Dallas officials: Erykah Badu broke law by getting naked on video

[Bluebear]

A City of Dallas spokesman said Erykah Badu broke the law by filming a music video in downtown Dallas in which she strips and feigns being shot in Dealey Plaza.

City officials had no immediate comment on the content of the video – either the nudity or the clear references to the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy.

But whatever she chose to put in her new video, Badu – a Dallas native and renowned graduate of the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts – should have gotten a permit before filming it, said City of Dallas spokesman Frank Librio.

"All commercial film/video or photo shoot projects must be permitted through the City of Dallas Office of Special Events/Film Coordinators," Librio said in a written statement. "The production company that produced this video never contacted the city to seek the proper permits. This is known as 'guerrilla filming' where production companies circumvent the proper permitting procedures and usually shoot these scenes in one take, knowing that if they are discovered they would face arrest and/or penalties."

The video, released Saturday, was for Badu's song, "Window Seat." ...

She also said that adults nearby were yelling at her, "THIS IS A PUBLIC PLACE : YOU OUGHTA BE ASHAMED : PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON : DAMN GIRL! etc."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/yahoolatestnews/stories/032910dnmetbaduvidbadu.1f6c89461.html

[bamacrat]

1. Damn when was this filmed. Im just sitting at home looking for jobs.

i couldve went down and cheered her on.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Criminal.

Criminally hot*.







*If you like assassination porn.

[Behind the Aegis]

3. Good Grief! The horrors! A nude woman! EEEEEK!

:eyes:

Good for her!

[Chulanowa]

4. Oh no! Not titties! Anything but those!

:scared:

[WolverineDG]

5. Can ya spin that a little more? Needs more *DRAMA*

She filmed a video without a permit. That's how she "broke the law." The City isn't commenting on anything else.

:eyes:

dg

[sui generis]

6. She can challenge the "law", such as it is.

Proper permits are for disrupting automobile or pedestrian traffic in the course of filming - otherwise they'd have to get every single videocam user in downtown.

It's bullshit - "broke Thuh Law".

Dallas is one place where the punishment for defying authority is much more severe than for breaking the law. That oughtta tell you something . . .

Nothing like a little notoriety in place of paid publicity . . . dear Dallas, thank you for playing.

So, did she just strip to skivvies or was there nippalurgy and butt-craxity involved? Nude in Dallas doesn't necessarily mean birfday suit nekkid.

[Liberal In Texas]

15. Birthday suit. Pixalated video at her site:

http://www.erykahbadu.com/

[sui generis]

19. I just saw that this morning.

Just the same, we are such prudes.

for cryin' out loud we pixelate cartoon butt cracks. . .

I grew up in Europe - where you might see someone's wang or wang-gina on a poster, and certainly tits aren't even considered outre.

Oh the horror, a naked body. yawn.

[MrScorpio]

7. There's no such thing as bad publicity!

I'm sure that this announcement will generate a ton of traffic on her YouTube video

Incidentally, her Brand New Album, NEW AMERYKAH PART TWO (From which I've been playing tracks on my radio show for the last couple of weeks) will be released tomorrow.

http://www.erykahbadu.com/

[anigbrowl]

8. Hmmm....it's not like she can't afford the permit

I've shot a lot of footage both with and without a permit. Everyone does. But if you're shooting in a place with a lot of public traffic, I think it's reasonable to accept the expense and overhead involved out of simple consideration for other people. Not doing so is just going to increase the inconvenience for people trying to make films or videos without the money and publicity skills that a famous artist has access to.

[Bluebear]

9. Oh yes but of course!

[dchill]

10. We cannot allow NUDITY to sully...

the sacrament of assassination.

[anigbrowl]

17. Yeah, using that for commercial gain seems sort of tasteless to me

But that's strictly a personal opinion. Nobody's forcing me to watch the video so I...won't.

[comrade snarky]

11. Shocker! Some people in Dallas are uptight about nudity!

And a successful musician who decided not to get a permit for filming has been sited for filming without a permit!

Promotion achieved!

[omega minimo]

12. Did Zapruder have a permit?

[Bluebear]

13. zing!

[omega minimo]

14. He captured something pretty shocking...

[Liberal In Texas]

16. Damn I missed it!

Was involved with a show she was on once. She's hot.

[Subdivisions]

18. Goddamned fucking criminal! Throw her ass in the slammer! n/t