Sexual pleasure research site OMGYES.com hit the headlines this week, after Harry Potter star Emma Watson confessed to subscribing to the X-rated portal. The actress, who is dating actor Roberto Aguire, raved about the site which she first heard about from a friend.
Speaking to feminist icon Gloria Steinem at a talk in London, she said: "I wish it had been around longer. Definitely check it out. It"s an expensive subscription but it"s worth it."
So what is OMGYES.com? Described as a new online s*x education training programme , OMGYes pledges to "lift the veil on female sexual pleasure" by demystifying the female o****m. The start-up, which is strictly for over 18"s, comprises interactive tutorials aimed at teaching a myriad of methods to enable women to achieve sexual satisfaction.
The team behind the portal claim the internet is the perfect forum to teach people about sexual pleasure. "The web has helped people explore and learn just about everything else - from languages to musical instruments to entire college degrees - it"s time we applied some of that magic to women"s pleasure."
Women featured in the short films share their sexual experiences on the siteOMGYes
A team of "engineers, educators, researchers and filmmakers" in New Jersey set out to address the oft-overlooked topic of female arousal. Researchers conducted interviews with over 2,000 women aged between 18 and 95 in which they shared the intimate details of their experiences in the bedroom, resulting in the creation of a database of a dozen key techniques revealing inventive ways to make a woman reach climax, with the aim of giving girls "more tools for your toolbox".
The foolproof techniques include moves such as "edging" (coming close to climax and then stopping sexual arousal) and "hinting" (passing by and only occasionally indulging). The varying methods are demonstrated with 4-minute interactive video clips on a touchscreen device that enable the user to practice the exact motions specific women prefer over videos of real vaginas.
The website states: "The women on the site are not actresses. They were inspired to share their personal experiences and wanted to set the record straight about the realities of women"s pleasure. They come from all over the USA - and have diverse careers, families and lifestyles."
The pre-recorded videos focus on clitoral stimulation, not penetration, and have been designed to respond to different types of touch. According to the experts at OMGYes, the efficacy of each technique is particular to every woman.
The x-rated portal aims to help women reach the peak of sexual satisfactionOMGYes
Over 20,000 people have signed up to the ground-breaking portal so far, with men and women using the site in equal numbers, the Mail Online reports.
"Some people use it alone, some use it together with their partners," states the site. Everyone remembers things in different ways - reading, seeing, hearing. "But for really detailed things like fingertip rhythms and patterns, actually doing them and getting feedback works the best.
"In the simulations, you can get them wrong and then get them right so the concepts become crystal clear."
A representative for OMGYES.com told the New York Daily News: "We got $4.6 million in funding and are doing that research. Instead of just making academic journal articles, we"re making the findings practical, real, and experiential in the form of documentary interviews - both explicit and non-explicit - with real-life women, not actresses."
The website subscription is usually 40, but can now be accessed for a special, one-off fee of 19.
Rocky actor Tony Burton appeared in six of the seven movies, training against andalongside the titular boxer. After Burtondied at 78 on Thursday, Sylvester Stallone mourned the man who played Duke.
Stallone shared a photo of him and Burton duringRocky IVon Friday. Tony Burton who played the character of Duke brilliantly in all six Rocky movies Rest in peace, he writes.
Burton appeared as the ace boxing trainer each of the franchises movies save last NovembersCreed.
Fellow RockyactorCarl Weathers recognized Burtons death with a tweet Thursday. Sad news. RIP Tony Burton. His intensity and talent helped make the Rocky movies successful, he wrote.
Stallone is nominated for Best Supporting Actor at Sundays Oscarsforhis most recent portrayal of Rocky inCreed.
American singer Macy Gray tells Lydia Jenkin how she has expanded her musical horizons and what to expect at Raggamuffin.
Macy Gray"s breakthrough single, I Try, swept round the world in 1999, clutching at hearts with its lovelorn lyrics and tantalising ears with her husky, passionate voice. She became a household name, went from strength to strength, releasing five original studio albums over a decade.
In recent times Gray has remained mostly out of the spotlight, but she"s continued to tour and make music, releasing her first album recorded as an independent artist, The Way, in 2014, and grabbing attention late last year with a topical, conscious single, All I Want For Christmas.
This week she"s coming to New Zealand to perform at Raggamuffin, bringing her full band, and brimming with enthusiasm for performing some favourite old tracks and sharing her latest creations, particularly songs from The Way, which have marked something of a turning point in her career.
"I guess working on The Way kind of reminded me of what I did on my first two albums, you know, I listened to all this great music, and I had wonderful musicians, and we could experiment with lots of different sounds, and we kind of went crazy.
It"s a gorgeous record that I"m really proud of.
"It"s about how everybody has hopes and dreams, and about all the things that happen on your journey that get in the way of where you want to go. And it"s about overcoming those obstacles, and everything that happens in between while you"re making your dreams come true."
Gray"s speaking voice is unexpectedly higher and more youthful than her singing tone, and she remains just as playful at 48 as she was in her younger days. One track, Bob, is particularly indicative of her sassy style and forthright attitude.
"That song is really a comment on how, when it comes to s*x, how quiet women have to be. You know you have to lie and say you"ve only been with two guys, and you have to be so proper, and not be honest about the things that you want or the things that you think about. We"re just as much part of the animal kingdom as men, but women have to be cool about it. I"ve never really understood that, and so I wanted to write a song about that."
Prior to recording The Way, Gray decided to step away from her solo career for a little while and expand her musical horizons by touring with some other acts. First was a world tour with blues and jazz saxophonist David Murray, complete with his big band.
"That was insane. My first band was a jazz band, so it was cool to do that again, on a different level. Because he"s a whole different level of jazz, you know, he"s a legend, and it"s wild, it"s a whole different world, and a different perspective on music.
"You know jazz can be a lot more narcissistic or selfish than pop or RnB in some ways, you know people can do 13-minute solos and songs go for half an hour, but they don"t get nervous about having to make it a big show, and have dancers in the back, and try to please everyone. It"s all about the music and the musicianship. I learned a lot about live performance."
Then she went on tour with a New Orleans-based band called Galactic.
"They"re more of a jam band, I guess. They"re like The Grateful Dead, you know, they do instrumental sections and horn solos, and they"re experimenting. I really enjoy touring with all these different people because I learn a lot and I see a different style of doing things."
Both those experiences highlighted many different aspects of music for Gray and helped to engender a real feeling of freedom when it came to writing her own music again - and that feeling is something she really appreciates at this point in her career.
"I do get a lot of criticism for not being as commercial as I used to be, but actually I"ve really got into going in the opposite direction. I want my next record to be way more experimental, so yeah, I feel like I"m embracing that opportunity for freedom now. I need to keep things fresh and exciting for myself, try things I"ve never done before, so that"s what I"m doing, and if it doesn"t work out commercially then it doesn"t, but at least I"m doing what I want to do."
It"s a philosophy she"s embraced when it comes to live performance, too - she"s not interested in simply replicating the songs as they appear on her records, but rather taking their essence and creating a great atmosphere and experience for the audience, which is what you can expect from her Raggamuffin set. "It"s pretty spectacular, you don"t wanna miss it!" she laughs "It"s definitely a party. We have a really good time up there and I have the best musicians. I really believe that in my heart and soul, they"re brilliant. They give a whole new sound to my song, because it"s their take on it, their feel for it - it"s a whole different energy."
Who: Macy GrayWhere and when: Performing at Raggamuffin Festival at Trusts Arena in Auckland on Saturday, February 20Listen to: The Way (2014)
When it comes to soldiering on in the name of exclusive fun, this star is a real trooper.
Ariel Winter looked fantastic as she posed up on the red carpet on Friday night, despite feeling far from it.
The 18-year-old was dressed to impress as she stepped outVanity Fair & L"Oreal Paris" DJ Night in West Hollywood, California.
White hot:Ariel Winter looked fantastic as she posed up on the red carpet at theVanity Fair & L"Oreal Paris" DJ Night in West Hollywood, California, on Friday
Accompanied by her dapper beauLaurent Claude Gaudette, the Modern Family star smiled away, however, it was more likely the case that she was actually grinning and bearing it.
Earlier on Friday, the star had revealed to fans - via an Instagram snap - that she was feeling a little under the weather.
The makeup-free teen posted a picture with her dog saying: "Me and bub havin" a sick day."
However, it seems the actress was determined to head out to support fellow teen star Hailee Steinfeld, who was hosting the night.
Pushing through:Accompanied by her dapper beau Laurent Claude Gaudette, the Modern Family star smiled away, however, it was more likely the case that she was actually grinning and bearing it
"Sick day":Earlier on Friday, the star had revealed to fans - via an Instagram snap - that she was feeling a little under the weather
And she looked great as she did so, with the Modern Family star rocking a skintight white dress.
The long sleeve frock featured an asymmetrical hemline and hugged the actress" curves perfectly.
Ariel recently spoke about how she decided to have a breast reduction as she was struggling "psychologically" with her changing physique.
Couldn"t tell: The Modern Family star still manged to rock a skintight white dress with an asymmetrical hemline
Added extras: The raven haired beauty finished off her look with a gold clutch and a pair of n**e Stuart Weitzman heels
First let"s take a selfe: The star perked up once inside the venue, having a blast with her beau
The star said in an essay forMotto, a new website from the editors of Time: "Having so much weight on my frame was affecting me psychologically. I was uncomfortable and unhappy. It wasn"t because I didn"t like how I looked."
She added: "Women are already over-sexualised and I grew into my body so young. I was 13, 14 years old and I looked 19. Suddenly, people didn"t want to talk about my job - they just wanted to talk about my cleavage.
"[However] I chose surgery because of how I felt, not because of what anyone else thought."
Lovely locks: The 18-year-old"s dark hair was styled in loose curls for the pre-Oscar party
Googling "Is Ted Cruz" yields an very strange auto-complete option: "Is Ted Cruz the Zodiac killer?" Google hide caption
toggle caption Google
Googling "Is Ted Cruz" yields an very strange auto-complete option: "Is Ted Cruz the Zodiac killer?"
Google
If you start typing "Is Ted Cruz..." into Google, before you can even get to the C, Google attempts to auto-complete the sentence. And usually, at least these days, one of the first auto-complete options is a very strange question: "Is Ted Cruz the Zodiac killer?"
Ted Cruz is, of course, not the Zodiac killer. Really, he"s not. (And we will make that point several times during this story.) In fact, there"s no chance he could have been the Zodiac killer. No chance at all.
The FBI describes the Zodiac murders like this: "seemingly random brutal murders of five people in California"s Bay Area in 1968 and 1969 and a series of taunting cryptic notes sent by their killer terrorized Northern California for years."
But here"s the thing. Ted Cruz wasn"t born until 1970. And, people floating the Ted Cruz/Zodiac Killer conspiracy theory actually point that out.
It"s all really absurd. And increasingly, it"s trending.
It seems to have started with one tweet, sent in 2013, from an account called @RedPillAmerica.
After that, a few enterprising Twitter comedians kept the conspiracy theory alive. Keep in mind, during this time, seemingly everyone keeping the Cruz/Zodiac joke alive on social media knew that it wasn"t true, at all. And again, we should point out here, once more: Ted Cruz is not the Zodiac Killer.
The story lived in the crevices of the Internet and social media for a while, but it really peaked in the last few weeks.
There"s one big reason, it seems. During a recent GOP presidential debate on CBS, comedians behind the Cruz/Zodiac meme were determined to make it trend. "I didn"t really engage with it too much up until the CBS GOP debate, the most recent one," Nathan LaMagna, one person who helped make that happen, told NPR. "I noticed ... the Google Trends ticker along the bottom of the screen, kind of a way to make things more interactive. What are people Googling about the candidates? It was stuff like "How tall is Jeb Bush?" Stuff like that. It was fluff, it was nonsense."
"It wasn"t going to help anybody get informed," LaMagna, who is an Independent supporting Bernie Sanders, said. "But while I"m watching this, I"m like well if it"s showing what the Google Trends are, what"s to stop somebody from making that trend. So I put out kind of a call to action. I just tweeted out: "Hey everybody should Google "Is Ted Cruz the Zodiac killer?" and see if we can hit the ticker on there.""
He jokingly photoshopped the question onto CBS"s debate ticker, as if it actually happened:
Now there are t-shirts for sale, declaring that Cruz is the Zodiac killer. Proceeds from those sales have been going to a network of Texas clinics that provide abortions. (Ted Cruz opposes abortion.)
There"s a Ted Cruz/Zodiac killer romance book as well, for sale on Amazon. And most recently, Public Policy Polling asked in a survey whether it"s possible that Ted Cruz was the Zodiac killer.
NPR spoke with several people involved with the Cruz/Zodiac meme, and they all said pretty much the same thing. They know Cruz is not the Zodiac killer. But they say it"s all about a feeling they have about Cruz: they think he"s creepy. And they want to point that out, as clearly as they can.
"Once something catches on for whatever reason it just kind of builds on itself and becomes you know, kind of a short hand thing, you don"t have to explain it," said comedian Patrick Monahan, who identifies as a Democrat. He felt that a general feeling that Cruz is creepy had been building for a while.
Monahan cited a column that went viral last month in which a professor of neurology attempted to explain why "Ted Cruz"s Facial Expression Makes Me Uneasy."
"There was something about the fact that there was a neurologist that went on the air or did an interview that said there"s a neurological reason why Ted Cruz"s face seems strange," Monahan said.
It"s important to point out that was one person"s take in one column, and not accepted science. The column never pointed to any scientific reason and its author concluded he was "at a loss to verbalize what unsettles me."
Monahan added, "and then there was a protester in one of the Iowa rallies that stood in the back and yelled "Ted Cruz looks weird" a bunch of times. I think it just sort of crystallized for me that there"s something about this guy that really kind of is off-putting to people."
Monahan said that Cruz has a likeability problem. "It seems to be something that has always been true of presidential candidates, people say "I wanna have a beer with this guy." ... and there"s none of that with him at all. To me that"s strange."
"It"s weird to see somebody in politics, which is essentially a popularity contest, in a lot of ways especially on a national level, who seems very unpopular," he said.
Twitter comedian Lindsey Martin, one of the users at the center of the Cruz/Zodiac conversation, said part of the reason she feels comfortable participating the meme is that she doesn"t believe it. "Yeah I think it"s all a joke," said Martin, who told NPR she disagrees with Cruz"s policies. "I know the killings started in 1968. And Ted Cruz was born in 1970. I think that"s part of the reason that I"ve been comfortable keeping the joke going; because it"s so obviously untrue. And if there was any way that it could possibly be true I would be scared to joke about it just because of the repercussions."
For LaMagna, who led the charge to get Cruz/Zodiac trending during the CBS GOP debate, it was all about the worlds of politics and social media colliding. "I think this is just one iteration of a phenomenon that"s going to continue," he said. "You know, the more and more with the CBS Google Trends ticker, as you get the media and politicians trying to plug into this still new territory of social media, you"re only going to see more and more times when that kind of old-school thinking clashes with all sorts of new media. And all the different absurdists and satirists out there. ... this is their domain that you"ve plugged into. And with it comes some sort of unintended consequences."
NPR reached out to the Cruz campaign, not to ask if he"s the Zodiac killer, but for a response to the lingering meme. We have not heard back yet. But we should point out again, just once more: Ted Cruz is not the Zodiac killer. Really. He"s not.
Triple 9 Official International Trailer #1 (2016) - Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Winslet Movie HD Please enable Javascript to watch this video
EDDIE THE EAGLE -Set your course for `80-inspired fun
Director Dexter Fletcher was born in the mid-sixties, and therefore grew up watching `80s films. Then again, since hes also a prolific actor, he also acted in many `80s films himself (like Gothic and Lionheart). No doubt that history informed his treatment of Eddie the Eagle, a sports biopic set in the late eighties, and filmed that way, too.
Real-life Michael "Eddie" Edwards (played by Taron Egerton), competed in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, despite having the odds and the establishment against him. He didnt do it alone, of course; his mother Janette (an endearing Jo Hartley) always believed in him no matter what, and reluctant his coach Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman), himself an ex-Olympian, smoothed out his rather rough edges. Along the way, the two become friends, win hearts and minds, and Peary even stays on the wagon, since he long fell from grace and into the bottle. But Eddie charms him out of the woods and into the light, with Eddies relative success being Pearys as well. As heavy as all of that may sound, its a rather lighthearted affair here, almost a puff piece of drama.
But its such a fun story because of the likes of Egerton bringing crazy Eddie the Eagle to life. Hes a joy to watch with every flabbergasted face he pulls and every step he waddles. He seems to act with his whole body, creating a character so immediately lovable, its difficult to do anything but be on his side. Even Hugh Jackman ditches his trademarked Wolverine scowl, playing a fictional coach inspired by some of the actual coaches who taught Edwards. But being a fluff film at its heart, even when Jackman is playing Peary at his worst, theres still a charm there to keep things from getting too gloomy. Theres plenty of heart, humor, and even a few moments that may move you, or make you stand up and cheer much like any another sports flick.
But what makes this sports biopic stand apart from similar fare is not only the lighthearted tack it takes even in the midst of serious competition and obstacles, but its `80s feel. Everything from the music (which may be its most obvious `80s homage) to its pacing and structure recall classic John Hughes films of the `80s; I half expected Molly Ringwald to make a cameo at any minute. What might have been a pleasant but run-of-the-mill sports flick became something more, plastering a smile across my face its entire runtime.
The whole cast was obviously in on the idea, too. Everyone seems to be having a great time on screen bringing this offbeat story of an unlikely athlete becoming the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping. Edwards finished last in both the 70 and 90 meter events; but his pluck won over the crowds which eventually warmed the hearts of the elitist establishment who were unhappy he was representing them at the Olympics.
But thats classic `80s! The underdog fighting against the man whos trying to keep him down, man! Redemption in the form of getting demoralized former champion to dump the booze and get back on that horse!Also present are the stock but necessary side characters, including fellow team members who look every bit like the standard bullies who populated the high schools of many a Hughes film, who always come around to respect our lovable protagonist in the end.
The location shots also helped take Eddie the Eagle up a notch. The filmmakers probably could have used green screen for that, but instead they shot the Ski jumping competition in Germany, and you just cant fake that kind of scenery.
Thankfully Eddie the Eagle also just barely crosses the PG-13 line, with nary a very offensive thing on screen, which allows the whole family to enjoy the journey. Thats good news considering the other offerings at the Cineplex these days.---B+105 minutesRated PG-13 for some suggestive material, partial nudity and smokingDirected by: Dexter FletcherWriting Credits: Sean Macaulay (screenplay) and Simon Kelton (screenplay), Simon Kelton (story)Starring: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Christopher Walken, Jo Hartley, Tim McInnerny
TRIPLE 9 -A hard-hitting but muddled urban thrillerFrom Open Road Films: In TRIPLE 9, a crew of dirty cops is blackmailed by the Russian mob to execute a virtually impossible heist. The only way to pull it off is to manufacture a 999, police code for "officer down". Their plan is turned upside down when the unsuspecting rookie they set up to die foils the attack, triggering a breakneck, action-packed finale filled with double-crosses, greed and revenge.
And thats the elevator pitch, as long as you can say it in seven seconds. But one of the problems with such an ambitious script idea is executing it. I challenge any viewer having just seen Triple 9 to explain its plot, because the synopsis from Open Road Films leaves quite a bit out.
Like the cast, which is a veritable Whos Who in Hollywood: Gal Gadot (thats Wonder Woman to you), Teresa Palmer, Kate Winslet (Rose!), Norman Reedus (thats Darrel to you), Aaron Paul (yo, its Jesse Pinkman!), Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie (The Falcon), Woody Harrelson (Woody!) and Clifton Collins Jr., among a few others.
Yes, thats a lot of talented people, but many are grossly underused (Palmer, playing a barely-there wife of a cop in waiting), or miscast (Winslet, playing a matriarch of a crime family). Meanwhile, others are so perfectly cast they might as well have just walked from one set to the other (Im talking to you, Reedus, playing Darrel with a gun instead of a bow), or theyre making a career out of playing drug addicts (Paul playing Mr. Pinkman again). Typecasting comes to mind with these guys, as well as with Harrelson, although thats not to say he doesnt steal every scene hes in.
Meanwhile others show off their chops, and display a range unseen in some of their other projects, such as Affleck, Ejiofor, and Mackie. Affleck specifically provides a comparatively bright spot in a dark movie, one in which you find yourself rooting for the least of multiple evils. They are also the focus of a rather complicated story, one that has its fair share of plot holes.
Which is a shame since Triple 9 has so much going for it, in addition to its cast. The tension simmers in the opening scene and then boils over in the first action sequence. This and other such sequences are gritty and realistic, aided by a soundtrack that seems nonexistent most of the time, until wisps of ambient sounds coalesce into rudimentary but propelling music. The soundtrack and effects never get in the way of the realism of the action sequences, which are gory enough to earn the well-deserved R-rating on their own. And the hand held technique is perfectly balanced; providing the realism of a documentary without making the viewers dizzy.
But what gets shaky is the plot. As multiple lines intertwine, the weaknesses develop. Between the importance of family and loyalty over tremendous greed, and the double crosses that pile on top of double crosses, Triple 9 gets messy and unconvincing. The clunky exposition tries to explain everything early on, but then gives up halfway through. The mechanics of the plot take over, which admittedly allows for some satisfying paybacks and comeuppances, but it fails to answer many of the questions regarding motivations that crop up. Thats a problem, since we have so many great actors onscreen creating some riveting characters, whom we eventually fail to connect with, or care about. Its also a shame that so many genuinely taut action scenes fail to matter in the end.
Triple 9 is a well made film from a production standpoint, but it trips over its problematic plot on its way to painting a very depressing picture of urban life in America.---C+115 minutesRated R for strong violence and language throughout, drug use and some nudityDirector: John HillcoatWriter: Matt CookStarring: Gal Gadot, Teresa Palmer, Kate Winslet, Norman Reedus, Aaron Paul, Casey Affleck , Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson, Clifton Collins Jr.
