TresSugar

Do, Dump, or Marry? Adam Lambert

TresSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0700

I was dragged kicking and screaming to the Atlantic City leg of the American Idols tour over the summer, but once Adam Lambert started singing, I stopped complaining. Elvis by way of David Bowie for the 20-something set, Lambert is the real deal. This guy was smokin' - as a singer, an entertainer, and as a sex symbol.

Adam described his shoot for Details magazine as "heterosexual," and with all the sexy Adam-on-girl poses, I see what he means. "I am gay," he says, "but I like kissing women sometimes. Women are pretty. It doesn't mean I'm necessarily sleeping with them."

Since we all have about as much chance of sleeping with Cristiano Ronaldo or Clive Owen, why not play this game with Adam?

Is Crazy Sexy?

DearSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:00:00 -0700

What is it about those nutty girls, the ones that leave a wake of chaos and drama behind them everywhere they go, that make the men swoon? Details.com begins to examine this strange phenomenon offering both real-life experiences and movie romances - they point out Natalie Portman in Garden State, but I immediately thought of Kirsten Dunst in Crazy/Beautiful. The post states:

Of course it isn't about trust. This is about lawlessness. Chaos. Escapism and unpredictability - a balls-out, soul-affirming what's-nextness that is so rare and so powerful that you completely forget to give a sh*t about consequences and personal sacrifices.

Okay, this explanation is all well and good - we get it, she's exciting, but what about all the extra baggage she brings? Obviously I don't make the connection between crazy and sexy. Do you? Please explain this to me. What is it about being a bit loony and wild that makes a guy go gaga?

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East vs. West: Berlin Wall Divided Two Attitudes Toward Nudity

TresSugar — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:00:49 -0800

When the Berlin Wall fell 20 years ago last week, East and West Germany had to integrate two very different cultures. Freedom may have spread quickly through the East, but nudity - the East's favorite and perhaps only freedom - never caught on in the West.

Freikörperkultur (FKK), or liberal body culture, was really the only way to rebel in the East, where the most quotidian details of people's lives were observed by the Stasi, East Germany's secret police. Though the East German government forbid FKK at first, many government officials were into walking around nude, so they protested with the argument that "doing FKK" did not mean you weren't a good communist. Good point - don't they put kids in school uniforms to level the playing field? What's more egalitarian than wearing nothing!

Yet on the west side of the wall, the attitude toward nudity was more on par with America and its don't-even-discuss-it-in-public ethos. A West German interviewed a former East German for Vice magazine to find out what's so great about wearing nothing. Check out some of the highlights after the jump.

Shawn Hornbeck, Kidnap Survivor, on Jaycee Lee Dugard

TresSugar — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0700

"You're brainwashed. It's as simple as that. I know people use that term a lot, but that's what happens to you. It's like you are on autopilot, only someone else is controlling all the switches. They control every little, minute detail in your life. Everything."

- 18-year-old Shawn Hornbeck on why Jaycee Lee Dugard didn't escape from her kidnapper Phillip Garrido in the 18 years she was held captive. Hornbeck, kidnapped at age 11, spent four years and three months living in an apartment with his male abductor and gave People magazine an exclusive interview.

Barack Obama Adds Time's Person of the Year to Win Column

LibertySugar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:30:39 -0800

The suspense has finally ended. We now know that Time magazine's Person of the Year is, drum roll please, Barack Obama! The President-elect beat out US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, director of the Beijing opening ceremonies Zhang Yimou, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

The magazine cites Obama's ability to overcome a lack of experience, a funny name, two candidates who are political institutions, and America's racial divide to become President as evidence that he's the person of the year. If you're worried that the feature holds few surprises, Time does pull through with a playful 1980 photo shoot of college freshman Barack Obama. And in the interview, Obama details his views on the economy, his mandate, and his temperament.

Even if Time made a predictable choice, do you agree that Barack Obama is the person of the 2008?

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How to Pick Which Election Coverage to Tune Into on Tuesday

CitizenSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:00:49 -0700

With less than a week left until election night it's time to start making plans - not what election parties or events you're attending, this is a much, much more important decision- who you're spending the evening with, teevees-wise. The media has been as important this campaign as the candidates - and since McCain is saying they've all been fooled as to the real state of the race, I can't wait to see the results. I know who I'm watching, I've been so CNN-loyal the whole campaign, the thought of abandoning my Wolf wouldn't happen by a hair of his chinny-chin-chin. I might peek to see what the other kids have going on though, so luckily there's a whole passel of lists to help us decide who to watch.

To see them, read more.

Men's Vogue has ranked the news teams broken down into crucial details like what their set looks like, their biggest scoop during the campaign, and who their MVP talking head is. They said my poor Wolf's set is "Monitor-cluttered set design ripped off from Shatner-era Star Trek Enterprise." But John King's map! Rules!

New York Magazine has rounded up the Top Ten Cable News Election Coverage Gimmicks, including yes, CNN's "Perception Analyzer" that line graph thing they used during the debates - but a few I even missed. Fox had a text-in flash poll? The sample and results didn't turn out as randomly as some would hope. If you're into gizmos this list can help.

Finally, my list of Top Ten Newscasters That Push My (Remote) Buttons. While there are quite a few CNN-ers on the list, my precious Wolf is nowhere to be found.

Who are you tuning into for your election night coverage?

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Life After 9/11: One Young Arab Gets Thrown in US Jail

LibertySugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:00:18 -0700

A recent piece in the New York Magazine chronicles the nightmarish journey of a young Arab immigrant. After September 11, Rasha found herself in jail with her family. Rasha's story sheds light on a darker side of national security.

At five-years-old Rasha moved with her family from Syria to the United States on a tourist visa. When she was in the sixth grade, after years of trying to get permanent residency, and failing, Rasha and her family moved back to Syria. Eventually she would get her Brooklyn life back, after her family was finally granted their green-cards. But the joy didn't last forever.

In February 2002, fifteen US officers awoke Rasha and her family in the middle of the night - Rasha's family was being investigated for terrorist connections. Once in a holding cell, officials questioned each family member in a separate room. To find out what happened next, read more.

After a few days of this treatment, Rasha's father begged the FBI agent to deport the family. Instead, INS detained the family until they completed their investigation. After three months of detention, the family was unexpectedly and quickly released, allowed to live their lives as before, but with new fears. Rasha, having missed school, received Fs on her report card, and having missed mortgage payments, the family had to sell their home. The New York Magazine gives a detailed account of the family's stay in prison and the recovery process after their release.

Lucky for Rasha and her family, their lawyer and other family members advocated for their release. But many others, who were arbitrarily detained, stayed longer or were deported following September 11. Without an understanding of what people like Rasha have gone through, can we accurately assess America's national security policy?

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Ask E. Jean For DearSugar: Does He Have True Feelings For Me?

E Jean Carroll — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:17:24 -0700

Dear E. Jean,

I’m an elegant, attractive, educated and well-spoken 37-year-old woman. After nothing but eight long years of dating horror stories, three months ago I met a really attractive, sexy, open, bright, educated, and interesting 40-year-old man who was well raised and comes from a very nice family.

Since then we have been seeing each other up to three to four times a week, including sleepovers at both my house and his. Given that we both talk openly with one another about desiring marriage and a family, we realize the need, and share the same interest in spending lots of quality time together. We also realize that by doing so, we have put our relationship on a rather fast track. That can be an exciting thing to do, but it can have some major pitfalls too that are rather unexpected.

So, the major issue we are contending with has to do with altogether too frequent discussion and many detailed references to past relationships - on both sides. Honestly, my new man opened this line of communication with me very early into our relationship. I believed at that time, and appreciated, that it was purely for informational purposes - not to make me jealous and certainly not to showboat. In turn, I felt safe opening up about my past heartbreaks in order to let him know he was in good company, but that I was serious minded about him and what we could build together based on what lessons we had cultivated from our past choices and subsequent disappointments.

But now, three months later, I am growing increasingly concerned by his constant references to not only the most recent failed relationship (nothing more than an extended "Summer fling" type of love affair with a seriously-troubled woman in her mid-30s), but also to the many women he has dated over the last 20 years. How he remembers so much detail is beyond me. I can scarcely recall what any of my exes looked like in the nude, nor do I care to recall for that matter. I have pointed out several times how much better it would be for me, and for us, to converse about more interesting and more appropriate things. We do, by the way, laugh often and have a wide range of topics that we chat about. And he has been agreeable each time to my request. But then, at some point soon after, he launches into yet another story or analysis of what might have been wrong with so andso or how hurt he was when his attempts to help and/or intervene with this one or that one failed. To me, he seems hung up on the past failed relationships.

But the most damaging thing of all is that he provides me with far too much detail about past sexual matters. Sometimes he tells me that sex with so and so was awful, then he recants and says that in the beginning with her he actually really enjoyed it. It is becoming more clear to me as I grow to know him that almost every single lady he has been with since he was in high school had serious emotional and/or psychological problems. We're talking about family histories of severe alcoholism and physical abuse, women with eating disorders, girlfriends who may have been sexually abused by parental figures, rape, neglect, poverty, etc.

Yet again, this is just the beginning so read more!!!

His most recent ex-girlfriend currently works as a high-school special education teacher, but at night and on weekends she sells drugs (pot, pills) out of her basement, to some of these same students she teaches by day!

My most recent mistake was a relationship with a man I came to view as secretive, commitment phobic, and probably living some kind of double life. I think the whole affair was one great big lie. Admittedly, it was a traumatic bond and a most painful experience for me. It has now been a year since I ended that nightmare, and sufficient time has passed so that I am more than ready, not to mention eager, to move on.

My new man, however, did not make a clean break from his most recent affair with the teacher, and when he met me he was still interacting with her. I cannot be sure how often. He finally informed me last week that he recently received a long-winded letter from her, filled to the brim with apologetic words and sorrowful language and leaving no doubt in my mind that she would like to pick it up where they left off and try again. He insists that he is over her, well aware that he'd be stupid to ever go back to her, that he is happy with me, that I blow her out of the ballpark in terms of just about everything. But my anxiety grows by the day and I am uncomfortable and uncertain of his true feelings for me, and for her. I have an impossible time anymore taking a man at his word. Burned a few too many times I guess. Help!!! - Connected in Buffalo

Buffalo, My Luv,

The man is a giant ass.

His being an ass, however, is beside the point. You must deal with the genuine travesty here, which is this: You’ve told us that his “most recent” girlfriend is a special education teacher, and that she’s selling drugs to kids - not only to kids - but to her special kids who need extra care.

This is murderous! The drugs she sells to the kids may interact with their medications. The effects of the interactions - memory loss, hallucinations, convulsions, seizures, brain damage, car crashes, death - if I listed just the obvious ones would take up the whole page here on DearSugar. So call the police at once. Also alert the Board of Education. The women needs to be in jail by tonight.

I’ve never heard of such a weak, deluded, manipulative, talky-talky, embarrassing excuse for a man in my life.

That this “bright, educated, and interesting” boyfriend of yours didn’t stop his drug-pushing “Summer fling” from imperiling the children in her care tells me everything I need to know about him.

This is not a man a smart woman would ever consider as a husband and father. Underneath that “nice family” veneer, he’s a 40-year-old narcissistic pantywaist. He’s so involved with himself and all the sex he had with screwed-up, alcoholic, sexually-abused women in the past, he will never see you for the healthy, worthy, lovely woman who you are.

Get rid of him, Miss Buffalo! You can do a thousand times better.

To see more advice from E. Jean, visit Elle magazine and AskEJean.com.

Best Foot Forward: The Campaign for Best Dressed Feet

LibertySugar — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:48 -0700

Fashionistas and politicians are combining forces lately! While Michelle Obama made the Vanity Fair international best-dressed list, her better-half (or maybe her entire family?) has a boot named after him. The Coclico Obama High Heel Boot is selling on Shopbop for $540.00. The leather boot's "seam detailing adds an inspired touch to a sophisticate style." Inspiration plus sophistication just screams Obama doesn't it!

As for McCain footwear, the Republican candidate can be seen wearing black leather Ferragamo shoes that go for a cool $520. He sported the Italian-imports with a silver buckle, while meeting with the Dali Lama.

Considering the diminishing sales of fashion magazines, as well as unprecedented fascination with the presidential election, I don't blame fashion for embracing politics. And politicians could see some benefits, too. Nothing adds an aura of approval like gaining the title of best dressed.

Then again, politicians do (cat)walk a fine line. Which candidate needs to worry the most about winning the best-dressed elitist title - Obama for the pricey shoes in his name, or McCain for the pricey shoes on his feet?

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Handle This: His Ex Is a Model

DearSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0700

In the time you’ve been dating your boyfriend, you’ve inevitably learned things about his past including a few details about his ex, like that she dumped him out of nowhere and completely broke his heart. He seems very nostalgic about their relationship, and you’ve always had a fear that he would take her back if he could.

While flipping through a magazine with him, he points out a picture of her in one of the ads; it turns out she’s a model, and she’s breathtakingly gorgeous, which he's quick to point out. You know he's with you now, but you're no model. How would you handle this?

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