Could Twitter Help Curb Our Celebrity-Obsessed Culture?
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Home Entertainment
Over the weekend Ashton Kutcher posted a photo of his wife Demi Moore's backside on Twitter while she was bending down in a bikini. Said image spread to various news outlets, and it was interesting to watch because it didn't originate on Perez Hilton or on People.com -- Kutcher posted the photo himself. For once, the celebrity controlled the buzz, instead of, say, TMZ. Kutcher's not alone -- in the past month or so, a slew of actors, actresses, filmmakers, screenwriters and industry buffs have jumped onboard the Twitter ship, with some using the insta-update social network more than others. But Kutcher and Moore were the first to really embrace the site, stealing a little thunder from folks like US Weekly and People magazine by posting their own intimate photos and updates -- the kind of stuff that may have eventually leaked to a TMZ if the stars hadn't placed themselves in the driver's seat instead.
As Kutcher and Moore use Twitter to give fans a closer look at their day-to-day lives out of the spotlight, others -- like, say, Jon Favreau -- are using it to also provide updates and images from the set of their new films. Not only did Favreau control the release of the first behind-the-scenes image from Iron Man 2, but he also levels with fans by talking about how scary and stressful the filmmaking process is. It's real and raw, and to be honest it's quite fascinating to watch these folks bypass the publicists and the studios and simply take control of it all from their very own desktop. (Check out WeFollow for a pretty comprehensive list of celeb Twitter accounts -- and click here for a list of all Cinematical Twitter accounts.)
So does this kind of stuff just feed our celebrity-obsessed addictions, or does the honesty and intimacy of a Twitter feed help bring them down off their magical pedestal to a point where their personal updates are way more interesting than that blurry beach bikini shot stuck on page 47 of this week's issue of People?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-23-2009 @ 4:15PM
Brian said...
The circle will be complete when Harvey Levin posts a bum-shot of his bodybuilder paramour.
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3-23-2009 @ 4:12PM
kevin said...
Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit started using twitter over 3 months ago...
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3-23-2009 @ 4:47PM
Rich said...
Who?
3-23-2009 @ 9:42PM
kevin said...
Unless you were born post 1999, you should have a memory of the spearheading band and frontman of the most popular rock genre of the 90s. Its like someone asking 10 years from now who Lil Wayne (eww) or The Jonas Bros are.
3-24-2009 @ 2:12AM
Rich said...
I know who they are but they lost all relevance years ago.
3-24-2009 @ 9:39AM
Kevin said...
And I'd imagine that in ten years everyone will be asking who the hell Lil' Wayne or the Jonas Brothers are.
3-23-2009 @ 6:18PM
MCW said...
If anything, social networking will make things worse. I already have to hear Twitter updates on the news everyday, so it's only going to get worse my friends.
Speaking of Fred Durst... believe it or not, The Longshots (His most recent film with Keke Palmer) was great. Now, it's based on a true story, so some of the work was already done for him, but you can't dispute the quality of the movie... and for inspirational "girl becomes sports star against all odds" stories, this one is tops.
Anything to keep Durst away from a recording studio, I'm all for it.
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3-23-2009 @ 6:25PM
Erik Davis said...
But why is it so bad? Is it bad because you're not a part of it or don't want to be a part of it or don't understand it?
I actually prefer to follow celebs I admire through Twitter because it's closer to the source and you get stuff that's not filtered through several publicists or air-brushed, what have you. You get them, as people, and it's something that's lacking in today's media coverage.
3-23-2009 @ 6:39PM
MCW said...
Actually, I AM a Twitter user, so even though it may seem like I hate everything about it, I do have my update checker (TwitterFox) in my dash. I just don't follow celebrities or political figures, because I feel they are covered well enough on all of the sites I visit and the TV I watch, that I don't really need to know miniscule updates about their lives.
It's not like I frequently post updates on Twitter of myself, but I mostly track my favorite companies or sites (Netflix for instance...) with it.
I can understand, and I respect the reasons for why you follow celebrities or actors you admire, but the only problem with that is when I get too close. Meaning, if one of them drops a line like "Oh, and I joined Scientology today on a whim... it's not so bad, except for the mandatory sacrifice of pandas. Plus, you know, Katie Holmes - or what is left of her - is one of use, so you've got that going for it".
I really would rather not like to know intimate details about the people I like's life, because I often have trouble forgiving... say Mel Gibson for instance.
I will look at the list you've included, you never know, I might see someone or something I'd like to follow.
Good job on the post... I always hated Ashton Kutcher, but if he can deliver more exclusive pictures of Demi Moore, I may found myself... god I can't believe I'm typing this... subscribing to his updates.
*Covers head in shame*
3-26-2009 @ 11:30AM
Fred Smilek said...
That's a different approach. I wander why someone would want to use this approach..
Fred Smilek is the acting president of the Society to Save Endangered Species. It was founded two years ago by Fred Smilek along with his two best friends Charles and Jonathan. [www.fredjsmilek.com]
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3-23-2009 @ 6:44PM
MCW said...
Holy Cow, Levar Burton is still alive! Maybe you're right after all Erik :)
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3-24-2009 @ 4:28AM
Elisabeth said...
You should have witnessed the LeWar, the fight between Burton and Michael Ian Black as to who could gain the most followers. I only caught the bloody aftermath (when, oddly, Kevin Pollack joined in) but it was epic.
I think the celebrity impersonators (Fake Hugh Jackman, for instance) are probably more fun than the real ones.
3-24-2009 @ 3:59PM
Sean said...
I can see why you are comparing Limp Bizkit to Lil Wayne and the Jonas Bros.
Crap, Crappier, and Crappiest. :)
BTW, another great twitter to follow... David Lynch and his daily weather reports from L.A.
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