Prostitutes are people too

Ok, I admit it: I had a crush on Vince, the ShamWow guy. While visiting my parents, spending hours in front of their television, I would get inwardly super excited whenever the ShamWow or SlapChop commercials came on.

Needless to say, I was pretty upset when he got arrested for beating up a prostitute. My crush on him is officially dead. The thing is, I still want him to advance in his career (as long as it doesn't include making more movies.) I want him to keep schilling his stuff on TV. But why am I so quick to forgive?

Another woman beater, Chris Brown, has been pretty much blacklisted in my heart. And so, I wonder why the difference in my opinion.

Chris Brown	Vince "Offer" Shlomi
beat longterm girlfriend to a bloody pulp	beat prostitute he'd just met to a bloody pulp
suffered a couple of cuts	got beaten to almost a bloody pulp as well
*rumored* to have been angered/hit by angry, jealous girlfriend	alleges that he had to beat the prostitute because she bit his tongue and wouldn't let go

It's obvious that these were two very different situations, but here are two things to remember:

1. Prostitutes are people too.
2. The act of self-defense should not turn into an offensive attack beyond necessary restraint. Excessive force is not okay unless your life is in danger.

I've drawn no conclusions. I'm going to wait and see what time has to say.

Recognition

Have you ever watched a commercial and recognized an actor from some obscure, long ago work?

Well, I was recently watching this CitiCard commercial and thought, "That looks like the chick who became the third yellow Power Ranger!" I remember her most from an episode in which she discovers that she's a great baseball pitcher and starts playing for the team. That episode made me cringe because her form was so terrible.

Her name is Nakia Burrise, FYI.

Virgins

While I am made just as uncomfortable by the cultural and social implications of Burger King's new Whopper Virgins campaign as its many detractors...my question is, how did they make the Big Macs? They show how they made the Whopper but they don't explain how they took the care to make sure they made the Big Mac comparably to how it would be made in a McDonald's. (Yes, I know, "care" might be the wrong word.)

Control your periods! (or your birthing)

A Rose is Just as Sweet

I had the pleasure of trying this sorbet recently by Wine Cellar Sorbet. It was absolutely delicious. Their marketing tries a little too hard to appeal to people's desires to be elitist snobs, but I'll forgive them for that because they have a sumptuous product that would appeal to any age, race, class, gender, religious affiliation, sexual preference, etc.

Sell Out of the Day: Gwen Stefani

I am not one who uses the term sell-out very liberally. I think anyone who believes that pursuing money for one's art makes that artist less devoted to his art is either independently wealthy or pretentiously misguided. While I do not believe in overly compromising ones art work and I never believe in compromising ones beliefs, I do believe that, as in relationships, one must often give a little and take a little in regards to making their art "presentable" to others. And besides...who isn't a sell out? What greater joy can there be than to make a living doing what one loves best? And who am I to judge if someone's style changes as they get older? I certainly don't dress the same way that I did when I was 16. I don't like to think that I've sold out my fashion taste...but I do believe that my style of dress has changed with my age and with the times.

This brings me to Gwen Stefani. When Rock Steady came out, I was one of the few of my friends who didn't hang her head in despair. I thought it was a fun record. I like dance music, so why isn't a band I like also allowed to like it and even *gasp* make it?! Even if it was not their usual style? (Don't you like to play dress up sometimes?) And even when Gwen's solo album came out, I just shrugged my shoulders. I didn't like it so much, but she was having fun. I just prayed that she didn't get caught up in the glamor and money that comes with going solo, killing No Doubt (just as Justin Timberlake killed 'N Sync and Beyonce killed Destiny's Child...hahahaha).

No, no. I lost all hope when flipping through November's Vanity Fair. The ad caught my eye before I even realized what it was for. Now, I would like to believe that the ad is supposed to be ironic, poking fun at the double-entendres, sex-sells copy prevalent in most advertisement. But...it just seems too sincere in its efforts to be playfully sexy. But it's not sexy!! It's just sad!!