vovat | They'll like what I tell them to like

I've occasionally thought I'd like to do an entry on stupid magazine covers and headlines that I see in the grocery store checkout lane, but not only has that been covered by lots of other people, but I can never really remember them after I leave the store. And I'm not QUITE dorky enough to bring a notepad and jot down particular headlines. Still, I do want to mention that seeing Hilary Duff on a magazine brought to mind how odd the Disney child star factory is. Of course, there are a lot of manufactured celebrities, and not all of them are bad. But Disney in particular has a way of promoting the crap out of kids with no apparent talent. First they'll cast one of them in a Disney Channel original series, then a few more TV shows and movies, and eventually give them recording contracts. Hilary Duff is a case in point here. She seems to have won her initial fame by overacting on Lizzie McGuire. Of course, EVERYONE on that show overacted, probably because the writers didn't have much respect for kids and thought that's how they actually acted. Still, it's not like I've seen Ms. Duff in other things that made me think, "Hey, she's actually a good actress after all, and it was just the lousy direction that was keeping her down!" When she cut her first song (for the soundtrack of The Santa Clause 2, natch), her voice was so heavily digitized that it might as well have been credited to "ProTools, with special guest Hilary Duff." Then, when she recorded an album, people actually bought it. And now the magazines are apparently trying to sell her as a sex symbol. I saw her on the cover of Maxim a few months ago. So do people just assume that, because she's famous, she has to be good? I can't say I get it. Of course, Disney is now successfully selling Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana, who has the added advantage of a dad whose hit song has been danced to by old people for the past fifteen years.

And to fill out this entry, here are some quiz results:

Your Christmas Sprit Level: 35%

You definitely have some Christmas spirit, and you enjoy the holidays as much as the average person.
You don't go over the top celebrating, and by December 26th, you're ready to pack away your decorations.

You have your own special Christmas traditions, and you tend to pick and choose what you like about Christmas.
The holidays are important to you, but you don't let them take over your life.

Do You Have the Christmas Spirit?

You Are Easter

You are an optimistic, hopeful, and genuinely sweet person.
Sensitive and affectionate, you are easily touched.
You love nature, animals, and anything cute or cuddly.
For you, every day is a new chance - no matter what happened yesterday.

What makes you celebrate: Almost anything. You love most holidays and celebrations.

At holiday get togethers, you do best as: The peacemaker. You can prevent any squabbles that might break out.

On a holiday, you're the one most likely to: Remember to include everyone

What Holiday Are You?

You Are a Log Ride

You prefer to live a fairly calm, relaxed life... with a few surprises thrown in.
You don't tend to get yourself worked up easily. You can roll with what life throws at you.
In relationships, you are steady and solid. You maintain a pretty broad perspective on what's going on.
That's not to say you can't get swept away. You're emotions run as deep as anyone else's.

Your life seems like it has been remarkably easy so far. But that's due to how you manage it.
You never stretch yourself too thinly, and you think out your decisions carefully.
Taking the time to enjoy each day is important to you, and you don't let your emotions rule you.
You stay the course and do what's right... knowing it will all work out in the end.

At your best, you are tolerant and understanding of other people's quirks.
You take "go with the flow" to the extreme. Even if you don't like where you're going.
At your worst, you repress your feelings and end up being a little tightly wound.
You definitely have some explosive emotions that occasionally come to the surface!

What Carnival Ride Are You?

Your Mind is 72% Cluttered

Your mind is quite cluttered. And like most clutter, it's a bunch of crap you don't need.
Try writing down your worst problems and fears. And then put them out of your mind for a while.

How Cluttered is Your Mind?