Which Rapper Takes Lots Of Creepy Photos Of Children?
Today we have an offender of Judaism, a mean actor who got served, a ruined hotel room, an off-putting photography hobby, and a celebrity deliberately gaining weight.
1) “Which sexy movie actress angered paying members of a trendy downtown synagogue by showing up with her bodyguard, who informed the women at the door, ‘Ms. [Blank] wishes to enter as a [non paying] guest’? Complained one member of the congregation, ‘I think it is BS that rich celebs can walk around this city asking for a free pass.’ ” [P6]
2) “Which mouthy actor had a waitress dump a scalding cup of coffee in his lap – right after he smacked her bottom?” [NYDN]
3) “Which celeb caused £2,000 damage at a luxury hotel when he told pals to throw flowers at him during karaoke? They flung cigs, booze and a jug instead” [Mirror]
4) “This A list rap star who goes by one name has a photography collection of which he is very proud. What are they? He enjoys going to playgrounds and taking photos of the children playing there. He has thousands of photos he has accumulated from all over the world. He doesn’t try and hide the collection from his friends, although all of them find his hobby and his enthusiasm for it very disturbing. Not Kanye.” [CDaN]
5) “Which tabloid-favorite actress is purposefully packing on the pudge so she can launch her own weight loss line? She’s hoping to lose the first 20 pounds quickly, and cash in by following the “miracle” in a series of infomercials.” [BlindGossip]
Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
Oh! I think I have the answer to #1 - if this the same incident as the one that happened at my downtown synagogue a few years ago.
The only time people are expected to pay (except if they cannot afford it) to come to services is Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and this happened to us at that time.
There is a table set up just outside the front door (which is set back a bit from the sideback) where people can either show their tickets to the lady at the table or pick them up, and we also have private security people on the sidewalk for those holidays.
As the story goes, a rattily dressed woman (I was told that she looked like a bag lady) approaches the security people and loudly announces: "I'm a celebrity." So, one of them walks her over to the ticket table, where she again announces her celebrity status. I happen to know very well the woman who was in charge of the ticket table, and without even blinking, she told the celebrity how much a ticket would be. Said celebrity balked and wanted to get in free ... because she's a celebrity. But the woman at the table wasn't impressed, and the celeb left.
And that woman was Gina Gershon.
The One
4. tupac (and not zombie tupac, 'cause he's still alive!)
tigolbitties
@Goethewritesdrivel: I thought of Dennis Leary for some reason.
TriedandTrue
WTF is a trendy downtown synagogue? Also, what kind of synagogue charges you for entry?
DahlELama
2) Alec Baldwin, musssbe.
Goethewritesdrivel
@momof3wildkids: ...and when they pass the collection plate to you, do you just say, "no thanks, I'm good?"
@momof3wildkids: As a good Jewish girl, the idea of forking over money every week into a collection plate sounds absolutely ridiculous.
Too bad you had to try to be funny and snarky, instead of just asking. Would you like me making fun of your religion?
The One
1. When you have to pay to talk to God, it's time to go to another synagogue.
2. Mickey Rourke
3. Eminem (has a daughter so may be a reason for him to appear looking 'normal' at a playground)
4. Lilo
I know religions ask for donations and all... but Judiaism asks you to pay up front? Plus you kind of have to be born into it?
And they've kept this racket going for 4000 years.
bittergreen
@DahlELama: A synagogue in a trendy neighborhood.
Since synagogues do not pass around collection plates, they have annual membership fees and also charge for tickets to the most popular services of the year - Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. People who never go throughout the year want to go then, and if everyone was allowed in, most synagogues would quickly go over capacity.
The One
Why is there never a story of a server pouring fondue into an offender's lap?
Synagogue that charges $$ to enter? What is up with that? Is there premium seating -- better Mogen David wine? As a good Catholic girl, a required entry fee for a religious service sounds absolutely ridiculous!
@BadUncle: I'll bet that came out of your tip.
4) Common. I have nothing to back this up, but he's on one of those Read posters in the YA section of my library, and the creepy look he has on his face makes me shudder every time I see that poster.
@blix: if that's the case, you'd better get to a doctor!
@The One: Please tell me she was wearing an outfit from Curb.
DahlELama
@edosan: That's the whole point of the collection plate. The concept that you have the ability to say "no thanks, I'm good." That's why it's charitable giving, because you have a choice.
gticlutchburn
5. Jennifer Love Boobies.
@The One: Well I know all about membership, but having or being a guest is extremely common and not likely to spark ire. Rosh Hashana/Yom Kippur I would definitely understand though...those tickets are ridiculously expensive. Thanks for hosting us, in-laws!
DahlELama
#4 has to be Prince. It's completely in character
Truculent
1. As if the whole situation couldn't get more offensive, Leni Reifenstahl wearing a Madonna mask and goosestepping as if tomorrow were a foreign concept.
2. Ernst Röhm wearing a Robert Pattinson wig and claiming there was a spider on her skirt. Please.
3. Kaiser Wilhelm II, wearing a Happy New Year tiara and weeping gently into the microphone.
4. DJ Jazzy Heinrich Himmler.
5. Blondi the Dog, gnawing absently on a Kirstie Alley 3D body suit and hoping that it all works out.
@TriedandTrue: I think you're right - remember that big bus ad where he's screaming? Mouthy indeed.
ljnd2
@DahlELama: I have no idea - I didn't see it happen, but I did hear about it from the lady at the ticket table, who said that GG definitely would have made heads turn, and not in a good way. "Bag lady" and "homeless" were the descriptions.
The One
Folks - as a Catholic that was at one time married to a Jew, please relax on whether or not dues/tithes/offertory/whatever you want to call it is paid lump sum or weekly or at attendance. Synagogues and churches alike all have bills to pay.
DetroitRed
4) Jacko is rapping now?
@DahlELama: Huh? What do you mean by "having guests"? Having guests at RH/YK services? Yes, people bring guests - and buy tickets for them.
In most synagogues tickets are much less expensive for members (it costs $50/person for all days of both holidays at my synagogue, which is obviously the one referenced in the BI) than for people who aren't members, but just want to come to those special services.
Also, just about every synagogue either deeply discounts tickets or gives them gratis to people who can't afford to pay (an they take people at their word - they don't make people show any proof of financial status), so the idea that a rich celebrity who was not even a member of the synagogue would show up and expect to get in for free is appalling to many.
The One
3) This just has to be Morrissey.
SteveR
@bittergreen: If you're going to insult us, at least spell it right, nimrod.
BookishLookish
@The One: It would have been helpful to see "[at High Holidays services]" inserted somewhere in that blind item.
@edosan: 1st of all, based on the wording I assume that there was an event going on to raise money and that it was not a religious service.
2nd, carrying money into a house of worship on a holy day is a no-no in Judaism.
3rd, synagogues do not pool their resources through a hierarchy and trickle down the funds like the church does, which requires a different way to raise funds. So far it's worked just fine. Maybe if the church operated in a similar way it wouldn't be half bankrupt from all the child raping.
gherkin
@Dr. Nick: I can never go back to that Melting Pot again.
@DetroitRed: Seconded, lapsed Catholic with Jewish ex wife and both brothers married to Jews. Church, Temple, whatever. Get over it. If you're feeling it enough to attend a service then don't act dumb when it's time to ante up.
@BookishLookish: According to the old stereotype, we're the smart ones, so you can't be too hard on him or her.
The One
@BookishLookish: touchy today, are we?
@Truculent: Prince isn't a rapper.
@expatinnz: I know! My father just called me a few minutes ago to tell me that my synagogue made it into Page Six and since I'd told him the story a few years ago, we both thought it was sloppy writing.
The One
@MyrtleWilloughby: Well, for some reason, the story was making the rounds again (among members) a few months ago.
The One
@hypocriteoath: Yes, when someone calls my religion a "racket," I tend to get annoyed. How about you?
BookishLookish
@Mymoustache: To the BI? I posted it earlier - Gina Gershon.
The One
@BadUncle: The Swiss don't blab about celeb bad behavior. That's why.
@The One: then what's the answer already?
Mymoustache
@Taigan: In Minnesota he is. Ah, ya' caught me. I just wanted to get a shot in at the greasy old fruit
Truculent
@The One: And I thought it was only 6 months old referencing the High Holidays. My, how word gets around.
MyrtleWilloughby
@DetroitRed:
Thank you DetroitRed. Everyone is a bit touchy. I agree, paying up front seems odd, but so does passing a plate around. Can't we all just mail it in anonymously? It's all just...uncomfortable. Neither way is better than the other, just different.
Come on. Can't we all just get along kids?
bboston88
1. Jesus of Nazareth
2. Willem Dafoe
3. One of the Beastie Boys
4. Someone british
5. Suzanne Pleshette
Mymoustache
@The One: No, I mean the rest of year, for weekday or Sabbath services. Yes, I'm aware that if one brings guests for High Holiday Services, they must purchase seats for them as well; I'm saying that the rest of the year, there's no charge as far as I know for going to a synagogue whether or not you're a member.
DahlELama
@Mymoustache: 1. Typical messiah comp[lex.
@The One: I'll apologize on her behalf. You know the deal - "apology made to whoever pleases..."
ligmasagbatch
@BookishLookish: If you believe that you have to go to a certain place or talk to a certain person AND PAY in order to communicate with your God, then you have fallen for a racket. sorry.
@The One: If you don't mind me asking, do you attend the Soho Synagogue? That place is so interesting to me.
@edosan: I can't believe I'm defending Catholicism, but here goes nothing. Many people, in fact, do not put anything at all in the basket. Many people also use pre-filled, unmarked envelopes (some churches supply them) to put money in the basket so that no one can see how much (or little) they are contributing. The anonymity and voluntary nature of the donations is stressed.
That said, if the church has hit a low point in its finances, or wants to buy a new sound system, they have no problem having "special" second or even third collections during a single mass.
Keep in mind that I am now a Pagan and with the exceptions of other people's weddings, funerals, or baptisms I haven't been inside a church since the early '90s. So customs may have changed.
bekah
I guess my question is how do people who can't afford the dues or membership fees manage to get into holiday services. Is it a case by case thing that one would arrange ahead of time? Or is there a sliding scale?
@hypocriteoath: The same can be said about Christianity in terms of being a "racket." Some of the sects want a certain percentage of your annual income in order to attend their church.
@The One: It's not true that the only time you are expected to pay is for High Holiday services. When I and my now-ex husband researched joining a reform congregation, the membership dues (I'm sure that's not the word for it, I just can't recall exactly what it is) were $1200 per year for the two of us, and I'm pretty sure that didn't even include tickets for the high holidays. I wasn't raised in any particular religion but I found that tough to fathom. Having to pay to be a member of the congregation didn't bother me so much, but I found that amount pretty steep. If I were a Christian, I certainly wouldn't be putting $1200 in the collection plate over the course of a year. Why would I pay when I can get guilt and shame for free.... from my mother?
pooks
@What I Meant Was...: agreed. any religion that says you have to do certain things, go to certain places, talk to specific people "appointed" by God AND pay is a racket. You either do the work of God because you believe in it or you have found a very nice "career".
@bekah: nope they haven't changed. There is no requirement you pay ever for a Catholic mass, as the church receives its money from the Vatican and donations. The first collection is always for the church proper while the second or third will be explained by the church, usually donations to a missionary fund, or fundraising for something specific like a PA, or organ if they still use a pipe organ or the like, things the donation and Vatican money dont cover.
Usually I only donate the first donation, but there are times when I was broke I didnt donate at all, and people accept and expect that because some people just dont have the money.
Jim Topoleski
@The One: Overreact much?
Perhaps Not
@ljnd2: Those ads gave me nightmares! He looked like a Lizard Person.
@BookishLookish: I call all religions a racket, nothing personal.
bittergreen
@trulymadlyme: Either the synagogue can help you out, or you go somewhere that doesn't require payment. If money were an issue, that person could have easily gone to the Hillel at NYU for free services.
DahlELama
@Jim Topoleski: Churches give money to the Vatican, not vice versa. It's called Peter's Pence.
1. I really wanted it to be Natalie Portman.
2. Mouthy means Keith Richards or Steven Tyler but neither are actors.
3. Gayest. Blind Item. Ever.
4. Working real hard to make it not R. Kelly.
5. Mary Kate Olsen.
4. Joaquin
the_lerpa
@Pop Socket: The Vatican gives money back too. It goes to the head diocese and is then divided out to the churches. Maybe not as much as they take in, but it is given out.
Jim Topoleski
5) Jessica Simpson
Talya
@pooks: High Holiday services are the one event in which you're expected to pay for a specific service. Membership to a synagogue is something different, and covers much more than services. Still $1200 sounds like a lotttt of money. Jeez.
DahlELama
@hypocriteoath: First of all, you neither need to go to a certain place. It's perfectly fine to get a Torah and a group of people and do it in your own home. People pay to attend synagogues because they like having a rabbi to whom they can ask questions, having someone else organize services, hearing a cantor with a beautiful voice, and many other benefits.
Second of all, people aren't paying to communicate; they're paying to keep a building standing and a rabbi employed.
DahlELama
@DahlELama: I think the same thing applies to other religions. The person making all the talkie sounds with his mouth, needs to put food in it, and sleep somewhere. Therefore money is required.
The suprising aspect is the implication from the blurb that they pay at the door.
No Evangelical church I was forced to attend as a child ever had such an overt policy. Of course donation plates were passed around, and I'm sure there were subtler politics at play unseen to my child eyes.
bittergreen
@bekah: I have to disagree with the "voluntary and anonymity" The Catholics push. I went to 12 years of Catholic school. In the Philadelphia Archdiocese the grade school Parish contributes $$$ to the high school that you attend toward your tuition. When my youngest sibling was a senior in HS, our family has ceased attending Mass and therefore no longer handed in our envelopes. When my sister went to buy her prom ticket they told her she couldn't due to unpaid tuition...my parent's were obliviously confused and it was then that they found out about the Parish's part of the tuition. (or lack of) The Catholic Church is just as greedy and bad as the rest. They won't allow you to be a godparent if your envelopes are not paid, but a Jewish friend of mine was permitted to be a Catholic godparent.
N.Bells
@the_lerpa: Ha!
Enola ####
@Talya: Totally.
@hypocriteoath:
funny you mention 'appointed by G-d" bc isn't it priests and nuns who get 'the calling' - rabbis don't seem to talk about a calling (or none that I have heard of anyway)
Also, you never have to pay to get into a Synagogue because jews cannot carry money on our holidays.
This is likely referring to having tickets for the high holidays services as if there were no tickets you wouldn't be able to walk in the door. See @The One: above becuase then you'll see the actual story - which makes the whole thing pretty clear.
@DahlELama: Yes, that's correct - anyone can just walk in and attend services at any time except during the High Holidays.
Even membership dues are voluntary and on the honor system (in terms of the sliding scale).
The One
@BookishLookish: Wasn't Nimrod a might hunter in the Old Testament? Sigh. I guess we can all blame Bugs Bunny for mocking Elmer Fudd (who was not at all a mighty hunter), and from there, we call fools and idiots Nimrod. Poor Nimrod.
@bittergreen: The first time i heard about synagogues requiring dues paid upfront (plus paid tix to special holidays), i was somewhat taken aback, but then again, the Christian congregation that i've been intermittently associated with since birth is perpetually short of funds, even though people expect all kinds of services from the church beyond the religious ones.
God's Word (variously defined) may be free to all who will listen, but that doesn't keep the lights on, the doors open, and food on the officiant's table. Sure, the Holy Spirit should prompt people to give until it hurts, but people seem remarkably adept at ignoring that. Kudos to Judaism for a practical solution that contains exceptions for those who can't pay. Pay to pray, or making sure there's enough money (or Mamon or something) to keep things going?
@ligmasagbatch: Thanks for the effort, but it only counts from the offender.
The One
@DahlELama: "Still $1200 sounds like a lotttt of money."
Not for Reform synagogues uptown.
The One
@Perhaps Not: No. Are you an asshat much?
The One
@pooks: I thought I mentioned that earlier, but I'm sorry if I didn't.
As for Reform, well, I'm not into that. I belong to an Orthodox synagogue and the dues are on a sliding scale, based on income, but on the honor system (as in nobody's going to come to your home and see how you live, what you drive, etc.).
The One
@Mary Mouse: Nope, that's not the one.
The One
@trulymadlyme: Yes, to both. Different synagogues do things differently, but I've never heard of one that will turn away someone who wants to attend the High Holiday services but cannot afford it. And it's usually arranged ahead of time.
As for membership, at least at my synagogue, unless one pays for the highest level (when they toss in some minor goodies), there are no tangible benefits, other than just feeling good about it. Pretty much anyone who asks can get the newsletters - both the monthly paper one and the weekly email.
The One
@Hydroceph: I've never heard of a synagogue that requires people to pay dues in order to attend services (other than High Holidays).
But most give steep discounts on those High Holiday tickets to members, and many will sell them to members first, before allowing non-members to buy them. As I think I explained earlier, many Jews who never set foot inside a synagogue the rest of the year want to go to the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services, and they'd rather pay the higher ticket price than the annual membership + discounted tix price.
The One
@Talya: Yep.
@Talya: Bingo. There was already a "I lost X lbs!" cover on a tabloid at the supermarket the other day. With the "before" as the hideous mom-jeans pic from just a few weeks ago.
I can't believe anyone hasn't said Usher for #4. Too goody-goody.
GeronimoMania
@The One: i may be misremembering the dues part. Not being Jewish, my experience with this is at several removes. My apologies if i've totally mangled that.
As for Rosh Hoshanah/Yom Kippur, one sees the same thing in Christian churches, where they're referred to as Poinsettia and Easter Lily Christians, presumably by the "better" and somewhat resentful regular congregants.
@Hydroceph: Why are the regulars resentful?
I haven't heard any resentment in my synagogue toward the ones who come only at that time of year, other than a little giggling at the sight of some people not knowing that men and women sit in separate sections.
If anything, I think people realize that the High Holiday Only types are paying jacked up ticket prices and adding more to the synagogue's coffers.
The One
@N.Bells: Your comment cracks me up b/c I'm catholic from Maryland and now live in Philly and couldn't believe all the rigmarol my husband had to go through to become a godparent. They certainly don't like to make things easy do they.
@The One: I was thinking of friends of mine who were barely scraping by in NY and how they could have afforded to go to a synagogue when we were all barely able to afford ramen but when to High Holiday services.
@Hydroceph: And no apology necessary. Most people who aren't Jewish don't know what it's all about.
The One
@SteveR: Maybe if they threw "fags" at him instead.
Bedheadjc
@GeronimoMania:
I thought Usher did R&B?
rudi_freude
@trulymadlyme: Yea, they probably got the tix at a deep discount. When I was first looking to join a synagogue, I wanted to just buy High Holiday tickets and when I called this place to find out about it, I wound up speaking with the rabbi and when he told me the tix price, he immediately offered (before I said anything) that I could pay whatever I could afford, or even nothing at all, if I couldn't afford anything at the time.
The One
@Pop Socket: I thought R. Kelly on 4 too, but is R. Kelly one name or two? And wouldn't they describe him as R&B? I know he likes it underage, but just HOW underage? Anyway, there's always been something odd about Fitty...
@The One: the regulars are resentful because there's no place to park and no place to sit. The church is full of people who don't know the liturgy and aren't familiar with the hymns. It's about what you'd think, human nature being what it is.
@Jim Topoleski: the vatican, like other international pedophile rings run by ex-nazis, only gives out money when forced to buy the silence of tens of thousands of families of children molested by their priests. When you put money in the basket its only to perpetuate this practice. You are basically subsidizing someone's cock in a little boy's anus. They silence the family with money and keep the priests moving. After 4 or 5 "incidents" the priests are generally shunted off on the children of third world nations like where they still believe in vampires and witches.
so there's that difference.
chicoleo
Yep, Jessica Simpson. And this is old gossip.
miss_msry
@Taigan: Methinks you're right. Something about him has always put me off; plus, he's totally got that rep for "doin' it for the kids."
souldecirce
@Hydroceph: Ah, the parking. Doesn't affect us. First of all, we're in downtown Manhattan, so many don't have cars or even drive. So, no parking spaces here.
Second, we're not supposed to drive on Shabbos and many holidays, including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
As for space, that's why Jews tend to do the ticket thing for the High Holidays. That way, everyone who has made plans to be there for services will have a seat - even if some have to sit in folding chairs in the back. (I reserve my seat early, so that I can pick my seat: on the aisle, toward the back)
My synagogue is Orthodox and 99.99% of the service is in Hebrew, but people who don't know Hebrew and/or aren't familiar with the service can follow along because the prayer books are in English and Hebrew, and the rabbi will periodically say which page we're on at the time.
The One
@drinkyrose (the commenter formerly known as rose0red): Saw it ages ago.
I think agc blind items had #5 as Kirstie Alley.
Have no idea how reliable agc is.
A collection of kiddie pics is "off-putting" - like a bad odour?
@momof3wildkids: Oh, Christians pay their dues as well. And in case of Catholics, priests also accept tithes in the form of boy-butt.
Shariq Torres
@The One: No. I'm not. And you are overreacting, and it's a little hilarious.
Perhaps Not
@the_lerpa: LOL..nice.
4) Birdman....wait...you said A-List. Sorry!
@missdelite: Also, people notice this guy hanging around playgrounds taking pics and don't say anything?
Maybe it IS Eminem - lord knows, a black guy couldn't get away with that shit.
@bittergreen: All organized religions are.
Barbarella
@Perhaps Not: Yes, you are. And you're also weird. But not in a good way.
The One
@Private Hangnail: Where was Zombie Hitler during all of this?
PontiousPiePlate--SaraBB
@Goethewritesdrivel:
Don't blame me. Blame the boys. They got a little hot. I had to smack that ass. What? What? I'm fucking 50.
@The One: My best to your lovely family.
Perhaps Not
@N.Bells: I know nothing about Philadelphia; all my experience is based on Massachusetts churches. My parents (also no longer Catholics) never once used the envelopes so there was no way for the church to know how much or even if they gave money. They also bounced between 3 different churches depending on which had the most convenient mass schedule. They definitely push, but they won't kick you out if you don't pay.
What did you school do about students who weren't Catholic and didn't have a parish to contribute to tuition? Your story confuses me.
1. People at a synagogue outraged over someone being cheap, that's a tad hypocritical.
2. Lou Diamond Phillips.
3. The blind item is a Celeb doing karaoke, why does everyone list a musician. I'm thinking Rupert Everett.
4. Not Kanye? He actually goes by Kanye West, which is not one name.
5. Tara Reid, wouldn't put anything past her.
@Altaira: Coming VERY late to the discussion, I can add that my stepdaughters attend Catholic school in another parish as ours is too small for a school. The ex-wife called recently crying because the Diocese is threatening to take back their partial scholarships because she isn't donating enough money.
Scooter34
@Scooter34: As I said, my experience is from the '80s and early '90s; well before the church started paying out for all the abuse lawsuits. They very well may have become more strident about the donations these days. My parents made sure that any money they gave couldn't be tracked, they may have been doing this specifically to piss off the priest. They gave up on the religion a couple years after I did.
We had a Catholic high school, but no Catholic grade schools in my home town (although there were 2 separate parishes). The private grade school in my home town was run by Quakers, so I have little knowledge of how tuition works.