Sellotape selfies become the latest version of the internet’s most popular craze

Another day, another selfie craze, though we certainly hope this one won’t stick around for long.

‘Selloptape selfies’ aka sellofies are popping up all over Facebook, where thousands of people have been wrapping clear tape around their face to make themselves look like grotesque ogres.

They then upload their bizarre picture to Facebook and nominate a friend to take part in the challenge as well.

The craze, which was launched on Wednesday, quickly went viral with more than 50,000 people liking the Sellotape selfie page in the first 24 hours.

It was dreamed up by Lizzie Durley, 21, who is studying international event management at Brighton University.

‘I got the idea from Jim Carrey’s office scene in Yes Man,’ she says.

‘I was having a bad day and remembered that scene from the film which really tickled me.

‘I figured people were getting bored of the whole ‘selfie’ craze – I know I was.

‘So I just applied the concepts of the selfie to this idea and it resulted in Sellotape selfies!’

Miss Durley presented the idea to her friends who shared it online.

Before she knew it, it was all over the internet.

‘It grew so quickly,’ she says.

‘The concept is applicable to literally anyone, everyone can join in, there’s no risk of offence, and people just love to have a giggle.

‘So it blew up on Facebook.’

Miss Durley says her ’goal’ was 3,000 followers on the Facebook page.

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Posted in: Entertainment

Lady Gaga’s charity raises $2M, only spends $5,000

In 2011 Lady Gaga, along with mom Cynthia Germanotta, founded the Born This Way Foundation, dedicated to “creating a safe community that helps connect young people with the skills and opportunities they need to build a kinder, braver world.” Which is the kind of vague statement that can mean a lot of things, or more likely, nothing at all.

After Showbiz 411's Roger Friedman published a breakdown of the non-profit’s financials, we’re leaning towards nothing at all. If anything, the mission of the foundation is to benefit the foundation.

Essentially, the organisation claimed $2.1 million in net assets and proceeded to spend the bulk of it on legal fees, event production, the website, publicity and other various expenses. Of that 2.1 million, 5,000 dollars was spent on “grants to organizations or individuals.” Unnecessary expenditures are the kinds of things that happen when well-intentioned people who know nothing about the business of running a charity start running a charity.

Cynthia Germanotta took to the Huffington Post to defend the organization expenditures, claiming “. . . we are an organisation that conducts our charitable activity directly, and we fund our own work. We are not a grant-maker that funds the work of other charities, and were never intended to be.” One example of that work was a Born Brave Bus Tour which aimed to raise mental health awareness and offered therapy on the bus. Alrighty then.

The whole debacle is probably a good reminder for people looking to donate money to a cause to look into where their money actually goes. Or more specifically, whether that money is actually making change or funding a millionaire’s vague vanity project.

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Posted in: Celebrities,Entertainment