Actor Richard Madden would prefer to avoid sex scenes altogether.
Madden, who is well known for his previous role as Rob Stark in the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones” and now as David Budd on the BBC show “Bodyguard,” recently revealed to Elle he doesn’t care to film sex scenes — in fact, he “dreads” them.
“I dread doing these things,” Madden, 32, told the magazine, which probed the Scottish actor about his sex scenes in the upcoming movie, “Rocketman.” In the film, which will hit the big screen on May 31, Madden plays singer-songwriter Elton John’s former lover and manager John Reid.
The 22-year-old model filed trademark paperwork for “Bieber Beauty” on April 10 with the intent to launch “beauty and cosmetic products” according to paperwork obtained by PEOPLE from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She has also already filed to register “Hailey Bieber,” her newly married name, in October 2018 with the intent to launch a clothing line.
The model, who got engaged to Justin Bieber in July 2018 and secretly married him at a N.Y.C. courthouse in September 2018, officially changed her last name from “Baldwin” to “Bieber” on social media two months after the couple said “I do.”
If you are lucky enough to live in a state that is fully legal, you may want to consider these products when heading to the dispensary to buy your party products.
CANNDESCENT’S STYLUS READY-TO-USE VAPE PEN
Canndescent just rolled out the latest product in their Stylus Series. Allow us to introduce to you the Stylus Ready-to-Use disposable vape pen in the brand’s five signature effects — Calm, Cruise, Create, Connect, and Charge. The pens are smaller and more compact, designed to be ultra-portable and easy to travel with. They also free you from the hassle of charging your device because they are designed to hold their charge for all 200 draws, equating to about 50 experiences. Stylus Ready-to-Use pens are perfect for tourists who do not want to invest in their own vape pen battery and separate oil cartridges. Retailing at $65, consumers can enjoy Canndescent’s ultra-premium oil for a little over $1 per psychoactive experience.
We suggest you try the Cruise effect on 4/20. This hybrid strain allows you to keep up the pace, relax your mind, and sail through the holiday without missing a beat.
MR. MOXEY’S MINTS
If you’ve ever been lucky enough to visit Seattle, then you already know about Mr. Moxey’s Mints. Tim Moxey hit a home run with this line of products. They are good enough to almost consider flying to Seattle just to be able to buy them. Thankfully, they have been able to expand beyond the state lines of Washington state.
Mr. Moxey’s Mints are natural, high-quality, cannabis-infused mints made with therapeutic herbs for wellbeing. Delectable and discreet, these microdosed mints have been the best-selling edible in Washington State for over a year, and enable you to choose just the right amount of cannabinoids to suit your system. The mints are crafted in small batches with pesticide-free cannabis to promote wellbeing in mind and body. Each pastille is formulated with herbal synergists tailored to elevate the cannabis experience. Perfect for the subtle 4/20 celebrators.
MOOD33’S CANNABIS-INFUSED TONICS
mood33 is a California-based cannabis beverage brand crafting natural and uplifting herbal tonics, currently with a line of three unique formulations including Joy, Passion and Calm. Each provides its own unique mood-based effect thanks to tailored cannabinoid ratios, natural tea and fruit ingredients, and signature terpene profiles inspired by the aromas and effects of the cannabis plant.
You can mix and match a 4-pack and pop open a few bottles with friends at the park. Cheers!
ORCHID ESSENTIAL’S TASTY TERPENE VAPES
Orchid Essentials is a California-based vape company that creates vape pens and oils with robust flavor profiles that feel as if you are enjoying a nightly glass of wine every time you take a puff. Orchid is unique in the cannabis market in that they do not use PEG, PPG, MCT, or coconut oil as a carrier for the cannabis oil. Instead, they use terpenes – fragrant, organic compounds found in the essential oils of all plants that give, for example, lavender and chamomile their relaxing aromas and citrus fruits their energizing punch. Vaping with terpenes is known to be healthier, and Orchid’s 10 strain options enable you to vary your vaping session to suit your mood or taste preferences.
CALIVA’S REEF LEAF STASH PACK
California’s most-trusted cannabis brand believes in wellness options that work for your lifestyle: motivating the mind, steadying the body, and inspiring creativity. As well as creating pre-rolled joints and some of California’s most popular vapes, they offer two types of classic cannabis flower: Premium Quality eighths, and “Reef Leaf” in a variety of indica, sativa and hybrid blends. Perfect for 4/20 the Reef Leaf Stash Pack kit has all you need for the perfect doobie including a Reef Leaf pouch (5g of pre-ground flower), king size rolling papers, white-tipped matches, and a glass crutch. Sometimes you can get exactly what you want in one convenient box.
SUM MICRODOSE SUBLINGUALS
Looking for fast relaxation without the high on 4/20? Known as the “anti-edible” SUM(Superior Uptake Microdose) are small, discreet sublingual tablet absorbs directly into the bloodstream via the membrane underneath the tongue. SUM has four tablet varieties currently available at select dispensaries in Colorado; Calm, Relief, Focus, and Energy.
Technology has its fair share of issues, but one of the best things it does is bring people together. And while this facilitates all types of relationships, physical affection and connection is hard to recreate when you’re not spending any time together.
For a long distance relationship to thrive, there must be a lot of patience, maturity and emotional intimacy. Here are five tips that can help you get a better grip on your relationship, no matter how far apart you are.
Before you declare that you’re in a relationship with someone despite the fact that you live hours away, be sure to have an honest conversation with them. It’s essential to talk about the expectations you both have. Is your relationship monogamous? Are you prepared to handle an open-relationship? Do your research and figure out what works best for both.
Schedule times to connect via Skype or phone call
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When involved in a long distance relationship, there’s the extra pressure of having to make time to Skype and talk to each other over the phone. These interactions can be easily forgotten with work, school and life if you’re not on top of things. The difficulty or ease of scheduling these encounters depends on you, but each person involved in the relationship must ensure that they’re feeling valued by the other.
Start communicating better
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Communication is always important but it becomes the basis of your relationship when you’re forced to spend long periods of time apart from each other. Get ready to talk about things that happen on your day to day life while also taking the time to discuss less fun stuff, like your feelings, jealousy and expectations that you may have. It’s also very important to discuss how to approach sex now that you’re apart, discussing the possibilities of sexting, sending each other photos, and more.
If your significant other starts sending you nudes, be sure to have a space where you can safely store these and protect them from everyone else. There are several apps that can protect your images like KeepSafe Photo Vault and LockMyPix. Get to know them and save yourself the embarrassment of having someone stumble upon an awkward photo by accident.
The best part about long distance relationships are those times when you get to see each other, when everything feels special and new. Take advantage of these moments and enjoy them since they’re one of the main perks of being involved in one of these relationships.
Stoner stereotypes founds across mainstream media and popular culture paint tend to paint cannabis users as lazy slothes ever only thinking about their next hit or round of munchies. We’ve long fought against these stereotypes despite their prevalence, showcasing ways cannabis can help you in the gym or types of marijuana that can suppress your appetite.
Using marijuana before working out actually “increases motivation” or “enhances recovery from exercise,” according to a new study from researchers at the University of Colorado. The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health and focused on how those in legal states used cannabis in relation to exercise.
Researchers interviews more than 600 cannabis consumers and found that nearly 500 participants endorsed using cannabis either an hour before their workout or four hours afterwards as recovery. Perhaps most surprising though was that when compared to non-users, cannabis consumers worked out 43 minutes longer while engaging in aerobic exercises and 30 minutes longer when doing anaerobic exercises.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study to survey attitudes and behavior regarding the use of cannabis before and after exercise, and to examine differences between cannabis users who engage in co-use, compared to those who do not,” wrote the study authors, according to Marijuana Moment. “Given both the spreading legalization of cannabis and the low rates of physical activity in the US, it behooves public health officials to understand the potential effects—both beneficial and harmful—of cannabis use on exercise behaviors.”
Among those who participated in the study, 70 percent agreed or strong agreed that “cannabis increases enjoyment of exercise.” In addition, more than 50 percent believe marijuana “increases motivation” while 78 percent said it “enhances recovery from exercise.”
These findings correspond with previous research that marijuana doesn’t make you lazy at all and reports that states with legalized cannabis tend to be the healthiest in the nation. So if you’re someone that believes marijuana is just for lazy stoners, you’re playing more into the stereotype than the available science.
We all know wine has the power to put us in a good mood, release our built-up tension at the end of a stressful day, and create an environment of non-judgement. But there are many other healthy benefit of drinking a glass of wine — specifically red — every day. Here are five of them, according toReader’s Digest.
You Might Lose Weight
Studies have shown that the phytonutrient resveratrol (found abundantly in wine) may help prevent weight gain. When researchers from Washington State University fed mice a diet of fat and resveratrol, the mice gained about 40 percent less weight, inferring that resveratrol may actually have the power to convert “bad fat” into “good fat.”
According to Reader’s Digest, wine possesses immune system-boosting benefits. Says Kristine Arthur, MD, internist at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, “The antioxidants in wine increases heart-healthy HDL cholesterol as well as keeping the immune system strong.” The HDL helps prevent “bad” plaque build-up in the arteries, which can help prevent heart attacks.
If warding off heart attacks and strokes wasn’t enough, the tannins contained in red wine, called procyanidins, are linked to heart disease protections. A study by the Harvard School of Public Health found that men with hypertension, who were moderate drinkers, had a 30 percent less chance of having a heart attack.
Did you know moderate wine consumption is linked to improved vision? Reader’s Digest points to an Icelandic study that found moderate drinkers to be 32 percent less likely to get cataracts than those who did not consume alcohol. In fact, those who preferred wine over beer were 43 percent less likely to develop cataracts.
Sure, our brains go downhill as we age, but drinking moderately could keep it on its toes. A study by Columbia University found that moderate drinking can slow brain function decline and keep your brain young.
New York Times Bestselling author and nationally syndicated sex advice columnist, Dan Savage, is known around the globe for his takes on polyamory, Rick Santorum and amateur porn. But now Savage is throwing his well-worn cap into the ring of a new cannabis-inspired venture: SPLIFF, an amateur film festival dedicated to stoner culture and the entertaining peccadillos of pot and the people who imbibe it.
“There’s a huge visual component to being stoned,” says Savage, famous for his Savage Love column and Savage Lovecast podcast. “You get stoned and you go to the movies. Or, you get stoned and you binge watch TV. Or, you get stoned and you go lay in the park and look at the clouds. A lot of being stoned is putting something in front of your face to let it roll into your brain. So, we thought, there’s probably a film festival in that too!”
Savage, who rose to prominence when he joined forces with former The Onion co-founder, Tim Keck, at the Seattle alt weekly newspaper, The Stranger, is no amateur when it comes to putting on film festivals. The Stranger’s popular porn fest, HUMP, which Savage co-founded, is now in its 15th year and tours the country. SPLIFF, which received more than 250 movie submissions in its inaugural year and will begin its run in Denver inApril, is poised to claim similar success.
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“HUMP just unleashed all this creativity around sex and gender,” Savage explains. “It features friends and lovers enjoying themselves and each other, which is different from most commercially-billed pornography. And we just thought, you know, the same way sex brings people together, pot brings people together, too.”
SPLIFF, which will tour the country, travelingbetween weed-friendlycities like Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, will feature more than 20 original films, ranging from plot descriptions like, “One person. One peanut. One backyard. Only one can win” and “A spaced-out, bizarre ode to hands.” The festival, Savage says, promises to honor both the imaginations and lives of weed tokers.
“We thought there’s probably a whole bunch of people out there with things to say about pot or just funny things to say about cannabis culture or about themselves when they’re stoned,” says Savage. “And it turns out we’re right.”
For more information and the full list of SPLIFF dates and films, click here.
Is Kim Kardashian Trolling T-Swift By Releasing New Perfume On April 26?
April 26 — the 116th day of the year, the day both T-Boz (of TLC) and Channing Tatum were born, and in just a few days, it will be known as the day both Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian released game-changing products to the world (a little dramatic, but you get the point). Let’s hop into this boiling hot tea, shall we?
Okay, it’s not news that T-Swift and Kim K aren’t BFFs. However, they’re no longer enemies either — per Kim on Watch Happens Live with Andy Cohen earlier this year. So, when Kim announced on Monday (April 15) that her new perfume collaboration with her sister Kylie Jenner is set to launch on April 26, many fans were like: “now we got bad blood” (see what I did there).
See, Taylor announced last week that she’s releasing something huge, something great, something life-changing — seemingly new, long-awaited music, — on April 26 and she even launched an entire website with a countdown to mark the big occasion. So, when Kim announced the impending arrival of her new perfume just days after Taylor dropped her countdown to April 26, let’s just say Swifties weren’t too happy about that. So much so, Taylor fans began commenting on Kim’s perfume announcement, accusing her of trolling Taylor.
“You guys so [decided] to launch it on the day Taylor Swift relases [sic] her new single. Do you really have nothing else to do other than trying to steal her spotlight. I mean, there are sooo many other dates…,” one T-Swift fan wrote.
Another added: “hmm…. April 26? the same day as Taylor’s Swift’s announcement. THIS IS WHY WE CANT HAVE NICE THINGS :/ (would put a rat, but rats are nice, sweet animals who don’t deserve to have people have them).”
Chelsea Handler Defends “Great Guy” Kevin Hart’s Gay Jokes: “We All Evolve”
Chelsea Handler is the latest comedian to defend Kevin Hart after he stepped down from hosting the 91st Academy Awards amid backlash surrounding his homophobic Twitter history.
This week on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, a caller asked the 44-year-old comedian about “the whole Kevin Hart Oscars debacle” and if she thinks “comedians should be held accountable for what they’ve said or tweeted in the past.”
“I don’t think so,” Handler replied. “I mean, I honestly respect what Kevin Hart did. I love Kevin, I know him personally, and I think he’s a great guy. And I honestly think we’ve all made mistakes.”
“I’ve said things that are deplorable that I would never say again,” the Life Will Be the Death of Me author continued. “You can’t just hold people to the fire for things that went on–we all evolve, and we all grow up, and we all get it, now we understand this isn’t allowed.”
Hart repeatedly made anti-gay comments in a series of tweets between 2009 and 2011, threatening his son with violence if he caught him playing with dolls, and insulted various celebrities by calling them “gay” or “fag.” He quit the Oscars gig in December.
Advertising in the cannabis industry is difficult. In most U.S. states where cannabis is legal, rules regarding cannabis advertising are complicated and extremely restrictive. For example, in California, businesses can only run ads in areas where “71.6 percent of the audience is reasonably expected to be 21 years of age or older.” The advertising landscape online is even far less forgiving. Most online ads platforms, such as Google Ads or Facebook Ads, explicitly prohibit the advertisement of cannabis products.
In the absence of reasonable advertising regulations for the cannabis industry, many business owners have turned to a new and rapidly growing form of advertisement: Social Media Influencers.
What is a Social Media Influencer?
A social media influencer is a person that uses their large social media following (which can range thousands to millions of followers) to promote certain products or services. Outside of the cannabis industry, one of the most successful social media influencers is Kylie Jenner, who companies will often pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for single social media post promoting their product.
While some may balk at the idea of paying a person thousands of dollars to promote a product on Instagram, the numbers do not lie – influencer marketing works. Approximately 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations. Companies that use influencer marketing earn on average $6.50 for every dollar spent. By 2020, the influencer market is expected to grow to $10 billion.
Why Are Cannabis Companies Turning to Influencers?
As alluded to earlier, advertising in the cannabis industry is difficult. Not only are advertising regulations for cannabis complex, but also traditional means of advertisements are expensive. Buying ad space on television, radio, or a billboard can cost companies thousands of dollars with little guarantee of success. In contrast, influencer marketing is loosely regulated (for now) and less expensive.
It is also easier to target specific demographics by relying on influencers that appeal to your core audience. Cannabis business owners may not know who is going to view their highway billboard, but they do know what kind of person is going to visit Snoop Dogg’s Instagram page.
Who Are The Leading Cannabis Influencers?
The question of who the cannabis industry’s leading influencers are is a topic for debate. Unlike other industries where the practice more prevalent, influencer marketing in the cannabis industry is still relatively new. Consequently, it is difficult to say who is the “top cannabis influencer.” However, there are at least a few cannabis influencers that stand out from the pack. Here’s five cannabis influencer that have turned their social media following into big business:
Seth Rogen
Comedian Seth Rogen has built a career off of starring in stoner comedies like Pineapple Express and This Is The End, so it is only natural that he would use his talent and fame to spread the word about cannabis. With 6.6 million followers on Instagram, Rogen might not be the world’s most widely followed celebrity, but he has built up a strong and loyal social media following.
Hoping to capitalize off of his reputation as a cannabis connoisseur, Rogen and his fried/business partner Evan Goldberg have teamed up with the world’s largest cannabis company, Canopy Growth, to launch a new hemp and cannabis company called Houseplant. Understanding the power of social media, Rogen announced the brand by leaving a cryptic message asking people to follow the Houseplant’s Instagram page.
Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson at Planet 13 Cannabis Entertainment Complex. (CNW Group/Planet 13 Holdings Inc.)
Not content to be the World Heavy Champion of Boxing, sports legend Mike Tyson has dived headfirst into the cannabis industry. Like Seth Rogen, Tyson has leveraged his fame to turn himself into one of the industry’s leading advocate. Tyson has partnered with the upscale cannabis dispensary Planet 13 to be the exclusive launch partner of his 40-acre cannabis resort, dubbed Tyson Ranch. In addition to Tyson’s 7.6 million Instagram followers, Tyson has a popular cannabis podcast called Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson, which has close to 90,000 followers.
“Tyson Ranch, consists of a team with 100+ years of industry experience focusing on quality to make premium cannabis products. We are all about going the extra step to offer truly great cannabis. The Planet 13 Cannabis Entertainment Complex offers customers an ultra-premium cannabis experience that dovetails perfectly with Tyson Ranch’s belief that not all cannabis is created equally,” said MikeTyson.
Dan Bilzerian
Dan Bilzerian, owner of the cannabis brand Ignite, is perhaps one of the biggest influencers in the cannabis industry. Often a polarizing figure within the industry, Bilzerian’s social media pages are filled with bikini-clad models in various states of undress, exotic locations, and more often than naught firearms. While some may characterize his social media presence as the epitome of toxic masculinity, with more than 26 million followers on Instagram, it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t have a strong following.
Bilzerian became one of the world’s most successful professional poker players, winning over $50 million in a single year. Despite not adhering to any social norms — and continuing to be unapologetically himself — he developed a reputation within the gambling community for always doing what he said he would do, a mindset that he’s carried with him into numerous investment opportunities, business ventures, and personal pursuits — creating an empire. Now, he’s dedicated to building a brand in the cannabis industry to live the Ignite lifestyle.
Big Mike
Michael Straumietis, also known as Big Mike, is the CEO of the cannabis fertilizer company Advanced Nutrients. Straumietis has built a career off of developing cannabis-specific nutrients and has leveraged that fame into an Instagram following of more than 2 million. Like Bilzerian, Straumietis’ social media often features scantily clad women, but to a lesser extent. Instead, Straumietis positions himself as a more of a cannabis thought leader than a globe-trotting playboy.
In 1996, BigMike took $25,000 he’d made from a small illegal grow in Temecula, California, snuck into Canada with a fake passport and built a growing organization 200 people strong. He then used his growing and business expertise to start his company, Advanced Nutrients. Today, Advanced Nutrients is the maker of the #1 selling cannabis-specific nutrient line in the world, with over $110 million a year in sales from 93 countries. Advanced Nutrients also lends seed money to individuals in developing countries who dream of starting a small business, but lack the means to do so. BigMike‘s charity Holiday Heroes feeds over 30 thousand people in need, each Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Charlo Greene
Charlo Greene is a former journalist turned cannabis entrepreneur that gained overnight fame after she announced live on television that she was quitting her job to pursue a career in cannabis. Greene is a somewhat controversial figure in the cannabis industry after running afoul of regulators in Alaska for launching eponymously named Alaska Cannabis Club. With approximately 214,000 followers on Instagram, Greene is what is called a “Micro-Influencer,” which is someone that has a small but dedicated social media following. Nevertheless, Greene has carved out a niche for herself in both the cannabis industry and the wider entrepreneurial community.
The world of cannabis influencers may still be new, but it is rapidly developing. Even if cannabis advertising regulations relax over the coming years, don’t expect cannabis influencers to go away. Influencer marketing is an incredibly powerful form of advertising, regardless of the industry.
Years ago, the first Crocs were introduced, haunting our lives with their rubbery sounds and awful looks. Now, a designer is here to make it all worse. Introducing Goth Crocs, which are just black Crocs adorned with spikes, studs and chains.
Created by Instagram user @garbage_b0y, these Crocs have no partnership with the official brand of Crocs. They’re available for purchase on Etsy, where they’re priced at $240 a pair.
“The shoes are soooo “BAD” that I ended up buying a second pair. And by bad I mean the freshest there ever was. Also, I’ve gotten hella compliments. Love em!” says one pumped up customer.
Despite the legendary unpopularity of the shoes, Crocs is a very large company, selling sandals, flip flips and more. The traditional Crocs we all talk about are officially called Clogs, which is just the brand’s way of letting us know that they’re in on the joke and that they know how ugly their shoes are. Brand new Clogs with all sorts of designs, patterns and colors cost around $40.
Ugly designer shoes are very popular among costumers, who flock to them for some reason. The uglier and more expensive, the better. Should we all just make our own models of Crocs and earn millions? Glitter Crocs? Camo Crocs? Open-toed Crocs? I’m sure there’s an audience for each and every one of those.
Despite marijuana legalization’s recent avalanche of support from politicians, particularly Democratic presidential nominees, the War on Drugs continues in most of the country. Yes, although cannabis is legal for adult use in 10 states plus Washington D.C., marijuana possession is still a crime in the United States. In fact, marijuana possession led to almost 6 percent of all arrests in 2017, according to FBI data.
But, as The Washington Post first reported, that number “obscures the considerable variations in enforcement practices at the state and local levels.” According to data from The National Archive of Criminal Justice Data, marijuana possession accounted for 20 percent of arrests in various places throughout the country. And in several counties, that number passed 40 percent while one Georgia county claimed almost 55 percent of its arrest from possession.
“While drug war proponents often say they’re going after kingpins, the reality is that the police nearly always goes after the lowest-hanging fruit: people who use drugs—especially marijuana, which is easy to find—or bit players in the drug trade,” said Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, told the Washington Post.
Here is a short list of the counties with the highest percentages of marijuana enforcement in total amount of arrests (data as of 2016):
Dooley County, Georgia: 54.5%
Hamilton County, New York: 43.5%
Sterling County, Texas: 42.1%
Hartley County, Texas: 42%
Edmunds County, South Dakota: 33.3%
Although the Post mentions most of these counties are found in rural areas, significant figures in marijuana-related arrests can still be found in urban counties. Chesapeake, Virginia had almost 3,600 arrests in 2016. But almost 23 percent of those arrests were because of marijuana possession. More populated counties also maintain high arrest rates for cannabis. Maryland’s Montgomery County (pop.: 1 million), which is located outside Washington D.C. (where weed is legal), made 20 percent of its 24,000 arrests due to cannabis.
“The status quo allows law enforcement and their associations to profit in many ways,” said Diane Goldstein, a Law Enforcement Action Partnership board member, a group advocating to reduce the severity of cannabis laws. “Marijuana continues to be an easy way to create probable cause for searches, arrests and civil asset forfeiture.”
