controversy

Stories 401 - 417 | << Prev 

Pageant Pushed Playboy: Prejean

But nasty e-mails make Carrie seem like the one at fault

(Newser) - Accusations are flying between Carrie Prejean and Miss California pageant officials, TMZ reports. The dethroned winner says a pageant exec tried to force her to appear semi-nude in Playboy; Keith Lewis says he was honoring her wish that he pass along offers before declining them. The high-profile gay-marriage opponent also...

Sotomayor Cartoon Sparks Outcry

(Newser) - An editorial cartoon depicting Sonia Sotomayor strung up as a piñata has sparked a minor outcry, the Huffington Post reports. Published in the right-leaning Oklahoman yesterday, it shows Obama in a sombrero inviting the GOP to take a whack at the Supreme Court nom. “She’s of Puerto...

Brit Firm Offers Bigger Breasts From Stem Cells

Controversial cancer therapy to be used for cosmetic procedures

(Newser) - A new breast enhancement procedure using stem cells from stomach fat to grow larger breasts is being made available for the first time in the UK, reports the Times of London. The procedure has already been used in trials for use on breast cancer survivors. Now a controversial new operation...

Jacko Wants Apology for IRA Joke

Singer wants apology for 'disgusting slur'

(Newser) - Michael Jackson was “appalled” after BBC comedians compared him to the IRA, and he wants an apology, the Mirror reports. Just days after three IRA-related murders, the comedians noted that both Jacko and the terrorist organization are “80s celebrities” making a surprise comeback. “To compare him to...

'Zzz' Spells Discontent for Scrabble Enthusiasts

Some game fans lobby for rules change

(Newser) - If you sigh in resignation every time you pull a Z or Q out of the Scrabble letter bag, new additions to the game’s official word list probably have you sighing in relief. But aficionados say the expanding list—now including “za,” “qi,” and “...

Disney Under Fire for Black Princess's White Prince

Why isn't first black princess with black prince?

(Newser) - Disney has unveiled its first black princess—but her prince appears to be white, and the criticism is pouring in, the Mail reports. In the upcoming The Princess and the Frog, New Orleans’ Princess Tiana is voiced by Dreamgirls actress Anika Noni Rose—and while her prince hails from “...

Comic Fritzl Play Sparks Death Threats

Director insists he's mocking media, not rape and incest

(Newser) - A comic play about accused rapist Josef Fritzl is set to open in Vienna, drawing the ire—and death threats—of Austrians who are not amused, the BBC reports. Director Hubsi Kramar stressed that the largely improvised piece, co-starring victims of abuse, is a commentary on media coverage of Fritzl’...

Phelps Gets Off Easy Thanks to Image, Not Race
Phelps Gets Off Easy Thanks to Image, Not Race
OPINION
Feb 5, 2009 2:01 PM CST

Phelps Gets Off Easy Thanks to Image, Not Race

Goody-goodies, black or white, see minimal hit for taking hits

(Newser) - Those who think Michael Phelps would be facing harsher treatment if he were black are “stuck in the 1960s,” Jason Whitlock writes for Fox Sports. “Image is everything whether you're black or white.” Only bad boys get hung out to dry when controversy calls—Phelps was...

Pope Names Bishop Who Lauded 'Punishing' Katrina

Hurricane destroyed nightclubs, abortion clinic, notes pleased Austrian

(Newser) - Days after welcoming back to the church a bishop who denies the Holocaust existed, Pope Benedict has sparked controversy again for promoting a controversial Austrian ultra-conservative cleric. Gerhard Maria Wagner claims the Harry Potter series spreads satanism and that Hurricane Katrina was punishment for New Orleans' lax morals.

Slumdog Makers Say Kids Weren't Exploited

Filmmakers deny they underpaid children

(Newser) - The creators of Slumdog Millionaire are taking the offensive to rebut accusations that the young Indian actors in their film were exploited, People reports. Claims surfaced earlier this week that two of the child actors, still living in the slums of Mumbai, got a raw deal. But director Danny Boyle...

Ad's Choice of Song Sparks Debate on Artists' Lives

HP yanks tune by pedophile Gary Glitter

(Newser) - HP's decision to change an ad because it featured a song by convicted child molester Gary Glitter has Charlie Moran in Advertising Age wondering about how far we should go in drawing the line between the artist and his art. The ad for the TouchSmart PC drew complaints because it...

This Ain't Your Granddaddy's Lipstick on a Pig
This Ain't Your Granddaddy's Lipstick on a Pig
ANALYSIS
Sep 11, 2008 2:26 PM CDT

This Ain't Your Granddaddy's Lipstick on a Pig

Contrary to Obama aide, phrase is new twist on prettying porky

(Newser) - Whether Barack Obama was taking a rouge-colored swipe at Sarah Palin is debatable, but a staffer’s claim that "lipstick on a pig" is a phrase “older than my grandfather’s grandfather” should raise eyebrows, Ben Zimmer explains on Slate. The phrase has probably only been around since...

Defining Olympic Moment? Phelps By a Hair
 Defining Olympic Moment?
 Phelps By a Hair
opinion
Aug 16, 2008 12:30 PM CDT

Defining Olympic Moment? Phelps By a Hair

(Newser) - Sure, if Michael Phelps wins his eighth Olympic gold, as he’s expected to do in the men’s relay, all eyes will be on him. And we’ll wonder (even more) if he’s all human or part-fish. But the Olympics' "defining fabulous moment" has already passed, writes...

French Writer Sparks Uproar With 'Anti-Semitic' Satire

Divides Paris liberals over 'right to provoke'

(Newser) - Controversial French columnist Maurice Siné is drawing cries of anti-Semitism for statements about President Sarkozy's son, reports the Guardian. In a column for Charlie Hebdo, Siné alleged Jean Sarkozy planned to convert to Judaism to wed a Jewish heiress and "go a long way in life." Siné's...

GOP Parodies Obama's Facebook Page
GOP Parodies Obama's Facebook Page
Jul 30, 2008 1:00 AM CDT

GOP Parodies Obama's Facebook Page

'Barackbook' highlights candidate's controversial 'friends'

(Newser) - The GOP is lampooning Barack Obama's popular Facebook page with something it calls Barackbook. The fake Facebook clone features a frowning Obama whose status reads "hoping to settle on an Iraq policy before November," Wired reports. In addition, the imaginary FriendFeed highlights controversial figures associated with the candidate,...

Best Brouhahas Over Albums
 Best Brouhahas Over Albums
Jul 28, 2008 9:32 AM CDT

Best Brouhahas Over Albums

Recent controversy over Nas's new release is far from the first

(Newser) - Nas’s new album gained its fair share of buzz before release because he originally planned to call it the 'n-word.' He settled on no title at all. Other album controversies, from the Los Angeles Times:
  • The Beatles, Yesterday and Today: The so-called butcher cover featured mutilated baby dolls
...

Calif. County Shuffles Clerks Who Oppose Gay Marriage

They ask for transfer on religious grounds

(Newser) - Some employees of the San Diego County clerk's office are being shuffled to other duties because they object to same-sex marriage, the Los Angeles Times reports. Fourteen workers initially posed "sincerely held religious objections," but sources said many had since changed their minds. Marriage-license business has approximately doubled...

Stories 401 - 417 | << Prev