Jason Isbell is the kind of guy who would rather put his awards in an inconspicuous place than out in the open. But the singer-songwriter, who took home two Grammys in 2016, actually has his gramophone trophies prominently displayed in the parlor of his Nashville home.

“My wife made me put them on the mantle. I probably would have put them somewhere where they weren’t so obvious but my wife says you gotta put them out where everybody can see them,” Isbell told HuffPost.

Isbell’s wife, singer-songwriter and violinist Amanda Shires, is clearly proud of her husband of four years. She’s also one of his frequent musical collaborators, even lending a hand on his new album with the 400 Unit, called “The Nashville Sound,” due out Friday.

“She’s a big help. Most songwriters don’t have any type of editor. You’re pretty much on your own. You either co-write with people or you live and die by your own tastes,” he said. “And I’ve been lucky enough to have her around. She’s very educated in how words work. She just finished her master’s in poetry from the University of the South.”

With his wife’s help, Isbell says that he’s able to get outside of his own head. When he does get inside his own head, though, Isbell is focused. After all, he’s been writing music for years ― both with Drive-By Truckers and on his solo records, the first of which came out in 2007.

For Isbell, most of the songwriting happens at home. But with “The Nashville Sound,” he also spent time writing music “in some version of traveling, whether on the road or driving around in the car or on an airplane.” He said, “I try to take it any way I can get it. Whenever I’m able to work and get a few minutes to myself, I try to work.”

Sometimes the lyrics are directly autobiographical, while other times he writes about observations or stories from friends. No matter what, he’s part of each track in some way. 

“It’s a record of events. I try to use albums as a documentation. It’s a chronicle in some ways. It’s always going to have me in there,” he said. “That doesn’t mean I’m always the first-person narrator.”

Isbell is no stranger to spending a lot of time honing his craft, with his interest in music starting at a young age.

“I was fortunate enough to be born into a family that was very musical and very close in lieu of childcare. I spent my days with my grandparents,” he said. “My grandfather taught me how to play instruments and that’s really the thing that started me on this particular path.”

The 38-year-old singer-songwriter will start road-testing the new songs on tour this summer, with dates lined up from June through November. These days, with his recent success, life on the road is a bit more comfortable.

“We’re traveling in a way that affords us a lot of rest, comparatively, compared to when we were in a van, driving seven or eight hours a day,” he said. “That’s hard to play a good show every night when you’re exhausted like that.”

The concert set list will feature a mix of new songs and old. When asked if he has a favorite track to play live, Isbell was hard-pressed to pick one.

“I like them all honestly. It’s hard to say. If I start getting anywhere near getting tired of a song I’ll drop it out of the list for a few months … ‘Cover Me Up’ really works live and it’s kind of the ace in the hole of me. It’s a slow song. It’s long. It’s a ballad. It’s one of those that if comes off correctly, which it almost always does, it stops the room. It’s nice to have a song like that. Like you know if everything’s going to shit I’m going to play this song.”

Going on the road will be a bit different this time as Isbell ― a recent first-time dad ― will likely bring his 1-year-old daughter, Mercy Rose, on tour. 

“She’s easy …. Its nice to have an end game, to have this final purpose and it really kind of makes you feel like, ‘If I can serve this purpose, it will guide me to everything else.’”

His daughter, meanwhile, is also intrigued by those two Grammys on the mantle.

“The baby really likes to play with them, so they’re kind of smudged,” Isbell said.

Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit debut “The Nashville Sound” on June 16. 

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Bachelor Nation is devastated as updates concerning the incident that halted production on Season 4 of “Bachelor in Paradise” roll in. 

ABC and Warner Bros. suspended filming and sent home all cast members on Sunday after “allegations of misconduct,” reportedly between contestants Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson, emerged, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

Warner Bros. said that they would be conducting an investigation into the situation and “will take appropriate responsive action” once it’s complete. But the cast and crew are already speaking out about what actually went down in Mexico.

According to TMZ, a field producer reportedly filed a complaint claiming Olympios was too drunk to consent to Jackson’s actions, which were allegedly sexual in nature, in a swimming pool. Sources close to Olympios told the site that she claims she did not agree to sexual contact and was “in a blackout state” when the incident occurred. Jackson, however, reportedly claims the hook-up was consensual. 

Allegedly, fellow cast members told an unaware Olympios what happened in the days following the situation, explaining that crew members did not listen to them when they voiced concern. Production sources, however, tell TMZ otherwise. 

Choosing to remain anonymous, one contestant told People that the cast is “pissed” and “angry” with crew members who allowed the inappropriate sexual encounter to happen. 

“People are pissed, and not just at DeMario,” the contestant said, adding that two other cast members saw the interaction between Jackson and Olympios. “We’re pissed that this whole thing happened. They could have seen that she was drinking too much and that he was taking advantage. They could have stopped this before it got this far. But they decided to let it go, and let it happen, and see what happened? So, I’m angry at the show, and everyone else is too.”

Although the unfortunate situation has caused Warner Bros. to suspend filming on the show, Entertainment Weekly reports that “Bachelor in Paradise” is not necessarily in jeopardy. The investigation will need to be concluded “before any next steps,” ABC Entertainment Group President Channing Dungey told Entertainment Weekly.

“The show absolutely values the primacy of consent, and this instance it appears as though conduct allegedly occurred without the proper consent having been given,” a source within the show told People.

“Bachelor in Paradise,” which brings together former contestants of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” for another shot at love on the beaches of Mexico, was set to debut Aug. 8. This is the first time in its 15-year history that production has been halted on a show in the “Bachelor” franchise, aside from circumstances involving weather or location changes.

Some of the cast members have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the matter, but did not respond to HuffPost when asked for comments. HuffPost has also reached out to ABC, Olympios and Jackson for updates and statements. 

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Monday, June 12, marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark United States Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia, which quashed anti-miscegenation laws in 16 states around the nation, ushering restrictions against interracial marriage to the wrong side of history. 

The date is now remembered as Loving Day in honor of Richard and Mildred Loving, the couple who defied the state’s ability to dictate the terms of their love based on their skin color. Mildred, who was of African American and Native American descent, and Richard, who was white, wed in 1958 in Washington D.C., because interracial marriage was illegal in their native rural Virginia, as well as 15 other Southern U.S. states.

When the Lovings returned to Virginia, however, local police raided their home one early morning after being tipped off by another resident. They declared the Lovings’ marriage license invalid within the scope of the state, placing the couple under arrest.

The Lovings pled guilty to “cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth,” and were sentenced to one year in prison. A judge later agreed to suspend the sentence if Mildred and Richard left Virginia and did not return for 25 years. 

The couple relocated to Washington, D.C., but they did not end their story there. In 1964, attorneys from the ACLU filed a motion on behalf of the Lovings, requesting the charges and sentences against the Lovings be dropped. The Lovings appealed the local ruling all the way to the Supreme Court, where their sentence was unanimously overturned in 1967.

“Under our Constitution,” Chief Justice Earl Warren said in his decision, “the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.”

Two years before this verdict, in the spring of 1965, Life magazine photojournalist Grey Villet spent time with the Lovings, as well as their family and friends, documenting the lives of a couple whose love had transcended the everyday to become the stuff of legends. 

Villet’s photo essay, titled “The Lovings: An Intimate Portrait,” captures Mildred and Richard when word of their civil rights battle was spreading throughout the country and the fate of their relationship remained unknown. Through black-and-white images, the photographer captures the subtle glances, spurts of laughter and moments of quiet determination that, together, comprise a love story whose power echoes today. 

We commemorate the Lovings’ bravery and tenacity in the face of prejudice and the systems of white supremacy. Villet’s photos help us remember the Lovings not just for what they represented, but who they were. The simple moments of connection, support and companionship that provided the strength to change the world. 

The Lovings: An Intimate Portrait is available on Amazon. 

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There’s no doubt that Ava DuVernay is one unapologetically proud black woman. 

On Friday, the award-winning director posted a touching Instagram photo that celebrated black hair and, more specifically, the beautiful long locs she has rocked for decades. 

“I always loved locs,” she wrote. “Since I was a little girl when I would see a lady in my neighborhood with them. I thought they were magic.”

DuVernay, who said she was inspired to write the post after seeing a photo of herself in The Hollywood Reporter, dished about the various hairstyles she rocked growing up that included, she wrote, “Short bobs. Long weaves. Braids of all kinds.”

And although no one in her family has locs like she does, she said she hopes “some little girl somewhere comes across this image and sees magic too.” 

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Stanley Freeland and his 4-year-old son, Josiah, have turned their living room into their stage for adorable dance videos that have captured the hearts of thousands.

Freeland shares videos that show him and Josiah dancing, sometimes synchronously and sometimes in matching outfits. The Atlanta dad told HuffPost he enjoys dancing, and he clearly passed his hobby on to his son. 

“Anytime we hear music we both feel the beat and start dancing anywhere from the dance floor or in the car,” he said.

Known as Father Like Son collectively, the duo has more than 30,000 followers on Instagram keeping track of their dance videos. Their fans especially love when they wear matching outfits, an idea inspired by Josiah.

“Josiah would say, ‘I want shirt and shoes like you, Daddy. I want to dress like you, Daddy,’” Freeland told HuffPost.

Freeland has used music with his son as both a bonding experience and learning opportunity. In April, the creative duo made their recorded version of “The ABC Song” available on Spotify and iTunes.

When asked whether he expected the videos with his son to go viral, Freeland told HuffPost that he “had faith” he and Josiah could have an impact on the lives of others. He also has plans to take their reach even further.

“I knew Father Like Son videos were different ― positive as well as inspiring,” Freeland told HuffPost. “My plan for Father Like Son is to travel around schools teaching students new ways to recite educational learning, while dancing with my son.”

See more videos of Freeland and Josiah dancing on Instagram.

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As critics denounce a Trumped-up version of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” actors, writers and illustrators are pledging their support for one of New York City’s most beloved cultural attractions.

Every summer Shakespeare in the Park arrives in New York City, bringing with it free stagings of the Bard’s best works, sometimes updated to appeal to modern audiences flocking to Central Park to see a play.

This year, that was certainly the case. The Public theater’s update of “Julius Caesar,” Shakespeare’s famous play about the assassination of the titular Roman dictator, features a Trumped-up storyline in which Caesar, golden hair and all, wears a business suit instead of a toga. His wife Calpurnia dresses in silk and high heels, speaking with what’s been described as a “heavy Slavic accent.” An American flag can be seen waving onstage. 

The decision to infuse the story of Caesar with the spirit of today’s political mania ― to base the main character on U.S. President Donald Trump ― was a bold one. (Though hardly unprecedented; for example, a 2012 American Conservative article recounts a version of the play with an Obama-esque Caesar.) Bold because in the production, the leader of Rome is assassinated, stabbed to death by senators who felt his death would be best for their troubled republic. So in director Oskar Eustis’ rendition, a figure that looks an awful lot like Trump dies at the hands of ardent critics every night of the play’s run.

When Fox News and the corporations sponsoring The Public Theater caught wind of the death, they, still digesting the bloody antics of comedian Kathy Griffin, bridled. Delta and Bank of America pulled their support for the play. Appalled citizens made their opinions known on Twitter, threatening to boycott the free program.

While the outrage machine seemed to be throttling forward, a few famous artists, actors and writers took to social media to disrupt the current of negativity and defend Eustis and the staging of “Julius Caesar.” While some did so by simply pointing out the fact that detractors were largely misunderstanding the very essence of the play, others began rallying support for the theater by pledging to see the show and donate to The Public. 

New Yorker cartoonist Tom Toro promised to give those who donated more than $25 to The Public a free print of a themed illustration, which reads, “Just when you’re about to lose your faith in humanity, you see Shakespeare in the Park.” Actress Amber Tamblyn and author Joyce Carol Oates tweeted their intent to see “Julius Caesar” despite Delta’s lack of support. Others, like Nia Vardalos, shared links to The Public’s donation page.

While those strongly opposed to the “Julius Caesar” play have expressed that they don’t want their tax dollars used to fund what they have perceived as an anti-Trump artwork, the National Endowment for the Arts cleared up those concerns quickly: “No taxpayer dollars support Shakespeare in the Park’s production of ‘Julius Caesar,’” it announced in a statement.

And in response to those choosing to boycott The Public, a few individuals have in turn suggested boycotting corporations like Delta, who’ve pulled their support unwisely. 

“Maybe we should be less concerned that Shakespeare in the Park staged Caesar & more that Caesar calls Trump to mind?” author Celeste Ng tweeted. “Just a thought, @delta.”

Those familiar with Shakespeare’s centuries-old work know the playwright presents Caesar’s death as a disastrous event for Rome. The murder is similarly depicted in The Public’s production as an inarguable mistake on behalf of those American democrats who felt deposing of a tyrant through violence and illegal means was an act of patriotism.

“’Julius Caesar’ is about how fragile democracy is,” Eustis wrote in a statement about the play before it even opened. “The institutions that we have grown up with, that we have inherited from the struggle of many generations of our ancestors, can be swept away in no time at all.”

In a more recent statement from The Public Theater, the organization affirmed that it stands “completely behind our production of Julius Caesar. We recognize that our interpretation of the play has provoked heated discussion [...] such discussion is exactly the goal of our civically-engaged theater; this discourse is the basis of a healthy democracy.”

The theater also reiterated that it in no way condones violence towards anyone. In fact, it makes the exact opposite point: “Those who attempt to defend democracy by undemocratic means pay a terrible price and destroy the very thing they are fighting to save.”

Julius Caesar is slated to run at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater until June 18 as part of New York’s Shakespeare in the Park festival. Tickets are free.

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This is totally worthy of a double take.

Kari Lewis, a 27-year-old who works at a video rental store in Indianapolis, Indiana, looks a lot like actress Emma Watson.

“I get told I look like her quite a bit, especially at my job,” Lewis told HuffPost. “My coworkers find it amusing.”

Lewis said that she had no idea she resembled anyone famous until shortly after the first “Harry Potter” movie was released.

“A couple of young girls called me Hermione Granger. I had never heard of that name before,” she said. “So I told my mom about it and we looked it up.”

Though Lewis has dressed up as Hermione at Indy Comic Con and hopes to give Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” a whirl at this year’s Indy Pop Con, she honestly doesn’t really see the resemblance.

“I mostly see myself as myself. But, I do understand the ‘at first glance’ factor that tends to confuse people whenever they see me or my photos,” she said. “My friends say I should be her stunt double, but I’m too clumsy.”

For the moment, Lewis seems content to imitate Watson solely at cosplay events and online. Her Instagram account has more than 6,000 followers and is brimming with photos of Lewis dressed up as Watson’s most memorable characters, like Hermione and Belle.

“I’d love to see more strong characters from her,” Lewis said. “Characters that young girls could look up to.”

With Watson’s track record, we have little doubt she’d do just that.

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What’s to be said about the Public Theater’s production of “Julius Caesar,” which, having dressed the titular dictator in President Donald Trump’s weeds, has fulfilled its most obvious destiny by earning the relentless enmity of Trump’s fan base?

Here’s my offer: What a time to be alive but also mostly dead inside! What a thrill it is to have another dose of that fulminate-of-mercury outrage delivered to our screens. And what a terrific way to highlight two key features of our age ― the extreme uselessness of ever knowing anything and our tendency to expend too much of our spirit in a waste of shame.

Like all the great conservative mavens of “cultural literacy” recommended that we Gen-Xers do in college, I’ve spent many thousands of hours with William Shakespeare and the canon of Western Literature. And that’s fine. The canon is mostly pretty good, except for Tess of the D’Urbervilles.

In particular, I’ve spent more time with “Julius Caesar” than any reasonable person should be required to. But this weekend’s burst of psychopathic indignation over one production of the play was a good reminder of what a futile pursuit that was. America, circa now, is more apt to valorize people who don’t know a single thing about what they’re talking about than it is to reward those who do. Being armed too strong in honesty, I ended up on the losing end of this weekend’s joust over “Julius Caesar.”

So, thanks for nothing, E.D. Hirsch! I’ve really wasted my time. But since it’s my time to waste, let’s make the most of it.

OK. The thing about Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar” is that it’s not actually about Caesar. The main character is a politician named Brutus who, greatly concerned about Caesar’s violations of democratic norms and thoroughly convinced that he alone understands what ails Rome, is seduced into a plot to murder the Roman dictator by conspirators who know that Brutus’ yen for high-mindedness will give them cover for their base ambitions. The play is a “tragedy” because Brutus, a decent man, doesn’t figure out that he’s a fool who has made Rome worse until it’s far too late.

This story is pretty squarely in Shakespeare’s wheelhouse. When he wasn’t writing what many people dismiss as “Tudor propaganda,” he was pretty concerned about how easily an established order could be tipped into chaos. Shakespeare wasn’t too keen on people stepping out of their place. The “Great Chain of Being” didn’t offer much encouragement to populist revolutions. Of course, it would be interesting to know what the Bard might have made of Trump, but I suspect that if the real estate mogul demonstrated a willingness to keep his actors gainfully employed, Shakespeare would have ruffled very few feathers.

Nevertheless, over the weekend, when the Public Theater’s “Julius Caesar” became the latest piece of cultural bric-a-brac to get laundered through the media outrage machine, I found it hilarious and appalling because the outrage only succeeds if you’re aggressively ignorant about the play. A day later, what I’m finding funny is the thought that somewhere in New York right now, there are some liberals, equally ignorant about the play, who will rush to see the Public Theater’s production, salivating at the notion that this version really sticks it to Donald Trump.

They are in for a real surprise, because if anything, “Julius Caesar” aims its daggers at the notion of a high-on-their-own-supply Resistance, flush with the belief that the best solution to all their political problems is the quickest one.

The second scene in Act 3 is going to be especially unsettling for them. That’s the famous scene of competing orations where Brutus first recites a “Stronger Together” speech that could have been penned by Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, Robby Mook. Supremely confident that his elite standing is sufficient to the task of educating the crowd in the correct course of action, Brutus then leaves them alone with Mark Antony ― and immediately loses them to Antony’s devil-tongued “Make Rome Great Again” incitement to mob violence. For his part, Caesar exits the play as a man more sinned against than sinning.

Rome, meanwhile, descends into violence. The very next thing the mob does, in fact, is murder a poet named Cinna who had nothing at all to do with the assassination of Caesar. Cinna tells the mob that they’ve mistaken him for another man, a conspirator who shares his name, but the crowd decides to murder him anyway, shouting, “Tear him for his bad verses!” and “It’s no matter, his name’s Cinna!”

I feel you, Cinna, wherever you are. What, indeed, is the point of being right about anything?

But Cinna’s murder is pretty fitting to think about in this moment. With all of their future at stake and society in the balance, the whipped-up crowd demonstrates that the only thing that they’re actually good at is tearing to pieces someone completely inconsequential ― someone who just accidentally wandered into their lives, who they would otherwise never have noticed.

That’s what we’re good at now. That’s what has been done to this production of “Julius Caesar.” 

It’s a good thing that such easy targets exist because otherwise we would have to confront bigger problems. For instance, the president is an utterly venal, shameless liar. But he exists because of decades of choices that we all made, together. We really should be doing the hard work of sorting out our own house in a sensible fashion and taking stock of our failings, but you know what’s easier? Utterly destroying the woman who played “Vicki” on the all-but-forgotten show “Suddenly Susan,” for a really epically hack piece of “art.”

Bank of America, which hopefully has figured out how not to accidentally repossess people’s homes, will probably not breathe a discouraging word should some 20 million people lose their health insurance in the next few weeks. But the bank made sure to register its extreme displeasure with the Public Theater, withdrawing the funding from the theater company that I am almost positive it had forgotten proffering in the first place.

You want to be mad that this production presented Caesar in Trumpian fashion? Be my guest. But I have to be honest with you: If you’re going to be angry about it, be angry at the fact that it’s kind of a cheap move on the director’s part. 

Replacing Caesar with a recognizable world leader is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Did you know that the Acting Company partnered with the Guthrie Theatre on a 2012 production of “Julius Caesar” that put an analogue of President Barack Obama in the title role? It’s true. Somehow, liberals forgot they were supposed to be outraged at the sight of the murder, and I’m left to speculate that Psalm 109:8-chanting conservatives loved it and were literally brought to the point of violent sexual ecstasy when Brutus murdered Barry O. in cold blood on the stage.

Dolling Caesar up like Trump is basically a quick-and-dirty, shorthand way to drag an audience into the world of this particular play ― a society on the edge that teeters and breaks thanks to the actions of a few powerful men. And when I say “quick-and-dirty,” I mean that it’s like dropping a damned anvil on the stage. It’s not subtle!

Here’s the rub, though ― maybe it can’t afford to be subtle.

This play is being produced for an audience of affluent theater-going New Yorkers, and they live a life that is, psychologically speaking, about as far away from epochal societal instability as you can get. So you hand them a Trump-Caesar, and it stimulates their liberal, professional-class mores. “This is not normal,” they think as the play begins. “I was born as free as Caesar,” Cassius whispers to Brutus, adding, “So were you.” It’s time for some Roman-style game theory! And total wish fulfillment comes before intermission in the form of Caesar’s murder.

If the production is good enough (and I’ve no idea if the Public Theater’s is), it forces this audience to confront the way everything works out for those anti-Caesar revolutionaries and gives them a moment of unexpected frisson when they realize they’re supposed to see themselves in Brutus’ tragic aspect.

So it’s possible that the way this play is being produced is actually beneficial for its intended audience. Perhaps this production is capable of shaking its particular audience out of their dull and easy way of thinking about the world, putting them in touch with more meaningful ideas.

Now that I think about it, I might actually do “Julius Caesar” this way if I had to produce the play. But I’d be utterly mystified if anyone, hearing about my production, was compelled to attempt to set the Guinness record for Being Mad On The Internet about it. The only thing I can say about such people is that they must lead a pretty blissful existence if this is what gets them worked up.

Besides, you should know that if I really wanted to savage Donald Trump ― if I just wanted to turn him into a punching bag for my own cheap thrills ― I wouldn’t put him in Caesar’s shoes. No, I’d feature him in the title role of “Macbeth” (Ivanka could be Lady Macbeth!) and I’d hire the most pornographically violent fight director that money could buy.

And what would that prove? I have no idea! But I guess that’s the point: LOL, nothing matters.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story featured a photo of Caesar Augustus rather than Julius Caesar.

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“The story of my body is not a story of triumph,” Roxane Gay writes in her new memoir, Hunger, which publishes June 13. “This is not a weight-loss memoir.”

Instead, Gay ― the author of Difficult Women, Bad Feminist and An Untamed State ― explores her relationship to her body before and after the sexual violence that would rattle her youth.

Gay discussed her new book Monday on “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah.” 

“As a comedian, I’ve made a lot of fat jokes,” Noah said in his conversation with Gay. So he was intent on listening to what Gay had to say about her experiences rather than continuing to equate fatness with farce.

Gay explained that she often feels uncomfortable on airplanes, at movie theaters and even at her own book signings, where readers and fans have offered her unsolicited weight-loss advice. 

“At the grocery store, people make commentary about what they see in your cart,” Gay said. “You don’t fit in the world, oftentimes. The world is not really interested in creating a space for you to fit.” 

Gay also shared a story from her childhood, when she was gang raped at the age of 12, before she was old enough to understand what happened to her.

“It was so unexpected,” Gay said. “I just thought, ‘I want to be stronger. I want to be bigger.’ ... It was a deliberate choice.” 

Hunger isn’t her first experience with discussing assault and its aftermath. For The Rumpus online literary magazine, she wrote about the careless language of sexual violence and other essays based on her experiences.

In Hunger, she writes, “I ate and ate and ate in the hopes that if I made myself big, my body would be safe.” This feeling courses throughout the book, which is subtitled A Memoir of (My) Body.

On “The Daily Show,” describing her motivations for writing the book, Gay said, “I wanted to tell the story of my body, because when you’re fat in the world, people have assumptions. They assume you’re stupid. ... I think it’s important to show what it’s actually like to live in this world in a fat body.”

Buy it on Amazon or at your local indie bookstore. 

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You’ve spent the last 20 years reading the “Harry Potter” series, watching the movies, rereading and rewatching ad nauseam, attending themed trivia nights, dressing up for parties where everyone is drinking Butterbeer, and traveling hours to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park.

You’re a real Potterhead.

But have you really mastered the secrets of J.K. Rowling’s seven magical novels? 

There’s only one way to find out whether you’re as knowledgeable as Hermione in a Transfiguration class ― or whether your head is “bare and full of air, dead flies and bits of fluff.” This Nastily Exhausting Wizard Trivia will thoroughly test your proficiency and assess, once and for all, whether you’re a true “Harry Potter” expert.

Take out your self-inking quills, unroll your parchment and begin!

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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As reports about the “allegations of misconduct” that halted production of “Bachelor in Paradise” Season 4 slowly come to light, the show’s host Chris Harrison is attempting to set the record straight. 

In a lengthy statement obtained by People, Harrison explained that there are “rumors and misinformation” out there regarding the alleged incident that reportedly happened between two contestants and that the truth will come out following Warner Bros.’ investigation. The longtime ABC host wants viewers to be patient and hopes all can “respect the privacy of the parties involved.”

The full statement reads:

By now, no doubt, you have heard that we have suspended production on this season’s “Bachelor in Paradise.” I can confirm to you that this is sadly the case. Out of respect to all involved, there’s only so much I can and will say at this time. Normally with a situation like this I would not say anything until the incident is fully resolved, but with all the rumors and misinformation being put out there, I don’t find that to be possible anymore. 

Let me start by saying the safety and care of the cast and crew of our show is of the utmost importance to us. It is with this thought in mind that we made the decision to suspend filming. An investigation into the situation was started immediately. Warner Bros. is handling the details of that investigation. They’re moving quickly to gather all the facts, and once that’s done, a clear, concise decision can be made about where we go from here.

There are a lot of competing details in the various press accounts of the incident. And there’s a lot of misinformation out there too. We urge everyone to be patient until the investigation is complete.

I know in this day and age we want — and even expect — immediate answers, but in this case, it’s just not possible. So again, I urge you to please be patient and respect the privacy of the parties involved. I will keep you as informed and up to date as I possibly can. We’re sorry for any inconvenience and disappointment this may have caused the cast, the crew and our loyal fans. It is my sincere hope that we can come to a quick resolution on this and get back to work very soon.

News of the incident hit Sunday after Warner Bros. announced that ABC was suspending production on the new season due to “misconduct” on set. The cast, which includes Raven Gates, Robby Hayes and Amanda Stanton, was sent back to the U.S. from Mexico. 

“We have suspended production and we are conducting a thorough investigation of these allegations,” Warner Bros. said in a statement. “Once the investigation is complete, we will take appropriate responsive action.” 

Following the reveal, reports started emerging detailing an alleged sexual encounter that happened between contestants DeMario Jackson and Corinne Olympios in a swimming pool. Although neither has spoken out, sources close to each have shared information. But as Harrison said, right now, we don’t know the facts.

“Bachelor in Paradise” brings together former “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” contestants in Mexico and gives them another shot at finding love on television. Season 4 was set to premiere Aug. 8. 

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William Shakespeare is, unexpectedly, at the center of a bizarre political controversy this week, after a newly staged production of “Julius Caesar” angered conservative media with its conspicuously Trump-like interpretation of the Roman ruler. 

But a little digging by intrepid journalists has laid bare the hypocrisy of such ire: Not only has Delta previously sponsored a version of “Julius Caesar” in which an Obama-esque character suffers the same fate as the current Trumped-up Caesar, but President Donald Trump himself has reportedly donated to the storied company behind the production.

On Monday, a Washington Post reporter discovered that his his very first donation from the Trump Foundation fund went toward none other than The Public Theater.

Oskar Eustis’ interpretation of the 1599 play “Julius Caesar,” now running as part of New York’s iconic Shakespeare in the Park festival, stars actor Gregg Henry as Julius Caesar, donning a flaming blonde coif and a dangling red tie to boot. Some people are angry about the depiction because, in the play’s most iconic scene, Caesar’s senators brutally stab him to death. The visceral power of seeing a Trump-like figure on stage, covered in blood, has led incensed critics on the right to ignore the play’s 400 year history as well as its message ― which, for those who slept through 11th grade English, is basically don’t kill your local despotic ruler. 

The play made headlines earlier this week when corporate backers Delta Airlines and Bank of America pulled their sponsorship of the production following a surge of backlash, topped off with a tweet from Donald Trump Jr. Delta released a statement condemning the “graphic” nature of the production, which they said “crossed the line on the standards of good taste.”

Except Delta didn’t seem to have the same hostility toward a 2012 staging of “Julius Caesar” which starred a Caesar with a curious likeness to then President Barack Obama. As reported by The Washington Post, Delta was happy to back the collaboration between the Acting Company and the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Spoiler: It did not feature an alternate ending. Caesar still died. 

Previous stagings of the play have featured other American leaders in the lead role, including George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Abraham Lincoln. Somehow, these interpretations received little concern or pushback. 

Artists have spoken out against the threat of censorship looming over the “Julius Caesar” conversation, advocating for the importance of free speech and political theater. The Public Theater, meanwhile, issued a statement that suggests it won’t be apologizing for its play anytime soon: “We stand completely behind our production.”

Even President Donald Trump himself, at some point, might have agreed. As Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold tweeted on Monday, Trump’s very first donation from his Trump Foundation fund reportedly went toward none other than The Public Theater in 1987.

As the debate over “Julius Caesar” rages on, confused parties can look to the past for guidance and context. Try, for example, looking back on your old “Julius Caesar” notes from high school, which will no doubt reveal that the play does not in any way advocate for violence, but in fact actively warns against it. Or glance over the history of the play itself, which has featured the stabbing of the previous three U.S. presidents with little fanfare or outrage.

Or, consider the history of Delta’s own support for similar works ― and President Trump’s. 

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Celebrity photographs are a key component of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, so here is one of Nicole Kidman hypnotized by the luckiest pie in the world. 

Kidman’s finger hovered over that dessert at the after-party for Monday’s Los Angeles premiere of “The Beguiled,” where she is seen surrounded by co-star Elle Fanning, chef Casey Thompson, director Sofia Coppola and co-star Kirsten Dunst. The women in Coppola’s new movie do serve pie to the wounded Civil War soldier (Colin Farrell) they take in at their isolated Louisiana boarding school.

Oscar winners, they’re just like us. The actress touch this confection with abandon, and for that we salute her. It is, after all, the Year of Kidman. 

You might say the “Beguiled” premiere was to pie for. 

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Roxane Gay, the author of several critically acclaimed books including Bad Feminist, Difficult Women and the just-released Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body, endured what she’s appropriately described as “cruel and humiliating” treatment at the hands of Australia’s self-described “largest independent women’s website.”

Anyone who follows the feminist author on Twitter knows that Gay has been making the interview rounds ahead of Hunger’s debut, a book that details Gay’s experience “learning how to feed your hunger while taking care of yourself.”

Australian site Mamamia was afforded the opportunity to speak with her back in May, and as an “appalled” Gay said, the experience has been “a shit show.”

In an attempt to introduce the podcast interview with Gay, Mamamia appears to have disclosed a list of the author’s personal requests, breaching confidentiality. A description featured on the site’s No Filter podcast on Monday (and captured in screenshots since it was deleted) disclosed a litany of preparations the website underwent in order to interview Gay.

“A lot of planning has to go into a visit from [the] best-selling author,” the description read, listing a series of questions: “Will she fit into the office lift? How many steps will she have to take to get to the interview? Is there a comfortable chair that will accommodate her six-foot-three, ‘super-morbidly obese’ frame?”

Mamamia’s co-founder and creative director Mia Freedman expounded upon the preparations in a now-deleted article (you can see the cached version here).

“Her size is imposing and also a logistical nightmare for her,” Freedman wrote. “The requirements back and forth with her publishers who had brought her out to Australia to promote her books were extremely detailed.” 

Reiterating the above questions, she also claimed “[t]here was also a lot of talk about chairs ― making sure we had one sturdy enough to both hold her weight and make sure she was comfortable.”

Justifying the confidentiality breach, Freedman said the details were “a fundamental part of the story.”

“You see, Roxane Gay is ... I’m searching for the right word to use here. I don’t want to say fat so I’m going to use the official medical term: super morbidly obese.”

Many, many of Gay’s readers have pointed out Mamamia’s treatment of Gay completely misses the point of Hunger itself. In an interview with Trevor Noah, Gay explained the motivations for writing the book.

“I wanted to tell the story of my body, because when you’re fat in the world, people have assumptions,” she said. “They assume you’re stupid. ... I think it’s important to show what it’s actually like to live in this world in a fat body.”

Mamamia has since apologized, releasing a statement that reads in part:

In no way did Mamamia ever intend to make Roxane Gay feel disrespected and we apologise unequivocally that that was the unintended consequence, including to her publishing team who organised the visit and made the requests in good faith. We are mortified to think she would ever believe this to be the case or that we have upset someone we so deeply admire and respect.

As soon as we became aware of her feelings about it, we took down the written post, edited the podcast intro and changed the podcast description to remove all references to the questions asked by her publishers and about details she said she found upsetting.

“As a publisher that’s championed body diversity and representation in the media we’re deeply apologetic that in this instance we’ve missed the mark in contributing to this discussion,” Mamamia admitted. “We believe the conversations sparked by Roxane’s book are vitally important for women to have, and are disappointed our execution hasn’t contributed in the way we intended.”

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A new collection of photos is providing a striking ― and horrifying ― visual recreation of the barbaric practice of gay “conversion therapy” and the impact it has on its victims. 

Photographer Paola Paredes first learned of the “Clinicas de Deshomosexualizacion” in her home country of Ecuador four years ago from a friend. After completing a project called “Unveiled” that documented her own coming out process ― including filming herself with three cameras as she came out to her parents ― Paredes decided the focus of her next work would be on these gay “conversion therapy” clinics. 

Paredes told HuffPost that while these “conversion” therapy centers are illegal in Ecuador, they often operate covertly out of houses or addiction clinics for alcohol or drugs in remote Ecuadorian towns. 

In order to portray experiences of people who have been through these clinics, Paredes interviewed a number of survivors. She then used their stories and experiences ― as well as the acting lessons she undertook specifically for the series ― to recreate the horrors of these “conversion therapy” centers in this “Until You Change,” a collection of photos currently associated with an ongoing crowdfunding campaign aimed at bringing LGBTQ awareness and education to Ecuador.

”[This series] can actively help us take action,” Paredes told HuffPost. “We created this crowdfunding campaign hoping to take advantage of this momentum. We want to design an educational campaign that centers around teaching people about homosexually, LGBT rights, gender identity and human rights. We believe that only through building education and tolerance we can prevent the existence of this clinics. The funds will also go to psychological support for the victims.”

Check out more images from “Until You Change” throughout this article and learn more about the photographer’s relationship with the victims of these gay “conversion therapy” clinics and what she hopes the impact of this project will be by reading our interview with Paredes below..

HuffPost: What inspired the project?
Paola Paredes: I heard about these clinics around four years ago ― one of my close friends told me about them. It affected me in a completely personal way [because] at that time I was not out to my parents yet. I thought that I could be locked up in one of these clinics. I was going through my own personal journey with my sexuality and it took me a while to comes to term with it. Hearing about these clinics lingered in my mind for years. I think deep down I knew I had to create something.

In 2014 I created my first body of work “Unveiled.” I sat my parents down for a conversation and told them I was gay in front of three cameras – a completely surreal and liberating experience. I was fortunate that my parents were completely accepting and that “Unveiled” turned into my first solid body of work that was published quite extensively online, and in a few exhibitions. From “Unveiled” I had a lot of gay men and women contact me around the world to thank me for sharing such an intimate moment with the world. They also shared with me their own anguish and positive coming out stories. It was there that I realized how powerful art can be.

Those letters gave me a sense of purpose. I understood I could use art to communicate important stories. It was around the time I finished “Unveiled” that I knew my next project would have to be about the clinics. I knew I was ready personally and artistically to take on that challenge. It was thanks to “Unveiled.”

This project is a sort of an extension to “Unveiled” as in terms of subject matter, and because I use myself as the protagonist again

How did you go about researching the project?
I first started reading the articles that came out online when there was small media attention given to the clinics around 2011 and 2012. That gave me the first information that I needed. I then set out to find victims to talk to, which took a couple of months. I embarked on a six-month interview process with one of them. We had really in depth conversations.

After this was the planning process with the images, studying movies for the framing and composition of subjects. And lastly was the month process in Ecuador of scouting locations and rehearsals and planning with my actors.

After the images were made I embarked on an interview process where I met with activists and institutions that play a big role in the regulation of these clinics.

I want to clarify something that I think has been left out in other publications is that these clinics are illegal in Ecuador. The Ministry of Health is the organization that regulates these clinics. These clinics are really addiction clinics for alcohol and drugs. But since these people consider homosexuality a disease, they treat it as an addiction. The laws prohibit that these clinics treat homosexuals.

Because of the media attention in 2011-2012 the clinics have found ways to become more clandestine. They exist usually in remote towns in Ecuador ― in random houses. This has made it more difficult for the Ministry of Health to regulate these clinics.

What were a few of the most surprising or shocking things you learned while researching the project?
[I think it would be] the entire interview process with the victim I spent six months with. Her testimony is heartbreaking ― listening to things she had to witness or be put through.

My interviews with activists were also quite shocking as I found out the inner workings of institutions here and how these clinics operate as mafias.

As a queer woman, what was going through your head as you acted out these scenes?
It was hard [sighs]. In the beginning I struggled with making the images look realistic. I did early tests in the studio with friends and I tried to “act” like I was being kicked or hit. They came out looking incredibly fake. It was then that I realized I needed to work with actors and theatre directors and work drawing on true emotion. We held rehearsals with actors for weeks, and we all had real characters. Real people that I had learned of through my interviews inspired the characters.

We drew on some Stanislavski acting techniques. And the theatre director made me imagine I was really held in the clinic. The scenes you see were really acted out.

How and why did you decide to cast yourself in every photo?
For a few reasons, it followed in terms of style to “Unveiled,” where I use myself in the images. “Until You Change” was always like a second chapter to “Unveiled.”

The other reason was that photographing the inside of these places is prohibited so I had to find another way to tell the story.

And most importantly, the victims asked to remain anonymous. So it was in order to protect their identity.

How did the women you interviewed finally escape these facilities? What are their lives like now?
It varies. In many cases the victims have significant others that notice they have gone missing. The significant others usually have a suspicion that it might have been their family who has put them in a clinic. They then go to activist groups to report it and then the police. And it is the activist and police process of investigation that rescues them.

In some cases, they are let out on their own, or their parents take them out.

What’s next for you?
Hopefully not using myself in any more photographic series [laughs]. I am hopeful this campaign will be successful. If it is, then my next few months will be spent in designing and creating the campaign. I think we could do a really good job!

I am also working on other independent projects centered around photographic archive and I teach at a university.

Head here to visit the crowdfunding campaign inspired by “Until You Change.” For more from Paola Paredes, visit her official website here.

This interview was edited for clarity and length.

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Because there wasn’t enough heart-stopping action the first go-round, the trailer for the new “Flatliners” has arrived. This hybrid reboot-sequel brings back Kiefer Sutherland, whose character has distanced himself from the experiments his med-school cohort conducted in search of the afterlife. Now, Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, Kiersey Clemons and James Norton are on hand to cross over to the other side instead.

“Flatliners” opens Sept. 29. It was directed by Niels Arden Oplev, who helmed the Swedish “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” and written by “Source Code” scribe Ben Ripley. 

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Women wearing long red cloaks and white bonnets have become an increasingly common sight in government buildings around the country in recent months.

The latest state to see a protest inspired by Margaret Atwood’s dystopian feminist classic The Handmaid’s Tale is Ohio.

On Tuesday, women filed into the statehouse on Tuesday to protest Senate Bill 145, a proposed ban on the most common method for second-trimester abortions.

Photos of the protestors posted to social media by groups like NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio on Tuesday show the women walking through the Statehouse in pairs, much like handmaids in Atwood’s novel (and the much-acclaimed Hulu adaptation). The images showed them with their eyes downcast as they waited for the first hearing on the bill to commence.

Dilation and evacuation, or “D&E,” is a safe method for second-trimester abortions. The Guttmacher Institute has said that banning the procedure disproportionately affects women who are already at a disadvantage when it comes to obtaining timely abortion care.  

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Kerry Washington may not have the same sway over Washington D.C. as Olivia Pope, but the “Scandal” star is politically engaged in her own right. 

Washington chatted with the cast of “The View” on Tuesday about her commitment to political activism and voter turnout in the 2016 election.

Not only did Washington speak at The Women’s March in January, she unapologetically claimed her commitment to advocacy while wearing a safety pin as an emblem of unity during the SAG Awards. 

After admitting to having a “big mouth” about politics, Washington told the ladies of “The View” that though she feels obligated to be active in our democracy, her activism isn’t inspired by her celebrity status. 

“I’m not a politically active actor. I’m a politically active American,” she said. “I participate in my democracy because that’s what democracy is. ‘We the People’ means we all have to show up and participate.” 

When asked by “The View” co-host Joy Behar about her thoughts on criticism of entertainers who voice their political opinions, Washington gave a response to quiet that noise. 

“I’m never going to give up my voice as an American because of what I do for a living... just because I’m an artist doesn’t mean I should have less of a voice,” she said. 

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In the face of political tumult, an online literary community is thriving.

Writers are signing petitions against the hiring of journalists who deny the existence of global warming; they’re are using their platforms to earnestly protest and sarcastically mock our small-handed president.

Two popular authors ― J.K. Rowling and Stephen King ― have been particularly outspoken. Since November, King has been sharing his thoughts on Donald Trump to his 3.28 million followers.

“If Ivanka Trump had grown up in farm country, like some of us, she’d know her father is reaping exactly what he sowed,” the author tweeted yesterday.

His commentary must’ve ruffled feathers because today, to his dismay, he shared that Trump has blocked him on Twitter. “I may have to kill myself,” the author of over 50 novels ― many of them both classics and bestsellers ― added.

But, fellow Trump-decrier and beloved writer J.K. Rowling stepped in, in an act of writerly camaraderie. “I still have access,” she wrote. “I’ll DM them to you.”

Here’s hoping Rowling’s ongoing quest to contextualize Trump’s tweets can continue. 

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Anticipation for Marvel’s “Black Panther” film is ever increasing, especially after the first teaser trailer dropped on Friday (and racked up 89 million views in 24 hours).

Fans got a first look at the word of Wakanda and all of the glorious Afrofuturist fashion in the two-minute teaser for the film, directed by Ryan Coogler. The mastermind behind the costumes is Ruth E. Carter.

Carter ― whose work has been seen in iconic black films including “Shaft,” “Malcolm X,” “Do the Right Thing,” “Roots,” “Amistad,” “Selma” and “B*A*P*S*” ―  told Kendra James for Elle that her goal in designing the costumes was to make them true to the fictional African country from the comic books while still drawing inspiration from the fashions of actual groups on the continent.

“I’m looking at the whole continent and a wide range of people, like the [Maasai] and the Suri. It all becomes a part of the framework of Wakanda,” she said. “Most people who read the comic books know Wakanda is a mountainous area; it’s a secret place that’s not necessarily trading and interacting with the rest of the world. They’re a little bit more advanced in technology than other civilizations. We are creating that world, and trying to create a culture and pride that feels authentic to the specific location.” 

Carter isn’t new to creating prideful and revolutionary costumes specific to the black experience. She told Elle that eras of protest, including the Black Lives Matter movement, have often informed her work on films. The two-time Oscar-nominated designer said that she had a duty to black history and culture to get the costumes in “Black Panther” right, especially considering how often Hollywood forgets about the diversity of African countries when portraying them.

“That authenticity is very important to me. With Wakanda, I’m sort of piecing together a puzzle. It’s the puzzle that is our history,” she told the publication. “Black history didn’t start with slavery or end with the civil rights movement. I’m trying to put together that puzzle while considering everything that relates to us, including present stuff like the Black Lives Matter campaign.”

Read Carter’s entire interview over at Elle. 

“Black Panther” stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett and lots of other noteworthy black actors. The film doesn’t hit theaters until Feb. 16, 2018, but you can take a look at some of the stylish costumes Carter designed below.  

Watch the full trailer below.

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