Before He Cheats

Have you been reading the tabloids lately? If so, you’ve probably heard about what Jon did. Reportedly, Jon Goselin of Jon & Kate plus 8 has been cheating on his wife with a 23-year-old teacher. Is it true?

Jon & Kate Plus 8 is one of TLC’s star reality tv shows. It follows the lives of Jon and Kate Gosselin and their sextuplets and twins. (wow) The show’s fifth season is scheduled to premier on May 25, with more expected viewers than ever. Since the allegations of Jon cheating have started other rumors have arisen as well; that they are separated, and that Kate may have cheated. All this hype is sure to increase there numbers and make for a well-watched season. TLC isn’t shy about using this to their advantage, as they are advertising on their website that we can “hear it straight from them” during the season premier.

These accusations bring up ethical and moral issues. How will the kids be affected if he did cheat and (1) there is a publicized divorce or (2) she stays with her unfaithful husband? Jon and Kate say they are trying to give their children normal childhoods, but how is being reality television stars fulfilling that goal? The show is more an exploitation of the children’s lives for money and the entertainment of others. The kids are so young that most of their childhood memories will involve cameras and crewmen. Sure, they will have better home videos then the rest of us, but is that worth being able to read about your parent’s rocky relationship in old magazines or seeing their skirmishes on old episodes. I’m sure Jon & Kate saw an opportunity, a chance to be able to afford clothes, braces, and college tuition, and took it. (Whether they can afford the years of therapy will be another thing.) I just wonder if they realized how much was being compromised and the affect that the show could have on the kids’ ability to grow into well-adjusted adults.

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Jon & Kate are supposed to represent familial success, even through hard times. If they can’t recover from this scandal it will not only hurt their family but it will shake the confidence of millions of viewers and reinforce the idea that family values are being lost in the US.

Posted by Julia Cooch

Smoke Two Joints

In terms of international superstars, it’s hard to find a celebrity more popular this past year than Michael Phelps. His record setting eight Olympic gold medals was publicized across the globe, enrapturing viewers all over. After years of intense training and a series of near miracle finishes to perform possibly the greatest feat in Olympic history, Phelps deserves to relax and enjoy his life as a normal American. The Wheaties boxes, millions of dollars of advertisement money, and international fame were to be put on hold, as a national hero got some R & R to prepare for his next show of invincibility at the London 2012 Games. This is where things went downhill, as Phelps neglected his responsibilities to the public and decided to rip a bong in front of a camera at University of South Carolina.

Tabloids exploded with the news of the Olympic champion’s documented marijuana use. Phelps, a known party animal with a DUI already under his belt, was caught in the act, yet faced little serious repercussions. A few less sponsors and a short suspension from competitive swimming do not seem like a very painful punishment to the average Joe given severe penalties and potential jail time others receive for possession. Over and over, celebrities make the front pages with their drug use and promiscuous behavior, yet it seems that they thrive off the publicity and always get a second chance. Comedian/ former rapper Steve O has camera footage of him trying to get arrested and failing due to his celebrity status. Amy Winehouse refuses to go to rehab, yet seems to continually end up there. The evidence is plentiful to show that celebrities seem to get preferential treatment, and this just continues to justify the behavior in society at-large.

Phelps seemed to enjoy his extra leisure time during his suspension, making headlines once more for a more legal, yet arguably less safe activity. A stripper came out with a public statement stating that Phelps participated in a threesome with her and a friend, and that he also continued meeting up with her over the next few months to enjoy her company. She finally cut ties when she found out he was sleeping around with a number of other women, once again demonstrating Phelps’ lack of integrity. This double standard of morality mirrors that of legal issues, and it seems like it will not change any time soon.

Perhaps it is unfair to expect celebrities to act a certain way, though. Celebrity culture has a very distinct niche in society, providing entertainment and escape from the hassles of every day life. People like Michael Phelps rise to fame (usually not due to their superior intelligence) and are expected to act in a certain way because of their new status. After all, Michael Phelps is still just a young man who likes to party. A lot.

Posted by Julia Cooch

Golden Ticket

How many of you have ever found yourself with a ticket to an event—whether a concert, a sporting event, a play or show, or something of that nature—that you were unable to use? Interestingly enough, I found myself in that situation just last night. I was offered a ticket to one of the Stanley Cup playoff games to see the Washington Capitals play the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Verizon Center in D.C., but I had a prior obligation that I could not change. I also have a ticket for the Bruce Springsteen concert next week but I already know that, unfortunately, I will not be able to attend that either. There are so many of us out there; students who have tickets to school events, families and/or companies with season tickets for local sports teams, and other people who just have a ticket to something that they are not able to use. Our first probable instinct in this current economic climate is to sell the ticket, but what if you could donate your ticket and change one person’s life forever?

That is exactly the concept on which the non-profit organization, Most Valuable Kids (“MVK”) was founded. To be honest, the only reason I know about this organization is because its National Director is my family friend. She has been working for the organization, as one of its only two paid employees, since its creation about 6 years ago (the date is not provided anywhere on the www.mvk.org website but I was able to speak with the founder of Most Valuable Kids, Daryle Bobb over the phone and he told me they launched in 2003). Upon speaking with my family friend about the organization, at length, I continue to be impressed by its success in serving both the community and the people (celebrities, companies, teams, and “regular people” like you and me).

Athletes and teams, along with entertainment companies and performers, often have a certain number of tickets as part of their contracts. Teams and production companies likewise have unsold seats that go to waste and, as a business, subsequently portray a bad image in the public eye when seats are empty and arenas/stadiums/venues look dull. Recognizing this untapped resource, Daryle and Beth Bobb saw an opportunity. Mr. Bobb told me that, “[his] market research back in 2002 estimated that more than $30 million worth of tickets for professional and collegiate sporting events as well as cultural events go unused each and every year in the Washington D.C. area alone. …so [he] created this program [to allow] ticket holders to put their unused tickets towards a very good cause and receive a full tax write-off for the face value, and also fill those seats with less fortunate children who are both deserving and appreciative”. Most Valuable Kids definitely does just that. It provides an easy medium for these teams and their athletes, or for these producers and their performers, to fill stadiums, while doing "good" in the community.

We all know that live events are not cheap. Much of our community is not financially able to attend many of these live events, especially young children. Most Valuable Kids provides “boys and girls, 18 and under, through the numerous organizations that focus on children in low-income and underserved households,” with this opportunity. The organization started right here in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area but, based on the homepage of the website which has a drop-down icon in the upper right corner of the screen with links to different cities’ chapters of Most Valuable Kids, it appears to have grown to four other markets (Omaha, NE; Cincinnati, OH; New York, NY; and Cleveland, OH) with the main headquarters still here in Washington, D.C. The concept seems to be catching on and, with the right people to lead and run the various local chapters around the country; I bet it will only continue to spread across the nation.

MVK is successful in serving both the community and everyday people (again, these people refer to anyone who falls into the ticket donor category—athletes, celebrities, you, me, companies with corporate suites or season tickets, family season-ticket holders, and even the teams, leagues, and producers themselves). I remember seeing a sign at a Washington Wizards (D.C. NBA team, for those of you who don’t know that!) game a few years ago saying “Antawn’s Army of Most Valuable Kids”. When I read about the details of this promotion, I found that “as an NBA rookie with the Golden State Warriors, Antawn [Jamison] started "Antawn's Army," a charity ticket program in which he purchased tickets for numerous youth and student organizations every month, enabling them to attend a Warriors home game as his special guests. Antawn continued this program in Dallas when he played for the Mavericks and then in Washington with the Wizards. In 2005, Jamison teamed up with Most Valuable Kids with an Antawn's Army of Most Valuable Kids section in the Verizon Center. Jamison generously donates 20 seats to 20 home games for Most Valuable Kids, and the group gets t-shirts, meal vouchers, and a welcome on the Jumbo-tron."

Here is a perfect example of how an organization basically handed a professional athlete an opportunity to give back to the community. In this case, of course, Mr. Jamison was already providing tickets to underprivileged children on his own, without the help of MVK. But, for other athletes and celebrities out there, this organization provides a tool to make the act of giving a simple, easy and, seamless process. For more on how the process works, feel free to visit this part of the website. There are a few interesting articles and letters from recipient children linked to the “About MVK” section that are also worth a read…especially if you want to be touched and inspired!

The inspirational message one can take away from this can be different, based on which aspect with which you most identify. You may be inspired, like me, to donate just one unused event ticket and change the life of one lucky kid. You could have season tickets and you never attend every game. You may even be an employee at a local Boys and Girls Club and you want to become a recipient organization. You may be a teenager, reading this piece from your school computer, having always dreamt of attending a Redskins game or a Wizards game and you want to submit your name as a potential recipient. Are you an athlete looking to find a way to give back to the local community but you don’t want to have to give a speech or make an appearance anywhere? Here is your chance to make an impact on the lives of boys and girls who need your star power and resources to provide them with the full “game experience”. Or, even more inspiring, to me at least, is the story of Daryle and Beth Bobb, the founders of Most Valuable Kids, and their devotion to creating this amazing organization.

Posted by Stephanie Cantor

In da "Golf" Club

When I saw a group of four walking to the car with their golf clubs the other day outside of my dorm, I thought about how popular golf outings and, more specifically, celebrity golf outings are these days. The main reason I think this type of event has become so popular is that it combines the benefits of having fun, getting exercise, and raising large amounts of money for an organization. Once you attach a few “A-list” (or B-list) celebrity names to any charity golf tournament, people start lining up to join.

Since the summer months are upon us and, thus, more of the country is entering their “golf season”, it seems appropriate to discuss the growing popularity, and its related success, of celebrity charity golf outings. There are numerous charity golf outings taking place around the country year-round, but there is an obvious surge in the number of these events during this time of year.

Without seeming cynical about the motivation behind these events, it is important to recognize that, although there is some question about the motivation of the participants themselves, these events do still support some charitable cause and are still organized and managed by charitable foundations or events companies on behalf of some charitable organization.

That being said, it is still difficult to admit that celebrity golf tournaments are probably the highest revenue-generating charity functions out there. I was unable to find data or proven evidence to support this notion but, for the purposes of this discussion, we can all agree that golf outings are one of the most popular and well-supported charity events of which we know.
When trying to delve deeper into this issue, it is interesting to learn that blogs and websites out there definitely pay homage to this growing pastime, but it’s difficult to find information about the foundations themselves, or about other events and/or other ways to contribute to that particular cause.

There are books about “how to plan a successful golf outing” and a plethora of resources on the topic, yet one can find significantly and shockingly fewer resources about the actual charities/foundations associated with these events. Granted, these books and websites also provide help with planning or organizing other types of charity events, but again, golf outings, especially those that feature a few well-known celebrity names, are the most popular. There is even a website dedicated solely to listing a schedule of upcoming celebrity charity golf tournaments with the dates and information, highlighting the celebrities, of course, including a link to those sites. But it’s not as easy to find those foundations’ or community sites on their own, just as a simple ‘giving back’ Internet search. There are resources out there, even some helpful links in the above referenced “fundraiser help” website, wherein one can find other necessary information about charity events in general, but it seems clear that attaching a celebrity name to an event like golf, where people are doing something they would ordinarily do on that given day anyway, is the way to go. The issue I have with that, is that the participants, those who pay top dollar to play in these tournaments and pay that pricey fee just to be in the presence of these celebrities, are often doing so without ever knowing what cause they are supporting or, furthermore, that they are even playing golf FOR CHARITY that day.

At the end of the day, however, it is better to raise the funds and to support some good cause than not to do it at all. Maybe I should not focus so much on the way in which people choose to donate or how much they know about what cause they are even supporting that day, as long as they are supporting a cause at all. The fact remains that these golf outings are a huge success, no matter which way you look at it. If celebrities enjoy playing golf and help drive more support for a certain cause by doing it, it still fulfills some level of social responsibility with regard to giving back, and perhaps those celebrities, or the non-celebrity golf participants, would not have otherwise done so.

Posted by Stephanie Cantor

Surfin USA

The public eye has always followed, to the point of stalker paparazzi, celebrities’ movements. While some of them soak up the publicity, most wish to be left alone and have some sort of normalcy. So why all the sudden are they letting us in, by reaching out through Twitter?

Twitter is a cell phone application and website that allows you to post 140 character updates about what you are doing. It is a new form of mass communication. You can tell everyone you know that you are at the dentist, got a promotion, or in a bad mood. There is a certain amount of narcissism that goes into this, thinking that everyone should care about your every thought and action, but it looks like this is the sort of attitude that our society is heading towards. Apparently celebrities are just as self-important as we are (they have a reason to be though) and can twitter too. This way, Twitter not only allows you to stay connected to friends and family, but it lets you feel connected to celebrities.

Many celebrities have joined twitter because it is the “hip” thing to do. Most of them have motives behind it besides just loving their fans that much. It could be a big ego or to incrase their exposure and increase their popularity. Some celebs definitely use it as a promotional tool, to gain hype. Brittney Spears’s entourage writes her twitters and they supposedly generally read something like “Congrats on the #1 Album Britney!! We're all so happy for your here at Team Britney!” Like Brittney, most celebrities don’t actually write their own twitters. They are done by an assistant, which just shows that the celebrities themselves don’t actually care that much. Most are just using it for a little shameless self-promotion.

But of course could care less, because we just want to know what Dave Matthews ate for dinner.

Posted by Julia Cooch

I'm Too Sexy for My Shirt

Celebrities are hounded by the paparazzi all day long, no matter where they go. We get to see their kids, their significant others, where they vacation, and most importantly, what they wear. Celebrities’ outfits are caught on camera regardless of whether they are red-carpet ready or just going to the grocery store. By now the stars know that their appearance is being judged, no matter what the occasion is, which is why many stars are always dressed appropriately.

Whether we realize it or not most celebrities influence most of our fashion choices choices. When they wear certain brands and certain trends, we hear it and see it, and it becomes more fashionable to us. “That star influence plays out in fashion magazines, catalogs and store displays; which women feel more comfortable crediting, but ultimately it still goes back to the celebs,“ explains Kim Kitchings, director of research and planning for Cotton Incorporated.

Unfortunately this isn’t always a good influence. Celebrities aren’t perfect. They make mistakes. They try to be fashion forward and sometimes it’s a flop. Even though we think we may be good judges, or the magazines and blogs we read are good judges, we get confused too. Every era has had bad trends that were in some way celebrity endorsed. Ponchos, midriffs, shoulder pads, platform shoes, and rompers to name a few. They are created by fashion designers but brought to the public eye through celebrities. This trickle down effect can dilute the original intent of the style, and makes the public think that it can look good on anyway. Sorry guys, it doesn’t.

One of the greatest influences celebrities have is making women think it is okay to dress inappropriately. Celebrities often sport racy and over sexualized styles, to keep the attention of the public. Women and girls then think that they should dress this way as well in order to look hot and get attention themselves. Paris Hilton in a barely bikini is a prime example. Or Lady Gaga being way overexposed. Yikes, that’s just scary.

Celebrities and their stylists need to be aware of how the fashion choices they make affect the clothing market and the decisions of American women. Stay classy LA.

Posted by Julia Cooch

Juicy

Alex Rodriguez, more commonly known as A-Rod, has been a mega-star in Major League Baseball for years. However, his talent for setting an example on the diamond clearly does not carry over off the field. Recently, A-Rod has been anything but a role model for young athletes across the country hoping to one day make it to the big leagues. The release of 2003 steroid testing has tainted his legacy forever. Not to mention that in 2003, the year he tested positive, A-Rod was American League home run leader and MVP. You can’t ignore the fact that on numerous occasions when discussing other athletes caught doping, the prolific batter had explicitly stated that he had never used performance-enhancing drugs at any time in his career. And on top of all this, A-Rod had been dominating headlines with rumors of an alleged affair with Madonna mere months before. This all came out at the tail end of his divorce with his wife, who blamed Madonna. Not bad for a celebrity so concerned with protecting his self-image that he hired a consulting agent to help him maintain positive press.

 

A-Rod blames his steroid use on the immense success and fame he encountered early on in his career. He points to huge expectations and the weight of his bulky MLB contract. Making excuses seems to be the last route someone in Rodriguez’s shoes should take, but apparently his publicists think differently. Maybe it truly is the culture of professional sports, accepted in clubhouses, for coaches and owners look the other way. Maybe the trainers urged players towards juicing to enhance their play, and even administered some drugs to unknowing users. At the end of the day though, how can he be let off the hook? Alex committed the ultimate sporting sin, taking banned substances to try and give himself the edge over the next man. A little shrinkage and a few fits of rage later, he’s that much stronger than his opponent.

 

The problem isn’t just the self-inflicted harm, but the example that he is setting. With the millions of little leaguers following his every movement, it seems like a person in Rodriguez’s position should be very careful about the way he carries himself. Breaking the rules then lying about as low as someone can stoop as a role model, and the way he’s handled himself since getting caught is like watching a derailed train try to make it to its destination anyway. Rodriguez also verbally attacked the journalist who broke the story. Selena Roberts, a writer for Sports Illustrated, is now planning on writing a book detailing all of A-Rod’s past crimes, including allegations that he used steroids in high school. In his public confession on national television, Alex ranted about Roberts and claimed she had stalker-like tendencies. This PR mess resulted in A-Rod making what must have been quite the awkward call to apologize. Left and right, A-Rod is being the perfect model- for how not to handle oneself as a public figure or as a human being in general.

His saving grace, though, may prove to be what got him here in the first place- his natural talent for the game. After having hip surgery and missing the start of this season, Alex homered the first pitch he faced upon his return. Other athletes like Jason Giambi and Shawne Merriman have regained their image post-steroids through their play, and it seems that Alex may indeed do the same. This route doesn’t seem to be working out for him; he may be old news with the recent media circus surrounding Manny Ramirez’s steroid use.