Light Fare: New Additions To The Dictionary

Sexting and Jegging and Woot, amongst others, get added to the dictionary

This is my life. I live in a world where pop culture terms get added to a dictionary. You do too. If you can "retweet" and get a word to catch on, you too can be in the dictionary in less than 5 years. Tried and true changes in the English language are no more...

Seriously, does anyone still use the word Bootylicious anymore?

It's like the dictionary is suddenly the pop culture peoples' choice awards. If your term is awesome enough to be in widespread use (read: even old white guys who aren't John Stewart know what it means when they hear it), you get voted by the academy into the dictionary.

I wonder how long it will take before they remove words that aren't in use anymore. I bet pantaloons is still in the dictionary, so mankini may be there forever Sigh.

At least I can depend on Blogger. All those new dictionary words I've typed in this post come up highlighted yellow when I click spell check. Score one for not being on top of the times.

Every Damn Time I Check My E-mail...

...There's something in the news on Yahoo! that jumps out at me. I open a few new tabs to read the info and then read the "news" "stories" after I've checked my e-mail. I can't wait until I get a newer Blackberry and can see all the pictures on an html e-mail. Then I can avoid getting sucked in. Stupid interesting entertainment news.

So here are the three stories that caught my eye. At least one isn't actually entertainment news.

1. Tiger Woods finally makes a big announcement
I wrote a post ten days ago because I was interested in the big announcement Tiger Woods was going to make. It was reported later that there was no big announcement and for people to stop listening to rumors.

You know what I think? I think there was an announcement. And I think the announcement was that he and his caddy are splitting. I just think they weren't ready for it to come out yet. And instead of being a douche and making an announcement about an announcement (I'm looking at you Donald Trump), he chose to simply wait until he was ready to spread the news.

I don't feel bad for his caddy, he's moving on to another successful golfer and he's a millionaire several times over thanks to Tiger. His life will probably be far less stressful starting tomorrow.


1. A Sinkhole? Can a natural disaster be called life imitating art?
Remind me never to go to Guatemala City. Jeez, it's normal for a giant perfectly cylindrical hole to open up in the ground? In your house? Under your bed? Um, no thanks. That sounds like a horror movie I'd never go see.

I am glad that her kids were okay though.


Kim Kardashian does something else I won't remember tomorrow.
The only reason I even paid-attention to this story is because it involved a look-alike. This has to be the third story this month Yahoo! put on their webpage about a damn Kim Kardashian look-alike. But hey, this one finally caught my eye.

It made me laugh because she's trying to sue Old Navy to get them to stop using a model she says looks to much like her.

So now I have questions: You're too good for Old Navy Kim? Why do you think they're using a model that looks like you? Why are you encouraging our already overly litigious society? Did you ever think that people know it's not you and don't care anyway?

As much crap as you promote, you'd think you'd want to be in an Old Navy commercial, at least their products aren't completely unhealthy. I'm just saying.

I really hope to have more rants about something that actually matters the next time I post.

Light Fare: Dakota Fanning's Possible New Haircut

I'm irritated with myself that I even care about this. But what can I say, I have a soft spot in my heart for child actors all grown up. Especially when they are finding their way into having careers as adults.

Okay, so maybe the movie Dakota is shooting right now is set in London and she's playing a 17 year old, but that counts, right?

Moving on. Here's the photo.


Read the Yahoo article about it

I swear, I come across more things on Yahoo.com that I read that I would never have known without that homepage. This is not a good thing. They suck me in with their oh-so-NOT-important entertainment news.

Since I have to look at this, so do you. What do you think of the hair? It's not the most flattering picture. So I don't know if I like it. She looks like she has a pixie face with longer hair, but then her face suddenly looks overly round with pixie hair.

An unintended side effect of this story is now I care about seeing this movie. Sigh.

I do love Dakota Fanning's acting though. I guess I should just accept it. I wonder how that wise-beyond-her-years thing will play with her portraying a 17 year old. I guess world-weary will work for a cancer patient.

Light Fare: Hugh Hefner's Love Life

I'm sure Hugh doesn't think his love life is light fare, but whatever, I call it like I see it. And the nuptials of a celebrity are light fare because I only care about this much.

That being sad I feel bad for Hef that he thought marrying a 25 year old was a good idea. Is she even really 25? She looks at least 30. So unless she's been smoking cigarettes for the last 10 years, I call bullshit. She's not 25.

Moving on. They were scheduled to get married June 18, 2011. The wedding got called off just days before in an amicable split. WTF, what's amicable about a gold-digging woman tricking some old man into falling for her and leaving him the day her single drops?

I will be genuinely shocked if her single, Club Queen, amounts to more than a one-hit wonder. That is assuming it will even be a hit.

She rode him (literally) to celebrity status and as soon as she had a guaranteed release for her song, she bailed. Now she's focusing on her music career? Good for her I guess. She actually has ambitions other than to be a reality TV star.

But I just feel some kind of way about a woman using this method to achieve her dreams. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I also have to wonder if the next woman Hef decides to marry will also be in her 20s. Yuck.

Did you know his oldest kid is 58 and the youngest is 9? Double yuck.

Read about their breakup here.

Consequences For Your Actions, Charlie Sheen

I am once again talking about Charlie Sheen. Aside from the feelings I have about even discussing this topic, this is big national news for some reason, so here I am, adding to what will show up on your Google search for Charlie Sheen. Sigh.


At least  the only other post I've written about him compared his quotes to Glenn Beck and Muammar Qaddafi, so there was at least some world news stuff thrown in. At this time, I'm talking about the consequences of his actions. I can feel a bit better because I'm not simply re-reporting his antics.


I read an article on USAToday.com that Warner Bros. Fires Charles Sheen. I don't want some one's life to fall apart, but I do want there to be consequences for actions. I do want Charlie's Sheen current behavior to not be swept under a rug.


When you do that may batshit crazy, unable-to-be-understood interviews in such a short time, especially following his dramas with women and hotels in recent history, I look at it as a cry for help. This man needs help. So much help. Now that he has no livelihood, hopefully he can get it. And not his stay-at-home rehab. Some real help.


What will happen with Two and Half Men now that Sheen is out? I've got an idea I haven't heard tossed around. The young guy who used to be "half a man"? Yeah, he's old as hell now, let him be the other man and bring along another small child to be the next half. That way, there's some story growth that feels real. Bringing in a new cast member is easier when it's set in an office. Not so easy when it's set in a family.


But Warner Bros. pretty much has to finish this season and go all the way to May 2012. Or they could not finish this season and extend the length of next season. Either way, the shoe must go on. You can't sell syndication and not finish your show. I kind of look forward to seeing how Warner Bros. works this out now that Charlie Sheen isn't part of the story anymore.

The Best Online Quiz Ever!

I wrote a post about an online quiz on my main blog. I haven't put the post up yet though. It'll be up in a few days. But in that post, I explain my love for online quizzes. I won't get into here again, but look out for that post on the main blog within the next week.


So, I've established (sort of) that I love online quizzes. I also love politics. I also love current events in the media. Imagine my joy when I came across this quiz in New York Magazine that combined all these things. It's called It's Time To Play "Sheen, Beck, or Qaddafi?" If you enjoy the craziness (and by enjoy I mean get a sick sense of observing cultures completely unlike your own) that comes from these three, try this quiz.


Why take this quiz? Have you been paying attention to the world in February? Glenn Beck is Fox News' latest talking head. Charlie Sheen tossed aside his career for a ride on the crazy bus. Muammar Qaddafi is standing in the way of Libyan revolution. He'd rather kill his people and go out in a blaze of glory.


Unless you spend all your hours surfing the web, reading Fox News, and constantly updating youtube, you will not be able to tell which guy actually said what for more than a handful of these. So I'm taking the quiz. Take it with me!


Statement #1: "I ask you to prepare because your world is about to change overnight."
Who I think said it: Glenn Beck
Who actually said it: Glenn Beck!

Statement #2: "They have awoken a sleeping giant. If I'm misunderstood after yesterday, then people are worse off than I thought."
Who I think said it: Charlie Sheen
Who actually said it: Charlie Sheen!

Statement #3: "I will plant my flag on this, and I will fall on my sword if I have to!"
Who I think said it: Glenn Beck
Who actually said it: Glenn Beck!

Statement #4: "I have no authority stemming from laws or decisions or anything else, I just have moral authority, I only have moral authority."
Who I think said it: Muammar Qaddafi
Who actually said it: Muammar Qaddafi!

Statement #5: "If you love with violence and you hate with violence, there's nothing that can be questioned."
Who I think said it: Glenn Beck
Who actually said it: Charlie Sheen

Statement #6: "I urge all my beautiful and loyal fans...to walk with me side-by-side as march up the steps of justice to right this unconscionable wrong."
Who I think said it: Muammar Qaddfi
Who actually said it: Charlie Sheen

Statement #7: "I'm a guy that's riddled with flaws and by taking my flaws out and putting it in the refiner's fire and letting the bellows of life heat it up, I get the opportunity to pound on my flaw and try to perfect it."
Who I think said it: Glenn Beck
Who actually said it: Glenn Beck!

Statement #8: "You want to call me crazy? Go to hell. Call me crazy all you want!"
Who I think said it: Charlie Sheen
Who actually said it: Glenn Beck

Statement #9: "They give them pills at night, they put hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafe."
Who I think said it: Muammar Qaddafi
Who actually said it: Muammar Qaddafi!

Statement #10: "This march cannot be stopped by those agents, those rats who move in the dark."
Who I think said it: I didn't know. This one is hard. I'm gonna say... Muammar Qaddafi
Who actually said it: I was right! Muammar Qaddafi!

Statement #11: "I will destroy you in the air. I will deploy my ordinance to the ground."
Who I think said it: I want to say Muammary Qaddafi because it sounds like what he's actually been doing in Libya, but I bet it's not even him. But that's still my guess.
Who actually said it: It wasn't him! It was stupid crazy Charlie Sheen. I should have known. I wanted to guess his crazy ass, but it didn't seem reasonable. I should have known not to apply reason unless I was sure of the answer.

Statement #12: "You need to listen to your parents. I people disobey their parents, the end up destroying the country."
Who I think said it: Glenn Beck
Who actually said it: Muammar Qaddafi. Darn! It sounded so douchey. I wasn't thinking about these revolutions starting with the young people and moving up in age later. He probably said that earlier in February.

Statement #13: "The rain has begun to fall in the perfect storm. It has begun"
Who I think said it: Glenn Beck
Who actually said it: Glenn Beck! I'm glad I was right. That statement is douchey and doomsday-ish.

Statement #14: "There's a new sheriff in town. And he has an army of assassins."
Who I think said it: Charlie Sheen, this shit is just too straightforward-ly crazy.
Who actually said it: Charlie Sheen! I was right. Dictators use code words for "I will kill you all."

Statement #15: "Forget BMWs and iPads and jewelry. Do you want to know what the next luxury item is? Believe it or not, orange juice."
Who I think said it: This sounds douchey and doomsday-ish. I'm gonna say Glenn Beck.
Who actually said it: Yay! Glenn Beck! Crazy ass.


How did I do? I got out 10 of 15. How did you do? I feel like I got as many right as I did for two reasons. I understand the odd mix of narcissism and nationalism that comes from Muammar Qaddafi. I also understand the douchey-ness and lack of understanding of American idioms that comes from Glenn Beck. I have to admit that I haven't been as voracious when consuming Charlie Sheen news, so I don't feel bad about incorrectly identifying his quotes.


That was fun! I'd love to see a quiz comparing crazy shit from other comparably crazy people. Though I can't think of any examples right now...

Light Fare: Fine Ass Hollywood Men

There is a certain type of guy I will always be attracted to: great eyes, facial hair, smile that makes me melt, great hair. Except for the hair, Easy, my boyfriend, fits the bill. He used to have great hair (I had a crush on him when we were teenagers), but now he has a sexy shaved head.

Moving on. I noticed that there are a few guys in Hollywood that I find soooo attractive. They don't all look alike, but they look good in the same way. At least they do in these pictures I found. So without further ado, my facial hair eye candy.

#1 Name: Javier Bardem

Who Is He: He's a Spanish Actor who makes amazing films in Spanish and English. He is with Penelope Cruz and they just had a baby like a month ago, yet they still were up and about during this year's Oscars.

Most Recent Acclaimed Work: The film Biutiful which received an Academy Award nomination.

Why You Might Have Heard of Him: No Country For Old Men, Eat Pray Love

Does He Look Like This All Time? Oh yes. He looks only slightly different when he has his hair hanging over his forehead. But lack of facial changes nothing.

#2 Name: Gerard Butler

Who Is He: Scottish actor/singer. Amazing singing voice. I'd love to see anything with him and the redhead sexyman from Grey's Anatomy acting and singing together. He used be a lawyer, been acting since the mid-90s.

Most Recent Acclaimed Work: It sure as hell ain't The Bounty Hunter. I guess lending his voice to How To Train Your Dragon. And they still love him for 300, even though it's not really recent.

Why You Might Have Heard of Him:  The Ugly Truth, PS I Love You, Law Abiding Citizen, 300

Does He Look Like This All Time? Not really. Sometimes he looks like that guy who plays Ben Affleck's brother in The Town. And him from The Ugly Truth looks nothing like him from 300. Hair length, facial hair, the man has many hot looks to offer.

#3 Name: Russell Crowe

 

Who Is He: Australian actor/musician. Aside from some interesting stories, like about al Qaeda wanting to kidnap him, you should know this dude. Seriously.

 

Most Recent Acclaimed Work: I dunno. Maybe, Robin Hood?
 
Why You Might Have Heard of Him: Cinderella Man, 3:10 to Yuma, A Beautiful Mind 
 
Does He Look Like This All Time? Nope. Just check out his wikipedia page. But he's aging very well. I bet he'll still be hot when he's 65.
 
 

 

 

 

#4 Name: Clive Owen

 

Who Is He: English actor. I think he's the first one so far that I can't remember not using his normal accent in every movie.

 

Most Recent Acclaimed Work: Duplicity and The International

 

Why You Might Have Heard of Him: Children of Men, King Arthur, Inside Man, Derailed, Sin City, Closer, The Rich Man's Wife. Soo many movies.

 

Does He Look Like This All Time? Of course not. I love his facial hair, but he loses his inability to smile in pictures when he has facial hair. But he's good looking from any angle.

 

   

#5 Name: Robert Downey, Jr.

Who Is He: American actor. He's been acting since the 70s. He's good at what he does. He has a tumultuous private life, but who cares, this is about his looks.
 
Most Recent Acclaimed Work: Iron Man 2 and Sherlock Holmes. I refuse to accept that Tropic Thunder might have been critically acclaimed.

 

Why You Might Have Heard of Him: The Pick-Up Artist, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man, Due Date

 

Does He Look Like This All Time? He's been acting for a long time. He certainly wasn't this fine back in those 80s movies... But nah, he looks different depending on hair, glasses, clothes. Only those eyes stay dreamy no matter what.

So what have we learned? I like men with accents. And facial hair, and great eyes. If you didn't make the list, grow your beard. But only if you have the face for it. I know mustaches are out. I don't give a fuck. Yes, I really just said that.

EDIT: I can't believe I orignially forgot Jeffrey Dean Morgan! He played Denny on Grey's Anatomy, and he was sexy sexy Clay in the Losers. That fight he had with Zoey Saldana was by far the sexiest fight I've ever seen in a movie, you ain't got nothing on this Angelina & Brad!

The Dancing With Stars Cast For Winter/Spring 2011

I love Dancing With The Stars. This is Season 12 and I've been watching since... hmmm... I think Season 4 maybe. I did watch part of Season 2 to witness the horrible-ness that was Master P's dancing. No, the first full season I watched was Season 5. That was when Helio Castroneves won. He was so great in that Yellow Banana suit. Sexy man. But I digress.


This is a show I love and will probably blog about throughout the season. I even watched the Bachelor last night to see the cast announcement live. I mean, I had the show on mute while I was on the phone with my boyfriend Easy, but still my eyeballs were on the tv occasionally.


I'm looking forward to this season just like I always have since I began watching the show. I love that you get to see a side of these people that can't be PR'd or engineered. You can pretend for a while but your true colors always come out (I'm looking at you Kate Gosselin). Perfect example, I got to see Bristol Palin. I realize that I actually really like her personality, well about as much as I can like anyone who's just a naturally quiet person. But I also learned that she's self-righteous and kind of a jerk. But she's still a kid, perhaps she'll grow out of it.


But enough waxing about contestants past, it's time to talk about the new contestants! There are 11 of them. Less than the large numbers the cast has had before, but I'm betting that has to do with the number of episodes they're having and maybe a desire to avoid double eliminations. We'll see.


Name: Sugar Ray Leonard, age 54
Why Her/Him?: There's always athlete. Usually football or basketball, I guess they wanted to branch out. Maybe he's taking the Oympic athlete spot that is usually there.
Where You Have Heard Of Them Before: He's the Welterweight Champion of the world. Plus, he's won titles in like five weight classes.
Why I'm Glad He's/She's On The Show: Because they always have a black man who should be able to dance but may or may not have the skills. I'm dying to know if he has the skills.


Name: Chelsea Kane, age 22
Why Her/Him?: This trend of having now-grown-up Disney stars continues. She's cute, freshly sexy, and prolly can dance her ass off. Just like Monique, Sabrina, and Kyle.
Where You Have Heard Of Them Before: Diney Channel, duh.
Why I'm Glad He's/She's On The Show: I'm not. I don't watch Disney that much anymore so I've never heard of or seen this chick before. I guess she's after my time. I'm not old!



Name: Romeo (Miller), age 21
Why Her/Him?: Having a young(ish) non-Disney star is a new trend, but I like it! Plus, he's Master P's (from Season 2) son. This show loves that type of combo. They usually do it with couples, but multiple generations works too.
Where You Have Heard Of Them Before:  He's a rapper. He used to be Lil Romeo. He dropped the "Lil" in a Soldier Boy song from 2009.
Why I'm Glad He's/She's On The Show: He'll make up for the horrible-ness that his father exhibited on the show. And he's about making that money! Why else would he be on DWTS? And how sexy is he? So sexy.


Name: Ralph Macchio, age 49
Why Her/Him?: Because Jennifer Gray was such a hit, they're trying the 80s thing again.
Where You Have Heard Of Them Before: The Karate Kid. Or if you missed the 80s, Hilda's boyfriend on Ugly Betty.
Why I'm Glad He's/She's On The Show: Because they're finally doing his makeup in a way that makes him look attractive, at least so far. And I'm hoping he can really dance.
 


Name: Petra Nemcova, age 31
Why Her/Him?: They usually have a model on the show, working or former. She fits the bill. And if she makes it to the end, she has a great story about a dead fiance.
Where You Have Heard Of Them Before: She's a model. And she did the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimwuit Edition.
Why I'm Glad He's/She's On The Show: I'm not, I've never heard of this chick. I hope she's used her muscles at some point before this show began.


Name: Kendra Wilkinson, age 25
Why Her/Him?: They already had one bunny, why not get another. Pretty soon they'll have all the playboy bunnies who do reality tv. But yeah, she's the token reality star this season. I shouldn't say token, that's rude. Some people wouldn't watch tv without reality shows. DWTS is a reality show. Whatever.
Where You Have Heard Of Them Before: She has a show, Kendra: Bunny Next Door. I think that's what it's called.
Why I'm Glad He's/She's On The Show: That first bunny had so much plastic surgery she couldn't dance (I call it Kim Kardashian syndrome even though she came later). I'm hoping this bunny will break that trend.


Name: Hines Ward, age 34
Why Her/Him?: See, no one seriously thought the stupid Packers were gonna win Super Bowl XLV (45)! But he is the amazing winning football player they usually have. He was even MVP back in '06.
Where You Have Heard Of Them Before: Uh, amazing football player, duh.
Why I'm Glad He's/She's On The Show: So cute. Culturally diverse. Margaret Cho shouldn't be the most diverse person on the show to date (double minority; Asian and gay). This guy is multi-racial. Plus he has a hell of a story to tell about his upbringing if he makes it to the end.


Name: Mike Catherwood, age 31 (but will have birthday during season)
Why Her/Him?:  Um, I don't know. He's a radio star, whatever.
Where You Have Heard Of Them Before: Um... radio... He hosts a show called Loveline. Whatever.
Why I'm Glad He's/She's On The Show: Can you tell I'm not glad? Who is this guy? At least he's attractive.


 
 
 
Name: Wendy Williams, age 46
Why Her/Him?: Folks love her. Her talk show and radio show are super popular
Where You Have Heard Of Them Before: TV, radio, constant appearance's on Daniel Fishels The Dish.
Why I'm Glad He's/She's On The Show: I'm not. I'll be surprised if the drag-queen lookng chick takes this seriosuly or can even dance. How will they design (I said design, not style), her massive weave?


 
 
Name: Chris Jericho (Chrisopher Keith Irvine), age 40
Why Her/Him?: I don't know. I don't remember there being a wrestler and they've already covered sports and reality tv. Maybe they were short on guys.
Where You Have Heard Of Them Before: He's freaking Chris Jericho. Every boy you know probably owns his action figure. Even if you don't like professional wrestling, you should have heard of this guy. Oh maybe that's why they put him on the show.
Why I'm Glad He's/She's On The Show: Cause he's cute and maybe he can dance. Plus, it's kind of like when they had that dude Steve-O from Jackass on the show. He turned out to be really sweet.


Name: Kirstie Alley, age 60
Why Her/Him?:  More 80's love? Plus she used to be a model. Plus she's kind of fat. They always have a bigger woman on the show. Plus she had a reality show. Plus she's kind of old. Lots of good reasons based on the types of cast members they like to have.
Where You Have Heard Of Them Before: Cheers, Playboy Bunny, Jenny Craig commercials.
Why I'm Glad He's/She's On The Show: She will slim down a lot and do like Marie Osmond did, claim the weight loss food is why her body looks so great. Plus, I bet she can dance. And they'll probably make Corky her partner. Love him!


What category did they miss? I don't think they did. Athlete, model, actor, Disney star, music star. Oh I know! They don't have anyone from the media or politics. There's usually one serious person. I guess Petra Nemcova covers that bill. She wasn't even at the announcement because she was off giving a speech at the UN. I guess that means she'll be with Derrick so he can bring out her fun side. If she's with Max or Mark, she'll be too boring.


Be sure to watch on ABC and also vote at abc.com. That is, if you actually care about this, yet another reality tv competition. But this is something that I love. I used to watch the ballroom dancing competitions on WTTW Channel 11 when I was a kid. Seriously, I did that instead of Saturday morning cartoons. So don't judge me.

This Is About Movies That Make It To Theaters And Make Me Happy

I talk a lot about the serious issues in the news and the issues are important. But I also care about less serious issues, and this is one of those issues.


I've been hearing rumors about old folks trekking to the movies in large quantities. Actually it's not rumors. There are undeniable statistics of a 67% rise in baby boomers going to the movies since they started turning 50 in 1995.


This is a subject that interesting to me because I love movies. When I had the money and time, I was at the movies a few times a week. How much did I go to the movies? Let's put it this way, I saw Dark Knight ten times in theaters. Seriously.


But I've always been a fan of most of the trend changes in movies. I loved when IMAX started having versions of movies. There was more to the screen and, sometimes, more to the story being told. I embraced 3D, yeah I'm talking about you Avatar. I think my favorite trend was the epics. It started with epic books (I love you Lord of The Rings!), then it moved to children's books (Chronicles of Narnia helped raise me!). And then the best ever; comic books came to the big screen. It wasn't a new idea, but it was a new iteration.


We've seen Batman as a comedian and ladies man. But we hadn't seen him struggle with his true essence from the comic book: being the other side of the psyche coin that made the Joker who he was. And it wasn't just him. We got real person views of Iron Man, The Hulk, and Wolverine. It was amazing!


But I'm done with my ode to movies. Let's focus on the most recent trend. Movies like RED and The Expendables showed that older people could star in, carry, and contribute to the box office success of real movies with real plots. They provide a whole new type of movie. The story you tell for older people is totally untapped for movies, unless you include the B story in someone else's romantic comedy.


I for one am delighted about the trend. Check out this article for a re-hashing of everything I just said.