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Netflix Cancels 'Girlboss' After One Season

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After not-so-great reviews and fan critique, Netflix has decided to cancel “Girlboss” ― the show “loosely” based on the life of Nasty Gal founder and #Girlboss writer Sophia Amoruso. The series ran for one 13-episode season. 


According to Variety, Amoruso took to her Instagram story on Saturday to share the news, writing:



So that Netflix series about my life got canceled. While I’m proud of the work we did, I’m looking forward to controlling my narrative from here on out. It was a good show, and I was privileged to work with incredible talent, but living my life as a caricature was hard even if only for two months. Yes, I can be difficult. No, I’m not a dick. No, someone named Shane never cheated on me. It will be nice to someday tell the story of what’s happened in the last few years. Ppl read the headline, not the correction, I’ve learned.



Once she posted the statement, many assumed she was “throwing shade” at the show for misrepresenting her life and personality. Amoruso headed to Instagram again to silence the haters. 


“Jesus Christ. I absolutely loved the show and am so sad it’s over. I am grateful for it all,” she wrote on her Instagram story. “But how a website can conflate ‘throwing shade’ with saying that a woman is excited to own her narrative after bankruptcy headlines, false lawsuits, and a dramatized series is created (which I will repeat: I loved and am proud of) is bonkers. I’m sorry if I hurt anyone. Being me usually means hurting someone at any given time. Maybe I am a dick after all.” 




Thank you @charlizeafrica for choosing to play and produce flawed female characters. Proud to be one.

A post shared by sophia amoruso (@sophiaamoruso) on




Amoruso’s fashion retailer Nasty Gal filed for bankruptcy last year just as the show was gearing up to be released. It debuted on Netflix on April 21, but seemingly failed to secure a committed following. “Girlboss” received a 32 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, as sites like The New York Times and The Guardian said the on-screen Sophia (Britt Robertson) “isn’t particularly interesting” and is “a walking selfie, whining about having to work for a living.”


“Pitch Perfect” screenwriter Kay Cannon served as executive producer and showrunner of the series, with Charlize Theron also executive producing alongside Laverne McKinnon, Beth Kono, Christian Ditter and Amoruso.


“Girlboss” joins other canceled Netflix series, such as “The Get Down” and “Sense8.” 

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'Transformers 5' Endures Franchise Low As Indies Perform Well At The Box Office

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LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - It seems the “Transformers” franchise is rusty.


As of Sunday morning, “Transformers: The Last Knight,” the fifth installment directed by Michael Bay, looks to bring in $69.1 million from 4,069 domestic locations during its five-day opening weekend. That’s a franchise low for the sequel from Paramount and Hasbro, behind the first in the modern series, which earned $70.5 million in 2007. “The Last Knight” carries an estimated $217 million production budget.


This makes “Transformers: The Last Knight” the latest summer blockbuster to bank on overseas ticket sales to have a shot at turning a profit. In China, the big-budget action sequel made $41 million in its opening day alone. The projected international come through Sunday is $196.2 million, powered by $123.4 million in China.


“The Last Knight” comes at a time when Paramount could have used an all-around hit, following recent misses “Baywatch” and “Ghost in the Shell.” While the latest “Transformers” movie has been advertised as “the final chapter” and Bay’s last go-around, the franchise will continue ― Paramount has at least two more movies slated, including a spinoff that could star Hailee Steinfeld. The franchise has historically been massively profitable and seen solid multiples for the studio. Together, the first four earned over $1.3 billion domestically and well over $3.5 billion worldwide.


The latest take on the series centers on an alliance between Bumblebee, Cade Yeager ― who Mark Wahlberg also played in 2014′s “Age of Extinction” ― and roles played by franchise newcomers Anthony Hopkins and Laura Haddock. Together, the team works together to save the world. Audiences have earned the film a B+ CinemaScore, while critics have mostly dismissed it ― it currently holds a 15% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.


“The Last Knight” was uncontested at the box office this weekend, but a few indie releases showed traction. Sofia Coppola’s “The Beguiled” remake from Focus Features played at four theaters this weekend, and should gross $240,545 with a strong per screen average before it expands to over 500 locations next weekend.


“We’re thrilled by this opening,” said Lisa Bunnell, Focus Features’ distribution president. “This is Focus’ third collaboration with Sofia and she’s created an entertaining, atmospheric thriller featuring strong female representation in front of and behind the camera.”


And Kumail Nanjiani’s critically adored romantic comedy “The Big Sick” should earn $435,000 during its opening weekend in five locations ― that would give the Lionsgate and Amazon Studios release the highest per screen average of any film that has opened this year so far.


“Kumail and Emily’s true story provided audiences of all ages a much-needed alternative to the summer blockbusters,” said Bob Berney, Amazon Studios’ distribution chief.



Otherwise, “Wonder Woman” continues to post impressive numbers, and holds onto second place during its fourth weekend in theaters. This weekend, it should earn an additional $25.2 million, bringing its domestic total to $318.4 million. Earlier this week, the film became the highest-grossing live-action movie to be directed by a woman ― a major distinction for Patty Jenkins.


Disney and Pixar’s “Cars 3” also looks to earn $25.2 million domestically during its second weekend. Some estimates have the film slightly lower, just below $25 million. The family film, which won last weekend’s box office, is expected to pass the $100 million mark in North America by Monday.


“Transformers: The Last Knight’s” performance is a tough break for the summer box office’s bottom line domestically. For the past two years, this weekend has seen monster grosses for “Jurassic World” and “Finding Dory.” Now, attention is turned toward a trio of releases next weekend, as the box office hopes for a shot in the arm from “Despicable Me 3,” “Baby Driver,” and “The House.”

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Here Are All The Winners Of The 2017 BET Awards

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The BET Awards is undoubtedly one of the biggest nights celebrating black excellence in the entertainment industry. 


Iconic stars filled into the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday to celebrate the work of distinguished artists across the fields of music, film and more.


Beyoncé dominated the list of nominees with a total of five nominations, given the influence of her latest album, “Lemonade,” while her sister, Solange, was also up for several awards from her latest release, “A Seat at the Table.” Rappers J. Cole and Chance The Rapper were nominated for awards across various music categories, while stars like Taraji P. Henson and Mahershala Ali were up for awards in acting categories. 


Check out the full list of nominees below, which will be updated throughout the night as the winners are announced!


Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
Beyoncé
Kehlani
Mary J. Blige
Rihanna
Solange


Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
Bruno Mars

Chris Brown
The Weeknd
Trey Songz
Usher


Best Group
2 Chainz & Lil Wayne
A Tribe Called Quest
Fat Joe & Remy Ma
Migos
Rae Sremmurd


Best Collaboration
Beyoncé Ft. Kendrick Lamar — “Freedom”
Chance The Rapper Ft. 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne — “No Problem”
Chris Brown Ft. Gucci Mane & Usher — “Party”
DJ Khaled Ft. Beyoncé & Jay Z — “Shining”
Migos Ft. Lil Uzi Vert — “Bad and Boujee”
Rae Sremmurd Ft. Gucci Mane — “Black Beatles”


Best Male Hip-Hop Artist
Big Sean
Chance The Rapper
Drake
Future
J. Cole
Kendrick Lamar


Best Female Hip-Hop Artist
Cardi B
Missy Elliott
Nicki Minaj
Remy Ma
Young M.A.


Video of the Year
Beyoncé — “Sorry”
Big Sean — “Bounce Back”
Bruno Mars — “24K Magic”
Migos Ft. Lil Uzi Vert — “Bad And Boujee”
Solange — “Cranes in the Sky”


Video Director of the Year
Benny Boom
Bruno Mars & Jonathan Lia
Director X
Hype Williams
Kahlil Joseph & Beyoncé Knowles-Carter


Best New Artist
21 Savage
Cardi B
Chance The Rapper
Khalid
Young M.A.


Album of the Year
24K Magic — Bruno Mars
4 Your Eyez Only — J. Cole
A Seat at the Table — Solange
Coloring Book — Chance The Rapper
Lemonade — Beyoncé


Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
Cece Winans
Fantasia Ft. Tye Tribbett
Kirk Franklin Ft. Sarah Reeves, Tasha Cobbs & Tamela Man
Lecrae
Tamela Mann


Best Actress
Gabrielle Union
Issa Rae
Janelle Monáe
Taraji P. Henson
Viola Davis


Best Actor
Bryshere Y. Gray
Denzel Washington
Donald Glover
Mahershala Ali
Omari Hardwick


Youngstars Award
Ace Hunter
Caleb Mclaughlin
Jaden Smith
Marsai Martin
Yara Shahidi


Best Movie
Fences
Get Out
Hidden Figures
Moonlight
The Birth of a Nation


Sportswoman of the Year Award
Gabby Douglas
Serena Williams
Simone Biles
Skylar Diggins
Venus Williams


Sportsman of the Year Award
Cam Newton
Lebron James
Odell Beckham Jr.
Russell Westbrook
Stephen Curry


Centric Award
Fantasia — “Sleeping with the One I Love”
Kehlani — “Distraction”
Mary J. Blige — “Thick of It”
Solange — “Cranes in the Sky”
Syd — “All About Me”
Yuna — “Crush Ft. Usher”


Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award
Beyoncé — “Sorry”
Bruno Mars — “24K Magic”
Drake — “Fake Love”
Migos Ft. Lil Uzi Vert — “Bad And Boujee”
Rae Sremmurd Ft. Gucci Mane — “Black Beatles”
The Weeknd Ft. Daft Punk — Starboy”


Best International Act: Europe
Booba
Mhd
Craig David
Emeli Sandé
Giggs
Skepta
Stormzy
Wiley


Best International Act: Africa
Aka
Babes Wodumo
Davido
Nasty C
Stonebwoy
Tekno
Wizkid
Mr Eazi

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Spike Lee's 'She's Gotta Have It' Is Being Adapted Into Show For Netflix

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“She’s Gotta Have It” is among Spike Lee’s standout films, and now the groundbreaking 1986 movie is being adapted into a 10-episode series for Netflix. 


On Sunday, Netflix aired a special commercial during the BET Awards featuring its black-led shows that ended with a teaser for Lee’s new series, announcing that it will be released this Thanksgiving. It officially marks Lee’s first TV series. 


The film, which followed a young black woman in Brooklyn ― played by actress Tracy Camilla  ― who is busy juggling life, school, friends and lovers, became an instant classic and grossed more than $7 million at the box office. It also helped to catapult Lee’s career and helped pave the way for black independent filmmakers. 


“‘She’s Gotta Have It’ has a very special place in my heart,” Lee said about the film, according to Deadline. “We shot this film in 12 days [two six-day weeks] way back in the back back of the hot summer of 1985 for a mere total of $175,000. Funds that we begged, borrowed and whatnot to get that money.” 


“We are getting an opportunity to revisit these memorable characters who will still be relevant and avant-garde 3 decades later,” he wrote. 


Lee is set to direct all episodes of the TV series, which will also be executive produced by his wife, Tonya Lee Lewis, whom he gave credit for pitching the idea to transform the film into a series. 


“It was my wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, producer in her own right, who had the vision to take my film from the big screen and turn it into an episodic series,” he said. “It had not occurred to me at all. Tonya saw it plain as day. I didn’t.”


Check out Netflix’s announcement drop in the video above. 

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Yara Shahidi Honors Tamir Rice In Beautiful BET Award Acceptance Speech

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Yara Shahidi won the YoungStars Award at the 2017 BET Awards on Sunday night and delivered a speech that showed exactly why she was so deserving of the honor. 




The 17-year-old “Black-ish” star expressed gratitude for her peer group, fans and family before taking a moment to acknowledge the late Tamir Rice, who would have turned 15 years old on Sunday. Rice, who was killed in 2015 during a fatal police encounter in Cleveland, is one of many young black men who have died in police shootings. Shahidi recognized him onstage before thousands of audience members and viewers at home.




“Today is Tamir Rice’s birthday, and so amidst this celebration, I’d love to honor his life,” Shahidi said. She also acknowledged BET “for celebrating our culture so beautifully when it isn’t celebrated everywhere else as it should be.” 




Shahidi, who is heading to Harvard University next fall, has been outspoken about the injustices black people face and has consistently used her voice and platform to raise awareness around police brutality and racism in America. 




“Thank you for supporting blackness and our contributions to society,” she said to the crowd at the BET Awards. “This is so appreciated and so necessary for my generation to see.” 




Watch her full acceptance speech above. 






Yara Shahidi won the Youngstars Award at the 2017 BET Awards on Sunday night and delivered a speech that exemplified exactly why she was so deserving of the honor. 


The 17-year-old “Black-ish” star expressed gratitude for her peer group, fans and family before taking a moment to acknowledge the late Tamir Rice, who would have turned 15 years old on Sunday. Rice, who was killed in a fatal police encounter in 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio after a cop, is one of many young black men who have died during encounters with police and Shahidi took it upon herself to recognize him onstage before thousands of audiences members and viewers at home.


“Today is Tamir Rice’s birthday, and so admist this celebration I’d love to honor his life,” Shahidi said. She also acknowledge BET “for celebrating our culture so beautifully when it isn’t celebrated everywhere else as it should be.” 


Shahidi, who is heading to Harvard University next fall, has been outspoken about the injustices black people face and has consistently used her voice and platform to raise awareness around police brutality and racism in America. 


“Thank you for supporting blackness and our contributions to society,” she said to the crowd onstage. “This is so appreciated and so necessary for my generation to see.” 


Watch her full acceptance speech above. 

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Michelle Obama's Tribute To Chance The Rapper Literally Moved Him To Tears

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It’s one (rather humbling) thing to be honored with BET’s Humanitarian Award ― it’s another to be praised by Michelle Obama and to have her call you a friend. But leave it to Chance The Rapper to accomplish both by the age of 24. 


In addition to taking home the award for Best New Artist during the 2017 BET Awards, which aired Sunday, the rapper and activist became the youngest person to receive its Humanitarian Award.


Chance donated $1 million to public schools in his hometown of Chicago in March, led campaigns to give outerwear to Chicago’s homeless and even led a march to Chicago voting polls on Election Day 2016. 


His list of social deeds can go on for days, which is probably why he was able to get a shoutout from our favorite first lady. 


“We are so incredibly proud of you, Chance,” the former FLOTUS began. “We have known Chance and his family since he was a wee little baby rapper and it has been a thrill watching him come into his own in so many ways.”



“In addition to making some really amazing music, Chance has been taking that big bright spotlight that follows him around and shining it on our hometown of Chicago,” she continued. “Chance is showing our young people that they matter, they have something inside of them that is worthy of being expressed.”


After the first lady’s touching words, cameras caught Chance with tears in his eyes. 


His acceptance speech, which he said was impromptu because he wanted to “speak from the heart,” proved his accolades from Mrs. Obama were well deserved. 


After declaring a love for black people, Chance went into a spiel about how this country can start making things right. 


“I had plans originally to try to tell the world and everybody watching how to make it a better place,” he said.


“To tell everybody in this government that y’all need to let everybody out of jail for selling weed before y’all start making it legal for people to sell it and make capital off it,” he continued, making pointed eye contact with the camera. 


“I was going to tell the Chicago public school system not to take out a loan from Chase Bank when they know that our schools are planning on failing in our district,” he said to increasing applause. 


Before ending his speech, Chance declared that he also wants to work on himself and become a better father, cousin, etc. 


He then had the nerve to say he doesn’t yet feel the award is deserved. Let the humbleness take a seat for one night, Chano. 




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China Grants Medical Parole To Jailed Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo

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BEIJING, June 26 (Reuters) - Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winning rights activist Liu Xiaobo has been released from prison on medical parole and is being treated in hospital for late-stage liver cancer, his lawyer said on Monday in messages seen by Reuters.


Liu, 61, was jailed for 11 years in 2009 for “inciting subversion of state power” after he helped write a petition known as “Charter 08″ calling for sweeping political reforms in China.


In December 2010, Liu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his activism promoting human rights in China, causing China to freeze diplomatic ties with Norway. China and Norway normalized ties in December last year.


Shang Baojun, Liu’s lawyer, confirmed the news of Liu’s treatment in the city of Shenyang, and said the medical parole had been approved, in messages seen by Reuters.


When asked about Liu, China’s foreign ministry, the only government body that will regularly answer questions from the foreign media, said it was not aware of the situation.


The public security ministry and justice ministry did not immediately respond to faxed requests for comment.


Liu Xia, Liu’s wife who has been under effective house arrest since her husband won the Nobel Peace Prize, is suffering from depression but has been allowed to visit him in prison about once a month, a source close to the dissident told Reuters.


Liu was not allowed to attend his father-in-law’s funeral last year and his mother-in-law’s funeral this year, said the source who asked not to be identified.


Liu had been incarcerated at Jinzhou Penitentiary in Liaoning, his home province in northeast China, before being moved to the hospital for treatment.


A man who answered the telephone at the Shenyang hospital where Liu is being treated said he could not check information on individual cases as there were too many patients in the hospital.


Rights group Amnesty International also confirmed the news of Liu’s illness in a tweet.


Amnesty International’s China Researcher, William Nee, said authorities should ensure Liu was receiving adequate medical care and he called for the immediate and unconditional release of Liu and his wife.


“Obviously, it’s a shameful situation and it’s incredibly sad to see one of China’s most prominent intellectuals suffer from such a terrible illness when he never should’ve been detained in the first place,” Nee said.


He also called for the Nobel Committee and the international community to speak up “forcefully” for Liu now.


Tibetan writer and family friend Tsering Woeser said she had been in tears after reading reports of Liu’s illness online.


“I’m shocked and deeply saddened,” she told Reuters. “All we can do now is pray for him.”


In Oslo, the Norwegian Nobel Institute, which oversees the Nobel Peace Prize, declined to comment on reports of Liu’s hospitalization. “Our policy is that we do not comment on individual laureates,” an official said.

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A Retrospective On 'Harry Potter' Midnight Release Parties

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If you ask a diehard “Harry Potter” fan where they were at midnight on July 21, 2007, they’ll know: Waiting at a bookstore to snag a copy of the final “Harry Potter” book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, to read it as fast as they possibly could.


To be a “Harry Potter” fan is a wondrous thing, but there’s a point of pride that comes with being a Potter fan from the start. For one, there’s that ineffable feeling of being able to say, “I’ve been enjoying this series since the beginning and I have watched it grow.” But it also means you were there for the midnight book drops.


Local booksellers and global ones, like Barnes & Noble, led these drops for the final four books in the “Harry Potter” canon. For the uninformed, they went like this: You and your friends or family would deck yourselves out in “Potter” universe-themed regalia (which could be as simple as pair of Potter glasses or donning House-specific colors) the night before the day of a book release. Then you’d head to your local bookstore to get in a (usually long) line — unless you reserved a book beforehand. Once admitted into the bookstore, plastic bracelet swirling on your wrist, you’d have lots of options for what to do to kill the time before midnight when you could get your hands on the fresh pages.




You could run to the cardboard cutouts of book covers to be photographed, comment on fellow readers’ costumes, get your face painted, exchange theories ― each store had different offerings, but all were “Potter”-specific festivities. After you’d partaken in your share of events and midnight arrived so you could score your copy, you’d get home as quickly as possible so as to devour the book before a “friend” could spoil any of the newness before you got to it.


These drops were often touted as parties, primarily because the happenings within the stores were party-esque, but also because the general atmosphere and joyous attitudes of expectant readers facilitated it. Original “Potter” fans know the excitement leading up to each and every book drop, an enthusiasm that reached a crescendo when the books were finally in their desperately curious hands. 



But it took a bit of time to get there.


The midnight release parties didn’t exist until 2000 ― three years after the first book in the series was published. That delay can likely be attributed to Americans who were late to the party in getting ahold of the books, only being exposed to the first novel ― Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone — in August 1998, a full year after its release in England. Though, once Sorcerer’s Stone (or Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, as it’s known in the U.K.) crossed the ocean, it made serious waves. It was on The New York Times bestseller list for more than 40 weeks, with its hype only growing once Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban landed on stands. 


By the end of 1999, Pottermania around the globe was in full swing. Booksellers chalked up the newfound obsession to reliability and the admirable qualities of the story’s protagonist, but, above all, they knew they had a fire on their hands that could easily be stoked. In 2000, the publishers put into motion a midnight release for the series’ fourth installment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Thus, the midnight book drop parties were born.


And they didn’t stop in bookstores. At that point, the late-night Pottermania flooded over to movie theaters. When the first “Potter” film came out in 2001, it cast an even wider net for the fanbase to expand and allowed for the film franchise to subsequently create its own iteration of midnight release parties for the film premieres. Theaters all over began to look like the hallways of Hogwarts.




Despite the hype of the films carrying over until 2011, when the last one was released, one could argue that the true “end” of Pottermania was in 2007. (Others can argue it’s ongoing, but that’s a discussion for another time). Sure, there was a brief resurrection in 2016 when “The Cursed Child” came out, but it’d be careless to not acknowledge the massive sea change.


When the first “Harry Potter” book was released in June 26, 1997, it was in an age where the internet was still considered uncharted territory. Most cell phones did nothing more than make calls, and bookstores were the primary locale for book buying. Even 10 years later, in 2007, the iPhone was still in its infancy, e-readers weren’t mainstream, and brick-and-mortar bookstores like Borders and Waldenbooks were thriving. In that era, the midnight book parties could prosper because there was something to be gained by obtaining a tangible book: You’d be one of the first to get it. Had Instagram existed then, posting a photo of your “Harry Potter” book would have surely been worth its weight in likes and social currency.


But with digital book sales reigning in today’s book market (though at questionable rates) and online publishers releasing spoilers at lightning speeds, there isn’t a franchise today that’s harnessed that same spark that “Potter” fans emitted. That era, 1997 to 2007, was truly a sweet spot for readers. They watched the fandom bloom from nothing, lined up willingly outside of a physical store ― oftentimes without a celebrity-sighting incentive ― and read without the fear of a push-alert or Twitter spoiler.


It was pure magic and all was well.


In honor of the 20th anniversary of the very first “Harry Potter” book, we’ve rounded up up a selection of photos that harken back to the golden era of “Potter” fandom. If you’re inclined to take a trip down Diagon Alley memory lane with us, please enjoy these Potter flashbacks of parties past.



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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J.K. Rowling Celebrates Harry Potter's 20th With A Perfect Tweet

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Monday marks 20 years since the publication of the first book in a series that would change the world: J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter.” On this day in 1997, Bloomsbury published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the U.K., and soon the entire world fell in love with The Boy Who Lived.


No one, it seems, is more grateful and overjoyed to celebrate this anniversary than Rowling, the woman who gave us “Potter.” She took to Twitter on Monday morning to thank her readers in a heartfelt post, writing, “20 years ago today a world that I had lived in alone was suddenly open to others. It’s been wonderful. Thank you.”






What’s that? Oh, just some dust in our eyes.







Though the books made her a billionaire, at least for a time, Rowling was a struggling single mother when the idea for “Harry Potter” came to her. The author has made it a priority to give back through charity and through her engagement with the public, often on Twitter, where she speaks out on political issues and sometimes even answers fans’ burning questions about the books.


Of course Rowling’s life has been completely transformed by the wizarding world she dreamed up ― but as other messages on the 20th anniversary of “Harry Potter” reveal, she’s far from the only one. Other authors, celebrities and fans toasted her powerful contribution to the literary world on social media:


























Some even confessed that the “Harry Potter” books saved them in difficult times ― when dealing with divorce, an abusive situation, mental health issues or grieving a loved one:






















No need to wait for our Hogwarts acceptance letters anymore ― that’s real magic.


Thank you, J.K. Rowling.

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Bill Cosby's Reps Now Say Town Halls Won't Be About Sexual Assault

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Five days ago, Bill Cosby’s spokespeople announced that town halls featuring the disgraced comedian were in the works, because “anything at this point can be considered sexual assault and it’s a good thing to be educated about the law.” Now they are backtracking on the idea that these town halls have anything to do with sexual assault. Instead, these town halls will reportedly focus on restoring Cosby’s legacy.


Andrew Wyatt and Ebonee Benson appeared on “Good Day Alabama” on June 21 to discuss the mistrial that was declared the weekend prior in the sexual assault case against Cosby. During the interview, they also said that they were in the process of planning town halls around the country.


“We are now planning town halls and we’re gonna be coming to this city sometime in July,” Wyatt said. “To talk to young people because this is bigger than Bill Cosby. This issue can affect any young person, especially young athletes of today. And they need to know what they’re facing when they’re hanging out and partying, when they’re doing certain things that they shouldn’t be doing — and it also affects married men.”


Ebonee added: “Laws are changing. The statute of limitations for victims of sexual assault are being extended. So, this is why people need to be educated on a brush against the shoulder, you know anything at this point can be considered sexual assault and it’s a good thing to be educated about the laws.”


Hmmm.... that sure sounds like a discussion of sexual assault and sexual assault legislation to us! 


On June 22, Wyatt expanded on the purpose of these town halls in a statement to HuffPost. He wrote that he and Benson had “received hundreds of calls from civic organizations and churches requesting for Mr. Cosby to speak to young men and women about the judicial system.”


He further explained: “These groups would like for Mr. Cosby to share that people in the judicial system can use their powers to annul deals for personal agenda and political ambitions.”


But on CNN New Day Weekend on Sunday, Benson told Christi Paul a very different story.


“I just want to be clear. The town hall meetings are not about sexual assault. I will repeat. These town hall meetings are not about sexual assault,” she said.






Benson then blamed the media for “sensationalizing” the initial story.


“When we initially talked about the town hall meetings it was about restoration of legacy. Much to what Mrs. Cosby spoke on in her statement is the sensationalism brought on by the media,” Benson said. “This is another example of that. To take something that was meant to talk about the restoration of this man’s legacy that was destroyed by the media before he even had a chance to step into the courtroom. That’s what this is about.”


It remains to be seen what of Cosby’s legacy these town hall speeches will be attempting to restore. The comedian has not been acquitted of the sexual assault charges brought by Andrea Constand, and Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele has said that he intends to retry the case.


In total, Cosby has been publicly accused of sexually assaulting or harassing nearly 60 women.


H/T Jezebel

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In Surreal News, Salvador Dalí's Body Will Be Exhumed For A Paternity Test

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In 2015, a Spanish astrologist and tarot reader named Pilar Abel announced that she believes she is the daughter of the iconic surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. And 26 years after the artist’s death in 1989, Abel filed a paternity suit to be sure.


According to a report from the BBC on Monday morning, a judge in Madrid has now agreed to exhume Dalí’s remains to get DNA samples for a paternity test, after earlier tests using “secondary sources” of the artist’s DNA proved inconclusive. 


Abel’s mother, Antonia Martínez de Haro, worked in the home of a family who often vacationed in the Spanish fishing village Port Lligat, where Dalí also had a house. Abel explained in documents presented to a Madrid court that the two “had a friendship that developed into clandestine love.


At the time, Dalí was married to Gala, born Elena Ivanovna Diakonova, who inspired and appeared in many of the artist’s works. According to legend, Dalí was a virgin when they wed and encouraged Gala to have affairs with other artists and intellectuals. The couple never had children. 



 


Abel, who was born in 1956, was first told that Dalí was her father when she was 8 years old, by her grandmother. According to The New York Times, when she asked her mother about the assertion, “she told me yes, but that she didn’t want to throw stones on her own grave.”


In 2007 Abel sought to verify the claim with a DNA test, which was executed by American toxicologist Michael F. Rieders using gastric tubes that had been used to feed Dalí during a 1984 hospitalization. The results were inconclusive, which Rieders attributed to the “secondary” nature of the DNA. For certain answers, he suggested, Abel would need direct access to Dalí’s remains. 


Bueno Celdrán is the lawyer currently assisting Abel in her case. He previously represented a waiter named Albert Solà who insisted his father was former Spanish king Juan Carlos. The paternity suit was unsuccessful. 


In a 2015 interview with the NYT, Abel said she hoped the lawsuit delivers recognition of her father’s true identity, and “after that, whatever corresponds to me.” She is likely referring to Dalí’s estate, which was donated to the Spanish Kingdom following his death. It is worth approximately $325 million.  


Along with the substantial amount of money at stake, Abel seeks a connection with the man she believes to be her father. She has frequently referenced her physical resemblance to the surrealist master. “The only thing I am missing is the moustache,” she often says. 


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The Real Magic Of Alan Rickman, And How He Got A Child Fighting Cancer Cast In 'Harry Potter'

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“Where else would you go other than Alan Rickman?”


That’s how “Harry Potter” casting director Janet Hirshenson put it when asked about the actors considered for the role of Severus Snape in the “Harry Potter” film franchise. Hirshenson joined the production after another casting director had worked on the movies for a year and said Rickman was already locked in at the time. She had no argument.


“I don’t know if that was the first initial one they reached out to or not but ... it was Alan Rickman,” she said.


Today, we’re more than a year removed from losing our favorite Potions Master. Rickman died in January 2016 at the age of 69 after a battle with cancer. The actor has an assortment of iconic roles under his belt, but “Harry Potter” fans know him best as the complicated and polarizing Professor Snape. His co-workers on the films, however, simply remember him as a remarkable person, a man who even once made an extremely sick child’s dream come true.



It’s been 20 years since the “Harry Potter” book series debuted, and debate over its characters still rages on ― particularly over Rickman’s character, Snape. Is he a Half-Blood hero? Is he The Jerk Who Lived? Even J.K. Rowling has struggled with how to bring him up without causing a brouhaha (or in honor of witches, a brew-haha?).







As Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint grew and changed during the films, Rickman’s controversial character remained an unwavering staple, even down to his wardrobe.


Costume designer Jany Temime instituted major wardrobe changes when she joined the franchise in the third film, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” For proof, just check out Professor Filius Flitwick’s changing looks. However, Snape’s outfit remained largely the same.


Temime told HuffPost, “When I arrived on [film] No. 3, I looked at all the costumes, and the only costume I kept was the costume of Snape, which I thought was perfect. I thought it was exactly Snape. We remade a cape ― we made a cape bigger. But I liked how tight it was. And also, Alan Rickman loved it. He loved it.”


The costumer did admit there was one small alteration.


“The only thing we did is that every time Alan Rickman was going to holidays in Tuscany and coming back with two or three extra kilos, we made it bigger without telling him. That’s the only thing we did, but it was the same costume,” she said.


Snape’s signature black robes had an ominous presence that the actor himself noticed. 




“As soon as I put that costume on something happens. You can’t be someone else inside that outline. It has an effect on me,” Rickman once said of the outfit. 





It had an effect on the other actors, too.


Oliver Phelps, who played George Weasley in the films, told HuffPost, “I was intimidated by him, I think, just because you’re looking at this guy in a big cloak and everything.”


Snape’s formidable presence on set is a testament to Rickman’s talent for embodying a role as if he’d taken Polyjuice Potion for it. Once you got past that frightening facade, you’d find a person who was “really funny, and self-deprecating and kind of wonderful company,” as Daniel Radcliffe put it during a past conversation with Rowling.


Besides being a delightful person, Rickman staunchly supported his co-stars on and off the set. Radcliffe told Rowling that Rickman cut a vacation short to see the Boy Wizard perform in the play “Equus,” and Phelps told us he once received acting advice from Rickman after giving him a lesson on MP3 players.


“I remember he’d just come back from an award ceremony, and they had given him an iPod, and he wanted to know how to work it. I was showing him how to do that, [and] on the same token I was sneaking in the, ‘You know, in this scene I’ve got coming up here, how would you [do it]?’ He was brilliant to actually give advice for it, and I was only about a 17-year-old kid at the time, but [Alan] was very to the point with me about it, which was cool,” said Phelps.





Perhaps the most memorable Rickman story comes from producer Paula DuPré Pesmen.



The producer worked on the first three “Harry Potter” films, and also took it upon herself to be the point person for organizing set visits for terminally sick children. This would later lead her to leave movie producing and start There With Care, an organization that helps provide fundamental services to families with children facing serious illnesses.


DuPré Pesmen told us the entire cast was “so gracious” during the children’s visits.


“Dan, Rupert and Emma, and Tom Felton and Devon Murray, especially those kids, when I would have sick children with me on the set they would come straight up to me and start engaging with these kids and take photos with them and ask, ‘What’ve they seen so far? What was their favorite part of the film? What was their favorite part of the day?’”


She reminisced about a number of touching memories from the set visits, including a time a young boy got to help direct a scene with Radcliffe in “Chamber of Secrets.” After the scene, the boy ran up to Radcliffe, threw his arms around him and said, “I love you, Harry.”


“All of us were in tears, the director [Chris Columbus], the cast, the crew, we were all tearing up. But it was such a beautiful moment, and Dan was so sweet with him. That’s the purity of ‘Harry Potter.’”


One of the most memorable visits comes from a boy named Jay.


Jay, a child diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma, was excited to visit the set, “But what he really wanted was to be in the film, not just visiting,” DuPré Pesmen added.


“I said, ‘Well, we can’t really do that, and you’re already here.’ Alan [Rickman] came over and introduced himself to Jay, and Jay was so happy to meet him. He was really knowledgable. He was about 15 at the time, and he knew a lot about Alan’s other films, and Jay mentioned to Alan that what he really wanted to do was be in the film.”


Then, something magical happened.







“Alan looked at me, and he kind of went into his Snape-mode in costume, and said, ‘Why isn’t this child in the film?’” recalled DuPré Pesman. “Everyone had a good laugh, and Alan took him by the hand and put him into the crowd of kids as they were panning across. The back of him is actually in a shot.”


The producer told us the moment happened in Remus Lupin’s Boggart class during “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”


“Alan put him in, and it was from the back of the classroom looking over the backs of the kids,” she said.


Though Jay’s shot apparently wasn’t included in the final cut of the film, DuPré Pesmen said he was thrilled.


“[Jay] was very happy that Alan did that for him,” she told us.


Sadly, like Rickman, Jay died from cancer in 2005. DuPré Pesmen credits Jay as one of the founders of There With Care, and if you’re wondering, he did actually end up in another movie.



[Jay] was there. He had a moment.
Paula DuPre' Pesmen


The producer said she and Chris Columbus pulled Jay out of the hospital for a few hours one day and put him in a scene from “Rent,” which Columbus directed.


Jay may have not been in the final cut of “Prisoner of Azkaban,” but the producer said, ”[Jay] was there. He had a moment,” thanks to Alan Rickman.


Whatever you think of Snape, there’s no denying the character of the man behind the black cape.


So do we miss Alan Rickman? Even after all this time?.







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.


Additional reporting by Katherine Brooks


For more on There With Care:




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