controversy

Lindsay Lohan Is Excited to Make Fun of Herself

Louis Peitzman · 03/03/12 04:59PM


Tonight marks Lindsay Lohan's fourth time hosting Saturday Night Live — her first since a seemingly endless amount of legal troubles and rehab stints. In honor of her comeback, Lohan will be addressing everything that has made her tabloid fodder. Oh, and she'll be singing. Thanks, TMZ.

The Neo-Nazis of Hipster Brooklyn

Danny Gold · 02/27/12 08:30PM

It was bad enough living next to a superfund site with limited subway access, but now these neo-Nazis prowling the streets are really making life in Greenpoint unappealing. Right next to the vegan bakeries and rockabilly barbers, wafting in like the stench of rotten pirogis, a group of misguided Polish youth are embodying the worst stereotypes of their homeland.

Madonna: M.I.A.'s Middle Finger "Seemed Negative"

Louis Peitzman · 02/11/12 10:43AM


Remember when M.I.A. flipped America off, and we pretended to give a damn? (Well, some of us didn't pretend.) Apparently this is a thing we're still talking about, because on Friday Madonna spoke to acclaimed journalist Ryan Seacrest about The Middle Finger Seen 'Round the World. MTV News has the full report.

Bon Iver Turn Down Grammys in Favor of Whining

Louis Peitzman · 02/04/12 02:48PM


Indie folk fans tuning in to the Grammys — gotta be some overlap there, right? — will be disappointed to learn Bon Iver will not be performing. The Hollywood Reporter has some choice quotes from frontman Justin Vernon, who spoke to press on Thursday night at a Bushmills whiskey event in New York. Vernon's musical talent is apparent, but he could use some work on not sounding like a complete tool. Turns out his frustration with the Grammys stems from Bon Iver being asked to perform with — horror of all horrors — another group.

Dutch Architects Behind Accidental 9/11 Tribute Love Pretension, Not Al Qaeda

Seth Abramovitch · 12/11/11 11:08PM

MVRDV, the Rotterdam-based architectural firm that caused an uproar last week when they unveiled plans for a building that reminded a lot of people of 9/11, would like it very much if you would stop calling their offices and threatening their lives, please. Well, not you per se — because you presumably do not breathe exclusively through your mouth and have a "United We Stand" tattoo etched across your torso — but whoever has been leaving those kinds of messages, kindly stop.

The Most Controversial Magazine Covers Ever

Remy Stern · 08/13/11 02:17PM

We've had our fair share of crazy magazine covers lately. This week, it was Michele Bachmann's crazy eyes on the cover of Newsweek. A few weeks ago, it was the re-imagined and photoshopped life of Princess Diana (coincidentally, also on the cover of Newsweek).

Chicks on the Rag Ruin Hilarious Milk Campaign

Hamilton Nolan · 07/22/11 11:24AM

The people who sell milk (who ARE those people?) started an edgy and viral marketing campaign last month based on the scientific(?) fact that milk can help ease PMS symptoms in women. The edgy part was that the campaign was aimed at dudes, the ones who suffer most when chicks are on the rag! "Slip your bitch some milk," I think was the underlying message.

Richard Dawkins Torn Limb From Limb—By Atheists

Remy Stern · 07/07/11 05:37PM

Biologist, philosopher, and atheist prophet Richard Dawkins really put his foot in it. The New Statesman says Dawkin's career as a public intellectual is kaput. The Atlantic Wire has him losing a flame-war against his very own fan base. In the blogosphere, the most devoted Dawkinsians—people who've spent their adult lives in adoration of his every utterance—are boycotting his books and calling him a buffoon. A classist, male chauvinistic, and potentially racist buffoon. And why?

Dominique Strauss-Kahn Case Close to Collapse

Seth Abramovitch · 06/30/11 11:17PM

The case against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is on the verge of falling apart. Prosecutors investigating charges that he raped a hotel maid in mid-May have found major holes in the woman's story, as well as "possible links to criminal activities, including drug dealing and money laundering," the New York Times reports.

Apple Kills an App on Behalf of Israel

Ryan Tate · 06/23/11 04:31PM

Apple is becoming a major diplomatic player. The company agreed to remove an iPhone app devoted to Palestinian insurrection, eliciting praise for "swift action" from Israel's public diplomacy minister. This sort of app removal is going to get tricky.

New Gossiping Twitter Account Puts Britain In a Tizzy

Adrian Chen · 05/31/11 11:53AM

Oh ho ho, what slander! What loathsome gossip! A new anonymous Twitter account has been publishing rumors about British celebs and everyone is freaking out, again. This proves England is not equipped to handle the internet.

Wasilla High School Principal Bans Bohemian Rhapsody Because Freddie Mercury Was Gay

Seth Abramovitch · 05/12/11 09:04PM

Way up in Wasilla, where the men are men and the moose are meat, members of the high school symphonic jazz choir were excitedly rehearsing for the upcoming graduation ceremony, where they'd be performing an epic rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Then they were told by Principal Dwight Probasco (that's his staff directory page) that the song had been pulled from the program. "Why?" they wondered, having put months of effort into the big number. Probasco explained it was because he'd received a complaint from a parent. You see Freddie Mercury, the vocalist who had sung the original version of the song, was gay.

Teenage Boy Told to Leave Class for Wearing High Heels

Richard Lawson · 04/26/11 01:19PM

Here's another story of high school gender confusion, this one coming from America's great pulsating phallus, Florida. It seems a Tampa-area teen wore high heels to school, causing an uproar. The uproar? This teen was a boy. In high heels! What is this, Crazy Town?