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THE FAME GAME
by Anthony Mora
Paris Hilton's wild ride, Mel's rant, Lindsey's rehab, Britney's (pick your favorite and fill in the blank) and Anna Nicole, (dead or alive?) - welcome to America's state of the news. The media has crossed a strange line from a fascination with the dark underbelly of celebrity, to an obsession, to a conviction that it's actually of national importance. The definition of what passes for news has taken a cascading freefall. The line that delineates the mainstream press including newspapers, the networks and cable from blogs, chatrooms, and the omnipresent YouTube is so thin as to be nonexistent.
The obsession with uncovering such weighty secrets as who weighs how much, who's snorting what, or who's gay or straight has turned into a ferocious feeding frenzy, with the "legitimate" news organizations every bit as ravenous for trash talk as the most jaded fan-crazed blogger.
At the end of 2006 Britney became the prize, the media-darling-to-destroy. It became a year-end media circus: all-Britney, all the time. Granted, in Brittany's case, she did her best to place herself on the top of the media most wanted list. When she decided to star in a reality show based on her private life, essentially all bets were off. In essence, her assertion that her life was more interesting than her art is a concept the media itself has been trying to push on performers for decades. Now it's the reality, as celebrities learn that constant media coverage is not inherently advantageous and the media discover that the public can't get enough.
It's sold as reality, which is now defined as an American Idol humiliation fest, or a real-life celebrity drug bust. The trouble, as far as celebrities are concerned, is image control is gone: Now anyone with a cell phone can record or photograph an unseemly mishap that can be broadcast round the world in seconds. Now the tail truly is wagging the dog: it's the bloggers and Internet posters who drive the stories and the media follows.
In such a world, performers have to learn that as far as the media and the public are concerned, their music, or their acting is now take a poor second; it's their lives, preferably in shambles, that people want. Shift the focus from their art to their private lives and they're just what the tabloid gods ordered.
It's time that the media remember there is a difference between tabloid hucksterism and serious journalism and stop confusing Rosie and Donald trash talking or Britney's underwear amnesia with actual news. I'm not one to say we should completely do away with our celebrity obsessions; they're much too much fun. But if it's true that we become what we behold, we're in big trouble.
"IDOL" DREAMERS & THE MEDIA'S MEAN MACHINE
by Anthony Mora
I have to confess, I've never watched "American Idol." God knows, I've seen clips from the show and read countless articles about it. You don't live in 2007 without being run over by the "American Idol" PR juggernaut, but I have yet to watch the show itself.
I started out in the media as a rock journalist, and the show's basic premise never sounded very intriguing. It didn't seem like the vehicle to launch the next Hendrix, Dylan, Bowie or Bono. It sounded as though viewers would be watching the tryouts for the Monkees again and again and again (although, come to think of it, that probably would have been a hit).
Once "Idol" took off and became the great American pastime, I decided to avoid it intentionally. I wanted to discover what I could learn about the show simply from its media and publicity. I've spent more time reading and watching shows about "American Idol," than most people spend watching the show. It's amazing the amount of time that CNN, MSNBC and other Fox competitors devote to the show. That in itself is a work of genius on "American Idol's part."
So, having never seen the show, how would I describe it? It has a relatively benign host, two rather innocuous judges, and one Marquis de Sade stand-in, without whose venom there would be no show. Celebrity wannabes from all over the country willingly swarm to audition in order to be abused, derided and trashed in front of millions. All for the chance to have that cycloptic, camera-eye focus solely on them for a few precious life-affirming minutes. Some performers win each week, and there is a runoff leading to the crowning of a relatively dreary performer who lands a recording contract and massive PR campaign.
Now that doesn't seem like something that would turn America into a country of addicts, but there lies the secret. At least judging by the media coverage, the show has nothing to do with winning, it's all about losing. The losers don't just lose; they are tarred and feathered, publicly humiliated and shamed. It's as though the worst grade school bully from hell was given free reign to publicly torture the school's most hapless, helpless nerds. Simon Cowell on one end and the William Hung's of the world on the other.
But even that's not it, because in this case, these hapless, helpless nerds flock to their public humiliation like moths to the proverbial flame. This is less about a bully and the bullied as much as a sadomasochist's revelry. Both parties are willing participants. One delivers the lashes, and the others cry out, "Beat me, but only when the camera's on." They're begging for it, and they know that the more they're publicly derided, the greater the chance that they'll end up on Larry King talking about their public humiliation.
"American Idol" seems to have become a perverse S&M love fest. A chance for America to satisfy some voyeuristic need to watch the wings pulled off flies, and most likely secretly give thanks that they are not the fly (or perhaps, wishing they were). And the winners, well, yeah, I suppose that's part of the show too. But who really watches the show to see the judges crown the likes of Taylor Hicks? What possible fun is that?
Anthony Mora, who has been featured in Newsweek, The New York Times, and Los
Angeles Times, as well as on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and other media is a
former journalist and magazine editor. He is the president and CEO of
Anthony Mora Communications, Inc., a media consulting and public relations
firm. His book, Spin To Win is a guide to successfully utilizing the power
of the media.
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