Did Sandra Bullock's ScarJo Kiss Kill Her Great Speech?

By Michelle Ruiz  Posted Jun 7th 2010 05:17PM

he four members at our humble (and unintended) MTV Movie Awards viewing party were raising our glasses and remarking on Sandra Bullock's general coolness when through our cheers, we saw it. Inexplicably, in the midst of Bullock's Generation Award acceptance-slash-"I'm really okay, I promise" speech, co-presenter Scarlett Johansson began sauntering over to Sandy. The fidgeting and awkward glances made it all too clear, but we didn't want to believe it. Was the always-sexy ScarJo -- whose presence was as-yet unexplained -- really moving in for a kiss?

The groans came in unison: "Noooooo!"

After altering her "Poor Sandra" narrative with a jawdropping People cover, in which she nuzzled her adorable adoptive son Louis and confirmed her divorce from now-globally hated husband Jesse James, did Bullock really need an MTV-manufactured girl-on-girl smooch to prove she's 'back to normal?'

The four members at our humble (and unintended) MTV Movie Awards viewing party were raising our glasses and remarking on Sandra Bullock's general coolness when through our cheers, we saw it. Inexplicably, in the midst of Bullock's Generation Award acceptance-slash-"I'm really okay, I promise" speech, co-presenter Scarlett Johansson began sauntering over to Sandy. The fidgeting and awkward glances made it all too clear, but we didn't want to believe it. Was the always-sexy ScarJo -- whose presence was as-yet unexplained -- really moving in for a kiss?

The groans came in unison: "Noooooo!"

After altering her "Poor Sandra" narrative with a jawdropping People cover, in which she nuzzled her adorable adoptive son Louis and confirmed her divorce from now-globally hated husband Jesse James, did Bullock really need an MTV-manufactured girl-on-girl smooch to prove she's 'back to normal?'

We think not. Our reasoning after the jump.

In lieu of the softly-lit, super-serious newsmagazine interview route taken by some people, Bullock launched her post-scandal public comeback with an appearance that seemed just like her - funny, cheeky and decidedly unfussy, not to mention set at the absolute least serious of all the many, many awards shows in Hollywood: The MTV Movie Awards.

In a sparkling black Oday Shakar minidress and killer heels, Bullock returned as America's Sweetheart, gracefully accepting MTV's career honor and reminding us why we were so profoundly affected when her once-loving husband cheated on her with a tattooed gal named Bombshell. Bullock seemed brave under the circumstances, smiling and standing tall even while knowing that her every expression was being scrutinized, her every word hung on.

And she delivered. To loyal fans, she promised her marital disaster wouldn't break her - or shatter her ability to do (romantic) comedy. "No matter what you might have heard or read or seen lately, I love what I do and I'm not going anywhere," she said.

In classic Bullock style, she apologized to co-presenter Bradley Cooper for the bomb that was "All About Steve" and guffawed when Betty White advised her against wearing her plunging backless dress backwards. She jokingly clarified out-there tabloid rumors, assuring us that she has never -- ever -- gone two weeks without bathing.

It was a winning speech worthy of the standing ovation she earned en route to the stage -- until The Kiss.

Bullock phrased it perfectly when she turned to Johansson mid-speech and said: "This is so weird, Scarlett. I really love you and all but this is just really uncomfortable. Why are you here?"

Our thoughts exactly. Why was she there? ScarJo claimed she was filling in for her husband and Bullock's "The Proposal" co-star Ryan Reynolds, who was nominated alongside Bullock for Best Kiss. But it turned out she was really there for a standard-issue MTV girl-on-girl lip-lock.

When Bullock clutched Johansson and laid one on her, it was brief and tame. But it was also awkward and unnecessary in the context of Bullock's comeback "moment." It seemed so haphazardly inserted into an otherwise triumphant speech, that even Bullock seemed a little embarrassed. After it was over, though the crowd's hooting, Bullock threw up her hands as if to say 'There, MTV, I did it!'

As if "Sandra Bullock's Awesomely Classy Return to the Public Eye" wasn't an interesting headline for the movie awards, MTV appeared to dredge up a go-to gimmick: the faux-lesbian kiss! 

 

Famously implemented at the 2003 VMA's in a three-way smooch between Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, the ladies-locking-lips shtick has drawn the ire of actual lesbians, who have argued that Hollywood's girl-on-girl stunts serve to trivialize homosexuality. Feminists, for their part, haven't been keen on the way the smooches seem to feature women kissing less because they feel like it -- and more to please heterosexual men. A True/Slant blogger was fine with Bullock gratuitously kissing another woman -- but felt it should have been Betty White instead.

To be fair, we don't know whose idea the kiss was. We also don't know why it was really necessary. In the case of Madonna, Britney and Christina jointly singing "Like a Virgin," a girl-on-girl-on-girl kiss was actually oddly fitting, considering the pop star personalities involved. When Bullock herself laid a big kiss on Meryl Streep when they tied for Best Actress at the Critics Choice Awards, she was using a little humor to make a bold statement -- that the women were not, as the tabloids claimed, cat-fighting their way to the Oscars.

The surprise factor was especially jarring given how reserved and composed Bullock has been throughout the past months, which were no doubt a nightmare for her. As Jesse James gushed to 'Nightline' about how his childhood woes forced him to cheat on her, Bullock stayed mum rather than fight back or try to retort. As 'Bombshell' McGee flaunted nude photos and told tales of her trysts with Jesse, Bullock opted for silence instead of anger -- once again, rising above the drama surrounding her private life.

So what was behind Bullock and Johansson's random lip lock? (If you have any ideas, let us know in the comments.) Even if Bullock was one of the most "mature" women in the room, her speech didn't need awkward spit-swapping to jazz it up. In our opinion, it was a glowing, sincere success all on its own. And it appears to be a huge win in your eyes, too, as 82% of PopEater readers dubbed Sandy's speech "amazing."

As Sandra said after the smooch: "Now that we have done that, can we please go back to normal?"

Miley in Madrid

from Huffingtonpost

Miley Cyrus made waves last week with her faux makeout with a female dancer during a UK television show, and she kept up the risque moves and costumes Saturday in London (scroll to watch) and Sunday in Madrid.
Below are photos and video of Cyrus performing her new single 'Can't Be Tamed' at the Rock in Rio festival in Madrid. She again mimed the kiss, which she previously defended on her website.
Scroll for pics from Madrid and video of the London performance.

Credit Card

Warning!!! Carrying Filipino Credit Cards May Cost You Far More Than Cash…

by Marketman

 

The general intelligent wisdom is that one should carry “plastic” or credit cards instead of cash, so that if you are pickpocketed or murdered and your wallet is stolen, then the thief gets your cash and possibly attempts to use your credit cards. In most intelligent, logical and consumer friendly societies, any fraudulent use of your credit card would not be your liability and the credit card companies swallow the loss and use their insurance or their specific reserves to cover such instances. That makes sense, right? In fact, credit card companies in the United States specifically tell you that you are only liable for say $50 in case of theft, whether or not you had the chance to call the card company before the thief got to use your card. That would be a reason why one would carry plastic instead of cash. But we live in the Philippines, the land of occasionally utterly stupid, senseless and bizarre credit card and other laws put in place or perpetuated or unchanged by some idiots who themselves have been reported to charge on their local credit cards outrageously expensive watches for their teeny bopper kids while they “serve” their countrymen…

What am I blathering about? It seems that in the Philippines, if you own a credit card and it is stolen, the cardholder is completely liable for all the fraudulent charges up until your credit limit unless you have already phoned the credit card company to warn them you have lost your card. So what if your card was stolen from your hotel room or gym locker room while you were playing tennis and you didn’t notice the loss till the next day? Yup, you got it. It’s completely YOUR ass that is on the line. In other words, if you don’t inform the card company, they hold you liable for the losses, and that is the ridiculous law at the moment. In other words, it is actually potentially far more costly for you to carry a Philippine credit card as you could lose thousands and thousands depending on your credit limit rather than just the cash in your wallet.

When I learned of this pathetic situation a few months ago when acquaintances lost their wallets and thieves racked up massive bills on their behalf, I intentionally started to leave most of my local credit cards at home. I didn’t put a post on the matter then as it would seem like I was just harping at a law that is impossible to change. But events in the past 24 hours lead me to post this warning for the benefit of my readers and your friends. I kid you not. If you have say a PHP100,000 limit on your card and someone else charges on it, you will be required to pay that PHP100,000 or be in violation of the law as it is currently written; in fact, in theory, you would be the criminal with the liability to the credit card company.

Never mind that your card was stolen, that the charges were fraudulent, that the signatures are false and that you had an unusual level of charge activity…it is YOUR ass on the line. And for that privilege you pay a hefty annual fee and a nearly usurious (in my opinion) 3.5% per month interest charge on any outstandings (that translates to over 50% in compound annual interest for those of you who never bothered to calculate it!). So what good is the local credit card if your potential liability is worse than the cash in your wallet??? Why can’t lawmakers read this and do something about it? Where do all those annual fees go if not to put measures in place to protect customers? Out-bloody-rageous, if you ask me. And I am just setting you up for the next post on why I am really fuming at a ShittyBank…

Here are Marketman’s serious tips to help insulate you from unnecessary credit card losses; please forward to your friends if you care about them:

1. Check your local credit limits right this instant. If the total credit limits far exceed your normal or even peak usage, call your credit card companies immediately and ask them to lower your limits to a level you can truly manage.

2. When you go out and it is not likely that you are going to max out your cards, do NOT bring all of your local cards with you…leave some safely put away at home.

3. Every evening when you get home, check your wallet to make sure all of your credit cards are in their slots, if not, call the credit card company immediately even if you are unsure where your card is. It’s easier to have a new one issued than to risk a PHP50,000 charge on your stolen card.

4. In a restaurant, always leave those faux leather jackets/folders that they use for credit cards OPEN on the dining table, this will make you more cognizant of the fact that you may have left your card still in the jacket.

5. Beware of unsolicited increases to your credit limits, reject these unless you really use the additional limits. Just think, if 500,000 consumers are given a PHP20,000 increase that is PHP10 billion more in open credit limits and if only 1% are subject to fraud, that is a potential PHP100 million that the credit card companies can come after clients like you and me for!

In other countries where they protect consumers, it is fine to have huge credit card limits for that occasional, “just in case” need. In the Philippines, it’s best the have the lowest possible limits instead.

Cheap and easy and not smeary

By Jessica Ashley, Shine staff, on Tue May 25, 2010 4:41pm PDT

 

The most important element of a great dinner grilled on the patio, an afternoon at the playground, or even a greatly needed vacation at the beach is not the beverages, bikes, or even the bikini. The one thing you need for all of your spring and summer activities needs to be slathered on and then packed up -- yes, it's sunscreen.

Just in time for all of these sunshine-savoring activities, Consumer Reports has released its list of the top four products to protect your skin. Surprisingly, several of the sunscreens that rated highest in Consumer Reports' testing are not only budget-friendly but are store brand. And surely to the delight of parents, teachers, and camp counselors to wiggly, sweaty kids everywhere, all are sprays rather than lotions or sunscreen sticks.

Consumer Reports tested 12 brands of sunscreen at an outside lab. There they assessed how well each blocked UVA and UVB rays and if actual water-resistance matched up with the product's claim. Volunteers with the sunscreens on their skin soaked in water for 40 to 80 minutes, depending on how long the claim on each can read, to test the SPF.

Trained testers also evaluated feel, smell, and whether the sunscreen was sprayed or rubbed in. Although these might seem like the aesthetics of products that are so critical for our health, Styleist blogger Lisa Schweitzer makes an important point: "[A]fter all, if you think your sun protection stinks or feels greasy, you simply won't use it."

The top four sunscreens all ranked Very Good for UVA protection, Excellent for UVB protection, and fulfilled their SPF after 80 minutes of soaking. They also scored well for their feel and scent, with all four having discernible floral or citrus scent (rather than that beachy smell most of us grew up associating with "sun tan lotion") and absorbing well with minimal residue.

According to Consumer Reports testing, here are the sunscreens you should stock up on and coat yourself and your kids with this year.

Up Up Sport Continuous Spray SPF 30 is Target's store brand and available in a twin-pack for less than ten bucks. To be exact, that's just $4.72 a can.

Walgreens Sport Sunscreen Continuous Spray SPF 50 is the Walgreens store brand spray that is available for $7.99. This second-place sunscreen with higher SPF protection is still a steal compared to brand-name sprays and lotions.

Banana Boat UltraMist Continuous Spray Sunscreen - Sport Performance SPF 30 is available at most discount stores, drugstores, and online retailers for about $9.79 per spray can (although we found this great $12.99 twin-pack deal in a Yahoo Shopping search).

Aveeno Continuous Protection SPF 50 rings up at just under ten dollars for a bit smaller spray can (five ounces compared to six for the top three listed). But with this triple-pack deal of $26, you can stow a can in your beach bag, car, and bathroom cabinet for cheaper than buying individual cans.


Consumer Reports also offers these great reminders and tips for getting the best skin protection for your effort and budget.

• Always choose a sunscreen that is at least SPF 30 and is water-resistant. No matter how much other kinds are on sale or smell nice, skip them for products that perform as well as you need them to.

• Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before you are exposed to the sun at all (that is, while you are still indoors). Put on another layer after two hours or if you have been in the water or are a heavy sweater.

• Don't spray sunscreen directly on your face. Spray on your hand and then carefully apply to your face with your fingers being mindful of the eyes (ouch).

• Spraying or dabbing sunscreen directly on clothes will only make stains. Resist the temptation to SPF-up your favorite ironic t-shirt or swimsuit.

• Sunscreen loses its potency after two years. Even if the bottle is three-quarters full, toss it if the expiration date has passed. Consumer Reports suggests labeling sunscreen (with permanent marker since it will be handled by greasy fingers) that does not have an expiration date so you are reminded to throw it away two years from the date of purchase.

• Arm yourself with other forms of sun protection -- a hat, clothing made from tightly-woven fabric, and shade.

Now that you know protection your skin doesn't have to entail a big investment of money (store brands!), time (quick spray!), or SPF levels in the hundreds, get out there and enjoy all that warm-weather fun without paying with a painful sunburn (or worse!).

6 Ways diet can impact your brain

By Brett Blumenthal - Sheer Balance, on Tue Jun 1, 2010 9:38am PDT

Many of us have been affected by family members, friends or loved ones who suffer or have suffered from mental illness, learning or behavioral disorders, or memory loss. These conditions and illnesses affect us as much as they affect the patient or loved one who has them.  They take a toll on ourl happiness, can require a lot of time and money and can be debilitating to our relationships.  Without memory, without mental wellbeing, life just doesn’t seem to be as worthwhile as without it.

Diet, not only is important to our physical health, but it is important to our mental health.  Further, there is scientific evidence that a lot of these conditions may very well be preventable through diet. In my interview with Dr. Alan Logan – author of The Brain Diet: The Connection Between Nutrition, Mental Health, and Intelligence - on the Healthy Living Show, we discussed how diet correlates to brain function and health. According to Dr. Logan, leading health research clearly shows a direct link between the decline of healthy eating and the rise of mental disorders including ADHD, depression, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and more.:

1. Depression: A number of studies show that individuals with low blood folate levels are more likely to have depression relapse.  It is recommended that individuals who suffer from depression take 800 mcg of folic acid (as compared to 500 mcg for average adults) and 1.0 mg of Vitamin B12 in order to ward off and fight symptoms of depression. Additionally, plant based foods rich in purple pigments have been shown to maintain levels of “mood-enhancing” hormones around for a longer period of time.
2. Behavioral Disorders: There has been research that shows hyperactivity can be reduced when preservatives, dyes, and other artificial and synthetic ingredients are eliminated from our diet. Even in children without ADHD, dyes, preservatives and benzoates can provoke symptoms of hyperactivity and other behavioral issues. Dr. Logan tells us that diets rich in Omega-3 EFAs and Gamma Lineoic Acids (GLAs) can be highly beneficial to reducing symptoms of hyperactivity. With ADHD and other behavioral or learning disorders, there is an increased need for GLAs for their anti-inflammatory impacts and their ability to preserve the integrity of Omega-3s, which are important to the development of “brain scaffolding” or structure.  Children who have diets containing GLAs, which can be found in Borage, Black Currant and Evening Primrose oil, show significant improvement in test scores and attention as a whole as compared to those without it.
3. Learning and Cognitive Function: A well-balanced breakfast is important to our ability to function and maintain cognition throughout the day. An optimal “learning breakfast” is high in fiber, lean proteins and healthy fats. Dietary fiber keeps blood sugar and energy levels stable and balanced, which is important in reaching full learning and cognitive potential. A breakfast with these three components helps sustain energy and brain function levels throughout the day. Click here for some ideas on healthy breakfasts.
4. Aging: Deeper colored and pigmented plant foods are most crucial to brain health.  Researchers from Tuft’s University conducted a study where they fed four different groups of animals various plant foods: blueberries, strawberries, spinach and broccoli. Those who consumed blueberries showed the highest level of prevention of many symptoms of aging, such as loss of memory, balance and cognitive skills. 
5. Extra Weight: Extra abdominal weight and fat are the worst enemies of optimal brain health. They contain bio-active tissue that enhances the secretion of inflammatory chemicals at the brain level.  The greater the amount of mid-life abdominal fat, the greater potential for brain decline later in life.
6. Organics: If you aren’t already convinced of the benefits of buying organics, you may have yet another reason to reconsider. Studies have shown that the more we consume pesticides and herbicides, the more likely we’ll have cognitive and neurological issues as we get older.

I highly recommend that you consider purchasing The Brain Diet: The Connection Between Nutrition, Mental Health, and Intelligence. What we discussed on the show didn’t even scratch the surface of all of the good information Dr. Logan shares in his book.

The Simplest Ways to Burn Calories

by Allure Daily Beauty Reporter, 7 hours 56 minutes ago

We hope that you had a blast kicking off the season of beaches, parties, and fun. And to keep you from stressing about food, if you're trying to lose weight, here are some the most painless ways to burn calories that we've ever heard.

Drink coffee. Iced or not: studies show that caffeine increases the rate at which you burn calories.

Eat breakfast. Yes, you've heard it before, but actually do it this summer. It's a simple step that starts your body burning fat, because your brain no longer thinks you're starving.

Laugh. Yet another reason to surround yourself with hilarious people: it burns up to 50 calories if you laugh for 10 to 15 minutes per day.

Then get mad. At least, when you're working out—think of something that made you mad that day, and it'll rev up your exercise.

Walk. It sounds simple, but stashing ballet flats in your bag will get you moving faster than stilettos.

Be wise in Eating

 by Sarah McColl, Shine staff, on Tue Jun 1, 2010 7:25am PDT

Three hamburgers, countless tortilla chips, and eleventy-million beers later, I know how you feel. Sometimes that third day of weekend "Sure, let's eat pizza for breakfast!" is just enough to tip you into too-much-vacation territory. This is a state of being so overindulged, you begin to crave bulgur and the crisp snap of asparagus. You have overdone it. But there's nothing like hitting rock bottom to get you swimming back towards the surface.

What is mindful eating? It's applying the principles of mindfulness––bringing purposeful attention to the moment––to our daily, often automatic act of eating. Psychology today defines it as, "deliberately paying attention, being fully aware of what is happening both inside and outside yourself - in your body, heart and mind - and outside yourself, in your environment. Mindfulness is awareness without criticism or judgment."
The glory of mindful eating is tuning into ourselves and food: the sights, smells, and flavors of what we're eating, as well as our sensations in the act of eating it. And why do this, you might be wondering? Well, despite the increased pleasure that can occur from actually enjoying our food as we eat it, if we bring mindfulness to our consumption, then we aren't eating our feelings, our stress, our boredom. We are eating food, glorious food. Here are seven simple ways to get started:

1. Start small. Listen, I can so appreciate the appeal of radical change. But going from a hot dog-fueled weekend to a raw foods detox is probably not the surest way to lasting change. There are seven tips here for you to mull over and think about, but why not start with just one of them today?
2. Turn off the television. If you're anything like me, this is the hardest tip of all. Eating in front of the television can feel so relaxing. But when you're watching cutie pie  NATE BERKUS, you're not paying attention to your body's cues of satiety or the pleasure of the act of eating. Try eating your next meal without distractions.
3. Take your time. Our internal messaging system is more like the USPS than IM. It can take up to 25 minutes for your body to send your brain the message that it's full. If we tear through our meals, we get to "full" and zoom right past to "overstuffed" and "oh-my-god-I-need-to-lie-down." Slow down to get the message in time.
4. Listen to what your body wants. At first, some people take this as permission to eat peanut M&M's for dinner, but you have to listen to what your body wants, not your mind. After years of seeing certain foods as "bad" or "off-limits," the mind wants to go hog wild. The body, though, might want to eat wet slices of watermelon on hot days or a big salad for lunch with energy-encouraging protein. Tune into that quieter voice to hear what it craves.
5. Get involved. Awareness of our eating can begin before we even sit down at the table. Get involved in the creation of your food by cooking for yourself instead of picking up take-out. If you're a novice cook, start with something super easy, like a gorgeous sandwich. Just the act of selecting the avocado and sprouts at the market and piling them high on whole grain bread gets you involved in the process of sustaining yourself.
6. Make it a meditation. Walking meditation brings attention to, among other things, the sensation of your feet striking the ground. Make eating a meditation. Focus your attention on the colors on your place, lifting the fork to your mouth, the crunch of chewing, the delight of the flavors in your mouth.
7. Eat together. This isn't realistic for every meal every day, but it's a state of mind. Eat as if you were with others. Sit at the table. Put your fork down between bites. Breathe. And if you are
   Publish Post
   so lucky to get to enjoy breaking bread with others, enjoy the moment. Focus on the conversation as much as you focus on your food. Make it a feast for all your senses.