Celebrity tantrums are outbursts by people with celebrity status. They are commonly triggered by trivial events and result in cancelled appearances or just the venting of their frustrations. Such occurrences are widely reported in the mass media, with some stars gaining a reputation for their temper. When the celebrity is a female, or if they are overtly homosexual, they are sometimes referred to as a "diva".

Causes of tantrums

While some tantrums appear unjustified and irrational, others are based on the continual invasion of privacy that celebrities have to face, particularly from the paparazzi.

Paparazzi and the invasion of privacy

The paparazzi, photographers known for their constant watch over celebrities, have caused, and been the target of, many celebrity tantrums. They often leave celebrities with very little private time, monitoring their every movement.

Examples of tantrums

Elton John has been the subject of various tantrum stories over many years. One such outburst, captured on video and subsequently shown on many television entertainment shows and even some news programs, happened before a show in Taipei, Taiwan. He called the assembly of photographers and television crews "rude, vile pigs" after being upset about their presence. A spokesperson stated that the singer was annoyed by the lack of intervention from the police.<ref>23 September 2004. " Sir Elton lashes out at airport" at BBC News. Accessed 10 August 2005.</ref>

Björk was also famously filmed when she attacked a journalist. In February 1996, and also in Thailand, Bjork arrived at Bangkok Airport and was greeted by a French television crew. The infuriated singer attacked the interviewer.<ref>10 August 2005. " When pop stars blow their tops" at BBC News. Accessed 10 August 2005.</ref>

Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz got into a physical fight with paparazzi after leaving the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Hollywood. The November 2004 spat caused headlines and both Diaz and Timberlake went to court over the case. Diaz had taken the paparrazzi's camera and returned it to the police with all pictures intact. The case was eventually settled out of court.

When Britney Spears was in rehab, she would have meltdowns if she didn't get what she wanted.

In a Simple Life episode, Nicole Richie had a tantrum when her purse was stolen. She was kicked out of the bar due to the fact that she ruined the pool table with bleach.

Johnny Depp got in a fight with paparazzis when he wanted a peaceful night of privacy while he was on a date with his girlfriend Vanessa Paradis. It happened in 1999 while he was in London. He got arrested as a result.

It has been known that Russel Crowe has a bad temper. In 2005 he hurled his phone at a hotel employee that refused to help him make a call by fixing the phone that wasn't working in his room. He was arrested with second degree assult.

Interviews and hosts

The questions from interviewers or the comments of the host of show can spark a tantrum, particularly when the questions become too personal.

The Bee Gees walked out during their 1997 appearance on BBC Two program Clive Anderson All Talk when host Clive Anderson made a joke at their expense. Noting that they once considered the name "Les Tosseurs" for the band, Anderson said to them "You'll always be tossers to me". Two of them immediately stood up and left followed by Maurice shortly after.<ref>31 December 2001. " The Bee Gees: Brothers in harmony" at BBC News. Accessed 10 August 2005.</ref>

Footage of Grace Jones slapping Russell Harty is one of the most famous displays of a tantrum caused by the questions asked by the interviewer, and was voted "the most shocking TV chat show moment of all time" in a poll commissioned by UKTV Gold [1656].

Other notable interview-ending tantrums include:

John Nott stormed away from Robin Day when he was called a "here today, gone tomorrow minister" in 1982.

Clare Short walked away from an interview with BBC Newsroom South East in 1996 when questioned about the ongoing London Underground strike action.

Michael Heseltine refused to appear on Channel 4 News when he realised that Clive Ponting would also be there.

Camille Paglia left interviewer Jonathan Dimbleby after 20 minutes of questioning in 1998.

Peter Mandelson cut short an interview by Radio Four's Martha Kearney when he refused to answer questions about spin doctoring in 1997.

Neil Hamilton put the phone down during a live interview with BBC Breakfast News presenter John Nicholson on 22 December 1999 when he felt the interviewer was being "rude and unpleasant".<ref>22 December 1999. " Hamilton joins TV tantrums hall of fame" at BBC News. Accessed 13 December 2005.</ref>

Contract riders

One frequent cause of celebrity tantrums is the inclusion of various riders on their contracts. A famous example of this, and one of the earliest examples of an unusual rider, was Van Halen's "article 126", known as the brown M&M clause. This clause specified that a bowl of M&M's without any brown ones should be in their dressing room. This led to David Lee Roth (the lead singer of the group) trashing the backstage area of the Colorado State University - Pueblo show when he spotted brown M&M's in the bowl. The media exaggerated the source of the damage, implying that all $85,000 was due to vandalism; David Lee Roth maintains that $12,000 was due to vandalism, while the rest was due to the CSU-Pueblo stage crew erroneously unloading heavy equipment on floorboards that could not handle the weight. The management of the group also explained the reasoning for such an unusual clause: it was used to check up on how well the organisers had read through the contract, with the assumption that if they miss article 126 they could miss other, more important parts.<ref>Mikkelson, Barbara, and Mikkelson, David P. 19 January 2001. " Brown Out" at the Urban Legends Reference Pages. Accessed 10 August 2005.</ref>

References

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