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'Wonder Woman' And The Power Of Watching A Woman Save The World

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I cried within the first five minutes of “Wonder Woman.” And then about 10 minutes later. And then another 15 minutes after that. In fact, I found myself choking up on and off throughout the entire 2+ hour film ― not because the movie was sad, but because I had never seen anything quite like it. Just the visual of seeing an army of ripped, powerful women charging down to protect each other and their world was enough to bring me to tears.


The movie begins with a short dip into present day, but really kicks off on Themyscira, the paradise-like island where the all-woman Amazonians live and where Wonder Woman grew up with her warrior queen mother and military general aunt. The island scenes are some of the movie’s most stunning, as viewers are treated to a land where women raise, love and, most notably, fight for each other.


“I blacked out with joy,” Meredith Fineman, CEO of FinePoint told HuffPost about watching the film’s opening scenes. “It was only women ― fighting, being strong, putting themselves in danger, with muscles and beauty.”


The Amazons are warriors at their core, and we see a young Diana adorably emulate her elders, finally going into formal training herself with her aunt, General Antiope (played by an insanely ripped Robin Wright, who I wish was in the movie for longer). Diana is strong in an otherworldly way, and she becomes so not just because she is Zeus’ daughter, but because she is raised by the powerful women that surround her. Her strength ultimately comes from love and community, provided throughout most of her life by other women.



Toward the middle of the movie, we get to see Diana’s singular bravery and ability. On the Western front of WWI, Diana steps out into “No Man’s Land” ― a zone into which both the Brits and Germans have been unable to advance ― and deflects all of the German fire on her own. The scene plays out in slow motion, as we see a physically imposing woman taking gunshot after gunshot, expertly sending the bullets away with her wrist cuffs and shield. She is shot at over and over again ― and, nevertheless, she persists.


In an informal poll of my followers on Facebook and Twitter, it’s these two moments that evoked an initial burst of emotion for many women who saw the movie over the weekend.


“The scene that made me tear up the most was when [Wonder Woman] climbs up into No Man’s Land and fights the battle on her own,” said Maxi Cifarelli. “I was completely moved to see a woman refuse to accept things as they are and to fight by herself, winning a battle that men couldn’t win for years.”


Since “Wonder Woman” opened at the end of last week, my social media feeds have been filled with women talking about how meaningful ― sometimes shockingly so ― watching the movie was for them.







A post shared by Constance Wu (@wonstancecoo) on








When it comes to pop culture, we speak often about representation; the simple yet often unfulfilled idea that it matters to see someone like you fill a variety of imagined roles on screen. After awhile, these conversations almost begin to feel obvious. We know that it’s good to see women and people of color and disabled people and trans people and queer people in the same numbers and variety of roles that white, cisgender, straight men have long been afforded. But what these discussions often lose is the emotional impact of finally seeing something you may have never even realized you were missing. For many women viewers, “Wonder Woman” filled a hole they didn’t know they had.


“I reacted emotionally because I immediately knew how potentially life-changing it would have been to see such depictions of blatant, unapologetic female strength as a kid,” Julie Zeilinger, Founding Editor of the FBomb, told me. “In this time of complete turmoil and attacks on women, it was just so uplifting to see something go *right* for women ― for us to have a powerful example of reclaiming not only our humanity but strength.”






There wasn’t much about “Wonder Woman” that felt fundamentally different from any other entertaining and well-made superhero film, except the gender of the lead. (Although it’s worth noting that “Wonder Woman” is less shy about being grounded in heart and earnestness, something that is fundamentally built into the history of the character. “I’m tired of sincerity being something we have to be afraid of doing,” director Patty Jenkins told the New York Times. “I wanted to tell a story about a hero who believes in love, who is filled with love, who believes in change and the betterment of mankind. I believe in it.”) This lack of massive gap between the emotional pull and delight of, say, 2002’s “Spider-Man,” and the new “Wonder Woman,” is exactly what made the experience of watching the movie so remarkable. It was fundamentally a splashy superhero movie, just one that centered a woman. It didn’t have to usher in the feminist revolution to make an impact.


Movies and TV shows help expand (and reinforce) what we see as “normal” and what we believe to be possible. It should feel both normal and possible to see a woman help save the world, even if she’s not an immortal Amazonian daughter of Zeus. 


Just before my Sunday evening screening of “Wonder Woman” began, I left the theater to grab my friend from the lobby and make sure we had our snack game in order. On my way out, I saw a woman about 10 years older than me trying to take a selfie with the photo-op-ready Wonder Woman cut-out that was standing in the hallway. I offered to help her out and take the photo for her, and she gamely agreed. (The sisterhood of random Instagram assistance is strong.)


After she posed in a power stance, mimicking Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman’s crossed arms, and I had finished taking her picture, she laughed and thanked me. 


“I’m 42 years old,” she said. “I’ve been waiting for this movie for my whole life.” 

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Luis Fonsi Responds To Justin Bieber Butchering 'Despacito' Lyrics

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Justin Bieber has yet to comment on a video of him butchering the lyrics to “Despacito,” despite having recorded a remix of the hit song in April. But Luis Fonsi, who co-wrote the song, has some thoughts on the incident. 


The Puerto Rican star sat down with Rolling Stone for an in-depth interview, published last week. While on the topic of Bieber’s controversial performance of “Despacito,” during which he replaced the real lyrics with words like “Dorito” and “burrito,” Fonsi did not seem offended. 


“That chorus is not easy to sing, even for fluent Spanish singers like myself,” the boricua told the magazine. “It’s got a lot of lyrics, it’s kind of tongue-twisty.” 


When discussing how Bieber had wanted to sing the chorus in Spanish, the first time the Canadian singer has ever done so on a track, Fonsi said he thought it was a big moment for Latin music. 


“I’ve done songs in other languages, I know how hard it is,” he added.  


The “Despacito” remix featuring Bieber has helped the single, originally released in January, soar in the United States. In May, it became the first Spanish-language song to reach No. 1 in the U.S. since the “Macarena” in 1996. 


Despite its success, many fans weren’t so forgiving when it came to the way Bieber handled his recent “Despacito” performance. Ricardo Mondolfi wrote a scathing blog for HuffPost about why he had decided to boycott the “Despacito” remix featuring Bieber. 


“I don’t blame him for not knowing the words in Spanish, but his mockery of the language is completely unacceptable,” Mondolfi wrote. “Justin Bieber has shown he can’t sing in Spanish without making fun of it, so he simply shouldn’t. I, for one, won’t listen to ‘Despacito’ remix ever again, and I hope you won’t either.”

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Working Mom Makes Awesome Edits To Daughter's Sexist Homework

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After noticing a problematic narrative in her 6-year-old daughter’s homework, one working mom decided to fix it. 


On May 23, Lynne Polvino posted side-by-side photos of her daughter Hazel’s fill-in-the-blank homework assignment, titled “Back to Work,” next to her edited version of the worksheet on Facebook





“Back to Work” prompts students to choose words from lists of three to fill in a story about a little girl named Lisa. 


“Lisa was not happy. Her mother was back at work,” the story begins. The narrative explains the the little girl had a terrible morning at home and day at school because her mom went back to work after staying at home with her.  


“Lisa had to get to school on time. Her father had to get to work on time. And now, her mother was in a rush, too,” the narrative reads. 


Due to the change in routine, Lisa’s dad had to make breakfast, which was “not too good.” At the end of the story, however, Lisa “feels fine” because her mom’s job allows her to leave early and greet her at home after school. 





Polvino lives in Queens, New York and works at publishing house in Manhattan. As a working mom, she was struck by the story in the homework assignment.


“It just pushed so many buttons for me, and with each sentence it managed to get worse!” Polvino told Today. “My shock and dismay quickly turned to outrage. I mean, what decade are we in, anyway? In this day and age, we’re going to tell kids that mothers working outside the home makes their children and families unhappy? That fathers don’t normally do things like cook and wash the dishes?”


Upset by the messages in the story, Polvino decided to rewrite it to more accurately reflect the kind of life she wants for her children. In the updated version, Lisa’s mother returns to work after “nearly a year of paid maternity leave” and the little girl feels happy.


“The morning was wonderful,” Polvino wrote. “Lisa had to get to school on time. Her mother had to get to work on time. Her father was home on his paid paternity leave, caring for Lisa’s younger brother and contributing equally to the running of the household. No one was in a rush because Dad had things firmly under control.”


After Lisa’s dad cooked a “very good” breakfast, she helped wash the dishes and went to school, where she “enjoyed the play-based learning and small student-to-teacher ratio in her state-of-the-art public school classroom.” After spending the afternoon at a “free federally-funded after school enrichment program” that offers Lego robotics and painting, Lisa returned home feeling good about all of her opportunities in life and quality time with her family.





Polvino’s Facebook post has been shared nearly 1,300 times and received more than 2,600 likes. At the request of friends, she made the post public, and it received more attention when Today contributor Alison Slater Tate wrote about it for the site.


In a follow-up comment on her Facebook post, Polvino clarified that her rewrite was meant as social commentary and not as a criticism of Hazel’s teacher or school. 


“As we all know, NYC public schools face many challenges, including lack of adequate funding for up-to-date classroom materials, and I admire and appreciate all the good work the teachers and administrators do,” she wrote.


Though the mom did not send the the updated assignment to school with Hazel, she did email her teacher to share her concerns about the material.


On May 28, Polvino shared an update after hearing back from her daughter’s teacher. She said the teacher thanked her for bringing the issue to her attention, expressed her agreement and promised to review future worksheets more carefully before sending them home. 


“She also apologized for the oversight and confirmed that it must have come from an out-of-date workbook,” wrote Polvino, adding that she believes public schools need more adequate funding for newer materials and smaller class sizes so that teachers can focus on educating children rather than “weeding out offensive decades-old worksheets.”


She concluded her update with a a shoutout to the working mothers who came before her. 


Wrote Polvino, “A huge thank you and much respect to all the working moms of past generations who had to deal with this type of crap on a regular basis!”

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Funny Or Die Cut Trump Into 'Handmaid's Tale,' And He Fits In Perfectly

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This was inevitable. Maybe even unnecessary. But Funny or Die, master of mashups, did it anyway.


The humorous site took “The Handmaid’s Tale” ― the Hulu adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, which has consistently portrayed a reproductive rights hell with too many parallels to present-day American life ― and gave the show a character it doesn’t need: Commander Donald Trump. 


Does Gilead’s version of Trump respect women more than anyone? Yes. Does he believe they should be punished for acting as if they are in charge of their own bodies? Yes.


So, you know, he’s exactly the same as our Trump. Under His eye.


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Banksy Pulls Free UK Election Print Offer Amid Police Probe

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Banksy has pulled a plan to send free prints to Brits who don’t vote for the incumbent Conservative government in this week’s election because he’s been warned it would “invalidate” the result.


The anonymous street artist said Saturday he would mail prints to voters in six electoral districts in and around his home city of Bristol, southwest England, if they sent him a photo of their ballot paper to prove they hadn’t voted for their local Conservative Party candidate:



A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on




Banksy said he would send them the print, an updated version of his “Girl with balloon” on archival quality paper, to voters the day after Thursday’s election:



A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on




His offer, however, caused controversy as critics accused the artist of attempting to sway voters’ decisions. Local police confirmed in an issued statement that they had received multiple complaints and that they were “investigating the offer.”


“It is a criminal offense under the Representation of People Act 1983 for any voter to accept or agree to accept a gift or similar in return for voting or refraining from voting,” the Avon and Somerset police force said in the statement. “Any person participating in an offer to receive a gift is at risk of being prosecuted.”






Banksy announced late Monday that he would scrap the giveaway in light of the police investigation and a warning from the U.K. Electoral Commission.


The artist announced his “product recall” in an Instagram post: 



A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on




The U.K. has strict electoral coverage guidelines and the Electoral Commission has also issued a warning against people against taking selfies in polling stations.


 


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Here's How J.K. Rowling Wants To Protest Donald Trump’s UK State Visit

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J.K. Rowling has shared a protest plan of action should President Donald Trump make a state visit to the United Kingdom.


On Tuesday, the Harry Potter author admitted via Twitter that she would “rather he didn’t come.” But if Trump is afforded the pomp and ceremony of an official trip, proposed for later this year, Rowling revealed how she wants people to demonstrate.


It involves using Trump’s own tweets about Saturday’s deadly attack in London, which killed seven civilians and injured 48, against him:










Following the attack, Trump caused controversy by misquoting and then criticizing London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Rowling joined in with the global condemnation of Trump, calling him an “alarmist blowhard.”


Fellow tweeters appeared to agree with her protest idea, and even suggested other ways to show disapproval:










































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The Career Advice No One Will Give You

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Below is an excerpt from Weird in a World That’s Not: A Career Guide for Misfits, F*ckups, and Failures by Jennifer Romolini, Chief Content Officer at Shondaland.com.


Over the decade or so since I officially became an editor, I’ve sat on a number of conference panels, with a number of silly-formal conference-panel names. I’ve given speeches with post-speech Q&As, been a guest speaker in classrooms, and been interviewed about my career for publications, both biggish and small.


The questions I am asked in these situations range in quality and scope —sometimes people want to know old magazine yarns, sometimes they want to talk about womyn on the Internet, sometimes about something real sexy, like how brands can reach an audience across platforms. But most of the questions I get involve advice — What’s your advice for young editors? What would you tell new college grads?, and then, if the moderator/interviewer/question-asker is trying to mix things up, What career advice would you have given yourself?


This question is an old trope, a popular magazine-essay packaging device, a way to make an audience simultaneously sentimental about wisdom and nostalgic for youth. We see variations of this self-advice construct in web articles, bundled up in “Letters to Myself” books, in videos where semi-famous people fade into one another as they espouse inspiring aphorisms about life. It’s intimate. It’s navel-gazing. It’s nurturing. It somehow flatters us all.


Whenever I am asked this question in public, I don’t really know what to say. (So I say something canned, like “A little sugar goes a long way!” Or something I think will get a laugh, like “Wear a bra!” Hardy har.) The real advice I wish I could give my younger self is more intense and harsh than what I’d give to others, what I’d give to you. It’s not a sound bite, it’s not onstage cool. What would have been most useful to me in the early stages of my career, during the period between first-job terror and middle-management malaise — in addition to all the more general advice you’ve read so far in this book — is embarrassing and intimate. It’s tough love. It’s not always nice. Here’s what I would have told myself. Maybe it will help you too.


You’ll Suck at Everything the First Time You Do It


You will probably suck the second and third time too. Don’t get defensive about this; don’t decide that you should never do the thing again because you’re as worthless as a chin zit. Don’t compare yourself to other people who have been doing the thing longer, who have practiced and are better. Who were maybe born better—who cares. Don’t pretend the reasonable person critiquing your work is wrong and awful and your sub-standard work is up to snuff because believing this soothes your ego. That thing you did sucks, but it doesn’t matter: with effort, you can become great at almost anything except maybe (at this point) professional sports. Accept this as reality, stop getting so mad, stop being so mean to yourself, and start working to make it good.


There Will Never Be a Positive Consensus about You


Some people just won’t like you, whatever. There’s no amount of extra-teeth smiling or forced charm or jokes or compliments or social games or happy-face emoji DMs that will change their minds. Sometimes people just won’t like the cut of your jib. Sometimes you will say or do the wrong thing, put your foot in your mouth, and cause irreparable harm. You’re human, you fuck up. Don’t fixate on this. Don’t clap back. Learn from the situation and move on.


Stop Vacillating between “I Am Garbage” and “I Am God”


This is annoying. And it’s exhausting. All these self-esteem swings are tuckering you out. You don’t need to be one or the other. You’re in the middle. Everyone is. Even Kanye. Moderate your ego. Do your best. Seek out new opportunities. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Some days you will feel good about your work, some days you will feel bad, but all days you are fundamentally the same. Ground yourself so you don’t crave constant validation, so that every accomplishment or positive reinforcement, every negative comment or rejection, doesn’t redefine who you are. Call your grandma. Do something kind. Think about someone else for a while. That will help.


Chill the Fuck Out


You’re taking work too personally and too seriously, you’re confronting people too much with too much hostility, you’re letting every tiny facet of work get under your skin, and you’re freaking people out. Put aside that America hates assertive/ aggressive/ambitious women more than it hates puppy killers; put aside that if you were a man, these “problems” would most likely never have been a concern. The fact that all your performance reviews say “difficult,” “rubs people the wrong way,” “bedside manner: meh” cannot be blamed entirely on misogyny. This is not the case for everyone, but it is for you. You need to slow your roll just a bit, find the middle of your dial, take the time to pause, read the room, think it out, and come at the issue calmly, with a plan. By not doing this, you’re hurting yourself more than you’re hurting anyone else.


Stop Treating Your Career Like a Race to the Death Sprint


Man alive, you are going to put so many hours into this career, so many weekends and early mornings and late nights. You are going to talk about this career until you’re hoarse, and work so hard you feel blind. You need to slow down; it’s not going anywhere. You need to take care of yourself. Stop drinking so much. Get some sleep. Sit for a moment with your disappointments instead of racing to the next thing. Stop trying to run away from uncomfortable situations. Identify your triggers; understand what makes you feel most anxious and insecure, so your anxiety and insecurity don’t make you do fucked-up things to other people. Read all those old New Yorkers. Or don’t. Read a trashy book. Or better, read Cheryl Strayed. Just read something that has nothing to do with your job. Stop hoarding your vacation days. They’re not going to fire you, at least not for taking a vacation. Take advantage of the health care plan you don’t understand that costs you $7,995 a month and get yourself some therapy. You need it. Needing it doesn’t make you a freak. Go to the gym. Or take a walk. Do something active with your limbs. Spend two hours a day not thinking about work. Don’t eat four pieces of toast and a block of cheese before bed unless you want to wake up feeling like you ate four pieces of toast and a block of cheese. When all else fails, do a face mask. It’s going to be OK. You’re weird, sure, but you’re better than you think. Sometimes you’re even great.


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11 Throwback Tours To Get Nostalgic About In Summer 2017

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Summertime, and the live music opportunities are plentiful. While festivals — where you can hear great tunes and end up in street style roundups in a single weekend — seem to dominate headlines in recent years, more and more musicians are banking on their nostalgic value to draw fans to big venues.


This summer, anyone looking to time travel need only journey to their nearest stadium to catch the likes of Blink-182, New Kids on the Block, Everclear, Toto, “Joshua Tree”-era U2 and more. Check out 11 acts you can catch on the road this summer.




Hit Backspace for a regular dose of pop culture nostalgia.

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The Bookish Magic Of Black Women Is Getting A Literary Festival

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The Well-Read Black Girl has come a long way in just a couple of years.


Founded by creative strategist Glory Edim, the digital book club started as a way for her to talk about books with her friends. She took the name from a custom T-shirt her boyfriend gave her ― a nod to her bookishness ― and began posting book recommendations on Instagram. Now it’s an online community of more than 20,000, and Edim has begun regularly hosting in-person meetings as well.


Next up: A conference and festival held in Brooklyn, New York, which will be all about celebrating black women authors and creating a space for black women to share their literary passions and experiences. 


The timing and location of the festival is telling ― just one week before the annual Brooklyn Book Festival. On a practical level, the choice will likely make things easier for authors to appear at both; the Well-Read Black Girl has already arranged meeting discussions with major writers such as Angela Flournoy and Margo Jefferson, and asks potential festival attendees to “Imagine the world’s best book club featuring an array of outstanding authors and writers, including Tayari Jones, Naomi Jackson, LaShonda Barnett, Tiphanie Yanique, Tia Williams, Jenna Wortham, Doreen St. Félix, and more.”



More important, the book world still frequently fails to make its spaces welcoming and inclusive of people of color, especially black women, or relegates them to token events addressing diversity or race in literature. Preceding the established festival with an event for black women provides a counterbalance to the whiteness of most shared literary spaces, an opportunity for black girls and women to celebrate their nerdy sides in a sisterly atmosphere.


In addition to author panels, talks and networking events, the festival promises special treats like a VIP kickoff party featuring a screening of author and filmmaker Kathleen Collins’ seminal, and rarely shown, 1982 film “Losing Ground.”


The festival addresses a long-neglected group of book readers, so it should be no surprise that Well-Read Black Girls has seen a surge of demand. Edim launched a Kickstarter on June 3 to support the event, and as of Tuesday morning had been funded to $17,000, exceeding its $15,000 goal.


HuffPost reached out to Edim about the project via email and will update the article accordingly. In the meantime, check out our past interview with Edim, for which she suggests 10 new books by women of color you should add to your 2017 TBR list.





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Two Grown Men Had A Toddler-Like Meltdown On 'The Bachelorette' And It Was Amazing

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For two consecutive weeks on “The Bachelorette,” audiences have suffered through a bewildering and deeply uninteresting feud between contestants Lucas and Blake E.


Coming on the show, it appeared Lucas planned to endear himself to Rachel Lindsay through yodels of “Whaboom!” and other rejected Jim Carrey bits, while Blake E. aimed to woo her with his aspirations of drumming and his sexual genius. As it transpired, the two had a troubled history that pre-dated the show, which Blake repeatedly and ineptly attempted to explain to Rachel and the other guys. (In summary, he and Lucas appeared together on a reality show called “Ex-Isle,” and then he was roommates with Lucas’s ex-girlfriend, because of course.)


Lucas attempted to save himself during the cocktail party that began this week’s episode, suggesting to Rachel that Blake had slandered him because he “has a crush” on him. As evidence, he presented the following ludicrous scenario:







Rachel took it to Blake, who had a calm and rational response: Do I look like a guy who’d eat a banana over a sleeping man’s bed? I’m on a carb-free diet


Fortunately for us all, Rachel’s patience finally ran out on this less-than-dynamic duo. Both contestants were eliminated during the ensuing rose ceremony ― teeing up the two gentlemen for their one moment of glory. Perhaps for the first time ever, two feuding suitors left the mansion together and treated us all to a massively douchey bro fight on the way out.







It began when Blake wandered over to Lucas’s exit interview taping to salute him with a hearty “fuck you,” but somehow the situation managed to devolve from that very low point. Accusing Lucas of dragging him down and ruining his chances with Rachel, Blake attempted to drop the mic with, “I’m going home. You win, Lucas.” 


“It’s not about winning,” Lucas shot back. “It’s about the world, brother. And you have no idea what the world needs.” Blake didn’t stand for that, rejoining,“You’re the ‘whaboom’ clown. I’m the nice gentleman.” (Note: That is a false binary, especially on “The Bachelorette.”)






Perhaps because of their longer acquaintance, the barbs soon got uncomfortably real for “The Bachelorette,” as Lucas told Blake to “go back to his protein shakes.”


Blake taunted Lucas as a washed-up, failed comedian. “Get back to your garbage, clown life,” he sneered.


“My clown life?” shouted Lucas, suddenly enraged. “I’m a clown? Because I can be funny?! You don’t even know what funny looks like!”


“Funny is not ‘whaboom,’” Blake responded. “’Whaboom’ is like, wocka wocka, pie in the face, wocka, wocka, honk, honk, fart joke.”


The argument limped to an end with Lucas accusing Blake of being jealous and Blake mockingly mimicking Lucas every time he spoke, a fitting goodbye for both men which sent “Bachelorette” Twitter into raptures.

















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George Weasley Offers A Solution To The Biggest 'Harry Potter' Plot Hole

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As much as we love J.K. Rowling, there are a lot of things that don’t make sense in the “Harry Potter” series.


For example, there’s no discussion of kids taking subjects like math and science. If Muggles have to suffer through algebra, wizard kids should, too. And why didn’t Voldemort just break Harry Potter’s glasses or something? So many plot holes. So little time.


Beyond these little annoyances, one glaring plot hole remains the chosen one: Why didn’t Fred and George notice Peter Pettigrew sleeping in Ron’s bed on the Marauder’s Map?







The Weasley twins had the map, which is able to show the location of each person in Hogwarts, for years before they gave it to Harry. During all that time, wouldn’t they have noticed Ron hanging out with a guy named Peter Pettigrew, who was really an Animagus disguised as Ron’s rat, Scabbers?


We first posed the question to Rupert Grint, who said he didn’t know for sure but added, “That’s a good point,” after we suggested that Ron was technically going to bed with Pettigrew every night.


Thankfully, Oliver Phelps, who played George in the movies, came to the rescue. 



“Maybe it’s a boo in the family that no one talks of. ‘Who’s this Peter bloke?’” said Phelps. He later added, “Maybe it was an unspoken word in the Weasley’s family,” insinuating, perhaps, that Fred and George didn’t want to press Ron on a relationship he wasn’t yet comfortable talking about. Sure, Ron was 11 years old when he first had brought Scabbers/Peter to Hogwarts, but maybe the relationship wasn’t romantic. 


Phelps suggested that the family was probably surprised when Ron and Hermione got together.


“When it came out that he got with Hermione, they were like, ‘Oh.’” said Phelps.


The actor admitted he didn’t know for sure, but Phelps’ answer is as good as anyone’s since he’s basically an authority on the Weasleys. Phelps and his brother James, who played Fred Weasley, apparently even know secrets about their characters’ backgrounds from J.K. Rowling, but he wouldn’t reveal them unless it was already out there.


“It was kind of family-based, from her side of it” was all we could get out of him.


So as far as the plot hole goes, it looks like the Weasleys just let Ron do his own thing.


Phelps has to be used to questions like this. Despite getting involved in various charities such as WellChildHelp Harry Help Others and Teenage Cancer Trust and working on other projects, like a potential new TV show with his brother, “Harry Potter” still follows him around every day.







What was it like when the movies ended? Are you working on things with your brother or separately?


I remember the day we wrapped. It really felt like we were trapezing, and they pulled the safety net because we’d always had that balance. We could always go back to the next film, and it’s only subsequently since that I realized what a big thing it is. We were always pretty impressed to be part of it, but it’s a bit weird like, “Oh, what? Not every film is $150 million budget?” You know what I mean? Those sort of things. So it’s certainly been an eye-opener doing it the other way around, I suppose, to what conventional actors do. But since [then] we’ve been very lucky to get in the room with people and talk and meet.


James and I have been doing a few things separately, but I think we both realized that our niche is together in some aspects of it, so we’ve got some other projects of our own we’ll be working on, which has been, again, a new side of it, learning different things. We got a show we’re trying to get off the ground at the moment, so that’s been quite cool.


What’s the show going to be?


It’s still under wraps to a point. I can say it’s a travel documentary show, so the premise is we go to a certain city and we do two sides of the same city.


That actually sounds great. So you two never opened a joke shop?


No, but every time I ever go into Hamleys [Toy Shop] in London, I get a funny look. It’s one of those things, I think, because we are known as pranksters and everything else like that. We never quite went that way, but the good thing about being those characters is that people find us very approachable, which is brilliant. It’s nice when you’re out and about and some people recognize us, and they’ll take a second because the hair is different.


Do people recognize you all the time? Or only when you’re together?


If we’re both together, people know straight away where they recognize us from. I’d say it happens daily.


What’s a memory you have that fans don’t know about?


I remember instantly, the first time we did the read-through. For me, that was one of the funniest bits to sit there and think, “Wow, we’re actually doing this.” That was cool. In terms of stuff you don’t realize, there’s just lots of stuff. Playing football in the Great Hall, which I’m sure Warner Bros. wouldn’t like me talking about. Playing cricket on Privet Drive and things like that.


Did you ever interact with J. K. Rowling on set?


She was probably the most intimidating person I’ve ever met in my life, not by any fault of her own, just by ― she made everything that we were doing. I remember we were in Rupert’s dressing room on one of the later films, and she came in and totally blindsided all of us. I think we were doing something silly, like, we were playing darts but with a crossbow or something not very mature. And she explained where the twins characters came from and where their influences are and stuff like that. I didn’t want to rock the boat too much and ask, “Well, what do they do afterwards ... what does one of them do afterwards?” But it was quite interesting learning the backstories and where the characters came from.


Did you ever hear you weren’t supposed to say the T in Voldemort? It’s supposedly pronounced “Voldemor.”


Oh, really?


Yeah. Rowling revealed that. It was a big thing for days.


No. Wow. Probably could’ve done with knowing that while we were filming it. [Laughs.]


One of my favorite scenes of you was when you caught Ginny and Harry and said, “Morning.”


It was awkward as hell to do, but I remember for some reason the night before I was watching Looney Tunes and you’ve got Bugs Bunny walking around trying to be quiet, so if you watch that scene I pretty much do an over-exaggerated, long, quiet step in the background just because I thought that made it a bit more obvious that he’s goofing about. And the way I said, “Morning,” that comes from my parents, on the phone always speaking like, “Hello, morning.” To me, it made a bit more sense to do it like than to make it more awkward. But it’s kind of taken on a life of itself now.





There are a bunch of Harry Potter theories. One is that George became Willy Wonka.


Maybe. I supposed he’d stick with the entrepreneurship. I thought maybe Ron would come to work with him but he’d be the all-seeing guy. Maybe he would go a little bit mad as Willy Wonka did, to a point. James often talked about maybe Fred became a ghost, like he’d always be jumping out at people or stopping people from stealing in the shop or something like that.


Ever do the switcheroo with each other?


We did on the second film in a long shot rehearsal. I actually read somewhere that we got caught and they had to reshoot the whole film, which I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t. And we were playing identical twins, so it probably wouldn’t have made much difference.


Do you have a lifetime entrance to Harry Potter World?


I think so. I mean, they did say that they would. I wanted a gold card they give you at Disneyland to get in. They said, “Well, we don’t do that at Universal. Just call the office, and they’ll get you in.”


I want a gold card to show you. [Laughs] To be fair to the guys, they’ve always been awesome when we’ve been down, and they’ve had close friends in as well.







From June 1 to 30, HuffPost is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the very first “Harry Potter” book by reminiscing about all things Hogwarts. Accio childhood memories.

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Sam Claflin Succumbs To Rachel Weisz's Charms In 'My Cousin Rachel' Clip

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Whether she’s smooching Ryan Reynolds in “Definitely, Maybe,” or playing a blind runaway in “The Lobster,” it is hard to avoid the charms of Rachel Weisz. For confirmation, just watch HuffPost’s exclusive clip from her new movie, “My Cousin Rachel.”


In a remake of the 1952 mystery starring Olivia de Havilland and Richard Burton, based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, Weisz plays the titular woman accused of murdering a young Englishman’s guardian. Sam Claflin, portraying said Englishman, becomes vulnerable to her allure, and it’s all downhill from there. 


“My Cousin Rachel” opens June 9.

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Bobby Moynihan Reveals Wife Is Having A Girl With Sweet 'Wonder Woman' Tribute

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Bobby Moynihan is so ready to show his daughter the new “Wonder Woman” movie. Only thing is ... his daughter hasn’t been born yet.


The “Saturday Night Live” alum and his wife, Brynn O’Malley, are currently expecting their first child.  



On Monday, Moynihan posted a photo of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman on Instagram and revealed that he and O’Malley are having a baby girl. 


Addressing the film’s director, he captioned the photo, “‪Hi @PattyJenks. Big fan. Quick question. How soon do you think is appropriate to show my daughter @WonderWomanFilm? She’s due in July.”




He added, “Thanks for making it easier to be a Dad. What an amazing, beautiful movie. Thanks to you and @gal_gadot.”


Indeed, “Wonder Woman” fever has struck parents and kids alike. In fact, many parents are sharing photos of their young daughters dressed as the famous superhero. 


Girl power for the win!

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Artist Gives Famous Paintings Geeky Cartoon Makeovers

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The classics meet Cartoon Network.


A Canadian artist who goes simply by Lothlenan created a Tumblr post that’s been widely shared during the past week. The post features famous paintings reimagined with carefully chosen cartoon characters.



“I was doing a study of ‘Mr. and Mrs. Andrews’ by Thomas Gainsborough in my free time, trying to strengthen my painting skills,” Lothlenan explained to HuffPost. “I was a little over halfway done when I decided I wanted to spice it up a little. I can’t exactly say how the two threads joined in my head, but maybe it was because I’d recently seen some episodes of ‘Adventure Time’ with the Earl of Lemongrab and thought he’d sit quite well in the painting.” 



Lothlenan liked the way the painting came out and said that his friends got a kick out it. So, he decided to make it his thing.


“It became kind of like my amusing little twist. I strive to find subjects that resonate with the original painting,” he said. “Sort of a personal challenge, but also something to make the process more entertaining.”



Lothlenan said he’s always been into video games and manga. Some of his favorite cartoons include “Steven Universe,” “Rick and Morty,” “Adventure Time” and “absolutely anything by Studio Ghibli.”


But he learned to appreciate classic paintings when he was in college. 



“It wasn’t until I hit university and had an incredible professor that I developed a really strong appreciation for the old masters and their more modern successors,” he said.


Lothlenan paints all of his pieces digitally and says that each of his cartoon recreations took about a week to make. The process is much more tedious than one might think.



“As for the process itself, I always start with the backgrounds and, honestly, that’s the most time-consuming part,” Lothlenan told HuffPost. “It usually involves me trying to figure out how to approach the original artist’s painting methods, and if there are specific brush techniques I need to account for to achieve a certain look.”



As for the popularity of these particular paintings, Lothlenan has a theory.



I think because it’s two halves of the familiar, but in an unfamiliar way,” he said.


He acknowledged fans might not instantly recognize the classic paintings that inspired him.


“I hope that my interpretations leave them walking away with a newfound appreciation for the original masterpiece,” he added.

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'DWP''s Antoinette Robertson: Black Women Can Be Woke And Wear A Weave

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Netflix’s hit “Dear White People” is one of those special shows where during any given scene, someone watching is likely going, “oh s**t, that’s me.” For black women who’ve watched ‘DWP,’ one of those moments came during an intimate moment with two of the show’s leading characters, Coco and Troy.


As the two engage in some morning foreplay, Coco (Antoinette Robertson), who struggles with insecurities as she feels constantly overlooked by men, scurries under the sheets to hide from Troy (Brandon Bell) after he accidentally takes off her wig.


But whether you’ve ever rocked a lace-front or not, the vulnerability and self-consciousness expressed in the scene are all-too-familiar for many black women who’ve experienced bearing their natural crown for the first time. 


Robertson spoke with HuffPost about the black hair complex and explained why wearing a weave doesn’t equate to a lack of wokeness. 


“You saw [the wig] become not something she did for herself, but something she did for his attention because she thought the women who were the objects of his desire looked like that,” Robertson said of her character. 


In the scene, it’s clear that Coco, who regularly wears a weave in the show and is intent on maintaining Troy’s attention, doesn’t think she’ll still appeal to him without some form of hair extensions. Everything about the scene represents a complicated and understated tension within the black community that extends well-beyond the set of “DWP.”


Coco’s inability to see that she’s stunning without a wig or weave speaks to an insecurity that’s unique to black women: our fear that our natural hair is a reduction of our beauty. This fear is endlessly perpetuated by a variation of media outlets and, sometimes, ourselves.


“When you grow up in a world where you’re given images of beauty and you don’t look like that, what does that do to someone’s self esteem?” Robertson said. “What does that do to black girls who are now subsequently black women in a world that places so much emphasis on a Euro-centric idea of beauty?”


Indeed, a 2014 article from The Salad Bowl points out that a quick Google search for “hottest women” yields endless pages almost exclusively filled with white women. (Of course, a Google search this year yields nearly identical results.) Furthermore, a Men’s Health magazine ranking of the “100 Hottest Women of 2015” includes only six black women (Janelle Monae was the darkest skinned woman on the list to boot). 


But outside of the European beauty standards constantly enforced by news media, Robertson believes music videos could do better too. Although she commended Kendrick Lamar’s noteworthy attempt at celebrating natural hair in his March video for “Humble” and said she’s noticed people “starting to veer towards authenticity,” she knows the industry still has its issues. 







“How often do you see a black girl with natural kinky hair running around and just being bold and beautiful?” Robertson asked of today’s music videos.


In 2009, rapper Wale released a controversial music video for his song, “Pretty Girls” in which there was a palpable absence of women who wouldn’t pass the paper bag test. While Wale later professed a love for darker-skinned women, the statement didn’t detract from the fact that they were excluded from the video.


While the rejection of darker-skinned women’s beauty is troubling in its own right, Robertson said what bothers her most is the root of it. 


“All this stuff comes from slavery,” she said. “The divisive tactics of putting people who are lighter-skinned with a softer curl in the house and putting people who are darker-skinned with kinkier hair out in the fields created something in our community that is still there. Whether people notice it or not, it is there.”


And as today’s women reap the consequences of these centuries-old practices, Robertson said the longer we wait to shed light on the beauty of black women as they are, the harder it will be for today’s young girls to love themselves in the future.


“It’s a lot easier to empower little girls than it is to heal broken women,” she said. “You have to grow into the understanding that you’re beautiful regardless of how your hair looks. But more so with the understanding that this is how you were naturally made.”


“I understand why [black women and girls] wouldn’t wear their natural hair, I get it,” she continued. “You are in a world where people are [asking] you: ‘Why you want to wear you hair nappy?’”


But Robertson said the limited notions of beauty ideals don’t necessarily affect all black women and that wearing weave isn’t always done out of a need to succumb to European beauty standards. 


“I make a choice to wear my hair straight sometimes,” she said. “I [also] make a choice to wear my hair kinky and big and in an afro because I think variety is the spice of life and women should have a choice.”



“So many stipulations are placed on black women for blackness,” Robertson said. “Why can’t I be woke and wear weave if I want to?


A weave is a protective style, let’s be very clear,” she asserts. “I’m not going to run a hot comb or a flat iron [over my hair] every time it needs to be straight ― are you kidding meWhat if my edges are burned up and they look crazy and I want them to grow out? Like, can I have a weave?”


While Robertson likes to sport the pressed look every now and again, she said she’s often rocking a fro and prefers they be Chaka Khan-like.







In the meantime, she hopes black girls can learn to love themselves as they are. 


“You don’t need to pull your hair into a tight little bulb and make sure your edges are slicked, slicked down,” she said. “You don’t need to desire those things anymore. You are perfectly made the way that you are.”

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27 Perfect Tweets About 'The Bachelorette' Season 13, Episode 3

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For more on “The Bachelorette,” check out HuffPost’s Here To Make Friends 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.


Want more “Bachelor” stories in your life? Sign up for HuffPost’s Entertainment email for extra hot goss about The Bachelor, his 30 bachelorettes, and the most dramatic rose ceremonies ever. The newsletter will also serve you up some juicy celeb news, hilarious late-night bits, awards coverage and more. Sign up for the newsletter here.

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A 'Harry Potter' Superfan And A NASA Engineer Are Creating A Magical Pub

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A pub seemingly operating on pure magic may be coming soon to some tucked-away spot on a London street ― but only if enough muggles pay attention to its founder’s bid for funding.


Self-proclaimed book nerd Matthew Cortland, with help from NASA engineer friend Travis Davis, aims to create an enchanted atmosphere at The Cauldron Wizarding Pub & Inn dotted with floating candles. Pint glasses will fill mysteriously from the bottom. Lights and taps will go on and off with a flick of a wand. Pictures won’t stay still in their frames.


The project almost shares a name with The Leaky Cauldron, the pub on Charing Cross Road that appears to non-wizarding folk as a dusty old shop. Due to licensing issues, it will need to avoid explicitly using the name “Harry Potter” or other direct references to the series. 


The $500,000 fundraiser, however, goes live on Kickstarter beginning June 26, the day Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in 1997.





The “inn” portion of The Cauldron Wizarding Pub & Inn will also be contingent on the final amount raised. As it should be, creating a pub is the founder’s Priority No. 1. 


Cortland told HuffPost in an email that he’ll draw inspiration from an array of magical worlds brought to life in novels by J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, using smart home technology to make it happen. Magnets, for example, can explain the candles. (We’re still iffy, though, on what explains magnets.) 


He also plans to host a series of hackathon events to “refine” the pub’s technology ― and also to figure out what, exactly, to serve.


A house beer dubbed Cauldron Ale will be sourced from a local brewer, Cortland said, and fans are also free to make other serving suggestions through a wiki page. Butterbeer, unfortunately, is likely off-limits due to licensing.  


As a former teacher, Cortland said he aims to open up The Cauldron to school groups in order to encourage an interest in S.T.E.M. subjects ― and foster an appreciation for literature. In perhaps the best homage to the pub’s source material, the place will also be lined with books, with visitors encouraged to bring a copy of their own favorite childhood story. Cortland has partnered with the Harry Potter Alliance’s “Accio Books” campaign to donate those books to schools.





The New Jersey native, who now lives in Dublin, noted that London is the perfect place for the fantastical project since so many beloved works in the genre pull aesthetically from the city. The pub itself will be modeled after one of his real-life favorites ― John Kavanagh in Dublin, the pub alongside Glasnevin Cemetery known locally as “Gravediggers.”


“It’s been around since 1833 and is a traditional old-man pub with scrubbed wooden floors, sturdy tables, a cozy atmosphere and excellent Guinness,” Cortland wrote, noting that The Cauldron, in London, would also draw from traditional British pubs.


“We just want The Cauldron to be a place of community for the extended fandom, and we will host book signings, book readings, meet-ups, pub trivia nights, fundraisers and movie nights,” he wrote. “Basically we want to be a place of meeting and happiness, and as one of the world’s great cities, London is perfect.”


For more information, head to The Cauldron’s website.


From June 1 to 30, HuffPost is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the very first “Harry Potter” book by reminiscing about all things Hogwarts. Accio childhood memories.

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8 Dumbledore Quotes That Can Help You Save For Retirement

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Millennial fans who read through all 3,407 pages of the Harry Potter series know that Albus Dumbledore is among the greatest wizards ever. But they don’t, apparently, know how to save for retirement.


According to a Pew Charitable Trust analysis of 2012 Census Bureau data, more than two-thirds of millennials (ages 22 to 34) have failed to open a retirement savings account. If evil forces such as low salaries, high student loans and a lack of access to 401(k) plans are conspiring against your financial future, why not look to Dumbledore for some good advice?


“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light,” says Dumbledore in “The Prisoner of Azkaban.” As this June marks the 20-year anniversary of the series’ release, what better time to faithfully reference Dumbledore ― in the form of eight of his classic quotes ― and start saving?


#1 “It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.” Time is the one thing that millennials have on their side that no other working generation has. Life expectancies are only rising, and the impact this has on the exponential growth of your money due to compound interest can be quite magical. For example, if at the age of 22 you put $10,000 in an account earning 8-percent interest and never add to it again, you’ll still have over $1 million by the time you turn 82.


#2: “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” Even if you don’t have the ability to save high dollar amounts now, you can still chose to save something. Even a “riddikulus” $25 a week earning 8-percent interest will grow to give you $466,998.79 in 45 years’ time.


#3 “Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it.” Millennials are facing a nearly pension-less future combined with uncertain government programs and benefits. There’s nothing to gain by putting this off. If your employer offers a matching 401(k) plan, then by all means take advantage of the free money. If you’re self-employed or one of the 35 percent who work for employers not offering 401(k)s, opt for an IRA or a SEP IRA. Yes, they offer the same tax advantages as a 401(k), you can still invest in stocks, and setting them up is simple.


#4 “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Remember why you are saving in the first place. Think about how good it will feel to spend time with your friends or kids or grandkids without rushing off to work. Think about how good it will feel not to be a burden to your family.


#5 “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.” Yes, there will be hard days. You will be tempted to take that extra $25 and give in, go out and throw caution to the wind. Next time you’re faced with that decision, remember what you are choosing and why.


#6 “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.” On the other hand, don’t make yourself crazy. Figure out how to do both ― save for retirement and live your life.


#7 “Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth.” As millennials, you have officially become the nation’s largest demographic at 83.1 million, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau report. The financial industry is desperate to serve you. The data-heavy white paper Millennials + Money generated by Facebook found that even though millennials are underinvested, 86 percent say they value saving. If lack of knowledge is stopping you, ask for help.


#8 “People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right.” While it might be hard to stomach the advice of all the well-meaning people imploring you to save, saving is still the right thing to do. Whether you get with a good advisor or take a more do-it-yourself approach, what matters is that you do what you can, or as Dumbledore says, “fight and fight again, and keep fighting.”

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Poet Baffles Twitter With Her Unpopular Opinions About Books

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Poet and essayist Patricia Lockwood, author of the memoir Priestdaddy, took over The Strand Book Store’s Twitter account for an hour on Tuesday and shared her opinions on some famous works of literature.






The result? A frenzy of laugh-out-loud tweets about her “unpopular book opinions.” 














































Some people found the account takeover somewhat unhinged and wanted to check in with the bookstore to make sure everything was A-OK.


















Others were into it, agreeing with Lockwood’s “unpopular opinions,” and applauding the weirdness.






















After an hour of Twitter mayhem, Lockwood ended her flurry with what she called “the best book tweet of all time.”










Twitter is such a special place, isn’t it?

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'The Office' Clearly Wasn't Clowning Around With This Subtle Joke

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Whether it’s Jim pranking Dwight or Michael Scott saying, “That’s what she said,” the jokes on “The Office” have led to some memorable TV moments. Still, subtle jokes are sometimes the most satisfying.







That’s where Redditor MichaelMan122 comes in.


“The Office” series finale aired in 2013, but the Redditor seems to have pointed out a gag that’s largely gone unnoticed. 


In Season 5, Episode 9, “Frame Toby,” Jim (John Krasinski) buys his parents’ house for Pam (Jenna Fischer). While showing it to her, they come across a picture of a clown that Jim can’t seem to get off the wall.


Years have passed since that moment, but finally we have a discovery ...




Congrats, Jim and Pam! It appears you finally got it down!


In Season 7, Episode 19, “Garage Sale,” while Kevin (Brian Baumgartner), Darryl (Craig Robinson) and Andy (Ed Helms) play a board game based on the TV show “Dallas,” you can clearly see the clown picture in the background. Jim and Pam are selling it at the garage sale.



The Redditor told HuffPost, “It was just one of the little things I noticed while rewatching the show. One of my favorite parts about the show is all the small things the producers have put in the show like this.”


Another Redditor timeless9696 pointed out that a moment where Jim and Pam say they got the picture off the wall is apparently in a deleted scene





There’s a chance the scene was originally included in the episode when it aired in 2011, as at least one review mentions Jim and Pam having the clown picture. (It’s unclear if the reviewer just saw the picture in the background at some point.)


Netflix, which gives many people the option to watch “The Office” nowadays, told HuffPost there can be changes from when episodes aired to what winds up on the streaming service:



We get the episodes from the distributor; if there have been any changes between the TV airing and what we received there could be change, like for other series adding or removing censorship.



The scene where Jim and Pam mention the picture isn’t in the version on Netflix. If anything, the supposed deleted scene confirms the pictures are the same and that this is an eagle-eyed spot by MichaelMan122.


When it comes to jokes, “The Office” clearly wasn’t clowning around.




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