Dewi Persik [Not] Nude...

Another day, another FPI led controversy of insignificant proportions. The FPI and their anti-porn 'crusade' has reached another level of absurdity. The Islamic Defenders' Front has decided that a couple of topless photos of Dewi Persik are so obscene that it is time to pay her a visit at home and toss rotten eggs at her house. There is without a doubt some tossing going on, but it is not rotten eggs!

The arbiters of all things moral, the FPI, has decided to report Dewi Persik (sometimes spelled Perssik) to the police because their are nude photos of her on the internet. First things first. The FPI knows this how? Someone told them so? Or do they have a dedicated department of porn surfers in their ranks whose sole task is to surf the internet and find Indonesian porn? If the second option is the go, and apparently it is, then the FPI should be looking to contract out their services to the Ministry of [Mis]Communication and [Mis]Information. I am sure their polygamous leader and world-renowned porn expert, Tifatul Sembiring (TitS), will be most interested.

Dewi Persik's claim to fame has always been her sexy image. She has built her entire dangdut career around the concept of "if you have it, flaunt it". And, that has worked very well for her. Her personal life might not be an encyclopedia of success stories, but then again whose is? However, professionally she seems to be doing very well, thank you very much!

The FPI claim that they had to make the report because that is what the community wanted and because the Indonesian Koranic Recital Council demanded it. So, what were the Indonesian Koranic Recital Council doing looking at porn anyway? Or if they are just going on the hearsay or others, then it is about time these crotchety old men in white robes took the time to have a sneak peek at what it is they are complaining about and demanding police action on.

Seriously, Dewi Persik's breasts, no matter how perfect, are not going to damage the moral fabric of the Republic of Indonesia. Let's face it, a sustained assault on Indonesia's morality and ethics by the New Order took care of any lingering questions on that front. Quite simply, the world, and Indonesia, as we know it, is not going to end because of a topless photo of Dewi Persik appears online, particularly one where her breasts are covered by her rather long hair. Maybe if she was wearing a jilbab it would have been all OK?

There are four pictures that form the basis of the report. Three of them apparently nude and one with her kissing Ahmad Dhani. All images freely available on the internet.

This is so much a non-issue, but it does explain why there has been a run on my blog today of visitors looking for porn images of Dewi Persik. I have heard that there are a few full-frontal shots out there, but the above images will have to do for now.

Miyabi: Is She or Isn't She in Indonesia?

Nothing like a little bit of controversy to promote a film. Whether Maria Ozawa's latest Indonesian film, Hantu Tanah Kusir, is any good or not is almost irrelevant now. Simply, the controversy and mystery surrounding the use of a Japanese porn star in an Indonesian movie combined with the fact that Maxima pictures, the film production company, says she is here, but for security reasons will not disclose where ensures maximum attendance at theaters where the film is scheduled to be screened. This is particularly so when Maxima seems to be playing up the idea that Miyabi is going to be doing some meet and greet the fans at select movie theaters throughout the country.

To be honest, it seems unlikely that security will ever be tight enough to warrant a "meet and greet" with Miyabi. It is certain that if the white-robed thugs and proponents of religious tolerance, the FPI, ever got wind of a Miyabi appearance that they would be there in a heartbeat and looking to stop the heartbeats of a few attendees. In any event, the FPI have made it clear that there intent is to effect a citizen's arrest on Miyabi and then take her to the nearest airport and forcibly deport her. No, they do not have the right to effect a citizen's arrest against a foreign national legally visiting or resident in Indonesia who has not broken any laws.

Miyabi has broken no laws. She would be, assuming she is, in the country legally. Maxima would have ensured that they dotted all the "i's" and crossed all the "t's" on this one. Yet, it is worth noting that this means nothing to the FPI and the law enforcement officials charged with maintaining law and order would almost certainly let the FPI get away with any outrage of this nature.

What is really interesting is the outrage that the FPI projects against the presence of Miyabi is seemingly so disproportionate for other foreign porn stars that have recently made films in Indonesia. Among the more well-known porn stars to grace the Indonesian silver screen of late have included Rin Sakuragi, Leah Yuzuki and Tera Patrick. Yes, the pictures will appear below. After all, it is important to know what you are protesting against, right? And, all these photos are freely available on the internet with a simple search of the relevant actresses names. These are not my pictures!

A major Indonesian language newspaper, Republika, has suggested that the government needs to put an end to the practice of permitting foreign porn stars from appearing in Indonesian films. However, it would seem that the Indonesian Minister for Culture and Tourism, Jaco Wacik, is of the opinion that providing these individuals are not breaking any Indonesian laws and regulations, then it is impossible under the current framework to prevent them. He has a point in that the films to date where these foreign porn stars have cut their non-porn acting teeth have been, well, non-pornographic. In fact, they have all been passed without any issues being raised by the Indonesian Film Censorship Board (Lembaga Sensor Film / LSF).  

The pictures:

Leah Yuzuki

Rin Sakuragi

Tera Patrick

I have already posted heaps of Maria Ozawa / Miyabi photos in the past. So, feel free to search for them here. My guess is that a simple Maria Ozawa or Miyabi search will find them all.

Why Are The FPI Anti-Miyabi?

The Islamic Defenders' Front are against all things Miyabi. Generally, they are against all things Miyabi for no other reason than she is a porn star. Yes, she makes films where she takes her clothes off and has sex with men and women. These films do a roaring trade on the streets of Indonesia, usually in their pirated versions.

However, the following photos clearly show that Miyabi, whose real name is Maria Ozawa, is in fact very much sympathetic to all things Indonesian. For example, Miyabi is a firm believer in law and order. She has been photographed here astride a rather large police motorbike to highlight her ongoing support for the difficult job that Indonesian police have. Especially now that it has become an offense to use one's mobile phone while driving, including using it to SMS.

In this screen capture it is obvious that Miyabi is sympathetic to the religious obligations of Muslims during and after the fasting month. So much so that she has worn a headscarf and asked her many fans to resist temptation during the fasting month. In that sense, Miyabi is very much on the same page as the FPI, right? (no need to mind that this is a really good effort on photoshop software).

Finally, Miyabi has become so much a part of Indonesian culture that the biggest noodle producer in the world, Indofood, has honoured her with her own range of instant noodles.

There are just so many more important things for Indonesians to worry about other than whether a foreign porn star comes to Indonesia to make a horror-comedy film. And, for most Indonesians, they realise this. It is too bad that the FPI have this obsession on Miyabi and such an unhealthy fixation on her every move. So, it was mildly amusing to me that the FPI made suggestions that they would be prepared to vet Miyabi's most recent effort on film, Hantu Tanah Kusir, for pornography if the producers of the film facilitated free tickets for them to do so.

Hmmm...Ho Hum!

Postscript
It seems that Firman, the commenter to this post, has been asking why I did not cite the sources. He seemed to think that I was claiming them as images that I had created myself. I did not create these images. I have now added the sources where I pulled them off the internet from. They may or may not have originated on Kaskus. I did not get the images from Kaskus.

Generally, I make it a habit of citing all sources or at least saying something lame like "all images are freely available on the internet". This post was done with a view to getting back to citing the sources at some point this evening. I wrote the post and included the images and then went out. Now that I am back home and have had a little chuckle at the to and fro about where these pictures came from, I have gone back into my files and pulled the sources. The are now cited. Hopefully, this puts Firman's mind at rest with regards to the origins of the versions of the images posted here.

Top of the evening to y'all!

FPI Wants to Study Miyabi's Latest Movie...

For the too funny category!

There are some things that are made to bring humour into our lives and alleviate the boredom that we are sometimes prone to feel. I do not intend to make light of the seriousness of the FPI threat nor the fact that they are a bunch of violence prone white-robed thugs that are more than willing to beat you into compliance with their medieval ways in their desire to see Indonesia become the Arabian Peninsula of the 7th Century. Yet, when their leader, Habib Umar Salim or "Hey Baby", comes out and says that the Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI) must first study Miyabi's first foray into Indonesian horror films to determine if it is pornography, is extremely amusing.

The image of a group of white-robed thugs watching Miyabi while their hands are strategically placed under their flowing robes so as not to embarrass themselves should make even the hardest anti-FPI person chuckle. The whole idea of having to watch the film is reminiscent of the FPI's claims to only be buying the Indonesian version of Playboy Magazine to confirm their suspicions that it was pornographic and not because they were intent on sticking the pages together so no one else could read such filth.

Hey Baby led his goons to the Maxima offices to protest the imminent arrival of Miyabi. Miyabi is supposedly heading to Indonesia to promote her film, Hantu Tanah Kusir. Maybe she has already landed in Bali or somewhere and thus leaving the FPI clutching nothing but their ...! Or maybe the whole idea that Miyabi is coming (no pun intended) to Indonesia is nothing more than a classic controversial marketing campaign.

The FPI definition of pornography is any film that includes kissing scenes with only thin clothing separating the kissers. Obviously, Hey Baby has not heard the term "Clothes Sex", you know, the simulated sex scenes while one is fully clothed (I am sure there is a much coarser word than sex though, I wonder what it is?). Hey Baby, not to be deterred and becoming somewhat emboldened by all the attention, went on to state that striptease scenes are pornographic. A striptease scene might include any scene where the actors (presumably the female ones) are wearing hot pants or skirts that do not come below the knee. If Miyabi's film includes any scenes like those ones described then it satisfies the FPI's definition of a film that is pornographic and morally reprehensible.

Strangely enough, according to Detik.com, the FPI protest did not eventuate because they did not get a permit from the police in time. If only the FPI were that law-abiding all of the time.

Lady Gaga Going Off-Line For Charity...

Lady Gaga will not be the only celebrity going offline for charity on Wednesday, 1 December 2010. 1 December is World AIDS Day. Gaga will be joined by Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Hudson, Ryan Seacrest, Justin Timberlake and a whole host of others. The celebrities will be supporting Alicia Keys and the "Keep A Child Alive" foundation.

The idea is that the celebrities go offline from all their social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter, until the campaign reaches a certain agreed target. This year the target is USD 1 million. All the money raised is earmarked to go to needy families affected by HIV / AIDS in Africa and India.

This could be a pretty easy money spinner considering that Gaga has some seven million Twitter followers and  twenty four million Facebook friends. In comparison, I have 70 and 520 respectively. Maybe all I need to do is dress a little more provocatively?

I do not follow Lady Gaga or any of the other stars that are mentioned here. However, I am supportive of any campaign that is endeavouring to help those afflicted by the scourge of our time, HIV / AIDS.

If you can support World AIDS Day causes on 1 December. And, if you are a Lady Gaga fan, then support her.

Beach Volleyball: A Follow-Up...

My Good blog friend Harry over at Multibrand reposted a musing of mine on beach volleyball, particularly the excuse used by the Yemeni team for a loss during their Asian Games campaign; women in bikinis distracted them to the point of losing matches.

So, with that in mind, and in light of the comments he received to that post, I post this follow-up. The point is how distracted will the Yemenis be once they get anywhere near the women's beach volleyball circuit outside of the Asian Games.

Some pictures of the distractions that are sure to be really and truly bothersome for the Yemenis. These images might also go some way to explaining why beach volleyball, particularly the women's game, is so popular!

Miyabi Makes Her Indonesian Horror Film Debut...

The poor old FPI and any other white-robed thugs that have a problem with foreign porn actresses making horror films in Indonesia must be a little annoyed once again. It seems that the hardliners have missed Maria Ozawa, or Miyabi as she is affectionately known in Indonesia, slipping into the Republic of Indonesia to film a horror film, The Ghost of Tanah Kusir (Hantu Tanah Kusir).

Tanah Kusir is a public cemetery in South Jakarta if one is interested.

Funnily enough it is not only the FPI that have had the wool pulled over their eyes on this one. The majority of the promotional material for the film does not even make mention of Miyabi's role or the fact that she is even in it. But, there is no doubting she is there. Miyabi makes her grand entrance into the film about halfway through it. The rest of the film, I am reliably told, is a procession of Miyabi chest (or is that breasts) shots.

The same production house, Maxima, that was set to film the original foray of Miyabi into Indonesian horror / comedy (does that make the film comically horrific or horrifyingly comical) films. Unfortunately, for a lot of Indonesian Miyabi fans, Kidnapping Miyabi, did not make it into production out of fears that the FPI would violently seek to disrupt filming.

It would appear that the standard operating procedure will now be to sneak the controversial actresses into Indonesia, shoot the film, send the actresses home, and then release the film. Tera Patrick and Rin Sakuragi were recent porn stars to make their film debuts in Indonesia in this way. This is certain to raise the ire of the FPI as they would have been denied a soap-box opportunity to harp about the dangers of using porn actresses in non-pornographic films. This means that the only avenue of protest available to the FPI is to protest the screening of any film involving a foreign porn star. This ensures a stack of free publicity for the film, both in Indonesia and abroad, and guaranteeing success for the producers of the film.

Marketing genius or what?

Anyways, here are some additional Miyabi / Maria Ozawa images. Yes, I know you are expecting them.

Paris Hilton: Exposed...

I thought that Paris Hilton had a chain of fashion stores in her own name. If I am not mistaken, didn't she open one of these in Indonesia?

I am wondering if she shops at her own stores? I am also wondering if this outfit is available in Indonesia? And, the final wondering here is, if this outfit is available in Indonesia, is anyone buying it?

Hmmm...not a whole lot to the imagination here, is there?

Notice the paparazzo shadow across her back. I would hate to be a celebrity and never get a moments peace from being photographed. I am sure that there are those out there that would be arguing that hitting the streets in an outfit like this one is as good as asking to be photographed. However, Hilton, like anyone else can wear whatever they like, including this outfit, and they should be able to do it without fear of being hassled by paparazzi at every turn.

The idea that celebrities ask for it as part of being public figures, and that they have no right to personal space in the public sphere is not all that different from arguing that a woman who wears a short skirt is asking to be raped and therefore she should be afforded less protection than a woman dressed in a more 'modest' manner.

There just seems to be something inherently wrong with the logic on this one.

The truth though is that it is us, the consumers, that feed this monster. Our insatiable appetite for celebrity gossip and stupidity means there is a ready market for most pictures.

I do like the shirt though! Is she trying to tell any potential suitors what they are in for if they pursue her to the ends of the earth?

Prince William and Kate Middleton...

A Royal Engagement brings out all the classic headlines. Although, "Kinky Kate: The skanky dress that caught Prince William's eye" was probably not the first headline I would have expected to see.

Nevertheless, here are a couple of pictures (one courtesy of Getty Images) of Ms. Catherine (aka Kate) Middleton before she became the future Queen of England. Perhaps, it was destiny or something. So, maybe she was always going to be the future Queen of England, and it was just a matter of time before fate ran its course.

In any event, these photos come from 2002 and a fashion charity show held at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Even to my aging eyes it looks like she was certain to turn a few heads in the outfit.

Yet, I wonder how the future King of England feels about his wife being described as "kinky" and "skanky"? After all, she was playing the part of fashion model for charity at an event that was charging in excess of $325 a ticket. To be honest that does not sound either kinky or skanky. So what if you can see her panties, it is a fashion show, right? Maybe I am getting old.

Congratulations to them both. May it be a long and fruitful partnership that bring you both much happiness.

Now for the photos...

Lingerie Football...

The Lingerie Football League (LFL) must be an acquired taste. The Mayor of Oklahoma City, Mick Cornett, has decided that he is not going to allow Oklahoma City to host a franchise of the LFL.

This begs the question "is lingerie football a serious sport or just a bunch of women running around in their underwear?" With that question in mind, I set out to do some research. Luckily for me, Foxtel's sports channels carry the LFL. Thanks to Foxtel I have been able to watch a few games and get a "feel" for the game and whether it is serious sport.

I have to say, having watched a few games, these girls go at it hammer and tong. There are some really big hits. I am sure there are plenty of people who watch it just for the sex appeal. Yet, the players themselves, like Natalie Jahnke, consider it to be legitimate sport. Nevertheless, Jahnke does admit that sex sells.

Yet, whether the LFL is legitimate sport or just a little bit of voyeuristic opportunism, is irrelevant if it brings in the crowds and is profitable, isn't it?

But one has to give credit where credit is due. These young women train hard and get out there week-in and week-out during the season to play football. My guess is that the most exercise some people will get will be watching these young women run around in their panties and bras.

Now, for the pictures...