Bad publicity: Tinseltown talk

Is there such a thing as bad publicity?

Living what seem to be glamorous and exciting lives, celebrities thrive in the attention given to them, and even criticism seems to be good publicity.

This week the attention given to Beyonce Knowles after a recent TV appearance has led to her having to deny the almost surreal accusation of wearing an artificial bump. Knowles, married to rapper Jay-Z, announced her pregnancy at the MTV Video Music Awards at the end of August. However, her appearance on an Australian TV show last week has led to a flurry of speculation because as Knowles sat down, her bump appeared to squash strangely.  Blog Media Takeout — which had previously claimed Knowles was wearing an artificial bump at the awards show itself — was quick to claim that the footage was proof, which started a chain of speculation and analysis from media.

However,  photographs of Knowles were printed in tabloids around the world when she was seen in a bikini showing her bump while on holiday in Croatia at the start of September. Additionally, her spokesman has responded to the claims on America’s ABC News in unambiguous terms, describing the claim as “stupid, ridiculous and false”.

Another celebrity gaining unwelcome personal attention is rapper Diddy (Sean Combs) whose passport, private phone numbers and credit card information was stolen and publically posted online by an unknown party, according to TMZ. How such information was gained is not known, although unnamed sources close to him claim he is launching his own investigation.

Part of the information included details of Diddy’s American Express Centurion card — nicknamed ‘the black card’ and one which doesn’t have a credit limit — which is famously only issued to the richest in society. This is a group Diddy could comfortably claim membership of as, according to Forbes magazine, he is the most successful man in hip-hop, having earned $35million last year to bring his personal fortune to $475million.

Meanwhile, Hollywood action star Jean Claude Van Damme became the centre of attention after leaving a nightclub and driving his car into a canal in his native Belgium, according to British tabloid The Sun.

Van Damme, who “had a drink, but wasn’t drunk”, a spokesman for the club is quoted as saying, had to ask for help from club security to retrieve his vehicle. The car, despite its misadventure, was apparently still able to be driven away — albeit in a soggy condition.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2011.