Celebrity obsession is turning nasty, academics warn
On Monday, leading academics are holding a conference to discuss society's obsession with celebrities. Now that's going a little too far. It's not rocket science to figure out why people are interested in the lives of celebrities: either because we're want to be like them, because we enjoy tearing them down, or just because it's a pleasant diversion from the mundane aspects of our own lives. Whatever.
To have a bunch of "academics" get together to try to figure it out borders on the outrageous. I hardly got through the article without snorting soda out of my nose when one, evidently with a straight face, said David Beckham could be seen as a "post-modern religious icon." What? He's a very attractive and very talented professional athlete...period.
This is my problem with much of academia: it's full of self-important people who have no clue how ridiculous all their pretensions are. So much of what passes as academic research is just an excuse to justify getting a salary to sit around and look down your nose at everyone else. Anyone who attends this conference should be summarily fired and forced to find work in the real world....
Taking Celebrity A Little Too Seriously
Kelly Clarkson Still Sick
Clarkson Forced to Cancel 3 More Shows
Kelly Clarkson has now cancelled a total of five concerts due to a bout of bronchitis. I think she was being overly optimistic about the time it takes to recuperate from bronchitis, so it should almost have been expected that she was going to have to cancel more than the original three.
It's good to see that she's committed to trying to "go on with the show" anyway, but bronchitis for a singer is nothing to play around with. Reschedule if you need to Kelly, but take a couple of extra days to recover or your voice is going to suffer....
The Myth of Musicians Selling Out
Sir Paul Sells Out
That's a powerful headline. It's also a pile of baloney. There is no such thing as "selling out" despite the best efforts of self-important artists and fans to claims that such a mythical beast exists.
The reality is that every single artist that you have ever heard of has "sold out" to one degree or another. If they hadn't, you'd never have heard of them. The only question is the degree to which one's personal taste accepts the capitalism of their favorite artists. And that's exactly what it is: personal taste. There is no set standard for "selling out": it's just a label that someone sticks on an artist for making money in a way of which they don't approve or, in some cases, for making money at all.
The reality is that every musician who ever recorded a song is in the business to make money - as much of it as possible, for as long as possible. They may create airs that they pretend to be uninterested in the almighty dollar, but when was the last time one gave away an entire album of their work to the world? When was the last time one went on a nationwide tour of free concerts? The answer is simple and obvious: never. Actions speak louder than words, so citing quotes to the contrary is useless. Show me their free concert tour and freely released body of work or believe the truth about your favorite artist: there really isn't any middle ground.
(Before the naysayers start: releasing a single song for free is just giving away free samples to induce you to buy the full product. They do they same thing in supermarkets.)
They sell t-shirts, and CDs, and keychains, and all manner of other memorabilia and none of that is questioned. They get a cut of concession sales, appearance fees, and various other types of financial compensation without a peep from the peanut gallery. What kind of sell-out is every artist who ever went on a corporate-sponsored tour? Who is more the product of corporate promotion: the Rolling Stones or Britney Spears? The honest answer is that both are. The only real difference is only in the degree that Britney's fans tend to be more honest about how much corporate money their favorite artist accepts.
They are all, at the heart of the matter, capitalists who earn their livings through the old laws of supply and demand. No different than any CEO or Working Class Joe like you or I. Their product is their music, and they are the heads of sales and development. You and I are the consumers, but none of it is a sacred relic forever beyond the impurity of the profit motive.
Some draw the line at using a song to sell a particular product, claiming that those who allow their music to be used that way have "sold out." If you love the music, then every opportunity to hear it should be a joy. Does it truly matter if it's on a commercial or on a CD? Not to a truly objective listener. But there's the crux of the matter, isn't it? If a piece of music or an artist has touched us emotionally - either for good or ill, then we can no longer be truly objective about it or them any longer. To claim an ability to be objective is either to lie to ourselves or to have failed utterly in any emotional connection to the music.
What people are truly upset about is they have been forced to face the fact that their favorite artist is a capitalist, and no one likes having reality imposed on them that way. But that doesn't make it any less true, and it doesn't mean that the artist wasn't a capitalist before they were given the opportunity to have their song used for a different commercial purpose.
On the flip side of loving a song or artist is the utter disbelief that another person would find a song that you hate to have value and be willing to pay for it. Either way, it's not the money that's truly upsetting: it's the disconnect between reality and our own personal beliefs about the music that drives the emotional response.
*** also posted to Blog Critics ***
Katrina Telethon to Air Friday
Benefit producer won't edit political statements - Katrina hits entertainment
He's received assurances from all involved that there won't be any more political outbursts like the one from Kanye West during the NBC telethon. As the producer says:
"I think people understand that politicizing this will certainly not be a smart thing to do as far as inspiring people to call in and rally around this cause," he said
Which is precisely the point that many of us made as well. Trying to divide people unnecessarily (and wrongly) down racial lines in the middle of an event designed to bring people together to help others was stupid, and I'm glad that this event shouldn't be marred by any more grandstanding.
The list of stars scheduled to appear is impressive: Dixie Chicks (who have their own issues with injecting unsolicited political opinion inappropriately), Alicia Keys, Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, Ellen DeGeneres, Jack Nicholson, Chris Rock and Sela Ward are all slated to appear along with many others.
It's only supposed to be an hour long, so I don't know how they're going to fit in all that talent within the timeframe. It's a worthy cause to be sure, so make sure you set either set aside the time to tune in and donate, or - if your schedule is limited - find another time to make the call to give your time and/or money. These folks need our help...
What Goes Around, Comes Around....
'Survivor' winner indicted
Have you ever felt like there's some justice in this world? After reading this article I certainly do.
I watched the first season of Survivor which Richard Hatch won, and I had come to the conclusion that he was a nasty little man who was more deserving of being stranded on a real desert island than winning a dime. What he claimed was simply gamesmenship for the show was obviously the product of a naturally obnoxious and arrogant personality with an unnatural talent for deceit. It turns out that his lies and deceit weren't nearly restricted to his on-show antics at all.
He's facing up to 75 years in jail for basically defrauding everyone from the federal government to his "non-profit" camp. Federal prosecutors have a 95+% conviction rate, so the real question at this point is not if he's going to do time, but how much.
Throw the book at him. Anyone who wins that kind of money, and then turns around and feels the need to commit all manner of frauds in order to get even more money - especially in setting up a "non-profit" and misusing the funds - deserves to be locked away for a long, long time.
Bye, bye Richard...Enjoy your stay at Hotel Fed: They're keeping the light on for you...
Madonna In Charge and Paris Corners the Market
Will Moore turn Katrina into film?
This article has a couple of items that caught my eye. I skipped right over the Michael Moore bit because he's a fraud and a liar who won his Oscar only because the anti-Bush crowd wanted to spit in the President's eye by giving an award to Moore's movie.
Crammed at the end of the article is the fun stuff...
First, evidently Madonna's husband Guy Ritchie has such a snoring problem that she regularly boots him out of bed. I wonder if the snoring's that bad or if she's just tired of him stealing all the covers...
Second, I feel kind of bad for Paris Hilton. She ran into a store that was stocking bumper stickers that says, to be kind, that the car's owner would like the chance to steal her covers. Unlike the recently publicized incident where she took the DVD of her nocturnal activities, she handled this situation with a lot of class and simply bought out the store's entire inventory. Personally, I'd get a kick out of seeing bumper stickers that said that about me, but I definitely understand her chagrin. That's why making tapes of intimate moments is never a good idea: you never know what's going to come of it....
Will Kanye West Keep His Mouth Shut?
Kanye West: Won't 'detract' from NFL show
Kanye West is saying that he'll stick to entertaining when he performs at the NFL's kickoff concert on Thursday. I hope so.
I'm all in favor of celebrities speaking their minds...when it's appropriate. When a celebrity is asked to perform whether it be on TV or at the opening of a local mall, they are NOT being asked for their opinion on anything. They are there to do a job. No different than the security guard, the janitor, or the cameraman.
Everyone has an opinion, but most people have the sense to keep their opinions confined to coffee breaks, lunch hours, and other off-work venues. Why? Because the boss isn't paying you for your opinion and if he doesn't like it there's a good chance you'll lose your job for choosing your work hours to express it.
You compound your arrogance when you take the occasion of a national tragedy to express your opinion, and that's what Kanye did when he spoke out on the telethon. I won't rehash how ignorant the comment itself was, but when you're asked to appear because of your talent to entertain, it's never an appropriate time to express your personal views on anything, let alone something on which you haven't taken the time or effort to properly educate yourself.
(We also have the right to give the celebrity's opinion the proper weight when we consider the value we assign their opinions. The vast majority of celebrities either have no more than a high school education or never even completed high school at all. They lead insulated lives where the bills are paid and chores are done by other people. They certainly have a right to express their thoughts: but most would be better served by keeping them to themselves.)
It sounds like his management team reamed him good after his telethon stunt and made it clear to him that there's a time and a place to express his opinions and that place may be in a sit-down interview or on a personal blog, but it's certainly not during a performance.
Britney Spears' "Mind-Blowing" Baby
Spears pregnancy is 'mind-blowing'
Britney Spears gave an interview to USA Today about her pregnancy and upcoming motherhood.
She talks about being 'introverted' before she met Kevin Federline. Huh? Has she not seen her own videos and magazine photoshoots? Was that someone else who kissed Madonna live on television? It must have been some other young singer who ripped off the better part of her flesh-colored outfit while performing as well. I'm trying to remember the last introverted person I knew who would even consider doing these things except at gunpoint.
As the character Inigo Montoya says in The Princess Bride: "You keep using that word, but I do not think it means what you think it means."
She also talks about her decision to have a C-section instead of delivering naturally and how it's going to be 'mind-blowing' to have a child. I agree. It's a huge responsibility, and I've seen very little to indicate that she's grown-up and mature enough to handle such an incredible responsibility. Maybe she's changed over the last few months, but her actions to date really don't indicate a person that truly appreciates motherhood and the selflessness required to be a truly good parent.
Her eagerness to duck the pain of childbirth gives me pause to wonder how many other shortcuts she's interesting in taking when it comes to the raising of this child. She says that 'motherhood is going to help [her] not be influenced so much.' That's just absolutely ridiculous. You don't become a mother to work out your issues: all you end up doing is passing them on to your children. She should have had the sense to get her head on straight before getting pregnant, not hope that her pregnancy will get it on straight for her.
I hope she's done some serious maturing while she's been contemplating the birth of her child, but this interview isn't exactly inspiring a lot of confidence...
Feed an Obsession, Cure Cancer
Bid on celebrity photos, help fight colon cancer
It's not often that you get the chance to do something for yourself while doing something good for someone else at the same time. The Entertainment Industry Foundation's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance is going to be auctioning off autographed celebrity photographs to benefit colorectal cancer research.
Curing any kind of cancer is a great cause, and if you can get a one of a kind autographed celebrity photograph then you'll be getting a great collectible to show off at the same time.
The auction will be held over the internet on eBay, so you don't have any excuses not to contribute to this worthy cause. To bid you'll need to register for eBay which you can do by clicking here
Kirsten Dunst Just Says 'No' to Orlando Bloom
Kirsten on Orlando
Kirsten Dunst is putting the kibosh on rumors that she and Elizabethtown co-star Orlando Bloom. Any time these rumors fly, you never know whether to believe them or not. Angelina Jolie famously declared that she hadn't had a fling with Brad Pitt, and we all know how that turned out. Ditto for Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck. And the list goes on and on of rumored off-screen pairings that, despite denials, turned out to be absolutely true.
Whenever I hear these rumors I assume that the two were acting in a way that people might assume they were together, even if nothing ever actually happened. Maybe they spent a little too much time together, sat a little too closely to each other, or whatever. But the inevitable result always seems to be that whatever relationship they were in before the filming winds up falling apart soon afterwards.
If I were Jake Gyllenhaal, I'd be more than a little concerned...
Move Over J-Lo, It's Gwen Stefani's Turn
Gwen's little L.A.M.B. is hitting the big time
Gwen Stefani will be following in the footsteps of Jennifer Lopez by introducing her very own fashion line at New York's Fashion Week on September 16th.
While Jennifer's line is called Sweetface, Gwen's is L.A.M.B., which stands for Love, Angel, Music, Baby. Gwen's definitely got her own style which has won her accolades for her red carpet appearances with more hits than misses. If I had to handicap the odds of her new line's success, I'd probably give them a better than average chance. If she brings her red carpet fashion sense to her line, then the lines to let women sample some of that fashion should be long enough to be considered a winner.
Gwen's not going to have an easy time of it though. Jennifer has just opened her Chicago boutique and right behind her are Beyonce and Jessica Simpson with their own fashion lines due out in the near future.
It'll be interesting to see who sinks and who swims...
Greta Garbo To Take a Licking
Garbo gets stamp of approval from U.S., Sweden
To commemorate Greta Garbo's 100th birthday, the U.S. Postal Service and Swedish Post will be issuing commemorative stamps to honor the late actress. She died 15 years ago, yet interest in her remains high.
She left acting behind at age 36 and never made another movie. Many of today's actresses such as Diane Lane and the like are just seeing their careers take off as they reached that age.
It just goes to show that true celebrity survives even beyond the grave. Something that would be good to remember for those of today's celebrities who waste their talent, beauty and fame without a care for the legacy they have the opportunity to leave behind...
Kate Winslet is the Yummiest
Kate 'sexiest mum'
In what may be a surprise to many in the U.S., Kate Winslet beat out the likes of Elizabeth Hurley and Gwyneth Paltrow to be named Britain's sexiest mom.
Kate has two children, Joe at 21 months and Mia at 4 years old, and it was as much her attitude as her beauty that earned her the top honors. Fans appreciate a down-to-earth attitude from their celebrities. Acting as if you're due some special because you've been lucky enough to gain some measure of fame is never going to endear any celebrity to the public.
It's a lesson that many celebrities would be well served to learn....
98 Degrees Gets Back Together...Sort Of...
98 Degrees Heats Up Election
The guys of 98 Degrees will be gathering in Cincinnati to support Justin Jeffre's run for Cincinnati mayor. They don't plan on a concert: mainly it's a show of support for their former bandmate.
Justin is protesting that he doesn't think he's being taken seriously in his run for mayor. Should he really be surprised? Being able to hold a 'C' note isn't exactly an overwhelming recommendation for political office. Sure, Jerry Springer once held the office, but his showbiz career came afterwards - not before.
Arnold Schwarzenegger made the leap to politics. But he had a long-time reputation in the state as a savvy businessman, a personal fortune to back him, was married to a Kennedy, and had long been active in politics before he made the decision.
Justin is a young man and has plenty of time to dig in at the grassroots if that's where his heart lies. But to jump from the obscurity of retirement from a boy band to mayor of one of the largest cities in America probably isn't realistic for him today.
Kanye West Shows His Racism
Stars offer heartfelt performances in benefit - Concert for Hurricane Relief
This really makes me mad. Kanye West took the occasion of a benefit for victims of Katrina to slam President Bush for not caring about black people and the rest of America for being set up "to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible."
Being famous for vocal talent is obviously not the same as being famous for not being an ignorant fool.
Help for victims of New Orleans was there as soon as the weather allowed. What delayed, and continues to delay the help? The criminal actions of New Orleans residents. Evacuations had to be halted because they shoot at the helicopters. Hospitals couldn't help people because they were being looted by drug addicts stealing their drugs. Firefighters were trapped inside a building with their families by sniper fire from the residents. Residents stand by while their fellow residents are being raped and murdered in the middle of a crowd of 9,000 people. Police can't help the true victims because they have to police looters and thugs from stealing everything that isn't nailed down.
The mayor of New Orleans is black. Where is the blame for his failure to properly prepare the city for an inevitable category 4 or 5 hurricane? Where is the blame for the city's police chief for disappearing in the aftermath? Is he a racist too?
Where is the blame for the city's residents who were able-bodied and financially capable of leaving but chose to stay? Rescuers are having to spend time convincing these people to leave instead of being able to spend time helping those who could not and cannot help themselves.
It's ignorant and racist to blame whites for the actions of black residents. If there is blame to be assigned, it needs to start with the failure of the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana to properly prepare for something which has been forecast for over forty years. To pick a white face from outside the state to lay blame just shows the ignorance and racism of those assigning the blame.
This is a human tragedy caused by Mother Nature. To take the occasion to get up on your soapbox and put your ignorance on display is quite frankly, unforgiveable.
Kanye West...educate yourself and look in the mirror the next time you look for the racist in the crowd because you're looking at him....
More Celebrities Kick In for Katrina
NBC benefit set; Duff, Diddy, DeGeneres offer money
More celebrities have stepped up to the plate and are offering both performances and their own cash to the Katrina relief efforts. It's a rapidly growing list, and its membership represents the best that the entertainment world has to offer.
Too often celebrities forget that regular folks, like the ones affected by Katrina, are the ones who are ultimately responsible for the huge mansions and expansive lifestyles that celebrities enjoy. It's good to see that a number of them haven't forgotten that basic truth.
I think a big part of who gains lasting fame and who is quickly forgotten is public perception of the person behind the fame. I know that I, personally, am more interested in the future work of those willing to give back in times of need than those who sit atop a Malibu hillside and do nothing. Just something to keep in mind the next time you stop by the store to pick up a new CD or DVD...
Hilary Duff Puts Her Money Where Her Mouth Is
Duff to donate $250K for Katrina victims
I'm the first one to criticize celebrities when they tell us, the fans, to donate to a worthy cause while doing nothing but pay lip service to it themselves, so it's only fair that I should also be first in line to make note when a celebrity donates first and asks later.
Hilary Duff is donating $250,000 to benefit victims of Katrina. Hats off to Hilary for walking the walk that too many celebrities can only talk.
Speaking of which, Britney Spears sends her "thoughts and prayers" to the victims. What? She's from Louisiana. This is her backyard, and the best she can do is send "thoughts and prayers?"
Compare and contrast the actions of Hilary Duff and Britney Spears...draw your own conclusions about what kind of people they are....I have...
CBGB Help Misguided
CBGB Landlord Declines Lease Renewal Despite NYC Rally
I have to confess to being more than a bit confused at the misguided efforts of the musicians who have been rallying to save legendary punk club, CBGB. The bottom line of the dispute with the landlord is that the owners of the club have failed to pay $300,000 in rent over the years, the landlord is fed up with getting screwed out of the rent, and they've had enough. I have yet to hear a single musician criticize the owners of CBGB for failing to pay the rent.
If you or I failed to pay our rents, how long would our landlord tolerate it? I give it 60 days until the legal eviction proceedings were complete. Yet evidently the landlord has let it go on for several years out of consideration for the club's historic status. How much are they supposed to take? If it were my building, you bet that I'd take action to collect that money. $300,000 is no chump change. This isn't a dispute over not paying the rent until a leaky pipe is fixed. This is $300,000 that the owners of the club have systematically and purposefully withheld because they figured that CBGB's landmark status would prevent the landlord from ever taking action against them.
That's absolutely ridiculous. The owners of CBGB's should be subjected to every manner of socially acceptable abuse for their greed and slick maneuvering to get out of paying bills that they legally incurred. I'd be willing to bet that if anyone owed those musicians who are gathering to criticize the landlord that kind of money, they'd have taken action against them - one way or the other - to get that money back. I would have. And so would you.
Someone needs to be asking where the money to pay the rent has gone. There's no doubt that the owners aren't living on the streets, so they've taken the money and done something with it. Whether it be to support extravagant lifestyles or just poorly managed the legendary club, before I went to support the owners I'd be asking some serious questions about whether those people deserve to continue as stewards of the club.
That brings me to the next point: why don't these musicians donate money themselves? Any one of the acts who have gathered at the club could afford to pay the back rent. When you're worth millions, $300,000 isn't that big of a chunk of change - especially if it were divided up by the number of acts who are protesting the club's closure. The landlord made it clear a long time ago that they would be willing to discuss renewing the lease once the back rent was paid: why don't they just pay it? Instead of making a token appearance and talking down the landlord, why not actually address the real problem which is the club owners' failure to pay the rent. Acts like Blondie, The Ramones, etc. who owe their entire fortunes to the start they got at that club are willing to talk the talk, but not walk the walk.
This is yet another case of celebrities wanting people to do as they say, not do as they do. The owners of CBGB want a free ride because an accident of history blessed their club with fame. No one gets a free ride in this life, and it's just too bad that the landlord is stuck looking like the bad guy, it's not fair to them. The only ones to blame are the irresponsible owners of the club who are finally reaping the consequences of not paying their bills...
Sharon Stone Not Happy About Getting Older
Stone furious over role lost to Zeta-Jones
I understand Sharon Stone's frustration at losing a plum role to the younger Catherine Zeta-Jones, but the reality is that Sharon isn't a spring chicken any more.
For years, aging actresses have been complaining about losing out on roles to younger actresses and have been crying "age discrimination" and the like. Now I haven't heard Sharon saying that in this situation, but it's a good opportunity to talk a bit about it:
Every aging actress was once an up and coming young actress hungry for plum roles. They gained their current fame by beating out older and more established actresses to get the roles that made them famous. Were they crying about age discrimination then? Did they complain about how unfair it was they were given a career opportunity at the expense of an actress slightly past her prime? Of course not. But now that the shoe's on the other foot, too many cry foul because they're on the losing end of the game they used to win.
The reality is that Hollywood will always be an unfriendly place for aging actors and actresses. There will always be a younger, more beautiful man or woman waiting in the wings to take those plum roles. Making movies isn't an equal opportunity employment project: it's about creating illusion and making money.
It's a hard lesson to learn, but 47-year old women like Sharon Stone are simply going to have to accept that certain roles are going to be forever beyond their reach because they're not of that age any more. Aging gracefully and accepting what life deals you as you get older isn't easy for anyone, but none of us gets a choice and fame doesn't buy you a free pass from Father Time...
Ellen DeGeneres Touched by Katrina
Ellen DeGeneres: My aunt lost everything
It just goes to show you that no matter how much celebrity you have, there no way to completely insulate your life and your loved ones against the pitfalls that strike all of us. Ellen DeGeneres is talking about her aunt losing everything to the ravages of Katrina.
Like so many others in the area, her aunt has lost all her material possessions save the four pictures she took from her home. You have to feel for these folks who did nothing more than be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Every region has its version of natural disasters whether they be earthquakes, tornadoes, floods or whatever: so there's no way to hide from Mother Nature forever.
One of the benefits of celebrity though is having the power to reach out and do something significant when disaster strikes. Ellen is currently talking to the networks about organizing a telethon to benefit other storm victims.
You don't have to have clout with a major network to do something for these folks though. We can all help in our own way by donating to the American Red Cross.
Take a minute to think how you'd like people to respond if you were in their shoes, and act on it....