Strollerderby : 2008

Top Baby Names in 2008 Announced!

Cole Gamble — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Do you have a little Aiden or Isabella scampering about the house? Then congratulations, your kid has the most popular name for 2008 (and condolences for all those hate jumping on trends).

According to Parent.com, the top influencers for names in 2008 were President Elect Obama, Brittany Spears, television and the Twilight series. Oh, and the letter M.

The top 10 names for girls?

And for boys:

From the Parents.com press release:

Presidential Baby Names: Barack Obama won the presidency – but did he also start a name trend? Malia, Michelle and Barack -- which previously wasn't even in the top 500 -- all rose in popularity from 2007 to 2008 (although Sasha fell in popularity), and we see them continuing to climb the charts after the inauguration.

Ooops She Did It Again--The Britney Comeback Effect: Parents are embracing the first and middle name Spears chose for her second son, Jayden James. Jayden is #2 and James is #7.

The influence of TV: The boob tube can affect baby names – witness the popularity of Aidan (#1), Carrie's loveable boyfriend on Sex and the City, or Addison (#8), the name of the Grey's Anatomy doc who got her own spinoff, Private Practice, this year.

Last Names as First Names That Can Be Used For Boys and Girls: Avery, Logan, Riley and Peyton are all climbing the lists. Last names as first names suggest power, prestige and tradition.

First Timers Making the List: Aalyiah (#28) and Teagan (#44) made their debuts on the list for girl's names. On the boy's side, Micah (#41) and Tristan (#49) showed up on the list for the first time.

Book it: Twilight fever has hit the baby name world too, as Edward and Bella, the names of the star-crossed lovers in Stephanie Meyer's vampire series and now the feature film, both rose in popularity last year. Other names inspired by popular fiction are Madeline (#9) and Olivia (#10).

"M" Names: Girl names starting with "M" rank high on the list, like Madison (#6), Madeline (#9), Makayla (#19), Mia (#21), MacKenzie (#22) and Michelle (#31).

Did your kids make the grade with any of these names? Do you care? Do you prefer to have an out of the ordinary name for your child and isn’t it true if enough parents use out of the ordinary names those names eventually turn ordinary?

Check out Parent.com’s full article here: top baby names of 2008

More by this Author:

Should You Take A Risk on Orgasmic Birth? (Orgasmic Birth Video included)

4 Ways Birth and Breastfeeding Will Ruin Sex

8-Year-Old Too Young to Divorce?

The 33 Most Ridiculous Toys Ever

Pete Wentz: "I've Tasted Ashley's Breast Milk."

Teacher Beats Student to Death for Late Homework

A Guy’s Take on Stay at Home Moms and Dads (Part 1: The Cons)

Banana Dildos and the 10 Worst Toys and Gifts This Christmas (part 1)

Desert Island Disks – Kid Music Edition

Baby Bikini and Pregnant Man Top 2008 Weird News List

Brett Singer — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

About.com has posted their list of their list of 2008's Top Weird News Stories. Some are parenting/kid related, and some don't seem all that weird, frankly. Let's take a look:

10. Thomas Beatie, the so-called pregnant man

Yep – I guess that qualifies as Weird News. Personally I always questioned what the health risks were of someone like Beatie giving birth – lots of hormones and other drugs are involved in a sex change operation, right? Might that not do something bizarre to your insides? I mean, Beatie can do whatever he/she likes with his/her body but are there health risks to the children that he/she gives birth to? Also, "pregnant man" isn't quite accurate. But it does make for a good headline.

Another weird item that Wolf mentions which I hadn't heard of was the 3rd grader who got suspended for getting high in school – from sniffing a Sharpie. If sniffing markers to get high is wrong, I don't want to be right! Just kidding. We all know writing implements are a gateway drug.

6. Dumbest Ideas: The Baby Bikini, Condom Measuring Tape, GPS Lingerie

When I first saw the words "baby bikini" I thought maybe we had another Heelarious on our hands. But no, it's just a two-piece baby bathing suit. It doesn't seem all that bad, actually. The high heels for infants were, in my view, much dopier. And I’m guessing the author, Buck Wolf, hasn't seen the Baby Announcement Panties Packed in a Fake Ice Cream Container. The GPS Lingerie was definitely dumb, and if they sell more than 10 of the condoms with measuring tape, I'll be shocked. But the Baby Bikini didn't really register that high on the weird scale for me. Maybe I'm jaded.

What do you think? Baby bikini – weird or not?

Image/Source: About.com

They Say -- Kids Who Skip Breakfast and Hate Mom Have Sex Sooner

Announce Your New Addition With Panties: Male Perspective

Nature Lovers Also Annoyed About Children's Dictionary

A Girl's Take: Announce Your New Edition With Panties

Hitting the Bottle: We've Got Your Alibi

Disney Bails on Narnia

Stuff You Never Thought You'd Say -- Winter Edition

Book of the Week: The 9 Weirdest Picture Books of 2008

editors — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:01:00 GMT

Ten Stinky Babies by Ellen Olson-Brown, Illustrations by Joy Allen (Tricycle Press)

Ten stinky babies,

Start the day on time

One had his diaper changed

And then there were nine.

And so forth. This counting book is full of pictures of adorable babies. Or rather, adorable babies who just pooped. Aww?

ABC Dentist by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Liz Murphy (Blue Apple Books)

Plaque.

Plaque is an almost invisible white,

Sticky coating on teeth that is caused

By eating sugar and sticky foods.

If not cleaned off, plaque can cause

Cavities and gum disease.

And if you thought that was exciting, wait til you hear the part about saliva!

Inside the Slidy Diner by Laurel Snyder, Illustrations by Jaime Zollars (Tricycle Press)

Ethelmae wears a hairnet to keep

The sticks and pins from falling into the fryer.

She smells like rotten grill grease.

When she scratches her back with the spatula,

Flies stick to her icky sweater.

Yes, we know that children delight in gross things, but when a book activates a parent's gag reflex (with its description of a diner where “the chocolate milk isn’t really chocolate” and the greasy booths slide into the street), a line has been crossed.

Mazes Around the World by Mary D. Lankford, Illustrated by Karen Dugan (Harper Collins)

The Klaas Voogds Maze is built of fourteen different varieties of hedge shrubs, including the tecomaria and the hibiscus, which flower year-round.

British water mazes! Swedish stone mazes! Religious mazes! Woven mazes! Maize mazes! How to say “maze” in Portugese! Talk about a niche market…

The Grey Boy by Lluis Farre, Illustrated by Gusti (Winged Chariot Press)

It seemed that Joshua would stay grey forever

Both inside and out.

His family could already imagine what he’d be like

When he grew up, sitting a grey office,

Wearing a grey suit and tie and filling the world

With grey children.

This is the story of a boy who’s born grey in a world of colorful people, and is incapable of feeling anything… until he watches his hamster almost choke to death. Sweet dreams, kiddos!

Old MacNoah Had an Ark by Sally Lloyd-Jones, Illustrated by Jill Newton (Harper Collins)

And on that ark they had some lunch

Ee-i-ee-i-o

With a burp! slurp! here

And a burp! slurp! there

This Noah’s Ark retelling doesn’t provide any Biblical reference whatsoever, but it has lots of burping. Oh, and poop.

Twelve Terrible Things by Marty Kelly (Tricycle)

1 Oooopsie!

2 There’s nothing under the bed… There’s nothing under the bed…

3 Say Ahhh…

4 Hold still, I’m almost done.

Featuring an implement-wielding dentist, a scary clown, an under-the-bed monster and nine other horrific things staring you down from the pages, this book is like a Saw movie...for kids.

McFig & McFly by Henrik Drescher (Candlewick)

At last, McFly settled into a big old easy chair and started to watch nature show reruns. By the end of the week – with one loud last snore – he passed away from sheer boredom. He was buried next to McFig. Their tombstones were exactly the same size.

A cute little tale about the perils of keeping up with the Joneses turns macabre when both of the main characters, um, die tragically.

No! That’s Wrong! By Zhaohua Ji and Cui Xu (Kane/Miller)

What are you doing?

Why are you wearing

Underpants on your head?

It’s not a hat.

They’re underpants.

There’s something vaguely unsettling about watching a series of forest creatures try on the same pair of lacy red panties in an effort to determine whether they’re underwear or headgear. Just saying.

What are the strangest children’s books you’ve stumbled across this year? Let us know in the Comments section! -- Gwynne Watkins

Fall TV Preview: Imagination Movers - Playhouse Disney

Cole Gamble — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT

I should start by saying my daughter and I don't have the same taste in kids’ shows. She's more of a Dora girl; I'm more of a Yo Gabba Gabba dude. I guess I can't blame her; I mostly like Yo Gabba Gabba because it’s just so strange. I can’t expect my four-year-old to share my cultured and detached sense of irony. Yo Gabba Gabba frightens my mother, which makes it a great kids’ show in my book.

What’s This Show About?

So my daughter, Jillian (age 4), and I recently sat down to watch the Imagination Movers a new show featuring a quartet of musicians who dabble in problem solving. The Imagination Movers live in the world's cleanest garage; you could eat an omelet off their work floor. The Movers’ are comprised of four dudes whose acting ranges from merely super excited to psychopathically enthusiastic. They make The Wiggles look like their hopped up on Quaaludes. In other words, just the right tone to get a girl Jillian’s age jazzed.

The Tone

With the Imagination Movers, we’re really in it for the music. So how's that? The Imagination Movers are billed as alternative rock for preschoolers. On their website the they describe themselves as “what would happen if the Beastie Boys collaborated with Mister Rogers.” This comparison isn’t quite accurate, the Imagination Movers don’t rap (the jury’s out on Mister Rogers rap skills). However, they do wear similar jump suits to those worn by the Beastie Boys in their Intergalactic Planetary video. The website further claims the Imagination Movers songs would be right at home on an MTV countdown, which is also misleading. I’d say they were more VH1-y if it weren’t for the fact neither of those music channels play any music. Personally my gold standard for kids’ music is The Backyardigans, with its loopy, surrealistic lyrics and limitless range of genres, from surf rock to folk music. That said, where do the Imagination Movers fit on a scale of kids’ music ranging from The Wiggles (insufferable) to Backyardigans? In the upper registers of the scale, catchy even. I can imagine listening to the Imagination Movers on a long trip and not wanting driving us all off a cliff, high praise indeed.

Details

The Imagination Movers have all the requisite secondary characters: a cutesy girl who drops by regularly, a puppet mouse that lives in their walls and a beige clad man named Knit Knots who represents the utter banality that apparently is anyone who isn’t as peppy as the Imagination Movers. There was a learning factor (they taught us about sound and how it travels in waves) and the show encouraged movement and problem solving. Oh, and the Imagination Movers had enough gadgets to make Bruce Wayne envious, which is a big draw. Gadgets are cool.

The Verdict

But what I think is just a bunch of noise. What did my daughter think? We sat down Ebert and Roper style to hash it out.

Me: How much did you like it?

Jillian: (Opens her arms wide) This much.

Me: Who was your favorite character?

Jillian: The guy with the long hair and the cool goggles (the most psychotically enthusiastic one).

At this point Jillian wanted no more of my questioning, and asked I play the show for her again. This time she walked up closer to the screen and danced along. The show also caught the attention of my normally amuck 2 year old for the duration. So I'd say we’ll be seeing more of the Imagination Movers in our house, and from the dad perspective, it’ll be a welcome addition.

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My Daughter Wants A Penis

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The 6 Creepiest Marketing Campaigns Aimed at Children

**The Sh*t List: 10 Bizarre (or Terrific?) Potty Gadgets**

Satan and 9 other bad (but real) baby names

Nipple Jewelry: 5 Products Moms DON’T Need

10 Naughty Things We Do to Our Kids (but keep doing anyway)

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What's Next, Shock Collars For Your Kids?!

Fall TV Preview: Sid the Science Kid on PBS

Adrienne Martini — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:00:00 GMT

My oldest kid – she’s six – has the makings of a scientist, if only because she can’t stop asking “why?” every 30 blessed seconds. One of her all-time favorite shows (and mine, if the truth is to be told) is Fetch with Ruff Ruffman, which is a PBS Kids’ program that features an animated dog and kids who are sent out to solve problems. It’s all very silly while remaining smart.

The youngest – he’s three – enjoys Fetch, too, but only because his sister won’t let him change the channel. He has to watch it, unless he wants to go play. And, seriously, who wants to do that when there’s a TV with a talking dog on it?

I doubt he’s getting more than simple enjoyment out of Fetch, which is fine. The concepts are a little to abstract for him to really get a grasp on. Enjoyment has value, sure, but it’d be nice to learn a little, too.

Enter Sid the Science Kid, PBS’ co-production with The Jim Henson Company, which debuts on Sept. 1. Pitched at the pre-school set, Sid explores all of those “why” questions that my older kid can’t stop asking, like ‘why do bananas get mushy” and “why are my shoes shrinking” and “why did mommy ask me to stop talking?”

OK, maybe not that last one.

Still, the Boy loves him some Sid and remained glued to the telly for the entire 25 minutes. His sister, who declared it “lame” when I first popped the disc in, asked to see it again later that night. And again that morning. And again after school. And went to the show’s website to poke around and watch the music clips. Which means we might have different definitions of what “lame” means.

From an adult’s perspective, the jokes are kinda lame, by the standard definition. And Sid’s friends are a little stereotypical, from Gabriela, the tomboy who likes pink, and Gerald, the boy who thinks he’s an airplane. But my perspective is irrelevant because my kids like Sid so much. Which is great because they (and all of their “whys”) are the show's target and it hits that mark well.

Fall TV Preview: Monster Buster Club on ToonDisney

Brett Singer — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:30:00 GMT

This animated series, airing in the U.S. on ToonDisney, is about a club. That busts monsters. Yawn.

Here are the basics: a group of four vaguely ethnically diverse kids are part of a "secret society" that protects Earth from alien intruders. Of course, no one can know that these normal (if a bit annoying) middle school kids are in fact keeping their planet safe. So they live in fear of being discovered… well, that's giving them too much credit. They mention every now and then that no one can know who they are. Of course, they could try wearing masks that actually hide their identities, and not bust monsters while the school play is being performed. In front of everyone they know. But hey, why quibble?

The episode I watched, "Acting Out," explains very little of the background; poking around the interwebs I found out the names of the four main characters, the fact that their leader is an old man who is an alien and the grandfather of one of the members, and also that it is never really explained just where this secret society came from. It doesn't really matter, because the show is a mish-mash of elements from other animated series: think "Men in Black" meets "Power Rangers" meets "Little Einsteins". I'm not going to bother giving you the specifics; if you're interested, check out this page on Wikipedia or the official web site.

The plot of "Acting Out" has the same weird obsession with fame that you find on many Disney shows ("Hannah Montana", "High School Musical"). After the club saves an eight-armed talent agent from a lizard-creature (who turns out to be a rival agent – oh, did I spoil the surprise ending? Good, now you don't have to watch the show) he offers to make them "superstars." They get excited until the old man in charge tells them, "Monster Buster Club is a top secret operation, so you can't be superstars." The kids are, of course, bummed out. One of them decides to make commercials that only air on other planets. Of course, now he thinks he's a big star and he's ignoring his Monster Busting duties. Then the granddaughter of the old man in charge, who is not from Earth, ends up playing Juliet in the school play, and the lizard guy comes after her because he can't get to the kid doing commercials… It's a little bit hard to follow, less because it's complicated and more because it's not remotely interesting.

The animation is all computer-generated; think "Jimmy Neutron" but with a smaller budget. (A review on about.com claims that Disney says the budget for the show is $21 million, but, to paraphrase Chris Rock, somebody must be walking around with $20 million in their pocket.) The voices are either just poorly synced or the show was originally recorded in a language other than English (I think it’s the latter, which is foolish.) In general, everyonetalkseallyfast, which is probably because the characters are spouting some of the lamest lines on television. When the lizard-like alien who shows up in the first four seconds escapes: "He's getting away… and even worse, he squished my fruit." When they encounter said lizard-like alien again: "Don’t stick out your tongue, it's not polite…I've seen faster tongues on an old pair of sneakers."

The show claims to be targeted at ages 6-11, but with so many better entertainment options out there, "Monster Buster Club" will only catch on because the Disney Marketing Machine will cram it down everyone's throats. Not recommended.

image: about.com

Mr. Rogers Talking Keychain

Why the puppy games are better than the Olympics

8 year old blues guitarist not allowed to play in bars

Nastia Luikin's mom watches from the stands (video)

Fall TV Preview: Martha Speaks on PBS

Is it ever OK to hit your kids?

Oy vey, Miley showed her tuchas again

Old Jonas Brothers CD priceless

Family Movie Night – Hairspray

Son stabs father over haircut

Nastia Liukin's mom watches from the stands (video)

Brett Singer — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Apparently Nastia Liukin's mother, Anna Kotchneva Liukin, has a hard time watching her gold-medal winning daughter compete. According to the NBC commentators, she spent some of the recent Beijing events shopping. This time, though, she stuck it out, but not without some difficulty. They didn't mention it, but I don't think she knows the guy she's sitting next to, despite the fact that she almost ends up in his lap.

My kids aren't terribly athletic (at least not yet) so I don't know what it's like to see your offspring in an intense competition, and the Olympics are as big as it gets for gymnasts. Anna knows from being on that big stage: she was a champion gymnast herself. Not sure if that makes it harder or easier to see your kid out there; judging from this video, I'd say it must be pretty tough.

Read more:

IOC orders investigation of Chinese Gymnast's age

Other Old Olympians

Shawn Johnson more mature than her coach

Did Michael Phelps actually win 8 medals?

Michael Phelps to endorse Frosted Flakes

Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh Get The Gold, Now They Want to Get Pregnant

Bela Karolyi likes to kill things

They Say: no junk food ads at the Olympics

Misty May-Treanor Scatters Mom's Ashes at Olympics

Twenty Olympic Moms - Now What's My Excuse?

Michael Phelps father in Baltimore, not Beijing

Dara Torres inspired two current Olympians

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Table Tennis Women, Flaunt Your Stuff!

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

IOC orders investigation of Chinese Gymnast's age

Brett Singer — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:54:00 GMT

He Kexin won a gold medal in the uneven bars and also contributed to the Chinese beating out the U.S. in the team gymnastics event. She looks really really young, and there have been questions about her age for awhile now. The IOC has begun to formally investigate whether or not, "Chinese authorities covered up the true age of their gold-medal winning gymnastics star because she was too young to compete," because of, "'discrepancies' that have come to light about the age of He Kexin." You kind of have to wonder what took them so long, but apparently someone, described as an "American hacker" by the U.K.-based Times Online, has uncovered documents that offer proof that Kexin is too young.

Watching the games, the judging also seemed biased, although that's more subjective. Still, I'm pretty sure I saw a member of the Chinese team fall in one event and not get any deduction, whereas an American who had a similar fall lost points. Béla Károlyi told Bob Costas that, "The lack of competence of certain judges is obvious," and it was tough to disagree.

Károlyi's wife Marta has attacked the age issue the way her gymnasts attacked their events, and while I think she went a little overboard, I agree that the whole thing is very suspicious.

Would the Chinese government lie about an athlete's age in order to gain a competitive advantage? And if so, what happens? The medals get stripped, but should they be banned from the Olympics for a time after that?

So – how old do you think she looks? 14? 16? Do I hear 12?

Source/image: TimesOnline

They Say: no junk food ads at the Olympics

Michael Phelps father in Baltimore, not Beijing

Dara Torres inspired two current Olympians

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Some Parenting Lessons From Michael Phelps's Mom

Gold (OK, Silver) Medal Girlcrush: Dana Torres

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Team more mature than coach

Bela Karolyi likes to kill things

Brett Singer — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:00:00 GMT

When Béla Károlyi isn't training world-class gymnasts or telling Bob Costas that, "The lack of competence of certain judges [in this year's Olympic Games] is obvious," he likes to go…hunting.

When I googled Károlyi in an attempt to get the spelling of his name correct, this page was the fourth result. After seeing him comment, often mercilessly, on the various Olympic gymnastic events, I'm going to say that I'm not exactly shocked that one of his leisure activities is hunting big game.

I'm not going to say anything else about this, since, you know, I don't want to get shot.

Images/Source: bigbexotics.com

Michael Phelps father in Baltimore, not Beijing

Dara Torres inspired two current Olympians

Some Parenting Lessons From Michael Phelps's Mom

Gold (OK, Silver) Medal Girlcrush: Dana Torres

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Baby survives tornado

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Team more mature than coach

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Brett Singer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Australian crewman won a gold medal in men's pairs rowing. For inspiration, he kept a photo of his kids tucked away in his shorts:

So he's a gold-medal winning dad, and has been keeping a blog at drewginn.blogspot.com.

It seems like there are more parents competing at the games this year, but it's possible that there always were and I just never noticed. One of those, "now that I have children I see parents everywhere" kind of things.

My wife asked me if I would keep a picture of the kids with me if I were competing in the Olympics. The fact that she would compare me to an Olympic athlete is one of the many reasons why I love her.

image: nbcolympics.com

source: abc.net.au

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

It all started when Mary needed a laxative

When playgrounds attack, the sequel

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Shawn Johnson more mature than her coach

Should Countries be Allowed to Ban Women from the Olympics?

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Bored games

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Brett Singer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:00:00 GMT

While we wonder whether or not the Chinese gymnasts are the age the government says they are, there's some other stuff happening over in China.

First up, British protesters were arrested for unfurling a "Free Tibet" banner (video below):

Second, and perhaps more disturbing, is this video of a British journalist being detained for covering said protest (video below):

But hey, what about that Michael Phelps? He won another medal, right?

Source/image: Daily Telegraph

It all started when Mary needed a laxative

When playgrounds attack, the sequel

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Shawn Johnson more mature than her coach

Should Countries be Allowed to Ban Women from the Olympics?

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Bored games

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Brett Singer — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:30:00 GMT

The Daily Telegraph is reporting that there was even more fakin' goin' on at the 2008 Olympics' opening ceremony.

Although the official opening ceremony guide said, according to the Telegraph, that "Fifty-six children from 56 Chinese ethnic groups cluster around the Chinese national flag, representing the 56 ethnic groups." But the children were, "in fact all from the same [ethnic group], the majority Han Chinese race." According to the Telegraph, "The official guide to the opening ceremony said that the children did not just represent but 'came from' China's ethnic groups."

One thing that is interesting is the response, which is similar to the one expressed after the opening ceremony's Milli Vanilli moment. "I assume they think the kids were very natural looking and nice," Yuan Zhifeng, deputy director of the Galaxy Children's Art Troupe said.

Basically, as long as things look OK, they are. For more, read (and see) this.

source/image: Daily Telegraph

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Shawn Johnson more mature than her coach

Should Countries be Allowed to Ban Women from the Olympics?

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Hunka hunka burnin Barbie

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Matthew McConaughey keeps placenta

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Birth inspires lottery ticket purchase

Retarded movie boycott

They Say: We're Fatties Because We Eat More Than Ever

Shawn Johnson more mature than her coach

Brett Singer — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Maybe the U.S. Gymnastics team coach Márta Károlyi could take a lesson on how to lose gracefully from the gymnasts themselves.

After the U.S. won the silver (or lost the gold, depending on who you ask) Márta had a few things to say: Asked about the controversy over the ages of several Chinese gymnasts, including bars standout He Kexin, Karolyi stressed that while she had "no proof" that the competitors in question had not yet turned 16, she had noticed that "one little girl has a missing tooth". A baby tooth, presumably. "Certain countries go by the rules," Karolyi continued, "and certain countries may not." She also accused the judges of "psychological warfare" because of the time it took for the scores to be posted.

So how did the ladies on her team respond?

Pretty damn well, actually.

Shawn Johnson, the 16-year-old world champion, was more…well, mature about the whole thing. "In the end, we’re more than happy and proud to represent the USA wearing silver around our necks," Johnson said. "We respect the Chinese for what they’ve done. They had a great meet and brought their game."

Also: "We are proud of each other no matter what we do, we are still a family no matter what."

Did I mention she was 16?

Here's a video promo Shawn shot before the games. In it, she says that gymnastics is about falling, and getting back up, no matter what. Sounds like a good lesson for her coach.

Egyptian woman gives birth to septuplets because she wanted a boy

Children opposed to healthcare (Onion Video)

5 reasons it's a good thing I had boys

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Hunka hunka burnin Barbie

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Matthew McConaughey keeps placenta

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Birth inspires lottery ticket purchase

Retarded movie boycott

They Say: We're Fatties Because We Eat More Than Ever

Volleyball hasn’t come a long way, baby

Brett Singer — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:22:00 GMT

So. Like much of the world, I'm watching the Olympics. Women's Beach Volleyball is on. The wife refers to this event somewhat derisively. At first, I think that this is because of the fact that, you know, it's beach volleyball. How is this an Olympic event?

Then, a couple of days later, I catch a glimpse of the Men's Volleyball. Which is played indoors. By a team of more than two players. Fully clothed.

Suddenly, I get it. She's not saying that the women aren't athletes, or that it isn't a sport. It's that the women play on sand, barefoot, in bikinis. The men play in a gym. In clothes. Did I mention that?

Women's Beach Volleyball – the name itself is somewhat silly, since there is no Women's Indoor Volleyball, or Women-Standing-On-Hot-Coals Volleyball (CORRECTION: there is indoor women's volleyball, but they wear hot pants, so, y'know...) – is played by women in bikinis. Athletic looking bikinis, yes. But still bikinis.

After winning a point against the Belgian team, a song comes over the sound system. Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."

OK.

UPDATE: The Table Tennis Federation actually asked the female players to wear more revealing outfits.

image: latimes.com

Aussie Rower keeps his kids close

Protesters and journalists arrested in China (video)

Whole lotta fakin' goin' on at the opening ceremony

Team more mature than coach

Jon Stewart Tackles Olympic Controversies

Hunka hunka burnin Barbie

Olympics Opening Uses One Girl's Voice, Another Girl's Face

Matthew McConaughey keeps placenta

Do All These Chinese Gymnasts Look 16 to You?

Birth inspires lottery ticket purchase

Retarded movie boycott

They Say: We're Fatties Because We Eat More Than Ever

Oy vey, Miley showed her tuchas again

Brett Singer — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:00:00 GMT

I think we may be over-reacting just a tad to, like, everything Miley Ray Hannah Montana Stewart Cyrus does. (I know I've said it before, but this girl really does have more names than a Chekhov character.)

Now, I understood, a little bit, when people got upset about the Vanity Fair photo shoot. It seemed a little bit odd to be taking pictures of a 15 year old wearing nothing but a bed sheet. But sexualizing underage girls isn't a new thing for the entertainment business – Mandy Moore was 15 when she made "Candy" (here's the video), and Britney Spears was 17 when "…Baby One More Time" came out, with her wearing a skimpy schoolgirl outfit and writhing on the floor. Going further back, Brooke Shields was 14 in 1980 when she told the world that nothing came between her and her Calvins.

All of these examples, in my opinion, were sketchier than what's happening with Miley Ray Whatever. In theory, these were private photos that ended up in the public eye either by her own carelessness, a hacker, or, if you want to go with a total conspiracy theory, someone at Disney who sneaks them to the press. The latter seems insane, but who knows. No matter what the real story is (Miley's not returning my calls, so I don't know the truth) the photos themselves aren't that bad.

Now – they are photos of an underage girl in a state of semi-undress. Which makes them extremely creepy. So, somewhat like the "should Paps take snaps of Brit's kids in her own house?" question, what do you think about the never-ending stream of Miley photos? Do they mean she's "slutty" and a bad influence on America's impressionable young girls? Or is it, like, enough already, and should we listen to Dolly Parton and leave Miley alone?

image/source: GossipGirls

Old Jonas Brothers CD priceless

Jobs you don't want – Camp Parent Liaison

Teen Choice Award: Miley Cyrus

Teen Choice Award: David Beckham

Like OMG Miley Will Totally Babysit Ashlee Simpson's Baby!

Dolly Parton Tackles Britney, Lindsay and Miley

Readin', writin' and Dianetics?

Rich or Rehab: Whatever Happened to the Kid From 'The Black Stallion'?

Is it fair to take pictures of Britney's kids?

Brett Singer — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:53:00 GMT

You may have heard about the photographs of Britney Spears smoking while 2-year-old Sean Preston was playing with her cigarette lighter. Well, the actual photo doesn't quite show that. Here it is:

Now, far be it from me to disagree with the celebrity media machine, but this doesn't look as bad as it sounds. In this pic she looks to be taking the cigarettes away from her child. That would be the right thing to do. The better thing to do would be to not smoke at all, and especially not in front of your kids. Second-hand smoke is very dangerous, especially to little lungs. It also makes me wonder if she was smoking while pregnant, which would be much worse. My guess – and I have nothing to back this up – is that she probably was. As a former smoker, I know how hard it is to quit, and it looks to me like the Britster is quite the nicotine addict.

Here's the part that gets me: the photos were taken at her house. Why? Presumably a photog with a mega-ultra-zoom lens – a "Pavarotti", as El Federline famously referred to them on his ill-fated rap album – was suspended from a helicopter or something and took the shot through her window or on her balcony.

She's a celebrity, and over 18 (although emotionally she might be, like, 12, but let's not go there). But her kids aren't. Not to sound like a celebrity defending dipstick ("LEAVE...BRITNEY...ALONE!"), but maybe there should be a law that prevents the kids from being photographed, at least when they're at home. As someone points out over at MomLogic, they didn't ask to be in this bizarre situation.

There are celebrities whose children you almost never see candid pictures of – Madonna, Howard Stern, Christie Brinkley, and I'm sure there are dozens more that I can't think of at the moment. Of course, those people aren't the unbelievable mess that Brit appears to be. At best, this photo shows poor judgment on her part, not only the smoking but also hanging out with her kid in front of an open window where a sleazoid photographer can get a clear shot. Um, curtains? A really high hedge? Move someplace else?

Of course, if nobody wanted to see the pictures, they wouldn't be worth anything, and photographers wouldn't take them. But that's a different topic.

Here are the rest of the photos. Hey, at least she looks pretty good in her bikini.

images: popsugar.com

Britney - Babe-A-Licious Again!

When playgrounds attack, the sequel

20 Disturbing Baby Products

S&M Barbie

Lourdes and Miley kidnapped?

20 mil for pics of twins

When Cynthia called Cindy

Who Would You Name Your Local Sewage Plant After?

Rich or Rehab: Whatever Happened to the Girl From 'Love, Sidney'?

Michael Savage says kids with autism need to get over themselves

Celebrity Baby Naming Hits New Low

Lourdes and Miley kidnapped?

Brett Singer — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Have America's sweethearts been kidnapped? No, silly! Do you really think something like that would happen and you wouldn't hear about it? Here's the truth about these photos:

First, Lourdes Ciccone, daughter of Madonna. Who is that unmasked man holding her hand? Well, that's her dad. Not Guy Ritchie, but her biological dad, Carlos Leon. Carlos was once arrested for smoking pot in Washington Square Park, but as far as we know, he doesn't do that too often. They probably just saw The Rod (note: that's my new name for Alex Rodriguez; he's not just A rod -- he's THE Rod) across the street and wanted to get away before he started talking to them.

As for Miley/Hannah/Whatever (the girl has more names than a Chekhov character), she's just filming a new movie, which I won't see but will likely gross hundreds of millions of dollars. She doesn't look too happy but I'm guessing it was just a bad moment. Either that or The Rod was visiting the set that day.

images: NY Post, Now Magazine

Dad Rod to visit Kid Rod

C Rod Files For Divorce

Who is babysitting the Kid-Rods?

Lou Gehrig Day on July 4th

Jim Abbott is a ballplayer you can look up to

Hannah Montana's Miley Cyrus Ready For Sex After Shower Pictures Surface

DVD Review: Our Country, USA to Z

Brett Singer — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:00:00 GMT

With July 4th coming up in a couple of days, many of us are feeling patriotic. But in our current political climate, patriotism can be a highly charged topic. Personally, I think you should be able to love your country without buying into the ideology of a particular person or political party. More "celebrate what's great about America" and less "keep the immigrants out."

"Our Country, USA to Z" (Team Baby Entertainment) is more the former than the latter. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg in her usual slightly sleepy-voiced style, this is (mostly) politics-free patriotism.

The disc opens with a relatively painless song (performed by John Lennon Songwriting Award winner Joe McDermot) about our nation and how good it is, with shots of cute babies dancing around. Football, kids, cities, Native Americans, Statue of Liberty – pretty straightforward stuff, pleasantly presented.

Then come the letters. (The chapters on the DVD, available in the main menu, are helpfully split up by letter so you can skip around if you need to.) A is for America (duh), B is for Bell, as in "Liberty Bell," C is for Columbus (with no mention of Native Americans), D is for Diveristy, and so on. My favorite segment was J, which is of course for Jazz. Whoopi should do a whole DVD for kids on the history of jazz. M is for Military was a little weird, but kids will like the trucks and Coast Guard boats. There is a slightly right-of-center leaning revealed (I think) in the choice of "great presidents" (the letter P, of course): George Washington, Abraham Lincoln (a "civil war hero", no mention of freeing the slaves), Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. It's not a huge deal, but I'm guessing that the Democratic version of this disc might not mention ol' RR in this grouping.

There is a teeny amount of suspense when you watch "USA to Z" for the first time – what the heck are they going to do for X, for example? Since K was for King (as in Martin Luther King), I thought maybe we'd get Malcolm X, but they went with Railroad Crossing, which is a little lame, but at least features subways as well as railroads. Then there's "Road Trip," another original tune with a nice montage of video from the 50 states. These include cities as well as purple mountains majesty and amber waves of grain, something that, as a lifelong city dweller, I always appreciate. As always, there are cute kids of various colors and creeds bouncing around.

"Our Country, USA to Z" is a little different from the DVDs that Team Baby Entertainment typically puts out. Most of their content (which I've never seen) seems to be geared towards indoctrinating young children in the ways of sports fandom – Mets Baby, St. Louis Cardinals Baby, Red Sox Baby World Series Edition narrated by Ben Affleck (ouch, that was hard to type – guess who my favorite team is?), and of course, Yankees Baby, which I've never seen but is of course the best of the bunch (that would be my team.)

For the most part, this relatively short DVD is cute, harmless patriotism that does a decent job of including the different types of people and places that make up the United States of America. There is no mention of more controversial topics – Native Americans, slavery – but it is geared towards very young children; 2 or 3-year-olds is about right in my view. "Our Country, USA to Z" is educational, colorful, and doesn't go too far to the right. And when it does skew a little bit more Red State than Blue, that's tempered by the presence of the Whoopster's narration. Whoever hired her deserves a big, fat all-American raise.

image: Team Baby Entertainment

Iraq War Takes Its Toll on Officers’ Marriages

Brad and Angie, What Will They Do With The Money?

Political Nanny: Obama Gives MoveOn a Stern Talking To

Son Gives Jolie a Gun

Afghanistan War Veteran Assaults Infant Sons

Jolie-Pitts Give $1M to Iraqi Children

Parody of Mother's Plea to John McCain

Dick Cheney whispering hush: Goodnight Bush

Brett Singer — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:00:00 GMT

"Goodnight Bush" is a new take on an old classic, but probably not something you'll be reading (and reading, and reading, and reading – what is it about "Goodnight Moon"?) to your kids at bedtime.

According to the New York Times, the book was an unsolicited manuscript received by Little, Brown, who noticed it in the pile because it was mailed in a clear envelope. Good move – the package stood out, and the book is now on sale; it currently holds the #1 spot on Amazon.com in the Political Humor category.

"Goodnight Constitution. And goodnight evolution."

Hee hee.

The authors actually take their parody more seriously, with one of them saying, "We wanted it to be the definitive requiem for everything they've done." Um, okay. Can I just think it's funny?

image: sfgate.com

The Human Element of War

Brett Singer — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:00:00 GMT

No matter what you think of the Iraq War (or any war for that matter) I think it's important to remember the human side of things. The soldiers aren't only fighters, they're people.

Some of them are even parents. In her terrific Personal Essay titled "Return to the Home Front", Korinthia Klein tells us what it was like when her husband Ian came home from "over there." It's all worth reading, but here are a couple of highlights:

"By the time I got my arms around Ian, all I could do was sob."

"Ian marveled at the quiet as we went to sleep, because he'd lived so long with mortar fire and the constant whine of generators and military jets. I kept forgetting that he didn't know where things belonged and that he still had to be introduced to some of the people and places the kids and I know best."

"The children adjusted remarkably well. It's hard to believe Quinn's daddy was a stranger to him only a few weeks ago."

Look – support the war, don't support the war. But no matter what, always support the troops.

Another girl that can kick my ass

Brett Singer — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:00:00 GMT

This is the second story from the New York Times about female weight lifting; someone over there must have a thing for it. Not that I'm knocking them. A good story is a good story.

Cheryl Haworth made news years ago when she started weight lifting, capturing the country's attention with the phrase, "It's fun to be strong." At 5'9", she weighs "roughly" 300 pounds (I guess asking her for her exact weight was too scary a prospect for the reporter -- ba-dum-bum), and can lift over 300 pounds. That's not double the body-weight of Melanie Roach, but it's a hell of a lot more than anyone I know, male or female. The Times article says that she carries "her size well -- visual evidence for girls that a slim shape is not essential to achieve goals." Especially not if your goal is to lift 300 pounds over your head.

(Aside: sometimes names for things are a bit... off. In the Olympic weight-lifting trials, the opening phase is referred to as "the snatch." After that comes the "clean-and-jerk." Cue Beavis and Butthead laugh. Heh-heh-heh...)

Kelly has written about the notion of "fit" vs. "skinny", and its important to remind everyone, especially girls, that not everyone needs to look like a stick figure in order to be healthy. In fact, I think it's safe to say that nobody needs to be that skinny, and for some, it's just unhealthy. As long as we also point out that if you're not a weight lifter, 300 pounds is probably a bit much, especially if you're 5 foot 9. Cheryl says this is her last Olympics, and she plans to slim down a bit when it's all over. Either that, or start playing professional football.

Cheryl's goal is a modest Bronze medal. I'll be rooting for her.

Mother of autistic boy is going to Olympics

Brett Singer — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:00:00 GMT

I love a good Olympics story. Maybe it's because I'm so out of shape myself. This tale, though, about a weight-lifter mom with an autistic son, has enough in it to appeal to everybody.

When you think of an Olympic weight lifter, you picture an enormous human specimen, someone who looks like they eat Buicks for breakfast. But Melanie Roach defies expectations – she's 5 feet, 1 inch, and can lift 238 pounds. She weighs in at 117. So yes, that's a little more than twice her total weight.

Roach started out as a gymnast, then switched to weight-lifting 10 years ago. Injuries sidelined her Olympic dreams. Since then, she has had three children, one of whom was diagnosed with autism in 2005. When Roach found out, she became depressed, and went to visit her bishop (she's Mormon). She said, "This is not what I signed up for," to which the bishop replied, " This is exactly what you signed up for." (This, incidentally, is also exactly what Rachael said in this post.)

You know how sometimes the right person saying the right thing at the right time can turn your life around? Well, that's what happened to Melanie. Her attitude towards her son changed. Instead of feeling like she had "lost a child," she did what she could to cope with the situation, getting him therapy, removing gluten from his diet (which seems to make him feel calmer), and altering family routines as needed to help him in whatever way they can. Roach's mother-in-law, Pam, said, "You can’t surmount autism. You can learn to live with it."

Melanie also found the strength, literally and emotionally, to get back to weight lifting. And it paid off. She just earned a spot on the 2008 Olympic team.

The story is worth reading, and watch the video, which features Roach interacting with her children. Somebody should turn this into a movie.

images: NYTimes.com, Seattle Times