Poor Britney

Part of me feels a little embarrassed about the subject of this blog, but I can‘t help it. Britney is staging a comeback and it is working. Now I have never been a Britney fan, even in the early Britney years, when it seemed like every fourth grader loved her. I did not hate her, I just didn’t care. I did not like her music. So about two years ago when her life went to hell, I had sympathy for her, but more along the lines of what a sad and stupid drug out ex star. But then when her first “come back” happened, I along with the rest of the world laugh at her terrible performance. This indifference, with a mild sense of piety, has really been my stance on Britney ever since.
So when a documentary on her new record came out I had really no interest in watching it. But Saturday, while doing some work, I left the TV on and “For the Record” started playing. I will be honest, within ten minutes into the show I had to stop all other work and sit down and watch. It was truly troubling, that poor woman seems to have no control over her life and the worst part is she never had a chance. Especially troubling was the scene with her in New York were the media just hounded her. They followed her by car, bike, skateboard and foot. Yelling at her, screaming, she had to have bodyguards to hide behind, she really could not go any where. Now I know that at some point in her career she asked for this media attention. This even morning I saw her on the cover of at least three magazines. We are talking magazines not tabloids, national magazines, like the Rolling Stone. It is apparent that she does play the media as much as the media plays her. What I find so sad is that she became a star at 15 when her mother was throwing her at the media and now at 26 she is a victim of her mother’s success and has no control over this monster which started 11 years ago. There is so much money in the name Britney Spears, she is a franchise. I watched in the documentary as she got carted one place to the next by producers, managers, agents and even by her father. The whole time she has no clue as to where she is going. They are all making so much money off of her. That is also what is driving the photographers; so much money can be made off of just one good photo. I was surprised at how upset I got about someone who I was a few minutes before indifferent. Poor Britney.

BBC and Terrible Crime

On a truly terrible note BBC reported a horrific crime on their website. In Germany a women was just convicted of killing three of her children. It turned out that in 1986, 1988 and 2003 Monika Halbe, age 44, killed her children. She was shockingly only sentence to four years in prison. She was only tried for killing two of her children because too much time had elapses from the 1986 killing of her daughter. The bodies of the children were discovered in the freezer of her house. Her son went to the basement to look in the freezer for some pizza and found three small bodies. In a strange twist, BBC reports that though she admitted to keeping the bodies in the freezer she does not admit to killing the children. She only said she wanted to keep them close to her by having them in the freezer. The prosecutor asked that she be sentenced to eight and a half year. But the defense made the case that she had already raised three grown children and was in the BBC words “ deeply ambivalent about having more children”. She was also an alcoholic. I personally do not see how this works as a defense. I think that is all the more reason that she should be locked up. BBC then went on to list other horrific crimes committed by Germen mothes. It was quite a strange little article about a truly terrifying and unimaginable crime.
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Holiday in the Recession and in the News

A topic that has been in the News frequently is making the best out of Christmas in the recession. From Vogue to the New York Times it seems everyone has ideas of how to make the holiday in the harder times special. Vogue had an article about whether not it was appropriate to give larger gifts to distance friends in the recession. The New York Times had an article about how to throw a beautiful dinner party for under 250 dollars by shopping at K-Mart and the 99 Cent store. Now how helpful these articles are for the average American is yet to be seen. Two hundred and fifty dollar on a dinner party for the average American when the economy is good is a lot. I have to raise an eye brow that this is the best these to respectable publication could do. In the New York Times defense there was also a very depressing article about how many families were cutting out giving gifts this holiday season, and how many families were turning to their church to provide gifts for their family this year.
I found it interesting that the articles were either just depressing or useless. I m ean how many of us are really worried about removing distance friends from our Christmas list or whether or not the gift was to ostentation.

A Room With A View An Article That Got My Attention.

The New York Times had a beautiful article Sunday in the Travel Section on Florence . It came with a stunning half page of photographs of the city and the surrounding area. The article questioned whether or not you could explore Florence without a guide book. It suggested that instead of a guide book you should bring along a copy of E.M. Forster’s A Room With a View. This article then explored the difference between Forster Florence and the Italian City of today. I had never seen an article like that before in the travel section. It seamlessly incorporated literature, history, food, sightseeing and the difference between being a tourist and really just enjoying and experiencing the place you are in. I read the whole article which was quite long. It really was able to hold my interest, which to be honest is not something the travel section generally does. The idea of experiencing a city through eyes of a literature heroine who lived a hundred years before was fascinating and intriguing. I guess what surprised me the most was not how creative the article was, but that I found it in the travel section. Maybe I do not read the travel section of the New York Times enough but because of this surprise I will be checking it out more often.

A Media Walking on Egg Shells

The attacks in Mumbai have been on the front page of every paper, on the all the TV talk shows and on the radio news reports. What I have notice is how careful the media is being about labeling this an Islamic extremist attack. The media seems to be very mindful of Pakistan. They seem to either report that attackers came from Pakistan or that they were Islamic extremist. You rarely see the two words used in the same article. The media is playing this very carefully.
Yesterday there was an article in the New York Times about the attacks. It only mentioned that there were ten gunmen and that they were thought to have come through Pakistan. Relations between India and Pakistan have never been close; they have fought three wars in the last fifty years. Neither is the US relationship with Pakistan on the best of terms. The US believes that many Taliban insurgences are crossing the border from Pakistan to cause trouble in Afghanistan. The Media seem really to be making an effort of not ruffling feathers. If the New York Times, the Washington Post and many other large papers and stations were to come out and call this an Islamic extremist attack from Pakistan the repercussions could have the potential to be huge. The media is being more careful. They are making no assumptions and framing this carefully.
MSNBC had an article on its website about the Muslims world reaction to the attacks in Mumbai. It went into how the Muslim world immediately condemned the senseless terrorist attacks, yet they once again found themselves in the position of defending their religion against the bloody acts of indiscriminate violence that is link to it. MSNBC though is giving them a calm voice. They are not leading the country blindly into fear. They are being much more cautious of what they write and who they label. The media is aware that Pakistan and India both have nuclear weapons and that US needs Pakistan’s cooperation because of it borders with Afghanistan. Because of this we see the media reframe from painting Pakistan in any negative light.

The Last Stand
The third and last presidential debate was in my personal opinion the best by far. The candidates really began to respond to one anther and let go of their little memorized talking points. The bias that both candidates played to the most, in my opinion, was that of motorism. Neither one took an extreme stand to the right or to the left of the political spectrum. While I am sure this was in part for the journalist, I think it has more to do with independent voters. They will play such a huge role in this election, that neither of the candidates will want to lean too far to either side. On topics where they were forced by the moderator to make a stand, such as abortion, both tried to state their politics while still respecting everyone else’s view. Both candidates were very careful in their responses not to alienate the independent voters or give the press a field day. I also thought that McCain really went after Obama, all of his responses somehow related back to why Obama was unqualified. While Obama really gave his responses to the press and the American people, he is far enough ahead in the polls to be able to really ignore McCain’s attacks. Obama came off as the progressive candidate who could reach across party lines and makes us all come together; because he did not need to attack McCain. He came off as cool and collected. He was able to push aside McCain’s accusations and spend his time letting the American people know how he was going to help them. Because of this, he came off as much more put together and focused on what matters; the country. Where as John McCain came across as angry and focused more on slinging mud at Obama. I think Obama won this debate by a long shot.

Doonesbury went to far?

The first time I saw this cartoon was not in the paper but on Fox News. There was a panel discussing whether or not Garry Trudeau the author of Doonesbury had finally gone to far. The out come was mixed. Some felt that Trudeau had always been a trumpet for the left wing so nothing was really new with this cartoon. While others felt that attacking the family values of the right was just hypocritical and inappropriate coming from the democrats. I then went to the blogsphere. Things were pretty heated. Some thought it was completely tasteless and that it should never have been published while others wrote it off as free speech. I am torn when it comes to this comic because in one part I believe it is true and makes a very vital point about the rights hypocritical attitude towards “ family values”. On the other hand children should be off limits. Attacking a pregnant 17 year old and her fiancé is inappropriate and tasteless. Trudeau also takes it farther then most would, he really bashes the Palins and John McCain with a kind of sick glee. It really is too much kids are of limits. Bristole Palin and her fiancé have enough to deal with, with out the media or Trudeau ridiculing and harassing the choices they make. Yet a part of me I hates to see the right to get away with a simple” life happens”. This double standard makes me sick and the Republican party does not deserve a “free ride” pass. So someway must be found to call the conservatives out on what they are doing with out throwing Bristole and Palin in front of a truck. And if that can’t be done, while tragically, I think the left and the media need let it go. No seventeen year old girl should have to go threw the scrutiny contempt that the media and left wing have shown to Bristole and Palin.

I found the VP debates to be a vast improvement to the presidential debates. I really have to give credited to both Biden and to Palin. This was actually a debated (thou mostly that was due to Joe Bidin, who I love). The candidates addressed each other and made rebuttals, which mad it seem like they were actually listening to each other! We saw more of the old Palin back from the embarrassing Katie Couric interviews. She was on top of it with her annoying little soccer mom charm and betty queen winks. The trouble with Sarah Plain is even when she is making good point she seems to talk in circles. Her basic command of the English language is leagues below Biden’s. Now I would like to say this puts voters off , but sadly we only have to listen to Bush to know that his not true. On the other hand, Sarah Palin looked directly at the camera and directly at Joe Biden, which made her come off as confident and intelligent. It was only when you really listen that you realized she was not Biden equal in the debate.
Biden came off as extremely intelligent with years of experience that only added him. He made me really believe he was the perfect VP choice for Obama. He really called Palin on her facts and nearly always rebutted her. He also took every chance he got to tear down MCcain. I read this on the CNN website and I really feel it sums up the debate and declares the winner. Joe Biden’s strategy was to hammer McCain while Sarah Palin’s strategy was to rebuild her image; they both succeeded. However, I think we are too far along in the game for Sarah Palin to be staging a recovery. Biden got his message out there and came across as strong, intelligent, and controlled. Some have called this debate a tie, because of Palin’s inexperience. But we should only be judging her against Biden not against herself. So to me, Biden was by far the stronger debater.

The Media makes America's choice for change

I am an Obama supporter- I have been from the beginning. So watching the debates was not easy for me. I thought on first watching it that McCain came across as much stronger much more put together, he seemed to have a clear outline. On the other hand, I thought that Obama struggled a little to find the right words. He seemed at times to lack the conviction that McCain had shown. All in all, it was frustrating for me to watch. I missed the first debate between Clinton and Obama; so I did not know that debates were not his strong point. I came in expecting, I guess, to see the Obama that I had known- the one that delivered such powerful speeches. It was this powerful orator that I expected to see in the debates.
However, when the CNN commentators roamed around after the debate, I was shocked, confused and thrilled to hear them call it a tie. Apparently Obama did much better than everyone else (excluding me) expected him to do. He was able to get out his message as well as attack McCain on the war in Iraq. He was able to do this and still come off as someone who was willing to work across partisan lines.
Going over the debate, I found this to be true for both candidates: they each pointed out their strengths and the others weakness and they both had their punch lines and their attacks. Neither one made any big gaffes nor foot-in-mouths but neither of them had a great line that would push them ahead in the polls.
Had it not been for the commentators and the media, I would have walked away from the debates thinking McCain had won purely because of his ability to articulate his thoughts and go on the attack. Now, this would not change my opinions and I doubt it changed anyone’s who had not already come to some conclusion or another on the elections. Yet, I wonder for those who were undecided how that debate, and then the news coverage afterwards, matched their preconceived views of the candidates and did any of it really change anything. According to CNN, fifty-one percent of those who were polled thought that Obama did a better job in contrast to the 38 percent who said that McCain was better, while the US Today polls said that 34 percent of people thought that McCain was stronger. When it came down to the economy, 37 percent of viewers said they lost confidence in MCain, while 26 percent of viewers said they lost confidence in Obama. To end this all, I have a quote from CNN Senior Political Researcher Alan Silverleib, “It can be reasonably concluded, especially after accounting for the slight Democratic bias in the survey, that we witnessed a tie in Mississippi tonight. But given the direction of the campaign over the last couple of weeks, a tie translates to a win for Obama.”

Welcome to PerezHilton.com - Hollywood's Most-Hated Web Site!

Originally, I planned to check out Perezhilton.com to find something in pop culture to research and them blog about but inside I become fascinated with the blog itself.
I had heard about Perezhilon.com a few times but I had never been to the site. The bloggers cited had been casually dropped in to the conversation like, “Oh yay! I read it on Perze Hilton,” leaving me wondering since when Paris Hilton had become a valid source of information. Not that I am saying Perzhiton is, however, I have to give some credit to the man behind this blog for nothing else but the sheer speed of the his post. From the time I logged on to the time I was ready to log off, the front- page news was second page material. It was mind blowing. First of all, does this man live behind a computer and secondly where in the world does he get so much information so fast?

One thing I noticed right away was the advertisements. These were not just those little diet pill or celebrity fitness adds you generally see next to blogs. (Or perhaps this only pertains to the fashion blogs I tend to read’s target audience [That’s a scary thought]) Anyway, the advertisement on his blog was from a new CBS comedy, Worst Week Ever. It was huge. Now, he must be making a lot of money off of those advertisements which means his blog most be getting a lot of hits to justify CBS’ promoting one of their shows on a celebrity gossip web sited.

The next thing I noticed was the scope of material. What first appeared to just be rumors of Kendra cheating on Hugh then ran into Sarah Silverman promoting her new show fallowed by a link to a newspaper report with Barak Obama on Gay Rights and then lastly to a video clip of Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road, their new movie. He covers everything. So now my interest was really peaked. Who is this guy? Who would spend their entire life in front of a computer updating every few minutes the happenings of Britney Spears. Yet more than that, in a culture where this is common, how was he able to become so successful? With all the gossip magazines and blogs out there, how did he make it?

So I turned to my trusted Wikipedia and did some research. Here is what I found: Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. was born March 23, 1978. He went to NYU for college, graduating with a BA in drama. Eventually, he made his way out to LA to pursue acting. This, I believe, did not go as well as planned. He ended up writing for a few magazine and then around 2002 started bloging. As it turns out, he is infamous for his unapologetic desire to be a part of the Hollywood elite. He is also an advocating self-promoter. But this started to help put things in perspective for me. Here is a man who wanted to act but failed, who more than anything wanted to be a part of the Hollywood circle. So what does he do: he blogs about them, he ties them down and never leaves them alone until they are forced to eventually take notice of him. And the scary thing is, it worked.

Perez, or Lavandeir, is also noted for his relentless mission of outing closeted gay actors. This has practically gotten him more negative than positive press from the gay community.
“ I have to question the character of a man who attacks others on such deeply personal levels, without provocation and for self-benefit, monetary or otherwise....If he's emotionally incapable of exhibiting even the tiniest bit of compassion for closeted people, if he can't be sensitive to the fact that coming out is a very personal decision and that the process can be difficult for some — especially celebrities — I feel sorry for him. If his juvenile behavior is his shtick, I think it makes him a much more pathetic figure, and one the gay and lesbian community should not support...If we support behavior like Hilton's, we applaud shallowness, arrogance, rage and invasion of privacy, and risk becoming what we despise."
Kim Ficera, contributing writer for AfterEllen.com.

Perez is a walking contradiction. He loves celebrities and wants to be one. He is constantly posting photos of himself with celebrities or writing about award shows he was invited to. Yet at the same time, he seems to take pride in being the most hated blogger in Hollywood. He is quite the interesting person and surprisingly his posts are funny.

My fear of Palin

“Al-Qaeda Terrorist still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America and he is worried that someone will not read them their rights”; so said Governor Sarah Palin at the GOP National convention speaking about Obama.



The crowd was quiet for a minute, and I thought that maybe they found that statement as terrifying as I did, but then the cameraman pan’s to an elderly woman. She was nodding her head with a concern look on her face. Slowly people started to clap, then they yelled, and then everyone in the auditorium was on their feet. I was left staring at my computer in shock.



Now I know that the constitution has seen better days and following the Geneva Convention as not always been our countries favorite thing. But watching this auditorium full of people cheer as the potential Vise President mocks the constitution, well lets just say I felt a little sick. Now I find Sarah Palin terrifying. The fact that she said something like this does not surprise me. What surprised me was that the crowd went crazy. They loved it. This was a standing ovation. 



Surfing the internet later I found a quote from Obama that captured my outrage. 
“There should be no conflict between keeping America safe and secure and respecting our constitution”. (Obama)


That’s it. If we while keeping American secure we let our constitution crumble, well then ladies and gentlemen, we have a major problem. So there I was watching Sarah Palin sneer over our constitution, while an audience cheers. 

Now maybe I am being a little over dramatic and blowing the situation out of proportion. But really, this was just her opening speech; if this is the beginning then where are we going? 


Yet despite all of this, I still find her to be charismatic and in a sick way kind of charming. A moose murdering lipstick wearing pit bull that went from PTA to governor and on top of that was a beauty queen who was called the barracuda in high school. I mean come on. Sometimes no matter how much you want to hate some one you just can’t.