Female Stars and Body Image

Don’t call actress Raven Symone fat. The TV star says she prefers to be considered “thick and fabulous.” Symone recently spoke out about her full figure during a Dove-sponsored self-esteem workshop specially designed for 11- and 12-year-old girls. The former “That’s So Raven” star’s goal at the New Jersey event was to boost the confidence levels of her young fans. The 23-year-old actress-singer, who’s been working on her fifth album, says she wants young girls to work on building their self-esteem and the reason she makes public appearances is to give them tools to defend themselves against “haters.” The former … Continue reading →

The Return of Mickey Rourke

Remember last year when no matter where you looked, you heard about formerly down and out actor Robert Downey Jr.? Everything Downey touched turned to gold. It seems like this year, the big return may be that of Mickey Rourke. This photo is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License Rourke’s breakout acting role was in the 1981 film Body Heat. But, he also appeared in the ‘80s cult film Diner as well as the coming of age tale Rumble Fish. Like it’s predecessor The Outsiders, which literally featured every hot, young actor in Hollywood at the time, Rumble Fish … Continue reading →

Who was Harvey Milk?

This holiday season, you will probably hear about a new film titled Milk, which stars Sean Penn. He’s been nominated for a Golden Globe and there is already Oscar buzz about his performance, but you may wonder who Harvey Milk was. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. He had been born in New York, but moved to San Francisco when he was 42. He finally settled in the Castro District, eventually dubbing himself the “Mayor of Castro Street.” Milk was brash, outspoken, animated, and most of all, proud of his sexual orientation. … Continue reading →

Pop Culture Round Up: It’s Not What You Think

It’s not what you think, or so claims Mary-Kate Olsen. The normally rail-thin actress says her baggy outfits are not signs that she is pregnant. Tabloids have been reporting that the former “Full House” star is expecting a child, but Olsen’s rep recently issued a statement saying: “Mary-Kate is absolutely not pregnant.” Olsen’s fans criticized the publications for putting Mary-Kate on their covers and jumping to the conclusion that she was having a baby. The actress’ rep declined to comment on her client’s weight gain. However, if there was any doubt that Mary-Kate was not pregnant one would only have … Continue reading →

Tom Cruise Regretful of ‘Glib’ Comment

Tom Cruise has been many things –movie star, three time husband, father of three, Scientologist spokesman – but one would hardly call him humble. However, after several years of outrageous, unheard of (at least in his case) antics, Tom Cruise is now admitting he has had at least one regret moment. Cruise returned to the “Today” show to admit that his tongue lashing of Matt Lauer four years ago was a bit over the top. In the original interview with Lauer, Cruise argued that psychiatry was a “pseudoscience.” When Lauer tried to say he knew people that psychiatry had helped, … Continue reading →

Miley Cyrus Scores a Used Car and Stars Seek Out Obama

The words “Miley Cyrus” and “frugal” don’t seem a natural fit to me, but then again everything is relative. The latest out of Hollywood is that the tween singing sensation is the proud new owner of a car. A Porsche Cayenne to be exact. But, here’s the catch: the hot wheels are a hand-me-down from her mom. According to reports, after earning her learner’s permit two days ago, the “Hannah Montana” star received an early Christmas present from her mom Tish. Mommy dearest apparently handed her freshly turned 16-year-old the keys to her Porsche. (Which by the way, retails for … Continue reading →

Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines Sued

The lead singer for the Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines, is being sued by Terry Hobbs. Now, the name Terry Hobbs might not be familiar to you, but if I were to say the stepfather of Steven Branch, one of the victims of the West Memphis Three murders, you might remember his name. The West Memphis Three was a horrific murder case that happened just across the Mississippi River in 1993 when I lived in Memphis, Tennessee. Three eight year old boys (Steven Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore) were found dead in a Robin Hood Hills drainage canal. I won’t … Continue reading →

O.J. Simpson’s Headed to the Big House

And, by “Big House,” I don’t mean some luxury mansion is Los Angeles or Miami. After years of questionable behavior, O.J. Simpson has finally been brought down by the law and he has landed really hard. (This image is a work of a U.S. military or Department of Defense employee, taken or made during the course of an employee’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.) In case you haven’t heard about his latest fiasco, O.J. was on trial for confronting memorabilia sellers Bruce Fromong and Al Beardsley in Las … Continue reading →

Folk Singer Odetta Holmes Dies at 77

Folk singer and civil rights activist Odetta Holmes, known professionally as Odetta, died this week of heart disease at the age of 77. Odetta influenced a generation of singers such as Janis Joplin, Tracy Chapman, Janis Ian, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez with her folk, blues, and gospel classics. Dylan was quoted as saying, “The first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta. From Odetta, I went to Harry Belafonte, the Kingston Trio, little by little uncovering more as I went along.” By the way, I missed my change to blog about the October 1, 2008 passing … Continue reading →

Anne Heche is Pregnant and Jennifer Aniston Wants To Be

The Hollywood celebrity, who detailed her struggles with mental illness in the autobiography “Call Me Crazy,” is about to give birth to another child. Actress Anne Heche just confirmed that she and her actor boyfriend James Tupper are expecting their first baby together. The couple met last year on the set of the now defunct ABC series “Men in Trees” and have been together ever since. Heche met Tupper while she was still married to Coley Laffoon, the father of her 6-year-old son Homer. The two reached a divorce settlement in June after months of public warfare, which included Laffoon’s … Continue reading →