What ever happened to the days when kids weren’t allergic to anything? It wasn’t that long ago, was it? The only memory of allergies I have growing up as the undisputed undefeated fastest kid in Saddlewood Elementary School not to mention habitual first or second teammate picked on dodge ball days in gym class and, most importantly, producer of the girlfriend repellent pheromone was when in third grade Mike Dickinson didn’t want to participate in Arts and Crafts Time so he gnawed on the back of his hand and claimed he was allergic to felt.

It seems kids nowadays though are allergic to everything; especially peanuts. Back in the 70’s we (that would be everyone but me) used to have what were called “Skippy Parties” in the woods behind the school, but now if it wasn’t bad enough that we have scour the ingredients labels of the snacks we send to school with Jack everyday for peanuts or peanut oils, we just found out as a preventive measure the district is removing any reference to George Washington Carver from the curriculum.

Even though scientists are at a loss to explain to the increased prevalence of peanut allergies in this generation of children, I for one place the blame squarely on our 39th President Liberal Democrat Jimmy Carter. “Why Jimmy Carter?” you may ask, to which I will simply reply, “Peanut Farmer.”

Fact: Did you know that that the first case of peanut allergies wasn’t reported in the United States until 1981; the year after Carter’s term ended? (This is not a fact) Fact: Reported cases of peanut allergies in children of parents who were born during the Carter era is 100 times higher than children of parents who were born while a Republican President held office. (This number is not based on legitimate research) Still don’t believe me? (You shouldn’t)

The most startling fact is that not a single case of peanut allergies has occurred in children whose parents hold conservative political views or are registered republican voters. This has led many experts to deduce that peanut allergies are merely a physical manifestation of children rejecting the liberal views of their parents. Itching and Redness just means that your child wants you to stop supporting same sex unions and gay marriages. Shortness of Breath is your child’s way of saying that your stance on immigration is a threat to traditional American customs and values. Full blown anaphylactic shock and you better get your ass behind the President’s War on Terror.

Until recently the only allergy we’ve had to manage with the boys was a strawberry allergy with Jack that was diagnosed when he was an infant. After he broke out in massive hives while eating a jar of Strawberry Apple Banana Baby Food we were paranoid about letting anything containing Strawberries even get close to him. All ingredient labels were checked thoroughly before an item was purchased. He was not allowed to play with Strawberry Shortcake or any of her friends including Angel Cake, Ginger Snap and Coco Calypso while over his friend Paige’s house. We didn’t even allow him to listen to The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour Album, well at least not side two anyway. The doctor said that he would probably outgrow this allergy by the time he was five, and though he did outgrow it another far more serious allergy took its place; coincidentally enough developing on his fifth birthday.

While helping me blow up balloons for his party he experienced a sudden and unprecedented reaction that caused his eyes to swell up and his lips to puff worse than Jessica Simpson's in the recovery room of a Hollywood Collagen Clinic. After bringing him to the allergist then to have his blood drawn and tested the results came back that he is highly-allergic to latex. Now, my initial reaction was that I know of three things that are made of latex 1) Balloons - which meant I had to keep him away from clowns and loans that do not fully amortize over the term of the note 2) Gloves –since he’s still 35 years away from his first prostate exam I figured this was low risk 3) Condoms – To which I’m handling by playing a loop of me saying “The best form of birth control is abstinence” while he’s asleep. But did you know that more than entertainers for kid’s parties, proctologists and those who practice safe sex have to worry about latex allergies?

Latex, it turns out, is in practically everything. The rubber bands we use to secure the cabinets so Adam doesn’t dump the garbage on the kitchen floor or drink a Resolve Carpet Cleaner Cocktail – Latex. The hundreds of Spiderman, Batman, and Superman Band-aids in the upstairs’ medicine cabinet – Latex. The nipples for Adam’s baby bottles – Latex. Apparently human nipples have trace amounts of latex in them as well. Adhesive tape, diapers, garden hoses and pencil erasers – Latex. Even shoe soles and video game joysticks have latex in them. We are living in a Latex World and that includes Inflatable Girls and since my son’s allergic to a Latex World I got rid of my Inflatable Girl.

We briefly considered sealing him in a protective and sterile bubble, like John Travolta when he portrayed David Vetter in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble AND when he converted to Scientology, but it turns out both the protective bubble and E-Meters are made out of Latex. With complete isolation out of the question and our copy of Dianetics already a week overdue, the best we can do is inform the school of Jack’s allergy, rid the house of as much Latex as we can and teach Jack what he can and can’t come into contact with.

We even carry an Epi-Pen with us now in case Jack has an extreme reaction to Latex and goes into Anaphylactic shock. Unfortunately, Jack thinks that anytime he touches latex though we’re going to jam a needle into him, like John Travolta when he jabs Uma Thurman with an adrenaline shot directly to her heart in the movie Pulp Fiction OR when she eventually converts to Scientology.

I can’t help but think I’m somehow to blame for his latex allergy though. I mean, I did vote for Bill Clinton in both 1992 and 1996.

The price of fame continues to take its toll on today's most-talked about young stars, Zac Efron and Vanessa Anne Hudgens. Both actors catapulted to stardom when they landed roles on Disney's highly successful TV movie, High School Musical, and since then, have been under close watch of the public and the subject of much scrutiny from the media with the status of their off screen romance, Hudgens' nude scandal, and many other controversies.

Now, another report is buzzing its way to the open. According to Star Magazine, the High School Musical actress wants a little less “metro” in Efron and is bothered by his excessive concern about his appearance, preferring her boyfriend to be manly rather than dandy.

“She wants to date a man, not a little girl,” an insider revealed to Star. “Vanessa told Zac to stop being such a sissy and freaking out when he gets blemishes.”

The report stemmed from a birthday bash for Hudgens' little sister last month where Efron reportedly almost bailed on the event after spotting an enormous zit on his cheek. At one point, Hudgens reportedly offered up her tube of concealer, although this made her feel weird since she “doesn't want to share makeup with her boyfriend.”

“He just flipped out. He knew there were a bunch of girls at the party who worship him…and he didn't want them all staring at his pimple,” an insider told Star Magazine.

On the other hand, the High School Musical actress maintains that she never said that Efron needs to toughen up.

“That's completely false. I never said that,” Hudgens said during an ambush interview where she was asked why she wanted Efron to be more “masculine.”

At present, Efron is currently filming the movie Seventeen, which is set to air in 2009, and is expected to reprise his signature role as Troy Bolton, along with Hudgens as Gabriella Montez, in High School Musical 3, which will film early next year.

Zac Efron from High School Musical 2 is still on the set of his new movie Seventeen.

It seems like Zac is the spotlight of the whole movie, he looks like he is about to go to a photoshoot! :)

The movie is rumored to be out sometime Summer 2008, but many sources say 2009.

Coffee prince...

or

Hana Kimi...

...which one dya prefer?

I think it's too close a fight, as both have their own merits (and demerits). But because they both touch on the theme of homosexuality, I shall write about them in the same post. I thought it's pretty interesting that scriptwriters are now more adventurous in their work, it wouldn't have happened 10 years ago. I find it especially clever of them to include the topic of homosexuality within the light genre that is romantic comedy. Cos while it makes the topic more viewer friendly, we are made to question so many things. So we get to see homosexuality without all the explicit hard-core scenes that would appear in gay movies. Anyway, I must say that homosexuality has always been and will always be a controversy so even without the explicitness of gay movies, slipping in the theme of homosexuality in romantic comedies will make people think.

As much as both Coffee Prince and Hana Kimi are romantic comedies, I feel that Coffee Prince is more for an adult audience while Hana Kimi will appeal more to the youngsters. The school setting in Hana Kimi really waters down the seriousness of homosexuality I think. Although the single-ed school setting makes it a fertile breeding ground for gays, somehow I am led to believe that whatever feelings of being a homosexual that one has in school are usually transitory. It's just the time when people are exploring their sexuality and sometimes they tend to get confused. But then later they realise what they really are and most of the time things go back to normal, where the norm is being heterosexual. I say this because I come from a single-ed school myself and there were a fair share of gossip about some girls in school. And anyway in Hana Kimi, didn't Xiu Yi end up liking Julia? So even though for the most part of the show, he liked Rui Xi homosexually, in the end he was just confused.

Thus, in that sense, Coffee Prince does better in terms of exploring homosexuality. Cos people take adults more seriously, you just can't deny it. And since Coffee Prince doesn't have the high school setting, it makes me more accepting of what the producers are trying to explore. Coffee Prince is also more daring as they had the leads kiss before Han Kyul found out that Eun Chan was a girl, and the way Han Kyul was fretting over his sexual orientation and finally confessed his homo feelings to Eun Chan looked more realistic.

Actually, I believe that both dramas end up protecting the status quo since both leading couples are heterosexual, but while it lasted, homosexuality was better explored in Coffee Prince. Still, I thought it would have been more interesting if both dramas had been a bit more daring to take it a bit further. Have Quan in the dark about Ruixi's gender until like the end of the serial. We would have both Quan and Xiu Yi thinking they are gay, haha. In the case of Coffee Prince, I thought it would have been more explosive if Han Kyul had found out that Eun Chan's a girl the night they slept together before the latter left to study overseas. Then again, me is not a scriptwriter so what do I know, right?

So, I'll leave it to you all to think about it. As for the performance by the cast, I thought all the leads gave a strong and convincing performance. I'd give both my thumps up to Ella and Yoon Eun Hye for their strong showing as guys in their respective dramas. Yoon Eun Hye is really a good actress man, for someone relatively young. Gong Yoo was realistic enough and the laid-back attitude shown through his fashion sense in the show was pretty cute too. As for Wu Chun, I have too many things to say about him but I reckon people will click on the 'x' at the top right hand corner of the screen before I finish so I better focus on his character in Hana Kimi, hehe. I'd say he was really sweet and protective, but somehow I thought his last effort in protecting Ruixi's identity in the last episode was a bit overdone? If you think about it, how far can you go in keeping her identity a secret when other people are fast realising she's a girl? And since they both like each other, shouldn't they have enough confidence to continue their relationship openly as a guy and a girl?

Ok it's just me and my knotty thoughts lar. I should just continue idolising Wu Chun without thinking so much about the dramas, haha. Anyway, is Romantic Princess going to be aired on Channel U in Jan 2008? I saw the teaser and though I can't read the title since I can't read Chinese, the pictures seem like those of Romantic Princess. So exciting! January is such a good month, haha!

Before that fantastic month comes, I shall be ending my 2007 with a full year review tomorrow, on the last day of December, so till then!

Who knew Cody Linley was a singer???

You may know Cody from Disney's Hannah Montana as Jake Ryan. Or from the movie Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It, which features Hannah Montana star Emily Osment.

Cody's new song "Wonderwall" is featured on his official MySpace page.

Cody Linley - "Wonderwall" | LISTEN

Zac Efron usually keep very quiet on his girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens.  But OK! Magazine quotes the young actor when they caught up with the teen dream couple earlier this month.  The pair were spotted by the weekly Entertainment Magazine on the streets of Hollywood on Dec. 15, the day after Vanessa’s 19th birthday.

Zac Efron on Vanessa Hudgens: 'She's Such a Sexy Woman' (Image: Wenn)

The very private Zac defended his gal.  "The weird thing that no one expected about Vanessa is that underneath such a sweet girl… is a very sexy woman,” Zac, 20, has said of his girlfriend.  Well, we all know that now, thanks to her earlier photo release.

Mike Walker has a Zac update as well and tells how he sneaks out of work when he wants to dodge the paparazzi.  He writes in this week's National Enquirer, "Zac Efron ain’t just another pretty face – the teen-throb’s brainstormed a way-cool way to duck fans and photogs who mob him at the studio gates after work on his new flick “Seventeen”.

According to Walker, "Zac simply ducks down inside a studio van, gets driven to various streets nearby, then hops into cars left by his rental company – a different one every day – and drives home unnoticed."

Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens are keeping the love alive in Los Angeles despite several speculative reports that they have split or that their romance is manufactured for publicity. According to a report from Fox News the pair were spotted getting cozy in a bar and sipping on some martinis last weekend.

Zac Efron Spotted Snuggling and Drinking With Vanessa Hudgens (Image: Wenn)

Wait - just how old are these kids? For the record Zac is twenty and Vanessa just tuned nineteen. The report claims that the High School Musical sweethearts very cozy in a back booth in Hollywood at Lola's last Friday night.

Zac and Vanessa have been mentioned all year long as America's hottest young couple and gossips have had them all over the map. Some have claimed they were broken up or close to a split but they have defied those guesses and are still together and putting on a united front.

For now they are still going strong as we come up on New Year's Day.

Johnny Depp, terlahir di Kentucky pada 9 Juni 1963, telah menempuh sebuah jalan unik, yang membawanya sebagai salah satu aktor papan atas Hollywood saat ini. Lahir dengan nama lengkap John Christopher Depp II, Depp muda sangat tertarik dalam mengejar karir di bidang musik. Kepindahannya ke Florida dan perceraian kedua orangtuanya di saat usianya baru 16 tahun, membuat Depp mengenal akan obat-obatan terlarang dan minuman keras. Depp keluar dari sekolah dan berkarir di musik. Beberapa tahun kemudian, Depp membentuk beberapa band garasi, yang paling terkenal diantaranya adalah The Kids, sebagai band pembuka untuk Iggy Pop. Mungkin yang lebih penting, kesuksesan dari The Kids menjadikan Depp sebagai sosok yang penuh dengan rasa popularitas dan pencapaian yang sedang tumbuh.

Determinasi dan harapan akan ketenaran menginspirasi band ini untuk hijrah ke Los Angeles. Depp menikah pada saat usianya menginjak 20 tahun dengan Lori Allison, yang tak lain adalah make-up artis dari The Kids. Disaat bandnya berjuang dengan pangsa pasar West Coast yang kompetitif, Depp (atas saran dari istrinya) memutuskan untuk mencoba berakting. Perkenalannya dengan Nicolas Cage, yang terlebih dulu telah menjadi seorang aktor, membuat Depp mengikuti audisi. Debut film pertama Depp adalah film layar lebar berjudul A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) karya Wes Craven. Tidak dapat memperoleh kembali momentumnya, The Kids bubar tak lama setelah dirilisnya film Johnny Depp dan Depp merubah cita-citanya sebagai pemain musik, untuk hidup di dunia akting. Sebuah peran kecil dalam Platoon (1986) arahan Oliver Stone adalah selanjutnya. Karir aktingnya semakin sukses setelah rumah produksi Fox menawarkan kepada Depp untuk bermain di serial televisi baru berjudul 21 Jump Street. Meskipun mengaku peran yang dimainkannya di serial televisi tersebut kurang sesuai dengan dirinya tetapi serial televisi ini telah menjadikannya sebagai seorang idola remaja baru saat itu.

Film Depp yang lain adalah Edward Scissorhands (1990) garapan Tim Burton dimana peran yang dimainkannya sungguh tidak biasa dan Depp menanggalkan kesan bocah manis terhadap dirinya dalam film ini. Dalam filmnya kali ini Johnny Depp berpasangan dengan aktris cantik Winona Ryder yang pada akhirnya menjadi kekasih Depp selama beberapa tahun. Kesuksesan dari film ini membuat Depp dikenal sebagai salah satu aktor serius yang lebih suka memilih peran aneh dan tidak biasa serta bertema gelap yang mana selalu mengejutkan penonton dengan peran-peran yang dipilihnya.

Dalam jangka waktu lima tahun, mulai tahun 1993, Depp telah berperan dalam sejumlah film termasuk: What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Benny and Joon, Arizona Dreaming, Nick of Time dan Dead Man garapan Jim Jarmusch. Kepopuleran dan kesuksesan dirinya tanpa disadari telah membuat Depp merasa tertekan. Kembali, Depp yang kurang bahagia mulai menggunakan obat-obatan terlarang dan minuman keras untuk lari dari kenyataan. Terjebak dalam kedalaman disilusi, Depp yang bermasalah memulai sebuah hubungan yang tidak jelas (on-off relationship) dengan supermodel Kate Moss (1996), ditahan sebanyak dua kali karena kasus trashing di dalam kamar hotelnya di New York dan terlibat perkelahian dengan salah seorang anggota paparazzi (1999). Meskipun kehidupan pribadinya sedang dilanda banyak masalah, dalam dunia layar lebar Depp tetap memantapkan dirinya sebagai seorang aktor yang luar biasa.

Tahun 1998, Depp berpisah dengan supermodel Kate Moss dan menjalin hubungan dengan seorang penyanyi asal Perancis Vanessa Paradis, pindah ke Paris bersama dengan kedua anaknya (Lily-Rose dan Jack) dengan harapan untuk mengejar sebuah kehidupan yang lebih normal. Kesempatan bekerja berlanjut dan Depp melanjutkan aktingnya, membintangi film seperti: The Source, The 9th Gate, Sleepy Hollow karya Tim Burton dan film nominasi Oscar Chocolat. Selain itu, Depp juga melanjutkan ketertarikannya terhadap dunia musik dengan tampil dalam beberapa video musik (seperti pada "The Great Wide Open" oleh Tom Petty), memproduksi musik dengan bandnya, P, dan sebagai sutradara dalam beberapa video untuk istrinya (2001).

FROM JASON'S COMMAND CHAIR -- What is it about Trekkies that makes them obsess over ill-conceived time-travel plots?

Andrew and I just finished watching the first installment of Star Trek: Of Gods and Men, the extremely low-budget, convoluted mini-series being produced by various Trek alums as a "40th anniversary present" to fans.

We are perplexed, to say the least.

Directed by Tim Russ (Tuvok from Star Trek Voyager and a terrorist from that TNG episode where Picard wants to go horseback riding but crawls around the Enterprise's innards instead), part one weighed in at 26 minutes, 12 seconds. Each minute had us scratching our heads and asking, "WHY? FOR THE LOVE OF KIRK, WHY?!"

The plot (as it is): Charlie Evans -- from the second episode of season one in 1966 -- returns. As a young and powerful psionic 40 years ago, Charlie tried to take over the Enterprise after he was rescued from the surface of the planet Thasus.

Now he's back with a grudge against Captain Kirk. He shows up on the bridge to confront Uhura (Nichelle Nichols reprising her role), Chekov (Walter Koenig), John Harriman (Alan Ruck -- Cameron from Ferris Beuller's Day Off!), Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney), and Kirk's nephew -- who is now in command of the good ol' NCC-1701.

Charlie uses The Guardian of Forever (from the second-to-last episode of season one, The City On the Edge of Forever -- you know, the one with Joan Collins) to go back in time, presumably to assassinate Kirk as an infant a la The Terminator.

As Doc Brown can tell you, changing the past changes the future. Charlie's actions spawn (as far as we can tell) an alternate time line. It's not the Mirror Universe that both TOS and DS9 visited several times. In this one, Harriman -- an EVIL, Orion slave-girl owning Harriman -- captains the Enterprise. Instead of the Federation, he is a member of the Galactic Order.

He captures a Correllian Corvette separatist ship and imprisons Princess Leia this time line's version of Chekov, who heads the Rebel Alliance resistance against the Galactic Empire Order. Then Grand Moff Tarkin Harriman fires an Death Star beam Omega device at Alderaan Vulcan because it supported secession from the Order.

Overall, the plot seems muddled, the CG is kiddie-grade, the Federation-time line sets are straight out of the 60s instead of the darker 80s movie versions, Ruck's alternate time line shirt is nice and glittery, and Garrett Wang is... well, Garrett Wang. With a wig.

All that said, it's still Star Trek and we'll still watch Act II of Of Gods and Men as soon as it's released -- if only to laugh at it.

I already linked to it, but again: Watch the movie here.

Don't miss such great dialog as:

Seems that rehab had a positive effect on Lindsay Lohan’s dating life. Maybe she’s coherent enough now to actually hang on to a man. But oh, the list keeps growing.

Who knows what’s up wiht Riley Giles, but now Spencer Guilburt, a “graphic artist” and “actor” says he’s spent some time with Linds. He says, “I’ve seen her a lot since she’s been home, and expect to see me with her more.”

Umm, want publicity or what, man? He won’t say if they’re actually dating, though. His smug reply? “If I’m dating Lindsay, Lindsay will let you know.”

He says being with him is a good thing for her. He says he isn’t into booze and doesn’t use “substances”. He’s helping her…