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Famous By Default ~ Renee Zellweger I read an article today about Renee Zellweger and her take on celebrity and fame. Imagine living your life never being invisible again. That's what celebrity can do. That's what fame can do. Just think, you or I could walk down the street and never be noticed expect maybe for perhaps our poor choice in outfits or a bad hair day. But for the most part, we live our simple little lives without being paid much attention. It's different for a celebrity, especially A-listers and especially in this day of crazed, invasive paparazzi. It took me a long time to warm up to Zellweger. For that matter, it took several years before I was even willing to see one of her movies. I simply don't care for her look. It had always bothered me and I just couldn't imagine sitting through a couple hours of that face on the screen non-stop. Eventually, there was a film that came out which starred Zellweger which my daughter was dying to see and I couldn't think of a single valid reason not to see it, Chicago. Wonderful film - with two exceptions: 1. Richard Gere should have taken dance lessons, 2. The size difference between Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones was too extreme not to be distracting. The supporting man, John C. Reilly who was nominated for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar was completely impressive. Now there is a fine example of having a full on acting career while still being able to keep some semblance of a personal life. Character actors aren't hounded by the paparazzi. They go to work, share their craft with the world and still have the opportunity to live a life of solitude and privacy. A-listers aren't so lucky. This new phenomenon has come about from our good old American greed culture. People found out they could make a lot of money off celebrities and found that pushing the envelope worked even better, so now there's no stopping them and they flock in hoards. As long as you have a camera and the ability to push, shove and scream to get the picture, you're fit for the job. Who cares that these people aren't working at the moment. They have a famous face, you have the right to snap their picture. For God's sake man, you bought a ticket to their last movie after all. That damn paparazzi better get in close because you're buying the next celebrity rag you pass by on the street corner and there better be a damn good photo that you haven't already seen because you plan on spending a whopping $1, and damn it, that money better be well spent. So SPREAD 'EM Zellweger, I want my money's worth!!! This is the force behind the encounters A-listers suffer at the hands of their fans and paparazzi... the price they pay for being famous. No more just being you. No more just being a person. No more anonymity. No sanctuary or privacy. No personal freedom or rights. Oh sure, you could go to the local grocery store. But you can't go alone and you won't go through the line without at least whispers bouncing off your ear lobes or the shy but daring kind stranger coming up to just get a little autograph because they like you soooo much or the paparazzi snapping a pic of your backside just because you're getting out of your car and entering the market. Fame has its price, so shake your money-maker baby! I can understand how a private person by nature could find it difficult to be famous, to never be treated like an average Joe or Josie, an anonymous nobody just needing a loaf of bread and orange juice. Celebrity comes at a high price for A-list actors. Who is this elusive A-listers? Let's break it down. He or she is a person who has moved us to the point of catapulting their career. Wow! They must have done something right, but what? ...They acted. They bared their soul to us. They gave us their most sensitive and vulnerable self that allowed them to portray such raw emotion on film that we could identify with them. They were creative and through their creative process they gave themselves to us, the audience. If you watch Zellweger's work, you can't help but notice how talented she is, how well rounded she is as an actor. She sings and dances with the best of them. She's honest and raw. She's vulnerable and giving to the camera... to you... she's bared her soul. I'm not so sure actors should lose so much of their own privacy simply because they were willing to share so much of it with us. If it wasn't for their openness and vulnerability on screen we wouldn't have the luxury to spend so much of our free time watching films that we love to see over and over again as the years pass by. Having a little respect for those who bring us years of enjoyment might not be such a bad idea. It's not our right to invade their space simply because we bought a ticket to their latest film or because someone has a camera and some rag is willing to pay for it. It's an abuse that the world has come to accept, often feeling entitled to because of that ever-elusive ticket purchase. Thank God A-listers make so much money with all the security they need as not to get absolutely trampled by their loved ones... you know, you and me... their fans. It's us, the fans, who make it possible for the paparazzi to get out of control? Well, to a degree, yes, it is our interest in the lives of the famous that make the celebrity rag/paparazzi world possible. Where's the balance? I'm interested in an interview in Vanity Fair with a top actress who's work I respect and who's career I've followed. However, I'm not interested in hearing that Britney Spears once again had no choice but to accidentally drive over the toe of a paparrazi who willingly stuck his foot in front of her tire to get a shot and make a headline. Come on folks, let's draw a line here. Actors are making their money off their talent. Paparazzi are making a living off exploiting the private lives of talented people. That makes them no better than a leach. A parasite is a parasite is a parasite. It's interested to watch seasoned celebrities at red carpet events these days. It's common to hear them say, "Stop shouting" or to put their finger over their mouth to hush the offensively loud roar of the person behind the camera who is skillfully using their vocal cords as the nearest handy bullhorn. Just out of curiosity, how grateful are we to these people who have given us so much over the span of their careers? Are we grateful enough to wish them a little peace and solitude? Or are their personal iives so important to us we feel not only compelled to employ the vultures to hover but justified. Okay, now go buy that latest rag and keep those vultures hovering. Who does that actress think she is anyway? I bought the ticket damn it!!! | Home *My Articles* *My Blog* *My Blogspot* Family Film Stuff European Travel France Antibes, France Nice, France Cannes, France Disneyland Paris, France Strasbourg, France Basel, Switzerland Berlin, Germany Kreuzberg, Germany Kehl, Germany Civitavecchia, Italy Edinburgh, Scotland Stirling, Scotland Barcelona, Spain Healthy Recipes Frugal Living Living Green Make Money Online Jobs for Teens Sophie's Space Dreadlocks About Me Contact Us 
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