Lance doing Hilfiger show today
(3/18/04) Richard Johnson New York Post

We hear that Omar Epps and Lance Bass have been recruited by Tommy Hilfiger to catwalk in the launch of his H Hilfiger collection at Macy's Herald Square today...

Censor the censors
How about this plan instead: People who are offended can use their off buttons
(3/17/04) MELISSA RUGGIERI Richmond Times-Dispatch

The discussion initiated, oddly enough, in a children's literature class at VCU last week.

Censorship was the topic - censorship of children's books such as the sweet "Bridge to Terabithia" and the shenanigans of that oh-so-devilish young wizard, Harry Potter. Then my professor mentioned a story she heard on NPR about JC Chasez and his "controversial" album cover, and I remembered how silly the world can be.

Chasez, the'N Sync member not dating an actress, released his solo debut a couple of weeks ago. It's called "Schizophrenic."

On the cover, Chasez is wrapped in a straitjacket and his hair is mussed to perfection with the obvious aid of a carton of pricey mousse.

The music on the album is a surprisingly potent stew of rock, pop, funk and dance.

If you're wondering why I'm writing in very simple sentences, it's because this is a very simple concept to follow.

Chasez said in about 50 different interviews that the album title is a direct reference to the varying musical forms on the disc. And just because the guy spent too many years in a froufrou boy band doesn't mean he's dumb. According to my dictionary, the nonmedical definition of schizophrenia is "contradictory or conflicting attitudes, behavior or qualities."

Could it be misconstrued in a manner offensive to the mentally ill? Sure. But no one is ridiculing those with the disorder. If that's the thinking, couldn't that new O'Charley's restaurant commercial that brags about "Going Coastal" cause U.S. Postal Service employees to wince? Some people might certainly find it too similar to the term "going postal," a not-very-flattering image of disgruntled post office workers.

And truthfully, I'm not nearly as offended by either of those as I am by that horrid Victory Nissan commercial that attempts to mimic "American Idol." If only the real Simon Cowell would step in and sue for copyright infringement, I could finally take my finger off TiVo's fast-forward button.

The point is, everyone is offended by something, so your choices are to live in a cave or deal with it.

Chasez was already unjustly punished as part of the Janet Jackson Nipplegate fallout when the NFL first asked him to change his Pro Bowl halftime performance from his new single, "Some Girls (Dance With Women)," to last year's "Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love)." Then they stripped him of the performance entirely, offering to let him sing the national anthem instead.

In his smartest move since shaving that ungodly soul patch, Chasez waved bye-bye-bye to the Pro Bowl and attended the Grammys instead.

Then last week, Bill MacPhee, publisher of Schizophrenia Digest and a diagnosed schizophrenic, told Rolling Stone in a statement, "The title and cover image have ignored the surgeon general's call on the entertainment industry to eliminate stigma to address the public health crisis that exists."

Chasez issued an apology, stating that he was merely taking "artistic license" with the term schizophrenia.

But that is where the jousting begins. Most people don't understand - or, rather, don't want to accept - artistic license as a reality. Just because you don't like something doesn't mean it shouldn't exist.

Since Jackson's two-second flash of - gasp - a breast, the Federal Communications Commission suddenly realized if it makes a lot of noise, citizens will think it's Big and Important and Doing A Good Job. So off with the head of Howard Stern, who - stop the presses - can be provocative. Never mind that the incident that led to six Clear Channel affiliates dumping him was instigated by a caller, not Stern. It was a caller - whom Stern hung up on - who uttered a racial slur.

And Miss Jackson, sorry, but apparently every time you step in front of a TV camera, as you will March 31 for "Good Morning America," a special Bosom Cam will be installed to ensure no errant body parts pop out within a five-second delay.

And MTV, you were instructed to shuttle that Britney Spears video for "Toxic" and Maroon 5's "This Love" into the dark hours to save the world from their salaciousness. Rappers grabbing their crotches and singing about getting shot, however, were free to stay.

But that was two weeks ago. Apparently, everyone has gone out of their way to see what all the fuss was about (Memo to MTV: nothing), so the vids are back in regular rotation.

And don't even get me started on the Maroon video, which features a bleep that is not only ludicrous but should make the guys from The Escape Club glad that the FCC had actual work to do in 1988 when "Wild Wild West" hit. I'm not sure which is sadder - that such minutiae are even an issue or that the attacks are so random. MacPhee might be interested to know that in 1999, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell named her solo debut "Schizophonic." Recall any brouhaha over that one? Nope. Because in America, no one really cared about a single Spice.

Chasez and his record label, meanwhile, have no plans to change the cover art for "Schizophrenic." And who needs to? He's gotten plenty of publicity already.