Lindsay Lohan: Remember When...?

Remember, back in the day, when Lindsay Lohan wasn't crazy?

Yeah, I know, it's hard to remember that far back.

She showed so much promise as a young Disney star. Hell, I really enjoyed the remake of The Parent Trap. This girl seemingly had it all, despite her family's chaotic history. So why is she just throwing it all away these days?

Her latest escapade involves a hit-and-run in New York City. Ironically, this happened just days after Lohan tweeted her opinion of the Amanda Bynes situation. Karma, maybe?

It just bugs me to see these "stars" behaving badly. You know, some people spend their lives working hard for everything they have. They aren't paid millions for each job, either. If you're fortunate enough to be set for life, financially, then you ought to show a bit more class and behave more responsibly.

Some people's children...

Did Queen Latifah Come Out?

Apparently, a lot of folks are assuming that she has. At least from what I've seen on Facebook and from surfing random blogs around the internet. The assumption that Queen Latifah has finally come out stems from the fact that she's headlining this year's annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Festival, which she has never participated in before. Which is great, except that if you want to be technical, a lot of straight celebrities participate in LGBT community events.

Now, I'm not saying that Queen Latifah is straight. If I had to bet money on her sexuality, I'd say that she's a lesbian. However, that's her business. If she wants to come out, that's great. If she wants to stay in the closet, it's her life and her decision. I just think it's a little funny that so many people are claiming that Queen Latifah has finally come out simply because she'll be participating in an LGBT community event. Maybe she'll come out during the festivities; maybe she won't. Let's just enjoy the show and stop putting words in her mouth. Coming out is a process, a very personal decision, and nobody has the right to take that away from anyone else.

Gay or straight, I love me some Queen Latifah and I'm glad to see that she's headlining this event!

So Long, Oprah...

I hate to jump on the proverbial bandwagon, but I'd feel somewhat remiss if I didn't say something about the end of an era. Her first show aired in 1984; the last aired in 2011. I was less than a year old when she began her television career, but I remember her presence in our household throughout most of my life. Although I liked to tease my mom about her love of Oprah, I had to hand it to her... she fought hard to overcome adversity and wound up building a veritable empire for herself. It's a little weird to think that her talk show won't be a part of my mom's routine anymore: no more stories about what she saw on Oprah, or any nagging tips based on information she received from the latest episode of Oprah.

I'll admit that I enjoyed watching Oprah's giveaway episodes, as well as the episodes where she and her BFF (Gayle) did random things (like embark on a cross-country road trip).

Apparently, her last episode was "uneventful" in that it didn't feature any special gimmicks or focus on celebrity appearances; rather, it was centered on Oprah delivering a heartfelt "thank you" to the audience that's followed her faithfully over the years. Her final words?

"I thank you for sharing this yellow brick road of blessings. I thank you for tuning in everyday... I thank you for being as much of a sweet inspiration for me as I’ve tried to be for you. I won’t say good-bye. I’ll just say, Until we meet again. To God be the glory."

Although I have no interest in being a talk show host, I have to admit... it would be pretty cool to have as much of an impact on people as Oprah did. I'm sure that she'll continue to be influential and successful in whatever she does next. Thanks for the memories, Oprah... my mom, for one, will definitely miss you!