All Posts Tagged With: "Celebrity"
What I learned about fame in America
Considering the link between mass killings and celebrities
Cadillac Escalade (João Paulo Cars/Flickr)
We were walking down Ocean Drive in Miami Beach on Friday night and wanted to escape the loud music and even louder Happy Hour patrons crowding most of the bars, so we ducked into a little place called News Cafe. The bartender, a southern gal from North Carolina, chatted us up. It was the day of the shootings in Connecticut where 20 children and seven adults died. “Make bullets a million bucks,” she said while wiping the counters. “And stop publishing the names of the shooters.”
I had heard these arguments last time there was a “mass shooting,” as these incidents are now called. I dismissed both ideas because of the obvious impracticalities. Extreme gun control laws can’t stop a black market for guns. And besides, the suggestion that deranged people kill for notoriety always seemed far fetched. Murdering just to become famous? I never really got that.
What students are talking about today (November 15th edition)
Bieber in Maclean’s, Rihanna in Toronto & the Middle East
Johnson and Bieber (Kenny Hamilton)
1. The conflict between Israel and Gaza is exploding again. Gaza sent hundreds of rockets at Israel in recent days, prompting the Israeli army to strike back. A precise operation took out more than 100 rocket launchers and killed at least 13 in Gaza, including Hamas military mastermind Ahmed Al-Jaabari, six Hamas fighters and, sadly, six civilians. A Palestinian rocket killed three Israeli civilians. The U.S. and Canada have declared their support for Israel’s right to defend itself.
2. In less stressful news, Justin Bieber gave an intimate interview (that sounds so wrong) to Brian D. Johnson, a Maclean’s columnist who was, for a guy who’s quizzed Jagger, Richards and Madonna, surprisingly intimidated by the idea of speaking to the 18-year-old star. Some of the tidbits that didn’t make it into the magazine include a tense moment when Biebs is asked “What are your views these days on premarital sex?” More here.
3. Still on the celebrity beat, we have more evidence that Rihanna is a robot. She’s doing seven shows in seven days in seven cities. Tonight she’s at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall. “Yo Toronto. I’ll be at The Danforth tonight. Will you? #777Tour #HTC #2ndStop #UNAPOLOGETIC,” she Tweeted. There are some fun shots of her getting mobbed at Pearson Airport over at CityNews.ca.
Continue reading What students are talking about today (November 15th edition)
