There is something to be said for being a part of the middle class…without any of the demands expected of the rich and famous. Have you ever stopped to think about what your life would be like if you were one of those celebrity names in the tabloids? Every family has issues in their family tree with some relative or another.
Think about it…what if cousin Ralph committed a crime and was photographed for a magazine, making sure to give an interview which made a connection between his name and your’s in the article; or, your sister decided to become a singer (and she howled like your neighbor’s hunting dog) but still, she badgered your professional contacts to try to get an audition; or say, your Grandma decided to go on a talk show and talk about her sex life before she married Grandpa? Maybe your father wants to write a best seller that very closely resembles your life pre-celeb days? Or a relative goes on a large shopping spree that they can’t possibly afford to pay for on their own? How would you handle it?
In today’s world, with everyone having access to so much digital information…if you are a celebrity, and the media decides to do a little digging…they are sure to find some family member, friend from the past, or ex-boyfriend/girlfriend who is more than ready, willing and able to spill the beans for a little $$$. What’s more…you don’t even have to wait for the media to find those who are willing to spill the beans for a fee…your relatives can go viral just by publishing a blog.
You don’t have to look far to see examples of what I am talking about. After all, there are painful family issues that allegedly haven’t been able to be resolved in private, such as families like the Lohans who make the news regularily, with custody battles, blog posts, or writting letters to media outlets criticizing one another; rehashing the past and the present family problems. These issues are deeply personal and have the ability to cause life long discord with in a family unit.
Then you have the media’s flavor of the month, the Spears family. Either they focus on the latest exploits of Brit, Jamie Lynn, her mother, father or ex-husbands and boyfriends or they hint at some kind of rumor that vaguely resembles a sliver of truth and wait to see the fireworks. You can understand the potential added damage done to an individual when there is intensive media scrutiny focussed on them. There is enough family drama in most families, without having to create an intense watch and see environment.
What about family members who stay in the background until they have shopped around the possibility of writing a tell all book…like Oprah’s father, allegedly considered doing? Or a little less reclusive personality, such as…Madonna’s brother, Christopher Ciccone who actually did write a book recently, detailing his complicated relationship with his sister. Remember many years ago, the explosive book called Mommy Dearest, written by Joan Crawford’s daughter about her very famous mother?
We’ve all seen that the tabloids will exploit a family member’s run- in with the law. Or, maybe a business owner or individual who slaps a lawsuit on a family member of a celeb, knowing that it will get settled because of the negative PR. A recent example of a legal situation was when Hulk Hogan’s son was sent to jail for allegedly being the driver in an accident that seriously injured one of his friends. All the while, his family was going through a seperation/divorce and the media attention only added to their personal difficulties. This fed the flames of many articles and celebrity gossip shows for many weeks.
There is never a lack of divorce related stories or custody issues either. We have come to know more about certain star crossed couples, and their problems, than we need to know; think of Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, or Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin, Pamela Anderson and any of her exes. In these cases, many times the courts are often at fault for allowing legal records to become released to the public through the media; that is why you occasionally hear of circumstances where divorcing couples use a private mediator to settle their marriage issues. Sometimes it is through individuals or their family members that we learn what is often harmful to the well-being of the couples or their children. I am sure in the long run they come to regret the fact that so much private information has become public knowledge.
What about those situations where family members are estranged from one another and they use the media to communicate with each other about family issues. I think about in that case, Angelina Jolie and her father. Or, maybe Kellie Pickler who had a difficult relationship with her estranged birth mother. Or Jennifer Anniston and her mother who allegedly became estranged, from one another, over too much personal information being given out.
Some celebrities don’t publically acknowledge their family problems…others confront them head on. Which way is most effective for them, sort of depends on why the violations take place in the first place. Some celebs feel that they must go public and defend themselves and others…keep a quiet counsel and deal with things privately. It is not easy either way. The power of criticism is strong…and you can’t please everyone, no matter what action a celebrity chooses to employ to deal with the fallout.
Regardless of celebrity status…it is helpful to remember that those people are human beings with feelings too. They have relationships that can be damaged, and, they are often afforded little privacy as it is. You would think that their family members would have a little bit of loyalty and a desire to keep some issues private; and, not turn their private relationships into some sort of pay- per- view. But often, these situations aren’t JUST about money. Sometimes, the interviews and books are written out of more complex issues; such as, unresolved issues involving trust, envy, control, anger, betrayal, neglect, abandonment or favoritism. So when you see one of these interviews or books; remember that it might be more about getting even, than it is about getting rich!
Certainly, the people who publish the reports, interviews, books, and celeb gossip programs aren’t going to keep potentially scandulous information to themselves; not when it is their bread and butter. So think about that, the next time you purchase one of the tabloids, weekly celeb mags, tune in to the gossip programs, or purchase the latest personal memoir about someone famous; you are enabling them to sell out their own family members. What if your friends or relatives did that to you? What kind of tales could they tell about you to allow them to make money off from you or your past?
Write where you are 