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YouTube Divorcée Defends Videos in Court

by Christine Whitney, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 5:17PM



YouTubing divorcée Tricia Walsh-Smith never really got famous as an actress, but has become sorta (in)famous for her nutso Internet monologues, in which she sings, dances, and rails against the man who spurned her. Her grievances against Philip Smith, president of the Schubert Organization, involve everything from settlement money and prenups to details of the couple's (lack of) a sex life. Trish claims that Smith wouldn't put out, and that he had a stash of Viagra which he used strictly extramaritally. Ouch.

TWS' series of YouTube divorce vids have gotten tons of attention, and suddenly she's all over Gawker, New York Magazine, etc etc etc, always with a new tale of woe and the same psychotic gleam in her eye. Rumor has it that she is being courted by Bravo for the next season of 'Real Housewives of NYC.'

Do they let divorcées on 'Housewives'? Is that cheating? (We don't watch too much reality t.v., aside from 'The Hills' and 'Shear Genius' so this is baffling.)

At any rate, the grandfatherly, defamed Philip Smith is fighting back, with a lawsuit claiming spousal abuse (based on the YouTube clips) which TWS claims have been viewed almost four million times.

Trish defended herself in a court hearing last week, alleging that her Smith was "trying to leave her penniless" and that the YouTube campaign was her last resort. "I didn't know what else to do because I had no money...I'm not just going to slink off into Central Park," she sassed. The YouTube videos made a court appearance as well. We love the 21st century! [Source: Reuters]
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Saucy 'Wii Fit Girl' YouTube Video Causing ID Problems for NYC Librarian

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 13th 2008 at 12:12PMBreaking News


It takes a certain kind of douchebag to secretly film his girlfriend playing 'Wii Fit' in her underwear and post it on YouTube (almost his ex-girlfriend). The video, originally titled 'Why Every Guy Should Buy Their Girlfriend a Wii Fit,' became so popular that many began to suspect it was a viral marketing ploy by Nintendo. But both Nintendo and the couple have strenuously denied this charge.

The couple's (Lauren Bernat, 25 and Giovanny Gutierrez, 30) exploits have proven particularly troublesome, however, for a 22-year-old librarian from New York City who happens to also be named Lauren Bernat. The young masters degree candidate is worried what prospective employers and schools might think now that the first result for "Lauren Bernat" on Google is the Wii Fit Girl video on YouTube. She contacted Google about the issue, but since the other woman's name is Lauren Bernat, there is nothing that can be done.

We hope that prospective employers who bother to Google the librarian Lauren Bernat will dig a little deeper than the first page of results. [Source: Geek Sugar and Crave]


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Man Changes Facebook Relationship Status, Gets 400 Calls From Ex's Friends

by Will Safer, posted May 22nd 2008 at 8:57AM

Social networking status can complicate personal relationships.

If you use a social networking Web site like Facebook or MySpace, just how explicit are you with your personal details, especially your relationship status?

Some users have been getting themselves into awkward social situations, even provoking problems in their personal relationships, all due to status messages that sometimes reveal more – or sometimes less -- than they would want or intend.

Changing the status from "in a relationship" to "single" got one man into hot water with a very large circle of online friends – and caused his ex-girlfriend significant embarrassment when many of those friends reached out to her.

Others find themselves pressured by girlfriends or boyfriends to change "single" status to "in a relationship," perhaps to announce to the world (the online one, that is) that they are, in a sense, off the market.

One psychoanalyst says social networking sites can add pressures to a relationship as it develops. Making the status public for all to see alters the dynamic between people and breaks down some of the intimacy.

So, how much do you reveal to all your networked friends? [Source: ABC News.]
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Man Tries to Ditch Cheating Wife on eBay

by Terrence O'Brien, posted May 15th 2008 at 4:37PMBreaking News

Man Tries to Ditch Cheating Wife on eBay
The Internet has provided many ways for shaming those who have wronged you, and we thought we'd seen them all. That is, until Paul Osborn decided to auction off his "adulterous, lying, cheating, bitch, whore" of a wife on eBay (his words).

Paul found out that his wife and mother of his children, Sharon, was having an affair with a co-worker. His response was to throw her out of the house and post an "auction" for her on eBay. We use quotes around "auction" because in the listing Paul specifically states, "please do not bid on her because she is worth sod all." Paul also used the eBay listing to out her lover Richard Drew, who is also married. Paul provided phone numbers and addresses for both Richard and Sharon. Naturally, eBay took the listing down pretty quickly. [Source: The Sun]
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Six Ways to Break Up Over Your Computer or Cell Phone

by Dan Reilly, posted Apr 30th 2008 at 12:07PMFeatured Story

Before technology allowed people to communicate so effortlessly, the act of breaking up over the phone was considered too impersonal. Compared to the ways that people end their relationships now, a call almost seems polite. Whether it's because of a desire to make things public or just to cop out to avoid an awkward meeting, lovers young and old are using technology to break the news. Here at Switched, we dug up some of the harshest ways that tech-enabled breakups have been executed. Read on and you'll laugh, cringe and hope this never happens to you.



1. Rant and rave on YouTube

Few divorces are ever settled amicably, but even fewer have been detailed on YouTube for the world to witness by an angry wife. Such is the reason that the videos by Tricia Walsh-Smith created an Internet buzz covered by both blogs and mainstream media. Within the last few weeks, Walsh-Smith, 54, published two clips discussing her split with hubby Philip Smith, 77. The videos contained intimate details about their marriage and split. Unfortunately for her, she'll have to find a new place to film – a judge ruled that she can no longer make her videos in the apartment she shared with her soon-to-be ex.

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Eight Best Techie Marriage Proposals

by Dan Reilly, posted Apr 30th 2008 at 1:20AMFeatured Story

Aside from buying a ring, asking her father's permission, and stressing over her answer, one of the hardest parts of a marriage proposal for a man is coming up with a unique way to do it. Luckily, technology offers up a slew of options and -- starting below -- we recount the tales of eight creatively geeky guys who found new ways to pop the question. If you're the sentimental type, now's the time to break out the Kleenex.



So There Are Rewards for Playing Video Games

Knowing your girlfriend's favorite hobbies is a great start for planning a proposal. For Bernie Peng, that meant using the game 'Bejeweled' to ask Tammy Li to marry him. Peng, a financial software programmer, spent a month tweaking the game so when Li reached a certain score, a ring and the proposal popped up on the screen. We know what you're thinking, and so does Peng – "I thought it was pretty cool, in a nerdy way," he said. Fortunately for him, she said yes.

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Online Activity Used in Divorce Court

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Sep 18th 2007 at 5:10PM

Online Acticity Used in Divorce Court
If you do a lot of communicating online, perhaps with a secret lover, it may be time to take that conversation elsewhere. Likewise, if you suspect your spouse or significant other is cheating on you, it's probably a good idea to take a look at what he or she is doing online.

It turns out that as much as 75 percent of all divorce cases include some sort of electronic evidence: e-mail messages, instant message logs, even cell phone text messages. Increasingly, estranged lovers are looking to their partners' online activities to prove adultery, and courts are allowing the evidence in many cases.

A recent article from the New York Times told the tale of a man, suspecting his wife was cheating on him, who installed a program called "Pandora" on her machine. He was e-mailed screenshots of her computer every few minutes, screenshots that enlightened him of her adulterous activities. The program also captured her secret e-mail account passwords in which he found threads of tawdry conversations with the lover, who turned out to be a mutual friend from their children's private school.

Some argue that such spousal spying is an invasion of privacy. In fact, the husband in the story told by the New York Times was conflicted over his decision to spy on her. "If I were to tell you I have a pure ethical conscience over what I did, I'd be lying," he told The Times.

Either way, it turns out he could use the evidence in court since they shared the computer, a community property. Not all evidence found this way is admissible in court -- so if you plan on doing some e-espionage, consult a lawyer, first. Just don't do it via e-mail.

From The New York Times

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