# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/41 "2011-08-17T18:27:24Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > 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. Ditto. While it’s a nice gesture to forgo payment out of some personal sense of ‘respect,’ I see no issue with a contractor requiring that contracts be honored. A contractor has incurred expenses, has turned down other work, etc etc. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/42 "2011-08-17T18:43:56Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Have you not watched the video? The Indiana state fair concerts are held in a stadium. Technically, it was held [at a racetrack, which had only one grandstand](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=indiana+state+fair&hl=en&ll=39.828936,-86.133231&spn=0.003551,0.008256&sll=38.99706,-94.591922&sspn=0.014375,0.033023&vpsrc=6&t=h&fll=39.828936,-86.133231&fspn=0.003551,0.008256&z=18). Had it been held in a stadium, there would have been seats surrounding the stage and the wind wouldn’t have been anywhere near as much of a factor. What gets me is that they have this fair every single year, in the same place. Why haven’t they built a concert venue on the fairgrounds like Milwaukee’s Summerfest, instead of erecting a flimsy stage in a location with a history of high winds? ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/43 "2011-08-17T18:55:15Z")
I am a bit skeptical that Ms. Jackson even knows about the contract not being cancelled, etc. That’s what managers are for. So we should really be pitting her management team, yeah? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/44 "2011-08-17T19:10:57Z")
That was my original thought: Is there any evidence that Janet herself, or indeed, any of her team, is personally aware of this situation? Surely the situation as reported is precisely what would have happened if no one involved had taken any action whatsoever. So is it the result of deliberate malignance on the part of…someone…or just inertia in (in)action? I didn’t bother posting that earlier, though, because other, more valid points were raised first. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/45 "2011-08-17T20:03:04Z")
> [@perfectparanoia](#): > > So we should really be pitting her management team, yeah? I vote no. I vote that the Indiana State Fair committee be pitted. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/46 "2011-08-17T20:50:20Z")
Why don’t we just Pit gravity? That is what caused both the collapse _and_ Ms. Jackson’s sagging boobs. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/47 "2011-08-17T20:59:04Z")
I can tell you the prices she’s charging for her upcoming Australian tour, and I assume the rest of the world, are certainly not has-been prices. (As a big fan, I bought a good seat… but I’d have to actually be a Jackson to be able to afford a great one.) ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/48 "2011-08-17T21:05:58Z")
> [@multimediac17](#): > > I can tell you the prices she’s charging for her upcoming Australian tour, and I assume the rest of the world, are certainly not has-been prices. (As a big fan, I bought a good seat… but I’d have to actually be a Jackson to be able to afford a great one.) I think the misconception here is the idea that everybody can be a has been. I think once someone reaches a certain level of fame, they can’t really ever truly become a has been. My friend just went and saw Bob Dylan at the OC fair, for instance-- even playing a fair, Bob Dylan will never be a has been. Bob Dylan or Janet Jackson playing a fair is not really the same as Debbie Gibson going back on a mall tour, but maybe that’s just me talking here. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/49 "2011-08-17T21:22:15Z")
If Miss Jackson\* has the family business acumen, she may not be able to afford to give up the artist fee. As of just a few years ago she and Latoya (who married into big money) were the only ones who weren’t flat-ass broke. IIRC Marlon was stocking shelves in a grocery store somewhere just a few years before Michael died. I think the story I read came before the market went to hell, so who knows what might have happened to her fortune. Also, a lot of people get paid out of the artist’s end–the band, the cost to move the production, her booking agent, etc. Most of those costs don’t go away just because the show doesn’t happen. And apparently the large number of touring acts and the sluggish economy have cut artist fees by quite a bit, and even fairly big names are not making a lot of money on the road. Giving up one performance fee might be the difference between a tour in the black and one in the red. - I’m nasty ---
**Author:** ![OneMissedPost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e7dd6/32.png) [@OneMissedPost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneMissedPost)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/50 "2011-08-17T21:24:35Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > 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. Well, what did you expect? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/51 "2011-08-17T21:39:39Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > If Miss Jackson\* has the family business acumen, she may not be able to afford to give up the artist fee. In 2007, she was on[Forbe’s List of Richest Female Entertainers.](http://www.forbes.com/2007/01/17/richest-women-entertainment-tech-media-cz_lg_richwomen07_0118womenstars_slide_8.html) She’s not just a musician, she’s an actress, too. I’m sure she’s not hurting. ---
**Author:** ![My\_Freakin\_Back\_Is\_Killing\_Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@My\_Freakin\_Back\_Is\_Killing\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/My_Freakin_Back_Is_Killing_Me)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/52 "2011-08-17T21:51:35Z")
I don’t understand this pitting. JJ was in no way responsible for the stage collapse, why should she be left holding the bag for the expenses she incurred? I know nothing about the music industry but I’m guessing she has to pay booking agents, transportation fees, etc. And since celebrities cannot be in two places at once, she may have had to turn other gigs down (don’t laugh) to play in Indiana. Why shouldn’t she get her fees? Also, another pet-peeve: I think it’s wonderful that other artists are agreeing to donate proceeds to those who were injured and the families that lost loved ones, but when did such gestures become mandatory? Just because some people go out of their way to be nice doesn’t mean that everyone who doesn’t is an asshole. ---
**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, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/53 "2011-08-17T22:12:14Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > What gets me is that they have this fair every single year, in the same place. Why haven’t they built a concert venue on the fairgrounds like Milwaukee’s Summerfest, instead of erecting a flimsy stage in a location with a history of high winds? They had one in the 60’s, but it blew up [killing 74 people](http://www.indystar.com/article/99999999/NEWS06/80817011/StarFiles-1963-Coliseum-explosion). I think the real question is why they still have fairs on what seems to be some sort of cursed indian burial ground. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/54 "2011-08-18T00:03:05Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > They had one in the 60’s, but it blew up [killing 74 people](http://www.indystar.com/article/99999999/NEWS06/80817011/StarFiles-1963-Coliseum-explosion). Holy fuck! > [@](#): > > I think the real question is why they still have fairs on what seems to be some sort of cursed indian burial ground. Maybe that is part of the curse, that they are damned for all eternity to hold fairs there to ensure blood sacrifices. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/55 "2011-08-18T00:13:17Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > “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. I’m pretty clueless about pop culture, and even I’ve heard of the first and last (though the comely blonde from Sugarland is the only one I’d recognize). ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/56 "2011-08-18T02:20:34Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > In 2007, she was on[Forbe’s List of Richest Female Entertainers.](http://www.forbes.com/2007/01/17/richest-women-entertainment-tech-media-cz_lg_richwomen07_0118womenstars_slide_8.html) She’s not just a musician, she’s an actress, too. I’m sure she’s not hurting. I knew that she was doing well the last time I heard. But 2007 was a long time ago, and the Jacksons seem to have a particular knack for unloading large sums of money, so it’s worth wondering about. I too suspect that she’s not hurting. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/57 "2011-08-18T02:24:59Z")
> [@My\_Freakin\_Back\_Is\_Killing\_Me](#): > > I don’t understand this pitting. > > JJ was in no way responsible for the stage collapse, why should she be left holding the bag for the expenses she incurred? I know nothing about the music industry but I’m guessing she has to pay booking agents, transportation fees, etc. And since celebrities cannot be in two places at once, she may have had to turn other gigs down (don’t laugh) to play in Indiana. Why shouldn’t she get her fees? > > Also, another pet-peeve: I think it’s wonderful that other artists are agreeing to donate proceeds to those who were injured and the families that lost loved ones, but when did such gestures become mandatory? Just because some people go out of their way to be nice doesn’t mean that everyone who doesn’t is an asshole. Three of the four artists scheduled for the venue also had static expenses but it didn’t stop them from donating their time and money to the Remembrance Fund. I didn’t say it was mandatory. I just think given the situation there’s more value to being “nice” than being paid. You may have one thing right, though. As for a pitting it may be lame. I don’t play in the Pit very often. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/58 "2011-08-18T02:31:17Z")
Who is doing Minnesota State Fair concerts this year? Reba McEntire & Ronnie Dunn Def Leppard & Heart Big Time Rush Carnival Of Madness Happy Together Tour Steely Dan Toby Keith Marc Anthony A Prairie Home Companion - Garrison Keillor Weezer Maroon 5 & Train Last year, Carrie Underwood sold out Admission: $37.00 – $57.00. **Box Office: $656,037** Sold: 12,931 of 12,931 – 100% Gross of over $600k at a state fair with no need for marketing on your end? Jackpot. ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/59 "2011-08-18T03:18:38Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > Three of the four artists scheduled for the venue also had static expenses but it didn’t stop them from donating their time and money to the Remembrance Fund. I didn’t say it was mandatory. I just think given the situation there’s more value to being “nice” than being paid. > > You may have one thing right, though. As for a pitting it may be lame. I don’t play in the Pit very often. Forgive the snark, but when did we start creating a remembrance fund for every single dang person who’s death gets on the news? I feel bad for the people who died or were hurt, and I certainly feel for their families, but still, a remembrance fund? Will they be spending the money on a big remembrance party? Will they be sending the money to the families of the people who died so they can each take a month off to remember their lost loved ones? My guess is that most of the money will go to administrative costs of setting up and managing the fund anyway, so I tend to think of these things as kind of scammy and tasteless. And then anyone who doesn’t buy in to the scam looks like an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988/60 "2011-08-18T04:09:57Z")
From [here](http://www.theindychannel.com/news/28896677/detail.html) > [@](#): > > The State Fair and Central Indiana Community Foundation are working together to set up the fund so that the money can be disbursed. > > “We will collect the money for the fund and then give that to the State Fair foundation," Justin Armstrong said. “The disbursement will be decided by the State Fair Foundation." > > The Foundation said they are still trying to establish eligibility guidelines for the fund. 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the fund, officials said. > > “We know there is a need for these funds, so we’re working as quickly as possible to get that established, so we can start dispersing those funds,” Mike Knight said. “It will probably take longer than people wish it would, and on behalf of everyone involved in this process, we wish we could make it happen (as soon as possible, but we’re working as hard and as fast as we can. We want to ease suffering as much as we possibly can with the donations." So to answer your question, we don’t know yet how the money will be disbursed but I would like to believe that it will go toward funeral costs for those who died or uninsured medical expenses for those injured. At least 2 of the dead were in their 20’s so it’s very likely they didn’t have life insurance. While you may find it tacky, some of us would like to help the families of the victims in any way we can. Since I didn’t know any of them personally, I can’t take them a casserole so throwing money at a Remembrance Fund is as close as I can get to helping. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/janet-jackson-is-an-ass/592988.md?page=4)