<![CDATA[Jezebel: alessandra stanley]]> http://tags.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jezebel.com.png <![CDATA[Jezebel: alessandra stanley]]> http://jezebel.com/tag/alessandrastanley http://jezebel.com/tag/alessandrastanley <![CDATA[Jackson Family Ready To Fight For Custody Of Michael's Children]]>

  • Michael Jackson's family is reportedly ready to fight his ex-wife (and mother of two of his children) Debbie Rowe for custody, as they believe that Rowe was never truly involved and that the kids should stay "within the family."[TMZ]
  • Jackson's autopsy has been inconclusive thus far; it will take six to eight weeks to determine the official cause of death, pending toxicology reports. [E!]
  • ""When the autopsy comes, all hell's going to break loose, so thank God we're celebrating him now," -Liza Minnelli [ShowbizSpy]
  • Police have removed a car belonging to Dr. Conrad Murray, the last person to reportedly see Michael Jackson alive, because "it might contain evidence." [TMZ]
  • Murray allegedly sent a letter to his patients 11 days ago, telling them he was "indefinitely" leaving his medical practice. [TMZ]
  • Meanwhile, fans are snapping up Jackson's music; on Friday, he had 9 of the top 10 albums on ITunes and "Amazon sold more Jackson merchandise in the past 24 hours than in the prior 11 years." [Yahoo]
  • Magician Ed Alonzo, whom you might remember as Max from Saved by the Bell, was preparing to work his magic at Jackson's upcoming tour, and says the night before Jackson died, he seemed fine at rehearsals. "He looked great and these pop-locking moves that he was doing on stage with the crew were just breathtaking... He didn't seem tired. He went from one move to the next. It was an unbelievable experience to be with him and to see it all come together."[USWeekly]
  • "When you drove up there were baby elephants and chimpanzees in overalls, and there was all the rides. It was everything you can possibly imagine. The memories I have from that place will last for the rest of my life."- Kim Kardashian on her memories of Neverland Ranch. [People]
  • Fans were not pleased with Alessandra Stanley's tribute to Farrah Fawcett in the New York Times, which seemed to blame Fawcett for her own cancer. In writing about Fawcett's final special, Stanley notes that she "never made the public service point that . . . the HPV vaccine is the most promising form of prevention against this type of cancer, which in most cases is sexually acquired." [NYPost]
  • "I'm cool with my body, and I'm cool running around undressed and all that stuff, but there are just certain things that not everyone needs to know, that you need to keep somehow private and personal to you. But you never know, you never know. I could be 30 years old and just be like, 'Screw it-I want to take it all off. I better take a picture of this baby before it all goes."- Hayden Panettiere [E!]
  • Surprising their fans, Spoon has announced that they'll be releasing a new EP this Tuesday. [EW]
  • The Mighty Boosh plan to split in because Julian Barratt reportedly wishes to spend more time with his partner, Julia Davis and their children, while Noel Fielding "still loves the gig scene." [TheSun]
  • Coolio will enter an 18-month rehab program in order to avoid jail time after pleading guilty to possession of cocaine.[Reuters]
  • Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming have been tapped to star in the Broadway adaptation of Spider-Man, which will be directed by Julie Taymor. Wood will play Mary Jane Watson; Cumming will play the Green Goblin. [Variety]
  • Richard Dreyfuss has devoted himself to the revival of civics education in schools, as he believes its necessary for children to learn the importance of getting involved. [USAToday]
  • Is Emma Watson trading in her Hogwarts robes for a stint at Columbia? [DailyExpress]
  • Blind Item: "Which actor just had a baby with his girlfriend, but behind her back is having an affair with his fellow actor friend?" [BlindGossip]
  • Heidi Fleiss is planning on marrying Dennis Hof owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch: "I'm proud to say that I'm clean and sober, and I'm finally ready to make a commitment to one man - and that's Dennis. It's going to be my first and only wedding, so it's going to be fabulous." [DailyExpress]
  • Faith Hill and Tim McGraw "waited in line just like everybody else at the opening of the new Titanic exhibition at Discovery Times Square" with their children the other day and were reportedly very nice to fans. [PageSix]
  • Former Girl Next Door Kendra Wilkinson is getting married today, and fellow ex-GND Holly Madison says"she's probably nervous," but that the ceremony is "going to be really beautiful and touching." [People]
  • "I can't think of myself in terms of celebrity. It's just too weird. If the choice is between being gawked at and sitting in a chair in a dark room, I prefer the dark room."-Johnny Depp. You guys wouldn't happen to have a dark room that Johnny Depp could just make hide out in, would you? [ShowbizSpy]

[Image via Bauer-Griffin.]

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<![CDATA[Do Queen Latifah's Jenny Craig Ads Herald A New Era Of Televised Body Acceptance?]]> In Sunday's New York Times Alessandra Stanley offered an assessment of weight loss shows, discussing the extremity of the weights we see on TV. There are, Stanley notes, "supersized" contestants on weight loss spectacles like The Biggest Loser, while "sitcom moms and crime-show detectives are reed thin," but "real women — and the national average is between size 12 and 14 — are certainly not represented on television in any proportion to their actual numbers." But these two extremes are so far from most people's experiences as to be rendered almost absurd, and while "society venerates skinniness," Stanley says, "people identify mostly with those who have trouble measuring up." Which is why the 20-pound weight loss of Queen Latifah on Jenny Craig might be the most brilliant marketing scheme to hit the dieting market in years: it's not based on unattainable goals, says size acceptance blog Big Fat Deal, or concrete ideas of "success" and "failure."

Apparently, Jenny Craig was embarrassed after their spokeswoman Kirstie Alley gained back a large amount of the weight she lost on the plan. TMZ points out, "the new plan...get someone who can look good by losing a relatively small amount of weight — In Queen's case, 20 lbs. She looks really good, if not svelte, but if she gains it back it's not going to look like Jenny Craig was a failure."

Of course, Jenny Craig commercials are meant to get people to buy their product, whereas shows like the Biggest Loser are primarily meant to entertain. As Stanley said, "There isn’t much punch or visual payoff to a loss of 20 or 30 pounds; viewers have come to expect 100- and 200-pound miracles." However, doesn't this drastic, hyper-speed sort of unrealistic weight loss get old after a while, even if it is vaguely aspirational for some? If people identify with weight loss struggles and triumphs, wouldn't they want to see them on a smaller, more realistic scale? Probably not, especially when you consider that the most realistic, healthy cross-section of female figures on television is on a show that takes place fifty years ago.

Plus-Size Sideshow [NYT]
Jenny Craig's Weight Loss Strategy [BFDblog]
Jenny Craig Hits It Big With Queen [TMZ]

Earlier: The Retro Women Of Mad Men Are The Most Interesting On TV

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