Here’s the beef
Unabashed gun-loving, meat-loving, red-blooded American rocker Ted Nugent has apparently had it with reports that vegan superstar Paul McCartney prohibits his roadies from eating meat while on tour.
“I have musical touring associates who have been fired from their jobs with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney for sneaking a hamburger,” Mr. Nugent opined in a column for the Waco Tribune newspaper in Waco, Texas.
“You heard that right. Fired for eating meat by an animal-rights maniac, hard-core vegan bass player,” Mr. Nugent continued.
“Especially here in the great Republic of Texas, a smiling, drooling preference for succulent, protein-rich, nutritious backstrap over aromatic mesquite coals is as American and natural and right as Mom, apple pie and the flag. It’s beautiful, really,” wrote Mr. Nugent, a frequent columnist for the paper who often rails against the “culture war” of veganism versus meat eater rights.
“Neither I, nor any hunter or meat eater on the planet, has any desire whatsoever to influence any vegetarian’s choice of diet or to force them to eat meat. We are the friendly, tolerant Americans. This is but one of many issues that represent the line drawn in the sand between liberals and conservatives,” Mr. Nugent says.
Billboards removed
Radio station billboards that featured unflattering photographs of a bald, scowling Britney Spears have been taken down after the pop star’s attorneys threatened legal action.
In a letter to Clear Channel Communications Inc. dated June 14, Miss Spears’ attorneys accused the company of “offensive, unauthorized commercial exploitation” of the 25-year-old singer and demanded that the three billboards in the Tampa, Fla., area be removed. The letter was posted on the Smoking Gun Web site.
The billboards, advertisements for WFLZ FM’s “The MJ Morning Show,” depicted a bald Miss Spears and show host Todd Schnitt along with the slogans “Total Nut Jobs,” “Shock Therapy” and “Certifiable.”
“We have confirmed that the billboards are down,” Clear Channel spokeswoman Michele Clarke said yesterday.
A call to the Los Angeles attorney who signed the letter to Clear Channel wasn’t immediately returned yesterday, Associated Press reported.
Miss Spears completed a monthlong stay at a luxury Malibu, Calif., rehabilitation treatment facility in March after attracting an onslaught of media attention for wild behavior that included partying with Paris Hilton and a stop at a San Fernando Valley hair salon, where she shaved her own head.
Temper tantrum
Actor-comedian Damon Wayans walked out right before a sold-out performance in El Paso, Texas, on Friday night because two female friends of his were not “immediately allowed into the club,” says TMZ.com, citing a report in the El Paso Times.
According to the newspaper, Mr. Wayans left five minutes before his second show on Friday, and sold out shows on Saturday and Sunday were canceled as well.
Report: LL bash off
With Lindsay Lohan now in rehab, what was going to happen in Vegas … won’t happen in Vegas.
The actress, who had wanted a big party in Sin City for her 21st birthday, has canceled the July 2 blowout at Pure Nightclub, People.com confirmed yesterday.
Compiled by Amanda Lewis and Robyn-Denise Yourse from Web and wire reports
Please read our comment policy before commenting.