Could it be?

Noooo, not JStroup too! She's my favorite broadcast television brunette. But not enough that I watch 90210.

Anyway, is it just me or does something about her look totally OFF? For example, in this first photo, she looks like a young Kate Walsh and not Jessica Stroup at all ...


Okay, if that's not good enough to make you say "Whoa", check these out (click for larger photo):


And this (click for larger):


I don't know, but something's definitely off. Looks like she may have gained a few needed pounds, but even so, her pre-weight loss nose looked nothing like this one. I still love her, though. The hair especially.

[Photos: Introducing Jessica Stroup and Jessica Stroup Fan]

TRAINWRECK

My new favorite laughter-inducing photo:

Funny comments ensue.

Oh David

American Idol's David Archuleta has been making the charity rounds lately. Last night, it was the "Children Uniting Nations Gala" in Washington D.C. Reporters cornered him and asked him the gasp -- unthinkable: do you think this was the right time for Adam Lambert to come out of the closet?


[Thanks to LACelebs on YouTube]

Way to sidestep the question, DArch! This wins in my book of Most Uncomfortable DArchuleta Interviews Ever. I was dying for someone to ask him about something touchy like Proposition 8 because he's such a conservative little Mormon boy yet so darn agreeable I couldn't see him ever denying somebody the right to marry. Ah well, this was close enough. Looks like we may never get a straight answer out of him ... but that's just what makes him the incomparable David Archuleta.

Almost equally entertaining, USA Today asked him whether he had a romantic interest in any of the Disney gals. "No ... if they are younger than me, then it would technically be illegal. I wouldn't mind going on a fun date."

Hmm, something here makes me think David's definition of "date" is a little different from mine. As is his interpretation of the law.

A walk down 'Idol' lane

[Photo courtesy of L.A. Times]
I vowed not to watch another season of American Idol, but here I am, the end of May, having plowed through another season. I wasn’t planning to watch this year, but as the weeks went on, I figured I needed something to compare Season Seven to, so I began to dutifully watch Season Eight.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I was and am a David Archuleta fan through and through. And everyone knows he “lost” last year.

This year, Kris Allen, who, everyone knows, “won” this year, caught my eye. But not in the way that Archuleta had.

I had and have very little emotional attachment to Kris Allen. I did not vote for most of the season, but threw in twelve votes in the final round. Because I did not want his loss to be a landslide as it had been when Archuleta lost to Cook last year.

This is all to say that I qualify as “one of those blind, deaf people who voted for Kris.” (And the many more biting comments that have been made about Kris fans.)

But hear my story before you judge. I am very, very, very tired of being marginalized as a conservative Christian, likely from the South, with no taste in music.

First things first: I prefer pop music. I like Jason Mrazy type stuff, and Kris Allen immediately pinged in my ear as Jason Mrazy. This must not come as a surprise, as I preferred David Archuleta to David Cook. This should also not come as a surprise, as I watch the show American Idol. That said, I have nothing against Adam Lambert, not in the least bit (okay, the tongue thing was a little weird). He was, by all counts, much more attractive, much more vocally talented and had much more stage presence. But his musical style just wasn’t my cup of tea.

The reasons I voted for Kris and not Adam had nothing to do with his sexuality. I am a liberal, for the most part an atheist, born-and-raised New York (City)er who just prefers a more laidback sound. I went to an all-girls college and hung out with the lesbian crowd for a good part of my senior year. (That might explain my penchant for a more folksy style of music, eh?)

Entertainment Weekly journalist Whitney Pastorek says it best:

"Adam Lambert was never going to win this show, but I don't think it had anything to do with platform boots or flaming bombast or some vast red state/Mormon/hillbilly/Miss California conspiracy. I think it had more to do with the fact that the sort of people who would be inclined to like Adam Lambert are not as inclined to watch this show as the sort of people who would be inclined to like Kris Allen."

Now, being a David Archuleta fan, the Season Eight finale was particularly strange for me. There I was, fully expecting Adam to win, and there I was, mouth wide-open, wondering how the hell it was Kris who had won. The victory didn’t feel so good. Especially after I started reading message boards and all the hateful messages towards those who voted for Kris. I was made to feel almost guilty for having voted for Kris because, apparently, I was making a statement about my views on homosexuality.

No.

I truly believed Adam Lambert was going to win. I think Adam Lambert should have won. Vocally, he is more talented. He, again, has more stage presence. He has “it”.

My co-worker, an Adam fan, was “pissed” at Kris’ stunned reaction. “He didn’t act like he wanted to win, or believed he would. If you don’t believe in yourself, you don’t deserve to win.”

What?

I love my co-worker, but ... did anyone think Kris would truly win?

I was so, so disappointed David Archuleta lost last year, but here I found myself a year later, on the opposite side of the fence. But the fence didn’t seem so high or wide as it had a year before. It was completely apparent to me that Adam would go on to sell many more records than Kris would, and that Kris’ victory was little more than a coronation -- a going through of motions -- with very little true meaning behind it.

So I guess I succeeded, when I began watching Season Eight, in finding something to compare Season Seven to. I now know what it is like to stand on either side of the fence, and frankly, the view really isn’t all that different.

I know I can’t speak for all Kris Allen fans (or even most of them), but that's my story. Angry Adam Lambert fans, please consider the fact that not every person who voted for Kris is homophobic. And in the end, as I have learned from past "losses", it really doesn’t matter. It’s just an imaginary crown, a stupid coronation song. The true winner(s) will prove himself in his success after American Idol.

P.S. David Cook sounded the best he's ever sounded on Wednesday night. I'm buying the performance from iTunes.

Youth is wasted on the young.

WTF has Audrina Patridge done to her beautiful face?






[Photos courtesy of Audrina's Official Site and Getty Images]

Happy Birthday

[Courtesy of B96Chicago]
David Archuleta's birthday is being met today with great pleasure and great grief. Not only are thousands of jailbait-ed hearts awaiting the day they, too, will be freed, but thousands of twenty-somethings (and beyond, but we'll pretend they don't exist) Archies and Arch Angels for whom the age barrier defined (by law) the kind of relationship they had to the singer now have to face the truth. And for them, there is the irrational fear of non-legal DArchuleta sprouting wings and flying off into adult and manhood.

Well, whatever the case may be, there was nothing any of us could do to stop it. Not even his father, the infamous Dadchuleta.

DArchuleta is now legal to marry in all 50 states, ladies. And gentlemen.

Welcome to the other side, little David, and may this boy live on:

[Courtesy of YouTube user "Caliiniiqka18"]

Davey Baby's growing up!

The music video for DArchuleta's "A Little Too Not Over You" is up, and of much higher quality than the video for "Crush". This is much more like the Jive I've come to know and love ...


My mom and I laughed for a good five minutes over this face:


He's supposed to be melancholic, not looking like he wants to kill me. Right?

I mean, just look:



[Both photos courtesy of my Print Screen function; a) "A Little Too Not Over You" music video, b) The Bonnie Hunt Show]

Religion makes bank

Came across this fascinating article in the Sunday NY Times today.

This about sums it up:
“It’s a wonderful time, a great evangelistic opportunity for us,” said the Rev. A. R. Bernard, founder and senior pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York’s largest evangelical congregation, where regulars are arriving earlier to get a seat. “When people are shaken to the core, it can open doors.”

So maybe it's not all that fascinating, but a little expected. Churches, career placement centers, fast food restaurants and Wal-Mart may be the only ones doing well in our economy. Explains why FOX News has been running so many religious ads and why I've been seeing random church ads in the subway system and on random cable networks.

Song of the Moment: Silent Night, David Archuleta
* It may be DArchuleta songs until the holidays are through; his renditions of Christmas songs are incredible.

Back from the grave ...

... and prepping for the new year. Which means making some changes. First things first: "a little more personal (raw)", I think I'm going to take the focus off of Hollywood celebrities and turn it to a more general culture blog.

I thought I would start our holiday engines off with a little holiday cheer. Says NY Mag:
[Richard Hayne, CEO of Urban Outfitters] is a notably right-wing Republican who supports senators who vote for legislation against gay marriage. In fact, last May the British Website ThisIsMoney.co.uk wrote, "Hayne must be the only retailer whose expansion plans depend on no one finding out who he really is." Interesting where your money goes, isn't it? When a right-wing Republican is the one concocting your anti-Establishment image, you start to wonder if the entire hipster movement has been duped into becoming puppets of Hayne's billionaire income.

NY Mag got a response from the UO team today and their thoughts?
Glen Senk, the CEO of the parent company, Urban Outfitters, Inc., is an openly gay man who has been in a committed relationship for over 30 years. However, Richard Hayne is still the founder and current chairman and does indeed have a record for supporting right-wing Republicans who are against abortion and gay rights.

Yes. Exactly. I will now reconsider ever making a purchase at Urban Outfitters again. Not that I ever did ... not unless the merchandise was 90% off, anyway.

While we're on the topic of homosexuality, how 'bout that Newsweek cover story, huh? The readback caused so much of stir that the comments were completely disabled. I think Lisa Miller makes some unsubstantiated points, but some readers were so inflamed they ceased to make sense. I wish you could read the comments from "Caroline from MA," who repeatedly compared "choosing" to be gay to being addicted to cigarettes. Once you pop, you can't stop. (I hear this is true of tattoos, too?) And how gay porn should be made illegal, just as cigarette ads should, as they pander to our impressionable innocents.

I'm comin' out, I want the world to know

A number of revelations today, of the non-revelatory sort: Lindsay Lohan finally admitted -- to "Loveline", no less -- that she has been dating Samantha Ronson for a "very long time." That certainly clears up any questions we may have had, but I still don't much trust Lilo's judgment. What exactly constitutes a long time?


[Photo courtesy of NY Daily News]
Also coming out this week ... American Idol's Clay Aiken. Um, yeah. People didn't need to shell out the big (or perhaps little in Mr Spamalot's case) bucks for this story. Again, not exactly a revelation.

Elsewhere, E! seems to have some sources telling them that The Hills' Whitney Port is in fact filming an East Coast spinoff to The Hills, aptly titled The City. I can't say I hate the idea. I'm not sure how fond I am of the idea of Los Angeles turning into New York, but I have to admit that I didn't totally love the idea of it being the last season of the show and wasn't yet ready to say goodbye to Whitney and Audrina Patridge.

Now, the best of both worlds. If Miley Cyrus would just go away.

David Cook has apparently had enough of magic rainbows and is truly to recoup any dignity lost with a new single, "Light On". Perhaps not strangely at all, I liked the general sound of "Time of My Life" better, however, the lyrics of "Light On" are infinitely better. I think it may be a bit of hard sell with pop radio, but he's attractive enough to pull it off.


[Photo courtesy of Amazon.com]
David Archuleta's alleged album cover has been released. Also not a huge fan of the pic. Although it does make him look his age, mysterious and potentially mysterious enough to be sexy without giving up any bit of his Mormon-ness, he ... well, there's no other way to put it: he looks like he's dead.

Other than the lack of color in his face, not too bad. They have the right idea going for them there.

David Cook's album, rumored to be called "Out of My Head", will drop on November 18th. David Archuleta's album will likely be titled "David Archuleta" and will hit stores on November 11th. David Archuleta. Dull, but reliable.

P.S. Must see television recap of the day: Cloris Leachman on Dancing With The Stars. Enjoy!

[Courtesy of YouTube user "rihannamusicfan"]