While few of these grand old theaters survive today, even fewer have been restored or maintained enough to retain their original Art Deco elements — a devastating loss of American history. Fortunately, the 10 amazing Art Deco theaters on this list are the exceptions, and continue to thrill their audiences with flashy lights, ornate architectural details, and other Old Hollywood glam.

Fargo Theatre
Fargo, North Dakota

It’s hard to miss the amazing Art Deco details of the Fargo Theatre in Fargo, North Dakota. The theater’s facade is dominated by the gorgeous light-up marquee and tower. The Art Deco architectural details continue inside with an inverted dome ceiling, lots of color, and an ornate stage. Today, the Fargo is used as an art house theater and concert venue, and has been given a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fox Theater
Hutchinson, Kansas

The old Fox Theaters were some of the best examples of Art Deco architecture built in the United States, and the Fox Theater in Hutchinson, Kansas is no exception. In 1999, this Fox Theater was lovingly restored to its former glory and rewarded with a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of the theater’s best examples of Art Deco style include a colorful and flashy neon marquee, terra cotta reliefs, elaborate door moldings, plus plenty of cartouches, friezes, pilasters, and stepped treatments.

Grand Lake Theater
Oakland, California

Oakland’s Grand Lake Theater has been a vaudeville stage and a Fox movie palace, and is today one of the most amazing theaters built in the Art Deco style. The theater, which still functions as a popular cinema, has retained many of its original architectural details. A stunning crystal chandelier still hangs in the lobby, an old Mighty Wurlitzer organ is still brought out for special occasions, and classic frescoes still adorn the walls of the auditoriums (our favorite is the Sahara themed fresco, complete with palm trees and sand dunes).

Paramount Theatre
Middletown, New York

There may not be any celebratory parades planned like there were when it opened for the first time, but the Paramount Theatre is still one of the most amazing Art Deco theaters in the U.S. Located in Middletown, New York, the Paramount boasts such details as colorful ornate walls and ceilings, balconies, and a heavy red curtain that opens before each show. Today, the Paramount is used as a performance arts venue and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Paramount Theatre
Oakland, California

Despite spending more than three decades closed and neglected, the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California is today once again one of the most amazing Art Deco theaters [...]

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The video game has moved from humble origins to being one of the pop culture staples. Games like Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series can clear more than $1 billion for their creators. GTA V has raised nearly $800 million in 2 years and that’s just on the strength of legacy sales and multi-player credits. However, like any art form – there are always people looking to push the boundaries of what’s acceptable and today we bring you the 10 most controversial video games of all time.

Postal (The Series)

The Postal series involved going insane and murdering as many people as humanly possible. It was based on the American concept of “going postal” which was inspired by mail workers going into work and then shooting up everyone around them. It’s full of sick humor (you can use a dead cat to silence a shotgun) and promotes endless criminality. The series has been banned in several countries and if you’re caught with a copy in Malaysia – you’re going to be in very serious trouble indeed.

Ethnic Cleansing

Thankfully, while Postal may have caught the public’s imagination, the abysmal Ethnic Cleansing did not. Yes, it’s a game where you get to take on the role of a skinhead or a member of the KKK and then exterminate “inferior races”. We wish we were joking about this but we’re not. Players were sent out to slaughter Hispanics, Jewish people and African Americans before storming “the Yiddish Control Center” and assassinating the Prime Minister of Israel.

Muslim Massacre

Continuing on the theme of overt racism we find ourselves with “Muslim Massacre: The Game of Modern Religious Genocide” in which, as you might have guessed, the aim is to exterminate as many Muslims as possible. Just like Ethnic Cleansing this was a piece of complete crap which sunk beneath the waves before it could offend too many people.

RapeLay (NSFW)

Yes, there’s a game for would-be rapists and rape fantasists. RapeLay is a Japanese game which was released in 2006 in which players are able to play a male character who goes on to stalk and then rape a mother and her daughters. It was banned in numerous countries around the world and is generally considered to be a dreadful game as well as having dreadful content. However, there is a growing body of work which tries to defend the game on the basis that “rape isn’t as bad as murder, and murder is in loads of games” – we’re not convinced.

Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5 was controversial before it was released. The problem was that the game’s trailers showed all the “bad guys” in the game were black and that was enough to fire up a storm in the media. In fact, when the game was released there were plenty of enemies of all colours and all the critics had to admit that the game wasn’t in the slightest bit racist. A storm in a teacup as it were.

Super Columbine Massacre

It takes a serious sicko to think that one of the [...]

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Here are 10 superfoods that can help your health today and every day:

Onions

The humble onion can bring a whole lot of flavor to almost any savory dish. It’s also good for your body in more than one way. Firstly, they have a huge amount of quercetin which is an anti-oxidant and anti-oxidants promote healthy cells. They also help reduce the amount of “bad cholesterol” in your blood whilst helping raise the levels of “good cholesterol”. That, in turn, keeps your blood pressure lower and stops blood clots which can be very harmful. They’re best eaten raw or boiled rather than fried though.

Garlic

If there’s a single “panacea” in the plant world, it’s probably garlic. Garlic has been scientifically demonstrated to help boost the production of white cells which are the immune system’s first line of defence. It’s also been shown to cut down on the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi in the body. On top of that – it’s proven that garlic helps reduce the “bad cholesterol” in the blood steam as well. Not bad considering the negative side effect of bad breath.

Eggs

There was a time when eggs were condemned by nutrionists as a source of unhealthy cholesterol. Today, we know better – eggs promote, as long as you eat them in sensible quantities, good cholesterol. They’re also chock full of protein, minerals and vitamins. In particular, they’re an awesome source of Vitamin B12 and Vitamin K. You can do much worse than eat an egg two or three times a week.

Sardines

The humble sardine isn’t always a popular choice as it is often associated with cheap meals and low quality ingredients but it should be popular. It’s loaded with omega-3 oils which are considered an essential for healthy hearts and brains. It’s also much less likely to contain high doses of mercury which larger fish often do have. On top of that they’re good for a huge number of minerals and contain a good serving of vitamin B to boot.

Spinach

It’s not just Popeye that needs his spinach. We can all benefit from the green leafy vegetable in our diets. Why? Because it’s packed to the gills with antioxidants and is a fantastic source of vitamins K, C and E. Most importantly of all, it’s a rich source of iron which makes it particularly valuable in vegetarian diets because carnivores and omnivores get their iron from meat products.

Broccoli

George Bush once caused a huge scandal [...]

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Bill Clinton – Former President of the United States

They don’t get much bigger than the President of the United States but even presidents can be human and when Bill Clinton was faced with the choice about coming clean over his affair with Monica Lewinsky or denying everything; he chose the latter.

He told the nation; ““I want to say something to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I’m going to say this again, I did not have sexual relations with that woman. I never told anybody a lie. These allegations are false.”

Then a few days later, he admitted he hadn’t been entirely honest with the nation; “Indeed I did have a relationship with Ms Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact, it was wrong. I misled people, including my wife. I deeply regret that. This matter is between me, the two people I love most – my wife and my daughter – and our God.”

Tiger Woods – World Champion Golfer

It appears that it’s not just presidents that allow the little head to overrule the big head. Tiger Woods made $1 billion before taxes according to Forbes making him the very first sportsman in history to do so. The majority of his fortune didn’t come from the wins on the golf course but rather from the sponsors that doted on his every move.

Then Tiger crashed his car. He crashed it because his wife, Elin Nordegren, had smashed it with a golf club because he’d cheated on her.

When confronted by the media, Tiger said he’d not done any such thing. The trouble was that not only had Tiger cheated – he’d done it an awful lot. They estimate that he cheated with up to 100 women during his somewhat paltry 5 year term of marriage. When the sponsors found out; they pulled the plug and Tiger’s winning ways followed the cash and disappeared.

Beyoncé Knowles – Pop Star and Diva

Everybody who has been alive for the last 20 years knows who Beyoncé Knowles is. She’s not only had an incredibly successful solo career but was also part of the biggest girl group in history; Destiny’s Child. Apparently the fame brought about by being a global megastar wasn’t quite enough to sate Beyoncé’s ego.

On every single solo record and Destiny’s Child record that she recorded; Beyoncé received a writing credit. In fact, she had a writing credit on nearly every song that she’s ever performed. Yet, it turns out that her contribution to the composition of her music was illusory at best and straight up fraud at worst.

In 2006, she [...]

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The Banana Frappuccino

If the logo doesn’t give it away this is a Starbucks product and it’s available to Japanese customers. Take some banana, some whipped cream, chocolate sauce and you’ve got an unbeatable taste combination. Probably not the ideal choice for somebody on a diet but it’s the perfect choice for cooling down on a hot summer’s day with no pressing concerns but your taste buds.

McMollettes

If you’re bored of the breakfast muffins in the United States you could always head South and into Mexico for McMollettes. These are the traditional McDonald’s English muffin with a layer of beans smothered in a slice of cheese which is gently melted before a little pico de gallo is added. Scrumptious.

Wasabi Filet-o-Fish

Tartare sauce isn’t part of the Asian diet and as such it’s considered a bit bland on the tongue. Lucky for Singaporeans and Hong Kongers – there’s an alternative option on the menu. The Wasabi Filet-O-Fish which packs a mighty fiery punch. (Wasabi is an extra-strong member of the horseradish family and is usually mixed with a little soy sauce as an accompaniment to sushi and sashimi).

Marshmallow Twizzle

The Irish appear to like their sweet stuff, very sweet indeed. The marshmallow twizzle is a Starbucks creation which caters to that urge for sugar with a marshmallow that’s been rolled in hundreds and thousands (there’s a chocolate version too).

Peanut Butter Panini

In Indonesia peanuts are a very common addition to nearly every dish and they’re most excellent in the local satay sauces. However, there’s also a great love for peanut butter and they like a peanut butter Panini or two at the local Starbucks. These are really, really nice and we can’t imagine it would be hard to give them a trial run in America too.

Pizza McPuff

The “Mc” gives it away doesn’t it? Yes, this is an idea rolled out at McDonald’s in India. McDonald’s had a hard time getting into the Indian market where for a huge segment of the population; eating beef is simply not an option. Not only is the cow a sacred animal to Hindus but many other Indian religions eschew eating meat of any kind. So the McPuff was born. It’s a bit like an apple pie but made of a slightly different pastry and stuffed with vegetarian pizza filling rather than apple.

Tsukimi Burger

The Japanese celebrate a moon festival in the autumn and to help them celebrate; McDonald’s decided to release an extra-artery hardening burger product in the form of the Tsukimi Burger. It’s a cheeseburger which gets some special sauce, bacon and a poached [...]

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Acne is A Problem Caused by Two Things

Acne is caused by the build of oil or hair cells which stop oil flowing through the pores of the skin. It’s found in the pilosebaceous unit of hair follicles and oil glands. When the pore gets blocked; it becomes a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. The bacteria which grow there are called P. acnes. It’s the inflammation caused by a bacterial infection of the pore that turns into zits.

Acne Comes in Many Different Forms

The two most common kinds of acne are also the least severe; whiteheads and blackheads. These display as bumps on the skin which show that a pore is blocked. However, there are worse forms of acne than blackheads and whiteheads – when the pore gets badly infected you can find yourself with papules (which are pink bumps), pustules (these are bumps which are full of pus and usually have a red-inflamed base) and cysts (which are the worst – these are deep, they’re painful and seriously full of pus).

Acne Begins in Teenage Years

For most people, acne first shows up in the teenage years. You’re never the only kid in school with a few zits – they estimated that more than 80% of people suffer from some sort of acne in their youth. The bad news is that acne almost always gets worse before it gets better. For most people, however, it does get better and normally by the age of 24 or so – it becomes a very infrequent thing. However, women may find that they get outbreaks around the time of their periods thanks to the hormone transitions at that stage of the month.

Acne is a Hereditary Condition

There’s no way of telling exactly who will get acne and who won’t; at least nobody has yet identified a gene which is directly responsible for outbreaks of zits. But there’s a definite hereditary component and the more people in your family who have suffered from acne at some point in their lives; the more likely it is that you’ll suffer from acne too.

Acne Has Nothing to Do With Skin Type

While you might expect that people with oily skin would get more acne than people with dry skin; there’s no evidence that this is the case. Some folks with oily skin never get acne, some people with dry skin get so much acne that it’s just not fair. However, if you do get acne – then oily skin types [...]

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Your Brain Lies To You Post-Workout And So Does Your Calorie Tracker

People’s brains are funny things; they may be hugely complex organic computers capable of more than any supercomputer on earth but they’re also often hugely inaccurate. When you work out – your body’s hormone levels drop and in particular the hormones that tell you that you’re full. On top of this; your body’s sugar reserves are plundered during the exercise and that triggers a message to your brain to fetch more sugar. This means that people are often far hungrier following exercise than the exercise justifies. A workout which burns 250 calories can lead to 500 calories worth of consumption.

If you can recognize that this isn’t logical – you can start to take steps to prevent yourself from scoffing down every chocolate bar in the cupboard.

In particular, you can stop using that calorie tracking tool to make food decisions. Don’t replace the calories on that tracker – make a point of only replacing half or fewer calories. (It’s important to note that calorie trackers are notoriously inaccurate and generally over-estimate the number of calories burned too).

Eat Slowly Even When You Feel Famished

That post-exercise hunger can make you feel like you haven’t eaten in weeks and that you’re literally starving. Except you’re not literally starving unless you also have a severe eating disorder. Assuming that’s not the case – you need to think about the fact that you’re not starving and eat slowly.

When we’re really hungry we tend to wolf food down and because it takes our bodies roughly 20 minutes to let the brain know we’ve eaten properly – that means we pack in far too much food before the signal gets sent out. Slow down, chew more than you would normally (which is also good for digestion) and be prepared to wait a little for the brain to feel satiated again. It’s only going to be a few minutes.

Get Proteins and Fats Into The Food Mix And Leave Them Until Last

When we’re still hungry even after we’ve eaten well – it’s often because there wasn’t enough fat and protein in the meal that we’ve just had. While carbohydrates (sugars) are important; they’re quickly digested by the body and that makes us hungry again.

It’s also worth noting that if you work out in the morning; there’s a lot of evidence which shows a breakfast with fatty content will not just make you feel less hungry but will make you smarter for the day too. (This is to do with fat stimulating the myelin (fatty) [...]

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Bhutan

Bhutan’s the country which measures its gross domestic product in happiness rather than in money. It’s also starting to change fast – thanks to the mighty tourist dollar the roads are being transformed from dirt tracks to fully paved expressways. They’re building a lot of new accommodation to enable more budget focused travelers to visit the nation. Worse, the traditional arts are slowly beginning to be eroded in favor of cheap imports from China. If you want to get most from this tiny nation; it’s time to get on a plane before it becomes overrun with backpackers clutching copies of the Lonely Planet.

Cuba

The time to visit Cuba is now. The hippest tourist destination of them all is going to see huge amounts of change over the next decade. The trade embargo has been lifted and there’s a U.S. Embassy in Havana. Travel to Cuba is now easy and that means that people will soon start arriving in droves. For the moment the beaches are still relatively unspoiled and the cities are still full of their vibrant and exciting architecture but it can’t last – that’s the price of “progress”. See it before everything gets a makeover and Cuba becomes yet another tourist mecca.

Colombia

The peace pact with FARC fell through and that means there’s a chance that Colombia might soon return to its constant fighting. Yet, the country has improved during the time that the peace process was ongoing and there’s a huge energy to be felt in Colombian cities. They haven’t seen many tourists in Colombia yet and that means there’s still an “old school” vibe to the place where tourists are welcomed rather than resented. Get there before the developers do and you’ll be able to say you saw it first.

Quito, Ecuador

Some parts of Ecuador are already hip retirement destinations but the capital has generally been passed over by retirees and tourists alike. The city has seen some renovation which is a good thing as it means there’s some good quality but good value hotels and the local restaurant scene has been completely reinvigorated. There’s a buzz about the place which is slowly becoming a meeting point for cultural experiences and awesome night life.

Ladakh, India

If you need to get away from it all and truly switch off then it’s time to get off the grid in India. Ladakh, India has no Wi-Fi, no TV and no mobile phone signal either. A trip to Ladakh means getting in touch with your spiritual side and seeing how people in the Indus Valley live in a modest but beneficial way. There’s even a decent chance that you might get invited to meet the royal family while you’re there [...]

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Reaction Training

This is going to be a big deal for police forces where they’re trying to ensure that a police officer reacts appropriately in any given situation. You don’t want an officer pulling his gun on a child with a water pistol but not do you want her to take unnecessary risks when the perpetrator is holding an AK-47. Virtual reality simulators means the police officers can be thrown into hundreds of different situations and their reactions can be guided through experience. The key is to teach police officers de-escalation techniques as part of these programs so that gun use becomes a last resort.

Relieving Paralysis

At Duke University the neuroscience team have achieved something truly remarkable with VR – they’ve taught paralyzed people how to access their nerves by giving them the experience of walking in a virtual environment. This has led to almost 50% of patients involved in the trials learning to regain actual mobility, of some form, in real life. How the technique achieves these results is not yet fully understood but they’re remarkable results nonetheless.

Courtroom Research

When a jury is empanelled they will be asked to revisit the scene of the crime but this, to date, has always meant listening to expert witnesses and reviewing video and photographic evidence. VR means that this is no longer the case and that crime scenes can be rendered in full so that juries can get a true understanding of the scene and better interpret the data they are given by the prosecution and defense teams.

Sexual Release

If there’s a technological advance that doesn’t somehow get pulled into the realm of sex – we’re not sure what it would be. VR promises something completely new; truly immersive porn. Pop your headset on and a body suit which contains various “stimulating devices” and you can suddenly be banging your favorite porn star rather than watching them bang. We’re not sure what this means for the future of the human race because if people are staying at home playing in VR fantasy – where will the babies come from?

Better Manufacturing

If you can build and test prototypes in VR; you can substantially reduce manufacturing costs and then move straight to production without costly interim prototypes. This isn’t quite ready yet but they’ve already got software which allows people to create fully interactive 3D-models in space and that can help with product testing too. New components can be overlaid on the real world to see how they look and feel before moving to production.

Yet More Marketing

If there’s one thing that’s never in doubt; when there’s something cool [...]

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The “Baby Food” Diet

Tracy Anderson, the fitness “guru”, recommends that you first go on a real diet to get to your ideal weight and then once you’ve got there – you stay thin by eating nothing but a jar of baby food for breakfast and lunch every single day of the week. Let’s put aside the fact that baby food isn’t particularly appealing to adult taste buds; does it work? There’s no reason that it shouldn’t because baby food is essentially a small jar of mainly vegetable based foods – so assuming you don’t then pig out on a twelve course meal at night; you’d lose weight.

Dr. Siegal’s Cookie Diet

Dr. Sanford Siegal like so many “diet experts” has the answer to your weight problems. Eat 9 cookies a day and a full meal (which may not be more than 700 calories) and which consists of a very short list of “allowed” ingredients. Does it work? Given that it’s a calorie controlled diet, yes it works. But there’s a catch Siegal’s cookies are $60 a box (and only his cookies) are allowed. Then there’s the problem that it’s completely lacking in many of the staples of a healthy diet – like enough fruit and veg.

The Pregnant Women’s Urine Diet

Adherents of this bizarre diet claim that if you eat 500 calories a day and inject yourself with a pregnant woman’s urine – you’ll lose weight. They say this is because there’s a hormone in the urine that tricks the body into thinking it’s pregnant and increases the metabolic rate. Sane people note that 500 calories a day is in fact a seriously low amount of calories and anyone would lose weight (though not safely – this is a dangerously low level of calorific intake for any lengthy period) without the urine (which costs up to $600 for “a course”).

The Lord’s Diet

Yes, there’s even a group out there that recommend using prayer to lose weight. Though to be fair – they don’t recommend prayer by itself but rather as part of a balanced low calorie diet and exercise program. The prayer is just there to help you focus on not cheating on your diet. If it helps you stick to a diet – go ahead and pray but there’s otherwise little benefit in doing so.

The Tongue Patch Diet

Dr. Chugay, a Beverly Hills based cosmetic surgeon, believes in stitching a restrictive patch to people’s tongues. The idea being that eating will become so painful they’ll only be able to drink fluids. Sure, this will [...]

The post 9 Really Ridiculous Diets You Probably Don’t Want to Try appeared first on PopCrunch.

Some People Cannot Ever Be Happy

Happiness is a product of our environment, right? Well, to some extent it is true that what we’re doing or surrounded by can have a huge impact on our happiness. But the bad news for some people is that our ability to be happy is a genetic thing and some people just don’t have the happiness gene. In fact people who are really happy have two copies of that gene. People without it are generally unhappy.

Holidays Don’t Make Us Happy

You’d think that taking a vacation pretty much anywhere would boost your happiness levels but this, according to the latest research at least, isn’t the case. In a study of more than 1,500 vacations they discovered that in the vast majority of cases holidays don’t make us happy. In fact, they have very little impact on our overall happiness. The only exception to this depressing rule is that people who take “very relaxing” breaks do report a boost in their happiness.

Other People Make Us Sad

Actually this isn’t 100% true but research from “The Great Brain Experiment” showed that what makes us unhappy or happy isn’t interacting with other people. It’s having more in our lives than the people around us – if all the people you know appear to be doing better than you; you’ll be miserable. Conversely, if they’re all having a lousy time – you’ll be flying high. Our happiness is often relative to the background of happiness we’re exposed to.

We’re Less Happy Than Ever Before

We live in a world of endless opportunity, technological marvels and ever improving health and that’s making us miserable. Back in the 1970s when they first started to measure the background level of happiness in America people were much happier than when they measured that level in 2010. In fact, happiness has been on a constant decline since they first measured it. Maybe it’s the measuring that affects happiness? Or maybe life really is less enjoyable when you have much more choice in front of you?

Some People Are Scared of Happiness

While most people say they’d embrace happiness; there are many cultures in which there’s a distinct (and measurable) fear of happiness. If you were to visit India or Hong Kong, for example, you’d find that that happiness holds cultural stigma and people aren’t very keen on the idea – they’re happy-phobic if you like. Research also finds that people who are in an Islamic culture are likely to perceive sadness and hardship as necessary to commune properly with God and thus they too become happiness averse. So while people want to be happy – many will avoid the opportunity to actually be [...]

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Revamp Your Wardrobe

You can’t look like a millionaire without having a good wardrobe but that doesn’t mean spending a ton of money. It means buying fewer clothes but better clothes. A good rule of thumb is to spend 3 times as much as you would at the moment but buy one-third as many clothes. If you learn to buy wardrobes which mix and match well – you can wear the same item more often without dressing identically every day.

Start Volunteering

Want to hang out with millionaires and learn from them? You’d be amazed at how many wealthy people volunteer and support good causes. Do a little research; where do the movers and shakers hang out when they’re doing good work? Then go and join them. This is an incredibly inexpensive strategy and it will make you feel good to do something great in the community. The efforts you expend will increase your network and expose you to opportunities that you might never have seen otherwise.

Show Good Manners

Wealthy people have manners. It’s pretty much a staple expectation of those who’ve reached a certain station in life. It’s also good practice to be well-mannered anyway. People will like you more when you show restraint rather than huffing at someone for a minor delay or speaking down to someone because you’re irritated with them. It’s something that business colleagues and clients will appreciate to.

Ladies –Ditch The Flat Shoes

This is terribly sexist but it’s the way that society works. Elegant, wealthy women do not dress in a frumpy fashion. High heels mold the profile of a woman’s leg to suggest a certain sexuality; flat shoes, on the other hand, suggest that you don’t care about your appearance and that you’ve probably got a house full of cats in your future. The millionaire lifestyle isn’t always comfortable unfortunately – it’s always about putting your best foot forward (literally in this case).

Start Collecting Something

Rich people collect things; guns, medals, books, records, etc. are all items which can be collected and which draw wealthy, influential people. That doesn’t mean you need a copy of The Gutenberg Bible but events run for collectors often offer things that are much more affordable to those of us without billions in the bank. As you get involved in collecting; you’ll start reading up on the field and you’ll be able to converse with the wealthier collectors without sounding like an idiot – you don’t need a silver plated Colt handgun to know that it’s an interesting and fascinating piece and it’s that knowledge that [...]

The post 10 Tips to Help You Look and Feel Like a Millionaire (Even When You’re Not) appeared first on PopCrunch.

Madonna

The original Material Girl is every bit as material as the song she once sang. She’s supposed to require a 200 person entourage as part of her rider. That entourage is designed to cater to her every whim – they include yoga instructors, personal chefs and a legion of bodyguards. She’s also into floral arrangements but they have to be very specific – they must be lilies or roses and they must have their stems cut to an exacting 6 inches long. She also insists upon an on-site dry cleaning service so her costumes can be turned out perfectly once she’s worn them.

Jennifer Lopez

J-Lo may have the most delectable bottom in the history of pop music but her rider must drive venues insane. She’s apparently appalled by color schemes; there’s a blanket ban on the use of color anywhere in her private off stage area. That means she must have a white room, decorated with white flowers, furnished with white drapes and white couches. She’s also not a fan of cool water as the rider requires access to “tepid water”.

Morrissey

Morrissey who was in the eighties most influential band “The Smiths” appeared to lose the plot when he headed to the Vina Del Mer festival in 2012. He demanded that every single person who worked at the venue be herded into their offices and then be locked in – so that he wouldn’t have to encounter anyone below his “station”. He also had a jury member thrown out of the festival because he didn’t approve of the way the guy winked at the camera.

Weird Al Yankovic

When he’s not working on his “comedic” covers of artist like Michael Jackson (the song was “Eat it”) – he’s a huge fan of being badly dressed. His rider, whilst less demanding than many of the other artists on the list, required that each venue furnish him with a brand new Hawaiian shirt at every performance. Apparently, he dropped this requirement after collecting several hundred shirts.

Lionel Messi

Footballers can be prima donnas too. Lionel “Leo” Messi may be the world’s most beloved soccer player but that doesn’t stop him from going overboard when it comes to his personal demands. The Hotel Serena Suites was required to install a basketball hoop in the bedroom, to provide three Jacuzzis in the bathroom (one had to be cold, the others hot), a personal maid and a swimming pool heated to exactly 28 degrees centigrade.

Will Ferrell

Not to be outdone by the sports stars and pop starts of this world; acting talent likes to be overly-entitled when it comes to their demands [...]

The post The Most Outrageous Celebrity Demands of Our Time appeared first on PopCrunch.

Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton is the spoiled brat heiress to the Hilton fortune. She’s essentially famous for being rich and marginally attractive. According to her wiki entry she’s “an American businesswoman, socialite, television personality, model, actress, singer, DJ, and author.” Which may or may not be accurate but what it neglects to mention is that she’s also a revolting racist. She said that black men were “gross” and refused to so much as even consider touching a black man. She also said of herself and her sister, Nicky, while dancing that they looked like “two [that n-word everybody knows is not OK to use]”.

Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot was once one of the world’s biggest sex symbols before retiring and becoming increasingly “crazy cat lady” in her approach to life. She got involved in animal rights charities and if she’d have left things there – she’d never have made our list. Instead she’s been charged 5 times in her native France (and been convicted every single time” for inciting racial hatred. She has accused Muslims of “destroying her country” and constantly harps on about “foreign overpopulation”.

John Wayne

There’s a recurring them here; celebrity racism and “The Duke” was a straight up racist of the incredibly extreme kind. This is what he said to Playboy magazine about David Duke’s failed bid for the presidency; “We can’t all of a sudden get down on our knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the blacks. I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.”

Mel Gibson

You’d have thought someone who starred as Jesus in The Last Temptation of Christ would know that it’s not nice to talk horribly to people but not Mel Gibson, the Australian turned American, who appears to be something of an anti-Christ in his personal life. Choice quotes include this to his then girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva; “You look like a fucking pig in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of ni**ers, it will be your fault.” And this on the subject of gay folks to a Spanish newspaper; “They take it up the ass. This is only for taking a shit.” And when he was asked to apologize for that remark he said; “I’ll apologize when hell freezes over. They can fuck off.”

Michael Jackson

When Michael wasn’t inviting other people’s children to share his bed; he was enjoying watching Nazi propaganda [...]

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The Window Tester

It’s good to have faith in things around you. It’s a bad idea to have so much faith that you decide to bet your life on it. That’s exactly what the Canadian lawyer, Garry Hoy, did when from the comfort of his 24th floor office – he claimed that the glass in the windows of the building could not be broken. Instead of testing this theory with a handy brick; Garry charged the window with his body. The first time around the glass held. It held the second time too but sadly for Garry the window frame popped out of socket and he and the unbroken glass fell to the sidewalk below.

The Mobile Mechanic

James Burns of Michigan died at the sorrowful age of 34 when he decided that the best way to repair his truck would be from underneath that truck – while it was travelling on a highway. He roped in his equally dimwitted buddy and clung to the underside as his friend drove off and was promptly crushed to death.

The Stolen Sledge

If you ever decide to visit a ski resort you might think carefully before purloining a protective mat from the metal barriers on the slopes. David Monk whilst visiting Italy didn’t do much thinking when he grabbed his mat and turned it into an impromptu sled. He zipped down the slope on his newly found sled and then slammed head first into the barrier he’d nicked the protective mat from – it killed him instantly.

The Doggie Diddler

Sean McDonnell is doing time in an Irish jail on behalf of his dog. Sean’s a fairly kinky guy and he used to roam bestiality chatrooms where he met an unnamed lady. He offered to introduce her to his Alsatian dog and she happily accepted. She came round and then things got well… unmentionable between her and the hound. A few hours later she was dead; she was allergic to the dog’s semen. Sean was charged with “buggery contrary to Section 61 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861” presumably because they couldn’t find anything more precise to charge him with.

The Irregular Use of a Chainsaw

If drinking and driving don’t mix – it’s fair to say that you shouldn’t try playing with chainsaws after a few cold ones. In Poland, Krystof Azninski and his chum decided to ignore that rule. They were engaged in a game of macho one upmanship. They began with a few slaps, moved onto chucking frozen turnips at each other’s heads before Krystof’s chum had the brilliant idea of chain sawing his own foot off. Krystof couldn’t let that go [...]

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Fan Bingbing

Fan’s gone from being a local celebrity to a global superstar. It was her appearance in the Chinese movie “Lost in Beijing” that brought her some international attention and while the film wasn’t a critical or box office success it brought her offers to star in Iron Man 3, the X-men series and many other films. She has been in the Forbes list of top 100 Chinese celebrities for more than a decade and has never been outside of the Top 10 since 2006. She is also one of the highest paid celebrities in the world so if you can get a date with her – life would be truly golden.

Liu Yifei

Bridging the international divide is Liu Yifei who is a Chinese-American actress and who began her career in the Chinese TV series “The Story of a Noble Family” but it was her role in the “The Forbidden Kingdom” which brought her first big hit. She’s not just an actress though but also a huge star in the Chinese pop scene and she’s also definitely one of the most attractive women in the Chinese world.

Zhang Ziyi

Possibly the best known of all the Chinese beauties on our list; Zhang Ziyi was considered to be one of the “10 most beautiful women in Asia” as ranked by FHM magazine. She’s also one a ton of awards for her acting in the global smash hit movie; “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. Since then she’s starred in the sequel “House of Flying Daggers” as well as Rush Hour 2, Sophie’s Revenge and The Crossing Part 1 among a bunch of other hit movies. She was also considered to be one of the 100 most influential people in the world at one point.

Xu Jinglei

Xu Jinglei, by contrast with our first three list members, is nearly unknown outside of China where she’s one of the most popular actresses of all time. She’s won so many awards from the Chinese film and TV industry that we think she might have had to build a new house just to store them all. We’re guessing it’s a lack of English language skills that are holding her back in the international film arena given that she is smoking hot.

Bianca Bai

If you’d like to cast your eyes away from the mainland and across the strait into Taiwan you’ll find the home of Bianca Bai. Bianca started her career young and was a famous model before she’d even finished school. Then she moved into acting and has been [...]

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O.J. Simpson

O.J.’s case isn’t clear cut. He was accused of murdering both his wife and her friend and the evidence seemed overwhelmingly clear cut that he was guilty. Yet, when the case went to trial – his highly paid legal team managed to shed enough doubt on that evidence that O.J. was acquitted and found innocent of the crime. That there’s never been an arrest of any other suspect since the trial suggests that the police think they’d found their man even if the jury didn’t.

Earl Hayes

With a bright future ahead of him in the world of rap music in 2014 Earl Hayes made the news for all the wrong reasons. Neighbors reported gunfire from Earl’s apartment and when police arrived on the scene both Earl and his wife were dead. The investigation revealed that Earl had murdered his wife before turning his weapon on himself.

Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius captured the world’s heart and imagination when he became the first Olympian athlete to win a running event with two prosthetic legs. Then in 2013 he caught the world’s eye for a second time. This time it was for shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, through the door of their shared bathroom. He was convicted of murder but legal shenanigans resulted in a sentence of a paltry 7 years and he was even allowed to return home while his appeal was processed.

Gig Young

Gig Young has a bright career as an actor and won an Academy Award. However, his life was spinning out of control in the 1970s. He was supposed to be Charlie in Charlie’s Angels but when he arrived too drunk to speak – he was fired and replaced by John Forsythe. In 1978 things hit rock bottom when he committed murder-suicide and murdered his wife of just 3 weeks.

Sid Vicious

Sid Vicious was made world famous for the shock tactics of the punk band the Sex Pistols. Also in 1978 Sid Vicious was implicated in the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. While he originally wasn’t a suspect, he was eventually arrested and confessed immediately to the police. He claimed that he’d never meant to kill her. He never stood trial for his crime as he died of a drug overdose. A note found near his body claimed that Sid had had a death pact with Nancy and it was his decision to move on from this world to be with her in the next.

Claudine Longet

It’s not just gentlemen who kill their wives as Claudine Longet’s [...]

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Jonathan De Falco (Footballer – Racing Mechelen)

The Belgian professional footballer Jonathan De Falco never really impressed on the pitch and his career was going nowhere when he was dropped permanently for a sporting injury. He didn’t let that stop him and once he left the team – he danced in nightclubs to earn a coin. Then moved into “massage services” before getting his break in gay porn. This wasn’t the best news for his girlfriend who was soon supplanted by a boyfriend who the pornstar has now introduced to his parents as his partner.

Jon Koppenhaver (MMA – War Machine)

“War Machine”, Jon Koppenhaver, has led something of a troubled life. He was chucked out of MMA life for being somewhat of a prima donna. So given that there’s not a huge demand for ex-MMA experts in the real world; he thought he’d try his hand at porn. It wasn’t a long career as his temper got the better of him at a porn star’s party and after he attacked a few guests; he was dumped from porn. Then he went to prison, for attempted murder no less, where he tried to hang himself.

Jackie Chan (Kung Fu)

Jackie Chan is, of course, a mega star today and it’s hard to imagine that the world’s most insane Kung Fu artist (he does all his own stunts in his films and if famous for having broken every bone in his body for doing so) would need to spend time in porn. But 31 years ago Jackie fell on hard times in Hong Kong and ended up starting in a porno called “All in the Family” . Fortunately for Jackie better times were lurking around the corner.

Joanie Laurer (WWE – Chyna)

WWE’s Chyna was a huge star and a somewhat masculine looking lady in the ring. It appears that once she’d got out of the ring that she’d entered a race to demonstrate to the entire human race that she really does have a vagina. She recorded “One Night in China” ostensibly a “leaked sex tape” but without the pretense that it was any such thing. She sold it to porno distributors immediately and then went on to pose for the cover.

Robert Rosenberg (Boxer)

Robert Rosenberg’s done way more porn that fighting. He’s actually been in over 8,000 porn scenes in the European porn producer’s BangBros’ videos. He claims that he was the only European porn star ever to bang Jenna Jameson. We aren’t going to watch every tape she’s been in to see if that’s true. Our wrists couldn’t take it. Rosenberg is [...]

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Sean Penn (6 times)

Sean Penn has definitely mellowed in his old age but he was once the raging nutcase husband of Madonna with a reputation for attacking the paparazzi every time they came near him. His first arrest was in 1986 for a rumble with a photographer – his last in 2009 for umm… assaulting a photographer. He has done a slight amount of time in jail over the years. While we wish Sean all the best in his career; we recommend that you ask for a selfie with him with complete caution. You never know when you’ll wake the inner beast that lays dormant beneath the smooth exterior.

Robert Downey Jr. (6 times)

The current Iron Man of the movies was once a total pain in the backside. His drug and alcohol problems are well documented and it’s possession that has seen Downey Jr. arrested 7 times in the past. During one period of relative sanity he landed a role on Ally McBeal (the 90s legal drama) and was so good that he was nominated for an Emmy. That success didn’t stop him from going on to get himself arrested twice in a short period and then he was dismissed from the show. The positive news is that unlike many on this list – Downey has rehabilitated and is doing very, very well for himself indeed nowadays.

George Michael (7 times)

George was once the clean cut darling of millions in the band Wham! Then he kind of fell to pieces for a bit. George’s arrest record contains at least one unfair conviction; the one for “engaging in a lewd act” which appeared to be both entrapment and an act of homophobia on behalf of the law. However, it’s hard to be as forgiving about the rest of his crimes which include drinking under the influence and multiple counts of drug possession.

Mike Tyson (7 times)

Our celebrity rapist is Mike Tyson; who might be higher up our celebrity arrest list if we were allowed to count all the times he was arrested in his teens (more than 30 arrests) but it’s really not done to add child crimes and it’s not as if Mike’s adult arrest record makes him a better person. Apart from the rape of Miss Black Rhode Islands (for which he did 3 years in prison) – he’s been regularly arrested for assault and for drugs charges. Fortunately, there are some things your career doesn’t recover from and rape is one of them. Mike Tyson got his just desserts in more ways than one.

Bobby Brown (7 [...]

The post 10 Celebrities Who Have Been Arrested More Times Than You Might Think Wise appeared first on PopCrunch.

It’s become a common thing in Hollywood to have a body double whose job it is to make the actor or actress look fantastic as they engage in fake sexual contact. What’s not so common are the films in which the actors and actresses are actually having sex rather than other people faking it on their behalf. It’s not very common at all, in fact, but here are XX movies where the sex scenes include real sex.

9 Songs

The title of the film refers to the nine songs that are played by a series of eight different rock bands throughout the movie. Its director Michael Winterbottom decided on a romantic drama with a difference – it would include unsimulated footage of people doing the horizontal bop. There’s oral, masturbation, there’s actual sex and even a scene in which a genuine ejaculation is shown. Derek Malcolm of The Guardian said of the film: “Nine Songs looks like a porn movie, but it feels like a love story. The sex is used as a metaphor for the rest of the couple’s relationship. And it is shot with Winterbottom’s customary sensitivity.”

Gandu

India is famed for its strong sexual mores and its reluctance to involve anything risqué in its film industry which is why Gandu is a surprise entrant on our list. There’s an ongoing debate as to whether the 2010 movie is in fact straight up porn or something more nuanced. Many Indian audience members walked out during the screening of the movie in protest. The film is shot in black and white apart from the sex scene which merited a Technicolor presentation.

Sweet Movie

When a movie is short for the art-house crowd; there’s a much higher chance of it being sexually explicit. 1974’s Sweet House is directed by Dusan Makavejev the Yugoslav director and was in essence a comedy. The sex scenes are stomach churning and include both coprophilia and emetophilia. Not all the sex scenes are real, some are staged but they are all very explicit and the film was banned in a ton of countries upon release.

Love

A rather more recent entrant to the list; 2015’s Love was a French drama produced in 3D. In general the film was critically panned and its only real appeal was the fact that its sex scenes included real sex. From its 42% score on Rotten Tomatoes – it’s probably fair to say that they didn’t get the audiences as hot under the collar as the director had anticipated.

Anatomy of Hell

Another French movie and another fairly pitiful film. The premise of 2004’s Anatomy of Hell is that a gay woman tries to kill herself and then hires a straight guy to lock her up and do what he wants with her for four days. Unsurprisingly it’s panned for its homophobia but even the critics who hated the movie were quick to point out that the sex scenes were in fact ground breaking.

In the Realm of the Senses

In the Realm of the Senses was a Japanese movie made by a French-Japanese director in 1976. It [...]

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