I was afraid of this. Sometimes, when I sit down and start writing articles for the various sites that I write for, I wonder whether celebrities, directors, producers or others associated with shows and movies actually read them. I cringe a bit, wondering whether they'll think I'm a b*tch if I write too harshly about their latest project. I wonder whether I could live with the kind of criticism some of these people take on a daily basis and then acknowledge that I probably couldn't. This is why they have cooler day jobs than I do (writing is not my regular day job, by the way).
When I read an article this morning wherein Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation, Avatar, Clash of the Titans) responded to the recent public criticism of the Avatar trailer, I realized that some of these people actually do read what's written about them or their work, and I decided that this should be addressed. I'm not above occasionally taking cheap shots when I'm writing.....but is it right?
Sometimes I'm sarcastic in my articles. It's just my personality. It doesn't mean that I don't admire your work and that you don't entertain me greatly. In fact, if I like you I'm 100% completely loyal, sometimes to a fault. This goes for actors, actresses, tv shows, movies, etc. I will forgive anything: bad reviews, bad acting, weak storylines, huge plot holes....none of that matters to me if you've got my loyalty. That's why I forgave some seasons of Buffy and that second X-Files movie.
I'll admit I'm not a professional journalist. A lot of bloggers and pop culture writers these days aren't. I'd like to believe that after a four year undergraduate degree and three years of law school that I can string together a sentence. At the very least, all that tuition money taught me some big words and some Latin (yes, we're still all about the Latin in law school - for example, nemo dat quod non habet). I like to write, and I've been lucky enough to get a platform to do so, but I'm just a regular person. I call my grandparents at least twice a week because I love them. I knit scarves for friends and family members as gifts. I've got some crazy "and this one time, when I was drunk...." stories. I cried at the end of Beaches (and Gladiator...and pretty much every movie where someone dies). I'm in serious denial about turning 30 later this year (who wants to come to my 29 Again party in December?!)
So if I'm a regular person, this means that celebrities are regular people too. I think sometimes we forget this. Writers, people on the street.....we sometimes like to think that celebrities don't have feelings. With the internet, everyone's a critic. Mass and personal opinion is transmitted in real time and social platforms like Twitter or Facebook can make or break a movie or a television show. It's not just a job to some actors. They're being judged on their talent, their looks, the way they walk and talk and a lot of other things that define them as people. How could some of them not cave under constant criticism? Why do we feel that we have to right to criticize? Sure, I could claim that it's my right - as a potential paying movie or television watcher - to express my opinion and to some degree that's true. But being unnecessarily harsh isn't right either.
Jessica Simpson gains ten pounds and she's damn near crucified by the media. Good Lord. I wonder how a lot of people would feel if someone wrote "you're fat" on the internet and nearly ten million people read it. Jennifer Aniston breaks up with a boyfriend and we're all cackling about how she can't keep a man. Hell, her divorce was played out in the public sphere. I couldn't survive that. Could you? Britney Spears likely suffered from a mental illness and people post photos of her strapped to a gurney in an ambulance. Her children are taken from her and it's just fodder. Now that it seems like she's getting her life back in order people are still looking for ways to make fun of her. It's a miracle most of these celebrities aren't turning to booze, my personal remedy for pain (kids, don't try this at home). Is the price that Simpson or Aniston or Spears pay - the public ridicule and scorn - equal to the millions they earn? No. Because one is money. The other is their life, their feelings, their self-worth. You cannot put a price on that.
As one commenter below noted, it's easy to be anonymous on the internet. It's easier to insult someone behind their back than to their face. But posting something online isn't the same as whispering an insult to another friend, is it? I think the recent example where a court ordered Google to reveal the name of a blogger who insulted a model shows how damaging online insults can be and how seriously some will take it. Do I agree with that decision? Not necessarily, but a good argument can be made for either side.
Lest some accuse me of being a bleeding heart, let me state that I believe that some celebrities bring this attention – negative or otherwise – on themselves. There are a lot of celebrities I wouldn’t want to know in person or be friends with in real life because their personalities just rub me the wrong way. Do some of them deserve the snarky words? Certainly. But not all of them. Some of them I’d like to meet up with and go out with and party like it’s 1999.
Then again, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe a lot of celebrities don’t really care what people write about them. Maybe they don’t even read the internet and maybe there really isn’t such a thing as bad publicity. Maybe this fame thing is all just a game and the players involved don’t really care and I’m just over-thinking things – again. I’ll leave that open to debate.
I’m not going to stop writing and chances are I will occasionally take a cheap shot or make a snarky comment. However, for a little while, I wanted to pull back the curtain and try to explain. I’m a person and sometimes I feel guilty or shameful for my actions. Are there others who feel the same way I do? You tell me.
In light of some recent articles I've written, I'd like to clarify a few points:
Christopher Nolan: I recently wrote an article about your Inception movie trailer. But it was just a joke, man! I loved Memento - total mind f*ck. I adored The Dark Knight. I'm going to watch Inception, probably on opening night. So it was just a joke. But, seriously, what the hell is Inception about?
Everyone Who Worked on Prison Break: I was sarastic in a lot of my recaps, but I loved your show and I was sorry to see it end. My grandfather loved it too.
Sam Worthington: As Will Smith said to the aliens in Independence Day - "nothing but love for ya" (I love Will Smith too!). I loved you in Terminator 4, I loved you in all those Australian movies/tv shows you were in (yes, I saw all of them). I'll love you in Avatar and Clash of the Titans and whatever else you do. Just a question, though.....I read your Esquire article and I want to know: what was the drunkest movie you ever made?
Heidi & Spencer: I recently wrote a one-sided conversation about you two wherein you were portrayed as talentless fame-wh*res. I really, really wish I could apologize for that, but there you have it.
Email me at clarissa @ tvovermind.com
I completely agree with everything you brought up here. I believe it is very complicated to be in the spotlight, and they have to expect that there will be some criticism, whether good or bad. Some people deserve a good dressing down for foisting mediocrity upon the public (and themselves). But people who are sick (Britney) or have some serious personal issues, should not be dragged through the mud, no matter how much I (we) despise them. I think if the media stuck more to commenting on their work, instead of bitching about their personal lives, it would be easier to draw the line on what we, here on the internet, can and should comment about. And, yes, it sometimes funny to make fun of celebrities, but straight up hatefulness is really just unacceptable. Good article;)
I completely agree with everything you brought up here. I believe it is very complicated to be in the spotlight, and they have to expect that there will be some criticism, whether good or bad. Some people deserve a good dressing down for foisting mediocrity upon the public (and themselves). But people who are sick (Britney) or have some serious personal issues, should not be dragged through the mud, no matter how much I (we) despise them. I think if the media stuck more to commenting on their work, instead of bitching about their personal lives, it would be easier to draw the line on what we, here on the internet, can and should comment about. And, yes, it sometimes funny to make fun of celebrities, but straight up hatefulness is really just unacceptable. Good article;)
Does this mean I can't write about Jon Gosselin anymore? :-)
No, I'm pretty sure his particular brand of douchebaggery deserves to be written about. Knock yourself out, Jon.
Yeah, I really hate that guy. He needs to feel bad about himself.
Does this mean I can’t write about Jon Gosselin anymore? :-)
No, I’m pretty sure his particular brand of douchebaggery deserves to be written about. Knock yourself out, Jon.
Yeah, I really hate that guy. He needs to feel bad about himself.
i agree the celbs that push themselves down our throats and tell us all about their sex lives and drug taking and then want to tell the world how to live and what they give to charity should be spoken about and most comments are the result of their own pr whoring if you sell yourself and behave like trash then get used to people calling you out. as for jessica s she is not fat and i that am thin wish i had her figure most the time. as for jen her divorce was and is still dragged out as if she cheated and was the adulter, but without her name being mentioned jolie and pitt would not be so famous and most the guys she has dated would never have gotten the attention they get so she is good for pr and she sells mags. the more they rag and diss her the more fans she gets because people want to defend her and protect her.
i agree the celbs that push themselves down our throats and tell us all about their sex lives and drug taking and then want to tell the world how to live and what they give to charity should be spoken about and most comments are the result of their own pr whoring if you sell yourself and behave like trash then get used to people calling you out. as for jessica s she is not fat and i that am thin wish i had her figure most the time. as for jen her divorce was and is still dragged out as if she cheated and was the adulter, but without her name being mentioned jolie and pitt would not be so famous and most the guys she has dated would never have gotten the attention they get so she is good for pr and she sells mags. the more they rag and diss her the more fans she gets because people want to defend her and protect her.
Most people writing blogs are unbelievably negative and bitchy just for the sake of it. They all seem to be lining up to stick the boot into Avatar all from watching a trailer that should be viewed at an Imax theater rather than a computer. Yeah, lets make sure the film fails so we can all feel superior, I'm sick to death of all the petty ranting from so-called critics who have probably never done a creative thing in their lives but love nothing more to sit in judgment on people like James Cameron and Sam Worthington who are guilty of trying to make good films to entertain people.
Sally, I agree. The whole Avatar backlash was the catalyst for this article, but I also tried to go beyond it. However, you are correct. There's a lot of vitriol against certain movies or actors or whatnot and I wonder who we are to stand in judgment. Sometimes I'm guilty of it myself, hence why I wrote the article above. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing Avatar. The 3D IMAX footage was incredible. But that's just my humble opinion.
Most people writing blogs are unbelievably negative and bitchy just for the sake of it. They all seem to be lining up to stick the boot into Avatar all from watching a trailer that should be viewed at an Imax theater rather than a computer. Yeah, lets make sure the film fails so we can all feel superior, I’m sick to death of all the petty ranting from so-called critics who have probably never done a creative thing in their lives but love nothing more to sit in judgment on people like James Cameron and Sam Worthington who are guilty of trying to make good films to entertain people.
Sally, I agree. The whole Avatar backlash was the catalyst for this article, but I also tried to go beyond it. However, you are correct. There’s a lot of vitriol against certain movies or actors or whatnot and I wonder who we are to stand in judgment. Sometimes I’m guilty of it myself, hence why I wrote the article above. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing Avatar. The 3D IMAX footage was incredible. But that’s just my humble opinion.
It is one thing to criticize someones movie. It is only a movie after all and everyone will have different tastes when it comes to art. It is another thing entirely to post messages of hatred and uninformed judgement on people. Celebrities are people too and the internet has somehow given the public the right to anonomously trash celebrities as though they are some sort of disposable garbage. (I am looking directly at you ONTD, who has actually adopted the phrase "disposable celebrities" as a disgusting tag line for their crappy website.)
Wow. I went to that ONTD site. I actually hadn't read them before, but you're absolutely right, the tagline is pretty bad. The anonymity of the internet has made public ridicule and insult less personal and easier. I wager that a lot of people (myself included) would be unlikely to actually walk up to a celebrity and say some of the same stuff you right. I'd be afraid of getting punched (a la Perez Hilton).
I don't want to be a critical person, so I'm going to strive to take personal feelings into consideration more often. I'd like to think I'm not as horrible as some other people out there, but you tell me.
Yeah, that site is pretty bad, but I don't think sites like that bother most celebrities out there like a traditional news site does. Basically, if people I don't know, who are obviously hateful and rude, say bad things about me, I put much less credit on it based on the source.
As an example, if that site wrote something about me, I wouldn't care much. But if Entertainment Weekly wrote something bad about me personally, yeah it wouldn't be cool. But still, I say them writing something about my passion is worse. If EW.com wrote a review of this site and trashed it, I'd be mortified. Know what I mean?
It is one thing to criticize someones movie. It is only a movie after all and everyone will have different tastes when it comes to art. It is another thing entirely to post messages of hatred and uninformed judgement on people. Celebrities are people too and the internet has somehow given the public the right to anonomously trash celebrities as though they are some sort of disposable garbage. (I am looking directly at you ONTD, who has actually adopted the phrase “disposable celebrities” as a disgusting tag line for their crappy website.)
Wow. I went to that ONTD site. I actually hadn’t read them before, but you’re absolutely right, the tagline is pretty bad. The anonymity of the internet has made public ridicule and insult less personal and easier. I wager that a lot of people (myself included) would be unlikely to actually walk up to a celebrity and say some of the same stuff you right. I’d be afraid of getting punched (a la Perez Hilton).
I don’t want to be a critical person, so I’m going to strive to take personal feelings into consideration more often. I’d like to think I’m not as horrible as some other people out there, but you tell me.
Yeah, that site is pretty bad, but I don’t think sites like that bother most celebrities out there like a traditional news site does. Basically, if people I don’t know, who are obviously hateful and rude, say bad things about me, I put much less credit on it based on the source.
As an example, if that site wrote something about me, I wouldn’t care much. But if Entertainment Weekly wrote something bad about me personally, yeah it wouldn’t be cool. But still, I say them writing something about my passion is worse. If EW.com wrote a review of this site and trashed it, I’d be mortified. Know what I mean?
I totally agree that personal attacks about someone's weight, a style of parenting or love life should be off limits, but an actor or director's work is fair game. For example, one of the most irritating things about movie trailers on television are the quotes given by favorable "professional" critics to sway viewers like me to spend my money on them. Every film is hailed as the greatest movie ever made. Its deceptive advertisting and what I love about the internet is that bloggers and reviewers (like on amazon.com) right now have control. They are giving honest opinions about films and television programs that we'd never hear 15 years ago. In the case of Nolan's movie trailer, Hey, if you didn't like it, then he should be taking note of it and seeking out more opinions to see if others match yours. Constructive criticism is a good thing. You shouldn't have to apologize for that. I just came across this site today, but thank you for doing what you do. You save people alot of time AND money.
No, no, I'm totally into Nolan's trailer….I just don't understand it. But you're right, attacking people's personal lives should be off limits and I do my best to stay away from that and focus on people's roles and work instead. Unless it's Heidi and Spencer…then all bets are off :P
I totally agree that personal attacks about someone’s weight, a style of parenting or love life should be off limits, but an actor or director’s work is fair game. For example, one of the most irritating things about movie trailers on television are the quotes given by favorable “professional” critics to sway viewers like me to spend my money on them. Every film is hailed as the greatest movie ever made. Its deceptive advertisting and what I love about the internet is that bloggers and reviewers (like on amazon.com) right now have control. They are giving honest opinions about films and television programs that we’d never hear 15 years ago. In the case of Nolan’s movie trailer, Hey, if you didn’t like it, then he should be taking note of it and seeking out more opinions to see if others match yours. Constructive criticism is a good thing. You shouldn’t have to apologize for that. I just came across this site today, but thank you for doing what you do. You save people alot of time AND money.
No, no, I’m totally into Nolan’s trailer….I just don’t understand it. But you’re right, attacking people’s personal lives should be off limits and I do my best to stay away from that and focus on people’s roles and work instead. Unless it’s Heidi and Spencer…then all bets are off :P