The Reluctant Whore

Back when Richard Gere was in trouble with conservative Indian religious types who were threatening to arrest him for public indecency after he kissed Indian movie star Shilpa Shetty on stage, the whole thing reeked of insincerity from every angle. Now that Shetty is all but confirmed to star in the next Bond film it all sort of falls into place.

I said this was all about publicity for everyone involved back when it happened in the middle of April because all the pieces fit perfectly. There was the hyped up and insincere conservative religious outrage, an established movie star creating scandal with a younger, less established local movie star – everyone benefits including the attention whore conservative religious contingent. Now that this has happened, it’s clear I was right and that’s entirely gratifying for me. It’s also entirely clear that one of the best things you can do for your career anywhere is inspire religious outrage. Look at the White House for goodness sake. I personally wish the Catholic Church would ban me. From what exactly I haven’t quite figured out but still – any ban is a good ban. Except Zyban – I heard that can kill you.

Just in case you didn’t see the original kiss footage or, in case you’re a religious zealot who secretly loves to be offended, here it is again for repeated late night viewing:

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