In Continuum.

Paparazzi has now infiltrated into the world of toys, and I am wondering if we should be worried about it. I mean, these pests with cameras have been terrorizing our favorite celebrities all around the world simply because they are armed with the deadly formula: Infinite amount of film plus infinite amount of patience. These photographers probably started out like any other photographers out there, people with genuine passions in taking pictures of sceneries, people on the streets, a rotten apple in a dark alley, or anything else in the world that can be captured on their cameras. But then, like any sensible photographer will tell you, the career in photography is a difficult one. It is easy to take a picture, since it only requires one to press a button on the camera. To take a good picture is much harder, but then there are probably a few million other photographs who can do just the same as yourself. In truth, it is difficult to stand out from the crowd if you are a photographer, and my friend Joel realizes that very well. Even in a small market like the one in Singapore, things can grow to be very competitive as a thousand different photographers fight for the very same job or coverage of the same event.

Being part of the paparazzi just seems like the natural way to go for these photographers who have met their end of the road. It seems easy money anyway, to follow a bunch of celebrities around, know where the live and where they like to hang out, and just make sure that your index finger is held down on the button when they appear at the front door of the club. More money can be earned if you manage to take a picture of them without their underwear, or if they are caught scratching their crotches in public. Anything to make the celebrity look retarded, stupid, or simply just out of the ordinary would translate into a good paycheck. On top of that, paparazzi these days are taking a step further, by not just taking pictures but also conjuring up stories with the pictures that they take. If they notice that you are not wearing your wedding ring, your marriage is in jeopardy. If they notice that you are wearing nail polish on your fingertips, you were at a secret sex romp the previous night. And if you are having a cup of coffee at a Starbucks with a friend of the opposite sex, you are having a secret love relationship with that person. It doesn't matter if they are true or not, people just love such scandalous news on the tabloids. The people love to read about it, the paparazzi gets good money out of it - it's a winning formula.

If you are a celebrity, then the paparazzi - or Paps - can be your friends. Properly utilized, these irritating cameramen can work for you instead of being against you, it all depends on how you manipulate them and how you want them to see you. In this time and age, it either takes a lot to be famous, or very little. You don't become famous just because you are "good" anymore, you need to be weird, very weird, or very stupid. It helps if you are ugly, but then cameras only like ugly faces for so long, unless you are ugly and you like to walk around without your underwear, that's another matter altogether. So many celebrities have used the power of paparazzi for their own popularity, by purposely spreading rumors about themselves to gain publicity. It doesn't matter anymore, if the public sees you in a bad light these days. The point is, that you are in the light, and that's all that matters. So we have had celebrities shaving their heads with full knowledge that the paparazzi are taking their pictures, purposefully saying something in front of the camera to stir up controversy, not to mention the incredible power of sex tapes. You can be as stupid as Paris Hilton, but all you really need are sex tapes to get you really famous. And the paparazzi can do that job for you, gladly.

I don't know how it'd be like to be somebody famous in this time and age, I probably wouldn't want to know. Everything you do becomes something else to discuss and talk about, even shopping at the local mall might become their source of gossips and rumors. The extra bottle of wine you bought might signify a romantic dinner for two tonight, and the rumored lovers of old are going to be brought back up from the grave and talked about all over again. It is difficult to be focused on the craft at hand, and we have seen so many celebrities falling victim to these pressures. I mean, Britney Spears is obviously crazy, but then I don't think it was her fault to become the person she is today. Putting somebody in front of a dozen flashing lights for a long enough period of time, they are bound to go crazy at some point. I am sure the same torture technique is used in detention centers all around the world for the very same reasons, because it drives people crazy and it makes them talk. These paparazzi have exploited the need for the public to know more about our favorite celebrities, so much so that they have invaded into their lives and sanity. 

I think that the argument of celebrities, being public figures, do not have a privacy to speak of is just plain retarded. We are always talking about leaving the work in the office, then why can't the same be said about these celebrities? I mean, their office is obviously where they work, be it a movie set or a recording studio, or an event showcasing the latest fashion in New York. That is their work, and everything should be left there afterwards. Why should the celebrities be any different from us, the kind of people who just want some peace and quiet at the end of the day? It is sad to be famous right now, because being famous also entails a lot of things being sacrificed along the way. You have people watching you around every corner, people taking your pictures, and if you look stupid or funny in them it is even better. There certainly aren't enough laws in various countries to protect the celebrities, something which should have been done a long time ago. Perhaps restricting the paparazzi and fining them for taking pictures within twenty miles of these celebrities' registered homes, who knows? How do you draw the line between the invasion of privacy and "just doing the job"? 

I guess I feel very strongly of this, because one of my favorite singer dated the wrong woman a year or two ago. She was fresh out of a divorce, and him dating her afterwards only invited the paparazzi into his life. Even a year after breaking up, it's not like things have settled down, and he is still very much bugged by those pests in every corner of LA and NY. It's difficult, on my part as a fan, to see him deteriorate like that in front of the camera, the way his laid back take on the paparazzi in the past has now disintegrated to this silent angst and frustration, beyond words even for his wit and intelligence. What I loved most of him in the past was how he could relate to his fans through his blog entries, something which he doesn't do very often anymore because everything has been misread and misquoted somehow, and he has grown sick and tired of everything. Sooner or later, I reckon, he is going to stop whatever he is doing and just leave the industry forever. That is the way it is going to be, but the paparazzi are just going to walk away with pockets full of money and look for the next better player, or target.

It's just sad that entertainers cannot be pure entertainers, singers can't be pure singers, and actors can't be pure actors. They need to entertain us with their personal lives now, more than their films and their music, they need to be flashed out on the front pages of every tabloid just for our viewing pleasure. We love to see those perfect people doing imperfect things, but we cannot understand why we love it. It sickens me, I suppose, to know that there isn't a comprehensive control of these people in every country, when there should be. I mean, these people are citizens just like all of us, why can't they deserve the same rights as us? This is not about them being famous, or having more money than any Tom, Dick and Harry on the streets. This is about one human to another, and how they ought to be treated, or ought not to be treated. It's just sad that even singers need to be the jester now, which is just plain sad. Just, sad.