Greg Columns: February 2009 Archives

Sorry for the lack of posts this afternoon. I was busy with my weekly Metro-section column for The Daily News. Since it sucked away so many hours, thought I'd share it with you all first before it hits people's doorsteps tomorrow morning!
The blistering headlines in recent days involving singer Chris Brown, actor Christian Bale and baseball's Alex Rodriguez make you wonder how what constitutes career-ending behavior for a star performer.

As far as A-Rod goes - with his huge guaranteed contract - his judgement will ultimately come down the line with the Hall of Fame voters.

But the 19-year-old Brown seems to be facing a far more precarious future.

I was all ears Sunday afternoon on the Grammy Awards red carpet when news surfaced that Brown was being sought by police in connection with a domestic-violence case that reportedly involves his pop princess girlfriend Rihanna.
The R&B singer was booked on Sunday for investigation of making a criminal threat and released on $50,000 bail. Brown isn't due in court until March 5, but in the court of public opinion, he is already being convicted in some quarters.

Various radio stations across the country have stopped playing his music, Wrigley has suspended a chewing gum campaign featuring Brown, and he also will no longer appear in the "Got Milk" ad campaign.

Billboard magazine's editorial director Bill Werde is dismayed by what appears to be a rush to judgment since Brown, who was named 2008 artist of the year by Billboard, has not been convicted of any crime.

"If you are a brand, you may have to decide and don't have time for the justice system to weigh in. So we are seeing what the impact is, and we don't even know if it's true," Werde said Tuesday.

But if the allegations are proven, "I think it's pretty much game over for Chris Brown," he added. "This is an artist who has largely built his appeal on a very clean image."

Tracey Ford, the editor of AOL Music's hip-hop/R&B site, TheBoombox.com, said the allegations are all the more disturbing because "he's got an audience that is primarily teenaged girls. He even had a duet with Jordin Sparks who also has a wholesome image."

"Anytime you have an artist like Chris Brown who starts out so young -- with fans so young who look up to him -- it's never a good thing," Ford added. "Christian Bale's fans are mostly adults, and that's why people can make YouTube videos and jokes and at the end of the day, laugh it off."

Bale bruising public-relations nightmare was all the rage last week but has largely been obscured by the even more sensational headlines involving Brown and Rodriguez.
The widely-heard audio recording of his tirade on the set of "Terminator Salvation" quickly became a YouTube and radio staple. It's a truly scary expletive-laden meltdown that is quite sickening to listen to in my opinion.

(The incident, which just surfaced, took place last summer around the same time as Bale had an alleged altercation at a London hotel with his mother and sister.)

"The Dark Knight" star tried damage control by calling into KROQ's Kevin & Bean last week. The radio hosts had been among those having a field day with the audio and a remix set to music.

"Feel free to make fun of me at my expense," Bale told the hosts. "I deserve it completely."

"I was out of order beyond belief, I was way out of order," he added. "I acted like a punk, I regret that, and there is nobody that has heard that tape that has been hit harder by it \[than me\]. I make no excuses for it, it is inexcusable, and I hope that is absolutely clear."

Martin Kaplan, a research professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, believes Bale did the right thing by admitting what a jerk he was.

"Americans love a second act," he said. "There are few things a celebrity can do that fans won't forgive. The key is to acknowledge how very badly you behaved -- none of that "if I offended anyone" weaseling. Don't blame anyone else, and don't wait to see how big the firestorm gets before throwing yourself on the mercy of your audience. Be devastated, be sorry, and be reborn."