Can you imagine in your wildest dreams what it would be like to be a famous celebrity constantly hounded and followed by the paparazzi? Using disguises to go out in public and keeping wedding plans top secret so intimate moments can be private seem to be part of the celebrities’ lives.
There exists a love-hate relationship between the celebrities and these photographic opportunists! No picture means no publicity which means no notariety for the celeb and no money for the pap. The more famous the celeb, the higher the value of the picture(s). Of course, we know that certain people (K.Kardashian and J.Simpson, to name a few) love the paparazzi!
So, why do these obnoxious photographers do what they do? Money and greed! It is a contest among this pack of wolves to see who can get the first baby picture or wedding picture of the rich and famous. Or, who can get the most embarrassing shot of a wardrobe malfunction or a private moment between two people. Outfitted with the longest camera lens money can buy, they have recently embarrassed Will and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, while enjoying their private holiday.
Some pictures have been known to bring in millions of dollars to the paparazzi. The exclusive pictures of the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie future wedding could be worth $10 million and the pictures of the birth of their twins in 2008, brought in a hefty $14 million.
The bottom line is that the worth of these pictures is directly proportionate to the number of eyes viewing the pictures. A paparazzi with “good connections” can make $500,000 per year. Can we put these wolves out of business by showing them that we are not interested in these pictures? It will probably never happen! A large part of our society enjoys knowing the intimate details of others. Shame on them! Do they have no scruples?
Given the recent flurry of “news” relative to the Kate Middleton photos, your essay is particularly timely and relevant. This insatiable (and insane) desire to be tittilated (sp?) that seems to exist (and not just here in the US) seems to generate how seriously brain injured (or perhaps, oxygen deprived) so many of the population is.
There seems an overwhelming desire on the part of so many folks to live life vicariously through the actions of others. If this wasn’t true, there wouldn’t be a market for these photos (and rags like the National Enquirer).
Is life so sad and without interest for so many that they must get their little thrills by seeing photos and news of trash like the Kardashians and so many others?
People, get out and read a book, take a walk, go for a drive or perhaps a cold shower – whatever, but get your lives back in gear…
Kirk
Thanks Nancy for your blogs. You say very well what we are so tired of seeing. Lori
There was a time, many years ago, when movie magazines like Photoplay, Modern Screen and others wrote interesting stories about movie stars, probably mostly fiction, about their lives at home and movies they were currently filming and of course ongoing romances between the stars. However, most of what was written and photographed was cleared by the actors or the movie studios which had them under contract. You never heard mention of any of the stories regarding the large gay community in the entertainment field, that was always kept under wraps, and no nude photos were ever taken or published without the consent of the movie star. The first nude photo I remember hearing about was of the famous Marilyn Monroe calendar.
In those days it seemed people had enough going on in their own lives to do to keep them busy. That was before all the technology of the last 20 years, but it can’t all be blamed on technology, there’s also a lack of morals; anything goes today. Just look at all the reality shows where people will do or say anything for attention and ratings. Are those shows supposed to be entertaining? To me it’s like watching a train wreck.
It just scares me to think about what producers will come up with next to keep viewers “entertained”. Perhaps, like a movie I saw years ago, where they had people fighting to the death. Scary, but I don’t think it’s too far-fetched.