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Say What? Letterman Apologizes to Palin

TresSugar — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:08:51 -0700

"I told a bad joke. I told a joke that was beyond flawed, and my intent is completely meaningless compared to the perception . . . So I would like to apologize, especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke. I'm sorry about it and I'll try to do better in the future."

David Letterman apologized again last night on his show for a series of sexist and crass jokes about Sarah Palin and her daughter last week. First, he described Sarah Palin as having a "slutty flight attendant look." Next, thinking her 18-year-old daughter Bristol was at a Yankees game (in fact it was 14-year-old Willow), Letterman joked that in the seventh inning she got "knocked up" by Alex Rodriguez. Letterman admitted that, ultimately, even if Bristol had been at the game, the joke was not acceptable.

I have to say, it's refreshing to know that sexist humor will get called out. (There were protests outside his studio, contributing, no doubt, to his need for an on-air apology.) I wonder if this public outcry signals an increasing intolerance for low-blow sexism, or is this politics piggybacking on an issue that people are actually immune to?

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Letterman Apologizes For Joke About Palin's Daughter

LilSugar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:18:16 -0700

Late Show host David Letterman took a stab at Sarah Palin earlier this week, but the joke included a sexual reference about her daughter getting "knocked up" by Alex Rodriquez. Palin responded with a statement about the comedian's jabs. It said:

Acceptance of inappropriate sexual comments about an underage girl, who could be anyone's daughter, contributes to the atrociously high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men who use and abuse others.

Then her husband Todd added, "Any ‘jokes’ about raping my 14-year-old are despicable." Letterman issued an apology saying that his comments had been made about the Palin's 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, who is a teenage mother. While the joke was not in good taste, what do you think of the Palin's response as parents?

Do You Find Levi and Tripp's Picture Adorable or Inappropriate?

babysugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:00:00 -0700

Everyone I know has naked pictures of themselves as babies and has taken snapshots of their wee one in the buff. Some people find photos of bare babies offensive and exploitative, while others see them as family treasures.

Sarah Palin's onetime son-in-law-to-be Levi Johnston and son Tripp had a photo shoot with the sometimes racy rag GQ. In one of the shots, the shirtless papa is changing the tiny tot's diaper, leaving him fully exposed. I find the clothed images endearing, and if anything, I could stand the dad putting a shirt on, though it does remind me a bit of the hysterical book Porn for New Moms. Hmmm . . . maybe Bristol is having second thoughts about letting her baby daddy loose. What are your thoughts on the Johnston boy images?

Levi Johnston Bares All in GQ Profile

TresSugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Well, well, look what we have here. Levi Johnston is back in the press, and this time with his shirt off. If I didn't know better, I'd say this was Penn Badgley from a cut Gossip Girl scene where we learn Serena had a baby and left it on the doorsteps of the Met. But, no. It's the bumbling father of Tripp Palin Johnston, grandson of Governor Sarah Palin.

The father-son photo comes from an interview with Levi running in July's issue of GQ. What have we learned besides the fact that Levi can change diapers with his shirt off?

View 2 Photos ›

To find out read more.

The highlights:

Todd Palin told his daughter Bristol he'd buy her a car if she'd dump Levi.
Since we heard about Levi's strained relationship with ex-girlfriend Bristol Palin on The Tyra Banks Show and Larry King Live, things have improved. Bristol brings their son over for visits, and they exchanged flirty texts during the interview.
Don't get too excited! Getting back together is "not even in" his mind.
Right now he's just focused on hunting bears and, according to his attorney, "taking the chance to tell his story."

Photo by Ture Lillegraven for GQ

Say What? Bristol Palin Ignores the Safe-Sex Option

TresSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 09:30:59 -0700

"Girls need to imagine and picture their life with a screaming newborn baby and then think before they have sex . . . If girls realized the consequences of sex, nobody would be having sex. Trust me. Nobody."

In the new issue of People magazine, teen mom and recent high school graduate Bristol Palin says that if girls realized that sex can result in pregnancy, they'd practice abstinence. I don't really follow Bristol's argument that nobody would be having sex. Doesn't the risk of pregnancy also make women consider contraception?

Meghan McCain: Republicans Need Some Sex Ed

TresSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:57:32 -0700

It's McCain vs. Palin, round two! Meghan McCain and Bristol Palin, that is. In response to the young Palin's somewhat confusing new role as an ambassador for teen abstinence, McCain has responded with a column arguing that the Republican Party is out of touch when it comes to sex and sexual education.

McCain acknowledges that Palin is her own person and not necessarily representative of her mother's party. But in her column, she asserts that the recent publicity surrounding Bristol only reinforces the GOP's unrealistic attitude toward all things sexual. To read her reasoning, read more.

McCain's main gripe: abstinence shouldn't be the only option offered to teens in place of actual education:

Here’s what I’ve never understood about the party: its resistance to discussing better access to birth control. As a Republican, I am pro-life. But using birth control and having an abortion are not the same at all. Actually, the best way to prevent abortions is to educate people about birth control and make it widely and easily accessible.

She admits that abstinence is the only foolproof way to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STDs, but - and this is a big "but" - it only works if teens practice it. If they choose not to, they may find themselves lacking understanding about "all the issues they face if or when they have sex - physically and emotionally."

So whose side are you on, McCain's or Palin's? Do you wish they'd both just stop talking about it, or, as young women, are they precisely the ones who should be?

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Babe Is Born, Is It OK to Say You Shouldn't Have Had Sex?

LilSugar — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:10:11 -0700

Teen mama Bristol Palin is promoting abstinence for the Candie's Foundation. The mom to five-month-old son Tripp spoke out about why girls should wait to have sex on Good Morning America in honor of today being National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. After saying she wished she had waited, she added:

"My son is a blessing. He's the best thing that ever happened to me. He's the love of my life but I do wish that years from now I could have had the same son."

What's your opinion on this statement?
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Is Bristol Palin a Good Role Model For Teens?

TresSugar — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Now that Bristol Palin is a teenage mother, she's promoting abstinence as a "teen ambassador." Never mind that she told Fox News back in February that abstinence is "unrealistic." Today, on the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, she appears on Good Morning America to express her ~~unwavering~~ somewhat wishy-washy belief in abstinence. When the interviewer asks if abstinence vs. protection is a black or white issue, Palin wanders into a gray area. Check it out.

Do you think Bristol Palin's personal experience makes her a good or a bad spokesperson on the issue of teen pregnancy? And what do you think of the PSA from Candie's - which apparently understands the issue because it makes sexy shoes?

Briefing Book! Levi Johnston Opens Up to Tyra Banks

CitizenSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:00:15 -0700

Levi Johnston talks safe sex with Tyra Banks. - Huffington Post
Birth control and grapefruit diet don't go well together. - Jezebel
Michelle Obama's euro style. - FabSugar
The return of riches to rags tales. – Good
Senator threatened to strip University of Maryland of $500 million in funding if it screened a porn on campus. - The XX Factor

Rod Blagojevich gets harassed at Disney World. - Wonkette

The Palins! Group Drafts Sarah While Bristol Ditches Levi

CitizenSugar — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:30:07 -0700

Love it or hate it, it looks like this might be a four-year presidential campaign. The "2012 Draft Sarah Committee" has started collecting donations for a Palin 2012 run for president. The funds raised by the Connecticut political group will be used for grassroots organizing.

Meanwhile, Levi Johnston's sister is making sure all the Palins stay in the news (or tabloid magazines, same thing). Levi's sister Mercede told Star magazine that Bristol Palin broke up with the father of her son Tripp a month ago, and won't bring the baby to the Johnstons' house because she doesn't want him around "white trash."

If Palin throws her hat in the ring, I'm sure we'll be hearing all about the Palins for a while. Let's just hope the presidential campaign waits more than two months into Obama's term to begin. That's probably wishful thinking.

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