Pop singer Katy Perry and comedian Russell Brand married this weekend in India. Katy Perry began her career as a singer in the Contemporary Christian Music market so I was a bit surprised to read that it was a traditional Hindu ceremony. Maybe. I read that in the Washington Post, the Boston Herald, Entertainment Weekly, ABC News, Telegraph, Daily Mail, New York Daily News, MTV, and so on and so forth (this is a story of international importance). Here's a snippet from a typical news report:
Pop princess Katy Perry married the bizarre British comedian yesterday in a Hindu ceremony. The nuptials featured an over-the-top procession of 21 camels, elephants and horses, plus dancers and musicians, according to Indian press.
A Hindu priest officiated the celebrity wedding in front of family and close friends at the Aman-e-Khas resort near a wild tiger preserve in northwestern India, a hotel official told The Associated Press.
It was just in August that Rolling Stone interviewed Ms. Perry and she said she's still a Christian. So what happened? Did she become Hindu in the intervening months? Was it just a Hindu ceremony with at least one Christian participant?
But wait, there are other news reports. Was this rite even Hindu at all? Note that the sources for the above stories are all anonymous. But check out this bit from US Magazine:
Hours after saying, "I do!" a rep for Katy Perry and Russell Brand has released the following statement to UsMagazine.com:
"Russell Brand and Katy Perry are overjoyed to confirm that they were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Brand on Saturday, October 23. The very private and spiritual ceremony, attended by the couples' closest family and friends was performed by a Christian minister and longtime friend of the Hudson Family. The backdrop was the inspirational and majestic countryside of Northern India."
Hudson is Perry's actual last name. OK, so the representatives for the actual people say that their ceremony was performed by a Christian minister. Maybe the superstar's parents remain relatively traditional believers of some kind?
I know that people don't have a very high standard for celebrity news, but this seems like an important detail to get right. Perhaps before thousands of incorrect stories are spread for days, even celeb journalists could work to get the basics right.