The Akon/Gwen Stefani/Michelle Malkin/Verizon hullabaloo

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If you can stand looking at Malkin's site, go, but if not:

Akon's ringtones have been removed by the Verizon Wireless website.

I just spoke with Gerace by phone, and he told me Verizon Wireless had made a "mistake" partnering with Akon.

It's good to see some corporate responsibility here. Will others step up to the plate?

***

Update: A reader notes that Verizon is still sponsoring Gwen Stefani's tour--with Akon as the opening act.

What will they do now?

Update II: Verizon writes that they are no longer sponsoring the Gwen Stefani tour with Akon as opening act. Jim Gerace:

"We are no longer -- that was the decision we made this week. If the reader is seeing a poster or something promoting our sponsorship of the tour, it's only because that material has not yet been destroyed."

Any other links/observations/posts would be handy...

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 5 May 2007 00:04 (eighteen years ago)

man, you take an afternoon nap and suddenly the world is upside-down

― lfam, Saturday, 5 May 2007 00:10 (eighteen years ago)

how will Akon survive all the free publicity

― J0hn D., Saturday, 5 May 2007 01:31 (eighteen years ago)

Please tell me this is because of his terrible music, not his humping escapades.

― Tape Store, Saturday, 5 May 2007 01:55 (eighteen years ago)

hhaha, Ned and I both read Hot Air.

― admrl, Saturday, 5 May 2007 02:45 (eighteen years ago)

I had never heard Akon until Michelle introduced him to me and he is GREAT! What is that Snoop song she played on Vent? Shit is dope.

― admrl, Saturday, 5 May 2007 02:46 (eighteen years ago)

how will michelle malkin survive the ensuing ping-pong tourney??

― lfam, Saturday, 5 May 2007 02:53 (eighteen years ago)

T-Pain would never do such a thing.

Shame on you, Akon!

― Belisarius, Saturday, 5 May 2007 04:09 (eighteen years ago)

Fuck Akon. Sped up samples for hooks? Ninja please. It ain't 2004.

Also, onstage molestation wtf?

As usual, Michelle is right on.

― Manalishi, Saturday, 5 May 2007 05:42 (eighteen years ago)

quick, to the molestations

― admrl, Saturday, 5 May 2007 06:17 (eighteen years ago)

precisely robin

― latebloomer, Saturday, 5 May 2007 07:11 (eighteen years ago)

― mulla atari, Saturday, 5 May 2007 07:26 (eighteen years ago)

this "is" the answer, I mean

― mulla atari, Saturday, 5 May 2007 07:26 (eighteen years ago)

oh he wasn't humping her that's against policy. he was taking a forth wife onstage.

― SusanD, Saturday, 5 May 2007 07:41 (eighteen years ago)

So I guess this the answer to all those recent think pieces about why the on-line right hasn't been able to create an activist community rivaling the left's netroots--their best & brightest are too busy taking down stage humpers.

-- mulla atari, Saturday, 5 May 2007 07:26 (1 hour ago)

As opposed to third rate comedians masquerading as politicians and pundits? Yes I believe we are quite comfortable with that.

― Manalishi, Saturday, 5 May 2007 09:02 (eighteen years ago)

Wha?

― mulla atari, Saturday, 5 May 2007 09:18 (eighteen years ago)

Does Rosie O'Donnell run dailykos now?

― mulla atari, Saturday, 5 May 2007 09:19 (eighteen years ago)

Or are you saying you'd rather see Malkin go after Akon than after these 3rd rate comedians? Or is Malkin the one masquerading as a pundit? Seriously, huh?

― mulla atari, Saturday, 5 May 2007 09:22 (eighteen years ago)

akon is shit

― That one guy that quit, Saturday, 5 May 2007 09:24 (eighteen years ago)

he wants to LOOOVE you

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Saturday, 5 May 2007 09:33 (eighteen years ago)

Lam-burr-ghee-neee-geeee-laaaaarrrr-doh

― Dom Passantino, Saturday, 5 May 2007 11:10 (eighteen years ago)

akon is shit

-- That one guy that quit, Saturday, May 5, 2007 12:24 PM (1 hour ago)

qft

― That one guy that quit, Saturday, 5 May 2007 11:10 (eighteen years ago)

when exactly did malkin go from annoying conservative talking head to batshit insane?

― artdamages, Saturday, 5 May 2007 14:55 (eighteen years ago)

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/images/akonfreeze002.jpg

― artdamages, Saturday, 5 May 2007 16:05 (eighteen years ago)

This is the message you will now see: "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Universal Music Group."

umgcopyright003.jpg

We believe our commentary and criticism of UMG "artist" Akon falls fully under fair use. We believe UMG, with YouTube's cooperation, is abusing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to stifle constitutionally protected speech. As the Electronic Frontier Foundation has explained in similar battles:

Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a mere allegation of copyright infringement on the Internet can result in content removal, silencing a creator before any misuse is proven. This "shoot first, ask questions later" system can silence online artists and critics, creating unfair hurdles to free speech.

"Online sites like YouTube have revolutionized political expression and can give the little guy an audience of millions for a political point of view. An entertainment powerhouse like Viacom must not be allowed to muzzle independent video creators and their free speech," said Eli Pariser, Executive Director of MoveOn.org Civic Action. "Copyright owners need to double-check their claims and think about free speech rights before erasing political content from sites like YouTube and misusing the DMCA."

― artdamages, Saturday, 5 May 2007 16:07 (eighteen years ago)

oops. should have copy and pasted more. her eis the link = http://michellemalkin.com/archives/007446.htm

it is interesting. i agree w/malkin i guess.

― artdamages, Saturday, 5 May 2007 16:08 (eighteen years ago)

When did she go batshit? When someone stopped paying attention to her for five minutes.

― I eat cannibals, Saturday, 5 May 2007 16:09 (eighteen years ago)

hmmm...i am ressisting typing something misogynist now, but malkin would probably be into that.

― artdamages, Saturday, 5 May 2007 16:14 (eighteen years ago)

Malkin has always been batshit crazy, but she crossed into a new dark territory when she visited Iraq & spent the whole time trying to prove that AP reporters are a bunch of Liars Trying to Make Us Think Things Are Worse Than They Really Are. Favorite bit--she stands in front of a building that an AP report described as "destroyed" snarking that it was still standing, even though there was a huge hole from a bomb blast clearly visible in its side. Struck me as a metaphor for the Bush line on Iraq, "Yeah, maybe a lot of stuff has been blown up inside it, but has Iraq itself actually collapsed and fallen off the planet? No? Then things must be going pretty okay."

― mulla atari, Saturday, 5 May 2007 17:35 (eighteen years ago)

one month passes...

http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=7187

poor akon. when he welcomes fans onstage, he's in trouble. when he shoos them off, he's in trouble. this story is some straight-up bullshit though.

― stevie, Wednesday, 6 June 2007 17:01 (eighteen years ago)

Fuck Akon. Sped up samples for hooks? Ninja please. It ain't 2004.

"Lonely" was on his first album, which was released in 2004. Ninja please!

― Alex in Baltimore, Wednesday, 6 June 2007 17:06 (eighteen years ago)

i interviewed him a while ago, i think he was shooting american idol or something like that at the time... he's a HUGE michael jackson fan.

― stevie, Wednesday, 6 June 2007 17:11 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

Fuck Akon. Sped up samples for hooks? Ninja please. It ain't 2004.

Also, onstage molestation wtf?

As usual, Michelle is right on.

― Manalishi, Saturday, May 5, 2007 1:42 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

you know manalishi wasnt really thinking "ninja" when he wrote this

― dat dude delmar (and what), Monday, 1 December 2008 15:26 (sixteen years ago)

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/jmilstein/WhoDatNinja.jpg

― ice cr?m, Monday, 1 December 2008 15:28 (sixteen years ago)

"ninga"

― James Mitchell, Monday, 1 December 2008 15:49 (sixteen years ago)

yes thank you

― No HOOS need a steen whoppin (BIG HOOS aka the steendriver), Monday, 1 December 2008 18:52 (sixteen years ago)

WHITE NINJA MOVEMENT

― The Saving Grace of Gospel House (The Reverend), Tuesday, 2 December 2008 03:06 (sixteen years ago)

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