Current Events: August 2006 Archives

Lindsey Lohan wants to go to Iraq to perform for the troops.

There is nothing wrong with her wanting to go to Iraq to boost morale. That's kind of cool.

Here is where it gets weird. She goes on to say:

"I've been trying to go to Iraq with Hillary Clinton for so long," Lohan, 20, tells Elle magazine in its September issue, after she was asked if she had any big plans for next year. "Hillary was trying to work it out, but it seemed too dangerous." She continues, "I wanted to do what Marilyn Monroe did (during the Korean War), when she went and just set up a stage and did a concert for the troops all by herself. It's so amazing seeing that one woman just going somewhere, this beautiful sex kitten, who's basically a pinup, which is what I've always aspired to be."

Her aspiration in life was to be a "beautiful sex kitten" and a "pinup". That's it?

And weirder yet:

Even without Sen. Clinton, Lohan is confident she can handle an Iraq trip on her own. "I'm not afraid of going," she says. "My security guard is going to take me to a gun range when I get back to L.A., and I'm going to start taking shooting lessons."

Does she realize there is a stark difference between carrying a gun for self-defense in The South Bronx at night, and being in the middle of a war zone? Although I think I would worry about her in the South Bronx...

This is an AOL site, so it may not come up for everyone.

The Chicks elicited more laughter as lead singer Natalie Maines dedicated the humorous 'White Trash Wedding' to Mel Gibson, sarcastically praising the actor for checking into rehab.

"You know how it is when you're drunk," she said, in reference to Gibson's anti-Semitic rant during his DUI arrest last week. "All of our controversy would have been over if I had checked myself into rehab and said I was drunk and didn't know what I was saying."

Um, wow! I can't wrap my head around this one. I love how The Dixie Chicks have anointed themselves the voice of America. Mostly though, I think people who proudly refer to themselves as "Dixie Chicks" really should tone down their speeches on "tolerance" (oh how I hate that stupid buzzword).

From today's WaPo (registration)

When I [Gene Weingargen] heard that the new poet laureate of the United States was to be Donald Hall, the New Hampshire literary eminence, I was elated. The media accounts rightfully praised the beauty and sophistication of Hall's verse. But that's not why I was happy. I was happy because I knew something most in the media didn't.

The respectable Donald Hall at times has been a joyful practitioner of some of the lowest, least dignified, raunchiest forms of poetry. In short, he's my kind of guy! He's done limericks, and he is a fan of the infinitely silly but challenging "Higgledy piggledies," also known as double dactyls.

So Weingarten faxes him his own double-dactyl tribute:

Higgledy piggledy Donald Hall, Laureate! News of it rains in an Imperfect storm, Tragicomedically Failing to mention his Seminal work in this Sorry-ass form.

I feel bad for the guy. I think if he were not the great producer of the controversial and non-politically correct Passion of the Christ, this would be a blurb instead of big news. Were it Eminem, no one would care less.

Why do I think that? Well for one, the article I linked to stated:

In a column Monday on the HuffingtonPost.com, Emanuel wrote that he wished Gibson well in battling alcoholism. "But alcoholism does not excuse racism and anti-Semitism," he wrote.

Emanuel, whose clients have included Larry David and Mark Wahlberg, went onto urge his Hollywood brethren not to work with the A-lister.

I not going to even touch on Larry David because there is very little he says or does that is not offensive, but Mark Wahlberg? I seem to remember back in the day when Mr. Wahlberg was known as "Markie Mark" he was not the role model for tolerance either.