Good news, makeup fiends! Someone out there is taking makeup way more seriously than you do. The fine people at the New York Times are here to tell you that you can see how the economy is doing based on how much lipstick you're buying. But we don't buy less lipstick in a recession, we buy more... just like porn. Sure, you may be broke, gas may cost 30 bucks a gallon, but at least your lips look fabulous.
DuWop cosmetics has come out with Prime Venom, a new lip plumper designed to perk up your pout while making you forget about your 401k. You know, I don't care what the economy is doing, I am not putting something with the word "venom" in the name on my mouth. Maybe I'm just not girly enough. Whatevs, I'm just trying to figure out if I can claim I'm doing my patriotic duty by making a trip to Sephora.
The FLDS church is certainly more than a little weird, but the mainstream Latter-Day Saints aren't really that different from most churches. The vaunted "secret Mormon Underwear" thing? It's basically just roomy, comfortable underwear, sort of a throwback to 19th century Union Suits - you could probably find something similar at The Vermont Country Store.
That doesn't stop people from having a prurient interest in the sexual and fashion practices of secretive sects, though, and MSNBC is here to distract you from the war in Iraq and the plundering of our nation's financial health by examining unusual religions in Texas:
Well, gee, maybe because you built your house in a fire-prone area. There are out-of-control wildfires every few years in Malibu, and I don't see why people are so surprised when the inevitable happens.
It's about as surprising as the fact that when Heidi Klum first met Seal, the first thing she noticed was his enormous package. Or that TMZ is making some crude joke about Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen, and football positions like "wide receiver" and "tight end." Or that area restaurants are scrambling to feed firefighters and get positive press at the same time. My reaction to all of these things is the same: duh.
Yeah, yeah, it's a tragedy, and I'm a horrible person. I know. It's so sad when Elvis memorabilia catches fire. But the dress Rachael Ray wore to an anti-hunger benefit last night was also a tragedy, and you don't see me whining and crying about having to look at it.
Buck up, Malibu! After some insurance payouts and a year or two, you'll be rebuilt enough to catch fire again!
It's somehow fitting that CNN used this image of Curious George getting picked up by the police to illustrate a story about the murder of a man who worked wrote TV episodes and books for Margret Rey, the "Curious George" creator.
Here's the thing: if you have a show with a loyal fan-base, you should treat the fans well. It makes sense, right?
When fans are dedicated enough to want to get together to celebrate a show at some kind of public event, years after it's gone into syndication, you let them. If you have any business sense, you help them: you promote that celebration, because it sells merchandise and makes people like you and your shows.
But for crying out loud, these people are your customers. Be nice to them!
I'm saying this because Ducky has pointed out to me that Fox is making people cancel "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" sing-along events. These parties involve showing the musical parody episode "Once More, With Feeling" in movie theaters, and having fans sing along with the score. The parties been incredibly popular and are often used as charity fundraisers, but Fox is making people cancel them because they aren't properly licensed. Here's the real kicker: the organizers had gotten permission from Fox's licensing company, but that wasn't within the allowed uses, so Fox is making them rescind permission.
Huge mistake. The people at these events are some of Fox's best customers. They are the people who have bought every episode on DVD, who continually bring new fans to the franchise. They respect the show enough to go through the hassle of getting licensing, and Fox is kicking them in the teeth. They're basically punishing fans for liking the shows and following the licensing rules. I guess Fox just doesn't like their customers and wishes they'd go away.
Defamer warns us today that we could soon be in for a plague of overweight, listless stars: the Los Angeles cocaine supply is running low! Maybe it's just that people are working (and tooting) overtime in preparation for the potential November 1 writer's strike, but I fear we may be in for a really nasty hangover when the fairy dust goes the way of the studio system.
Hip-hop hottie Ja Rule was interviewed in Complex Magazine about upcoming Congressional hearings on violence and misogyny in hip-hop. He said it was absurd, and pointed out things he thought were bigger problems.
Sadly, one of the things he thought was a bigger problem was portrayals of gay people on TV. AfterElton has all the commentary and discussion you need on that front, so I'll point out something that he mentioned and then left behind when he tore off into his homophobic rant. He began with "There's a... black kid right now about to get 25 years for having a fight with some white kids over hanging the nooses over the white tree..." and then started in on men kissing on TV.
If only Ja Rule had shut his mouth after that first sentence, he could have brought some much-needed attention to the plight of six African-American teenagers in Jena, LA, who are facing years in prison over a schoolyard fight. They're called the Jena Six, and perhaps the best explanation of what happened is over at Wikipedia. After a series of escalating threats, intimidating gestures, and boneheaded responses from the grownups in charge, one white kid got beat up and six black kids got arrested. Most of those charges have been reduced or dropped. However, Mychal Bell was charged with aggravated battery, given a lawyer who brought no witnesses in his defense, tried as an adult before an all-white jury, and convicted. He could face up to 22 years in prison when he is sentenced this September 20th.
In a world where Nicole Richie can get looped on pills and drive the wrong way down a freeway, but spend less than 24 hours in jail, putting a kid away for more than two decades over a schoolyard fight is a terrible injustice. Ja Rule may be an idiot about what people do in bed, but he knows when someone's getting screwed. If you want to get involved, go to Color Of Change for information on writing to the Governor of Louisiana or contributing to the Jena 6 defense fund.
In 2004, a mortar attack in Iraq's Anbar province left Navy Seabee Peter Reid from Palm Bay, Florida, partially paralyzed, dependent on a motorized wheelchair, blind in one eye and suffering a brain injury. As if that wasn't bad enough, Reid hadn't been out of his house for months because it took two people to lift him into and out of his van.
After returning Monday to Florida, Reid talked to reporters and said Rimes treated him like "part of her family":
"She's wonderful. She walked up to me like I was part of her family. She said, `Pete, come with me. I have something for you.' I went out and there was the van. It was quite a surprise."
The Chevrolet Uplander is equipped with an automatic door and wheelchair ramp, allowing Reid to maneuver his wheelchair into and out of the van.
Yesterday, DNA results proved that Anna Nicole’s ex boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, was indeed the father of 7-month-old Dannielynn. Since Smith’s death, the world has been watching closely as a number of men came forward to announce that they could be the father of the child, including Anna Nicole’s partner, Howard K Stern.
Let us just hope that this is the end of it, but sadly, I feel that this may only be the beginning.
Celebrity chef Rachael Ray helped serve up a mighty fine prom for the students who attend Alabama's Enterprise High School, as she coordinated donations, planned the menu and helped prepare dinner for the dance.
Eight students lost their lives, at least 50 were injured and the school was severely damaged when a tornado ripped through the town on March 1.
The prom, which was held at Fort Rucker, was themed "Caught in a Moment."
In a statement, Ray declared:
"The students of Enterprise High are so courageous, given all that they've gone through. When I heard about what happened to their school and classmates, we wanted to help. The prom was all about celebrating their accomplishments and honoring the classmates who tragically lost their lives."
Publicist Charlie Dougiello said Mandy Moore was also in attendance to lend a hand and perform.
It's somehow fitting that 
