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At least that is what gossip columnist, Jo Piazza, asserts in her book : CELEBRITY, INC.
Stars, starlets, bestselling authors are not human beings she implies.
No, they are BRANDS
"Brand consistency is the hallmark of a successful product. When brands act erratically, consumers become confused and wary. By 2011, Lindsay Lohan had become an untenable brand. She wasn't unbankable or uninsurable; she was inconsistent and that is what caused her value to plummet."
Ms. Piazza dehumanizes to a nauseating degree even for a Hollywood columnist :
"Q scores help to determine an actor and actresses likability so that studios know whether consumers will see a project.
By 2010, 84 percent of those polled were familiar with Lohan. And yet her positive rating reached a new low of 9, her negative rating remaining at 52. More than five times as many people disliked Lohan as liked her.
"Michael Jackson had Qs in that range for a long time," Levitt,of Marketing Evaluations, explained to me. Almost as an afterthought he added, "His stats only went up after he died."
"Executives within the dead celebrity business refer to the high-net-worth deceased as 'delebs,'
and today these executives preside over an industry that is valued at more than $800 million a year and growing.
The attraction of this segment of the celebrity market is obvious: The dead are the easiest clients to manage.
Not only do they not meddle in their business affairs, they won't get caught with their pants down, drunk-driving, or making a racist remark to TMZ.
And in an industry where vast sums are made in merchandise licensing and symbiotic partnerships, dead celebrities have just as much earning power as the living and sometimes more."
"So, at this point," cackles Ms. Piazza, "we get yet another glimpse at Lohan's prematurely aging breasts in PLAYBOY, paying homage to Marilyn Monroe.
It will not reinvigorate Lindsay's sagging brand and career. The only thing that will save brand Lohan from total Kristy McNichol-dom is if she truly channels Monroe and actually leaves us for good."
I grew ill at reading those words.
Is there no humanity in Hollywood anymore? Any decency?
The tragic fact is that Ms. Piazza's book will sell like hotcakes.
When did it become okay to discuss someone - and I don't care who they are, or what they've done - as though they were no more than a commodity to buy or sell? And why is it acceptable to assume casually that a human life is worth only money, and thus some people are better off dead?
ReplyDeleteSometimes I hate the world.
Firstly, I agree wholeheartedly with, Sarah.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, a few unsavory words are called for in regards this sad excuse for a human being. However, I won't sully your blog with such profanity.
Ms P should get a life before something prematurely ageing sags on her.
OMG: Tinsel Town critics at it again! But you know the SAD fact of all this lies in a no-body becoming a somebody on the backs of celebrities. Sometimes for the good, but mostly (as in Ms Piazza's case) for the bad.
ReplyDeleteBTW: who is Lindsay Lohan? ;)
best
F
This is disgusting. Makes me sick to the stomach.
ReplyDeleteSarah :
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you whole-heartedly. I guess when you roll around in gossip like a cat in catnip for a living, it tarnishes what remains of your soul.
Wendy :
The sadder fact is that Ms. Piazzi would hear your words uncomprehendingly. To make a good living, she has used people as commodities for so long, she simply accepts the "truth" that is what they are. Of course, except for herself, mind you. I'm sure she is the center of her universe, and things are either good or bad to the extent that they make her smile.
Francine :
Yes, if you do not have talent, make a living out of those who use what little or lot they have to bring in the bread and butter. Yes, I imagine Lindsay Lohan is not exactly facmous in Britain! Still, she is a human being who has hurt herself terribly, and thus, is deserving of our compassion not the evil grins of such as Ms. Piazzi. Thanks for visiting and staying to chat.
Jessica :
You had the same reaction I did. Sigh. Sarah reflected an opinion my MC Sam McCord often has -- mainly that he hates what the living have done to the world and to those around them.
What's sad is LaLo made a comment a year back and said that it makes her feel good to be talked about whether it's good or bad because it makes her feel relevant. Ms. P should get a life!
ReplyDeleteBraine :
ReplyDeleteWhat Ms. Piazza has done is like giving a candy bar to a diabetic who craves one but will only suffer from eating it.
Sadder is that Ms.P is getting quite a materially good life from doing this and other articles and books! Sigh.
Thanks for visiting and staying to chat, Roland
I just think the whole situation is sad. It's terrible that Linsay is being dragged through the dirt by so many, but when you're a celebrity, under the spotlight, that is too be expected. Everything we do becomes a way by which we are labeled. And I hope someone gets her the help she needs because she's not doing very well on her own.
ReplyDeleteLaila :
ReplyDeleteSadly, when you are an adult, you may need help, but it is unlikely you will receive it ... imprisonment yes, counseling no. Very sad, Roland
I really loved LiLo in the Parent Trap remake. She was great in Mean Girls and she really could have had a different career if she didn't get caught in the undertow of Crazy Hollywood. I agree her antics in recent years have been laughable but to suggest some die or "disappear" is pretty low. Shame on you Ms. Piazza.
ReplyDeleteCimmaron :
ReplyDeleteI know very little of Lindsay, never having seen any of her films. But I have heard she did a great job in MEAN GIRLS. Where were her parents in all of this? Ms. Piazza obviously has stayed too long in a business that corodes the soul. Thanks for visiting -- you and Braine have a lovely blog, Roland