# Janet Jackson is an ass. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 17, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988 "2011-08-17T03:06:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/1 "2011-08-17T03:06:35Z")
In case you’ve been living under a rock the past few days, a stage [collapsed](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=620268) at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. 5 dead and many injured. Maroon 5 and Train were scheduled to perform at the fair this year. They were able to book another venue in Indianapolis (Conseco Fieldhouse) and all of the proceeds are going to a “Remembrance Fund” for those who died. Conseco Fieldhouse is also donating their proceeds to the Fund as well. A separate shout-out to Women of Faith organization who was able to change their gathering so that Conseco was available to Maroon 5 and Train. Lady Antebellum canceled her performance out of respect to those killed/injured; however, she also cancelled the contract with the Indiana State Fair so they did not have to pay her. Janet Jackson also canceled her performance…but did NOT cancel her contract. She is still expecting to get paid for not performing. In light of the tragedy, that is just wrong on so many levels. Yes, she is legally in the right by holding them to their contract but seriously? What an ass. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/2 "2011-08-17T03:10:36Z")
That sounds pretty jerkish. But if _she_ cancelled her performance, wouldn’t the venue automatically be off the hook for paying her. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/3 "2011-08-17T03:28:29Z")
She’s down to playing state fairs? Jerk or not, she is probably desperate for cash. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/4 "2011-08-17T03:32:06Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > She’s down to playing state fairs? Jerk or not, she is probably desperate for cash. You can make a decent living on the corn dog circuit. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/5 "2011-08-17T03:41:23Z")
Do you have a cite for this? I just did a quick Google search and didn’t come up with anything in the trades. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/6 "2011-08-17T03:51:44Z")
**MsRobyn** , the only cite I have is an email from the State Fair to my employer advising us what to do for refunds. Because it involves my employer, I’m not able to share it here. I’m hoping this gets some publicity, though. Would it be in bad taste for the Fair to leak it to the press? ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/7 "2011-08-17T03:53:14Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > That sounds pretty jerkish. But if _she_ cancelled her performance, wouldn’t the venue automatically be off the hook for paying her. I’m guessing I misstated that…The Indiana State Fair would have been the one to cancel the performance because they no longer have the facility for her to perform. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/8 "2011-08-17T04:00:47Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > **MsRobyn** , the only cite I have is an email from the State Fair to my employer advising us what to do for refunds. Because it involves my employer, I’m not able to share it here. I’m hoping this gets some publicity, though. Would it be in bad taste for the Fair to leak it to the press? Ah, OK. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/9 "2011-08-17T04:04:02Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > She’s down to playing state fairs? Jerk or not, she is probably desperate for cash. I dunno; those are some pretty popular bands that she’s listed with. Sugarland, Lady Antebellum and Maroon 5 (at least) are at the top of their games. Which I guess is not to say that Janet is not desperate for cash; this isn’t a bottom of the barrel fair, though. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/10 "2011-08-17T04:55:07Z")
Well, she’s an [American woman](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=620581), isn’t she? I mean, what do you expect? ---
**Author:** ![Pixiesnix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/11 "2011-08-17T04:55:35Z")
Nitpick: Lady Antebellum is a group. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/12 "2011-08-17T11:51:54Z")
Sorry, but who, who and who? No offense to the bands, but they’re not nearly playing/known/ubiquitous as much as Ms. Jackson was. No fan of her or her genre, but I can’t imagine that state fairs are where she thought she’d be right now. Oh, and no offense to state fairs–maybe they’re much bigger in the mid-west than the coasts. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/13 "2011-08-17T11:59:11Z")
> [@Pixiesnix](#): > > Nitpick: Lady Antebellum is a group. So is Janet Jackson? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/14 "2011-08-17T12:09:33Z")
No, but **Ruby** referred to Lady Antebellum as she and her, which sort of implies that Lady Antebellum is country’s answer to Lady Gaga. Which would be completely awesome, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/15 "2011-08-17T12:30:09Z")
> [@sugaree](#): > > No, but **Ruby** referred to Lady Antebellum as she and her, which sort of implies that Lady Antebellum is country’s answer to Lady Gaga. Which would be completely awesome, actually. Yeah, she could wear all kinds of funky… I dunno, boots, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/16 "2011-08-17T12:30:39Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I dunno; those are some pretty popular bands that she’s listed with. Sugarland, Lady Antebellum and Maroon 5 (at least) are at the top of their games. Which I guess is not to say that Janet is not desperate for cash; this isn’t a bottom of the barrel fair, though. Yeah, the Indiana State Fair is one of the biggest in the country. Also, she is an Indiana native. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/17 "2011-08-17T13:09:14Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Sorry, but who, who and who? No offense to the bands, but they’re not nearly playing/known/ubiquitous as much as Ms. Jackson was. “Was” being the operative word there. As for Lady Antebellum, Maroon 5, and Sugarland, I assure you that they’re about the farthest thing in the world from obscure. I’m not a particular fan of any of them, but you’d have to be pretty insulated from pop culture to have not heard of them. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/18 "2011-08-17T13:13:26Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > As for Lady Antebellum, Maroon 5, and Sugarland, I assure you that they’re about the farthest thing in the world from obscure. I’m not a particular fan of any of them, but you’d have to be pretty insulated from pop culture to have not heard of them. Clearly my underwear is made of fiberglass pink. That might explain all the itching… ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/19 "2011-08-17T13:13:39Z")
I’m not sure I understand the pitting. Jackson isn’t billing the families of the victims of the accident or anything, she’s billing the State Fair people. I don’t really see why she should feel morally impelled to let the Fair out of its contract. If anything, the Fairgrounds folks are the villains here, at least so far as they were responsible for the stage. I don’t see why anyone should go out of their way to shelter them from the economic consequences of that stage collapsing. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/20 "2011-08-17T13:16:32Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > In case you’ve been living under a rock the past few days, … Actually, I was. [http://www.nps.gov/labe/index.htm](http://www.nps.gov/labe/index.htm) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988.md?page=2)