Since swearing off celebrities a week ago, I've hit one or two bumps in the road. But those were just minor mess-ups. Especially when you consider all the things I've been doing right. Here's a quick run-down:
1. I haven't picked up, looked at or read a single celebrity magazine in over a week.
2. I haven't even glanced at any headlines on said magazines. In fact, I avoid subway kiosks and magazine sections of stores completely.
3. I skip over celeb-related articles in all publications.
4. I removed all celeb alerts (EOnline.com, People.com, Popsugar.com and Buzz Tracker: Michelle Williams) from my My Yahoo page. These days, I only get updates from Reuters, CNN, Flickr and food blogs.
5. I haven't spent any time on IMDB.com, a site I used to visit regularly for celeb fun facts.
6. When friends try to talk celebs with me, I kindly ask them to stop and change the subject. If celebs come up when I'm with a group, I excuse myself if possible. If not, I let them talk, but don't chime in.
But on Thursday night, I had my true test.
Daniel and I went to see The Farnsworth Invention, an excellent play about the birth of television. I bought the tickets months ago, way before I knew what I'd be giving up for lent. Hank Azaria, one of my all-time favorite actors is in the show. I got us front row seats.
For 2 1/2 hours, were were about a foot away from Hank. I was mesmerized -- by his acting and that fact that I could practically reach out and touch him.
After the show, we filed out of the theater and I had to force myself to leave. Had I gone to this play a few weeks ago, I would have waited around, in the cold, to meet Hank and his co-stars.
For those of you who might not know, going to the theater in NY is a great way to meet celebs. They all get picked up by cars right after the show and many will stop and chat before they go. My grandmother taught me this trick after my first Broadway play in the 1st grade. Thanks to her, I've met countless stars this way.
But I knew last night couldn't be the same. I'd given up celebs for lent. Waiting around to try to meet one was out of the question. Daniel agreed.
I'm not going to lie. It was so hard to leave. The play was amazing and I wanted to tell Hank how much we loved him (and how much I missed Huff, a show he did for Showtime). As we walked toward the subway, I looked back once or twice at the small crowd that was waiting, envious that they'd get to see him and I wouldn't.
1. I haven't picked up, looked at or read a single celebrity magazine in over a week.
2. I haven't even glanced at any headlines on said magazines. In fact, I avoid subway kiosks and magazine sections of stores completely.
3. I skip over celeb-related articles in all publications.
4. I removed all celeb alerts (EOnline.com, People.com, Popsugar.com and Buzz Tracker: Michelle Williams) from my My Yahoo page. These days, I only get updates from Reuters, CNN, Flickr and food blogs.
5. I haven't spent any time on IMDB.com, a site I used to visit regularly for celeb fun facts.
6. When friends try to talk celebs with me, I kindly ask them to stop and change the subject. If celebs come up when I'm with a group, I excuse myself if possible. If not, I let them talk, but don't chime in.
But on Thursday night, I had my true test.
Daniel and I went to see The Farnsworth Invention, an excellent play about the birth of television. I bought the tickets months ago, way before I knew what I'd be giving up for lent. Hank Azaria, one of my all-time favorite actors is in the show. I got us front row seats.
For 2 1/2 hours, were were about a foot away from Hank. I was mesmerized -- by his acting and that fact that I could practically reach out and touch him.
After the show, we filed out of the theater and I had to force myself to leave. Had I gone to this play a few weeks ago, I would have waited around, in the cold, to meet Hank and his co-stars.
For those of you who might not know, going to the theater in NY is a great way to meet celebs. They all get picked up by cars right after the show and many will stop and chat before they go. My grandmother taught me this trick after my first Broadway play in the 1st grade. Thanks to her, I've met countless stars this way.
But I knew last night couldn't be the same. I'd given up celebs for lent. Waiting around to try to meet one was out of the question. Daniel agreed.
I'm not going to lie. It was so hard to leave. The play was amazing and I wanted to tell Hank how much we loved him (and how much I missed Huff, a show he did for Showtime). As we walked toward the subway, I looked back once or twice at the small crowd that was waiting, envious that they'd get to see him and I wouldn't.
I think most people would agree that it's not bad at all. But is it necessary? Or better said, what's the point? In my case, I don't even particularly like talking to celebs. I get all tongue-tied and say stupid things. I just really like to see them. To stare at them. Confirm that they're really real. And after I've seen them, I like to text, email and call a million people and share the good news.
And I guess that's where the problem lies. I see one, talk to one and then need to keep talking about an experience that really doesn't mean anything at the end of the day. It doesn't change or affect me in any major way, not to mention that these people already get more attention than they'll ever need.
As hard as it was to just leave last night and not meet Hank, I'm so glad I did. It felt good to be on the other side. To not care about a celeb. To see a play, appreciate good acting for a few hours and leave it at that. By walking away and caring a little less, I proved to myself that I don't need these celeb fixes as much as I think.
2 comments:
Good work, Yi. Our lives are too short to be so wrapped up in total strangers lives, just because they're "famous." Your life will be much richer, by investing this time in your family, friends, work and helping others. I would think that your attendance at the show, means more to the actors than the groupies hanging around after the show do. I bet the "stars" can't wait to get away from the fans and the intrusion into their after work lives. Peej
Thanks, Peej. You're right, although I know I'll still find some sort of pleasure in celeb-obsessing after this experiment is over. But hopefully I won't be as into it as I used to be.
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