Why isn't 'Batgirl' a valid career choice?

Back in late October, I did an article here that talked about Healthcare Reform in the US and how it affects both Buzznet users and the bands they are fans of.  In the article, I mentioned an online forum I participated in which featured several speakers, including Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy. Read more...

Holy crap did these guys have an adventurous day!

First of all, Frank and Bob met a giant spider!

Frank reacted quickly by...hiding behind Bob.

Lucky for them, Buffy was nearby and saved them!

Then Gerard showed up and asked if he could try on Buffy's jacket and she said "Um, sure?"

Gerard thinks he looks damn good in Buffy's jacket.  Frank agrees.

Meanwhile, Mikey and Ray make coffee.

Someone pointed out to me today that album releases are on TUESDAYS.  Well, THAT DOESN'T MATTER!  If MCR doesn't want to see these apples sliced up and baked into a pie and EATEN, they will put out a new album by November 9th, 2009!

If you're like me, then the quickly approaching release date for New Moon leaves you with only one desire: to crawl into a hole and not come out until the abstinence fueled Twi-frenzy goes back into hibernation.

But alas, this is really not possible.  So we are damned in that everywhere we turn there will be SOMETHING relating to Twilight, be it an advertisement, a blog, an interview or, of course, merchandise.

And really, for me, the merchandise is some of the worst of it.  I know it's unescapable because we're talking about a franchise extremely popular with teens and young adults, both demographics who tend to have disposable income.  But really, sometimes these things go too far (WARNING: THAT LAST LINK IS VERY, VERY, VERY NOT SAFE FOR UNDERAGED READERS, WORK OR FOR ANYONE'S SANITY.  DO NOT CLICK IT IF YOU ARE ON A SHARED COMPUTER OR USING A COMPUTER WHERE SOMEONE WOULD FREAK OUT IF THEY CAUGHT YOU LOOKING AT SPARKLING SEX TOYS.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.).

Most of the stuff is pretty mundane, though.  But it's all fairly sad and generally very tacky.  So, for the next three weeks leading up to the movie's release, I will be presenting you with the best...which is really, to be fair, the worst...of the "exclusive" Twilight merchandise.

First we tackle Rue 21.  Their New Moon Exclusive Line is actually pretty dull.  You've got your requisite Team Edward and Team Jacob tees:

And, well, really the rest of the line is generally pictures of Edward and Jacob with differing background designs and sayings.  It's...really pretty boring.

Boring and poorly thought out, actually.  I mean, look at these:

Oh, golly, gee, my choices are having Edward's creeptastic cupcake dog impression on my boob, or having Jacob's "going to hunt you down and mount you" expression on my boob.  Gee, why not just COMBINE the two shirts so I can have a creepy guy staring out at people from both of my tits?

And then there's this shirt:

When I first saw it, it reminded me of something but I just couldn't quite put my finger on it.  And then it hit me:

It's eerily like something I'd expect from a piece of Labyrinth merchandise.  Which, you know, okay, there's a certain number of parallels between the two movies: both are about a creepy older guy who stalks and belittles a spoiled, entitled teenage girl and attempts to bend her to his will.

EXCEPT FOR THE PART WHERE IN LABYRINTH, JARETH IS UNDENIABLY THE BAD GUY AND IN THE END SARAH GROWS UP, STANDS UP TO HIM AND DEFEATS HIM RATHER THAN MARRYING HIM AND CARRYING AROUND HIS UTERUS NOMMING HELLSPAWN.

*catches breath*

Rue 21 doesn't stop with the t-shirts, though.  They also offer movie posters and, um, Twilight candy bars.

Cream filled Twilight candy bars.

Make your own "Cream filled" joke here, please.

In summation: Rue 21's line is fairly boring and really left me without much to mock.  Fairly standard movie-tie-in merch.

The best item:

I actually find this Forks High School Athletic shirt kind of cute.

The worst item:

Hard to choose not because of badness but because of general boring-ness.  But I think I settled on this shirt if only for Edward's creepy gaze.

Join me again next week when I take on the official New Moon merch from Nordstrom, including jewelry and cosmetics!

I've let the apples have the run of my apartment while I'm at work because, hey, they're possibly going to be baked into a pie and eaten anyway.  So why not?

Strangely, all of them have begun to act like their namesakes.  It's kind of weird, actually.

Gerard got into my comic books.

Frank was upset that I didn't have a puppy for him to play with, but he ended up making friends with my lucky stuffed French Lab Rat, Marcel.

Ray and Mikey pretty much chilled out and played video games together.  Though they did end up complaining about my lack of selection.

And Bob is so damn pimp, he spent the day in a tropical paradise, hanging out with Wonder Woman and former WWE Diva Amy "Lita" Dumas.  

Do you feel any compassion for these apples yet, My Chemical Romance?  DO YOU?  Well, if so, YOU'D BETTER MOVE ON THAT ALBUM.  Because, as a reminder, if I do not have a new My Chemical Romance album by MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH, I will BAKE THESE APPLES INTO A PIE AND EAT THEM!

Now is not the time for idle threats, my friends.  Now is not the time for patience or excuses.

It is almost the end of 2009 and we still do not have a new My Chemical Romance CD.  We have put up with update after update from the band during their studio time, yet we still do not have a follow-up to The Black Parade.  I cannot deal with this anymore.  This is a matter of dire consequence.Read on...

About two weeks ago, while complaining about the return of plaid to the fashion world, I said to a friend "It's like they decided 'hey, the 90's were cool, let's bring them back...but without the good music or pushing for social change.  So...plaid's pretty much all we've got left.'"

Apparently the world decided that it would, for once, humor me.  Because Lilith Fair, the all women's music festival, will return in 2010.

Founded by Sarah McLachlan, the festival ran from 1997 to 1999 and was marked by it's dedication to women in music.  Acts such as Tegan and Sarah, Queen Latifah, Christina Aguilera, The Dixie Chickss, Sheryl Crow and McLachlan herself played the festival's stages.  Lilith was one of the high grossing tours in the world and brought in an impressive amount of money for local charities.

So far, the new Lilith site has announced the first round of cities and has promised more in the future, as well as announcing bands and artists to be featured on the tour.  You can also follow the Lillith Fair Twitter, @lilithfair. 

Could this mean the women's revolution in music is finally coming back?  Or is a decade later a decade too late for Lilith to help women re-establish their place in the music world?

When Pete Wentz was 23 years old, his life was not like most of ours.  Pete was spending his time traveling around in a van with his friends and bandmates trying to make Fall Out Boy happen.  

However, Pete did have something in common with an overwhelming number of 23 year olds: he had no health insurance.  And according to what he said in a forum on Wednesday night, hosted by Passtheball.com and Rock The Vote, his choices amounted to either pay for health insurance or put gas in the van.  Insurance or buy a new amp. Insurance or promotion for the band. Read more...

Pete Wentz's social activism is hardly a secret.  Between his work with Invisible Children, his outspoken political support for President Barack Obama during last year's presidential election and contributing to Half of Us, a site which deals with depression and suicide, Wentz has definitely used his fame to help promote and raise money and awareness for his causes. Read more...

I know, I know, the title to this sounds like a Twilight bashing statement.  And don't worry, we'll get to that, eventually.  But for now, let's concentrate on the fact that a recent article in Esquire actually made the claim that the Twilight series, in fact, the entire current vampire craze, is "because young straight women want to have sex with gay men."

I am not making this up:

Edward, the romantic hero of the Twilight series, is a sweet, screwed-up high school kid, and at the beginning of his relationship with Bella, she is attracted to him because he is strange, beautiful, and seemingly repulsed by her. This exact scenario happened several times in my high school between straight girls and gay guys who either hadn't figured out they were gay or were still in the closet. Twilight's fantasy is that the gorgeous gay guy can be your boyfriend, and for the slightly awkward teenage girls who consume the books and movies, that's the clincher. Vampire fiction for young women is the equivalent of lesbian porn for men: Both create an atmosphere of sexual abandon that is nonthreatening. That's what everybody wants, isn't it?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, back up here.  Let's address this bit by bit, okay?

First of all, yes, there is something to the vampires as a metaphor for homosexuality theory.  Vampires for the most part are known for having fangs.  The vampires feed by penetrating a human with their fangs and draining their vital fluids.  Note the key word there: penetrating.  Penetration.

LIKE WITH A PENIS.

Sorry, just had to get that out there.  Yes, some psychologists read the fangs and feeding as a metaphor for penetration and therefor sex.  Which is part of why we read vampires as sexual in the first place.  Even going as far back as Bram Stoker there's the possibility to read in homosexual subtext:

But at that instant, another sensation swept through me as quick as lightning. I was conscious of the presence of the Count, and of his being as if lapped in a storm of fury. As my eyes opened involuntarily I saw his strong hand grasp the slender neck of the fair woman and with giant's power draw it back, the blue eyes transformed with fury, the white teeth champing with rage, and the fair cheeks blazing red with passion. But the Count! Never did I imagine such wrath and fury, even to the demons of the pit. His eyes were positively blazing. The red light in them was lurid, as if the flames of hell fire blazed behind them. His face was deathly pale, and the lines of it were hard like drawn wires. The thick eyebrows that met over the nose now seemed like a heaving bar of white-hot metal. With a fierce sweep of his arm, he hurled the woman from him, and then motioned to the others, as though he were beating them back. It was the same imperious gesture that I had seen used to the wolves. In a voice which, though low and almost in a whisper seemed to cut through the air and then ring in the room he said,

"How dare you touch him, any of you? How dare you cast eyes on him when I had forbidden it? Back, I tell you all! This man belongs to me! Beware how you meddle with him, or you'll have to deal with me."

This trend continued on until authors like Anne Rice and Poppy Z. Brite took the subtext and made it flat out text.  While in the past it had been male vampire biting male victim = male pentrating another male = teh gay sex, those authors among others made it male vampire having sex with male vampire =teh gay sex. 

Now, in more current media, True Blood makes several seemingly direct correlations between vampirism and homosexuality.  In fact, Stephen Moyer, one of the show's stars, has suggested he'd like to see a sex scene with his character, Bill Compton, and fellow vampire Erik Northman, played by Alexander Skarsgard.  And Joss Whedon, writer/creator of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer has admitted in a commentary that two of his male vampires, Angel and Spike, have at least experimented with each other in the past.

HOWEVER, claiming that Twilight addresses that issue?  That's your problem.  First of all, the claim that Edward is "repulsed" by Bella isn't true.  Edward ACTS repulsed by Bella, however it is because he is concealing his extreme desire for her.  Edward wants to bite Bella...Edward wants to penetrate Bella.

Um, and can we take a second here and examine the idea of "he's gay so he's repulsed by women?"  That's just flat out insulting to gay men.  While you're at it, why don't you throw in some more "proof" that Edward is gay: he uses hair product, dresses well, doesn't seem too into sports...it's all bs stereotypes.

Also, there is the part where the homosexual overtones of vampirism rely on the fact that the vampire feeds off of male humans.  Which Edward clearly doesn't.  He feeds off of animals.  Which means a better analogy is that Edward is into beastiality.

Let that sink in for a second.

The sexual politics of Twilight are an interesting topic, don't get me wrong. Edward insists that he won't bite Bella until they're married.  Just one bite and you're turned into something that needs to bite others all the time to survive.  Vampire Bella is so pure and magical she can control herself in regards to biting.  Now, go back through and imagine that instead of biting, you're talking about having sex.  Intriguing, no?

However, the idea that Twilight is homosexual friendly is laughable.  Because while we see a number of relationships portrayed, they are all male/female.  We see two relationships that are infact a child with an adult in an arranged marriage situation, which is written off as perfectly normal and healthy (one of the two couples is even named in a reference to Lolita, a book about adult/child relationships...but, um, it doesn't exactly portray those as HEALTHY).  But at no point are we shown a male/male or female/female situation. 

And one cannot discount Stephenie Meyer's own politics.  We know she is a devout Mormon and she has said that she tithes.  Which isn't a big deal until you consider the Mormon church's stance on homosexuality.  "The Mormon Church will not bow to popular opinion that asserts because 'they were born that way', gays and lesbians should be permitted to live a homosexual lifestyle."  In fact, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints not only actively preaches against homosexuality, but went on to donate more than $190,000 to Pro-Prop 8 campaigns, which lead to gay marriage once again being banned in the state of California. 

So yes, there's a lot to be said about gay vampires.  But Twilight is hardly a shining example and the idea that it's popularity is due to straight girls wanting to bang gay guys?  Ridiculous.  I mean, I'm assuming there's got to be a reason people like those books, but since we've ruled out being well-written, interesting plot, captivating characters, drugs laced into the ink they're printed with, hypnosis, something in the water and girls wanting to have sex with gay men, the search for that reason continues.

Fans were both saddened and stunned when Cash Colligan, bassist and co-founder of The Cab, announced he was leaving the band to pursue other opportunities.  He's stayed active, continuing to manage his restaurant, broadcasting via his StickAM site, hanging out with fellow former Cab member Ian Crawford and Tweeting.  A lot. Read more...

Hey gang!  As you probably know, Fall Out Boy is treating us to a "Greatest Hits" album before they take their much needed break. Bring it.

Well, we're in short range of New Moon, the second film in the Twilight Saga, hitting theaters.  The film opens November 20th, and with it comes the promotional blitz that takes over every single form of media.

And two of the stars want nothing to do with it. Do not want...

A few weeks ago, bits and pieces of what appeared to be a viral campaign titled "Overnight Sensation" appeared online.  Photos surfaced of people wearing shirts reading "Overnight Sensation" while posing with Cobra Starship lead singer Gabe Saporta.  According to reports, the people who traveled on the Cobra Party Bus at the MTV Video Music Awards were also asked to wear the shirts. Read more...

Apparently, here in the United States it is National Poetry Day.  This is very cool.

I absolutely love poetry, both reading and writing it.  It's part of why I love music as well, because lyrics can and often are poetry in their own right.  But sometimes nothing beats the old stuff.

So, in honor of National Poetry Day, a few of my favorites:

In the spirit of the Halloween season, The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas.

She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron.

The Danger of Writing Defiant Verse by Dorothy Parker.

I'd like to speak of poetry

that which is and was

and hope to start a dialog

here on the Net of Buzz.

So tell me now, dear reader

of who's pages you turn in glee

or sorrow or pain or any way

give some suggestions to me!

Gabe Saporta is not known for shutting his mouth.

The outspoken founder and lead singer of Cobra Starship has made his policy of telling the truth, even if it's not the truth people want to hear, very well known to the internet at large.  Hell, Cobra's last album, Hot Mess, had a track titled "I May Be Rude, But I'm The Truth."  And Gabe has applied that truth to his band, his business dealings and his personal life. Sass!

There's been much fret and worry over the status of Fall Out Boy since Pete Wentz told MTV the band was planning to take a little break after their tour dates with Blink-182, coupled with the sentiments that seemed to be expressed by the video for "What a Catch, Donnie." Everything is going to be okay...

So, it looks like Lady Gaga and Kanye West won't be touring together.

LiveNation has announced that the Fame Kills Tour has been canceled.  Laurieann Gibson, Gaga's choreographer, Twittered that the reason was "creative differences" between the two artists.  TMZ is claiming that the reason is poor ticket sales.  But whatever the reason, I'm sure it's going to be blamed on some- IMMA LET YOU FINISH...

Fans of My Chemical Romance  might remember Brian Schechter as the group's manager.  They might remember him from his interviews and appearances in "Life on the Murder Scene."  And they might even know that he's the guy in the mascot costume getting tackled in the video for "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)."

Brian parted ways with My Chem, but apparently he's still into things that are a little bit...well, crazy.  Because, as you might know from Schecter's Twitter, after getting out of music, he signed himself up for Stuntman school.

The Associated Press ran a story on the International Stunt School in Hollywood and included Brian in their anecdotes from students who are attending the school during the recession.  Brian's reason for doing this?  Other than his tendency towards risky things (skateboarding, sky diving, living in a van with Gerard Way's occasionally gnarly odors), he says that money played into it.  "I never did [band management] for money, but it's not there anymore.  It just isn't. To develop an artist in that business the same way - I'd rather bet on myself and develop this."

The stuntman and thrill seeking stuff leads to often interesting comments on his Twitter, though:

• I need a six point harness and a nomex suit. Any help out there?
• Did 3 jumps. They were good. Got home. Jumped off of the house into an airbag. Watched hancock. Took a nap. Woke up grumpy. Need to eat.
• Today. Today I will be set on fire. Wish me luck.

Good luck to Brian in all of this!  Just keep the faith, dude, just believe you can fly.

Oh...well, I didn't mean that literally but...works for me!

Please note: I am aware that the subject matter in this journal may anger some people, but what I am presenting here are the facts.  I am also aware that at least one name in this journal tends to bring out the nastiest in people on this site, so I am giving you fair warning: the moderators at Buzznet.com have been made aware of this journal and the comments WILL be strictly moderated.  And, as I said before, the information provided here is FACTUAL.  It is not opinion, it is historically and legally documented FACT. 

For those of you not in the know, director Roman Polanski was arrested recently for raping a 13 year old girl in California in 1977.

Let that sink in for awhile.  The man plead guilty to the crime and then fled the country to avoid punishment.  He was finally arrested in Switzerland on September 26th due to an outstanding warrant (remember, he PLEAD GUILTY to the crime).

And yet, there is an alarming number of people trying to defend Polanski.  Saying that he shouldn't have been arrested because it's hurtful to his fans, because he's made so many good movies, he's "suffered" enough.  And as I read these arguments, I am horrified because I have heard them before.

These are the same or similar arguments I see made by defenders of Ronnie Radke, former lead singer of Escape the Fate and current lead singer for Falling in Reverse.

If you've managed to escape that drama: Ronnie was involved in a fight in 2006, which led to the death of an 18-year-old boy.  Radke plead guilty to assault, was placed on probation, and then violated his probation less than a year later, landing himself a 4 year jail sentence that has been shortened for "good behavior."  But many people claim he should never have gone to prison for various reasons, including the fact that he never pulled the trigger, that he makes good music, that he's attractive...etc. 

In short: defending Roman Polanski is the grown-up version of defending Ronnie Radke.

It's even scarier and sadder if you compare the arguments side by side:

• Ronnie shouldn't have to be in prison because he makes good music/Polanski shouldn't have to go to jail because he makes amazing movies.
• Ronnie had a bad childhood/Polanski survived the Holocaust, the Krakow Ghetto and having his wife murdered by the Manson Family.
• Ronnie didn't plan for anyone to die and didn't kill anyone/Polanski didn't know the girl was only 13.
• People get into fights all the time, why go after Ronnie/Young women are raped all the time, why go after Polanski?
• Ronnie had to leave his band because of all of this/Polanski hasn't been able to direct or cast in Hollywood nor was he allowed to fly to the US to receive an Oscar.

Look at the further similarities: Both men plead guilty to the crimes they were charged with.  Both men later fled from the law and were caught.  There's also the attempts of fans of each to defer the blame onto other parties, in Ronnie's case onto his band and in Polanski's case onto the victim's mother who they claim pushed her daughter at Polanski in hopes of landing her a movie role. 

The point is, while the situation is more dire and drawn out in Polanski's case, the arguments are essentially the same.  There is really a belief that if someone has done artistic work you admire, they should be allowed to get away with murder...or with the rape of a child.  That there is something okay with defending a known criminal just because you like their work, that we should just look the other way because they're famous.  And is this where the future is headed, that we WILL excuse worse and worse crimes from people because of their art or their looks or just because they seem "nice?" 

Please, please, if you are one of the people defending either of these men, look at the facts of the case and realize that you can like what they have done as artists but recognize that what they have done, what they have ADMITTED IN COURT TO DOING, is hurtful, illegal and WRONG.  And that they, like everyone else, must face the consequences.

EDIT: I used "getting away with murder" as an idiom.  I KNOW Ronnie was not sent to prison for murder.  So please, do not tell me I do not now "know the facts" of his case.  Trust me, I know much more about this than I really want to.

Earlier this year, as I'm sure you all are aware, pop music lost a legend.  Michael Jackson's passing marked the loss of one of the most innovated men in show business.  

As you know, each year in October, I do something Halloween related.  And this year is no exception.  But this year, there's more to it than just a poll or a user pic change, this year I want to do something in tribute to one of Michael's most iconic moments and one of the best Halloween songs ever released. Put on your dancin' shoes...