Awkward Things, Part I.

Things that I've been noticing in the past few days, all pretty dang awkward (and good for a chuckle -- maybe even two):

1. That first moment when a movie ends in the theatre and the credits start rolling. Instinct says to turn to the person next to you and say something witty or thought-provoking or critical, but if your fellow movie-goer is the silent type, you end up feeling like a douchebag.

2. Making as though to exit an elevator just as it stalls -- you end up walking toward a closed door in a confined space, looking pretty foolish. And then instead of just chuckling at yourself, you pretend like it didn't happen and insist on facing straight forward anyway, avoiding eye contact.

3. Doing the two-step with an elderly person while trying to cross each other on the sidewalk.

4. Saying "You too!" when the waitress tells you to enjoy your meal.

5. Holding an awkward smile while a kind passerby tries to figure out how to work your camera. Especially awkward when you're among a giant group of people, and yours is the only camera that decides to be difficult.

That is all. Random thoughts, consequent parts to follow.

Virtual reality

I was at the gym this morning when Minority Report came on the TV. Aside from the fact that it is by far one of my favorite movies (the idea of preemptive crime prevention has always been a curious one to me), the film caught my attention for another reason: too many of the things taking place onscreen felt a little too familiar.

For a film created in 2002 as a futuristic projection of technologies to come, the screenplay was more fantasy than fact. Now, rewatching it, the possibility of a world wherein humans are scanned and tracked as entities is not far-fetched at all, and it's a little unsettling.

With the advancements of technology and social networking sites these days, I feel as though we've all given up such a huge chunk of the very things that humanize us; today's successful people are akin to today's successful businesses - they know how to brand themselves. How much this has to do with the actual integrity or quality of the brand is sometimes irrelevant.

Twitter, Facebook, reality TV, YouTube - it makes everyone and anyone accessible. Anyone with the right amount of determination can self-create their 15 minutes of fame via video (the "Forever" wedding dance that was seen around the world), stunt (the Heene's balloon boy became a best-selling Halloween costume) or words (alleged mistresses coming forward claiming they've had affairs with you-know-who).

And while this idea that "anyone can become a somebody" is something that is knowingly American (and not always in the best way...), I've come to realize that this voyeuristic culture is just cheapening our cultural society and is a serious cause of social decay (is that too harsh? Probably).

It used to be that "celebrity" meant something. There was a mystique surrounding figures like Gene Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Gregory Peck. The public adored them and were fascinated by them because they were untouchable, these superhuman beings who could command attention on the red carpet and onscreen. Fame was granted to those who had the talents to be esteemed, and that was it.

Nowadays, pulling stunts and having many children seems to qualify anyone for the title of "celebrity." And since sites like Twitter have cropped up, these flashy names are even more accessible and humanized - to the point wherein people start to shift their focuses and morals and really believe that being "popular" and "well-known" is the end-all-be-all of their existence.

In the long list of things to strive for, I don't know if this is the best thing to base your standards of success upon.
And the irony of it all is that when people are caught in the public eye in a less-than-desirable position, the first response is always "I'm only human."

Only. Human.

Definition?

And the beat goes...

Something about the combination of chillier fall weather and my recent love of throwback muzak is making me nostalgic these days. I had a long conversation with a random bodyguard at an event I was covering today, and he was telling me about all the artists he used to work for. We started chatting about who we thought were arguably today's biggest music moguls, and we came to the consensus that Mariah Carey still tops the charts both Stateside and internationally. Britney Spears has garnered some pretty hefty points in that department, but whether or not she has the same staying power is yet to be seen.

So I started thinking about just what it is about Mariah that's made her such a staple in our cultural consciousness. Voice? Well, eight octaves can't be a walk in the park. Image? She's gone through her low points (Glitter, anyone?) but has somehow always managed to rise above it all. So I think, glamor and tabloid fodder aside, it's simply hard work - but making it all look effortless in the process.

I mean, the reason why today's flash-in-the-pan celebs seem to just rotate in and out of the spotlight is because they're all capitalizing on their looks, their connections or their antics. But how much of it is based on simple hard work? The way the entertainment sphere works, with so many people constantly buzzing around you, helping you with your schedule, your makeup, your hair, your car door - how easy is it to become dependent on all of that, and to let your work ethic slide?

Random thoughts, I know, but I was thinking about this in these terms: Mariah's at the top of her game at 40, having just launched a new fragrance line and released a new album that critics praise as a throwback to the "old Mariah." She could have easily dropped out of the upper circles of celebrity after Glitter, or her meltdown, or a million other things. And yet she's managed to pick herself back up and recreate the kind of career she always knew she wanted to have - by no less than knowing what she wanted and going for it.

Strange to think that you can draw life lessons from someone as glam and notoriously diva-esque as Mariah, but I think there's something to be said for her concern over every meticulous detail of her career. She might have a million people handling her, but she knows what's going on. She knows how to see the big picture and work hard for what she's got.

Hmm. HANYway. End random thoughts.

The importance of entertainment

Truth be told, just a brief two weeks ago, prior to starting my internship at People, I recognized the importance of entertainment in people's lives, but never found the time to subscribe to the daily ins and outs of celebrities and their lives. I'm a movie and music junkie, though, and thus am always looking to find the next big film or the latest on-the-rise artist. But I think there should still be that distinction between an artist and his work, to some extent. Delving into the lives of famous persons is interesting at best, invasive at worst.

Now, however, knowing the most minute details about a given celebrity has become my job - what they're wearing, who they're talking to, what they're eating. And this has brought me to really try to see the big picture as to why the public is so fascinated with these relatively unattainable, unrealistic lives that the stars lead. I was on set for a Robert Pattinson film just this past Friday, and was taken aback by how much his devout 11- and 12-year-old fans knew about his personal life. Everything these girls knew was part of a packaged image that the media had sold to them in the form of movies, interviews, posters and books.

At that age, you don't question a whole lot of what the media feeds you.

And it's a frightening thought, that each of these famous people have become such ... commodities. Franchises of their own name. They pretty much own their looks and mannerisms (if even that much) and sell off their talent and oftentimes, voices (both figuratively and literally, in the case of musical artists) in exchange for fame and consequential money. It's mind-boggling that people can give so much of their own humanity, whether or not by choice, so that they might gain some sort of fame in the long run.

It reminds me of the great quote from "The Talented Mr. Ripley":

I'd rather be a fake somebody than a real nobody.

I understand that people want to leave their mark on the world, and ultimately, to be recognized for what they've done. The same way that some people are passionate about saving lives or writing books, these individuals just happen to be passionate about entertaining others and adding a little bit of fun and drama to others' lives. It's just unfortunate that the people who are in entertainment for the craft are overshadowed by the drama queens and kings who find debauchery off-camera just as profitable as drama onscreen.

It's an interesting balance to strike, and what I appreciate about people in the business of talking about the business of people (aka, the magazine People, har har) is that they understand that talking about celebrities' lives is about as important as talking about the distant cousin who eloped for the fifth time last weekend: it makes for interesting discussion, but she's still human. To exploit information or try to itemize the person beyond what work the publicist has already done to do so would be wrong.

Because when people care more about things like whether or not Lindsay Lohan stole jewelry from a photo shoot than what's going on with nuclear arms in North Korea, I think it shows not just a break in reality, but also a NEED for this break from reality.

All this to say that celebrity culture and the people who love it will always be interesting. Whether or not it's relevant to our lives that Lindsay Lohan might have stolen jewelry from a photo shoot is debatable, but it's not wrong to know about it. I'm still trying to find a way to wrap my head around the idea of "celebrity news," but I guess a little extra information and a few extra blogs in the morning couldn't hurt, right?

Because really, as easy as it would be to dismiss entertainment as fluff, I can see how just knowing what's going on in the celebrity realm is instrumental to some people's days, to their lives. And so long as people care, I will learn to know the ins and outs of that ephemeral, glittery world, har har.