Celebs under fire

No publicity is bad publicity? Sure. But like 'Baywatch Bombshell' Pamela Anderson who is now under fire for getting a nine-year-old girl to carry the train of her gown at the Hollywood Style Awards recently, there are some moments of infamy that celebrities could do without. Ask these ladies and gentlemen who became famous for all the wrong reasons...(Photo: AP)

When Paris Hilton announced she was adding a pot bellied pig named Princess Piglette to her menagerie, little did she realise that it would invite an angry reaction from animal rights campaigners. Furious activists belonging to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) immediately branded her as a 'wretched example' for her young fans because she treats her pets as if they're 'as disposable as her friends'. Paris has previously come under fire for her raunchy Carls Jr Burger ad that showed her clad in a thong bikini as she washes a Bentley automobile. Some even accused the ad of being 'pornographic'. When Paris Hilton announced she was adding a pot bellied pig named Princess Piglette to her menagerie, little did she realise that it would invite an angry reaction from animal rights campaigners. Furious activists belonging to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) immediately branded her as a 'wretched example' for her young fans because she treats her pets as if they're 'as disposable as her friends'. Paris has previously come under fire for her raunchy Carls Jr Burger ad that showed her clad in a thong bikini as she washes a Bentley automobile. Some even accused the ad of being 'pornographic'.

Taylor Swift, the first country singer to win the Best Female Video at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, was rudely interrupted by rapper Kanye West during her acceptance speech. He jumped onto the stage, snatched the mike from Swift and declared to the world that in his (completely unsolicited) opinion Beyonce's Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) deserved the award rather than Swift's You Belong with Me. Although he later apologised to Swift for his unseemly outburst, the damage had already been done. West was being flogged left, right and centre. While President Obama called him a 'jackass' in an interview, many others including Michael Jackson's father thought he deserved the boot from showbiz for his boorishness.

Michael Jackson caused a stir by dangling his youngest son Prince Michael II over a hotel balcony as he greeted fans. The late King of Pop later admitted he had made a 'terrible mistake' by precariously clutching the infant out of a third floor window, and draping a towel over the baby's head. I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I would never intentionally endanger the lives of my children, he was quoted as saying. If there was one more proof needed that MJ's life was spinning out of control, this was it.

When Madonna mounted a giant mirrored cross as part of her elaborate Confessions tour, it invited a howl of protest from Christians all over the world. The use of Christian imagery for an entertainment show was decried by the Vatican and many thought the pop queen had gone a bit too far by wearing a mock Jesus-style crown of thorns on stage. Madonna, whose video for 'Like a Prayer' had also left some religious leaders cold two decades ago, explained that she wasn't mocking the church and considered the scene no different than a person who wears a cross.

Even today no one's sure if Janet Jackson's infamous Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction was staged or not. As television viewers watched, Janet's half-time performance with singer Justin Timberlake produced a shock moment that few have forgotten till date. When Justin grabbed her outfit as part of the act, more was revealed than she had ever intended, Janet later claimed before disbeleiving Americans. The decision to have a costume reveal at the end of my halftime show performance was made after final rehearsals, said a statement on the MTV website. MTV was completely unaware of it. It was not my intention that it go as far as it did. The incident prompted the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) crackdown on broadcast content, under pressure from Congress.

Michael Gerard Mike Tyson, at one time the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world, showed he had a taste for the unnatural by biting off part of Evander Holyfield ear during their rematch in 1997. Tyson had lost his title to Holyfield in a 11th round KO a year earlier. The 1997 fight became one of the most controversial events in modern sports. It was stopped at the end of the third round, with Tyson disqualified for biting Holyfield on both ears. As subsequent fallout from the incident, $3 million was immediately withheld from Tyson's $30-million purse by the Nevada state boxing commission. Two days after the fight, Tyson issued a statement, apologizing directly to Holyfield for his actions and asked not to be banned for life over the incident. On July 9, 1997, Tyson's boxing license was rescinded by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in a unanimous voice vote; he was also fined US$3 million and ordered to pay the legal costs of the hearing. The revocation was not permanent, as a little more than a year later on October 18, 1998, the commission voted 4-1 to restore Tyson's boxing license.

It was a stunt considered too wild even for a man known as the 'Crocodile Hunter'. Late Steve Irwin was branded as reckless and irresponsible by family and children's groups for taking his month-old son to within a few feet of a feeding crocodile at the Australia Zoo on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Irwin held his baby son Bob under one arm while he fed a 13-foot crocodile named Murray with a dead chicken. Irwin later walked the baby inside the crocodile's enclosure as crowds looked on. The televised incident sparked an investigation by the Queensland state Families Department over whether Irwin had breached workplace safety regulations. Irwin narrowly escaped facing charges for what was described at the time as 'very irresponsible action'.

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar never imagined that asking his wife to unbutton him would land him into so much trouble. The saucy twist to Tarun Tahiliani 'Live Unbuttoned' show for Levi jeans didn't go down too well with people. In the middle of his ramp walk, Akshay walked towards his wife Twinkle seated in the front row and asked her to unbutton him. A visible surprised Twinkle did as she was asked and all hell broke loose the next day. Some individuals lodged police complaints, accusing Akshay of immoral and indecent behaviour in public. The actor was later arrested, but managed to get bail.

They were two kisses that stirred up passionate debate in a country still coming to grips with the Public Display of Affection. In 2006, item girl Rakhi Sawant claimed that she had been forcibly kissed by singer Mika at his birthday party. Despite the allegations and counter-allegations that followed, it still remains unclear what happened. Some even say the whole affair was stage-managed and was orchestrated for maximum media mileage for both parties. A year later a second incident, though far less sinister, again brought the kiss debate to the forefront. TV news bulletins repeatedly showed Hollywood star Richard Gere, 57, kissing actress Shilpa Shetty during an Aids awareness rally in Delhi. While Shilpa defended the 'Pretty Woman' hero, saying things were being 'blow out of proportion' and Gere himself apologised for inadvertently hurting sentiments, the controversy continued to rage for quite some time.

Maevrick filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma and actor Ritesh Deshmukh walked into the eye of a storm when they were spotted with Ritesh's father and the then Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on his visit to the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai after the 26/11 terror attack. Mumbai's landmark five-star hotel, set up in 1905, was seized by terrorists along with a Jewish centre and the Oberoi hotel. The terror drama left 183 people dead. Predictably, the reactions from Mumbaikers to the visit ranged from incredulity to outrage. Why did the chief minister choose to take along two film personalities on an official visit to the site of a terror strike, was the question everyone was asking. Even Varma's efforts to downplay the incident proved too little too late. Let me clarify that the Chief Minister did not invite me as I have never been even formally introduced to him. It was just that I happened to be with Ritesh at that time, whom I know very well...I have no intention of making a film on Mumbai terror strikes, he added for good measure. No matter what the reason, many felt that Ritesh and RGV had shown monumental insensitivity at a time when the entire country was still mourning its dead.

Actress Neetu Chandra, who has appeared in films like 'Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!', pushed the envelope a little too far in a provocative photoshoot for a men's magazine. The pictures, later released by the magazine, show Neetu getting up close and personal with model Krishikha Gupta. Things nearly went out of control when a group of protestors gathered outside the lobby of the 3-star hotel where the shoot was taking place. They accused the organisers of promoting lesbianism and eventually forced the crew to abandon the shoot. However the magazine decided to go ahead and carry the controversial girl-on-girl pictures. So, did the protests help boost the magazine's circulation or propel Neetu to stardom? Well, the jury is still out on that one...