MetaChat - DO NOT WANT

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20 March 2008

DO NOT WANT The Britney cellulite photo→[More:] ... I have now seen on, like, THREE different NEWS websites. Unprompted. I did no intentional clicking or opening actions to be confronted with this. It was wholly involuntary.

And of course there are the Lisa Marie photos, which I saw online and now see offline at the supermarket.

It's like TMZ not only has cameras everywhere, but little 2001 AirBook video screens that can bombard you with their content everywhere. Even when DO NOT WANT is your modal operative approach.

post by: stilicho at: 09:07 | 25 comments

That's what I dislike most about celeb culture. It's unavoidable. It's impossible to read the paper or cruise the net without learning so much that you never wanted to know. I would give anything to be able to turn it off so I didn't have to see it (just me of course &mdash: other people can do whatever they want). But not tuning into the world around me is hardly an option, and besides moving to Timbuctoo, what other options do I have?

posted by Orange Swan 20 March | 09:13

I have not seen this photo you speak of. What sites do gossip pop-ups?

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 20 March | 09:14

Do you mean the photo of her with the pink shorts and the 80s style scrunched socks? I keep seeing that one....it's everywhere.

posted by iconomy 20 March | 09:23

Did anyone see the seriously and deliberately unfunny Southpark about Britney last night? My husband, son and I sat in stunned silence. For all of those "I can't believe they did that" I level at that show, last night was a real kick in the pants. Leave Brit Brit alone, godammit!

posted by msali 20 March | 10:12

msali - I intentionally avoided last night's episode, after I saw the AA episode from a few seasons ago last week. There's a point at which irreverent humor is just... not funny.

posted by muddgirl 20 March | 10:14

impossible to top the Aristocrats bit. but then, that wasn't on tv.

posted by quonsar 20 March | 10:29

That's the thing, last night's episode was DELIBERATELY not funny. There was the traditional skewering of the media, to be sure, and it was disgusting as all getout, but it was not meant to be funny by any stretch of the imagination. We honestly sat in stunned silence, punctuated by the occasional "What. The. Fuck."
Remember that story The Lottery? Yeah, it was pretty much like that.

posted by msali 20 March | 11:07

I just read a summary of it. Yeah, I see what you mean.

posted by muddgirl 20 March | 11:17

I just read a summary of it. Yeah, I see what you mean.

Link plz?

posted by pieisexactlythree 20 March | 11:45

I read about it here, with photo. Video.

posted by iconomy 20 March | 11:51

Is this the photo you mean?

≡ Click to see image ≡

Seriously, though, I hadn't seen it, I had to search a bit before I could dig it up, and then only found it on a UK gossip rag thing (before ico's link, on preview).

What news sites are showing it?

posted by taz 20 March | 11:57

oops, not ico's link, which is about the southpark britney doodadooda.

posted by taz 20 March | 11:59

But I do not *want* to be exposed to Perez Hilton's camel toe!

posted by iconomy 20 March | 12:25

AAAAGH my eyes. DO NOT WANT either.

posted by goo 20 March | 12:29

I must be living right, because until taz foisted that abomination on me, I had no clue what any of this was about. I avoid the gossip stuff, and I've never seen the appeal of South Park. (I think I watched about five minutes of one episode once; when the talking turd appeared, I left.)

posted by bmarkey 20 March | 12:33

I haven't seen South Park in years, and for some reason I watched it last night. I was pretty impressed.

posted by rainbaby 20 March | 14:07

It's this one:

Britney Spears reveals her unsightly Elephant Legs

AND IT:S REALLY REALLY SCARY!!!!!!! YOU:VE BEEN WARNED!!!!

posted by scala di seta 20 March | 14:17

"Famous Person has normal, non-airbrushed body! News at 11!"

Seriously, yo, I wouldn't be surprised if that was 'shopped. I've seen two or three "OMG Pretty Woman Celebrity Has Hideous Legs!" articles recently, where later someone admitted to photoshopping the "hideous" part.

posted by muddgirl 20 March | 14:26

taz, ABC for one. It's the story "PHOTOS: Rich and Famous Caught Off-Guard" and if you hover over it or just let the stories rotate the Brit photo will appear in the main story space.

It was also briefly on CNN, where it was probably just a thumbnail, and on the main AOL news page, where again stories rotate and surprise you.

All of this is likely driven by e-mailers, I know. They just program popular e-mail "stories" to show up on the front page for stickiness.

posted by stilicho 20 March | 14:44

Mine was just a cruel joke, bmarkey (and anyone else mislead by my evil genius posting in this thread). Scala di seta has the real link, I believe.

posted by taz 20 March | 14:44

I don't believe those are her legs. Call me crazy. The right knee with the crepey skin looks like an old knee. Like a 50 year-old knee.

posted by LoriFLA 20 March | 14:53

I don't believe those are her legs.

I'd believe that the staff of tabloids would enjoy photoshopping their own physical inadequacies onto celebrity photos.

posted by pieisexactlythree 20 March | 15:59

Frankly, that's the hottest pic of ol' Britney I've seen in years. Seriously.

posted by Doohickie 20 March | 19:13

Funny, I didn't see that picture on any of the gossip blogs. That's pretty tame for us. Call us when her bum is hanging out.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 20 March | 21:55

Meh, even if they are her legs, which I doubt, so what? Shock, horror, celebrity has human legs, wears unflattering clothes? Big deal.

posted by dg 21 March | 06:25

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