by Roger Grant

Created on: March 22, 2009

Instant coffee, fast food, instant gratification, instant success and instant fame.

The face of fame wears its mask very well and does not dare to reveal the real image, or we would not be truly interested in how dull the person behind it really is.

Some fame comes about because of real talent that cannot be denied, some stumble into it and some are pushed into it. I will not name names because that would only make them more famous. Fame, just like everything pleasurable, is a modern addiction. That is why the fifteen minutes of fame phenomenon plays out itself daily. Like the pilot who landed in the Hudson or the rich, skinny girl who can't sing or act, the intern at the Whitehouse with the stained dress and the ugly kid with the strange voice on You Tube.

Fame can come upon anyone in the right place at the right time. It is innocous to people not affected by it who are too busy being brilliant, but to those without talent it becomes something that they cling to as an illusion of self-worth. So they are just famous for being famous. Remember the girl famous for the large breast who lived within the media circus and died of a drug overdose in the Bahamas. Fame to many becomes a curse that only has one exit. Some have real talent, but pushed too fast to far, implode under the weight of publicity.

We should realize that we would not be remotely even interested in most of these people if they were not forced upon us every waking moment of the day. The news media seek out these people like hunter and prey in their efforts to survive and does not discriminate amongst talent or none. The ones who seem to fall victim to the media the most are the ones who become famous through association, such as the one who was with the president or the daughter of so and so, or those born into privilege who did not have to lift a finger to achieve anything.

When fame comes before or without talent it turns out into a bad drama without a well written screenplay featuring actors with no ability and unbearable to watch and sometimes with tragic outcomes. But many did not choose this path they were sought after and became entangled in a sport supported only by their own ego and their next fix of stardom. Alongside these are also the talented workaholics who feel that their life depends on being on the next magazine cover. So one is a victim of fame and the other is a slave to their own success.

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