It was good, it was bad — but it certainly wasn’t boring. From sex scandals to oddball marriages, sham weddings to sexting implosions, 2011 had something for everyone. Read on to see our most shocking celebrity breakdowns, political scandals and most surprising moments of the year. And tell us what you think the biggest scandal of the year was.
Amanda Knox, the college student studying abroad in Perugia, Italy who was convicted of murdering her roommate four years ago, was acquitted by a jury today and set free. Her boyfriend (at the time of their arrest), Raffaele Sollecito, who was also convicted of murdering college student Meredith Kercher, also saw his conviction overturned. Keep reading »
Patti Stanger did not make many friends this week when she argued that gay men aren’t into monogamous relationships. “There is no curbing the gay,” she said on “Watch What Happens Live” in front of Andy Cohen looking like he just got run over by an angry real housewife. “I’ve tried to curb you people and you just don’t … I’ve decided to throw in the towel and say ‘do what you want,’” Patti continued. Cue Bravo reeling to distance themselves from Patti’s words, since gay men are one of their primary audiences.
Hearing Patti say this, I thought, “Wow. That just isn’t true. I can name 10 gay couples in my social orbit who have been together for eons, I assume monogamously.” Not to mention the fact that for gay marriage to be the kind of issue that it is, some gay men have to want it. Then today I saw a Census statistic that proves Patti isn’t right about “you people.” Apparently, not only has the number of same-sex couples jumped 80 percent since 2000 (an indication that people are increasingly willing to declare their sexual orientation the Census), but 1 in 5 gay couples are married. Which is a high percentage considering that it’s only legal in seven states. In those seven states, 42 percent of same-sex couples have gotten married—a higher rate than straight couples. I only wish this study had separated out stats for gay and lesbian couples so I could really stick it to Patti with the numbers. [Washington Post]
Now, for the record, I love Patti Stanger. I think she is brilliant and tells it like it is. But she does have a habit of making an “iron-clad” law out of preferences she has noticed. For example, her claim that men just don’t like red heads. Or curly hair. Or that men only notice women in tight cocktail dresses. After the jump, I debunk some of Patti’s relationship myths, both anecdotally and scientifically.
Celebrity miscreants like Charlie Sheen get the lion’s share of the limelight. No one remembers the scandals of the little people, dammit! And yes, I mean literally, the little people. Dwarfism is well-represented enough in Hollywood that even they have their embarrassing scandals.
Let’s take a gander at Hollywood’s biggest little people scandals!
Actress/country singer Courtney Stodden, 16, and Doug Hutchinson of “Lost,” 51, can’t stop talking about how in love they are. After stopping by “Good Morning America” last week, they sat down for an interview with E! Online. Many things will strike you as odd about this clip, aside from Courtney’s strange mugging with gritted teeth, as if she were going to inhale her husband like a tube of GoGurt. For example, the two talk about their sex life. Doug explains, “Courtney was Christian and saving herself for marriage. I’ve got to say, if there’s only one caveat to the ocean between our age difference, I wished I was a virgin when we met.”
At which point, Courtney starts laughing hysterically. “It’s fine that he wasn’t! It’s all good!” she says. “He’s a tiger!” Keep reading »
“She interpreted for me as we went around China. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a beautiful woman like her? I fell in love with her asked her and she said ‘no.’ It took me a long time to persuade her. She is very tough, very tough. A successful man needs a critical wife. It brings him down to earth … She has taught our two little girls to speak perfect Mandarin. Everybody at home speaks Mandarin except me. So they only tell me what they think I need to know … She is a wonderful mother who has given me two beautiful daughters and she’s a very good business woman.”
—Rupert Murdoch talks to the Chinese television show “Dialogue,” about his wife Wendi Deng, who has become an internet sensation this week after getting a hit in on a guy who attempted to cream her hubby in the face with a pie while he testified to Parliament about the News of the World scandal. Rupert and Wendi just happened to do this first joint interview a few weeks ago, and in it they come off like an odd couple in love. I also thinks it’s really cool that Rupert appreciates the qualities that so many guys would dismiss as ‘bitchy.’ [Telegraph] Keep reading »
After publishing every Sunday since 1843, British tabloid The News of the World—aka News of the Screws—is no more. Owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, the paper has become infamous for digging up celebrity dirt and sex scandal scoops, and publishing photos like those of Princess Diana sunbathing topless on a private beach back in the day. People have traditionally eaten the paper up—it sells a whopping 2.8 million copes a weekend. But over the past week, the paper has exploded in scandal over phone hacking. Yesterday it was announced that Sunday’s edition will be the paper’s very last.
After the jump, the who, what, when, and whys of what’s going down. Keep reading »
On Monday, when conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart (left) released the images Anthony Weiner had sent to assorted e-conquests in a slow reveal throughout the day, Breitbart made it clear that he was not going to reveal one final image, the most lewd of the bunch. “I am doing this to save his family,” he explained. “I’m trying to do the decent thing here and not release the photo.” Except that yesterday, Breitbart put the image on his phone and showed it to Opie and Anhony while doing a radio interview with them. The infamous shock jocks were filming the interview and took a screengrab of the picture. They promptly posted it on their Twitter feed.
Brietbart, of course, seemed surprised. Keep reading »
Wow, Cosmopolitan sure has a knack for featuring politicians in embarrassing interviews and photos before they made it big on the national stage. Not only did they snap Senator Scott Brown in the nude back in the day, they also apparently featured Anthony Weiner as one of their “101 Gorgeous Real Life Bachelors” in 1996. In the interview, he said, “I was born September 4, 1964—the same day ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand,’ by the Beatles, was released.” He also revealed what he wants in his future “First Lady.” “Someone smarter than me. I want to be sucked back into the the throes of love.” Hmmm, I think he better focus on sucking his wife back into the throes of love after it’s come to light that he sexted with six women, sending one the infamous photo of his bulge in gray boxer briefs. Keep reading »
In case you are not already acquainted, meet Anthony Weiner, a Democratic Congressman from New York. On Friday, a strange image appeared on his Twitter feed—a photo of a man’s crotch in a pair of underwear taken on a Blackberry. The image was addressed to a 21-year-old student in Seattle named Gennette Cordova (who says she never met the Congressman, though is a fan) but was visible to all Weiner’s followers. “I was pranked, I was hacked, I was punked,” Weiner explained when the press caught wind of the story. “Someone sent out the picture. I’m an easy name to make fun of, and I think that’s what happened .. I didn’t send that picture out. I can’t say with certitude [the picture isn't me]. Pictures can be manipulated.” Weiner explained that he had hired a private security firm to look into the hacking and where the photo came from. “We’re treating it as a prank, not treating it as a national security invasion or anything,” he said. He also said that hackers have attempted to access his Facebook and Twitter accounts before.
At first, Weiner seemed defensive here. But as yesterday wore on, he seemed to take a new tactic—making peen jokes. And he has gotten in some pretty good ones, which I guess shouldn’t be too surprising considering that the man has had the last name Weiner all his life. After the jump, his best jabs. Keep reading »
