Miley Cyrus...Who Cares?

Original My Space post date: April 29, 2008

I swear if I have to hear about Miley Cyrus one more time this week I am going to scream. I was listening to three, THREE radio stations on the way into work this morning and all of them were discussing Miley Cyrus' Vanity Fair cover photo. Some calls to the stations included:
"It's too risque for a 15-year old!"
"Faith based family - yeah, right."
"What kind of example is she setting for my young daughter?"
And herein lies the problem as I see it. Miley Cyrus is an actress. A movie star. A hit recording artist. She is not your young daughter's baby sitter or older sister. Actresses in Hollywood create fictional characters. They "act" like someone they're not - it's their job and what they get paid for. Too many parents these days are looking for these actresses and pop stars to set examples for their young children. But really, it's not the actress' or the pop singer's responsibility. IT'S THE PARENT'S RESPONSIBILITY.
So my first thought, "How many 10 year olds are reading Vanity Fair?" I'm 26 and I don't read Vanity Fair. But one caller claimed, "My daughter doesn't read it, but now she'll want me to buy it for her!" Um, if your daughter sees a commercial for the most beautiful pink doll house ever made, do you run out and buy it for her?? If you do, you're going to have a long road ahead of you. How about this? Tell your daughter NO. "No, you cannot have this magazine because it's for ADULTS."
My other thought is that IF my child would ask, "Mommy (or Daddy), why is Miley naked on that magazine cover?", my response would be, "She's an actress. She gets paid to act and be on magazine covers." Also, Miley Cyrus is a young girl herself. She isn't always going to make the right decisions like an adult would. (Britney, Jamie Lynn, Lindsay Lohan ring any bells?) It's hard for a young child's role model to be a role model themselves.
I'm not saying what she did was OK. She is a little too young to be on a national magazine cover wearing nothing but a sheet. But I am tired of hearing angry parents up in arms because this is going to "scar" their child. Try a little parenting - a little no or having a discussion with your child about it will do wonders.
And to the media outlets who keep talking and talking and TALKING about it, LET IT GO. You're the ones making it a bigger deal than it is. It almost makes me never want to read PerezHitlon.com or TMZ.com ever again! Almost...

My Heath Ledger Blog

Original My Space post date: February 1, 2008

I have to admit it - I am a celebrity gossip junkie. I am a frequent visitor to TMZ.com and Perezhilton.com, not to mention obsessed with tabloids like US Weekly and OK! magazine. John knows that I need at least an hour each night to get my celebrity gossip fix via the internet. He makes fun of my obsession but that's ok with me - it's my one guilty pleasure in my busy daily routine.
I heard the news of Heath Ledger's death on the radio on my way home from work last Tuesday. "The latest on the Heath Ledger tragedy - right after Maroon 5..." the DJ said. Heath Ledger tragedy?! That wasn't something I expected to hear. Britney Spears or Amy Winehouse - either of those names would have been no surprise to any of us. But Heath Ledger? I quickly pulled up Perezhilton.com on my phone and saw the headline "The Latest Details on Heath Ledger's Death". Really, my heart dropped.
Right now you may be reading this and asking why I care so much about his death to devote an entire blog to him. You might be saying, sure it's sad and it's tragic, but that's Hollywood! And I'm bothered by it too. Why do I care so much? Why have I not been able to shake the image of Heath carrying his two year old daughter on his shoulders? And there you have it. I loved him as an actor and a public figure, but I was charmed even more by him as a father.
Any person who reads those gossip mags and websites like I do is familiar with the pictures published of Heath pushing a stroller, or playing with and feeding his little girl. He looks like a regular Joe, just a daddy and his daughter spending some quality time together. I can't help but relate to these images since I get such a euphoric feeling when I see my own daughter with my husband. And now my heart hurts for this little girl who will grow up without knowing her father. He too was just a dad, but happened to be a talented and famous actor. I hate that Hollywood and the pressures of his craft forced him to leave us the way he did. I want him to be able to walk the streets of Brooklyn with his daughter again, I want to rewind history and bring him back. He was a man, an actor, but most importantly a father, taken too soon.
Post-blog note: One of my favorite movies has always been A Knight's Tale. I cry everytime I watch the scene where Ulrich visits his blind father for the first time in 10 years. Rent it!