Celebrities Worth Celebrating
This week's topic for the Divas and Gents is an assignment tasking each of us to identify both a male and female celebrity that we admire and to explain why.For me, this was pretty easy to do. The fact that it was easy may be surprising, especially considering the manner in which I will preface my statements.
Celebrities nowadays aren't really worth celebrating. Too often they are stuck on themselves, have egos that indicate their true feelings for the rest of us little people, and take every opportunity to inform the rest of us what we should be thinking. Well, I gotta tell ya, I don't think that being able to emote necessarily makes you qualified to tell me what is best for me. In fact, if you don't mind, I'll be doing that for myself, if it is alright with you, your insipid self-importantcy.
Too often we are celebrating things not worth celebrating when we regard some as celebrities. What, for example, are we celebrating in Paris Hilton? Perhaps vapid heiresses with loose morals? Not so much for me, thanks anyway? Nicole Ritchie? Anorexia is the way to happiness? Ben Affleck? Shitty work and an actor who preens too much? Thanks, but no thanks. He doesn't even look like a man.
So, with all of my general disgust for these types and their know-it-all, self-congratulating ways, I was surprised at how easily I indentified 2 celebrities worth celebrating.
For the women, I admire Reese Witherspoon. She has built a significant body of work, but more than that, when she appears on screen I stop seeing the actress and can only see the character. This is something that Julia Roberts and Angelina Jolie are incapable of, in my opinion. When I watch Far and Away, I travel along with Nonni and she is very real to me. I enjoy her performances in Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama, and Just Like Heaven because she is so ordinary. She is not so ravishingly beautiful that she stops traffic. Rather, she looks just like she could be your neighbor, co-worker, best-friend, or the girl next door. She is believable in the roles and she pops off the screen. Moreover, from what I've read, she takes the craft very seriously and it is real work to her. She can do comedy and drama with equal flair. But, the thing I admire most is her dedication to her children. This, to me, is very real. So I admire her ability to be at the top of her game and still have her children be the focus of her life.
Of Hollywood's leading men, I admire Bruce Willis. Here is a guy who can laugh at himself. Here is a guy who I loved in Moonlighting. Here is a guy who is quoted daily from his work in the Die Hard series. But more importantly, here is a guy who believes that the good news doesn't make the press. Here is a guy who believes in actually supporting the troops, rather than just paying them the lip service that most give (when in actuality they are adamantly against our military). Here is a guy who loves his children deeply and is a big enough guy to get past the hard feelings of divorce for the children's benefit. In essence, here is a guy I wouldn't mind having to supper. Bruce, you are invited for steak anytime you find yourself in Wisconsin. We'd love to have you at the table.
That's it. That's all I've got.
Go check and see what the other ladies have to say: Silk, Theresa, Arielle.
And the Gents will also weigh in on the matter: Jamesyboy, Jim, and Mark.
P.S. Divas, Gents, and gentle readers: We are coming down to the last of our prepared topics. Put on your thinking caps and let us know if there are topics that deserve the special Diva & Gent treatment. Leave them in the comments.
