I thought British people were smart

[FartinMowler]

I love British telivision and mini-series and when I read this I was surpised by the fact they actually have redneck telivision...

LONDON (AFP) - A British minor celebrity's future seemed in tatters after viewers evicted her from a reality television show for her "racist bullying" of a top Bollywood star which sparked international fury.


Viewers voted to kick out Jade Goody, who had taunted Indian actress Shilpa Shetty in the "Celebrity Big Brother" programme, where famous faces live shut off from the world under 24-hour television scrutiny.

Friday's eviction left Goody, 25, a former "Big Brother" contestant, facing the consequences of her actions and press villification for her treatment of film star Shetty.

With the atmosphere highly charged, television executives banned the crowds which usually gather outside the "Big Brother" house on the northern edge of London, following every eviction.

Goody received a massive 82 percent of the total public votes cast in a straight two-way choice that had been between her and Shetty, 31, but Channel 4 television declined to disclose how many people voted.

"In all honesty I'm disgusted with myself," said Goody, after emerging from the household to silence and learning about the full scale of the row she had caused.

British newspapers roundly savaged Goody for her antics in the house.

The Sun, Britain's biggest-selling daily and once a champion of Goody, said "incredible as it may seem, last night's vote was the most important in Britain since the last general election.

"It became a referendum on whether our nation, with the eyes of the world on us, was prepared to back a home-grown yob over a dignified Indian actress."

The programme makers were also mauled for not letting Goody face the full force of public anger.

Newspapers said Goody had been tipped off about the storm beyond the garden fence and been well-briefed on how to go about salvaging her public image.

"I look like a complete and utter nasty small person -- the sort of person I don't like myself," she said in the post-eviction interview on Channel Four television after viewing footage.

"I am not a racist and I sincerely, with my hand on my heart, apologise to anyone I have offended out there," she said.

Shetty's family hailed the eviction of the Bollywood star's chief tormentor as a triumph of "good over evil."

"This vote has shown that goodness always prevails, like in Bollywood films," a spokesman for Shetty and her family said.

"This vote was not about just one contestant facing eviction. It was a straightforward contest between Shilpa and Jade, between good and bad," Dale Bhagwagar told AFP.

In a subsequent statement, Shetty's mother hailed the vote.

"She (Goody) deserved to be evicted. She behaved in such a despicable manner," Shilpa's mother Sunanda Shetty told the private Times Now network.

The man tipped to be Britain's next prime minister, finance minister Gordon Brown, was again drawn into the row during a visit to a film studio in Mumbai on the final day of his Indian tour, urging viewers to vote for "tolerance."

Along with former Miss Great Britain Danielle Lloyd and one-time pop star Jo O'Meara, Goody has reduced Shetty to tears on numerous occasions.

Shetty has been called a "dog" and asked whether she lives in a shack, prompting protestors in India to burn effigies of the show's producers.

Mobile phone company Carphone Warehouse on Thursday suspended its multi-million-pound sponsorship of the show.

Lloyd's sponsorship deal with an insurance firm has been ditched, while retailer the Perfume Shop has stopped stocking Goody's fragrance.

Around 40,000 people have complained to media watchdog Ofcom and police have launched an investigation into allegations of racism.

There have been some attempts at reconciliation. Shetty has withdrawn her claim of racism, while Goody and Lloyd have apologised for their remarks.

Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan has disputed whether comments were racist, instead saying it was "unquestionably a good thing that the programme has raised these issues and provoked such a debate."

Viewing figures Friday peaked at 8.8 million people and averaged 7.8 million -- marginally better than Channel Four's top figures for 2006.

A Channel 4 spokeswoman said the profits on the telephone calls -- or 10 pence (19 cents) on each 50-pence call (98 cents) -- it received for Friday's eviction vote will be given to a charity.

[Grislygus]

Haven't you ever read a British tabloid?

[Fathom Zero]

From what I can tell, Big Brother is uber huge in the UK.

CNN devoted about twenty minutes of stupidity to this story. Wasn't Parliament involved somehow? I don't know, maybe I shouldn't listen to CNN.

[FartinMowler]

So this will pass like the death of Princess Diane?

[Krythor]

Or the suicide of Arnold Hitler.

[GADZOOKS]

Michael Richards eat your heart out!

[Jeanette X]

I saw some of that show on Youtube after hearing about it on NPR. Jade Goody was screaming at Shilpa Shetty over some boullion cubes and calling her every name in the book. Goody is a worthless little cunt and Shetty acted with a lot more restraint than I would've had.

The little bitch did some fake remorse, but the she said:

"Shilpa comes from a different life completely, a life where everyone is beneath her, other than her mum and her dad. She doesn’t think anyone would dare argue with her or disagree with her.

“But in there, we didn’t care. If we wanted to have a disagreement with her, we we’re gonna say it. To her, that’s a shock that somebody would want to talk to her like that.

“I wasn’t being a racist, I’m not like that. I was just bringing her down a peg or two, that’s all.

“Showing her that’s she’s no one special. She’s just ordinary, like you and me.”

If that little fucking whore treats people that way whenever she has a disagreement, I'm suprised that she doesn't have any broken teeth. Its transparently obvious that she's jealous of Shetty.

I'd normally never get so riled up about stupid bullshit like this, but Jesus Christ she pissed me off.

[MetalMilitia]

This has redeemed BigBrother slightly in my eyes. The show which gave us Jade Goody in the first place has finally done the right thing and well-and-truly ended her television career. Not that she really had one anyway.


Don't get me wrong I still think it sucks, but anything responsible for making Jade Goody fuck off once and for all deserves at least slight respect.

[the_dudefather]

but..but....what about Jade's PA, the (more so) idiot version of 'the apprentice', wont that be coming back for another series?

or what about appearances in Hello magazine, I really want to read about how jade has lost another ounce or two on her own 'pea n' chips speed diet'.

[Fathom Zero]

India offered her a free trip with board so that she caould absorb the culture and realize how awesome curry is.

This is an international incident and I can't figure out why.

[FartinMowler]

And now I'm hearing that Muslims are getting upset about the telivision show 24 because it portray's muslims as being Terrorists

[ArrowX]

people were/still are protesting little mosque on the prairie, because it "Portrays Muslims in a humorous light"

[Jeanette X]

*bump*

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...bFiF7iCAWBRBBg

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/M...ow/4265366.cms

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view...ole-lifetime-/

http://news.scotsman.com/health/Jade...ase.5069373.jp

THE plight of terminally ill reality television star Jade Goody has been linked with a surge in women being screened for cervical cancer in the Lothians.

Latest figures have shown the number of women attending for a smear test has risen by a third.

Health chiefs in the Lothians have put the increase down to coverage of Ms Goody, who may only have weeks to live after finding out her cervical cancer has spread and is untreatable.

Cancer Research UK said the rise could only be a positive thing, and it had noted an increase in calls to its helpline.

Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK's director of health information, said: "Jade's tragic plight has certainly raised awareness of cervical cancer among the general public, as the number of hits to our website shows. Her legacy may have helped to save lives."

Jade seems to have redeemed herself. I actually feel rather moved by all this.

[Kitsa]

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

[Jeanette X]

Originally Posted by Kitsa

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Come on Kitsa, she's going to die in a matter of days, if not hours.

[kahljorn]

fuck pity

[executioneer]

pity fuck

[Kitsa]

Don't go righteous on me, I have inoperable cancer myself.

What I meant was, she put her life out there for the public and there was no dignity. Now she is putting her death out there for the public in the hope that her sons will be well-provided-for (yes, I was following this story LONG ago, as part of the cancer writing I do) and the huge public spectacle is robbing her of a dignified death.

I hate the "celebrity deathwatch" thing very much.

[MetalMilitia]

I really don't know why anyone cares about this. The story of Jade Goody so far goes something like this:
1. She gained fame after being extremely stupid and annoying in the Big Brother house.
2. She continued to be stupid and annoying in her subsequent television appearances.
3. She went back into the Big Brother house and made some comment that a lot of people thought to be stupid and annoying.
4. She was labelled a (stupid annoying) racist by the tabloid press and her career went down the shitter.
5. She got cancer and how every rag in the country won't shut up about her.

Now I don't want anyone to get cancer, but if someone needs to get it to keep the universe balanced I'd rather it be her than anyone that might actually contribute something worthwhile to society.
What I hate is how everyone's making such a big fuss over it. Doctors that have devoted their whole lives to saving other people's lives die every day. Writers, scientists, nurses die every day. Tons of people that have achieved amazing philanthropic things in their lives die all the time and yet all anyone cares about is the stupid annoying woman that was once in a shit TV show and went on to become a racist.

[Kitsa]

When all is said and done, this is just one more very sad, young cancer death in a very hard world. I don't like the fact that the media's on it like flies on shit, because it robs her of end-of-life dignity, but to a certain extent she's courting it to try and get what she can. It's all she knows how to do.

It's sad and desperate.

[Tadao]

Hehe I wonder if any of the people who couldn't stand her wished cancer on her.

[Colonel Flagg]

Except for the "choice" part, I see a parallel between her and Nadya Suleman.

[Jeanette X]

Originally Posted by Kitsa

Don't go righteous on me, I have inoperable cancer myself.

What I meant was, she put her life out there for the public and there was no dignity. Now she is putting her death out there for the public in the hope that her sons will be well-provided-for (yes, I was following this story LONG ago, as part of the cancer writing I do) and the huge public spectacle is robbing her of a dignified death.

I hate the "celebrity deathwatch" thing very much.

Aw jeez Kitsa, I wasn't aware of that. I apologize.

Anyway, I suppose that yes, the voyeur aspect is unsettling, but at least she's ostensibly doing it for her kids.

I'm just somewhat moved by stories of rotten people managing to redeem themselves somewhat at the end of their lives, kind of the way I was moved by the executed convict who donated his body to science and became the subject of the Visible Human Project. I was moved by his transformation into a thing of beauty because of his repentance for his actions.

Although this is tainted by the voyeurism, it still follows the same narrative.

[Kitsa]

It's ok. I live with mine, and I've been on a standoff with it that's lasted about 30 years so far. If it grows, I'm fucked. So far it hasn't.

I'm dismayed by the Jade Goody story because, in the midst of all of this hype, this is still a human being. And she doesn't get a do-over if she ends up regretting the publicity. The "WATCH JADE GOODY THE MOMENT SHE FOUND OUT SHE HAD CANCER!!!" clips just completely disgust me. The voyeurism and deathwatch disgust me.

I guess the audience disgusts me more than the player, because I know in the end everyone will move on to the next interesting thing and she doesn't get to.

[Jeanette X]

Originally Posted by Kitsa

And she doesn't get a do-over if she ends up regretting the publicity.

She's not going to have the time to regret it. She's in a coma-like state.