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Cher: The Original Diva – Part 2

When I last left off in my Cher blog, it was the end of the 70s. She was twice divorced and her record career had stalled. So, what do you do when you aren’t selling records? You reinvent yourself as an actress. At the age of 36 (often considered “old” in Hollywood), Cher starred in the Broadway production of Com Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. She received critical praise and later starred in the film version. She appeared in Silkwood as unglamorous lesbian – showing us a completely different side of Cher. For the role, … Continue reading →

Cher: The Original Diva – Part 1

The Lindsay Lohans, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez’s, and yes, even Madonna’s of the world have one woman to thank for their being able to combine singing and acting careers – Cher. Yes, long before most of them were even born, Cher was doing it her own way, no matter what anyone said. Oh sure, Liz Taylor had grace and charm on the screen, but you never heard about Liz in the recording studio, did you? Most of today’s kids probably think it was Madonna that broke that door down, but I would have to disagree – I think Madonna took … Continue reading →

Chaz Bono Applies for Name/Gender Change

Chaz Bono, the child of ‘70s greats Sonny and Cher, has filed to legally his gender to male and his name to Chaz Bono according to TMZ. For those that haven’t been following this story, Chaz was born Chastity Bono in 1969. The only child of Sonny and Cher, Chastity grew up in the spotlight, often appearing on her parent’s television show. When Chastity turned 18, she came out to both her parents as a lesbian. She wrote in her 1998 “Family Outing” memoir, “as a child, I always felt there was something different about me.” Chastity also wrote that … Continue reading →

New York Restoration Project’s Hulaween Fundraiser

It is time again for the tenth annual Hulaween Ball to benefit the New York Restoration Project. In case you haven’t heard of this event, it is one of my favorite occurrences – when pop culture, green, and Halloween collide! The New York Restoration Project (NYRP) was founded back in 1995 when entertainer Bette Midler organized volunteers to clean up the Fort Washington and Fort Tryon Parks in NYC. Since then, it has been Bette’s goal to work towards a cleaner, greener city. NYRP often tries to focus on uncared for parks that are in low-income neighborhoods. To raise money … Continue reading →

The Supreme Court Upholds Crackdown on Television Profanity

The other night, I was having dinner with some friends. One expressed shock that she saw Luke, a deaf contestant on “The Amazing Race,” sign the term for a female dog (follow me here). I told her I wasn’t really surprised because one of the other contestants had verbally called him that derogatory name beforehand. That prompted another dinner guest to say “Oh yeah, they can say…” and went through all the curse words that could be said on television today without being bleeped out. After that conversation, I remembered that when I was growing up, things certainly seemed a … Continue reading →

MTV’s Video Music Awards 2008

The Video Music Awards (VMAs) are over for another year and they were surprisingly…ordinary. There were no meltdowns, no hijinks, none of the stuff I usually tune in for! There was a rant by host Russell Brand (yeah, I know – who?), but I will get to that in a minute. (Public Domain photo courtesy of U.S. Navy Chief Warrant Officer 4 Seth Rossman) The show was held last night at the Paramount Studios and its lots in Los Angeles. After last year’s oddly unpolished opening performance, many people probably tuned in to see how Britney Spears would do this … Continue reading →