April 2010 Archives

This week's issue of TIME Magazine reveals the publication's annual list of their pick for the hundred most influential people. Taylor Swift made the cut with room to spare, and had the honor of getting profiled by the one and only Stevie Nicks. Stevie Nicks, in case you are not familiar with her, is one of the most iconic women in the history of rock music. Totally no bias there! Except for that she is maybe my favorite person of all time. Her work with Fleetwood Mac is rivaled only by her solo work, and no one to this day can rock a tambourine the way she did. And of course, she had nice things to say about Taylor: 

It seems like eternity since there's been news of any suitably juicy Twilight-related dealmaking. No longer! Summit entertainment has just named the director for the fourth and final episode in the Twilight Saga -- Breaking Dawn -- and fans won't be disappointed. Bill Condon, recipient of an Oscar and the director of Dreamgirls, has signed on to the project, and seems to have ambitious goals for it.

He says: "I'm very excited to get the chance to bring the climax of this saga to life on-screen. As fans of the series know, this is a one-of-a-kind book - and we're hoping to create an equally unique cinematic experience."
 
Seems like a choice that the artsily-oriented stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson would appreciate.

Students at Licking Valley High School in Newark, Ohio have reportedly chosen to boycott their school-sponsored prom in lieu of a more preferable option: they're organizing one for themselves. After the school decided to ban the "front to back grinding type dancing that seems to be very popular among students," as Principal Wes Weaver says (what do you expect when your high school is called Licking Valley?!), the kids decided to forgo the formal event and make one of their own. Incidentally, their version isn't exactly going to be some wild-child revolution: the event will count both chaperones and a law enforcement official among its attendees.

Apparently it wasn't enough to ruin Constance McMillen's prom. Now, the members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church will picket the school's high school graduation to protest her very existence. These people are going to a different STATE to hate on a teenage girl for being a lesbian. (This church is also known for picketing the funerals of dead soldiers, FYI.) They issued a press release that said:

"[We] will picket the graduation of Itawamba Agricultural High School to remind the parents, teachers and students of this nation that God said 'Thou shall not lie with mankind, as with womankind, it is abomination'.

"This generation has been raised to believe that they can live for the devil and still go to heaven, that God has no standards and the biggest lie of all - that God loves everyone."

There is some  crazy stuff happening in this country right now, politically speaking, but I think that Constance McMillen's story puts a face on the tangible effects of bigotry in a way that is very easy to understand. (Unfortunately, for her.) A teenager should be allowed to go to the prom. She should be allowed graduate, if she has the grades. She should be able to exist in whatever manifestation she pleases  without having to worry about crazy people crossing state borders specifically in order to harass her. I mean, doesn't it seem sort of obvious?

Teen Vogue has posted a very helpful guide to.... getting your preferred Twilight-inspired prom look. The story suggests various paths to dressing like your favorite (female) character from the angsty teen vampire books -- be it Alice, Bella, or Rosalie. (Hopefully you won't mirror Kristen Stewart-slash-Bella's broken leg look, however.) Check out their ideas here. 

There is a long, storied history of teenage girls hitting up tanning salons in preparation for the prom. But this year, amid increased health warnings and studies that claim that tanning might actually be, in addition to deeply unhealthy, actually addictive, there are talks of taxing tanning salons -- or even banning them altogether. According to the LA Times, tanning "activates the same parts of the brain triggered by drug dependence." Furthermore, 

First Kristen Stewart, and now Swifty? Following the lead of her fellow pop culture superstar, the 20-year-old country music singer will now be featured in Bluewater Comics' upcoming Fame book. The 32-page book, which will be released in July, is a sort of graphic biography of the young singer - featuring her start as a ten-year-old songwriter, and following her trajectory to stardom. (It also includes references to Swift's ill-fated romance with the infamous Joe Jonas.) Check out additional images from the book right here. 

When it comes to planning for prom, there are a couple of pretty standard catastrophes that you want to make sure to avoid. For instance, make sure that your dress fits, and will not a) tear or b) slip throughout the evening. Additionally, it would be best to wear steady heels that are unlikely to break in the midst of a feverish dance session. You should try to make guarantee that your prom date does not plan on ditching you in a humiliating fashion at the last minute, a la Never Been Kissed and other similar teen films. (Though the preventative steps for this particular disaster are harder to define.) But one thing you probably don't have to worry about is... your limousine getting repossessed on the spot. Right? 

Last week, Kesha Sebert, aka Ke$ha, aka the outrageous pop singer who claims to have both broken in to Prince's house and vomited in Paris Hiltons' closet, hinted that she might do some acting (also: writing) for the upcoming episode of SNL, in which she performed as the musical guest to Ryan Philippe's host. She neither acted nor sang, but she DID cover her body in neon paint and feathers in order to turn out two very strange but entertaining performances. Here's one, and lucky for you it comes with some helpful analysis in re: understanding who this person is, and why she exists in the current realm of pop culture ephemera. Enjoy! 

Last weekend, the (country) stars turned out in their finery (errr... sort of?) for the annual Country Music Awards. And what a strange bunch of sartorial choices were represented. Even Taylor Swift managed to not wear the perfect outfit for the occasion. Which is unusual for that girl. We've noted some of the highlights below. 

Remember Constance McMillen, who wasn't allowed to go to the prom because she's gay? Well,  now she's the fire marshal at the annual New York City Gay Pride Parade. Booyah. 

Today's New York Times has an article about how a New York high school has, in an attempt to curb wild, drunken, party-animal behavior, scheduled prom for school nights. Additionally, students who are late to school will not be able to make up missed work or attend sports events. What do you guys think? Will this be an effective method of encouraging students to act responsibly, or... will everyone just skip school the next day? 

High school junior Elizabeth Rasmuson made waves this week, when she revealed the dress that she'll wear to her prom this weekend. What's so crazy about it? Well, she made the thing out of gum wrappers. What's even crazier is that, it looks really good! Clearly Rasmuson is possessed with talent as well as ingenuity. Apparently, she bought hundreds of packs of the Wrigley's 5 gum (she liked the color of the packaging, and rightly so) and asked her friends and family to help her chew. She ended up accruing so many wrappers that, in fact, she was able to make her boyfriend a matching VEST. Which is equally awesome. Nicely done, Elizabeth. Enjoy your prom. 

Have no fear. Despite various claims to the contrary, it has been revealed that Miley Cyrus is ... NOT back on Twitter. Thank God! Keeping up with Cyrus's various activities and emotional states is enough trouble as it is. Regardless, it has been revealed that the young singer still stands by what she said last month: 

At Monday's White House Easter Egg Roll, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling not only showed up, but also read from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Even better than her read-aloud, however, was an admission that Rowling made during the Q&A portion of the event: When asked about future literary prospects, Rowling hinted at a project in the pipeline. "I'm quite sure in the not-too-distant future, I will bring out another book," she said. (Sources add that the author did not refute the possibility of another Potter-themed book at some point in time.)  Awesome. 

 

Perhaps you were too young to know and love the late, great, 80s-era book series, The Baby-Sitters Club, which revolved around the lives (and innocent shenanigans) of a bunch of 12-year-old girls who started a babysitting business. Well! Are you in for a treat! Scholastic Books is reissuing the formerly out-of-print series, but get this: they have updated the books for "modern times" -- a phrase which sounds like something they would have said in the original series, but oh well! -- by replacing references to Walkmen and perms with, presumably, iPods and straightening irons. (I do sort of hope the "Scrunchie" references are still there. I firmly believe that Claudia Kishi would still have worn a scrunchie or two in 2010.) Additionally, Scholastic released a prequel to the series. Called "The Summer Before," the book narrates the events of one apparently super crappy summer that brought all of the babysitters together. Go pick up a copy!

 

 

Little Man Biebstar and the cast of Glee stopped by the White House yesterday to partake in the White House's annual Easter Egg Roll. Bieber has already established his relationship with this particular administration -- he sang for the family (also, everyone watching on TV) during the White House's holiday season festivities -- so it might be safe to assume that Sasha and/or Malia favor the heavily banged 16-year-old singer. The audience for the tween-oriented singers was estimable: The crowd included the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Apolo Ohno, Mariska Hartigay, and J.K. Rowling. Not bad for a bunch of high school kids!

 

Now, in more inspiring prom-related news, we have the story of 17-year-old Kiara Bracy, a junior at Murphy High School in Mobile, AL, who made it to her prom despite the fact that her home -- and her prom dress with it -- had been ravaged in a tragic March 21 house fire. Bracy, her two brothers and their mother lost everything but each other: furniture, family mementos and photos, and even their two dogs. Needless to say, Bracy was not planning to attend the prom in the wake of the disaster. But hearing of the family's plight, community members stepped in and --from a mix of small business owners and local good samaritans -- gathered a dress, accessories, and various other prom night necessities so that Bracy would indeed be able to attend. On the night of the dance, her only missing component was... a date. But lo and behold! Who showed up to escort her? None other than the 17-year-old's crush. Talk about a happy ending.

 Last week, we reported that the Constance McMillen prom drama had ended happily, with McMillen having several prom-going options, including, most importantly, the prom from which she had originally been excluded. (Thanks to the homophobic political bent of her district administrators, who initially refused McMillen attendance due to her desire to bring a same-sex date.) Sadly, the story didn't end when McMillen won the law suit filed on behalf of her civil rights by the ACLU, and was guaranteed the right to attend the school-sponsored dance; it turns out that McMillen's classmates' parents organized an alternate prom at a different location -- and, in a horrifying (but at this point perhaps not unpredictable move) didn't invite the Mississippi teen. As a result, the high school senior and her girlfriend showed up to the prom only to discover that only five of her fellow classmates had decided to attend. Incidentally, McMillen mentioned in her interview with the Advocate that several of the other students who had either chosen to go to this prom, or were not invited to the alternate event, were special needs students. Hm. It's appalling to think that the monsters behind this discriminatory and bigoted behavior were parents, setting God knows what kind of example for the children in the Fulton, Mississippi community.