One perennial complaint of feminists is that the media often fixates on aspect of the lives of prominent and powerful women that they simply would consider covering if they were men. That's probably not so true now. However, evey now and then it is definitely valid, particularly in the case of young and attractive women.

Take the case of Hajnal Ban. She is a Queensland politician who is now in the news simply because there are rumors that she's in a relationship with another politician.
 
 
Australian celebrity Naomi Robson is a very controversial figure. While she was working in TV she was involved in a number of incidents that generated a lot of ill-well towards her from others in the media.

Now, she's resurrecting her career on the web. But the controversy continues to follow her.

It makes you wonder why people hate her so much. There must be many other female TV  personalities who are easily as difficult to work with, vain and morally questionable. But their bad behaviour goes "under the radar", even though they are well known.

I think it's something to do with her particular kind of physical beauty, and slightly regal air. She stands out like a sore thumb among most female celebrities, who are usually wholesome and fresh "girl next door" types.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see how her web chat show goes. It does seem to be a canny move considering the growth of the internet. No one else seems to be doing anything similar, so she may well end up dominating the market.
 
 
Several months ago Jodi Gordon made headlines by allegedly going on a cocaine bender with a bikie named Mark Judge. He is now in the news again, being one of the nominees for Cleo's Bachelor of the Year title.

Not surprisingly, the selection has caused some controversy. But it certainly reveals how the media works. Once you've hit the headlines for any reason - but particularly if it's through intimate association with an existing celebrity - then you qualify as a celebrity yourself!

If Mark Judge doesn't already have an agent, he should get one
 
 
Barely a week goes past without there being another celebrity sex tape scandal. This week, it's Lindsay Lohan, who's deeply concerned that some alleged footage of her nude with an anonymous man may soon hit the internet.

While this alleged footage me have been taken without her knowledge, celebrity sex tapes are often made by the celebrities themselves. It seems a remarkably stupid thing to do given the risks of them being made public. (That is, unless they make them in the secret hope that this does actually happen! Which I suspect is actually the case a lot of the time.)
 
 
Becoming a celebrity must be like signing a pact with the devil. You get huge rewards but end up losing your soul. And your relationships are almost certain to become completely crazy and tumultuous.

Take the case of Jordan (aka Katie Price). She's had a bitter and highly publicized breakup with fellow celeb Peter Andre. And the relationship she subsequently entered is mess as well.

Her latest bizarre act: To reunite with this guy, a cage fighter called Alex Reid, because she's worried he might divulge intimate details of their sex life to the media.

Originally she thought there was no risk of this occurring, since he'd signed an agreement promising never to do so. But it turns out this is not valid, because he signed it as his cross-dressing alter ego!

It's so bizarre you just couldn't make this stuff up.
 
 
Things keep getting worse for Tiger Woods. As well as other lovers being identified, some of his highly embarrassing text messages and e-mails to them have been published in tabloids. So now he's offering his wife tens of millions of dollars to stay in the marriage.

I think that if he feels he has to do that, the marriage is probably finished anyway. It just reduces it to a financial arrangement. (Although I suppose that when you are that successful; that much of a "brand" pretty much everything you do is assessed in financial terms more than in any other way!)
 
 
Sandra Bullock has a super clean and wholesome public image. That's why the fact that she is now in a custody battle with a porn star called Janine Lindemulder seems kind of strange. You just wouldn't think that the star of Miss Congeniality would go for a guy who would go for a porn star would you!

(You also don't tend to think of porn stars becoming mothers; mothers who would demand to have contact with their children. But that's another matter.)

This just confirms what we all know already: Celebrity is all about image. It's not related to people's real characters, lifestyles and relationships at all.
 
 
The revelation that David Letterman has been having sex with many of his female staffers reveals the disconnect between the people of America and its so-called opinion makers. There has been much outrage and condemnation in the mainstream media over his conduct. And the National Organization of Women has accused him of creating a "toxic workplace" for women.

But the audience doesn't seem to mind. The show is rating very highly now, which implies that his regular viewers haven't turned off in disgust. And his sponsors certainly aren't deserting him.

In  month or two everything will be back to normal.
 
 
Yet another reality TV show that originated in the US is being produced here in Australia. This one is called Beauty and the Geek. The show's gimmick is to pair up socially awkward, highly intelligent and somewhat aesthetically challenged males with gorgeous young women. These couples then compete with others for prizes.

My first impression is that it doesn't sound like the kind of thing Aussies will go for ... Still, it's been successfully done in the UK as well. So it will probably rate well here. It just goes to show how dominant American popular culture is now.
 
 
Australian culture is very unpredictable when it comes to sex. As a nation we can be very open-minded about it, then suddenly become surprisingly prudish. You can often see this odd ambivalence played out in the media.

Take the outrage that a naughty, sex-themed episode of the beloved family drama Packed to the Rafters provoked a week or so ago. And now there's anger over a clearly humorous sketch about group sex on the new ABC show Hungry Beast. While this doesn't sound like it was very funny, it was clearly meant in jest, so condemnation of it seems quite excessive. Even the star netball player mentioned in the skit, Liz Ellis, laughed it off.