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A New York Home for Classic Kicks with A Top-Notch Twist

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Men's shoes often leave much to be desired. Classic silhouettes' and neutral colors have dominated the market for years and although these styles have longevity for a reason, it's always refreshing to see a designer putting a fresh spin on classic staples. Along those lines, that's why we're psyched Louis Leeman Paris is opening a flagship store in New York. The brand is the love child of couple Louis Leeman and Erica Pelosini, combining his shoe obsession and incredible attention to detail with her fashion acumen. With a creative combination of traditional Italian craftsmanship and quality fabrics with modern finishes Louis Leeman Paris caters to that guy who is looking for timeless elegance with a fun attitude. Whether you're looking for a colorful sneaker with metal plate detailing, a pair of blue camo loafers or a classic fashionable brogue a wide variety of options ensures that there is something for every man. 

The store itself, much like a jewelry box, has been developed with the same attention to detail as the product it contains. Located at 793 Madison Avenue on the corner of 67th street the store has been designed by Louis in conjunction with lead British design firm David Collins Studio to reflect a re-imagined Parisian salon. The exterior of the store is framed in antique brass and the doors to the boutique have been inspired by the Art Deco apartment buildings scattered throughout New York. An ornate fireplace serves as the centerpiece of the room, giving the space an intimate feel. The sophisticated ambiance is enhanced by comfy seating, mirror plated doors, and reclaimed parquet de Versailles flooring. A hidden room flanking the fireplace and lined in antique brass is a functioning cobbler's room that offers bespoke shoe services and customization. Bottom line? Run (don't walk) in your snazzy brogues to check out the boutique.

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Scenes from the Perry Moore Hero Fund Scholarship Fundraiser

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Wednesday night friends and fans of the late author and film producer Perry Moore gathered at Marble House in Tribeca for a fundraiser in support of the Perry Moore Hero Fund, which gives college scholarships to LGBT youth. THe fund was started by Moore's partner Hunter Hill, who co-hosted the event with Julianne Moore, Andy Cohen, Allison Sarofim and Stuart Parr. Moore was a popular and beloved figure and many of his close friends -- folks like Tatum O'Neal, Cynthia Rowley and Bill Powers, Richard Phillips, Dean Winters, Francisco Costa, Kevin Sessums, David Kuhn and Sally Singer, amonger others -- came out in support. Take a look at photos from the evening, below.


The evening's honorary host, Julianne Moore, congratulates scholarship recipient Christian Sanchez


The Perry Moore Hero Fund founder and Moore's partner, Hunter Hill, with Julianne Moore


Sally Singer


Donna D'Cruz


Cynthia Rowley


Tatum O'Neal


Dean Winters, Stuart Parr and Julio Andreotti


Mary Wharton and Samantha Mathis


Kevin Sessums, Peter Davis and Cherika King


David Kuhn, Lucas Heigel and Yvonne Force Villareal


Christian Sanchez


Real Housewife Dorinda Medley and boyfriend John Mahdessian


Stuart Parr, Parker Parr and Allison Sarofim


Andy Cohen, Allison Sarofim, Hunter Hill and Julianne Moore

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The Best, Worst and Weirdest of the Week

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Best reaction to Caitlyn Jenner's transition: In response to the media gushing over how beautiful Caitlyn Jenner looks, Jon Stewart observed, "It's really heartening to see that everyone is willing to not only accept Caitlyn Jenner as a woman, but to waste no time in treating her like a woman."-- Suzannah Weiss



Weirdest "Security Breach":
A pregnant Kim Kardashian drops a fewtruthbombs. Twitter thinks she's been hacked. -- Victoria Lin

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Most Colorful Kicks: This week, Adidas Originals announced that they would be releasing a collection called the Originals Pride Pack in support of LGBT rights, with a portion of the proceeds from this line will go to New Avenues for Youth. -- Juliette Kang

Movie Event of the Week: the Sparrow Film Project, which returns to Astoria's Museum of the Moving Image this weekend (June 6-7th) for screenings of all 53 submitted films followed by a gala featuring selected nominees screenings and awards show on the 11th. Interested guests can get tickets HERE. -- Abby Schreiber

Worst Game of "Fuck, Marry, Kill": Apparently the game you played at your 8th grade slumber party is now "taking the world by storm," and Kathie Lee/Hoda want a piece of the PG pie. Though it's (predictably) awkward daytime television to watch, as you don't really need to start off your morning with sexual scenarios involving Simon Cowell, Howard Stern and Mark Wahlberg. -- Sandra Song

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Most Unanticipated/Unnecessary Sequel:Grey, the Christian Grey-POV follow-up to the Fifty Shades trilogy. Thanks for another 500-page volume of badly-written torture porn, E. L. James! -- V.L.


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Most terrifying text: The "effective power text," also know as the "text of doom," has been crashing all iPhones that receive a specific string of Arabic, Marathi, and Chinese characters with the words "effective" and "power." Kids, don't try this at home. -- S.W.

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BBQ of the Week: Finger On the Pulse's next edition of their BBQ Blowout series with food by Birds & Bubbles/City Grit's Sarah Simmons and a DJ set by Sweet Pete & Domino, which returns this Tuesday (6/9). Get tix HERE. -- A.S.

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Realest fake magazine cover: This satirical "Men Who Rock" issue of The Stranger shows what Rolling Stone's "Women Who Rock" issue would look like if the genders were reversed, with cover stars who will "please your eyes and ears" plus "dish on their diet and workout tips!"-- S.W.

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Best work bonus: Walmart has officially conceded to no longer playing Celine Dion and Justin Bieber on loop. It's okay, your heart will go on. -- S.S.

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Best Invite of the Week: SHADE's cereal box invitation for their next rager happening on June 20th. -- A.S.

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Historic: Andreja Pejic is the First Transgender Face for a Major Make-Up Campaign

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With her starring role in Make Up For Ever's social brand campaign "Be Bold. Be Unexpected. Be You,"Andreja Pejic has just made history as the first transgender face to model for a major cosmetics brand. Along with Asian-American actress Jamie Chung, Pejic shot a breathtaking video that has her in a series of striking looks in a video posted by the brand's Instagram.

"Being bold is about freedom," she said in a statement. "It's hard for anyone to grow up and not be afraid of what others think. Makeup helps me express myself, and I've used it in varying ways throughout my life. I have strived to live life on my own terms, to never have to hide and to never have to feel shame about who I am. I can be proud of that, and I'm equally proud to share that message through this campaign." 

Watch the teaser below.


h/tElle

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The Sunday Funnies

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Where is the lie. [Mlkshk]


Here is a man having a conversation with a goose. [TastefullyOffensive]
 
tumblr_nlij2clYOX1r9j056o1_540.pngGoals. [FYouNFMe]

tumblr_np36pcaCAs1skkfpco1_500.jpgUs on Sunday nights. [FYouNoFMe]

tumblr_nnh0xdwFW01shvogjo1_1280.jpgTrue story. [AfternoonSnoozeButton]


A moose family enjoys time with a sprinkler. [TastefullyOffensive]
 tumblr_nh1qgo7CxP1tzon2so1_1280.jpgImportant bathroom art. [FYeahDementia]


tumblr_npccggyrCp1shrx9ko1_500.pngDelete all Twitter accounts except for Cher's. [AfternoonSnoozeButton]


Maru the cat squeezes into two small empty beer boxes. [TastefullyOffensive]

 
CCp0RXKW8AISt14.jpgRecursive cute. [SimonfromHarlow]

14JAY.jpgLife is way-chill suffering. [Mlkshk]

tumblr_np7og6WgVh1s2yegdo1_400.gifPlease remember to tip your dog. [FYeahDementia]


"I'm 160 pounds and I can catch a dick whenever I want:" ICYMI, Amy Schumer's Glamour Awards speech was amazing.
 
tumblr_npjf4y5h581qewacoo1_500.jpgToo far. [TastefullyOffensive]



tumblr_nphyqvqGvi1qzz08do1_500.jpgThanks very much, Jackie Chan! [AfternoonSnoozeButton]

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"Separatism Is For Losers:" Watch John Waters' Fantastic RISD Commencement Speech

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John Waters could give a hilarious, withering, air-tight soundbite in his sleep (just peruse our Waters tag for years of deeply entertaining Q&As with him here), so who better to deliver a commencement speech to our nation's youth than the Prince of Puke? This weekend, Waters delivered the commencement at RISD, and though he was kicked out of college for a marijauana scandal, he's just the person to be sending out nation's creative youth out into the the dark, dark real world. Per Waters on his commencement-giving credentials: "Somehow, I've been able to make a living doing what I best for 50 years without ever having to get a real job." Listen to this man, kids. Watch above for more life advice and fabulous bon mots from Waters above.

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Scenes from Bushwick Open Studios

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Bushwick Open Studios wrapped up its 9th year this weekend with hundreds of events that included the namesake open studios (many in populous artist studio buildings, others in private homes or storefronts), art fairs, parties and performances. The fascinating byproduct of all this was a thriving street culture, especially near the Morgan and Jefferson L stops, where onlookers of all stripes mixed with pop-up performance artists, inebriated wanderers, and of course, the ever-vigilant NYPD. We sought out some studio performances and wandered the streets this weekend in hopes of capturing the essence of the colorful scenes and delightful interactions resulting from the festivities. Take a look at photos, below.


THE ORACLE OPEN STUDIO featuring a special performance with CULTTASTIC


A scene at the Bushwick Collective block party


An installation at 26 rock street, curated by Deborah Brown and Lesley Heller, sponsored a Boar’s Head distributor


A pop-up musical performance near the Jefferson stop on Sat


Scene near the Morgan stop on Sunday


Painting the trash gold in Jefftown


Warm-up for a performance piece called "Control Quartz" at Feminist Thesaurus Results


"Control Quartz" at Feminist Thesaurus Results


Rockin’ Granny Love with Dr. Lisa Levy


The scene at the Bushwick Collective afterparty


The proprietor of MEATT, a tattoo gallery


At the Bushwick Collective Block Party


At the Bushwick Collective Block Party


A mobile performance artist


Vegan Taxidermy by Mother Pigeon


Go Push Pops and friends


A performance artist gives an onlooker a flower


Alex Drewchin at EyeBodega


The crowd at EyeBodega


The Wild Women of Planet Wongo


Street scene near Jefferson stop on Saturday


The NEWD fair


The NEWD fair


The crowds on Troutman St


The view from the 17-17 Troutman building Saturday night

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Introducing Our "Use Your Voice" Summer Music Issue With Miley Cyrus!

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"I was doing a show two nights ago," Miley Cyrus tells us in our Summer 2015 cover story, "and I was wearing butterfly nipple pasties and butterfly wings. I'm standing there with my tits out, dressed like a butterfly. How the fuck is that fair? How am I so lucky?"

The story, on newsstands June 22nd, focuses on Miley's inspiration behind the Happy Hippie Foundation, a nonprofit launched earlier this year to help homeless and LGBT kids. The unapologetic, shit-kicking Miley we know is there, but we see an engaged and compassionate side as well -- and a fluid sexual identification that connects her personal life with her social-justice dreams.

For the shoot, we got Miley together with creative director Diane Martel (who directed Cyrus'"We Can't Stop" video) and photographer Paola Kudacki. In addition to her shoot co-star, pet pig Bubba Sue, there was a glass pyramid, some body paint and very little clothing.

The issue, which we're calling Use Your Voice, also includes a conversation with Al Gore and Pharrell Williams about Live Earth 2015 and why "Happy" is a revolutionary song; we catch up with Charli XCX, Troye Sivan and Cody Simpson, and Mr. Mickey dines out with Betsey Johnson; we meet three out-and-proud gay country stars, who tell us about living authentically in their famously conservative genre; we dip a toe into the febrile dreamworld of French pop singer Petite Meller; and we celebrate nine living legends -- from Quincy Jones to Joan Jett to Dolly Parton -- who've used their voices to change the world. All this and more in our biggest summer music issue ever.

Come back tomorrow for the full cover story and more absolutely insane photos of Miley. 700x75.jpg

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Quiz: Are These Headlines About Last Night's Episode of Game of Thrones, or Literally Any Episode of Game of Thrones?

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Varys2.jpgLast night, a Thrones happened, or something. I still have not seen the offending episode, "The Dance of Dragons," because I was on a plane. But landing to discover the internet in an uproar about Another Bad Thing The Thrones People Did without having seen the episode is a little uncanny if you're familiar with the show's patterns regarding wanton violence, sexual abuse, and cruelty -- some of which is dramatically effective, much of which is not -- but not with the specifics of what happened.

By now, the fact that the reaction to every single episode of Game of Thrones is basically the same should be telling about what, exactly, the show is up to; it's fine for a series to keep one-upping its own "insane,""shocking," or "brutal" moments, but let's not kid ourselves about it being great because of that, or even very good. It's a pretty enjoyable, often difficult to watch, highly soapy show (though that does a disservice to soap operas, honestly) that frequently has great moments but very little on its mind.

If that's not convincing, try taking this quiz with headlines from media outlets reacting to the "big thing" from last night's Thrones -- or not. Can you guess which ones refer to the events of "The Dance of Dragons"?

1. "Has Game of Thrones Gone Too Far?"

2. "Did Game of Thrones Go Too Far With Latest Death?"

3. "Did Game of Thrones Finally Go Too Far?"

4. "Did Bloody Game of Thrones Episode Go Too Far?"


5. 
"Game of Thrones: Surprise Move Leads to Jarring and Disturbing Death"

6. "Game of Thrones Showrunner Analyzes That Very Disturbing Death Scene"

7. "HBO and Game of Thrones Have a Huge Problem on Their Hands"

8. "Why Did That Horrible Thing Happen on Game of Thrones?"

9. "Fans React to Game of Thrones' Most Shocking Event"

10. "We Loved Game of Thrones, But Now We Can't Even"

 
Answers: Is the Headline About Last Night's Game of Thrones?


  1. Nope! This is The Telegraph on that scene where a guy crushes another guy's head until it explodes.
  2. Yes! This is The Hollywood Reporter on last night's Game of Thrones.
  3. Nope! This is i09 on the Jaime-Cersei rape scene from last season.
  4. Nope! This is The Globe and Mail on "The Rains of Castamere," a.k.a. The Red Wedding, a.k.a. the episode books fans were excited about for years.
  5. Yes! And -- surprise -- this is alsoThe Hollywood Reporter on last night's Game of Thrones.
  6. Yes! This is Entertainment Weekly on last night's Game of Thrones.
  7. Nope! This is Forbes on whether the show will move past the plot of the books, though it could also refer to the show's rape problem, its dynamic duo problem, or its peen problem.
  8. Yes! This is The New York Times on last night's Game of Thrones, though writer Gilbert Cruz at least notes that "the headline of this piece could really be the headline of any piece about Game of Thrones."
  9. Nope! This is The Daily Dot on Twitter reaction to The Red Wedding.
  10. Yes! Sort of? We just made that last one up. But it totally sounds like a real thing someone would write... right?

How did you do? Excited to play the game again next week? When you play the game of Thrones headlines, you don't get to live, you just die a little inside.

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Ariana Grande Wants You to Fight the Patriarchy

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Class is in session and for the first course Professor Grande is serving up some salient feminist theory.

In a much blogged-about tweet, Ariana Grande went OFF about the double-standard she faces as a woman in the music industry, touching on pertinent issues like how ladies are slut-shamed while their male counterparts are lauded, being defined by her past relationships rather than her work, and the recalibration of a loaded word like "bitch." 

It's heartening to see the politicization of a prominent pop star and with the kind of mix of articulate arguments and teenspeak that only someone like Ariana Grande could get away with, we hope these are lessons her legions of fans can absorb. Below, we've collected some highlights from Grande's nouveau manifesto.

"I can't wait to live in a world where people are not valued by who they're dating / married to / attached to, having sex with (or not) / seen with... but by their value as an individual."

"Being 'empowered'...is not the same as being a 'bitch'...and "HAVING SOMETHING TO SAY...is not the same as HAVING A BAD ATTITUDE."

"If a woman has a lot of sex (or any sex for that matter)... she's a 'slut.' 
If a man has sex.... HE'S. A. STUD. A BOSSSSSS. a KING. 
If a woman even TALKS about sex openly... she is shamed! 
But if a man talks or RAPS freely about all the women (or more commonly used 'bitches'/'hoes'...how lovely) he's had...he is regaled."

"I... do not. belong. to anyone. but myself. and neither do you."

At the end, Grande even cited some required reading for her disciples, namely the gospel of OG feminist Gloria Steinem, so y'all better study up.

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Will Fashion Editors' Love of Alessandro Michele's New Gucci Designs Translate to Sales?

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gucci-032-1366.JPGAlessandro Michele's resort show for Gucci on Thursday cemented his place on the top of many fashion editor's obsessed lists. But as editors we look at collections in a different way than consumers (I'm not sure I could think of a bigger insult for a look than "It's SO wearable!") We love clothes that look amazing and create iconic images and certainly Michele's clothes do both.

The resort show built on Michele's runway debut for the brand in February. The clothes have a whimsy and a slouchy vintage fit that makes them refreshing and charming. These are not the in-your-face SEXY clothes of Tom Ford's Gucci. Michele showed a men's velvet suit -- classic Ford -- but made it his own with its relaxed fit and pairing it with an orange blousy shirt and a lavender flower neckpiece. It's the kind of high fashion you'd see in a Tim Walker fashion shoot or a Luchino Visconti movie. Soft not hard. And we can't get enough of it. The question is whether these clothes, that have fashion editors foaming at the mouth, will work the same magic with consumers worldwide. We think they will.

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Photos via Style.com

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Hear Kim Gordon and J Mascis's Blistering New Duet, "Slow Boy"

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A photo posted by @jmascis on


Kim Gordon and J Mascis have teamed up on a blistering new track, "Slow Boy," that appears on the newest release from Converse, CONS EP Vol. 3. Gordon growls and shouts amidst Mascis' eye-opening distortion, making for one cathartic summer jam. Listen to the single, below.

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Drake is Wearing a Ridiculous Apple Letterman Jacket Right Now

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Because today is a day that ends in "y" and because the laws of physics appear to continue to apply to the world in the way they always have, Drake has managed to subtly (or not-so-subtly) continue to transform himself into a living meme. Today, Apple announced its new music service, Apple Music, at a conference about apps that seems primarily like an opportunity for the Silicon Valley writers to justify their more outlandish jokes. A hero emerged to help Apple with the launch, and his name is Aubrey. Here is the jacket Drake was wearing.

Screen Shot 2015-06-08 at 3.31.45 PM.pngdrake.jpgNow that he is a tech visionary in addition to all of the rest of the things that define Drake (look how many categories we had to tag this under!), we have to ask -- what does he see from the 6? What untold futures do Drake's piercing eyes discern? Will there be more jackets?


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The Best Celebrity BFFs (And Former BFFs) Of All Time

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Today is National Best Friend Day and to celebrate the ami-versary, we've rounded up our ten favorite pairings from the fictional to the famous. Peep our picks below and tell us who else you think has an enviable entente. 

 
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Buzz and Woody 
To infinity and beyond. 

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Kimmy Gibbler and DJ Tanner
True friendship really does conquer all, as this dynamic duo will be getting their own Netflix spin-off series very soon. 

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Tina Fey and Amy Poehler 
Because there's nothing like having your friendship solidified as a stocking stuffer

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Jay Z and Kanye 
Yeah, you better Watch The Throne when these two hip-hop heavyweights show up. Jaynye forever.

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Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox 
Real life Friends :)

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Kendall Jenner and Cara Delevingne  
Probably our most photogenic pairing.

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Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat
Even before Instagram, these two BFFs always tagged with each other. 

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Karlie Kloss and Taylor Swift 
Quite literally an angelic pairing.

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Oprah and Gayle King
Apparently they've been phoning each other 4 times a day for 30 years -- an impressive feat as my BFF can barely get a text back.

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The Clueless Crew
Cher, Dionne and Tai are probably pop culture's ultimate friend group -- sweet, caring and constructive, they're one of the few examples of high school popularity that should be aspirational.


IN MEMORIAM

And now, for the fallen. Though these duos have never explicitly expressed ill will for each other to the press, things just aren't the same with these formerly inseparable buds:

gwyn-win_1800349c.jpgGwyneth Paltrow and Winona Ryder.
Theirs was a peak '90s cool-girl friendship, complete with matching platform flip-flops. It's rumored things went south when Paltrow "stole" her Shakepeare in Love role from Ryder, something she denies. It didn't exactly help the frenemy rumors, however, when Paltrow wrote a thinly-veiled 2009 piece for Goop about getting rid of a toxic friend, who many surmised to be Ryder. 

1374717718_5deb92059d0213c95bd2720af87d3b65.jpgDrake and Birdman
Drake, one of the most theoretically friendly humans in existence, was extremely close to one of his early business mentors -- Cash money's Birdman. But Birdman has a long history of shady practices, some of which led to a falling out between the two culminating in the middle-finger release of If You're Reading This, It's Too Late. Truly, it's too late for their friendship.


lindsay-lohan-paris-hilton.jpgLindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton
Things were never the same after fire-crotch-gate 2006.

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Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato

Disney ride-or-dies til the end, Lovato unfollowed Gomez on Instagram last year, later telling Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live, "I think its just one of those things where people change and people grow apart." This is an understandable, mature response and we see this all being smoothed over by Gomez and Lovato one day at the Ivy, clinking iced-teas and laughing about that time Justin Bieber was marketed as an underwear model.
 
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Marc Maron and Louie CK
Noted cantankerous comedy elder statesmen Louis C.K. and Marc Maron were incredibly close friends struggling as stand-ups in the 1980s. But the two drifted apart, to the point where episodes of C.K.'s show Maron's WTF podcast dissected the dissolution and reformation of the relationship

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Happy Birthday Kanye, Welcome to Your New Life as a Celebrity

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It's Kanye's birthday! Ye is 38 years old today, an age that would be pretty unexciting if it were not also a marker of the first year of his life in which Kanye was definitively more celebrity than musician.

Kanye turned 37 just a couple of weeks after his wedding to Kim Kardashian (May 24, 2014), and just under a year after the release of Yeezus (June 13, 2013). So for the past year, Kanye's life has mostly been defined by his family roles and relationships (as a father and husband), to perhaps an even greater extent than it has for the rest of his career (as a son). He's made being a dad cool (thank god), and is getting ready to do the parenthood thing all over again. He made being an empathetic, thoughtful son-in-law cool by convincing Kim to embrace Caitlyn.

Even his fashion career, which has taken center stage in-between 37 and 38, relates to his celebrity-ness. Although his recent fall collection got less than stellar reviews, his show produced the most social media engagement across Twitter and Instagram during all of NYFW.  

Kanye's next album -- whether it's called So Help Me God, SWISH, or something else entirely, might not be all that good. (Sorry, but... it might not be -- "All Day" is great, but there's nothing suggesting a coherent project along the lines of 808s and Heartbreak, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Yeezus.) Is that really such a problem? It would be great to have another Kanye record that holds up to... well... pretty much any of the others, but at this point it might not be necessary. Because, approaching 40, Kanye doesn't really want to do too much musically these days, and that's okay. In his own words:

It's just harder for me to do music now, period. It's easier for people who focus on it all day and who are younger in their concept of what they want to do with it. I am not what I would consider truly a musician.
This makes sense. Over the course of the past few years, and this most recent one in particular, appearance has overtaken reality as the most important thing in Kanye's life -- not that appearance means anything less than reality. And, having reached the level of unbelievable mass scrutiny that means any single thing he does can generate a news story, Kanye is now more consciously living his life in the public eye -- a celebrity from 38 to infinity. Good luck, Mr. West.

"Happy Cake Daddy"- North

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on

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The 10 Best Things We Saw at Governors Ball

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1. Towards the end of her set, Sharon Van Etten, dressed head-to-toe in black (because that's what real rock stars do regardless of the heat), thanked her parents for making it out to her festival set, and then apologized for the song she was about to perform. After singing the line "people say I'm a one-hit wonder/But what happens when I have two?/I washed your dishes/but I shitted in your bathroom," from "Every Time the Sun Comes Up," she grimaced and said "sorry, mom." But hopefully her mom is proud of what a commanding stage presence her daughter has become, one capable of turning a festival field into a safe space for her and her fans to share some feelings. Also, it was very thoughtful of Sharon not to play "Leonard," as that song might make a certain reporter cry in public, regardless of how many people are around him.

2. After more than a decade in the game, UK dance-rock group Hot Chip have become experts at getting a crowd moving, but at the end of their Sunday night set they had a surprise for their fans: a cover of Bruce Springsteen's classic "Dancing in the Dark" that took the Boss' working man's lament to a futuristic disco, while losing none of the original's poignancy. And just for extra pathos, the band tacked on a bit of LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" at the very end, just to make sure the crowd's desire to dance through their woes was fully acknowledged.

3. Governors Ball still has some growing pains to work through. Though safety is obviously important, the security line on Saturday was a complete clusterfuck of confusing, slow-moving lines that took close to an hour to get through. As for the alcohol options, they were over-priced and paltry to begin with, and by the end of most nights the only option most stands had were large cans of watery Miller High Life. But credit where credit is due: there were plenty of easily accessible stands where one could get their water bottle refilled for free, and these stands were inevitably manned by some of the most cheerful people at the festivals.

Special guest! (We specified that he wear no socks.) @govballnyc (📷 @claytonwoodley)

A photo posted by chromeo (@chromeo) on


4. Drake fans have been wondering for months who Mr. Worst Behavior would bring out on stage as a guest. Nicki Minaj? ILoveMakonnen? Tupac? Turns out he didn't feel the need to bring out anybody. Cue much Twitter grumbling. But maybe Drake knew there was no way he could top Chromeo's cameo move, as during their Friday mainstage afternoon set, Chromeo guitarist Dave 1 started noodling on the riff to Vampire Weekend's "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa." Then VW frontman Ezra Koenig appeared. "Dave, I showed you the riff, man," he said. "It's really not that hard." Ezra, whose band headlined Governors Ball last year, proceeded to join them for a run through of "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and Chromeo's "Bonafied Lovin" that turned an already amped crowd into overdrive.

5. St. Vincent has long been one of the best guitarists of her generation, as evidenced by the set closing punch of "Your Lips Are Red," which saw her spray menacing feedback across the field. And ever since she started touring for last year's self-titled album, she's been one of the best dancers popular music has to offer, swaying around the stage like an art-damaged marionette. But she also stepped up her between-song banter game during her Friday night set, coming across at times like a surreal stand-up comedian. She claimed that New Yorkers assume that all babies have telepathic powers, and then said that every New Yorker has had the experience of roughing out a storm so terrible that it seems like the world might end, and that every New Yorker knows that when confronted with that situation, they need to grab three things: a Susan Sontag book, an Arthur Russell album and a Grandmaster Flash seven-inch. Actually, that sounds about right, Ms. Clark.

govball15_1.jpg6. Shout out to the Deadmau5 cosplayers. What 75-degree heat?

7. Shortly after the release of last year's Lost in the Dream, it practically seemed as if Barack Obama had passed a Presidential mandate requiring that all music festivals book the War on Drugs to play a late afternoon golden hour set. Adam Granduciel and company took their official duties seriously on Sunday night, attacking some Dream cuts with a ferocity their recorded counterpoints can only hint at, while letting other cuts drift out and build slowly. At times, they combined the approaches. After a languid interlude, the crowd lost their mind when the echo-y piano line came back in at the end of "Under the Pressure." Clearly, echo-y piano lines are to modern classic rockers what drops are to EDM acts.

BFA_12523_1549789.jpg[Photo by Ryan Kobane/BFAnyc.com]

8. Once again, flower crowns were the headpiece du jour of the festival this year. And even if you're inclined to grumble at millennial fashion choices, you have to admit it's a vast improvement over the sight of white college kids rocking Native American headdresses. And just in case you rolled up to Governors Ball without a flower crown like some kind of basic-ass peasant, there was a booth you could buy one on site (props for not worrying about being too on the nose or anything, Governors Ball), and thus spare yourself the embarrassment of not paying proper tribute to Lana Del Rey.

9. I'm not sure who Carl is, why his name was on a flag or why the guy with the flag spent the entire weekend waving said flag around while screaming "Carl! Carl! Carl!," and frankly, I'm glad I didn't ask. I'm sure the theories I created are much better than the reality of the situation.

10. No one is touching Ryan Adam's stage game at the moment. Flanked by two vintage arcade games (for Asteroid and Berzerk), a hair model with a '70s cop beard and glasses, a stuffed tiger, a vintage Dr. Pepper vending machine (we wouldn't want Ryan to get thirsty, would we?) two comically oversize amps, one of which had what looked to be a stuffed lemur on top (it was hard to tell exactly what was going on from a distance), Adams made it feel like the entire crowd was invited to his man cave.  (Please keep in mind that it is someone's job to set all of this stuff up every night, and you know Adams is particular about placement.) Though he made headlines for taking a few shots at Deadmau5, who was playing at the same time and whose brutal drops often bled into the set, what is more important is that Adams and his band were absolutely on fire on Saturday night, running through songs new and old with the sort of vigor that compelled him to do the old "leaning back and thrusting the ax into the sky during a solo" move at several junctures. Shortly before capping the set with the immortal "Come Pick Me Up," Adams improvised a song about hot dogs, bowel problems and the security guards who protect him from insane fans, before telling us, "New York, you're going to be all right."


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Chet Haze Allegedly Trashed a Hotel Room Because People Couldn't See through the Fog of His Greatness

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chet haze 1.jpgSet your Hazers to pun -- Chet is back, already. It's been a tumultuous couple of weeks for Tom Hanks' kid, as he first engaged in wanton use of slurs online and then aggressively defended himself by claiming that hip-hop isn't "about race."

Now, he's wanted by police in London for allegedly destroying a hotel room after a bender that reportedly included mistaking makeup for cocaine, asking several women to sleep with him in vain, and trying to be recognized (also in vain). According to The Mirror, Haze kept bellowing, "Do you know who I am?" in a gesture most commonly undertaken by people who are in not in fact worthy of widespread recognition.

But we care about you, Chet. Come home! (If you manage to avoid getting arrested.) We'll recognize you.

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Watch The Cone: Kanye-Themed Ice Cream Week Now in NYC

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We all know that second to his ladies, Kanye's "Only One"is ice cream -- so in celebration of the birthday boy's big 3-8, the good people at New York's Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream have created an entire menu of Ye-inspired ices with First We Feast

From today until Saturday, June 13, Kanye's ultimate fantasy will come to life with a menu of decadent sundaes, sandwiches and more. Featuring items like the I Am a God Ice Cream Croissantwich, a Kim K-inspired number with champagne caramel sauce as well as the aptly-named Bowl Digger sundae, there's a little something for everyone.

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I Am a God Ice Cream Croissantwich: vanilla ice-cream inside an Arcade Bakery croissant

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Red October Raspberry: raspberry sorbet inspired by his Air Yeezy 2 sneakers 

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Kim Kardashian Thirst Trap Sundae: sesame caramel ice cream drizzled with champagne caramel sauce and topped with whipped cream

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Bowl Digger: classic chocolate ice cream topped with whipped cream, fudge, and a cherry 

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All Day Vanilla Ice Cream Cake: vanilla cake, vanilla ice cream, vanilla frosting

Make sure to come quick though, as some of the items (namely the croissantwich) will be offered in limited quantities. And while you're at it, don't forget to ask for extra Swish Sprinkles.

Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream is located in the Lower East Side at 2 Rivington Street, Manhattan.

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Free to Be Miley

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Miley Cyrus is in the midst of making a heated point about animal rights, and she's getting so worked up about it her cheekbones are jabbing the keypad of the telephone, punctuating our conversation with errant beeps. She's calling from "the middle of the jungle" -- or, more specifically, a tiny island in the Caribbean, where she's on vacation with her family. "If you could see where I am right now, you would be laughing so hard," she says. "I feel like I'm in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, and something is about to zap me into nothingness."

Cyrus almost immediately starts talking about how she decided to become a vegan last year. She was touring the world in support of Bangerz, her platinum 2013 album, when her beloved dog, Floyd, an Alaskan Klee Kai, was mauled by a coyote. She quit consuming animal products almost immediately. She hasn't spoken much about the switch, but she says that she's finally ready to be held accountable -- to be an example. 

It turns out Cyrus is deeply interested in accountability. At 22, she's perhaps her generation's most unlikely social activist, and also one of its most powerful. Now she's harnessing that influence to counter what she sees as an unacceptable reality: young people being persecuted and cast out for their sexuality. Inspired in part by the death of Leelah Alcorn, a transgender girl who committed suicide in late 2014 after being forced to undergo so-called "conversion therapy," Cyrus recently announced the Happy Hippie Foundation, a philanthropic venture designed to raise funds and awareness for homeless and LGBT youth. "We can't keep noticing these kids too late," she says. 

Last summer, when "Wrecking Ball" earned her a VMA for Video of the Year, Cyrus sent 22-year-old Jesse Helt -- one of nearly 114,000 homeless men and women presently living in California -- onstage to palm the statue. A year had passed since she'd tugged on a flesh-colored latex bikini and intimated digital intercourse with a foam finger while Robin Thicke, bedecked in Beetlejuice stripes, stood smirking behind his aviators. The 2014 performance was less jubilant, if significantly more heartfelt. Helt, reading from a small piece of paper, recounted his plight. When the camera cut to Cyrus in the audience, wearing a black leather ensemble and perched, precariously, on some kind of partition, her eyes were glinting, hot. "I felt like I was witnessing a modern-day 'I Have a Dream,' and it had nothing to do with me," she says. 

Happy Hippie is designed as a corrective to what Cyrus understands as immoral politicking, the sort that pits outliers as pariahs and favors an archaic status quo. The foundation treats at-risk kids with art and animal therapies, two proven balms that have been instrumental in Cyrus' own self-care. Although she was raised Christian, Cyrus maintains a particular contempt for fundamentalist lawmakers who rally against this sort of progressive, potentially life-saving change. "Those people [shouldn't] get to make our laws," she says. Those people -- the ones who believe that, say, Noah's Ark was a real seafaring vessel. "That's fucking insane," she says. "We've outgrown that fairy tale, like we've outgrown fucking Santa and the tooth fairy." 

Eventually, she says, the problem of homelessness became impossible for her to ignore. "I can't drive by in my fucking Porsche and not fucking do something," she says. "I see it all day: people in their Bentleys and their Rolls and their Ubers, driving past these vets who have fought for our country, or these young women who have been raped." She pauses. "I was doing a show two nights ago, and I was wearing butterfly nipple pasties and butterfly wings. I'm standing there with my tits out, dressed like a butterfly. How the fuck is that fair? How am I so lucky?"


miley_papermagazine_6.jpg
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miley_papermagazine_4.jpgCyrus grew up outside of Nashville with her brothers and sisters on a 500-acre farm where, she says, she began a formative practice of getting up early in the morning and riding a dirt bike around in the nude. In the year of her birth, her father, Billy Ray, became briefly, colossally famous for wearing a mullet and performing a country song about getting dumped. Dolly Parton is her godmother. ("She taught me how to treat people well," Cyrus says.) In 2006, Cyrus was cast in the title role of the Disney Channel's hugely popular Hannah Montana, the gig that would handily propel her to mega-stardom.

Although her parents' marriage has been, at times, tempestuous -- each has filed for divorce and subsequently called off the proceedings -- Cyrus is wholly enamored with both. She calls her dad a "cool hippie psycho freak," which, in Cyrus' world, is praise of the highest order. Her mom, Tish, a producer and actress, is "super cosmic" and "a complete optimist, the fucking cheerleader of the universe." There is deep affection in Cyrus' voice, even when she refers to them again, later, as "conservative-ass motherfuckers."

She says she has come to consider her own sexuality -- even her own gender identification -- fluid. "I am literally open to every single thing that is consenting and doesn't involve an animal and everyone is of age. Everything that's legal, I'm down with. Yo, I'm down with any adult -- anyone over the age of 18 who is down to love me," she says. "I don't relate to being boy or girl, and I don't have to have my partner relate to boy or girl." She says she's had romantic entanglements with women that were just as serious as the ones (Liam Hemsworth, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Nick Jonas) that ended up in Us Weekly. "I've had that," she admits. "But people never really looked at it, and I never brought it into the spotlight."

She recalls confessing to her mother, at age 14, that she had romantic feelings toward women. "I remember telling her I admire women in a different way. And she asked me what that meant. And I said, I love them. I love them like I love boys," she says. "And it was so hard for her to understand. She didn't want me to be judged and she didn't want me to go to hell. But she believes in me more than she believes in any god. I just asked for her to accept me. And she has." These days, Cyrus only wants to grant others the same clemency. 

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miley_papermagazine_2.jpgmiley_papermagazine_10.jpgSince leaving the Disney cocoon for a pop career, Cyrus has accrued equal amounts of public adoration and derision. At times the naysayers have been loud, nearly gleeful. There is, for example, a four-minute YouTube montage titled "Miley Cyrus Worst Moments" that features her jokily simulating various sex acts on her buddies, smoking alone in a parked car and crying while singing. To which I say: who among us has not had that kind of day? 

There's also a sizable amount of twerking, the move for which Cyrus is infamous: hands on knees, back pitched into a perfect arc, buttocks outstretched, cheeks gyrating so wildly they appear to be operating independent of the rest of her body. It is strange, now, to think this was ever considered subversive. With Cryus, there were initial rumblings of cultural misappropriation -- that she was not entitled to perform this dance, this way, with the partners she chose -- but then twerking got cute, trickled down, became one of those buzzwords local news anchors over-enunciate with forced bemusement while inwardly fantasizing about the first scotch of the evening.

What is less discussed is that Cyrus is a very good pop singer and occasionally a great one. She has a porous, burly voice that recalls Rumours-era Stevie Nicks -- the kind that's good for communicating particular strains of duress (specifically: what it feels like to love too hard). But what she has managed to do better than nearly anyone -- save, perhaps, Andrew W.K. -- is legitimize partying as an ideological choice. In Cyrus' hands, "La da dee da dee / We like to par-tee" becomes a resonant generational credo. That she has been persecuted for these things -- or at least openly mocked -- makes her commitment to love-yourself-no-matter-what activism even more poignant. 

As for the next record, she's moving forward on her own terms, despite some nail-biting from her camp: "They're like, 'Don't make it too weird, don't make it avant-garde; you can't go from Miley to Björk!'" She's recording at all hours in a studio she recently built out of her garage in Los Angeles. "I don't have to have writers, I don't have to have fuckin' producers in there. Mike Will will text me a beat, and I'll go in my studio and work on it by myself." She says she's been listening to the Flaming Lips "almost exclusively." (Lips frontman Wayne Coyne, whom she calls "the most closest fucking human in my life," is a recent collaborator.) Also a little Gucci Mane. A little Waylon.

For Cyrus, it's less about renouncing her past than imagining a wild new future, one in which people are free to buck expectations and live whatever kind of life feels truest to them. She remains refreshingly cognizant, meanwhile, of everything that's left for her to learn. Which sounds unremarkable, maybe, but is anomalous among people for whom all the traditional signifiers of success (fame, adulation, profit) have been realized. It gives her a specific charm -- an uncommon openness. 

I believe her when she says she's the least judgmental person ever. "As long as you're not hurting anyone," she says, "your choices are your choices."


Go here to see Miley's Paper cover and to learn more about our Use Your Voice issue, on stands June 22nd. Find out more about the Happy Hippie Foundation here.

Creative direction by Diane Martel, body paint by Ben Jones, styling by Simone Harouche, makeup by Pati Dubroff using M.A.C Cosmetics, hair by Dylan Chavles for Salon Benjamin; digital tech: Matt Coats; 1st assistant: Daniel Savage; 2nd assistant: Jason Cook; 3rd assistant: Joseph Mitchell

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Kim Rented the Entire Staples Center (and Our Hearts) for Kanye's Birthday

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Screen Shot 2015-06-09 at 11.43.42 AM.png[Photo via Instagram]

Yesterday was Kanye's birthday. But what do you get the man who has everything he could ever want (except for all that other stuff people won't give him)? If you're Kim, you just rent out the entire Staples Center for a party, and invite everyone from Justin Bieber to John Legend to the rest of your own family. Not only is it a great opportunity for Kimye-style kurated attention, you also give Kanye the opportunity to sweetly blow out his candles and flash a rare smile. And that's to say nothing of the "West vs. East" basketball game that went down with the aformentioned Biebs, along with Tyga, Pusha T, and Russell Westbrook. 2 Chainz and James Harden coached the players, Legend sang the National Anthem, A-Trak DJ'd and former NBA player John Salley announced. (BuzzFeed has a full documentation of the party.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YE

A video posted by TRACEY MILLS (@godsmessenger) on



Surprise!

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on


So yeah, there is a lot of great stuff about Kanye's birthday party. But the most amazing thing about it isn't any of the specific trappings, or even just how silly and sweet it looked for the now 38-year-old. It's that it was a total Kim production.



She appears to have done most of the planning herself, which is pretty remarkable given how busy she must be. And the presence of much of the Kardashian family, along with the way Kanye has increasingly been integrated into the narratives told by that unit, suggest something pretty amazing about the way they've built a life (or a larger-than-life) together. There are certainly plausible criticisms of the marriage and Kanye's attitudes writ large, but it's damn impressive that he's become a part of such a massive -- and massively famous -- family in the process.

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