Jewish World Review Sept. 6, 2002 / 29 Elul, 5762
Andy Borowitz
Britney Spears' year off poses dire
eco-threat
Pop diva's foray into painting, poetry could wreak global devastation
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Delegates to the United Nations' World Summit on Sustainable Development were
warned today that pop diva Britney Spears' decision to take a year off from music
poses a dire threat to the world's ecology.
South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma interrupted a three-hour
debate on hydrocarbons to voice his concern about Ms. Spears' impending year off.
Arguing that "history must be our guide," Mr. Dlamini-Zuma said that such pop stars
as Paul McCartney and Jewel used their hiatuses from the music business to
create amateurish poetry and paintings which were then collected in overpriced,
oversized books at an incalculable cost to the world's rainforests.
While Ms. Spears has pledged not to create poetry or paintings during her year off,
some delegates to the World Summit said that such assurances do not go far
enough.
Instead, the delegates said, the United Nations should send inspectors to Ms.
Spears' Hollywood residence on a monthly basis to determine that she does not
possess paints, brushes, ink, or quills.
In other music news, "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson said today that she
hoped to fill the bad-music void left by Ms. Spears' year of inactivity.
"I want to fill the world with the bad music Britney won't be making," the widely
idolized Ms. Clarkson told reporters in Los Angeles.
Music industry insiders, however, were openly skeptical of Ms. Clarkson's ability to
fulfill that promise.
"I have no doubt that Kelly Clarkson is capable of pumping out tons of bad music,"
said Chip Tennant, an A & R man for Reprise Records. "But she's no Britney
Spears."
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JWR Contributor Andy Borowitz, a former president of the Harvard Lampoon, is a regular humor columnist for Newsweek.com, The New Yorker, The New York Times and TV Guide. Recognized by Esquire magazine as one of the most powerful producers in television, he was the creator and producer of the hit TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and producer of the Oscar-nominated film Pleasantville. He is the author, most recently, of "Trillionaire Next Door: The Greedy Investor's Guide to Day Trading" and "Rationalizations to Live By". Comments by clicking here. Visit his website by clicking here.
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© 2002, Andy Borowitz
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