Despotism of mega-corporations, censorships, arrests, global tracking loops and other delights of democracy have turned out to be the only things that could reincarnate again the Wicked Week series -- after three long and relatively placid months since the December's issue. Well, we've collected enough cases of idiots' appearences and results of their actions to report in the current issue. All the most interesting and partially ridiculous news -- in today's Wicked Week!
Monday: Injustice
It's not a secret that kinds of George Orwell's Big Brother exist and thrive nowadays. Conspiracies of Goverment, agents, spy's -- everyone knows about that sh*t... But it looks much more like the Recording Industry Association of America's Bro is a bit blind or just so inattentive that regulary do quite rude mistakes.
The RIAA, which has sued the deadman and computerless before, now charges woman with downloading files illegally, dispite the fact that she doesn't use a computer.
A 33-page complaint of the RIAA's lawsuit, naming brooklyn resident Marie Lindon as the defendant, provides 26-pages of computer screen shots with Kazaa-registered user jrlindon downloading songs by Ricky Martin and Michael Jackson. Lindon's attorneys responded to the lawsuit claiming she never even turned on a computer.
So what the heck is this? It's possible that Marie Lindon's apartment had an Internet connection over the time which was connected up to an insecure wireless router. As a result, it would have been possible for someone outside of the apartment to connect to the wireless router and operate a file sharing application. Or, maybe, the RIAA is just picking names out of a phonebook? One thing is for sure -- no one is in safe.
Tuesday: Nonsense
With over 42 million units being sold since the introduction of the line in 2001, Apple's iPod has become a must-have item for music lovers. But everything is not so unclouded in the "i" world.
In a new lawsuit against the computer giant, John Kiel Patterson accuses its products of potential hearing loss. He seeks both an unspecified amount of damages and a requirement for Apple to modify the design of their product. Although the device is currently accompanied by a warning that "permanent hearing loss may occur if earphones or headphones are used at high volume," Patterson claims that it is not clear to consumers what qualifies as "high volume." He may be helped by a precedent in France, where Apple was forced to yank the iPod from shelves and modify the software to limit sound output to 100 decibels.
What other problems you might have because of using iPod? Well, if you listen to the player with earbuds/headphones in/covering both ears in Orange County -- you can be stopped by the police and even be fined. This is what reportedly happened to one Canadian girl travalling in the area. Since when being on the street with more than one earphone in at a time is illegal? What an insane world...
Wednesday: Bad Luck
The current Scott Stapp's period of life scarcely can be called the best one in his life. The recent sequence of problems began just after his marriage with former Miss New York Jaclyn Nesheiwat on February 10. The next day after the wedding, the singer was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for being drunk in public. Though Stapp received a belated wedding gift on March 7th, when he was told at the city attorney's office that he wouldn't be charged for this.
But the real problems began when a sex video tape (eh, who hasn't got one nowdays?) -- which was made in 1999 and shows Scott and Kid Rock with several strippers -- was released by Red Light, famous by selling the Paris Hilton sex tape in 2004. Stapp himself claims it was stolen from him, but Kid dismissed the claims and calles him "an idiot," although appreciating Stapp for the "perfect timing" of the incident. "I got a record coming up ... Maybe I should thank him," smarty Rock said in an interview. The rockers have won a temporary court order preventing World Wide Red Light District from distributing the video or promoting any part of it.
Want more? A new lawsuit involving the sex tape was filed Thursday in Miami. The woman, claiming she is one of the video's costars, alleges invasion of privacy, unauthorized use of her likeness, bla-bla-bla and accuses Stapp of leaking the sex tape to sex up the sales of his solo album... Well, here's what the story's hero thinks about all the stuff happening arond him: "You don't want to say it's laughable, but it's just like, my God, there's so much stuff. Somebody does not like you and somebody wants you to fail."
Thursday: Intemperance
Everyone has heard about the unusual temper of H.I.M. frontman Ville Valo. His appearance and behavour of a stoned hippie can't surprise anymore, but here's one interesting queer the eccentric singer did in the beginning of last month.
Ville allegedly threatened to kill his neighbor in Helsinki, after what was taken into custody by the Finnish police. According to the early reports, at approximately 2:30 a.m. on February 6, Valo became belligerent and violent while spending time at his apartment building. Ville was said to have thrown a flower pot at his neighbor's door, after which he was confronted by his neighbor and a brawl ensued. The police were called by the neighbor's wife.
In his recent interview, Valo shed light on the motives and clarified the incident. Provided to be that the neighbour was "a guy just talking a lot of bull" about the singer and his fiancee. In the Villi's version of what happened, everything was a bit more simple. "I got pissed off," he said. "I went to his door, I kicked the door down ? not literally down ? I kicked the door, he opened the door and I told him that if he was ever gonna talk badly about me and my girl, he was gonna end up being dead, and I punched him in the face, and that's the whole thing."
Friday: Censorship
Who could ever think that rockers from the Rolling Sones can give such troubles in their ages? The legendary band wasn't apparently allowed to perform in their usual way at the recent 12-minute-long Super Bowl XL halftime set as most of the performed songs were cleaned up by censors. Lyrics from the band's "Start Me Up" and "Rough Justice" didn't make the telecast.
The changes to the Stones' performance were made by the National Football League and its producers. The show's editors cut portions of two lyrics that were deemed "too sexually suggestive" for broadcast. The one Stones tune to escape the dump button was the 1965 hit "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," which, as frontman Mick Jagger pointed out, was the "one [song] we could have done at Super Bowl I." Most probably the organisers are such paranoied after the infamous incident, happed two years ago -- when Janet Jackson's breast was exposed during a halftime routine with Justin Timberlake.
That's it for today. Take care of yourself, keep doors closed and use firewalls. Good luck!
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