61 Frames Per Second by John Constantine Today in Hooksexup's videogame blog: Street Fighter. The movie. A new one. With that chick from that Superman show. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about!
The Remote Island by Bryan Christian Mad Men's January Jones struts her stuff in Vanity Fair. Plus: Damages returns, the latest Gossip Girl guest star and Donna Martin capitulates.
Rod Stewart's package featured in this week's Star; millions blinded.
Philadelphia is for lovers.
Christina Aguilera-as-streetwalker. (via Fleshbot)
Ménage à Elmo (with Diane Sawyer and Oprah).
Sex and the City's Jason Lewis sues Absolut for using his image for this ad, because he refuses "to endorse alcohol, tobacco, or guns." (via Gawker)
Moscow bank protesters creatively express concern over their assets.
Snoop Dogg watches lustily as Paris Hilton and Carmen Electra pull a Madonna-and-Britney at the MTV Movie Awards.
Contrary to appearances in this week's People, Prince William is not rushing a frat.
Quotes of the Week
" It is hard to pinpoint exactly when it became safe to be a stupid slut on television." — the opening line of a recent New York Times column by everyone's new favorite TV critic Alessandra Stanley.
"Long before she exposed her right breast to the world during the Super Bowl halftime show, Janet Jackson says she had thoughts about sex," writes the AP in a revelatory story about Janet Jackson, who elaborates, terrifyingly: "My first crush was on Barry Manilow. He performed on television, and I remember taping it. When no one was around, I used to kiss the screen."
CNN: "You did an 'uncut' video for your song 'Booty Poppin', and Nelly's explicit 'Tip Drill' video was recently the subject of protests. What do you think about the controversy over such soft-core porn videos?"
Ludacris:"I would say to people who criticize, they're scared of the truth, because this is what's going on, it's like watching the news."
"We're under the impression that we do need romantic love, which leaves a lot of people feeling inadequate. People don't need a boyfriend or girlfriend to give life meaning; they're complete already." — Ethan Hawke (now separated from Uma Thurman) doth protest too much in this week's Star.
In the News
Trend watch: Porno karaoke hits New York.
The nineteen-year-old woman accusing Kobe Bryant of assault will not be referred to as "victim" during the trial, rules a Colorado judge.
Cosmopolitan weighs in on international affairs by naming South African and Israeli women among the top "doing-it divas." Why Israeli women? " In Israel, women join the army at the age of eighteen, and their fast, high-adrenaline lifestyle spills over into their sex lives."
The Chinese government will be choosing Britney Spears' stage costumes when she performs there to keep her from showing too much skin; they probably won't pick this.
Croatian pop star Severina Vuckovic's sex tape appears on the web.
A little Aussie girl has two mommies in a controversial kid's show called Play School.
More proof that people with really good credit should not be hanging out at strip clubs: A New York City man is suing Scores for charging $129,646 to his credit cards for just seven hours of booze and lap dances.
Swedish woman asks the government to stop her neighbors from having loud sex.
The San Francisco cops almost fired for appearing in porn flick Bus Stop Whores are getting married.
The BBC is developing a new show on which couples will have sex and experts will rate them; it's called The Sex Inspectors.
It's official: the National Bureau of Economic Research in the United States says the more sex people have, the happier they are.
A group of high school seniors in Ohio are banned from graduation for crossdressing.
New Jersey bans Ladies' Nights at bars.
Psychology Today (June) looks into "mate-poaching." Up to 20 percent of long-term relationships begin when one or both partners are involved with others, according to a recently released study known as the International Sexuality Description Project. In North America, 62 percent of men and 40 percent of women say they've attempted to entice another's mate for a short-term fling.
The Democratic National Committee will hold its pre-convention party at the L Street Bathhouse.
The Episcopal church blesses a gay couple's union.
A journalism professor at the University of Oregon assigned a student to run naked through a golf course as part of a workshop on "creatively facing fear."
Sex-Terminology Scandal of the Week
Al Franken apologized under pressure to intersex people after they complained about this joke:
TRANSCRIPT
The O'Franken Factor
Aired about 12:10pm on June 2, 2004
Air America Radio
Host Al Franken: We caught [FOX News and talk radio host Sean] Hannity in another lie. The guy just will not stop [...] And Hannity knows this, and it's just tiresome. We continuously debunk Hannity's lies but it doesn't make any difference. He keeps on repeating lies we debunk and then he tells other lies that he knows are lies. And he forces us to resort to the only weapon... welcome to today's edition of Fighting Hannity's Lies With Lies About Hannity. [...]
AF: Okay, today's lies about Hannity. Remember this isn't true. That's important — this is a lie. Not true.
AF: Hannity was born a hermaphrodite.
Co-host Katherine Lanpher: What?
AF: It's not true. Not just a hermaphrodite, but a conjoined twin who is also hermaphrodite. They were conjoined at both sets of genitals. Remember this isn't true, it's a lie. The doctor in the delivery room said he'd never seen a more hideously freakish creature in his life, Sean and Shawn, S-H-A-W-N. They were separated at age 14 by a drunk carnival barker using a [inaudible] stolen from a bearded lady, who was Sean's mother and father. Remember, none of this is even remotely true, it's a lie. Anyway, Sean nearly bled to death but survived and now has a quarter of a vagina and three-quarters of a penis. Remember this isn't true. But in a sense it is far less [inaudible] lie than the lies this three-quarter man tells everyday. And we here at The O'Franken Factor, we feel that it's our duty to keep lying about Hannity as long as he insists on lying to America. That was today's Fighting Hannity's Lies With Lies About Hannity.
Tabloid Fodder
People
Cover: "Twins for Julia!"
Within: Roberts has morning sickness, Paul Bremer prepares for the handover of power in Iraq, Prince William runs with the sheep (see photo above; only reason the magazine rates more than a 2 this week).
Sex promised/delivered: 6/5. Alternately sunny and apocalyptic, People is an all-around turnoff.
Us Weekly
Cover: "Here Comes the Bride!"
Within: A Playboy-style round-up of July covergirls, e.g. "Avril Lavigne; lunch: veggies and nuts." Many shirtless men. Quoting Anna Nicole Smith (from FHM) on the best sex she's ever had: "A ghost would crawl up my leg and have sex with me. . . I was like, Well, you know what? He's never hurt me and he just gave me some amazing sex, so I have no problem." (The word 'no' of course is a stand-in here for 'massive and unconquerable.')
Sex promised/delivered: 5/9. Us Weekly is trying really hard to catch up to Star, but a distressing propriety prevails. Exclamation points and privacy infringement they can do, but soulless prurience? Still a long way to go.
Star
Cover: "Kate Hudson: New Baby! New Body!"
Within: Brandy's deflating breasts, Britney's pregnancy scare, Don Johnson's failing finances, Average Joe's far-from-average sex moves, and the grossest headline of all time: "Halle says: I need a Sperminator."
Sex promised/delivered: 10/10. There is a special circle of hell for everyone who contributes to the existence of this magazine, but we'd much rather be there than up in heaven with the editors of People.
Scanner appears Tuesdays. Research assistant: Sarah Harrison. Send tips to .
