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August 14, 2006
Monday
 
 
Beyoncé enters the Chickenshit Files
Samizdata Illuminatus (Arkham, Massachusetts)  Arts & Entertainment

It seems that Beyoncé Knowles is as timid as she is talented. She has pulled out of a promotional tour of the UK because of the "continued threat to people flying across the Atlantic". Never mind that large numbers of lesser mortals are making the trip across the puddle daily or that security has now been officially elevated to 'Insane'.

Welcome to the Chickenshit Files, Beyoncé! You may be beautiful and talented but admirable? Not really.

mtv32.jpg

It's like deja vu all over again!
Comments

If she won't fly it is her problem not ours. A little free publicity doesn't ruin her day either.

She probably uses private jets most of the time. This may be her justification for using them all the time.

When your time is valuable or you must travel with a personal staff private jets make sense.


Posted by K at August 14, 2006 03:36 AM

Who said it was anyone's problem? All I said is that she is a Chickenshit who cowers with fear at the mention of terrorism even when the risk is teeny tiny. And I rather doubt this will get as much publicity over in the UK as a promotional tour would and in any case contrary to what some people think, there is such a thing as bad publicity.


Posted by Samizdata Illuminatus at August 14, 2006 03:43 AM

Reminds me of someone I talked to in Brisbane just after 9/11. She was planning to move into the desert in the middle of Australia, because she thought terrorists were going to nuke Sydney.


Posted by darkbhudda at August 14, 2006 04:05 AM

Shame. Now I'll never know who she is or what she does. Anyway, I don't care.


Posted by Freeman at August 14, 2006 08:41 AM

I reckon she just can't be bothered to do it because the weather's crappy over here at the moment. Or maybe she's just annoyed that she wouldn't really be getting many headlines. As pointed out by K, she probably uses private aircraft most of the time - she can certainly afford to! - so why not in this instance?


Posted by Lizzie at August 14, 2006 08:45 AM

You can tell Perry didn't write this post. He'd have put up a picture of Miss Knowles, just so we were all sure who she was.


Posted by Tim Newman at August 14, 2006 08:50 AM

Tim, indeed. So Perry, do your duty. It is Monday morning, the weather is wet, and I need cheering up. Put up a photo of the lovely lass, chickenshit or no.


Posted by Johnathan Pearce at August 14, 2006 09:11 AM

If you insist! SI clearly needs an editorial spanking for missing such an opportunity.


Posted by Perry de Havilland at August 14, 2006 09:38 AM

Daft trollop. Why can't she take the boat instead? I forsee a revival of transatlantic ocean liners if this terrorist lark carries on.


Posted by Laughing Cavalier at August 14, 2006 09:47 AM

I checked out the rest of the chickenshit files. Bruce Willis is in it! Surely some mistake. I once saw him single-handedly defeat a whole team of terrorists who had taken over an entire airport! And the leader had an English accent like all true terrorist masterminds do.


Posted by Nick M at August 14, 2006 10:23 AM

Okay, who chose that photo? Whoever it was clearly isn't a fan - I'm sure there are plenty of pictures out there of Beyonce that don't make her legs look like sausages with ankles.


Posted by Lizzie at August 14, 2006 10:35 AM

Sorry Liz but the paper she is holding was just too perfect, given the subject of the article.


Posted by Perry de Havilland at August 14, 2006 10:45 AM

Caption: "Forget all this silly 9/11 stuff and look at this picture of meeeeeee".

I wonder how show business people do not just drown in their own narcissism.


Posted by Albion at August 14, 2006 10:50 AM

Well, I'm putting off a trip this week and next week, but not because of fear of flying, but fear of standing in a damp tent at T4 for 3 hours while they get their act together inside.


Posted by Daveon at August 14, 2006 11:06 AM

So where is Samizdata page 3? :-)


Posted by lucklucky at August 14, 2006 11:55 AM

The link says it actually isn't her idea, her label told her not to go. Y'know, sort of like how a models body can be insured, they're keeping their investment safe.


Posted by Bobbo at August 14, 2006 01:00 PM
The link says it actually isn't her idea, her label told her not to go.

Sure, just like Bruce Willis would not fly "because his children begged him not to".

Y'know, sort of like how a models body can be insured, they're keeping their investment safe.

Sorry but the risk is so absurdly small, that makes little sense. She is more likely to get run over by a taxi.


Posted by Perry de Havilland at August 14, 2006 01:06 PM

I don't remember Beyonce ever claiming to be Rambo. I think you are being a bit hard on her to be honest. If doesn't want to fly at what is undoubtedly a risky time to do so, that's her decision.

A lot of people have been scared of flying at much less dangerous times.


Posted by Yobbo at August 14, 2006 01:20 PM

Defeating terrorism does not depend on "Rambos", it depends on ordinary people refusing to be terrorised. It depends on people just getting on with their lives. That is why the article is correct that she is not admirable. Beyonce does not have to be Rambo, she just has be stand with the tens of thousands of regular non-Rambo people daily who are still willing to get on an airplane and fly across the Atlantic.


Posted by Old Jack Tar at August 14, 2006 02:14 PM

Risk I can take... but the thought of being parted from my laptop, mobile phone and digital camera is more than enought ot make me look for alternative means of transport whenver feasible.

I even looked into AMTRAK for NY to El Paso for the trip to the Las Cruces rocket races this fall... but 3 days each way did push the bounds a bit too much...

Of course the scenery would be more photographable at ground level...


Posted by Dale Amon at August 14, 2006 02:29 PM

We seem to be a fairly well heeled bunch, in the main.
Cant we have a whip round for a Samizdata Lear Jet?
We might just get Guy Herbert in the air then:)


Posted by RAB at August 14, 2006 04:10 PM

Old Jack Tar,
Bang on. I'm off to the East Coast of the US in mid October (from Manchester) and I'll be buggered sideways with a phone directory if a bunch of nutcases with a C7th mentality will make the slightest difference to my travel plans. They can go and fuck right off. The threatening letter their mates sent to HM Gov was the final straw.


Posted by Nick M at August 14, 2006 04:52 PM

Show biz isn't even what it used to be.

Whatever happened to "the show must go on?"

Would Sammy Davis, Jr. have blown off his fans like this? Sinatra? Marlene Dietrich? Edith Piaf? Even, say, Jerry Vale or Vic Damone? No way. And Glenn
Miller? We know what happened to him.

Pathetic.


Posted by Lexington Green at August 14, 2006 05:13 PM

Thought she'd dropped the acute over the e, since she reckoned it made her name look too foreign? And yes, Ole Blue Eyes certainly did cancel concerts overseas a lot of times so nothing new there. I bet if you look at some 1939 newspapers you can see someone announcing that they have had to cancel their European tour (except the Nazis of course ... ).


Posted by Julian Taylor at August 14, 2006 06:35 PM

"Happy now?"

"Not bad, not bad at all" ;-)


Posted by lucklucky at August 14, 2006 06:54 PM

Cancelling a concert because of World War II and U-boat packs I can understand (though a lot of entertainers did nothing of the sort). Cancelling a tour because of a THWARTED terrorist threat is, well, chickenshit


Posted by Fiona James at August 14, 2006 06:54 PM

She's very attractive, but, why am I supposed to care what this woman does? I mean, she's obviously not going to be doing any of it with me, no matter what continent she's on, so why bother my wrinkly old head?


Posted by veryretired at August 14, 2006 07:26 PM
She's very attractive, but, why am I supposed to care what this woman does?

I don't think you are, but I reckon Samizdata just likes to throw the odd brick at the graven images held up by the cult of celeb worshipers


Posted by Socratic Stage Diver at August 14, 2006 07:43 PM

Samizdata being overly bitter over things of little to no relevant consequence?

Say it ain't so!


Posted by Mr. Hardy-Har at August 15, 2006 05:26 PM

Why should everything we write about have to be the Really Big Issues? Taking a swing at pop-icons is easy and gratifying :-P


Posted by Perry de Havilland at August 15, 2006 07:14 PM

Beyonce who?


Posted by Kim du Toit at August 17, 2006 10:29 PM
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