Wednesday 28 December 2016


Ariana Grande felt 'sick and objectified' after fan encounter



Ariana Grande took to Twitter on Tuesday to speak out against the pervasiveness of female objectification in society after an insulting run-in with a misogynistic fan left her feel degraded.

According to a message the singer shared, she and boyfriend Mac Miller were out picking up some food when a young man approached the couple, excitedly telling Miller that he was a fan.



"He was loud and excited and by the time M was seated in the driver's seat, he was literally almost in the car with us," Grande recounted. "I thought all of this was cute and exciting until he said 'Ariana is sexy as hell man. I see you, I see you hitting that!!!'"

"Hitting that? The f--k??" she continued. "This may not seem like a big deal to some of you but I felt sick and objectified. I was also sitting right there when he said it."

The "Dangerous Woman" singer explained that she "felt really quiet and hurt" after the encounter and that these are the "kinds of moments that contribute to women's sense of fear and inadequacy."

"I am not a piece of meat that a men gets to utilize for his pleasure," she wrote. "I'm an adult human being in a relationship with a man who treats me with love and respect."



Grande went on to say that it "hurts my heart that so many young people are so comfortable" when it comes to using phrases that objectify women "with such ease."

"We need to talk about these moments openly because they are harmful and they live on inside of us as shame," she concluded. "We need to share and be vocal when something makes up feel uncomfortable because if we don't, it will just continue. We are not objects or prizes. We are QUEENS."

Sunday 18 December 2016


Abati, Obanikoro, Fani-Kayode, others pose for photo in EFCC cell. zero shame



A photograph has cropped up on the social media showing a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed; former Special Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on Media, Reuben Abati; ex-Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro; former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode and a Peoples Democratic Party leader in Kano, Bashir Ishaq Bashir, when they were in detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.


The photograph, obtained by Punch showed the quintet accused of money laundering and other financial crimes looking happy despite being in detention.

In the photo, Mohammed wore black clothes, while Obanikoro was dressed in a white vest and what looked like a pair of boxers.


The ex-minister was captured in the picture waving his right hand and Fani-Kayode raising two fingers (sign of victory) in the air.

GHEN GHENN!Blac Chyna’s Instagram Hacked, Reveals Scandalous Chats with Young Thug, Jaden Smith


Sure, it isn’t exactly Russia infiltrating the computer networks of the DNC and RNC to sway the presidential election towards Donald Trump, but on Saturday afternoon, reality TV star Blac Chyna was reportedly hacked.


According to screengrabs posted online, Chyna, 28, was allegedly flirting with rapper Young Thug and actor Jaden Smith, and also—if the poster is to be believed—had designs on trademarking her post-Rob name, Angela Renée Kardashian, for supposed financial gain. Chyna was engaged to reality TV star Rob Kardashian (of Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ fame). The two have been dating since January 2016, became engaged on April 5, and welcomed their first child together, daughter Dream Renée Kardashian, on November 10.

Here are some of the posts that were made under Blac Chyna’s Instagram account and subsequently deleted. They are undated, so it is not certain when they were sent, and they are said to be between Chyna and her pal, “Treasure,” which is the actual name of her IRL Friend.

Sorry to be so open but I’m not feeling so good after seeing @blacchyna messages about me and what her plans were. I have never been this heartbroken in my life. I don’t mind being so open or if anyone thinks I’m being weak but I don’t play when it comes to Family and Chyna was my Family and thought we were getting married. I treated her as a Queen,” wrote Kardashian.

“My baby girl is 1 month old and Chyna took her and left this beautiful home that I just bought for us. Right before Christmas. Someone I have given my all too,” he continued. “I Loved every inch of that woman and loved everything that came with her. I truly loved Angela. I gave everything I owned for her. Didn’t know I was just part of her plan. I really believed she was in love with me the way that I was with her and I am so hurt and never felt this before. It's different when you have a kid with someone. And after reading Chyna’s messages to her best friend she was going to drop me after a year. She didn’t even make it to that. I am so broken. This is a woman I fought my entire family for. I was in love with this woman to the fullest and I was none of that to her.”


Now, Chyna’s camp hasn’t confirmed the nature of the hack—or her intentions. And the timing is incredibly fishy, given that their E! reality TV special, Rob & Chyna Baby Special, airs on Sunday night.





Monday 12 December 2016


Critics’ Choice Awards: Complete list of winners and five takeaways from the show
The morning before the Golden Globe Award nominations were announced, an award show aired on A&E that looked … a lot like the Golden Globes.
Except it was the 22nd annual Critics’ Choice Awards, which combined its TV and movie branches for the first time into one giant, star-studded telecast in Los Angeles on Sunday night. The three-hour show provided some clues for the upcoming award season, from the Golden Globes to the Oscars all the way through next year’s Emmys — here are five takeaways.

1) “La La Land,” “Moonlight,” “Manchester By the Sea” and “Jackie,” continue to dominate award season, as expected.
No surprise here: “La La Land,” the bubbly musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, swept up the most Critics’ Choice awards with eight trophies, including best picture, best director, best original screenplay (it tied with “Manchester By the Sea”) and several technical awards. “Moonlight,” the acclaimed drama that chronicles a poor, sensitive young man from childhood to adulthood, won best acting ensemble and supporting actor for Mahershala Ali.
Natalie Portman took home the best actress prize for her title role in “Jackie,” about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the days after John F. Kennedy’s assassination; the film also won for costume and hair and make-up categories. And the grim “Manchester By the Sea” continued its march with honors for its actors, as Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges won best actor and best young actor, respectively.

2) “Deadpool” could be a big contender.
As the audience learned, the last four winners of the Critics’ Choice best comedy (“Silver Linings Playbook,” “American Hustle,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “The Big Short”) all went on to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars. Will it be the same for box office smash “Deadpool,” which picked up the comedy prize on Sunday night? Ryan Reynolds sure hopes so. The always-game actor took the stage multiple times, as he won for best actor in a comedy, and was honored as entertainer of the year.

— Critics' Choice (@CriticsChoice) December 12, 2016

3) New breakout TV shows: “Westworld,” “Atlanta,” “The Crown.”
The Golden Globes are generally the first show to highlight breakout the fall’s TV hits, but the Critics’ Choice got there first. HBO’s extremely confusing futuristic drama “Westworld” landed two trophies in drama acting categories, with Evan Rachel Wood as best actress and Thandie Newton as best supporting actress. The much-praised “Atlanta” — a dramedy about the rap scene in Atlanta — netted Donald Glover a best actor in a comedy prize. Meanwhile, Netflix’s historical British drama had three nominations and a win for John Lithgow (who plays Winston Churchill) as supporting actor in a drama

4) Alec Baldwin is starting to win awards for his Donald Trump impression.
Though it was one of the prizes announced off-camera, Baldwin was awarded guest performer in a comedy for his “Saturday Night Live” stint this fall as Trump. Wonder how the president-elect will feel about this, especially if Baldwin keeps winning trophies.
5) There’s such a thing as “too much host.”
The show’s host, “Silicon Valley” star T.J. Miller, was arrested over the weekend after he reportedly got into a fight with his Uber driver over Trump. Though he hinted before the show he might bring it up the “elephant in the room,” he didn’t mention the incident at all, though he did call Trump an Internet troll in his monologue. Then he slyly climbed on a literal soapbox, proclaiming that he hates when celebrities “use a platform to tell all of us how to live.”
Although some hosts slip away as the night goes on, Miller was a fixture. From bugging celebrities in the audience to pretending to shoot himself out of the cannon, the show would have been just fine with fewer bits. Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, take note.

Complete list of winners, in order they were announced:
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
“20th Century Women”
“Fences”
“Hell or High Water”
“Hidden Figures”
“Manchester by the Sea”
Moonlight — WINNER
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea” — WINNER
Alex R. Hibbert, “Moonlight”
Lewis MacDougall, “A Monster Calls”
Madina Nalwanga, “Queen of Katwe”
Sunny Pawar, “Lion”
Hailee Steinfeld, “The Edge of Seventeen”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Julie Bowen, “Modern Family” (ABC)
Anna Chlumsky, “Veep (HBO)
Allison Janney, “Mom” (CBS)
Jane Krakowski, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix) — WINNER
Judith Light, “Transparent” (Amazon)
Allison Williams, “Girls” (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Louie Anderson, “Baskets” (FX) — WINNER
Andre Braugher, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (FOX)
Tituss Burgess, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Ty Burrell, “Modern Family” (ABC)
Tony Hale, “Veep” (HBO)
T.J. Miller, “Silicon Valley” (HBO)
BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES
Bryan Cranston, “All the Way” (HBO)
Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock: The Abominable Bride” (PBS)
Cuba Gooding Jr., “The People v. O.J. Simpson” (FX)
Tom Hiddleston, “The Night Manager” (AMC)
Tim Matheson, “Killing Reagan” (National Geographic)
Courtney B. Vance, “The People v. O.J. Simpson” (FX) — WINNER
BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES
Olivia Colman, “The Night Manager” (AMC)
Felicity Huffman, “American Crime” (ABC)
Cynthia Nixon, “Killing Reagan” (National Geographic)
Sarah Paulson, “The People v. O.J. Simpson” (FX) — WINNER
Lili Taylor, “American Crime” (ABC)
Kerry Washington, “Confirmation” (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife” (CBS
Emilia Clarke, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Lena Headey, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Thandie Newton, “Westworld (HBO) — WINNER
Maura Tierney, “The Affair” (Showtime)
Constance Zimmer, “UnREAL” (Lifetime)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Kit Harington, “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
John Lithgow, “The Crown” (Netflix) — WINNER
Mandy Patinkin, “Homeland” (Showtime)
Christian Slater, “Mr. Robot” (USA)
Jon Voight, “Ray Donovan” (Showtime)
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish” (ABC)
Will Forte, “The Last Man on Earth” (FOX)
Donald Glover, “Atlanta” (FX) — WINNER
Bill Hader, “Documentary Now!” (IFC)
Patrick Stewart, “Blunt Talk” (Starz)
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent” (Amazon)
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Ellie Kemper, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep” (HBO)
Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live (NBC) — WINNER
Tracee Ellis Ross, “Black-ish” (ABC)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag” (Amazon)
Constance Wu, “Fresh Off the Boat” (ABC)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight” — WINNER
Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”
Ben Foster, “Hell or High Water”
Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
Dev Patel, “Lion”
Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“Finding Dory”
“Kubo and the Two Strings”
“Moana”
“The Red Turtle”
“Trolls”
“Zootopia” — WINNER
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Kate Beckinsale, “Love & Friendship”
Sally Field, “Hello, My Name Is Doris”
Kate McKinnon, “Ghostbusters”
Hailee Steinfeld, “The Edge of Seventeen”
Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins” — WINNER
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Ryan Gosling, “The Nice Guys”
Hugh Grant, “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Dwayne Johnson, “Central Intelligence”
Viggo Mortensen, “Captain Fantastic”
Ryan Reynolds, “Deadpool” — WINNER
BEST SONG
“Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” (“La La Land”)
“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” (“Trolls”)
“City of Stars” (“La La Land”) — WINNER
“Drive It Like You Stole It” (“Sing Street”)
“How Far I’ll Go” (“Moana”)
“The Rules Don’t Apply” (“Rules Don’t Apply”)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Viola Davis, “Fences” — WINNER
Greta Gerwig, “20th Century Women”
Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”
Nicole Kidman, “Lion”
Janelle Monáe, “Hidden Figures”
Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”
BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES
“All the Way” (HBO)
“Confirmation” (HBO)
“Killing Reagan” National Geographic)
“Roots” (History)
“The Night Manager” (AMC)
“The People v. O.J. Simpson” (FX) — WINNER
BEST DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land” — WINNER
Mel Gibson, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”
David Mackenzie, “Hell or High Water”
Denis Villeneuve, “Arrival”
Denzel Washington, “Fences”
BEST COMEDY
“Central Intelligence”
“Deadpool” — WINNER
“Don’t Think Twice”
“The Edge of Seventeen”
“Hail, Caesar! ”
“The Nice Guys”
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Caitriona Balfe, “Outlander” (Starz)
Viola Davis, “How to Get Away with Murder” (ABC)
Tatiana Maslany, “Orphan Black” (BBC America)
Keri Russell, “The Americans” (FX)
Evan Rachel Wood, “Westworld” (HBO) — WINNER
Robin Wright, “House of Cards” (Netflix)
BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams, “Arrival”
Annette Bening, “20th Century Women”
Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”
Ruth Negga, “Loving”
Natalie Portman, “Jackie” — WINNER
Emma Stone, “La La Land”
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sam Heughan, “Outlander” (Starz)
Rami Malek, “Mr. Robot” (USA Network)
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul” (AMC) — WINNER
Matthew Rhys, “The Americans” (FX)
Liev Schreiber, “Ray Donovan” (Showtime)
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards” (Netflix)
BEST ACTOR
Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea” — WINNER
Joel Edgerton, “Loving”
Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”
Tom Hanks, “Sully”
Denzel Washington — Fences”
BEST DRAMA SERIES
“Better Call Saul” (AMC)
“Game of Thrones” (HBO) — WINNER
“Mr. Robot” (USA)
“Stranger Things” (Netflix)
“The Crown” (Netflix)
“This Is Us” (NBC)
“Westworld” (HBO)
BEST COMEDY SERIES
“Atlanta” (FX)
“Black-ish (ABC)
“Fleabag (Amazon)
“Modern Family” (ABC)
“Silicon Valley” (HBO) — WINNER
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Netflix)
“Veep” (HBO)
BEST PICTURE
“Arrival”
“Fences”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Hell or High Water”
“La La Land” — WINNER
“Lion”
“Loving”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Moonlight”
“Sully”
(OFF CAMERA)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (tie)
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land” — WINNER
Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
Yorgos Lanthimos/Efthimis Filippou, “The Lobster”
Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea” — WINNER
Jeff Nichols, “Loving”
Taylor Sheridan, “Hell or High Water”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Luke Davies, “Lion”
Tom Ford, “Nocturnal Animals”
Eric Heisserer, “Arrival” — WINNER
Todd Komarnicki, “Sully”
Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi, “Hidden Figures”
August Wilson, “Fences
BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
“10 Cloverfield Lane”
“Arrival” — WINNER
“Doctor Strange”
“Don’t Breathe”
“Star Trek Beyond”
“The Witch”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Elle” — WINNER
“The Handmaiden”
“Julieta”
“Neruda”
“The Salesman”
“Toni Erdmann”
BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Benedict Cumberbatch, “Doctor Strange”
Matt Damon, “Jason Bourne”
Chris Evans, “Captain America: Civil War”
Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge” — WINNER
Ryan Reynolds, “Deadpool”
BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Gal Gadot, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
Scarlett Johansson, “Captain America: Civil War”
Margot Robbie, “Suicide Squad” — WINNER
Tilda Swinton, “Doctor Strange”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Jackie”
“Moonlight”
“Nocturnal Animals”
“La La Land” — WINNER
“Arrival”
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Arrival”
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
“Jackie”
“La La Land” — WINNER
“Live by Night”
BEST EDITING
“La La Land” — WINNER
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Sully”
“Moonlight”
“Arrival”
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
“Florence Foster Jenkins”
“Jackie” — WINNER
“Allied”
“Love & Friendship”
“La La Land”
BEST HAIR & MAKEUP
“Doctor Strange”
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Jackie” — WINNER
“Star Trek Beyond”
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“A Monster Calls”
“Arrival”
“Doctor Strange”
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
“The Jungle Book” — WINNER
BEST SCORE
“Moonlight”
“Arrival”
“La La Land” — WINNER
“Jackie”
“Lion”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES
Sterling K. Brown, “The People v. O.J. Simpson (FX) — WINNER
Lane Garrison, “Roots” (History)
Frank Langella, “All the Way” (HBO)
Hugh Laurie, “The Night Manager” (AMC)
John Travolta, “The People v. O.J. Simpson” (FX)
Forest Whitaker, “Roots (History)
BEST STRUCTURED REALITY SERIES
“Chopped” (Food Network)
“Inside The Actors Studio” (Bravo)
“Penn & Teller: Fool Us” (The CW)
“Project Runway” (Lifetime)
“Shark Tank” (ABC) — WINNER
“Undercover Boss” (CBS)
BEST ACTION MOVIE
“Captain America: Civil War”
“Deadpool”
“Doctor Strange”
“Hacksaw Ridge” — WINNER
“Jason Bournewinner
BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A DRAMA SERIES
Mahershala Ali, “House of Cards” (Netflix)
Lisa Bonet, “Ray Donovan” — Showtime)
Ellen Burstyn, “House of Cards” (Netflix)
Michael J. Fox, “The Good Wife” (CBS)
Jared Harris, “The Crown” (Netflix)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, “The Walking Dead” (AMC) — WINNER
BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, “Saturday Night Live” (NBC) — WINNER
Christine Baranski, “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS)
Larry David, “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Lisa Kudrow, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Liam Neeson, “Inside Amy Schumer” (Comedy Central)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES
Elizabeth Debicki, “The Night Manager” AMC
Regina King, “American Crime (ABC) — WINNER
Sarah Lancashire, “The Dresser” (Starz)
Melissa Leo, “All the Way” (HBO)
Anna Paquin, “Roots” (History)
Emily Watson, “The Dresser” (Starz)
BEST ANIMATED SERIES
“Archer” (FX)
“Bob’s Burgers” (FOX)
“BoJack Horseman” (Netflix) — WINNER
“Son of Zorn” (FOX)
“South Park” (Comedy Central)
“The Simpsons” (FOX)
BEST REALITY COMPETITION SERIES
“America’s Got Talent” (NBC)
“MasterChef Junior” (FOX)
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” (Logo)
“Skin Wars” (GSN)
“The Amazing Race” (CBS)
The Voice,” (NBC) — WINNER
BEST UNSTRUCTURED REALITY SERIES
“Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” (CNN) — WINNER
Chrisley Knows Best” (USA)
“Deadliest Catch” (Discovery)
“Ice Road Truckers” (History)
“Intervention” (A&E)
“Naked and Afraid” (Discovery)
BEST TALK SHOW
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” (TBS)
“Jimmy Kimmel Live! ” (ABC)
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (HBO)
“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)
“The Late Late Show with James Corden” (CBS) — WINNER
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC)
BEST REALITY SHOW HOST
Ted Allen,” Chopped (Food Network)
Tom Bergeron,” Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Anthony Bourdain,” Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (CNN) — WINNER
Nick Cannon, “America’s Got Talent (NBC)
Carson Daly, “The Voice” (NBC)
RuPaul, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (Logo)

Sunday 11 December 2016


Conor McGregor Subtly Fires Shots At Floyd Mayweather In Instagram Picture


Conor McGregor is nothing if not shy and retiring on social media…oh wait, no, he absolutely isn’t.

In his latest post to Instagram The Notorious has reportedly fired some shots at longtime boxing rival Floyd Mayweather.

But see if you can spot how…



The image appears innocuous enough, Mystic Mac seems to just be showing off about his luxury lifestyle, captioning the photo ‘Wearing my Pj’s on the P.J #GoalTicked’.

Now take a closer look at his paper…

Yep, it’s upside down. But is it really an incredible oversight, or is there something more to this?

"I hope McGregor purposely put the newspaper upside down because it is absolutely gas

— Patrick Rodgers (@_PatrickRodgers) December 10, 2016

Well if rumours are to be believed, Floyd Mayweather isn’t a strong reader, an allegation highlighted previously by 50 Cent during the ALS ice bucket challenge.

OK, somewhat literate, enough to read his bank statements at least!

If Mystic Mac is taking a sly pot shot at Mayweather then it has been expertly executed – but a McGregor vs. Mayweather prize fight still seems pretty unlikely.

John Glenn remembered by 'Hidden Figures' cast at premiere




John Glenn, depicted in "Hidden Figures" as a space trailblazer who also gave critical support to pioneering black women at NASA who helped him orbit the earth, was fondly remembered by the cast at the movie's premiere.

"He's a hero. John Glenn was always on the right side of history. During a time when these women, because of their gender and the color of their skin, were often times treated like second-class citizens, he extended his hand out, and he trusted women, and women of color, with his life," said Janelle Monae, one of the film's stars.

Glenn, a former U.S. Senator, died last week at the age of 95. Also a former U.S. military pilot in World War II and the Korean War, he became a national hero in 1962 when he succeeded in circling the earth.

"Hidden Figures" tells the story of a trio of African-American mathematicians, also called "computers," at NASA in the early 1960s who helped get him there.

"Empire" star Taraji P. Henson portrays Katherine Johnson, the woman responsible for the calculations that led to Glenn orbiting the earth.The other mathematicians are played by Monae and Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer.

Glenn was instrumental in breaking down color and gender barriers at a time when it was unpopular. For Henson, Glenn signified what America is supposed to represent.

"When he decided to shake the colored computers hands, he told them their lives matter. And in turn, Katherine told him his life mattered as she made it a point to get those numbers right, so he could come back home and see his family. So that's what it's all about. It's about pushing, putting our differences aside, and getting to a common goal. And that's moving humanity forward," Henson said.

Jim Parsons, who plays astronaut Tom Stafford in the film, also hailed Glenn.

"What's so interesting about and sad and touching about him passing away right as this movie is coming out is that we are introducing three other major faces of that exact same movement. As the film shows, John Glenn was one of the people who let one of these women into the room at a time when that wasn't being allowed," Parsons said.

Glen Powell portrays the legendary astronaut in film. He wished he had the chance to meet him.

"We were attempting to try to set that meeting up. He was very ill for like the past year. So he was in Ohio, and we never got a chance to meet him," Powell said. "But I will say that I've done enough research on John Glenn to truly understand the man and come to love him even more. So it's a tragic loss, but at the same time he lived 95 amazing years. I don't think there's a human being on the planet that inspired more lives and more generations."

Based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly, "Hidden Figures" opens in limited release on Christmas, before going wide on January 6.

Tuesday 6 December 2016


'Game of Thrones': The best advice Maester Aemon ever gave



Game of Thrones fans found themselves mourning Maester Aemon all over again Tuesday after learning that British character actor Peter Vaughan had died at age 93. (His character Aemon actually died onscreen in Season 5.)

"No man was wiser, or gentler, or kinder," Sam Tarly (Jon Bradley) told his fellow Night's Watch brothers during his eulogy over the maester's funeral pyre. "At the Wall, a dozen lords commanders came and went during his years of service, but he was always there to counsel them."

In honor of Vaughan, we look back at some of his character's best advice to Jon Snow (Kit Harington), who would go on to become Lord Commander, and Sam, who hoped to become the next maester.



When Jon struggled with whether to desert the Night's Watch (an offense punishable by death) to return to fight alongside his family after the execution of Ned Stark, nobody understood his predicament better than Aemon.



"Love is the death of duty"

"And duty is the death of love," he said in that same conversation with Jon, pointing out the conflict of interest that the Night's Watch oath aims to eliminate by forbidding the men to have wives or children.

He later used the same line on Sam during the Battle for Castle Black, forcing him to 'fess up about being in love with his Wildling companion Gilly.

In exchange for Sam's admission, the old man let him in on his own romantic past. "We could spend all night trading tales of lost loves," he said wistfully. "Nothing makes the past as sweet a place to visit as the prospect of imminent death."



"Kill the boy and let the man be born"

"You will find little joy in your command," Aemon told Jon, who'd come seeking advice on selling his controversial plan to allow the Wildlings south of the Wall in exchange for their help fighting the White Walkers. "But with luck, you will find the strength to do what needs to be done."

Then he dropped his best-known line: "Kill the boy and let the man be born."

In other words, put on your big boy pants and lead, even if doing the right thing costs you popularity.