Casablanca 70th Anniversary restored Blu-ray, probably the essential of essentials, Classic Movies 101, etc. and for good reason. It’s a cool, smartly written, well-acted, swiftly moving romance that’s as fresh today as when it came out.

A Streetcar Named Desire: The Original Director’s Version, Blu-ray with 40 page book, with tons of extras like a Karl Malden commentary, trailer collection, 5 documentaries, Kazan documentary and outtakes. The play-turned-movie presented a tortured triangle of psyches, a conflict of past histories and new lives, established Brando’s screen image, garnered critical acclaim and looks fabulous on this Blu-ray.

A couple of super clean comedies released with all kinds of bells & whistles under the Universal 100^th Anniversary special deluxe Blu-ray-book/DVD/digital copy collector’s Series …

Buck Privates: Vaudeville and radio comedy team Abbott & Costello in an early (and massive) hit that established them as bankable stars. Trying to escape the long arm of the law, they inadvertently enlist in the military, where signature hijinks (and Andrews Sisters tunes) ensue.

Pillow Talk . Doris Day, Rock Hudson, lots of bonuses, and behind the scenes featurettes in the story of the party line shared by a playboy and a decorator. Clean rom-com that got around the production code by suggesting sexy situations with split screens and double entendres, and relied on great chemistry between its stars.

Westward the Women. So, you’ve seen all those and want to discover something totally new? Then check out this must-see gem, a western directed by William Wellman. Robert Taylor ends up in charge of a wagon train of over 130 women he needs to guide out to California where they’ll marry up with an eagerly waiting valley full of single menfolk. What follows is comedy, tragedy, impressive female toughness and resourcefulness in the face of realistic troubles and obstacles, resulting in a memorable and touching film that will stick with you, whether you’re a fan of the western genre or not.

An Islamic school in east-Toronto is currently being investigated by police following a complaint it had been teaching its young students that Jews are “treacherous” and comparable to Nazis.

The East End Madrassah (EEM), a Sunday school for Muslim children that rents space from a public school to teach its courses, had by early Monday removed from its website the controversial Lesson 8 of its curriculum. The 160-page tutorial referred to Jews as “treacherous” and “crafty,” compared them to Nazis, and alleged they plotted to kill the Prophet Muhammad.

The EEM is clearly in violation of the Canadian Criminal Code which states that it is an offense to publicly and “willfully” promote hatred against any identifiable group.

The York Regional Police released a statement that they received a complaint and are investigating. However, I’m not going to hold my breath for any real action.

The recent controversy at EEM is not the first time the TDSB has had their policies challenged by members of the Islamic community. In 2011 another public school in east Toronto permitted an afternoon Muslim prayer service in its cafeteria during school hours, clearly in contravention of the “Education Act” which bars any religion in public schools.

Aside from the issues at the TDSB, a Toronto Islamic book store was recently shamed when it was revealed they were selling a book on how to beat your wife effectively. The book entitled “A Gift For Muslim Couple”–which was “sold out” by the way–was a marriage guide that advised Muslim men on how to beat and control their wives. The 160-page book, published by Idara Impex in New Delhi, India, is written by Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi, who’s described in the book’s foreword as a “prolific writer on almost every topic of Islamic learning.”

Its author advises in the early pages of the book that, “the husband should treat the wife with kindness and love, even if she tends to be stupid and slow sometimes.” The book then goes right on to advocating physical violence by advising husband’s to, “beat by hand or stick,” withhold money from her or “pull (her) by the ears.”

Aside from the grotesque nature of this book which stands alone, the story broke during the ongoing trial of Mohammad Shafia, who was subsequently convicted for the honour killing of his three daughters and second wife in the name of a diabolically misguided interpretation of Islam.

So with these stories of misogyny and anti-Semitism coming to light in Toronto, I’d sure like to know where the outraged protesters and activists are.

No worries however, EEM apologized in a statement: “We unreservedly apologize to the Jewish community for the unintentional offense that the item has caused.”

Although the statement was in English, allow me to translate.

Translation: We regret you stumbled on what we teach, and have taught for generations. Now that you’ve raised the issue, you’ve done all that’s expected of you. Nothing more to see here! Make no more fuss or we’ll raise the question of Islamophobia. Now excuse us, we’ve got kids to indoctrinate, I mean, teach.

Firstly, hi folks! I’m back after being on a month-long hiatus. A few of you have sent me some questions that I haven’t touched on, so, if you don’t hear from me in the coming week—send me another email. I’ll respond to you personally if not in next week’s column.

I love first dates, Pete.

Congrats on being confident that she’s going to accept your date request. The majority of folks that ask me for advice aren’t nearly that confident. First dates aren’t rocket science, but the old clichés of dinner or a movie, or both, aren’t necessarily the best options. I’ll touch on why it’s not the best option in a bit. The biggest thing is, don’t stress. If you’re having fun, she’ll have fun!

Now, the old standbys have some major flaws. A movie, for example, doesn’t allow you any opportunity to talk to each other. It’s a pretty weak first date if you don’t have the opportunity to learn about your date and tell her a bit about yourself! A classic dinner date is a little cliché, and again, a crowded restaurant isn’t the best place to build intimacy. So what are the alternatives? Well, there are plenty! The route to go with depends on what your goal for the evening is.

Allow me to elaborate…

In my younger days, I was much less of a reformed playboy, and much more of an actual playboy. My classic first date move was simple:

1. Schedule a very non-threatening date, such as lunch, or early afternoon coffee.
2. Call her the morning of and say something came up
3. Ask to reschedule for drinks later that night (as late as you can get away with)
4. Have drinks, be amazing, bring her home.
5. Repeat every time you meet a new girl, ad infinitum.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that my intentions in using this move weren’t exactly to find a girlfriend or future wife. I’m sure you can imagine what I was going for, and frankly it was incredibly affective. The problem is, it’s also really douchey, and a little bit manipulative.

When you actually like a girl, there are much, much, better first dates that will allow you to have fun and build a real connection while also getting to know her better. Here are three of my favourites:

• A picnic in the park that consisted of appetizers, champagne, and a Frisbee.
• An evening stroll through the market in Ottawa with smoothies that ended at Major’s Hill Park (best view in the city).
• Minigolfing, particularly if they serve drinks! Make sure to make it fun, and not uber competitive though!

Basically, the trick to putting together a fun first date is combining something you would enjoy doing anyway, with something that has a touch of romantic in it. Adding a picnic to a Frisbee is the perfect combination. You can go with the old standards of just drinks or dinner or something, if you’re more comfortable with that, but you should know in advance that you’ll be just like every other schmuck that’s ever asked her out. Try to be a little more memorable!

PS: If you’re ever in London, Ontario, there’s a beautiful spot on the roof of the city place that you can only access by going through one of the theatres at Rainbow Cinema. True story.

The first, and the one getting all the headlines, was Amendment 1 to the state constitution, which defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman. It passed 61% to 39%. It might have passed by even more, but it was specifically written to ban civil unions as well. For many, including me, that was a deal breaker. (My own opinion is that everyone should have a civil union, then add a wedding on top if they want one. For details see “Civil Unions for Everyone!” from a couple of years ago.) The hate has already started, as is shown by the collection of tweets at Twitchy with gems like “go kill yourselves, you rednecks.”

But of all the North Carolina results, the one I found most interesting was at the very top of the page. President Barack Obama ran unopposed on the Democratic ticket. Running completely unopposed, Barack Obama got 79.20% of the vote, with 20.80% voting for “No Preference.” That is, with no opponent the president could not even get 80% of DEMOCRATS to vote for him.

Up till now, the conventional wisdom was that North Carolina was a swing state, with Obama in the lead. The first sign of a break in that narrative was a NY Times breakdown of swing states on Monday that left North Carolina off the list. It looks like the New York Times had some pretty good intelligence on that score if Obama can’t even get 80% of Democrats when unopposed.

In the past, charity shops have had a reputation for being fusty junk stores reserved for elderly. But since vintage, boho and shabby chic style hit the catwalks again in the early 90’s, charity shops, jumble sales and markets have become contemporary, prime places to pick up stylish clothing and accessories. The trends have been made even more popular by celebrities such as Sienna Miller and more recently Alexa Chung, whose effortless, casual, vintage style saw her win the British Style Award 2011. It seems that today’s population appreciate the classical, simple beauty of vintage design and will shop anywhere to find it. Here are five reasons why second hand shopping is the new way to achieve up-to-the minute style on a budget.

It’s Unique

One of the best things about picking up clothing and accessories in charity shops is that they are often one-of-kind pieces. Shopping in popular High Street brands is great, but you could probably walk out of the shop and see ten other people wearing the same dress that you just bought. Be the envy of your friends and pick up something totally different. It is also becoming more common for charity shops to stock large ranges of accessories that are brand new and not sold anywhere else – the most common example of this would be handmade jewellery. So even if you don’t fancy any of the second hand goodies, it’s still possible to buy something unique yet brand new.

It’s Cheap

In light of the global recession, many people are eager to bag a bargain and create stylish outfits on a budget. The main perk of charity shops and markets is that they are gloriously cheap, with accessories such as bags, scarves and jewellery often been sold for under £5. However their discounted price doesn’t mean that they are less worthy of being sold than brand new items and often (if you take the time to look at labels) you will find that many items of clothing and accessories have indeed come from familiar High Street brands and are just that little bit older.

It’s Stylish

The popularity of vintage clothing has rocketed since the early 90’s partly due to visibility. Top models and celebrities such as Julie Roberts, Kate Moss, Rachel Bilson, The Olsen Twins and many more have been photographed wearing vintage garments and as such have made them desirable for the everyday market. With top fashion designers such as Coco Chanel and Vivienne Westwood also creating and endorsing vintage collections it seems that this is a style that is timeless. Current blasts from the past that have been spotted on this seasons catwalks include printed trousers, 1950’s style dresses, 1970’s block colour patterns, bold lipsticks and headscarves.

It’s Ethical

Bagging a bargain is bound to make you feel good, but you should feel doubly happy knowing that your money is also going to charity and helping those less fortunate. This is especially relevant when you consider that most money spent on the High Street only lines the pockets of large firms, many of which use controversial means of production such as sweatshop workers to create their fashion lines. Charity shops also provide benefits to the environment as re-selling and reusing items prevent them from going to landfill. Most charity shops have a policy that anything that isn’t resold is recycled so they really are doing their duty in ensuring that other people’s unwanted goods are responsibly disposed of.

It’s Interesting

Wandering around charity shops and markets can often be an insightful and interesting day out. Lots of the items on offer are old and as such come with a history of their own. Sometimes you may even be able to find out where your latest vintage purchase came from and gain a little knowledge about its previous owner and life before you picked it off the rail. Aside from clothing, lots of vintage stores also stock old household items such as telephones, ornaments and coaster fine furniture so you can really get a feel of what life in another era was like and turn your home as well as your wardrobe into a vintage haven.

In fact, in the last few years charity shops have become so popular with the younger generation that people have commented on a noticeable hiking of the prices. But with all takings going to charity and so much fine vintage attire on offer, who are we to grumble?

Photo: Angelo Kritikos

It’s been somewhat impossible to watch the current season of Celebrity Apprentice without witnessing the ongoing feuds between comedienne Lisa Lampanelli and Miss Universe 2008 Dayana Mendoza. After being brought back to the boardroom more times than any other contestant in the show’s run, Dayana finally heard the fatal words by Donald Trump, “You’re fired!”, last week after steering her team to a loss in a challenge centered around writing and producing a musical jingle. Fortunately, the Latina bombshell shows no signs of letting up even though she may not be able to add being a “Celebrity Apprentice” to her resume.

At only 25 years of old, Dayana already has quite the impressive list of accolades. After shooting to the international spotlight in 2007 as the winner of Miss Venezuela, Dayana subsequently won the Miss Universe competition and relocated to the United States. Dayana is presently focusing on her rapidly growing modelling career.

As Miss Universe, Dayana toured the world to raise awareness for AIDS, which was her platform issue in the competition, and also made a controversial visit to U.S. troops at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba in 2009.

Though she was fired from her team as project manager a few episodes shy of the season’s finale, she was still able to win $30,000 for her charity, the Latino Commission on AIDS, an organization she’s been working with for several years.

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Andrew Lawton: In all the times I’ve watched Celebrity Apprentice, I think you got brought back to the boardroom more than anyone else in the show. Where do you draw the strength from to keep on fighting?

Dayana Mendoza: I think most of the times I was brought to the boardroom I didn’t have to be there. It was just pretty much me being sure of myself and that I was doing the right things. I just worked as hard as I could and I didn’t focus so much on why people were bringing me to the boardroom or the reason why; I was more interested in doing the best I could in order for me to demonstrate that it wasn’t my time to go.

AL: One of the big things that I saw about you was that you always seemed to try to help out how you could and where you could and it seemed that certain people–like Lisa–didn’t appreciate that or didn’t want to accept that. Do you know why?

DM: I know right? I don’t know why. I can’t read her mind. I wish I could understand some of her reactions. I don’t think in any professional environment at any job that that’s something that would be acceptable. Her behavior was out of line most of the time. You know, with whatever’s going through her mind and whatever the reasons are, I’m happy to say that I don’t have to go back home every night and put my head in my pillow and be sorry for my behavior. I’m actually proud and happy that I got to work with such an amazing cast. These are people that have been working for 25 years and I’m only 25 years old so my technique was only to be as honest and professional as I could and do my best and at the end of the day show what I can do. This was all for charity. I didn’t need to be a negative energy.

AL: Even though you were fired, you still brought in money for your charity. How did you get involved with the Latino Commission on AIDS?

DM: Right after I won Miss Universe in 2008, my platform was HIV and AIDS. And the Latino Commission on AIDS was the first organization I met in New York City that I started working with at that time. My English was horrible. Really bad. So I started working with these people in Spanish and started working with them all over the city and out of the city. And I really just fell in love with the way that they were raising awareness and educating. Beyond that, the feeling that they gave you was a feeling of family. Being away from home I had people there I could count on. They were really family to me. So I just didn’t think twice when I was offered to participate on Celebrity Apprentice. Why wouldn’t I be there working for the Latino Commission?

AL: How does it feel to be able to go to a charity that you work with and be able to give them a check for $20,000?

DM: Oh gosh, you know with everything you go through on the show, it’s worth it. At the end, it doesn’t matter what you go through–insecurities and personal issues–it feels good to be able to help people. That’s the accomplishment. It helps so much to know that at the end of the day you did something positive.

AL: Earlier you said that your English was awful when you first moved to the U.S. Personally, I think your English is lovely, but I was wondering if you felt on the show that the language barrier was actually an issue?

DM: Definitely in some conversations people would use terms and slang or even words that I don’t know and I had to learn.

AL: Like the time when you asked the band to play the song a little more ‘pink’ and ‘yellow’ you mean?

DM: [Laughs] You know, it’s funny. How do you think that blues music became known as blues? Because of the color in the story of how they named that type of music. Clay Aiken was criticizing me for snapping my fingers to start a song, but if you think about it Michael Jackson we all know started creating songs by snapping his fingers. Whatever my instincts are was the direction I was going. But going back to the original question, yeah I’ve been speaking English for four years, but I don’t have it perfect. I have words that I still don’t know and I sometimes have to ask ‘What does that mean?’ That’s a problem because not everybody was comfortable with letting me know what that meant. It set them off a little. But as a worker, I guess I did as much as I could. And even more, I had to work double because I know I had people around me thinking I just had a title and was a beauty queen and assumed I was stupid. Still, people around think that if you have a pretty face you have nothing up there.

AL: Was there anyone on the show who you really enjoyed working with?

DM: The only one person that I really enjoyed working with who I thought was honest and therefore got the true meaning of the show was Patricia Velasquez. She has her own foundation and was focused 100% of the time and totally knew what to do and the way to do it. She’s the only one person that I still keep in touch with and I’m happy to say that we were able to establish a friendship after the show ended. I’m lucky that way.

AL: Moving away from Celebrity Apprentice, you’ve done so much already. Where do you go from here?

DM: I like acting; I like hosting; I like modelling. There are things I’m working on around all of those areas. I don’t want to mention anything because I don’t want to jinx it. I’d rather come out with a surprise when I have something to announce.

AL: Are there any surprises you’re working on right now then?

DM: No! Because if I tell you now it won’t be a surprise. [Laughs]

AL: Fair enough. Let me put it this way then, what would you like to be doing that you haven’t had the chance to do yet?

DM: I’d like to stay in the entertainment world. I really enjoy it. I haven’t done tons of things. I’m only 25 years old. If I decided to become a politician tomorrow, I could probably do that and that’s something I haven’t done. I have a list of things that are not involved with media that I would like to do in the future. But for now, I’m really enjoying this and I’m taking opportunities as they come. I’m very thankful and appreciate everything they’ve been offered and the way things are happening.

AL: Speaking of opportunities, a few years ago you had the opportunity to visit Guantanamo Bay with the U.S.O. That became so controversial when you wrote about it. I was hoping you could explain what that experience was like.

DM: I really appreciate your asking me that question. Not a lot of people actually care about what happened when I went there or my reason for being there. I went there to have lunch with the troops, take a boat ride and visit the school to have a great time with the kids. That was it. I didn’t go for the detention center. People don’t know that Guantanamo is not just a detention center; they don’t know that there are schools and people actually live there. There are parks; there’s a beach. People got confused when I said that I appreciated being there because the beach was beautiful and I enjoyed that. I didn’t do anything more than that. I went to the beach and I took a boat ride and apparently that’s a huge mistake to a lot of people.

AL: It sounds like you don’t regret that experience then?

DM: I wasn’t going to Guantanamo to support more than the troops. As I said, I just went there to have lunch and see the beach. As Miss Universe I wasn’t at Guantanamo Bay to go to the detention center or deal with any political issues or deal with any negative situations. I went there to do my job. I was working for the Miss Universe Organization and that was a task that I had. As a professional young lady, I went there and got it done. That’s it.

Apparently there’s a hidden asterisk next to this statement that we all missed: “Students are allowed to express their religious beliefs at school unless they are deemed “offensive” by some arbitrary standard and by some arbitrary powers from above who throw their weight behind whomever they arbitrarily choose.

There was never any problem when kids wore t-shirts with the slogan “Hail Satan”, as Swinimer says he has seen.

The school board issued a statement clarifying that “students may choose to wear clothing that embraces their beliefs. However, it is expected that students will not wear clothing with messages that may offend others’ beliefs, race, religion, culture or lifestyle.” “Expecting” and “forcing” are two very different things.

This appears lost on the soft-spoken totalitarians of the school board.

Let’s go back to square one. We have the protection of “freedom of speech and expression” in this country precisely because others may not agree with what we say or do. In fact some may even find them – oh Lord – “offensive”. That’s where the “protection” part comes in – to protect us from being arbitrarily gagged because others do not agree with us. Otherwise there would be no need for “protection”. Ms. Pynch-Worthylake says there is an easy solution: “The easy way to deal with this respectfully would be to just wear a different shirt.” Solutions for the left are always “easy” – you just force others to act, think and talk the way you want them to, otherwise they suffer the consequences, which in this case is suspension from continuing their education.

Varrick Day, who is pastor at Jesus the Good Shepherd Church in Bridgewater, N.S. where Mr. Swinimer and his family worship, said he encouraged the shy student to speak out.

“This is not about the t-shirt — it’s about our children and our grandchildren having the right of freedom of speech and religion,” he said. “That’s being taken away in our schools.”

Though I agree, I wish it was only “in our schools”. The thought-police are in full force in every nook and cranny of our society, bleeding us impotent from their tried and true tactic of death by a thousand cuts. For anyone else tired of seeing our freedoms being destroyed one t-Shirt at a time, I encourage you to give the school a call and voice your opinion on the matter. I gave them a call myself and offered them a piece of my mind. I have the suspicion they may have indeed been offended. Or at least one can hope.

Still, it all comes back to those nasty UV rays: UVA and UVB. UVA is the more prevalent of the two, but also the less intense; it’s the main ray involved in tanning. This type of UV radiation has recently been found to take part in the development of cancer but for many years has been established as a strong contributor to aging and wrinkling of skin. UVB, on the other hand, is mainly involved in the development of cancer and has a minor role in skin aging. It also contributes to your tan, and is the ray responsible for sunburns and reddened skin.

Without any sort of protection from the sun, you put yourself at risk for the consequences below regardless of whether you’re fair or dark in complexion.

Spots
A common result of extended sun exposure is spotty skin. There are a few different types of spots that can arise, and the most widely known are liver spots, also called age spots. These show up in areas that have had a lot of exposure, so they’re most common on the face, hands, shoulders, and upper back. Another possible development is labial lentigo, which is a single lesion that appears on the lips and is dark brown in colour.

Discolouration
UV radiation can not only create spots, but discolouration over an area of skin.  Some conditions, such as lentigo maligna (which is actually a type of melanoma) and melasma, create localized and defined patches of darker skin; others, like poikiloderma, cause irregular reddish-brown discolouration over a larger area. The sun can also cause general uneven pigmentation, which means evenly coloured skin can develop irregular darkness, and blood vessels can become stretched, leaving a reddish discolouration.

Roughness and Loss of Elasticity
Wrinkling and sagging are signs of aging that no one wants to start seeing, but with extended sun exposure UV radiation can alter skin and contribute to the formation of creases and to loss of elasticity. Though these inevitably appear with age, tanning and sun exposure speed up the process.  Solar keratosis is another possibility, which interrupts a smooth complexion with rough, raised patches of scaly skin.

To anyone who is involved in keeping up their appearance—and I assume that those concerned with getting a tan fit into this group—avoiding excessive sun exposure seems like the way to go, since none of the effects are particularly appealing. To keep your skin safe and youthful, here are some stern suggestions:

-          Sun screen: Buy some. Apply it as directed on the bottle when you’re spending time outdoors and be sure to get one that protects from both UVA and UVB rays (can be labelled “broad spectrum” or multi-spectrum”) and has an SPF of 15 at the very least.

-          UV Forecasts: Look into the UV forecast for your area and try to stay out of the sun during peak times.

-          Accessorize: It may be a bit unreasonable to suggest wearing long sleeved tops and long pants and skirts, but I do recommend taking the opportunity to wear some fantastic summer accessories that can help protect you from the sun a little bit. Big sun glasses will dim the light a bit, preventing  you from squinting as much (which can encourage wrinkling with repetition) and a wide brim hat will create some shade for your face—and maybe shoulders, depending on the size—while you look  stylish and summery.

-          Quit Tanning:  Learn to embrace your natural colour and focus on keeping your skin healthy instead of slowly converting it to leather.

Simon Cowell was his usual unimpressed self to start as the dancer walked on stage, as her nervousness, dress and body language gave few hints to her trade. The first few seconds of her dance were cute, if uninspired.  Cowell perked up very quickly as Bourbon opened up a suitcase on stage and pulled out some tiny props essential to her act: nipple tassles.  The rest of the dance was less dance than some cute wriggling to the music whilst shedding clothes, but reaction shots were everything.  Cowell was absolutely alight as more skin revealed itself, David couldn’t seem to stop giggling like a bad child caught watching something and both Alesha and Amanda spent their time watching both the act and their fellow judges.  Cowell, a notorious girlfriend-du-jour man, was enthusiastic by the end, David, who got his start in comedy wearing women’s clothing seemed to be more interested in the bra and skirt on the stage than the half naked woman taking her bow and Ofcom was bracing itself for the inevitable calls.  And those calls were made with good reason, because as much as Cowell talked about Dita Von Teese, a famous Burlesque dancer, Bourbon’s breasts didn’t really deserve the attention and applause that they got.

Bourbon’s breasts, though they did get a lot of exposure, weren’t the most impressive showing of the night, as 2010 Runners up Twist and Pulse returned with their own dance company, and while Twist and Pulse sat backstage to watch, their students wowed the crowd with a really fantastic, and sweetly funny group hip hop dance routine.  One young songwriter named Ryan O’Shaughnessy sang a song he’d written for a friend for whom he’s held a flame for six years.  The song, called “No Name”, got him through to the second round and hopefully will win him a first date.  There were scores of others, but naturally, the one most talked about is the one that bared it all for fame, and can’t really claim that it was a wardrobe malfunction.  Of course, neither could Janet Jackson, but at least the cameras at the Super Bowl looked elsewhere.  X Factor’s cameras were pretty well fixated either on the source of so much giggling or the overly perky Simon (who asked for a second performance).  It’s just a shame that real talent has been overshadowed by a pair of nipple tassles.

When did ‘talent’ mean nudity?  When did a burlesque dancer mean mainstream family entertainment?  And be honest, if you’re a pretty girl and you’re baring your breasts and dancing in a g-string on a stage, how hard is it really to get attention?  It doesn’t really mean you’re talented, it just means you’re lacking clothes in public.  Compared to fellow competitor, O’Shaughnessy, who writes his own music as well as performs it (quite beautifully), Bourbon lowers the bar for what’s considered talent.  O’Shaughnessy, for all his simplicity of a guitar and voice and slightly introverted personality, will go far on his skill, and will one day be able to tell his children about the story of his performance.  Von Bourbon really ought not to be telling any children of her work without ensuring they’re above the legal age of consent first, and her “talent” has no business on a pre-watershed talent show.  Here’s hoping that Cowell remembers that BGT means Britain’s Got Talent and not Britain’s Got Tassles.