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Wow, I cannot believe I am finally able to write one of these…

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Wow, I cannot believe I am finally able to write one of these things. I used to be so envious of all the other girls who were able to write Bieber experiences. Now I am one of those beliebers. My Bieber fan journey started way back in October 2009. Justin meant the world to me and I spent the majority of my time watching his videos, looking at pictures, and talking to my Twitter friends. Without going into detail, I tried multiple times to see Justin live. I was never able to. Finally, when the Believe tour dates came out, my mom finally allowed me to get tickets. However, Ticketmaster failed me. I was used to the let down. I, yet again, wouldn’t be seeing Justin Bieber live in concert. As October came around, I realized there was a month until Justin’s concert in New Jersey. I had to get to that concert. I asked my mom numerous times and hinted to let me buy tickets off Stubhub (or wait outside the venue with the hopes of getting tickets from Alfredo, Allison, Scooter, etc.). The concert was on Friday, November 9. My mom finally agreed to buying tickets off Stubhub the Tuesday before the concert. On Wednesday, my dad said he’d bring my friend and I. I was so beyond happy. I was finally going to see Justin Bieber live. It was going to be from nosebleed seats, but with complete honesty I did not care one bit. All I had to do was buy the tickets Thursday night and I would be seeing my idol live, finally. On Thursday at 4:07 p.m., I tweeted “Absolutely nothing could ruin my mood. NOTHING.”  Thursday at 4:30 was when everything changed. Thirty minutes before I was going to purchase tickets, a FedEx man arrived at my house with an envelope. It was addressed to me. I was clueless as to what it was, but I opened it. All there was inside was a yellow paper folded in thirds. I was so confused. Until I saw tickets sticking out of the paper. I pull the tickets out and all I see is ”JUSTIN BIEBER, IZOD CENTER” and I completely freaked out! I had no idea how or why or where I got these tickets from. It was a miracle, a gift from God. I looked at the yellow paper and it said “Ubisoft Just Dance to Justin Sweepstakes- CONGRATULATIONS!” I started pacing around the room saying oh my God a thousand times. My older sister was sitting there watching this whole thing unfold. She looked at the paper and said, “Mary, you didn’t read this whole thing.” I looked at the paper and saw ”Meet and Greet” and that is when I lost it. I was shaking and crying. I had no idea what to do. This was a miracle. I checked my email for a Congratulations email. And there was one I received 6 days beforehand saying that I had to respond by November 5 or I forfeit the prize. The reason I didn’t see the email is because I was out of power for 10 days (October 29 til November 7) from Hurricane Sandy. I emailed them that and they completely understood and said my prize was definitely still valid. Wow, this is really happening.  A week before I was nervous as hell about asking my mom if I could get tickets. Two days before I didn’t even have tickets. But then out of no where, I was going to MEET Justin Bieber. I was going to meet my idol. We got to the venue around 3:20 and eventually got our wristbands to meet Justin. We “had” to be in a group of 6 so we asked these 4 other ladies to join us. It turned out they were apart of the marketing team for Justin’s perfume. They were so awesome and sent my friend and I both 6 bottles of perfume including Someday and Girlfriend!  After waiting on line to meet Justin for a little while, it was our turn next. My friend and I were freaking out. I could not believe Justin Bieber was right behind that black curtain. Kenny was standing there  and I managed to say ”Hi Kenny!” and Kenny said “Hey, how you doing?” As soon as Kenny pulled back that black curtain and I saw Justin for the first time ever, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I can’t even explain the thoughts running through my head. I know everyone says this, but he looked absolutely FLAWLESS.  I could not fathom the fact that I was seeing in person the boy I’ve been a fan of for so long, the boy in the posters on my wall, and the boy I’ve watched thousands of videos of.  Justin held out his arms for us to get next to him. I don’t even know how, but I said hi to Justin and then said- ”This is my first time seeing you in 3 years.” And he looked down at me and said “This is MY first time seeing you in 3 years.” Basically, my heart melted. We took the picture. And as the rest of my group was leaving I said, ”Can I have a hug?” and Justin said, “Yeah, here!” We hugged and then I walked out. It was the greatest experience of my life and I am truly, truly blessed that my dream came true. We eventually got to our seats and man, we were sooo close. I yet again could not believe I was finally seeing Justin Bieber in concert that closely. It was absolutely perfect. Saying Justin put on an amazing show is an understatement. He’s a fantastic performer and I cannot wait to see him live again.  Honestly, to all Beliebers trying to meet Justin or get tickets, NEVER SAY NEVER! I don’t know a more true saying than that. You just have to wait for your time to come, and it will. I waited for 3 years! I cried so many times because I couldn’t see him. But finally, all my tears and dedication has paid off. I figured meeting him would never happen, at least not any time soon, so I settled for finally seeing him live. I never in a million years thought I would be able to say, ”I JUST MET JUSTIN BIEBER.”  I lived my dream and it was the greatest, most magical experience ever. Trust me, your time will come. Always believe, always fight for what you want, and always never say never. And to Justin- Thank you for being you. Thank you for teaching me and all your fans to never say never and to believe in our dreams. Because of the incredible experience I had, I truly know what you mean by “never say never.” It still doesn’t feel real or like it happened. Thank you for being the biggest inspiration out there. You’re a fantastic role model, a great person, and super talented.  Thank you for everything. Even for things I cannot explain. I love you so much. For Christmas my siblings got me tickets to see Justin again on July 31. I know it won’t compare to my experience in November, but I cannot wait. It’s going to be fantastic. -Mary (@xlovemaryjay) Here is the original post: Wow, I cannot believe I am finally able to write one of these…

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Wow, I cannot believe I am finally able to write one of these…

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Justin Bieber Posts SEXY Photo of Selena Gomez to Instagram

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Yup, it’s safe to say all is well between Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez . Indeed, while Justin spent Christmas Day with his family in Canada – check out this Twit pic of Bieber and his sister ! – Gomez was never far from his thoughts. His sexy thoughts, that is, based on the photo Bieber posted to Instagram yesterday: The image is taken from Selena’s smokin hot Elle shoot in July, and it really says it all, doesn’t it? No? Then perhaps the following does: While Bieber did not include a caption with this shot, he did send off a couple Tweets this week: i dont need no presents girl your everything i need 🙂 im where im supposed to be. Hmmm… we wonder what/who he was referring to exactly?

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Ke$has Illuminati Themed “Die Young” Music Video Broken Down: Song Pulled Since Shooting And Says She Was Forced To Sing Die Young [Video]

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

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Ke$has Illuminati Themed “Die Young” Music Video Broken Down: Song Pulled Since Shooting And Says She Was Forced To Sing Die Young [Video]

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Dear Bossip: We’re Engaged To Be Married, But I Found Him Looking At Gay Websites & He Says He’s Not

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Dear Bossip , I really don’t want to write this because you usually SLAY people whenever they write you, but I have nowhere else to turn. I need help. I have been in a relationship for the past 4 years with a man and am newly engaged. He plays soccer overseas and I am finishing school to get my bachelors degree, so for the most part, our relationship is primarily long distance. We have found a way to make it work despite being apart for 9-10 months out of the year (I often go to visit him and he comes to visit me). Long story short, I caught him looking at gay p0rn. Actually, all sorts of weird p0rn honestly, but what stood out to me the most was the fat girl p0rn and gay p0rn. Specifically: transvestite sex and BDSM transvestite p0rn. WEIRD to say the least. Anyway, I was devastated and confronted him and asked him if he was gay. He of course denied it and said that he was just really freaky (and he is) and said that he watches so much p0rn because he is overseas and does not want to cheat on me. Eventually he just started getting off to any and everything he could find. During our argument, I repeatedly tried to get him to admit to me that he was gay because of course, looking at gay p0rn obviously makes you gay right? Well, he nicely reminded me that I used to be bisexual and asked if I was gay because I still continue to fantasize about/enjoy watching women. Ironically, I don’t feel like I am gay because I realized that that is not the lifestyle I want to live and ultimately I want to be with a man. Although, I am still attracted to women I have not the slightest intention on being with a woman ever again in that way. So, I said no. But, he’s right. It’s the same shoe, different foot. So, eventually I retreated my threats and after some time I forgave him and remained with him. He said he’d stop looking at it if it bothers me, but I wanted him to stop looking at it because it’s wrong, and it’s gay. He tried to make it seem like any sex is sex and just because that is what he watches it doesn’t mean that’s what he wants to do with me (the BDSM or feeder porn) or anyone else of that matter, it’s just freaky to him. But, men don’t just look at tranvestites, black men especially. It doesn’t help my peace of mind that my butt and breasts are huge and he is in absolute awe of my body, but literally only worships my butt! (Go figure). It’s been a year and I’ve often checked his computer and he hasn’t been on those websites since. Well, at least not to my finding. Am I wrong for feeling like this makes him gay and feeling like he will leave me for a man or something crazy like that because I’m a hypocrite!?! However, I fear that when he leaves again, he’ll start looking at it again once he gets bored or even worse decide to experiment during our engagement or worse after we’re married! I mean he clearly fantasizes about being with, a man or at least a transvestite, right? It is because of this that I am hesitant to marry him and obviously cannot stop thinking about his sexuality. I try to be an open book and keep communication open between us, but this topic clearly makes him uncomfortable to talk about. He treats me like a freaking diamond, is extremely romantic and thoughtful, manly, God-fearing, sexy, and very successful. I absolutely adore his family, and he mine and we pray together. He’s everything any woman would want in a man, except I am not sure if he is gay/bi, even though he tries to make it clear  that I am his end all be all. The funny thing is I am so kinky, I could care less if he is bi or previously was as long as his heart is mine and only mine and as long as we enter a monogamous marriage. I don’t want to look back and wish I’d made a different decision, especially if he comes out of the closet on me and embarrasses me later on. We’ve talked about it since, but something is just not right. He wants to marry me soooo badly (so we can finally have kids and live together), but these insecurities are really killing me. I don’t know how to feel, think, or what to do. And, I have not told anyone. I need advice, help. – Concerned About His Sexuality Dear Ms. Concerned About His Sexuality, Girl, there are so many things wrong with your letter, and I’m holding myself back from laying you out!!! You are truly sad. Sad and pitiful. You make lots of accusations, blanket statements, and judgments, but I peeped your game. Ole blankety blank blankety blank so-and-so!!! Holding my tongue. Just holding my tongue. The problem isn’t your man and him watching gay p0rn, the problem lies with you and your insecurities about your own sexuality. The hell you’re going to sit up here and condemn gay people and say being gay is wrong, yet, you’re bi-sexual?!? You sleep with men and women. You have a problem with being gay, so therefore you condemn gays because of your own issues. You are a hot a** mess! You are the worse kind of person. You are the epitome of ‘those’ persons who say they hate and can’t stand gay people, yet, you’re gay and trying to hide behind the façade while throwing stones in a glass house. Well, the glass has shattered! Clean up in aisle 3!!! And, you’re lying to your man and yourself when you say that you will never do it again, but, yet by your own admission you said that you fantasize and are still attracted to women. DO NOT PUT OFF YOUR ISSUES ONTO SOMEONE ELSE. You are the damn problem! You can’t accept who you are, and you have a problem with your own sexual identity. And, because you don’t want to be gay, bi-sexual, or whatever the hell you’re trying to fight, you’re trying to make him the bad guy. Girl, miss me! Ole trifling a**! But, I am a firm believer that you attract that which you are. So, how does it feel knowing your man is watching transvestite p0rn, and getting off to it? Yeah, you’re worried about him, but what are his thoughts and views about you and your sexual identity? Have you addressed that? Obviously not because he threw it up in your face when you tried to throw stones and accuse him. So, for him to throw back leads me to believe that he has, is, and probably thinks you’ll want to be with a woman at some point. So, what is he supposed to do with his feels and thoughts? You are truly selfish, trifling, and so many other things. You’re obsessing over the possibility of your man being gay, yet, you’re gay and trying to fight your urges and deny who you are. YOU ARE GAY YOURSELF, MA’AM!! And, before you two get married, I strongly suggest that you two go to marriage counseling, and you need to be in personal counseling to deal with your own personal issues around your sexuality. To sit up here and say you’re bi-sexual, but you’re not interested in that lifestyle, and you feel you’re not gay and that you prefer to be with men. HUH? What? Being LGBT is not a lifestyle. It’s who you are!!! It’s not an option on an application form that you check. Chile, you folks with these issues about your sexuality are truly not going to do me today. For the record, rich is a lifestyle. Hip Hop is a lifestyle. Being LGBT is not a lifestyle! Ugh!! But, hold up, at the end of your letter you write, “The funny thing is I am so kinky, I could care less if he is bi or previously was as long as his heart is mine and only mine and as long as we enter a monogamous marriage.” What the hell!?! So, if you don’t care if he is bi-sexual, then why did you write the letter? Marry him and go be happy in your own damn warped shaped dark bubble. Oh, but, I get it. You think he will eventually one day go out and be with a man. He will not feel satisfied in the relationship with you, and he will go fulfill his desires and needs with a man. Actually, it’s the thoughts that you have about your own damn self that you are projecting onto him. You’re the one who actually feels that your desires and needs to be with a woman will come surging back, and you’ll step out on him. You’re the one who is having thoughts about him not satisfying you, and you will need to be with a woman to make you feel good. Because you’re in denial about your sexuality you feel he is denial about his. I get it. Be honest with yourself, and then you can be honest with him. But, your lies will be the downfall to your marriage. Trust me. Keep lying to yourself, to him, and to everyone else, but one day you will have to face the truth. Wake your a** up! This is why you need to be in therapy to deal with your issues and your sexuality. Free your mind and the rest will follow. You’re dragging him into your insecure and unstable a** life. Your life is not together, but you want to marry someone else to make you feel better about yourself. You’re questioning your sexual identity, and in denial about who you are, so you figure marrying him will make you not desire women any longer. LMBAO! Girl, I can’t! And, now that you’ve caught him watching some gay p0rn, you can’t handle the heat in the kitchen. Let me wrap this up because you’re not going to have me caught up in your trick bag. Does your man watching gay p0rn make him gay and want to eventually go out and try it? Possibly. Who knows. But, I don’t know any straight men who purposely sit down to watch gay p0rn no matter how freaky they are. No matter how much they want to get off, and how freaky they may be, there are thousands upon thousands of freaky a** videos and naughty sites that will fulfill his desires to get off. And, I’m sure many straight men have vivid imaginations whereas it won’t take much for them to get themselves off. Therefore, him purposely watching gay men, and in particular transvestite BDSM could be a fetish or desire he may have. Whatever it is, you won’t know what he’s doing because 9-10 months out of the year you’re not together. And, you can monitor and snoop through his computer all you want, but you can’t monitor his d**k. BOOM! BAM! POW! I just hope he’s strapping up before he gets it in. – Terrance Dean Hey Bossip Fam, what do you think? Share your opinions and thoughts below! Also, e-mail all your questions Terrance Dean : loveandrelationships@bossip.com Follow Terrance Dean on Twitter : @terrancedean “LIKE” Terrance Dean on Facebook , click  HERE! Make sure to order my books Mogul: A Novel (Atria Books – June 2011; $15), and Straight From Your Gay Best Friend – The Straight Up Truth About Relationships, Love, And Having A Fabulous Life (Agate/Bolden Books – November 2010; $15). They are available in bookstores everywhere, and on Amazon, click HERE!     

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Dear Bossip: We’re Engaged To Be Married, But I Found Him Looking At Gay Websites & He Says He’s Not

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Under Prseeure: Hasbro’s Launching A Black, Silver, And Blue Gender-Neutral Easy-Bake Oven After Petition!!

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

For real tho…how many times did you wish you had a non-girly version for that special little man in your life?? Lot’s of people have 13-year-old McKenna Pope to thank after she launched a petition after shopping for an Easy-Bake for her four-year-old brother and finding them only in purple and pink. It was her call for gender-neutral toys that got more than 40,000 supporters, including celebrity chefs Michael Lomonaco, Manuel Trevino, and Bobby Flay, and inevitably changed Hasbro’s opinion of just who deserves to bake a dry azz piece of yellow cake! According to The Daily Mail , Hasbro says it will soon reveal a gender-neutral Easy-Bake Oven after meeting with a New Jersey girl who started a campaign calling on the toy maker to make one that appeals to all kids. McKenna Pope,13, of Garfield, New Jersey, got more than 40,000 signatures on her online petition at Change.org and the support of celebrity chefs including Bobby Flay, who backed her call for Hasbro to make a gender-neutral oven and to include boys in the ads. She was prompted to start the petition after shopping for an Easy-Bake as a Christmas present for her four-year-old brother, Gavyn Boscio, and finding them only in purple and pink. Hasbro invited McKenna and her family to its Pawtucket, Rhode Island, headquarters to meet with its Easy-Bake team today. During the meeting, Hasbro executives showed off a prototype of their newest Easy-Bake: one that’s black, silver and blue. Hasbro has been working on the new color scheme and design for about 18 months, and decided to invite McKenna to see it and offer her thoughts, said John Frascotti, Hasbro’s chief marketing officer. McKenna said the company is doing everything she asked, including putting boys in the ads. ‘I think that they really met most or even all of what I wanted them to do, and they really amazed me,’ she said, adding that Gavyn thought the new design was ‘awesome.’ Frascotti pointed out that the classic toy has had about a dozen different color schemes, from yellow to green to teal to silver, since first being introduced in 1963. The most recent iteration, introduced in 2011, is mostly purple with pink accents. He said it’s sold well since then, and that prompted the company to look for a way to update it and to broaden the consumer base by doing it in different colors. ‘It’s actually a product that’s played with by both boys and girls,’ he said. ‘We will continue to offer the existing product too because it’s so popular.’ Hasbro plans to introduce the new color scheme at the industry’s Toy Fair in New York in February. Frascotti said people are likely to see it on store shelves next summer. As for McKenna’s Christmas present for her brother, she said the TV show Inside Edition gave the family an Easy-Bake Oven after learning of her campaign. For Christmas, she said, she’ll probably buy him some mixes to bake in it. What do you think about Hasbro’s decision? Images via AP

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Under Prseeure: Hasbro’s Launching A Black, Silver, And Blue Gender-Neutral Easy-Bake Oven After Petition!!

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REVIEW: Apatow Grows Up, Takes A Step Back With Messy ‘This Is 40’

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

This is 40 ends with a title card saying that it’s “Based on characters created by Judd Apatow .” While this is true — the film’s about Debbie ( Leslie Mann ) and Pete ( Paul Rudd ), who were supporting figures in Apatow’s 2007 hit  Knocked Up — it also feels like it might be more accurate for it to declare “Based on Judd Apatow.” It doesn’t just star his wife Mann, it features their daughters Maude and Iris as her children, and it’s not hard to read Rudd’s character as an Apatow proxy who’s struggling through the world of music instead of, these days, riding high in comedy. It’s shot on the same block on which director/writer/producer lives with his family, and includes what are clearly many of his thoughts and experiences on relationships, parenting and getting older. It’s Apatow’s most personal film yet, even more so than  Funny People , and it benefits from the closeness of this material to its creator as much as it suffers for it, though its weakest points are when the film strives for the angle indicated in its tile —  This is 40 — and tries too hard to be about the universal (“This is everyone’s story,” the trailer boldly declared). Its more general observations on aging and marriage aren’t just familiar, they can take on the well-meaning but blithely entitled sensibility of a college sophomore who’s finally lost his or her virginity and now feels qualified to hold forth about sex with the authority of Dr. Ruth. When Debbie forgets which year she’s lied about being born in to avoid dealing with the big four-O and yells at Pete for needing a Viagra for their morning birthday hookup, or when we watch a montage of the pair getting different orifices checked out by the doctor during a physical, the film feels like a recycled Erma Bombeck column with some added iPad etiquette discussions to modernize jokes about bodies no longer working and looking like they used to. This thing is, Debbie and Pete aren’t like everyone — they’re leading lives of comparable privilege and glamour, existing in an upper middle class world of gluten-free diets and spandex-clad road bike riding groups, of getting hit on by professional hockey players at a nightclub and throwing a concert to which Billie Joe Armstrong comes. They aren’t an everycouple, which is fine — it’s actually the specifics of their marriage and careers that, as the film unfolds at an overlong 134 minutes, make it compelling if more rooted in drama than domestic comedy. There’s an underlying terror guiding their lives, one not just related to getting older but to the possibility of failing to hold on to their economic rung and their concept of a happy, healthy family. Debbie and Pete smile so hard, like they can will away their unhappinesses, which surface instead in bickering. There’s a lot of bickering in  This is 40 . Debbie badgers Pete and feels unappreciated by him while he sneaks cupcakes, loans money to his dad Larry (Albert Brooks) and hides the growing financial difficulties his retro record label is facing. An always perplexing aspect of Mann’s place as Apatow’s on-screen muse as well as his real-life partner is that the characters she’s played in his films, particularly Debbie, tend to be so shrill you wonder if there’s some concealed antagonism coming through. That’s a tendency that  This is 40 directly addresses, with both Debbie and Pete having joking conversations about the fantasies they’ve had about murdering one another. The openness of that discussion of how you can genuinely if temporarily hate the one you love, and how it’s balanced by the easy unity Debbie and Pete have when defending themselves from another parent (Melissa McCarthy) at a school conference (the film’s funniest scene), is a minor but welcome improvement from the director’s past tendency to paint female characters as martyred nags impatiently dragging their men toward adulthood. This is 40  is notably messy, with narrative threads about which of the two employees (played by Megan Fox and Charlyne Yi) at Debbie’s store has been stealing and about Pete’s not very successful attempt to release a new album by Graham Parker and the Rumour drifting away rather than arriving at an end point. Sometimes that untidiness works for the film — both Pete’s relationship with Larry and Debbie’s with her largely absentee dad Oliver (John Lithgow) suggest lifetimes of complications that can’t be resolved in a side plot — but the questions about artistic integrity and business that are raised in the collapsing of Pete’s label are interesting and half-formed and could do with more exploration. Other elements, including older daughter Sadie’s (Maude Apatow) constant burrowing into her phone and tablet, the revelation of a character’s pill addiction and Jason Segel’s presence as a self-congratulating personal trailer, don’t really fit into any larger scheme. Apatow’s film comes across as overstuffed and understructured, a collection of elements that hasn’t really been assembled into a story and could do with the backbone. Rather than set out to make a feature about middle age and marriage and family, it feels like Apatow would have been better served to focus on making a film about Debbie and Pete and their journey, one that would naturally touch on all those themes. When they have a very funny fight about their relationship in terms of who’s Simon and who’s Garfunkel, the potential of this material is clear, but the end product feels like a step forward in terms of maturity of subject matter and a step back in terms of filmmaking. Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .

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REVIEW: Apatow Grows Up, Takes A Step Back With Messy ‘This Is 40’

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Maya Vs. Carrie − Comparing The Feminism of ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ & ‘Homeland’

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Do you remember when J.J. Abrams ‘  ABC series  Alias was the greatest female spy story of its time? Premiering in 2001, just weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it starred an apple-cheeked newcomer with just the right combination of hardness and softness. For five seasons and through hundreds of costume changes — does the CIA really spend thousands of dollars on neon wigs? — Sydney Bristow ( Jennifer Garner ) showed the world that a female spy could be just as clever, alluring, and badass as James Bond , even on a TV budget. Since the premiere of Showtime’s spy thriller,  Homeland , last year, however, Sydney has been retroactively exposed as Spy Barbie, a product of the girl-power fad of the 1990s. Homeland and the upcoming film,  Zero Dark Thirty , which chronicles the decade-long manhunt for Osama bin Laden, make a more serious case for feminism — or a more serious kind of feminism — by pulling their female CIA-agent protagonists from the field and eschewing gold-lamé bikinis for sensible pantsuits. The ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ ‘Homeland’ Comparison Zero Dark Thirty ’s Maya ( Jessica Chastain) and Homeland ’s Carrie Mathison ( Claire Danes) are certainly cut from the same cotton-polyester blend cloth. They’re both young, willowy, fair-haired women hell-bent on finding a man: Maya is after bin Laden and Carrie after Abu Nazir, OBL’s fictional counterpart. They’re no-nonsense women with passion and indignation to spare, and more often than not, the smartest person in the room. They’re frequently the only women in a man’s world, but they’re not the type to make a big deal about it. Their hunches are usually ignored by exasperated higher-ups, but that has less to do with their gender than political convenience and grandstanding. Zero Dark Thirty and Homeland ’s rejection of honeypots in favor of intelligence analysts is instrumental in the reception of the film and the TV show as feminist works. That rejection reflects changing demographics within the espionage community, where female superstar data-crunchers are quickly becoming the norm. Both Maya and Carrie are famously based on real-life women in CIA.. The head of the spy bureau’s Al-Qaeda tracking team recently stated , “If I could have put out a sign on the door [after 9/11] that said ‘No men need apply,’ I would have done it.” But what’s most interesting about the feminisms — that’s feminism with an ‘s’ — of ZDT and Homeland are their different, but equally compelling, approaches to female heroism. The feminism in ZDT follows the “anything a man can do, I can do better” school of thought. It’s impossible not to project that attitude onto ZDT director Kathryn Bigelow , whose filmography strongly suggests a “guys’ girl,” and who received the first-ever Best Director Oscar awarded to a woman for making a macho military movie,  The Hurt Locker . It’s difficult not to see Bigelow’s brand of feminism in Chastain’s Maya. Girlish ponytail and pouty lips aside, Chastain’s Maya  is essentially a gender-neutral character.  When she’s asked about her thoughts on office romance, her response is the closest she ever gets to femininity: “I’m not that girl that fucks.” In other words, the sexless, workaholic Maya briefly dons the mean-girl mask to define herself against all those other “girls” who men might see as sexual partners, instead of colleagues. In a later scene, she takes credit for her discovery of bin Laden’s hideout in a room full of military brass by declaring, “I’m the motherfucker that found this place.” With that short statement, Maya draws attention to her gender by pointedly not drawing attention to it. Anyone can be a motherfucker, man or woman — just like anyone can find bin Laden. Like Zero Dark Thirty , Homeland is rarely about Carrie’s gender. But the character begs to be read as a fervent defense of female hysteria and hyper-emotionality. It’s not PMS that makes Carrie a puppet to her emotions, but her bipolar disorder, a condition that’s spottily and sporadically treated in the show’s first season. Even after a bout of electro-convulsive therapy and a regular regimen of lithium to stabilize her mood swings, Carrie isn’t balanced enough for spycraft. When she helps capture Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), the ex-P.O.W. she alone — and correctly — believed to be a terrorist (and whom she later has an affair with), she screams, “I LOVED YOU!” at him while her embarrassed colleagues handcuff and cart him away. But the reason  Homeland is a feminist — rather than misogynist — show, even with a caricature of female emotional instability at its center, is that it transforms a trait that has traditionally been used to denigrate women into a professional advantage. This isn’t the kind of gender-neutral feminism that congratulates female CEOs for shattering the glass ceiling. Rather, it questions the value of gender-neutrality and asks why women should want things that men have designated as desirable. Why should a little girl crash toy trucks together, for example, when playing with dolls will improve her verbal and empathy skills more quickly? Or in the case of Homeland , why should Carrie’s emotional instability be counted against her when it’s her perilous leaps of logic and mania-induced zealotry that enables her to see what nobody else can ? Even her ill-advised affair with Brody, fueled by loneliness and uncontrollable desire, helps her collect evidence of his extremism. The different approaches to feminism that Homeland and ZDT  embody   prove that there isn’t just one correct approach to gender equity: women (and progressive men) can have their feminism both ways. Now if only we could get a female CIA director, or even just a movie about one, already. Bonus note: Do Homeland and Zero Dark Thirty pass the Bechdel test ? Although the central cast of Homeland is basically Claire Danes and a bunch of dudes, it passes with flying colors. ZDT is a bit more complicated. Maya and a female colleague (Jennifer Ehle) discuss work a lot, but work for them is killing and torturing a bunch of men. It doesn’t pass on technical grounds, but it does in spirit. Whether the banner of feminism should be used to ignore, soften, or justify the brutality of torture, well, that’s a discussion for another day . Inkoo Kang is a film critic and investigative journalist in Boston. She has been published in Salon, Indiewire, Boxoffice, Yahoo! Movies, Pop Matters, Screen Junkies, and MuckRock. Her great dream in life is to direct a remake of  All About Eve  with an all-dog cast.” I Follow Inkoo Kang on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter. 

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Maya Vs. Carrie − Comparing The Feminism of ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ & ‘Homeland’

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Lindsay Lohan Denies Punching Tiffany Mitchell, Admits "Gypsy" Comment

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Lindsay Lohan is adamant that she did NOT punch anyone in the face at a club early Thursday morning, but admits she did get into an argument with Tiffany Mitchell . She also admits calling Mitchell, a fortune teller/psychic, “gypsy.” According to sources close to Lohan, Tiffany Mitchell approached her inside club Avenue to do a palm reading of some kind, but Lindsay turned her down. Thse she noticed Tiffany’s friends crowding around her purse . When Lindsay returned to her table, her friends told her that Tiffany’s friends stole her purse – a super expensive black leather Celine – and the actress was pissed. Lindsay says she did call Tiffany a “gypsy” but says she did not know that word is considered a slur … guess she just thought it was a run-of-the-mill insult? Anyway, Mitchell then told her Liz & Dick sucked, and $h!t escalated. It’s unclear if they were indeed vying for Max George’s affections; The Wanted singer is said to have spurned the star and flirted with Mitchell, further angering Lohan. As for hitting Tiffany, which got Lindsay Lohan arrested for assault, she denies it 100 percent and says she’s being set up … stop us if you’ve heard that one. The actress was said to be rip-roaring drunk that night – and most nights, as she’s drinking up to two liters of vodka a day – so her credibility may be suspect. Not that it was pristine to begin with, of course. Lindsay Lohan: Throw her in jail?   Yes, that train wreck brat will never learn otherwise! No, quit trying to make an example out of her, haters! View Poll »

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Lindsay Lohan Denies Punching Tiffany Mitchell, Admits "Gypsy" Comment

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Lindsay Lohan Denies Punching Tiffany Mitchell, Admits "Gypsy" Comment

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Lindsay Lohan is adamant that she did NOT punch anyone in the face at a club early Thursday morning, but admits she did get into an argument with Tiffany Mitchell . She also admits calling Mitchell, a fortune teller/psychic, “gypsy.” According to sources close to Lohan, Tiffany Mitchell approached her inside club Avenue to do a palm reading of some kind, but Lindsay turned her down. Thse she noticed Tiffany’s friends crowding around her purse . When Lindsay returned to her table, her friends told her that Tiffany’s friends stole her purse – a super expensive black leather Celine – and the actress was pissed. Lindsay says she did call Tiffany a “gypsy” but says she did not know that word is considered a slur … guess she just thought it was a run-of-the-mill insult? Anyway, Mitchell then told her Liz & Dick sucked, and $h!t escalated. It’s unclear if they were indeed vying for Max George’s affections; The Wanted singer is said to have spurned the star and flirted with Mitchell, further angering Lohan. As for hitting Tiffany, which got Lindsay Lohan arrested for assault, she denies it 100 percent and says she’s being set up … stop us if you’ve heard that one. The actress was said to be rip-roaring drunk that night – and most nights, as she’s drinking up to two liters of vodka a day – so her credibility may be suspect. Not that it was pristine to begin with, of course. Lindsay Lohan: Throw her in jail?   Yes, that train wreck brat will never learn otherwise! No, quit trying to make an example out of her, haters! View Poll »

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Lindsay Lohan Denies Punching Tiffany Mitchell, Admits "Gypsy" Comment

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Jovan Belcher, Kansas City Chiefs Player, Kills Girlfriend, Then Himself

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Jovan Belcher , a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, was at the center of a horrific tragedy this morning. According to local authorities, Belcher, 25, shot and killed his on-again/off-again girlfriend ( Kasandra Perkins , who gave birth to the couple’s first child three months ago) in her home around 8 a.m. and then drove to the Arrowhead Stadium complex where the Chiefs play home games. In front of team personnel (including GM Scott Piloi and Coach Romeo Crennel) who tried to calm him down in the parking lot, Belcher then shot himself in the head. Police spokesman Darin Snapp says authorities received a 911 call from the mother of Belcher’s victim, alerting them to the incident at her daughter’s residence. Another call was then placed minutes later from the Kansas City facility. “We can confirm that there was an incident at Arrowhead earlier this morning,” the Chiefs said in a statement. “We are cooperating with authorities in their investigation.” It’s unclear at the moment if the team’s game tomorrow against the Carolina Panthers will be played as scheduled. We send our thoughts to the loved ones of all involved in this tragedy.

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Jovan Belcher, Kansas City Chiefs Player, Kills Girlfriend, Then Himself

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