celebrities

Who Do You Think You Are?

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:11:00 +0000

Genealogy has never been so entertaining. Making its debut this evening, Who Do You Think You Are? explores the family history of a celebrity who travels about to find missing information and reconnect with their ancestors by seeing for themselves the location of their family’s historical events. Sponsored by Ancestry.com, the celebrities, of course, use the website as a primary source of their research. (Don’t worry, the tie-in is natural and not overly advertorial.) It’s an emotional experience to discover one’s roots and feel a family connection like never before.

Having received a screener of the entire season, which will unfold weekly for NBC viewers, the first episode staring Sarah Jessica Parker was the most gripping. She discovers that she has an ancestor who was involved in the Salem witch trials. As she waits for whether her ancestor was an accuser or a victim to be revealed, it’s most incredible to watch her conviction and sense of responsibility. She’s quite nervous about the results, and unsure which way it would go, but it was admirable that she felt the need to make things right in some way should her ancestor turn out to be an accuser.

However, the flip side is that she’s horrified by the idea of having an ancestor unjustly accused of being a witch. It’s fascinating to see her instant love for the relative and her immediate connection with the historical nature of the events. It's as if these were her own life events unfolding. It goes to show that there is a bond among families that surpasses time, distance, and even death.

The journey that most surprised me was that of Emmitt Smith. All I knew about him was that he used to be a football player. It was amazing to watch this bighearted man connect with his family despite the harshness of his genealogical roots in slavery. Most inspiring was his powerful respect when he learns that his grandmother successfully used her strength, intelligence, and strong protective instincts to make the best of a tough situation. He’s enormously impressed with her accomplishments and reveres her effect on his family's posterity. To watch a man view the power of a woman with such honor is truly beautiful.

Other celebrities featured in this first season of Who Do You Think You Are? are Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Broderick, Brooke Shields, Susan Sarandon, and Spike Lee. Lisa Kudrow's Jewish ancestry leads right into the Holocaust, and this is by far the toughest episode to watch. But if you can bear with Lisa through the heartbreaking journey, the ending turns out to be a small miracle in the midst of tragedy. Matthew Broderick's family history is full of war heroes, and Matthew’s research into his lineage helps to solve a 150 year old mystery. If you watch the show for its travel aspect, be sure to tune in for Brooke Shields' episode. She has an exciting family tree that leads to beautiful locations. Having a very unique family history, Susan Sarandon has always felt a connection with the grandmother she never met yet believes she inherited her best qualities from. The search for the truth of this women, who disappeared many years ago, is a challenging treasure hunt and the family connection through strong women is wondrously insightful. Spike Lee discovers a truth about his ancestors that he wishes weren’t true. It’s a look into genuine emotion, though with a tough exterior, as he tries to accept his family history, blemishes and all.

Who Do You Think You Are? gives you a mix of history lesson, travel show, and human interest documentary with a touch of reality TV. It’s a good mix that keeps the audience entertained while educating and enlightening them as well.

Written by: Sarah Eve Nichols-Fulghum, March 5th 2010

The Hypochondriacs: Nine Tormented Lives

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:00:00 +0000

By Brian Dillon

Faber & Faber

Almost everyone knows someone they would describe as a hypochondriac—a friend or relative who is obsessed with ambiguous symptoms, or who hears about a disease and immediately fears they have contracted it. In contemporary pop culture, “hypochondriac” is frequently a pejorative term, and one who suffers from “health phobia” is commonly an object of mockery. The condition is sometimes confused in media portrayals with malingering or deliberate “faking.”

But hypochondria has not always been thought of as a mental problem. To the ancient Greeks, the hypochondrium was the region of the abdomen below the ribs. Ulcers and abdominal problems were once considered part of the “hypochondriac syndrome.” As the actual causes of such disorders were discovered, physical complaints without a clear cause continued to be labeled “hypochondriasis.”

The Hypochondriacs: Nine Tormented Lives documents nine well-known “hypochondriacs” throughout history, and creates a narrative about how the diagnosis has evolved. A wide variety of medically recognized physical and mental issues have at one time been labeled hypochondria. What was labeled hypochondria in Daniel Paul Schreber might today be described as Cotard’s syndrome, or schizophrenia. The symptoms Andy Warhol experienced might now be called body dysmorphic disorder, a fascination with perceived flaws in one’s appearance.

Some of the nine individuals are more well-known than others. Most readers will probably be familiar with Charlotte Bronte, Charles Darwin, Florence Nightingale, Alice James, Marcel Proust, and Andy Warhol. But I had to Google James Boswell to learn that he is credited with reinventing the biography genre. Daniel Paul Schreber was a German jurist whose memoir of his mental illness became well-known after being analyzed by Sigmund Freud. Glenn Gould was a celebrated classical pianist, conductor, and broadcaster. Each individual viewed their “disease” differently, in accordance or in defiance of contemporary thinking.

Hypochondria was at one time considered the male counterpart to “female hysteria” (madness caused by the uterus). This may explain why hypochondria is frequently stereotyped as a problem affecting females. (In modern medicine, however, an equal number of men and woman are diagnosed with this condition.) The story of Charlotte Bronte implies that her troubling symptoms, and her resulting anxiety, may be connected to her frustration with the confinements of contemporary gender roles. Bronte was repeatedly discouraged from developing literary ambitions because of her sex, and this caused her considerable anguish. It is easy to see a parallel between hypochondria—symptoms with no clear cause—the “problem with no name” that Betty Friedan described in The Feminine Mystique.

The Hypochondriacs: Nine Tormented Lives is best suited for readers who have personal experience with hypochondria. In the introduction, the author mentions that he has experienced some degree of hypochondria in his own life, but this is never elaborated upon. His fascination with the condition is apparent, and the diagnosis is explored in detail. The book is analytical, but does not advocate a particular approach to the disease or its treatment.

Written by: Kellie Powell, December 16th 2009

The Cult of Celebrity: What Our Fascination with the Stars Reveals About Us

admin — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:56:00 +0000

By Cooper Lawrence

skirt!

I must admit that I have a minor addiction to so-called celebrity news. I’ll read People magazine at the gym and admit to having a fascination with hearing more about my favorite stars. This addiction is explained in The Cult of Celebrity.

The book breaks down our addiction by first equating it to worship. Celebrities are, to some extent, deified. They are put on a pedestal, separate and special from the rest of us. They can get away with all sorts of things that us ordinary mortals cannot. Part of the draw, as Lawrence explains, is the charisma that most celebrities have in spades.

We are inundated with celebrity culture in today’s world, and as Lawrence says, “The number of people we know in the ‘artificial world’—actors, singers, sportspeople, TV hosts—is much larger than the number of people we know in the real world.” We’re drawn to know more about celebrities because of a kind of personal connection we may feel with them; the relationship we have with a celebrity (all one-sided) is easier than many of our real life relationships. Yet, our connection to a celebrity can bring us closer to those around us. When in doubt, you can often gossip about the latest celebrity info with an acquaintance and find common ground.

Not only do we love celebrities, but many of the teens and twenty-year-olds today want to be celebrities. Our culture has emphasized the importance of fame, and many people are desperate for it. We think it is a quick fix to our lives, and that when we’re discovered, all our dreams will come true. Why else would shows like American Idol and America’s Got Talent be so popular?

Thankfully, Lawrence addresses the issue of young girls and celebrity. Films, TV shows, music, magazines, advertisements, and books are everywhere that cater to the young consumers desire to be famous and beautiful. Much of this emphasizes the purely superficial as the most important. The book has tips and hints for parents to provide positive parenting for children, including how to become the role model for your children.

The complicated cult of celebrity examined by Lawrence also encompasses celebrity endorsements and celebrities doing good. More people know about the crisis in Darfur thanks to celebrities like George Clooney; whether this is a good or bad thing is another issue. Not simply revealing her opinions on celebrity, Lawrence uses psychologists, philosophers, academics and researchers to support the points she makes.

Written by: Kristin Conard, August 30th 2009

Creating Myself: How I Learned That Beauty Comes in All Shapes, Sizes, and Packages, Including Me

admin — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:04:00 +0000

By Mia Tyler

Atria Books

Imagine growing up with these parents: Steven Tyler from Aerosmith and Cyrinda Foxe, a popular actress and model from the 1970s. At first glance, it might seem luxurious, glamorous, exciting, and fun to be part of this family, but Mia Tyler tells the real story of her experiences with her rock 'n roll mom and dad in Creating Myself.

From the first lines of the book, which reveal Tyler's intention to commit suicide in 2001, readers will find riveting details, shocking stories, and jaw-dropping secrets. For example, as an eight-year-old, Tyler had to pour her mother's vial of cocaine into the toilet, and later in life she struggled with her own drug addictions and self-mutilation.

But this book is much more than an exposé of a celebrity family; it is Mia's story of coping, growing, forgiving, moving on, and finding herself amidst the chaos and confusion of a rollercoaster home life. Stories and memories are shared, along with descriptions of birthdays, romances, family tension, crazy social sprees, and her work as a plus-size model. Tyler recounts her trials with using men, drugs, and food, and working to overcome these addictions. She even provides a detailed examination of her own sanity at different points in her life, and how her psychological well-being impacted her choices and the way she encountered the world.

Tyler's candid stories and honest self-evaluations reflect a woman who has been through a lot, has taken a good hard look at herself and the world around her, and has chosen to take the best approach possible by forgiving herself and her family, moving on, and deciding to take care of herself. She comes out stronger in the end, with seemingly endless love and wisdom to share.

Creating Myself will hit home with all readers, even those who don't share Tyler's celebrity status or her extreme past. Those who choose this book will find out that it is possible to take on—and overcome—all that the world has in store for us.

Written by: Amanda Moss, August 30th 2009

The Last Single Woman in America

admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:14:00 +0000

By Cindy Guidry

Plume

Cindy Guidry is a single woman in her forties living in Los Angeles. The people in her life insist on reacting to her lack of husband and children as though it were a catastrophe. She begins writing a series of personal essays after losing her job as a Hollywood studio executive. She finds herself questioning her choices, her motives, and her identity. The essays span several years, detailing failed relationships and other fiascos. Her life is populated with bizarre personalities—her bleak Canadian neighbor Tomas, an obsessive compulsive pseudo-boyfriend she refers to as “The Viking,” and her parents, who have been separated for twenty years, but who are too close to ever consider an actual divorce. There’s plenty of dating-related humiliation, sex talk, and of course, Hollywood-bashing.

Two of the best essays deal with Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Guidry grew up in New Orleans, and her parents are still living there when disaster strikes. The first floor of her mother’s house floods, and Guidry invites her mother to stay with her temporarily. Guidry has always suspected that she is not her mother’s favorite child, and living in close quarters eventually leads her to ask her mother point blank, “Did you or did you not have sex with a leprechaun in 1967?” There’s a delicate balance at work in these personal narratives between realism and absurdity that produces laugh-out-loud hilarity. Guidry seems to be fully aware of her own ridiculousness while writing about her veterinarian (“The Cat Whisperer”) or trying to kick Dave Matthews out of her car before he discovers that her CD changer contains nothing but Dave Matthews CDs.

Guidry invites her readers to laugh at her neuroses and her tendencies toward self-sabotage. Unfortunately, her self-criticism lacks bite, and the comedy occasionally gets lost in pages of overwrought abstract analysis. In essays like “Men Are the New Women,” and “Future Ex-Husband,” she reveals her ambivalence about changing gender roles and claims feminism is at least partially responsible for her inability to find a life partner. These remarks feel tired, and certainly don’t add anything new to the discussion of the supposed “gender wars.” Ultimately, her book is like her obsessive love for Dave Matthews—there’s nothing wrong with it, per se, but it’s not exactly unique.

Written by: Kellie Powell, April 8th 2009

Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World

admin — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:35:00 +0000

By Lynne Spears, Lorilee Craker

Thomas Nelson Publishing

When the news first hit that Lynne Spears, mother of Britney & Jamie Lynn Spears, was planning on writing a book, everyone seemed to have an opinion. Rumor had it that she was writing a book of parenting advice. Everyone scoffed. Parenting advice from a woman with a pregnant 16-year-old and a pop star whose fall from grace was playing out in the tabloids day by day? Yeah, right. Given the media storm going on around her daughters at that time of the books planned publishing date (remember Britney's hospitalizations? The vagina-flashing? The shaved head?), the book was postponed and released quietly a few months later.

As usual, the rumors were wrong. In reality, the book turned out to be a simple story of Lynne Spears' life. She does not linger on the portions of her story that involve fame and fortune—in fact, the majority of the book is about her youth, her extended family, and the years when her children were young and unknown. A reader gets the impression that Spears is trying to clear her name. She has obviously been hurt by the things that have been written about her and assumptions that have been made about her parenting, and she works hard to portray herself as a simple, sweet Southern woman. For this reader, it worked. Lynne seems like a genuinely nice, humble person. She garners your sympathy by spilling her guts about her crumbled marriage and her dying sister, but she warms your heart with stories about happy times and simple pleasures from her past. The book is chock full of colorful Southern-isms, which give some charming credence to her characterization as a rural Louisiana girl.

It's sad though—no matter what Spears does, she can't escape the tabloid machine. Even though this book is her life story, in all its simple and sometimes mundane detail, the publishers still wanted to sensationalize it. The book has pull quotes posted on every few pages, and the publishers never failed to pull something out of context that made the book appear to be more about the fame of her daughters than it really is.

From a feminist perspective, the book doesn't stack up to much. I doubt if Lynne Spears would call herself a feminist, but I think anyone could justly criticize the hyper-sexualization of a teenage Britney Spears, especially her mother. She touches on that topic only briefly, and never really takes it to a feminist place or criticizes it in any depth. However, in other areas, Lynne is very woman-centered. Her core strength comes from her religious faith and the women in her life—her daughters, her sister, her best friends. All of the rocks Lynne has, besides God, are women who she admires and draws strength and inspiration from. Lynne's strong sense of sisterhood is feminist in its own small way.

Written by: Jess Brock, March 24th 2009

Moon Metro Los Angeles, 3rd Edition

admin — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Edited by Naomi Adler Dancis

Avalon Travel

From Argentina to Cancun to New England, Moon Maps are available online and through guides like Moon Metro Los Angeles. The slender book is thick with fold-out maps of the City of Angels so you can conduct a self-guided tour. It’s not an “LA for Dummies,” but makes the effort to be accessible to first timers, as well as those who are map-challenged, like me.

Moon Metro Los Angeles divided Los Angeles up into eight specific areas, which are color coded to help the tourist quickly identify where they’re going. You may own a navigator that will get you around even as you walk, but a map can often give a wider view of what’s ahead in an area; at least, that’s been my experience with my navigational system and its 3.5 inch screen.

The guide also offers advice on tourist traps, which can be fun if you want to tell people you saw or experienced, but really aren’t the best value. Case in point are the “star tours” or “star maps” that lead you to think you’ll see the stars at their homes. Remember just how high those greens were when Ozzy Osborne threw a ham over his shrubbery? Map authors point out that homes may be recessed far enough from the street that you can’t see them taking out the trash, or (again with the shrubbery) with landscaping that is designed to cloud your view.

Hot "star spots" are mentioned: places you might not expect to see them at, such as delis or coffee shops. Bank on the fact they may love one place, but switch to another if the shine gets too bright from fans’ smiles.

Restaurant price ratings and other expected data are included in the map as well. It’s worth a pickup prior to your visit, so you can program destinations in your navigator, data phone or other electronic accessories, but is a good backup in case any of your electronics fail, and you’re still rarin’ to go.

Written by: Cheryl Ellis, March 20th 2009