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A Super Round-Up of Our Best Halloween Costume Ideas

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drake_boogie_crop.0.gifEven though Halloween is actually the second-best dress-up holiday of the year (Purim is where it's at, real heads know), we still put a lot of thought into it here at PAPER. What's the best of ensuring both that your original Halloween crew stays together through an entire evening and making sure that everyone looks good/able to go home with someone in a non-embarrassing way? The answer: celebrity group costumes. That's why we invested a lot of our extremely valuable time into rounding up different options for celebrity group costumes... because we care about you. With Halloween on Saturday, we've collected all of those suggestions into one happy, healthy place. Check them out, and then tell yo friends.

FEMINIST BEY.jpgBeyoncé
Feeling like a queen on Halloween? Get your squad together in a full Bey contingent.

bieber fedora.jpgJustin Bieber
Peens, fedoras, and... uh... peens?

texts from hillary.jpgHillary Clinton
We gave you some great ideas for pantsuits, glasses, and all sorts of power clothing to get you in the mood to go out and deal with the 11-hour Benghazi interrogation that is Halloween. And now Hillary is trying to muscle in on our territory, which... okay, sure.

drakeglasses.pngDrake
The undisputed king of pop culture this year, there is an ample history of different incarnations of Drake to draw on for your group costume, including the most recent, relevant one...

drakedance.gif"Hotline Bling" Sub-Drake
This costume can only mean one thing... you found a fly turtleneck.

kimkardashian-butt.pngKim Kardashian
The one who started it all, there are a lot of great Kim K costume options -- just don't pull a Heidi Klum and go full Break the Internet if you're not prepared to really nail it.

Levi's and Stronghold Society bring you Skateboarding in Pine Ridge

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In collaboration with director Greg Hunt, Stronghold Society, and the Pine Ridge Oglala Lakota community, Levi's has just released a mini-documentary chronicling skateboard culture on the South Dakota reservation. The Stronghold Society is a non-profit organization created by Walt Pourier (Oglala Lakota) empowers youths of Native and non-Native communities with skateboarding and other athletic activities. "We want to see a change on this reservation. We want to see people living again. And we're doing it through skateboarding."

Their efforts to build two skateparks and foster healthy youth communities is eloquently conveyed; the awe-inspiring narrative and landscapes of Pine Ridge are complimented with an original score by Slint's David Pajo, and a never before heard Cat Power song "Anthem." Watch the short below and share in the energizing movement #SkateboardingSavesLives.



In Garbage World News, Caitlyn Jenner Halloween Costumes Have Outsold Elsa From "Frozen"

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caitlyn-jenner-today-tease-1-150909_dc7f96bcfa458237fdc298055a2b57d9.today-inline-large.jpgHalloween costume stores around the country have all reported that Caitlyn Jenner get-ups, based on her now legendary Vanity Fair cover photo, have beat out Elsa and the other Frozen characters as the top-selling costume of the year.

TMZ relayed the gross news, stating:

"Several costume companies tell us the replica of Caitlyn's corset, worn for her Vanity Fair cover, is hands down the the most in-demand getup this season. A rep for Wholesale Halloween Costumes says they haven't seen a craze like this since "Frozen" last year.  

The rep says they're sold out after 1,000 units of "Call Me Caitlyn" flew off shelves back in August, and they haven't been able to restock for Halloween"

The ghoulish concept was inevitable, from the moment the gorgeous cover was released this summer; despite Caitlyn's good nature about it, criticism of the costume was immediate.

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A petition to prevent Spirit Halloween cashing in on Caitlyn's transition was created back in August; it's since garnered 18,000 signatures. 

Recently, an article in the San Antonio Current called out Texas for being the state with the most Google searches of the costume.

Earlier today, the Washington Post discussed the issue, chatting with Nick Adams, the director of GLAAD's director of transgender media.

On the costume, Adams said:

"If a man wears the costume with the intention of mocking Caitlyn Jenner, and by extension all transgender women, that is just mean-spirited and unacceptable. Transgender women are women, and when Caitlyn Jenner or any other trans woman steps out into the world as her authentic self, she isn't wearing a costume."

Of course, this will not stop woefully misguided and attention-thirsty folks and bros who will don the corset in hopes of becoming the darling of whatever lame party they'll be building up in their dumb heads this week.

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Any men who are participating in this should simply go as the china-cup fragility of their own concept of masculinity; horrifying, indeed.

You can do your part this Hallow-week, though.

If you see a stranger wearing one of these monstrosities, photograph them, and promptly shame them on all forms of social media, like a good citizen.

Or, do what this Twitter user suggests:

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Hear Chance the Rapper's New Track, "Angels"

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On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night, Chance the Rapper performed his new song "Angels." It's his first piece of original solo material in a while, given that most of his recent output has come through collaborations with Lil B and band The Social Experiment. Check out the studio version of "Angels" below.


Of course, this doesn't mean Chance is done working with others. One of those -- a track with Stephen Colbert himself -- was teased at during an interview a couple of days ago, but it has yet to be released. While you wait for the Chance x Colbert collab, watch his footwork-infused performance of "Angels" on The Late Show below.

Ben Pundole's Highlights From MUTEK MX Festival

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MUTEK MX, the iconic International Festival dedicated to the expression of creativity in audiovisual arts and sound, took place this past weekend in Mexico City. The eclectic curation featured some of the most visionary and original artists in the electronic music and visual/tech world with Tale of Us, Voices from the Lake and DJ Koze, among the highlights. Each event was exquisitely programmed to give attendees a transformational experience, where music flowed through areas with mind-blowing visual installations to give extra depth to the dance floor. Among the overwhelming dance landscape, it's impossible to forego the audiovisual performances of talents such as Paul Prudence, who focuses on the ways in which sound, space and form can be cross-wired to create live cinematic visual travels. From the reclined seats of a historical dome, we were transported to a universe of colors, lights and machines just to be released an hour later into the peaceful landscapes of the Chapultepec gardens. Although MUTEK also takes place in Montreal, Barcelona, and Bogotá, you can count on Mexico City and its gorgeous surroundings and exciting culture to fully immerse guests into creativity magic, and progressive design. As events take place during the night, days were reserved for exploring the impressive pyramids of Teotihuacan, learning about Mexican history and anthropology at the National Museum of Anthropology, and of course cocktails at Condesa DF's stylish rooftop. Evidently, MUTEK Mexico City is a playground for the creative mind. Locals mingle seamlessly with travelers and there is no shortage of cultural stimulation.

Marc Jacobs Takes to Instagram to Put the New York Post On Blast

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When it comes to a health, shame-free attitude about sex it seems that superstar designer Marc Jacobs can't be beat. In an interview with Paper last year, Jacobs told us "sexy people are great. People who love sex are great," and he has no qualms admitting to having been on Grindr. (More on that below.) Over the weekend Page Six posted a story about an alleged 10-person "wild" orgy at Jacobs' home. The designer went on instagram and posted this message:

Wild? I'd say "MILD". And to whichever guest benefitted from calling this misinformation into the Post, I only wish you good health, happiness, and a long life to enjoy taking advantage of the kindness of strangers and talking shit about others. #reallyqueen?

But that's not all the Post had to say about Jacobs. The designer also put Post writer Maureen Callahan on blast for her additional story about alleged problems in Jacobs' life and business under the headline "What's Wrong With Marc Jacobs?" The piece was more or less an exercise in character assassination and Jacobs was having none of it. See his response below.

An open letter to MAUREEN CALLAHAN Girl, I think I understand your pain. You're a sick woman. It must be such a sad, unfulfilling and lonely existence to get paid for "writing" (I use the term loosely) an article put together from out of context information "written" by other journalists over a period of time, for different periodicals, in different countries. I can't even imagine your suffering having made a life and name working for what has to be the worlds worst, trashiest, and most irresponsible of "newspapers" (LOL)! I can imagine the powerful and fulfilling feeling you must feel with each piece you "write" that helps yourself and your readers feel better about their lives by putting down others who are so fortunate as to have been blessed with a genuine passion for creation. Those creative individuals who like everyone else has feelings, a sexual appetite, "issues", character defects, and professional ups and downs. If you were a real writer and not the parasite feeding off of the successes and failures of others I wouldn't bother writing my thoughts here. I do feel sorry for you. Please know you are in my prayers. I hope you will someday find something, somewhere that gives you pleasure...and not at another's expense. Should that moment happen for you, please don't thank me. I only wish the best for everyone. Even you. Sincerely and disrespectfully, Marc (Jacobs). #lethimwhoiswithoutsincastthefirststone #youwannacomeforme?

A photo posted by Marc Jacobs (@themarcjacobs) on



An open letter to MAUREEN CALLAHAN

Girl, I think I understand your pain. You're a sick woman. It must be such a sad, unfulfilling and lonely existence to get paid for "writing" (I use the term loosely) an article put together from out of context information "written" by other journalists over a period of time, for different periodicals, in different countries. I can't even imagine your suffering having made a life and name working for what has to be the worlds worst, trashiest, and most irresponsible of "newspapers" (LOL)! I can imagine the powerful and fulfilling feeling you must feel with each piece you "write" that helps yourself and your readers feel better about their lives by putting down others who are so fortunate as to have been blessed with a genuine passion for creation. Those creative individuals who like everyone else has feelings, a sexual appetite, "issues", character defects, and professional ups and downs. If you were a real writer and not the parasite feeding off of the successes and failures of others I wouldn't bother writing my thoughts here. I do feel sorry for you. Please know you are in my prayers. I hope you will someday find something, somewhere that gives you pleasure...and not at another's expense. Should that moment happen for you, please don't thank me. I only wish the best for everyone. Even you. Sincerely and disrespectfully, Marc (Jacobs). #lethimwhoiswithoutsincastthefirststone #youwannacomeforme?
But prior to that post, Jacobs announced he'd be signing off Grindr for the time being. Do you, Marc.

Yup. I'm gay. Sometimes I enjoy sex. Sometimes! #stillonlyhuman #callmemarc #yourstotry...maybe.

A photo posted by Marc Jacobs (@themarcjacobs) on


While our mothers might have taught us to ignore nasty gossips and negative nancys, Jacobs likes to call em like he sees em and say how he really feels. Is he the Kanye of the New York fashion world? Whatever he is, we love him.

Watch The Video For Dev Hynes' Salient Sandra Bland Tribute "Sandra's Smile"

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Blood Orange's Dev Hynes has just released a stunning visual for his powerful Sandra Bland tribute "Sandra's Smile" -- and it's a carefully-shot black and white visual that's just as salient as the song's poignant lyrical message.

Shot in various locations around New York City, the self-directed video features cameos from the likes of rapper Junglepussy, singer Ian Isiah and subway dance collective Waffle Crew, not to mention a few of Hynes' own slick moves. 

And as if it couldn't get any better, Hynes has also announced a show at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater on December 12th, where he will perform older Blood Orange songs, as well as debut brand new material -- with all the proceed from the show going toward the Opus 118 Harlem School of Music, a program that gives kids access to music education. Buy tickets for the show here...and tide yourself over in the meantime with the gorgeous visual for "Sandra's Smile" below.

Today in SMH: Wale Says Being Gay Makes You More Successful

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wale header.jpgIn an interview with The Breakfast Club, Wale claims that being gay is an asset to artists. As frustrating as this sounds at first... there's actually kind of a lot to unpack? He's responding to the question of whether gay artists can succeed in hip-hop, which on one level feels like it's totally missing the point and operating on what feels like a bit of an outdated understanding of the industry (among other things, there's a reason this season of Empire has almost totally dropped homophobia as an obstacle for Jamal). Sure, Wale calls homophobia "corny," but that's not quite the same as "bigoted and wrong." And then he says that "it's an advantage to be gay in this country right now, that's just the fact of the matter."

It's really not that hard to acknowledge that there is an emerging audience for queer artists like Le1f, Frank Ocean, and Angel Haze, while also admitting that institutional obstacles still exist. Some of his examples of successful gay artists are not super talented, but others, like Frank Ocean, are god-damned kings. And while he gives examples of artists who are allegedly just as talented as more successful gay people, there's of course no reason Wale would be advocating for, say, Miguel (other than hopping on the remix of "Coffee"). Hopefully, Wale won't take after his collaborator and complain about political correctness when he is rightly criticized for these comments before driving off to the Hamptons in a Porsche and dating a teenage girl.


HBA, 69 And Other Convention-Defying Brands Get Their Very Own Barbie Dolls

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Ava Nirui and Alex Lee are finally giving Barbie a much-needed makeover -- and even better, it's with convention-defying looks from the likes of Hood By Air, Jacquemus, 69, VETEMENTS and Eckhaus Latta

That's right, by taking these strangely-sexualized female toys and outfitting them in designers known for their gender-neutrality, the duo are trying to subvert the hyperfeminine constructs attached to the Barbie brand by creating alternatives that aim to "erase gender separation."

"These designers represent a part of the fashion world that aims to make us second guess everything we thought we knew about who's meant to wear what," Lee told Dazed in a recent interview. "These are the designers that interest us. They're the ones we think are worth celebrating."

Talk about a Barbie Dream, huh? Peep a few of our favorite looks close-up below. 

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[h/tDazed


Melissa Benoist Truly Is Supergirl, Expertly Dismisses Jeb Bush

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Screen shot 2015-10-27 at 11.05.19 AM.pngMelissa Benoist, the star of CBS'new DC Comics superhero show Supergirl (that premiered last night),has been making the talk show rounds this week to promote it.

Benoist, 27, appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, who asked her if she was "ready to live her life in a walking, talking Comic-Con everywhere she goes."

The actress gamely responded that although she was "overwhelmed" at first, but the universally positive response to the character/concept has made her confident in taking on the famous role.

Screen Shot 2015-10-27 at 1.07.04 PM.pngQuick primer on the plot: Benoist plays Kara Danvers (aka Kara Zor-El, the Kryptonian cousin of Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent) who arrived on Earth at age 13, after escaping the doomed planet of Krypton. Kara has to balance using her superpowers for good, and a 9-5 job as an assistant to a media mogul (Calista Flockhart, naturally).

The show has gotten great reviews, with critics lauding it for its female-driven centerpiece.

Colbert told Benoist he "teared up" thinking about the concept of Supergirl, and asked Benoist to comment on the feminist aspect of the role.

The actress gave a perfect response, saying, "I think it's great; I think what's feminist about it is that it's for everyone."



Colbert then showed off a photo Melissa posted to her Instagram, of her in full hero attire, posing with some cape-wearing girl scouts.

Screen shot 2015-10-27 at 11.03.27 AM.png"You're already a role model," Colbert said.

Indeed, Melissa has been demonstrating her super powers in real life this week.

When informed by CBS: The Morning Show that Jeb Bush had said "She looked really hot," and "I don't what channel (Supergirl) is on, but I'm looking forward to it," Benoist diplomatically responded to the woefully condescending remark with, "I'm glad he's excited to watch the show."



Slay on, SG.

Watch Supergirl Mondays at 8 pm on CBS.



Highlights from the 7th Annual NYC Air Sex Championships

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"This is not a fucking game, people. This is the most prestigious sport in the history of the world," comedian Chris Trew announced as he opened the seventh annual New York City Air Sex Championships at the Cutting Room on Friday. Yes, you heard us right: air sex, the simulation of sex using just a few props and one or more imaginary partners somewhere in the air.

Trew, one of Paper's 10 Comedians You Need to Know, went on to outline two important ground rules: "all climaxes must be simulated" and "as long as you're fucking an invisible thing, we don't care -- we just don't want to see it." He then performed his signature air sex routine, which he once took to the America's Got Talent auditions, whipping out a headband midway through to contain his hair during simulated oral sex. 


Trew performing his routine on America's Got Talent

"We take the competition element seriously, but take the comedic element more seriously," Trew told us before the show.

The comedic competition was born in Austin, TX on Valentine's Day of 2007, when Trew first performed air sex as a parody of air guitar. The act took off, and the annual championships started touring the country in 2009. Last year's New York champion, Tootnanny, made an appearance Friday with his champion belt and winning performance, which includes removing a tampon from an imaginary sexual partner and inserting a new one using his mouth. "What a feminist hero!" judge Farah Brook applauded him.

Tootnanny was among eight air sex competitors, known as "airsexuals," including a man who danced shirtless to Hanson's "MMMBop" with upward thrusts from the reverse table position, a woman who stripped out of an old lady costume complete with a walker, another known as the Green Royale who mimed snorting a line of coke off a penis, a man called "Juanstoppable" who left the audience speechless with a disturbing prison scene, and another known as "Clit Commander" whose elaborate story line involved paying a dominatrix "500 bucks to beat the living shit out of me." A panel of five judges provided enthusiastic commentary after each performance and chose three finalists to improvise air sex routines to Miley Cyrus'"Wrecking Ball."

airsex1.JPGThe ultimate winner, with the loudest audience applause of the three finalists, was Flash (pictured in the middle, above), a young man who simulated digital sex with the ecstatic hand motions of a concert pianist, the facial expression of a child on Christmas morning, and a move judge Lisa Friedrich referred to as "pussy billiards." Flash will go on to compete in the Air Sex National Championships in Austin this December.

"I love how polished the show is as an event, and how flexible the whole thing is," Trew told us. "In a strange way, it's also educational."

For those seeking an opportunity to get in on with an invisible partner in front of a crowd, the contest is open to anyone, Trew said. "Some were born to do it. Others feel it the night of the show. A few need a little extra motivation from their friends. All involved have a good time and often learn a lot about themselves."

Or if you just want to learn what air sex is all about, there's a documentary dedicated to the sport/art/comedy extravaganza called Air Sex: The Movie.

"Air Sex is sex positive, weird, interesting, and most importantly, funny," Trew said. And whether the routines are arousing, amusing, or just alarming, the spectacle is great for anyone looking to, um, come for a good time.

100 Years of New York Nightlife: Looking at the Legacy of '90s Club Kids

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In our October 'Nowstalgia' issue we're taking a look at 100 Years of New York Nightlife, tracing after-hours trends to their beginnings and analyzing the ways our nocturnal habits of the past continue to influence our habits of the present. We've already kicked things off with the Roaring '20s, the exclusive Post-War era, the glittery, disco-tinged 1970s and the mega-clubs, mixed crowds and "celebutantes" of the '80s. Today we're on to the '90s, a decade filled with club kids, drugs, murder and...bottle service. Check back for future decades each day.

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A club kid in the bathroom at The Tunnel

Andy Warhol had died, the Internet was rising as the prevalent means of communication and Mayor Rudy Giuliani was cracking down on NYC clubs, but nightlife kept rocking, since it always fights back under oppression, coming back strong whenever it's pushed down by fun-haters.

Limelight -- the church-turned-disco, complete with stained-glass windows, a chapel and some holy messes -- finally hit its stride with an army of Special K-zonked club kids parading around in search of hedonistic thrills on a nightly basis. Club kids Larry Tee and Lahoma MC'd Michael Alig's weekly Disco 2000 event there, where you checked your good taste at the door and enjoyed an Unnatural Acts revue that would never be ready for prime time. (It was hard to top the gentleman known simply as Sebastian when he imbibed his own urine -- only to top himself when, on a later night, he went for #2.) The mood was very community theater-meets-Weimar Republic in an arrested-development sandbox.

At the large ex-roller rink the Roxy, promoters Lee Chappell and David Leigh brought in a feisty drag and clubby crowd, and then promoter John Blair came in to fill the place with other big-breasted creatures -- shirtless gays on party drugs, thump-thumping to their favorite atonal hits till the lights came up. DJs were deities at this point, with Junior Vasquez being their king, but there were variations on that. "I'm Too Sexy" topped the hit parade, along with songs by Deee-Lite and RuPaul, and retro goodies by Stacey Q.

90snightlife2.jpgMichael Alig, Richie Rich, Nina Hagen, Sophia Lamar,  and a friend at The Tunnel, New Year's Eve, 1993.

Longtime party empress Susanne Bartsch kept throwing her bashes at elaborate places like Copacabana, creating a veritable conga line of fabulosity that ran counter to all the icky stuff happening in the city. Giuliani was busy making the city safe for tourists and rich co-op owners, which he decided required a crackdown on clubs.  Amid this conservative backlash, the rise of Bartsch's crowd and the club kids was inspiring -- until the latter scene spiraled and Alig and his roommate Freeze were busted for murdering drug dealer Angel Melendez in 1996. This horror -- the result of amorality, drugs and the utter lack of boundaries -- unfortunately fed right into the crackdown and convinced everyone that nightlife was something to be embarrassed by rather than celebrated.

And a blander, more button-down, little-black-dress-filled brand of nightlife continued to rise in lounges all over town, where busty servers brought you vodka and the trimmings for the cost of a mortgage. Toward the end of the decade, the Meatpacking District started transforming en route to its role as a sort of bottle-service theme park for those with credit cards but not necessarily any aesthetic imagination. But in that very same neighborhood, Jackie 60 flourished (1990-99) as a fetishy, reference-laden emporium for those who longed for -- and got -- an experience.

Nineties nightlife tenets still live in today's love of DJs, appreciation for kitschy retro music and celebration of flamboyance in the face of austerity. And the club-kid aesthetic still infuses the scene, as you spot young people who've come from all over the country and tapped into their inner superstar via homemade chic and pure spunk. But today's club kids have jobs and ethics, and generally live in Brooklyn, which is a little more affordable than Manhattan. Rather than running around killing people, they're just running after their check for having promoted that night, then racing home so they can wake up and drink Juice Press concoctions and go to the gym. Long may they reign.

Photos by Steve Eichner

This Instagram Video of Azealia Banks, Rihanna, Cara Delevingne, and Travis Scott Partying Is The Most

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tumblr_nwrlouAFpb1rveoj6o10_500.jpgThis past Saturday, our favorite Baddest, Rudest Gal, Rihanna, descended on the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles for a surprise performance at CBS Radio's"We Can Survive" benefit for Breast Cancer Awareness

Afterward RiRi moved on to 1Oak to her (most likely) boyf Travis Scott perform a late night set, flanked by Brits Cara Delevingne and Sam Smith.

Screen shot 2015-10-27 at 12.24.06 PM.pngBut there was another surprise ingredient in Ri's ephemeral posse-smoothie...one that required a double take.

Screen shot 2015-10-27 at 12.09.16 PM.pngNew York's OWN Azealia Banks was seen grooving the night away with Miss Fenty and her peeps.

Has Ri decided to take the young, fiery star under her wing?

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Better yet, are they collaborating on something together?

Unclear.

For now, we have this glorious Insta-Video Azealia posted of her titanium hang-sesh; her Saturday crew moving along to her legendary track "212" to warm our hearts.

Shy Girl @mdollas11 @mannyuk @travisscott @badgalriri @yusefnyc @caradelevingne @nabildo

A video posted by Azealia Banks (@azealiabanks) on


A few things about this astonishing 15 seconds:

Travis' voiceover aka "Yuh!" and "Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun"

Azealia riling up the crowd gathered to watch her dance to her own song; how many times have you wished she'd manifest and fiercely bop like this while "I GUESS THAT C*NT GETTIN' EATIN" blasts at the bar/club?


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azealia-banks-212-video-turn-it-up-brave-magazine.pngRihanna's blazer

-Rihanna, finger snapping like a cool aunt at a wedding while the live band plays during dinner

Cara's snapback

Cara's faint "hey!" at the end of the video


Screen shot 2015-10-27 at 12.10.08 PM.pngThis is exactly the kind of Azealia Banks we know and love: joyous, confident, and pumping people up with her mischievous, sharp-witted tongue over voguey, dance-hall beats.

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With Ms. Banks' countless Internet controversies that have often blotted out her raw and natural genius as a rapper, this is truly the best thing she's done on social media in years.







An Ode To Fairuza Balk's Darkest Looks

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Fairuza Balk is cult Hollywood's ever-glamorous dark horse -- a beacon of goth-riddled sensibilities that can simmer and stew in little more than some carefully-applied kohl. However, the versatility she brings to each #dark character she plays is often overlooked, which is a shame as she's proven over and over again that she's able to pull off a series of varied and inimitable looks that will undoubtedly send shivers up your spine. So in honor of the cult muse, we rounded-up our favorite Fairuza looks from a storied career that includes Almost Famous, American History X and a shitton of black.

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Nancy in The Craft
Let's start with what is perhaps her most infamous role, Nancy the unhinged, power-hungry wannabe witch in the 1996 Halloween cult classic The Craft. I mean, Fairuza didn't even play the main character in this and yet she stole the entire show (as proven by the number of Nancy-only screencaps in existence) with her baby Siouxsie/Banshees look that absolutely slays. I mean, look at that spiked collar, the upside-down cross earrings and the oversized black leather jacket...all intensified by heavy liner and a deep burgundy lip that, of course, will solidify her in the canon of Hot Topic teen style inspiration for eons to come.

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Sapphire in Almost Famous
I'm partial to this look mostly because as a native Californian who hates sun, you're pretty much required to embrace this aesthetic that can be loosely described as "LA Goth." You know it as the "Faust Festivus" section on NastyGal, but it's actually a pretty easy and comfortable look to pull off -- despite sometimes looking pretty fucking stupid if done incorrectly. All you need is a black, flowy and preferably velvet-y kimono that you can throw over a plain black dress along with a few layers of obnoxious silver-plated jewelry. But please, for the love of Alastair Crowley, keep the champagne bottle and leave the feather clip out of it.

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Stacey in American History X
Despite playing a Neo-Nazi in this movie, Fairuza made 90s slacker schlub slightly tolerable as Edward Norton's shitty girlfriend, Stacey, in American History X. Armed in the black and white flashback sequences with a nose ring, red lip, black choker and oversized plaid shirt, she was a despicable human but a beacon of fairly innocuous Kohl's-brand mall rat in a sea of prison jumpsuits and stomach-churning swastika tattoos. JFC.

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Aissa in Island of Dr. Moreau
The lovely daughter of the mad Dr. Moreau, Fairuza sparkled as Aissa thanks to an assortment of pseudo-Khalessi chic looks that included tons of draping (albeit with ugly stoner poncho fabric), long flowy locks and plenty of bangles. Definitely a sight for sore eyes in this horrific human-hybrid morality tale.

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Angel in Shadow of a Doubt 
Finally we have Fairuza as "teenage temptress" Angel Harwell who is accused of murdering her father in the made-for-TV movie Shadow of a Doubt. And armed with a peroxide pixie accentuated by her amorphous, all-black, multi-pearl get-up, she definitely fulfills said Wiki description of her character. Not to mention a deep maroon lip that has us positively reeling. In the eyes of the people, at least her style is killer.

MØ Makes Merry In The Video For "Kamikaze"

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Earlier this month saw the release of MØ's globe-tropping, euphoria-inducing banger "Kamikaze" -- and now it has an accompanying visual that's also a profound mish-mash of global influences.

Sporting an all-white meets Eastern Bloc ath-luxury look, MØ cruises through a dusty, tire fire-filled dystopia with her band of merry mischief-makers -- all the while grooving along to the hypnotic jam that is Diplo's flute-heavy production. Watch the video below and try not to get sucked in.
 

Unclear On Demi Lovato's Trap Queen Costume? Don't Worry, We Are, Too

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Screen shot 2015-10-27 at 1.45.57 PM.pngWhile appearing on the Halloween Special for MTV's Girl Code Live, Demi Lovato served us "Literallllllllly trap queen," a la Fetty Wap, for her costume.

I mean, like, literally.

The singer adorned her regal cape with actual traps, of the mouse and booby persuasion.

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*puts face in hands*

In case you forgot, Fetty Wap's anthem is an ode to his ride or die lady with whom he enjoys "counting money, going shopping, getting high, and cooking pies (crack)."

Imagine Demi wearing this at a friend's Halloween party; smiling with her head sticking out, waiting for her friend hosting the soiree to suddenly say, "Oh!!! Haha" after asking what her costume is.

It's devastating.

And it's only Tuesday!

But because it's still early in Hallow-Week, I'll give Demi the benefit of the doubt; hopefully she'll get on her costume A-game later in the week

Just hope Fetty Wap doesn't see this...he's been through enough lately.

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A Guide to the Absolute Worst Tinder Profiles

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Sh*t I Find on Tinder is the new Tumblr blog for the most cringe-worthy (or win-worthy, depending on how you look at it) Tinder profiles to ever pop up in your (or someone else's) matches. It's like Humans of New York, but for (more) awful people. Entries vary from couples looking for a threesome to fictional characters to food to the just plain confusing. Here's your advance warning -- swipe left now.

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Well, this one is actually a good Tinder profile.

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...What.

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"Naked cuddling" is the new Netflix & Chill


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He's gonna be a mighty king...
tinder9.jpgOrange you glad we didn't make another terrible joke?
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At least this one is the "Total Package."

Let's Go To The Mall: Staking Out the Teen Movie's House of Worship

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tumblr_mgfjpcpLFS1rxl8oro1_500.gifThe American shopping mall is an arena that would impress even ancient Rome. It's one of the first places in which teens try and transform themselves outside the comforts of home, school, or supervised extracurricular activities, which is why they're some of the most important locations in any bankable teen movie. (And why some of us still shop in them.)

This month, Mallrats turned 20. Upon its release in 1995, the movie painted the mall as less of a commercial mecca and more of a backdrop for adolescent adventure. Sure, its story was built on the woes of two guys who failed to navigate the ins and outs of dating (and were arguably nightmare boyfriends), but it also embodied the youth culture that thrived in shopping malls during the time. Social rules were faster, looser, and less likely to be enforced, which gave characters -- or anyone, actually -- the room to become the type of people they wanted to be, outside the confines of day-to-day hierarchies. It was Twitter before Twitter -- the place youth flocked to say and do whatever they wanted. Or, at least that's the idea movies like Mallrats helped perpetuate.

Screen-Shot-08-03-14-at-03.03-PM.jpg Like the Kevin Smith comedy, Clueless also helped glamorize the mall, but it also boosted shopping culture. Cher seemed grown-up for being able to go somewhere and buy whatever she wanted without the presence of her father -- especially when she used shopping to help Tai get over Elton, as a means of girl bonding. The mall was also the setting for teen love, romance, and courting 101, where Mark Ratner pined for his beloved Stacy Hamilton in Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Can't Buy Me Love's Ronald offered to buy Cindy a new suede fringe blazer if she would only tell people they were dating. Even after learning Christian is gay, Cher forges a friendship with him via shopping.

Mean-girls-03.jpgMeanwhile, movies like Mean Girls used the mall to provide Cady's introduction to the teen world, allowing her to better understand the social hierarchy the mall helped uphold. She and the Plastics roam the mall, free to shop, observe, and wreak havoc on the personal lives of their enemies, while Janis (a mall employee) can only observe from behind the register, limiting her perspective.

enhanced-buzz-24178-1389644192-0.jpgAnd in that way, the mall also serves as a token teen movie villain. While lending itself to the cruelties of teen life, its alliances with queen bees (and wannabes) establish it as an enabler for bad behavior or stupidity. In 10 Things I Hate About You, Kat mocks her sister for her penchant for shopping, while Paul Rudd's character makes countless digs at Cher in Clueless for her mall-centric lifestyle. Which is why the mall also strikes back. In Mean Girls, its familiar walls reject Regina after she gets too fat to shop at 5, 3, 1, cementing its safety as conditional. What you put into the mall, you get back. (Which is why a character like Cher, who uses shopping to help and to bond, is always welcome.)

In this sense, the mall becomes the teen world's Wild West. In The Duff, Bianca is confronted and blackmailed by her enemy after being videotaped trying on clothes with Wesley, her nemesis-turned-friend (and the ex-girlfriend of said nemesis). In Clueless, Tai almost dies after two random boys nearly flip her over a banister. Weird Science sees its protagonists attacked by Robert Downey Jr.'s character (who covers them in sugary beverages), and in Back to the Future, the mall parking lot becomes the setting for literal time traveling. It's the stepping stone from childhood play forts to grown-up life lessons.

Which might be why adult depictions of the mall tend to be so bleak.



Whether it's because of the (alleged) death of the American mall or theories on its inevitable extinction, the mall -- in adult-centered films -- has become less a mecca of adventure and opportunity, and more of a reminder of lost youth. In Gone Girl, the bankrupt and abandoned mall not only destroys the town's economy, but its remnants become a hotbed of drug abuse, black market trade, and even violence. In Dawn of the Dead, a small group of people are trapped in a dark, desolate mall while escaping zombies attempting to eat and kill them, while a comedy like Bad Santa depicts mall life as dire, with Willie (the main character) in no way enjoying his holiday season spent as a mall-employed St. Nick.

bad-santa-2003-08.pngFrom this standpoint, outside the gaze of youth, the mall is devoid of life, a betrayer of promise, and the symbol of death and irrelevance. It embodies the end of the American dream, our flailing economy, and the realities of classism (which we also see glimpses of in teen films). Like an abandoned theme park, it's proof that everything ends; that everything is replaceable -- kind of like how online shopping has replaced age-old methods of consumerism that require, you know, talking to people or leaving one's house. Adults have seen the instability of once-reigning societal staples. Teens, however, are a lot less familiar with it.

The divide between teen and adult culture is an important one; one the mall provides both in real life and in film. We see kids hanging out in the food court, congregating in masses after school, or before and after their retail shifts (which can act as social currency in themselves, depending on which store you work at). While adults rush through stores, complaining, teens relish in their freedom to move and shop and socialize. And while malls are currently less common in teen movies than dystopian futures, there's still a place for them -- much like there's still a place for them in real-life communities, too. Teen films may currently revolve around mazes, Hunger Games, and the end of the world, but that doesn't signal the end of malls or teen culture as we knew it. Instead, it proves that movies have created more space for teens in general. Which is fair: there can be more than one wild west. Just like there can be more than one brand of teen culture.





Gift Your Ears With the Dixie Chicks' Cover of Lana's "Video Games"

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dixie_chicks_20090720_0269_1280x800.jpgWhile performing at the Bridge School Benefit Concert in Mountain View, California over the weekend, the Dixie Chicks got their melancholy boots strapped on tight, and strummed up a cover of Lana Del Rey's now classic "Video Games."

latest.jpgThe annual benefit raises money and awareness for children with physical and speech handicaps, and was co-founded by Neil Young.

 Other musicians who performed included Ryan Adams, St. Vincent, and Sheryl Crow.

494322464-annie-clark-st-vincent-natalie-maines-of-gettyimages.jpgOf course, because it is the Dixie Chicks, there's a little more pep involved with their musical remake, but the country trio maintained the original song's cinematic, lovelorn quality, twangs and all.

If you think about it, it totally makes sense for Lana's music to be turned into somber country ballads.

TDC's cover makes it easy to imagine Lana, pining for her cowboy who left her to 'bide her time' by workin' the night shift at a diner in Wyoming.

On her cig break, Lana gazes out at the vast, midnight plain ahead of her.

"Someday, you sunnabitch" she mutters. "Someday."

tumblr_mby557KWkz1rwwppio1_500.gifANYWAY.... it's a really, really good cover.

Check it out below.











Kim Kardashian Shouts Freely From the Rooftops: "I Sleep In My Makeup!"

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kim-kardashian-instyle-awards.jpgAccording to NYMag, at Monday night's InStyle Fashion Awards, a very pregnant Kim Kardashian introduced Makeup Artist of the Year honoree Charlotte Tillbury.

Kim's daily face is a essentially a Sistine Chapel ceiling, in terms of preparation, so Tillbury has assuredly become a constant in KiKi's celestial orbit.

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Alessandra Ambrosio, Olivia Pulpo, Kim, Charlotte Tillbury, Miranda Kerr

In her speech, the reality star fondly remarked on the greatest thing Charlotte ever taught her:

Charlotte Tilbury is my hero because she has never let her husband see her without makeup on. She sleeps with her makeup on. She's my idol. She's inspired me when I am really lazy and I can't do my makeup the next day, so I'll sleep in my makeup. I know that's probably the worst advice, but she has all the magic creams to put on the next day to make up for it.


All you really need in this world are some magic creams.

Screen shot 2015-10-27 at 5.16.15 PM.png"Magic creams," Kim whispers first thing, after opening her eyes before dawn, while Kanye is still sleeping, then rushes into the bathroom and locks the door.

Kim's not always caked up, though.

Her Vogue Spain cover and photo shoot this summer were both makeup-free and absolutely stunning

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Kim is consistently impeccable, so we can all trust her beauty tips are unmatched.

But you can't tell me she's never fallen asleep mid-contour, then woken up to get a glass of water, caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and screamed.

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