Apparently appearing in A Series Of Unfortunate Eventswas not enough for Neil Patrick Harris, as he — a Not British Person — is now set to star in the upcoming series of Doctor Who in which the Doctor will hopefully blast Harris’ character into space. But that’s just speculation.
The Smurfs star posted the first look on Instagram, confirming that his current gig is a part of the Doctor Who universe. Harris is seen wearing some crooked glasses and a bowtie, which is normally reserved for the Eleventh Doctor, but whatever. He added the caption: “My current gig. Never looked more dashing. Thank you for inviting me into your Whoniverse, @russelltdavies63 . I’ll try my hardest to do my worst. This Doctor has no idea what’s in store. And even if he does… Who cares? Ha ha ha HA ha-ha-ha! @bbcdoctorwho”
Writer Russell T. Davies, who is returning to the show for its 60th anniversary after leaving the series in 2009, posted the same photo on Instagram, welcoming Harris to the DW family. “Neil Patrick Harris, welcome to Cardiff! Playing the greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced. Such a great actor, such a great man, it’s an honour and a hoot. ”
The move is strange, considering, again, that Harris is Not British, but we might have to overlook that because a lot of other great actors have been added to the series. At least we get more David Tennant.
Green Day’s Hella Mega Tour with Weezer, and Fall Out Boy is finally under way. After pandemic-related postponements in both 2020 and 2021, the trio of alt rock heavyweights are finally getting to tour together and Green Day are using the opportunity to deliver a message to polarizing Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
As the San Francisco Chronicle reported, numerous photos on social media have surfaced of the message on the band’s on-stage backdrop. And it’s very clear statement: “F*CK TED CRUZ.” Except the band didn’t even censor the expletive.
Expectedly, it has been an easy rallying cry for fans to get behind, as Cruz is a figurehead for the hard-headed GOP, who has maintained a strong division in national politics that has prevented policies related to gun control and voting equality from being enacted. One European user posted a photo of the backdrop and commented, “@Ted Cruz this is from the last @Green Day concert in Berlin, just so you know, the whole EU hates you too. And we think you’re a massive p*ssy.”
Cruz has caught wind of Green Day’s message and seems to find it amusing, quote retweeting an article while spewing the lyrics to Green Day’s “Brain Stew”: “I’m counting sheep but running out.”
If you’ve seen The Social Network, you likely have some idea who the Winklevoss twins are. If not, here’s the short of it: Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, born in August 1981, are best known for suing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for allegedly stealing their ConnectU website idea to come up with The Facebook, the precursor to the election-wrecking social media juggernaut we all know and kind of disdain today (unless you’re in your 60s, in which case, Facebook is probably your favorite news outlet). They’re now said to be worth billions in cryptocurrency between the two.
However, the Winklevosses are also, apparently, amateur musicians, starting a band, Mars Junction, in 2021. Their debut show that year at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn got — well, not rave reviews, but mildly positive ones. Back then, though, they reportedly mostly played covers and only stated their plans to release original music in the future. Well, we’re not quite there yet, but now there’s actual footage of their band playing a live gig on Thursday night last week, and they’re getting some decidedly bad reactions in the comments. It seems they chose to play a cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” — in the original key, no less (a cardinal sin, according to one commenter) — and let’s just say that Cam (or Tyler?) ain’t quite the vocal virtuoso Steve Perry was when he originally recorded the world-class arena jam.
You can check out the videos — and the disappointed comments — below.
I feel I have a duty, as someone who has been in numerous bands with my twin, to say that not all bands that have twins in them are this bad. https://t.co/9cFO6vc5RG
After all of the drama that the Marilyn Monroe dress is causing, it begs the question: does Kim Kardashian regret wearing the infamous gown to the Met Gala? Probably not, but a lot of people are mad about it. Not only did she cause a stir when she mentioned that she lost 16 pounds in three weeks, but she also seemed to have damaged the dress, which didn’t fit properly to begin with.
The Marilyn Monroe Collection, the world’s largest private collection of Monroe’s personal property, posted some before and after pictures of the gown post-Met Gala, and it’s obvious to anyone who has ever worn any piece of clothing that there has been some wear and tear. The account notes that some crystals are missing, and some are hanging by a thread. Literally.
The dress was loaned out to Kardashian and is now on display at Ripley’s in Hollywood. Many were not happy with Kardashian choosing to wear the dress. She even admitted that if she were unable to zip up the dress, she would not attend the gala, though she showed up anyway with a fur coat covering the back because she wanted to have her moment. Of course, this isn’t surprising coming from a woman who is charging $500 for a full skincare line.
Between the dress and several exploitive Monroe-related projects in the works in Hollywood, many fans are begging celebs to leave Marilyn alone. As they should!
Congratulations to the Met Gala for showcasing a real-life example of why a conservation department like the Costume Institute is necessary for historically significant garments. https://t.co/7scbAKC7kA
These photos of the damage done to Marilyn Monroe’s dress before and after it was worn by Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala… I need to go lay down pic.twitter.com/63QwC8l10J
yes this is bad, but kim being known for the rest of time as “the woman who destroyed marilyn monroe’s dress with her huge ass” is kind of perfect https://t.co/QWM9dP5B7t
On Friday evening, people in southeast Berlin felt the ground below them move. The 1.4 magnitude tremor was felt at precisely 8:58 pm in the evening, at the same time as Florence And The Machine were on stage at the Tempelhof Sounds festival in Berlin’s now-shuttered Tempelhof Airport, prompting people to wonder whether the outdoor event with 60,000 attendees was truly an earth-shattering show.
Florence And The Machine’s set-time was at 8:30 pm, and looking at the setlist, about a half-hour into the show, it’s a good bet that the band was playing either the classic, “Dog Days Are Over” or the emphatic “Free” off of the new album, Dance Fever. German outlet rbb|24 reports that someone at the show indicated, “…There was a moment around 9 pm when quite a few jumped at the same time. You could also feel the vibrations on site.” Could this really have caused such an impact? Data scientist Jens Skapski seems to think so.
“The signals probably go back to a concert. We don’t usually have earthquakes in Berlin, that’s why I wanted to know more about it,” Skapski told rbb|24. According to the rbb|24 report, “Three private seismological stations in the immediate vicinity of Tempelhofer Feld registered an above-average deflection, 1.4 on the local magnitude scale.” It lasted close to a minute, which makes it more of a tremor and not necessarily an earthquake. Skapski adds that “It’s equivalent to a small earthquake,” but that, “A natural earthquake would be shorter and with a higher frequency.”
So while we already knew that Dance Fever was a banger of an album from Florence Welch and company, this takes it to a whole new level.
There’s something to be said for having a positive outlook on life. Optimism may not only make you happier, it can also help you live longer. Yes, you’re reading that correctly: Being optimistic can actually add years to your life. A study done by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found a correlation between lifespan and optimism in women. The authors discovered that optimistic women had a longer lifespan, many living past the age of 90.
In a previous version of this study, data showed the correlation between living past the age of 85 and higher levels of optimism. But that study looked at a mostly white people. This later study expanded the pool of participants to include more people from diverse backgrounds.
In this version of the study, the research team looked at data from 159, 255 participants from the Women’s Health Initiative. The group included women between the ages of 50 and 79 (specifically postmenopausal women). The women had to fall into that age bracket between 1993 and 1998, then they were followed for 26 years.
“Although optimism itself may be affected by social structural factors, such as race and ethnicity, our research suggests that the benefits of optimism may hold across diverse groups,” Hayami Koga, a Ph.D. student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Population Health Sciences program in partnership with Harvard Chan School, and lead author of the study said in a press release.
According to the press release, the study “found no interaction between optimism and any categories of race and ethnicity, and these trends held true after taking into account demographics, chronic conditions, and depression.”
“A lot of previous work has focused on deficits or risk factors that increase the risks for diseases and premature death. Our findings suggest that there’s value to focusing on positive psychological factors, like optimism, as possible new ways of promoting longevity and healthy aging across diverse groups,” Koga said.
Think about it. There’s a lot to be said about positive thinking—it’s not always easy to do, and yes, toxic positivity is a very real thing. But reframing your way of thinking to allow for more positivity clearly isn’t a bad thing. Will it allow you to transcend things like structural racism, discrimination and other legitimate life barriers? Absolutely not. It will, however, give you a stronger foundation to pull from when those things start to make you weary.
I don’t know if there’s a way to teach people to be optimistic without it feeling hokey. However, if you tell someone, “Hey, this could put years on your life clock,” they might be more interested. Koga believes that the findings of this study can allow people to look at how they approach their health.
As the study reveals, a lot of the factors that contribute to longevity that we traditionally think of, such as diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes, don’t seem to hold as much weight compared to an optimistic outlook. According to the study’s findings, lifestyle choices “accounted for less than a quarter of the optimism-lifespan association,” and more than half of the women in the group (53%) achieved “exceptional longevity.” It defines exceptional longevity as living 90 years or longer. When compared to the least optimistic participants, the optimistic women had a 5.4% longer lifespan. According to the CDC, as of 2020, the average life expectancy for women is 80.5 years. So those who have a more optimistic outlook might live 10 years longer than the current average lifespan. That definitely gives you something to think about!
“We tend to focus on the negative risk factors that affect our health,” Koga said. “It is also important to think about the positive resources such as optimism that may be beneficial to our health, especially if we see that these benefits are seen across racial and ethnic groups.”
Prolific author James Patterson is apparently branching out into a new literary genre: The hot take. Patterson, who recently teamed up with Dolly Parton for a new book, opined on his lengthy career, which he believes wouldn’t have happened today due to white male authors experiencing, uh, racism.
The 72-year-old author made the controversial remarks during an interview with The Sunday Times, where he essentially accused the entire entertainment industry, from TV, to film, to publishing, of pushing out “another form of racism” against white males who are “struggling” to find work.
“What’s that all about?” Patterson said via USA Today. “Can you get a job? Yes. Is it harder? Yes. It’s even harder for older writers. You don’t meet many 52-year-old white males.”
Fortunately, Patterson stopped there and didn’t start voicing even more controversial thoughts on how Woody Allen got a bad beat when his memoirs were canceled by Hatchett. Except, nope, Patterson went right for that, too. The author clearly had some things to say, folks:
“I hated that,” Patterson said of the publishing house pulling Allen’s book. “He has the right to tell his own story.”
He added: “I’m almost always on the side of free speech.”
Wow. After that, Patterson’s comments on creating Black detective Alex Cross seemed slightly less weird. Emphasis on slightly because your guess is as good as ours as to what any of this means.
“I just wanted to create a character who happened to be Black,” Patterson said. “I would not have tried to write a serious saga about a Black family. It’s different in a detective story because plot is so important.”
We’re just gonna slowly back away from that one and say a silent prayer for Dolly Parton, whose sweet, generous love of books unfortunately hitched her to this wagon. (It’s not your fault, Dolly!)
There’s something particularly delicious about cultural fusion when it’s done right. Whether it’s a dish, a design, a drink, or a destination, fusions are an intermingling of moods, flavors, and feelings. As viewers (or diners), we get to study the details, identifying the ways in which each influence is represented. A color palette inspired by one infamous coastline paired with a menu merging textures and tastes from another — it’s great (and literally how culture builds and evolves).
A smell that takes you back to a spice market in Casablanca underscored by a soundtrack of entirely different energy — what does that remind me of? Where did I hear that music? Whatever FOMO is, fusions are its total opposite. They’re travel at its maximalist best.
If you’re a design lover, you’re going to go nuts for the Spanish colonial meets Moroccan chic decor by Martyn Lawrence Bullard. But if you’re a pop culture junkie like I am, you will appreciate that Bullard has designed the homes of celebrities like Lady Gaga, Elton John, and our lord and savior, Kylie Jenner. If you’ve ever wanted to feel what it would be like to sleep in one of those pop star homes featured in Architectural Digest, a night at Hotel Californian is certainly worth the pretty penny.
From velvety, mustard yellow accent chairs, over 1 million (did I stutter?) hand-painted tiles imported from Morocco, and $3,000 oil bronzed showerheads, Bullard simply did not miss a detail. And with its prime location in Santa Barbara’s historic Funk Zone, just a block from the beach, Hotel Californian is serving oceanfront views with North African influence. Yep, we’re talking Cali-Spanish-Moroccan blend.
5-star hotels get their tokens by offering impeccable service and upscale amenities. But what sets Hotel Californian apart from her corporate counterparts can be summed up in one phrase: this place is vibey as all hell. I’m telling you, every nook and cranny of this boutique hotel is more immaculately ornate than the next (can we please talk about the snake scones? The crystal-infused water? The layered ceilings? Shit, I’m fangirling way too hard to be taken seriously as a hard-hitting journalist).
IN-HOUSE FOOD + DRINK
Goat Tree / Hotel Californian
Foodies, fear not. Hotel Californian has several options for dining that all imbue that same fusion experience.
For breakfast, head to the Goat Tree — the property’s casual all-day dining restaurant open from 7 AM to 8 PM. In keeping with the hotel’s Moroccan influence, Goat Tree is named for Southwest Morocco’s famous Argania trees, where the goats hang out in the branches and snack. As I always say: be like the Moroccan goats, and snack.
Goat Tree’s menu is also featured in the in-room dining service, as well as poolside at Tan Tan Pool.
Try their iconic macaroons and 95-layer croissants by their in-house pastry chef, Ron Viloria. But I implore you to try their spiced french fries, which I consumed three times a day, three days in a row. My version of body positivity includes an IV drip of fried potatoes.
For happy hour, check out The Society: State & Mason for wines from the Foley Family Wines portfolio, and enjoy some local nosh from Executive Chef Travis Watson. Apparently, Santa Barbara is a destination for Pinot Noir, but I was living for their Two Sisters Chardonnay – buttery soft, ooey-gooey down your tongue, with the right amount of crisp and a pleasantly light finish.
Apparently, their new owner, billionaire Bill Fowley, is a super nice guy (I asked). I’m not about to recommend a stay at a boutique hotel owned by an asshole. Everyone insisted that he and his children are the nicest people, even when I released them from my closed fist grip.
For dinner, head to Blackbird and try a selection of fresh fish and seafood options. I had their delicious halibut with gnocchi but also insisted on trying every single person’s dish with or without their permission. Sorry for having such a can-do attitude? I’ll do anything for our readers.
For a nightcap, head to their library bar Djinn for a truly spectacular display of mixology. I mean, one of the cocktails started smoking. And one was blue with a giant ice ball in the center — I guess it represented the moon, they said? Honestly, I wasn’t listening. I was too busy looking at all the hot bartenders.
William, call me. I have a girl for you.
AMENITIES:
Hotel Californian
Fitness Center
Majorelle Spa
Tan Tan Pool (located on the rooftop, with ocean views)
There are 121 rooms offered at Hotel Californian. The guest rooms range in size from around 450 sq ft to 670 sq ft, with the smaller rooms offering two queen beds or one king-sized bed. Most rooms offer a private balcony, and all the rooms dazzle with Martyn Lawrence Bullard’s attention to detail.
There are two suite selections: the Magellan Suite and the Alcazar Suite, the hotel’s “presidential suite” and the only guestroom in the State Building. The suite amenities include:
65” high-definition televisions
Nespresso coffee makers
Custom formulated Hotel Californian bath products (they’re silicone, paraben, and gluten-free! We love that touch).
Don’t worry, no matter which room you choose, you will certainly get to bathe under one of those $3,000 showerheads. (My curls shall never be the same).
THE BEST THING TO DO WITHIN A 10-MINUTE WALK:
Hotel Californian
Since Hotel Californian spans across three buildings, they really take up an entire block of the historic Funk Zone. It’s absolutely imperative you try a free walking tour to get to know the neighborhood’s interesting come up from the “wrong side of the tracks” to one of the coolest neighborhoods in SoCal.
Get a coffee at super Instagrammable Dart Coffee. I wish I had a better adjective, but it’s truly just the cutest place. Sorry, but still… it’s good.
Grab a Spanish tapas dinner at Loquita, and try one of their amazing gin cocktails. Must tries: the duck paella, Patatas Bravas, Repollitos, and Champiñones. Sip a Valle de Ordesa cocktail (monkey 47 gin with elderflower tonic) to wash it all down.
You’ll want to try the delicious ice cream at the first-ever McConnell’s, which started right there on State St.
If you’ve never been to Santa Barbara, it’s worth checking out the famous State St on the northern side. There are tons of shops and restaurants to explore, and you’ll find both Santa Barbara-style mom-and-pop shops and national brands.
The Old Mission of Santa Barbara dates back to 1786 and is exactly 10 minutes away from the hotel. It’s a Parish, museum, gift shop, cemetery, and mausoleum with historic gardens and major Christian vibes.
Charter a sail with Santa Barbara Sailing Center, and don’t forget to load up the boat with plenty of SB wines and a dope charcuterie board. Yacht rock classics only.
BED GAME:
Hotel Californian
This is absolutely one of the biggest selling points at Hotel Californian. The buttery handfeel of the bedding, the perfect bouncy pillows, the soft yet firm, ultra-luxurious mattress, the fluffy everything.
And one of the most unique features: the turndown service often includes a special offering left on your pillowcase. These are usually short poems or notes from ex-pats, inspiring quotes, or some original thought. I told you – vibes!
Rating: 10/10.
SEXINESS RATING:
Hotel Californian
The coastal views from the rooftop pools, the delicious cocktails, the sultry Moroccan details, the iconic display of interior decorating artistry, and the hot spa crystals add up to one seriously sexy atmosphere. The only reason I’m taking a point off is because nobody tried to have sex with me the entire time. Rude.
Nothing beats the views from the rooftop pool. Fun fact: during the construction phase, Martyn Lawrence Bullard came in, stood in the waterless pool, looked out at the view of a wall instead of an ocean, and made everyone start over. It cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars, but he was right. If you’re paying top dollar to stay by the water, you better be able to see those blue waves while you sip your Pinot poolside. Iconic.
8/10
BEST SEASON TO VISIT:
Hotel Californian
Luckily, Santa Barbara has pretty great weather nine or ten months out of the year. If you live in a cold part of the country, escape a chilly season by enjoying the mellow Cali weather. But obvi, if you’re trying to soak up those summer rays, this is your place all summer long!
Okay listen — I’m not trying to be a diva but their Caesar salad was yucky. I appreciated the crispy chickpeas on top, but the dressing lacked any flavor. This is California, honey! If you can’t make the perfect Caesar, take it off your menu.
BOOK HERE:
Wanna feel like Kylie? Book your stay at Hotel Californian here.
Here in the first half of 2022, it has seemed like there’s a five-week wall in terms of how long a song can stay at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In February and March, Encanto hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” was No. 1 for five weeks. It was knocked off the top by Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves,” which enjoyed a five-week run on top before also being ousted. Now, though, Harry Styles has broken through: On the new Hot 100 chart dated June 18, “As It Was” is No. 1 for a sixth total week and third consecutive.
The Styles song’s third straight week on top is its longest continuous stint at No. 1 so far: It started with a single week on top, then returned to No. 1 for two more weeks before again losing the No. 1 spot.
Elsewhere on the chart, Post Malone had a nice week, as his and Doja Cat’s “I Like You (A Happier Song)” debuts at No. 9. The song is now Malone’s 11th top-10 song and Doja’s fifth.
The other major headline from this week’s Hot 100 is the continued success of Kate Bush’s 1985 single “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” which rises to No. 4 this week. This is Bush’s first time in the top five on the chart.
In making the leap from YouTuber to a rapper, Michigan artist DDG has proved that he has what it takes to make it in the music industry. Racking up hits like “Moonwalking In Calabasas” and “Elon Musk,” DDG worked his way into the ranks of XXL‘s 2021 Freshman Class while doing things his own way.
This year, he intends to capitalize on his growing momentum, releasing a follow-up to his fan-favorite 2017 mixtape Take Me Serious in July and hitting the road to ply his trade on the festival circuit this summer. To set the stage for both, he’s released the video for “Storyteller,” a romantic-ish single detailing a toxic situation that made him wiser — if not more forthcoming about his own shortcomings.
“Hot girls have cold hearts,” he croons on the chorus. “Deep scars make better stories / But I ain’t a storyteller.”
You can see DDG’s upcoming tour dates below and stay tuned for more about Take Me Serious 2.
7/2 -– Wireless Festival @ London, UK
7/3 -– Woo Hah! X Rolling Loud @ Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands
7/7 -– Rolling Loud Portugal @ Portimão, Portugal
7/8 -– Splash! Festival @ Gräfenhainichen, Germany
7/14 -– Bottom Lounge @ Chicago, IL
7/15 -– The Loft @ Atlanta, GA
7/16 -– The Music Hall of Williamsburg @ Brooklyn, NY
9/9 –- Rolling Loud Toronto @ Toronto, ON, Canada
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HOUSE OF BLACK
