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Do Celebs Have the Right to Be Upset at Media Attention?

Posted by lotusb • 12/09/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: celebs

Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney, Brangelina, Kanye West...just a few of the celebs who are verbal about disliking the media attention their lives get. They hide in pictures, speak out against the media and fight photographers...

Do you think they have a right to be angry? Or is this something they should just start getting used to and be glad they get paid so much to endure it...?

Thoughts?

User Comments

12/09/08

melindaville

I think the paparazzi goes too far. I know they are famous --and feel there are certain times they do deserve to be photographed (at openings, award shows, etc). But I feel this meddling and voyeurism into their private lives is just way too much. It makes me really glad I am not famous.

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12/09/08

Anok

I think they have the right to be angry about the seriously intrusive and aggressive media that invades their every day lives, and and goes after their children, and auctions their garbage.

I wonder, at what point in society did we decide that celebrities no longer had the right to privacy simply because they are famous?

Regular media attention though, no that's what they get paid for, really. It's the scary paparazzi crap that needs to stop.

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12/09/08

lotusb

Good point. What about this...For decades now Hollywood publicists have been feeding the media, yes even the dirty paparatzzis information about celebs lives, where they will be, where they will shop...etc. A lot of celebs make their money by indorsing products and wearing them in places like Roberts Blvd. in LA where they will be photographed. Some celebs hold press conferences to announce break ups, divorces etc... Celebs sell photography rights to their babies first photos, and so on.

There are BARELY any celebs not guilty of the above. They literally invade our TV sets with their crap...but when TMZ wants to know if they broke up with their significant other, they go balistic...seems a little...PLANNED.

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1. 12/09/08
  
  Anok
  
  It might be a case of the chicken or the egg.
  
  Do celebrities publicly announce certain events to curtail the inevitable backlash of "finding out" some big "secret" by the media? Did the media leaks (for the purpose of publicity at first) initially create the clamor for any and all dirt of celebrities? I don't know enough about the history of celebrity dirt and the media to know what happened first - but I think it's safe to say that it has gotten out of hand.
12/09/08

aningeniousname

I think it depends entirely on the celebrity whether they deserve the attention they get, obviously the Paparazzi go too far but if you live by the media you will die by the media.
If you are ringing reporters and telling them where you are going to be and who with then you deserve everything you get. There's basically two ways a celeb can deal with the media, if you go the Lohan/Spears/Hilton way and whore yourself out to the media you can't really complain when it turns round and bites you in the arse.
The other way to deal with it is the sensible Seinfeld way, when you see them you stop be nice let them take a few photos and bingo you're on your way home without six cars following you.

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12/09/08

JoelKlebanoff

Being a shy, reserved, private person, I do sympathize with the celebrities and I don't understand how they can bear living their lives constantly in the public eye, but it is more than a little ironic, isn't it? Celebrities spend small fortunes on publicists and devote a lot of time to publicity, all with the objective of getting the media and, in turn, the masses to notice them, but then the celebrities get really upset when they are too successful at achieving that objective. If you look in the dictionary under "irony" you might find that as an example.

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12/09/08

faithsju243

Part of me wants to scream hey you signed up for this did you think you were gonna be the one celebrity that didn't get paparazzi stalked? I am also of the opinion that in order to be a "celebrity" you have to be a touch on the into your self side so the cameras probably aren't really all that bothersome and in some odd way it reinforces your importance.

At the same time I do believe that those weirdos with cameras camped out in trees etc are a bit much. No one deserves to have the contents of their garbage raided only to be auctioned on Ebay, do I say trey tacky! What is up with some folks who are so fascinated with celebs they would by a used condom, pair of underwear etc etc etc.

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1. 12/09/08
  
  Anok
  
  I am more concerned when they start including the children of celebrities in their obsessions.
  
  Celebrities often make it a point to keep their (young) children away from the public eye - and dragging them into the frenzy goes above and beyond in my opinion.
2. 12/09/08
  
  pointlessbanter
  
  Uh... or they sell their pictures for massive amounts of money.
3. 12/09/08
  
  Anok
  
  Some do, and, I believe it's to prevent the freaks from camping out in their yard to get a snapshot.
4. 12/09/08
  
  faithsju243
  
  @Anok the kid part gets under my skin too but I think some of those overlt famous folks parade their children into the spotlight to reap more fame and more celebrity.
  
  It's such a superficial business really, why do we care that Brittney Spears is so bad off at 27 she needs parental guidance. It kills me that folks like this actually even have children.
  
  In the end I feel bad for the kids can you imagine growing up a child of some freak like Michael Jackson....years of therapy exist in those kiddies future.
12/09/08

pointlessbanter

First of all screw them.

I am sorry but most of the people you see in the tabloids are media attention whores. They do have people call ahead saying where they are eating, what they are doing, and it is a concerted effort.

The people that want to be out of the eyeballs of the press have done a good job of making that happen. Those are the only people that I feel bad for. Like if they live in Montana and a guy is climbing a tree to get picture in their house or something.

Other than that I don't give a crap.

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12/09/08

Phoenix1962

You cannot have it both ways, you either want the attention or you don't. It is the price you pay for choosing to be famous.

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1. 12/09/08
  
  Anok
  
  My husband feels the same way.
  
  On the other hand, I don't think anyone deserves to be stalked, and have photos of themselves publicly released of them in the buff or taking a dump when they are obviously trying to have some privacy.
  
  Everyone has the right to some privacy.
12/09/08

danbrantley

On one hand this reminds me of the people who buy a house near an airport, and tehn complain about the noise.
On the other hand, if we have ever bought a magazine because it had a celebrities picture on the cover then we have fueled the fire.

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12/09/08

PotatoChef

The media attention has never bothered me. As long at the photogs let me eat in peace then I am ok with them.

I do think that there is a line that should never be crossed when it comes to children or safety.

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12/09/08

myriadlife

I get a bit annoyed about this because if you choose such a public career you are bound to get the attention and many celebs use the media to their own ends then complain when they get the other side too. There are many celebs who say they know how to avoid the attention when they need to so why dont all of the above operate like that? It's like all walks of life, there are those who will grumble and those who just get on with it.

I do draw the line at things like the whole Britney Spears debacle though, the girl had serious issues and should have been given respectful space to sort them out. If someone is ill for goodness sake leave them alone. Patrick Swayze is getting the same problem. The media speculation in these cases is just cruel.

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12/09/08

ranist22

It irritates me when they play with the press also just to get their meassage across. Remember 'The Kiss' incident of Diana?

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12/09/08

frugalgrad

Every job have a price, and apparently, the price for being famous is the attention of media and tabloids. But think about it, without media attention, nobody will know them and they wouldn't be paid as much. I see that they weren't upset when the media brings good news or happy news from them. But when secret broke out, they turn furious. I mean, media needs to live too, if they only deliver all goodnews, who's going to read their newspaper?

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12/09/08

weblogian

But who is anyway reading the news or the magazine about this media garbage news.
I am sure no one from Mars read that.

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