Pop Culture Points to Ponder

I know that today's a holiday,so most people are taking time off from the internet but I'm afraid that I've been thinking(a dangerous pastime,I know!)about a few pop culture news items buzzing about the media and this seems like a good time to clean up my mental clutter. Not all of us can have such great Thinking Blogs like Bookseller Chick, or Robin Brande, or even Diva Knows Best and Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Novels ,plus The Written Nerd but we all need something to aspire to.

So,here's what is rattling around in the bottom of my brain pan:




PARIS HILTON GOING TO JAIL

Yep,the pin-up girl for Spoiled Sleazy Rich Kids is going to have to do some time in the Big House next month and even if her sentence is only 23 days(cut down from 45 for "good behavior"-how can you get time off from good behavior if you haven't served any time yet?),it still should be a valuable life lesson for her. In fact,I think she should be realizing several important facts of life,such as it's a good idea to read your own mail,drinking and driving is not necessary when you can afford to hire a driver and being rude to the cops gets you nowhere:



Also,don't be shy about making new friends while in the stir. Sure,you'll be known as "Fish" at first but that changes after two weeks:



ROSIE O'DONNELL LEAVING THE VIEW



I don't watch The View but like the rest of America,I've been keeping track of the ongoing Rosie feuds and fusses. She was planning to leave the show in June but after her big fight with Elizabeth Hasselbeck on May 23,Rosie decided to depart much earlier. Talk about the shot heard around the world,that was nothing compared to this! The Rosie Vs. Elizabeth Fight has become one of the most talked about media events of the season:

ROUND ONE



ROUND TWO



Ignoring all the politics being bandied about,to me,the heart of the issue is that Rosie was mad at Elizabeth for supposedly not defending her comments in public and that certain members of the media make her look like the bad guy compared to Elizabeth. First off,just because you work with someone,that doesn't mean that they are your friend. You may feel that way but it's not always the case. Sometimes,they are but many times,they're just putting up with you to get the job done and vice versa.

Second,from what I've seen from a distance,Elizabeth has been bullied quite abit by both Rosie and Joy Behar,who insist on shouting her down and not letting her speak her mind. Naturally,Elizabeth got sick and tired of this and finally gave Rosie what for. Elizabeth has just as much right to voice her opinion as any other host or guest on that show and it's not a sign of maturity to squash an opposing opinion. I remember hearing at one point(on an earlier episode) that either Rosie or Joy tried to belittle Elizabeth by saying to her"You don't know any better,you're too young." or words to that effect. Ageism is not cool from anybody;I've had people say to me and I'm a grown woman. As Paul Williams once sang,some grow wiser and some just get older. That's the hell of it.

So,who was right here? I'm leaning more towards Elizabeth,simply because Rosie,in my opinion,has the probelm that many comedians and actors have when they speak about politics;they can't handle the give and take of debates. Comedians in particular,due to the format in which they work-standing up on stage,speaking in monolouge and getting laughs or groans from the audience. It's very much a one way street here and any discourse can be seen as shouts from a heckler. If you're going to take a stand on anything,you have to be prepared to defend your own viewpoint on your own and let any opposing speaker have their say before you respond back at them. What Elizabeth seemed to be saying was that"instead of me interpreting you to others,you should speak directly to those folks so that your meaning is clear." Sounds right to me.

Rosie will get another gig somewhere else and The View will find a new host,so this isn't the end of anyone's career. I do think that Rosie should've come back and perhaps try to make peace with Elizabeth before leaving for good. She looks like a playground bully doesn't want to hang around now that someone stood up to her. Well,atleast we got some entertainment value out of this. Not the best kind,but some nonetheless.

ANOTHER HE MAN MOVIE MAY BE UPON US


Due to the interest in the upcoming Transformers movie,plans are under way to make a new He Man and The Masters of the Universe film. No one has been cast yet but Joel Silver is the producer and the f/x are said to be done as elaborately as they were for 300. Oh,boy. I don't know,guys,while the Transformers movie might be better than expected,He Man only inspires pitiful sighs from me. A film version was made in 1987 and while it is fit fodder for MST3K,it's hard to imagine a remake being any better. Consider the source material,folks. Don't get me wrong,I liked the original cartoon(and She-Ra as well) but some animated series should not be turned into live action films. Besides,who else can follow in Frank Langella's footsteps as Skeletor?



Ok,everyone,that's all for now. Have a great Memorial Day and for your viewing pleasure,check out this trailer for Superbad,due out this August. This is the "red band" trailer for the movie that's only available online,which is abit more raw than the one that's currently playing in theaters: