Justin Bieber is an annoying little tick who apparently appeals to young girls. From this he has branched out in an attempt to become the bad boy that he feels he is – doing drugs, peeing on walls, racing sports cars, visiting Brazilian brothels, abusing the police, demanding privacy whilst doing everything in front of cameras, etc. The other day he was caught by police in Miami drag racing in a residential street after having drunk some alcohol, taken prescription medication and smoked weed and this resulted in more headlines and a petition to the White House that he, as a Canadian, should be deported. They now have to take notice of that petition since it got over the 100,000 votes needed for action. Now he is to appear in a Canadian court after assaulting a limo driver. His manager has told him to shape up or leave the business.
Do we care about him?
Celebrity Big Brother has just finished on Channel 5 (I know its on the box somewhere, but I couldn’t find it with a quick glance). This is the thing that used to be on Channel 4, where we watched non-entities trying their hardest to gain enough attention to be taken up for a real job on TV, except its on Channel 5 and heavily promoted on the front page of the Daily Star (same owner). Usually its also non-entities on there, people trying to get back on TV or make the jump from boy bands to adulthood.
Anyone bothered?
Jude Law (actor) was at the phone hacking trial the other day. He was told that, rather than all the stuff he didn’t want coming out came out through his mobile being hacked, it came out from relatives and friends. Of course there was other stuff that he was happy came out, since it gave him and his work publicity.
Can he really pick and chose when he can turn the publicity on and off?
Celebrity has been with us for decades, maybe centuries. But the popular culture has allowed us in to the world of the film or singing stars, giving the opportunity to those with the will, looks, and desperation to become famous exactly what they want – but on the fickle terms of people like Simon Cowell and newspaper editors. It used to be that teen idols were here one minute, gone the next but now we get them warbling on our radios, then appearing on our TVs, then appearing in the Sunday red-tops in some lurid scandal, then on some reality show until they warble at us again. Or they become the film industrys play things, grinning for the camera and playing the game. And there was always someone who would ‘sleep’ with a celebrity and sell the story afterwards. They even become famous too.
And those who don’t or won’t play the game? What happens to them?
Remember Thora Birch? Major lead role in American Beauty in 1999, the critics loved her. But she wouldn’t play ball with the film studios, wouldn’t do the red carpet thing or let the press intrude into her life. Hence no more lead roles with the major film companies.
It was her choice, wasn’t it?
Celebrity, do we need it? Those who crave it seem to, the rest of us can get along fine without it. Some of you might sneak a peak at the front of the celeb rags in the supermarket, but most of the time you don’t recognise any of the names hi-lighted. Do you…?
Anyone bothered, or are we of an age where we might have a leer at the more scandalous pictures and ignore the attempt behind it to become famous?
By: Moggy C - 11th February 2014 at 14:34
Odd you should say that. I’ve heard this rumour …
By: snafu - 11th February 2014 at 14:05
We could always bury the box on an WW2 airfield somewhere 😉
Somewhere…like…Burma?
By: hampden98 - 7th February 2014 at 19:48
“doing drugs, peeing on walls, racing sports cars, visiting Brazilian brothels, abusing the police, demanding privacy whilst doing everything in front of cameras”
Sounds like a good night out to me. I wonder how many old farts here would have done the same given half the chance – and half the money?
By: MattCooke - 6th February 2014 at 23:25
We could have
One hundred and one uses for a Justin Bieber
A Guy Fawkes doll perhaps.
By: trumper - 6th February 2014 at 19:32
Use it to dredge the ditches
By: TonyT - 6th February 2014 at 17:46
We could have
One hundred and one uses for a Justin Bieber
I’ll start it off,
we could hammer him into the hole the little boy is plugging in the Dutch dyke.
By: charliehunt - 6th February 2014 at 15:46
It would be good to think that future generations might have given up the cult of celebrity.
By: John Green - 6th February 2014 at 15:17
Re 16
But then, later generations might try to find it and record the results on a Forum. Given the pre-occupation with infantile celebrity that could run till the end of time.
By: Moggy C - 6th February 2014 at 06:45
We could always bury the box on an WW2 airfield somewhere 😉
Moggy
By: MattCooke - 6th February 2014 at 02:03
I’d quite like to put Justin Bieber in a box, nail it shut, and drop it over the middle of the Atlantic.
By: silver fox - 3rd February 2014 at 21:41
I’m talking late 50s early 60s , when Farnborough particularly would have more prototypes or new developments of existing aircraft, than you are likely to see in total of all aircraft at most shows today.
A slightly different world than today.
By: snafu - 3rd February 2014 at 13:04
(this is definitely age talking) Who remembers those heady days when the names of test pilots were as well known as footballers or racing drivers to small boys.
Maybe if we had some new aircraft to test then we’d have more test pilots to know the names of…?
By: Derekf - 31st January 2014 at 08:35
This automatic dismissal of all things “celebrity” totally fails to appreciate the place of “celebrity” in the modern world. Yes,there are many vacuous and talentless types – these usually grace the right hand column of the Daily Mail website.
There are however many very talented people in walks of life that use their “celebrity” to further causes, raise money for charity and provide good role models. Look at Stephen Hawking, Eddie Izzard, Bono and many others. Are they judged in the same way as the dreaded Kardashians or the cast of TOWIE? It would appear that to some they are all the same.
The comparison between Justin Bieber and One Direction is a good case. Bieber is an arrogant conceited little man who does his best to alienate those who put him there in the first place. One Direction on the other hand largely come across as decent and pleasant young men who are totally aware of why they are where they are.
(As a father of a 10 year old girl you have to know about these things…..)
Imagine going through life with cameras following you all day every day. Then ask yourself if you would carry on behaving “normally”.
By: charliehunt - 31st January 2014 at 08:25
I could not agree more!
By: trumper - 31st January 2014 at 08:15
There are still very highly talented people who shine above others but the noise level from minor nobodies makes it harder to spot them.There have always been minor celebrities but in the old days you didn’t have the internet and TV leading to instant self promotion.
P.S Thinking about it , i find it more sad that youngsters look up to these minor celebrities who actually are probably famous for all the wrong reasons and aspire to being like them.A race to the bottom instead of looking UP and aspiring to raise your game and standards.
By: charliehunt - 31st January 2014 at 05:30
Ah those were truly heady days!!;) And none were celebrities. They were famous people.
Celebrity and fame have become meaningless because they no longer ascribe talent to an individual – only that they are known through the vacuous output of wall to wall television and tabloid journalism in all its manifestations.
By: silver fox - 30th January 2014 at 20:30
Is it just me or possibly my age, but at one time celebrity did denote a talent of sorts,(whether we all agreed was another issue), but now there appear to be more and more talentless people who are famous for being famous.
(this is definitely age talking) Who remembers those heady days when the names of test pilots were as well known as footballers or racing drivers to small boys.
By: Mr Merry - 30th January 2014 at 17:46
A young brat with no talent and too much money. A bit like One Direction, or as I call them the wrong direction.
As for a celebrity? See the line above:rolleyes:
By: charliehunt - 30th January 2014 at 16:12
[QUOTE=snafu;2109382
But come on – should the uncelebrity Bieber be deported from America back to Canada?[/QUOTE]
I can think of few things I care less about.
But you could link this and the Smoking thread and ask the question – should celebrities be allowed in cars with children, or indeed anywhere near children in case they inhale the injurious fumes??!!
By: Moggy C - 30th January 2014 at 15:53
Oi! What have you got against Canada?
Some surviving RCAF aircrew might still live there. They deserve better.
Moggy
(Yes – Now Show)
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January 30, 2014 at 2:29 pm