Real Name: Aprill Brandon Gender: female Date of Birth: June 20, 1981 Member Since: September 28, 2007 Last Signed In: August 27, 2008 Profile Views: 3205 Blog Views: 9726 Hierarchy of hotness The Mid-Wife Crisis Ready to feel old? Peeved Potter apostles protest producers' postponement Uncork that bottle, baby... Transgender singer duets with himself Rocky Horror remake? Say it ain't so... Can't keep up with your online life? Nothing is more important than this haircut Imagine that...sex still sells September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 
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Call me behind the times (considering this publication has been around since 1994), but as I was postponing doing any actual "work" this evening, I ran into a Web site that has swiftly risen to my top 10 (right behind The Onion...and that is love at first sight, folks). It's been touted as the antidote to traditional media. Vice Magazine has grown since its inception into a mini-empire and it shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, it's turning swiftly into the new teen Bible, according to The Independent. Being a publication junkie (we're talking everything from US Weekly to the Wall Street Journal to Vogue), I'm surprised I had never run into Vice before. But from what I've seen of it online, I may just have to subscribe (and give my mailman yet another reason to hate me). According to The Independent article, the magazine "has firmly established itself as a vehicle for news that other publications will not carry." "This is essentially a news magazine," [UK editor Andy] Capper explains. "But we cover issues that would otherwise fall under the radar. We present news stories in a way that hooks our audience into subjects they wouldn't otherwise look into." For example, for their Iraq issue, the magazine took a different approach, spending five years following a Baghdad heavy metal band from the beginning of the conflict to their eventual relocation to Syria. For those who just can't get enough of culture, pop or otherwise, I'd recommend checking it out. It's a nice cool breeze in the sweltering heat of a CNN and Newsweek world. Or has our culture merely become too sensitive and (I can already hear the groans) too politically correct ? Well, kids, here's an interesting article on just that very topic. According to the Web site www.adage.com, uproars over a recent Snickers commercial and one for Verizon Wireless have many people debating if ads are going too far or if people need to just lighten up. To sum it up for those of you who don't have time to read the whole article (which, let's be honest, is about 90 percent of you), a Snickers commercial featuring Mr. T machine gunning the candy at an effeminate man had gay rights organizations in an uproar (keep in mind the tagline was "Snickers. Get Some Nuts."). Claiming it condoned violence against gays, the protesters eventually won and the commercial was pulled. And then Verizon got dog and animal lovers foaming at the mouth with their recent commercial of a pair of pit bulls lunging at a guy, only to be jerked back by their chains. My take on all this brouhaha? Me thinks we need to lighten up just wee bit here, folks. Let's save all this "grab some torches and pitchforks" mentality for things that really deserve it...like people who are actually violent toward gays or hold dogs fights. Any other thoughts out there? So I was working intensely on various big and important stories this afternoon (re: randomly surfing the 'Net), when I came across this eye-opening video that was created by a 20-something filmmaker. The video, which can be seen here or on YouTube here, focuses on the way the youth of today aren't as socially or politically aware as many would like to believe (and also won an award at the annual Media That Matters Film Festival). Although there is a common perception out there that Gen. Y is one of the most socially conscious generations out there, this video will make you question just how we got that label. I mean, it's gotta make you a little scared for the future when teens across America know more about Paris Hilton and K-Fed than they do about Nelson Mandela or Alberto Gonzalez. Oh, I don't know, how about making video games that border on sexist...and if not sexist, than at least ridiculously stupid. It seems Paramount, in all its money-hungry glory, is coming out with a series of video games based off their movies "Clueless," "Mean Girls," and "Pretty in Pink." According to the Web site dose.ca, Paramount picked the films because of their appeal to female tweens, teens and young adults (re: girls are frilly and need frilly games). The company even goes further and says that these games are for the casual gamer, mostly female (BIG surprise) that likes less intense, more "fun" games. Now, I don't know about you, but playing a game where I am Lindsay Lohan sounds about as much fun to me as getting eaten by a lion very, very slowly as someone pulls my teeth out one by one. I mean, what are girls going to do during the game? Shop? Crush on a virtual dude? Slowly destroy each other's lives via evil cliques? Call me crazy, but I think young females already do most of those things on a daily basis in real life. What's the fun then, of repeating that in a game? But I think what bugs me the most is that Paramount just assumes girls don't want to play the shoot 'em up games (you know, the fun ones). I mean, maybe I'm wrong and there are girls out there who would dig this kind of game, but to me, it just seems like a lame excuse Paramount is using to tap into a certain market. Well, the less intense girls can have fun figuring out how to get Molly Ringwald to the prom with her dream guy. But I'm going to stick with my fast cars, big guns and wicked firepower. (Although if they ever do decide to make a game where we get to shoot up Lindsay Lohan, then we're talking). Well, in case there was ever any, last night proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am 100 percent geek. (Although in my defense, my boyfriend is also a major geek, and we have an enabling relationship that allows both of us to indulge in our geekiness fully). But I digress. Last night, we went to the movies and ended up spending almost six hours there. It started out simply enough with us going to see Hellboy II (because as if my own geeky tendencies toward geek staples such as "Lord of the Rings," Star Wars," and "Star Trek" weren't enough, the aforementioned boyfriend got me hooked on comic books as well). But one movie just wasn't enough for us to get our fill and so we ended up staying and seeing the late showing of "The Dark Knight" as well. Now I won't bore you with my review, considering there are approximately 84 billion "Dark Knight" reviews out there already (and considering the fact that my only complaint about the movie is Christian Bale is not shirtless nearly enough). But I did want to throw in my two cents about how comic book movies have reached a new level of cinematic excellence. Thanks to people like Joel Schumacher and his brilliant idea of Bat Nipples and horrific puns (Mr. Freeze alone whips out gems like "Chill!" and "Ice to see you" in "Batman and Robin"), this genre of movies almost died. Halle Berry in "Catwoman" didn't help matters much and for awhile it seemed that comic book movies would never be taken seriously. But then came "Batman Begins," "Superman Returns" and "Iron Man," which restored our faith in this genre. Not only did these movies blow up at the box office, but they single-handedly brought back Robert Downey Jr.'s career and made Christian Bale and Brandon Routh household names. And now with Oscar buzz surrounding Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker (which is well deserved in my oh-so-humble opinion) it finally seems that the critics and the industry are paying their respects to this genre. Gone are the days of campy superhero movies with too much emphasis on tights and capes, and not enough on the characters themselves. And for us fans of comic books and these characters, all we can say is it's about time. Regardless of whether you read comic books or not, there's a reason these stories about these characters have endured over the years. They have universal appeal and speak to us on several different levels. They are the characters we can always turn to when we need an escape from our own mad, crazy world. And it's about time we started treating these characters like the heroes they are. Sure we love our CD's, MP3 players and iPods, and, of course, not having to deal with commericals (I mean, no likes phrases like "Sunday! Sunday! SUNDAY!" being blared at them). But call me an old fart if you will, there is just nothing that can compare to driving around with your windows down (once the temperatures drops below 130 degrees) and listening to some good, old-fashioned radio. Unfortunately, radio's days may be numbered. According to a New York Times story, attempts at trying to attract a younger audience to the radio industry have been failing. The Web site, YPulse.com, goes into further detail on this trend. I, for one, find this trend alarming. I mean, I love my iPod but still I grew up listening to the radio as a child and even as a teen. And no one likes to see a staple of their youth going to the dogs. I mean, remember when you used to try and make a mixed tape off the radio, trying to record only the songs you liked, your fingers ready on the record and pause buttons? And then in the end, you ended up with a tape that missed the beginning of every song no matter how fast you were? And there was that feeling of anticipation of what the next song they were going to play was, not to mention when you kept flipping from channel to channel in the hopes of hearing your favorite song again. And what about morning shows? When I lived in Ohio, I was addicted to Bob and Tom in the morning, and here in Victoria, I love me some Joe and Ash in the morning (honestly, who doesn't love the "Real People, Real Stupid" segment?). All hope may not be lost, however. As one study shows, more youth are listening to the radio than they were last year. So tune in, people. The fight ain't over yet. It's a trend that hit big in Japan in the 90's and in more recent years gained a following here in the U.S. Called Lolita Fashion (and thusly, those who adhere to the style are called Lolita Girls) it originated as a fasion subculture in Japan and is influenced mainly by Victorian era children's clothing and costumes from the Rococo period. And now it has hit Victoria. On a recent Advocate discussion forum, one poster brought up the fact that she and her friends are Lolita Girls. Always being big into fashion and unique styles, this got me interested in doing a story on this unique trend from the East. And as such, I'm looking for anyone out there who is a Lolita Girl or likes to wear this style who wouldn't mind being interviewed for the story. If interested, feel free to drop me a line at 361-580-6514 or email me at abrandon@vicad.com.
Forget the fact that the world is heading to hell in a basket, ladies and gentlemen. None of that matters anymore since the most important thing that has ever happened in the history of the world ever has happened. Angelina Jolie finally gave birth to her twins. W00t! And of course, the second most important thing that has ever happened in the history of the world ever is that they released to the public the names of these blessed children: Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline. Not too shabby in my opinion. I mean, I actually like these names, as do I like the names of the rest of their international soccer team. But the Jolie-Pitt twins' names bring to light other celebrity children who aren't as lucky. And by that I mean they have idiotic celebrity parents who give them names like Rainbow Sorbet Lilypad and Zorak. Take Nicholas Cage, for example. He named his child Kal-el, which is Superman's real name. Yeah, I don't care how much money and fame Daddy has. That kid is getting beat up. Just what is up with celebrities feeling the need to name their kids horrendous names? I mean, come on. Why not just name them "My Parents Hate Me." I understand celebs have to keep up with the latest trends, but honestly, they should really draw the line at destroying an infant's life just to keep up with the Joneses.
But at least it gives us something to laugh at . And so here is a list compiled by VH1 of the wackiest baby names our cuckoo celebrities can come up with: AUDIO SCIENCE ...and all I got were these lousy emotional scars. Well, Victoria, I am back. I have survived my two-week vacation to my hometown in Ohio and my journey into the heartland of America surrounded by 55 irritated people in a cramped tin can (otherwise known as a Greyhound bus). I wrote about the first part of my experience in a column that ran last Wednesday (I made it a two-parter considering my experience just could not be fit into 800 words or less). The second part will be running next Wednesday. But I also wanted to write a quick blog on the changing face of travel in America. Being a Yankee living in the South, I have done more traveling over the past 2.5 years than most people. And since I used to travel all the time with my adventurous mother when I was a child and a teenager, I have watched the industry change over the years. With that being said, I can't help but ask...what happened to the time when traveling was fun? I mean, I'm not even that old but I remember pre-Sept. 11 when riding an airplane was almost a glamorous affair (and not one that cost as much as my rent). Now riding a plane means feeling like a criminal because you forgot you left your mascara in your purse. Which naturally means you are a terrorist (albeit one with voluminous lashes) and made to stand in the "special line" where some angry woman from TSA will pat you down and look through all your belongings, searching for your lip gloss that apparently contains a bomb. And even after it is found out that you are not carrying any WMD in your carry-on, you still feel guilty. I remember taking road trips with my family or college friends back before filling up the tank cost more than my daily income. We would drive to places in Tennessee, North Carolina and Florida and stop to see attractions like the World's Largest Lint Ball on the way. But now, I avoid going to the store, let alone across the country, considering I have to take out a loan every time I have to cross the Victoria County line. Now, I realize that a big reason why travel has changed so much is due to safety and security reasons. And I'd certainly rather put up with TSA frisking me than be blown up because they weren't frisking people. Still, I can't help but long for the days when travel was about the experience, not the destination. It just seems like now the only point in traveling is getting to where you're going without dying...or going bankrupt. Plus, I think the American public has also lost its sense of decency when traveling. Yes, I get it that you are tired and irritated, your flight has been delayed repeatedly and you sat next to a screaming child for four hours, but that's no reason to be out and out rude to a perfect stranger, like say the young woman traveling alone who just asked if that seat was taken. Maybe it will get better. I truly hope it does because I'm a traveler at heart and want to see the entire world. But until then, sadly it seems the open road and the friendly skies are no more. *Sigh* |
