Celebrity
... pitter-patter of gigantic misshapen feet. Breaking the ice and becoming famous and successful in what they do is for most celebrities a dream come true. Not many superstars are discovered because of luck. Many of them dream about acting or singing all their lives before actually becoming famous. The path to success is oftentimes bumpy, with a lot of sacrifices and compromises. Actor Kevin Costner, for example, performed in theatre plays and small budget movies for seven years for no money at all before his career took off in 1982 after he played a small part in the comedy “Night Shift”. Actor Seann William Scott was working at a law firm as a handyman when the hit comedy “American Pie” hit the theaters, and the movie launched his career: “I did not make any money when we finished American Pie, I was just excited to have gotten a movie role”. Many celebrities risk a lot when going for what they want, knowing there’s a high probability of failure in the entertainment business. Celebrities get the chance to travel and see world through their line of work. A lot of people would like to travel and see the world, but there’s not always money for it and even if the money would not a problem, most of us just do not have the time to do it. Celebrities, on the other hand, are most times required to travel all around the globe. Movies are oftentimes shot in different countries, so the actors have to travel as well. Singers tour around the world to promote their albums, so they get to visit the most beautiful parts of the world. Singers that had been around for a long time, like the members of the rock band The Rolling Stones, got to see probably most of the world in the 45 years of their existence. If the famous ones don’t get to visit their favorite places while traveling through their work, they definitely get to do it while vacationing, as money is not a problem for them. They get to spend their free time in places pretty much off limits for non-famous people like private islands and very expensive hotels. It’s a lot easier to make a difference in this world when you are a celebrity and millions of people love and respect you. A lot of us are aware of what’s going on in this world. We know about the suffering and most people would do something about it if they had the chance to do it. Many celebrities contribute to the society by giving away part of their earnings to different charities around the world. Charity is the most common way in which celebrities play a part in helping the needy. Some superstars adopted children from third world countries in order to make their lives better. Some successful singers performed for the military troops on war fronts for free, raising the soldiers’ morale for the upcoming battles. Another way in which the famous give to the society is taking active parts in organizations that fight against AIDS or Cancer. Actresses Diane Lane and Sharon Stone are just two of the many celebrities that help the fight against terrible diseases affecting people around the world today. They give speeches for these organizations, offer their financial support and dedicate a big part of their lives to the cause. John Lennon touched the life of many people through his music. His friend Frederic Seaman describes the fans paying their respects to their idol after Lennon’s death: As we approached the corner of Central Park West and Seventy-Second street, I could see a massive crowd of people had gathered around in front of the building, some of them singing “Give Peace a Chance, most of them crying. There were flowers and pictures of John, photos and crude drawings like effigies in a South American funeral procession. Once they become popular, these people barely have a private life anymore. As good as it may sound, being famous is not easy. The lives of celebrities are constantly followed by the public. Paparazzi are always going to be where the celebrities are, permanently stalking them. A celebrity cannot have a discrete date or a private dinner anymore; there is always at least one video camera present. Going shopping is very different for a celebrity. Because of the paparazzi problem, entire department stores close their doors to the public for the celebrities like Britney Spears to be able to shop without cameras in their face. Sometimes celebrities will try to hide their identities with weird clothes or hats, but the ingenious paparazzi are not easy to fool. It is interesting how most of us think it would be interesting or even cool to have somebody film you on the street while you’re doing nothing special, but how many of us would still have the same opinion if this would happen every day? In the fast paced world of the celebrities, money can go away as easily as they came. Bankruptcy is not an uncommon thing in Hollywood at all. It is true that celebrities make a lot of money, but they spend a lot of money as well. Law suits, divorces, exaggerated spending are just a few reasons that can cause a famous, once wealthy person to file for bankruptcy. Actor Burt Reynolds filed for bankruptcy a few years ago following a divorce settlement that made him pay $26,000 per month to his ex wife for child support. Also actress Lorraine Bracco filed for bankruptcy when she could not pay the legal fees following a long divorce from her ex-husband, actor Harvey Keitel. Some people are not equilibrated with the way there are spending money in a world where success can disappear as quick as it came. The money that celebrities earn is conditioned by their work and work means contracts for movies or the success of the music. When money stop coming in, some celebrities cannot stop spending excessively because most of them are used to an expensive lifestyle. Money eventually runs out for some superstars and they end up poor and miserable, some even kill themselves. Many celebrities become addicted to alcohol and drugs. Hollywood has always been a powerful selling point for ille...