During our first week in London, I picked up the afternoon paper and saw lots of faces I didn’t recognize. “Who are these people?”, I said at the time…convinced that perhaps they were somehow relevant.
Then, we moved to Belsize Park and during my daily commute into the City, I noticed huge colorful sticker on the side of the newstand with a largish lady in 80’s garb proclaiming “Yeah but, no but neah”. At the time, I thought “Who would want to hang that on their window?”
After 5 months here, I’ve continually noticed the same individuals in papers and posters around the city, but their identity and source of “interest” remained unknown.
Yesterday, after 5 months here, I finally realized where all of the unknown people came from…they’re what Londoners call “Zelebs”—Z-list Celebrities created on reality tv shows. Akin to Richard Hatch in the US 7 years ago. However, in the UK the reality TV stars’ 15 minutes of fame last for YEARS. And these folks make millions by being ridiculous on TV. Jade Goody (the one that’s currently on Big Brother here) is currently in the news for being offensive and it’s raising her market value. And there are countless others made famous by Next Top Model, Big Brother, the UK version of American Idol, and others. It’s a craze! In the real world, these “normal” folks turned TV stars are stalked by paparazzi. It’s just not normal.
So. Why are folks in the UK fascinated by Zelebs? Is it because the Hollywood movie stars are so far away (and have foreign accents)? Or is it that they like to feel superior to the silly individuals who rise to fame? What do you think?
Are reality shows still on the air in the US? Am I right that they’re waning?