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Saturday, Jul 9, 2011 12:01 PM UTC

Pop Torn: 10 pieces of cultural ambivalence

This week we're on the fence about: Rob Lowe as Drew Peterson, Shia LaBeouf's film about Marilyn Manson, and more!

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Topics: Pop Torn, Bristol Palin, Celebrity, Documentaries, Drugs, Lady Gaga, Sex, Sex Education, Twitter, Viral Video, Television,

Pop Torn: 10 pieces of cultural ambivalenceMaking our tummies feel weird: Musical cats, Rob Lowe on Lifetime, Bristol Palin and Marilyn Manson

Casey Anthony. Rupert Murdoch. South Sudan. OK, have you got that out of your system yet? Good, because it’s time for our weekly roundup of the cultural news that will really have you going “Oh. That’s… weird?” Continue if you dare.

1. Lady Gaga’s dark secret: Biographer Ian Halperin is telling the world that Gaga is a sick drug addict who is obsessed with her weight.  OK, but is she really bisexual??

2. Bristol Palin questioned on “stolen virginity”: Barbara Walters calls out the memoirist for her description of her first time having sex with Levi Johnston. Walters: “It must have been OK, because you kept on having sex with him, yeah?”

3. Rob Lowe as Drew Peterson in a new Lifetime movie:

Apparently it took nine hours to do this amazing makeup transformation… of affixing a fake mustache to Lowe’s face.

4. The return of the eHarmony cat lady: Once more, with feeling! (And keyboard cats.)

5. LeAnn Rimes back to being semi-nude on the Internet: But this time it’s OK, because she’s tweeting about her curves while in a bikini. Now no one will dare call her skinny!

6. Shia LaBeouf is directing a Marilyn Manson documentary: Three-part question here. Why is Shia LaBeouf directing a Marilyn Manson documentary? Why is there a Marilyn Manson documentary being made? And why did he announce this on “Regis and Kelly”?

7. Chilling exposé on “Tiny Belly” Internet ad: I’m not going to lie, this is a very good investigative piece, but I honestly assumed that all of these kinds of ads are scams. It would be kind of weird if it turned out that someone was actually trying to give away a completely free weight-loss system via annoying Internet pop-ups.

8. Neil on “Jeopardy”:

Poor Neil. I kind of want to pair him up with the whiz kid from “Magnolia” and have them hang out and be best friends and sing Aimee Mann songs together.

9. They are recasting the baby from “Modern Family”: The twins who played Lily are getting dumped, probably for the Olsens.

10. What infamous dictator does this bug look like?: I’m going with Pol Pot.

Drew Grant

Drew Grant is a staff writer for Salon. Follow her on Twitter at @videodrew. More Drew Grant.

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Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

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