February 26, 2007
Oscar who?
No, I didn’t watch the Oscars; and I will be avoiding every news story about them in the days to come. I may even leave wait until next weekend to turn on my television. I am Hollywooded out. That particular part of Los Angeles occupies far too much of the national imagination, and its omnipresence has been grating on my nerves of late.
The major news media outlets assume that the average American has a burning desire to know even more about Hollywood celebrities. That must be why they give us story after story about Britney Spears’ latest haircut, or the newest Hollywood love triangle. Did you know, for instance, that:
“Actress Jennifer Aniston is breaking her silence on her break-up with Brad Pitt in the new issue of Vanity Fair Magazine…” ---CBS News
Even more importantly, do you care? Unless Jennifer Aniston has expressed an interest in dating me, I could not possibly care less about her romantic ruminations (And no, I'm not holding my breath.)
Speaking of which: I am embarrassed to admit this, but I actually could outline the basics of the Brad/Jen/Angela Jolie love triangle. CNN, NBC, Fox, and all the other networks have kept me abreast of every little detail. And then there are those magazines in the supermarket checkout stand: People, Us, The National Enquirer, etc.--- just in case you didn’t get a sufficient fix on TV.
Does anyone really care about this stuff? Is anyone out there really so bored that they just have to know, for example (per the Us Magazine website) that:
After two days in rehab, Britney Spears finally had an opportunity on Saturday night to spend some quality time with her two sons, Sean Preston, 17 months, and 5-months-old Jayden James. ---source: Us Magazine
And don’t even get me started on the daily updates regarding the Anna Nicole hearings. Puleeeze.
I enjoy the output of Hollywood as much as anyone else. I don’t spend all of my time researching Japanese history and economics. A good movie is well worth two hours of time spent in the theater or in front of the television. I also like music, though I have never been able to warm up to rap. (I am patiently waiting for rap to go the way of disco.)
But I don’t care about what the people behind my movies and music do in their spare time. I don’t want to know who they’re sleeping with, where they vacation, or what’s on their minds. In the same way, I couldn’t live without my refrigerator; but I have no desire to know about the personal life and intimate feelings of the engineer who designed my Frigidaire.