Wonderland Burlesque's Do I Still Like That? Quiz, Part 2

Wonderland Burlesque's 

Do I Still Like That? Quiz, Part 2

Another rogues gallery, today.

Celebrities do awful things. They are human beings, after all, and even though we put them on a pedestal, pay them way too much money, buy their artistic offerings, hold them in high esteem and to higher standards, sometimes... they fuck up. 

They disappoint (at best) or (at worst) anger us - and down from their lofty perch they tumble. 

Sometimes. More often than not? The Show Biz community has their backs, no matter what. 

Yes, there is that moment or two where everyone looks at their feet, shaking their heads with dismay, but a few news cycles go by and... the redemption period begins. 

These next couple weeks (Maybe another two?) we'll be looking at celebrity Humpty Dumpty's who've experienced a big fall, or have royally pissed us off. 

The big question being: was what they did so egregious that we find ourselves no longer able to enjoy their past work? Where do YOU draw the line? Can they be redeemed? 

You, tell me.

John Travolta 

The Beef:

In 2009, a cruise ship worker claimed that John Travolta sexually assaulted him. The man says that Travolta exposed himself during a neck massage and later offered the man $12,000 to keep quiet. Travolta denies all allegations.

An aura of creepiness seems to surround Mr. Travolta. Remember the sharp downturn his career experienced back in 1983?  It may have had something to do with his relationship with Paul Barresi. But by 1989, he was box office gold once more, with 1994's Pulp Fiction returning him to the A-List.

But it didn't last. These days? He's in no man's land thanks to his ties to Scientology and all those rumors regarding his sexuality. 

None of his movies are must sees for me. Also? I've never thought that much of his acting. I suppose it will take an intriguing role in the perfect vehicle to right his ship again. 

Can they be redeemed?

Sure. But why bother?

Azealia Banks

The Beef

• In May 2016, Banks posted a racist and homophobic rant towards Zayn Malik on Twitter
• In January 2019, Banks posted offensive remarks about Irish people after performing in Ireland, in which she used ethnic slurs and mocked the Great Famine.
• In August 2019, she posted racist remarks about Swedes after performing in Sweden, and wrote "I would really love to see someone bomb the shit out of this place".
• Banks has been involved in altercations with crew and passengers aboard commercial flights, resulting in her being removed from airliners

She's reserved her choicest words for the gay male community.

“Y’all stay off that fucking PrEP. You don’t need to have everybody running up in your fucking asshole all day. If you got a sex addiction like that, that you need a fucking pill so you can go fuck and suck and do all that, then you need to go see a fucking psychiatrist.”

“LGBT community (GGGG) are like the gay white KKK’s. Get them some pink hoods and unicorns and let them rally down rodeo drive.”

 

“I love the gays and love how much y’all love me, but I really have to eject,” ...gay people “are into a lot of shit” and “people I just don’t find value in”. “I find myself acknowledging/looking at shit I’m leagues above and it really is such a setback. So, gays… I bid you adieu.”

She's a rapper with a big following and talent. She's more famous for her behavior and rifts than she is for her music. The gay community embraced her big time because she claimed to be bi-sexual. 

Clearly, she's not a nice person. 

Can they be redeemed?

Really?

Bill Cosby

The Beef:
In 2014, Cosby became the subject of numerous sexual assault allegations which became highly publicized during the 'Me, Too' movement. In 2018, Cosby was convicted of aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand. He was imprisoned until the conviction was vacated in 2021 by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania for violations of Cosby's 5th Amendment and 14th Amendment due process rights.

As a performer, I always gave him the benefit of the doubt. I have never appreciated his work. I found his schtick a little too Amos 'N Andy for my comfort level and The Cosby Show bored the hell out of me (it was so vanilla and privileged.)

And then... there were those sweaters. 

Can he be redeemed? 

No.

Those sweaters alone have made him a pariah in my book.

Oh, yes... 

And he's a rapist. 

Don't accept a pudding pop from this man.

He's basically O.J. Simpson 2.0 at this point. Celebrity roadkill.

Gary Glitter 

The Beef:

Musician Gary Glitter was convicted of child pornography in 1999 and child molestation in 2006 in Vietnam. He was subsequently imprisoned in the United Kingdom for offenses that occurred in the 1970s.

Growing up, I had a K-Tel album I found at a rummage sale. I remember it being advertised on television when I was younger and was super psyched. I think the last number on the album (it featured snippets of 22 big hits, if I remember correctly) was Gary Glitter's Rock And Roll Part 2. 

I adored the song and thought it must lead to something bigger. 

Who knew he had a thing for prepubescent girls? But, yes... in trouble, a lot. 

You still hear this song at sporting events and it never sits well with me.

Can they be redeemed?

No. 

The creep factor. 

Although I am curious to hear the rest of his catalog. Also curious how he's thought of in the UK where he was huge for a time. 

Chris Brown

The Beef:
At around 12:30 a.m. (PST) on February 8, 2009, Brown and his then-girlfriend, singer Rihanna, had an argument which escalated into physical violence, leaving Rihanna with visible facial injuries which required hospitalization. Brown turned himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department's Wilshire station at 6:30 p.m. (PST) and was booked under suspicion of making criminal threats. The police report did not name the female in the incident as is policy, but media sources soon revealed that the victim was Rihanna.

On March 5, 2009, Brown was charged with felony assault and making criminal threats He was arraigned on April 6, 2009, and pleaded not guilty to one count of assault and one count of making criminal threats. On June 22, 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to a felony and accepted a plea deal of community labor, five years of probation, and domestic violence counseling. Andy Kellman of AllMusic stated, "A fairly substantial backlash resulted in Brown's songs being pulled from rotation on several radio stations. Ultimately, however, it had little bearing on the progress of his music and acting careers."

This is such a weird story. 

Brown's behavior since has hardly be exemplary. Rhianna's treatment of the incident and Brown strike me as odd. 

And Brown's mother? Wow. That is some kind of powerful denial at play. 

And it's too bad, because Brown is incredibly talented. I thought he was the next Michael Jackson. 

And, well... in an unexpected way, he sort of is. 

Can they be redeemed?

Sadly, no. I miss his music.

He's a man who made a mistake when he was young, but has continued to demonstrate that incident was just the tip of the iceberg. 

Christopher Masterson 

The Beef:

In June 2020, Masterson was charged with three counts of rape for assaults that allegedly occurred in the early '00s, as Deadline reports. Through a statement from his lawyer, the actor maintained his innocence. He's yet to be tried. 

Masterson's portrayal of Hyde on That 70's Show was the reason I watched it. He nailed it; the under-privileged kid who fights the good fight. 

Now? It's in syndication and but I won't watch it. The creep factor.

 And I'm fairly certain his ties to Scientology will help him get away with it all. That organization is truly evil.

Can they be redeemed?

Only if we stop believing victims. 

Kanye West

The Beef:

• West Interrupts Taylor Swift At MTV’s Video Music Awards (Sept. 13, 2009) “Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish,” he said, “but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!”
• The “Bill Cosby Innocent” Tweet (Feb. 9, 2016)
• Yeezy Season 4 Fashion Show Disaster (Sept. 7, 2016)
• West Ends Saint The Pablo Tour Early After Episodes Where He Supported Trump and Bashed Jay-Z (Nov. 19, 2016)
• West Meets Trump (Dec. 13, 2016)
• West’s TMZ Interview Goes Haywire (May 1, 2018) says 400 years of slavery sounded like a choice to him.
• West Holds The SNL Cast Hostage Onstage While Giving A Bizarre Speech (Sept. 29, 2018)
• Trump And West Have A Light Lunch (Oct. 11, 2018)
• Kanye West calls himself 'the greatest artist that God has ever created' at Joel Osteen service (Nov. 17, 2019)

I despise Kanye (or Ye, as he now to be called.) What an egocentric tool. He's either a genius manipulator or mentally ill. 

At best, his music is derivative, at worst, deadly boring. I saw his last appearance on SNL. It was a train wreck. And, considering it was SNL, that's saying a lot.

His latest grab for Jesus feels as tone deaf and faux as all his other forays. I mean, Joel Osteen? Really? Apparently money is all this gold digger really cares about.

Can they be redeemed?

I hope not. 

Can you imagine a 'humble' Kanye? 

Unfortunately, I can. I could totally see that as a disguise he dons in the hopes of gaining more attention. For the safety of the world, this man needs to be medicated.

Rosanne Barr

The Beef:

Barr elicited criticism in July 2009 when she posed as Adolf Hitler in a feature for the satirical Jewish publication Heeb magazine, called 'That Oven Feelin'. The Nazi theme was reportedly her suggestion, and featured her with a Hitler mustache and swastika arm-band, holding a tray of burnt gingerbread man cookies the article referred to as "burnt Jew cookies."

In late March 2018, Barr tweeted about a conspiracy theory involving David Hogg, a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. The conspiracy theory falsely claims Hogg gave a Nazi salute at a March for Our Lives rally on March 24. Barr later deleted her tweet.

On May 29, 2018, Barr responded to a thread on Twitter about Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor to former President Obama. It reads "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj." The tweet was widely criticized as being racist about Jarrett ("vj"). Barr was initially defensive, but later posted an apology "for making a bad joke about [Jarrett's] politics and her looks."  She disputed allegations of racism, saying she believed Jarrett was Saudi (or white). Barr also said she made the tweet, which she called wrong and indefensible, at 2:00 am while on Ambien.

I loved Rosanne. She saw a program gap and filled it. The portrayal of privileged families dominated television for so long. She knew that real blue collar, scraping together spaghetti money needed to be seen and heard. She did that. And, yes, she's an awkward actress at best, but that was also part of her charm. 

Boy, she sure blew it. Not that she hasn't done a number of other questionable things, but blatant racism? That's pretty hard to ignore.

Can they be redeemed?

Doubtful. People aren't apt to forgive her last transgression. And she destroyed the one thing she had going for her. 

Kobe Bryant 

The Beef:

NBA player Kobe Bryant was accused of rape in 2003. The charges were eventually dropped in 2004, but Bryant did admit to having consensual sex with a woman who was not his wife.

People still worship this dude. I don't get it. It's like, if you're good enough at what you do, everybody is all too willing to look the other way. And then, to die in such a tragic way?

But he doesn't get a pass. They may have done an awesome job of making his little scandal go away - I mean, let's face it - he's Kobe Bryant  - he could buy a lot of silence. 

Can they be redeemed?

Was he ever tarnished?

For me, he will always be a rapist.

Tracy Morgan

During a performance in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 3, 2011, Morgan made remarks about homosexuals, reportedly stating that if his son were gay, his son better speak to him like a man or he would "pull out a knife and stab him." Morgan apologized, saying that he had "gone too far."

On June 25, 2011, during a show at Caroline's in New York City, Morgan made comments about disabled children, saying; "don't ever mess with women who have retarded kids," and referred to a woman as "a cripple."

In 2012, Morgan's mother, Alicia Warden, said her Youngstown, Ohio, home was on the verge of foreclosure as a result of being laid off from her job the previous year. Her home value at the time was estimated to be $28,000, and her request for help from Morgan resulted in an offer of a one-time gift of $2,000, which she refused.

I love Tracy Morgan. He has made me laugh so much. His work on 30 Rock was inspired, basically playing a parody of himself. 

Sadly, he, ummm... said some things.

Shock comedy can definitely, very easily, cut the wrong way. Tina Fey came to his defense, but, even she said she was shocked by the violence implied. And his insensitivity towards differently-abled folk? Eek. That's not comedy.

Whatever beef he had with his Mom? I have to say, I'm embarrassed for him on that one. I would have paid off her house and never said a word about it. The man is worth 70 million. So? He doesn't like her. Money has the lovely effect of making people you don't like go away. And it's such a small sum. I'm thinking Tracy is not making the smart choice there.

Can he be redeemed?

I dunno. I hear he's set to play Louis Armstrong for a biopic. Everybody was really upset when he was in that accident... almost like it wiped out everything else.

I would never pay to see him, but I know plenty who would. And I think I can still enjoy watching 30 Rock without thinking 'oh, that's the guy that made his mama homeless.'

But that 'stab your gay son' bit? 

Yeah. 

That's gonna haunt him. 

As it should.

--- ---

And that's it for me. Your turn.  Can they be redeemed? Do you still enjoy their work? 

Leave your thoughts in the comments section. 

And don't worry... your favorite 'bad' celeb not on this list? We have another two weeks to go. I guess this is my November thing?

Tune in next week for another terrible ten!

Born Bad - Cruella

Look What You Made Me Do - Taylor Swift