Pop Culture Curmudgeon

Is Jessica Simpson the New Jennifer Aniston?

There are those of us out there who just can’t get over Brad Pitt leaving Jennifer Aniston for Angelina Jolie. We pull for Jen every time she dates a new man, and we feel heartbreak when relationship after relationship doesn’t work out.

Now, when Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey split, most people were on Nick’s side. Nick did a great job of playing the abused party in that separation, and that image stuck. Jessica was the bad guy, and we felt no sympathy for her.

That all changed the day before Jessica’s birthday party when the news came out that she had been unceremoniously dumped by Tony Romo. Public outcry turned to Jessica’s favor. (I mean, really, the day before her big birthday party?) Speculation ran rampant that maybe Jessica and Nick would get back together. (Nick’s brother Drew says that’s not happening.)

Why do we care so much? Why do we feel the need to take sides? And why can’t we just let Jen and Jess conduct their love lives at their own speed and in their own manner?

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The Creepiest Thing I've Seen in a Long Time: Benjamin Button

I was completely unprepared for the creepy trailer for Brad Pitt’s new movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, about a man who ages backward. Our intrepid hero, played by Brad and some other actors, begins as an old man and, I guess, ends much younger, as a baby perhaps.

The makeup looks extremely plastic and weird. And, of course, I immediately go to the logistics: how can someone be born as an old man? How does that pregnancy work? This is not the sort of thing I need to see first thing in the morning.

Read a glowing review from Reuters. And view the trailer.

Edited to add: I’m not alone, but apparently I’m a bit behind in my assessment. The evidence:

‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ Looks Creepy!
Another Creepy Look at Benjamin Button
Brad Pitt meets Fitzgerald in ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’

And he is born aged but small. Whew!

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Brad Pitt = The Plague

And, no I don’t mean the Pitt is taking on Fisher Stevens’ role in a remake of Hackers. Apparently, “cybercriminals” use Brad Pitt’s name (as well as Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, and Hills personality Heidi Montag) to lure you to their site filled with evil viruses. So, stay safe on the Internet, my friends, and slap a condom on your computer before spending too much time delving into the murky world of celebrity gossip. Or stick with safe sites, like the ones I list to the right.