each new casting announcement for this show is more delightful than the last.
Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman has joined the cast of Neil Gaiman's Good Omens.Offerman will play a US ambassador and the father of the child named Warlock, who is mistakenly believed to be the antichrist."There may not be anyone alive who can deadpan a line quite as well as Nick Offerman," Gaiman said. "He's ...
Who shared that fake bangs tutorial a few months back? Ros here tried it and it didn't go great.
Like Caitriona Balfe, Miss Rosamund opted to try out some major bang action (a hair reference, weirdos) along with some semi-extreme salt-and-pepper fashion choices this week. If one more ladystar steps out in the next few days working the same vibe, we’re officially calling it a trend.
Rosamund Pike attends the “7 Days in Entebbe” Photocall during the Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin in Givenchy.
It’s … fine. We honestly can’t tell anymore if ladies are wearing black dresses on the red carpet for solidarity reasons or simply because they’re in an LBD kind of mood. If it’s the former, this is all fine. If it’s the latter, we’d wish for some color or pattern here, because except for the neckline, this is just about the most funereal promo-tour dress we’ve seen in a long time. The silhouette and the sleeve length veer toward dowdiness, but some sharp styling choices – like much better shoes and a statement piece of jewelry – would seriously help the look.
Rosamund Pike attends the “7 Days in Entebbe” Premiere during the Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin in Givenchy Couture.
It’s got a sort of updated ABBA feel, which should make us love it, but we honestly don’t think she has what it takes to really make this ensemble sing. Picture everything here on Rihanna or Gaga. She just doesn’t exude that sort of winking sense of fun to make an ensemble like this really pop. It’s a cliche to say it, but it’s wearing her rather than the other way around.
And having kept our mouths shut up until now, we’re afraid we’re going to burst if we don’t come out with it: Those bangs look awful on her. We’re not entirely convinced they’re not removable.
Style Credits: First Look: Givenchy Black Long-Sleeve Dress with Punging Neckline from the Spring 2018 Collection Second Look:Givenchy Ensemble from the Spring 2018 Couture Collection
We made it you guys! It's Friday! Congratulations! Oscar Isaac content is the Friday equivalent of cat/dog content.
It’s a bit of a cliche to fawn all over a man when he gets a little silver in his hair, especially since people almost never do that sort of thing for a woman, but DAMN, BOO:
He’s a little rumpled and askew, and we wish there was a bit more color and contrast in the look overall (the pocket square’s not doing it) but he’s a fine-looking man who never looks bad in a fine suit.
[Photo Credit: INSTARImages]
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We’re gonna take a second here. We got such a fashion head rush just now that we’re going to have to sit down and take this one slow.
Darlings, you know how much we rail against the plain-ass business suit on the red carpet. Actors up and down the alphabet-listed scale of importance almost all default to looking like accountants on job interviews when they promote their projects. “WHY,” we have wailed to the heavens countless times (also to you guys, who probably got sick of hearing it), “CAN’T AN ACTIN’ MAN SHOW A LITTLE STYLE, LORD?”
Well. Did we not say this Black Panther poledance was a red carpet game-changer, the way the entire cast insists on breaking out of the style mold over and over again? Case in point. Behold your king:
This is simply amazing. The boldness of the choices and the razor-sharp chicness of the designs make this one of the best menswear red carpet looks of all time. It’s a damn shame the shirt seems to be a bit small on him, because it’s the only imperfection we can see. A beautiful man being properly served by an ensemble that plays to his every strength and tells a story about who he is/what he’s selling. A near-flawlessly executed game-changer.
Style Credits: Givenchy Head-to-Toe from the Spring 2018 Collection
[Photo Credit: INSTARImages, vogue.com]
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This is probably the first time that a red carpet promo tour has actually had its intended effect on me in that all of the incredible looks the cast has been turning out have SERIOUSLY hyped me up for this movie, above and beyond how good the trailer was.
HOLY MARY MOTHER OF PEARL:
That is INSANELY fierce, she looks AMAZINGLY stunning, and we are ABOUT TO PASS OUT from the magnificence of it all. Bow down to excellence.
And NO ONE could’ve made that dress look this good. We’re telling you: This Black Panther promotional tour is a red carpet game-changer. Every blockbuster film cast is going to have to try to live up to this level of style excellence when it comes time for them to do their poledance. The gauntlet has been thrown the fuck down.
Style Credits: Jean-Louis Sabaji Embroidered Gown from the Spring 2018 Couture Collection Ara Vartanian Jewelry Christian Louboutin Sandals
Yeeeessssss. I'm so excited and so nervous for this because I love JJ so much and the first season was so perfect but all the Marvel Netflix stuff since then has ranged from "fine" to "epically awful".
Netflix dropped the trailer for the MUCH AWAITED (by us, at least) second season of Jessica Jones:
Now, we loved the first season (you can read our reviews here), but went cold on most of the other Marvel Netflix offerings. Daredevil still has our interest, but Iron Fist, Luke Cage and The Punisher all fizzled out on our To-Watch List. We made it all the way through The Defenders and found it fun, if deeply confused about what it wanted to be.
But looking at this trailer,and taking into consideration the excellence of the first season and the success of the Wonder Woman movie (our review here), we think there’s a reason why JJ and WW both succeeded: It’s because both projects never lose sight of the woman who is the hero. Both projects centered the main protagonist – her thoughts, her desires, her fears, her agenda, her actions – without losing sight of her womanhood; without trying to make her into a stereotypical “Badass Female” or “Strong Woman,” two writing tropes male writers tend to love that, not coincidentally, write women as if they were men.
Don’t get us wrong. There’s no question that Jessica Jones is a badass or that Diana Prince is a strong woman. But without overstating it or making it sound like, we don’t know … heroism with a lace trim, there’s always a sense that their identities as women are central to their stories; that you couldn’t tell these same stories about male superheroes.
Does that make sense? We’re not trying to impose some sort of retrograde femininity on their stories or make the argument that their feelings and emotions are more central than the action, but there’s definitely a sense in both works that their womanhood is not beside the point. It is the point. And that’s why both projects succeeded so well.
Long story short: we’re pumped for season two. How about you?
[Photo Credit: Netflix – Video Credit: Netflix via YouTube.com]
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In the comments on last week’s post about working from home with pets, demands were made for a post with photos of pets taking over people’s workspaces. I sent out a call for them, and you delivered, with a ton of photos readers submitted of their pets in their workspaces — mostly home offices, but not entirely. (Click photos to enlarge. And if you’re reading this from the home page, you have to click through to see the photos.)
TOR fam!! How much did we love the whole BLL crew last night??
Laura Dern attends the 75th Golden Globe Awards with activist Mónica Ramirez.
Miss Laura tends to favor sleek looks that accentuate the long, angular lines of her body. We suspect the style was something she figured out as her best option some time back, since we honestly can’t remember a time in her career when she didn’t favor looks just like this. Given her preferences, Armani was a no-brainer, since they specialize in this kind of look. She looks great; elegant and chic, with just enough of a sense of drama to be photogenic. We’re not loving what looks like a front zipper, nor are we all that crazy about the sheer panel at the neckline, since it looks a bit unresolved, but it’s a sharp look overall.
Mónica Ramírez is the Co-founder and President of Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, the first national farmworker women’s organization in the U. S. created by current and former farmworker women. She is a nationally recognized expert on gender equity and workplace sexual violence against farmworker and immigrant women. You can read about her work here and follow her on twitter here.
Style Credits: Custom Armani Privé Back Silk Satin Gown Embroidered in Crystals with a Deep Veiled Slit and an Extending Tulle Train Bulgari ‘Serpenti’ Pink Gold Earrings and Ring with Wood Elements and Diamonds Bulgari ‘Serpenti’ Black Watch with Pink Gold and Diamond Details
[Photo Credit: INSTARImages]
“The clock has run out on sexual assault, harassment and inequality in the workplace. It’s time to do something about it.” Read the Letter of Solidarity here. Make a donation to the legal fund here.
Check out our FASHION & BEAUTY forum for more discussions about all things fabulous-related!
Darlings, you’ve been with us on our journey towards Ocean’s 8 every step of the way, from the feverish squeeing over the costumes and location shots to the oohing and ahhing over even the movie’s poster. But we’ll need you to hold our hands for a moment as we enter the final stretch of our fanboy journey by pressing play on the film’s trailer.
OH THANK GOD. We were so worried it was going to suck. Shall we list the ways in which it’s clear it does not suck?
The fashion!
The quips!
The chemistry between the cast!
The fashion!
The wigs!
The Met Gala heist idea, which is brilliant!
The fashion!
The diamonds!
Cate Blanchett!
This is, of course, only a partial list. Feel free to add to it as you see fit.
We are clearly smitten and will be pitching a tent outside the theater five days before it opens. How about you?
[Photo Credit: Video Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures via YouTube.com]
I could have sworn we did this ep, like, a WHILE ago, but I think I was just remembering the cake from my childhood viewing of the series because that cake is not an image you get out of your head. You’ll see.
There’s not a ton of fashion in this episode, but there is some truly bananas shit. The episode opens with SPOOKY-ASS MUSIC and Data seeing what look like some miners busting a hole in the wall of the Enterprise:
When you have an emotional breakthrough but you realize you literally punched a hole in your wall
The miners or whatever are dressed in some mid-to-late 1800s looks, and have some truly incredible layering going on:
These outfits have everything: overalls, vests, vests over overalls, suspenders under overalls, neckerchiefs
I’m pretty sure that dude on the right is wearing overalls AND suspenders AND a belt?? Maybe it’s a tool belt, but like…the whole thing with overalls is that they go…over…all. I also enjoy the fedora as a work hat, because it does absolutely nothing to protect one’s head (but does give the wearer the belief that they look like Indiana Jones even though they don’t). Let’s also note that the middle guy is just straight-up wearing a flood lamp on his head.
The workers end up attacking Data and pulling off his head:
It’s not fair / to remind me / of the cross-eyed head that you gave to me / you, you, you / Data’s head
You can see here that Fedora Worker is wearing suspenders OVER his vest, which…that’s not how suspenders are MEANT to be worn, but if that’s how you want to roll, I’m not going to stop you. Layer everything. Wear a hat as a necklace. Fashion “rules” were established by a patriarchal society and are meant to keep us in our places and stifle our creativity and if wearing suspenders over a vest makes you feel revolutionary, YOU DO YOU.
After we see Data’s head get ripped off, though, it turns out it was all a dream:
I really wanted to see Data’s PJs, but this does make sense
Is Data taking a Mondrian-inspired painting class? That work next to his bed (which is where I keep all MY unfinished paintings) looks like it’s in progress rather than a part of his decor.
The main thrust of this episode is that Data is having weird dreams and that the Enterprise is installing a new warp core, so we spend a bit of time in Engineering, where we meet this adorable ensign:
When your hair needs to be pulled back for OSHA reasons but you’ve still got style
She’s real cute, has picked a GREAT lip color to complement her Engineering Mustard, and she has a major crush on Geordi. Literally nothing comes of the fact that she’s crushing on Geordi, so I think the writers just threw that detail in there to be nice.
Data is trying to figure out what’s up with his weird dreams, so he researches the best way he knows how:
Even on a spaceship, cats take up as much space as possible
Spot is having a nap, and Data is watching her sleep to see if he can figure anything out.
Streeeeetch
He doesn’t figure anything out, but I love Spot so it’s fine. Instead, he sees Troi for a quick therapy sesh and her season 7 hair is doing it up:
This hair goes to 11
They talk a little bit about dream interpretation, and then we get to see Data sleep some more.
THRILL as Data TAKES A NAP
This dream is where the bonkers cake shows up. This cake honestly doesn’t even look that good, but it still made me want some cake:
Cake to bridge: I’m delicious
Hmm, that’s odd. There’s a communicator badge on that cake. What could that possibly–
NOPE
One thing I will say for this cake is that it was made in a time before every fucking cake was, like, required by law to be covered in fucking fondant. FONDANT IS TRASH AND CAKES COVERED IN IT ARE ALSO TRASH. So on that level, I appreciate this cake for just having a sensible buttercream.
Other than that, this cake is a literal nightmare. In the dream, Data feels compelled to cut into Troi’s right shoulder with a serrated cake knife:
Delicious?
This will be important later. Also important: Worf says that the cake is “a cellular peptide cake…with mint frosting.” I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like mint is a weird choice for a cellular peptide cake. Maybe a cream cheese would have been better?
Oh, also in this dream, Crusher is sucking out Riker’s brains with a straw:
Curb_Your_Enthusiasm_Theme.mp3
This is probably a weird sex thing Riker would be into though. After this disturbing dream, Data decides to consult a dream expert:
Zis is ferry disturbink
Yes, that’s ol’ Siggy, the father of psychiatry and cocaine addict. Data visits him in the Holodeck. He’s wearing a pretty straightforward three-piece suit:
I think that cigar is just a cigar
The touch I like here is that shirt lapel. Look how long that thing is!! Old-timey as fuck.
After Data’s Freudian adventure, he’s helping Geordi fix something related to the warp core (which isn’t working at all) and he notices that this piece of the ship looks VERY similar to the cake knife:
I see you’ve played knifey-spooney before
Honestly, that thing looks so much like a weird Klingon knife that I feel like at some point Geordi asked Worf to fix something in the warp core and Worf accidentally broke something off and was like “oh shit” and just replaced it with a knife. That’s not very Worf-like, actually. A better story is that BARCLAY broke something accidentally and then stole the knife from Worf’s quarters and used it to MacGyver the engine. There. Better.
So Data thinks he’s awake, but then this happens:
Listen to your heart / when it’s calling for you
So that’s…weird.
It turns out Data’s dream program has gone pretty much haywire and he’s drifting into a dream state without realizing it and yadda yadda yadda, he stabs Troi in the shoulder…the right shoulder! From before!! When she was a cake!!!
Rude!!!!!
It’s not great that Troi got stabbed, BUT we do get a little extra fashion from her stay in sickbay:
Fashion Johnny
I’m kind of feeling this horizontal knit corduroy situation here. What I’m wondering is - how does that shoulder seam reattach? I don’t see snaps or buttons or velcro, so I’m forced to conclude that it is a magnet. I’m in the middle of making a shirt and I’m wondering if I could use magnets instead of buttons. ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT.
Data is worried that he will hurt Spot (aww) because of his dream hallucinations, so he asks Worf to cat-sit, leading to this delightful image:
“I will feed him.”
Let’s just see that from another angle, because it’s delightful.
He is a good cat and a pretty cat
Side note: @Spiggitzfan on Twitter made this adorable Data + Spot and then OMG THIS ACTUAL BABY KITTEN SAT ON IT AND I DIED.
😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭 😭
At this point, Beverly figures out that the thing causing the issues on the ship are these interphasic creatures who eat cellular peptide (that’s what the dream cake was made out of!!!!), and you can only see them with this special light:
Later they shined this light in Riker’s quarters and it was like a Jackson Pollock piece
To fix the issue, the crew hooks Data’s brain up to the Holodeck so they can go into his dream. Sure. They see CakeTroi again:
How does her hair look so good even when she is a cake
I bet that black frosting was hard to create. Actually, that blue is so dark I bet that was tough, too. Let’s give it up for the art department.
Geordi and Picard tool around in Data’s dream for a while, and those miners from before come back:
Miner Catastrophe, the new line from Zara Man
I didn’t even notice that one guy’s mustard pants earlier. That is a bold pant choice that I respect.
Somehow the “going into Data’s dream” plan fixes everything, and all is back to normal. Spot is being a regular cat:
Cat toy technology has not changed
And Troi brings Data a cake of himself as a joke:
Black and mustard, the two most delicious-looking frosting colors
Would sign up to work for the Dark Side if those black booties were standard issue.
Anyone else have their tickets already? :-D Laura Dern will probably appear for all of 5 minutes and it will be the best 5 minutes of my life.
While we’re always happy to see Mark Hamill on a red carpet in expensive clothing (because it tends to indicate a new Star Wars film is opening soon), he’s not high on the list of people we tend to feature, nor is he much-requested by our readership.
Sorry, Mark. You’re a legend and you seem like a really swell guy. That was a shit introduction.
Anyway, that’s a nice-looking coat and we will burn down the theater if they kill off Luke Skywalker in this next installment.
And speaking of bad segues, here’s the real reason we slapped up this post: the aforementioned Star Wars collection from one of Tom’s fave brands, Rag & Bone:
DEAR SANTA,
YES, PLEASE.
LOVE,
T LO.
We know some of the men’s stuff might be a bit outside our ability to make work, but we really love how they’ve managed to capture the classic Star Wars aesthetic while blending it seamlessly with high-fashion and modern athleisure trends. There’s some genuinely cool stuff there.
AA sucks. We go to FL every December because #jews, and the past few years, AA either completely rescheduled the flight time or canceled the flight completely. This year we finally learned our lesson and went with Southwest instead.
Today in “there’s no solution to this problem that doesn’t ruin somebody’s Christmas,” we go to Dallas News:
American Airlines Group Inc. is rushing to resolve a scheduling fault that gave time off to too many pilots in December—a flaw that has left more than 15,000 flights without sufficient crew during the holiday rush, according to a union for the carrier’s pilots.
[…]
The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier is offering pilots 150 percent of their normal hourly wage to pick up some of the flights, the top rate laid out in their contract, [American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller] said.
The APA, representing 15,000 American pilots, has filed a grievance, saying the proposed solution violates its labor pact. The union wants to consult with American to find a solution that will motivate pilots to give up vacation they’ve already been granted after years of working over the holidays, [Allied Pilots Association union spokesman Dennis Tajer] said.
It’s because of this union that American Airlines can’t just say “sorry, vacation canceled,” right? Because that’s what they’d do if they were a retailer or a restaurant.
My holiday flights are currently booked on American, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens to them. My guess is that American will get those flights staffed somehow—probably by offering even more money.
But I’m not in a union, so I’m curious if any Billfolders with union experience can predict how this situation might get resolved.
yaaaaaaaassss it's almost that time of year again....the time of cray-mazing miss universe national costumes!!
Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir, who will be representing Iceland at the Miss Universe pageant this weekend, shared this photo of her premiere costume on Instagram yesterday.
As those who follow the pageant may know, contestants typically debut in costumes that reflect the cultural heritage of their country of origin, often with great artistic license. Arna Ýr’s costume is no exception.
Iceland was indeed prominent in the Viking Age, both in terms of pillaging and exploration. Recent archaeological evidence has also revealed that at least one Viking warrior was a woman.
In addition, though, as the announcer says in the video at the bottom of this article (at 29:03) (video’s deleted, sorry), the costume is also purportedly “channeling the spirit of strong, Viking women”, replete with battery-powered axe that lights up and garments comprised in part of fish skin.
The costume is fun, doesn’t take itself too seriously, but at the same time makes a nod to both Iceland’s past and its present day. But there may also be a more subtle messaging involved here: in particular, with the headpiece.
The aim of this costume was clearly not historical accuracy, but the inclusion of an animal’s skull on the headpiece does make one wonder if this is a reference to the nithing pole, an ancient way of placing a curse on someone that involves placing the head of a sheep or calf on top of a pole, and planting it in the ground, with the animal’s head facing the object of your hatred.
If a nithing pole reference was indeed the point of this headpiece, it naturally raises the question: to whom is the curse directed? The other contestants? The pageant itself? Somebody only Arna Ýr knows? We can only speculate.
Regardless, the costume is definitely unforgettable, and encompasses many elements of Iceland: not too serious, a bit ostentatious, but certainly and assuredly proud.
“Simon Says: A Challenge to Authority” a new story from Drunk J. Crew U Guys. #drunkjcrew #jcrew #simonsays #Cheetos #partygames Twitter: @drunkjcrewuguys
Ahem. Sorry. Pumpkin spice is towering over the food world right now. (I picture it like Godzilla wearing a Halloween pumpkin head.) But seriously, this is a fantastic fall dessert. I’m making a couple of these cheesecakes for Thanksgiving dinner.
I know pressure cooker cheesecake seems strange, but using the pressure cooker as a steamer is a great trick. The key to pressure cooker cheesecake is a 7-inch springform pan – just large enough to fit in a 6 quart Instant Pot. (Or Fagor Lux, or any other 6 quart electric pressure cooker – they’re all roughly the same size.)
And, as much as I love pressure cooker cheesecake, I had to change my cheesecake technique for this recipe. The change: do NOT cover the cheesecake pan with foil. This recipe puffs up as it cooks…and sticks to the foil, making a mess of the top. Once I got rid of the foil, I found out how much it was slowing down the cooking, too. I cut the cooking time to 20 minutes without foil. And finally, foil makes the cheesecake cook unevenly – I’d wind up with the outside cooked, but the middle still soupy. So, no more foil on the cheesecake!
(Why did I foil the cheesecake? To protect the cheesecake from steam. Turns out, the steam is no big deal. If water condenses on top. of the cheesecake, I dab it off with paper towels, and the cheesecake is fine.)
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Topping
Whipped Cream
Instructions
Prep the pan: Spray a 7-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the crushed ginger snaps and melted butter, then spread evenly across bottom of the pan, packing them down (and up the sides a little) with a flat bottomed glass (or your fingers).
Make the cheesecake filling: Soften the cream cheese by leaving it out at room temperature for at least 1 hour (or heat it in the microwave until it softens, about 20 to 30 seconds). Beat the cream cheese in an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Leave the mixer on medium and slowly add the sugar. Beat on medium speed until the sugar is completely blended, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Add the pumpkin, the pumpkin pie spice, and the vanilla, and beat on low speed until completely blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer again and scrape down the sides. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each on low speed until just blended. (Don’t over-beat the eggs.) Pour into the cheesecake pan.
Pressure cook the cheesecake for 20 minutes with a natural pressure release: Put 2 cups of water and the cooking rack in the pressure cooker pot. Make an aluminum foil sling to lift the cheesecake: fold a 2-foot long piece of aluminum foil over a few times, until it is a long strip about 4 inches wide. Center the cheesecake pan on the sling and carefully lower it into the pot, setting it on the rack. (Bend the edges of the foil sling over so they fit under the lid.) Lock the lid on the cooker and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes in an electric PC or 16 minutes in a stovetop PC, then let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 more minutes. (After 15 minutes, you can quick release any pressure left in the pot.)
Cool the cheesecake, then serve: Lift the cheesecake out of the pressure cooker. Immediately run a knife around the rim of the cheesecake pan to loosen the cheesecake from the sides. Cool the pan at room temperature for an hour, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Top with whipped cream and serve.
Notes
Don’t feel like crushing gingersnaps? Substitute 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs and 2 teaspoons sugar
Can’t find pumpkin pie spice? Use: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, a dash of ground cloves, and a dash of ground nutmeg
A question I know is coming: Can I use a bigger pan in an 8 quart pressure cooker? I don’t know; I don’t have a bigger pan to try, yet. If you do try it, let me know.
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Sure, it’s more than that. In fact, you should watch the trailer, because this flick looks …
FLAMAZING.
And we don’t just mean the eye-popping costume and art direction. The performances look fantastic and we’d bet on the trailer alone that Allison Janey will be snatching up all kinds of awards in the months to come. Oscar nom practically guaranteed.
But Jesus take the wheel, is this ever giving us bad hair flashbacks:
For all you kids out there too young to remember: YES. THE WORLD REALLY LOOKED LIKE THAT.
It’s truly a wonder we ever survived it all. Bad perms and stone-washed denim as far as the eye could see, you guys. It was hell for baby T Lo. HELL.
We are so watching this on opening day.
[Stills: Neon via Tom and Lorenzo – Video Credit: Neon via YouTube.com]
Money may not be able to buy love, but here in Japan, it can certainly buy the appearance of love—and appearance, as the dapper Ishii Yuichi insists, is everything. As a man whose business involves becoming other people, Yuichi would know. The handsome and charming 36-year-old is on call to be your best friend, your husband, your father, or even a mourner at your funeral.
His 8-year-old company, Family Romance, provides professional actors to fill any role in the personal lives of clients. With a burgeoning staff of 800 or so actors, ranging from infants to the elderly, the organization prides itself on being able to provide a surrogate for almost any conceivable situation.
Yuichi believes that Family Romance helps people cope with unbearable absences or perceived deficiencies in their lives. In an increasingly isolated and entitled society, the CEO predicts the exponential growth of his business and others like it, as à la carte human interaction becomes the new norm.
I sat down recently with Yuichi in a café on the outskirts of Tokyo, to discuss his business and what it means to be, in the words of his company motto, “more than real.”
Roc Morin: Just to be perfectly clear, you’ve come as yourself today, haven’t you?
Ishii Yuichi: Yes, at this moment I am only myself.
Morin: What was your very first role?
Yuichi: I had a single-mother friend, and she had a son. He was trying to enter a private school, but they denied him solely because he had no father. I wanted to challenge the unfairness of Japanese society, so I posed as his father.
Morin: Were you successful?
Yuichi: Not in that situation. But, it inspired the idea for this business.
Morin: When was your first success?
Yuichi: I played a father for a 12-year-old with a single mother. The girl was bullied because she didn’t have a dad, so the mother rented me. I’ve acted as the girl’s father ever since. I am the only real father that she knows.
Morin: And this is ongoing?
Yuichi: Yes, I’ve been seeing her for eight years. She just graduated high school.
Morin: Does she understand that you’re not her real father?
Yuichi: No, the mother hasn’t told her.
Morin: How do you think she would feel if she discovered the truth?
Yuichi: I think she would be shocked. If the client never reveals the truth, I must continue the role indefinitely. If the daughter gets married, I have to act as a father in that wedding, and then I have to be the grandfather. So, I always ask every client, “Are you prepared to sustain this lie?” It’s the most significant problem our company has.
Morin: So, you could be involved with her for the rest of your life?
Yuichi: It’s risky that she might discover the truth someday. In this company, one person can only have five families at a time. That’s the rule. It’s not only about secrecy. The client always asks for the ideal husband, the ideal father. That’s a very difficult role to maintain.
Ishii Yuichi (Roc Morin)
Morin: How do you determine what the ideal husband or father is?
Yuichi: There’s an order form where every possible preference is listed: hairstyle, glasses, beard, fashion sense ... Do you like classy or casual? Is he affectionate or stern? When he arrives, should he be talkative or tired from a long day at work?
Morin: What did the mother you mentioned earlier request on her form?
Yuichi: She wanted the father to be kind, very kind. He would never yell. She wanted the kind of father that would be able to deliver wise advice.
Morin: How did you create that persona?
Yuichi: I’m not married in real life. I have no kids. At first, I couldn’t really find in myself the kind of father that she wanted me to be. So, I watched a lot of movies about fathers, and I cultivated my persona through the movies.
Morin: Can you describe the sessions with your fake daughter?
Yuichi: Sometimes we dine together. We’ve been to theme parks, like Disneyland. We go shopping in Harajuku once a month. The mother pays about 20,000 yen per four hours, plus expenses. That’s about $200.
Morin: What’s your cover story?
Yuichi: I told her I have my own family now, and that’s why I can’t see her often.
Morin: What happened to the real father?
Yuichi: Even the mother doesn’t know. There was a lot of physical violence. They divorced, and that was the end of it.
Morin: Did you take his name?
Yuichi: Yes, I use the father’s name—first and last.
Morin: How do you handle it when the daughter gets angry or sad?
Yuichi: I never yell, no matter what. That was in the order-form description. The girl was bullied also, if you remember, so her feelings can be very unsettling. There was also a rebellious time, in her teens. She was having difficulties with her mother. When she’s with me, though, she always asks, “Why do you have to leave now?” It’s unpleasant, but it is a reasonable emotion.
Morin: Does she love you?
Yuichi: She does. It’s easy to feel her love. She talks about her relationship with her mother, she shares sensitive feelings, she opens up to me.
Morin: Does any aspect of your real self seep in?
Yuichi: I don’t allow it to, otherwise I would become self-conscious.
Morin: Do you feel like you have a responsibility to the daughter, because of your connection to her now?
Yuichi: Depending on the situation, it’s different. The heaviness is different, but everywhere I go, I feel it—the responsibility.
Morin: When you’re working, is it purely acting, or do the feelings ever become real?
Yuichi: It’s a business. I’m not going to be her father for 24 hours. It’s a set time. When I am acting with her, I don't really feel that I love her, but when the session is over and I have to go, I do feel a little sad. The kids cry sometimes. They say, “Why do you have to leave?” In those instances, I feel very sorry that I’m faking it—very guilty. There are times, when I’m done with the work and I come back home, where I sit and watch TV. I find myself wondering, “Is this, now, the real me, or the actor?”
Morin: How do you answer that question?
Yuichi: I don’t think I have an answer. The person that used to be me—is he me now? I know that it’s common for actors to feel that way. If you’re a really good actor—if you’re in it all the time—it feels very unsettling.
Morin: When do you feel the most like yourself?
Yuichi: When I’m with my family, my real family. It’s agonizing to be alone and just think, “Is this really me, right now?” The inner monologues are tough.
Morin: How do you know that your family hasn’t been hired?
Yuichi: That’s a good question! No one knows.
Morin: I have a project collecting dreams, and often work is a common theme. Do you dream about your work?
Yuichi: I dream about my client—when she cries because I have to leave. It’s a very emotional situation.
Morin: How is the dream different from reality?
Yuichi: Sometimes, in the dream, I tell her the truth.
Morin: What do you say?
Yuichi: I say, “I’m very sorry. I’m a member of the Family Romance corporation. I’m not your true father.” Right before she can respond—just as she opens her mouth to speak, I wake up. I am terrified of the answer, so I just wake up.
Morin: Are you ever someone else in your dreams?
Yuichi: In Japanese business culture, there is a situation where you have to visit a company and say I’m deeply sorry for what I did and just bow and bow. Occasionally, I dream about that.
Morin: How does that work when you’re hired to do that in real life?
Yuichi: Usually, I accompany a salaryman who made a mistake. I take the identity of the salaryman myself, then I apologize profusely for his mistake. Have you seen the way we say sorry? You go have to down on your hands and knees on the floor. Your hands have to tremble. So, my client is there standing off to the side—the one who actually made the mistake—and I’m prostrate on the floor writhing around, and the boss is there red-faced as he hurls down abuse from above. Sometimes, I wonder to myself, “Am I actually doing this?”
Morin: What do you feel?
Yuichi: I feel extremely uncomfortable. I’m just thinking, “I’m innocent!” I want to point at the actual culprit and shout, “He did it!”
Morin: Are you ever hired to apologize in other situations?
Yuichi: Yes, sometimes in relationships. Imagine there’s a married couple, and the wife cheats on the husband. When that happens, the husband often demands a confrontation with the other man. Naturally, this can be difficult to arrange, because the man usually runs away. In that case, they bring me instead.
Morin: What happens then?
Yuichi: There’s a manual for everything in this company. We use psychology to determine the optimal outcome. In this case, the standard tactic is to make me look like a yakuza [gangster]. Typically, I arrive with the wife, and the husband is there, and suddenly I will just bow then deeply apologize. Usually, the husband will berate me, but because I appear to be a yakuza, he won’t pursue the matter further.
Morin: I understand you work as a boyfriend too. Can you describe that experience?
Yuichi: Those clients are usually older ladies. It used to be primarily women in their 50s, but now there are even more women in their 30s.
Morin: Is this sexual or just platonic?
Yuichi: It’s a dating situation. It’s not about having sexual relations, although some women have expected that. Generally, the women just want to have fun with a younger man. They want to feel young again.
Morin: Why do you think these women hire you?
Yuichi: The women typically say that in a real relationship, you’re slowly building trust. It takes years to create a strong connection. For them, it’s a lot of hassle and disappointment. Imagine investing five years with someone and then they break up with you. It’s just easier to schedule two hours per week to interact with an ideal boyfriend. There’s no conflict, no jealously, no bad habits. Everything is perfect.
Morin: You’ve been on so many fake dates—what is it like for you, in your own personal life, to go on an actual date?
Yuichi: I don’t have a real girlfriend right now. Real dating feels like work. It feels like work to care for a real person.
Morin: Do you plan on having a family someday?
Yuichi: Honestly, I’m full. I’m full of family, and I feel like it’s a lot to manage. Sometimes, a client asks me to be there in the room when she gives birth. One time, the client was a pregnant woman, and rather than ask her parents, she wanted me to be there. So, I went. Some women propose to me, and I say no, but it’s very hard for me to say no.
Morin: Why?
Yuichi: Many women say, “I want to marry you.” I say, “You’re in love with an order form. It’s not me—it’s the acting that you love.” If I married her, I’d have to keep acting. And, there are certain women who are wonderful, but the soul I have with them is not my real soul. So, I cannot and I would not.
Morin: Do you ever prefer playing a role to being yourself?
Yuichi: I like playing the caring father. I play with the kids, even when I’m tired. It’s very tough when you're exhausted, but you still show up, and you try to create happiness. That’s the kind of father I admire, even when it’s me.
Morin: What is your favorite role?
Yuichi: It doesn’t happen often, but there are cases when I have to be a groom. There are situations where parents pressure a daughter to marry—if she’s a lesbian, for example. So, they have an entire wedding, and it’s a fake wedding, except for the client’s family. The friends, and everyone else are fake. My side is all fake. Fifty fake people all pretending it’s real. The cost is 2 million yen, for everyone.
Morin: How many times have you been married?
Yuichi: Three times.
Morin: And the brides—they never see you again?
Yuichi: We never meet again.
Morin: Do the brides get emotional—having to marry a stranger?
Yuichi: The women usually don’t like showing emotion to me, but sometimes I feel emotional. Everyone on my side is a coworker, and they’re all celebrating me. So, there is a moment when it does seem very real.
Morin: Why do you think this kind of business thrives in Japan specifically?
Yuichi: The Japanese are not expressive people. There is a communication deficit. In conversation, we do not express ourselves, our opinions, our emotions. Others come first, before our own desires. The family size is diminishing too. Families used to be larger. Now, you eat alone.
Morin: What do you predict for the future of your business?
Yuichi: The demand is increasing. More people, for example, want help to appear popular on social media. We had one man recently who paid a huge sum just to fly with five employees to Las Vegas and take pictures for Facebook.
Morin: Have you or any of your employees hired other actors for your own lives?
Yuichi: It happens. For instance, some employees hire actors to praise them in the presence of people they want to impress. Personally, when I throw speaking seminars, I often bring extras to bolster the crowd.
Morin: Is everyone in the world replaceable?
Yuichi: That’s a very good question. I’m not sure. There was one case of a man in his 60s. His wife died, and he wanted to order another copy of her. We provided that.
Morin: And he called the new woman by his wife’s old name?
Yuichi: Yes, the same name, and he wanted her to call him what his wife had. She called him Otōsan—it means father. In Japan, it’s pretty common to say father, even if you’re the wife.
Morin: Did she have the same memories as the wife?
Yuichi: There are certain memories, yes. There’s a blank sheet, and the client writes the memories that he wants the wife to remember.
Morin: When your employees mimic a strong emotional connection like that—is it ever a problem that they become too emotionally attached to their clients?
Yuichi: Attachment is a problem. So, there are rules. They cannot share personal contact information. If it’s a boyfriend or girlfriend scenario, they cannot be alone in a room. They can hold hands, but they cannot hug. No kissing. No sex.
Morin: What makes your company different from competitors?
Yuichi: We have a huge variation of employees and the dedication to create an experience that surpasses reality. That’s why our motto is “more than real.” We had a case recently where a dying man wanted to see his grandchild, but it would not have been born in time. His daughter was able to rent an infant for the day.
Morin: What does it mean to be “more than real”?
Yuichi: There are less concerns. There is less misunderstanding and conflict. Our clients can expect better results.
Morin: You’re offering a more perfect form of reality?
Yuichi: More ideal. More clean.
Morin: Are there any requests that you’ve rejected?
Yuichi: Unless it’s a crime, we will accept any request. Some people with anorexia, for example, want to see people who are willing to eat in front of them. They just find relief in watching a person who eats a lot. We will even do that.
Morin: What does the word “real” mean to you?
Yuichi: I believe the term “real” is misguided. Take Facebook, for example. Is that real? Even if the people in the pictures haven’t been paid, everything is curated to such an extent that it hardly matters.
Morin: Do you believe that the concept of “realness” has become invalid?
Yuichi: I believe that the world is always unfair, and my business exists because of that unfairness.
Morin: So, you are correcting injustice?
Yuichi: A woman with a boyfriend doesn’t need to hire a boyfriend. A man with a father doesn’t need to hire a father. It's about bringing balance to society.
Morin: Is it possible to avoid the truth forever?
Yuichi: The truth does have to come out eventually. The happiness is not endless, but that doesn’t mean that it’s without value. The child had a father when she needed him most. It might have been a brief period, and she might know the truth now, but she had a meaningful experience at that time.
Morin: In your own personal life, what do you want that you don't have?
Yuichi: There is nothing more that I want. I've met so many clients. I've played so many roles with them. By doing my job, their dreams come true. In that way, my dreams come true as well. I feel fulfilled, just being needed.
Are you sassing us, young lady? Because this is all looking pretty sassy.
We’ve been crankily opining that the choices being made for her regarding her promotional style have been odd and off-putting because of the constant attempts to age her up into a minimalist style that simply doesn’t suit her. And the reason it doesn’t suit her is because she’s thirteen.
We get that PUH-LENTY of people will decry this look for being too mature or perhaps too sexualized for someone of her age. We’re not in 100 percent disagreement on that. But this, at least, is a style suited to someone young, simply because it’s got some swing, frilliness and whimsy to it. Granted, this might not be the best example to use, but with some minor changes in silhouette, you could’ve put a young Judy Garland in this exact look 75 years ago. The dress is simply cute – and to our way of thinking, “cute” should be the number one descriptor in her style brief.
The shoes are INSANELY cute and gaudy in a way that would naturally appeal to a 13-year-old. Again, we get that they might be considered verboten for a kid that age by many, but at least they’re fun and not coolly sophisticated. Speaking of which, they’re still styling her head like a 35-year-old.
The coat’s gorgeous but we think a bright red or even a white one would have made for a much more arresting shot.
It occurs to us she’d make a perfect Judy Garland for a biopic now, but our real hope is a Princess Leia movie.
Talk about #GOALS. If we absolutely must grow old (and the alternative certainly doesn’t sound appealing), then we want to become a fabulous, DGAF, Dowager Queen like Sir Ian, with an endless collection of jaunty hats, colorful scarves, and the occasionally killer Gucci bootie.
Of course none of that will work half as well without the aforementioned DGAF attitude, which this Empress has in spades:
Ian McKellen attends photocall for “Ian McKellen: Playing The Part” during the 2017 Rome Film Fest in Rome, Italy.
Sir Ian does not go for irons or steamers.
Sir Ian packs his glasses in case he needs to read something and doesn’t think posing is something a dignified actor should do.
Sir Ian thinks you’re all being quite silly about all this and you should calm down.
Sir Ian has done enough standing for you lot.
Sir Ian’s fabulous scarf, lavender t-shirt and pink bracelet are all an old queen needs, darling. He’d be the first to tell you that.
For the premiere, however, Sir Ian went a little more formal:
Ian McKellen attends the premiere of “Ian McKellen: Playing The Part” during the 2017 Rome Film Fest in Rome, Italy.
And by that we mean he wore a shirt with buttons, shoes with laces and refrained from lying down when he got bored.
But Sir Ian seems to be much more amenable to posing and smiling this time. What could have changed, do you think?
Perhaps you must be a queen to spot the difference. You see, Sir Ian is really feeling himself because …
Darlings, the world is dark and full of terrors once again. Also, it’s Monday. Reason enough for us to shut our mouths and let two fabulous broads strut their stuff in the manner God intended. Take it away, ladies.
Love the look, but–
Oh, whatever. Who cares about our quibbles? WERQ, mama.
Queen Helen is having more fun than you’re legally allowed to have on a catwalk. Also: we’re loving how full of personality this ensemble is. They could’ve put her in some goddess gown, but this is so much more fun to watch. SLAY, mama.
Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin at the Emmy Awards 2017 in Los Angeles, California.
Damn, we’re jealous:
We clearly lived our lives wrong if people weren’t throwing free Prada and Balmain at us before our voices changed. Boys, we hate you, but we also salute you.
Finn Wolfhard in Prada
Going for the classic look, as befits the movie star in the group.
Noah Schnapp in Balmain
LOVE this. Granted, we don’t think it would work well on most adults who aren’t also members of the Jackson family, but it’s such a fabulous choice for a kid.
Gaten Matarazzo in Ted Baker
Gaten went for a grownup form of sophistication. We might’ve wanted him to have more fun with things, but we can’t really complain all that much. What’s notable is how this suit is fitted better than most adult men can manage on the RC.
Caleb McLaughlin in Garçon Couture
To DIE. Love this. We love Donald Glover’s purple tux more, but this is a very close second. Who knew we’d have more than one purple tux to choose from?
Once again, we have to offer kudos to whoever’s styling them. They always step out looking stylish, appropriate for the occasion, and distinct from each other. Each boy is styled according to his own personality and preferences – and it shows.
“When Balenciaga approached us, we were intrigued by the opportunity to push the boundaries of our design and molding capabilities to see what we could create together. Working with Balenciaga has been so much fun for our team, and once again demonstrates the relevance of our iconic clog in today’s fashion and design world, as well as allowing us to tap into the excitement and energy that comes from unexpected partnerships.”
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 1 small cheesecake
Category: Dessert
Method: Pressure Cooker
Cuisine: American
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“We’re here to honor the legacy of one of the most admired and inspirational people ever associated with NASA” [ more › ]
