Oh do stop pontificating, Joe
Joe Azzopardi (Xarabank) thinks that everybody has the right to pose for naked pictures (presumably with or without a violin) and that these should remain private in all circumstances, even if the poser is somebody who makes a living by starring in television shows and making public appearances, and even if he or she is government appointee to a state corporation/commission.
He misses the point that rights come with concomitant obligations, in this case the obligation to deploy common sense and respect yourself and those you represent when you are in that position.
Those who own or work for the media have no obligation to serve the interests of TV stars and public officials by keeping their voluntarily-created naked pictures under wraps. Our only obligation is not to intrude on their private space/property to take, secretly or otherwise, those naked pictures ourselves, without the individual’s consent or knowledge. The ‘Catherine Middleton/topless sunbathing/telephoto lens’ case refers.
If Joe Chetcuti, a man who makes a living by exploiting other people’s insecurities about their bodies and exposing them on television undergoing all sorts of horrible operations, did not want pictures of him naked but for a violin, a crucifix (and a mobile phone) to become public, then he shouldn’t have posed for them.
Photographs are permanent, and the potential for the damage they can cause through blackmail is also permanent, as Dom Mintoff discovered to his cost when he had photographs of one of his lovers (his brother’s wife) taken at L-Gharix and Lorry Sant got hold of them.
The decision to pose for these photographs was not taken by somebody zany and irresponsible in his wild and carefree teens or 20s, but by somebody close to middle age and already what passes for a television ‘star’ in Malta. That decision shows impossibly poor judgement.
I will have to add a caveat. Had Chetcuti commissioned those pictures professionally, he could have turned the whole thing on its head and used them to promote his ‘Arani Issa’ show. He would have got away with it, and the move would have been a marketing hit. But the sideways shots, the crucifix, mobile phone and the unfortunate ‘bikini line’ certainly put paid to that.
As for Joe Azzopardi, he espouses a form of mealy-mouthed faux liberalism and ‘tolerance’ for which I have absolutely no time or patience. It is just so fake and ill thought out. Woodstock values, but without the great music.
Peppi Azzopardi
dawn ritratti privati li ghandu dritt jiehu kullhadd u li b’mod ta tradiment spiccaw fil-pjazza pubblika ta’ l-internet. Min jaf kemm hawn nies jitkazaw kuntenti li taghhom ghadhom mohbijin. Dan li qed nara ma jbidel xejn mill-intelligenza u l-kreativita u l-genju muzikali li ghandha din il persuna.
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A ‘public’ person should not have photos taken of himself nude and in provocative poses as shown, and if he is stupid enough to do so, then he should be sensible enough to understand the fall-out.
Maybe Joe Azzopardi finds it convenient to show himself as ‘anti-Daphne’ to be seen in a different light as the dishing out of iced buns by this incompetent government continues.
Bingo.
This has nothing to do with his musical talent but with being full of himself in the first place.
Just imagine taking all your clothes off and posing naked with a crucifix round your neck, provocatively and just about hiding your private parts with your violin.
“mill-intelligenza u l-kreativita u l-genju muzikali”
Xarabank standards as his yardstick.
Joe, dejjem minn sormok kont tirraguna u int wiehed li dejjem fin-nofs ta` kull cirku (klikka). Il-libertinagg huwa hafna differenti mill-liberta`. Jien mhux nitkaza qieghed, semplicimenti ghandi rabja ghal valuri li dawn in-nies qed jghaddu lil uliedna.
Joe Azzopardi has always been a waste of time when it comes to matters of opinion.
The man means well and I find him personable, but his pseudo-intellectualism shows him up for where he really is on a mental plane – as being one with the people who watch his show, which doesn’t say much about him.
Much like Jeremy Kyle, his show and comments are mainly aimed at stirring spirits and triggering emotional responses. The difference is that Jeremy Kyle does it with sociopathic shrewdness and genuine disdain for his viewers. Joe/Peppi does it with ignorant belonging and affinity with his audience. He is one of them.
L-aqwa li “opinjonista” għax kultant intuħ sufan u microphone.
The word ‘genius’ is used very loosely these days.
Musical genius? Intelligence? For heaven’s sake.
Chetcuti plays the violin but he is more professional when playing with fire.
” Dan li qed nara ma jbidel xejn mill-intelligenza u l-kreativita u l-genju muzikali li ghandha din il persuna.”
Oh, please, Joe, don’t overdo it.
Will Xarabank be back on PBS in October?
Joe needs to be much more of a sucker than being anti-Daphne. I am sure that he is party to that, given that he is the person who has normalised low standards on TV.
“Genju muzikali”? Like he would know how to spot one.
If Chetcuti were a musical genius, he would be playing in city concert halls around the world not making a fool of himself on the Labour Party’s TV station with a sponsored show about cosmetic surgery and liposuction.
Hear hear.
What’s he talking about, they should remain private? I had already seen these ages ago. I remember my friends and I rolling around on the floor in front of a laptop, killing ourselves laughing.
Evidence, btw,that they weren’t very hard to find, as none of us are particularly savvy or interested in Maltese TV personalities.
May I put what I consider to be a pertinent question to the authorities that be?
If Manuel Mallia (Minister responsible for the Malta Film Commission) knew of these pictures before, would he have recommended Joseph Chetcuti to sit on a government board? And, would Joseph Muscat as Prime Minister have approved the recommendation?
Also, can Peppi Azzopardi elaborate further regarding what he refers to as “intelligenza u l-kreativita u l-genju muzikali li ghandha din il persuna”? I beg to differ.
I think the point he is missing is that while, of course, everyone has a right to have himself photographed (professionally) naked and share such photos, everyone else has the right to then judge these photos and duly poke fun at.
Anyone who takes naked shots of him/herself is nuts to do so in first place. What is private should remain private; it is called decency.
Why has nobody noticed this genius yet? Perhaps Joseph Muscat should ask him to perform at the teatru bla saqaf for the violinista bla hwejjeg.
Not being able to string two notes together myself, I cannot comment about ‘musical genius’ or otherwise. However, for a person to have himself photographed like that demonstrates anything but intelligence.
Trying to spot the mobile ….
These photos look very familiar to me. Have they been printed in a magazine or something a while ago? Am I having some weird déjà vu?
I do kind of remember a friend showing me these and saying look at this guy from “Arani Issa” and laughing about it.
Did Joe Azzopardi have anything to say about the brawl in Rabat featuring Franco Debono and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, or did I miss it?
Well, was I right or was I right?
Nista’ nifhem x’bicca nkwiet daħal fih Joseph Chetcuti, pero dan ġabu kollu hu b’idejh.
Li tippoża b’dak il-mod quddiem camera tar-ritratti hu fih innifsu att pubbliku. Dan mhux bħal meta tippoża quddiem il-mera bejn l-erba’ ħitan ta’ darek. Bħala avukat nippretendi li jifhem id-differenza.
U int, Pepp, veru li Chetcuti ħabib tiegħek imma tiġix iżżeffen id-dritt u l-imgħawweġ biex tiddefendih.
Ħadd m’hu jċaħħdu mid-dritt li jippoża għarwien (jew kważi), imma daqstant ieħor irid jerfa’ r-responsabilta’ ta’ ghemilu. Chetcuti (għandi nifhem) mhux xi ħamallu komuni u allura messu qagħad aktar attent. Issa tiġix tgħidli li anke l-ħamalli għandhom id-drittijiet tagħhom għax mhux dak il-punt.
Joseph Chetcuti ġie appuntat, u hu aċċetta, kariga pubblika u għalhekk bħala ċittadini, dan il-fatt jinteressana (mhux ir-ritratti fihom innifishom) għax juri li minħabba n-nuqqas ta’ ġudizzju tiegħu, Chetcuti mhux adattat li jservi fuq l-ebda kariga pubblika/governattiva.
It’s evident that Peppi doesn’t know anything about being a musical genius.
Is he lying low so that Xarabank will again grace our TV screens come October? Haven’t heard anything about him since election results came out.
Mozart, Turing and Da Vinci are geniuses. Not this amateur fiddler and poseur.
Not even bloody Maxim Vengerov, who is no shy character, would consider himself or is considered a genius.
Allahares Peppi Azzopardi kellu jkun hu li jiggudikana fl-ahhar tad-dinja ghax kieku kulhadd sejjer il-genna.
Come on Peppi, kun rett – dak li hu hazin ghidlu li hu hazin u dak li hu sewwa ghidlu li hu sewwa.
Toqghodx tiggustifika lil persuna bl-affarijiet tajbin li taghmel.
Ftit ilu Peppi kien qal li ma jaqbilx mal-kuncett ta habs. Idjozija iktar minn hekk ghad inrid nisma.
Some years ago a university lecturer was forced to resign (i.e. sacked) for uploading similar photos on a dating site.
Those photos have been making the email rounds for at least 3 years, and everyone thinks it would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. I find it very unlikely Peppi hadn’t seen them before.
Soon we will see Joesph Chetcuti on Xarabank sharing with us the great trauma he suffered when his photos went viral.
U Peppi Azzopardi min jahseb li hu? Il-kuxjenza tal-poplu Malti? Hallina, man. Int imbarazz kont ghadek u ser tibqa.
Dawn ir-ritratti huma l-ikbar skifezza. M’ghandniex bzonn spjegazzjonijiet ta’ Peppi. Nafuh sew u nafu x’hobz jiekol. E uno schifo. Kxift il-maskra lli ilhek tghatti wiccek biha s-snin, bhal meta vvutajt Labour fil-1996 u cempilt lil hbieb tieghek biex imorru jistkennu mill-marmalja Laburista li harget ticcelebra u tghajjarhom.
Prosit, you degenerated fool.
He voted Labour this time round too. All the while he was “advising” the PN on election strategy.
The problem with him, and with other faux or real intellectuals, is they think voting choices are some philosophical disquisition over a few drinks, like discussing Coelho or the virtues of green tea.
Me, I know the PN is shyte. But Labour is even shyter. So I go for the lesser evil and make sure I vote PN (not AD). And Utopia be damned.