Link It Up: 5.18.10

Great – even more reasons the ground will shake. Will a train soon be running under Dodger Stadium? [via Curbed LA]

Are the Lakers headed to a repeat title? Or will the it be a Sun-set in LA? [via LA Times]

Are pesticides to blame for America’s ADHD – wait, what was a I typing? [via CNN]

Now she’s accused of selling porn. Meg Whitman’s problems are piling up. [via Wilshire & Washington]

May Gray. via Flickr

-MK

Contact the author at mksmogger@gmail.com.

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Informal Affairs

Over the weekend, Deadspin posted one of the most incredible accounts of a sorority formal I’ve ever read. Keep in mind, I’ve witnessed a lot of these drunk, messy functions in person and have lived to retell the stories. However, even the most wild formal I ever attended while at Northwestern pales in comparison to this account (and I’m talking about the infamous Delta Gamma Fall Formal of ’06 – which climaxed with one sister actually vomiting on the chapter’s national advisor).

Sloppy form, sorostitutes. via Deadspin

So, what exactly took place at Miami University’s Pi Phi Spring Formal? Hmm, let’s see if I can try listing it all:

• police pulled over the three buses transporting the students, when the students were found urinating on the side of the road (on the way to formal)
• 37 cases of Natty Light were found inside the buses
• the chapter president was too drunk to speak at the formal
• two couples had sex (one in the Beach House, one in a storage closet)
• a drunk date flipped over the entire appetizer table
• a group of men threw their own feces all over the outside of the building
• two dates went skinny dipping in the lake
• students took the decorative table settings (glass vases) and threw them off the balcony
• students vomited everywhere on the premises
• girls broke the toilets and were found urinating in the sinks
• the venue’s concrete statue of a lion was decapitated
• two students were left behind by the buses
• thirteen calls were made after the event regarding lost items

I would give anything to have witnessed this in person. via Deadspin

I think that’s a decent summary, but I’m sure I left a few things out. When you read the event venue‘s full letter about the sorority circus show, it sounds straight out of an episode of True Blood, with possessed townspeople taking place in a mass orgy. The chapter’s national office has suspended the chapter for a year, noting that they are working to “change the culture” of the chapter. Ha. I don’t think anything short of a full-fledged exorcism will change that sorority’s “culture”…or lack thereof. If nothing else, it sounds like the seniors in this sorority had quite a sendoff to cap off their college careers. As much as I want to judge them, I can’t lie that I kind of wish I had been there for it…

-MK

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The Real World: Congress

Did they miss the casting call for MTV’s The Real World: DC? According to CNN, two former alumni of the show’s first (New York) and sixth (Boston) seasons will be running for congress this year. What?!?

It's time to start getting real...political. via ABC News

Kevin Powell, from The Real World: New York, will be running for congress to represent the 10th District in Brooklyn. In case you don’t remember Kevin, don’t feel too out of the loop. The first season of MTV’s long-running reality soap opera aired all the way back in 1992. If it’s hard to believe the show has been on that long, you’ll also find it hard to believe that Kevin is also now 44. At that age, he’s not going to be challenging Evan or Kenny to any gauntlets or duels anytime soon. I guess a political career could be a logical step – he was always outspoken on the show, whether about race or cultural issues. One of the most famous episodes ever of The Real World focused on his confronting Julie (the naive, Southern girl) about being racist. Keep in mind, this is The Real World 1.0: pre-hot tubs, threesomes, and MTV-arranged careers as mystic tanners (Key West) or spring break planners (Sydney).

This is the true story of 538 Strangers... via Political Diatribes

Sean Duffy, the popular ex-jock of the show’s Boston season, will be running for Congress in Wisconsin. He’s still married to his wife, Rachel Campos, the one time candidate to replace Debbie Matenopoulos on The View and fellow Real World alum (from the show’s dramatic and critically adored San Francisco season). Sean currently leads the race to replace Congressman David Obey, who is retiring after 41 years. Somewhat ironically, his time on The Real World was also often characterized by race issues and political beliefs; however, his stemmed from butting heads with Kameelah (the young, black female) over their different ideological stances (he’s conservative, she’s liberal).

America's future leaders. via NY Post

If you’re under 25 and have any political aspirations, this news is probably the most reassuring thing you’ve ever heard. After all, now who’s going to tell you that Facebook photos will bring down your 2032 Senate career? If MTV reality stars have shots at getting elected, that photo from freshman year of you throwing up after doing a Keg stand shouldn’t be a sweat. However, with that said, I don’t think you’re ever going to see anyone from The Real World: Las Vegas getting elected to political office (as much as I’d love to see a “Trishelle for America” bumper sticker). So on second thought, maybe you shouldn’t relax your Facebook privacy settings quite so quickly…

-MK

Contact the author at mksmogger@gmail.com.

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Erykah did a Badu, Badu Thing

In the ongoing battle between censoring and art, we can file today’s battle: Erykah Badu vs. American History. Unlike other artists who have drawn inspiration for controversial music videos from house parties (Britney Spears’ ‘If U Seek Amy’) or religion (Madonna’s ‘Just Like a Prayer’), Erykah combines nudity and American tragedy to spark some new outrage among media pundits.

For her video for the song ‘Window Seat,’ Erykah steps out of of her car, and proceeds to walk down the street, slowly disrobing until she’s completely naked and falls on the ground. Apparently, this video was shot in one take and was done without warning the crowd she would eventually flash. But…that’s just the beginning. What street was Erykah walking down? Oh, that just happens to be Daley Plaza in Dallas, Texas. It’s actually quite a popular street to use in guerilla videos – you may have recognized it from that other popular video – the JFK assasination. Yeah, she flashed a lot of bystanders where Kennedy got shot.

While I (and many others) struggle to understand what this concept has to do with the song, I do think she deserves a right to free expression. And as there were no complaints during filming, she won’t face indecent exposure charges. While I dred the ridiculous censorship and decency “outrage” this will spark – at least it will get people to stop pointlessly debating healthcare. If pop culture is good for nothing else, it’s the best distraction we have from real news.

-MK

Contact the author at mksmogger@gmail.com.

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Inside the Magic Kingdom

For those unware of Disney lore, the company has had a long and tumultous history (and the lackluster release of the past fall’s The Princess and the Frog is just the most recent evidence of this). For a company that is legendary for the magic it produces (see Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, do you want me to continue?), it’s also one deep in betrayal, infighting, and corporate maneuvering. Behind the facade of “the Happiest Place on Earth,” Disney is, in reality, just another American corporation looking for profit. However, unlike other corporations – Disney specializes in making the world a happier place – and it does it pretty damn well at that.

If you are lucky enough to live in LA this weekend, you have a chance to check out a documentary behind the walls of the Enchanted Castle. Waking Sleeping Beauty is it the story of Disney’s “renaissance” in the early 90’s after a slow decline through the 70’s and 80’s. If you’ve read Disney War, then you’ve heard this story before. Of all the stories Disney’s ever told, their own tale may be the most interesting. And, like anything Disney, this is a story better told on the screen than in words.

Check out local play times here. Be warned, it’s a very limited engagement, so don’t let it slip by.

-MK

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