Fan Rant: The Heath Ledger Video
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Fan Rant
Long story short: A two-year-old video featuring Heath Ledger at a party where drugs were being consumed was purchased by Entertainment Tonight for a large sum of money (some are saying $200,000), and the show, as well as The Insider, planned to air the video in an attempt to "understand why Ledger died." Ledger's former PR firm sent out a mass email protesting the video, folks everywhere cried "poor taste" and ET ultimately decided not to air it. One imagines said video will arrive on YouTube within 24 hours, and at that time it will be everywhere; the secret video everyone will pretend they didn't watch.
Here's my question: Where do you draw the line? Almost everything these shows put on the air is in poor taste. So, instead of the Ledger video, they'll do 15 minutes on Britney Spears -- what she wore to the hospital, what she said to the doctor, how big her sh*t was that morning. This stuff -- this stalking of Britney Spears -- is okay. Airing a video showing Heath Ledger drinking a beer, while some dude snorts coke in the corner? Not okay. That's in poor taste. You should respect the Ledger family. What about the family of every other actor or actress who's caught doing something stupid? Where's the respect for them? There is no respect. You think the folks at ET respect Ledger or his family? They couldn't give two sh*ts about these people ... unless something they do is going to bring them more viewers. Hence, the video.
It's a pretty sick world we live in. I've watched this TMZ show on television, where the staff gets together and they write a bunch of stuff on a board. At the top of that board, it should read: How Will We Ruin Someone's Life Today? Isn't it sick to know that all of these people -- the shows, the websites, the magazines -- make all their money off humiliating other people? That that's a huge business; the business of humiliation. And then they go home at night to their wife, their significant other, their children -- and they attempt to be a good role model. " Help Jimmy with his math homework after you're done photo-shopping that pic of Britney's vagina, please."
If I were harassed as much as Britney Spears has been, I'd wind up in a mental institution. We all would. And if she does die, God forbid, it would be the media that killed her. And then how funny would it be to watch the media blame themselves for killing a celebrity? Of course they wouldn't do that -- they'd blame Britney, they'd blame her family, they'd blame her friends. They'd never blame themselves, unless they were blaming another outlet -- as if they were the good guys.
But you know who should really be blamed? Us. We're the ones with the desire to read and watch this sh*t. We feed them, and they prosper. I won't say we're the ones responsible for Ledger's death -- after all, a person has to take responsibility for what they put in their own body. But we're responsible for shows like Celebrity Rehab; we're responsible for Britney Spears going off the deep end; we're responsible for TMZ TV; we're responsible for Perez Hilton's ugly f**king face showing up on a VH1 special. We love it. We eat it up. And if you put that Heath Ledger video in front of 150 strangers, I bet at least 149 of them would watch it without thinking twice. Because it's mindless entertainment. And if it temporarily helps you forget about the fact that your life sucks, then bring it on.
We're the real addicts. And it's sad.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-31-2008 @ 4:28PM
DAVID F said...
I am so in agreement with you on this. Just as there is an audience for everything there is also demand for it too unfortunately. From the magazines at the checkout counter to these so-called "entertainment" rag shows. This crap wouldn't be out there if there weren't people out there waiting for it.
Sad indeed.
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1-31-2008 @ 4:33PM
Philip said...
Wow. Just... wow. It's about time someone came out on this. I've declined to bash TMZ and its ilk, for fear of alienating people who read Cinematical and enjoy that type of show. But frankly, TMZ is simply profiteering off the misery of others. And no, you cannot tell me that's what the famous people signed up for when they became famous. Because it isn't. We, as the viewing public, have no right to know what they do privately. It's perverse, it's classless and it speaks to our complete lack of identity and purpose, that we have to enjoy watching Britney go mental. Is Britney simply trailer-trash? Perhaps. But she's a human being, and I have no interest in watching her spiral into mental instability, just for the amusement potential. What really irks me, is the way the TMZ assholes sneer and laugh among themselves, as if they had a real grip on reality, when in fact all they are is the equivalent of parasites, leeching off the hard work of others to make their money. Zero skill, zero morals and zero journalistic abilities. If Heath Ledger's death is going to be paraded on TV and sensationalized for our enjoyment, what does it say about the real trainwreck going on right now: our society's need to feast on the pain and emptiness of others? Some of us are just as vapid and tactless as the Hollywood elite we love to laugh at.
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1-31-2008 @ 4:37PM
Jon said...
Airing a video of a young man who died doing coke yrs ago and talking about drugs is unacceptable.
But when people badmouth our troops and call people like me in the military murders and baby killers no one stands up for US?
yet they will some actor...
that's BS.....how liberal of them
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1-31-2008 @ 4:42PM
dukrous said...
That is precisely why I read Cinematical and AICN as my primary movie news...no gossip. I don't care who slept with who, or what happened when X showed up to a party....fuck that. Point me to the good movies and the great performances, and let these people go home and relax for the night like everyone else with a job can enjoy.
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2-20-2008 @ 2:02PM
Kevin said...
Umm, Jon, how unnecessary was that? Okay, so since one thing is awful we shouldn't come out against it unless we also mention every other horrible thing the media does or says? The fact that the didn't bring that up isn't liberalism, its the reality that every blog post can't address entirety of the worlds ills at once. I personally agree that this video shouldn't be aired because its a useless exploitation of the situation with no journalistic reasoning to support it. If all you're airing is a video to shock people and boost ratings than you're pathetic, and we as a society should recognize that and do the only form of protest that will actually work...turn off the television
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1-31-2008 @ 4:48PM
Emily said...
"they'll do 15 minutes on Britney Spears -- what she wore to the hospital, what she said to the doctor, how big her sh*t was that morning. This stuff -- this stalking of Britney Spears -- is okay."
...Is that seriously what you meant to write? That celebrity stalking is okay?
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1-31-2008 @ 4:51PM
Erik Davis said...
Emily, yes. Because there is no public outcry, or emails from PR firms calling for all media outlets to leave Britney alone. So, in their minds (and ours), celebrity stalking is okay. But showing the Ledger video is not. That's my question: where do you draw the line?
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1-31-2008 @ 5:03PM
Nate said...
OK, Jon is totally full of shit. Who calls the soldiers in Iraq baby killers or murderers? Everyone on both sides of this issue goes to great pains to support the troops in every way. The stuff that Jon is talking about only exists in Rush Limbaugh's masturbatory fantasies.
-Nate
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1-31-2008 @ 5:08PM
Marty said...
You have to realise that shows like Entertainment Tonight cater to the lowest common denominator. We are talking about people who can barely function in society. People who, when they wake up each morning can barely decide which shoelace to tie first. People whose brains are so devoid of any activity that they barely register as human beings let alone being able to walk upright. People who continue to live their sad and pathetic lives with no ambition other than to someday work out how to eat pasta with a spoon. People whose idea of embraicng new culture is visiting Ohio. Entertainment Tonight targets these people and that is why we have so much trash on television.
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2-01-2008 @ 8:51AM
Emily said...
In my book, 'it's okay because the American public thinks so' isn't good enough. We collectively love all kinds of things that hurt ourselves and other people because we don't think deeply about them and are inconsiderate.
And because the American public wants ugly details, a woman experiencing severe personal crises must also cope with constantly being made to appear undignified, and having no private life. That's not okay to me regardless of who she is. You said it yourself--the public is responsible for her being messed up, and I agree.
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1-31-2008 @ 5:59PM
mcafee_matthew said...
I didn't read the article and comments with a mind to analyze every word and issue...but I just want to say that I think this is a hugely pressing problem with our society today...shows like TMZ are horrendous but the real problem is that the majority of people will watch that crap (myself included) so the real question (as stated by Erik) is how can we conform what is considered the norm and this common interest in celebrity life, love and misery. We should be somewhat ashamed.
Good article!
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1-31-2008 @ 6:25PM
eugene said...
Who calls the US military a bunch of war criminals and baby killers? Oh, I don't know, how about Ted Rall? You can check out his editorial cartoons on Yahoo.com.
Oh, and then there was a guardsman who was killed, guess what he was called as he was beaten to death?
http://michellemalkin.com/2006/08/30/guardsman-beaten-taunted-as-baby-killer/
Then there's this group: http://www.texansforpeace.org/
So, where's the outcry? Where are the hordes of angry readers emailing yahoo? Where's the public outcry over the solider who was beaten to death? Where are the endless news stories? The blog posts?
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1-31-2008 @ 7:34PM
mary candace cavanaugh said...
well said. one more thing is: how is it shocking or newsworthy to hear about a 20-something who partied?
For many many people, their 20's are prime party-time. And for another many many, the 20's is the major transition time from youth to adulthood. It is a shaky time for most, I imagine. Makes no sense to be hateful toward or about someone struggling to find their footing in this life.
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1-31-2008 @ 6:58PM
Nate said...
I don't know what cartoon you are raving about, but I do know that no one was "for" this guardsman getting beaten to death. But a major media company was "for" exploiting this young father's death for ratings. Hence, outcry.
It is despicable that you would try to use this tragedy to further your paranoid schizophrenic hallucinations that everyone in America has it out for the troops. Go back to redstate.com.
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1-31-2008 @ 7:05PM
uforeader said...
I agree with you whole-heartedly here. The bashing of celebrities sickens me. How many people do the media have to kill before they stop. Princess Diana was literally killed by the unstoppable onslaught of media coverage of her personal life. I'm convinced it will likely kill Britney Spears as well. It has certainly already killed her spirit. I blame them for the decline of Michael Jackson as well. It amazes me the media can cause a problem and then report on it like they had nothing to do with it.
But Cinematical has blood on its hands too. You may remember the video posted just last week on this website of Tom Cruise. The accompanying article was degrading to his religion and to his character. I find ALL of this character assassination for entertainment disgusting. Perhaps Cinematical would make a pledge to never personally attack anyone for their personal lives. We must practice what we preach.
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1-31-2008 @ 7:10PM
Gary said...
Jon, don't be a dick!
Talking about people deliberately ruining peoples lives just because they are famous is one thing. People who genuinely criticize and bring to light the actions of people who are breaking the law is another. Wherever you are, whatever country you come from there will always be soldiers who break the law, murder people and rape people. It has happened throughout time in all wars and always will. Just because normal people have a problem with that does not make them anti-American it just makes them human and anti-crime. Idiot.
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1-31-2008 @ 7:18PM
Gary said...
Erik, I applaud what you have written. But you have got one thing wrong!
"And then they go home at night to their wife, their significant other, their children"
More likely they go to see their mistress, or go to a club and snort coke, or get too drunk and fall out of a taxi etc...
My point is that as humans we all screw up, Drink, drugs, sex whatever - There are times in all of our lives where it affects us just as much as any Hollywood star. The useless wasters that write this trash and produce those shows are no different to anyone else, thus they are hypocrites.
I have often wondered why the top 20 hollywood stars do not fund a trash magazine themselves and give copies away to everyone. But in this case they would hire investigators who do nothing else but dig up all the dirt on the editors and producers scandal rags and shows and print for all their family and friends to see.
I really do not understand why they don't do this, it would be very funny if nothing else. "We have exclusive picture of XXXXX Magazines fashion editor snorting coke from the arse crack of her sisters husband!" I think they would soon stop after a few months of that!
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1-31-2008 @ 7:23PM
eugene said...
Jon's point was that there's no media and public outcry over soldiers who are wounded or killed and their actions and duty dragged through the mud. Men and women who put their lives on the line so that we could sit around and debate an actor who CHOSE to coke it up, who chose to jump from bed to bed, who couldn't do the right thing and marry the mother of his own child.
And trying to twist the arguement around by saying someone was "for" murdering that guardsman is just a blatant and obvious attempt to sidestep the point.
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1-31-2008 @ 7:49PM
Gary said...
No Eugene, That is not what Jon said at all!! Jon said this..
"But when people badmouth our troops and call people like me in the military murders and baby killers no one stands up for US?"
He never once complained that the lack of public outcry when soldiers come home in body bags. In fact it is the liberals who complain the most when soldiers are killed, the US government is usually far too busy making sure that the pictures of US coffins never get on the air!!.
Please do not presume to speak for another poster, It is quite clear what Jon said in his post.
And for the benefit of the truth (not that you seem interested) Heath Ledger WAS married to the mother of his child. Sometimes relationships break down, are you going to crucify someone for that!!
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1-31-2008 @ 7:53PM
Logo90 said...
That is so true. I am a huge Ledger fan and we all know he hated the media. And now his name is all over the news for the wrong reasons. These guys just can't let it go. They will search and search for more stuff to disrespect Heath Ledger and his family. I think the Ledger family are well into the state of grief and for the media to keep putting up news about his addiction years ago as a reason for his death is just wrong and disrespectful. All these stuff just for more viewers. And you're right. We are the addicts. We are the ones that watch these kinds of trash. We all should be ashamed of this but people these days, if it's there in front of you, there's no hesitance but to look. We have to stop reading or seeing what these guys (who get paid by ruining peoples lives, and like you said, going home to their own peaceful family thinking they're role models) give out to the world for all to see. It is our choice but the right choice mind our own lives and not see these crap that they're feeding us.
R.I.P. Heath Ledger as you cannot in this corrupt world.
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