and on that note

Let's continue the theme of popular culture doing everything it can to give girls more eating disorders and body image issues. Today we find out from ew.com that Random House is reissuing 12 books from the Sweet Valley High series that my chums and i all DEVOURED in junior high. When the first Sweet Valley High book was published in 1983, Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, identical twin heroines of the soon-to-be wildly popular teen fiction series, were described as blonde, beautiful, and a "perfect size 6." Now bid welcome to a new, thinner, Sweet Valley High: Random House is reissuing the books with a few small editorial tweaks. The twins' "perfect size 6" has been reduced to a "perfect size 4." Kudos, Random House, for not only introducing body-image issues to a whole new generations of young fans, but proudly trumpeting this point in the press release.

Really, Random House? REALLY? You actually believe that shrinking some already-below-average-weight teen heroines is going to sell enough additional copies to make it worthwhile to promote these kinds of ideals? Shame on you. And God help our daughters.

Brava!

There is a website that i love, the title and concept of which may raise an eyebrow or two, but it's harmless silliness. It's called Go Fug Yourself, and it's a blog that pokes good clean fun at the ugly things worn by people who are basically paid ungodly amounts of money to look beautiful. (Be advised: right now the Fug Girls are in the midst of their March Madness brackets, so the site's a little crazy.) The girls also write a fashion column for New York Magazine, and their latest is an excellent look at the habit of major fashion magazines to do annual 'shape' issues, pat themselves on the back, and then promptly banish all models who weigh triple digits from their building for the next 11 months. They're excellent writers, deftly balancing humor and legitimate point of view and i highly recommend this particular installment. Read the full column here, or an exerpt:

Despite presumably good intentions, the shape issue feels more like Vogue trying to bum a ride on a politically correct bandwagon, and our girl Anna Wintour is a particularly lousy hitchhiker. Her editor’s letter boldly blames designers for using scrawny models to present “a non-vivacious, homogenous ideal,” then steps all over that, in its attempt to homogenize zaftig designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte by offering them a free 4-month diet and exercise plan — or, as Vogue puts it, “what some might consider a dream proposition.” Sure, some might; others might consider it rude. Vogue claims it wants them to gain “peace of mind and the energy to prosper;” the Mulleavys bluntly say Vogue thought they should lose weight.... Because it peddles fashion and fantasy better than anyone, these clumsy attempts to soften up just feel as patronizing and ham-handed as a Very Special Episode of Blossom.

peeptastic!

Just when you're losing faith in humanity, something like this pops (or peeps?) up.

PEEPS SHOW II

The second annual Sunday Source Peeps Diorama Contest, sponsored by the Washington Post, drew more than 800 sugar-filled entries from our readers. Here, the 37 best creations. You'll especially want to see the interpretations of Ghostbusters, A Christmas Story, pop art and the running of the bulls in Pamplona.

mmm, kibble

Go to THIS SITE.

Click the purple box.

Done.

You just donated food to a rescued animal! You didn't have to give your name or email, it didn't cost a cent, and it took 10 seconds. 20 if you have dial-up.
Fun, huh?

Now do it again.

Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising. Make it your homepage or one of your favorites and re-visit often!

Please, God (....or Satan?), NO.

Michael Bay may spawn a new 'Rosemary's Baby'
'Rosemary's Baby' may soon get an evil twin. Paramount has partnered with Michael Bay's production company Platinum Dunes to develop a remake of Roman Polanski's 1968 classic, about a young woman unwittingly impregnated with the devil's child. The original, of course, starred Mia Farrow and won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Ruth Gordon. Although Polanski doesn't have any contractual control over a new version, Paramount has reached out to the director for his blessing, according to a studio insider. "We certainly come to [the project] with trepidation because of how important [the original] film is," says Dunes partner Brad Fuller. "But we're going to see if there's a great way to tell that story." To that end, Fuller and co-is currently taking pitches from screenwriters around town. Fuller doesn’t expect that Bay, currently set to helm 'Transformers 2' for summer 2009, will direct this Baby.

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Let's break this down, shall we? You have the original film, based on Ira Levin's literary gem, directed by Roman Polanski, the Oscar-winner behind Chinatown and The Painist. It's a masterful classic, a slowly unfolding horror realized through subtle, Oscar-winning performances. Then you have Michael Bay. Producer du jour of such cinematic feats as The Island, Bad Boys II, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, and of course, my personal point of loathing, Transformers. With Bay at the helm, even if he's not in the director's chair, naive waif-wallflower Rosemary, played so well by Mia Farrow, will be played by the latest red-lipped bimbo (or worse, Ashlee Simpson). Instead of a 60's housewife, Rosemary will be cop working undercover as something wholly unbelieveable, like a spaceship mechanic, and her husband, Guy, played in this version by the terribly miscast (and beefed up) Justin Long, hoping to make that painful leap from comedy to drama, will be a rogue arms dealer instead of a struggling stage actor. Instead of Tanis Root as the devil's drug, the senior citizen coven will use Rufis, and Rosemary and Minnie will have a showdown at the abortion clinic, instead of Bergdorf's, just for added effect. There will be car chases, maybe a speedboat chase, someone will get knifed in the eye, there will be a vague reason for Guy to go into a strip club, and Rosemary's gal pals will all be changed to campy gay men. The Prince of Darnkess, who makes a very brief, fractured appearance in the original, will have several scenes in this version. Ro's horned babydaddy will of course be played by a foreign actor, Russian, or Middle Eeastern.

How'd i do?

Perhaps Ira Levin's 'novel' was really a true story, and there really was a woman impregnated with Satan's baby, and instead of naming the li'l demon Adrian, she named it Michael....

Just conjecture.

a penny saved

We adopted a dog! She'd had a bad owner who was taken to court for starving and neglecting her, and she was put in the pound while the deadbeat was on trial. While in the pound she either met the love of her life or was very unkindly violated (it's unclear as to which since she was not keeping a diary at the time), but she had 8 puppies. The pound was going to euthanize her and her pups, but Save A Dog Today, a local rescue group, found them all foster and permanent homes. She'd been living with her very nice foster mom in Red Bluff for the last year, just enjoying life with the other foster dogs, the cats and the goats.

Now, she's ours! We've named her Penny, she's about 2 years old, a pit bull/bulldog mix, and is a great dog. She's a little shy, especially around men, but she loves Josh and i to pieces. She's very well-behaved, enjoys chilling out on her dog bed, getting belly scratches, and chasing lizards, and came with some very cool dance moves. She is very pretty and has a great smile. My grandpa says we need to take a sharpie and draw eyebrows on her, but i think we'll save that for Halloween. She's a great walking buddy, although a bit of a scardycat sometimes. She's only mildly interested in Cosmo, which confuses and insults him to no end, since he's used to Kahlua's unhealthy obsession with him. In typical bull-breed fashion, she sneezes backwards, so it's more of a bizarre snort than a sneeze, and we're still getting used to that sound and the idea that it's only a sound, with no spewing substances accompanying. She snores a bit, too, and it's funny. She's a great size, not too big but still beefy enough to hug and she's very soft and doesn't seem to shed. She's a very easy-going dog, happy to nap while we read or watch tv and has kept the barking-at-our-neighbors to a minimum. Come meet her! She's family now!

Sidebar: some people were justifiably concerned about us adopting a dog (much less a pit bull) rather than getting a puppy. We spoke extensively with Penny's foster mom, met the 2 of them at Petco, and had a home visit before any decisions were made. We were very impressed with SADT and the commitment they have to making good matches, not just getting the dogs adopted. We recommend that anyone considering adopting use a similar approach. Getting a sense of who's been 'parenting' your dog while it awaits its home is just as important as liking the dog itself. Also, Penny came to us in great health, is fixed, up to date on all shots and vaccines, and is microchipped. Even after spending money on a bed, crate, leash, and other accessories, her adoption fee only covered a fraction of the regular vet bills one would incur with a puppy. That being said, if you're looking to adopt, use Petfinder. It's a great database of all kinds of pets looking for homes all over the country. Just select what you're looking for and enter your zip code, and then just try to resist all the cute furry faces waiting for you in your town. Or, if you're NOT planning on adding an animal to your brood, consider making a donation to a rescue organization in your area. They're usually non-profit (ie, tax deductible) and are run by good, hard working people. Sermon over.

ummm, where's my chicken dinner? cuz i'm a WINNER.

Just a quick note to gloat: during the very first episode of Project Runway, Josh and i made our final 3 and winner predictions. i was 100% right. This, following my uncanny Fantasy Football victory, officially constitutes a streak, folks. Look out, world! i'm headed to Vegas!
Also, congrats to Princess SkinnyPants Wunderkind on his victory and to Rami and Jillian for their very strong showings.