The Art of Selling Out

So selling out is not exactly a new development, celebrities have been whoring out their faces and names for years advertising products they don't use for money they don't need so they can keep playing that game called fame. But when does it become too much?

Advertising companies are good at their jobs and we can't blame them for this. They utilize the Appeal to Authority to the fullest and benefit greatly. It was discovered long ago that if products were presented by figures the public could relate to, respect, and even trust, products would sell. Unfortunately these days having products sold by professionals like doctors (real docs, not those 'I'm a doctor and I approve this diet pill' docs), scientists, and experts don't appeal to the public as much as your favorite celebs. We trust Jamie Lee Curtis to sell us poop yogurt more than we trust a proctologist! Which speaks volumes for the value system of our society, but that's another blog.

Lately, I have grown tired of seeing the greed of Hollywood embodied in the picturesque stars flooding my magazines and television commercials. These celebrities get paid millions of dollars to pimp these products and their faces out all over the advert world. Do they need the money? Hell no! Only popular celebrities sell, and popular celebs are making plenty of money in their own industry! Note Forbes' top ten paid actresses of 2009: of the 10, only 2, count them, TWO have not sold their faces to any product nor their souls to any company. Oddly, of the top ten actors, only two have. I don't know if this represents a gender difference in terms of values (men don't sell out)*yeah right*, or just appeal (women sell better) *Mmhmm*. The point being, these people are not on the brink of financial ruin selling their names to feed their children. And none of them are pimping for altruism or any worthy cause other than their genuine concern for your yellow teeth and grotesque pasty make-up-less mug.

And selling out isn't happening just in Hollywood. Imagine my devastation as a Sugarland fan when an Applebee's commercial came on and their music was narrating the flurry of artery-clogging, just-a-step-above-McDonald's quality burgers. But don't worry, they're still smiling bright and white with Listerine White Strips. My final breaking point came when I stumbled upon the biggest travesty of musical sell-out, Mariah Carey. Once a diehard fan of the siren who once claimed "it was all only about the music", my heart has slowly been torn into confetti in the years since her much publicized breakdown and comeback, which, in the hands of musical connoisseur LA Reid, has been littered with Pepsi and Intel Processor ads. Now LA's latest brain child? A magazine-style CD booklet for her new album that will come with editorials and photos of the singer, and of course, advertisements. LA contacted big perfume, make-up, and clothing companies to advertise in Mariah's "CD-Mag", and they will be making cash hand over fist on this latest scheme that some predict will spread like a wildfire in the money-hungry music industry.

In stepping back and examining the larger picture, those of us without money can easily see the temptation of getting paid millions to put on some Covergirl lipstick and smile. But what about contractual obligations and the restrictions that apply? A few years ago, Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron were reminded of the shackles fastened to their wrists by their companies. Theron, who had signed on to advertise one brand of watch was photographed wearing a competitor's brand and was sued by the company she advertised for $100 million for breaking contract. Kidman nearly became the subject of a heated lawsuit with Chanel when a tabloid falsely reported she was seen buying a competitor's perfume at a store. My question: is it worth it? When you're making $20+ million a film, is that extra couple of million worth it when you can't enter a store and pick up any bottle of perfume you want without being sued? Is it worth it when you have to sift through your jewelry box and set aside the accessories you can't wear because you want to avoid a lawsuit? These celebrities have effectively sold their souls and very basic freedoms to these companies for a little more cash and face time on TV and paper.

What happened to the art? What happened to doing what you're doing because you love it and not worrying about the fame game or the money? What happened to integrity and working for personal fulfillment? Would Da Vinci have given Mona Lisa fuller lips and a bigger smile if she could have advertised long-lasting color stay lipstick? Would Shakespeare have allowed the Goodyear blimp to fly around The Globe during his productions? Imagine Mozart presented by Nokia.

I mentioned earlier, two of the top ten actresses have never sold out to any company. You may have wondered who they are? The fantastically delectable Meryl Streep, always a slave to her art and nothing more, and my love of loves, the fabulous Renee Zellweger. Now Renee has actually advertised for companies twice, once for Ford cars, and once for a combination of Mercedes Benz, Saks 5th Avenue, and Juicy Couture. However, both were in fact, pimping for altruism as both ads were in connection with Breast Cancer Research and Awareness, and as far as I know, Renee accepted no money for these campaigns. If you gotta pimp, pimp for good, not for you.

I love Renee

Twitter Tweakers

OK so I must admit I never much liked the idea of Twitter...why? Mainly because it was popular and I labor under the fantasy that I am a non-conformist (and yes, I'm aware I'm on MySpace and Facebook and I have a worthless blog, this is why it's a fantasy). But, at least MySpace and Facebook have other applications...I can add music on MySpace, post photos, videos, blog, keep in touch with friends on these networking sites. What is the point of Twitter? So I can obsessively follow every footstep of my favorite celebs? So I can stay abreast of each mundane task of my friends' daily lives? Do I care if you're going to the doctor for something that looks infected? Am I really interested in the fact that John Mayer's penis fell asleep when he crossed his legs for too long?

Twitter feeds into many negative aspects of the internet. Number one being the ever-growing celebrity obsession. It's not enough that we have, at times, moment by moment paparazzi photos of these people, that we have TMZ lurking on every corner waiting for that crucial moment when the celebs exit a fancy restaurant so we can, in a sense, tie off and get a celeb-fix. And what's worse, these celebs are actually posting on themselves (don't complain about wanting your privacy anymore, Hollywood, you sold it out to Twitter).

Number two is that Twitter feeds into our self-serving narcissism. Do we really think we are that important that there are enough people out there who care to read about our every move? I have no delusions about the popularity of my blog, I know my words fall on deaf ears (or in this case, averted eyes), I know my place in this digital abyss. No one cares. Twitter maintains that it's a new way to keep in touch with friends and family...I have a phone. Anything worth knowing is worth calling you for. Twitter is an excuse to share those annoying details that we're frankly too embarrassed to call our friends and family members about because they'll just hang up. So someone created a website for those tedious facts. Great.

Number three could be the antithesis of number two in that perhaps you're not narcissistic at all but longing for a sense of importance. You tweet and send your 140 characters flittering through binary space hoping someone, anyone, cares enough to read. And nothing quite boosts your digital ego like gaining a follower, even if they're Twitter whores adding anyone and everyone to boost their own numbers. The internet is no place to seek out personal affirmation.

Of course, as some of you may know, I am a huge fan of Queen Rania of Jordan. I came across her during an intercultural study and am fascinated (and admittedly a little turned on) by this woman. If you haven't seen her, Google her...I'll wait, go on...........OMG ISN'T SHE HOT?! OK so anyways, this woman, going against the grain has broken away from traditional royals and busted head first into the digital world. She pulled me into YT, forcing me to create my own channel and videos, and now she's dragging me kicking and screaming onto Twitter. Now I am human and a little hypocritical, so I'm going to call myself out and admit I'm suffering from numbers 1 and 3 of the preceding points. I joined to read her posts and now I have regrettably tweeted twice. I feel so dirty. I posted on my lack-luster activities and loudly pronounced my disgust for the site (while in turn conforming and supporting the site...it's a plague!). I will do my best to avoid it or at least tweet about significant moments (i.e. QR posted, "met the pope"...oh yeah, much better than John's sleepy little john).

If you must conform, stalk, self-indulge, or self-destruct, please keep in mind...tweet responsibly.

Why is discrimination OK when it's against gays?

OK so I'm back for what has apparently become my annual post...I'm sure all the readers I don't have missed me.

The topic of discussion for the past year has been gay rights since gay marriage was legalized in the state of California, over 18,000 couples married, then the right to marry was almost immediately revoked due to the fabulous Prop 8, which is now undergoing careful examination at the state supreme court to determine it's validity.

However, what brings this ongoing topic to the forefront today is a glamorized puffed up painted on bleach bottle blonde bimbo (yay tongue twisters!) who represented the state of Cali in the ultimate reminder that looks are in fact, everything, the Miss USA pageant. Asked by famed celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, an openly gay web icon (whom no one knows how he became an icon in the first place), if she felt gay marriage should be legalized, she replied "In my country, and in my family, I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman." She lost the crown. Ha! But later came to her own defense by claiming "...I see the audience would have wanted me to be more politically correct, but I was raised in a way that you can never compromise your beliefs or opinions for anything."

Does she have a point in her last statement? Yes. No one should compromise themselves to succeed, it taints whatever success may come as a result and you sold yourself out. However, I truly believe that if you are in fact, a bigot, you might want to invest some time in changing those beliefs and opinions for something a little more 21st century. And I hope those gays who do your hair and make-up don't find your "opinions" so offensive that they burn off your extensions while they're still attached to your scalp.

My question is, why is it OK to discriminate when its against gays? In a country that's so politically correct that a teen pop star can't pull her eyelids down in a personal photo without getting sued for billions, why is it OK to openly state that gays are not equal and don't deserve equal rights? And why is family, religion, and way of life a legitimate excuse for that hatred? "It's just the way I was raised". Would that excuse have flown when Mel Gibson accused Jews of everything? Does that excuse fly for the KKK, the Aryan Brotherhood? So why does it fly for anti-gays and homphobes? Why is it, when Halle Berry makes a jewish nose joke, or Rosie O'Donnell says 'ching-chong' on The View, the jews and asians are up in arms demanding public apologies and even financial restitutions, but people who are true bigots and anti-gays are not only getting away with it, but being celebrated for standing up for their own beliefs? Granted, this is America, we have freedom of speech, but there are limitations to what is decent and acceptable. And even though you have the right to say what you want, if you say the wrong thing, you're going to get your ass kicked. If a white man walked down the street with a bullhorn claiming "all blacks should be hanging from the nearest tree", he's going to get shot. If a blonde bimbo stands up and says gays are inferior human beings, half the country agrees with her and applauds her.

I often say that gay is the new black. Granted we are not enslaved and picking cotton, but drawn to scale, in the progress that we've made in this country since slavery (hey, there's a black guy in the white house) the process of discrimination has only become more civilized. "You still don't get equal rights but we promise not to tie you up and whip you", (which still happens to gays in some states). In all but two states we don't have the right to marry. In the majority of states, we don't have the right to adopt. In many states, you can lose your job if your employer finds out you're gay (but they'll find another reason to fire you so you can't sue).

When will discrimination be wrong for everyone? Sorry Miss California, you missed the point of America, and you cannot be Miss USA. You refused to compromise your beliefs and you gave up your dream for your own hatred.

Tom Cruise the Scientology Dumb-Shit

OK, I really did not want my blog to take a turn into the celebrity world, especially on my first actual post, but I am not a fan of Tom Cruise, his psychotic Scientologist ways, or his anti-psychology bullshit, so I need to comment on the viral video that is now circulating the web. A few exerpts from his rant and rave...courtesy of Us Weekly...

"We are the authorities on getting people off drugs, we are the authorities on the mind, we are the authorities on improving conditions... we can rehabilitate criminals."...then why haven't you done it? Why is it that Scientologists seem to think they're the only ones who can help these people? Psychologists and therapists and sponsors and mentors help these people, and I would like to know, exactly how many of these people are Scientologists?

"Being a Scientologist, when you drive past an accident... you know you have to do something about it because you know you’re the only one that can really help."...again, the paramedics do nothing? The police? Other passers-by who may have CPR and First Aid training can't help?

"So it’s our responsibility to educate, create the new reality. We have that responsibility to say, 'Hey, this is the way it should be done because we do it this way and people are actually getting better."....and the other methods aren't working?

"...We can bring peace and unite cultures..."...we're still waiting for that pesky Middle East Crisis to be averted but sorry, Tom is busy lapping up the attention for Katie's Mad Money....guess the Gaza Strip will just have to wait.

My main issue with all of these statements is Tom's air of superiority. "Scientology is the one true religion! Tom is the way, the truth, and the light, and no ones comes to the spaceship except through him." Why is it, if Scientology is so successful and proven to be such, are problems still on-going in the world? Why are there criminals? Why are children dying of hunger every day? Why is AIDS still a problem?

Nevermind the fact that these problems which Tom claims they can cure still exist, but why is this the only possible solution? How does Tom justify disregarding thousands of years of established organized religion and global assistance groups such as UNICEF and the Red Cross? Hundreds of thousands of people are out in the world actively making a difference, the majority of whom I am sure are NOT Scientologists, while Tom is at the latest Mad Money premiere sucking up his wife's attention. Never have I seen Tom in Louisianna with Brad Pitt rebuilding homes, never have I seen him wearing the UN armband out in the middle of Africa with people like Angelina Jolie and Orlando Bloom, or helping with AIDS epidemics in Africa like Bono and Charlize Theron. Certainly haven't seen him out there walking with Renee Zellweger and Julianne Moore for Breast Cancer. I have no doubt Tom is charitable in his own special way, but it's not hard to sign a check, the big difference is going out and getting your pretty little manicured hands dirty.

It is one thing to rejoice in your own beliefs and to promote them, it is an entirely different thing to attack the beliefs of others, insinuating that they are inferior, ineffective, and useless. For thousands of years, belief in God, Allah, Buddha, various Bhagavans, Jehovah, etc, has brought strong senses of spirituality, responsibility to mankind and the earth, kindness, love, and a genuine need to help others. Now, all of a sudden, they aren't enough. Granted they have not resolved all problems in the world and some problems have resulted because of such Holy Wars. But, at the core of the problems, the very reason nothing has been resolved, are these ideations that "I have the answer" and "only I can solve these issues", and no one is willing to compromise amidst their differences to find a common ground and come together to help one another. So, adversely, Tom's claim that only Scientology can fix the world is the one thing perpetuating most of the world's problems and ensuring they continue. And, despite how helpful Scientology claims to be and how dedicated they are to helping others, Scientology is the only religion that charges their followers to do so. While some religions appreciate donations, Scientology requires a fee to learn their teachings because they are so concerned with making you a better person....cult, anyone?

Tom this isn't War of the Worlds and no, Steven Spielberg cannot write you out a happy ending, no one man can save the world, but let's face it, you aren't even trying.

First Post

Hey, my name is Jae and I'm new to the blogging world. Basically what this is is my device to sound off on all the shit going on in the world, whether it be political, religious, racial, or even with the scaggy celebrities. I know so many people have blogs and so many people have important things to say, so my words are really just another drop in the ocean, hence the title of my blog, but maybe someone will read this, and if not, at least I've gotten it off my chest.

Enjoy...