In the home front, I haven't lost sight of the fact that we are so very lucky to even own a home. And it's not like it is falling down around our heads. Yet. Furthermore, last night I just received the county's appraiser letter telling us our home's value jumped up quite a bit. Gulp. As it was, I suspected our house had been under appraised when we bought it. I knew it for sure when shortly after, the house across the street sold for a helluva lot more than the appraised value of ours. Double Gulp. Last fall, I found out why all this had happened when the county inspector came by with a questionnaire and at the point, discovered we had a full, finished basement. Something the Previous Owner had neglected to tell them. So, um, yeah. Don't cry for me Argentina.
New topic: I watched a special regarding the paparazzi in Hollywood the other day and was left feeling quite disturbed. What bothered me is this - I remembered seeing tons of pictures of Britany Spears carrying her older son while out and about shopping with Paris Hilton. I only saw the printed pictures and they seemed pretty harmless. The documentary I watched showed live footage of the situation and I have to say, I was pretty upset by what I saw. Britany was clearly trying to cover her son, flashbulbs were going crazy and people were right in her face. Her son was terrified. Hmmm..... They didn't show THAT in the printed media. Probably what bothered me most is my own part in this whole thing. I do read a few gossip sites. I do subscribe to US Weekly. It's a subscription that comes due soon and I was debating it anyway, but this adds to my dilemma. It's very easy to claim that celebrities choose that kind of life. But do they really? Do they choose to be followed into grocery stores and then have their purchases sneered at because they have a predilection for Cheetos? Shouldn't they be able to just go shopping, get gas for their cars, pick up a coffee, take their kids to the park, go for a jog without a throng of flashbulbs and strobe lights (used to thwart other photographers)? Oh sure, there are some celebrities that are clearly aping for the cameras, but then there are others who obviously want their privacy. And they have no rights. None, whatsoever in Los Angeles.
Okay, I do enjoy US Weekly - I like perusing the red carpet coverage and seeing all the different designers unveil their creations. However, I don't enjoy reading the articles because clearly, the stories are complete bullshit. I do read some gossip blog sites, but find them a tad tiresome because when one of them becomes fodder for mockery, folks get upset and cry foul. That seems ironic to me somehow.
So, I have become increasingly uncomfortable with my participation in the whole paparazzi thing. Maybe, since I've become a blogger, I can see how vulnerable it can become for a person after witnessing some of the madness. But at least I have options, if I ever felt like something got out of hand, I'd close shop faster than you can say "Thank GOD, I don't have ads". Celebrities don't have that option.
Mock Me If You Can
Airplane!
Fig Balsamic-Glazed Duck Breast
Hope in a Can
9 comments:
I read gossip bloggers myself, even though I hate the people who write the site (i'm referring to perez here).
I do think paparazzi culture is getting more ruthless, especially with the internet and the demand for more pictures even faster than before (people at US weekly et al are terrifed by gossip bloggers because they can put a story in minutes, as opposed to the magazines which take days).
I think the compromise I've come to is that I will never buy a celebrity magazine and that I will work on cutting back how often I check on these blogs.
The stuff happening with Britney is insane. I wonder if we'll need another Princess Diana type incident to shake things up.
Interestingly enough, I wrote a paper for a media law class on paparazzi and invasion of privacy cases. California has the strongest laws in this regard (not surprising).I'd share more pithy insights from that paper, but I'm blanking.
My reading of gossip mags is limited to the grocery store check-out line and watching the Oscars.
But i still hear/read all about it. It's impossible to escape. I don't give a hairy rat for Anna Nicole, and i now know more about her that i EVER wanted to.
Sad.
Md. Macaca,
Perez Hilton is the WORST. He said some very rude things about celebrity children - to the tune that he "doesn't care". Bah.
Modern Day Hermit,
Yes, I love sarcasm and snark, too. Unfortunately.
Meno,
Actually, you CAN learn alot from just the headlines because the stories inside are pretty light on the content. I really do enjoy the red carpet snaps - US Weekly probably has the best.
Evil Twin's Wife,
Yes, it is sad!
That balsamic-glazed duck breast looks delicious!
I really don't understand people's fascination with celebrities.
I do feel bad for Britany Spears. She just seems so young and clueless. I really wish she would get her shit together, and impress everyone with her great parenting skills. That way, the media would start focusing on her positives, instead of always bashing her for her ignorance.
I'm burned out on celebrities but I totally hear you on the paparazzi issue. You could not pay me to be famous. Well, maybe you could but it would have to be a LOT. In regard to my aversion to mangos, I would be willing to try them in a smoothie. And, should we ever meet in real life, I will totally look the other way while you eat the things I hate; I'm a good sport that way :)
He always looks so tall!! Must be all that scrumptious soy milk.
We have that same barnyard magnetic mix&match animal set.
We love it! It keeps our son so entertained in the kitchen.
He has not asked for pans yet to cook the animals...I guess that's next.
"You've made a match........look what you've done. You've made a match, it's a duck sound!"
"Quack, quack."
Sorry.......
Thanks for checking out my blog. My wife Jenn and I are not music soulmates that's for sure!
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