Theresa Basile

It’s another Sunday and time for me to post 5 links I’ve liked over the past week.

That’s What She Said – a tumblr that posts funny, insightful, or interesting quotes from famous women.  The latest one is from Lady Gaga; the first was from Virginia Woolf.  I also just plain enjoy anything attached to “That’s what she said” (which I was saying long before I ever watched a single episode of the US Office, mmmkay?)

The Janeite Times, No. 2 – over at AustenBlog.  Basically, Jane Austen is still everywhere, and that makes me happy.

It Gets Better – The MUSIC VIDEO! – The It Gets Better campaign becomes fun! A great message packaged in a bouncy dance number!

Film Corner – At Shakesville, Melissa McEwan talks about the sexism and implied violence in a movie advertisement for Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston’s latest work of “art.”  When I first read the post, I thought, “Okay, that’s reading a little too much into a poster, don’t you think?”  But then I looked at it again, and now I can’t un-see it.  I don’t believe the sexism there is intentional at all, but not all sexism IS intentional.  Worth thinking about.

A Turning Point in the Discourse, But In Which Direction? – On a much more serious note, this is an editorial that appeared in yesterday’s New York Times, related to the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Gilford.  It talks about the way politicians and activists use loaded language and hyperbole to make their points without considering the consequences.  How much I agree with this editorial, I’m not sure yet – I have to think on it a little more – but it’s definitely a worthwhile read.  Also worthwhile to notice?  It’s quite funny to me, in a “bitterly ironic” way rather than a “ha ha, that’s hysterical” way, that the advertisement posted right next to the editorial…is for a Firearms Training Institute. I just…I don’t even know.

Well, it’s the beginning of a new year (unless you’re Jewish or Chinese).  One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to blog every day, and then yesterday I was too busy recovering from New Year’s Eve to update.  I should have made it a resolution to break my resolutions as quickly as possible, because I already have a head start on that.

Two resolutions I am determined to keep: a) to make every Sunday blog post focused on links that I like, and b) to learn how to spell “plagiarism” correctly without having to look it up.  Plaigarism is one of those words that I always have trouble spelling – oops, did it again.

So, to kick off a new tradition (an oxymoron if I ever heard one), here are 5 links that I like.  These links will all relate to feminism, women, and/or comedy.  I post links I find thought-provoking, of general interest, or just plain funny:

Honest New Year’s Resolutions – at The Sangfroid.  The author lists a few typical New Year’s Resolutions and then writes the real resolutions underneath.  My favorite is the honest alternative to “Do one good thing a day,” because come on. “Do one good thing a day?”  To quote Buffy, “Can you vague that up for me?”

A Glimpse into SuperMommy’s OCD and Best Pictures of the Year – at Becoming SuperMommy.  This blog is written by an old friend of mine from elementary school, and she writes about her experiences with her adorable twin baby girls.  Cute babies are cute.

The Porn King with a Heart of Gold – at Shakesville.  Steve Hirsch, a porn kingpin, is, essentially, trying to publicly coerce Nadya Suleman (the Octomom) into doing porn, or at least working for his company.  He’s trying to buy her mortgage for leverage.  Melissa McEwan discusses why this is very messed-up.  Me, I wonder how long it will take for the public to make nasty comments about Suleman, rather than Hirsch, because she somehow “deserves” this.  *sets timer*

Kanye’s Leaked Monster Video: Sexy Dead Girls, Decapitated Heads, and Other Violence Against Women – at The Frisky.  Kanye West’s “Monster” video shows that dead chicks are hot and it’s fun to eroticize violence against women.  Who wants to bet that Kanye will not receive nearly as much flack for this as he did for interrupting Taylor Swift at the VMAs?  I bet a trillion dollars.

The Cutest Thing in the World – Recently, Glee introduced a new character named Blaine, and before I could even open my mouth to make the obligatory Waiting for Guffman reference, I heard the boy sing, and lo, it was beautiful to behold.  Blaine is played by Darren Criss, the most adorable guy in the whole wide world.  He recently did a Rolling Stone interview where he promised to sing all of his answers…and he did. I already loved him after watching him on Glee and A Very Potter Musical, but after this interview…well, let’s just say I would be signing my posts “Mrs. Darren Criss” if I weren’t so committed to keeping my name after marriage.