I've been thinking lately about how the majority of people are envious of the rich and famous. It's just the way it is. Celebrities are paraded in front of us like choice meat: strutting down red carpets, being whisked past the hordes into first-class by over-eager assistants, being given preferential (and dare i say deferential) treatment at the hands of practically everyone, and having their airbrushed physiques laid out tantalisingly in magazine spreads for us to pore over and envy.
The most minute and mundane details of their uber-exciting lives are recounted and recalled with irrepressable glee by awestruck writers.
"Nicole Richie shaves her own legs"
"Gwyneth Paltrow is plagued with ingrown toenails."
"Madonna's son eats sugary lollipops"
As amusing as the celebrity world can be (it's all those divine dresses, embarrassing pics and outrageous rumours which i personally fall prey to) it is in reality terribly vacuous.
I daresay that for the most part, more fun is to be had at a raucous dinner party with ones oldest and best mates than most of these 'pay and display' PR functions where an obligatory grand entrance is made before pocketing a hefty sum, striking a pose and scuttering away with a goodie bag.
Doctors for instance (and i'm not just saying this because my darling dad is an orthopaedic surgeon) spend years eshuing frivolity and hedonism in favour of studying and research and the dreaded interning. Yes, they are eventually monetarily rewarded - but nowhere near the amount a young starlet is paid to flash her cosmetically enhanced bosum on celluoid for ten seconds.
One of the songs I have up on myspace ("I'm All Over You") is not an ode to an ex-boyfriend, but rather the plea of a deluded fan to his/her celebrity idol. The idea came about after reading HEAT magazine one day (yes - guilty as charged - need it for the tv listings innit) and an article about how some fans were let down by not getting an autograph from their beloved movie star.
Ah there's the rub. It's not enough to produce decent music/films/art/fashion/etc. for your adoring public. You also have to look amazing, be accessible, yet still maintain that air of the unattainable. Perch seductively on your pedastal but make sure to hop down now and again for a bit of hokey-pokey with the great unwashed. A thankless job. At least they get handsomely paid for it.
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