Here are some pop culture topics to help make conversation with everyone at the dinner table . If they fail, there’s always liquor.
The Celebrity Obsessive
Well, there's a lot to pick from here! How about Kanye and Kim's video for "Bound 2," or even James Franco and Seth Rogen's shot-for-shot parody of it? Or Miley's AMA kitty? How about Britney Spears' latest album? And, of course, there's always Jennifer Lawrence, a national treasure.
Def Jam Recordings / Via youtube.com
The Religious Conservative
Maybe they decry the violence and vulgarity of modern movies, but there's no way your religious conservative relatives will be able to find fault in The Christmas Candle. It's an uplifting, Christian-themed, family-friendly film that takes place more than 100 years ago and stars Susan Boyle, who, several years ago, stole the heart of every old person in the world. And, get this: It's produced by none other than Rick Santorum.
Seriously, Santorum is now the CEO of a production company called EchoLight, which makes movies aimed squarely at the kind of people who supported his candidacy in the 2012 GOP primary.
Just don't mention that the movie flopped!
EchoLight / Via christianfilmdatabase.com
The Animal Activist
First of all, Lady Gaga rode in on a horse at the AMAs on Sunday. It wasn't a real horse, though, so the question is whether she a hero, or a sicko for making actual humans power the steed?
A new investigation in The Hollywood Reporter reveals that many animals have been harmed — and killed — on film shoots that were certified and approved by the American Humane Association, which gives that coveted "No Animals Were Harmed" seal.
For example, the real tiger in Life of Pi nearly drowned during a water shoot, while many animals just dropped dead during production of The Hobbit, and a horse died during the production of War Horse.
You may think twice about eating that turkey, too.
Mario Anzuoni / Reuters
The Aging Hippie
They still rail against today's consumer culture, but perhaps they won't mind the innovation that went into the video for "Like a Rolling Stone," which came out last week, 48 years after Bob Dylan originally released the seminal tune.
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