Dwarf Dating on Fox
 

Fox's planned dwarf-dating show sparks controversy
But advocacy group leader says it could be positive

Does size really matter when it comes to true love? Glen is the 4' 5" bachelor starring in "The Littlest Groom." Sidebar: Why do they have to call this show "the Littlest Groom" :eek: CTFU! That sounds like a board game for pre-schoolers )

Updated: 2:25 p.m. ET Jan. 30, 2004LOS ANGELES - Critics may roll their eyes at Fox television’s upcoming dwarf-dating contest “The Littlest Groom,” but the head of the advocacy group Little People of America says the show could end up giving his members a boost.

While some audiences may snicker at the spectacle of a dozen dwarf women competing with average-sized females for the affections of a 4-foot-5-inch bachelor, LPA president Matt Roloff said the Fox show may benefit people of short stature by depicting them as regular folks “just being themselves.”

In other words, a person’s size doesn’t matter.

‘The fact that Fox is doing this reality show is outrageous,’ Roloff quoted one e-mail he received from the parent of a dwarf child. ‘It is one more avenue to make fun of their stature.’

“Yes, the radio jocks will have a field day,” Roloff told Reuters in a telephone interview. “(But) hiding us behind closed doors or in funny costumes will never give us the exposure needed to desensitize society to us.”

Fox said this week that it would air the show, essentially a dwarf version of ABC’s “The Bachelor,” as a two-part special next month on Feb. 16 and Feb. 23.

The announcement sparked a flurry of angry letters to the LPA from little people and their parents and a debate within the Portland, Oregon-based organization over its response to the show, Roloff said.

“The fact that Fox is doing this reality show is outrageous,” Roloff quoted one e-mail he received from the parent of a dwarf child. “It is one more avenue to make fun of their stature.”

Roloff credited the producers of the show for consulting with his group in an apparent effort to develop and promote the show in a sensitive manner.

While the LPA neither supports nor endorses the program, Roloff said he would withhold judgment until he sees it. “My sense is that they probably didn’t do anything too derogatory.”

But the retired software design and sales executive said he remains troubled about the idea of throwing averaged-sized women into the mix, an element of the show he called ”ill-advised” and potentially hurtful to his members.

“Personally, I think that the (bachelor) guy might have the same tastes I have and prefer a little woman and reject the average-sized women,” he said. “But at the same time, if it did go the other way around, it might be problematic, and make America think there’s something wrong with little people.”

He said there are roughly 100,000 people in the United States who have been born with dwarfism, a genetic condition that usually results in an adult height of 4-foot-10 or less and disproportionately short arms and legs.

“Littlest Groom” Executive Producer Bill Paolantonio defended the program as a “celebration of diversity.”

“We have gone to great lengths to make sure everybody on this program is treated with dignity and respect,” he said. ”Human emotion is human emotion, no matter what the package is, and this program ultimately is about that.”

He said all the dwarf contestants on the program had dated a mix of little and average-sized people, and that one little woman on the show had never dated a little person.

The Fox network is part of Fox Entertainment Group Inc., a unit of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Ltd.

Copyright 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.

Re: Shocking, New Jacko Accusations Made
 

:rolleyes: THIS IS CRAP!!!!! I don't believe one shred of the BS! Wasn't Mickie raised a Jehovh's Witness??? If he didn't believe in Jesus growing up, he sure as hell doesn't believe in him now(a la NOI)! Everybody has got to make that money though... :mad:

i got this from mtv.com:

Mary-Ellis Bunim, who helped launch the reality TV genre by co-creating the long-running MTV hits "The Real World" and "Road Rules," has died. She was 57.

Bunim passed away in Burbank, California, on Thursday after a lengthy battle with breast cancer.

Sometimes I wonder about the stories in the foreign tabloid press but here it is anyway...


>Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/page.cfm...98&method=full
>
>
>FIANCÉE KNOWLES Jan 30 2004
>
>
>They have one of the most solid relationships in showbiz and now pop diva Beyonce Knowles and rap star boyfriend Jay-Z are ready to make things more permanent.
>
>For we can reveal that the couple are all set to get married.
>
>At a party on Wednesday night, millionaire Jay-Z announced that the couple will tie the knot "very soon".
>
>
>The lovebirds were at swanky Manhattan club Taj for a bash in honour of outgoing Island Def Jam records president Lyor Cohen.
>
>After Lyor had made a farewell speech, 34-year-old Jay-Z took the microphone and, turning to Cohen, said: "You've been one of the best friends I could have had... apart from this woman beside me, who I love and who I will marry very soon."
>
>Amanda Redman, James Bolam and Dennis Waterman enjoying lunch with a group of friends at RIBA in Portland Place... Jon Carter on a plane from London to Belfast... Elvis Costello at St Paul's Cathedral... Jade Jagger at Giraffe cafe on Kensington High Street
>
>
>Sexy Beyonce, 22, who was sporting a new bob-style hairdo, could hardly conceal her joy as her boyfriend told guests of his plans.
>
>"It was really unexpected," our perfectly-placed witness tells us. "As soon as he said it everyone in the place started whooping and cheering.
>
>"Beyonce was standing next to him cooing and looking totally in love. It was a beautiful moment. If ever there were any doubts about how much they love each other, then this certainly blew those away."
>
>Beyonce and Jay - who is business partners with Victoria Beckham's music producer Damon Dash - got together after recording their hit duet '03 Bonnie & Clyde towards the end of 2002. He later appeared on her worldwide smash Crazy In Love.
>
>They have been inseparable ever since. Earlier this month, the pair were pictured together on a romantic holiday in St Barts and are often seen watching basketball team the New York Nicks.
>
>
>Last year, Jay - who had a smash hit with Hard Knock Life - spoke about his love for the bootylicious Destiny's Child star, who has amassed a £12million fortune.
>
>"I love Bee with all my heart," he said. "She's the most important part of my life.
>
>"I feel like I'm the luckiest man in the world. Children are the only thing I don't have now. I absolutely want kids."
>
>And his relationship means that the rapper, whose real name is Shawn Carter, is less driven than he used to be.
>
>"Since meeting Bee, I've found that the hip-hop industry no longer inspires me," he said. "Everything gets put into perspective when you're in love."
>
>The news is bound to go down well with Beyonce's strict mother Tina, who is said to be keen for her church-going daughter to settle down.
>
>Earlier this week, Beyonce also admitted to us that she was keen for Jay to pop the question.
>
>We asked her whether she would be the one going down on one knee, what with it being a leap year.
>
>But she told us: "Hell, no. I'm an old-school girl - the kind who'll wait for a guy to get down on one knee."
>
>Well, now it looks like she won't have to wait too long for her wish to come true...

GOSH...I'M SO EXCITED FOR THEM....they are my favorite couple!!!

Re: Re: Shocking, New Jacko Accusations Made
 

*sidebar* I was raised Jehovah's Witness, they do believe in Jesus.

According to Russ Parr and 'nem...

Master P ain't broke! His defunct (for years) company NO LIMIT filed for bankruptcy. NOT THE NEW NO LIMIT! :D There is a difference. :D

James Brown Ditches Wife
Mon Feb 2, 4:30 PM ET Add Entertainment - E! Online to My Yahoo!


By Lia Haberman

James Brown isn't feeling so good about his marriage to third wife Tommie Rae Brown.


The Godfather of Soul has filed papers seeking an annulment from his 33-year-old missus, claiming she's still legally hitched to another man, according to the Augusta Chronicle.


Brown made headlines last week when he was arrested on a domestic violence charge for allegedly throwing Tommie Rae to the floor and threatening to kill her while holding a chair over her during a dispute at their home in Beech Island, South Carolina.


She suffered scratches and bruises to her right arm and hip and was taken to an Augusta, Georgia, hospital while Brown was taken into custody at the Aiken County Sheriff's Department.


The 70-year-old entertainer denied the allegations, saying, "The main thing is I would never hurt my wife and beat up on her like that. I love her very much."


Those warm, fuzzy feelings didn't extend to sharing her with another man.


Within hours of his release on bail last Thursday, Brown filed the complaint for annulment in Aiken County Family Court.


He contends that Tommie Rae never got a divorce from her previous husband, Javed Ahmed, whom she wed in Houston in February 1997, according to a Texas marriage certificate.


The "Sex Machine" singer reportedly learned of his wife's muddled marital state in the past year. Despite his pleas to resolve the matter, Tommie Rae failed to file for divorce from Ahmed.


The news may go a long way toward explaining last July's split between Brown and the alleged bigamist. At the time, the funkmeister took out a full-page ad in the weekly edition of Hollywood trade Variety announcing that he and Tommie Rae, a singer in her own right, had decided to call it quits a year and a half after tying the knot.


However, the two said they planned to continue touring together, even sharing the spotlight for a duet, which may or may not have led to a reconciliation.


Now, Brown faces a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and 30 days in jail if convicted of assault.


A guilty verdict would also put a blemish on the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's otherwise clean record. Last year, the state of South Carolina granted him a pardon, wiping all of his past legal woes off the slate, including several drug charges and illegal-weapons charges.


The incident is also holding up the city of Augusta's plans to build a statue of Brown and to rename an annual music festival after him. City officials are awaiting the outcome of the case before moving forward with the honors.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Beyonce & Jigga
 

I read the same thing, Kimmie1913. Here's the article I saw...


Crazy in Love
A betrothed Beyonce?
By Kat Giantis
MSN Entertainment
Jan. 30, 2003

Are Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z ready to settle down? The London Mirror claims the rap star announced their impending nuptials at a music industry bash in New York Wednesday night. "You've been one of the best friends I could have had," Jay-Z is quoted as telling outgoing Def Jam bigwig Lyor Cohen, who will head up Warner Music Group, before he added to Beyonce, "apart from this woman beside me, who I love and who I will marry very soon."

The chart-topping "Crazy in Love" superstar, 22, and her 34-year-old "Hard Knock Life" beau, who have been dating for a little over a year, are notoriously tight-lipped about their relationship.

"I don't say if he's my boyfriend or not," Beyonce told People back in October.

"It was really unexpected," a witness tells the Mirror of Jay-Z's alleged declaration at the party. "As soon as he said it everyone in the place started whooping and cheering."

Just a few days ago, Beyonce told the Mirror she would never pop the question herself. "Hell no. I'm old school, the kind of girl who'll wait for a guy to get down on one knee," the "Bootylicious" beauty explained. "& I admire any girl who's got the confidence, independence, and strength to ask. Anyone who wants my hand has gotta have the courage to act."

Neither Beyonce's nor Jay-Z's reps returned our calls seeking comment. You can catch Beyonce on Sunday singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl

Would she have been elsewhere last week? Shouldn't she have been in Houston rehearsing for the SuperBowl or does that not require any rehearsing? :confused:

Not when you're lip sync-ing.

lol. but, you have to get the tape correct and your mouth to move at the right time. That takes time, talent, and skill! :o :p