I have a confession. I am completely addicted to celebrity gossip. It all began when I bought my first copy of US weekly. I'm not sure how old I was but a cover story about the original "Bennifer" seduced me and I have been an addict ever since. I love the "stars, their just like us!" page where on any given week you can see Tom Hanks pumping gas and Lauren from The Hills eating fro-yo. I love the bad fashions in the back where almost every week Courtney Love is photographed prancing around LA is some outrageous get up. Most of all I love the "Hot Stuff" section where I can always get my weekly fix of trash-tastic celebrity hook ups with stories like "K-Fed texts Lindsay!” (PS: I’m not making any of these up; I have actually read all these stories.)
Two years ago I developed a "tolerance" for my addiction and knew that I needed to kick it up to the next level. Sick of being out of the loop from Sunday until Thursday (Us Weekly was always put out at the local Jewel grocery store Thursday around 6:30- conveniently right as I was getting out of work) I started to "shop around" for a website that I could rely on to give me all the gossip I craved on a daily basis.
First, I tried the popular Perez Hilton site but I didn’t like the haphazard drawings that looked like they were quickly pasted together in the Windows "paint" application. Second I tried out Socialites Life. This proved better than Hilton but was still catty and lacked a distinct personality. Third I tried "the skinny website". Yes... it IS exactly what it sounds like- a website devoted to celebrity weight gain and loss. Going there I felt cheap and trashy.
Finally I found the right fit with pink is the new blog (www.pinkisthenewblog.com). Written by Trent, a blogger in LA by way of Detroit the site is witty but not as cynical. I have been a daily devoted reader for two years.
I was content living in my celebrity world be lately I've been noticing that gossip is making parts of my life unmanageable. First there is the unrelenting voice of my mother in my head every time I pick up an US Weekly telling me, "You SHOULD me reading the Times!” People closest to me have even expressed concern. This culminated when my boyfriend asked if I "really needed" to buy US. "Of course I need to buy US!" I whined looking longingly at the cover story, the fall fashion awards with Audrina, Whitney and Lauren from "The Hills". It was at that moment I realized I needed help.
So what is a gossip addict to do? Some time ago I read 12 steps for celebrity gossip addicts and I have decided to adapt them into my life. I know that I might relapse but with the help of the steps I hope that I can one day live a life that is not dominated by celebrity gossip. So here they are:
1. We admit that were powerless over celebrity gossip, US weekly, In Touch, Pink is the New Blog and TMZ—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore our sanity and squash my need to hear every detail of the Britney custody proceedings.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. And came to realize that God was not Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Dr. Mc Dreamy, or anyone from “The Hills”.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of every time we went to a gossip website, magazine, or started a conversation with a friend about whether or not Lindsay Lohan will stay sober this time.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of these wrongs, did not try to get them to share their opinions about Justin Bobby.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed by speaking incessantly about Britney Spears, Anna Nicole Smith, J Lo., and Paris Hilton, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would make them want to injure me for bringing up Suri Cruise, again.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we indulged in senseless gossip promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of the New York Times website, the Economist and scholarly journals.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other gossip addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
And if these steps don’t work for right now there IS justification for gossip on the New York Time website in an article about the psychology of gossip http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/16/science/16tier.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.
Enjoy!
KS
Posted: October 19, 2007 12:44 pm | 1 comment
Tags: 12 steps, article, celebrities, gossip, New York Times, psychology, research
Last Saturday I went with my father to the North End and we ate at this great restaurant called Carmen’s. It was located off Hanover Street. The ambiance was excellent and the menu was as well. I recommend the flat bread and the risotto. This is kind of a pricey restaurant but it is ideal if you want to splurge.
http://bostonphoenix.com/boston/food_drink/dining/documents/02765671.htm
Posted: October 22, 2007 1:14 pm | 0 comments
Tags: food, Italian, North End, Recommendations
Tomorrow there is a SGA in room C103 at 3:30. BE THERE!
We have Gerry Chaulk, the head of public safety at Simmons coming to senate. Additionally we representatives from the unfortunately defunct upward bound program, and finally a hot topic
discussion about student involvement on campus. Make sure you check it out... it should be a good one.
Part of my responsibilities as Vice President is to meet with Gerry on a regular basis to address student concerns. So if you are reading this and you have any feedback about public safety, feel free to email me at katherine.swanson2@simmons.edu. I also meet with Bill Concannon, the business manager for the college so if there are any concerns related to that office feel free to contact me.
Finally, a special shout out to Emma Willmann, AAO for SGA, who will be featured in an upcoming feature of “The Voce” in the “She is Simmons” article. Congrats Emma!
Posted: October 23, 2007 10:52 am | 0 comments
Tags: SGA
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http://www.rhodesschool.com/blog/img/f23647/chiefilliniwek.jpg![]()
He’s baccckkkkk! Chief Illiniwek has made a triumphant return to University of Illinois campus life on homecoming weekend after being banished not even one year ago.
A quick recap for those that don’t know: “The Chief” as he is referred to, was the mascot for the University of Illinois for 81 years. However, recently the chief has come under fire for being a symbol of racism. While most University’s did away with Native American mascots about 15 to 20 years ago (including my high school alma mater which was known as the “Cowboys” on the east campus and “Indians” on the west campus for many years) the University of Illinois stubbornly hung on to the chief claiming that he was a symbol of empowerment and pride. Finally, last February the chief was put to rest among much protest from students and alumni. He was allowed to return last weekend on several floats for the annual homecoming parade. The University cited freedom of speech and expression as the reason why symbols of the chief were allowed.
Students and alumni that support the chief insist that he is a symbol of pride and is not racial icon. They are also quick to point out that when the chief is around he is doing traditional dances at basketball and football games. There is a great sense of pride and love associated with the chief which is unprecedented. It was like the members of the National Coalition for Racism in Sports were trying to change the Cubs mascot. Of course this devotion is not much of a surprise to me considering that there are 40,000 students and only 23% minorities, smallest portion of that percentage belonging to Native Americans. There are also no cultural organizations specifically for Native American students.
While I respect the right of the students to feel that Illiniwek is not an icon of racism I also feel that they might not perceive that he may be offensive to others throughout the state and country. I personally do not feel that the purpose the chief serves, dancing a “culturally accurate” routine while college students get shit faced at homecoming, is worth the alienation of Native Americans all over the country. They have been through genocide, prejudice, and discrimination… I think the students at the University of Illinois can live without their blessed mascot.
More relevant, if the University is going to ban the chief they need to stick with their policy. By allowing images of the chief on homecoming flouts they are sending a mixed signal to the students and they are not perpetuating the message that the chief is a sign of ethnic persecution. It would not be feasible to simply take away all merchandise and images with the chief attached but I do feel as though it should be phased out over time. Additionally, something needs to take the place of the chief. Students and alumni will never “get over” the chief unless something is put in his place.
Of course, this is me exercising my freedom of speech. I would encourage the students at University of Illinois to do the same, while considering the cultural impact of their thoughts. I have never felt a close connection with the University. I think this is for several reasons. First of all, I am from Chicago and I would like to think of Chicago as a distinctly different entity from anything “down state”. To me, downstate was anything south of Chicago and I had little reason to be bothered with it. Also, my father would kill me if I supported any school other than Northwestern (which also underwent a mascot change at one point when they went from being the “fighting Methodists” to the “Wildcats”)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/education/28mascot.html?_r=1&ref=educa...
Posted: October 28, 2007 6:50 pm | 1 comment
Tags: mascots, race, University of Illinois
