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WATCH: Pop Idol Shaves Head To Apologize For Spending Night With Boyfriend

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A Japanese pop star has shaved her head in contrition after she was photographed leaving her boyfriend's apartment this week -- an act that reportedly went against the strict "no dating rule" enacted by the managers of her pop group.

The photographs of Minami Minegishi, a 20-year-old member of the juggernaut pop group AKB48, reportedly appeared in the most recent edition of a Japanese tabloid magazine. According to the Japan Daily Press, the pictures show the young woman -- disguised in a face mask and hat -- leaving the apartment of her boyfriend Alan Shirahama.

Within hours of the photo's publication, Minegishi took to YouTube to beg forgiveness for what she called her "thoughtless and immature" actions.

"Everything I did is entirely my fault. I am so sorry," Minegishi, who appears with a shorn head in the video, said, according to the Herald Sun.

As the BBC explains, head-shaving is a "traditional form of showing contrition in Japan."

AKB48, the pop group of which Minegishi is a member, is wildly popular in Asia. According to the BBC, the band is made up of about 90 young women who, "in teams, appear daily in their own theatre and regularly on television, in adverts, and in magazines."

One of the prerequisites of being part of the band is that the women must not date, so that they can uphold the illusion of youthful innocence.

"I don't believe just doing this means I can be forgiven for what I did, but the first thing I thought was that I don't want to quit AKB48," said Minegishi in the YouTube clip, according to the BBC.

The group's management agency has already demoted Minegishi to a trainee team as punishment and has yet to decide whether or not the woman will stay in the group, the Guardian reports.

In the wake of Minegishi's apology and the backlash she's endured from her agency, some commentators have lamented the woman's extreme reaction and have criticized the group's managers for taking matters too far. Many fans have also taken to Twitter and other social media platforms to defend the young star.

According to the Herald Sun, Hiroki Azuma, a prominent author and cultural critic, said "it was 'disgusting' that Minegishi had been pressured to the extent where she had to resort to medieval means to make amends for a perfectly normal romance."

The original video of Minegishi's apology -- which was reportedly watched by millions -- has since been made private and can no longer be viewed on YouTube. An English translation of Minegishi's mea culpa can be read here.


Leigh Weingus: 'Girls' Recap: When You Realize Your Boyfriend Lives With You ...

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Note: Do not read on if you have not yet seen Season 2, Episode 4 of HBO's "Girls" titled "It's A Shame About Ray," which aired on Saturday due to the Super Bowl.

Happy Saturday, everyone! As we prepare for a Sunday evening full of beer, football and ... I don't know, tacos, the ladies of "Girls" have been busy attempting to mend their fragile twentysomething lives -- romantically and professionally -- while dealing with your standard existential crises.

Episode 4 of the second season of "Girls" saw explosive arguments, breaking glass, and life-changing discoveries. Butt plugs were discussed, lovers faced adversity, and heroin addictions were revealed. And it all happened in a 30-minute span on HBO.

With 1 being the least together and 10 being the most together, see how each of the girls scored in this week's episode of "Girls," titled "It's A Shame About Ray."

Hannah:

Hannah is in the midst of a rebirth. She kicked Elijah to the curb after he f***** Marnie, and is throwing a very adult dinner party in honor of having her coke-centric article published on jazzhate.com.

Although she cooked noodles, baked a pound cake and is serving Dos Equis, which is a step up from Bud Light, Hannah doesn't have the best discretion when it comes to invitations. What could possibly have made her think Marnie, Charlie and Audrey, Queen Of Headbands, could exist in a room together for three hours without conflict?

When Marnie shows up with a bottle of wine, Hannah immediately pronounces her presence psychotic, seeing as they're on horrible terms. But then, she begs everyone to stay. Hannah spends the remainder of her dinner party changing her mind about whether Marnie or Charlie and QOH should leave while Lisa Loebe's "Stay" plays in the background. Hannah eventually tells Charlie he's a f***ing jerk and that Marnie already has enough on her plate as is as she recently had sex with a gay man. Nice one.

Hannah earned a few points this episode, but only because she was able to get an article published on jazzhate.com and made $200. Unfortunately, she probably spent more than that on the coke it took to write the article, and is currently paying for a two bedroom apartment for herself with money that is appearing out of thin air.

Overall togetherness: 4

Shoshanna:

Finally, an episode with some Shoshanna drama. Yes, everyone's favorite ex-virgin stopped by Hannah's dinner party with Ray on her arm and pigtails in her hair. Her cherry may have been popped, but her naïveté is definitely as intact as ever.

For starters, Shosh makes up a long, drawn out story about being late to Hannah's party because she "lost her earring in the cab." But really, she and Ray were having sex and she didn't want her friends to know.

She also doesn't know what a butt plug is, which all of her more mature, sexually experienced friends think is very cute. Is it, though? As Kareem Abdul Jabbar pointed out in his "Girls" review, "the characters talk boldly about sex, but their actions are often shy and unsatisfying." It's somehow refreshing that Shoshanna doesn't pretend to be a know-it-all in the sex department ... or in any department.

But Shosh's innocence went a notch too far when she realized, mid-dinner, that Ray was living with her. When he wasn't at her place, he was living in his Mitsubishi. How could he have failed to tell her this? If she had known, she could have called her aunt to get advice about living with a man for the first time.

Sitting forlornly in the subway station post-party, Ray lets his feelings out in an f-bomb-themed rant. "I'm a fuckin' loser in a lot of ways, Shoshanna. You know that?" he says. "What makes me worth dating? What makes me worth fucking anything?"

Well, it's because she's falling in love with him. And he loves her too. Cue the only aww-worthy moment Season 2 has seen.

Shoshanna may have a lot to learn about love and life, but she's confrontational and makes her feelings about people and situations known at all times. Props on that, Shosh.

Overall togetherness: 8

Marnie:

Usually one can defend absurd and hurtful actions with the argument that said actions came with good intentions. But is Marnie a well-intentioned young woman? That's questionable.

The last time Hannah had a party, Charlie and QOH were there. Some part of Marnie must have known that in attempting to make peace with Hannah, she would also be able to parade herself in front of the happy couple. As the party progresses, Marnie and QOH engage in a few backhanded compliments that culminate in Marnie taking a sip of her drink and condescendingly asking, "So where do you get your headbands?"

Eventually, QOH calls Marnie a "Stepford psycho" (fair enough), and Marnie flees dramatically to the roof. Much to QOH's dismay, Charlie follows her. Once again, the bad intentions kick in as Marnie allows Charlie to call her "smart, beautiful, and incredibly clean" and then, attempt to kiss her before she smugly tells him she's seeing someone.

"The little ewok in fucking capri pants?" he exclaims. "He's of average height!" she retorts.

Come on, Marnie. We all know you're pretty, and somehow you've managed to keep your hostess gig after leaving in the middle of your shift to have weird sex with aforementioned ewok. Can't you work on being a little kinder?

Overall togetherness: 6

Jessa:

Hell hath no fury like Jessa scorned. Let me start by saying that we all knew Jessa and Thomas-John wouldn't last; she just needed an excuse to get out of it. And she found one. His parents.

"I hate this restaurant, but I don't even care because I'm so happy to meet you guys!" Jessa cries upon their pre-meal introduction. She goes on to open up about being in rehab for a heroin addiction, clarifying that she never shot it, only snorted it. And that's important.

Needless to say, Jessa wasn't exactly a hit with mom and dad. When Thomas-John tells her how inappropriate her behavior was back at their fancy Brooklyn apartment, Jessa quickly becomes furious and says, "I'm embarrassed when we walk down the street because you're so fucking average. I tell my friends you were born a test tube baby just so you have a little edge."

Thomas-John then offers to pay Jessa off if she'll leave. She asks for $30,000. He was thinking more along the lines of $10,000. She's really pissed now, so she shatters his triangular humanitarian award. She then flees to Hannah's apartment in a tearful huff, where she finds her friend singing Oasis' "Wonderwall" in her dirty New York City bathtub and crawls in with her.

Jessa has no job, no husband and she's hanging out in a bathtub with her friend. And, as an added disgusting detail, she managed to snot rocket in the tub and laugh about it.

Overall togetherness: 1 ... because at least she has some of Thomas-John's money.

"Girls" airs on Sunday at 9 p.m. EST on HBO.

AGAIN

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Here we go again: Ben Affleck won Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film at the Directors Guild Awards on Saturday night in Los Angeles. Affleck, who directed "Argo," defeated Steven Spielberg ("Lincoln"), Ang Lee ("Life of Pi"), Kathryn Bigelow ("Zero Dark Thirty") and Tom Hooper ("Les Miserables") for the award.

The DGA award is normally an excellent barometer of who will win Best Director at the Oscars. Only six times since 1948, when the Directors Guild first started giving out awards, has the DGA winner failed to win an Academy Awards. From the DGA Awards website:

1968: Anthony Harvey won the DGA Award for The Lion in Winter while Carol Reed took home the Oscar® for Oliver!.

1972: Francis Ford Coppola received the DGA's nod for The Godfather while the Academy selected Bob Fosse for Cabaret.

1985: Steven Spielberg received his first DGA Award for The Color Purple while the Oscar® went to Sydney Pollack for Out of Africa.

1995: Ron Howard was chosen by the DGA for his direction of Apollo 13 while Academy voters cited Mel Gibson for Braveheart.

2001: Ang Lee took home the DGA Award for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, while the Oscar® went to Steven Soderbergh for Traffic.

2003: Roman Polanski received the Academy Award for The Pianist, but the DGA Award went to Rob Marshall for Chicago.

One more name will be added to that list come Feb. 24, as Affleck was not nominated for Best Director by the Academy Awards, a snub that seems more foolish by the hour. Since the Oscar nominations were announced on Jan. 10, Affleck has been honored at the Golden Globes, Producers Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and, now, the Directors Guild Awards. Those victories could be significant for "Argo," which could become the first Best Picture winner without a subsequent Best Director nomination since "Driving Miss Daisy." Of course, it's not a sure thing just yet -- something Spielberg and Team "Lincoln" will be happy to hear. "Apollo 13" won the PGA, DGA and SAG awards during awards season in 1995, but lost Best Picture at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1996 to "Braveheart." Like Affleck, "Apollo 13" director Ron Howard was not nominated for an Oscar.

The 85th annual Academy Awards are set for Feb. 24. Spielberg and Lee are nominated, along with Michael Haneke ("Amour"), David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild").

EARLIER:

Meet The Future Ms. Lemon

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You may not know her by name, but "30 Rock" fans will recognize Barrett Doss.

Doss, 23, appeared in the "30 Rock" series finale as Eliza Lemon, Liz Lemon's (Tina Fey) great-granddaughter. Her scene appeared after the credits. In it, Doss' character sits in ageless Kenneth Parcell's (Jack McBrayer) office, pitching a show about the stories her great-grandmother used to tell her. Earlier in the episode, Liz pitched a show about her life to Kenneth, but he quickly shot it down.

"'30 Rock' was -- and still is -- one of my favorite shows," Doss told The Huffington Post via phone. "It was super, super exciting even to just get called in for it because I had never auditioned for them before. That was a really huge surprise. I was just happy to have my first and last chance to do it. It was really awesome."

Once she landed the role, Doss said she couldn't tell anybody about her pivotal moment in "30 Rock" finale.

"Of course everyone wanted to know, but I had to keep my lips sealed," Doss said. "So that was a challenge, but it was worth it in the end because it was a wonderful surprise for everyone."

The scene just features McBrayer and Doss -- with some flying cars added via special effects -- but Doss said she got to meet her fictional great-grandma.

"[Tina Fey] seemed very much involved in the process and she came running onto the set and told me to push up my glasses like she does. That was really excellent," Doss said with a laugh.

As a "30 Rock" fan, Doss said she thought the series finale was an excellent episode.

"I thought it was so solid and the ending -- it's so great to feel some optimism for Liz after so long," she said. "Going along with her and witnessing her relationship failures and her struggles with everything, and just to see she got what everyone wanted her to have in the end, which is a family and someone who's going to get that story that she wanted to tell, told. That was nice, bringing everything full circle."

Doss, a graduate of New York University, has appeared on the New York stage in Thomas Bradshaw's "Burning" and will next be seen in Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing" in Washington, DC in May. And if she could, she would reprise the role of Eliza Lemon in a heartbeat.

"Oh my gosh," Doss said. "If Tina Fey asked me to, I don't know, talk to her, I would. If she wanted to burp in my face, I would take it. I love her."

See Doss in action as Eliza Lemon in the video below.

Justin Timberlake Paid A Fortune To Perform At Super Bowl Party

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Justin Timberlake is making a lot of money bringing sexy back! Timberlake, who performed at Mark Cuban’s AXS-TV party with DirectTV, earned $700,000 for taking the stage for just over an hour, according to an insider associated with the event.

“I can’t comment on how much but it was worth every penny. The party was amazing,” Cuban told The Huffington Post.

Known for his pre-Super Bowl events, Cuban has hired Usher and Katy Perry to entertain his guests at his past parties.

“It is not unusual for major entertainers to get paid to perform at a private gig. Plus all the travel expenses and production costs are paid for. He seemed to channel Frank Sinatra,” one attending VIP says. “The new Justin is now older and more sophisticated. He was totally smooth and the new songs a real departure from his past pop roots. He’s now a crooner.”

The 32-year old looked dapper in a tuxedo, complete with bowtie and cummerbund, performing both new and old material. He even played the guitar when he performed his single "Like I Love You."

The VIPs in attendance included Paul McCartney, who could be seen dancing with his third wife, Nancy Shevell, and Sofia Vergara and Matt Bomer, who mingled with the crowd.

Timberlake’s spokesperson did not return calls for comment.

Justin Timberlake Explains His Album's Name

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Justin Timberlake is marking his return to the music business with an upcoming documentary about the making of his album, "The 20/20 Experience."

In an interview with Ryan Seacrest this week, Timberlake spoke about the documentary, explaining that the clip of himself in the studio that he teased for his return with "Suit & Tie" was a part of the film. "That little piece of footage is from a documentary that we sort of started working on throughout the making of the album, which started last June," he said. "It's more just a little excerpt from that, which I kinda thought about after I put it out. I was like, 'Oh, if people don't know about the documentary then this kind of seems a little weird.'"

Timberlake also spoke about the reason for the album's title, saying "I was playing some of the stuff for my friends and they would come in and out of the studio, and I would say, 'Hey, what do you think of this?' My best friend said, 'This is music that you can see.' For some reason that stuck with me."

"The 20/20 Experience" is due out March 19.

For more, head over to KIIS FM.

Beam Him Up, Hadfield

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LONGUEUIL, Que. - William Shatner is about to get beamed up to outer space, in real life.

The actor who played James T. Kirk in "Star Trek" won't actually be using a transporter room. He'll be chatting with space by phone.

On Thursday, the Montreal-born actor will be participating in a call with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who is currently aboard the International Space Station.

Hadfield will also be visible on a video link, which will be broadcast on the Canadian Space Agency's website.

Their hailing frequency was opened last month, as the men had a brief exchange on Twitter.

Using his best Trekkie vocabulary, Hadfield confirmed to the fictional starship captain that he was in "standard orbit" and had detected signs of life on the surface.

The Canadian Space Agency subsequently reached out to Shatner and invited the 81-year-old actor for a longer chat.

It has arranged a 10-minute conversation Thursday morning from L.A. Hadfield's video link will be carried live on the CSA's website: http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/webcast.asp

But chatting by phone will probably be the only way that Shatner will actually reach beyond the Earth's atmosphere — because he's not actually enthralled with the idea of space travel.

It was widely reported several years ago that he was offered a ticket on one of the suborbital flights being planned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic. Shatner said at the time that Branson had offered him a spot which would have cost US$200,000.

After performing a quick risk-benefit assessment, the Star Trek legend decided to take a pass.

"I said, 'Well, that ($200,000 ticket is) not much. How much do you guarantee to come back?' And he didn't have a price on that," Shatner said at a 2011 news conference at his alma mater, McGill University.

"(Branson) wanted me to go up and pay for it and I said: 'Hey, you pay me and I'll go up. I'll risk my life for a large sum of money.' ... But he didn't pick me up on my offer."

Meantime, Hadfield who is on a five-month space mission, has been sending out photos of the Earth on a daily basis and has received considerable attention for it.

As his continues to send tweets while orbiting the planet every 92 minutes, Hadfield has reached the mark of 300,000 Twitter followers, surpassing even Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

In mid-March, around the halfway point in his mission, the Sarnia, Ont., native will become the first Canadian to command the orbiting space laboratory.

Back on the ground, an interim president has been named to replace Steve MacLean, who quit Feb. 1. Industry-watchers say his earlier-than-expected departure might be tied to a lack of direction on the government's space policy.

Gilles Leclerc, an engineer-physicist, has been named to replace MacLean as interim president. Leclerc, who first joined the CSA in 1989, is currently the agency's director-general of space exploration.

His responsibilities include managing Canada's participation in the space station, human space flight, space robotics, life sciences and astronomy and planetary missions.

Leclerc was also posted at the Canadian embassy in Paris as a counsellor for science, technology and space affairs between 1997 and 2000.

LISTEN: Justin Bieber Says The Girls Like His 'Lolly'

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Watching Justin Bieber grow up right before our eyes has been an interesting experience. Just a few years ago, he was that charming, preternaturally mature young man filming music videos in bowling allies. Times have changed.

"Lolly," a new Maejor Ali song featuring Bieber and Juicy J, uses a worn-out metaphor for penis as the focal point of a brag track about how much the ladies love ... sucking on their respective ... "lollies."

Bieber actually raps on the song, boasting about watching Netflix with your girlfriend and "poppin' Pellegrino" (OK, the Pellgerino line is actually pretty choice). Juicy J's verse won't surprise anyone who has ever heard the "Bandz a Make Her Dance" rapper's work.

In fact, this isn't the first time Juicy J's been used this lazy metaphor. "Lolli Lolli (Pop That Body)," a 2008 Three 6 Mafia single features Juicy J painting a similar scene. And that song was released just two days before Lil Wayne's candy stick single, "Lollipop" (fun fact: The Three 6 Mafia song was also originally called "Lollipop," but Juicy J, DJ Paul and Lord Infamous decided to play nice). In case that's not enough for you, check out D4L's "Laffy Taffy," which uses the titular sweet as a stand-in for bottom. Perhaps Southern rappers could do with a new meme.

Oh, and because it's 2013, the song includes a quick MDMA reference, too ("bandz a make her dance, molly makes her lose her underwear"). Pop music continues to toe the line with date rape.


PHOTOS: Jennifer Lawrence's Tan Is Distracting

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We want to preface this news with the fact that we love Jennifer Lawrence. Like, a lot. So were a little surprised to see the actress looking not as, er, real as we're used to her looking.

To be more specific, J. Law turned up the 2013 Academy Awards Nominations Luncheon today with a pretty jarring spray tan -- the girl practically matched the Oscar statue she was posing in front of on the red carpet. Even though the Best Actress nominee has become one of our favorite stylish stars (wardrobe malfunction and all), we couldn't help but feel that her bright white Chloe dress just made the whole thing more exaggerated. (Also: Can you imagine the orange stains that are likely on that thing?)

Again, we want to reiterate that the 22-year-old gets it right so often. Just two days ago, in fact, Jennifer stunned in a hard-to-pull-off Stella McCartney jumpsuit. Perhaps it was her natural glowing skin that made it look so good. Either way, we're a little disappointed to see the "Silver Linings Playbook" star today not looking like the down-to-earth girl we know she is.

We just hope that tan washes off in time for the actual Oscars...

Jennifer Lawrence with her (spray?) tan:

jennifer lawrence tan

jennifer lawrence tan

Jennifer Lawrence two days before:

jennifer lawrence tan

See more bad celebrity tans!

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Sandy Weiner: Rihanna Is Crazy in Love. Emphasis on Crazy?

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Almost four years after leaving Chris Brown as a severely battered woman, Rihanna is back with him and 'crazy in love.' Emphasis on 'crazy,' or is this really love? Brown is still on probation for his heinous crime. "I decided it was more important for me to be happy. I wasn't going to let anybody's opinion get in the way of that. Even if it's a mistake, it's my mistake," she told Rolling Stone. "After being tormented for so many years, being angry and dark, I'd rather just live my truth and take the backlash. I can handle it."

She says she'll leave him again if she sees any hint of abusive behavior. Do you think she will?

"When you add up the pieces from the outside, it's not the cutest puzzle in the world," she said. "You see us walking somewhere, driving somewhere, in the studio, in the club, and you think you know. But it's different now. We don't have those types of arguments anymore. We talk about sh-t. We value each other. We know exactly what we have now, and we don't want to lose that. He doesn't have the luxury of f**king up again. That's just not an option. I can't say that nothing else will ever go wrong. But I'm pretty solid in the knowing that he's disgusted by that. And I wouldn't have gone this far if I ever thought that was a possibility."

"He made a mistake, and he's paid his dues," Rihanna adds. "He's paid so much. And I know that's not a place he would ever want to go back to. And sometimes people need support and encouragement, instead of ridicule and criticism and bashing."

Can an Abuser Change?

Rihanna would like to believe Chris' loving words and promises of change. But words are cheap. The proof will be in his actions. And only time will tell.

I am generally a positive person, holding out hope for a better future for my date coaching clients who have been in emotionally abusive relationships. But they have been the victims, not the abusers.

When it comes to severe abuse as in the case of Chris Brown vs. Rihanna, it's important to be a realist.

It may take some time for the abuse to resurface, because Chris Brown is being watched carefully by the public. But in most cases of severe physical abuse, the problems just don't go away.

Abuse usually begins in early childhood, often with the abuser observing abusive behaviors at home.

According to Dr. Jill Murray, author of Destructive Relationships, abusers can sometimes change, but these 6 criteria must be met. And they must be met in order.

  1. He understands that his behavior is inappropriate and abusive.
  2. He doesn't cast blame for his behavior onto his girlfriend, parents, teachers, or anyone else.
  3. He takes full responsibility for his abusive behavior.
  4. He has a desire to change. He's not just doing it to stay out of trouble at school or with the law or because his girlfriend nagged him to do so.
  5. He follows up his stated desire to change with concrete actions. LOVE IS A BEHAVIOR!!
  6. His new actions are continuous, not just for the moment. Most abusers apologize for their bad behavior and tell their girlfriend it will never happen again. Often, they are contrite for only a few days.

The jury is out as to whether Chris Brown is capable of change. What do you think? Please leave your comments below.

This Is What A Style Icon Looks Like

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With her decadent jewelry, elegant dresses and shiny locks, Zsa Zsa Gabor is still a style icon today -- over 60 years since starring in her first film. The Budapest-born beauty's first brush with fame came when she was crowned Miss Hungary in 1936. Shortly after her win, she moved to the United States to begin her career as an actress, starring in films like "We're Not Married!," alongside Marilyn Monroe, and "Moulin Rouge."

As a '50s sex symbol, the petite star became known for her flirty ensembles, big personality and "dahling" catchphrase. And with her nine marriages, socialite status and multiple autobiographies, Gabor has made sure that she will be remembered for centuries to come, even as she struggles with health issues.

In celebration of her 96th birthday on Wednesday (Feb. 6), we are taking a look back at some of her best style moments over the years.

Want more? Be sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostStyle.
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WATCH: You'll Never Believe What Vanilla Ice Is Up To Now

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Oh, Vanilla Ice. We probably best remember the guy, whose real name is Rob Van Winkle, as the fresh young face behind the Billboard hit "Ice Ice Baby" that topped the charts in the early 90s. Since then, there hasn't been much buzz around the hip-hop golden boy. That is, until he got into... design?

The rapper's been showing off his new-found interest in real estate on "The Vanilla Ice Project," a reality show on the Do-It-Yourself Network since 2010. But according to Deezen, Ice recently decided to expand his reach in the interior design world further and teamed up with Capitol Lighting to design his own lighting line.

If his segue into the world of DIY and design wasn't shocking enough, we're definitely at a loss for words with his decision to launch into home accessories. But if we learned anything about Vanilla Ice, it's that his moves are almost always unpredictable.

The line is surprisingly classic, and includes two wall lamps and two chandeliers with crystal accents, available in polished nickel or vintage brass, which range in price from $250 to $1400.

Watch the video above and let us know what you think about Vanilla Ice's designs in the comments below.

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Sheriff's Department To Close Brown, Ocean Inquiry

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LOS ANGELES — A sheriff's spokesman says an investigation into a fight between Chris Brown and Frank Ocean will soon be closed without any charges being sought.

Los Angeles sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore says investigators will speak with Ocean before closing the case, but the agency is unlikely to pursue a misdemeanor battery charge against Brown.

Ocean has accused Brown of hitting him during an argument outside a West Hollywood recording studio last month, but wrote on the social media site Tumblr on Saturday that he wanted the matter closed. Ocean's post stated he did not want Brown prosecuted and he had no intentions of filing a civil lawsuit.

Brown remains on probation for the 2009 beating of Rihanna and is scheduled to appear in court for a progress hearing on Wednesday.

Ali Lohan Steps Out From Lindsay's Shadow

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While Lindsay Lohan is never out of the spotlight in the U.S., little sister Aliana Lohan has been making a name for herself in South Korea.

"She's home with me in New York City. She just shot a campaign in Korea and goes back in June to shoot the cover of the Korean Elle magazine," mother and manager Dina Lohan tells The Huffington Post. "I'm not going with her. She's 19 now and Next Models is amazing and it's really safe, so it's all good."

Ali signed with the Next Models agency in 2011 and has been constantly working since. Known for finding fresh faces, the agency has dominated the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue with its talent and has represented such big names as Molly Sims and Petra Nemcova.

Dina says Ali is inspired by the words Gisele Bundchen wrote on her Facebook page last year: "Life is like a camera, just focus on what's important. Capture the good times and focus on them. Develop from the negatives and if things don't work out, just take another shot at it."

"Aliana has amazing energy and is a little angel who protects Lindsay," adds Dina.

Alex Karpovsky's Living Situation Mirrored His 'Girls' Character's

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The gradual, uneasy evolution of Ray and Shoshannah's relationship has been the emotional foil of the coke-fueled dance parties and bizarre doll threesomes of "Girls'" second season.

In this weekend's episode "It's A Shame About Ray," Shoshannah (Zosia Mamet) realized that Ray (Alex Karpovsky) had been living in her apartment and sharing her bed without ever officially announcing that he'd moved in. The truth came out at Hannah's dinner party, when Ray admitted that when he wasn't crashing at his younger girlfriend's place, he was living out of his car.

For Karpovsky, an actor and director who's worked with "Girls" star Lena Dunham dating back to her debut film "Tiny Furniture," the arc bore a surprising resemblance to his real living situation. In an interview with HuffPost TV, Karpovsky revealed that he's never had had his own apartment, and shared Ray's experiences of couch-surfing, sub-letting, and living with his parents ... even as "Girls" was earning Emmy nods.

Read on to find out more about Karpovsky's connection to Ray, his thoughts on the backlash against "Girls" and his character's expanded role in Season 2.

In "It's A Shame About Ray," Shoshannah came to realize that Ray has basically camped out of her place when he wasn't living in his car. What were you drawing from to make him so believably vulnerable in that moment?
Well, look, when they do a lot of these scenes, I try to -- without sounding too theoretical and dramatic about all this stuff -- I do try to attach myself to specific and tangible notions rather than sort of overarching motivational backstory stuff. That wasn't phrased very well, but that's sort of where I come from usually.

So in my case, I've never had my own apartment in my life. I've never signed a lease in my life. I want to, but I have commitment problems, and also I don't have credit, which is worse than having bad credit. I've never had a credit card: I keep applying, and they don't want to give it to me.

Even now?
Yeah, I applied in November and they didn't give it to me. Maybe one or two more seasons and they will. I've always been subletting, and sometimes the sublets have been two weeks or three weeks. All of Season 1 was shot when I was living in my parents house in Boston ... well, most of the season anyway. So I would come down on the Amtrak and I'd crash with friends for two or three days. And it was kind of shameful a little bit, because I'm in my 30s and I'm living with my parents and I can't get my own place and stuff. So there's a shame there, there's secrecy that's woven into the shame, and that's exactly sort of what's happening in this scene.

He doesn't want to tell this girl that he's a grown man and ... in many ways, she sort of looks up to Ray -- or at least kind of respects their difference in age before she disrespects it -- and I think him telling the truth would really compromise that feeling of respect that he feels she has for him.

What's your living situation now?
I have a sublet that expires [soon], so I have to find another place. I just started going onto CraigsList. But I'll have to pay cash or upfront and stuff, because of those credit problems. I would love nothing more than to have my own place. I think I'm fully ready finally to have my own couch and have my own wallpaper and have my own lighting setup, because I hate temporarily retrofitting a place for my own needs. That gets really old. And schlepping your stuff gets really old. But anyway, I'm workin' on it.

The subway scene in this episode was also powerful. In filming it, did you have to time it with the subways coming by?
We did. We couldn't shut down the subway, so we just found a quiet corner of the subway. So yes, we did have to time it. We did a lot of ADR work afterwords, looping, because of audio problems.

So when he ended up saying, "I love you so fucking much" so hesitantly, was that just a reflection of his cynicism and his maturity in wanting to protect her from being hurt in some way?
I think that's a more altruistic take than what's really going on. I think it's a more selfish thing. I think he's afraid to go there. I think there's a lot of cognitive dissonance between what he wants and what he's afraid of. I think he simultaneously really wants to be in a relationship, he really wants to be close with this person who he's really mesmerized by. On the other hand, there's a lot of surrender it will take for him, a lot of opening up that he'll have to negotiate with, and that's something he's really not comfortable with. And it's that struggle that really begins to come to the surface in that scene, but it goes for another few episodes at least.

Ray shows a more vulnerable side this season than in Season 1 where he was more hard-edged. Did you see that as a challenge, or just a gradual transformation and growth of the character?
Well, both, it was a natural transformation, but it was challenging to express it. I think in Season 2, most of the characters, I think two things start to happen that I've noticed. Now that we've sort of to established some sort of familiarity and understanding, in Season 2 we have the liberty to do two things: One is explore underpinnings, motivations and backstories, which is what you're referring to, which was really challenging and fun to do, and an organic extension of his story; The other thing is we have a little more liberty to go into zany places, without it feeling disorienting or fundamentally confusing. So that was great too. Some characters get more zany, and some characters get more underpinning, but I think both things are applied to all characters in some degree.

And I think that's great. I'm really glad that a lot of Ray's anger and cynicism is explored in Season 2. I think it's interesting. I hope we express it in a way that's engaging.

A lot of Ray and Shoshannah's breakthroughs have happened through fighting. Is that just because the characters are coming from such different places that they have to break through each other's exteriors?
To a large extent, yeah, and there's all these hopes that they have from the other person which are not being met. And a lot of their fights are expressing, indirectly or sometimes passively, that shortcoming. Ray really falls for Shoshannah at the very end of Season 1, and that's sort of where we begin Season 2. But there's a very fine line I think between sincerity, and authenticity, and rawness, which he sees in her and is very attracted to, between that and naivety, or lack of experience. Shoshannah's very young. And obviously those two go hand in hand and complement each other, but they can be parsed, to some extent, and they can contradict each other, to a large extent, and it can be a fine line between those two things. And it's that line that Ray largely walks in Season 2.

"Girls" was received in a polarizing way during Season 1. People seemed to either react by saying, "This is my life," or coming at it with a range of intense criticisms. What about it do you think inspired such a range of heated reactions?
Well, that's an interesting question, and a difficult one. I mean, first of all, my intro comment would be that I'm really proud that it's polarizing. I think, like a lot of people feel, that any good or worthwhile artistic endeavor should be polarizing if it's doing something right. So I'm proud that we are polarizing.

Now, why was it polarizing? That's a tougher part for me to answer. I think because the show is a comedy, in large part, yet it's so grounded in authenticity and believability, all the way from its characters to its storylines to its relationships and its overall tone that encapsulates everything. I feel like that was an adjustment for people. And I think that people who like the show like that it's refreshing for this reason, because it grounds this comedic story in a very naturalistic place. Because it does that, it also opened the show up to criticisms -- criticisms that people had a hard time applying to comedies or dramas, and now you have to apply it to a show that's trying to hover in between the two things, and I think that was disorienting. I feel like some people demanded certain things from the show because of its authenticity, or because it was striving to be authentic.

Like the race criticism?
Yeah. Well, a show that would be on network television that was a very broad comedy that had the same storylines that we did, these responsibilities or obligations or demands or expectations, whatever you want to call them, wouldn't be stapled to that show ... A lot of those shows wouldn't have these controversies or demands attached to them, but ours did, because I think we tried to do something different, which specifically in this context is root ourselves in something sort of believable or authentic. So to me, it was maybe a sign, potentially, that maybe we're on the right track, maybe. Maybe.

That people were watching with a higher bar?
Yeah. That they were demanding all these things from the show. I'm glad you care enough to demand. I'm glad you are invested enough.

"Girls" skewers hipster culture, which is an incredibly rich vein of comedy. What's Ray's role in that?
I feel like Ray is a little bit older than everyone else on the show, certainly older than the girls. So ... it's almost his function in that circle of friends, to skewer, to use your word, hipster culture, to really put it in its place, to show how privileged and self-important it can be, and how full of itself it can be. I think that's one of his central pillars of agenda: to let the other people in the circle know that this culture they're around is, in many ways, bankrupt. By that I mean, it has no real authentic core. It's just sort of re-interpreting and re-mixing pre-existing things, and he feels like that's very insincere.

To bring it back to Shoshannah for a second, I think one of the reasons he really likes her is because he sees her as this strange freak of sincerity and innocence. I think one of the reasons that he really is attracted to her is because she's not a part of this hipster thing that he skewers.

"Girls" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO.


Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato: 'The World According To Wonder': Celebrating The Firebrands, Freaks And Nonconformists Who Queered American Culture

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It might seem vainglorious to write a book about ourselves, but then if we didn't do it, who would? To be in television, especially reality television, means that you are not going to be the darling of The New York Times or honored at the Oscars. But we had a story to tell. In the past 21 years we have been fortunate enough to have a front-row seat -- and a small walk-on part -- in the queering of American culture. This is no subcultural sideshow. It is as significant in changing the American landscape as glasnost was in restructuring the USSR.

So what happened? The culture went pop. It may be the cliché of all clichés, but as Warhol said, in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes. Fame is now such a vast church, accommodating people as disparate as Jodie Foster and Honey Boo Boo, that ordinary people rub elbows with Hollywood A-listers, love it or loathe it. Personally, we love it. And our particular take on it is that pop is gay, completely gay.

We set up our production company, World of Wonder, in our sixth-floor walkup in the not-yet-gentrified East Village. And our very first piece of office equipment was a Mac computer. Even people who weren't born at the time know that amazing 1984 Super Bowl commercial with its appeal to all rebels to -- as a later Apple marketing campaign would put it -- "think different." It was our clarion call, and its renegade philosophy was at the core of our first pilot, Manhattan Cable, a show that bundled clips from the wild and wacky shows on Manhattan's public access channels. Today you would call them viral videos and find them on YouTube, I suppose, but 20 years ago, as inconceivable as it may seem, there was no Internet.

Anyway, television has always been the whipping boy of people complaining that there are 57 channels and nothing on and that the revolution would not be televised. But here in Manhattan there were two channels showing the most extraordinary, compelling and rule-breaking television we had ever seen. And much of it was exhuberantly and unapologetically gay: strippers, rent boys and drag queens.

Did someone mention drag queens? Around the corner from our hoffice was the Pyramid Club, where we saw the most amazing drag performers: Hapi Phace, Taboo, Ethyl Eichelberger, Lypsinka, Lady Bunny and RuPaul. To us this kind of performance art had nothing to do with gender. Its agenda was to mash up pop culture, from eccentric celebrities to crass commercials, mimicking, mocking and celebrating it all at the same time. And it was incredible to us that this art form was so completely underrated as to be tucked away in this hole-in-the-wall club on Avenue A.

So whether it was public access television or drag shows, to us this was the revolution, people taking the medium into their own hands and fucking with it. It was queerpunk.

Not long after Channel 4 UK picked up our pilot, RuPaul walked into our office. Together we resolved to make him "supermodel of the world" with a record deal, a book contract, a television show and a cosmetics deal. (Ru was the first-ever MAC girl.) And it worked, because pop culture, like any gay man, is always on the lookout for the new new thing, and if it happens to come with a nod of knowingness and a wink of subversion, so much the better. That's pop.

Some people have a hard time adjusting to this brave new world. In her speech accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Golden Globes, Jodie Foster complained about the reality shows and fragrance deals and felt it necessary to clarify that she was not a Honey Boo Boo Child. Anyone who has seen Sunset Boulevard (as every gay should) knows that fabulous scene at the end where Gloria Swanson's Norma Desmond descends the staircase and declares, "I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille." The grand old movie star is not back on Mr. DeMille's movie set as she fantasizes. No, she is doing the Lindsay Lohan perp walk for the paparazzi. So goodbye, Norma Jean and MGM, and hello, Honey Boo Boo and TMZ.

In complete contrast to Orwell's 1984, where everyone shrank from Big Brother's controlling lens, we are living in a world where everyone has a camera and wants to be on camera. Big Brother, the TV show, is the complete opposite of Orwell's dystopian vision. Whether it's on a TV show or Skype, we're all cam whores now.

And in contrast to those who think the Kardashians are the end of Western civilization, we have always felt that this is a good thing, because in an on-camera society we get to experience the stories of those previously considered too marginal, too off-the-wall or too crazy to be seen, or those hitherto considered undesirable, like gay people. And as we come bursting out of the closet and onto the screen, society finally comes to the unavoidable and long-overdue realization that gay culture is the engine of pop culture.

People who live life out loud and proud instead of subduing themselves to fit in or to be normal -- these are the characters who have always inspired us. Take Tammy Faye Bakker, for example. Ridiculed for her lashes and mascara, Tammy used the cameras of her television ministry to fly her freak flag and inspire others to do the same.

So we wrote the book because we wanted to celebrate her and the many other pioneering spirits who have changed our lives. We knew it wouldn't be enough to write it; we would have to publish it, too, because any publisher would say, "Take out the unfamous people and just keep in the celebs." But that's just it: For us there is a profound connection between the drag shows we saw at the Pyramid all those years ago and RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 5 is now airing on Logo and VH1). And it's the same connection that exists between the queen who threw the first brick at Stonewall and President Obama's historic words at his recent inauguration. It's cause and effect, from the hand of a drag queen to the mouth of the president. And -- we're paraphrasing Steve Jobs, who gave us the Mac -- it's the people whom everyone else thinks are crazy who change the world, because they are the people who refuse to conform, fit in or keep quiet.

The World According to Wonder is a tribute to the people who stand up and stand out. And in writing it we came to the happy conclusion that gay is a metaphor for the human condition, because there is no such thing as normal. We are all different, just as every snowflake is unique. Tammy Faye put it this way: "We're all made out of the same dirt, and God doesn't make any junk."

Check out some of the one-of-a-kind characters featured in our book:

The World According to Wonder is available Feb. 5, 2013, at Amazon.com.

Robin Williams Is Heading Back To TV

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Robin Williams is looking to transition to the small screen. He's set to star in a new CBS comedy pilot from David E. Kelley called "Crazy Ones", which focuses on a father and daughter who work together in an advertising office. It's described as a workplace/single-camera comedy.

George R.R. Martin Is Sticking With HBO

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George R.R. Martin just signed a two-year overall deal with HBO, meaning he'll continue executive producing (and likely writing) for the next few seasons of "Game of Thrones."

Jason Priestley's Brilliant Tim Hortons Creation Becomes Reality

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In the land of Canadian heartthrobs, Jason Priestley quite rightly comes before Ryan Gosling, at least chronologically — it just took Tim Hortons a couple of weeks to make up the difference.

Following the Canadian-themed episode of "How I Met Your Mother" on Monday night, wherein the former "Beverly Hills 90210" star, originally from Vancouver, noted how he created "The Priestley" at a Tim Hortons when he "crammed a Timbit into a strawberry vanilla," the company decided to make that dream a reality.

As they tweeted on Tuesday afternoon:


.@Jason_Priestley, we loved the idea of ‘The Priestley’ so much, we made a batch. A Timbit IN a donut? Genius. #HIMYM pic.twitter.com/G0imeqhe

To some, this may sound a tad excessive, but to our ears, fried dough stuffed inside fried dough could be pretty darn delicious. The jelly, however, we could take or leave.

The invention came only weeks after Tim Hortons plastered a one-off mug with Ryan Gosling's face, following the star's statement in an interview about wishing for a customized mug for his new movie, "Gangster Squad."

It doesn't get much more Canadian than our country's love for their iconic doughnut chain named after a hockey player, from the commercials that pull at our heartstrings to the local sports teams proudly sporting their orange jerseys. But does this mean they'll soon be producing dishes named after our favourite celebrities? Not extensively, it seems.

As Priestley himself noted on Twitter, his own personal doughnut has a limited offering:


Sorry to say "The Priestley" will only be available at the Squamish Tim's where it was invented... I'll try for a national toll out soon...

We can only now sit and anticipate what the Shatner might look like.

50 Cent's 'Get Rich' Turns Ten

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50 Cent's "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" album turns ten today -- feel old yet?

Released on Feb. 6, 2003, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" served as 50's debut album and produced hits such as "In da Club," "21 Questions," and "P.I.M.P." The album debuted at number one and has gone eight times platinum.

50 cent spoke to MTV about the album -- watch his track-by-track analysis above. Not one for many words, 50 calls "In da Club" simply a "smash hit" and "Poor Lil Rich" a "great contradiction." He goes on to explain that he made "21 Questions" because he saw a girl's reaction to an LL Cool J song and wanted to make a softer track that would earn the same reaction.

50 Cent is set to make his return to music this year with the release of his upcoming album "Street King Immortal."

Click through below to watch some of 50's best music videos.

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