Maysie

That could be. But it could also be Kanye's influence, though I feel a little weird "blaming" him, but I think it's possible his view of Kim could be distorting her self-image. If we're to believe all the press they've put out about their past, their courtship and all the "I always loved her" stuff, Kanye definitely had an idealized version of Kim in his mind. Maybe the Kim he met years ago was a good starting point, or something like that. And as he's evolved/changed over time, he's kind of molding her into his idealized image of what she is/should be. People have referred to his fondness for porn, though I have no idea if it's true or what he said because I haven't read enough interviews/stories about him to really reference that stuff definitively/intelligently. However, if it's true, then he could be in the very common trap of men who see women in a certain objectified way - they're more dolls than human, so the plasticized looks are actually attractive to them. And let's face it: without Kanye, Kim's relevancy would be much, much lower, especially after the Kris Humphries debacle. I can see her buying into his view of her, especially given all the attention she's received because of him - the cover of Vogue, front row at fashion week, etc. But that's a mess of speculation. And as peaceknit says, it could be body dysmorphic disorder. Although I have a bit of a hard time believing she really feels she's flawed, though it could be. I mean, if Michael Jackson can go there, I suppose Kim could.

Well, I wouldn't call Kim's breasts "old" because she's only 33, but they're certainly overfilled and engaged in a "hey look at me!" game. Her poor breasts have no idea what's happened to them. I guess the only good thing about those photos is that poor North isn't tarted up to match her mother's outfit of the day. It is jarring to look at the pictures posted upthread and see how attractive Kim once was. I understand that everyone looks pretty great in their 20's, however, I'll say it again: 33 is not old. But she's aging herself with all the surgery or procedures or whatever she's had done. I don't know how she can look at the differences and think that she looks better, but there's a whole host of people who started and couldn't stop, no matter how much they destroyed their looks.

I wondered that too. She was really my favorite thing about the first movie, even if she was just kind of a sappy plot point. I think part of my issue for both movies was they kind of killed any affection I had for the characters. Watching the show after seeing the movies made me see the characters in a new, rather unflattering, light. They were all at varying levels of self-absorption in the film and it seemed like they lost all humor or something (no matter how hard they tried to make Sam's menopausal adventures and Charlotte's gastrointestinal problems funny). I can't put my finger on it, but none of them were people I would want to spend an evening sharing drinks with, and I didn't get that feeling from the tv show. So I think a third movie would be even more worn.

Really, going away with Kanye is the best thing she could do for herself and the brand. Seriously! There's no way in hell they'll stay out of the media, but they won't be quite so front and center. And when they inevitably break up, she's fresh for a second go-round with E! for her own reality show about her new single life. I'm not really kidding about this either. Of course, there's no way to know what kind of marriage/relationship they have, and they might have the perfect blend of narcissism and practicality that the relationship actually goes the long haul. But right now I put my money on if/when they tank, Kim gets her very own show about being single Kardashian-style. The thing that strikes me about that picture is that the rings are placed for maximum picture taking effect. Because if she's looking down at her own hands, it reads "West North." Unless I'm seeing it wrong. All for the cameras. Every day. All the time.

The interesting thing about the picture of those dolls is that "Kanye's" hand is planted right in "Kim's" crotch. Seems about right. And then there was this from the write-up: There's so much to say about these two, but helicopter parenting is about the last thing I'd accuse them of.

I guess this is the right thread to post this: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/reviews/sex-and-the-city-3-jennifer-hudson I am in the minority that I didn't care all that much for the first movie and I felt the second one was god-awful. I can't imagine what the untold story is that SJP and MPK are referring to. I know I won't spend money to see it, but I can't deny there's a curiosity factor for me -- just how bad can it/will it be? If they were having a hard time dealing with the aging process in the second movie (meaning Sam's menopause), I shudder to think what they'll do in the third one when they're all approaching/firmly in that point in their lives.

And here is a link that kind of says it all: http://www.gofugyourself.com/celebs/kim-kardashian It's filled with all kinds of goodness about how they dressed North, but the finish is glorious:

I hate the lace get-up too. It's hideous on Kim anyway, but putting a see-through lace outfit on your toddler girl screams wrong to me on so many (not just feminist) levels. Again, there's the ick factor of seeing any kid dressed up in a mature way, but there's the hint of things to come: sexualizing your own daughter. And it's especially glaring because she's dressed to match her mother who does dress to sexualize herself. And though I think she has crap taste in clothes these days, it's Kim's choice to objectify herself. But I loathe her even more for starting her own child down that path. But then I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, given how Kim's own mother would whore her own daughter out for the right price. I truly feel sorry for this little girl. She can't help what she was born into.

I figure at this point, North has no idea what she's wearing. Kim and Kanye can say whatever they want, but a one year old doesn't have her own fashion sense/taste yet. I like the leather jacket, but I don't like it for a child. Not a one year old or a five year old, except maybe for Halloween. I get creeped out by little kids being dressed up like adults, by adults. I keep thinking of Jon Benet Ramsey, even though that's the total opposite of North's "look." That's not to say she has to be in pinks and reds and whites and ruffles and lace and bows, but she's a one year old girl for fuck's sake. In my mind, kids should be dressed for comfort, moveability, and to get dirty. Seriously, they crawl around, play and just basically make a mess, especially when they're toddlers. My real problem with North's get-up - the skirt and leggings - is that when you add a diaper into the mix (and I'm assuming she's still in diapers and isn't a toilet-trained prodigy), well, holy mother of god that's a lot of stuff around her waist confining her. I don't have kids, so I may be way off base on that, but that was my first thought when I looked at her. I mean really, it doesn't seem like they're dressing her for her own comfort or ease of walking at all. And then add in the Yeezus shirt and the tricked out leather jacket . . . It just feels like she's another way to make a fashion statement. They do fine on their own with their "statements," between his moobs and her disaster du jour; why must they do this to their child?

I agree with a lot of this. North is cute, I think. And I don't care how she's dressed. She's a baby for fuck's sake. It's like the fashion updates for Suri Cruise - I. Don't. Care. I feel for anyone battling the paps, truly I do. People should be able to come and go in peace with their children without a lens being poked in their face, up their ass and everywhere else. However, I seem to remember there was speculation about Kim/Kris alerting the paps to their comings and goings. I don't know if it's true, but if it is/was, then Kim has fed that beast and it still expects to be fed. And despite their perpetual bitch faces when they're out and about, I don't think Kim really minds all that much. I think she has to look stern because Kanye expects it (and I still am not sold that he hates them as much as he says he does. I think he loves/craves the attention it brings, but he loves/wants it on his own terms). Truthfully, I feel like if they walked through an airport unnoticed or unphotographed they would still look glum. And I think they'd be alarmed that they didn't get the attention they're so used to. Yep. How is it that other people are able to get their kids' faces blurred? I do wonder about that and it begs the question of why Kim and Kanye don't try a little harder to maintain North's privacy (and I think we all have the answer, probably close to iwasish's post). I mean, there are plenty of famous people with kids, who travel a lot for work and fun, and I have no idea what those kids look like, what their clothes are like -- Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban anyone?

You know, I wonder if they both think it's cool to not smile -- like they're just so above it all and it's just another day in their jetset life, blah blah blah. Or I wonder if they're really that miserable? I understand you can't/won't have a smile every time you go somewhere. Hell, I'm getting ready to go on a trip and I'm sure I'm not going to be smiling the entire time (of course, I'll be flying coach!). However it just seems like every single time you see them together neither one of them looks particularly happy. The only recent picture of him smiling I can remember is a shot of him and North in the recording studio or something. He looks genuinely happy and it's actually a good picture - he looks human! I think that's it. Smiling actually humanizes them a bit (or as human as she can look these days with all the shit she's done to her face). If they were smart, they'd crack one once in a while just so people could identify with them a teeny bit. As it is, they remind me of robots or something, unfeeling, detached from life. They may be miserable together, but my money's on they think it's cool to not smile because this is their super-glamorous life and it's just another ho-hum day for them living the good life.

I didn't click on the link, but really? He's teaching? That's his community service? He must have paid someone off because community service -- it seems to me -- is supposed to be a way of giving something back to your community. I hate to use the word "punishment" because really, I don't think community involvement should be considered punishment. But it should be something that makes you reflect on what you've done and re-evaluate your choices, etc. It seems to me the college ought to have, I don't know, real, qualified teachers for doing what Kanye is reportedly doing. In my mind, I consider time at a soup kitchen, picking up trash, trail clearing/breaking to be community service. Whiling the day away talking to people who actually paid for an education -- basically taking time from their real classes -- doesn't seem much like community service to me.

I tend to think she's delusional enough to believe she actually looks good in what she's wearing. And Kanye must support her and her choices because you know he wouldn't let her leave the house if he didn't think she was looking fine. Taste varies drastically when it comes to what people find attractive in body shape, wardrobe choices, hair, makeup, etc. I have a friend who described Sondra Bullock as "a sack of hangers" (i.e., too thin), while another things she's hot hot hot. My point is somewhere out there are people who think Kim looks hot in the ill-fitting shit she wears and that her plastic body and face are just fine. I think Kanye is one of them and I think he's convinced her she looks like the milf she wants to be. I see enough regluar people walking around in real life in clothes that fit and look like crap on them, and it's usually because the clothes don't fit, not because they aren't expensive designer clothes. I think a lot of women are under the impression that when they wear tight clothes, with their breasts spilling out of them, they look voluptuous and desireable, forgetting that the rest of their body is fighting to get out too, straining at the seams. We're so programmed to think that cleavage is sexy, and now the ass is back in style too, so it's not something to hide anymore (like it was when I was growing up), but to be flaunted. So I think Kim really thinks she's showing off her best assets in the most flattering way possible. What she doesn't seem to get is that she could still show off her curves in a classy, stylish way that doesn't make her look matronly. My opinion is that she's typically a trainwreck, but an almost endless source for snark.

I've been to my share of concerts where the artist invited everyone to get up. The best concerts are the ones where the artist doesn't have to invite the audience to stand - I've never seen Springsteen, U2 or Kravitz have to prompt their audiences, but that's a different story. Had Kanye left it at "let's see how many we can get on their feet," or a "come on and do it with me" kind of thing, sure, no problem. I'm all in. But when you refuse to continue and then you actually send your security guard out to the audience to basically force audience participation, you cross a line. Again, I paid for my ticket, I expect to see some sort of a show, not a spoiled, immature "artist" who refuses to hold up his part of the bargain. It's the same thing as going to a concert and the artist is shit-faced drunk and unable to perform. Kanye earned every bit of bad press he's getting for this, and it's not unfair or targeting him in this instance. He also earned having that prosthetic leg kick his ass. Years ago I went to a Soul Asylum concert and the band was so horribly bad and obviously dialing it in that I left. Tickets aren't cheap, my time means something to me and I won't add to the loss by hoping a "professional" is going to actually do his/her job. When it comes to that stuff, I vote with my wallet. I hope others do too.

In defense of the Pitt-Jolie foundation, it's not going back into their pockets; it's how they fund various other charities/work that that particular foundation focuses on. They no more line their pockets with that money than Bill and Melinda Gates do with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's funds. I know a wealthy woman who also has her own foundation and it's how she distributes money - people write grant requests, etc. to her foundation to receive the funding. So what the Pitt-Jolies are doing is above board and they aren't scamming anyone. Anyone who is really interested could access the financials and read all about it. That's vastly different from what other people, including the Kardashians do, when they have auctions and donate a pittance of the proceeds to charity, while the vast majority of the money raised does go into their pockets. I'm not a tax expert, but I don't think that it's a huge tax break - they can claim the percentage they actually end up donating, I think. But they do get the goodwill of saying "it's for charity," when in reality a very small percentage of it is for charity. And that red dress she has on is cute -- for someone built for it. Her ass is absolutely out of control in that get up. And yeah, Kim looks like a different person with Reggie Bush - much happier and actually pretty. I like Reggie Bush so I'm happy he dodged that bullet. Of course, it's kind of worth wondering, if the relationship had actually worked out, would she have developed into whatever the hell it is she is now? I mean, would she have had all that work done? Would she be trying desperately to be a MILF? Would she be doing anything to stay relevant and on tv and online? I can't believe that she actually loved someone as much as she loves herself and fame - she's really transformed herself, and not necessarily in a good way.

I read about Kanye's stunt this morning and I don't know why, but I was surprised. And I shouldn't have been because there have been more than enough reports of his self-deluded behavior/rants, but I dont know . . . I understand an artist wanting his audience to be into it with him, but to refuse to perform because two people wouldn't stand up is childish. But it gets worse because he actually sent a security guard to them to make them stand up. The first part of that is fucked up, but the second part is just - I don't have words for it really. I wouldn't have been at his concert, but had I forked over money to see my favorite band, I would have left the building. Seriously. Because motherfucker, I paid to see you. I pay to buy your music. I help support your lavish lifestyle. If I don't feel like standing up/singing/dancing/what the fuck ever, that's my choice because I paid you to perform for me. And to refuse because I just don't feel like dancing means you're breaking your part of the contract. In Kanye's case, he's supposed to be the creative genius, right? He's the one who's supposed to be the best ever, the most underappreciated, with the most famous/beautiful/talented/worthy wife, am I right? Yet he can't/won't perform unless everyone's on their feet? Shouldn't his genius transcend that? I used to think that many of the rants were strictly for publicity, but I am beginning to think he's mentally ill. Seriously. That or he's an ever bigger tool than we even though possible. I hope there's some good backlash on this one because he earned this one all by himself. He didn't need Kim's help this time. Ugh.

As far as Joan Rivers goes, yes, the classy thing would be to extend condolences, but really, why should she? As someone else said, people die unacknowledged all the time and I can't see where there was any connection, other than E! and Joan's comments about North; it's not like she influenced Kim or anything. As well, given all the heavy hitters that offered condolences, made statements, and showed up at the service, I sense that Joan's family is certainly not missing condolences from Kim blah blah blah West. Given the coverage of the funeral and the people that showed up, I'm sure Kim wishes she could have been there, however.

Really??? Really???? Must she talk about her sex life and how awesome and incredible it is? Why yes, she must. Because she's Kim Kardashian and nothing is ever private or off-limits if it will get your name in the trending section on the internet. I kinda hope Anna Wintour is choking on the Vogue cover she wasted on this classy couple.

I read the piece Artsda linked to and read this: "They see each other a lot more than people realize – they just don't feel the need to publicize it every time." Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!! Awesome. I needed a laugh today.

A lot of what needed to be done at the pie shop was pretty obvious. Even though the guy was an emotional mess - which brought out a bunch of assholish tendencies - I felt like he really did give a shit about what the business did and the impact it had on the employees (unlike the Amazing Grapes owners). I can imagine the whole thing just grew bigger and more out of hand than he imagined and he could only address it with "sell more stuff." I was glad Marcus changed the recipe, because after hearing how that pie was made originally, I surely would have resented throwing four bucks away for one piece. I also thought it was smart to use Jim's crust. But the new logo - ugly and already dated, in my opinion. And like camom above stated, I thought it was a different lime from a key lime. I thought Marcus should have thrown Jim a bone and used the old logo, or a riff on the old logo, because I thought the old logo was actually pretty good. It would have made Jim pleased to win one small battle. I was a bit confused about the chefs. I understand trying to get a new proprietary recipe, but it seemed like they came up with some really complicated stuff that took the pie into a whole new direction. I can see maybe doing an alternative version or something, but there needed to be a basic key lime pie to draw people in - not something loaded with chocolate or in a jar. My feeling is if you're doing a key lime pie business, you need at least a classic version of the pie to choose on the menu.

A few things about this episode: I felt Brian decided to be "proactive" when he saw that the long-time employees were being nicely rewarded for basically running Greg's business all that time. I think he wanted to be part of the group and figured his "proactivity" would be embraced by Marcus. But as it was, he stepped out of bounds and looked like he was making poor choices. I do think Marcus was a bit over the top in his reaction, however. As for Dan going off on Greg, I can imagine that was a lot of frustration coming out - more than the price of a bottle of wine for both of them, for sure. Greg comes back to see his business - or basically his old business - radically different from what it used to be and understandably felt threatened. And Dan's been plugging along making the best of bad/no management for years and finally has some support. Of course they'll clash. I have to say: Marcus totally rocked Greg's world in this one. Talk about marginalizing the former owner! It took on a very "us vs him" feel, but Greg earned it. My husband and I discussed whether Marcus tried to call/contact Greg during the renovation - I sensed that Marcus had put in a few calls to him, but that may have been an assumption on my part. I could definitely envision a scenario where Marcus went ahead and let Greg continue to slack off knowing that he's avoiding the inevitable conflict that's coming from the extensive renovation. I feel like Amazing Grapes went from being a wine store to a wine bar that sells the stuff you can taste. Not saying it's a bad thing, but it seems like a pretty big shift in the business. Marcus dropped some serious cash in that renovation. And what the hell with all these people that seem to think Marcus is going to walk in, drop a check and then walk away? I guess they are deluded because they've allowed their businesses to get to the point where they're looking for that kind of help, but seriously? They think someone's just going to gift them with a few hundred grand and allow you to do the same fucked up shit that got you in the mess in the first place. He's The Profit. Not the Non-Profit.

I'd put money on the wedding happening, especially since they got the Vogue cover. If Kanye really/still thinks Kim is all that, then if he even perceives a problem between his friends and their acceptance of Kim, he'll put the blame on his friends. He's got a proven track record of blaming other people when things aren't as he thinks they should be, so I can easily see him thinking that his friends have the problem with Kim and just don't get it/understand her. And in a sense, he's right. Kim would be all over most of those people if they'd give her half a chance; they're the ones keeping their distance. And they'll either come around, as Anna Wintour did, or they won't. And since Anna Wintour changed her mind, I'm sure he's thinking the rest of them will too. If they hadn't gotten the Vogue cover, I'd think he was especially deluded, but I'll say this for them: they got what they wanted. It doesn't matter that they had to share the cover; somehow they made Anna Wintour change her mind and Kim can die with a Vogue cover to her credit. And I'll bet that they get at least a few of his A list friends at the wedding. Whether they believe in this crap K&K are trying to sell or not, the fact is Kanye is a respected artist. Yeah, he does and says stupid shit all the fucking time anymore, and marrying Kim is just another one of those stupid things, but let's be real - famous people are always doing stupid shit and other famous people stand behind them. I guess it's part of the code or whatever.