STOP THE MADNESS!

I love People magazine.  I've been a subscriber for years, and I consider it my guilty pleasure.  I like to know what's happening with the celebs–who's dating, who's breaking up, who wore what to which awards show.  Plus, I like the stories the magazine does about "regular" non-celebrity folks who have accomplished extraordinary things, overcome incredible odds, or made amazing discoveries.  So when the latest issue arrived in the mail this week, I made a cup of tea, settled in my favorite chair, and was ready to be entertained. 

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Instead I found myself ticked off and disgusted by one particular story, one that made me say out loud, "I'm going to blog about this."  Here's the headline that grabbed my attention (and not in a good way):

Snookigate!  The Jersey Shore star outearned Nobel Prize Winner Toni Morrison for a recent speaking gig at Rutgers University.

Yes–you read that correctly.  Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi–last seen face down in the sand in a drunken stupor that led to her arrest–was paid $32,000 to address students at Rutgers on March 31st.  Meanwhile, Nobel-Prize winning author Toni Morrison who will deliver the school's commencement address in May was only paid $30,000.

Can someone PLEASE explain this to me?

I am ashamed to admit that I watched Jersey Shore's first season.  Curiosity over the big hoopla drove me to tune into the first episode, then it became like a train wreck I couldn't look away from.  But after that first season was done, so was I.  I was tired of looking at the carnage and disgusted with the "anything goes" non-stop drunken, foul-mouthed, attention-seeking slutty/man-whore behavior of the "stars."  I figured the show–and the cast–would fizzle and fade away, their fifteen minutes of fame thankfully over.

But no.  Instead, apparently the more outrageous and grosser and more violent the behavior of the "stars," the more popular they've become.  That a highly respected, intelligent, accomplished woman like Toni Morrison should be worth less than a foul-mouthed, low-class, drunken, out-of-control, disgraceful, promiscuous skank really infuriates, and ultimately saddens, me.  How can this be?  (disclaimer–perhaps Ms. Polizzi is a lovely, demure, well-mannered, virtuous person in real life.  I don't know, I've never met her.  However, the Snooki person depicted on Jersey Shore is nothing but a foul-mouthed, low-class, drunken, out-of-control, disgraceful, promiscuous skank).

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"Officer, I swear I'm a lovely, demure, well-mannered, virtuous person in real life. I only play a drunk skank on tv."

There were, thank goodness, a couple of other stories in the magazine that didn't infuriate me.  The report that Prince William will not be wearing a wedding band after he ties the knot with Kate Middleton made me chuckle.  If ever there was a guy who didn't need to wear a ring, it's gotta be him.  Is there a person on the planet who won't know he's married, LOL?

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Methinks he won't be able to pretend to anyone that he's single.

 

Another story I enjoyed was the inspirational piece on Bethany Hamilton–the now 21 year old surfer who lost an arm to a tiger shark attack when she was only 13. 

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An amazing story about an amazing young woman

 

In spite of having only one arm, Bethany is now a top-ranked pro surfer who travels the globe meeting amputees and shark-attack survivors through her nonprofit group Friends of Bethany.  A movie called Soul Surfer based on her life story will premiere soon.  Hmmm…I wonder how much Rutgers University would think this accomplished, humanitarian athlete is worth?  Or how much they might pay legendary singer Tony Bennett who was featured in another story about his upcoming new album–at age 84.  Personally, I think both Bethany and Tony (as well as the underpaid Toni Morrison) are priceless.

So that's my whine for this week.  Anyone else want to whine about any of the above?  Anyone else outraged at Toni Morrison getting paid less than She Whose Name I Will Not Type Again?  Want to whine about something different?  Have at it!  Or maybe you have some fabulous news to share–I'd love to hear that as well!