The panic over “child porn” Barbie

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 23:35:00 +0000

An internal FBI alert about the new "Video Girl" Barbie has leaked, sparking a frenzy of speculation today about how the toy could be used by pedophiles. Cue the quotes from horrified parents and relatives who are boycotting the in-demand doll this holiday season, all in the name of protecting children from would-be pornographers (never mind that the worry is pedophiles will buy the toy themselves). But, a former FBI agent who specializes in child sex crimes, tells Salon that the danger has been overhyped. You can blame Barbie for many things -- glorifying an impossible waist-to-hip ratio, say -- but child pornography is not one of them.

“Predators”: Roast the aliens — and the popcorn!

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:20:00 +0000

"Predators," the new badass alien-action vehicle produced by Robert Rodriguez and directed by Nimród Antal (who made the Hungarian cult hit "Kontroll" and the intriguing horror flop "Vacancy"), has more than a little blast from the past mixed into its cultural DNA. It deliberately recalls the kinds of movies that used to play at the long-gone and long-forgotten movie palaces of New York's 42nd Street, L.A.'s Main Street and Los Angeles Street, and countless other downtrodden inner-city neighborhoods. (My personal favorite was the Lux, in downtown Oakland, Calif.)

Salon.com > Predators

The panic over “child porn” Barbie

“Predators”: Roast the aliens — and the popcorn!