This Week in Pop Culture

Hi, guys! Sorry for not posting last week. Wedding season has begun and time just got away from me. Let’s chat briefly about the biggest news last week, though: Joe Biden and Barack Obama made history by becoming the first sitting Vice President and President, respectively, to support same-sex marriage (by the way, Obama said his feelings on the issue were “evolving” in 2010, paving the way for his monumental statement this past week).

The President has caught a lot of flack about making this announcement during an election year…but why wouldn’t he make this announcement right now? I mean, that’s what candidates do when it’s election time – they make ‘the grand gesture’ and instead of making wishy-washy statements about their stances, they take the plunge and fully support or denounce the hot-button issues. That’s what the voters want, what they need, in order to cast their ballots in the fall.

It really doesn’t matter whether you agree or disagree with the President’s opinion on the subject. What matters is that a very loaded issue, civil/social/moral/religious/political, is coming to the forefront of voters’ minds and decisions are finally being made. The country is slowly but surely becoming more progressive on matters that were, at one point historically, second-thought (think beatniks, Jack Kerouac, and hippies), then swept back under the rug along with the excess LSD. I won’t get into my opinion on the matter, but I believe that positive things happen when everyone gets talking; stifling matters and the thoughts/feelings of the masses won’t get us anywhere, it will only set us back.

Sorry, I digress. I really don’t like getting political. Let’s get to the nonsense that happened this week.

Wild Hog. Oh, Danny Zuko, what have you gotten yourself into? John Travolta has been accused of sexual assault by not one, not two, but THREE (probably four by the time I post this) masseurs over the past week. Rumors about Travolta’s sexuality have flowed and ebbed for several years, but now there are receipts and cruise ship staff flying around for every entertainment outlet, not to mention celebrity lawyer whore Gloria Allred, to pick up and put out almost every day.

There are also rumors that Travolta allegedly tried to fellate former Grease costar, the late Jeff Conaway (Kenickie) in the early ‘90s. The story was told to the National Enquirer by Conaway’s longtime girlfriend, Vicki Lizzi, who, if you haven’t seen any early episodes of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, is bat-shit crazy and was just as messed up on drugs as Conaway was at the time. Apparently Lizzi is a regular contributor for the Enquirer and has sold many-a story, so obviously she is a very reliable and believable source.

Since the multiple stories broke, John Does 1 and 2 have dropped their cases against Travolta. I don’t know what to believe. On one hand, some people are just really desperate, money-hungry, and will do anything for a buck. On the other hand, Travolta’s been married to Kelly Preston for years, they have kids together (she just had another baby about a year ago), he seemed like a regular horny guy in the Look Who’s Talking movies…but no one truly knows what goes on behind closed doors.

I foresee this playing out for another couple of weeks. I don’t think anything major will happen, the whole thing will probably just fizzle away with no explanation because these Does are dropping their cases left and right. This is just my speculation, but if Travolta has a good PR team behind him, which he probably does, this will only be small hiccup in his life-story.

One for the money, two for the show. It’s confirmed! The X Factor has not one, but two, new judges for its upcoming summer season. As reported a little over a month ago, Britney Spears has signed on to judge the upcoming season of the FOX show (for a measly $15 mil, officially) along with formerly troubled ex-Disney television ‘star’, Demi Lovato. I, for one, won’t be watching, but I expect to catch-up on Brit Brit’s crazy weekly commentary replayed, and hopefully recited, on The Soup.

Adios, J. Lo. Forbes’ most powerful celebrity, Jennifer Lopez, is officially breaking up with Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler, and the rest of American Idol. Her reason for leaving: she’s just too busy. Not only is she in the midst of a divorce with Mark Anthony, but she also has twin toddlers to raise and a worldwide concert tour to co-headline with Enrique Iglesias. You know, just your typical on-the-go working-mom stuff. Since signing on to judge the hit singing competition, Lopez has banked an astounding $32 million dollars. Now that’s a lot of Snack Packs.

Date Night

If you happen to be in one of these areas, you should check out Mansome [PG-13], a film about ‘what makes a man’, featuring Paul Rudd, Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Bateman, our own local celebrity John Waters, as well as many other funny fellas. Check out the trailer below:

See It: Battleship [PG-13] – Rihanna and Brooklyn Decker for the guys, Alexander Skarsgard and Taylor Kitsch for the ladies. Throw some aliens in there and you’ve got a movie everyone can enjoy.

Skip It: What to Expect When You’re Expecting [PG-13] – This seems like the kind of movie where all of the funniest parts are in the trailer, so you’d be wasting your money and 110 minutes of your life by seeing it in the theatres. Maybe see this movie if you really are an expectant mom-to-be who doesn’t have enough time to read the book this movie is titled after. You know, like when you were in high school and didn’t feel like reading The Great Gatsby and just rented the movie version from 1974. You got the gist, right?

Happy Birthday to a local celebrity, former Orioles third baseman, “The Human Vacuum Cleaner”, Brooks Robinson! He’s 75 today!

Celebrity Birthdays This Week: Tony Hawk (44), Jason Biggs (34), Stevie Wonder (62), Rob Pattinson (26), Denis Rodman (51), Stephen Colbert (48), Mark Zuckerberg (28), Janet Jackson (46), Megan Fox (26), Wee-Man (39), Bob Saget (56), Tina Fey (42).

Have a great weekend!