I could write a whole article on how amazingly awesome Brienne of Tarth is just from my own perspective but in this case I’ll leave it up to the actress who plays her on HBO’s Game of Thrones. Gwendoline Christie did an interview with TV Guide recently where she said some interesting things about gender roles in Westeros. 

“We needed a snappy and exciting actor to play the part, and not make it this ‘female scientist who takes off her glasses and suddenly she’s beautiful!’ There’s a certain element about her being the female Robert Downey Jr in a way.” —Director Shane Black on Rebecca Hall, who plays scientist Maya Hansen in Iron Man 3.

(via: ComicBookMovie)

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AsapSCIENCE is back with another marker animation to explain a bit of science some may not understand. Last time it was how Plan B works, this time it’s to explain why men have nipples that serve absolutely no purpose. Which I’m pretty sure I learned in middle school but hey, you might still be out of the loop and this is a fun way to learn.

Disclaimer: If you don’t agree with the science presented this video, just remember, we didn’t make it. (Just had to say it, we get that kind of thing a lot.)

(via Jezebel)

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This sketch from the Carol Burnett show is making the rounds on the interwebs today, and for pretty good reason, because it’s wonderfully silly. And, like most modern adaptations of original series Star Trek, Bones is the best thing about it.

(via I Heart Chaos.)

The Heat is an upcoming buddy cop film from the director of Bridesmaids starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. This is a trailer for that film on drugs. Ok, not really on drugs, but they talk about drugs, and curse, and blow stuff up because it’s a “Red Band” trailer (watch the non-red trailer). You have been warned.

(via Movies.com)

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I don’t think there will be too many people who disagree with me when I say that Adventure Time is one of the best things Cartoon Network has going for it right now. The animated show focuses on the epic adventures of hero Finn and shapeshifting dog Jake, in a brightly colored world where there’s a princess for everything (Muscle, Hot Dog, Doctor, Warrior, Ghost, and Lumpy Space, to name a few notable ones) that… also might be the freakish result of the total nuclear apocalypse that ended our own civilization. Like, it’s there. If you read into things. While Finn and Jake are the main characters, the majority of the extended cast are hilarious or kickbutt or politically powerful ladies.

That ratio was reversed by Natasha Allegri, one of the artists, designers, and writers behind the show. And in another age, character designs for Fionna, Cake, Prince Gumball, Marshall Lee and the Ice Queen might have been kept in a sketchbook or portfiolo. But we live in the internet age. So instead this alternate version of an obscure cartoon has spawned fanart, cosplay, fan animations, and even an entire episode of the actual show featuring celebrity guest voice acting. And now, it’s own comic series.

Harrods Department Store is a British institution that’s just as much a tourist spot as any other historical landmark in London. This past week they made history by opening their first gender-neutral toy department. It was designed by London and Singapore-based interior architects Shed and has been dubbed Toy Kingdom. Everything in Toy Kingdom is grouped by theme, not gender: enchanted forest, miniature toy world, a reading room, a circus area, and a candy store. Take a peek inside and see how easy it would be for other stores to adopt.

The portrait above isn’t just any old vintage picture. Recently sold at auction in New York City as a painting of “a woman in a feathered hat,” it’s actually thought to be the first known formal portait of a transvestite, the spy Chevalier d’Eon. The subject of this portrait is definitely a man, even though he lived the latter part of his life as a woman. And did I mention he was a spy, too? No really, kids, let’s find out more about the Chevalier d’Eon.

These mild-mannered Minnesotan firemen were 100% off-duty last weekend, appearing in Sauk Centre’s St. Patrick’s Day parade wearing dresses in order to raise money for charity (no, we don’t have any more details than that). This meant that when a truck fire started up just yards from where they were waiting to march off, instead of waiting for the nearest available fire department to travel the fifteen miles to get there, they got to work. From a safe distance where they wouldn’t be hindered by their lack of a firefighter’s normal safety equipment.

Showing once again that there’s nothing unmanly about appearing feminine.

(Stuff.co.nz via Best Week Ever.)

What could possibly make gender-swapped MST3K cosplay even better? Almost nothing, unless they were somehow caught on camera providing witty commentary during any or all of the panels. Like one of the panels that featured MST3K alumni. Can you even imagine that? It’s mind-blowing.

(Destructoid)