What is your opinion of the so called Hollywood Celebrities?

I honestly don’t give a crap, I’m kicking myself for wasting my time reading the details, and I’m only writing this answer so that I can feel like it was “worth it”.

I doubt you really know anything about them, to be honest.

I mostly don’t care. I did run into Jon Stewart at a sandwich shop on my vacation to NYC in 2002. I gave him a brief tickle and ran off. But I really don’t care what famous people say or do, or who they fuck.

edit :: I can’t spell.

They are whoever they are told to be by the writers & directors for our enjoyment. Do you not watch movies or listen to music or watch television. Because those are celebrities doing their job of entertaining you. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see a celebrity, but I will tune into How I Met Your Mother to have celebrities entertain me for 30min.

Some sound very nice in interviews, though. And I’d still love to meet Bette Davis.

I don’t think much of them, but I sure as hell don’t think very highly of people such as yourself who have such a harsh generalization over an entire group of people. I doubt you’ve ever even met a celebrity, which to me, makes your opinion even more crap-filled. That’s like saying that everyone who lives in the south is a redneck or everyone in New York is rude.
Not every celebrity is phony, sick or incapable of knowing who they are.
Educate yourself. Thanks.

very strange group of individuals, they have a function and are sometimes put to good use, but are frequently props for entertainment purposes rather than for artistic endeavours, and rarely doe’s one see them in a movie that isn’t comfortably establishment.

Whoever they really are, most people want to be them. I guess that’s the worst part.

it’s probably worth it to gain what you can from their experience while you have the chance.

@Vunessuh Whoa, so angry. I didn’t say all of them, I said most of them. You have no idea who I have met in my life time. You do sound a bit hateful yourself. If I did think everyone that lived in New York was rude, which I don’t, you must be from New York.

@Rangie Apparently, you don’t know the difference between anger and honesty and rudeness and honesty. I’m not hateful, but I do come from a place where I call people on their ignorant bullshit. I highly doubt you’ve met most of them to even make your opinion valid in the real world. The accusations you make about celebrities being sick individuals and having no clue who they are, can only really be made if you know them personally. You don’t. You just assume. You make your judgments. Which is fine. We all make judgments, but don’t be surprised when someone calls you on your shit. For you, it wouldn’t be the first time on this website.

Most are a media creation. Life without privacy is pretty crazy. Imagine what it would be like if everything you said, wore, and did was held up to public scrutiny. I tend to ignore celebrities when they come to town, except to compliment them on their work; usually I grant them privacy. There are a surprising number of celebs who show up in our town, both on a seasonal basis or have acquired homes nearby.

I appreciate the arts. Although I don’t own a television and rarely attend movies, I go to live theater to watch live plays and musicals all the time. I do think acting is an art, as is musical ability and other gifts.

Some actors I think are rather good at their craft. I think this when they are so believable as their character that I forget who they are. When Tom Hanks was Forest Gump, it took me forever to not think of him as Forest Gump. I thought when I went to see some movie about him stranded on a desert Island that It would be like watching “Gump on Gilligan’s Island.” Instead, I found myself lost in a whole new character, and crying like a first grader watching Old Yeller when a soccer ball floated away. “Wilson!” Comedians in particular have a craft I cannot duplicate. I can repeat the jokes and they don’t sound near as funny. There is an art to what they do.

I love listening to all kinds of music. I am a huge fan of classical and opera. I swooned at Bocelli and Pavarotti. However, to this day, I have not heard a crystal clear, amazing voice blow me away as much as Steve Perry from the band Journey. I consider some of Leonard Cohen’s lyrics as thought provoking as Robert Frost. What I am saying is I appreciate creative talent! I also love watching the older films with dancing. Dancing takes a lot of talent. I cannot believe Ginger Rogers was able to do everything Fred Astaire did , in high heels and backwards.

The new “talent” that I have no respect for are reality show stars. They are famous for being… what… obnoxious? But whose fault is that?

Overall, I would never pretend I could judge any of these people as a person or know their character. I just appreciate talent. I appreciate painters, writers,and other people with talent as well.

Often celebrities are trying to use their position and wealth to support some cause. Many have been a part of philanthropic efforts. Bono from U2 springs to mind. According to Wikipedia, ” He is widely known for his activism concerning Africa, for which he co-founded DATA, EDUN, the ONE Campaign and Product Red. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, was granted an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, and was named as a Person of the Year by Time among other awards and nominations. :”

So @Rangie, what have you done for the world lately?

Do you think all child actors grow up to be drug addicts and lost causes? Read up on what Shirley Temple did after she left her Hollywood career. From 1974–1976, she was the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana. In 1969, she was a United States Delegate to the United Nations. In 1976, she became the first female U.S. Chief of Protocol. From 1989–1993, she was the U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, which became the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic during her term.

Does that kind of effort make front page news or become recognized? No. But one wardrobe malfunction by Paris Hilton rocks the collective consciousness of the masses. That is what is sad. I don’t blame the objects of public obsession for this disease, I blame the general public for objectifying and obsessing about some walking disaster’s snatch more than someone’s gifts, talents, hard work and contributions.

I generally view these people as human beings first and artists second, and not some commodity in spite of how they are marketed as such. I imagine some are assholes, some are wonderful, and some are just like regular people. I think it would suck to be followed by paparazzi and get stalked by delusional fans. I would never trade my privacy and peace for the money. However, I am grateful others have. True artists’ music, movies, writing, and art has enriched my life. Songs and movies have become mirrors and influences of my personal, social, and cultural history. Yes, Elvis is just as much a part of American History as president Nixon. Although both were before my time, they define an era in my mind.

Overall their craft has brought me much joy. I don’t pretend to know each individuals personality and character, nor do I care who they screw, when they took a dump last, or indulge in the other fodder people obsess about. But again, whose fault is it that idiocy sells? Are you going to blame candy companies for childhood obesity too? As long as somebody is buying it, somebody is selling it. I am more intrigued that some people “buy” the silly crap they do. But if it makes them happy, to each their own.

It is 5:30 in the morning and I just woke up because my cat wanted let out to take a dump. I have no idea why I just wrote an essay on such an incredibly stupid question, and I doubt you are literate enough to read it. So long and thanks for all the fish.

Envy can be a terribly destructive emotion can it not?

They get paid for doing something I did as a kid for free.

Other than that, I have a “no bother” policy when it comes to meeting celebrities. And… the only celebrities I’ve ever seen in the wild were the cast of “The State,” standing in line at McDonald’s. Although I swear I saw Dick Cavett in a Louisiana arcade during the 80s (playing Zaxxon).

But, I have the personal address of one of my favorite authors and I’ve only ever emailed him twice (yes, he answered back; he was friendly and incredibly tolerant of the dumb question I asked).

I don’t think of them much :)

Wow, they’re just people. I’ve worked on film and TV shows with a number of actors you’d recognize. They’re just people. Some are cool and down to earth, some have psychological problems that being famous just makes worse. Some are mean. Some are shy. Some are vain and stuck up. Many are working hard to create bona fide art. Some just wanted to be famous and make money.

A couple of excellent and famous actors are my neighbors. They get their bagels at Connecticut Muffin, get groceries at Trader Joe’s and say “Good morning” to people at the shops, like the rest of us. No one’s any better than anyone else, and it’s not as if everyone around here is filthy rich.

There’s an enormous difference between famewhores like Snooki, and people for whom the original definition of the word “celebrity”, that is, someone who is being celebrated for their accomplishments, like Meryl Streep. It doesn’t do to hit them all with the same stick.

Most that I have met left a real bad impression of what celebrity must do to people. I met Eddie Murphy and he had the balls to ask my girlfriend to go with him right in front of me. We both laughed at him and he got all snotty…what an asshole he was.

Like with any group of people, I believe there are good and bad. I have to agree, to a certain extent with @Vunessuh that you are making very harsh judgements about these people (if you had just said that you find them to be irritating, fair enough but “sick individuals” and “have no clue who they are”?). There are many entertainers, Meryl Streep being one of them @aprilsimnel that I really admire for their work and the last thing I think about when I hear their name is “sick individual”. There are some that, from what I have read and heard about them, probably do have issues and need help but that doesn’t necessarily make them bad people. I find some celebrities to be irritating but feel it is important to remember that a: they are human like the rest of us and b: if I could get paid a lot of money to do what they do, I would.

I have no interest in them personally.

I just hate when people worship them as if their celebrity idol is some sort of God or Goddess…some actually even refer to them as that!

@Vunessuh Unfortunately I got some of you very angry. I had no idea some of you would take this so seriously.
Now I think I need to put a stop to this. I was just wondering what kind of response I would get if I said those things. My bad. I didn’t mean to upset any of you, so now I will tell you my real opinion.
I have a vacation home in a resort area and quite a number of artist, singers, actors, etc. either have homes there or vacation there.
I truly admire their talent, it isn’t easy to do what they do.
Ed Asner was my neighbor, and one day my dog got lost and he took the time to help us look for her.
Yes, they are ordinary people, that have chosen an occupation that lends itself to public interference in their private lives. Some of them do wonderful things for their charities, and don’t go around bragging about it. That to me, is real humility.
Yes, some are too impressed with themselves, as we will find in just about any other occupation. However, I have my favorite artist as most of us do. Meryl Streep is somewhere near the top of my list. She is one of the best artist in her field. I absolutely love listening to Josh Groban.
So, sorry Vunessuh, it was not my intention to upset anyone. Obviously, this was not the best way to go about starting a discussion.

I have friends that are Hollywood Celebrities.

They are people, doing their own thing, living THEIR life. Like you and me. We just put them under a magnifying glass and pick them apart.

And like us, some are good and others are bad.
Plenty are “quirky”. I think it is just a byproduct of the craft.

“Bringing them into your home,” does not mean they should show you some form of “respect.”
Because, they are not really in your home.

Here are the two problems I have with your question.
First of all you said ‘most’. What is ‘most’ to you? Because to me it means 80%-90% of the population. That, mixed with saying that most celebrities are sick and have no clue who they are just doesn’t seem right to me. There is a difference between saying something like they bother you because you feel many are pretentious, selfish, etc. etc. – but to think you can deeply evaluate people to the extent of calling them habitually sick (without knowing them) seems rather ridiculous. That’s what I had a problem with.
I didn’t mean to jump the gun, but it was the way you worded your question that bothered me. Sorry to sound rude or angry. I didn’t want it to come off that way.
Just know that there are plenty of celebrities who are very grounded, are involved heavily with charity work, are ambassadors, have families like you and me, and put out great work. They’re normal human beings who happen to live very public lives. I guess because they do live public lives makes it easier for us to judge them and assume things about them. I don’t necessarily hold that against you. We live our entire lives judging people and situations. We have to or we’d never be able to make a decision about anything. It’s natural for humans to do.
Just be careful how you word something.
Anyway, I apologize for coming off angry and thanks for sharing some of your other thoughts.

@Vunessuh, @escapedone, Actually, my neighbor made that statement (my question) the other day, after she heard Sean Penn make a remark.
Those were her words, not mine. I also thought she was somewhat harsh. I wanted to see what kind of response those words would get. I accept your apology. I should have stated that my neighbor made those statements, instead of pretending it was my opinion. So, this is a perfect example of “for every action, there is a reaction” and it is not always good.