The Self Made Star Column

The Real Mandy Moore?

2009-04-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

Mandy Moore has recently said that her late 90s songs were not really her own. She told Details magazine that at the beginning of her career she was only allowed to record tracks that she had no creative input in.

Clearly there is something wrong with the 'establishment'. It is not allowing people to be self made stars, even though it has otherwise been able to bring the attention of millions to its chosen few. Maybe the advent of self-created content can change this.

Mandy also implied she was not proud of that work. Nobody would be in her situation, I guess. Good news is that, everyone out there, at least you can still make music that you are proud of unlike how Mandy was, no matter if you have a contract to make music or not.

ReEvaluation

2009-04-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

Melissa Joan Hart recently had this to offer in an interview with the online mag PopEater:

"If the internet had been around back then, you might have seen these people in a totally different light. Marilyn Monroe might have been a little bit more like Lindsay Lohan, or something … she was kind of a mess. But it was glamorized because it was just still photos."

And I kind of agree. I think now that media technologies have improved, we are beginning to see people for who they are, for real. And therefore, the first two decades or so will be a big reality check.

More Snobberism Against Britney

2009-04-06T06:24:00.001-07:00

1970s band Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks has said this about Britney Spears: "You have to pay your dues to be a real rock star. It's different in that Britney did not join a band when she was 18 and practice every day for five hours Monday through Friday and then play gigs Friday, Saturday and Sunday."

I really can't agree with that. I'm sure Britney put her share of hard work into it. There's just too much snobberism about Britney out there really.

Therefore, the next time you get put down for something unfairly, think of Britney.

Kylie Goes Cheap

2009-04-02T05:28:00.001-07:00

Kylie Minogue is reported to have been shopping at her local Salvation Army store. She bought two dresses, a skirt and a hat for less than $40.

Good on her for setting a trend. People have too long been trying to imitate our most popular stars by buying expensive brands, and now she has shown that star style can be achieved even with the cheapest clothing. She reminds us that we need to remember that star style is about being unafraid to show your taste and style to the world, not about how expensive your clothes are.

Standing Your Ground

2009-03-31T03:22:00.001-07:00

Paris Hilton was at the Winter Music Conference at the Fontainebleau hotel nightclub in Miami, Florida when violence broke out between her bodyguards and a DJ. The DJ claimed that Hilton's bodyguards hit him first, and it was because he would not play hip-hop, as the socialite demanded repeatedly. "She might be used to people saying yes to her 24/7, but she's not going to get that from me. The Winter Music Conference is about the music, and that's the reason people travel to it from all over the world. It's not about spoilt girls getting what they want," claimed the DJ.

I don't know if his version of the story is right, but if it is, then at least somebody has decided that they are not going to do things the wrong way just because of a request by a famous socialite.

Obama is joining the revolution

2009-03-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

It has been reported that president Obama and his team are trying to reach out to independent media outlets in a hope to reach out to his target audience directly without being filtered by the traditional media. He is reported to plan to meet bloggers soon, indeed.

Obama is going with the revolution of the democratisation of media too, it seems. Isn't it time that you too joined the revolution?

Unafraid

2009-03-19T05:08:00.000-07:00

A 14 year old gay boy in Arizona has been banned from wearing a wristband that says "rainbows are gay" to school. The principal explained that some teachers found it offensive, but apparently he says it was one of several anti-gay experiences he has had at the school. His mother is taking the case to the ACLU.

It is good that he (and his mother) is speaking up. If you are being treated unfairly you must speak up so that people that are in the same situation need not suffer in silence. While a lone teenage boy may not be able to change the world, a general consensus embracing tolerance and acceptance stemming from cases like these would be helpful for all.

Another LGB individual who is not afraid to speak up is Ellen DeGeneres. She recently interviewed her wife Portia de Rossi on her own show, and frequently mentions their love life on air. Apparently she is not afraid to put her lesbian life out as part of her on-air persona package, even though she has a large audience that may include some homophobes.

People like Ellen are changing minds across the world. When people who are not intially friendly to LGB individuals see people like Ellen, living happy, healthy lives and are likable and popular, their idea of LGB individuals may change. More importantly, young, often afraid LGB individuals get another role model to tell them that they have no need to be afraid of the world or underestimate their own potential.

Strange People Should Rule Sometimes Too

2009-03-18T04:56:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaga credited Amy Winehouse with the success of people like her recently. "Because of Amy, very strange girls like me go to prom with very good-looking guys," she told PopEater.com recently.

I have to profess I don't particularly like Amy Winehouse, but I still feel that this is a positive development. You see, not everyone fits the mainstream mould, but everyone should be given a chance. And it is not like the mainstream style is always better - what is mainstream changes all the time anyway. Therefore there should be no discrimination of the non-mainstream. And if people like Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga have advanced this cause, then they deserved the credit for that.

Are you a non-mainstream styled person too? Maybe you can also help advance this development by being not afraid to be yourself and show your style!

Taylor Swift Speaks Up

2009-03-17T05:09:00.002-07:00

Singer Taylor Swift has said that while she has no problems talking about relationships, she will never talk about sex in public. "I think when you talk about virginity and sex publicly, people just automatically picture you naked. And as much as I can prevent people picturing me naked, I'm going to," she told the April 2009 issue of Allure recently.

And thanks Taylor, for being unafraid to do it your own way and speaking up. The media is full of people willing to score cheap points for talking about sex sensationally and there is pressure for many commercially successful artists to follow suit. And that is really unhealthy I think. I seriously think more people should think like Taylor instead. Talk about relationships and everyday life is much more useful and meaningful, and when we focus on sex too much we lose sight of that. Not to mention that sex talk in public is often rude, things like that should be confined to your bedroom I believe.

Messing Up

2009-03-17T05:09:00.001-07:00

Jessica Simpson recently messed up her lyrics at a concert in California. In fact she messed up twice, and had to say "I messed up again! I do this all the time!"

It is natural to mess up, as we are not perfect as humans. So why should we expect perfection on stage for our performers? I think it would be healthier for all of us if concert-goers expected moments like this, and take them as natural rather than awkward and out of place.

Allowing some messing up is also essential for true to yourself self-expression, I believe. Being too rigid is never good for artists.

The Problem of Influence

2009-03-17T05:08:00.000-07:00

This is what Beyonce Knowles recently had to say to Vogue about her influence as a role model on young girls: "The amount of influence I have on these young girls is scary sometimes. But I also understand how lucky I am to have that."

The problem is that people like Beyonce haven't always been the best role models. Consider songs like Naughty Girl (2004) - would you seriously like your daughter singing that all day long? People like Beyonce got there because of commercial success, and the current system only promotes people who have commercial success. There are way better role models out there, but because they may be less commercially successful (and maybe for good reasons like they don't score cheap points by discussing sex all the time) they don't get the influence they deserve.

Hopefully we can start listening to those voices that deserve to be listened to.

Can Newspapers Survive #2

2009-03-15T04:01:00.001-07:00

Much of the blame for the impending demise of the traditional media has been laid squarely on the internet. Many people talk as if the internet was the reason why traditional media has become less popular, like if not for the birth of the internet newspapers and the like would still be dominant.

Maybe that is true. But the main reason for the demise of the traditional media is that it was never a satisfactory way to broadcast information. Traditional media offers too few people a voice to speak. As a result, firstly, everyone is receiving one of a few standardised broadcasts from a source that they cannot really get to know too well. The audience have very limited choice on the broadcast they receive, and the information seems to come to them from so far away. It is also not easy for people to become broadcasters in traditional media. Thus it has become a privilege to even speak and get heard, something that is not very healthy indeed.

New media is just beginning to redress these problems. And this is the reason why it is popular. We are lucky to have the technology to at least start redressing the problem. Traditional media is not threatened because of the internet, it is threatened because of its own limitations. If it wants to survive, it should address its own limitations and put itself in the best position it can be in in the democratic new media, which is to add value to it. Newspapers are still the primary source of information for many people, and it can still form a valuable reference that adds more details to what you get online, as well as give ideas for independent content creators to base their writings on, for example.

Can Newspapers Survive?

2009-03-14T05:41:00.003-07:00

There was recently a popular online article named Can Newspapers Survive. So let me give my opinion on this matter here.

I think newspapers will survive if they cater to the new world. A new, interactive world where everyone can be a content creator. In this new world, their audiences will not just be passive newspaper readers, they will also be audiences of the new, amateur created media, and may also be interactive content creators too. If newspapers provide valuable information that adds to the conversation that is going on amongst the new media, in a form that is easily digestible and competitive with the other new media types out there, then they will survive. However, if they are continue to have no interest in this new interactive world, then many people may instead turn to internet news and blogs.

Tunes for Much Later

2009-03-14T05:41:00.001-07:00

It has been reported that Michael Jackson has written a stack of tunes only to be released after his death.

I wonder if any other artists are doing the same?

Keep the Dream Alive

2009-03-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

According to numerous surveys, nowadays more teenagers want to have celebrity status of some kind than not. Why is this the case? Probably because, amongst other things, they want to have a voice in this world, do their own thing, and maybe do the world some good at the same time.

The current system only allows very few of them to become red carpet celebrities, letting all the others down. So why shouldn't we think of a way to grant these people their dreams? Not everyone can be a red carpet celebrity, but everyone who has something good to say deserves to have a voice and have an audience. And I think the new media, especially Web 2.0, is allowing that to happen more and more. But still, I think we need to make this an aim explicitly before it will really happen.

Songs that Soothe the Heart

2009-03-12T04:54:00.003-07:00

As a teenager, country singer Jewel used to write songs to soothe herself, while she had her share of hard times, including a period of homelessness. Now she is planning to release those songs as part of an album of original lullabies.

I too write songs to soothe myself and hope to publish them when I think it's suitable. We all do. And it's a good way to both give yourself some therapy as well as produce something that you can share.

Too Much Attention?

2009-03-12T04:54:00.001-07:00

It has been reported that Jennifer Aniston wants to move out of Hollywood because there's too much attention there.

Which goes back to my favourite topic: how a few people have too much attention and the rest have too little. Which is entirely unhealthy. We should all have adequate amounts of attention for the interesting and good work we do in life, and never too much that it overwhelms us. This is the dream of the 'new media', I believe.

Kanye Wants Less Fans

2009-03-12T04:53:00.000-07:00

This is what Kanye West told Vibe magazine lately.

"I want the freedom of having less fans. It's like the freedom of having less money. If you have less money, you have less responsibility. It's like Björk. If she wanted to pose naked, you'd be like, 'Oh, that's Björk.' But if I wanted to pose naked, people would draw all type of things into it."

Well, I don't agree with the posing naked part because I believe nobody should do so publicly. But isn't it tragic in a world where you either don't have a voice, or it gets to the point where you feel that there are too many eyes on you? I believe in a world where many different stars can share the stage, each with their appropriate amount of audiences, such that it is not too hard to join the stage, and each star will not have too much of a spotlight on them either.

Self Made Stars

2009-03-12T04:52:00.002-07:00

Self Made Stars are one category of people that I admire, that I wish to be among. Self Made Stars may not have the spotlight, red carpet invites and the like. However, they are not afraid to be of their own style and do things their own way. More importantly, they are not afraid to have standpoints, and to promote them in their everyday lives. You don't need to have the spotlight on you to be able to do that, in fact, the spotlight may just come if you keep doing that regularly.