Tuesday, September 05, 2006


WE ARE ALL STARS

Ever since I started Blogging I have noticed that there is a plethora of so-called 'ordinary' people (bloggers) with fantastic abilities.
Perhaps this is the medium that finally extinguishes the notion that there is only a small pocket of magnificant humans on the planet at any given time.

History books have a way of perpetuating this idea. Only a few individuals are mentioned who supposedly personify an era...DaVinci, Gutenberg, Lincoln, Nero, Elizabeth 1 etc.

Remember the golden era of hollywood when there was a set stable of actors..the star system. These 'thesbians' were treated as wonders of the world. Little did we know that almost anyone can pull off the role of a lifetime with the right lighting, makeup, costume, set, and direction. Smoke and mirrors! Now with the benefit of hindsight, we realise that there are literally thousands of actors who can suspend our disbelief for two hours. We do prefer them to have the accidental benefit of genetic engineering..although modern surgical developments can now alter appearances to eliminate the Luck of the Draw!

The recent firing of Tom Cruise from Paramount is being discussed as the end of the Star system. It may be true that his public stock has plummeted because we are just tired of him, dislike his religion, and that in the end his bizarre behavior on Oprah was the final straw. Whatever,Toodaloo, Next!

Like blogging, film-making may be morphing into the next phase of infotainment.
I recently discussed how singer-songwriters have to be actors to make it now..gotta have a video (mini movie) or forget it. So we are witnessing the demystification of the Celebrity/Entertainer/Icon by overindulging in it. You can't shine bright lights in dark corners and not expect to find something creepy.

Surely we are at the zenith of celebrity mania..(celebrity mags are blowing away newspapers)there was once a few gods and goddesses but now anyone without merit can enjoy the spotlight. Now you can be famous for being famous, like celebutante Paris. Can you tell the difference between news and entertainment?The rise of the American Idol programs proves that there are tons of people who can sing much better than existing artists...they just need to be packaged properly and get a makeover..and/or cosmetic surgery.

Andy Warhol's remark that everyone in the future will have 15 minutes of fame could go down to a mere 15 seconds. Our attention span is nearly non-existent and the appetite for fresh blood is out of control. Oh sure we still love to knock our old favorites..(poor Britney, stick a fork in her, she is DONE) but now the overexposure of celeBRITNEY and others is forcing us to accept that our gods may not be so special afterall. DOH!

There are millions of talented people in the blogosphere. It has become apparent that while we are all 'stars' on our blogs, afterall it is like having your own magazine/TV station/ media empire ooh aah, we soon realise how many other incredibly smart, funny and insightful others are out there. I love that! What a world it would be if everyone treated everyone else like a Star, or that it is ordinary event to find another person to be amazing ...or at the very least realised that the celebrity crap is just HYPE...ordinary people (albeit good looking ones)being packaged with self perpetuating mythology..

We are all ascended from real Stars and maybe the blogosphere will make us look around and notice that there are millions of Stars down here too. We are all unique but maybe that isn't that extraordinary.

23 comments:

  1. This is a great circle of an argument here. The end of the star system and opening of the blogger universe. We all shine on, right J Lennon?

    YouTube is great intersection of these movements. It's where the end of the star systenm and the blogger universe meet. I look forward to getting a good cam and broadcasting... something...

    JMJ

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  2. My talent? I can do amazing things with ping pong balls. I am a legend in my own mind.

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  3. i am a star?!!

    yeah... *smiles*
    rock on!

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  4. JMJ,
    Due to the fact that my media empire does not have an editor to ask me "that's great kid but what the hell are you trying to say"...
    maybe, thanks to ordinary people around the world blogging their brains out...other people will have 'lightbulb' moments and realise that nearly everyone has something incredible about them...now don't start singin' You are a child of the universe on me..see this is why I need an editor...anyway..note to self SWITCH TO DECAF!...it may not be unusual to be special...isn't that special.

    mj,
    *POP*
    *POP*
    *POP*

    mistipurple,
    YEAH BABY!
    You are a STAR!
    Shine on!

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  5. I'm reminded of a Moby song about how we're all stars...that song is amazing! Listen, listen if you haven't already heard it.

    I think we are truly lucky to have a blogosphere where every person of every talent can contribute equally. Thanks for pointing out something good, HE! The world is too sad and we need some positive stuff.

    And yeah. Ew. Tom Cruise hadda go.

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  6. Very beautifully written and eloquently put amigo mio... maybe it is this hidden narcissist within that prompts us to blog... craving that spotlight in our own little universe, after all, do I not call mine the land o' BoheMia?

    I, for one, am ecstatic for this medium and am gonna soak it up for as long as I can! Funkified FO SHO!

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  7. I know it well. With the 90s well past us it is probably safe to admit that I was a Moby fan!

    Poor Tom. He is an object for our pity not our scorn.
    E-Meters geez!

    miz bohemia,
    Ta da! You are a super nova FO SHO!
    How else could we all transmit all of these pearls of wisdom. Atleast this is a level playing field.

    No agents, lawyers or PR machines..atleast not yet. Perhaps when one of us morphs into one of those 50,000 hits a day FREAKS then we'll need all of those necessary evils...imagine getting paid to do this!

    Na. Then the intimacy is gone..the camaraderie..the tomfoolery and the shenanigans...the sense of community...what am I saying..getting paid to do this would be great!

    Bring on the sycophants and hangerson, who needs cyberfriends when you can have ether-asskissers mollycoddling and massaging your fragile ego.
    Imagine the justification of hearing those grandiose accolades that the voices in your head have been telling you for years. Delusions schmelusions!

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  8. 'People they come together,
    People they fall apart,
    No-one can stop us now,
    Cause we are all made of stars'

    Moby, We are all made of stars

    A positive and cheerful post, HE. A delight to read x

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  9. Speak for yourself, HE! I pride myself on being able to pretend greatness without actually having to achieve it. As for thesbians -- I had to giggle. Is Ellen DeGeneres a thesbian (Thespian lesbian)?

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  10. that was fascinating- some very interesting talking points...
    i'm very flattered to see me listed as an artist on your sidebar- thanx!

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  11. This was another wonderful post. A couple lines I especially liked:

    You can't shine bright lights in dark corners and not expect to find something creepy.

    Our attention span is nearly non-existent and the appetite for fresh blood is out of control.

    Our love of celebrity will never cease. There will always be that group of people who can't get enough gossip (like my Mom).

    But at the same time, I think we're seeing more and more young people growing up without any desire to read or hear about celebrities.

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  12. Hello, I'm THE Michael. You might recognize me as the Blogger responsible for such greats as "Madness, Musings, and Melancholy", "Adventures of an Alter Ego", and "Dances with Leaves". Well, today I've decided to become famous. But, relax, because I am introducing an easier, less dramatic, more energy efficient fame, one better suited to these challenging times of ours. I will not be wasting valuable energy by being reviewed by critics, starring in a television show about nothing other than being on television, appearing on talk shows, or having my face plastered all over the airwaves and sides of mass transportation. You don't have to "vote" for me or buy a THE Michael action figure, or buy a "Dances with Leaves" lunch box or backpack. You won't even have to suffer the embarrassment of being seen reading the National Enquirer or other gossip rag just to see what fatal disease I am currently suffering from. Nope, all you need do is know I exist, that I do something or another, and that I'm so cool right now, for some reason you needn't bother to explain. There, now, wasn't that easy? This is THE Michael, made famous the world over, wishing you a pleasant evening, and a grand tomorrow.

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  13. I really enjoyed this post, thanks H.E. Great observation!

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  14. Well, this is simply on.

    What song is it that I've been thinking about with this post? "Everybody is a Star."

    Can't remember by who, but I know you can, Mr. Wikipedia.

    Or just look it up in your One Million Rock Songs from the 20th Century or whatever.

    I have gotten 1000 per cent more out of anyone in blog world than I have ever gotten out of any plasticized Entertainment Tonight type or American Idol or anything driven by the Mass Media or TV.

    Which gives me an incredible hope about the species, even despite the glitz and glamour age we seem compelled to attach ourselves to at the behest of that mass media.

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  15. We are all the leading actor in our own life.

    After all it is our life.

    Fascinating really when you think about it...

    To critics it can receive two thumbs down but to ourselves, it is the best screenplay ever written.

    Wonderful post!

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  16. benjamin,
    thanks mate. Moby had a great sense of combining Pop and New Age didn't he? My guess is that he will be doing movie soundtracks down the line.

    andrea,
    I love Ellen. She is my favorite thlesbian..and Jodie Foster.
    Quit being so modest. You are a Star! All the world is a stage..

    angel,
    Greetings. I had to sort this out because within and I keep trying to figure out why this is so addictive. It is weird that you can get so attached to people who you couldn't pick out of a police lineup.

    synonomousblogger,
    I think that you are spot on. Each generation gets more cynical and has less tolerance for bullsh*t.I suppose that being smothered in this crapola from birth desensitizes you to all of the hype.

    michael,
    You nailed it. Let the bells ring out and the banners fly.
    Wonderful summation and execution...but keep the Michael action figure in the original packaging. Hold on to it and sell it on Ebay in 20 years.

    angela,
    Danke. Listen, I hope that you take it to heart and encourage others to exam what we could really accomplish here in the blogosphere.
    We are enjoying this harmonic convergence and it is fantastic but I am getting ready to trod off to hostile territory in the near future and see how thick my skin and skull really are.

    Do you feel like going for a ride? I will need some brainy partners when I get there. I may start a lot of discussions that you may have to finish...

    within,
    Hey buddy..Sly and the Family Stone.
    You and I have talked about this at length in the real world.
    You are right, this is the bright spot on a dark horizon. It is bizarre how close you can feel with other bloggers..and it is so much fun trying to figure out what they are really like.

    awaiting,
    You are right. It is your little world. So much of our Life is unpredictable but here you can have power over what you say and show to the world. Is that cool or what!

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  17. Anonymous1:16 am

    I wouldn't be surprised if cruise cooked the whole bunfight up, as part of his 'severance' agreement with his old buddies- a
    nice little fire for everyone to spend a few months pissing on, and
    plenty of free media posturing (read: publicity), in the meantime.
    Whatever...
    I'd go along with your evalu-ation of kindred bloggers as fascinating in their own writings,
    but in the end, it's more about expressing oneself without a lot of
    fanfare. it's an antidote to hype,
    over time, without big expectations
    or ceremonies, which is sorta cool.
    i find it a lot easier to soak up
    these random, extemporaneous posts,
    than to listen to a load of expert crapola about JB Ramsey or O B-L's
    latest contributions to civil discourse. nice to find that not
    everyone has flat-lined, quite yet.

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  18. HE ur right...we r all stars in our own unique ways. Just that the celebrities and the famous ppl out there got luckier ;-)

    Keshi.

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  19. grumblefish,
    There is NO bad publicity! Spot On.
    The difference is between listening to another being who seems a lot more HUMAN (blogger)and less of a knowitall talking head and paid endorsement whore for a lobby or political party.. There is something genuine about blogging despite the fact that you only meet face to interface.
    I shall continue to express myself without fanfare...can't I have a little fanfare?

    keshi,
    Even though we are Stars we can go to the supermarket without the papparazzi hounding us. I went to the market yesterday..not a photographer in sight!

    I ended up taking off my disguise; the traditional fake nose, moustache and glasses ensemble.
    I am absolutely certain that not a single person knew that Homo Escapeons was there in the flesh actually walking amongst them..
    I shopped, talked about the weather, and complained about our football team with other people just like a regular bloke...and nobody even blinked an eye...

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  20. Hi there my fellow STAR!
    Happy to know you!
    You share some great litte gems
    with all of us here!
    Thank you!

    I wonder if everyone
    else
    sees their life as a
    marvelous story
    and walks through
    monotonous days
    in a cloud
    of invisible
    glory!

    I do, so I guess I am a star after all!
    Take care!

    -Margie

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  21. You are one of the best stars on the blogosphere! Another 10 brownie points.

    Total 10 + 10 = 20, as of now!

    (PS: I am one too!...:D)

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  22. hehe thats so true :):)

    Keshi.

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  23. Count me in for the ride! Fill me in on the details...

    Hope you don't mind, but I mentioned this post on my blog....guess I can't link directly to the post but I think I gave enough info so that people can shoot over here and find it!

    ReplyDelete

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