Stars: They're Nothing Like Us (Rick Steves Edition)

I've been spending a lot of time with radio lately, mostly listening to Rick Steves' travel show. Now, for those of you who are not familiar with Rick Steves, he's the fun-lovin' Lutheran from Washington who writes all those guidebooks about Europe and hosts travel shows on public radio and television. And his radio show is just gosh darn great. When I listen, I feel like I'm in a church basement drinking watered-down coffee and eating some egg bake, laughing about the differences in different cultures. Seriously, I'm totally into it. So now I've got the travel bug and it seems like everything pop-culture that I consume somehow relates back to Rick Steves.

Jessica Simpson Caught the Travel Bug Too

Or maybe it's just the it's-so-unfair-that-the-media-called-me-fat-that-only-a-new-reality-show-will-vindicate-me bug. As a follow-up to her infamous fattie in high-wasted pants pic, Jessica Simpson has decided to do something about it. Starting in July, she'll be traveling all over the globe to investigate "The Price of Beauty" (also the name of her show). Actually, the show sounds really interesting. She's going to be reporting on different ideas of beauty in different countries and show the things they do to make themselves pretty. While she begins filming this summer, I'll be planning my exploitation of Brigitte and Qualler's cable for next year when it is supposed to air. The concept has a lot of potential, but I'm a bit apprehensive about VH1 putting it on and Jessica Simpson hosting. I think it could very easily slip into Rock of Love meets Tyra Banks territory. That could be very scary. But, as Rick Steves' would probably say, "you can't judge a book by its cover," so I will definitely be giving The Price of Beauty a try.

Violence is Never the Answer

Speaking of idioms probably used by Rick Steves, here's a great story about sticks and stones, etc., etc. Perez Hilton got "attacked" this week by a Black Eyed Peas manager in Toronto. I'm sure a lot of people in Hollywood are pissed off by Perez Hilton. He's whiny, annoying, over-the-top, self-righteous, vindictive, and so on. But as angry as he makes you, it is important to remain in control, because if you lash out you know he's going to be really really whiny about it. Remember: you are the adult in this situation. And he's kind of right, violence is never the answer, because some people will twitter until the police come at the thought of a fist fight. Here's a perfect example of why not to engage Perez Hilton in a fight:


***Rick Steves Warning: "Ooooh, be careful with this one here. There's a coupla f-bombs dropping. Plus, you always gotta watch out when you invoke the ratha God. Here we go with part two of the interview."***


So what can we gather from these videos? Well,

1. Perez Hilton has a little trouble remembering his own name

2. He thinks that it is customary to use air quotes or raise his voice when he uses words from the urban dictionary, like "agro," to describe his own run-ins with minorities.

3. Fergie is a musician AND a baseball player

4. Perez Hilton is a very functional shock victim

5. Will.i.am could have a very successful career as a bounty hunter

6. "Victim of violence" is a lot looser term than I had thought

7. When law enforcement fails, you must turn to the one thing that will protect you -- Twitter

8. If you tweet an emergency at 3:30 a.m. and you are a celebrity, people will be awake and they will call 911 for you

Now we can all have a Rick Steves chuckle at this misunderstanding. Next time you're in Toronto, get off the beaten path and hang out with the locals instead of that music awards show after party - and make sure you wear your money belt!

This entry was posted by Lady Amy, on Wednesday, June 24, 2009. You can leave your response.