Perez Hilton, the queen of all media, is never shy about what he feels and in the past months he has hurled every insult at Britney Spears he possibly could. He posted the most unflattering pictures, made fun of the idea of her killing herself, and even backed up K-fed. I follow Perez religiously and before Britney turned into a train wreck he seemed to be one of her biggest fans. It was after her disastrous VMA performance that Perez threw in the towel and started throwing down the insults against Miss Spears. But recently, he seems to have had a change of heart. No longer is his web site filled with hate filled rants, but hope and encouragement for the stars well being and future success. There’s something in this pop star that makes people root for her. Even if she misses her mark – somehow, people want her to come out on top. Maybe, it’s the fact that in a way we feel sorry for her. We watched her grow up right in front of our eyes and with the same glance we watched her crash in burn in front of the entire world. While not everyone agrees that there’s something likeable about Miss Spears it is noticeable that most people don’t HATE her, they feel sorry for her. There’s a difference between Britney and Paris Hilton. All of America loves to hate Paris. In class we have discussed the idea that talent isn’t a necessity to being famous – and this is clear with Paris. But, while Britney prances around LA acting just as stupid as Paris sometimes … we still want to give her a break. I wonder if the difference between the way we look at Paris and Britney does go back to talent? We have to wonder if somehow talent does come into play when pondering the likability of stars. If you dig deep past the bad hair weaves, cheetos and frapps Britney Spears is talented and I wonder if that talent is what keeps us rooting for her?
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Rooting for a celerity-underdog
Perez Hilton, the queen of all media, is never shy about what he feels and in the past months he has hurled every insult at Britney Spears he possibly could. He posted the most unflattering pictures, made fun of the idea of her killing herself, and even backed up K-fed. I follow Perez religiously and before Britney turned into a train wreck he seemed to be one of her biggest fans. It was after her disastrous VMA performance that Perez threw in the towel and started throwing down the insults against Miss Spears. But recently, he seems to have had a change of heart. No longer is his web site filled with hate filled rants, but hope and encouragement for the stars well being and future success. There’s something in this pop star that makes people root for her. Even if she misses her mark – somehow, people want her to come out on top. Maybe, it’s the fact that in a way we feel sorry for her. We watched her grow up right in front of our eyes and with the same glance we watched her crash in burn in front of the entire world. While not everyone agrees that there’s something likeable about Miss Spears it is noticeable that most people don’t HATE her, they feel sorry for her. There’s a difference between Britney and Paris Hilton. All of America loves to hate Paris. In class we have discussed the idea that talent isn’t a necessity to being famous – and this is clear with Paris. But, while Britney prances around LA acting just as stupid as Paris sometimes … we still want to give her a break. I wonder if the difference between the way we look at Paris and Britney does go back to talent? We have to wonder if somehow talent does come into play when pondering the likability of stars. If you dig deep past the bad hair weaves, cheetos and frapps Britney Spears is talented and I wonder if that talent is what keeps us rooting for her?
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2 comments:
I think this has to do with the story behind the star. In our text, one of the most important things when making a celebrity is constructing their story.
In Britney's case, her basic story is that of a small town girl who made it big. First, she got her big break with Mickey Mouse Club, and then with her first hit single "Baby, One More Time." Throughout her career, Britney has always stayed true to her roots and expressed how much she appreciated the love and support of her hometown. Although she has made mistakes, she never turned diva or forgot where she came from.
Paris' story is much different. She is simply an heiress. She did nothing (besides being born, which technically she didn't do either) to deserve her fame and fortune. She is only famous because of her parents and her bank account. Paris is the ultimate betch, she's conceited (who else wears t-shirts plastered with their own likeness?!) and seems to have little to no morals.
The public can relate to Britney's story. Many of us are from a small town, or have once had a dream of making it big. Very few people can relate to being born into fame that parallels the Hiltons (except maybe the Trump children). Maybe that's why, deep down, we'll always root for Britney.
I compleely agree with Christie, we root for Britney because we 'know her.' While her "story" doesn't really appeal to me, I still root for her because whether I like it or not, Britney has been part of my life since I was fifteen and I felt like I got to know her through her music and constant press coverage. There is history there.
I do disagree that Britney never turned 'diva.' She may not make rediculous reqests (that we know of) when she is on set or touring but her lifestyle pre and post head-shave was rediculous and way too "hollywood" for my taste.
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