Scented candles are the great decider.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
25 Reasons Drake Absolutely Dominated 2015
What a year to be alive.
Aubrey Drake Graham has seen some pretty fantastic, successful years. But this year unlike any other, he was completely unstoppable.
Via giphy.com
Here's why 2015 was undoubtedly the year of Drake:
Kevin Winter / Getty Images
On February 13, Drizzy dropped an unexpected mixtape, If You're Reading This Its Too Late. Eventually, it went platinum.
Via en.wikipedia.org
Not only did the mixtape give us incredible singles like "Energy," "Know Yourself," and "10 Bands," but it also lit up the entire internet with hilarious memes.
Via radio.com
The New Age Of Celebrity Stalkers
Illustration by BuzzFeed News; Getty (4)
Bathroom selfies, photos of restaurant menus, children playing in the yard, baby bumps — celebrities are putting their personal lives into the public domain at an unprecedented rate.
Fans can't seem to get enough. Neither can their stalkers.
In December alone, a man took a bus from Texas and waltzed into Kris Jenner’s home office where she was working. A 19-year-old from Kansas made his way cross-country to in pursuit of Lana Del Rey, breaking into her Malibu garage and boldly tweeting about it. A 27-year-old woman waited for Chris Brown’s electric gate to open before driving onto his property and refusing to leave.
And authorities are now urging Kylie Jenner to obtain a restraining order against an obsessed fan for repeatedly trying to breach her gated community in recent weeks.
“That is just the nature of the beast,” said Los Angeles Police Detective Jeff Dunn, a 31-year veteran who heads the department’s Threat Management Unit, which was established in 1990 to deal with the influx of stalkers to Hollywood. “We do our best to try to educate victims, but from the celebrity standpoint, they have to put themselves out there to their fans. That is their career.”
Social media popularity has become a major barometer used by Hollywood execs and corporate sponsors during the casting process. Keenly aware of the competition, stars are using intimate peekaboos to grow their base of followers and keep them engaged. But those peeks are also feeding another beast: the legions of obsessed fans, many of whom have mental disorders that lead them down the path of stalking.
It’s a risky calculus, but the level of social media engagement can often be the key to landing acting roles or securing lucrative business deals.
“It is almost at the nucleus of everything that is being considered,” Ryan Schinman, founder of Platinum Rye Entertainment, one of the top talent brokerage firms in Los Angeles, told BuzzFeed News. “Social prowess is a huge determining factor. If someone just blows them away in their social following, they are probably going to get the job.”
Only top box office A-listers like Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock, or Jennifer Lawrence can afford to opt out. Most others are bound by a new set of rules: Promote, engage, and invigorate your social fanbase or else.
“In many cases, mandatory social promotion is now included in a movie contract,” said Jo Piazza, author of Celebrity, Inc.: How Famous People Make Money. “Almost every tweet or post you read has a motive. Either they are doing it to be paid by a brand, to receive something for free, or to make themselves seem more accessible in order to breed that intimacy. Everything a celebrity is posting will serve to make them money in some way.”
Drew Barrymore / Via Instagram: @drewbarrymore
MANAGING THE THREAT
When LAPD Detective Mary Lopez started at the Threat Management Unit 16 years ago, threats came primarily through the mail, but now more than 90% of her cases are internet related. In 2008, celebrity stalkers were only 10% of the unit’s caseload. That has now doubled.
Part of the problem is a naïve grasp of social media on the part of celebrities, Lopez said. She recalled one actress who was shocked after flowers from a stalker showed up at her hotel room. She wanted to know how her location could have been discovered in such short order.
“I held up her Twitter and it wasn’t until that moment that she realized that she had told them,” Lopez said. “To them they are just tweeting. You don’t know who you are communicating with. You don’t know their mental stability. You have very obsessed people out there who want to be with you, and now you just communicated with them. You just made their obsession bigger.”
Experts say the obsession is driven in large part by a diagnosable condition: erotomania. They typically suffer from schizophrenia, clinical bipolar disorder, and manic depression and believe their “relationship” with a celebrity is reciprocated via a “like,” follow back, or, worse, a direct mention on social media.
“From a celebrity’s perspective, they are doing something they do hundreds of times a day, but for the fan to get a personal response from the celebrity could be the most monumental thing that has ever happened,” Reid Meloy, a forensic psychologist, told BuzzFeed News. “And a lot of times, celebrities forget that. They forget the power of just the notion of fame.”
The more serious problems begin when the fan, euphoric from a direct or perceived interaction online, feels like they’re being ignored, Meloy said.
That’s when the admiration turns.
“Then they become very angry,” Meloy said. “That starts with rejection, because they are not getting the response again.”
In years past, an obsessed fan who felt slighted posed less of a problem — the path from obsession to stalking required much more sleuthing, shoe leather, time, and effort. Now, through the power of social media, these fans have unfettered access to their celebrity targets — what their home looks like and where they eat, live, and go on vacation.
Kris Mohandie, a forensic psychologist who works closely with the LAPD, said obsessed fans with mental illnesses can also be cutthroat and target third parties they perceive as getting in their way of their celebrity match. Common personality traits include extreme determination and resourcefulness.
Lana Del Ray / Via Instagram: @lanadelrey
THE CASE OF ZACHARY BENTON SELF
Austin Valenca told BuzzFeed News he had a ringside seat to Zachary Benton Self’s unraveling.
“That kid could do anything with a camera and a computer — absolute whiz kid,” Valenca said of his high school friend. “We have always had great aspirations to become famous through our hobbies, but never managed to make it past our local scene.”
Self had been making videos since the fourth grade, when his father taught him production. By the time he was 19, he was into motorcycles, cars, and music, and had dreams of going to film school.
But somehow, Self took a wrong turn in March and was arrested in a local park for possession of marijuana, according to court records. He was ordered to pay a fine, and a few months later, he told friends he wanted to get his life on track.
Self had a job at a graphic arts studio and was working on a film project with a friend about attention deficit disorder.
“He wanted to get away from his past and start fresh,” Self’s friend Taylor Gang told BuzzFeed News.
Then one day, Self fell apart.
Valenca said his friend started rambling about how he had been touched by God and suddenly knew how the universe worked.
“He said he could control fire and make people do things against their will,” Valenca said.
It’s also when Self started talking incessantly about Lana Del Rey, saying she was leaving him breadcrumbs in her music and on social media posts. He changed his “about” section on Facebook to say, “#Engaged to Heaven on Earth #with @LanaDelRey.” He meticulously analyzed her social media and would tell Valenca how the singer’s messages were directed at him because of their spiritual connection.
Self broadcast his devotion to Del Rey on Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat, even as those he knew joked about it behind his back. Then, without telling anyone, Self disappeared and began a pilgrimage across the country to Del Rey’s Malibu house.
On Nov. 28, he posted a message to Facebook with a map of the border between Nevada and California: “So close.” The next day, he posted a photo of the book The Satanic Witch with the caption “Thanks for leaving me a good read at the crib that’s my witch.”
The book was in Del Rey’s garage.
On Nov. 30, construction workers reporting seeing Self at Del Rey’s Malibu house, which was undergoing renovations, but by the time police arrived, he had run off. However, in his rush to escape, authorities say Self left behind his computer and all the notes about his devotion to Del Rey. The next day, sheriff’s deputies arrested Self at a nearby Starbucks, and he was charged with two felonies: stalking and first-degree burglary. If convicted, he faces nearly seven years in prison.
SEA CHANGE
The growing obsession with Hollywood’s elite fills Wendy Segall’s court calendar.
As the lead Los Angeles County deputy district attorney in charge of prosecuting high-profile celebrity-stalking cases, she’s seen how deeply the prongs of delusion can run, even when confronted with the reality of a courtroom.
“It’s just so delusional,” Segall said. “Or they believe that if the victim just sees them they will have this connection. They just have to meet and they will get to know each other.”
But that meeting can prove deadly, as was illustrated by the shocking shooting death in 1989 that sparked the creation of L.A.’s anti-stalking units. A 19-year-old fan incensed that My Sister Sam actress Rebecca Schaeffer appeared in a heated love scene onscreen traveled to Los Angeles to fatally shoot her as she answered her front door.
Segall is currently prosecuting Joshua Corbett, who broke into Sandra Bullock’s home in 2014, forcing her to barricade herself in a bedroom closet and call 911. In a recording of the call, Bullock can be heard breathing heavily and telling the 911 operator, "I'm in my closet. I have a safe door. I'm locked in the closet right now."
Actress Sandra Bullock on Sept. 11, 2015 in Toronto, Canada.
Jason Merritt / Getty Images
Corbett was arrested at the scene and charged with 19 felonies involving the possession of assault guns and other weapons, an arsenal of which was discovered in his car and home.
The case served as a chilling reminder of just how dangerous obsessed stalkers can be, but local police resources can only go so far.
Dunn, who heads LAPD’s Threat Management Unit, said he tries to keep the caseload manageable for detectives due in large part to the relentless nature of the suspects — according to the Department of Justice, 11% of stalking victims have been pursued for five or more years.
Over that time, the frequency of unwanted contacts varies. The Journal of Forensic Sciences reported that two-thirds of stalkers pursue their victims at least once per week, and 46% of stalking victims experience at least one unwanted contact per week. Even so, arrests in California can’t be made until there is a “credible threat with the intent to place a person in reasonable fear for his or her safety.” As a consequence, LAPD detectives can end up managing the same stalker for years.
But for every high-profile stalking case that hits the media, Dunn said there are 10 to 15 that his Threat Management Unit handles quietly, due in large part by early intervention and direct contact. Detectives have dropped in on stalkers mailing out their own “fantasy” wedding invitations or sitting at their celebrity’s favorite coffee shop — locations that targets frequently broadcast on Twitter. But instead of hauling the suspects off to jail, the LAPD makes its initial approach with psychologists who can immediately evaluate the situation and follow up with periodic welfare checks.
Segall likens the approach to a sort of homicide prevention. Under current law, a first-time offender can be sentenced to prison for up to three years.
“At least we can stop something before it happens,” she said. “We don’t know the behavior of these people and we don’t know what they are going to do.”
Justin Bieber / Via Instagram: @justinbieber
CATCH-22
For all the potential danger celebrities expose themselves to by revealing more of their personal lives, more often than not, they’re not even controlling the content, let alone interacting with fans.
Celebrities like Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, and Kim Kardashian are not sitting at their computers spending their days responding to fans and trying to grow their base of followers — “not even a little bit,” said Piazza, the author of Celebrity, Inc.
“The majority of celebrities will never touch their own social accounts,” she told BuzzFeed News.
Instead, many celebrities have their own social media manager on staff making a six-figure salary. And if the social ecosystem is too large for one person, a new niche industry has popped up to provide young teams of social media super users who respond, retweet, and like fan posts, while at the same time helping to craft carefully choreographed Instagram and Facebook posts.
Having an engaged base of followers is key, and an important factor for corporate sponsors and studio executives looking to maximize their investment in someone with a built-in, devoted fanbase.
“When a birthday is coming up, we try to like and comment on as many posts as we can, instead of doing a big video sent out to everyone,” said Lisa Jammal, who runs Social Intelligence Agency, which specializes in managing social accounts. “We know that the engagement is important. It’s beyond important. That is what is going to build your fanbase. They become more loyal to you.”
Aretha Franklin Performing "A Natural Woman" For Carole King Will Leave You Speechless
The Queen of Soul still has it.
Last night, during the Kennedy Center Honors, Aretha Franklin graced the stage to perform her song "You Make Me Feel Like (A Natural Woman)" to honor Carole King, who co-wrote the song.
And there were a ton of celebrities and other notable public figures in the audience — President Barack Obama, Viola Davis, etc.
youtube.com / Via youtube.com
Aretha's performance was sublime and the audience's reaction was a beautiful sight to see.
Killing it.
CBS / Via tumblr.refinery29.com
The president shed a tear.
CBS / Via tumblr.refinery29.com
Viola Davis had a praise and worship moment.
CBS / Via tumblr.refinery29.com
Top 75 Most Iconic Things Britney Spears Did In 2015
What a time to be alive!
That time she was able to take a picture of herself sleeping because she is God.
That time she forgot how to age.
Via over-protected-life.tumblr.com
That time she posted this picture with the caption "Mystical teachings" like what ok?
All of the times she randomly flipped off the audience.
11 Emojis That Need To Exist In 2016
According to artists from Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.
Fergie really wants a DJ unicorn emoji.
BuzzFeed
Pentatonix want an emoji of a ~fully bearded~ man.
BuzzFeed
Tove Lo wants more *group* emojis, like a crowd of unicorns.
BuzzFeed
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
2015 Was The Year Taylor Lautner Was Still Really Hot
More like Taylor-Still-Hotner, AMIRIGHT?
Ever since the Twilight movies came to an end, Taylor Lautner has been a little absent from the forefront of our thirsty minds. Well, I'm here today to tell you that he's still really hot and he was actually really hot all throughout 2015.
ABC / pogiwogi.tumblr.com
May 16th, 2015 — ✅ still hot.
Thumbs42 / Thumbs42/FAMEFLYNET PICTURES
August 18th, 2015 — ✅ still hot.
Km / KM/FAMEFLYNET PICTURES
26 Times Celeb Couples Gave Us Goals In 2015
Can you even handle the cute?
When Behati Prinsloo gave Adam Levine a haircut.
And he gave her a workout.
Oh and when Adam couldn't make it to see Behati in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, he surprised her with dozens of roses.
When Chrissy Teigen and John Legend spent the entire day in bed.
22 Things Only People With Extreme Thirst For Oscar Isaac Will Understand
“Hoping that the new Star Wars is just two hours of Oscar Isaac staring into the camera.”
This very real lust:
This spot on opinion:
Every time you screamed "damn" when Oscar's face appeared:
This important question:
Will You Get A Free Car From Oprah Or A Free Tub Of Vaseline From Tyra?
You get a freebie! And you get a freebie! Everybody gets a freebie!
Gina Rodriguez's Tribute To Rita Moreno Will Make You Weep
“You gave me hope. You gave me a reason to fight, and to speak up. You gave me a voice, and how can I thank you?”
ICYMI, Rita Moreno is a living legend.
Seven Arts Productions
She's one of only 12 performers throughout modern history to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, AND a Tony. And she was the first Latino person to do so, ever.
Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
So obviously the Kennedy Center Honors would see fit to shower her with praise at a ceremony that also honored George Lucas, Carole King, Seiji Ozawa, and Cicely Tyson.
That's some swag right there.
Chris Kleponis / AFP / Getty Images
They also brought in Gina Rodriguez — who plays Moreno's granddaughter on Jane the Virgin — to make us cry buckets of tears over Moreno's legacy.
Here's Kristen Stewart's Advice To "Force Awakens" Star Daisy Ridley
From one major franchise star to another.
Kristen Stewart has been acting since she was nine years old, and has kinda seen it all when it comes to Hollywood.
Kevin Winter / Getty Images
So what would she say to another young woman who is just now taking the leap into a major franchise guaranteed to alter her life forever?
Franco Origlia / Getty Images
Stewart shared her advice for Star Wars: Force Awakens star Daisy Ridley with The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast. So how do you navigate this life-changing thing?
Disney
I's pretty simple: You do you. "Focus on the fact that you're stoked 'cause you're doing the work that you want to do," Stewart said.
Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Leonardo DiCaprio Almost Played Anakin Skywalker In The "Star Wars" Prequels
WE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HOW GOOD WE ALMOST HAD IT.
The heavily criticized Star Wars prequels have quite the reputation among fans and the general public. Heck — there's even fan-made "anti-cheese" edits on YouTube of the three films.
Well, what if I told you America's sweetheartthrobbae, Leonardo DiCaprio, almost played Anakin Skywalker? AKA young Darth Vader? AKA no Hayden Christensen acting? AKA MORE LEONARDO IN OUR LIFE?
20th Century Fox
"I did have a meeting with George Lucas about that [playing Anakin Skywalker] as well, yes. I just didn't feel ready to take that dive at that point."
WHY LEO, WHY? I guess photoshop will have to do.
20th Century Fox / Christian Zamora / BuzzFeed
31 Celebrity Bulges That Made 2015 Possible
Auld bulge syne.
Mark Wahlberg's Funky Bunch.
Tmcs / The Media Circuit/AKM-GSI
?
Tmcs / The Media Circuit/AKM-GSI
26 Times Chris Pratt Was The Most Magical Creature This Year
What did we do to deserve him?
Chris Pratt has always been a beautiful tropical fish, and this year was no exception.
? ? ?
Universal
And boy, did he look goOoOod.
*dies*
Men's Health UK / Via chrisprattdelicious.tumblr.com
Even Chris Pratt couldn't keep his hands off Chris Pratt.
ABC / Via youtube.com
Aziz Ansari Is Vacationing In India With His Dad, And The Instagrams Are Hilarious
Aziz’s pa is everyone’s pa.
You might have heard that Aziz Ansari is in India right now.
He's flown to Kerala with his dad, to attend FOUR SEPARATE WEDDINGS.
He's been having a ball of a time, enjoying the sights and sounds of India.
And documenting all the amazing things he's witnessing.
In return for all the wonders, he brought India the best gift he possibly could have – his dad.
And his dadstagrams will look hilariously familiar to ANYone who grew up with a desi fam. LOOK AT THIS iPAD VIDEOGRAPHY.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Quit Age Shaming Carrie Fisher — It Hurts All "Three" Of Her Feelings
Pray for those influenced by the Dark Side.
turntrekgodhead.tumblr.com / 20th Century Fox
turntrekgodhead.tumblr.com / 20th Century Fox
Since Carrie Fisher isn't one to sit and watch people shame her for aging like the normal human being she is, she took to Twitter to silence the ungrateful plebs.
"Glee" Star Mark Salling Arrested For Allegedly Possessing Child Pornography
Paul A. Hebert / AP
Former Glee star Mark Salling was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possessing child pornography, Los Angeles police said.
Salling, 33, was arrested at his home in Sunland after investigators served a search warrant at his home in the early morning, LAPD spokesman Ricardo Hernandez told BuzzFeed News. A tip from a concerned person led to the investigation and subsequent search of Salling's residence, according to LAPD.
The warrant was served by officers from the LAPD's Crimes Against Children Task Force. Salling was booked at the LAPD jail at 9:47 a.m. where he was held on $20,000 bail. Salling posted bail and was released at 2:26 p.m. His arraignment was set for Jan. 22.
The arrest comes two years after Salling was sued by his ex-girlfriend, Roxanne Gorzela, who alleged sexual battery, assault, emotional distress and negligence. She claimed that Salling forced her into unprotected sex and that he later assaulted her when she went to his house to confront him regarding her fears that he had given her a sexual transmitted disease.
Salling settled that lawsuit earlier this year for $2.7 million.
Salling's publicist did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News' request for comment.
Liam Payne's Shirtless Selfie Is Causing Mass Hysteria
Proceed with caution.
Everyone except for Liam Payne, that is.
One Direction may be on hiatus, but by the looks of the shirtless selfie he just posted on Instagram, Liam hasn't exactly been taking a break — from the gym at least.
Yes, while we've been filling up on leftovers, he's been hitting the gym to "dust" off "Christmas weight" and chisel his perfect chest.
Who Said It: Kanye West Or Jenna Maroney?
They’re both the most talented people in their respective fields. (According to them anyway.)
Literally Just A Bunch Of Funny Tweets About Ryan Gosling
“Psst. The real reason Ryan Gosling is taking a break from acting is to molt, mature & become Ryan Goose.”
Which Tom Hiddleston Character Are You Based On Your Zodiac Sign?
“Make love, not war. Unless you’re Loki, in which case, do what you want.” ―Tom Hiddleston
The 11 Best Celebrity Instagram Interactions In 2015
Stars, they’re just like us.
When Drake commented on Justin Bieber's random throwback photo featuring Selena Gomez.
Instagram: @justinbieber / Via buzzfeed.com
When Justin Bieber returned the love by praising Drake's ripped bod.
Drake / instagram.com / Via buzzfeed.com
When Khloe Kardashian shut down a troll.
Khloe Kardashian / Twitter: @khloekardashian / Via Facebook: TheShadeRoom
When Idris Elba ~kept it positive~ after being called "too street" to play James Bond.
If It Makes You Feel Any Better, Mike Tyson Also Fell On A Hoverboard
Very relatable.
If there wasn't enough proof that celebrities are just like us, boxer and Madonna collaborator Mike Tyson decided to try out one of those non-hovering hoverboards...
...And ate shit just like the rest of us.
At least he partially fell on the rug?
20 Celebrities Who Used Their Star Power For Good In 2015
Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Beyoncé top the list.
Here are this year's top 20.
Shawn Mendes
Why he's awesome: The mega teen star had quite the insane year with his successful debut studio album Handwritten, and he used his star power this year to team up with DoSomething.org to help boost self-esteem with his #NotesFromShawn campaign, and worked with Pencils of Promise to build a school in Ghana.
Misha Collins
Why he's awesome: He makes us all swoon on-screen in Supernatural, and Misha also helps change lives as the founder of Random Acts, "an organization that encourages people to do random acts of kindness, which has provided families in Nicaragua with the means to travel to get the secondary education they'd otherwise be unable to access."
Shakira
Why she's awesome: The supremely talented singer celebrated her second child by hosting a "World Baby Shower" to benefit UNICEF.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)