Main Stream Goes Country

What is it about summer that makes people want to turn country. Is it the combination of hot sun and cowboy hats? Is it fishing, sun dresses, and riding with the windows down? Whatever it is, Hollywood is catching on. Two top recording artists have "Gone Country" this summer.

Jessica Simpson:



And Snoop Dogg:




I think Snoop may have had to sell his soul to the devil for this one. But the scarier thing is...I kinda like it. Shhhh!!

Tiger = US Open Champion

Tiger. There honestly couldn't be a more appropriate name for one of the greatest players that has ever stepped up to a T. I will be the first to admit, golf is no baseball, football, or basketball. It takes over 4 hours to play, no one gets tackled, and everyone is wearing collared shirts. However, golf is a game of mental integrity, which I think few other sports can really tout. It is you, the ball, and one very tiny hole.

I think in general, non-team sports get a bad rap. Having competed in one for for years, I believe that people find individual sports boring, there is only one person to watch on the screen at a time?!? However, individual sports take far more mental toughness than team sports. You can only blame yourself at the end of the day for your failures. This is why I think Tiger is one of the best athletes of our age. Not only did he bring an otherwise (literally and figuratively) a dieing sport back to life, but also has more mental toughness than 99% of athletes out there. Who else could recover from knee surgery, stand in front of bleachers filled with 4,000 or more spectators, and hit a putt to tie it all at the last hole?

Tim Russet Dies at age 58

It is always weird when a celebrity dies. Although you were never a part of their life, they were a part of yours. Even though I was not a huge fan of Tim Russet on "Meet the Press," I could certainly respect him for his honesty and fight for what he believed in. Time Magazine just named him one of the 100 Most Influential people in the world.

This particular death also hits close since his son was a year behind me in college and just graduated this past year. Tim Russet because a fixture of the college and appeared repeatedly as a monitor of debates and a speaker. I also lost a grandfather very suddenly 3 years ago when he was only 68. Life is sometimes not so nice. My prayers go out to his family and friends at this tragic time.

Read the full CNN story here.

You Know You Live In the BEST City EVER when...

Three out of the four of your teams make it to their finals!!! It is no small secret that Boston is a sports town. We live and die by the ebbs and flows of wins, loses, disappointments, euphoria, shame, and pride. The Red Sox won the World Series! Our undefeated Patriots lost their last game of the season...aka one of the biggest Superbowl upsets in history...The Celtics are up 3-1 over The Lakers and MVP Kobe Bryant. Phew...it has been a long year.

I remember being forced to watch basketball, baseball, and football when I was a little girl. We only had one TV in our house so when my older brother and Dad said it was game night, it wasn't really worth the fight to watch Step-by-Step (I was a child of the eighties, I am not to blame for my bad choice in TV sitcoms). However, now as a sports fan myself, I am glad that I grew up with these teams. I been to Celtics games when NO ONE was in the crowd because they were the worst team in the NBA. I have sat in Fenway when tickets were only $15 a person and I would stand over the railing of the bleachers hoping to catch a ball. These teams have become part of my childhood and now a deep cultural component in the city I love. The picture is of me as a college sophomore after the Red Sox won the world series, one of the best moments in my college career.

I know that Manny and Paul Pierce could probably care less about my enthusiasm (and slight crushes...) for their play and my love of the game. But I am part of the larger phenomena that has made them stay in Boston so long. Red Sox Nation is not just a fan group, they are THE fan group. We are unyieldingly faithful, and yes, pushy. But I wouldn't change it for anything.

GO CELTICS!

High End Prostitution Makes Good Television

I know you watched it, so don't try to deny it. When Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss came out in 2004, I was intrigued. Although it was a B-rate television movie, it gave people who live the day-to-day drag a look into the scandalous world of sex and money. Lets be honest, there is an entire series named Dirty, Sexy, Money, its interesting. People became increasingly intrigued by high class prostitution with the Spritzer scandal. Not to mention you cannot hear the name Diablo Cody, who wrote Juno, without hearing about how she used to be a stripper. To be frank, she dabbled in stripping, as anyone would know that actually read her book, her foray into stripping was a social experiment.

The high class sex ring intrigues people because it mixes our temptations. These women can make up to $4,000 a night, look like models, and, when they are not selling themselves for money, they are living a life most people can only dream of. How is it possible? Are we disgusted or should we give them a pat on the back?

A new show based on the blog Belle de Jour is taking a longer (it is a series) and more candid look at the ins and outs (pun intended) of being a call girl. The remarkable thing, I can't stop reading Belle de Jour. I know, I am probably about 4 years late on the uptake, but every time I start reading it again I am amazed by the elequence and candidness of the writer. Why did she decide to become a call girl? I haven't gotten to that part yet...

Check out Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

What are your thoughts of the trend? Is it just the optimization of sex sells?

Angelina Obsession

There comes a time when everyone gives into the Angelina Jolie obsession. Whether you are goth or a fashionista or a stay-at-home mom, Angelina exudes a certain amount of relateability that many in Hollywood lack. She is a tattooed mom with one of the hottest boyfriends and travels the world, ok, maybe relateable wasn't the right word to use in this case. Maybe it is envy or respect or awe, but for some reason, no matter what her incarnation, I am drawn to the world of Angelina.

In the new Vanity Fair, which I am certainly buying, Angelina is engaging us once again. Not to mention she is looking beautiful. I think the thing I find so facinating about Angelina is that she has been able to change her direction in life so many times and transitioned smoothly from punk indie movie star to main stream dark angel to single mom to happy family. Who can say they have gone through as much and still ended up as a spokesperson for the UN. Check out a chronical of her Vanity Fair photo spreads here.

What do you think about Angelina?

HAHA...I am a Mainer, so this post is allowed

I found this at Advertising is Good for You and could not stop laughing. I know that this is too true of Maine and the summer, Guns, Wedding Gowns, and Cold Beer are a Mainer's three words to describe a great reception, shoot gun wedding, or summer. I love my state : )