Monica Lewinsky Ted Talk

Monica Lewinsky: The Price of Shame

If you haven’t seen the Monica Lewinsky Ted Talk yet, watch it here.

Most people just think of Monica as that intern that sucked a president’s dick. You don’t think of her as a person. As a real life, living breathing person, with feelings. Here, she makes you realize that not only is she a person, but a little bit of what she went through.

It brought me to tears.

She is absolutely right in her speech. “Public shaming as a blood sport has to stop.” People are so busy vilifying people online, but they’re not attempting to find a useful solution to situations. Even as recently as last week, with the John Laws drama. People called for him to be sacked, people called for him to be cast aside, but nobody looked at the bigger issue. Yes, Laws is a dinosaur, but honestly, even as a victim, there are times when I have no idea what to say to people. I have people share with me their abuse ALL the time, but sometimes, it’s in a situation you don’t expect, and it can throw you off guard. When you’re not expecting it, sometimes words fail you. Which is why I suggested sensitivity training. It’s probably something that ALL journalists and media people should do, because you just never know what someone will share with them. If it’s going to be live on air, they need to be prepared for it.

I think what really struck me about her interview is that I know what she went through. Certainly not on the scale she did. But, when I first went public about what happened to me, it was insane how I was attacked online. I had emails, tweets and blog comments telling me all kinds of awful things. The media dissected me. Talk shows discussed whether I was telling the truth, or if it was all a ploy to sell a scuba show. I woke up one morning to a morning show with a screen cut in four, as a bunch of people discussed my abuse. (Or lack of)

Maybe it’s hard for people to have empathy until they’ve been in such a situation. I know that I’ve certainly changed my habits over the last 5 years. I like to think I was always willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, but now, I really feel for people who have been the object of a lynch mob in the new media.

I hope you never have to go through what some people do. You can help by thinking before you tweet, text, comment or youtube your opinion. Remember, the person you’re dealing with, is a real live person, with feelings, just like you.

August 13, 2014

Searching for Direction

Where to now?

You ever feel like you’re having a mini mid life crisis? I think I’m having one of those right now.

I’m 37 years old, and honestly, I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I have a great job. I get paid lots of money to sit in an office and do a minimal amount of work. I should be grateful. I know I should be happy. But, I’m not. It’s boring and unfulfilling.

A few years ago, I had a long look inside and wondered what I wanted to do. Matt and I sat down, and thought about all the things I loved. The happiest people do what they enjoy, and turn that into a living. Success isn’t about how much money you have, but how rich you feel. Rich to me isn’t about cash either. It’s about quality of life. Happiness. Waking up and felling like you’ve got a purpose.

So, I knew I liked SCUBA, I knew I wanted to try to go back to working in the media. Not really in front of the camera, but producing. I started Going Down. It was freaking awesome. There was always something new and challenging. I enjoyed looking forward to setting up the next location. I loved meeting new people. I was amazed at how much more respect people gave you as a “Producer” than as an actor. Then, I was asked to talk about all the shit that went down on Hey Dad..! I didn’t want to at first, because I felt like I was finally on a path in life. But, I knew it was the right thing to do, so I did it. Then there was all these people claiming I was only coming forward to promote Going Down, which was a load of shit. So, I shut it down. No more diving. No more travel. No more meeting awesome people. No new challenges.

The last four years have been a challenge, but not the good kind. I know I’ve changed as a person. I know it made me stronger, probably a little smarter, and a little bitter. I kept looking forward to it all being over. For four years, you just wish it would all end. Finally, we went to court. We put the bad man away. It’s not quite over, he’s still appealing, but I’m pretty much done.

So now I don’t know what’s next. The last four years I’ve spent focused on getting to court. I’ve focused on putting him away. I’ve had a few months now to decompress. I was looking forward to campaigning for new laws. To change some things. Honestly though, it’s just so hard to do anything effective in Australia when you’re living in Texas. I want to be a great ambassador for kids, but it’s a challenge when you’re 13,000 kms away.

So now I’m trying to work out what’s next. Do I start Going Down again? Do I go back to acting? I never thought I’d go back to acting, but I think it might be good to try it again, as therapy more than anything. I want to change my memories of working in TV, and know it’s not all sleazes and assholes.

I love to create things. Do I follow in my dad’s footsteps, and design clothes? I love fashion. I love make-up. I love color. I’ve had so many people tell me I should be a stylist – I’m pretty brutal about what does and doesn’t look good on someone.

I like to write. I’ve thought about studying journalism. I like to help and heal people. When I joined the guard, I was going to become an EMT…

I guess for now I’ll remain at my desk, filling out reports. But I’ll be doing lots of soul searching, trying to find direction….

June 10, 2014June 10, 2014

Towels – Beach or Bath?

Beach towels and bath towels

As I lay in the tub in the RV tonight, looking at the two towels on the hooks, it got me thinking.
Why is there a difference between beach towels and bath towels? Why is it socially unacceptable to use a bath towel at the beach, and vice versa in the bathroom?
When we got the new RV, we bought some really like Calvin Klein sheets and towels. Around the same time, I had seen some really nice coach beach towels that I thought would look great in the bathroom. Sure, they’re supposed to be beach towels, but they’re soft and pretty, and the browns match my RV fabulously. Why can’t I be a rebel and have beach towels in my bathroom? Who made that a thing anyway?
It’s probably some consumerist marketing ploy to make people buy more stuff.

So I’m going to live by my own rules. Matt prefers the Calvin Klein towel, and I like my coach towels, so we have one of each up. I think if you want to brighten up your bathroom with some funky beach towels, go ahead. Break the interior decoration rules!

May 6, 2014May 6, 2014

Copycat Television

Where’s the creativity in TV?

We like to play movies at work. It makes a nice distraction from the news on the other TV. Today someone wanted to watch BeetleJuice. While looking for it, we found there’s going to be a BeetleJuice 2.

Is everything from the 80’s being remade? I mean, it’s one thing when they re-do Neighbors. Nobody remembers the 1981 Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi version. I don’t know anyone else who has even seen it. Plus, it seems while it’s the same name, they changed the concept slightly. But when they’re remaking everything else, Like Point Break, it’s just getting ridiculous. Point Break doesn’t need a remake. We all remember the first one. It’s a classic. Please don’t fuck with it.

TV isn’t much better. There’s nobody with an original idea there either. Or not many. Because one person comes up with an idea, and then all the other networks, instead of coming up with an idea, just take that idea, and call it something else, and put it on their channel. How many cooking shows are there? Hells Kitchen, My Kitchen Rules, Come Dine with Me, Iron Chef, The Great Australian Bakeoff, plus a few more. It’s one thing on American TV, where there are literally hundreds of channels to pick from, but in Oz, where there’s less channels than I have fingers, it’s too much.

Singing shows? The Voice, The Voice Kids, It Takes Two, Australian Idol, The X Factor, Popstars, etc.

Then you’ve got your dancing shows. Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, Everybody Dance Now, and now they’re bringing in Strictly Come Dancing, and I’m sure there’s more. Personally, if I was in charge, I’d change it up some, to at least make it a little interesting. Like DWTS. Come on, every season they’ve only got a couple of actual “stars” on it. So why not go all out and do a Dancing with the Former Child Stars? You could get a mix of Aussie and US former kid stars. Lets face it, Aussie networks always have to have a token American. Candice Cameron Bure is on the current US version, so she’s probably out, but I’m betting you could get Jodie Sweetin. Corey Feldman did Dancing on Ice. I bet he’d come to Oz to do DWTS. What’s Jamie Croft doing these days? Remember Radames Pera? He was the Young Grasshopper on Kung Fu. He’s an awesome guy. I could put together a whole list of formers…. Its a win win for everyone. The audience gets a title that accurately reflects the show, but they get to see all their childhood idols all grown up. The kids get to hang out and get back into shape while dancing up a storm. A charity gets some money. I think I might go ahead and pitch that one! Lemme know who you’d want to see on there.

I really wish networks would be willing to take more risks. Its sad when they try a new show, and if it doesn’t rate well in 2 episodes, they shelve it. You’ve got to give new programs time to find an audience. Like I thought the concept for Excess Baggage was brilliant. Everyone always says if they had access to chefs and trainers like the stars did, they’d look awesome too. So here was a chance for that, and it only saw two episodes go to air before it was pushed off to another station. Apparently nothing could compete with The Biggest Loser….

Alas, I can complain all I like, but I’m not in charge of programming. All I can do is vote with my remote. So can you. If you’re tired of the same crap on every channel, switch it off.

For the network executives, please, please, take a risk. Try something new. Trust the audience to watch something new. Then give new shows the time to find their groove before shelving it and going back to the same old shit.

April 30, 2014

To support or not to support?

How do people react to pedophiles?

It’s been interesting watching people react to all the celebrity pedophiles in court lately. An article came out yesterday that showed a stark difference between two cases.

Max Clifford, the celebrity publicist who was found guilty of eight counts of abuse has been dropped like a hot potato by his clients. Even before he was found guilty, people distanced themselves from him. When the verdict came down, plenty more dumped him. The Guardian reports:

The X Factor boss Simon Cowell and Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis have severed ties with Max Clifford over the celebrity publicist’s convictions for sexually assaulting teenage girls.

During the trial, Clifford told journalists the trial had cost his PR agency about £1m in lost business. He conceded this month that a conviction would mean “at least a couple of clients will no longer be clients because [they are assisted] by me hands-on” – one of these is Cowell.

The company, which he founded at the beginning of the 1970s and has an all-female staff of eight, moved from its Mayfair headquarters to a more modest office in Weybridge, Surrey, last month in a sign that Clifford was dealing with the financial burden of an expensive criminal trial.

Now in contrast to that is the case against Robert Hughes.

Some of the world’s biggest stars are standing by Australian power agent Robyn Gardiner in the aftermath of the conviction of her husband, Robert Hughes, for child sex abuse. With Hughes awaiting sentencing on 10 counts of sexual and indecent assault of young girls, Sydney Confidential understands that Gardiner’s Sydney-based agency RGM, founded as Robyn Gardiner Management in 1982, has not lost a single client.

Granted, his wife Robyn isn’t the one being charged, but it’s been shown she knew about the abuse. She then went on the stand and lied robyn-robert about another woman, the mother of one of the victims, claiming she had tried to have a lesbian relationship with her. She got evidence mixed up, as it came out, because she had been reading all the evidence the lawyer had, including witness statements and also the newspaper everyday, which she’s not supposed to do, as a witness. She assisted in trying to get a pedophile found innocent. People seem to forget that all their commissions paid to her helped to pay his defense lawyers…. So by keeping her as your agent, you assisted in his defense, and when he appeals, your commission check will also help to pay for that.

Much respect to those stars in England who have chosen to step up and do the right thing. My hats off to you. To those in Australia who choose to stay where you’re at, please understand when I don’t watch anything you’re in. I won’t contribute to his defense fund.

April 29, 2014April 29, 2014

What now?

Working out what I want to be when I grow up….

I’ve been getting lots of questions about what I’m going to do now that the case is over.

We all know I was an actor as a kid. We all know how that turned out… I didn’t hate acting, but I didn’t like the industry. There was lots of good people, but also plenty who knew what was going on, and chose to ignore it for the sake of their own paycheck. The industry is not glamorous. It’s not show play, or show fun, it’s show business. I think most people look at entertainers and all they see is the parties and red carpets, and the few bloated paychecks. I don’t think people realize the ridiculous hours, the hard physical labour, or that the rest of the cast and crew might be barely making minimum wage.

When I first moved to the US, I got an agent. Before Matt and I were ready to get married, I looked into getting back into the industry as a way of getting a visa so I could stay here, till we were ready to decide if we wanted to be together forever. It was the early 2000’s, and all the movies were teen flicks that involved lots of nudity or sex scenes. Neither of which I am interested in.

Matt and I got married, and I ditched the idea of acting. My few encounters on movie sets in the US made me think I never wanted to act again. Years later, I thought it might be fun to document my scuba diving fun. So we created Going Down. I had filmed some stuff, even gotten some sponsorships, and was planning a few places to dive, when I was contacted to go public about what happened to me on set. I had really enjoyed playing producer for Going Down. I loved setting up dives. I love contacting people, arranging a shoot. I got to meet awesome people. Matt sent me to the Travel Channel Academy so I could learn to shoot and edit with a little more style. I loved it so much, it made me think about returning to the industry.

Then I went public, and my life essentially shut down for the next 4 years. I couldn’t work on Going Down, because it was implied I was making it up to try to sell the show. – Still don’t know how coming out about abuse in Australia could possibly help me sell a travel show in the US…. But, for the sake of making sure there was no possible implication of impropriety, I shelved Going Down. I was also working as a social media consultant. That had to go too. I was told his lawyer made a fuss everytime I tweeted, Facebooked or blogged. Not knowing how long the investigation would last, or if there would be an eventual court case, it was hard to go get a full time job. How do you tell someone I want to work, but I may have to leave for a few weeks at some point to go to court.

I took out US citizenship. I had been so badly dissed by Australia, I never wanted to come home. Texas had embraced me, and I wanted to make it official between us. I was also worried if I had to come home for court, and who knew how long ti could take, I might lose my greencard. I’m now the proud owner of two passports.

At one point I got a call from Australia asking me if I’d like to do Celebrity Apprentice. It would have been a great time, but it’s wasn’t appropriate. Again, the fear of his lawyer accusing me of media whoring. Late last year I was thinking it might be easier to just come spend time in Australia, instead of waiting here. I had a friend who had asked the DWTS people about me being on there. We were told I was “tainted, and wouldn’t be good family viewing.” Like I was the one touching little kids….

I joined the Texas State Guard a few years ago. It’s a weekend thing, but then I found a little known about operation, working in an intel office on the border. I’ve been doing that for over 2 years now, and I love it. I work with great people, have the easiest job, but I know it won’t last forever. It’s subject to yearly contract renewals. So now I’m starting to think, with all the excitement of the last few years over, and me now being able to go back to having a life, where I can do what I want, when I want, what do I want to do? What do I want to be when I grow up?

Do I want to stay in Intel? Do I want to go back to making Going Down? Do I want to return to the industry? Do I want to come back to Australia for a while and work? I’d love to spend some time in Oz so I could be an Aunt, but realistically, I’d have to be working in the industry to afford to live in Sydney for just a few months of the year. Of course, I’d miss my husband and dog terribly if I was gone for months at a time…. Going back to acting, movies fit the bill of a couple months work. When I see things like Russel Crowe making The Water Diviner, it tugs at me to go back to acting. He makes movies look so pure, and so interesting to work on. So would working on a show like DWTS or Apprentice. Or hosting/judging a series. I think that would be awesomely fun, but I don’t think I’m qualified for any of those. I’m no Mel B. Acting on a long term show like H&A or Neighbours is way more work that I’d like to do, but a steady paycheck is hard to beat.

I think for now, I need a little more soul searching. If anyone was to offer me something, I’d certainly consider it. I’m not going to be actively searching for anything though. Not till I’m sure. I might decide since I’m happy at the moment, to just let it be. Or I might move to Florida and buy a bar on the beach.

Mon bikini shot

I hope Simone and Ben are getting lots of work offers. They know what they want to do. They want to act. Power to them. I truly hope the industry lets go of us being tainted, and see’s what incredible actors both of them are. I’ve loved Simone since she was in Secret Valley, I couldn’t believe she didn’t move to the US and become a mega star after her work in Shame. The office was blown away today by Ben’s performance in Caught Inside. Both of them should be having the phone’s ringing off the hook, begging them to be a part of some production. I wish the best to both of them, and I hope to see both of them on my screen soon.

December 30, 2013

Happy 2014

Happy New Year

I’m sitting here at work, watching the livestream of the morning news from Australia. It’s always fascinating watching the end of year recaps. Sometimes you forget how much has happened in one year. At first I was thinking I had had a very quiet year, certainly much more peaceful that 2010, when I actually made some of those end of year lists, but actually, I had a really good year.

On the 1st, I’ll have been at my job for two years. I really like my job, with the exception of being so far from home. But at least now I’m in a closer post, and I go home almost every weekend now, so it’s much better than my first location. We’ve got a great team right now, and we all get along.

I got to do quite a bit of travel this year. In March I went back to Australia to spend a week at Heal For Life. I used my airline points, and tried out business class on QANTAS on the way over. I had never gone on a long haul flight in first or business before, and it was real hard to go back to economy on the flight home. (Especially when gastro hit about 3 hours into the flight) Heal For Life was amazing, and it really changed my outlook for the rest of the year.

In September I again used some of my FF points and went to visit Giulia in Italy. Giulia was our exchange student in Texas in 1994, and I went to stay with her family for a week. I had an awesome time, but Matt didn’t go with me, and I missed him terribly. I won’t make the mistake of going somewhere romantic again without him….

Last month Matt was in LA for a few days on business, so I flew out for a couple days and got to have lunch with one of my personal heroes, Paul Peterson. He runs A Minor Consideration, which is a group that helps current and former child stars. I’m really looking forward to doing more with the group next year. It was awesome meeting some of the other formers at lunch as well, and was made to feel super welcome by the group, even though I’m from another country. I can’t explain what it’s like to finally meet other people who share a life experience. I guess that’s what other people who have shared experiences bond over. I’ve never had that before, since there wasn’t really any other kids on TV in Australia when I was there. It’s so nice to have found a group that has first hand experience of all the ups and downs of growing up on TV. They are aware of what’s going on in Oz, and I’m super grateful to have them for support next year.

So we come to 2014. According to all the astrologers, it’s not supposed to be just any New Year. I know my first part of the year is going to be a big one.

After first speaking up four years ago, hopefully this will all come to an end this year, after court starts in February. So I’ll be making another long flight home sometime in the first quarter. I’ve got mixed emotions on it. I’m really not looking forward to the whole process, but I will be happy once it’s all over, and I can move on and put it all behind me. I hope the other girls also find some peace next year.

I’ll turn 37 this year. I’m looking forward to that too. I’ve always had this morbid feeling I’d die at 36, like my dad, so I’ll be happy when I get to 37. I’m going to make an effort this year to take better care of myself, both physically and emotionally. I need to shed a few pounds, and I’d like to start eating healthier and be able to run around the block without feeling like I’m going to have a heart attack.

I’d like to do some more travel in 2014. After my trip to Australia, I’d like to take some time out for some R&R. Maybe do some relaxing on a beach, go diving again. I definitely see more spa visits in my future!

So that’s my year. I hope everyone else had a good 2013, and here’s wishing you an auspicious 2014.

October 14, 2013October 14, 2013

What’s the difference between being artsy and trashy?

Apparently it depends on whether you’re a former child star or not.

I was never a huge Miley Cyrus fan back in the day. I was too old to get into her Hanna Montana thing, and I don’t have kids that would have exposed me to her either. I did notice her when she started her transition from Disney child star to grown up performer.

It’s never easy going through the transition from teenager to adult. It’s even harder trying to do this when you’re got the whole world watching you. How many people can honestly say they never fucked up during that transition? Or did things that they didn’t regret later? Everyone has an opinion on all the current celebrities going through their transitions. I’d like to see half of these people last a day being hounded by paparazzi, being constantly scrutinized by every keyboard warrior, and how many times someone could call them a talentless slut before they broke down, let alone trying to go through the entire transition. It’s kind of weird that in the midst of this “Bullying Awareness” campaign that the media is bestowing upon us, they’re the ones doing the most amount of bullying on people like Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Justin Beiber and other stars trying to make a living. Hypocrisy much?

So here’s a few things I’ve noticed over the last few months:

If you started your artistic career as as adult, it’s ok to get nekkid in a film clip, but if you were a child star, apparently it’s not….

There’s also the speculation on what you can wear during a performance. Apparently people either have short memories, or you can do a nude outfit, as long as you use glitter to cover/accentuate your lady parts.

Apparently a nude suit is appropriate for the Olympics, but not for the VMA’s

Apparently it’s also OK to pose half naked on album or magazine covers, as long as you’re not a former child star…

Hell, you can even dress in skimpy outfits and dance with weird animals….

Katy-Perry-at-California-Dreams-Tour-Performance — Apparently this is OK..

Then there was Sinead O’Connor’s open letter to Miley. Look, maybe she was trying to be helpful, but when was the last time you took advice from someone who called you a prostitute? If I didn’t know you, and I wrote you an open letter calling you a misguided prostitute, who had no idea that you were being pimped out by your minders, do you think you’d say, Oh hey, Thanks Sarah. Or, would you say, Hey Sarah, go fuck yourself? – Be honest now. Maybe it wasn’t cool of Miley to insinuate that Sinead wasn’t totally together, but since Sinead is now up to her 5th open letter, she’s kind of proving her point.

Look, a lot of people don’t like Miley. They don’t like that fact that she’s growing up. They don’t like that she’s trying to find her own way. They didn’t like it when Britney grew up. They don’t like Beiber growing up. I don’t think anybody likes ANY child star that grows up in the spotlight. Nobody likes Lindsay either. I’m so grateful I left the industry and didn’t have to go through that transition in the spotlight.

But look, kids are like puppies. They don’t stay young and cute forever. They all grow up eventually. Just like a puppy who chews your shoes, and pees in the corner, teenagers are going to do the same thing, whether they’re in the spotlight or not. Some kids do it better than others, and some are just better at hiding it. It’s not fair to compare kid stars either. Just like regular kids, each has to find their own way, and you didn’t go through the same things other kids you went to school with. Famous kids are they same. They all have their own shit to deal with. Just because TMZ has told you where they are, doesn’t mean you know how they got there.

Oh, and for anyone who thinks Miley has no talent, watch this:

You’ll notice I left Lady Gaga out of the mix, because like Madonna, she’s made her whole career about shocking people with nudity. At this point, it’s neither shocking, nor new, but people seem to lap it up. Just Google Lady Gaga nude if you want to see how blase it’s become.

August 27, 2013December 25, 2013

The Miley Backlash

It’s the end of the world! No wait, it’s just Miley Twerking

OMG, you’d think the world had just exploded into some kind of world war, or there was a massive plague. The social media world has gone into overdrive, because a former child star dared to do something raunchy at the VMA’s.

Nobody seems able to deal with the fact that the little Hannah Montana star is trying to shake off her Disney princess roots and show the world that she’s a grown up.

Most people go through a stage where they shake off their little girl image, and try to show that they’re an adult now. She’s 20. It’s not like she’s a 17 year old dancing on a pole. Oh wait, she was a 17 year old dancing on a pole….. Have we already forgotten that massive controversy?

Do people get that she wasn’t in a flesh colored bikini to be provocative just for the hell of it? Has anyone seen the Blurred Lines video? She was dressed like the girls in the video. Well, at least she was dressed more like the ones in the free to air version. I’m guessing a lot of people haven’t seen the OTHER version of his filmclip. Careful, it’s NOT safe for work. You’ll also see that’s this is where the foam finger comes from.

People are also forgetting that this is the VMA’s. It’s known for being outrageous and provocative. Every year, they get people who are supposed to be scandalous and create headlines, hoping that people will watch again next year. Everyone involved who is feigning shock is also full of shit. It’s not like they just went up there and Miley went rogue. Somebody choreographed this, somebody made outfits. They had rehearsals. Not just for themselves, but for all the dancers, for lighting, sound, directors, cameras. Everybody involved knew exactly what was going to happen on that stage. Even Robin Thicke, who may be butt hurt because Miley got all the attention and not him. He can’t claim he didn’t know what was going to happen. Maybe he wasn’t expecting the reaction it got, but he certainly can’t BS and say he didn’t know what the act

was going to be.

Meanwhile, how come nobody is all bent out of shape that Lady Gaga was wearing LESS than Miley?

She was wearing a thong, and she didn’t even get dressed again afterwards. She took her chair back in the audience, wearing a thong and a couple shells on her boobs…. But I guess people expect Gaga to be provocative, so somehow that’s OK….

People, it’s the VMA’s. It’s supposed to be scandalous. Just in case you’ve all got short term memory loss, here’s a couple of the past “OMG I can’t believe they did that’s….”

madonna_bride — Way back in the beginning, Madonna shocked dressed like a Bride and sang Like a Virgin.

Lil Kim 1999 — Diana Ross feeling up Lil Kim

britney_nudesuit — Britney stripping down to a flesh coloured 2 piece

britneysnake — Britney the following year, trying to be like Salma Hayek

madonna_britneykiss — Remember 2003 when everyone flipped out about Madonna and Britney kissing?

Britney-Spears-VMA-2007 — Remember how outraged everyone was over "Fat Britney?"

Lady-Gaga-Meat-Dress-Outfit-at-VMA-20101 — I still haven't worked out what the meat suit was about...

smith_family_reaction — This was NOT a reaction to Miley

Also hilarious was this image of Will Smith and his kids acting all stunned by Miley. Turns out, it’s them chewing gum during Lady Gaga’s performance. But it’s more fun to manipulate the truth right?

And one more for all the haters. For those of you who think Miley has no talent and can’t sing, you’ve never seen this:

Actually, this is the only thing that does make me sad. She actually is extremely talented and a great singer. It’s sad that as a society we expect girls to behave slutty, and show off all their goods, then slut shame them when they do. We chastise people like Christina Aguilera, also an amazing singer, for daring to get chubby, when it shouldn’t matter what she looks like. She’s a singer, not a Victoria’s Secret model. Britney showed up “Fat” at the 2007 awards. Fat my arse, she was skinner then than most real women are on a good day, me included. It shouldn’t matter what she looks like. It’s sad that people expect the girls to get their kit off, to be super fit and toned, and act sexy. We don’t expect guys to be anything but a great voice. We expect women to be able to sing, dance, turn us on, but not go too far. Actually, it’s kinda like the Blurred Lines song. We want a Good Girl, but one we know that secretly wants it…. That’s why everyone freaked out when Madonna kissed Britney, and no-one cared she also kissed Christina. Britney was supposed to still be a good girl, but Christina was Durty. No shock value there.

Video really did kill the radio star.

Honestly, I think Anderson Cooper summed it up best in his RidicuList.

But if you don’t want to be all shocked at how low the industry is, don’t watch stupid award shows. It’s ridiculous how many award ceremonies there are for entertainers. These people are already being congratulated constantly for acting or singing, and it seems like every month there’s some kind of televised Yay Me! thing going on. I don’t think acting or singing should be a competition, but the amount of trophies overpaid people can snag is just insane. I choose not to watch ANY of the awards ceremonies. Yes, all you actors and singers are just amazeballs, making millions of dollars, traveling the world, finding cures for cancers and helping to create world peace. Oh wait, there’s other people that do that, and we don’t see them patting each other on the back at televised events. Oh well, maybe next year.

April 3, 2013

Fashion Week v’s The Logies

Fashion Disaster or Awesome Opportunity?

Lets face it, while the Logies are fun, and a cute little get together for Australian talent, along with the seemingly obligatory international act and guest presenter, the Logies isn’t a big deal outside of Australia.

Sure, everyone gets together, has a drink, there’s some awards passed out, but it’s not the Oscars, the Emmy’s, the SAG Awards or the Bafta’s. The event isn’t televised around the world, with hundreds of millions of people watching from all over the globe.

So when Australian Fashion week falls on the same week as the Logies, I can understand why the big designers aren’t falling over themselves to make sure the locals are wearing their stuff. They simply have a bigger event going on. One that WILL be seen all over the world.

But, while Alex Perry, J’Aton and the others are focused on Fashion week, this does leave enormous opportunity for up and coming designers to finally get a dress on someone. It’s hard as a new and emerging designer to get anybody to pay attention to your dresses if they’ve got some big name designer willing to gift a dress to a star. However, with all the big names not offering their wares, it’s a great time for actresses and their stylists to be making friends with the next up and comer, and start making long lasting friendships.

I hope all the young designers out there are also taking this opportunity to reach out and get their dresses on everyone. Trust me, while the girls can’t get a major designer, they’ll be very grateful to be getting a dress, especially one that they know won’t be worn by another girl that night. Or worse, that they have to go out and buy off a rack somewhere! You might get lucky, and if you get it on a star who then makes it to an awards ceremony in the US or the UK, they’ll remember you, and might choose one of your dresses again for the international awards, where you‘ll get big time exposure. My tip – looking at all the Home & Away people making it in the US right now, get your stuff on one of them. Any of them!

It’s also a golden opportunity for any of the stars who want to dabble in fashion to dress themselves. If I was walking the red carpet this year, knowing I wasn’t going to be constantly trumped by a Dior or Versace or Alex Perry, I’d totally take the opportunity to wear my own design. I’d design it, have it made, and swagger down that red carpet. I’d make sure I was photographed with everyone, especially the international guest, whose photos might make it overseas. A star couldn’t ask for a better year to wear their own designs.

I know I made fun of the Logies a little, but they are a good time, and excellent exposure for people within Australia. I hope everyone has a super fun time, whether they’re getting their drink on at the Logies, or oogling the beautiful new stuff at Fashion week.

I’m super jealous of those of you who get to attend both!