Jezebel
crappy hour
Posts Tagged “
Cindy Mccain
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crappy hour
Patriotic colors
Calling Michelle Obama An Angry Black Woman Makes Black Women Angry
The historic moment we're experiencing — in which a black man could be the president of the United States of America — has lead to a colossal conundrum: What are we going to do about Michelle Obama? Over on Salon, Erin Aubry Kaplan eloquently explains why some conservatives don't "get" Ms. Obama: "She went to Princeton, excelled, retained her racial conscience but also eventually commanded a six-figure salary. All of this confuses white people mightily, far more than Barack's biracial status. In their frame of reference, Michelle has no reason to be angry and every reason to be content." Of course, she's being painted as that go-to stereotype: The Angry Black Woman. Kaplan points out: "It's interesting, by the way, how John McCain's hotheaded ways are admired as part of his so-called maverick qualities, a willingness to follow his passions and go against the grain; it's part of his essential Americanness. Michelle Obama's candor, by contrast, is seen as entirely foreign and not a little threatening." More »
Gross science
What Is A Permissible Imperfection In A Child?
Cindy McCain is in Vietnam today on behalf of the group Operation Smile, which repairs the cleft lips and palates of children whose parents couldn't otherwise afford the (relatively simple) surgery. Her involvement with the charity helps highlight its work and brings in donations and gives me rather a soft-spot for her because I was born with a cleft palate myself and I recognize how lucky I am to have been born here as opposed to a country in which its repair wouldn't be a given. One thing that I'm also keenly aware of about cleft lips and palates is that while they are occasionally genetic, they're more often developmental, which is all a roundabout way of bringing up the recent scientific findings that sexual orientation might also be a developmental (as opposed to a genetic) trait and the fact that there are already people looking at how to prevent it from developing. More »
rag trade
David Beckham's New Armani Ad: Yes.
- Bex bares (almost) all for Armani once more. After the item, People earnestly queries, "Tell us: What do you think of David Beckham’s ads?" Eager to see the conversation this generates. [People]
- The previously-discussed Italian Vogue featuring only models of color hits European newsstands next Thursday! "In a reverse of the general pattern of fashion magazines, all the faces are black, and all the feature topics are related to black women in the arts and entertainment." [New York Times]
- Tyra Banks is one of said black models. (Click to see awesome pix.) [Fashionista]
- Tyra's new show Stylista: OBVIOUSLY BIGGEST THING OF THE SUMMER. [Fashionista]
- "Soften your image" for only $99! Michelle Obama's View dress at Donna Ricco! [Donna Ricco]
news roundup
Beaver, Trollops and Drinking, Oh My!
- Not to in any way indicate that we have anything less than the utmost horror and offense for torture, but Lt. Col. Diane Beaver who once urged our armed forces to conduct more brutal interrogations at Gitmo, testified today before the Senate Armed Services Committee about her role in torturing various people. Even when the jokes aren't appropriate, we still have to make them. [Washington Independent]
- Really, it was the fault of this video, which you should not listen to at your office without earphones, that explores in great depth why the news media didn't cover the "John McCain called his wife a cunt" story. [Erica Saves the Day, Glamocracy]
- Also, studies show you're drinking more than you think you're drinking, so tip your bartender well! [LA Times]
- Oh, what you wanted real news? Fine. Check in with me after the jump.
Oh, About That First Wife
Long before he was a war hero, or a Congressman or a Senator, John McCain was a naval officer and Carol Shepp McCain's husband. While he was held captive, she was in an accident so devastating that the subsequent surgeries left her 5 inches shorter and barely able to walk, but she refused to allow that information to be relayed to her captive husband in Vietnam. In a strange twist of fate, Ross Perot paid all her medical bills. When he got back, she walked with a limp and wasn't the skinny model-wife he left, but, damn, doesn't she look happy there on the left (in 1973)? That didn't last long. Rumor has it that he started catting around almost immediately and finally met Cindy in 1979, after which he bothered asking Carol for a divorce. He gave her the house and a generous settlement, blah, blah, blah, but, then again, he was marrying an heiress. He moved to Arizona in 1980, ran for office in 1982 and the rest is history. Carol, now 70, now lives in Virginia Beach and agreed to an interview because she wants everyone know that she thinks he's the best choice to be the next President, and doesn't blame him for leaving her "because John McCain didn’t want to be 40, he wanted to be 25. You know that happens...it just does." Yeah, girl, we know. It still sucks and we still think he's a dick. [Daily Mail]
rag trade
Michelle and Cindy: Both "Perfect Political Accessories" For Fall
- Potential First-Lady fash critiqued; results inconclusive. "As for who is the more stylish - the Jackie-esque Obama or the Nancy Reagan-ish McCain — [Glamour's Suze Yalof Schwarz] says they are sartorial equals." [New York Post]
- Mel "Scary Spice" B promotes bra line: "It’s not like wearing underwear - I like walking around naked so it’s perfect for me." [The Sun]
- Hermes sues eBay for knockoffs; wins. [WWD]
- J Crew launches 'concierge service' to assist with personal shopping, private parties. "Concierges will also hold coats, packages and umbrellas." Hoity-toity! [Wall Street Journal]
- Viktor & Rolf make adorable, sinister miniature dolls dressed in their greatest hits. "Each doll's head is made by a Belgian expert who fires bisque faces in the traditional way, with hair and make-up replicating the way the models looked in the show. One is a coppery-haired micro-Tilda Swinton, commemorating the a/w 03 show in which she modelled." [The Sun]
hell is other people
Girl Scout Robber Stefanie Woods: Sociopath? Or Helpless Victim Of The Terrible Disease Of Painkiller Addiciton?
Stefanie Woods is a photogenic 18-year-old whose crime spree has captivated idyllic Palm Beach. If Law & Order taught me anything it's that she's also a sociopath. But see if you think I'm giving humanity too much credit: it all started when Woods, a part-time model, started chatting up a nine-year-old Girl Scout selling cookies outside a Wynn Dixie. Then she had a friend grab the kid's envelope of $168 and ran back to her car. (This crime was convicted as petty theft and has been referred to in media reports as a "ripoff" but I am pretty sure there are states in which you'd call it "robbery," especially if her name had been so curiously spelled by a non-Caucasian parent, but whatevs.) Okay, then she came back to the same grocery store, and bragged about what she'd pulled off. Then she gave the finger to news cameras. She declared her lack of remorse before a camera. More »
"She is not reluctant to tell me when my performance is less than spectacular." —John McCain, on wife Cindy in the June issue of Vogue.
news roundup
Laura Bush Talks Myanmar, Marriage
- Laura Bush gave a speech about Burma a.k.a. Myanmar and disaster preparedness and Jenna's wedding. Her lipstick was very well-applied. More than 10,000 people may die as a result of the cyclone. Harry built a limestone altar in Texas especially for the wedding. It will be "permanent" in contrast to many of the structures in Myanmar, where limestone and most other things are in short supply. The ruling junta is holding a referendum this weekend to solidify its control of their dirt- poor, isolated disaster zone and I guess this means they win. Governments that are more efficient when it comes to killing citizens than warning about floods always win in the short term. And also the medium term. [Huffington Post]
- Hey, speaking of nuptials/Third World personalities! Mariane Pearl might be Angelina Jolie's maid of honor. [Times Of India]
- The primary was so ugly, John and Cindy McCain couldn't bring themselves to vote for a candidate in 2000. [Huffington Post]
- Kind of similar situation with John and Elizabeth Edwards and Hillary and Obama. [TPM]
crappy hour
Did Hillary's Appearance On O'Reilly Actually Make Me Like Her More?
Fox is the only news channel that gets any audio on my cable box. This is something, like the interminable nature of this campaign, I generally regard as a negative. But yesterday I had a revelation. See, Hillary Clinton just went on Bill O'Reilly, and when they aren't rerunning clips of the really boring interview, the Fox News talking heads are creaming their pants over how well she's held up, what a "fighter" she is, etc. And it hit me: has Hillary Clinton's stubborn refusal to drop out maybe been good for America? All the phony, cynical and self-serving praise she's had heaped upon her pantsuited self from Rush and Ann and the Weekly Standard and the "Fair And Balanced" regime has started, ever so gradually, to convert into something genuine: respect. Anyway, The Indianapolis Star just endorsed Hillary, a Baptist minister got ushered out by Secret Service for asking John McCain if he really called his wife a "cunt", and Barack Obama drank shit beer at a VFW and the whole thing has lasted so long it's starting to feel like life itself, and Megan and I decided to look at it on the beer-glass half-full side today. More »
state of the unions
Cindy McCain's Marriage Is Not Exactly A 'Straight Talk Express'
Potential First Lady/onetime pill-popper Cindy McCain hit up Leno last night, appearing elegant in a canary-yellow pantsuit (shades of Hillary?) and eager to talk about her husband's candidacy, including concern over his advanced age and her family's reaction to his repeated presidential run. Cindy was agreeable enough, but over the course of the 12-minute interview (quite long for Leno) we noticed a theme began emerging: that of deceit in the McCain marriage. From lying about her age, taking pilot lessons and drug use, Cindy has quite the chronicle of tall tales! Clip above.
crappy hour
Would It Kill These Candidates To Eat A Frickin Cheesesteak?
Readers, this campaign season we've borne witness to many things. The rebirth of the word "trollop" and Ann Coulter endorsing Hillary...Geraldine Ferrarro fell victim to racism, and now Bill Clinton telling us Obama used their vast race card conspiracy against him too; he's got memos to prove it. We've learned about Obama's brother in China and Hillary's brothers from Retardville. We've watched Hillary throw back shots like a drunk sorority girl and promise to totally obliterate Iran like a drunk frat guy. We've seen Barack Obama reference Faulkner, Marx and Jay-Z like some consciousness-raising enlightened hip-hop dude who gets laid way too often for you to trust him entirely. But readers, for six weeks we have been stuck in this state, a state so authentically lowbrow it gets away with calling its homeless shelters overnight cafes, and somehow we have yet to see a presidential candidate eat a fucking cheesesteak. So Megan and I are off to do that now (oh, yum) and vote, but not before gracing you with this morning's riveting IM exchange. More »
don't mess with the press
Chelsea Clinton, And Lessons In Media (Mis) Management
The LA Times is starting to specialize in profiles of the non-Hillary women on the campaign trail, if this week's Cindy McCain profile and today's Chelsea Clinton profile are anything to go by. Although the paper managed to get a nice photo and plenty of ass-kissery into the Cindy story, its Chelsea profile (with unflattering picture) mentions the following: she won't talk to the press, even when the reporter is 9 years old; she repeats anecdotes that maybe aren't true; she has a "flat" delivery and a "raspy" voice; she wears tight jeans. The only unflattering thing the Times forgets to mention is the obvious crush her mother's spokesman, Phillipe Reines, has on her. (With two unflattering profiles appearing this week of his charge, Phillipe's apparently letting his passions overcome his professional duties.) More »
Loose Lips
Rachael Ray says she's flattered that Cindy McCain "stole" her recipe for rosemary chicken. "These recipes are supposed to be accessible to everyone - interns, senators, students and families alike! I am flattered when anyone cooks my food," Ray tells Us. • Nicole Kidman is having pretty severe morning sickness. Stars: so barfy! Just like us! • Alicia Keys is qualifying some of the inflammatory things she said to Blender about gangster rap. She had originally said, "Gangsta rap' was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. `Gangsta rap' didn't exist." She just released the following statement: "My comments about `gangsta rap' were in no way trying to suggest that the government is responsible for creating this genre of rap music. The point that I was trying to make was that the term was oversloganized by some of the media causing reactions that were not always positive." [Us, People, Dlisted]
crappy hour
Cindy McCain Regrets Dissing Michelle Obama!
Why can't more rich people be like Cindy McCain? Not with the strumpet makeup, I mean, but with the white guilt? Today a LA Times profile made us officially decide to like Cindy, who grew up a rich spoiled rodeo queen cheerleader in Phoenix and then one day went on a scuba trip and came back a crying, caring compassionate woman who sometimes took pills to ease the psychic pain. Okay, so I like Cindy. I get her, I think. I also get Barry Marx Obama and Michelle and their "elitism and all of that." I get Pennsylvanians and why they are bitter. But here's what I don't get: what do the world's 50 top hedge fund managers need with the collected $29 billion they made last year? Are they saving up to buy the Great Wall or the Vatican or something? (Can you even securitize the Vatican?) And how is it they were so smart in a year that everyone at Merrill Lynch who didn't get demoted was soooo...goddamn...stupid. Just testosterone? Glamocracy Megan and I discuss why we can't just pass a law outlawing people from accumulating more than $50 million and, totally unrelated, the concept of "bitterness," after the jump. More »
crappy hour
All About Alleged Rapist Bill Cosby, Because April 15 Is About How Other People Need To Start Taking Responsibility!
Happy Tax Day, Jezebels! God it is depressing today. We decided to read that lengthy Atlantic piece about Bill Cosby's haterist theories and got depressed about Bill Cosby being depressed about black people. Then we got depressed that the story devoted all of a sentence to allegations Bill Cosby had sexually assaulted 13 women. We got depressed about the food shortages and the kids for whom the only honest job in town is at a Foot Locker that's about to close and the Italians but then we found a passage from Obama's first book about hanging out with his Jarvis Cocker college crew rolling cigarettes and being alienated and Marxist and somehow that made it all okay again, probably because we are still self-absorbed assholes in arrested development who don't actually have problems beyond figuring out where the fuck we put our W-2s when we were drunk. Myself, Glamocracy's Megan, Cindy McCain's plagiarized recipes and so much more after the jump. More »
crappy hour
