Boots Teams Up With Beyonce Again For 'Dreams,' All Profits Go Toward Preventing Teen Dating Violence

April 22, 2014, 1:56 pm

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Boots, aka Jordy Asher, the mystery man behind a large majority of the production of Beyonce's self-titled album, has been casually releasing solo tracks from his upcoming mixtape, "WinterSpringSummerFall," over the past few months. Today, Boots dropped the album's final track, "Dreams," which sees him reconnecting with Bey for a song that is nothing short of magical.

If the smooth lovin' of this reunion weren't enough to steal your heart, then the fact that all profits from this song will benefit Day One, a New York City-based nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of teen dating violence surely will.

"The idea behind the mixtape was to release things in a different way than everybody else does," Boots said. "When Beyonce and I did the song together we started talking about, 'Well, what could we do with this?' Obviously we wanted to put it on the mixtape, but we decided there was an opportunity here that we didn’t want to miss. I already get messages from people all the time saying, 'I’ll buy your album! I don’t even care!' even though it’s going to be free. Two things that are very important to me are education and women’s rights, and the moment my friend sent [Day One] to me it made the most sense and was the most important thing to me that I had come across. If people knew ... if there was more public knowledge about the organizations like Day One and the places that people could go, it would stop those situations from occurring, or reoccurring."

The song is a beautiful downtempo cut, Beyonce's ever-dominant voice weaving in and out of the track, with Boots' sitting in his softer register.

"The mixtape has a really strong narrative to it, and even though the music and song styles are changing, the message and the words behind it are very consistent," Boots said. "I wanted it to end in this very kind of sweet place. I wanted you to feel complete by the end of it. This song just rolled out so easily, as some of the best things do, and so I sent it over to her, and she sent back this incredible vocal take. It’s one of the most amazing performances I’ve ever heard her do.

"Having that friendship and that kind of understanding with her is jet one of the most special things to ever happen to me in my life. We’re two completely opposite people in our approaches to certain things," he continued, "but we line up in this really cool way artistically. Everyone’s seen what we’ve done together [with her album], but I think this shows a different side of that. I feel really fortunate. I feel really proud of what we are going to be able to accomplish with this song."

Boots also recently released the very first photo of his face during a Complex Twitter takeover:

boots

You can read Boots' Facebook post below to learn more about Day One:

Post by Boots.

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Teen Breaks World Record With Very Unique Whistling Talent (VIDEO)

April 22, 2014, 2:55 pm

≫ Next: John Lennon And Yoko Ono's Marriage Advice Is Spot-On

≪ Previous: Boots Teams Up With Beyonce Again For 'Dreams,' All Profits Go Toward Preventing Teen Dating Violence

Though he's only a sophomore, Walker Harnden's college career is already starting on a high note -- literally.

According to the Lake Wiley Pilot, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts student set a Guinness world record for whistling an impressive B7, the highest note ever known to be whistled. The 19-year-old broke the record in November of last year, and his achievement was made official 12 weeks later

Standing on stage at a piano with two judges, Walker works his way up the note and hits it like a boss. Watch in the video above.

Fellow whistlers, you've met your match.

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John Lennon And Yoko Ono's Marriage Advice Is Spot-On

April 22, 2014, 3:32 pm

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≪ Previous: Teen Breaks World Record With Very Unique Whistling Talent (VIDEO)

John Lennon said he didn’t really know about love until he met Yoko Ono.

In a series of interviews conducted between 1969 and 1972, the duo tells journalist Howard Smith the secret to their close relationship. Recently animated by Patrick Smith for PBS' Blank on Blank series, the interviews reveal that both Lennon and Ono thought they would never find love. But that all changed when they found each other.

"I thought it was an abstract thing, you know, when I was singing about all you need is love. I was talking about something I hadn’t experienced," Lennon says in the video above.

“I never thought that it would happen in this late stage of my life,” Ono, who was 32 when she met Lennon, chimes in. “I mean, I just sort of, I was starting to give up hope, you know, that kind of thing, you know. Becoming very cynical and all that. But it happened, and it’s very, very, very good."

So, what was the peace-loving iconic couple’s secret to getting along?

“It’s called love. And there’s nothing that splits that up, you know," Lennon says. "I mean you got to work on it, like it is a precious gift and it’s a plant and you’ve got to look after it and water it and you can’t just sit on your backside and think, 'Oh well, we’re in love, so that’s all right.' But that’s the secret.”

Lennon met Ono in 1966 at one of her art gallery shows in London. The couple married on March 20, 1969, on the Island of Gibraltar.

Watch the full animated interview featured above, and hear more of Howard Smith's interviews with musicians here.

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This Music Video For Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 Is All About Twerking -- Classically

April 22, 2014, 3:34 pm

≫ Next: These Kids Thought Their School Lacked A Place Of Discovery. So They're Building One

≪ Previous: John Lennon And Yoko Ono's Marriage Advice Is Spot-On

This isn't your mother's classical music video.

The above is a contemporary-styled video complete with gyrating dancers who would seem more at home on MTV, dancing with Miley Cyrus, than in a clip set to Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9.

And the group behind the video, a Belgian classical music festival called "B-Classic," says that's the whole point. The group is hoping this video, which it's calling "the first modern music video for a classical composer," can spark renewed youth interest in classical music.

"B-Classic wants to give classical music the same recognition as pop and rock music," an explanation on the group's website reads. "That's why we are proud to announce The Classical Comeback: a new music video format that combines the timeless emotion of classical music with the visual talent of a contemporary director."

Watch the clip above, and view a short documentary on the classical music video below:

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These Kids Thought Their School Lacked A Place Of Discovery. So They're Building One

April 26, 2014, 8:57 am

≫ Next: Letter Written In Final Hours Of Titanic Voyage Sold At Auction

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The students of REALM charter school in Berkeley, Calif., are putting their creativity to the test.

In the past, the eighth-graders have had the opportunity to create laser-etched skateboards and build classrooms out of shipping containers, but this year they've decided to build their school's first library, Berkeleyside reported.

against wall

"There were some students who said, 'We don't have a library period,'" Emily Pilloton, REALM's creativity director, told Yahoo's Good News blog. "But there were others who said, 'We don't have a place to explore. We don't have a place to relax. We don't have a place of discovery.'"

So now the students are building that place -- their dream library -- through a program called Studio H. The program is an offshoot of Project H, a design education nonprofit that Pilloton founded in 2008, according to Berkeleyside. They're calling the library "X-Space." "X" represents the unknown, which is a concept the students recently studied in their algebra class.

The students conducted their research by going on field trips to several libraries and considering their design. They also drew up a budget and launched a Kickstarter. In just one month, they raised almost $79,000 -- which was more than their goal of $75,000.

layout

They're hoping that the library will be unveiled this fall.

"It’s not going to be the same as the other libraries I’ve seen, like the Berkeley library, because we’re trying to make it unique," Leilani Gil, an eighth-grader involved in the project, told Berkeleyside. "We made a library so people can chill and learn and work on their homework, or just hang out."

classroom

"We are a school of kids who are curious and young and have crazy stuff going on in our lives, and we want a place to explore the things we don't know," Pilloton told Yahoo.

classroom filter

We can't wait to see the finished product!

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Letter Written In Final Hours Of Titanic Voyage Sold At Auction

April 26, 2014, 8:58 am

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LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) - A letter from a passenger on the Titanic, written just hours before the ship hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage, sold at auction on Saturday for 119,000 pounds ($200,000).
It was written by British survivors Esther Hart and her seven-year-old daughter Eva who had been travelling in Second Class on their way to start a new life in Canada.
Auctioneers Henry Aldridge and Son said the price was believed to be a record for a Titanic letter.
"There was a lot of interest," said a spokesman. "We have sold other letters from the Titanic but none have reached anything like this price."
The Titanic sank on the night of Sunday 14 April 1912, on the fifth day of its first voyage from Southampton to New York.
Over 1,500 passengers and crew lost their lives in the tragedy, including Hart's husband Benjamin.
The letter, written on special stationery headed "On board RMS 'Titanic'" and complete with an envelope embossed with the White Star Line flag, was intended to be delivered to Hart's mother in Chadwell Heath, east London.
It tells how Esther Hart was suffering the effects of sea-sickness and feeling the cold.
"My dear ones all," it begins. "As you see it is Sunday afternoon and we are resting in the library after luncheon. I was very bad all day yesterday could not eat or drink and sick all the while, but today I have got over it.
"The sailors say we have had a wonderful passage up to now. There has been no tempest, but God knows what it must be when there is one. It is very nice weather but awfully windy and cold."
She adds: "They say we may get into New York Tuesday night but we are really due early Wednesday morning. Shall write as soon as we get there."
The letter, with a cheery farewell from young Eva at the bottom, survived because it had been in the pocket of her husband's coat, which he had given to his wife to keep her warm as the ship was evacuated. He did not survive the disaster.
Hart and Eva, who later recalled the events of the liner's last hours in her autobiography "Shadow of the Titanic", were rescued by HMS Carpathia.
In the book, Eva wrote of her mother: "The letter she had written that Sunday afternoon on the Titanic was never posted. She found it in the pocket of my father's sheepskin-lined coat after we had been rescued and for her it was to remain a constant reminder of that tragic journey and of the loss of her husband."
Eva died in 1996 aged 91. (Reporting by Stephen Addison; Editing by Stephen Powell)

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'Big Lebowski' Fans Celebrate Coen Brothers Comedy At Two-Day L.A. Festival

April 26, 2014, 9:49 am

≫ Next: Listen To The Roots' 'Tomorrow' Today

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — There were bowling pins, bathrobes, white Russians, and even The Dude himself.

Jeff Bridges and his band performed Friday at Lebowski Fest, but Joel and Ethan Coen's 1998 campy crime comedy "The Big Lebowski" was still the night's biggest star. Fans of the Raymond Chandler-flavored film filled the Wiltern Theater in midtown Los Angeles to capacity for the annual celebration of the cult classic, which has been staged around the country since 2002. The two-day festival continues Saturday with a costumed bowling party.

"It's the people here that are so awesome," said Steve Lewis, a veteran of seven Lebowski Fests. "It's a community."

The 37-year-old made his own Army dog tags to meticulously recreate one of John Goodman's costumes from the film. Lewis traveled to festivals in New York and Louisville with his friend J.D. Lloyd, who searched eBay to find the exact sweater Bridges wears in the film. ("That's a real Pendleton," Lewis said. "That was expensive.") Lloyd has been to 11 Lebowski Fests and estimates he's seen the film more than 100 times.

Matt Goforth, a bartender working the event in costume, said he'd been looking forward to the shift for six months.

"First of all, I knew it was going to be a good crowd. Second of all, it's a fantastic movie. Thirdly, Jeff Bridges' band is amazing," Goforth said. "It's fun. I've had my picture taken maybe 35 times. It's just a great atmosphere."

The Wiltern Theater was decorated with inflatable bowling pins and the drink menu featured white Russians — renamed Wiltern Caucasians, perhaps in political protest — "made with Ralphs half-and -half." The film opens with the Dude writing a check for 69 cents to buy half-and-half from a Ralphs supermarket to make his favorite cocktail.

Minor stars from the film signed autographs in the lobby before appearing onstage. Among them was Luis Colina, a film editor who said he was working on the Coen brothers' 1994 film "The Hudsucker Proxy" when they decided to write him into "Lebowski." Colina plays the angry Corvette owner who threatens to "kill" the Dude's car.

Bridges and his band performed a 30-minute set that included songs from "Crazy Heart," the 2009 film for which he won the best actor Oscar. Kyle Gass, the other half of Jack Black's band, Tenacious D, opened the evening by singing tunes from "The Big Lebowski."

But fans were most rapt by the movie they'd all seen before. The night culminated with a screening, during which they shouted out some lines and applauded for others.

For Kim Hudson, who came across the movie by accident during a hung-over morning with her husband, Lebowski Fest is a chance to dress up and have fun with fellow fans. The 57-year-old wore a giant homemade hat that looked like a spread of bowling pins. A graphic artist helped her print the image onto foam board, which she hot-glued to a boy's bicycle helmet.

When asked how many times she's seen the film, she responded, "Drunk or sober?"

Connor Linnerooth traveled from North Dakota to celebrate his 20th birthday at Lebowski Fest. He wore a red bodysuit and carried oversized scissors like the Nihilist character that terrorizes the Dude in his dreams. Linnerooth even spoke in the character's accent during an interview.

"Lebowski, he is a very cool guy," he said. "I love the movie and I'm a big fan of it, and I really wanted to be around other people who are also big fans of the movie."

So what is it about this film that draws such a devoted following?

Mike Sullivan, a four-time festival-goer who says he's memorized the movie, has an idea.

"What you got here," he said, "is a bunch of pot-smoking hippies having a good time."

___

Follow AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen at www.twitter.com/APSandy .

___

Online:

www.lebowskifest.com

,

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Listen To The Roots' 'Tomorrow' Today

April 26, 2014, 11:24 am

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Fans don't have to wait until tomorrow to listen to the new Roots song, "Tomorrow." It's available to stream right now (via 1200squad.com). Check out the track, a collaboration with Raheem Devaughn, below. The Roots' new album, "And Then You Shoot Your Cousin," is out in May.

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This Is What Grace Kelly Looked Like While Taking A Nap

April 26, 2014, 11:50 am

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Unearthed before and resurfaced by Reddit user IndianDan comes this photo of actress Grace Kelly taking a nap on the set of "Green Fire," a 1954 film she made for MGM.

"Sleep makes us more productive, creative, less stressed and much healthier and happier," Arianna Huffington, this site's president and editor-in-chief, said about getting adequate rest in an interview with the "TODAY" show last year. "Even a 20-minute nap in the middle of the day can make a huge difference. I grew up thinking that if you work around the clock, you are going to be more effective, and I realize that is not true."

Take a cue from Kelly and maybe catch a few winks this afternoon.

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See Francis Ford Coppola's Notes For Famous 'Godfather' Scene

April 26, 2014, 12:11 pm

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Previously pinged around online circles in 2011 and now unearthed again by Reddit user Join_You_In_The_Sun, comes this page of Mario Puzo's famed novel "The Godfather," with Francis Ford Coppola's handwritten notes in the margins. Coppola directed 1972's adaptation of "The Godfather," and he turned Puzo's prose into one of the most acclaimed movies ever made. Below, check out both the page from Puzo's book -- the scene where Michael Corleone shoots Sollozzo and McCluskey -- and the filmed version of the same moment.

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Lea Michele & Darren Criss Sing 'Wizard Of Oz' In Black-Tie Outfits

April 26, 2014, 12:18 pm

≫ Next: 20 Years Ago, South Africa Replaced Apartheid With Freedom

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Lea Michele and Darren Criss took their "Glee" show on the road and to the red carpet of the Jonsson Cancer Center's 19th Annual Taste For A Cure benefit in Beverly Hills, Calif. The co-stars traded in their McKinley High School gear for, respectively, a long, sheer dress and a dapper tux, and performed "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" from "The Wizard Of Oz."

lea michele

Michele voices Dorothy in the new animated Oz-inspired movie, "Legends Of Oz: Dorothy's Return," so it's no surprise she chose to channel the iconic character. She posted a snippet of the performance on Instagram and wrote, "And then this happened!" Take a look here:

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20 Years Ago, South Africa Replaced Apartheid With Freedom

April 27, 2014, 5:44 am

≫ Next: 'Begin Again' Pushes Adam Levine, Keira Knightley Out Of Their Comfort Zones

≪ Previous: Lea Michele & Darren Criss Sing 'Wizard Of Oz' In Black-Tie Outfits

The anniversary of the fall of apartheid on Sunday takes on a special poignance this year.

Exactly two decades ago, centuries of white-only rule were effectively dismantled as South Africans of all races were able to vote for the first time.

It will be the first year that South Africa marks the anniversary in the absence of the beloved winner of that election and South Africa's first black president, Nelson Mandela, who died in December 2013. Under Mandela's extraordinary leadership, the divided country became a "rainbow nation" and defied dire predictions of bloodshed.

Two decades on, South Africa still struggles with income and racial inequalities, and critics of Mandela's political heirs blame a corrupt elite for squandering his legacy. Yet as South Africa celebrates the "Freedom Day" holiday this weekend, a glance back at apartheid's long and devastating history is a reminder of just how remarkable South Africa's achievement is.

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'Begin Again' Pushes Adam Levine, Keira Knightley Out Of Their Comfort Zones

April 27, 2014, 6:06 am

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NEW YORK (AP) — For Keira Knightley and Adam Levine, their movie "Begin Again" was an experience of firsts.

Knightley, an accomplished actress, sings in the movie, whereas Levine, frontman of the band Maroon 5, acts. The two admitted that leaving their comfort zones made them uneasy but that they related to each other's nerves.

"I kept telling her she was great and she wouldn't believe me, and she told me that I wasn't bad at acting either but I didn't believe her, so it was perfect," Levine said Saturday as the film closed the Tribeca Film Festival.

"I was completely terrified," Knightley, 29, emphasized of her singing.

"I didn't anticipate being as frightened as I was. I said yes to doing it and I was, 'Oh, it's gonna be fine, it's gonna be fine,' and then suddenly I found myself in a studio with real people who did it for a living and I was like, 'I don't know what I'm doing. I'm pretending.'"

To walk a red carpet for his first acting role, Levine, 35, said he was "blown away."

Levine says he enjoyed the experience so much he might have caught the acting bug.

"My experience was so much fun," he said. "It made me kind of start to like it a little bit, but I don't know. I don't think you can really make those bold declarations, but we'll see."

So how did the two grade each other?

Knightley called Levine a "natural entertainer" who was "sensational in this film."

Levine, who serves as a judge and mentor on NBC's singing competition show "The Voice," said that if Knightley were to audition he would want her on his team.

"Begin Again," is directed by John Carney, who also was behind the successful musical drama "Once." It also stars Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld and Catherine Keener. CeeLo Green also has a small role.

The movie opens in the U.S. in July.

____

Follow Alicia Rancilio at http://www.twitter.com/aliciar

____

Online:

http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/

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Mesmerizing Images Of South American Geyser Fields Reveal The Power Of The Natural World

April 27, 2014, 7:07 am

≫ Next: Here Are Nude Paintings Of Seth Rogen By James Franco

≪ Previous: 'Begin Again' Pushes Adam Levine, Keira Knightley Out Of Their Comfort Zones

El Tatio is the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere, home to over 80 active geysers that erupt with water vapor in a mesmerizing display of natural performance. Photographer Owen Perry captured the hydrogeological paradise nestled in the Andes Mountains of Chile and its sprawling land art.

geyser 1

His series of El Tatio snapshots reveals an otherworldly environment, filled with craggy landscapes and swells of alien craters. Situated at an elevation of about 14,000 feet, the geyser field is a high altitude destination within the Atacama Desert, providing some of the most majestic scenery on the planet.

"There's a primordiality about volcanically active areas that captures my imagination," Perry explained in an interview with The Weather Channel. "It almost looks like a place where life might have started. It's been something I’ve wanted to capture on camera for awhile now."

Take a peek at Perry's gorgeous homage to El Tatio below.

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Here Are Nude Paintings Of Seth Rogen By James Franco

April 27, 2014, 7:25 am

≫ Next: 18 Preserved Prison Tattoos That Are Still Attached To Skin

≪ Previous: Mesmerizing Images Of South American Geyser Fields Reveal The Power Of The Natural World

This week in things you never ever wanted to see, we bring you nude paintings of Seth Rogen. Based on their stylistic tonality (and the fact that they were posted on his Instagram), art experts have determined that these renderings of raw nakedness can be attributed to artist, teacher, student, lover and general visionary James Franco.

There is an innocence and purity in Rogen's submissive posturing, coupled with a contradictory sexuality. Almost as violently clashing as the reds and blues, we see an unconstrained duality of power and weakness pictured here. There is a blaring shame, cleverly juxtaposed with pride.

"Sleepy bear," Franco writes, drawing attention to the subdued animalism of his intimate depictions (read: while continuing to engage in blatant homophobia, because comedy).

According to the caption, these paintings will be available for viewing across various galleries in New York and Los Angeles. And, apparently, there are more Rogen paintings to come. In the mean time, be sure to enroll in Franco's acting classes, for the low, low price of $300 a month!

MORE SETH ROGEN PAINTINGS - they're COMING!!

PACE GALLERY - NYC
OHWOW GALLERY - LOS ANGELES http://t.co/eJ2h1xhAKT
— James Franco (@JamesFrancoTV) April 27, 2014

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18 Preserved Prison Tattoos That Are Still Attached To Skin

April 27, 2014, 7:29 am

≫ Next: Justin Bieber Releases New Song 'Hard 2 Face Reality'

≪ Previous: Here Are Nude Paintings Of Seth Rogen By James Franco

In late 19th-Century Poland, prison tattoos were cut from the bodies of deceased inmates and preserved to identify connections between convicts.

Today, those samples are art, and 60 of them have been captured in haunting and beautiful photographs by Katarzyna Mirczak. The photographer found them at the Department of Forensic Medicine at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland and wanted to show how prisoners would use a variety of inventive -- but often dangerous -- materials to tattoo intricate designs in their skin.

It was forbidden for Polish prisoners to tattoo themselves, yet they'd use clips, pins, wires, razor blades and pieces of glass to puncture their skin and add any number of substances to make the designs permanent, according to a Mirczak press release. Colors were formed using powdered charcoal, burned rubber, cork, pencil refills, ink, watercolor and crayons. Those pigments would then be mixed with water, urine, soap, cream or fat.

Some of Mirczak's photos are featured below. Some tattoos -- preserved in formalin with the flesh still intact -- are biblical in nature, while others are sexual or represent a prisoner's vow to get revenge. All of them meant something.

Mirczak included a key to the symbolism:

Devil's head - symbol of cruelty and a prisoner who takes action to spite of others.

Flying eagle - an emblem of a prison in Wroclaw, Poland.

A dagger with a snake twisted around - the oath of revenge - is a sign of planned assassination.

A snake twisted around a woman - a sign of revenge on an unfaithful woman, who betrayed or snitched on somebody; it's a symbol of planned revenge, not yet accomplished.

A sailor silhouette - symbol of a person who worked with goods and foreign currency trading; popular in the People's Republic of Poland.

Half-moon with a woman sitting on it - symbol of a person who is interested in act of cunnilingus.

Mouth - usually open and red - identifies a homosexual.

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Justin Bieber Releases New Song 'Hard 2 Face Reality'

April 27, 2014, 7:48 am

≫ Next: Gloria Estefan Is Getting A Broadway Musical In 2015

≪ Previous: 18 Preserved Prison Tattoos That Are Still Attached To Skin

On Saturday, April 26, Justin Bieber dropped a new song titled "Hard 2 Face Reality." Bizzle teams up with singer/songwriter Poo Bear for a guitar-driven R&B track, crooning about the difficulties of a relationship. Give the quick, two-minute song a listen below.

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Gloria Estefan Is Getting A Broadway Musical In 2015

April 27, 2014, 12:02 pm

≫ Next: 'The Other Woman' Tops 'Captain America' At Weekend Box Office

≪ Previous: Justin Bieber Releases New Song 'Hard 2 Face Reality'

Finally fulfilling her prophecy that the rhythm is going to get us, Gloria Estefan has confirmed that her highly anticipated musical "On Your Feet" will officially get its Broadway debut in 2015.

According to the New York Daily News, the musical will be bilingual, covering Estefan's dance music career, beginning with her early years in Miami, as well as her traumatic tour bus accident of 1990.

The Daily News also reports that "On Your Feet" will be accompanied by an anticipatory reality show, in which Estefan and fellow judges will find talent to play teen Gloria and 20-something Gloria.

“It’s going to be daunting," she said, "But I have no doubt whatsoever that we are going to be able to do it and so much fun to be a part of the process."

Gloria and Emilio Estefan announced plans to turn their story in a musical back in February of 2013. Teaming up with the Nederlander Organization, they released a statement saying they were "very excited to share this story, which is based on hope, determination and the belief that with hard work and passion."

Also, apparently, William Levy is dying to play Emilio, so maybe someone will let him do that.

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'The Other Woman' Tops 'Captain America' At Weekend Box Office

April 27, 2014, 4:46 pm

≫ Next: 10 Reasons We Are All Gretchen Wieners, The 'Mean Girls' Heiress Who's Always On The Left

≪ Previous: Gloria Estefan Is Getting A Broadway Musical In 2015

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A femme-fueled comedy beat a superhero blockbuster at the box office this weekend.

After holding the top position for three weeks, "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" has been topped by "The Other Woman" for the No. 1 spot. Fox's revenge comedy, starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton, debuted with $24.7 million, while Disney-Marvel's "Captain America," led by Chris Evans, grossed $16 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $225 million.

The PG-13 rating of the Nick Cassavetes-directed "The Other Woman" — about three women wronged by a three-timing spouse played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau of "Game of Thrones" — helped it draw a larger audience, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst of box-office tracker Rentrak.

"The rating was perfect," he said. "If you are going for the mainstream audience who is looking for something that has a little bit of an edge, but not too much, you can hit that sweet spot and draw a large audience."

The release date couldn't have been better, Dergarabedian also noted. "This was the perfect time to release this film, between the success of 'Captain America' and before the official start of the summer movie season with 'Spider-Man 2.' "

Hollywood hasn't yet seen a comedy do especially well at the box office in 2014 since "Ride Along," which was released in January. Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" exceeded expectations, however, making over $131 million worldwide.

But Jason Bateman's "Bad Words" made only $7.7 million domestically overall. Tyler Perry's "The Single Moms Club" brought in just $16 million domestically. Most of his films have grossed over $40 million domestically. Marlon Wayans' sequel "A Haunted House 2" opened with $8.8 million, drastically down from the original's $18 million debut.

"Sometimes it's about casting," Dergarabedian said. "When you have Cameron Diaz in a comedy like this, it's hard not to knock it out of the park. This film is right in her wheelhouse. This is what she does best."

While Diaz's last film, a thriller called "The Counselor," grossed only $17 million domestically last year, her foul-mouthed 2011 comedy "Bad Teacher" earned over $100 million stateside.

"The Other Woman" scored $12.8 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to $45.3 million.

"Captain America" has now hit over $645 million globally, surpassing its 2011 original "The First Avenger," which earned $370 million. The sequel is the highest-grossing April release ever.

Sony's faith-based "Heaven Is for Real," starring Greg Kinnear, held the third-place position with $13.8 million after opening in the same slot last weekend behind leaders "Captain America" and Fox's animated "Rio 2," which drifted down to fourth place with $13.7 million. (Notably, Mann, who voices a character in "Rio 2," now has two films in the top five this weekend.)

Relativity Media's action crime drama "Brick Mansions," starring the late Paul Walker, was No. 5 with $9.6 million. The film was one of the last Walker completed before he died in a car accident in November. It's a solid debut for "Brick Mansions" after the film was pushed back from its original release date in February.

To finish "Fast & Furious 7," which will be released April 2015, Walker's brothers, Caleb and Cody Walker, have stepped in to complete their brother's action scenes. In one of his first interviews since the announcement from Universal Pictures, the studio behind the "Fast & Furious" franchise, Cody Walker broke down in tears when talking on Fox's Baltimore TV affiliate about his late brother's charitable work last week.

Johnny Depp's sci-fi disappointment "Transcendence" dropped from No. 4 to No. 6 in its second weekend, earning $4.1 million. The Warner Bros. film is Depp's third consecutive flop after 2013's Western "The Lone Ranger," in which he played Tonto, and 2012 quirky vampire flick "Dark Shadows."

Could the A-lister be losing his appeal at the box office? Depp's last film to exceed $100 million domestically was "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" in 2011. Perhaps his upcoming Disney fantasy "Into the Woods," also starring Meryl Streep, will fare better.

Debuting in only four locations, A24 Films' "Locke" took the weekend's highest per-screen average with $22,303. Overall, the drama starring Tom Hardy earned $89,210. The film, which sees Hardy spend 85 minutes in a car on the phone while tackling a series of events jeopardizing his carefully patterned existence, is being called one of his best performances. AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck called Hardy's portrayal of construction manager and family man Ivan Locke "admirably restrained, in a situation when overacting must have been a constant temptation."

Also this month, A24 released the sci-fi film "Under the Skin" featuring Scarlett Johansson. It opened slightly higher with $133,154 domestically, reaching a total of over $1.5 million.

Also opening this weekend was Lionsgate's "The Quiet Ones," starring Jared Harris ("Mad Men") as an Oxford professor who recruits students to conduct an experiment to prove supernatural abilities exist. The horror film's take was a mere $4 million.

Next weekend, Sony-Marvel's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" kicks off the summer movie season with its domestic debut. The 18 weeks of summer constitutes on average 40 percent of the year's box-office earnings, Dergarabedian said.

"Spider-Man 2" has already premiered internationally in locations like South Korea and Russia. In its second weekend of international release, it made $132 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday:

1. "The Other Woman," $24.7 million ($12.8 million international).

2. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," $16 million ($16 million international).

3. "Heaven Is for Real," $13.8 million.

4. "Rio 2," 13.7 million ($27.5 international).

5. "Brick Mansions," $9.6 million ($1.6 million international).

6. "Transcendence," $4.1 million ($10.8 million international).

7. "The Quiet Ones," $4 million ($275,000 international).

8. "Bears," $3.6 million ($100,000 international).

9. "Divergent," $3.6 million ($9.7 million international).

10. "A Haunted House 2," $3.3 million ($1 million international).

___Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:

1. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," $67.2 million.

2. "Rio 2," $27.5 million.

3. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," $16 million.

(tie) "My Old Classmate," $16 million.

1. "The Other Woman," $12.8 million.

2. "Noah," $11.1 million.

3. "Iceman 3D," $11 million.

4. "Transcendence," $10.8 million.

5. "Divergent," $9.7 million.

6. "Qu'est ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu?!," $8.5 million.

7. "Frozen," $7.2 million.

___

Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by 21st Century Fox; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.After holding the top position at the box office for three weeks, femme-fueled "The Other Woman" has beat superhero blockbuster "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" for the No. 1 spot in its opening weekend.

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10 Reasons We Are All Gretchen Wieners, The 'Mean Girls' Heiress Who's Always On The Left

April 30, 2014, 5:04 am

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We can all find a piece of our high school history reflected in "Mean Girls," which celebrates its 10th anniversary today, on April 30. Whether that means flirting with social suicide, crushing on our own Aaron Samuels or honing a skill like ESPN, everyone played their part in navigating the waters of adolescent purgatory. But, when we get right down to it, the Plastic we really relate to best is none other than Gretchen Wieners, the fetchest candy-cane connoisseur around.

It's hard to believe we met this loyal second fiddle a decade ago. Gretchen will never be queen bee like Regina George, and she doesn't have the naïveté that comes naturally to Karen Smith. Instead, Gretchen had to work hard to maintain her place on the social ladder, from noting her peers' jealousy to wanting to "totally just stab Caesar." She didn't always get it right, and for that we are kind of all like Gretchen Wieners.

1. Our lives have all been made better by Toaster Strudel.

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