Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore posted an image of her family’s Christmas card with almost every family member armed with a gun, including her young grandson, Jake, holding a pistol.

“It’s up to Americans to protect America. We’re just your ordinary American family.”

She posted the image days after a gunman opened fire on a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado, which reignited the gun control debate in America. Fiore is a Republican (duh) and a vocal gun rights activist who has sponsored a number of pieces of gun legislation during her time in the state Assembly, including one bill that would permit people to carry concealed weapons in non-secure areas of airports, college campuses, K-12 schools and childcare facilities. The bill passed the Nevada Assembly in April, but not the state Senate.

(via Mashable)

The post GOP Assemblywoman Poses with Tons of Guns For Her Family Christmas Card appeared first on World of Wonder.

World of Wonder already KNOWS first-hand about the genius of Carrie Fisher. WOW honchos Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato turned her one woman show, Wishful Drinking into a film for HBO. See it if you haven’t. This interview perfectly illustrates what a force Fisher is. When you are Hollywood royalty (Mom is Debbie Reynolds) you might think she’s seen and done it all…

When asked about how she prepared for the about-to-be-released Star Wars: The Force Awakens, she replied;

“I got in character and I’ve never gotten out again — and really, I’ve tried everything.”

I could quote this hilarious interchange endlessly… she brought her dog, Gary, gets personal about the interviewer’s weight and – oh, just watch.

The post #WatchNow: Gary & General Leia (Carrie Fisher) Kill It on GMA appeared first on World of Wonder.

Kim Kardashian‘s long nightmare is over. She made no secret that she didn’t exactly enjoy her second pregnancy, calling it “the worst experience of my life” in a post on her website. But as Kim & Kanye just announced on Twitter,

“He’s here.”

The 35-year-old reality star gave birth to a baby boy today. The news was confirmed via Kim’s blog with a post that read,

“Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West welcomed the arrival of their son this morning. Mother and son are doing well.”

The new little bundle is the second child for the Wests, who welcomed their daughter, North, in June 2013.

Condragulations to Kim and Kanye!

The post #Condragulations!: Kim Kardashian Gives Birth To a Baby Boy appeared first on World of Wonder.

Yes, anti-gay marriage clerk Kim Davis is nominated for TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year award following a widespread nomination campaign by her supporters. As you may remember, the Kentucky county clerk was the centre of arguably the year’s most high profile LGBT story, after she was jailed for six nights after violating a federal court order telling her not to discriminate when issuing marriage licenses in the wake of the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in June.

Liberty Counsel, the evangelical Christian litigation firm/anti-gay hate group who represented Kim in her trial, have thrown their weight behind the campaign, saying:

“Who more than Kim Davis has influenced the news in the past year?

Kim Davis inspired a nation and the world to fight for religious liberty when she chose a prison cell rather than sacrificing her conscience.”

I know –BARF! FYI, winners of the annual award – which recognizes the MOST ‘newsworthy’ person of the year, not the BEST – have previously included other lovely human beings like Vladimir Putin and Adolf Hitler. The final decision will made by TIME magazine’s editors, and announced next Wednesday, December 9. (via Attitude)

The post Are You Sitting Down?: Kim Davis Is Nominated for Time’s Person of the Year appeared first on World of Wonder.

December 6, 1887– Lynn Fontanne:

“We can be bought, but we can’t be bored.”

I have always been absorbed by these types, the glamorous theatre & film personalities of the 1920s-1960s. With their dazzling partnership “The Lunts” ruled the American theater scene during that era. Their careers flourished at a time when even the biggest stars would do national tours & successful actors worked exclusively year-round on the stage. Their friends included other glamorous theater people: Gertrude Lawrence, Helen Hayes, Mary Martin, Ethel Merman & Laurence Olivier.

There was never a question of their devotion to each other, but the offstage union of Alfred Lunt & Lynn Fontanne was a marriage between a gay man & a lesbian. Their presentation of themselves as the ideal couple may have been their most accomplished performance.

When prodded by best buddy Noel Coward, the couple would sometimes teasingly hint about their private lives. Their scandalous hit Design For Living (1933) allowed Coward & his co-stars to romp through a 3-way implying that there was sex between the 2 male characters. Design For Living remains one of my favorite plays. I remain fascinated by the ups, downs & pitfalls of a 3-way relationship. That production showcased the flawless comic gifts that The Lunts were famous for, but they were also noted for dramatic performances too. But, The Lunts will always be remembered for their light touch doing breezy comedy & for their amazing chemistry.

When not performing in a hit play, the pair retreated in high style to their country manor, 10 Chimneys, in Lunt’s home state of Wisconsin (home of the lovely Paul Ryan), where he could cook & redecorate while she sewed her chic clothing. The Lunts are my kind of couple; they ate off a packing crate while sitting on Biedermeier chairs. The Lunts were Bohemians, for certain.

The theater was life for them, & their life was a piece of theater. Their residences were theatrical sets, their parties were stage shows, the people who socialized with them became their audience. They knew little about what was going on in the world, had mostly arty friends, usually performed as a team, & rehearsed their lines in taxi cabs & even in bed.

There are all sorts of marriages, I should know. Unlike many show biz marriages, The Lunts were equal stars; equally glamorous to fans & to each other, with not much reason for any sort of jealousy. Passion was what they portrayed on the stage. Fontanne:

”We were friends right away. I loved him utterly. We were in the same profession. We were like twins. When we were acting, I always thought of him as another person. I had a new lover every night, & so had he.”  

The Lunts had a design for living that worked for both of them. They shared everything, especially a deep devotion. They had close friendships, particularly the triangle kind that Fontanne favored: Fontanne, Lunt & a gay male. They shared kindness, courtesy, loyalty & generosity. They shared a passionate, total commitment to their work.

In 1940, they appeared in Robert Sherwood’s drama There Shall Be No Night as the middle-aged parents of a young man played by Montgomery Clift. The Lunts took Clift into their home & bed. They coached him in acting, & also advised Clift to protect his reputation by finding a relationship modeled after their own.

Fontanne made only 3 films, but still managed to be nominated for an Academy Award for one of them, Best Actress in The Guardsmen (1931) opposite Lunt, losing to another theatre type, Helen Hayes for The Sin Of Madelon Claudet.

The Lunts starred in 4 television productions in the 1950s & 1960s with both Lunt & Fontanne winning Emmy Awards in 1965 for The Magnificent Yankee, becoming the first married couple to win Emmys for playing a married couple.

Fontanne narrated the classic television production of Peter Pan (1960) starring her pal Mary Martin. She received a second Emmy nomination for playing Grand Duchess Marie in broadcast of Anastasia (1967), both rare performances that she did without her husband.

After Lunt’s death in 1957, Fontanne toasted him with a glass of champagne, saying simply:

“To Alfred.”

Fontanne took her final curtain call in 1983, at 95 years old, taken by pneumonia. She is buried next to her husband, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The inscription on their tombstone reads:

“They were universally regarded as the greatest acting team in the history of the English speaking theater, married for 55 years & were inseparable both on & off the stage.”

Lunt & Fontanne were honored with a 33-cent USPS stamp in 1999.

They have a Broadway theatre named for them, The Lunt-Fontanne at 205 W. 46th St., originally The Globe Theatre. When it was rechristened in 1958, The Lunts starred in a production of The Visit, with their names in lights twice. Theatre fans attending a matinee of Finding Neverland today could study the framed photographs from their private collection on display in the lobby.

Ten Chimneys, the house in rural Wisconsin, is now a museum & resource center for Theatre.

We will probably not see their likes again.

The post #BornThisDay: Actor, Lynn Fontanne appeared first on World of Wonder.

December 6, 1900– Agnes Moorehead:

“I’ve worked with the tops, & I think they are marvelous. I’m always excited at doing scenes with people who are very experienced & know what they are doing. It’s the people who don’t know what they’re about & are self-indulgent who are very difficult to play with.”

It took me some time to realize that a favorite childhood television sitcom, Bewitched (1963-1972) was actually a satirical allegory on the issues of modern American prejudice. Samantha, a witch with impressive supernatural talent, lives among the mortals while hiding her true identity from a society who would never accept her. She is in the broom-closet. Moorehead, played Endora, Samantha’s oddly single, meddling mother who hates Samantha’s father played by the very fey Maurice Evans. Endora insists that Samantha not hide away her true nature just because she might possibly be rejected by society. Each episode of the popular show was another zany example of the perils of not coming out. The series had possibly the gayest cast ever:  Moorehead, Evans, Dick Sergeant (Darrin #2), & of course Paul Lynde as Uncle Arthur. If that wasn’t enough, the show’s lead, Elizabeth Montgomery, was an avid early activist for Gay Rights, happily agreeing to appear in Pride Parades. Montgomery:

“Don’t think that didn’t enter our minds at the time. We talked about it on the set… that this was about people not being allowed to be what they really are. If you think about it, Bewitched is about repression in general & all the frustration & trouble it can cause. It was a neat message to get across to people at that time in a subtle way.”

Moorehead was very fond of the original Darren, Dick York, but she would drive Sergeant, the second Darren to tears.

Moorehead was a serious actor who worked on Broadway, most famously as part of Orson Wells’ Mercury Theatre Group from 1937-1946, where she played Lady Macbeth to Wells’ title role in the Scottish Play. She frequently worked in radio, originating the lead role in Sorry, Wrong Number (1943), which is not about a trick gone all wrong. Moorehead appeared in more than 60 films over 3 decades. She was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress 4 times, for The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), Mrs. Parkington (1944), Johnny Belinda (1948), & Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964).

Moorehead won 2 Golden Globe awards for Best Supporting Actress, for Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte & Mrs. Parkington. The wins were 20 years apart. She was nominated for an Emmy Award 6 times for her work on Bewitched, won an Emmy for her work on The Wild Wild West in 1967.

It was an open secret in Hollywood & in the Theatre World that Moorehead had love affairs with women, but she was consistently circumspect in commenting on her personal life:

“A certain amount of aloofness on one’s part at times, because an actor can so easily be hurt by unfair criticism… an artist should . . . maintain glamour & a kind of mystery.”

Moorehead’s position probably was directed by the knowledge that living life in the open as a lesbian would have brought disastrous ramifications to her acting career.

Her Bewitched co-star, the closeted Paul Lynde, was less reticent:

“The whole world knows that Agnes was a lesbian. I mean classy as hell, but one of the all-time Hollywood dykes. When one of her husbands was caught cheating, Agnes screamed at him that if he could have a mistress, so could she!”

Morehead’s film roles include many dyke-ish stereotypes: a WAC officer, a madam, & a superintendent of a women’s prison, unmarried women, spinster aunts, nuns, governesses, & ladies’ companions.

Moorehead’s BFF was the great Debbie Reynolds. Reynolds’ son Todd Fisher claims that his mother had a longtime affair with Moorehead.

Her first marriage lasted 22 years because she & the husband lived apart. She had sent him to run her farm Ohio. She left her second husband right after the wedding, but didn’t divorce until 8 years later.

I am impressed with almost all her film roles, but especially as a butch in Caged (1950), Johnny Belinda (1948) & The Bat (1959) where she was Vincent Price’s equal.

In her film debut, Citizen Kane (1941), she plays Kane’s (Orson Welles) mother. She has a scene where is packing his bags to send him away forever & with very little dialogue, she shows such deep grief at being parted from her only child, yet with an assurance that this is the best thing for him, that is just astonishing. It is a little master class in acting.

I saw her once, when I was trolling Beverly Hills in my ’59 T-Bird hoping for a glimpse of some movie stars. It was autumn of 1973 & she was getting out of a white Lincoln in the driveway of an unpretentious, but lovely traditional Colonial style house on North Roxbury down the street from Lucy & Desi’s place.

Moorehead said that she had not expected Bewitched to be a hit & that she felt trapped the show’s enormous success.

Moorehead appeared in The Conqueror (1956), which was filmed just downwind from a Nevada nuclear test site. She was one of the 90 (out of 220) cast & crew members, including co-stars Susan Hayward, John Wayne, & director/producer Dick Powell, who all developed cancer within a decade. Morehead’s final credits rolled in 1974, taken by that damn cancer.

A lesbian, much adored by gay people, ironically, she left her estate, including the Ohio farm, to the Ultra-Conservative Christian Bob Jones University, along with her huge library of Biblical studies books.

Moorehead knew a thing or two about eyeshadow. Plus, her name is Moorehead which makes me giggle like a 12 year old boy.

The post #BornThisDay: Actor, Agnes Moorehead appeared first on World of Wonder.

The outfits are not suited to the cold but more to showing off with men (and some women) wearing next to nothing running through the streets of Boston in an effort to raise money for a charitable cause. The annual Santa Speedo Run will take place next Saturday, bringing together hundreds of scantly-clad participants for the 17th year in a row.

The post Boston’s Annual Speedo Run Will Bring Out the #SexySantas appeared first on World of Wonder.

Candy Cane Stud Undies, Amazon

NSFW: I’m assuming you aren’t at work right now, but what you do with your own Sexy Santa or stripping Ms. Claus is your business. Here’s a little guide to stuffing your stockings or some Holiday Netflix and Chill. The Hotline Bling Ugly Christmas Sweater is G-rated, but use your imagination to figure out what goes on when it comes off.

Sexy Reindeer Thong, Amazon.com

Mrs. Claus Hot Christmas Outfit, Amazon

Unwrap Me Satin Bow Teddy, Amazon

Chill iPhone cover, etsy

Hotline Bling Ugly Christmas Sweater, fancy.com

The post #HappyNudeYear: These Sexy Santa Prezzies Are NOT G-Rated appeared first on World of Wonder.

France’s Got Talent got a shocking performance/painting demonstration earlier this year by the studly Brent Ray Fraser. According to his website…

From 2006 to 2012 BRF progressed in the erotic industry to became the most sought after male exotic dancer in British Columbia. His unique and artistic style of stripping inspired him to create massive works of art with his erect penis.

Not that you needed to know any of that to understand what you are about to see. Painting with your penis is apparently a universal language. Watch.

The post #NewNudeArt: “France’s Got Talent” Got an Eyeful of Peen Painting appeared first on World of Wonder.

Holly Woodlawn‘s friends and admirers have been on the death watch for the past few days. Her old pal, actor Joe Dallesandro, has been really good about keeping us all updated and took print-outs of well-wishers final farewells to Holly this afternoon. Sadly, she just left the planet. She was 69.

For this of you who don’t know Holly Woodlawn, she was born Haroldo Santiago Franceschi Rodriguez Danhakl in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico and grew up in Miami Beach. Holly came out at a young age and adopted the name Holly from the heroine of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and in 1969 added the surname from a sign she saw on an episode of I Love Lucy. After changing her name she began to tell people she was the heiress to Woodlawn Cemetery.

In 1962, Woodlawn left Florida at the age of 15, heading north. She recollects that

“I hocked some jewelry and … made it all the way to Georgia, where the money ran out and … had to hitchhike the rest of the way” to New York City.

Woodlawn met Andy Warhol at the Factory, at a screening of Flesh (1968). Through him she met Jackie Curtis, who cast Woodlawn in her play Heaven Grand as Amber Orbit in the autumn of 1969. In October, she was given a bit role in Trash, but so impressed director Paul Morrissey that she was given a much larger role. In ’71 she was cast along with Jackie Curtis and Candy Darling in the now cult classic, Women In Revolt.

After a series of parts in Warhol films and LaMama prodctions Woodlawn moved to San Francisco in ’77. By 1979, she surrendered to a faltering career, cut her hair and moved back to her parents’ home in Miami. During the 90s, Woodlawn achieved a modest comeback, making cameo appearances in plays and films such as Night Owl (1993) and Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998). After Warhol’s death, she was interviewed frequently on his life and influence. Lou Reed famously refers to Candy, Joe and Holly in Walk on the Wild Side. The opening lyric is

“Holly came from Miami F.L.A…”

…and the rest, as they say, was Herstory.

The post #RIP: Warhol Superstar, Holly Woodlawn appeared first on World of Wonder.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, hennies! As you already know, RuPaul is celebrating the holiday season with RuPaul’s Green Screen Christmas—an hour-long Christmas special that will include performances of Christmas classics and original songs from his sickening new holiday album Slay Belles, including duets with Todrick Hall, Big Freedia, Ellis Miah,Michelle Visage, Siedah Garrett, and Markaholic.

Get a preview of the holiday extravaganza with this clip of “From Your Heart,” featuring our squirrel-friend Michelle Visage!

Don’t forget that Drag Race fan-faves including Latrice Royale, Raja,Laganja Estranja, Alyssa Edwards, and Shangela will also get in the holiday groove to join RuPaul for his new music video “Merry Christmas, Mary,” which features 20(!) drag queens from past seasons of Drag Race.

RuPaul’s Drag Race: Green Screen Christmas will air on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. ET on Logo. And make sure to get your hands on a copy of Slay Belles on iTunes!

The post Get A Festive Sneak Peek of “RuPaul’s Green Screen Christmas” and Watch the “From Your Heart” Teaser with Michelle Visage! appeared first on World of Wonder.

As Trey reported, Julien’s Auction House is auctioning off items belonging to the legendary Dame Joan Collins – including some god-awful ’70s furniture, a “silver articulated lobster,” a monogrammed silver julep cup, several outfits from Dynasty, the dress she wore in a recent Snickers commercial (!), and some reeeeally fun Versace aerobic wear. The auction is both on line and in person at Julien’s Auctions Beverly Hills (9665 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 150). Check out some of the fab items below (and ALL of the items here).

Highlights from The Collection of Dame Joan Collins include outstanding couture dresses from the 1960’s, screen worn costumes, designer fashions and accessories, jewelry, career memorabilia, decorative art, furniture and personal items. These highlights include two vintage Louis Vuitton steamer trunks, a 1961 beaded event worn couture dress, a couture halter dress worn to the “Doctor Doolittle” premiere, costumes from “Dynasty” including event worn gowns designed by Nolan Miller, a custom made white fox and mink cape designed by furrier Edward Lowell, a collection of costume jewelry dating from the 1960’s to present and a gold perfume bottle gifted to Collins from Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner. Other highlights include furnishings and many personal items.

NEEEEEEED the Versace Medusa choker below, omg.

The post It’s the Joan Collins Auction You’ve Been Waiting for Your Whole Life! appeared first on World of Wonder.

On this week’s episode of Alyssa’s Secret, season 5 queen Alyssa Edwards is joined byLaganja Estranja and Gia Gunn and they play one of Alyssa’s favorite games…What If? Learn to play with the girls after the jump!

The post Alyssa’s Secret: Alyssa Edwards, Laganja Estranja, and Gia Gunn Play ‘What If?’ appeared first on World of Wonder.

This poor alligator had no idea what he was in for win he bit into the weird floppy thing trying to get out of the water. It’s survival of the fittest and just part of the food chain, but something you rarely see. Watch below, but be warned, it’s kind of sad.

The post Alligator SHOCKED to Death By an Electric Eel! appeared first on World of Wonder.

Legendary legend Patricia Field has announced that she is closing her eponymous Bowery Boutique after 50 years in business.

That wailing sound you hear? 10,000 drag queens and club kids howling NOOOOOO and WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOOOOOOOW?

“I’ve enjoyed the game … but I’m getting tired,” the 74-year-old fashion icon told the Daily News. “I want to open my social life back up, and go to the gym for a swim every day. I can’t do normal things anymore, and I’m feeling it. I know that my clients are going to be sad, because they come in and tell me that there’s no store like this in the world,” she admits, “but I’ve gotta watch out for my health and myself.”

Pat opened her first store in New York’s West Village in 1966 before moving it to the East Village in 1971, where it remained for 30 years. The current store –on Bowery between Bleecker and Houston – opened in 2012.

“I started my store when I was 24 years old and it has led me onto all the wonderful professional roads I have taken,” Field tells WWD. “My purpose was to begin my own life/career and to answer to no one but myself to be independent. After 50 successful years of being able to do just that, I decided it was time to close this chapter and make more room for all the branches that have sprung directly from that tree; continuing my film and television work, styling, designing, and pursuing brand-new projects that have been offered to me that I have not had time before to develop.”

Both the storefront and the shop’s digital presence will close “sometime in the spring 2016,” and will feature liquidation sales in the months leading up. “Come and help me get rid of all of it!” she laughs. “It’s a huge store, a huge job. I’m gonna need help.” (via NewNowNext)

The post Oh No, Pat Field Is Closing Her Store After 50 Years appeared first on World of Wonder.

WOWPresents MCN Partner Matt Zarley has remade Mariah Carey‘s Chrsistmas classic “Miss You Most (At Christmas Time) into a touching tribute to the special dogs he recently lost. Head on over to iTunes and download a copy of the song here!

The 10th installment of my UnCOVERED series also happens to be one of my all time fave contemporary Christmas songs. After several years of wanting to records this tune, I finally fulfilled my wish and here it is! I hope you enjoy my rendition of Mariah’s holiday classic.
Make sure to stay for the ending…this is a tribute to 2 special ones I lost last year.

The post For Animal Lovers: “Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)” by Matt Zarley appeared first on World of Wonder.

Very exciting news: The HBO Documentary Films presentation Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures, A Definitive Portrait of the Provocative Artist, directed by World of Wonder founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this January!

Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures / U.S.A. (Directors: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato) — This examination of Robert Mapplethorpe‘s outrageous life is led by the artist himself, speaking with brutal honesty in a series of rediscovered interviews about his passions. Intimate revelations from friends, family, and lovers shed new light on this scandalous artist who ignited a culture war that still rages on. World Premiere.

From Medium.com:

“Look at the pictures,” said Senator Jesse Helms, denouncing the controversial art of Robert Mapplethorpe, whose photographs pushed boundaries with frank depictions of nudity, sexuality and fetishism, igniting a culture war that rages to this day.

More than 25 years later, the HBO Documentary Films presentation MAPPLETHORPE: LOOK AT THE PICTURES does just that, taking an unflinching, unprecedented look at his most provocative work. From acclaimed filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Robert Barbato (“Inside Deep Throat”; HBO’s “Wishful Drinking” and “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”), and produced by Katharina Otto-Bernstein (“Absolute Wilson”), the first feature-length documentary about the artist since his death, and the most comprehensive film on Mapplethorpe ever.

With complete and unprecedented access to The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, the documentary draws upon archival materials and features never-before-seen photographs and footage. “Even his most shocking and forbidden images are included without blurs, without snickers — in other words, exactly as the artist intended,” say Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. Mapplethorpe himself is a strong presence, telling his story in his own words with complete honesty and often shocking candor through rediscovered audio interviews.

MAPPLETHORPE: LOOK AT THE PICTURES follows his early beginnings as a young artist in New York City through his meteoric rise in the art world to his untimely death. In 1963, he enrolled at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he studied drawing, painting and sculpture, and soon met his first girlfriend, Patti Smith, one in a string of profoundly influential lovers. By the late 1960s and early 1970s he was taking Polaroid photographs of friends and acquaintances, and was determined to make it, which meant being recognized as an artist and becoming famous.

Almost all of the people from key relationships in his life are present in the film, including Sam Wagstaff, David Croland, Lisa Lyon, Marcus Leatherdale and Jack Walls. The documentary also features almost 50 original interviews with family, friends, co-workers and colleagues, including Mary Boone, Carolina Herrera, Brooke Shields, Helen and Brice Marden, Fran Lebowitz, Bob Colacello and Debbie Harry.

Rounding out this portrait are the recollections of Mapplethorpe’s older sister, Nancy, and youngest brother, Edward. An artist himself, Edward assisted his brother for many years and was responsible for much of the technical excellence of his photography.

The duality of black-and-white work reverberated in his life. He often mounted two shows simultaneously: An uptown exhibition might include society portraits and delicate flower still-lifes, while his sexually explicit photographs were on view downtown. Mapplethorpe’s most controversial work — which he considered his most important — chronicled the underground BDSM (bondage, dominance and submission, sadomasochism) scene of late 1970s New York City, sparking a national debate over public funding of art some deemed offensive or obscene.

Mapplethorpe was diagnosed with AIDS in 1986, when the illness was still a death sentence. He spent the remainder of his life working more feverishly than ever before, not only pursuing perfection, but also striving to secure his legacy after his death. In 1988, a few months before Mapplethorpe’s passing, The Whitney Museum of American Art mounted his first major American museum retrospective.

The man who lived to be famous became even more famous after he died. Before his death, he designed one final show, The Perfect Moment, which bought images of flowers, S&M pictures and male African-American nudes together in a museum setting for the first time. As he himself predicted, the combination proved to be too much. In 1989, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. canceled The Perfect Moment after Senator Helms took aim at Mapplethorpe. Later that year, protests were held when the traveling exhibition arrived at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in Cincinnati, resulting in obscenity charges against the CAC and its director, Dennis Barrie. After a dramatic court battle, both were ultimately found not guilty.

MAPPLETHORPE: LOOK AT THE PICTURES is a revealing look at one of the most important artists of the 20th century, whose name remains a byword for something illicit, dangerous and dark.

The Festival takes place January 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Sundance and Ogden, Utah.

Congratulations to everyone involved in the project!

The post Congratulations WOW! Sundance to Premiere Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures appeared first on World of Wonder.

This past weekend, Justin Bieber performed his super mega hit “Sorry” for Capital‘s Jingle Bell Ball in the UK. It was magical. And, essentially, Beliebers everywhere lost their chill completely because since he’s Justin Bieber, he decided to take off his shirt at the beginning of the song and improve all of our lives by performing shirtless. (Believe me, everyone in the audience completely lost their chill at the same time.) There was also a lot of bounce to his gorgeous blonde swoopy hair which he (thankfully) hasn’t cut off… yet.

If you can make it through these GIFs and images alive, watch the performance below!

(Images: Bieber-photos.com)

The post Justin Bieber Performs “Sorry” Shirtless at Jingle Bell Ball; Beliebers Everywhere Explode appeared first on World of Wonder.

Movie star and iconic Hollywood hottie Rob Lowe got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today (alongside his squirrel-friends Gwyneth Paltrow and Fred Savage)! Luckily, it happened basically right across the street from us here at WOW, and I managed to work my way into the crowd to get a closer look at his dazzling smile in person. (Trust me, he’s as handsome as ever.)

Pre gaming for today's #HollywoodWalkOfFame Star ceremony.

— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) December 8, 2015

Pre-ceremony hug with the Great @GwynethPaltrow #HollywoodWalkofFame

A photo posted by Rob Lowe (@robloweofficial) on Dec 8, 2015 at 1:09pm PST

Actor Rob Lowe received the 2,567th star Tuesday morning December 8, 2015 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of Musso & Franks Grill at 6667 Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood, California. #abc7la #abc7eyewitness #RobLowe #2567thstar #Hollywood #California #actor #moviestar #televisionstar #television #movies #hollywoodwalkoffame #tribute #famous #famousfaces #fame #December8th #2015 #star #LA #handsome #starsighting #parksandrecreation #parksandrec #thewestwing #brothersandsisters #thegrinder #FOX #foxtelevision A photo posted by Jeffrey Soffer (@jeffreysoffer) on Dec 8, 2015 at 1:17pm PST

Sneak peek. Almost ready. In front of the legendary Musso & Franks. Join me Tues @ 11:30 in LA. #hollywoodwalkoffame pic.twitter.com/X02kik9m0o

— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) December 6, 2015

To celebrate the occasion, we need to discuss the 15 reasons why Rob Lowe will forever be everyone’s dream man.

1. For one, he was the Zac Efron of the 1980s. (To me, that puts everything in perspective.)

2. This scene in Hotel New Hampshire proves that he has the bedroom eyes we all dream of.

3. He’s perfect AF when he’s sweaty and putting on a hat.

4. He made us all really grateful to be alive in The Outsiders:

5. He also has the greatest late-1980s hair you’ve ever seen.

6. The combination of that hair, his long eyelashes and THOSE EYEBROWS, Rob in this image is basically WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF. ALL OF THEM. EVERYWHERE.

7. He wore a jockstrap in Youngblood. End of story.

8. He’s even sexy AF when someone is making him put pants on:

9. Check out how satisfying it is to watch Rob get out of bed over and over, on a loop:

10. He really knew how to work a pair of high-waisted denim.

11. This clip of him at 19-years-old talking about being a teen heartthrob will make you fall in love with him (and his eyes) all over again.

12. Just like the rest of us, Rob loves Grindr. Seriously.

13. He’s still sexy AF when sweaty:

14. Rob stans for Adele (YAY) and isn’t afraid to show it.

I know this is not exactly Breaking News, but @Adele is an absolute boss. No one else is even close. #WhenWeWereYoung

— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) November 22, 2015

15. He revealed in a recent interview with Oprah that he basically has unlocked the secrets to being a teen heartthrob. Watch and find out what that is, and how it relates to the Justin Bieber phenomenon. (I promise it’s more insightful than you think.)

CONDRAGULATIONS ON YOUR STAR, ROB!

The post Rob Lowe’s Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Means We Need to Discuss 15 Times He Proved He Will Forever Be Everyone’s Dream Man appeared first on World of Wonder.

Gay-for-pay porn stars have long-been the subject of controversy among fans of porn and gay men in general, but MTV is stepping up to the plate to shine a light upon the complicated subject with their True Life docu-series. Next year, they’re airing a new episode called “I’m A Gay For Pay Porn Star,” featuring the stories of 2 rising gay porn stars Vadim Black and Sean (of Sean Cody). One of the guys’ girlfriends has no idea what he does for work, while the other is a family man who’s wife thinks his career choice is “hot.”

Check out the trailer below and let us know if you’ll be tuning in on our Facebook page!

“They’re rising stars in the gay porn industry, but will the pressures of every day life force them to reconsider their lucrative careers?”

The post MTV’s “True Life” Will Tackle Stories Behind Gay-For-Pay Porn Stars (Watch A Sneak Peek!) appeared first on World of Wonder.