Open Mic w/ Bear F'N Frazer: Contra-Celebrity

Controversy is something that surrounds us. Society places celebrities on a pedestal and talks all high and mighty about their new Hollywood attribute. However, when media exposes this new-found star and puts them under the bright lights, it allows our new accused TV sensation to get criticized by the society that made them. It’s like, “here’s our new pretty boy, everybody should flame him, and maybe in a few months, if Public Relations does a good job, everybody will forget about it. No harm done.” Sure, it could be a bogus situation, but these things could obviously help make or break a career. This is a tale that we have all seen before but right now, I got the mic.

The Super Bowl was simply incredible, regardless who won. Sadly, the game isn’t the big thing being talked about … all anybody cares about when they hear the Super Bowl is, “I saw Janet Jackon’s booby.” I don’t want to discredit this matter because it brings up a big issue, “Should Commercial TV be censored?” Personally, I don’t think it should be, but that is a whole other can of worms I would be opening up. As far as seeing Jackson’s breast, I really don’t think it is as bad as everyone claims it out to be. I mean, everybody probably has CBS and little kids are usually allowed to watch CBS unsupervised, so yea, some little kids probably saw something that maybe they shouldn’t have. That is the only problem I see. There are a few reasons why I think the incident really isn’t so bad though. Firstly, you got every single male in Corporate America who probably lived out their fantasy by seeing the breast of one of America’s sexiest females ever, Janet Jackson. Secondly, this was probably unplanned and the breast was out for less than three seconds. The Super Bowl wasn’t based around Jackson’s hooter: it was (and will forever be) based around the biggest football game of the year. thirdly, you probably have a bunch of drunken guys with their kids watching the Super Bowl and if their favorite team makes a bad play, these males are probably yelling obscenities and throwing beer bottles at the television set. think about it for a second. What is worse? Having your son or daughter see Jackson’s booby for a few seconds (probably under parental supervision), or exposing your child to anger, violence, and alcohol? You make the call.

Not to emphasize on this incident, but is UPN or FOX being looked down upon? How different would this be if a child turned to WWE Smackdown on UPN and saw two girls fighting each other, trying to strip the other down to their bra and panties? Better yet, look at shows like Blind Date, Elimidate, and the Fifth Wheel. Sure, it’s shown during the daytime, evenings, and afternoons, but when was the last time you have heard people complaining to FOX or UPN because of the show’s elusive behavior? You can see a guy drink with multiple females (eventually getting heavily intoxicated), hooking up with some girls in the hot tub, club, or bar, and literally caressing them. Are we trying to send out the message that brief nudity isn’t allowed, but alcoholism and hooking up with strangers is?

This also marks the second Sunday in a row where CBS is under fire. The first time was obviously the halftime show at the Super Bowl on February 1st (as mentioned in above paragraph) and the second time was during the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, aired on February 8th. Andre 3000 performed “Hey Ya!,” at the Grammys in-front of a tepee while being flanked by women in bright green outfits. As it turns out, the Native American Cultural Center in San Francisco is encouraging others to boycott both OutKast and CBS because of the performance. They found it offensive towards Native Americans. This is exactly just what CBS needs more of: controversy. Two weeks in a row, they have pissed off a lot of people. You have the feminists, Native Americans, and sheltered people very angry. I have a sneaking suspicion that the ratings for CBS may drop … just a little one though.

So, all the heat seems to be on CBS, OutKast, and Janet Jackson. I guess everybody forgot about Justin Timberlake. Wouldn’t you think he would be under more fire? I mean, he was the one who ripped Jackon’s outfit and exposed her breast. It can’t be Timberlake’s fault though; he’s “America’s Sweetheart.” For days, both parties have apologized, but Justin made a public apology at the Grammys. After all, no one can stay mad at “America’s Sweetheart.” How about R. Kelly? He was on hand at the Grammys and he was widely accepted at the Awards Ceremony. the only reason he attended was because he was out on bail. Does anyone remember the guy who was charged with 21 counts of videotaping, producing, and soliciting a minor to be in a porn video (that isn’t including the 12 counts of taking pictures with a digital camera of a minor and himself both in the nude)? To my knowledge, that is child pornography and one of the sickest acts in mankind, however, he is being cheered at the Grammys. Let’s not even forget about Christina Aguilera and her attire. Although her outfits are sexy, doesn’t she show more skin than about 98% of the people in America (that aren’t in nudist colonies)? Heck, even the suave musician, Prince was on hand. Prince has been a symbol of controversy for the past couple of decades. All of these stars are shown on the Grammys, broadcasted on CBS, the same place that broadcasted the Super Bowl. It’s just odd that a lot of celebrities who have enraged the public and/or committed several offences are forgiven immediately, but when one celebrity makes an honest mistake, they are shunned by the whole world. Maybe not everyone can get away with murder.

Whether you tuned into the Grammys or not, there was definetely something going on. From offensive behavior by OutKast or 50 Cent walking offstage, to Evanescence being awarded the Best New Artist Award or the Beatles Tribute, there was something for everyone at this year’s Grammy Award. Obviously, there were good vibes and bad vibes, from the winners, to the losers, and from the loved, to the unforgiven.

No matter what your taste in music or television is, controversial behavior will always be present. the Entertainment Industry is always loaded with scandals and crude behavior. Some of those will be washed away but for some, a stain could always remain. It’s up to us and society, on how we should deal with it. For BaloolaPalooza.com, this is Bear F’N Frazer, and it’s about time for me to drop the mic.

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