Posted on 10/18/2002 3:51:37 PM PDT by Tancred
Edited on 04/29/2004 2:01:28 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- One of pop diva Christina Aguilera's latest music videos has Thais decrying not its explicit dancing and revealing costumes but a Thai-language billboard in the backdrop that alludes to the country's sex industry.
Saharat Wannachomphu, marketing director for BMG Thailand Co., the local distributors of Aguilera's new album, said the company had decided not to air the video for the song "Dirrty" on local television, the Nation newspaper reported Wednesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at asia.cnn.com ...
Two posters seen in the video feature Thai script that translates to read "Thailand's Sex Tourism" and "Young Underage Girls" — references to Thailand's much-criticized, tourist-driven sex industry. The signs can be seen during Aguilera's boxing-ring sequence (see "Christina's 'Dirrty' Makes Some Fans Ill, Others Hot To Eat Her Toes").
A spokesperson for Aguilera's U.S. label, RCA Records, said that the posters were obtained by a non-Thai-speaking member of director David LaChapelle's production company and that the singer had no idea what they promoted (Click for photos from the video).
"I had absolutely no knowledge that this poster contained such offensive words, and I sincerely regret the insult," LaChapelle said in a statement. "Thailand is a beautiful country with a long cultural history that I truly respect. I would never intentionally do anything to insult the people of Thailand. Please accept my deepest apologies."
In response to protests in Thailand, Aguilera's Thai label has prohibited the video's play on local television stations, according to a BMG International spokesperson.
The Thai government said it would take action if the video proves to be damaging to the country's reputation, according to the Associated Press, but didn't specify how or to what extent." This is a related story, with pictures, from MTV News.
She'd better plan now for her old age (over 40 for a whore), she can look at what is happening to Madonna's career now for an example of her own future.
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