Category Archives: Popular Culture

From celebrity watch to quirky things in the news, we have something to say about it here at the Families.com Popular Culture Blog.

Why Schools Stopped Having Valentine’s Day Parties

There are many reasons why the school your child, preteen, or teenager attends does not celebrate Valentine’s Day. This may come as a relief for young people who are uncomfortable with the idea of choosing a card to send to everyone in their class, or attending a school dance. Parents may be happy that they don’t have to spend money on cards or baked goods for a school party.  Of course, there will be some students who want to experience a classroom Valentine’s Day party or to have fun at a school dance. Some parents may want their child’s school … Continue reading →

The 85th Academy Awards – Part 2

I am still tired from my 11-hour coverage of the Academy Awards, but so much is still on my mind. The big upset – undoubtedly all the Oscars that went to a little film called Argo that capped off the night with a Best Picture win.  Ever since the nominations were announced, pretty much all that has been heard about was how the Academy overlooked Ben Affleck for Best Director while nominating Argo for Best Picture.  Many tried to explain that the problem lies in that there were eight films nominated for Best Picture, but the Best Director field only … Continue reading →

The 85th Academy Awards – Part 1

It seems only fitting that my last two Pop Culture blogs for Families will be about the Oscars.  If you’ve ever read any of my blogs around this time of year, you know how much I love this ceremony.  Yesterday, I turned E! on at 12:30 to begin my pre-Red Carpet coverage and finally turned the television off at 11:30 – 11 hours later. There were a lot of beautiful dresses.  Although Jessica Chastain didn’t win Best Actress, she was beautiful from head to toe.  Perhaps the Best Actress winner, Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook, should take a cue … Continue reading →

Clive Davis Irks Kelly Clarkson

Yesterday, I blogged about Clive Davis coming out of the closet at bisexual at the ripe old age of 80.  He has actually been bisexual for years, just didn’t let the public know until he revealed it in his recent memoir, “The Soundtrack of My Life.” It seems that he revealed something else in the memoir – something incorrect according to client Kelly Clarkson. In the book, Davis said Clarkson has “a decidedly independent streak” (Hello?  Her first single was  “Miss Independent”) and “often speaks in public before she realizes the implications of what she’s saying.” He also said Clarkson … Continue reading →

Mindy McCready Dead at 37

Sometimes, you see tragedy coming for celebrities and you just know there is not much anyone can do to stop it.  How many people were surprised when Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston died, even though it seemed to be coming for years. The same may be said for country singer Mindy McCready.  The singer’s brother announced that she committed suicide today in Heber Springs, Arkansas.  She was 37. McCready rose to fame at the young age of 21 when her debut album, Ten Thousand Angels, sold two million copies and produced four charts singles.  She became briefly engaged to actor … Continue reading →

Meteor Hits Russia

This has been a crazy week.  We woke up Thursday to the news that Olympian Oscar Pitorius was arrested for the murder of his model girlfriend.  In case you don’t remember, Pitorius, a South African, was the runner who had both legs removed below the knee in childhood.  He was called the Blade Runner because of special prosthetics that allowed him to compete in both the Olympics and Paralympics.  After his inspiring runs in the last Summer Olympics, he was treated like a hero, but then on Valentine’s Day, he shot his girlfriend dead, claiming she was an intruder. Before … Continue reading →

“Storage Wars” Mark Balelo Dies

My family loves “Storage Wars,” especially my eight-year-old son.  It is not uncommon to hear him running around my house yelling “Yuuup” like Dave Hester. I had to explain how Dave Hester, who is now suing A&E, isn’t going to be on the show anymore.  Hester is claiming that the whole show, based on people purchasing storage units that have been abandoned, is a sham and A&E plants valuable items in the units. Now, the show has suffered another tragedy that hopefully my son won’t notice.  Mark Balelo was a buyer that the show introduced in season 2.  A native … Continue reading →

Mercedes-Benz Disses Freemasonry?

Oh, that crazy Super Bowl XLVII!  First, Beyonce flashes a little diamond sign and before the game is over, the Internet is abuzz about how she and hubby Jay-Z must be a part of the Illuminati, that secret group trying to rule the world. And, speaking of secret groups trying to rule the world, there was another Super Bowl controversy you may not have heard about.  There was a Mercedes-Benz ad, which featured Willem Defoe as a character who appeared to be the devil. I watched the ad and honestly, I paid so little attention that I didn’t even know … Continue reading →

Beyonce Can’t Catch a Break

Although young, beautiful and talented, it seems as if Beyonce simply cannot catch a break.  The singer gave birth to her first child, daughter Blue Ivy, last January.  But, before she gave birth, there was a rumor going around that she wasn’t really pregnant and that she had a surrogate carrying the baby after an Australian interview seemed to show her baby belly deflate upon sitting. Then, there was controversy over the fact that Beyonce and hubby Jay-Z reportedly dropped $1.3 million to reserve the entire floor of the Lenox Hospital where Blue Ivy was born.  Parents claimed that they … Continue reading →

Ashley Judd Splits and Rihanna Comes Clean

Ashley Judd seemed like the dutiful race car wife when husband Dario Franchitti won his third Indianapolis 500 in May 2012, but it seems that all wasn’t well with the relationship.  Less than a year later, the couple has announced their split. Judd released an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, which read, “We have mutually decided to end our marriage.  We’ll always be family and continue to cherish our relationship based on the special love, integrity, and respect we have always enjoyed. Judd, 44, and Franchitti, 39, met in 1999 at Jason Priestley’s wedding through mutual friends who hoped to set … Continue reading →