Controversy: February 2007 Archives

Isaiah Washington has hired Howard Bragman and his successful PR company, Fifteen Minutes, to represent him. Bragman is openly gay and well-regarded and most recently helped in the launch of gay former NBA player John Amaechi's book, "Man in the Middle." I was in Bragman's offices last week to interview Amaechi and Howard popped his head in to say hello.
Perhaps he can be of some help to Washington whose remains on "Grey's Anatomy" but whose reputation has been badly tarnished by his use of the word "faggot" toward co-star T.R. Knight on the set of the show last fall then denied doing so in front of the international press backstage at the Golden Globe Awards.
Bragman's office confirmed in a statement to TMZ.com that Washington has signed on with the firm: "Our work with Isaiah is about his future—not the past. There is an important dialogue in our society about diversity that needs to happen, and Isaiah is uniquely positioned to be the catalyst for this."
Patrick Dempsey, involved in the on-set altercation that involved Washington's gay slur toward Knight, was asked recently on "Access Hollywood" if Washington had changed since going into therapy for his behavior.
"It's hard," Dempsey sighed. "I haven't spent enough time around to honestly know what's going on with him."
"I haven't spoken to him about it. You do have a feeling when you look at him that something is different and that he is working on things. You can't get away from the fact he's doing a great job on the show. He does beautiful work."
Interviewer Billy Bush referred to Washington as "an intense, passionate actor" to whch Dempsey replied:"He's very passionate about it. He allows himself to feel deeply and sometimes, that's very difficult to contain and control appropriately...I think good will come from this."

Time will tell...

I'm really annoyed with Mark Wahlberg right now. In the current issue of "Premiere" magazine, the Oscar-nominated star of "The Departed" talks about how he was given the script for "Brokeback Mountain." Apparently, it was just too much for a man who made a living off gay men lusting over his underwear-clad body:

"I met with Ang Lee on that movie, I read 15 pages of the script and got a little creeped out. It was very graphic, descriptive - the spitting on the hand, getting ready to do the thing. I told Ang Lee, ‘I like you, you’re a talented guy, if you want to talk about it more…’ Thankfully, he didn’t. I didn’t rush to see Brokeback, it’s just not my deal… Obviously, it was done in taste - look how it was received."

Let me just say that I'm quite sure he would NEVER have gotten the role in "Brokeback Mountain" once Heath Ledger read for it because Ledger (pictured in a scene from the film)had the maturity, understanding and soul to inhabit the character of Ennis. Which performance do you remember more? Heath's or Phillip Seymmour Hoffman in "Capote" which won the Oscar? And which Wahlberg performance will you remember more? None yet, that's for sure.

It seems that Tim Hardway has more to worry about than running across the street whenever he sees a gay couple.TMZ is repoorting that Hardway is being sued for more than $750,000 for skipping out on his mortgage, as well as rent payments on a car wash that used to bear his name.
In the first suit, Washington Mutual Bank is alleging that Hardaway hasn't paid his mortgage since last September -- with a balance of $715,000 -- and is trying to foreclose on his house in Miami-Dade County, FL. (Hardaway used to play for the Miami Heat.) Meanwhile, Hardaway is also being sued for not paying more than $45,000 in back rent for his Miami-area car wash. The suit, filed in Circuit Court, charges that the business -- for which Hardaway is a guarantor on the lease -- hasn't paid rent in several months, dating back to last fall.
Curiously, the car wash's sign used to read, "Tim Hardaway Presents US 1 Finest Hand Car Wash." Following Hardaway's gay-hating radio tirade last week, the sign was changed to "Grand Luxe Auto Bathe."

Conservative columnist Michael Medved's article on the gay in the NBA discussion and Tim Hardaway's homophobic comments need no comment from me. I will simply let the man's words speak for themselves:: "Hardaway appropriately apologized for his harsh remarks, but many (if not most) Americans no doubt share his instinctive reluctance to share showers and locker rooms with open homosexuals. That reluctance also explains the controversial Defense Department policy that prevents out-of-the-closet gays from serving in the United States military."
"The much better analogy for discomfort at gay teammates involves the widespread (and generally accepted) idea that women and men shouldn’t share locker rooms. Making gay males unwelcome in the intimate circumstances of an NBA team makes just as much sense as making straight males unwelcome in the showers for a women’s team at the WNBA. Most female athletes would prefer not to shower together with men not because they hate males (though some of them no doubt do), but because they hope to avoid the tension, distraction and complication that prove inevitable when issues of sexual attraction (and even arousal) intrude into the arena of competitive sports.
Tim Hardaway (and most of his former NBA teammates) wouldn’t welcome openly gay players into the locker room any more than they’d welcome profoundly unattractive, morbidly obese women. I specify unattractive females because if a young lady is attractive (or, even better, downright “hot”) most guys, very much including the notorious love machines of the National Basketball Association, would probably welcome her joining their showers. The ill-favored, grossly overweight female is the right counterpart to a gay male because, like the homosexual, she causes discomfort due to the fact that attraction can only operate in one direction. She might well feel drawn to the straight guys with whom she’s grouped, while they feel downright repulsed at the very idea of sex with her."

Uh, OK.

We may have gotten to know Chip Arndt when he teamed with then boyfriend Reichen to win the second season of "Amazing Race," but since then, the Miami resident has become politically active and is President of Freedom Democrats of Miami Dade. Here is a commentary he recently wrote for the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force on the comments retired NBA player Tim Hardaway had to say about gay people:

Tim Hardaway’s comments are indicative of the ongoing, insidious bigotry and deep-seated hatred that still permeates many parts of the United States of America, and not just toward GLBT people. Mr. Hardaway’s comments show us all that deep schisms exist among conceptions of what it means to be a citizen of America, a country that embraces all people from varying backgrounds and beliefs.

The most unfortunate aspect of Mr. Hardaway’s comments is who said them. Mr. Hardaway is a respected citizen and celebrity of Miami, a respected businessman, a five-time NBA All-Star. He makes money off of his appearances and celebrity name and owns two businesses in Miami. Furthermore, Mr. Hardaway has spoken at many schools and has been a role model and hero for many kids and young adults with his on-the-court grit and excellence. He now gives those same kids and young adults the power, excuse and platform, through his words and example, to practice bigotry and oppress a group of people who he chooses to “hate” (his own word).

At the very least, I am glad he was honest about his thoughts, which showed people and our leaders that great work still needs to be done to overcome learned prejudices in order to move our society to become a more open, loving and tolerant place that respects all people for who they are as American citizens and children of God, not denigrating them as pariahs to be cast out of our society.

Maybe it was the sea air?
Yes, Rosie went there...she made fun of Donald Trump AGAIN and now we await Mr. Combover's response and see if the Rosie-Trump feud will be reignited.
So Rosie apparently had a few laughs at the Donald’s expense on Sunday, during the opening-night festivities of her latest R Family Vacations cruise to the Caribbean. A cruisegoer told Marc Malkin of E! Onlone's Planet Gossip that one of the musical numbers featured a Chorus Line-like ending, in which the entertainers hold up their headshots. However, the last photo was of Mr. Trump. "Rosie came out, looked at the guy and said, ‘You’re fired," the passenger said.
Then Rosie talked about how Trump told Larry King that he did not find her sexually attractive, cracking, "It was always my dream to give a balding billionaire a [rhymes with phoner]."
Don’t be surprised if O'Donnell’s latest Donald diatribe ends up on the Internet. Referring to the numerous people in the audience videotaping the show, she said, "Go ahead—put it on YouTube. I don’t care. I’m fine with it."

My personal hunch is Donald might not come ouit swinging like he did last time. I think he did some serious damage to his reputation and made it difficult to be taken seriously by being so thin-skinned and doing all that name calling. But, you never know...

No wonder Tim Hardaway was suddenly so sorry for his "I hate gay people" rant last week. It has not only cost him his reputation, it is costing him jobs! Outsports.com reports that he has been fired from his role with the Continental Basketball Association.
Ricardo A. Richardson, president and CEO of the CBA, told Outsports late Monday night that Hardaway has been relieved of his duties as "Chief Basketball Operations advisor for Trinity Sports, which was scheduled to have a team in the CBA next season, [the] Miami Majesty." Hardaway was also the coach of the Majesty, which was formerly the Florida Pit Bulls of the American Basketball Association.
Hardaway's hate-filled diatribe came during a Feb. 14 radio interview with Dan Le Batard. Among other comments, Hardaway told Le Batard, "Well, you know I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States. So yeah, I don't like it.''
Hardaway made the comments in the midst of various appearances in Las Vegas on behalf of the NBA in the week leading up to the NBA's All-Star Weekend. Within hours of Hardaway's anti-gay comments, the NBA dismissed the former All-Star from his role with the Association, and Hardaway left Las Vegas the next day.
The day after Hardaway made his comments, Dennis Truax, Director of Basketball Operations for the CBA, made the following statement: “The CBA does not in any way condone or endorse the hateful comments made by Mr. Hardaway to ESPN yesterday. Mr. Hardaway’s comments were unfortunate, hateful and are not the views of the CBA or any of its member teams. It is our fervent belief that any person should be allowed to participate in our league, regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, political preference or sexual orientation, without fear of reprisal or discrimination. The CBA is an equal opportunity employer, and Mr. Hardaway’s comments have no effect or bearing on our position now or in the future. We do not share his views or support his position regarding Mr. [John] Amaechi and his recent personnel revelations.”

Hey, I was sick to death of Britney Spears even before she kissed Madonna okay? But this head-shaving fiasco seems to have made her front page news because she seems to be legitimately wacko! So, I share this funny post I saw on PerezHilton.com of a wigged-out Britney and Miss Carol Channing.

Take this for what it's worth:
Former NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway apologized again Sunday for his anti-gay remarks, telling a Miami television station that he "didn't mean" to say what he said in a South Florida radio interview last week. Hardaway, in an interview at his home with CBS affiliate WFOR, acknowledged he made a major mistake by saying "I hate gay people" when asked how he would react to having a gay teammate
."I don't hate gay people," Hardaway said. "I'm a good-hearted person. I interact with people all the time. ... I respect people. For me to say 'hate' was a bad word, and I didn't mean to use it."
Hardaway made the anti-gay comments Wednesday, a week after John Amaechi became the first former NBA player to reveal his homosexuality. Hardaway said he didn't believe gay players should share a locker room with heterosexual players, then added, "I don't like gay people, and I don't like to be around gay people."
Looks like he's had a complete turnaround...without even spending a single day in gayhab!

All of this Britney Spears madness has taken a scary turn. She seems to be having a very public nervous breakdown and you gotta hope she can get through all of this in one piece. Rosie O'Donnell wrote a poem about Britney on her blog that has some insightful things to say about young people and fame:

"brittney shaved her hair
out out damn spot

in the movie in my mind
she says yes
help me
and i do
somehow
we both connect - get through
she is saved

somehow so am i

the bottom for a celebrity
has too much cushion
money buys detachment
no responsibility

many moms -
of kids in ur sons class
want to shave their hair off
and get a tattoo

they dont because they cant
noone is there 2 watch the kids
what would the neighbors say

plus
the pta meeting
would be humiliating
on many levels

real life
can save u
sometimes
u have to - no choice

super rich 24 yr olds
who have spent half their lives
in the FAMOUS-SPHERE
mary kate and ashley
miss britt
same same same

i want them to come live with us
somehow
thinking there is healing here
it worked for me

u can carve out something real
there in pretend-ville
real life awaits
as perspective shifts

compassion aids healing"

It's not exactly "gayhab," which Isaiah Washington recently checked out of, but North Miami Mayor Kevin Burns has invited disgraced former NBA star Tim Hardaway to spend a day with him, his partner of 23 years and their adopted daughter.

A former player for the Miami Heat, Hardaway has ignited a firestorm for anti-gay remarks he made while discussing former player John Amaechi's new book in which he comes out as a gay man. Hardaway said, among other things, that "I hate gay people."
Mayor Burns says Hardaway has taken him up on his offer.
"We're just trying to show him that there are living, breathing people that just happen to be gay," says Burns, who is still working out details of the visit with Hardaway's representatives and expects they will make a joint announcement on Monday. The plan is for Hardaway to join Burns and his family for a routine weekday at the mayor's office and home - doing things like dropping off Burns' child at school, meeting with constituents and dinner with the family.
Post-outburst, the NBA canceled Hardaway's remaining appearances at this weekend's All-Star festivities in Las Vegas, and he lost at least two major endorsement deals.
"I don't expect (Hardaway) to be waving a peace flag anytime soon, even after this," Burns says. "But maybe he'll be less likely to say something bad about people if he knows them and understands a little more."

Tim Hardaway has apologized again (yeah, I believe him) for saying "I hate gay people" among other shocking anti-gay remarks during a radio interview earlier this week. But, he's pretty much screwed now. The NBA has banished Hardaway from All-Star weekend in Las Vegas where he was already making a series of public appearances on behalf of the league.
Among Hardaway's hateful comments were this: "You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I'm homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."
Hardaway left Vegas on Thursday.
"We removed him from representing us because we didn't think his comments were consistent with having anything to do with us," NBA Commisioner David Stern told reporters Thursday at the opening of a fan festival at a Las Vegas casino. Stern said he had not yet spoken with Hardaway but planned to.
Stern said a discussion about openly gay players could be part of future rookie orientation programs, but he doesn't see a need to address the league: "This is an issue overall that has fascinated America. It's not an NBA issue," Stern said, pointing to the ongoing debate over gay marriage at the state and federal levels. "This is a country that needs to talk about this issue. And, not surprisingly, they use sports as a catalyst to begin the dialogue."
Hmmmmm. Sounds like it IS an NBA issue, Mr. Stern.
Hardaway's comments came a week after John Amaechi became the first former NBA player to say he was gay. The disgraced former All-star and Olympian was attempting damage control on Thursday with a statement issued through his agent: "As an African-American, I know all too well the negative thoughts and feelings hatred and bigotry cause. I regret and apologize for the statements that I made that have certainly caused the same kinds of feelings and reactions...I especially apologize to my fans, friends and family in Miami and Chicago. I am committed to examining my feelings and will recognize, appreciate and respect the differences among people in our society. I regret any embarrassment I have caused the league on the eve of one of their greatest annual events."

Two major gay and lesbian groups have denounced Tim Hardaway's hateful homophobic remarks made this week.
Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation: "Hardaway's comments are vile, repulsive, and indicative of the climate of ignorance, hostility and prejudice that continues to pervade sports culture," "And by apologizing not for his bigotry, but rather for giving voice to it, he's reminding us that this ugly display is only the tip of a very large iceberg."

Said Matt Foreman, president of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force: "Hardaway is a hero to thousands of young people. And that's what makes his comments so troubling. Sadly, his words simply put the pervasive homophobia in the NBA on the table."

Former NBA center John Amaechi, who disclosed last week he's gay, tells the AP today that the anti-gay comments by retired player Tim Hardaway "demonstrate the need to continue the conversation." Hardaway said on a radio show Wednesday that he hates gay people, then later apologized for his remarks.
"I don't need Tim's comments to realize there's a problem," Amaechi says. "People said that I should just shut up and go away - now they have to rethink that."
If he did find out that a teammate was gay, Hardaway said he would ask for the player to be removed from the team.
"Something has to give," Hardaway said. "If you have 12 other ballplayers in your locker room that's upset and can't concentrate and always worried about him in the locker room or on the court or whatever, it's going to be hard for your teammates to win and accept him as a teammate."
Responds Amaechi: "His words pollute the atmosphere. It creates an atmosphere that allows young gays and lesbians to be harassed in school, creates an atmosphere where in 33 states you can lose your job, and where anti-gay and lesbian issues are used for political gain. It's an atmosphere that hurts all of us, not just gay people."

If you have checked out my blogroll on the right column of Out In Hollywood, one of the links is to Andy's Blog. Andy isn't just some dude like me who is gay and likes to write about entertainment; he's a gay who is gay and CREATES entertainment as the senior vice president of programming for the Bravo network that has brought us such gay-friendly shows as "Project Runway," "Top Design," and, of course, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." AfterElton.com posts a nice Q&A with Andy today which is recommended reading. I have excerpted the remarks he makes about Isaiah Washington and the whole "Grey's Anatomy" situation which I think are interesting:
"I would actually weirdly feel funny about firing him. I feel like firing him is really dangerous. I know a lot of gay people think that he should be fired. I think that he probably is being publicly being humiliated and he may never bounce back, and I think that he will never use the word again... I think that the guy needs therapy. And I think that if he is causing a work situation in which none of the other cast members can now make a productive show, then he should be fired. I think that if his cast members can forgive him and work with him and teach him why this is wrong and he shouldn't do this, then I think that's OK. I think if it becomes an untenable situation and no one can forgive him, then he should be gone."

It's obvious that Isaiah Washington dug a big enough hole for himself when, backstage at the Golden Globe Awards, he repeated the gay slur he had called T.R. Knight on the set of "Grey's Anatomy" months earlier. But who knows if the backlash against Washington, and his basically being forced to apologize and go to gayhab to keep his job, would have been as strong if not for Katherine Heigl? She is the only cast member (there are a dozen of them) to openly call Washington on the carpet and she did so that very night in a televisised interview saying "He needs to not talk in public. Period."
Heigl, who plays Dr. Izzie Stevens on the ABC series, appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" and continued to speak candidly about the situation: "If it were ignored or just brushed under the rug, I would be angrier about it. But [Washington] is trying very hard. We're all trying very hard."
Heigl said that the cast usually got along well and that the set felt "like work as usual" now that Washington had returned.
"I, obviously, have been very verbal about all of this, but there isn't a lot going on right now," she said. "We're all hopeful. … It's a great group of people, and we work really well together. We work really hard, and it's unusual that we do get along as well as we do."
Ratings remain huge: last week's episode of "Grey's Anatomy" was its most watched since the season premiere back in September.

I try and ignore Britney Spears. It's tough because her ridiculous exploits are plastered everywhere. So just for today, I'm going to do an item on this trainwreck. She's on the cover of the new issue of In Touch Magazine which is pretty much like every other week. But this week, apparently she's a lesbian! We haven't heard that one before! First she kisses Madonna, then she forgets to weart underwear in public, and now...she's a lesbian! The magazine reports that "insiders tell In Touch exclusively that the mother of two has been living a secret life of wild sex long before her marriage ended. Rap music producer Omar “Iceman�? Sharif, who is a friend of Kevin’s, tells In Touch, “Britney was into threesomes and girls.�? He says Britney would often invite a bunch of girlfriends over to the couple’s house to party.
And Britney and her brief BFF Paris Hilton make a cover they have never been on before: Newsweek! Only this is not frivilous and tedious coverage of their various comings and going from nightclub to nightclub. It's a look at what terrible role models they are for young girls.
OK, that all being said, I'm going to go back to ignoring Britney. As for Paris, she still has not explained her behavior caught of tape using gay and racial slurs. I know the Snickers bar controversy put her on the back-burner for a day or two but I think this girl should try and come up with a complete sentence and apologize not just for the slurs, but for being so darn shallow.

I like the watchdog role that bloggers like AfterElton.com, Towleroad.com and Americablog.com and groups including GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign and the Matthew Shepard Foundation have taken this week in the Snickers bar controversy.
They spoke up and pointed out the homophobia in a commercial showing two guys who freak out after accidentally kissing after eating from seperate ends of the same candy bar. They decide to "do something manly" after the kiss and begin ripping hair out of their chests.
The commercial, which debuted during the Super Bowl, was yanked from the air Tuesday. But even more offensive were the alternative endings shown on Afterthekiss.com, a since-pulled website that has four different endings for the commercial including a violent ending where instead of hair chest pulliing, one mechanic hits the other on the head with a wrench. The Web site also showed reaction from grossed-out NFL players.
Mars Inc. spokeswoman Alice Nathanson said Tuesday: "We know that humor is highly subjective and we understand that some consumers have found the commercial offensive. Clearly that was not our intent. We do not plan to continue the ad on television or on our Web site."
Judy Shepard, who son was brutally murdered in a hate crime, said: “I am outraged that Mars, the NFL and these players would promote such an anti-gay message. This campaign encourages the same type of hate that led to the death of my son Matthew. It essentially gives ‘permission’ to our society to verbally or physically harass individuals who are gay, lesbian or bisexual,�? said Shepard, Executive Director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. “
She added: "In particular, I am dismayed that these players, who are role models to our young people, would participate in perpetuating such discrimination and prejudice.�?
Neil Giuliano, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said “Mars, Inc., needs to... hold those within the company and at its ad agency publicly accountable for promoting anti-gay prejudice and violence. We want to sit down with both Mars and the NFL to address our concerns and give them an opportunity to raise public awareness about the destructive impact of these kinds of anti-gay images and comments.�?

I'm not gonna lie, the only part of the Super Bowl I was even remotely interested in was the half-time show and even then i only caught the tail end of Prince's performance.
So it was not until I was watching "The View" this morning that I actually saw the Snickers candy bar commercial where two guys are eating seperate ends of the same candy bar (think 'Lady and the Tramp' and the spaghetti) and end up in a kissing when they meet in the middle. The then go into a panic and say: "Quick! Do something manly!" They start pulling hair off their chests like a coupla idiots.
This was seen as mildly offensive to some gays but what REALLY caused outrage since the commercial aired during the game was Afterthekiss.com, a website that has four different endings for the commercial and shows reaction from grossed-out players Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts including Mushin Muhammad’s gasping and grimacing at the site of two men kissing to saying it is just wrong to Desmond Clark asking if the two men in the commercial actually had to kiss, and if so, hoping they got paid a lot to do it. Cato June, reacted by saying, “Oh, hell no! Two men, that’s not right.�?

I'm glad that there was outrage including this statement from Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solomonese who said: "The makers of Snickers and it’s parent company at Mars should know better. If they have any questions about why the ad isn’t funny, we can help put them in touch with any number of GLBT Americans who have suffered hate crimes."
AfterElton.com has now reported that Mars Inc., the makers of the Snickers candy bar, just pulled the Afterthekiss.com the website.
This certainly shows what everyone already knows: homophobia is alive and well in the NFL. Of course no players have come out during their playing days. And the players who participated in this commercial should be as ashamed of themselves as Mars Inc.
I am glad that gay leaders and influential gay bloggers are taking people to task for what they do and say whether it be Isaiah Washington or Paris Hilton or a politician. Crying foul the only way to make a difference and begin changing all of this institutional homophobia that exists everywhere. They are saying it is NOT okay, not ever.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has called on Paris Hilton to explain and apologize to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and African American communities for her use of anti-gay and racial slurs in a video that began circulating on the Web last week.

The video, which appears to have been taken by an amateur videographer at a private party, shows Hilton referring to someone using the “F-word�? and referring to herself and her sister, Nicky (who also calls a man the “F-word�? in the video), by saying, “We’re like two [N-word]s.�? In one stream of insults, Paris Hilton says,�? [Expletive deleted] hoodlum, broke poor bitch from, like, Compton.�?

The date of the video is unknown. Access Hollywood reports that it “appears to be several years old,�? while ITV reports that the “video was filmed at a recent party.�?

“When Paris Hilton utters these words into a camera, it creates a permanent record that — regardless of when it occurred and because it has been made public — she must bear responsibility for,�? said GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. “These are not frivolous words, and to use them as if they are gives tacit sanction to the racism and homophobia they engender. Hilton has an obligation to go on the record, explain herself, and publicly apologize to the LGBT and African American communities and all those offended by these slurs.�?

Send her to gayhab!
So here is them latest mess that Paris Hilton has found herself in: A video clip that was posted online this week shows the socialite and her sister, Nicky, at a party making homophobic and racist remarks.
In the video clip, which appears to be several years old, Paris repeatedly calls one person a "f*****t" as she is dancing with her sister.
At one point in the clip, Paris pauses dancing to Notorious BIG's "Hypnotize," walks up to the camera and says she and her sister "are like two n******."
The video clip is marked ParisExposed.com, the Web site which was selling many of Paris' personal items, including photographs, home videos, diaries, love letters, recorded phone conversations and phone numbers of friends and celebrities. All this stuff had been left behind at a Los-Angeles based storage facility. Hilton's spokesman says someone who was supposed to have kept up payments for the storage, didn't, so all that stuff was sold by a broker.
Maybe this will cause enough backlash that we will finally stop paying attention to Paris Hilton. I'm not quite sure why she is famous in the first place but I think it would be good for her (and the planet) if we just ignored her and she was left to actually do something meaningful with her vapid, self-absorbed life.

UPDATE: A reader sent this to me this morning and makes some good points:

With all the recent brouhaha surrounding Isaiah Washington’s use of the word “faggot�? in the media – including in your column – I am completely shocked that little to no fuss is being made at Paris Hilton’s even more offensive
use of the word as evidenced by video seen recently on the Internet: http://www.ifilm.com/video/2818928. In the video at the provided link, Ms. Hilton is clearly shown and heard referring to different men as "fag" or "faggot" at least three different times. I would expect a response from you about Ms. Hilton's use of the word as a slur particularly because she has been acknowledged by the gay community as a supporter of gay issues,
including being deemed Grand Marshall of the recent CSW parade. A person who has received such recognition in the gay community should be held accountable for her disparaging use of anti-gay epithets and contributing to
the marginalization of gays.

Sharon Stone, star of such flops as "Basic Instinct 2," "Alpha Dog," and "Catwoman" (When was this woman last in a hit film?) talked to columnist Liz Smith about the whole Isaiah Washington mess and doesn't seem to think it's a very big deal to call someone a "faggot" in the workplace and to repeat the word in front of the world press in a professional situation:
"I've been called a bitch - and a lot worse - for years. And you know what, so what? People who think that aren't going to change their minds. And I wouldn't dream of sending them to therapy to 'rehabilitate' their feelings. How absurd...Please, I call all my gay friends 'big fags.'"
I'm sure her gay friends are not amused.