celebrity industrial complex

posts about #celebrityindustrialcomplex more →
Is Barack The New Brangelina?
Us Quarterly
Turn Your Tabloid Celebphemera Addiction Into A Promising Career!

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

Samanthrax
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
You guys, this is not nearly as heated as I thought I was going to get. I'm a little dissapointed.
Reply

Samanthrax was starred Samanthrax was unstarred

schlegs84
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
Am I the only one that is offended by those Pepsi logos?
Reply

schlegs84 was starred schlegs84 was unstarred

Glitterbug (likes life shaken, not stirred)
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
My God, he's so fit. I'd stalk him anyday!

But I agree with what others have said about leaving his daughters alone.
Reply

tscheese
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
I'd rather see someone get attention for being an accomplished, determined politician with many years of law experience, than see someone get attention for being mediocre at acting and good at reproducing and having good genetics and tattoos and a great deal of luck.
Reply

tscheese was starred tscheese was unstarred

swimmingly
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
My mom likens the public scrutiny of his family to that of the Kennedys (minus the old money connection and how their family is one big political orgy), except more accessible to the public with the internet and such. I think that the attention he is receiving prior to making any decisions will be good when it comes time to look at the decisions he's making because people will be interested in him and his family. I must say that I love Barack and his wife. The are tots presh.
Reply

swimmingly was starred swimmingly was unstarred

Diziet_Sma
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
Whatever. If it gets more people interested in politics, it's a good thing.
Reply

Diziet_Sma was starred Diziet_Sma was unstarred

AthertonMerriweather
01/12/09

@Diziet_Sma: That's the thing, they're not interested in politics. They're interested in Obama and his family.
Reply

shorty63136
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
To answer the question: I believe is is better for the country - for the world - that people are more interested in our forthcoming president instead of a Hollywood-type star. Why? Because it's a step in teh right direction for people starting to really understand and take part in what's going on around them. Sure, it may be fed to them in a glitzy, media-frenzy type of way, but I can't tell you how many people I've seen who are now able to comment, even just a little bit, about international relations, race relations, and other political and social issues with more intelligence than they could two years ago.

Let's face it: Americans as a whole tend to live in a bubble, insulated and impervious to just about everything else going on outside of this country (hell, outside of their COUNTY sometimes). I think this is a step in the right direction.

And does it disrespect him or his office? Methinks not (just HANDS OFF the bebehs!). He's showing thus far that he is a man of the people and for the people. Let's not forget that while the people in Washington and the people in the military serve at the command of the president, the Commander-In-Chief ultimately serves at the command, welfare, and best interest of the people who put him in the Oval Office.

Missouri State motto: Salus populi suprema lex esto.

The welfare of the people shall be supreme law.

Let's hope he keeps that in mind.
Reply

shorty63136 was starred shorty63136 was unstarred

Samanthrax
01/12/09

@shorty63136: But do you think the general person is gaining interest and knowledge in his policies or his underwear?
Reply

Samanthrax was starred Samanthrax was unstarred

PilgrimSoul
01/12/09

@shorty63136: Uh, wait one second. I don't see a single bit of outward-looking, reflective thinking in the Obama Celebrity Show. It's all about he's so hot and teh cute babies and whatnot, and all the stuff about people suffering in other countries and health care and people who hate gay people is shoved off to the side in favour of OHMIGAH HE AND MICHELLE REALLY LOVE EACH OTHER ZOMG.
Reply

PilgrimSoul was starred PilgrimSoul was unstarred

shorty63136
01/12/09

@shorty63136: And even those that didn't put him there. To be clear.
Reply

shorty63136 was starred shorty63136 was unstarred

shorty63136
01/12/09

@Samanthrax & PilgrimSoul: I think the general person has gained at least a liiitle more knowledge about his policies (whether they agree with them or not) in the midst of all the underwear, shirtless hotness that gets put out there.

I mean, I'm not talking about the instant re-education of all people here. I'm talking about people being able to pick up more tidbits here and there than they did (or were even interested in picking up) during the Bush administration.

Some people can have a lengthy intellectual discussion about the issues and some cannot (the guy in the Waffle House in Granite City, IL at 2am who decided it'd be a good idea to talk about Obama, incorrectly, loudly, and at length as soon as I walked through the door).

Baby steps. Not an overhaul just yet.
Reply

shorty63136 was starred shorty63136 was unstarred

Diziet_Sma
01/12/09

@PilgrimSoul: I hate that stuff, and honestly couldn't care less about what dress Michelle wears at the inauguration, for eg - but, you know, other people dig it.
Reply

Diziet_Sma was starred Diziet_Sma was unstarred

PilgrimSoul
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
Oh God Dodai my whole existence as a commenter on this blog has been about this, thanks for writing about it.
Reply

PilgrimSoul was starred PilgrimSoul was unstarred

AthertonMerriweather
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
I think the celebrity worship of the President-Elect has put even more pressure on him to deliver "hope and change" and when he can't live up to those expectations, the backlash is going to be worse for him as President than it would an actor or regular celebrity.
Reply

robot ninja spy
01/12/09

@AthertonMerriweather: YES. That too. Like the campaign messages said, change is also up to us. Those aren't just pretty words; it's the truth. Just because we have someone in office who can read doesn't mean everything's going to be cupcakes and fairy dust from now on. There are still sweeping changes that need to take place across the board that one person simply cannot do. Also there are things that are priorities to many of us that he may not carry out and things that matter that people will disagree with him on. His winning was us winning a battle, not the whole damn war. ANDANDAND he's only going to be in there a maximum of eight years.
Reply

robot ninja spy was starred robot ninja spy was unstarred

morninggloria
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
He also has an adorable, wholesome family. I bet that we're not going to hear about Malia and Sasha getting underage drinking tickets at fraternity parties for at least 5 years.
Reply

morninggloria was starred morninggloria was unstarred

katie.scarlett.o'hara
01/12/09

@morninggloria: Ha!

And that's one thing I love about them. They really do seem like the model American family.
Reply

robot ninja spy
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
I'm much more comfortable with him being treated like a celebrity than a messiah. You know I'm as excited that he won as anyone else and he's competent and that's great. But it makes me nervous when people imply that he's incapable of making a misstep. He's still a politician. A competent one, a more admirable one than most of the ones we've seen the past eight years, but a politician nonetheless.

I will now return to my regularly scheduled fangirling.
Reply

robot ninja spy was starred robot ninja spy was unstarred

PilgrimSoul
01/12/09

@Sour Patch Bitch (r.n. spy returns in the spring): I really wish I could post the picture of you fangirling it out at my election party, still my favourite photo of 2008. :)
Reply

PilgrimSoul was starred PilgrimSoul was unstarred

shorty63136
01/12/09

@PilgrimSoul: Well, crap...now I wanna see it.
Reply

shorty63136 was starred shorty63136 was unstarred

robot ninja spy
01/12/09

@PilgrimSoul: Ha! Thanks. :)
Reply

robot ninja spy was starred robot ninja spy was unstarred

labeled
01/12/09

@Sour Patch Bitch (r.n. spy returns in the spring): "Contrary to what you may have heard, I was not born in a manger..."
Reply

labeled was starred labeled was unstarred

PilgrimSoul
01/12/09

@shorty63136: Sorry. :) It is the cutest thing, she is so happy that Obama got elected and crying and excited.

Despite my bonerkilling attitude about Obama 'round here I was really feeling it that night too.
Reply

PilgrimSoul was starred PilgrimSoul was unstarred

J.D.Regent
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
What would be even better would be if they subjected his policies to the same scrutiny as his abs.
Reply

J.D.Regent was starred J.D.Regent was unstarred

PilgrimSoul
01/12/09

@J.D.Regent: Matt Yglesias gets all hot and bothered about his policies, but admittedly he's not as widely read as say Perez Hilton's astute political commentary.
Reply

PilgrimSoul was starred PilgrimSoul was unstarred

rednrowdy
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
he's a president for the history books before he even takes office, so there's that. however, i think he's treated like a celebrity now because he's not president yet. once he's sworn in and he starts actually doing stuff as president, i'm think the media swoons over every tibit of his life will flatten out a bit.
Reply

rednrowdy was starred rednrowdy was unstarred

rosasparks
01/12/09

@rednrowdy: I think it will probably even out, as well.
Reply

rosasparks was starred rosasparks was unstarred

sportz.star
01/12/09

@rednrowdy: I agree and hope so. I don't think the paparazzi type shots will stop, but I seriously doubt he'll be on the cover of US many times/year again. US just doesn't do "Will He or Won't He? Obama Decides Whether to Sign Controversial Bill" as a cover story.
Reply

sportz.star was starred sportz.star was unstarred

katie.scarlett.o'hara
01/12/09

@rednrowdy: I agree. Once he starts making unpopular decisions, which we already got a taste of with the Rick Warren thing, the glow will start to wear off.
Reply

victoriasauce
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
Ooh. Annie Leibovitz shoot.

I wonder if he'll go all Miley on us.
Reply

victoriasauce was starred victoriasauce was unstarred

shorty63136
01/12/09

@victoriaandrahmsittinginatree: GAWD, I hope so!
Reply

shorty63136 was starred shorty63136 was unstarred

Fridge Hussy : Is finally heading back to uni!
01/12/09

@victoriaandrahmsittinginatree: Maybe he'll pull a Sophie Dahl:

[www.cummingthefragrance.com]
Reply

victoriasauce
01/12/09

@Perla: Ok. That made me laugh out loud.

For the record...

Barack Obama in that pose would totally be my new wallpaper.
Reply

victoriasauce was starred victoriasauce was unstarred

Samanthrax
01/12/09

In reply to Is Barack The New Brangelina?
It bugs me that we're treating him like we would the new It Girl.

(Disclaimer: I voted for him, I like him, please don't hit me.)
Reply

Samanthrax was starred Samanthrax was unstarred

Evie Havok
01/12/09

@Samanthrax: Maybe once the fascination with him wears off they'll stop with the vomit-inducing worship.
Reply

Evie Havok was starred Evie Havok was unstarred

whatsername
01/12/09

@afiunderground: I also find the worship (and that's what it is) a tad unsettling. They're treating him like the Second Coming. Its like The Phantom Menace...we are SO going to be disappointed with those sorts of expectations. (FWIW, TPM sucked tropical monkeys).

@Samanthrax: I was going to say something similar. I'm already taking bets with my other personalities on how the press will start dubbing him "without substance" and whatnot, to "prove" how the haters during the campaign were right.
Reply

whatsername was starred whatsername was unstarred

MizJenkins
01/12/09

@afiunderground: The adulation may not always be warranted but it beats eight years of vomit-inducing failure.
Reply

MizJenkins was starred MizJenkins was unstarred

Samanthrax
01/12/09

@whatsergem (has Bracket Closing Disorder: I think that once he starts putting things into motion, his actions will speak louder than the 'omg Obama shirtless! He has no experience!' bandwagon, but I think the press is pretty much trivializing the huge problems he is going to be undertaking, and the social strives his appointment has made. I guess.
Reply

Samanthrax was starred Samanthrax was unstarred

MizJenkins
01/12/09

@Samanthrax: To be fair, thinking about the Prez-elect shirtless is much more pleasant than thinking about than the huge problems he is going to be undertaking.
Reply

MizJenkins was starred MizJenkins was unstarred

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

#celebrityindustrialcomplex

Jezebel

SUBSCRIBE TO Jezebel

Is Barack The New Brangelina?

Us Quarterly

Turn Your Tabloid Celebphemera Addiction Into A Promising Career!

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment