Comparisons are odious, but all art is not created equal
I agree with Jacqueline Maley that our ability to support freedom of expression and diversity of thought are worthwhile tests of social cohesion. But I disagree that it is the only worthwhile test. The real test is our ability to agree on the limits of free speech, especially its transition into calls for violence, and enact and enforce sensible legislation in this regard at the moment when it urgently matters, which is right now. Raymond Schwartz, Bellevue Hill
Data mine on the line
The rail unions have negotiated two days in which Opal fare meters will be turned off ('Free train days follow union wage deal', July 6). We will not now how many people used public transport on those days. However, it would be better if the unions negotiated 'zero fare' days on which the meters operated so we could see the effect of reducing fares across the many different socioeconomic communities in NSW. For people interested in city building, this is a major data opportunity. Peter Egan, Mosman
Church scandals
It's pretty clear that society has had more than a gutful of child abuse (' Sermon after child abuse conviction shocks victims ', July 6). It especially hates a cover-up, and the church's reputation there is woeful. Some of us don't believe in your god and don't care if you wear a frock, a cross or whatever. We don't hear your 'Do unto others' speeches when your house is hiding evil. Ted Bush, North Epping
The flip side to priest Alexis Rosentool's warning to his followers is the Bible's stern 'Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture' (Jeremiah 23:1). Steve Ngeow, Chatswood
Loneliness and health
Loneliness and social isolation aren't new, but little has been done to address them. The fact that some children and young adults now rely on AI bots for friendship is deeply disturbing (Letters, July 6). It's well known that social isolation and loneliness are deleterious to physical and mental health. These factors have been linked to suicide, dementia, premature death and domestic violence. The NSW government continues to abdicate its responsibility regarding mental health. Without adequate intervention, the problem will grow, and the financial burden will increase. Graham Lum, North Rocks
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News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘I was a beast': Ozzy Osbourne's most shocking moments
There was never any doubt what would be on his gravestone, according to the rocker himself: 'Here lies Ozzy Osbourne. He bit the head off the bat.' The legendary frontman of heavy metal group Black Sabbath died on Tuesday at the age of 76 following a long battle with Parkinson's disease, his family said in a statement – just weeks after he gave an epic farewell concert. Dubbed the Prince of Darkness, Osbourne was instrumental in pioneering the musical genre – and gained huge notoriety along the way for his outlandish stunts, many of them fuelled by a hedonistic lifestyle involving the lavish use of drugs and alcohol. Here are some of his most shocking moments. He bit the head off a bat … and a dove Perhaps his most infamous moment was in January 1982, when a fan hurled what looked like a creepy rubber bat toy at him on stage. Osbourne put its head in his mouth and chomped – later recalling: 'Immediately, something felt wrong'. There was a foul taste, and he felt the severed head twitch in his mouth. Next thing the singer knew, he was being rushed to hospital for emergency rabies shots. The teenage bat-thrower later insisted it was already dead, but Osbourne maintained he felt it moving. 'I can assure you the rabies shots I went through afterwards aren't fun,' he told US TV host David Letterman in 1982. Whatever the truth, the incident grabbed global headlines and overshadowed a career of mind-boggling firsts. Osbourne also once bit the head off a dove in 1981, while meeting with CBS Records brass. The plan was simply to make a memorable impression by releasing two doves and flashing the peace scene, according to his autobiography I Am Ozzy. But the singer got 'p*ssed off' waiting for his cue from wife Sharon Osbourne, bit off the head of one of the birds, and spat it at a publicist. 'The (boss) of legal said, 'If you ever do that again, we will absolutely destroy you',' Sharon recalled in the 2020 documentary The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne. Osbourne also admitted to killing 17 of his family's cats while high on drugs. 'We had about 17, and I went crazy and shot them all,' he said. 'My wife found me under the piano in a white suit, a shotgun in one hand and a knife in the other.' In 1978, a drunk and coked-up Osbourne shot chickens behind the house he shade with his first wife, Thelma Riley. Around the same time, while on tour, someone in his crew kidnapped a couple of ducks from a nearby lake after a hotel clerk failed to secure a rubber duckie for Osbourne's bath. 'He left it in the tub for the maid,' journalist Sylvie Simmons, who was on tour with Black Sabbath at the time, recalled in The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne. 'I'm sure she was surprised.' He snorted a line of ants The documentary recalled Osbourne hanging out at a poolside bar with Mötley Crüe when they toured together in 1984. Reportedly disappointed over the lack of cocaine on offer, Osbourne leaned over a line of ants on the ground and sniffed them up his nose. Asked to verify the outrageous stunt (which is detailed in the Mötley Crüe book The Dirt), he replied: 'Is it true that I snorted a line of ants? It's incredibly possible. Do I remember it? No.' Osbourne tried to strangle his wife Osbourne and Sharon's marriage was put to the test through many ups and downs – the singer saying that he 'was a beast, absolutely terrifying' at points throughout their 40 years together. The couple met in 1970, but they didn't get together until after Osbourne split from his first wife, with whom he shares three of his six children. Osbourne married Sharon, now 72, and they quickly started a family together – but their relationship became jeopardised after Osbourne attempted to murder her and then had an affair. While under the influence of drugs and alcohol, Osbourne allegedly turned to Sharon on September 3,1989 and told her, 'We've come to a decision that you've got to die', before lunging at her and trying to strangle her. 'He dived on me and started to choke me. I felt for stuff on the table, found a panic button and pressed it,' Sharon said in The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne. 'All of a sudden, the cops were here. It was probably the most frightened that I'd ever been.' Osbourne was arrested for attempted murder, but Sharon did not press charges. He went on to spend six months in a medical detention centre. 'Don't get caught by your missus' In 2016, Sharon took an overdose of pills after finding out Osbourne had a four-year affair with his former hairdresser Michelle Pugh. 'I took an overdose and locked myself in the bedroom,' she told Loose Women. 'The maid tried to come in to clean the room and saw me.' Ms Pugh described their relationship as 'life changing', claiming Osbourne made her feel like 'the most beautiful and worshipped woman in the world' and that it was 'a struggle every day' when it ended. Sharon decided to end their (then) 34-year marriage but forgave him months later, and has stood by him for the rest of his life. 'As much as he's addicted to alcohol and drugs, I'm addicted to him,' she wrote in her memoir Unbreakable. Osbourne later expressed regret for declaring the secret to his marriage was 'don't get with your mistress'. 'When I was a crazy f***er, I'm lucky she didn't walk out,' he told Rolling Stone in 2017. 'Now I'm coming on five years clean and sober, and I've realised what a f***ing idiot I was. I mean, I'm still nuts, but in control of it a bit more. 'When I said, 'Don't get caught by your missus', I'm not proud of all that sh*t. I upset my wife and I upset my family and I made a lot of shock and shame. I love my wife, and it made me realise what a f***ing idiot I've been.' He publicly relieved himself in a Sydney hotel After a hard-drinking dinner in Memphis in 1984, Osbourne disappeared for the night. As he recalled in The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, he woke up outdoors, felt nature calling and let loose – dousing an unmarked police car. 'When you're finished shaking that thing, I'm taking your ass to jail,' the arresting female officer told him – before making good on her promise. He was also once busted for peeing on The Alamo in Texas – a cenotaph commemorating Texan troops who died while defending the site against the invading Mexicans – and relieved himself publicly at the Kingsgate Hyatt in Sydney. 'We were waiting for the lift,' Black Sabbath road-crew member Graham Wright told The New York Post. 'Ozzy said, 'I have to go.' He dragged over a potted palm from the lobby and peed in it until it overflowed. I think Ozzy had a weak bladder.' Hitler 'had a charisma' In 1982, Osbourne was asked during an interview with Night Flight who the influence for his music and concerts was – bluntly responding: 'Adolf Hitler.' Asked to explain why, he continued: 'Adolf Hitler had a charisma, in a bad way, and I kind of admired him.' 'He was a freak, he was a lunatic, but he had summat (something) about him, you know,' Osbourne said. 'It was bad what he did, it was terrible what he did, he killed all of these people and whatever, but it was like, erm, he had something about him, you know. 'I admired him, not for what he was, but for people; I suddenly stopped and thought, hang on a minute, if somebody put that in a positive way, for the good of mankind … whatever anybody says about me, I might be the biggest lunatic that you've ever met in your life guys, but I'm here for you guys, I'm here for people, I'm here for enjoyment, I'm here for giving people my life, my soul, my everything.' The interview took place three years after Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath over his substance abuse. First marriage was 'a terrible mistake' Osbourne's first marriage to Ms Riley was no less turbulent than his one with Sharon. In 1971, aged 22, he married the nightclub attendant after a whirlwind romance – but quickly decided it was 'a terrible mistake'. Fuelled by alcohol and cocaine, he would use a semiautomatic to shoot mannequins he tied to trees at their cottage in Ranton, Staffs. Osbourne also later admitted to being physically violent toward Ms Riley, and confessed he had been a 'disgusting' father to their children. When she was in labour with their daughter Jessica, Osbourne insisted on driving her to hospital despite being intoxicated and not holding a licence. His volatile behaviour eventually saw the couple separate in the late 70s, and their divorce was finalised in 1982.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
David Beckham left with huge bald patch after DIY haircut blunder
David Beckham has been left with a glaring bald spot after a DIY haircut went wrong. The 50-year-old former England football captain had been attempting to recreate his iconic buzz cut at home when the clipper guard came loose mid-shave, removing a large chunk of hair from the top of his head, and the mishap was revealed in a video on Instagram posted by his wife Victoria. She said as he posed in the clip: 'It does not look good. I'm going to always be honest with you. It looks terrible.' David's haircut was intended as a tribute to his famous skinhead look, first debuted in a Premier League match against Leicester City in 2000. David recently said it remains his favourite look. Speaking to Gary Neville during an episode of The Overlap podcast, he said: 'I always like the skinhead. I always loved the skinhead, because it was easy and you didn't have to do anything with it.' The light-hearted clip of David's hair error comes amid deeper tensions within the Beckham family, with reports of an ongoing feud between their children. According to The Sun, Romeo Beckham, 22, and Cruz Beckham, 20, have blocked their elder brother Brooklyn Beckham, 26, on social media – a move which has reportedly widened the rift between them. Brooklyn, who married actor Nicola Peltz, 30, in 2022, is said to have been 'blindsided' by the apparent snub. A source told The Sun: 'Blocking or unfollowing someone on Instagram is like the Gen Z version of World War Three. It's a sad new low.' The insider added: 'Brooklyn has cut out his parents David and Victoria from his life and it's the same with Romeo and Cruz. 'Even when the family have reached out to Brooklyn they have been ignored. He's not had contact for months and it feels clear to them that he doesn't want to make amends.' The alleged Beckham feud is said to have been simmering for months. But while initial reports suggested Brooklyn and Nicola had unfollowed Romeo and Cruz, insiders close to Brooklyn claim that is not the case. A friend of Brooklyn's told The Sun: 'Brooklyn had no idea until he read about it online. It's possible Romeo and Cruz blocked them, which would make it appear as him no longer following the brothers. 'He and Nicola certainly didn't unfollow them or block them – they're as confused as anyone else. The first they heard about it was when it was being reported on.'
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Perth Now
Mikaela Hoover hails 'champion' co-star Rachel Brosnahan
Rachel Brosnahan "was a real champion" for Mikaela Hoover on the set of Superman. The 41-year-old actress plays gossip columnist Cat Grant in the new superhero movie, and Mikaela has heaped praise on her co-star, revealing that they developed a close bond during the shoot. Mikaela told People: "I got the opportunity to get the closest to Rachel and I value that friendship so much. She was a real champion for me through this entire movie, and I will be grateful to her for that." Mikaela also praised director James Gunn for helping to unite the cast, which also featured the likes of David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, and Isabela Merced. The actress said: "I love the entire cast. James Gunn has a knack for pulling together the best humans. I got close to a lot of the actors." Mikaela actually likened the on-set vibe to attending a "summer camp". She shared: "When we wrapped, we would always go get dinner and stay up late talking." Earlier this week, David praised James for creating a "familial feeling" on the set of the new Superman movie. The 32-year-old actor revealed that he relished the experience of watching the movie for the first time with the cast and crew at the world premiere in Los Angeles. David - who plays the titular character in the film - said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: "Usually I watch a movie early. If I'm nervous, I want to get my self-conscious viewing out of the way early. But when I started seeing the trailers, I kind of got the feeling of what it might be to watch the movie as an audience member, and there was this ... uplifting energy and feeling of inspiration. "It feels like the movies that I grew up watching and loved, so I wanted to preserve the experience. "It was a great audience for it. Big crowd and the cast and some of our crew and loved ones ... so it was just a very positive and supportive audience." David subsequently praised James, 58, for creating a supportive attitude on set. The actor explained: "James Gunn does that deliberately. He really makes a familial feeling ... He loves what he does." David actually watched the movie for a second time at a cinema in Philadelphia. The Hollywood star shared: "That was the first viewing and there was some self-consciousness, so I needed to go back. So I snuck into the back of an IMAX screening outside of Philly with a couple of friends. "It was great. It was better the second time."
