Viraldice

Zuckerberg fires back at Sorkin! (Twitter) Sidenote: Is Mark Zuckerberg v. Jack Dorsey the Tesla v. Edison of our time?

Tomi Lahren ‏dressed up as Alexandria Ocasio Cortez for Halloween, and Twitter is burying her. Here's a small taste:

Tomi Lahren's costume is of someone who is intelligent, compassionate, patriotic, and respected.

This is the closest @TomiLahren will ever come to being any of those things. https://t.co/tAUywldRpc

— Travis Akers (@travisakers) November 1, 2019

BREAKING: Tomi Lahren dresses up as person with actual responsibilities https://t.co/Z5viQJFPdP

— Max Burns (@themaxburns) November 1, 2019

God, the thirst, it's almost difficult to watch. How often do you suppose AOC thinks about Tomi Lahren? https://t.co/pNldqYLEIq

— David Roberts (@drvox) October 31, 2019

I Accidentally Uncovered a Nationwide Scam on Airbnb. (Vice)

Drew Magary is a treasure. This is known. He resigned from Deadspin today, which is sad, but also, good for him. He also wrote this good post yesterday, Yes, I Am a Capitalist, which is good and you should read it. However. This article here is really what the main takeaway is, and that is: Capitalism is turning us into addicts. (Vox)

How steak became manly and salads became feminine. (The Conversation)

Lori Loughlin would 'take the fall' for her daughters if they were charged. I mean, I sure hope so since she's the one who tried to scam the school, no? (Celebitchy)

When a down-and-out doctor finds his rundown mansion is haunted, he pulls the quintessentially American move: opening the house to the public for a fee. Everything goes wrong from there. (Medium)

Who Invented The 'Bedsheet Ghost'? (Daily Beast)

Here is something extra spooky: The DNA database used to find the Golden State Killer is a national security leak waiting to happen. (Technology Review)

What feels like a supernatural presence might actually be vibrations outside of humans' conscious perception. (Smithsonian Mag)

Nokia's collapse turned a sleepy town in Finland into an internet wonderland. (Quartz)

Constantine is back, motherf*ckers. (THR)

Other Lainey's Halloween costume looks amazing! (Lainey Gossip)

Why powerful men love to cast themselves as victims. (Intelligencer)

How much do we believe that "Kim doesn't want to change Kanye. She loves him and supports him." And how much do we think this is complete bs? (Dlisted)

30 Pics Of Finnish Cats Living Their Best Winter Life. (Bored Panda)

Kerry Washington is wearing a purple sweater, purple pants, purple pumps, and, yes, purple lipstick. I bet she was listening to Prince whilst shopping for said outfit. (GFY)

Chile's People Have Had Enough of Neoliberalism. (Slate)

Halloween is a more bookish holiday than people realize. Cannonballers have reviewed books for all ages featuring ghosts, monsters, and unrequited love. About Washington Irvine's The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, Ale says, "We can relate to both Ichabod's love of ghost stories and subsequent terror on his ride home in the dark." What is your favorite Halloween story? (Cannonball Read 11)

Ghostbusters theme but NIN it up:

From my new favorite IG account:

View this post on Instagram

#happyhalloween

A post shared by Female Collective (@femalecollective) on Oct 31, 2019 at 9:35am PDT

It's Halloween, and I'm a wimp. I live in a weird part of LA that isn't conducive to welcoming trick or treaters (or holding on to your catalytic converter) and since I went out last night, I most certainly won't be going out again tonight. This means I will be holed up on my couch watching "scary" (for me) movies until I fall asleep.

The older I get, the less stomach I have for anything horror. I had to watch Get Out in the daytime, with the lights on, and the mute button handy (because it's a well-known fact things can't be scary if you can't hear them, right?!) I bring this up because the list of "scary" movies I'm willing to watch is limited to Leprechaun, the Scream trilogy, and I Know What You Did Last Summer (sequels do not exist in this particular franchise, Brandy Norwood or not.)

Back in the day, teenaged Kate loved her some slasher flicks. Thirty-Something Kate, however, doesn't really have the nerves for them anymore, so the ones I watch are the ones I've seen so many times I know what's coming. Thus, the list above.

There is, however, one thing I would like to bring up because it bothers me to this day: Sarah Michelle Gellar's character, "Helen" was done f*cking dirty by I Know What You Did Last Summer. (Related, she was also done dirty by Scream 2, but I'm much less upset about that.) The wrong "final girl" was chosen, in Jennifer Love Hewitt's "Julie" and I say that as someone who really, really loves The Ghost Whisperer.

Since movies are primarily made by dummies (gee, I wonder who that could be?) who think women are constantly at odds with each other, we're presented with Julie and Helen as friends who are at dichotomous odds with each other at all times. One is brunette, the other blonde. One is into her looks, the other into books (since god forbid you can't do both.) One dresses in tightly fitting clothes that bare skin, the other is almost always in white, and covered up (save for her boobs and occasionally, her stomach.) One outwardly demonstrates her remorse at all times for the accidental killing of a murderer, who shouldn't have been skulking around a winding mountain road at night anyway, by basically forgetting to shower, and the other is straight up f*cking murdered for not letting her life fall apart as much as the other because she values personal hygiene, even when in a deep emotional crisis. WTF?!

Helen deserved more than what she was given. She was much more than the dumb, slutty blonde her character was supposed to be a trope of, and who, as we all know, always must die in a slasher flick. The Helens of the slasher world never get to be the final girl, but they should.

via GIPHY

We're first introduced to Helen in the movie because she's competing in a beauty pageant and we're supposed to see her as immediately more vapid and less genuine than virginal-white sweater-wearing Julie, who is there to support her friend. (We mustn't forget Helen's unforgivable sin of having blonde hair. I'm pretty sure the vast majority of final girls are brunette for some reason.) However, that stupid pageant was a means to an end for Helen, who shrewdly understood that if she wanted to be an actor in New York, as is mentioned by her, it's a lot easier to get some auditions under your belt when you're new to town if you have some accolades to your name. She's got some cunning to her, I say.

Then, when the s*it hits the fan and the teens murder a dude, who again, was creeping around a mountain when he had no business doing so because it was a night for murderin' and he was partaking also-- Helen (and Julie, and the others) make a bad call, and decide to ditch the body rather than calling the police because stupid fancy-boy Barry, played by Ryan Phillipe, throws a tantrum and demands it to be so. I mean, again, it is the wrong call, but they were young and dumb so I can't hold it against them. Yet Julie is the one we're supposed to sympathize with? Helen is f*cking remorseful after the fact, too, dammit!

via GIPHY

Her dream of New York crashes and burns, ostensibly because she doesn't have the energy to sustain it because of the crushing guilt she feels. When we see her again the following summer, she's no longer the brash, confident young woman we knew pre-accident. She's turned into a quiet, introspective person who has clearly seen some s*it and is trying to cope, just like Julie is. Yet because Julie stopped brushing her hair and has dark circles under her eyes, she's the one we're supposed to believe is suffering the most, and thus, is worthy of redemption? Come on, now! Grief is not a zero-sum game and it definitely manifests itself in different ways. Let's not forget that neither of them were the ones who were driving the car when it hit the guy or the drunk a-hole who caused the accident by dropping a bottle down the sunroof, to begin with. Their crappy boyfriends hold those titles, respectively. Yet one of those jackasses gets to live, and Helen doesn't.

Look, I get that one of the things people love about slasher flicks is the body count. I personally enjoy it when Johnny Galecki's a-hole townie dude bites it via fish hook because dude sucked, so I get it--people have to die in this genre.

...but did it have to be Helen? My resourceful, beauty queen Helen, who doesn't let anyone gaslight her, and fights like hell to survive!?

She was just as quick-witted as Julie, and definitely more so than Ray, the other survivor. (Who, again, was driving when the car hit the dude, yet he got to live.) They killed plucky Tatum the year before in Scream, when her biggest sin was having terrible taste in boyfriends. Did they have to do Helen the same way for basically the same thing? The answer is obviously, no.

Just look at her fight her damndest when the killer finally comes for her (avoid the end if you don't want to see her die. I usually close my eyes and pretend that Helen ran away because that town sucked and she left Julie to emo herself out of the situation because it was everyone for themselves at that point and she knew she couldn't keep it to herself that Ray sucked so she figured it's just better to blow town than ruin the friendship further.).

Look, Julie is an OK final girl (she's no Sidney Prescott, though)--it's just that Helen would have been better.

Now, I know you probably want me to get over it since the movie is 22 years old at this point, but I will bang this drum until my final day. Helen deserved to live just as much as Julie did, and it's only because of stupid slasher flick rules that she was pre-ordained to die.

Helen, and the audience, deserved better. Justice for Helen!

via GIPHY

If I have one job at Pajiba, it's to spread the word about the gospel of Cameron Poe. If I have two jobs at Pajiba, it's the gospel of Cameron Poe, and to convince everyone that the Twilight Saga is a trash masterpiece. If I have three jobs at Pajiba, it's gospel Cameron Poe, repping for Twilight, and hopefully, one day getting Jax from Vanderpump Rules to know I exist, but, friends, if I have four jobs at Pajiba? It's Gospel of Cameron Poe, justice for Twilight, bunny-boiling Jax, and telling the world of my unending love for Wesley Snipes.

I. Love. Wesley. Snipes.

I mean, I could point to a number of movies like Passenger 57, To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar, New Jack City, Demolition Man (in which he is excellent), but honestly, I can skip all those fine movies and jump straight to the Blade trilogy and be done with it all.

Blade (the movie is named after the dude) is a half-vampire, half-human who f*cking hates other vampires because one killed his mother. He's made it his life's mission to kick their asses with knives, swords and whatnot (get it? His name is Blade!) and make quips while doing it. In the first film, he fights Stephen Dorff, who is also a vampire, but he's, like, a hip vampire OK?

via GIPHY

In the second movie (directed by an Oscar-winning director named Guillermo del Toro, whom you may have heard of) he fights a lot of super-vampires, and I won't spoil the plot of it, because there are obviously twists. But guess what? Ron Perlman is there, also. How's that for a pleasant surprise?

In the third movie, Blade basically fights Wesley Snipes' unwillingness to act in the Blade movies anymore.

I'm getting ahead of myself, here. Let's get back to Blade.

You know this movie is going to be awesome when within the first 15 minutes of it, there's a vampire rave where blood rains down from the sprinkler system, and a seemingly dead vampire reanimates just in time to straight-up murder a s*itty dude who is harassing his ex-girlfriend to go back out with him.

That's just the first movie, which is genuinely good.

By the time we get to the third movie, which is so-bad-it's good, we've spent, like, 6 hours with the titular hero and Wesley Snipes decided by about hour 3, that was good enough, so he wasn't going to try anymore.

Leading us to this classic scene:

via GIPHY

Yes, Wesley Snipes (who insisted on being called Blade on-set) refused to open his eyes and thus, they were CGI-ed in. You couldn't top that tomfoolery if you tried. Only Wesley Snipes, in his hey-day, could get away with that and even he barely did. (Notice how we didn't get a Blade 4....)

I mean, could that scene have been improved with a robot half-vampire baby? Oh, most definitely, but basically any scene in any movie could be improved with a robot half-vampire baby so it's not really a fair comparison to make, is it?

via GIPHY

(This is why Twilight will always be the best vampire movie series. It tried as hard as it could to fly that close to the sun, knowing full well that vampires die in the sun...well, except for Twilight vampires. They sPaRkLe. I digress.)

The Blade series is glorious in its initial execution, and unintentionally awesome in its dying breath.

Unlike many people, I was fairly upset when I heard that Marvel is rebooting Blade with Mahershala Ali in anti-hero role this time. Ali is excellent in all he does and I have a sneaking suspicion that he's actually a well-regarded actor who is professional on-set. Which is good for him and all. I think he will be a fine Blade, but I doubt we're going to be hearing of any shenanigans on-set. I'm willing to bet you that he'll even open his eyes for all the scenes that require that of him, which is kind of a bummer. Good things are good, but you know what? I love bad things more.

That's why I love the original Blade trilogy, because you get the best of both worlds. A truly good first entry, a good-in-parts second entry, and a so-bad-it's-amazing final installment. What more could you possibly want?

via GIPHY

Ok, yes, agreed--painted on abs and attempted self-immolation is always a good time. That's why Blade comes close, but doesn't top, Twilight.

via GIPHY

I know what you all need and I aim to give it to you.

This is Benjamin. He is Froot Loops. 14/10 pic.twitter.com/E0IRKM62MA

— WeRateDogs® (@dog_rates) October 31, 2019

Woof Bader Ginsberg would like you to know she strongly dissents to you having anything other than a Happy Halloween! pic.twitter.com/pFTKRe6dAH

— Nora, but make it Halloween (@nouroboros) October 31, 2019

My co-worker dressed up as a unicorn from r/mildlyinteresting

We entered Viserion in the pet costume contest where my parents work as a JOKE and he WON 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/NOzfg1VWcC

— Rachael Malizia (@rachael_malizia) October 31, 2019

Everyone is posting pictures of their pets in their adorable #Halloween costumes and I'm over here dressing my girls like 🥦&🥔
And they know it too pic.twitter.com/y6EADaolNn

— Lizza (@bonjovimello) October 31, 2019

Bear is getting ready to go Trick or Treating as Pizza Rat!
🐀🍕🎃👻
Happy Halloween from Irish Rep! pic.twitter.com/OgxNBJ796H

— Irish Rep (@IrishRep) October 31, 2019

Scooby Dooby doo!!! from r/doggos

Happy Halloween from my little Chia Pets! #PetCostumes #HappyHalloween #halloween2019 @ChiaPetOfficial pic.twitter.com/3cX2aYG9Sq

— Lauren Gallick Keavney (@Lo169) October 31, 2019

Happy Halloween from my pitbull dressed as Pitbull pic.twitter.com/nwE7YLKNaM

— Katie Rich (@katiemaryrich) October 31, 2019

PsBattle: Dog cosplaying Prison Mike (The Office) from r/photoshopbattles

Sorry cats, I'm not sorry. #PetCostumes #halloween2019 #CatsInCostume pic.twitter.com/QH4QouiN5p

— 3hree6ix5ive (Long-Suffering Oilers fan) (@3hree6ix5ive_) October 31, 2019

Of course I want to see your costumes... but I also want to see your pet's costumes!

Post 'em here! https://t.co/OgfqdP23Oj 🦁🐈🐶#Halloween2019 pic.twitter.com/GAGbxOVLgT

— Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitRECordJoe) October 31, 2019

The only ambulance I want picking me up pic.twitter.com/UsLhwhkbAJ

— Aussies Doing Things (@aussiesdointhgs) October 28, 2019

Heartbreaking news has come from one of the Bachelor Fam's most outrageously attractive couples.

Tayshia Adams and John Paul Jones found love on -- and after -- Bachelor in Paradise.

Now, the devastatingly beautiful has an announcement: It's over.

"I know you guys have been asking about John and I recently," Tayshia Adams begins her Instagram caption.

"And as much as I like to keep my personal life private," the reality star reminds fans.

Tayshia acknowledges: "I realize you have all watched and been a part of our journey from the beginning."

"Therefore to stay true to that," she continues. "I need to be open and honest with you in order to heal and move on."

"John and I had something incredibly special," Tayshia affirms.

"We fell for each other in Paradise," she notes. "And everything was a whirlwind after that."

"When the show ended, I truly went back to Maryland," Tayshia confirms to her fans and followers.

She did so "to see if what we had was something we could build on without cameras, a production crew, and without feeling any pressure."

Tayshia's goal was "to simply figure things out on our own terms."

"But the reality was, we were living on opposite coasts," she laments.

The pair were also "working insane schedules that made it impossible to see each other and build a life with each other."

That can tear apart any couple, no matter how stunningly beautiful they are.

"We truly did the best we could," Tayshia expresses.

"But at this time," she announces, they "have decided that what is best for the both of us is to go our separate ways."

"We are the best of friends," Tayshia shares. "And will continue to remain in each other’s life."

She concludes, saying that they will do so "because regardless of the situation, we make each other happy."

Notably, neither of them have purged the other from their Instagram pages, as so many famous couples do after a breakup.

This really does sound amicable.

To make matters even sweeter, John Paul Jones left a single red heart emoji in the comments of Tayshia's emotional post.

Not everyone has the words to write out a long explanation, but he clearly shares the sentiment that she expressed.

In addition to sporting speedos and having one of the best heads of hair of all of the men in the Bachelor Fam, John Paul Jones is an emotional dude.

On Bachelor in Paradise, he was unafraid to bare his soul -- along with most of his body -- and express his feelings.

But when he gave Tayshia his heartfelt confession that he was in love with her, she wasn't quite there yet.

Fortunately, after Paradise, they continued. As Tayshia says, they tried to see what worked off camera.

Not every relationship works out in the end, but that doesn't mean that it was a failure or a disaster.

These two had six weeks -- and spent at least some time together, even though geography and scheduling were stacked against them.

Life is about building up an infinite list of positive experiences, and these two will have fond memories for decades to come.

But it's okay for fans to be a little bummed. You always want to see your favorite hotties get their happily ever afters.

View Slideshow: The Bachelor Spoilers: Peter Weber's Final 6 Contestants REVEALED!

As you've likely heard by now, Ben Affleck got drunk at a Halloween party and was spotted stumbling through a parking lot afterward.

Normally, this would not be a big deal.

Hell, in the wake of the #MeToo movement, a powerful Hollywood actor grabbing the tailgate of an Escalade so he can regain his balance seems like a tame throwback to a simpler time.

But Affleck checked into rehab for the third time in August of 2018, and he claimed to be sober ever since.

Less than 24 hours before his very public relapse, in fact, the Oscar-winner took to Instagram to declare that he had "been in recovery for over a year."

Was this really his first fall from the wagon in that time, or had he been misleading the public about is sobriety?

Ben Affleck Falls Off the Wagon

Either way, it's not hard to see why so many were concerned.

Whatever the case, as more details from the night roll in, two things become increasingly clear:

1. Ben takes an "an all or nothing approach" to recovery, and he's probably not the kind of person who will ever be able to drink moderately.

2. His Saturday night could have been the subject of a documentary entitled When "Living Your Best Life" Goes Horribly Wrong.

Ben is on the dating app Raya now, and it seems he spent the night hanging out with one of his first matches.

Musician Katie Cherry probably thought it was pretty cool to be hanging out with Gone Girl's husband, but she likely wasn't terribly impressed with Ben's drunken gambling skills.

The couple attended a casino night fundraiser for UNICEF, and well -- at least Ben lost a ton of money for a good cause.

“I watched him lose $60,000 in 40 minutes,” an onlooker tells In Touch.

“Everyone was staring at him; they couldn’t believe it. He refused to fold, so people were just taking his money!”

Yes, it seems Ben was neither holding his liquor nor folding his cards -- fortunately, Katie was there to keep an eye on things.

“She was acting like his babysitter, holding all his cash!” the insider noted.

“He had no idea what was going on.” 

Another witness says the actor left little doubt as to the severity of his condition:

Ben wasn't a little tipsy, mind you -- he was gone, baby, gone.

“Ben was so obviously drunk,” the second source says.

“His hair was really messed up, he was having trouble walking and talking and his eyes were half-closed. He looked so sleepy and tired … I tried to talk to him at one point, but he was incoherent. He just threw his arms up in the air and walked away.”

The following morning, Ben discussed the incident with paparazzi standing outside the home of his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner:

"Well, you know, it happens. It’s a slip, but I’m not going to let it derail me,” Affleck said.

We cracked some jokes today, but Ben is a once-in-a-generation talent, and we wish him all the best in his continued recovery. 

If there's any upside to his situation, it's that for others who might be struggling, it serves as a potent reminder that addiction doesn't discriminate, and the battle is never done.

View Slideshow: 31 Celebrities Who Have Been to Rehab

A few minutes into Earthquake Bird, Alicia Vikander’s Lucy Fly is shown translating an English-language film into Japanese for what we soon learn has been her job in Tokyo for a number of years. The film in question is Black Rain, Ridley Scott’s cross-cultural action movie in which Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia play New York City cops escorting a Yakuza member back to Japan for extradition.

It’s a cute nod given that Scott Free Productions is one of the companies behind this Netflix-distributed film, and that Black Rain opened in 1989, the year in which Earthquake Bird is set. But the reference ends up backfiring. While the general consensus on Scott’s film remains largely negative, not least due to its use of Asian stereotypes, many of its detractors have nonetheless pointed to the director’s stylistic excesses as a positive. By contrast, Wash Westmoreland’s adaptation of Susanna Jones’ 2001 novel is a pedestrian thriller lacking any zest or flair.

This is despite the efforts of DoP Chung Chung-hoon (The Handmaiden) and Atticus Ross, one of three credited composers. In front of the camera, usually reliable leads flounder. While Vikander delivers her Japanese dialogue with great assurance, her performance is otherwise restrained to the point of lethargy – not an ideal scenario for a love triangle-oriented psychosexual thriller.

The story sees Lucy questioned by Tokyo police over the disappearance of ex-pat friend Lily (Riley Keough), who is presumed to have been murdered. Lucy is evasive with the detectives but recounts how she came to be in a relationship with a mysterious photographer, Teiji (Naoki Kobayashi), who was sympathetic to her tragic past, and how the arrival of the more upbeat and carefree Lily drove a wedge between them.

Lucy’s recollections are not to be taken at face value, but the film’s superficial psychological probing prevents us from becoming too wrapped up in proceedings. There’s a conspicuous lack of tension, both in terms of the murder mystery and the central romance. On an early date of sorts, Lucy and Teiji take shelter together in a confined space during a brief earthquake, but the chemistry between Vikander and Kobayashi lacks the intended seismic intensity.

The post Earthquake Bird appeared first on Little White Lies.

Based on numerous photos from his Instagram page, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is spending a lot of time with his daughter these days.

Which is a really good thing.

Because he may not be seeing her very much in the future.

Fans of the Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star may have thought that Ronnie was going to avoid any harsh legal penalties after the Los  Angeles County District Attorney chose NOT to charge him with any felonies.

Instead, Ortiz-Magro was hit with numerous misdemeanor violations for his alleged actions early on the morning of October 4.

The veteran reality star and father of one is accused of threatening his girlfriend, Jen Harley, with a knife after the two got into a hellacious fight on that date.

He's then accused of grabbing his young child out of Jen's arms... locking himself inside of a house with the little girl... refusing to cooperate with the police upon their arrival... and needing to get tased in order to be taken into custody after the cops broke the door down.

Harley has said Ronnie was partly acting this way because he was high on cocaine at the time.

In response to the incident and arrest, Magro-Ortiz now faces seven charges:

• Willfully inflicting corporal injury to spouse or cohabitant.
• Brandishing a weapon.
• Willful and unlawful criminal threats.
• False imprisonment.
• Child endangerment.
• Two counts of Resisting arrest.

Yiles, right?!? What does all this mean for the MTV personality?

Simply put, the accumulation of charges means that Ronnie could wind up in prison -- and not for a short period of time, either.

Five of the seven charges have a one-year maximum sentence and two have a six-month maximum sentence, totaling six years Ronnie could conceivably spend behind bars.

Will this actually happen?

We obviously have no way of knowing, but the odds of Ronnie receiving the maximum penalty for each charge seems impossibly low.

Still, this doesn't mean the reality star is free and clear. Far from it, in fact.

There's surveillance footage (from a neighbor's camera) of Harley holding her child and running around looking all panicked on the morning in question.

There are marks on her arm she claims Ronnie gave her during the physical portion of their fight.

There's a history of ugliness and violence between Harley and Ortiz-Magro that can't exactly help Ronnie's cause in the long run.

And the Winner is?

Absolutely!

Click Here To

Vote for Absolutely!

No way!

Click Here To

Vote for No

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro continues to break the law and set an awful example. Should he lose his job? View Poll »

In short, there are many reasons for authorities to push for at least some jail time for Ronnie.

Will he agree to a plea deal instead of seeing this case through to trial?

Will he be fired by MTV?

Will he and Jen actually stay broken up for a change?

View Slideshow: Jen Harley: Ronnie Threatened to Flat-Out MURDER Me!

These are all legitimate questions with no concrete answers at the moment.

All we can say for certain is that a source has defended Ronnie by arguing that Harley was the one placing the former couple's kid in danger and that Ronnie was just trying to protect her.

His next court hearing is scheduled for November.

It should have been the role of a lifetime for 21-year-old Mark Patton, but playing the lead in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge turned into a real-life nightmare for the budding actor – so much so that he ended up quitting Hollywood altogether.

“I saw so many of my friends dying [of AIDS], I just didn’t want to keep on subjecting myself to the pain of Hollywood,” the now 55-year-old actor tells LWLies. “To be a gay actor then was to either hide who you were or just play a complete gay stereotype so I quit as I didn’t want to be in a cage. My experience on A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 just reinforced to me how Hollywood was disgusted by gay people.”

Back in 1985, Patton was cast as Jesse Walsh, the teenager who is tormented by his peers for being too feminine just as Freddy Krueger starts to invade his dreams, using Jesse as a vessel through which to kill other kids. Although director Jack Sholder’s horror sequel is in many ways a fairly generic slasher film, the gay themes it explores are surprisingly radical.

A lot of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2’s queer subtext may seem clumsily-handled by today’s standards, yet it’s remarkable that a movie like this existed at all at the height of the AIDS epidemic. Jesse is essentially horror cinema’s first male scream queen, while the film also sees the teenager entering a drag bar, his homophobic coach being whipped on the buttocks by Krueger, as well as persistent homoerotic encounters between Jesse and the clawed bogeyman (at one point the former complains that he can “feel something inside of me”).

This is all with the benefit of hindsight, of course: screenwriter David Chaskin has stated in interviews that he actually intended to show how sexually confused teenagers can be led away from temptation by a “good woman”, with Krueger representing the demonic allure of homosexuality and Kim Myers’ romantic interest Lisa as Jesse’s wouldbe saviour.

“I had just come off playing a trans person in a Robert Altman film, so I wasn’t afraid to play a gay character,” Patton remembers, “but I would have liked as a gay actor to have some license in what was happening. I just had to do my best with the problematic material. This was a time where women didn’t want men to be weak, but I knew I at least wanted Jesse to have a fragile scream. If I was going to do this movie then it was important to at least show a different kind of masculinity.”

Amid lukewarm reviews and a backlash from some fans who took issue with the film’s gay themes, Patton says he was “thrown under the bus” by the producers, who were quick to distance themselves from any perceived queer subtext. It didn’t matter that Patton was just responding to Chaskin’s script — he was an easy target, especially at a time when homophobia was rife in American society.

“Robert Englund [who plays Freddy Krueger] definitely knew [about the gay subtext],” says Patton. “For the scene where Freddy meets Jesse for the first time he suggested putting his claws in my mouth to play up to the homoeroticism of the writing. But certain people didn’t want to own up to it as they were scared it would ruin their careers as Hollywood was so homophobic back then.”

With the advent of the internet, the film gained a reputation as one of the gayest horrors of the 1980s, and Patton could only watch on as he became a punchline and a victim of abuse online. Eventually, he found the courage to reclaim the narrative. “They wanted Jesse’s gayness to make the audience feel sick to their stomach,” he explains. “Remember that his gay sensibilities were edited so the audience would laugh, but because I became a scapegoat, it was important to change that perception.

“I went on the road to horror conventions and showed people how Jesse could actually be a powerful tool to empower young people. Hundreds of people tell me they saw Jesse standing up to Freddy and screaming effeminately back when they were a confused child, and it made them feel empowered by their own sexuality. Those kind of stories make my day.”

An excellent new documentary entitled Scream Queen, directed by Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen, has been cathartic for the actor. In it, Patton describes his new life in Mexico, where he works as an interior designer, while also reflecting on his decision to leave Hollywood. “There were no openly gay actors,” he says, “no gay anything. If you were gay you’d be fired. The word ‘faggot’ was used openly in pop culture. If there was a gay casting director, they wouldn’t even cast me for fear of being associated with someone who was gay and subsequently being found out.”

Patton goes so far as to confront Chaskin in the documentary, yet ultimately it shows how he and the LGBT+ community are reclaiming A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 as a progressive film about sexual identity, celebrating the way Jesse stands up to his bullies. For many young gay men, the film was the first time they saw themselves represented on screen, and Scream Queen stresses how the drag bar scene helped to normalise gay sex, and why watching Jesse scream like a Hitchcock blonde made them feel more comfortable in their own skin.

“The documentary only really uses A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 as a backdrop,” Patton insists, “the real story is what I went through and how I managed to come out of it stronger. Its purpose is to show what gay actors had to put up with back in 1985. My mission is for young gay men to see what I experienced and learn from it so it never happens again. I want to armour them up.”

Today Patton is much happier being associated with A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, which is regularly screened at LGBT+ events. So, does he consider Jesse a gay icon? “Oh, absolutely – because he’s a survivor. The LGBT+ community have made him into one. You can’t deny it; he’s still here and we’re talking about him 35 years later. He shows how young gay kids can overcome obstacles. Because of this documentary, I finally feel good about playing him again.”

Scream Queen is currently playing at film festivals across America. For more information visit screamqueendocumentary.com. 

The post The star of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 is reclaiming the film’s queerness appeared first on Little White Lies.

I'll be the first to admit that I forgot Zac Efron was a thing. It hasn't occurred to me that we haven't really seen much of him this year until now. - (Lainey)

I also forgot that Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp were engaged. Were engaged. - (Dlisted)

RIP, Deadspin. Thank you for everything, you talented, glorious, principled writers. Good luck and may you all land softly where your talents are appreciated.

By quitting, Deadspin's staff aren't just principled, they sent a critical fuck you to every private equity ogre that desecrates great publications. The only way 2 stop it from happening is stopping them from being able to turn a profit. Long live Deadspin. They were the realest

— Otto Von Biz Markie (@Passionweiss) October 30, 2019

Manti Te'o's girlfriend didn't not die for Deadspin to go out like this

— Hayes Brown (@HayesBrown) October 30, 2019

There have been missteps for sure, but how could anyone possibly cheer the demise of a site that did this? #RIPdeadspin pic.twitter.com/9pCOhdm5Z5

— MLB Insider Satan 🧛🏻‍♂️ (@williamzabka42) October 30, 2019

OH. MY. GOD. Look at Cynthia Erivo and Janelle Monáe! LOOK AT THEM! STUN.NING. - (GFY)

A coroner has determined that Jeffrey Epstein's death could have been homicide, not suicide. Also, that coroner was hired by Epstein's brother and also is a Fox News contributor, so, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ - (Celebitchy)

I remember so very clearly when Marlena was possessed by the Devil. I also remember that I had to travel for work and I was SO concerned that my VCR would screw up recording Days of our Lives (or Days, as the cool kids called it. No cool kids called it that.) that I paid my neighbor to ALSO record it as a back-up. - (SYFY Wire)

Genny brought us this: "This clip of a Nationals manager getting ready to fight the umpires set to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" is almost art."

I just want to point out that this meltdown happened during "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" which is not clear on the Fox broadcast, and it's hilarious pic.twitter.com/pHFJwSmLMQ

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) October 30, 2019

Tori shared this: "Add a blistering zero-star review of Peter Luger Steak House to the pile of WTF-ery that is 2019" - (NYT)

Jodi said, "I'll be buying some Happy Meals in hopes of getting the Chicken McNugget toys, the only ones worth having on this list." - (Reddit)

A California Corrections Department office had a Nazi flag hanging on the wall for, wait for it, training purposes. Uh-huh. Sure, Jan. - (The Root)

These are some of the best couples costumes I've ever seen! Amazing. - (BP)

After reading a Nalini Singh short story, teresaelectro decided to dive into one of Singh's long-running paranormal series. Angels' Blood introduces the Guild Hunters series' world of angels and vampire hunters. "I clearly enjoyed this book since I devoured book two a mere month later." What is your favorite long series of books? (Cannonball Read 11)

Halloween fell in such a way as to allow two full weekends to celebrate. Celebrities appear to have taken advantage of this past weekend to get geared up in their spooky best to show off their butts. I've gathered some of their costumes here for you to goggle at and judge accordingly.

Nicki Minaj and husband Kenneth Petty (registered sex offender and convicted of manslaughter) as Harley Quinn and The Joker, reminding us why the deranged duo are not #couplegoals

View this post on Instagram

Behind the scenes w/The JOKER...coming soon 💋🎥🍿 - Happy HalloQueen 🎃

A post shared by Barbie (@nickiminaj) on Oct 28, 2019 at 6:00am PDT

Ciara and Russell Wilson as Beyonce and Jay-Z

Jay & Bey. pic.twitter.com/hSpu1ckwTs

— Ciara (@ciara) October 30, 2019

Jessica Biel as her husband and Justin Timberlake as her mic

Jessica Biel as Justin Timberlake, Nina Dobrev as Billie Eilish, and more of 2019's best celebrity Halloween costumes https://t.co/Gysapxkz3h

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) October 28, 2019

Halsey as Marilyn Manson circa Mechanical Animals

View this post on Instagram

resident goths. @marilynmanson

A post shared by halsey (@iamhalsey) on Oct 26, 2019 at 12:13am PDT

Gabrielle Union-Wade as Isis and her daughter as a mini-cheerleader

View this post on Instagram

Brought It. #CaliforniaLove

A post shared by Gabrielle Union-Wade (@gabunion) on Oct 27, 2019 at 1:50pm PDT

Demi Lovato as Pennywise

Best halloween costume from a celebrity at the moment. She really did what she had to do. pic.twitter.com/TFQ6XUSJqm

— Mother Xtina (@mother_xtina) October 28, 2019

Tracee Ellis Ross as DJ Quik (and Snoop Dogg was there)

View this post on Instagram

You know @djquik had to roll through and show @gabunion some #CaliforniaLove for her Birthday 😂😂 facial hair courtesy of my @glossier Brow Flick. Thank you Gab for such a fun party. Happy early birthday to us!

A post shared by Tracee Ellis Ross (@traceeellisross) on Oct 28, 2019 at 7:05am PDT

Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina's Father and Luke Cook as Sabrina

View this post on Instagram

Daddy and/or Daughter

A post shared by Luke Cook (@thelukecook) on Oct 26, 2019 at 8:16pm PDT

Kylie Jenner dressed her daughter, Stormi Webster, as... her at the Met Gala. Poor kid.

View this post on Instagram

My baby!!!!!!!! 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜 i cant handle this!!!!

A post shared by Kylie ✨ (@kyliejenner) on Oct 27, 2019 at 5:54pm PDT

There comes a time when you have to pick a side. Well, maybe not, but if I weren't able to pose hard-hitting questions and demand that you take a side then I wouldn't have a post today, so let me rephrase...

Friends, there comes a time when I force you to pick a side so I have something to write about and today is that day. Don't listen to Aragorn on this one.

You always knew it would come to this because you knew the chaos demon that inhabits my meat suit enjoys making you pick between two random things that you don't really think to put together. As such, we are going to divide Pajiba irrevocably down two party lines in what henceforth will be known as the Great Schism Debate of 2019, with the following: Who is hotter, Gerard Butler or George Clooney?

via GIPHY

In the first corner, we have Gerard Butler.

Some stats: He is a chaotic neutral actor who we need to show some damn respect to, and also, he was in PS I Love You, which is inarguably his best movie.

In the other corner, we have George Clooney.

Some stats: He is not a goat, some people (cough, me, cough) find him more attractive than Brad Pitt, and Out of Sight is an excellent movie.

(You may be wonder what's in the other two corners. Ghosts, obviously. Don't go there, they may transport you to their realm, where the only thing you can eat are sweet pickles and we all know it's better to starve than eat anything that's not dill.)

...but which one of these two men is hotter?

Let's start with George Clooney. He's always wearing suits, so that's a point in his favor. However, he lives in a temperate climate in Lake Como, so that's a knock against. Additionally, he doesn't look like he's always burning off whiskey and meat sweats so that basically DQs him out of the running when we have our next candidate.

Gerard Mother F'ing Butler.

Let's dive in, shall we?

In addition to always looking like he just got off a bender at Tony Roma's all-you-can-eat ribs 'n brown liquor night, his complexion is always, shall we say, ruddy. There's nothing about him that screams "cold hands!" No, friend, he looks like he's almost always burning a low-grade fever (in my heart but also, in his body.)

Now, perhaps this was an unfair question because Gerard Butler is arguably the hottest-looking man in Hollywood, so to compare anyone to him means that you'd automatically lose but no one said life was fair. In fact, I seem to recall a sparkly vampire that told us the opposite, in 2008...

Anywho, now that we tackled that great debate, we can finally turn our attention to more pressing matters. Expect a hard-hitting discussion on what era John Travolta was the foxiest at a later date of my choosing and yes, obviously Broken Arrow is going to feature heavily in that debate.

I bid you goodnight, sirs, madams, and werewolves amongst us.