I'm just as guilty of it as the rest of the blogosphere—questioning celebrity relationships. Who was spotted leaving someone's apartment in the morning, accusations, infidelity...the works. This week has been no different for a string of relationship woes, but it's got me thinking: why are we so interested in this stuff? It's got to be more than Schadenfreud*.
What set me off thinking this week was John Travolta's former pilot/lover telling "all" to The National Enquirer. Doug Gotterba claims that shortly after he was hired by Travolta to be his personal pilot, Travolta engaged Gotterba in a romantic tryst and that they had a continuing relationship for 6 years—until just shortly after Mr. Saturday Night Fever married his wife, Kelly Preston. Gotterba claims that upon their last meeting (while walking along a beach! come on!), Travolta said that he preferred men. The two never spoke after this encounter.
Do we care because he's closeted? Do we care because he's married?
I'm not entirely sure.
The other ones that really got me this week was a new report that John Mayer dumped Katy Perry via email after a one-month dating period, and a blind item that people are saying points to Will Arnett and Amy Phoeler divorcing.
I'm not sure why this is news. Is it because for John Mayer, this is a totally shitty way to dump someone especially if you are a 34-year-old man? Or is it this same feeling we get of relief that celebrities have lives just as crappy as ours some days? As for the Phoeler-Arnetts, is it just sadness over the idea that a couple that seems so great together may be coming to an end?
I don't entirely know. I do know that I could care less about the love lives of 99% of the population, but celebs get me every single time!
(And I have to admit, that the rumour that Kelly and Dylan got back together tickles me like no other!)
So Spill it! What do you think of celebrity relationships in the news?
*Schadenfreud is a German word that expresses the idea that we find pleasure in the misery of others. There is no English equivalent. I love this word.
Ah, Fan Expo. Nothing like a convention centre filled to the brim with everything from Star Trek to The Watchmen and every single imaginable steam-punk thing in between. I got a chance to chat with Event Coordinator, James Armstrong (no relation) about what's happening this year at the event, and I was surprised at just how family-friendly they strive to make the weekend. James said, "At Fan Expo Canada, we strive to entertain families. For a number of years now, we've had a coupon where any child under the age of 12, if accompanied by an adult, gets in for free." (Which, btw, is GREAT cause there is a LOT and I mean A LOT of neat stuff to buy. This isn't going to be a low cost day or weekend).
The weekend started with the original Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno. Guys. He's adorable and charming and in AMAZING shape (he looks about ten million times better than Arnie or Sly). Just look at him:
There are some pretty neat exhibits going on this weekend, too. You can take a photo of your family on THE THRONE from Game of Thrones (we've already got ours, thanks); there's loads of video gaming to try; about ten million comic books from rarities to complete collections bundled (for super discounts); adorable clothes (Star Trek onsies and cute stuff like Punch Brand clothing); local artists like Sean Ward (Toronto Batman and I sang back up on one of his records about 5 years ago!); giant Lego sculptures (see photo below) and cosplayers like you wouldn't believe (also below).
James says that the key to surviving Fan Expo is to plan ahead and make sure that you map out what you absolutely must see and go to those booths first, otherwise, you'll get far too side tracked. I'd like to add a few of my own to those tips. Don't wear open toed shoes, make sure you have snacks and water on hand AND money for food. I already saw at least 5 strollers today so I'm hoping we aren't the only ones with one Friday. We've also been told that Sunday is the least "crazy" of all the days. DO dress up, but keep in mind that a) people will want to take your photo and b) you may get uncomfortable.
With so much to see and do at Fan Expo, it's also probably a good idea to buy a multi-day pass. There's absolutely no way you can catch everything in one day. Between panels, autographs, celebrity photo ops and all the neat stuff you can look at (AND SO MANY STAR TREK ACTION FIGURES) this is definitely a weekend adventure...and probably a good idea for the little guys in your life to not get too overwhelmed in one day.
I'll be at Fan Expo this weekend in my Game of Thrones tee, with my little Ewok (or maybe C3PO or maybe even Avenger) and my Super husband....see you on the floor?
Batman and Robin are going to the beach.
This is an actual backpack. I LOVE IT.
There was also a Lego Hulk, Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins and Django Fett.
I got an amazing response last month to my blog post about fat-shaming and pro-ana websites. But of course, it seems like hot on the heels of that, someone will always take the opposite view.
This week, Lesley over at xoJane wrote a post in which she argues that maybe we shouldn't take down or condemn these sites and uses a small study to support her argument. The study she talks about is very small (she admits that) but she uses it anyways. The study, done by the University of Indiana only uses a sample of 33 women. The argument of this study is that any support, even in the wrong direction (towards more dangerous behaviour), is better than no support. They go on to say that most women with eating disorders don't get proper support becasue society in general doesn't fully understand that eating disorders are not a choice and that they are closely related to other mental illnesses such as anxiety and OCD.
I totally respect and understand Lesley's point of view, however, I don't think that allowing sites that fat shame to exist will help us to better understand and respect the person with an eating disorder.
Yes, communities are very important, especially when one has an isolating mental illness. However, one where we call beautiful women fat should not exist.
We've already got gorgeous Kate Upton and Crystal Renn and Robyn Lawley changing the face of fashion. I think it's time for us to change our mindsets, too.
Spill it! What do you think about this response to pro-ana blogs?
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