I don't want to sound preachy, and I don't' want to make it seem as though I have exempted myself from participating in the "paying it forward" of other people's business before I became a MAN (and put those childish things aside).
Entertainment gossip- in its purest form- makes and breaks careers, and I suppose on a purely ephemeral level,keeps things interesting. It makes the world go 'round. It keeps Spin Doctors employed and celebrities' names in the spotlight- especially when its "juicy" gossip! But at what point does 'bochinche' become malicious, libelous slander? At what point does our preoccupation with the talented tenth become dangerous- when we would rather watch "Entertainment Tonight" or "Access Hollywood" than "CNN Headline News" or 60 Minutes"? Interestingly enough, both CNN Headline News AND 60 Minutes feature paparazzi-oriented segments as well...
Its natural for us as humans to muse about how and where Brangelina will bring their new seed into the world; about if Whitney will ever kick her habit; about if Paris Hilton really has herpes (yikes!). It humanizes them. It gives us "celeb-reality"; it makes them appear approachable, somewhat fallible, subject to the same tribulations that we "normal" people go through every day- even if we aren't making 7 million dollars a picture or selling 20 million records. It allows us to live vicariously through them. Its also somewhat aspirational; if we become intrinsically attached to the stories of how these mega-stars were once "ordinary people", it gives those who are trying to reach that level of recognizability hope of getting there.I guess some parts of THE REAL RE-EDIT- specifically the "Questions For The Zeitgeist" entries- may perhaps ride the periphery of gossip. Some might call it passive-aggressive instigation. I prefer to think of it as pure speculative thought. However, NOTHING I say there reveals anything that any person who is blinking during the day isn't exposed to on a daily basis through newspapers, television, the internet or popular lore. I haven't (to date) inserted "blind items", wherein I change, omit or infer celebrities' names to further some piece of gossip that may or not be true. I deal in TRUTH, for the most part (my opinions notwithstanding- which may only contain SLICES of veritas). No question that I ask in those entries approach gospel; just the ramblings of a pop-culture-perverted mind.
That's the difference between THE REAL RE-EDIT and pure gossip. I take what is offered to us by celebrity PR gurus, political/entertainment journalists, and the general "chatterati" alike and turn it on its head; most times in a satirical, sardonic, or comical sense, but also sometimes as a result of genuine introspection. I think the absence of judgment (for the most part) and the presence of camp and the recognition of the ridiculous is what separates blogs like THE REAL RE-EDIT, Rod 2.0, SCL Cafe, et. al, from much-maligned (yet widely-read) publications like The National Enquirer, OK!, and The Star
That being said, I hope I give you something to think about every now and then, outside of the realm of celebrity shit-talk and movie-star minutiae. On the REAL, we can talk about whether Michael molested those boys or whether we think Luther was gay or whether Jennifer really is the bitchy diva that we hear she is until the cows come home; but AIDS, racism, and poverty will still be part of our collective lives after we finish talking about each of those topics. Hmmmmm....
Well, that's enough of that...By the way, have you seen how Janet, on the eve of the release of her new CD, has whittled herself down to a size 4?
(couldn't help myself!!!)
OK, I digress...back to your regularly-scheduled program...
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