Despicable Celebrities

The following is an excerpt from Melissa Leong's work in the National Post. Since yours truly had something to say on the topic, I thought I would give a shout out to the article here

"On the weekend, Chris Brown appeared as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, arguably his highest-profile gig since he pleaded guilty to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. Meanwhile, it was recently announced that Mel Gibson’s latest film, The Beaver, will finally premiere at the South by Southwest festival in Texas next month. We thought they were untouchable, but now they’re back in the limelight. In this week’s edition of the Post’s Culture Club, we ask whether you can successfully rehab a widely loathed celebrity. Melissa Leong moderates the discussion."

This week’s Culture Clubbers:
• Robert Mackalski, McGill University professor and branding expert.
• Jen McDonnell, managing editor of Dose.ca.
• Laura Kipnis, cultural critic and author of How to Become a Scandal: Adventures in Bad Behaviour.

Robert: Regardless of how despicable the actions, the reality is that celebrity rehab is almost always possible. The public has consistently demonstrated its willingness to forgive the deepest, darkest sins and crimes of celebs. In music, Ozzy Osbourne urinated on the Alamo and attempted to murder his wife. He came back with a hit TV show. In sport, Mike Tyson was convicted of rape and bit off a boxer’s ear only to star in The Hangover. In movies, Robert Downey Jr. became Iron Man after spending time behind iron bars. Why does this happen? People have a love affair with redemption. Literary works — from the Bible to Macbeth — have relied on these universal themes.

See the rest of the discussion here: http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/02/14/culture-club-forgive-forget/