Creating Drama

If there has ever been a celebrity that has been able to get people talking, either good or bad, constantly, that person would be Heidi Montag. Heidi, who is attached at the hip to her husband, Spencer Pratt, is better known as Speidi. More recently, Montag has been in the press regarding her multiple surgeries. So as not to outdo herself, she is in the press once again for another reason: the state of her marriage. Today, reports about the state of Heidi and Spencer's marriage went out, but only to relieve and quelch that news hours later by claiming it was a false rumor. Heidi and Spencer married last year to the horror and delight of millions of viewers in the public. Now with the media constantly on their tails, we are bombarded with news regarding these two seemingly talent-less celebrities as they galavant around Hollywood looking to get more and more press.

We watched as Heidi "accidentally" released her amateur music video for her unreleased music single: Higher. The video was ridiculous, silly, and clearly more of an advertisement for her physique rather than her music ability. However, what made the whole thing genius was that it got us watching and talking about her. Granted, what most were saying was not very nice, but the amount of hits the video first received after the "leak" were something. It even fueled a series of parody videos on youtube, which helped continue the discourse on Heidi Montag's ridiculousness even further. Spencer and Heidi also know how to play into current events to keep the press talking. During the summer, when everyone was worried about Swine Flu, they both jumped on the band wagon and made sure to be photographed with their face masks on, as they travelled through a Mexican airport. She and her husband have truly mastered the art of the press and getting it to work for them. After all, here I am, writing multiple blog posts about her, dedicating my time to comment on her life. What does that prove?

Montag, and her husband (and now ex-manager) know that any press is better than none. Every so often a new sensational story about Heidi and Spencer is in the press. This keeps us, the public, constantly aware of their presence. They capture an audience by constantly creating drama, and playing into scandalous stories and drama to keep us engaged in their lives. Heidi and her husband (more affectionately known as Speidi) have been effective in creating a different kind of fan. Speidi have, through their constant presence in the media doing ridiculous, astonishing, and confusing things, created a crop of fans unlike those we have studied thus far in class. No one actually likes Montag and Pratt. These fans, like myself, hate Montag and Pratt, and yet we feel a need to learn about their personal lives. Maybe people who hate Heidi and Spencer should just be called haters? What do we get out of this disgust? What is our true purpose in following the lives of Heidi and Spencer? Heidi and Spencer are exactly what I do not want to be, so perhaps my fandom serves as a point of comparison: NEVER BE LIKE THEM!!!!!

Most Hated Man in America

Fresh from her Oscar win for her role in The Blind Side, actress Sandra Bullock was in the limelight and the media darling of the moment. However, rather than focus on her acting abilities, the media has now turned to her love life, thanks to Michelle Gee, a stripper/webcam performer/tattoo artist, who told InTouch Magazine of her 11-month affair with Bullock's husband: Jesse James. While cheating husbands and wives are the norm in many Hollywood couples, this couple in particular seems to be hurting the public more than other scandals that have occurred.

Bullock has won the hearts of many fans due to her roles in several well-loved films, and is known as the "Queen of Romantic Comedies." As Barbara Walters says, "people like her." The public roots for Sandra Bullock because she never really wins awards and is the girl next door. The star of films like: Miss congeniality, The Proposal, Speed, and Crash finally won an Oscar, and the media and the public were proud and satisfied that she had finally gotten recognition for her talents. The irony with her public ordeal of her husband's infidelity makes it all the more disappointing and tragic. She met the tatoo-covered tough guy Jesse James in 2005 and initially, everyone thought it was a mismatch. However, after hearing her proclaim her love for him over and over again at various public events, interviews, and acceptance speeches, many (including me) were beginning to finally accept and like Jesse James.

The timing could not have been worse for Sandra, and in fact, Michelle Gee, James' mistress planned the big reveal and was paid $30,000. His cheating has created a firestorm in the public and the media, with gossip magazines covered with pictures of Sandra, and the pages filled with articles regarding the drama surrounding the events, and now, her upcoming divorce.

The public has rushed at Sandra's side because they truly feel for her. They finally felt as though she was doing well for herself and that she had everything she ever wanted: recognition for her talents, and a loving family life. Now, the public worries that she cannot bounce back. How will she deal with the heart break of the man who finally made her feel as though someone had her back?

Reality TV Stars as Celebrities

With the prevalence of reality show programming on most major networks on cable, it seems that over the years, a new crop of celebrities have emerged. These reality tv stars are famous from the shows they participated in, but do they really have the talent and skills that most celebrities have? While actors, musicians, and other artists have become famous and celebritized due to their skills and talent, reality stars from shows like Survivor, The Apprentice, The Real World, The Hills, or The Bachelor stand out and gain attention by calculating their moves and exploiting their "15 minutes" for everything there is. These stars create characters out of themselves, and play up their perceived roles in order to garner more media attention. In an effort to win fame, many of these stars go to great lengths, often altering their true personalities, creating relationships with certain people, and will even undergo plastic surgery for shock value or to simply "improve" their appearence.

We discussed in class how Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, of The Apprentice, played up her role as villain by constantly presenting herself in a nasty, rude, and up-front manner. She understand her role, and has deftly crafted her persona in the media to her advantage. So why do these stars work so hard for this? I believe psychological reasons are at the basis for their motivation-after all, who doesn't want attention on them? However, the economic benefits of fame I believe provide a very good incentive as well. Often times, these reality stars had intentions of being musicians or actors, and therefore capitalize on their fame to make their dreams come true.

One reality star who I find fascinating and quite sad, honestly is Heidi Montag. As Lauren Conrad's best friend and side-kick on The Hills, Montag first appeared to be sweet, ambitious, and fun. However, as the show grew in popularity, so did its characters, and Lauren, Heidi, and the rest of the cast became celebrities walking to red carpet at events with actors, musicians, and other artists, and they helped blur the line between reality star and "true" star.

As their fame grew, Montag became increasingly obsessed with her image, and on the next season revealed an entirely new image of herself: a Barbie Doll who ditches her best friends for a mean, back-stabbing boyfriend who would later become her husband. Spencer Pratt married Heidi Montag, and with enough press events, controversial news headlines, and appearence, "Speidi" began its reign in the reality tv star kingdom. Montag has been in the press most recently for her 10-surgery in one day nip and tuck session that left her a completely different person. When looking at before and after pictures, the extent of the work she has had done is quite evident and alludes to much deeper issues that she seems to be dealing with. Plastic surgery addiction anyone? I will be following her in the press and provide updates on Speidi and Heidi Montag in general. For now, as a point of reference, behold the before and after of Heidi Montag: