Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen was banned from the Academy Awards when he mentioned he might arrive dressed as his character from “The Dictator.” The movie seems like it will be funny, and is described as a “heroic story of a Middle Eastern dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy never comes to the country he so lovingly oppressed”.

I guess the Academy didn’t want to offend Middle Eastern dictators

Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, would have been 45 today.

If Kurt Cobain were still alive, he would be celebrating his 45th birthday today. It’s hard to believe Cobain has been gone for nearly 18 years. It’s even harder to believe that Nirvana’s time in the spotlight lasted only a few years before his demise. His life was short, but his impact on music will last forever.

Chris Christie orders flags flown at half-staff to honor singer Whitney Houston.

Phyllis McGeath’s son Phillip, who was a Marine, was killed in Afghanistan four weeks ago. In order to honor him, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ordered flags to be flown at half-staff. Recently, Christie also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff for pop singer Whitney Houston. The same honor for a Marine killed in the line of duty while serving his country, and a washed-up, drug-addicted pop singer. Something’s wrong here.

Ms. McGeath was understandably upset by the similar honor:

“Nothing against Ms. Houston because she was a beautiful singer and I was a fan for years,” McGeath said.

But, “It was like putting them on the same level. And I know how my son lived. And I know through the media how Ms. Houston lived,” she said

Chris Christie responded with a rather weak response, which he probably hoped would cover-up his publicity-seeking position, by calling Houston a, “daughter of New Jersey.”

Chris Christie is correct in pointing out that Whitney Houston grew up in New Jersey. With that said, there were probably several people who died today who have lived in New Jersey for 70, 80, or 90 years. They might have contributed greatly to their communities and helped countless citizens. Those people are also sons and daughters of New Jersey. Where is their tribute? How are these sons and daughters of New Jersey different from Whitney Houston? Celebrity, plain and simple.

Something is wrong when society grants honors to pop singers it would never think of giving to a doctor, police officer, or firefighter.

Dave Mustaine, of the thrash metal band Megadeth, announces his support for Rick Santorum.

Megadeth lead singer and guitarist Dave Mustaine has announced his support for Republican Rick Santorum. According to Mustaine, “I think Santorum has some presidential qualities, and I’m hoping that if it does come down to it, we’ll see a Republican in the White House… and that it’s Rick Santorum.”

I do agree that Santorum is a better choice than Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich, who Mustaine referred to as “an angry little man.” Of course, being the better candidate doesn’t mean much when you’re being compared to Romney or Gingrich. You’d have to be pretty bad to be worse.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to listen to Peace Sells.

There are so many important things happening in the world, but today I decided to write about something that is completely meaningless and unimportant. Some would argue that I do this frequently, but i digress.

For those of you who enjoy perusing the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, and follow politics, you might be surprised to find out that there is a connection between the two. Michigan Rep. Fred Upton’s niece Kate Upton is featured on the cover of the 2012 issue.

Like I said, this is completely unimportant, but it does provide an excuse to check out some pictures of Kate Upton.

Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover girl, Kate Upton.

Nicki Minaj arrives at the 2012 Grammy Awards with a man dressed as the Pope.

I’m an atheist, but the picture above irks me for a few reasons.

First, it’s an example of just how low pop music has gone. “Musicians” need to pull stunts like this to get attention from reporters, photographers, and interviewers, because their talent sure isn’t going to get them noticed. What’s the matter? Wouldn’t Lady Gaga let her use her cocoon or meat suit?

Second, notice how certain religions seem to be off limits to jokes and other criticism, yet Catholicism and Christianity in general seem to be great targets to poke fun at. Can we have some consistency?

Third, what’s the point? Is she working on an album of church hymns?

Whitney Houson singing the National Anthem at the Superbowl in 1991.

Whitney Houston passed away yesterday at the age of 48, and almost instantaneously, there was a huge spike in her music sales. Why? Her last albums didn’t sell nearly as well as her music from the 80′s and 90′s, yet now we’re seeing all of her “fans” purchasing her music.

I wasn’t a Whitney Houston fan, but for those of you who are, I’m sorry one of your favorites has passed. For those of you who need death and constant media exposure to listen to someone’s music, you’re pathetic. Why not try listening to these individuals when they’re alive?

The same has happened with other artists, such as Michael Jackson or Johnny Cash. One of the worst examples was MTV nominating Mr. Cash for an award while he was on his death bed and too sick to attend the ceremony. What happened to his work from previous decades? I guess there’s nothing like death to get some ratings.

Whitney Houston from the 1980's.

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Actor Samuel L. Jackson

During the 2008 Presidential campaign, there was a lot of discussion about how accepting white voters would be of a black candidate. Would Barack Obama lose because of racism among white Americans? Well, obviously he didn’t. It looks like Americans aren’t as racist as many liberals would have you believe.

Of course, many in the media would never look at the opposite being true. Would black voters be more likely to vote for Barack Obama because he was black? I don’t recall much attention being paid to that question in 2008. If it were addressed, I’m pretty sure it would have been seen as less important than how white voters would react.

It turns out that the number of black voters increased significantly from 2004 to 2008, and according to exit polls, 96% of black voters voted for Obama. Nearly 3 million more black voters went to the polls in 2008 than in 2004. Now, to be fair, 88% of black voters voted for John Kerry in 2004, so the underlying reason for their support is likely membership in the Democratic party. Still, the increase is significant.

So, what does this old news have to do with Samuel L. Jackson?

In a recent interview with Ebony Magazine, Jackson made these comments:

“I voted for Barack because he was black. ‘Cuz that’s why other folks vote for other people — because they look like them … That’s American politics, pure and simple. [Obama's] message didn’t mean [bleep] to me.”

Jackson then went on to drop the N-word several times when discussing Obama, telling the mag, “When it comes down to it, they wouldn’t have elected a [bleep]. Because, what’s a [bleep]? A [bleep] is scary. Obama ain’t scary at all. [Bleeps] don’t have beers at the White House. [Bleeps] don’t let some white dude, while you in the middle of a speech, call [him] a liar. A [bleep] would have stopped the meeting right there and said, ‘Who the [bleep] said that?’ I hope Obama gets scary in the next four years, ‘cuz he ain’t gotta worry about getting re-elected.”

Picture a white celebrity making similar remarks, talking about how he voted for John McCain because he was white, or because they wanted a candidate who looked like them. I think most reasonable people would agree that it was an example of racism. This is no different. Samuel L. Jackson’s behavior is guided by ignorance and racism.

I can say I won’t be watching any more of his movies, and I hope many others do the same.

I saw a headline concerning an uproar over a controversial movie poster (pictured above). The movie poster for Les Infideles, shows a man standing between a woman’s legs, while her feet are near his head. Not only wasn’t I offended, but I couldn’t see why anyone would be bothered by it.

Stephane Martin of the ARPP, France’s advertising regulator, asked that the posters be removed because they,

“present a degrading image of women, because in both cases you do not see the woman’s face…. This is certainly presenting an image of women as objects, in this case sexual objects,”

Hold on. The problem isn’t that he is standing between her legs, or that it’s sexually charged? It’s because he can’t see her face? So, if she were on a bed with her dress around her waist, and her face were visible, it would be perfectly acceptable?

I really think France’s “advertising regulators,” need to develop some common sense…and a sense of humor.

Donald Trump with his wife, Melania Knauss Trump

Today, Donald Trump announced that he will be endorsing Mitt Romney for President. Some were surprised that Trump didn’t choose Gingrich, and right up until the announcement, there was suspense over what he would announce. For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone would care who Trump endorsed.

Donald Trump is little more than a reality star. Does anyone care what the cast members of Survivor, Big Brother, or American Idol think about the election?

Sure, Trump mentioned the idea of running himself on numerous occasions, but decided against it. In my opinion, it was nothing more than a ploy to get his name in the news and boost ratings for The Apprentice. The new season of The Apprentice begins in two weeks, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this announcement were planned.

Here’s my guess: Donald Trump will find another “announcement” he has to make around the time of the season finale. If Romney falters, he might also bring up the idea of running again. Anything for ratings.