The Perfect Match Movie CLIP - So He"s the Best Man Now? (2016) - Kali Hawk Movie HD
Paramount reports that Bad Robots10 Cloverfield Lanerang up $1.8M at 2,500 theaters. Pic is expected to move to 3,391 locations today with a projected FSS between $25M-$30M. 10 Cloverfield Lanes Thursdaybeats the $1.5M preview night cash ofSuper 8which went on to open to $35.5M. In addition, it outstrips the $1.02M Thursday night grossed by Universals horror thrillerThe Visit,which opened to $25.4M back in September. 10 Cloverfield Laneis a spinoff to 2008s monster movieCloverfield,which was an MLK holiday hit with a $40M opening and final cume of $80M.Currently,10 Cloverfield Laneis charting a 91% fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating, and its something clever to behold. Itsisnot just some Godzilla-like sequel. John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are receiving high praise for their respective portrayals of an apocalypse fanatic and a car accident victim in rural Louisiana.
Outside of previews, among regularly ranked films, DisneysZootopiaranked first on Thursday with $3.88M taking its first weeks cume to $92.6M. Many expectZootopiato hold No. 1 again with a $38M-$45M second frame.
Focus FeaturesThe Young Messiahtook in $475K last night at 1,300 locations. Industry projections are at $7M-$8M for this faith-based title which follows a year in the childhood of Jesus Christ. In spreading the word about The Young Messiah, directorCyrus Nowrasteh spoke at a number of religious conferences including the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, Tenn. Producer Chris Columbus, director of the first twoHarry Potterfilms, has also been banging the drum for the movie in TV and radio interviews, including an appearance onThe Today Show.Theres also been a number of local premieres for the movie hosted by churches, local faith leaders and community groups around the country.
Sony/Village Roadshow/L Star CapitalsThe Brothers Grimsbygot the short end of the stick last night with $235K at 1,937 theaters. Heres hoping that the10 Cloverfield Lanecrowd finds this hysterical R-rated comedy after getting their fill of J.J. Abrams- sci-fi spinoff production.The Brothers Grimsbyis expected to make $7M-$8M this weekend. Currently,Brothers Grimsbyhas a 43% Rotten Tomatoes score, but then again, its quite hard for critics to swallow gross out films and this one has more than its fair share of an elephant co-starring in it. The British action comedy, directed by Louis Leterrier, has already logged more than $7M at the overseas box office.
Also in play this weekend among wide entries is Lionsgates African American romantic comedyThe Perfect Matchwhich is projected to post a FSS between $5M-$6M.
Northwestern vs. Michigan - 2016 Big Ten Men"s Basketball Tournament Highlights
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Ohio State basketball team continues Big Ten Tournament play on Friday against Michigan State.
Who: No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes (20-12) vs. No. 2 Michigan State Spartans (26-5) in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament
When: Friday, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis)
TV: Big Ten Network
What"s next: The winner will advance to Saturday"s semifinals to play the winner of the game between No. 11 Nebraska and No. 3 Maryland. That game will tip at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Ohio State projected starters: G JaQuan Lyle (Fr., 6-5, 10.8 ppg); F Keita Bates-Diop (Soph., 6-7, 12 ppg); F Marc Loving (Soph., 6-7, 13.8 ppg); C Trevor Thompson (Soph., 6-11, 6.8 ppg)
Michigan State projected starters: G Denzel Valentine (Sr., 6-5, 19.6 ppg); G Bryn Forbes (Sr., 6-3, 15.1 ppg); G Eron Harris (Jr., 6-3, 9.3 ppg); F Deyonta Davis (Fr., 6-10, 7.3 ppg); F Matt Costello (Sr., 6-9, 10.5 ppg)
Breaking down the Buckeyes: Ohio State is coming off a 79-75 win over Penn State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday. The Buckeyes have won six of their last eight games. Both losses have been to Michigan State ... This will be the third meeting between Ohio State and Michigan State in 18 days. The Spartans won the previous two meetings by an average of 17 points ... The Spartans eliminated the Buckeyes in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Big Ten Tournament. Ohio State is looking for its first trip to the conference semifinals since 2014 ... Junior forward Marc Loving scored 24 points in the win over Penn State. Loving is averaging 23.3 points per game in his last three games ... Freshman guard JaQuan Lyle had 22 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists against Penn State. That was only the fifth 20-10-5 game in Big Ten Tournament history ... Michigan State is the best 3-point shooting team in the Big Ten, and on Thursday the Buckeyes allowed an opponent to shoot 40 percent or better from deep for the third time in the last four games ... Ohio State is 10th in the Big Ten in scoring offense (70.9 ppg), and 7th in scoring defense (67.6 ppg) ... The Buckeyes are 9th in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (44.5 percent), and 4th in field goal percentage defense (40.2 percent) ... Ohio State is No. 65 in the KenPom ratings, and No. 76 in the RPI.
Buckeyes gearing up for Spartans ... again
Breaking down the Spartans: Michigan State is coming off a 91-76 win over Ohio State on March 5. The Spartans earned a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament after winning their final six games of the regular season ... Michigan State and Ohio State are tied for the most Big Ten Tournament titles with four ... The Spartans have reached at least the semifinals of the last four Big Ten Tournaments ... Michigan State has been the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament three times, losing in the quarterfinals twice. The Spartans also reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in all three of those seasons ... Senior guard Denzel Valentine was named Big Ten Player of the Year this week. He is on pace to become the first player to average 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists since the NCAA started keeping assists as an official stats in 1983-84 ... Senior guard Bryn Forbes leads the country in 3-point shooting at 50.5 percent ... Valentine, Forbes and senior forward Matt Costello landed on at least one All-Big Ten team this week ... Michigan State is 90-35 (.720 winning percentage) in March since the 1998-99 season ... The Spartans are 2nd in the Big Ten in scoring offense (80.7 ppg), and 1st in scoring defense (63.8 ppg) ... Michigan State is 3rd in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (48.8 percent), and 1st in field goal percentage defense (37.7 percent) ... The Spartans are No. 3 in the KenPom ratings, and No. 14 in the RPI.
Bill"s prediction: Michigan State 80, Ohio State 69
Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruzmaintainedtheir positions on Common Core in the Republican presidential primary debate Thursday, even after moderator Jake Tapper presented evidence their positions are built on falsehoods.
Both Trump and Cruz have repeatedly denounced Common Core on the campaign trail, and have promised to repeal it if elected. But Tapper pointed out that these pledges dont seem to make sense, since Common Core was created and adopted at the state level, and there is no federal Common Core program to repeal or abolish. (RELATED: Trumps Common Core Rhetoric Makes No Sense)
Tapper asked Trump what specifically distressed him about Common Core, and Trump quickly replied that it was education through Washington, D.C., and that hed prefer to have locally directed education.
Tapper quickly went after Trumps statement.
The Common Core standards were developed by the states, Tapper told Trump. States and localities voluntarily adopt them, and they come up with their own curricula to meet those standards. So when you say education by Washington D.C., what do you mean?
Its been taken over by the federal government, Trump said. It was originally supposed to be that way [locally controlled], and it certainly sounds better that way, but its all been taken over now by the bureaucrats in Washington, and they are not interested in whats happening in Miami or in Florida in many cases, theyre more interested in their paycheck and their big bureaucracy than they are in taking care of the children.
Trumps reply won applause from the audience, but nonetheless doesnt make much sense. Common Core has at times been promoted by the federal government (such as with the Race to the Top stimulus program), but it has never been controlled by it, and there are no Department of Education bureaucrats actively managing it. In fact, under current federal law, it would be illegal for the Department of Education to foist Common Core on the states.
Tapper then questioned John Kasich, the only remaining Republican candidate who supports Common Core, who pointed out that Common Core still allowsstates and school districts to set their own curricula.
A short time later, Tapper presented Cruz with a similar question.
[Sen. Cruz,] you object to Common Core, Tapper said. Gov. Kasich says its local school boards dveloping local curriculum to meet higher standards. Whats wrong with that?
Cruz provided only an indirect response.
Common Core is a disaster, he said. And if I am elected president, in the first days as president, I will direct the Department of Education that Common Core ends that day.
Cruz then offered an explanation of how the Obama administration had foisted Common Core on the states.The Obama administration has abused executive power in forcing Common Core on the states, he said. It has used Race to the Top funds to effectively blackmail and force the states to adopt Common Core.
[But] anything done with executive power can be undone with executive power, and I intend to do that, Cruz continued, before repeating his broader pledge to destroy the Department of Education entirely.
Cruzs claim contained some truth: the Obama administration did use Race to the Top to encourage Common Cores adoption. But it didnt force states to adopt it (four states never did), and Race to the Top ended years ago, so there is no longer any federal money at all being used to keep states tethered to Common Core.
Several states, such as Oklahoma and South Carolina, have already tweaked Common Core or repealed it entirely. Cruz, meanwhile, could not force the remaining states using Common Core to repeal it without running roughshod over current federal law, which forbids federal meddling in school standards.
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Mets spring training report - Goose Gossage reaction
TAMPA, Fla. Hall of Famer Goose Gossage has criticized Toronto star Jose Bautista and New York Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes for the way the pair celebrated home runs during the playoffs last year.
Gossage called Bautista a disgrace to the game during a profanity-laced interview in Tampa on Thursday.
Hes embarrassing to all the Latin players, whoever played before him, Gossage told ESPN. Throwing his bat and acting like a fool, like all those guys in Toronto. Cespedes, same thing.
Bautista memorably flipped his bat after hitting a three-run homer that gave the Blue Jays the lead in the seventh inning in Game 5 of the A.L. Division Series against Texas.
Hes entitled to his opinion, Bautista said. I dont agree with him whatsoever. Ive never talked to him. I dont know him. Whatever reason or agenda hes on is fine with me. Im not going to start picking a fight, let alone with a Hall of Famer.
Gossage, a guest spring training instructor for the Yankees, made his comments before the Yankees played Toronto.
Bautista said he had no plans to reach out to Gossage.
I dont think its my job, Bautista said. Im just going about my work. Showing up here to do my job, and help this team win ballgames.
Cespedes added his own highlight bat flip after a home run during the Game 3 of the N.L. Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Like I said before, whenever a pitcher strikes someone out they get to celebrate, too, Cespedes said through a translator in Port St. Lucie. They get their moment, revel in it. Why cant the batters get to enjoy their success too? Im not too worried about what anyone says about me. I just go out there and do my job. Thats all Im going to focus on.
Cespedes added he did not know who Gossage was, but guessed he was a pitcher based on the comments.
Mets manager Terry Collins said Cespedes and Bautista arent the only ones who flip their bats.
The old-timers, thats something that wasnt approved of years ago, Collins said. Today its different.
Captain America: Civil War - Trailer World Premiere
Look out, here comes the Spider-Man (to the Marvel Cinematic Universe)!
There"s only about 5 seconds (literally) of footage of the new wall-crawler out there now, coming as a "post-credits" tag to the new trailer released Thursday, but it"s enough to get a sense of the character - and his look - compared to what"s come before on the big screen in Sony"s Toby Maguire-led Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield-led Amazing Spider-Man film franchises.
First impression? It"s a much smoother, simpler design, without unnecessary lines and textures thrown in the way of what should be there: red, blue, spider emblem, webs.
The youth of Tom Holland, and his version of Peter Parker, is hard to note on a quick, fully-costumed shot like this, but the actor, trained in dance and acrobatics, shows off his athleticism with a flip and landing that"s signature Spidey. The unique background of Holland, compared to the other actors who"ve played the role, should make for some truly spectacular fight scenes when he gets a true chance to shine in his own films and future team-ups, with less CGI than what"s come in the past. Note, all the actors who portray Spider-Man in the "Marvel Universe LIVE" traveling show are dancers with an equal amount of break-dancing, gymnastics, and martial arts training - having an actor with a similar background should change the way we see Spidey move on screen, and that"s seen even here in the 5-second shot. Remember, there were videos of him doing similar flips on his own, prepping for the role, so it"s possible and even probable that he at least motion-captured the moves, if not performed them in costume himself.
(Photo: Marvel Studios)
The costume had to be different and stand out from the two costumes we"ve seen on Spider-Man on the big screen in the last fourteen years, but still remain the recognizable and iconic image we"re used to, so that the general public looks at it and absolutely says, "Yes, that"s Spider-Man."
The Amazing Spider-Man costume added a lot of blue, both on the sides of the torso, around the arms (though there was a wrap-around red stripe there, still, too), and all the way into the hands and fingers. The blue was brightened, as well, to be a slightly more natural than a navy blue. Gone, too, was the red webbing "belt" around the waist, and piping going from fingers all the way down to the built-in-boots accentuated the lines of Spidey"s body. The spider emblem on the chest was narrower, with a longer body and legs, but less wide on the chest overall, to accommodate the narrower strip of red down the rest of the torso.
(Photo: Marvel Studios)
The new Spider-Man costume, then, takes a middle stance between the two, really. There"s a slightly wider strip of red down the torso, and the red "belt" around the waist has come back, but it"s mixed in with blue, not a straight red band. The torso strip ends right at the waist, instead of extending slightly below the hips as both previous versions did. The arms still have a lot of blue, with the entire sides and under-arms down to the elbow covered. The red and blue then link together, giving the appearance of an armored armband of sorts, with blue wrists and then all-red gloves, or at least it looks like it from the first real shot of his arms, mid-flip and out of focus. A full blue ring just under the shoulder completes the "gauntlet armor" look to his arms, borrowing from knights and archers alike.
The Spider-emblem is actually the smallest it"s ever been, barely visible even in a close up. The legs have much sharper lines to them with no curvature, ending up pointing straight up or down, and the Spider"s abdomen and thorax are basically one large egg-shape, rather than distinguishable sections like they have been on both previous costumes.
(Photo: Marvel Studios)
Of course, the biggest difference is the addition of the rumored (and now confirmed) lenses in his eyes, letting him focus down into a squint (if you missed it, compare this image to the one closer to the top). We don"t know exactly what those will do just yet - are they just still photo cameras? Is he looking through a heads-up-display like Iron Man, who is rumored to help him construct his costume? We"ll find out in a couple of months.
That"s what we can gleam from our first, brief shot of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We"ll see much more on May 6, 2016 when Captain America: Civil War officially debuts.
REVISED: NIGGLY BEARS AMBUSH FAMILY AT A BACKYARD COOKOUT KILLING 6 & SHOOTING 3 IN WILKINSBURG, PA
"It was premeditated, it was calculated, it was planned," Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala told reporters Thursday in the borough just east of Pittsburgh. "It"s one of the most brutal I"ve seen. I"ve been the DA for 18 years; I haven"t seen something like this."
The suspects remain at large, and authorities haven"t identified them. Zappala said police talked to one victim at the hospital, but "we haven"t developed that enough to give some definite detail to (describe a gunman"s) face."
The first shots rang out from an alley behind a house in the Pittsburgh suburb shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday. Partygoers tried to escape through the back of the house -- only to have someone open fire from a yard adjacent to the residence, police said.
According to Zappala, a man armed with a handgun first approached those at the barbecue and led them "a relatively short distance along (a) fence" until they were in close range of a second suspect "waiting with an AK-47-type weapon."
"It wasn"t like he was just squeezing shots off randomly," the prosecutor said. "They were all head shots."
Neighbor Jackie Johnson recalled hearing a constant rat-a-tat of about 30 bullets.
"When I came out, people were screaming and running," Johnson told CNN affiliate KDKA-TV. "And bodies were laying on the ... porch."
2 remain in critical condition
Allegheny County authorities said three of the six slain were siblings -- Jerry Shelton, Chanetta Powell and Brittany Powell. Chanetta Powell was eight months pregnant, Allegheny County police Superintendent Charles Moffatt told reporters. Counted among the six slain was her 8-month-old fetus. The other two killed were Tina Shelton and Shada Mahone.
Three people were wounded. Two men were in critical condition, while one woman had already been treated and released.
Most of the victims suffered multiple wounds, Moffatt said. Authorities recovered 48 shell casings.
"All of them, they would light up a room. They loved to laugh and joke and have fun," Jessica Shelton, who lost three children and two nieces in the violence, told reporters through tears.
"And for these shooters out here ... you just didn"t take innocent lives, you made children lose their parents. You got to stop it now," she said.
The district attorney indicated at least one child was in the residence at the time. Several people managed to escape unharmed.
Ballistic tests indicate the gunmen escaped on foot, with no details offered on where they went, how they knew the victims (if at all) or whether they eventually used a getaway car.
Zappala said retaliation may be a motive or there may be some sort of drug connection.
"There"s no indication that this was either a stash house or they were running an operation out of here," he added. "But drugs are definitely in play."
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the shooting.
In video from CNN affiliate WPXI-TV of the shooting aftermath, a woman approached the house and cried out, "I"ve lost my baby."
Another woman grappled to make sense not only of the carnage but also that it happened in her neighborhood.
"This street is always quiet," she told the TV station. "There"s nothing but kids on this street."
Governor: "Must find better ways to stop gun violence"
Zappala said the area of Wednesday night"s shooting hadn"t seen a lot of crime but other parts of the borough of about 15,000 people had.
"I think we need to bring more assets to bear" in Wilkinsburg, he said. "I"d like to see something more proactive."
The mass shooting spurred some Pennsylvania politicians, including Sen. Bob Casey and Gov. Tom Wolf, both Democrats, to urge more to be done to stop gun violence.
"Communities like Wilkinsburg -- and other towns and cities across Pennsylvania like Pittsburgh, York, where I live, and Philadelphia -- know all too well the horrific nature of gun violence in their neighborhoods," Wolf said.
"We must find better ways to stop gun violence and to keep guns out of the hands of criminals."
Johnson similarly had trouble digesting what happened next door to her in Wilkinsburg.
"People"s lives taken like that, just on the drop of a hat," she told KDKA. "It"s just insane.
"And it needs to stop. It has to stop."
CNN"s Emily Smith, Lawrence Crook, Haimy Assefa, Joshua Berlinger and Andy Rose contributed to this report.
Justin Trudeau, Canada"s recently elected prime minister, is visiting the US this week. Thursday evening he"ll be dining at the White House the first official state dinner for a Canadian leader in roughly 20 years.
People are excited. And I meanreally excited.
"Seriously, with his looks, heart, and mind, hes dreamy," an anonymous senior Obama administration official told Politico. The official went on to refer to Canada"s leader as "my new political crush."
This hilariously off-message Obama official is far from alone: Trudeau-mania is definitely a thing. Since Trudeau swept to power in October elections, his good looks, charm, and earnestly left-wing politics have made him into an international celebrity. Think Obama in mid-2008, before all the partisanship and bitterness.
And, like Obama, the celebrity is backed up by a pretty substantive policy agenda. Trudeau"s election has ushered in major new policy shifts on issues ranging from Syrian refugees to marijuana legalization.
So here"s a brief guide to Canada"s new dreamboat prime minister: where he comes from, why he"s become such a phenom, and what his agenda actually is.
Trudeau is a scion of a major Canadian political dynasty (Boris Spremo/Toronto Star/Getty Images) Pierre Trudeau in 1974, with then-wife Margaret and son Justin at a Toronto Maple Leafs game.
Though Trudeau"s persona resembles Obama"s, his background is closer to George W. Bush except imagine if W had been Ronald Reagan"s son rather than George H.W."s.
Trudeau"s father, Pierre, was prime minister for a huge stretch of time: from 1968 to 1979, and then again from 1980 to 1984. He remains the towering figure in the history of Canada"s Liberal Party and Canadian liberalism, rivaled only by his predecessor, Lester Pearson.
"Progressive modern Canada was created largely under the rule of [Pearson and Trudeau]," Guy Lawson writes in the New York Times. He continues:
The earliest major political initiative of Pierre Trudeau in the late 60s was to decriminalize homosexuality. The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation, he said. In rapid succession, Trudeau legalized abortion, funded the arts and promoted a race-blind immigration policy.
Trudeau wasn"t just accomplished; he was also a media sensation. In 1981, after he had separated from his wife, the actress Kim Cattrall (you know her as Samantha in s*x and the City) called up Pierre to ask him out.
So, if anything, even the Reagan/Bush comparisons understates Justin Trudeau"s family legacy: His father was both a towering historical figure and a cultural icon. Almost a cross between FDR and JFK.
Trudeau"s political rsum is extraordinarily thin
Early in life, Trudeau didn"t seem particularly interested in the family business. After attending McGill, Canada"s most prestigious university, he worked as a snowboarding instructor, a bouncer at a bar in British Columbia, and a high school math teacher.
He started getting national political attention in 2000 after giving a moving eulogy at his father"s funeral. He won a parliament seat on the Liberal ticket in 2008, and ultimately became the party"s leader in 2013.
During this time, a lot of Canadian political observers dismissed him as a lightweight a somewhat ironic label, given the fact that Trudeau had beaten a Conservative legislator in a televised boxing match in 2012. Yes, seriously:
What was I saying? Ah, yes, lightweight. The knock was that Justin traded on Pierre"s legacy but had no real experience or command of the issues.
The incumbent Conservative Party, for example, ran an ad in the 2015 election where a fake "hiring committee" looked at Trudeau"s rsum for prime minister. They decide that despite his "nice hair," Trudeau was too inexperienced to be trusted with power. The ad ends with what became a major anti-Trudeau slogan: "He"s just not ready."
It wasn"t clear whether Trudeau would ever surmount this perception. For most of their campaign right up until the end, in fact Trudeau"s Liberals trailed either the Conservatives or the left-wing third party, the New Democratic Party (NDP).
So when the Liberals actually won the October 19 vote outright, largely on the back of anti-Conservative sentiment, a lot of people weren"t really sure what they"d be getting from a Trudeau-led government. What came next seems have surprised almost everyone.
How Trudeau became not just prime minister but a celebrity (Justin Trudeau/the Toronto Zoo) I mean, COME ON!
There are basically two parts to Trudeau"s rise to international celebrity: the toxic legacy of his predecessor, Stephen Harper, and the fact that he"s just too d**n charming for words.
For the Canadian left, Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper"s defeat in 2015 was an extraordinary relief. Harper first took power in 2006 and had governed in a nasty, fairly divisive fashion. He cast himself as the champion of "old stock" (read: white) Canadians. He exploited wedge issues, like prejudice against Muslim immigrants, to hold on to power in an overwhelmingly liberal country. His Conservatives managed to govern for more than a decade by taking advantage of splits between Canada"s left-of-center parties, winning a series of elections without ever securing the loyalty of the median Canadian voter.
The prospect of more than a decade of Harper in power was, for many Canadian liberals, unbearably terrifying. In American terms, it would have been like George W. Bush running for a third term in 2008 and having a serious shot at a victory.
So when Trudeau won in 2015, Canadian liberals were overjoyed. Even some leftists who voted for the NDP, and not the Liberals, were thrilled just to see Harper out.
Consequently Trudeau took power with a deep reservoir of goodwill. And then he proceeded to build on that by being absolutely adorable.
I don"t just mean handsome (though let"s be real: I do kinda mean handsome). It"s that Trudeau displayed an impressive deftness at picking up on left-wing social issues, the kinds of things his father also emphasized, and highlighting them in a way that made him seem compassionate, thoughtful, and open-minded.
Trudeau"s vision of Canada is one that appeals to many Canadians" sense of what their country, at its best, should be: an open, tolerant, progressive beacon for the rest of the world. As one young Canadian put it in an interview with Bloomberg, Harper "pushed Canada to act just like the United States. At least with Trudeau, we have our identity back."
While the Harper government messed with Canada"s asylum process to block Syrians from entering, Trudeau announced a plan to admit a total of 25,000 new Syrians by March. In December, he personally greeted the first batch of refugees on their arrival in Canada:
He committed to attending Toronto"s Pride Parade, the first such prime minister to do so:
(Toronto Pride)
He announced a commitment to do appoint a Cabinet that "looked like Canada," and then went on to appoint the most diverse Cabinet in the nation"s history:
(Geoff Robins/AFP/Getty Images)
He talks about feminism in compelling, meme-worthy bites:
Trudeau is the perfect prime minister for the social media age. He intuitively gets the kind of affirming identity politics that speaks to huge numbers of people on the internet.
And if you go viral, it"s often not just in one country. Trudeau"s inherent charming appeal his decency, tolerance, and cuteness made him into a global icon for cosmopolitan liberalism, especially in contrast to the increasingly foul politics you"re seeing in other parts of the world.
In a contest between Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau for the world"s heart, Trudeau wins in a knockout.
Justin Trudeau has an ambitious policy agenda (Aaron Vincent Elkaim/Getty Images)
It"s really easy, when you"re talking about Trudeau, to get distracted by the cuddliness of his politics and ignore the actual, er, politics. But it turns out that if you actually pay attention to Trudeau"s agenda, he"s taking Canada in a profoundly new and more liberal direction.
One personal priority of Trudeau"s, for instance, is nationwide marijuana legalization. He campaigned on it, and promised to get working on it "right away" after being elected. It"s a bit tricky to implement: His government has to get around international anti-drug treaties as well as some resistance from Canada"s provinces.
On economics, Trudeau"s government has already lowered taxes on the middle class while increasing them on the rich (people making $150,785 or more). Most radically, his government is considering creating a basic income a system wherein the government unconditionally pays every Canadian a certain amount of money per year.
His refugee policy has gone well beyond letting more Syrians into Canada. He"s already given an additional $75 million to the UN High Commission on Refugees, and fully restored a federal program (weakened by Harper) that would provide temporary health benefits to refugees in Canada.
Trudeau has also restructured Canada"s role in the fight on ISIS. He ended Canada"s participation in bombing runs against the group, which was quite minimal to begin with. But he stepped up Canada"s support role, tripling the number of Canadian trainers on the ground and committing Canadian special forces to help target airstrikes hitting ISIS targets.
This recommitment was celebrated by the United States.
"The Canadian announcement is the kind of response the secretarys been looking for from coalition members," Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook said at a press briefing, "as the United States and coalition partners push to accelerate the campaign against [ISIS]."
The warm response to Trudeau"s ISIS announcement is emblematic of the current state of US-Canada relations. Under Trudeau, Canada and the US are on better terms than they have been in years.
Under Harper, US-Canadian relations were polite but not especially close. The ideological gap between Obama and Harper was just too large to breach.
Trudeau, by contrast, shares Obama"s generally progressive commitments. Shortly after his election, Trudeau reached out to Obama. They immediately struck up a warm rapport, partly based on Obama giving Trudeau advice about being young, exciting political phenom entrusted with power.
There was an air of mentorship but not in a paternalistic way, Ben Rhodes, Obamas deputy national security adviser, said to the New York Times. Trudeaus going to be on the stage for a long time. Hes got a ton of talent.
So tonight"s state dinner isn"t just a formality. It"s a celebration of a strengthened US-Canada relationship as well as Justin Trudeau"s bold, sexy vision for a new Canada.
