CULTURE

Why Everybody Hates the New “Mean Girls” Movie Style

Dress like Renee Rapp, not Regina George

2024 “Mean Girls” Movie Style

via Paramount Pictures/Mean Girls

We knew this was coming, didn’t we? Ever since the Mean Girls trailer dropped, the internet has been sounding off about everything. Millennials, who have never let that movie go since it came out 20 years ago, were offended by the tagline “Not your mother’s Mean Girls.” How old did the marketers think millennials are?

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Frontpage Popular News

Four Artists To Watch For In 2024

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Bios

Lindsay Lohan

All you need to know.

Full Name: Lindsay Dee Lohan

Date of Birth: July 2, 1986

Born: New York City, NY

Occupation: Actress, singer, designer, business owner

Status: Single

Children: 0

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FILM

17 "Mean Girls" Memes to Celebrate October 3rd

On Wednesdays, we wear pink — but on October 3rd, we also look at memes

14 years ago, Tina Fey graced us with a cinematic masterpiece called Mean Girls.

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Interviews

Nicky Paris Talks his Career, Artistry, and Opening for Mean Girls' Daniel Franzese

A Week Before He Opens for Daniel Franzese of Mean Girls Fame, We Talk About the Comedy Scene as a Gay Comic - and Also...The Cheesecake Factory.

It's always nice when you get a chance to sit down with someone who knows what they're talking about.

When I called Nicky Paris, I knew I was in for a treat. If not for the humorous and charming introduction about his muffin top, then definitely for the very important discussion of our favorite Taco Bell dishes (mine was the Taco Twelve Pack, don't judge). What proceeded was an amazing discussion about comedy, being queer, and his astounding upcoming projects.

Not only is he opening for Daniel Franzese of Mean Girls fame at the legendary Comedy Store in L.A. September 14th (you can get tickets here), but he also just got a residency at Flapper's Comedy Club in Burbank, and is the co-host of their new show every Thursday at 9:30 PM. Plus, he's got some pretty interesting developments that we just weren't able to talk about yet.


So, I decided that I had to pick is his brain - and figure out what makes Nicky Paris tick:

Congrats! Things are going really really well for you. You are opening for 'Damien' from Mean Girls' Daniel Franzese and you're going to be a nightly performer for Flappers (both of which I mispronounced) which is brilliant! So, tell me about that. What was it like hearing that news?

It been a really cool opportunity to get to perform with Danny because he's not just a great friend and a really good comic - but he's been one of my first famous friends. Everyone loves him. We went to the Cheesecake Factory, and there's a code that celebrities apparently get where they can cut the entire line! I'm on the Z List, so when I go to the Cheesecake Factory, it's like a four hour excursion. But he walks in and he gives them a code, I think was: "Mr. Cheesecake told me to ask-" I don't know, and we got a table right away. How many people can go into the Cheesecake Factory and be in and out in 45 minutes? Not many people, unless you camp out, which I've thought about doing a few times before. He gets recognized all the time. So, I'm not used to being videotaped or photographed. One of the first times we hung out together we were eating hamburger sliders at an event, and he's all elegant and I'm over here deep throating my burger with lettuce and chipotle aioli on my chin. I'm like a celebrity in training. Come see us at The Comedy Store this weekend!

That's really incredible. I'm a champion for gay and queer people and just going out there and killing it and you're really killing it.

Thank you, I really appreciate that.

So, I want to take it back and I want to talk about when you started doing comedy - like when did you start doing comedy for realsies?

Alright, so I was seventeen and, much like you, I'm sure, I wanted to be Britney Spears when I grew up. But unfortunately I have a muffin top and I can't sing. So I had to let that dream die. When I was seventeen, I started doing standup by accident. I was on a cruise ship with a bunch of friends and it was an open mic. Everyone was telling me that I should go up and perform and I kept saying "No." I had no interest. My whole life, everyone said that I should be a comedian and I was like, "Do people think I'm ugly? Is that what that means?" So I was always very hesitant, like wow, just tell me that I have a big nose. Anyway, I went up there I had nothing planned and I completely caught the bug, and the rest was history. It's been a tough but rewarding road to get to where I am in my career. I have a very long way to go. When I first started, I was seventeen and a kid and I'm twenty-five now and a little bit older and now I have wrinkles. A few people told me that I was knocking on doors that people weren't going to let me in, because I'm gay. I cried the whole train ride home. Now, people sort of sing a different tune. It's kind of cool when people tell you you can't do something and then you're just like, no, I'm going to do what I'm going to do and bring what I have to the table, and I'm gonna' fight for it. I love doing standup and I love to entertain people and make them laugh. The world is a rough, scary place and I think we all need to lighten up and laugh a lot more.

Oh, 100%. And it seems crazy that they were so worried about you being your authentic self, because that's what art is. It's crazy to me that someone in this industry would shit on you like that.

I'm a comedian who happens to be gay. I'm just as funny as a majority of my straight peers. Being gay doesn't make me, or anyone, a comic.

Okay, so tell me about your comedic influences. From the stuff I've seen, you are pretty fearless in the jokes that you make. You remind me of a Joan Rivers-esque kind of person.

I miss Joan so much, I had the pleasure to meet her a few times and we had some great conversations. Yeah, I can see the comparison because I definitely am a little edgy, but this is how I describe the intention behind comedic risks to people: I'm sure you have problems, I have problems, we all go through hardships, right? When you go and see me do stand up, I want it to feel like - you know, when you're going through something? And you call your best friend? And you're like, I don't care, fuck it, let's just go out and have a good time and laugh. That's what I want my comedy to be about. Life is so messed up and life is so cruel, let's just not take it seriously and let's have a laugh. I really want to encompass, when you see me perform, that you're on the edge of your seat because you don't know what is gonna' come out of my mouth next. I will say anything that I think is funny. Like, last night I was on stage - and I don't know why - but I turned to the lady sitting in the front and just said I said, "I can't wait to go home and flick my bean." I just thought of it and it shot out of my mouth. I have no fear.

Amazing!

I will perform anywhere, I just love performing. One of my favorite shows that I'm performing on right now is I've been hosting a show in L.A. with Adam Hunter at The Dime Bar every Tuesday at 8pm. He's from the Tonight Show and Chelsea Lately- and he's been one of my biggest mentors in comedy. He's one of the most fearless, unapologetic and sharpest comics that I know. He books the best comics every single week and he's fantastic. I admire people who take risks.

I'll make sure he's in, cause I love when I sit there and get taken places I never expected to go.

Exactly. Cherish the people who make you laugh! The world is a darker place without us.

You have been recognized by publications like HuffPost - there are numerous publications that have profiled you and talked to you - now you're opening for Daniel Franzese. How does it feel as a human being to get this recognition? What is your thought process?

Truthfully, I'm proud of it. But I don't get caught up in the press or "fame," because I'm definitely not famous. For me, it truly is about the artistry. So many people in this business wanna be famous. I discredit that with a lot of people, because for me, it's truly about the art form. I've performed in casinos, theaters, pizzerias. I performed at an Uzbekistanian restaurant in front of three people that didn't speak English, and I think I ruined their meal.

What a lot of people don't realize is that when I first started, I had to work at comedy clubs where I took tickets to get five minutes of stage time. I had a nine-to-five job, and I would literally go into the city in the freezing cold to work the box office for four hours to go on stage for five minutes. But I need that connection to go on stage, so it wasn't even a question. I didn't care that I wasn't getting paid, I would do whatever it took to get on a stage. A lot people don't realize the work you have to put into it, because there's so many comics - there's so many of us. I think a lot of it is paying your dues and I certainly have many more dues to pay, but it is so cool to be recognized and feel like people understand what I'm trying to do. Most people don't realize the work and drive that goes into it. The reality is that you can be the best comic in the world, unless you bring in money for a venue, they're not gonna book you. You have to pay your dues. The money will come later, focus on building and polishing your act.

I know you said you don't want to be known as just a gay comedian, but recently queer comedians and queer people in general have become a driving force in mainstream popular culture. Do you think this opens up doors for other queer and gay comedians like yourself?

Here's my take on the whole thing. There still hasn't been like a gay male comedian in mainstream culture. They're embraced by places like Logo and Bravo. I want to see gay male comics in places like NBC and CBS and the power players There are so many popular women comics like Ellen and Wanda Sykes. It amazes me that there still hasn't been a male breakout star. I think the industry is definitely embracing more queer people. But I'd like to see it more in general than specific avenues. I like to think of it as a tipping affect. We all have to work together to get it to overflow. I don't think comedy's first break out star will be someone who wears a fedora. I think it's going to be someone who wears a suit, works on Wall Street, and then goes to the bath house after hours. Someone passable and I hope the industry proves me wrong.

One last question! You've accomplished so much, and you're incredibly funny. It seems like the only way you can go is up. What is your biggest goal as a comedian? When you were seventeen, what was the one dream that moved you forward?

My goal has always been the same - it hasn't changed since I was seventeen. I want to be somebody who pushes the envelope. I would love to be a talk show host and at the core, I would love to have a show that just makes people happy. It shows you fun conversations - it shows you viewpoints to the world that you haven't seen before. I would like to be somebody who breaks down the walls for gay people. I want to see gay people in all the main stages and clubs instead of one or two here or there. My act, that I've been tweaking, polishing and growing for years, is for a straight audience. Sure, I perform for gay crowds too, but I want my act to be for everyone. I want to have a polished and tight heavy-hitting comedy club act. There's a rule in comedy that you have to have a laugh every twenty seconds, and I hold myself to that rule. It's kind of like being an assassin, comedically, of course.

I know I said that was the last question, but have you thought about what your talk show would be called?

Nick, just Nick. I'd want rapid fire topics, and do interviews, but not with just celebrities. I want to talk to real people. I want to help people. The core of who I am is that I want to make people feel good.


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MUSIC MONDAY | School Rules!

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FILM & TV

MUSIC MONDAY | School Rules!

09.10.18 | School-Themed Tunes to Hum to in Homeroom

School is back in session making us remember all the songs that make school-themed flicks fun.

Sure, movies are nothing like what we remember school to be like, but why relive our own super-awkward academic days when Hollywood made school glamorous and full of good times?

These ten tunes with school at center stage are full of nostalgia. Grab your backpack and brown bag lunch. Rock and roll down the halls and sing through study hall. Check out these videos and revisit those school days when life was simpler and sentimental. Even if you were a "C-" student, these jams get an A+!

“You’re the One That I Want” – Grease

"I've got chills…" If you never seem to get enough of Danny and Sandy's romance back in the days of cool cars and too-cool-for-school students, "You're the One that I Want" will get you in the mood to watch Grease yet again. Teenage love is always confusing, but when the tunes are as good as the ones from this movie's soundtrack, the awkwardness is somehow amazing.

“Don’t You (Forget About Me)” – Breakfast Club

Forget? How could we?! This tune is all about the '80s and its countless teenage trials and tribulations. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" is not only an awesome song, but makes us think of our high school days and the relationships that helped us through 'till graduation. Molly Ringwald, you are our spirit animal!

“Good Morning Baltimore” – Hairspray

Whether on screen or on stage, Hairspray is full of school-themed theatrics that put music to math and scales to science. "Good Morning Baltimore" is a belt-out beauty, full of the high-energy Hairspray is all about. Big hair, don't care!

“If You Leave” – Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink is a classic, from the concept to the characters. We can all relate to the teenage misery and milestones, and "If You Leave" is part of the soundtrack of our lives. High school may not have always been pretty, but "If You Leave" is a beautiful song.

“In Your Eyes” Say Anything

Our hearts are aching. Young love put out there to reveal a raw heart and first-love feelings come to the forefront in that unforgettable Say Anything scene. With a "boom box" blaring and a school boy laying his love on the line, "In Your Eyes" is as clear as a love letter put to lyrics can be.

“Milkshake” – Mean Girls

Mean as the "cool girls" may have been, there's nothing sweeter than a "Milkshake." Lindsay Lohan may be today's "hot mess" but when she starred in the high school flick Mean Girls, she was the cherry on top of a classic high school flick.

“Fame – Remember My Name” – Fame

Most of us went to an average high school where the most activity we saw was playing dodgeball or running around the track. But for the highly-gifted, tremendously talented kids in the flick Fame, singing and dancing made the days at school more like getting ready for the red carpet. "Baby look at me…" We sure are!

“Danke Schoen” – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Oh what fun it must have been to be a fella like Ferris. With no cares in the world and a flair for fun, this cocky character made us all wish we had the chutzpah to cut school and sing "Danke Schoen" on the top of our lungs. You only live once, and Ferris Bueller made every second count.

“Touch Me” – School of Rock

If your school was more "rule book" than "rock," School of Rock was surely a much-loved fantasy of what you wish your school days were like. Jack Black played an unlikely teacher, but he made the students embrace music with more passion than any social studies class could conjure up. So, "Touch Me" (by the Doors) may not seem appropriate for grade school kids, but somehow, School of Rock made it work.

“One Foot in Front of the Other” – Revenge of the Nerds

Nerds! They may have been dorky, but the jocks were taken for a ride by the pocket-protector-clad crew in Revenge of the Nerds. When it comes down to it, "brains" beats "brawn" any day of the week. College is more than parties and playing football. Smarts, sensitivity, and a little savvy got the nerds to the top of the class. Revenge sure is sweet!

Melissa A. Kay is a New York-based writer, editor, and content strategist. Follow her work on Popdust as well as sites including TopDust, Chase Bank, P&G, Understood.org, The Richest, GearBrain, The Journiest, Bella, TrueSelf, Better Homes & Gardens, AMC Daycare, and more.


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