THE MOST REMARKABLE MEDIA PERSONALITIES:

(©) 2010 Lord Sisters. All Rights Reserved.

Just a few months ago Jane Velez Mitchell was a surefire candidate for our blog’s Media Jerks list.

At the time, we had had enough of her screaming and just couldn’t stand her blazing menacing eyes, flared nostrils and loud mouth. She always seemed to be in a raging fight with the television and her audience.

We felt she was either trying too hard to be like Nancy Grace,  to please Nancy Grace or to show the public that she was just like Nancy Grace, but more aggressive. So she lost us as a viewing audience. And to make matters worse, we took issue with the way she covered the Michael Jackson molestation trial.

But something strange happened on her way to the Media Jerks List.

One night, while flipping channels, we briefly stopped and watched “Issues” on HLN and were shocked to see a very DIFFERENT Jane.  We marveled at what appeared to be a STILL feisty, but softer, gentler and caring Jane Velez Mitchell…and we liked it!

She seemed to have found her niche – genuine champion of women andchildren, some of this country’s most ignored; a fierce warrior in the escalated violence perpetrated by lowlife scum against them.

She has clearly distanced herself from, and bypassed, the self-serving drama queen, Nancy Grace, who has continued to spew self-indulgent garbage on a daily basis.

As Jane takes a stand on some of the most disturbing issues of the day, we share her opinions and concerns. We appreciate how genuinely emotionally charged she really is in her fight for the underdog and for justice…and it’s not just for “show.”

Her blazing menacing eyes have turned into passionate pools of justifiable indignation. She has developed an air of confidence, a cocksure attitude that we admire. She has nothing to prove anymore. She has found her footing.

Additionally, Jane is an award-winning television journalist and author, whose recent accomplishments include the Ruby Award by Soroptimist International in January 2010 for her “War on Women” coverage on her television show and the Genesis Award for her show “Issues” in 2010. In 2009, she added New York Times Best Seller to her list of credits with her memoir on addiction recovery titled, “iWant: My Journey from Addiction and Overconsumption to a Simpler, Honest Life.”

We recognize Jane Velez Mitchell also because she has dedicated most of her time and resources to various charitable and humane causes, she is an animal rights advocate and has triumphed in her battle with alcohol addiction to emerge as an admirable role model for others.

Although all is not totally forgiven on the MJ issue, we salute you, Jane Velez-Mitchell as a Media Icon and we say, “Keep up the good work.”

(©) 2010 Lord Sisters. All Rights Reserved.

I was in fourth gear cruising the twelve mile zone in my Mercedes convertible when I first thought of writing this article about Lindsay Lohan, the young people of today and the parents behind those kids.

There was so much to say that I couldn’t breathe, drive and write all at the same time. But out of the thousand paragraphs that infiltrated my mind, I finally settled on some of the significant thoughts that I would definitely write.

When a young person constantly lands in court with DUIs, driving charges, probation violations, drug abuse, failed stints in rehab, wears a SCRAM bracelet by court order, and suffers from eating disorders I think it’s time for someone, ANYONE to step in and help.

Such is the regrettable case of beautiful but troubled Lindsay Lohan, unfortunate role model for millions of teens and tweens everywhere. Apart from Rosie O’Donnell, who has come forth to offer help, there doesn’t seem to be any serious ‘takers.’ No one is offering or has offered a path or even a trail for Lindsay to get back on.

In the last few years Lindsay Lohan has become more famous for being a fallen tabloid star, deadbeat actor, alleged drunk, substance abuser and addict than for her acclaimed talent as an actress.

A decade ago what Lindsay had was a promising career as an A-List star. She was considered one of the most talented young actresses of her generation. Mark Waters, who directed Lindsay in “Freaky Friday” and “Mean Girls” has said that ‘her talent was undeniable.’ Yes, we all seem to have forgotten that Lindsay.

Now she is a source of ridicule and fodder for the media and tabloid covers; her image being more suited these days to TMZ than respected entertainment industry trade papers.

While her defiant, complacent attitude and sense of entitlement don’t endear her to us and elicit very little public sympathy, I am empathetic towards Lindsay Lohan. My heart does go out to her. Beneath the bravado, I see a seriously sad, lost, troubled, desperate, scared, pathetic and misguided child on a train of denial, destined to collide with destruction unless she changes tracks…pronto.

The question is, how does one go from A-List to Z-List so quickly? True, Hollywood offers many temptations and dangerous traps that ill-prepared young stars fall into, but I seriously believe that in Lindsay’s case there’s more to it than meets the eye.

First, I believe something terrible has happened to this young lady in her personal life – something that has not yet been disclosed and probably never will – that set her on a downward spiral. I will eat my shorts if I am wrong. No one behaves in that manner, doing such a sudden radical 360º and not have something traumatic at the root of it.

Second, I take issue with Dina and Michael Lohan, Lindsay’s fame-seeking parents. Yes sireee, I blame them too for Lindsay’s downfall.

To many of us, Michael and Dina are not ideal parents by any stretch of the word. Dina, a former Rockette, and Michael, a semi successful actor who spent four years in jail for security fraud act like they deserve a spot in the limelight. They have been elbowing each other and their daughter to the side, fighting for the front page of any newspaper, including tabloid covers for as long as we can remember.

As a mother I openly and loudly do not support that kind of behavior of wannabe, so-called “star” parents. At 24 years old, Lindsay is an adult, but her infantile antics clearly display that she is still a child who needs tremendous (parental) guidance; but how can Dina and Michael give such direction when they obviously need it themselves?

When Dina goes to nightclubs with her fragile daughter it says a lot about her level of parenting. In defense of Michael Lohan, regardless of his motives, he is at least attempting to be the father he apparently has never been. Both Michael and Dina Lohan need to put away their differences. Stop bickering and competing in the limelight to show who “loves” Lindsay more and fight to save your child’s life!

I say stop competing with Lindsay, neither of you has one-sixteenth of the talent she has in her little finger, so accept the fact that you’re not going to be stars. Stop being afraid of losing her “friendship” and find your way back to being her parents again.

Today, parents want so much to be their children’s friends that they have forgotten how to parent. They are scared shitless for their children not to like them, forgetting that they are not there to be liked by their kids but to give guidance and love, lots of love, and more love, unconditional love no matter what and get respect from them in return.

To me the stage parents are the most despicable. They see money bags marked on their children’s foreheads and all parenting guidelines go out the window.

When my son started in the entertainment industry as a young actor, I would go on set with him most times and I could tell from the other young actors and their parents, who was going to be in the spotlight as a star parent, who was going to self destruct as a star, and who would handle success well.

Take for example Dakota Fanning, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Kristen Stewart, Selena Gomez to name a few, I think these young people are grounded and have parents with their best interests at heart. Miley Cyrus on the other hand, seems to be heading in a direction I would question, but I see her parents as nothing like the Lohans, so I think Miley is still in good hands… for now.

I understand it could be hard to discipline a child when they are the primary breadwinner in the family, or when they pay your salary as “manager” of their career, but when that prevents mom and dad from being, well, mom and dad when necessary, that NEVER ends well. There are certain principles that children have to abide by and respect is at the top of my list when it comes to parents.

Unfortunately, all these senseless reality television shows portraying real families seem to be doing the very opposite – promoting overly ambitious parents who either want to live vicariously through their kids or steal the spotlight from them, not to mention widening the lack of respect between the parents and children.

When I was growing up I couldn’t dream of talking back to my mother like I see Khloe Kardashian talking to her mother on their reality show. I watched that show once and never made that mistake again. I have absolutely no respect for that particular Kardashian. It took me years to know my mother’s first name and when I did, it never occurred to me to refer to her by her first name. And if the thought of any demeaning, non-respectful insulting names ever crossed my mind and she sensed it, I would be searching the web to find the best dentist to repair my crushed jaw. Kim Kardashian on the other hand is different; she shows some kind of class…sometimes.

The 24/7 coverage of these questionable role models by the electronic mass media is especially troubling, creating lots of wannabe “Lindsays.” But of them all, THE Lindsay Lohan is big business.

The media knows that the public thinks Lindsay is a train about to wreck and they can’t get enough. They can’t look away. So the mass media continues to fill her tank with fuel to make sure that when she does crash, it will make a big explosion.

My island style upbringing would definitely put the brakes on Lindsay’s collision course. I say give her to me and I will show her how to find her way back to the wonderful human being she was meant to be, help her regain her self-respect, public support and become a productive member of society once again.

There is nothing Hollywood loves more than a good comeback story and there are many filmmakers, who would be willing to welcome Lindsay back into the film world. She is not so lost that she cannot come back. Let’s not forget she is a pretty little white girl and she can act to boot! Robert Downey Jr. and Mickey Rourke did it and she can too, only if she can defeat her demons.

After Lindsay has done her time in jail and has received treatment for her alleged addictions and is ready for her “comeback,” I trust Judge Marsha Revel will be given due credit as the one who stepped in as the much-need authority figure, without fear or malice, to save Lindsay Lohan’s life.

By Guest Blogger: SANDRA GLUSCHANKOFF — Argentinian (read bio)

Once upon a time in a faraway land there lived a King…

I love stories where there is a King and a Queen and heroes.

Historical fiction is my favorite novel genre because it is full of mysteries, love triangles, secret alliances, and dirty betrayals. The best part of these novels is that even though the main characters are mostly fictional, the facts are based on true events.

The true story I am about to share with you involves kings and queens and very powerful people. They all began playing nicely in a puddle of oil until they took the game to a ruthless cut-throat competition to own the puddle. In the game they became entangled in secret treaties and treacherous betrayals, and as the stakes got higher, so did the collateral damage.

This story of “oil fever” accompanied by greed involves the two most powerful empires in the history of the world: the Persian Empire, the most powerful in ancient history, and the British Empire, which is considered the largest empire in history, with the most global power.

I wish this story would have some fiction to it, but unfortunately it doesn’t and it turns my favorite genre from historical fiction to historical horror.

The battle for oil started sometime in the beginning of the 20^th Century when the British Empire, in its best form of ‘imperialism’ in the Middle East, secured the Iranian oil which was much needed to transition off from coal. With that they joined the naval arms battle, which detonated into World War I, making this the first oil war in the world.

With the blessing and financial protection of the British government, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company was formed. The British established a strong presence in the Middle East, masqueraded under an Arab facade, and forced the then Turkish Muslim region of Mesopotamia(now known as Iraq) to transfer their oil to them, expanding their dominance in the region.

Why do you need to know all these facts you may wonder? Well, the story goes as follows: When WWI erupted in 1914, the British took control of a small German oil subsidiary company called British Petroleum, and combined it with its Turkish Persian oil operation and there we have it – the official birth of BP.

At the same time, in order to keep control of the Middle East region, the British were desperately striking treaties and deals with everybody and their grandmothers. Yes, here’s where the betrayal in my historical horror develops.

Due to the siding of the Turks with Germany during WWI, the British exchanged letters with Arab leaders during the year of 1915, in what is notoriously known as the Hussein-McMahon correspondence. In this agreement, the British promised the Arabs the control of the Ottoman Empire lands (Turkey) in exchange for their cooperation in defeating the Turks.

A short time later in 1916, the British struck a secret deal with the French in what was the Sykes-Pikot Agreement, where the same lands promised to the Arabs less than a year before were now virtually divided between the French, the British, and a new player: the Russians.

Fast forward to the next year, 1917. The British signed the Balfour Declaration, where they approved the establishment of a Jewish nation in the same lands that were already promised to the Arabs, the French, and the Russians. Did you know that Arabs and Jews lived in harmony before the British clawed their paws in the regions? What happened?

Israel was situated in the heart of all the Arab countries. It was the only one in the region with an outlet to the ocean, making that tiny piece of land the most desirable strategic point in the Middle East. No wonder they called it (and still do) “The Promised Land”. Controlling the oil and access to the shipping lane in the Middle East was a definite win-win situation for the British as long as they were willing to share with their playground buddies, the Arabs.

Messy, right? But it was not over. Oil was still the main concern for the British government. They could see the circle closing in on them, when the Jews started immigrating to what was then Palestine and they were not as easy to handle as the British thought they would be. As usual, they had an Arab contestant who was willing to play puppet for them in exchange of a piece of the pie. His name was Faisal bin Al-Hussein. He was the first Arab to strike a deal with the Jews, recognizing the need of a Jewish establishment in Palestine.

As a result, the Faisal-Weizmann Treaty was created, in which he literally defined the Palestinians as savages who did not belong to the Arab world.

Faisal was promised, like all the other players on this chess board, the moon and the stars by the British. In 1919 he was named King of Syria. His kingdom was short lived when the French, sore from the British betrayal in the Sykes-Pikot Agreement, kicked Faisal’s ass out of the region in 1920 during the Franco Syrian War.

Faisal went to the U.K., crown in hand demanding, a throne to sit on or else. The British with the wave of a magic wand and oil power in their blood gave birth to the Kingdom of Iraq with Faisal as king.

Kings have come and gone, more wars have erupted throughout this past century, and the 50/50 share of the British- Persian oil partnership switched to a 90/10 after the Ayatollah took power of the Persian region.

It is clear, one thing has not changed: British Petroleum is still an Arab-British company. The English have committed many mistakes throughout history and one of them is playing with the kids in the sand box that don’t know how to share and have no scruples. Those are the Arab leaders who have no regard for their own people, with even less for the rest of the world.

Here’s some proof: the recent explosion and spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which has resulted in 11 American deaths and the endangerment of our environment. Thousands of American soldiers dying in Afghanistan and Iraq (the English creation), trying to protect a freedom they don’t cherish, and ultimately the 9/11 massacre. These are some of the saddest and truest pictures of the how the British have empowered the Arabs with no way of controlling them.

Unfortunately, they have affected our lives in America and threatened our freedom. Still the U.K does not sever its ties with Iran. No wonder Ahmadinejad walks about with a grin on his face and not much worry. I would too if I would be having tea with British royalty.

We thought that our submissiveness to the British rule was over in 1786; we threw the famous tea leaves into the ocean, celebrating the Boston Tea Party.

We were wrong. As long as our government allows the Arabs to dig our coasts under the pretense of a British company, we are allowing the people who shed American blood to infiltrate our country, gain profit while damaging our environment, and laugh their asses off at how stupid we are.

Stupid, that’s exactly what I mean! Ladies and gentleman, indirectly the Arabs are digging our coasts because of the unfinished business and unpaid debts the British have with them since the beginning of the 20th century. By indirectly doing business with Iran we are financing every terrorist attack around the world.

When we thought we were free of British rule in 1786 we tainted our oceans with tea. Today, our ocean is tainted with oil as a sad reminder that our freedom is only an illusion as long as our addiction to oil will not cease.

I will put a twist to the story I just told you and will add some crazy fiction to it. What if the explosion that occurred in the BP plant was an Iranian terrorist attack? Let’s not forget that Iran is one of the biggest enemies the U.S has in the world today.

Many of you know I have been staying in Paris for a while and I have been thinking to write on a subject that appeals to both readers here and in the U.S.

The subjects that I was coming up with were either not interesting or I didn’t have enough to write about. Until one day when I went out with my friends to have a drink after work and we started talking about our favorite actors.

Suddenly, I thought about my next subject; my famous crush. It was exactly like sitting with my girlfriends in the U.S. talking about our favorite actors.

This time, the topic was international. The girls had to introduce me to some of the French actors that I didn’t know. One of the wonderful girls that I work with here in Paris loves Leonardo Dicaprio.  Besides the fact that she thinks he is beautiful, handsome, and sexy, I am sure she loves many of the characters he played in films. I asked about her favorite movie of him and the response was Titanic. Who wouldn’t love a man like that? A poor artist who is a gentlemen, a sweetheart, and a great lover.  A love like this is rare in our time. Besides, the love scene in the car with the hand on the steamy window was really sensual and promising.

A friend in U.S. loves Gerard butler. I had my doubts about watching the film 300 because I had heard that they portrayed the Persians as magicians and sorcerers.

Being an Iranian and proud of Persia, I had my reservations to see the film. She insisted that I had to see it and I am very thankful to her for it.  As I knew from before, I didn’t like the way they depicted Persians but I have to say that I had dreams about Greek warrior gods for weeks on after.  One day on our way to Toronto, we saw him at the airport. Needless to say she was overly excited. The only word that comes to mind for describing him is ‘delicious.’

These discussions are not limited to girls only. I believe many guys talk about the subject as well. I have been witness to one of those discussions recently while visiting London. As I am sure that these guys think about these women’s smarts, but many of them are solely interested in their physics. I don’t think they really fantasize about the characters of these women in the films as do women with their favorite actors.  The top of the lists for the men I knew in England were Monica Bellucci, Angelina Jolie, and Jennifer Lopez.

As far as for my favorite star, I have been a fan of Keanu Reeves as long as I can remember. I found his character funny and cute in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures, adored the hair cut and his love of danger in Speed, enjoyed Johnny Utah surfing in Point Break, and was in love with his character in Walk in the Clouds.   Being a romantic myself, his character in Walk in the Clouds would be the character I would choose if I had to pick one.

My most favorite International actor and the reason why I loved to learn French was Alain Delon.  In my opinion, this French man defined beauty. I grew up watching his films with my mom and loved every one of them.  Recently Dior has launched a campaign for its perfume, Eau Sauvage, using a picture of Alain Delon in his youth. The posters with his pictures are all over Paris. There is also the commercial than runs on TV. They used a part of the movie called, La Piscine. I love it every time this commercial passes on TV. I am including a picture of him in this blog. You be the judge yourself.

French Actor Alain Delon

But why do we have such crushes on these men? Is it their fame and money? Their gorgeous out of this world bodies? Or is it that we fall in love with the characters they play in movies? We experience and live love in Pride and Prejudice, surrealism in Matrix, and adventure in Gladiator through these actors.  They give us hope that such men actually exist in the real world.

But let’s consider what these actors think or feel about millions of people fantasizing or talking about them. Yes it is wonderful to have fans and they thank them at all the events, and awards. However, I would believe it is hard to represent so many things to so many people. Are people going to feel let down when they come to recognize their real personalities? Look what happened to Britney Spears when she went through a difficult time. People expected her to be a certain way. When she wasn’t acting like the sweet, innocent girl they expected, many people were judgmental.

There is also the situation where people have obsessions over these stars, which make them more prudent to meet or have interactions with their fans. Besides I feel it would be awfully tiring to deal with that kind of attention everyday.

I asked myself that and wondered whether I would actually like Mr. Reeves in real life if I ever were to meet him. It is true that I find him to be an attractive man and being born in December and therefore a Sagittarius, it raises my curiosity to discover who he really is. But most of all I like to know him because he has kind eyes and seems to be a kind, lovely person.

If you are not a part of the film industry, there is a very small chance that you meet any of these people. Now I was thinking of something very daring; what if I were to meet my famous crush in Paris?

It would be so surreal and nice.

“He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.”

I am bold.  I trust my luck.  I am still capable of “just going for it.”  I’m still leading my life as if I’m writing my fantasy autobiography. My sunny brain and penchant for the positive makes my life easier and brighter. So, to mark the 10th year anniversary of my non-profit company, Fire Rose, I shall share my some of the ingredients that make the recipe for this life of mine.

Trust - I don’t waste energy being suspicious or worried, not because I lack an awareness, but because I surround myself with only trust-worthy people.

In Hollywood, I work with wonderfully creative people.  Paranoia is often based on how one sees and treats others and their expectations of those people.  An individual, who wants to be liked, attracts skillful suckers. These are individuals who will say whatever it takes in order to get what they want.  The rest of us just think the suckers are weird.

No pressure – Most of the time, I am not sure whether I’m playing or working. Pressure doesn’t drive me.  ‘Drive’ drives me. I don’t worry about “making it” or “getting to the top” because I concern myself with the road in front of me.

I’m a perfectionist and I always give my best but I also acknowledge perfection as a creation of the mind, not something external.  Life can be perfect if that perfection comes from living in the moment.  Establishing conditional parameters fences in our freedom. “If I had more money”, “If I had time to…,” “If I had the opportunity…!”

Bottom line: a free-range chicken does not know where the fences are, or what the fences are for, or why there should even BE fences.

Set no limit, no pressure, no expectation.

Simplify – you don’t need much to live, even though it’s a rather hypocritical thing for me to say because I LOVE my toys.  And I admit that I pretty much have everything I need.

My ego “wants” to make a life meaningful, or “wants” to hear George Clooney say to me, “You and I would make great looking children.” But other than that, I don’t have much “want.”  I guess I am a Buddhist by default.  Wait… I am not really a Buddhist if I call myself a Buddhist – because labeling is preventing yourself from just being…. Oy…. Ok…  Forget it.  I am just nothing.

It’s OK to be hateful – as long as it doesn’t come from your self-hatred. List the things you hate – and if it grows from you or you grew from it – that’s self-hatred. I hate onions, but it doesn’t grow from me. So it’s OK to hate onions.  I grew from my parents but I don’t hate them…. Even though they are selfish, loud talking bohemians. If you hate one thing, hate everything equally. I’m a little bit of racist, sexist, ageist – be a well-balanced hater.

Recycle all – If you see trash, you pick it up. The same thing applies to relationships. When you see a Debbie Downer, don’t avoid her. You face her like an Eli Wallach would. You suck all the bad thoughts, energies, and ideas from her and recycle them into good ones. Don’t store it. Instead of “That asshole cut me off”, think, “oh glad the speedy Gonzales didn’t rear end me.” Staying away from negative energy is like being on the Atkins diet. If you avoid it, you are giving too much power to it and you won’t have any immunity. Learn to deal with downers.  It is inevitable.  No one can be happy all the time and   I think happiness is over-emphasized in our society anyway. Conversely, sadness has too much of a bad rep.  We appreciate comedy when we can understand tragedy.

Money – it doesn’t take much to live, but it can cost your life if you pay too much attention to making it. Whatever you do, if you are good at it and stay working hard consistently, you will make money. Possession is not achievement. Only you can own your sense of achievement.  That experience is only thing you take with you, and it is much more valuable than how much money you have in your bank account.

Be flexible in what to believe. I used to believe my classmate Miyama was my soul mate but then I had a change of heart to Aki. He was killed in a traffic accident. Now my definition of my soul mate is “anyone who can put up with me.” I used to believe in Santa Claus, but now I believe that everyone can be a Santa Claus, and I love being one every Christmas.  I’m not a Jew, but I enjoy practical Hanukah gifts, too.

Friends – Be with people who share the same moral value. True friends are lovers minus the passionate French kiss. We respect, trust, and admire one another. We are each other’s fairy godmothers and godfathers.

Create a heaven here. I don’t know what’s going to happen after death. Honestly I don’t think I will ever die.  I used to have some idea about it, but I do not believe in something no one has experienced completely.  Death is an incident and concept.  However, the idea of earning reward points on this planet to go to a better place after you die puzzles me. It is less certain than “mama’s bank” where you see the money go in but you never see it come out.  If I get points on my good deeds, I want to cash in all my points here in this life. Call me a gambler but I’m betting my heaven is RIGHT HERE.

Home is where you rest – Have an oasis.  It could be a bathtub, a park bench listening your kids laugh, or a local pub.  Always know how to recharge yourself. My lover’s arm is where I surrender all the power games and preconceptions of how life should be.  Every night I thank him for being there for me, and every morning I am excited to explore another day with him.  But then, I do the same things with my pumpkin plants. Go figure.

Stand for something – You can see more standing up tall than sitting and resting. We have amazing freedom in this country, and it makes me smile that every individual enjoys it fully.  Each one of us is responsible for our own empowerment and inspiration.  I do not rely on others for empowerment, but I DO want to be with the people with bright eyes. Find your tribe – people that cherish who you are, and expand your compassion outside of your tribe members.

One of the things I’m still learning is how to slow down and smell the roses. I struggle with just stopping to have fun. I AM having a great deal of fun, but wouldn’t it be more fun to keep watering roses along the way to make our path a little bit prettier for the next generation?

THE MOST ANNOYING MEDIA PERSONALITIES

(©) 2010 Lord Sisters. All Rights Reserved.

GLORIA ALLRED

The fall of an icon. It happens more times than we can imagine, and we start wondering… How?

Picture it: a skanky mistress is wronged by her “John,” a philandering celebrity husband, loaded with $$$$. Hey, what’s that on the broom in the sky coming to the rescue?? It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman?? No, wait! It’s super-media hog attorney, Gloria Allgreed!

We used to admire Gloria Allred, the remarkable attorney and tireless crusader of women’s rights, who also fought against discrimination of any kind. She was the one who helped shed the international spotlight on the disturbing issue of domestic violence against women like Nicole Simpson. She brought Amber Fry forward to help convict Scott Peterson for the murder of his pregnant wife, Lacey and we cheered. She represented actress Hunter Tylo, when her “Melrose Place” bosses tried to get rid of her during her pregnancy. Gloria fought for women’s rights back then. Those were the days!

Gloria is still in leading the fight, BUT in our candid opinion, she is on the wrong side of the ring. We are disappointed that her carefully crafted reputation for justice has virtually been reduced to defending home wreckers and mistresses.

Every time a cheating scandal breaks, we can almost bet that Gloria Allgreed is at the forefront of the media circus, the camera-hogging attorney in charge. Her own explanation for her involvement is that many women are being “taken advantage of” by rich, powerful men and she is the one to fight for them. Really? Give us a break, Gloria. These women go looking for these cheating situations, (calling it a relationship would be insulting all of us who are or were ever involved in one) knowing that their actions are wrong, hurting innocent families, including children, not to mention the one who really belongs in that relationship, commonly known as “the wife.”

Given her previous good actions, we would have liked to give her the benefit of the doubt, but seeing video where Gloria demands an apology – from Tiger Woods to one of the many bimbos he allegedly screwed, pardon our French, okay… one of the many he “bedded”…again, allegedly, nixed that in the bud. The sight of Gloria holding the porn star’s hand while the latter shed crocodile tears just made us want to throw up.

Gloria has virtually glorified the “other woman” – lowlifes in our opinion, who have contributed to the destruction of marriages and public humiliation of wives – giving them a voice, celebrity status, and worst of all financial (wink) “compensation.”

Is it the money Gloria, that would make a respectable lawyer who fought the right fight for the right women, to give up her prestigious title of “justice icon” for the title of “media jerk?”

THE MOST REMARKABLE MEDIA PERSONALITIES:

(©) 2010 Lord Sisters. All Rights Reserved.

Being candid ladies ourselves, we just absolutely adore Simon Cowell. LONG before America finally “got” him and it became the “in” thing to jump on the Simon Cowell bandwagon, we loved his equal opportunity blunt honesty as he unsparingly distributed controversial criticism on the oftentimes pathetic performances on American Idol.

We would voice our opinions on the performances and mere seconds later Simon would roll of his eyes and echo, almost verbatim, our criticisms about the contestants. We were all in accord, Simon Cowell and us. Of course, he became notorious and was publicly roasted over the coal for hurling insults and wisecracks about the performers, while we discreetly stayed in the background cheering him on.

So, like millions of Americans, the last week of May 2010 will go down as a dark time in American Idol history – the last time that the controversial judge graced the stages of the mega hit television show that made him a household name in America. Since Simon’s success on Idol, practically every other talent show competition has attempted to come up with its own “Simon Cowell” type personality, obviously without much success. He is unique.

But Simon is on to bigger and better things as he continues to build his empire and an enviable legacy.

He is a highly-esteemed, 20-year veteran of the music industry, a television producer, television personality and entrepreneur. Along the way, despite having suffered major financial failure at age 30 that forced him to move back in with his parents, Simon bounced back bigger than ever. Over the last 15 years, his music acts have achieved sales of more than 150 million albums, and he has had more than 100 No. 1 records.

His U.K.-based production company, SYCO, produces the BAFTA Award-winning and chart topping UK show, The X Factor, which spawned the career of singer Leona Lewis. The show will premiere in the U.S. on the Fox network this fall. SYCO is also the company behind American Inventor and the successful “Got Talent” franchise that includes America’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent, which introduced singing sensation, Susan Boyle to a global audience. Versions of both X Factor and Got Talent can be seen in more than 70 countries.

In 2009, Simon was named No. 1 in the Hollywood Reporter’s Top 50 Most Powerful in Reality TV, one of People’s 25 Most Eligible Bachelors in 2004 and one of Entertainment Weekly’s Top Entertainers of the Year and has ranked on the Forbes Celebrity 100 Power List.

The U.K. born mega-millionaire is known to be generous with his charities, family, friends, and ex-girlfriends. He recently got engaged to makeup artist, Mezhgan Hussainy, whom he met on the set of American Idol and we wish him the very best.

Simon Cowell is an icon both in America and the U.K. Hey, when you are immortalized in Shrek 2 as a judge in Far Far Away Idol, how much more of a pop culture icon can you get than that? Except, if you add, Media Icon on this blog. J

Caricature: (©) 2010 Lord Sisters. All Rights Reserved.

My sister, Allison, cringes everytime I publicly admit to having voted for G.W. Bush. Although I am quick to add that it was ONLY the second term (I voted for Gore first time around), it is something, which for obvious reasons, I am still not proud.

While my Republican friends embraced me like “E.T., the prodigal daughter,” who had at last ‘come home,’ my Democrat friends were aghast. After all, in their eyes, that was inconsistent with the person whom they knew – one who subscribed to the belief that government should play some role in alleviating poverty and social injustice, one who had herself created and supported community outreach programs for the less fortunate.

The thing is, as someone who comes from a different political system; who had no preconceived ideas about American politics; who got to take a good impartial look at the two major parties in this country, I must say I don’t consider myself Democrat nor Republican. As a naturalized American citizen I just vote for a candidate with whose platform I most identify.

But how does that explain my having voted for Schwartzenegger, another Republican, who has virtually terminated California’s economy? Argghhh! That’s another article in itself…back to Bush.

I voted for Bush partly because he was not wishy-washy. People who sit on the fence or swim with the tide just rub me the wrong way, like Kerry, whom I think is an honorable man, but vacillated too much. He swung more than a malfunctioning pendulum whenever polls showed he was unpopular as a result of his position on a particular issue. I got whiplash just trying to keep up.

Bush, on the other hand, seemed decisive and always went with his convictions – wrongly or rightly. He was arrogant, I agree, but he told you where he stood, whether you liked it or not.

After 9/11 we needed a strong national defense and I felt Bush would protect us. Also, Bush didn’t spout rhetoric specifically to get headlines (e.g., Sarah Palin, one of the most annoying media personalities featured in the March edition of this blog) or just to get the goat of a certain demographic to get into or remain in the White House. Unfortunately, however, that’s about all that Bush did well.

I need a man with more substance than that, especially a man who’s going to play such a major role in my life. So, our “relationship” was short-lived.

It’s no surprise that after having voted for both Democrats and Republicans over the years (voted for Bill Clinton both times and would’ve voted him in for a third term, if that were possible) and from my observations and personal interactions, I have come to certain conclusions about the political parties and their supporters.

Overall, the thing that annoys me the most about most Democrat candidates is that they tend to be spineless in terms of maintaining a clear-cut position on policy or controversial issues. Republicans have them beaten in that department. On the other hand, I find most Republicans uncaring about others with a “me-oriented” mentality, angry, arrogant and condescending. They consider themselves infallible. In that regard, Democrats have Republicans on the ropes of human kindness.

Frankly, I find it hard to have a conversation with most of my Republican friends, as I just don’t find that they generally care enough about others to give up anything – to take one for the team. If we all do better, the country does better. I do not think they have realized that. So, I actually prefer to engage Democrats who seem to be more tolerant of differing opinions and diverse people. They are just more fun to be around.

So, some of my Republican friends call me “liberal.” Yes, I have found Republicans LOVE to label and “name call” when you disagree with their viewpoints.

One idiot even said to me that one can’t be Democrat and be Christian. Where ignorance is bliss it’s folly to be wise. Let’s just say we don’t talk to each other anymore.

A good Republican friend of mine “explained” to me that a conservative’s wish is to have people engage in intelligent conversation – one that is driven by critical thinking, NOT emotional reactivity. But I have found that a conservative’s wish is to have people agree with them. No matter how much someone says, “I understand your position, but I don’t agree,” they just won’t let up, ten hours later.

OR they will pull out the terrible self-aggrandizing “ignorance” card calling you things like ‘stupid,’ ‘obviously uneducated,’ ‘lacking in substance’ (why do they feel a need to explain and teach everyone about everything?). Their false sense of superiority, just doesn’t sit well with me AT ALL. Funny thing is my conservative friends accuse Democrats of those very same bad practices and attitudes. Every day I live I am amazed at how much the “pot calls the kettle black.” Both groups think they’re right. Now that’s politics!

For me, conservatives fail to understand that, as human beings, we can be privy to the same information but come to different conclusions. That’s what makes this country so fascinating, a melting pot of ideas.

Anyway, what exactly does “liberal” mean? As someone who will not be labeled or pigeonholed, the term means absolutely nothing to me.

As Americans we all believe in free enterprise – the basis of our being the greatest democracy in the world. The things that I believe in cross party lines. I don’t believe in the welfare system that has traditionally fostered a multi-generational dependency on government aid, and has, among other things, effectively stymied personal and economic advancement for a huge segment of society.

I believe in teaching a man to fish so he can sustain himself and survive with dignity, but I also believe in giving a man a fish so he can eat today and for some time while he learns to fish. I don’t understand why helping your fellow man is ‘socialism.’ That’s a word that has been bandied about by many who don’t even seem to know the true meaning of the term.

A country’s greatest resource is its people. With inadequacies in the healthcare system, educational system and exclusionary practices from racism abounding, I question how effectively we’ll be able to compete on a global level in the future, for we have surely laid the foundation for generations of unhealthy, illiterate, yet self-righteous, arrogant people.

So, I am for the promotion of personal responsibility over welfare programs, but have enough empathy and caring for others to believe in pubic assistance wherever necessary, including universal healthcare.

My Republican friends don’t seem to agree with that, including some Republicans of the “minority” persuasion, as in ‘black.’

Actually, the black Republicans I have encountered are amusing in that I think most have benefited from the same social programs and situations, which the Republican platform seems to be against. None of the ones I’ve met or seen on television seem authentic in their opposition, and display a glaring agenda of having “something to prove.” I think if you described some black Republicans as “black” they would immediately counter with “I’m not black, I’m Republican.” Hehehe! I sense that to some, being a black Republican means that they have climbed the social strata or something and have ‘arrived.’

I am against big government, for stricter gun control, for a strong national defense, tempered by diplomacy, for higher taxation where necessary (including those for the rich), for affirmative action, for immigration reform, but not racial profiling under the guise of illegal immigration control. So what does that make me? Ah yes, liberal!

I don’t believe in abortion either, but I believe a woman has a right to make choices that are between her and God. (Somehow I don’t think conservatives are thinking of saving babies in the inner cities when they spout off about being pro-life.) It never ceases to amaze me how much most people think differently when a situation is in their own backyards – even with hypotheticals such as those that faced Dan Quayle and Sarah Palin on the issue of abortion. When it’s a situation that does not directly affect us it’s very easy to be adamant about enforcing the rules against other people.

Take for instance, the one obvious thing that both Democrat and Republican candidates have in common. No, it’s not the unwavering commitment to the interest of the American people. It’s the issue of marital infidelity. None seem to be able to keep their pants on around women who are not their wives and both sides have the sickening tendency to cast the first stones regarding extramarital affairs, while they themselves are guilty of the same transgressions. How many of Bill Clinton’s accusers have since been caught doing the ‘nasty’ with a mistress?? But that too, is a subject for another time.

For me, if we have the best interest of the country at heart, we may sketch different paths to get there, but we should achieve the same result. The national division perpetuated by Sarah Palin and the Tea Party movement and other conservative groups rub me the wrong way. Divisiveness is about ego and power, with very little having to do with the interests of the American people.

I believe if we focused on holding our representatives accountable for the things they promised during their election campaigns, irrespective of their political affiliation, instead of resignedly shrugging and passively saying, “what do you expect, he’s a politician,” when they don’t deliver, we would fare much better. It’s amazing that we elect without much hope, expectation or insistence on accountability.

I don’t get the concept of presidential candidates trashing each other during the campaign showing the American people how inept the competitor is in order to get the nomination, then choose from the same “dirty” pool for their running mates, now extolling their virtues.

I don’t get the concept of pork spending either and why we let our elected officials hold one bill hostage to another. Why aren’t we more outraged at the ridiculous amount of time our state representatives waste on pointing fingers, posturing and playing politics?

At the end of the day, I find myself more generally aligned with the humanitarian sensibilities and social consciousness of the Democrats. I do not believe in being politically correct, so I will support and vote for whomever appears to authentically represent the best interests of the American people.

In the meantime, it would help if we all understood that we can’t deal with the world the way we WANT it to be, the only way we can effectuate any change is by dealing with things the way they ARE and work from there, not necessarily along party lines.

Corpo: Italian for body

Rate: fee, price, toll

I’ve been accused many times of being extremely analytical. I admit it; I’m guilty of evaluating and tearing up situations to pieces until they make some sense to me.

One of the many things that I do is teach Hebrew (I’m making a mental note to add it to my bio, surely I will forget by the time I’m done writing this article). A good trick for teaching a language is making your students understand the root and significance of words. In doing so, they can discover the many directions a particular word can be related to the ones they already know.

When the term “corporate” started playing games in my mind, it was no surprise to me that the meaning was defined as a toll or price that you pay with your body. Now, hold your horses! Don’t run for your Webster’s, because this definition is not there. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it will be added in a few years time.

The corporate world today in America is the new definition of the American dream. Kids graduate from a four-year college and they set their sights on entering the corporate world. They can hardly wait to be handed a position together with a personality that matches their new job description. The corporation, with all of its fabulous perks such as 401K, profit sharing, stock options, and the promise of promotions, becomes a deceiving and conniving patriarch that rules their lives. They become a number, just like in any sweatshop in China or Latin America, and are categorized by their productivity rate.

The way I see it, the corporate world is a machine that sucks any sign of living matter out of its dependents. It is the vivid materialization of what my buddy Sigmund Freud defined as Psychology of the Masses: one brain thinks, while others follow without a conscious realization of their own actions or desires.

As members of a mass we lose our individuality or personal responsibility, which translates into the personality of the mass or the responsibility of the group as a whole. Hence the condescending and detached answers we get every time we contact a company and the person on the other end comes up with generic answers such as “we apologize” and “we understand.” No personal feelings are involved, just complete and utter detachment.

The explanation of the corporation as a functional institution is pretty scary. The way it works is by taking away its members’ uniqueness or individuality. Once that is suppressed, there is less of a threat of opposition to the master plan of the organization.

The big catch that blinds us all is the certain sense of security that comes associated with belonging to a corporation. It is like holding a seat in a bus flooded with people. But what happens when that bus hits a bump in the road and everybody, rattled by the event, ends up on the floor? Well, it becomes time to play musical chairs. Run, run, for your spot! Forget about what we learned in the sandbox during our preschool years, no more playing nice and sharing. It becomes a cut-throat race. The first one to get a chair, no matter who falls in the process, wins.

And what happens with all your hard work, your loss of self, and your new identity?  Who cares? It’s your problem. You are back to being a passenger on the crowded bus, standing and holding the bar, looking for the next big bump on the road that might give you the opportunity to beg for a new place on the magnificent corporate world. Hopefully this happens sooner than later, because once you hit the big 50, you are no longer a person of interest for the corporations. This is especially true if you have been out of work for an extended period of time. At that point you are not trainable anymore and your brain has had enough time to realize what has been done to you and you might come up with some ideas that might not fit into the corporation’s agenda. Imagine your profile on a computer screen, and an anonymous index finger pressing a button that selects the tab “TERMINATE.”

This subject brings some good visuals to my mind. I’m sure many of you watched the Bourne Identity movies. Poor fellow! Running desperately, not knowing who he is or where to go. There we have it: the typical case of a corporate lay off.

The real life examples are very sad.  I took the time to read some reports in regards to corporate layoffs and the effect on their victims.  Even though it has not been confirmed as the main cause for the surprising and disturbing amounts of depression, suicide, and murder cases, the link is too strong to ignore.

I came across a report describing the mental and physical health state of corporate layoffs such as: Many terminated workers suffer changes in their mental health. They may experience a high level of depression, anxiety, stress, and loss of self-esteem and identity. Physical health complaints are most prominent during the period of anticipation. Physiological changes suggest an increased likelihood of coronary disease, diabetes, peptic ulcer, gout, arthritis, and hypertension. Job-related stress and life stress are related to workers’ physical health and illness.

Okay. Now going back to my initial theory. Unfortunately, we have very recent and raw examples like the laid off Kaiser Hospital worker who killed himself, his wife and their five children, the Pfizer laid-off employee who nearly fatally stabbed his wife, or the attorney at Kilpatrick Stockton’s Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy practice who shot himself at the DC office after being laid off.

It takes more than being let go to commit such acts. I know, no need to tell me. These people must have a serious case of “loose screws.” If that is in fact the case, I have a suggestion for corporations so they can cover their pretty behinds before the grieving families decide to sue for the loss of their loved ones. Why don’t you have everybody psychologically tested in order to define healthy survival after being seduced, used, pressured, and finally let go without a heartfelt goodbye?

I hate to say that I’m right (not really, I love to be right), but hey! I feel that I’m onto something. To be part of the corporate world today, we pay a very high price with our bodies and our lives, exactly what my definition of the word “corporate” implies. We subject ourselves to lose our individuality and we automatically sign up for a cheerleading team, athletically capable or not, where we are pushed to jump high without the guarantee of a safe fall. Ouch…