Blog Posts by Piper Weiss, Shine Staff

Johnathan Rhys Meyers and Ewan McGregor in the scene from

Yesterday, the website Gawker asked "Why Are Straight Women So Obsessed With Gay Sex?" just as I was wondering why straight men are so obsessed with lesbian kisses. My question was easy to tackle: boners. Two straight unattainable female sex symbols making out --most recently Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis in the trailer for their new movie--implies a threesome with the male viewer. There's a reason two lesbian characters kissing doesn't get the same buzz as two straight women engaged in a so-called 'lesbian kiss'. Whether it's Sandra and Scarlett locking lips at an awards show or Jennifer and Winona tongue fencing during an over-hyped episode of "Friends", it's never about them being gay or bisexual. It's just about them turning guys on. Done!

Now how about that first question? Get comfortable. We straight ladies are equally obsessed with opposite sex kissing but the reasons are less direct. That's always the case, isn't it? Most on-screen male gay kisses aren't as overtly designed

Ice cold Tab. anyone?
In my mother's cabinet is a can of sardines from the 60's. I'm sure of this because whether or not the food's gone bad, the font expired in 1972. It's always a bad sign when you don't recognize the packaging, or worse it gives you flashbacks. And do they even sell sardines anymore? Mom grew up in the era of suburban bomb shelters, which may explain why she eats canned fish and doesn't believe in expiration dates. Especially when it comes to pantry items.

Mom's not so different from CVS. This week, the drug store giant agreed to compensate the state of Pennsylvania and its consumers after stocking it's shelves with expired food products. According to the website WalletPop:

"The settlement announced today by state Attorney General Tom Corbett is the latest in a string of cases nationwide that includes New York, California and Connecticut. In Pennsylvania, consumers had complained about expired over-the-counter drugs, infant formula, baby food, dairy products and other food."

You don't have to shout to have your complaint heard. (ThinkStock Images)No one likes a whiner. That may be why we keep our mouths shut and eat the $25 entrée cold, pay the bill we don't owe, or put up with the plaid suit our partner pulls out of the closet for yet another wedding.

It's not that complaining is wrong, it's just that there's a right way to do it. A few key phrases can turn your position of underdog into top dog, without so much as a raised eyebrow. The website Jezebel recently posted helpful advice from expert complainers on how to gripe effectively. But what about the people who field the complaints? The poor souls who serve as sounding boards know the difference between a tantrum and a genuine problem. Only one is solvable. However common or complicated the situation, speaking up can make all the difference. But first you need to know how to be heard.

The complaint: "My cable company is overcharging but no one will listen to me."
The recipient: Better Business Bureau (BBB) executive Alison Southwick
No one fields more complaints than

Bieber commands his kingdom with fury (Getty Images)Justin Bieber, a little Napoleon? Well he is 5'4. And he mobilized his militant army of 4.5 million fans to bombard some kid. Albeit, on the phone. It all started when a Detroit teen named Kevin Kristopik hacked into a Bieber pal's account in hopes of aquiring the pop star's contact information. The crooner fired back by posting "everyone call me 248-XXX-XXXX :) or text". Not only did he phone-bomb the kid, he tricked his fans, who thought they were calling Beebs, into doing it. That is some crazy Ivan the Terrible s---.

And to think, just a few years ago, he was another kid with windswept hair and first-day-without-braces teeth. Now he may face a civil suit from Kristoik's family. There's just something about fame that turns people into tyrants. No matter how small.

"Seize her!"
Maybe Beebs got the idea from a fellow power-monger. Back in May, musician M.I.A released the personal contact information of New York Times journalist, Lynn Hirschberg. After Hirschberg published a

Patti Stanger is poised to take some of her own advice to heart (Millionaire Matchmaker/Bravo Network)What happens when you've built a company based on making relationships work, and your own relationship ends? You get back out there. Patti Stanger, Bravo's Millionaire Matchmaker, announced this weekend via tweet (how else?) that her engagement to long-time partner Andy Friedman was over.
"I just ended my relationship with Andy. It hit me really hard that I want kids in my life. You have to agree on the non-negotiables," she wrote.

When we spoke with her recently, she was already refashioning her ideas on love: "Love isn't forever. It's supposed to be given freely, not demanded. And the old if you love someone set them free saying is true."

Now that she's free, Stanger has her own work cut out for her. A partner to Patti doesn't just need a million bucks and a hankering for spawn. He needs to be someone who's comfortable dating in the media spotlight, who doesn't flinch when producers need another take, and who doesn't mind his penis being called a pecker.

Shine spoke with Stanger

Laura Linney clutches a fancy throw pillow in Over the years, film and TV have fostered the birth of all kinds of female stereotypes: the Fast Talking Dame, The Fashionista, The Woman who has to hold Matthew McConhaughey upright and of course, the Manic Pixie. Coined in The Onion as the girl sent to "re-adjust the attitude of even the broodiest, most uptight male protagonist," she is every male's on-screen fantasy. Flaky, free-spirited, and possibly dying (see Sweet November and Garden State). If she's the girl you don't bring home to mom, then Mrs. Uptight is mom. The common thread? Both seem born from the mind of a disgruntled male teenager. (Though they're usually not, for the record.)

Usually in her late 40's, perfectly coiffed and obsessed with 'French Country' home decor, she's the re-enforcer of stupid rules. The kind of rules that real women don't have time to care about: constant coffee-table coaster demands, 6 throw pillows to every bed, perfect Christmas dinners, no shoes in the house, no eating off of paper plates,

Oh and apples, apples make guys cheat. (We're supporting them. No really, we're making more than they are and it's making them want to put their penis in things.

New research suggests men are more likely to cheat if they make significantly less than their girlfriends.

Author Christin Munsch developed the study after hearing from a male friend explain his reason for cheating. Here's what he told her: "she made all the money, she had all the friends, and he'd moved up there to be with her. He felt completely powerless."

Hint: Teenage girls will have the best shot at getting this right.





Yup. The photo appeared in the August catalog for the clothing brand "Free People" known for mass marketing bohemian fashions for the braces set (and for this 31 year old on the mailing list.) This season, the look was Mongolian desert chic. I think. The camel trainer, not dressed in Free People, and the camel, possibly dressed in Free People headbands and scrunchies, must have been surprised to find themselves covering an entire page in the slim catalog. I hope the man and his trusty steed were compensated as well as the other models featured.
Also Does this photo seem strange to anyone?