Miss USA Gone Wild
Once upon a time, the “only” skin beauty pageant contestants had to show was during the swimsuit competition. I put “only” in quotes, of course, because these days, those bikinis have gotten pretty teeny and there’s plenty of flesh on display. But apparently that’s not enough sex appeal for the average pageant watcher. Just a […]
Friends, Family and Facebook
Something curious has been happening with my Facebook profile lately: I’ve been getting friend requests from lots of relatives. Some are cousins who are younger than I am. But, interestingly, several have come from my parents’ siblings. I’m now “friends” with a couple of my aunts who are in their ’70s (and if you’re reading […]
Movie Monday: What a Nightmare
It was a Nightmare at the box office this weekend. Specifically, the remake of Wes Craven’s 1984 horror flick A Nightmare on Elm Street slashed the competition. The movie raked in an estimated $32.2 million—and that despite the fact that mainstream critics treated the film about the same way Freddy Krueger treats his victims. Coming […]
Madonna Joins the Choir
It was an interesting week on the Billboard 200 album chart. Two soundtracks clocked in among the Top 5—an unusual happening in its own right. Even more strange, however, was that both were collections from artists who’ve been around a long time: Madonna and AC/DC. Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna snagged the top […]
Saving the Planet, One Screen at a Time
A while back I was at a party where the hosts played the movie Happy Feet for the kids while the adults mingled upstairs. I hadn’t seen the movie before, so I sat down with my almost-4-year-old son to watch a bit of it (he was quite interested in the dancing, animated penguins). I hadn’t […]
The Lady and the T-Shirt
Kids getting sent home from school to change clothes is hardly a new thing. But it’s not every day—in fact I don’t think I’ve ever heard a story quite like this one—that an adolescent gets an online shout-out from the rock star who got him into trouble in the first place. According to MTV News, […]
When Stars Go Bad
Earlier this week I was flipping through local radio stations on the way to work and caught a snippet of conversation on the syndicated morning show Johnjay & Rich. The hosts were talking about Tiger Woods’ announcement that he’ll begin his post-sex-scandal golf comeback at The Masters in April. Specifically, they were kicking around quotes […]
A Matter of Life and Death
Video games have always been about life and death, digitally speaking. When I was growing up, losing your digital life was pretty straightforward: fail to dodge Donkey Kong’s barrel, and Mario bites it. Game over. We still have video games, of course, and digital realms where characters can meet their virtual demise. Nowadays, however, things […]
‘Idol’atry Waning?
So, American Idol fans, how is Season 9 going for you? I confess, though I once watched almost every week and often voted, I’m just finding it hard to care much this year. Why, you ask? Well, to tell you the truth, I’m not really sure. It’s not that the show is that much different […]
Marijuana and a ‘Lost Boy’
This week brought news of another celebrity’s premature death. Corey Haim, one of the teen stars of 1987’s vampire flick The Lost Boys, died March 10 in California at the age of 38. Published reports have speculated about the role prescription medication may have played in his death. But regardless of whether drugs ultimately played […]