Media and Celebrities

dam9191 · House on Fire

Media and Celebrities

ArrGee1991 · Dave

dam9191 wrote:
Celebrities often need the media to promote their new movie, album, DVD, etc. Our culture has become celebrity obsessed.

What are your thoughts about the media and how they treat celebrities?

Do you think they are too intrusive?

Do celebrities deserve the same amount of privacy as the rest of us or do they "deserve" to have the media pry into their private lifes?

It all depends. Most celebrities these days don't have anything to promote. They are just celebrities. They have no talent, and often have celebrity through association. Some examples, Jade Goody, Jordan, WAGs (e.g. Collen McLoughlin), Peaches Geldof. In my opinion, they want the celebrity life and open up their private lives to obtain it. As far as I'm concerned they are fair game.

Where I feel the media are intrusive is with regards to artists/sportsmen/politicians who have not chosen to be celebrities but have it foisted upon them. This can be unfair, particularly when they are not selling their lifestyle, but just trying to do what they enjoy.

The media are too intrusive on some people, but once you start selling yourself and your family to the media then you have given the media licence to be as intrusive as they want.

Scottie · Loudmouth

Let me tell you how press intrusion ruined the life of someone I know and caused his mother to have a nervous breakdown. I dont want to name him here, but British people will remember him as firstly, a childrens tv presenter on a very famous show and secondly, a daytime TV presenter. I happen to have taught the children of his brother, who lives in Edinburgh. This man was accused of rape in someone's autobiography.(similarities of Claire K here?) It does not matter to the press that he was cleared in court of this offence, but he was tried and found guilty in the papers before that.

During that time the press were camped ouside his elderly parents' house for 3 weeks, and they even sat in the pub opposite their house to look in the windows. They camped outside his brother's house for 3 weeks also and phoned up friends form their schooldays. His mother had a breakdown and was off work for 3 months. it has ruined his life and he is now trying to make a living as a property developer.

I fully believe that some press and people interest in celebrity is normal. And we are all interested here in various aspects of Bob's life, aren't we? But I dont think it should naturally have to always extend to children, parents, schoolfriends, etc and certainly not to the extent of causing them distress.

Some families cope with it, look at Pixie and Peaches, they actually welcome and embrace it, but it must be so hard for others. I think a lot depends on the celebrity also. I know when he is in Kent, Bob is just one of the community and people dont bat an eyelid and he even does his shopping at Tesco. In his book, Midge Ure writes that he accompanied Bob "for moral support" to buy nappies once when the kids were small. It was no big deal for him.

British papparazi seem to be the most intrusive in the world and look what they have done to Heather Mills, driving her to the point of breakdown also.

It is something that will always be here, as it seems to be a British institution.

Jules · The biggest Geldof fan in the world, bar none!

I think sometimes it is forgotten the celebrities and people in the media are human sometimes. There should be a line drawn in the way they are pursued, particularly in cases like the one you mention Scottie, and where families/friends etc get involved. Whilst many go out to be famous and get the attention, they don't deserve to have their lives ruined.

I understand why Bob guards his privacy so fiercely and would hate to be famous myself.