Strollerderby : rumors

Best of FameCrawler: Week of January 9th

Whit Honea — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa Welcome Son with a Doozy of a Name

John Travolta's Son Dies

Jett Travolta - The Story of His Death

Romijn, O'Connell Twins: First Pictures & Names Explained

Update: John Travolta Son's Death Details & Statements

Jett Travolta's Family Speaks Out

New Details: Jett Travolta Died In His Father's Arms

Travolta Tragedy- Now the Rumors Begin

Jett Travolta's Death Investigated by Police

Did Scientology Kill Jett Travolta?

Couple Has Black & White Twins...Again!

Students Suspended for Hair Dyed Pink in Honor of School Nurse's Battle with Breast Cancer

JeanneSager — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:27:00 GMT

It was a rare show of selflessness for a bunch of middle school students, but showing up with strips of pink in their hair last week earned a dozen Indiana pre-teens suspension. The kids said they were doing it in honor of the school nurse who recently passed away after a battle with breast cancer.

Their parents are refusing to make the kids wash the pink out of their hair, but the school is firm. Dyed hair, says the principal, is distracting.

No doubt the kids went about their impromptu remembrance - which for some kids was also a tribute to moms who've fought the battle and won - the wrong way. If you know hair dye is against the rules, why not slip on pink armbands or wear pink ribbons in your hair? Maybe approaching administration with the plan to begin with would have enabled a school-wide dispensation for the day to honor a faculty member who teachers must be mourning as well. Interviewed on camera, the principal expressed his regret for having to stick to the rules - he thinks it's a good idea. But the rules are the rules - no dyed hair.

You can't fault a principal for requiring every kid follow the same rules. But you can fault the rule.

It's just hair. Is it distracting in the morning when a kid shows up with blue hair? Yes. But show me something that won't get a bunch of hormonal pre-teens riled up. Exactly. Do we have to worry about kids flashing gang colors in schools today? Unfortunately, yes. But tell me how it's any different to have it in a hair streak than a barrette. It's just hair, which I'd rather kids were talking about then picking on the fat kid or spreading rumors that turn a girl into the class slut. It's just hair, which I'd rather my kid were playing with than drugs, booze or guns to get my attention.

When kids want to get attention, I'd like to see them doing it in positive ways - like joining up to dye their hair pink for breast cancer awareness. So maybe we could stop telling kids what they can't do and start telling them what they can do?

Image: WSBT

Teenager Arrested For Kiddie Porn - The Pictures Were of Herself

Gym Teacher Likes Girls A Little Too Much

Part II: Why Parents of Boys Have It Better (And Why They Don't)

Halloween Costume Confession: Why it Pays to be the Cheapskate Mom

Saggy Mom Boobs Get a Lift! Carry It Off with the Cleavage Caddy

Morning News: Despite Damning Report, Palin Says 'See, I've Been Cleared!'

Banned Books Week: Smother the Fire and Read a Banned Book

Madeline Holler — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Shortly after the governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, was selected as John McCain's running mate, the rumors started swirling. Did she recently give birth? Orrrr, was that her grandbaby in all those pretty family photos? Did she fire a public safety commissioner as an act of filial loyalty? Or is that just a mean political smear? Did she insist, as mayor of her hometown, Wasilla, that rape victims pay for their own rape kits? Or was this an over-simplification of the complicated world of insurance billing?

One rumor relevant to today -- the start of Banned Books Week -- is that Palin spearheaded an effort to get several dozen books removed from the Wasilla Public Library shelves. Surely you got the forwarded email!

That rumor, like several other stories surrounding Palin, turned out to be untrue. But the fact remains, book censorship is alive and well and could possibly come to a library or school near you.

What can you do to fight back? Easy. Read a banned book. All week, Strollerderby will take you inside the covers of a dozen banned kids books. We'll give you titles, authors and even point out the "dirty" parts! (Oh, you're totally welcome!)

Let us know what you think. What banned book are you reading in celebration this week?

Photo: abcnews.com

Clay Aiken ain't no fruit

Brett Singer — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Far be it from me to imply that Clay Aiken is anything less than muy macho. But, you know, there have been those nasty rumors, which led to threats of a lawsuit from his devoted fan base, who are known as the Claymates. (Really. They call themselves Claymates, and one of them tried to sue Clay over rumors that he was homosexual. Don't you feel normal now?) So perhaps -- and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this, you know -- Clay's recent actions are fueled by a desire to "butch it up, Mary" as the saying goes.

First: he impregnates a woman. This is a clear sign of masculinity. I mean, try doing that if you're... you know, not manly. Well, it was artificial insemination, which means there was no actual physical contact. But hey, there's nothing wrong with that either. (Even if Aiken isn't the father, he could have been. Hey! Stop laughing!)

Second: when a ~~vulture~~ cameraperson from ~~the fiery pits of Hell~~ TMZ confronted him on the street, he pulled a Sean Penn and whacked the camera. In a very aggressive, manly way. Again, nothing wrong with that. (Video of the incident is below, or click here.)

One thing that I've always found interesting is what constitutes "manliness." Impregnating a woman means that your sperm is, you know, spermy. Strong swimmers, etc. But so what?

And punching someone, even if that someone is ~~being a dick~~ just doing their jobs, is more out of control than it is "macho." To be fair, Clay just kinda pushed the guy; more specifically, he pushed the camera. If he had ripped the dude's arms off and beaten him within an inch of his life, that would have been much more manly. (Not that we advocate such behavior. But it would definitely have been big news.)

So maybe it's possible that all of this "news" just happens to be coming out (no pun intended) around the time that Mr. Aiken has a new album out. Just a thought.

In closing, let me request that the phrase "Claby" (Clay + Baby) never, ever catch on. It's just... there is something wrong with that.

(TMZ.com screenshot)

other image: offoffBway.com

Breaking News: Clay may not be the father

All Aiken, All the Time

American Idol or American Psycho? Clay Aiken Gives Pap a SMACKDOWN!

Fans Show Support For Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken Involved in Pregnancy

Breaking News: Clay Aiken might not be the father

Brett Singer — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:30:00 GMT

Could the whole "Clay Aiken can impregnate a woman without even touching her" news be a big fat stinkin' lie? The Calgary Herald is reporting that "several people close to" babymama Jaymes Foster are denying claims (clayms? Nope, not going there) that Aiken is the daddy.

~~One Of The Signs Of The Apocalypse~~ TMZ first reported that Aiken had artificially inseminated Foster, the sister of record producer David Foster, going on to say that, "Clay is a lot more than sperm -- we're told he will have an active role in raising the child." The story was picked up by roughly 12 million media outlets. BUT one of the so-called sources is denying that he ever said Clay was the daddy-to-be, even asking People.com to retract their story. And B.J. Cook, David Foster's ex-wife and Jaymes Foster's ex-sister-in-law said, "Jaymes is definitely pregnant, that much is true...I can guarantee that it's not Clay Aiken's baby." (emphasis added.)

Of course, no one directly involved is talking to the press, including Clay, who is very busy punching cameras.

It must be pointed out that we have no knowledge of this incident, or alleged incident. Maybe Clay is on his way to fatherhood. Maybe not. Who the hell knows? Clearly this is the most important story of the decade. Well, other than the Sex and the City movie. (Election? What election?)

Aside #1: Foster went from "in her late 40's" to "50" in a matter of days -- I guess it is stressful being in the public eye. Here's a photo of the happy non-couple.

Aside #2: Even if this whole thing turns out to be bull, at least we'll always have the phrase "Clay is a lot more than sperm." Thank you ~~Satan~~ TMZ.

images: thehollywoodgossip.com, offoffBway.com

All Aiken, All the Time

American Idol or American Psycho? Clay Aiken Gives Pap a SMACKDOWN!

Fans Show Support For Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken Involved in Pregnancy

And some other news, in case you're curious:

Immigrant Gay Folks Face New Challenges

Political Nanny: Rules, Schmules, Numbers, Schmumbers

Mom Fights Church on Behalf of Autistic Son

Autistic boy voted out of kindergarten by classmates

Ashlee's Dad Selling Baby Pictures While Ashlee Denies Pregnancy

Brett Singer — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:30:00 GMT

Joe Simpson, father of Ashlee and Jessica, has often showed himself to be, shall we say, a bit off (that's him in the photo, looking at his daughter). But never let it be said that the man isn't willing to do anything to make a buck.

The latest news is that Joe is trying to sell pictures of Ashlee's baby for (say this in a Dr. Evil voice) One Millllion Dollars. Apparently Joe would take the pictures himself (which he would get paid extra for) and Ashlee would appear on the cover of whatever glossy is willing to pony up enough cash.

There are three problems here:

One, no one is buying. One editor says that the pics would be worth, "$60,000 maybe." Do you ever wonder where they get these dollar amounts? The anonymously quoted editor went on to call the timing of the proposed sale "suspicious," since Ashlee has a new album out next week (which, sadly, is not called "Acid Reflux"). The editor also said, "Ashlee's lucky she got pregnant, frankly." Nice.

Two, Ashlee hasn't confirmed that she is pregnant, and her fiancé, Pete Wentz, actively denies the rumor, saying, "This is all news to me." Since rock stars aren't necessarily known for their strong connection to reality, it's possible that Ashlee is indeed pregnant and that Wentz doesn't know. But I kinda doubt it.

Three, IT'S JUST CREEPY.

Joe, here's some free advice: the girls make enough money. You make enough money off of the girls. Don't try to sell photos of your daughter's baby before she officially announces that she's pregnant. Just relax and enjoy life. Oh, and maybe get Ashlee some singing lessons.

Image: Google Image Search

Toy Hacking: Elmo was framed

Brett Singer — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:40:00 GMT

Much like when the Giants won the Super Bowl, I'm not really ready for the Elmo death threat story to go away. So to keep it alive a little longer, let's talk about Toy Hacking.

I have a theory: Elmo was hacked.

Toy Hacking has a long and glorious history. Good old lovable Furby went under the knife way back in 1998, and Playskool Talking Barney was hacked in 1999 (quote of the day: "you can telnet to Barney".) Instructions for breaking into toys and messing with them are all over the Interwebs (here's how to hack Furby.) Back in October of 2007, a Strollerderbyer posted this entry about the ElmoSapien, a combination of a Robosapien and every toddler's favorite red monster. And in January, there was a Toy Hacking workshop in London. And there are numerous books on the subject, including this one that features former fugitive Kevin Mitnick as an editor.

Come on, do you really think that lovable monster would ever want to kill one of his little friends? Someone clearly busted into the guy's backside, ripped out his circuitry, and replaced it with new hardware that caused him to spout hideous death threats.

Well, either that, or he just doesn’t speak all that clearly. But that's no fun.

Photo: flickr.com

Mylie Cyrus Not Pregnant: Vows to 'Stay Pure'

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 20:41:00 GMT

Mylie Cyrus is my new favorite teen star... And I'll be honest, her father is the only man with a mullet I think is (semi-) hot. We were all up in arms last week about the terror parents feel about teen pregnancy (she's only 15) so this latest news comes as a great relief...

Turns out she's not pregnant after all because she's "staying pure" and doesn't believe in sex before marriage. Guess she hasn't heard that part about kicking the tires before you buy a car... once you're THIRTY. No sex until THIRTY.. That's the rule in my house...