Nobody wants to play second string, and exotic dancers are no
exception to the rule.
Which becomes a problem when, by fate or misfortune, you're cast in
the media drama du jour as ... The Second Dancer.
Always a stripper, never a star.
Not if you're Kim Roberts — the other dancer at the Duke
University lacrosse team party last month when three guys allegedly
raped the other dancer hired for the event.
That's Kim. Roberts. Kimroberts. Kimmmmmm RRRRRRRoberts. Got it?
Robert wants, badly, for you to remember that name. Because, as it
turns out, the worst thing that might have happened to the accuser
may have been the best thing that ever happened to Kim Roberts.
Or so she apparently hopes.
For a few days, it seemed as though no one would notice or remember
Kim Roberts. She didn't see anything, after all, and for a while she
said she didn't believe the accuser's story, according to defense
attorneys for the accused Duke students. Thus, she faced the
unthinkable — being un-famous, an un-celebrity. Un-known.
It is no longer enough simply "to be," as the Bard once posed the
human conundrum. Today one must "be known." Celebrity is the goal
line, and Roberts is no one's cheerleader. Nor anyone's fool.
Suddenly, the divorced mother had a novel idea: It coulda
happened.
So naturally, she contacted a New York public relations firm, the
very same that represents Lil' Kim, the incarcerated rapper of whom
Roberts reportedly is a fan.
In an e-mail to 5W Public Relations obtained by Fox News, Roberts
wrote:
"Although I am no celebrity and just an average citizen, I've found
myself in the center of one of the biggest stories in the country.
I'm worried about letting this opportunity pass me by without making
the best of it and was wondering if you had any advice as to how to
spin this to my advantage. I am determined not to let any negative
publicity about my life overtake me."
Signed, "The 2nd Dancer."
First off, never write an e-mail you wouldn't mind seeing on Fox
News. Maybe Roberts doesn't mind, as those who pursue celebrity
seldom concern themselves with the reason for fame, only the fame
itself.
And, of course, the financial rewards one hopes to reap as a result.
Roberts was clear on that score.
"Why shouldn't I profit from it?" she said when questioned about her
willingness to profit from her colleague's alleged rape — or
the ruin of two young men who may be innocent of the charges. "I
didn't ask to be in this position ... I would like to feed my
daughter."
I'm all for feeding one's children. And surely, rising to instant
celebrity potentially offers a better menu than does dancing for
dollars.
I know we're not supposed to question a person's character these
days. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do and boys will be ...
no, wait, that's wrong. Girls are virtuous because they're stripping
to feed their children; boys are evil because they will pay a
virtuous single mom to strip. It's all so confusing, isn't it?
Probably more to the point, Roberts' query to the PR firm, which has
declined to represent her, coincided with her new slant on events
that night.
"I was not in the bathroom when it happened," she told the
Associated Press. "So I can't say a rape occurred — and I never
will. Later, after her own criminal record was raised, Roberts said,
"In all honesty, I think they're guilty ... and I can't say which
ones are guilty ... but somebody did something ... that's my
honest-to-G-d impression."
Who wants this story? Bidding starts at $25,000. Do I hear $25,500?
Anyone? Anyone?
The $25,000 figure isn't random, but is the precise amount Roberts
was convicted of embezzling from a Durham, N.C., photofinishing
company a few years ago.
Coincidentally, around the same time Roberts was forming her new
impression of what went down at the lacrosse party, a judge excused
Roberts from having to pay a 15 percent fee to a bonding agent.
Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong, who is prosecuting the
two Duke sophomores charged with raping the first dancer, signed off
on the agreement.
I can't say Roberts is getting favorable treatment for becoming a
better prosecution witness. I was not in the lawyer's office when it
happened. So I can't say a transaction occurred — and I never
will. In all honesty, I think somebody did something ... that's my
honest-to-G-d impression.
It coulda happened. Or not.
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