<ul class="summary-list"><li>Matthew Rhys stars in the HBO reboot of the beloved legal drama "Perry Mason."</li><li>Rhys spoke with Insider about the show, his connection to the character, and some of his favorite extracurricular activities. </li></ul><p>If Matthew Rhys has any regrets, it may be buying a wooden boat six years ago. The Ernest Hemingway aficionado was sipping whiskey and surfing eBay one evening when he stumbled on a listing for a 1930s Wheeler Playmate for just $30,000 — the same kind of yacht Hemingway once owned and used to fish off the warm waters of Key West, Florida. It seemed like a dream opportunity. </p><p>But then the Welsh actor's personal passion project ballooned into a money pit, requiring almost three years, tens of thousands of dollars, and countless hours of manual labor to restore.</p><p>"If there's one thing I learned, I do not <em>ever</em> need again a personal passion project that takes that amount of effort, hours or time, or strain on my family," he told Insider over the phone from his Brooklyn home, which he shares with wife Keri Russell and their three kids.</p><p>Rhys now lets small groups — mostly a mix of Hemingway and Rhys fans — charter the boat for cruises around New York Harbor. He occasionally appears as a deckhand, serving cheese plates to passengers and making mai tais, daiquiris, and mojitos.</p><p>For most, though, it's easier to catch the Emmy award-winning actor nowadays in HBO's reboot of "Perry Mason," where he plays the show's titular character, a damaged war veteran-turned-defense attorney with his own righteous sense of justice. </p><h2>Rhys describes Perry Mason as a lawyer who's finding his way</h2><div type="image" title="Matthew Rhys in HBO's &quot;Perry Mason&quot;" height="1280" width="1706" msid="99121157" hostid="261" sizebytes="38178"></div><p>"He just has a very simplistic notion of what's right and what's wrong and how you go about, you know, making sure whatever is wrong is righted," Rhys said. </p><p>Season two picks up six months after Perry's client Emily Dodson, who's accused of murdering her one-year-old son, gets off on a mistrial. This season, the attorney gets sucked into a case defending a pair of Mexican brothers charged with murdering Los Angeles businessman and philanthropist Brooks McCutcheon (Tommy Dewey).</p><p>Production for the second season of the show began in January 2022 and wrapped seven months later, employing a crew of roughly 200 to recreate 1930s LA with shooting locations spanning Santa Clarita, Pasadena, and San Pedro, California.  </p><p>The show returned in early March with some changes: Michael Begler and Jack Amiel, creators of "The Knick," were brought in as showrunners. With Perry's origin story now out of the way, season two relies more on its protagonists — Perry and his colleague Della Street (Julie Rylance) — and explores how Perry's chosen profession as a defense attorney plays to his strengths and weaknesses. </p><p>"I kept reminding myself that Perry is finding his way as a trial lawyer — it's only been six months," Rhys said. "He's not battle-weary or battle-hardened. What I tried to do is put him in a place where it's not some polished performance." </p><p>As one of HBO's high-budget prestige dramas, "Perry Mason" soars. The show is a handsome, absorbing noir that's hard to shake and sly enough to savor. Part of this reboot's appeal is how it balances the past and the present. Its setting, pace, and style all evoke seductive aspects of a bygone era, while its serialized elements and unflinching honesty — in its portrayal of people's lives, in its view of a broken institution — cater to a modern audience's sensibilities. This reimagined "Perry Mason" isn't a case-of-the-week anymore, but one case per season. Instead of neatly wrapping everything up in an hour, the show chooses cases that raise compelling, sometimes haunting, questions about America's criminal justice system. </p><p>Without giving too much away, season two ends with Perry facing the consequences of his actions. He's disregarded the law, is caught, and is punished. It's a cliffhanger that leaves you wondering what the character will do next.  </p><p>"I think he'd have to really take stock of what's happened because if he thinks that's the price of ultimate justice, where does it leave you?" Rhys says. "Are you willing to sacrifice that much every time there's a trial or if the system is that corrupt? Is it even worth it?"</p><h2>Rhys' colleagues describe him as a 'dream scene partner'</h2><h2><div type="image" title="Matthew Rhys wins an Emmy for lead actor in a drama series in 2018." height="1540" width="2054" msid="99121158" hostid="261" sizebytes="196968"></div></h2><p>As much as Rhys is seen as an actor's actor, he's also quick to crack jokes — something you'd know if you caught "The Wine Show" in 2016. The series about, well, <em>wine</em>, saw him romp around Italy drinking with his friend Matthew Goode. (The two first met on the World War I flick "Deathwatch" and became friends after working together on the 2013 BBC miniseries "Death Comes to Pemberley.") He also showed off his lighter side earlier this year, appearing in the film "Cocaine Bear" as Andrew Thornton, a former cop-turned-drug smuggler <a href="https://www.insider.com/cocaine-bear-breakdown-real-fake-moments-fact-fiction-2023-2">who dumps about 200 pounds of cocaine</a> out of a plane over Georgia.  </p><p>But Rhys usually gravitates towards gritty, dramatic characters: a successful gay lawyer in the family drama series "Brothers &amp; Sisters," a Russian spy in the period drama "The Americans."</p><p>"I'm not even sure how that's evolved," admits Rhys, who honed his acting chops at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He says he was attracted to playing Mason because he "feels so different to me. He has a very-old fashioned romantic notion of justice, and he kind of lives by that very simple rule, which is why he always gets caught up in the nonsense of the judicial system."</p><blockquote class="pullquote-wrapper pullquote-breakout"><q class="pullquote-quotation">Matthew's curious about what it means to be human, what it means to explore the human condition, and I think that curiosity is so compelling.</q> <cite class="pullquote-source">Julie Rylance</cite></blockquote><p>Begler, who was a "massive" fan of Rhys and "The Americans," recalls first meeting the actor on a Zoom call before production of season two started. The two worked closely to perfect the show's courtroom scenes, including the trial's closing argument, which underwent several rewrites.</p><p>"What I love about Matthew is he brings a sense of confidence but also humility," Begler says.</p><p>"He is so expressive in his eyes that sometimes he can do things without words. He can play a scene where he's so commanding, but the next scene, he can also play vulnerability. And I think that is, to me, a true gift of an actor who can do both those things."</p><p>Rylance describes Rhys as a "dream of a scene partner," a kind, encouraging actor with an unwavering desire to find the heart of a scene. Off-camera, she says Rhys was always the first to bound into the trailers in the morning, the first to greet everybody with a grin and gently hurry everyone to set. </p><p>"Matthew's curious about what it means to be human, what it means to explore the human condition, and I think that curiosity is so compelling," she explains. "I think that it is that sort of almost Shakespearean quality to him, of someone who's holding sort of bounding joy and deep sorrow within the same breath. It's my favorite quality in an actor."</p><h2>Rhys and his wife Keri Russell follow a 'hard and fast rule' to maintain equilibrium in their relationship</h2><div type="image" title="Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell" height="2400" width="3199" msid="99121159" hostid="261" sizebytes="159096"></div><p>Rhys' versatility landed him an Emmy for lead actor in a drama series for his star turn in "The Americans." The drama, which ran from 2013 to 2018, featured Rhys and Russell as Russian spies who infiltrate America and raise a family. (Rhys <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonthompson/2023/03/06/why-matthew-rhys-was-reticent-about-returning-as-perry-mason-but-so-glad-he-did/?sh=b367fa671637">previously told Forbes</a> in March he was open to possibly revisiting "The Americans.") In real life, the two actors met over 20 years ago in a parking lot after a kickball party hosted by Jennifer Grey and eventually fell in love on the set of the show. They now share three kids, including their youngest Sam, who they welcomed in 2016. </p><p>Parenting is a juggling act for Rhys and Russell. Since "The Americans" ended, they've lived by a "hard and fast" rule that has served them well.  </p><p>"When one of us works, the other one doesn't," Rhys explains. "There's always one balancing parent around. We've always tried to adhere to that."</p><p>When Rhys shot the second season of "Perry Mason" in Southern California, Russell stayed behind, and when Russell filmed her upcoming Netflix series, "The Diplomat," in the UK, Rhys looked after the children. The couple also managed to sync their schedules to appear in episodes of the new Apple TV+ series, "Extrapolations," an all-star affair with Meryl Streep, Kit Harrington, Sienna Miller, and Marion Cotillard about the long-term effects of climate change.   </p><div type="image" title="Matthew Rhys and child" height="653" width="871" msid="99121160" hostid="261" sizebytes="34154"></div><p>The odds of "Perry Mason" getting renewed are high. Season two has been <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/perry_mason_2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">largely well-received by critics</a>, who pointed to Rhys' riveting performance as an essential ingredient to the show's success. </p><p>While he's content to don Perry's worn fedora for another season, if Rhys could have his way, he would get what sounds suspiciously like another personal passion project made: a film about the overthrow of Edward II, the first English "Prince of Wales," in the 14th century. It's a plot that, for better or worse, resembles Mel Gibson's "Braveheart." </p><p>"When 'Braveheart' came out, I remember being very depressed, because I was like, 'Oh shit, Mel Gibson has beaten us to it — he's got the story out,'" Rhys recalls. "Edward II was doing the same to Scotland, Ireland, <em>and</em> Wales. So there's basically a Welsh 'Braveheart' that I would love to do that I've been trying to get made for the last 12 years. But every time [any] one reads it, they just go, 'Well, this is 'Braveheart.'' I go, 'I know! But it happened to us, too!'</p>

Nevermind 'The Americans' — 'Perry Mason' star Matthew Rhys is hoping to make his own Welsh 'Braveheart' one day

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I grew up in a big household and thought I didn't want to have kids.</li><li>Recently, I took care of my grandmother, who has dementia, and it changed my perspective.</li></ul><p>For as long as I can remember, people have told me I'd be a great mom someday — and it would always make me cringe.</p><p>I'm the eldest of four, and my parents would often provide extra support to children from my mother's side of the family whenever they needed it, like taking them in to live with us for months (or years, occasionally), throwing birthday parties, buying them new clothing and toiletries, and providing tutoring. </p><p>At first, I was overjoyed to have extra companions and playmates. Our home was a safe place where anyone could crash and receive a warm meal — and it didn't matter what time they showed up or how long they needed to stay. Still, as I grew older, I could not help but feel like I never had enough love or the opportunity to create and enforce healthy boundaries. It was a constant tug-of-war of putting the needs of others first and then feeling guilty for desiring a sweet escape from the chaos. It's something I struggle with to this day.</p><p>Eventually, those feelings of resentment caused me to look at raising a child as more of a burden than a gift. I resented the ups and downs and what I saw as the thanklessness of it all. I also wondered how I could ever give a child enough love to protect them from the perils of life, let alone earn enough income to provide for them and myself. Instead, I chose to create a guilt-free, <a href="https://www.insider.com/woman-doesnt-want-children-told-shed-change-her-mind-2022-9">child-free life</a> with minimum responsibilities — and until recently, I thought that was all I needed. </p><h2>Something shifted for me earlier in the pandemic</h2><p>My paternal grandfather died earlier in the pandemic. The last thing he asked of me was to come home, find a husband, and start having babies — and that frustrated me beyond belief. That sentiment had nothing to do with his bewilderment about my lifestyle but more so with my hesitation to articulate why I wanted to remain child-free.</p><p>I'll forever remember sadness in his eyes as he told me to "just think about it"; I'll also remember how much he loved me, which is something I took for granted in the moment. A week later, I received a call telling me he was gone. As my family made the funeral arrangements, my aunt reminded me that <a href="https://www.insider.com/having-a-family-history-of-dementia-increases-my-own-risk-2022-8">my grandmother's dementia</a> was worsening. So I decided to fly home from the south of Spain — where I'd been living for three years — to a place I had avoided for over five years. </p><p>Everything was different from how I'd remembered it. Not only that, but I was different. While I was in the many photos my grandmother displayed throughout her home, I no longer recognized that girl. My diet had drastically changed from a Southern one to a Mediterranean one. I spoke Spanish or Spanglish at home, and I dressed more conservatively. I'd also developed a phobia of becoming a victim of gun violence while in the US, something I did not have to consider while living abroad. </p><p>To avoid dealing with these new family dynamics and the discomfort they brought about, I poured myself into my work, hoping to stay out of the way. After a few months, my aunt sat me down and expressed her disappointment in my lack of communication and how unrecognizable my personality and interests had become. She said it was as if I'd become a stranger to them all, no longer the outgoing and funny hurricane of a woman but a somber, anxious, and evasive workaholic. I was grateful that the conversation brought it all out in the open.</p><h2>Caring for a grandparent with dementia</h2><p>After that heart-to-heart with my aunt — I had already been feeling unfulfilled at my job — I finally gave my notice to my job and switched to freelancing while I focused on my family. It was the best decision I could have made. My aunt, her husband, and their daughter had been caring for my grandparents for so long. They deserved my support. They were there to share special times and support them in their most vulnerable moments — and for decades, I had missed almost all of those precious experiences. It was time for me to be fully present and committed.</p><p>We developed a schedule that included medication management, preparing my grandmother's meals, bathing her, doing general housecleaning, and spending quality time together. My grandmother showed signs of regression. She would become confused, temperamental, forgetful, or afraid with the slightest change in her routine. She would also demand autonomy, which can be challenging for a 90-something woman with limited mobility. </p><p>About six or seven months into my stay, my grandmother took a tumble as she tried to climb into bed on her own. She spent five days in the hospital, refusing to eat unless my aunt fed her. She refused treatment from the doctors and nurses. The stress also caused her to forget who I was. She wouldn't speak or say goodbye, saying that I had "let those people hurt her" and expressing that she wanted to go home.</p><p>After witnessing the dedication, love, and resilience my aunt embodied as she patiently negotiated with and worried about my grandmother, something clicked. I thought back to when I asked my grandmother why she insisted on me having kids. In response, she asked, "Who is going to take care of you when you're old?" At the time, I had thought that was what nursing homes were for. </p><p>As patient as those nurses were with my grandmother, I couldn't imagine her under anyone else's care. All she wanted was to be cared for by us. She trusted us. In the following months, my grandmother began to look at me as more of a companion. I rewatched Westerns and old Hollywood classics with her for hours each day and listened as she recounted her childhood stories and gave me advice. </p><p>We invested in <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/alzheimers-vs-dementia">strengthening her memory</a>, sensory, and motor skills. We created a safe space where she wasn't just living but also learning and thriving by developing a routine for her and not deviating from it, spending quality time with her, and checking in with her about how she's feeling. Along the way, we've also learned that it's important to check in with each other and communicate when we need an extended break, need a night or day off, or are simply feeling unwell. This helps us avoid feelings of resentment or becoming burned out. </p><h2>My perspective on having children changed</h2><p>One day, during a vulnerable moment, my grandmother expressed embarrassment and frustration about not being able to do the simplest things anymore. I assured her that whatever she needed was no trouble, reminding her of the care she had always shown me. She replied, "You keep saying you don't want children, but I think you should think about it. Even if you don't have any, you'll make a great nurse someday."</p><p>A few months later, I was ready to resume my personal journey and move back abroad. I felt a sense of pride as my aunt, the pillar of our strength, embraced me and expressed her gratitude for all I'd done. And once I settled into my new home, my grandmother accepted my video call and exclaimed, "It's about time my nurse called. I missed you." </p><p>I truly hope I someday get the opportunity to love and care for another person as she has cared for me and as much as I love her. What an honor that would be. I've made more mistakes than I care to admit, but my willingness to learn from them and seek out help has improved my family's dynamics and helped us create a deeper bond with and respect for one another. Throughout it all, I've learned that unconditional love isn't automatic; it's a journey — and it's an emotion I'm better prepared for now.</p>

I thought I didn't want to have children. Taking care of my grandmother with dementia has made me reconsider.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>"RuPaul's Drag Race" judge Michelle Visage shows her breast implant removal in her new film "Explant."</li><li>The film explores chronic pain, fatigue, hair loss, and rashes that may be linked to implants.</li><li>Advocates call the condition "<keyword id="9308212" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="breast-implant-illness" source="Orion">breast implant illness</keyword>," but many doctors reject the diagnosis saying there isn't enough evidence.</li></ul><p>"My name is Michelle Visage, and this is what's left of my tits," the "RuPaul's Drag Race" judge yelled to a stadium of fans while wearing a hot pink body suit that accentuated her flat chest.</p><p>For decades, Visage's perky boobs were one of her most defining traits. A former singer for the pop group Seduction and a fixture of the New York City drag and ballroom scenes, Visage got her first set of <keyword id="131251" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="breast-implants" source="Orion">breast implants</keyword> at age 21, when she couldn't shake the insecurity she felt over her naturally small boobs.</p><p>Her flat-chestedness "was always in the front of my mind," Visage said in her documentary film "Explant," which premiered December 15 on the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paramountplus.com%2F%3Fgclsrc%3Daw.ds%26%26ref%3D__iv_p_1_g_115989849984_w_kwd-934663795095_h_9067609_ii__d_c_v__n_g_c_526852200418_l__t__e__r__vi__%26ftag%3DPPM-02-10aeg8j%26vndid%3Dgoogle%24null%24null%24paramount%2520plus%26gclid%3DCj0KCQiAweaNBhDEARIsAJ5hwbffgoeP73qnjJjcdAF0hm2ZCn8AaU2aV-uOwXMTTh1uoLZQmxxcl7waAt1EEALw_wcB%26gclsrc%3Daw.ds%26_ivgu%3D8d6392a2-9836-4052-8df4-19f86e92b706">Paramount Plus</a> streaming platform.</p><p>But now, 30 years on, Visage is becoming one of the most prominent voices sounding the alarm about the dangers of breast implants, which she says caused her <a href="https://www.insider.com/women-say-breast-implants-cause-rashes-headaches-pain-2020-7">"breast implant illness,"</a> with symptoms including heart palpitations, hair loss, chronic brain fog, and a <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hashimotos-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20351855">thyroid condition</a> that causes chronic fatigue, brain fog, and aching joints.</p><div type="image" title="&quot;Rupaul's Drag Race&quot; judge Michelle Visage had her breast implants removed after she suspected they made her sick." height="1080" width="1440" msid="83589265" hostid="261"></div><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/breast-implant-illness-surgeons-stop-offering-implants-2019-9">Tens of thousands of women have reported side effects</a> after getting breast implants, from pain that leaves them bed-ridden for days to unrelenting rashes and nausea.</p><p>Celebrities like <a href="https://www.insider.com/chrissy-teigen-breast-implant-removal-breast-implant-illness-2020-5">Chrissy Teigen</a>, Ayesha Curry, <a href="https://www.insider.com/ashley-tisdale-removed-her-breast-implants-after-stomach-issues-2021-6">Ashley Tisdale,</a> former Playmate <a href="https://people.com/bodies/former-playboy-models-breast-implants-removed-illness/">Crystal Hefner</a>, and Playboy model <a href="https://people.com/bodies/former-playboy-models-breast-implants-removed-illness/">Karen McDougal</a> have opted to remove their breast implants, many citing the discomfort and sickness caused — they believe — by the devices.</p><p>But while women who report these symptoms are clear that their enhancements were to blame, the condition isn't recognized by the greater medical community.</p><h2>For years, doctors told Visage she was being hysterical</h2><p>Visage told Insider she first felt symptoms a year after getting her first set.</p><p>She tried everything to cure them: she saw chiropractors and functional medicine doctors, tried cryotherapy and infrared saunas, and saw a cardiologist at age 23 because of her heart palpitations. At 29, Visage was diagnosed with Hashimoto's, a thyroid condition, yet doctors still said they couldn't identify a cause.</p><p>A few years ago, at her wit's end, Visage started looking for answers on her own, and found a Facebook group filled with women whose stories paralleled her own: feeling defeated, disbelieved, and too sick to leave bed.</p><p>"There are plenty of surgeons, both male and female that say that [breast implant illness] doesn't exist and that we're just hysterical. We need to go home, get laid, smoke some weed, have a glass of champagne, and take a Prozac or Xanax," Visage told Insider.</p><p>It drove Visage to make a film.</p><p>"Explant" explores the breast implant industry, starting with the device's creation in 1962, and how that changed body ideals. Visage also hears from women reporting side effects, and learns how they are advocating for themselves in the face of doctors' disbelief.</p><div type="image" title="rupaul 2018 emmy awards outfit" height="608" width="811" msid="83589270" hostid="261"></div><h2>Doctors have historically ignored links between breast implants and <keyword id="11894571" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health" source="Orion">health</keyword> issues</h2><p>"Breast-implant illness," a collective term used to describe the symptoms people have reported, was first publicized in a 1990 <a href="http://yukonmom47.tripod.com/id8.html">CBS broadcast</a> by journalist Connie Chung.</p><p>Chung shared stories of women's symptoms, and was accused of fearmongering by plastic surgeons, <a href="https://www.insider.com/breast-implant-illness-surgeons-stop-offering-implants-2019-9">Insider previously reported</a>.</p><p>In March 2019, the FDA held a hearing on breast implants' links to cancer, after hundreds of women with breast implants reported developing a rare form of cancer called BIA-ALCL (breast-implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma).</p><p>Most BIA-ALCL cases were linked to Allergan's textured Biocell implant, which has since been recalled. But the hearing directed attention to an uncomfortable fact: there's a lot the medical community doesn't know about the long-term effects of breast implants of any kind.</p><p>Due to the lack of research, doctors are reluctant to say breast implant illness exists, leaving women like Visage without answers to explain their mysterious symptoms.</p><div type="image" title="Michelle Visage said her breast implants were making them sick. She filmed the removal process in her new documentary &quot;Explant.&quot;" height="360" width="480" msid="83589274" hostid="261"></div><h2>Visage still supports <keyword id="11931740" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="plastic-surgery" source="Orion">plastic surgery</keyword>, but wants more informed consent</h2><p>The FDA now requires <a href="https://www.insider.com/fda-breast-implant-warning-risks-pain-rupture-cancer-2019-10">all breast implants to come with a black box warning</a>, the most serious type of warning the agency has. It recognizes that breast implants aren't harmless.</p><p>Still, women like Visage are advocating for more information and pre-surgery paperwork.</p><p>Visage said she isn't against plastic surgery — she understands why someone might want to alter their body — but she's now more skeptical about the industry.</p><p>According to a toxicology report shown in the documentary, Visage still has traces of the implants' silicone throughout her entire body, which may explain why she says she still feels symptoms. A neurologist interviewed in "Explant" said it takes an average of 10 years to fully recover.</p><p>Visage hopes her own explant story will empower other women to ask hard questions.</p><p>"There's a part of who I am that's glamorous, who these kids look up to, and I didn't want to appear weak," Visage said of the reservations she felt sharing that intimate moment.</p><p>"But when I took myself out of it and took my ego out of it, I realized it's more glamorous to be in control of my health... So once I took my ego out of it, I realized I honestly don't care what I look like. This has nothing to do with what I look like. This has all to do with what I feel like, and to let women know that they are not crazy."</p>

Michelle Visage released a film of her breast implant removal surgery, after saying the implants caused her thyroid condition and hair loss

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The first 2020 presidential debate was a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-biden-first-debate-biggest-moments-takeaways-highlights-video-2020-9">chaotic mess</a> filled with yelling, constant interruptions, and unintelligible cross-talk.</li><li>Melissa Petro, a New York-based freelance writer with two small children, says that next time around, we should give the job of moderator to a mother — "assuming there's one out there with some room on her plate."</li><li>Mothers know how to confront bullies, institute moral behavior in others, and lead by example, she writes.</li><li>We need a grown-up in the room — and studies show that women's participation in peace negotiations leads to more successful outcomes.</li></ul><p>Thirty minutes into the exchange between President Trump and Democratic candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden, I fell asleep on the sofa, a pile of unfolded laundry at my feet. </p><p>As the mother of two children under three — our second born just weeks before our toddler's daycare was shuttered as New Yorkers were ordered to "shelter in place" — this is a typical scenario: It's hard to stay awake through a favorite TV program, let alone what is being described as "<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/09/cancel-debates/616544/">a shambolic shout fest, with scarcely a single morsel of substance to be found."</a> </p><p>From what I saw, this analysis sounds accurate: Instead of a constructive dialogue, two grown men — bidding for control of what was once a powerful nation — interrupted one another and volleyed personal attacks. </p><p>For his part, Biden tried to address the American people and present his plan to lead the nation out of an unprecedented public health crisis and the worst economic downturn since the Great depression, while Trump lobbed unfounded accusations and made-up statistics, displayed his racism, and stoked division between moderate Democrats and the Progressive Left. </p><h2>Moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News lost control within minutes.</h2><p>After convivially welcoming all and explaining the rules, both candidates spoke for their allotted two minutes before the debate devolved into what Wallace called "open discussion." Wallace struggled to regain an appearance of authority, admonishing the president for speaking over Biden and disregarding the rules. The awkward exchange repeated throughout the night, Wallace rebuking the president, who'd respond with something along the lines of "nu uh, I did not!" and "he did it first!" </p><div type="image" title="Melissa Petro" height="822" width="1096" msid="78417657" hostid="261"></div><p>You know, the kind of retorts you'd expect from a badly behaved preschooler — not a 74-year-old man. And certainly not the president. </p><p>I imagine mothers across America, if not passed out from exhaustion, poised on the edge of their seat, all but jumping through their TV screen to intervene just as we would if we witnessed a squabble in a sandbox. It made me think: Next debate, we ought to hand the job of moderator over to a mother — assuming there's one out there with some room on her plate. </p><h2><strong>Moms know how to deal with bullies. </strong></h2><p>Temper tantrums. Not listening. Poor impulse control. President Trump is <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/09/trump-vigor/615973/">incoherent but speaks vigorously</a>, much like my toddler desperately negotiating one last story before bedtime or adamantly refusing to eat anything other than green Jell-O for lunch. </p><p>When he snatches a toy from his playmate's hands, then cries victim as his friend takes it back, or insists he didn't hit his sister when I literally just saw him do it, my son isn't being a manipulative little jerk; he's being a typical 3-year-old, still learning social conventions and moral behavior, and developmentally incapable of moral beliefs. </p><p>Children display these traits because their communication skills are limited, and they have immature egos. What's your excuse, Trump? </p><h2><strong>Moms know a lot about instituting moral behavior in others.</strong></h2><p>Had a mom been last night's moderator, instead of the night descending into madness, I imagine she'd have brought the discussion back to the issues at hand. </p><p>One pressing issue: <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/covid-19-and-gender-equality-countering-the-regressive-effects">In a consequential number of American homes</a>, it has become the mother's job — in addition to her paid work and other unpaid responsibilities — to keep our families safe during a global pandemic and somehow replicate what is being lost with the closure of schools, libraries and community centers. </p><p>I am one of four moms wrangling a pod of four toddlers plus the baby four days a week, tasked with a professional educator's job of socializing my neighbors' children along with my own. Moms like me across America are teaching the next generation the social conventions that President Trump seems to lack, along with everything else kids typically gain from in-person social encounters. </p><p>It's rewarding work, but it's also exhausting — and it is repugnant to think this hard work is necessary as a consequence of our president's incompetence.</p><h2><strong>Last night's debate failed to hold President Trump accountable.</strong></h2><p>While other nations heeded scientists' advice and took the COVID-19 pandemic seriously — shutting down nonessential businesses, and ordering citizens to shelter in place — <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-woodward-book-claims-downplayed-covid-19-threat/">Trump lied to Americans, and downplayed the threat</a>. </p><p>Leaders of other countries mandated masks, conducted mass testing and instituted contact tracing to contain the situation so that their schools could safely reopen in the fall. By contrast, our leader <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-claims-lockdowns-do-not-prevent-infection-future-undermines-fauci-2020-8">repeatedly undermined experts</a>, said COVID-19 would <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-trump-claims-covid-19-could-disappear-2020-2">go away on its own</a>, and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-suggests-injection-disinfectant-beat-coronavirus-clean-lungs-n1191216">asked why we couldn't just inject ourselves with disinfectant</a>. It's a great question when asked by a 4-year old; it's terrifying coming from the Chief of State.</p><p>Comparing Trump to a toddler might be entertaining, if it weren't so consequential. Even less humorously than #toddlerinchief, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/msnbc-nicolle-wallace-trump-debate-assault">Trump's behavior has also been compared to that of an abuser</a>. </p><p>I vividly recall how, during the 2016 debate, he skulked behind then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, attacking her in ways that only a man can attack a woman, that smug sneer on his face. His demeanor is triggering, particular for women and others who've grown up in chaotic homes or experienced abuse. </p><p>After a long day with my kids, perhaps my disengaging last night was a much-needed if not inadvertent act of self care. Day after day, my toddler tests me, and I frequently lose my temper — and so I sympathize when Biden capitulates to Trump's taunts. </p><p>Last night, Biden called Trump a "clown," and said "you are the worst president in American history." When Biden said "Will you just shut up, man," I realize he was only being human. Still, as a mother, I cringed. So much for modeling kindness and respect.  </p><h2><strong>We need a moderator who will keep the focus — not get caught in the fray.</strong></h2><p>The risk in allowing the next debate to turn into mayhem is that it alienates both sides, and <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2020/09/22/what-democracy-looks/protecting-voting-rights-us-during-covid-19-pandemic">the pandemic is already expected to suppress voter turnout</a>. We can't let that happen — not when nothing short of our children's futures is at stake. </p><p>Black children and families are in particular peril. Last night Biden cited a horrific statistic to argue that President Trump has not been good for Black Americans: 1 in 1,000 Black Americans have died in the COVID-19 pandemic. We need a moderator who takes that seriously, as opposed to Wallace who said "I'm going to ask a question about race. If you wanna respond about something else, you can." A mother would say something more along the lines of, "Oh no, mister, you are going to answer that question" and then withhold dessert until they do.  </p><p>But seriously: Studies show that <a href="https://giwps.georgetown.edu/resource/women-leading-peace/">women's participation in peace negotiations leads to more successful outcomes</a>. That's what the next moderator here needs to do. To bring peace to our hurt nation, we need a grown up in the room. </p><p>Take it from the mother of a 3-year-old: If you fight with a toddler on his level, you won't win. And we can't afford to lose.</p>

We should hand the job of debate moderator over to a mother. Moms are used to dealing with tantrums and bullies.

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a846b5ad030725b008b476c-1967/gettyimages-900358760.jpg" alt="trump melania" data-mce-source="Chris Kleponis/Getty" data-mce-caption="U.S. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron Trump return to the White House after their stay at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on January 1, 2018 in Washington, DC." data-link="https://www.gettyimages.com/license/900358760" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/license/900358760">Chris Kleponis/Getty</a></span></p><p class="caption">U.S. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron Trump return to the White House after their stay at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on January 1, 2018 in Washington, DC.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Melania and Donald Trump broke tradition by arriving to Marine One via separate routes on Friday. </strong></li><li><strong>The first lady's communications director said that the unusual choice was made due to Melania Trump's schedule. </strong></li><li><strong>On Friday, The New Yorker published new details about an alleged affair between President Trump and a Playboy model, which reportedly took place soon after Melania gave birth to their son, Barron. </strong></li></ul><hr /><p> </p><p>Melania and Donald Trump broke from tradition after a new report about one of the president's former alleged affairs. </p><p>The first lady eschewed the traditional walk across the South Lawn to <span>Marine One on Friday, instead driving to the plane separately from President Trump, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/16/politics/melania-trump-affair-scandal-white-house/index.html">CNN reported. </a>Traditionally, the president and first lady walk to the plane together. </span></p><p>"With her schedule it was easier to meet him on the plane," Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's communications director, said in a statement to CNN. </p><p>Melania Trump's absence was especially notable given her tendency to disappear from the president's side when allegations of his past indiscretions surface. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a8746e7d0307286008b471b-1267/ap18045766219254.jpg" alt="melania" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais" /><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais</span></p><p class="caption">Melania Trump spent Valentine's Day with kids at the Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>On Friday, <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/donald-trump-a-playboy-model-and-a-system-for-concealing-infidelity-national-enquirer-karen-mcdougal">The New Yorker published </a>an investigation centered on Karen McDougal, a former Playboy Playmate who has previously said she had an affair with Trump in 2006. At the time, Trump was married to first lady Melania Trump, and their youngest son, Barron, was just months old.</p><p>This is the second time this week the first lady has seemingly removed herself from the public sphere when conversation has turned to discussion of Trump's alleged affairs. </p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/melania-trumps-stormy-daniels-valentines-day-silence-2018-2">On Wednesday, </a>Stormy Daniels, the porn star who says she had an affair with President Trump, said she is now open to talking about the relationship. On the same day, both Melania and Donald Trump publicly refrained from wishing each other a happy Valentine's Day.</p><p>The first lady also publicly distanced herself from the president when <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-lawyer-used-private-company-pseudonyms-to-pay-porn-star-stormy-daniels-1516315731">The Wall Street Journal reported</a> in January that Michael Cohen, one of Trump's top lawyers, organized the transfer of $130,000 into Daniels' account in October 2016.</p><p>At the time, Melania Trump mostly disappeared from public engagements with her husband. She did not join him on a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as planned, nor did she post anything to celebrate their anniversary on January 22, as she has in years past.</p><p>The president and the first lady are flying together to Parkland, Florida, to meet with victims of this week's mass shooting and their families, CNN reported. </p> <p class="tagline"><div id="categorypromo" style="border:1px solid silver; min-height:90px; padding:10px;vertical-align:top;box-sizing: content-box;"><a href="http://read.bi/retail-2018"><img src="https://static.businessinsider.com/image/5a15cd5df914c346018b5aef-720-480" style="margin-right:15px;width:150px;float:left !important;" /></a><strong>EXCLUSIVE FREE SLIDE DECK:</strong><br>The Future of <keyword id="6354851" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Retail">Retail</keyword> 2018 by the BI Intelligence Research Team.<br><strong><a href="http://read.bi/retail-2018">Get the Slide Deck Now »</a></strong></br></br></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-healthiest-menu-items-breakfast-sandwich-big-mac-burger-filet-o-fish-fries-sodium-2018-1">The healthiest things you can get at McDonald's</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/4I8plFtk-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Melania and Donald Trump broke protocol in an unusual way - and it could unveil a mystery regarding the state of their marriage

<p><table class="image-container float_right" width="200"><tr><td><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/514c5d1a69beddf603000015-400-300/john-mayer-2.jpg" border="0" alt="john mayer" /></div><p class="source"><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Mayer_in_Cleveland.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></p></td></tr></table></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Newly single </span><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;"><keyword id="14401" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="John-Mayer">John Mayer</keyword></strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><a href="http://www.vulture.com/2013/03/john-mayer-tour.html" target="_blank">announced his first tour in three years</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> after recovering from </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">vocal cord surgery, that left him silent for months</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. <span>"I probably had contiguously three, maybe four months of not saying a word," </span><a href="http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1554197/john-mayer-announces-first-tour-in-3-years" target="_blank">says Mayer</a><span>, revealing that he used an iPad to communicate. </span></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Beginning in July, Mayer will play more than 40 shows in four countries before wrapping things up at the Hollywood Bowl in October. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">“American Idol” winner </span><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;">Phillip Phillips </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">will open on most dates, with other acts to be announced.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">After posting some cryptic messages, </span><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">Emma Stone</strong><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><a href="http://www.gossipcop.com/emma-stone-twitter-hacked-hacker-andrew-garfield-shailene-woodley-tweets/" target="_blank">revealed her Twitter was hacked</a><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">. </span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">“I have never tweeted. I’ve tweeted one time to </span><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">Seth MacFarlane</strong><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">. I said, ‘Me too, oh boy.’ And then I’ve been hacked ever since, and they locked me out of my Twitter so I can’t access it because they changed my email and my password, so we are trying to figure out how to delete it.”</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">The New York state Legislature is </span><a href="http://www.deadline.com/2013/03/ny-state-tax-break-seems-tailored-for-tonight-shows-return-to-nyc/" target="_blank">dangling a major tax break in front of NBC</a><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;"> with the hope of bringing the "Tonight Show" to NYC.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">The</span><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;"> Wachowski</strong><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;"><strong> </strong>siblings' </span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">"Cloud Atlas" </span><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cloud-atlas-leads-german-film-430368" target="_blank">leads German Film Academy nominations</a><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">A source tells PageSix of </span><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">Lindsay Lohan</strong><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">'s </span><a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/lindsay_pre_rehab_plans_RvR57jgiQPcWEm6DwmAUtJ" target="_blank">pre-rehab plans</a><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">: "</span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">A week with </span><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">Charlie Sheen</strong><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;"> in LA, then she wants to go to Brazil. I kid you not.”</span></li>
<li><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">Jimmy Fallon</strong><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2297329/Drew-Barry-wears-multi-coloured-floral-trousers-leaves-apartment.html" target="_blank">wrote all over <strong>Drew Barrymore</strong>'s face</a><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></li>
<li><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">Leonardo DiCaprio</strong><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/south_beach_spin_bEbASfMtCv65beJ0vitXSP" target="_blank">is in Miami for the Ultra Music Festival</a><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;"> and naturally has been surrounded by women.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">Playboy Playmate </span><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">Holly Madison</strong><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/399498/holly-madison-debuts-baby-rainbow-aurora-see-the-precious-pic" target="_blank">shows off her baby</a><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">,</span><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;"> Rainbow Aurora</strong><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">, for the first time.</span></li>
<li><strong style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">Amanda Bynes</strong><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;"> is </span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2296977/Dazed-confused-Amanda-Bynes-looks-lost-tries-navigate-NYC-iPhone.html" target="_blank">still off her rocker</a><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.5em;">.</span></li>
</ul>

John Mayer Announces First Tour In 3 Years - Here's Today's Buzz

<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54b445e56bb3f7f0715e7a85-900-449/leslie-knope-parks-and-recreation-amy-poehler-1.jpg" border="0" alt="leslie knope, parks and recreation, amy poehler"><p class="source"><span>Colleen Hayes/NBC</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>As "Parks and Recreation" fans mourn the end of an era, it seems the </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"></span><a href="http://www.etonline.com/tv/155166_parks_and_rec_cast_shares_photos_on_their_last_set_day/">cast may be struggling most of all</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> in coming to terms with the final episodes.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">The show's Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Adam Scott, Chris Pratt, Aziz Ansari, and Jim O'Heir (yes, even Jerry) are as close in real life as the fictional government employees they play.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Last year, both Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman published memoirs - "</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Yes-Please-Amy-Poehler/dp/0062268341">Yes Please</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">" and "</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Paddle-Your-Own-Canoe-Fundamentals/dp/052595421X">Paddle Your Own Canoe</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">," respectively - in which the stars recounted their favorite and most emotional memories from behind the scenes of the show.</span></p><p><strong>Here are nine of our favorite stories from the set of "Parks and Recreation":</strong></p><h3>1. Before landing their roles as Ron Swanson and Ben Wyatt, respectively, Nick Offerman and Adam Scott both audioned for the part of Ann's love interest, named Josh.</h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54caac71ecad04970309cc81-800-400/ron-swanson-nick-offerman-nbc.jpg" border="0" alt="ron swanson, nick offerman, nbc"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.nbc.com/parks-and-recreation">NBC/"Parks and Recreation"</a></span></p><p class="caption">Adam Scott and Nick Offerman auditioned for the same role in "Parks and Recreation."</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>When Nick Offerman arrived for his audition, reading lines opposite Rashida Jones, he knew he was screwed. "I thought, 'Oh great. Me and Adam Scott up for the guy who gets to kiss Rashida,'" Offerman jokes. "'He's devilishly handsome and charming and funny. ... Even I - even my mom - would cast him over me.'"</p><h3>2. The crew always left time for "fun runs," or improvised last takes that rarely made it on air.</h3><p>After the last take, the actors tried out all the brilliant lines they had been thinking about for the whole scene. "Ninety-nine percent of the time these scenes were longer and less funny than what was written," Amy Poehler says. "But it made the actors feel funny. It kept the crew laughing and on their toes."</p><h3>3. Amy Poehler's kids gave Aziz Ansari the nickname "turkey sandwich."</h3><p>"I think it's because he was eating a turkey sandwich once?" Amy Poehler says. "Either way they think he is hilarious."</p><p>The cast also calls Rob Lowe "RoLo."</p><h3>4. Vice President Joe Biden was a comedy pro.</h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54caac1feab8eab34d9e7cc8-1200-600/joe-biden-amy-poehler-parks-and-recreation.jpg" border="0" alt="joe biden, amy poehler, parks and recreation"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvbMB_GGR6s">YouTube/Parks and Recreation</a></span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Season 5 kicked off with Leslie Knope meeting her ultimate crush, Vice President Joe Biden. The cast and crew filmed the scene in Biden's ceremonial office on the White House grounds.</p><p>"He was charming and funny and a true pro - he didn't even flinch when Leslie slightly leaned in for a kiss," Amy Poehler says. "That's some old-school improv commitment right there."</p><h3>5. Each and every cast member made the other laugh endlessly</h3><p>One of the greatest rewards of the show, Offerman writes, is "watching Amy Poehler and Aubrey Plaza stare each other down like two beautiful gladiators in a battle of mighty comedy wills."</p><p>Amy Poehler says one of the hardest times she laughed on set was when Jim O'Heir's character Jerry suffered a "fart attack" in Season 5, Episode 5 "Halloween Surprise." "Jim played it so real," she says.</p><h3>6. Chris Pratt was not that different from his goofball character, Andy Dwyer.</h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54caaabd6da811fb1b63b001-1200-600/chris-pratt-andy-dwyer-parks-and-recreation.jpg" border="0" alt="chris pratt, andy dwyer, parks and recreation"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0YdqFPbSpc">YouTube/"Parks and Recreation"</a></span></p><p class="caption">Chris Pratt turned his cotton candy prop into something naughty.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In Season 5, Episode 10 "Two Parties," the boys of the show went to a freaky aroma bar called Essence, where every cocktail came in some crazy form, like a mist or a lotion. Andy Dwyer ordered a "beer," which the waiter presented  as a sphere of cotton candy.</p><p>"Pratt proceeded to sculpt a vagina (very masterfully; he's a talented visual artist with an apparently intimate knowledge of the female genitalia) in his cotton candy," Offerman says. "He then proceeded to subtly display his cotton candy vagina to us ... as we all tried to maintain a straight face because we were on camera performing our scenes."</p><h3>7. A lot of bacon was consumed on set.</h3><p>"This acting job has put more bacon in my belly than an entire butcher shop," Offerman says. "It has caused more Lagavulin whiskey to course through my veins than any well-stocked public house."</p><h3>8. The cast took care of each other on- and off-set.</h3><p>In her book, Amy Poehler describes how fluid their friendships were. She and Rashida Jones would sit on a fake apartment set, figuring out a problem, and then proceed to divulge about their real lives in their trailers.</p><p>When Poehler was going through her divorce to actor Will Arnett and was sad about coming back to LA, Aubrey Plaza surprised her by showing up at the airport dressed as an alien. True friendship.</p><h3>9. Adam Scott expertly flirted with a very hormonal women.</h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54caa8a06bb3f73f76d381a0-1200-600/leslie-knope-ben-wyatt-parks-and-recreation-nbc-1.jpg" border="0" alt="leslie knope, ben wyatt, parks and recreation nbc"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.nbc.com/parks-and-recreation">NBC</a></span></p><p class="caption">Adam Scott always has fresh breath for kissing scenes.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>When Adam Scott eventually landed the role of Leslie Knope's love interest, Ben Wyatt, he arrived on set just as Amy Poehler was pregnant with her second child.</p><p>"If you have any doubt as to what a great actor Adam Scott is, go back and watch him join a show and immediately figure out how to flirt with a tired pregnant lady," Poehler says "It's not easy."</p><p>She adds, he also "always has fresh breath for kissing scenes and a very dry sense of humor."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/playboy-successor-hugh-hefner-playmate-2014-12">Hugh Hefner's 23-Year-Old Son Has A Plan To Redefine The Playmate</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="E2cG15cToh9ZY93b5WOe7ioxrwSDSxHx" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'E2cG15cToh9ZY93b5WOe7ioxrwSDSxHx',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

9 amazing stories from the set of 'Parks and Recreation'

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52d96078eab8eafc10769272-1000-750/hip-hop-lyft.jpg?maxX=800" border="0" alt="hip hop lyft " width="800" /><p class="source"><span>Lyft</span></p><p class="caption">Deco Carter, a.k.a. Hip Hop Lyft</p></div><p></p></div></p>
<p>Deco Carter, the Hip Hop Lyft driver, is giving out free rides at Sundance.</p>
<p>Lyft is an on-demand ridesharing service that got its start in San Francisco. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lyft-has-uber-like-surge-pricing-2013-12" target="_blank">It just recently expanded</a> to the San Francisco East Bay Area, from Oakland to Castro Valley, and some of the suburbs of Los Angeles, like Pasadena and Malibu.  </p>
<p>Business Insider had a chance to catch up with Carter to learn about what it's like being a Lyft driver. </p>
<p>Carter first started driving about eight months ago, he tells Business Insider. The former MC and hip hop historian got in the business after he got fed up with his job as a security guard.</p>
<p>Today, Carter is one of the most well-known Lyft drivers in San Francisco. He hosts hip hop trivia in his car and passengers can compete for prizes. He even has his own Lyft-inspired theme song. People love riding with him so much, Carter says, sometimes they don't ever want to get out of the car. </p>
<p>Here's a lightly edited Q&amp;A.</p>
<p><strong>BUSINESS INSIDER: You've become a bit of a celebrity thanks to Lyft, how has your life changed since you became known as the Hip Hop Lyft driver?</strong></p>
<p><strong>DECO CARTER:</strong> M<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">y life has changed tremendously from being a Lyft driver. Before I was a Lyft driver, about two and a half years ago, I was a security guard. Something really terrible happened to me while I was doing security. I was on duty and I was arrested for a crime I didn't commit. I did five days in jail.</span></p>
<p>I had to get a lawyer, my family had to bail me out. It was a terrible ordeal. It took the life out of me as far as security goes. I told myself I would never work in security ever again, and my girlfriend supported my decision.</p>
<p>So I decided to take a break and stay home and be with my newborn baby while my girlfriend worked. That worked out all right, but we had to cut some things financially. So about nine months ago, our friend who had started working for Lyft told us about it. She basically said that I could still stay at home with the kids, and work any time I want to. </p>
<blockquote class="pullquote"><span>Lyft, this company, has literally restored my faith in humanity. Before Lyft, I really was depressed. I didn't know what was in store for me next. Lyft basically lifted me up and made me believe in myself again.</span></blockquote>
<p>It sounded really cool. It was really flexible, all you needed was your insurance, and proof that your registration is up to date. Once I got in I started driving. I'm a big hip hop music fan and I used to be a hip hop artist. It goes without saying that I only play hip hop music, be it Snoop Dogg, Biggie, or the Wu Tang clan.</p>
<p>It's the stuff we all know and love. I was playing it for myself at first. Now I've had passengers try to give me money for playing a song. They would say, "Thanks for the memories, I haven't heard that song since 5th grade."</p>
<p>I would go home night after night and think, "People are raving about my music." So I figured that I had to do something. To tell you the truth, at first I created hip hop playlists because of my passengers and I figured it'd be a good idea to get some extra tips. B<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">ut once I created the hip hop lists, I had to put myself in the mind of the passenger. I had to think what would blow my mind.</span></p>
<p>That's when I came up with the hip hop trivia game with prizes. It took off really well and it has changed my life.</p>
<p>Lyft, this company, has literally restored my faith in humanity. Before Lyft, I really was depressed. I didn't know what was in store for me next. Lyft basically lifted me up and made me believe in myself again.</p>
<p>I mean, the passengers' response to me made me feel like I can do anything. I haven't had that feeling in so long. I<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">'m really living a dream right now. Two years ago I didn't even think this was possible.</span></p>
<p><strong>BI: When you pick up someone and they realize it's you, how do they respond? What's the best response you've ever gotten from someone?</strong></p>
<p><strong>DC:</strong> So I pull up to a group of four people and they go, "Are you hip hop Lyft?" I say, "Yeah." One of the guys jumps up and down and screams, "I won the lottery!" He just spazzed out.</p>
<p>He made everybody else excited. They got in the car and were wondering what this dude was going crazy about. I almost had to pay these people to get out of my car. They did not want to leave. They just said, "This is the most fun we've ever had in San Francisco, period. Your music is better than any club's."</p>
<p>I've had people say, "Just keep going around the block, this is my favorite song." One time R<span style="line-height: 1.5em;">apper's Delight (a roughly 15 minute-long song) came on. She (a passenger) asked, "If you don't mind, can we pull in my driveway and keep listening to this song?" Me and this young lady are rapping the whole song to each other. We bonded right there. She's like my sister now."</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left" style="width:400px"><div class="image"><img src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/52d9a29f6bb3f77963c10be4-1041-836/screenshot%202014-01-17%2016.36.19.png" border="0" alt="deco carter lyft" width="400" /><p class="source"><span>Screenshot/Lyft</span></p></div><p></p></div>BI:</strong> <strong>So how many rides do you give per day? </strong></span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>DC:</strong> I average about 13 to 14 rides per night. I only drive at night because I'm a stay-at-home dad.</span></p>
<p><strong>BI: How much money do you make per month?</strong></p>
<p><strong>DC:</strong> On average, if I work five days and all my hours, I make about $800 per week. </p>
<p><strong>BI: </strong><strong>Is Lyft your whole career? How long do you think you'll do this for?</strong></p>
<p>I definitely see myself as more of an entertainer. So that's my new title. I <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">see myself doing TV shows, or some kind of Web show, and just taking it somewhere else. People are definitely paying attention to what I do. I have already had people reach out. I'm praying that this leads to something.</span></p>
<p><strong>BI: What has it been like driving around Sundance?</strong></p>
<p>The traffic is a lot lighter. San Francisco can be a little hectic driving around. Here, the people are a lot more relaxed and chill. Most people are out here on vacation, so it's a lot more relaxed. But I've been having a ball out here.</p>
<p>I've even driven around a few celebrities, like this one guy in Breaking Bad who played Hector. He was in my car last night. He asked if I had Tupac and I said, "Of course." He went nuts and ended up saying it was the best ride ever. He didn't want to get out of the car either!</p>
<p>He even won a prize, and now he's following me on Instagram. I also<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> had a playmate in the car [Thursday] night, and she invited me to a party. </span></p>

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