A reflection on fame

[Greendruid]

I don't know how many of you have seen this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY) yet. I was quite intrigued by the reviews that have been written about it, my own reaction and the fact that I've now watched it three times for the sheer enjoyment of it (which is saying something for a guy who has just broken a year free of TV of any kind in the last month). Anyway, I thought it would be a nice jumping off point for a thread about fame and the nature of fame in the world today.

[The Drunk Guy]

I would like celebrities a lot more if they still appreciated their fame. Also, when speaking of celebrities, I can't help but think of this video (http://www.theonion.com/content/video/disney_lab_unveils_its_latest).

[Americano]

Gotta love the Onion.

[Dominick]

Provided that ProTools doesn't enter the equation -which is what one actually mostly listens to when it comes to television show singing- she has a magnificent voice. But it's clear that as she's 47 and unemployed that even that voice has never given her the opportunity to have a musical career.

And that's not surprising. Amanda Holden, the female judge in this show, couldn't act if her life depended upon it, yet she does have an acting career. The simple reason for this is that one of them is gorgeous and the other, let's say, not so much. Fame is with very few exceptions reserved for The Beautiful People and if that's a fault then it's everybody's fault. It's the Uma Thurman's of the world that make the box office, not the Kathy Bates.

Is that unfair ? Probabaly, yes. Is that a problem that needs to be corrected. I'd say no. The Venus of Milo gets more appreciation too simply because it's more beautiful. People travel to beautiful places and not to industrial wastelands. There's even a tendency that debuting authors are picked for their looks rather than their work because most of the promotional work is on television.

It may be wrong but it's also intrinsically human nature. Attempting to 'correct' it is quixotic.

[Americano]

At 47-years I don't know if even plastic surgery would allow her a singing career.

[partofme]

This video is everywhere. In one day I saw a post about this on here, on USPOL, by somebody on my Facebook friends list, and when my wife got home she brought it up.

[Americano]

It's even in the news here. Just shows how utterly exceptional it is for someone not of the right crowd to make a mark. This is just a fad though. I'll bet anything she'll be entirely out of the limelight in less that a year's time.

I wouldn't take that bet. She's 47, old for all but top performing talent in that industry and what's the market for her act? The wild card is the extensive network of entertainment fed by American Idol's machine. They probably have booking connections to one-night gatherings with a talent entertainment budget.

A local girl won one of the contests, did a CD (flop) and has been 'on the road' for almost two years performing at country and crossover venues in the US. She's very young, making a decent living and still not yet jaded by being on the road. What's the career span for that level of professional performance achievement?

Some winners, according to my wife, have gone on to, national stardom. This one IMO has some challenges to achieve stardom beyond winning a contest.

[Americano]

This video is everywhere. In one day I saw a post about this on here, on USPOL, by somebody on my Facebook friends list, and when my wife got home she brought it up.

The circus is in town (on a national basis)? And no concern about parking.

[Dominick]

This video is everywhere. In one day I saw a post about this on here, on USPOL, by somebody on my Facebook friends list, and when my wife got home she brought it up.
It's even in the news here. Just shows how utterly exceptional it is for someone not of the right crowd to make a mark. This is just a fad though. I'll bet anything she'll be entirely out of the limelight in less that a year's time.

[Michael]

I don't know how many of you have seen this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY) yet. I was quite intrigued by the reviews that have been written about it, my own reaction and the fact that I've now watched it three times for the sheer enjoyment of it (which is saying something for a guy who has just broken a year free of TV of any kind in the last month). Anyway, I thought it would be a nice jumping off point for a thread about fame and the nature of fame in the world today.
Indeed, it is a very good example for discussing fame!

I found it particularly enlightening to see the derisive looks on the judges (and audience) faces just before she begins. They are so ready to laugh the lady off the stage it is obvious. Once she starts singing, the joke is on the judges and audience for being fools.

As for the issue of fame itself, I think it is obvious that "fame" has very little to do with "talent" or "ability" and far more with "looks" and "connections".

I certainly don't believe that Jennifer Aniston and/or Brad Pitt can act at all. They are both 3rd rate amateur actors - but because they are beautiful and have excellent insider Hollywood connections, they are 'famous'.

Bottom line is that humans seem to be programmed to worship human beauty above all else (all the time). Talent in non-beautiful people always tends to surprise us.

An interesting corollary to this is something an old friend of mine described to me a long time ago (and I found to be remarkably correct). That is to say, beautiful people are usually quite boring (or very dislikeable) - it is the not-so-pretty ones that have the beautiful personalities. That's because beautiful people never have to work at getting others to like them - it just comes naturally due to their beauty. For non-beautiful people, they likely had to learn how to be likeable or be interesting (and usually are).

This is probably why I have a notoriously low interest in celebrities and tend to ignore them (since I don't usually recognize them). Fact is, I've met several celebrities and ended up chatting with them because I didn't know they were celebrities (Scott Thompson from Kids in the Hall and Samuel Jackson to name two particular experiences where I ended up chatting with these guys for quite a while - not knowing who they were!).

Btw, Eugene Levy is a total jackass in person (and I made a crack about that to Samuel Jackson - that Levy had to have overheard!).

(In case anyone is curious, I was chatting with Jackson and Levy comes up to tell Jackson that its time to get going to shoot the next scene. Levy was pretty rude and didn't acknowledge anyone in the room except Jackson so I said to Jackson, "your friend seems to be wound up a little too tight" - Jackson looked back and smiled at that, while Levy just huffed his way out the door)

And that just reverses stereotypes here, since Eugene Levy is not only Canadian but a graduate of my alma mater, I would have expected him to be the 'down to earth' one, or at least be polite. Samuel Jackson was the polite one with manners and a 'down to earth' approach.

[Americano]

Years ago a company I was with sometimes used national sports figures, primarily football stars, as speakers for company retreat meetings. It was a long time ago but as I recall 50% of them were half in the bag or flat drunk by the time they got to the podium.

[Michael]

I'm trying to find a YouTube clip of Susan Boyle's latest song... "Memories" from Cats.

It seems even more impressive than the first one!