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VOTE: The WORST celebrity role models!
Do all these controversy-courting personalities really deserve all the adulation, fame and wealth that's come their way? Are they truly worth looking up to?
Almost everyone dreams of becoming rich and famous -- after all, stars are a privileged lot.
Still, there are some who behave badly and have a reputation that precedes them, while others have made a name for themselves for the wrong reasons to start with.
Here we bring you a few such personalities -- take the poll at the bottom of each page and let us know!
Poonam Pandey
Ms Pandey first made headlines last year by promising to strip naked if India brought home the ICC World Cup. We did, she didn't -- but that one headline-grabbing declaration cemented her status as a public figure and model (Kingfisher Calendar Girl of the Year 2011, to boot).
Since then, provocative pics and more jaw-dropping statements have ensured she's stayed in the news. Sure she's a celebrity, but if we're talking positive image...hmmm? Just goes to show how far a little shrewd PR can take you!
Charlie Sheen
The actor's alcohol addiction, drug abuse and domestic violence issues are not exactly news -- he's been grappling with them for years. But despite his high-profile meltdown last year that saw him fall out with TV giant CBS, tweet unpredictably, live in with two women at the same time, rail about his ex-wives on a public platform and consequently check into rehab, Sheen has yet to learn to keep his pie-hole plugged.
Looks like some bad boys will always be bad boys, but maybe he should give some thought to the example he's setting?
Saif Ali Khan
His bad temper got him in trouble for assaulting a photographer a few years ago and earlier this month, he was arrested for assaulting a fellow patron at a posh Mumbai hotel.
Maybe the newly-appointed Nawab of Pataudi should leave the fisticuffs for screen performances and stop setting a bad example for impressionable young fans, hmmm?
Kim Kardashian
One of many celebs who are famous for being famous, Kim first shot to stardom when footage of her getting intimate with an ex-boyfriend was released.
So what happened? She went from socialite to sensation overnight. Now she's a reality star and has turned her name into a brand, making millions off of it. Whether it's her 72-day marriage, her family spats or any other antics, her whole life is played out on television and viewers lap it up.
She's beautiful and has no particular talent, but she's a star. Why? We don't exactly know, but we do know that lots of young women aspire to be like her. Why? Again, we don't exactly know.
Virat Kohli
He has a reputation as a young achiever, but it's rapidly turning into one as a young brat whose early success has gone to his head.
Virat's verbal tussles with opposing players, hurling abuse at referees and most recently, flipping the middle finger in an obscene gesture to the crowds at a match in Australia don't do him any favours. Particularly not at the age of 23, what say?
Naomi Campbell
Naomi is one of the biggest names in fashion, but the supermodel's fiery temper has landed her in court on more than one occasion.
Throwing cellphones at assistants and assaulting housekeepers are all in a day's work, not to mention that she's being cited in her Russian billionaire boyfriend's divorce case as the reason behind his marriage meltdown.
Seems like the British bombshell is always in the news for the wrong reasons.
Shirish Kunder
Farah Khan's husband doesn't exactly come across as likeable, particularly since his infamous scuffle with SRK.
For one thing, Shirish has no personal success to speak of -- he's made a name for himself by marrying someone famous. Moreover, he's been trying to bait his wife's onetime best friend publicly for awhile now. Learn to keep personal misunderstandings under wraps and let your work speak for itself, we say!
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan's life and career look like a trainwreck, but she seems to show no inclination to turn over a new leaf.
The once-promising actress has been plagued with personal problems -- public meltdowns, alcohol and drug abuse, multiple arrests, jailtime, unsuccessful stints in rehab, hit-and-run incidents, wardrobe malfunctions...the list goes on.
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi
It's their constant feuding that has landed Paes and Bhupathi on this list.
Instead of setting an example as a team, the tennis aces have been bickering on and off for years -- and it's cost the country in terms of victories in the sport. They even refused to put aside their personal differences and reunite for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, dashing fans' hopes of a doubles' medal.
Then last season they finally came together once more, but it was short-lived -- they split again. Will they take a shot at victory at this year's Olympics in London? Only time will tell, but we wouldn't count on it.
Paris Hilton
The Hilton heiress joins friend-turned-foe Kim on the list for the same reasons -- socialite, leaked sex tape, reality star, no talent.
But while Kardashian's star continues to rise, Paris is not as 'hot' (to put it as she herself would!) as she once was -- no one is that interested in her life anymore.
The fact remains, however, that she's a celebrity. And that's bad enough in the first place, isn't it?
Shiney Ahuja
Personal ups and downs are one thing, but Shiney Ahuja was convicted to seven years' rigorous imprisonment on the grounds of raping his domestic help.
He served a total of only four-and-a-half months in prison for his crime and is now out and about, appealing his sentence. And yes, while his career may be nowhere close to where it once was, he's still working in Bollywood.
Kate Moss
Kate joins fellow Naomi in the badly behaved supermodels' corner -- alleged drug use, wild partying, stumbling drunk out of nightclubs, smoking incessantly, throwing temper tantrums...
Kate doesn't have the best of reputations, but she's still a fashion sensation and one of the world's richest catwalk queens. Supermodel, yes. Role model? You decide.
Siddartha Mallya
He's the son of a billionaire, with a high-flying lifestyle and lofty designations -- General Manager, Marketing of United Spirits Ltd and Director of the Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL Team.
But Siddartha's attitude reflected his inexperienced 24 years when he got into a Twitter spat with actress Ayesha Takia last month over her sister's supposed mistreatment at the hands of Kingfisher staff. It was up to his more business-savvy father to make a gentlemanly apology and show his son how a service industry tycoon soothes irate clients.
In a TV interview, the Mallya heir also made the stuck-up statement that he "makes no apologies for the life he leads". And that comes across as arrogant, high-handed, impulsive...maybe you should learn how to apologise, Siddartha!
Silvio Berlusconi
Speaking of inappropriate behaviour, the former Italian PM takes the cake!
Allegations against Berlusconi include mafia connections, corruption, bribery, tax fraud, wild sex parties, soliciting young women...sigh. And this is a man who dominated Italian politics for 17 years and was re-elected to office thrice.
Veena Malik
The Pakistani actress seems to carry controversy in her back pocket and unleashes it every now and then in a bid to keep the media spotlight focused on her.
Whether it was her alleged affair with actor Ashmit Patel in the fourth season of reality show Bigg Boss or her bold cover for magazine FHM, which she alleged was tampered with to look like she was naked, Veena has been busy creating a name for herself -- using all the wrong reasons.
Chris Brown
When this American entertainer assaulted then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, everyone thought it spelled 'finish' for his career.
Add to that other misbehaviour like dressing room violence, temper tantrums and impulsive Twitter messages and you'd never dream Chris would win a Grammy Award this year. But he has -- and his fan base numbers in the millions.
Laxman Savadi, CC Patil and Krishna Palemar
The three former ministers have resigned in the wake of a pornographic scandal -- it was alleged they were watching an X-rated clip while the Karnataka Assembly was in session.
To add insult to injury, CC Patil was the minister for women and child development and was busy advising women to adhere to a dress code to escape sexual assault on the streets only a month before the storm broke over his head.
Role models indeed!
Katie Price
Former glamour model Katie Price's claim to fame is her stint on reality show is really a mystery. She started out as a pin-up model, then moved onto TV with reality shows and has had several high-profile relationships.
Her cosmetically-enhanced assets, skimpy dress sense, wild partying and frequent books about herself have turned her into a publicity-magnet -- she's built a business empire out of nothing spectacular in particular.
Pritam
The music director and composer has been constantly embroiled in plagiarism and copyright violation controversies, but that has hardly stopped him from carving out a successful career in B-Town for himself.
Pritam states his work is merely 'inspired' -- obviously, someone has not bothered to explain to him that when you lift someone else's original music, it's called stealing!
Ashton Kutcher
From a wholesome, squeaky-clean image, the actor's reputation in the Hollywood press has nosedived to cheating husband and liar.
Demi Moore's soon-to-be-ex is said to have cheated on his star wife of six years in a lurid manner, cavorting in a hotel hot tub with naked young women; the claims led to the veteran actress losing an alarming amount of weight, filing for divorce and having a nervous breakdown in recent months.
Tiger Woods
His many marital infidelities saw the media go into a frenzy when they came to light and ultimately resulted in the high-profile demise of his marriage back in 2009.
And now Tiger Woods' former coach has written an explosive tell-all book which portrays the golfer as a selfish, porn-loving egomaniac who lacked simple courtesy and was rude to those around, including his wife.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
And finally, we come to the former French head of the International Monetary Fund, who was tried for the rape of a New York hotel chambermaid.
What followed was a series of sexual allegations -- a French writer accused him of attempted rape, it was alleged he availed of sexual services from several call girls and DSK himself admitted to taking part in orgies all over the world.
What's more, he's married and his wife is standing by him despite his admission.