Saturday, January 16, 2016
Ray Romano says 'Everybody Loves Raymond' 20th anniversary reunion is 'in the works'
With 2016 marking the 20th anniversary of Everybody Loves Raymond's debut, star Ray Romano told ET on Friday that a reunion is in the works.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Ricky Gervais Doesn't Care If You Thought His Jokes Were Transphobic
Ricky Gervais made a joke about Caitlyn Jenner minutes into Sunday's 73rd annual Golden Globes telecast. Next, he took aim at Jeffrey Tambor, who was nominated for his portrayal of a transgender character on "Transparent." And finally, he moved onto Eddie Redmayne and "The Danish Girl."
Here's an excerpt:
I'm going to be nice tonight. I've changed. Not as much as Bruce Jenner, obviously… now Caitlyn Jenner. What a year she's had. She became a role model for trans people everywhere, showing great bravery in breaking down barriers and destroying stereotypes … She didn't do a lot for women drivers, but you can't have everything, can you?
Although any one of these cracks at trans people's existence would have been enough to offend, using Caitlyn's dead name in front of the millions of people watching the Globes is a reckless choice. It's impossible not to take a stand against Gervais' comments, especially considering 2015 was recorded as the most violent year in history for the transgender community.
Jill Soloway, the creator of "Transparent," put it best when she told BuzzFeed at the ceremony, "I know his thing is to make fun of everything, but I think if more people understood the violence trans people face every day, it would be harder to make jokes about it."
Gervais, of course, is refusing to back down, defending his jokes as decidedly not transphobic and blaming viewers for being too sensitive.
On Tuesday morning, the former "Office" actor took to Twitter to address his critics, giving some insight into how and why he thought those jokes were appropriate for the Globes.
Read his Twitter essay below.
"Sisters" was kind of meh, but OH MY GOD, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, please please please save us from Gervais hosting again next year. We might not be able to take it.
This post has been updated to include more information.
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There's No Such Thing as a 'Child Prostitute'
This article is the second in a three-part series written by Jenna Elfman for WhoSay to raise awareness regarding child sex trafficking in the United States. To read the first article, head here.
Did you know that a type of slavery still exists in the United States today? It's called human trafficking, which is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as "the organized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited (as by being forced into prostitution or involuntary labor)."
THAT is our modern slavery. However, this month is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and I want to draw your attention to a specific facet that is happening to some of the most vulnerable citizens in our society: kids, who are being exploited and sold for sex.
Picture this: A 13-year-old girl is befriended by a guy on social media. After getting to know him online, she decides to meet him in person. He kidnaps her; drugs her; and then sells her for sex. (And yes, this actually happened.)
Later, a patrol officer sees something fishy going on at a hotel. He interrupts a sexual act in progress between a man in his 50s and the 13-year-old girl with whom he had "purchased" time.
What happens next is unbelievable.
The officer handcuffs and arrests the 13-year-old girl -- a CHILD -- for prostitution. Meanwhile, the "buyer" -- the CHILD RAPIST -- is free to go with just a citation to appear in "John school," which is about as serious as online traffic school. At John school, all he'll have to do is sit in a room for a few hours with other unseemly men and learn about why prostitution or solicitation is bad for his health and society. (Yes, it is horrifying and disappointing, to say the least.)
Why does something so wrong just continue to occur? Well, there is a big misconception in our society that victims of sex trafficking are "prostitutes" because money has exchanged hands for sexual acts. (Major missing point being the lack of power of choice by the child in the situation.) Even those in law enforcement sometimes treat child sex trafficking victims like delinquents who did something wrong or broke the law, which is a glaringly WRONG OBSERVATION.
Let's make one thing clear: There is no such thing as a child prostitute.
The word "prostitute" denotes choice and responsibility, to say nothing of the horrible stigma that label has in our society. These children are victims of rape, bullying and domination; they are not criminals. They need society to say, "We will protect you. This is not okay." And THAT is done by education and by reframing our thinking, which needs to be done by the public, the court, and by law enforcement.
These child victims are members of our communities with hopes and dreams and great potential for the future. Current legislation aimed at curbing child sex trafficking is insufficient. More needs to be done in that sector -- clearly.
In fact, it wasn't until just 2012 that we passed Prop 35 in California, which defines trafficking under state law. In addition to increasing penalties for traffickers, the bill says victims cannot be punished or criminalized for their victimization (even though this is still happening in California and across the country).
But there's an elephant in the room: which is that 50-year-old man who purchased sex with a 13-year-old girl. Remember: if there are no customers, there is no business -- and then there will be no child sex trafficking.
Little attention has been paid to the BUYERS -- the "Johns" -- who are getting off with only a citation. And one can suppose that is probably for a lot of cultural reasons -- gender discrimination, being one, and the tendency to blame victims, especially victims of sexual assault. (There are other reasons, too, but let's just take one thing at a time.)
I drive around L.A. and see billboards that say, "Don't drink and drive; $10,000 fine." Meanwhile, a child rapist who buys a minor for intercourse gets a few hundred dollar fine and walks free.
Crossing the U.S. border into another country to purchase a child for sex carries with it serious, automatic federal penalties. So why, why, why do we not treat this crime the same way for our children here at home? Massive change in policy and legislation and the actual ENFORCEMENT of the policy and legislation is needed.
So what can we do? One way is to push for and support laws that carry appropriate, commensurate penalty for the buyers. Another way is when those laws get passed, help make sure that they are actually implemented and regularly enforced. Also, report suspicious behavior. We can stop this from happening in our own "backyards." It's our duty to do so.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1 (888) 373-7888. Learn more here: http://www.traffickingresourcecenter.org/
Learn more about Saving Innocence, whose mission is to rescue and restore child victims of sex trafficking through strategic partnerships with local law enforcement, social service providers, and schools, while mobilizing communities to prevent abuse and increase neighborhood safety, at www.savinginnocence.org www.savinginnocence.org
For more information about Fahren Feingold, the illustrator featured in this blog, visit fahrenfeingold.prosite.com.
Did you know that a type of slavery still exists in the United States today? It's called human trafficking, which is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as "the organized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited (as by being forced into prostitution or involuntary labor)."
THAT is our modern slavery. However, this month is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and I want to draw your attention to a specific facet that is happening to some of the most vulnerable citizens in our society: kids, who are being exploited and sold for sex.
Picture this: A 13-year-old girl is befriended by a guy on social media. After getting to know him online, she decides to meet him in person. He kidnaps her; drugs her; and then sells her for sex. (And yes, this actually happened.)
Later, a patrol officer sees something fishy going on at a hotel. He interrupts a sexual act in progress between a man in his 50s and the 13-year-old girl with whom he had "purchased" time.
What happens next is unbelievable.
The officer handcuffs and arrests the 13-year-old girl -- a CHILD -- for prostitution. Meanwhile, the "buyer" -- the CHILD RAPIST -- is free to go with just a citation to appear in "John school," which is about as serious as online traffic school. At John school, all he'll have to do is sit in a room for a few hours with other unseemly men and learn about why prostitution or solicitation is bad for his health and society. (Yes, it is horrifying and disappointing, to say the least.)
Why does something so wrong just continue to occur? Well, there is a big misconception in our society that victims of sex trafficking are "prostitutes" because money has exchanged hands for sexual acts. (Major missing point being the lack of power of choice by the child in the situation.) Even those in law enforcement sometimes treat child sex trafficking victims like delinquents who did something wrong or broke the law, which is a glaringly WRONG OBSERVATION.
Let's make one thing clear: There is no such thing as a child prostitute.
The word "prostitute" denotes choice and responsibility, to say nothing of the horrible stigma that label has in our society. These children are victims of rape, bullying and domination; they are not criminals. They need society to say, "We will protect you. This is not okay." And THAT is done by education and by reframing our thinking, which needs to be done by the public, the court, and by law enforcement.
These child victims are members of our communities with hopes and dreams and great potential for the future. Current legislation aimed at curbing child sex trafficking is insufficient. More needs to be done in that sector -- clearly.
In fact, it wasn't until just 2012 that we passed Prop 35 in California, which defines trafficking under state law. In addition to increasing penalties for traffickers, the bill says victims cannot be punished or criminalized for their victimization (even though this is still happening in California and across the country).
But there's an elephant in the room: which is that 50-year-old man who purchased sex with a 13-year-old girl. Remember: if there are no customers, there is no business -- and then there will be no child sex trafficking.
Little attention has been paid to the BUYERS -- the "Johns" -- who are getting off with only a citation. And one can suppose that is probably for a lot of cultural reasons -- gender discrimination, being one, and the tendency to blame victims, especially victims of sexual assault. (There are other reasons, too, but let's just take one thing at a time.)
I drive around L.A. and see billboards that say, "Don't drink and drive; $10,000 fine." Meanwhile, a child rapist who buys a minor for intercourse gets a few hundred dollar fine and walks free.
Crossing the U.S. border into another country to purchase a child for sex carries with it serious, automatic federal penalties. So why, why, why do we not treat this crime the same way for our children here at home? Massive change in policy and legislation and the actual ENFORCEMENT of the policy and legislation is needed.
So what can we do? One way is to push for and support laws that carry appropriate, commensurate penalty for the buyers. Another way is when those laws get passed, help make sure that they are actually implemented and regularly enforced. Also, report suspicious behavior. We can stop this from happening in our own "backyards." It's our duty to do so.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1 (888) 373-7888. Learn more here: http://www.traffickingresourcecenter.org/
Learn more about Saving Innocence, whose mission is to rescue and restore child victims of sex trafficking through strategic partnerships with local law enforcement, social service providers, and schools, while mobilizing communities to prevent abuse and increase neighborhood safety, at www.savinginnocence.org www.savinginnocence.org
For more information about Fahren Feingold, the illustrator featured in this blog, visit fahrenfeingold.prosite.com.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
David Bowie's Music Skyrockets On Spotify And iTunes After His Death
Fans rushed to remember rock legend David Bowie in the purest way possible after news of his death surfaced early Monday morning. Bowie died on Sunday -- only days after releasing his 25th studio album "Blackstar" on his 69th birthday -- following an 18-month battle with cancer.
"Blackstar" skyrocketed to number one on iTunes' top albums chart by the end of the day, with other Bowie titles like "The Best of Bowie" and "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars" claiming the No. 2 and 4 spots on the chart.
On Monday, Bowie had five albums in total on iTunes' Top 10 and 11 in the Top 20, according to Mashable.
The streaming service Spotify also saw interest spike in Bowie's extensive catalogue, reporting that plays increased 2700 percent from normal levels. According to indexed data provided by Spotify, more than five times as many streams of Bowie's music played between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. GMT on Monday than the last 48 hours before the singer's death.
Currently, his most streamed songs on the service are "Heroes," "Under Pressure," "Space Oddity" and "Let's Dance."
"Lazarus," a stage musical co-written by the dearly departed rock star, is now playing at The New York City Workshop and scheduled to close on Jan. 19. Inspired by the 1963 novel "The Man Who Fell to Earth," the production, which Rolling Stone called "a meditation on grief and lost hope," features some of Bowie's most iconic music, as well as brand new songs.
Tickets are next to impossible to purchase -- the only option we found was a $1035 seat in the back of the theater. Let's hope the musical makes the transition to Broadway, so the world can witness Bowie's genius onstage every night.
More coverage of David Bowie:
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Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Farrah Abraham's 6-Year-Old Daughter Calls Nicki Minaj A 'Total Loser' In Video
Let this be a lesson to all: no good can come from watching reruns of "Teen Mom."
2016 came out of the gate strong with a Twitter feud so delicious, it should have been on our Christmas wish list. On Sunday, Nicki Minaj, who apparently enjoys MTV programming like the rest of us, publicly dragged reality TV personality Farrah Abraham through the Twitter dirt, accusing the part-time porn star of being disrespectful to her mom.
The tweet sparked a social media war so intense, Abraham just had to get her daughter, Sophia, in on the action. Now that's what we call #bonding.
Sophia, who has her own Twitter account (WHY?!) posted a video of a Snapchat with the words, "Nicki Minaj Don't say bad WORDS, I don't," written across the screen.
In the video, which now doubles as our new ringtone, the 6-year-old calls the rapper a "total loser" like Minaj is some unwelcome transfer student being bullied on the playground.
You just know Farrah is stage-momming hard off-camera, holding up cue cards and mouthing "TOTAL LOSER" to make sure Sophia gets it right.
As if including one family member in your feud wasn't enough, Farrah "no shame" Abraham posted a text message conversation with her mom Debra Danielsen, who reportedly reached out to Minaj to apologize over Twitter.
"Prime example thank you @NICKIMINAJ for creating another issue with my mom your such a saint #ignorant #Done," she captioned a Twitter photo of a text conversation between mother and daughter.
Just like Lorelai and Rory on "Gilmore Girls," right?
There's nothing like "Teen Mom" to make your relationship with your parents feel normal! Everybody pick up the phone and call mom to thank her for not involving you in any celebrity feuds.
Also on HuffPost:
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
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