Bristol Palin's Success On DWTS: The Politics of Dancing?

Over the past few weeks, a conspiracy theory has been swelling during season 11 of the ABC reality competition series Dancing with the Stars.  Despite being considered by many (including the DWTS judges) as one of the worst dancers this season, Bristol Palin (daughter of Tea Party darling Sarah Palin) has managed to make it to the finals. The conspiracy whispers grew to a roar in some circles during week 9 of the competition when Bristol & her partner Mark advanced, while singer/actress Brandy her partner Maksim were sent packing. Since I quit watching DWTS a couple of seasons ago, I went to You Tube to see  if Bristol's dance skills did pale in comparison to Brandy's.







To me, it's no question... Brandy blew Bristol off the stage!

According to the comments section of a post on the website Conservatives4Palin, it's clear that some of Bristol's supporters are voting as many as 50 times to ensure that she wins!  However, what isn't clear is whether or not all of the multiple votes are being counted. In an interview with EW.com, Conrad Green (exec. producer of DWTS) states that the voting system has security checks in place which will negate any excessive votes (even though they will appear to the voter that they are being counted).  Hmm... I'm viewing that with a bit of skepticism.  If voters have found a way to get around the system and submit more than the allowed number of votes, does anyone expect the exec. producer to admit this in an interview?  I wonder if Michael Palin will sign on for season 12 of DWTS thinking he might be able to get some of the Palinbots to vote for him by virtue of his last name. 

Although I'm not outraged by Bristol/Sarah fans who are stuffing the proverbial ballot box (or at least trying to), I'm just wondering what they hope to gain by doing so. If their efforts are successful, is this supposed to demonstrate the power of The Tea Party?  My answer is an emphatic no!  If the Tea Party was as powerful as some people believe it is, the excessive voting wouldn't be necessary. What the excessive voting shows me is that there are Sarah Palin supporters who will go to great lengths to ensure that a member of the Palin family emerges victorious, even if it's only on a reality competition series.  If it's really that important to them for the daughter of one of their political heroines to dance away with a mirror ball trophy (not to mention the cash prize), I say "whatever".

To what do you attribute Bristol Palin's success on DWTS?

Final Results of the Recent Mel Gibson Poll

In the recent poll in which I asked readers if they would ever pay to see another Mel Gibson film, nearly 3/4 of people said hell no!  I felt he had a chance to be the next Clint Eastwood and continue as a successful actor/director/writer/producer well into his 70s. 

It's too bad Mel's demons got the best of him.  Regardless of what happens to Mel professionally, hopefully he can get his personal life straightened out.

Here are the final results:


No- 70%
It depends- 20%
Yes- 8%

Thanks to all of you who participated.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the next poll. 

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Mel Gibson Poll... Thank You

Update: It appears that the poll problem has been fixed. If you experience any problems voting, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks again for your patience.

To say that Mel Gibson has been dogged by controversy over the last several years would be akin to calling The Passion of the Christ a minor box office hit. In July 2010, Gibson has been hit with allegations of domestic abuse, racism, sexism, and outright lunacy (which give a whole new meaning to "Mad Max"). I won't go into all the details because you've more than likely heard the the voicemail recordings by his former girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva.

Because of the allegations against Gibson, many have speculated whether or not his career has been irreparably damaged. While some have said they will never pay to see another Mel Gibson movie, others have stated they can separate his personal life from his professional one. In addition to "Yes" and "No", I've also included an "It depends" option in the poll. As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments section.

Final Results of the Recent Facebook Poll

In the recent poll in which I asked readers if they felt Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was sincere in his efforts to improve the privacy issues facing his social media site, most of you weren't buying it.

Here are the final results:

No- 75%
Yes- 25%

Thanks to all of you who participated and shared your thoughts in the comments section. Regarding the latter, my apologies for not responding to you individually in the comments box.

Due to a project that I recently began, my blogging activity will greatly decrease. However, when something pops up in the world of pop culture that interests me and time permits, I'll be back with more posts, polls, etc.

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current Facebook Poll... Thank You.

Faced with privacy control problems as well as a damning IM exchange he had as a 19 yr old undergrad at Harvard, 25 yr old Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg got out the proverbial pail and started bailing with an open letter published in the Washington Post. You can read more on the story by visiting the following link:

Contrite Facebook CEO promises new privacy controls

However, talk is just like a $5 hooker (cheap) so it remains to be seen if Zuckerberg will be a man of his word. What do you think?

Zuckerberg may want to keep that pail on standby: a movie about the founding of Facebook, The Social Network, is scheduled to open on October 15, 2010.

Final Results of the Recent Tiger Woods Poll

In the recent poll in which I asked readers how they felt about Tiger Woods' return to golf for the 2010 Masters, over 40% of you said that you had no rooting interest. Since it's not self-explanatory as to why one voted the way they did, I wish that people had elaborated in the comments section. Although it's likely that those rooting against Tiger did so based on the extra extra-marital affairs he had, there may be some who disliked him before they knew he was cheating on his wife. My opinion of Tiger Woods the golfer hasn't changed at all. I rooted for him pre-November 25, 2009 and I continue to do so. Although I'm not condoning anyone cheating on their spouse, the Tiger Woods controversy was blown out of proportion. The way some in the media/public reacted, you'd think Tiger murdered and/or raped somebody.

Here are the final results:

Poll question- How do you feel about Tiger Woods' return to golf for the 2010 Masters?

I'm neutral like Sweden- 44%
I'll be rooting against him- 29%
I'll be rooting for him- 25%

Thanks to everyone who voted.

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current Tiger Woods Poll... Thank You

CTFD: Lindsay Lohan vs. E-Trade

Don't mess with "The Lohan" unless you want to run the risk of getting slapped with a frivolous lawsuit. Multiple award-winning* actress Lindsay Lohan has filed a $100 million lawsuit claiming a TV ad for the Wall Street firm E-Trade is modeled after her and improperly invoked her “likeness, name, characterization, and personality” without permission, violating her right to privacy. In the commercial, talking babies have a conversation that refers to "milkaholic Lindsay." As everyone knows, Lohan has had her issues with alcohol.

Although Lohan's name was never mentioned, her lawyer argues that "Lindsay" is an equally recognizable moniker for her client — like that of Oprah or Madonna. In addition to the ca$hola, Lohan's legal team is also seeking an injunction to stop future airings.

For one thing, when I hear the name "Lindsay", I don't automatically think of Ms. Lohan ...

Sometimes Olympic Gold Medal skier Lindsey Vonn comes to mind.

At other times, I'm reminded of former "Bionic Woman" Lindsay Wagner.

Hell, sometimes I go into Mayberry mode and think of George "Goober" Lindsey.

Also, the claim that the ad improperly invoked Lohan's “likeness, name, characterization, and personality” is a joke. If the director of the commercial slapped a long, red wig on the infant actress, placed her face down on the floor, and scattered empty baby bottles all around her, Lohan might have a case. As it stands, all this lawsuit is doing is costing Lindsay legal fees and providing material for smart asses like me.

Unless her handlers are "fully loaded", they'd sit Ms. Lohan down, tell her to continue working on getting her shit together, and convince her to drop this silly lawsuit.

* Hey Razzies and Teen Choice Awards count!

Final Results of the Recent ManCrunch/Super Bowl Poll

With almost 2/3 of the vote, a majority of people said they did not disagree with CBS' decision to reject a commercial by the gay dating site ManCrunch during this year's Super Bowl. Although 4 people who disagreed with CBS shared their thoughts in the comments section, no one who sided with the "Eye network" chose to say why. I really wish that some of them had shared their thoughts because I'm interested to hear why they voted "Yes".

Here are the final results:

Poll question-

Do you agree with CBS' decision to reject a gay dating site's Super Bowl commercial?

No- 64%
Yes- 36%

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current Super Bowl/ManCrunch Poll... Thank You

Late last month, CBS decided it would not air a commercial (see below) for the gay dating site Man Crunch during Super Bowl XLIV (which takes place on Sunday, February 7th). For more on the story, click here. As expected, CBS' decision is not without controversy. Regardless of whether you vote yes or no, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.

The WIRE: Week In REview, #1

Because the world of pop culture won't slow down to accommodate my hectic schedule, I haven't been able to blog about many of the stories that have unfolded recently. As a result, I decided that doing weekly summaries would give me a chance to touch on stories from the previous week that I didn't get around to covering. Here are a few of them:

CTFD: The Sun-Maid Girl Controversy

Welcome to "Not So Extreme Makeover: Advertising Mascot Edition". Over the years, the Sun-Maid Girl has undergone occasional updates to keep up with the changing times. From 1970-2006, she looked like this:


But the digital makeover she received (see below) has recently generated controversy. I say "recently" because the makeover took place in 2006! Some feel the new Sun-Maid Girl is a bit too "enhanced".

Come on, what's the big deal? It's not like those responsible for the makeover put the Sun-Maid Girl in a thong and have her hawking raisins as she works the stripper pole. Now if they did, Chester Cheetah would be down; he'd make it rain like it was Seattle, WA!

Although one blogger commented that the makeover looks "as if Julia Roberts decided to don a red bonnet and start picking grapes," I think the new Sun-Maid Girl looks more like Bianca Kajlich from the sitcom Rules of Engagement.


For more details, click the link below:

Sun-Maid Girl Controversy

Don't just do something, stand there!

It's bad enough to get your ass whupped on your home court, but at least put forth some effort. In Saturday's home game against the Toronto Raptors, the Chicago Bulls got spanked 110-78. Not only that, but during the game, Raptors guard Jarrett Jack had the ball at the top of the key when he stopped... to tie his shoe! All the while, the Bulls stood around and did nothing! Sportsmanship is one thing, but if a player is going to hold the ball and stop to tie his shoe, I'm going for the steal! Personally, this Bulls' lull couldn't happen to a better franchise. As a longtime Detroit Pistons fan, I can hardly stand the Bulls!

SNL: Showing No Levelheadedness?

On the December 5th episode of Saturday Night Live, they did a skit that spoofed Tiger Woods' infidelities. The skit made light of domestic abuse by having Tiger (played by Kenan Thompson) suffer a variety of injuries at the hands of his wife Elin (played by guest host Blake Lively). I'll admit that I did find this skit funny. However, the timing of it was suspect... the musical guest on SNL that night was R&B singer Rihanna, who was the victim of a highly-publicized domestic abuse incident involving then-boyfriend Chris Brown. Tune in next week as SNL does a gut-busting sketch on incest in an episode hosted by MacKenzie Phillips!

Note to the SNL producers: A little more diversity in the cast would be a good thing. I'm tired of seeing Kenan Thompson nearly every time a skit calls for a black celebrity (male or female)!

Bridget Loves Bridget

During a December 2nd interview with Matt Lauer on Today, actress Meredith Baxter publicly announced that she is a lesbian. Speculation about Baxter's sexuality came about after she was spotted on a lesbian cruise with a female friend. Some are debating whether or not Baxter is a lesbian or bisexual, but I trust she knows who she is. I think this is a cool story because so many people go through life not knowing or being comfortable enough to admit who they are. By the way, click here if you are curious about the "Bridget Loves Bridget" reference.

CTFD: Teens Face Charges For Rapping At McDonald's Drive-Thru

Last week, four Utah teens were ordered to face charges of disorderly conduct after performing a rap from a popular You Tube video at McDonald's. The four students from Lone Peak High in American Fork, UT performed the rap, which begins with the line "I need a double cheeseburger and hold the lettuce...," twice, causing employees to ask them to either order or leave as they were holding up the line. According to one of the accused, there wasn't anyone in line at the time.

The four left without ordering, but were tracked down by police at a volleyball game and issued with citations. The McDonald's employees claimed that the teens used vulgar language and that employees felt threatened by their behaviour. The accused deny acting in a threatening manner, and claim that only one vulgar word was used. The parents of the accused plan to contest the charges.

Didn't these teens realize they were in Utah?! There is NO rapping in Osmond country! Now, if they wanted to sing their order to the tune of either One Bad Apple or Down by the Lazy River, they would have been OK. Seriously, don't the cops in UT have anything better to do?

The clip below is from The Young Turks where they breakdown this story:

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current Michael Vick Poll... Thank You.

As you may know, former Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick has been given a conditional reinstatement by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to play in the league again. For more on the story, please click here.

If I was participating in the poll, I would say that Michael Vick does deserve a second chance. Although what he did was wrong, he's served his time and should be allowed the opportunity to play in the NFL again. Having said that, I am keen to hear your opinions on this story.

Update: As of Wednesday July 29th at 1:02 am, the votes are evenly split (3 to 3). I noticed that the 3 who voted "No" chose not to share their opinions in the comments section. If you feel that Michael Vick doesn't deserve a second chance, please don't let the fact that I disagree stop you from sharing your thought in the comments section of this post.

Michael Jackson Dead At the Age of 50

This has been a devastating week for the entertainment world. After the news of the deaths of Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett, I think many of us were thinking the "death always comes in 3s" theory. Who would have guessed that the 3rd would be Michael Jackson.

When I first found out, I literally started to shake a little bit. When the L.A. Times and other news sources confirmed that Michael had died of an apparent heart attack cardiac arrest at the age of 50, I still couldn't believe it. Not only because Michael was one of the most famous people in the world, but because he had that otherworldly quality. If you are like me, you will likely remember exactly where you were, what you were doing, what you were wearing, etc. when you heard that Michael Jackson had died. I had just awoken from a nap and had hopped on the computer when I first heard the initial reports from two blogger buddies of mine. I was wearing a red family reunion T-shirt, black lounge pants with white stripes up the side, and black slippers.

When Michael turned 50 years old last year, I wrote a birthday post in which I said that I had a feeling that there was still some magic left in him. As you may have heard, Michael had been preparing for his series of London comeback which were supposed to kick off in July of this year. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

I will leave it to others who want to make snarky comments about the extensive plastic surgery, sexual abuse allegations, and the circus sideshow that surrounded Michael Jackson. When all is said and done, I think that Michael Jackson will ultimately be remembered as one of the greatest entertainers this world will ever see. From the Motown phase of his career as the lead singer of the Jackson Five all the way up to the 30th anniversary concerts that he did at Madison Square Garden in 2001, Michael never failed to dazzle us with his vocal and dancing skills.

I am heading off to the store to get something cold to drink. When I come back home, I will be jamming to MJ for the rest of the night.

Update: Over at the other blog that I write for (Diversity Ink), I posted about Michael Jackson's diverse appeal. Please click here to read it.

Below is a clip of various celebrities talking about Michael Jackson, followed by his landmark performance of Billie Jean at the Motown 25 special.

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Uploaded by jamz_flava - Explore more music videos.

CTFD: Protesters Call For David Letterman's Head

For various reasons, I originally wasn't going to post anything about the Letterman vs. Palin dustup. That is until I saw a clip of the "massive" protest rally outside the building where "The Late Show with David Letterman" is taped. I'll borrow two adjectives from Breakfast Clubber John Bender to describe the protesters calling for the ousting of Dave... demented and sad. I'll add two more. In addition to being entertaining, some of these protesters are quite informative. Had I not watched this, I never would have known that Alex Rodriguez was a professional basketball player or that Jewish was a language.

American Idol Season 8: Is The Outcome A Done Deal Like Some Think?

Kris Allen and Adam Lambert

Although I normally don't follow American Idol, I've lately become intrigued by the eventual outcome of season 8. Based on what I'd been reading, it sounded like Adam Lambert had the A.I. crown sewn up tighter than those pants he likes to wear. For most of this season, pretty much everything I've heard in relation to the contestants has been about Adam. Hell, I didn't even know the name of the other finalist (Kris Allen) until I read the recent Entertainment Weekly cover story about Adam.

Once I read the EW article, I began to think that maybe it isn't a guarantee that Adam will take the top prize. This is because the writer of the article posed the following question: can an openly gay contestant win American Idol? The thought that a gay contestant couldn't win American Idol had never occurred to me, but the writer could be on to something. Having said that, both the writer and I realize that Adam hasn't officially come out (even though he has admitted that the photos of him kissing another man are real). Some may say, "duh, of course he's gay!" However, until he confirms that he is or isn't, all we can really do is speculate.

Of course, Adam's assumed sexuality shouldn't matter; but we know it does to some people. The thing is, will it matter to enough voters to cause Adam to lose? The question posed by the EW writer makes me now wonder about Clay Aiken's surprising (to me anyways) loss to Ruben Studdard during season 2. Don't get me wrong, I think Ruben was a deserving winner. However, all the buzz I was hearing led me to believe that Clay had the title in the bag. Since I don't remember, I'm depending on you longtime A.I. fans to answer a couple of questions for me. Were there rumors about Clay's sexuality when he was a contestant on A.I? If so, do you think the rumors kept him from winning?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to finding out how the season finale of A.I. plays out. For the record, I think Adam is going to win. Even though I feel that he fucked up Steppenwolf's biker anthem Born To Be Wild, I'm going with the buzz factor that surrounds him. Plus, his slowed down rendition of Tears For Fears' Mad World was superb. Even if Kris Allen does prevail, it may not have anything to do with viewers reluctant to vote for an assumed gay contestant. The EW writer also raised an interesting point when he said that voters generally prefer that A.I. contestants be humble (which could play in Kris' favor).

Do you think it's a lock that Adam Lambert will be crowned "American Idol"? If he loses, will it be due to his assumed sexuality or because of the "humble Kris" factor?

TCM Airs One Potato, Two Potato

On Saturday May 2nd/Sunday May 3rd at 1 am EST, Turner Classic Movies airs the 1964 drama One Potato, Two Potato. Starring Barbara Barrie ("Nana" on Suddenly Susan), Bernie Hamilton (Capt. Dobey in the series Starsky and Hutch), and Richard Mulligan (Soap and Empty Nest), the film is one of the earliest to deal with interracial marriage. Barrie stars as a white divorcée with a young daughter who marries a black co-worker (Hamilton). Things are fine until her ex-husband (Mulligan) returns and sues for full custody of their daughter, claiming that a mixed racial household is an improper environment to raise the child.

I saw this film years ago on cable and really enjoyed it. If you've seen One Potato, Two Potato already or check it out tonight, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

CTFD: The Prez Meets the Chin, Controversy Ensues

History was made Thursday night when President Barack Obama became the first sitting president to appear on The Tonight Show. For the most part, it wasn't the typical chatter that you hear on these types of shows. Some of the topics discussed during the president's interview with Jay Leno were the bonuses paid out to AIG employees, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and changing the "blame game" culture in Washington.

Towards the end of the interview, the tone became lighthearted as President Obama talked about the Final Four, flying on Air Force One, and his bowling skills. It's this last topic that will likely have people talking long after the President leaves the NBC studio in Burbank. After Obama stated that he rolled a 129-point game, Leno congratulated him sarcastically. This led to the president commenting "Like the Special Olympics or something". I cringed because I knew that members of the right would be grinning like the butcher's dog. Reports that the Fox News Channel got a collective woodie when they heard about the president's comments are true. Because Keith Olbermann saw the appearance before it aired, he discussed the incident on his show last night. Shortly thereafter, Obama haters started spewing their venom in the comments attached to the Olbermann clip. Funny, sad and oh so predictable.

Did the president fuck up? Yes. Should it be blown out of proportion? I don't think so. What do you think?

Below is the clip containing President Obama's "Special Olympics" comment:

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current Octo Mom Poll... Thank You

While watching the MSNBC news show Morning Joe before I headed off to the cube farm, I heard a story about Nadya Suleman (aka Octo Mom). Apparently, porn distributor Vivid Entertainment has offered her $1 million to star in her own nudie pic. Since there's no word yet on whether or not she has signed her Jane on the dotted line, my question to all of you is this... will she do it? Because Suleman has almost enough kids for three separate Jackson Fives, that mil could come in handy. Having said that, going The Spice Network route likely won't do anything to help repair her reputation in the court of public opinion. Now there's a report that a rival porn company (Pink Visual) has offered Suleman a year's supply of diapers if she turns down the deal made by Vivid. I'm waiting on Howie Mandel to jump in on this at any moment now.

Multi-Platinum Teen Pop Star Did What?!

The photo above of teen pop sensation Miley Cyrus (3rd from left) recently emerged showing her and some of her pals posing with an Asian friend and pulling their eyes sideways. In response to the photo, the OCA (Organization of Chinese Americans) issued the following statement on February 2nd:

The photograph of Miley Cyrus and other individuals slanting their eyes currently circulating the Internet is offensive to the Asian Pacific American community and sets a terrible example for her many young fans. This image falls within a long and unfortunate history of people mocking and denigrating individuals of Asian descent.

"Not only has Miley Cyrus and the other individuals in the photograph encouraged and legitimized the taunting and mocking of people of Asian descent, she has also insulted her many Asian Pacific American fans," said George Wu, executive director of OCA. "The inclusion of an Asian Pacific American individual in the photo does not make it acceptable."

"OCA hopes that Miley Cyrus will apologize to her fans and the APA community for this lapse in judgment and takes the opportunity to better understand why the gesture is offensive."

OCA is a national organization dedicated to advancing the social, political and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States.

Miley responded with the following on her official fansite:

"Ive also been told there are some people upset about some pictures taken of me with friends making goofy faces! Well, Im sorry if those people looked at those pics and took them wrong and out of context!

In NO way was I making fun of any ethnicity! I was simply making a goofy face. When did that become newsworthy? It seems someone is trying to make something out of nothing to me. If that would of been anyone else, it would of been overlooked! I definitely feel like the press is trying to make me out as the new 'BAD GIRL'!"

I feel like now that Britney is back on top of her game again, they need someone to pick on! Lucky me! haha Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know what is on my heart. You guys know me and have been by my side every step of the way!

You guys know my heart and know the most important things to me are my friends, family, fans, and GOD! In NO WAY do I want to disappoint any of you! But, when I have made mistakes in the past, I feel like Ive owned up to them and apologized.

Anyway, I really wish everyone would stop focusing on my personal life and get back to focusing on what I love! Music and Acting! Hopefully, I will be touring again this fall! Yayy! =] It will be a nice change to be back out on the road again!

xoxo Blessings.. Miley =)"


The intentions of Miley and her friends may not have been racist, but I can understand why some would be offended by the photo. Although it's not as bad as Mickey Rooney's stereotyped portrayal of "Mr. Yunioshi" in the 1961 film Breakfast At Tiffany's, I think that Miley and her friends made a bad move by posing that way in the photo.

Miley didn't really help her case with the above "apology". She basically tried to blame the media for covering this story. I don't feel that members of the media should go digging through a celeb's trash or follow their every move, but being famous does mean that your missteps will be publicized for all the world to see.

Miley's slant eyed pose wasn't the worst thing she could have done so I'm not calling for The Disney Channel to yank Hannah Montana off the air or that the public boycotts her CDs. As those who read this blog know, I watch Hannah Montana on a regular basis and will continue to do so. Miley's slant eyed pose may have been nothing more than a 16 yr old kid making a "goofy face". However, if Miley and her other friends who pulled their eyes sideways don't feel they did anything wrong, they should at least acknowledge that their actions could be deemed offensive.