The Boys Consider the New York Times Bestseller List and Look at Some Sexy Miss USA Photos!

Readers, we were naive enough to think that the vampire fad of late might be fading a bit, but a quick glance at yesterday's New York Times Bestseller list reveals that the newest (book eight) in a series of vampire novels called "the Black Dagger Brotherhood" series is perched at #2 on the list. The Times refers to their author, JR Ward, as a woman who "spend[s] her days thinking about the acrobatic couplings of vampires" (Richard: "Who doesn't?"). Our interweb research reveals that the series "focuses on six vampire brothers and warriors who live together and defend their race against Lessers, de-souled humans who threaten their kind" and that it is especially popular among women (big surprise!) who love the intense sex scenes.

Luckily, there are excerpts on-line, so let's take a look at see if these scenes are boner-worthy:

"After Rehvenge's mouth performed some intricate f-bomb aerobatics, he put his hand in hers and they shook. “You drive a hard bargain, you know that," he said.

“But you respect me for it, right?”

“Well, yeah. And it makes me want to get you naked.”

“Oh...”

Ehlena flushed from head to toe as he slid off his stool and towered over her, cupping her face in his hands. “You going to let me take you to my bed?”

Given the way those purple eyes of his were shining, she was willing to let him take her down on the damn kitchen floor if he asked. “Yes.”

Richard: "Why does everyone have an extra 'h' in their name? Aside from that distraction, Ward does seem to have a way with dialogue. It's easy to see Rehvenge's appeal to female readers in the way he maintains an appreciation of female authority ('You drive a hard bargain') despite his dominant sexual power."

Chip: "The excerpt leaves me wondering if he fucks her on the bed or the kitchen floor?"

Let's find out:

"All she knew was thick, pounding anticipation for what he was going to do to her...Rehv shut the bedroom door behind them, balanced his cane on the wall, and removed his sable coat...

Rehvenge paused.

And then shocked the crap out of her by kneeling before her.

As he looked up, he had a slight smile on his lips.

“Don’t you get it, Ehlena.” With gentle hands, he stroked down her calve and brought her foot forward, balancing it on his thigh. As he undid the laces on her cheapo Keds sneaker, he whispered, “No matter what you wear... to me, you will always have diamonds on the soles of your shoes.”

Richard: "The phrase 'thick, pounding anticipation' is very clever here, obviously meant to implant in female minds an image of the boning that Rehv is about to give Ehlena. But the informality of 'shocked the crap out of her' is a startling juxtaposition and, personally, takes me right out of the moment. I do like the bizarre reference to Paul Simon lyrics at the end of the passage, however, and certainly plan to read all eight books this summer."

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A new Miss USA was crowned last night, and this year's pageant has been especially controversial. The pageant was in the news last week because a series of black-and-white "glam shots" on the pageant's website were deemed too racy by many. Obviously, we disagree. Take a look at Miss Minnesota and tell us that's not "art."


















You can see the full photo shoot here:

http://www.missuniverse.com/missusa/members/contestants

But a new, potentially more damaging, scandal has erupted this morning. Rima Fakhi, Miss Michigan, made headlines for being the pageant's first Arab-American winner, but that was quickly overshadowed by photos that emerged of her dancing on a stripper pole for a 2007 Detroit radio show's "Stripper 101" contest.















Chip: "I, for one, have always believed that the Miss USA pageant should incorporate a 'stripper pole' contest and see no harm in her behaviors of three years ago. I do, however, worry about crowning a possible terrorist as Miss USA."