Farewell, Elizabeth Taylor

The world found out early this morning that we lost a huge presence in Hollywood - the one and only Elizabeth Taylor. Reports say that she lost her battle to congestive heart failure.

Elizabeth Taylor, Hollywood icon


Truth to be told, I didn't really know much about her, just that my parents used to always reference National Velvet whenever her name came up. It's sad that I still haven't seen that movie, but my mother swears that I used to watch it all the time. So perhaps, more correctly, I've seen it, but was too young to remember the plot.

She was definitely an influential figure, a style icon, and aside from Marilyn Monroe, the woman that every man wanted to be with. Even if you didn't see her movies, she was recognizable and well-known to most people born in the last century and the beginning of the 21st.

About 20 years ago, there was a special on TV chronicling her life, so I learned about her tumultuous love life at that time. She weathered the media hounds well; and with her track record, I'm sure she was media fodder ever since her first kiss. I think that she did very well with her career, transitioning from the big screen to philanthropic work as well creating her own line of perfume - the most popular of which (I'm sure everyone knows it) - is White Diamonds.

There were two quotes from the article above that struck a chord with me. I will share them below with my thoughts.

"I call upon you to draw from the depths of your being — to prove that we are a human race, to prove that our love outweighs our need to hate, that our compassion is more compelling than our need to blame."

I really liked this quote and was very topical for me this morning. It is amazing to see how much people cannot get along - and over the stupidest reasons at that. There are days where I am filled with anger, wondering why I have to shoulder the pain and somehow ignore others' bad behavior. Most of the time, I try to turn the other cheek when I see injustices happening, but when it hurts me, my friends, or my family, it's hard not to react. I would like to think that I'm not a confrontational or hostile person, because I usually believe in giving people a second chance. Unfortunately, there are times where even a second chance cannot happen, because giving the person a second chance is like handing them a loaded gun with the safety released.

But despite this, and against my better judgment, I make myself forgive even when I don't think it is the right choice. In a lot of situations, forgive doesn't always mean forget - and I don't forget. After all, that is a human condition, no? So, in response to that, I am not a violent person by nature, but when threatened, I will have to respond accordingly to protect anyone who might get hurt. Believe me, I draw really deep into the depths of my soul to seek answers to my frustrations and questions. It is too bad that there are people out there who do nothing but hate and blame others for their mishaps, misfortunes, and mistakes. Ms. Taylor reminds us to be better people and to take the high road in tough situations.

With that, I leave you with a this thought from Ms. Taylor:

"I don't entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I'm me. God knows, I'm me," Taylor said this around the time she turned 50.

Indeed, Ms. Taylor. God knows we are not perfect beings. We are put here on earth to live life and learn from our mistakes - life lessons that are not always easy to swallow and digest.

May you rest in peace and find happiness wherever you end up.

Charles Barkley is never wrong

The Booboo Bracket

Charles Barkley does make me laugh, though. But dude, when you're wrong...

most annoying reality TV stars

photos of the most annoying reality tv stars

You mean... they aren't ALL annoying?

Happy Birthday Reese Witherspoon!

It's Reese's birthday today. I have Twitter/InStyle to thank for informing me.

Reese WitherSpoon

Charlie and the Tweeting Factory

An image of Charlie Sheen before he became crazy...







It was suggested that I comment on Charlie Sheen's antics on Friday, but honestly, that guy does not really deserve much of my attention. Seriously, what the hell happened to him? I enjoyed some of the silly movies he made back in the day, and while I prefer that stars be left alone, he's definitely made a complete ass of himself whether or not he intended for the media to find out. His antics are embarrassing and a lot of the time, I don't even care to read or know the details of his misbehavior. The fact that he's getting paid between $5000-$25,000 a tweet is a little ridiculous, even more so than an athlete's salary. 

We might balk at the millions that Peyton Manning, A-Rod, or Lebron might be paid, but if you think about it for a bit, these guys' bodies are what brings food onto their tables and puts a roof over their heads. In each of their respective sports, their bodies take a beating in order for them to perform at their best. They also have to maintain their health or they run the risk of being traded or cut. Each time they are on the field or court, they run the risk of being injured, whether it be self-inflicted or by collision with another player. So when you put that into the perspective of an actor who is just sitting in front of a computer tweeting about his life, the millions just barely cover what the athlete needs to survive.

25K a tweet is nothing to sneeze at. How are we supposed to feel about that? Are we supposed to feel bad for his highly publicized retardedness? And how is it that the public allowed him to reach a million followers on Twitter within 25 hours? Why is Ad.ly allowing this to happen? This is a complete slap in the face for those of us who are working hard for a living. You have this idiot write a 140 character message to the world and make what some people barely make in a year. Thank you and go to hell for allowing this to happen.

A 17,000 Square Foot Mansion

Finally, a photo of Elin without her damn sunglasses. 90% of the images I've seen of her are of her with her sunglasses.





For those of you who follow golf, I'm sure that you may have already come across the article that tells us about Elin Nordegren's new purchase. In general, I prefer that the tabloids and the general media leave her (and any other star for that matter) alone, because they are people, too. Would they come to your home and  watch your every move and then write an article about your daily habits? Not likely. And even if they did, why would anyone care to read it? But, I digress.

So, Elin buys a 17,000 square foot home, apparently one-upping Tiger on his mere (!) 10,000 square foot beachfront property. On one hand, we are prompted to think, "hey, it's her money, she can buy whatever she wants." Then, on the other side, I am prompted to wonder, "why the hell does she need that big of a house - not to mention - a 4700 square foot BASEMENT!" There are people who can't even buy a home right now - and it's not because they are poor, they make a decent salary - but the houses are too expensive, even  for a double income household. While this is an infuriating thought, I am reminded that I should be thankful for what I have because there are people who are in worse situations and conditions than I am. But I have to wonder, why do newswriters have to write about such things?

Is it done to make the public (including the writers themselves) feel better, maybe worse about their own situations? On some level, it illicits reactions, both good and bad; and it is these reactions that propel us to discuss amongst ourselves the justices and injustices of life. So here's a question for you: if you had a 17,000 square foot home, what would you do with it? It's a much healthier and more fun way of thinking about things because thinking negatively will only bring you negative karma. You don't want bad juju to come your way, do you?

The March Issue of Maxim

For those who haven't already seen or read it, the March issue of Maxim is worth reading and picking up. If you are afraid of reading (yes, there are indeed some very informative articles in Maxim) - it is, at the very least - worth scanning through for just the photos. Here are the reasons why:

• Michelle Trachtenberg: Yes, we do live in a world of photoshop, but she is pretty; and for those of you haters out there, everyone has different tastes. Case in point: not everyone likes Scarlett Johansson or Megan Fox (and they, too are capable of taking bad photos).

• Ashleysha Yesugade: if you have to ask...

• List of the 16 best sports bars across the US: did your favorite bar make it to the list? What about one in your favorite town?

Are you still sitting in your chair looking for me to provide you more excuses reasons to go and check and check out this month's issue of Maxim? That's what I thought!