Trouble In Japan's Imperial Household?

Empress Michiko was the first commoner to marry into Japan's Imperial Household.

Following her marriage, the then-Crown Princess was ruthlessly tormented by Empress Nagako, something which is largely unreported in Japan. When Michiko's own son took a bride, the Empress was reported to have said that she wouldn't be as hard on her new daughter-in-law as her mother-in-law had been on her.

Alas, Crown Princess Masako has not had such an easy time of it, even with her lofty ally. The "failure" to produce a male heir, culminating in last year's debate over whether or not little Aiko should one day be Empress-regnant, has meant that Masako is now rarely seen in public; it seems life in the fishbowl may have gotten to the Empress as well.

That, and a new book about Masako subtitled "Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne", seem determined to make for a very unhappy Kokyo palace indeed.

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A Blanket Apology

To the gay male community of Vancouver:

I'm sorry I called you all shallow bitches for ignoring me all these years. 'Grotesque', 'repulsive, 'disgusting' and all those other names guys at PumpJack have called me, you're right, and then some.

Meanwhile, the quest goes on for a new official portrait to replace the one you see at the top left-hand corner of this page. As you can tell, I've just had a chance to go through the first batch of nearly 100, and none of them are even a little bit suitable, on account of my extreme hideosity.

Well, at least there's a bright side; this should help put an end to all the endless whining I do about being single...

Sarah Silverman Pisses Off Christians

I don't know what she said or who's pissed off; really, it doesn't matter. All this means is she's doing her job.

These days Christian outrage is about as commonplace as... Well, as itself, since there isn't anything more commonplace than Christian outrage.

Anyway, I found the story on Defamer, so here it is.

RIP Richard Jeni

I first saw Richard Jeni as the host of "An Evening at the Improv", the original "comedian in front of a brick wall" show, and often he was funnier than any of the guests.

His work did occasionally stray into the homophobic, which we must remember was still acceptable in the 80s and early 90s, but he was never as nasty about that as Sam Kinison or Eddie Murphy.

Now, it seems, he's committed suicide.

Details are sketchy at this early date as to what might have prompted this drastic action, but his profile has dimmed since he appeared in "The Mask" in 1994, save for a high-profile turn in "The Aristocrats" a couple of years ago.

Here's the story from "Entertainment Weekly".