Squirrelpocalypse Now: Coming of the Squirrelmaggedon is Back!

Beware, the below photos show squirrel-on-man violence.

The story: a man was innocently walking through a park wanting to take a selfie with a precocious squirrel.

According to the young man, “I approached it making a clicking noise with my tongue; phone drawn... When I got close enough, the squirrel actually tried grabbing my phone. I shook it off, then snapped this photo.”

That's when the horror began.

“Next thing I knew, the squirrel was on my shoulder, then under my shirt, and then hanging off my back!” He told BuzzFeed. “This photo is courtesy of my mom, who collapsed laughing shortly after.”

Oh yes. She had to laugh to keep from crying at a our inevitable doom. Thanks to Buzzfeed for bringing us this undoubtable proof of the coming squirrelmaggedon.

We have been warned.

New Steve Carell-Produced, Rashida Jones-Starring Comedy at TBS

Following in the successful footsteps of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, TBS has picked up Angie Tribeca, a police comedy starring Rashida Jones as a lone-wolf cop paired with a new partner. The show was created by Steve and Nancy Carell. With this, Billy Eichner and Julie Klausner's pilot, and Playing House at USA, cable has me very intrigued by its new comedy line-up.

Stanford to Divest its Endowment of Coal

Stanford University has officially announced it will divest from its $18.7 billion endowment of coal companies, becoming the first major university to do so. Divestment is a powerful and effective tool to bring change. If more universities follow suit, it will send a strong message to these companies that they need to get in the clean energy business or go out business.

[via Gawker]

Cubs Be Swimmin'

Lion cubs at the Smithsonian National Zoo have to learn how to swim at an early age if they're going to live safely in their family's enclosure.



I love all the weird lion cub noises they make when they are displeased.

You can see more adorable Smithsonian National Zoo action at their YouTube page.

[via HuffPo]

Wet Dog Photography is a Delight

Photographer Sophie Gamand recently won the Sony World Photography Award for portraiture with these fabulous photos of wet dogs.

This guy's name is Marshmallow, btw

You can see all of them, plus lots of other kinds of dog portraits (dog pageant, anyone?) at her website.

[via Gawker]

Tiny Hamster Eating a Burrito/Pizza!

This little guy blew up the internet last month with Tiny Hamster Eating a Tiny Burrito:



Now he's back and eating a tiny pizza:



While playing on a tiny playground:



Tiny, adorable animals + tiny, adorable things = internet video gold.

Mindy Project Season Finale: A Study in Rom-Com Brilliance

The Mindy Project has infinitely improved this season from "show with one brilliant joke" each week to "show with great characters, brilliant jokes, and heart." And the season ended with a bang. If you haven't watched it yet, head to your On Demand or your iTunes or your whatevers and watch it. If you have watched and want to make sure you caught all of the wonderfully infused Nora Ephron rom-com references, check out this (stills) and this (gifs). Awww.

PS. Here's Mindy interviewing Billy Crystal and it is one big love-fest.

Amy Schumer's Military Rape Sketch

One of my favorite sketches from this season's Inside Amy Schumer has been this one which, in a super weird and wonderful way, tackles rape in the military:

Inside Amy Schumer
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It's so amazing to me that she was able to pull off this sketch. It is spot on. There's some background on the sketch in this GQ profile on her. Also in case you missed it, check out Amy's speech on confidence at the Gloria Awards and Gala.

[via Jezebel]

OMG I 'Love' that Mean Girls' 10th Anniversary!

Happy Birthday, Mean Girls! Networks have been replaying the movie constantly since its big day, and it still totally holds up. Don't believe me? Check out this video of teens today loving on this movie:



Plus, Alyssa Rosenberg has a solid write-up of why Ms. Norbury is the 'real hero' of Mean Girls. Too true.

Adorable Baby Mouse Deer!

Is it a deer? Is it a mouse? It's a deer the size of a mouse! This tiny java mouse deer was born in Spain a few weeks ago. At birth, he weighed only 3.5 oz! Isn't he the cutest littlest thing!?

See his tiny hooves?!

Sadly, this species is nearly extinct due to deforestation in its native Southeast Asia.

Hiding behind his little momma!

[via Neatorama]

Organ Donation: Remember to Sign Up!

HuffPo published a story last month about just how important it is to check that "organ donor" box on your driver's license. It's definitely worth the read. One organ donor can save many lives. Like the article says, it's a no-brainer.

Comedy Video: Past Selves Disappointed in Future Selves

Sketch group Mister Sister Comedy posted this eerily accurate portrayal of what it would be like if you had the chance to talk to your younger selves today:



I know my younger self would be very concerned with the fact that I hadn't already won an Oscar "at least for screenwriting!" if not acting. I know she would be very happy with my choice of husband, though. I actually had a conversation with my husband about this while we were at the Emmys (#humblebrag). He said, "My thirteen-year-old self would never believe I made it this far" and I said, "My thirteen-year-old self knew for a fact I'd get here. She's just angry I'm not the one who's nominated."

[via Jezebel]

Tim Burton's "Frozen" (Not Really, But Close!)

To lighten things up a bit, I bring you artist YOKO, who created these lovely Tim Burton-inspired Frozen illustrations.

What's cooler than being cool? These awesome drawings. You can see the rest at their Tumblr.

[via Neatorama]

#YesAllWomen

ICYMI: This New Yorker article does a good job of distilling the recent, explosive #YesAllWomen hashtag. Other great articles on it at Slate, TIME, and WaPo. I'm sure I'm missing some, too, so please feel free to reply with your favorite articles or tweets.

I'm on vacation right now, and I sometimes miss the big news stories while I'm away. I'm glad I didn't miss this one. I won't go into a long discussion or a series of stories on this subject, but to address the utter banal truth of #YesAllWomen, here's a quick anecdote:

There are two ways to walk the two blocks home from the subway after work: the shorter way and the populated way. For the first several months we lived in our new apartment, he would lead us the shorter way and I would lead us the populated way. Finally, I told him, "I don't want to go that way anymore at night." "But this way is so crowded." "Yes, which means it's so safe." He had never thought of it that way. Here was an open, perceptive, feminist man who completely missed that #YesAllWomen have to choose between safety and convenience.

Also, when to and not to wear my headphones while walking alone is a nightly battle.

'End the Awkward' PSA Campaign

Scope, an advocacy group in the UK for people with disabilities, has released a new PSA campaign called, "End the Awkward" aiming to help able-bodied people interact normally with people who are disabled. They blend humor and helpful advice. I've pasted one of their ads below, but you can see a lot more and read more about the organization at their website.



Funny and true!

[via HuffPo]

StoryCorps: Me & You

StoryCorps' latest animated short, animated by the Rauch Brothers, is super short and super sweet:



The description reads:

On May 25, 1971, Jackie Miller and her husband brought home their son, Scott, whom they adopted. 37 years later, Scott brought his mother to StoryCorps, where they shared a conversation about Jackie's decision to adopt him, their profound love for one another, and Scott's trepidation at what the future holds.

Perfect for Mother's Day.

[via Neatorama]

J.K. Rowling's Excellent 2008 Commencement Speech

Alyssa Rosenberg has a great write-up of what makes an excellent commencement speech, and she highlights this wonderful one from J.K. Rowling. Her article, and of course Ms. Rowling's speech, are both worth the read for recent grads and not-so-recent grads alike.

'Feminist Frank' is the Hot New Feminist Meme!

Nothing can ever replace "Feminist Ryan Gosling" (aka Hey, Girl), but Feminist Frank here sure comes close.

Hey Guy, I'll judge you buy the content of your character, not the douche-ness of your button-down.

You can see all the images on imugr.

[via Jezebel]

New Synopsis for Pixar's "Inside Out"

Pixar released a new synopsis for the very intriguing Inside Out. I'm stoked for the new film from always groundbreaking Pete Doctor. The synopsis is essentially unchanged, but a little fleshed out, from the ones we've seen before. Check it out!

From the tepuis of South America to a monster-filled metropolis, Academy Award®-winning director Pete Docter has taken audiences to unique and imaginative places. In 2015, he will take us to the most extraordinary location of all - inside the mind of an 11-year-old named Riley. 

Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it's no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley's main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city,
house and school.

Reactions to the footage that was shown at D23 last year have been positive so keep those fingers crossed!

[via /Film]

LeVar Burton's "Reading Rainbow" Kickstarter!

I'm totally onboard with LeVar Burton's new Kickstarter campaign to bring Reading Rainbow to classrooms around the world for free! Here's his promo video and the link to the campaign!



Pretty great, right? They've already reached their minimum, but I'm sure they'll put any extra funds to good use!

[via /Film]

Rest in Peace, Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou passed away today. Seems like a good time to re-read, Why the Caged Bird Sings. The Hairpin has a lot of links to her other work, and also the end of her memorable inaugural poem for Bill Clinton.

And a delightful comedic tribute to her from Maya Rudolph on SNL:

Larry Wilmore to Host "The Minority Report"

In case you hadn't heard, a successor to The Colbert Report has been named, and he's the wonderful Larry Wilmore of The Daily Show. He'll host an entirely new program, The Minority Report, in the Colbert time slot, 11:30pm, starting in 2015.

I'm SO excited about this new show! A little more description, from the NYT:

The idea is to have a panel of those voices led by Mr. Wilmore, commenting on the issues of the day — but in a comedic, scripted format, Ms. Ganeless said. “We are so excited to have a fresh idea for late night.” She emphasized that the panel would not simply address minority issues, but any and all issues, except from minority points of view.

This is exactly what the late night landscape needs! A diverse, scripted panel of comedians, led by the uber-funny Larry Wilmore! He's written for and created so many shows (including The Bernie Mac Show, Fresh Prince, In Living Color, and The Jamie Foxx Show), and was about to show run the new ABC comedy Black-ish until this opportunity came along. Frankly, I can't wait for this show. Trust Larry Wilmore and Jon Stewart to come up with something epic and landscape-changing.

And if you want to see a few of Larry's TDS clips, ThinkProgress has a great round-up.

Denver Zoo Has a New Baby Tapir!

Oh my goodness, check out this adorable baby tapir named Baku born at the Denver Zoo:

Little baby Baku may grow up to three feet tall and eight feet long!

What a cutie! I love his beautiful spotting-striping pattern, and that gorgeous schnoz!

You can read more about his species, the endangered Malayan tapir, and see a ton more pictures, are Zoo Borns.

Jennifer Lee of "Frozen" Delivers Graduation Speech

Jennifer Lee, writer and director of the I think now fifth-highest-grossing-movie, Frozen, gave a commencement address to UNC a few weeks ago. Here it is:



Solid advice!

[via HuffPo]

Network TV Finally Adds Some Diversity

Whether it will last remains to be seen, but it's true that next season, network TV is adding some major diversity into its new line-up, especially at ABC. Whether it's the first sitcom starring an Asian family (how said is that to say in 2014?) or the Viola Davis(!)-led drama How to Get Away with Murder, it looks like networks have really learned from Shonda Rhimes and Sleepy Hollow - or at least learned from their ad buys. I don't care how it happened, so long as they keep it up.

Next Season on "Parks and Rec"...

Michael Schur did a great interview with EW on why they decided to do the three-year leap and how they're going to handle the final thirteen episodes. I'm sad to see Parks and Rec go, but I'm happy to know they've been given time to really go out with a bang!

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope you honored our nation's veterans today. And if, in doing so, things got a little too real, here is this:



You're welcome.

But, of course, to the veterans, thank you.

Watch "Inside Amy Schumer"

In case you haven't been, do it now, and you can start with this delightful sketch:



I also feel like this is pretty spot-on:



And there are so many more! Her on-the-street interviews are fantastic, too.

"Waiting for Godot" on "Game of Thrones"

ICYMI - Here's the full reference (and straight-up dialogue) from Waiting for Godot in the Game of Thrones episode two weeks ago (Season 4, Episode 6). When I was watching it, I was like, "I know this... How do I know this?" and then I felt really silly because I directed Waiting for Godot in high school so I really should have been able to figure out why I knew it then and there.

Also ICYMI:

The Colbert Report
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Have you been watching "Orphan Black"?

If not, what are you doing with your life? Catch up via Amazon Prime and then check out this article about all the crazy science behind the show.

Read "The Case for Reparations"

If you haven't had the chance yet, here's the link. Give yourself some time and read it.