Recently, my 10 year old son shared with me that he might want to be an actor when he grows up. I cringed when he said it, but told him I would support whatever decision he made when the time came. I explained to him that celebrity puts you under a very public microscope and that if you are a big name celebrity your flaws are enlarged and your private life is basically non-existent. Your best bet would be to shoot for being a B or C list celebrity, this way you still get paid, but the papparazzi don’t hassle you as much.
He’s a great kid, well liked by his peers, and adults get a kick out of his good manners and respect for his elders. My wife and I get compliments all the time. I guess I should just hold on to these memories because if he ever makes it in the vicious cesspool that is “Hollywood” all I’ll have are memories.
I try not to listen to all the hype when the “media” pounces on a celebrity’s misstep/missfortune, but it’s difficult to ignore when it’s blared on all channels/stations all the time. The most recent victim of media-rhea is Tiger Woods.
Don’t misunderstand me. I know he screwed up, and it was all his fault, but couldn’t he have fallen from grace without the dirt diggers throwing away their trowels and replacing them with diesel powered backhoes to find #13, or #17, or whatever number he is up to? His disgrace should be a very private matter between a married couple and really, no one elses business. Now with all the press, and humiliation this has caused his wife and her family there will be less chance for this family to heal. Again, I am not condoning his actions, but forgiveness and repentance might have stood a fighting chance without the limelight.
If Mr. Woods worked at Walmart stocking shelves and golfed only on the weekends for fun I don’t think he would be married to his current wife (I doubt she would have given him a second look), and I doubt the media would care, or even have known, if he was promiscuous. Sometimes it’s good to be a “nobody”.
Looks like I went somewhat off tangent there. I guess I just want my son to know that all that glitters isn’t gold, and if you rub the luster off of celebrity it is the most tarnished piece of faux jewelry that carries a hefty price tag. I love him too much to see his potential future failings, whose fires will be stoked by celebrity to begin with, broadcast throughout a media hungry world.
I agree, if Woods had been just Joe Everyone, this would have never been the media feeding frenzy it was. I feel sorry for his family, they didn’t ask for or deserve being put under such a blaring spotlight. That had to be as devastating as the knowledge Woods betrayed his wedding vows.
Tara R.´s last blog ..SkyWatch ~ season 4, episode 27
Paparazzi = Bottom feeders
I spoke to a golfer friend of mine about the whole Tiger Woods thing recently. Apparently, the professional golfer circle is known for its rampant promiscuity. Tiger was a breath of fresh air for the sport because of his perceived wholesome family guy image. Looks like he might now be an overachiever for a whole other reason.
The great thing about being 10 is that you can dream about being whatever you want to be without the worries of reality creeping in. My sons have talked about being an artist, a garbage man, a construction flag person, a professional soccer player, and the mayor. The one job they both agree would be the most awful job on earth is President of the United States. Each time they bring up a new job, we talk a little about the reality of it. But then I sit back and let them dream a little. It’s the fun part of being young.
Julia´s last blog ..Pick Up and Dust Off
Flag Person = Big Bucks actually.
I agree with your kids. President would be a pretty suck job.
This story is no different from many other celebrities, politicians, and average joes. You don’t hear about the average joe because the public is not bankrolling him. Fact of life, celebrity/athlete/politician, your life becomes the public domain.
Ah, Tiger isn’t much of an actor. And most actors aren’t celebrities at all. Most actors play shopkeepers and toll takers and nurses and murder victims found face down on the sidewalk in the first 5 minutes of the show and whose names you’d never recognize, much less their face.
I know if my son ever says he wants to be an actor (or writer or artist or poet), I’ll only hope that he becomes very very famous, whatever the spotlight uncovers. It’s the poverty he’ll have to endure if he’s truly committed to the idea that I’ll really worry about.