mazaporo_3.1roughdraft

Megan Zaporowski 11.10.08   Paper #3 Celebrity Juice, Not from Concentrate After getting home from what was most likely a rough day of work and school sometimes I just want to unwind and go off into another world. A world filled with celebrities, crazy coked out ex-models, and shaven head pop stars. When I type in the words celebrity gossip in your average search engine more that 13,300,000 internet sites pop up but, Two names in particular stand out: Perez Hilton and TMZ. From meager starts both Perez and TMZ have captured a world wide audience with what would seem like a cult like following. According to Rolling Stone magazine as a child, Mario Lavandeira spent most of his time in bed, watching TV. He watched // Friends ////,// // Melrose Place ////,// // She-Ra ////,// // He-Man ////,// // G.I. Joe ////,// // The Wuzzles ////,// // Snorks ////,// // Transformers ////,// // Thundercats ////,// // The Facts of Life ////,// // Diff'rent Strokes ////,// the talk shows, the soaps and all the MTV he could. He glued himself to the tube for hours on end, usually dressed in just a T-shirt and shorts. His parents allowed this. He didn't even have to get up for dinner. In the future, though, what would become of a child such as Mario? In fact, what // should // become of a child such as Mario? His mom thought he'd make a good lawyer. One day he was a struggling actor, paying bills with non-glamorous day jobs like publications manager for a gay organization; publicist for trade shows; a reporter for Star magazine, which fired him says The New York Times. After which he began working full time on a hobby gossip blog that he'd started and named pagesixsixsix.com, after the famous // New York Post // gossip page. He was still Mario Lavandeira back then. In 2005, however, the Post sued him, and he chose a new name to go by, Perez Hilton, marrying his Latino heritage to the world's most famous do-nothing rich girl. Perezhilton.com draws about seven million visitors every day to see what the self-styled Queen of All Media, twenty-nine years old, is up to now. On his website after each post there is a place where anyone who visits the website can blog about the gossip or statement Perez just made. Most people are very opinionated and crude. With in the first five minutes after the latest blog has been posted by Perez about forty people have already commented arguing and agreeing with their fellow Perez lovers and haters. You can even send tips to Perez about where you saw a celebrity and send in your own personal photos you have taken and he will add them to his site. Perez Hilton is even starting his own awards called the Perezzies. Each day he will announce five Perezzies categories a day for three days. He wants you to nominate who you think should win the awards! Once he gets all the nominations, we'll ask you to vote on the top five nominees in each category. Then the winners will be chosen. TMZ is another gossip website that draws a lot of audience members. It offers the same drama and unrealistic stories of the rich and famous. Right now on the TMZ website celebrities such as Kelsey Grammer, Brittany Spear; who always ends up on these gossip sites, Hugh Jackman, Harrison Ford, John Travolta and many others are being exploited. After looking over this site it seems to be that you are in the middle of the Hollywood seen, and that’s exactly how TMZ got its name. TMZ stands for “Thirty Mile Zone” which translates into the 30 miles that make up the Hollywood downtown seen. The TMZ site started as a collaboration of AOL, American On-line, and Telepicture Production, which is a division of Warner Brothers, in 2005. With TMZ being owned by big corporation such as these, it is very interesting that they decided to make a tabloid or gossip website instead of a more reputable news website. Even with TMZ being a gossip website most of the information that they present on their website is true. The other half of their posts are speculation which draws in more viewers and keeps people reading day in and day out. Another reason that TMZ keeps viewers interested is by adding video and pictures of the celebrities that usually add to the story. These pictures and video are unlike the usually shots of celebrities in their makeup and dressed to impress. They usually are shown at their most embarrassing moments to almost make the readers laugh and adds to the drama. TMZ offers another aspect of their website that many other gossip sites do not. They have links to blog sites that let people get other peoples reactions on new celebrity news and old. With TMZ being a major Hollywood gossip website a television show was born to make more celebrity gossip available to the fans of the website. Just recently TMZ added a mobile phone service that allows any one with an internet accessible phone to text to the website and receive instant gossip, drama. We are fascinated with gossip and people like Perez Hilton and TMZ capitalize on just that. Coming from nothing and ending up with everything these sites become more then just a form of information they become an outlet and a source of people who love the same things as you. Even if you are not a teenage girl I’m willing to be you have been on at least one gossip site in your life. They are a way to escape your average life and see into the glamorous one of a celebrity. Or if you not feeling so great about your life you can take a peek into life of a celebrity who is being sued or just got dumped and feel a little bit better about your own.