In other weird pop culture news, Caryn James has gone completely off the deep end. (Folks may remember Caryn from such previous columns as "Why no girls like LotR.")

In this case, all I can think is that she's a distant cousin of Jennifer Aniston's, or Angelina Jolie accidentally ran over her puppy.

Well, becaue they aren't mutually exclusive!

No, no -- I was actually serious. I like that.

Also, Nellie Olson!

Announced to my office building via email:

Please do not be alarmed by the activity beginning tomorrow in the vicinity of the Brooklyn Bridge. Beginning tomorrow at 4:00PM, Tuesday, January 23, and continuing on weekdays through January, a movie being made in the vicinity of the Brooklyn Bridge will employ flood lighting, Army and Costal Guard helicopters, mock police and military vehicles, and over 1,000 extras for an evacuation scene.

Ooh, I'd better share that with my office, too, as our conference room looks out over the bridge.

Please do not be alarmed by the activity beginning tomorrow in the vicinity of the Brooklyn Bridge. Beginning tomorrow at 4:00PM, Tuesday, January 23, and continuing on weekdays through January, a movie being made in the vicinity of the Brooklyn Bridge will employ flood lighting, Army and Costal Guard helicopters, mock police and military vehicles, and over 1,000 extras for an evacuation scene.

Yeah, that's going to freak some people out.

In the full interview in British Elle, when Ms. Jolie hesitated in describing her newborn daughter, the reporter suggested the word blob. Ms. Jolie foolishly responded: “Yes, a blob! But now she’s starting to have a personality.”

Well, yeah, babies take a little while to get alert and personalities, from my perspective anyway. @@

@@

Oh yes. And here's a thought... you want to "create a national discussion about the propriety of using children in simulated rape acts"? Why don't we start a national discussion of child rape instead?!?

Oh, my aching blood pressure.

Oh, I read that bit. I read it and thought, Wait, why is the NYT covering celebreality? Lame!

In re the Dakota Fanning thing, I'm unclear on why it was okay for Jena Malone to do a rape scene in Bastard out of Carolina (with an adult actor) when she was a minor -- I think 14 -- and not okay for somebody slightly more famous and moppet-looking to do the same. I don't remember a single protest over Malone's scene, although everybody acknowledged it was scary and traumatic.

(Suddenly also recalling the two child actors in Gregg Araki's last movie -- which was about child sex abuse --, who were both like 8 years old. It turns out they just didn't ever tell the kids what was going on in the scenes, so the kids said their lines without knowing the significance of how the scene was being constructed around the lines. Most of the story is told with adult narration, as intermittent and verbally, but not visually, explicit flashbacks.)

(What are those kids' parents going to tell them when they get older?!)

Screaming Ponies. Band name, or euphemism for incontinence?

It's no Exploding Pistachios.

Don't you know, Ailleann? Talking about child rape gives potential child rapists ideas! If we don't talk about it, nobody will think to do it!

Because Repress and Deny! has been working so well for us as a nation.