Stardom versus celebrity

I guess the issue I have with the whole “celeb” culture is the immediacy of it all.
Immediacy to the point of total disposability.

It is no coincidence that the current trend for “celeb” as opposed to “star” overload has coincided with the explosion in the medium you an I are using at this very moment.
The internet, in all it’s expansive and exaggerated glory continues to act as herald to this gospel of the disposable. But add to the mix the Popes and Priestesses of this tawdry religion such as that abhorrent peddlar of all that’s bland and underwhelming (Simon Cowell) and rabid, talentless creatures such as Cheryl Cole and, yes, the seeds of cultural and artistic meltdown have been sewn.

Harsh words you may think?
Maybe.
But I think that this whole circus has become so universal, so omnipresent, that it’s seriousness can no longer be underestimated, as it challenges the very education and moral well-being of generations to come.
Sound like a grouchy old gobshyte now don’t I?

Ok then, why do I feel so strongly about this? It’s just Reality shows innit? Just celebs and wannabes and what not? Like get over it.. and Yourself!!
Well, apart from the insufferable irritation of having to lock myself in a room sometimes just to escape this dross and watch a film or some sport or something.. my reasons are manifold.
Chief among these is a small, simple word – Merit.
Let’s add another little word with large meaning to the menu – Talent.

If anything, some recognition should be afforded to the likes of the awful Cowell creature and his acolytes for succeeding in completely redefining these two terms. Centuries of linguistic evolution turned on it’s head in a mere decade or so of X FACTOR and whatever.
Far from being the lifeblood and inspiration.. the sweat and tears.. the bloody hard work.. that creates Fame and Stardom – Talent and Merit are no longer required.
No, they have been diluted and indeed prostituted to such an extent that they are now used and defined by these blatant exponets of exploitaion with a wide variety of sideshows, punchlines and cringeworthy interludes in the name of infinitely forgettable “competition”.
All under the sneering, mocking condecension or fake, fortune cookie sentiment of famous “judges”.

This, apparently, is celebrity.

I was in forum 3’s chatroom some time back, with my mate Tel I think, and we were giving it loads about that ultimate puddle of a person – Cheryl Cole. Now, it was all in relatively good humour lol but we were lambasted in some quarters, naturally, for flying in the face of the populist perception of this creature being “the Nation’s Sweetheart” and that she is “great”.
:shock:
“Great at what exactly?” was my perfectly reasonable retort.
Singing? Haha cmon.
We were then treated to a litany of troubled upbringings and rising above this and confronting that and creating awareness (my personal fave lol) of such.
Nothing, may I add, about her craven, racially fuelled assault on a toilet attendant some years back.
Oh no.
Sweetheart.. yeah.

The world of performing arts should be a meritocracy, born of talent, True talent. Brought to fruition through inspiration and hard work.. lots of bloody hard work.. where the material matters. Where the application of this material matters. NOT the sob story behind it’s performer. NOT the hype or the phoney, doctored, supposedly cold auditions for those with IMMEDIATE star quality.
No.
I’ll give you another word – Craft

Talent.
Craft.
Merit.
All of these bring artistic luxury to the table… Stardom.
With this regard Cowell and the likes are mere Ronald McDonalds.
Junk celebs.

But, much like the drug needs it’s pusher.. so it needs it’s user.
This is where we come into play.
Recent polls have indicated that chief among the aspirations of the young is to “achieve stardom” through The X Factor.
Up till recently, such reports would have been dismissed as faddish. But this is where it get deadly serious. The omnipresence of this sense of entitlement mentality, this immediacy is so pervasive right now that it’s effects are as far reaching as they are cancerous. From education to art to political awareness and moral judgement.

Sorry about this long post btw lol. Don’t worry , it will be over soon 8-[

Nothing annoys me more then hearing gormless planks following the modern pied piper’s mantra of “changing their lives” and getting out of their “dead end jobs” or “dead end towns” spiel.
It is ignorant and insulting on so many levels.
One wonders what they (or Cowell for that matter) would do if there weren’t such “dead end jobs” to actually keep the world turning?
Who would service our cars? Who would wait our tables?

One wonders what the parents and families of these sense of entitlement fantasists would think having worked bloody hard to provide them with a life in the first place?
In today’s PC climate they daren’t speak, but just smile and be “proud”.
Last year’s X Factor brought us one such example. Ulster wannabe Janet Devlin’s comments regarding her hometown were particularly offensive. Coming from an area with proud traditions and a hard working background that is hardly hell on earth, it was a disgrace to hear of her dread at the prospect of staying there. Maybe Janet should watch “It’s A Wonderful Life” this Xmas.
Bu this is all Cowell spin.
Supply the demand.

Don’t get me wrong.
We all need our dreams.
Dreams of happiness and success are crucial.
For from such dreams comes inspiration.
Then comes the work.
In my job, such bloody hard work is applied every day to try and instill at least a sense of industry, application and (yes, again, bloody hard work) into the aspirations of the young. To contribute.
This is instantly shattered on a large scale every saturday night with the instant promise of instant success. A false, fleeting success that once achieved, is instantly dismissed.. all in the name of maintaining Cowell and Co’s already well feathered nest.
Trust me. .The X Factor has very little to do with making people into true stars. The X Factor’s primary concern is maintaining The X Factor.
It is truly astounding, and indeed monstrous that it is THE primary source of cultural feedback in the Britain and Ireland of today.

If it were just a TV show then grand.. but the language, philosophy and “promise” this crap deals out is becoming endemic. Maybe it’s the other way around? Maybe this shyte is symptomatic of a wider social inertia?

We are certainly not blameless, not one bit.
As a glued to the box superconscious, we have actively (and at times most inactively) contributed to the creation of these “celeb”monsters.
Celebrity fodder such as Cole or Susan Boyle or poor Jade Goody have settled into the Frankenstein monster role that we inevitably stigmatise our celebrity creations with. Birth them, nurture them, love them, scorn them, hate them, ultimately destroy them.. and.. if the right set of circumstances prevails.. resurrect them. Such are the magical yet cruel cogs of the celebrity machine, to which we , as a species, willingly supply endless fuel.
We giveth and we taketh away.

Either way, something needs to be done.