident "Bachelorette" fan Julia Bush for her commentary -- and some special insights on what it's really like at a casting call for "The Bachelor."


Check out the full recap by listening to the podcast below! 







 Do people love "The Bachelor," "The Bachelorette" and "Bachelor in Paradise," or do they love to hate these shows? It's unclear. But here at "Here to Make Friends," we both love and love to hate them -- and we love to snarkily dissect each episode in vivid detail. Podcast edited by Nick Offenberg.


The best tweets about this week's episode of "The Bachelorette"...

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

An Ode To The Only Man On 'The Bachelorette' You'd Want To Date

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There are two types of people in this world: people who would like to go on a date with Wells Adams, and fools.


On last night’s episode of “The Bachelorette,” our fair hipster radio DJ was cruelly ripped from our TV screens. He finally got a one-on-one date with JoJo, a chance to slide half-nude around a suspended shallow pool with her, a first kiss -- it was enough screen time to raise our collective swoon levels from “I’m feeling faint” to “grab the smelling salts, I’ll be unconscious on the chaise lounge over here.” Then, far more quickly than he’d blossomed in front of our eyes, he was gone. 





"Today I had to face the reality that you are an incredible human being, but I don't know if you are the person that I will spend the rest of my life with," said Jojo as the sound of a thousand fingers frantically tweeting got louder and louder.


JoJo’s pained goodbye to Wells solidified for viewers the kind of man she’s looking for: a confident, cocky, muscular, stoic sort who offers more smoldering desire than playful banter. That’s fine! (After all, we are first and foremost #TeamJojo.) But Wells' departure seemed to reflect a trend on “The Bachelorette,” as the Andis and Kaitlyns of the world opt for the all-American quarterback bro instead of the sensitive modern man.


Ultimately, what makes Wells so appealing to the masses of slightly cynical coastal viewers who spend two hours every Monday night on Twitter -- during his exit, “Wells” actually started trending -- is that he seems so damn “normal.” He’s the guy you went to journalism school with who you actually wanted to date, and maybe even had a chance to! Wells actually majored in broadcast journalism in college! He loves dogs and tacos! He’s terrible at contrived physical activity that takes place in 100-degree weather! He looks like a really amazing, cuddly hugger, based on the few times we’ve seen him hug JoJo!





Wells actually seems to understand the realities of a long-term relationship. "We were very similar people. At the end it seemed like we were just best friends living together," he said of his ex-girlfriend. "We just need[ed] to kind of go our separate ways."


JoJo was taken aback by Wells' openness about having been in a relationship where love fizzled, but that awareness is the first step to being a good partner who proactively works on a romance to make it strong on every level instead of being driven by unquenchable lust. After years of intimacy and friendship and love, sometimes -- or, often -- that “spark” Jojo is seeking truly does fade. That’s life.


Wells' only fatal flaw is that he’s not super into pizza, but maybe that means he’d let his date have the whole pie! OK, and he would never get a cat, no matter how much you love waking up to a loving kitty nuzzling your face. Dog-lovers, you can have him. [Editor’s note: Only Claire is attached to cats.] 



For all that JoJo emphasized the importance of vulnerability and openness this season, it’s brave-faced, macho dudes who appeal to her. For women like us -- neurotic, excessively feminist ladies who watch “The Bachelor” in large part to dissect gender norms -- men who seem emotionally literate and sensitive are the idealized unicorn of reality TV dating. There’s not much left to choose from this season, but Wells was a rare, beautiful exemplar. Without seeming self-loathing or self-pitying, he allowed us to see his insecurity about JoJo’s feelings and his relief when she seemed to be opening up to him. When he flashed a smile, it looked boyish and warm rather than smug. He had things to say. He seemed like someone who would be your best friend as well as your boyfriend, in the best possible way.


Are we projecting our romantic dreams and values all over Wells, a man who, to be honest, we know very little about? Yes. Duh. That’s what “The Bachelorette” is all about. But for once, to see a guy who actually represents our boy-next-door cute-nerd crushes on the most gender-normative dating show ever, that feels like a tiny win.


Wells, we’ll miss you.









For more on Wells -- and "The Bachelorette" -- listen to HuffPost's Here To Make Friends podcast!







 


Do people love "The Bachelor," "The Bachelorette" and "Bachelor in Paradise," or do they love to hate these shows? It's unclear. But here at "Here to Make Friends," we both love and love to hate them -- and we love to snarkily dissect each episode in vivid detail. Podcast edited by Nick Offenberg.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Selena Will Get A Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame In 2017

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Selena Quintanilla will finally get her own star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. 


At a press conference held Tuesday, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce- Hollywood Walk of Fame announced the Queen of Tejano music will be honored with her own star in 2017.


We have one word: YAAAAS! 





“The Committee looked carefully at each nominee and we feel that we have selected a great group of talent that will appeal to the tastes of many fans around the world,” stated TV producer Vin Di Bona, chair of the Walk of Fame Selection Committee


The Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2017 also includes Eva Longoria, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Ice Cube, John Legend and Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, among others. 


The Quintanilla family shared the good news on Selena's Facebook fan page Tuesday evening, to which many fans responded: "It's about time!" 





Selena will receive her star more than two decades after her life was cut tragically short on March 31, 1995. Clearly, the honor has been a long time coming.  


Regardless, fans couldn't be more thrilled to know that it's finally happening. See a few of their reactions below: 

















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Street Artists In Madrid Turned An Old Factory Into A Massive Mural

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The famous Tabacalera building in Madrid, Spain, which once acted as a tobacco factory, is now covered in vibrant murals, as part of Muros Tabacalera 2016.


Organized by the Madrid Street Art Project, an initiative that aims to spread and support urban art through the Spanish capital, Muros Tabacalera brought together around 25 international artists this June, under the theme "Urban Natures." A series of murals now coats the once-dull building in Madrid’s Lavapiés neighborhood. 


“We want people to reflect on the contemporary city and the kind of life we live -- where nature is not present -- through art,” Diana, one of the organizers, explained to The Huffington Post Spain.




Antonyo Marest, one of the participating artists, added that the artwork is transforming the derelict building into an outdoor museum. “Without our works, these walls would be grey," Marest says.


The Muros Tabacalera project kicked off in 2014, and has since contributed to the revitalization of the Lavapiés neighborhood


“Tabacalera has become a rallying point, and plays a very important role in giving life to the neighborhood and to get people out into the street,” Chincheta, another participating in Muros Tabacalera 2016, concluded.


Scroll down for more photos.



This post originally appeared on HuffPost Spain and has been translated into English and edited for clarity.

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Tomato Juice, Tiger Moms, And Marijuana

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Your Ma is classic Tiger Mom. High expectations, blunt, and stubborn like a rock. When you argue with her, she doesn’t hear “innocent before” just “proven guilty.”


Common phrases of Ma are, “You should do better. Dress better. Eat better. You’re unhealthy. You’re not working hard enough. You should be better than the others.” Her favorite catchphrase was, “You’re only doing 70 percent. You should be at a hundred.”


Your Ma’s a tough woman. She studied old style Korean wedding dresses, came to America, worked as a seamstress, and, now, owns a business with Pa making dresses for Quinceañeras. She’d wake up to a work call, cook breakfast, and haggle with the textile guys before she dropped you off. Later that night, she’d pick you up, make dinner for four, and sew a thousand fake roses to cut costs at the shop.


One night, she read in some blog about how Asian immigrants have a high chance of prostate cancer. She would later click through and find the tomato’s high Vitamin C count could help prevent cancer. Problem solved.


Ma made you drink tomato juice every day all through high school. It wasn’t really a juice. The potion she concocted was neither solid nor liquid. She’d make sure to keep all the skin, the seeds, the pits. This juice existed in this “in between” fluctuating between dimensions. It would be frothy, then chunky, then stringy. You would see the top layer bubble, put the cup to your lips, and close your eyes.


The night before, Pa was working late, so you and Ma were eating dinner. She’d ask you about school and your friends and what you do and your diet and all the little details in your life that you found the least interesting. But, suddenly, this thought occurs:


What if you just told her you smoked weed?


You hesitated with weed in high school, jumped on it in college, and thought it would help with anxiety until graduation. What if you just told this health-crazed Korean immigrant that you smoked pot?


So you ask Ma with mischief on your lips, “Do you know what weed is?”


Weed is taboo in South Korea. It’s like opium. You think that’s silly, but the British hooked China onto opium like a bad pop song, so any moral high horse has been made into crap hoof glue. They’re plants surrounded by a culture of fear.


Ma says, “Oh, the drug. It’s so bad. So bad. You would never do that.”


You would do that. You would smoke it with the first girlfriend. You would use it to hook up with the second. And, now, you would stay away from it like an ex after a bad breakup. But that didn’t matter.


You say, in your family’s particularly blunt dialect, “I’ve smoked it before.”


She tried to look expressionless. She looked concerned. You could see the wheels turning. You sensed a small moment of panic, but she held her body completely still.


Her thoughts must’ve been racing. “How could he do that? Doesn’t he know that’s bad for you? Who is he friends with?” She was at a crossroads and had to decide in a millisecond whether you were an infidel, a rebel, or her son.


And luckily, she just said, “Ah dah suh.


She understood, and you were transported back to elementary school. You remember a convo you had with your Ma in the backseat of her car. While driving, she would ask you about your day. Your Korean’s sh*t and her English, reticent. Ma would ask you, “How was day?”


You would reply, “Project.” That’s not a sentence. What do you say next? “Presentation.” Fuck, that’s too long. Keep words less than two syllables. Finish it up. “Bad.”


This happened all the time. Spoken stutters with verbose self doubt. But through the cloud of anxiety and miscommunication, she understood. You had a presentation in class today that you had been nervous about. You stuttered through the presentation like you are now. But through the years of arguments based on words lost in translation, there was a layer of subtlety you two had built in your communication. You spoke not only English or Korean or Konglish, but also a language of inference.


Four years later, you would drink tomato juice every day in high school, because your Ma had cancer. She had a tumor in the side of her right breast, chemotherapy, needles, MRIs, surgery. Cancer made her something far beyond a nutritionist. She would quote internet websites and radio shows like medical journals. You drank the juice, because you knew where it came from. It came from a place of fear and concern that what would happen to her could happen to you, and she would set up a red tomato IV drip in your sleep if she could.


The next day at lunch, Ma would explain to Pa, “It’s different in America. Weed is like alcohol here. It’s like a right of passage.” You couldn’t believe she said that. You couldn’t believe she was capable of understanding that. But, it wasn’t a right of passage. You didn’t smoke to be “American.” You smoked to feel accepted. You accepted her fear, and you would drink the rest of your tomato juice.

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In New Comic Book, A Badass Lady-Wolf Fights Off Horror Stereotypes

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Books about boys may win more awards than those about women, and they may be more likely to achieve commercial success, but that hasn’t stopped a growing number of comic writers from sketching crime-fighting heroines a la Wonder Woman and Jessica Jones.


Among those authors is Rich Tommaso, whose surreal series “She Wolf” debuted earlier this summer. His soft lines lend themselves to a dreamy, atmospheric and, as he puts it, “surreal” world where heroine Gabrielle copes with bodily changes and social exclusion after transforming into a werewolf.


Inspired by “The Exorcist,” Tommaso wanted to create a character who was possessed, and who had to live with the social consequences of possession. Throughout the series, Gabrielle commits unforgivable crimes, is shunned by her peers, and learns to develop new relationships with other supernatural women.


I spoke with Tommaso about horror tropes, women protagonists, and drawing violence that isn’t gratuitous.



So many horror movies feature men as the protagonist, and women as the love interest or sidekick. Why did you choose a teen girl protagonist?


Right off I'd have to say that the initial inspiration for my horror stories comes directly from the films “Rosemary's Baby” and “The Exorcist.” So, whenever I'm forming an idea for a horror story it's usually concerning a young woman. Often I'm thinking of a way to do my version, so to speak, of those two brilliant films.


They're so influential -- even the first spark of the "She Wolf" idea was a story about demonic possession -- specifically, about how a young girl turns "evil" on her 18th birthday -- as viewed by her younger sister. But that story mirrored “Rosemary” and “Exorcist” too closely, so I altered the story's subject to werewolves -- something I'd always wanted to write about.


Unrealistic body types are somewhat of a staple of classic comics. How did you hope to work against that in this series?


I wanted most of the werewolf characters to have very elongated bodies. I immediately pictured the lanky figure drawings of Gustav Klimt, a painter who I'd always admired. I thought, “those body types would be perfect for werewolves,” whose human forms would bring to mind the werewolf forms they'd inevitably change into, later in the story. I studied those paintings and drawings -- drew some copies of them -- and soon came up with the two sisters in "She Wolf," Gabrielle and Lizzie.



Obviously, this comic features some violence. What is your approach to drawing gore? What emotion do you hope the depiction of violence will evoke in the reader?


I use violence in many ways -- mostly in Issue 1, it's used to shake up Gabrielle, who’s suffering from nightmares as she's trying to figure out just what the hell's happening to her. It's a way of introducing her to the harsh realities of adult life that lay ahead of her.


But I also use violence in a cartoony way -- as seen in the big vampire/werewolf fight of Issue 2 -- which I think is kind of funny, but also plays out as violent as you'd think a boxing match between those two monsters would play out. Of course, I also use violence to jar the reader, to make a deep impact, when necessary. Like any other ingredient, I find many uses for violence, beyond mere gory entertainment for the reader.


The same goes for nudity: how do you approach drawing nudity so that it’s artistic, not gratuitous?


My hope is that it's natural for the most part, as simple as someone sleeping in the nude, for instance. Nudity is also a very classic, gothic component of the vampire/werewolf horror story. You're dealing with changes in the human body -- and the vampire and werewolf genre both are usually about people whose lustful appetites go beyond the average, boring status quo that exists around them. In the Red Riding Hood dream, nudity is used to shock Gabrielle into understanding just what kind of monster she's changing into -- one that has no remorse for people. Young or old, they're all just meat to the werewolf, used to satiate their every appetite, sexual or otherwise.



"She Wolf #2" features themes of female friendship -- why did you want to write about this type of relationship?


Gabrielle is completely shunned by her schoolmates for the death of her boyfriend, so I needed someone who'd be in her corner. The new girl in town was a perfect solution. Also, I needed a girl -- very much like Gabrielle -- who understood what she was going through. That was important. Many people have had the experience of being ostracized from a group at one point in their lives, and Nikki is that one person who stands by your side regardless of how the rest of the pack feels about you. Nikki is also a person who -- apart from everyone else -- will most likely remain Gabrielle's close friend well after high school.


Which other badass comic book heroines do you enjoy or admire?


Maggie and Hopey from "Love And Rockets" were the first realistic characters I'd been introduced to in comics. The relationship between the two -- and all of the things they've been through, their progression from teenagers to drop out 20-somethings, to confused young adults, to middle aged adults still trying to get their lives together is awe-inspiring comics magic.


Marlys and Maybonne have a special place in my heart as well. The mood, the emotions that are depicted in Lynda Barry's strips of the '80s and early '90s resonate so deeply with me. They're sometimes hard to define or list. It's the little things, forgotten moments in adolescence, that I can strongly relate to on a personal level and that have been rarely recorded by any other cartoonist. Feelings of isolation, loneliness, self-hatred, and the need to escape one's hometown in search of something new and different.


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'Angels In America': The Complete Oral History

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Twenty-five years ago this summer, Tony Kushner’s Angels in America premiered in the tiny Eureka Theatre in San Francisco’s Mission District. Within two years it had won the Pulitzer Prize and begun a New York run that would dominate the Tony Awards two years in a row, revitalize the nonmusical play on Broadway, and change the way gay lives were represented in pop culture. Both parts of Angels, Millennium Approaches and Perestroika, put gay men at the center of American politics, history, and mythology at a time when they were marginalized by the culture at large and dying in waves. It launched the careers of remarkable actors and directors, not to mention the fiercely ambitious firebrand from Louisiana who wrote it—and rewrote it, and rewrote it, and rewrote it again. Its 2003 HBO adaptation was itself a masterpiece that won more Emmys than Roots. But the play also financially wiped out the theater that premiered it; it endured casting and production tumult at every stage of development, from Los Angeles to London to Broadway; its ambitious, sprawling two-part structure tested the endurance of players, technicians, and audiences. Slate talked to more than 50 actors, directors, playwrights, and critics to tell the story ofAngels’ turbulent ascension into the pantheon of great American storytelling—and to discuss the legacy of a play that feels, in an era in which gay Americans have the right to marry but still in many ways live under siege, as crucial as ever.




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11 Photos That Prove Japan Is The Most Beautiful Place On Earth

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Hidenobu Suzuki knows Japan like the back of his hand.


This spring, the Toyohashi-based photographer shot some stunning photos of cherry blossoms in his home country. And now that it's rainy season, he's back outdoors to capture more Japanese scenery. (Spoiler alert: It's still stunning.)


Check out Suzuki's romantic and gorgeous images, which prove that Japan's hidden corners are just about the dreamiest places you can be:


A pond in the mountains of the Gifu Prefecture





Lake of art by Hidenobu Suzuki on 500px.com









It’s beyond description by Hidenobu Suzuki on 500px.com






Nachi Falls





Nachi of rain by Hidenobu Suzuki on 500px.com









Rain waterfall by Hidenobu Suzuki on 500px.com






Countryside, Aichi Prefecture





Country time by Hidenobu Suzuki on 500px.com






Hydrangea bloom in the countryside





June of Japan by Hidenobu Suzuki on 500px.com









Hydrangea temple by Hidenobu Suzuki on 500px.com






Weeping plum tree





white & red Feelings by Hidenobu Suzuki on 500px.com






Shibazakura Garden near Mount Fuji





Two Mt Fuji by Hidenobu Suzuki on 500px.com






Hitachi Seaside Park





Blue world by Hidenobu Suzuki on 500px.com






Okuni Shrine, Shizuoka Prefecture





Red bridge by Hidenobu Suzuki on 500px.com






H/T Bored Panda

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Glam Rockers of Montreal Celebrate 'Fluid' Sexuality In Wild Video

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Glam pop-rock band of Montreal has a hotly-anticipated new album on the way, and The Huffington Post has an exclusive look at the video for its sterling lead single. 


The clip for "it's different for girls," which can be viewed above, is a dazzling tribute to underground ballroom culture. Wearing a bouffant wig and a psychedelic, '60s style women's pantsuit, frontman Kevin Barnes struts and swishes on a dance floor rife with rainbows and other queer imagery, often looking humorously deadpan among the colorful revelers.


The song offers some tongue-in-cheek references to the dangers inherent in binary gendering over an irresistibly funky, '80s synth-pop beat. "It's different for girls/They don't spit on the street," Barnes sings. "They don't piss on the seat/They don't have to size up every person they meet or create an elite or poison the game so no one else can compete." 


The singer-songwriter, 42, told The Huffington Post that he and his bandmates said the song is intended as "a paean to all the wild-hearted counterculture groups of our species" rather than women exclusively.  


"In a way I feel like most of us transition back and forth, psychologically, between female and male, and that sexual identity is a fluid concept," he said. "If mainstream society encouraged everyone to explore the different sides of our psyches and sexuality I imagine we wouldn't even have a use for words like 'gay' or 'straight' or 'transitioning.'" 


Barnes, who said he identifies as "bi-peculiar," had no qualms about dressing in drag for the video.


"I love dressing up and getting glamorous or grotesque or whatever my mood calls for," he said. "I'm such a newbie at it and the only real challenge is not looking like a basic bitch, ha!"


Barnes called "Innocence Reaches," which is due out Aug. 12, an "eclectic" album in of Montreal's signature glam rock style. The new tunes, he said, were inspired by the likes of Holly Herndon, Sporting Life and Thundercat.   


Although the "it's different for girls" video was shot in May, director Stephen Winter said its all-inclusive message feels even more "brutally relevant" in the wake of the June 12 mass shooting that killed 49 people in Orlando, Florida. 


"This video shows a special world where girls, LGBTQ people and allies celebrate their affirmation, 'cause that space is rare and necessary," Winter said in a statement. "Love is going to win. It won't be an easy road, but we will see this achieved in our lifetime."

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Mychal Denzel Smith Discusses His New Book And The Concept Of Black Masculinity

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Lori Petty On Lolly's Grim 'Orange Is The New Black' Season And What She Taught Jennifer Lawrence

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This interview contains spoilers about Season 4 of "Orange Is the New Black."


In Season 4 of "Orange Is the New Black," Lolly built a time machine out of cardboard boxes and tinfoil. She squeezed a potato in hopes it would power her departure, barreling toward a day when she hadn't killed a man. Like most things at Litchfield, Lolly's plan didn't work. The murder was pinned on her schizophrenic shoulders, and she was condemned to a psych ward that may be the most brutal setting "OITNB" has ever introduced. The last we saw of Lolly was a brisk transition from innocent optimism to savage anguish. 


A large part of why Lolly was such a standout character this year is owed to Lori Petty, who imbues her with wide-eyed wonder and dopey paranoia. Lolly doesn't deserve what life has handed her, and Petty ensures her character's virtue through a cocktail of goofiness and pain. The Huffington Post hopped on the phone with Petty -- otherwise known for "A League of Their Own" and "Tank Girl" -- to discuss this season and her career.


Do you binge the new season like everyone else?


Oh yeah, I went to the premiere and then we had the party, and luckily the party was in my hotel. It was so packed, oh my God. We couldn’t even find each other hardly, but it was wonderful. Then I went downstairs, took a shower, got in bed and stayed up all night and watched the show. We don’t get to see it until it comes out. 


You first appeared at the start of Season 2, on the plane with Piper. How did you find out you'd be back for more?


So Season 2, Episode 1, when I did that episode that Jodie Foster directed, and I’ve known her for 20 years, it was great. Then I thought, “Well, why haven’t they asked me to come back next week?” Like I’ve said before, a closed mouth don’t get fed. I’ve been doing this long enough to know you’ve got to speak up, so I said to one of the producers, “It’s Episode 1, what’s up? I want to be on your show.” And they said, “Oh, we shot out of order, Lori, this is the last episode of the year.” They shot the first episode last. But then when they started on Season 3, they called me right away. They don’t know until they get into the writers’ room what they’re doing.



Did the writers tell you anything about Lolly's backstory?


They don’t really tell you much about it. It’s really about me saying yes to being part of this ensemble. I didn’t know she was going to be a paranoid schizophrenic. That’s just how they wrote it. So the more they wrote it, the more I did it. The more I did it, the more they wrote it. And then I start seeing shit, so it was like a snowball that never ended. It was great.


Did you decide on her mannerisms and tics before knowing she was a paranoid-schizophrenic conspiracy theorist?  


They have to be very specific. You can’t just be randomly crazy. I knew she saw stuff and heard stuff that wasn’t there. I knew that because she kept saying "the NSA, the DEA." So I knew she had a parallel life going on there. The writers take cues from each of our behaviors, like they’ll see a speech pattern or a quickness or a slowness or whatever, and they expound upon that. 


When we first see the younger Lolly in your backstory episode, I was convinced they'd aged you down.  


Yeah, [Christina Brucato, the actress who played younger Lolly] knocked it out of the park. She was great. I came to work the day after she worked and the crew said, “We thought that was you!” They thought it was my voice. They thought they were dubbing my voice into her mouth, which they did on “A League of Their Own” with Geena Davis’ older person. Geena looped her voice into that lady’s mouth, so it makes people go, “Wow!” But no, that girl just did her homework. I had nothing to do with it. We didn’t work on the same days. We never had a discussion. I said hi to her one day real quickly, but we were never in the same place at the same time. I give her a lot of props for being such a good actress and nailing it.



Let's talk about Lolly's relationship with Mr. Healey, who is one of the show's most conflicted characters. She tells him she killed a man, and he wants to protect her, yet he's a prison guard who doesn't take an inmate's murder claims seriously. Then he sells her out, and they share that beautiful moment where she says they'll just try harder to travel in time.


I thought Healey had a lot of empathy with these women, and maybe it crosses the line a little bit. He’s like a compadre where he’s maybe supposed to be more of a boss. But I think the two of them had a real special connection where maybe he saw his mother or maybe he saw himself in her. I don’t know [actor Michael J. Harney's] process, but I know Healey really connected with Lolly, so I think his first instinct was, “Of course you didn’t kill a man. We would know if someone got killed.” I think he went there right away. “No, no, no, that’s in your brain.” But as an actor, I just love Michael so much. He’s just the best. Period. We shut everything else out and do what we have to do, and we love it. It’s like holding hands on a roller coaster. It’s great.


When you read the script where Frieda said she and Red would have to kill Lolly, did you think Lolly would die by the end of the season?


No, my ego’s too big to think that. You can’t kill me! You already killed what I think is one of the greatest actors on our show, Samira Wiley. You can’t kill everybody in the house!


Were you sad not to work with Matt Weiner, who directed the powerful episode with Poussey's death? Lolly was sent to the psych ward in the previous episode, so you weren't in that one.


Well, of course, it would be great to work with Matt Weiner. But I was there one day for something, and it was so maddening having hundreds of actors because they had the big ending. Some of these women were there for 20 hours. It was grueling, hot, claustrophobic -- it was a lot, and then to have to wail and scream and fall up on a murdered Poussey. The whole feeling was so intense, and then to have so many people and so much emotion and so much sadness in real life, because how are we going to do this without Samira? In a way, of course, I’m really upset I wasn’t there, and at the same time it was like, “Wow, that would be a hard-ass day.”



So you knew about Poussey’s death before watching the series?


They send me all the scripts. I read it. We all get them one at a time. It’s funny, hair and makeup will have the script like a day before we get it because they have to know if they’re bikers or if they flash back to 1960 or whatever. They have a lot of work to do. So we’ll go into hair and makeup, and we’ll see the next script and we’ll be like, “It’s right there! Under that wig! Get it, get it!”


Reading it on paper, what was your initial reaction to Poussey's death? It's a topical thing for the show to tackle, since it has shades of the heinous deaths that led to the Black Lives Matter movement.


Oh, it was Eric Garner and all these men who’ve been killed senselessly, and with no conviction, no conviction, no conviction. The 12-year-old boy that was shot and murdered for playing in a park? Really? I mean, it’s time for white people to stop being so reactionary and saying that Black Lives Matter is racist. It’s not racist. I saw a cartoon that was awesome. It had a house that was burning and a normal house, and the fire department was there and it was watering the house that wasn’t burning and it said “All Houses Matter.” No, the house that’s burning matters! It’s the same with our gay and transgender brothers and sisters. The ruling class doesn’t get to decide about racism and transphobia and homophobia, which are not phobias -- it’s just evilness. You’re not phobic, you’re a bigot.


But when I found out about Poussey, I thought, “You can’t kill her!” You know? You can’t kill Lena Horne! You can’t kill Brad Pitt! She’s a star. The first time I saw her, before I was even on the show, I looked at her and I said, “Look at this movie star.” There are people who just hold the screen. Her eyes sparkle, and she’s just got it, whatever that “it” is. I’ve been doing this since '85. When we were editing “A League of Their Own” -- well, we weren’t editing; I was trailing Penny Marshall, and we were in the editing room when Robert De Niro came in and said, “You’ve gotta see this fucking kid.” We were like, “OK.” So we go in his editing room, and he’s got this big screen. It was Leo in "This Boy's Life," and it was just like, “Wow, we’re gonna see you for a long time.”


That’s how I feel about Samira. I cast Jennifer Lawrence in her first film. I wrote and directed “The Poker House” with David Alan Grier. When I saw her tape, I was like, “Well, dammit, now I’ve gotta cast her. There’s our star.” I can small ‘em, so my point is, Samira, she’s got nothing to worry about. 



Did you know Jennifer Lawrence’s star would rise as much as it did?


Oh yeah! Come on. Sexy, blond hair, camera loves her. She has no fear of the camera whatsoever -- she doesn’t even act like it’s there. The camera just eats her up. Her instincts are on point. I taught her a lot in three months. I’m not taking any credit, but I’m just saying that I had to give her a lot of things that people taught me. 


What kind of questions did a young Jennifer Lawrence ask on her first movie set?


Let’s see. “What’s this?” “You mean this record?” I don’t remember how old she was -- 16? 17? But I just said, “Let’s hurry up and grab this shot,” while they were setting something else up. I needed her to open up an Isaac Hayes album, take the lid off the turntable, put the record on, put the needle on, close it and walk away. Just put the record on! And it was like, “And action.” And she just stood there. And we were shooting on film -- it was like the last movie ever shot on film, right? I said, “Baby, put the record on,” and she just kind of stood there like she didn’t want to look at me. I said, “What’s the matter, honey?” She said, “I don’t know what this is.” I said, “Shit, I’m so sorry.” This is before records were cool again. She wasn’t an idiot -- she was a teenager who never saw records before.


Has playing Lolly made you ponder the way the prison system doesn't know how to handle people with mental issues?


Because they don’t belong in prison! That’s why prison can’t handle them. They belong in all those places that Ronald Reagan closed -- they belong in mental health institutions. We have hospitals that deal with people’s physical bodies, so leave hospitals for people whose brains are messed up. And don’t just give them 9 million Valium and Xanax and put them in a corner, which is what they have to do in the hospital because they just don’t want to get hurt.


I live in Venice Beach, and we have the hugest homeless population. I can’t even explain it to you. But I’d say about half of them are kids that want to be homeless and they’re just messing around and having fun. Good for them, whatever. But the other half are people who are mentally ill or addicted to substances, which is also something that should be helped medically and not with punishment. Alcohol and drugs are made to be addictive, like cigarettes. You don’t call someone who smokes too much a cigaretteaholic. They’re addicted to cigarettes. And then there are people who have terrible mental illness who self-medicate with alcohol and drugs because, to make the voices shut up, you’ve got to be really drunk. These people are so underserved and kicked to the curb, and there should be more hospitals where people can get help. There should be showers. We have toilets down here that the homeless people are welcome to use, and they spray them down every night. They’re very nice toilets, actually -- I’ve used them. But they need homes, and they need to be in the hospital, not in jail.


From what you see from Lolly, she didn’t do anything. She doesn’t deserve prison. She deserves a hospital where she can get help.


It’s depressing that the alternative is the violent psych ward she is shoved into. What was filming that sequence like?


It was sickening. You don’t see everything that I saw. After they did the final cut, I don’t think they wanted you to see everything. They’d rather show my reaction to it, and it’s more powerful for the audience to think about what I’m seeing. I saw -- and these are all real things that people do to people -- people being forcefully medicated, people being held down, people in cages. Cages! People looking behind their tiny slit, saying, “Don’t come, don’t come.” 


Having made "The Poker House," have you thrown your hat in the directors’ ring for "Orange Is the New Black"?


I have. With most shows, there’s a hierarchy in the way people get to direct. They have a lot of writer-producers, and a lot of the writer-producers have in their contracts that they get to direct. I put my name on the list, so I hope so.



Do you hope to direct another movie?


I wrote another film that I love, and it’s extremely difficult. The paradigm is that the ways you make a movie keep changing. The ways you get the money keeps changing. And then they say, “Who do you got?” And unless you say Will Smith, it’s like, “Yeah, whatever.” And then if you go to a star, they say, “Well, you got your money?” I can’t get my money without a star, and I can’t get a star without the money. It’s oddly difficult, especially after “The Poker House,” which is such a great movie and got great reviews. But I had the money from a private source, and I guess that’s what I have to try to do again. I’m working on it.


Who would you hope to cast?


It’s a love story. It’s set in New York City. It’s a very straight-up love story. I love this kid, his name is Keith Stanfield -- I love that guy. I follow him on Instagram, I’m like a stalker. And then the female lead would be like Chloë Moretz-ish. It’s a young girl who comes to New York to chase her dreams, and then this guy who’s been a star his whole life and is over it, but he’s still in his mid-20s. They become real good friends. I hail from the Penny Marshall school of movies -- you laugh, you cry, you laugh, you cry. It’s really just a romantic, old-school story like “A Star is Born,” because I’m over irony and cutesy and all that crap. People really, really just want to connect, and I think old-school is a great way to go right now. 


It’s interesting to hear you say that, considering you’re known for a lot of cult classics, like “Point Break” and “Tank Girl” and “Relax...It's Just Sex.” Outside of “A League of Their Own,” did you hope another to find another mainstream star vehicle?


Well, if you look at my whole career and you look at me [laughs], I’ve never really been in the club. I’m a very, very good actress, and I’m a very, very good director, and I’m a very good writer, but I never went to college and I don’t go to those women-in-Hollywood parties. It’s not that I’m against it -- I really probably need to be in it a lot more. But someone gets a great idea and goes, “Oh, call Lori Petty.” And then I’ll get a job. I’m not really having the proper lunches and all that stuff. Back then, in the ‘90s, it wasn’t about wanting to be famous or have the most followers. I really was just happy to work. Working is my funnest thing.


And were you OK not getting traditional leading lady roles? You were on a couple of shows that never took off, and most of the titles on your résumé are somewhat obscure. 


It’s funny, I’ve got like 10 godkids, but they never cast me as the mom. I’m a great mom. Or the girlfriend. I’m usually the girlfriend’s friend. But that’s OK. It’s their show and they can do what they want, so I’m not complaining whatsoever. I just think I’m happiest when I make my own or when I seek it out. I sought “Orange” and just told them, "I really want to be on your show," and they made it happen. I think I’m better that way than waiting for someone to cast me. Even if they don’t want me, they’ll be like, “Why is Lori Petty calling me?”


Several "League of Their Own" cast members reunited last month. Were you asked to join them?


No, I wasn’t. I didn’t find out about it until the day before. Nobody asked me to come. I don’t know what happened there. I think somebody just dropped the ball. But 2017 is the 25th reunion, so I’m sure we’ll do a big, big, big thing.


Any word on whether you're in Season 5 of "Orange Is the New Black"?


I would be overjoyed to be back in Season 5. They left off with Daya and the gun in the guard’s face, and I’m in psych and they’re about to riot, or something like a riot, I assume. They’re still writing, so I’m down to hop on a plane right now. But I don’t know what’s going on.


This interview has been edited and condensed.

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How To Help Victims Of The Istanbul Airport Attack

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As Turkey and the world are still reeling from Tuesday's attack on Istanbul's Ataturk airport, people all over have stepped up to show their support.


Individuals and organizations have rushed to help the victims and their family members after three suicide bombers opened fire and detonated their vests, killing 41 people and injuring 239.


Ataturk Airport is a symbol of international connections and the ties that bind us together,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement


Here's how you can help. 


Donate To The Turkish Red Cross 






The Turkish Red Crescent Society was on scene after the attack, delivering hot meals to victims' family members and providing blood to hospitals that were treating the wounded. To donate to the Turkish Red Crescent's efforts, give here.


 


Support Victims And Their Families






Crowdfunding site Razoo launched a fundraiser after the Istanbul terror attack, with funds going to international organizations, such as the International Red Cross, helping victims and their families. To help victims' families, donate here


 


If You're Local, Give Blood






After the Istanbul attack, people lined up in droves at a nearby hospital to donate blood for the wounded. If you are in Istanbul and would like to contribute, the Turkish Red Cross tweeted out a list of places to give blood.


 


If You're In Turkey, Tell Your Loved Ones You're Safe






Facebook activated its safety check feature in the wake of the Istanbul attack, so people in the area could notify family and friends that they were okay. If you are near Istanbul, consider marking yourself safe, to reassure your loved ones.


 


If Your Loved Ones Are In Turkey, Make Sure They Are Safe






Both T-Mobile and Verizon announced that they're allowing free texts and international calls from the U.S. to Turkey in the wake of the attacks. If you know someone in Turkey, consider sending them a message to check on their wellbeing.


 


Don't Stay Silent






Many have shared the image above on Twitter to comment on the silence from social media and news media in the wake of the Istanbul attack, particularly when compared to the outcry after the Paris and Brussels attacks in the past year.  


 


Read More On The Istanbul Attacks


Airport Surveillance Video Captures The Terrifying Moment Of An Explosion


Deadly Suicide Bombings Hit Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport


Aid Worker Who Narrowly Escaped Syria Alive Was Injured In Istanbul Attack

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This Powerful Instagram Chronicles Important Moments In Lesbian Herstory

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An incredible new Instagram is compiling photos of lesbian herstory throughout the decades in one easy-to-find visual record.


Curated by Kelly Rakowski, the HERSTORY collection of images come from all over the web, ranging from the Lesbian Herstory Archives website's digital collection to deep web finds to submissions from other Instagram users. Rakowski's lens for the project is largely the culture surrounding lesbian history over the years.




"The focus really is on lesbian culture: lesbian books, films, music, photography, art, television, celebrities," Rakowski told The Huffington Post. "I think it's also important to embrace the internet-ness of the @h_e_r_s_t_o_r_y -- it's not too formal or dry. I post so many pics of Jodie Foster, next to photos of the Gay Liberation Front, next to images of Audre Lorde book covers, next to images of Whitney Houston and 'her assistant' Robyn Crawford."




Rakowski went on to talk about how lesbian history often tends to take a backseat to other identities along the queer spectrum when it comes to visibility and how history is remembered.


"Women's history is often not told or recorded or championed, lesbian history even less so," she continued. "I think it's valuable to learn from the past, learn what lesbians were experiencing and thinking in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s -- there's been so much progress is society but still so much oppression. Even if I don't agree with lesbian views from the 1970s (for example) I still think it's important we learn and read and respect their history and experiences."


Check out some more images from HERSTORY below and head here to visit the Instagram for yourself.



LILLIAN FOSTER & MABEL HAMPTON. Mabel Hampton, icon of the NYC lesbian community and one of the founders of the Lesbian Herstory Archives recounts her story to Joan Nestle: "In 1923, I am about twenty years old. I had rooms at 120 West 122nd Street. A girlfriend of mine was living next door and they got me three rooms there on the ground floor--a bedroom, a living room and big kitchen. I stayed there until I met Lillian in 1932. I went away with the people I worked for, but I always kept my rooms to come back to. Then I went into the show. "Next door these girls were all lesbians, they had four rooms in the basement and they gave parties all the time. We'd buy all the food--chicken and potato salads. I'd chip in with them because I could bring my girlfriends. We also went to 'rent parties' where you go in and pay a couple of dollars. you buy your drinks and meet other women and dance and have fun, but with our house, we just had close friends. Sometimes there would be twelve or fourteen people there. We'd have pig feet, chittlins. In the wintertime, it was black-eyed peas and all that stuff. Most of the women wore suits. Very seldom did any of them have slacks or anything like that because they had to come through the streets. Of course, if they were in a car, they wore the slacks. Most of them had short hair. And most of them was good-lookin' women too. The bulldykers would come and bring their women with them. And you wasn't supposed to jive with them, you know. They danced up a breeze. They did the Charleston, they did a little bit of every thing. They were all colored women. Sometimes we ran into someone who had a white woman with them. but me, I'd venture out with any of them. I just had a ball." #lesbianculture #mabelhampton #lillianfoster #lesbianparties #lesbianpride read more on Joan Nestle's blog - JoanNestle2.blogspot.com

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☀️Sundaze 1976☀️ Champagne, IL. Photo: Ruth Mountaingrove | University of Oregon #lesbianculture

A photo posted by ⚢ (@h_e_r_s_t_o_r_y) on





❤️1979❤️ March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Photo: Larry Butler #lesbianculture #1979

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Portraits Of A Native American Mom Breastfeeding Have A Powerful Message

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A Native American mom hopes her breastfeeding photos will empower women and educate the world about motherhood in her culture.


Enedina Banks is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Mayetta, Kansas. When photographer Vanessa Simmons stopped in Oklahoma City as part of her "Normalize Breastfeeding" tour, Banks traveled to the area to pose for photos in traditional Native garb while nursing her son, Nico.



Banks told The Huffington Post she is passionate about breastfeeding as a very "natural" part of motherhood. "It's what our ancestors did," the mom said. "Keeping with tradition in this modernized world can be difficult at times. Everyone is always on the go or in a hurry, and breastfeeding becomes cumbersome."


But the benefits can outweigh the burden, she added, noting that breastfeeding strengthens the mother-baby bond, helps moms "slow down" and is a wonderful opportunity to cuddle.


Banks said her commitment to breastfeeding stems in part from an old Polaroid picture of her late mother, Dorothy Lucille Wahwasuck-Cervantes, nursing her as a baby. "Seeing how beautiful my mother was and how happy she looked in the photo impacted me as a young girl," she said. "I knew when I grew up I wanted that glow, that connection with my children."



A breastfeeding advocate and cultural preservationist, Banks works for the Citizen Band Potawatomi in Oklahoma to help with revitalization efforts in preserving their Native language. She started following Simmons' breastfeeding art and advocacy when she came across her photo series of military moms breastfeeding in D.C. When the mom saw that Simmons would be photographing moms in Oklahoma City, Banks asked if she could participate and incorporate her Native culture in the shoot. 


The photographer happily obliged. The photo shoot took place by a set of murals near the headquarters for Thrive Mama Collective, a local group that offers birth and parenting resources and other support.


On the day of the shoot, Banks selected a mural of a Native man to serve as the backdrop. "I thought, how cool would it be to be dressed in Native dress in front of graffiti to show the contrast of my idea of keeping with tradition in a modern world," she said.


"When I see that elder behind me looking over me speaks volumes to me as we believe our ancestors watch over us and my goal in life is to carry on our traditions and to make them proud," she added.



Banks told HuffPost that she has never encountered any sort of "discrimination or awkwardness" in Native communities about her decision to breastfeed. In fact, many tribe elders have offered kind words and encouragement. "Breastfeeding is not as prevalent as it once was in our communities, but we are trying and implementing programs that help normalize breastfeeding again," the mom explained.


Nico is her youngest of four children, all of whom were breastfed. Each experience was different, however, Banks said. Her oldest child was born with a cleft lip and gum line, which posed challenges, and Nico is her first child to attend daycare, forcing her to learn to pump and freeze breast milk. Despite the obstacles, it was "all worth it," the mom added.


Banks has channeled her passion for breastfeeding into advocacy. "I want young mothers to know our bodies are sacred," she said. "We create life and we can sustain life postpartum and it strengthens that bond. We have always known these sacred things and science is now proving it."


"Pregnancy or childbearing used to be seen as a sacred time, and all the women would gather around and really support the mother and give teachings to help her," the mom continued. "Within my culture there used to be that high regard and respect for women because we are the life givers, and we need to get back to those teachings to heal our communities, who do suffer from historical trauma."


Because breastfeeding offers a sense of comfort and emotional benefits to both the baby and mother, Banks believes it may help teach Native children to deal with stress and lower the epidemic of suicide among Native youth. 



As for Simmons, she told HuffPost that she hopes viewers will see "the beauty of the Prairie Band Potawatomi culture."


"Native and indigenous cultures, such as where my own parents come from -- Accra, Ghana -- are shaping and influencing this generation of mothers," Simmons explained. "When the next generation of girls growing up become mothers, there is no doubt in my mind that our efforts will have been for nothing, yet they will look upon a nursing mother and child with understanding and respect, instead of judgement and disgust as we have all seen recently."


"I did this photo shoot the with the intentions and thought that if I can help one person then it was worth it and meant to be," Banks added. "I hope my photos will be that photo that sticks in a persons mind, like my mother's was to me, that will normalize breastfeeding for them ... I hope people look at the photo and say, 'Wow, you can tread in both worlds of being traditional and modern and it's beautiful.'"


"I want people to know we Neshnabe (Native people) are still here and we are trying everyday to keep our cultures and languages alive," she continued. "It all starts from the womb to infancy, adolescence then adulthood. Food is sacred so why not start with the best?"


To learn more about Banks' story and Simmons' project, visit the Normalize Breastfeeding website.

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New York Times Commissions Literary Short Fiction Based On The Election

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In the literary field, there's been no shortage of Donald Trump material this election season -- of course, it's been in the form of erotic romance spoofs, doggerel poetry, and parodic picture books, until now. 


When The New York Times Book Review asked acclaimed novelist Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, author of Americanah and Half a Yellow Sun, to pen a more highbrow piece of election fiction for the Grey Lady's pages, the result was a fictional account of Trump's home life. Adichie's story, "The Arrangements," burrows into the mind of the presidential candidate's quietly supportive and stunning wife, Melania, a Slovene-American designer and former model who has been seldom heard from during his campaign.


You can read the entire story over at The NYT, but here's a brief excerpt:



She sagged suddenly with terror, imagining what would happen if Donald actually won. Everything would change. Her contentment would crack into pieces. The relentless intrusions into their lives; those horrible media people who never gave Donald any credit would get even worse. She had never questioned Donald’s dreams because they did not collide with her need for peace. Only once, when he was angry about something to do with his TV show, and abruptly decided to leave her and Barron in Paris and go back to New York, she had asked him quietly, “When will it be enough?” She had been rubbing her caviar cream on Barron’s cheeks — he was about 6 then — and Donald ignored her question and said, “Keep doing that and you’ll turn that kid into a sissy.”




In an editor's note, The New York Times Book Review announced that a "second work of election fiction -- by a different writer -- will follow this fall." Who the other writer might be, and whether the series might continue after the second installment, remains uncertain. (As of the time of this writing, the Times had not responded to a request for comment.)


If any 2016 election phenomenon demands a fictional treatment, however, Donald Trump's psyche is it. By viewing Trump's campaign, and his relationships with his children, through the eyes of relatively reserved Melania, Adichie lets us see his ebullient need for approval and attention from a slightly more sympathetic angle -- but one distant enough to be critical. Who hasn't wondered what the deal is with Trump's marriage to Melania -- his third -- and his advisor-level closeness with his children, like Ivanka? What does each of them really feel about his platform, the runaway success of his campaign, and the possibility of his presidency? It's rich ground for fictionalizing.


Not coincidentally, Adichie opens with a nod to Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, a stream-of-consciousness novel about a middle-aged society wife who accepts her role in life but also nurtures certain doubts about it, and about the choices she made to get there. Melania, like Clarissa Dalloway, decides to procure flowers for an event herself -- a small move of independence that nonetheless leaves her marital arrangement undisturbed. 


Adichie, whose most recent novel Americanah delved into the experience of a Nigerian woman building a life as a writer in America, while still feeling a deep pull to her home, was clearly a smart choice for the series. A deft and psychologically acute writer, she brings a wealth of insight about living as an immigrant in the U.S. -- a tricky dynamic when considering Melania Trump is an immigrant herself whose husband is campaigning on a nativist platform. 


What's in the future for The New York Times Book Review election series? Commissioning fiction for specific subjects, events, and clients can sit uneasily with artistic purists. When Chipotle began paying literary writers such as Toni Morrison and George Saunders to pen mini-stories for the fast-casual Mexican chain's cups and bags, some were critical of the encroachment of branded content into the fictional realm. Shouldn't art flow naturally from authors' creative impulses?


But then, there's a proud tradition of political fiction (think All the King's Men), and American readers may never have needed well-executed, deeply thoughtful political fiction more than they do now. So maybe we should just say thanks, and enjoy the insights.

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