In the 1991 concert documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare, Warren Beatty summed up the pop singer/actress/diva in one simple phrase when he said, “She doesn’t know how to live off camera, much less talk.”
Ouch! Beatty and Madonna were dating during the time of her Blond Ambition tour. They had starred together in the 1990 comic movie Dick Tracy and had become romantically linked. Both were known for their relationships with many partners. So, it seemed like the law of probability just as when the football quarterback dates the cheerleading captain.
But you can tell by Beatty’s appearance wearing sunglasses and looking like he’s rather be anywhere else says to the documentary camera: “She doesn’t want to live off-camera, much less talk. There’s nothing to say off-camera. Why would you say something if it’s off-camera? What point is there existing?”
That quote perfectly sums up a narcissist. And maybe it’s because Beatty is one himself. It’s a brilliant phrase. That’s because attention is a dangerous drug, quite possibly a more dangerous drug than heroin, fentanyl, or the strongest alcohol that can be consumed. Even alcohol/substance abuse addicts thrive on that attention. It can affect anyone of any sex, race, creed, religious affiliation or economic class.
I’ve dealt with so many of them in my life as a news reporter, it got to be cringe-inducing. It’s not just the usual suspects of cops, politicians and civic leaders, but a wide range of people from sports parents to business owners and usually a religious person. On the flip side, you have the people who shy away from attention. They don’t want their picture taken. They don’t like speaking in front of a group even if it’s just a few dozen people. They rarely post on social media and enjoy weekend evenings at home or with their own close circle of friends.
And guess which one we all criticize for their behavior more? Society tells us “It’s the quiet ones you have to watch,” but someone sitting at a bar or in a restaurant just enjoying some time out by yourself isn’t as bad as you’d been told. The loudmouths and egomaniacs are the worst. Just imagine someone who thinks blowing out a child’s birthday cake candles would be fun. Or worse, slamming their face into the icing.
Let’s face it, your birthday is usually one of the few events of the year where you can get the most attention and not feel bad. And for a while, it was one of the rare times in which anyone would get their picture taken. Try to imagine what the world was like before the invention of photography or even the printing press.
In Assume the Position with Mr. Wuhl, actor/comic Robert Wuhl theorized the only reason Franklin Pierce was ever President was because his friend Nathaniel Hawthorne had wrote a book about him, Life of Franklin Pierce, that was published before the 1852 election. So imagine if Stephen King, John Grisham or Nicholas Sparks wrote a biography about your life, you’d be popular even if you didn’t really do much up until that time.
However, Pierce is considered one of the worst Presidents of the era and all time. He is the only sitting President not to get his party’s nomination for President in the next election. It’s also believed that his policies did the most to lead to the American Civil War, not that James Buchanan didn’t help.
If we didn’t have the media, Donald Trump wouldn’t exist. He’d be just another businessman despised for his ways by the public. He’s pretty much done everything even before he ever ran for President to get his face and image out to the public by any means necessary, appearing on professional wrestling shows, McDonald’s commercials, and even Playboy home videos. And did anything really think he would’ve just gone away after the 2020 election especially following Jan. 6, 2021. He had to stay in the news.
That’s why he wanted to go to the Super Bowl on Sunday. He has to have the attention even if it’s for a few minutes. A lot of celebrities do it but it still doesn’t make it right now matter how you rationalize it. Rumor has it Michael Jackson and his people would have young women “pass out” at his concerts from the excitement. There’s also rumors Jackson notified the National Enquirer about his “marriage” to Lisa Marie Presley because he was tired of O.J. Simpsons getting too much attention during the summer of 1994, even as Simpson was charged with double murder.
Trump’s first three weeks in office have been a new thing every day because he has to keep himself in the press. He didn’t write any of those Executive Orders and he damn sure didn’t read anything except the tab “Sign Here.” He talks about Canada being the 51st state or taking over the Gaza Strip because he knows it will get people talking.
His appearance at the Super Bowl, standing with police and first-responders of the New Orleans area to remember those who died in the Bourbon Street attacks earlier this year, was all for show. And it’s disgusting as he smiled and gave that thumbs up gesture. Didn’t Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert trademark this? Can’t we get their estates to order a cease and desist? Not like he would.
I agree with Gen Zers and Millennials with how lame the “thumbs up” emoji is. But there’s some times, I think Trump is actually out of his mind, not knowing what he is saying. He may think that he was just there for a photo opportunity. I’m glad the Philadelphia Eagle fans booed at him. I was rooting for the Chiefs to win but I don’t mind the Eagles since they refused to go back in 2018 because Trump and the Republican Party didn’t like players kneeling.
Trump is a petty little spoiled brat who never got an old-fashioned trip to the woodshed. It’s funny how Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) and Mel Gibson talk about beating children with belts for acting up when it’s obvious Trump there’s no proof that spanking is good child rearing. Or maybe Fred Trump beat up Trump throughout his childhood and that’s why he’s such an asshole. I don’t condone spankings but in Trump’s case I would make an exception.
Yeah, neither the Chiefs nor the Eagles are big fans of Trump. Yet, his golden boy Tom Brady is. And if there is anyone who can make the nauseating voice of Joe Buck sound like Morgan Freeman, it’s Tom-fuckin-Brady. This was one of the worst football Super Bowl games ever. I didn’t really care for Kendrick Lamar at half-time but knowing so many people hate it just because of the color or Lamar’s skin as well as the dancers, makes me like it.
It’s New Orleans, for God’s sake. You’re not going to have a bunch of city cowpokes like Jason Aldean and Tom McDonald performing. I loved Lady Gaga’s pre-game performance which people will hate for her strong support of the LGBTQIA community and sexual assault victims. And I’m sure everyone’s uncle and aunt has something to say about Jon Batiste’s version of the National Anthem, which I thought was good.
But if so many angry Boomers, Christians, conservatives, racists and old people can get mad about something so trivial, then they can shut up about the egg prices.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 