For Realz Y'All!

You may think that's a shout-out to Britney (and in a way, it sure is) but I'm guilty of uttering the above phrase more than once lately. Maybe it's my ever-growing youth obsession, or maybe I need to lay off "The Number One Hit Music Station." Whatever it is, it recently became clear that it was time to insert some maturity into my vernacular. Case in point, a recent IM exchange between me and my friend John:

John: (Something stupid requiring the requisite "whatever" response...)
Me: Whatevs
John: Whatevs?
Me: Yeah, it the hipper, cooler form of "whatever"
John: Right, that's the second "whatevs" I've gotten in 5 minutes.
Me: (Wondering who could be so hip and cool as me...) Who was the first?
John: California Jen

Ouch. No offense to the lovely California Jen, but she was the latest in a slew of 22 year old "hotties" in the far-older John's harem, (a different kind of youth obsession to be sure). Ok, so maybe I was all about getting on board the anti-aging train, but was I in danger of being so "with it" that I was becoming one of those "old people" who thinks they're cool, when they are sooo not??

I decided to take look at the evidence. First of all, "whatevs" has been on the scene for a while - I actually picked it up from our twenty-something nanny. a year of hearing something day in and day out and it will eventually sink into you brain. So I find myself not guilty on that charge; score one for cool but not over-reaching.

So what else was big with the youth these days? Based on media coverage in the last week or so, there is nothing bigger than the Twilight saga and the premier of "New Moon". The throng of screaming girls lined up outside of the Today Show (some apparently waiting over a day just for a chance to catch a glimpse of Robert Pattinson), the endless radio coverage, and even the latest cover of my beloved Vanity Fair all lead me to believe that if I am anywhere near cool, I must have a burning desire to see this movie. So I have a confession - I don't. And not only that, I have never read the books, I haven't seen the first movie, and I really couldn't care less about any of its stars. I'll admit that trailer showing the werewolf transformation look kinda cool, but it's also confusing. I thought the whole thing was about vampires...could we pick an undead creature of the night and be done with it?? I felt myself settling comfortably into my semi-cool status.
Vampires and werewolves and Bella (oh my!) are not the only things on the over-obsessive minds of teens these days. Seems they have a new heartthrob in the form of 15-year-old Justin Bieber. In the last week, work travel has taken me to Toronto and Dallas and DC and home (home barely...stupid FAA computer system), and in every city, the robotic DJ's of the local Number One Hit Music Station are united in promoting this kid as pop musics next big thing. Sorry, but there is only one Justin for me - and I doubt this Bieber kid has what it take to be a mother-lover.

SNL ft Justin Timberlake 'Mother Lover'- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

So it turns out I am not as bad off as I thought. Yes, my vocabulary and I are susceptible to the trends of the day (and on that topic - don't you think it's time we all layoff the use of douche bag and it's hipper, cooler cousin D-bag?), but as a lover of pop culture it's to be expected. Still, I'm not ashamed to chose Britney over Miley...even if Miley has earned a spot on my Ipod (noddin' my head like yeaaaah). And I am not as bad off as this guy: