And Slate is right! Check out this article that highlights the heart and soul in Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce.

J. Bryan Lowder says:

Season three of Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce premieres March 25th at 11/10c on Fuse!

The post “Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce Season 3 Brings Warmth to Reality TV” Says Slate! appeared first on World of Wonder.

Vo-dee-oh-doe-doe and 23 skidoo! On today’s all-new episode of Transformations, we harken back to the Roaring Twenties, with a Flapper makeover that’s just the bee’s knees. MUA Katelyn Simkins really knows her stuff, even if the final look is more drunken Jennifer Tilly than Thoroughly Modern Millie. But that’s on me. Still, the end result is ABSOLUTELY RAVISHING. I would have SLAYED in that era. Check out the fascinating tutorial (below) to learn what makeup tricks it takes to get that Jazz Age look.

The post Transformations: Katelyn Simkins Turns Me Into a Jazz-Age Beauty appeared first on World of Wonder.

Anson Mount
Carrot Top
Chelsea Handler
Daniel Powter
Isabelle Fuhrman
Jack Handey
James Phelps
Julio Iglesias Jr.
Justin Berfield
Kimberly Caldwell
Lovefoxxx
Nancy O’Dell
Neil Jordan
Oliver Phelps
Rashida Jones
Ric Flair
Sally Jesse Raphael
Sean Astin
Tea Leoni
Veronica Webb

The post It’s Birthday, Bitch appeared first on World of Wonder.

Vogue has a step-by-step pictorial on the making of Lupita Nyongo‘s showstopping Calvin Klein dress that she wore to Sunday night’s Oscars. Watch it come together after the jump. 

When it came to her dress, a custom Calvin Klein Collection pearl and ivory beaded gown, for this year’s awards, though, she returned to one of her favorite designers, Francisco Costa, women’s creative director of Calvin Klein Collection. Lupita has become a close friend of the house over the last year,” says Costa. “From the onset, I wanted the dress to be graphic, yet warm and luxurious.” He achieved that sense of luxury by “creating a series of textures with intricate placements of a variety of different-sized pearls,” taking into consideration the distinct qualities of each, combined with the metallic tulle and silk lamé of the dress. “We looked at a variety of different pearls—South Sea, iridescent, and natural—and decided that the natural pearls looked the most beautiful.”

After several rounds of fittings at the Klein showroom in the fashion district, and a few more in Los Angeles, it was clear they had landed on a truly special dress. “The most important aspect of a red-carpet gown is that it stays true to the woman’s spirit and complements her natural essence and personality,” says Costa. “The most successful collaborations bring out the best of both the woman and the house.”

The post Anatomy of a Dress: Lupita Nyong’o’s Pearl MADNESS appeared first on World of Wonder.

Check out the latest videos from our WOWPresents Network! Damiana Garcia, Josh Rimer, Lacey Noel, Ms. Candy Blog, and SO MANY MORE all have new videos! Watch all these and more right now on the WOW Report!

Here are the latest videos from our fabulous partners! Make sure you subscribe to their channels for new videos!

The post Watch New Videos From The WOWPresents Network! appeared first on World of Wonder.

Reeeeeeeally interesting stuff from London-based Serbian designer Marko Mitanovski, who sent models painted in black paint down the runway in leather-and-latex designs “inspired by nature and architecture” during London Fashion Week.

From the Daily Mail:

The ghoulish-looking models had most of their features completely hidden by the shiny oils, which were then accessorised with black facial jewels. Marko told Modaterra.com that his inspiration for the theme of the show came from the outside world, saying: ‘I was inspired by nature, birds, skeletons and architecture. I worked with sculptures for this collection and jewelry design. It was how I created the pieces with latex and leather.’

Question: This IS alright, isn’t it? Blackface that’s NOT referencing African-Americans, but, rather, “birds, death, architure, and nature”? Check out the looks below and decide for yourself.

His  theatrical designs have been worn by the likes of Paloma Faith, Skunk Anansie, Katie Melua and Immodesty Blaize, and of course his biggest celebrity fan, Lady Gaga, who wore his creations on her Monster Ball tour.

I would wear any and all of these.

The post Hot Looks of the Day: Serbian Designer Marko Mitanovski’s Dark and Otherworldly Horror appeared first on World of Wonder.

Kelly Osbourne is refusing to be dragged into Giuliana Rancic‘s controversial comments about Zendaya‘s Oscars hairstyle. After Rancic remarked on-air that Zendaya, who had her hair in locs for the awards show looks like she:

“smells like patchouli oil or weed”

Zendaya responded with a powerful open letter blasting the Fashion Police co-host. Osbourne, too, condemned the comments, speaking candidly on Twitter about the incident.

It seems to me that sense the show is now back on the air, it cannot hold without it’s center. Joan made jokes about clothes but it was never really personal, it was FOR THE JOKE. Also, if anyone gave her sh*t, at 80, she just said “F*ck off!” and that was that… what are you gonna do? She was a legend and could hold her own. The rest of the group doesn’t carry that kind of weight… and bottom-line, they really aren’t funny. Yes, this means you too, Kathy Griffin. Get some better writers or put this thing out of its misery.

(via Huffington Post)

The post #Controversy: Kelly Osbourne Threatens To Quit Fashion Police Over Giuliana’s Zendaya Comment appeared first on World of Wonder.

Ouch. Madonna took a rather nasty spill while performing at the Brit Awards. Check it out after the jump (and no cracks about old people and their hips – see our earlier post). HOPE YOU’RE OK, MADGE!

(via Defamer)

UPDATE: Here’s the video

From Time:

Madonna was pulled down a flight of stairs during her performance at the U.K.’s Brit Awards today performing her new single “Living For Love.” Video footage appears to show a cape-like costume element meant to be pulled off Madonna’s shoulders which didn’t detach properly, dragging Madonna down three stairs and onto her back on the stage.

Still, Madonna’s beating back her critics began seconds after her fall: She got up and finished the song.

What a trouper. Love that she kept performing. Afterwards she took to twitter to say she was OK: “Armani hooked me up! My beautiful cape was tied too tight! But nothing can stop me and love really lifted me up! Thanks for your good wishes! I’m fine! #livingforlove”

The post THIS JUST IN: Madonna Takes a Tumble at Brit Awards! appeared first on World of Wonder.

Venus D’Lite reacts to Bianca Del Rio about her episode of Really Queen? This #UnapologeticBitch is not having it… She’s got something to say! Click over and watch! And LOOK! Jujubee makes a cameo! 

The post Venus D’Lite Reacts to Bianca Del Rio’s Really Queen? appeared first on World of Wonder.

Ally Hilfiger
Bree Walker
Corinne Bailey Rae
Dante Ferretti
Erykah Badu
Fats Domino
Greg Germann
Mark Dacascos
Max Martin
Michael Bolton
Sharon Van Etten
Shiloh Fernandez
Teresa Palmer

The post It’s Birthday, Bitch appeared first on World of Wonder.

Some legendary Jersey girls

Sometimes I think, “Gee, I have some talented friends.” (You probably do too.) One of mine is Kate Pierson and last night, she performed her show as a solo artist with a great new band for her brand new album, “Guitars and Microphones“. All her friends showed up to cheer her on and everyone went into a frenzy when the legendary Debbie Harry came out for the encore of “Roam“. Another famous friend of Kate’s, Sia, wrote 4 songs for the new album, my favorite being “Crush Me With Your Love“. (and if there’s any justice in the world it’ll be a hit, too!) Kate’s been performing with the same group for decades now (you might have heard of them? –the B-52s?) and I’ve seen countless fabulous shows of theirs over the years. But as I told Kate after the show, it was really fun to hear new songs, but also to see her finding her way with new material, as the one in charge. But, this gal could literally sing, “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” and knock your socks off. That voice, one of the MOST distinctive in pop music, really sounds better than ever. She introduced one song like this:

“This next song has caused a bit of controversy… ‘Mister Sister‘. This song is really about my friend, Tangella. Tange… Tange performed at Wigstock and all over town for years, but at one point she got sober and moved back home. I called her, not knowing she was living her parents, and her mother answered the phone and I said, ‘Is Tange there… is she in?’ and her mother said, ‘My son is NOT a woman!’ Anyway, Tangella’s doing great now…”

Maybe that doesn’t explain it for you, but I posted my feelings about it when it happened. I really hope it doesn’t follow her around, because Kate is the kindest most inclusive person and she and her partner Monica Coleman, are both part of the LGBTQ community, as well as outspoken advocates. Sia wrote that song as well, by the way and Fred Armisen was in the video along with my old pal Kachin Bowne and they were both at the show last night, along with tons of old friends. I can’t say enough good things about “Guitars and Microphones” and this new artist branching out. But don’t take my word for it, have a listen, or better yet, buy it here. I went to buy mine last night, but the keeper of the CDs at the City Winery had already packed them up. Yeah, I know – CDs. Cute, huh?

The post #GuitarsandMicrophones: At Kate Pierson’s Debut Solo Show, Debbie Harry Joins In For An Encore! appeared first on World of Wonder.

From Japan, of course. It’s a “face bra” that lifts your nasolabial folds! When worn daily, the miracle beauty strap combats the signs of aging – and looks super groovy while doing so! Wear it to the office or the club – and get an instant facelift. And at only $39, it’s a BARGAIN. 

Contrary to what you might expect from its name, you wear the Hourei Lift Bra on your face and it helps fight the smile lines that sadly grow more prominent with age. The band slides over the back of your head and then the frame fits easily onto your nose. Its soft silicone rubber curves will feel comfortable on your skin while the “wire” design will place only gentle pressure on your cheeks. (via Japan Trend Shop)

Buy yours here!

The post Hot Look of the Day: The Hourei Lift Bra for Your Face appeared first on World of Wonder.

Everyone’s favorite RuPaul’s Drag Racer, Jujubee is anxious for season seven of Drag Race to start (ummmmm aren’t we all?!) So she watches each of the RuPaul Presents The Covergurlz2 music videos to get an idea of what each queen is about! We were there to film her candid reactions! Click over to watch then head over to YouTube to check out the Covergurlz2 music videos to see for yourself! 

The post Jujubee Reacts to RuPaul Presents The CoverGurlz2 appeared first on World of Wonder.

Danny Franzese as EddieBear on the HBO hit Looking is absolutely mesmerizing – truly unlike anybody else on TV right now – and somebody who is actually changing the landscape of LGBT depiction in the media.

I asked him what he thought about the hullaballo surrounding his character. “I think the specific casting of me in this part is a move towards body positivity in the LGBT community,” he said. “Bigger guys are traditionally seen as a castrated comic relief – whereas with Eddie, you see him pursued by one of the lead actors. That’s major.”

Of course, HBO has always showed strong commitment to groundbreaking characters and storylines. EddieBear, for example, is the only HIV+ character  on television in YEARS. Make no mistake, though, Eddie isn’t one of those dreary, ’90s-era victims.  “He’s just living his life as part of a mixed status couple, which is great to see” says Danny. “I think the portrayal of Eddie shows there’s hope for love and fulfillment regardless of status.”

He continues: “And while its great that I am able to represent the HIV positive community onscreen, I really shouldn’t be the only one. There are millions of people today still living with HIV and AIDS, and I think its a call to Hollywood to create more storylines with characters living with HIV. I see the lack of stories being shown is in direct proportion to the numbers of new infection remaining the same since the ’90s. That’s got to change.”

If you haven’t had a chance to see Danny on this season of Looking, HBO GO that shit NOW! I have a sneaking suspicion EddieBear is going to be EMMYbear once awards season rolls around. He’s THAT GOOD.

For more HIV information, check out the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation @ET_AIDS_FCN

The post Danny Franzese on His Groundbreaking Looking Character: “I Think It’s a Move Towards Body Positivity in the LGBT Community” appeared first on World of Wonder.

Photographer Edy Hardjo poses his highly detailed superhero action figures in weird and compromising positions. After putting the figures into their picture-perfect poses, he removes the stands he uses to prop them and some of the more obvious joints with Photoshop to make them seem more life-like. The results are hilarious and often slightly disturbing. (via Bored Panda)

Check out more images at Bored Panda and on Edy’s Instagram.

The post The Secret Life of Superhero Toys by Edy Hardjo appeared first on World of Wonder.

Adam Baldwin
Bobby V
Chelsea Clinton
Debra Monk
Donal Logue
Grant Show
Joanne Woodward
Johnny Van Zant
Josh Groban
JWoww
Kate Mara
Neal Schon
Noah Emmerich
Nicole Linkletter
Peter Andre
Ralph Nader
Rozonda “Chili” Thomas
Timothy Spall

The post It’s Birthday, Bitch appeared first on World of Wonder.

Well, I saw the show ten days, ago but when James told me The New York Times was coming to review his one man show, “The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelky” I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll wait to get some good quotes.’ But now, I’m thinking this maybe this might have been a bad idea. How can I top the rave that he got from Charles Isherwood?

“…[this] show about the brutal murder of a 14-year-old boy should not, logically speaking, leave you beaming with joy. His is NOT one of those here’s-what-happened-to-me-and-isn’t-it-fascinating feasts of oversharing that proliferate on small stages… Mr. Lecesne has the channel-changing virtuosity to portray a hardened New Jersey detective; a withdrawn teenage girl; her abrasive but warmhearted hairdresser mom; the British proprietor of a dance-and-drama school; and at least half a dozen equally distinctive characters. Each is drawn with the precision of a fine engraving and a dollop of a great cartoonist’s comic expressionism. But Mr. Lecesne is also a writer of wit and keen observational skills, who here unfolds a dark tale that shimmers with the needling suspense you associate with the best police procedurals, or the likes of ‘Gone Girl.’”

Pretty good, right? How do you do better than that. Well, if you’re interested, I can give you some back-story. I’ve know James for a good 20+ years now and he wears MANY hats. He did a one man show (produced by Mike Nichols on Broadway, no less) where he played a 12 year-old boy who, struggling with his sexuality, tries to commit suicide. The late Randy Stone and Peggy Rajski make a brilliant documentary short called “Trevor” about the character James created, and when it debuted on TV, they needed a number for gay teens to call to get info and The Trevor Project was born. (“Trevor” won an Oscar too, btw.) In the early days, James produced shows to raise money for The Trevor Project, and occasionally I helped him out. It’s an association I’m still really proud of. They do great work. In the intervening years, James wrote a successful young adult novel, “Absolute Brightness” which he then turned into to this play:

“Several years after publishing the novel, I found myself still thinking about this story. So much had happened since then to make me aware of the problems of bullying and its effect on kids who insist on being themselves. And so I began to explore how I might tell the same story for a more adult audience, from a different point of view and on my feet in front of an audience. The first challenge became choosing which of the many characters in the novel to employ and which ones I could manage to embody. Let’s just say that the idea of portraying certain characters presented a daunting challenge – would the audience accept me, a mature male, as say a 16-year-old girl and without a touch of makeup or costume? But one thing I’ve learned from my years of experience is that nothing is more inspiring than the ability of a theater audience to make the necessary imaginative leap.”

…and boy do they ever! It is an amazing thing to behold. Here’s someone I know pretty well, and 2 minutes in, James disappears and for 90 minutes, this tale unfolds in such a captivating way as to transport you. (Yeah, I know that’s a cliché, but it’s true!) James is a Buddhist and maybe that is how he can just disappear. Actors need a healthy dose of ego to deal with the perserverence to hear “no” 20 times, before they finally hear a “yes”, but none of that ego is onstage. Not James’s anyway… the other characters are fully rendered though; ego, hubris, charm, cunning… the only person in this story we never hear from is Leonard himself. It’s a really moving story with a good finish, but I’m going to stop going on about it now. If you get a chance, go see this show. It’s just $18 and you can stick around afterward at the bar, introduce yourself and tell James that I sent you.

“The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey“. Written and performed by James Lecesne; directed by Tony Speciale; music by Duncan Sheik; visuals by Matthew Sandager. Dixon Place. Sunday, March 1 at 6PM, and every Friday & Saturday in March at 7:30. You get ticket info here.

The post #AbsoluteBrightness: James Lecesne’s One-Man Show About A Murdered Gay Teen Is a Must-See appeared first on World of Wonder.

In a Vogue interview with Suzy Menkes about his latest collection, Jacobs came out as anti-social media:

“I am so appalled by the whole social media thing. I don’t get it, it doesn’t appeal to me, neither does a computer, or working on a laptop. I don’t want to read a book on a device. I like a book with a hard cover, and text on a piece of paper. I like magazines. I don’t care if I carry around 100lbs of magazines, I’d rather do that than look at them on the internet. I am just not of that generation. I get the allure of it, but it just doesn’t appeal to me.”

And he’s got some pretty harsh words for younger designers who think they’re cutting edge, too:

“You know, I am an older person now, I’m going to be 52 in a couple of months. But I look at young fashion and it seems like it’s all the same – the idea of what is edgy or cool. It’s style with no substance; it doesn’t really seem born of anything. I don’t see the rebellion or edge in it. It just looks like a cliche: salad oil in the hair, Frankenstein shoes and the trappings of punk and all these other things.”

Ouch. I don’t totally disgree, but I wonder if he’s referring to anyone in particular? …and I also wonder if Bill Blass said the something similar about his “grunge” collection 20 years ago? But according to Jacobs himself, he DOES like certain kinds of technical advances:

“I went on Grindr a couple of times. Well actually, with Harry he was like, ‘Let’s do a profile on Grindr.’ And I did, and I met a couple people.”

Jacobs says he even showed his face in his profile pic before, but the above is Jacobs Grindr pic as of this writing.

“Why not! I don’t have any hang-ups about those kinds of things. I don’t really care. Who’s kidding who? I’ve talked about having hair transplants, I’ve talked about my drug problems, I’ve talked about my drinking problems, I’ve talked about sex. I just think it’s so much better to sort of be honest about those things. I always find it very dubious and I don’t really trust people who deny human instincts.”

Like Googling yourself, Marc?

Marc Jacobs, Fall 2015

(via Dazed)

The post Quote Unquote: Marc Jacobs Hates Social Media & Young Designer’s “Frankenstein Shoes” & “Salad Oil Hair” appeared first on World of Wonder.

Spoiler Alert: In last night’s episode Jamal Lyon (Jussie Smollett) finally came out (in song) and met a new man too! Since Empire‘s January premiere, much has been made of having a gay male character of color having such visibility on TV, living and working in the notoriously homophobic hip-hop biz. According to co-creator and executive producer Lee Daniels, super-producer Tim “Timbaland” Mosley, a friend of Daniels’s who crafts the series’ original songs, wasn’t initially aware of the nature of Jamal’s storyline, and Daniels recalls some discomfort from him, initially:

“I pitched the pilot to him, and he came back with this incredible, breathtaking music in 48 hours. And soon it was time for me to show him the pilot. My instinct told me to leave when Jamal and [his boyfriend] Michael kiss, so I got up to go to the bathroom. When I came back, I knew [Timbaland] was fascinated by seeing his music in the work, but he said, ‘Those guys kissing, man. Wow.’ [The comment] could be construed negatively or positively, so I didn’t push it. I just didn’t wanna go there. Again, my instinct—or maybe my inner child or something—told me not to.”

When Timbaland’s wife and kids were brought in to to see the pilot episode, Timba asked that his kids step out of the room during the kissing scene. Daniels opted not to “get into a big discussion at the time.” Since then, Timbaland has changed his tune:

“What’s so great about this story is that it comes full circle. [Working on this show has] changed [Timbaland’s] opinion on how he feels about gays. He said it. And I remember hanging up the phone and being very emotional after talking to him, and after him telling me that. And how he really had this epiphany. It was beautiful, and it deepened our friendship.”

Maybe what happened between Daniels and Timbaland is now happening between Empire and its audience. After Jamal came out in a song his Dad, Lucious (Terence Howard) was none too pleased, it seems. But Joe Biden once said that Will & Grace did more to open America up to gay people than almost any other single thing. So, TV can be powerful or just an escape – or even better, both.

(via Out)

The post #Empire: Lee Daniels On How The Gay Content Of His Hit Show Is Changing Hearts & Minds appeared first on World of Wonder.

Sad news today: Leonard Nimoy, who played the pointy-eared Vulcan, Dr Spock ,in the original Star Trek series, died of pulmonary disease after being hospitalised earlier this week. He was 83, and seemed damned near immortal. Hard to believe he’s gone.

From the Guardian:

Nimoy co-starred with William Shatner on the original Star Trek TV series from 1966 to 1969. His half-human, half-Vulcan character was a perfect counterpart to Shatner’s Captain Kirk in the series, which spawned several films and later TV reboots. He appeared as “Spock Prime” in the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness, in which actor Zachary Quinto took on the role of Spock.

Of course, Nimoy was more than just Spock (as his first memoir I Am Not Spock famously attested).

The Washington Post notes that “Mr. Nimoy parlayed his Star Trek fame into a singing career in the late 1960s and 1970s, cutting albums such as Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock’s Music From Outer Space. He also published books of poetry and photography and championed progressive causes, including civil rights and Cesar Chavez’s efforts on behalf of immigrant farm workers.”

From 1976 to 1982, he hosted the syndicated documentary series In Search Of…, (MY FAVORITE SHOW GROWING UP, OMG) which explored phenomena such as the Loch Ness monster and the Bermuda Triangle.

Mr. Nimoy wrote and performed in a one-man stage show about Theo van Gogh and his troubled but brilliant painter brother, Vincent.

The film or television offers that rolled in during his later life tended to be in the realm of science fiction. He was the voice of Sentinel Prime in the 2011 film Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and he participated in nearly all Star Trek film and TV incarnations (including multiple stints on The Simpsons and Futurama).

Outside the WOW offices right now, dozens of news cameras are pointed at his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as passers-by stop to remember a towering figure in our cultural mythology.

The post He Lived Long and Prospered: Leanard Nimoy, Dead at 83 appeared first on World of Wonder.