TANGO TASTIC
AN award for children’s books which address LGBT themes has been created by the American Library Association. The Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award has been created to honour “English-language works for children and teens of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered experience.”
While the ALA is in full support of the move, it is likely to cause a significant level of controversy in America where And Tango Makes Three, a children’s book about two male penguins raising an orphan chick, was recently named as the title Americans have tried hardest to ban. One out- raged parent de- scribed the book as “a homosexual storyline that has been sugar-coated with cute penguins”.
SITUATION NATION
WITH 3 seasons of MTV hit reality show Jersey Shore under his belt, a slot on Dancing With the Stars and the release of his own work out video, Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrenti- no’s quest for world domination has tak- en a new step with the release of a self help book.
Here’s the Situation: A Guide to Creeping on Chicks, Avoiding Grenades, and Getting in Your GTL on the Jersey Shore begins with a complete and de- tailed guide to GTL, which, according to The Situation, is ‘the bedrock of life itself ’. For those yet to be exposed to the Jersey Shore vocabulary, that’s gym, tanning and laundry – the standard pre-night out routine for any self respecting guido.
The rest of the book promises “battle plans for the club, a primer on grenades and wingmen, and tips for ridding yourself of all levels of clinger”. And, in a surprising move for a man who has had more sexual part- ners than Russell Brand, tips on how to find your life partner.
HEDWIG HOO-HA
THE Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has spoken out against Harry Potter fans, blaming them for playing a role in the rapidly decreasing number of wild owls in India.
Speaking to mark the launch of a re- port on India’s owl population, which calls for tougher measures to protect owls ahead of Diwali, Ramesh claimed that “Following Harry Potter, there seems to be a strange fascination even among the urban middle classes for presenting their children with owls.”
The report, however, appears to conclude that the dwindling owl population is down to the popular practice of sacrificing owls on auspicious occasions, not a deep love for Hedwig.
I GOT 99 PROBLEMS BUT A MEMOIR AIN’T ONE
IN a high concept promotional stunt for Jay-Z’s hotly anticipated memoir, Decod- ed, every page of the novel has been hidden across New York City, allowing fans to go on a Jay-Z treasure hunt.
The team behind the project is creative agency Droga5, who were approached by Random House, De- coded’s publishers in a bid to create a book launch that fitted Jay-Z’s level of fame. The agency decided to creat an interactive location game by putting a page in every physical space that per- tains to what he was talking about’. Players must log on to Jay-Z’s website to solve the 10 or so clues that are re- leased each day.
By the end of the first day of the project more than 100,000 fans had logged on.