# TMZ going down for Rihanna photo? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 21, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882 "2009-02-21T19:48:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/1 "2009-02-21T19:48:08Z")
Last night at a church meeting was a guy who used to work with the TMZ people at the Extra show, and says he was asked to go to TMZ when it formed. According to him, the industry is FUMING over the release of the Rihanna evidence photo, to the point that it reminds him of when Hard Copy made the entertainment community so mad (can’t remember why) that they started to boycott Entertainment Tonight because it had the same corporate parent. According to him, this is what killed Hard Copy. Anyone else out there so plugged in that they can give us an inside view? ---
**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:** [February 21, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/2 "2009-02-21T21:34:55Z")
I don’t know anything about Rihanna other htan that my nieces & stepdaughter like her, and I know less about Chris Brown, and I’m not even sure what TMZ stands for. Having thus established my pop music cluelessness, I must say that publishing the photo is vile, and the editor responsible for making that decision needs his ass kicked. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/3 "2009-02-21T21:51:40Z")
Who the hell is Rihanna and why do I keep hearing about her these days? Also, what’s this about photo evidence? Hostile Dialect, Hostile Dialect, Narcissist ---
**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:** [February 21, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/4 "2009-02-21T21:54:05Z")
> [@Hostile\_Dialect](#): > > Who the hell is Rihanna and why do I keep hearing about her these days? Also, what’s this about photo evidence? > > Hostile Dialect, > Hostile Dialect, Narcissist She is a singer whose boyfriend, apparently also a singer, beat her up on Grammy night. Or maybe the day before. Anyway, the boyfriend was arrested, but, sadly, has not received the beatdown deserved by men who beat up women smaller than are. And apparently TMZ is a media outlet that published a link of her beaten face, or so I gather from the link in the OP. I’m not sure what TMZ is. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/5 "2009-02-21T22:25:30Z")
Nonsensical drama and an idiotic premise from your friend re the purported outrage. Other than the singers record label and fans why would the “entertainment industry” care one way or the other if the post attack pics of a currently popular musical star are shown? The “entertainment industry” would blow a donkey in the middle of the street if they thought there was fame or paycheck in it. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/6 "2009-02-21T23:15:52Z")
> [@Skald the Rhymer](#): > > and I’m not even sure what TMZ stands for. TMZ stands for [Thirty Mile Zone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TMZ.com). Apparently the term has been around since the 60s: (although there are are warnings on that page about “improper references”. > [@](#): > > ‘TMZ’ stands for “Thirty Mile Zone”, a term which originated in the 1960s. Due to the growth of “on location” shoots, studios and various talent guilds established a “thirty mile zone” – outside of which shooting is considered to be a location shoot – requiring per diems and other travel and living expenses to be paid. The zone remains centered in Los Angeles around the old offices of The Association of Motion Pictures and Television Producers at Beverly and La Cienega Boulevards in California. It was often said that “Everything entertainment happens in the ‘Thirty Mile Zone.’” So essentially, the “Thirty Mile Zone” represents the center of Hollywood.[5] ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/7 "2009-02-21T23:39:30Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I must say that publishing the photo is vile, and the editor responsible for making that decision needs his ass kicked. I would agree, if not for all the people who have expressed skepticism, claiming that Brown is a nice guy, Rihanna may be a drama queen, it “wasn’t that bad” and so forth. Releasing the photo is **less** bad than having Brown absolved through speculation. I mean, when you get right down to it, he **did** that to her, so who should really be ashamed? Not her. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/8 "2009-02-21T23:45:45Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > TMZ stands for [Thirty Mile Zone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TMZ.com). Apparently the term has been around since the 60s: (although there are are warnings on that page about “improper references”. Fascinating. Always wondered about that- thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/9 "2009-02-22T01:05:12Z")
Don’t pretend that people aren’t people just because they work in entertainment. There are loyalties, and there are threatened feelings (“these jerks are liable to publish something very embarrassing and private of mine,next”). The other thing that comes up is the idea that women will be less likely to go to the cops if their evidence photos are seen as something to steal and sell. ---
**Author:** ![mariposalabrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@mariposalabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mariposalabrown)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/10 "2009-02-22T01:10:07Z")
Apparently Harvey Levin, the guy behind TMZ who is a lawyer, or was, stated that they received the photo through legal means. Some are thinking her lawyer might have released it to them due to the onslaught of support for Chris Brown he was receiving from other celebrities. This is “apparently”, not the stated fact, so take that as it is. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/11 "2009-02-22T02:59:43Z")
Sounds like somebody needs to rearrange Chris Brown’s pretty little face. Who’s with me? Hostile Dialect, Hostile Dialect, Narcissist ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/12 "2009-02-22T03:38:33Z")
Every time I hear about Chris Brown now I really wish I was clever enough to make the Doublemint Gum joke that this situation deserves so much.\* [COLOR=“black”]\*Chris Brown is famous for [this song.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2IExa2A198)[/COLOR] ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/13 "2009-02-22T03:53:44Z")
Rihanna is part of JayZ’s, crew- he got her into the music business and has been her mentor. It’s being said that Brown is a walking dead man. We’ll see what happens with that. I had not heard that anybody was supporting Brown, except for a couple of people that had been quoted as saying he was a good guy, but that was before they were informed of the incident and both of them retracted their statements supporting him after being told what happened. The whole thing is just sickening, especially the intimations that they are still in touch and she wants him back. Nice. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/14 "2009-02-22T04:01:46Z")
The only support I’ve heard for Chris Brown is some woman on a message board claiming that Rhianna gave him a disease so she deserved a beating…apparently NOT a Rhianna fan. What I find disturbing about the photo is that I don’t think her injuries look as bad as they sounded. I’m sure she washed up a bit, and bruises do tend to show up later, but I really couldn’t tell, from the poor quality, where she was hit. And I always assumed TMZ stood for The Media Zone…guess I guessed wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/15 "2009-02-22T04:09:27Z")
I need some enlightenment… What is so terrible about publishing those photos? The pros are that there is little doubt that this was not some kind of trumped up charge against a boyfriend by a drama queen. The photo proves that she was indeed beaten. The cons? ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/16 "2009-02-22T04:10:37Z")
So _that’s_ how they got it! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/17 "2009-02-22T04:14:21Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > The cons? IANA police officer or prosecutor, but I would think that they wouldn’t want evidence shown to the general public before the jury is even picked, should there be a trial. ---
**Author:** ![mariposalabrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@mariposalabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mariposalabrown)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/18 "2009-02-22T04:22:16Z")
In that photo, it looks like he choked the shit out of her, she has a ring of bruises around her neck, and at some point he smacked her head on the steering wheel or the dashboard, something that would cause identical swollen hits on her forehead. Celebrities that were wishing Brown well were people such as T.I. and Terrance Howard, although Howard is a wife beater anyway, and TI (who I actually love his music) has a new show called 45 Days to Redemption or some shit where he tries to make young kids that are bad see the light before he does his year in jail for weapon charges. Whatever. Showing that picture isn’t a bad thing. What is a bad thing, is that whether she likes it or not, she might have to be the face of beaten women and take a stand against it, and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want to be that face right now. There’s the problem with being in a celebrity light, and I feel very sorry for her for that. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/19 "2009-02-22T04:45:21Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > What is so terrible about publishing those photos? The idea is that the victims of domestic violence and sexual crimes are not usually publicly identified. I was old enough to pay attention when these laws were passed. They were controversial in that a person can accuse someone sure his name could not be released. On the other hand, laws protecting the identify of victims has encouraged people to testify. On balance it is a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882/20 "2009-02-22T04:48:03Z")
So everyone seems to ignore the shame of being exposed as the woman who trusted the Jerk who abused her. This is maybe the strongest argument against this photo. If you cause trouble and embarrassment, people are less likely to come forward in the future. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmz-going-down-for-rihanna-photo/486882.md?page=2)