April 8 Week In Review

Yelpers Try To Review A Sex Club

Want all the fun times of a shady sex club but none of the hassle of talking to people to determine what’s out there? Look no further than Yelp NYC’s adult entertainment section. More »

Company That Locked Raped Woman In Container Named “Top Employer For Women”

Remember that whole thing where a KBR employee was drugged and gang-raped by coworkers and then locked in a shipping container by her bosses? And then the company essentially said she was asking for it? And then Al Franken worked to close the loophole that allowed them wriggle out of being sued? Oh, and those pesky allegations of human trafficking and sexual harassment and bullying of Iraqi employees. More »

Mastering The Lost Art Of Actually Talking On The Phone

Look, we all know the phone is scary. But sometimes you can’t avoid it. Herewith, a few tips for making calls without sounding like a weirdo. More »

Even Classic Pin-Ups Were Retouched

Buzzfeed calls our attention to this gallery of before-and-after images of vintage pin-up ladies — proving women have been retouched in photos, paintings, and advertisements long before Photoshop came into our lives. In this era, artists were “fixing” imperfections on their models with an actual paintbrush. More »

Candie’s Foundation Pays Bristol Palin $260K, Gives Little To Actual Initiatives

The Candie’s Foundation’s stated mission is “to educate America’s youth about the devastating consequences of teen pregnancy through celebrity PSA campaigns and initiatives.” But a close look at their 2009 tax forms shows that there’s far more “celebrity” than “initiatives” involved. That year, the foundation paid Bristol Palin $262,500. And how much went to anti-teen pregnancy initiatives? More »

Hollywood Insiders Admit Hollywood Hates Women

“The whole process is desperately sexist. But there it is.” That quote, from director Mark Mylod, comes near the end of Tad Friend’s profile of Anna Faris in The New Yorker this week. Or at least, it’s packaged as a profile. More »

Did Madonna’s Charity & The Kabbalah Centre Steal Malawi Funds?

Since it was announced that Madonna’s charity Raising Malawi will not be building a school for girls in the impoverished nation and is in financial ruin, the story has been shaped by Madonna and the Kabbalah Centre’s PR firms. But in a new expose, Newsweek catalogues the Kabbalah Centre’s long history of deceitful practices, which may even include stealing money intended for orphans. More »

Diagnosing Dr. Drew

In a recent interview, Dr. Drew explained his view that he should be able to publicly discuss celebrities’ medical conditions, dispensing medical commentary as casually as you might discuss politics or sports. I have never met Drew Pinsky, but since he’s clearly a fan of analyzing people he’s never met, I’ll do the same. More »

Here Is Dov Charney’s Oddly Apropos High School Yearbook Picture

As American Apparel is on the verge of collapse, this picture — from 1987 — is full of foreshadowing. Dov Charney and the words DEAD END. Yes. DEAD END! The CEO of American Apparel wasn’t always a creepy employer doing allegedly creepy things in the workplace. He was once a creepy student at a tony boarding school (Choate) doing allegedly creepy things in dorm rooms, and we’ve got inside information. More »

This Week In Tabloids: Mariah Carey Is Pregnant & Nude

Welcome back to Midweek Madness, your friendly neighborhood tabloid round-up. We do the tough job of “reading” Star, In Touch, Life & Style, Us and Ok!, so you don’t “have” to. This week: Britney’s “new life” consists of going through the motions like a zombie; Brad Pitt has been “caught” appearing in the same movie as a young, single actress; Katie Holmes and Kate Middleton are sharing a wardrobe; and heavily pregnant Mariah Carey is posing nude, draped by a golden sheet. Stars! They’re just like us! More »