• Emilia Clarke has revealed that she turned down the lead role in Fifty Shades of Grey, following her naked scenes in Game of Thrones.
• The actress, who played Daenerys Targaryen for eight seasons, explained that she was sick of being asked about nudity on screen.
• Clarke appeared naked several times during the 2011 first season of Game of Thrones, but described questions about the decision as “annoying as hell”.

You might assume that playing a dragon-riding queen who descends into madness and rocks a selection of perfect braided hairstyles would be nothing but a good time, but Emilia Clarke has revealed one of the most frustrating parts of her time as Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones.

The actress has admitted to being “sick and tired” of the constant questions about her decision to film nude scenes in the early seasons of Game of Thrones. In fact, the tirade of sexist questions proved so grating to Emilia, that she turned down the lead role in Fifty Shades of Grey as a result.

During an interview forThe Hollywood Reporter's Drama Actress Roundtable, the 32-year-old star opened up about how her naked moments as Daenerys meant that she decided not to pursue the role of Anastasia Steele, opposite Jamie Dornan’s Christian Grey. In the end, the part went to Dakota Johnson.

Explaining her feminist reasoning, Emilia said: “Well, Sam [Taylor-Johnson, the director] is a magician. I love her, and I thought her vision was beautiful. But the last time that I was naked on camera on [Game of Thrones] was a long time ago, and yet it is the only question that I ever get asked because I am a woman.

"And it's annoying as hell and I'm sick and tired of it because I did it for the character—I didn't do it so some guy could check out my tits, for God's sake."

Emilia continued: "So, that coming up, I was like, 'I can't.' I did a minimal amount and I'm pigeonholed for life, so me saying yes to that, where the entire thing is about sensuality and sex and being naked and all of that stuff, I was just like, 'No way am I going to voluntarily walk into that situation and then never be able to look someone in the eye and be like, 'No, you can't keep asking me this question’.”

Her points are so valid. The entire show had a "the more naked, the better" policy from start to finish, and numerous characters appeared naked in some boundary-pushing sex scenes—but I don't remember reading many quotes from male actors about it.

Sigh, 'Dracarys' to your basic interview questions for female actors.

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On Monday, actress Dakota Johnson experienced something that would strike fear into the hearts of most celebrities: Her personal phone number was put online. Except in this case, Johnson gave out her own number, on her own Instagram—and it was for a great reason.

In the caption, the Fifty Shades Freed star talked about the violence and harassment that women and girls face daily all over the world: “Over 800 women and adolescent girls die every day because they do not have access to reliable contraceptives and basic maternity services,” she wrote. Pairing with Global Citizen, an organization with the goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030 (you may know about their music festival, which draws massive stars every year).

But rather than just telling the facts to her 2.6 million followers, Johnson went a step further: “I don’t want to speak for you. I want to listen to you,” the caption continues. “This is my phone number. Tell me your story in my voicemail, and I will listen. There is power in numbers.”

See the full post (and Dakota Johnson’s phone number) below:

It's a really admirable move from a major celeb—and on a day when speaking up has become something of a theme.

This rules. Way to go, Dakota.

Dakota Johnson is definitely best known for her sexy-shy performance as Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades trilogy, but the actress—and Hollywood royal (her dad is Don Johnson, her mom is Melanie Griffith, and her grandma is Tippi Hendron)—has done so much more than that. Here's a ranking of her best movies of all time (yes, including the Fifty Shades movies).

14. 'Chloe & Theo'

I'm just going to leave two things here. First, the IMDb description of the plot:

"Theo, an Inuit from the Arctic, travels to New York City to warn world leaders about the catastrophic impact of global warming on the planet. Upon arrival he meets a homeless girl named Chloe, who has an unusual vigor for life, is mildly delusional, and completely obsessed by Bruce Lee. Together, they will save the world."

And second, a link to its 0 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.

13. 'Goats'

This Nick Jonas-led movie about pledging a fraternity was meh and Johnson was relegated to the bland teen love interest role. Pass.

12. 'Date and Switch'

Guys vowing to lose their virginity by arbitrary dates is a trope in teen sex comedies. In this one, though, one of the teen boys is gay which makes the movie at least a little more inclusive. Johnson plays the supportive ex-girlfriend of recently-out Matty.

11. 'Beastly'

Remember Beastly? It's cool if you don't. It was a modern-day retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a shallow "prince" (read: attractive, rich white man) magically scarred into ugliness by a witch (played by Mary-Kate Olsen in one of her few solo roles). Johnson didn't play the Belle character (that role went to Vanessa Hudgens). She played Sloan, a pretty, popular girl who liked the prince/beast before he was uglified.

10. 'Cymbeline'

A modern update of Shakespeare's Cymbeline (the plot's a bit convoluted but know that it has a lot of love, revenge, and deception) with Johnson in a fairly prominent role and everything. Get it, girl.

9. 'Fifty Shades Darker'

When Fifty Shades tried to be a thriller and it didn't go great.

8. 'The Five-Year Engagement' 

Johnson played Jason Segel's rebound fling in this rom-com, which is like, fine.

7. 'How to Be Single'

Pros: Rebel Wilson. Concept that's vaguely Sex and the City-esque.

Cons: Predictable. Too much like a traditional rom-com for a movie that appears to be trying to reinvent or subvert rom-coms.

6. 'The Social Network'

Johnson's official screen debut was a small role in Crazy in Alabama in 1999, alongside her mom. Then, Dakota took a break from acting to finish her education and came back with a small part in David Fincher's origin story of Facebook. She plays the Stanford student who sleeps with Sean Parker (played by Justin Timberlake). It's a small part, but a big movie.

5. '21 Jump Street'

You might remember Johnson in her small-but-awesome role as Fugazy in 21 Jump Street. She's described as one of those "Miley Cyrus-lookin' motherf*ckers" by Ice Cube's Captain Dickson.

4. 'Fifty Shades Freed'

Honestly, this one gets high marks just for its brilliantly cheesy tagline, "Don't miss the climax."

3. 'Black Mass'

Johnson got an actual, honest-to-goodness prominent role in this film based on the life of American mobster James "Whitey" Bulger. She plays his common law wife Lindsey Cyr. Free spin-off idea: Common law mafia wives.

2. 'A Bigger Splash'

This indie darling is the second installment in Luca Guadagnino's "Desire" trilogy, landing smack in between 2009's I Am Love and 2017's Oscar-nominated Call Me by Your Name. Definitely worth adding to your personal to-watch list, regardless of your Dakota Johnson fandom level.

1. 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

Is this the best movie that Dakota Johnson has ever been in? No, it's objectively not. But it is required viewing if you consider yourself a fan of her work and it's the movie that made her a household name, so we're giving it the No. 1 spot.

Rita Ora has had a dual role throughout the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise—recording multiple songs for the movies' soundtracks, and also taking on a starring role as Christian Grey's adoptive younger sister Mia.

Aside from the intensity of getting kidnapped on screen during Fifty Shades Freed *and* releasing a duet for the film with Liam Payne, Ora just released a new song called "Proud"—with lyrics that hit close to home. Using her own personal story about being accepted as a refugee, she created a platform with Absolut for other people to share similar stories.

MarieClaire.com spoke to the actress about her new music, what it was like working with such an intimate cast in her first big role, and the least sexy things that happened while making Fifty Shades Freed.

On Fifty Shades finally coming to an end:

"Everyone was super lovable and I learned a lot from the cast. I had the best time just learning the craft and I guess the experience of being in such a big movie was super amazing. I'm kind of sad it's over, but I'm also really excited that I get to venture out to different things."

On her mistakes and fails while shooting scenes:

"Everybody messes up a little bit, it's just the way it goes. But I just prepared very well and had my training. I definitely wanted to enjoy myself. It was such an enjoyable experience."

On what it was like to make a "sexy movie":

"I think it's a figure of speech. There's a lot of opinions of this movie, but of course it's done so well. And I think that there is 'proof in the pudding.' I guess people really like it and I just am very happy to be a part of it."

On preparing for her intense scenes in Freed:

"You just have to really be calm, know what you're doing, be able to commit to your scenes, be professional, and know your lines. And you should be fine."

On the least sexy thing about making a sexy movie:

"I think it was the hours. They were definitely pretty long. I think that has a toll on anybody. There were really long days."

On how the cast spent their downtime in between scenes:

"We just hung out, worked out, and got really healthy. The hours were long, so you want to keep your body moving."

On how the cast celebrated the end of the franchise:

"We all had a wrap party. It was awesome, in Vancouver. Then everybody had to go and finish the movie. But yeah, we had a great time."

On the meaning behind the lyrics of her new single "Proud":

"This song was all about the idea of acceptance and having the ability to put a platform out there with Absolut to really take people's stories that haven't really got a voice to the next level. 'Proud' was inspired by dozens of stories that I had shared with me over this journey. The stories are definitely a lot to do with the LGBT community and with people just having the ability to be honest and open. But acceptance can be about anything and anyone, whether it was race, or sexuality. It's always been about just being able to accept anything from anywhere from anyone."

We already knew the Fifty Shades Freed set can get a bit weird (enter: Jamie Doran's wee-bag during sex scenes), and newly uncovered bloopers prove just how downright amazing it is behind the scenes.

Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, who play opposite each other as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, are seen goofing off with each other during a scene at a dinner table (0:45) as well as one the wedding scenes (1:51). Dornan, particularly, can hardly contain his laugher throughout most scenes and finds himself the life of the party (1:42). Not to mention, there's a *very* steamy kiss between the pair in 0:55.

Fifty Shades Freed is the third installment of the Fifty Shades of Grey series. Get your fix above before its official release in theaters February 9.

After seeing Fifty Shades Freed, I am now dividing life into two categories: Life before seeing Ana lick ice cream off Christian's pubic hair, and life after seeing Ana lick ice cream off Christian's pubic hair. There's nothing quite like watching your favorite food group be ruined with a bunch of strangers at a screening, but I tried to do my job and take very serious notes. As a result I ended up writing down things like "BUTT PLUG DRAWER."

But Freed didn't just gift the us with another two hours of sex. It gifted us intense awkwardness, LOLs, and true insanity. On that note, here are the most sexy-insane-weird-WTF moments from the film, and please note—spoilers lie ahead. Not that you are watching this movie for its plot twists, but.

1. When Christian shames Ana for wearing a bikini in public because he's the literal worst and clearly only wants to fifty-shades-free his own nipples. Other people's nipples matter too, Christian.

2. When Christian braids Ana's hair, which is not at all creepy and not at all a sign that he's a burgeoning serial killer. It's fine, everything is fine in this movie!!!!

3. When Christian has a meltdown because Ana won't change her email address to include his last name, which is a totally normal thing to get upset about. He's not at all controlling, and you should totally still think of him as a heroic romantic lead. Don't worry about it!

4. When Christian reluctantly lets Ana, a mere simple woman, drive his car—and is so turned on by the fact that she's smart, pretty, and knows how to operate a vehicle unlike the rest of us female-folk, that they have sex in the passenger's seat.

5. When the movie suddenly decides it should have a plot and becomes a spy thriller starring a sinister character named HYDE. I shall be putting his name in all-caps henceforth to demonstrate how sinister he is.

6. When Christian and Ana wait to talk about whether or not they should have kids after their wedding—a healthy and normal conversation to have on the heels of deciding to spend your life together. Thank you for setting such a good example to us, this movie!

7. When Ana seductively washes Christian's hair and ruins the concept of bathing oneself in the process. Thank god for dry shampoo, because showers are now a trigger.

8. When the movie tries to convince everyone that Ana has a life outside her husband, yet the only conversations she's capable of having with other people are about Christian. Somewhere, the Bedchel test is weeping.

9. Actually, I take that back. At one point she has a conversation about how cute jellyfish are. So great to see such a strong, independent woman on screen. Feminism!

10. When HYDE tries to kidnap Ana and she uses her sex handcuffs to restrain him. Poor Hyde's hands—let's just hope these cuffs get occasionally wiped down by whatever lost soul is in charge of cleaning the Red Room.

11. When Christian has an emotional breakdown because Ana gets a drink with a friend, takes the world's most emo shower, and then is like "MY PENIS IS BROKEN" (in so many words) when Ana tries to have sex with him.

12. When Christian gets revenge on Ana by denying her an orgasm with a vibrator. "Wow, he's terrible," you might be saying to yourself. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, I say back to you.

13. When Christian casually reveals that he has an entire drawer of butt plugs. A butt plug for every occasion, if you will.

14. When Christian is all, "You know, I had a dream last night...that you were dead." Which is a fine thing to say to one's wife, please stop questioning him.

15. When Christian starts singing "Maybe I'm Amazed" at the piano and no one in the movie starts laughing at him, so everyone in the audience does it for them.

16. When Ana dribbles ice cream all over Christian as if that's sexy instead of a complete waste of a great snack.

17. When Ana licks ice cream off Christian's pubic hair, which OH GOD, NO, MY EYES.

18. When Ana rubs a dirty spoon all over Christian's body, ruining spoons forever. Only sporks are acceptable now.

19. When the camera inexplicably zooms in on Christian's butt crack, an image I never asked for and one that will now haunt me forever.

20. When the sex is so good that Ana knocks over a bowl of fruit, which is clearly a metaphor for the FRUIT OF HER WOMB. BLESSED BE THE FRUIT!!!

21. When Christian's brother casually mentions that Christian was completely silent as a child. 👀

22. When you start wondering whether this movie will end with Christian killing everyone, changing his name, and becoming the dude from The Fall.

23. When Christian's brother proposes to his girlfriend in...the middle of...a club? Romantic?

24. When Christian finds out Ana is pregnant, has a toddler-like meltdown about his mommy issues, and you realize this movie is about a sociopath who wants to have sex with his mother.

25. When Rita Ora gets kidnapped by HYDE, who has apparently developed a series of unexplained facial sores in the past five minutes.

26. When HYDE throws his phone into a river but then somehow has another phone two seconds later.

27. When Ana walks into a bank and asks for $5 million in cash and they give it to her. Because banks totally do that.

28. When Ana's mild-mannered coworker turns out to be evil due to everyone in the publishing industry being a murderer and/or henchman.

29. When HYDE turns out to be Christian's foster brother and LOLOLOLOLOLOL.

30. When the movie ends with a flash-forward of Ana and Christian's poor innocent son frolicking about, oblivious to the things he went through in utero, and unaware that his father is the world's worst living human.

The latest installment in the Fifty Shades trilogy, Fifty Shades Darker, promises even sexier sex and plenty of OMG-inducing moments—with a side of Dakota Johnson's spot-on bangs. I get that the "spreader" (cringe) is a more obvious talking point about the movie, but why is no one giving credit where credit is due to how hard she rocks this look?

As anyone who has bangs knows, they're a beast all their own. Unless you have a personal stylist, bangs are a serious commitment. Wind becomes your biggest nemesis, as does the annoying "bangs" stereotype. Since I cut my own bangs a year ago, I can't escape the obvious moniker of "the girl with the bangs," which would be fine...except that for many, the hairstyle conjures up images of their second-grade school picture. Definitely not sex-goddess hair.

Insert wide-eyed Dakota Johnson AKA Anastasia Steele, whose bangs are difficult to ignore and impossible to forget. "Men must throw themselves at you," Christian Grey tells her when they first meet. We all know where the story goes from here, but let's not lose sight of what's important: Dakota Johnson is doing great things for girls with bangs.

Sure, there's Zooey Deschanel and her charming geek-chic fringe, seductive Uma Thurman in cult classic Pulp Fiction, and bangin' bombshells of the '50s and '60 like Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot. There was even a time in the 1880s when women who fringed their hair were considered promiscuous and bold. But bangs haven't been this sultry in quite some time.

Needless to say, Johnson is "the girl with the bangs" that every other girl with bangs hopes to be.

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The sex scenes in Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker are intensely sexy. Filming them, however...not so much. This isn't a surprise; actors love to remind us that filming sex scenes is way more awkward than sexy.

Christian Grey himself, Jamie Dornan, stopped by The Graham Norton Show this week to talk about just how un-sexy things are behind the scenes of the steamy Fifty Shades scenes, according to ET Online.

"There's probably more sex in it," he said of the sequel. "My temptation is always just to try to make Dakota [Johnson] laugh...When there's a moment when I'm meant to orgasm, I'll be like, 'Doodle-doo dee-doo!'"

You need to hear the "doodle-doo dee-doo" with your own ears to truly appreciate how much Dakota Johnson must have laughed on set.

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The Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift collaboration "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" from Fifty Shades Darker is the gift that keeps on giving.

Even after the super sexy music video and the video of Taylor and bestie/Zayn's GF Gigi Hadid singing, dancing, and making semi-awkward hand motions to the song made their rounds, we can't get enough. And on one glorious day, both Zayn and Taylor released acoustic versions.

While Taylor's is only a tease, Zayn's is the entire song filmed in a moody, dimly lit recording studio.

Taylor's shorter video is actually a rehearsal for the DIRECTV Super Bowl event. Her version is equally moody, but thankfully better lit.

BRB, listening on repeat.

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As James Corden gives himself an ulcer with rage, Taylor Swift and Gigi Hadid have taken promoting the former's new Fifty Shades Darker song (with the latter's boyfriend Zayn) into their own hands—literally their own hands, because it's a vlog.

"I'm listening to it on the radio, I've never heard it before," Swift said into her phone camera, as Hadid lip-synced and danced to "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" next to her. They then proceed to ham it up, Swift recreating the same thrashing as she does in the official music video.

A fun time for all, though one important question remains: Is that a kangaroo in the backseat? Or a bunny?

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Though he might play S&M loving sex-enthusiast Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades franchise, Jamie Dornan would like the world to know that his IRL taste tends to be a bit milder. In fact, before starring in Fifty Shades, he was an innocent lamb when it came to the kinkier side of sex.

"It was like nothing I'd experienced before," he recently told GQ when asked about the infamous Fifty Shades dungeon. "I'd never seen any form of S&M before this, I had no interest in that world."

Tell us more, Jamie Dornan.

"It doesn't float my boat," the actor continued. "I've always been open-minded and liberal—I'd never judge anyone's sexual preference. Whatever gets people off is entirely up to them and there's a million different ways to please yourself, sexually."

Speaking of, here, enjoy the trailer for Fifty Shades Darker.

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Dakota Johnson has bared all (both physically and emotionally) for her role as Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades of Grey series. So what's that like, specifically with costar Jamie Dornan around in a big way for all of her nude scenes? She just opened up about it for the February issue of Vogue.

"Nudity is really interesting for an actor," she told Vogue. "Jamie and I worked so incredibly closely for so long. There were no inhibitions, and it was very honest, very trusting. But I mean, what a gamble! What if he had turned out to be a total dick?"

What if indeed. And, on that note, Johnson also playfully, kind of, sort of addressed the rumors about her and her costar. At one end of the spectrum, there's talk that they can't stand each other and, on the other, that they're romantically involved. Her take?

"We hate each other and we're having an affair, so everybody's right. How about that?"

Well, there you have it.

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Well, we all probably should have seen this coming: Fifty Shades Darker is going to be more than just a movie. It's also going to be a virtual reality experience, apparently.

According to Deadline, Fifty Shades Darker director James Foley has confirmed that virtual reality technology is being used to create marketing materials for the upcoming film.

"Yeah, there's marketing materials for behind-the scenes [of], where after we finished shooting for the day, the actors would stay over and VR people would re-create a facsimile of the scene," Foley told the audience at a VR event on the Paramount Pictures lot.

That tease was all Foley gave the audience, so we'll just have to wait until closer to the film's February 10 release to find out exactly how deep into Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey's world the VR experience will take fans.

In the meantime, we'll have to settle for watching the trailer again.

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Update, 9/22: Sneaky, sneaky Henry Cavill certainly made it seem like he was thisclose to signing on as Ana's walking HR violation of a boss, but turns out he was just getting himself some free press. Brilliant. 

Speaking with E! News, producer Dana Brunetti very plainly denied Cavill's involvement in Fifty Shades Darker, explaining that the sequel hasn't even hired a casting director yet. 

"Somebody posts something on some obscure blog and then it gets picked up by something a little less obscure and it keeps going," Brunetti said. "Fans are starting the news by saying things like [the Cavill casting]."

Welcome to the internet, Dana. What's your Insta?  

Update, 9/8: Optimistic in the face of an ever more E L James-ian landscape, Dakota Johnson said she is no longer scared of Fifty Shades Darker.

"It's quite exciting," she told Empire. "There was a moment of being afraid, because I didn't know what it was going to be like. I had an experience with Sam [Taylor-Johnson] and then that all went away. Now I'm excited. I think James is a talented filmmaker. How often do you get to reconvene with the same people and have a different spin?"

I mean, Hollywood is really riding the sequel train ATM, so...all the time? Still, few follow-ups command as much enduring attention—and Twitter backlash—as this.

Update, 8/20: Please welcome to the Red Room...director James Foley, whose arrival on the Fifty Shades Darker set might make the name thing tough unless they call E L by her other name.

Deadline reports that Foley, whose previous credits include Fear, Glengarry Glen Ross, and 12 episodes of House of Cards, is the top replacement for Sam Taylor-Johnson, although negotiations have not yet begun. Filling out Team Fiddy are screenwriter Niall Leonard, producers Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti, principal actors Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, and everything else E L James.

Studies show Fifty Shades can cause near-psychosis and high-risk behaviors, so godspeed, James F. May your predecessor's fate not befall you.

Update, 7/27: It takes a great man to end a practical joke that's gone on too long but an even greater man to recognize that, if he plays it right, he and his costar could stay in the news forever because Fifty Shades *sells.*

In an interview with Magic FM, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. actors participated in some cheeky banter, with Cavill shutting down the rumor that he will play Jack Hyde, Anastasia's walking HR violation of a boss, and Armie Hammer coming back and being like, "Nah. He's definitely doing it."

So which is it? For now, whatever you want it to be? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/embed/video/1201548.html

Update, 7/22: Rumors of Henry Cavill's casting in the Fifty Shades sequel have apparently been bubbling up in the thirstier corners of the internet lately, so E! News took initiative and broached the subject on the press junket for The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

British Superman's answer: "Basically, what I can say is I can't say anything about it right now." I, too, would be hesitant to reveal that I have committed myself to playing a "known philanderer" who harassed his last five assistants and would have assaulted Anastasia too were it not for her self-defense training and Christian's "hyper-vigilance."

https://www.eonline.com/videos/238382/embed-video

Update, 5/8: Jamie Dornan might have been made an offer not even a cinematic Never Nude could refuse: $1.5 million to drop trou.

Star magazine reports an all-encompassing "they" involved with Fifty Shades Darker has thrown down the not-insignificant sum, although Dornan previously stated that, in the first movie, there were contracts in place specifically guarding against that sort of exposure.

"They have assured Jamie that it won't be overt, but more of a brief tease," the source said. "And he'll have some creative control over how it's handled."

Mmhmm. But then again, someone's surely set up a #freethetodger fund, so the total could be $76 gazillion by now.

Update 2, 4/30: *heavy breathing* No, not from me—from the new Fifty Shades Darker teaser.

The bonus-feature-packed DVD for the first movie comes out tomorrow and, according to the YouTube user who uploaded the snippet, includes this footage of Christian Gray putting on a mask perhaps in preparation for a good nighttime burgle. (The movie is, after all, in the thriller category now.) Watch the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYUTv-LhRw8

Update, 4/30: During a keynote Q&A at The Hollywood Reporter's ninth annual Power Lawyers breakfast, Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley revealed Fifty Shades Darker will be "more of a thriller."

The sequel, scheduled for February 2017, indeed contains intrigue, an assassination plot, gun-slinging, and a lot of confused feelings, which the as-yet-unnamed director will be sure to play up with some chiaroscuro and tremolo on the soundtrack. Maybe E L James will throw in something fromone of her playlists? A touch of Britney, perhaps? Either way, *spooky.*

Update, 4/24: Just when you thought we were getting a much-needed respite from all things Fifty Shades, WHACK. More news! Like a riding crop to the face!

First up: No new S&M stuff in time for Valentine's Day 2016. According to Variety, it was announced at CinemaCon on Thursday that Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed will be released Feb. 10, 2017, and Feb. 9, 2018, respectively.

Second thing: They stuck a mask on Christian Grey. Access Hollywood obtained an exclusive first look at Fifty Shades Darker, and it appears Mr. Grey looks a lot like Jamie Dornan getting ready to attend the Save Venice Ball.

https://twitter.com/accesshollywood/status/591384066299015168

Update, 4/22: Um, what? E L James reportedly wrested wanted greater creative control over Fifty Shades Darker, so, according to the Hollywood Reporter, she's gone and hired a screenwriter who's accustomed to her demands: her husband.

"Niall [Leonard] is an outstanding writer in his own right, with multiple established credits, and we are lucky to have him join Team Fifty," producer Michael De Luca said in a statement.

Leonard worked on the first Fifty Shades script and has written for the British TV shows Air Force One Is Down and Wire in the Blood. He is also author of the Crusher murder-mystery book series.

Original post, 2/20: Some things we stand for:

Teamwork

Women supporting women

Fine literature

Sequels that offer the same caliber of entertainment as the originals

I don't know how we're going to reconcile all these, given the news that Fifty Shades of Grey author E L James is reportedly demanding control of the sequel's script. Gulp.

According to Variety, the bane of Sam Taylor-Johnson's existence is looking to write the script for Fifty Shades Darker, which Universal Pictures hasn't green-lighted yet, presumably because James and studio execs are still hammering out the details. In any case, insiders say neither STJ nor screenwriter Kelly Marcel will be back for the second installment for reasons that might have to do with the, erm, tension on set. (Not the sexual kind—heavens knows there was none of that anywhere.)

So if you're hoping for another chains-and-whips-excite-me-type Valentine's Day, don't hold your breath—James has never written for the silver screen before, production probably won't start until 2016, nothing's finalized yet, yada, yada. GOOD. We could all use a break.

Update, 9/10: Even without context, this Charlie Hunnam quote is priceless.

"The outside perception of that was that I got really cold feet and got scared of the explicit nature of the sexuality of the piece," he said about turning down the role of Christian Grey in a cover story for V Man #34. "When I was 18 I was getting f*cked in the ass, completely naked on national TV, y'know?" (If you're like, "Uh, no, I don't," it's Showtime's Queer as Folk.)

But the real real reason Charlie Hunnam had to leave Fifty Shades, breaking Sam Taylor-Johnson's heart and his own in the process, was that he is simply too honorable: He had already given director and friend (and gleeful Disneyland visitor) Guillermo del Toro his word that he would star in Crimson Peak.

Hunnam calls this move "devastating," "the worst professional experience of my life," and "the most emotionally destructive and difficult thing that I've ever had to deal with professionally," but some of us would say he dodged a bullet.

Original story, 10/17/13: In case you didn't think it was possible, the never-ending search for the perfect Christian Grey has just gotten more interesting. Despite news of the star's conflicting Sons of Anarchy schedule, sources tell the Hollywood Reporter that script drama was the real reason behind Charlie Hunnam's departure from the film.

As a writer, Hunnam reportedly shared extensive notes about the script with the film's executives. Conflict escalated when the denial of Hunnam's request for further script approval was met with the actor's threats to quit. Though the creative team later hired screenwriter Patrick Marber to polish the script and appease the star, Hunnam had already made up his mind to announce his departure the next day.

This still leaves Dakota Johnson without her leading man. Jamie Dornan, Christian Cooke, and Alexander Skarsgard are just some of the names being thrown around for the role, but word on the street is that Dornan may be the Christian for our Anastasia.

Follow Marie Claire on Instagram for the latest celeb news, pretty pics, funny stuff, and an insider POV.  

Proving once again that rumors are like the fluffy white popcorn surrounding un-chewable, tooth-cracking kernels of truth, Fifty Shades of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson has announced that she is not returning for the sequels. Oh, and neither is screenwriter Kelly Marcel.

"While I will not be returning to direct the sequels, I wish nothing but success to whoever takes on the exciting challenges of films two and three," Taylor-Johnson said in a statement. "Directing Fifty Shades of Grey has been an intense and incredible journey for which I am hugely grateful. I have Universal to thank for that. I forged close and lasting relationships with the cast, producers and crew and most especially, with Dakota and Jamie."

Sad but not even close to discovery-of-the-Red-Room shocking, given that apparently, E L James wants to adapt Fifty Shades Darker for the screen herself and that, you've probably heard, she was reportedly kind of a pain to deal with.

But you know what else no more FSOG means: extended sanity-regaining vacation!

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Update, 2/25: Breathe in, breathe out. Jamie Dornan isn't going anywhere. "All press reports are pure conjecture as the studio has not committed to a sequel as yet," his rep tells E! News, which sounds like PR-person speak for "he's contractually obligated to stay for Fifty Shades 45: Anastasia's Granddaughter's Revenge, but please God, let E L prove so difficult Universal scraps the whole thing."

So rest easy, Christian Grey fan club. Your idol is safe.

Update, 2/24: Jamie Dornan won't be back for Fifty Shades Round Two, the Mirror reports. Amelia Warner, Dornan's wife and the mother of their 15-month-old daughter, would rather not have her husband become a sex symbol random 33-year-old women in movie theaters masturbate to, while Christian Grey himself is allegedly disappointed his career hasn't taken off quite the way he had hoped. And there's that thing again about him and Dakota Johnson not getting along, which the Mirror's source confirmed, saying, "Jamie does not think his performance was bad—instead he blames Dakota and says it wasn't possible to have chemistry with her."

You know what? That's OK. If the sequels don't pan out, they could always channel all that drama into a reality series. Fed Up with Fifty Shades—we can see it now.

Original post: Sounds like making Fifty Shades of Grey really did cost Sam Taylor-Johnson her sanity. According to Mirror UK, the director clashed too much with author E.L. James to want to work together again, and is threatening to leave the production for good. "Sam won't be back for the Fifty Shades sequels. She wants out and Universal knows that's the right decision," a source told the publication.

"Her relationship with Erika has become toxic. They despise each other and blame each other for the problems with the film."

Apparently, things were not quite as steamy as James wanted them to be. "All the biggest arguments were about the sex scenes in the film. Erika wanted the movie to be loyal to the book and much more explicit." Taylor-Johnson, on the other hand, disagreed: she was on a mission to create "more than just a collection of S&M scenes," the source added.

The tension between the director and author hasn't been a secret—Taylor-Johnson herself told Porter magazine, "We definitely fought—but they were creative fights and we would resolve them." Her reps so far deny that she hasn't signed on to direct the next sequels, mainly because the two films haven't been confirmed. 

But seeing as the film was one of the top-rated movies ever to debut in February, the highest-grossing Presidents Day holiday opener of all time, and is among the biggest R-rated debuts in history, it's safe to assume this isn't the last we've seen of Grey's playroom. Or Taylor-Johnson's Fifty Shades paychecks.

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If you're feeling like getting your Fifty Shades of Grey on but don't know where to even begin, today's your lucky day.

A new app, Whiplr, is "a messenger app with kinks." Basically, it works to connect users who want to explore the world of fetish without the fear of being judged or, you know, hurt. 

You can create a profile (with a SFW pic, no n00dz here), message play partners (without giving away private details), and even find real-life events in your area.

The "kink" factor is sorted into categories based on what you're into or curious about—think sounds, behavior, or accessories. These help you match up with other potential messaging partners. 

Because, as Luda would say, "I gotta kn-kn-kn-know what's your fan-ta-ta-sy." 

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While hitting the Oscars red carpet tonight, Dakota Johnson admitted she hasn't quite let go of Anastasia Steele—the actress told Ryan Seacrest that she kept a flogger from the Fifty Shades of Grey set. 

But then it got even more fun. Kelly Osbourne wondered aloud what a flogger is (oh right, Kelly), and Giuliana Rancic decided to define it live on air.

"An implement usually used in BDSM, it is made up of a handle and several straps which are attached to it. Can be used to whip or to caress," she read from her phone. 

We bet that's the first time "BDSM" has ever been uttered on the Oscars red carpet...

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'Fifty Shades' Has Fallen 70% at the Box Office

Everyone on planet earth has weighed in on Fifty Shades of Grey—us, dudes, Kim Kardashian—but what about the experts? Not the book and movie critics, but the BDSM ones? We talked to dominatrix Mona Rogers to get her take...and it's awesome. Listen in: 

Marie Claire: What do you think about Fifty Shades?
Mona Rogers: That was the hardest form of torture I have ever been through in my entire life.

MC: For that to come from a dominatrix...
MR: [laughing] Well here's my take: As a dominant woman who has been in the scene for quite some time, that's like giving Evel Knievel a tricycle and expecting him to be excited.

MC: [laughing] That is amazing.
MR: It's not an accurate depiction of any sort of realistic BDSM relationship at all. It's technically not even really consensual, because of the fact that she does not want all this crazy shit—he's the one who wants this stuff.  She wants a vanilla relationship with, you know, maybe a little bit of spanking here and there.

MC: So how is it supposed to be?
MR: This relationship is supposed to be about mutual reciprocity for both people's enjoyment, carefully negotiated, with both people's mental, emotional, and physical needs in mind. 

MC: That's so interesting—I think they actually had a BDSM consultant on set. 
MR:  Well first of all, there's one snippet you can see in the trailer where she's tied up and it's not even the proper type of bondage to do in that situation. No one would use that in real life.  

MC: Is there anything good about it?
MR: I do think it's given women...I don't want to say "permission" because we don't need f*cking permission...but it's made them a little more comfortable starting a dialogue with their partner about their fantasies and desires. 

MC: Totally great point.
MR: Granted I feel that for the dominant woman/submissive man situation, there's still no voice for that. Dominant women are still looked at as "bitches"...so that needs to change.

Amen, Mona. Amen.

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Attention Fifty Shades apologists: There's a new battle cry you could be taking up right now that's way more legit-sounding than "read the book" and "it's a love story you don't understand." How about "the movie passes the Bechdel test," hmm?

It's true—Sam Taylor-Johnson's monster (hit) pretty much earned an A in Gender Equality in Film. That is, the screen adaptation meets three, not-tremendously-difficult-seeming-but-are requirements, which means that it portrays women as real people and not just as props who react to male characters:

1. Are there at least two women who have names in it?
2. Do they talk to each other?
3. Is their conversation about anything other than a man?

According to Vox, there are multiple instances of the second two criteria, including scenes in which Ana discusses things such as sandwiches and dinner with her roommate and Christian's mother. (We've got that first point covered: Kate Kavanagh, played by Eloise Mumford, and Anastasia Steele, duh.)

To put this achievement into perspective, you ought to know that in a study of 1,794 titles from 1970 to 2013, nearly half failed the Bechdel test. *thud* Fifty Shades, a movie about a woman dating a dude with peculiar tastes, did something almost 900 other movies couldn't! 

Mad respect, STJ and screenwriter Kelly Marcel. Mad respect.

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I'm an open-minded guy who loves movies about sexual awakenings (Secretary) and eccentric billionaires (The Thomas Crown Affair), so I was delighted at the idea of seeing Fifty Shades of Grey. A number of close friends—male and female—had confessed that they had caved and read the book and, well, liked it. Combine that with the sexual reawakening of conservative housewives all across the nation, and, I figured, it should at least be a good date movie. That pretty much sums up my expectation level going in: a fun romp, an easy watch, but probably nothing too intellectually stimulating. (I had seen the trailers, after all.)

What I didn't expect was for my inner feminist to get riled about what I was seeing on the screen. Have I ever gone on the record as a feminist before? I don't know, but suddenly I felt like I needed to—immediately. Because while the book may have reawakened many a housewife's libido, it's my opinion that Fifty Shades of Grey is pretty problematic—on feminist, BDSM, and just general we're-not-cavemen-anymore grounds. Hear me out. 

Anastasia Steele

Ah yes, the most generic female lead of all time. Most movies open with some act or gesture that makes you want to root for the protagonist. Here Ana just tells you: "I have a GPS and a 4.0 GPA." Subtle. She's a virgin who melts any time her cheek is touched, and for whatever reason only receives emails from one person: Christian Grey. When he asks her what she's into, she just says, "Books." Seriously?

When this was a book, that vagueness was appealing—any woman could write herself into the part. But when you're dealing with a movie, and a character, she kind of needs something...more. Anything, really. She could have said "I'm really into Twilight fan fiction and comic-con" and I would have found that 25 times more appealing.

Christian Grey

The fact that Ana is one-dimensional isn't that horrific. It's this guy. The rich, handsome man who cancels meetings for a woman he just met, buys expensive gifts (spoiler alert: it's a car), and plans elaborate dates all while secretly having a big heart with a passion to eradicate world hunger. Oh, but there's a catch. You can't touch him. You can't sleep next to him. He wants to control every aspect of who you are, including what you eat and how much you drink. And he does whatever he wants with you whenever he wants, because he basically owns you.

I don't know any guys like this. I'm certainly not a guy like this. And I would venture to say that if a man has half a coffee date with you and then starts showing up uninvited to bars where you're out with friends and making you go home with him, if he sends you lavish gifts and tells you what to do with them, if he can't even let you go visit your mom without showing up (once again, uninvited), this is not a good boyfriend. This is a stalker and you should probably call the police. 

But in this movie, the controlling stalker is rich and handsome so…it's okay I  guess? It's like he's some adult version of Disney's archetypal Prince Charming—he shows up and whisks you away, riding off into the sunset together, so your life is new and exciting. You can never go back to what your life was because he's shown you a rich and fancy new lifestyle and claims to be devoted to you. Except for one thing: He gets off on causing you pain, and you're not necessarily into that. Meh, whatever.

Let me demonstrate a crucial scene that shows how this could have been a feminist movie but isn't. Here's one version where it's Christian who's invited into the BDSM world:

CHRISTIAN: Why would we do these things?

ANASTASIA: You'll be giving me pleasure.

CHRISTIAN: And what do I get out of it?

ANASTASIA: Me.

Empowering, right? A strong woman who knows what she wants sexually saying, "Look dude. If you want to be with me then you need get me off." In the real version, the roles are flipped, and the effect is a little more squirmy—it feels arrogant on his part, and the fact that she shrugs and leans into the whole thing "just because" is frankly a little bit repulsive.

This is, incidentally, a dialogue I see playing out all across the country with almost-couples in their 20s. The woman says she wants to get serious and the guy is like, "Hey, we're hooking up and having fun. I don't do relationships. Don't you like me enough to just screw?" and the woman gives in and the situation is, in a word, shitty. Why we're romanticizing this dynamic in the movie is beyond me. 

Finally, we reach the end of the film and Anastasia just wants to know why they can't settle down and have a rich, handsome family together. In other words, why all the BDSM stuff? His response: "Because I'm fifty shades of f*cked up." Thus, the pivotal explanation in the movie is that if you engage in BDSM it's because you're damaged or psychopathic, not because you're in a loving relationship that involves exploration of that type of activity. Which just bashes the BDSM community in addition to reifying stereotypes. 

This movie is in poor taste, but it's already broken box-office records. It cost $40 million to make and made $94.4 million domestically in its opening weekend—I'm not a Hollywood power player, but even I can see that's a good ROI. And yes, I realize that nothing I can say will make people not want to see it. But just remember one thing as you watch Steele explore Grey's playroom: This is not real life. This is not a true portrayal of a loving relationship, BDSM, or even Prince Charming. Because in the fairy tales, the prince is charming at least part of the time.

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Fifty Shades is all about transformations: Anastasia Steele, from "frumpy nerd to fully realized sexual being," as John Oliver put it in his lost audition. The hardware store industry from, uh, do-it-yourself-y to a quivering mass of terror. The fans, from rapturous to raccoon-in-the-daytime rabid.

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson brought up a new, rather intriguing change during an interview with HuffPost Live on Monday: Ana's pubic hair, which goes from au natural to…something that's explained in the text.

"It was a conscious choice," Taylor-Johnson said of Ana's bush, which host Nancy Redd deemed "fantastic." "Dakota and I had a very funny discussion about the arc and journey of her pubic hair—that she should start one way, and she goes on this journey with it, and in line with how it's written in the book is the journey of that."

What does that mean? Does she try shapes? Or colors? A Brazilian? Oh man. We might just have to go see it now.

Watch the full interview below.

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Her role in this month's Fifty Shades of Grey gives her serious cred, but in her free time, camping fanatic Eloise Mumford stays really down-to-earth.

On her Fifty Shades role: I play Kate Kavanagh, Anastasia Steele's roommate. She's the friend who's supportive and loving, but also the voice of reason. 

On her favorite pastime: For as long as I can remember, I've gone camping with my family. Growing up in Washington, it's so easy to get to Mount Rainier and Olympic National Park. 

On growing up: My mom was a badass Outward Bound instructor in the '70s. We did five-day wilderness trips when I was 3 and my sister was 6. My parents would just carry us on their backs. 

On camping these days: Now that I live in L.A., I try to do a big trip once a year. It's not car camping! You have to plan out every meal and how much you can carry. We even drill holes in our toothbrushes to lighten them. 

On the essentials: Camping reminds you that all you really need are the essentials: food, water, people you love, and your healthy body. 

One thing to watch out for: Goats! This past summer in Olympic, a herd terrorized our campsite. The ranger was like, "Be really careful; they gored a hiker recently." 

On trail mix: I'm a sucker for Peanut M&M's. My mom is the expert on packing surprises, like busting out a tiny vial of wine or a package of gummy bears on the last day.

On the Fifty Shades of Grey trailer: [It] was released while I was in a tent in the middle of nowhere. We hiked out, and as soon as I had cell service, I watched. I was so dirty, it was freezing, and I was on the side of the road. It was awesome.

This article appears in the March 2015 issue of Marie Claire on newsstands February 17.

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Spoiler alert: This has spoilers.

In the interest of full disclosure, you should know that I hadn't read Fifty Shades of Grey, the Twilight fan fic-turned-BDSM-themed blockbuster book by E.L. James, before watching the movie. Or after, for that matter. But I did feel a teensy bit bad about being out of the loop—by bad I mean just fascinated enough to ask an intern to head to Barnes & Noble and grab me a copy (sorry, girl)—so I did the same thing I did in college when I hadn't done the reading: I read the first chapter, and the last chapter. Only now, I'm an Adult Woman—so I read them after two glasses of wine.

I understood two things going in to Monday's early screening: First, the life (and "inner monologue") of this alleged 20-something Anastasia Steele was clearly written by my mom, or, you know, someone much older than the perspective it's trying to give. (I'm 28, and I've never called anything my "inner goddess.") Her name alone screams cheesy romance novel. There's way too big a disconnect between reality and the character for me to take anything she does or says seriously—sort of difficult when you're supposed to be losing yourself in some erotica experience, ya know?

Second, Christian Grey likes hitting women. Fun!

Needless to say, I was prepared to hate-watch Fifty Shades even more than, say, the vaguely racist abomination known as Sex and the City 2. And…I was kind of disappointed, you guys. It, like, wasn't that bad! Well, it was, sort of, but not as bad I thought it would be. The character development and storyline and the relationships and whatever else was pretty dumb and/or messed up but that's not the movie's fault! (James was said to have had an unprecedentedly heavy hand during the filmmaking process).

Like the book, the film felt totally out of touch. See: Anastasia has a goddamn flip phone. The only two people left in the world with a flip phone are my dad and Anna Wintour. Neither one is a girl who just graduated college. Oh, and the college apartment where Anastasia and her roommate Kate live? It's a 2015 Anthropologie catalog update to the Friends apartment: gorgeous and comically big. After their final exams, Anastasia and Kate go out to celebrate…to a fancy-looking nightclub. Again: They're in college. The nightlife options should only be bar with a sticky floor or frat [pullquote align='C']Anastasia has a goddamn flip phone. The only people in the world with a flip phone are my dad and Anna Wintour.[/pullquote]house with an even stickier floor. Or maybe the quality of living in Vancouver, Washington(?) is just really good, I don't know. Oh, and Anastasia works at a hardware store, which, sure, but it just seems like just a goofily convenient way to bump into Christian while he's buying masking tape, cable wires, and rope. Which is a thing that happens.

Something else to blame on the book: The characters are insanely under-developed. What does Christian do? What does anyone do? Why won't he let her touch him? What's this damaged childhood he keeps hinting at? And who cleans all the toys in his Red Room of Pain? I mean, I get it: This is just a case of sticking to the script that the book's inner goddess has laid out for director Sam Taylor-Johnson and screenwriter Kelly Marcel, but filling in some plot holes would've been...helpful?

That said, the performances from stars Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson were actually totally fine. Johnson has great comedic timing, emotions so visibly wash over her face that you know every single thing her character is feeling, and she's basically put through so much naked un-comfortableness that even if she were terrible (and she's not, at all—actually, she's the best part of the whole thing) she'd get a pass. And Dornan, just look at him.

The cinematography is beautiful too. It's all Seattle skyscapes and polished, pretty shots. (This must be noted: The body-con dresses worn by the women in Christian's office, most of his wardrobe, the sky: gray, gray, gray.) Perhaps least surprisingly of all, there are lots of phallic symbols—the movie opens with Anastasia gawking up at the building this businessperson (WHAT DOES HE DO?) Grey owns while "I Put a Spell on You" plays in the background (my scribbled notes in the movie theater: "tall dick building") and later she can't seem to stop putting a pencil engraved with his name in and around her mouth (you do the math)—but to Taylor-Johnson's credit, it somehow felt more Easter egg-y than eye roll-y. Taylor-Johnson pulls off a sultry, teasing, gorgeous-looking story with a sense of humor. (If you ignore the plot.)

Sex scenes time! There are four full-on scenes, which felt like neither too little nor too much to me, but also I didn't really care. They were pretty hot, if a little cringe-worthy, like when Anastasia reveals she's a virgin and her desirability goes up by 198% and drives Christian wild, which is such an annoying and obvious and puritanical and sexist and stupid message that I won't even bother to address it. There's a lot of man-butt, a little bit of top-dick, and lots of Dakota's ladybits throughout (though we only see her full frontal once). There's ass-slapping, and hand-tying, and lots of thrusting. At least one instance of oral sex, too (for her, not him!). And of course the "kinky" stuff: feathers, ice, a whip. It's sexy and not at all robotic and awkward like we've come to expect from overanalyzing the actors' behavior during the film's press tour—Dornan and Johnson clearly spent an uncomfortable amount of time practically naked writhing around on top of each other, doing things that you don't usually do with your co-worker. That's why they're so unnerved, I think. Or maybe they do hate each other as the internet speculates, but plenty of people feel that way about their officemates without having been humped by them, so let's move on.

The worst: The relationship moves at warp speed because, duh, it's a movie, but that coupled with the whole man-in-total-control thing seriously freaked me out. At one point, he breaks into her apartment after she seems to be avoiding him and she responds by…having sex with him. Romance! Wrong. Next time: CALL THE POLICE. Before that, he asks her to move in on their second date—which was a surprise helicopter ride to Seattle, which not OK—and she's totally not fazed by it, only curious about the terms of the move. And he begins controlling her from the start: telling her to eat during their first date at a coffee shop, chastising her for drinking too much, buying her a laptop so she can email him. It's gross, and even grosser that she's charmed by it all. And that's before talk of their dominant-submissive contract, which includes a clause that says her choice of birth control method is actually his choice. By the way, they have a "business meeting" in which they negotiate terms of said contract ("anal fisting" and "vaginal fisting" are out, sorry!) and the birth control isn't even a thing that's discussed. This isn't some hot, steamy relationship—it's abusive, no?

I guess that's why it ends the way it ends. If you read the book, you know what I'm talking about. Basically, Anastasia learns how much Christian wants to physically hurt her because he "needs it." Why? He had a rough childhood with a drug-addicted mom (my notes: "oh, mommy issues") and he was a submissive for a friend of his adopted mother's when he was 15 (hi, what?).  So, in conclusion, he was neglected and abused by women and now he wants to hurt all other women in return. (How have the Men's Rights Movement not nominated this guy for King of the Assholes?) Neither character really spells this out for us, but that's why, right? He gets off on hurting women and when he hurts Anastasia in a tough-to-watch scene that rings pretty true to the final chapter of the book, she realizes this and leaves. But that's not why she leaves—she leaves because she can't give him what he wants. She leaves because she can't change The Bad Boy. Not because of all of the other reasons I've listed here for you. Pause and consider.

In sum: As the credits rolled, someone in the theater yelled "What?!" amid groans and laughs—but no one moved from their seats right away, because we were all kind of waiting for more. And that pretty much says it all.

Read all our Fifty Shades of Grey coverage here, plus:

I Tried All the Sex from 'Fifty Shades of Grey' in One Weekend

'Fifty Shades' Is Expected to Make $60 Million Its Opening Weekend

God Help Us: There Will Be Two More 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Movies

Four New 'Fifty Shades' Parodies That Are Probably Better Than the Real Thing

No one knows exactly what's going to happen in those crucial 20 minutes, but who cares, now that we can take in every bed-pounce and pancake-making dance break on 72-feet-tall screens plus surround sound?

To the delight of those who are, uh, "cray for Fifty Shades of Grey," the movie will show at 75 venues across the U.S. on Feb. 13, IMAX Entertainment CEO Greg Foster told investors Monday, Deadline reports.

"We're doing it literally at the last moment," Foster said. "We'll be part of it and get some of the walk-up business." Translation: He wants a piece of that $60-million-opening-weekend action. Understandable.

Meanwhile, folks in the Bible Belt are hitting up Fandango like mad, and the U.K. equivalent of Home Depot is battening down the hatches for surges in sales of rope, cable ties, and tape—hey, wasn't that from this scene? Christian Grey has never been so relevant as right this minute, when normally sane people the world over clutch their hard-won presale tickets and whisper, "What are you doing to me?" You know, like in the trailer:

(This is also the part where we thank the heavens above and industry execs for taking out that tampon scene.  That is NOT something we need to see all up close and personal.)

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There's an Alternate 'Fifty Shades' Ending You're Not Going to See, and It's Causing Quite the Stir

Here's How Much Sex Will Actually Be in 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

Just Try Not to Laugh When Christian Grey Says "Playroom" in This 'Fifty Shades' Scene

Fifty Shades is really taking it out of, well, everyone. There's Dakota Johnson, who had to be tied up like a pork loin and dangled from the ceiling. There's Jamie Dornan, who did 345,987 sit-ups every day because we imagined his character having abs. There's Sam Taylor-Johnson, whom, we hope, is taking a nice mental vacation for the rest of the month. And then there's poor you, having to deal with crippling Fifty Shades fatigue.

You know what makes everything better? A clever shot of a clueless couple trying to put a sex swing together, Christian Grey as a Lego, and Vanessa Bayer offering Ben Wa balls to strangers. Praise the Internet.

1. Trojan's Fifty Shades of Pleasure

Moral of the story: Don't use "Nancy" as a safe word.

2. Audi's Elevator Scene featuring Vanessa Bayer

Instead of sending them home with cab fare and a nice fruit basket, Christian Grey gives Audis to all his submissives.(All of us in unison: Oooooooh.)

3. Antonio Toscano's Fifty Shades of Bricks

Dibs on becoming this Lego whisperer's apprentice.

 4. Ellen's Deleted Playroom Scene

Turns out Christian's playroom *chortle* contains neither his Xbox nor his BDSM equipment.

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25 Facts About 'Fifty Shades of Grey' That Will Blow Your Mind

20 Songs That Should Totally Be on the 'Fifty Shades' Soundtrack but Aren't

Is 'Fifty Shades of Grey' the New Runway Inspiration?

Maybe he was overqualified? After all, David Gandy fits the description "epitome of male beauty" just as well as Jamie Dornan, but he also comes with his own bespoke suits.

In an interview with Square Mile magazine, the supermodel and underwear designer explains why he took a pass on the role of Christian Grey in Fifty Shades.

"Critics and literary experts aren't fans, but I respect it for what it is," Gandy said. "But was it right for me? No. It just didn't feel right, in any way. And in my gut, it felt right to say no. Sometimes it's about what you say no to, as opposed to what you say yes to that can lead to success."

Plus, it can be kind of intimidating to film BDSM sex scenes—a whole 20 minutes worth!—when you're a naturally shy, private person (whose face and body are plastered all over the place, ahem).

"I don't like being center of attention," he says. "I hide how nervous I am. When I turn up to a red carpet, I still get butterflies… Nine times out of 10, I want to say to the driver, 'Just keep going, I want to go home.' Some people thrive on it, but not me."

Bummer. But in case you still want to imagine what could have been, here's that windy, desert-y, also intensely uncomfortable-to-shoot J.Lo video he once acted in.

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The Latest 'Fifty Shades' Trailer Has (Brace Yourselves) Sex Scenes in It

You Know That "Enlighten Me" Moment in 'Fifty Shades'? Now You Can See the Whole Scene

25 Facts About 'Fifty Shades of Grey' That Will Blow Your Mind

In the latest issue of Porter magazine—covered by a very vernal-looking Natalia Vodianova wearing the world's prettiest lip stain—director Sam Taylor-Johnson says Angelina Jolie, who was reportedly also in the running for the Fifty Shades gig, is a very gracious lady.

"I got an email out of the blue from her saying good luck on your journey," Taylor-Johnson says. "I thought that was incredibly sweet of her."

Rumor has it the charm school graduate expressed interest in acting in the film adaptation of E L James's hit book too, so maaaybe Taylor-Johnson was moved enough to offer her a part? Maybe it's the best-kept secret of the decade, and we'll all be pleasantly surprised on Feb. 13? (Please, please, please, please.)

On a not-so-warm-and-fuzzy note, Taylor-Johnson says she and James butted heads over the creative direction of the movie.

"We would have proper on-set barneys, and I'm not confrontational, but it was about finding a way between the two of us, satisfying her vision of what she'd written as well as my need to visualize this person on screen but, you know, we got there."

So everything is still cool, because even though making Fifty Shades wasn't all together-forever buddy-buddy-ness, we've got two strong-minded women resolving their differences to make a bunch of other women very, very happy. That's a win in our book.

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Fifty Shades of Grey mania knows no bounds now that subtle odes to the S&M flick seem to be turning up on the haute couture runways. 

For Spring 2015, Dior and Armani Privé showed sexy twists on the classic ponytail that would surely light Christian Grey's fire. But fear not, these looks aren't just for those with tastes that are very...singular.   

Dior 

Dior's highly-conceptual ponytail—the brainchild of designer Raf Simons and  hair stylist Guido Palau—featured one decidedly dominatrix detail: chain-like, plexiglass rings. The accessories were attached to a French updo, with long hair extensions looped through the bottom. 

"Though it's classic, there is a 'Diorness' to it, a [futuristic take], a modernity because it has this very simplistic sort of feel," Palau told WWD. He also described the look as "fetish" on his Instagram, so there's that.

Armani Privé

Giorgio Armani and hairstylist Odile Gilbert may say they were inspired by bamboo stems, but the sleek ponytails seen on the runway, sectioned off with black fabric bands, had a distinct tie-me-up feel, no?

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Sia's New 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Song Is Surprisingly Sweet

Here's How Much Sex Will Actually Be in 'Fifty Shades of Grey

The Weeknd's New 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Video Is So Hot It's NSFW

After one year and seven months of nonstop Fifty Shades, director Sam Taylor-Johnson's inner goddess could really use a break.  

"I'm literally going out of my mind," says the lady who's responsible for living up to 100 million women's kinkiest expectations in Red magazine's March issue."I have seen this film over a thousand times and...the nuances within—the tiniest shift, look, blink of an eye—can make all the difference and flip it into the wrong territory. It's like walking a knife edge."

Like, this movie must be her magnum opus because she really, really needs to take some time off.

"I feel wrung dry, and I need to find some building bricks again. I don't think I could even compose a picture right now. My creative brain has to shut down for a second."

In between discussing how all-consuming it was to tell Christian Grey and Anastasia Steel's BDSM fairy-tale love story,  Johnson-Taylor talks about giving it her all what a joy it was working with "sweet and lovely man" Jamie Dornan and, more interestingly, making sure film-version Anastasia Steele doesn't end up the poster girl of female submission.

"I felt like I had a responsibility to empower the lead character," she says. "Anastasia had to go on a journey of sexual exploration but, by the end, it had to be about empowerment. It is all her choice. All decisions, she's clearly made. She is not falling prey."

'That's the message I want people to walk away with. That feeling of 'all the riches and success and charisma count for nothing, if it's under terms you cannot accept.' In Fifty Shades, seemingly Christian has all the power and control—but actually Anastasia does."

Watch the newest trailer below.

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Here's How Much Sex Will Actually Be in 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

Ellie Goulding Recreates 'Fifty Shades' Scenes in Her Sexy New Music Video

Fifty Shades of Grey: The Film Adaptation Gets a Director!

Update, 1/21: The wait is over! The full video for The Weeknd's Fifty Shades of Grey song is here, though the butt-less underwear and nipple pasties contained within make it decidedly NSFW. (Plus at one point, Dakota Johnson dangles overhead trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey.) But go ahead and sneakily watch it anyway—you've..."Earned It."

Update 1/20: We thought the track was red-hot, and then we got a sneak peek at the music video—*fans self*. From what we can see so far, the video finds The Weeknd decked in a tuxedo, serenading a crowd from the stage while surrounded by scantily clad cabaret dancers.

"He's just instantly seductive, and it's sort of gentle seduction that just pulls you and pulls you and pulls you in," says Fifty Shades of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson in the teaser. See exactly what she means, below:

Original Post 12/23: The Weeknd has upped the ante for the Fifty Shades of Grey film as only he can. Dare we say it? He might be giving Beyoncé a run for her money.

R&B's smoothest operator has unveiled his offering for the soundtrack and it's so unapologetically sexy it walks that fine line between early morning delight and embarrassingly NSFW—even with headphones safely plugged in.

Entitled, "Earned It," the amorous crooner doesn't hold back, whether it's his signature, sexually-charged lyrics: "Cause, girl, you're perfect/ You're always worth it/ And you deserve this/ The way you work it/ 'Cause, girl, you earned it," or the symphonic, fittingly-dominant instrumentals.

Much like the book, the ballad leaves little to the imagination. So, it's inevitable that a Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele roll in the hay will play out in your mind upon first listen. Enjoy.

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Earlier this week, we waxed poetic about the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, which we all know is super sexy and amazing.

But being the music freaks that we are, we couldn't help but want to curate our own version. There are just so many hot jams out there that deserve a spot in The Official Sex Movie of 2015. 

Below, you'll find tracks that run the gamut of sexual relationships: Some liken desire to an irresistible fixation, some highlight the pain of a bad romance, some just make you want to get some. 

Now press play on our 20-song playlist before we crack the whip! Don't say we didn't warn you.

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The 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Track List and Cover Art Are Everything We Wanted Them to Be

The Weeknd's New 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Song Is So Hot It's Almost NSFW

Ellie Goulding Has a Sexy New Song from the 'Fifty Shades' Movie Soundtrack

Considering that Fifty Shades of Grey has been teasing us non-stop with original songs from Beyoncé, The Weeknd, and Ellie Goulding, we thought we'd already heard the best it has to offer. BUT. The full track listing has just been unveiled and damn it's good.

The album consists mostly of original material, and alongside the other artists are three of our favorite women in pop music: Jessie Ware, Sia, and Skylar Grey. 

Then there are some oldies-but-goodies, like Frank Sinatra's 1957 song "Witchcraft," which fittingly opens with him crooning: "Those fingers in my hair / That sly come hither stare/ That strips my conscience bare."

Equally as dark and delicious will be Annie Lennox's cover of "I Put a Spell On You," and the Rolling Stones's amorous torch ballad "Beast of Burden."

See the full track list below, and gird your loins for February 13, when Fifty Shades hits theaters.

Update: The soundtrack cover art has arrived and it's just as sexy as the music itself, with Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) caught in a steamy embrace.

• 1. Annie Lennox – I Put a Spell On You 
• 2. Laura Welsh – Undiscovered
• 3. The Weeknd – Earned It 
• 4. Jessie Ware – Meet Me In the Middle 
• 5. Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do 
• 6. Beyoncé – Haunted (Michael Diamond Remix) 
• 7. Sia – Salted Wound 
• 8. The Rolling Stones – Beast of Burden 
• 9. AWOLNATION – I'm On Fire 
• 10. Beyoncé – Crazy In Love (2014 Remix) 
• 11. Frank Sinatra – Witchcraft 
• 12. Vaults – One Last Night 
• 13. Skylar Grey – I Know You 
• 14. Danny Elfman – Anna and Christian 
• 15. Danny Elfman – Did That Hurt?

Fifty Shades of Grey may be fiction, but for women who have read it, there's potential for serious real-life consequences, according to a new study from Michigan State University. Reading the book—or worse, the whole series—is linked to a whole load of bad-for-you behaviors including binge drinking, promiscuity, a tendency to have an abusive partner, among others.

Researchers questioned women between the ages of 18 and 24, better known as those most likely to be dating, drinking, and having casual sex. While they found a difference between those who have read Fifty Shades of Grey and those who haven't, they also found a contrast between those who've read the whole series and those who stopped after finishing the original.

Women who have only read the first 50 Shades text are more likely to have a partner who is verbally abusive or even display stalker-like tendencies. Not to mention, they're more likely to develop an eating disorder. Chances are even worse for women who've indulged in all three of E.L. James's tomes—they're more at likely to be binge drinkers and have a larger number of sexual partners. And it doesn't matter if readers engaged in these sort of behaviors before they picked up a copy of Fifty Shades—reading it entices these behaviors those who haven't engaged in them before, or maintains them in veterans.

The erotic novel has frequently come under fire for crossing the line from showcasing a consensual dominant and submissive relationship to romanticizing destructive dating behaviors, so the results of this study aren't entirely shocking. Just another reason to think before your fantasize about Christian Grey as your dream man. Hard when he looks like Jamie Dornan, we know.

More on 50 Shades of Grey:

Watch the Official Fifty Shades of Grey Trailer


Jamie Dornan To Play Christian Grey in '50 Shades of Grey'


The Real Reason '50 Shades' Star Called It Quits

Photo via YouTube

After Beyoncé teased the Fifty Shades of Grey trailer on Instagram a few days ago, we could barely contain our excitement. And now, the moment we've all been waiting for has arrived — the trailer premiered this morning on The TODAY Show.

The trailer has it all: an intense soundtrack ( la Queen Bey), a shirtless man, and of course some bondage. The movie comes out on Valentine's Day, which is kind of amazing — an erotic drama will surely make for a great V-Day date, or a fun-filled night out for singles everywhere.

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson (aka Christian and Anastasia) also appeared on the show to chat about the movie-making magic, which they actually admitted lacked romance. Turns out those steamy sex scenes were more of a "task." Womp womp.

Surprisingly, the trailer earned the green-band (for general audiences) approval. Watch, below:

Photo Credit: YouTube

British Fashion Awards, London, England

British Fashion Awards, London, England

Outside The Box nightclub, London, England

Attending her stylist's birthday party, London, England

MTV European Music Awards, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards, London, England

BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards, London, England

New York City, New York

iHeartRadio LIVE, New York City, New York

Leaving lunch in Paris, France

Outside the Chanel show at Paris Fashion Week

Performing at Unity - A Concert For Stephen Lawrence, London, England

Walking the runway for DKNY's Spring 2014 collection at New York Fashion Week

Word on the street is that Fifty Shades of Grey's Hollywood bosses already have a ultra-hunky replacement waiting in the wings. May we present: Irish stunner, Jamie Dornan. The 31-year-old actor's first major claim to fame was in the ABC fairytale-themed show Once Upon a Time before he joined the BBC crime drama The Fall earlier this year. Dornan had some famously stunning arm-candy, as well, having been linked to the likes of Sienna Miller and Kate Moss and appearing in nearly nude campaigns with Eva Mendes.

Just going to say this quickly on behalf of all of us at MC: This dude is hot, and we certainly wouldn't mind staring into those baby blues and at that perfectly disheveled hair for up to two hours.

Ryan Gosling — you're breaking our hearts.

According to a new story in The Hollywood Reporter, the actor was the first choice to play Fifty Shades lead, Christian Grey—the 20-something billionaire whose enthusiasm for S&M shocked readers around the world.

But unfortunately for women everywhere, Gosling was reportedly uninterested and turned down the part. The studio eventually cast Charlie Hunnam, the British actor perhaps best known as Nathan Maloney in Queen as Folk and for his role in the FX series, Sons of Anarchy.

As Anastasia Steele, producers cast Dakota Johnson. The casting choices have been met with some outrage from Fifty Shades uber-fans who were set on seeing other actors fill the roles. But Johnson's mother, actor Melanie Griffith, was all smiles.

Griffith tweeted, "My beautiful child Dakota has been chosen to play Anna Steele in 50 Shades!!! Look out world! Here she comes!!! #proudmama."