iPopCulture.NET

By now you’ve probably heard the answer to the question. Marge Simpson will be featured on the cover and in a centerfold of Playboy magazine. If you’re asking, “That Marge Simpson?” the answer is, “Yes, that Marge Simpson.” The cartoon character on The Simpsons.

According to the Associated Press, the average age of Playboy readers is 35. The purpose of putting Marge Simpson on the cover of the magazine is to try to appeal to younger audiences. most particularly the “20-something crowd.”

When this news first broke on TV, Internet, and print, it first came across as humorous. People found it funny that the cartoon mom off one of the highest rated TV shows was going to appear on the cover of Playboy.

But can we really look at what’s happening here? A “men’s” magazine is marketing itself by filling its pages with a naked cartoon character. Does that sound sickening to anyone else? I don’t care what your argument is, Playboy is pornography. And Playboy exists because lust exists. As if naked women didn’t do enough to sell the magazine, the company is trying to bring in a younger audience by including pictures of a naked cartoon character. Something is terribly wrong!

And do you think Playboy is only trying to market itself to the 20-something crowd? Do beer companies only market themselves at people who are over 21? Does Seventeen magazine actually try to target girls who are 17? No way. The target audience may be younger, but Playboy knows very well the idea of a naked Marge Simpson appeals to even young teen males. It may be illegal for them to get their hands on the issue, but Playboy knows they’ll find a way, whether through a friend, family member, or the Internet.

Ricky and Lucy couldn’t even sleep in the same bed together on TV. Now we’ve become desensitized that we have to put nude cartoon characters from prime time television in magazines. Ugh…

If you don’t mind, I’d like to take just a second to vent: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok. I’m done. The St. Louis Cardinals were embarrassed (to put it lightly) by the Los Angeles Dodgers and swept 3-0 in the NLDS. Now that the season is over, I have a few items on my wishlist I’d like to ask for:

1. Re-sign Matt Holliday. I know he didn’t perform well in the playoffs, but the guy is an all-star. There’s no telling what kind of numbers he could put up in the NL in a full season. This is where it starts. Cards can’t pay like the Yankees or Red Sox, but hopefully Holliday will compare his NL to AL records and remember the 47,000 forgiving fans and take smaller pay to be a Card. Remember Holliday, Scott Boras works for you!

2. Sign Albert Pujols to a long-term deal. This should probably be #1 on the list, but it won’t happen immediately unless Holliday returns to the team. Pujols wants to make sure the team is committed to winning. This man is the face of the organization and arguably the greatest right-handed batter to ever play the game. He made us forget about McGwire and Tino Martinez (ugh!). Do not let him walk away!

3. Let Ankiel and Glaus go! I know loyalty is a big thing in the Cards organization, but there’s no reason for these guys to be on the team next year. They were high cost, low production. Their time is done in St. Louis. Sorry guys.

4. Find a way to keep Mark DeRosa. This is a tough one! David Freese is ready to take over 3rd base. Where does DeRosa go? There’s several possibilities. If Holliday doesn’t re-sign, DeRosa can play OF. Or, move Skip back out to the OF and put DeRosa at 2B. The guy is a hard-nosed, give-it-your-all, player. He’s exactly what Cardinals’ fans love. I would love to see him wear the birds on the bat for a few more years.

5. Use Rasmus! He is the up and coming superstar on the team. He struggled against left-handed pitching this season (.160 average) but showed in the playoffs that he’s learning. In fact, he was probably the best hitter in the playoffs. It’s time for Colby to be the every day CF and time to shine.

6. Utilize our young pitches in an appropriate way. I understand that Duncan likes renovating veteran guys. I also understand he’s struggled with some young guys (Reyes, Marquis, etc.). However, it’s time to give some of the young guys a chance. I want to see what Jaime Garcia, Blake Hawsworth, and Mitchell Boggs can do. They’ve earned an opportunity to compete for the 4th and 5th spots in the rotation.

7. Bring back John Smoltz. He struggled at times, but showed flashes of greatness at times. I think he can still be a major contributor, whether out of the bullpen or as the 5th man in the rotation. He still has something left in that arm.

8. Fortify the bullpen. It’s pretty solid as is, especially with Miller against lefties. I still believe Franklin can be an effective closer. However, I would love to see the Cards adopt the Dodgers philosophy of having a 7th, 8th, and 9th man. I think Motte could fit one of those positions. Possibly Smoltz as well. Nonetheless, I like what I see in the pen.

9. Bring back La Russa and Duncan. I know some are ready to see them go. They might not even return. However, they can’t go out like this. I still believe they are the right 2 people for the job.

P.S. Not letting Todd Wellemeyer pitch should be a given.

By now we all know that President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. Do I blame him? Not at all. He didn’t ask for it. They just handed it to him. Actually, I feel a little sorry for him. He was given an award he didn’t ask for, and immediately our country, other countries, and his supporters started saying he doesn’t deserve it.

While I’m not here to bash or defend President Obama, I would like to make mention of the man who I believed did indeed deserve the award.

His name is Greg Mortenson. You’ve probably never heard of him. I hadn’t until today. But here’s what Nancy Gibbs from Time Magazine had to say about Obama’s win compared to Mortenson:

Compare this to Greg Mortenson, nominated for the prize by some members of Congress, who the bookies gave 20-to-1 odds of winning. Son of a missionary, a former army Medic and mountaineer, he has made it his mission to build schools for girls in places where opium dealers and tribal warlords kill people for trying. His Central Asia Institute has built more than 130 schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan — a mission which has, along the way, inspired millions of people to view the protection and education of girls as a key to peace and prosperity and progress.

Mortenson also started Pennies for Peace, program sponsored by the Central Asia Institute (CAI) that “helps educate American children about the world to show them they can make a difference one penny at a time.”

By the way, at least check, Mortenson had helped build 131 schools in rural Afghanistan and Pakistan providing education to 54,000 students and over 44,000 girls.

USAToday.com released a list of the most annoying words/phrases. To go to the article, click here. You can read it below:

If you’re like, whatever, don’t be surprised if, you know, someone gives you a dirty look, or whatever.

But in the Northeast, only 35% find “whatever” most annoying while 32% are fed up with “you know.”

Can you think of any more phrases/words that should be on the list?

I’d like to throw in I know, right?, sucks, for shizzle or anything that ends with -izzle, and crunk.

I just read about a new product on the market. It’s called “Blow.” It looks like cocaine, it’s packaged like cocaine, and in some ways it has the effects of cocaine. What is it? A new energy drink…or at least that’s what they say. The mix is sold in a small vial and is measured in grams. A small mirror is actually included in the package so buyers can grind the mix down to a powder before pouring it into a water bottle. The caffeine content is equivalent to 2 Red Bulls and 3 cups of coffee.

Hearing about that brought this question to my mind: Why is our culture so obsessed with “imitating” things that seem taboo?

For instance, when you were a kid did you ever buy candy cigarettes? If you had them, what’s the first thing you did? I bet it wasn’t throw them in your mouth and chew them up. I bet you put the stick between your fingers and pretended to smoke.

Ever known anyone who bought root beer in bottles because it resembled real beer bottles? It’s almost like that bottle of IBC gave them credibility (in their own eyes) and made them appear rebellious and cool.

Whether it’s snorting Smarties, drinking “Blow,” smoking candy cigarettes, saying words that “sound” like cuss words, or trying to appear “cool” to others buy drinking root beer out of a bottle, our culture really seems to enjoy dabbling in the thought of rebellion without completely crossing that fence.

Any ideas why? Your comments are welcome!

(Thanks to nbclosangeles.com for info)

I love asking this question because I love hearing all of the different answers. It’s encouraging to hear what others are reading, and it also gives me ideas of what to read next. It’s also great to be able to ask someone “What did you think about [insert title]?”

Right now I’m reading 2 books:

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Don’t worry, I’m not a heretic)
What’s So Great About Christianity by Dinesh D’Souza

I’ll be honest, I tried reading Twilight just so I could have grounds to state my opinion, but I couldn’t make it past the second chapter. It was torture!

Give me some feedback. What are you reading?

If you didn’t see last night’s episode of The Late Show With David Letterman or haven’t turned on your local news this morning, you may have missed a story that seems so twisted that it seems like it should be part of a Letterman monologue.

Last night on his show, Letterman admitted that he had sexual relationships with female employees on the show. Letterman was married back in March to his longtime girlfriend. They have been together since 1986 and she is the mother of his son, who was born in 2003. It was not said when the affairs took place. However, someone tried to extort $2 million from Letterman over the affairs. They threatened to go public with the information if he did not give them the money. Letterman came forward with the facts and that person was arrested.

I could sit here and slam Letterman for his affairs. I could sit here and slam Letterman for having a child with his girlfriend prior to getting married. I’m not going to do that.

The thing that confuses me is the hypocrisy in media. Letterman has made his living making jokes off of high profile people who have done stupid things. Lately, he’s attacked Senator Joe Wilson for speaking out in Congress, and has bashed every political figure (especially Republicans) who have had extramarital affairs. He also found plenty of material when Senator John Edwards admitted to having an affair and fathering the child with a woman that was not his wife.

It’s interesting that Letterman has been able to make these jokes while participating in the same actions. It’s almost as if he’s held to a lower standard or gets a free pass because he’s an entertainer. Even last night, Letterman was making jokes about the matter.

It seems like the media has fun at pointing the finger at whoever they want to, yet they never even think about pointing that finger back at themselves. They have no problem with pointing out the hypocrisy in others, yet meanwhile they’re prime examples of hypocrites themselves.

Just my thoughts…