In the never-ending, broken record saga of blackface as an art form, Dutch model Lara Stone is the latest white person to dip into the shoe polish.
Stone’s face, arms and legs were painted in dark make-up to resemble what we can all assume to be a black person. French Vogue’s editor-in-chief Carine Roitfield styled the shoot, and is rumored to be next in line as editor-in-chief at the American Vogue.
Needless to say the photos, taken by Steven Klein, are causing controversy as bloggers and editors speak out against it. Fashion magazineJezebel said, “What Klein and Roitfeld should know is that painting white people black for the entertainment of other white people is offensive in ways that stand entirely apart from cultural context.”
Can someone call Harry Connick Jr.? and get him to explain the whole blackface thing to French Vogue.
Tennis sensation Serena Williams bares her birthday suit for the cover of ESPN magazine’s first Body Issue which debuted this past Friday.
“They told me that I have a great body and wanted me for the cover, and I was super flattered that they asked. I think they did a great job with the photos,” Williams said.
The special publication features athletes from a range of sports showing off their semi-nude physiques including mixed martial artist Gina Carano (also known as “Crush” on the recent NBC revival of American Gladiators), Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, and NFL superstar running back Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings.
But will it rival Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue?
Much to the chagrin of Republicans and haters everywhere, President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised the President’s “efforts to strengthen international diplomacy,” his “vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons” and for inspiring hope and creating “a new climate in international politics.”
Obama responded to the honor saying he was surprised and deeply humbled. “Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations,” hesaid. “To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize.”
And what did all the critics say? “Apparently Nobel Prizes are now being awarded to anyone who is not George Bush,” Air America correspondent Ana Marie Cox wrote on Twitter. Washington Post blogger Ezra Klein also commented on Twitter: “Obama also awarded Nobel Prize in chemistry. ‘He’s just got great chemistry,’ says Nobel committee.”
The Daily Beast’s Peter Beinart wrote: “I like Barack Obama as much as the next liberal, but this is a farce.” And Michael Russnow wrote on the Huffington Post that he too is an Obama supporter but, “Whatever Happened to Awarding for Deeds Actually Done?”
horbjoern Jagland, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, told the AP, “Some people say — and I understand it — ‘Isn’t it premature? Too early?’ Well, I’d say then that it could be too late to respond three years from now,” T “It is now that we have the opportunity to respond — all of us.”
Obama is the third sitting U.S. president to win the award after President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and President Woodrow Wilson in 1919. He plans to donate the cash prize of $1.4 million to charity.
Marc Jacobs may have already won us over with his handbags, but he definitely stole our hearts with his Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2010 runway show featuring a bounty of big bushy Erykah Badu-ish afros.
Sure the afros were obvious wigs and not authentic picked out, sheened up creations but at least they weren’t insanely straight doll hair weaves that women, both black and white, are glueing into their hair to achieve unrealistic lengths and textures.
We are just ga ga over Jacobs fros and the show’s live webcast on Facebook!
Harry Connick Jr. appeared as a guest judge on the Australian television show Hey Hey Hey it’s Saturday and spoke out against a shameless blackface performance that was billed as a “tribute” to Michael Jackson by the “Jackson Jive.”
Speaking not as a white American but as an American, Connick expressed his disapproval to the blackface jive saying, “we’ve spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons that when we see something like that, we take it really to heart…”
We can’t figure out what’s more outrageous -that the host apologizes to Connick for offending him (not black people), that the entire Jackson Jive troupe are now (supposedly) highly educated and are doctors, or that Jive did the same routine on the same show 20 years ago AND WON!
Proving just how infectious Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” song and video still is, 20-month-old Corey Elliott shakes his toddler legs to the hit song becoming a YouTube hit.
Blindie thinks the New Zealander toddler is giving the E-Trade babies a run for their money but still has nothing on Shane Mercado.
Obama became the first sitting President to guest on a late night talk show when he visited the The Late Show on Monday as part of his media campaign to support his health care plan.
The President addressed the recent claims in the press that opposition to his health care reform was fueled by racism saying, “First of all, I think it’s important to realize that I was actually black before the election.”
He went on to say, “whenever a president tries to bring about significant changes particularly during times of econmic unease, then there is a certain segment of the poulation that gets very riled up…FDR was called a socialist and a communist. JFK, there were all kinds of names hurled at him. Ronald Reagan when he came into office he was moving in a different direction and people were sure he was bringing the country down.”
Obama also received a heart-shaped potato from an audience member.
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