Save the kittens. Stop watching TMZ.

“Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.”
Mel Brooks, The 2,000 Year Old Man (1961)

A few days ago I posted a piece about the dangers of contagious misinformation. At the end I mentioned the possibility that watching the TV show TMZ might kill kittens. I’ve received a couple of emails from people defending their right to watch TMZ, and one comment posted by fellow blogger Ivan Greene. I feel very strongly about this subject and so I’ve decided to respond publicly.

Human beings enjoy watching others suffer. This isn’t new and won’t end any time soon. Tours of dungeons were common in the Middle Ages. A few years ago, one of the Yeomen Warders (also known as Beefeaters), at the Tower of London told my group that nobility invited to tour a dungeon while torture was taking place would bring snacks and stay a while.

We no longer take pleasure in the physical suffering of people or animals. At work we learn anger management and sensitivity training. Going to therapy is so normal that we talk about it on public transportation.

These days we prefer intelligent conversation and entertainment that improves our society, right? That’s why we like snickering at photos of beautiful women in embarrassing situations like that horrifying picture of an actress at the beach with her young children. She’s wearing a less than flattering bikini that doesn’t really hold up her tata’s all that well.

Remember that movie star, who, it turns out, has cellulite on her thighs? Can you believe her husband has to look at the horror of her body fat? Thankfully someone with a telescopic lens was there to reveal the “news” to the world because I saw that bitch in a movie once, and her flat tummy made me feel bad about my body. That last line, to be clear, was sarcasm.

I get the appeal of watching celebritainment. There is an element of funny right? Ha ha she thought she was so much better than me, with her movie star life and her movie star looks, but she isn’t better than me after all because she has body fat, or an alcoholic boyfriend, or an embarrassing mother. Her tragedy is my comedy, as explained by Mel Brooks.

Remember Candid Camera? I am not opposed to laughing at people being pranked, and on that show at least, people always ended up laughing at themselves. It is good to help friends laugh at themselves.

But TMZ does not encourage viewers to laugh at themselves. Rather than creating a combination of relief (because that’s not me on the screen) and self-awareness (because I know that I have been in that same position as the person on the screen), instead TMZ encourages treating someone very poorly and laughing not so much at the person, but at how clever it is to be mean.

Recently I saw this scene as I was flipping channels: a group of TMZ “reporters,” sitting in a room filled with desks in an approximation of a news room, passing around a photo of a female celebrity. They are all wide eyed and gasping in horror at the photo that the viewer cannot see. As anticipation grows, one man says to the room (I am paraphrasing), “You are never going to believe this. These thighs belong to…” Cue ominous music and a close-up of one man expressing disgust. The famous actress with cellulite on her thighs will be revealed after the commercial.

I believe that viewing programs that are based on determining a woman’s worth as a human being entirely on a few centimeters of flesh will program your brain to see all women that way, including yourself. Every time we snicker with contempt when someone pretty and popular is revealed to have “flaws,” we destroy a part of our own humanity. Hence, we kill the kittens in our soul. And by the way, there is no such thing as a flaw, because you are perfect.

I know that a lot of you watch TMZ, Entertainment Tonight (ET), The Soup, etc. and I want to be clear that my main concern is with TMZ. ET includes some actual news about contracts, casting and box office. The Soup isn’t only about celebrities but about anyone who chooses to go on a TV show and then they poke fun at the way people behave.

The difference with TMZ is that they use stalker tactics, the same tactics used by the photographers chasing Princess Diana the night she was killed, in order to reveal private moments entirely for the purpose of making someone look bad.

I think if you are really interested in finding out about Hollywood news then you might consider reading The Hollywood Reporter.

For research purposes I watched an episode of TMZ when I decided to write this post. I cannot bear to embed the video here but if you want to see, go to the TMZ website and watch the show that aired Monday, February 1, 2010. Please do yourself a favor and skip most of the atrocities and go right to 18:45 on the video.

You’ll see a hilarious video of a very drunk or drugged, unidentified young woman being dragged across the street and thrown into the back of a car by an unidentified man. A man in the TMZ “newsroom” comments, “This is the most wasted girl I’ve ever seen on a video. She’s literally getting dragged to some guy’s car in a gas station. (ha ha ha) I’m hoping he knows her.” This comment is followed by laughter from several voices. Back to the footage of the drunk girl being dragged and another guy says, “Also known as Last Seen Footage!” Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.

Yeah, there’s nothing funnier than women being abducted.

Watching TMZ is not a harmless guilty pleasure. Watching TMZ has consequences and one of those is the killing of kittens.

2010 — I resolve to not worry about the impending and very likely unavoidable apocalypse in 2012

I have a New Year’s Confession to make – I believe that the very worst, most gruesome thing a human being can do is spread contagious misinformation. Ok maybe it’s not as bad as genocide or Hello Kitty, but it’s right up there.

Doctors who repeat misinformation about health and weight loss, “news” commentators who mislead viewers about the actions and viewpoints of elected officials and organizations, and the belief that the world is coming to an end. These things make my stomach churn and give me anxiety headaches.

Also, I truly do not care about Pop Culture.

I’ve been trying to care about the lives of famous people for as long as I can remember but I have to admit that it just isn’t working. I try because I feel left out. I’m the girl standing on the edge of the pop culture dance floor because I don’t know the steps to the celebrity infatuation boogie.

While my girlfriends call Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp their “Imaginary Boyfriend,” the only men that I refer to as my “Imaginary Boyfriend” is Paulo Coelho and Brian Greene. As a bookish pre-teen I would go to the mall with girls from school and buy Teen Beat and Tiger Beat because they did, and I would swoon and roll my eyes over OMG! how cute Vinnie Barbarino was…yeah I am THAT old. But the truth is I really never got it. Sigh…I was faking it to fit in and there are times that I still am.

I resolve in this first month of this year to say no more! Because I love fashion, I really do want to know what they are wearing on Gossip Girl, but I can’t bear to watch the program. I feel like my brains are leaking out of my skull.

I can’t watch Entertainment Tonight and I can’t watch any TV show where the senior executives are too young to have the Master’s Degree that they would require to hold that position in real life. If you want to be interested in the lives and cellulite of famous people – go right ahead. But I can no longer join the conversation pretending to care.

Please understand that I do not judge people watching celebritainment, but I do believe that TMZ makes the world a very bad place to live. So if you want kittens to die, go right ahead and continue watching TV shows whose main purpose is to shame and denigrate women.

I’d like to see TMZ go to Chichen Itza in 2012 to film the jiggly thighs of Quetzalcoatl. Ha! Good luck to the paparazzi.

I am finally famous. It’s about freaking time.

Thanks to the technological wonders provided by gadget geeks, I know what you are saying about me on the internet. Oh yes, I know when you Tweet about me, re-Tweet me (I love when that happens) and especially important — I know when you are stealing my content.

Recently, I found out that I am so famous that this entire blog is being stolen. Honestly, it’s about freaking time.

Thank you plusultrablog for importing my ENTIRE blog into your site. Not just the posts where I write about plus size fashion and sales, but you even stole the piece I wrote about my mother’s cancer. Classy.

And um…plus ultra blog. Just…oh my. How fabulous. I wish I had thought of that. Put up a blog that has no original content and no comments, then claim to be the ultra blog. Hee hee…hey Chucklehead, did you learn that in business class?

Yes I sent them an email telling them they are naughty children and to cut that shit out, and I have sent emails to other bloggers whose posts I recognize, but since all identifying names have been removed (but not the links to outside websites) if you have a Body Positive, Fat Positive, Health at Every Size, Diets Are For Dummies, etc., type of blog then you might want to check for yourself to make sure you aren’t also being ripped off.

Seriously though, I am wondering why it has taken so long for this to happen.

Perhaps I have not been controversial enough to have my blog posts stolen. I think it is very important to be nice — of world impact importance — and I have been using my desire for more niceness in the world to be my excuse to avoid internet fights and stay out of the mud slinging.

But, I am realizing that it isn’t nice to pretend that I don’t feel strongly about issues. But I do feel strongly about many things and I am going to write about it here. It is very nice to be honest, tell people where your boundaries are, and to be engaged in important discussions. It is nice to speak honestly and passionately even if those discussions become heated.

And so for 2010 I promise to roll out all kinds of controversy! I’m gonna have blog wars with bloggity badassness so watch out.

You hear me plusultrablog? I’m coming for you.

Kiyonna one day sale. Igigi discount and more.

Kiyonna just sent me some exciting news! They have decided to have a ONE DAY SALE on December 8, 2009. Customers can receive 20% OFF orders of $150 or more + Free ground domestic shipping on orders of $100 or more with the Coupon Code GIFTS20.

20% OFF orders of $150 or more + Free Ground Shipping with the Coupon Code: GIFTS20 at Kiyonna.com!

It may be time for me to finally get this dress.

Womens Plus Sizes Flaunt Cocktail Dress

And get some shoes from Piperlime to go with your new Kiyonna dress. Get great gifts under $75 for everyone on your list at Piperlime! Shop now while supplies last!

If you open a new account at IGIGI you get 20% off your purchase PLUS they are offering two-day shipping for $10.

DesignerShoes.com has a promotion offering you the chance to win a free pair of shoes by monthly random drawing if you create an account. This offer is ongoing and you only create your account once.

There are lots of holiday coupons for shopping online and I’ll be posting them over the next few days. And now I’m off to go buy some actual Christmas cards to send snail mail.

On the making of a size acceptance movie

Last Sunday was the first Size Acceptance Salon hosted by Ivan of Fat in NYC. I hope that this is the first of many of these dial-in Salons. About his reasons for starting the Salon Ivan says:

I’d like folks that are brand new to the Size Acceptance Community to have a place to talk to others about their newfound experiences. I’d like contributions and guidance from the more experienced folks of this movement.

There is a way to a happier life, a greater sense of worthiness, and the reclaiming of yourself as a valuable, complete person no matter what you weigh! That is what this group is about.

I am not looking for controversy, I am looking to create community around these issues – issues I feel very passionate about. I am looking to create community between the different segments of the Fat/Size Acceptance and Health at Every Size communities that can sometimes be in conflict. There are numerous facets of “Fat Acceptance,” and different subgroups of the movement can disagree, despite a consistent attempt at uniformity throughout the movement. It is my hope to create opportunities for the inspiring and enlightening exchange of ideas around fat acceptance, whether or not everyone considers them “just right.”

His first guest was Kira Nerusskaya who has been filming the documentary Fat Girls Float for more than three years. I had the extreme pleasure of being asked by Ivan to conduct the interview. I hope to have an audio clip for you this week, but until then I can tell you that we had a delightful conversation. Kira is knowledgeable and passionate about the fat acceptance community and being an activist for positive social change.

You probably know by now that Kira needs to raise some cash for the next phase of production. She is still filming and there may be another fundraising project next Summer to complete the theatrical trailer but right now she needs funds for some technical bits. Please consider making a donation through the fundraising website Kickstarter. You can contribute as little as $1.00 and a donation of $500 gets you a producer credit, an autographed picture of runway model Velvet D’Amour, and an invitation to a private pool party where Kira promises to wear a bikini.

Here is a one minute video with some interview clips and then a quick but silent video of Velvet walking the runway.

Winner of Igigi Gift Certificate…from May

Cate R. won the gift certificate back in May of this year. I just realized when I announced the winner of the Kiyonna Gift Certificate last week that I never posted Cate’s pics and her product review. Thank you Cate for posing for readers of A Celebration of Curves. Cate asked me to hide her face, hence the big black dot. It’s too bad because only I get to see how truly beautiful you are. What amazing blue eyes!

I think Cate looks fantastic in her IGIGI purchases. Don’t you?

Okay, I know I won the $100 IGIGI gift certificate a while ago, but it took me a while to spend it all! I ordered three different dresses. The first was the Tina Faux Wrap in Olive. It came, and it fits beautifully. It’s a pretty color for my complexion, but I wish there had been a few more dynamic color choices (although there are now!).

I like the fit of the dress; it’s very flattering. One issues I have is that it is extremely low-cut on me. I have to either pin it (in which case it still shows about an inch of cleavage) or wear it with a tank top underneath. I wear it with a tank top to work, and it’s cute. I pair it with navy blue espadrilles generally.

The next dress I ordered was the Daniella Print Knot dress. It looked so amazing! Unfortunately, when it arrived, the fit was all wrong. It fit like a muumuu! I like dresses to show off my curves, and this was the exact opposite approach!

I had filled out a first-time customer survey, so I had gotten 15% off the Daniella dress. It took a while for me to get in touch with customer service to arrange for an exchange. I ended up getting the GORGEOUS new bubble dress with pockets. This dress is amazing! The color is breathtaking! Well done!

So, pros: I like the way these dresses fit, and the colors are beautiful. I wish they had more casual selections, and a few that were less pricey. (If I hadn’t had the gift certificate, I probably wouldn’t have done too much shopping there. These dresses are beautiful, but I would spend somewhere between $40-$60 for them, not $80-$100. They are dry clean only, and the fabric on my green dress already started to pill in one place.

And, like I said, big-chested ladies beware, these dresses easily put all your business in the street.

In the interest of full disclosure, I ordered a size 12, and IGIGI says my shape is “Figure 8.”

Thank you Cate for sending in pics of your purchases and writing such an honest review. Buying clothes online can be a challenge but I personally prefer it to spending time stomping around the mall, going from one dressing room to the next. Pics and reviews like Cate’s are extremely helpful in making informed online shopping decisions.

I am still giggling over Cate’s “…all your business in the street” line!

Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

An e-mail exchange between me, and Jay Solomon of More of me to Love. Jay is an amazing editor and might provide a page full of red marks some grammatical assistance with my fiction. Below is an example of why this is a blessing.

Corinna: And now I am absolutely terrified to send you my writing. You are pretty much the editor evah – um I mean ever!

Jay: NO! I mean, I don’t know what that meant, but don’t be terrified. I just don’t f-around when it comes to writing prose. However, I don’t judge and I don’t demand that my suggestions be instituted. I just edit and let people use what they see fit.

Corinna: Oh dear…it was supposed to be a compliment. As I re-read what I wrote I can see the immediate importance of having an editor…that line was supposed to read “you are pretty much the BEST editor ever.”

Thank goodness we cleared that up. You might have thought I meant “you are pretty much the worst editor ever” and then promptly jumped out a window. And this is why proofreading saves lives.

Jay: Oh! Thank you – that is a lovely compliment, and how special that the very point of editing was illustrated within the letter itself.

Corinna: Sigh….yes I am special. Thank goodness I don’t have to ride the short but to school…

Jay: No no no Hoooway!!!

Corinna: OMG!!!! I wrote short “but” instead of “bus.” I am going to die laughing now.

The following joke was used the book Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. I am going to buy this book right now.

A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and proceeds to fire it at the other patrons.

‘Why?’ asks the confused, surviving waiter amidst the carnage, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

‘Well, I’m a panda’, he says, at the door. ‘Look it up.’

The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation. ‘Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.’

Fat Girls Float – The Movie

You may remember when I first wrote about my friend Kira’s documentary. The support the film has received from this community since that post on September 30th has been very inspiring. Kira is very close to reaching her goal and it is possible to raise even more. Here is the latest update from Kira on what needs to happen for her to reach her fundraising goal for this next phase in production.

FAT GIRLS FLOAT is the provocative, engaging and moving new documentary from 300 pound filmmaker Kira Nerusskaya, who shares her message of perseverance and passion with the world.

The film showcases intimate interviews with fat women from around the world; they discuss size discrimination, political activism, fat and size acceptance, and their experiences as fat women under attack in a thin-centric world.

Please be a part of making this film by pledging HERE. Any donation in any amount is appreciated. We only have until December 13th to raise the rest of the funds we need for this step of post production, so please help us spread the word about this amazing project by tweeting, reposting this paragraph in your blog every Wednesday or on your site and telling your friends.

Join us this Sunday, 11/15/09 at 7:00 p.m. EST for a “meet the film maker” conference call and Fat Acceptance discussion. Check out the Fat Acceptance Salon for more details.

DONATE NOW to see Kira’s movie make Fat Acceptance history.

As one of the people interviewed in the film as well as being in the trailer I will most definitely be on the Sunday call. We are also hoping to have some of the celebrities who are supporting the film record messages that we will play for you during the call and perhaps on future calls.

Please consider a making a donation. Even one dollar brings us closer to making history.

Winner of $50 Kiyonna Gift Certificate

Congratulations to The Asian Pear! Her comment was chosen using a highly scientific process to randomly generate a number through a complicated system of algorithms. OK! So I really just clicked the button on Random.org

Pear – has been contacted by e-mail. Her response to winning? “Oh my gosh really? ME?!?! Thank you! I’ve never won anything before. I am DEFINITELY getting the dress I had my eye on now.”

And please check out her blog – she just bought the cutest snow boots at Payless. I think I’m going to go try them on myself.

Thank you everyone for your participation. It was so much fun to see what everyone wanted. There will be more contests and giveaways every month so stay tuned.

Kiyonna $50 Gift Certificate Giveaway

Thanks to the lovely people at Kiyonna I am happy to offer you a $50 gift certificate.

To enter just post a link in the comments section to the product page of the item that you think you would buy if you won the gift certificate.

I’ve been searching the Kiyonna site for what I would get (not that I am entered in this drawing) and there are two items that really caught my eye.

Womens Plus Sizes Grecian Maxi Dress

I like this dress a lot! I love the deep purple, I have been wanting a maxi-dress since they first starting making them and I still don’t have one, which means that I am really deprived, and of course, being a Greek American I really love the name. I’m not sure what makes it Grecian exactly but there’s marketing for you. I want it anyway.

Womens Plus Sizes Flaunt Cocktail Dress

I like everything about this dress. I like the low neck, I like that it would show my legs, I like the color. I don’t own one red dress, which means that I am really deprived. Feel sorry for me?

I’ll be using the website Random.org to choose the winner. You can enter until midnight, Sunday, November 8th. Winners name will be posted next Monday, November 9th. This could be the perfect chance to get that Kiyonna dress you want for New Year’s Eve or the office holiday party.

Good luck everyone!