The Award Shows Have Begun

Just why are we so consumed with interest in our celebrities? Are our lives so dull and routine that we crave even a long distance boob-tube brush with glamour?

At the recent Oscars, more time was allotted to the red carpet arrival time which gets the highest ratings. We don't care that much who wins, we want to see the same beautiful people we have watched in darkened movie theaters in real life, although obviously primped and gussied by a positive army of personal appearance workers. We analyze what they wear with curiosity and surprise, feeling slightly superior in the knowledge that with their almost unlimited funds and perfect bodies we could do so much better ourselves.

Movie stars have always received immense public attention and adoration from the days of the silent screen where, without voices to provide personality, such figures as Mary Pickford, Rudolph Valentino, and Greta Garbo became our idols simply from their larger-than-life celluloid personas.

While those early icons were undoubtedly giants of the media, these days even the "B" actors are treated like royalty and being famous is an occupation in and of itself (think Paris Hilton).

When the happy winners stand on the podium and thank everyone who helped them reach the top, there is a noticeable oversight: their audience. The unknown masses who plunk down their hard-earned cash to buy an hour or two of fantasy and excitement are not merely the "little people" or "my fans." They are the sole force that allows even lesser talents to command millions in salaries and benefits.

Just imagine a year during which no one went to the movies or bought a DVD. Stars would actually have to start working for a living, just like the rest of us. And maybe then they wouldn't have time for the interminable pat-each-other-on-the-back award shows.

That would be refreshing!