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- 12 Great YA Books to Read to Your Favorite Kid During Banned Books Week
- Look Out, Wizarding World of Harry Potter; Here Comes Avatar Land
- Gallery: Celebrities As Seasonal Starbucks Beverages
- Video: Teen Mom Chelsea Houska Hair Tutorial!
- Parting Tweet: Writer Tim Carvell Has Created ‘Bunny Mall’
- Gallery: Fergie And 8 Other Celebrities Sure Get Touchy-Feely With Their Wax Figures
- The Daily WTF: Naomi Campbell’s New Home Will Look Like A Giant Eye
- Adele Is Such A Good Sport For The Paparazzi, Especially Without Make-Up
- The Princess And The Pee: By Lindsay Lohan And Terry Richardson
- Video Decoder: Aqua, ‘Playmate To Jesus’
| 12 Great YA Books to Read to Your Favorite Kid During Banned Books Week Posted: 22 Sep 2011 04:06 PM PDT
And this is why I'm super gung-ho about Banned Books Week. During the last week of September every year, libraries and book stores across the country celebrate Banned Books Week in an attempt to draw attention to the problems of censorship. They mount displays featuring challenged books, they host events—and, of course, they read. They read EVERYTHING. Anything that has ever been banned or challenged is fair game. And guess what? Today is the first day of Banned Books Week! Hoorah! This year, it runs from September 24 through October 1, and believe you me, I'm going to be reading my HEAD off during that time. Not that I'm not usually doing that anyway, but I'll be doing it with extra oomph. The thing that really gets me about the whole issue is that so much of the censorship going on these days seems to be geared towards kids and teenagers. This, I think, is particularly damaging. The whole point of children's and young adult literature is to broaden the mind. Kids and teens develop at an astonishing rate, and reading material that challenge them—in form, in content, or in both—well, that's the way you teach them to think, isn't it? REALLY think, I mean, not just regurgitate things other people have told them. So in celebration of Banned Books Week, here's my banned books reading list. You'll notice that they're all children's or young adult lit; they've also all faced unjust opposition. I loved all of these books as a kid, and I still love them all now. Moreover, I was lucky enough to have a number of fantastic teachers teach them to me and my classmates in school starting from an early age. Because these teachers dared to bring these books into the classroom, I learned to think outside the box, a skill that has been, hands down, the most important one I have ever picked up. EVER. So to all my teachers, from preschool all the way through grad school, as well as all of the unconventional teachers I've ever had (that includes you, Mum and Dad): Thank you. Learn more about Banned Books Week here. Related posts: Post from: Crushable  |
| Look Out, Wizarding World of Harry Potter; Here Comes Avatar Land Posted: 24 Sep 2011 10:15 AM PDT
That's right: Director James Cameron is teaming up with Disney to create a totally Avatar-themed land within the vacation mecha that is Disney World. This is unusual for Disney; Avatar, you'll recall, was produced by Fox, rather than the Mouse, and generally Disney sticks to its own franchises within its theme parks. But hey, if YOU were given the chance to make a fully-realized recreation of a place as iconic as Pandora, wouldn't you take it? Yeah, me too. By all reports, Cameron plans to go all out with it, too. In much the same way that J. K. Rowling was closely involved in the creation of Harry Potter World, so too will Cameron be connected to the creation of Disney's Pandora. The land will exist within Disney's Animal Kingdom, by the way, and yes, I'll admit that at first, this kind of made me go, "huh?" Since it's a futuristic land, wouldn't EPCOT or the Magic Kingdom make more sense? Or, since it's a movie, wouldn't Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios) make the most sense of all? But then I read the press release, which said that "with its emphasis on living in harmony with nature, Animal Kingdom is a natural fit for the AVATAR stories, which share the same philosophy." Okay; yeah, that makes sense. I'll roll with it. And you know what? It… actually sounds kind of cool. Cameron went on record as saying that their goals are to really push the bounds of technical innovations and to "give park-goers the chance to see, hear, and touch the world of Avatar with an unprecedented sense of reality." And really, isn't it the world of Avatar that made the movie so spectacular in the first place? The story was sort of whatever, given that it was essential Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest, but the world, man, the world! A fully-realized culture that no one had ever seen before? THAT is what was so mind-blowing about it, so this seems like a good way to go. With the power of Disney behind it, just think what will be possible: The ability to walk around Pandora, the chance to hang out with the Na'vi, and hey, maybe if we're lucky, Sam Worthington will stop by.
They're still in the very early planning stages for the park; groundbreaking won't happen until 2013, and the place itself won't be open until 2016. But Cameron's parting words concerned the need for Avatar Land to be "one fabric": "As long as it's thematically consistent, as long as it looks and feels and smells the way you imagine it, then we've succeeded." Man, if Cameron can figure out what my imagination thinks Pandora should smell like, we'll know exactly how far-reaching his vision is. What do you guys think? Will this be as awesome as it sounds? Or will it crash and burn? Related posts: Post from: Crushable  |
| Gallery: Celebrities As Seasonal Starbucks Beverages Posted: 24 Sep 2011 08:50 AM PDT It finally started to cool off this week in New York, and I’ve got to tell you, I am SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS. Fall is my absolute favorite season, and the past couple of years, I’ve felt cheated out of it. For some reason (read: global warming), the seasons have gotten into the habit of from summer right to the dead of winter, forgoing the standard stop at autumn in between. ANYWAY, one of the best things about it starting to get fall-like is that it’s finally time for– you guessed it– seasonal Starbucks beverages! I know, I know– they’re terrible for you. But they’re also delicious, so sometimes, it’s nice to indulge. In honor of the occasion, we’ve matched up Starbucks drinks with the celebrities we think embody them. Who’s a Salted Caramel Mocha? Who’s a deep, dark espresso? Read on to find out! Related posts: Post from: Crushable  |
| Video: Teen Mom Chelsea Houska Hair Tutorial! Posted: 24 Sep 2011 07:15 AM PDT
Steph, who runs the YouTube channel CityAndMakeup, tweeted Chelsea to ask her how she made her hair do that crazy curly ash-blonde thing she had going on in the Teen Mom 2 reunion special, and surprise, Chelsea tweeted back! Naturally, it involves a curling iron, so if you, too, would like to sport these corkscrew curls, be prepared to set aside a pretty good chunk of time in order to accomplish them. Ta-da! I actually think Steph's hair looks better than Chelsea's usually does; I'm not wild about that shade of blonde on either of them, but Chelsea always tries for the artfully disheveled look with the result that it just looks kind of messy. Interesting, given that Chelsea so badly wants to attend beauty school. Of course, the reason Chelsea REALLY loses here is that she's got that Thing that calls itself Adam Lind sitting next to her. Seriously, Chelsea. I know he's your daughter's father. But he is a TERRIBLE HUMAN BEING AND YOU DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THAT. Anyway, happy Saturday! [Via Starcasm] Related posts: Post from: Crushable  |
| Parting Tweet: Writer Tim Carvell Has Created ‘Bunny Mall’ Posted: 23 Sep 2011 03:47 PM PDT Moneyball‘s finally out! I thought I was excited to see it, but that was before I realized I won’t be able to see Bunny Mall. Daily Show writer Tim Carvell went on to explain:
Will they have little bunny food courts and little bunny sunglasses stands? Just think of the tie-ins. Someone make this movie happen, please. Post from: Crushable  |
| Gallery: Fergie And 8 Other Celebrities Sure Get Touchy-Feely With Their Wax Figures Posted: 23 Sep 2011 02:30 PM PDT So Fergie‘s wax figure was unveiled at the Madam Tussauds in Las Vegas, and of course the Black Eyed Peas singer couldn’t resist groping her doppelganger’s boobs. WTF? Do you know the myth of Narcissus? It’s about a devastatingly pretty hunter who loves himself but disdains others for loving him. When he gets lured to a pond, he falls in love with his reflection and ends up drowning. The celebrities in this gallery — who suffer from some odd compulsion to kiss and grope their wax selves — aren’t far off. Related posts: Post from: Crushable  |
| The Daily WTF: Naomi Campbell’s New Home Will Look Like A Giant Eye Posted: 23 Sep 2011 02:09 PM PDT Naomi Campbell‘s got a billionaire boyfriend and he’s building her a house on the Turkish Isla Playa de Cleopatra. And he’s clearly into the Egyptian name of the island. How do we know this? Because he’s building the house in the shape of the god Horus’ eye. But like, only from space. So we presume dude’s buying Naomi a rocketship as well. Man, billionaire boyfriends sure are the best. (via BuzzFeed) Post from: Crushable  |
| Adele Is Such A Good Sport For The Paparazzi, Especially Without Make-Up Posted: 23 Sep 2011 01:59 PM PDT We’re blown away by Adele‘s voice, so we hate to see her in an uncomfortable situation, like when the paparazzi caught her without make-up. But good for her for succumbing to the inevitable and letting them snap a few shots. Sure, it’s shocking; without her usual glossy hair and make-up and not singing, she does look ordinary. But her cute frowning face is more genuine than most expressions you see on the red carpet. Related posts: Post from: Crushable  |
| The Princess And The Pee: By Lindsay Lohan And Terry Richardson Posted: 23 Sep 2011 02:13 PM PDT Terry Richardson and Lindsay Lohan took some photos together. We thought it would make a great picture book, so we went ahead and put one together. Please enjoy: ‘The Princess and the Pee.’ Once upon a time, there was a hip downtown prince who wanted to photograph an authentic hipster princess. But she would have to be a real, genuine downtown dirty girl. Post from: Crushable  |
| Video Decoder: Aqua, ‘Playmate To Jesus’ Posted: 23 Sep 2011 01:20 PM PDT The world of popular music is vast and confusing. In this column, I seek to elucidate the hidden messages contained in recently released music videos, one meaning-laden still at a time. Did you know that Aqua is still a band? 14 years after their sole breakthrough hit Barbie Girl, the group is still out there, playing festivals and being super Scandinavian. Their latest video, Playmate To Jesus, holds many dark and Goth-y secrets. Let’s examine them. Related posts: Post from: Crushable  |
You know what sucks? Censorship. It sucks in all forms, but for me, it REALLY sucks when it comes to books. I've never understood the concept of book banning; working so hard to keep wonderful pieces of literature out of the public's grasp simply because the stories might contain something a handful of people don't agree with has never made any sense to me. Differing opinions doesn't negate something. It just opens the door to discussion. That's what's so great about reading.
So, Wizarding World of Harry Potter. You thought you were the coolest movie-specific theme park around? Well, think again, because James Cameron is coming, and he's going to squash you like a tiny, magical bug.
Anyway, besides simple the joy of being able to exist on Pandora, what sorts of attractions will be available in Avatar Land? According to 
No, Chelsea Houska isn't the one giving the tutorial. But it IS based off of her actual hair techniques, so just in case you ever wanted to wear your hair like Chelsea (I'm going to ignore the fact that Chelsea's hair often looks somewhat questionable), now you can!
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