Vulture’s Stupidest Things of Summer: The Photo Album

After a hectic fortnight, July's stupidity slowed way down this week. There were no new high-profile instances of celebrity obtuseness, just more from the usual suspects (Mel, Lindsay). Even the less flashy kinds of buffoonery — bad movies, bad lyrics, bad youtube videos — took the week off. But we've decided not to obsess about how this week stupidity let us down. (Hey, stupid: Summer is to you what tax season is to accountants, you don’t get to take the week off!) Instead, we're going to take this opportunity to remind ourselves of all the really high-quality nonsense that's already gone down this summer. And what's the best way to remember anything? With photographs, of course! So we've rounded up images to illustrate this week's list, from the new, very wet still of Thor, to Lindsay's mugshot, to good ol' reliable Spencer Pratt. Sometimes a picture just says "Stupid" best.

2. As explained last week, Mel Gibson has really earned the No. 2 spot. That said, we can't include an image illustrating his stupidity because (1) most of it took place on the phone and (2) any physical evidence of his stupidity/malevolence would be too horrifying to include here.

2. As explained last week, Mel Gibson has really earned the No. 2 spot. That said, we can't include an image illustrating his stupidity because (1) most of it took place on the phone and (2) any physical evidence of his stupidity/malevolence would be too horrifying to include here.

6. The Jersey Shore, and particularly The Situation, has been bringing it all summer. To recap, Snooki and McCain tweeted, The Situation rapped, the dudes posed, The Situation had career aspirations. And yet, somehow, The Situation topped all of this with his all-turtleneck family photo, an image a whole lot sweeter than it is stupid.

4. Spencer Pratt dressed up as a hobo. A commenter pointed out that's probably his real beard.

9. Showgirls 2 trailer.

6. The Jersey Shore, and particularly The Situation, has been bringing it all summer. To recap, Snooki and McCain tweeted, The Situation rapped, the dudes posed, The Situation had career aspirations. And yet, somehow, The Situation topped all of this with his all-turtleneck family photo, an image a whole lot sweeter than it is stupid.

7. Superhero movie Thor, about the blond Norse god with a big hammer, will be out in theaters in 2011. Based on the image below, you could be forgiven for thinking this is the first superhero franchise Marvel plans on marketing to girls and gays. After all, a similar strategy sure worked for Twilight.

8. Bristol Palin's acting debut on Secret Life of the American Teenager is still at No. 8, but rather than show an image of her acting, badly, we thought we'd try to be helpful, by showing Palin the kind of performance she should aspire to: silly and campy, but — get this! — on purpose. So, Bristol, below, you'll find Jennifer Love Hewitt doing stupidity, intentionally, in her Lifetime prostitute movie The Client List. Feel free to take notes!

9. Showgirls 2 trailer.

10. This entry — Kyrah and Ke$ha’s lyric, “My steez is gonna be affected if I keep it up like a lovesick crackhead,” — is photo-less by necessity: What does a steez look like?

8. Bristol Palin's acting debut on Secret Life of the American Teenager is still at No. 8, but rather than show an image of her acting, badly, we thought we'd try to be helpful, by showing Palin the kind of performance she should aspire to: silly and campy, but — get this! — on purpose. So, Bristol, below, you'll find Jennifer Love Hewitt doing stupidity, intentionally, in her Lifetime prostitute movie The Client List. Feel free to take notes!

5. Lindsay Lohan was already on this list thanks to her cursing manicure. This week, she contributes another memorable image with her mug shot, complete with a smirk and just a touch of lip gloss.

• Chris Brown's tears.
• Jeremy Piven's fishy explanation.
• Meet the Spartans spoof.
• The Last Airbender.
• Parents who hear a toy say the word “pussy” and don’t think of a cat.
• Coolio's misspelled "jugalo" tattoo.
• Eminem’s lyric: "Now you get to watch her leave out the window/Guess that’s why they call it window pane.
• Shirtless werewolves.
• Jonah Hex.
• Les Grossman.
• Half-Pint Brawlers.

Next week, with less picture, newer stupid.