Someone's getting covered (from Blind Gossip)

Here's a good example of then good blinds go bad in the guesses. Blind Gossip's own original items are usually very clearly written and laden with clues... sometimes so many that the answer is as obvious as Tom Cruise's lifts. This seems to be one of those, and most of the guessers are on board. A number of the commenters, however, seem convinced the answer is a little less obvious, which makes this one a good candidate for analysis.

This actor is scheduled to appear on the cover of a major magazine soon. The photo was planned well in advance, and the magazine shelled out a lot of benjamins for the privilege. But now there’s a big old hairy problem.   The accompanying article was supposed to be a complete puff piece. However, due to some recent events that our actor couldn’t control, the editors have a dilemma. If they don’t mention the controversy, they’ll appease the actor, and he will continue to favor them when he plugs a project. If they do use the new information (complete with some racy photos), they’ll alienate the actor. They’ll also face certain legal action by the actor and his singer. But the magazine would definitely sell more copies.

Top guesses?

• John Travolta
• Josh Duhamel
• Jake Gyllenhaal 
• Russell Brand
• Brad Pitt* 

*some people just get guessed for every blind, whether it makes sense or not. He wasn't really a top guess for this one, but the very fact that his name came up simply because of the word "benjamins" made me laugh.

Still a virgin? (from CDAN)

Let's start the party with a fairly easy item, and one that just might be revealed when Enty does his reveal-a-palooza at year's end:

I don't know if this was a pickup line or if it is actually true, but this almost A list star in a huge franchise confessed to two women at a recent party that he was a virgin. Hmmm. He said he was looking for the right woman. This guy could have just about anyone he wants so I don't know. It might explain a certain break up not too long ago.

 Popular guesses when the item was first posted were: Shia LaBeouf, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Taylor Lautner. Like Lainey, Enty sometimes drops hints about his blinds in other posts. This item was originally posted November 18. On December 13, Enty ran a photo of Lautner in his randoms; the Twilight star was posing with a group of cheerleaders, with a caption that read, "I'm pretty sure Taylor Lautner could find a date here." A hint? Maybe.

What are the clues in the original item?

• Almost A-list
• Huge franchise
• "Could have just about anyone he wanted"
• (semi?) Recent break-up

Now let's look a more complete list of popular guesses, culled from CDAN, Gawker, and Blind Gossip.

• Taylor Lautner
• Shia LaBeouf
• Daniel Radcliffe
• Rupert Grint
• Jesse Eisenberg
• Kellan Lutz

Why analysis?

First things first: why blind item analysis and not just guesses? The answer is simple: there are plenty of sites that offer both blind items and a place for readers to guess, and plenty of sites that round up BIs and popular suspects. But too often those guesses seem far off the mark, or obviously wrong (after all, not everything can be about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, right?). There are a lot more B- and C-list actors than the ones who frequently come to mind. And while most of the items are fun or salacious, some are much more serious--there are blind items aplenty about abuse and illegal behavior. I love gossip as much as the next girl, but in this our Internet age, even the most innocent of guesses live forever in the bowels of Google.

So why not blind items debunked? Because I don't always think the popular guesses are wrong. Nor do I assume most items are fake, like many posters on celebrity gossip sites. All I want to offer is simple analysis: comparisons to other items by or about the same people, comparisons to mentions of the popular guesses on the same site. What does B-list really mean? How about aging? What's the cutoff age for a starlet? The answers are often as diverse as the columnists who offer their items. What holds for CDAN isn't necessarily the same for Lainey or Ted Casablanca. But maybe if we really dig into the items, comparing and contrasting hints, reveals, and celebrity mentions, we can work out some of the items that have proved elusive so far. Happy digging!