The Hollywood Infatuation

[No Ticket]

Lately I've been thinking about how much society (particularly American society, but I'm sure it exists ALL over the world) is so infatuated with films, celebrities... Hollywood in general. So many sites dedicated to old films, current films, and films that are in development... news about celebrities.

Heath Ledger's death was shocking and I have great respect for him. But he is just one man who hadn't even been in that many movies prior to his death (DK not even being out yet). But his death got more news time than I ever expected. He is just one man, just an actor. But people are so infatuated with him (and particularly the notion that his Joker role drove him to suicide or something -- yes, I know it was accidental.. just saying) that it garnered as much news time as if the President of the US died. (Except I think there would be less unanimous grieving for him given his current reputation)

I just find it fascinating how much importance people put on that. The profession of acting. As impressive as it is, it is merely somebody pretending to be something. That's all it is. Yet people have such an incredible interest in them just because they are put on screen. Fame. What is fame? It's just your face being more known than anyone else. It's essentially being popular in high school. So why be so fascinated by this person, who really is just a regular person like you or me. What so they are famous? So they are rich? What is rich? Just being able to own more junk? Having a bigger house and more cars does not necessarily make someone happier. I can understand wanting to have those things yourself, and maybe this is part of the infatuation. I don't know.

I also find it interesting.... how often people think that they know all there is to know about the business. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, of course. But with movies and websites like here or IMDB or wherever... people don't just say "That movie wasn't good," They go above and beyond to explain exactly how to make it good. In this day and age of DVD special features.. more people know the gist of how movies are made which gives everyone the right to think they know how they should be made.

I am not saying this is bad. I am guilty of that myself. I just can't believe how many people act like film is their second profession when they log-on to the net. But I guess this is true of anything really. We all WANT that to be our real profession perhaps, so we speak of it as though our opinions and ideas matter to anyone besides ourselves... we just want it out there because we know we probably never will get to do it ourselves. (This excludes those who actually ARE in film, obviously, who give said opinions since that is their profession)

Part of the reason I bring this up is because of all the attention The Dark Knight is getting lately. I love that movie. But it is all a little bit ridiculous. This also led me to realize that super-hero movies are pretty much the most hyped and anticipated of all movies these days.

Look at the #'s. Iron Man, Batman... and yes Spider-Man (last summer) are intensely anticipated by the fans. I mean, we've been getting more and more superhero flicks every summer for the past, I don't even know how long. How many of those people really read the comic books these days? How many ever did?

It feels like Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and the rest are the modern day version of the Greek Gods. Worshiped by many... not as Gods, but you get what I mean eh? They have special powers like Gods and people obsess over them. They make more money than any other movies, generally...

This is really more of a rant I guess. I just thought it was some interesting things to think/talk about.

[IndysGal41]

I'm not all that infatuated with Hollywood, yes i love some stars and the parts they play but its all hype there are fools out there who try to attempt such silly stunts and end up getting hurt.
True heroes are those who we meet or know like nurses. policemen.firemen,counselours,teachers etc.

Hollywood is all about acting and yes we can dream it's what keeps us reaching for the stars.

:D

[Lonsome_Drifter]

I never really cared about "movie-stars". I never read about them, or followed them. Half of the time I do not even know the actor's names in movies that I watch.
I like watching movies, but there are so few movies that I care to see now days. All the movies that pique my intrests are old. I do not even know who Heath Ledger is!
I never really cared for the super-hero movies as I loath super-hero comics. I guess that I am just old fasioned.

America does seem to idolize Hollywood. Our young girls try to mimick these loose idiots like Paris Hilton and others. And it is a sad world when American Idol gets more votes than the presidential elections. And, MTV shows half-naked people kissing on TV. The whole things makes me sick.
Also people have been spoiled. Every movie that comes out they will complain. The same with video games. I wish feel that I was born in the rong time period at times.

[Gear]

No Ticket: "Lately I've been thinking about how much society (particularly American society, but I'm sure it exists ALL over the world) is so infatuated with films, celebrities... Hollywood in general. So many sites dedicated to old films, current films, and films that are in development... news about celebrities."

[cut] "It's essentially being popular in high school."

Do you think this could be because so many people are unhappy with their life that they become essentially obsesed with the celebrity culture and basically live in a fantasy world? As in, they look to these celebrities as models for themselves so they can try to become what that person is--to attain what that person has?

[...] "that it garnered as much news time as if the President of the US died. (Except I think there would be less unanimous grieving for him given his current reputation)"


HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

[Violet Indy]

I totally agree with you, No Ticket. You'll find that the biggest problem with the Hollywood obsession is in your commercial network news. Such programs create hype and call it the "news", even though it's really advertising space, not just for the latest Hollywood movies but for celebrities. There are celebrities that purposely hire paparazzi to catch them doing this and that to advertise themselves for work in print as models, celebrity participants in reality TV and if only, crappy B movie comedies such as "Scary Movie," which in turn will give enough attention for something better.... maybe a crappy cd with computer enhancement for the voice.

I don't know if you guys have any PBS (public broadcasting service) networks, but on the ones we have down here, their news programs are more international and there's lots of stuff going on in the world shown on those programs, that you would never have known about if you had watched a commercial station news. For the same reasons you talked about, I, a while back decided to make the switch to a PBS news program.

Why do people get sucked in and obsessed? Like a couple of people have already said, it's an escape for some people, because they've got enough problems like housing, affordability and stress, that they've got to get some kind of relief when they sink into their couches when they get home from work. Kids might have family problems and issues and because they may not get to play properly as children do, like playing cowboys and indians and what not, they end up putting themselves in the Hollywood fantasy.

What worries me, is the young girls who grow up in the media thinking that sluttyness and ignorance (I think you know the examples without me naming them) is the way of a grown up woman. Yeah, a girl's got to have fun and have some partying time (which is something I just don't get enough of, even on holidays, I haven't been out for months) but you have got ot make something of yourself especially something you have passion in, rather than just off of your looks.

A friend of mine, though conservative and studying a degree, she is extremely desperate for a guy though she denies it. She met a guy at a club a couple of months back when we went out, and he was a doctor a few years older from Sydney. So he's spent his money to come up this weekend accommodation, flights, all of it just to see her and have a hot air balloon date (which he is also paying for) and she's totally gone for it, even though personally it smells a bit fishy frankly and I'm kind of worried for her (she's only a year older than me). She dated another guy a couple of months before and she didn't take much time off between that guy and this new guy and from my small amount of experience, that can't be good. My point is you need to find something you're passionate about just to have a clear head to avoid being ignorant and being dependent on getting a partner.

[Gear]

Yes, Violet Indy, I would agree.

Yeah, PBS is around here too (perhaps in all countries?) and the news is much more focused and is [probably] less filtered.

Celeb news is probably also a way to divert attention... [ woo-woo thought inserted].

It's really almost comical how prevailing celebrity "news" is and the things these actors and actresses do to get attention (you know who I'm reffering to).