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

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...

I stole these from El Rich.  He stole them from someone else, who was not the real Dread Pirate Roberts, either.  Answer them, and I'll most likely kill you in the morning.

1. Why did you first add me as a friend?
2. What were your first thoughts?
3. What do you think now?
4. What is your favorite picture I've taken or blog I've written?
5. How would you describe me or what I post?
6. What reminds you of me?
7. If we were able to magically teleport to magical places together, what do you think would be awesome to do?
8. Maybe we could attempt to make an ice sculpture, what do you think we should make?
9. Do you believe in magic?
10. Are you happy we're friends?

So, around these parts, Dallon Weekes is known as "that guy who played bass for Panic! at the Disco during their tour dates this summer."  But Weekes is also the frontman/sole permanent member of a band known as The Brobecks, who have been making music since 2002 and just released their newest album, Violent Things, on iTunes. Read more...

Okay guys, I'll be the first to admit, vampires are awesome.  I've been into the whole thing since long before a sparkling poster child for abusive relationships rekindled it by romantically telling his girlfriend how easily he could kill her.  I love me some vampires.

But it needs to stop.  Because it has officially gone too far.  Particularly the marketing. Retract them fangs!

Oh, the things one finds while browsing YouTube.  I was in a nostalgic mood and ended up deciding to view a bunch of old Backstreet Boys music videos. 

This, combined with Mark's recently outpouring of Jacob Black love at Mark Reads Twilight, led me to only one conclusion:

If Jacob Black had sung Backsteet Boys songs to Bella, she'd totally have gone for him.

Because, as much as Smeyer talks about how My Chemical Romance and Muse relate to her writing, Jacob Black LIVES IN A BACKSTREET BOYS SONG.  I do not kid!

Don't believe me?  Let's revisit some of their best, shall we?

I'll Never Break Your Heart:

Baby I know your hurting
Right now you feel like you could never love again
Now all I ask is for a chance
To prove that I love you

Hmmm...sounds a bit like Jacob's MO through most of New Moon, doesn't it?  And yet it gets better!

Ooooh, when I asked you out
You said no but I found out
Darling that you'd been hurt 
You felt that you'd never love again 

I deserve a try honey just once
Give me a chance and I'll prove this all wrong
You walked in you were so quick to judge
But honey he's nothing like me 

I'll never break your heart
I'lll never make you cry
I'd rather die than live without you
I'll give you all of me
Honey that's no lie

Hmmm...interesting.  But still, the rest of their catalog also holds up:

All I Have to Give:

I don't know what he does to make you cry,
but I'll be there to make you smile.
I don't have a fancy car,
to get to you I'd walk a thousand miles.

Jacob doesn't HAVE all the expensive cars and shit that Edward does, but he will do anything he can to make Bella feel better, dammit!

But my love is all I have to give
Without you I don't think I can live
I wish I could give the world to you...but
Love is all I have to give

But this is all from their earlier albums!  Surely nothing from their later albums would include this theme!

More Than That:

Okay, I'm just posting ALL of the lyrics to this one.

I can see that you've been crying
You can't hide it with a lie
What's the use in you denying
That what you have is wrong
I heard him promise you forever
But forevers come and go
Baby, he would say whatever
It takes to keep you blind
Tell the truth between the lies, oh

I will love you more than that
I won't say the words
Then take them back
Don't give loneliness a chance
Baby listen to me when I say
I will love you more than that

Baby, you deserve much better
What's the use in holding on
Don’t you see it’s now or never
'Cause I just can’t be friends
Baby knowing in the end, that..

I will love you more than
that I WON'T say the words
Then take them back
Don't give loneliness a chance
Baby listen to me when I say Hey...

There's not a day that passes by
I don't wonder why we haven’t tried
It's not too late to change your mind
So take my hand, don’t say goodbye

Holy crap!  This PROVES IT, folks!  If Jacob Black had shown up outside Bella's window and sung any of these songs to her, she would have MELTED LIKE BUTTER.  If she didn't SHE HAS NO SOUL.  Hate music all you want Miss "Linkin-Park's-Drum-Patterns-Are-So-TOTALLY-Complicated-and-Their-Lyrics-Are-So-Deep!"  But even you would be reduced to a puddle of goo if Jacob showed up belting out any of these songs, dedicated entirely to you. 

IN FACT, YOU KNOW WHAT?  YOU DON'T DESERVE HIM.  Fuck it, I want Jacob outside MY window singing this shit to me.  FUCK YOU, BELLA!  YOU MISSED OUT!  HOW D'YOU LIKE THEM APPLES, HUH?

Zombieland, an indie-comedy-horror-thriller film starring Woody Harrleson and Jesse Eisenberg, is set to invade theaters on October 2nd.

But some of you Zombie enthusiasts might not be able to wait until then.  You might have a hunger for more.  You might need to stumble to a theater sooner than that.  If you've got a zombie plague, there is only one cure.

Destroy the brain.

WAIT, NO, sorry, that's an ACTUAL zombie plague!  But if you've got a desire to see Zombieland a few days early as well as get a chance to show off your best zombie look and shambling walk, then you might just want to head to a Zombieland Zombiewalk and Screening.

What does this entail?  Well, first, you need to be in or near LA, Chicago, Dallas, Houston or Washington, DC.  Then, you need to head to this website for more information about where to meet, what to do and what to wear.  You might also want to follow Zombie Walk on Twitter, 'cause they're giving out details about getting free zombie make-up done before the walk and other helpful tidbits of information.

And, if you're in the Monroeville area, there's actually going to be a non-Zombieland Zombiewalk on October 11th at the Zombie Mecca that is Monroeville Mall (for those of you not in the know: it's where the original Dawn of the Dead was filmed...hence the title of the My Chemical Romance song "Early Sunsets Over Monroeville.") along with all kinds of other zombie-related stuff as well as a zombie ball for the 21 and over crowd!  You can get details on THAT at the It's Alive Show website.

In the meantime, you can relive Buzznet's Zombie shenanigans from last year, including the scene celebrity zombie gallery, the Twilight zombie gallery, and pictures and video from last year's Zombiewalk in Monroeville.

So, Brittany tipped me off to this last night and I felt a rant was in order. 

As September ends and October rolls in, we begin thinking of that magical time of year called "Halloween."  With the spooky stuff and the pumpkin based goodies and, of course, the costumes.  Which means you'll be shopping around for bits and pieces for the year "come as you aren't."

Luckily, there are a number of websites out there offering help with costumes.  You can buy pre-packaged or you can look at tips for easy costumes that you can put together from everyday clothing items.  

And then, there's Hot Topic.

Look, Hot Topic, you were cool and fun when I was in high school.  And I don't know if I've out grown you or if you've changed, but we are done.  Professionally.  Your Halloween ideas are both ridiculously BAD and over-priced, to the point that you've morphed into a store selling the Mean Girls theory on Halloween costumes:

In the real world Halloween was a time for little kids to dress up in scary costumes. In girl world it was the one night a year a girl could dress like a total slut and no other girls could say anything about it. The hard core girls just wore lingerie and some form of animal ears.

Okay, so maybe it's not quite THAT bad.  But several of the guy costumes are...well, they're certainly not GOOD.

Do you remember when you were a kid and there were "costumes" that were just smocks with a character's picture on them and a cheap plastic mask?  Yeah, these are just the adult version of that.  

There's also a ton of pre-packaged Alice in Wonderland inspired costumes (gee, Hot Topic selling stuff that's related to a Tim Burton movie?  You don't say...), but of course, according to the website, you also have to dump an extra ton of money on accessories to go along with your $60 pre-packaged costume.  Let's try to ignore the fact that you can get similar costumes, if not BETTER ones, for the same price at a ton of other stores, especially Halloween specialty stores.

And yes, every year someone needs to come as a dead celebrity.  And this year's big one, obviously, is going to be Michael Jackson.  And their "normal" Michael version is fine, if dull:

But in celebrating the King of Pop's life, let us not forget to be epically LOL EDGY and make fun of the fact that, near the end, he was a very sad and messed up man.

Oh, but here's the kicker.  It's Hot Topic, so you know who HAS to make an appearance?

Yes, ladies, you too can force your boyfriend to dress like Captain Sparkle Dick of the USS Uber Douche.  And guess what this costume costs, according to Hot Topic's website?  Go on, guess.

I'll tell you:

$137.98.  Plus shipping.

So, yes, you can totally pay about $150 (when you add in the shipping cost) to look like a total douchebag.  Seriously, all that shirt needs is a popped collar and I swear I have seen college guys walking around in the same thing, calling each other "bro" as they do.  The only difference is, they aren't slathered in this:

Also available at Hot Topic, btw.  That'll up the price of the costume by $9.99.

Honestly, folks.  Don't take their advice on this stuff.  You can do so. much. better.