The Cult of Youth

A recent article in the New York Times  explores the idea of media sexism.

It does seem like the major tabloid and entertainment publications pay a disproportionate amount of attention to female stars. Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and Lindsey Lohan are all prime players in the media’s frenzy to catch young celebutants at their worst. And once a starlet is caught in a misdeed, it seems like they are plastered on every magazine and every blog in  town for all the world  to ogle at their misfortune.

But, the question is: Does the world care more about female stars than male stars? More specifically, does the target media audience care more about female stars? The answer is yes, or so says the major media outlets. Women are the primary target for Hollywood gossip, and it seems that women want to read and hear about other women. Yes, women want their men too, but they want them shirtless. Frankly, I don’t think women are very intrested in a male star’s latest drug binge or rehab visit. It is just not as interesting as hearing about a single mother’s plight to see her children while battling a psychological disorder.

When we read and when we watch television, we respond to stories that reflect our own lives.  Stories that mirror our personal-life stories are the ones readers and watchers pay more attention to.  For example, Sex and the City is a favorite of 20-30 year-old women everywhere. Why? Because the show is a mirror (although quite obtuse and exaggerated) of their lives.

It is no surprise then that women want to read about the plights of female stars more so than male stars. Male stars are interesting, but their latest conquest in bed doesn’t hit home like Lindsey Lohan crashing her car into a pole or Ms. Britney driving aimlessly around LA in search of her lost life and career.

Some people might say that you can’t polish a turd, but French singer Yael Naim put in the elbow grease to make this old Britney Spears song shine. Somehow she added a sophitsication and beauty to a trashy-pop-club song.  A better version is available on Yael’s Myspace page.

You might recognize her voice from the Apple commercials and her song “New Soul” -which, I am obsessed with. 

Her album is set for a US release on March 18th, and I predict that it is going to blow up like Christina Aguilera’s biggle titties. “New Soul” is rocking the itunes charts, and the rest of the album sounds amazing as well. The French tracks might not be commercially popular in the States, but I dig ‘em -they make for great-bathtime listening.

Apparently, Diablo is in trouble over the shoe debacle. Stuart Weitzman issued a statement about the shoes claiming that Diablo was involved in the entire process.

So, Diablo helped design shoes and helped pick out the raucously-huge-diamond roses to adorn them. But, that still doesn’t mean that she agreed to publicise a pair of one-million dollar shoes. And the whole million-dollar price tag is a huge PR story, made up by the Weitzman people. Let’s be honest; the shoes probably cost a few thousand to make. When Weitzman slapped on the MILLION-dollar price tag, he involved Cody in a stunt that she did not agree to.

Agreeing to wear a pair of  shoes and agreeing to a huge publicity stunt are two very different matters.  In fact, Cody’s decision not to wear the shoes probably earned Weitzman more media attention than any other designer represented at the Awards. He should be thanking her for the rejection.

Perezhilton.com has made the top 5 list of most visited websites by college females. Perezhilton.com beat out CNN.com and even myspace.com as one of the most visited sites. And just today, The New York Times announced that Perez  will be hitting the music business now as an A&R man.

These facts disturb me, but do not surprise me. In terms of my daily reading diet, I eat my fair share of fruits and vegetables, but I can’t help but grab for the fried chicken every now and then. 

I start my day with some fiber -The New York Times (online edition). The New York Times is the best online newspaper…period. The scope in which in they cover stories around the world is really second to none when it comes to online newspapers. Yes, their reporting is not always the best , but I find that I can peruse their website and take away a good, meaty grasp of  world happenings.

For my next course, I like to go for the green. Google’s finance page dishes up the broccoli and brusselsprouts, as it gives a general overview of major financial news as well as a personalized news feed about my own portfolio. There are a lot of finance pages on the web today, but Google’s is the cleanest in my opinion. The page is not crowded with charts or type; it is a straightforward approach to obtaining financial information.

As we all know, the economy is not doing so well these days, so my visit to Google Finance usually leaves me a bit Debbie Downer. So like any good American,  I want a quick fix -an instant jolt of fatty goodnessto make me feel happy and loved again. Usher in the fried chicken, otherwise known as Perezhilton.com. Hit me with the good stuff! After shamefully reading every poorly-structured post and examining every picture (oh my goddess, Angelina is preggers again!…beeJesus), I must admit I feel a little bit better. The world is still glamorous, beautiful, rich and all the celebrities are drug addicts and attention whores. All is well. All is well.

Dessert is tough. Sometimes after my gluttonous Perez fest, my fingers bloat and I am unable to type anything more. But if the fired chicken doesn’t complete satiate my hunger, I’ll hit up YouTube or maybe Gofugyourself (very witty, those girls).  Word aroung the campfire is that there are plenty of websites out there offering the opportunity for many a happy ending…if ya know what I mean. Nudge nudge, wink wink. Not that I’ve ever visited or anything…

The Midwesterner Meets Hollywood

My Diablo Cody binge continues into the evening. I am going to have one helluva of Diablo hangover tomorrow. This article chronicles Diablo’s first trip to Hollywood.

First of all, I love how Diablo approached Hollywood; she approached it with the awe of a tourist, and the sceptical distrust of any well-educated person in this world. Her descriptions of The Standard are spot-on -especially the tiggle bitty woman who unabashedly doused herself in sprinkler water. PS. Tiggly Bitty translates to Big Ol’ Titties. It is one of my favorite stolen expressions. Use it as you may.

Second of all, Diablo’s anxiety about meeting people speaks to me. I too, hate meeting strangers. But, more than that, I hate the feeling of nervousness that goes along with that whole process. So cheers to Diablo for porking down some SSRIs.  Her admitting to this nervousness adds a validity and realness to her person that is not often seen in today’s Hollywood, which I feel is the main reason that I love her. She ain’t Hollywood baby, and she don’t give a damn.

Third of all, I love the naivete that resonates in this article. When I say naivete, I mean it in the most positive way. Diablo seems unaware of how big she is about to be. Her naivete, paired with a distrust of the whole process, allows Cody the ability to see Hollywood for what it is, and not be jaded by the ominous palm trees and neon In-N-Out lights.

THE KEY TO MY SUCCESS

Apparently, all I need to do is continue working on my blog, and the world will get on its knees, felate my supreme skills and award me with an Oscar and million-dollar shoes.

SO simple. Why didn’t I think of that.

I have a severe friend crush on Diablo Cody. SEVERE.  Not only is she a writer, a stripper, a freakin’ Academy Award winner, but she is amazingly funny. Her dry, snarky humor rocks my world.

Not going to lie, I first learned of Diablo Cody through this article. I was not pleased with her choice to wear the shoes -I thought it quite attention-whorey. But, this fact did not stop me from going on an Internet-research binge and looking up everything there was to know about Ms. Diablo Cody.

My fanatical search led me to her Myspace account, where I of course asked her to be my friend. I have yet to be approved…APPROVE ME DIABLO.  I also stumbled upon her old blog, which chornicles her “former stripper” days.

In her myspace blog, Diablo comments about the shoe fiasco:

       ”NEWS TO ME, kids. I must have somehow missed the part where my shoes cost a MILLION FUCKING DOLLARS  and my “choice” of footwear would be publicized nationwide. I honestly thought they were just sparkly shoes. Mr. Weitzman did mention that the diamonds were real when I tried them on, but I’m not Nancy Rockman, Expert Gemologist. I didn’t, you know, bust out my miniature spyglass and assess the potential worth of my kicks. “

After reading this post, my love for Diablo increased tenfold, and then she ended up not wearing the shoes at all, which garnered the media attention of everyone. Apparently, Diablo has started a fashion feud, and we all love a good feud.

Diablo’s tattoo rocks my socks.  I wonder when she got it, pre or post stripper days?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/fashion/21webgirls.html?ex=1361336400&en=cfa7ef9f5e228fda&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

I feel old. Kids are learning web development language in high school now.

This is an article that talks about the new Bay Bridge.

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/02/bridging-toward.html