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Watch The Muslim "Trap Queen" Parody Combating Islamophobia

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Jae Deen and Karter Zaher aren't your average Canadian rap duo -- because instead of woes and haters, they're tackling Islamophobia with a hefty dose of pop culture parody -- and their recent video for "Muslim Queen" is a prime example.

The duo's "Halal Remix" takes Fetty Wap's smash hit "Trap Queen" and tailors it to the Muslim experience, with this song specifically addressing how Muslim women should be valued and how they're queens. Surprisingly well-written and delivered with impeccable flow, it's an oldie (in Internet years), but a goodie nonetheless. Especially since it's a video meant to normalize the presence of young Muslims in mainstream media, something that's essential to combatting Islamophobia. As Jae Deen said, "Muslims are not all radical and sometimes using humor to say that is effective." 

Watch the video below.


[h/tFader]

Premiere: Farao Graces Us With The Lavish, Space Age "Warriors"

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photo by Matthew Parri Thomas

Norwegian space chanteuse Farao has graced us with the premiere of her new song "Warriors," and it's truly a lavish track that's enchanting in all of its galactic-inspired glamour.

Accompanied by twinkling chimes, wayward synthlines and hint of vaudeville showmanship, "Warriors" is an interesting mix of Beirut-tinged horns and theremin-esque hooks, all anchored by Kari Jahnsen's sparkling vocals. Just make sure to hold on tight, because she's about to take us to places unknown. 

Listen to the track below. 
 

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Space Jam 2

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space-jam-poster.jpgYesterday, LeBron James signed a contract with Warner Brothers, apparently all but ensuring the existence of an until-now purely hypothetical Space Jam 2.

On one level, this is a horrifying piece of news. Space Jam -- a movie starring a basketball player whose very existence often functioned as a product delivery system through a complicated network of endorsements, alongside fictional cartoon characters who themselves also served a similar commercial purpose -- could be described as simply an hour-plus of lazy product placement. There is at least one utterly bone-chilling line to this effect, spouted by Wayne Knight, a.k.a. Seinfeld's Newman. By most objective accounts, Space Jam is not a very good film. But it is an important one -- to me, at least.


Without delving too deeply into my personal history with Space Jam (a movie I have seen more times than any other, with the possible exceptions of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and The Dark Knight), it's enough to note that I was very young when it was released, and loved both Looney Tunes and Michael Jordan before growing into a healthy love of Bill Murray, Wayne Knight, and trash. There's a longer story here, but for now I'll tell the shorter one of how I admitted to myself that Space Jam was a bad movie.

During the first round of serious rumors that LeBron would potentially be starring in a sequel, I was, to say the least, upset. The endless machinery that transforms things people liked when they were young into worse things they will pay to see when they are old grinds against us all, but I take some measure of pride in being immune to the call of most of the results. I hate the way fandom currently manifests itself in frequently unthinking allegiances for many people who love pop culture, in a way that makes them both reactionary and easy to exploit. But I love Space Jam, and knew -- still know -- I would probably pay for a sequel.

When I saw the news, I was with two friends, one of whom had seen and enjoyed Space Jam and the other who, shockingly, had not been exposed. In a fit of pique and some level of sadness and probably also a vague desire to not go out that night, we forced her to watch Space Jam with us at my house instead of allowing her to go to the fashion show she was supposed to attend. (We had our priorities right, I guess?) It was fun -- and yet.



It was the first time I had watched the movie in a couple of years, the hangover from a massive binge my freshman year of college (which is part of the long story), and all of a sudden I could see all of the aesthetic flaws instead of just taking comfort in the fact that I could recite the whole thing from memory. The only parts that really held up even a little bit were the moments Bill Murray was on screen. I realized: This movie is absurd, and I only like it because of its relationship to my childhood, and how silly it is conceptually. Its very existence is enough to get me excited about it, which is how Hollywood wants me to feel about its sewage pipe of reboots 

For a while, I was sad. Had my childhood been ruined (the refrain of a certain type of masochistic moviegoer)? After a while, I decided -- probably not. Space Jam is a bad movie, and that's okay. It's lack of "objective" merit doesn't change the experiences I had watching it, or alter the shape of the Bugs Bunny-shaped hole it filled in my life. If you are honest with yourselves about why you love the original Space Jam (or any such piece of entertainment that came into your life at the right time, grabbed on, and refused to let go), then it's hard to be let down by a sequel, unless your unreasonable expectation is for it to somehow "live up to" your relatively carefree, effortlessly passionate childhood. 

Besides, Space Jam 2, if it happens, will probably be an improvement on the original. LeBron is certainly a much better actor than Michael Jordan ever was or ever will be, less certainly a better basketball player, and almost certainly a better human being. When asked whether he was worried about the prospect of playing the MonStars in a hypothetical sequel to Space Jam, he said, "Absolutely. Those guys are very intimidating and they're bigger than us. We've got to do our due diligence here on Earth." This might be the greatest answer anyone has ever given to a question in the history of human language, and one that would top nearly any line of Michael Jordan dialogue from the original.

Really, the best argument in favor of Space Jam 2 has already been made by both the movie's detractors and my crestfallen self. Yes, the original Space Jam was an act of ridiculous corporate synergy that makes no sense and is probably offensive to "adult" sensibilities. But that just means there shouldn't be anything for the sequel to mess up for those people. If you're mad about unnecessarily horrible Hollywood movies, go picket Batman v. Superman: The Garbage Fire, not my Space Jam 2

In fact, the weight of expectations from '90s kids might just create enough pressure for the studio to actually invest effort in a sort of good movie. (Though, admittedly, I am dubious of Warner Brothers' ability to top the actual peak of the original Space Jam -- its soundtrack.) Everything weird and kind of awful about the movie has insinuated itself thoroughly into the background knowledge of everyone who loved it (just try to find someone who doesn't know that the original, decrepit website is still standing) that there isn't really anywhere left to go but up, flying like some sort of eagle, or a terribly CG-ed Michael Jordan.



So, fans of Michael Jordan's secret stuff, Swackhammer, and that ridiculous scene where Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck go to Michael's house to get his basketball gear, rejoice -- Space Jam 2 is nothing to be afraid of. There's nothing they can do to hurt you. Everybody get up, it's time to slam now.

Premiere: Tove Styrke Covers "...Baby One More Time"

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TOVESTYRKE_PHOTO_PRESS_PURLPLEBLACKSTARE.jpgLast month, Swedish import Tove Styrke released Kiddo, a pure pop record that feels like it's meant to be listened to exclusively on a rooftop.  And today, we're happy to premiere the music video for her cover of Britney's "...Baby One More Time." 

Opting for a funky, synth-heavy interpretation of everyone's beloved late-90s karaoke classic, an Adidas tracksuit-clad Tove grooves beneath a sea of strobe lights. Her loneliness may be killing her, but she seems perfectly content bumping Brit in a dark, empty room. While that three-note piano riff will remain legendary, this track goes from a pigtailed bubblegum sing-a-long to a Bjork-ified banger REAL quick.

Watch the video below, then read our very important piece on the history of Britney Spears wearing short-sleeved turtlenecks. Girl loves her SSTs!


James Franco Is Writing a Book About Lana Del Rey (Because Of Course He Is)

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Photos on the Beach @lanadelrey @klausbiesenbach

A photo posted by James Franco (@jamesfrancotv) on


Noted polymath/selfie kingJames Franco has expanded upon his Lana Del Rey friendship poem, as he's apparently writing a 100-page book completely about the sad chanteuse. 

Dubbed Flip-Side: Real and Imaginary Conversations with Lana Del Rey, it was co-written by David Shields and includes, well, both real and imagined chit-chats with his flower crown muse/friend. (◡‿◡✿)

Flip-Side will be released next March, but you can pre-order it here

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[h/t Pitchfork]

Converse Unveils Its Game-Changing New Chuck II

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With the exception of denim or say, the cotton t-shirt, the Converse Chuck Taylor is perhaps the most inveterate staple of American fashion. Invented in 1917, the shoe got its start as a basketball sneaker (named after basketball star and shoe spokesman Charles "Chuck" Taylor) and its style has remained relatively unchanged since its invention nearly a century ago. A shoe that's been ripped off and re-produced by competitors to death, the real deal is still a symbol of youth, creativity and counter culture fashion as much as classic Americana and simplicity -- not to mention the fact that a pair of Chucks are bought once every two seconds for a total of 1 billion pairs sold. So who can blame Converse for adopting an "if it ain't broke" attitude towards its design, which is famously flat, and lacking in arch support or bells-and-whistles cushioning?

Still, change is good, and the company is making shoe history with today's launch of the CT II, a new version of the Chuck Taylor that, using Nike Lunaron technology as a sockliner, will add massive new arch and footbed support. It's officially out on July 28th. Speaking at a press conference, Converse CEO and president Jim Calhoun outlined all of the new details of the shoe, which includes a new microfiber canvas. The shoe looks identical to the original, for all of the All-Star purists of the world, and will eventually come in a range of colors including blue, white, red and black.

Stay tuned for more details from Converse bout the Chuck II next week.



Screen Shot 2015-07-23 at 10.54.16 AM.pngThe Lunaron technology

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Caitlyn Jenner Talks About the Pressures of Being a Role Model In a New I Am Cait Clip

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"My mind's just spinning with thoughts," Caitlyn Jenner says in a brand new clip from her E! docu-series, I Am Cait. The scene opens with a shot of Jenner makeup free and sitting in a robe in her bedroom, telling the camera that it's 4:32am and she can't sleep with her mind racing about the pressures that come with her new role as a spokeswoman and advocate for the trans community.

She says:

"I feel bad that these [people] -- especially young people -- are going through such a difficult time in their life. We don't want people dying over this. We don't want people murdered over this stuff. What a responsibility I have towards this community. Am I going to do everything right? Am I going to say the right things? Do I project the right image? My mind's just spinning with thoughts. I just hope I get it right. I hope I get it right.

For someone who's entire transition and coming out has seemed to be choreographed to the T, the clip is a refreshing glimpse into the understandable doubts and vulnerabilities Caitlyn is feeling during this time. You can see more of Caitlyn's journey when the series premieres this Sunday, July 26th.

The First Trans-Exclusive Modeling Agency Launches in LA

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With Hari Nef signed to IMG and Andreja Pejic making make-up modeling history, it's been a good year for transpeople in the fashion industry -- and it's about to get even better because there's now a trans-exclusive modeling agency in the game, dubbed Apple Model Management.

Originally founded in Thailand, Apple has just expanded to LA, where they've become the first modeling agency to launch a transgender division. "We see trans individuals as beautiful," agency director Cecilio Asuncion said. "But their full potential was never reached because of the stigma the community-at-large had towards the trans community. This has to change." 

Asuncion, who also made the 2012 transwomen documentary What's The T?, went on to say that the agency's commitment lies in "developing them as successful models," rather than "quantifying or qualifying their gender." 

"It's never a question of if they are women or men," Asuncion said. "It's about their passion and commitment to being the best possible models they can be."

As of press time, the agency has six signings, though they're currently casting



15 Newly-Graduated Young Designers to Watch

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Late spring is always a quiet time for fashion, with the women's fall/winter shows over in March and the men's shows yet to begin. But for the soon-to-be graduates of the fashion programs at major design schools like NYC's own Parsons and Pratt, this lull is marked by flurry of needle-to-tulle activity as seniors scramble to assemble -- then present to a panel of professionals -- the collections that will comprise their theses. Only a small number of these students are then given the opportunity to showcase their work in the schools' storied end-of-year fashion shows, which have counted industry heavyweights like Anna Wintour, Vivienne Westwood, and Marc Jacobs among their past guests.

Needless to say, there's plenty of talent to be found on these runways -- or, rather, backstage of them -- so we've taken on the difficult task of paring it all down to just a few looks. Below, check out work from 15 student designers that left us hoping Barneys would pull another Proenza Schouler and buy all these collections out already.

max goh.jpgJon Max Goh, Parsons The New School for Design

Goh flouted the conventions of menswear and impressed audience members and judges alike at the Parsons end-of-year show with his abstract floral prints and androgynous forms. Drawing inspiration from his upbringing in post-colonial Singapore, Goh's collection -- which earned him his alma mater's Menswear Designer of the Year award alongside Sungho Kim -- fluidly melds East and West in a reflection of his personal identity.

(Fun fact: Goh also sings.)

jenisa sukanjanapong.jpgJenisa Sukanjanapong, Parsons The New School for Design

Unlike Goh, whose vivid looks won him features in outlets like Style.com and The Impression, fellow Parsons grad Sukanjanapong seems in large part to have flown under the media radar -- which is unfortunate, because we adore her minimalist aesthetic. Her designs fall somewhere on the spectrum between Helmut Lang and The Row, but they're somehow softer -- less workplace-chic, more gauzy snow princess with an edge.

tamara krantzberg.jpgTamara Krantzberg, Parsons The New School for Design

Given a clothing market already oversaturated with fast fashion, we thought there'd be little room for any variation on the boho look (because if you couldn't make it to Coachella, at least you can dress like you did) --  but it looks like Krantzberg proved us wrong. With some help from artisans in her native Mexico, the Parsons grad veered in an unexpected direction for her senior collection by combining a neutral color palette in mostly solids with classic festival silhouettes. Boho minimalism, anyone?

claire mckinney.jpgClaire McKinney, Pratt Institute

McKinney took home top honors at Pratt's end-of-year show for her denim-heavy, vintage workwear-inspired collection, which featured items like loose khakis and a bona fide apron -- artfully draped, of course. With $25,000 in entrepreneurial and design funding her pocket from the Liz Claiborne Award for Concept to Product, we're sure we'll be seeing more of this young designer and her work in the future.

Kit Woo.jpgKit Woo, Pratt Institute

Woo's designs immediately remind us of some of the looks that came off the runway at Seoul Fashion Week this past spring, and we mean that in a very good way. The onetime CFDA Scholarship winner paired tried-and-true design elements à la Alexander Wang (leather draping, neoprene -- Woo calls his particular take on it "suitprene") with streetwear styles (cropped pants over long socks) to neo-goth, "black is a color" effect.

Lauren Nahigian.jpgLauren Nahigian, Pratt Institute

Nothing could be further from the neutral, silhouette-driven looks we've seen so far than Nahigian's bold colors, rich fabrics, and in-your-face designs. We're particularly enamored of the purple-furred cape she sent down the runway -- it's Rihanna-in-Guo Pei before Rihanna ever wore Guo Pei (Pratt held its end-of-year show three days after Rihanna donned the Chinese couturière's dress, but Pratt seniors submit their collections well before that date). On the side, Nahigian is also an incredibly talented artist, because of course she is.

samanthamcdonald.jpgSamantha MacDonald, Savannah College of Art and Design

Something about MacDonald's designs just screams "Southern belle with an edge" to us. Is it the lovely draped silks? The vague air of Ming vase chinoiserie? Maybe it's just the fact that the collection debuted at SCAD. Whatever it is, we want more of it -- and with MacDonald set to begin training as an assistant fashion designer at Macy's this fall, we're banking on the slim possibility that some of her aesthetic filters through the hierarchy into the department store's styles.

alexanderd'orlando.jpgAlexander D'Orlando, Savannah College of Art and Design


We're not sure how D'Orlando managed to integrate fully functional fiber optic cables into one of his coats, but we definitely appreciate the ambition. Blue lighting aside, the SCAD grad's vampy, menswear-inspired designs are much more Balmain than Hot Topic and promise to take women's formalwear to a new, shoulder-padded place.

mollysayers.jpgMolly Sayers and Kristen Hughes, Savannah College of Art and Design

From her collaboration with fibers major Hughes, you wouldn't know that Sayers cites Iris van Herpen as one of her fashion influences. Instead, drawing on the time Sayers spent as a child in Qatar, the two took the salwar kameez for a spin, juxtaposing flowing fabric against geometric detailing made from laser-cut wood triangles. The result -- despite the wood -- is one of the most comfortable-looking collections of the season, and one we wouldn't hesitate to throw on for our next Netflix binge.

elizabeth hilfiger.jpgElizabeth Hilfiger, Rhode Island School of Design

We know you're all thinking it, so let's get it out of the way first: Yes, that's Hilfiger as in Tommy. And while we can see hints of the designer's signature preppy aesthetic in his middle daughter's work, this collection is a reworking of those all-American classics, not a regurgitation. Elizabeth adds a cool, downtown-girl touch -- geometrically inspired, she says -- to Tommy staples like the varsity jacket for a look that's all her own.

ju young han.jpgJulia Han, Rhode Island School of Design

The fashion world has already taken notice of Han: Less than a year out of school, she'll be presenting capsule collections at the upcoming New York and Paris Fashion Weeks. It's an impressive feat, but looking at her Patti Smith-inspired senior thesis -- she juxtaposes wildly different textures and materials while sticking to a single color palette -- we can't say we're at all surprised.

Wow Khoman.jpgPatamon Khoman, Rhode Island School of Design

We know our bank accounts would be empty if Khoman's senior collection hit the market, with fast fashion staples like crop tops and chunky mules turned ultra-luxe -- and ultra-expensive -- with lush fur trim. Fortunately for our financial security, the Thai designer's favorite fabric is apparently the much less costly organza.

pierrecampo.jpgPierre Campo, Central Saint Martins

CSM is known for its over-the-top approach to fashion -- design elements at this year's show included space-themed antenna headgear, a wearable ball pit, a poufy poncho that bears an unsettling resemblance to a blanket my Chinese grandmother owns, and... this -- but Campo proved that less can be more by taking home a runner-up award for his pared-down menswear designs that made use of quality fabrics in elegant, not-quite-conventional cuts.

camilla holmes.jpgCamilla Holmes, Central Saint Martins

Holmes' might have taken a subtler approach in her designs than most of her fellow CSM grads, but the pièce de résistance of her collection -- a UK flagemblazoned with the slogan "Respect our existence or expect our resistance" -- captured the sentiment around 1 Granary as students not selected for the official end-of-year show held their own presentation, Salon des Refusés-style, outside the venue. Even without the political sentiment, the designs hold their own as an across-the-pond take on the streetwear aesthetic so ubiquitous here in the States: London workwear with a haute twist.

hankim.jpgHan Kim, Central Saint Martins

The Korean-born designer used his Savile Row experience to great effect in his triple award-winning senior collection: if you can get past the massive 3D-printed structures, the tailoring is attentive and the embroidery incredibly detailed on these colorful, whimsical garments. Keep your eyes peeled -- with a little bit of RTW adaptation, there could be a surprising amount of wearability in these out-there designs.

There are Vagina Yarmulkes Now

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Hippie Judaism is no stranger to anyone who has ever been around the right parts of Los Angeles or New York (or seen a single episode of Transparent, which if all is right in the world should launch the caftan back into its rightful place of talit-adjacent dominance). Now, someone on Etsy (naturally) has taken that to its logical conclusion, with a fresh line of vagina yarmulkes depicting birth in chronological/physiological order, over the crown of the head. (Thanks for catching them, Heeb Magazine!)

vagina raymulke.jpg(via BeanSproutLadyJew on Etsy)

Seller Zoe Jordan describes the kippot as:

"Ideal for Bat Mitzvahs, Lesbian Weddings, Lady Rabbis, Feminists of the chosen variety, Midwives, Doulas and Renewalists. Also great for any-gendered and any-affiliated folks who appreciate a cheeky traditional-non-traditional way to acknowledge and REMEMBER WHERE YOU CAME FROM :) It's kind of like a high-five and a wink at your creator."
This could go well (or maybe the opposite of well) with other recently conceived Jewish sexual products, which target a more observant audience. What religious object will next become irrevocably intertwined with genitalia? Will there be penis-shaped Tefillin? Yads? Or... oh no...

6abfe31c5b9ec153dc51b90ac5cca1a4.jpg(via foodgawker.com)

Good Shabbos, everyone! (And it's not even Friday.)

Check Out Proenza Schouler's Dreamy New Campaign

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Shadows, movement, negative space -- Proenza Schouler's ethereal new fall/winter campaign is what fashion dreams are made of. It's also the brand's first time using a group of models -- in this case Liya Kebede, Anne Catherine Lacroix, Karolin Wolter and Liisa Winkler -- and the results are artfully-arranged compositions that feel simultaneously striking and subtle, much like the brand itself. The images were shot by David Sims, art directed by Peter Miles and styled by Marie Chaix. Take a look at the photos above and below.

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Baby Phart: Anti-Flatulence Jeans Are a Thing

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Got a chili cook-off first date? A boy who loves broccoli? A lady who loves legumes? Well worry not, because there are new fart-neutralizing pants on the market so that you don't accidentally rip one when y'all just trying to get down. 

That's right, the geniuses at British clothing company Shreddies (omg) have just released a new line of pajama pants and jeans that, yep, mask the smell of your rank-ass toots. Made from a "special, highly porous carbon cloth back panel" that absorbs and neutralizes any sulfuric stench, it's the same stuff used in chemical warfare suits and so we're pretty confident that they work.

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However, this isn't Shreddies' first foray into anti-fart wear, as their flagship item has always been the "flatulence filtering underwear" -- which actually has some merit for sufferers of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn's Disease and food intolerances. IBS aside though, we're sure they're a great substitute for always buying more Bean-o, or you know, living a cruciferous-less existence. 

But best of all, guess what's up next? Yep, apparently work-ready chinos. 🐒💨


Pop Some Seeds: New York Has a Bagel Statue

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bagels.jpgArtist Hanna Liden has finally gifted New York with something the city has sorely been missing, like a hole in the center of its doughy heart: a full statue of bagels. The installation, called Everything (appropriately, because bagels) has been placed around Hudson River Park and Ruth Wittenberg Plaza. Produced by the Art Production Foundation, it's Liden's first opportunity to display her work outside of a gallery, and almost certainly her most delicious. To bite into the, uh, everything of the story, check out an interview with Liden at ArtNet.

Maybe Jon Stewart Leaving The Daily Show Isn't Such a Bad Thing After All

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wyatt-cenac-16x9.jpgAs Jon Stewart's departure from the chair of The Daily Show -- a position he has held for almost four full presidential terms -- draws nearer, it's natural for nostalgia to kick in. "What will we do without Jon Stewart telling us what to think about stuff?" liberals will cry while running around like chickens with their political heads cut off, nervous that controversial replacement Trevor Noah won't prove as effective a moral compass. This is a good thing.

Somehow, by a trick of the culture and the particular political climate during the Bush administration, Jon Stewart -- a comedian and the host of a fake news show -- became one of the major consensus moral centers of America. That's kind of insane. It's also unsustainable. Staying in that position for so long without moving leads, by necessity, to a kind of stasis. And holding the moral high ground for over a decade can make you an asshole.

Nowhere is that more evidenced than in a story former Daily Show writer and correspondent Wyatt Cenac told Marc Maron on a recent episode of the WTF podcast. If you don't have time to listen to the podcast, read Vulture's summary, and if you don't have time to read that, here are the bare-bone details:

  • During the 2012 election, Stewart was using a voice to make fun of Herman Cain that Cenac considered insensitive, coming from a place of racial ignorance.
  • After trying to broach the subject as the only black writer in the room, Cenac found himself the subject of a massive outburst from Stewart, who was enraged at the suggestion that he was maybe being racist or racially insensitive and allegedly kept screaming "fuck off, I'm done with you."
  • The ensuing fight, which Cenac describes as an "explosion" went on until it was literally stopped by some worked-up office dogs, leaving Cenac to go to a nearby baseball diamond and break down.

"Yikes" doesn't even begin to cover it.

It's not surprising that to hear that Jon Stewart might be kind of a dick -- you have to be in his line of work, and it obviously helps to be overly sure of yourself if your job is to go on television every day and spew opinions and judgments about people (this likely applies to many writers, too). What's not acceptable is the refusal to listen to literally the only black employee in the writers' room about a matter that explicitly and exclusively pertained to the show's representation of black Americans. That's just being an awful, no-good, rotten ally.

On the most charitable reading of the story, it sounds like Stewart can barely even consider entertaining the possibility that he and the show could be offending the groups he purports to care about -- he refuses to admit he might be fallible, even though his job is to wade into uncertain waters night after night. For even the most sensitive people, a run at his job would entail at least one flub, because that's just how people are -- ignorant and frequently insensitive and oblivious, even when they mean well.

What matters is how you respond when you get called out for those flaws, and the suggestion that Stewart was so trapped in his role that he couldn't escape his own head -- like the mummy presiding over a beautiful pyramid that's also a tomb -- is a more than sufficient argument that, yes, it was time for him to go. All indications are that Stewart is going to spend at least part of his retirement chilling on a farm. Let's hope that the time is well spent, and that he has some space to consider the limits of his own perspective -- and that we all have the strength to do the same.

Chloe Sevigny Is Crowdfunding Her New Movie

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Want to contribute to the next Chloë Sevigny film? Easy, just go to this Kickstarter page and you can help finance the production of her new upcoming work Slow Machine. Shot on 16 mm film, this lo-fi "screwball thriller about performance and surveillance" will be directed by Paul Felten  and Joe DeNardo (photographer/cinematographer and member of the art-punk group GROWING), but the film needs $30,000 of crowd funded money to be completed. In it, Chloë will play a character named Chloë, a struggling actress who becomes romantically involved with an "slighty manic" NYPD counter-terrorism specialist. After their relationship goes sour, she runs away with Eleanor Friedberger's band. Sounds great. If you donate your money will go towards basically everything from food to equipment rental or the occasional broom.


Watch Nicki Minaj Perform on GMA, Discuss Taylor Swift

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In a bit of fortuitous scheduling that likely brought glistening, Nielsen-shaped tears of gratitude to the eyes of Good Morning America's producers, Nicki Minaj performed on the show this morning -- an appearance that's been on the books for weeks and just so happened to coincide with her involvement in one of the most fascinating, and necessary, celebrity "feuds" in recent memory.

In an interview before her performance, Minaj said she had spoken on the phone Thursday to Taylor Swift, who also Tweeted an apology to her yesterday: "She was super, super sweet. She apologized and said, 'Look, I didn't understand the big picture of what you were saying, but now I get it.' So we're all good."

Minaj went on to say this about her initial tweets, which Swift misinterpreted to be a direct attack on herself and a not a bigger comment on the way black female pop stars are rarely celebrated or rewarded by the entertainment industry like their white counterparts are:

"Anaconda" had such a huge cultural impact, and on top of that, we broke the Vevo record. So this is actually my third time breaking the Vevo record, and "Anaconda" therefore should have been nominated. I do think that if it was one of the pop girls, they would have had many nominations for it. I think I got two nominations for "Anaconda" -- for female and for hip-hop, but it should've been for the year. [...] I think that we have to have both images for girls. We can't just have one type of body being glorified in the media because it just makes girls even more insecure than we already are."

Watch Minaj perform "Feeling Myself" and "The Night Is Still Young" below. Interview above.



Feeling Myself

The Night Is Still Young

Donald Trump and Iggy Azalea Are Ruining Everything For Geminis on Tumblr

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So last night I was scrolling through my Tumblr timeline (cultivating my "aesthetic," of course) and stumbled across this timely "Gemini Hate Meme."

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Exactly what it sounds like, the Gemini Hate Meme is the bizarre new trend brought to you by the nether-sphere of deep Tumblr, in which those born between May 21st and June 21st are derided in those insanely re-blogged "your sign as a" posts.                                                                                 
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But, uh, why? The site Meme Documentation, says it's actually a phenomenon that's been going on since last year, a meme descended from a post on the popular astrology Tumblr gothstrology that has since been deleted.

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So far, the only explanations for "OK, but, still, why Geminis doe?" seems to boil down to two things, that a) multi-faceted Gemini, which comes from the latin word for "twins," are "two-faced" and b) current Tumblr persona non grata Iggy Azalea and Donald Trump. And a shit ton of those memes revolve around the fact that both Donald and I-G-G-Y are Gemini. 

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It's not surprising that two ugh-inducing people who have kind of become the standard-bearers of racism as of late will cause might cause a few Tumblr tweens to leap to conclusions -- especially in the name of social justice, which has become a (wonderful) trend among young Internet users. Put through the Tumblr prism, however, that's manifested itself in some very strange ways, including astrological hate. 

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So just because your parents did the nasty between late August and September, you must suffer the wrath of the Interwebs, forever bobbing in the putrid Trump-tainted waters of Tumblr? Fear not, Gemini, because guess who else is a Gem? Johnny Depp! Angelina Jolie! Marilyn Monroe! Prince! Mr. T! Jussie SmolletLaverne CoxKanye!!

And meme-teens, just a word of advice. I love Bernie too, but every time you validate a xenophobe as a legitimate competitor, Berns cries a little.

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Congrats Kylie Jenner, You're a High School Graduate!

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Last night, Kylie Jenner, the world's oldest 17-year-old, finally hit the final (legal) milestone before becoming a sort-of adult: Having a big Kardashian party to celebrate graduating from high school, a party that also included Kendall (who had already graduated) for no apparent reason.


So, congrats Kylie (mostly)!

We know a lot about the party itself (Tyga was there, it was hosted at Kris Jenner's house, Ryan Seacrest hosted which okay), but, of course, we know very little about the circumstances under which Kylie graduated, or how she was doing in school. We also don't know how Kylie was actually in school at all, considering that she's one of the most famous people on the planet, owns her own home, and spends a lot of time thinking about chemtrails. She's basically the youngest 35-year-old, ever. 

Which means that it's possible to dream of a situation where, in the interest of someday taking over the Kardashian empire, Kylie had to undergo a Billy Madison-type situation in which she had to complete all 12 grades in two weeks, while looking fabulous and taking fire selfies during the academic decathlon. Just imagine -- did Kylie have to go... back to school? [via Complex]

Mumford and Sons' Banjo Player Is Making Techno as "The Floppy Disc Jockey"

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Photo: @johnsonty

A photo posted by Mumford & Sons (@mumfordandsons) on


Mumford and Sons banjo player Winston Marshall is now making techno music as "The Floppy Disc Jockey," which, we're going to go out on a limb and assume is probably not the direction the Belleville Three envisioned this whole thing going in.

Also known as Tech No Notice (lol, get it?), seems like Marshall fancies himself a techno "connoisseur," saying in a recent interview that his foray into electro is all thanks to Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford, or as Marshall calls him, "Fordy."

"Simian Mobile Disco changed my life," he said. "They put me onto the EDM world. Although they would hate that term, they're more techno." 

He added toward the end of the interview, "The trick to techno, as a connoisseur, is that you got to do two things: keep your hands down and your mouth shut."


[h/t FACT]

Belle & Sebastian's "Perfect Couples" Music Video Is a Super-Cute Dance Party

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Belle & Sebastian have shared the new music video for "Perfect Couples", off their latest LP Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance.

Groups of couples dance and float around a suburban living room with a Wes Anderson-approved color palette.Though the video is teetering on the 9-minute mark, you gotta stick around for the group dance sequence.

It's dizzying, tedious, and adorable -- but isn't that what love is anyway?

Check out the video above.

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