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| Merlin’s Katie McGrath has admitted to being a bit of sci-fi geek |
Merlin ends its run at Christmas. Are you missing it already?
We finished in October so I’ve had time to reflect. I miss all the people. After five years together, it’s a family. I’ll be at home for Christmas so I’ll watch the final episode with my family.
Why has it proven to be so popular?
It’s escapism and you can watch it with the whole family. They’re just good stories. The producers said they had storylines planned for five years so we’ve been very lucky the BBC let us have that time and the audience stuck with it. Every character got to tell their story from beginning to end, which is a privilege as an actor.
You said you didn’t know what you were doing for the first two series – in what way?
I had no idea at all, so major kudos for the producers for sticking with me. I’d done history at university and then I was crew on a TV series – so Merlin was the best type of drama school I could have got. I worked with brilliant actors and learned a lot on the job. By the time I got to the fourth series, when the character had a lot more to do, I was confident about doing it.
How long were you a wardrobe assistant?
Just the first series of The Tudors. I didn’t know how to sew so it wasn’t really for me. Then I decided to become an actor.
What inspired you to make that career change?
I grew up in a small town in Ireland and didn’t know any actors. I never thought it was a viable job. It wasn’t until I was on The Tudors that I realised it was a possibility. The actors I met were so intelligent, engaging and passionate about what they were doing and for a lot of them it was their first big job. History is also about people telling their stories, which is another reason acting appealed to me.
Is not having gone to drama school an impediment to becoming an actor?
Not if you have an agent and it depends what you’re being seen for. Getting an agent isn’t easy – none of it is – but I was in the right place at the right time. If I’d been a month later, maybe I wouldn’t be doing it now.
Who have you learned the most from?
Colin Morgan, who plays Merlin, is an absolute acting genius and if we’re not talking about him in ten years time in the same way we talk about Daniel Day Lewis, there’s something wrong with the world. I had a lot of scenes with Anthony Head – he’s not only extremely talented but also one of the nicest men you’ll meet.
What was it like being directed by Madonna in WE?
She’s a real actor’s director and sees scenes from an actor’s point of view. It was a bit odd at first to be on set talking to someone who is a living legend but very quickly you get beyond that as you need to do the work.
You’ve got Labyrinth coming up – are you stuck in a fantasy ghetto?
It’s not fantasy, it’s medieval and has fantasy elements but it’s quite realistic. I used to say I wanted to do more contemporary stuff but it doesn’t matter to me now – it’s about the character rather than what era it’s set in.
What characters are you looking for?
Just interesting women. They don’t have to be extraordinary, just someone who catches your attention. I tend not to be drawn to the good guys – the bad ones are more interesting; why are they bad? What’s brought them to this point? Will they ever become good? Maybe because I’m a goody two shoes in real life, it’s nice to play that.
What’s the best Christmas present you’ve ever received?
My friend once sculpted me a bust of Admiral Ackbar from Star Wars. He’s my favourite character in the films after Han Solo. He’s that goldfish-type alien in the white costume. ‘It’s a trap!’ I’m a big geek.
Are you excited about the new films?
I’m very excited about the possibility they could be like the first three, I’m a bit scared they might be like the prequels.
Would you like to be in them?
I’d melt into a puddle on the floor if that ever came my way. I’d be a ball of jelly. I’d want to be a bad guy though. You get to have all the powers of a Dark Sith Lord but if you say you’re sorry you still get the blue aura around you when you die. There also haven’t been any bad women in Star Wars. And I’d love to get my own Star Wars action figure.
* Katie will make a big decision concerning her career after Christmas. It always a turn-on when a geek babe strips on-cam.
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Fox International Starts Production On ‘Panda Eyes’
Fox International has started production in Spain on Panda Eyes. Directed by Isabel Coixet (My Life Without Me, The Secret Life Of Words), the film stars Game Of Thrones‘ Sophie Turner, who is making her feature film debut. She’s surrounded by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Rhys Ifans, Claire Forlani, Gregg Sulkin, Leonor Watling, Ivana Baquero, and Geraldine Chaplin. The film is a psychological thriller with Turner playing a woman haunted by a secret past. It is based on the Cathy MacPhail novel Another Me, and Coixet wrote the script.20th Century Fox will distribute the Fox International film, a UK/Spain co-production that has Rebekah Gilbertson and Nicole Carmen-Davis producing for UK-based Rainy Day Films and Mariela Besuievsky producing for Spain-based Tornasol Films. Film Agency for Wales, Fox International Productions, the British Film Co. and DSK Ventures are financing the film.
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29-years old French model Laure-Anne Baillon : Christopher Helmut [Magpie Darling Magazine U.K.]2012
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‘Vikings’ attack
First look: TV’s new boy-plunder
By MICHAEL SHAIN
Here’s a Norse of a different color.The History channel is putting the finishing touches on it new dramatic series, “Vikings,” set to debut early next year.
And this is your first look at the pillaging-and-plunder epic in action.
Set in the eighth century, “Vikings” is set as a family drama based on the real-life Ragnar Lothbrok, the first king of the Viking tribes.
Don’t let the severe, East Village haircut fool you. Lothbrok (played by the young Australiana actor Travis Fimmel) is the star of the Norse Age who led a pagan army across the North Sea to the coasts of England and France.
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| SHIELD ME: History has a new series, “Vikings,” which premieres in March right before “Game of Thrones,” and will be set in the eighth century. |
‘Vikings’ also features Travis Fimmel in the central role of Ragnar Lothbrok, Viking hero of the tale, while joining him are Jessalyn Gilsig (‘Glee‘) as Siggy, the wife of Earl Haraldson (Byrne), Gustaf Skarsgard as Ragnar’s friend Floki, Clive Standen as his devious cousin Rollo, and Katheryn Winnick as first wife, and warrior Lagertha.
The invasion of what is now Northern Europe was made possible by a new technology — the long boat — which could carry men and supplies quickly over the open seas and then sail up the shallowest rivers to the heart of Christian cities.
The Vikings of myth — ruthless and barbaric — are to get a more human face from this series, created by Michael Hirst who did “The Tudors” for Showtime and Cate Blanchett’s two “Elizabeth” movies.
Lothbrok’s marriage was, by all accounts, a love-match and not an arranged affair, as was the custom of the day.
A character based on the mischievous Norse god Loki (played by Gustaf Skarsgard) has been written in, along with the ship builder who designs the new generation of Viking war ship.
The series debuts March 3, three weeks before the return of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” which — while a fantasy — seems to have much the same Dark Ages feel as “Vikings.”
The series will run for nine weeks.
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Bryan Adams Debuts Book in Dallas
For Bryan Adams, the answer is simple: start snapping photos. A topless Moss, a grinning Queen Elizabeth sitting on a bench next to her Wellies, and Mickey Rourke in a pink suit are three of the 42 images that the singer-composer selected from his new book, “Exposed,” to display at the Goss-Michael Foundation in Dallas.
“This is a book of my favorite pictures,” Adams explained at the exhibit preview, following a week of performances around Texas. “Other than Mick [Jagger] and Tommy [Lee], all the subjects are people I’ve met as a result of working on photography. They’re not friends of mine. Some have become friends.”
Adams got into photography 14 years ago, by shooting self-portraits for his own album covers because he was “sick of them being done at the last minute.
“I did an album called ‘The Best of Me,’ a retrospective album…and in it, I did some nude photographs of myself, and no one said anything,” he marveled. “No one commented. My bare ass inside the album cover, and no one said anything. OK, I guess everyone is just so blasé. People were doing their own porn movies at that time. I can’t compete with that. My ass wasn’t as good.”
“I’ve been working on it for two years,” Adams explained. “It’s pretty heavy. It’s all soldiers that have been injured or dismembered.…The book will be coming out later, because I’m still shooting for it. There will be nothing like this, I promise you.”
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Miss Universe 2012: Beauty Pageants are a Sexist Relic of the Past
The 2000 film Miss Congeniality wasn't the high point of Sandra Bullock's career. But several vignettes in the movie itself pointed to the ridiculousness of the concept of a beauty pageant. Who could forget the refrain by pageant director "Kathy Morningside" of, "It's not a beauty pageant, it's a scholarship program!" This was the singular argument offered by the character in retaliation to naysayers of pageantry. Even with its status as a scholarship program that promotes philanthropy among the competitors, what is the pageant actually known for? Gowns, bikinis, costumes, dancing, and primarily the "ultimate" beautiful/sexy/attractive woman.
As an enterprise, this serves to reinforce to young women and girls worldwide that in order to be successful in your professional life and accomplish whatever goals you may have it's important to be the most beautiful, the thinnest, and to have your peers approve of your appearance. Additionally, sexual availability is a necessity to win, as contest rules dictate women can be neither married, nor pregnant, nor ever have been married or had children (and they must remain single for a year should they win). This brings to light a logical paradox plaguing young girls and women in many cultures: You must be chaste and virginal, but be sexy and on display for the viewers benefit. For a taste of how impossible this balance is to strike, watch the trailer of Jessica Valenti's The Purity Myth followed by the trailer for Miss Representation.
Viewing these messages back to back shows you just how rampant the cultural message is that women should be sexy, beautiful, on display, and available but should not actually have sex and "ruin" their virginal status. With the standing contest rules and essence of the competition itself, Miss Universe reinforces this antiquated, sexist paradox.
The sexualization and objectification in the competition is sometimes more difficult to explicate, but often a more obvious undercurrent running throughout the competition. Following a strict definition of objectification, it's problematic that frequently the contestants are referred to not by their name, but instead simply by country. For example, judges narrate while a competitor walks the runway saying, "Cayman Islands is a self-proclaimed foodie, she rarely tastes something she doesn't like," and "Canada would like to open an advertising agency." The women thus become nameless and gaining significance only through their country of origin. They are the "object" of their country offered to the viewer for judgement based primarily on appearance.
As a culture, as an interacting world, it's time we move beyond this competition. It's time we stop putting women on display and be steadfastly unapologetic by crying out that "she chose to compete, didn't she?!" Yes, these women may have chosen to compete, but in no way does that void any argument against the institution. Because when the cultural messages being fed to women since birth are that their sexuality and their appearance are essential in determining their value and worth as human beings, participation in your own objectification and sexualization becomes less confounding. In order to deconstruct sexism in our world, we need to stop hiding behind arguments of "choice," and not stand for sexism in practice like that of Miss Universe. We need to realize that when the roles society tells women they should play in our world are limited, the "choice" is necessarily limited as well.
* Sarah needs a good dick in her life to make it complete.
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Why power is sexy
by Maureen Koh
She remains adamant that it was "definitely not lust" that made sparks fly and left lives shattered. Yet she concedes that she is "not that naive to believe that love had anything to do with it".
It was merely a connection between two people in a lonely battle for a common cause, says the demure, slim and attractive woman.
She knows what it's like to be the other woman in a high-profile scandal. And she says she knows what it's like for a man and a woman to develop strong feelings for each other when working closely together.
The Michael Palmer affair has reawakened certain ghosts she thought had been laid to rest, she reveals.
Ghosts she's afraid will return to haunt her.
"No one really forgets such s***. What I want to avoid is for someone to dig up the past, put one and one together and then drag me into the mud again."
It took The New Paper on Sunday several phone calls and many more instant messages before she finally agreed to share her story.
No SMSes, she insists. "It's too risky. Not that I don't trust you or the newspaper, but these days, it's scary to have SMSes produced as evidence."
She also wants the assurance that she will not be named. "There's too much to lose. I've lost too much already as it is. I can't afford to lose more."
At the height of the scandal, her marriage was severely tested. She and her husband are still married, but the relationship is cordial and they don't live under the same roof.
"We're not separated, for now. There are good days and there are bad days. On good days, we can sit down and have a meal.
"On bad ones, like when the Palmer story broke, the bad memories turn him into a total stranger.
"It hurts so badly because it means for every step we have taken forward, we go back another five steps.
"But I don't blame anyone. I don't have the right to do so. I blame just myself."
Her affair, she recounts, started with pure admiration from watching the man in action.
"You have to agree, for someone to be in the public eye, it would mean he has some kind of charisma."
She was drawn to the way he worked with people. He was friendly and easy-going, with the right touch of humanity.
She pauses for about five seconds, then says: "You know the saying, we were all drawn to him like a moth to a flame.
"We just couldn't help it."
The "we" refers to colleagues, teammates and even strangers.
And, most importantly, she says: "He never once gave you a reason to doubt his sincerity.
"He was always earnest and he was kind. If you approached him with a problem or an issue, he sat down with you to rationalise and work things out.
"It didn't matter if it was day or night, he was never too busy or tired for anyone."
Power, she confesses, was a draw. "That he was not an ordinary person was already a hook."
Add a bright future to that, she says.
"I'd be lying if I claimed that aspect wasn't an attractive point."
She insists she cannot really pin down how the affair started.
"There was no specific date or moment. But there was a growing attraction, that much I can tell you.
"I began to look forward to seeing him at conferences and meetings. And when there were events to attend, I'd make it a point to go if I knew he'd be there.
"You just want to see him. Catch a glimpse of his smile. A 'hello and goodbye' could also send me to cloud nine. I was like a young school girl nursing a huge crush."
He'd shower her with little acts of kindness and concern. Like when he gave her a lift home and because she was so tired, he sat in the car and "waited for a full hour as I slept".
"He's not exactly the most handsome man, neither was he the romantic nor flirtatious sort. But there was something that made me want to be with him."
For a while, "I didn't know if he felt the same way" because he didn't let his feelings show. It didn't help that both of them are married, or that his wife would always tag along with him at events.
"I only suspected something was wrong when I started getting hostile stares from his wife, but I wasn't quite sure what prompted it," she says.
Until late one night, when they were holed up in the office after a bad day at work.
"Everyone had left and we were supposed to lock up. Then his phone rang and it was his wife, demanding to know why he was still not home."
He walked away to continue the conversation and didn't return to the conference room even after several minutes.
When she walked out to the main office, she saw him leaning against a table and staring blankly into space.
"He looked so dejected from the back, like he was so weary, and all I wanted to do was to comfort him."
She walked up to him, stretched out her right hand and placed it gently on his left shoulder.
"Are you okay? That was all I said," she recalls.
"He turned around, said nothing but just pulled me into his arms."
They had sex that night.
"Not the wild, passionate kind of sex. I'd describe it more like, you know, comfort sex," she whispers.
"It was something that happened naturally. We are not saints, just human beings.
"When you see someone day in, day out, and if that person is a good man or woman, it's very easy to develop more than casual feelings.
"Of course, you'd have to respect that person first. And in many ways, I had loads of respect for him. He was like my mentor.
"He groomed me. I bloomed under him. That, plus we were working so closely together, made me compare him to my husband."
She says: "I think it's easier - or harder, depending on how you see it - when your spouse is not as involved.
"So in this case, (her lover) and I had the same mission, we were working on similar goals and we connected.
"It's like he'd know what I wanted to say before I could even vocalise my thoughts.
"Or, he'd pitch an idea and it'd be one I was probably toying with.
"In fact, I felt we were like soulmates."
Their illicit relationship went on for some time, with each taking extreme care to keep it a secret.
"We didn't want to hurt our spouses and, while we didn't ever discuss it, we also knew that we were unlikely to leave them for each other."
A former colleague, who confirmed her story, says that he suspected "there was something going on but you could tell they were very, very careful".
Yet the woman reckons both spouses had their suspicions and till today she thinks it was her husband who blew the whistle on the affair.
She confronted him, but he denied he had anything to do with it.
"All he told me was, 'If you want the brutal truth, I'm the real victim here.'
"Unfortunately, he was right. I was the one who hurt him badly, and there was nothing I could do to undo the pain and hurt I had caused him.
But she admits: "I am most disappointed with the man who was my lover.
"He left me to deal with the aftermath, to pick up the pieces.
"Not once did he call or message me to ask me how I was."
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Man gets 10 days of detention after uploading sex photos with his ex
By: jefflee
In November, another case of illegal exposure of sex photos by ex-boyfriends as a revenge after relationship breakup happened on the Chinese cyberspace.
The model Shou Shou boosted her popularity by taking advantage of it. But the female teacher from Jining was forced out of her school.
In these photos that have gone viral on the Internet, the teacher, Zheng Yuanyuan, was seen posing nude with her boyfriend or giving a blowjob to him in front of the camera.
It’s apparent that Zheng was aware the photos were taken as she looked straight into the camera.
A man, surnamed Ma, showed up 2 weeks later to admit that he was the one who uploaded these sex photos, and the reason he did that was to take revenge on her after Zheng chose to break up with him.
He also added he was arrested two days after uploading the photos and was released on November 24, following 10 days of detention, according to May Daily.
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* Ooooouuuuuucccch........
Martial artist 'fractures' sex organ while having sex
by Regina Lee (Dec 18, 2012)
PETALING JAYA - Mixed martial arts fighter Ray Elbe is used to being kicked and punched for a living but nothing prepared him for one of the most excruciating injuries of his life "fracturing" his penis.
The 30-year-old American, who now teaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts at a studio in Ara Damansara here, suffered the injury while having sex with his girlfriend on Dec 3.
He also talked about his painful experience on YouTube.
"I jumped out from that intimate moment with blood shooting out from my groin. I tried to run to the shower and felt myself losing consciousness," said Elbe, who goes by the nickname "Magical Ray", in the video posted on Saturday.
He collapsed and ended up with 10 stitches to his chin and several chipped teeth.
He added that as a result of the injury, he would be unable to urinate properly for several weeks.
The accident also proved to be a costly affair, leaving Elbe with RM17,000 (S$6,800) in hospital bills.
He hopes to recover some of the cost by selling his story and pictures.
After doing some research on penile fracture, he admitted that he was lucky that he had sought medical attention early.
Elbe added that his doctor expects him to fully recover because the injury did not hit a major artery.
According to Prof Dr George Lee, a clinical associate professor in urology from Monash University Sunway Association, such an injury was not completely uncommon, having attended to three such cases in his five years of working in Malaysia.
He said the injury was caused by tissue, which traps blood in the organ during erection, breaking when bent.
"The person will hear a cracking sound followed by intense pain and flaccidity. It is a medical emergency. We only have six to 10 hours to repair the organ before there is irreversible damage," he said.
Dr Lee advised men to minimise the risk of injury by not having vigourous sex.
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"Femme Fatales" on DVD 1/29
“50% Tarantino, 50% Sin City, 100% Cool”
-- Geek Magazine
“A badass-chick anthology series”
-- Entertainment Weekly
pretty. deadly.
looks can kill in a dangerously sexy television series From the creators of “NCIS”, “Castle” and “Necessary Roughness”
-- Geek Magazine
“A badass-chick anthology series”
-- Entertainment Weekly
pretty. deadly.
looks can kill in a dangerously sexy television series From the creators of “NCIS”, “Castle” and “Necessary Roughness”
Looks can kill in season one of FEMMES FATALES, a Cinemax “After Dark” anthology series about powerful, sexy and dangerous women inspired by and styled in the tradition of pulp stories, film noir and graphic novels. This January, SEASON ONE finally arrives on DVD along with over two hours of never-before-seen bonus materials including audio commentaries, deleted and alternate scenes, the “Making of FEMMES FATALES” and much more!The half-hour program from creators Mark Altman (“Castle”, “Necessary Roughness”) and Steve Kriozere (“NCIS”, “Castle”) features stories inspired by such noir classics as Double Indemnity and Pulp Fiction and classic thriller TV series like The Twilight Zone. In each of stand-alone episodes, women find extraordinary ways of coping with their problems, channeling their survival instincts and bringing out their inner guile. Every episode is introduced by a mysterious and enigmatic host Lilith, played by Tanit Phoenix (Death Race 2, Lost Boys 3), and features different casts and storylines, some of which are intertwined as part of the series overall mythology.
Some of the talented ensemble cast includes Eric Roberts (Batman Begins), Vivica A. Fox (Kill Bill, Independence Day), Jeff Fahey (“Lost”, Grindhouse), Casper Van Dien (Sleepy Hollow, Starship Troopers), Antonio Sabato, Jr. (“General Hospital”, “Bones”), Kyle Gass (Tenacious D), Leilani Sarelle (Basic Instinct), Robert LaSardo (“Nip/Tuck,” Death Race), Reggie Hayes (“Girlfriends”), Dean Haglund (“The X-Files,” “The Lone Gunmen”), Charlie O’Connell (“Crossing Jordan”), Paul Mazursky (legendary film director), Robert Picardo (“Star Trek: Voyager”) and many others.
: DVD/3 Discs
Run time: 325 mins. + extras
Rating: TV-MA
Price:$29.98srp
Street: January 29
Culture Jammers MAN-CAT Introduce Lana Del Rey's, Ahem, Pussy Cola
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"Here's the woman's face. Beautiful. Camera pulls back. Naked breast. Camera pulls back, she's totally naked, legs apart, two fingers right here and it just says 'Drink Coke.' Now, I don't know the connection, but I'm drinking lots of fucking Coke."It appears that glorious day in advertising has finally arrived, thanks to Lana Del Rey!This is unofficial, of course.
The infamous line from Lana Del Rey's latest single, "Cola," the one about her Pepsi-flavored lady garden, has been turned into an ad campaign by Phoenix-based culture jammers MAN-CAT.
It's self-described as the "next level of product placement and brand integration," which is probably true. I want to drink tons of Pepsi now. Don't you? And I can't quite place it, but there's something about that logo that gets me aroused.
If you want your own Pussy Cola, simply go to pussycola.com, download their altered labels and you can taste some of Lana's coochie juices yourself. Or, you can head into your local Fry's and see if they carry it. According to MAN-CAT's Facebook, "Wal-Mart, Safeway and Target in Tempe also now carry this product."
See below:
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| Fry's in Tempe (via Facebook) |
Bill Hicks is likely spinning in his grave like the Wheel of Fortune.
MAN-CAT describe themselves as "thieves of intellectual property" and the "ruthless garbage disposals of pop." Earlier this year, MAN-CAT were accused by the Association for Artistic Integrity of poisoning Justin Bieber, causing him to puke on stage in Glendale. MAN-CAT also designed Catholic-style votive candles with Oprah, Snooki, Bieber and Conan O'Brien replacing Jesus and Mary, as well as producing a music video for their song "Yeast" solely using pizza delivery boy porn clips.
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What Kinky Sex Act Does This Photo Of Kate Upton In Vogue Germany Remind You Of?
The newest issue of Vogue Germany shows Kate Upton riding horses, canoodling with multiple beautiful men, rolling around a well-manicured lawn in couture, and generally acting out every stereotypical female fantasy known to man. But they seem to have included one sexy fantasy that’s a bit more, shall we say niche than all the others. Can you tell from this photo what it is, or am I just a gross person with a gross mind?
Duh, the fantasy is “water sports,” i.e. getting peed on for purposes of sexual gratification. As this is an “aspirational” editorial, Kate Upton is participating in said sports while floating on an inflatable swan in a fancy pool and wearing only a decadent hand bra. That’s how the other half pees on each other.
Has 50 Shades Of Grey normalized various fetishes practiced by sexual minorities to the point that water sports, play piercing, and cock and ball torture are going to appear right alongside chocolate, diamonds, and horses in the media’s wish fulfillment narratives from now on? If so, how will the historically marginalized BDSM community react? Should they be happy their desires are now being normalized, or annoyed at this shallow cultural appropriation? Personally, I think it’s good that we’re beginning to acknowledge there are other ways of having sex than the “normal” way, even if representations are bound to be a bit shallow.
Of course, fashion has been hinting at fetish-y things for quite some time now, because the people who make fashion images are significantly freakier than the general population, and also because taboo shit sells. And I guess there’s a small chance that the person who art directed this photo had never heard of water sports.
Even so, I think these questions are important to ask in general. What happens when the majority takes a naive and commercialized interest in the minority? Judging from what we’ve seen so far, I’d say the jury is still out.
(Via VH1)
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Katie McGrath /
Vikings
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