Friday, August 20, 2010
Picture of the day;
Here's a new feature I'm testing on the blog. We call it "The Picture of the day." What say you?
WHAT MAKES GROUND SACRED?
One day – not too soon, I hope – I will die.
And when that tragic moment arrives, those who love me will be saddened. Then a nice person in rubber gloves will come along and squirt 409 spray on my desk. An hour later, some new guy will be sitting in my chair, typing his words on what used to be my keyboard.
Goodbye, hello!
That is what we do in America when people die. We note the passing. We clean up the mess. We honor the dead by living.
So now comes all the uproar over the mosque being proposed for two blocks from Ground Zero. Do Muslims have the same right as other religions to place their houses of worship where they see fit? Or is this location an intolerable affront to the people who died on 9/11? That, right there, is the core of the debate.
And it’s a passionate one.
But beneath the raw nerves is an assumption that hardly anyone is reflecting on this week. What makes ground sacred anyway? The simple fact that a tragedy occurred nearby? Clearly, we apply the theory inconsistently.
When a teenager is killed in a drunken-driving wreck, no one proposes we close the highway forever. When a person loses their battle with cancer, their apartment isn’t forever sealed.
And when I die — well, you already know what happens then.
Back in the ’90s, there was a long-running dispute in lower Manhattan about a new federal building where an African cemetery had been. The graveyard was partially built on. Several people noted that much of downtown once had been cemetery land, though no one proposed demolishing area buildings.
Death is always tragic, whether it arrives in ones and twos or by the thousands. Those left are always bereaved.
The mosque debate raises many questions. But before they can really be answered, maybe we should answer these:
What makes certain ground sacred? How long does it remain that way?
Forever?
How many blocks constitute the sacred zone?
Who gets to decide?
The mother of that teenaged accident victim might have her own answer. I know I have some thoughts about the new guy who is suddenly sitting in my chair.
E-mail ellis@henican.com. Follow him at twitter.com/henican
Ricky Martin: 'Me' Memoir Is a 'Spiritual Journey'
Ricky Martin is getting even more personal and set to release his memoir 'Me' on Nov. 2. The 'Livin' La Vida Loca' singer will open up about everything from his experiences in Menudo to his sexuality and fatherhood.
"From the moment I wrote the first phrase, I was sure the book was the tool that was going to help me free myself from things I was carrying within me for a long time. Things that were too heavy for me to keep inside. Writing this account of my life, I got very close to my truth. And this is something worth celebrating," he said (via CNN.)
The Puerto Rican singer said that preparing to write the book was one of the reasons he decided to reveal earlier this year that he is gay.
Martin said in a statement Thursday that the project led him to extract memories that he had erased from his mind and the book was not easy to write but allowed for an "incredible spiritual journey."
In March, he dropped the bombshell about his sexuality and posted the following message on his official Web site :"Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment. These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed ... I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am."
The 'Livin' La Vida Loca' singer is a single dad to twin sons, who were born via a surrogate in August 2008.
"This is just what I need especially now that I am the father of two beautiful boys that are so full of light and who with their outlook teach me new things every day. To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where born with. Enough is enough. This has to change. This was not supposed to happen 5 or 10 years ago, it is supposed to happen now," Martin wrote.
Teresa Giudice Blames Bravo for Financial Woes
Teresa Giudice and her husband Joe owe creditors nearly $11 million in various debts, and the 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star blames her fame for why she's still bankrupt.
"If she wasn't on the show, this all would be much easier," a friend of Teresa's says.
"Everything would be settled by now, but because she is now famous everyone is using the situation to get press for themselves and humiliate her and her family. It's honestly got to the point where she's not sure if she wants to come back for another season."
A few days ago, new evidence proved the couple went on a $60,000 shopping spree not long after they filed for bankruptcy.
Teresa and Joe bought $8,800 curtains and spent $45,000 on wall hangings, mirrors, frames, tables and chairs, while at the same time trying to convince a Newark federal bankruptcy judge to stop the August 22 auction of their personal belongings. Judge Morris Stern refused to stop the auction, but postponed it until Oct. 3.
"Teresa is sick of everyone knowing all her private financial business," an insider tells me. "She didn't sign up to be on 'Housewives' so that everyone could look into her bank account. Millions of couples go through what they are going through, except no one knows about it. It's just not fair."
Bad Azz Kids Of The Week: Hood Kids From ATL Talking A Gang Of Mess! "Ill Shoot The F*ck Outta You"
The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Lisa Wu out—Cynthia and Phaedra in! EW has exclusively learned that Bravo will officially add two new housewives to the cast for its third season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, which is set to premiere on Oct. 4 at 9 p.m. ET. The network will make the announcement this afternoon. As you can see from the first-look cast photo above, NFL wife Lisa Wu Hartwell went the way that DeShawn Snow did after season one—she’s no longer a full-fleged cast member. However, sources tell us that Hartwell will indeed make occasional appearances on the show, much like Dina Manzo did after she departed The Real Housewives of New Jerseyearlier this season. Atlanta‘s season three cast is, from left to right: Phaedra Parks, NeNe Leakes, Shereé Whitfield, Cynthia Bailey, Kim Zolciak, and Kandi Burruss. Pretty glam cast, eh? As for new adds Cynthia and Phaedra, here’s what you need to know:
Cynthia Bailey: She’s a model who was born in Alabama, has appeared on the cover of Essence magazine, and has a 10-year-old daughter, Noelle.You might remember her from a brief guest role on The Cosby Show (she played a character named Sheniquah Watkins) or her spot as Roxanne opposite Sandra Bernhard in the musical comedy Without You I’m Nothing. This season on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, the independent woman will grapple with a marriage ultimatum from her boyfriend of three years, Peter Thomas, and deepen her bond with NeNe.
Phaedra Parks: This friend of Dwight and Kandi’s is an entertainment lawyer—specifically, the managing partner of an Atlanta-based boutique firm that works with entertainers and athletes. She’s a self-proclaimed “Southern Belle,” and does charity, which is a hallmark of theHousewives franchise. Her big storyline this season? She’s married to a younger man, Apollo, who went to prison for a “white collar crime,” and the ladies love to gossip about that. And surprise: Phaedra’s pregnant! Much of her time will be consumed with planning a baby shower. Also worth noting: Phaedra is from the same hometown as spitfire NeNe. Here’s hoping for a little from-the-archives drama between the pair!
The rest of the ladies have been busy, too: NeNe will deal with a rocky marriage and focuses on finding a career by landing a job as an entertainment reporter for the local news; Kim will do the music thing again, and even embark on a tour alongside Kandi; Kandi will reel from the death of her former fiancé, AJ, and try to rebuild a relationship with her cancer-stricken father; and Shereé will pursue acting—she claims to want to win an Oscar one day! Which means she enlists an acting coach. Good luck with that!
Overall, could this possibly be a classier, less wig-ripping season of Atlanta? With the addition of the “Southern Belle” Phaedra and model Cynthia, seems like we’re headed toward less trashy territory. Are you excited for the news cast members?
