General

The Pixar Way — Part I: “What We Didn’t Know” or “My Journey of Pain”

JHM contributor Sean Kennelly is back with the first installment of a new three part series, which details the info that the folks from Pixar Animations Studios shared at this year’s Screenwriting Expo

Published

18 years ago

November 15, 2006

Jim Hill

I’ve seen all the hubbub and groans lately over John Lasseter’s musical decisions and while not everyone may be happy with what goes down, you gotta know that Lasseter and the gang at Pixar are all about change. In fact they embrace change and do everything in their power to stay fresh.

How do I know this, you ask? I got to listen to them tell me this first-hand just a few weeks ago. As many of you know, the folks at Pixar are legend when it comes to the success they have had in telling great stories in the feature film arena. So they agreed to come down to Southern California for a weekend and teach a group of screenwriters at the annual Screenwriting Expo (sponsored by Creative Screenwriting magazine) the secret of their success.

We’re not just talking about one token Pixar employee, but almost their entire creative staff including: Andrew Stanton (“Toy Story” 1 & 2, “A Bugs Life,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo“), Dave Reynolds (“The Emperor’s New Groove,” “Finding Nemo”), Lee Unkrich (“Toy Story 2,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo”), Mike Arndt (“Little Miss Sunshine“), Brenda Chapman (“The Little Mermaid,” “The Lion King,” “The Prince of Egypt“), Dan Gerson (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Cars“), Gary Rydstrom (artist & sound designer extraordinaire – everything from “Jurassic Park” to “Toy Story 2” and beyond ), Irene Mecchi ( “The Lion King,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Hercules”) and Kiel Murray (“Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “Cars”) [Note: Pete Docter was also scheduled but was unable to attend].

As you can see from their credits (and many I have not listed) these guys and gals are a wealth of riches that Pixar draws on every time they go out to make a movie. Forgive me for not announcing the event to everyone here on Jim Hill Media. But they had already sold out the event several times over and had to send video feeds of the presentations to additional rooms just to cover those who had already bought tickets.

The bad news for the press (i.e. me), was that Pixar would not allow any video or audio recording of any kind, nor any still photography during the presentations. So … I took notes as fast as my hand would allow and took photos of the banners in the room prior to the show.

Fans from all walks of life were there including the folks from Aardman Animation who were in town for the premiere of their new film “Flushed Away.” I actually got to talk to Nick Park and ask him about his upcoming projects. Alas, he was fairly tight-lipped about the future but a really nice guy all around.

First up was writer-director Andrew Stanton, who led off with an insightful presentation entitled “Understanding Story.” He began by stating that storytelling is joke telling and very quickly laid out the “Pixar Rules.”

PIXAR RULES

1. No politics

I truly think they mean this. In all the interaction and panels I saw their team conduct, everyone seemed to a have a healthy sense of humor and not once did I detect an unhealthy ego lurking in the background.

2. No studio execs

By this, Andrew stated that Pixar is studio run by artists, in his words “film school without the teachers”. There are no layers of middle managers, creative executives or corporate bureaucrats itching to put their thumbprint on every project that comes their way. Just artists striving to make the very best entertainment on planet earth.

I truly believe that most Hollywood misfires are a result of the multi-layered, ego-filled bureaucracy that is Hollywood. Just ask any credit administrator at a major studio and they’ll tell you about all the bizarre things people do just to get their name in the credits of a movie … even if they had nothing to do with it. Ego often rules Hollywood, but not Pixar.

3. Director driven studio

Why does this matter? Someone needs to run the show and without studio execs and a host of producers or other actors to please, the director takes the reins. But these aren’t just any director. Most of these people are WRITER – Directors. They are visual storytellers who work closely with another writer and/or director to develop and create their movies. Again, this is a team effort with the director(s) taking the lead. And it’s amazing what a singular vision can create with a great supporting team.

4. In-house original ideas ONLY

Sorry folks. If you had some idea you wanted to submit to Pixar for their next film…you’re out of luck. The only ideas the surface in Emeryville, CA come from the inside and not just from the writers or directors. Everyone, company-wide, is encouraged to submit ideas. And they are actually considered.

Of course upon hearing of these concepts, a film executive once asked Stanton, “What, do you live in fairyland?” to which Stanton proudly exclaimed, “Yes, I live in fairyland.”

Stanton then went on to give a brief history of Pixar which he humorously entitled …

“What We Didn’t Know” or “My Journey of Pain”

When Pixar first began in the early ’90s, they already knew that their success lay in audience participation. For them, a good story is an equation of 2 + 2 where the audience comes up with 4 (the answer). And they felt they could make a better movie. Note that Stanton did not say a better animated movie, but a better movie. As Brad Bird put it, “Animation is a medium, not a genre.” Animation just happened to be the easiest way for Pixar to tell their stories.

The Oscar-winning short “Tin Toy” was actually the test launch for what would be “Toy Story.” Of course in charting this course into feature film territory, Pixar came up with a few rules to differentiate themselves from other animated fare. In fact when Tom Hanks was approached to be part of the film, he probably summed it up nicely when he asked, “You don’t want me to sing, do you?”

Of course Pixar calmed his fears early on since they had already determined that in their films there would be:

No songs
No happy village song
No love story
No villain
No “I want” moment / song

Interestingly enough, when the folks at Disney reviewed Pixar’s “Toy Story” script, they were a bit concerned. So some guy named Tim Rice ( I believe it’s Sir Tim Rice now) suggested they should add:

Songs
A happy village song
A love story
A villain
An “I want” moment / song

It was at this point that Pixar knew they were on the right track and had effectively broken the mold. Of course there was much they still had to do.

Take the character of Woody, for instance. In the early drafts of the script, Woody came off as a very unlikable character. He was very guarded, negative, and plain selfish and it was killing the movie. But the guys & gals at Pixar realized that real people are much more complicated and layered. So they decided that Woody could disguise his truly self-serving nature by being self-less. Or at least that was the way it would seem to others until the moment Woody found himself under a crate in Sid’s room. In this beautifully executed scene, Woody plays his own self-therapist.

INT. SID’S ROOM

Sid is in bed fast asleep.

Woody struggles to move his milkcrate jail, but with the weight of the toolbox on top it won’t budge.

Woody looks across the desktop at Buzz sitting dejectedly with the rocket strapped to his back.

WOODY
Ps-s-s-s-t! Psst! Hey, Buzz!

No reaction from Buzz.

Woody picks up a stray washer from the desktop and flings it at Buzz, striking his helmet.

Buzz lifts his head and turns lifelessly to look at Woody.

WOODY
Hey! Get over here and see if you
can get this tool box off me.

Buzz just looks away from Woody and bows his head.

WOODY
Oh, come on, Buzz. I…Buzz, I
can’t do this without you. I need
your help.

BUZZ
I can’t help. I can’t help anyone.

WOODY
Why, sure you can, Buzz. You can
get me out of here and then I’ll
get that rocket off you, and we’ll
make a break for Andy’s house.

BUZZ
Andy’s house. Sid’s house. What’s
the difference.

WOODY
Oh, Buzz, you’ve had a big fall.
You must not be thinking clearly.

BUZZ
No, Woody, for the first time I am
thinking clearly. (looking at himself)
You were right all along. I’m not
a Space Ranger. I’m just a toy. A
stupid little insignificant toy.

WOODY
Whoa, hey — wait a minute. Being
a toy is a lot better than being a
Space Ranger.

BUZZ
Yeah, right.

WOODY
No, it is. Look, over in that
house is a kid who thinks you are
the greatest, and it’s not because
you’re a Space Ranger, pal, it’s
because you’re a TOY! You are HIS
toy.

BUZZ
But why would Andy want me?

WOODY
Why would Andy want you?! Look at
you! You’re a Buzz Lightyear. Any
other toy would give up his moving
parts just to be you. You’ve got
wings, you glow in the dark, you
talk, your helmet does that — that
whoosh thing — you are a COOL toy.

Woody pauses and looks at himself.

WOODY
(continued; depressed)
As a matter of fact you’re too cool.
I mean — I mean what chance does a
toy like me have against a Buzz
Lightyear action figure? All I can
do is…

Woody pulls his own pull-string.

WOODY (VOICE BOX)
There’s a snake in my boots!

Woody bows his head.

WOODY
Why would Andy ever want to play
with me, when he’s got you? (pause)
I’m the one that should be strapped
to that rocket.

He begins by building up Buzz in hope of escaping, and then breaks himself down, finally exposing Woody’s true weakness – a lack of self-worth.

Of course this was just the first step on the road not taken. In Part 2 of this series, we’ll get into more of the history of Pixar and Andrew Stanton reveals more of Pixar’s filmmaking philosophies.

General

Seward Johnson bronzes add a surreal, artistic touch to NYC’s Garment District

Published

9 years ago

June 23, 2015

Jim Hill

Greetings from NYC. Nancy and I drove down from New
Hampshire yesterday because we'll be checking out
Disney Consumer Products' annual Holiday Showcase later today.

Anyway … After checking into our hotel (i.e., The Paul.
Which is located down in NYC's NoMad district), we decided to grab some dinner.
Which is how we wound up at the Melt Shop.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is this restaurant that only sells grilled cheese sandwiches.
This comfort food was delicious, but kind of on the heavy side.

Photo by Jim Hill

Which is why — given that it was a beautiful summer night
— we'd then try and walk off our meals. We started our stroll down by the Empire
State Building
…

Photo by Jim Hill

… and eventually wound up just below Times
Square (right behind where the Waterford Crystal Times Square New
Year's Eve Ball is kept).

Photo by Jim Hill

But you know what we discovered en route? Right in the heart
of Manhattan's Garment District
along Broadway between 36th and 41st? This incredibly cool series of life-like
and life-sized sculptures that Seward
Johnson has created.

Photo by Jim Hill

And — yes — that is Abraham Lincoln (who seems to have
slipped out of WDW's Hall of Presidents when no one was looking and is now
leading tourists around Times Square). These 18 painted
bronze pieces (which were just installed late this past Sunday night / early
Monday morning) range from the surreal to the all-too-real.

Photo by Jim Hill

Some of these pieces look like typical New Yorkers. Like the
business woman planning out her day …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the postman delivering the mail …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the hot dog vendor working at his cart …

Photo by Jim Hill

… the street musician playing for tourists …

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention the tourists themselves.

Photo by Jim Hill

But right alongside the bronze businessmen …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and the tired grandmother hauling her groceries home …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there were also statues representing people who were
from out-of-town …

Photo by Jim Hill

… or — for that matter — out-of-time.

Photo by Jim Hill

These were the Seward Johnson pieces that genuinely beguiled. Famous impressionist paintings brought to life in three dimensions.

Note the out-of-period water bottle that some tourist left
behind. Photo by Jim Hill

Some of them so lifelike that you actually had to pause for
a moment (especially as day gave way to night in the city) and say to yourself
"Is that one of the bronzes? Or just someone pretending to be one of these
bronzes?"

Mind you, for those of you who aren't big fans of the
impressionists …

Photo by Jim Hill

… there's also an array of American icons. Among them
Marilyn Monroe …

Photo by Jim Hill

… and that farmer couple from Grant Wood's "American
Gothic."

Photo by Jim Hill

But for those of you who know your NYC history, it's hard to
beat that piece which recreates Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous photograph of V-J Day in Times Square.

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, a 25-foot-tall version of this particular Seward
Johnson piece ( which — FYI — is entitled "Embracing Peace") will actually
be placed in Times Square for a few days on or around August 14th to commemorate the 70th
anniversary of Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day).

Photo by Jim Hill

By the way, if you'd like to check these Seward Johnson bronzes in
person (which — it should be noted — are part of the part of the Garment
District Alliance's new public art offering) — you'd best schedule a trip to
the City sometime over the next three months. For these pieces will only be on
display now through September 15th.

General

Wondering what you should “Boldly Go” see at the movies next year? The 2015 Licensing Expo offers you some clues

Published

9 years ago

June 10, 2015

Jim Hill

Greeting from the 2015 Licensing Expo, which is being held
at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las
Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

I have to admit that I enjoy covering the Licensing Expo.
Mostly becomes it allows bloggers & entertainment writers like myself to
get a peek over the horizon. Scope out some of the major motion pictures &
TV shows that today's vertically integrated entertainment conglomerates
(Remember when these companies used to be called movie studios?) will be
sending our way over the next two years or so.

Photo by Jim Hill

Take — for example — all of "The Secret Life of
Pets" banners that greeted Expo attendees as they made their way to the
show floor today. I actually got to see some footage from this new Illumination
Entertainment production (which will hit theaters on July 8, 2016) the last time I was in Vegas. Which
was for CinemaCon back in April. And the five or so minutes of film that I viewed
suggested that "The Secret Life of Pets" will be a really funny
animated feature.

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, Universal Pictures wanted to make sure that Expo
attendees remembered that there was another Illumination Entertainment production
coming-to-a-theater-near-them before "The Secret Life of Pets" (And
that's "Minions," the "Despicable Me" prequel. Which
premieres at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival next week but
won't be screened stateside 'til July 10th of this year). Which is why they had
three minions who were made entirely out of LEGOS loitering out in the lobby.

Photo by Jim Hill

And Warner Bros. — because they wanted "Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice" to start trending on Twitter today — brought
the Batmobile to Las Vegas.

Photo by Jim Hill

Not to mention full-sized macquettes of Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman. Just so conventioneers could then see what these DC superheroes
would actually look like in this eagerly anticipated, March 25, 2016 release.

Photo by Jim Hill

That's the thing that can sometimes be a wee bit frustrating
about the Licensing Expo. It's all about delayed gratification. You'll come
around a corner and see this 100 foot-long ad for "The Peanuts Movie"
and think "Hey, that looks great. I want to see that Blue Sky Studios production
right now." It's only then that you notice the fine print and realize that
"The Peanuts Movie" doesn't actually open in theaters 'til November
6th of this year.

Photo by Jim Hill

And fan of Blue Sky's "Ice Age" film franchise are in for an even
longer wait. Given that the latest installment in that top grossing series
doesn't arrive in theaters 'til July
15, 2016.

Photo by Jim Hill

Of course, if you're one of those people who needs immediate
gratification when it comes to your entertainment, there was stuff like that to
be found at this year's Licensing Expo. Take — for example — how the WWE
booth was actually shaped like a wrestling ring. Which — I'm guessing — meant
that if the executives of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. didn't like
the offer that you were making, they were then allowed to toss you out over the
top rope, Royal Rumble-style.

Photo by Jim Hill

I also have to admit that — as a longtime Star Trek fan —
it was cool to see the enormous Starship Enterprise that hung in place over the
CBS booth. Not to mention getting a glimpse of the official Star Trek 50th
Anniversary logo.

Photo by Jim Hill

I was also pleased to see lots of activity in The Jim Henson
Company booth. Which suggests that JHC has actually finally carved out a
post-Muppets identity for itself.

Photo by Jim Hill

Likewise for all of us who were getting a little concerned
about DreamWorks Animation (what with all the layoffs & write-downs &
projects that were put into turnaround or outright cancelled last year), it was
nice to see that booth bustling.

Photo by Jim Hill

Every so often, you'd come across some people who were
promoting a movie that you weren't entirely sure that you actually wanted to
see (EX: "Angry Birds," which Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia
Pictures will be releasing to theaters on May 20, 2016). But then you remembered that Clay Kaytis —
who's this hugely talented former Walt Disney Animation Studios animator — is
riding herd on "Angry Birds" with Fergal Reilly. And you'd think
"Well, if Clay's working on 'Angry Birds,' I'm sure this animated feature
will turn out fine."

Photo by Jim Hill

Mind you, there were reminders at this year's Licensing Expo
of great animated features that we're never going to get to see now. I still
can't believe — especially after that brilliant proof-of-concept footage
popped up online last year — that Sony execs decided not to go forward
with production of Genndy Tartakovsky's
"Popeye" movie. But that's the
cruel thing about the entertainment business, folks. It will sometime break
your heart.

Photo by Jim Hill

And make no mistake about this. The Licensing Expo is all
about business. That point was clearly driven home at this year's show when —
as you walked through the doors of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
— the first thing that you saw was the Hasbros Booth. Which was this gleaming,
sleek two story-tall affair full of people who were negotiating deals &
signing contracts for all of the would-be summer blockbusters that have already
announced release dates for 2019 & beyond.

Photo by Jim Hill

"But what about The Walt Disney Company?," you
ask. "Weren't they represented on the show floor at this year's Licensing
Expo?" Not really, not. I mean, sure. There were a few companies there hyping
Disney-related products. Take — for example — the Disney Wikkeez people.

Photo by Jim Hill

I'm assuming that some Disney Consumer Products exec is
hoping that Wikkeez will eventually become the new Tsum Tsum. But to be blunt,
these little hard plastic figures don't seem to have the same huggable charm
that those stackable plush do. But I've been wrong before. So let's see what
happens with Disney Wikkeez once they start showing up on the shelves of the
Company's North American retail partners.

Photo by Jim Hill

And speaking of Disney's retail partners … They were
meeting with Mouse House executives behind closed doors one floor down from the
official show floor for this year's Licensing Expo.

Photo by Jim Hill

And the theme for this year's invitation-only Disney shindig? "Timeless
Stories" involving the Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm brands that
would then appeal to "tomorrow's consumer."

Photo by Jim Hill

And just to sort of hammer home the idea that Disney is no
longer the Company which cornered the market when it comes to little girls
(i.e., its Disney Princess and Disney Fairies franchises), check out this
wall-sized Star Wars-related image that DCP put up just outside of one of its
many private meeting rooms. "See?," this carefully crafted photo
screams. "It isn't just little boys who want to wield the Force. Little
girls also want to grow up and be Lords of the Sith."

Photo by Jim Hill

One final, kind-of-ironic note: According to this banner,
Paramount Pictures will be releasing a movie called "Amusement Park"
to theaters sometime in 2017.

Photo by Jim Hill

Well, given all the "Blackfish" -related issues
that have been dogged SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment over the past two years, I'm
just hoping that they'll still be in the amusement park business come 2017.

Your thoughts?

General

It takes more than three circles to craft a Classic version of Mickey Mouse

Published

9 years ago

June 9, 2015

Jim Hill

You know what Mickey Mouse looks like, right? Little guy,
big ears?

Truth be told, Disney's corporate symbol has a lot of
different looks. If Mickey's interacting with Guests at Disneyland
Park (especially this summer, when
the Happiest Place on Earth
is celebrating its 60th anniversary), he looks & dresses like this.

Or when he's appearing in one of those Emmy Award-winning shorts that Disney
Television Animation has produced (EX: "Bronco Busted," which debuts
on the Disney Channel tonight at 8 p.m. ET / PT), Mickey is drawn in a such a
way that he looks hip, cool, edgy & retro all at the same time.

Looking ahead to 2017 now, when Disney Junior rolls out "Mickey and the
Roadster Racers," this brand-new animated series will feature a sportier version
of Disney's corporate symbol. One that Mouse House managers hope will persuade
preschool boys to more fully embrace this now 86 year-old character.

That's what most people don't realize about the Mouse. The
Walt Disney Company deliberately tailors Mickey's look, even his style of
movement, depending on what sort of project / production he's appearing in.

Take — for example — Disney
California Adventure
Park's "World of Color:
Celebrate!" Because Disney's main mouse would be co-hosting this new
nighttime lagoon show with ace emcee Neil Patrick Harris, Eric Goldberg really had
to step up Mickey's game. Which is why this master Disney animator created
several minutes of all-new Mouse animation which then showed that Mickey was
just as skilled a showman as Neil was.

Better yet, let's take a look at what the folks at Avalanche Studios just went
through as they attempted to create a Classic version of Mickey & Minnie.
One that would then allow this popular pair to become part of Disney Infinity
3.0.

"I won't lie to you. We were under a lot of pressure to
get the look of this particular version of Mickey — he's called Red Pants
Mickey around here — just right," said Jeff Bunker, the VP of Art
Development at Avalanche Studios, during a recent phone interview. "When
we brought Sorcerer Mickey into Disney Infinity 1.0 back in January of 2014,
that one was relatively easy because … Well, everyone knows what Mickey Mouse
looked like when he appeared in 'Fantasia.' "

"But this time around, we were being asked to design
THE Mickey & Minnie," Bunker continued. "And given that these Classic
Disney characters have been around in various different forms for the better
part of the last century … Well, which look was the right look?"

Which is why Jeff and his team at Avalanche Studios began watching hours &
hours of Mickey Mouse shorts. As they tried to get a handle on which look would
work best for these characters in Disney Infinity 3.0.

"And we went all the way back to the very start of Mickey's career. We began
with 'Steamboat Willie' and then watched all of those black & white Mickey shorts
that Walt made back in the late 1920s & early 1930s. From there, we
transitioned to his Technicolor shorts. Which is when Mickey went from being
this pie-eyed, really feisty character to more of a well-behaved leading
man," Bunker recalled. "We then finished out our Mouse marathon by
watching all of those new Mickey shorts that Paul Rudish & his team have
been creating for Disney Television Animation. Those cartoons really recapture
a lot of the spirit and wild slapstick fun that Mickey's early, black &
white shorts had."

But given that the specific assignment that Avalanche Studios had been handed
was to create the most appealing looking, likeable version of Mickey Mouse
possible … In the end, Jeff and his team wound up borrowing bits & pieces
from a lot of different versions of the world's most famous mouse. So that
Classic Mickey would then look & move in a way that best fit the sort of
gameplay which people would soon be able to experience with Disney Infinity
3.0.

"That — in a lot of ways — was actually the toughest
part of the Classic Mickey design project. You have to remember that one of the
key creative conceits of Disney Infinity
is that all the characters which appear in this game are toys," Bunker
stated. "Okay. So they're beautifully detailed, highly stylized toy
versions of beloved Disney, Pixar, Marvel & Lucasfilm characters. But
they're still supposed to be toys. So our Classic versions of Mickey &
Minnie have the same sort of thickness & sturdiness to them that toys have.
So that they'll then be able to fit right in with all of the rest of the
characters that Avalanche Studios had previously designed for Disney Infinity."

And then there was the matter of coming up with just the
right pose for Classic Mickey & Minnie. Which — to hear Jeff tell the
story — involved input from a lot of Disney upper management.

"Everyone within the Company seemed to have an opinion
about how Mickey & Minnie should be posed. More to the point, if you Google
Mickey, you then discover that there are literally thousands of poses out there
for these two. Though — truth be told — a lot of those kind of play off the
way Mickey poses when he's being Disney's corporate symbol," Bunker said.
"But what I was most concerned about was that Mickey's pose had to work
with Minnie's pose. Because we were bringing the Classic versions of these
characters up into Disney Infinity 3.0 at the exact same time. And we wanted to
make sure — especially for those fans who like to put their Disney Infinity
figures on display — that Mickey's pose would then complement Minnie.

Which is why Jeff & the crew at Avalanche Studios
decided — when it came to Classic Mickey & Minnie's pose — that they
should go all the way back to the beginning. Which is why these two Disney icons
are sculpted in such a way that it almost seems as though you're witnessing the
very first time Mickey set eyes on Minnie.

"And what was really great about that was — as soon as
we began showing people within the Company this pose — everyone at Disney
quickly got on board with the idea. I mean, the Classic Mickey that we sculpted
for Disney Infinity 3.0 is clearly a very playful, spunky character. But at the
same time, he's obviously got eyes for Minnie," Bunker concluded. "So
in the end, we were able to come up with Classic versions of these characters
that will work well within the creative confines of Disney Infinity 3.0 but at
the same time please those Disney fans who just collect these figures because
they like the way the Disney Infinity characters look."

So now that this particular design project is over, does
Jeff regret that Mouse House upper management was so hands-on when it came to
making sure that the Classic versions of Mickey & Minnie were specifically
tailored to fit the look & style of gameplay found in Disney Infinity 3.0?

"To be blunt, we go through this every time we add a new character to the
game. The folks at Lucasfilm were just as hands-on when we were designing the
versions of Darth Vader and Yoda that will also soon be appearing in Disney
Infinity 3.0," Bunker laughed. "So in the end, if the character's
creators AND the fans are happy, then I'm happy."

This article was originally posted on the Huffington Post's Entertainment page on Tuesday, June 9, 2015