Would Fame Be Worth It?

[carnation]

I was reading the thread "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" and wondering about this. People are discussing the freebies that the family gets but also the blogs about the family, the intrusive weirdos, etc.

Well...several years ago, CNN did a feature on our large and multiracial family along with a related article in Parade Magazine. They kept rerunning clips of it for months and we had to deal with a lot of pointing, gaping people in public, along with some minor weirdnesses. Enough to make us want to pull our family into the safety of our home and never leave it.

But a lot of people want to be famous. They want the recognition, the money, the perks...I don't. I wouldn't want it for my kids either. You see what the media has done to several stars--would you want the tabloids hounding you and searching through their shots until they find just the right one of you with your eyes half open so they can proclaim you a drunk? Or going on about your pregnancy weight gain; I read today that Lisa Marie Presley has been dogged by the media lately about that but that the press has always criticized her because her dad was more talented and her mother more beautiful than she is. And those poor Kennedy women....

One of our sons is a dead ringer for Orlando Bloom and we've been approached by people who want to capitalize on that. I don't. Fame, stay away from us!

How would you feel about being famous?

[DeltAlum]

Originally Posted by carnation

Fame, stay away from us!

I agree.

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by carnation

One of our sons is a dead ringer for Orlando Bloom and we've been approached by people who want to capitalize on that. I don't. Fame, stay away from us!

How would you feel about being famous?

Is your son over 21 and single?

lol just kidding.

[honeychile]

I'm three for three on living somewhat anonymously.

[carnation]

Originally Posted by texas*princess

Is your son over 21 and single?

lol just kidding.

Hahaha! Almost 18. When he "turned into Orlando" at maturity, his cousin was really upset because she felt like she had to get rid of her carefully collected Orlando stuff--it would never be the same for her.

[OldGCer]

I’ve been around Greekchat for a while but I’m going incognito to answer this question. My father is a famous actor. Although I’m not famous myself I grew up with it and it has had a profound effect upon me.

As a young child I became very protective of my father. I saw how people would pull at him and invade his privacy. We couldn’t go out to a restaurant without someone coming over to talk to him. Sometimes they were polite and my father would act in kind. At other times they would pester him or try to provoke him into a fight. Sometimes they just wanted money before they would go away. It frightened me.

I do feel sorry for some of the young celebrities these days but I know from experience that it’s possible to control it to a degree. My father always made a point of keeping his private life private and through his behavior he was largely successful at doing that. It’s a matter of goals. My father was given a talent and he wanted to be a success. Fame was not his goal; it was a side-effect.

People such as Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, etc. seem to crave the attention. Their bizarre behavior is evidence of that. IMHO, if you need the media to keep yourself in the limelight then you really have no grounds to complain when they start dogging you. Of course there are exceptions. Carnation mentioned Lisa Marie Presley. She doesn’t seem to crave attention but will get it nonetheless. It’s a trade off for the life you want to live.

For me it has been a trade off as well. Although I didn’t seek out fame, being my father’s child made it part of my life. I’ve benefitted from it as much as I’ve suffered. I’ve travelled extensively and met many interesting people. I’ve had material comforts and, to be perfectly honest, I’ve often enjoyed the awards shows and the flashing cameras. It hasn’t all be good though.

I rarely trust anyone’s intentions regarding friendship and dating. I’ve been used and hurt by friends who only wanted a connection in Hollywood. People make assumptions all the time about what kind of person I am, how much money I have, how snobby I might be, etc. I think it would be naïve of me to assume I got a bid from my GLO based solely on my own merits. It’s things like this that have made me insecure.

Probably the worst part of it all is standing in my father’s shadow. I love him, admire him and appreciate him but I know I will never be like him. Sometimes it makes life difficult knowing that no matter what I do and how well I do it, it will never compare. That’s my own cross to bear.

Knowing what I now know about fame, would I choose it myself? It’s all I’ve ever known. My parents looked out for me and did their best to protect me from the harsh side of it. I turned out to be a good person. I’ve learned to deal with its ups and downs. To be my father’s child again? Yes, I’d do it in a minute.

[texas*princess]

^^ I agree that all the craziness can be avoided if you really want to. Anne Hathaway is a pretty good example of this. You never see pictures of her at clubs making a fool or herself or sex tapes of her on the internet... but you see those things from people like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan & Paris Hilton because they obviously crave the attention.

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by carnation

Hahaha! Almost 18. When he "turned into Orlando" at maturity, his cousin was really upset because she felt like she had to get rid of her carefully collected Orlando stuff--it would never be the same for her.

Aw shucks! He's not even legal yet

LoL

[christiangirl]

Hmmm. I've actually thought about this lately and the answer is...maybe. I would accept being famous IF it was for the right reason. If I was a famous psychologist or inventor, I'd be more than happy. That's a good type of famous. As for being famous for other things, it depends. Years ago, I applied for a local reality show based on Christian teens. Honestly, I just wanted the cool experience of traveling and doing challenges, being filmed was beside the point for me. Really, I would take the hardships of being famous if the trade-off would be getting to contribute to the world. I've always wanted to be an author because I want my writings to inspire others. However, that's later in life. I write a lot of poetry and short stories and twice I've been offered a chance to have some of it published and I turned it down both times. My writing is very personal and not everyone will like it--I'd have to be strong enough to withstand the criticism before I went there. But being famous for being related to someone...I'd just deal. I think I'd do the Hannah Montana thing--don't tell anyone, but if you happen to see me on tv, I'll just hope you don't know it's me, lol.

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by carnation

How would you feel about being famous?

I am actually looking for respect, and on some levels, vindication. But I think that's because my "fame" will moreso come from being a writer, and not an actor, socialite, or politician.

I had a much longer response, but I surprisingly felt it was too personal, lol

[DeltAlum]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

I am actually looking for respect, and on some levels, vindication. But I think that's because my "fame" will moreso come from being a writer, and not an actor, socialite, or politician.

Aw hell, R, you're already famous to us!

[Senusret I]

Oh you just stop it right now!

But no, seriously...being well-known is some circles but not others is kind of weird, but a blessing. I can't go to a black, gay event without being asked if I'm R the writer.

Luckily, there's only one big black gay event a year here, lol

[EE-BO]

I have no interest in being famous- or infamous for that matter. If anything, I shy far in the other direction. I don't even allow people to photograph me all that often- even family members if those family members are the kinds of people who are stupid about the internet and post pictures and names for all the pictures they take and post on the internet for the world to see. Overkill perhaps, but I value my privacy.

On the tabloid issue, I do not have the immediate family connection to show business that OldGCer has, but I know a few things- and it is safe to say that pretty much all of the stars who appear in the tabloids regularly have publicists working to make that happen. Sure sometimes they get unfairly invasive- Cher and Carol Burnett's children come to mind, and there was a lawsuit in the latter case- but most often that is all well staged and planned, as is the buzz about how "sad" it is they are hounded so much.

Princess Di was a good example of this. Don't let anyone fool you into thinking she was unfairly hounded by the press. At times she was- but the fact remains that she also very often sought coverage to support her own image in the public eye. Once you use the press like that, it is hard to complain when they use you right back. Once you open that door, you cannot ever expect to close it again on your own terms.

[33girl]

When I was younger I wanted more than anything to be a famous actress or singer. Now I can't imagine that the tradeoff is worth it.

My longtime boyfriend and I were breaking up at the same time Jennifer Aniston & Brad Pitt's marriage was breaking up. I was going through so many feelings, pain, anger, ambivalence, etc etc etc. It was really hard, and all I could think was that I was having an extremely difficult time just knowing the people in my little orbit knew about it - I couldn't imagine what JA was going through having her problems on every tabloid in the world.

I had a letter published in TV Guide (before it sucked) and I have a body part on an album/CD cover. That's about as famous as I think I want to get.

[jon1856]

^^^^Thank you for your kind insight Old GC'er.
I have sort of a second or third hand POV in this.
I have a relative who is currently a working actor. Has done films and Broadway as well.
They are a very normal, down to earth person, kind that you enjoy being in the kitchen with making a dinner or just talking to.
Their EX-whole different story.
And they have a kid together.

My relative, even though active in the business, has a rather low key life and would rather their child see that.
The EX-has "people" around them. And the kid ends up being part of "the package". I saw my relatives 'pain' a bit ago when a major paper had a story about actors and their kids. The story included their Ex and their child. Somehow the child, at this time and moment, seems to be handling the difference.

As OdGCer said, my relative somehow stays out of the spot light, out of the tabs, and not on TMZ!!
In fact the only time I have seen a story about them was when the divorce was announced. And IMVHO it was due to the EX.

I did not even want to take family photos until they asked me to. Seems as if no one else takes photos at gatherings.

Originally Posted by OldGCer

I’ve been around Greekchat for a while but I’m going incognito to answer this question. My father is a famous actor. Although I’m not famous myself I grew up with it and it has had a profound effect upon me.

As a young child I became very protective of my father. I saw how people would pull at him and invade his privacy. We couldn't’t go out to a restaurant without someone coming over to talk to him. Sometimes they were polite and my father would act in kind. At other times they would pester him or try to provoke him into a fight. Sometimes they just wanted money before they would go away. It frightened me.

I do feel sorry for some of the young celebrities these days but I know from experience that it’s possible to control it to a degree. My father always made a point of keeping his private life private and through his behavior he was largely successful at doing that. It’s a matter of goals. My father was given a talent and he wanted to be a success. Fame was not his goal; it was a side-effect.

People such as Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, etc. seem to crave the attention. Their bizarre behavior is evidence of that. IMHO, if you need the media to keep yourself in the limelight then you really have no grounds to complain when they start dogging you. Of course there are exceptions. Carnation mentioned Lisa Marie Presley. She doesn’t seem to crave attention but will get it nonetheless. It’s a trade off for the life you want to live.

For me it has been a trade off as well. Although I didn’t seek out fame, being my father’s child made it part of my life. I’ve benefited from it as much as I’ve suffered. I’ve traveled extensively and met many interesting people. I’ve had material comforts and, to be perfectly honest, I’ve often enjoyed the awards shows and the flashing cameras. It hasn’t all be good though.

I rarely trust anyone’s intentions regarding friendship and dating. I’ve been used and hurt by friends who only wanted a connection in Hollywood. People make assumptions all the time about what kind of person I am, how much money I have, how snobby I might be, etc. I think it would be naive of me to assume I got a bid from my GLO based solely on my own merits. It’s things like this that have made me insecure.

Probably the worst part of it all is standing in my father’s shadow. I love him, admire him and appreciate him but I know I will never be like him. Sometimes it makes life difficult knowing that no matter what I do and how well I do it, it will never compare. That’s my own cross to bear.

Knowing what I now know about fame, would I choose it myself? It’s all I’ve ever known. My parents looked out for me and did their best to protect me from the harsh side of it. I turned out to be a good person. I’ve learned to deal with its ups and downs. To be my father’s child again? Yes, I’d do it in a minute.