Weird Celebrity Showdown
Well, once again I'm glad I never tried out for the Dixie Chicks. Who was the biggest weirdo on tv last night: Michael Jackson and his home movies, or the Dixie Chicks and their plea for public acceptance?

By now we all know the profound statement made by Natalie Maines during a London concert, in which she mentioned she's ashamed that our President is from Texas. I happened to catch some of last night's interview with Diane Sawyer. I'm amused by the whole thing. I saw some desperate Chicks fumbling their way through an attempt to regain their fabulous image and public adoration from before the messy comment. Is it just me, or did they used to be a lot cuter and fun, and less whiney and scary looking? What is with their hair these days?

My synopsis of the entire situation is this: First, the Chicks said something dumb. From their account of the concert told to Sawyer last night, the comment wasn't prompted by anything. Apparently Maines just felt like blurting out a blasphemous comment about Bush, at random. And she explained it away as the wrong wording for having questions. Ok then? Whatever. Had they been giving a concert, say, in Texas or anywhere in the U.S., would she have said such a thing? I doubt it. Was she searching for sympathy or looking for answers from Londoners who paid to see their show? Again, I doubt it. Let's just all admit that was a dumb thing to say at that time and place. I would have loved to have been at that concert at the moment she made the comment, to hear the silence and crickets echoing throughout the concert hall immediately following what she said. Did she just pick up and go into the next song, like no big deal? Did people complain? Oh, to have been there to witness the event.

Next, the Chicks feel they've apologized, yet they are really disturbed at the public's lack of acceptance of their apology. Hence the big unveiling of "The Truth Behind Natalie Maines' Comment and the Aftermath" on Primetime last night. Their fervent attempt to set the record straight. Now, I'm not endorsing all the silly things people have done to boldly proclaim their hatred of the Chicks as a result of this comment made by Maines. But, people have a right to speak out and show disapproval. I find it funny that celebrities get so bent out of shape when the public complains about their use of fame and the media to spout their views. You know, most people don't get an audience of thousands of people to make silly war comments and take a stand. If I say anything, my audience is at best, 3 people. And I usually don't have their attention unless I have a tasty treat to go with being around me. So if folks want to run over some cds with a tractor in protest, well, just let 'em. Really, what does it hurt? They are using their humble resources to respond to celebrity idiocy. It's silly vs. silly. Except the celebrities can command a bigger audience and make a bigger fuss when their feelings get hurt by their adoring fans.

Finally, the magazine cover. This I just don't get. Why must we always resort to nudity to make such a bold statement of protest? This just makes them appear sillier than before. For one, I don't care to look at the cover long enough to read the statements on their skin. And two, I just can't take it seriously. I can't help but laugh at it because it's Entertainment Weekly, for one thing. Why not pick a halfway respectable magazine to answer back, like Time, or Newsweek, or at least People? And really, there has to be a better way than nudity on a magazine cover to make a good point, to redeem yourself as a good celebrity when you do something stupid. I wish someone would have shown the Chicks a better option before the photo shoot. Couldn't they wear clothes and just hold up signs with these phrases? Put together a flip book of phrases, like flash cards, on the inside of the magazine? Maybe a scratch n' sniff of stinky smells over each phrase? Make your point, but for goodness' sake put some clothes on! You don't see the folks on tractors running over the cds in the nude. Why? Because that's sillier than just running over the cds.

Now, while I am not a country music fan, I will admit I've been a fan of the Dixie Chicks. It was a big breakthrough for me, but I do own all of their cds. I even went to a concert, and quite enjoyed it. I won't go so far as to say I am no longer a fan. I am a Texan and I do support G-dub, so I didn't especially appreciate Maines' comment. But I don't place much stock in what celebrites spout out on tv or at concerts or otherwise. Their words have no more bearing on my political stance than Joe Schmo or anyone else who may say the same thing. You just have to consider the source no matter who says anything about whatever these days. I mean, really, it's the Dixie Chicks! When did they become such political experts worthy of people getting so bent out of shape about, anyway?

But just on the sheer annoyance factor of what they said, how they said it, and how they've handled themselves since then, I just can't help but cringe a bit at the thought of popping in a Chicks cd. They've truly outdone themselves as 'unjustly' treated celebrities, unhappy that their sales and popularity plummeted as a result of their own actions. Are they really suffering much because they haven't sold many cds in the past few weeks? Maybe emotionally, from embarrassment. But in the grand scheme of things, I think they'll be okay. If you're gonna spout off in public about stuff, I just think you have to be prepared to weather the consequences of your actions.

All they need to do is lay low for awhile, let the whole thing blow over, and take some time to put together a new cd. The public will forget about the whole brew-ha-ha and be back to downloading their songs to replace the tractor-ed cds in no time. If people can still tolerate Michael Jackson's music after his ultimate display of celebrity weirdo-ism, the Chicks have nothing to worry about in the long run.

The new cd should be something steering completely clear of politics alltogether. And nudity. No more nudity. I'm thinking puppies and sunshine and rainbows. With lots of clothes.

C.T.