Bieber vs Ford: Canada’s favourite bad boys
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford: "I wish I was as successful as he was."
Pop star Justin Bieber is giving Toronto Mayor Rob Ford a brief respite as Canada’s favorite bad boy and butt of all jokes.
Ford has admitted smoking crack while in a drunken stupor and is being sued for supposedly orchestrating the jailhouse beating of his sister’s ex-boyfriend. The 19-year-old teen idol is facing the equivalent of a misdemeanor assault charge.
“It’s a change from the Rob Ford show,” said 14-year-old Jon Bullock, who braved glacial temperatures to catch a glimpse of the star as he turned himself in at a Toronto police station Wednesday evening to face charges over an altercation with a limousine driver in late December.
The incident, which comes on the heels of Bieber’s Miami arrest while apparently drag racing and driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs, is the latest to sully the image of the singer who has been drawing more attention for his brushes with the law than for his music.
For now at least, Bieber has eclipsed Ford as fodder for late-night comedy talk-shows on both sides of the border.
“He had to fly to Toronto to turn himself in. Boy, this kid is really on a crime spree. He’s become a menace to society. I liked him better when he was just a menace to music,” said TV comedian Jimmy Kimmel. “By the way, when you have Justin Bieber and Rob Ford together in the same place it’s like Gotham City got attacked by the Joker and the Penguin at once.”