Microphone gaffe
Encyclopedia
A microphone gaffe, sometimes referred to as an open microphone (in aviation
, a stuck mic), is an error whereby a microphone is switched on in proximity of a subject who is unaware that their remarks are being broadcast. The error allows unintended listeners to hear parts of private conversations. Errors usually involve live broadcasting in radio or television, and sometimes material is recorded and played back via media outlets. Such events can cause embarrassment for the person or organization involved, sometimes resulting in serious confrontations and employment termination.
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
, a stuck mic), is an error whereby a microphone is switched on in proximity of a subject who is unaware that their remarks are being broadcast. The error allows unintended listeners to hear parts of private conversations. Errors usually involve live broadcasting in radio or television, and sometimes material is recorded and played back via media outlets. Such events can cause embarrassment for the person or organization involved, sometimes resulting in serious confrontations and employment termination.
Television broadcasts
- In 1999, during a cricket test matchTest cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
between Australia and Pakistan, Australian Scott Muller misfielded a ball and a voice was heard saying, "Can't bowl, can't throw." Teammate Shane WarneShane WarneShane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
was suspected, but a cameraman, Joe Previtera, confessed. - On June 22, 2000, Australian newsreader Marie-Louise TheileMarie-Louise TheileMarie-Louise Theile is a former Australian news presenter. She presented Ten News at Five in Brisbane.Born in Brisbane Theile graduated at the University of Queensland. Theile worked as a reporter for The Sun, before she moved to New York where she worked at Elle magazine. She then spent time in...
was recorded as calling her husband an "arsehole" during what she thought was a commercial break on Ten NewsTen NewsTen News is the national news service of Network Ten in Australia. The majority of its news bulletins are presented from the TEN-10 studios in Pyrmont...
in BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. - During television coverage of the Canadian federal election, 2000Canadian federal election, 2000The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
, a CBC TelevisionCBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
producer covering Stockwell DayStockwell DayStockwell Burt Day, Jr., PC, MP is a former Canadian politician, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is a former cabinet minister in Alberta, and a former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Day was MP for the riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla in British Columbia and the president of...
's campaign was heard on-air making a gratuitous comment about the breasts of Juliana Thiessen DayJuliana Thiessen DayJuliana Renée Thiessen Day is a former Miss Canadian Universe and the Canadian representative to the Miss Universe pageant in 1998.She married Logan Day, son of former Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day, in 1999....
, Stockwell's daughter-in-law. His words were cut off mid-sentence: "This is Logan Day's wife. I've never met her, but apparently she's got tits that'd stop a--" The producer was forced to apologize. - One of the most famous microphone gaffes in the UK was that of Ron AtkinsonRon AtkinsonRonald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
, a well-known footballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
broadcaster and former player and manager, in April of 2004. Speaking of ChelseaChelsea F.C.Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
defender Marcel DesaillyMarcel DesaillyMarcel Desailly is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...
after the team's defeat he said "He's what's known in some schools as a fucking lazy thick nigger." The microphone was open to some countries in the Middle EastMiddle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, with UK broadcasts having already finished. Atkinson was forced to resign his position at ITVITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and left his role as a columnist at The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
by mutual agreement. - A series of technical problems on March 9, 2006 forced ESPN2ESPN2ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
to switch from its SportsCenterSportsCenterSportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
broadcast to that of ESPNEWSESPNEWSESPNEWS , launched on November 1, 1996, is a 24-hour-a-day sports news television channel...
. Caught unprepared by the move, ESPNEWS broadcaster Danyelle SargentDanyelle SargentDanyelle Sargent-Musselman is an American sports television reporter.-Education and early career:She is a graduate of Florida State University and began her television career at WGXA, in Macon, GA....
struggled for words, forcing fellow anchor Robert Flores to finish her sentence. After the broadcast cut to taped footage, Sargent was heard exclaiming "What the fuckFuck"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
was that?" - On 8 August 2006 former cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er and Australian Network TenNetwork TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
sports commentator Dean JonesDean Jones (cricketer)Dean Mervyn Jones AM is a retired Australian cricketer, and is presently a coach. He also worked as a media commentator.-Career:...
said "the terrorist has got another wicket" when Proteas fielder Hashim AmlaHashim AmlaHashim Mahomed Amla is a South African cricketer. A right-handed upper order batsman and occasional medium-pace bowler, Amla bats at number 3 for South Africa in Test matches and has opened in limited overs contests. He is currently ranked as the No...
(the first player of Muslim descent to play test cricketTest cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
for South Africa) caught Kumar SangakkaraKumar SangakkaraKumar Sangakkara is a Sri Lankan, Sinhalese cricketer and the former captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team. He is a left-handed top-order batsman...
during a match between South Africa and Sri Lanka. Jones claimed he thought the microphone was off and made prompt formal apologies, but he was dismissed from his post. - On 29 August 2006 AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
news channel CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
was broadcasting the live Hurricane KatrinaHurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
anniversary speech from U.S. PresidentPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
when the microphone of anchorwomanNews presenterA news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
Kyra PhillipsKyra PhillipsKyra Phillips is an American news anchor. She is on the weekday edition of CNN Newsroom.-Early life and career:Phillips was born in North Carolina. She grew up in San Diego and graduated from Helix High School. She received her Bachelor's degree in journalism from University of Southern California...
was left on. She was taking a break and around 90 seconds of her conversation with another woman was broadcast over CNN's coverage of Bush's speech. During the conversation she discussed her husband, whom she called "a really passionate, compassionate, great, great human being," and her sister-in-law, who she called a "control freak." CNN apologized to viewers and the White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. - In August 2007, Australian journalist Kerry O'Brien, presenter of the ABCAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's The 7.30 ReportThe 7.30 ReportThe 7.30 Report is an Australian nightly television current affairs program, that was shown on ABC1 and ABC News 24 at , Mondays–Thursdays...
, was recorded criticising his production staff for a mishap with the teleprompterTeleprompterAn autocue is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. Using a teleprompter is similar to the practice of using cue cards...
while a story was running. - News wires picked up the gaffe of a newscaster with Irish public service broadcasting in January 2009, concerning the need for IMF intervention in the Country. Bloomberg noted how German stocks fell sharply, while Reuters reported that the euro dipped by a cent against the dollar before it stabilised following a strong denial.
- Veteran Sports presenters Richard KeysRichard KeysRichard Keys is an English radio presenter best known for his time with British sports channel Sky Sports from 1991 until 2011. In February 2011, Keys along with fellow Sky presenter, Andy Gray signed with talkSPORT....
and Andy Gray were sacked after making remarks that a female referee wouldn't understand the complex offsideOffside-Sport:* Offside , a rule in a number of field team sports designed to help ensure players move together as a team** Offside ** Offside ** Offside ** Offside ** Offside...
football rule
Political
- At the height of the Cold WarCold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
in 1984 U.S. President Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
was about to appear on a radio interview and, as a soundcheckSoundcheckA soundcheck is the preparation that takes place before a concert, speech, or similar performance, when the performer and the sound crew run through a small portion of the upcoming show on the venue's sound system to make sure that the sound in the venue's "Front Of House" and stage monitor sound...
, said "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes." - On February 16, 1993, U.S. President Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
snapped at an aide "Listen, goddamn it. Come here. You can't do that. You can't take me out here with a mayor and a congresswoman and push them back" after a member of his staff tried to prevent the mayor and Congresswoman Eleanor Norton from joining the President walking to a porch for a photo opportunity with construction workers. A full-version of this event is available here starting at 1:41 http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/RoadC/start/109/stop/480
- In 1993 British Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United KingdomThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
John MajorJohn MajorSir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
, after an interview with ITN political editor Michael BrunsonMichael BrunsonMichael Brunson OBE is a British political journalist.He was educated at Bedford School, a boys' independent school in Bedford, Bedfordshire, and read Theology at Queen's College, Oxford University. Michael Brunson began his broadcasting career at the BBC and later served as Washington...
, forgot about the recording equipment. He called some members of his CabinetCabinet (government)A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
"bastards" and promised to "crucify" them, and saying of recent revelations "I can't stop people sleeping with other people if they ought not to." He also called himself a "wimp" and said that he had no idea how to win an election. - During his 2000 presidential campaignGeorge W. Bush presidential campaign, 2000This article is about the 2000 presidential campaign of George W. Bush, winner of the 2000 presidential election and re-elected in the 2004 election.See George W. Bush for a detailed biography and information about his presidency, and George W...
, George W. Bush called New York Times reporter Adam ClymerAdam ClymerAdam Clymer is an American journalist.-Career:He was with The New York Times from 1977 until July, 2003, and served as its national political correspondent for the 1980 presidential election, polling editor from 1983 to 1990, political editor for George H. W...
a "major league asshole" just before a campaign speech to Vice-President Dick CheneyDick CheneyRichard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
, whose response ("big time") was also audible. The media reaction was intense, with news stations repeatedly broadcasting it and the New York PostNew York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
running two pages about the incident. Bush said of the incident: "I regret that a private comment I made to the vice-presidential candidate made it onto the public airwaves. I regret everybody heard what I said." - During a televised debate between U.S. presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al GoreAl GoreAlbert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
during the 2000 presidential campaign, Gore's sighs (in response to some of Bush's statements) were heard through Gore's live microphone. In regards to the incident, Gore was quoted as saying "Both the governor and I have learned lessons about when the microphone is on, and when it's off." - On 11 March 2004, following a satellite address to the AFL-CIOAFL-CIOThe American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
, U.S. presidential candidate John KerryJohn KerryJohn Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
turned to one of the Union workers he was standing near and said "Oh yeah, don't worry man. We're going to keep pounding, let me tell you -- we're just beginning to fight here. These guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group of people I've ever seen." Although being removed by an assistant at the time, Kerry's microphone was still live and captured his statement. His words were presumed to be directed at his political rivals, the U.S. Republican PartyRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and U.S. President George W. Bush. Kerry spokesman David Wade later claimed that Kerry was indeed aware that his microphone was recording and was not referring to Republicans in general but to their use of "crooked, deceitful, personal attacks over the last four years." - On 1 July 2006 a technician did not turn off the audio feed during a closed-door lunch between U.S. Secretary of StateUnited States Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Condoleezza RiceCondoleezza RiceCondoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
and Russian Foreign MinisterForeign Minister of RussiaThis is a list of foreign ministers of Tsardom of Russia, Russian Empire, Soviet Union, and Russian Federation.-Heads of Posolsky Prikaz, 1549-1699:*Ivan Viskovatyi 1549-62*Andrey Vasilyev 1562-1570*Brothers Vasily and Andrey Shchelkalov 1570-1601...
Sergei Lavrov amongst others. Journalists, on listening to the 20 minute broadcast, referred to the conversation as "bickering" about the IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i aid programme.
- On 17 July 2006 a private conversation between U.S. President George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and British Prime Minister Tony BlairTony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
at the G8G8The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
Summit in St. Petersburg was picked up by a nearby microphone. Bush told Blair he hoped the UN would "get SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shitShitShit is usually considered vulgar and profane in Modern English. As a noun it refers to fecal matter and as a verb it means to defecate or defecate in; in the plural it means diarrhea...
" (referring to Syria's influence over and support of Hezbollah in the 2006 conflict between IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Hezbollah in LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
), the crisis would be over. This was reaffirmed by the suggestion to "get Kofi [Annan] on the phone with [Bashir] Assad and make something happen." He also revealed that Condoleezza Rice would visit the area. - On 19 October 2006 during an official meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud OlmertEhud OlmertEhud Olmert is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, as a Cabinet Minister from 1988 to 1992 and from 2003 to 2006, and as Mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003....
in MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
Russian President Vladimir PutinVladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
was overheard praising Israeli President Moshe KatsavMoshe KatsavMoshe Katsav is an Israeli politician. He served as the eighth President of Israel, a leading Likud member of the Israeli Knesset, and a Cabinet Minister in its government....
for raping ten employees of his office. - Before a Fox News interview on July 6, 2008, a live microphone picked up Jesse JacksonJesse JacksonJesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
whispering to a fellow guest: "See, BarackBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's been, ahh, talking down to black people on this faith-based... I want to cut his nuts off... Barack, he's talking down to black people" in an apparent response to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's recent speeches on values. - On 28 April 2010 British Prime Minister Gordon BrownGordon BrownJames Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
was caught on microphone describing an encounter with a female voter as a "disaster" and called her a "bigoted woman". - In June 2010, US Republican Senate nominee from CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Carly FiorinaCarly FiorinaCarly Fiorina is an American business executive and a former Republican candidate for the United States Senate representing California. Fiorina served as chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005 and previously was an executive at AT&T and its equipment and technology spinoff,...
criticised the hair of her Democratic opponent, Barbara BoxerBarbara BoxerBarbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
when she didn't realise her microphone was on during an interview for CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. There was popular question as to whether this was staged as an attempt to undermine respect for Boxer, or whether it was an honest mistake. - On 8 November 2011 a private conversation between French President Nicolas SarkozyNicolas SarkozyNicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
and U.S. President Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
were overheard criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Sarkozy branded Netanyahu as a 'liar' and Obama expressed his displeasure with having to deal with Netanyahu on a regular basis.
Other
- Britney SpearsBritney SpearsBritney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, about to go out in front of her largest ever concert audience in Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in 2001, allegedly complained about the organisation of her entourage saying "Don't tell me that they're just letting the audience just fucking stand out there like that. Oh my God! This is retarded." Her record company denied that it was Spears' voice that was broadcast to the 170,000 in attendance at the event. - In March 2005 Prince CharlesCharles, Prince of WalesPrince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
was heard saying, "Bloody people. I can't stand that man [referring to Nicholas WitchellNicholas WitchellNicholas Newton Henshall Witchell is an English journalist. He is the current diplomatic and royal correspondent for BBC News...
]. He's so awful, he really is." He was heard to say this while posing for photographers with his sons in KlostersKlostersKlosters-Serneus is a municipality in the district of Prättigau/Davos in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.Its well-known ski resort lies from Zurich, the nearest international airport. Transfer time is about 1.5 hours. Klosters is from Davos...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.