Lindsay Lohan at the 2009 Whitney Museum Gala

I don’t think I’m the only one out there who’s thinking: “What the f*** is Lindsay doing to herself?”

The once gorgeous, fresh-faced starlet now looks positively ravaged and beaten down. Her skin which used to be unblemished and radiant now looks like it’s been stretched and browned in the oven. And her lips! It goes to show, no matter how much make-up and designer togs you wear, you can look horrible if you’re doing bad things to your body.

Harriet Harman

The website hosted in California, Punternet.com essentially allows men to rate and compare prostitutes. According to the Times:

“She told a cheering conference hall in Brighton: “Surely it can’t be too difficult for the terminator to terminate PunterNet. If he doesn’t I’ve got a message for Arnie – I’ll be back!””

In England and Wales, prostitution (defined as the exchange of sexual services for money or goods) is legal for the client and prostitute when aged 18 or over, however it is illegal to solicit, pander and keep a brothel.

In response to Harman’s demands, the owner of the site has written an open letter to Harman.  Read it here. The writer defends his/her right to Freedom of Speech under the American Constitution and characterizes itself as fulfilling the demands of a free market economy:

“PunterNet was not the first, and is certainly not the only, website in the UK with the same subject matter. Rather than creating the demand for commercial sex, sites like PunterNet are a response to that demand, which has existed since the dawn of mankind and certainly long before the advent of the Internet!
One of the missions of PunterNet is education – to provide information and guidance in hopes that the commercial sex scene is limited to consenting adults and those who choose of their own free will to engage in it.”

However, Harman’s actions may have backfired as the owner claims that the publicity has increased traffic to the site:

“In closing, I would like to thank you for the huge influx of traffic to my website which your actions have caused. I am sure that the ladies who are a part of the PunterNet community thank you as well, as they will no doubt benefit financially from the many new clients who might otherwise never have found them.”

Lady Gaga - Annual Hot 100 Rolling Stone (June 2009)

Do I really need to tell you how much I adore Lady Gaga? Not only is she one of the most fashion forward celebrities around, she’s pretty damn talented too.

People have likened her to a young Madonna but I think it’s merely a comparison based on aesthetics and showmanship. When it comes to songwriting abilities, Lady Gaga is in a class of her own. Christina Aguilera clone? No WAY – it’s Christina’s who’s the clone. Born Stefani Jon Anson Germanotta, she is a songwriter by appointment to the Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears and New Kids on the Block, and a protégé of rapper Akon.

You’ve probably heard and seen it all, but here is the acoustic version of Poker Face. Gorgeous:

She has seen her share of less-glamorous times when she dropped out of NYU, moved out of her parents’ house and started performing downtown in the Lower East Side club scene, with bands Mackin Pulsifer and SGBand. Around the same time, she started doing cocaine and performing at burlesque shows. Lady Gaga said her father “just didn’t understand” it, and that he could not look at her for several months. This is an excerpt from the Guardian’s review of her album, The Fame:

“She’s also already a global commercial success. Her single Just Dance has made the top 10 everywhere from Australia to Switzerland and been nominated for a Grammy. It’s a beguilingly compulsive tale of pulling a drug-induced whitey, with a combination of clipped marching beats, sawing electronics and mild R&B flavour that bears a vague resemblance to Nelly Furtado’s Maneater.”

This is her acoustic version of Paparazzi. It takes guts and a whole lotta confidence to do a song just like that. She’s got chops: