Results tagged “banned”

So about that locked vault that holds controversial books at the Brooklyn Library... the Daily News published a piece by the New York Civil Rights Coalition's executive director, Michael Meyers, chastising the practice of locking up our nation's history—no matter how ugly it can be. The book at the centerpiece is Tintin au Congo, and Meyers says, "we don't need librarians protecting us or our children's wonderment and discovery from 'bad' images and messages in books. Where would such paternalism in the forms of censorship and banishment begin and end? We shouldn't try to hide unpleasant truths from our children. It is historical fact that white racialists colonized Africa, and that explorers and even missionaries thought of black Africans as primitive savages in need of civilizing." Indeed, this history happened and it's not an "Out, out damned spot" sort of scenario where a lock and key will make it disappear.

Fact: The Brooklyn Library has a vaulted room which holds some of the more "controversial" books. CityRoom pointed out that you can't find a copy of, say, cartoonist Hergé's book "Tintin au Congo" on the shelves, because that book is held in this locked room. (The site published parts of the book, so probably that web page should go in there too.) One librarian told them, “It’s not for the public," and has been locked away for 2 years now after "a patron objected to the way Africans are depicted in the book. In particular, the patron took issue with illustrations that she felt had the Africans 'looking like monkeys.'’’

Of all the ads to be blocked from running during the Superbowl, who would have thought it would be PETA's? The organization submitted the below commercial, "which features a bevy of beauties who are powerless to resist the temptation of veggie love"—but NBC came up with a laundry list of edits that would need to be made before they considered airing it. Some of their cuts included: "touching her breast with her hand while eating broccoli, rubbing pelvic region with pumpkin, asparagus on her lap appearing as if it is ready to be inserted into vagina"...PETA is making us redder than a rare steak! Here's the commercial that was deeemed too hot for TV:

Should you somehow manage to finagle one of precious 12 seats at David Chang’s wildly hyped restaurant Momofuku Ko, don’t go pushing your luck by trying to commemorate the experience in photographs. Chang has banned picture-taking at Ko because he feels it’s become a distraction to other diners. “It’s just food. Eat it,” he declares. Could this be a new trend? Serious Eats talks to other chefs around town about their photography policies.

Yesterday we told you all about Randy Quaid being banned for life from Actors’ Equity and fined $81,572 for abusive and lewd behavior during the Seattle production of would-be Broadway musical Lone Star Love. Since then we’ve tried to get a comment on the allegations from Quaid’s wife Evi, who attended the Equity hearing on his behalf and ended up getting into a physical altercation – she says they broke her finger while trying to forcibly bar her entrance, they say she kicked a 76-year-old receptionist in the shins, drawing blood.

If the would-be Broadway-bound musical Lone Star Love is half as entertaining as the backstage drama, then sign us up: Randy Quaid, the show’s former star, has been banned from the Actors' Equity union for life because of abusive, lewd and just plain crazy behavior during the show’s Seattle run. Quaid has also been fined $81,572, which equals two weeks pay for the cast of the $6.5 million show; producers claim they had to prematurely close because of Quaid’s hi jinks. The Post’s Michael Riedel got the rap sheet:
• Quaid hit an actor on the back of the head four times during performances. When the stage manager told him to stop, he smacked the actor again.
• Another actor was warned that if he made direct eye contact with Quaid onstage, he'd be fired.
• Quaid made "sexually inappropriate" comments onstage, repeatedly referring to an actress' musical instruments as her "gynecological instruments."