Paris Hilton No Antigone
Paris Hilton No Antigone by Roxanne McDonald
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Great stuff, Paris Hilton fans—appealing to the governor to help someone displace, deflect, and avoid altogether personal responsibility…. |
As if we don’t have enough passing the buck and blaming everyone but the one initially responsible behaviors. Paris chose to do what she did to incur the [impending] punishment, but fans evidently appealed to Governor Schwarzenegger to help Paris avoid doing jail time for a violation—driving on a suspended license after a DUI had her CDL suspended.
At the same time, the fans didn’t think this up themselves, I understand. According to Celebrity Spider, TMZ, and other news source sites, the celebutante urged fans to endorse an online petition that would pardon her from serving her 45-day jail sentence for a 2006 drunk-driving arrest.
The petition, addressed to Schwarzennegger and posted on Hilton’s MySpace blog, thanks to a “friend� named Joshua, includes the following pleas:
“…the American public who support Paris are shocked, dismayed and appalled by how Paris has been the person to be used as an example that drunk driving is wrong.
She provides hope for young people all over the US and the world. She provides beauty and excitement to (most of) our otherwise mundane lives.
If the late former President Gerald Ford could find it in his heart to pardon the late former President Richard Nixon after his mistake(s), we undeniably support Paris Hilton being pardoned for her honest mistake as well.”
Evidently Joshua and company have not yet taken a critical thinking course, and have yet to learn about fallacious reasoning. I’m not even sure as a former instructor of such a course I could begin to get through to them the many problems with their statements—including, for example, false analogy, two wrongs not equaling a right, and and and…um, appeal to authority?
How can you be appalled by one being used as an example when you are the example to begin with? That is, when you did commit the crime, then blow off the punishment? And blaming your publicist for not informing you…well, first, displacing the responsibility won’t work; and second, ever hear that ignorance of the law is no excuse?
Are We So Bereft of News We Have to Make Some?
Are We So Bereft of News We Have to Make Some? by Roxanne McDonald
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The conflicting reports speculating the Brangelina split have gotten way out of control…. |
I felt embarrassed immediately after my first discussion of the split being nothing more than an actual physical departure by Angie so she could do her new movie—because I then read the latest issue of Life and Style, which showed all kinds of points toward Angie and Brad breaking up for real.
Then…The news after that featured a pic of Brad and Angelina having a romantic dinner in Prague.
Now, the latest buzz is some weird-ass thing about how Angie is leaving Brad for Sanjaya.
Oh, for God’s sake. Stick with the truth or quit embellishing or leave these two humans (beauties, newsworthy, but humans nonetheless, eh?) alone.
Angelina Jolie Tattoo Trivia
Angelina Jolie Tattoo Trivia by Roxanne McDonald
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Jolie has done amazing filmic work, has made wonderful social contributions, and has been supremely supportive to children around the world. But let’s get really trivial for a moment, and consider her tattoos. |
Forget the metaphysical for a moment and consider the physical. The physical specimen of perfection that is Angelina Jolie. Now, bring back the spiritual element, which can be seen represented not only in her brilliant work on and off screen but is represented on her actual flesh.
Slogan/Saying—(nape of neck) “Know your rights” is a pretty straightforward comment, one Jolie lives by and campaigns to help others live by.
Khmer incantation—(left shoulder blade) these five rows of Khmer Jolie had designed in honor of her son, Maddox, and were inked for her by a Buddhist monk. The words are said to ward off bad luck and to avoid accidents (as cited in BBC News). The English translation is as follows:
May your enemies run far away from you.
If you acquire riches, may they remain yours always.
Your beauty will be that of Apsara (Khmer mythological celestial dancer).
Wherever you may go, many will attend, serve and protect you, surrounding you on all sides.
This tattoo covers the Japanese symbol for death—which Angie had originally found inspirational because it made her “live life to the fullest.�
Angelina Jolie Considering Trial Separation is Dubious News
Angelina Jolie Considering Trial Separation is Dubious News by Roxanne McDonald
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Star Magazine says split; TMZ and LBN say signing papers to formalize kids’ last names. Which is it and does it matter? |
In a Star World Exclusive (April 30th issue), writers Jennifer Pearson and Roger Hitts discuss how Jolie and Pitt are “cracking under the strain of their relationship,� and are facing a separation—a trial separation.
Angie purportedly decided to be a stay-at-home mom once the couple adopted baby Pax, but within only a few weeks of the blessed event has packed to head off to Prague, where the mega-star will be filming the new action thriller, Wanted (with Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy).
Further, sources tell Pearson and Hitts, the original plan on Angie’s part was to pack up the four kids and two nannies. But Brad resisted that idea, supposedly especially attached to Shiloh (while Angie maintains “Zahara and Maddox are supreme,� says the unidentified source.
But the clear truth is that they are separating physically, geographically—not necessarily emotionally. The implications are that because Angie changes things up, switches plans, and etc., and because Brad is stressed (though “going with the flow�), the highest profile people in Hollywood to date are considered to be treating this temporary distancing as a trial separation.
Levine Breaking News, however, on April 25, reported how Jolie has filed papers to have Pitt’s name legally added to the adoption documents, giving little Pax the hyphenated surname, Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt.
Also according to TMZ on April 24, Jolie has made the decision to give mutual adoption status to Pitt for Pax—as he has for the other two adopted kids, Zahara and Maddox, and as he has taken the role of parenting Shiloh, whom Jolie gave birth to in May of 2006…so the names are the same for all four children.
So all this is sort of interesting—about as engaging, though, as how the paparazzi and press follow Angie’s allegedly dwindling weight. What is more intriguing, however, besides Jolie’s acting in blockbuster hits, is how much of a humanitarian the celebrity is—not for pictures or posturing but for personal needs to serve humankind.
Madonna and Malawi
Madonna and Malawi by Roxanne McDonald
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Madonna has instigated the firing squad of righteousness numerous times in her life. But was the human rights group all that right? |
I have followed Madonna’s career for years, but stopped in the last couple to do other stuff. Today, however, I came across some articles on Madonna’s adoption efforts of a child from Malawai—and what flattened me was how the controversy that is Madonna had been used against her when she was doing a public/world good…. Or was she?
The old news has been resuscitated, as Madonna is photographed visiting Malawi on April 16 for a three-day visit (according to Star Magazine), The news has resurfaced because Madonna filmed a video segment for American Idol Gives Back, wherein she is in Malawi surrounded by the starving and medically needful children who are HIV positive and is appealing to Idol viewers to donate.
And the news has come back about Madonna in Malawi because she not only built an orphan care center there, under the auspices of her foundation, Raising Malawi (as well as funding six other orphanages in Africa), but she and husband Guy Ritchie adopted a boy named David from Malawi and have yet to get those adoption papers finalized.
In the fall of 2006, then, Madonna and Guy announced their intentions of adopting thirteen-month-old David. But rather than do as smooth a transaction as Angelina Jolie has twice done for Ethiopian children, Madonna faced stern opposition.
Reportedly, Malawian human rights groups went to court to challenge the government’s granting Madonna adoption rights. Under the impression that Madonna pulled strings as a wealthy American celebrity, the protesters belonging to The Human Rights Consultative Committee (HRCC) moved to ensure the laws were “not bent� for Madonna.
The laws of adoption, that is, hold that anyone wanting to adopt a child has to stay with him or her for “at least eighteen months for assessment,� in a “fostering� role.
Too, it was soon after reported that David’s birth father, Yohane Banda, was confused when discussing giving up his child for adoption, not fully understanding the details in spite of his expressed assent. According to the man’s cousin, Profera Banda, Yohane is illiterate and therefore doesn’t understand—and that he and others in the family think of this adoption as a kind of temporary thing, with Madonna bringing the child back after a few years of caring for him.
Madonna Made Sense Most of the Time
Madonna Made Sense Most of the Time by Roxanne McDonald
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“Everyone has a right to my opinion,� she smirked. But despite her providing consistent shock value, Madonna brought [and continues to bring] covert encouragement and support in several ways. |
She dressed down for performances. She used props that rivaled those of The Exorcist and riled whole populations—burning crosses, African American saints, futuristic cone bras (as outerwear), boy toy belts. She pissed off everyone from political pundits to big name sponsors.
Pepsi cancelled Madonna’s Like a Prayer tour.
Cops came to arrest her on her Blonde Ambition tour.
She made Truth or Dare, and made us aware of sides of celebrity and star personality that we rarely (at that time) had much exposure to: the family frustrations, the loneliness, the exhaustion, and the behind-the-scenes Mama and her babies lectures and love-ins.
Madonna published Sex, and the public went nuts—in several ways, mostly contradictory.
She was married to bad boy Penn, then playing with bad boy Leon. She got pregnant as an unwed mother, sang songs about the rights to being an unwed mother.
She posed nude—and people continued to act as if she were the first to do so (harrumph, check great grandpa’s secret stash, folks). She staged a music video that implied (or that audiences interpreted) the tweenie watching her through a peep show window was her new lover. And, heaven forbid, she tongue-kissed fellow performers (female).
Her videos were banned; her images and music censored.