Wedding of the Decade?

[James]

You can’t have escaped the “Jade” headlines today. The most romantic gesture some all calling it. What is everyone else calling it?

Topic

[Carlito]

So they actually got MARRIED, did they?

Meh, I give it a month.

[Carlito]

Too soon?

[Ben Paddon]

The way I see it, if you can’t laugh at tragedy you may as well be dead.

Which, y’know, works out in Jade Goodie’s favour either way, really.

[si]

You are nasty, nasty people.

[Carlito]

It’s the good ole British trench humour. If we didn’t laugh, we’d cry.

Cry, from the strain of trying to stop ourselves laughing.

“He’s a cryyyyyyin’ man, doin what he can…”

[Tarka Dal]

Yep. 85 years ago our ancestors went to war so in the future people could make jokes about people dieing of cancer. Clearly that’s what it was all about.

[Jo]

>Yep. 85 years ago…

When you were a young lad.

[peas_and_corn]

>Yep. 85 years ago our ancestors went to war so in the future people could make jokes about people dieing of cancer. Clearly that?s what it was all about.

Karl, I’m fascinated about this perspective of yours on history and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

[Carlito]

I would too, except I gotta stay loyal to the Cs.

Carl with a C is better than Karl with a K.

[Anonymous]

>”Yep. 85 years ago our ancestors went to war so in the future people could make jokes about people dieing of cancer. Clearly that?s what it was all about.”

I heard that it started when a bloke called Archie Duke shot an ostrich because he was hungry.

[Tarka Dal]

> Carl with a C is better than Karl with a K.

Sadly at this moment a Vogon war-fleet destroyed the Earth to make way for a new bypass.

[Carlito]

Heavy.

[Ben Paddon]

Great, Scott.

[Richey]

If every other woman in the UK who is dying from the forms of cancer that Mrs Tweed is dying from were also given constant news coverage, loads of money for exclusive interviews and free shit from rich celebrities, then I’d have no problem with the former Miss Goody. As it is, I don’t see what makes her the exception.

[Ben Paddon]

It’s because the tabloids feel guilty for ripping into her when her life was going down the shitter. We’ve covered this.

[JamesTC]

Tabloids do not feel guilt, they have no emotion.

[Carlito]

Do they fuck: they’re hypocrites but they don’t feel a smidgen of guilt… Jade Goody is a well-known celebrity (mostly due to the coverage they gave her). They built her up, and then they cut her down. Now she is dying… that is a sad story. Sad stories sell newspapers.

Just like episodic long-running storylines sell soap operas to viewers and increase their ratings, ongoing episodic news stories, milked dry by the media, sell newspapers. It is like a new cliffhanger everyday, and it reaches a crescendo and then a satisfying (if sad) conclusion. By satisfying, I mean it is a storyline with a definite end in sight. There’s no risk. The papers know it is coming. It is perfect paper-selling fodder. Tugs at the nations heartstrings, hooks them in to the saga, and keeps them hooked til the end.

Her death will rule the news. Then her funeral will. Then, before long, she will barely be referenced ever again.

I’m not saying this to sound like a cunt, I’m saying this because its the way these papers operate. They love to create their own news to maintain readership. The real news isn’t juicy enough. That’s why they “create” celebrities out of naive morons likely to embrace it when actual talented people see the tabloids as cockroaches and won’t deal with them. These machiavellian rags chew people like Jade up, and spit them out. They spat her out and forgot about her – now that she suddenly became of interest to them again, she’s right back in the news as “the people’s brave champion”. It’s not her fault; she should be allowed to die with a little dignity, not in the spotlight of the vultures.

[Carlito]

On the subject of these irresponsible rags creating their own stories, I honestly believe the newspapers, in particular the tabloids, have a large part to play in the accentuating of the economical issues crippling the country at the moment through their scaremongering piss-poor impersonation of ‘journalism’, but that’s a seperate issue. And one they should one day be held accountable for.

[si]

Michael Jackson has invited her to one of his concerts.

In JUNE…

[Carlito]

Wow, he needs to be careful; if he keeps up with these crazy shenanigans, people might start calling him “Wacko Jacko”. Or something.

PMSL though, is that true?

[Jo]

Re: Michael Jackson.

I work on the phones for Carphone Warehouse customer support – this morning so far I’ve had 3 calls from people wanting to buy tickets for the concert?!?!

[Ian Symes]

That’s an extraordinary leap of logic. “Hmm, Michael Jackson’s playing in a venue owned by O2. O2 are a mobile phone network. I wonder if an unrelated mobile phone retailer will sell tickets?”

[Jo]

Indeed! That does seem to have been the pattern of thought though – I find it very strange that 3 (now 4) people have arrived at this conclusion.

[Dave]

>Tabloids do not feel guilt, they have no emotion

Fear is an emotion, Contempt is as well.

[Tarka Dal]

> Re: Michael Jackson.

I work on the phones for Carphone Warehouse customer support – this morning so far I?ve had 3 calls from people wanting to buy tickets for the concert?!?!

Cool. Can you blag me a couple?

[peas_and_corn]

>Michael Jackson?s playing in a venue owned by O2

Do they own it or did they just buy naming rights?

[Carlito]

Any news on tickets?

[Danny Stephenson]

As part of the investment programme, naming rights were sold to O2 plc; and ‘The O2’ became the official name of the project on 25 May 2007.[5] The ?6 million a year deal between O2 plc and AEG also included priority tickets and reserved VIP accommodation for O2 mobile customers.

Hope that helps…

[Mr Flibble]

And the attention to detail in the Blue Room got them the iPhone contract, apparently.

[Tarka Dal]

What are the chances of him actually playing these gigs? When was the last time he toured? I thought his health had deteriorated massively in the last ten years.

[locusceruleus]

>I thought his health had deteriorated massively in the last ten years.

If he was in such poor health he’d never have been given the go ahead to plan these gigs by the promoters. If these gigs ended up getting cancelled the o2, the promoters and MJ would stand to lose millions.

[Tarka Dal]

You’re right, but he’s not exactly been the most stable or consistent human being has he?

That’s what has suprised me so much about the volume of shows announced. Then again I guess multiple shows equal millions in advanced ticket saaaaaaaaaales…

[si]

Back on topic for the briefest of brief seconds.

RIP Jade. Whether you liked her or not, you can’t deny that she did a hell of a lot in seven years.

[locusceruleus]

What’s that phrase about quantity and quality…

[hummingbird]

Don’t get me wrong, it’s very sad she’s been taken at the age of 27, leaving two kids behind, but she doesn’t deserve our sympathy just because she’s a celebrity. I mean, someone dies of cancer every couple of minutes – Goody is only considered a hero because the tabloids want to sell more papers.

> you can?t deny that she did a hell of a lot in seven years

Did she really? I mean, I take it you’re referring to really worthwhile things making her worthy of her current deification in the media? Do tell.

[locusceruleus]

Gordon Brown:

“She was a courageous woman both in life and death and the whole country have admired her determination to provide a bright future for her children.”

Since when does he decide who we all admire?

[ChrisM]

Regardless of ‘hero status’, worthiness or famousness, it’s sad. 27 year old woman (several years younger than me) died leaving children behind. It’s not more tragic than all the unfamous (non-famous?) people who have died, but it’s sad just the same.

[Tonguetied]

Amen to that. Rest in peace Jade. Anyone who has the utter hell of going through cancer all deserve the same respect. None are more special than the other. I was never a big fan of Jade but I feel loss at the utter tragic misfortune of being taken so young.

[Ben Paddon]

I don’t think all cancer patients deserve the same respect. That’s a bit like saying “Everyone who wears that Christmas jumper their Nan knitted for them when they go to visit their Nan despite not actually like it is the KING OF KINGS.”

Only, y’know, on a larger scale.

[locusceruleus]

>Anyone who has the utter hell of going through cancer all deserve the same respect.

I don’t think getting a disease makes you deserve respect. It just makes you unfortunate. Being respectable, dignified, and respectful to others earns my respect, and Jade Goody fails on all counts. I don’t expect that to matter to anyone, by the way.

I just don’t see how respect should be automatically doled out for something as inevitable as disease. You can only be good or bad by the choices you make, not unavoidable circumstance.

[Tarka Dal]

> Jade Goody fails

…failed.

[Carlito]

I think he just meant respect on a humane level for the suffering, not respect as a person.

[Tanya Jones]

I did respect Jade’s determination to secure her children’s future once she knew she was in deep trouble, and I do think her attempts to apologise for her behaviour in the CBB house was genuine. I didn’t have any strong feelings about her selling her death to the media; after all, it was the logical conclusion to her having sold her life to them, and clearly someone out there wanted to buy it. I hope her sons have a secure future in front of them.

[locusceruleus]

>I think he just meant respect on a humane level for the suffering, not respect as a person.

Perhaps so, though I’d argue that was pity more than anything, which is little use to anyone.

[Tarka Dal]

This morning they mentioning on TV a statment from the Archbishop of Canterbury and referred to her career in reality TV.

THIS IS NOT A CAREER.

[si]

What Tanya said.

[Author]

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