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Stop Picking On Sinead O'Connor

She's older and heavier; so what?

(Newser) - Catch those new photos of Sinead O'Connor performing in Ireland? (See the video in the gallery at left for a sample.) She is, gasp, no longer the slim, bald 20-something who captivated fans, and the Internet has not been kind in pointing this out. Lay off, write Mimi... More »

Amy Winehouse Haters, Please Save the Sanctimony

Take your smug criticism elsewhere: Mary Elizabeth Williams

(Newser) - Mary Elizabeth Williams has heard about enough from the holier-than-thou folks carping about Amy Winehouse coverage. You've heard it all: Winehouse got what she deserved, I told you so, or why waste time on her when people are dying in Norway, Africa, fill in the blank. "God forbid... More »

Meet Rebecca Black Pal: 'That Girl in Pink'

Benni Cinkle handles her fame with maturity

(Newser) - Rebecca Black isn't the only one who got noticed in her Friday video: Her friend Benni Cinkle became an Internet sensation in her own right as "that girl in pink" dancing next to her. She's been endlessly photoshopped and turned into animated GIFs, but good luck if... More »

Lots of Snooty NPR Listeners Don't Get NPR

Slate columnist: It's OK to cover pop culture, so lighten up, people

(Newser) - Farhad Manjoo loves NPR, but he doesn't like the listeners who write in every time the network dabbles in coverage of pop culture. Maybe "doesn't like" isn't strong enough: "Oh, I hate them, hate them, hate them," he writes at Slate . These "snobby pseudo-intellectuals" think NPR... More »

Bieber Launches ... Nail Polish Line

'One Less Lonely Girl' collection to hit Wal-Mart

(Newser) - Justin Bieber, mop-haired heartthrob and undisputed King of Twitter , is expanding his tween empire by launching his very own ... nail polish line. The ultra-glittery 'One Less Lonely Girl' collection by OPI will debut at Wal-Mart over the holidays and then spread like Bieber Fever to Target, Sears, and Ulta stores... More »

'Hey Mom, I Got an A in Zombie!'

College course capitalizes on pop culture phenom

(Newser) - Zombies may not be rising up and seeking out tasty brains, but zombie culture is. And now a University of Baltimore professor is offering an English 333 course focusing on the undead, reports the Baltimore Sun . Arnold Blumberg's class will feature studies around zombie films and comics. Students also will... More »

Ban Lady Gaga, Not Jewish Settlements

Pop stars more damaging to Mideast peace than anything rational

(Newser) - The Obama administration is making a big stink about Israeli settlements on the West Bank, but you know what causes a lot more radical anti-American sentiment in the Muslim world? Lady Gaga, argues Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal . Or, if you prefer, Madonna or Marilyn Monroe, or any... More »

After 20 Years, The Simpsons Is Irrelevant

But the show has influenced much of modern TV, says author

(Newser) - Today marks the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons, a show that has influenced everything from modern TV to the president’s speechwriter—but is now barely relevant. “There will never be another show or entertainment program as wide-reaching as The Simpsons,” says John Ortved, author of The Simpsons:... More »

Rehab: How Celebs Say Sorry

Bonus: No need for actual apology

(Newser) - Lately, when celebs want to show contrition, they turn to rehab. Whether counseling for alcohol and drugs (take your pick) to sex addiction (Steve Phillips) to homophobia (Isaiah Washington) to domestic abuse (Chris Brown), stars see a rehab trip taking the place of a public confession. “It really is... More »

2009's Coolest Pop Culture

Wired picks the year's best

(Newser) - This has been a vintage year for pop culture, say Wired writers listing their year's best in fields from film to video games to microsculpture.
  • Stephen Colbert's "hyper-real genius" made the year for Scott Thill, who believes "Earth’s most relevant living cultural critic" is long overdue for
... More »

'Fag Hag' No Longer Hip Label

Gay men slowly becoming less of an 'accessory' for women

(Newser) - Thanks to Will & Grace, the young gay men of a decade ago were turned “into something unexpected: a must-have item,” writes Thomas Rogers for Salon. Though he was “jockish, pop-culturally illiterate, and dressed in mom jeans,” Rogers “remained a strangely alluring target for a... More »

In LA, You're Never Too Old to Rap

Seniors learn to love the music in unusual class

(Newser) - A new crop of rappers is emerging in Los Angeles, and they have one thing in common: They’re senior citizens. Hip-hop artist Keith Cross started his unorthodox rap class in 2004 to show seniors “there is positive rap out there; we just have to look for it,”... More »

Rihanna Arms Herself With Gun Tattoo

Singer got it on ribcage, not arms, because of Cover Girl deal: artist

(Newser) - Rihanna, often seen with a gun pendant around her neck, has decided to add a gun to the assemblage of tattoos on her body. This one graces her ribcage, safely out of view for her modeling spots. “I really wanted to put it on her arms,” her artist... More »

Zippo Closes In on 500M Lighters

American icon set to sell its 500 millionth lighter by year's end

(Newser) - At some point this year, the Zippo factory in Bradford, Pa., will churn out its 500 millionth lighter, NPR reports. The windproof gadget has become a cultural staple since 1932, from the wartime foxholes of Germany and Vietnam to the glitter of the Silver Screen, but NPR notes that the... More »

How Cereal Shaped America

Charting the evolution and influence of the grain-based breakfast

(Newser) - We might be eating hockey pucks for breakfast if a 19th-century kitchen accident hadn’t turned John Kellogg’s “barely edible” biscuits into today’s far-tastier flakes, Ian Lender writes in Mental Floss. “The cereal flake is the perfect consumer product,” he says, looking at how cereal... More »

Paula Will Face Dancing Judges

American Idol jurist adds new primetime gig

(Newser) - Prepare to savor the sweet redemption of a judge—albeit a nice one—being judged: Paula Abdul is “very excited” to be a contestant on next season's Dancing with the Stars, Radar reports. The singer-turned-American Idol judge made no secret of the fact that she was “shopping around”... More »

Will Obama Change Pop Culture?

(Newser) - Can "No-Drama" Obama cast a spell over Hollywood? After years of bleak television dramas, a Dark Knight superhero, and a James Bond who rarely smiles, some in Hollywood say Obama will inspire an era of optimism. ''The idea of change and hope has permeated the country," says Marvel... More »

Turning Tricks, or 'Trick or Treat'?

Parents unable to counter sexy costume trend: expert

(Newser) - No, your eyesight isn't hexed: Young girls really are dressing like French maids and prostitutes every Halloween. And their skirts will only get higher, because pop culture has drowned out any last echo of parental advice, author Diane E. Levin tells the Los Angeles Times. The co-author of So ... More »

On Film, a Black President Is Nothing New

From 24 to The Fifth Element

(Newser) - America may be on the verge of electing its first black president, but pop culture is way ahead of reality. James Earl Jones portrayed the first in The Man (1972), and several have followed. As an entertainment-obsessed nation, asks Slate, might these fictional forebears affect our perception of the real... More »

Comic Becomes Bible of Asia's Wine Culture

Wannabe oenophiles takes cues from The Drops of the Gods

(Newser) - What do Freddie Mercury and a Jean-François Millet painting have in common? Both have been used to describe wine in The Drops of the Gods, a Japanese comic series that’s quickly becoming the go-to wine literature in Asia, reports the New York Times. Customers tend to ask for... More »

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