Posted on 08/16/2006 8:00:53 AM PDT by Sax
Boy George Reports for 5 Days of Garbage Duty in NYC
Aug 14, 2006 07:51 AM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) -- Boy George reported for garbage duty on the streets of Manhattan early Monday, his court-ordered community service that was described by a judge as an "exercise in humiliation or in humility." The one-time Culture Club singer was ordered to spend five days working for the Department of Sanitation after pleading guilty in March to falsely reporting a burglary at his lower Manhattan apartment. The officers who responded found cocaine instead. At 7 a.m. Monday, a sport utility vehicle pulled up at a Lower East Side sanitation depot. Boy George, wearing dark capri pants, shoes without socks and a sweatshirt, stepped out without the wild makeup that made him so recognizable. He walked inside without speaking to reporters. About a half-hour later, he emerged flanked by camera crews, got into a Sanitation van and was driven several blocks to a small building with a sticker on the door that read, "NYC Recycles." The agency said it planned to issue the singer a shovel, broom, plastic bags and gloves for the job of picking up trash on the city's streets. In June, Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Anthony Ferrara had issued a warrant for the arrest of Boy George, who was born George O'Dowd, when he initially failed to complete the requirements of his plea deal. When O'Dowd appeared in court ten days later, Ferrara called off the warrant, but warned the singer he could not escape his community service commitment. "It's up to you whether you make it an exercise in humiliation or in humility," Ferrara told O'Dowd, known for his androgynous appearance and hits like "Karma Chameleon" and "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" O'Dowd, 45, initially envisioned a service project more in line with his status as an '80s icon. He petitioned to spend the time helping teenagers make a public service announcement. Among his other proposals to the court: holding a fashion and makeup workshop, serving as a D.J. at an HIV/AIDS benefit, or doing telephone outreach. Defense lawyer Louis Freeman said the judge's annoyance was "based on a misunderstanding."
yes, heard that!
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