Nicole Kidman smoking furor
 

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/...196627701.html
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Smoking Kidman sparks controversy
May 21 2003


Australian actress Nicole Kidman has raised the ire of anti-smoking groups by lighting up a cigarette during her press conference at the Cannes Film Festival.

Footage was beamed around the world yesterday of Kidman lighting up at the annual event while promoting her new movie, Dogville.

The Oscar-winning actress was immediately admonished by the film's Danish director Lars Von Trier, but Kidman shrugged her shoulders and kept smoking.

It appears Kidman has smoked for years, with newspaper reports dating back to 1994 saying she had been spotted smoking.

Anti-smoking groups today said the image of Kidman smoking was a free advertisement for the tobacco industry and glamorised the habit.


Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) chief executive Anne Jones said Kidman was perpetuating the image that smoking was associated with glamour, independence and success.

"It's worth millions to the tobacco industry to have celebrities smoking," she told AAP.

"It's unfortunate that she smoked at a media conference that potentially went to hundreds of millions of people around the world.

Ms Jones said she would write to Kidman's Australian publicist highlighting the actress's responsibilities as a role model to millions of young women.

"She does have a right to smoke, but what I'm just saying is that smoking in front of millions of people contains this unfortunate association between smoking and glamour and success," she said.

"I will leave it to her to decide how she wants to use that information.

"I think given her role model status it would be really greatly appreciated by health groups and maybe parents in general if she didn't smoke in such a way."

Six thousand Australian women die each year from smoking-related illnesses, and 21 per cent of all Australian women over the age of 18 smoke.

Australian Democrats Senator Lyn Allison said tobacco use cost $21 billion a year in Australia and Kidman should use her position to discourage smoking.

"Many of Nicole Kidman's fans are young women and they have particularly alarming rates of addiction to tobacco," she said.

Senator Allison called on the federal government to fulfill its promise to introduce legislation requiring all films depicting smoking to carry a warning.
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I don't smoke, never have, never will. But my God, can the anti-smoking lobby get any more sanctimonious than this?

Can an anti-smoker please explain to me WTF their dang deal is?

They are all leechs. Simple as that. They have this 'cause' to well.. extort billions of dollars from the tobacco companies. Atleast the tobacco companies are selling something. They are not just... stealing. I could go on and on about my dislike of antismoking nazis but whats the point?

Ok, I'm against smoking and all, but good God!

People do it. Get over it. Just because she's a movie star it doesn't mean she has to abide by different laws than the rest of us. It's not even like she has spoken out against smoking and is a hypocrite. She's just being a human being and doing something that some human being do. Extremists on any end of the spectrum baffle me.

Thats exactly what they want her (everyone) to do. They think its everyones duty (or everyone in any sort of power) to speak out about smoking (read: Whatever their cause may be)

I think this might be the new "classic case" of making somthing out of nothing. Or, making a seeing something where there is nothing. Good lord! These people have too much spare time.

I have a picture of Mariah Carey eating McD's... is that an advert for them? No.. people are fricken' human... you gotta make your decisions and choices on your own..

If that is an advert for smoking, then Clinton did a PSA for sex.

Many people would have you believe just that. While I disliked ex-president Clinton, that particular reasoning is just rediculous.

Smoking is a plague, but it is a self chosen plague. To deny people smoke is as foolish as to deny the health risks of smoking.

To deny famous celebrities smoke and to demand that they hide it while promoting non-smoking is even more foolish, IMHO.

Whats the big deal with her smoking?

And if people want to imitate her actions, well, thats their problem (and they're stupid to do something just because someone else does it)

memalvada: it might not be a big deal. perhaps it was just a slow news day and they trumped up the story.

don't smoke here...you can't smoke in there...cough-cough what are you trying to kill me?.......hey thats a dirty habit..................

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I've heard it all, now I have the same answer for everyone that says anything to me about it. "fuck you, the world is my ashtray"
it may not be the most Intellectual statement ever made but it makes me feel better.

not that ive done any research or anything but just from my observations movie stars seem to be some of the most screwed up people on the planet. right behind (or maybe tied with?) music stars. why promote them as role models anyway?

So, if I start smoking, will I become a hot, rich red-headed bombshell? Did they mention a brand?

Who cares, people'll do it whether or not celebs do. The former Mr. Kidman is a wacky scientologist, but that doesn't mean I'm giving L. Ron Hubbard any $$$.

I think what I find most upseting about this is that Nicole Kidman smokes.

I guess we were not meant to be.

Actually, this is the price of fame. She's in the public eye and under a microscope constantly. So, If Nicole Kidman smokes in a public interview when the regular public can't even smoke in a public restaurant, then there's going to be something said about it somewhere.

I used to smoke. I quit. I'm not one of those "get that away from me" ex-smokers. But on the otherhand, when I was a smoker, I was conscious of the non-smokers around me. Was she being rude? Was she blowing smoke in someone's face? Yes, she has the right to smoke... it's her lungs.

The media always looks for something with the rich and famous... something to knock them down a peg or two.

I have to agree with alot of the previous posts.. she smokes so what?! It's her choice, it would be different if she actually did an ad for a tobacco company or vise versa; but she hasn't. If she chooses to smoke that is her problem and the anti-smoking ring needs to chill out.

wee. another enlightened godly celebrity made a public statement.

i hate cigs. i hate the smell, the taste, they make me pretty sick and my mother is deathly allergic (she can smell one in a store and have miagraine for two or three days) to them.

but i'm not against them. I figure if you want to smoke, smoke. if not, cool. real friends with real respect will say 'i'm going to go smoke real quick' or something to that extent.

if you are offended at them leaving for a min to smoke, you're shallow.. if you don't respect friends and smoke right in their face (unless its your home), then you're shallow. if someone is offended by you that easily, find a new person. we're a dime a dozen... if not cheaper.

Actully, as I read it atleast, I don't think she was trying to make any sort of statement. She just wanted a smoke. It was other people who construed it as a statement.

Maybe it's just me, but surely Ms Kidman embarrasses herself more when she acts in public?

Who cares if they smoke? After all they are free citizens of this country too.

Give the chick a break...

i dont know why just because you're someone looked up to .. or watched .. means that you have to set a "good" example. Seems to be like that a lot...

just like in church, i couldnt fall asleep because i was being a bad testimony to those who were watching me .. heh .. but that's a whole different story.

i guess that's what comes with fame .. or it must have been a slow news day.

yawn...

BFD

I'd still do her :D

She wanted a smoke.. and?
Not that I smoke, can't stand it, but yeah.

well, ya...that just goes without saying

Hit the nail right on the head there.

Yes, however the fact that this is the case (the microscpoe of celebrity) it doesn't make the reaction of these people any more called for or any less absurd. And it especially doesn't make it any more right.

People can't smoke in public restaurants for a reason - it's illegal in some places. Last I checked it's not illegal to smoke during an interview, and until it is there's nothing wrong or outrageous about her doing so.

Blame it on the fact her actions as a celebrity are scrutinized all you want, but I see it as yet another case of people attributing far more credit to a celebrity than they deserve. If people realized that celebrities are no more or less human than any other person on this planet, and treated them as such, this wouldn't be nearly as big of a deal as it's being made into.

who gives a shit if she smokes a cigarette


why do people care so much about famous ppl

What a joke. Its only the fact that newspapers give a shit about how many units they sell, and that Anti-smoking lobbies care about how much shit they can stir up. She'll get over it, and this story will be lining the kitty-litter trays of America tomorrow...

It's funny that Nicole Kidman is getting so much flak for smoking a cigarette, but the dozens of celebs forced into drug rehab every month are not.

Oh good grief, me too. Did you ever halfway nod off during a prayer, and then regain consciousness unaware of whether or not the prayer is over or is still going on? If it's over, then you're the only one with his head down and everybody knows you snoozed during a prayer. But if it's not over and you raise your head too soon, then God knows you raised your head before the prayer was over and he'll thump you on the side of your head to teach you a lesson.


And back to the smoking - I played in a lot of smokey bars (that sounds funny with a Southern accent), and although I never smoked, the second-hand smoke never bothered me. It was just there.

I'm tired of prissy little drama queens stamping their little feet everytime somebody lights up near them.