by MisterSteve

Created on: July 02, 2007

When celebrities find a niche to exploit, you can expect about a bazillion imitators. Once a format starts raking in cash, it is immediately subjected to a celebrity feeding frenzy. Similar to Rosie O'Donell at the buffet, or a shark feeding, whichever is least disturbing to you, gentle reader, these celebrities will vociferously pursue any avenue of egress into newly discovered popular formats.

The first media milestones involved things like the advent of the written word, that wonderful medium of communication that has seen such a renaissance with the arrival of the internet on the world stage made it cool to be literate, as well as the invention of the printing press. The printing press led to widespread distribution of text, allowing for the explosion of newspaper distribution, a trend that even today is a strong market force. Along with newspapers came near instantaneous communication of important events and people. Including performers of all types, the celebrities of their day.

Once the idea of newspapers became a common staple in the civilized world, another significant first came about; The very first superstars. Celebrities so popular and well known they were glorified on neighboring continents in a world where intercontinental travel took weeks and months, traveling via sailing vessel in a dangerous world of uncertain weather and freebooting buccaneers, privateers and pirates. The global shift towards widespread fame and global notoriety for celebrities was all but a certainty at this point, all due to the widespread adoption of a new medium.

Today's hot format is both the the most and the least original, in the form of reality programming. Original because every moment is unscripted, unoriginal because it literally is the oldest concept ever: A day to day diary. And that is what reality television like Victoria Beckham: Coming To America really is. A day to day video diary, no different than the messy, childish scrawl founfd in a young girl's diary, secured with a small key on a ribbon, hidden away from prying eyes.

But, in the case of Victoria Beckham and every other celebrity, the diary isn't locked and hidden away in some secret place know only to young girls and their teenage dreams and wishes. Celebrities like Victoria Beckham direct, produce and edit the diary for national syndicated television, with appropriately placed ads. And the public watches, fascinated with the process of putting every last moment of Victoria Beckham's life on television, for better or worse. Usually worse. In every reality show ever aired, the worst behavior usually gets the most press, regardless of how outlandish and ridiculous it is.

Victoria Beckham is a celebrity exploiting the latest format; The reality show. One more reality show, especially with Victoria Beckham, can't be that bad. It would have to be an improvement over half the drek on television, such as that show with that guy, and the beautiful young doctor show where they never lose a patient until sweeps week. Maura Tierney should get a reality show. That would be a celebrity worth watching. Victoria Beckham; Who knows?

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