lazypadawan (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lazypadawan) wrote2009-02-03 01:44 pm
lazypadawan) wrote2009-02-03 01:44 pm
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OT: One long celebrity smackdown post
I'm sure you are all dying to see what I think about various celebrity scandals and faux pases that have occurred over the past few days. Or maybe not. Either way, here's my .02 worth.
First, Bruce Springsteen chewing off the Wal-Mart hand that fed him. In recent years, Wal-Mart has successfully launched albums by established but somewhat over-the-hill acts that haven't had hits in a while, most notably for The Eagles and AC/DC. Springsteen, whose last album was launched at Starbucks, hadn't had a big hit since "The Rising" 7 years ago and certainly nothing on the scale of "Born In The U.S.A." in 20 or so years. He has however managed to maintain a following. So Wal-Mart got the exclusive rights to sell his latest album "Working On A Dream" first. But the kind of crowd that considers Wally World one of its bete noirs also makes up the bulk of music critics, music journos/commentators, and possibly Grammy voters (I think this album will qualify next year). They didn't like that the Boss deigned to associate himself with something so declassé. So what does he do? Does he say, "I'm just trying to reach where my fans shop?" Or "Wal-Mart has a great track record launching albums?" How about, "Wal-Mart doesn't treat its employees any worse than the recording industry has treated artists and consumers for decades?" Nope, Springsteen caves, treating his association with Wal-Mart like a drunken one-night stand that gave him crabs. Given that Springsteen has been pretty comfortable since I was playing with Barbies and a bazillionaire before I got my driver's license (that's a long time ago), I'm pretty sure he has never set foot inside a Wal-Mart. But he can't pretend he doesn't know what the store is or that some people consider it controversial. He only considered the Wal-Mart deal a mistake when the people he was trying to impress--not you the consumer by the way--turned their noses up at him. That doesn't make him principled, it makes him a jerk.
Next, Michael Phelps caught in a pic with a bong. He deserves a beating not just for smoking dope (good term), but also for being a moron. I know he's a young man and young men routinely do stupid things. But he's not Joe Frat Boy either. Not only does he have millions of dollars' worth of endorsements, he is a role model to young people. What separates him from a rock star, an actor, or a famous-for-no-reason celebrity is that he earned where he is from remarkable achievement as an athlete. He is supposed to exemplify what happens when you combine hard work and discipline combined with talent. He represented not just himself, but his country in the Olympics. Apparently nobody sat down and explained this to him (not even after his DUI in 2004). As they said about 15,000 times in the movie Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility.
Which is why in my old-fashioned way of thinking, Phelps should lose his endorsements. He needs to understand and we need to understand that when we behave badly, there are consequences. He's not owed our good will. He has to earn it. This amoral attitude of "whatever" in the name of looking progressive or out of greed doesn't do these people or society any favors.
The next person on my smackdown list is actor Christian Bale. Bale may be talented but his tirade against a hapless director of photography on the set of the new "Terminator" flick also shows he's a bigger diva than Miss Piggy, Maria Callas, and Diana Ross all rolled together. The DP might have made a mistake but it doesn't justify at all Bale's infantile tantrum, which supposedly took place the same day his sister and mother called the cops on him last summer. What's worse is the wimpy way director McG (what kind of name is that?) handled his star's freakout. Bale walked all over the girlyman director. Somehow I can't see Bale pulling this kind of crap on a powerful director like Steven Spielberg or Clint Eastwood.
Just for once, how about the frustrated crew of a movie reading the riot act to a pampered star who blows a scene for the 60th time? Or a star who shows up to work hours late and doesn't even apologize? Wouldn't that be something to see? This just proves that these Hollywood stars who claim they are for the little people or the regular guy are full of it. This is how they treat the "regular guy" when nobody's looking. Like Ashton Kutcher going postal over a neighbor's construction job at 7 a.m. just days after he posts a stupid celebrity-filled video where stars pledge to be nice to their neighbors.
But there is one celeb I'm going to defend today and that is Jessica Simpson. Everybody's saying she's fat all because of an unflattering outfit she wore to a show recently. First of all, high waisted pants aren't for very petite women like Simpson. She's short waisted as it is and the higher waistband combined with a thick belt just made it look worse. All you could see was some flesh puckering over the belt and her large-ish boobs. It was a bad outfit, but treating her as though she's morbidly obese is ridiculous. Can you wonder why women have all kinds of neuroses about their bodies when apparently being more curvaceous than a twig is worse than being a drug addict, a child molester, or a murderer in the celebrity press?
Update: Apparently Bale apologized on L.A.'s KROQ 2/6/09.
First, Bruce Springsteen chewing off the Wal-Mart hand that fed him. In recent years, Wal-Mart has successfully launched albums by established but somewhat over-the-hill acts that haven't had hits in a while, most notably for The Eagles and AC/DC. Springsteen, whose last album was launched at Starbucks, hadn't had a big hit since "The Rising" 7 years ago and certainly nothing on the scale of "Born In The U.S.A." in 20 or so years. He has however managed to maintain a following. So Wal-Mart got the exclusive rights to sell his latest album "Working On A Dream" first. But the kind of crowd that considers Wally World one of its bete noirs also makes up the bulk of music critics, music journos/commentators, and possibly Grammy voters (I think this album will qualify next year). They didn't like that the Boss deigned to associate himself with something so declassé. So what does he do? Does he say, "I'm just trying to reach where my fans shop?" Or "Wal-Mart has a great track record launching albums?" How about, "Wal-Mart doesn't treat its employees any worse than the recording industry has treated artists and consumers for decades?" Nope, Springsteen caves, treating his association with Wal-Mart like a drunken one-night stand that gave him crabs. Given that Springsteen has been pretty comfortable since I was playing with Barbies and a bazillionaire before I got my driver's license (that's a long time ago), I'm pretty sure he has never set foot inside a Wal-Mart. But he can't pretend he doesn't know what the store is or that some people consider it controversial. He only considered the Wal-Mart deal a mistake when the people he was trying to impress--not you the consumer by the way--turned their noses up at him. That doesn't make him principled, it makes him a jerk.
Next, Michael Phelps caught in a pic with a bong. He deserves a beating not just for smoking dope (good term), but also for being a moron. I know he's a young man and young men routinely do stupid things. But he's not Joe Frat Boy either. Not only does he have millions of dollars' worth of endorsements, he is a role model to young people. What separates him from a rock star, an actor, or a famous-for-no-reason celebrity is that he earned where he is from remarkable achievement as an athlete. He is supposed to exemplify what happens when you combine hard work and discipline combined with talent. He represented not just himself, but his country in the Olympics. Apparently nobody sat down and explained this to him (not even after his DUI in 2004). As they said about 15,000 times in the movie Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility.
Which is why in my old-fashioned way of thinking, Phelps should lose his endorsements. He needs to understand and we need to understand that when we behave badly, there are consequences. He's not owed our good will. He has to earn it. This amoral attitude of "whatever" in the name of looking progressive or out of greed doesn't do these people or society any favors.
The next person on my smackdown list is actor Christian Bale. Bale may be talented but his tirade against a hapless director of photography on the set of the new "Terminator" flick also shows he's a bigger diva than Miss Piggy, Maria Callas, and Diana Ross all rolled together. The DP might have made a mistake but it doesn't justify at all Bale's infantile tantrum, which supposedly took place the same day his sister and mother called the cops on him last summer. What's worse is the wimpy way director McG (what kind of name is that?) handled his star's freakout. Bale walked all over the girlyman director. Somehow I can't see Bale pulling this kind of crap on a powerful director like Steven Spielberg or Clint Eastwood.
Just for once, how about the frustrated crew of a movie reading the riot act to a pampered star who blows a scene for the 60th time? Or a star who shows up to work hours late and doesn't even apologize? Wouldn't that be something to see? This just proves that these Hollywood stars who claim they are for the little people or the regular guy are full of it. This is how they treat the "regular guy" when nobody's looking. Like Ashton Kutcher going postal over a neighbor's construction job at 7 a.m. just days after he posts a stupid celebrity-filled video where stars pledge to be nice to their neighbors.
But there is one celeb I'm going to defend today and that is Jessica Simpson. Everybody's saying she's fat all because of an unflattering outfit she wore to a show recently. First of all, high waisted pants aren't for very petite women like Simpson. She's short waisted as it is and the higher waistband combined with a thick belt just made it look worse. All you could see was some flesh puckering over the belt and her large-ish boobs. It was a bad outfit, but treating her as though she's morbidly obese is ridiculous. Can you wonder why women have all kinds of neuroses about their bodies when apparently being more curvaceous than a twig is worse than being a drug addict, a child molester, or a murderer in the celebrity press?
Update: Apparently Bale apologized on L.A.'s KROQ 2/6/09.
My $0.02
Michael Phelps is a moron!
Bruce Springsteen should have known better and is not trying to be ~controversial~
Jessica Simpson needs to dress better! Dress for your figure woman!
Christian Bale is being ~difficult~ but I had to admit I loled at the transcript of the tirade
Re: My $0.02
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I think it was Mr. President Obama that made a comment about Jessica Simpson based on a picture comparison that was pretty unfair (comparing her Dukes of Hazzard look which she starved herself and worked out hours a day to look that thin.
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I don't mean to be critical, but you're posting a rant against Christian Bale . . . over something he did last summer? Why?
Why are you ranting against Springsteen and Bale in the first place?
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-Springstein is a typical celebrity fraud. He's always been one.
-Phelps...he got busted after the last Olympics for a DUI so I'm not really surprised by this. Disappointed but not surprised. The boy ain't bright.
-I have to admit, I found the Bale rant hysterical. I wish he had used that voice for Batman instead of his stupid constapated one. That being said, the guy is another self-important Hollywood actor and an egomaniac.
-I think Jessica Simpson looks better now that she finally has some meat on her bones. She looked like a skeleton before.
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I agree about all of the celebs except Jessica Simpson. I agree that the press totally blew the whole thing out of proportion, but I also think the Simpson camp is eating it up since Jessica really has no reason to be in the news other than gushing about Tony Romo nonstop.
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Considering that the incident took place around the same time he and his wife were having troubles with his mother and sister, what did you expect? For him to be on good behavior all of the time?
These celebrities are individuals with virtues and flaws . . . not beings of perfection.
Why does the public demand that celebrities behave like "good little people" 24/7? So what if Bale had a blow up with his director last summer or if Springsteen only expected certain things from Walmart?
Why should any of us give a damn anyway? As long as they entertain us, I couldn't care less what they do away from the public eye . . . unless it personally affects me.
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I'm pretty sure that after all of this, Bale and this poor DP hugged, made up, and kept on with the film because temper tantrums happen all of the time on sets. But it doesn't reflect well on him and being a talented actor shouldn't be a get out of jail free card for any kind of bad behavior. Everybody thought Russell Crowe was just another temperamental artiste but what did that poor hotel employee do to deserve getting smashed in the face with a telephone? Why should Naomi Campbell's money, fame, and beauty be a license to beat her employees when she starts PMSing?
Why should we care? These people have power and influence, whether they deserve those things or not.