Infinite Monkeys
I've got to hand it to Ron Rosenbaum: these are about the finest 2,200 words of celebrity "journalism" bashing I've read in days, if not weeks. (Link fixed...apologies.)
Truth is, I haven't read "Esquire" in years — something to do with the realization that I never cared much about the latest sports car, silk shirt or stainless steel nose-hair trimmer. But I'm half tempted to at least peruse the July issue to learn the identity of the hack who wrote, "in post 9/11 America, Angelina Jolie is the best woman in the world because she is the most famous woman in the world — because she is not like you or me."
No, she is certainly not like you or me. She has way more tattoos, first of all. And she's slept with Billy Bob Thornton — which should disqualify anyone as the best anything anywhere.
But I would say that passage tops this one (first paragraph) for over-the-top Esquire hilarity.
Rosenbaum makes a serious point about unserious journalism, though: "[D]oes anybody ever read this stuff? Does anybody take it seriously? Does the writer? It's the Emperor's New Clothes of prose. There's a certain sadness to it, as well. To paraphrase that line in 'Howl': I saw some of the best writers of my generation destroyed by celebrity profiling."
I guess whatever pays the mortgage. Even if there is a war on.
Posted by H.L. Monkey at June 20, 2007 10:16 PMMaybe this is one of those post-modern jokes. Perhaps any story heaping praise upon a kooky celebrity should be taken as ironic by default. That is how I try to think about the reality television phenomenon, for example, in order to avoid the despair that would overtake me otherwise.
Posted by: Monkey RobbL at June 20, 2007 10:59 PMYer first link (to the article, I suppose) is a dud, dude.
Posted by: Dr. Zaius at June 21, 2007 02:08 AMWhat does this make now? Three Angelina Jolie posts in two weeks? For shame!
Posted by: Dr. Zaius at June 21, 2007 03:00 AM