Popular Culture

21 July 2003


Kobe Bryant Admits Adultery, Denies Rape
Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has been charged with one count of sexual assault by a court in Colorado. Unlike the O.J. Simpson farce, Mr. Bryant has not said he is "100% not guilty." Rather, he has said that he committed the mistake of adultery -- so whatever happened in the hotel room with a 19-year-old is not the issue. The issue is whether her will was violated. Unfortunately, the media will force much more information than that on the public. For more, click here.

Khan Suspends Work on Movie about Ram
Religious bigotry is messing with the arts again, this time in India. It seems Salman Khan, an Indian movie star and Muslim, has withdrawn from a film in which he would play the Hindu god, Ram. Threatening phone calls have been received by the actor and the producers, GS Entertainment, and he has quit work. The problem is the idea is Mr. Khan's, and the producer's say he is well suited to play the part. So, a $21.6 million film (expensive by Bollywood standards) won't get made, costing poor people their jobs, all in the name of what? Defending the faith? A faith that needs such defense is a poor superstition at best. Click here to read on.

Bambi Hunts Bring Nevada to New Low
It seems that roulette and Wayne Newton aren't enough for some high rollers in Las Vegas. "Bambi Hunts" have hit the wire services, and feminists are upset. For $10,000, Real Men Outdoor Productions Inc. will allow a customer (presumably male) to track and shoot at a woman with a paintball gun. She is clad only in running shoes, and if she wishes, helmets and goggles for protection -- earning $1,000 for her trouble. One would have thought that "Real Men" would engage in gladiatorial combat to the death, but apparently standards have fallen since His Eminence Cardinal Richelieu outlawed dueling. Click here to read more.