Top 5 List

1. Gawker.com recaps of Reality TV

This site (which is linked on my blog) has been my new obsession since January. Everyone has their own daily blog that they enjoy reading, Perez, Smoking Gun etc., but Gawker creators found a way to publish a perfect mix of both culture and current events. I was first turned onto the site by my sister. Although my sister and I are both NYC natives, she is much more into blogging and since Gawker is centered around NYC, she told me I needed to add it to my bookmarks. Well I soon found out why. Everyday, contributors to Gawker blog about news, celebrities, movies and TV.
Usually withing 8 hours of the shows airing, Gawker posts their recap of the reality show. I do hope it would be sooner, but it has never changed. Currently, contributor Richard Lawson is recapping The Real Housewives of NYC, American Idol, The Hills, and Gossip Girl. I only follow the last three shows, but when they air, I also follow The City and The Real World.
Writer Lawson is one of the most inspiring and intelligent writers I have ever come across. He not only recaps the shows perfectly (usually expressing how most viewers feel about events), but he incorporates fan fiction too. For several shows, he has many people die or he puts them in extremely unreal situations in the recap. The uniqueness of his writing makes the recaps extremely comical and lets me think about the show in a different light.
Some people don't know how to appreciate his writing, but he is actually proving a very important point; the absurdity of reality TV. By discussing the shows with an imaginary vision, he illuminates the fact that reality TV is a joke and should be discussed as such.

2. Gomorra - Written by Roberto Saviano

Written in 2006 and then created into a movie in 2008, Gomorra follows the Neapolitan organized crime. He focused on one sector of the mafia or gomorra in his non-fiction account. I had no idea this book was being made until my Italian relatives told me about it. Apparently, the town in Naples where the story is set is the same town in which I grew up when I was a child. I always knew that the area I lived in was a bit "sketchy", but I never knew to what extent.
The book is extremely compelling because Saviano wrote his novel while living in this area in Naples and also by disguising himself as a member of the crime organization. Saviano is now guarded by police protection because he has received so many death threats from members of the gomorra. They are upset that someone was able to infiltrate their "secret" organization and then report on aspects of the gomorra never before revealed.
Unfortunately, the movie does not live up to the appeal of the novel. At 130 minutes, the movie drags on for far too long because the director Matteo Garrone attempts to use several cinematographic techniques that just don't work. The one redeeming quality of the movie is that the actors are all from the tiny town in Naples where the book is set and they all speak in the correct Neapolitan dialect. It was interesting watching a movie where people spoke like my parents.

3. People sharing their recipes on cooking placenta on Facebook

Ok this is not something I enjoyed, but it is definitely something that needed to be addressed. According to Gawker.com, a woman had a baby over the weekend and froze the placenta, which she later used to cook a panini and a spaghetti dish. I hope no one vomited after hearing that. Apparently, several mothers do this and then blog about it on momlogic.com. I honestly find this absolutely disturbing. The mother gives a much detailed explanation on how to cook the placenta, but I really just could not type it. Oh, and not only did she overshare on momlogic but she then decided it was a grand idea to post her pictures and recipes on Facebook. I'm sorry but since when did Facebook allow these type of things! Before you post a photo the site asks you if you are posting anything inappropriate...I find placenta recipes more inappropriate then dumb girls posting nude photos.
If you can stomach the article, here's the link http://gawker.com/5205754/this-is-not-why-youre-fat.

4. jetBlue Airlines

I never realize how much I fly, but I think I've been on a lot of domestic airlines. A majority of them are awful, especially now since they make you pay for checking in a bag. I'm sitting in O'Hare right now and I'm about to get on my jetBlue flight to NYC. I'm actually excited to board the plane. I know once I board, I'll be able to watch Cable TV the entire flight. And it's not just a few channels. They have 36 Direct TV channels and over 100 XM radio stations to choose from. The tickets may cost a bit more, but I have had way too many bad experiences with flights. Also, jetBlue has the most legroom and offers free snacks. I highly recommend it if you need to fly in the US.

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