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.
 
 
Not so long ago Jordon and Peter Andre were in the headlines because of their acrimonious breakup. Now Jordan has made headlines again with her claim that she was raped by a well known celebrity. Of course she's not naming him, which reveals that she's not seeking justice; she just she loves the attention.

I suspect that, like so many celebrities, she feels that she doesn't exist unless her name's appearing in the media. There's something really sad and pathological about this behaviour. No wonder so many relationships involving the famous are such disasters.
 
 
It will be interesting to see whether the courts find that Sydney broadcaster Steve Price was guilty of defamation when he called Charmyne Palavi a "slut" on air.

It's also interesting that Palavi is often described as a "cougar". It seems slightly odd when an American colloquialism is used to describe an Australian woman. Still, it just shows how dominant the US is when it comes to popular culture generally.
 
Fame's downside 07/12/2009
 

Many people envy movie stars and celebrities because of their attractiveness to the opposite sex. However, being famous can be very problematic relationship wise. Not only do all the details of a break-up become public soon after it occurs, but single stars are often falsely reported to be hitched!

Take the rumor that Gerard Butler is dating Jennifer Aniston. Not surprisingly, these have turned out to be completely unfounded.

No wonder he is so keen to deny them. It might be very difficult for him to find a new girlfriend when everyone thinks he's taken - and by someone so desirable!

 
 

A blaze started in a venue hosting a swinger's party in Montreal and firemen had to rescue the party-goers, several of whom were naked.

An even like that shouldn't be funny, but for some reason it is.

 
 

Rugby players are not renowned for their verbal skills. Yet it seems they've just contributed a new word to the Macquarie Dictionary. The term is "bunning", and describes the act of group sex.

 
 

One cliche about attraction is that women really love bad boys. Depressingly, this often seems to hold true.

Take the example of Home and Away star Jodi Gordon. She was recently caught up in an embarrassing scandal involving an alleged bikie and reputed use of illegal drugs. Of course, their eventful night together may well have been completely platonic.

Still, it makes you wonder what an attractive, seemingly intelligent young star with the world at her feet was doing with a bloke like this. It sounds like he had an aura of danger and excitement about him, which she found powerfully attractive.

 
 

Clare Werbeloff's youth and beauty didn't just get the attention of men's magazine editors. She may now have snared a job as a reporter on A Current Affair.

That's pretty ironic considering the "report" that originally got her noticed turned out to be a complete fiction. Beauty can get you anywhere, it seems!

 
 

Only days ago, Clare Werbeloff was just an average young woman living in Sydney. Now, millions of people across the globe know of her, simply because she witnessed a shooting and gave a description of the event to a reporter.

Some people have argued that it was just her amusing manner and politically incorrect vocabulary that got her noticed. But I suspect her looks had something to do with it, too!

Certainly, local men's magazine editors seem to have noticed. There are rumours that they have already asked her to pose nude for their publications. Not surprising, really.