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Homophobia On ‘The Haves and the Have Nots’ + Season Finale

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Black Gay Men Are Treated Poorly On OWN's Soap Opera Hit

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Tyler Perry is riding high off of the success of his latest hit TV series, "The Haves And The Have Nots". The soap opera has been a home-run with Perry’s core audience, netting a total of 2 million viewers to become OWN’s highest-rated show to date.

Sticking to his usual formula of mass stereotyping, Perry covers all of his bases. Bourgie Black folk? Check. Hardworking, southern church woman? Check. Privileged Whites? You got it. (There’s even an Hispanic maid.) But this time, there's one group Perry threw into the mix that I never thought he'd give the time of day to: gay men. Aside from longstanding rumors about Perry’s own sexual preference, it’ssurprising that he would address homosexuality at all, considering his fan base is predominantly Black Christian women.

In "The Haves And The Have Nots," Perry doesn’t just address it, he goes there. His character, Jeffrey, is a gay Black man who comes from a very wealthy family and is also trapped in the closet, R. Kelly-style. While being in the closet is a very real experience for many same-gender-loving people, particularly Black men, it didn’t quite sit well with me upon first watching the show, because I suspected Perry would more than likely take the opportunity to do what he does best: drench his character in so many stereotypes that it would turn into a television hate-fest. And that it did.

Despite being an educated, 20-something psychologist who comes from privilege and class, Jeffrey is, at the very core, a self-loathing homosexual who lusts after his friend and client, Wyatt. Rather than doing what he’s hired to do, which is counsel Wyatt through his rehabilitation, Jeffrey begins to develop a rather creepy obsession with Wyatt.First. it starts with the biting of the lips behind Wyatt’s back, next he’s inappropriately touching Wyatt and giving him a friendship bracelet. In one scene (which absolutely drove me insane) Jeffrey sneaks into Wyatt’s bed while he’s sleeping, stares at him for a few seconds, then crawls out and goes back to sleep on the couch.

For one, Tyler writes this Jeffrey character as if he’s some sexual demon, just waiting for the right opportunity to take out his burning desires on this young, attractive and presumably straight White man. Not only does Tyler perpetuate the misguided idea that gay and bisexual men are hypersexual beings, but he foolishly insinuates that if you’re gay and in the closet that you’re some type of savage or threat to one’s heterosexuality. Living in society’s figurative closet is far more complex than simply wanting to act out your carnal desires. Yes, some men who are in denial about their sexuality tend to act out in very unhealthy ways, but that’s only telling part of the story. For many, being in the closet doesn’t mean that they’re struggling with their identity, but more so struggling to share that identity with the world. Many self-identifying queer men are quite comfortable in their skin and are in very normal (and mutual) relationships - not trying to turn out a straight man like some horny teenager.
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But Tyler doesn’t stop there. When Jeffrey’s feelings aren’t reciprocated and Wyatt begins dating a woman, Jeffrey turns very sadistic. Perry makes Jeffrey the classic villain who seeks out revenge and sabotages Wyatt’s relationship, because if he can’t have him, no one can.
It’s really disappointing that with Tyler’s first-ever gay character, he would choose to be so irresponsible with the images he is projecting to his viewers. One of the most erroneous perceptions of men who are attracted to other men is that they have built-up anger and sexual impulses, and therefore, act out in very perverted ways. Taking into account that most of Perry’s audiences are older religious Black women who may already view homosexuality as a cardinal sin, it’s a very dangerous line to walk on when you think about the messages he’s recklessly promoting.

But it’s not surprising that Tyler would be so thoughtless in his characterization of Black gay men, considering his career reputation for villainizing Black women, often punishing his characters for being Black and successful, and his knack for exclusively uplifting working class people as the ideal, as if one has to sell one’s soul for an education and a six-figure job. Like his characterization of Black women, Tyler uses fear-mongering to keep alive the belief that Black gay men do not love themselves and are out to seduce every man they possibly can to satisfy their erotic desires.

And as if that wasn’t enough, Perry pulls the classic “Blacks are categorically homophobic” card when Jeffrey’s mom gives him a very harsh "sissy boy" speech about what it means to be a man and pressures him to find a girl, any girl, to have by his side for when his father runs for local office. “Listen, boy. I will not tolerate this. Get yourself together,” she admonishes him. “We are depending on you not to embarrass us and to show up and be the man that we raised.” His mom’s militant response causes him to offer Tika Sumpter’s character, Candace, money to pretend to be his girlfriend -- not to mention Candace practically bullies him into admitting he’s gay.

You’d think Perry would show a little more sensitivity to Jeffrey, considering, he too, knows what it feels like to be yanked out of the closet. Earlier this year a man named Walter Lee Hampton II posted a YouTube video alleging that he knew Tyler many years ago when he was an out, gay man who frequently socialized with his circle of gay friends in Atlanta, prior to becoming the famous filmmaker he is today. Hampton also claims Perry said that he would have to keep his sexuality in the dark for fear of losing his very staunch religious supporters. But that’s another story.

Regardless of how Perry may personally feel about homosexuality, it’s important for him, as a storyteller and leader in the arts, to handle the subject with care. Don’t let this country’s marriage equality movement fool you. Being gay (and Black) in America is not an easy road to embark on. Many are still emasculated and humiliated by society’s homophobia and hypermasculinity -- sometimes by their own loved ones -- and by simply reiterating these experiences without any substantial solution or takeaways, Perry’s only adding fuel to fire.

I’d love to give Perry the benefit of the doubt that he’ll eventually use Jeffrey’s storyline to advocate for acceptance and understanding, but his track record shows that progression isn’t exactly his MO. If it were up to Perry, Blacks would never make it out of the lower-middle class, and judging from "The Haves and The Have Nots," gays would most certainly never make it out of the closet. Unless, of course, they’re dragged out.


Season Finale: ‘No More Hiding’

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On the season finale of “The Haves and the Have Nots,” secrets are revealed when Jeffrey finally tells his parents that he is gay. Then, Hanna unintentionally reveals to Benny that Tony is his father. Plus, Candace informs Amanda that her parents have been keeping her inheritance from her. ”No More Hiding” is the last episode of what has been a very dramatic season for this series and Winfrey’s OWN.

Season 1 Top 10 Moments

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Did you watch the finale? Do you think the show has turned Jeffrey into a negative stereotype?

Diane Kruger gave up two bad habits to get perfect skin

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To be honest, we’ve always just assumed Diane Kruger rolled out of bed looking amazing. She looks flawless on every red carpet she walks, and her skin is so good, Chanel made her the face of its skin care range. According to the actress, however, it’s the absence of a particular vice that makes her skin so luminous.

“I’ve noticed my skin looks better when I don’t drink, so I stopped for six weeks before the Cannes Film Festival,” Diane told InStyle magazine. “It did me wonders. I slept better than ever. It kind of sucked, though, because I enjoy a glass of wine.”

She also admitted to giving up another bad habit in the name of good skin. ”I wasn’t blessed with great skin. I used to have rosacea and had to quit smoking to get rid of it.” You have to love her honesty that she gave up cigarettes for vanity, instead of, say, lung cancer.

If giving up alcohol and smoking will make us look more like Diane, then consider it done.

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Leonikas look bored at US Open

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Leonardo DiCaprio with his new girlfriend, German model Toni Garrn and his best friend, actor Lukas Haas attend the victories of Serena Williams and Andy Murray on night session at the Arthur Ashe Stadium during the US Open 2013

He really is Hollywood royalty! Leonardo DiCaprio sups from a golden goblet as he enjoys guys' day out at US Open

He spent part of the summer sailing around the Mediterranean with his girlfriend and Leonardo DiCaprio isn’t quite ready for his vacation to end.

After returning to New York last month, Leonardo was spotted at the US Open on Tuesday with his actor pal Lukas Haas, where they watched Serena Williams easily beat Carla Suarez Navarro 6-0, 6-0 in the quarter finals.

And while the players worked hard on the court, DiCaprio, 38, was happy to sit back and relax as he drank from a gold goblet and enjoyed a cigarette.

Dressed down in a navy polo shirt and khaki trousers, Leo tried to keep his identity hidden with a newsboy cap and large sunglasses.
















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Interview: Paramore's Hayley Williams on their self-titled album + 2014 New Zealand Tour!

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HAYLEY WILLIAMS is at band-practice. PARAMORE are rehearsing for their upcoming self-titled album tour, but Williams keeps getting distracted. Between phone interviews she's meant to be practicing her parts, but instead she just keeps playing Twenty One Pilots' song 'Car Radio' over and over again instead.

It's fitting then, that Twenty One Pilots will be supporting Paramore on their upcoming return to New Zealand in January 2014.

In anticipation of their 'self-titled' New Zealand tour dates, Williams called Coup De Main to discuss the importance of connecting with fans, the evolution of Paramore's songwriting process and her lessons learnt whilst growing up in recent times...

"We really just wanted to be able to enjoy being Paramore again, because it became so stressful for a while, we were losing band-members and losing friends and it was really hard. The three of us knew that it didn’t have to be like that."



COUP DE MAIN: Paramore is returning to New Zealand in January! Are you looking forward to coming back?
PARAMORE - HAYLEY WILLIAMS: Yeah, we can't wait! We've actually been hoping to re-book more dates since we were on the flight home from our last trip to New Zealand, so we're really ready to go back and see the fans there, and the people there that we just had such a good time with. I mean, you know because you live there, but it's such a great place to hang out and it kind of feels more like a vacation, more than it does anything else.

CDM: You're bringing Twenty One Pilots with you - obviously you're Fueled By Ramen label-mates, but are you a fan of the band as well?
HAYLEY: Yeah, I'm a huge, huge fan. I think they're one of the better 'new bands' or newer bands that are out right now. It's really cool that they're coming on this tour. To me, if I could have them on every tour that we're getting ready to do, they would be on all of them. I just think not only are they incredibly talented, but they're really cool guys too, so it'll be nice for the fans that are coming to these shows. They're such entertainers and I'm psyched for our fans to see them play.

CDM: And it's wonderful that you're making the special effort to play a show in Christchurch. I don't know if you've heard about all the earthquakes that happened down there, but I know it's going to mean SO much to your fans that you'll be playing there.
HAYLEY: Yeah, it's really sad man. I've only heard through fans that are online and that I see on Twitter of different communities that we update, but we're definitely excited to come back there and play a show and just have a good time. Music is, I think, the best way to... not forget, but to just escape for a moment. It'll be a nice night.

CDM: Do you have any favourite New Zealand memories or anecdotes from past visits?
HAYLEY: We swam in the ocean a few times [and] had some really good food. Fish and chips! It's been a while but I think the thing that we remember the most is just how cool all the people there are to us. Like the fans there at the shows, they're really easy to talk to and hang out with, and it's just a really good environment for us. I don't know after now having been away for a few years and putting out a new record - I really don't know what to expect as far as the shows go - but like I said, we've always been treated so well there and we've always felt very welcome and we're just ready to experience that again.

CDM: What should fans look forward to from the self-titled tour?
HAYLEY: We're figuring it out right now! It's a pretty big set-list and it's definitely the biggest show as far as production goes and all that stuff that we've never really put together, so it's exciting. I know it's going to be at least an hour and a half long show and we're going to try and play a little bit of something for everybody. I think that fans who have been coming to our shows since day one are going to be satisfied and I also think new fans who are just coming along for the ride are going to be really happy too. It's awesome to be in this band. We've played so many tours - countless tours - and put these songs together in different patterns and lists and different set-lists and it's nice to not be bored with it even after all these years. I think we've managed to find new ways to play songs or to put a set-list together that make us feel really proud and I know this one's going to be one of our favorites, I can tell that already.

CDM: You've described your song 'Part ll' as being a sequel to 'Let The Flames Begin', so will you be playing those two songs straight after each other in your set-list?
HAYLEY: I can't give away any of the set-list yet. The guys would kill me!

CDM: What do you want people to take away from and/or feel while attending your live shows?
HAYLEY: I think for us, the most important part about playing shows and touring, is connecting with fans. At the end of the day it's not really a band and fans, we're all just human beings. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be too deep about it, but when we play shows, music takes everybody on their own journey - because one song might mean something to me, that means something completely different to someone else. And that's the most incredible thing about playing the songs live for people - looking out to the crowd and seeing the different reactions and the different heart-strings and the things that people are relating to that mean something to them, that's crazy. It's insane that some of these songs, all of these songs, at one point were just me, or Taylor [York], or Jeremy [Davis], just sitting by ourselves messing around on instruments or with a pen and a paper, and then it becomes a big production. Even with all the bells and whistles at shows and all the lights and production gags, at the end of the day we're playing songs - we're playing music and we're trying to connect with people and give people a place to feel like they belong. Hopefully when people walk out the door from our shows they feel moved, they feel connected, and they know that they're important. All those things to me, that's what I wanted out of music as a kid and now being able to make that music is just a really huge blessing.




CDM: As a band, you've had a lot of chart and touring success, but what to you is the ultimate measure of success?
HAYLEY: Wow. Honestly, to me, I don't really know what else we could do that would make me feel any better about being in Paramore. We've had really cool milestones though and we've put out a Number One record for the first time with this new album and that felt amazing - that felt like a success, but I don't know if that's what success actually means to me. I think my core values are all about family and just at the end of the day, coming home and knowing that I'm happy being the person that I am - and that doesn't come without struggles, but to me success is just being able to go home and feel like you connected with somebody.

CDM: Speaking of the new album, congrats! It really showcases how diverse Paramore can be musically, and of course it must be nice to know that it charted at #1 in New Zealand.
HAYLEY: Yes! That's awesome!!

CDM: You must be excited that 'Ain’t It Fun' is the new single! It's such a great song.
HAYLEY: Yeah thank you, we are really excited. 'Ain't It Fun' has always been one of the frontrunners out of all the songs that made it to the record. We always felt something really special about it from the moment we wrote it, so it's kind of crazy that it's on the radio now. I remember demoing it and just thinking how crazy it was that we were putting a choir on one of our songs and it was a lot funkier that anything Paramore's ever done. So hopefully fans are really into it. It seems like everyone's into it. When we play it live it gets one of the best reactions we get all night, and that's saying a lot of our fans because they're crazy throughout the whole show, but I'm ready to play it now that a lot of people are hearing it on the radio. It should be even more fun.


CDM: Did you find the songwriting process for the new album to be quite a different experience than writing your past albums?
HAYLEY: Yeah! Making this record was a little scary, but looking back on it, it was all meant to be that way you know? Taylor and I spend a lot of time talking - all three of us did really - about just what we wanted out of it. It's funny, we just shot out a bunch of words that we thought would be cool like: "Oh we want the record to be... we want it to sound joyful, we want it to sound like this... to have this new wave sort of tinge to it." We didn't honestly know how to get there with any of it, especially because we knew we wanted to make a happy sounding record but we weren't actually in that happy of a place at the beginning of the process. It took us from letting go of the past and allowing ourselves to grow and change and try new things, and when we finally did the songs just started pouring out. I think it was a lesson for us in being open-minded and not putting a feeling or limitations on ourselves.



CDM: In 'Fast In My Car' you sing: "Been through the ringer a couple times / I came out callous and cruel..." How do you juggle those feelings with the fact that you're only twenty-four, you're still young - like you say in the song, you "just want to have fun".
HAYLEY: 'Fast In My Car' was a really good exercise for me in terms of lyrics and [song]writing, because I was in a place where I knew that the three of us had a goal in mind - we wanted to make a record that was exciting for us and exciting for our fans. We really just wanted to be able to enjoy being Paramore again, because it became so stressful for a while, we were losing band-members and losing friends and it was really hard. The three of us knew that it didn’t have to be like that. Some of it was me letting out my frustration with the media and the way that people always wanted to rehash all the old drama and I was just like: "Listen, we’re moving on, we’re moving past all that stuff - it’s going to be a good time whether people like it or not!" This song was good for me because it made me defiant about the fact that we were going to have fun this time, no matter who tries to stop it. It’s cool because when we play it live, it’s so rad to see fans jumping up and down to it and celebrating with us how far we’ve come from where we were two or three years ago.

CDM: I saw your recent tweet which thanked some journalists for talking to you about music instead of asking about popstars' haircuts. If you could change something about music media what would you want to change?
HAYLEY: Just that! I think there’s two sides to it though. Once your band gets to a certain level where... now we do a lot of mainstream stuff too now, which is crazy. It’s cool because it means a lot more people are listening to our music, but when we go to the Teen Choice Awards or one of these bigger award shows they want to ask us about pop-culture, but usually it’s stuff that doesn’t have any real depth to it. It’s like: "What do you think of Miley Cyrus’ new outfit that she’s wearing all the time?" And I don’t really know that I really have an opinion that I think people need to hear. I don’t feel like we have a say in any of that, it’s just empty. I like to talk about things when it pertains to a band. I like to talk about things that matter and music. And the way that we want to connect with people is not through stupid, shallow whatever, it’s hopefully through something that means a lot more than that. There are two sides to it, because I do see the value in the fact that there are people that just want to know what we’re up to as a band now... and it does mean something in the sense that the more people get into our music, the more opinions, the more media and the more interviews and all that stuff, and I can’t pick and choose how all of it’s going to go. I think at the end of the day, no matter what we do, no matter what how pop-py the show or whatever we’re involved with - I know in my head and in my heart that Paramore comes from a world that doesn’t care about any of that stuff. We don’t care about popstar haircuts.

CDM: Even though you're singing about your own personal experiences in 'Grow Up', I feel like the line "said I’m done with all of my fake friends" is something that everyone can relate to. It's such a universal part of growing up, for anyone. How do you tell the difference between fake friends and anklebiters, and true friends that you won't ever leave behind?
HAYLEY: Oh man! That's part of growing up - learning the difference and to learn the people that are not in it for the right reasons. And it's not just because of the fact that the guys and I are in a band. I think that for me, Paramore hasn’t been the only obstacle in creating lasting friendships, sometimes people just don’t mesh. For me growing up, I’ve found that I don’t really go out and party and I don’t hang out - when I come home and I’m home, I’m a pretty chilled person. It took me accepting that about myself - that I’m not a real crazy social butterfly - and once I realised that and I accepted it, I started to realise how many people weren’t accepting of that. It was really weird, it was really strange. It was kind of like leaving high school all over again. I think it must happen a few times in our lives because I’ve talked to my parents and my grandparents about it, and it just seems like as you get older your life just tends to whittle itself down to the stuff that really matters, and you start to understand when people genuinely care about you and when you genuinely care about someone else. I think it goes both ways too, once you start to understand who you are - which is a lifelong process - when you start to understand more about it you realise what you do care about and what you don’t. And then when you stop caring about something, then other people have to decide whether or not they genuinely care about you, or not.



CDM: Obviously the band has been through quite a lot of conflict over the last few years - do you pick your battles? How do you decide what’s important to you to fight for?
HAYLEY: The good thing now is that with the three of us, each of us have our own strengths and weaknesses and we all pick up where the other person can’t. So we’re strong for each other, and it’s taken all this time since Josh [Farro] and Zac left the band and it was just Jeremy, Taylor and I, it’s taken until now. And we’re still learning what really works and what my strengths are, what Taylor’s strengths are and Jeremy’s, and how we can ease them together and really make everyone work more smoothly and more efficiently. As far as the things that we disagree on, I just think anytime there’s an issue that the three of us have to give our opinions on when our opinions are differing... I don’t know if it just comes from being a little bit older now, but we communicate better, we communicate the reasons why we feel a certain way. At some point, you’re always going to fight with people, you’re always going to have arguments and disagreements, but there always has to be respect and the three of us really respect each other. Even if there’s something that each one of us has a completely opposite opinion of the other, we always find our way back to a solution that is compromised but also still respectful, and we all understand where each other’s coming from.

CDM: I absolutely love '(One Of Those) Crazy Girls'. Everyone's got a friend that's a Crazy Girl, or has been in that situation themself. What do you think is the best advice to give to someone in such a state of denial?
HAYLEY: For me, when writing the song it was a fully sarcastic song - I think that guys can be quite crazy and girls can be too. I feel like it’s not really something that is just all about one gender, but I live around dudes all the time so I’ve heard millions of stories about how they go through a breakup and then the girl turns absolutely crazy. I always thought growing up like: "No, I won’t be like that - when I go through a breakup I’ll be cool." But then you start to realise really quickly that if that thing happened to you, you’d probably go crazy as well. So I wrote this song kind of pretending that I had been through a breakup and sorta putting myself in the shoes of someone who had come unhinged after being told that their significant other didn’t love them anymore. I realise that that would hurt me - that would turn me absolutely insane! So I think that as far as looking at someone and being like: "Yeah... they’re crazy." I don’t know... I feel like it’s pretty obvious, I don’t really think there’s really any room for denial. But I also think that it takes being honest, and knowing that everyone’s capable of it - even me, even yourself.

CDM: To some artists, performing live feels like acting, like you’re putting on a persona. Do you share that sentiment?
HAYLEY: No, I don’t really feel like it’s acting. I feel like, as far as our songwriting style goes we write pretty honestly about the things that we are going through as people. At the same time when we play shows, it is a very exaggerated, more energised version of each of our personalities - when I’m at home I’m not jumping round yelling and screaming and tripping over things. Well, I’m probably tripping over things, but I’m not playing or jumping or wearing latex. We’re very different people at home, but the people that we are on-stage is just a side of us that our crowd and the audience that comes to our shows... they bring that out of us. It’s just like when you hang out with someone that goes out and parties every night you might be a little louder and crazier with them, but if you’re hanging out with another friend in a coffee shop you might be a completely different part of yourself that’s a little more introspective, a deep conversation kind of person. Different people bring different sides out of each other, and for sure our fans bring out the most hyper and ridiculous side of us because we get so psyched to see everyone when we’re on stage.

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Suits 3x09 Promo "Bad Faith"

The Newsroom is renewed for a third season

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Jeff Daniels Tweeted this news late last night:





With just two episodes remaining of its sophomore run, The Newsroom has reportedly been renewed for a third season.

Star Jeff Daniels — whose portrayal of anchor Will McAvoy on the HBO drama earned him a 2013 Emmy nod — first announced the news late Tuesday, tweeting, “It’s official. “#Newsroom coming back for a Season 3.” (The cabler, for its part, has yet to confirm renewal.)

The Newsroom‘s two-part finale begins this Sunday at 10/9c.

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Demi Lovato on joining Glee: "It's pretty awesome"

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Demi Lovato has described working alongside her co-stars on the set of US comedy drama Glee as "pretty awesome".

The US X Factor judge, who recently returned from a life-changing trip to Africa, explained how show creator Ryan Murphy was keen to have her on board for the brand new season.

Speaking earlier today (3 September) on Live with Kelly and Michael, Demi explained: "The day before I left for Africa I had the day off and I was going to pack and get all my errands done, and then my manager called and said [Ryan] Murphy wants to meet with you.

"It was so close because had I left one day after I wouldn't have gotten to meet Ryan, and they started shooting two days after I got back.

"So while I was in Africa, contracts were signed and deals were done, and then I land and I go straight to work."

Demi's new role will see her embroiled in a lesbian storyline as she plays the love interest of Santana, who is acted by Naya Rivera. 'Heart Attack' singer Demi added: "It was awesome. I've met Ryan before, he's amazing and the cast is amazing.

"I've been friends with some of the cast members for a long time now, so it's pretty awesome to get to work with my friends."

It was announced on 22 August that Demi would be joining the cast for season five, and it seemed no one was as pleased as Lea Michele.

Lea, who has been an original on the show since it started in 2009, tweeted: "Such amazing news that two of my very best friends are going to be on #Glee this year! @ddlovato & @PhoebeStrole! Thank you @MrRPMurphy!"

Last week, Naya shared the first on-set photo of Demi in action. In the snap, Demi and Naya are dressed up in red cheerleading outfits. Naya simply captioned the photo: "Fancy. ddlovato #goodside #dantana?"

Glee will return for its fifth season in the US on 26 September with a two-part Beatles special, followed by a tribute to the late Cory Monteith.

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'Summer Heights High' characters may return in new Chris Lilley series

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Australian comic Chris Lilley has confirmed that one of his classic characters will be returning for his new comedy series later this year.

Lilley announced on his Twitter and Facebook pages today (September 4) that at least one familiar face from his former shows would be appearing in his latest project and encouraged fans to vote on who they think will be returning.

Lilley, whose hit shows include Summer Heights High, We Can Be Heroes and Angry Boys, started shooting a new mockumentary-style show for ABC in Australia earlier this year. Like his previous series, it is expected to air on BBC Three in the UK.

Characters potentially making a comeback include Summer Heights High trio Jonah, Mr G and Ja'mie, Angry Boys characters S.mouse, Gran and Daniel and Nathan Sims and We Can Be Heroes character Phil Olivetti.

Speaking to Digital Spy about his new show last year, Lilley said: "I'm well under way with a new project and I'm keeping it a bit of a secret and under wraps for now. It's along the same lines as my other shows, it's a mockumentary style and I'll play the characters.

"I want to keep as much of the show as possible a secret, but if you've loved my last three shows, this is part four."


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WERK, BITCH SNIPPET??????

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A radio DJ today claimed to have heard some of the material for Britney Spears's upcoming album. He hinted that he would be playing an snippet for lucky fans to hear ... but is it a hint to the first single?

You can stream the show HERE: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dollhouseradio/2013/09/04/the-heaven-hollywood-experience

This is the clip of the snippet that could possibly be Werk, Bitch or maybe it's for some other song from the upcoming Britney Spears album.



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https://soundcloud.com/oscarandree

Miley Answers Your Questions

Ian Somerhalder previews The Vampire Diaries season 5

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Ian Somerhalder previews The Vampire Diaries Season 5 and talks about his amazing charity work in this exclusive interview. Watch now!

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Rashida Jones reveals a big Parks and Rec spoiler

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Image and video hosting by TinyPic



Do you have any scoop on Parks and Recreation? —Lance

NATALIE:
Before Rashida Jones leaves Parks, Ann will be pregnant. "Yes. I'm definitely going to grow on the show," Jones tells me, noting that with Diane also pregnant, it may be a "race to the pregnancy finish line." More good news? Jones says that there's a good chance that she'll return to the NBC comedy after her mid-season exit. "Ann is not going to be far and Rashida's not going to be far," she says. "Ann loves Leslie too much and Rashida loves Parks and Amy too much."


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'Dancing with the Stars' Season 17 Cast Revealed!

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The cast for the upcoming season seventeen of Dancing with the Stars has been revealed!

As anticipated from weeks of speculation, there are many familiar names on the list including Snooki, Amber Riley, Christina Milian, Jack Osbourne, Leah Remini, and more.

Valerie Harper, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, is also on the list of dancers for this season.
- Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Sasha Farber
- Valerie Harper and Tristan McManus
- Elizabeth Berkley and Valentin Chmerkovskiy
- Amber Riley and Derek Hough
- Keyshawn Johnson and Sharna Burgess
- Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff
- Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani
- Christina Milian and Mark Ballas
- Bill Nye and Tyne Stecklein
- Brant Daugherty and Peta Murgatroyd
- Jack Osbourne and Cheryl Burke
- Bill Engvall and Emma Slater

Sean Avery & Andy Cohen Speak Out About The Engagement Rumors

More info on explosion at Liam Payne's flat

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One Direction’s Liam Payne was left in shock after a blaze at his £2million flat left three of his friends in hospital with burns.
The pop star, 20, joined his pals in the ambulance after a patio heater exploded on the balcony.
One unnamed male friend suffered 20% burns to his hands and face after the accident at his penthouse in Canary Wharf, East London.
Another man and a woman are said to have suffered superficial burns to their hands.
A source close to Liam said: “His friend went to fill up the gas for a heating lamp, there was some sort of accident and the whole balcony went up in flames.”
It is understood Liam was inside the flat when the blaze broke out.
The fire destroyed 80% of Liam’s balcony and it took 35 firefighters to put it out as they used breathing equipment to battle through the thick smoke.
Crews said 30 people were forced to flee the building.
Firefighters tweeted details of the incident as six engines from East London raced to the scene at about 9.45pm on Monday.
Station Manager Laurie Kenny, who was at the scene said: “Firefighters worked quickly and professionally to get the fire under control as quickly as possible. About 30 people left the building before we arrived and were not injured.
“Two of the ­occupants had superficial burns to their hands and the third had burns to his hands and face. All three have been taken to hospital.”
None of the other members of 1D were at the flat at the time although it is thought Liam’s new girlfriend Sophia Smith, 19, may have been with him.
The drama comes after the pair celebrated Liam’s birthday at Funky Buddha nightclub in London’s Mayfair last week.
A spokesman at Liam’s building said last night: “We are not disclosing any information.”
But one of its residents described the drama and said: “There were a lot of sirens, fire engines turned up, police turned up down below us.
“I looked over at the balcony and saw that they were running into the building.
"The sirens had been going on for a while before I took any notice of them.
"I went out to the corridor, heard people in the stairwell so I checked and there were firemen there.
“They said there was a fire but it was under control so there was nothing to worry about.
“They were there very quickly and got it under control.”
Ali, a resident who lives two floors below, said he saw the fire and called 999.
He said: “It was about 10pm when it happened. I was sitting outside and there was a strong smell of burning.
“I looked up, saw flames. All I saw was an orange glow, so the flames were pretty big.
“I went to the toilet, heard an explosion. That’s when I called it in. The concierge got on the case.
“We were evacuated downstairs in the lift. Then a guy ran out with a cloth on his hands screaming. I didn’t get a look at him.
“There was a guy who had burnt his face who was being helped by the emergency services. I didn’t see his face but he was quite a tall guy.
“Everybody was evacuated and nobody was allowed back in until it was sorted out."

A security spokesman at the building said: “We contained a fire in an apartment and nothing else got damaged.”

Liam’s luxury block has a spa, a health club and cinema. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.


src

Why the next Lady Gaga single shouldn’t be the one she might want it to be

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Fans can vote on the next Lady Gaga single!

Well, it’s not a very formal vote – she basically just told Nick Grimshaw that fans should bombard her label with requests based on the iTunes Festival performances “so we can put out the records that they [the fans] love”. She later told Capital that anybody wanting the a follow-up video to ‘Telephone’ should vote for ‘Aura’, which seems like a clear attempt to steer the bombarding in a certain direction.

‘Aura’ should not be the next Lady Gaga single.

While it wouldn’t end Lady Gaga’s career, ‘Aura’ would send her further down a poorly-lit road.‘Aura’ isn’t a bad song per se, but it doesn’t strike us as a signature Gaga single, which at this stage all Gaga singles should be. More importantly, although it’s ostensibly about various things, the song at its heart is another “I am a popstar generously offering my dedicated fanbase an insight into my persona” tune. As a single, it is not universally appealing, and it’s too much after ‘Applause’. Like a lot of the chat at the iTunes show it’s Gaga talking directly to a specific portion of the people who bought her first one-and-a-half albums.

Perhaps at this point it’s time to state something quite clearly.

WHO-BUYS-GAGA-RECORDS1


You and we can see Pac-Man. Either Lady Gaga can’t see Pac-Man, or she can see it, but is pretending she can’t for the benefit of Pac-Man’s mouth. Either way, it’s dangerous to apparently put power in the hands of a minority, and it would be wrong to vote for ‘Aura’ simply to bring about a ‘Telephone’ continuation. (plus, i love it but... those lyrics gaga pls)

If Gaga was serious when she suggested to Capital that she’d already thought about a video, she’s obviously decided that ‘Aura’ will come out as a single at some point. So that ‘Telephone’ continuation won’t be lost forever. Let’s just have a bit of patience here. Let’s pick the song that could re-engage the ‘Fame Monster’-era fans who are slowly starting to drift away.


From Wikipedia:





The Stanford marshmallow experiment refers to a series of studies on delayed gratification in the late 1960s and early 1970s led by psychologist Walter Mischel, then a professor at Stanford University. In these studies, a child was offered a choice between one small reward (sometimes a marshmallow, but often a cookie or a pretzel, etc.) provided immediately or two small rewards if he or she waited until the experimenter returned (after an absence of approximately 15 minutes). In follow-up studies, the researchers found that children who were able to wait longer for the preferred rewards tended to have better life outcomes, as measured by SAT scores, educational attainment, body mass index (BMI) and other life measures.




The reality of a vote for ‘Aura’ is that it will be Pac-Man’s mouth making all the noise, when really the decision should be made by the bit of Pac-Man where the eyes and ears and brain would be found.

And so we come to ‘Sex Dreams’. Gaga must love this song or she wouldn’t have included it on her album, much less chosen to perform it live on Sunday night. Given that Lady Gaga seems like the sort of person who – like most of us really – most values someone’s opinion when it is exactly the same as her own, ‘Sex Dreams’ simply wouldn’t even be presented as an option were she not prepared for its single release to become a reality. There’s a bit of ‘illusion of choice’ business going on here, but the point is that she also wouldn’t mind it being a single. It’s a Gaga song through and through. Only Lady Gaga could release ‘Sex Dreams’. Yet isn’t not only a Gaga song. Listen through the abrasive live vocals on the clip below, and you hear a radio hit.



On a good day Lady Gaga is our favourite popstar (fuck objectivity, how could you ever trust someone who didn’t have a favourite popstar?) and we want her to be the biggest popstar in the world. We think her fans want the same thing.’Aura’ will push Gaga further down a path where Pac-Man’s mouth gets bigger and bigger, but the overall size of his head begins to shrink. And the smaller that head becomes, the less Gaga will be able to embark on extravagant stadium tours, the less she’ll be able to film exquisitely expensive videos, and the less she’ll have the freedom to do things bigger and better than anyone else. And that’s what her Little Monsters should remember if they do think of following Gaga’s wishes and bombarding Gaga’s label with requests for ‘Aura’.


At risk of making this entire post redundant, it’s encouraging that despite Gaga’s apparent desire for ‘Aura’ to be the next single, fans may have figured out the best outcome for themselves: according to a vote on Propagaga, ‘Aura’ is currently the fans’ third favourite song, with ‘ARTPOP’ leading and ‘Sex Dreams’ in second place. ‘ARTPOP’ wouldn’t be the worst single choice of all time, but we do feel that in terms of lyrics and title it lacks the broad appeal of ‘Sex Dreams’.


It’s complicated isn’t it? Tell you what, let’s just agree that the single shouldn’t be ‘Jewels & Drugs’, right? Right.


Source

basically: if aura was the new single, she'd be pandering to the fans when she should be focusing on the masses and release sex dreams

Catfish ( Ashley & Mike) : 3 Pics, 2 Catfish, 1 Snap Judgment, 0 Ken Dolls

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There are rumors that Catfish is catfishing us all, that the catfish is actually the one who reaches out to MTV for help instead of the catfished. I don’t really get how this purported reverse-engineering ups the drama, but think what you will, the point is: Last night it happened for real! The catfish called Catfish looking for help!

By the end of the episode, however, she was merely a catfish, not the catfish. That’s right, last night Nev and Max served up a double-catfish blue-plate special, folks.

Self-proclaimed hermit Ashley met Mike in a chat room seven years ago, when she was just an awkward 13-year-old looking for a friend. Though he didn’t show her any pics for like six years, she still felt this huge pressure to Photoshop her double chin and hips out of the photos she sent him. “Society, man,” she explained as to why she did it, adding that she was adopted by a family with two thin, pretty daughters. Her digital nipping and tucking, she thought, qualified her for catfish status, but Mike claimed to not even notice the differences when they met.

As it turned out, Ashley didn’t notice anything too fishy on Mike’s end because she was consumed by her own lies. Nev and Max came in and quickly pointed out that the three photos Mike sent her, were kind of absurd. We’re talking Mark McGrath circa ’98 frosted tips, 24-pack abs, stonewash Riders, shirtless and shiny — they do not look of this era. Ashley’s gullibility when it came to the photos was pretty much in flux the whole episode; she would text Mike things like, “I want to see those abs in person,” only to later claim that she didn’t believe that was actually him. It kind of seemed like she was trying to save face and downplay how quick she was to trust. Mike, however, was straight-up “noooo you believed those?” and claimed that he thought she knew that wasn’t really him. “She’s a smart girl,” he offered when questioned by Nev about his photos. Mike’s hesitance to meet Ashley stemmed from this, that much was clear. Nev and Max tracked down his sister, Gena, on Facebook and spoke with her on the phone before connecting directly with Mike. The questions they asked her, in hindsight, are sort of laughable – “Is your brother in, like, peak physical condition?”“Um, he’s private, you should ask him.”

Mike copped to sending fake pics before the time Ashley traveled from her home outside Atlanta to Piscataway, New Jersey, to meet him. At first she seemed relieved that Mike had also been lying about his appearance.“Maybe him not looking like a Ken doll will make me feel more comfortable,” she said. “I don’t care, I just hope he’s the same person.” The thing is, Ashley’s Ken-doll expectations clearly haunted her. After the initial rush of hugs and nervous energy (which seemed like love!), Ashley started to face the facts: She was not attracted to him. That’s a confusing moment for people who are deeply insecure about their own looks; they can feel like they have no leverage to reject someone else, particularly based on appearance. But attraction makes no sense, and it certainly has little to do with how you yourself look. Ashley seemed in the midst of an internal struggle over this throughout the episode’s latter half.

Meanwhile, Mike was declaring his love for her, saying that Ashley was the only girl who made settling down sound appealing, that he wanted her to meet his family. First she was backing away slowly, then she was a track-and-field star. “I really thought if she saw the real me, that would be it, she would be gone,” Mike had said one day earlier. That’s exactly what she did, first with “It’s not me, it’s you,” before quickly copping to the truth: “Nah, it’s just you.” Mike asked if this would be the last time they ever saw each other, to which she said, “Probably… I don’t wanna pretend there’s something there when there’s not.” Frankly, she was being cavalier about the whole thing, while Mike was so gracious and understanding. She did to him what she had hoped he would not do to her: make a snap judgment based on her appearance alone.

Now, people separated by 900 miles don’t just accidentally keep in contact for seven years, particularly between the ages of 13 and 20. Think about how many friends you went through from the ages of 13 and 20. This is typically a time period marked by both growth and insecurity in one’s life, so to have a constant companion through all that, I imagine, would create a strong bond. Unlike many couples seen on the show, Ashley and Mike grew up together online in the most literal sense of the word. Though it made for compelling TV, to see her throw it away just like that was infuriating.

Perhaps what was more infuriating, however, was to see Ashley change her mind. In the one-month follow-up, Mike told Nev and Max that Ashley would be visiting him soon in New Jersey to try things out. “He deserves a little more time, after seven and a half years,” she offered up. “He deserves a second chance.”

After the emotional roller coaster she put Mike through, it’s Ashley who deserves the second chance.


Ashley’s Delusion Score (out of 10): 6.2 – She totally believed Mike was the abed-up nineties dude in his pics.

Mike’s Delusion Score (out of 10): 1.3 – He saw the writing on the wall pretty clearly.

Outcome: Double catfish, but they’re not exactly the grimy bottom-feeders you’re imagining.

catfish Ashley5

Sources 1

'MasterChef' Season 4 finalists: Natasha Crnjac, Luca Manfe or Jesse Lysiak, who advanced?

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The Top 4 face off on "MasterChef" Wednesday night (Sept. 4) for a chance to get to the Season 4 finale, with maybe the most heated episode we've ever seen on the show.

For the first mystery box, the final four have to cook in pairs. Luca chooses Natasha, leaving Jesse with Krissi, who continues her streak of not being able to get along with anybody ever. When she can't help Jesse out with anything, she just leaves. Jesse calls her out about how, basically, worthless she's being and she storms off like the mannerless child that she is.


She does come back, but it's ridiculous, with Jesse ending up doing almost everything and Krissi barely being able to slap some apples and cream on a plate for dessert. Of course Jesse and Krissi are in the pressure test.

The pressure test is a chocolate mousse for Graham, a chocolate molten lava cake for Joe and a chocolate souffle for Gordon. They have 75 minutes. In the end, Krissi's souffle is undercooked (and looks terrible), while Jesse's mousse is too dense. It comes down to the molten cake, which is nearly cake soup on Krissi's end, so Jesse advances to the Top 3.

The mystery box challenge for the Top 3 is to remake their initial audition dish that got them onto the show. Natasha has empanadas and skirt steak, Luca has broccoli rabe ravioli and Jesse has seabass en croute.

The chefs are ranked and Luca is last, followed by Natasha and then Jesse is the winner of the challenge, which gives her an advantage in the final elimination challenge -- she gets first dibs on the main ingredient for the challenge. Natasha gets second pick and Luca is stuck with whatever is left.

Jesse chooses kobe beef and Natasha chooses Alaskan king crab, which leaves Luca with the grana padano cheese. That may prove to be a fatal error, since Jesse set Natasha up to give Luca the crab, which he struggles with. But giving the Italian man the finest Italian cheese? Possibly huge mistake.

For their dishes, Jesse makes some veggie and noodles with her kobe beef, Natasha makes a cold yakisoba noodle salad with her crab (risky) and Luca does a stuffed veal cutlet filled with grana padano along with frico (an Italian tart made of cheese, potatoes and onions). Luca appears to have quite an edge given his ingredient.

In the end, Natasha nails her cold salad, while Luca's dish is a bit heavy. Jesse makes a big mistake in leaving her papaya slaw off her plate in favor of the veggies and noodles. It seems as though Luca should be heading home, plus we think Natasha and Jesse have been more consistent than he has this season.

But the judges choose to send through Natasha first, then they pick Luca and send Jesse home. Huh. That surprises us a bit.

What do you think, "MasterChef" fans? Did the right two chefs advance? And who do you think will win next week?

source

Episode 23

Episode 24

lmao hell noooo! No way would I be afraid of Krissy's sloppy ass. I would have mollywhopped her if she ran up on me like she did those other three.

Emma Watson's Full Spread for GQ UK (October 2013)

Ariana Grande 101: Is She Really the New Mariah?

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This week marks the release of Yours Truly, the debut album from 20-year-old Nickelodeon star turned R&B singer Ariana Grande. Perhaps you have heard "The Way" and wondered, Who is that Mariah Carey–like tween singing with Mac Miller? Perhaps you watched the VMAs red carpet and thought, I am too old to tell these child star singers apart. You are not! You are young at heart, and you can still keep up. But we have gone ahead and answered some of your Ariana Grande questions, just in case.



Is it Ariana Grande (silent e) or Ariana Grand-e?

Grand-e. Here, let the Today show anchors demonstrate:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy



Are you sure that's her and not Mariah Carey singing on "The Way"?
Yes, though you are not the first person to ask that question. Basically every review of the song and/or Yours Truly invokes Mimi, which is easy to understand once Ariana starts doing the crazy-high melismas.
(See also: "Baby I" and "Daydreamin'.")



Okay, but how am I supposed to tell her apart from all the other Disney singers?
Well, first of all, she's a Nickelodeon star, not Disney. She was on Victorious and just began a spinoff called Sam & Cat.

That is not really much of a distinction to me.
Fair enough. Here's the breakdown: Selena Gomez dated Justin Bieber and sings that "Come and Get It" na-na-na song; Demi Lovato hosted X Factor and does inspirational stuff; and Ariana Grande is like the Carly Rae Jepsen of R&B. (Grande is even repped by Scooter Braun, who managed Jepsen, Bieber, and second-tier British boy band the Wanted.)

Can she sing as high as Mariah?
No. But she has a four-octave range and goes all the way to E7, which is not too shabby.

Can she sing "All I Want for Christmas Is You," at least?
She is trying to be Mariah. Of course she can:



Can she imitate anyone else, or just Mariah?
She's a theater kid. (Grande had a role in 13 on Broadway.) Of course she can do impressions! Here is Ariana doing Ariel, Britney, Shakira, and a lamb, among others.



Has Mariah said anything about her yet?
No, come on. Mariah is our greatest living diva; she's not going to make room for anyone.
Okay, I'm almost overloaded here. Is there anything else I should know?
The Spanglish version of "The Way" is pretty good. And that key change on "Baby I"? This album is fun! Don't fight it!

Source: Vulture Magazine
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