This is going to sound like a stab at Lindsay, and it’s not meant to be, because I really still hope the girl can turn her life around. However, I just don’t see how that’s going to happen when people keep rewarding her for bad behaviour.
Fresh off her court appearance, and being sentenced to 90 days of “locked-in” rehab, there’s news she’s flying out to Brazil to earn 6 figures for a few appearances. There’s also speculation she’s going to Australia for a similar sum of cash. Now – power to the girl that she can still make money, and hopefully she’s actually using some of it to pay her bills. We keep hearing there’s a lot of them.
However, at the same time, I think we’re just teaching Lindsay that the more she fucks up, the more money she can make. They’re keeping her in the headlines, and keeping her front page news. She’s never going to start looking after herself if she can still make money, jail time and all.
It’s not just Lindsay either. The US has a bad habit of rewarding bad behaviour. Look at Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian. Both made sex tapes and were rewarded with reality shows. People on shows like Celebrity Apprentice know that bad behaviour equals better ratings. There’s shows like Celebrity Rehab and The Surreal Life for stars that have gone bad.
Even worse though, is that if a celebrity tries to do good, they’re banished. Corey Feldman tried to speak out about the abuse he and Haim suffered, and he was immediately tossed into the oblivion bin. Turn to God and you’re put in the crazy basket. Decide to actually stop drinking, and you’re declared boring and you’ll die a slow “whatever happened to that person” death….
It’s OK to donate money to charity, or do a couple of events, as long as it’s all red carpet glamour. But if you actually decide to get serious and devote a good chunk of your life to a cause, prepare yourself to be thrown out of the working circle. There’s no faster kiss of death than being considered an activist.
I wish we would reward people for thinking about something other than themselves. Those who donate time and money, or who put their personal reputations on the line for a cause shouldn’t become Persona Non Grata. Instead, those who continually flout laws, hurt others, or who act as if no matter what they do, they’ll still have money to pay their bills, (but don’t) should stop being rewarded.
I’m worried about what we’re teaching the next generation.
Make yourself famous at any cost. Stay famous, no matter what it takes. Don’t worry about breaking laws – you’ll never actually do time, and you’ll still be raking in the big bucks.
Take a personal stand, try to do right by some other people, and be told you’ll never work in the industry again….
If you follow me on Twitter or FaceBook, you’ll know I was back in Australia last week. I’ll write a different post about that later, but for now, I wanted to send a shout out to the crew of QF7, the flight from Sydney to Dallas on Monday, March 18.
I had used my American points to book my trip to Oz. It doesn’t let you book Premium Economy, which sucks, cause I really wanted to try that out. However, I saw a business class flight on the way to Oz, so I snagged it. I booked in economy on the way home, cause that’s all there was. I was happy to be able to try out QF8 and QF7, because the direct flight from Texas saved me about 16 hrs in layovers in cities like LAX.
So, Business class on the way over was amazing. There’s no First Class on this plane, and I got to sit in row 3. That’s the last seat inside the pointy bit. I had a headache getting on the flight because I had worked crazy hours, driven back to San Antonio, and was just exhausted. I got onto the flight, and they greeted us with drinks. Then came the prettiest little amenity kits with good stuff in it, including moisturizer and lip balm. Then, they brought everyone pajamas. They were super soft and comfy, and everyone seemed to change into them. They had little mattresses for the seats, and proper blankets, and a BIG pillow. They chair had it’s own pod, and a massaging seat. So after about an hour, instead of exploding into a full blown migraine, I was able to lay back, relax, and feel much better. I got off the flight in Brisbane, changed planes to Sydney, and was feeling awesome. I felt like all those supermodels and rockstars look when they get off a long haul flight.
So I had an awesome trip. But the last day, I started to not feel quite so awesome. It was just a little queasy thing after I ate, but it seemed to pass. So I get on my flight home. It was packed, and I had a middle seat. We got served dinner, and then it hit. I still don’t know if I had gastro, or food poisoning or what, but it was bad. Really, really bad. So after asking the cute French guy sitting next to me to move for the third time so I could go be sick, I hid in the back corner near the lav’s for a while. Unable to crouch anymore, I asked the flight attendants, who were finally eating their own dinner if, even though we’re not supposed to, if I could use their jump seat for a bit till the vomiting subsided. They jumped up, said no, it’s against FAA rules, but we’ll find you a seat. They found one in the bulk head right behind the toilet, where I could access it quickly if I needed. (and I did. A lot) They brought me blankets, some electrolyte solutions, a ginger ale, which I spilled all over myself and it looked like I had peed myself, so they got me some pajamas to change into. I had a wicked fever, and they kept checking on me and bringing me water and supplies. They were super caring and really took care of me. The staff really lived up to the new slogan, You’re The Reason We Fly.
Being that sick is bad enough on the ground, but being sick in the air is just miserable. I’m pretty good at gauging how long I had between each bout, and could time it to get up and in line and not make a mess in the aisle…. Thankfully at some point my stomach was pretty empty, and I could sip water and it didn’t come back up again, and they had me eat some fruit for breakfast, even when I said just OJ. After we landed, the boys saw me in baggage collection and checked on me again, commenting I finally had some colour back in my face.
I wish I had been well enough to write down their names to call Qantas and thank them, but here’s hoping they get this Thank You. You guys really did help me get through a really rough 15 hours.
Now, can I just borrow one of them to take care of me now while my stomach is still growling?
Remember when Lindsay Lohan was the IT girl? Everyone thought she was the next big thing? She would have a long career, win awards and just have an all around awesome life?
Then, like most former child stars, she had a meltdown, and everyone turned on her. It’s not just Lindsay. Britney Spears, Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Christina Aguilera, Drew Barrymore, Danny Bonaduce, Brad Renfro, Macauley Culkin, anyone from Diff’rent Strokes…. They all got built up, and then went through what all teenagers go through. They get rebellious. They experiment. They break the rules. But unlike normal teenagers, they’ve got a pack of paparazzi following them, documenting all of it. Which really, would only serve to make them even crazier.
Some of the lucky ones, like Drew Barrymore, made it out the other side. But that was before social media. People like Britney had her meltdown shown in real time, all over the world. No matter where someone goes now, there’s someone who can upload whatever they’re doing instantly, it can go viral within 24 hours, and even people in deepest darkest Africa can know what celeb just hit up a Starbucks on Hollywood Blvd.
With social media, blogging, FB, Twitter, the world has also gotten a lot more viscous. People are downright mean. A lot of people also seem like they’re hoping to see the stars fall. Everybody fucks up. If someone was following you around constantly, documenting everything you said or did, we’d see that even you fuck up occasionally. I’m not perfect. I’ve said stupid things. I’ve done dumb things. I’ve said mean things about other people. But, I’m trying really hard to be a better person and be more empathetic. I’m trying to put myself in another persons shoes before I judge them.
I can’t imagine being Lindsay. Or any Hollywood celebrity these days. How does one try to fix it when they’ve got a bunch of people just waiting for them to fall again? How do you seek help, when you’ve got a problem, but you don’t want it splashed everywhere? How do you improve yourself, without looking like a tool? If someone enters rehab to take some me time, get it together, they’re blasted by the media as having a problem. How do you go to a retreat, heal yourself, without worrying that someone else there isn’t going to blab to TMZ about what you were doing there.
Right now, Lindsay is in so much debt, she’s got so many legal problems, it’s hard for her to work. But she HAS to work to pay off that debt. So her idiot parents make money off her any way they can, even if it means making her look bad. She doesn’t want to do reality TV, because she wants to be a respected actress. Nobody respects her as an actress anymore, because she is so stressed out that when she does work, she’s not great.
How can she take time off and heal herself, without people forgetting about her altogether. Hollywood is a fickle place. Disappear for too long, and people forget about you. People want to hire those that are in the media. If being followed by the paparazzi keeps you in the media, then some celebs are willing to make sure they’re getting their pic taken. It’s such a double edged sword.
You’ve got the problem with most kid actors that acting is all they know. They’ve lived a life of privilege. They go out and people know who they are. They’re used to having money. People say they should just disappear for a while. But where are they supposed to go? What are they supposed to do? They’ve got bills to pay like the rest of us. They can’t just sit at home and watch TV all day. They can’t just go get a job somewhere. Can you imagine if Lindsay decided to get a real job? What would she do? Party planner? Real Estate agent? Flipping burgers? So, she takes jobs where she can. Like Charlie is going to give her an episode on Anger Management. Of course, that episode will time nicely with Scary Movie 5. So it’s good for both of them. She can go on trips to Australia, and get paid to make appearances. – I wish I could get that gig! She gets offers to do shows like Dancing with the Stars, but turns it down. I really wish she would accept one of these offers. Sure, turn down reality stuff like Celebrity Rehab. However, DWTS could be good for someone like Lindsay. She’d get work. She could pay her bills. We’d get to see a different side of her. We’d get to see her doing something that doesn’t involve a court appearance. We’d get to know a little bit more of Lindsay each week. She’d get back into shape and could do more of her magazine shoots, paying more bills. Celebreality doesn’t always mean you’re washed up. Lots of people have used it to re-ignite a career after taking a break. Celebrities need sabbaticals too. At least singers can get a gig as a judge on one of the multitude of singing shows. They get paid huge amounts of money, it re-ignites their careers, helps sell albums, plus, we get to know them a little more. Britney stint as a judge helped her tremendously. Unfortunately, actors don’t get the same kind of opportunities to play judge, or even host.
I’ll be super interested to see how Lilo’s Aussie trip goes. I wish I was there so I could meet her. I’d take her to lunch, sit her down, and tell her that it’s all going to be OK. Even with all the shit going on, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is a way for her to come out of this on top.
There’s a lot of child stars who went off the rails for a while, and made it out. Not all of them are famous anymore. Just because they’re not acting anymore doesn’t mean they’re losers either. Many have chosen to live regular lives, and are much happier for it. Then there’s Drew Barrymore. She went through hell, and now she’s a successful actress, producer, has a cosmetics line and is happily married with a kid.
I just hope that the public, and Hollywood is willing to help Lindsay become the next Barrymore.
And Lindsay, if you ever do need a break for a week or two from the craziness, I’ve got a ranch in Texas with a bunch of POSTED signs on it. You’re welcome to come anytime.
Supposedly, during the filming of Marathon Man, Dustin Hoffman, who is a “Method Actor” stayed up all night so he could really look the part. Lawrence Olivier told him, “Try acting, dear boy, it’s much easier.”
I’ve never really understood Method acting. I mean, I get doing training for a part if you have to have particular skills, or it’s very physical. But I don’t get the whole spending months researching and following someone around so you can really get into someone’s head. Are you an actor, or an analyst? Yes, there’s times I’ve seen actors in military movies, and I wish someone had shown them how to salute properly, but I don’t get when an actor spends 6 weeks at basic so they can really get into the role.
What made me think about it was an article today about Ashton Kutcher getting hospitalized because he’s playing Steve Jobs in a movie, and he got sick after following his fruitarian diet. Really, a diet? I get if you have to lose weight to look the part, but following the same diet? I just don’t get it. How does eating the same food as the person you’re playing make you a better actor?
Melissa George went to spy school for her role on Hunted. Maybe that teaches you some sharper skills or something. I wish when actors are playing baristas that someone would teach them to foam milk. But that takes about 10 minutes. Maybe like Argo, method acting is a good way to get spies to infiltrate places and say they’re “doing research for a part.” It’s crazy the access people will give you if you’re famous or have a camera.
How far are people willing to go as method actors? Since those playing soldiers go to boot camp, and people will eat the same food as their real life person, if they’re playing a murderer, are they going to kill people so they can really feel what it’s like to take a life?
Maybe method actors get it. Maybe it does make them better actors. But just know, Brad Pitt, when you don’t shower for days so you can really be the part, nobody else appreciates it. The smell doesn’t come across on TV. It’s television, not smellavision.
I guess the problem is so many people once they become famous don’t have real life experiences anymore. They’re stuck in their little Hollywood bubble and can’t go experience real life without paparazzi ruining it. Maybe they forget how to just act like real people. Which is a shame. If you can’t just read the lines and know how a normal person would react, maybe it’s time to take a break.
I’m not an actor anymore. I’m lucky that while these people have to do research on how to sit in an office and chase bad guys, I get to do it for real…. I guess it’s the opposite of the “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.”
Why is Scripted TV considered more high brow than Reality TV?
Reality TV is here to stay. Producers have worked out that it’s cheaper to produce, it requires less crew, and it can be made quickly.
Actors and people who are from traditional television despise reality TV. Probably because they know that the more hours of reality TV there is, the less hours of scripted shows, which means less jobs for them. There’s also a lot of really awful reality TV out there. However, there’s also some reality TV that is pretty interesting to watch.
What I don’t get though is why people say that reality television personalities are all no talent brainless people who just walk around doing nothing and getting filmed. Then it gets edited to be interesting. They’re all just attention seekers who should get a real job.
Here’s the thing. It’s gotta take balls to be on reality TV. You also, for the most part, had to have some kind of talent to get on reality TV. It’s not like you can just call up MTV or E! and say you’d like a reality show and they’ll give you one. There’s also some major differences in how you work.
A traditional actor has someone write all their lines for them. They have someone who dresses them. They have a make-up artist. They have a director who tells them what emotion to have. They get told where to stand. They have set work hours. The cameras are there while they’re working, and then they go home. Most importantly, they’re playing someone else. Actors are secretive people. They talk about how they have to be choosy with parts because they’re worried about what people will think of them. They’re super careful in interviews, because even their real lives are mostly carefully crafted fronts. Another character almost. They’re terrified of saying the wrong thing. Of alienating their audience.
On reality TV however, they don’t get a writer who spends a couple weeks coming up with witty things for them to say. It’s all them. They normally are in charge of their own wardrobe. Sometimes producers will create a scenario for the actors, such as in the Kardashians they’re going to dinner, but after that, it’s all on them. They’ve got to be interesting on their own. People love actors who do some adlibbing. For reality people, it’s all adlib.
There’s also not much private time. The cameras are there, all day, all night. They’re in your bedroom, your bathroom. They’re there while you have breakfast, lunch & dinner. They’re there while you’re trying to get your freak on. When actors go out and party, they hope there’s no paparazzi there to snap a drunken shot. With reality, the whole crew is there, documenting every stupid thing you do….
Kim Kardashian. Monster face, but no award...
Reality people have to be very secure in who they are. They’ve got to have the balls to say whatever they
This fugly look got Charlize Theron an Oscar...
want, and not worry about offending someone. While actors are getting Academy awards for cutting their hair or looking ugly, reality people have to deal with looking fugly while crying and not getting any love for it.
There’s also so many kinds of reality show. You’ve got things like The Kardashians, which is probably the first thing anyone thinks of when they hear reality stars.
But there’s a whole bunch of different types of shows out there. Some are pure mind numbing entertainment, some are voyeuristic, some are actually educational or more like documentaries.
Shows like Being Lara Bingle, Mrs Eastwood and Company and the newest show, Chasing The Saturdays give us a glimpse into the life of people we already know. People that we’ve seen in magazines, or on red carpets. People who we want to know more about. We get to follow them around and see if their life is really as fabulous as we think it might be, or if they’re just like us.Chasing the Saturdays is about a British girl band that’s come to America and trying to make it. If it was a scripted show, it would be The Monkees. Instead, they show the real drama of moving across an ocean, trying to keep it together away from their family & friends. They show it’s not all glamour and red carpets. There’s lots of hard work and tears too.
Shows like Deadliest Catch and Pawn Stars are more documentary. In some ways, even educational. Sure, most of the time they edit it to focus on the personal drama, but producers seem to think that’s more interesting than just watching a bunch of regular office stuff.Think of The Office. All that goes into the daily drama of work. But there’s no witty Ricky Gervais to come up with funny punch lines. This is all real.
Then there’s a bunch of drama type reality shows, that don’t seem to focus on anything, except the interactions of people. Whether it’s a bunch of people thrown together like Jersey Shore, Big Brother, The Real Life or real families like The Kardashians, it’s about seeing how people interact. It’s about relationships. Shows like Here comes Honey Boo Boo give us a glimpse into a redneck heaven that most people have probably not witnessed in real life. It lets us see how other people live. Honey Boo Boo and The Kardashians are at two ends of the spectrum. One set is poor, and people look down on them for eating road kill. But their mother loves them and is putting all that money into trust funds for them. The Kardashians are rich, and their momma also loves them. She also manipulates them into making money any way possible… Both families though are probably nothing like our own, and it’s interesting to see how people live. Kinda like The Brady Bunch.
There’s a whole bunch of challenge type reality, like The Apprentice, The Amazing Race, Survivor, even any of the cooking or singing competition shows, like Master Chef, Idol or The Voice. Whether they’ve got celebrities competing for charity, or regular people competing for a job or money. They’re all still entertaining. They still have drama. Sometimes they’re even doing something good for the world, like helping to raise money or awareness about something.
I love good scripted television. I love dramas like House, NCIS and Lie To Me. But I also loves me some Ice Loves Coco or anything where Gordon Ramsey is yelling at people. With several hundred tv channels on cable, there’s more than enough room for all types of shows. I don’t think we should count reality TV as the bastard step-child to scripted TV. I find the real life stuff just as fascinating as the carefully scripted, edited stuff. Yes, there’s a lot of awful reality shows, but there’s just as many terrible scripted shows. I also find myself having more and more respect for those that are willing to just be themselves, who spend hours getting followed around, who have to be witty, smart and interesting without the help of dozens of people to make them look witty and smart and interesting.
Next time, before you bad mouth reality tv, trash a Kardashian, or bash a Bingle, ask yourself whether you could do what they do. If you were followed around all day. Could you handle it. I don’t think I could. Then ask yourself, is what you’re seeing when you’re watching Deadliest Catch any less interesting than something like The Office. Is the acting on Home & Away really any better than The Hills?
I know thespians and their respective unions hate reality TV. They hate that they’re taking up air time. I think the unions brought a lot of it on themselves. They make so many demands, and make productions so expensive, some studios just can’t afford to make scripted TV anymore. There’s too many channels, not enough advertising dollars. Reality is easy, cheap and in a lot of cases, not subject to unions.
I think reality TV is here to stay, and I’m going to enjoy it.
Why is there such a double standard for Celebrities?
I’m so glad I’m not a celebrity anymore. Sure, there may be some perks to being famous. You get to cut the line at clubs, people buy your drinks. You might get to go on cool vacations. But the reality is, most of those things aren’t that much fun, because you’ve always got to wonder who is watching you, or whose going to pick a fight with you in the club and sue you next.
Kayne napping in First Class
I mean, you may be in First Class on the plane and think you can get some sleep, but who knows who is going to snap a pic of you while you’re drooling and then stick it up on the internet?
Then there’s this:
I mean seriously? Mila Kunis is smoking hot. She was just voted Esquire Magazine’s Sexiest Woman Alive. I personally think she’s on of the most beautiful women ever. Even in her trackpants and workout wear. But apparently the Editor of Teen Vogue is unimpressed with Kunis getting around being comfortable. She is tired of seeing her in gym gear. How does she think she stays that hot? She works out. If they only place the stalkerazzi manages to get pics of her is when she’s out on a run, then yes, you’re going to see pics of her in her sweats.
What made me really upset when I read it was that it was the editor of TEEN VOGUE who was pushing that Kunis should be dressing better. Do all celebrities have to go out in full make-up and 6″ heels like a Kardashian, even to get their morning coffee? I mean, what are they teaching teenagers? That they have to be glamorous ALL the time? Maybe she’s dressing down because she hopes if she’s not all glammed up, then nobody will notice her. She’s hoping to just blend into the crowd. Or maybe she just didn’t feel like spending an hour doing her hair and make-up just so she could grab a latte. Of course, even if she did dress up, if she wore the same shirt, or pants, or shoes she wore last week, somebody would jump on her for that.
Then if we’re not berating a celebrity for their fashion choices, we’re picking on their weight. If you’ve eaten a burrito for lunch, some pap will take a pic and claim that you’re pregnant. If the celebrity sees it, feels like shit, works out and eats less so they don’t get pregnancy rumours, then the magazines will talk about them being skeletor and how they’ve gotten too skinny.
Remember Nicole Ritchie? She was a normal sized person when she did the first season of The Simple Life. Next to Paris Hilton, who had bones sticking out, she looked bigger. But I wouldn’t say she was fat. But a lot of people did. She lost the weight. Then lost more. Then magazines complained she had an eating disorder. Well Duh. If everyone in the world is calling you a fat ass, it’s probably going to give you some kind of complex. Thankfully Nicole found a balance and these days she looks healthy.
I’m so glad that nobody here cares who I am. When the dog wakes me up in the morning and wants to go outside to pee, I don’t have time to fix my hair and makeup. I normally don’t even have time to brush my teeth. So when I roll outta my trailer, I’m all kinds of unkempt. If I feel like hanging in my PJ’s till I have to get dressed for work, I do. Nobody at my RV park cares.
I can’t imagine the pressure of having to be glam all the time. I’m so glad I can go out and eat lunch and not worry. I can go out and have a drink with my friends without ending up in the paper. I can go swimming at the beach and not end up on some Worst Bikini Body list.
Why do we have to be so mean to famous people? Are we jealous because we perceive they have a more fabulous life, so we have to nit pick over stupid stuff? Or are people just generally unhappy and so they have to make themselves feel better by picking on someone else?
I wish people would remember that Famous people have feelings too. They also see the gossip magazines. They watch Fashion Police. They get told when they’re on a worst dressed list, or when people point out their cellulite, or when they’re on a Stars Without Makeup feature.
Can you imagine if everytime you left the house, someone was just waiting to see what bad thing they could say about you? Megan Fox is right when she says that being famous is like being bullied by millions of people. Sure, it’s easy to say just to ignore it, but it’s kinda hard. When your face is on the TV and magazine covers, how are you supposed to leave the house and not see it? Or even stay at home and not see it? Famous people watch TV too….
We also need to think of the trickle down effect. If we keep finding flaws in beautiful famous people, then what hope do regular people have? I see someone who I think is absolutely gorgeous, and I’m told by some editor that they’re flawed because they have a single dimple of cellulite, and I look in a mirror, and I think shit, I better not leave the house. My arse is full of it. What about my hair? Is it the right shade? Is it the right length? Are my friggen eyelashes full enough?
I think we all need to just start accepting people for who they are. Maybe if we can accept our own bodies, we can accept a celebs body. Or maybe it’s the other way around. I’m not sure anymore.
It seems like the two most popular types of reality shows on TV these days are cooking shows and weight loss shows. People want to eat, people want to get thin. Seems like maybe one is leading to the other….
The cast of Excess Baggage
I remember when they started talking about Excess Baggage. To me it seemed like it was going to be an awesome show. So many people have complained that celebs get special treatment, and if they were given trainers and chefs like the stars, they’d look just as fabulous. So, here they made a show where they paired up a celebrity with a civilian. They got to travel all over Australia. So not only was this a weight loss show, but it was also part travel series. It wasn’t just about losing weight, it was going to be about getting mentally right, since that’s what’s behind most peoples weight issues. We would get to see some of Australia’s most beautiful locations. I told Stephen, my publicist to see what he could do to get me on there. I couldn’t imagine anything better. Getting the opportunity to get in shape, both physically and mentally, while getting to spend some time in Australia, seeing my beautiful homeland.
Well, it didn’t happen. Apparently, I wasn’t fat enough. Then, after only two episodes, the show got yanked off Channel nine and was banished to some sub station. I saw the first couple episodes online, but haven’t been able to watch the rest. I didn’t get why it was moved so quickly though. I think they could have given it more of a chance. Was it the viewers didn’t like it, or was it simply a network decision? People seem to love the Biggest Loser and the other weight loss shows….
But then I got to thinking, how come all these weight loss shows are about people who are grossly obese trying to lose weight? People are always looking to actors and models for inspiration on what they want to look like. These weight loss shows do a great job of getting someone from 350lb down to 290lbs. But they never show people who get into super shape.
I think it would be awesome to have a weight loss show where they show someone who is maybe 20-30 lbs overweight, and they have to go through a typical Hollywood eating and workout regime to get into shape for a movie. Show just how hard those celebrities work to get into shape for a film. People like Jessica Biel worked out for hours a day before some of her films. Think of the workouts Hugh Jackman or Russell Crowe go through before being a Wolverine or Gladiator. Any girl who makes a movie where she has to be in a bikini is going to be training like crazy to good look on camera.Think of the actresses who are getting back into bikinis or haute couture dresses for the red carpet a couple months after having a baby.
All these makeover shows show people who are going through dramatic weight loss. But what about people who are just pudgy? What about when you’re just chunky enough to not feel good in a bikini, but not really considered fat? It’s always said that that last 10-20 lbs is the hardest to shed. Maybe it’s just so much more dramatic to see someone lose 100 lbs, than see someone who goes from slightly chunky to super ripped in 8 weeks.
I’m still in the healthy weight range. But I think the BMI is bullshit. When I first moved to the US and did my physical for my life insurance, I was smoking hot. I looked great. I was toned, I was thin but still had boobs and an arse. I was penalized for being underweight according to the BMI. Then, a few years later, I got into the so called “healthy weight range” but when I put on a bikini, I look pudgy. When I went on ACA, everyone commented on how fat I looked. Being a shortass at 4’11” can mean that a burrito is the difference between looking good and looking pregnant. Most people fluctuate 3-5lbs during the week. I do too. But on me its very noticeable. 2lbs can mean the difference between a size 2 and size 6 pant…..
Anyway, I propose someone make a show where you get some people who are just mildly tubby, and you subject them to the kind of grueling regimes that celebs go through to look awesome. You could even do like Kyle and Jackie O did for their weight loss challenge, and if people don’t get down to the proper weight or dress size, you stick their pics up on a billboard of them in their undies, looking so not great. Then people could really understand what it’s like to be a celebrity. If you’re not flawless, everyone will point it out!
We could get some of the big trainers to the stars, some celebrity dieticians. We could have the paparazzi follow us around for motivation. We could get some big name celebs who are between films and let themselves go a little. Match them up with some regular people like me who just want to get back into shape. To make it more interesting, you could make it like the Kardashians and follow everyone around all the time, instead of just being about the training…. Or you could just get a Kardashian on there. You could show them trying to fit in all that working out and eating right while still attending auditions and parties and functions. Trying to balance out the whole thing. While the average person is complaining they don’t have time to exercise and eat right, how do they think people like Miranda Kerr can do it while constantly flying from country to country? Have a quick thought of your last airline meal….
It’s be interesting to see whether it really is just good genes, as people always claim, or if it’s just that these people have way more drive and discipline.
You’re never too young to start working on your bucket list.
My dad was 36 when he died. He died 13 days after his 36th birthday. He had cardiomyopathy, and it was his 3rd heart attack that killed him. He taught me an important lesson, which I’ve never really put into practice, but now that I’m only 3 months away from being the same age he was when he died, I’m going to start putting those lessons into practice.
Dad could have had a heart transplant, but he would have had to change his lifestyle. He was a fashion designer. He loved to travel. He went to Disneyland 11 times. He was a bit of an alco, and he had a mistress. But he packed more into his 36 years than some people pack into 90. Dad didn’t want a transplant because he liked his life the way it was and if he had surgery, he’d have to be on medication forever, he’d have to give up alcohol, riding the Matterhorn, and maybe even the mistress… He said he’d rather die young but live a full life than grow old but be bored to death. I miss my dad, and wish he was still here, but I’m glad he went out with a bang. (Literally. He came home from a “business trip” that involved the honeymoon suite & lingerie) Mum got the CC bill….
His important lessons included Dress for comfort and not for style. You can’t please everyone so you might as well please yourself. You can claim you’re going to see the fashions in LA but you’re really going to Disneyland. He also taught me that you might not live to old age, and you should live life to the max while you can. You can’t keep putting the good stuff off until you’re too old to enjoy it. So I’ve been thinking about my bucket list. They’re kind of divided into two categories though. Some are regular civilian things that I want to do, and some are more along the lines of things I wish I had done when I was young. I can’t believe I’m at an age where I wish I had done things when I was younger, but hey, I’m a former child star, and we have slightly different childhoods than most…
I guess I can start with the kid stuff, cause maybe when all this court shit is over and I can come out from under my rock, I can get some of it done. Unlike today, when kid stars are everywhere, we were meant to be seen and not heard. We didn’t get to rock a bunch of red carpets, or do all kinds of awesome photo shoots. I remember I wanted to be on the cover of Dolly magazine so bad. Apparently I got a pic on the inside of a 1992 edition, but it’s a picture of me as a 3 year old in a tracksuit. – Not quite the glamour look….
I still think it would be fun to do a full glamour photo shoot. I’m too old for Dolly now, but I want to dress in couture, be fawned over by hair and make-up for hours, and still be photoshopped like crazy. I want to spend a day being fabulous and then have a bunch of beautiful shots that I can show off to the folks at the old people’s home and say, See, I was hot once.
I’d like to get in shape this year. I want to get motivated to work out, eat healthy and look fabulous in case I get asked to do a photo shoot. Also, so I don’t have a heart attack while I’m 36….. I know it’s a physical impossibility, cause she’s 5’9″ and I’m 4’11”, but I’d like to get into Miranda Kerr kinda shape. She’s so beautiful. Although I think the reason I love her so much is because she always looks like she’s so happy. She just radiates happiness. It’s so refreshing.
I’d like to go to an awards ceremony as an adult. They’re really not all that fun as a 14 year old. You can’t drink, hook up, go to after parties, etc. I don’t want to hook up, but the drinking and partying would be fun.
That’s actually about it on the childhood stuff. I thought there’d be more….
As for regular stuff, there’s a much bigger list. First of all, I’m looking forward to court. I want to get that part of my life taken care of. I want to really get involved in changing laws to make the world a safer place for kids.
I want to pamper myself a little.
I want to take a trip with Matt to Italy to visit our exchange student, Giulia.
I want to do some more scuba diving. I want to document it & share all the cool locations with everyone on Going Down.
I’d like to meet my new niece, and see my nephew again.
I’d like to do a crazy celeb reality show where I get to win a chunk of change for charity.
I want to be the breadwinner for a year so Matt can take a year off & do whatever the hell he wants.
I’d like to learn how to do my own hair & makeup. (And actually look good afterwards)
I want to take Matt on a Kardashian style vacation where it’s totally first class.
I’d like to be like all the other cool kids and create my own perfume.
I’d like to grow olives and grapes and release my own lines of Olive Oil and Wine.
I want to kidnap Lindsay Lohan, help her work out what’s wrong, how she can fix it, keep her away from the paparazzi for a while and then re-release a new fabulous LiLo on the world.
I want to make a movie or show that uses a bunch of former child stars, ala Dickie Roberts.
I want to buy a small yacht.
I want to start a retreat at the ranch for current & former child stars where they can chillax away from the media.
I want to have a law named after me.
I want to do something awesome that people will always remember me for. – I don’t know what this is yet, but it’s going to be awesome!
After seeing 10 years of the G’Day LA events, and every year saying we should go next year, I’d like to actually go to LA for the weekend and attend the Black Tie Gala.
I think that’s all that’s on there for now. Like most people, I’m sure I’ll add to it. When I look back at articles I did as a kid, I’m surprised at how many I’ve already crossed off my list. In one article I wanted to be in the Army when I grew up. Another I wanted to own a ranch in Texas or Montana. So there’s at least two done. 🙂
I’m sorry, I just need to have a little rant. All the papers and gossip sites are buzzing about who the new judges will be on talent shows in 2013, and I just need to have a minor patriotic hissy fit.
When I was a kid, my mum asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said I wanted to be black. She asked what I meant, and I said that black people were so talented. They could sing, dance and act. They were a triple threat. She looked at me and said, Don’t you know that black people are oppressed? They’ve been enslaved, they got a bum deal? I, at that tender age had no clue what racism was, or understood slavery. I just knew that when I watched TV, black people were talented. Most people get one gift, singing OR dancing OR acting. It seemed like every black person on TV was just mega talented. I wished I was black….
It seems that whoever is doing casting for all these judging shows has the same glasses I had as a kid. Maybe not necessarily black, but it certainly is a foreign thing. They think all the talent lies in someone from overseas, and there’s no good talent in Australia. Well, maybe the producers of Everybody Dance Now thought the same as me…..
I get that these shows like Australia’s Got Talent and The Voice are international concepts and we live in an increasingly global market. People in Australia really do have to break into an overseas market to make money, and having an international Judge or Host brings some international perspective to the mix. But when your show is ONLY foreigners, or all but one, it’s getting a little ridiculous.
Take The Voice. It had Delta Goodrem, Keith Urban, Seal and Joel Madden. Two Aussies and two foreigners. Now that Keith is gone, they’re getting Ricky Martin. Now, I have to say, I’m conflicted on this one. I love Ricky Martin. I adore him. I could stare at him all day long. I first heard Ricky back in 1993, when I went to Honduras. When he was singing in Spanish, and hadn’t crossed over to the English market yet. I got back to Australia, and had to order CDs internationally. I loved his long curly hair. I loved that he was in a boy band called Menudo and had successfully transitioned out to being a solo artist. I was so excited when he crossed over to the English market, because then all my friends could understand who this Latin God was. I think Ricky is an awesome choice. He’s been an artist since he was a child, he’s a true cross over artist, and lets face it, the guy is sexy as hell and we all want to look at him.
But, the little patriotic voice in me asks why the hell do they need THREE foreign judges and only one Aussie? Delta will be the only Aussie left, and lets face it, she’s not the most popular judge on the show….Even the host of that show is only kinda Australian. The X Factor has Mel B and Ronan Keating, so they’re 50/50 too. They’ve got an Aussie host, so they’re kinda doing better in the Patriotic factor.
Now that Australia’s Got Talent is moving to nine, they’re going to revamp the show and there’s much speculation on who the new Judges will be. Victoria Beckham is being touted as the biggest want, and the news.com.au poll asks which International artist would we like to see? How about a button for pick a fricken Aussie?
It’s bad enough that all the TV shows are now based on music. It’s hard enough for Australian actors and presenters to get a job without making everything about music, so that singers and musicians are not just on our radio, but they’re taking over TV as well. Now all those jobs are going to foreigner singers, it’s a double insult to Australian artists.
I guess it’s not just singing talent shows either. Even things like Celebrity Apprentice seem to have a token American. Is it that Australia just feels like they HAVE to have the validation of foreigners, or is it that no Aussie wants to work on these shows? I see all that’s written about Delta and Natalie, and I think that maybe Aussie’s are scared to step up into the role in case they’re hated on like those two are.
If I had any shred of singing ability, I’d leap at the chance to work on a judging show. Realistically though, for something like Australia’s Got Talent, you don’t need to be a singer. Most music producers can’t sing themselves, and AGT is about more than just singing. Plus, you really don’t need to be talented to say whether someone else is good or bad. We all judge from our couch, whether we have any talent or not. You don’t need to be able to make an apple pie to know whether one is good or not when you eat it.
I tell you what; I can’t sing to save my life, but I can act. I can talk in front of a camera. I even used to teach acting classes to kids. I’ve worked in Australia and the US, and more importantly, I’ve got TWO passports. An Australian one and a US one. How about I come home and at least host one of these talent shows? Australian audiences will get an Aussie on TV, and the producers can have someone with a US passport to fill that ever important foreigner slot…..
I love social media. I love companies that embrace social media. I love companies that hire smart people to use social media.
I’m one of the few people that also loves to travel. I enjoy flying. I started a Travel & Tourism course at TAFE before heading off to do some actual travel and tourism. I love to collect frequent flyer points, and I’ve taken about 5 trips using said points. I was stoked when I got online this weekend and saw that I could actually look at trips to Australia on QANTAS using my American Airlines points. In the past, you had to call someone. You could only redeem domestic flights with AAdvantage miles. So, while I’m having a bitch here, I’m not really mad. I’d just like to point out how NOT to use Twitter as a company.
I sent out this tweet, knowing American Airlines is very responsive on Twitter, and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction. Here’s the quick reply I got.
This would be a great answer, if I hadn’t been specific about Premium Economy. I had actually looked at many dates, because I was trying to see if there was any Business tickets available. There was only two I could see, and not anywhere near the dates I wanted. Also, there was none headed to Australia, only the return flight back to the US.
So I responded, and here where the fail comes in….
The first fail is obvious. It’s QANTAS, not Quantas. It irritates me when people can’t spell Qantas. The second is more subtle. I was asking about Premium Economy. To be fair, you can’t expect everyone to know what other airlines offer, so maybe this person doesn’t understand what Premium Economy is, since American doesn’t offer that particular class. Also, most Qantas flights I see from the US no longer have First Class anymore, so that’s a double class fail…
Basically though, while it’s great for companies to be super responsive, it’s not helpful if your twitter person can’t spell or know what products you offer.
Guess I’ll be using my points to sit at the back of the plane, unless a couple Business flights open up. Why save miles if you can’t use them to pamper yourself right? I’ve never flown Premium Economy on Qantas, (or Business International for that matter) so was really hoping to try it out. I figured I’m small enough a Premium Economy seat might feel like a Business class seat does to regular sized people. Oh well, maybe another time. I’ll just have to cross my fingers along with the rest of the plane and hope for that elusive OpUp. 😉
Teaching the wrong life lessons
