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By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Saturday, Sep 20, 2008
Act Less, Eat More? Back when I first saw the new 90210 series, I worried in my HeldenFiles Online blog that ''the girls are model-thin — their arms, uncovered, are all twigs.'' Many other viewers had the same concern, and it appears that something will be done about it.
A source for EW.com said that ''calls went out to representatives of the show's stars (Shanae Grimes, Jessica Stroup and AnnaLynne McCord) suggesting they address the weight issue with the ladies.''
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More on Skinny Stars. The report puts some of the blame on The CW — which carries Gossip Girl as well as 90210 — for wanting hyper-skinny girls. (Although the network also has Privileged, where I've seen things resembling hips on the actresses.) It also notes that this is not the first time size issues have arisen on TV — that there was a lot of talk about the actresses on Ally McBeal, especially star Calista Flockhart.
Still, adds EW.com, ''those were grown women in a show marketed to adults. The CW, on the other hand, celebrates the fact that 90210 beats every other network on Tuesday nights in females 12-34 (years old).'' And teens don't need to see a female ideal who doesn't seem capable of casting a shadow.
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A Life in Writing. Author and sports specialist Frank DeFord told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he is not a big fan of sports books.
''If I read all of the sports books that were sent me, or just a percentage of them, I wouldn't read anything else,'' he said. ''And most sports books are terrible. That's not fair. They are for a certain audience. Most of them are about [something specific like] Nebraska football . . . of which I have no interest in, but people in Omaha do.''
DeFord's favorite novel is Madame Bovary and the book that most influenced him is The Catcher in the Rye. He also reads a lot of history.
At 69, DeFord is more aware than ever that he has to have a life beyond sports. ''One of the difficulties of being a sports writer, the older you get, the further you get away from the people you are writing about,'' he said. ''They don't want to hang out with me. LeBron James does not want to hang out with me.''
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Name Game. People.com reports that Ugly Betty star Eric Mabius is in negotiations for the name of his second son. (The first one is Max.)
It's not that he's selling the rights like some stadium operator. (If the HeldenFiles has any say, the Indians still play at Jacobs Field, and the Cavs are in the Gund.)
Rather, he said, ''my wife [interior designer Ivy Sherman] wants a French name, but I don't know. I'll have to enroll him in karate right away if I give him a French name.''
He said, ''I was thinking Raphael with the p-h spelling. It's a cool name. I guess he'll be a painter or a sculptor or something.''
Or a ninja turtle.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://www.ohio.com. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
Act Less, Eat More? Back when I first saw the new 90210 series, I worried in my HeldenFiles Online blog that ''the girls are model-thin — their arms, uncovered, are all twigs.'' Many other viewers had the same concern, and it appears that something will be done about it.
Get the full article here.

