Who knew Katy Perry looked good with a beard?
buzzfeed.com / Via youtube
11 Things You Can't Unsee
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How Jon Favreau's New Food-Truck Movie Is Actually A Metaphor For His Career
Though Chef may appear to be about cooking, it’s actually about Favreau’s career as an actor and director from Swingers to Iron Man 2 . And what we can all glean from his growing pains.
Open Road Films
Let's be clear: Chef, the new film written, directed by, and starring Jon Favreau, does not shortchange food. If you go into it hungry, you may end up gnawing on your armrest (or the arm of whomever's unlucky enough to be sitting next to you) in frustration. In lusciously shot sequences, Favreau's character Carl Casper makes carne asada and grilled cheese, plates exquisite-looking prawns and whips up a gorgeous pasta, munches on fresh beignets and nibbles on Texas-style brisket, and prepares countless Cuban sandwiches in loving detail. Carl's a chef who flames out of the high-end L.A. restaurant scene and builds himself back up by running a food truck, and the movie is also careful to prove its foodie bona fides with scenes of him working in and out of the kitchen, butchering a pig, or buying plantains at the market.
But underneath all the deliciousness and the divorced-dad-bonds-with-adorable-son storyline is an unmistakable meditation on Favreau's own movie career, from his 1996 indie hit Swingers (which he wrote and starred in) to his more recent career as a director of giant (and not all universally loved) studio films, like the first and second Iron Man installments and Cowboys & Aliens.
Here are four lessons to take from Chef, which opens in limited release on Friday, about artistic integrity — whether it be in movies, in food, or otherwise.
Selling out's a personal problem.
Open Road Films
Carl begins the film as the head chef of a high-end restaurant called Gauloises that offers popular but unimaginative luxury food — caviar eggs, French onion soup, chocolate lava cake. When he tries to put more daring and "artsy" fare on the menu, like sweetbreads, no one orders it. The place is a neat stand-in for the studio system in which Favreau's been working, where Carl might be the talent running the show, but he's not the one footing the bill. That responsibility falls to Riva (Dustin Hoffman), the owner of Gauloises whose focus is on getting asses in seats and who pushes Carl to serve the "greatest hits" on the night a famous food blogger is coming in to review the place.
Chef is actually refreshingly even-handed about the balance between commercial appeal and artistic fulfillment, which is only fair coming from someone who's responsible for one of the best and one of the worst installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It'd be hypocritical for Favreau to completely damn the structure he worked his way into and has experienced so much success with, and so Riva's not really a villain, just the intractable voice of the business side of things ("Be an artist on your own time!").
Carl's frustrations are the result of his own situation, not the system — his boss wants him to stick with what's working and to give the people what they expect (explosions, special effects, ahi tuna). His desire to prove he can be edgy and innovative is ultimately his own problem.
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12 One Direction Expression GIFs To Make You Laugh, Cry, And Smile
Because the time to admire adorable British boys in tight pants is all the time. Warning: it’s an emotional journey.
The "Scream Like One Of Our Fans" Face.
A classic, but what is more entertaining to me is that Louis is genuinely shocked at whatever high-pitched screech Liam is making.
The "Take Your Breath Away" Smolder.
Just take deep breaths and look away. Look back. Repeat.
The "Oh My, I'm So Adorably Cute When I Laugh" Giggle.
But I mean, he's cocky for a reason.
The Subtle "Here's A Few Of My Gorgeous Teeth" Grin.
Refer back to Liam in number 1 for what you should look like right now.
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Michael Sam Could Be Drafted By A Team In A State Where He Could Be Fired For Being Gay
Although the NFL’s own policies ban sexual orientation discrimination, most teams are located in states where there is no law to back those protections up.
Michael Sam
Brian Spurlock/Usa Today Sports
When he publicly came out as gay in February, Michael Sam, then a defensive end for the University of Missouri, became the first out player to be considered for the National Football League's draft — beginning Thursday. If chosen by one of the league's 32 teams, Sam would make history as the NFL's first out player.
There are no federal — or nationwide — laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment. Seventeen states ban sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in employment, with another four protecting sexual orientation but not gender identity-based discrimination.
That, however, leaves 29 states without any statewide protections against employees being fired — or not hired in the first place — simply because they're gay.
While the NFL has its own company-wide policy banning discrimination based on sexual orientation, its teams operate in 18 states that lack such protections statewide. And while most of those teams are in cities with some type of municipal-level protections against sexual orientation discrimination, five NFL teams are in cities with neither state nor city-based protections.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars (Jacksonville, Fla.)
2. Houston Texans (Houston, Texas)
3. Tennessee Titans (Nashville, Tenn.)
4. Arizona Cardinals (Glendale, Ariz.)
5. Carolina Panthers (Charlotte, N.C.)
1. Indianapolis Colts (Indianapolis, Ind.)
2. Atlanta Falcons (Atlanta, Ga.)
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
4. New Orleans Saints (New Orleans, La.)
5. Philadelphia Eagles (Philadelphia, Pa.)
6. Dallas Cowboys (Dallas, Texas)
7. Miami Dolphins (Miami, Fla.)
8. Cincinnati Bengals (Cincinnati, Ohio)
9. Cleveland Browns (Cleveland, Ohio)
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Tampa, Fla.)
11. Kansas City Chiefs (Kansas City, Mo.)
12. Detroit Lions (Detroit, Mich.)
13. St. Louis Rams (St. Louis, Mo.)
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83 Thoughts A Chambelan Has At A Quinceañera
Quinceañera (n): The traditional coming-of-age celebration for a 15-year-old Latina. Chambelan (n): Usher aka the worst job in the world.
After weeks of dance rehearsals, the Quinceañera's big day has arrived. Your job as a chambelan is to put on a big smile, look handsome and not fuck it up.
Universal
1. It's 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday. Why did I agree to be part of this?
2. Can I just go sleep until it's time to go to church?
3. I don't want to do this.
4. Seriously, I don't want to do this! I just want to go to sleep.
5. Fine, I'll wake up!
6. Five more minutes...
7. Ten more minutes...
8. *phone call from Quinceañera's family saying they're waiting for you outside.
9. OH SHIT!
Trying on your chambelan outfit, chosen specifically by the Quinceañera. You have no say in the matter.
10. This is the most uncomfortable outfit in the world.
11. Wait, pants are supposed to go around your belly button? That's new to me.
12. I feel like a robot.
13. I can't move very well in this.
14. Why can't I wear regular street clothes?
15. These shoes are one size too small.
16. My crotch feels weird.
17. I don't know how to put on a tie.
18. Why did I agree to do this?
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7 Things Only Middle Children Understand
No one listens. Ever.
If you're stuck in the middle of your family, this video will definitely speak to you.
Just like everyone in your family speaks to you and expects you to listen to every last problem they have with each other.
Every. Last. One.
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Universal Has A Big Stake In Beats That's Worth Nearly $500 Million
Little known to most everyone is that Universal owns a 14% stake in Beats, which at the rumored $3.2 billion sale price equates to a windfall of $448 million for the world’s largest record label.
Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times / MCT
Jimmy Iovine, who along with Dr. Dre founded Beats Enterainment, has made Universal Music Group his record label for more than two decades. And now that he and Dre are on the cusp of selling Beats to Apple for $3.2 billion, according to a source who confirmed the negotiations to BuzzFeed, Universal Music is about to reap a huge windfall from its star label executive's big deal.
It turns out that Universal has quietly held a 14% stake in Beats since its founding in 2008. In fact, the record label itself, which ranks as the world's largest, has never publicly revealed its position in Beats. It was Jean-Rene Fourtou, the CEO of Universal's parent company Vivendi, who let slip the label's stake in an interview with the French newspaper Les Echos early last month.
Asked about progress on his plan to refocus Vivendi around media, Fourtou said, "Our strategy is to position the group on growth businesses. We invest in new activities that are sources of future growth ... and finally taking stakes in companies similar to ours; 47% in Vevo, Spotify 5%, 14% in the Beats headphones manufacturer that has launched its own platform music streaming, and also interests in Firefox and other platforms. These investments increase in value and already weigh together more than a billion dollars."
As it turns out, Universal's 14% stake in Beats alone could account for about half of that worth. Using the rumored $3.2 billion purchase price, Universal's stake equates to $448 million.
While Universal CEO Lucian Grainge couldn't have foreseen such a rich payday for Beats, his bet on Iovine and the streaming music service dovetails with a larger $1.9 billion deal for EMI that was made in part with an eye towards downloads being replaced by streaming as the preferred method of music consumption for consumers.
According to IFPI, more than 28 million consumers paid for a music subscription in 2013, up from 8 million in 2011. What's more, the $1.1 billion in revenue that IFPI attributed to subscriptions for streaming music in 2013 represents a year-over-year increase in excess of 51%.
After taking over as Universal's CEO, Grainge set out to court of Silicon Valley — Apple CEO Tim Cook recently accompanied Grainge to a recent industry event, for instance.
And now it looks like Grainge could indirectly collect a nearly $500 million check from Cook as well.
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This Is Just A Very Unique Way Of Celebrating One's Own Goal In A Soccer Match
Takes patting yourself on the back to a whole new level.
He's his own #1 fan!
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Meet Bon Jovi The Cat, The Biggest Jerk Ever Leads The Daily Links
Plus Amy Poehler stole Seth Meyers’s credit card, an easy infographic to make sure you’re running properly, and the final mock draft before the 2014 NFL Draft begins tonight.
Watch Bon Jovi the cat's Vine compilation, and recognize his authority. SERIOUSLY, RECOGNIZE—BON JOVI IS NOT AMUSED. - [CollegeHumor]
CollegeHumor
One man raised money online for a homeless man he'd befriended—here's the ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE video of the surprise gift of a furnished apartment to help him get on his feet. - [eBaum's World]
eBaum's World
Are you running correctly? Check out this simple infographic to make sure. - [visual.ly]
Amy Poehler stole Seth Meyers's credit card and had a super rad time with it! - [Vulture/nymag.com]
People / Via people.com
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How Experienced Are You With Drugs?
Find out what your “drug number” is here. This checklist for recreational use only.
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The Most Awaited Interview On Indian Television Summed Up In Two GIFS
Arnab Goswami, Times Now anchor and shouter extraordinaire, interviewed Narendra Modi, India’s divisive prime ministerial candidate.
How the interview should have gone.
How the interview actually went.
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6 Things You Love But Hate About Working At A Restaurant In 94 Seconds
The service industry giveth and the service industry taketh away.
BuzzFeed Yellow / Via youtube.com
The regulars are the best!
Via youtube.com
The regulars are the worst!
Via youtube.com
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21 Incredible Experiences You Can Only Have In Phoenix
The Valley of the Sun is more than just cacti and desert.
Going to galleries that sometimes double as hair salons during the day.
Mister Phoenix / Via mrphx.tumblr.com
Your baristas will put agave nectar or horchata in your coffee, and it will be delivered to you with a flawless heart or rosetta.
You can head to First Friday to explore downtown Phoenix's art scene.
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Watch Ikea Take Over The World In One GIF
From humble origins, the furniture giant has risen to confuse the much of the world with its byzantine assembly instructions.
Mike Barker / Via mike-barker.com
The GIF above comes from an animated map produced by London-based designer Mike Barker. The map scrolls through Ikea's entire 71-year history and was inspired by similar work FlowingData did on the growth of Walmart.
"Who knew how late it came to the U.S. or as many people on Twitter have pointed out, how late it came to the U.K., especially after expanding very early into Australia and western Canada (so far from Sweden). Ikea is a different destination for shoppers compared to Walmart; you go once or only a few times every year. Walmart you might go to on a monthly or even more frequent basis. It's likely this caused the slow, far-flung and lower overall growth compared to Walmart."
Barker used Ikea's website and Google maps to pinpoint locations of current stores, and combed through various Ikea data to identify opening dates.
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21 Things You'll Do This Summer, As Told By "The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants"
Love your summer, love yourself.
In the beginning, things will go just swimmingly.
Warner Bros. / Via andpop.com
Your life, and your Instagram, will have never looked better.
And you'll have a ton of options for those wintertime #TBTs.
Warner Bros. / Via thesisterhoodofthetravelingpants.tumblr.com
You'll travel somewhere new and will be all YAAAS! about the whole situation.
Warner Bros. / Via pics4you0.blogspot.com
Staying in shape will be easy because the weather will actually be gorgeous.
May you be blessed with the sun at your back and a Beyonce song on your iPod.
Warner Bros. / Via weheartit.com
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This New Google Glass Ad Will Make You Feel All The Feels
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Wait... Ricky Martin Is Still Really Really Hot
In case you didn’t know.
I watch it, as you should too...
... and I think to myself and then say out loud, "HOLY FUCKING SHIT. RICKY MARTIN IS STILL FINE AS HELL."
Like damn.
Full disclosure: I too, was like, "WHAT THE FUCK IS HE WEARING, THO?"
FameFlyNet
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Things Every Kid Who Went To Church Remembers
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A Bunch Of Celebrities Helped This Guy Propose To His Girlfriend
But honestly, who could say no to John Stamos, Orlando Jones, and TJ Miller?
On May 3, 2014, I asked my girlfriend to marry me. To do so, I decided to have a couple other gentlemen help me out. You know, just nudge her in the "Yes" direction.
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15 Charts That Explain Social Media
Can anybody solve the great Google+ mystery?
Tom Phillips/BuzzFeed
Tom Phillips/BuzzFeed
(Credit to Zach Weinersmith)
Tom Phillips/BuzzFeed
Tom Phillips/BuzzFeed
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More Pages to Explore .....
