Queen Elizabeth II: The Power Behind the Hats and Pearls
Queen Elizabeth II seemed disconnected from the turbulent present and fixed in the misty past when she spoke before the United Nations on Tuesday. She appeared to be cast as the best-known matron in the world. Her hat, suit, pearls and diamond brooch were visual throwbacks to empires of dust, wars won and lost, and countless speeches delivered by the famous and the infamous. She was news, but not huge news like President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel playing nice at the White House. She seemed not relevant to the BP oil disaster, unrelated to the distressing ...
'Eclipse:' Twilight Saga Better Love Affair for Vampire Fans than Lifetime TV?
The next time a couple breaks up or faces marital problems, my first question won't be: "What happened?" I'll discreetly ask whether vampires were involved. Thanks to the incredible success of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series, blood-lusting monsters are apparently "killing it" as home wreckers and now breaking box office records with the release of the third film in the series, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse." Fans are becoming so addicted to "Twilight" they are neglecting marriage and family, according to Christine Spines' story in the Los Angeles Times. Her piece quotes a 31-year-old ...
Falling Out of Love With Oil: The Quest for Clean Energy
I should have returned to Destin, Fla., sooner. Destin is a sweet discovery, my family's getaway spot. My eldest niece built her first sand castle there when she was a toddler, and my family knows that if my youngest brother is not at home in Atlanta or traveling for business, he's squirreled away in Destin. The last time I escaped to Destin was in 2006. With my toes digging deep in the sand, I snacked wantonly, slept delightfully and read "The Da Vinci Code." I flew home unconvinced by Dan Brown's theological conspiracies, but the peace of Destin's waters washed over me for weeks. To hear ...
Sandra Bullock: MTV Award Despite Shortsighted 'Blind Side'
Since we're on the subject of Sandra Bullock's travails, I have another unpleasant thing to bring up. It's about her award-winning movie. Don't take this the wrong way. I love Bullock, especially when she performs in romantic comedies or shares oxygen with actor Keanu Reeves. MTV recently announced it is honoring Bullock, and she deserves the acclaim. The talented actor is the first woman to receive its MTV Generation Award for inspiring audiences over the past two decades. But I refuse to see her last movie. "The Blind Side" is a fixture from the blinded side of Hollywood, that moldy, ...
'Single Ladies' Dancers and Miss USA: The Sizzle Over Sex
Even though booty-shaking is a national pastime, much like McDonald's, SUVs and politicians with mistresses, we often struggle with our indulgences. Especially when our young people have an appetite for the very things that enthrall and seduce us. We get hot and bothered about child dancers gyrating on stage to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)." But we're OK with Beyoncé herself performing at a White House state dinner because her alter ego Sasha Fierce stayed home. (What will be our thoughts when we see Liza Minnelli perform "Single Ladies" in "Sex in the City 2"?) We ...
NFL's Goodell to Roethlisberger: This Is How We 'Man Up'
This is how real men do it. They man up when the moment counts. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't know what happened in that "small, dingy bathroom" between Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and a 20-year-old college student in Georgia. But the unknown didn't cloud the unknown for Goodell when he suspended the popular quarterback for six games, sternly, but fairly. The commissioner wrote this in a letter to the quarterback: "I recognize that the allegations in Georgia were disputed and that they did not result in criminal charges being filed against you. My decision ...
Is James Bond Mortal? Cinema's Spy Requires Financial Makeover
Financial troubles have "suspended development" of the newest James Bond film 'Bond 23" indefinitely. The legendary studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, producer of such films as "Mutiny on the Bounty," "The Wizard of Oz," "Cabin in the Sky," "Ben-Hur," "The Thomas Crown Affair" and "Thelma & Louise" is on the block and Agent 007 has been frozen like Goldfinger. Author Ian Fleming's debonair character, most recently played by craggy Daniel Craig, will find no "Quantum of Solace," in the sequel that was to be produced by the financially tottering studio. Deadline New York hints that more may be going ...
Far From Lightweight: Michelle Obama's Childhood Obesity Fight
I love the idea of First Lady Michelle Obama pushing her anti-childhood obesity campaign. Childhood obesity may seem like one step above planning the White House Easter Egg hunt to critics who like their superheroines throwing punches in the health care debate. But I admire bloodless coups. And to let you in on a theory: I think the first lady is launching one. ...
Vanity Fair's March Cover: What Would Richard Pryor Say?
Did Vanity Fair editors think about Richard Pryor when they planned their March cover? The late comedian once observed that the sci-fi film, "Logan's Run," was loaded with cultural subtext because blacks weren't in it. The futuristic world of the 23rd century was depicted as for whites-only, and Pryor, wielding the n-word like a knife, said: They had a movie of the future called "Logan's Run." There ain't no n-- in it.I said, "Well, white folks ain't planning for us to be here . . ." If Pryor were still alive, what would trigger his mockery? Vanity Fair's February cover featuring former golden ...
Jeff and Susan Bridges: A Swooning Moment at the SAG Awards
I'm almost scared to acknowledge it, as if -- poof! -- two tender moments from the recent Screen Actors Guild Awards will vanish. Weeks of revelations about bad-boy husbands can make a blogger skittish, but here goes, my eyes closed, but still hoping. Jeff Bridges won best actor for his performance as country singer "Bad Blake" in "Crazy Heart," but when he honored his wife, Susan, he became more of the delectable, middle-aged heartthrob. During his acceptance speech, he called out to his wife from the audience and she responded with a wave (scroll to 4:30 mark for Susan's wave): My ...
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