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Stripper culture riles up Christina Ricci

Plus: Steve-O could have done better; Good Charlotte is sick of Paris

Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images
The increasingly accepted stripper culture really ticks off actress Christina Ricci. “It used to be something that we were sort of ashamed of. ... But now, the hottest thing to say is, ‘I can work a pole!’” complains Ricci.
By Ree Hines
MSNBC contributor
updated 10:58 p.m. ET April 24, 2008

Opinionated actress Christina Ricci is riled up about the objectification of women. The “Penelope” star told BlackBook the worst part of it is that women choose to be viewed that way.

“I think people are learning to actually aspire to be objectified,” Christina said. “It’s like the highest form of flattery for teenage girls. The culture we live in right now seems to reward behavior that we used to frown upon. We used to teach our daughters not to be like this. I think in the ’80s, there would certainly have been a little bit of snobbery expressed if somebody admitted to getting a full Brazilian bikini wax. A circle of friends would be like, ‘What are you, a porn star?’”

It’s not just the teens that Christina’s pointing a finger at. Adults who add stripper poles to their home or admire the va-va-voom lifestyle are just as guilty in her eyes.

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“It used to be something that we were sort of ashamed of. You didn’t want to admit to people that you were a stripper. But now, the hottest thing to say is, ‘I can work a pole!’ Who gives a f---? But it’s a huge, weird thing. I mean, you see actresses, and their passion project is to play a stripper. It’s just stupid.”

Steve-O’s looked up to for the wrong reasons
Packing some post-rehab words of wisdom, former “Jackass” star Steve-O spoke to TMZ about his battle with addiction and his sober take on his career choice.

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“I'm proud of what I've done in the past to distract people from the fact that the world can be a bad place,” Steve-O said. “(But) I think I could have reached for a better sort of things to be looked up for than to be an alcoholic drug addict that hurts himself for a living."

In the interview, which took place just outside an L.A. courthouse following his “not guilty” plea to drug charges, Steve-O claimed he couldn’t remember any of the events surrounding his arrest. “I can honestly say I don’t remember it … I was in such bad shape … I was a mess.”

That blank spot in his memory is part of his motivation to stay clean. “What I know from being clean for 44 days is if I go back to using alcohol and drugs, I'm going to go right back to being that bad. There is nowhere in between.”

Dish on the fly
While Benji Madden just can’t seem to get enough of Paris Hilton, the same can’t be said for his Good Charlotte bandmates. “Paris is desperately trying to fit in with the band, but she has outstayed her welcome,” an insider told the Mirror. “Everyone is hoping he'll wake up soon and dump her.” … Never one to hold her tongue on the subject of Star Jones, Rosie O’Donnell finally chimed in on the other former “View” host’s upcoming divorce. When a fan wrote in to “ask ro” and wanted Rosie’s take on the split, the comedian cryptically responded, “we all fool rselves / sometimes.” … Ashton Kutcher’s not quite perfect, or so he told UK talk-show host Jonathon Ross. “I have slightly webbed toes,” the actor confessed in an excerpt of the interview published in the Daily Mail. “When everything else is this good-looking, something has to give!”

Tabloid Tidbits is compiled by Ree Hines.

© 2008 MSNBC Interactive
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