Mariah Carey Joined Match.com

June 2, 2015, 11:45 am

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First Hilary Duff joined Tinder and showed her first date via the app in her new music video and now Mariah Carey's decided to apparently dip her toe into the online dating waters. But, since Mimi is a divorced mother of two in her early 40s, she did what any sensible divorced mother of two in her early 40s would do and skipped Tinder and OkCupid in favor of Match.com. As part of the promotion for her new video, "Infinity" (which has the best/worst break-up diss ever by saying Nick Cannon's so corny he's a Frito), she launched the video on the dating site and created an allegedly real profile. Unlike with Duff, it's not immediately clear whether interested suitors can actually try their luck and message Mariah or if it's all a fake bot profile á la similar ones on Tinder that were created to market The Mindy Project or Ex Machina. Prospective matches will have to find out for themselves while the rest of us can watch Mariah giving sparkly butterfly realness while fending off cheesy dates and performing on a stage in Vegas in "Infinity," above.

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Own Caitlyn Jenner's Satin Corset

June 2, 2015, 12:15 pm

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Yesterday, Vanity Fair released their instantly iconic "Call Me Caitlyn," issue effectively breaking the internet all over again with ultra-glamorous photos shot by Annie Liebovitz.

And, oh, those impossibly glamorous photos. Though Caitlyn is mostly wearing high-fashion brands in the shoot, including vintage Halston, Donna Karan, Agent Provocateur, and Zac Posen, some sleuthing from TMZ has revealed that he white satin corset she dons on the cover actually isn't prohibitively expensive. Purchasable for a cool $200 from L.A. lingerie institution Trashy, the Edy Corset "holds you in and lifts you up, shaping you into a perfect hourglass figure."

Though Trashy suggests pairing the corset "with a pair of nice jeans for a sexy and flirty look," please -- Caitlyn wasn't rasied in a barn. Only a pair of chicly on-trend high-wasted underwear will do for America's new Malibu Barbie, thank you.

You can buy the Edy corset here.

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The Must-See Art Shows Opening In NYC This Week

June 3, 2015, 2:00 am

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This week is (almost) all about Bushwick. The ninth annual, multi-venue blow-out known as Bushwick Open Studios kicks off with a big launch party and group exhibition called "Seeking Space" on Friday, June 5th, 8 p.m., at Be Electric Studios (1298 Willoughby Avenue, Brooklyn). Works by over 100 artists will be on view there through Sunday, plus the opening features music from David Kiss, NSR, Max August, Housing Corp and dgro. The neighborhood's many galleries, studios and random pop-up venues will be up-and-running all weekend -- with several parties and openings starting earlier in the week. Check out DARKCLOUDS' latest works in a show called "Substance Abuse" at Wise Man's Garage (107 Forrest Street, Bushwick), opening on Friday, noon until late; and a group show called "Auto-Chemistry" at Hollows Artspace (708 Bushwick Avenue) opening on the 3rd, 6 to 10 p.m. The complete mega-list of what's happening is HERE. The "official" closing party starts late on Sunday at Bushwick Community Darkroom (110 Troutman Street, Brooklyn).

And let's not forget Ridgewood, Queens: Yulia Topchiy curated a group show called "Made in Ridgewood" that also opens on Friday, June 5th, from 6 to 9 p.m., with a live video/modular synthesizer performance by Balloon Monument and Adam Sipe at 8:30 p.m. All the works in the exhibition were created by artists that live and work in Ridgewood including Joy Curtis, Riitta Ikonen, Yasue Maetake, Christian Sampson, Adam Sipe and Josef Zutelgte. On view all month at 1902 Palmetto Street.

Multimedia artist Richard Garet is doing a month-long, 3-minute takeover of several electronic billboards in Times Square. Running through June from 11:57 p.m. to midnight daily, "Perceptual: Sonic Landscape/ Midnight Blink" uses street sounds to create "chromatic, visual landscapes." The work is presented by Times Square Arts and the Times Square Advertising Coalition. You can meet the NYC-based artist and learn about his recording techniques on June 5th at 11:15 p.m. at the red steps in Duffy Square, but you need to pre-register HERE.

Toronto artist Cybele Young has her first NYC solo show opening on June 4th at Forum Gallery (730 Fifth Avenue, 2nd floor). She's know for her intricate, paper sculptures and for this show, "Some Changes Were Made," she juxtaposes "lost" everyday objects to "create a sense of dialogue between them." On view until July 17th.

High Line Art celebrates the conclusion of their commission called "A Hudson Yard"-- a wheat-paste poster campaign of the letter "A" by LA-artist Shannon Ebner with David Reinfurt -- in the tunnel on the High Line at West 14th Street, Thursday, June 4th, 6 to 8 p.m. The event is also the launch of a booklet for the year-long project. It's open to everybody and admission is free. At 6:30 p.m. sharp, there's a performance of a new composition by Alex Waterman called "Clouds and Crowds" for 12 singers

Mitchell-Innes & Nash (534 West 26th Street) presents their third solo show, "Art School," by the UK artist Paul Winstanley, opening on June 4th, 6 to 8 p.m. The ten new works depict empty art student's studios in a style the "wavers between photorealism and painterly softness." Up until July 19th.

Blum & Poe (19 East 66th Street) opens the first US survey of sculpture by Swiss-born artist Francoise Grossen on Thursday, June 4th, 6 to 8 p.m. and up until August 14th. The "knotted and plaited rope" works are from 1967 to 1991.

On June 7th, 7 to 9 p.m., Off Vendome (254 West 23rd Street #2) opens a group show called "The Longest Bridge" with works by William Gedney, Kayla Guthrie, Dustin Hodges, Kaspar Muller and Silke Otto-Knapp. Up until July 18th.

Every Tuesday until the end of June, NYC-based artist Nelson Saiers unveils a new work at The Hole Shop (http://theholenyc.com/) (312 Bowery). This weeks installation, "Shortening: Making Irrational Rational" incorporates football jerseys, the mathematical concept of Pi and the number "3" drawn in charcoal to address the absurd prison sentences given to people for drug offenses. Check it out during the shop's regular hours, Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. -- and then go back next Tuesday.

The FLAG Art Foundation (545 West 25th Street, 9th and 10th floors) has a group show called "Space Between" curated by Louis Grachos and Stephanie Roach that investigates the "seams, tears and edges between two and three dimensions." The artists include Doug Coupland, Thomas Demand, Olafur Eliasson, Roni Horn and many more. On view through August 14th.

If you're heading north for the weekend, stop by the Dia:Beacon (3 Beekman Street, Beacon, NY) and see Robert Irwin's "Excursus: Homage to the Square (cubed)" (1998-99). It's been seventeen years since the work was originally shown at Dia, when they were here in town.

Santiago Calatrava-- he's the Spanish architect that designed the transportation hub at the new World Trade Center -- has installed seven red, black and silver aluminum sculptures on the Park Avenue median between 52nd and 55th Streets. They'll be there until mid-November.

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Watch the Trailer for Caitlyn Jenner's New E! Series, "I am Cait"

June 3, 2015, 2:57 am

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E! released the trailer for Caitlyn Jenner's new docuseries "Call Me Caitlyn" this morning, chronicling her transition into living life as a woman. The clip shows Jenner sitting at a vanity applying lip gloss in the mirror: "You start learning the pressure that women are under all of the time about their appearance," she says, telling the camera that she just recently got her makeup professionally done for the first time. Later, Jenner wonders aloud, "Wouldn't it it be great to just be normal, to blend into society? Put it this way -- I'm the new normal." The series premieres July 26th.

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Scenes From MoMA's Party In the Garden

June 3, 2015, 4:00 am

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Last night, underneath Isa Genzken’s 36-foot-tall Rose II sculpture and surrounded by favorites like Picasso’s She-Goat and Auguste Rodin’s Monument to Balzac, MoMA threw its annual “Party in the Garden” gala. This year the garden fête honored artist Kara Walker, whose first large-scale public work, A Subtlety, was shown at the Domino Sugar Factory, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, last year and whose piece, Gone: An Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred b’tween the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart, is currently on view at MoMA as a part of the museum’s “Scenes for a New Heritage” exhibition. The monumental black and white cut-paper silhouette critiques the traditional and widely accepted narratives of the antebellum south, beauty, and sexuality, and how they have stayed with us as the “Gone” in the title alludes to the seminal film, Gone with the Wind.

With DJ sets by Chromeo and The Misshapes, the night also honored the prolific sculptor Richard Serra, who has over 70 works in MoMA's permanent collection and who had a retrospective at the museum in 2007. The night was also marked by a protest led by about 100 museum staff who held signs that read “Modern Art, Ancient Wages” and “MoMA, Don’t Cut Our Healthcare,” in an effort to draw attention to the museum’s request for their workers to take on extra healthcare cost. One particularly clever sign read, “Last Year: Matisse Cut-Outs. This Year: MoMA Health Care Cuts?”

But the protest outside did not sour the full-blown party taking place inside. As the dinner concluded, The Weeknd took the stage to cap the night off with a 30 minute performance. We spotted artists Ryder Ripps and Jeanette Hayes singing along in the rain to hits "Earned It," and "Or Naw.""New York is the best city, I'm so happy to be back playing at MoMA," the Canadian singer said from the garden stage overlooking Joan Miro’s Moonbird sculpture. “Tonight is the high of the high, the Weeknd is fantastic,“ said Ripps of the R&B singer. “I’m a very good dancer, I can’t hold it in,” he added when we saw him dancing on some couches in a white linen suit as the Grammy nominated artist played "Often."

The Weeknd

The Weeknd

The Weeknd

The Weeknd

Dave1 from Chromeo

Dave1

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It's All For You, Video Girl: New Releases from FKA twigs and Janet Jackson On The Way

June 3, 2015, 4:50 am

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It's a good day for R&B, as there's officially new FKA twigs AND Janet Jackson slated for later this year.

In her Complex cover story, twigs announced that EP3 will be called Melissa, the personification of her female energy. Defining "Melissa" as a separate entity/alter ego that she honed and strengthened with the help of ballroom culture's vogue dancers, the album will be released sometime in the next two months, along with a video for "Figure 8."

Ms. Jackson's also been keeping busy, as she took to her website earlier today to announce that her upcoming album would be put out this fall through her very own BMG imprint, Rhythm Nation. Her first release in seven years, this new business endeavor will make her the first African-American woman artist with her own label -- and according to Entertainment Tonight, whispers abound that this album will also serve as a tribute to her late brother. Emoji hand claps all around.

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Watch Game of Thrones' White Walkers do the "Thriller" Dance

June 3, 2015, 5:59 am

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This is the best thing to happen on Game of Thrones in years -- a video depicting the newly-ascendant, terrifying White Walkers (and their leader, the Night's King) engaged (sort of) in the dance from one of the best music videos of all time. Embedding is disabled on the video, so check it out on YouTube after watching these clips of Jon Snow and the original "Thriller" video (because no matter how recently you watched it, it wasn't recently enough).
 

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Laverne Cox Penned the Perfect Response to Caitlyn Jenner's Coming Out

June 3, 2015, 7:00 am

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By now it seems every media outlet, blogger, minor celebrity and person on Twitter has weighed in on Caitlyn Jenner's coming out, with most of the reactions being overwhelmingly positive and a few that were tone-deaf and unnecessarily douche-y (the fuck we care what you think, Drake Bell?). But one of the most meaningful voices to enter the fray belongs to Laverne Cox, who penned a note on Tumblr yesterday.

The Orange Is the New Black actress (and former PAPER Beautiful Person) knows, to an extent, what Caitlyn is going through. She had her own cover moment last year when Time had her grace the front of their magazine with the headline "The Transgender Tipping Point" and, until Caitlyn came along, she's been the de facto face of trans visibility and empowerment. She was also recently praised for her decision to pose nude in Allure Magazine. But, as Cox points out in the note, much of the attention she received for her Time cover and Allure spread -- like a lot of the attention Caitlyn has been receiving -- focused on how beautiful she looked. And this compliment is more loaded than it might seem:

"Yes, Caitlyn looks amazing and is beautiful but what I think is most beautiful about her is her heart and soul, the ways she has allowed the world into her vulnerabilities. The love and devotion she has for her family and that they have for her. Her courage to move past denial into her truth so publicly. These things are beyond beautiful to me. A year ago when my Time magazine cover came out I saw posts from many trans folks saying that I am "drop dead gorgeous" and that that doesn't represent most trans people. (It was news to be that I am drop dead gorgeous but I'll certainly take it). But what I think they meant is that in certain lighting, at certain angles I am able to embody certain cisnormative beauty standards. Now, there are many trans folks because of genetics and/or lack of material access who will never be able to embody these standards... It is important to note that these standards are also infomed [sic] by race, class and ability among other intersections. I have always been aware that I can never represent all trans people. No one or two or three trans people can. This is why we need diverse media representations of trans folks to multiply trans narratives in the media and depict our beautiful diversities."

Beautifully said, Laverne.

Read the rest of her letter HERE and for another insightful, well-written response, check out a letter written by Janet Mock HERE.

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A/S/L: Exploring Web 1.0 with Gaby Dunn

June 3, 2015, 7:35 am

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The internet has been part of our lives for long enough that a generation of writers and artists has come of age with it, and used it as a tool to construct their creative and professional identities. But that also means that they grew up alongside an internet that today's teens would find foreign and scary, during the days when MySpace was the biggest social network, AIM buddy profiles were important social statements, and having your own GeoCities page was a big deal. Our new column, A/S/L, asks the people who are best at the internet to tell us about their personal Web 1.0. 

For the first installment of the feature, we talked to comedian, writer, BuzzFeed Video star, and all-around internet superhero Gaby Dunn. If you're unfamiliar with her work (which is really great, especially for queer teens and teen girls), jump over to Twitter, read some of her writing, or check out her regular love advice webseries Just Between Us.

What was the first internet service you made an account for? Was there a specific reason you made it? (i.e. I made my first AOL account so I could sign up for Neopets.)

My first account was with a Superman message board called Kryptonsite. I made it when I was 12 years old so I could talk to other people about Superman, which no one in my real life wanted to talk about. The boards ran different forums, where people also talked about their daily lives. (I suspect everyone was very lonely.) I still talk to one woman I met on there, but I think I lied to everyone about my age for a long time.

What was your first screen name? Email address?

My first screen name was Bud1988, because "Bud" was what my parents called me when I was in the womb and I was born in 1988. It was not very creative, but to be fair I also was the child who named her teddy bear "Teddy" and her dog "Baby" so creatively wasn't really where I was at at that point in my life. My first email address was "andthepickles@bellsouth.net" which is a reference to a Dane Cook joke.

What was your most profound AIM away message?

It was probably lyrics from the song "La Vie Boheme" from the musical RENT. I thought because I was very into RENT that I was better than all the squares at my middle school. I mean, "La Vie Boheme" references fisting and Susan Sontag, and I was desperate to seem cool enough to hang out in New York City and have AIDS.

How many MySpace friends did you have at your peak? How many LiveJournals? (No lying.)

No clue. I was never very good at MySpace. I tried to be scene but ended up more sad, Hot Topic goth. I think I had very few MySpace friends, if any in real life. But by contrast, I was HUGE on LiveJournal. Right after I left Kryptonsite, all the cool people from there had migrated over to LiveJournal so I did too. Back then, you needed a code to get a LiveJournal and I wanted one very badly (because in internet-land, it proved you had important friends). I got one and made a LiveJournal and that was my entire high school years. I was on it constantly. I had one for fanfiction only, which got very big, and I even won an award for The O.C. fanfiction. My personal one was very dramatic and I had a great core group of friends on there, and we'd talk on AIM every night. I only ever met two of them in real life.

Who were the first people you thought were big deals on the internet, and did you ever interact with them?

There were some big name fanfiction authors I was obsessed with. They were named lalejandra and hackthis, and they wrote these epically long fanfictions with amazing backstories. I can't believe I remember their journal names. I have no idea what their real names are, or anything about them. Fanfiction back then wasn't known the way it is now because of 50 Shades of Grey. I never interacted with either of them. One of the moderators on Kryptonsite was a woman named Andie, who I'm still internet friends with. She seemed like a very big deal to me back in the day, and I got to meet her in real life, which I felt cool about. 

Chart the history of your life in websites, by listing the most important site to you each year you've been online. 

Kryptonsite - 2001

Fanfiction.net - 2002

LiveJournal - 2003 to 2006 

(Then LJ gave birth to Greatestjournal and Insanejournal, which I also had and was obsessed with.)

Facebook - 2006

Twitter

Tumblr

and now I guess Twitter is back to being the frontrunner.

What's the strongest relationship you've ever formed with someone you hadn't met IRL?  

There was this girl I became close to that I found out was actually another friend of mine, who I never met in real life, catfishing me. (Before catfishing was a thing.) But in a weird way, back then, no one got that mad about catfishing. Like, this girl and I remained friends and it was whatever. I had a very close friendship with a depressed guy, who was the one that gave me the code to join LiveJournal. A lot of these people were way older than me and lonely, and I was stuck in a boring high school full of homophobes and rich idiots. We needed each other.

Did you ever create alternate identities online or engage in proto-catfishing?Not really! I had separate accounts for fanfiction, that hid my identity somewhat. I also did Harry Potter roleplay, where no one really knows who you are. You pick a Harry Potter character and journal as them and people read it and follow the storyline. It was weird writing exercises, but no one ever knew that, "Oh, this journal is by Gaby." They'd just think it was by someone's interpretation of Hermione Granger.

What's the most important thing you learned from the internet?

Without it, I might have killed myself as a teenager. No joke. Because the internet showed me that everyone is weird. That I wasn't alone or destined to never have friends. It taught me that people like me, and potential friends were out there. I just had to grow up and find them.

Do you wish you had spent less time online as a kid? Do you wish you spent less time on the internet now?

I had an ex boyfriend tell me that I wouldn't have killed myself without the internet, I just would have started going to more punk shows. As in, I would have found my people any way I could have. So maybe in that way, I wish I hadn't been so consumed by the internet as a kid. But no, I was honing my writing skills and experimenting/meeting new people in a pretty safe way all things considered. Now, my job is online so I have to be here. And I'm happy to walk away when I don't need to be online. (I deleted Facebook and Tumblr from my phone as a first step.) But it's different when being online is your job. I'm not on every day like, playing fun games. I'm working. I think in the future that's how it'll be for most people.

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An Inflatable Orange Dude Has an Erotic Day in the New Claude VonStroke Video

June 3, 2015, 8:01 am

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Forget about "...of the day," this clip for Claude VonStroke's "Make a Cake" is the Music Video of the Year! An orange, inflatable dude goes on a date with hot chick in a "Wild Thing" tee-shirt. They play a little miniature golf, but soon park for some you-know-what and dude deflates when he's stabbed by a fingernail. No problem -- what he needs is a blow-job. Don't come knockin' when the car starts rockin'. The track reminds me of another intellectual masterpiece, "Sandwiches" by Detroit Grand Pubahs. Brilliant!

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Why Your Caitlyn Jenner Memes Are Awful

June 3, 2015, 8:15 am

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So we may be a little biased when it comes to this new Caitlyn Jenner #BreakTheInternet cover parody, but does this joke seem just a little ... off?

The undertone of the parody cover is that Caitlyn, whose Vanity Fair cover was released the day after news about Kimye's second child broke, is not one to be championed for her bravery but for usurping Kim's position as the definitive Kardashian to care about. A sentiment further bolstered by the mispelling of Jenner's name, which makes it pretty obvious that the creator was more invested in the lulz than commending Jenner?

And then we get images like:

And it's not just a few dumb memes that have gone viral on Instagram. Sneaky, sexist commentary has been accompanying much of the Caitlyn Jenner media coverage thus far. It's something so icky that even Jon Stewart had to say something last night.

In the clip, you hear pundits opining on Caitlyn's "hotness:" But is "she hotter than Kris?"  "Most importantly, does she have a better body than Kim Kardashian?" This concept of attractiveness being tantamount to worth, and something that should be competed for and won, is, unfortunately, nothing new for women in the spotlight. (Or, uh, in general.) After all, it doesn't matter that Kim has been one of the biggest supporters of Caitlyn's transition, because, she's no longer the hottest or most talked about member of the Kardashian clan. It's a line of thinking that has dangerous roots in the idea that all women are catty, competitive and obsessed with being the center of attention.

Pitting females (not to mention family members), against one another is tasteless -- especially as the world is already populated by enough gross people, as evidenced by a hateful petition to have Jenner's Olympic medals revoked. Yes, Caitlyn looks great, but more importantly she's finally happy with herself and who she is -- making a move that trans activist Geena Rocero said will save lives and bring some much needed visibility to the trans community. So stop talking about her "comparative fuckability" and remember that a huge American sports star is doing something this incredible and historic for trans awareness. 

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Listen to a New, Guilt-Free SOPHIE-Produced Jingle

June 3, 2015, 8:45 am

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A predictably-infectious Sophie single has re-surfaced in, of all places, a new GIF-ed up commercial for the Samsung Galaxy S6. 

A track he's played before at live sets, "When I Rule The World" is a collaboration with Mad Decent's trope-pop princess Liz, though a statement via Sophie's publicist said the track "has literally zero connection to PC Music, and Sophie had nothing to do with the advertisement. This is purely a licensing advertisement for the song by Liz." 

There go all of the theories about this being a continuation of PC Music's strange foray into pushing actual consumer products a la "QT Energy Elixir" -- so go ahead, listen to the track guilt-free.

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See the Original Kids Casting Call

June 3, 2015, 6:00 am

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On the heels of Kids'  twentieth anniversary and a new collaboration between Larry Clark and Supreme and ahead of a cast reunion at BAM later this month, a piece of memorabilia has re-surfaced: the original casting call flyer. Providing very, very little information, the notice reads "Looking for: Real NYC kids. All backgrounds and colors. Guys and girls 13 - 19 years old."

Considering that the film launched the careers of Chloe Sevigny and Rosario Dawson, guess the flyer -- and Larry Clark's instincts -- did its job.

h/t Gothamist

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The 10 Cutest Guys From 1980s New Wave

June 3, 2015, 8:32 am

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It wasn't always easy to envision what lurked beneath the spiky hair and glam makeup of the new wave music stars and determine who was actually good looking. But with some effort, it was possible, and I've done so, determining the 10 hottest hotties to grace that hypnotically fun era. Left out are Billy Idol and Missing Persons' Warren Cuccurullo, only because they may not have been new wave, per se, but feel free to add them if it rocks your synthesizer.


JOHN TAYLOR, DURAN DURAN
If there was ever a movie star-looking music icon, it was Taylor, the bass guitarist and co-founder of the hit-making group of "Rio" lovers, Duran Duran. He had dreamy features, luscious hair, and alluring attitude. At one point, Taylor even went out on his own and did some films (and music), but he never really ignited enough to become a solo superstar. That's fine. He returned to the group in 2001 and remains with them, always a matinee idol in the minds of millions.

MORTEN HARKET, A-HA
The Norwegian synth/pop/rock band had a few hits like "Take On Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on T.V.," with shimmery videos to accompany them. Their finest feature was the fact that they were impossibly good looking, especially lead singer Harket, with the bedroom eyes and cute hair. Good news for his admirers: The band is back together and working on new material, with an album in the works. And he still looks gorge.    

IAN CRAIG MARSH, HUMAN LEAGUE
"Don't You Want Me?" sang this British new wave ensemble, and the masses replied, "Yes. Especially Ian Craig." He certainly did better -- and looked better -- with Human League than he did with his previous band, Musical Vomit.

NICK HEYWARD, HAIRCUT 100
The "Love Plus One" band was fronted by this adorbs Nick, a founder and the lead singer. Inevitably, he left the band in 1983 to try for a solo career. Here's hoping he always keeps that haircut, which gets a 100 in my book.

NIK KERSHAW
The English teen idol transfixed fans with "Wouldn't It Be Good?" and was called a great songwriter by Elton John. Best of all, he was really cute, putting the permanent back in new wave.

ANDREW RIDGELEY, WHAM!
The other person in Wham! (besides George Michael) was the underappreciated but totally great looking Ridgeley, a singer/songwriter/guitarist who musically seemed to fall by the wayside but remains in our hearts. At one point, the puppyish Ridgeley moved to Monaco and became a race car driver. He now lives a somewhat slower life on a farm with a woman from Bananarama. 

JON MOSS, CULTURE CLUB
Moss had a fiancée, but when he emerged as the drummer for Culture Club ("I'll Tumble 4 Ya"), he became involved with drag queeny lead singer Boy George. Their relationship ended in 1986, but the group's songs about it live on -- as do the memories of Jon's mischievous cuteness. 

GARY AND MARTIN KEMP, SPANDAU BALLET
The British brothers (Gary is a tad older) were at the nucleus of Spandau, the British band known for sleek hits like "True" and "Gold." Gary was a guitarist and songwriter, while Martin was the bass guitarist, but both are remarkably good looking, with chiseled features, and lots of side projects. Martin went on to yet more UK fame as a star of EastEnders. Gary married Sadie Frost (for starters).

ROBBIE GREY, MODERN ENGLISH
The British band best known for the mesmerizing "I Melt With You" and its various tempo changes had a hot frontman in Robbie, who's lanky and blase, with appealingly Dickensian features. I always wanted to melt with him. And still do -- the band is still together!

ADAM ANT
Stuart Leslie Goddard, the lead singer of Adam and the Ants, personified pirate chic, doing so in wonderfully painted-on-looking outfits, with just the right hint of chest revealed. Stuart/Adam was sizzling as he romped around singing "Prince Charming" (even if he wasn't always so charming in person).

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Shura Shares the Spacey Synth-Disco Single "White Light"

June 3, 2015, 12:05 pm

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Shura takes synth-disco to a place where no man has ever gone before with her brand new, seven-minute single "White Light."

Paying ample homage to the '80s greats, the sweeping track starts off deceptively slow, working its way toward a synth-laden, discofunk jam worthy of soundtracking a nighttime Miami Vice aerial shot. Filled with addictive synthlines paired with a radiant pop heart, "White Light" will undoubtedly be prime summer remix fodder. A sweltering somersault through the stratosphere, just make sure to strap yourself in before taking this deep dive. 

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Here's Teenage Michael Stipe at a Rocky Horror Screening

June 4, 2015, 1:25 am

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Every Weird Teen worth their salt had a Rocky Horror Picture Show phase, including, apparently, Michael Stipe. Before he fronted R.E.M., he was going to Rocky Horror screenings in Dr. Frank-N-Furter drag at the Varsity Theater in St. Louis. Here's a local news report from the late '70s about the then-controversial film and its diehard fans. (This clip made the rounds online a few years ago, but since the internet is one big time warp, we're sharing it with you again via Dangerous Minds.) Stipe is interviewed at the 1:25 mark. 

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Little Boots Channels Cher Horowitz, Pulls Off "Hangover Chic" In New Video

June 4, 2015, 4:30 am

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Like most #WorkingGirls, Little Boots' Victoria Hesketh still has to get up the morning after -- though she probably looks a helluva lot better on her Walk of Shame judging by that mussed up robe look she's sporting in her new video.

The first single off of her upcoming album, Working Girl (out July 10th via Dim Mak), the tune is appropriately titled "Better In The Morning," and has her starting her day with some pastel pink Pop Tarts, an Alka-Seltzer and a little hair of the dog. And with a nod to Cher's computerized wardrobe in Clueless , she pulls off effortless hangover chic that will have you a little upset about that whole "I hope we can still be friends" line.

Watch her put your morning routine to shame, below.

[h/tThe Fader]

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"I'm 160 pounds and I can catch a Dick Whenever I Want:" Watch Amy Schumer's Glamour Awards Speech

June 4, 2015, 5:31 am

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Amy Schumer was named Trailblazer of the Year at UK Glamour's Women of the Year Awards in London earlier this week, and gave an acceptance speech that set fire to the rain. Reflecting on a red carpet reporter who asked her earlier int he night if she felt out of a place at an awards ceremony dedicated to glamour, Schumer offered, "I'm 160 pounds and I can catch a dick whenever I want, and that's the truth. It's not a problem." She went on to remember her deeply unglamorous middle school days, a time when hormones are awry and some early developers end up looking like a cross between a toddler and a 25-year-old. In Schumer's case, she lost her last baby tooth and got her period all in the same week in fifth grade: "I was just like this jack-o-lantern with tits walking around." Watch the whole, amazing video above. Amy Schumer for president.

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A New Documentary Gives Viewers a Glimpse Into the Lives of Gay Palestinians

June 4, 2015, 6:30 am

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Tel Aviv has long been home to one of the Middle East's most vibrant LGBTQ communities, though the struggles of many living in the shadows is still an unfortunate reality as depicted by a new documentary called Oriented.

An intriguing look at the juxtaposition between the personal and political, Oriented shows viewers what it's like to be gay in the Middle East, as many still grapple with the myriad familial and societal pressures that encourage them to stay hidden. The documentary focuses on three Palestinian friends living in Tel Aviv, Khader (a Muslim living with his Jewish boyfriend), Fadi (a "Palestinian nationalist confronted by guilty Jewish love") and Naim (a man who must come out to his family); over a 15-month period, we follow the charismatic trio as they navigate their personal lives in the midst of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict of summer 2014.

It's also worth noting that the title is a brief acknowledgment to Edward Said's concept of "orientalism," which first-time director Jake Witzenfeld says is a nod toward his own identity as a Westerner (Witzenfeld is British but lives in Tel Aviv). However, it's clear that a significant portion of the film is also dedicated toward addressing related misperceptions, as Khader says early on that "the west has monopolized concepts of liberalism and of being out of the closet." 

And though the film originally started as an apolitical project, it's inevitably remade itself into an intimate profile of the actual people living through this all, the ones who "hope that people recognize us and our desire to be recognized, and just know that we exist in this big mess."

You'll be able to watch the film in NYC when it screens at Williamsburg's Wythe Hotel on 6/22 and at The Crosby Hotel in Soho on 6/25. (For a complete list of screening dates and showtimes, go HERE.) In the meantime, watch the preview, which premiered over at Dazed, below

h/t Dazed and Confused

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10 Trans Movies that Changed Film

June 4, 2015, 6:45 am

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It was incredibly encouraging to see the reaction to Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair cover this week to see how far we've come from the usually judgmental, ignorant comments that greeted other trailblazers like Christine Jorgensen, Renee Richards or Chaz Bono. But here are 10 films that also dared to deal with the subject of gender identity and transformation way before it became a topic openly discussed by the media and woven into pop culture. Though many of these movies are downright campy at times, they dealt with subject matter that few were willing to take on in the film world.

Dinah East (1970)
A film about a famous movie star who dies and when stripped down by a horny mortician after her death, turns out to be a man. Directed by Gene Nash, the movie is a series of flashbacks from the star's past -- call it a transgender Citizen Kane but with lots of male frontal nudity. There's also a hilarious musical interlude (á la Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid) in which Dinah (played by Jeremy Stockwell) and her boyfriend Tank frolic on bicycles. 


The Christine Jorgensen Story (1970)
Irving Rapper, who directed Bette Davis in Now, Voyager was perhaps not the best choice to tell the story of George/Christine Jorgensen (played by actor John Hansen), whose public sex change shocked the world. But as melodramatic and silly as the movie is, it's not without it's camp charm.

I Want What I Want (1972)
Anne Heywood, somewhat convincingly, plays Roy -- a London lad who dreamed of being a lass ever since he was a boy. When his military dad catches him flouncing around in a wig and a dress as a child he beats him up. But Roy, with smeared lipstick and a broken heel, stands at the top of the staircase and defiantly proclaims: "God made man in his own image, and he blew it!" He tries living as a woman but the movie ends on a creepy note with a bit of self-surgery with a shard of broken mirror. We've come a long way baby... thank God.


In A Year Of 13 Moons (1978)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder's brilliant, transgressive take on the final days in the life of Erwin/Elvira (Volker Spengler), who impulsively flew to Casablanca and got a sex change out of his love for an eccentric tycoon. In one outrageous scene she is reunited with the object of her affection and his bodyguards and they all reenact the Jerry Lewis musical number "Face The Music" in an office suite.


Different For Girls (1996)
Paul (Rupert Graves), a scruffy motorbike delivery guy living in London, literally runs into his old school chum (Steven Mackintosh) who has changed a bit in the 16 years since they last saw each other. He is now, after sex reassignment surgery, Kim. Their relationship and how it evolves is realistic and touchingly handled.


Ma Vie En Rose (1997)
Poor little 7-year-old Ludovic (Georges Du Fresne). He's convinced he should be a girl. So he dresses in drag at family picnics and proposes to the boy next door. His loving parents are confounded at what to do and his neighbors and classmates appalled. But Ludovic is wonderfully persistent in his conviction and dreams of flying through the air with a Barbie-like TV star called "Claudia."  A funny, poignant film out of Belgium.


Boys Don't Cry (1999)
True-life story of Brandon Teena (Hilary Swank), a troubled 20-year-old in Nebraska who lived her life successfully masquerading as a boy. Teena fooled a lot of people including a new group of white trash friends she met in the dismal town of Falls City, which sadly sets the stage for her eventual rape and murder. Hilary Swank gave a fearless performance in director Kimberly Peirce's powerful film.


Hedwig And The Angry Inch (2001)
A blazingly original rock opera written, directed and starring John Cameron Mitchell as the "internationally ignored" trans glam rocker Hedwig. The movie chronicles his life as a lonely East German boy who winds up having a botched sex operation to please a G.I. and move to America as well as his tormented infatuation with a closeted rock n' roller (Michael Pitt). Who knew this indie great would be ripping it up on Broadway every night?


Transamerica (2005)
Felicity Huffman brings the right flaky charm as Bree -- a pre-op trans woman, awaiting her operation, who discovers the son she fathered years ago has been arrested in New York. What follows is a cross-country odyssey between the prim uptight Bree and her punk son (Kevin Zegers) that is very engaging.


Laurence Anyways (2012)
Canadian maverick Xavier Dolan's messy masterpiece about a trans woman (Melvil Poupaud) and the woman (Suzanne Clement) her life. Edgy, transcendent, overlong, and just sublime. Less about sexual reassignment but about the real loves in one's life that transcend any easy definition. And what else matters in the end?

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