photo credit: LA Times blog

Admittedly, I did not watch the whole show. I mostly stuck around for Florence and the Machine’s performance (which was flawless).  So I didn’t see this now-famous meat dress until the day after. Like many others, I was curious as to whether Gaga’s getup was real animal flesh or some kind of eerily authentic-looking manmade material.

Indeed it was real. Franc Fernandez, the designer of the “dress” explained that it was assembled using “real meat from my family butcher.”

Always one to rely on shock-value, Lady Gaga explained the meaning behind her clothing choice with Ellen Degeneres: “It’s certainly no disrespect to anyone that’s vegan or vegetarian,” Gaga told the host, “As you known I’m the most judgment-free human being on the Earth. It has many interpretations, but for me this evening it’s [saying] if we don’t stand up for what we believe in, if we don’t fight for our rights, pretty soon we’re going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones. And I am not a piece of meat.”

While that’s all very creative and interesting, was it in some ways irresponsible?  PETA was quick to release a statement on their blog, calling the ensemble “offensive” and “not too attractive, really” because the rotting flesh was probably housing maggots.

photo credit: OhNoTheyDidnt

As you might have caught on from previous posts, I am an adamant advocate of animal rights and a vegetarian, so I kind of have to agree with PETA (although they do sometimes take things to the extreme). As someone who opts not to wear leather, fur and reptile skins, this meat dress made me gag. And although Lady Gaga stated that she meant no disrespect (which I found tasteful and polite of her), it was not adequately redemptive in the eyes of many animal rights activists.

A second issue is also up for debate here. The commenter “it has been” on the celebrity gossip community Oh No They Didn’t posed this argument: “YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN FED A DECENT MEAL INSTEAD OF MAKING THIS DUMBASS DRESS THAT, OBVIOUSLY, COULD ONLY BE WORN ONCE.”

Another valid point to ponder. Lady Gaga essentially wasted otherwise marketable food with this dress (and her matching meat shoes and handbag). Furthermore, it is common and routine that dresses worn by celebrities are auctioned off for charity, but as the meat dress will likely rot and be discarded, it serves no better purpose than an object of oddity used for vain aims to garner attention.

Maybe we’re making a mountain out of molehill with this subject, but it is one worth considering. Do you think Lady Gaga’s meat dress was artistic and fashion-forward, or just a gross heap of flesh that could have been put to better use?

Taylor in 2007

Gossip Girl actress Taylor Momsen is in a band, The Pretty Reckless. Like most celeb news followers, I was quick to dismiss this as another teen girl trying to break into the music scene. I have to admit though, shortly after listening to their EP samples on iTunes, I was downloading the songs to my iPod running list (listen to their song “Miss Nothing” at the bottom of this post). The Pretty Reckless is grungy rock, not bubblegum pop, as Momsen has repeatedly stated in interviews. In fact, she is pretty adamant on letting people know she’s far from a shrinking violet.

Performing in 2010

At 17 years old, Momsen wears provocative stage outfits, shops for her heels at stripper stores, pens lyrics about sex and drugs, and smokes cigarettes on stage. A lot of people are attacking her, saying she tries too hard and is setting a bad example for her younger fan base. Though she denies wanting to be a role model, that position is pretty much inherited whether she likes it or not. Given the path of overexposure-to-rehab that many young stars seem to follow, does Taylor need to tone it down?

(Left-right: Kylie Bisutti, Kim Kardashian, Aubrey O’Day)

The blogosphere is buzzing about this past weekend’s “Saturday Night Live” show, which featured a skit that parodied the current Tiger Woods drama. It featured Kenan Thompson as Tiger Woods and host Blake Lively as his wife, Elin Nordengren. The segment is being called into controversy because it showed Tiger being increasingly hurt by his wife. By the end of the clip, he has tire marks across his shirt, Band-Aids on his face, his arm is in a brace and a golf club is smashed over his head.

Critics are arguing that if the real-life situation had been reversed, and a husband was suspected of inflicting injuries on his wife, there would have been no SNL skit at all because our society takes male-on-female domestic violence much more seriously.

A commenter named “washyuu” of the gossip website OhNoTheyDidnt commented that “I hate when it’s okay to [laugh] at women being the violent ones. It isn’t. Domestic abuse, regardless of which gender is the aggressor, is unfunny and not something to high five over.”

Even more unsettling with those who feel that domestic violence should not be parodied is the fact that the musical guest for the night was Rihanna, who as we all know was abused by then-boyfriend Chris Brown earlier this year and has only very recently spoken about the incident publicly. Some found the skit inappropriate and insensitive for that reason.

However, another commenter named “orangeglo” pointed out that “They do rehearsals. Including a full dress rehearsal before the live show. I’m sure Rihanna/her people knew about the sketch way before it was aired. If she had a problem with it, they probably would’ve changed it/cut it all together.”

Although intended to be light-hearted and funny, there are definitely a lot of implicit messages in this sketch about the way our society regards gender roles and expectations. Not only does the clip downplay the severity of domestic violence in general, it also insinuates that a woman who possess strength and a man who cries about a beating are rare characters that deserve to be laughed at. Maybe “jokes” like this one are the reason that so many cases of female-on-male abuse go unreported, or the reason that women are often regarded as the weaker sex?

Or maybe everyone just needs to relax and not over-think it? What do you all think…watch the skit and then vote in the poll:

ETA: The original video has been removed by NBC, so I’m posting this ABC News clip that pretty much discusses the same thing I am:

Heigl at an adoption drive in 2007

Thanks to “Grey’s Anatomy” actress Katherine Heigl, 25 abandoned pups were saved from a fate reminiscent of “All Dogs Go to Heaven.” The NashuaTelegraph.com reports that Heigl paid to have the animals shipped from a Los Angeles shelter where they faced euthanasia to the Humane Society for Greater Nashua in New Hampshire, where they would be put up for adoption.

The movie star and her mother run The Jason Debus Heigl Foundation in memory of their brother and son, which focuses on increasing awareness of inhumane treatment of animals and supporting non-profit rescue efforts, among other goals. When Heigl found out that a Los Angeles rescue group, Kinder Rescue, was looking for funds to transport the dogs, her Foundation donated $25,000 to make it happen. The dogs traveled over 3,000 miles this past Wednesday and were put up for adoption starting on Saturday.

Paris Hilton

Directors at the humane society in New Hampshire said that Los Angeles shelters are overcrowded with small dogs like chihuahuas and terriers because such types are portrayed as accessories in Hollywood. Celebrities like Paris Hilton carry tiny dogs in their purses, and movies like “Legally Blonde” materialize them as cute must-have trends. But when the thrill wears off and they go out of fashion, people dump them at shelters where they are often put to sleep if not adopted within a certain time period.

Luckily, small lap dogs are not as abundant in the northeast, and are in demand in Nashua, N.H. In an interview with People.com, humane society executive director Karen Bill said that, “We had more than 40 voice mails Thursday morning from families inquiring about these dogs. I can guarantee we’ll have a line out the door starting at 9:30.”

The humane society has not spoken with Heigl yet, but they say they plan to thank her for her donation with a special gift. “We’re putting together a photo CD of all the dogs, from the time we met them at the airport to the moment they go home with their new families,” says Bill. “We want her to know how grateful we are.”

Message of the day: Be kind to animals!

Tiger Woods's crashed SUV, photo released by Florida Highway Patrol

I’ll start off with the facts, for those unfamiliar: at 2:25 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 27, golf star Tiger Woods was involved in a single-person car accident. He smashed his Cadillac SUV into a tree and a fire hydrant. His wife used a golf club to shatter the back window and pull her husband out. Florida police have since closed their investigation of the incident, and Woods was fined $164, charged with careless driving and he received four points on his driving record.

Tiger Woods

There are less factual claims that Woods was having an affair, that the scratches on his face were injuries inflicted by an angry wife, and that the crash occurred after she confronted him about his infidelity and he sped off in his SUV.

Perhaps most shocking about the situation, though, is that Woods has refused to give details of the events leading up to the crash to major media outlets and reporters. He has only issued a personal statement on his website, in which he says:

“This is a private matter and I want to keep it that way. Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible.”

Because of his silence, the public is now even more curious to know what exactly happened, and some people think Woods owes an explanation because he is, after all, a very famous public figure. Among those is celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton, known for his biting commentary, obvious subjectiveness, oh yea…and for drawing penises on people’s faces.

In a Sphere.com article by Buck Wolf, Hilton offers his advice to Woods, saying that “honesty is the only real form of damage control that works.” Hilton believes that if Woods had met the matter directly, “the whole thing would have blown over in a day.”

Now, normally I can’t stand Perez because I think he sensationalizes everything he blogs about, which is irresponsible and unnecessary. (And he is inaccurate a lot of the time). But, I think he has a point here. While part of me feels that Tiger Woods owes the public nothing because no one else was hurt and alcohol/drugs were not involved, I also feel like hiding the truth could quite possibly make things harder for him and his family. The article asserts correctly that “in the age of the Internet, celebrity secrets can’t be hidden for long.” Besides that, even more false and damaging rumors are likely to spread as people with no authority to analyze the situation speculate.

What do you all think? Will we ever find out what exactly happened that morning? Are we even entitled to know?

Well, it looks like the style might actually spread in the very near future, because former Spice Girl and trend-setting fashionista Victoria Beckham has been spotted with a Louis Vuitton Fox Tail Fur Tassels messenger bag, which comes from the company’s spring/summer 2010 collection that hasn’t hit stores yet.

Victoria Beckham, 35, at Heathrow Airport in London, Nov. 14

To be fair, she makes the accessory slightly less ridiculous by not attaching it to her body. But even so, I can’t help but think of those lucky rabbit’s foot key chains I collected when I was a kid. I have no idea how much a bag like this costs, but by virtue of the fact that it’s Louis Vuitton, I’m sure I can’t afford it…regardless of how tacky it looks. Also, I don’t know if it’s a real fox tail, or if it’s just fake fur. If it is authentic, I shudder at and condemn Louis Vuitton.

So for all the times we made fun of the tail kids, it’s going to get even more hilarious if this trend becomes popular. Will the new unofficial UConn uniform be a North Face fleece, UGG boots and a fox tail bag? God, I hope not. Here’s a short video made by a UConn student named Brian about the tails on campus, in case you have no clue what I’m talking about or just need a good chuckle:

The above video is leaked footage from “The Michael Lohan Reality Project,” a television show that Lindsay’s dad had put a lot of effort into, in hopes of sorting through gossip in an attempt to save his daughter’s life. (Yes, I am slightly embarrassed that I know all of this). His efforts were in vain, though, because the reality show never got picked up. But someone posted this ridiculous clip onto YouTube yesterday. It shows Michael standing outside as a storm starts, praying aloud to God to save and protect his family. The audio is really low, but the visual is enough to give you major secondhand embarrassment.

My favorite part is at the 2:28 mark when he peeks open his eyes and asks the guy filming, “Is that enough?,” and the cameraman responds by suggesting Michael do another take. Obviously this prayer is completely genuine and well-intended!

I’m probably one of the few remaining Lindsay fans left in the world after all the stunts she’s pulled, and even I can admit that she hasn’t been looking too good lately. I see pictures of her and think “Ohhhh girl, get it together!” But then I read about things her parents have done and realize I’m really in no position to judge.

In addition to this bizarre video, Michael has been releasing audio tapes over the past couple weeks of phone conversations and voice mail messages by Lindsay and her mother (his ex-wife), Dina. The messages are terribly sad; Lindsay’s drug use is openly discussed and the severity of the situation is exposed. Michael said he released the tapes in order to help his daughter.

(audio of tapes won’t embed…click here if you want to listen to one of them)

Well, humiliating her and airing the family’s dirty laundry so that everyone can snicker is certainly the best way to go about helping. Oh, and did I mention that he demanded $100,000 as payment for giving the tapes to gossip websites?

Apple ........................................... Tree

Rihanna with Sway from MTV News

If you’ve turned on the television or picked up a magazine within the past week, you know that Rihanna is talking about the night her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown beat her for the first time since the altercation occurred in February. While Brown has already given multiple statements and video apologies, Rihanna has remained tight-lipped until now. Recently, she has been busy promoting the release of her new album, “Rated R,” which is set to hit stores Nov. 23. During promotional appearances and interviews, the subject of Chris Brown obviously came up. And, Rihanna sat down with Diane Sawyer on 20/20 for an in-depth discussion of the violent incident. I haven’t been keeping very close track of all these interviews, but from the bits and pieces I have seen, I must say that I think Rihanna is handling the situation with poise. During an interview with MTV News this past Monday, she said the following:

“One of the big things for me, I always want to help young women and give them insight into life experiences. One of those things is going through an abusive relationship like I did. But that’s one thing for me. So I don’t want to be the big domestic-violence spokesperson, because that doesn’t define who I am. But if I can help young women in any way, and that being one of the things they need help with, then I’ll do that.”

I think this quote reveals a lot of maturity, and can also be seen as inspirational for women. Rihanna is showing that while domestic violence certainly should not be ignored or overlooked, it also should not be something to dwell on. Rihanna, like all celebrities, is living her life in the public eye, and by showing us that she is healing and moving on gives a great deal of hope for other abuse victims.

That’s really all I wanted to say. I apologize if my posts over the next week are light…I’m doing the whole college thing, and my life is so way past overload right now that….I don’t even know how to finish that sentence!

Cover for Rihanna's new album

]]> http://leahsalomoni.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/a-quick-comment-on-rihanna/feed/ 2 leahsal Cover for Rihanna's new album