You Can Only Have Luxury in Trapper Keeper Form [Recessionomics]

The Way We Live Now: ignoring all evidence. Did you buy stocks, like we told you? Wall Street is up today! Despite the fact that we can’t even afford the name-brand Trapper Keeper for our kids. Ignore that! More »

Gisele is Hope-lessly Hot

A few photos of Gisele’s 2011 ad campaign for Hope lingerie have leaked, and show the well-paid supermodel in fine form. We’re hope-ing for more shots next week!

The Best Bikinis of 2010 (PHOTOS)Celebuzz

Summer 2010 is almost behind us (how did that happen, anyway?), but luckily the fine females of show-biz have left us with a treasure trove of warm, fond memories, in the form of bikini pictures!
Join us now in a pictorial salute to summer—and the bikinis that it brings—with Halle Berry, Miley Cyrus, Hayden Panettiere, Alessandra Ambrosio and many, many more, by clicking through our big, big bikini photo gallery!

Stephanie Pratt arrested for DUI

Seen here in her only useful form, Stephanie Pratt just got snagged for DUI early this morning, according to TMZ: Law enforcement tells us Pratt, who appears frequently on MTV’s “The Hills,” was busted this morning at 3:45 AM… …read full story

The Potential Importance of a Michelle Obama Action Figure

If imitation’s the highest form of flattery, what’s the action figure? The pint-sized likeness, once dominated by the likes of G.I. Joe, has become playground to the political elite. And now Michelle Obama‘s joining the plasticine ranks.

Yes, like her husband — and other political luminaries — the First Lady will be immortalized as an action figure, thanks to Jailbreak Toys. And, since she’s so fashion forward, Michelle will be available in three different outfits: all inspired by some of her signatures looks, like the black and white ensemble worn on The View. So she’s really more of a Barbie than anything else.

But back to our original question, or a variation. All of last year’s big political players — Hillary, John, Sarah — have been shrunk down to action figure form. Even crazy GOP congresswoman Michele Bachmann has a plastic replication (although, the poor thing, only 50 have sold).

And then there are comic books: Barack Obama and John McCain were both featured in Spider Man adventures, and the Female Force series features Hillary, Sarah, Michelle and even Caroline Kennedy.

Are these baubles and funny pages proof of how consumerist cultures fabricate unnecessary “needs”? Or are they a more playful form of political idolization, an idolization that’s born in the cult of personality? These people are, to millions, literal heroes, so why not put them in superhero form so that the public can have and hold those who inspire them more than some silly Transformer? And then, much like politics itself, toss them aside or sell them to the highest-bidder?

Perhaps this phenomenon’s a little bit of both, but one thing’s for certain: these products prove that great American camp continues to evolve. Just the way God intended…

Beatle Mania Heads To Handbags!

If you’re not into Rock Band, you can soon get your Beatle fix in the form of a handbag!

Japanese designer and founder of Comme des Garcons, Rei Kawakubo is teaming up with Apple Corps Ltd, the peeps who manage the Beatles music catalog, to launch a new collection of handbags.

That’s an inneresting duo. Maybe the bags will have lyrics on it?

The first styles will make their debut mid-November in Kawakubo’s Dover Street Market in London and Gyre in Tokyo to start and other distribution will follow.

Not many details have been released, but the collaboration could lead to more than just handbags, including t-shirts.

Why wouldn’t they want to expand? Beatle’s will always bring in $$$!

[Image via Getty Images.]