Showing posts with label Carrie Prejean Controversy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carrie Prejean Controversy. Show all posts

07 May 2009

Scandal: Miss California Carrie Prejean's $1m porn offer

Just when things are looking dire for an anti-gay marriage beauty queen who could lose her crown to nude photos, she has been offered a $1m porn movie role.

TMZ reports that in the wake of Prejean's topless photo controversy, Vivid Entertainment -- one of the biggest adult film companies in the world -- has decided to test Prejean's moral toughness with a $1 million offer to star in one of their "films."

In the formal offer, mailed off to Prejean late Wednesday afternoon, Vivid makes it clear, "This is purely a business offer and has nothing to do with your religion or your personal beliefs."

06 May 2009

Miss California officials might strip Carrie Prejean of title

Miss California USA Carrie Prejean is in danger of losing her title.

Pageant officials Tuesday said they are looking into whether Prejean violated her contract by working with a national group opposed to gay marriage and by posing semi-nude when she was a 17-year-old model.

Pageant spokesman Roger Neal said Tuesday it appears Prejean has violated the 12-page contract all prospective contestants were required to sign before competing in the November state contest. The contract prohibits Miss California from making personal appearances, giving interviews or making commercials without permission from pageant officials. In the last 10 days, Prejean has made televised appearances at her San Diego church and on behalf of the National Organization for Marriage, a group opposed to same-sex marriage.
The contact also contains a clause asking participants to say whether they have conducted themselves "in accordance with the highest ethical and moral standards." As an example, it asks if they have ever been photographed nude or partially nude.

A photo of Prejean wearing only pink panties with her back turned to the camera appeared Monday on a gossip blog.

Prejean on Tuesday fired back that she has done nothing wrong and that she suspects she's being hounded for her anti-gay-marriage stance.

"I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos." She added, "On April 19, I chose to answer a question during the 2009 Miss USA pageant in an honest and personal manner that expressed my views of the long-established definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman. Yet my comments defending traditional marriage have led to intimidation tactics that seek to undermine my reputation and somehow silence me and my beliefs, as if opinion is only a one-way street."

Prejean, was first runner-up to Miss North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant April 19. Her response to a question about legalizing same-sex marriage, and subsequent statements that her answer favoring limiting marriage to a man and a woman may have cost her the title, have made her a media sensation.

28 April 2009

Beauty Queen Vs. Drama Queen

The Match Up:
  • The Beauty Queen - Ms. Carrie Prejean - Miss California, now Miss USA 2009 Runner Up.
  • The Drama QueenT - Perez Hilton. He has a B.A. in drama, is a gay activist blogger, and co-opted his professional name from a celebrity with whom he has a personal fascination. He was a judge in the Miss USA pageant.
Ms. Prejean was the underdog. She’s not a slugger. She’s just a dumb blonde, right?

Mr. Hilton, on the other hand is the notorious gay activist blogger - a verbal street brawler known for picking and winning fights by jumping victims in back alleys and clobbering them with whatever he can get his hands on - pipes, tire irons, beer bottles.

On the surface, the pageant appeared to be a well refereed event. Even Hilton looked freshly scrubbed and donned a toothy grin throughout the evening. But the fix was in. What we didn’t see was that Hilton had a horseshoe hidden in his right glove. This was one match he wasn’t going to lose - not on national television. He figured he had one punch and it had to be a knock out.

There they stood, face to face - both representing different philosophies, opposing beliefs. The moment dripped with anticipation. Then Hilton threw his punch. Gay Marriage! Of course. What else from Hilton. Yes, the hotly debated issue of redefining marriage to include gay unions was supposed to be a knockout punch. But it only grazed her chin. She stumbled slightly, recovered and shot back her reply. According to her, the definition of marriage should remain as it has been defined throughout the history of our country - between a man and a woman.

She knew it wasn’t PC. But she was, after all, Miss “California” - a state that just voted (Prop Eight) to uphold the current definition of marriage. She is also a woman of faith - holding a belief consistent with the majority of the state of California (not to mention consistent with Pres. Obama and Hillary Clinton). But more importantly, her answer was authentically truthful to her own personal beliefs.

The camera cut to Hilton in time to catch his jaw drop - his face crestfallen. If you listened closely enough you could even hear the horseshoe fall out of his glove. This was clearly not the answer he expected. Who in this world has the temerity to proclaim a personal position so politically incorrect on national television? Apparently there’s one person - Ms. Prejean. Doesn’t she know that people like Hilton can destroy her? That she might never work in this town again? And even more tragic, she may never get invited to a Janeane Garofalo Oscar party?

For Ms. Prejean, it was clearly a seminal moment in her life - with defining clarity and simplicity she expressed a personal belief. Standing for something, and telling the world doesn’t need to be complicated. I wonder if any of our politicians were watching?

Now if Hilton had even a modicum of self respect he would have gone home and licked his wounds. But pathetically, Hilton couldn’t contain his rage. It’s as if he decided to continue his brawl in the parking lot where he caught up to Ms. Prejean and sucker punched her getting into her car. And while she was down, he continued to wail on her.

You’ve all seen the clips by now. Hilton viciously berated Miss California on TV and YouTube, calling her a “bitc*” and reportedly a “cun*”. And where does this rage come from? Ms. Prejean shared her beliefs.

As America struggles to reclaim its soul and find true leaders for the future, regardless of political philosophy, you have to admire any display of bravery, courage, or sacrifice made on behalf of “principle.”

Miss California has transcended beauty queen status. She is now much more than a pinup girl for our soldiers. She is a soldier - and leading a charge.

As for the pageant “judge”, he set aside any pretense of objectivity and egregiously used his position of power to advance his cause. When he ranted that if Miss California would have somehow won the crown, “I shi* you not, I would have gone up on that stage, I would have snatched that tiara off her head and run out the door!!!” - you have to ask. Who at the pageant organization thought it was a good idea to make a bigoted heterophobe a pageant judge?

Maybe that person is Keith Lewis- co executive director of the pageant - or maybe his boss Donald Trump? Trump ducked responsibility for Hilton’s assignment on Bill O’Reilly’s The Factor. Lewis stated (speaking of himself) that he “…is saddened and hurt that Miss California believes that marriage belongs only to a man and a woman.” Well I’m saddened that Keith Lewis is saddened.

Help me out here. The directors of the pageant are offended when a contestant expresses a belief contrary to theirs? - a viewpoint which by the way is mainstream - nothing radical about it. So, help me out here. Is being guilty of such an offense a de facto disqualifier for contestants? If so, disclose it to the contestants in advance. Flat out tell them what beliefs are acceptable to the committee, and which ones are not - which religions and churches can be attended and which ones can’t.

Hey, why not issue a booklet to contestants containing all the acceptable answers and viewpoints of the committee. Give them time to consider the option ahead - when they’re in the spotlight and they may need to choose to abandon their core principles for the sake of receiving the tiara……. Tiara, or beliefs.

In fact, just send out a mass email to the country with all the acceptable positions of the committee and forego the charade of running the pageant as a propaganda machine?

Maybe the title of this piece should have been Beauty and the Beast. And the Beast isn’t confined to Perez Hilton. You decide.

27 April 2009

Miss California controversy shows society at its worst

It was a shameful performance that took place on the Miss California stage last Sunday. One of the finalists was asked a loaded question, she answered and was booed, then later verbally attacked by the same Internet blogger who posed the question to her in the first place.

Carrie Prejean, who did not win the title, was asked by celebrity blogger/judge Perez Hilton about her views on same-sex marriage. To the shock of Hilton, and apparently the audience, Prejean answered the question honestly. She told the audience that she meant no offense, but that she believed marriage was between a man and a woman. Boos rained down on her and Hilton screwed his face into a disgusted look.

Later, on his web blog and in interviews, Perez called her the "b" word, among other things. He ranted and raved about Prejean's answer.

Prejean said she knew immediately that she had lost the competition, but believed it more important to tell the truth.

It doesn't matter what a person's view on same-sex marriage is, no one should be treated like Prejean for speaking from the heart. She wasn't preaching, just answering a question posed to her. Instead of giving the typical politically correct beauty pageant response, she said what she believed.

The fool in all of this is Hilton. He's continuing to rant about this incident, and many in the gay community want him to shut up. They know he's out of line, even if they disagree with Prejean's opinion.

Too many Americans cannot stand to have someone express views counter to their own. Instead of disagreeing and making a case for their own beliefs, they demean the person holding an opposing viewpoint. Usually people attacking in this way are mean-spirited to be sure, but also clearly don't have the mental acumen to make an argument for whatever they believe in.

Liberals and conservatives, and too many people in between, seem to prefer to scream at each other and try to one-up the other by taking personal shots at them. It's disgusting, but a lot of Americans must love it because they keep tuning in to the web sites and talk shows from which this trash flows.

Prejean appears to be a smart woman and is in the early stages of making a career as the beauty queen who stood up and spoke her mind even when she knew it would hurt. We wish more people would quit fearing retribution and say what's on their minds. Our country would be stronger if they did.

Miss USA? Or missing the old USA?

NARRATOR: There she is. Miss California. She has everything any woman could want... beauty... intelligence... poise... even a fancy swimsuit — but all that is about to be ripped away. In one moment, she will meet her destiny in the form of an impish, small-minded man with an evil grin and a simple question. The time is now, the place is a crowded theater in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the spotlights are on high, but what Miss California doesn't realize yet is that the darkness at the end of the stage is where she'll be making her debut in ... the Twilight Zone.

FADE OUT ... AS OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS.

Apologies to Rod Serling, but the controversy over Miss California's public torture at the hands of pageant judge Perez Hilton has all the makings of an episode of his classic TV series that frequently turned expectations upside down and showed how easy it was for the disingenuous to take advantage of the truly innocent.

During the finals of the Miss USA competition last week, Hilton asked Carrie Prejean, the contestant from California, the following question: "Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit? Why or why not?"
Seems straightforward enough, but Hilton no doubt already knew Prejean's answer. After all, he had her bio in front of him. He knew she was attending San Diego Christian University and had a religious background that she was proud of. Could it be that Perez Hilton was actually setting her up with his seemingly innocent question so that he could savage her later?

That's my guess. After all, according to the Miss USA website, the interview portion of the competition is intended to learn about the contestants' 'successes, goals and ambitions." Note that there is nothing in there about her opinions on polarizing hot-button political issues, but let's consider Miss California's answer, and see whether she actually said anything so terrible. Here is her response in full:

"Well, I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one way or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. You know what, in my country, in my family, I do believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there. But that's how I was raised and I believe that it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you."

She actually bent over backward to be conciliatory to Hilton, the oddball gay blogger who took Paris Hilton as his personal role model and thus should forever have been disqualified from judging any competition involving the ideal of womanhood. Prejean politely acknowledged that there were different opinions on the topic, somewhat clumsily confirmed that different states had made different choices, and then stated her personal opinion while offering that she meant "no offense to anyone."

Compare that to President Obama's statement during the campaign that "I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian — for me — for me as a Christian, it is also a sacred union. God's in the mix... I am not somebody who promotes same-sex marriage."

Do you remember anybody calling Obama names because of that? Or arguing that he was not fit to be president as a result of that opinion?

Yet Hilton graded Miss California zero for her answer to his loaded question and said later that he believes she was not worthy to be Miss USA because of her belief that marriage is "between a man and a woman," the same exact phrase used by President Obama. Hilton's score may have cost Prejean the crown, and he later added insult to injury by calling Carrie Prejean several vulgar names, starting with "dumb b---h" and then capping it off by saying he was really thinking of the "c" word, perhaps the most vile epithet ever used against a woman.

So you be the judge. Who should be ashamed? Carrie Prejean for trying to diplomatically step through a political minefield while remaining true to her own moral values and defending a social norm that had stood intact for thousands of years? Or Perez Hilton for planting the landmines in front of her and then detonating them gleefully to see how much damage he could do to her reputation?

Hilton clearly has no shame, but what was surprising is that so many on the far left — the supposed defenders of free speech — gleefully joined him in trying to shame Miss California for defending traditional values and for speaking her own mind. So I guess the truth is this: Unless you are a leftist like Barack Obama, it's no longer acceptable in America to defend traditional marriage. If you try it, you will be subject to ridicule and shame and will be considered unworthy of public honor.

And the fact that the public honor in this case was the title of Miss USA just makes the irony all the more devastating. Let's get this straight — you can't be Miss USA and exercise the right of free speech at the same time?

How weird is that? Let's just roll the "Twilight Zone" credits and FADE TO BLACK.

I mean, I thought the good old U.S. of A. was based on certain rock-solid principles, not the least of which is assuring that everyone has the right to express their own political principles. When I was a child, a common saying was, "I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Unfortunately that isn't such a common saying anymore.

Instead, we have the doctrine of political correctness, which defends your right to say anything you want as long as you don't offend anyone with the truth. And let's not forget the basic truth here: Prejean represents a state which just last year voted to define marriage as between a man and a woman, yet she is not allowed to express the same view as a majority of the people in her home state. Unbelievable.

So tell me this? Who is next to be discriminated against for holding a point of view that doesn't fit the militant "politically correct" mentality of Perez Hilton and his ilk? Will it be parents of elementary school students who don't want their children taught that they can grow up to choose whether to marry a man or a woman? Will it be ministers who say the Bible doesn't support a gay lifestyle? Or could it be anyone who believes that marriage between a man and woman is the sacred cornerstone of a healthy society? And what kind of a society are we creating if we just don't care? Finally, when the institutions that made our country great crumble, what will be left?

Perhaps those questions should be asked at the next Miss USA pageant — if anyone dares.

Carrie Prejean is a victim of anti-traditionalist bigotry and I fear there will be many more victims in the years ahead unless we rediscover the freedom of expression and quiet respectful tolerance that were held so sacred in the United States of America where I grew up.

25 April 2009

Exclusive: Donald Trump Breaks Silence on Miss California's Gay Marriage Comments

Donald Trump has broken his silence.

The owner of the Miss Universe franchise finally addressed the scandal surrounding his Miss USA pageant to FOX News Thursday, saying that he has received thousands of calls and letters, the majority of which support Miss California's comments on gay marriage.

Trump had been mum during the firestorm that followed the Sunday telecast, when first runner up Carrie Prejean's responded to a question about the controversial issue of gay marriage.

When asked by judge Perez Hilton, an openly gay gossip blogger, whether she believed in gay marriage, Prejean said "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."
Many have argued that the answer cost Prejean the crown. But Trump disagreed, congratulating Dalton and saying that she deserved to win.

"I am very honored that she won," Trump told FOX News. "She really did a fantastic job ... She was doing well on every single card and she really did answer also a very, very tough question very well."

But Trump defended Prejean as well, disagreeing with Perez Hilton's assertion that it was the worst answer in the history of the Miss USA pageant.

"Miss California has done a wonderful job, that was her belief ... It wasn't a bad answer, that was simply her belief."

Trump added that Prejean's question was "a bit unlucky," arguing that no matter how she answered the question "she was going to get killed."

Prejean told FOX News that she believes her question cost her the crown. Dalton, the winner, told FOX News that she was not bothered by all the attention garnered by the first runner up because she feels it brings attention to the Miss USA organization, but that she was confident in her win.

"I think if they watch the pageant and they see the scores throughout the competition, they'll see who was in the lead throughout the competition," Dalton said. "There was a panel of 12 judges, it was collective judging, it wasn't just one judge that made her not win."

She also argued that she did not feel it was an unfair question, as it is an issue that concerns all Americans, and she has been asked the question about "five times in her career."

Dalton's title comes with a year's use of a New York apartment, a public relations team, a two-year scholarship at the New York Film Academy and an undisclosed salary.

23 April 2009

Miss California Carrie Prejean Was Biblically Correct in Marriage Comments

Beauty queen says she would not change a thing about her answer on Miss USA

Over the weekend, beauty queen Carrie Prejean, Miss California running for the title of Miss USA, offended many when she said she believed marriage should be exclusively between a man and a woman because that was how she had been raised. However, even if this statement cost her her crown, she is not sorry, as she has just revealed to Matt Lauer on “Today,” as TMZ informs.
Speaking with the talk show host, Prejean restated her belief that anyone in America was free to have their own opinions, even at the cost of something they held as dearly as she did the crown of Miss USA. Moreover, at everybody’s suggestion that she should have played it more safe and have found a way to diplomatically answer the question, the beauty queen has only one thing to say: as far as she’s concerned, she was biblically correct and, because of that, she has no regrets.

“The way that I answered might have been offensive... but for me, it was being biblically correct.” Prejean tells Lauer on the show. Of course, she is admittedly aware that many took it personally as an offense, despite the fact that she repeatedly stressed she did not mean her comments to be offensive for anyone. However, she adds, she plans to make of herself – and of her story of losing the crown of Miss USA for being honest, as she likes to put it – a parable for all young girls, who will thus learn that they need to stay true to themselves and not make compromises, no matter the price they pay.

As we noted earlier, the controversy began when blogger Perez Hilton asked Prejean on Miss USA over the weekend how she felt about same-gender marriages. She said she was raised to believe that only a man and a woman should wed, although she personally had nothing against things being otherwise. Nevertheless, her comments enraged many and might even have caused her to lose the crown, as Carrie sees it.

“It did cost me my crown. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I said what I feel. I stated an opinion that was true to myself and that’s all I can do. It is a very touchy subject and I see where [Hilton] was coming from and I see the audience would’ve wanted me to be more politically correct. But I was raised in a way that you can never compromise your beliefs and your opinions for anything.” Prejean shared hours after the controversy got in the media.

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Marriage Comments Cost Miss California Her Miss USA Crown

Carrie Prejean stands by her belief that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

In a world where being politically correct amounts to everything, Miss California Carrie Prejean, a strong contender for the much-coveted title of Miss USA, committed the biggest faux pas in the history of beauty pageants by forgetting to be diplomatic. However, even if that cost her her crown, she is still convinced that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, especially when it refers to such a personal experience as marriage is, the beauty queen tells Us Weekly.
Miss USA judge Perez Hilton asked Carrie Prejean how she felt about same-gender marriages and whether they should be legalized. The beauty queen chose to be bluntly honest in her answer, thus, annoy many members of the audience, and especially Perez Hilton. “And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.” Prejean said.

Now, in the aftermath of the answer that made all the headlines, the beauty queen says that it was precisely her stance as regards marriage that cost her her crown. She’s not sorry, though, because she was raised to speak her mind and will never regret doing so. Moreover, she says, the beauty of living in America is that she gets to have her own ideas and voice them in a way that offends no one – which she is sure she did not.

“It did cost me my crown. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I said what I feel. I stated an opinion that was true to myself and that’s all I can do. It is a very touchy subject and I see where [Hilton] was coming from and I see the audience would’ve wanted me to be more politically correct. But I was raised in a way that you can never compromise your beliefs and your opinions for anything.” Prejean says, as quoted by the mag.

“That’s what’s so great about being an American – we’re able to have our own opinions. I feel like I won. I feel like I’m the winner. I really do.” Prejean also says. Moreover, the beauty insists she would never feel ashamed by what she believes in, even if that comes to contradict whatever the others are saying, and this is an opinion she will hold on to no matter how much criticism she attracts in the media.

Perez Hilton, who partially started the entire controversy by asking Prejean the question, is also a celebrity blogger and open about his orientation, so one can imagine the kind of heat Miss California is now getting on the Internet. Even her relationship with swimmer Michael Phelps is reason for ridicule in some circles, several media outlets are pointing out, as also is her obstinacy at not saying she’s sorry for her “blunder.”

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22 April 2009

Perez lays into bigoted Miss California

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton has called a US beauty pageant contestant “a dumb bitch” over her response to a question about same-sex marriage.

Hilton, best known for his website, www.perezhilton.com, asked Miss California (Carrie Prejean) for her views on same-sex marriage during the Miss USA Pageant at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Sunday.

“I do believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offence to anybody out there,” Prejean replied. “But that’s how I was raised and I believe that it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you.”

Hilton called the response “the worst answer in pageant history”, later blasting the contestant in a video blog on his website.

“She lost not because she doesn’t believe in gay marriage, she lost because she’s a dumb bitch!” he railed.


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Jenice Armstrong: Yo, judge, lighten up

WHO'S THE real bitch, I ask you?

The naive Miss USA beauty contestant who bungled the biggest question of her short life?

Or the mean-spirited, celebrity blogger who called her names?

After calling out Miss California on her not politically correct answer about gay marriage, Perez Hilton proceeded to bash her in the most denigrating terms for females in the entire English language. He not only referred to Carrie Prejean as a "stupid bitch" in a post-pageant video tirade, but in a MSNBC-TV interview during which he confessed he'd really been thinking of calling her the "c-word."

It's disgusting and appalling that a grown man who'd been hired to judge all those young women would then turn around and hurl such a mysogynistic insult.

Here's what got Hilton heated: During the interview portion of the Miss USA competition, he'd asked Prejean her views on gay marriage.

"You know what, in my country, and in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman - no offense to anybody out there," she responded. "But that's how I was raised. And that's how I think that it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you."

Not the best answer.

She couldn't come up with a better justification than "that's how I was raised"?

Besides, Beauty Pageant 101 says that contestants don't have to answer a politically sensitive question at all. They should start by repeating the question to buy themselves time to think and then slide into something that hopefully will get the audience applauding wildly. Then they flash their pearly whites, say "thank you" and strut back to their position on stage.

But that's not how she handled it.

You could tell by Hilton's expression that he thought she'd blown it.

Prejean wound up as first runner-up. A has-been who almost was, but never made it. And if that wasn't bad enough, Hilton was about to take her on publicly.

Note to Perez: Tolerance works both ways.

Prejean has as much right to her opinion as Hilton.

Besides, beauty contestants are infamous for botching interviews. Remember the Miss Teen USA contestant who became a national laughingstock for her incoherent answer as to why it was that a fifth of Americans couldn't find the United States on a world map. "I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uhmmm, some people out there in our nation don't have maps and uh, I believe that our, I, education like such as, uh, South Africa, and uh, the Iraq . . . ," she said.

It can be a lot of pressure. I've been in a few pageants and also judged some myself, so I know it's not as easy as it looks. Unfortunately for Prejean, she stumbled miserably in the eyes of the openly gay Hilton. She paid the price for it, too.

But that's the game.

It might not be fair but that's how it's played.

As for Hilton, I don't know if he was serious, but afterwards, he said that if the 21-year-old had won, he would have snatched the crown off her head.

And done what with it? Put it on?

The way this particular Miss USA judge has conducted himself, it's clear he deserves no crown.

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