Do you know what a bromance is? OK, how about a Client 9? Do you have a wide stance? It's the end of the year 2008 and it's time to figure out what we said this year and whether or not to keep saying it in 2009.
The celebs were up to their usual breakup, make-up, make-out, freak-out routine in 2008. But a few celebrities had particularly noteworthy years and we got Paul McCartney, Anne Hathaway, Britney Spears, Jay-Z, Eliot Spitzer, Jennifer Aniston, Lindsay Lohan, Ellen Degeneres and Madonna all on board.
I've been in the infidelity situation from all angled: the cheated upon, the cheater, the cheatee. My experience at the tender age of 17 as the cheated upon has clearly informed my ethics in this matter. Responsiblity counts. As the cheater, I've apologized. As the cheatee, I haven't, but I would if I was ever confronted. Maybe it's naive of me to compare two horny high school students with former NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer, a married public figure and father of three children. I do realize the two situations are not comparable at all. But I think what any "woman scorned" wants is remorse. Does that mean all call girls and strippers should apologize to the wives and girlfriends of the men who see them? No, that would be impossible. But high class call girl Ashley Dupre became famous due to Client Number Nine and surely not a day goes by where Silda Spitzer does not think about her. The ex-governor has said "I'm sorry" to his wife countless times; now Ashley Dupre really has no other choice but to show remorse as well. So I think it's responsible, respectable -- a little bit classy, even -- for Dupre to give a remorseful shout-out to scorned wife, Silda Spitzer, on 20/20. Gawker reports that during her interview with Diane Sawyer, to air on Friday, Dupre offers Silda Spitzer a simple, "I'm sorry for your pain." It's not much, but it's something. And in a situation where there don't seem to be many clear "winners," that seems to be enough.
Craiglist.org is helping to weed out prostitution from its "erotic services," working with state attorney generals around the country to purge the illicit activity. (Uh oh! We thought that being a lady of the night was a recession-free gig!)
Craigslist to cut down on the prostitution, Eliot Spitzer off the hook (so to speak), San Fransisco's Proposition K fails, Sweden to allow gay church weddings, tips for making a porn, the oddest TV couples, adoption in Arkansas, racist babies, romantic winter vacations, dreaming of infidelity, and the runaway costs for bridesmaids.
Debauchette, you might remember, is the courtesan (she prefers the term "whoretesan," heehee) and blogger, who came to national attention when Diane Sawyer interviewed her earlier this year in the wake of the Eliot Spitzer scandal. Yesterday she wrote that three of her clients have called this week to make sure she's financially solvent. In case you're wondering too, she is. "I’m fine. I saved. I saw it coming. I live modestly," she's been telling the concerned men.
We've seen enough married political figures with upstanding reputations, adorable kids, and kick-ass wives—maybe even especially those— cheat. The thing we've yet to uncover, though, is why. We get the human nature, sex thing. A USA Today/Gallup poll conducted in March of this year — right after the Eliot Spitzer scandal broke — found that 54 percent of Americans know someone with an unfaithful spouse. We're no math whizzes, but it seems to reason that unless each of the 1,025 people polled was referring to the same couple, that means half of all relationships in the U.S. suffer from infidelity—and people talk about it. But, with so much at stake and so many falling before them, how can men in the public eye cheat on their wives—and expect to get away with it?
Damn, we mentioned that sh*t clownin', dog. How f*cked up is you? The New York Post is reporting that Ashley "You Me And" Dupre is on the way to reality TV stardom. No, make that super stardom. The plucky musician is reportedly working with Handprint Entertainment on figuring out just how to make it happen. Supposedly, the present plan is to pitch MTV a reality dating show not unlike the 1 with Tila Tequila. The twist is that this one will have Ashley Dupre and not Tila Tequila. So far, we like the premise. Dupre recently dropped her lawsuit against Joe Francis's Girls Gone Wild empire and she probably can't really turn tricks anymore, so it's reality TV or bust.
Kind of like drinking or driving underage, part of having sex outside of a committed relationship is the thrill that comes with doing something illicit. Cue Tango's favorite therapist Esther Perel and other experts hoping to pull marriage's reputation out from under its passionless, restrictive shell through greater communication and understanding. Weiss quotes one friend who says: “Do middle-aged, married women who are no longer interested in having sex with their husbands expect them to remain faithful?" The response, according to American mores, is "yes," though this is at odds with biology. Evolutionary biology's poster child should be the transgender man quoted in the article, who underwent a sex change after 50 years as a woman. He told Weiss that since taking testosterone supplements, he's noticed "a newfound ability to completely divorce sexuality from emotional commitments."
The guys over at Law & Order have ripped another case right from the headlines. They've decided to weigh in on New York politics and the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal. Well, the writer's strike seemed to have paid off. They might not have had time for that one if the season had gone as planned. Sliver linings.
We couldn't help but be drawn to sexwork101.com, a new web site devoted to educating regular people like us on the sex industry. sexwork101.com and boundnotgagged.com, a blog for sex workers, fill in the gaps between what we know and what the media offers us. We found the glossary particularly helpful, as these Spitzer-scandal times call for the correct verbiage. No need to offend anyone!
