WHY WE ARE SO INTERESTED IN CELEBRITIES’ PRIVATE LIVES

Newsflash: As confirmation of their controversial love affair, Tombraider-tuned-Mrs. Smith Angelina Jolie is carrying Brad Pitt’s child!

Such news about two of the hottest celebrities can generate various reactions from the public – silence, a scoff, a raised eyebrow, a beam of happiness, or eagerness to read more related stories.

Celebrities serve several roles in society: as good performers in their craft or as role models. Although any person who is widely recognized in any industry - like movie, music, government and politics, or sports - is considered a celebrity, those in showbiz are considered the hottest items. This is unquestionable since aside from getting exceedingly high-paying jobs, good looks, remarkable performances, and extensive exposure, actors and actresses lead complex and controversial lives. Fortune, fame, and controversy are potent attention-drawers.

Many celebrities live a life that is a drama in itself, a roller-coaster ride of success and failure whether in profession, finances, or relationships. Michael Jackson was just a small child when his singing career took off and climaxed with hit songs like Beat It and Thriller. But, as his successes came early, his childhood and development was not ordinary. He became so rich at an early age but had been into several relationships that failed. More recently, he’s been receiving child sex-abuse allegations, devastating his career and finances. Fame has a terror to turn itself into infamy.

Gwyneth Paltrow was once identified as Brad Pitt’s girlfriend. After they broke up, Pitt met Jennifer Aniston and married her. Then Pitt partnered with Angelina Jolie in a movie. Pitt and Aniston got divorced. Now, Pitt is having his first child with Jolie soon. Now Paltrow is having her second child with her singer husband, Chris Martin. Now Aniston is dating co-actor Vince Vaughn. Many celebrities change partners as fast as they change roles they portray. Their strings of relationships or love chains are even featured in TV shows, demonstrating the fact that their intimate lives are out in the open and well documented.

Because of their public exposures, celebrities tag a high value on their privacy and try hard to become invisible from the public eye. Ironically, the more they hide, the more curious the public gets. The mystery of secrecy provokes further scrutiny.

People exhibit different degrees of interest on the private lives of celebrities. Such degrees depend on various reasons - out of curiosity, for entertainment, to be updated or “in” so as to contribute to gossip and showbiz talks, or to make money.

The lowest degree is mere curiosity for someone publicly known. What do celebrities eat? How do they keep in shape? Where do they invest their money on? How do their houses look like? How many cars, jets, and planes do they own? People would not be interested to read success stories of someone they hardly know. But they would be entertained to learn about celebrity stuffs like these and tell them to their families and friends. The extravagant lifestyles of celebrities have kept the public amazed that such realities exist.

Secondly, there are those who can associate or empathize with the celebrity’s professional achievements, or private affairs; thereby creating a one-way connection with that celebrity’s private life. When Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman parted ways, many people (especially the housewives) identified with her. Cruise and Kidman were once dubbed as among Hollywood’s happiest couples with a long history of togetherness that would have proven that showbiz marriages last. Their divorce only proved otherwise and this saddened the public. Cruise has turned to Penelope Cruz then eventually to Katie Holmes while Kidman remained uncommitted.

Finally, with the highest degree of interest, are people who have strong passion to learn about these public figures for two different reasons: either they simply idolize a celebrity for his character roles, traits, looks, and successes that they have become avid fans; or, they are driven by ambition for money or career. In the first instance, people sometimes associate themselves with the characters portrayed by celebrities that even after the movie or show, they keep track of these celebrities’ lives. Then they become constant supporters and form groups that perform activities to further the career of their idols. However in very remote instances, some fans can become stalkers, such as the case of John Lennon’s assassin. The second reason applies to those who work in the entertainment industry, the paparazzi in particular, who would almost literally do anything to poke into privacy and photograph these stars during their rare unguarded moments. The more exclusive the photos are, the higher the value. In this time when every individual’s right to privacy has become controversial, the price for privacy has soared.

Despite the inconvenience and lack of freedom attached to a celebrity’s life, its public-private dualism serves them beneficial purposes. By drawing interest and curiosity, the public is given more reason to patronize movies or songs. Those who watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith did not only do so for the movie itself; they would like to check the unusual chemistry between Pitt and Jolie that would have been revealed in some of the scenes. The break-up of Cruise and Kidman pushed the latter’s career up, timely with her Moulin Rouge movie that was well received by the public. Prior to the break-up, Kidman was just an actress who was married to Cruise, an established actor with a list of hit movies. Now, Kidman’s celebrity status has elevated. Furthermore, those who protected their privacy and have the right to do so, earned financially. Take the case of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones’ triumphant case versus a magazine, which published unauthorized photos of their wedding. Or more recently, Naomi Campbell’s lawsuit against the disclosure of her drug therapy details.

When we come to think of it, celebrities rely on the society for their success in the business. They know the public wants mystery, controversy, and drama; thus, they give it by sharing their own. Sometimes they exaggerate. Sometimes they capitalize on their own predicament. Or sometimes, they create it. Nonetheless, whatever is revealed about the private lives of these public figures, the society will always remain the spectator.