Crossing Over
This morning on the way to work, a clip of Paris Hilton's new single came on the radio. If you're asking my opinion, I think she should stick to doing what she does best… nothing. But this isn't a post to rip on Paris. Ms. Hilton was simply following in the footsteps of many other cross-over stars.
You see, it seems the new trend these days is that being famous for one thing just isn't enough. Just singing or just dancing, just being a fashion designer or an actor is no longer sufficient. Stars today want, and get, more.
I understand their argument that doing a little dabbling in different fields could be fun (I personally am interested in multiple areas as well). I also understand that some stars may have originally dreamed of being a singer and taking that job offer as an actor was their tool of achieving this dream. BUT, speaking broadly, the trend has exploded, and in my opinion, gone way too far in way too many cases.
Lindsey Lohan, Hilary Duff, Sean Puffy Combs, J Lo, Britney Spears, Nicky Hilton, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Love Hewitt, David Hasselhoff, Jessica Simpson, Tyra Banks, The Olsen Twins, Kevin Spacey….. the lists of stars turned some other kind of star just goes on and on. Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying all of these transitions were completely foolish. However, I see two major problems with this trend.
1) Some (please note this word before you freak out on me) of them… just suck. As mentioned before, Paris's cd? Or what about J Lo in Gigli, the ever famous flop. Just because your good at one thing, unfortunately, does NOT mean you are good at everything. Sometimes you need to know when to stick to singing because your fashion line is just plain ugly. Or that you may be the best actress with the sexiest on-screen voice, but it doesn't mean that voice is soothing when carrying a tune. Just because you have the money to take on a new venture doesn't necessarily mean you should (and do you really need the extra income anyway? If you're going to experiment, you could at least consider giving the money to a good cause? Like hearing restoration for the people that had to suffer through listening to you sing? Ok, just kidding with that last part- it was a little too low.)
2) When a celebrity is famous for one thing (and no doubt they may have worked very hard to become famous) they automatically have free reign over other similar-celebrity-areas. For example, Lindsey Lohan worked her way to fame by way of things like The Parent Trap, which by the way, she was very cute in. However, when she decided to be a singer, she did not have to start back at square one in any way, shape, or form. She was instantly popular. Now the way I see it, this isn't exactly fair. It essentially makes the elitist group, more, well… elite and furthers the gap between the famous and the struggling talents. What I mean is that because celebrities are taking on many new different jobs, the commoners who have real, undiscovered talent that are striving to be noticed have less of a spot to fill and less of a shot at their dream. Agencies are turning to the already-famous and offering them deals instead of taking the time to sow out the not-yet famous. There are certainly many talented people out there that deserve a chance at their dream and could make a huge impact on their field, and there are certainly many people out there I'd like to hear on the radio in the morning more than Paris Hilton.
I'm not out to just rag on celebrities. Even though they are richer than me, vacation in Greece, can buy a new wardrobe every season, or have someone do their hair and make-up for them every day, doesn't mean they don't have their own challenges. Being attacked by the paparazzi and having every little thing they do documented would probably get old realllly fast. I'm just pointing out another little injustice in the world and possibly something for them to keep in mind when they are considering their next career move…
