Crushable » Controversy

Is Beyoncé’s Skin Tone Too Light In This New Promo For 4?

Amanda Chatel — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:59:44 +0000

In re-promotion of her album 4, this is the photo of Beyoncé being used to remind those of us who haven’t bought it to pick it up stat. When the photo was released this week it stunned critics and fans alike because of the lightness of her skin. The New York Post has called the photo “shocking” while other sites are condemning the artist and new mother for not “representing” her African American ethnicity.

It’s hard to tell whether it’s the lighting that was used during the shoot or if the image was digitally altered afterward, but either way it’s definitely not a clear image of Beyoncé’s true skin tone.

This isn’t the first time she has been slammed in the media for her dishonest coloring. In 2008, L’Oreal was accused of lightening her skin in a Feria hair color ad. In that case it might be easier to blame marketing instead of Beyoncé. But one would like to hope that her contract would allow her to have a say in how she’s represented. If she really is who she claims to be in her song lyrics, you’d think she’d step in and point out that there’s a lot of false advertising going on in these advertisements.

But let’s look at the varying shades of Beyoncé to see how we really feel about her skin shade debacle.

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Sasha Grey Reads To Children, Sparking Outrage Among Parents

Jamie Peck — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:10:50 +0000

Former adult film star and current non-adult film actress Sasha Grey caused numerous parental panties to bunch up when she read to a group of first and third graders at Compton, CA’s Emerson Elementary School last week as part of the Read Across America program. Apparently, despite the fact that Grey has been out of the adult business for more than two years now, and also despite the fact that a bunch of first graders wouldn’t recognize her as a porn star (provided their parents were doing their jobs), just being around that slutty, slutty book lover might’ve been enough to turn those seven-year-olds to lives of iniquity.

When faced with parental scrutiny, the school made an unwise move (considering there was both photo and Twitter documentation of the event) and tried to deny she’d ever been there in the first place. “We have several celebrities who read to our students each year,” a rep for the school district told TMZ. “The actress you have indicated [Sasha] was not present.” Except, a whole bunch of adorable pictures of Sasha Grey reading to the children would say otherwise.

For her part, Grey has released a statement in her trademark no-nonsense style reaffirming her commitment to helping children, as well as her right to be a well-rounded person and not some cartoon caricature of a fallen woman.

Via TMZ:

I am proud to have participated in the ‘Read Across America’ program at Emerson Elementary School in Compton, CA. I read Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey to the sweetest 1st and 3rd grade children.

‘Read Across America’ is a program that was designed to promote literacy and instill a lifelong love of reading in elementary school students. Promoting education is an effort that is close to my heart. Illiteracy contributes to poverty; encouraging children to pick up a book is fundamental.

I believe education is a universal right. I committed to this program with the understanding that people would have their own opinions about what I have done, who I am and what I represent.

I am an actor. I am an artist. I am a daughter. I am a sister. I am a partner. I have a past that some people may not agree with, but it does not define who I am.

I will not live in fear of it. To challenge non-profit education programs is an exercise in futility, counter-productive and anti-educational.

I cannot thank my fans and ‘Read Across America’ enough for supporting my decision. Your support and kind words continue to inspire me. I believe in the future of our children, and I will remain an active supporter and participant in education-focused initiatives.

Sorry for fangirling out for a moment, but I’m pretty impressed with how Grey has thus far managed to make her pearl-clutching detractors look like the big, immature babies they are every step of the way. I mean, does it seem fair to you that someone who’s been a sex worker at one point should never be allowed around children for the rest of her life? What if she wants to have kids of her own?

I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind you that Sasha Grey 1.) reads books, 2.) worked really hard to get where she is, and 3.) is using her fame and fortune to help people in concrete ways, which is more than you can say for a lot of celebrities out there. Especially the “books” part.

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Anti-Rape Group Accuses Rihanna’s ‘We Found Love’ Video Of Glorifying Abusive Relationships

Jamie Peck — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:01:33 +0000

Rihanna‘s edgy-for-a-pop-star video for “We Found Love” might be adored by fans around the world, but there’s one group that’s not amused: the women of Belfast, Ireland’s Rape Crisis Centre. “Rihanna’s new video is a disgrace. It sends the message that she is an object to be possessed by men, which is disturbingly what we see in real violence cases,” the Centre’s Eileen Kelly told The Daily Star.

Rihanna’s camp has yet to respond directly to these charges, but director Melina Matsoukas recently emphasized to MTV that she did not intend to glorify domestic abuse with the video.

Via MTV News:

“We love, obviously, to do provocative imagery … we always try to definitely push the limits,” Matsoukas told MTV News. “I think because, in the end, it’s not really at all about domestic violence. It’s really just about it being toxic, and they’re on this drug trip and that definitely plays a part, but I think it’s also about being triumphant over those weaknesses, and she leaves him. It’s not trying to glorify that type of relationship. The bad parts of it, that’s what you don’t want. In the end, her leaving, it represents her getting that out of her life. The drugs and the addiction and the toxic — that’s what brings her downfall and brings a lot of harm.”

Ignoring the redundant comparison in the statement “it’s not really at all about domestic violence, it’s just about it being toxic” (can’t domestic violence be a huge part of said toxicity?), I can see it from both sides. It’s true that the video makes the unhealthy relationship in it look somewhat glamorous, because everything that happens in a Rihanna video looks glamorous. It’s beautiful people, in beautiful clothes, shot beautifully as they pretend to argue and do drugs. But when she leaves him in the end, it sends a strong message that this is not the kind of situation you want to be trapped in. I think this part even veers toward “Movie Of The Week” territory: somewhat facile, but responsible to Rihanna’s young fans. I’m no Rihanna apologist (here is some evidence), but I think in this case, her critics don’t really have a leg to stand on.

(Via Popdust)

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Video: Here’s The Trailer For Angelina Jolie’s Directorial Debut

Jamie Peck — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:37:29 +0000

The trailer for Angelina Jolie‘s directorial debut In The Land Of Blood And Honey came out today, and man, is it intense. I feel like this movie is going to make me cry even more than I usually cry at movies.

Set in early 1990′s wartime Bosnia, the film follows the lives of two lovers who find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. As we expected, she went fairly anti-Hollywood for this film, casting unknown actors Zana Marjanovic and Goran Kostic to play the two main parts, and pulling most of her cast from the areas local to her on-location shoot. Additionally, they filmed two different versions: English, and Serbo-Croat. “The film is specific to the Bosnian War, but it’s also universal,” Jolie said in a statement. “I wanted to tell a story of how human relationships and behavior are deeply affected by living inside a war.”

It seems like Ms. Jolie tried pretty hard to make this movie in a respectful way, but there’s already controversy brewing. Female victims of sexual violence have protested certain details of the film, and Bosnian authorities even denied her a filming permit at one point. And then there’s the guy who says she stole the whole plot from his book. It will be interesting to see how opinions crystallize once the movie is out.

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Rihanna Forgives Chris Brown For Beating The Crap Out Of Her, Wishes Him Well

Jamie Peck — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:08:31 +0000

The just-released Rihanna cover story in the November issue of Esquire contains much to be uncomfortable about. The intense focus on sexuality to the exclusion of Rihanna’s other attributes might give some people pause. The accompanying video was also puzzling to me; do men really fantasize about ravishing a woman all covered in dirt and seaweed? When I try to place myself in that fantasy, all I can think about is the amount of dirt that would get on the guy’s penis, and how much I would not want that dirt in my vagina. Maybe some male readers of Crushable can weigh in. (Do we have male readers?)

But the most heartbreaking part, in my opinion, came when Rihanna was asked about Chris Brown, and gave this answer without skipping a beat:

It’s incredible to see how he pulled out of it the way he did. Even when the world seemed like it was against him, you know? I really like the music he’s putting out. I’m a fan of his stuff. I’ve always been a fan. Obviously, I had some resentment toward him for a while, for obvious reasons. But I’ve put that behind me. It was taking up too much of my time. It was too much anger. I’m really excited to see the breakthrough he’s had in his career. I would never wish anything horrible for him. Never. I never have.

Really, Rihanna? You think it’s great how he convinced everyone it wasn’t such a big deal after he beat the living shit out of you? And you are excited over his career breakthrough? Furthermore, you like his music and wish him well? This is profoundly upsetting to me.

I’m not saying she shouldn’t heal from the experience. It’s not healthy to feel angry and upset about something forever. But to actively wish him well, and imply that he deserves to have a wonderful career? It seems like something is way wrong here. Ask anyone who’s been assaulted. Assuming you aren’t stuck in a tragic cycle of self-blaming, you do not send your fucking attacker flowers.

Was this statement driven by self-blame, or the knowledge that the pop music establishment has for some reason decided that Chris Brown still gets to have a career, which she must now condone or risk being seen as an “angry woman”? Either way, fuck that. Rihanna might forgive Chris Brown, but I don’t. See also: this wonderful article on our sister site The Gloss.

(Via Esquire)

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Did Angelina Jolie Steal Material For Her Upcoming Directorial Debut?

Liana Maeby — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:22:09 +0000

Angelina Jolie’s first effort as a director, In the Land of Milk and Honey, will come out in December of this year. The film, shot in 2010 using regional actors, tells a love story set during the Bosnian War. The film sparked controversy during its filming, and now Bosnian-Croatian writer named James J. Braddock has accused Angelina of stealing source material from his own novel.

Braddock’s book, The Soul Shattering, was published in three Balkan countries in 2007. Meant as a tribute to the women who suffered sexual abuse as a consequence of the war in Bosnia, the novel was written from Braddock’s first-person perspective as a reporter on the front lines of the conflict. According to the writer, accounts from people involved in Angelina’s film make it clear that Soul Shattering (parts of which have been translated into English) served as the base for AJ’s script.

More detrimental that this alleged thievery are criticisms that Angelina has been generally ignorant of the history she’s invoking in her story. Several Bosnian-Herzegovinian women’s groups protested its filming back in 2010. James Braddock said of the situation:

“The story is absurd and shows Ms. Jolie’s complete lack of knowledge of Bosnia-Herzegovina (and Croatia), particularly during the brutal Serbian aggression that started in 1990 and lasted for almost 6 years. In many ways Ms. Jolie is trying to ingratiate herself with the peoples living in Bosnia – people who never lived in ‘honey,’ but throughout the history remember ‘blood’ only.”

Angelina has stated that she wrote the script over a one-month period after finding herself flu-ridden and bored. Nowhere we’ve been able to track down has she explained where her knowledge of the conflict and characters came from.

The Soul Shattering is said to be coming out in English soon and Blood and Honey is only months away from release, so it will only become clearer how much of her script Angelina appropriated.

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Gloria Steinem Calls For A Boycott Of ‘The Playboy Club’

Jamie Peck — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:25:58 +0000

One might think that feminist icon Gloria Steinem has more important things to do than criticize a television show she hasn’t even seen. One would be wrong.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Steinem called for a boycott of NBC’s new series The Playboy Club on the grounds that she thinks it will glamorize the club unrealistically. “Clearly, The Playboy Club is not going to be accurate,” she said. “It was the tackiest place on earth. It was not glamorous at all.” Steinem knows a thing or two about what the Playboy Club was actually like; she went undercover and worked as a Bunny there in 1963, subsequently writing a hugely influential expose on it.

“When I was working there and writing the expose, one of the things they had to change because of my expose was that they required all the Bunnies, who were just waitresses, to have an internal exam and a test for venereal disease,” she told Reuters in support of her argument. That’s horrible, but how does she know that won’t be depicted on the show? It might be smart to watch at least one episode before passing judgment, no? It’s being directed by Alan Taylor, who’s worked on such smart and nuanced TV series as The Sopranos, Big Love, Mad Men, and Boardwalk Empire. Steinem herself has said she thinks Mad Men is a fairly realistic depiction of the early 1960s, so why couldn’t The Playboy Club be? From the previews, it looks like a Bunny kills a man in self-defense when he tries to rape her, and depending how it’s depicted, it could certainly carry a feminist message. I, for one, am going to watch it before I decide how I think it portrays Hugh Hefner’s empire of boobs. It’s good to know what you’re boycotting, after all.

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Former Spice Girl Mel C Thinks Rihanna Is Too Sexual

Jamie Peck — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:04:28 +0000

Former pop star Mel C (a.k.a. “Sporty Spice“) has, ahem, a bone to pick with current pop star Rihanna. The woman who told you to “slam your body down and wind it all around” when you were in seventh grade thinks the pop music of today has gotten way too sexual. “People have to take some responsibility because we’ve got to a point where over-sexualisation of young children has gone too far,” she told The Mirror. “I think music is a big part of that. Women in music, very successful women, are extremely sexual and they have young fans. It is inappropriate.”

She then made an example of Rihanna, saying, “Rihanna has responsibility and although culture’s always changing, it’s changed too much. It needs to be dealt with. It’s reached saturation point, we owe it to our kids to protect them…I love Rihanna, I think she’s a f****** brilliant artist, with great songs, a great record and she looks fantastic… but she’s not a mum. Maybe if she becomes one she’ll feel different. I hope so anyway.”

So, let me get this straight. Mel C thinks Rihanna’s gyrations and BDSM themed videos are corrupting her kids, and rather than take responsibility for what her kids are watching, she wants to cut off all offending material at the source. Furthermore, she wants to do so by…impregnating Rihanna. How very logical.

But wait, why is anyone interviewing a Spice Girl not named Victoria Beckham in 2011 in the first place? Oh right, she has a new single out September 5th. Methinks Melanie Chisholm is using the tried and true strategy of “picking a fight with someone more famous than you” in order to remind people she’s still around. Fair enough.

I also think the image composite The Daily Mail used to illustrate this story is pretty amusing. It’s Mel C the way she looks now versus Rihanna wearing an awesome one-piece bathing suit with Bob Marley on it, at the beach.

I’m going to take it as a subtle commentary on the absurdity of Melanie’s statement.

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Kat Von D Will Walk Out Of Your Interview If You Mention Jesse James Too Much

Jamie Peck — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:32:48 +0000

Newly single TV tattoo artist Kat Von D walked out of an interview with “Good Day L.A.” today before it even started after they violated her request not to mention her break-up with fiance Jesse James in the introduction to her segment. According to TMZ, Kat said she’d agreed to answer a question about the break-up, but only if they didn’t mention it in the intro. They then proceeded to not only mention it, but to show embarrassing footage of her getting a large portrait of homeboy’s face (as a child) tattooed on her body that had been sent over by her own network. Et tu, TLC?

For their part, the morning show claims to have done nothing wrong. A representative told The NY Daily News that she had already approved the clip being aired. “When we booked the segment there was only one caveat,” the rep said. “We agreed to NOT talk about Sandra Bullock or Michelle ‘Bombshell’ McGee. If one of the stipulations was to NOT talk about her breakup with Jesse James, we never would have agreed to the booking. However, that was never requested.”

I’m guessing someone at TLC actually “approved” the clip, not Kat, thinking she was either going to grin and bear it, or do exactly what she did. I expected TLC to be a little classier than that, but it’s sort of par for the reality TV course. I have no great love for Kat Von D, but do feel sort of bad for her right now. I mean, I’m sure she knew she was going to have her most embarrassing moments broadcast on TV when she signed on to do the show, but I’m guessing it just hit home what that actually means. Time to soothe the pain with a nice, long, relaxing money bath.

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The ‘Black Swan’ Dance Double Controversy By the Numbers

Natalie Zutter — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 19:08:06 +0000

What’s more interesting than the grueling details of an actor’s process of getting into character? Discovering that that Oscar-winning performance may not have been as difficult as previously thought. Once Sarah Lane, Natalie Portman‘s dance double for Black Swan, brought to light the fact that she wasn’t properly credited for her extensive work in the film, defenders and opponents rose up on both sides to argue her claims. As Dlisted points out, it’s become something of a numbers game.

85%: What Benjamin Millepied (Portman’s choreographer and baby-daddy), as the first defender for Team Natalie, claimed she danced.
5%: The percentage that Lane came back with.
139/111/28: According to director Darren Aronofsky, it’s the total number of shots in the film, how many Portman danced, and how many Lane did.
80-90%: Aronofsky’s estimation of Portman’s real dancing — at least 80% in terms of the shots mentioned above, or as high as 90% when accounting for time.
85: Seconds of the first dance sequence that Portman allegedly danced alone, on pointe.
3: The number of times that Lane’s face was swiped over with Portman’s in a behind-the-scenes VFX video. (I had to estimate because, curiously, Fox has taken the video down, citing copyright issues.)

Mila Kunis was too badass to use numbers; in her statement to EW, she said, “Natalie danced her ass off… [Lane] wasn’t used for everything. It was more like a safety net. If Nat wasn’t able to do something, you’d have a safety net. The same thing that I had — I had a double as a safety net. We all did. No one ever denied it.”

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