1. A few weeks ago I was stopped in my tracks at the grocery store by the cover photo of Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Shape magazine (and admiring Michelle Obama’s guns, too), and now it’s Valerie Bertinelli, also 48, who has me in awe on the cover of People. And in Allure magazine, wearing only soap suds, is 43-year-old Cindy Crawford.
Daaa-yum, ladies. You know how to inspire a frumpy late-30s mom.
Bonnie Fuller writes about the era of the MILF/Cougar on the Huffington Post, and when you see the list of women 40 and over who are getting great roles, magazine covers and generally have never looked better, you’ll be amazed. It’s not just wishful thinking on the part of the 50-something Fuller.
2. We haven’t gone gaga for “Yo Gabba Gabba” at our house yet, but you can bet we’ll be watching next Friday when Jack Black makes a guest appearance. He dances and even wears one of the character’s orange jumpsuit, something regular viewers can’t wait to see. All right – I’m sold. 1:30 p.m. ET/PT April 3 on Nick Jr.
3. This is going to end badly, people, you mark my word.
I have to admit something very strange. I think I was in a sort of shock over Nadya Suleman, the “dun, dun, dun, DUN!” Octomom, these past two months. I wasn’t particularly upset over her eight babies, or the previous six, or the fact that her own mother can’t stand her and that her father planned to high-tail it to Iraq the first chance he got, or the undue burden on California taxpayers, or her letting cameras barge into the NICU while her fragile babies clung to life. It was certainly unusual, and it’s not anything I’d ever contemplate doing. Sure, some sort of professional rebuke needed to be given to the RE who transferred so many embryos. But I couldn’t imagine anyone doing this with so little consideration to the possible consequences, because the only sort of person who’d do that WOULD BE CRAZY, and, you know, no one means to be crazy. I kept waiting for a logical explanation, a sign that Suleman had her head screwed on straight, a reliable community to rally around her so that the American public could rest easy that these 14 children would be cared for properly by a network of meticulously scheduled helpers, all under the supervision of their devoted and involved mother. Who wasn’t crazy.
I even pooh-poohed initial speculation that Suleman was obsessed with Angelina Jolie. I thought the media (namely, that idiot Ann Curry) was going as far as conjuring up another element to this already unfortunate story until the side-by-side pictures “confirming” plastic surgery surfaced. I read post after post on infertility blogs about who’s to blame, how to fight overzealous state senators proposing knee-jerk anti-ART legislation and just what kind of self-policing the medical community should be doing.
It wasn’t until the first two octuplets left the hospital and came home to that rabid clusterphalanx of cameras and reporters. Hooooly shit, I thought slowly. THAT LADY’S NUTS.
And then my heart really hurt for her poor children.
The latest, after Suleman fired a non-profit nursing agency providing free care for her babies, is that grandstanding lawyer Gloria Allred went on the radio to say she thinks the babies should be placed in foster care.
I don’t dispute that some sort of state intervention might be necessary eventually to ensure better care for these children, especially if the reports about the amount of time she spends with her children are true. But if Gloria Allred’s so righteously concerned about the welfare of these babies, perhaps she should be taking her concerns to the authorities and not to Ryan Seacrest.
4. And then there’s news that Madonna’s going back to Malawi to adopt another child. Which, you know, great, sort of. Except for the fact that before she adopted her son, Malawi had no laws or procedure in place for international placement of children, but her charity work there had raised quite a bit of money. And isn’t her divorce rather fresh?
The problem with celebrity adoptions is that they look like a capricious whim, hastily facilitated and with the whiff of crisp, clean American bills in the air. Who knows how long Madonna has been working on this, soberly and discreetly, through the proper legal channels. It never looks good, especially when compared with ordinary people whose waits are well-documented on their own blogs and in newspaper stories.
Meg Ryan was in China the week we received our photos and information about Tink, and wouldn’t you know, we were actually asked more than once if that influenced our decision. I’m shallow enough to admit rushing to my hair stylist, asking her if she can match the hair color on a particular magazine cover. I also went on a I-won’t-sleep-till-I-find-it hunt for the lipstick Monica Lewinsky wore when she was interviewed by Barbara Walters. But no one adopts a child from a particular country because that’s where their favorite actress went.
Or maybe they do. And perhaps that’s why I couldn’t get worked up over Nadya Suleman, because I just couldn’t believe the accusations. So maybe I’m not irked by Madonna after all.
5. Gloria Vanderbilt, heiress, socialite, designer-jean designer and mother of Anderson Cooper, has written an erotic novel, to be published in June. It’s titled, straight-forwardly enough, “Obsession: An Erotic Tale.” It’s about widow whose sexuality is awakened when she reads her letters from her late husband’s mistress. Will Cooper write about it on his AC360 blog and then Twitter about it? Better question, who will play the lead when the movie is optioned? I can’t decide between Kim Cattrall or Helen Mirren.
6. The gossip rags are reporting that Rihanna got cozy at a Hollywood restaurant last week with Wilmer Valderrama. I don’t know how this guy does it. His name is Wilmer, he hosts a weekly karaoke night and voices a character in a cartoon yet has dated Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton and Mandy Moore. And someday the name Tinkstar might be added to that list. While watching a commercial on the Disney channel for Valderrama’s “Handy Manny” with the actor, my daughter asked me, “Mommy, who’s that?” in a tone that worried me.
7. A horticulturist in Mississippi is promoting the Slow Gardening movement, a la the Slow Food movement. Did the gardening world really need to be told to slow it down and get back into the rhythms of the season? I do love the name of this guy’s radio show, “The Gestalt Gardner.”
Friday Quickies is, as always, inspired by Jen at Conversion Diary.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Dawn 03.27.09 at 2:57 am
Oh, these are great! Thank you.
I think Gabba, Gabba is just a front for club folks to be legitimately freaky for a few hours. I had no idea the GV is the mom of AC. I, also, have delayed judgement on NS.
Peace,
Dawn
Dawn’s last blog post..7 Quick Takes Friday – Unthemed
Julie 03.27.09 at 2:48 pm
I really enjoyed this. I saw the PEOPLE cover and wanted to cry. She looks great, why don’t I. Yes, I do know why but man, my goal isn’t even to get back into a bikini it is just to be able to look good fully clothed! Have a great day.